Good energetic rock n roll (not punk)
Rockabilly with some cool hip-hop vibes from time to time. Worth a listen because The Cramps and Stray Cats are my only other references!
Indie music crossing over with Beck and guitar driven rock.
Indie pop music crossing over with Beck and simple guitar pop. An 80s feel with quirky lyrics that strangely remind me of John Grant for some reason.
Really enjoyable, albeit slightly juvenile, power pop. Hardly any hardcore punk and so much sleeker and more radio-friendly than, say, Green Day’s “Dookie” or Offspring or Sum…
Another Australian obscurity. It gets better as the album progresses although there is a definite riff through the first two songs. Not really my thing, but certainly more melodic as it goes on and not quite as “hard” rock as it first appears.
Beautifully sung and mostly very sparse arrangements. Starts well, like a purer Lana Del Rey, then, for me, just gets a bit boring. However, i can see why it has been submitted as a strong “album to hear before you die” in the same vein as fellow Scandinavian Bjork’s minimalist folk albums.
Accessible concept rock album with shades of Queen in some lead guitar sounds and quirky Vaudeville/music hall tunes. Some good pop songs.
Yes, I think it's worthy of inclusion.
Dream pop. Pleasant and ethereal. Reminds me a bit of the gentle feeling induced from those old Cafe del mar mellow Ibiza dance CDs.
Serious hard and heavy rock in the Sabbath zone. Shane the good lyrics are a little muffled. Not a bad choice for inclusion in the list.
Elements of Who, Kinks and Beatles. I preferred the New Orleans and more traditional blues songs.
Not bad for an obscure late ‘60s group, but better represented by the more famous bands.
Like a rockier Counting Crows. I like the storytelling and the piano. Classic rock done properly! Riffs and grooves, but not too heavy or grungy. Although I like the lyrical content that I could make out, I’m not a fan of the over talkative vocal style (Springsteen just about gets right).
Excellent and worthy inclusion nonetheless.
Thank you for adding in some dub reggae (as opposed to superstar Marley, Tong, Toots). Not essential, but good to hear and test the bass speakers! First half is entertaining then it gets boring.
There’s lots of Springsteen on the list including the outstanding “Born To Run”. Yes, the E Street Band were/are great live and given Metallica and Van Morrison and The Who and Deep Purple amongst others have concert albums I suppose this is a fair user submission.
Good synth dance music reminding a little 9f Hot Chip. Good.
As an 11 year old I had no idea Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel were anything but clever popstars. Genesis meant nothing to me and so I adored Marillion and Fish on face value. Even now I don't mind that they were unashamed copycats. They made the Genesis/Gabriel sound much more commercial, personal and relatable.
I love the synth sound. The guitar, bass and drums are full-on '80s rock. The lyrics are introspective, poetic and pompous in an innocent and warm way. The melodies are infectious and the hit singles are glorious singalongs.
Yes, this was my own submission and I believe it deserves inclusion in the original 1001.
Very clever rhyming tongue-twisting word-play. Not altogether my thing, but kudos to the rhyming and assonance.
Music isn't over-the-top heavy, but lacks hooks and strong melodies. Singing is passable, but the screaming is not! Generally not my thing but not as awful as my 1 star reviews.
Just the kind of latin groove jazz that I like. A few oddball additions of disco pop and 90s club sounds and record scratching, but majority is a kind of 70s Latin jazz fusion. Very good.
Great 80s guitar pop. Arguably a more enjoyable, catchier, easier listen than U2’s 80s albums. One of my favourites and glaring omission from the book. Pleased someone else agrees! I also agree with the person who felt the guitar sound was weak - it does have a lot of treble and a lack of bass and body, which would have given it a more muscular sound.
I can hear the heavy goth style reminding momentarily of Sisters of Mercy. Tends to get a little long and meandering. Not really my taste, but fun and not entirely awful. I admire their sense of humour.
I like this more than King Crimson - more easy to digest with some great drum rhythms and Beatles-style singing. Good.
Too experimental with vocoder voicings and weird electronica. Not enjoying this one
I really enjoyed listening to this. Complex, but accessible progressive rock with elements of so much (Crosby Stills and Nash, Pink Floyd, Marillion, even Elton John). Intriguing and heartbreaking story concept. A worthy bonus inclusion
I liked Blinding Lights, but this album was an incredibly disappointing listen after all the hype. It hardly ever changes gear and feels bland.
It's pretty interesting and a better Brit 60s LP than a lot of those included in the book.
Enjoyable. He sings/raps slow enough for my French to keep up and it’s clever and often funny. The music is bouncy and varied.
Not necessarily groundbreaking, but good to hear something popular from outside UK/USA.
The list could do with more francophone albums (my 1980s musical love affair would have been satisfied with an Indochine, but not a Telephone!).
Gentle, pretty and inoffensive. Very much inspired by Sufjan Stevens but without the experimental pop.
Very good. Beautifully and soulfully sung with the bonus of interesting experimental dance music. “Experimental” always works well when there are solid songs sung attractively so that the production doesn’t become the overriding factor. Deserves the awards.
Quite a change from their earlier 70s output. I like the Moroder disco synth, but the songs are a little too similar. However, two of the big singles are great: Beat The Clock and The Number One Song…
I like it. Lighter and more electro-pop than a band like Chvrches, who I discovered from this book/list.
Good old fashioned guitar rock like Aerosmith and mainstream Guns’n’Roses, but lacking the killer memorable hooks of superstar hard rock.
Pleasant radio friendly rock.
Reminds me of early Cure. Impressive drumming. Enjoyable indie rock that was a deserved hit in the UK when released. Proof that creative arty types (Kele) will always get heard and continue prolifically.
I recall this band in 1994 but thought it was more noisy and heavier than it is. Still relatively heavy guitar playing, but more melodic than even Green Day who have vaguely similar vocals. A bit like The Wildhearts. Not bad.
Not nearly as noisy and bad as the band name suggests! Was expecting USA hardcore punk/metal and actually heard slightly rockabilly/blues-tinged songs with relatively acceptable singing. Brings to mind The Cramps and Birthday Party with a hint of “Rain Dogs” era Waits.
Gentle modern folk from Sufjan rather than his eclectic gentle pop. Sweet sounding.
Didn’t enjoy any of this. Muddled music and sounds. Poor vocals. Couldn’t follow many of the character’s stories. Not the kind of folk music I enjoy or care for.
Nicely modern music and interesting rapping and vocals.
Superbly played disco funk. More disco than the funk of the book's chosen EW&F album.
A disaster. The critics have been sucked into an a case of emperor’s new clothes. Perhaps two songs and the rest is experimental techno drivel like someone has just acquired their first sampler. Awful.
Straight forward radio-friendly rock reminding me slightly of U2 (including the Christian lyrics). Ok.
Tame, inoffensive well sung, jazz rock guitar playing vaguely reminiscent of Steely Dan without the bite, but pleasing nonetheless.
Very different "rock". Designed to be atmospheric and there is definitely an Ennio Morricone vibe.
Reminds me of They Might Be Giants. Very quirky, amusing pop with guitar riffs, but a touch too much barbershop-style vintage vocals a bit like what Freddie Mercury and Queen liked to do.
Typical UK indie of the 2000s sounding like Libertines and Arctic Monkeys with shades of Smiths and early James. Probably got caught up amongst the other similar bands of the time, but not bad.
Not all Quo rockers, some nice slow blues and a hint of their 60s psychedelic past. Enjoyable and fun in the same vein as the Slade album from the book.
Sweetly sung and sounding very Nashville without much hint of Scandinavian background. Slightly more folk than country. Gentle.
Refreshing to hear straight up funk from a 90s perspective rather than 70s or anything Prince or Red Hot Chili Peppers. Harder than the UK’s Acid Jazz movement of the same era. I like traditional funk, so appreciate this addition, thank you for highlighting. Entertained me well on my 10k run this morning.
I prefer the Ella and Louis albums and the slightly more modern recordings. Early New Orleans jazz is fine enough, but doesn't quite do it for me.
Good to middling alternative folk rock.
I like the proggy rock music. Not keen on the spoken vocal rather than sung vocal. Might listen to one of the two bands that merged for this music.
It’s ok, but I’d rather listen to Eagles.
Definitely more mature step-up from the previous User Submitted “Enema Of The State”. Some good music here.
Some ok electro-pop reminiscent of icy Depeche Mode or early New Order, but the boring soundtrack bits were way too long. Two minutes of synth-wind at the end of one track is unnecessary.
Quite good inoffensive radio rock. Good.
Pleased to see recognition for this excellent British pop band, but disappointed to find the incredibly beautifully sung and often amusing and witty songs are a bit dull. The huge hit singles are great, the Tom Waits pastiche is fun, but the exquisitely sung thoughtful songs just don’t pull you in once you’ve got past the opening delight of the pretty singing.
A band whose hits collections are a triumph, but individual albums are just a bit disappointing. The same goes for Heaton’s Housemartins albums. Get the compilations.
70s-style garage rock, bit samey, not very attractive gruff voice. Some incidental weird buzzy noises. Not to my taste.
Quite good Welsh indie pop. The loud buzz-saw guitar in the last song was a big and enjoyable surprise.
Good melodies and hooks elevate this folk music above the usual Nashville-style Americana. Reminds me a lot of Whiskey Town.
Excellent electro pop, obviously no soul, but who cares when the Pop is this good?
Like a Scandi Fairport Convention with middle-eastern tendencies through a dark 1990s trip-hop filter. Just too much industrial clanging to keep me fully on side.
Neo classical soundtrack music. Good strings.
An enjoyable serious indie guitar album. Good songs. Brings to mind Embrace if they had better singing voices.
Well chosen, thank you!
Shows that erudite and fun rock music could still be made during the heyday of grunge and fey Brit-pop.
Vaguely interesting french language folk pop mixed with trip hop.
Nothing wrong with using Siouxsie and the Banshees as a platform for developing singing style and muscular music. Or Joy Division! All good and darkly enjoyable.
I particularly enjoy Fish-era 1980s Marillion and stopped following them after Seasons End. This is mature and sounding like Talk Talk and U2. Out of this world has the Marillion instrumentation that I recall fondly, but they seem to have moved away from the synth sound or as much chorused guitar I enjoyed.
Nonetheless, it's a pleasant sound.
Refreshing to hear UK rap for a change. Usual subject matter, though. Well produced and occasionally excellent music.
I like it. The vocal is particularly clear and pleasant without silly affectations that plague punk (eg. Billie Armstrong mimicking British accent) or hard rock (growling and screaming). Sad to hear about the lead singer's death.
Note: not on Amazon Music.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the glaring similarity between first song and Don't Fear The Reaper. No great issues using a great song as the basis of another as long as you don't get into trouble!
Pleasant enough early 90s power pop.
Brilliant inclusion, thank you for submitting.
Love the ska, brass, Latin rhythms and percussion. All mixed in with ska guitars and a strong party vibe. Bringing to mind Police, Manu Negra, Pogues and slightly B52s. Great!
Thankfully shortish tracks and so-so guitar-based psychedelic krautrock. Becomes boring with the last three tracks.
African folk pop - fine, but makes no great impression on me apart from Senegal Fast Food (featuring Manu Chao) which was an excellent rhythm for my running pace!
Sophisticated light rock with “rock” violin. Surprised DMB weren’t already on the list given their popularity with the USA students I met in the 1990s.
It’s quite good, but doesn’t quite keep my interest.
Good to hear TMBG again and find that their clever quirkiness continues. Fun listen, but not going to give many repeat listens.
It was ok, not too heavyweight and not too light. Kind of oompah band stylings. Nothing wrong with concept albums for a focus.
Well-executed concept with three different singers taking on the main characters - seems obvious, but seldom done.
Very pastoral and folky in concept story with a good balance of rock and folk.
Choice cut: The Waiting Comes In Waves (very Beatles, strong rock riff).
Good lyrics and poetry as usual. Much more subdued musically from the fun guitar pop and rock normally associated with the band.
Nothing original or innovative or ground breaking just excellent classic rhythm and blues soul executed to an extremely high standard with feel and appropriate voice, guitar work, rhythm section and keys and horn arrangements.
Wonderful.
As a bassist I've always been told I should love, admire, respect Primus and Les Claypool. However, the vocals are just too much like The Goon Show by Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers et al: very silly or occasionally weak like early Chili Peppers vocals before Kiedis found his strong voice.
However, the bass playing is virtuoso. The music is swamp blues, funk and sometimes avant-garde jazz bringing to mind - unfortunately for me - Trout Mask Replica.
Ultimately it's worth at least one listen to hear the bass being used so well and with so much innovation.
Simplistic music that sounds a bit old fashioned and just a vehicle for lyrics. Words are a little Morrissey (but nothing like his vocal delivery), occasionally interesting, but with bland music it's ultimately not for me. I persevered up to track eight.
Indie rock with lethargic indie singing. Not very inspiring.
We already had the B-52s debut (with Rock Lobster) and this is very similar. Post punk guitar pop. Fun and cool.
I persevered through the first two unattractive and unappealing songs to My Children which lifted my ears and reminded me a lot of Joy Division.
However, I
it's all a bit mumbly and quite similar.
Very musical folk/Americana. A better choice than a lot of the twangy country that was on the list.
The current darlings of the “indie” music world and they tick the box of youthful thoughtful rock, but only Boys In The Better Land is actually any good. Also seems strange to do spoken word delivery when the final song, Dublin City Sky, shows the singer has a passable singing voice.
Overall I’m disappointed. Emperor’s New Clothes - again.
Their 1st excellent album is on the main list (I scored it 4 and felt it hadn’t dated, contrary to some other reviewers). This is still very pop with synths and chiming guitars that are not too heavy, but have an industrial edge.
Surprising number of radio hits.
This is just my taste. Thanks for selecting this.
I like Beatles, Beach Boys, Steely Dan, 10CC, Supertramp, Tears For Fears, Crowded House. Jellyfish unashamedly sound like all these great bands.
It's great to hear the obvious Beach Boys harmonies and Beatles melodies and instrumentation. Nothing at all wrong with copying gilt-edged former heroes!
Wonderful pop and easy on the ear (except for the obviously different and noisy All Is Forgiven - perhaps to remind us that grunge was the order of the day in 1993). Even the puerile He’s My Best Friend is just about acceptable if you don’t think too much!
There's more of an edge than Diana Ross, but nowhere near the grit and funk rock of Betty Davis or the funky disco sheen of Chic/Sister Sledge.
However, Lady Marmalade is unquestionably one of THE best songs ever!
Nice, mellow and smooth. Wonderfully short. Similar to, but not as good as, Sampha who collaborates on an early track here.
Good piano-driven folk rock. Pleased to hear clear vocal without any Country or typical Nashville twang.
Fun 80s light rock. Raspy singing brings to mind French band Telephone.
Expected hip-hop and got Funkadelic "space funk-rock". Very cool.
Thought I was listening to a Mexican Now That’s What I Call Music compilation! So many diverse styles. However only a few songs where the multiple styles are fused together, which would have been more progressive.
Accomplished nonetheless.
Sophisticated electro-pop. Good, but not special.
I remember this when it came out. Heavily influenced by Beach Boys. Not too surly like other macho Brit-Pop. Barcode Bypass reminds me of Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Flowers as well as perhaps a little early Arcade Fire. Fits in well with Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol etc.
LP cover made an impression on me as a 13 year old in 1988! However I preferred ‘70s Pink Floyd and Dave Gilmour’s sound so never warmed to Roger Waters’ material after The Wall. Good blues rock guitar playing throughout (Eric Clapton).
Initially thought the music was poor, but their take on psycho-rockabilly swamp bluesy rock grows on me. The “singing” is uniformly awful. The short album length is truly wonderful.
I think I may have seen these fellows at Reading Festival 1993, so at that point they had an extra couple of years to hone the sound… I was probably similarly unimpressed!
Surprising mash-up of heavy rock and electro as is the electro-clash fashion du jour in the early 2020s. The experimental noises later in the EP are not useful.
Not a fan of the gangster rap. Gibbs vocal tone is ok. The production and noises are quite good, but overall not my taste.
enjoyable P-Funkery with restrained heavy guitars and pushing on the mellower soul vibes a little more.
Really exciting and energetic rock. Bringing to mind Hives, Stooges, MC5 and even elements of Joy Division (JD's live cover of Sister Ray notably).
(Strange that I was unimpressed with Ty Seagall, but not this).
“Tidal Wave” could be their take on “Have Love, Will Travel” - brilliant. Bass and drums locked into the groove on the last extended jam is what garage rock is all about! I don't even mind that the vocal is incomprehensible, yelped and snarled.
Thank you for introducing me to this.
A pretty good example of Zappa's zaniness alongside some good rock guitar and psycho-manic disjointed instrumentation. Personally I prefer the jazz-funk-rock instrumentals of Grand Wazoo and Hot Rats over the amusing, but silly vocal songs.
Summed up by the line, "where would I find time for my comedy career" from Amateur Rappers. Very knowingly clever and not revelling in heavy music. Good variety of other instruments. Second half is a bit lacking.
Indie-folk. Not really won-over, but it has some mature appeal.
Definitely more pop and sugary than Kraftwerk, but, as with sweet confectionery, not nearly as satisfying.
It's okay indie guitar pop some light fuzzy rock. Male singer sings with a fairly high strained voice so not always easy to tell between male and female harmonising vocals. It feels like they're having fun.
Similar feeling as their album in the book/main list: Nothing awful, but nothing special to my ears, so 2.5.
Another album of very eclectic styles. I knew the good Astounded through my love of Curtis Mayfield and I knew the previous hit Drinking in LA, but was not expecting rap, indie, pop, folk and a song totally inspired by Springsteen. Great fun and better than it ought to have been! 3.5
Some good bits amongst the meandering, over long jams. There's pleasant pop, jazz, funk rock, light rock, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s styles. But way, way too long.
For fans only.
The first 20 minutes or so are outstanding anthemic soaring stadium rock similar to Springsteen, Simple Minds, U2. The rest is less rocky and more pretty particularly the string arrangements, but not as special.
This has artistic merit for a unique vision. Doesn’t always stick together and certainly is often unpleasant to hear, but definitely worth inclusion for the genuine effort in mixing styles. I liked the Zappa-sequel jazzy “Houmous” and the almost traditional French “Cheval”.
The soarer sings with clear singing are most appealing and that makes up at least half the album. Good word smithery and enjoyable synths accompanying the Vampire Weekend guitars and slightly Afro polyrhythms. A high three.
Jazz fusion in my style. Some funk, some Latin, lots of smart trumpet and even jazz rock guitar. I like it.
For the reggae fans and dub purists. A variety of singers on some 70s Lee Scratch Perry dub and reggae. This is ok, but not really essential.
Shiny pop. Clear mature singing, but feels a little vacuous probably because of the language barrier. Not enough hooks to reel me in. Good clean production, slightly lacking in fun.
Enjoyable new wave - very much in the style of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello. Added kudos for veering too far towards punk.
Very 1980s guitar pop/rock. At times a bit Duran Duran, Art Of Noise and even Blancmange or Wang Chung.
Sexy LP cover. Smooth melodic trumpet and tight arrangements. Very “easy listening” and a bit bland. Certainly we’ll conceived and executed and if it’s time. Not of this time, however!
I liked Orson Welles narration/recitals. Music was a slight step-up from rockier Jethro Tull circa “Aqualung”. Classical cinematic music was not my cup of tea.
Good that Debbie writes the pop songs and ballads herself. Nowhere near as good as Madonna’s late 80s pop albums. Quite forgettable albeit with catchy choruses and completely inoffensive without any edginess. Scrapes three stars because it’s so wholesome!!!
Rootsy. Don’t really warm to her slightly whiny voice.
This is superior educated rock, like REM but better singing! I was immediately taken by “Bobcaygeon” - good storytelling. A solid and engaging “indie” rock album.
Kind of fun and some good poetry. Also some pretty guitar picking in places.
Very cool, interesting jazz/funk music. The super heroes/villain inserts work well to bins together the concept into a cohesive whole, but are also a bit annoying! Overall I enjoyed it.
Must have been a big influence on Alanis Morrisette. Quite similar sound and attitude. More hooks with Alanis, but I prefer Ani's voice.
I think I prefer the album that was on the main list. This washes over you sweetly with that mellow 80s Springsteen/Dylan vibe, but isn't as poignant to me as the first TWOD album I heard.
Good hit singles, but not such a good overall LP. A bit too experimental with those achingly 1980s synth sounds, perhaps.
Gorgeous, smooth and melodic. Dripping with the cool jazz style. Excellent suggestion, thank you very much indeed.
Mix of big beat and techno. Well produced. Some mc/vocals of straight forward hip hop and ragga/dancehall influence. Nothing more groundbreaking than Cold Cut did several years previously.
It's got a Smashing Pumpkins overlaid and overdriven guitar sound alongside fairly normal full throated rock bellowing. It's ok.
Very dramatic hard-edged folk (British folk rock?)
Ambient- I’m the wrong audience.
Poorly recorded voice and electric guitar - like basic demos. I’d rather listen to Billy Bragg.
Atmospheric instrumentals. This is not my thing.
A nice sound. The voice is a good instrument. Some orchestral sections are very similar.
Pretty and enjoyable female-sung bluegrass and indie folk. 3.5 stars
Ordinary emo rock. Nothing special
Good songs, well put together. Superior “folk”.
No - mumble, murmur, bounce a bow on a string. I’m struggling to work out why you’ve chosen this, unless the submitter is in fact Arthur Russell!
I enjoyed this, soulful voice, pleasant songs and piano playing. Brings to mind Joan Osborne crossed with the mellow jazz and piano playing of Norah Jones.
Well named band and album title for the music. Nothing subtle here.
Excellent voice. Purer and less country-twang than wonderful Emmylou, so pretty good in my ears. More rock n roll than straight country, but ballads are right up there with Emmylou’s and other classic singers.
Enjoyable indie pop with guitars padded out with orchestral arrangements. 3.5
Inoffensive bluesy soul and pop guitar instrumentals. Some excellent passages, all pleasant and very little mediocre.
I realise it was unfinished, but I don’t like the weird silences/drop outs. It sounds disjointed. I hear talent, but also a huge amount of bedroom producer herders. Not for me.
I’d prefer vocals closer to Sublime than Green Day, but the vibe and songs are well constructed. The horn section, however, really elevates this. Fantastic sound, melodies and composing. Really enjoyable because of the brass.
Strange, I already had this early on with the User Submitted list and enjoyed it, giving 4 stars.
Good indie power rock, strong riffs, but not too heavy and singing is also not obviously heavy rock style. I liked Sweetness.
