One of my favourite albums, still as good now as when I first heard it as a teenager and hasn't really dated at all. Love the sound of everything, and it values close listening - the bass and guitar in particular. Intelligent, anti-consumerist/capitalist/imperialist lyrics, coupled with funky jams - what more could you want?

This is pretty great and wished I'd heard it when I was younger; heavier than I was anticipating (sort of a sludge metal/grunge hybrid) with some absolute monster riffs - the opening 1-2-3 of Them Bones, Dam That River and Rain When I Die is unstoppable. Being an hour-long album largely about drug addiction with pretty grimey production, it can often be a bleak and difficult listen - especially knowing the eventual tragic fate of the lead singer Layne Staley. It may have been better being slightly shorter, but I honestly don't know what I'd cut - in isolation, there's not really a bad track here and it does flow very well. A strong 4/5. Favourite tracks: Them Bones / Dam That River / Junkhead

I don't think I can get with ELP and their prog ilk, it just feels really dated and musically staid compared to other music of the era (e.g. originally released the same year as Tago Mago which still sounds fresh). The lyrics are dreadful too: Can you believe / God makes you breathe Why did he lose / six million Jews

As a teenager in the mid 90s reading about music in the NME and Q, this was always mentioned in hushed tones as one of the all-time greats so I went in with high expectations and was initially disappointed. The Morricone-esque opener aside, the first few tracks on first listen seem on first listen quite standard MOR crooner territory. However as the album progresses and you tune into Walker's dark songs (touching on subject matter like Bergman films, the Warsaw Pact and PTSD) through his beautifully rich voice, it clicks into place. The second half becomes more musically varied and ambitious. On second listen, I loved it all and it feels like a proper album that builds and flows - the perfect length at 30 minutes too. It also got me listening to some of his later, avant-garde output too which seems right up my street - The Drift in particular feels like a horror movie on record. Top Tracks: Boy Child, Get Behind Me, Rhymes of Goodbye, Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo Stalinist Regime)

One of my favourite albums, still as good now as when I first heard it as a teenager and hasn't really dated at all. Love the sound of everything, and it values close listening - the bass and guitar in particular. Intelligent, anti-consumerist/capitalist/imperialist lyrics, coupled with funky jams - what more could you want?

My knowledge of Wings pretty much begins and ends with Alan Partridge calling them "the band The Beatles could have been". He's probably not too far wrong - there's plenty of songs here that could easily fit onto a later Fab Four album if they'd had someone else to give them a good-looking over. The hooks and pop smarts are still there, but it doesn't quite work as well as his albums with the Beatles. Reading the Wiki of the album was almost as entertaining as listening to it - deciding to record it in post-Biafran war Lagos amidst a Cholera outbreak for the exoticism (?!) and an irate Fela Kuti storming into their studio accusing McCartney of appropriating Nigerian music after visiting his club (only calmed by being played some of their recordings). The album works best when it strays into Abbey Road medley territory, switching around mid-song and re-visiting previous hooks, and the final Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five is a pretty funky jam - could work well with an extended edit of the piano. Not an album I'd have listened to without this challenge, but glad I did. I was ready to give it a 4 or even higher on first listen, but the initial giddy high didn't quite stay on repeat listens and I doubt it's one I'll revisit in full too often. Sounds better on headphones too, some nice production. 3/5 on the 1001 scale, 3.5 for me.

An album I'd always been aware of (a favourite of the 2 for £10 bargain bin at HMV), but never listened to - mainly because of their most (only?) famous song, "Here She Goes" which I must have ambiently heard hundreds of times from adverts and whatnot. It's a great song in isolation, but it can only be taken so many times. To my surprise, the majority of the album is much more muscular than "Here She Goes" and has a clear connection with the old Merseybeat and British Invasion style bands from the 60s - almost power pop. I even checked out some of the BBC live sets they made after reading about Lee Mavers' dislike for the album recordings and preferred these in some ways, a sharper and slightly more modern sound than the actual LP. It's influence on Britpop (a shameful mark on British musical history) is easy to hear, but it feels superior and better crafted than it's later counterparts. A solid 3.

This is pretty great and wished I'd heard it when I was younger; heavier than I was anticipating (sort of a sludge metal/grunge hybrid) with some absolute monster riffs - the opening 1-2-3 of Them Bones, Dam That River and Rain When I Die is unstoppable. Being an hour-long album largely about drug addiction with pretty grimey production, it can often be a bleak and difficult listen - especially knowing the eventual tragic fate of the lead singer Layne Staley. It may have been better being slightly shorter, but I honestly don't know what I'd cut - in isolation, there's not really a bad track here and it does flow very well. A strong 4/5. Favourite tracks: Them Bones / Dam That River / Junkhead

Fine with a couple of good tunes, however feels pretty functional and way overlong at an hour. Maybe if I had a better sense of Costello's catalogue and it's place in it I may appreciate it more but seems a strange choice for this kind of list.

Another day, another Elvis Costello album. However, unlike yesterday's middling Brutal Youth, this was excellent. His band The Attractions are super-tight particularly on the jerkier, New Wave tracks (Pump It Up is close to perfect), and I can understand the credit Costello gets as a talented songwriter/lyricist. The production is much crisper than Brutal Youth too, everything sounds clear and sharp rather than the slightly muddy mastering of the later album - really brings out the way the band fit together so perfectly. Didn't tire after a few listens today, will return in the future. It also introduced me to their infamous fuck-you SNL performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD_24nDzkeo Top Tracks: Pump It Up, (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea, Lipstick Vogue

Despite broadly sharing the same politics as Bragg, he's never done anything for me at all. This didn't change my mind.

As a teenager in the mid 90s reading about music in the NME and Q, this was always mentioned in hushed tones as one of the all-time greats so I went in with high expectations and was initially disappointed. The Morricone-esque opener aside, the first few tracks on first listen seem on first listen quite standard MOR crooner territory. However as the album progresses and you tune into Walker's dark songs (touching on subject matter like Bergman films, the Warsaw Pact and PTSD) through his beautifully rich voice, it clicks into place. The second half becomes more musically varied and ambitious. On second listen, I loved it all and it feels like a proper album that builds and flows - the perfect length at 30 minutes too. It also got me listening to some of his later, avant-garde output too which seems right up my street - The Drift in particular feels like a horror movie on record. Top Tracks: Boy Child, Get Behind Me, Rhymes of Goodbye, Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo Stalinist Regime)

Always rated The Jam more as a singles rather than album band, and this re-listen confirmed the case for me. It's fine throughout, but only really Start and That's Entertainment shine brightly.

This was released around the time I went to Uni, and I saw them in a 1/3 full venue shortly after the album came out - I don't think I'd even heard of them at the time, being dragged along by a cooler friend who was into alternative US rock. It was probably the best, most life-affirming concert I'd ever seen. I saw them again in the same venue about 9 months later and it was packed to the rafters, and just as good. I've seen them since and they didn't quite capture the same magic (it felt a little too culty in larger halls), but those 2 shows were very special. Race for the Price will probably be listened to for as long as we have music, and there is a certain something to the album that doesn't really sound or feel like much else. However, I never loved this record as much as others - maybe as to me it paled against the live show from the era.

Very top-heavy and overlong, but undisputable ambition. I'm glad there's someone like her pushing the boundaries in R&B/pop, but it doesn't always translate into something I want to listen to

I don't think I can get with ELP and their prog ilk, it just feels really dated and musically staid compared to other music of the era (e.g. originally released the same year as Tago Mago which still sounds fresh). The lyrics are dreadful too: Can you believe / God makes you breathe Why did he lose / six million Jews

Singles are great, the rest not so much

Better than I remember it being (I lived through britpop, it wasn't good). Imagine better if you haven't heard Design For Life played over and over again for decades. Prefer The Holy Bible.

2.5 rounding up to 3. Undeniable talent, but left me cold - too much artifice.

Beautiful. Surprised I'd never heard this before, will be a favourite and need to investigate more of Maal's work

Went into this with low expectations but really enjoyed it, some excellent songwriting

of it's time, LZ-esque at times but nothing special in 2023 tbf

This bangs, may be my favourite Jon Spencer album

What a voice!

Going 3.5 - always found this one of their less interesting early albums but still has a different, glammier vibe to it's britpop peers. Great live band back in the day

Loved this back in the day. Perfect Day/Walk on the Wild Side are played out to death but there's not really a bad track here.

Dang, what a voice. Great instrumentation as well, super tight band. Difficult to fault.

Appreciate the craft of the writing and Karen C is a great singer, not one I'd want to revisit but enjoyable

This is fantastic, had always written off UB40 as a pop-reggae group but this is very roots/dub orientated.

Largely inoffensive 50s pop with a few highlights. Love Hurts is great

First heard about Santana from that awful Smooth song so knowing he was some Latin jazz fusion monster back in the day was a surprise. Still good stuff here, kinda wish it was a bit harder as he has the chops to really go

Bit dated but his voice is undeniable and the singles still bang

Bland and forgettable. I hated the singles from this at release and they haven't improved, especially with Quaye's cod-Jamaican accent. Could pass as background music but shouldn't be on this list.

Oh man, so good. Coronado <3 <3 <3

Glorious, one of the best discoveries so far. Beautiful stuff

Didn't expect to enjoy this, good throughout - I'd always written off Dire Straits as a MOR 80s group but this is kinda interesting. Nice surprise!

Beautiful, listened to this in my teens and didn't wow me that much but glad I revisited - an outstanding album

Always interesting and the title track is all timer. Demented cover of Across The Universe also a positive

Like a dubbier Talking Heads on a bad trip. Only ever heard The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu before (which bangs), this is still pretty damn good - don't listen to the naysayers

2.5 - like Queen when they're a straight-up heavy rock band but not so keen on the prog excesses

Sensational

Slightly generous 4 maybe, but I like how this seems to naturally fuse pop with 90s electronic music. Very of its time, but feels authentic

Kinda oasis but better - not a fan of britpop and didn't like this on release, but the songwriting is so good it's aged well

Keith Moon is a great rock drummer and the cover of Young Man Blues slays, but this didn't wow me quite as much as I expected

The disco tracks are 5/5 alltimers, the slower pop songs are predictably sexless and bring the album down.

Really enjoyed this, surprisingly so considering I know nothing about traditional country music. Will explore more!

One of the first albums that turned me onto music. It's not perfect (I'd probably go 4.5) but the highs are stratospheric

Pretty good, but of interest more as spot the sample than as an album to enjoy. The iron butterfly cover is sweet though

Personal Jesus & Enjoy the Silence are bangers, but the rest didn't do much for me at all 2.5

The title track is part of the modern canon, but there's so many versions they all merge together - not sure I've ever heard the album version before; it's definitely WAY overproduced and quite weak compared to more pared down covers. Discovered a DJ Shadow sample on El Condor Pasa too! Hiding in plain sight. I enjoyed this in the main but not something I'd ever choose to listen to

Takes a while to click but once the fug clears it's great, love the grooves and just the general vibe. 3.5 rounded up

Still stands up, very fond memories of this as a teenager - was lent it from a friend and it felt genuinely dangerous to listen to.

3.5

Peerless country soul

3.5

Borderline perfect

Prefer the bluesy stuff on this but still some great tracks despite it being a bit patchy.

Desperately bland

Hard one to rate as it's just kinda there, although I like the short clip like tracks which keeps the vibe consistent. Nothing bad about it but nothing that truly captured or transported me. Good smoking music (I'm sure)

Going 4.5, don't think there will ever be a time this doesn't sound cool

First 4 tracks are all timers, the flipside is a bit mediocre. 3.5

Lyrics are a little sixth form poetry and the subject matter is all very grim, but musically this is far and away the best Manics album - still stands up well. Like Pearl Jam but with songs about sex tourists and anorexia.

Feels an odd choice for this list but excellent album, right up my street.

One of the highlights of post-Funeral, major label 00s indie. Can tell a lot of money has been spent on this, but it's all worthwhile. A generous 5 but this was a special album for me.

Coked-out excess - all over the place but better than I was expecting for a double set.

Fuck Kanye in 2023 but this is an all-timer. 5-stars just for Minaj's verse on Monster

Decent enough. Very of it's time (and it didn't sound particularly ground breaking in the 90s) but the singles still slap and Manson is a great frontwoman

Being late 80's funk metal not all of this has aged well, but it stands up suprisingly well. Not my favourite FNM but still bangs.

Starts out great, but was slightly disappointed by this. Excellent muscians but much of it didn't really excite

Yeah, this hits the spot

Easily one of the best live bands I've seen - saw the day ODB died and they did a medley of his stuff which I still think about 20 odd years later. Then in NYC on holiday with all kinds of special guests. Anyway, 1st half is borderline perfect, 2nd drags a bit.

The singles are great (although a little overplayed) but it feels a little too clean compared to the hazy fug of Bummed

Classic, RIP Tom.

RIP Dave, too many people dying at the moment. Great harmonies, some excellent songs - really enjoyed this. 4.5

Fishbone were always considered a bit of a laughing stock, at least in the UK. Can now understand why. 1*

Pretty bog standard blues rock 2*