911
Albums Rated
3.65
Average Rating
84%
Complete
178 albums remaining
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Rating Timeline
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When do you listen?
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Jazz
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
180
5-Star Albums
13
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junkyard | 5 | 2.16 | +2.84 |
| Don't Stand Me Down | 5 | 2.61 | +2.39 |
| Yank Crime | 5 | 2.7 | +2.3 |
| Arise | 5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
| Phaedra | 5 | 2.73 | +2.27 |
| Histoire De Melody Nelson | 5 | 2.75 | +2.25 |
| Happy Sad | 5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
| Djam Leelii | 5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
| Vulnicura | 5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
| Scott 4 | 5 | 2.8 | +2.2 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Fuss | 1 | 3.74 | -2.74 |
| Californication | 1 | 3.71 | -2.71 |
| Black Holes and Revelations | 1 | 3.59 | -2.59 |
| Gorillaz | 1 | 3.53 | -2.53 |
| You've Come a Long Way Baby | 1 | 3.35 | -2.35 |
| Paranoid | 2 | 4.2 | -2.2 |
| The Wall | 2 | 4.14 | -2.14 |
| Make Yourself | 1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
| Truth And Soul | 1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
| A Night At The Opera | 2 | 3.96 | -1.96 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Dylan | 6 | 4.83 |
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.33 |
| Beatles | 6 | 4.5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.6 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 4.75 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 4.75 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 5 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 5 |
| Prince | 3 | 5 |
| Brian Eno | 5 | 4.4 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.5 |
| Joni Mitchell | 3 | 4.67 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 4.67 |
| Sonic Youth | 3 | 4.67 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.67 |
| Jane's Addiction | 2 | 5 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| Spiritualized | 2 | 5 |
| Megadeth | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| Public Enemy | 2 | 5 |
| Portishead | 2 | 5 |
| Massive Attack | 2 | 5 |
| Steely Dan | 2 | 5 |
| AC/DC | 2 | 5 |
| Funkadelic | 2 | 5 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4.25 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.25 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 4.25 |
| Metallica | 4 | 4.25 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4 |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 4.33 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.33 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| The Divine Comedy | 2 | 1.5 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1.5 |
| Fatboy Slim | 2 | 1.5 |
| Morrissey | 3 | 2 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 1, 4 |
| Metallica | 5, 5, 5, 2 |
| Tim Buckley | 5, 3, 2 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 5, 2, 3 |
5-Star Albums (180)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
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
14 likes
Scott Walker
5/5
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)
13 likes
Alice In Chains
4/5
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
11 likes
Raekwon
5/5
If you need evidence that most people using this site seemingly don't have any idea about music, it's the fact this is averaging less than 3 at the moment. A rap masterpiece with the Wu Tang Clan firing on all cylinders; some of the RZAs best production and vivid wordplay from all the crew. Genuinely can't comprehend listening to this and not feeling energised and in awe.
6 likes
Gang Of Four
5/5
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?
3 likes
1-Star Albums (13)
All Ratings
Gang Of Four
5/5
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?
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
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.
The La's
3/5
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.
Alice In Chains
4/5
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
Elvis Costello
2/5
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.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
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
Billy Bragg
2/5
Despite broadly sharing the same politics as Bragg, he's never done anything for me at all. This didn't change my mind.
Scott Walker
5/5
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)
The Jam
3/5
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.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
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.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
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
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
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
Missy Elliott
2/5
Sebadoh
2/5
The Stranglers
2/5
Dennis Wilson
3/5
Turbonegro
3/5
New Order
3/5
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Boston
5/5
The Police
2/5
The Streets
3/5
The Beach Boys
2/5
Queen
2/5
The Divine Comedy
1/5
The Cure
2/5
Beck
4/5
Morrissey
3/5
Talking Heads
5/5
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Jane's Addiction
5/5
The Monkees
2/5
Pulp
3/5
Supergrass
4/5
Suede
2/5
Fats Domino
3/5
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Veeery close to the full 5, wonderful
Laibach
3/5
Moby
2/5
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
U2
3/5
Singles are great, the rest not so much
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
Of it's time to an extent but there's obvious craft and talent here. The humour and the experimental pieces at the end didn't really work for me, but I loved this for the main
Talking Heads
5/5
The Pretty Things
3/5
Elbow
3/5
Never knowingly listened to Elbow, despite being aware of them for decades. More interesting than I expected, slightly leftfield arena rock - quite strange in places. I may explore more but not desperate to
3/5
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
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.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
The Who
2/5
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
This is mostly banging. Enjoyed much more than I expected.
William Orbit
2/5
Goldfrapp
3/5
2.5 rounding up to 3. Undeniable talent, but left me cold - too much artifice.
PJ Harvey
5/5
Burning Spear
5/5
Ramones
4/5
David Gray
2/5
Very pleasant background music. I would have probably given this negative stars 10-15 years ago but can see the appeal to an extent.
Madonna
4/5
Baaba Maal
5/5
Beautiful. Surprised I'd never heard this before, will be a favourite and need to investigate more of Maal's work
The Waterboys
4/5
Went into this with low expectations but really enjoyed it, some excellent songwriting
Jeff Beck
2/5
of it's time, LZ-esque at times but nothing special in 2023 tbf
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
This bangs, may be my favourite Jon Spencer album
Emmylou Harris
4/5
What a voice!
Super Furry Animals
3/5
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
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
Caetano Veloso
3/5
Lou Reed
4/5
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.
John Martyn
3/5
I expected folk, not dubby cosmic funk (for the most part). Interesting in places but not something I'd listen to again. Can't say I'm a fan of Martyns voice either, sounds like a drunk old bloke down the pub. 2.5, making a generous 3
Judas Priest
5/5
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Dang, what a voice. Great instrumentation as well, super tight band. Difficult to fault.
Carpenters
3/5
Appreciate the craft of the writing and Karen C is a great singer, not one I'd want to revisit but enjoyable
Fairport Convention
4/5
UB40
5/5
This is fantastic, had always written off UB40 as a pop-reggae group but this is very roots/dub orientated.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Largely inoffensive 50s pop with a few highlights. Love Hurts is great
Elliott Smith
4/5
Arrested Development
3/5
Maybe 3.5? Better than I expected but still kinda nothing
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Santana
3/5
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
Stevie Wonder
5/5
It's not perfect and I prefer the tighter Talking Book / Innervisions but jesus, what a talent.
Rush
3/5
The Prodigy
3/5
The Only Ones
3/5
Living Colour
3/5
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
Bit dated but his voice is undeniable and the singles still bang
Steve Earle
3/5
Morrissey
1/5
Tortoise
5/5
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Going from What's Going On to this is pretty wild, this is much better as well
Finley Quaye
1/5
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.
Deerhunter
5/5
Oh man, so good. Coronado <3 <3 <3
Kate Bush
4/5
Some of this is incredible, some absolute nonsense. Good bless Kate
PJ Harvey
5/5
Fela Kuti
4/5
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Spiritualized
5/5
Glorious, one of the best discoveries so far. Beautiful stuff
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Ice Cube
4/5
Bee Gees
2/5
Le Tigre
2/5
Brian Eno
5/5
Dem dronez
James Brown
5/5
I never fully appreciated this when listening before, despite being a huge JB fan, as it doesn't have the same funk as his later work but wow, something clicked with me today listening. This is molten, the slower stuff particularly - Lost Someone >>>>
The Replacements
3/5
Expected to enjoy this more than I did, couple of great songs but largely a bit meh
Dire Straits
4/5
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!
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Enjoyed this, although likely never listen again. Wainwright's voice often reminded me of Thom Yorke's, so was quite interesting to listen to this as an alternative universe Radiohead album
Tim Buckley
5/5
Beautiful, listened to this in my teens and didn't wow me that much but glad I revisited - an outstanding album
LL Cool J
3/5
The title track and Jingling Baby still go hard but meh.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
The Fall
4/5
Alice Cooper
4/5
David Bowie
4/5
Always interesting and the title track is all timer. Demented cover of Across The Universe also a positive
The Young Rascals
3/5
Most of this just kinda passed me by, the final track "It's Love" is AMAZING though
Duran Duran
5/5
Ha, expected to hate this but it's a riot
Grateful Dead
5/5
So good, was really into this when I was 18/19 for some reason and haven't listened to since but still stands up.
David Bowie
4/5
Pere Ubu
4/5
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
ZZ Top
3/5
R.E.M.
4/5
Premium jangle
Mj Cole
2/5
Bland
Pulp
3/5
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
Red Snapper
3/5
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Fine? I'm sure Hooker has better albums that could have been included here
Pantera
4/5
John Coltrane
5/5
Tracy Chapman
3/5
Fast Car is possibly one of the best songs ever written but I found this album disappointing in the main, sounds a little dated in 2025.
Cheap Trick
4/5
Megadeth
5/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
The best
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Liked the lush orchestration, especially the first track, but I find Neil Hannon insufferable.
Queen
2/5
2.5 - like Queen when they're a straight-up heavy rock band but not so keen on the prog excesses
Laura Nyro
4/5
Bit too musical theatre at times but the good stuff is spectacular
Goldie
4/5
Incubus
1/5
The Isley Brothers
5/5
Sensational
Jacques Brel
4/5
The Zombies
3/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Circle Jerks
3/5
The Soft Boys
4/5
Neil Young
4/5
Brian Eno
5/5
The Clash
5/5
Everything But The Girl
4/5
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
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Lucinda Williams
4/5
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Public Enemy
5/5
Shack
4/5
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
Gang Starr
3/5
The Who
3/5
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
Michael Jackson
4/5
The disco tracks are 5/5 alltimers, the slower pop songs are predictably sexless and bring the album down.
Merle Haggard
4/5
Really enjoyed this, surprisingly so considering I know nothing about traditional country music. Will explore more!
Miles Davis
5/5
5/5
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
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Pretty good, but of interest more as spot the sample than as an album to enjoy. The iron butterfly cover is sweet though
Depeche Mode
3/5
Personal Jesus & Enjoy the Silence are bangers, but the rest didn't do much for me at all 2.5
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
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
Soft Cell
4/5
Happy Mondays
4/5
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
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Jefferson Airplane
2/5
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Talking Heads
4/5
Shivkumar Sharma
4/5
Good stuff!
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
Exceptional when it's going all out, largely meh sadly
George Michael
3/5
Freedom! 90 is an alltimer, a surprisingly subdued release in general though.
Ice T
4/5
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.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
3.5
Willie Nelson
5/5
Peerless country soul
The Pharcyde
3/5
3.5
Nas
5/5
Borderline perfect
Carole King
4/5
Songwriting masterclass, many of these have better cover versions but can still appreciate the craft
Madonna
5/5
I could do without Act of Contrition at the end but otherwise this is close to perfect, starts on a high with Like A Prayer/Express Yourself and the quality doesn't really drop. Disappointed in myself that I'd never heard this in full before
Animal Collective
3/5
Over hyped at the time (I completely bought into it, saw them live a bunch of times in this era) but there's still good stuff, albeit patchy
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
Beatles
5/5
Pretty much all killer, no filler. Some tracks have been dampened by over-exposure but it's hard to give it much other than the full 5
The Byrds
4/5
The United States Of America
4/5
Not all of this works but when it goes, it really goes. Must have been pretty special 55 years ago
Green Day
3/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Couple of heaters (Burnin' Yearnin' - DAMN) but disappointing in the main
The Fall
3/5
The Yardbirds
3/5
Prefer the bluesy stuff on this but still some great tracks despite it being a bit patchy.
The Doors
3/5
Gorillaz
1/5
Desperately bland
Thundercat
3/5
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)
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
A couple of tracks here are an absolute blast but slower songs are borderline unlistenable
The Kinks
4/5
So good! Didn't expect to enjoy a kinks album as much as this
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Going 4.5, don't think there will ever be a time this doesn't sound cool
Herbie Hancock
5/5
Van Morrison
5/5
4/5
Probably the least of her albums on this list but still excellent, 4.5*
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
Def Leppard
2/5
VERY 80s. Animal, Don't Shoot Shotgun and Run Riot bang to an extent but this is pretty bad in 2023
Black Sabbath
4/5
First 4 tracks are all timers, the flipside is a bit mediocre. 3.5
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
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.
Jane Weaver
4/5
Feels an odd choice for this list but excellent album, right up my street.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
Roadrunner is a 10/10 classic, the rest rather pales by comparison. Disappointed
4/5
Electric side is 5*, acoustic not so much (but still good)
Nirvana
4/5
The final run of Meat Puppets tracks into All Apologies into Where Did you sleep... is still phenomenal. Find this more of a what could have been listen than the Nirvana albums proper
TV On The Radio
5/5
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.
Portishead
5/5
Love this, my favourite Portishead album - so many thrilling tracks with just the right level of experimentalism
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Coked-out excess - all over the place but better than I was expecting for a double set.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Fine
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
Adele
4/5
Probably a 3.5, mostly forgettable but some all-timers. Scratches that melodramatic pop itch
Kanye West
5/5
Fuck Kanye in 2023 but this is an all-timer. 5-stars just for Minaj's verse on Monster
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Mike Oldfield
2/5
lol
Bert Jansch
5/5
Fantastic!
Bon Jovi
4/5
The singles are so ubiquitous it's hard to be objective but this flew by, not a band I'd seek out but the songwriting is top tier
Garbage
3/5
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
Solange
4/5
Faith No More
4/5
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.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
Starts out great, but was slightly disappointed by this. Excellent muscians but much of it didn't really excite
Air
4/5
The Jam
5/5
Yeah, this hits the spot
The Roots
4/5
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 Smiths
4/5
Happy Mondays
3/5
The singles are great (although a little overplayed) but it feels a little too clean compared to the hazy fug of Bummed
Television
5/5
Classic, RIP Tom.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
RIP Dave, too many people dying at the moment. Great harmonies, some excellent songs - really enjoyed this. 4.5
Fishbone
1/5
Fishbone were always considered a bit of a laughing stock, at least in the UK. Can now understand why. 1*
Bad Company
2/5
Pretty bog standard blues rock 2*
John Prine
5/5
Exceptional songwriting; funny and thoughtful. 5*
The Damned
3/5
Fine enough Punk album but nothing too spectacular, better when it treads into more hardcore territory. Liked Looking At You too, but nothing I'd be fussed about returning to. 3/5
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Epic soul, love how long these tracks go for and are allowed to breathe. Only let down by the ballad "One Woman" 4*
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Compared to the albums around this one in Wonder's discography, quite bland and forgettable. Not awful by any means and a pleasant listen but nothing particularly memorable. 3*
Killing Joke
3/5
Nothing special, expected to like this more - I guess there's historical significance here but their formula was massively improved by bands such as Big Black a few years later. Let's go a generous 3.
Charles Mingus
5/5
Masterpiece 5*
Massive Attack
5/5
In my head this was always considered a "lesser" Massive Attack album at the time (possibly misremembering...), but it's an exceptional album really. The Tracey Thorn features are the best for me, but it's all good. 5*
Beastie Boys
5/5
Wildly exuberant, inventive and exciting, possibly the Beasties best effort. Still know most of this inside-out after endless plays as a teenager. 5*
Bob Dylan
5/5
Dang, so good. How cool does Bob look on the cover here too? Haven't listened to this since uni.
Nirvana
4/5
Great songs, although maybe feels a little like a transitional record between Nevermind and what was to come next. A sad listen.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Love
5/5
George Harrison
4/5
The jam band stuff is pretty bad but the rest is great. Had only heard My Sweet Lord before, glad I've checked it out properly
Beatles
5/5
Some of the best Beatles songs, some of the worst. Never not interesting
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
Some of the best songs ever written, sung by one of the best ever singers.
Gene Clark
3/5
Enjoyed this more than I anticipated, not going to change anyone's life but some chilled country-folk
David Bowie
4/5
Some classics but my least favourite Bowie from this era 4*
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Cat Stevens
3/5
The Triffids
2/5
The Smiths
4/5
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
The Dictators
2/5
meh
Arcade Fire
5/5
This is great. Win Butler may be an arsehole (and some) but there's no denying AF's 2000's output
John Grant
2/5
Orbital
3/5
There's better Orbital albums for me
Ryan Adams
3/5
3*
Black Sabbath
2/5
Expected to like this more :\
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
Made it through. Nothing bad about it particularly but it's sooooooo long. Pick any random tracks from this to make a 45 minute playlist and you'll have a far better experience
The Rolling Stones
2/5
It's alright I guess
Röyksopp
3/5
Pretty good, but nothing to wow 3*
Michael Jackson
4/5
The McCartney collab is a bit naff and I've never really liked the title track but there's some all-timers here. Sounds fantastic too, crank it up on some good kit
Paul Simon
4/5
Digged this much more than I expected
Rod Stewart
4/5
Elton John
4/5
Grey Seal goes hard
Beach House
5/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
Mike Ladd
4/5
Nice surprise to see this hear. I bought this back in the day from a second hand CD shop as I was a big Company Flow fan, but it didn't do a great deal for me at the time. 20 years or so later it's much more resonant with me and still stands up remarkably well - a golden era for underground hiphop
Suicide
4/5
Germs
3/5
Madness
3/5
Minor Threat
4/5
Kraftwerk
4/5
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Nirvana
4/5
The Crusaders
3/5
Bit patchy but 11min Street Life >>>>>>>>>
David Holmes
3/5
Someone with a good record collection trying to make an album that captures all their interests. Very 90s. Liked this and Holmes at the time as a teen but it feels a little too self-conscious.
The Police
3/5
The spiky new wave is largely good, you know the singles. Less said about Sting's fake Jamaican accent the better. On Any Other Day is terrible
The Black Keys
2/5
Meh
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Very naff production and a bit too "World Music" but enjoyed this more than I expected. One I may return to
1/5
Duff stadium-rock in love with the smell of its own farts
Khaled
1/5
Horribly dated production and bland. I like some of Khaled's other albums but this is a bizarre choice, borderline unlistenable. El Harba Wine is a tune tho
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
30 years old! Still incredible, a magical album
Fred Neil
5/5
Beck
2/5
Got an arch-90s feel which I never really liked - didn't love this much at the time and still haven't warmed to it
Janis Joplin
5/5
Haven't listened to Joplin properly for 20-odd years, incredible.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Ignoring the nasty misogyny, there's some fantastic songs here. I wouldn't blame you if you turn off a couple of tracks in though
The Kinks
3/5
Big Brother & The Holding Company
5/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Overlong and there's better tribe albums, but this is pretty great still.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Lot of sadness to this for the obvious reasons, but a great album. Rehab has been overplayed but it's solid throughout. Shame she didn't get the help she needed; a huge talent.
4/5
The Kinks are maybe my favourite discovery from this site.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
Blur
2/5
Minutemen
5/5
If this doesn't do it for you, check your pulse
Hawkwind
4/5
The proggier aspects haven't dated well but the mad hypnotic space-rock jams are still fantastic
Nick Drake
4/5
Billy Bragg
2/5
I'm sure there's much more to this than I was getting but just couldn't enjoy it
The White Stripes
4/5
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Isaac Hayes
2/5
The title track (which everyone knows) and some other vocal tracks are good, otherwise this is surprisingly bland.
Fatboy Slim
1/5
Old man trying to be cool vibes
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
4/5
Was dreading this one given prog's reputation but it slaps.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
The Prodigy
3/5
I hated this on release, mainly teenage stubbornness as I preferred their rave stuff and thought Firestarter was really weak compared to the Atari Teenage Riot and gabber techno I was listening to. Don't mind this now, Firestarter sounds much better sequenced in the album and Diesel Power with Kool Keith makes me wish Liam Howlett produced a full hip hop album rather than the depreciating returns they went into after this
Cream
3/5
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Randy Newman
4/5
Roxy Music
4/5
Going 4.5, wonderfully weird pop
Willie Nelson
4/5
Roxy Music
4/5
Jamiroquai
2/5
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Nick Drake
4/5
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Shuggie Otis
5/5
Little Simz
4/5
3.5 maybe - not of all this is good but Venom is an alltimer and there's plenty to like
Beatles
4/5
Anita Baker
4/5
Smooooth
The Lemonheads
3/5
The Youngbloods
4/5
Scritti Politti
2/5
Stephen Stills
4/5
Yeah, some good stuff. Generous 4
2/5
I enjoyed the swagger of their debut on relisten but this is too lumpen and coked out.
Christine and the Queens
4/5
Sonic Youth
5/5
Prince
5/5
Concentrated perfection
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Metallica
5/5
Haven't listened to this for years and I was expecting to be all snooty that it's their sellout album etc etc but this just slams.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Deep Purple
4/5
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
Randy Newman
3/5
Eminem
3/5
The Killers
1/5
Never listened to this before, despite the ubiquitous singles. Not very good
5/5
The Go-Go's
4/5
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
love it but still find it really annoying
N.W.A.
4/5
Love how relentless this goes
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
Can see why this was a big hit, very easy listen. Some exceptional moments, some bland bits. Far better than the majority of rock albums on this list
Big Star
2/5
meh, imagine this was better at the time
Dr. Dre
5/5
A generous 5 maybe as it's overlong but damn, so good.
Cypress Hill
3/5
I was always more of a Black Sunday guy, has a few of their classics though
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
Have a little bit of PTSD of music from this era which makes it hard to listen without prejudice but I enjoyed this a bunch. Very scattershot and possibly could be ten minutes shorter but works throughout
U2
4/5
The Incredible String Band
2/5
Os Mutantes
4/5
David Bowie
4/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Sister Sledge
4/5
Some of these suffer from overplaying but this is pretty much wall to wall great
Tricky
5/5
Oasis
4/5
Although I'm pretty much ideal age to be a fan, this is my first time listening. I hated Oasis in their pomp in the 90s (I was always a contrarian) but the swagger to this album is undeniable. The lyrics are largely nonsense, the music hilariously derivative but some of these tracks make you feel like a god
Baaba Maal
3/5
Badly dated production but still there's some good stuff
Slipknot
2/5
Maybe 2.5, starts off well but becomes tiresome by the end. This is very much stadium metal, just with allusions to death/thrash metal - clearly designed for mass gatherings where I'm sure they still excel. I saw Slipknot on their first UK tour (1999/early 2000?) and haven't really kept up with them since Iowa, appreciated the chance to reacquaint myself though
Billy Joel
4/5
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Not a perfect album but there's moments of such brilliance it feels wrong not to give it the full 5.
Supergrass
5/5
Barry Adamson
2/5
Have tried listening to this about 6 times at night and never made it all the way to the end as always fell asleep. Not objectionable but nothing I'm going to listen to our of choice
Adele
4/5
Warming to Adele, has to be said
R.E.M.
4/5
Miles Davis
4/5
Contains some of the best music I've ever heard, also contains over-indulgent plinkplonk jazz excess. My least favourite of the classic electric miles era
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Method Man
4/5
RZAs most oppressive production work, almost sounds like it's cursed at times. I'd always thought this was one of the weaker initial run solo albums from the Wu-Tang Clan but on relisten this isn't the case at all - Method Man maybe lacks some of the artistry of GZA and Raekwon but has charisma in absolute spades
The Temptations
3/5
Joy Division
4/5
Thin Lizzy
4/5
The Avalanches
4/5
New York Dolls
4/5
Steely Dan
5/5
Kings of Leon
3/5
Went in expecting to hate this but it's very listenable. Not something I'm going to spin on the regular, but can understand their appeal a bit more now
Prince
5/5
Still so rad, listened to this a lot growing up but appreciated it more now. What a talent
The Human League
4/5
Pavement
4/5
A lanky American Fall
The Who
2/5
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
The highs are stratospheric but waaaaaaay too long
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Some standout tracks but this largely feels like it shouldn't have been released in its present state
Billie Holiday
5/5
David Bowie
4/5
haven't listened to this in a loong time, appreciated different things about it now - a very odd record
AC/DC
5/5
Scalpel-precision riffs
Buck Owens
3/5
Honkytonk isn't really my thing - enjoyed it but nothing earthshattering
Iggy Pop
4/5
Very bowie in parts but good stuff
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
Jack White
3/5
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Talking Heads
5/5
Klaxons
2/5
The singles avoid it being a 1, garbage. I saw them live before they launched the album and being heavily hyped, and didn't think much of them back then - hasn't aged well at all, just a band with few ideas
Parliament
5/5
Guns N' Roses
4/5
Metallica
5/5
Beatles
5/5
The Beach Boys
4/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Sabu
4/5
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
CHIC
3/5
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
Falls off near the end but there's incredible music here. Was always more of a metal box dude
Marilyn Manson
2/5
2.5 maybe, the dumb glam metal tracks work far better
SZA
4/5
Yes
3/5
Enjoying these Yes albums more than I'd expect
Bill Callahan
5/5
This is fantastic, one of the best discoveries so far
Justin Timberlake
4/5
Generous 4 but the singles still bang
Queen
3/5
Tangerine Dream
5/5
Van Halen
3/5
Couple of bangers
Ray Charles
3/5
Wanted to like this more than I did, strong moments but I found the whole thing a bit cloying
The Fall
4/5
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
The Monks
4/5
A blast
Barry Adamson
2/5
No idea why this is on the list
Lana Del Rey
4/5
Picked up a lot more on this listen than before - NFR is still her best but this is fantastic. We'll look back in 20 years at LDR's body of work and feel lucky we had her
Jethro Tull
4/5
The White Stripes
4/5
The Cure
4/5
Miles Davis
5/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
Pales against Public Enemy, would like some harder edged production but the lyrics are strong throughout
Girls Against Boys
3/5
Fever Ray
3/5
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
A generous 3, nothing bad but nothing particularly exciting
Supertramp
2/5
Nick Drake
4/5
Taylor Swift
4/5
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
Sepultura
5/5
Rules
k.d. lang
3/5
3.5 - very pleasant listening
Pixies
4/5
The weakest of the classic run of Pixies but still great, better than I remembered
Primal Scream
5/5
Funkadelic
5/5
Brian Wilson
3/5
I mean it has 2 of the best songs ever in H&V and Good Vibrations but I found much of this a bit of a slog
Ride
4/5
fIREHOSE
4/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
The Residents
2/5
I want to say I like it more than I did, some interesting moments though
Aerosmith
4/5
Slint
5/5
New Order
4/5
Digital Underground
4/5
So much fun, this would surely have been my favourite album if I'd first heard it at 14 or so. Even with more than a few extra years on me, still great. Like the P-funk party style with some interesting production at times
Johnny Cash
5/5
a-ha
4/5
TLC
3/5
A solid 3.5
The xx
4/5
Soundgarden
4/5
Overlong but dayum, some good stuff on here
Deee-Lite
4/5
Beastie Boys
3/5
Good dumb fun, very juvenile and tongue in cheek (presumably) - can't think I'll ever want to listen to again
Talk Talk
4/5
One of the few good uses of a recorder I can recall
Pavement
3/5
Silver Jews
2/5
The National
3/5
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
PJ Harvey
5/5
N.E.R.D
2/5
I liked this at the time but wow, really hasn't aged well
The Birthday Party
5/5
This slams; deliriously noisy and strangely funky. Giving it the full 5 to counteract the philistine 1*s
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
All over the place but kinda engaging jazz rock (I guess?)
Ute Lemper
2/5
WHY DOES THIS GUY LIKE THE DIVINE COMEDY SO MUCH
Anthrax
4/5
Tim Buckley
3/5
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
Tito Puente
4/5
Johnny Cash
5/5
This is a blast, what an atmosphere
Heaven 17
4/5
No idea why this is getting such bad reviews
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Sonic Youth
5/5
Still astounding
Black Flag
4/5
Fairport Convention
4/5
Motörhead
4/5
Reminds me quite a bit of the Stooges, really scuzzy sound. Ace of Spades is a bit played out and the slower tracks don't work quite as well, but this is largely great. The hard boogie of Over the Top at the end the highlight for me
Van Halen
4/5
The Cardigans
4/5
didn't expect to like this at all, much more off-kilter than I anticipating and a slightly horny vibe to it all - good stuff
The Pogues
4/5
System Of A Down
4/5
brings me back to my late teens - can remember hearing suite-pee on a metal hammer (i think) covermount CD and just having my brain melted. Stands up well, shades of nu-metal but slightly askew
Fiona Apple
4/5
18!?!?!?!?!?!? Probably her weakest album (tough competition) but man, what a talent.
Meat Puppets
4/5
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Smooth, Sinatra's voice works perfectly with bossa nova
Love
4/5
kicks into gear with 7+7 is - maybe the best Love song? Prefer Forever Changes as an album but this has some great moments
Radiohead
3/5
Public Enemy
5/5
So good, I think I prefer Fear of a Black Planet as a listening experience but this is such a jolt. The Bomb Squad's wall-of-noise production weaponising it's samples into something genuinely thrilling with Chuck D and Flavor Flav capturing lightning in a bottle. Best intro track ever too
Tim Buckley
2/5
Has its moments and Buckley's voice is always golden, but this is a bit naff sadly. 2.5
Tom Waits
5/5
Cowboy Junkies
5/5
Timeless beauty
Guided By Voices
2/5
Expected to love this but found it a real slog. Game of Pricks is good though
Kraftwerk
4/5
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
King Crimson
4/5
Van Morrison
5/5
Top 5 of all time, nothing else like it
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Feels slightly churlish to give less than the full 5.
JAY Z
4/5
An interesting listen, if only for how much hip-hop has changed in 25 years. Jay-Z flexing over imperial-era Just Blaze and pre-nazi Kanye - overlong but there's some fantastic stuff here.
Orbital
3/5
I'm sure I used to like this but it doesn't do much for me now, the longer two final tracks are easily the standouts
Terrible lyrics throughout (A mole, digging in a hole/Digging up my soul/Now going down, excavation) but I enjoyed this more than I expected tbh, the singles are bangers for sure - opening 1/2/3 is undeniable despite their overplayed nature. Production is a bit weird, certainly very over-produced and clean, but there's an element of vulnerability to the album that I wasn't really anticipating.
Funkadelic
5/5
The title track is borderline perfect, Eddie Hazel was a force of nature
The Offspring
3/5
Great when it's breakneck and on the verge of collapsing on itself with super hooky verses and choruses colliding with no space to breathe. The chuggier tracks kill the vibe
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Dated in places but this is by far the best album of the big beat era, a generous 4
The Clash
5/5
Pretty much perfect, such strong songwriters.
Hugh Masekela
5/5
Brian Eno
5/5
Holy moly
The War On Drugs
4/5
Solid, nothing new but does what it does exceptionally
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Aphex Twin
5/5
Not perfect but feels wrong not to give it a 5. Changed my brain when I first heard it
The Byrds
4/5
Pretty rad, not all good but some really interesting stuff. Love the borderline avantgarde guitar work, more far out than I anticipated
Richard Thompson
4/5
The Cult
4/5
Definitely uncool and working in established tropes, but tbh flat out rocks hard
Deep Purple
2/5
This did very little for me
Suzanne Vega
4/5
Eagles
2/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Has it's moments, sure it had more power on release than in 2024
David Bowie
4/5
I wrote this off at the time and didn't really give it much time (was probably in one of my experimental skronk phases), but its easily up with Bowie's best work.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Serge Gainsbourg
5/5
Musically this is just astonishing, like nothing else really. You can query the narrative, but it's clearly a character - like the musical equivalent of Lolita
Kate Bush
5/5
Listened to it, as soon as it ended I started the album again. This Woman's Work at the end is unreal, just perfect
Bobby Womack
3/5
Orange Juice
4/5
Beyoncé
5/5
Don't think this is perfect, but the highs are so good and it's such an ambitious piece of work that it's hard to justify any less than the full 5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
RIFFS
Elton John
3/5
Ghostface Killah
5/5
The Zutons
2/5
My housemate was a huge fan of The Zutons so I saw them loads live around this era and prior, nice guys and pleasant enough music but WHY is this on the list?
Meat Loaf
3/5
James Taylor
3/5
Jane's Addiction
5/5
Traffic
3/5
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Kraftwerk
5/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Marvin Gaye
3/5
First listen to this. Lush and Gaye's voice is obviously perfection, but it's strange to listen to possibly the most sincere album ever in 2025 - the lyrics bring me out as much as the music brings me in
Elvis Costello
3/5
Pink Floyd
2/5
I found this a real chore
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
I'm old enough to have bought this on tape when it came out. It's fine in 2024 I guess, but it was hardly essential listening back in the day. An odd selection.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
Generous 4
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Tina Turner
4/5
Norah Jones
3/5
Can see the appeal but it hardly sets the pulse racing - wouldn't go out of my way to listen but fine enough
4/5
Wild. An uncompromising listen but always interesting and when the noise coalesces at times, it's fantastic. Gets far more listenable in the second half if you're struggling (and you can tell from the reviews who only listened to a few seconds then dropped a 1 on it)
The Beau Brummels
4/5
Violent Femmes
4/5
Throwing Muses
3/5
Enjoyed this less than I expected to, some highlights but didn't engage as I'd envisioned
Neil Young
4/5
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
Gram Parsons
2/5
Donald Fagen
5/5
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
Yeah, loved it - such a great sound and Dulli is a fantastic vocalist. listened to a few of their other albums back in the day (had 1965 on tape!) but never this one
Pentangle
3/5
Lightning Bolt
4/5
Great band, great album. Their live shows are rip your face off intense, this isn't that far behind.
Joe Ely
3/5
Boxcars is a jam
Various Artists
5/5
Even outside the season, this is still a wonder. All classics, lightning in a bottle.
Holger Czukay
4/5
I'm a Can fan but never heard this, cool stuff! Can see the influence on the Eno/Byrne record but this is more musically successful
Linkin Park
2/5
Like with Harry Potter, I always felt like I was slightly too old for Linkin Park - if I was born a few years later I'd have probably ate this stuff up. Can appreciate the craft but it doesn't do anything for me
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Grant Lee Buffalo
4/5
Ash
3/5
Never really goes beyond it's influences but the nosier stuff here rules, some echoes of early Nirvana/grungy Sonic Youth at times. Boo to Britpop but this is better than I anticipated
Aretha Franklin
5/5
George Michael
4/5
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Not really what I was expecting - expected something much more wet and bland but sounded quite Velvet Undergroundy at times. Good stuff!
Peter Gabriel
3/5
808 State
3/5
The Stone Roses
5/5
A generous 5 maybe as it's not perfect throughout and Brown can't sing, but it's bookended by some of the best songs of its era.
The Who
4/5
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
This was a teenage favourite so may be a bit coloured by that but I love this album. The production is still insane 30(!) years on
Faust
4/5
A little all over the place but when it's good, it's spectacular
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Fascinating album and a good listen, although maybe more for the back story than anything. "Somebody tell me please, tell me please/
Why do I have to pay attorney fees (My baby's)" is a WILD lyric and worthy of it's inclusion on the list alone
Patti Smith
5/5
Possibilities
Femi Kuti
5/5
I like Femi Kuti but went in with middling expectations, was greatly exceeded
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
A real one, RIP Sinead. Never heard this album before - not quite what I expected (in a good way!) only knowing Nothing Compares.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Robert Wyatt
4/5
OutKast
5/5
Not perfect and it is essentially 2 different albums fused together but this is still a singular achievement over 20 years on. Can remember LOVING this when it came out, still stands up now - so creative.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
The Byrds
3/5
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
FKA twigs
5/5
Maybe a 4.5, I dunno, but the way experimental early 10s dance music is fused into pop forms is so mesmerising. On this relisten, the interpolation of Air Supply's "I'm all out of love" as it drops into Two Weeks is a levitational moment.
Radiohead
4/5
Mott The Hoople
3/5
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Way overlong, Christina obviously can sing but in the main the material here isn't that great.
T. Rex
4/5
Generous 4 maybe, love how slinky this is
Johnny Cash
3/5
Same exceptional tracks on here (Hurt is overplayed but sure, it's the best version - LOVE the Sting cover I Hung My Head), but there's filler and the "We'll Meet Again" singalong at the end is cringe
The KLF
2/5
weird album, lots of echoes of other stuff in this strange dubby, acid-house dream - Sound & Vision, Twin Peaks
Metallica
5/5
Birth. School. Metallica. Death.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
A blast, 21 years old!
Donovan
3/5
The Beach Boys
4/5
Dirty Projectors
4/5
The Stillness is the Move!!!! What a song. Took a while for the album to click into place, but when it did I was totally won over.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Opening 1-2-3-4 is great, the rest palls by comparison
Justice
4/5
NGL this bangs. I lived through the Ed Banger years and by the time this came out I was kind of done with the entire sound but relistening close to 20 years on the level of craft to the production is pretty clear.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Great when it has that Stonesy swagger
Aerosmith
4/5
Find it dodgy that Tyler was basically my age at time of recording and singing about teenage girls, but this bangs in the main. Don't think Perry gets the respect he deserves as a guitarist, riffs galore.
50 Cent
4/5
Still stands up, consistent throughout and 50s slightly lazy flow continues to be super listenable. The mega budget production bangs and In Da Club is an all-timer. Limited subject matter but you know what you're walking into with this, better than I feared
The Go-Betweens
4/5
Korn
3/5
Some of this is woeful (the Durst collab, Earache my Eye), but when it's good it hits hard. Not my favourite Korn but glad I revisited
Pretenders
3/5
Precious is an alltime great opener, and the spikier tracks here are fantastic - really playing into Hynde's sass. Sags in the middle and end sadly, Brass in Pocket aside
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Dig Cohen over acoustic guitar. Suzanne is maybe his best song
Aerosmith
3/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I saw YYYs around the time this was released and they were fantastic, still has a great swagger and energy to it. Maps is an all-timer
Brian Eno
4/5
Don't like this as much as other Eno albums from the era but still some great moments - Fripp's solo on St Elmo's Fire!!!
T. Rex
4/5
Any album with a song named "Chariot Choogle" gets a thumbs up from me.
Coldcut
3/5
Butthole Surfers
2/5
Want to like this much more than I did
Elvis Presley
4/5
Gillian Welch
4/5
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Probably made more sense at the time
Talvin Singh
3/5
The Saints
4/5
Rips. Can still remember the thrill of first hearing Know Your Product about 20 or so years ago. Not a perfect album but when it's good, it's pure energy
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Better than I thought it'd be, although massively of it's time. I've not knowingly ever played this before but I seemingly recognised every track, probably soundtracked multiple stoned evenings at university
Drive-By Truckers
5/5
This was a blast, had no idea what to expect and exceeded all my expectations. Maybe overlong but feels like an album you can live in for years, let's go 5 to even out all the idiotic 1 star reviews
Moby Grape
4/5
The Kinks
4/5
Prince
5/5
Forgot quite how many extended funk jams there are on this.
Stan Getz
4/5
Smooth
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Fine enough, not the best Ibrahim album I've heard
Mariah Carey
2/5
Honey is maybe THE non-Xmas Carey track but this is so leaden with (admittedly well sung) ballads that it's a real trudge. I read her autobiography and this was an important album to her as an artist, but not something I'm going to listen to again
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
First time hearing this, I kind of lost interest after their initial hiatus. Found the elder statesman archness quite trying at the start and it felt like a weaker retread of earlier work, but gets much better as it progresses
Tom Waits
4/5
The Blue Nile
4/5
Unexpectedly great!
Radiohead
5/5
Their best album, almost 25(!) years on it hasn't really aged. I was very contrary about this on release as I got annoyed by all the indie kids freaking about the "unlistenable" album whilst I was mainlining far more experimental stuff on Warp and Rephlex, so I wrote this off as Radiohead making a middling Aphex wannabe album just to be different. Instead now my older and hopefully wiser head just sees this for it's stark and chilling beauty, arguably one of the best albums on the list so far.
Haircut 100
4/5
Julian Cope
3/5
Maybe 2.5 - a lot of the production has aged quite badly but it's interesting - reminds me a bit of the Velvet Underground in places?. Hanging Out and Hung Up on the Line goes pretty hard too
The Undertones
4/5
Sam Cooke
5/5
Molten hot live set in the vein of Live at the Apollo, need more listens but could even be better
Morrissey
2/5
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Jimmy Smith
4/5
Doesn't set my world alight but thoroughly enjoyable to listen to
Common
4/5
Pink Floyd
4/5
Have tried several times over the years to get into this and never succeeded, this was definitely the most productive listen though - still can't see the best album ever claims but starting to understand the appeal
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
This was a struggle - Emit Remmus may be the worst song I've heard as part of the project
2/5
bit of a struggle, a couple of moments but not something I'll return to
Alanis Morissette
2/5
The singles are still great, the rest not so much. Maybe 2.5
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
I'd always discounted this record due to Mr Blue Sky being so overplayed but for the most part it slaps, HUGE pop songs. Very Beatles-esque. Goes on too long but this was unexpectedly great
Don McLean
2/5
Forgettable, title track aside
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Crowded House
3/5
Appreciate the songwriting craft but found it hard to get too excited about this. The singles will probably be listened to forever but they've definitely been overplayed so hard to be objective
Hookworms
4/5
Great album, not quite sure why on the list but thoroughly enjoyed either way
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
Realistically I'm never going to listen to this again but it's still interesting, I'd have this over 10 britpop albums
The Verve
3/5
This was HUGE at the time and it's hard for me to be too objective as I was sick of the singles so much. Saying that, I enjoyed it more than I expected but man, way overlong. There's a super tight 40-45 minutes here. A generous 3
Boards of Canada
4/5
Bit overrated and a little of it's time, but can't be too critical - a lovely listen
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
LTJ Bukem
3/5
I loved Bukem back in the day (Demons Theme!) but jungle wasn't made to be listened out of mixes really - the mix CD here is decent and some of the Bukem tracks are fantastic, but its a bit of a drudge even for a fan
The Beta Band
4/5
I loved the Beta Band back in the day, this stands up much better than it's contemporaries in the UK.
3/5
Eagles
3/5
Better than I'd expected
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Calexico
4/5
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Frank Zappa
5/5
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Nina Simone
5/5
Paul Simon
4/5
Some dated production aside, this is excellent. 4.5
Leftfield
2/5
2.5* Fine enough, never really got the hype with these even back in the day. Remember seeing them on the Rhythm & Stealth tour in 2000 or so and they were LOUD
The B-52's
3/5
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
Pixies
5/5
Big Star
3/5
Erykah Badu
4/5
Christina Aguilera
3/5
A generous 3, there's some great stuff here but WAY overlong despite Aguilera's virtuosic performances. Get this down to a single disc and it's one of the best of it's era.
Blur
3/5
Fine, a necessary jump into different sounds after reaching the limits of their previous approach with The Great Escape. Kind of feels like their ticking off the boxes - this is the Bowie track, the Roxy Music track, the trip hop track...
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Megadeth
5/5
A generous 5 maybe but this album gives me so much pleasure. The riffs!
The Style Council
3/5
Maybe 3.5? Not all of this dated well but there's some undeniable bangers
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
Mercury Rev
4/5
Can
5/5
So good, I'd maybe underappreciated this in the past - rock solid throughout and possibly their most consistent album
Coldplay
3/5
Coldplay came into this world fully formed as stadium rockers. I enjoyed this at the time and it's still got it's charms, despite the sometimes cloying earnestness and naivety here
The Specials
3/5
The Verve
3/5
History is an alltimer of a song, best when it when moves deep into psych territory
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Tom Waits
4/5
Slipknot
4/5
Maybe 3.5, rounding up to 4. Still a blast, liked them at the time (saw them on this tour at Nottingham Rock City :)) but has stood up better than expected. Very silly but great percussion and there's interestingly a lot of noise-rock flavouring plugged into what's quite an accessible album
The Gun Club
5/5
Badass
Screaming Trees
4/5
Liked this more than I did at the time, Lanegan has a voice for the ages.
Van Morrison
4/5
Louis Prima
4/5
Fun!
Björk
5/5
Can understand why many don't like this but few artists can fuse this level of experimentalism with accessibility and emotional power. This still sounds like the future close to a decade on.
Kanye West
4/5
Ignoring West's current behaviour, this is still a good listen. Overlong and too many skits but there's some strong stuff here
Todd Rundgren
4/5
All over the place, intermittently brilliant but an exhausting listen. Teenage me would have probably obsessed over this record
Robert Wyatt
4/5
Takes a few tracks but loved this
Daft Punk
5/5
Still perfect
The Sonics
4/5
Raucous and life affirming despite being 60 odd years old, don't know why so many are giving this bad reviews
Wilco
5/5
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
Uncompromising. Can appreciate the craft, not one I'd return to
The Stooges
5/5
Arguably the weakest of the classic Stooges era (The Weirdness and Ready to Die are not recognised in this house), but it's all relative - this has so much swagger and menace it's impossible not to get lost in it. Incredible stuff.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Not as good as I remember it being from my teens, way overlong and the singles are hugely overplayed now. Should have cut the bad hardcore too
George Jones
3/5
The Byrds
4/5
Haven't heard this for years, seem to remember buying a Byrds box set. Enjoyed this more than I expected, high quality jangle pop
The Hives
3/5
3.5 maybe, patchy given it's compilation status but the good stuff is barnstorming still. Saw them live around this time and it was mayhem
The Band
3/5
Roxy Music
2/5
Don't think I'd heard this before and realised I only really like Roxy Music when they're shaping their experimentalism into somewhat pop structures, I found much of this dull and self-indulgent. Just made me want to play For Your Pleasure instead
Radiohead
4/5
Generous 4, some of it is obviously great but there's plenty that hasn't dated well.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
Joni Mitchell
5/5
The Cars
4/5
Paul Weller
3/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Not exactly easy listening but it's more palatable than it's reputation. Not something I'm going to listen to in full regularly but it's frequently thrilling, interesting and I can hear it's influence in a lot of modern music
CHIC
4/5
Some absolute jams on this, dudes could play
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
4/5
Traffic
3/5
Pink Floyd
3/5
Some excellent stuff but also has the worst kind of silly prog rock which I hate
ZZ Top
2/5
Spiritualized
5/5
Gotan Project
3/5
Mudhoney
3/5
Doves
3/5
I was into this at the time and saw them live around the release of the album, but I can't say it's still capturing my interest - they were a bit more interesting than other Britpop/post-Britpop bands on release as they came from a dance music background (which they played up a bit more live), but relistening in 2024, it leaves me a bit cold - just sounds like Coldplay.
Marty Robbins
4/5
Ray Charles
3/5
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
I saw Jeru a few times in the early 00s so have a bit of a soft spot for him. This still stands up, especially with the DJ Premier production, although not a huge fan of J's overtly pseudo-intellectual lyricism (despite the flawless flow)
Cornershop
2/5
2.5 maybe, OK - very 90s. I lived through peak "Brimful of Asha" times where the Norman Cook remix was played everywhere constantly and I'd happily never hear it again
Ministry
4/5
Wild Beasts
4/5
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
David Bowie
5/5
A perfect parting album and some of his most interesting music.
Machito
4/5
Dr. John
4/5
Great vibe on this
Bee Gees
1/5
Comfortably one of the worst albums I've heard on this list. Like a knock-off Beatles record lacking any of their charm or wit, a real slog
Fatboy Slim
2/5
The most mid-90s pilled album possible, this was middling even at the time during the tyranny of Big Beat. No-one needs 2 Fatboy Slim albums on the list.
Radiohead
4/5
Rod Stewart
4/5
The Notorious B.I.G.
5/5
The greatest to ever do it
SAULT
3/5
Interesting as part of the wider output, not sure it stands up enough on its own to justify it's inclusion here
American Music Club
3/5
Not sure why it's on the list but fine enough
Foo Fighters
3/5
Generous 3, there's a cracking EP here.
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
A strange, unique and wonderful album. Glad I finally managed to listen to it.
Motörhead
4/5
Essentially Ace of Spaces 12 times.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
Way better than I was expecting - a state of the nation report for the late 00s. Nice dubby basslines, the best non-Blur thing Albarn has done maybe?
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
Love the drums! Would never have heard this
Joy Division
4/5
Tori Amos
4/5
Kings of Leon
2/5
Syd Barrett
2/5
Has moments but this is largely an uncomfortable listen
Snoop Dogg
5/5
The most charismatic rapper of all time paired with peak Dr Dre.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Comfortably the best Gabriel I've heard on the list so far
Slayer
5/5
This album close to changed my life
Primal Scream
4/5
The Boo Radleys
3/5
Solomon Burke
3/5
John Lennon
3/5
Pearl Jam
4/5
You could chop an easy 10 minutes of this and make it a better album, but the best tracks are undeniable
Beth Orton
4/5
The handful of electronic productions have dated badly but this is largely excellent. Lovely surprise!
Brian Eno
3/5
I'm sure this was reveltatory at it's time but in 2024, this just sounds like something you'd randomly stumble across on soundcloud
k.d. lang
4/5
Can
4/5
One of the albums that changed my life back as a teen. When it's good, it's genuinely some of the best music ever recorded but I find Aumgn and Peking O borderline unlistenable so I can't give it the full 5.
Napalm Death
2/5
Important as a historical artifact and it's influence, no fun to listen to (and I like Napalm Death in general)
Iron Butterfly
3/5
A generous 3 just for the title track
Kelela
4/5
The Cure
3/5
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
A generous 3
The Slits
4/5
Fela Kuti
5/5
Steely Dan
5/5
CHVRCHES
3/5
Ananda Shankar
2/5
The Smiths
3/5
Used to listen to this loads as a teen, the first Smiths album I heard. Great first side then trails off
Dion
4/5
Todd Rundgren
4/5
A generous 4, way overlong but the highs see it through.
M.I.A.
4/5
Of it's time, although feels strangely contemporary in some ways due to it's easy international flavour which is the fashion now. Despite MIAs descent into lunacy, this is still largely a thrilling listen and Paper Planes is an all-timer
Suede
2/5
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
The Strokes
4/5
I got into The Strokes early (bought their first EP when it came out, I was there etc), can't emphasize how exciting they were at the time after YEARS of britpop bilge. All the best tracks were on the EP but this still excites in places, although maybe my older head feels like it never really progresses beyond it's clear influences
Genesis
2/5
Has it's moments but so much of this is actively terrible - Counting Out Time may be the worst song I've encountered yet
Miles Davis
3/5
Soul II Soul
4/5
Beatles
4/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
Scott Walker
3/5
Elis Regina
4/5
Super Furry Animals
3/5
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Tom Waits
3/5
Not sure I like the jazz club conceit, but good album regardless
GZA
5/5
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Iron Maiden
4/5
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Neil Young
5/5
The Undertones
4/5
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Britney Spears
3/5
The singles are all classics, the rest of the album is a mixed bag - better than I expected though
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Bit all over the place, the glammier stuff is good though
Grateful Dead
4/5
XTC
2/5
Maybe 2.5, I can see why people like this but it did nothing for me
Bad Brains
3/5
The self-titled and Rock for Light are better :/
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
3/5
Peter Frampton
3/5
Better than I expected?
Small Faces
3/5
Ozomatli
2/5
I'm sure these would be a blast live back in the day, on record not so much
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
4/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I like the production more than others, but it's very front loaded (the opening half is as strong as anything in Cohen's catalogue). Tower of Song is a great closer too.
Venom
2/5
Historical value but this really doesn't stand up in 2024
Maxwell
3/5
R.E.M.
5/5
The closing 1-2-3 of Man on the Moon, Nightswimming and Find the River are unmatched
Michael Jackson
4/5
Better than I remembered! Would be better ending on Smooth Criminal over Leave Me Alone tho
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
Not what I expected, essentially a glam rock album. Pretty good! Albeit an odd inclusion on the list
Eurythmics
4/5
Lou Reed
3/5
Reed has made some of my favourite music of all time, this largely ain't it
The xx
4/5
Impeccably crafted
Simple Minds
3/5
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
Mylo
2/5
Not what I expected (in my head this was always more like a drop-heavy EDM album). It's not very good, lost at how this was so well regarded. Close to 1*
Lambchop
4/5
Fugazi
5/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Sex Pistols
4/5
Pixies
5/5
The Coral
3/5
The Doors
4/5
Feel like The Doors have fallen heavily out of fashion in recent years, were definitely considered a classic canonical act when I was growing up. It's pretty good still, although Morrison is insufferable. 3.5 rounded up
4/5
Difficult to review fairly as so much of this is ubiquitous. Some of it is objectively fantastic but there's a good bunch which is overly twee and now we're so far removed from the music hall influences, hasn't really stood the test of time so well
3/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Does feel at times like a dump of material from various sessions/periods, but the highs are so stratospheric that it's impossible not to give it the full 5.
Underworld
4/5
Overlong but there's a bunch of great stuff here, doesn't sound as dated as many of their peers
Soft Machine
4/5
A mixed bag but when this hits it's like peak-Miles
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Very 90s, very white - easy listen in the main but I did cringe inside
Genesis
4/5
Way better than I was expecting, silly but this goes hard at points
Hot Chip
3/5
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Sigur Rós
2/5
Sigur Ros always passed me by, despite being a fan of some of their peers, and although going in hopeful this did nothing for me. It's undeniably well made and accomplished, but I found it cold and overblown.
The The
4/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Neil Young
4/5
Arcade Fire
5/5
Eels
3/5
A generous 3, why is this on the list?
Duke Ellington
5/5
John Cale
5/5
Frank Ocean
5/5
Björk
4/5
Ryan Adams
4/5
Too long but I enjoyed this, took a couple of listens
Bob Dylan
5/5
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
Waylon Jennings
4/5
Slade
4/5
Roni Size
2/5
Al Green
4/5
Smooth! I obviously knew the title track but this is a solid album
Fugees
4/5
Never heard this before, better than I expected. Hill is clearly the star here, but was more hip-hop focused than the singles would indicate. An easy listen
Deep Purple
4/5
Enjoyed this way more than the studio albums, a slightly generous 4 but this is easily the best of theirs I've come across
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
All over the place, there's some good folk rockers but it's so uneven as a listen
Arcade Fire
5/5
Really great, I always had this pegged as a "lesser" AF album but this is barnstorming from start to finish
Tears For Fears
4/5
Some great singles, works well as a complete album too. Likely one I won't return to but it's a strong record
Raekwon
5/5
If you need evidence that most people using this site seemingly don't have any idea about music, it's the fact this is averaging less than 3 at the moment. A rap masterpiece with the Wu Tang Clan firing on all cylinders; some of the RZAs best production and vivid wordplay from all the crew. Genuinely can't comprehend listening to this and not feeling energised and in awe.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Haven't listened to this since release, seem to remember I really enjoyed it then but now feels very middling? Pandemic brain maybe. Would much rather listen to 1989/reputation/Red over this, but solid enough I guess. A generous 3, more 2.5
Adam & The Ants
3/5
Only ever heard the (excellent) Adam Ant singles, not the full albums. More post-punk and abrasive than I'd anticipated (Ants Invasion seems to rip off Black Sabbath?!), doesn't always work but at the time I'd have loved this for it's charisma and zest - definitely got a vibe of it's own
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Great songs, great singer. What's not to like.
AC/DC
5/5
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
The Adverts
3/5
OK, there's certainly better albums of this era but enjoyed the listen
The Associates
4/5
Took a couple of tracks to get into it's groove but loved most of this, always interesting. Another reminder why the reviews here are a total disaster - the top review states "indistinguishable from any other Britpop LP out there": this absolutely does not sound like britpop - do you have ears? Do you even know what words mean?
Iggy Pop
4/5
Strong album, can clearly hear Bowie's input. The closer Mass Production the highlight
Thelonious Monk
5/5
Paul Simon
5/5
I'm sure a 2025 critic could accuse this of cultural appropriation but viewed in the 80s during apartheid this has a completely different context. Probably did more than any other record to turn people on to non-Western sounds (I'd never heard ANYTHING like this as a kid) and has a bunch of killer tracks
4/5
Not as good as Los Angeles but still pretty barnstorming
Saint Etienne
3/5
Rocket From The Crypt
4/5
Yes
4/5
Not all of this works but enjoyable, with some bits going pretty hard. Good fun!
Jeff Buckley
3/5
Has a great voice and musically more interesting than I expected but this does definitely feel like an over-confident debut.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Has it's moments, not something I'll listen to again tho
The The
5/5
Slaps. I went through a bit of a The The phase earlier in the year and this was the one I kept going back to. Not perfect but I love enough to go the full 5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Radiohead
4/5
generous 4 maybe, patchy but has great moments - feels very radiohead by numbers but still better than most bands
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
ngl, this goes hard. ridiculous in all the best ways
Massive Attack
5/5
Stephen Stills
4/5
Good stuff, not what you'd expect from the cover! 4*
Iron Maiden
5/5
Maiden always seemed super uncool to me for ages but older wiser me now appreciates how much they rule. This is their best
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
Really sags in the middle, but a couple of interesting tracks
Stereolab
4/5
The White Stripes
4/5
The Darkness
3/5
Kinda just wish they wrote songs for AC/DC and not these overly jokey pantomimes. There's some stuff which is as good in its mechanics as any of the greats but it's through so many layers of irony it can be difficult to stomach
Elastica
4/5
I love the swagger and there's some of the best songs of the era on here, but too much filler
Jorge Ben Jor
5/5
4/5
R.E.M.
4/5
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Some flashes of what was to come but largely underwhelming
Les Rythmes Digitales
3/5
Fine? An odd choice and of it's time but the singles still go. Can remember this from when it came out and seemed slight then, good for him for his rightful success with Madonna and Kylie
Dr. Octagon
4/5
Still weird and wild, like it more now than I did back in the day
Giant Sand
4/5
Far more interesting than I expected, will investigate further
D'Angelo
5/5
Single handedly fighting back against the drop in Western birth rates
Tom Waits
3/5
Honking feral blues, not an album I'll likely return to but one I can appreciate
10cc
2/5
Hasn't aged particularly well
Spacemen 3
4/5
One that requires you to be in the right frame of mind (zonked out on heroin) but is a mighty piece of work, reminds me a lot of Jason Pierce's later work as Spiritualized
The Sugarcubes
2/5
I don't think people would care about this at all in 2025 if it wasn't for Björk. Her voice is spectacular obviously but literally any of her solo albums are a better listen than this
Buzzcocks
4/5
Excellent stuff
ABBA
4/5
Many of the these songs are so ubiquitous it's hard to be objective, the album tracks are a mixed bag. Glad I heard!
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Some days this is my favourite Velvets album, What Goes On the best song. What a band
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Liked this a lot more than I expected, one of the Boss' best. Very post-9/11 but far more interesting than some of the more jingoistic nonsense that came out of that era from others
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Surprised I'd never heard this before, equally surprised how bad much of it was. Certainly gets better as it progresses ("Feed me with your kiss" is a bop) but I wouldn't blame you if you bail on track 1. 2.5*
Basement Jaxx
4/5
Still stands up remarkably well 25+ years on, has an eclecticism that doesn't peg it to any real scene or time.
2.67 average? Yanks logoff.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Imagine listening to "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" and thinking, yep 1*, this album is devoid of any merit
The Band
4/5
Drive Like Jehu
5/5
Incredible album, haven't listened to this in an age
Bonnie Raitt
4/5
Surprisingly good, really enjoyed this
2Pac
5/5
For some reason I've always avoided 2Pac, I now realise this was a mistake.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Probably the best Costello album I've surfaced through this, still too many but shame they're not all this good
Portishead
5/5
Elvis Presley
4/5
David Crosby
4/5
Muddy Waters
4/5
David Bowie
5/5
Sade
4/5
Smooth
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Hüsker Dü
4/5
Never heard this before despite loving Zen Arcade - sounds like a fuzzier REM from the same era. Could happily lose about 20 minutes but there's some fantastic songs here
Metallica
2/5
Campest Metallica LP? Closer to Broadway than Symphonic Metal, I love the band but there's zero here which is superior to the source - I'd rate Lulu over this. Interesting as a pre-poptimism moment where this collab was deemed necessary to be "serious"