1001 Albums Summary

Obviously has the major breakthrough hits, weaker 2nd side for me.

One of the all-time great albums. So much dark angst.

Very much evokes the era it was released - had forgotten how good tracks like Norway and Lover of Mine are.

Why no 6 star option. Clearly one of the all time greatest albums.

Not much genre per se, but entire album shows the amazing craftsmanship they had

It has "Kids" and "Time to Pretend". Not much more to be said really, a luscious slice of indie electro pop

Decent enough singer/songwriter fare whilst not particularly my bag.

So so album, and then he went mad.

Before I sputter out........ Novocaine for the Soul was absolutely everywhere of course, and if you wanted to introduce people to what was going on in the late 90s music scene, then this wouldn't be the worst place to start. Can't sustain the magic of the title track over the duration, but certainly warm & strong nostalgia vibes

Well, that was fun wasn't it. Super chill voice, nice laid back vibes.

Billy Braggs vocals are absolutely infuriating to listen to.

One of the absolute greatest.

Had always just filed these guys under "punk" without really giving them a 2nd thought (despite loving the clear Gothic tendancies of Love Like Blood). But so much more than that right? None of the 3 chord bish bash bosh here. That industrial vibe is GRIT.TY.

It's fine. Bowie not my bag though.

Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazz

Great production, super laid-back vibe.

Sounds silly, but it's almost not dystopian enough. The relentless pounding rhythm of Autobahn say. Its obviously hugely influential, but is missing................. *something*

"She's got electric boobs, but no-one knew" - is this peak Elton? Could well be - an insane number of hits here. Absoutely cannot give it 5 stars due to fucking Candle in the bastard Wind though.

The Doors : not my bag

Smoooooooth. Lovely Latin vibes and very chilled.

Hey Siri, play me what the 60's sounded like.

Meh - middle of the road country / rock cross-over. Why did this make the list?

Classic "roots" vibes. Crack open a can of Lilt and enjoy.

Gravelly voice? Check. Bucket load of synth? Check. One of the biggest albums of the 80s? Check.

Bleep, blip, bloop, but with funk and soul

Yep, 100% understand why this is on the list. Wave after wave of dreamy sounds. I don't have a magic carpet, but if I did, I imagine this would be the soundtrack to riding on it.

Classic 90's "pop-rock". Obviously Mrs Robinson the most well known / loved track here (and for good reason - a great cover) but the whole album is full of gems.

Didn't really "get" it. Sure, nice enough concept, but one of the best 1001 albums ever?

One of the greatest greatest. As any fule no.

A cracking blend of big band swing and jazz. Not a genre I'm normally familiar with but loved this. In modern parlance - "an absolute banger"

The title pretty much sums it up. A feast of whisky, penny whistle, folk and punk spirit. A classic example of a band at the peak of their powers.

Really? One of the best ever? Kravitz is an incredible frontman seen live, but this is just generic rock right? Conclusion : it's OK.

Not my favourite genre, but can appreciate that this guy is one of the legends and it being a live album makes it that little bit more special.

Still don't "get" Bowie. Sorry.

For some almost biblical in it's awesomeness. For me, decent alt-rock.

Why? Why are you making me listen to another Bowie album?

Angry, gritty, full of emotion. Hadn't listened in a long time, but this is still a great album.

Ah, absolutely classic dirty R&B. Channels peak Stones from a few years earlier and if "Sweet Emotion" doesn't get you grooving round the house / in the car, well, I can't help you.

Slightly puzzled that this one made the cut. It's OK, with a heavy 60s R&B vibe but nothing that made it stand out for me.

Slightly too young to appreciate first time around ("Dad, why is that woman screeching on TOTP?") but absolutely deserves all the love and praise heaped on it over the years. The opening 3 tracks alone mean it fully deserves its spot on this list.

Didn't like the first time around, don't like them now.

Wonderfully camp, Euro electro. Can only imagine what it must have been like hearing this deep in the middle of the prog and glam rock era.

Not as great as I'd hoped. Obviously familiar with the Funkadelic / Parliament combo, but can't say this set the heart pumping.

I remember everyone getting very excited by this at the time of release. I like it, the voice is great the production is great. That said, I still don't quite "get it" - the thing that elevates it from good to great.

Nice enough background music (listened whilst cracking on with some work one afternoon). Doesn't do enough for me to lift it into the "elite" category though.

Absolutely one of the greatest albums of all time. The songwriting, the harmonies - a stunning piece of work

Haven't listened to this album in an age. "Another Girl, Another Planet" is one of the all time great punk songs. Nothing else hits that high, but still a great album.

Held in high esteem by some, merely an average late-60's / early-70s band to my tastes.

Distinctive voice for sure, but a hard one to love. Certainly evocative and laid-back, but also too avant-garde for me.

Fabulous chilled album that makes me wish I'd been old enough to go to Ibiza when it came out.

A little slice of sunshine on a chilly London day.

Spiky jarring post-punk. Not an easy listen, but the influence on a lot of 2000s bands is clear.

Hmmmm. An attempt to sound like the British blues bands of the 60's but 30 years later. It's not terrible, but it doesn't really improve on the originals.

One of the voices of the 60's - instantly recognisable and some of the best known songs of the era. Not sure how well it's aged, but certainly worthy of inclusion.

Loved reading the other reviews for this. I can fully see both sides that this is (a) a slice of prog rock genius and (b) the reason why punk needed to come along and shake things up a bit. Wonderful nonsense.

Stunning example of electronica. Completely game changing - who knew that Germans could be so cool ;)

Fantastic prog wibble.

Glam rock eh? Nah, I'm alright thanks. Maybe next time.

Yeah, but no thanks.

So much more here than just "Don't You Want Me". A glorious slice of synth-pop. 1 mark deducted for Phil's hair though - sorry.

Mmmmmm. Jazz. Niiiiiiiiiiiiice.

Fabulous album - incredibly creative people capturing the sound and zeitgeist of the late-60s

If you don't like this, then frankly, there's no help for you. Absolutely rattles along with dirty funky riffs galore.

Soulful, groovy, funky. Soundtrack to a 70s dinner party.

A band I have heard of, but can honestly say I never listened to before now. Sadly disappointed - the name invokes something on an industrial scale, this is more small workshop with employees who only want to talk about the poor performance of the local council

Grooving rockabilly. "Up Around the Bend" the stand-out for me (and the only track I'd really heard before) but the whole album is full of gems.

The sound of psychedelia. Perhaps not quite as good as their earlier "classic pop" but still beautiful harmonies.

Stripped back, early hip-hop. Despite not being my favourite genre, hard to not appreciate this.

Obviously now on an absolutely massive pedestal, but easy to see why. Powerful vocals, great writing. Perhaps not quite worthy of being held up as high as it is, but a fabulous album nonetheless.

Mmmmmm. Gritty.

Bob innit

Nah, you're alright thanks.

INJECT THE METAL DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS GRRRRRRRRRRRR

Is it hip-hop? Is it jazz? Is it funk? Is it ALL of them in some kind of gritty dinner party album? Excellent work of art.

"Iiiiiiiiiiiii don't know the answer to that question." Ah, the 80s. Not all tracks hit the heights, but still one of the best examples of that early New Wave sound.

Epic is clearly the, well, epic track here, but a great example of the beginning of the "nu-metal" / rock & hip-hop cross over genre.

A legendary band for sure, blazing a trail for others but........ this gets pretty samey no?

It's not Bruce, but it's not terrible.

Considerably more strut and bounce in my stride whilst listening to this one

"4 speed tranny" *sniggers*. 60s pop with harmonies and Hammond Organ. It is incredibly unlikely I will ever listen to this again

I was in that lift a LONG time

Oh god, my face just MELTED. Only really got into them with Fat of the Land, but obviously this is a belter if you want to gurn yourself silly into the small hours

Let's all put on clothing made of foil and zoom around on our hoverboards

Not the Rolling Stones.

Pixies. Fine, no complaints.

White Stripes. So massive, so popular and.................. I never understood it. Bores the pants off me

Utterly baffled by the overall score on this one (although I almost certainly knew it would be the case listening to it). "The Beatles" but without any hits is as big a snoozefest as you can imagine.

Stunning voice - probably better on the big hits of the Walker Bros tbh, but that's because as an uneducated luddite, I rather enjoy pop hits vs "this is music to MAKE YOU THINK"

Smooth. Too smooth. So smooth there's actually nothing there.

Strange how this is considered "heavy" compared to the modern evolution of punk and, especially, metal. The Scandi fellas dressed all in blank & wearing orge masks whilst screaming into the mic might have thoughts on the subject. That said, there is definitely a grittiness to it, and you can hear the STRUT of Iggy blasting out the speakers.

Hugely influential (and I do like Malkmus) but I could never see the justification for them being anything other than middle-of-the-road indie

Sometimes the 80s were great. Sadly, this was dirge.

Too much hate here. Absolutely loved this album, so quite possibly the rating is driven by nostalgia. But from the moment I read the review that Caleb's vocals sounded like "a man gargling rocks" I knew I was in. So much better than the polished stadium rock band they became.

Like taking a soak in a warm bath of FUNK

I was born in 1980 but I have the overwhelming urge to hop into my jalopy and hang out at the milkshake bar.

Not my bag really. Can appreciate the technical accomplishment for sure, but didn't really connect.

Meh.

The soundtrack to suburban corduroy clad couples politely tucking into salted peanuts and cheap wine before depositing their car keys into a fruit bowl. ("Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is a stone cold classic though)

11 generic and acceptable 60s songs (2 stars) followed by the ridiculously good Time of the Season (4.5 stars). More Hammond Organ!

Catchy enough "classic" country music without being stellar.

Not all of the 80's was amazing was it? There are tribes in the Brazilian rainforest that have heard "Karma Chameleon" and "Church of the Poison Mind" is an absolute banger. The rest? A blur of synth, sax and Boy George.

Very much not my genre. But can still appreciate the skill and rhymes of ODB etc.

Remember the massive hype / love for this album "back in the day". Didn't really understand it back then so was quite excited when this came up in the album feed as it seemed a good change to reassess. But, no, whilst still a perfectly nice album, still don't fully understand the love or inclusion on the 1001 list.

Little bit power pop, little bit punk. Can very much get on board with this.

Hmmm. Whilst some catchy lyrics and cool beats here, feels super repetitive. Remember it being ground-breaking for "crossing over" into mainstream at the time, but not sure it was *that* special

Wibbily wibble wibble. Can definitely see how it would have been revolutionary it's day - kosmische indeed.

Top 1001? Really? It's absolutely "fine" generic 70s rock.

I wish I "got" rap, I really do.

Struggled to rate this one tbh. On the one hand, Debbie Harry and crew are absolutely iconic of the post-punk era. Also, there's no denying that there are tracks here that nomadic desert tribes in the Kalahari are familiar with - even they sing along to "One Way or Another". But somehow, I never *quite* got it. I don't hate Blondie by any means, but I can't think of an occasion where I've though - ooooooh, that would hit the spot right now. I'm going "3" but feels VERY harsh

You know what you're getting when anything is "post-"*insert name of genre here. As expected, technically very accomplished without ever really getting the emotions pumping.

That was not an easy listen. Not dreadful, but again questioning quite how some of these made the list.

One of the cassettes in my Dad's car in the 80s so fond memories.

No arguments here - dorty dorty blues rock.

Maybe hasn't aged as well as some of the 1001, but no denying this guy knows rhythm and rhyme.

Why does jazz insist on being challenging though? Why can't it be about creating absolute bangers?

I love U2. Absolutely love them. But really? Why is this on the list? "Elevation" is a stadium-rock banger, but the rest is solid at best. It's not BAD by any means, but compared to their heights, it's overwhelmingly meh.

Was a hard listen. Cautiously optimistic heading into it based on knowledge of the individual and genre, but mostly found it hard going. Some clear sparks of genius in there, but largely lost in the madness

For some people of course, Nirvana were absolutely *IT*. Perhaps a little too young, but never quite achieved that legendary status personally. Can't deny the power of Kurt's voice and the stripped back choons here though.

Non-American, so don't quite get the social impact and "importance" of Bruce. Solid enough gritty blue collar rock for sure.

I think people either love / hate Talking Heads, not much in between. The good lady can't stand David Byrne - but how can you not love the strange rhythms and vocals. Is "nerd-punk" a genre?

Do you like folk? If not, then this probably isn't for you.

Great vocals, great tunes. Of course the background of his impending death adds weight to the emotion, but a stunning album regardless.

No issues with Mr Nick Cave. Distinctive voice and lyrics for sure, but a talented man.

Boom-chicka-wah-wah

Chris Cornell. Such power. Such gravellyness. Such angst.

Aside from the "hits" : Eloise etc, never really listened to The Damned. This is a cracking slice of late 70s punk.

Funky. No notes.

Fine, if unexciting piano tinkling

Dull in 2002. Dull now.

I can see how drugs would make this considerably better. Nice to listen to different instruments & rhythms but doesn't inspire passion / heartbreak either.

Sometimes, I will willingly accept that Eno is an absolute genius. And sometimes, which I fully accept is a less popular opinion, he is a tedious bastard.

An absolutely incredible album with 1 star deducted because of Isn't She Lovely. 1) the song makes me feel really quite nauseous generally 2) it sounds like they've tacked on a recording of Stevie having a massive piss at the end of the track

Oh, hello 15 year old me. Loses a star for the sheer unstoppable nonsense of the Gallagher brothers (so tedious), and, being brutally honest, there's some filler here, but what a ridiculously fine album this is.

Gentle folk rock. Am sure everyone knows "Wild World" but some other beautiful tracks here in a similar vein.

Feels like it's about to break into Stevie Wonder territory, but never quite gets there.

Hey guys, let's get a Hammond organ and flute. It'll be completely different to anything else around at the moment......

Delicious slice of 80s synth rock / pop. All the complaints in the reviews about how Bernard can't sing, well, yeah, but that was always part of their appeal right? "The Perfect Kiss" is an absolutely beautiful track with the build-up / crescendo taking you to another world. Would give 4.5 stars, but worthy of rounding up in this case.

Smooth beatz - doesn't hit me squarely in the trouser, but was pleasant enough to listen along to in the background

Prefer my prog-rock to have more wizards, capes and tales from Viking mythology tbh.

Again, another album that is pleasant enough, but doesn't really seem to warrant inclusion on its own merit. Sure, maybe it did influence a lot of other albums that are included in the list - Dylan et al - but in it's own right..........? Hard to see why personally.

ngl - easily one of my favourite albums ever. As soon as I saw this was the album, it was time to crank up the volume and let Larry's heavy boot reverberate around my skull. Yes, they became bloated pompous stadium rockers, but this album was an absolute masterclass. "Waves of regret, waves of joy. I reached out for the one I tried to destroy". Indeed.

Oh yes, this album was absolutely MASSIVE wasn't it. Couldn't move for people raving about The xx. Kinda dull thought don't you think?

Ooooooh. 2 U2 albums in 4 days. Am (a little) too young to have been into "early" U2 - am very much the Achtung Baby / Zooropa era, but all the signs are there. Easy to say in hindsight, but this was clearly a band hitting their groove with the key elements falling into place - Larry's heavy beat, Edge jangling away........ top notch album, and they were only getting better from here.

*BLOCK ROCKING BEATS* 1997, back when the country was full of hope and optimism and life was a non-stop party, this was undoubtedly one of the soundtracks. Not all the tracks are as epic as the opener, but still a fantastic body of work.

Hmmmm. Not as dreadful as some of the reviews indicated but not that special to listen to either. Somewhat bland southern-fried rock I guess.

Memorable primary school joke - Q. "Why did Michael Jackson call his album Bad" A. "Because he couldn't spell terrible" Clearly, it's not terrible, but for one of the biggest selling albums of all time, it's not amazing either. Smooth Criminal is a banger, but that aside, there's a lot of over-engineered generic 80s pop here.

Had forgotten how heavily linked to the early 90s trip-hop sound this album was. Unique vocals, great beats

Fon-KEY. Feels like something that I would hear on a GTA soundtrack whilst driving around one of those cars with the ridiculous suspension springs. BOING.

A little too lo-fi for me. Where are the party tracks dagnamit? "Are We Here" is a delight though

Not quite in the "desert-rock" genre where the rhythms are absoulutely relentless. This is more "desert-folk" I guess, it's softer, kinder, certainly more relaxed. More at home next to a river than a sandstone mountain in the blistering heat

Hi-hat, some occasional synth "booop" or "ping" with hip-hop lyrics not about killing someone that you have beef with. Aged 19 AND female, I can see why this would be worthy of inclusion. Whilst not being entirely my bag.

"Somebody to Love" is surely one of the tracks that embodies the 60's vibe but hadn't appreciated how strong the whole album would be. White Rabbit is obviously another classic of the psychedelic vibe, and "Embryonic Journey" a classic from multiple TV shows.

If you're of a certain age, then this album was *everywhere*. Perfect to put on the 3 disc CD changer if you'd invited an attractive lady over "for dinner" on a 3rd date.

The animaaaaaaaaaaaals. How straaaaaaaaaaaaaange. Try. TRY to stick it innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

Oh, *another* Elvis Costello album. Familiar from the last one tbh - jangly? Check? Punky? Check? Unique vocal styles combined with observational lyrics? Checkity check.

Probably just the nostalgia of teenage years full of promise and hopes and dreams, but the late 90's really were awesome weren't they?

A band that I've always been vaguely familiar with, without ever having really felt the need to listen to. Very much from the early-90s punky / grungey / indie vibe, and that's no bad thing to be honest.

Am I a bad person for not getting it? I'm can just feel someone in a velvet jacket with an impeccably waxed 'stashe and a jaunty Gitanes hanging out the of corner of his mouth calling me an "uncouth clod". Yes, they're talented. Yes, it's a pleasant enough sound. But where are the feels?

6 out of 5. No notes.

Have managed to never listen to The Stooges before now (despite clearly being aware of the Iggy link). And .......... yeah, kinda like it. It's dirty and scuzzy and rumbles along.

Screw in the light-bulb............ pat the dog..................... But no, this is why I love this thing - unlikely I would ever have come across this album in the course of my "normal" listening and it's a lovely lovely thing. Will it be a "go-to" in future? Unlikely. Am I pleased I heard it? 100%

Didn't mind a bit of trip-hop / electronica "back in the day", but Red Snapper was not a name I recognised at all. It's definitely of it's time, so not sure it would be included in a 1001 great albums list put together in 2030. tldr? "It's OK, but no Portishead"

Ah yes, the Cocteau Twins. Makes you want to lie in a field with a pretty girl on a warm sunny day and watch clouds go by.

Another "impossible to avoid" album from my yoof. And, to be fair, a very solid addition to the genre - perhaps suffers slightly over the years as the hype around how groundbreaking it was has fallen away. Good not great.

"Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" - hmmmmmm, wonder if this is going to be a country influenced album

I think it makes a BIG difference if you're 'MERICUN or not. I am not, so it's merely good, not great.

Pleasant enough gentle listening without being truly ground-breaking for me.

Has "My Sweet Lord" so that's automatically a 3 at least but having seen some of the other reviews, it's hard not to agree and conclude that this is a loooooooooooooooooooong album. Probably unnecessarily so.

Hard to imagine what the cultural impact of this must have been. Judging it purely on the musical merits, it's good not great. Extra star for the Las Vegas era jumpsuits though

Haven't listened to the album in full before. The title track is a snarling masterpiece that you *all* know already of course and the rest is........ kinda underwhelming until Train in Vain.

Well glaze my nipples and call me Rita.

Not normally a "glam" fan, but this absolutely chunters along doesn't it? Plus very happy memories of a (actually, the ONLY) mixtape in my Dad's car that had "Walk on the Wild Side on it"

2 lots of Elvis in a week eh. Weirdly (maybe), much preferred this to the debut that I listened to previously. Yes, by this stage he's very much the veteran crooner but Suspicious Minds people, SUSPICIOUS MINDS.

Wow - there's a LOT of disco sucks hate here. Come on, what's not to love, Nile absolutely drives this funky train along. (Completely unnecessary remixes included - HARD agree)

This album came out when? Oh boy, am I OLD :( Sure, some boyband filler here, but back in the day, who knew the Trousersnake could be so FUNKY. The Neptunes influence here means there's plenty of top-notch pop / R&B crossover vibes. "I'll have you nekked by the end of this song" - indeed.

OK, so not EVERYTHING about the 90s was awesome. Very aware of "On a Rope" because it was absolutely everywhere, and yes, it absolutely rattles along - a great track. The rest though.......... vaguely decent 90s punk-rock. C Fine, but can't believe there aren't other more worthy albums of inclusion.

Love it when it's an album / artist that I have never heard of before in my life. Stuck it on whilst working, and almost didn't notice that it had finished which is ........................ mostly good I guess. Ambient background vibes with absolutely lunatic album artwork (and how much of a lost art is that these days too)

I like Metallica. I only liked Metallica once they "sold-out" and went "mainstream". "Nothing Else Matters" with an orchestral arrangement is a think of absolute staggering beauty but "Enter Sandman" is a mess. I like it, but can't help feeling it could have been more somehow.

I genuinely thought I would love hearing this again more than I actually did. It's the Linkin Park debut right? Saw them tour this album live at Brixton in one of the sweatiest nights ever. Came away thinking Chester would never be able to sustain that level of vocal performance for more than a single album / tour. It's not aged *brilliantly* thought - yes, the bangers still absolutely bang, but the filler is nu-metal blah blah. Somewhere between a 3 and 4, went for a 4 because of the warm nostalgia vibes.

If you didn't like "classic" Bowie, then this probably isn't going to change your mind.

The harmonies are all there. The choons are most definitely NOT

"Scooby Snacks" is a lot of fun, Tarantino quotes and all, but top 1001 of ALL TIME. Behave yourselves.

I've grown to have quite warm fuzzy feelings for Offspring. At the time, nothing could beat "Dookie" where I pretty much played it so much the cassette failed. But Tony Hawk and Crazy Taxi and the mists of time have made me realise I probably should have played some other cassettes too. Standout track "Self-Esteem"

Feels like I listened to a Stooges album recently. Did I need another one? Probably not.

Absolutely drips with anger and energy. Fabulous album.

This is odd. Not "bad odd", but odd. At times very strong flower-power vibes with harmonies and strumming and other times veers into freewheeling jazz territory. Conclusion : I didn't hate it.

I like metal, but the "thrash" flavour always felt a little bit as if it was simply to try and play as fast as possible. Where's the emotion? The occasional soaring vocal?

Gimme Shelter is just an automatic 5 stars even if the rest of the album had been Mick breaking wind into a set of bagpipes for 30mins. BUT you get Midnight Rambler as well along with a variety of "white men play dirty blues" tracks

Maybe it would be different if I drove a beaten up 68 Chevy pickup, but the whole jam band movement really passes me by. Yeah, you guys can play guitar, but I just don't care that you can play guitar.

Don't think I've ever listened to any 2Pac before now. And unlikely to do so again. Based on reputation alone I was expecting so much more from this but it came across as the most generic "hey baby, you're fine" 90s R&B imaginable. I have no doubt plenty of guys got lucky from playing this after a 3rd date, but..................... it's a no for me Clive.

If you'd spent the past 10 years wearing flowers in your hair, dreaming about California on a winters day or picking up good vibrations then............ well, this would have come as a shock right? Testament to the impact and longevity is that (a) plenty of people born post '70 still have this as one of their top albums to this day and (b) the fact that "metal" / "hard rock" was pretty mainstream by the time I was growing up in the late 80's. 4.49 out of 5. Doesn't quite get to the magic 5 because it doesn't give me the "feels" but it gets pretty darn close.

It's fine. All fine. Had it on in the background and it was all very soothing and calming. But isn't this meant to be the greatest EVER? Some recency bias here I suspect.

Funky. Verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry funky.

Reading the other reviews there are a lot of people that "don't like reggae" but "love this album". Whilst not a genre I'm overly familiar with, of course all the hits are here. The blend of "chilling at a beach shack" with the hint of spiritual overtones is clearly very impressive and there's a lot to love here. Stick it on in the background on a cold winter's day, or whilst grilling on the BBQ on a hot day - it still works.

2 of my favourite songs ever. 5 stars.

Well aware of his legendary status in France. Not bowled over by the "chanson", my lack of French probably not helping with that, but certainly a pleasant enough vocal. Will almost make you want to chain smoke Gitanes if you listen to it for long enough

Weird. I've had both Banquet and Let it Bleed in recent weeks and this....... well, it's not the same is it. They were clearly an accomplished covers band, but little sign here of the satanic majesty to come. Fine, but doesn't need to be on the list.

Yep - all the monster tracks are present and correct so it's hard to think of this as anything other than a 5. Shame Daltrey is so insufferable.

2 stars for generic 60s wibbling UK blues. +1 star for Layla (although, even now, that songs drags on after the monster opening doesn't it?) -1 star for being a racist bigoted prick

Not an artist I'd ever heard of before which is why this place is GREAT. Soulful voice, certainly not an unpleasant listen. "Everybody's Talkin" the track that would be most recognisable thanks to Nilsson and tough call which I prefer.

Well known from 7 Seconds, but didn't know much of his work outside of that. It's short and beautiful, fantastic vibes that transport you to somewhere hot and dusty.

Ah, early Kings of Leon. How I've missed you. As a review once memory put it "a vocalist who sounds like he's gargling rock". I loved these guys first couple of albums, there was something very raw and gritty about them (plus, bonus fact, possibly the SWEATIEST gig I ever went to on a boiling hot London night at the Astoria). Yes, they went on to become stadium rock superstars, but the bluesy rock of the first couple of albums - magical.

Legendary riffs naturally, but a rhythm section that really grooves behind Hendrix wibbling.

Ye olde timey blues that started all of this *gestures with both arms*

I love a good wibble rock, but this is too much even for me. I need more histrionic female vocals and songs about Viking lore. Or the wearing of purple capes.

Well hellllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooo 6th form disco. "Brimful of Asha" really was everywhere wasn't it. It's a very decent effort, kinda Britpop, kinda funky.

No matter what the album is, Queen is still a bunch of tedious old arse.

OK, agree that nobody needed to randomly listen to some OAPs. But those harmonies, THE HARMONIES. I'm not even American and "America" is so beautiful it makes me feel like someone is trying to remove my kidneys via my ears. IN A GOOD WAY.

Jazz. Niiiiiiiicccccccccccccceeeee.

Makes me wish I had wider cut trousers, had a Marlboro permanently glued to my lip, sipping bourbon whilst complaining about "dames". Evocative of an era for sure, but a whole album of crooning is a lot. Like it, not sure I LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEE it

Not even in the best 1001 albums of 2002.

Great songs, great voice. Quietly slipped by in the background whilst I was working which is not a bad thing at all.

Very much one of the soundtracks of the 80s (even if I only entered the world at the beginning of it). Big hair, big jackets, even bigger glossier shiny hair. I'm sure the 80s is the reason we're in the mess we are today, but when the tunes are this good (that bass, that sax) at least a good time was had whilst fucking us over.

Gentle unconventional vocal and subtle pop songs. Pleasant if not world shattering.

Always been a fan of The Bunnymen - McCulloughs unique vocals lift them above other similar bands at the time. Seven Seas and Killing Moon the standout tracks here.

I like Arcade Fire. Is this their finest hour? Probably not.

ngl, always found them a little dull.

Soulful and gritty, but makes me think of emotional women having had a couple of glasses of Char too many in the mid-00s. Sorry.

Elvis Costello AGAIN. How many albums does he have on this thing - are all of his albums worthy of consideration? I guess this is the "hits" one with Olivers Army & Accidents Will Happen. I would probably have enjoyed it more if it had been the first one I'd listened to, rather than pondering why he has multiple entries. It's Elvis Costello - you know what you're going to get right.

Ugh. This was massive wasn't it? Absolutely HUGE. Snare + slap bass + nonsense "oooby lass too bingy bingy bong boo" lyric (bonus star for Scar Tissue though)

The hits. But with more noodle.

Sat on a cold grey day in the UK, this washes over me like taking a bath in molasses with a rum cocktail in hand.

Gravelly. Makes me want to drink bourbon.

Gentle background music whilst working away, some lush strings in there, but very hard to see why this would be placed above countless other similar albums.

Funky and fun rather than "shoot loads of people and slap some hoes around"

Nothing more sensual than Kate Bush tbh

Hang on. Where's the anger and angst? This is generic 60's white-boy blues rock.

I feel like I missed out on a LOT as a teen as I was definitely in the "it must have a guitar and bass and drums or it's crap" tribe. This is most definitely NOT crap. Automatic 5 stars purely for Sabotage tbh

Any better debut Side 1, Track 1 intros.............................. no, I'll wait........................

Rock for people who prefer classical music.

Dangerously close to a William Shatner album

Interesting. Very interesting *strokes soul patch beard wisely*. Enjoyed it, in an unoffensive background-y way, can't say I loved it.

Shouldn't have listened to whilst having a bad day at work. SO. VERY. ANGRY. NOW.

Perfectly sat at the soul / pop / blues boundary. Makes you wish you were there in the room nursing one whisky too many

Not the Rolling Stones are they.

Pretty but feels very similar to hundreds of other artists.

Played in a LOT of coffee shops circa 2006.

Contains "Kashmir".

Interesting mix of the sparkly shirt and tight harmony era with the "gimme some more brass FUNK-era". I know next to nothing about the influence, but if you tell me it was BIG, then I'll accept that. Solid 6/10 - funky.

The most middle-of-the-road Britpop imaginable.

Tricky band to rate impartially because, well, everyone has an opinion on them right? I don't honestly get the strong emotion they provoke (whether love or hatred). This album undoubtedly had a major impact at the time, and I can totally understand why it makes the list. But, I just can't *love* it - bland vanilla posh UK AOR. It's not bad at all, but "great".......?

Utterly unstoppable funkiness

Have a soft spot for this. True, it wasn't "ground-breaking" or "revolutionary" but it's a delicious slice of jangly indie pop. 3.5 stars, with an extra half for nostalgia because a mate of mine was absolutely obsessed with this one

Arty, jumpy, punky. Obviously if I was an achingly cool hipster then I'd be giving this 6 out of 5 whilst admiring some kind of post-modern art. As it is, whilst I do like David Byrne's unique vocals, there's almost something too clinical about Talking Heads.

AND DON'T FORGET THE TOASTER Gritty, raw, and hasn't aged well. Whilst the opener is of course in "stone-cold classic" territory, the rest of the album does feel a little samey. Not to deny the importance of the album in that "not quite metal, not quite rock" genre.

SUFFER A JEFF - and I think we've *all* had to suffer a Jeff at some point in our lives. I once had to suffer a Jeff AND a Geoff at the same time. Aside from that, a perfectly pleasant if unspectacular slice of 70s AOR.

Consider myself to be reasonably musically literate but had never even heard mention of this group before. Got a nice 60s groove thing going on there.

A time when it didn't matter if you could sing or not. I love Neil Young - whaddyagonnadoboutit

RAWK CHICK. Never quite probably made it onto my radar, despite being the "correct" genre and timing for her to be a teenage obsession. Great stuff though (even with Thom Yorke wibbling around)

Hadn't heard before, but really enjoyed. More "chilling on a beach in the sun" trip-hop than I'M VERY ANGRY AND GOING TO KILL EVERYONE MUTHAS

Never really got why "Blister in the Sun" was so popular. A whole album of it did not help my understanding.

No. You're being silly.

Bit o'brass, bit o'shuffle, bit o'Hammond.

Gosh, this album was absolutely everywhere wasn't it. You couldn't move without hearing Clint Eastwood and at the time, it felt like something genuinely different and quirky. On reflection, this is dull dull dull - bring back joyful 1991 Leisure Damon please.

Punky, spiky, gritty. Never been a major fan of Chrissie Hynde's vocals, but certainly appreciate the sentiment.

Wibble

Beautiful folk vibes - hadn't listened to a full album before, and pleased that I did. Not quite enough for 5 from me, but damn close.

Oh my word. The harmonies............... THE HARMONIES. A bunch o' messed up people, sure, but what an album. California Dreamin is obviously an automatic 5 - yes, yes, we've all heard it a million times, but it's still as stunning as Michelle.

Nothing to add. Stone cold five.

One of those bands where I'd always nod sagely whenever they were mentioned, because obviously, I should know them, without ever really listening to them. HEAVY going, but totally worth it.

Best thing about this site is getting me to listen to artists that I'm "aware of" but have never really "listened to". Funky stuff here.

A little bit punk, a little bit Jean-Michel Jarre, a little bit folk. The last track is FILTH no?

If you didn't know the artist / album, you'd say this was released in the 80s. It absolutely ooooooooozes 80s.

I remember this being a massive cross-over hit. You wanted to be a cool hipster before cool hipsters were a thing, then you definitely told people ALL about this album. Listening to it now, kinda hard to see why *this* one in particular was popular. Sure, it's cool and funky, but one of "the greatest" - I don't quite see it.

It's not Yoshimi, but it's pretty damn cool

Sometimes jangly, sometimes spiky.

Kinda passed me by to be honest. Logged in to do my review and my first thought was "is this what I listened to yesterday?" Which isn't a great sign is it?

Meh.

Almost too good. Now hated by those who consider it "dad rock" etc, but come on - this is world class choonage.

The end of the Stones creative genius for me, although for plenty, also the high point which baffles me. It's well executed white-boy-blues, but I prefer my Stones tracks to be more...... satanic :)

Interesting what hip-hop would have been like without all the poppin' and hoes and the poppin' of hoes isn't it.

Imagine an ENTIRE album with 12 songs as glorious and beautiful as "There She Goes" - would easily be in the Top 100 albums ever. Unfortunately this album only has 1 song that good.

What an album. Playing it over and over trying (and failing) to appear smart and sophisticated and it still completely hits the spot to this day. Easily in my personal Top 50 I reckon.

So funky my crotch hurts.

Ah, Stereolab - I *know* them. Having checked Wikipedia, it appears I don't know them at all. Can see why the indie hipsters would absolutely cream themselves over this - Anglo/French? check. Bloopy bleepy? check Passed by in the background nicely enough. Am I going to rush out to purchase it on vinyl and learn to be a barista? No.

EVERYONE already knows this and of course it should be on the list.

Just phenomenal. I didn't really understand how good until later (too busy grumbling about how it wasn't "real" music unless it was a drums / bass / guitar / vocals - possibly keys at a push - combo)

YAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Paint it Black absolutely SLAPS doesn't it. Also, very fond memories of "Lady Jane" and "Under my Thumb" from my Dad's "Greatest Hits" cassette tape that he had in the car. Not quite peak Stones yet, but the road ahead is clear.

Another in the list of "I can kinda see why it's significant without really doing anything for me personally Clive" (plus Nazareth did it better)

Hmmm. Definitely falls into the "interesting" category - wasn't aware of the artist, let alone the album. Did it grab me by the goolies and DEMAND to be loved for everymore - no. No it did not.

Snarling vocals over howling Hammond Organ. The "middle" 3 tracks of Hanging Around, Peaches and (in particular for me) Get A Grip are probably amongst my favourite punk tracks.

Turned 18 in 1998 and this was massive. Beyond massive. Peak lad culture era. On reflection, is it quite as ground-breaking as it seemed at the time? Probably not. But for the sheer joy of house parties where track 3 felt like a huge middle finger to "boring grown-ups" and the nostalgia of the sheer joyous build to "Right Here, Right Now", it's an easy 4.

Another artist in the "I've heard of them, but never really listened to" category. Beautifully crafted folk, but the benefit of hindsight always looming in the background

A little chortle to myself when this pinged up. "Hanoi Rocks? Really?". Doing a bit more reading, clearly super influential and maybe we wouldn't have the wonderful range of Nordic power-metal, synth-metal etc without them. But, for all that, many many acts have done it WAY better since.

Probably would have had more luck with "interesting" girls (i.e. alcoholic with loose morals) if I'd claimed to be into MSP as a teen. However, JDB's vocals always irritated me, and could never understand how they ended up so popular. It's just dull unremarkable indie.

One for the achingly cool kids. Me? I quite liked it.

That is some SWAMPY-ass rock right there boy. (Grew up in suburban UK in the 80's but this is what America should sound like to me)

Another "I know them, but don't really know them artist". The kind of country music that my Dad listened to rather than the modern overblown Nashville flavour. Gently floated out of my speakers in the background, great vocals, great songwriting.

Look, it's just a 5 isn't it? Fire this up and transport yourself back to your / my tormented teenage angst years. Now, excuse me whilst I go and sit in the dark in my bedroom with some Southern Comfort and New Dawn Fades on repeat.

We like a bit o' Beth don't we. Classic indie singer/songwriter territory here, and nowt wrong with that

A mix of pop, country, crooner, folk. Not quite on a par with the classic 60s pop / do-wop for me (Runaround Sue is a certified BANGER) but certainly does enough to show why he's regularly listed as one of the best vocalists ever. Lovely stuff.

Has anyone mentioned yet that Morrisey is a cu....... oh, OK, as you were then. Can't deny the Marr / Rourke combo is superb, and "How Soon Is Now" probably my favourite Smiths track. Really quite hard to view them objectively anymore though. Went for a solid 4 in the end because the jingly jangly is still damn catchy.

Great voice - would put on to seem sophisticated at a dinner party. Doesn't give me the "feels" though.

Country. It's fine I guess.

*weary sigh* I only had The Smiths 2 days ago and had to reference what a total helmet Morrissey turned out to be. So more of the same but without Marr, Rourke and Joyce isn't what I needed right now. Still enjoyed Suedehead, but the rest? Shrug.

So very very good. Spiky, punky, poppy. Can definitely see why they were considered in the vanguard of New-Wave.

Conjures up smoky rooms with troublesome dames and rich bourbon. I still find it hard to LOVE jazz though. It's nice enough, but I can't say I'm excited by it.

And it's still an overwhelming "OK I guess" for Bowie from me. I don't get it - why don't I get it?

Love Brett's soaring vocals. Suede were always the thinking man's Britpop compared to the lager fuelled nonsense of *some* of their peers.

OK you snooty bastards, it's "pop-punk", it was insanely popular, but that's for a reason. And sure, it's not "Dookie" either, but this was a definite return to form and absolutely "fit" the era. It's not big or clever, but it's a hella lotta fun.

Good - Eleanor Rigby, Got to Get You Into My Life Meh - Yellow Submarine, Good Day Sunshine, Doctor Robert. Yes, it's in the Top 10 on here, but my word it's bang average.

Generic bar rock but done quite well. Don't think their music ever quite translated to the UK as I've always been aware of them, without ever really hearing them anywhere.

Country - pleasant enough banjo n' harmony action from an artist that I'd never heard of previously. Better than other country? Not so much.

Very good mate of mine absolutely LOVES The Fall. Thinks Mark E. Smith is an absolute genius and saw them live dozens if not hundreds of times. On the other hand, I can't stand his drone and think he's a tedious old windbag.

Those vocal stylings get a little irritating after a while don't they?

Some good, some trash. A classic example of "if you'd reduced it to a single album and got rid of the shite, it would be a hella lot better lads"

Sure, it's fun and contains some disco-stompers. And was very much a breath of fresh air on release. But the cover of "Comfortably Numb" remains a travesty and not convinced its inclusion stands the test of time.

Nu-wave, but without the choons.

Stop giving me Bowie albums. I DON'T GET IT.

Minimum 3 stars just for Lust & Passenger. Not sure I love it quite enough to push it up to 4 though.

Darker than "Move on Up" (the only track of his I could previously name) but still get the sense that I would have had great success in removing the beige slacks of my neighbour's attractive wife if this had been given a spin at my 1975 dinner party

Stop, enough with the Morrissey albums. I can very much appreciate The Smiths, Moz on his own (2nd album of his I've had now) is just not in the same league. Sure, there's still something about his vocals and intonation that brings joy, but mostly it's dirge. And he's a prick.

"Troubled" individual wasn't he. Hard to argue with the emotion and energy of this performance, with all the key tracks from the beginning of rock and roll. So conflicted between "this guy's a wrong'un" and "these tracks changed the way we perceive music".

Have not heard of this album / artist previously, but this SLAPS. Over the hour it does get a little "samey" but great lyrics over cracking beats

What happens when Lindsay gets a little too into his cocaine. "Tusk" (the track) is an absolutely filthy monster of a song though. *Give me MORE marching band"

Ugh - how many more Bowie albums am I going to have to work through? I get it, a HUGELY significant artist to many, even more so given the timing of the release of this one, but had to stop halfway though because of the vocal histrionics. Just unlistenable. Sorry.

Very difficult to not think of them entirely in the context of Christmas, but they were of course one of the leaders in glam rock. Now, I don't particularly like glam rock, but there's some fine tracks here - largely where Noddy (no giggling now) really opens the pipes.

Nice. It's not the Byrds nice, but nice. Wasn't familiar with it at all, and, having done some further reading, I'm not entirely convinced that it's some fantastical lost gem. But it is nice.

Meh. I know plenty of people love Goldfrapp but nothing more then acceptable bleepy-bloopy for me.

Hendrix. You know what you're going to get with Hendrix.

Had to put on my special funk trousers for this one. Not sure my regular ones would have coped otherwise.

Again, another "don't know the album or artist". Very much of the era, and very much not a genre I was listening to at the time, but fabulous breaks, beats and rhythms - enjoyed!

LOVE Lauren Mayberry's vocals. Gorgeous blend of 80s synths, modern pop and a sheen of British 90s electronica. Could I definitely say it's in the greatest 1001 albums? Not sure. Do I love it? Yep.

"More Than a Feeling" plus 7 other songs. OK, I get it, this is very "white Dad complaining about the latest generation spending too much on avocados" and there are dozens of these AOR bands on the list. And even if you do end up hating yourself for admitting it, these tunes are damn catchy.

Clean cut 80s electronic synth kids from Essex discover heroin and S&M. Initially delighted that this appeared, after all, who doesn't love the Mode in their early 90s Flood inspired pomp. BUT, aside from the big hits, I didn't love this as much as I remembered loving it. Personal Jesus / Enjoy the Silence are an automatic 4 star minimum, but struggled to find reasons to lift it to the 5. So didn't.

Janis has a fine set o' pipes. Almost too "counter-culture 60s" generic but nothing that a liberal dungaree wearing blonde chick with a little grass looking for a groovy time couldn't fix.

Can't lie - my heart sank a little bit with this one. I absolutely loved Ryan Adams when he broke onto the scene. Coming from small-town suburban UK, the alt-country-rock vibes were like they came from a different planet, but a planet where I belonged. Saw him live several times and the show was always immense. On the other hand, what an absolute helmet.

Hmmmm. I like PiL - but think it's probably Lydon's raw snarl that lifts it. This is.............. not good.

Too kool for skool.

Much maligned for being the pinnacle of comfy jeans and chunky white sneakers in charge of BBQ, but hard not to love the harmonies and chill vibes. Almost like taking a soak in the hot-tub.

Of course, it's Ray Charles, so undoutedly a decent set o'pipes. Didn't give me the feelz though.

Groovy indeed. Not sure I absolutely *had* to hear it though.

Sometimes I feel like I'm not "cool" enough to appreciate some of the albums on this list. In this case, it appears to not only be me. Made it all the way through, but only just.

I mean, it's just SO good isn't it

Spiky, angry and punky - can hear the sound of post-punk grunge being born here. All the more poignant with Albini's passing.

No, just a million times no. No, no, no, no, no.

This is why this is a great project. Of course I'm "aware" of My Bloody Valentine, hugely influential cult band that help drive the shoegaze / baggy era of the late80s/early90s. However, I'd never really listened to them before. Is the experimental rock / post-punk my favourite genre? No. Did I still enjoy this? Yes. Will I be able to nod along more intelligently when my more hipster music friends wax lyrical about MBV? 100%.

Horny!

Is it OK to like Supertramp? Are they not-prog enough, too dad rock? Either way - GIVE ME MORE SYNTHS

Adele AND Simply Red in the same week. Wow 1001 albums algorithm, you are *really* spoiling me.

Queen when they were just a bit dull, rather than dull, over-blown and pompous. 2 stars, but "Seven Seas of Rhye" absolutely slaps so they can have a rounded 2.6/5

Like an explosion in a Babybel factory circa 1982, and another reason this project is ace. It's not going on my "goodness gracious, this is the finest thing to ever enter my ears" list, but wasn't at all familiar with the artist or album and now I'm educated. This was a tasty slice of overblown 80s funk / soul and I am here for it.

Hmmm. Snoop is fun right. And some of the rhymes and beats are catchy. But also a lot of misogynistic penis chat

Part of me thinks the reason I don't like Coldplay, a band that instinctively I should love, is because they were enormously popular before I'd really ever heard of them. The other part of me thinks it's just because they're fucking dull.

Another one for the "was very much aware of, but hadn't really listened to, and that's why this site is great list". Another band that feels like they were absolutely the right place, right time for me to discover, but not all that surprised I didn't on reflection. Some of the "shoe-gaze" era is tremendously joyful, this is warbling background noise. Tempted to remove a star because Andy Bell went on to form Hurricane #1, one of the worst bands I ever saw live, but that would be overly harsh.

Groovier than I'll ever be that's for sure.

My heart soared when this one dropped into the feed. As a teen from smalltown suburban UK, this album absolutely exploded my brain when I first heard it. I tried to remember how I was introduced to it, and was pretty certain it was from Q magazine - research shows the review was thus : sigur rós' second album proper features this astonishing opener [svefn-g-englar] and 10 others which, while surprisingly diverse, each reflects their penchant desire for apocalyptic serenity, overdriven guitars and teenage singer jónsi birgisson's unique hopelandish language Adored it then, adore it now

Album almost completely passed me by without realising. Jangly opening not what I was expecting and then suddenly Spotify has queued up something else. Probably not a good thing

Gravelly, like pouring whisky directly into my ears. Would say I appreciated it, rather than loved it.

I must have been a total asshat to be around in the late-90s. Having had the IMMENSE Ágætis byrjun earlier in the week (9 out of 5 stars), I was delighted to see this pop-up in the feed. Adored Mercury Rev, and, whilst not quite in the same class as the Icelandic chaps, the vocals & lyrics of Jonathan Donahue absolutely take you off into another world. Loved it (but only 5 stars)

Interesting. Definitely some Hole-esque riot-grl vibes combined with some "white guys play R&B in the late 60s" vibes. Not entirely sure my boat was floated enough to make this one I'll return to, but enjoyed the discovery none-the-less

All the cool kids listened to this. If you went to a party at someone's house in 95/96 this would be playing. I didn't listen to it, because I was insufferable, and convinced that if there weren't guitars, bass etc, then it wasn't PROPER music. Naturally I was wrong. Whilst this also led to a load of bang-average UK electronica around the same time, this undoubtedly changed the music scene. And John Lydon snarling his way through "Open Up" as well.

9 very solid rock and roll tracks before the unleashing of American Girl shows what a career this is going to go on and be.

Some schmaltzy-pap along with the glorious "I Believe" and the absolute FILTH of Superstition. Almost gets 5 for Superstition alone.

Didn't understand the love at the time, don't understand it now.

Another band that I was aware of without really listening to. And now I know why - had high hopes when this appeared, but man is this album dull.

Not as good as the Thundercats. "Sword of Omens, give me sight, beyond sight". In fact, on reflection, would rather listen to the Thundercats theme on loop for 52mins than this again.

`Am sure there will be more Talking Heads / David Byrne to come. Funky, spiky with Byrne's unique delivery - you know what you're going to get here. If it's their second album, then I'm not sure it's truly revolutionary, sounded a lot like the first album to me.

So. Very. Conflicted............... Radiohead now feel like the band that "superior" music people challenge you with. If you don't like Kid A / OK Computer then you're either stupid or not trying hard enough. So when this popped up, I was fully prepared to go all out snark and dish out 1 or 2 stars. But. BUT. My word this was a fabulous album. "High and Dry", "Just", "Sulk" all glorious soundtracks to my teenage angst and misery before the ultimate finale to the "staring into a bottle of Bells / Southern Comfort wondering why girls won't talk to me" era with "Street Spirit" and it's howling into the void "fade out again". 4 stars, should probably be 5, whilst hating myself for not rating it a 2. Which is probably exactly how it should be.

Hole were only ever very vaguely on my radar (most likely because of the Kurt Cobain link) without ever really listening to anything except Celebrity Skin. But this is perfect grunge era spiky, fuzzy, glorious guitarness.

"Oooooh. Dinosaur Jr" I thought. I know they're cool, but haven't really ever listened to them. Meh.

Modern pop. Sounds sexier in French.

Luxurious mullets? Hilariously bad knitwear? Layer upon layer of synth? I'm not sure, but I might have landed back in the early 80s. Which, in the case of this album, is no bad thing. This was always on heavy rotation in our house thanks to my two older brothers, so one I feel I know well. The big hits are there, but "Head over Heels" was always (and remains) my favourite - glossy, luscious, over the top production with soaring vocals - a thing of beauty.

Isn't 1001 albums great? An artist I wasn't aware of in a genre I (very) rarely listen to but this is good stuff. Of course, some of the tracks are familiar from other artists, but this really makes me want to escape the rat-race and open a small beach hut selling crisp beers, fruity cocktails and the freshest seafood you've ever tasted

Didn't even need to enter it into the search box on Spotify. Inexplicably popular with "ladz" that like to "banter" when it came out, and probably still very popular with those self same estate-agent, BMW driving, golf playing, "I could have been a professional footballer but I did my knee at age 15" fucknuts now. Extra kudos to the "Pam Ayres" reference a few reviews down. Cap. Doffed.

Too young to have a sense of the social impact of this, but impressive on how they managed to harness a spiky bouncy joy whilst commenting on the total pile of dogshit that was the UK in the late 70s

Definite warm nostalgia feelz on this one as it was an important part of my transition from "no, only guitars are good music". Not entirely coherent as an album true, but as an example of the "French-house" wave that was coming, it's definitely up there. Plus, shiny helmets *snigger*

If you'd been listening to a lot of swing and big band, and then this dude came along, it must have been a total mind-melt. Almost suffers from familiarity now, but can only imagine how revolutionary it must have been. And still some solid bangers if you want Granny dancing at the wedding.

Yeah - nothing wrong with a bit o'Cash. Are the prison albums better than other versions, I'm not sure, but the hits are here and they all rattle along with Cash's gravelly tones over the top.

This seems VERY popular. Can't say it did it for me. I didn't *hate* it, but nor was it the greatest thing since I filled my ears with sliced bread.

This gives me a warm nostalgic glow, because all the very cute girls that were into indie music absolutely ADORED this album. And not just them, it felt like it was absolutely everywhere. On the other hand, I thought it was pretty dull at the time, and neither age nor heavy rotation on Absolute Radio every single day since, has changed my opinion. Inoffensive - sure? Very popular - naturally? Should be on this list - NO SIR.

Had never heard of, but quite enjoyed this one. Definite +0.5 for the album cover as well which is excellent. The early punk vibes are strong with this one - enjoyable thrashy nonsense