1001 Albums Journey

1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John. 17 tracks. I know there are some real belters on here, but there is also the dreaded "Candle in the wind" which I can't stand. Sat Nights Alright and Bennie & Jets are Elton at his best. Despite that, had to skip quite a few. 1/5.

2. We Are Family - Sister Sledge. 12 Tracks. What an absolutely stupendous album!!!! Yet this is something I would never actually choose to listen to. I will now! @1001_albums_gen has already been worthwhile. 5/5.

3. Fear Of A Black Planet - Public Enemy. 20 Tracks I'm not into rap or hip hop at all, but my biggest criticism of rap is that I often have no idea what's being said & I don't have this issue with Public Enemy. It's no "takes a Nation of Millions", (although you can really see they have tried to replicate it), but considering I don't like this genre, it's not awful at all. 2/5.

4. The Bends - Radiohead. 12 Tracks Fake Plastic Trees is 1 of the most beautiful songs written by anyone, ever, but with the exception of that & High & Dry, the album is filled with melancholy overrated rubbish.

5. Ritual De Lo Habitual - Janes Addiction. 9 tracks. It's ok and I enjoyed bits of it more than others, but it never really grabbed me or caught my attention. A bit meh! Not rubbish, but not something I want to tell everyone about either. 2/5.

6. Lady In Satin - Billie Holiday. 17 tracks. Sultry and Bluesy, but completely wasted on me. I couldn't wait for each song to end. If I could have given it 0 stars I would have. It really just isn't for me. 1/5.

Woodface - Crowded House. 14 tracks. I've owned Crowded House albums before, but never this one despite it heavily influencing my early adult life. It's quite varied and very good. Interesting that this was largely written by both Finn brothers rather than just Neil. 4/5.

8. The Cars - The Cars. 9 tracks. What a pleasant surprise this was. Not all tracks are great but the one's that are make the album well worth a listen. Just what I needed is just what I needed. 3/5.

9. Bug - Dinosaur Jr. 10 tracks. Not to my tastes at all. If you like a poor quality Foo Fighters meeting a tone-deaf Nirvana on a bad day with some background White Noise then this is definitely for you. Track 9 is called \"Don't\" which I assume stands for Don't listen 1/5.

10. This is Hardcore - Pulp. 12 Tracks. Quite an enjoyable listen. There was a nice flow to this and I'm not actually a Pulp fan. It was... soothing and melodic which is not at all what I think of when I think of Pulp. Well worth a listen. 3/5

11. Cheap Thrills - Big Brother & The Holding Company. Hadn't heard of the band before despite obviously knowing Janis Joplin. Looking at album I recognised no songs, but when they play you know them. It's quite course or rough in sound, but that's just her bluesy/rocky style. It's a good album. 4/5

12. Hypocrisy is the greatest luxury - The Disposable Heroes of HipHoprisy. 13 tracks. I don't mind hip hop as long as I can understand the lyrics and this was better than ok if a little "samey". 3/5.

13. I should Coco - Supergrass - 13 Tracks. I like Supergrass so am biased, but this is an album where strength of big tracks isn't diminished by relative weakness of others. It's a proper album. Listen to it soon! I'm about to play it again right now. 5/5.

14. Drunk - Thundercat. 23 Tracks. Had never heard of them before but they really remind me of an early Level 42 sound with high range male vocals similar to Mike Lindup and just missing some heavy Mark King base. I really enjoyed it. It's good, just missing some Mark King thumbage. 3/5

15. Ten - Pearl Jam. 11 Tracks Is this called Ten cos it's rated 10 out of 5? What an album! Don't think I have ever listened to it sober before. What an album! Have I said that before? Wow. A new bar has been set against which all others will be judged. Mind-blowing! 5/5

16. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret - Soft Cell. 18 tracks. I really like some of their stuff, (Say Hello is art!) but this ultimately failed to deliver with so many watered down "nothing" tracks that made me lose interest. 2/5

17. Slipknot - Slipknot. 25 tracks. We joke about bad music "making my ears bleed", but this is on another level. I was determined to listen to every track on every album but I have just failed here. This is awful. Not even sure how it's called music. It's just screaming. 0/5

18. Joan Armatrading - Joan Aramatrading. 10 Tracks. Love & Affection is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It's impossible for the album to live up to that level but it's still good, if very much in the shade of such a powerful dominant track. 3/5.

19. Roots - Sepultura. 16 Tracks. Some of the instrument playing is really good, but the vocals are just more shouting I'm afraid. It's a half step up from Slipknot, but only a half step. It's just noise to me with some shouty bloke who needs a throat lozenge.

20. The Genius of Ray Charles - Ray Charles 12 tracks. It's foot-tappingly, nod-along in the background decent. I can imagine that loads of these tracks were used in films back in the day. It doesn't make me pay attention though & definitely won't make me listen again. 3/5.

21. Sweet Baby James - James Taylor - 11 tracks. This is good. This is really good. A tiny bit Country, a little bit Folk. The double bass also gives it.... Soul? but heavy Blues influence too. A real roller-coaster of a journey. This is a proper album. Fire and Rain is amazing. 4/5

22. Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits. 9 tracks. Better than expected. Forget that they are not "cool". This is brilliant. So close to 5/5. Leaving Brothers in Arms until the last track is an interesting choice but works so well. Again, this is a proper "album". 4/5

23. Fela with Ginger Baker Love. Fela Kuti 5 tracks. Never heard of this bloke but this was decent. Jazzed up funk meets big band? I had it low in background but turned it up because I was enjoying it. Would accompany a remake of Starsky & Hutch is the best I've got. 3/5

24. Aqualung - Jethro Tull 13 tracks. It's not my thing, but it's not awful, (but neither is it good). It seems too "busy" or "muddled" with lots going on & every bit trying to outdo every other component part. Bits reminded me of a "shit, try-hard Queen" and these were the better bits. 2/5.

25. Close to you - Carpenters 12 tracks. What a let-down. Really really poor. Really struggled to get through this whiney dronefest. Was not far off 1 star! 2/5

26. The College dropout - Kanye West 21 tracks. This isn't for me, but despite that I really liked some tracks. The overall feeling I got was that I was let down by the production on some tracks (which surprised me because I thought that's what he was all about). 3/5

27. Fred Neil - Fred Neil 10 tracks too many. The music in this album is as imaginative as the title. It's bang average old-style droning Crooner meets Country with some really basic guitar strumming & the occasional mouth organ. It's really not good. 2/5.

28. Roger the Engineer - Yardbirds 22 tracks. This is decent. I didn't know Jeff Beck, Clapton & Jimmy Paige all played guitar with Yardbirds at various times. (This was Beck playing). It's simple but punchy in a rock/blues style. 3/5.

29. In a Silent Way - Miles Davis 2 tracks, (but 18 & 19 mins each). This is exactly why I'm doing @1001_albums_gen . Just Miles, his trumpet & some backing snare drum & keyboard. Really unusual/interesting & not something I would normally listen to at all. The use of the snare drum is brilliant and forms the basis for everything else to come and go as it pleases. It has a sort of hypnotic quality. 3/5

30. Exit Planet Dust - The Chemical Brothers 11 tracks. Not something I would usually listen to but despite it being an early album is very good, (and even better via headphones). Had me absolutely hooked from the get go and made me go looking for more afterwards. 4/5

31. Welcome to the Afterfuture - Mike Ladd 13 Tracks It was all a bit..... wishy washy as if he couldn't decide whether he was going to go full scale hip-hop or something else. As a result it couldn't hold my interest. 2/5

32. Bat out of Hell - Meat Loaf 9 tracks. Not at all what I was expecting. Far more power ballad than punchy rock as the title track suggests & I have absolutely no idea what Paradise by Dashboard Light is, (other than brilliant!) 3/5.

33. It Takes a Nation of Millions - Public Enemy 16 tracks. This was a real blast from the past and other than the memories it triggered, I could hear the influence from this in lots of stuff since. I don't love rap, but there is no doubting how good this is. I really enjoyed it. 4/5

34. Pink Flag - Wire 21 tracks. I say 21 tracks, but 6 of them are under 1 min long so the whole album is still only 35 mins and it works by keeping you interested & engaged with no time to be bored and switch off. Decent. 3/5

35. Simon & Garfunkel Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme 12 tracks. Really interested to listen to this because while there is no doubting their genius, some of it hasn't "clicked" with me before. so keen to give it another go. Still not clicked. 3/5

37. Double Nickels on the Dime - Minutemen 43 tracks. This is ok but didn't blow me away. If you don't like a particular track don't panic, there will be another one along in a minute, (or 1min 42 secs on avg to be precise). 3/5.

39. Deep Purple in Rock - Deep Purple 7 tracks. I was really looking forward to this but it was a really big let-down. Not enjoyable at all. Such a shame. 2/5

36. En-Tact - The Shamen 15 tracks. What a brilliant blast from the past this was. A little more raw than some of their other stuff but it was a great listen. Not far off a 5/5. 4/5.

38. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen 8 tracks. I was quite looking forward to this but it was a real let-down. Doesn't compare favourably at all to Born in the USA. Bang average is how I would describe it. 2/5

40. Music from the Big Pink - The Band 20 tracks. This seems to be a collection of tracks rather than an album. There is no flow. Some amazing tracks surrounded by some real fillers that detract from the whole. 3/5

42. Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche - Koffi Olomide 9 tracks. It's African Salsa if such a thing exists, but it's toe-tappingly catchy & decent. I wouldn't choose to listen to it, but I also wouldn't turn it off. 3/5

43. Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi 10 tracks. WHAT an album! Some people thinking that this stands on the back of 1 track are missing lots. I think it's a "proper album" with ebb and flow rather than just a collection of tracks thrown together. It doesn't make we want to listen to this album again, but it makes me want to listen to more like it. 4/5.

41. S&M - Metallica 21 tracks. This is absolutely mind-blowing. Metallica should only exist in this form. They have taken something that almost makes my eyes bleed and turned it into something that I want to listen to never mind about hear. Symphony meets metal. 4/5

44. Selling England by the Pound - Genesis 8 tracks. This is early Genesis & I don't think I recognise any tracks. It sounds more Gabriel influenced than Rutherford or Collins & he left 2 years later. Personally I think Genesis were better after he left than before. 2/5

45. Hysteria - Def Leppard 12 tracks. "Lighter" than their previous albums, this is perfect for me. What they went through during the recording process is astonishing & only serves to make it more significant. One of my favourite albums as an adult, (ignored by younger me). 5/5

46. Darkness on the Edge of Town - Bruce Springsteen 10 tracks. This is everything I hoped Born to Run would be, (& wasn't). It's fantastic & even better because so many of the tracks were new to me. Have listened to it about 5 times since the 1st listen & will do again 5/5

47. Calenture - The Triffids 29 tracks. Never heard of them. Just a shit, softer, more melancholy INXS seems a tad harsh, but it's what I keep coming back to. It's not rubbish at all, far from it. It just lacks..... something. Something significant. 3/5

48. Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics 10 tracks. Love the electronics and contrast of Lennox's voice but this is less an album & more an amalgamation of odds and sods that weren't good enough to finish never mind about release. It's really poor. 2/5

49. Moving Pictures - Rush 7 tracks. The drums, guitars & vocals seemed almost in competition with eachother rather than complimenting. It's the "prog" part of prog rock that I have always had a problem with. Progressive how exactly? It's not awful. Just muddled. 2/5

50. Triangle - The Beau Brummels 11 tracks. There were elements of this that I liked, (strings at start of Only Dreaming are amazing), & strings consistent throughout the album, but despite me also liking the vocals I wanted more.... punch! 2/5

51.Top Petty & Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & Heartbreakers 10 tracks Before l started listening I didn't think I liked Tom Petty, despite absolutely loving Free Falling and not being able to name another track. Do I just not like the name? Breakdown made me stop what I was doing and start to pay more attention. This was startlingly good. The rest of the album is ok, (not special), but I now know that I do like Tom Petty & can appreciate that I bet this was pretty influential at the time. Fooled Again is amazing, (play it loud and sing along!) Americal Girl is such a good finish to the album. 3/5

52. Revolver - The Beatles 14 tracks. I know it's almost musical blasphemy to not like this album but it's so overrated. Yellow Submarine is a joke & Eleanor Rigby is.... unusual rather than fantastic. Taxman is great but I honestly don't get the hype. What a let-down. 3/5

53. Behaviour - Pet Shop Boys 10 tracks. I think this was the PSB's working out what worked and what didn't work. This is the "Didn't work" pile. It's really not good. 2/5

54. New Wave - The Auters 12 tracks. It's a sort of throaty, husky vocal that is crying out for some contrast in terms of either tempo or volume, but he just drones on all the way through the album. Only on "Home Again" did it click and hint at what might have been. 2/5

55 Trafalgar - Bee Gees 12 tracks. I quite like the Bee Gees, (or at least thought I did), but this was boring as hell. How on Earth it got on this list I will never know. I bet the Gibb Bros don't even think it's very good. 2/5

56 A walk across the rooftops - The Blue Nile 7 tracks. I'm surprised I have never heard of them as this was released in 1984. 1st impression is I love the music but not the vocals. Maybe it will grow on me, (it didn't), There are hints, (musically & in the writing), of Deacon Blue, (a compliment), but the vocals just don't fit. Put a different vocalist on this & it could be great, (but isn't). 3/5

57 The Band - The Band 12 tracks. Too lazy to create a band name never mind about name their album, the music is just as lazy. Little bits of quality surrounded by loads of mediocrity. 2/5

58 Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams 15 tracks. This started off great but I soon lost interest. Might give it another go when I'm in a different mood. It's good, but it's also just not for me, (or at least not for me right now). 3/5

59 Birth of The Cool - Miles Davis 12 tracks. I've listened to a lot of rubbish recently & while I'm no Jazz connoisseur, this was just what I needed today. Music that could just transport you away. It's dated, but in a good way. I'm not sure how you could not like this. 4/5

60 The Stranger - Billy Joel 9 tracks. This was lovely. Just a really enjoying foot-tapping, hum-a-longer. Enjoyed it so much I have listened to it 4 times over the last few days. It's really up-lifting. I loved it. 4/5

61 Caetano Veloso 12 tracks. My hatred for people who are too fucking lazy to come up with a fucking name for their fucking album grows & grows with each new 1 found and this bloke is the current recipient of my ire. Even fucking Ed Sheeran names his fucking albums ffs! 1/5

62 Heartattack & Vine - Tom Waits 9 tracks What a punchy start to this album.Clapping hands sign The title track grabs you by the nads & demands your attention but is unable to hold those heights throughout. It's still brilliant in places & a real roller-coaster with such variety. 3/5

63 Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin 15 tracks. The biggest selling musical artists of all time? I just don't get it. It's ok. It's better than ok. It's good, but best selling music artists in the World ever? I've got to find out what I'm missing. More Led Zep required 3/5

64 She's so unusual - Cyndi Lauper 10 tracks. It's synthy, punky, poppy 80's rock. What's not to like? Yeah it's a bit dated, but if it ain't broke...... 4/5

65 Welcome to the Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes to Holywood 16 tracks. You just think this will be their 2 big hits and then you remember the 3rd one and then the 4th and actually it's decent. It is however really dated & hasn't stood the test of time. 3/5

66 Groovin - The Young Rascals 11 tracks. Loved the title track. I mean really loved it, but the rest wanders all over the place. There is even a French accordion in there, (not a good sound), & Spanish/Mexican influences in another track. 3/5

67 The Wall - Pink Floyd 26 tracks. I have absolutely no idea how I am meant to mark an album like this out of 5. Is it automatic 5 and anyone who gives it anything else should be stoned to death using Celine Dion CD's? ?/5 Ground-breaking & astonishing at the time is all well & good, but is it still enjoyable to listen to 42 years down the line? Until now I didn't know there were 2 parts of "Another brick in the wall". OMG there is a pt 3! Face with open mouthFace with tears of joy I wonder if I I have missed something 1st time around & maybe I need to just immerse myself in it & give it another go without interruptions & other things/sounds competing for my attention The question is do I want to listen to it again, and the answer is unfortunately no. And if it's not enjoyable to listen to 40+ years later then doesn't that tell it's own story? Maybe the question should be, what would the reaction of my kids/step-kids be to this, & the truth is they wouldn't give it the time of day. I think it would have been too easy to give this a 5/5 "Amazing and ground-breaking", or a 1/5 "there is some right hard to listen to dross on there", but the truth is probably somewhere in between. I'm dipping back in and out at the moment and the "Run Like hell" rift seems strangely familiar. Did Sky Sports used to use it as an intro? It seems very familiar? Maybe someone else has sampled it? Thinking face I've listened again and I just can't give an album 5/5 if I wouldn't listen to it again & again. I just can't. I know it's special, but I also think it's just wasted on me (in 2021). People call it an amazing piece of art, (and I accept that), but the thing with art is that it's subjective. The likes of Van Gogh and Picasso do absolutely nothing for me, and I still think that Munch has basically hoodwinked the art World and is actually an 8 year old with very savvy parents. At the same time I don't think I can ignore the impact that this has on the time and on others. The problem isn't the album. The problem is me. My favourite Floyd track is Wish you were here and I think that's probably much more commercially sounding than your average Floyd fan's favourite. The truth is that they have never produced an album of songs in that style and while Floyd fans probably wouldn't like it, I would. The absolute lowest I can give it is 3/5.

68 KIWANUKA -Michael Kiwanuka 14 tracks Wow!Face with open mouth I will excuse his lazyness in album name choice because this is good, VERY good. I will listen to this again, (& again & again), but I will also listen to his other stuff. Amazing voice, strings, variation, proper album Thumbs up 5/5

71. The Chronic - Dr Dre 16 tracks. He N****** I'm gonna F*** you up Mofo then I'm gonna shove my cock in yo Mofo mouth you Mofo N***** Yippe-yo-yippe-ye you Mofo N***** 😳 Nah. It's not for me you mofo's 🤣 2/5

70. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand 11 tracks. I've never been a fan but maybe this album will change my mind. Nope. It's annoying "tinny" sound and the vocals really grate. I really don't like them. Sorry. 3/5

72. The Doors - The Doors 11 tracks. I love singing/mumbling along to this album. I don't know any of the words & I certainly have no idea which track they belong to or in which order, but does it really matter? There's even guitar solo's for some severe #BaseFace 3/5

73. LP1 - FKA Twigs 10 tracks. Never heard of him/her/them. It's unusual, but I don't want to turn it off yet. Giving me a cool black Bjork vibe. She can really sing! Big strings would compliment her voice. I like it. 3/5

69 The Clash - The Clash 14 tracks. Another exception to the rule, (can't be bothered to name their album), but it's not a patch on London Calling so maybe it's not an exception at all. It's harsh that everything else they did is compared to London Calling. 4/5

74. The Köln Concert - Keith Jarrett - 4 tracks The best selling piano recording in history? It's ok, but it doesn't do it for me. It's good, of course it's good, but it doesn't make me want to listen to it again. 3/5

75. The Poet - Bobby Womack 8 tracks. This is great. Barry White meets Stevie Wonder with a little sprinkling of Luther & Alex. I didn't know there were Womack's other than Womack & Womack until now. His life story seems.... interesting. Flushed face 4/5

76. Lam Toro - Baaba Maal 11 tracks. There are bits of this that remind me of Traditional Irish "diddly-diddly" music, (in a good way), but with African vocals. It really grew on me. 3/5

77. At San Quentin - Johnny Cash 31 tracks. He might have needed a captive audience to listen all the way through this. I managed it, but only because it was on @1001_albums_gen It's just not for me. I generally don't like Country & especially don't like Johnny Cash. 2/5

78. Dust -Screaming Trees 10 tracks. I wanted to like this grunge-fest but I just couldn't get on with the Lanegan vocals. I quite liked some of the tracks, (vibing both U2 & Stereophonics), but just not his voice. It honestly sucked almost all of the enjoyment out of it. 2/5

79. Killing Joke - Killing Joke 13 tracks. Lazy naming aside, this surprised me in a good way. It has aged REALLY well. While certainly not something I would choose to listen to, it kept me engaged and interested in what the next track would be like. Decent. 👍 3/5

80. Rocks - Aerosmith 9 tracks. Considering this goes back to 1976 it's no surprise that it's quite raw, (in a good way). It's punchy as you would expect, but you still see glimpses of Tyler's slowed down vocals/hook that they used to great effect later on. Very good. 👍 4/5

81. Ace of Spades - Motörhead 27 tracks. I've never really connected with them because of Lemmies coarse vocals but there is lots to like. Surprisingly, the vocals seem quite clear to me now in comparison to modern rock, the lyrics of which are often unintelligible. 4/5

82. L'Eau Rouge - The Young Gods 10 tracks. They are singing in French but I'm going to stick with it, (if I can) just because. It better be fucking good because they aren't even bloody French, (they're Swiss). The strings mid-way though track 1 stopped me binning this off. This started off bad with French singing, the strings kept me on, but the accordion music and the screaming lost me for good. French accordion screaming? No thanks. 1/5

83. Fever to Tell - Yeah Yeah Yeahs 12 tracks. This started off well (sort of punky electronic funk). but I don't like the "tinny" production sound. I quite like the nuts & bolts of it, (& it's obviously meant to sound "tinny"), but I don't understand why. 3/5

84. Heroes - David Bowie 10 tracks I'm not a huge Bowie fan so I was interested to listen to a full album. After listening to this I think I'm even less of a fan. It's just not an enjoyable listen. 2/5

85. With the Beatles - Beatles 14 tracks It's pretty hard not to love this. It just flows & keeps you interested & all the tracks are short & sweet & it leaves you wanting more rather than less. It's aged, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Is "beautiful" too strong? 5/5

88. Back in Black - AC/DC 10 tracks. This started great and just got better. I hated them in my younger days but this is bang on the money, (honey!). There's far more subtlety in here than I expected. It's not all "noise pollution". I love this. Sign of the horns 5/5

91. Ray of Light - Madonna 13 tracks. I don't mind a bit of Madonna, in fact I quite like some of her early stuff, but this isn't a good album. It's not awful, but it's not far off. I bet even Madge doesn't like this album. 2/5

93. Being There - Wilco 19 tracks. Never heard of them & although it didn't start well it really grew on me. So much variety that it's impossible not to find something you like. No idea what sort of music they play, (variety) but am really intrigued to hear more. 👍 3/5

94. American Pie - Don McLean 10 tracks. We all know the title track and probably Vincent, but will the other 8 tracks reach such a high bar? No, but what a lovely lovely album. It's just lovely. Beautiful even. Soothing, mellow, glorious, lovelyness. It's just..... lovely. 4/5

86. Here's Little Richard - Little Richard 15 tracks. Amazing. Simply amazing. This is definitely getting another listen. I'm dancing! I'm proper dancing in the kitchen, (I may have had a drink), but this is brilliant. This must have been mind-blowing in it's day. #Bangers 5/5

95. MTV Unplugged In New York - Nirvana 14 tracks. Not a massive Nirvana fan but there is no doubting how good this is. I think the reason I don't listen to them more is that it's what I call "down" music and I just prefer "up" music. The question is... is it a 4 or a 5? 5/5

96. Your New Favourite Band - The Hives 12 tracks. A compilation album? Thinking face It starts big & punchy and just delivers all the way through. It's a good album but I do wonder why @1001_albums_gen have included a compilation. The exception that proves the rule perhaps? 4/5

Jim KavanaghBlue heart @Jimbokav1971 · 16s Replying to @Jimbokav1971 87. Kind of Blue - Miles Davis 5 tracks, This is great, (it really is), but it's not something that you can listen to at any time. It's basically a buzz-killer after Little Richard, (and I don't want my buzz killed!) 4/5

100. Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson 15 tracks. Not sure if this is Country, Blues, or Country-Blues, but whatever it is, it's not for me. There is singing, but there is no accompanying tune/music. Just the occasional light strumming. Not like me to refuse a red head. 2/5

89. Queen of Denmark - John Grant 16 tracks. Never heard of him but this has a really chilled vibe that I liked. I was listening to this for a 2nd time, & in particular "Where dreams go to die", as England capitulated in spectacular fashion, (again), to lose the #Ashes 4/5

105. Hunky Dory - David Bowie 11 tracks. I had just recently decided that I wasn't a fan of Bowie, and then along comes this album that is quite hard to dislike, even though I might not like all the tracks. Now I'm all confused again. Do I actually like Bowie or not? 🤔 4/5

106. Live at Newport - Muddy Waters 13 tracks I'm not a huge blues fan, but this was great. Some Blues feels a little droney & monotonous to me, but this was punchy and kept me engaged. Really enjoyed it. 4/5

98. Phil Spector ***** up Christmas - Various Artists 13 tracks. When Phil came up with this idea, he should have immediately shelved it once it became known that he couldn't get Bing Crosby to sing White Christmas. It should be illegal for anyone other than him to sing it. He didn't even try to snooze us into thinking that Bing was on there and we had just missed it. He actually got someone else to sing it. (I feel sorry for poor Darlene Love). Phil is going straight to hell for that one. Picture it now. Christmas morning around an open fire. Kids are excitedly laughing and opening their present, Gran is telling everyone that it's never too early for a drink and the next thing you know someone other than Bing Crosby, (forgive me Father because Phil Sector did the sinning rather than me), is signing White Christmas. Now the kids are crying, Gran says she had more fun last Christmas when Grandad died of Covid on his own because that cunt Boris Johnson made us all isolate while he threw parties in Downing Street and the Mrs is giving me daggers and telling me should have left me long ago. Thanks Phil. Happy Fucking Christmas! 3/5

99. Highway to Hell - AC/DC 10 tracks. I think I've mentioned before that I REALLY didn't like AC/DC in my younger days, (along with The Cure), and old me now wonders what on Earth was going on in my head back then? Absolutely love this. 5/5

90. Private Dancer - Tina Turner 17 tracks. I really enjoyed this, (and some of her other stuff it took me to even more), but I also prefer her Rocky side rather her Soulful stuff. Have listened to this album a few times over last few days. Better Be Good to Me is EPIC!!! 4/5

107. Back at the Chicken Shack - Jimmy Smith 5 tracks This is sort of chilled & mellow but I'm not feeling that way at all at the moment. I might have to return to this and give it another go. It's good, absolutely no doubt, but it's just not grabbing me at the moment. 3/5

110. This is Fats Domino - Fats Domino 14 tracks. Longest track on album is 2:22 He really kept em short and sweet so I will too. Enjoyed this. 4/5

108. Remain in Light - Talking Heads 12 tracks Didn't expect to like this & wasn't surprised. I know they were hugely influential but it just doesn't do it for me. Once in a Lifetime is a special track, but 1 track does not an album make. Interesting funky beats though. 2/5

109. Horses - Patti Smith 18 track. Nope. Not for me at all. Really didn't enjoy this. 2/5

92. Harvest - Neil Young 10 tracks. I've heard of Neil Young (& obviously Crosby, Stills & Nash), but didn't realise they were together at 1 point. I can't stand his voice. It's really droney. Not an enjoyable listen at all, but then again I'm not overly keen on Country. 2/5

97. Protection - Massive Attack - 10 tracks. I love Massive Attack, (or thought I did), but with the exception of the 2 tracks with Tracey Thorn vocals, this was just completely uninspiring and didn't even sound like them. I had been really looking forward to this.😖 3/5 😮

111. I never loved a Man the way I loved You - Aretha 14 tracks. Wow! What a woman. What a voice. What an album. I have spent a lot of time listening to her since the 1st time I pressed play on this album. I knew I liked here but didn't know how much. Amazing! 5/5

102. A Seat at the Table - Solange 21 tracks. Knew nothing about her, but this is good. Her vocals really marry up well with the music. Chilled funky soul is just what I needed on this sunny Sunday afternoon. Clapping hands sign Will listen to more of her. Thumbs up 4/5

112. The Joshua Tree - U2 11 tracks. Running to Stand Still was played at my mate Tommy's funeral.... The album has always been important to me & it's a hugely emotional listen for loads of different reasons. I'm enormously biased though. 5/5

104. Surfs up - The Beach Boys 10 tracks Was looking forward to this but was seriously underwhelmed. Just pretty bang average. Nothing stood out in a good way and this really wasn't for me at all. 2/5

103. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac 11 tracks. I knew the album, but not any of the songs by name. What an awakening this was. A really spectacular album that offered so much in so many areas. I listened to this again on a dog walk today with headphones & even better. 5/5