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Fri Sep 24 2021
(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Hadn’t heard previously. Two great songs, and the rest decent, but unremarkable? Maybe more to it on repeat listens.
4
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Sat Sep 25 2021
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
Not heard before. Only knew the big singles, but this is great from start to finish.
5
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Sun Sep 26 2021
Groovin'
The Young Rascals
Hadn’t heard this before. Enjoyed, though not my usual thing, will give some repeat listens.
3
View Album
Mon Sep 27 2021
In The Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra
Not heard before. Admired rather than hugely enjoyed.
4
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Tue Sep 28 2021
School's Out
Alice Cooper
Not heard before. Didn’t do anything for me at all, just dated and a bit silly.
2
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Wed Sep 29 2021
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
Not heard before. I do like LC, but this is absolutely drowned in awful plastic 80s production.
2
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Thu Sep 30 2021
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
Already knew it well. Classic. Bit depressing to be reminded it came out 25 years ago though!
5
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Fri Oct 01 2021
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
Heard before but not for ages. Trails off in second half when the nastiness stops being offset by the wit and intelligence that characterise the first half, and is just… grim. The guest spots and skits add very little too.
3
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Sat Oct 02 2021
Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Heard before. I like EC, but even though this is one of the “biggies”, it doesn’t land as well as some of the others, either the slightly punkier early ones or the more expansive later ones. Still enjoyed it.
3
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Sun Oct 03 2021
Lady In Satin
Billie Holiday
Not heard before. Really enjoyed it, will listen again for sure.
4
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Mon Oct 04 2021
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
Completely new to me. Might be more to it on repeat listens, and I enjoyed it enough that I will give that a go, but seemed more “blandly pleasant” than “essential”?
3
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Tue Oct 05 2021
Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
Not heard for ages. Great fun. Some filler, but the big singalong numbers never get old.
4
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Wed Oct 06 2021
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell
Not heard previously. Have struggled to get into Joni Mitchell albums previously but this engaged me more. Suspect this might grow on me further/reveal more with more listens, so will add it to the rotation.
3
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Fri Oct 08 2021
Doolittle
Pixies
Know this one well.
Two Pixies albums in a row! Unlike Bossa Nova yesterday which I didn’t know well but thought had the same “vibe” but none of the tunes, this is an unequivocal start-to-finish classic that has been in permanent rotation since I first heard it 15 years ago.
5
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Sat Oct 09 2021
Either Or
Elliott Smith
Have loved this album for a long time. Not my absolute favourite of his (the self titled for me) but still gorgeous.
5
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Sun Oct 10 2021
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
I don’t really know how to rate this. I recognise that this is important in music history but I didn’t engage with it at all.
3
View Album
Mon Oct 11 2021
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
Not heard before.
I don’t really have the tools to “analyse” jazz. I also need to listen multiple times. I enjoyed it enough that I will do so, but can’t really rate it fairly until I have.
3
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Tue Oct 12 2021
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
Not heard before.
Absolutely brilliant. Going into regular rotation for sure.
5
View Album
Wed Oct 13 2021
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Richard Thompson
I have owned this album for nearly 20 years but don’t listen too often.
The bits I like, I really like. But those are the least folky bits. The stuff on the really folky end of the spectrum doesn’t do much for me at all.
3
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Thu Oct 14 2021
The Man Who
Travis
It’s… nice. Playing fast and loose with the definition of “essential” here, I think.
3
View Album
Fri Oct 15 2021
In Rainbows
Radiohead
Not heard before.
Even though I know everyone loves them, I gave up on Radiohead after OK Computer and, honestly, listening to this I feel vindicated! I don’t get the hype at all.
2
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Sat Oct 16 2021
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
It’s been a while since my “Dylan phase” but this is start-to-finish brilliant and I should listen more often.
5
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Sun Oct 17 2021
Guitar Town
Steve Earle
Already knew this well.
Not my very favourite of SE, but perhaps pips others to the list because of its greater significance. Nevertheless a really strong album.
4
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Mon Oct 18 2021
Kenya
Machito
I don’t really have the tools to rate this one in any objective way. I enjoyed it as a fun listen though.
3
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Tue Oct 19 2021
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
Already knew this well.
Not much more to say than this is an unequivocal classic. Obvious five stars.
5
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Wed Oct 20 2021
The White Album
Beatles
Already knew it well.
How could it not be a 5?!
5
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Thu Oct 21 2021
Fun House
The Stooges
Brilliantly sleazy and dangerous sounding.
5
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Fri Oct 22 2021
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
This is something you probably need to work at to get truly into.
But I don’t want to. Maybe it’s my loss.
2
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Sat Oct 23 2021
A Seat at the Table
Solange
For some reason I listened when this came out and not since.
Not sure why as I played this twice through today and it’s brilliant. Will be playing regularly from here.
4
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Sun Oct 24 2021
Closer
Joy Division
This is one of those where I struggle as to whether ratings should just be on a pure, instinctive emotional reaction or if I should be trying to inject some sort of qualification of its importance/worthiness of being on a list of truly essential albums …
Significant, influential, all of that: yes. Did I massively enjoy it? Not really. Perhaps if I’d caught it on a different day.
3
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Mon Oct 25 2021
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators
A fun listen, albeit I found it starting to drag a bit in the second half.
3
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Tue Oct 26 2021
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
Expected cheese - was pleasantly surprised, but not blown away.
3
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Wed Oct 27 2021
Pearl
Janis Joplin
Only knew Mercedes Benz and Bobby McGee before. Didn’t expect to enjoy this so much - straight into regular rotation.
4
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Thu Oct 28 2021
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
Second Alice Cooper album… I still don’t really get it. Maybe with the live theatrics, I might, but on record I don’t get much from it.
2
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Fri Oct 29 2021
Marquee Moon
Television
I’ve tried to get into this several times over the years but it just doesn’t do it for me. Pioneering, maybe, but I prefer the stuff it opened the door for.
3
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Sat Oct 30 2021
Forever Changes
Love
Been listening to this for years, but good to have a reminder. Really like it.
4
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Sun Oct 31 2021
Homework
Daft Punk
I understand that this isn’t designed to be listened to while sitting on my sofa struggling with the crossword, but…
It’s got the distinctive sound of Daft Punk, but hardly any of the catchy tunes they’d come up with later.
2
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Mon Nov 01 2021
New Forms
Roni Size
Not really for me.
2
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Tue Nov 02 2021
Green River
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Really enjoyable listen throughout.
4
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Wed Nov 03 2021
Music For The Jilted Generation
The Prodigy
3
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Thu Nov 04 2021
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
5
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Fri Nov 05 2021
Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
3
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Sat Nov 06 2021
Raw Power
The Stooges
Been playing the Iggy mix for years, never heard the Bowie mix until now. The Iggy mix pips it for me, just gels with the sleazy, dangerous vibe of the songs a bit more for me.
5
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Sun Nov 07 2021
Fragile
Yes
Not for me, Clive
2
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Mon Nov 08 2021
Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
This is the 46th album I’ve listened to on this project. Of which, two have been Pixies (and I expect may be at least one more) and now this. This was ok - definitely too long - but it doesn’t feel essential, especially given the amount of representation FB already has on this list.
3
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Tue Nov 09 2021
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
The Sounds of Silence will forever be my favourite, but this is also stunning; wonderful songwriting and gorgeous harmonies throughout.
5
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Wed Nov 10 2021
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
I very likely wouldn’t have listened to this if not for this project, but it was wonderful.
4
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Thu Nov 11 2021
Sound Affects
The Jam
Despite enjoying The Jam through various best of compilations, I’m not as up on the actual studio albums. Good to learn the album tracks don’t dip in quality from the well known hits. Will be rectifying this in future.
4
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Fri Nov 12 2021
More Specials
The Specials
Thought I would enjoy this. But all the tunes seem to be on their other albums.
2
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Sat Nov 13 2021
Music From Big Pink
The Band
Still marginally prefer the self-titled, but nonetheless brilliant.
5
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Sun Nov 14 2021
O.G. Original Gangster
Ice T
New to me. Some of the production now sounds dated, and it is definitely too long. But the first half still sounds pretty great.
3
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Mon Nov 15 2021
Casanova
The Divine Comedy
Heard snippets before. I had to give up on this - musically and lyrically not half as clever as it thinks it is.
2
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Tue Nov 16 2021
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Only heard greatest hits before. Very much enjoyed, though struggling to put my finger on it!
4
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Wed Nov 17 2021
Manassas
Stephen Stills
4
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Thu Nov 18 2021
Call of the Valley
Shivkumar Sharma
New to me. I would never have heard this outside of this project I’m sure, but glad I did. Lovely, peaceful album. Will continue to listen.
4
View Album
Fri Nov 19 2021
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
Teenage me would have given this 6 stars. Adult me wasn’t quite as captivated, and possibly conflicted by Morrissey becoming so horrendous.
4
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Sat Nov 20 2021
...And Justice For All
Metallica
4
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Sun Nov 21 2021
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
New to me, though I recognised El Paso from the Old 97s version. Enjoyed this more than I expected, though over time it felt a bit samey and not sure I’d listen too often.
3
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Mon Nov 22 2021
You're Living All Over Me
Dinosaur Jr.
I like Dinosaur Jr, though I hadn’t this album previously, but their albums all feel much of a muchness to me, but some albums have more tunes than others. I felt this was one of the others.
3
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Wed Nov 24 2021
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
4
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Thu Nov 25 2021
Scott 4
Scott Walker
Not for everyone, perhaps. But overwrought songs about depression and foreign films are pretty much my jam.
4
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Fri Nov 26 2021
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Revisiting a staple of my mid teens. Bits really hold up. Other bits… do not.
3
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Sat Nov 27 2021
1999
Prince
Not his very best. But it’s still Prince!
4
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Sun Nov 28 2021
Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
4
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Mon Nov 29 2021
Mothership Connection
Parliament
4
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Tue Nov 30 2021
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
Some good tunes, but not a patch on Blonde
3
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Wed Dec 01 2021
Country Life
Roxy Music
3
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Fri Dec 03 2021
Bad Company
Bad Company
3
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Sat Dec 04 2021
Brothers
The Black Keys
3
View Album
Mon Dec 06 2021
Ambient 1/Music For Airports
Brian Eno
Hard to know how to rate this, as by design it’s not something to devote yourself to listening to. But by its own intentions, it’s a success.
5
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Wed Dec 08 2021
Different Class
Pulp
This was the first album I ever bought. So part of this is nostalgia, but it still holds up incredibly well. Much less “of its time” than the big Britpop albums of the era, this has genuinely interesting, clever songwriting coupled with absolutely banging singalong choruses. What’s not to like!
5
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Fri Dec 10 2021
Live At The Witch Trials
The Fall
2
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Sat Dec 11 2021
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
4
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Mon Dec 13 2021
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
3
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Tue Dec 14 2021
Post Orgasmic Chill
Skunk Anansie
Oh Skunk Anansie? Yeah this might be alright, they had a few decent tunes.
None of them on this album though.
2
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Wed Dec 15 2021
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
Not their best overall, but with some of the best individual tunes
4
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Fri Dec 17 2021
Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
3
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Sat Dec 18 2021
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
I actually discovered this in the early days of the pandemic when I found myself hardly able to listen to music. This has been a constant in the period since. Technically, it’s wonderful of course, but it’s also been that bit of a lifeline for me.
5
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Sun Dec 19 2021
Immigrés
Youssou N'Dour
Enjoyed it but prefer some of his others.
3
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Mon Dec 20 2021
Hms Fable
Shack
It’s… fine?
2
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Tue Dec 21 2021
Bandwagonesque
Teenage Fanclub
I really liked this. Might be worth a higher rating on further listening.
3
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Wed Dec 22 2021
Giant Steps
The Boo Radleys
Made no impression on me at all
2
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Thu Dec 23 2021
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
I already had Superfly in this list, and this doesn’t quite hit the same heights, but still excellent. Adding to the rotation.
4
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Fri Dec 24 2021
Here, My Dear
Marvin Gaye
4
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Sat Dec 25 2021
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
Probably a 3 really, but fuck him
2
View Album
Sun Dec 26 2021
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
My years in retail mostly beat any affection for Christmas music out of me. But as these albums go, this is one of the best.
3
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Mon Dec 27 2021
Protection
Massive Attack
Not an album of theirs I knew particularly but enjoyed. Will listen more. Might even have been a 4.
3
View Album
Tue Dec 28 2021
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
3
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Wed Dec 29 2021
Want Two
Rufus Wainwright
4
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Thu Dec 30 2021
Thriller
Michael Jackson
Second MJ album so far, after Bad. This was my original favourite when I was younger and Bad less so, and now it seems to have switched. The brilliant moments here far outweigh the occasional dodgy/dated bits.
5
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Sat Jan 01 2022
Bongo Rock
Incredible Bongo Band
3
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Wed Jan 05 2022
Heartattack And Vine
Tom Waits
I like boozy crooner TW more than weird jazzy TW, but this is just in the right spot before it gets TOO weird
4
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Fri Jan 07 2022
Among The Living
Anthrax
2
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Sat Jan 08 2022
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
3
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Mon Jan 10 2022
Junkyard
The Birthday Party
2
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Tue Jan 11 2022
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
4
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Wed Jan 12 2022
Double Nickels On The Dime
Minutemen
3
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Fri Jan 14 2022
Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
2
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Sat Jan 15 2022
Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
3
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Wed Jan 19 2022
Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
4
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Thu Jan 20 2022
Kick Out The Jams (Live)
MC5
3
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Sat Jan 22 2022
Veckatimest
Grizzly Bear
3
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Sun Jan 23 2022
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
2
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Tue Jan 25 2022
Maverick A Strike
Finley Quaye
3
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Wed Jan 26 2022
Wild Wood
Paul Weller
3
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Thu Jan 27 2022
Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Aphex Twin
3
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Fri Jan 28 2022
Happy Trails
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3
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Sat Jan 29 2022
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
3
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Sun Jan 30 2022
The Contino Sessions
Death In Vegas
Dirge and Aisha are great, but much of the rest is a bit samey
2
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Mon Jan 31 2022
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
Some lovely Macca/Beatles-y stuff. But also that bloody coconut song.
3
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Tue Feb 01 2022
Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
5
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Wed Feb 02 2022
The Scream
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2
View Album
Thu Feb 03 2022
american dream
LCD Soundsystem
2
View Album
Fri Feb 04 2022
The Last Broadcast
Doves
3
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Sat Feb 05 2022
Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
5
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Sun Feb 06 2022
Savane
Ali Farka Touré
3
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Mon Feb 07 2022
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
5
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Tue Feb 08 2022
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
5
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Wed Feb 09 2022
Triangle
The Beau Brummels
3
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Thu Feb 10 2022
Fire Of Love
The Gun Club
3
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Sat Feb 12 2022
No Other
Gene Clark
I think this rating has the potential to creep up over repeated listens…
3
View Album
Mon Feb 14 2022
Vauxhall And I
Morrissey
Bits of this are good, but it’s also an excellent reminder of the extent to which Marr’s guitar makes The Smiths.
2
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Tue Feb 15 2022
Beauty And The Beat
The Go-Go's
4
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Wed Feb 16 2022
We Are Family
Sister Sledge
4
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Thu Feb 17 2022
Tommy
The Who
This is more impressive in its scope and ambition than it is actually very enjoyable to listen to…
2
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Fri Feb 18 2022
Freak Out!
The Mothers Of Invention
I just couldn’t engage with this at all.
1
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Sat Feb 19 2022
Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
I had to listen several times before I could decide what to make of it. It’s not immediately engaging but after a while it becomes quite mesmerising/almost hypnotic.
4
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Sun Feb 20 2022
Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
Some really gorgeous stuff here, but quite patchy. He’s done better work since.
3
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Mon Feb 21 2022
Fifth Dimension
The Byrds
On paper The Byrds could have been designed specifically to tick all my favourite jangly, folky, Americana musical boxes. In reality, every time I listen to them I just… don’t get it?
2
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Tue Feb 22 2022
Hejira
Joni Mitchell
Like The Byrds yesterday, this is a real blind spot for me even though in theory it’s exactly my thing.
2
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Wed Feb 23 2022
The Sensual World
Kate Bush
I hadn’t heard this before and it didn’t have an immediate great number like Hounds of Love or Wuthering Heights, but on second and third listens it reveals itself as a wonderful, coherent piece. Four stars, and can see it gathering the fifth after more listens.
4
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Thu Feb 24 2022
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
The Smiths have some brilliant tunes. Not many of them are on this album.
2
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Fri Feb 25 2022
Definitely Maybe
Oasis
Partly nostalgia, but also this is still full of big tunes and singalong choruses.
4
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Sat Feb 26 2022
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield
There are some brilliant bits on this album but it definitely flags in the second half. It also feels quite long, given it’s not even 40 minutes, which isn’t a great sign.
3
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Sun Feb 27 2022
Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
3
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Mon Feb 28 2022
Queen II
Queen
I find Queen basically unlistenable. Any of it really.
1
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Tue Mar 01 2022
Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
4
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Wed Mar 02 2022
good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar
4
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Thu Mar 03 2022
Roxy Music
Roxy Music
3
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Sun Mar 06 2022
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
3
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Mon Mar 07 2022
If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
3
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Thu Mar 17 2022
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
I think the highs on this are both good and frequent enough to warrant a 5 and offset the odd filler track and the godawful skits
5
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Fri Mar 18 2022
Lost In The Dream
The War On Drugs
3
View Album
Sat Mar 19 2022
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
4
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Sun Mar 20 2022
Like Water For Chocolate
Common
3
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Mon Mar 21 2022
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
5
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Wed Mar 23 2022
Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
I like Franti’s solo stuff so I hoped I would enjoy this. But I just found it dated and heavy handed, with none of the power that, say, Public Enemy’s early stuff still carries.
2
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Thu Mar 24 2022
Street Life
The Crusaders
Tails off pretty badly after the title track.
2
View Album
Sat Mar 26 2022
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
Starts brilliantly, but the weirdness of the last couple of tracks got in the way for me.
3
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Sun Mar 27 2022
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Sinead O'Connor
4
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Mon Mar 28 2022
One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
4
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Tue Mar 29 2022
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
The looooong last track really kills the momentum
3
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Thu Mar 31 2022
Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
4
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Fri Apr 01 2022
Hypnotised
The Undertones
3
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Sat Apr 02 2022
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
3
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Sun Apr 03 2022
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Devo
3
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Mon Apr 04 2022
The Madcap Laughs
Syd Barrett
3
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Tue Apr 05 2022
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
This is obviously a landmark album. It’s not necessarily Dylan’s most enjoyable but the significance is undeniable.
5
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Wed Apr 06 2022
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
I know this is a blind spot but I just don’t get much out of listening to Hendrix at all.
3
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Thu Apr 07 2022
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
3
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Fri Apr 08 2022
Punishing Kiss
Ute Lemper
A genuine discovery through this project, really liked it.
4
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Sat Apr 09 2022
Woodface
Crowded House
95% inoffensive but bland, plus certified banger Weather With You. Fine.
2
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Mon Apr 11 2022
Good Old Boys
Randy Newman
1
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Tue Apr 12 2022
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
It’s fine. It’s probably a real terms 3⭐️, but as an essential album…
2
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Thu Apr 14 2022
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Ice Cube
3
View Album
Fri Apr 15 2022
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
3
View Album
Sat Apr 16 2022
Phrenology
The Roots
A big sprawling album, it could maybe be slightly tighter/more focused… but none of it seems like filler and it shows the breadth of the group’s talents and scale of their ambition. Perhaps shaving bits off here and there would defeat the purpose.
4
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Mon Apr 18 2022
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
3
View Album
Tue Apr 19 2022
Darklands
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4
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Thu Apr 21 2022
Reign In Blood
Slayer
4
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Fri Apr 22 2022
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
3
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Sat Apr 23 2022
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
3
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Sun Apr 24 2022
Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lana Del Rey
4
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Mon Apr 25 2022
Vanishing Point
Primal Scream
2
View Album
Tue Apr 26 2022
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics
3
View Album
Wed Apr 27 2022
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Spiritualized
3
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Thu Apr 28 2022
Southern Rock Opera
Drive-By Truckers
I really like DBTs and this may be sacrilege but this is really not their best. Individually, some of their best songs are here - Ronnie and Neil, Zip City, Women Without Whiskey - but it’s too long and too self consciously focused on explaining “the duality of the southern thing”. At their best (The Dirty South, for me) they do this through their excellent songwriting without needing to interrupt albums for extended monologues about George Wallace or whatever, which you’ll inevitably skip on repeat listens.
3
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Sun May 01 2022
Penance Soiree
The Icarus Line
Nothing unusual or interesting about this
2
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Mon May 02 2022
Like A Prayer
Madonna
Like A Prayer is one of the all time great pop songs. And then… the rest is pretty nothingy.
2
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Tue May 03 2022
The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3
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Wed May 04 2022
John Prine
John Prine
3
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Thu May 05 2022
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
5
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Fri May 06 2022
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
3
View Album
Sat May 07 2022
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago
2
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Sun May 08 2022
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
5
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Mon May 09 2022
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
5
View Album
Sat May 14 2022
Inspiration Information
Shuggie Otis
4
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Mon May 16 2022
Time (The Revelator)
Gillian Welch
5
View Album
Tue May 17 2022
Screamadelica
Primal Scream
4
View Album
Wed May 18 2022
A Date With The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
3
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Thu May 19 2022
From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
5
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Sun May 22 2022
Broken English
Marianne Faithfull
3
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Mon May 23 2022
Foxbase Alpha
Saint Etienne
I liked this but couldn’t find it on streaming so listened on YouTube with ad breaks and not the best sound! Enjoyed it enough that I might look to get hold of my own copy.
3
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Tue May 24 2022
Urban Hymns
The Verve
One paced sub-Oasis self importance
2
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Thu May 26 2022
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4
View Album
Fri May 27 2022
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
3
View Album
Sat May 28 2022
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
Admirably talented, virtuosic album that I had absolutely no emotional engagement with at all.
3
View Album
Sun May 29 2022
Here Come The Warm Jets
Brian Eno
2
View Album
Mon May 30 2022
Welcome To The Pleasuredome
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3
View Album
Thu Jun 02 2022
Dare!
The Human League
3
View Album
Fri Jun 03 2022
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4
View Album
Sat Jun 04 2022
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Two albums on this list feels like it’s pushing it a bit. Maps is still the stand out.
3
View Album
Sun Jun 05 2022
Colour By Numbers
Culture Club
2
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Mon Jun 06 2022
Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
3
View Album
Tue Jun 07 2022
Being There
Wilco
Mirroring my comments on Drive By Truckers from recently… Love this band but this is not the prime example of their work album I would have picked. While it has some great individual songs, it’s overly long and can’t maintain the momentum all the way.
3
View Album
Wed Jun 08 2022
Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
This has aged much better than a lot of the psychedelic music from this era, much of which has dated poorly. Still sounds very fresh and engaging.
4
View Album
Thu Jun 09 2022
On The Beach
Neil Young
Depending on what mood you catch me, this is either Neil Young’s very best or one of his best. Bleakly beautiful? Beautifully bleak? Either way, it’s absolutely brilliant.
5
View Album
Fri Jun 10 2022
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Bit of an odd choice of albums this one. Very much a first album with some finding his way to do. Couple of great tracks, but much more was to follow.
3
View Album
Sat Jun 11 2022
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
4
View Album
Sun Jun 12 2022
BEYONCÉ
Beyoncé
This isn’t great - bit overlong and incoherent in tone - but it does feature some absolutely brilliant singles and it’s unquestionable that Beyoncé is a dominant figure in the music of recent years. Not sure why* the “but she doesn’t even play her own instruments” brigade are so up in arms about this one.
(*I do know why)
3
View Album
Mon Jun 13 2022
All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2
3
View Album
Thu Jun 16 2022
Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
Slightly heart over head rating this, but I really enjoyed it.
4
View Album
Fri Jun 17 2022
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
I expected this to be weirder!
4
View Album
Sat Jun 18 2022
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
3
View Album
Sun Jun 19 2022
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
3
View Album
Tue Jun 21 2022
The Slider
T. Rex
Individually I like a lot of this. As an album it drags and meanders too much for me.
3
View Album
Thu Jun 23 2022
Isn't Anything
My Bloody Valentine
In general a big fan of quiet/loud/quiet channelled through layers of distortion bands. Also really like Shields’ soundtrack work. This didn’t quite catch fire for me though.
3
View Album
Wed Jun 29 2022
Basket of Light
Pentangle
2
View Album
Fri Jul 01 2022
Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
3
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Sun Jul 03 2022
A Walk Across The Rooftops
The Blue Nile
3
View Album
Mon Jul 04 2022
Warehouse: Songs And Stories
Hüsker Dü
3
View Album
Sat Jul 09 2022
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
I get this was doing something new with the cartoon visuals etc and the whole Gorillaz project gathered pace after this and became massive.
But obviously the visuals are not in play if you’re just listening to the album so you need to base your views on the music and, with hindsight, it’s not that great. The big singles were smashed but even they now sound a bit dated. And the rest mostly have a vibe of Blur off cuts with occasional rapping. Better stuff was to come.
2
View Album
Mon Jul 11 2022
Surfer Rosa
Pixies
Two bits of sacrilege:
1. Pixies are over represented in this list. This is the third album plus one Frank Black solo album I’ve encountered so far.
2. While bits of this album are undeniably great, other bits (lots, even) are very much not.
The answer to both is to prioritise Doolitle.
3
View Album
Tue Jul 12 2022
The Real Thing
Faith No More
3
View Album
Wed Jul 13 2022
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
5
View Album
Fri Jul 15 2022
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
4
View Album
Sat Jul 16 2022
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
3
View Album
Sun Jul 17 2022
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
3
View Album
Mon Jul 18 2022
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
4
View Album
Wed Jul 20 2022
Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
3
View Album
Fri Jul 22 2022
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
4
View Album
Sat Jul 23 2022
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
4
View Album
Sun Jul 24 2022
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
4
View Album
Mon Jul 25 2022
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
5
View Album
Tue Jul 26 2022
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
3
View Album
Wed Jul 27 2022
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
4
View Album
Thu Jul 28 2022
Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
3
View Album
Sat Jul 30 2022
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
5
View Album
Sun Jul 31 2022
Spiderland
Slint
On first listen this was a 3, on a second it’s a 4. I can see this revealing more and more with each listen and picking up the 5th star at some point…
4
View Album
Tue Aug 02 2022
American Idiot
Green Day
3
View Album
Wed Aug 03 2022
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
I bought this when it came out on a wave of critical acclaim but don’t listen to it often these days.
It’s a really well polished take on a romantic crooners collection, but with hindsight I’m not sure exactly why he did so - it’s well sung and arranged, but ultimately feels like very high end karaoke.
2
View Album
Sat Aug 06 2022
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
2
View Album
Mon Aug 08 2022
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
2
View Album
Tue Aug 09 2022
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4
View Album
Wed Aug 10 2022
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3
View Album
Sat Aug 13 2022
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
5
View Album
Mon Aug 15 2022
Floodland
Sisters Of Mercy
3
View Album
Wed Aug 17 2022
Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2
View Album
Thu Aug 18 2022
Red Dirt Girl
Emmylou Harris
3
View Album
Fri Aug 19 2022
Violator
Depeche Mode
3
View Album
Sun Aug 21 2022
White Light / White Heat
The Velvet Underground
3
View Album
Mon Aug 22 2022
American Pie
Don McLean
2
View Album
Sun Sep 04 2022
Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3
View Album
Mon Sep 05 2022
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
Motörhead
2
View Album
Tue Sep 06 2022
Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones
5
View Album
Wed Sep 07 2022
São Paulo Confessions
Suba
3
View Album
Thu Sep 08 2022
Teen Dream
Beach House
3
View Album
Fri Sep 09 2022
Lazer Guided Melodies
Spiritualized
4
View Album
Sat Sep 10 2022
Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
3
View Album
Tue Sep 13 2022
The Next Day
David Bowie
3
View Album
Wed Sep 14 2022
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
Smack in the middle of an incredible (unprecedented?) run of eight 5-star albums to start his career, the production may sound occasionally dated but it’s a sequence of absolutely expert songwriting and performance that has kept stadiums filled ever since.
5
View Album
Fri Sep 16 2022
Moondance
Van Morrison
4
View Album
Sun Sep 18 2022
Brutal Youth
Elvis Costello
This felt a very odd choice of EC albums for me. It’s… fine, but it’s far from his best but nor does it feel particularly novel or out there that you could mark it as being game changing even if not the “best”.
2
View Album
Mon Sep 19 2022
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
I don’t even know how to rate this on a standard like/dislike scale.
2
View Album
Tue Sep 20 2022
The Age Of The Understatement
The Last Shadow Puppets
2
View Album
Sat Sep 24 2022
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
3
View Album
Mon Sep 26 2022
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
3
View Album
Tue Sep 27 2022
White Ladder
David Gray
1
View Album
Wed Sep 28 2022
Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses
4
View Album
Thu Sep 29 2022
Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks
3
View Album
Sat Oct 01 2022
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5
View Album
Sun Oct 02 2022
Rip It Up
Orange Juice
4
View Album
Mon Oct 03 2022
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
2
View Album
Tue Oct 04 2022
First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
2
View Album
Wed Oct 05 2022
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
3
View Album
Thu Oct 06 2022
The Healer
John Lee Hooker
3
View Album
Fri Oct 07 2022
Elvis Is Back
Elvis Presley
2
View Album
Sat Oct 08 2022
All Things Must Pass
George Harrison
3
View Album
Sun Oct 09 2022
Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
4
View Album
Mon Oct 10 2022
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
3
View Album
Wed Oct 12 2022
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
3
View Album
Thu Oct 13 2022
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
5
View Album
Fri Oct 14 2022
Kollaps
Einstürzende Neubauten
2
View Album
Sat Oct 15 2022
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
3
View Album
Tue Oct 18 2022
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
5
View Album
Wed Oct 19 2022
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
4
View Album
Thu Oct 20 2022
Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
5
View Album
Fri Oct 21 2022
Nick Of Time
Bonnie Raitt
3
View Album
Sat Oct 22 2022
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
George Michael
3
View Album
Sun Oct 23 2022
The New Tango
Astor Piazzolla
4
View Album
Mon Oct 24 2022
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Dead Kennedys
4
View Album
Tue Oct 25 2022
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4
View Album
Wed Oct 26 2022
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
3
View Album
Thu Oct 27 2022
Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
3
View Album
Fri Oct 28 2022
The Rising
Bruce Springsteen
4
View Album
Sat Oct 29 2022
The Predator
Ice Cube
3
View Album
Sun Oct 30 2022
The Renaissance
Q-Tip
3
View Album
Mon Oct 31 2022
The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
4
View Album
Tue Nov 01 2022
Entertainment
Gang Of Four
4
View Album
Wed Nov 02 2022
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
Brian Eno
3
View Album
Thu Nov 03 2022
Dance Mania
Tito Puente
3
View Album
Fri Nov 04 2022
Electric Music For The Mind And Body
Country Joe & The Fish
3
View Album
Sat Nov 05 2022
3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...
Arrested Development
3
View Album
Mon Nov 07 2022
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
4
View Album
Tue Nov 08 2022
Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
4
View Album
Wed Nov 09 2022
Step In The Arena
Gang Starr
3
View Album
Thu Nov 10 2022
Truth And Soul
Fishbone
3
View Album
Sat Nov 12 2022
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
3
View Album
Sun Nov 13 2022
Oar
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3
View Album
Mon Nov 14 2022
Seventh Tree
Goldfrapp
3
View Album
Tue Nov 15 2022
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5
View Album
Wed Nov 16 2022
Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
3
View Album
Thu Nov 17 2022
Ocean Rain
Echo And The Bunnymen
2
View Album
Fri Nov 18 2022
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
5
View Album
Tue Nov 22 2022
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
2
View Album
Wed Nov 23 2022
Elephant Mountain
The Youngbloods
3
View Album
Thu Nov 24 2022
Clube Da Esquina
Milton Nascimento
4
View Album
Wed Dec 07 2022
The Rise & Fall
Madness
3
View Album
Thu Dec 08 2022
Rising Above Bedlam
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3
View Album
Sat Dec 10 2022
Tigermilk
Belle & Sebastian
2
View Album
Sun Dec 11 2022
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4
View Album
Mon Dec 12 2022
Africa Brasil
Jorge Ben Jor
4
View Album
Tue Dec 13 2022
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
5
View Album
Thu Dec 15 2022
Nothing's Shocking
Jane's Addiction
2
View Album
Fri Dec 16 2022
Come Find Yourself
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3
View Album
Sat Dec 17 2022
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
3
View Album
Tue Dec 20 2022
Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5
View Album
Fri Dec 23 2022
The Gilded Palace Of Sin
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3
View Album
Tue Dec 27 2022
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
4
View Album
Thu Dec 29 2022
The Boatman's Call
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5
View Album
Fri Dec 30 2022
Walking Wounded
Everything But The Girl
3
View Album
Tue Jan 03 2023
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Frank Sinatra
2
View Album
Wed Jan 04 2023
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
4
View Album
Thu Jan 05 2023
Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo
3
View Album
Fri Jan 06 2023
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
2
View Album
Sun Jan 08 2023
Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo
MC Solaar
3
View Album
Mon Jan 09 2023
Boy In Da Corner
Dizzee Rascal
3
View Album
Tue Jan 10 2023
Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
3
View Album
Wed Jan 11 2023
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
4
View Album
Fri Jan 13 2023
Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
3
View Album
Sat Jan 14 2023
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
2
View Album
Mon Jan 16 2023
Olympia 64
Jacques Brel
3
View Album
Tue Jan 17 2023
Me Against The World
2Pac
2
View Album
Wed Jan 18 2023
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
2
View Album
Fri Jan 20 2023
Face to Face
The Kinks
2
View Album
Sat Jan 21 2023
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
2
View Album
Sun Jan 22 2023
Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
The Byrds
3
View Album
Sat Jan 28 2023
Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
4
View Album
Tue Jan 31 2023
Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Pavement
3
View Album
Wed Feb 01 2023
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
2
View Album
Thu Feb 02 2023
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3
View Album
Fri Feb 03 2023
Synchronicity
The Police
The sequencing on this album is bizarre. There are some decent tunes on here, but rather than front load them, they’re all buried in the second half after a load of filler that ranges from insipid to actively terrible. It does pick up but a lot of goodwill has been squandered by then. As a coherent album this is a failure.
2
View Album
Sun Feb 05 2023
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
3
View Album
Mon Feb 06 2023
The Grand Tour
George Jones
3
View Album
Tue Feb 07 2023
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
3
View Album
Wed Feb 08 2023
A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse
Faces
3
View Album
Thu Feb 09 2023
Chris
Christine and the Queens
3
View Album
Fri Feb 10 2023
Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4
View Album
Sun Feb 12 2023
Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
4
View Album
Tue Feb 14 2023
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
4
View Album
Sat Feb 18 2023
The Stranger
Billy Joel
2
View Album
Wed Feb 22 2023
Heartbreaker
Ryan Adams
5
View Album
Sat Feb 25 2023
She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
3
View Album
Fri Mar 03 2023
When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
3
View Album
Sat Mar 04 2023
GREY Area
Little Simz
4
View Album
Sun Mar 05 2023
Clandestino
Manu Chao
3
View Album
Mon Mar 06 2023
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
2
View Album
Wed Mar 08 2023
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
2
View Album
Sat Mar 11 2023
Stardust
Willie Nelson
3
View Album
Mon Mar 13 2023
Solid Air
John Martyn
5
View Album
Wed Mar 15 2023
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
2
View Album
Thu Mar 16 2023
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
2