Journey Complete!
Finisher #276 to complete the list
1183
Albums Rated
3.71
Average Rating
109%
Complete
Grace
Jeff Buckley
Favorite Album
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1990s
Favorite Decade
Grunge
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Enthusiast
Rater Style ?
361
5-Star Albums
47
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
|
5 | 2.32 | +2.68 |
|
Opus Dei
Laibach
|
5 | 2.39 | +2.61 |
|
American Gothic
David Ackles
|
5 | 2.48 | +2.52 |
|
Kenza
Khaled
|
5 | 2.57 | +2.43 |
|
Follow The Leader
Korn
|
5 | 2.65 | +2.35 |
|
Slipknot
Slipknot
|
5 | 2.67 | +2.33 |
|
A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets
|
5 | 2.67 | +2.33 |
|
Honky Tonk Masquerade
Joe Ely
|
5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
|
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
|
5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
|
Yank Crime
Drive Like Jehu
|
5 | 2.7 | +2.3 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
|
1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
|
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
|
1 | 3.62 | -2.62 |
|
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
|
1 | 3.53 | -2.53 |
|
Arrival
ABBA
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
|
1 | 3.44 | -2.44 |
|
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
|
1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
|
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
|
1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
|
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
|
1 | 3.28 | -2.28 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| David Bowie | 11 | 4.91 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 7 | 5 |
| Beatles | 7 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 6 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 5 |
| Metallica | 5 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 4 | 5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 5 |
| Björk | 5 | 4.8 |
| R.E.M. | 5 | 4.8 |
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 4.6 |
| Public Enemy | 4 | 4.75 |
| Queen | 4 | 4.75 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 4.75 |
| Run-D.M.C. | 3 | 5 |
| Manic Street Preachers | 3 | 5 |
| Dire Straits | 3 | 5 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| Prince | 3 | 5 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 5 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 5 |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 5 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 5 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.4 |
| Beastie Boys | 4 | 4.5 |
| Blur | 4 | 4.5 |
| U2 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.5 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 4.5 |
| AC/DC | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Jesus And Mary Chain | 3 | 4.67 |
| Funkadelic | 3 | 4.67 |
| Ice Cube | 3 | 4.67 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 4.67 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 4.67 |
| Travis | 2 | 5 |
| The La's | 2 | 5 |
| The Stone Roses | 2 | 5 |
| Tricky | 2 | 5 |
| The Replacements | 2 | 5 |
| The Boo Radleys | 2 | 5 |
| Oasis | 2 | 5 |
| Massive Attack | 2 | 5 |
| The Verve | 2 | 5 |
| Eminem | 2 | 5 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 5 |
| Green Day | 2 | 5 |
| Pavement | 2 | 5 |
| Dinosaur Jr. | 2 | 5 |
| OutKast | 2 | 5 |
| The Specials | 2 | 5 |
| John Lennon | 2 | 5 |
| Rufus Wainwright | 2 | 5 |
| Sepultura | 2 | 5 |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 5 |
| The Undertones | 2 | 5 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 4 | 4.25 |
| Sonic Youth | 6 | 4 |
| Dusty Springfield | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Flaming Lips | 3 | 4.33 |
| Common | 3 | 4.33 |
| Pulp | 3 | 4.33 |
| Motörhead | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Band | 3 | 4.33 |
| Super Furry Animals | 3 | 4.33 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 3 | 4.33 |
| Neil Young & Crazy Horse | 3 | 4.33 |
| Elvis Presley | 3 | 4.33 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.33 |
| Aerosmith | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Who | 5 | 4 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Pet Shop Boys | 4 | 1 |
| The Smiths | 4 | 1 |
| Morrissey | 4 | 1 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 1 |
| Beach House | 2 | 1 |
| Nico | 2 | 1 |
| Various Artists | 2 | 1 |
| ABBA | 2 | 1 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1 |
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 1.8 |
| LCD Soundsystem | 3 | 1.67 |
| The Byrds | 5 | 2.2 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 3 | 2 |
| Echo And The Bunnymen | 3 | 2 |
| Roxy Music | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Van Halen | 2, 5 |
| Kanye West | 5, 2, 5 |
| PJ Harvey | 2, 5, 5, 4 |
5-Star Albums (361)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Brilliant, moving, heart-breaking at points, but also with an eye on recovery and the future. One of the most astounding and memorable pieces of music I have heard in a very long time.
23 likes
Bill Callahan
5/5
Prog country - which I didn't know existed before! Really interesting and enjoyable, although it's tricky to pick out a best song as it works best as a single piece.
Loved it!
14 likes
The Bees
1/5
Have you ever seen those shows where Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver or whoever go to some distant country and try all the food, then cook their own version and claim it's better - basically because it was done by brits? This album is the musical version - a bunch of technically proficient facsimiles of styles and genres that these chumps presumably love, but can't stop themselves from trying to "improve". They presumably hope this makes them seem cultured and worldly, but to me it just reeks of entitlement and privilege.
Not the worst album, but one of the most irritating. Car adverts have a lot to answer for - why didn't they use the original Brazilian song? (read the wiki!)
These lot would have been better setting up a label or becoming radio presenters, if they actually wanted to promote and celebrate the music they are instead ripping off. Good luck to them i guess, but very much not for me.
14 likes
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
An absolute masterpiece.
One of the most quotable albums ever, with lyrics by two of the very best to ever write.
Songs are lyrically heavy, musically appropriate to the words, with flashes of genius every few seconds.
Almost unfair that one band would have two such poetic lyricists, and two genius all-round musicians, and one of the very best vocalists ever, and a drummer who is such a good all-rounder, and as a band they would even design covers/videos/artwork.
That that they would combine to collaborate with such a clear vision is almost unbelievable.
Favourite tracks are ... All of them!
We miss you Richey
14 likes
The Boo Radleys
5/5
Really enjoyable, a mix of genres and styles, with echoes of Ooberman, Blur, Nirvana, the Clash, ELO, The Beatles, and many more from across the whole of music. I'd only heard a couple of songs before, but loved wish I was skinny, barney (and me), Lazarus, and the white noise revisited.
13 likes
1-Star Albums (47)
All Ratings
Metallica
5/5
Great album, perfect start to this insanity! One (obviously) and Frayed Ends of Sanity were particular highlights
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Enjoyable, if a little one paced. First band in this that I have seen live, albeit 5-6 years after this album. First Scottish band too, and quite a change of pace from Metallica! You're just a baby and I could be dreaming were my favourites after one listen
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Great voice, great songs, and only a few of them that I knew before listening. Oldest album so far, and first solo artist and female vocalist
Jurassic 5
4/5
Great album, in some alternate universe they are bigger than anyone in the game. Wonderful variety of samples and guests. Thin line, Hey, and Freedom my top tracks, along with Kool Kieth's DDT freestyle
Beastie Boys
4/5
Classic. More instrumental songs than I would have guessed, brilliant samples and guests
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Great album, wonderful vocals and instrumentation. Do you realize and Yoshimi ... (part 1) probably my favourite individual songs, but makes most sense as a while piece.
Travis
5/5
Best song is the hidden track "blue flashing light", perhaps because it has not been overplayed; the drumming is unusual at points, but not in a bad way; Fran can really sing, this is especially obvious on "as you are"; not sure why there is a song half in French?!?
Roxy Music
2/5
Not for me, too art for art's sake. Very 80s sounding, but not in a good way. No thanks
AC/DC
5/5
Great album, didn't know as many of the songs as I thought I would. Night prowler, shot down in flames, and, of course, the epic title track were the highlights.
Funny to think that some people used to think that this was as heavy/fast/extreme/metal as music would ever become - if they only knew!
Aphex Twin
3/5
Not my kind of thing, but good background music and very chilled out. Sounds like the work of one man with a clear idea of what he wants to do
The Doors
3/5
Good album, but a bit samey. Not a huge fan of the organ being so prominent on all the songs, but that happens when you have an organist. Good vocals, often bizarre lyrics, largely unexciting music
The La's
5/5
Really enjoyed this, only knew one song well, but it wasn't even the one I liked most. My favourites were son of a gun, doledrum, timeless melody, and the absolute best was looking glass. Just wish they had done more, but better one 5 🌟 album than five 1 🌟 ones!
Fairport Convention
3/5
As a Scot, the idea of english folk music sounds a bit strange to me - who do they sing about being oppressed and invaded by? Or do they sing about doing the invading and oppressing? Turns out it's like Scottish and Irish folk music, but with less politics and more soap opera stories! Tunes are good though, and I enjoyed the album even though I would probably never have chosen to listen to it. Matty Groves and Crazy Man Michael were my favourite tracks.
Spiritualized
4/5
Really good album, not sure why j didn't get into it at the time. Title track, come together, and electricity were my favourite songs.
Stereo MC's
2/5
Sounds very dated, although probably in a nostalgic way for anyone who liked it at the time. I only knew 2 songs before listening to the album, and didn't really feel connected (!) to them or any others afterwards
Harry Nilsson
4/5
More of the songs than I expected were ones I knew. A wide variety of styles and vocal range. The guy is clearly a genius, both in songwriting and in picking his cover versions to sing. Gotta get up, jump into the fire, and coconut were my favourite tracks
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
Not my kind of thing, but can hear its influence in loads of stuff. Instrumentals with only electronic sounds get very repetitive very fast.
The Young Rascals
4/5
Only about half the songs are on Spotify, which was a shame. Really enjoyed the songs I did hear. Not sure why they were not huge, or why they have been forgotten if they were a big deal.
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
Great album, loved every song, from hugely famous (walk this way) to the fun ones (you be illin) to the serious ones (proud to be black). Proper hip hop, still relevant today. Love it love it love it!
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Old, very old, country, more my dad's taste than mine. God example of this genre though, and I did enjoy it. Really surprised to find In The Pines, covered by Nirvana as Where did you sleep last night, turn up
Madonna
3/5
Ok, with a couple of great songs - Frozen and The Power of Goodbye. Sounds expensive, well produced, designed to be a hit, and slightly dated
Coldplay
4/5
Really good, if a bit samey. Politik, the scientist, and the title track were stand outs for me. Kind of odd to listen to it just as their new album is released.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Good album, was everywhere for a while, but the songs stil hold up. Very relaxing, very chilled, very enjoyable in a low key way. Svefn-g-englar probably my favourite, along with the title track
Happy Mondays
3/5
Sounds very much of its time - the line between dated and nostalgic is thin! Not a band I knew well, due to my age, and my parents' ages, when they were big. Lazyitis (too short) and Wrote for Luck (too long) were my favourites
The Temptations
3/5
Very short album, but still with a couple of very long songs. All sound similar, although with a few different voices popping up. Run Charlie run has some lyrics you would not expect to see in a pop record nowadays!
The First time ever I saw your face is my favourite of these songs
Common
4/5
Good songs, great lyrics and production. Kanye West clearly heavily involved.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Brilliant voice, brilliant songs, properly stopped me in my tracks at points. The title track, A Change is Gonna Come and, of course, Respect were highlights.
Beach House
1/5
Never heard of them before this, never will again. Pish, which should never be in this list, or in end of year top album lists. Not one song I liked, or would be happy to hear again. Rubbish
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Nothing like what I expected, since by the 90s they had gone into dance music. The cover of i don't wanna talk about it surprised me, but was good, the sax turning up was less enjoyable. Decent, but not one I am likely to come back to
The Stone Roses
5/5
Brilliant, classic, hear its influences all over the place. I was a bit surprised how may of the songs I knew, but they released SIX singles, and one of the other songs is one of the singles backwards! Really enjoyed it, but now frustrated they didn't kick on from here.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Classic
The Pretty Things
3/5
Odd. Very odd. Story / lyrics interesting (which does not mean good), music varies with the story. Concept albums have come a long way!
TV On The Radio
4/5
Really enjoyed this, hadn't heard of them before but will check out some of their other stuff.
Red dress and love dog were the stand out tracks for me.
Pulp
4/5
Amazing. Not what I, or anyone else, expected after Different Class, but really really good. Probably suffered at the time from how good their last few albums had been. A little soul, help the aged, & the title track stand out, but every song has something interesting
SAULT
3/5
Not my favourite, but one I'll probably come back to, might not it more after a couple of listens. Very modern, hip hop without the rapping
Motörhead
5/5
Brilliant.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Solid, but unspectacular. He can really sing, but all felt a bit restrained for me.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
Not one I would ever have just chosen to listen to, but I quite enjoyed it. Look forward to hearing more jazz, and learning more about it
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
4/5
Knew fewer than I expected of the songs, but really enjoyed visiting early 90s London. For tomorrow, chemical world and intermission were top tracks
Paul Simon
3/5
Sounded familiar even though I had never heard any of the songs before. Think too much (b) and The late great Johnny Ace were my favourite songs
Nico
1/5
Rubbish lyrics, terrible vocals, horrible instrumentation, and no drums at all! The worst album I have ever listened to, and I never will again.
Virtually a crime against humanity, and I can only assume that some reviewers (who likes it) have no ears, or taste, or were afraid to admit it should be nowhere near this list
Duran Duran
3/5
Meh. Ok, and mercifully short, but not great. Hungry like the wolf and save a prayer the best songs, but still no better than average.
James Brown
4/5
Good, but no better. Live album was interesting, and loved the introduction he was given. Didn't know many of the songs, but all pretty catchy. Will come back to when I'm not driving, so I can listen more fully
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Meh. Very shiny, over-produced, bland lyrics. Pretty good voice though, and not unpleasant to listen to.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Brilliant, moving, heart-breaking at points, but also with an eye on recovery and the future. One of the most astounding and memorable pieces of music I have heard in a very long time.
Tricky
5/5
Brilliant vocals, unique (and brilliant) lyrics, wonderful instrumentation and production. Loved it, and would probably not have listened to the whole thing unprompted.
4.5 🌟 rounds up to 5 🌟
Kate Bush
4/5
Very eccentric, impressive vocals, not always catchy songs but always arresting and interesting. Clear influence on Lorde, Sia, Marina and the Diamonds, and Florence + the machine. Pull out the pin, suspended in gaffa, and get out of my house were my top tracks
David Bowie
5/5
Classic
2Pac
4/5
Really enjoyed this, only knew a couple of songs beforehand. If I die tonight, fuck the world and, of course, dear mama are standouts.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Enjoyable, but not super catchy and very long songs. Ginger Baker was a hell of a drummer, and so versatile!
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Better than I expected, but not really my kind of thing. Happy when it rains is a cracking tune, and they get a wee extra 🌟 just for being Scottish!
The Triffids
4/5
Very jangle-pop uk 80s, some of the songs sound like Echo & the Bunnymen, or The Smiths, or Deaon Blue, or The Associates, or even Inxs. Wasn't expecting much, but really enjoyed it, and will listen to it again.
One thing though - Spotify has the (very) extended version, with more than twice as many songs, some of them demos/outtakes.
B.B. King
4/5
Awesome, almost unfair that someone could be such a good singer AND guitarist.
Every day I have the blues, worry worry worry, and woke up this morning were the best songs
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Better than I expected, influences of/on the clash, manics, ultrasound, maybe even the jam. Didn't know they were Finnish before this, makes them 77% more interesting!
The Icarus Line
3/5
Very noisy, but solid tunes in there somewhere too. Clear influence on royal blood and the white stripes, hints of the strokes, queens of the stone age, and plenty of grunge. Not one of the best 1001 albums, but an interesting one I would never otherwise have heard
John Prine
4/5
Really good, like a country tinged Bob Dylan, but with a sense of humour!
Black Sabbath
3/5
Sloppy and unfocused, but ozzy's voice is still startling (in a good way) on virtually every song. Changes is my favourite track
The Smiths
1/5
Shite.
Shite singer, shite songs, shite production, shite lyrics.
The guy sings like he has been kicked in the plums, but I don't think we are that lucky. Turns out he is a nazi too, so fuck him. Would give it zero, or even less than that if I could.
Absolutely pish
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
An absolute masterpiece.
One of the most quotable albums ever, with lyrics by two of the very best to ever write.
Songs are lyrically heavy, musically appropriate to the words, with flashes of genius every few seconds.
Almost unfair that one band would have two such poetic lyricists, and two genius all-round musicians, and one of the very best vocalists ever, and a drummer who is such a good all-rounder, and as a band they would even design covers/videos/artwork.
That that they would combine to collaborate with such a clear vision is almost unbelievable.
Favourite tracks are ... All of them!
We miss you Richey
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Meh
He can really sing - obviously, but it all feels a little polished and stilted for me. Decent background music though, and reminds me of my grandad, so that's nice.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Ok, I guess, like a better version of The Smiths.
Very 80s, very jangly, rubbish lyrics, annoying vocals, not my kind of thing at all.
One extra star for attending attending same uni as me!
Le Tigre
3/5
Not my kind of thing, but probably not meant to be.
Some interesting ideas, musically ad lyrically, but feels a bit unfinished. Not terrible, but not great.
The ind of songs you would hear on BBC 6music, and then something better would come along.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Genius
CHIC
3/5
Decent enough, I guess, but disco sucks.
Soul II Soul
4/5
Very influential, on a wide variety of bands and singers. Must have seemed like it was from the future, cos it doesn't sound dated at all!
Elvis Costello
4/5
Very distinctive voice, but this means a lot of the songs sound pretty similar. Really good songs though, lyrically and musically, with production that lets them shine.
Enjoyed it more than I expected, even though I knew enough of the songs to be confident it would be good.
Stan Getz
3/5
Interesting, challenging, different to anything I generally listen to, not my kind of thing, but could be.
Keeping it in mind for future listening
Pink Floyd
5/5
An absolute masterpiece, with some of the greatest prog rock songs ever written. Enjoyed the story more by listening to it in full and in order.
Comfortably numb and run like he'll were my favourites before, and still are, along withe the three "movements" of another brick in the wall
The Band
4/5
Very enjoyable, well written and well sung
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
not my kind of thing. lyrics, music, Instrumentation, vocals all just pretty bad. not one i will come back to
3/5
Very polished, slightly bloodless, over-produced, completely lacking any sort of edge, only emotion is a soet of general whining about "feelings".
However, all of my heart is one of the best pop songs of the 80s, and the other two big hits (poison arrow & the look of love) are better than I remembered
Funkadelic
4/5
Very funky, and very good
Derek & The Dominos
5/5
Brilliant
Björk
4/5
Very good, and an extra star just for being Björk. Hidden place, cocoon, and unity were my favourites
Talking Heads
3/5
Not really my kind of thing. Relatively interesting, musically at least, and can hear the influence on loads of bands and artists.
Sounds very 80s, which I guess means it was ahead of its time
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Perfection, from the first note to the last. Pretty much every song is a timeless classic, with some all-time greats mixed in as well.
Absolutely loved it; would give it 6 🌟 if I could!
Ice Cube
4/5
Really inventive, very of its time, very interesting
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Pretty good, not one I would have heard without taking on this list. Family affair and spaced cowboy were my favourites. Did not enjoy the instrumental/alternate versions as much
Sonic Youth
4/5
Clear influence on lots of bands I love, but doesn't resonate the same way, probably because I didn't hear it when I was younger. Really enjoyed it, hope to hear more from them
Public Enemy
4/5
Brilliant. Lots of clever samples, lyrically magnificent, great flow, politically engaged, clear purpose and aims. I loved it.
The Pogues
4/5
Really enjoyed this, title track, bottle of smoke, thousands are sailing and, of course, fairytale of new york, were my favourites.
Really good to listen to it in Mid-december too, a strange coincidence of the list
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Pretty good. Jazz is still not my favourite genre, but the African influence was clear to hear and very enjoyable. I didn't pick up the names of any songs, so don't know which were my favourite, other than ingoo pow pow (children's song), which was great
R.E.M.
5/5
Awesome album, maybe the first five star that I hadn't listened to all the way through before. My favourites were nightswimming and drive, but even the instrumental was brilliant.
I'm definitely going to explore more R.E.M. when I get a chance, to see what other wonders share albums with songs I know!
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Would have rated it higher on the memory of loving it 20 years ago, but it is not quite a five star record for me now. Still really enjoyed it though, and hope more sfa comes up in future.
Favourite songs were the (sort of) title track, juxtaposed with u, and run! Christian, run!
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Even as a drummer, I found this too much drums - not by much, but just a wee bit too much. Enjoyed it a bit, and spotting samples that were used elsewhere was great fun.
Dire Straits
5/5
Absolutely awesome! One or two songs sound so 80s they border on pastiche, but still enjoyable. Title track, walk of life, latest trick, so far away, and of course, money for nothing are all-timers. What an album.
The Replacements
5/5
Never really heard of them before, now I'm not sure how! Sound like an Australian clash-influenced proto-nirvana - I was astounded to find they were from the USA. Really enjoyed it, and was nice to see what the rock kids were listening to when the pop and indie kids were in charge of the charts. Definitely going to listen to more of their stuff, and read more about them too.
Wonderful
Queen
4/5
Awesome! Short, but catchy and a few classic songs. More time to listen would probably mean I gave it 5, but even once through it's a high 4.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Meh. Very nice, very impressive, but just doesn't move me in the way that guitars and vocals do.
Interesting story behind it though, with the wrong piano being brought, and then needing tuned, and then ... just read the Wikipedia page!
The Boo Radleys
5/5
Really enjoyable, a mix of genres and styles, with echoes of Ooberman, Blur, Nirvana, the Clash, ELO, The Beatles, and many more from across the whole of music. I'd only heard a couple of songs before, but loved wish I was skinny, barney (and me), Lazarus, and the white noise revisited.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Very extravagant, overblown, and eclectic. Too many songs, but most are good or great. Better quality control (and less drugs) could have made a tighter, shorter, more consistent album, but that was not the way at that time!
David Bowie
5/5
Classic. Not a bad track, although of course there are some good and some great. Drive in Saturday, let's spend the night night together, jean genie and the title track the best known, and most immediate for me because of that.
Look forward to hearing plenty more from one of the best artists there ever was.
Various Artists
1/5
Orbital
2/5
Not my kind of thing, very repetetive and mostly instrumental.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Not my jam
Thundercat
3/5
Very modern, very expensively produced, a bewildering array of guests. Sounds like flylo fm from gta v, which is not a bad thing.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Not as awesome as I expected, given his reputation, but I suppose there had been less music back when this came out. All the songs were pretty similar, but bird on a wire stood out as really good, rather than just quite good.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Solid, but unspectacular. He can really sing, but all felt a bit restrained for me. You ain't the problem is far and away my favourite track
Black Sabbath
5/5
Classic.
War pigs, paranoid, and iron man are right up there with the best rock songs.
Amazing to think it was only a few months since their debut.
808 State
2/5
Samey all the way through, Pacific 202 is probably the best song, but all the rest are nearly as "good", or "half decent" to be more accurate
Funkadelic
5/5
Awesome, and really surprised me how awesome. Hints of influence on or by an eclectic range of artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Radiohead, Lenny Kravitz, Slash, Avalanches, Royal Blood, Jamie T, and many more.
I absolutely loved it, with my favourites being ... actually, all 7 tracks on the original album! An extra star for being so unexpectedly wonderful makes it my first 6 🌟 album!
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
I can hear why people would like it, and the moments of behind the scenes where she "forgets" words or speaks to the crowd are very cool. Love her voice, but all the "American songbook" songs sound like relics from a bygone era, which I suppose they are. Enjoyable enough, but not one I will come back to
Pentangle
3/5
An interesting album with diverse influences including folk, prog, hippy rock, and Eastern music. Perfectly pleasant, but not likely to live long in the memory. Pretty much the definition of three stars for me!
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
Very odd, which is not a bad thing! Some songs sounded like rammstein covering Kenny Loggins, others like David Bowie fronting a particularly gloomy Echo & the Bunnymen, and one sounded like a piano ballad from some schlocky horror movie. I would never have found this on my own, and would not have expected it to sound like this based on what I had heard of the band before.
Loses a star for not having a proper drummer.
The Jam
3/5
Three stars. Good, but not great, best song last for some reason, not their best album
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Very short, but full of good songs. Pretty much what I expected from them, although "At the zoo" was a lot more whimsical than I thought. That song, hazy shade of winter, America, and Save the life of My Child were my favourites, along with Mrs Robinson
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Very psychedelic, very 60s. Enjoyable, although not sure it needed (at least) two versions of each song!
Pink Floyd
5/5
Another all time classic, one of my favourite albums before this, and it still is. A masterwork, best listened to as a whole, but Money and Eclipse are my favourite "movements"
Johnny Cash
5/5
Brilliant album, one of my dad's favourite artists. Folsom prison blues, give my love to rose, the hilarious flushed from the bathroom of your heart, and, of course, Jackson are awesome songs that I just keep coming back to
George Michael
3/5
Never heard the whole album before, which is the point of doing this! Singles were clearly the catchiest songs, some of the filler was fairly silly. He was a great singer, but I would have liked to hear him sing more rock than pop
Sounds pretty much like it could have been made at any time in the last 40 or so years, other than the production being a bit tighter than in their very early days. Stuck in a moment and walk on were two very good songs that I had (just about) forgotten existed, beautiful day and elevation are basically classic rock staples at this point, and in a little while might be my favourite of the whole record.
Elis Regina
4/5
I don't speak the same language, but I can still appreciate the gorgeousness of her voice. I deliberately didn't read much about the album either, but really enjoyed it. Didn't catch the names of any songs, or any of the guest vocalists, but a solid 4 ⭐ for me
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
Good, but not great. Good background music, but another where I don't speak the same language. I enjoyed it a lot, but will probably not come back to it
Meat Loaf
5/5
Classic, one of those albums where pretty much every song has popped up in my life a few times before. Title track, Took the words ..., and two out of three ... are my favourites, but they're all awesome!
Beatles
5/5
I love the Beatles, so his will score well, but it is so early in their career that they hadn't quite developed into the band they became. Lots of cover versions, which is odd when they had three of the best songwriters (and Ringo). Thus does include the first Harrison song on an LP though, which is interesting.
All the songs are good or great, and all are pretty much part of life in Britain. I prefer their later stuff, when they were exploring the fringes of modern music and developing the future, but still love this. It is both good in its own right, and an interesting snapshot of the biggest band in the world, ever, just as they claimed that title.
Supertramp
3/5
Sounds like a bunch of clever clogs trying (and nearly managing) to sound like Pink Floyd. Bloody well right and dreamer are the catchiest tunes, but it probably works bets as a whole album.
The Temptations
3/5
Only 4 of the songs are on Spotify, which is far from handy, but I found versions of the rest on other albums or compilations though. Side 1 very different to side 2, and much better, but neither is really up my street. Title track and heard it through the grapevine are my favourite songs
Shack
3/5
Good splid indie album, if they had been a few years earlier they would have sold thousands more copies. Fills the space between the Las and Embrace, which I never knew needed filled. Natalie's partly and beautiful ate my favourites, with an honourable mention for lend's some dough
Billy Bragg
3/5
All the songs sound basically the same, which is fine, because I like it, but it does mean that the album drags a bit towards the end. Very english, so I'm not sure how it would go across further afield - I'm scottish and don't always get all his references!
Help save the youth of America is the best song, I also liked the hoke front and ideology
Tears For Fears
2/5
Pretty bad
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
More varied than I expected, but hampered by a not very good singer. Geno is the best song, burn it down is pretty good, and the rest are fairly forgettable
Blue Cheer
5/5
Loved it!
An early forerunner of lots of stuff I like, and one of the first power trios.
Every song was great, but their version of summertime blues was greatest for me. Really intrigued to hear more of their stuff.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Sounds even more like The Killers than I would have thought, clearly one they spent a long time studying. Thunder Road, jungleland, and the title track were the best songs, but it probably works best as a whole piece. I'm sure it won't be the only album from the boss on this list
Janelle Monáe
5/5
What a wonderful surprise, an album i would never have listened to but absolutely loved. The range of genres and influences is mind-blowing, and the variety in the vocal performances makes it hard to believe it was one artist (with guests) responsible.
I love a concept album, and this is as high concept as anything, but the songs stand up individually as well. Dance or die, faster, tightrope (with big boi), wondaland, and my new favourite song Come Alive (War of the Roses) are so good I can hardly believe I hadn't heard them before.
What an album, and this is exactly the reason I wanted to do this!
Alanis Morissette
5/5
Classic
The Divine Comedy
4/5
Great album, if a little samey throughout. All songs have a slightly arch quality, which works better in some than others. Songs of love and frog princess are my favourites, but all tracks are very good
Nas
4/5
Classic hip hop. I was surprised how few tracks I recognised by name, but knew more of the songs when they came on. NY state of mind and the world is yours were stand outs, but the whole album works well as a piece
David Crosby
3/5
Old people's music, hippies trying to make money but pretend they're not. Songs all sound the same, and only ok. Not for me; just sounds like so many other albums from that time.
Drive Like Jehu
5/5
Brilliant album, from a band I had never even heard of. Loved every song, but "do you compute" and "sinews" were the best ones. They remind me of late Nirvana and/or early Biffy Clyro - two of my favourites of all time!
The Jam
4/5
Good, but not great. They were such a god singles band, and so prolific at albums, that it's not a huge surprise that there's a fair bit of filler at points.
Start! and Monday were my favourites favourites
Neil Young
4/5
This came up in my feed a few days after he asked Spotify to remove his music.
Joe Rogan sucks.
This album however, does not suck. It is pretty samey, and would probably have scored higher if I had listened to it a few more times.
Lou Reed
2/5
Nah, not for me
Michael Jackson
3/5
The laddie can clearly sing, in whatever style he/his people want. Ranges from disco to balladry, with hints of funk and rock. First two tracks were the big singles, but she's out of my life and the title track were more enjoyable for me.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Not their best work, but still better than most other bands can do!
Nirvana
5/5
5 🌟
The Monks
4/5
Weird, but in a good way! Really odd to hear songs in English, but intended for a German/non-anglophone audience. Lots of influence on lots of bands I like, even though I had never heard of them before
Yes
4/5
Very prog, very odd instrumentation at points, very enjoyable for the most part. Roundabout mostly famous from GTA V, which made it odd hearing it in its original context
Pretenders
3/5
Good, but not great, aside from brass in pocket of course.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Sounds very much of its time - the line between dated and nostalgic is thin! Not a band I knew well, due to my age, and my parents' ages, when they were big. Lazyitis (too short) and Wrote for Luck (too long) were my favourites, along with hallelujah
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
The worst album I have ever listened to all the way through, still not sure why I bothered. It was clear early on that there were no musicians involved! Not even any good as background music, unlikely to be enjoyed by anyone with ears. Just wish I could give it no star, as even one is way too generous
The Waterboys
4/5
Better than average, love the folk infuence
Oasis
5/5
Classic
Thin Lizzy
4/5
Muddy sounding at points, but the songs and performances are awesome. Had to find the deluxe edition, as the regular was missing a few of the songs for some reason.
King Crimson
3/5
Nonsense, but pleasant enough. Didn't realise before that Greg Lake (from ELP/Xmas) was in King Crimson. Schizoid man and the title track were the highlights for me
Violent Femmes
3/5
Not at all what I expected, but not in a good way. Nothing memorable or catchy here, after the first track, and nothing especially bad either. The definition of mediocre.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Very varied, very seventies. Proto-prog, and all performed and produced by one guy. I really enjoyed it; it could have handled being a bit shorter, but I'm not sure what I would remove! Saving Grace and Black Maria were my favourites, but it was all pretty good
The Modern Lovers
4/5
Pretty good, catchy and varied, and before a lot of the things it sounds like (which shows its influence).
Roadrunner, astral plane, and she cracked were my top tracks
Charles Mingus
3/5
Only four (very long) songs.
Still not my thing, but I can certainly appreciate the skill of the musicians involved.
3/5
Too much prog, not enough rock.
Three songs for a whole album?!? No thanks! Even the extended version is only 7 tracks (but still over an hour long!)
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Five songs in 43 minutes, means it must be either jazz or prog-rock! Jazz it is, which I still don't really get. Very impressive musicianship, even if it doesn't move me like some other music does.
John Prine
4/5
Really good, like a country tinged Bob Dylan, but with a sense of humour!
The Cure
2/5
Nah, not for me thanks. Influenced a lot of stuff I do like, but I just can't get past the weird vocals and droning backing tracks.
Bon Jovi
3/5
I always thought I didn't like bon jovi, but it turns out their worst songs are their biggest songs!
"Let it rock" was the stand out for me, although listening to the whole album made me appreciate "wanted dead or alive" a little more.
Wilco
4/5
Very good, but mot quite great. Even though I was 17 when this (first) came out, I had never heard any of these songs, probably because September 2001 had more important events happen the week before. I will definitely come back to this though, and explore their other albums when I get a chance.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Awesome, one of my favourite artists, and one of his best albums. Best songs are Crosstown traffic, voodoo Chile (both versions), and, best of all, all along the watchtower
David Bowie
5/5
Genius
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Classic hiphop, from one of the greatest, but not enough variety in soind and subject matter in my opinion. Also, the last track on the remaster, "just playing (dreams)", is so sexist and misogynistic it meant the album finished on a very sour note
Massive Attack
5/5
Awesome album, one of the ones I enjoyed most so far. Equally capable of being background music or being the focus of attention. Safe from harm and the majestic unfinished sympathy dominate, but all tracks work really well as a piece.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Genius, really lush and diverse, with lyrics that tell a story and work as a whole piece. Loved it.
Pearl Jam
5/5
Perfect, or close enough. Bit of a shame Spotify didn't have the couple of bonus tracks on the UK cd version, but still one of my favourite albums of all time. Loved it!
The Soft Boys
4/5
Surprisingly good, but not quite great. Much better than I expected, and much rockier and louder too. Bonus tracks on the Spotify version are actually longer than the original album, for some reason.
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
Great album, loved every song, from the hugely famous ones (it's tricky, walk this way, my adidas) to the fun ones (you be illin') to the serious ones (proud to be black). Proper hip hop, still relevant today. Love it love it love it!
Doves
4/5
Better than I remember it being, really enjoyed it. Not quite five stars, but pretty damn close! There goes the fear, pounding, and Friday's dust were my favourites
Gang Starr
5/5
Classic hip-hop that I had never heard before. I loved it though, and will definitely hunt out more of their stuff. Execution of a chump, and the meaning of the name were my favourites first time through, but I will revisit it to pick up the lyrics and flow of some of the denser tracks too
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Only four tracks (plus some bonus material, including an odd interview, on Spotify), but all good. Not sure any of the songs really needed to be quite so long, but didn't mind it. "Walk on by" was virtually unrecognisable, and "by the time I get to phoenix" lasted about a week!
The National
5/5
Really good album, probably helped to such a high score by the fact that I listened to it a few times through. Reminds me a lot of some of my favourite bands, but in a way that doesn't feel like they are just copying anyone. For example, they sound a bit like a younger, American, version of Elbow. Terrible Love, Lemonworld, and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks stood out for me
The Pogues
3/5
Really enjoyed this, title track, bottle of smoke, thousands are sailing and, of course, fairytale of new york, were my favourites.
Would have been better to listen to it in December though, given the clear association.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Sounds like a soundtrack- for good reason! Lots of instrumental tracks, or ones with only a few lyrics. Title track is obviously well known and an all time classic, but most of the others are pretty forgettable. Decent background music for doing something else, I guess.
SAULT
3/5
Not my favourite, but one I'll probably come back to, might not it more after a couple of listens. Very modern, hip hop without the rapping
Elton John
3/5
A lot of the songs sound like tiny dancer, which is fine, since I like that one. Wide range of lyrical themes, surprisingly, and pretty consistent quality throughout. Only three stars though, can't be much higher since even the best song is ony OK!
Boards of Canada
3/5
Good background music, no more and no less. An extra point for being (very surprisingly) Scottish!
The Prodigy
4/5
Definitely not background music - this grabs you by the ears and forces you to listen. Still sounds like nothing else; it sounded like it came from another planet at the time! Firestarter and breathe are the two big hits, and as close to catchy as the album gets, but it probably works best as a whole piece
Super Furry Animals
5/5
Weird and awesome, just how I like it.
Pere Ubu
4/5
Weird and wonderful, but one I would probably enjoy more given the chance to listen through a few more times. Clear influence on lots of bands I love, maybe just a bit too out there for me to properly adore.
5/5
Brilliant
Little Simz
4/5
Really interesting, and good, with funny songs, important songs, and catchy songs. Not all uk hip hop is this good.
Favourite part was the (possibly coincidental) nod to Akala when she spoke about escaping the "fuckery" - in a line with a very 'Akala' flow to it
ABBA
1/5
Terrible. 0 stars
Brian Wilson
4/5
Weird, but good. Pretty sure it works best as a whole piece, given the songs all meld together. I would love to have more time to listen a few more times through
Tricky
5/5
Brilliant vocals, unique (and brilliant) lyrics, wonderful instrumentation and production. Loved it, and would probably not have listened to the whole thing unprompted.
4.5 🌟 rounds up to 5 🌟
Burning Spear
5/5
Awesome, especially in the current mini heatwave here! Love a bit of reggae, and using it to tell the story of one of my all-time heroes is genius. Hard to pick a best track so I'll say Al of them!
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Decent but forgettable pop music. Sounds like it was recorded quickly, but none the worse for it. Honey are you straight or are you blind, and I hope you're happy now were my favourite songs.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Samey, noisy, good but not great. Really surprised to hear the cover of Helter-skelter, and obviously knew Hong Kong Garden, but nothing else really grabbed me.
Bob Dylan
3/5
All the songs, except ...rolling stone, sound like demos to just get something on tape before recording it properly! He's not a great singer, which has been said before, but I'm also not sure his lyrics are as good as the reputation would suggest. One of the more disappointing albums for me, since I have always heard how it it is, but it just wasn't
New Order
3/5
Not my jam, music largely devoid of emotion, with lyrics that sound rushed and uninspired. Not the worst Mancunian band of the 80s (that is the smiths) but disappointing and unimpressive.
The Only Ones
4/5
Really good album, with a few brilliant songs. Another girl, another planet was the stand out for me, with The whole of the law, Creature of doom, and As my wife says, all very enjoyable. Not sure it's quite a five 🌟, but a solid 4 🌟 effort.
I loved it
Queen
5/5
Awesome! Short, but catchy and a few classic songs. Glad I was able to give it a few listens through; it meant even the "lesser" songs were able to shine
Grateful Dead
3/5
Good album, influences are clear, and much of their sound has influenced a bunch of other people. Truckin' was my favourite, but it was pretty solid all the way
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Better than I expected, influences of/on the clash, manics, ultrasound, maybe even the jam. Didn't know they were Finnish before this, makes them roughly 77% more interesting!
Brian Eno
2/5
Not really music, more like a showreel for advanced production techniques. Could be used as background music for some sort of sci-fi movie set in the future, where the director doesn't want the music to distract from the dialogue.
Interesting, but only rarely enjoyable, not one I am likely to come back to.
Still far from the worst album on this list (*cough* Nico *cough*)
Deerhunter
3/5
Landfill indie, made mildly more interesting by being American landfill indie. Like an NYC version of Doves, if they had listened too nothing but Hail to the Theif. Not really my thing, not bad for chilling out with glitchy guitars and engaging time signatures.
Goldie
3/5
Not really my kind of thing, but interesting. Many of the songs last much too long, but I guess that works in the clubs and/or makes it easier to create remixes. Inner City Life (part of the 20 minutes opening medey) was the big breakthrough hit, and probably the best "song". Plenty of other enjoyable music though, just not much that is as catchy or memorable
The Lemonheads
3/5
American Brit pop, which is odd as a concept! Good, but not great, with the title track and the cover of Mrs Robinson being the most immediate tracks. Plenty of other decent songs too though.
One other thing: the audio quality of some of the bonus tracks sounds like a cassette taped from a vinyl record that had been left in the sun - so much hiss and pop!
The Stooges
4/5
Very interesting, a clear influence on loads of bands I love. Some tracks sound like a heavier version of The Doors, other like the Sex Pistols with wierder lyrics. Overall, great, but not quite 5 🌟 for me.
David Bowie
5/5
Absolute genius
The Youngbloods
3/5
Genre defying, in a good way! I wasn't sure when this was from, and surprised to find out it was a 60s album. Not my favourite on this list, but interesting and experimental.
Lorde
4/5
Intelligent, engaging, mature pop music. Not really my thing (not loud enough!) but really good. Kiwis get an extra 🌟 too!
Common
4/5
Good songs, great lyrics and production. Kanye West clearly heavily involved. 4 🌟
Kraftwerk
3/5
Background music, for some sort of dull sci-fi movie. Influential on lots of artists I do like, but I didn't massively enjoy this. I'm torn between giving it 2 or 3, so will be generous!
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Not on Spotify - Joe Rogan still sucks!
All the songs and pretty similar, and not in a good way. She can really sing, and the lyrics are good, but it didn't quite grab me. Very enjoyable, but not especially memorable
The Mars Volta
5/5
Like a Texan Biffy Clyro - which is intented as a massive compliment!
I loved At The Drive-in, but hadn't listened to much of The Mars Volta before - I am now regretting that. Added all their albums to my list off the back of this one. Loved every second of it, wish I could give it 6 (or 7) stars!
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Classic
Moby
3/5
This was everywhere for a few years! He's taken a bit of a back seat since, but I suppose he made so much money that he'll never have to work again. Hard to pick a stand out track because so many are so well known, and because they are all pretty similar.
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
First Bollywood soundtrack I have listened to all the way through. Really enjoyed it, found the wee references to "western" music sprinkled throughout very interesting. Hard to pick a favourite track, other than to mention that "one two cha cha cha" is probably the most immediate
Röyksopp
3/5
Decent background music, but not super engaging or memorable. They were everywhere for a while, back in the day, but that is not always a mark of quality! Enjoyable enough, but that doesn't translate into a very high score. They get another star for being Norwegian though!
Fela Kuti
5/5
It turns out that I love afro beat! Really fun, engaging, and interesting to listen to, and not as dense or challenging as I would have thought. Brilliant, hope to hear more from Fela and his various bands.
P.s. read the Wikipedia page to see how his government reacted to the success of this album - showing why it was needed.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Brilliant album, tells a story but with songs that stand alone as well. Some of the skits were arguably unnecessary, but they give the songs room to breathe.
Production of all wu-tang (and wu-tang solo) albums is always spot on.
Travis
5/5
Best song is the hidden track "blue flashing light", perhaps because it has not been overplayed; the drumming is unusual at points, but not in a bad way; Fran can really sing, this is especially obvious on "as you are"; not sure why there is a song half in French?!?
Extra point for being Scottish!
Def Leppard
3/5
Middling hair metal. The best song is probably 'photograph", but I prefer the Santana version of that as well. I was very surprised to hear the sample from "pretty fly for a white guy" at the start or "rock of ages", but mostly because there is not other obvious influence on the offspring by Def Leppard
Dead Kennedys
5/5
Great, with a couple of benchmark punk tracks and the others all very very good.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Fabulous, if a little one-paced. Brilliant vocals, decent lyrics, passable music. Very easy to listen to, or to have on in the background. Good, but not great.
The Verve
5/5
An absolute classic. One of my favourite albums growing up, and listening again showed me why. Only change since 20 years ago is that I enjoyed the longer, gentler, more contemplative songs more than when I was younger. Loved it, from start to finish
Talk Talk
2/5
Boring, the epitome of the bland, formulaic, guitar-less nonsense being produced in the UK in the 80s.
Instantly forgettable - and I mean *literally* instantly: it must have been (based on the length of the album and how long I had had it on) at least the fourth play through before I recognised any of the songs that I had just heard 45 minutes ago!
Also, after listening 4 or 5 times to this record, I still only know one Talk Talk song (it's my life), and it's not on this album!
One extra star for being able to sing well (i.e. not being Nico).
Miriam Makeba
5/5
Brilliant, and exemplifies why I was keen to do this: I would probably never have listened to this album otherwise. The click song and a couple of the covers were the only ones I recognised on first listen, but I loved pretty much every track.
Wonderful
Rush
3/5
The most prog of anything ever to happen. Good though, just dense and lyrically impenetrable. It seems to tell some sort of story, but without doing any background reading it is hard to tell what it is about.
Le Tigre
3/5
Not my kind of thing, but probably not intended to be.
As Scroobius Pip says "You don't have to like everything, and not everything is meant for you to like!"
Some interesting ideas, musically and lyrically, but feels a bit unfinished. Not terrible, but not great.
The kind of songs you would hear on BBC 6music, and then something better would come along.
Lou Reed
2/5
Nah, not for me. Perfect Day was better as a cover by loads of different people, none of the others are particularly memorable
Fred Neil
3/5
Interesting, not super catchy or exciting, but pretty pleasant and enjoyable. The Dolphins and Everybody's Talking were my favourite tracks
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Exceptional. I obviously knew the duet with Kylie, but I loved pretty much all the other songs too.
Not quite a concept album, but with a clear theme, and musically really interesting
The Kinks
4/5
Brilliant and odd, and really fun. Reminiscent of Sgt Pepper's and Pet Sounds, but more tongue in cheek.
Judas Priest
3/5
Hard, heavy, and repetitive. A clear influence on loads of bands I love, but a bit sterile and underwhelming for me. Would listen again, but mostly to have another go at picking out bits that went on to be "borrowed" by bands I like more!
Also, NWOBHM is possibly the worst genre/movement name in all of music history!
2Pac
4/5
Really enjoyed this, only knew a couple of songs beforehand. If I die tonight, fuck the world and, of course, dear mama are standouts.
4 🌟
Billy Joel
3/5
Meh
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Very 80s, which is not a compliment! Bets song is Reward, which wasn't even on the original version. Enjoyable enough, but not great. Definition of three 🌟 to me!
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
Very enjoyable
Cream
4/5
Very good, of perhaps a bit self indulgent at points. Works well as a full album, with sunshine of your love and strange brew as clear stand out tracks.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Great album, in some alternate universe they are bigger than anyone in the game. Wonderful variety of samples and guests. Thin line, Hey, and Freedom are my favourite songs, along with Kool Keith's DDT freestyle
4 🌟
Kanye West
5/5
Brilliant, one of my favourites before, but even more so after listening in full again. Jesus Walks is an absolute classic, Spaceship is a rare 12/8 rap song, and All Falls Down is masterful pop music. Couldn't be less than 5 🌟!
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
Exceptional, uncomfortable, repetitive, draining, occasionally enjoyable, but mostly awkward, and always always moves the listener.
One of the most starling albums I have listened to, and still sounds as fresh and unsettling as it always did.
Awesome, in every possible sense of the word!
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Very, very good, a clear influence on loads of bands I love. Full of energy and attitude, and fills the gap between garage rock and grunge perfectly. Some songs are a little bit "older gent trying to sound like his younger self", but that's no bad thing.
Not on Spotify, but that meant I saw the videos for the songs that have them.
Joe Rogan still sucks!!
M.I.A.
4/5
Unique, eclectic, mesmerising, fascinating and engaging.
A great mix of samples & interpolations, and some intriguing guests appearing.
Janis Joplin
5/5
Amazing, startling, arresting, wonderful, complex, emotional, and brilliant.
Radiohead
5/5
How to disappear completely might just be the best song ever, and more than half of the others are in contention for a place in my top 100. I loved this album after the first couple of times I heard it, and have loved it ever since. Maybe my favourite Radiohead album, although there is plenty of competition!
Could be 10 out of 5 in my book!
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Surprised by how many songs I knew, seems to have been everywhere even more than I noticed at the time. Gangster Trippin is still my favourite, but the album as a whole is so good, and so consistent, that it works best as a piece.
Beatles
5/5
Perfect, unimprovable, magnificent, interesting both musically and for its cultural resonance.
Absolutely wonderful
ZZ Top
3/5
Decent, but very samey and full of sloppy (but still pretty fun) live versions of a few of the same tracks at the end of the remastered edition.
Really fun, and surprised me how many songs I knew. Tres hombres, tres 🌟
Brian Eno
3/5
Wierd and wonderful, but not really an album of actual songs. Sounds like an audio showreel of production techniques, which it kind of was. Bits of some songs sound like later Radiohead, which is again no bad thing!
Prince
5/5
Brilliant
Aphex Twin
3/5
Not my kind of thing, but good background music and very chilled out. Sounds like the work of one man with a clear idea of what he wants to do
Paul Weller
4/5
Brilliant.
The drums are really interesting, and the rest of the music and lyrics really good too. Not the best Weller album, but very very good
Megadeth
3/5
Meh, sounds like early Metallica b sides with a worse singer and half finished lyrics.
Sorry Dave!
Grizzly Bear
3/5
American landfill indie, like The Strokes' younger brothers listened to too much Editors and Doves (and not enough Elbow or Radiohead) before being let loose in a studio to produce their own album. Good, but not great, and not a band I am likely to explore further
Elvis Costello
4/5
Very distinctive voice, but this means a lot of the songs sound pretty similar. Really good songs though, lyrically and musically, with production that lets them shine.
Enjoyed it more than I expected, even though I knew enough of the songs to be confident it would be good.
4 🌟
Miles Davis
3/5
Very impressive, and enjoyable, and creative. Instrumentals rarely move me as much as songs with lyrics.
Parliament
5/5
Brilliant, awesome, wonderfully funky, almost perfect (and yet funkadelic still just hits better for me!)
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
Messy, impenetrable lyrics, odd choices of cover versions, and yet, there's something there. Not the best, but one my younger self would probably have liked a lot.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Good album, was everywhere for a while, but the songs stil hold up. Very relaxing, very chilled, very enjoyable in a low key way. Svefn-g-englar probably my favourite, along with the title track.
4 🌟
UB40
1/5
Nope.
One of my most hated bands, and they still are.
The world does not need Brummies (doing cod reggae).
An album so bad it is practically a hate crime!
Listen to the music they claim to love, not this piss poor facsimile.
0 🌟. Seriously, not even the 1 I had to give it.
Frank Black
4/5
Very good.
A bit rambling at points, but pleasantly rambling. Sounded more like Dylan than I had expected, and lots of influence from The Clash too.
Clear distinction from his work with the Pixies, which I was kind of not really thinking it would be.
Oddly, it made me want to listen to Pixies rather than more of his solo stuff though - just cos I know it better.
Eminem
5/5
Classic, I loved it when I was 17, and I love it still. Funny, dark, conscious, and silly (at different points!)
Stephen Stills
3/5
Not on Spotify - Joe Rogan sucks!
Pleasant enough, but pretty old sounding and very samey all the way through.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Classic, but with more instrumentals than I would have expected and only one song I knew beforehand. Really enjoyed it though, sounds like a band at the top of their game.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
Decent enough, but a bit dull.
Elbow
5/5
One of my favourite albums by one of my favourite bands.
Lyrically, musically and vocally flawless. My favourite lyric is the first verse of "Some Riot".
Heartbreaking at points, and arguably even more so when you read the story of his friend who it is dedicated to.
5 🌟
B.B. King
4/5
Awesome, almost unfair that someone could be such a good singer AND guitarist.
Every day I have the blues, worry worry worry, and woke up this morning were the best songs
4 🌟
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Very long opener, album as a whole very prog. Not great, but can appreciate the skill involved in making it
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Decent, with one outstanding song (sympathy...) and a few other god ones. I struggle to see why they were such a big deal though - there is very little innovative or exciting here. Maybe they were already past that point of their career.
Moby Grape
3/5
Not all songs on Spotify, which is not hugely helpful! The ones that are there are pretty sludgy and dull, and not very exciting. Decent enough, but plenty of room for improvement. Influence on a bunch of other bands is fairly clear
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Very different from anything I would previously have chosen to listen to, but a genre I can appreciate much more now. No lyrics can make it tricky to engage, but also allows the music to speak for itself.
Joan Baez
4/5
Flawless vocals, note perfect guitar playing, and yet it all feels a bit bloodless. I still really enjoyed it though! Would probably benefit from being listened to a few more times.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Flawless
Barry Adamson
3/5
Bizarre
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Pleasant and enjoyable without being obtrusive. Could easily be a movie soundtrack, or a cool advert.
Teenage Fanclub
5/5
Brilliant. I'm not sure why I didn't listen to them before, other than my disliking for jangle pop. An extra star for being Scottish as well means that it has to be 5 🌟
Santana
4/5
Very good, not exactly what I expected, but I really enjoyed it
Napalm Death
2/5
Nah, not for me. "You suffer" is decent, but too long, and most of the others sound similar (if less focussed). Still, at least it's not Nico or PSB, so they can have another 🌟 for being interesting - even if I genuinely never want to hear this album again!
Ministry
3/5
Heavy as hell, but with tunes and lyrics. Catchier than I expected, with no compromise on their aims.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Wonderful, not quite the Marley that gets played on the radio in Scotland, but probably more authentic because of that. The version of 'no woman no cry' is very different to the famous version on the "Legend" album, but still very impressive.
For clarity, I loved it!
Dirty Projectors
1/5
Very bad. Nein danke from me!
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5/5
Brilliant and important, must have been startling at the time.
Probably the shortest album on this list - 25 minutes!
I loved it.
Elvis Presley
5/5
Fabulous
MGMT
3/5
Over produced and over worked, but with a few gems in there as well.
Takes me straight back to the time it was released, when the singles were everywhere for a while.
The Byrds
1/5
Jangle pop nonsense, with lyrics about nothing and some really bizarre production choices. The use of a sitar is an insult to the whole Indian subcontinent, and the bonus tracks include band members swearing at each other to "do it properly".
Not great, but better than Nico or PSB!
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Brilliant
Marty Robbins
2/5
Depeche Mode
2/5
Not for me. Very 80s, with lyrics about nuclear war and drug addiction, and with over the top production that doesn't really benefit the songs. Personal Jesus is pretty good, although I like Johnny Cash's version better, but one of the later tracks sounds like a phone ring tone
Stan Getz
3/5
Interesting, challenging, different to anything I generally listen to, not my kind of thing, but could be.
Keeping it in mind for future listening
3 🌟
Sonic Youth
4/5
Clear influence on lots of bands I love, but doesn't resonate the same way, probably because I didn't hear it when I was younger. Really enjoyed it, hope to hear more from them
4 🌟
Kate Bush
4/5
Must be the first album I have had (and will probably be the only one) that has the current UK number one single on it!
Very good, if a bit samey, but she is a great singer and songwriter. Some of the sound effects are pretty odd, but not in a bad way. Cloudbusting is my favourite, with the two big singles close behind.
3 1/2 🌟 for me, but rounds up to 4
Brian Eno
3/5
Better than his other album, in that at least this one has actual songs. Not good songs, granted, but still a step u from the random nonsense of his previous effort.
Some sounds like Radiohead, some like Franz Ferdinand, all of it sounds like someone being mightily indulged, with no-one to rein in his stranger creative impulses.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Nothing like what I expected, since by the 90s they had gone into dance music. The cover of I don't wanna talk about it surprised me, but was good, the sax turning up was less enjoyable. Decent, but not one I am likely to come back to.
3 🌟
Prince
5/5
Absolutely genius. One of the best albums ever, by one of the best artists ever.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Some pretty questionable lyrics, which would probably be changed nowadays, but good music and very interesting to hear such early Clapton work.
Circle Jerks
4/5
Very fast, very loud, very funny, and very short. Kind of good, but I'm not sure "good" is what they were aiming for anyway.
Nina Simone
4/5
Wonderful
Sebadoh
4/5
Really enjoyed this, some of it sounds like early Biffy, or gentle Nirvana, but it is still entirely its own thing. A band I plan to seek out more from.
Mudhoney
4/5
Very enjoyable, like an early Nirvana with even less focus or production work. Not super catchy, or immediate, but one I will probably come back to.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Nah, not for me. Americans covering bad English folk songs is unnecessary, and the other tracks sound like an attempt to copy the title(ish) track. 7 o'clock news/silent night is the one original thought here, just weird enough to maintain interest.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Very distinctive voice and musical style, which can lose impact after a while. No tracks I knew before, and nothing immediate or catchy, but a solid album of classic Neil Young songs.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Meh. Very shiny, over-produced, bland lyrics. Pretty good voice though, and not unpleasant to listen to.
3 🌟
Electric Light Orchestra
5/5
A work of genius, with some all time classics. Even the random bonus tracks are good!
Megadeth
4/5
Great album, very fast, very heavy, very 80s sounding. If Dave had stayed in Metallica, they could have made the same album over and over again as well!
Ryan Adams
3/5
Elvis Presley
5/5
Wonderful
Fairport Convention
3/5
As a Scot, the idea of english folk music sounds a bit strange to me - who do they sing about being oppressed and invaded by? Or do they sing about doing the invading and oppressing? Turns out it's like Scottish and Irish folk music, but with less politics and more soap opera stories! Tunes are good though, and I enjoyed the album even though I would probably never have chosen to listen to it. Matty Groves and Crazy Man Michael were my favourite tracks.
3 🌟
The Clash
5/5
Another I loved before this, but tried to listen to 'properly' again when it came up.
Sounda like it was recorded fast and cheap (which it was), and only hints at the variety of styles and influences they would explore on later records.
Some of these songs are all time punk classics, and it's the debut album by one of my favourite bands, so it's got to be another 6 star album!
Iron Butterfly
4/5
Very prog, but also pretty heavy at points. Title track is my favourite, but not just because of the Simpsons!
Ute Lemper
2/5
Very weird, fairly bad, better than a few others.
Sounds like sarcastic Bond themes, sung by someone who has been in every musical.
Not for me
The Go-Go's
3/5
Good, but not great. Doesn't sound like a band who sprung from friends seeing a Sex Pistols concert! Our lips are sealed and automatic were my favourite tracks, but plenty of others were good too.
Saint Etienne
2/5
Dull
Alice Cooper
4/5
Much more variety than I would have expected. Really enjoyed it, would probably never have picked it out to listen to without this.
Ice Cube
5/5
Classic
Talking Heads
3/5
Not really my kind of thing. Relatively interesting, musically at least, and can hear the influence on loads of bands and artists.
Sounds very 80s, which I guess means it was ahead of its time
3 🌟
The Boo Radleys
5/5
Really enjoyable, a mix of genres and styles, with echoes of Ooberman, Blur, Nirvana, the Clash, ELO, The Beatles, and many more from across the whole of music. I'd only heard a couple of songs before, but loved wish I was skinny, barney (and me), Lazarus, and the white noise revisited.
5 🌟
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Reminds me of being 17, but not in a good way - just sounds like everything I had to tolerate on the radio. Could easily be Fatboy Slim or Moby, or any of the other cash-in copyists that followed.
Beatles
5/5
Genius. Even the less well known songs are almost perfect, and the bigger hits are among the best of all time.
Nick Drake
3/5
Pretty wierd, sounds like the soundtrack to some bizarre 70s kids TV show. Strange voice, nonsense lyrics, very outdated. And yet, there is something ethereal and enjoyable there too.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Good but not great. No real stand out tracks (other than Rebellion (lies) which I knew before) but works well as a whole piece. Singing in French and playing accordion are always welcome here!
Love
3/5
Very summery and psychedelic, and very very dated. Daft lyrics, clichéd music, but fun and enjoyable in spite of that.
The Velvet Underground
1/5
Nope. Off their faces, clearly, and Nico just can't sing. It's not quite as bad as her solo album, but still the 2nd worst album I have ever listened to in full.
How this got on the list, I will never know.
Absolutely rubbish; 0 🌟
Radiohead
5/5
Wonderful, almost perfect, one of my favourite bands ever, and was always going to score well. Listening to it again, I was reminded why I loved it first time around, and it has to be five stars (at least!)
Pyramid song and you and whose army are stand outs, even in an album so flawless
Sade
3/5
Very smooth and very dated, with way too much saxophone for me. Good vocals, but not a lot else worth revisiting.
Torn between 2 or 3, I will err on the side of generosity!
Faith No More
3/5
Good, and with a couple of really well known (and really good) tracks, but patchy and inconsistent later on.
The Black Sabbath cover and the instrumental seem pretty unnecessary, perhaps even self-indulgent
Machito
3/5
Very fun, but not one I could appreciate fully because I don't understand why it is so good. I really enjoyed it, but jazz just isn't my thing.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
Time after time is a great song, girls just wanna have fun is one of my most hated songs.
When you were mine is an interesting and enjoyable cover (or a great Prince track), but he's so unusual is boring and wierd.
Money changes everything is catchy and good, witness is simplistic and sticks in your head.
So it's pretty patchy, with (just!) enough good stuff to take it to 3 🌟!
Bob Dylan
3/5
The guy is not a great singer, and by this point his lyrics kind of sucked too. "trying to get to heaven" is kind of funny if you imagine heaven is a club with a strict doors close time, but most of the other songs are fairly dull.
With an album this late in a legendary act's career, you have to wonder if it suffers in comparison to his earlier work, or would never have seen the light of day if anyone else recorded these songs. With this album, I think it's the latter
The White Stripes
5/5
Genius album by a genius (and Meg), never going to be any less than 5 🌟!
Ryan Adams
2/5
Dull, and he seems like a bellend. The album starts with wankers arguing about who loves a prick more, and gets worse from there.
Musically ok, but lyrically and in terms of the flow of the album, it is crap.
Red Snapper
3/5
Nah, just hip hop backing tracks (with a few vocals). Could be good, if they were finished songs, but only ok as backing music as they are
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
What a voice! All the songs sound about a hundred years old, which is fair enough, because they are.
Very catchy, very enjoyable, very good
Slayer
4/5
Very loud, fast, and short. Songs about a wide variety of topics, which got them in a bit of bother. The 'big 4' band I knew least we'll before, but would be happy to see them pop up again
Skunk Anansie
5/5
Perfection, a band I have seen live a bunch of times, including at a Radio 1 Roadshow around the release of this album.
Depeche Mode
2/5
Very 80s and not very good. The singer has some odd affectations, and the lyrics are nonsense. Not their best work, probably, but not actively terrible.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Very boring
Pulp
4/5
amazing. not what i, or anyone else, expected after different class, but really really good. probably suffered at the time from how good their last few albums had been. My favourite song is 'a little soul'; 'help the aged' & the title track stand out too, but every song has something interesting
4 🌟
The Incredible String Band
3/5
Odd, in a wonderful way. Sounds like at least three different bands playing at the same time - sometimes many more! LSD infused folk music, with a bonus point for being Scottish.
Elastica
4/5
Very good, but not quite great.
Small Faces
4/5
So 60s it would sound like a parody if it came out now. The whole second half, with weird narration and short songs, showed a whole different way of making an album.
Franz Ferdinand
5/5
Classic Scottish indie, really reminds me of living in Glasgow at the time this was out. Every song is so catchy and bright that it can be hard to pick as favourite, but 40' and the imperious Take Me Out are definitely up there.
Loved it, and pleasantly surprised to see it on the list!
John Martyn
5/5
Brilliant
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Very like his work in Genesis, showing how much control he had in the band. Solisbury Hill is far and away the best known (and probably with good reason) but the album as a whole is pretty consistent.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Does not sound like classic beach boys, a bit darker and less intensely happy. The focus on environmentalism was way ahead of its time, but the music is more dated. I hope and expect to see more of their albums, and reckon I will enjoy them much more.
Randy Newman
3/5
Very unexpected to hear the guy from Toy Story using the n-word so liberally! Rest of the album is still not like anything I knew from him before, but not quite so startling.
Willie Nelson
5/5
Brilliant, a country concept album with a coherent story and great tunes. One of the reviews said it was "the Sgt pepper's of country", which sounds about right!
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Right at the intersection of folk and country, which is a very nice place to be. The band are very tight, the vocals are flawless, the lyrics talk of an America that doesn't exist anymore (if it ever did).
Wonderful
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
Classic, still (sadly) relevant, and insightful.
Really interesting to hear from the start of rap and hip-hop, and an album that was an inspiration to so many throughout the years since.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Absolute genius, from a band who knew for sure who and what they were.
DJ Shadow
4/5
Not one I would ever have chosen, but one I will definitely come back to! Might be better suited as background music for me, while studying or cycling, but enough to keep the interest if I'm listening "properly" too.
Dr. Dre
5/5
Not on Spotify unfortunately, but on YouTube plenty.
A classic, set out a path for hip-hop for years to come, and still the standard everyone is striving for.
De La Soul
5/5
Wonderful, if it's not the Sgt Pepper's of hip-hop, it is the Dark Side of the Moon of hip-hop! Absolute genius, even if it's not on Spotify
The Cure
2/5
Nah, not for me thanks. Musically ok, lyrically and vocally sub-par. Very 80s, which is not a compliment. Far from the worst album on the list (still Nico) but a long way from the best.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
5/5
Weird and noisy, and uncomfortable to listen to at points, but also awesome and unique.
An influence on loads of bands I love, and interesting as the first album by one of the great, but underappreciated, Scottish bands.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Good, but not great. Love the vocals, and the sound is pretty unique, but still doesn't quite make it to four 🌟 - not even with a bonus point for being Scottish!
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Would have rated it higher on the memory of loving it 20 years ago, but it is not quite a five star record for me now. Still really enjoyed it though, and hope more sfa comes up in future.
Favourite songs were the (sort of) title track, juxtaposed with u, and run! Christian, run!
4 🌟
Jamiroquai
3/5
I *hated* this band when I was a kid, didn't see the point and didn't know much of the music they were ripping off. I must have mellowed, because I thought this was ok. Only ok, but there's no way I would have given it more than one star a few years ago!
Kate Bush
3/5
Sounds very like Lorde, which they would probably both be happy with! Not especially catchy, but very pleasant and atmospheric
Os Mutantes
3/5
Very random, but very fun! Didn't get some of the lyrical references, but I really enjoyed the music. Sounded surprisingly similar to some of the more interesting stuff going on in the anglophone world around the same time - with a Latin twist.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I didnt love it but, to be fair, didn't entirely hate it either. I can't get on board with his voice, and all the songs sound the same because of it. The lyrics are as not as good as his reputation would suggest, perhaps it was easier to be considered good when there hadn't been as much music.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Wow! What a voice, and with interesting lyrics and music too.
Nitin Sawhney
4/5
Unlike much else I have listened to, a mix of instrumental tracks, samples (or recreations) of news reports, and songs about both of the above. Like a concept album about nuclear weapons, but cheerier than that sounds!
Also, it was really interesting to hear his music, as I know him better as a radio and TV presenter
The Velvet Underground
1/5
Not great, but at least no Nico! The best song was The Gift, a mmad spoken word story about a guy who posts himself. Many of the others are sloppy and unfocused, and there are way too many outtakes and live versions as filler on the linked version of the album.
The Smiths
1/5
Got served this on the morning of September 9th, the day after Queen Elizabeth II (I of Scotland) passed away. So much for randomisation.
Anyway, this is shite.
Shite singer, shite songs, shite production, shite lyrics.
The guy sings like he has been kicked in the plums, but I don't think we are that lucky. Turns out he is a nazi too, so fuck him. Would give it zero, or even less than that if I could.
Absolutely pish
Brian Eno
4/5
Background music, which is what he apparently intended. Really pleasant to have on while driving, studying or relaxing, as it is nice but not too engaging. Surprised I liked this so much, after previous Eno experiences, but it was (twice) a lovely wee reset in my day.
Only four tracks, but it might as well be one to be honest.
The Charlatans
4/5
Really really good, but not quite brilliant - so I guess it'll be 4 🌟! The big hits and that title track are the most immediate, but it's all pretty solid - just missing a bit of spark in my opinion
Tito Puente
4/5
Very cool, very fun, not one I would have listened to without this nonsense!
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
Absolutely class - both interesting as the start of the golden age, and immensely enjoyable on its own merits. It's like that and rock box and hard times and wake up are all pretty perfect, and so are all the other tracks!
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
A bit sloppy and messy, like live albums often are. Really enjoyable, and interesting, and sounds like it was an awesome gig. Weirdly also sounds like he was already kind of a heritage act, even so close to his heyday.
Loved it!
Soundgarden
5/5
Classic, not one I would have listened to all the way through without this, but I'm glad I did! Spoonman and the peerless black hole sun are the best known, but every track has its own charms.
Loved it
Louis Prima
4/5
Very enjoyable and fun, sounds like they were having a blast while making it!
Not really my kind of thing up too now, but maybe it should be!
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
Great, sounds a bit like they're riffing off the Beatles and the Stones at the same time! Very 60s, very British Invasion sounding (but from the US), very very good.
Silver Jews
3/5
American landfill indie, pretty bad but not offensively so. A couple of really upsetting puns (e.g. 10 I see / Tennessee), fairly dull music, but difficult to properly hate.
Sounds like another three to me!
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Very old and lush and boring; sounds like a soundtrack to some terrible pretentious movie about nothing. He is clearly a good singer, just all a bit dull.
Taylor Swift
2/5
Bland, samey, dull, with only a couple of songs worth remembering - the one about killing a guy, and maybe the one about going home for Christmas and dick.
Other than that, it sounds pretty rushed and unfinished, like it was too soon after her last album and she hadn't properly thought through what songs would be on this record.
Drive-By Truckers
5/5
Awesome - like the skynyrd/steinman crossover that we didn't know we needed! It's long, and heavy, and emotional, and absolutely brilliant.
I will definitely listen to this again (and again) and look forward to checking out the rest of their stuff.
James Taylor
3/5
Very pleasant, but not super exciting. He has a lovely voice, and moves in an engaging variety of styles, but the lyrics are a little simple and there's a slight lack of emotion at times. Enjoyable enough, and an artist I would be happy to hear again, but not one I can give a really high score.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Not very exciting - sounds really dated. To be fair, I only listened once through, but it didn't grab me in that time.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
Repetitive, instrumental, strange, trippy, evocative, repetitive, weird, lyric-less, bizarre and repetitive.
Morrissey
1/5
Not a chance I am listening to that Nazi prick - he has no place in this list, mostly because of his shit music -he just can't sing, or write good lyrics - but also because, and I can't stress this enough, he is a terrible conspiracy theorist and racist.
The Hives
4/5
Brilliant, although very short. Super catchy, really evocative of the time. Sounds like a bunch of other bands that were about at the same time, but with an added dose of Swedish eccentricity.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Very fun, it sounds awesome to be young in 1978! Songs are very dated though, as they are very of their time. Hard to pick a favourite, since they all sound basically the same, but the first three tracks are definitely a very strong start to the album.
The Byrds
2/5
A bad pastiche of some very old music - sounds like someone trying to recreate Johnny Cash or Eagles having only heard them once. Not what I expected from The Byrds, and not as good. Decent enough I guess, but nothing memorable in the whole album.
John Cale
2/5
Nonsense, very very old fashioned, not very exciting.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Fantastic, perhaps perfect. Stevie is such a treasure, I love pretty much all of his work, and this is no exception.
Absolutely wonderful
Sheryl Crow
2/5
Meh
Kraftwerk
3/5
Sounds like a bunch of 80s TV themes, probably because they were the future when TV theme writers were getting into writing. Very repetitive, good background music for studying perhaps.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Perfection
Bad Brains
2/5
Only ok, like mediocre punk mixed with the worst excesses of the 80s. A pale shadow of the music they love, but interesting nonetheless
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
5/5
Brilliant, hard to believe it was their first album - it sounds so focused and complete. Breakdown and American Girl are stand outs, but it is all great!
Morrissey
1/5
Nope. He can't sing, and is a Nazi, and isn't a good lyricist, and is a Nazi, and writes terrible music, and is a Nazi, and really puts the "pretentious" in "pretentious wanker", and also, and I can't stress this enough, is a Nazi.
0 🌟
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Perfection
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Very good, great at points, with such a sad story of the aftemath and the tragic loss of Amy. What a talent she was!
A majestic album, which I find really hard to separate from its creator, and which is largely responsible for people thinking Mark Ronson was a production genius (rather than a bit of a one trick pony)
As music, and an album, it is an absolute masterpiece
The Who
3/5
Not as good as the reputation it has - only a couple of good songs and a lot of filler, especially on the special edition with live versions.
Blur
5/5
Brilliant, really reminds me of being a teenager back when it was out. Some big hits (in the UK at least), including song 2, but i think some of the lo-fi low key tracks are my favourites.
Steve Earle
4/5
Fills the gap between Springsteen and Johnny Cash, which is a pleasant place to be. Musically and lyrically great, and really fun.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Meh
Van Morrison
2/5
Boring, samey, bizarre lyrics, nowhere near as good as I was expecting from its reputation.
AC/DC
4/5
Classic, not as heavy as I might have expected, but absolutely great
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
Crap
Tortoise
2/5
Pretty bad, pretty boring, really odd.
Like someone listened to the instrumentals from Radiohead albums and decided to make a tribute compilation.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Sloppy and unfocused, and probably didn't need to be a double. But there are plenty of great songs and no absolute stinkers. Falls just short of getting 5 🌟
Slipknot
5/5
Absolutely brilliant, heavy as hell and twice as loud. They are also the loudest band I have ever seen live. Wait and Bleed woke me each morning for years, on a CD alarm clock, which fairly gets the day started right!
Arcade Fire
3/5
Good, but not great. Sounds kind of like a Canadian Radiohead, but maybe less interesting. A couple of really good songs, and a lot of filler.
Def Leppard
2/5
Pretty bad - all the songs sound the same, and all are massively over-produced with terrible gated drums and nonsensical lyrics. More like a pop album than a rock one, but fails as either in my opinion
Green Day
5/5
A stone cold classic, the best album they ever made and one of the best of the century so far. Another band I saw live, on the tour for their album following this one, and a band who put everything into each show.
Was never likely to be less than full marks, but listening again confirmed it as entirely deserving of 5 big 🌟
The Icarus Line
3/5
Very noisy, but solid tunes in there somewhere too. Clear influence on royal blood and the white stripes, hints of the strokes, queens of the stone age, and plenty of grunge. Not one of the best 1001 albums, but an interesting one I would never otherwise have heard
3 🌟
Elvis Presley
3/5
This is a good album. But it does not demonstrate what made Elvis an icon. It lacks the energy and swagger of his early live and television performances and albums. And it is missing the showmanship and experience of his later years as a Vegas bandleader.
If this were the only Elvis Presley music to which you were ever exposed, you’d likely (and rightly) think, “why is this guy such a big deal?”
That would be a shame because at his best, he was The King.
Crowded House
4/5
Pretty good, but not perfect. Really interesting choices of instruments, engaging (if often impenetrable) lyrics, lovely vocal harmonies, always good to hear antipodean voices represented in the book.
Pavement
5/5
Brilliant
Pavement
5/5
Brilliant, but not quite as good as their follow up (which I had yesterday!). Still solidly 5 🌟 though - and a new favourite band for me after 2 albums in 2 days
Johnny Cash
5/5
Perfection, both the songs and the banter between. He is one of the greatest of all time, and this is one of his mat famous shows - what's not to love?
Cat Stevens
4/5
English folk, so obviously not as good as Scottish equivalent, but still very good - and with a couple of all time classics.
Roxy Music
3/5
Better than their previous one that came up for me. Sounds like one of the best music producers leaving the band helped the band move in a more guitar focused direction. Still not hugely engaging or enjoyable, but better than I expected.
Tom Waits
3/5
Not for me thanks, just not very interesting. Also his voice is bizarre, not even in a good way.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Very good, with great lyrics, but all felt a bit restrained. Clearly very influential, especially on female singer songwriters, but not quite 5 🌟 for me.
Baaba Maal
4/5
Wonderful - not one I would have ever found without this project, but I'm glad I did!
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
Instrumentals, although a few recognisable and interesting ones. Not great, other than as background music I guess.
Gotan Project
3/5
Très étrange, mais la plupart des groupes avec <<projet>> dans leur nom sont assez étranges. Presque toutes les chansons n'ont pas de voix, et certaines ont des choix d'instruments très étranges.
Cet album n'est pas terrible, mais il n'est pas non plus très bon. Je l'ai un peu aimé, mais je ne le réécouterai pas.
Bob Dylan
3/5
He's a bad singer, who writes decent songs with good lyrics and bland predictable chord progressions. I truly thought this would be great, but it is no better than good in my opinion
Al Green
4/5
Classic and classy, and far more variety of tone and texture than I would have expected.
Green Day
5/5
Basically perfect, one of my favourite albums ever
Dolly Parton
5/5
An absolutely wonderful collection of songs, with lots of light and shade and lovely lyrics. The title track might be her best song, in terms of words and music, but I prefer the driving rythym of Travellin Man.
Brilliant, and much better (in my opinion) than a lot of her later pop records.
Einstürzende Neubauten
2/5
Probably the wierdest album I have ever listened to. Not the worst - that is still Nico - but very odd, with unusual instrumental choices.
I had no real idea what to expect, and don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone else!
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
Brilliant, with a clear influence on many of my favourite bands - most obviously nirvana but also Biffy and pavement.
Suede
4/5
One of the precursors to classic Brit-pop, probably suffers a bit in comparison with the abundance of classic albums released by Suede and their contemporaries over the few years that followed. Very very good, but just a bit patchy in my opinion
Pixies
5/5
Brilliant, both for its influence and in its own right. I recognised more songs than I expected, and really enjoyed the ones I hadn't heard before.
Primal Scream
3/5
It's ok
Emmylou Harris
3/5
More folk than country, but that American folk that is right between the two.
Good, but not great, with no songs that will live long in the memory. Perfectly pleasant though.
Bob Dylan
5/5
My favourite of his albums that I have listened to, this does a better job of explaining why he has the reputation that he does. Some all time classics, and some really good but less famous songs, adds up to a five 🌟 score
Suicide
1/5
Very very odd, not always in a good way. Not terrible, far from great, but really strange. Not for me thanks.
Still miles better than Nico though!
Elvis Costello
2/5
Boring, samey, annoying vocals and terrible lyrics. Why is this even on the list?
Kelela
4/5
Really good, very modern and polished, sounds expensive and lush.
Ray Charles
3/5
Sounds really old, and not as "country & western" as the title made me expect. Good, but not great, and very long (because it is two albums turned into a double)).
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
Really good versions of really old songs. Reading the story behind it was cool too - a kind of hands across the generational divide type of project. Was cool to hear songs that some of my favourite acts (Johnny Cash, Elvis etc) would have listened to growing up.
Surprised how many of the songs I knew - there's even one that Jeff Buckley recorded!
The Stone Roses
5/5
Brilliant, classic, hear its influences all over the place. I was a bit surprised how may of the songs I knew, but they released SIX singles, and one of the other songs is one of the singles backwards! Really enjoyed it, but now frustrated they didn't kick on from here.
5 🌟
The Kinks
5/5
Very odd, in that specific 60s way. Very good though, and touches on themes few other bands wrote about.
MC Solaar
5/5
Cet album est excellent. Je l'ai écouté pendant que <<les bleus>> jouaient leur premier match de la coupe du monde Qatar 2022 - ce qui était une belle coïncidence. Il me fait penser à un Roots Manuva francophone, ou à un Afrika Bambaataa bilingue.
La musique est super, et les paroles sont encore meilleures. Cinq étoiles !
George Michael
2/5
Nah, not for me thanks
Radiohead
5/5
5 🌟
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Technically very proficient, but lacking that indefinable something that changes "Muzak" into "art". Pleasant enough, but very very old fashioned and doesn't really help explain his reputation. I did like it (honest!), I just struggle to see how anyone could properly love it.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Very good, and very odd. If I was born ten years earlier, I would probably have loved this band growing up, but as it is I love the (many, many) bands they influenced.
Eurythmics
3/5
Good but not great, with the exception of 'love is a stranger' and the peerless title track. Annie is one of the oddest humans, and Scottish too, but overall this is just too 80s for me
Norah Jones
2/5
Boring and samey. Sounds like backing music from a Nigella cooking show, possibly performed by one of her smug twat friends. All the songs sound the same, but somehow all worse than each other too. Inoffensive bland nothing, with as much substance as the frothy milk drinks she soundtracks.
Still many million times better than Nico and Morrisey though.
Miles Davis
4/5
I still don't really know enough to describe or even critique this "properly", but I do know I enjoyed it, and appreciated the talent of the musicians involved.
OutKast
5/5
One of the few albums my partner owned that I didn't when we moved in together, which is pretty surprising, since I am the hip hop head out of the two of us!
A great album, which is possibly too long, but I can't say what (except the weird instrumental version of 'my favourite things') could be cut.
Two "solo" albums, releases as a double, could be a way forward for bands on the verge of breaking up!
Big boi's album is straight up ATL hip hop, and brilliant, but it's Andre 3000's convincing impressions of Prince, but southern, that really stands out.
Wonderful, weird, interesting and engaging, I loved it!!
Rod Stewart
4/5
Good but not great. Lots of filler and interlude instrumentals for what is a pretty short album. Maggie May is a classic though, and he's (sort of) Scottish, so I can't really be too harsh.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Shite. Rubbish vocals, dull lyrics, terrible music, weird arrangements and instrumentation.
How is this even on the list?
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Not their best album, but any collection of songs which includes "Kashmir" is fine by me! Plenty of other crackers too, with plenty of miscial light and shade, and loads of lyrical variety.
Bobby Womack
3/5
Solid if unspectacular; an album that feels like a warm hug and a mug of cocoa.
David Bowie
5/5
Classic
5 🌟
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Absolutely not my kind of thing, but a good example of big beat dance music (I think!). Good guests, interesting samples, but all too repetitive to truly enjoy (at least without being on something).
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
Decent background music, but no better. Fine, but not my favourite.
Gene Clark
4/5
Really good, and not one I had ever heard of before. Lots of great songs, in the space between country and proto-prog, which seems like a very fun place to be!
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
Nah, not for me. Probably god if you're into that sort of thing, but I'm not
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Very good, although pretty much ignored at the time. Sounds very like his famous songs, but without the baggage of being rock radio staples for a few decades!
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Old, very old, country, more my dad's taste than mine. Good example of this genre though, and I did enjoy it. Really surprised to find In The Pines, covered by Nirvana as Where did you sleep last night, turn up
Neil Young
4/5
Very good, albeit a bit maudlin at points. Of course, that was the intention, given the back story.
Interesting to hear it was poorly rated at the time, but it's far from the only album on the list that this applies to.
Not on Spotify (Joe Rogan still sucks).
Gary Numan
2/5
Pretty dull, probably sounded ahead of its time, but is now over 40 years old. He's not a great singer, and all the songs sound kind of the same. Not a worthy inclusion in my opinion
Japan
1/5
Pretty bad
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Brilliant.
Clear and obvious influence on The Killers, and pretty much all stadium rock. I never knew how many singles were from this one album 6 out of 12 tracks charted!
George Harrison
5/5
Virtually flawless, with the only issue being that it is maybe too long - especially the extended version (and even more so the other version on Spotify - which is over 4 hours long!).
My sweet Lord is one of the prettiest songs ever, and so is so much of the album. Hard to believe some of these were rejected from Beatles albums - although they weren't struggling for songs I suppose!
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Very weird, not always in a good way. Done better by many other bands, not sure why this is on the list
Michael Jackson
5/5
Great album, from a pretty terrible person, who had a really difficult life. Judging purely on the music, hard not to give a great score! Man in the mirror and dirty Diana probably my favourite, although any song featuring Stevie Wonder is also good.
The Pharcyde
4/5
Very odd and very funny. Talks about all sorts of nonsense that mainstream hip hop didn't (and still doesn't). Very enjoyable, if pretty lyrically dense.
Van Morrison
3/5
Not very exciting. The title track stands out a mile as being fun and catchy, but most of the others are pleasant enough but dull.
The Band
4/5
Very enjoyable, well written and well sung
4 🌟
Culture Club
2/5
Nah, not very good. Not actively painful, but pretty bad.
The Doors
2/5
Old and boring. Not terrible, just not good
Morrissey
1/5
Shite.
Shite singer, shite songs, shite production, shite lyrics.
The guy sings like he has been kicked in the plums, but I don't think we are that lucky. Would give it zero, or even less than that if I could.
Absolutely pish.
He can't sing, and is a Nazi, and isn't a good lyricist, and is a Nazi, and writes terrible music, and is a Nazi, and really puts the "pretentious" in "pretentious wanker", and also, and I can't stress this enough, is a Nazi.
0 🌟
Various Artists
1/5
1 🌟
The Clash
5/5
Flawless, my favourite album by one of my favourite bands. The card cheat and death and glory are two of the best rock songs, which are never really heard outside of this album. The bugs hits (title track, guns of Brixton, train in vain) are also great, but it is the breadth of their vision and influences that really stands out.
Perfection
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Classic, no idea how it could possibly be improved. Any collection that starts with Gimme Shelter and ends with You Can't Always Get What You Want, and doesn't drop off a cliff in between, is alright by me!
Aimee Mann
4/5
Solid if unspectacular, but maybe an album that would benefit from repeated listening. Sounds kind of like a lot of artists I love, so probably someone I could get into. Really torn on how to score this - might as well err on the side of generosity!
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Background music, or instrumental tracks waiting for a rapper/singer/both to come along and finish them.
Sounds kind of like an audio showreel, to demonstrate a producer's work.
Not terrible, but interesting; good, just not great.
Ray Charles
4/5
Very good, but maybe falls just short of "genius". Not by much though!
The xx
2/5
Meh, sounds like no effort has been expended (which I accept may be their schtick) in either the music or lyrics. Trying to be cool, while trying to cover up any sign that it took any effort.
Like the audio equivalent of the "bed head" where it takes ages to make your hair look like you "just woke up".
Also, just not very good.
Madonna
5/5
Very good, one of the best pop artists at the top of her game. Probably wouldn't have been a 5 without Prince turning up, but he did, so ...
Cherish is a wee charmer, title track is obviously a classic, Dear Father and Oh Jessie are better then I remembered them being. And Prince is on this!
Probably my first 5 to a pop album, but fully deserved in my opinion.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Like a more boring Mumford and Sons, with hints of (a poor facsimile of) Roddy Woomble's solo stuff. Decent, but unexciting, part of the wave of landfill folk that followed landfill indie for a few years.
White Winter Hymnal is the best track, but that's a bit like being the tallest dwarf.
Johnny Cash
5/5
5
Before I even listen to it today, 5 🌟 on my love for the man, and this collection in particular.
After listening, I am reminded of the fragility and power of his voice, often in the same song, and the genius of the song choices and production work by Rick Rubin. I has also forgotten Fiona Apple shows up, and fits in perfectly with the mood and tone.
All in all a virtually perfect album, and one of a very small number that my dad and I would both have in our top handful of albums.
U2
4/5
Pretty much what I expected from them at this point in their career - safe, over-produced, more effects than guitar playing, but still very enjoyable.
"...wild horses" and "the fly" probably my favourite tracks, but so many of them are classic rock staples already.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
Really interesting to have an album starting with instructions for how to listen to it and an explanation of the instruments used. For all Shankar says his music is not jazz, it shares certain qualities - one of which is that I don't fully understand it!
I enjoyed this album, although like most instrumental pieces I found myself getting a little distracted - so maybe better as background music.
Sister Sledge
2/5
Decent, for disco, although Lost in Music is a hypnotically great track. Some of the slower songs drag massively, and even the big hits are only decent. Involvement of Chic elevates it slightly, but I just didn't enjoy it enough for it to score very highly.
The Replacements
5/5
Never really heard of them before, now I'm not sure how! Sound like an Australian clash-influenced proto-nirvana - I was astounded to find they were from the USA. Really enjoyed it, and was nice to see what the rock kids were listening to when the pop and indie kids were in charge of the charts. Definitely going to listen to more of their stuff, and read more about them too.
Wonderful
5 🌟
Kanye West
2/5
He's lost his mind since this was recorded and released, to the point that I wasn't sure whether to listen to it. He's clearly not well, and maybe this album, with him framing himself as as deity, could be seen as the start of it.
It is not a great album, full of auto-tune and glitchy beats, and with only a couple of memorable songs.
Probably the biggest drop from his early work of any artist I have listened to.
The Avalanches
4/5
Weird and fun, with a couple of my favourite dance tunes - frontier psychiatrist being the absolute best. So many samples, from so many random places, that it can sound jumbled. But when they get it right, they get it so right!
Nico
1/5
Rubbish lyrics, terrible vocals, horrible instrumentation, and no drums at all! The worst album I have ever listened to, and I never will again.
Virtually a crime against humanity, and I can only assume that some reviewers (who liked it) have no ears, or taste, or were afraid to admit it should be nowhere near this list.
0 🌟
Funkadelic
5/5
Absolutely brilliant - maybe falls just short of Maggot Brain, but still a very high 5!
Probably my favourite band I have discovered through this project - hope to hear much more from them.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Very enjoyable, with great guests and engaging songs. Lots of spoken word to start and end the album, which was a bit weird. I really enjoyed it, but not quite enough for full marks. She came damn close though!
Bob Dylan
3/5
An album that as such a great reputation, but not one I particularly appreciated. He's not a great singer, obviously, and I'm not sure his songwriting is as good as it is often said to be. A couple of clever lines here and there, but sounds dated and boring, and I'm not sure it would be held in such high regard if it came out now.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Pretty samey, whiny and dull. The second album I have had which has a white guy using the N word. That's automatically a point off in my book - even if he has since renounced the use of the word.
Deep Purple
4/5
Not sure by there's a love album on the list - it's not *really* an album. It's really good though, sounds like Led Zep at points and Monster Magnet at others.
The Cure
3/5
Grumpy mopey grungy goths, an influence on a bunch of bands I like, but a bit dark and one paced for me.
Having said that, I would probably have loved it if I was 16 when it came out.
Stereolab
3/5
Lyrics half in English and half en français - une très bonne idée! Keeps it intéressant, même si la musique is sometimes un peu dull. Je l'aime, but didn't love it, mais je crois que I might have been very into them si j'avais les connais quand j'etais plus jeunes.
Trois étoiles / three stars
Scott Walker
3/5
Wonderful voice, quite a strange guy, but that works better for a singer than if it was the other way round. Some of the songs covered are very old, and sound it, but still interesting.
A clear influence on loads of artists, particularly The Divine Comedy.
Good, but not great
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Odd, pretty dated, but very important. Part of a very successful musical family, none of whom were involved in this album.
Fun, and often funny, but the first two songs stand out a mile.
Not sure the remixes on the linked Spotify version add anything.
Dire Straits
5/5
Wonderful. Hard to believe it was their debut album - it sounds so fully realised and polished.
The Byrds
4/5
Trying to trick reviewers into giving them five stars by having "fifth" in the title - but it won't work on me!
Pretty good, certainly better than their other album I have heard, but no better than that.
Public Enemy
5/5
Classic, one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, still so influential, and unfortunately still so relevant.
I also listened to this the same day I started watching Chuck's series "Fight The Power" about the history of hip-hop, including the background, development of the four elements, and (in episode 2) the golden age of which this is a major part.
Pulp
5/5
Genius. Anyone who doesn't like this was not in Britain in the 90s! When the question "Blur or Oasis?" was asked, Pulp was the secret right answer. Every track makes you feel something, whether that is 'kill the rich' or 'Jarvis is a sleaze'.
A flawless album, literally couldn't be improved in any way.
Coldplay
5/5
An album released the year I turned 18, by a bunch of college boys from the same country (sort of) - how could I not like it!
I loved it at the time and, listening purely on its own merits, I loved it again now. Shiver (their breakthrough track) was an instant classic, and it turns out I remember pretty much every word of the whole album.
Wonderful, it's just a shame they moved away into dance music and Hollywood marriages!
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Not on Spotify (Joe Rogan still sucks).
All the songs sound kind of the same, which is no bad thing when they are so good. Her voice is gorgeous, floating between fragile and powerful as she sees fit. A wonderful album, well worthy of inclusion in this list.
Sparks
2/5
Very weird and not very good. The world is better for Sparks existing, but I'm not a huge fan. Better than a lot of the dross on the list, but not by much.
Miles Davis
3/5
Very enjoyable, even if I still don't quite understand all the nuances of the genre. That's a me problem, not a Miles problem, and one of the many reasons I am delighted to be doing this!
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
Solid if unspectacular, with two stone cold classics to open, but a bunch of good to very good afterwards. As such, it's pretty much my definition of a 4 🌟!
Van Halen
2/5
Mediocre 80s hair metal, which is not my favourite genre. A few good moments, and a rubbish pop hit ("Jump") does not make an essential album. Not for me, but better than Nico and Morrisey (and quite a few others on the list).
Steely Dan
4/5
Very enjoyable, although not overly memorable. A perfect soundtrack for driving on a sunny day - which is handy, as that's what I was doing! Hard to pick a stand out track, which shows how consistent the piece is. The music, lyrics, instrumentation and vocals are all great - would love to hear more from them
Fats Domino
3/5
Very very old.
Scott Walker
3/5
Very easy listening - not a criticism or a compliment, just an observation. His voice is wonderfully rich and smooth, but I'm not a huge fan of the songs themselves.
One of the hardest to rate, for me, because I'm not quite sure what to make of it!
Jethro Tull
4/5
Who knew prog-folk was a thing? Not me, until I heard this, although I wish I had! Title track is the most immediate, but plenty else to like as well. Probably one that would have had a 3 from the first listen, but I went round a couple more times and feel it earned that fourth star!
Led Zeppelin
5/5
One of the best albums ever, with at least three of the best songs ever, by one of the best bands ever, with each member being one of the best in ther role.
Never going to be any less than 5!
Underworld
3/5
Not really my kind of thing, but oddly hypnotic after a while. No real stand out tracks, but pleasant enough
Anita Baker
3/5
Very good, although not very exciting to me. She's a great singer though, and following in a grand tradition of soul/disco crossover.
Portishead
5/5
Brilliant, wonderful, hypnotic, genius.
Pretty much invented a genre (along with massive attack)
An all time classic
New York Dolls
4/5
Good, but not great; a clear influence on the punk movement that followed, especially The Clash.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
Certainly very short - about 30 minutes - but also very good. Neil Hannon is a great singer and lyricist, with a slightly skewed perspective on the world. Wonderful, if perhaps a bit one paced and similar sounding. I really liked it
Black Sabbath
5/5
Flawless
Bob Dylan
4/5
Probably the only album with songs later covered by both The Byrd's and Rage Against The Machine. One of Dylan's better ones, with lots of good songs, but he never was a good singer so they get a bit lost. Enjoyable enough, but far from the masterpiece I would perhaps have expected.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
Meh. Very shiny and expensively produced, a few clever lines, but mostly just generic 80s bland nonsense.
The Velvet Underground
1/5
Abysmal, barely a single coherent thought in the whole shebang. Absolutely rubbish, but still better than the Nico album!
0.00000001 🌟
Hole
3/5
Patchy and inconsistent but pretty enjoyable. Clear influences, from the bands you would probably expect them to be influenced by.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Very important, but has been done better by other bands since. Didn't realise there would be harmonica!
Jacques Brel
3/5
Il est belge, mais il chante en français, donc je n'ai compris qu'une grande partie de ce qu'il a chanté. Cela sonne très bien, mais assez démodé. Je l'ai aimé, mais je ne l'ai pas adoré. 3 étoiles
The Smiths
1/5
I am not listening to this Nazi prick and his shite band. Never have (even changing the radio station if they come on) never will. I hate this band, especially their arsehole of a singer, and I always will.
*googles* how to give a rating below zero
Duke Ellington
3/5
Very old, a genre I still don't quite understand, a slightly messy live recording, much too long (at least the linked Spotify version), but still pretty magical at points.
Beck
4/5
Very odd, in a good way, with a dazzling range of styles and genres. Influences from rock, country, hip-hop, dance, and a bunch of other fields. I already loved the "big" songs, but was pleasantly surprised by how good some of the others were as well.
Falls just short of a 5 🌟, but only just!
Kanye West
5/5
Possibly his best work, which is saying something! Very varied, with features and guest verses all over the shop. Wonderful, even if it should probably lose a star for him going so fully insane in the time since.
But, my rules, and I've decided it would have been six if he had stayed sane!
The La's
5/5
Really enjoyed this, only knew one song well, but it wasn't even the one I liked most. My favourites were son of a gun, doledrum, timeless melody, and the absolute best was looking glass. Just wish they had done more, but better one 5 🌟 album than five 1 🌟 ones
4/5
Very old fashioned, with very short and (occasionally) repetitive songs. More my dad's taste than mine, but still very enjoyable.
Roxy Music
2/5
Not for me, too art for art's sake. Very 80s sounding, but not in a good way. No thanks
2 🌟
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Very varied, big singles are obviously the most catchy/immediate, but I works really well as a (loose) concept album too. I didn't really realise it was her only solo album - although I guess she did plenty of other work with the Fugees, and others, that she didn't really need to work too hard as a solo artist. A great album, which scores juuuust over 4.5 - meaning it scores 5!
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Flawless
R.E.M.
5/5
Brilliant, with a few tracks that are even better than that! It's the end of the world ... and To the one I love are stone cold classics.
Also features the shortest review of another artist's album - " 'Standing on the Shoulders of Giants' leaves me cold" - obviously not a fan of Oasis's later work
Aerosmith
4/5
Very good, very consistent, very of its time. A song like ten inch record would probably not be released nowadays!
ABBA
1/5
1 of my most disliked artists, even before I listened to this 1. There's, at most, 1 half decent song. Hard to believe they were 1 of the biggest bands in the world at this time - they are pish!
Another 0 🌟 for me - even if the scoring doesn't allow it!
David Holmes
2/5
Very odd, doesn't have any recognisable links to Ireland - much more a New York album. Mostly instrumental dance music, with spoken samples, which means it feels more like background music.
Very odd remix/reworking of the James Bond thème just dropped in the middle, for no real reason.
The Byrds
2/5
Meh, pretty dull and partly responsible for the explosion of terrible jangle-pop nonsense yha followed.
Not for me
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Perfection. So many classics, but I want to give a special mention to Red House - one of my favourite songs of all time!
The Offspring
4/5
Very loud, fast, and great
LCD Soundsystem
1/5
Like a terrible compilation album of bands who think EDM is the new rock n roll. It's not, and never will be.
A diverse array of styles, all of them rubbish.
I was not surprised to find this was music made by an industry veteran - it sounds so calculated it could have been written by a focus group, like a lot of acts who have former managers, producers, or label bosses.
The Specials
5/5
Brilliant, even the songs I didn't know before were awesome and still, sadly, so relevant. Themes of the album include racism in Britain, unemployment and hopelessness in teenagers, and corruption in politics - none of which have got any better!
Much rockier than I might have expected, which is obviously a good thing
Iron Maiden
5/5
Faust
1/5
Weird and bad; not really music
The Jesus And Mary Chain
5/5
Better than I expected, but not really my kind of thing. Happy when it rains is a cracking tune, and they get a wee extra 🌟 just for being Scottish!
4 🌟 => 5 🌟
The Stooges
3/5
Very important, and not quite what I expected. Good, but not great, but with a clear place on this list for its importance and for being such an influential work.
Tom Waits
4/5
Great voice, great songs, a brilliant album all-round.
The Who
4/5
Very 60s sounding, not always in a good way. Almost a cliché / parody of the other songs around at the time. Even the bigger songs sound weirdly tame and muted - maybe because of the muscular live versions that have become part of the backstory of rock music.
Big Black
4/5
A band I was only vaguely aware of, given how much more successful Steve Albini was as a producer. Glad to have listened to it now though, even if my favourite song was the one I knew best before - "Bazooka Joe".
A very good album, but not quite 5 🌟 for me.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
I'm not 100% sure it needed to be two hours long, but I'm glad it is. A classic of the "post-grunge" era, with loads of light and shade and musical variety.
I played in a Pumpkins cover band when I was a teenager, and love the songs as much now as I did then.
New Order
4/5
Not an album I knew much about, but I found my new favourite New Order track on it - Elegia is an absolute masterpiece, which is far more moving than an instrumental has any right to be. The other songs are all pretty good too, but not as magical as Elegia. Overall, better than a 3, not quite good enough for a 5.
fIREHOSE
5/5
Absolutely brilliant, from a band I had not really heard of. If it was out now, I'd say it sounds like Biffy and Razorlight, with hints of Pearl Jam and Incubus. However, this was before all of those bands!
Always good to hear a wee drum solo too, as long as it's not too long.
Couldn't be less than 5 🌟
The Byrds
2/5
Boring and samey. Mostly well sung, just not interesting. The version of "We'll Meet Again" is perhaps the oddest single song on a pop album
PJ Harvey
2/5
Not quite sure what I expected, but I certainly hoped for better. As a Scot, an album of songs about England is not top of my wishlist - even if it's not complimentary!
Singing is great, but words and music less so. Maybe I'd like it more after a few more times through, but there's no time for that - on to the next!
Afrika Bambaataa
5/5
Absolute genius. One of the best to ever do it, and also one of the first. Anyone who claims to love hip-hop, but doesn't know of the founders, is missing out massively.
This album in particular makes me want to set up a class teaching the youngsters about the early days and the golden age!
The Darkness
5/5
An album that was *everywhere* when it was out - every song was played in the pubs and clubs of Glasgow (not just the singles). Mostly very silly, but with a few more poignant moments.
Reminds me of being a student in the big city, and gets am extra stars for that!
Wire
5/5
Brilliant. A band I knew only through the artists they had influenced (Manics, Elastica etc.) but now wish I had explored more. Like a slightly artier Clash, or a Pistols who could actually play.
Wonderful
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
Very, very good, with lots of light and shade. Some points where it is very funny, some where it is very serious, but overall it easily matches the standard of the big singles he had out. Only track that slightly grates is Outro - basically a list of everyone he has ever met!
Dwight Yoakam
4/5
Sounds more of a rock album than I would have expected - maybe cos he was not in Nashville. Still plenty of country music tropes though, from listing all the ways his life sucks (in the opener) to clear threats to kill a cheating lover (in a couple of songs!)
Paul Simon
3/5
Sounded familiar even though I had never heard any of the songs before. Think too much (b) and The late great Johnny Ace were my favourite songs
3 ⭐
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Perfection, from the first note to the last. Pretty much every song is a timeless classic, with some all-time greats mixed in as well.
Absolutely loved it; would give it 6 🌟 if I could!
5 🌟
David Bowie
4/5
Not as good as I expected, given the reputation this has. Still good, but not great.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Flawless
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
0 🌟
Fiona Apple
3/5
Good but not great. Never a big deal in this country, but perhaps should have been. Reminiscent of Alanis, Björk, and Tori Amos, without the stand out track that an album by any of those artists would have.
Britney Spears
2/5
Meh. Very very pop, not my thing at all, and yet, there is something there. The acoustic indie covers of some of the songs are better, but also show the songs are ok without all the production and nonsense.
"Email my heart" might be the most 1999 song title I have ever heard though, and most of the album just sounds like filler; especially the terrible remixes that close out the album. However, 1 good and 2 decent songs (3 of the 4 singles) => better than the albums that get 1 ⭐ (but only just - like 1.5000000001/5!)
The Killers
5/5
One of my favourite albums of the century so far. Full of songs that were everywhere when I was a student, also always nostalgic for me. However, hard not to hear Bill Bailey singing about hamsters, in the back of my head.
A brilliant album
Jeff Buckley
5/5
The best album of all time. Absolute perfection from the first note to the last. An album I listen to at least four times a week, and always hear something special. The tragedy is that it is his only completed album, but that makes it more special rather than less.
Miss you Jeff
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Great album, wonderful vocals and instrumentation. The flawless "Do you realize" and "Yoshimi ... (part 1)" are probably my favourite individual songs, but it makes most sense as a whole piece.
Otis Redding
3/5
Good, but not quite great. He has an astounding voice, and has picked some good songs to sing (other than the rubbish cover of the Stones' 'Satisfaction') but it's just missing a bit of emotion at points. I really enjoyed it, but didn't love it.
Cheap Trick
2/5
I'm still not sure live albums should be in the book. If they are, I suppose this is one of the most famous and important but, for me, that's another argument against its inclusion.
As an album, it is sloppy and messy, with only a couple of good songs. The band are clearly having a whale of a time, as are the audience, but it just makes me want to go to a show (probably not Cheap Trick tho!)
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Good but patchy, with a bunch of bonus that add nothing.
Beck
3/5
Good but not great, very serious by his standards, a few good songs but a lot of filler.
The White Stripes
5/5
Flawless
Donovan
2/5
Boring, weird, problematic at points. Not quite bad enough for 1 ⭐, but just barely scrapes a second one.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
Absolute unsurpassable genius
Beck
3/5
Blander then I would have expected, not really anything particularly memorable. Perhaps one that would benefit from repeated listen listening.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
A few classics, a few filler tracks, very lush and expensive sounding. Not for me, really, bar the outstanding title track, but very pleasant and nice
Pantera
4/5
Very powerful, more so than it is vulgar! The foundation of much metal since; a clear influence on slipknot and a7x, and many other heavy & musically gifted bands.
John Lennon
5/5
A classic, fore good reason. Title track is not my favourite, but lots of other good songs. How do you sleep is probably the one I like best, like a diss track in the style of Lynyrd Skynyrd channeling Oasis.
Solomon Burke
4/5
Very old but very good. Flits between rock, folk, country and soul effortlessly - not easy to pull off!
Billy Bragg
3/5
Not for me, I'd have preferred to hear Woody Guthrie's versions, but interesting enough I guess. The catchiest song is probably Ingrid Bergman (the prototype for that Barbara Streisand song), but the one I liked best was probably Christ for president.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Absolute genius, sounds much older than 1977 (in a good way!) One of the best artists ever, a hero to everyone to pick up a guitar
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Bland and unexciting, all songs sound kind of the same. Not great, but just meh
Chicago
4/5
Wonderful prog jazz funk rock (and many other genres). Hard to pick out a top track, as they blend into each other so much. Great fun, not what I would have expected from their later work.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Very odd, but a clear influence on loads of bands I love - Radiohead, Ultrasound, Pink Floyd, and lots of prog rock. Not one of the 1001 "best" albums, but probably one of the most interesting.
A tricky one to score, as I didn't like it lots, but appreciated it and am glad to have listened to it (if that makes any sense!).
Also, make sure to read the wiki page for this one, and for the artist.
Nick Drake
3/5
Odd, with hints of genius
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
An absolute masterpiece.
One of the most quotable albums ever, with lyrics by two of the very best to ever write.
Songs are lyrically heavy, and musically appropriate to the words, with flashes of genius every few seconds.
Almost unfair that one band would have two such poetic lyricists, and two genius all-round musicians, and one of the very best vocalists ever, and a drummer who is such a good all-rounder, and as a band they would even design covers/videos/artwork.
That they would then combine to collaborate with such a clear vision is almost unbelievable.
Favourite tracks are ... All of them!
6 🌟
We miss you Richey
The Kinks
4/5
Quite samey, very 60s, very good, but not their best work, and not quite a 5 star in my eyes. Very close though, and a great band who were one of the best in the world at various times in their career.
5/5
Probably the greatest album of all time.
Erykah Badu
4/5
Absolutely gorgeous, smooth vocals, wonderful production. I loved it!
4/5
Perhaps the most bizarre album I have ever enjoyed - it really is very strange. I'm not sure it is one of the best 1001, or one of the most important 1001, but it is certainly interesting and I am glad to have heard it.
Pretty much every track has the germ of a pop song in it, but then buried under many layers of bizarreness.
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
Sparse, ethereal, magical, surprisingly wonderful. The story of the recording is also really cool.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Scottish! A band I have seen and enjoyed live! A solid collection of songs, with a few stand outs!
Sounds like 4 stars 😃
Metallica
5/5
A masterpiece. Probably their best album (although my brother in law disagrees) and definitely their most successful.
Pretty much every track is a classic, but even the lesser heard songs kick ass.
Tom Waits
5/5
What a voice! And what great songs too. He's like a much better Bob Dylan, with Springsteen energy and Leadbelly vocals.
I loved it!
Supergrass
5/5
Amazingly good, part of the soundtrack to life in the UK in the 90s. Richard III and Sun Hits the Sky are my favourites, but it's surprisingly consistent throughout.
Rufus Wainwright
5/5
Wonderful and unexpected. Not an artist I had much knowledge of before, but one I will seek out in future! I can hear echoes of Radiohead and Jeff Buckley, and many others before and since - but he is still entirely his own creation.
Brilliant
4/5
Really good, falls just short of 5 🌟 for me, largely because I don't know enough about the music to fully appreciate it.
What I do know is that I really liked it, and enjoyed learning about a band I had never (knowingly) heard before.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Very 60s even though it came out in the 70s. Decent but not great; a bit samey - good cover versions, but they weren't on the original album.
Nick Drake
3/5
Only really two different songs - the piano one and the guitar one. He's a clear influence on a bunch of more engaging and successful bands and artists.
I think I liked Pink Moon more, at least a little, but I'm not listening to it again to check!
Animal Collective
1/5
Boring
Bill Callahan
5/5
Prog country - which I didn't know existed before! Really interesting and enjoyable, although it's tricky to pick out a best song as it works best as a single piece.
Loved it!
Madonna
2/5
Meh. Bland, over produced, shiny and expensive. Not her best work.
Also includes her cover of American Pie, which is so bad it is virtually a hate crime.
Waylon Jennings
5/5
Brilliant outlaw country, by a member of the Highwaymen - the supergroup of the genre. I loved it, and am pleased to see Waylon get recognition as a solo artist (not just alongside his brothers in the band).
Wonderful
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
Bridges the gap between garage and grime, without fully falling in either. Changed the game for UK hip-hop, not entirely for the better.
Biggest song was then sampled by scroobius pip for a song about songs, which was better than anything here!
But without his success, there may not have been scroob, or akala, or low-key, or stormzy - so thanks dizzee!
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
Very odd - in a good way! Extended jazz-like improv, recorded live (mostly), but note perfect (as far as it can be for songs largely made up on the spot!).
Not one I immediately loved, but there is plenty there for repeated listening. The kind of album that is the reason for me doing this project - I'd never have heard it any other way.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Filthy, funny, and very very funky. From before Gnarls Barkley, but with certain similarities. I enjoyed it, and love his voice, but would have liked a bit more light and shade.
Simple Minds
2/5
Boring and very 80s. Not for me
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Great, even if I'm still not sure live albums belong on the list. The final track - a 77 minute (or so) version of whipping post is an all-timer.
Deep Purple
5/5
Classic - influenced everything from metal to prog, and most other rock of any sub-genre. Great driving music
The Streets
5/5
Absolute genius
The Black Keys
4/5
Consistently good, but falls just a wee bit short of great, in my opinion. Wear their influences on their sleeves, in a good way, but I hoped for more from them, perhaps because I had liked everything I had heard from them previously. A solid 4 stars though, which is better than most!
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Flawless, barely a note out of place. Could listen to it all day (and did!).
Steely Dan
5/5
Absolutely brilliant, like comfort food for the ears. A few classic rock staples, and a bunch of other great songs. I loved it
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Dull, but not actively bad. I just kept waiting for the song to start!
The Doors
3/5
Decent, but not a band I love, and only a handful of good songs.
Queen
5/5
Not their best work, in my opinion, but still better than most other bands! Really interesting to hear some of the deep cuts from their early years, including Brian and Roger taking a turn on lead vocals, as well as seven seas of Rhye, one of my favourite Queen tracks.
Dire Straits
5/5
Perfection. Four all time classics to open and close the album, and the songs in between are pretty darn good too. I love Mark Knopfler, and will always remind the world that he is (technically) Scottish!
D'Angelo
3/5
Very smooth and very chilled. Falls between soul and hip-hop, while not moving me as much as either. Not my favourite
4/5
I'm still not sure if live albums should be in the list, but if they are, this is a good one! Messy and poorly recorded, but fast loud and fun. A clear influence on pretty much all of punk and most other rock that followed
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Very weird, but adored by a bunch of bands I love. Not my favourite, but pretty interesting
Taylor Swift
3/5
One of my daughter's favourite artists, but not someone I knew well before this - other than the hits.
A good album, but too poppy for my taste. Better than a lot of the nonsense around now though!
Grant Lee Buffalo
5/5
Brilliant and really interesting to hear what was going on in the US at a time I was getting into music from the UK. An influence on loads of bands I love you, without actually sounding like any of them.
A new favourite for me, and exactly the reason I started this project!
Steely Dan
5/5
Beautiful background music for a lovely sunny day. I could listen to it all day (and I did!).
Hard to pick a favourite, but the song latterly sampled by De La Soul (Peg, used in Eye Know) was a wonderful surprise
Sabu
3/5
Really interesting, although I didn't understand a word! I always like albums by drummers and percussionists, as a drummer myself.
Sepultura
5/5
Heavy as hell and twice as loud
Barry Adamson
2/5
Probably the weirdest album I have listened to, at least since his other one. I didn't know what was going on about half the time.
Probably doesn't deserve to be on the list, but interesting at least.
Khaled
5/5
A wonderful surprise, from an artist I had never heard of before, and a genre I had never listened to.
Makes me more determined by than ever to visit francophone north Africa - perhaps the only place where Albert Camus and Andy Mcnab both set books!
The Roots
5/5
Top tier hip-hop - like the Radiohead of rap. Crossed with pretty much all other styles of music too, making for a really varied and interesting album.
Wonderful
Steely Dan
5/5
Lovely songs for driving or chilling in the garden. Songs sound familiar - like you know them already - but in a good way! Sounds effortlessly cool, although I appreciate there was probably a lot of work put in to make it sound so chilled.
Exceptional work
Beyoncé
3/5
Sounds very expensive and overly produced, and very very explicit (for a Bey record). Plenty of good songs, but nothing really interesting going on. I didn't love it, but can understand why it is on the list.
Syd Barrett
4/5
Probably the most prog thing to ever happen - pretty good but very strange. I liked it, but preferred his work with his former band.
Simply Red
1/5
Pish. A poor facsimile of the real thing, copied so many times any meaningful emotions have been lost. He can sing, but I'd rather he didn't.
Just listen to some old soul and R'n'B records instead - this is not worth your time.
Joe Ely
5/5
Loved it! Old school country with a gentle rock edge - with catchy tunes and engaging lyrics.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Wonderful world music - if that's still there right term. Nothing but voices, but absolutely beautiful and uplifting.
Tom Waits
4/5
What a voice! Album is perhaps a bit longer than it needs to be, but I'm not sure what I would drop. His songs and patter are so funny, when he chooses, but also really musically engaging.
The idea of a 'live' album in a studio (read the wiki page) is such simple genius, I am going to rip it off for future recording projects.
Mike Oldfield
2/5
Interesting and important, but not actually that good.
Obviously "the exorcist" blah blah blah, but the hornpipe section is weirder to me - not sure why though!
Frank Ocean
3/5
Good but not great, catchy but not super long lasting in the memory, mostly decent but also plenty of filler, a cool concept that doesn't actually add anything to the album.
Sounds like 3 to me!
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
Flawless - one of my favourite albums before, and even more so now.
Three all time classics, including possibly the best song ever - simple man.
Even the bonus tracks kick ass!
Steve Winwood
3/5
Decent but hardly groundbreaking.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Solid, if unspectacular. Somehow sounds more like The Killers than The Killers do! A worthy inclusion, but not one I'll be rushing back to.
Very hard to settle on a score, but I guess it's better to be generous
Marilyn Manson
2/5
Reminds me of an ex - loses a star for that! Sounds more like NIN than I remember, maybe because I didn't know Trent Reznor's work when first listening to MM.
Creepy, disturbing, and very messed up (and so is the music!)
Leonard Cohen
2/5
His voice is still great, but the lyrics sound like the work of a bored pensioner. Not for me
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
Not my kind of thing, but I can hear its influence in loads of stuff. Instrumentals with only electronic sounds get very repetitive very fast.
3 ⭐
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Gorgeous. Absolute staples of classic rock, including perhaps CCR's signature song, 'bad moon rising' and a lovely tribute to Nottingham Forest's on-loan Brazilian left-back (Renan) Lodi [citation needed].
A great album, by a great band.
The Everly Brothers
2/5
Very old, very short, very rubbish. Falls between country, early rock and roll, and the balladeer tradition, without being anywhere near as interesting and engaging as any of them.
Pixies
4/5
Really good, but still not their best work! A solid 4 star effort though.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
A multilingual artist, who combines hundreds (if not thousands) of styles and genres, while making it entirely his own thing too.
Truly magical, evoking time and place like not many others on the list.
Another welcome nudge to visit francophone Africa!
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Very summery, funky and cool. I liked it more than I expected to, since I thought they were a bit too disco for me. Still not great, but pretty good.
PJ Harvey
5/5
A stunning album, that I was just too young to understand and appreciate at the time. She is a new stalwart of my music rotation, and someone I hope to hear more from on the list.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Pleasant enough, background music for me though.
Carpenters
3/5
Gossamer thin threads of songs, delicate as lead crystal glasses. Feel like they will float away given a gentle breeze. Not my thing, at all, but I can appreciate the craft.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Good but not great. There's decent songs here, but production is so overblown (mostly) that they struggle to be heard. Better than I expected from them at this late stage of their career, but a bit of an unnecessary inclusion on the list in my opinion
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Possibly the best hip hop album of the century so far. The man is a genius, and I am now going to watch his Glastonbury headline set (for the 99th time!).
Brian Eno
2/5
Pretty dull - in a way worse than his other albums which are weird and bad. It's like he tried to make a "normal" album, but just made a boring one.
David Bowie
5/5
A work of absolute genius, by one of the very best ever.
Merle Haggard
4/5
Old school outlaw country. One of the genres I love, largely thanks to my dad. A great example
Germs
4/5
Fast and loud, and not very long. A really important album, showing Cali punk in its early form, and great to hear some Pat Smear guitar work.
Mekons
4/5
British country music - by a punk band - that is better than it has any right to be. Not quite 5 🌟 (that is for the best of the best) but a really solid 4!
Rod Stewart
3/5
The country album by The Faces, basically, but better than than that probably sounds. Not the most engaging collection on this list, but pleasant enough. Rod also gets a bonus ⭐ for being Scottish (or Scottish enough!)
The Rolling Stones
3/5
A classic album without any stand out classic tracks - somehow. Decent songs, and a lot of them, but nothing that makes you stop and listen.
Solange
3/5
Good but not great, interludes work well, decent but forgettable songs, a worthy inclusion but not one I am likely to come back to.
Ice T
5/5
Part of the golden age of hip-hop, perhaps one of the last masterpieces before the lull. Harsh, loud, violent and angry, justifiably in all cases. Absolute genius, with some metal guitar thrown in for good measure.
Coldplay
3/5
Fairly bland, but stil better than some of their more recent work. I liked it at the time, and still do, but it's not even quite good enough for 4/5. Sorry Chris and the mannequins
Femi Kuti
4/5
Really good, bordering on great. Crosses from afro beat to funk and soul, with hip-hop influences popping up as well. An interesting and engaging listen, from an artist I had not encountered before
Alice Cooper
4/5
Much more light and shade than I would have expected from their more famous songs, with ballads and bluesy numbers mixed through the classic rock staples and only a couple of schlocky pantomime horror tracks. Not quite a five star album, for me, but a solid 4!
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Fairly pretentious jangle pop, with the small consolation of being Scottish. Not my thing at all, and (even worse) sounds a bit like the smiths. Just scrapes 2 stars, even with the Scotland bonus!
Beatles
5/5
Genius - even Yellow Submarine
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Mid tier - good but not great, with a few songs slightly better. Still falls short of a fourth star, mostly cos it feels a bit false and affected - Americans trying (and nearly managing) to copy the British invasion bands.
Ice Cube
5/5
Genius, from one of the all time greats.
Frank Zappa
3/5
Very odd, slightly silly, but massively enjoyable. An artist I didn't really rate before, and still don't quite get, but I'd be intrigued to hear more of his stuff.
The Doors
3/5
Good album, but a bit samey. Not a huge fan of the organ being so prominent on all the songs, but that happens when you have an organist. Good vocals, often bizarre lyrics, largely unexciting music.
3 ⭐
Gil Scott-Heron
5/5
Brilliant, genius, lyrically and musically flawless.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
4/5
Startling and arresting, a moving and emotional depiction of mental fragility.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Noisy, in a good way! Clearly a massive influence on a bunch of bands I love, without quite making the jump to all time classic (in my opinion). I really liked it, and hope to hear loads more from them
The Sugarcubes
5/5
I *love* Bjork, and pretty much anything she has done. This is great fun, as well as an interesting view of the early work of a wonderful artist.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Probably the greatest female MC (with apologies to many old skool and a fair few modern artists - shout out to salt n pepa, Queen Pen, Ms Dynamite, Rico Nasty and little simz). Production is flawless, samples expertly chosen, and yet the whole package falls just short of her later works of genius.
Very close to another 5 🌟 album, but (in my opinion) drags a bit towards the end, so just falls short.
Orbital
2/5
As boring as you would expect from an album named after a circular motorway. Ok background music, but not engaging. Endearingly odd a couple of times, in quite a dull way.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Meh
He can really sing - obviously, but it all feels a little polished and stilted for me. Decent background music though, and reminds me of my grandad, so that's nice.
3 ⭐
Django Django
2/5
Background music for some sort of cheesy wine bar. Like Hot Chip without the imagination. Truly forgettable songs. I have no idea why this made the list, and can only guess they were owed a favour.
Not my kind of thing (obviously!).
Stereo MC's
2/5
Sounds very dated, although probably in a nostalgic way for anyone who liked it at the time. I only knew 2 songs before listening to the album, and didn't really feel connected (!) to them or any others afterwards.
2 ⭐
William Orbit
2/5
Pish background music, more of a producer showing his skills than a coherent album. Not offensively bad, just dull and emotionless.
Probably shouldn't be on the list; perhaps wouldn't be if Billy Circle hadn't gone on to have the career (as a producer) that he did.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Genius
Pixies
4/5
Really good, but maybe not quite up to the standard of their previous couple of albums. I still enjoyed it a lot, but feel it falls just short of the fifth star.
4.499999 stars!
The Strokes
5/5
Classic, perfectly evocative of the early part of the century. I loved it at the time, and I love it now.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Great fun, with a handful of classics and a fair bit of (still pretty enjoyable) filler. Huey has such an engaging presence that it elevates any mediocre tracks, and the music moves between genres with great fluidity.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Boring and repetitive, as most dance or EDM tends to be. Any music that needs you to be off your face to enjoy is not for me.
Not even up to the standard of their later work, absolutely no need for this to be on the list.
Jeff Beck
4/5
Wonderful British blues, with many future megastars. Expanded version is not overly necessary, but the core work is great.
Soul II Soul
4/5
Very influential, on a wide variety of bands and singers. Must have seemed like it was from the future, cos it doesn't sound dated at all!
4 ⭐
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
Very weird and pretty funny, in a musically interesting way. Not at all what I expected, from what I knew of Frank Zappa's later work, but maybe it should have been!
Dennis Wilson
5/5
A wonderful mix of genres and styles, tied together by a silky smooth voice and a consistent sort of vague 'feel' - which is hard to quantify!
Much more interesting and textured than most of his band's early saccharine pop efforts, while (obviously) not to the height of their best stuff. A tragic tale too, which doesn't hurt the mythos of the album.
I had only heard a couple of songs before, but now struggle to pick a favourite track.
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
A great voice, and many great songs. Sounds just a wee bit dated, but in a way that might be fairer to call "of its time". He was certainly a big fan of himself, but he was talented enough to back it up.
Richard Hawley
4/5
Very old sounding, but in a good way.
The Undertones
5/5
Classic punk, without the legacy of the two biggest bands perhaps. A few all time tracks, but even the surprising covers and less famous songs are great.
Julian Cope
2/5
Weird, not always in a good way. Absolutely no need for this to be on the list, I can only guess the editor is a friend of, a fan of, or actually is Mr Cope.
Foo Fighters
5/5
Flawless as an album, and interesting as the building blocks for the towering behemoth that the Foos became
Deep Purple
5/5
Proto metal, with proggish elements and some of the best classic rock staples. Just makes 5 stars, but too many bangers
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
Between pavement and Nirvana, between lo-fi Blur and At the drive in. Great, tricky to see where it could be improved. Slightly odd to read that the band didn't really like it
Maxwell
4/5
Very chilled, very smooth, not much light and shade, but a pleasant soundtrack to a warm summer evening
Leftfield
3/5
Decent, especially the John Lydon song, but dance music albums often drag a bit. I prefer their later stuff, ii think, but didn't hate this.
Fugazi
5/5
Brilliant, and probably not one I would have heard without this.
Punky, grungy, sort of metal at points, with a prog undercurrent. A clear influence on loads of bands I love - obviously Nirvana, but also At the drive in, Biffy, Royal Blood, and loads more.
A new favourite for me!
T. Rex
3/5
Meh
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
Not my kind of thing, although it sounds like the audience absolutely loved it! I'm not even sure what genre to put it in - jazz, classical, pure tango, something else - never mind what rating to give it.
Pleasant enough, even if I don't really get it.
Killing Joke
4/5
Very very good, especially after a couple of listens. Influenced loads of great bands, but just falls short of a five star record for me.
Björk
5/5
I love Björk, even her weird stuff is brilliant. I reckon anything she does will get 5 🌟 from me. The world is a better place because Björk exists.
Supergrass
4/5
Very 90s, and very young sounding - just a bunch of lads having a laugh. Plenty of filler, which ultimately stops it getting full marks from me, but a solid debut with a couple of classic classic singles
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Good, but not great. Fairly derivative from their earlier stuff, but not to the point that it feels like a "last album"
Tom Tom Club
2/5
Really pish. Somehow manages to be both very weird and very boring - I'm not quite sure how. An album that is all filler, with "bonus" tracks that just prolong the nothingness. Not Nico or Morisey or abba, so not 1 star, but probably should be!
Patti Smith
3/5
Not as good as I had expected expected, given the reputation, but still pretty solid. A great voice, odd songs, strange but interesting production. One I would have loved to have had more time with, to listen a bunch more times
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
5/5
Flawless, one of the best hip hop albums I have heard. Flow, lyrics, musical accompaniment, everything is great.
Definitely a new favourite!
Kings of Leon
4/5
An album that was everywhere for a while, and rightly so, as it is great! Falls just short of a fifth star, partly cos it is a bit samey, partly cos I prefer their rawer earlier stuff.
Richard Thompson
3/5
Fairly standard english folk, much like their previous band but perhaps lacking a little in light & shade and in variety of instrumentation. Enjoyable, but doesn't grab thee attention in the way some other albums can.
Shuggie Otis
5/5
A warm hug of an album, with hints & echoes of a bunch of artists from Clapton to Prince, Funkadelic to Donovan. An artist I had never heard of, but really enjoyed and look forward to listening to again
The Yardbirds
3/5
A very english take on the blues, from what we would probably now call a privileged position. No need for all the bonus tracks - a lot of them are alternate takes of songs, and the rest weren't on the album. Is it too much to ask to have the whole album and nothing else? Apparently it is!
The The
3/5
Sinead O'Connor
5/5
Wonderful stuff, which changed the music world in ways we can only see years later - without this I don't think Alanis, Tori Amos or Cranberries have the success they did.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
5/5
Brilliant, loud, punky, glaswegian, noisy, funny, awesome, clever, innovative, exciting and intense.
One of my favourite bands, and possibly their best album.
The xx
2/5
Fairly forgettable, like the music in a nightclub in some third rate soap. Almost entirely devoid of emotion, even the vocalists seem bored and uninvolved. I'm really not sure why this is on the list - someone trying to seem "hip" & "modern"?
Korn
5/5
Sonically brutal, lyrically extreme, absolutely not suitable for children or those of a nervous disposition.
I lovee it! Takes me straight back to hanging out in the pub with my friends, scaring off anyone who wasn't into "our" music. Not sure it'll do very well with many people, but it's one of my favourite bands and albums
Alice In Chains
5/5
Heavier than I expected, more of a grunge feel too, but both of those are good things! More in common with Nirvana than you might think based on the bigger songs by each band - this is also a compliment!
Rush
4/5
Very very prog, with possibly the best rock rock drummer of all time. Musically innovative and impressive, but just a wee bit bloodless for me. Enjoyable and interesting, but doesn't move me like the best of the best of the list
Little Richard
5/5
Classic, one of the foundation stones for pretty much everything that followed. Clear influence on the Beatles and, through them as well as on its own merit, on everyone else.
One of the rare records which is great and interesting and influential and fun (an underrated but important aspect!)
The Human League
2/5
Pish, but better than Nico, or abba, or Morisey. Not by much though!
Eagles
3/5
Pleasant but not exciting, classy but not emotive, chilled but not cool. Eagles have always been around, but this doesn't really show why. If each album has 2 or 3 essential tracks, at least they will have a good greatest hits set.
Goldfrapp
2/5
Decent, but no better than that. Very expensive sounding, and very lush, and very boring
Elton John
4/5
Much closer in spirit and sound to some of the prog that was around at the time, even the big hits made more sense in the flow of the album. Not sure it needed to be a double, but also can't see what could be dropped without making it worse. Better than I expected, but just falls short of five stars for me, even though I can't really explain why!
The Pretty Things
3/5
Odd. Very odd. Story / lyrics interesting (which does not always mean good), music varies with the story. Concept albums have come a long way!
3 🌟
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
Good, with a couple of crackers - every day should be a holiday was one I had forgotten how much I loved it.
Drags a bit (a lot) towards the end, with way too much instrumental noodling nonsense.
Paul Simon
4/5
Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon
The Black Crowes
5/5
Excellent, filling the spaces between skynyrd and zz top, with hints of g'n'r and kings of leon in the mix.
I knew one song before, obviously, but loved many of the others.
I'm not sure how much of their later work holds up, but for a debut, this is close to flawless.
Bee Gees
1/5
Pish.
0 🌟
Tori Amos
5/5
An exceptional album, with a couple of properly arresting tracks - me and a gun in particular makes you stop what you're doing and listen.
Like a wonderful mix of Kate Bush, Björk and Alanis Morissette, with flawless vocals, wonderful instrumentation and musicianship, and exceptional lyrics.
Love
4/5
Dated, but not in a bad way -- more "of its time". Not as good as I expected, given the reputation, but still very good. Makes it tricky to rate, but I enjoyed it just enough for four stars -- especially alone again or
Scissor Sisters
5/5
Camp as Christmas, and a whole lot of fun. A couple of songs I thought I had forgotten, until I heard them again, and some all time classic power pop oddness.
Another album where every track was on in the pubs and clubs of Glasgow, so it feels like an old friend.
Whoever had the bright idea of a disco Pink Floyd cover needs their head checked, but it bloody works!
Motörhead
5/5
Brilliant.
5 🌟
Wild Beasts
2/5
Landfill indie, but from the poorer and later end of the spectrum. Not very good, but not actively offensively terrible. Lacks any real emotion or artistic merit, but still orders of magnitude better than nico, abba, or morisey.
Two dancers, two stars!
Radiohead
5/5
An all time classic, one of my very favourite artists and perhaps their best collection of songs - although that is obviously far from certain.
Was never going to be anything less than 5, but listening again reminded me why I love this band so much
Spacemen 3
3/5
Interesting rather than good, and very very long. I liked it, but didn't love it
The Coral
5/5
Very good, but very short. Possibly the most Scouse thing ever to exist, which is a good thing! A band I loved when this came out, and will always think of fondly
The Who
4/5
Not as good as I had expected, but still very good. Unusually, I think I prefer their later work, as this sounds too much like everything else around at the time.
Calexico
4/5
Evocative and enjoyable, without quite hitting the heights I would have hoped for. Fun though, and a band I would be happy to hear more from.
The Style Council
3/5
Smoother than velvet, and just as dated. Must have been a head scratcher for fans of The Jam when this came out - it's not actively bad, just very different and not as good!
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Enjoyable, if a little one paced. First band in this that I had seen live, albeit 5-6 years after this album. Very twee and borderline smug, but not unpleasantly so.
You're just a baby and I could be dreaming were my favourites after one listen.
Bonus point for being Scottish
4 🌟
Giant Sand
3/5
Random nonsense with no business being on this list. I quite liked it though- just don't think it is one of the 1001 best. Prog folk with country influences, but also very artsy. Good, but not great
The Stooges
5/5
One of the foundation stones of all punk and heavy music, linking The Doors and The Beatles to Sex Pistols and the Clash, while also being interesting and engaging on its own merits. I really liked it, enough to round it up to five stars even though some of them are more to do with influence and legacy!
The Blue Nile
3/5
Bowie influenced jangle pop, so derivative that even the bonus point for being Scottish doesn't help much. Very lush and chilled, with one classic 80s single, but just not very exciting or engaging. Background music for a flashback scene in a drama, when they want to hammer home the "80s-ness" of the situation.
Q-Tip
5/5
Lyrics, flow and beats all flawless. Everyone since he started has borrowed from him, some more heavily or obviously than others. Even the younger rappers who maybe aren't ripping him off directly, they are influenced by artists influenced by Tip.
He is the Prince of hip hop for me - a genius who had success but has also inspired a generation (or two) of a movement.
Public Enemy
5/5
Bomb squad perfection
The Slits
4/5
Astoundingly current and modern sounding, far more than I would have expected for its age. Really clear production as well, especially given the time and scene they were working in. I liked it, and see it as worth its place on this list, but didn't (quite) love it. A great discovery for me though
Arcade Fire
3/5
Very British sounding, with barely a hint of canada, to my ears at least. Fairly bland, but decent background music. Not a band I can see myself exploring much further - they just don't grab my attention like some of the others I have encountered through this list.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Funky as hell, set the template for a whole genre (or two). A band where I only knew the radio hits, and the sampled tracks, but I loved every second of this.
Track 2 probably wouldn't get much radio play nowadays though, if it ever did!
LL Cool J
4/5
Late golden age hip hop - around the time beefs, gangsta rap and sampling license issues made everything start getting worse. A couple of classics, particularly the title track, but patchy and inconsistently paced. Very good, but falls just short of his contemporaries
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Pure perfection, not a note out of place, flawless vocals, wonderful lyrics.
One of my all-time musical heros.
Spiritualized
4/5
Background music, very loopy and repetitive, pleasant enough but not massively engaging.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Very shiny, expensive sounding, great production and vocals, but an awful lot of filler outside of the big hits. Not for me, but a solid 3
The Cramps
4/5
Messy, sloppy, noisy proto-punk, a clear influence on a bunch of bands I love. The germ of an idea, yet to be fully realised, but interesting and important.
Meat Puppets
4/5
Proto-grunge, obviously a huge influence on Nirvana and their peers. Enjoyable and fun, without ever ascending to the heights of some of the bands who followed them. I will be diving into the rest of their stuff (when I get time!)
Eric Clapton
3/5
Self indulgent and guilty of cultural appropriation on a number of occasions, and yet I quite enjoyed it. Basically background music, aside from the reggae track, but not everything has to grab you and shake you!
The Triffids
3/5
Very jangle-pop uk 80s, some of the songs sound like Echo & the Bunnymen, or The Smiths, or Deaon Blue, or The Associates, or even Inxs. Wasn't expecting much, but really enjoyed it, and will listen to it again.
One thing though - Spotify has the (very) extended version, with more than twice as many songs, some of them demos/outtakes
Just short of 4 🌟 in my view
Fairport Convention
3/5
Odd English folk, but closer in spirit and sound to Bob Dylan compared to their later work. Not my thing, but interesting as a marker of what was going on at the time
Justice
3/5
Repetitive, like most edm, but catchy and riffy rather than dull and boring. Little to give it away as French, perhaps because their influences are so firmly rooted in the US and UK music scenes. Not my thing, really, but better than the average dance album.
The Cult
4/5
Classic, if fairly mainstream, rock. No surprise to find out Rick Rubin was involved.
A few great songs, and possibly the worst cover version I have ever heard, but on the whole really good. Not five stars, but way too good for three!
Bauhaus
3/5
Dated and samey, with little light and shade. Influenced a bunch of bands I like, but just too far back and not engaging enough for me to like this. Interesting and deserving of its place on the list though.
The Specials
5/5
Not as immediate as some of their other work, but really interesting and enjoyable. Roughly the same age as me, from the same island, and with a similar wide range of musical influences - of course I love it. Fully deserves its place on this list, and fully deserves 5 big stars!
The Birthday Party
4/5
Nick Cave doing his thing, over noisy fast punk noise. This is a good thing!
Not quite he "all time classic" I would give 5 stars, but not all that far short. A wonderful insight into one of the great artists as he was figuring it al out.
The Dictators
3/5
Proto punk, but still needing a fair bit of progress to be thee real deal. Important, rather than enjoyable, but worth a listen. Just skip the cover version!
T. Rex
3/5
Glam, but still cool. Very Bowie-lite, and a few of their more famous songs, but patchy and inconsistent. Not my favourite genre (or band) but better than I expected
Dion
2/5
Boring; one of the worst albums I have listened to, not helped by having another boring album stuck onto it (on the linked version)
Still 1,000% better than the one star dross though!!
k.d. lang
2/5
Pretty jumbled and shambolic. She can certainly sing, but maybe hadn't found her style at this point. Pleasant enough, and maybe better after a few more listens, but Canadian country pastiche is not for me.
4/5
I'm still not convinced live albums merit a place on the list, and bootlegs even less so, but as a record of a moment when everything changed, this one maybe does.
Bob still can't sing, but he can certainly write. I liked the "electric" set more, but the first half was also good.
The Libertines
4/5
Jumbled messy stream-of-consciousness junkie logic stories about nothing and everything, from a time guitars were endangered and english kids thought this lot could help bring them back. Interesting and, in the uk, important, and surprisingly good
5/5
One of my favourite albums, by my all time favourite band. Was always going to be full marks, but listening again (and again, and again) confirmed it. Riffs, melody, vocals and epic drumming- flawless
Blondie
5/5
Obviously the classics are brilliant, but I was struck by how good the "filler" was too - even the covers, remixes and live versions are great!
The whole band are impeccable, but the vocals lift this album (and band in general) far above most of their peers.
A great album, well worthy of another listen - even if you think you know it inside out!
Sugar
5/5
Brilliantly fills the gap between grunge and britpop, hinting at the sound of Nirvana and oasis, foo fighters and biffy, Pearl jam and stereophonics. A great album I would never have otherwise heard, and exactly the point of doing this (in my opinion)
Hawkwind
3/5
No need for live albums on the list - especially not prog nonsense ones. Not actively bad, but far from good. Being slightly generous with my rating, but I'm a nice guy in a good mood!
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
I loved this at the time, which may be clouding mu judgement slightly! Some songs have aged poorly (or were never that good) but the opening salvo is up there with the very best. I love the Chilis, and this and the follow up (by the way) are are my favourites of their albums. It was always likely to get full marks, but listening again confirmed it for me.
Eels
5/5
A beautiful and freaky album. One of my sister's favourite bands, so I will always have a fondness for that reason. There's a lot of good songs here though, and a handful of great ones. Susan's House is utterly unique, and the whole thing sounds like not much else. The closest comparison would be Beck (at least in my head), but E achieves more light and shade, and evokes more emotion.
I was delighted to be reminded of this album, and cause to listen (properly) in full.
The Band
5/5
A lovely warm hug of an album, as comforting as a bowl of soup on a winter day. Washes over you like the ocean on a shore, but further listens really show the skill of the band. I loved it, even more than the other album of theirs that i had a few weeks ago.
ZZ Top
4/5
Very samey, but i like the one song! The more bluesy one is good too, but riffs and rythyms is why they are on the list. Not quite top drawer for me, but solid work, and not a band I would skip if they ever come on.
Dr. John
4/5
Very New Orléans, but plenty of light and shade in there too. Drags a wee bit, just until i tuned my ear into his drawl. Really interesting as a document of where such an important artist started out. I really liked this, and expect more from him later in the list
Manu Chao
4/5
Great fun, and probably the most multilingual album I have ever listened to. Only two of them are languages I speak though!
Joy Division
4/5
Hits you over the head like a jackhammer, full of early 80s paranoia and fear. Sounds like the threat of nuclear war is looming, so what's the damn point of anything. If the aim of art is to impact the emotions of the audience, this is most definitely art. Not a great deal of nuance, but that's not what they were aiming for!
U2
5/5
Classic
GZA
5/5
Genius
Daft Punk
2/5
Boring and repetitive and very very French. Not my thing at all, but I have just enough nostalgia and positive associations with a handful of tracks that it scrapes a second star. Goes on far far too long though
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
Very much Layla and some filler, although most of the filler is pretty good too.
Very bluesy, and Clapton hadn't really found his voice as a singer, but I really liked it. Every second song seems to be about him being in love with his friend's wife or girlfriend though - not just Layla - which shows where his head was at!
Talking Heads
3/5
Psycho killer and a bunch of filler - most of it pretty pish. It doesn't help that David Byrne can't really sing that good (at this point in his career). Interesting though, and important due to the stature and influence of the band. A tricky one to score - forgive me for bottling it a bit!
Gang Of Four
5/5
The moment that Punk became Post-Punk is somewhere in here - maybe (somehow) in every song! One of the (many) albums of the list which is interesting *and* important, while also being more fun than a hard-left political polemic playlist has any right to be!
I really enjoyed and appreciated this, and have added their next few albums to my "after the list" list.
OutKast
5/5
The first few outkast songs I heard were on this album, as was the first time I heard Killer Mike and Ceelo Green.
As is often the case with hip-hop albums, there is a fair bit of filler, and too many interludes, but they work in context and don't dilute the genius.
Some of these songs will live forever (ever)
Mj Cole
2/5
Boring garage influenced dance, with a couple of radio friendly tracks and way too many remixes and alternate versions. Not my thing at all, not really sure why this is on the list
Jeru The Damaja
5/5
Genius east coast hip hop, from a time most of the scene was looking west. An artist I had never even heard of, but wish I had! Hints of wu tang style, in beats and flow, and i can hear his influence on both Akala and eminem, and many others. Bordering on conscious, but with beats and skits too. Loved it, now off to find out what he did to be expunged from the history books!
Grateful Dead
4/5
I'm still not convinced live albums belong on the list, but if they do, this is a good one. Proto prog, still with masses of psychedelic influence, with extended (to an average of over 10 minutes a song) versions and jams. Good background music, but doesn't really grab my attention much. I really liked it, but would have preferred to see the show as well (or to have been there!)
Arrested Development
5/5
Genius
Ananda Shankar
3/5
Good but not great, interesting but very short, unlike anything from the west but repetitive, a mass of contradictions and sitar. The couple of rock covers were very cool, but limited replay value. I liked it, but didn't love it; probably because I don't know enough to appreciate the style and genre.
Gram Parsons
5/5
Wonderful songs, sung beautifully, with a lovely cameo from Emmylou Harris. Flawless alt-country / Americana / folk-rock. Right up my street, and a huge influence on many artists I love.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
Very strange, sounds like stream of consciousness lyrics over old-fashioned improvised backing music. Not my thing at all, but interesting in its own wee way.
50 Cent
3/5
M.I.A.
5/5
Weird and wonderful, with a head-spinning array of genres and styles. Very english, very sri Lankan and Indian too. Feels like walking through London or one of the other great cultural melting pots of our time. I loved it
Slade
2/5
Pish
Astrud Gilberto
4/5
Beautiful vocals, lyrics in various languages (including English), the absolute sound of a summer's day - but served to me on a cold Scottish November night!
A wonderful collection of songs, with a mildly irritating child turning up for a cameo half way through.
k.d. lang
3/5
Flawless vocals, zero emotion, one big hit (which is far and away the best song on the album), no clear structure or story, vaguely country-tinged, fairly dull.
If that lot doesn't add up to 3.00 stars, I don't know what does!
John Coltrane
3/5
Not a genre I know much about, but I liked the music.
Primal Scream
3/5
Pretty dull - the second-best song sounds a bit like the second-worst on Kid A, which is not a good sign. They get their Scottish band bonus point (just) but would have scored poorly without that! Maybe if I remembered it from the time, I would like it more, but I was a bit young for it
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
Beautiful, but doesn't really feel like music - feels more like a painting or an extremely delicate sculpture. Haunting vocals, engaging lyrics, but so sparse musically that I struggled to get a good hold on it.
Certainly intriguing and worth a listen though - and a worthy inclusion on the list
Aerosmith
4/5
Really influential, really fun, maybe a bit forgettable, but really enjoyable. Like the album version of a popcorn Hollywood blockbuster - which absolutely has a place, but means it just falls short of full marks. Much better than I would have guessed before I listened though!
N.E.R.D
4/5
A staggering mishmash of genres and influences, which works better than it should. Like most albums by producers / production teams, it exists largely to show what they can do, but in a "cocky" way rather than a "pointlessly complex" way. Pharell is a hell of a frontman, and the guests elevate their songs well.
An album where there is a place for every song on someone's playlist, but it's maybe less likely to be anyone's "all time favourite".
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Brilliant - covers a range of genres and sound profiles, while always sounding like a coherent piece. Hard to pick a best song - listen to it all the way through!
I kind of wish I knew how good these guys are before, I feel I've missed out on them by only discovering them over this project.
Heaven 17
2/5
Lacklustre forgettable bland 80s techno-pop. Not for me, but not offensively bad. The locked groove on the last track (spoiler?!) is a cool copy of a cool idea - but doesn't hit the same on digital versions with a fade out!
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Not a worthy inclusion in my opinion, very little to engage with going on. The cutter is a half decent song, but most of the rest, title track especially, sound like a bad rehash.
Too many 80s albums is reminding me how much I dislike much of the music from that decade!
Ms. Dynamite
4/5
Wonderfully evocative of a 90s London I never experienced, and a 00s uk I did - plus features both a song about and a guest vocal from Akala - one of my favourite artists. And she's 1/2 scottish!
Magazine
4/5
Influential, and somehow sounds like post-punk despite being very much mid-punk, but just doesn't grab me the way the best similar records do. The one song that did (last bonus track on the Spotify linked version) is another in the grand tradition of odd-as-hell cover songs - a recurring theme of this list! Very very good, and important, and probably a major leap forward at the time, but falls just short of its fifth star in my view.
The Cars
4/5
A few classics and a handful of filler, but on the whole, very very good. Somehow manages to evoke punk and post-punk, while still being rooted in classic rock and pub rock heritage. The kind of songs all dad/garage bands play when starting out - but don't always nail. Deceptively simple sounding, but with hidden depths.
Common
5/5
Really enjoyable, I loved the story-telling in particular. Not sure it needed so many skits and interludes, but I also know this is the way most hip-hop albums flow, so it would perhaps sound oddly like a compilation without them. I think I prefer his debut, but this is still solidly 5 🌟 for me.
An underappreciated artist in my opinion, and one who deserves much more recognition.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Middling British indie - like a few others on the list! Pleasant enough, and pretty nostalgic for me, but probably not an essential for future generations.
Dr. Octagon
5/5
Very very weird, and very very good. Almost like an afrocentric sci-fi concept album, about aliens and medical malpractice. At points it sounds like the afrofuturism of the previous decade, but with a tonne more swearing, at other times he is staking a claim to his place (Kool Keith, not the good Dr.) as a progenitor of early hip-hop. Absolutely fascinating and engaging, and possibly the most memorable album I have had so far.
This is like nothing else out there - and I loved every strange minute of it!
TV On The Radio
4/5
Really enjoyed this, hadn't heard of them before but will check out some of their other stuff.
Red dress and love dog were the stand out tracks for me.
4 🌟
Rocket From The Crypt
4/5
Very very fun - with one all time classic single - on a rope is genuinely one of my favourite songs of the 90s! The rest is less memorable, but still really enjoyable. Very nearly 5 🌟 for me
Carole King
5/5
Beautiful voice, majestic lyrics, absolutely flawless.
Yes
4/5
The most prog out of everything ever. A bewildering array of styles and sounds, but always overblown to the point of nonsense. I still liked it though!
The Young Gods
5/5
Wonderfully insane French rambling nonsense - I loved it! Hundreds of different styles and feelings, all with a cheeky nod to silliness. Great fun, and a great album
Fugees
4/5
Great memories, much nostalgia, very fun
The Cardigans
4/5
Lovefool stands out as the most obvious single - although I'm less sure it would if it hadn't been such a big hit! The cover song (no spoilers) is mega surprising, but still works (sort of). A pretty consistent effort, and I love Nina's voice, but it's mostly background music for me - albeit very good background music.
Beach House
1/5
Never heard of them before this, never will again. Pish, which should never be in this list, or in end of year top album lists. Not one song I liked, or would be happy to hear again. Rubbish
1 🌟, only because 0 isn't an option!
Jack White
5/5
One of my favourite artists, with his solo debut, was always going to score highly. I'm not 100% sure it deserves full marks, but I'm damn sure that's what it is getting.
He has such power to create a vision or a world, especially here where he doesn't need to compromise even a little. Some tracks are fairly raw, and great, and others have had a bit more production put into them, and are also great!
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
Too many songs - even though some of them are pretty good. Sounds like an American version of The Divine Comedy - although not quite as good in my opinion. This felt like a bit of a slog at points; given it is basically three albums in one - and close to three hours long - this isn't much of a surprise. Enough there that I would be happy to hear more from them though - just not 170+ minutes at once!
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Very cool, like not much I had ever heard before, and apparently the only Congolese album on the list. A worthy inclusion, if only to raise the profile of the music of sub-saharan music.
SZA
3/5
Very modern and expensive sounding, with really interesting guest appearances.
Black Flag
5/5
Noisy, messy, deceptively simple, plenty of variety, a nod to the past while shaping the future - it's safe to say I'm a fan!
Rufus Wainwright
5/5
Wonderful - like a warm hug on a cold day. An artist I have never appreciated before this, but now have a huge admiration for. A great voice, interesting songs (lyrically and musically) - all round, a brilliant album
The Bees
1/5
Have you ever seen those shows where Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver or whoever go to some distant country and try all the food, then cook their own version and claim it's better - basically because it was done by brits? This album is the musical version - a bunch of technically proficient facsimiles of styles and genres that these chumps presumably love, but can't stop themselves from trying to "improve". They presumably hope this makes them seem cultured and worldly, but to me it just reeks of entitlement and privilege.
Not the worst album, but one of the most irritating. Car adverts have a lot to answer for - why didn't they use the original Brazilian song? (read the wiki!)
These lot would have been better setting up a label or becoming radio presenters, if they actually wanted to promote and celebrate the music they are instead ripping off. Good luck to them i guess, but very much not for me.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Very different to their later work - more blues & soul than rock n roll - but still pretty good. No real hint of the money making juggernaut they would become, and barely any songs they wrote themselves, but evocative of the time and place, and highly enjoyable
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Nive background music, but doesn't grab the attention like some other albums. One big hit, but it doesn't really stand out among the rest - maybe it just caught the ear of the right person (dj, label boss, plugger) at the right time.
Adele
5/5
The succes of this was one of the rare occasions where the biggest star in the world is also really really good - it should be true more often! A brilliant second album, which really shows off her voice and song-writing (& song-choosing).
A modern masterpiece - and still probably her best and most consistent work.
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
Très bon, je l'ai aimé beaucoup. C'est en français, mais certainement africain. Je crois qu'il est exceptionnel, et j'espère qu'on lui entendra encore
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Awesome vocals, dull repetitive music. But they're Scottish, and Liz Fraser is a genius.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Genius
3/5
An intriguing mix of tradition and modernity - samba with synths - but not as exciting as I might have hoped. Decent, but not great
Pere Ubu
4/5
Doesn't sound as dated as I expected; very confident for a debut album; a clear influence on loads of bands I love, but falls just short of a fifth star - only just though!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Wonderful
Thelonious Monk
3/5
Not one I would ever have just chosen to listen to, but I quite enjoyed it. Look forward to hearing more jazz, and learning more about it
3 🌟
Spiritualized
4/5
Really good album, not sure why I didn't get into it at the time. Title track, come together, and electricity were my favourite songs.
4 🌟
Portishead
4/5
Not quite up there with their first two albums, but even falling short of that is no disgrace - they are both classics. Very atmospheric and moody, with elements of what Radiohead were aiming for in their later years, and perfect production. A solid four 🌟 album for me, although weirdly it would score higher if I didn't know/love the ones before quite so much
Jazmine Sullivan
5/5
Unique, in the concept and the execution, but with clear nods to lots of classic American artists from the past. The story-telling and world-building is exquisite, and the vocals are flawless, verging on transcendant at points. An absolute unexpected joy - the closest comparison would be Janelle Monae, in terms of how much I enjoyed it and also how much of a bolt from the blue it was.
Brilliant and startling
The Zutons
4/5
Instantly transported me back to various student house parties in Glasgow in the months following its release - an album that probably won't mean much to anyone from anywhere or anywhen else, but to people who were 17-22 in britain when it came out, it is a solid shot of nostalgia
Girls Against Boys
3/5
Noisy and weird, but not as good as a bunch of similar stuff by bettered bands - fugazi, Nirvana, mudhoney, Pixies, etc.
The Young Rascals
4/5
Only about half the songs were on Spotify last time I looked, but they're all there now. Not sure why they were not huge, or why they have been forgotten if they were a big deal.
4 🌟
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
I remember being blown away by the title track when I first heard it, then slightly disappointed that so many others sounded so similar. A good album, which probably showed the direction Alex Turner was heading long before his AM work, but I can't shake the feeling that it's a bit self-indulgent and could have been improved by someone driving them on to greater sonic variety. The overall tone is "what if 'Knights of Cydonia' was an album about girls?", which doesn't quite hold my attention. Still good, but a bit of a waste of both guys' talents
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
Noisy and weird, but not as good as their first or, obviously, John's previous band. An interesting choice, but probably not one I'll come back to
Skepta
5/5
Hard as hell, one of the greats of the grime scene, amazing guest spots, important and good (not just one or the other!), absolutely brilliant
The Police
3/5
Two or three good songs and a bunch of filler. Another band where the drop off from "great" to "dull" is a cliff edge, even within the same album. I am properly torn between three or four stars - wish there was the option of half-stars! On balance, just too many poor songs for a 4th star, but only just. Their run of 4 massive albums in (about) 5 years probably explains the lack of quality control - more important to just get the record out!
Soft Cell
2/5
Very 80s, very camp, and very English. One of those, maybe two at a push, would have been fine, but all three is not for me.
Features the third best version of the biggest single (check out The Living End's version of tainted love), and a song later improved by David Gray. Neither of these is a plus point either!
He can sing good though, and the music is not actively offensive, I guess, so they can have a second star - and they can thank me for it!
Hole
5/5
Fits into the tiny space between L7 and Mudhoney, with hints of the Melvins and early Pearl Jam, and a bunch of other grunge progenitors. I loved it! Hope to see more of them later in the list
Anthrax
5/5
Awesome - like a New York young Metallica
Neil Young
5/5
Still not on Spotify - which weirdly meant I was probably more focused on listening, since I wasn't driving or reading while listening to YouTube.
A wonderful album, probably my favourite of his, with at least three stone cold classics and, in Old Man, one of my favourite songs from the "album era".
Reading about Alabama also led me (through a classic wiki-dive, but on genius.com) to be reminded of this song:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1STSziov35uhw9dnnxh92g?si=MG4x0jqOSmiJ9BEd4STkoQ
and a few others from the same album, which is always a good thing anyway, and gives context to the legacy of that song and Southern Man.
Sex Pistols
5/5
Classic, even the mistakes are influential on pretty much every band since! I still prefer the Clash, but only just.
Also, the TV series Pistol is worth a watch - although it's only one guy's view of the events leading up to this album
Genesis
4/5
Very prog, very long, very good. Just too patchy to be great, but really interesting and influential, including inspiring some massive bands (e.g. muse, killers, early radiohead). Solid, if unspectacular, but a band I expect to appear again before the end
Miles Davis
4/5
Two wonderful pieces, even if I don't really understand jazz yet. I got properly lost in the music, to the point of doing nothing except listening - which I rarely manage to do. An unexpected joy, which I'm sure I'll enjoy even more when I come back to it - and I certainly will return.
The Thrills
3/5
Landfill indie, but fun and Irish. An album with many memories for me, including nearly seeing them live in Glasgow. Still not great, but they can have three stars and thank me for them!
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Wierd as hell, like 4 bands playing 10 different songs at the same time. As close to experimental jazz as a rock album can get (probably) - but moments of clarity. Not on Spotify for some reason, maybe just too strange.
3/5
Very polished, slightly bloodless, over-produced, completely lacking any sort of edge, only emotion is a sort of general whining about "feelings".
However, 'All of my Heart' is one of the best pop songs of the 80s, and the other two big hits (poison arrow & the look of love) are better than I remembered.
3 🌟
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
Nonsense electro-prog, with way too many bonus tracks. Even the core album is poor, only one or two songs that evoke any emotion (other than "is it done yet?"). Not my kind of thing at all, really not sure this deserves to be on the list.
The Auteurs
5/5
Brilliant proto-britpop, which I would have adored at the time if I had been a year or two older. Not quite sure why they didn't kick on from there, as this is better than anything Blur or Oasis were doing at the same time. But they didn't build on it, and by the time I was buying music papers each week, Luke had become a bit of a lost hero and/or a bit of a punchline whenever someone was getting (over-)excited about a new band.
Tl;Dr - a great (lost?) album from the start of a genre that means a lot to me. Sounds like Suede, Nirvana and Blur fell in a melting pot - in a good way.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
I love the guy - even before the first note, I'm pretty certain this will get 5 stars from me!
After listening, it sure does! Maybe not his best work, but light years ahead of most other albums by most other people. What a legend!
Big Brother & The Holding Company
5/5
A few songs I knew, a bunch I didn't but am glad I do now. Not quite sure why they made it sound like a live album (even the ones that aren't) but it kind of works.
Best asset is Janis, and her voice, but the whole thing is solid and flawless.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Perfection from the first to the last, one of my favourite albums, and one of my favourite bands. Listening again was well worth it too - just to be reminded of the force of Zack's anger and how heavy the music gets.
Also, look out for a lovely bluesy solo thrown in at one point, just because Tom Morello likes to surprise!
TLC
5/5
Hits all three targets!
I'd say 25% crazy, 35% sexy and 100% cool, showing that it is 160% as good as most albums. Two massive hits, up there with any 90s r&b pop, and a bunch of tracks way better than mere "filler". I'm still not a huge fan of skits and interludes, but they work well here.
Also, so many very cool guests - which I didn't really know before. A great album.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Perfect. Probably the greatest album of all time
The B-52's
3/5
Nonsense, but enjoyable nonsense. Pretty samey, with one massive hit that stands out probably only because it is so well known. Good, but not great, but shows signs of something worth doing, and a chance of a good career (which they managed).
I think I'd probably prefer their greatest hits, which isn't usually the case for most bands.
Morrissey
1/5
Shite.
Shite singer, shite songs, shite production, shite lyrics.
The guy sings like he has been kicked in the plums, but I don't think we are that lucky. Would give it zero, or even less than that if I could.
Absolutely pish.
He can't sing, and is a Nazi, and isn't a good lyricist, and is a Nazi, and writes terrible music, and is a Nazi, and really puts the "pretentious" in "pretentious wanker", and also, and I can't stress this enough, is a Nazi.
0 🌟
Radiohead
5/5
Widely considered the best album of all time, and still under-rated! Easily the best album of my lifetime, very little else even comes close.
Perfection
Lambchop
3/5
Fairly forgettable, but pleasant enough as it goes. Perhaps an early (and American) forerunner of the British landfill indie movement of a few years later, with much more country influence.
Only giving three feels too harsh, but it wasn't good enough for four stars - so 3 is what it has to get!
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
Forgettable and repetitive french edm - no thanks.
Radiohead
5/5
Perfection, and a new way of connecting with fans (when it was first released, anyway) means it could never be less than 5 - even if they weren't one of my all-time favourite artists.
Some of their best songs on this record, but which have not had quite the same exposure as the bigger hits. "Nude" is a particular highlight
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
Solid alt-country; timeless (in a good way); not really much like The Byrds, although a similar pop sensibility at points; a very short album, which is better than being too long.
Nothing especially memorable or ground-breaking, to me, but I really liked it.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Very 80s jangle-pop, which is not even nearly my kind of thing. A bit more interesting than some of their peers, with a slight gothic edge to the sound, but still fairly forgettable. The most memorable track is "The Killing Moon" - which is rightly more famous than all the other songs put together!
Haircut 100
1/5
Pish. Absolutely pish. Too much saxophone by about 100%, all jangle and no soul, even the songs I had heard before sound so much worse in the smug-yuppie-wanker context of the full album. Offensively bad, to the point where I wasn't sure I'd manage to listen to it all. I did, but I'm not sure how! Probably the worst album (not involving nico or morisey) I have endured.
0 🌟
CHIC
3/5
Disco sucks! But this has too much funk and soul be just disco. If anything, it's what was being ripped off by all the terrible disco songs that followed. Not great, and some tracks are just too long, but enjoyable enough as fairly chilled out background music.
Turbonegro
4/5
Cool, but not immediately attention-grabbing. Any one of these songs would fit in well on pretty much any of my playlists, but I don't think anyone would feel the need to search out who the artist was. Very good, but not great. I will listen to their other stuff when I get a chance though.
CHVRCHES
5/5
Ethereal and beautiful, plus a Scottish bonus point - makes a surprising (to me) five stars!
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Flawless, probably the greatest of the new generation in terms of storytelling and building a narrative over a whole album. Lyrically dense, with catchy beats and atmospheric production, and pretty much perfect.
Anyone who hasn't seen it (or who has!) should definitely seek out his wonderful Glastonbury headline set!
Boston
4/5
Slightly cheesy, but juuuuuust stays on the "classic rock" side of the line. A few absolute staples, which I can't remember not knowing, and a few more that sound basically the same but don't get the airplay. Solid and catchy, with good solos and vocals, but falls ever so slightly short of the five for me - just a bit lacking in emotion and magic.
Metallica
5/5
Wonderful
JAY Z
5/5
One of the few hip-hop albums that could have done with more guest spots, in my opinion, although the variety of producers means that at least the beats and backings are changing. I loved the diss track - how cocky do you have to be to take shots at Nas by saying basically "yeah, Illmatic was good, what else you got?"!!
5/5
Brilliant. Distinctive sounding, but within the framework of the rock and indie of the time. I'm not sure why I didn't listen to more PJ at the time, maybe I thought she was too grown up and serious for me. If I did, I was wrong!
A wee bonus point for Thom Yorke showing up secures the five for her, and i look forward to hearing more during or after this list
Fela Kuti
4/5
Enjoyable, but not super catchy and very long songs. Ginger Baker was a hell of a drummer, and so versatile!
4 🌟
James Brown
4/5
Really good, but no better. Live album was interesting, and loved the introduction he was given. Didn't know many of the songs, but all pretty catchy. Will come back to when I'm not driving, so I can listen more fully
4 🌟
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
4/5
Right on the boundary between folk and country - influenced by Woody Guthrie and an influence on Bob Dylan. A really short album, at least it is without the bonus tracks, but very fun and a cool record of some very old songs. I loved it!
5/5
Brilliant, and one I would probably never have heard otherwise! Sounds like an influence on loads of bands I love, especially suede and the Manics, but also on pretty much every punk band since. I didn't know "West Coast punk" was a thing, and it kind of wasn't really - except these guys - but I'm glad to know someone was trying to make it happen.
Duran Duran
2/5
Bland boring 80s pish, I dislike most of the hits, and the filler is rubbish. Save a prayer is decent though, and none of it is *offensively* bad, just dull.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Great voice, great songs, and only a few of them that I knew before listening. So glad I started this, as I would probably never have sought out this album otherwise!
4 🌟
Kings of Leon
4/5
Solid, if unspectacular, country and folk influenced southern rock. Not as urgent as their debut, and not as immediate as the follow up, but a fun, catchy, raucous and perhaps slightly overlooked work. A very solid 4 🌟 in my book!
The Crusaders
2/5
Meh, a classic to open, then some middling noodling jazz instrumentals. Not my cup of tea, and not really sure why it's on the list. Decent background music I guess, but no more than that.
Songhoy Blues
5/5
Wonderful, even if I only understood a fraction of the lyrics!
Air
3/5
Les trois premières chansons sont parfaites, mais le reste de l'album n'est qu'assez bon. C'est très français et très cool, mais je ne l'ai pas tellement apprécié. Trois chansons classiques, trois étoiles
R.E.M.
4/5
Very good and very interesting as a record of where one of the biggest alternative bands started out. Radio free Europe is great, some of the rest is a bit filler, but I really enjoyed it
Eminem
5/5
One of my favourite hip-hop albums, then and now. Flips between funny and upsetting and silly and (slightly) political, while sounding like a congruent piece. Outstanding.
Ozomatli
4/5
Very fun and chilled, with so many different genres it almost sounded like a compilation album (in a good way)
But ... a pain in the proverbial to listen to, since it's not on any of the streaming services. I can't give it 5 when I couldn't hear it all, even though I loved what I did listen to
The Fall
4/5
Musically interesting, lyrically dense; much better than I expected, but still far from perfect; probably a band that will pop up again, although there is (in my opinion) more deserving artists. A tricky one to score, but for the music and the influence, I'm going to round up, rather than down.
Ray Price
3/5
Very old fashioned country and western, but with plenty of charm and a sense of humour. I liked it, but don't think I'll come back to it any time soon. A solid three, ni more, no less
The Fall
4/5
Musically interesting, lyrically dense; much better than I expected, but still far from perfect; probably a band that will pop up again, although there is (in my opinion) more deserving artists. A tricky one to score, but for the music and the influence, I'm going to round up, rather than down.
AC/DC
5/5
Solid as a rock, with flawless production and a great mix of classic songs and less well-known tracks. A band I imagined would have lots of filler on their albums, but I didn't spot any here!
Bad Company
5/5
One of the best voices in rock, and some of his best songs on this BC by BC from the album BC is (maybe) the best example of the triple shared name.
Flawless
Screaming Trees
5/5
Really good, and always interesting to see what was going on elsewhere when Britain was looking inward. Not what I expected from Mark Lanegan, but I really enjoyed it anyway
TV On The Radio
3/5
Meh, not as good as the other one, which I had a while ago - just not as engaging or catchy. Decent enough, but no more than that.
The White Stripes
5/5
Genius
The Prodigy
5/5
Banging choons
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
I didn't know any of these songs well before, and don't like any of them much now. Feels loke a whole album of filler tracks, missing the killer song(s) that could have elevated it to "decent". I quite enjoyed some of their other stuff, but this one is not immediate, not interesting after a few listens, just outright not very good.
It feels like it's on this list because to author likes it, not because it's actually good or important, and that is a waste of a space in my view.
Death In Vegas
4/5
Very odd, and right at the junction between rock and electronic music, which is an interesting place to be. Iggy Pop showing up was good, albeit strange, but Dot Allison guested on my favourite song - dirge
Lightning Bolt
4/5
A brilliant noise, with nonsense lyrics and impenetrable rhythms, and I really enjoyed it! Falls just short of full marks, but I will add their other stuff to my after-the-list list
R.E.M.
5/5
Brilliant
Beth Orton
4/5
An album I vaguely remember from the time, but wasn't able to listen to in full (because streaming wasn't a thing!), and I now wish I had! Wears her influences on her sleeve, which is no bad thing, and I can hear echoes of her in some of the singer songwriters that have followed.
Coldcut
4/5
A wonderful cacophony, with samples piling on top of each other to build a collage of sound. Not really my thing, but I can certainly appreciate the skill involved. Some excellent guest vocals as well, and and infectious joyousness that made me want to dance around the office.
Not sure what happened to the spotify link, or if the album has been removed for some reason, but this is well worth seeking out on an alternate platform.
Joy Division
5/5
What an album. Virtually flawless
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Very odd, but very good. Some of the songs are so short they blur into each other, but it still works. A tricky one to score, since it is so long and so weird!
Dolly Parton
4/5
Three wonderful singers, whose voices work really well together. From an old school Nashville that I don't generally like, but with a clear influence from the highwaymen and the travelling Tilbury. Very dated, and not the finest work from any of the three, but with a charm and grace, and such flawless vocal performances, that it couldn't get less than 4 from me!
Mariah Carey
1/5
Pish. Just pish. Almost every song is over-sung and under-written, sounding like a half finished effort with phoned-in guest rappers. Production is all over the shop, lyrics are odd and rubbish and very very bad. There are a couple of ballads which stand out like corn in crap, but this record is one of the least deserving of its place on this list.
Still better than Nico though!
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Flawless golden age hip-hop, from some of the best to ever do it. Does not sound like a début at all - such swagger and confidence - but it still carries the exuberance of youth. One of my favourite bands and, even if I only knew a handful if songs before yesterday morning, one of my favourite albums.
A masterpiece
Eagles
4/5
A few classics, particularly the title track, and a fair bit of filler, such as the reprise of a song on the following track. The good songs are so good, and the filler just good enough, that this has to score well. I just wish they had put more effort into making more even albums, or just fewer albums, so their great songs weren't spread so thinly.
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
Definite 5 before I even hear a note - possibly the best and most consistent album by one of my all time favourite bands.
After listening - six stars! I absolutely love this album, there's barely a note out of place, and it comes as close as anything to having no songs I would ever consider skipping.
Flawless.
could only have been better if richey had been around to see the success they had with (partly) his lyrics
Doves
3/5
Of all the albums evers made, this sure is one of them. I am certain it exists, although would find it difficult to prove this. I know I listened to it but, other than "catch the sun" coming on as the clouds parted, I don't really remember it. Not that it is bad, or particularly good, just not especially memorable. Individually, I quite like the songs, but as a solid lump of "album", it just sort of happens. Probably not a worthy inclusion on the list, as I don't think anyone would have noticed if it wasn't there, but I also barely noticed that it was there.
Tl;Dr: this album is magnolia paint.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Smooth, but with a serious message. Doesn't sound like (just) a soundtrack, but was also probably the perfect accompaniment for the film. I love his voice, and the songs are so good, it just has to score 5.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Very raw and bluesy, with a couple of absolute stand out tracks. Not much hint of the juggernaut they would become, but an interesting snapshot of a band on the rise.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Classic but not exciting
PJ Harvey
4/5
Great, but I like her later stuff more. Interesting to hear where she started, and another artist where I have added all her (other) albums to my "after the list" list!
Iggy Pop
4/5
Very fun, not quite as (pre-)punk as the stooges, but very varied with loads of guitar. Two obviously well-known classic songs, but the rest are all pretty good too. I did not expect a ballad!
Elliott Smith
4/5
Delicate and fragile, and a huge influence on pretty much every singer-songwriter since. What happened to him is such a sad story, but he left behind some beautiful songs.
Metallica
5/5
Great album, perfect start to this insanity! One (obviously) and Frayed Ends of Sanity were particular highlights
Sonic Youth
4/5
Good, bordering on great. Sounds a lot like early Biffy Clyro - anyone who liked this (and everyone else!) should listen to Blackened Sky, Biffy's first album.
A clear influence on Nirvana as well, but manages to steer clear of the "soundalike" issues some bands run into when their fans become stars.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Wonderful and varied, with influences from all sorts of places. Ry Cooder being involved was not something I expected, but was good.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Perfect, and yet somehow still not as good as their previous album!
The Associates
3/5
A couple of decent enough songs, but most of the others sound like poor imitations. Scores OK with its scottish bonus point, but this is actually a 2 🌟 album
4/5
Modern life may be rubbish, but this album isn't - although it is probably a bit short of their best work (which is the run of albums after this one).
Plenty of good ideas, although unfocused in parts and without the big hit single that would have broken through.
One of the defining works of early britpop, defined (by me) as the period before Definitely Maybe when Blur, Suede and Pulp (among others) were trying things out and waiting to catch fire.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Must have sounded like it came from the future, but is now so old that it sounds a little dated. A record that has been so influential it sounds like a bunch of other stuff, but it came before pretty much all of it! Not my favourite genre, I prefer analogue instruments and especially value physical drums, but enjoyable and innovative
The Police
3/5
Not as good as they think it is, but still pretty decent. Overly long, oddly very prog (by 80s standards at least), a few good songs and a whole heap of filler. The most famous song is probably one of the most misunderstood stalker anthems ever.
The Saints
5/5
A brilliant fusion of many of the early British and US punk bands, with a clear influence on a bunch of Australian bands since - the likes of You am I, The Living End, Jet, & The Vines owe The Saints a huge debt. I loved it, especially because of its clear sense of both time and place.
A brilliant record (which probably doesn't need the b-sides, rarities and live takes on the linked version)
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Pish, the sound of an indie band trying to make dance music because of a hit remix - the same reason moloko failed after sing it back. A couple of decent songs, and they seem like nice people, but there is absolutely no need for this to be included on the list.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
Very odd, with little or no hint of his involvement with some of the biggest bands of the previous decade. I liked it, I think, but it was so weird that I spent most of my first listen through spotting bits that had been sampled (and then trying to work out if it was from this album, or for this album, that the sampling took place!)
Kid Rock
1/5
Terrible
The War On Drugs
3/5
Pretty dull at points, but enough hints of Dylan, Springsteen, and some of the better 90s indie, that it didn't annoy me much. I think they were pretty popular with the critics and reviewers at the time, but there's no great evidence for why on this record. In level and (a little) in style, it prompts me to think of what an American Badly Drawn Boy would be like
Beatles
5/5
Perfection
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Very chilled and pleasant, although the spotify link is to a different album. YouTube one works though. Not an album I would ever have listened to without this project, but one I certainly enjoyed. I would probably like it even more after a few listens, but the next album is already waiting for me!
Björk
5/5
Very good, and an extra star just for being Björk - which takes it to six!! Hidden place, cocoon, and unity were my favourites
KISS
2/5
Very polished and over produced, and a band I disliked (a little) even before - for no good reason really. Takes the worst of glam and of hair "metal", and a daft concept and poor songs.
Still significantly better than Nico and anything involving Morisey, but an absolute waste of a place on the list. Only good point is that it is mercifully short.
Incubus
4/5
An album of grunge influenced college rock, in a world that was about to become 98.7% nu-metal! Other than sounding out of time, this is a solid album, with a couple of late 90s staples, but it falls just short of full marks for not having an absolute classic, and for being a bit patchy. A solid four 🌟 album
Iggy Pop
4/5
Probably fairer to consider this as a Bowie/Iggy collaboration album, as it is so far from The Stooges and so close to what Bowie was doing. The only issue there would be that I would expect more from Bowie!
It is a good album with plenty of light and shade, and some very odd lyrics, but it just doesn't hit home in the same way as plenty of his other work (both solo and with The Stooges) - so I can't give it full marks. I enjoyed it and found it interesting though, so it came close!
George Jones
3/5
Very old country, far removed from the outlaw version I love. Almost borders on cliché at points, with songs about "borrowed women" and "she left me & I'm sad".
Decent for what it is, but not for me. A worthwhile addition to the list, and one I am happy to have heard, but not an artist I am likely to come back to.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
What a voice! Another very short album, which meant I was able to listen to it a bunch of times - which was good, as I liked it more after a few runs through.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Exceptionally prog, with some odd drumming (explained on Wikipedia) and complex lyrics - about many different topics. I like it, but I think I prefer his earlier work
The Sonics
5/5
Raw raucous riotous rock & roll, really influential and an important part of the story of so many other bands. And yet, a band I hadn't heard of before! I'm glad to have put that right now, cos they are great.
Fever Ray
2/5
Just some lass who has listened to too much Björk, but not enough of the other music that influenced Björk, so thinks it is easy to make records like Björk. Fever Ray falls so far short, it's honestly kind of embarrassing. Not actively terrible, but just sort of junk electro-singer-songwriter, with sloppy production and an odd (possibly affected) semi-Scandinavian feel. Not for me, but I can see why critics (and authors) might think there was something there.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Sounds about a million years old; doesn't need the "bonus" tracks / outtakes; pleasant enough but doesn't really move me; great voices, decent songs, slightly lazy production (as can sometimes be the case with self-produced records)
R.E.M.
5/5
Absolutely wonderful, from the massively famous rock classics to the less well known instrumentals and "filler".
Sepultura
5/5
Heavy as hell, I think this would have broken my head a bit if I had heard it when I was 14! However, with more knowledge of heavy and extreme music, I now love it and value its place in the progression.
A clear influence on Korn, Slipknot, and many other bands I love, perhaps the most interesting and comparable being the wonderful Alien Weaponry - who would hopefully see the compliment in being thought of as a Maori Sepultura!
Sam Cooke
4/5
I'm still not sure live albums belong on the list, but this is a good one if they do. It shows the close links between soul and rock & roll, especially when artists chose to play faster louder versions of their famous songs. Also shows how great Mr Cooke was at interacting with an audience, and making them part of the show. The sound quality is a bit patchy at points, but not so bad it spoiled my enjoyment - if anything it added to the "live and loud" feeling of the show!
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Very pleasant, if a little bloodless. Neil Young is probably the most interesting (occasional) member of csn&y, and his songs on this album stood out a mile. All in all, I really liked it, but didn't quite love it.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Raekwon
5/5
Flawless
Björk
5/5
I love Björk, and would happily listen to all her work on a loop for days on end. Such variety and confidence for a Debut (solo) album, showing what she learned from her previous band as well as skills well outside of anything The Sugarcubes could or would have done.
Was always likely to get five, but the chance to (properly) listen again reminded me why I fell for her in the first place!
Mott The Hoople
3/5
The missing link between Bowie (& Dylan) and the Clash and Dr Feelgood - showing how art rock and pub rock were about to merge and speed up (and take influences from elsewhere) to become pink rock.
Very very Bowie influenced, obviously, but that is certainly not a bad thing!
Madonna
3/5
Ok, with a couple of great songs - Frozen and The Power of Goodbye. Sounds expensive, well produced, designed to be a hit, and slightly dated.
3 🌟
Paul Simon
3/5
A few good tracks, and wonderful guests, but not really my thing. Enjoyable enough, and clearly the work of someone who knows what he is doing, but lacking a little soul/passion/heart.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
Very odd, in a good way! Feels almost more like a classical piece than most things on the list, with wilfully weird lyrics and gorgeous music
Massive Attack
5/5
Perfection
1/5
Sounds like 2 drummers kicking a saxophonist down the stairs, while another saxophone screams for help, and a bassist nods along. Not an easy listen, but certainly unusual. One I would probably like more after listening to it a whole bunch of times. But I don't want to, so I won't be!
Public Enemy
5/5
Brilliant production, explosive lyrics, dizzying use of samples, contemporary relevance, absolutely wonderful
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
A couple of classics, a few others that basically sound the same, and a few dull moments that would probably not make it onto an album nowadays. Not great, not terrible, but decent
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
The missing link between punk and new romantics, like a slightly better generation X. Far from flawless, but enjoyable and interesting, with a couple of great songs.
Method Man
4/5
Hell yeah! Wu Tang for the win!
XTC
4/5
Prog punk - odd as a concept, but wonderful in practice. Not my favourite of their albums, and not quite flawless, but a great album to elevate a sunny Saturday
Guided By Voices
4/5
Odd. Very odd. Lots of songs, most of them pretty short. Wear their influences on their sleeves, but would have benefitted from a producer & editor to streamline the running order and finish some of the shorter tracks. Good, but not great. I will look out for more of their stuff, but there is so much that I'm not sure where to start!
The Stranglers
5/5
A band where I like all the songs I know, but wasn't sure how consistent a full album would be. I am glad to now know that it is excellent - probably better as a whole than the Sex Pistols album from around the same time.
Punk with a keyboard doesn't sound like a recipe for success, but it absolutely works.
Clearly shows the link from pub rock to punk, and even shows the way punk would morph after its heyday - a brilliant album. All of their next few albums are now on my (rapidly expanding) "beyond 1,001 albums" list!
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
Brilliant
G. Love & Special Sauce
4/5
Very funky, down and dirty in Philly. Not an artist I had heard of before, but one I certainly enjoyed. A clear influence, in my mind at least, on Fun Lovin Criminals and Cage the Elephant, and a few others who fused rock, funk and rap-sung vocals. A cracker
Linkin Park
5/5
A really important album to me, released a month or so after I turned 18, and the soundtrack to my uni days. Will always remind me of my flatmate Dan, who could sing the whole album virtually note perfect (but needed me for the rapping!)
4/5
Clear influence on and of Led Zeppelin, although it doesn't have the one they ripped off! Very prog at points, but also exceptionally folky. I liked it, and will listen to more of their stuff after the list, but there is room for other work to be better, so I can't really give this full marks!
Destiny's Child
3/5
Lush and expensive sounding, with lyrics which are more interesting than I would have guessed from the singles. Thanking Jésus (& his dad) seems a bit unnecessary, as I don't think either actually had much to do with the success. But all three can clearly sing excellently, and one of them went on to be (arguably) the biggest star on the planet for a while, so hard to be too curmudgeonly!
Not one I'll come back to, but probably a worthy inclusion on a list which can be pretty light on massive selling pop artists.
The Fall
4/5
Musically interesting, lyrically dense; much better than I expected, but still far from perfect; probably a band that will pop up again, although there is (in my opinion) more deserving artists. A tricky one to score, but for the music and the influence, I'm going to round up, rather than down.
Slint
5/5
Awesome. I listened to all their other album the same day - not many other bands have inspired that (although I guess it is easier when there is only one other full album).
Like early Biffy Clyro, raw Nirvana, with a hint of At The Drive-In energy.
I loved it
The Who
4/5
I still don't think live albums belong on the list, but this is probably the best of them.
Roxy Music
2/5
Not for me, too art for art's sake. Very 80s sounding, but not in a good way. No thanks
Kate Bush
4/5
Very eccentric, impressive vocals, not always catchy songs but always arresting and interesting. Clear influence on Lorde, Sia, Marina and the Diamonds, and Florence + the machine. Pull out the pin, suspended in gaffa, and get out of my house were my top tracks.
4 🌟
System Of A Down
5/5
Perfect - and their next album is even better!
Peter Frampton
4/5
I still don't think there should be live albums on the list. However, this is easily his most famous and successful album, and the prototype for the phenomenon, so the one that absolutely needs to be here! Far from flawless, but enjoyable and fun, and clearly a hell of a good gig
The Monkees
3/5
Cheesy pop nonsense, from a band whose best days were behind them
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
Good, but not great, and lacking some of the attitude and swagger that made his later work brilliant. Loads of religious references, which surprised me.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
Charming background music, with wonderful vocals and gentle music and arrangements. Doesn't grab your ears lome some on the list, but would probably stand up well to regular repeat listens - maybe after the list!
The Go-Betweens
4/5
Very 80s jangle-pop sounding, clearly influenced by the British scene of the time. An outsiders view of things though, which adds intrigue, and a band I plan to explore more when I have time (i.e. I'm not getting a new album each day!)
Tim Buckley
4/5
Not as good as his son, which isn't often how these things go, but pretty solid. Much more funk and heft than I had expected, given his reputation, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Interesting collaborations as well, which might explain the change from his more delicate early work
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
5/5
How could it not be great? The king of drummers, a bass player with attitude and riffs aplenty, a guitarist happy to play his part without overstepping, and a vocalist and lyricist who barely writes a duffer. Oh, and one of the great producers of the era!
One of the defining supergroups - such a shame they shone so briefly.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Great example of big band music, and the blurry lines between that and the more accessible side of jazz. I liked it, especially the drumming, and appreciate its place on the genre, but not sure how deep down the rabbit hole I feel the need to venture.
I loved the cover art though - but not sure it would pass the legal dept. nowadays!
Mike Ladd
4/5
A new name in hip-hop for me, but who had worked with a bunch of names I know. I can see why he had so many top collaborators, but not quite sure why he didn't break through - unless he didn't want to!
Adele
3/5
The third of her four albums which, in my opinion, get gradually worse. She clearly has a wonderful voice, but the songs feel a bit "play it safe", and don't do much apart from show off her pipes. She had so much potential on her first couple of albums, and it just all feels quite "corporate" by this point. Doesn't help that she had such bother with her voice I suppose, and she has had (and will continue to have) a great career, but I was kind of expecting more from her, in terms of how good she could have been.
Sometimes the 'music' as an art can be secondary to the 'business' side of the music business. The story of Adele should be a cautionary tale, but I worry some young artists will see "selling more records" as better than "making the best records you can".
Judged solely on its merits, it probably deserves 4 stars, but based on how much I loved her first album (and liked her second), she should have been making 5 star albums by this point!
Lana Del Rey
3/5
Taylor before Taylor was Taylor - and an interesting one to get as the Swifties gather in Scotland. Produced in the modern way, with muddy vocals and all the songs sounding the same, but more interesting than some of the more bubble-gum pop efforts out there. Like the AOR/MOR of pop music - but I can't work out if that's a compliment or not.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Solid but light, funky but jazz, with a tight rhythm section who keep it loose. With a mass of contradictions like that, this was one of the hardest to rate - I might have given 2 after the first (distracted) listen, 5 after a couple of (more focussed) plays, but the repetitious nature (and lack of vocals) means after a full day, it dropped just short of full marks. I really liked it though, and have enjoyed learning more about jazz and associated styles
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
An album and artist I would surely never have come across without starting this project - the perfect example of why I wanted to do it! A surprise and delight, and a body of work I know I will come back to (once I have time to pick albums myself again!)
Emmylou Harris
3/5
standard, but very good, country. her version of Dolly's Coat of Many Colours isn't as good, but Boulder to Birmingham is a cracker. The sort of thing my dad and grandad would have loved
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
wonderful, an album i have been looking forward to hearing since the start - and especially since i had their debut a few months ago. flawless, and with the option to fully immerse yourself or have it as (interesting and absorbing) background music. try both!
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
good, but a bit weird for me. too much vocal pretentiousness, not enough guitars!
The Undertones
5/5
So important, but also so good. Not the first punk album, nor the best, but a keystone in the story of guitar music, in the UK in particular.
Adam & The Ants
1/5
Pish
Ride
5/5
A real joy, from a band I had heard of, but not fully explored. In the gaps between Madchester and Brit-pop, but also between 70s prog and Radiohead. Sounds a bit like Oasis in points, reminded me to look up Hurricane #1, surprised to see Ride still going in 2024, and still with the original line-up.
Ramones
5/5
Important and influential, and much ripped off by inferior artists. Fast and noisy and short and great
The Temptations
3/5
The point that soul started to become disco, with a tight rhythm section and repetitive songs. Funkier than I had expected, but pretty forgettable.
A very short album, but still with a couple of very long songs. All sound similar, although with a few different voices popping up. Run Charlie run has some lyrics you would not expect to see in a pop record nowadays!
The First time ever I saw your face is my favourite of these songs
Finley Quaye
5/5
Probably the greatest Scottish reggae album of all time (admittedly not a long list of contenders) and one I come back to every year when the sun comes out.
Gene Clark
4/5
Nowhere near as good as his work with The Byrds, but that is a high bar to clear. Country tinged American folk is a genre I have a soft spot for, and this is a pretty good example. Interesting choice of cover (actually covers, on the linked expanded version) helps elevate just that 1/4 point higher meaning it rounds to 4!
Talking Heads
3/5
Not especially memorable, but decent enough. I like it less than a couple of their other albums, but not by much. Sounds ahead of its time in a way - a clear influence on a huge number of 80s bands and artists.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Brilliant voice, brilliant songs, properly stopped me in my tracks at points. The title track, A Change is Gonna Come and, of course, Respect were highlights.
Four stars - although very very close to the full five!
Tina Turner
4/5
Fairly cheesy, with waaaay too much saxomophone, but plenty of good songs too. I've got a lot of time for Tina, and this is one of her best. I Can't Stand the Rain in particular is outstanding
Pink Floyd
3/5
Way short of their better later works, sounds like a band finding their feet but still trying to fit in with what is popular at the time. Syd may have been a genius, but there's not much evidence of it here!
Mylo
2/5
Pish, but Scottish, so the lowest it can score is 2. There's barely a germ of a decent song in the whole thing, and this should be nowhere near the list.
2 it is!
Amy Winehouse
4/5
What a voice, and what a sad story, and what a traumatised young lady. Not as immediate as her follow up, but really funny and clever, and wearing her (relatively uncool at the time) influences on her sleeve.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
like a parody of 60s music, or something from austin powers. not actively terrible, just slightly dull and basically a pastiche of everything else going on at the same time, while still retaining clear influences of 50s big band stuff.
Not for me.
Billie Holiday
5/5
Eleanora (aka Lady Day) is basically the best female singer ever, and listening to this is a reminder to anyone who might think otherwise. Even the outtakes and alternate versions add value - which is not usually the case with repackaged versions of old albums! I wish there was more film of her, and even more recorded music, but plan to fully explore her back catalogue when i have time (ie after the list!)
Madness
5/5
No need for all the 12" versions, instrumentals, live cuts and remixes - a point off for that!
The album itself is great though - right on the boundary between pop and serious music and any album with Our House - which contains one of my favourite lines in any song (the kids are playing up downstairs) - is fine by me!
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Pretty good, not one I would have heard without taking on this list. Family affair and spaced cowboy were my favourites. Did not enjoy the instrumental/alternate versions as much
4 🌟 for the original version, but only 3 🌟 for the expanded version!
John Lennon
5/5
Short, but still loose; clearly linked to his band before, but still its own thing; intensely personal, but from one of the most famous musicians ever; hugely varied but fits together beautifully.
So, an album of contradictions!
But I love John, and Working Class Hero is one of the great anthems, and even his "poorer" songs are better than most other artists could hope to achieve!
David Bowie
5/5
Brilliant, and still far from his best work!
Laura Nyro
5/5
A wonderful voice, an interesting artist, and someone I will be returning to - all her stuff is on my "after the list" list
Donald Fagen
4/5
A flawless voice, but not as good as the work he did with his band. Pretty close at times, but just lacking a certain something - perhaps as simple as other voices and musicians to compete/collaborate with him!
Hookworms
1/5
Pretty terrible, but one of the band is seemingly a pretty terrible person. I only checked the wiki link to see why I hadn't heard of them, given when and where they were active, but it turns out they have been pretty comprehensively scrubbed from the records - but not the book! Losing them is no great loss though - late period landfill electro-indie is not my idea of a good time
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Beguiling, engaging, alien and exotic, but lacking just a bit of light and shade I don't know enough about the genre(s) to fully appreciate it. It almost deserves a fourth star, but it didn't capture me enough - maybe even just a sunnier day here in Scotland would have tipped it into the next bracket! I certainly plan to listen to more music from outside of the UK and US - once I am free from the self-imposed restrictions of this project!
King Crimson
3/5
Very prog, with a ridiculously wide range of influences. Instrumental tracks always sound a bit like background music. I enjoyed it plenty, but feel there are probably better albums not on the list - it seems like anything British from the 70s is here without having to do much more than exist!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
A work of genius, with every song showing a new side of the band. I am fully converted to the cult of Cave, and look forward to hearing more from them - either on the list or once I am finished
Nirvana
5/5
Probably the most important album of my musical life! An album from which I have played pretty much every song in one band or another. My CD copy wore out from being played so much - which shouldn't even be possible!
I was never likely to give this less than 5 stars - but listening again reminded me why, and inspired me to listen to everything else Nirvana put out.
Sonic Youth
4/5
A great album, from a great band, who I would probably have loved if I had been born a few years earlier. A massive influence on many bands I love, and a band I will explore fully once this project is done.
John Martyn
4/5
A guy who finally seems to be getting the recognition and appreciation he deserves, and who was a huge influence on at least two distinct movements of singer-songwriters. The album is very good, without ever quite ascending to great, but considering it was 1973(!) when it was out, it is an achievement that it still doesn't sound dated or stale at all. A nice story behind it too - a tribute to a friend who was still alive to hear it.
I'm not sure whether to give the Scottish bonus point - he was born in Surrey, but spent half his childhood in Scotland. Giving 1/2 star for 1/2 Scottish makes this a solid 4 for me!
Gorillaz
5/5
Clint Eastwood is one of my favourite songs from the early 2000s, all the other singles are class, and even the really random songs (like Latin Simone and Sound Check) capture a mood or a feeling. Another album I own on CD, although I think my daughter has pinched it - but maybe it is the mark of genious [sic] that it still feels contemporary over 23 years later.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Regularly up there in lists of best albums ever, and relistening after a few years reminds me why. There's probably not *that* many albums every track has its own Wikipedia page - but every title is blue; even "Silver Springs" which was only on some versions!
The genius of the album probably comes from the competitive nature of recording, which is shown in the variety of songwriters (and one full band composition) - if you wanted to get your song on the record, it had better be damn near flawless.
All the stories about the recording are so well known by this point, and people have literally written books on the topic, but even the band were able to see that everything they went through resulted in one of the great collections of songs. I hope they all know how much it means to so many people.
My favourite track is probably The Chain, especially the backing vocals, but the one I would love to hear spoken about more is Never Going Back Again - a 2 minute slice of acoustic perfection, and probably the closest to one person's vision.
My one wish is that I had been around to see them on the tour that followed!
Air
2/5
A decent soundtrack, but still just a soundtrack - which means I don't think it belongs on the list. Evokes a mood, which is the point, but doesn't work as well without the movie. Lacking in lyrics, lacking in soul, lacking in inspiration.
Not for me, but passable background music I guess.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
4/5
Odd, in a good way! Massive variety of styles and genres, some of them completely unexpected (no spoilers!).
An artist I knew a little through his work with others, although not as a lead/solo artist - I'll sort that once the list is done.
The guest vocalist on track 1 is a particularly pleasant surprise - especially given how big a star they were at that time.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
a live album of a classical piece - two reasons not to be on the list in my view. for classical, performed by rock musicians, it's pretty accomplished - but messier than if they had taken the time to record it properly, and the crowd noise tramples the start and end of a few tracks.
three geniuses combining to be far less than the sum of their parts.
The Gun Club
5/5
Punk blues - could be from anywhere between 1976 and 2029! Absolute genius, hard to believe it was a debut, other than how focussed it is. Another band I plan to explore more fully when I don't get a new album each day - think my "after the list" list is rapidly closing in on 1001 albums as well!
Word of advice (for those who don't know the band already) - listen first, even if you usually read the wiki; if only so you can have a guess when this was recorded
CHIC
2/5
Disco sucks - and so does most of this album. 'Good Times' is fine, but everything else sounds kind of like a poor facsimile of a copy of a rip-off of that. 'My Forbidden Lover' is apparently the second most listened to song on the album (on Spotify; 13M, [compared with 183M for 'Good Times!]), but this probably says more about the foibles of people than the quality of the track
Klaxons
3/5
The "high" point of nu-rave, a short-lived and fairly local phenomenon in the UK which involved someone playing a guitar near some dance music, while everyone got off their face on various substances. If this had happened when I was a student, rather than a responsible and functional member of society, I would have loved it. As it is, it sounds like drunken pretentious asshats merging two genres that do not mesh well. But somehow, it works (a bit).
a-ha
1/5
pish
Talking Heads
3/5
Really odd, in a good way, with bizarre lyrics and massive variation in rhythm and instrumentation. The 'Deluxe' version is not entirely necessary, although "Fela's Riff" is a nice nod to a superior artist.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Possibly the only album made worse by a Beatle appearing, and the man was not a good guy, but as an album it is both really good and very important. Falls just short of full marks for me; for the duet and the crimes.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
Technically excellent, but fairly uninspiring. Good though, just a bit meh
The Vines
5/5
An album I loved at the time, and still do!
2/5
An album I hated at the time, and still do! The MI:2 song was ok, and is the only reason for this nonsense scoring more than 1.
Roni Size
4/5
A great album I had never listened to in full before - the point of doing this! I really enjoyed it, although it lagged a bit towards the end and was so influential that it now sounds a wee bit dated.
The Beta Band
4/5
One great song, 9 good ones, and a bonus point for being Scottish. Sound like 4 stars where I come from!
Traffic
3/5
Early prog, with plenty of folk influence. Takes itself very seriously, and borders on pretentious at points, but I liked it a lot.
Cypress Hill
5/5
The perfect mash-up of NY and Cali hip-hop, from a band so influential they deserve far more credit. No massive hits on this album, but none the worse for it. Anyone who loves rap & hip-hop but doesn't rate Cypress Hill needs to have their sonic world expanded to include them.
Christine and the Queens
2/5
Nonsense, but a good way round any writer's block issues - just write two sets of words for each song and throw them out with zero quality control.
This was picked out the day the Paris Olympics opened, maybe by coincidence, maybe not, but it made for a very French day in my house.
5/5
Flawless - even the songs that have been forgotten are better than most artists ever manage!
The Adverts
5/5
A vital and important punk cornerstone that I had never listened to in full before - pretty much the point of doing this! It doesn't need all the flummery of the 1hr 9min expanded edition; the original was less than half that and better for it.
Up there with the best UK punk, and the best work John Leckie has produced - both of which are impressive company to keep.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
A few great songs, a few good songs, and a whole heap of filler. The good songs, along with her flawless vocals, lift it above average for me, musically and lyrically. But it could have been so much better with fewer songs (and no interludes) and slightly more consistent production
The Damned
5/5
A solid, tight 30 minutes and change of 70s UK punk - always going to get my attention! Hints of moving on a bit musically, but only a few, and any decent punk band doesn't need to move on anyway!
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
8 songs in 47 minutes - and no words - makes for background music in my book; but very pleasant background music at that. Loses a point due to my own biases and knowledge gaps, both of which I am enjoying rectifying through this list (and planning listening for once I am done)
Motörhead
3/5
I'm still not sure live albums belong on the list, but here we are again.
As live albums go, this is hell of a messy, and was obviously a loud and raucous tour. All the big songs are there, but I'd prefer the album version of any of them. Without the visuals (let alone the physical sensations), live versions just feel a bit flat.
Sounds like all involved had a great time though!
Neil Young
5/5
Absolute genius, now thankfully back on Spotify.
One of the best to ever do it, and this is probably his (solo) masterwork. Not a note out of place, and unimprovable in my view.
What a man; what an album.
Orange Juice
3/5
One great single and a bunch of (occasionally decent) filler - they would score pretty poorly if not for the Scottish bonus point!
The title track is great, if perhaps overplayed, but there's nothing else here worth even 3 minutes of your time. Edwyn Collins is interesting though, not least because he was (kind of) a one hit wonder twice over! His recent health struggles and comeback tug the heartstrings too - far more than anything he did with his first band.
Mercury Rev
5/5
Released the month I turned 16, and the part of the soundtrack of the next few years. A band I was only vaguely aware of before this album, but I looked out for everything they didod afterwards given how good this is. I loved Mercury Rev - and still
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Before this, I was 95% sure mbv were Scottish - which would have given them 6 stars! The vocals are buried in the mix, the guitars are messed up and distorted, the bass is (often) fuzzy and almost out of time; but it all works flawlessly
David Ackles
5/5
An astoundingly brilliant surprise, from an artist I had literally never heard of. He writes, sings and produces so well, and is a clear influence on a bunch of artists I like (or like a lot) including Billy Joel, Elton John, and many other serious singer-songwriters. I immediately added everything else he did to my "after the list" list - and actually put his debut on later the same day!
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
One of my favourites, and possibly his best album. I was so glad to see it back on Spotify, and listened on repeat until I ran out of time. A precursor to grunge, and not just because Kurt quoted lyrics from it. The combination of live recording with studio tidying up works really well, allowing to get the raw energy of a live set with the distinct and mistake-free fidelity of a studio take. Why do more people not use this as a technique?
David Bowie
5/5
A great album, one of the bets of that year, but still a fair way short of his very best work. A solid 5, but no more. An album that certainly bears many (many) repeat listens
Beastie Boys
5/5
The "Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop" according to some, but possibly drags a little unlike the Sgt. Pepper of rock. Very very good, and an absolute cornerstone of modern rap music - especially in the way they used samples. The "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" suite, while overlong as one song, shows a whole other way of doing hip-hop, more akin to the end of the second side of Abbey Road
Marvin Gaye
4/5
An album about (his) divorce, but manages to shy away from whining, blaming, crying or complaining. Beautifully sung, but drags a wee bit and does not really need to be over 70 minutes long!
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Wonderful - the sound of a singer-songwriter really coming out of her shell and embracing new sounds and styles
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
just noise and nonsense lyrics, and a long way short of Johnny's previous band. the (sort of) title track has about 20 times more plays than anything else, and is probably more like 50 times as good!
Willie Nelson
3/5
a bland collection of safe covers, by an artist with far more to say than just using old songs. they are well sung, arranged and produced, but it all feels a bit of a waste of time - his as much as mine. possibly a contract fulfiller?
The Rolling Stones
4/5
classic, but not quite as good as its reputation might suggest. Wild horses is an all time great, Brown sugar is probably problematic nowadays (but good if you ignore that), can't you hear me knocking is pretty good (if too long), rest of it could be considered filler. Blues influence is clear (at least compared with what the Stone became)
Blur
5/5
Part of the fabric of life in the UK in the 90s, but still with a few lesser known tracks as well. This is a low was a highlight for me; one of my favourite blur songs, and of course the title track is one of the great memes of our time. An absolute joy to revisit, and a reminder of how good the charts of the era could be!
The Residents
2/5
An absolutely bizarre album, which I liked (a bit) in much the same way you might like a blockbuster movie - just turn your brain off and submit. This will not live long in the memory, and probably doesn't deserve to be on the list. However, it is perhaps worthy as as an example of what was going on when music was largely being written by weirdoes!
Caetano Veloso
4/5
A cracker for a sunny day, with a great mix of genres and styles, and some wonderful guest vocalists. Sounds much more modern than when it was out - especially "Alegria, Alegria", which has had quite the story!
I really enjoyed the whole album, and will explore more Latin American music once I have the time.
Bert Jansch
5/5
Absolute genius - would have been close to full marks even without the Scottish bonus point! Every song tells a story or evokes a feeling (or both!) and his influence is still being felt to this day - even by artists who may never have directly experienced his work.
Can
4/5
Great background music, with lots of lovely wee details if you listen more closely. Not really my thing, but perhaps it could be.
The KLF
2/5
Not my JAM(s), and don't quite qualify for a Scottish point. I'm sure it was very exciting at the time, but it all comes across very clever-clever, and pretentiously and meticulously planned, in retrospect. Still better than some of the dreck on the list though!
A cracker of an album, with a stand-out track (Stay with Me) which is almost deserving of five stars on its own.
Janet Jackson
3/5
Absolutely does not need so many interludes, but the songs are ok. Influenced her brother, which I'm sure she loved, and was surprisingly (to me) huge when it was out. She's touring again soon, but I'll not be rushing out to see her.
Elliott Smith
5/5
Beautiful and delicate
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Brilliant, moving, heart-breaking at points, but also with an eye on recovery and the future. One of the most astounding and memorable pieces of music I have heard in a very long time.
5 Stars
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Even as a drummer, I found this too much drums - not by much, but just a wee bit too much. Enjoyed it a bit, and spotting samples that were used elsewhere was great fun.
3 stars
Metallica
5/5
Classic
Peter Tosh
4/5
Sunny chilled reggae goodness - to put a smile on your face and a song in your heart
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
So 80s it hurts, not my thing at all. The power of love is good, the cover versions are all very odd and feel like filler, much of the rest is pretty rubbish.
Liz Phair
5/5
Brilliant, and a clear influence on a bunch of artists I love
Stan Getz
3/5
Very cool, but not overly memorable
Tim Buckley
4/5
A lovely album, with lots of interesting things going on. Not his best work, in my view, but pretty damn good.
Ash
5/5
An album I loved at the time, and a band I have seen live a bunch of times - most memorably at T in the Park 2001 when I was taken to the medical tent after bouncing about too much! Hard to believe this was a debut - it sounds so fully realised and confident.
Living Colour
5/5
A band I discovered through guitar hero - like many others I expect. A great album, which sounds like a band who have been going for years (rather than a debut from a bunch of new artists).
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
80s jangle nonsense, without a single song I would rush back to hear again. Not for me
Robbie Williams
4/5
Better than I remembered, and I knew more songs than I expected. Obviously the singles were a pretty big deal in the UK, but a few of the other tracks were also either staples on the radio, or part of his widely televised live shows at the time and after.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Genius, by an artist whose work I have grown to love over my time with the list
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
Batcrap crazy and lots of fun
The United States Of America
4/5
Batcrap crazy and lots of fun
Ian Dury
4/5
A cracker of a debut, from a real one-off of an artist. Doesn't have his two biggest songs, but still packed full of stories and interesting musical ideas.
The song "my old man" is especially touching.
John Grant
4/5
A really good album, with only the bonus tracks falling short of virtually perfect. Marz is a particular highlight, but the flawless vocals lift even more mundane songs into the stratosphere
The Verve
5/5
A very nearly lost classic of britpop, since they split up shortly after it was released. They went on to be massive, and rightly so, but this album slhas an innocence and naivety that their later work slightly lacked.
'History' is probably my favourite song by the verve, and one of my favourite tracks of the 90s in general
LTJ Bukem
1/5
Compilation albums should not be on the list; the linked version (on Spotify) is not the alright version, and is over three hours long; and, most egregiously, the music is absolute pony
Iron Maiden
4/5
A classic of the genre, with some of their beta and most famous songs. Not as heavy as I would have expected, but still hits like a sledgehammer.
Minutemen
3/5
No need for it to be a double album, although I'm not 100% sure what I might cut. Good, but too long and sloppy, and not as tight as a punk album should be (if it is to be great)
Hot Chip
2/5
Repetitive English nonsense, trying to be "cool" and "out-there", but sounding like what a suburban accountant thinks dance music sounds like
David Bowie
5/5
Classic. Not a bad track, although of course there are some good and some great. Drive in Saturday, let's spend the night night together, jean genie and the title track the best known, and most immediate for me because of that.
Look forward to hearing plenty more from one of the best artists there ever was.
5 🌟
Talvin Singh
4/5
Very cool and filmic, like a soundtrack to a number of different movies. I probably don't know enough to properly judge it, other than knowing I really liked it!
Prince
5/5
One of the best artists ever, and this is probably his masterpiece. From the opener to the last notes of the closing track, this grabs you by the eardrum and doesn't let go. Flawless
Bee Gees
1/5
Pish, just goes to show they didn't need to wait for disco to be able to suck. A band I hated when I only knew their popular songs; the terrible ones are even worse!
Scritti Politti
4/5
Very short (under 40 minutes), but pretty decent. Clearly the work of a very tight band, or a single artist with a solid vision and a band happy to follow.
Neu!
4/5
German insanity, largely instrumental, influential without being enjoyable, could have scored anything - depending on how much time I had to engage with the work. Luckily for them (if they care) I had time to listen until it started (almost) making sense; so I fell for the madness of it all
Digital Underground
3/5
Aiming for high-brow high-concept high-prog rap, but comes off as rambling thoughts of a high stoner. There's the germ of an idea in there somewhere, but it has been stretched gossamer thin.
Aerosmith
5/5
Absolute hair metal classic rock screaming and soloing nonsense, with not an ounce of pretence of being anything different. One article suggested they used a lot of double entendres, but most of them are single at best! Pretty much every song could have come straight from the mind of a horny teenager - and in a way they all did.
For the genius of the music, and the daftness of the lyrics, and the influence on the bands who followed, this (just and no more) gets full marks
Buzzcocks
5/5
Short and English, like a lot of the best punk, with all the best Buzzcocks songs that no-one knows
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
5/5
An absolutely beautiful and, at points, heart-breaking album. I prefer the Johnny Cash version of the title track - to the surprise of absolutely no-one who knows me! All of his (many) other albums and projects are now officially on my "after the list" list
Happy Mondays
3/5
Very much of its time, sounds incredibly dated over 34 years later - which not everything from that time does. Fun and daft, and sounds like it took about the same length of time to write as it takes to listen to; every track sounds like a first draft, even the cover version.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
10 different producers, over 20 songs, around 750,000 credited songwriters, and a run-time longer than some Oscar winners - if that doesn't sound like a star who got to big to be told "no", I don't know what does!
The songs themselves are (mostly) ok, there's just too many and no particular theme, other than Christina expressing every thought she has ever had over whatever music happened to be cool at the precise second she decided to hit record. Not a bad album, just sloppy and unfocused, and one that would have benefitted from a (solo) producer who wasn't afraid to disagree. Unfortunately, the first thing he said "no" to was buying his own plane ticket!
5/5
An album full of imagery and inspiration, which could only have been made by an experienced band with a firm hand behind the desk.
Jefferson Airplane
5/5
The jumping off point for whole genres to follow - prog and psychedelia to name but two. A band blessed with many wonderful vocalists, and plenty of virtuoso musicians in every section of the band.
Deee-Lite
2/5
dance music doesn't work for albums. as a compilation of decent danceable songs, this is fine, but it is not really an album - there's no theme, concept or link other than house music
Van Halen
5/5
Sounds so far ahead of its time.
Eruption is here!
Basically flawless
Suede
3/5
One of the progenitors of brit-pop, but still work to be done at this point. I was never a huge suede fan, and this is far from their best album. Anyone who thinks they were the best British band of the 90s (and there are a few who do) should listen to this, definitely maybe, modern life is rubbish, everything must go ( ), urban hymns, and different class, and see who the real dons were
Minor Threat
5/5
Fast loud and noisy - I just wish it was longer!
Beatles
5/5
Far from their best work, but still with a couple of classics, and still better than most other bands can manage. In my life and Norwegian Wood were highlights, some of John's songs would probably not get cleared by the legal department nowadays, Michelle is naïve to the point af saccharine sweetness.
Weather Report
3/5
Enjoyable jazz, not really my thing, as I don't know enough about it to properly appreciate what's going on, but I liked it and enjoyed listening to something I would never otherwise have heard.
Don McLean
3/5
Syrupy sweet, more of it sounds like Vincent than the title track, but all the songs are pretty decent (or a wee bit better than that)
Slipknot
5/5
One of my favourite bands, and one of their best albums
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
Even if the only songs on this were 'Breaking the Girl', 'Under the Bridge', and 'Guve It Away', it would be five stars all day long.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
Hard to believe this was a debut album - it sounds so fully formed - but just guess he had been working for a while as a guest artist and had an experienced producer at the helm.
One of the classics of West Coast hip-hop, and a touchstone which is still sampled and referenced today.
Jane Weaver
3/5
Pleasant enough, if perhaps a little bland.
Holger Czukay
3/5
Layers of nonsense, with no clear structure and sounding like it was written by rolling dice to see what to do next.
FKA twigs
2/5
Very modern and expensive sounding, and not my thing at all
Jungle Brothers
5/5
A classic of the golden age, when everyone involved in hip-hop knew the four elements - and used them to elevate their blocks, boroughs, and cities.
Pink Floyd
5/5
An absolute masterpiece, with some of the greatest prog rock songs ever written. Enjoyed the story more by listening to it in full and in order.
Comfortably numb and run like hell were my favourites before, and still are, along with the three "movements" of another brick in the wall
Tim Buckley
4/5
A lovely album, with really pretty songs and beautiful arrangements and a few outstanding vocal moments.
The Beta Band
5/5
Sounds like a compilation album, in a good way, with a dizzying variety of styles. I rally liked it, and they get the Scottish bonus point too!
Peter Gabriel
3/5
A handful of great songs, including a brilliant guet with Kate Bush, and a bunch of less engaging filler. I liked it a lot more than I expected to, given it is "old rock star in the 80s", but it falls some way short of his best work.
Randy Newman
3/5
Bland and inoffensive, and not very interesting
Nirvana
5/5
One of the best bands ever, and probably my favourite live album of all time. If there is space for one live album, this has to be it - I'm still not 100% sure is should be included though!
Stephen Stills
3/5
an interesting collection of decent tunes, including the original of a great Luther Vandross song - but just a bit bloodless and bland
Stevie Wonder
5/5
YES!
The Shamen
2/5
Pish, but scottish enough for a bonus
Harry Nilsson
4/5
More of the songs than I expected were ones I knew. A wide variety of styles and vocal range. The guy is clearly a genius, both in songwriting and in picking his cover versions to sing. Gotta get up, jump into the fire, and coconut were my favourite tracks.
4 🌟
The The
4/5
Very 80s, very varied, very enjoyable, but not one that lives long in the memory (in my opinion). A worthy inclusion, but the sort of "filler" that I didn't think there would be room for
5/5
I love The Kinks, perhaps especially their weird stuff, and it doesn't get much odder than a concept soundtrack to a TV play (that didn't get made) in which hardly anything exciting was to happen. Ray and Dave spun gold out of the idea though, and made a lovely collection of songs which also work really well together
The Who
5/5
Baba, Bargain, ... Blue Eyes, and ... Fooled ... ? If only the bits in between were as good! Was never going to be less than 5 stars, but still not quite their best work!
Van Morrison
2/5
Another live album! But with cuts taken from 3 shows (in 3 different theatres) across 3 months, which is sort of cheating. He's somehow at the top of his game and still deathly dull - a tricky feat to pull off!
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Batcrap crazy and a delight, if perhaps a bit (a lot) self-indulgent. It came out in the month I turned 15, but I would not have been ready for it until I was at least twice that age - this is not music for teenagers!
Queen
5/5
Pretty much every track is good (or great), weird, or confusing - many are two or more of those things. In a less charitable mood I would probably dock a point for Boh Rap (the most over-played and over-rated song in the history of the UK), but I had (somehow) not actually heard it for a while before today.
Even the relentless cash-grabbing and fame-hungering of May & Taylor can't (quite) tarnish the legacy of Fred and John
White Denim
3/5
Of all the rock albums ever, this sure is one of them. It contains some music, and is about as "mid" (as the youngsters say) as it is possible to imagine. I heard it, I think I liked it, then it stopped happening.
This album exists.
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Not the QotSA album I would have expected - Rated R or Song for the Deaf should probably be here in its stead - but a good introduction to the band. Regular John is a great track, everything else is also pretty solid, but I will be a bit disappointed if this is the only time Josh and the gang feature on this list.
The Pogues
4/5
The most Irish any Englishmen (and one Nigerian woman) have ever sounded! A great collection, with well chosen covers and engaging originals
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
I know every single word, every note, and every ad-lib - but still loved listening again. Also one of my daughter's favourite albums, so we must have raised her right!
The Zombies
3/5
Pretty dull, then Time of the Season shows up. An odd story behind the album - all sorts of fights and splits - but the album sounds so serene
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
weird and dull
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
the most Springsteen album - even more than his more famous efforts. Hard to pick a highlight, but I have to mention Atlantic City - a song I can't remember ever not knowing
Venom
3/5
nothing to do with the Tom Hardy films, or Eminem song from them, but not as much fun as they are either. Probably not actually black metal (by modern standards) but a solid NWOBHM effort, even if that it the worst genre name of all time.
Television
5/5
reminded me a lot of Wire, especially Pink Flag, but actually came out before it. I was sure they were British, and astounded to find out they are not. A band I mostly knew from their influence on other artists, but I will definitely seek out more music from them
Tom Waits
4/5
A great voice, and a few brilliant songs, but does he really need 5(!!) albums on the list? Maybe, but I'm not sure.
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
Pish
Guns N' Roses
5/5
Perfection
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Flawless
Genesis
3/5
Pretty pretentious proto prog, perhaps precocious pap, perhaps pretty passable.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Old fashioned melodic country pop, from an artist I had heard of but not heard before starting this project. Pleasant enough, but absolutely no edge or emotion
Baaba Maal
4/5
Wonderful, and so different from most of the list. I didn't understand a word, but I didn't need to. An artist whose name I had heard, and whose work I look forward to exploring when I'm done with this list
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Meh. Very nice, very impressive, but just doesn't move me in the way that guitars and vocals do.
Interesting story behind it though, with the wrong piano being brought, and then needing tuned, and then ... just read the Wikipedia page!
3 🌟
Dagmar Krause
2/5
Weird and boring, which is an unusual combination. Exists on a YouTube playlist, so the adverts were an occasional relief. Not the wurst album by a German artist (still Nico), but not one I will come back to any time soon.
Björk
5/5
Björk gets five
Big Star
4/5
a wee cracker
Garbage
4/5
so 90s it feels a bit weird to be listening 25+ years later. Good though, and gets a Scottish bonus point (just)
Throbbing Gristle
3/5
weird, which is exactly what they were going for, so successful I guess
Fishbone
3/5
not essential, nor one of the best 1,001 albums, but one I would probably never have heard otherwise, so I'm glad it was on the list. Sounds like a band with many more albums under their belt.
Laibach
5/5
strange and wonderful - I loved every strange minute!
Can
3/5
very odd, very german, very long (but not really), very interesting musically
3/5
noisy, strange, short
Mudhoney
5/5
sounds like early nirvana, with a really fluid track-list depending on which edition you find. I loved it, and listened to as many variations (across different platforms) as I could find
American Music Club
4/5
Daft name for a band, but a good album
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Pretty good. Jazz is still not my favourite genre, but the African influence was clear to hear and very enjoyable. I didn't pick up the names of any songs, so don't know which were my favourite, other than ingoo pow pow (children's song), which was great.
3 🌟
Queen Latifah
5/5
Hell yeah! I wasn't sure how much female fronted rap there might be on the list, but I was delighted to see the Queen! A mishmash of genres and styles, and a sonic education which teaches more with each listen
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
An album (just) older than me, with one of the most ubiquitous songs in Britain, along with a bunch of filler (and a pretty good Van Morrison cover)
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
Good, but not great. After everything she had been through, it's just good to see her still doing ok at this point
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, many (many) songs, so if you don't like one, another is coming along soon.
John Lee Hooker
5/5
Hooker, Raitt, Santana, Thorogood, all on one album? Yes please! A work of genius, by a legend of the game
The Smiths
1/5
I am not listening to this Nazi prick and his shite band. Never have (even changing the radio station if they come on) never will. I hate this band, especially their arsehole of a singer, and I always will.
*googles* how to give a rating below zero
0 🌟
Fatboy Slim
4/5
The sound of the 90s in the UK, but before it was fully formed. An interesting document of a guy working out his style and his sound, just before it exploded into the world
Throwing Muses
4/5
sounds more like pixies than I would have guessed, but I soon found out why!
A band I have heard of lots, as they show up on record store sites when searching for "Muse", but I had not listened to before
Cornershop
5/5
OK, I admit it - I like the original Brimful of Asha better than the Norman Cook remix. Sorry! I also really like the opener (sleep on the left side), which was their follow-up to their huge number one single. The album tails off a bit, then finishes with an astounding cover.
Big Star
4/5
very nearly a lost album, which would have been a real shame
Beastie Boys
5/5
a work of absolute genius
The Isley Brothers
5/5
smooth as silk, and even the lesser known tracks are class
Soft Machine
3/5
very prog, much long, great oddness
Gillian Welch
5/5
Alt-country, from a time it was in danger of being irrelevant. wonderfully stripped down, and the clarity of purpose that comes from two people working in tune
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
I was about 5 years too young for this at the time, which is a shame. 90s US alt-rock, from a point in time where the UK was just about to fall out of love with American artists for a while.
Buck Owens
3/5
Very old-fashioned (and old) country, but plenty of silliness and daft lyrics too. Not really my kind of thing, but a heap of fun
Wilco
4/5
90s american indie, which i tend to find interesting as we in the uk were so caught up in what was going on over here. walks the line between indie and alt-country - a fine place to inhabit
N.W.A.
5/5
flawless
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
not my kind of thing. lyrics, music, Instrumentation, vocals all just pretty bad. not one i will come back to
2 🌟
Traffic
4/5
an interesting work, mostly as a jumping off point for artists who had greater success (or influence) outside of the confines of the band
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
nonsense
10cc
2/5
From the moment they implied a swear word they are too chicken to use, I knew this would be a wishy-washy disappointment of an album. Well sung, decent musicianship, but boring and heartless.
David Gray
2/5
Dido, but male. Music, but dull. Emotional, but barely. It's hard to understand why this was so popular, other than the need for mums to have something to listen to when they feel sad but can't have wine.
Bland and inoffensive, other than in its blandness.
Even the decent songs get dragged down by all the beige
Fiona Apple
4/5
Reminds me a lot of the Ting Tings, but if they were really good (which they were not!). Lots of percussion - just check out the list of instruments played by the four main musicians. Also one of the few albums to feature dogs as credited artists; perhaps the only one on the list?
I really enjoyed it, and have added all her other albums (including the other one on the list) to my after the list listening
Paul McCartney
4/5
One of the most "one-man-band" solo albums, by an artist capable of so much better. The lack of anyone else helping to polish the songs may explain why some sound unfinished, as will his rush to get things recorded and released. I never knew this came out before the end of his previous band, and was arguably partly responsible for bringing about the end for them. It is solid, but not 'worth breaking up The Beatles' good.
5/5
THE album of my early teenage years, the first album I bought myself with my own money. I listened to it the whole way through, on repeat, for months, and even managed to wear out the CD - which shouldn't really be possible.
An album where I know every cough, every seagull noise, every burst of radio static, and every note of every song. And even after all those listens, I was excited to have it pop up to listen to again. I
f this is my final album (and it's pretty close if not), I can't think of a better album to finish up with.