Loss
Mull Historical SocietyWonderful, from an artist I have admired from the start
Wonderful, from an artist I have admired from the start
I would not have scored this highly after one listen through. Luckily for them (as if they care!) I had plenty of time to listen again and again (and again) until it started to make some sort of sense (or i lost my mind a bit). Odd instrumental choices, bizarre lyrics (when they bother with them), time signatures chosen seemingly at random. This feels like the crossing point from psychedelic music to early prog rock and, after some time to get to know it, I loved it!
If there is a place for live albums (which I doubt) then this is certainly worthy of consideration. The crowd baiting must have sounded absolutely crazy at the time - who in their right mind would insult an audience like that - but was an influence (like the music was) on so many of the bands who followed. Very nearly 5; I'm still not a fan of live cuts on principle.
An absolute joy, and an album I have enjoyed since the day it came out, when my sister bought it and taped me a copy! A bit of a shame that digital versions can't have a "hidden track", especially when it is one of the best (and was the lead single). Well worth a place in the book - a brilliant suggestion
Lengthy, and live, but better than a bunch of the nonsense on the main list. Kudos to whoever suggested it, and thanks for giving me a whole band I knew only by name but who I will now explore (when I have a minute!)
Prog metal, with gorgeous meoldies and occasional poppy numbers. Being part four (of six) means I didn't pick up all the nuance of the storyline, but I am a sucker for a concept album - even if I don't fully grasp the concept. Brilliant, and would be a worthy inclusion on the main list (in place of any one of a bunch of filler!)
Injected a bit of sunshine into a Scottish midwinter, which was previously thought impossible. Would be a great resource for sampling, or for The Clash to cover in their dub era, and definitely deserves more recognition. An absolute joy.
Absolute genius, from one of the most interesting artists (and actors) of the last decade. Sounds like Prince and OutKast had a party in ATL and decided to make a Parliament/Funkadelic tribute album - and nailed it!
This is a joke, right? If it is, it's a good one, and fully deserves a second star. If not, and someone really thinks "brand van 3000 should be in the book", then it deserves one star (at most). A shambles of an album, with some interesting guests (mostly in a 'how did they convince them to be on the record' way) and no songs I felt the need to hear a second time. Better than the very worst of the original list, but barely. But it's a joke, yeah? It must be, mustn't it?
So 80s you can almost hear the filofaxes being riffled and the Porsches being revved, but still a whole heap of fun too. Nice to see another aussie album being nominated; the original list probably underrepresented their music scene.
Lengthy, and live, but better than a bunch of the nonsense on the main list. Kudos to whoever suggested it, and thanks for giving me a whole band I knew only by name but who I will now explore (when I have a minute!)
Acoustic punk probably shouldn't work, but it definitely hits the spot for me. I like this a lot more than his work with his previous band, and it could justifiable take their spot in the book. An interesting album i would probably never have heard without it being suggested here - so thanks!
Great fun, infectious hooks, nonsense lyrics (most of the time), an absolute joy of an album
The most prog record ever recorded. Interesting, rather than vital, but plenty of good songs well sung.
Très bon
I could have sworn this was on the list! If not, it probably deserves to be
A classic, by a band with plenty of albums on the list, but this is probably the best of their work that isn't already there
I could have sworn this was on the list!
UK hip-hop is criminally underrepresented on the list, and this would be a good option to represent it
Old-school shiny floor Grand Ole Opry style country music. Pleasant enough, but more my dad's taste than mine
Fun effervescent Americana, with lovely lyrics and interesting musical arrangements. A real treat on a cold winter's day
Batshit crazy British psychedelia from a time when half the music industry was on LSD (and the rest were pretending they were!)
Absolute pish, why was this nominated? It is like the background music in a shite tv show for stupid people. Not a single good track here, just repetitive beats and terrible singing. Possibly worse than that Nico album I had to endure a few years back; certainly the first since then that I thought might be the worst album ever recorded. I was literally wishing for it to be over, thankfully it only lasted 39 mins, but it's 39 too many. Zero stars
Over produced dance music, like what would happen if someone like Calvin Harris had significantly less talent, way too much time on his hands and, on at least one track, decided to poorly remake Treefingers from Kid A. Albums of dance/EDM/electronica (even with a smattering of acoustic instruments) tend to drag pretty quickly. The use of studio flummery to create a second voice from the same artist was vaguely interesting, but why would you not just get someone with the vocal qualities you want for the song? Not for me, although I can see why some folk might like it.
I would not have scored this highly after one listen through. Luckily for them (as if they care!) I had plenty of time to listen again and again (and again) until it started to make some sort of sense (or i lost my mind a bit). Odd instrumental choices, bizarre lyrics (when they bother with them), time signatures chosen seemingly at random. This feels like the crossing point from psychedelic music to early prog rock and, after some time to get to know it, I loved it!
Nonsense - like a soundtrack to a dull movie, with more instrumental tracks than actual songs. Works as a showreel for a producer, or as a sample bank for other artists, but not as a coherent collection of actual songs.
Canadian landfill indie. Pleasant but unexciting, like the filler in a playlist when you don't want wall to wall bangers. Better than some stuff on the list, and it would be well worth having some more bands from outside of the USA/UK, but there would be better choices.
Electro-influenced folksy Americana, not great, not terrible. Better than a bunch of the filler in the book, and would be a worthy inclusion to show a different style and genre.
A formative album for a few of my friends who were a bit younger than me, and had maybe not really listened to albums when this came out. The emo "American Idiot", which I mean as a compliment! Well worthy of inclusion in the next edition of the book - in place of any one of a bunch of albums I disliked!
A masterpiece, by an artist who is almost forgotten by the mainstream, but well deserving of a renaissance. He's just Scottish enough for a wee bonus point too, even if he wasn't born here! A lovely inclusion, which made my day brighter with every note.
A forgettable and bland 80s pop staple, like plenty of others that did make it into the book! Absolutely not what I would choose to listen to, but clearly not terrible; just not for me.
A classic, by a band who definitely deserve to be in the book. Maybe the next edition!
Enjoyable and interesting, but without a stand out track that I loved. A really good album, but from a time, place and style with plenty of representation in the book already. A pleasure to have heard, and an artist I look forward to exploring more (after this list)
Dark and gothic, but with real tunes in there as well. The cover of Summer Breeze felt weird at first, but then I liked it a lot. A clear influence on lots of bands I love, but I (slightly) prefer those bands to this. A better album than many in the book, but maybe too extreme for some listeners, and perhaps not the best introduction to heavy music. One for folks who won't get scared!
The sound of the end of student life for me - I've got a couple of the 7" singles from this album in my collection, and a lot of fond memories of most of the songs. For this reason, more than strictly on artistic merit, I have to give this full marks. A wonderful album
Another folksy Americana album; I take it pretty much everyone who ever listened to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, or Johnny Cash has, at some point, gone into a studio with four chords and a book of story lyrics. It's good, but not really anything unique, and it would, in my opinion, probably have to take the place of something similar sounding if it was to find a place in the next edition.
Their first album, but not their best. I would have been seriously freaked out by this had I heard it at the time, since I was 11 when it came out, but listening now, having loved Korn for years (and seen them live a couple of times), it is simply astounding. Some tracks are pretty disturbing, but that was what they were going for, so I can't even mark it down for that. As a starter for an important band (and genre), as well as on its own merits, this should probably be in the book.
A wonderful album, with moving instrumentals and engaging lyrics (or sampled conversations) when they used them. Lovely to hear Aidan Moffat show up, and talking Scots. I never realised until I heard "R U Still in 2 It" that I hadn't heard the word 'pictures' (to mean movies / cinema) in a song. It's these wee moments that make an album, and remind me why I give Scottish bands bonus points. Except I can't in this case, cos they are already getting five stars!
Noisy punky proto-grunge, by a really interesting band who were a clear influence on loads of huge acts. An album I would have loved to have heard sooner; as such it gets my vote to go in the book.
Pop-country, sounds old fashioned, but i still liked it. Not necessarily enough to include it in my 1,001 list (when I get round to it), but it was a pleasant way to pass some time.
An album out of time; fully 15 years later than I would have guessed from hearing it first. I enjoyed it, without ever finding the bit extra that would elevate it beyond 3 stars. Also, the title track is a transposed and slowed down version of Teenage Kicks - the fact they got away with it shows how little attention they must have gained outside of their hometown. And finally, they should absolutely never swear; neither singer has the accent for it, and it just sounds weird when they do.
One huge hit, one other good song, and a bunch of (surprisingly good) filler.
All of the songs (except maybe Adam's song) sound pretty similar, but I like the song they all sound like! Often silly, regularly fast, the sound of my high school and the years that followed. I counted, and think I have covered over half these songs in one band or another. This is more a sign of time and genre than quality, but still interesting (to me at least)!
Lee "scratch" Perry
American indie from a time when grunge was everything
Hell yeah
Absolutely pish. Like the worst dubstep songs re-recorded by children, with lyrics by barely literate toddlers. Must be one of the worst albums I have ever heard. At least it's short
Beck without the talent. Worth a listen, but didn't inspire me to explore any of his other (many) albums.
Weird and wonderful
All the genres, all at once.
Mostly sounds like three or more songs being played at the same time - but it works more often than you'd think. An artist I knew by name, but hadn't listened to a full album until today - so thanks!
Un album rempli de belles chansons, de voix magnifiques et de choix d'instruments parfaits. Je l'aime ! Un joli rappel que je devrais essayer de visiter l'Afrique de l'Ouest francophone.
Sounds like a compilation album of different artists - in a good way. An album I would never have heard (or heard of) before, and enjoyed massively, so thanks to whoever nominated it!
I'm not sure that 2010-ish British bedroom DJ is a genre particularly lacking in representation in the book, and this doesn't persuade me otherwise. Sounds like a bunch of half finished but potentially decent ideas for songs / backing tracks, but a fair way short of an actual album. There's an interesting story behind it, but it's hardly a ringing endorsement that I enjoyed reading the wiki page more than I enjoyed the music. Like a time capsule for an era I still remember, but don't really miss. p.s. I wonder if he's still as happy about drake sampling him as he was back then #teamkendrick
A great idea for an album, and a lovely touch to have the lyricist's voice on a few tracks as well. Musically there's plenty of variety in the tracks, and i enjoyed listening on a loop for much longer than I might have expected to. Good to have more music outwith the usa/uk music scenes too.
The aussie Guns n roses, in a good way
Wonderful, from an artist I have admired from the start
Very good, if perhaps a bit dated. Probably not the album of theirs I would suggest - I prefer the début - but a band well worthy of inclusion in a future edition (or the book of 1,001 suggestions when we get there!)
Like nothing else in the book, and a worthy inclusion. Almost sounds classical at points, with wonderful vocals and artangements
Exceptionally Welsh, and very very good. Sounds like SFA and Ash, but never so much that it sounds derivative - just hints of influence. A real treat which I had never heard before - thanks for suggesting it!
Yes!!! This needs to be in the book, along with (probably) all of their other work.
An absolute joy, and an album I have enjoyed since the day it came out, when my sister bought it and taped me a copy! A bit of a shame that digital versions can't have a "hidden track", especially when it is one of the best (and was the lead single). Well worth a place in the book - a brilliant suggestion
So lo-fi I feel I can hear the "recording" light blinking on his boombox. I'd recommend reading the Wikipedia if you're not familiar with the (one man) band - and probably even if you are! A bunch of great story songs, with sparse instrumentation and a fittingly brow-beaten voice. For clarity, I loved it!
I preferred his first album, but enjoyed this as well. Works as background music while studying etc, but with enough depth for more focused listening too. Lovely vocals, great guests, and perfect production. A cracker of a nomination.
MF Doom! And madlib, of course! A classic of alt hip-hop, with more characters than some movies! This needs to be heard more widely, if only so folks know how talented Doom was.
Disco sucks! But this is not quite disco, even if it's a clear precursor. Lady Marmalade is (obviously) the stand out track, by a long way, but the others are better than just filler.
Prog pop nonsense, but they get a Scottish bonus point for Derek
Just listen to Alanis instead
Of all the albums ever recorded, this sure is one of them. It was released too, at some point, and I am sure I heard the music on it. There were words too, I am almost certain. From what I remember, this album dreams of one day aspiring to "aye, half-decent, that", while being much better than "nah, not for me". This is fine.
[n.b. sorry, I think this might be my harshest review - but I genuinely hope some folks like it more than I did!] _____________/review below \_____________ Shite. The couple of times it sounded like a (half-)decent song might be starting, some terrible dance nonsense quickly took over. Dance (or edm as dickheads & americans call it) just doesn't work in a longer form, such as an album. Looks like it has about the same number of producers as tracks, give or take, and they are all culpable in not just making these songs better. I know most dance music is listened to while off your face on pills, but i doubt even that would make this bearable. I didnt try it, to be fair; maybe someone can have a bash and let us know. Not even mercifully short like some of the other rubbish. Offensively bad.
Arctic manc-keys; Oasis-ish; Blur-ry; (northern) Kinks - not that I'm complaining! Like a best of Britain covers album, without many songs where they sound like something new. Their biggest song is here though, which is nice.
Very chilled and cool, possibly the most relaxing album I have had so far. Only slight oddity was one track sounding a bit like the "Coronation Street" theme song! Well worth inclusion on the list, maybe in place of a more 'challenging' jazz album.
80s jangle-pop, from the (very) late 80s! A blast from the past even when it was released, but a welcome one. They are one of the most underrated bands, possibly because they were never interested in moving south. A wee Scottish bonus point means full marks!
Over produced 80s pop, with a hint of an edge on a couple of songs. Absolutely not my thing, and not unique or interesting enough to take a spot. Not entirely without merit, but nearly!
A cracker of a début, although anyone not Irish, Scottish, or Welsh may need a bit of time to catch on with the lyrics. Full of energy and attitude, and a band who have gone from strength to strength since it came out. A brilliant suggestion, which falls juuuuuuust short of full marks in my opinion.
27 songs in under 51 minutes! Punk as hell, and very influential on a bunch of American bands who followed. An absolute blast, which I am glad to have heard, but would have to take the place of something similar (unless the book becomes 2,002 albums!)
I have three thoughts about this album, so you'd better believe I'm sharing them all! 1. Pretty much any track could be a background texture in virtually any song from Kid A. Listen to both through headphones (and within a couple of days of each other) for the strongest effect. 2. Anyone who enjoys this music should try the app 'Mubert' and/or the soundtrack to 'No Man's Sky', both of which have points where their procedurally generated sounds could easily inhabit space in this album. 3. When people catastrophise about AI taking over the creative industries, this sort of thing feels like it will be the first musical domino to fall, as AI can hoover up hours and hours, before spitting out a passable facsimile.
Brilliant. A band I had never listened to before, but have now added all their albums to my 'after the (expanded) list' list. Sounds like early biffy clyro, which is pretty much the highest praise I can give! Hints of at the drive-in and early emo as well, which is again a good thing. Predates all of the above though, suggesting I have it back to front and the bands I love actually sound like these guys! Thank you so much to whoever suggested this.
Over produced and under written, although she was a child at the time. That 80s gated drum sound means it sounds really dated. Fine as far as pop goes, and it is an oddly underrepresented genre in the book, but this is not the best example of (good) dance-pop
American indie, like a high class version of the landfill indie dominating the British charts around the same time. Not a huge degree of variety among the songs, but enough to hold the attention. The band are probably now more famous for their collaborations and production work, but this album goes a long way to show why they got those opportunities.
Bluesy brilliance, with vocals and guitar playing from the top drawer
Prog folk, but better than that probably sounds to most people. Lots of field recordings, and three very long songs, and an absolute joy
Hard, fast, sweary and funny. Reminded me of The Living End, but even more stripped down. Brilliant fun
A band out of time and/or place - early 90s Seattle implies a whole different set of sounds and influences.
If there is a place for live albums (which I doubt) then this is certainly worthy of consideration. The crowd baiting must have sounded absolutely crazy at the time - who in their right mind would insult an audience like that - but was an influence (like the music was) on so many of the bands who followed. Very nearly 5; I'm still not a fan of live cuts on principle.
An hour and 20 of a live show, seemingly recorded over the phone onto a warped vinyl disc, then broadcast on radio and taped for an extra layer of hiss and pop. The songs are good enough, and it sounds like a fun show, but this embodies some of my thoughts against live albums. As well as the sound quality, it also doesn't flow like an album, has unexplained and unnecessary guests, and doesn't even feature some of his biggest hits (which can be a selling point of a live set). I love his voice, but would have preferred s studio take.
Some music. Not terrible, not great, just some music.
17 short fast loud punk songs - what's not to love!
Very student-band sounding - technically proficient and well-rehearsed, but without the looseness that comes from having 20+ years experience of playing live. I'm still not sure live albums have a place on the list, since they're not *really* an album, but everyone else seems less bothered! Sounds like a fun show, and a band I will explore more fully if/when I get time. Also, reading the wiki page reminded me I had heard the name before, but for a cool and creative stunt and without listening to the album in question.
¡Excepcional!
more aussie indie rock greatness - and incredibly good for a debut
prog-metal, but even more complex than you might imagine. This is a good thing though!
Me gustó mucho este álbum. Querían ser los "Beatles" mexicanos y lo lograron. ¡Genial!
A band I knew by name, but hadn't listened to a full album by. A worthy addition to the list; the only surprise is that it wasn't there already. Sounds slightly out of time, in relation to the rock music that was charting around the same time, but has a timeless quality as a result.
aussie post-punk / new-wave, sounding a lot like a whole heap of more famous bands - not in a bad way! bands from down under are definitely under-represented in the book, and the user list seems (so far) to be going a long way to redress that balance.
未来を舞台にした映画のための音楽。ループやサンプルが満載。最高の意味で国際的なアルバム。勉強中に聴くのに最適です。
Prog folk, with clear classical influences as well. A lovely collection of music, well written and performed, but lacking a little bit of heart/soul/emotional intensity that would have taken it to full marks. A great suggestion, which I would probably never otherwise have heard.
Hell yeah! An album I came to late, but loved for many years. I don't think I had heard anything outside of the big 3 singles for ages, but was glad to be reminded of the light and shade of the whole track list. A band who were more influential than many people know, and who were still as good as ever when they played trnsmt a couple of years ago.
Det här är ett bra album. Jag gillade låtarna, även om jag inte förstod orden. Det skulle vara bra att se det i boken.
One of mu favourite bands since childhood - so funny and talented.
I have never read Poe, but this album might change that. An esoteric collection of bizarre songs, but one which I really enjoyed
Pish
The only surprise is that this wasn't on the list already - it checks all the boxes! British × 1970 - 1999 × Influence on blur/radiohead × (both) Critically acclaimed (but poor sales) × Worthy, but a tiny bit dull × A solid four-star album, just missing the bit of magic that would elevate it to full marks ×
Probably the newest album on the (extended) list, and certainly more recent than the previous edition of the book. A worthy prog-goth effort, sounding enough like their classic work to appeal. Would probably benefit from a few days to properly immerse myself in it, but there's another album waiting for today.
Prog-prog, so 80s I actually struggle to believe it was released in the 90s. Not as good as their other one on the (extended) list, but still pretty decent
Very Canada, much chilled, fairly folky
Not as good as "Bleed American", but very nearly (helped by having a demo version of one of my favourite BA tracks) - and still absolutely a five star album for me. An interesting choice, thoroughly deserving of being nominated.
I still don't really *get* jazz(/fusion), but I fully accept that it is my issue, not a fault of any of the artists. As for this album, I thought it was cool, and enjoyed listening to it, but I would struggle to adequately explain why!
Like a first draft of a demo, with seemingly no thought put into polishing the songs up or having an actual producer help them out. This is endearing at points, but at other times I just wish they had spent more than the run-time on writing and recording. An interesting album I would never have heard without it being here, but falls a long way short of the standard required for the top 1,001 (or even 2,002) albums.