User Albums Journey
Exploring beyond the book, one album at a time
View 1001 Albums Summary396
Albums Rated
3.53
Average Rating
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1990
Favorite Decade
Hip-hop
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
97
5-Star Albums
38
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
HELLYEAH
HELLYEAH
|
5 | 2.16 | +2.84 |
|
Canciones 1989-2013
Extremoduro
|
5 | 2.22 | +2.78 |
|
All the Pretty Little Horses
Current 93
|
5 | 2.49 | +2.51 |
|
Mouth Sounds
Neil Cicierega
|
5 | 2.53 | +2.47 |
|
Korn
Korn
|
5 | 2.62 | +2.38 |
|
Sound Awake
Karnivool
|
5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
|
Goat
The Jesus Lizard
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Les deux doigts dans la prise
Les sheriff
|
5 | 2.8 | +2.2 |
|
Don't Throw Stones
THE SPORTS
|
5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
|
Piñata
Freddie Gibbs
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stop Making Sense
Talking Heads
|
1 | 3.81 | -2.81 |
|
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Neutral Milk Hotel
|
1 | 3.54 | -2.54 |
|
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Various Artists
|
1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
|
Version 2.0
Garbage
|
1 | 3.41 | -2.41 |
|
The Fame
Lady Gaga
|
1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
|
Spirit of Eden
Talk Talk
|
1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
|
The Shape Of Jazz To Come
Ornette Coleman
|
1 | 3.28 | -2.28 |
|
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Big Thief
|
1 | 3.25 | -2.25 |
|
Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
of Montreal
|
1 | 3.25 | -2.25 |
|
No.1 In Heaven
Sparks
|
1 | 3.21 | -2.21 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| TOOL | 4 | 5 |
| Childish Gambino | 2 | 5 |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor | 2 | 5 |
| Jimmy Eat World | 2 | 5 |
| Songs: Ohia | 2 | 5 |
| King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| The 1975 | 2 | 1 |
| Various Artists | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Daft Punk | 4, 1, 2 |
5-Star Albums (97)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Swans · 13 likes
4/5
Mad as a box of frogs, but a lot more fun. Seems to be trying to be all the styles and genres, often within the same song.
Perhaps not an essential listen, but unique, interesting, and entertaining. Sometimes, that is enough.
Olivia Rodrigo · 5 likes
5/5
A cracker of a pop album, bringing guitars back to the foreground, while also showing off her voice and attitude. One minor quibble is that the link took me to the (slightly shitty) 'clean' version of the album, with no scary swearing and, more importantly, missing the excellent bonus tracks of the GUTS (spilled) version - it's well worth finding the upgraded expanded album.
An album I have listened to a few times, thanks to my daughter loving it, and an artist I hope to see given time and space to develop her sound and style.
Wonderful
Mull Historical Society · 4 likes
5/5
Wonderful, from an artist I have admired from the start
The 1975 · 4 likes
1/5
Absolute pish, from a band who should be nowhere near headline festival slots (but somehow topped the bill a few times) or, ideally, the charts.
Terrible vocals, clichéd lyrics, musically boring, and way, way, way too long.
There's far better records than this missing from the book; why not auggest one of them instead?!
Phish · 4 likes
4/5
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!)
1-Star Albums (38)
All Ratings
The Dear Hunter
5/5
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!)
King Tubby
4/5
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.
Childish Gambino
5/5
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!
Bran Van 3000
2/5
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?
INXS
4/5
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.
Phish
4/5
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!)
Robyn Hitchcock
4/5
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!
The B-52's
5/5
Great fun, infectious hooks, nonsense lyrics (most of the time), an absolute joy of an album
Roger Waters
3/5
The most prog record ever recorded. Interesting, rather than vital, but plenty of good songs well sung.
Stromae
4/5
Très bon
The War On Drugs
4/5
I could have sworn this was on the list! If not, it probably deserves to be
Pink Floyd
5/5
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
The Postal Service
4/5
I could have sworn this was on the list!
Kano
4/5
UK hip-hop is criminally underrepresented on the list, and this would be a good option to represent it
Mary Chapin Carpenter
3/5
Old-school shiny floor Grand Ole Opry style country music. Pleasant enough, but more my dad's taste than mine
The Avett Brothers
5/5
Fun effervescent Americana, with lovely lyrics and interesting musical arrangements. A real treat on a cold winter's day
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
4/5
Batshit crazy British psychedelia from a time when half the music industry was on LSD (and the rest were pretending they were!)
1/5
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
Biffy Clyro
5/5
Porter Robinson
2/5
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.
Damien Rice
5/5
Amon Düül II
4/5
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!
Calibro 35
2/5
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.
Stars
3/5
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.
Angelo De Augustine
3/5
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.
My Chemical Romance
5/5
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!
John Martyn
5/5
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.
Nik Kershaw
3/5
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.
Weezer
5/5
A classic, by a band who definitely deserve to be in the book. Maybe the next edition!
Graham Parker
3/5
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)
Type O Negative
4/5
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!
Bloc Party
5/5
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
Josh Ritter
4/5
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.
Korn
5/5
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.
Mogwai
5/5
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!
The Jesus Lizard
5/5
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.
Jimmy Buffett
3/5
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.
Wussy
3/5
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.
Tally Hall
5/5
Crash Test Dummies
3/5
One huge hit, one other good song, and a bunch of (surprisingly good) filler.
blink-182
5/5
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)!
The Upsetters
4/5
Lee "scratch" Perry
The Posies
4/5
American indie from a time when grunge was everything
Faith No More
5/5
Hell yeah
100 gecs
1/5
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
Ty Segall
3/5
Beck without the talent. Worth a listen, but didn't inspire me to explore any of his other (many) albums.
Kaizers Orchestra
4/5
Weird and wonderful
That Handsome Devil
4/5
All the genres, all at once.
Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
4/5
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!
Amadou & Mariam
5/5
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.
Gotcha!
4/5
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!
Jai Paul
3/5
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
Extrechinato y Tu
4/5
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.
Koritni
4/5
The aussie Guns n roses, in a good way
Mull Historical Society
5/5
Wonderful, from an artist I have admired from the start
Vampire Weekend
4/5
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!)
Gurrumul
5/5
Like nothing else in the book, and a worthy inclusion. Almost sounds classical at points, with wonderful vocals and artangements
Boy Azooga
4/5
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!
TOOL
5/5
Yes!!!
This needs to be in the book, along with (probably) all of their other work.
5/5
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
The Mountain Goats
4/5
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!
Sampha
4/5
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.
Madvillain
5/5
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.
LaBelle
3/5
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.
Marillion
2/5
Prog pop nonsense, but they get a Scottish bonus point for Derek
Ani DiFranco
3/5
Just listen to Alanis instead
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
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.
Avicii
1/5
[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.
Courteeners
4/5
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.
Chet Baker
4/5
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.
Teenage Fanclub
5/5
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!
Transvision Vamp
2/5
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!
Fontaines D.C.
4/5
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.
Operation Ivy
4/5
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!)
GAS
3/5
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.
Sunny Day Real Estate
5/5
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.
Debbie Gibson
1/5
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
Nightwish
4/5
The National
4/5
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.
The Marcus King Band
4/5
Bluesy brilliance, with vocals and guitar playing from the top drawer
Shudder To Think
4/5
Nuyorican Soul
4/5
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
5/5
Prog folk, but better than that probably sounds to most people.
Lots of field recordings, and three very long songs, and an absolute joy
The Chats
5/5
Hard, fast, sweary and funny.
Reminded me of The Living End, but even more stripped down.
Brilliant fun
Modest Mouse
4/5
A band out of time and/or place - early 90s Seattle implies a whole different set of sounds and influences.
The Stooges
4/5
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.
Joe Cocker
3/5
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.
Khruangbin
3/5
Some music. Not terrible, not great, just some music.
Jeff Rosenstock
4/5
17 short fast loud punk songs - what's not to love!
Vulfpeck
3/5
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.
Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio
5/5
¡Excepcional!
Courtney Barnett
4/5
more aussie indie rock greatness - and incredibly good for a debut
Kayo Dot
4/5
prog-metal, but even more complex than you might imagine. This is a good thing though!
Café Tacvba
5/5
Me gustó mucho este álbum. Querían ser los "Beatles" mexicanos y lo lograron. ¡Genial!
5/5
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.
THE SPORTS
5/5
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.
Hikaru Utada
4/5
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。
Ian McDonald
4/5
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.
Jimmy Eat World
5/5
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.
Garmarna
4/5
Det här är ett bra album. Jag gillade låtarna, även om jag inte förstod orden. Det skulle vara bra att se det i boken.
The Beautiful South
5/5
One of mu favourite bands since childhood - so funny and talented.
The Alan Parsons Project
4/5
I have never read Poe, but this album might change that. An esoteric collection of bizarre songs, but one which I really enjoyed
The Weeknd
1/5
Pish
Slowdive
4/5
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 ×
The Cure
4/5
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.
Marillion
3/5
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
The Tragically Hip
4/5
Very Canada, much chilled, fairly folky
Jimmy Eat World
5/5
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.
Snarky Puppy
4/5
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!
Martha
2/5
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.
Chappell Roan
3/5
An album absolutely stuffed full of its influences, with "the Taylor Swift song" and "the Lana del Rey song" particularly obvious. None of this is a bad thing, just a bit odd to hear odes to individualism in the style of someone else.
I am definitely not the target audience for this, so she'll not care in the slightest what I think anyway!
HELLYEAH
5/5
Hell yeah! A supergroup the equal of any band the members had been in before - which is not always the case.
Heavy as hell, and twice as loud, and an absolute blast of a driving album - as long as you don't mind a speeding ticket!
Arthur Russell
4/5
What the hell even was that? And why did I like it so much? And who was he? And, most importantly, what the hell was that?
I have no idea how this ever got a mainstream(ish) release, but there's a touch of magic there, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to a collection of songs that I would definitely never have heard without this project!
Margot & The Nuclear So And So's
3/5
Some music.
One half of a 'double album', but which was released separately, and with some of the same songs on both - cash grab?
Not offensively bad, but not overly memorable.
Titus Andronicus
3/5
Billy Bragg meets Bruce Springsteen, to write songs about history. Not a boring as that sounds, but not far off
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Borderline disco, but somehow not terrible, probably thanks to the broader base of influences (and variety of songwriters and producers)
Salif Keita
4/5
Loses a star for having Martin Solveig turn up, but otherwise flawless
Karnivool
5/5
Aussie metal - which can only be a good thing! Wears its influences on its sleeve (if it had sleeves!)
A fun listen I would maybe never have heard otherwise
Cardiacs
4/5
An interesting choice, which links (through former member Bic Hayes) to one of my favourite albums (Dark Star - Twenty Twenty Sound).
I was entirely unaware of this when it was released, even though I was a music obsessed teenager from the same island as them - they didn't get much (if any) radio play, but probably shouldn't have.
Steven Wilson
5/5
Masterpiece
Chromatics
1/5
Nonsense, with a rubbish Kate Bush cover thrown in. Why? Just, why!?
The Burning Hell
3/5
Canadian landfill indie - not great, not terrible.
Status Quo
1/5
Boring and annoying
Pedro The Lion
4/5
A loose concept album, the main theme seemingly being that the world sucks, and people suck, and the guy singing sucks, and you probably suck too. Not as depressing as that sounds, but far from uplifting!
Could have scored anything (except 1 🌟) depending on how I felt when I listened, but I came round to basically agreeing with him about how sucky *all of this* is!
Wishbone Ash
4/5
The end level boss of early 70s British prog - the folk and mythological influences, numerous overdubs, Storm Thorgerson artwork, and impenetrable lyrics are all present in abundance
TOOL
5/5
Genius
Freddie Gibbs
5/5
Madgibbs!
Sounds so Wu-Tang influenced, it would have been more surprising if The Chef didn't turn up! Loads of other great guest verses too, especially Mac and Earl, but Freddie remains the star of the show.
Production is flawless (of course)
Roky Erickson
5/5
Hella catchy, with bizarre but engaging lyrics, by a band who clearly don't take themselves too seriously.
One review (quoted on the wiki page) called it "Led Zeppelin for psychotics," which is probably about right!
The Amazing Devil
4/5
A geordie duo, both actors, who love a melodramatic bombastic story song. An interesting choice, with no clear roots in time or place (accents aside), and which i thoroughly enjoyed
Chloe x Halle
2/5
Highly polished expensively produced hyper pop. Not for me, but not entirely without merit
5/5
What the American indie kids were doing while the world was looking the other way - which is a bit of a shame. Not sure how much promotion this had in the UK, but it could have been huge with the right marketing (probably involving minimising their American-ness!)
Harmonium
4/5
Québécois, et en français, et je l'ai jamais entendu. Je l'ai aimé beaucoup, et je crois que j'aimerai la plupart de leurs autres chansons. Quatre étoiles
Backstreet Boys
1/5
Pish
Danish indie from just before landfill indie swept away all the good stuff
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
Like "This is Hardcore" by Pulp, it was a huge departure following a highly successful album. Sounds like a band bored of churning out the same old stuff, but taking their first steps into a new world of sound. Very Bowie and Scott Walker influenced, and very self-indulgent, and sounds more like Last Shadow Puppets than AM - did Alex get confused who he was writing for?
I liked it but didn't love it at first listen (seven years ago now), and fully expected this to change over repeated listening. Unfortunately, it never did.
Bad Religion
5/5
Loud, fast and heavy (but still with a slide guitar song). The template for so much of the (pop-)punk that followed, without quite the success achieved by the bands who followed. They absolutely deserve a place on the list, but narrowing it down to one album would be tricky. This album would definitely be in consideration
Joe Jackson
4/5
Sounds like an American version of Elvis Costello, but it turns out he's English too! A wonderful mix of punk energy, rock n roll instrumentation, and country influenced lyrics (in places).
Lots of lovely little rhythmic quirks, including some great reggae influences and the Bo Diddley beat turning up (as it so often does!)
blink-182
4/5
Less punk, more rock; less pop, more mature; less "running naked through town", more "we really like The Cure"; less power trio, more rounded sound.
Quite a departure, I remember being blindsided by it when it first came out. An important album in the history of the band, with two of my favourite blink songs, but falls just short of full marks for me.
Dave Matthews Band
2/5
Some songs sound like a washed out Pearl Jam copy, others like a Midwestern Kula Shaker, at least one sounds like James Blunt decided to try his hand at flute-based fusion.
A band I previously only knew as a clichéd punch line, but turns out they are OK. I'm not sure why they went to all the bother to get Alanis to guest (on two tracks) but then (aside from half a verse) bury her in the mix - but it was nice to hear her anyway!
There's got to be *something* played between the good songs on an 'alt-rock 90s college hits' radio station - it might as well be this.
Better than I feared, but not as good as I had hoped.
Carly Rae Jepsen
1/5
Bubblegum pop, with no pretence of being anything better. Not even good as far as pop goes, and should not be anywhere near consideration for a list like this.
I really really really really really really dislike this
Billy Squier
4/5
Fun, if sometimes fairly forgettable, 80s rock, with a few great songs and a bit of filler. An artist I first knew through GTA V, and the song from there is still his best in my view, but a guy who deserves (a wee bit) more recognition. Possibly sounded a bit out of place at the time - it's very old school rock & roll, and far removed from new wave / post-punk. Without that comparison, and with the distance that time brings, it's a solid collection of songs.
Bon Iver
3/5
The Kid A of Americana, full of glitchy beats and autotuned vocals. Sounds like the past being dragged kicking and screaming into the future, and absolutely not what anyone expected.
Björk
5/5
Björk gets five stars. I like her earlier stuff even more, but this is still great.
She is one the greatest and most underrated artists.
Procol Harum
3/5
They have one good song, and it ain't here.
A nonsense theme, with a few good tracks, but nothing worth revisiting.
Rachel Stevens
1/5
What? No.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I'm not sure we need another Springsteen album on the list, and I'm not a huge fan of including live albums. However, I loved this, and it is such a famous show (and had a proper polish before release) that it probably deserves a place. Either way, a great nomination.
Daft Punk
4/5
Very French, although sung in English. Very European, with a clear American influence. Very repetitive, but constantly shifting and evolving.
An album of contradictions, with a huge impact on the electronic music that followed.
Olivia Rodrigo
5/5
A cracker of a pop album, bringing guitars back to the foreground, while also showing off her voice and attitude. One minor quibble is that the link took me to the (slightly shitty) 'clean' version of the album, with no scary swearing and, more importantly, missing the excellent bonus tracks of the GUTS (spilled) version - it's well worth finding the upgraded expanded album.
An album I have listened to a few times, thanks to my daughter loving it, and an artist I hope to see given time and space to develop her sound and style.
Wonderful
Songs: Ohia
5/5
Brilliant
The Hold Steady
3/5
How is this from 2006? So mediocre 80s stadium rock, it must have sounded like a relic when it came out. Ok, but no better. Other bands and artists have covered this ground in a much more enjoyable and entertaining way. Sounds like a whole bunch of other albums already in the book, but a tiny bit duller.
The Decemberists
4/5
Prog folk Americana PNW rock opera, with hints of a few other genres as well. Reminds me of Biffy, Flaming Lips, Roddy Woomble, and many others at different times.
Maybe a bit overblown and pretentious, but not overly so. The different voices for (almost) each character works well, an idea clearly taken from (traditional) opera.
A band I will explore further when I have the time.
Scores precisely 3.5, but I'm choosing to round up!
John Mayer
1/5
Somehow manages to be both boring and annoying, a tricky combination to pull off.
Sounds like Train (or Toploader), with the last vestiges of any soul or grit removed.
He presumably didn't aim to make the blandest album of all time, but he might have done it.
Might not have been exclusively sold in identikit coffee shops from Seattle to Santiago, but perhaps should have been.
Whiny voice, irritating guitar, ineffectual production, boring songs.
A commission should be established to decide who gets to cover Jimi - Mr Mayer does not deserve this permission.
A rip-off of a bunch of other (better) albums, which isn't even a good representative for the nonsense that people occasionally used to pretend to like, usually while drinking cheap wine.
No.
TOOL
5/5
Perfection
Bon Iver
4/5
Not as good as contemporary reviews (and my memory) would have suggested, but a solid fragile Americana effort. A little more variation of sound, style and dynamic range would have been nice.
David Baerwald
2/5
Only listened once, which felt like plenty, but fragments of the songs stayed with me the rest of the day. I'll definitely come back to this, if only to listen a couple more times (and without distractions) - and I'll come back to edit this review when I do.
Polvo
3/5
Feels like it was released about 5-8 years later than it was, which I guess means it was (a tiny bit) ahead of its time. Hints of Midwest emo, and the various bands and genres that spun off from there
Mustafa
4/5
A voice as smooth as silk, and as sweet as honey. A few songs in I was thinking he reminded me a bit of someone, and then Sampha turned up to answer the question of who I was thinking of.
A lovely album, and a great suggestion
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
5/5
A classic of classic rock, much copied and much parodied, and well worth a place in the book. I'm not sure what it would replace though; maybe an expansion (to 1,501 albums?) is overdue?
As for this album, it's a cracker and a great nomination
Childish Gambino
5/5
Yes!
The Sound
4/5
Passable post-punk, from one of the (slightly) forgotten bands of the era. Sounds a lot like early U2, with hints of Joy Division and a very English vocal inflection. Good, but not great, and unlikely to make any future edition of the book purely because post-punk (and England in general) is already well represented (and perhaps overly so).
The Tragically Hip
5/5
Some songs sound a bit like Barenaked Ladies, others like Idlewild, some are classic rock sounding, others pretty folky. A lovely album, by a band I only knew by name before I started the new nominations, but who I will definitely explore more once this is over - another "after-the-list list" album!
A great suggestion, and well worth a place in the book.
Gang of Youths
4/5
Solid, like an aussie Sam Fender / Brandon Flowers hybrid, but without the bit of magic that would elevate it to being an essential listen. A good nomination, and better than many of the albums in the book!
Tori Amos
5/5
A hugely underrated artist, with this as one of the shining lights in her back catalogue. I enjoyed my time with this album, and feel it might be even better than her debut (which got five stars from me).
An absolute joy
Igorrr
4/5
insane french metal - in a good way!
CAKE
4/5
One of the first albums I (allegedly) torrented - but one I have not listened to in 20+ years. So weird, and such a fun listen, that I was glad to put that right.
The Lumineers
3/5
Somehow sounds dated, less than 10 years since it came out. In this country (the UK) at least, it was released around the end of the indie-folk revival, which The Lumineers had been roped into with their first album. By 2016 however, everyone had kind of moved on, leaving 'acoustic guitar + strings + vocal harmonies' as a vestigial remnant of the summers before. Not their fault, and the music is okay(ish) I guess, but it certainly stands out as the work of a band whose time had (already) passed.
The Caretaker
4/5
Ambient meets big band, but turns out better than it might have done. Flawless production work - even the crackle and hiss serves to show just how old (and age damaged) the original records are. The sonic degradation also acts as a proxy for the fallibility of the human memory, and as a surprisingly moving reminder that none of the vocals were recorded more recently than about 1940.
The jump between songs surprised me initially, but again can be thought of as an allegory for the way your mind jumps between thoughts and feelings - there isn't always a smooth transition there either.
I'm still not a huge ambient fan, but this nearly got me turned around.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Interesting to see a co-production (literally) between two good artists, who sound like they had a blast making the album. However, some of the tracks were probably more fun to write and record than to listen to, and a few others don't live long in the memory. A good nomination, which is maybe not quite as good as Illinois, and (in my opinion) not worthy of taking its spot in the book.
Jack Johnson
4/5
The most Hawaiian album I think I have ever heard. Sound like it was written on a surfboard (and some it of may have been) while also reminding me how much my kids loved Curious George (and how long ago that was!)
Possibly his best album, and a decent suggestion for the book.
Noname
5/5
Funny, flirty, honest, thought provoking, intelligent hip-hop, from an artist I had previously heard exactly one song by (and it's not on this album) - I will be rectifying that imminently however!
Covers a huge range of topics, and just an absolute joy. Thank you so much to whoever nominated this - I hope she makes it into the next edition of the book!
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
5/5
((Prog + prog) x prog) ^ prog = GY!BE
No 'proper' lyrics, meaning the words that are there (as samples) take on a deeper meaning. Manages to convey a tonne of emotion through music, and sounds like the soundtrack to a really weird movie.
Four tracks, almost 90 minutes, but never feels like it is dragging - a nice trick to pull off if you can manage it! Well worth a place in the book - we will definitely have to get it expanded.
Valerie June
5/5
All the genres, but not cluttered. Could have been released any time between 1940 and 2040, other than the purity of production and recording, without sounding out of place. An artist who I will be looking out for from now on; thanks for the tip.
Hombres G
4/5
Es muy extraño, pero me gustó mucho. Es mejor que tener otra banda de punk inglesa en la formación. Me gusta escuchar música de todo el mundo, sobre todo cuando se canta en otros idiomas.
System Of A Down
5/5
Possibly the best album of all time - definitely one I might have nominated if it hadn't already been picked. One of my favourite bands, probably my favourite of their albums, and should absolutely be in the book - not finding a way to include it just shows the author as anti-metal and/or anti-Armenian.
Perfection
First Aid Kit
4/5
I wouldn't have guessed they were Swedish, if I didn't already know, as they draw mostly on US and UK influences.
'Emmylou' is the stand out track for me, a really sweet love song with just enough of an edge that it avoids becoming too saccharine.
From around the high point of the folk revival (in the UK at least), and one of the key albums from the time.
Emicida
4/5
Sample heavy, with lots of interludes, and lots of guest vocalists, and very very good. Other than being in Portuguese, it could be a "golden age" hip hop album!
MF DOOM
5/5
A work of genius, by one of the best to ever do it. In any fair world, he would be one of the most successful artists ever, but not in this one.
Jóhann Jóhannsson
5/5
Perfect studying music, happy to be in the background with with plenty of depth for proper listening. Icelandic as hell, which is a good thing! Takes the best parts of classical, electronic and acoustic influences, to create a magical blend of sounds and styles.
For a tiny country, Iceland really do produce an outsize number of absolute classics, and probably have the best "per capita" representation of any country on this list - and it's not all Björk!
1/5
Absolute pish, from a band who should be nowhere near headline festival slots (but somehow topped the bill a few times) or, ideally, the charts.
Terrible vocals, clichéd lyrics, musically boring, and way, way, way too long.
There's far better records than this missing from the book; why not auggest one of them instead?!
Death
4/5
Fast and loud, with awesome drumming and chunky guitars. Would be a good inclusion in the book, if only to represent the more extreme end of things.
Not much light and shade, but I hardly think that was the aim!
Primus
4/5
Solid rock, with a few cool wee tricks up its sleeve.
Great Big Sea
5/5
Some songs remind me of Roddy Woomble's solo albums, others the vocals sound a little like Third Eye Blind, at least one track is reminiscent of a Celtic version of a Johnny Cash song. These are all compliments, to be clear, and far from the only good things about the album.
I loved it, and have added their other stuff to my (ever-growing) 'after-the-list' list!
Chris de Burgh
1/5
A pile of nonsense - boring story songs with boring music and boring lyrics, sung boringly. No redeeming features; I can only assume it was suggested as a prank on everyone who tackles the nominations, as there is no way it merits a place in the book - not even if it was 10,001 albums!
TOOL
5/5
Absolute genius, from one of the most interesting and innovative bands around
Haley Heynderickx
4/5
A lovely, if very short, album, by an interesting artist with a beautiful voice.
Not perfect, but comes pretty close at times.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
5/5
A great band, and a great suggestion. I'm not sure this is my favourite album of theirs, but it is certainly in the top few.
Alexisonfire
3/5
two singers early emo
Bon Iver
4/5
better than 22, a million; not quite as good as For Emma, Forever Ago; a solid 3.5 stars!
Chucklehead
3/5
funk
Cluster
2/5
Krautrock
Sublime
4/5
Frank Zappa
3/5
Sparks
1/5
Talk Talk
1/5
Louis Armstrong
2/5
Savages
4/5
The Chameleons
3/5
Bob Mould
3/5
Bob Mould
1/5
Adam Green
2/5
Dead Boys
4/5
Garbage
1/5
Talking Heads
1/5
Sam Fender
4/5
The 1975
1/5
0
Shania Twain
1/5
0
Guy Clark
4/5
Boards of Canada
1/5
Streetlight Manifesto
3/5
The Breeders
4/5
Freestylers
1/5
Amyl and The Sniffers
5/5
Susanne Sundfør
4/5
Beautiful
Crystal Castles
1/5
Rubbish - 0 🌟
Killswitch Engage
4/5
Heavy as hell and twice as loud
Alexisonfire
3/5
Screamo
Death Cab for Cutie
2/5
This is an album of music.
Al Stewart
3/5
Sounds even older than it is; catchy songs, well sung; the wee "story of the songs" interview at the end (of the remaster) was cool, even if he sounded like an old school transatlantic 'Smashie & Nicey' style radio DJ; contains possibly the only song about an Elizabethan privateer
Refused
4/5
Sounds very American, right up until they start talking Swedish! A wonderful album, from a band who I only knew in passing, and a great suggestion.
They Might Be Giants
4/5
18 songs in 47 minutes! A really eclectic mix of songs, with odd instrumentation (which really works!) and off-beat lyrics.
Yo La Tengo
4/5
Three vocalists means more variety than some albums; sounds like they are having a blast recording it; very much a jam band
Neutral Milk Hotel
1/5
*potentially heretical opinions follow*
possibly the biggest disappointment on the list - i had heard it was good, maybe even great, but it is absolutely rubbish.
the guy can't sing and, to make it even worse, keeps putting on these stupid voices and weird accents.
the lyrics are terrible, the melodies boring and uninspired, and the instrumentation choices make no sense.
for such an "influential" album, i was definitely expecting better. not just bad, actively offensive - i didn't even make it through a second listen, possibly because i knew what rubbish was still to come.
this probably deserves a place in the list, and maybe even in the book, on reputation alone, but not on quality.
the only positive of it being included would be that more people would see through the online praise - and see that the emperor's clothes are invisible.
From this day forth, I will announce loudly and repeatedly, whenever this album (or this band) is discussed, that this is one of the worst few albums i have ever had the misfortune to endure.
0 stars
*heresy complete*
Enter Shikari
2/5
One of the inventors of nu-rave - possibly the least important and least influential genre in popular music. Like someone playing a guitar near a terrible rave, but somehow (sometimes) less fun than that sounds.
I'm also socking a star for being an influence on the dubstep dreck that followed - and this wasn't going to score highly before that!
Times New Viking
2/5
Someone should let them know that the pre-demo first draft, before the words were finished, and before the songs were properly recorded, has ended up on Spotify somehow. I'm sure they'll be super embarrassed. Hopefully other providers don't have the same issue.
I'm not sure if a less noise-damaged version of the album exists anywhere, but I'd be interested to hear what it sounds like recorded properly, and maybe even with a music producer nearby.
There's some decent ideas here, I think, behind the noise and pop and hiss and fizz and rumble and feedback and crackle and (seemingly) broken microphones and lack of care taken to make sure the songs could be heard at their best.
Quite annoyingly badly produced and recorded, but not actively offensively bad, and a potentially interesting collection of almost-songs.
Tame Impala
4/5
Jellyfish
3/5
Fontaines D.C.
4/5
The Vaccines
3/5
Spose
4/5
Medeski, Martin & Wood
2/5
Charli xcx
1/5
Rubbish
Screeching Weasel
5/5
Touché Amoré
4/5
Pearl Jam
5/5
Yellowcard
4/5
Electric Callboy
1/5
Shite, but mercifully short
The Who
5/5
Joan As Police Woman
2/5
Ornette Coleman
1/5
Frightened Rabbit
5/5
At times, any or all of: beautiful, haunting (even if you don't know Scott's story), sweary, funny, very very Scottish, and absolutely wonderful. A great suggestion
Thee Oh Sees
3/5
I'm still not sure live albums have a place on the list, but this is decent
Lo Fidelity Allstars
2/5
Magdalena Bay
1/5
Nonsense
Men I Trust
3/5
The Groundhogs
4/5
Os Mundi
3/5
The Angelic Process
3/5
ISIS
3/5
Final Fantasy
1/5
Deltron 3030
5/5
"Weird Al" Yankovic
5/5
Jason Isbell
3/5
Yoko Ono
1/5
No
Sports Team
2/5
Cat System Corp.
2/5
Ween
3/5
Charly García
3/5
Mylène Farmer
4/5
Agalloch
4/5
John Coltrane
4/5
Smooth as silk and really relaxing, a very accessible album of jazz ballads, and one I thoroughly enjoyed
Deafheaven
4/5
Soundscapes rather than songs, with barely any vocals, but all the more evocative and atmospheric as a result.
Oingo Boingo
4/5
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
5/5
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
3/5
Trumpets!
Baroness
5/5
Tosca
2/5
Mubert-style backing tracks; might be ok once they finish the songs
Protomartyr
5/5
Like Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Joy Division, and At The Drive-in had a jam session in Manchester in 1980, then sent the results through time to be polished and produced to modern standards.
A great suggestion, by a band I am looking forward to exploring more
Reincidentes
3/5
Depeche Mode
2/5
Bad, with one great song
Beyoncé
2/5
Portishead
5/5
Flawless
Psyche Origami
4/5
Pretty good, and completely new to me. A really good suggestion
Anaïs Mitchell
4/5
Maybe the first folk opera I have heard, but a clever idea, well executed
Barenaked Ladies
3/5
Very smug and self-satisfied, and nearly good enough to get away with it.
of Montreal
1/5
Rubbish
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
3/5
Sounds like a fun gig, but one I wasn't at! A nice suggestion, from a band I had literally never heard of, but I might have preferred a studio album rather than a live show.
Stray From The Path
4/5
Solid
Tom Misch
4/5
Jazzy funky hip-hop influenced grooves, with some cracking guests. Please don't cover Stevie Wonder though, it (almost) never works. His voice sounds oddly like Calvin Harris, which was a bit distracting at points, but a good album and one I would never have heard without it being suggested here. Thanks for the pointer
65daysofstatic
5/5
Brilliant
David Allan Coe
3/5
Could just as easily be from 1875, in a good way
Shihad
4/5
Reminds me a lot of a bunch of (semi-) lost British rock bands of the same sort of time, such a 3 Colours Red, A, King Adora, My Vitriol, Dark Star and, on a couple of tracks, Mogwai. I love (or loved) most of those bands though, so i really enjoyed this. Not sure it's an essential inclusion in a future edition, but for me as a Scottish 90s kid, it was one I really enjoyed
Switchfoot
2/5
Rubbish, but not actively offensively bad
Denzel Curry
4/5
Very good very modern hip-hop
The Notwist
3/5
Mid
Savatage
4/5
Metaaaaaal!
Aesop Rock
5/5
A cracking album, his flow and rhymes are close to flawless. An artist I only previously knew by name, and from a couple of features, but will now explore much more fully (in between the ever growing list of suggestions!)
Nujabes
4/5
A lovely album; thanks
Boredoms
1/5
Not music
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
5/5
Hell yeah! Very weird, very Glaswegian, very brilliant. Six stars! (five plus a Scottish bonus point!)
Avenged Sevenfold
3/5
Mid
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
4/5
Sounds like it's from about 50 years earlier than it actually came out. Really shows the influence of the blues on country, and vice versa, and I really liked it. Thanks for the suggestion
Descendents
4/5
Short, fast, and lots of fun. An absolute blast, even if it might not be their best work.
Swans
4/5
Mad as a box of frogs, but a lot more fun. Seems to be trying to be all the styles and genres, often within the same song.
Perhaps not an essential listen, but unique, interesting, and entertaining. Sometimes, that is enough.
Richard Dawson
3/5
Prog rock, but folk, and very odd. I would probably get more into it after a few listens, but it didn't catch my attention after a single play. Interesting, and a good listen, but perhaps not one I would include in an updated 1,001 book
New Model Army
5/5
My new favourite old band.
Not the first album to try to meld punk and prog (possibly London Calling?), and not the most commercially successful combination of the two (probably American Idiot?). However, it is an album well worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as those two masterpieces, at least in my opinion. A work of genius, by a band I am looking forward to exploring more fully.
An example of the reason I started this whole insane project in the first place, and definitely deserving of inclusion in the book - the only question would be what to drop; I have a few thoughts as some of my other reviews make clear.
Thank you so much for the suggestion!!
Amália Rodrigues
4/5
Beautiful
Lift To Experience
5/5
Like a bizarre cross between At The Drive-In and Drive By Truckers, but more religious overtones than either.
A cracker I would otherwise never have heard; thanks for the pointer!
Johnny Winter
4/5
Sounds much older than it is, in a good way, and takes as much influence from country music as it does from rock. A fun album by a unique and singular artist, who crossed genres as easily as some of us cross a road.
Metric
3/5
All filler, no killer; like the songs between the good songs on an indie radio station. Not terrible, not memorable, but a pleasant enough way to pass the time.
Foxing
3/5
All filler, no killer; like the songs between the good songs on an indie radio station. Not terrible, not memorable, but a pleasant enough way to pass the time.
Brand New
4/5
The inflection point between pop-punk BN and emo BN, featuring none of their most famous songs (but a few really good ones). A very good album, which falls just short of full marks for me. A decent shout though
Mac Miller
2/5
Chico Science
3/5
Built To Spill
3/5
The Tragically Hip
3/5
Solid, if unspectacular indie. Some of the songs remind me of Snow Patrol, a bit. A couple of them have really incongruous lyrics. I liked it, but didn't love it.
Black Devil Disco Club
3/5
Nonsense, and yet catchy and hypnotic.
Robyn
3/5
Pure pop; not my thing, but not terrible.
Weezer
4/5
Yes!
The Church
4/5
26 albums in, and still rocking! A band I knew by name only, but will explore more fully when I have the time. A cracker
Fall Out Boy
2/5
Not their best, but better than a lot of the crap on the list.
DARKSIDE
2/5
Backing tracks, which might sound OK once they're finished.
Unwound
4/5
Good, but an album I would not have appreciated had I heard it at the time - since I was 13!
Dream Theater
4/5
Overlong and overblown, but with nothing that could sensibly be cut.
Prog good, metal good, prog metal good!
Neil Cicierega
5/5
At least when this sounds like two (or more) songs at once, it is definitely on purpose! I didn't recognise the name, but I have heard a lot of his other work, through my kids, and this stands up well in comparison. I loved a mash-up back in the day, and this album reminded me why. Sometimes funny, sometimes technically impressive, often both, and an absolute joy
Modern Life Is War
4/5
He's gonna need a strepsil! Hell of a heavy, and a hell of an album. What a band
Ookla The Mok
2/5
Mr. Bungle
3/5
Manchester Orchestra
3/5
Lady Gaga
1/5
pure pop, pure rubbish, hard to believe she built such a huge career off the back of such a nothing debut. Auto-tune, Akon, terrible guest verses, and rubbish production. Probably deserves to make the list, for lasting impact alone, but not if I get to write it!
R.E.M.
5/5
An all-time classic, and still not their best work! What a great band they are, somehow hugely famous and well-loved, and yet massively underrated and overlooked at the same time. For this to be on the list would perhaps mean losing one of their albums which is there already, unless the book has more albums, but it was a great listen and a worthy suggestion.
Bright Eyes
3/5
Yet another folksy Americana album, but better than some of the many (many, many) other albums on the lists. Not flawless, not essential, not bad.
Jon Batiste
4/5
Charles Aznavour
4/5
Très français, et j'aime la France, alors je l'ai aimé!
Bruce Hornsby
3/5
Yacht rock, about 10 years late. Pleasant enough, but not entirely essential.
The Heads
2/5
Not good, just happens
Danny Brown
4/5
Malibu
1/5
Not an album. Just sort of happens in the background, for less than half an hour, then stops. Mildly hypnotic at points, but still 100% an e.p. rather than an album.
Matthew Good Band
3/5
Not overly memorable, but pleasant enough. Very Brit-pop influenced, but as such it sounds like what was happening in Britain around the same time as this came out in Canada. I liked it, but didn't feel compelled to explore any of the rest of their stuff.
Shpongle
1/5
Daft, not in a good way
Tom Petty
5/5
Perfection
Cindy Lee
2/5
Chuck Berry
5/5
Yes!
WHY?
2/5
Everclear meets Shawn Mullins, not in a good way. Also sounds (on a few tracks) like The Lonely Island if they were 80% less energetic. Interesting, but not one I am likely to come back to, and not really a candidate for inclusion in the book (in my opinion)
Ornatos Violeta
4/5
Este álbum tem algumas músicas muito boas, que soam a várias bandas diferentes. Gostei muito e gostei bastante de ouvir algo completamente diferente e novo.
Turnstile
4/5
Rock, but pretty chilled for the most part. A band I hadn't heard of, who I quite liked and will look out for going forward. Not an instant hit with me, but I gave it a few more listens and really enjoyed it.
Spinvis
2/5
Like a Dutch Soulwax, but not quite as good. Very varied, not terrible, interesting at points, but not one I would be pushing forward for a place in the book.
4/5
Punk A F
Daft Punk
1/5
Soundtrack- not eligible
STARSET
3/5
Symphonic, polished, carefully produced metal (or metal-adjacent) concept album. Sounds shiny and expensive, and not as heavy or thrashy as my favourite metal albums. Still good, but a fair way short of greatness.
Les sheriff
5/5
Punk - bon
Musique en français - bon
Punk en français - très bon!
Future Islands
3/5
Just sort of happens. Decent background music for working or studying, no more and no less. I just finished listening, and already don't remember any of the songs - for good or bad reasons. If big tentpole Hollywood movies are chewing gum for the eyes, this is the musical equivalent. Much better than no music, and less offensively bad than plenty of albums, but not one that will I will come back to.
Also, that's a daft name for an album, but no so daft to lose it a star!
Eric B. & Rakim
5/5
Hell yeah! The book, and the user list, could both benefit from more golden age hip-hop, and this is probably an ideal album to add. Get it in the book!
Ween
4/5
Alex Cameron
4/5
Yeasayer
4/5
Ex-Easter Island Head
3/5
Nonsense, but entertaining nonsense
Michael Hurley
3/5
Sounds about a hundred years old, in a good way! Like the music that influenced the country and early rock n' roll artists I love. Not a genre under-represented in the book, but this easily could take the place of one of a handful of similar albums.
Zamilska
3/5
Background music when I listened, but enjoyable to have on in the background. Unlike much else on the list, and so probably worthy of consideration.
Not my thing, but pretty decent.
Floating Points
2/5
Ozzy Osbourne
4/5
Q65
3/5
Various Artists
1/5
Not eligible, as it's not an album. Also, pretty terrible music from a pretty terrible movie - so fails on that count too!
Blackalicious
5/5
Reminiscent of Jurassic 5 and De La Soul, which can only be a good thing. Could only be better if it also included Alphabet Aerobics as a bonus track, like on the version a friend burned for me 20+ years ago!
Billy Strings
4/5
Sounds like it was written about 100 years earlier, in a good way! Captures the spirit of early country & bluegrass music, but wiyh a few modern touches like the production and a handful of lyrics. A wee cracker I would probably never have heard otherwise - thanks for the suggestion!
Rodríguez
5/5
Fun, with the first and most famous track being a clear stand-out. An interesting story too, but the music is also great on its own merits
BABYMETAL
3/5
There was no need for Electric Callboy to show up. Not really metal, definitely not pop, but an interesting mix. Too much auto-tune for my liking. Not sure it's a necessary inclusion, but not terrible.
Muse
5/5
Yes! One of my favourite albums, by the band who mean the most to me. For a second album, it sounds so polished and mature, but still with the madness and energy of their early years. Not the Muse album I would have picked (I'll always love Showbiz a wee bit more, and probably listen to Drones most at the moment) but a solid choice which I would fully support for a place in the list.
Beyoncé
3/5
Decent, but too long. Also, I'm not sure why she's shouting all the titles - maybe she's worried people wouldn't pay attention otherwise!
Paramore
5/5
A wee cracker of an album, showing more maturity than their first couple, but without losing the energy and intensity that makes them great. A band I have listened to a lot in recent times, thanks to my kid, and I have enjoyed every phase of their work - but this might be their most rounded and complete effort. An easy five for me!
Getatchew Mekurya
5/5
Ethiopian jazz meets Dutch punk, makes an album the sounds like neither (and somehow both). An absolute blast, and one I would definitely never have heard otherwise! Thanks for the pointer!
2/5
French electro, not really my tasse de thé, nor my confiture, but decent enough as background music.
Warren Zevon
5/5
Genius insanity, with Werewolves of London not even the best track!
Espers
3/5
Psych folk; decent but not essential
Kashmir
3/5
Bizarre, with cool guest appearances. Doesn't sound Danish at all - was a shock to find out where they're from Legoland!
Daft Punk
2/5
No need for live albums, or dance albums, so this fails on a couple of counts for me. It's not bad, just not good.
Current 93
5/5
Really weird, in the best possible way. I was already into it before Nick Cave turned up, but he improved it immensely (as he always does) and made sure it gets full marks from me. All their other albums are on my after-the-list list; if we ever run out of user albums!
Bohren & Der Club Of Gore
2/5
Punky gothy jazzy and weird. Not for me, but potentially interesting to some.
Vince Guaraldi Trio
2/5
Not for me thanks, maybe more of an American tradition? At face value, the music is bland piano ballads, some of which have a vaguely festive feel.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
3/5
Very Rolling Stones, unsurprisingly, but it genuinely sounds at least 30 years older than it is. Not a bad thing, the Stones are clearly decent, but it's unusual to so deliberately and obviously rip-off another band, especially one so well-known. As a collection of songs, but it is still odd that it exists
Auri
4/5
Prog-psych-indie-folk - maybe the only album hitting all four of those! Beautifully written, sung and produced, but drags a little towards the end and feels a bit one-paced on repeated listening. A really good collection of songs, which (for me) falls just short of greatness.
The Civil Wars
3/5
Pleasant enough folksy chilled country-ish Americana, dulled only slightly by the unshakeable feeling that there are about 3,000 albums the same on the list already. The cover version at the end came out of the blue, but every other song sounds like everything else.
Arca
4/5
Very short, but that just meant I got to listen more times! I really liked the way it tried to do something different with hip-hop influences, rather than just being derivative of what came before. Vocals were a bit odd, but I suspect they were meant to be!
Powderfinger
5/5
Genius. Always nice to see more Aussie representation too
Jaco Pastorius
3/5
Ryan Adams
2/5
Songs: Ohia
5/5
Really solid, I enjoyed the extended version with bonus tracks and demos too. Not quite as good as The Lioness, which I had a few weeks ago, but still a cracking voice and beautiful songs, and still easily five stars for me. Thanks for the pointer!
Extremoduro
5/5
Very very long, but also very good. Sounds like a compilation album, which I suppose it is - all good bands evolve a ton over 20+ years! I might have preferred a single album, but then I wouldn't have heard all these songs (yet). An absolute joy, from a band I would never otherwise have heard of! ¡Gracias!
Lizzy McAlpine
3/5
Decent, but sounds like so many other albums of the last few years that it is hard for it to stand out much.
The Mountain Goats
3/5
Beautiful, but derivative. Charming, but unoriginal. Consistent, but lacking variety.
Vampire Weekend
4/5
Weird, in a good way
The Housemartins
5/5
Flawless, and definitely a band (along with The Beautiful South, and Paul's solo stuff) deserving of many places in the book. I might have nominated their greatest hits, or the shared compilation with TBS, but this is a cracking suggestion!
Daniel Bélanger
3/5
Queen
5/5
Not their best work, still a five star album!
Bo Burnham
3/5
Funny, but not really a proper album, just the songs from a comedy show.
Hamilton Leithauser
3/5
Broken Social Scene
3/5
A csat of thousands, and a bit disjointed at times as a result. Still good, but sprawling and lacking focus
Gerry Cinnamon
3/5
The one and only annoying scotsman, with basic songs in a false accent and using outdated slang. No-one in Glasgow actually talks like this, other than when playing the part of a "ned with a heart of gold". Even with his bonus point, probably the lowest I have given a Scottish artist - and likely to remain that way unless some clown suggests Amy bloody Mcdonald
Quicksand
4/5
Brilliant
Vangelis
2/5
Soundtrack - not eligible
Various Artists
2/5
Game soundtrack - not a album. Good though, just not eligible
Queens of the Stone Age
5/5
Yes! My review of ther self-titled (which was in the original list) said "Rated R or Song for the Deaf should probably be here in its stead ... I will be a bit disappointed if this is the only time Josh and the gang feature on this list."
Good to see at least one person agreed with me!
This is probably their best album, but still sounds as weird as everything else. The variety of styles and sounds, combined with the wee "radio announcements" makes it feel like a compilation album - in a good way!
Also part of the soundtrack of my lofe from ages 19-23, so always an album I will look back on fondly.
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
5/5
A lovely album by a great band - who fully deserve a place on the list. More Welsh albums would be a good idea; there have been so many good bands and artists from a country which is only about the size of Wales!
Thanks so much for the reminder to revisit a band who meant a lot to me
Massive Attack
5/5
Perfection, and well worth being in the book
Rita Ora
1/5
Rubbish, but mercifully short
Slapstick
4/5
These guys love trumpets more than I love cheese! An absolute joyful racket - a great shout