513
Albums Rated
3.66
Average Rating
47%
Complete
576 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010
Favorite Decade
Pop
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
104
5-Star Albums
8
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Chelsea Girl
Nico
|
5 | 2.63 | +2.37 |
|
A Short Album About Love
The Divine Comedy
|
5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
|
69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
A Walk Across The Rooftops
The Blue Nile
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Come Find Yourself
Fun Lovin' Criminals
|
5 | 2.92 | +2.08 |
|
Very
Pet Shop Boys
|
5 | 2.94 | +2.06 |
|
Fuzzy Logic
Super Furry Animals
|
5 | 2.94 | +2.06 |
|
Tellin’ Stories
The Charlatans
|
5 | 2.95 | +2.05 |
|
Ghosteen
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
|
5 | 3 | +2 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
|
1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
|
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
|
1 | 3.3 | -2.3 |
|
Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)
Bob Dylan
|
1 | 3.15 | -2.15 |
|
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
|
1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
|
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
|
2 | 3.93 | -1.93 |
|
Back In Black
AC/DC
|
2 | 3.85 | -1.85 |
|
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
|
2 | 3.64 | -1.64 |
|
In A Silent Way
Miles Davis
|
2 | 3.61 | -1.61 |
|
Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche
Koffi Olomide
|
1 | 2.6 | -1.6 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.5 |
| David Bowie | 4 | 4.75 |
| Joni Mitchell | 4 | 4.5 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.67 |
| The White Stripes | 2 | 5 |
| Coldplay | 2 | 5 |
| Beatles | 2 | 5 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 2 | 5 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 2 | 5 |
| Oasis | 2 | 5 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 4.25 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Miles Davis | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Pet Shop Boys | 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (104)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Ice Cube · 26 likes
2/5
Not my thing personally. I can see why it's so influential, but probably agree with the original Rolling Stone review - "The relentless profanity grows wearisome, the Bomb Squad beats lose steam, and Cube's attitudes toward women are simply despicable."
Pink Floyd · 17 likes
3/5
Wibbly wobbly, rhymy wimey. Felt like a 45 minute intro.
The Verve · 12 likes
5/5
Sounds like drinking beers in the sun, smoking marlborough lights, cracking on with girls and feeling invincible... All the best bits of being in your late teens in the 90s. Rose tinted, yes, but the best memories are.
It's not an unbiased rating, of course. But still.
Napalm Death · 11 likes
1/5
It takes an enormous amount of work, dedication, talent and drive to sound this utterly awful.
I know it's meant to be a big loud noise, and people pour over the quality of certain guitar riffs/drumming pacing/bass scales, but I just don't care about any of it, because it's painful to listen to.
Pretentious shit.
Pentangle · 9 likes
4/5
Ooh Pentangle is a bit cider and Cornish pasties isn’t it. That’s lovely.
1-Star Albums (8)
All Ratings
Radiohead
5/5
The Pogues
4/5
Dr. Dre
4/5
Metallica
4/5
Daft but a lot of fun.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Very of its time. Decent listen but nothing that hits you.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
4/5
This was really nice. Felt like I was sitting on a beanbag, a bit buzzed.
Soundgarden
4/5
Another pleasant surprise - and more tracks you've heard than you think
Air
5/5
I mean, it's an all time classic.
Donovan
4/5
Listened to the original US tracklisting. Good slice of 60s psychedelia
Stephen Stills
4/5
Just the thing for an autumnal day
Genesis
2/5
Very prog, OK if you like that sort of thing but really irritated me. It felt really smug.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
Great to listen to on a hot sunny afternoon
Pixies
5/5
Superb from start to finish.
Roxy Music
3/5
Promising start. Moments of fun. But overall, I just find Roxy Music irritating - purely personal preference, can't quite put my finger on why.
Funkadelic
4/5
Lambchop
4/5
Great turn-of-the-millenium rock album, reminds me of The National
The Magnetic Fields
5/5
Thought this was going to be painful given it's 3 hours long but I absolutely adored every moment of it. Amazing.
The Replacements
5/5
Awesome rowdy fun.
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
Pop perfection
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Excellent, classic rock at its best.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Not quite as standout as Arab Strap but really enjoyed it. Some great moments on there.
Lorde
5/5
Standout album, varied, uplifting, confident. Loved it.
The Smiths
5/5
An acerbic indie classic
George Michael
3/5
Takes itself very seriously, after a couple of fun bangers at the front, drifts off into lounge-land quite quickly. I'm sure there's an audience out there that loves it, but I'm not it.
Pixies
4/5
Hits even darker and harder than Doolittle. Really enjoyed that.
Steely Dan
4/5
Really enjoyed this. Great melodies and very listenable.
Miles Davis
3/5
Very good at what it does, just not for me
Digital Underground
4/5
Very cool, very rude.
The Cure
4/5
Spooky/atmospheric/gothic/moody
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Way more funky than you'd expect, whips along at a great pace while staying laid back.
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
Touching, and charming. Soothing!
Manu Chao
3/5
Cool Latino
The Byrds
3/5
Jangling guitars and cool 60s vibes.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
You’ll know more than you expect from this, and it’s great fun!
Sade
3/5
80s, sultry, a little hard to take seriously personally
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
Accomplished brilliance.
The The
4/5
Power pop!
Pink Floyd
3/5
Wibbly wobbly, rhymy wimey. Felt like a 45 minute intro.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
It’s a samba party and everyone’s invited!
Dolly Parton
3/5
It’s a whoooooole lot of country.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
If you were told to go and write a song that sounded like Echo and the Bunnymen then this is the first thing that would come into your head. You know what you're getting.
Pavement
4/5
An indie classic
B.B. King
4/5
Captures what an incredible live blues musician BB King was. Great set.
Pearl Jam
4/5
Full on 90s angst. Perfect for slaying vampires to.
Pentangle
4/5
Ooh Pentangle is a bit cider and Cornish pasties isn’t it. That’s lovely.
1/5
Awful. Bob Dylan sounds like someone doing a bad impression of Bob Dylan.
The White Stripes
5/5
All killer, no filler.
PJ Harvey
4/5
A great angry statement of a debut.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Not entirely as awful as I thought it would be, but a pretty painful funk.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Well that was delightful
Coldplay
5/5
Their first and best
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Really great. Didn’t realise they’d been going for that long but just a great sound.
Beatles
5/5
I'd give then ten stars if I could.
Lou Reed
5/5
Glam, punk, camp, rock, great
Paul Simon
4/5
Dodgy start but really settled into it.
Miles Davis
2/5
If you like that sort of thing, it's probably great, but I don't.
The Monks
3/5
Not entirely sure what to make of this, decent 60s stomper. There's a treat about 3/4 of the way through, if you happen to listen to Marc Riley's show on 6 Music.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
A warm autumn's afternoon of a listen
TLC
4/5
Really enjoyed that.
The Fall
4/5
Enjoyed the music, can't get on with Mark E Smith at all, he just seems a deeply unpleasant man. There's some good bits on there though.
Wire
3/5
Standard shouty punk. 21 tracks in half an hour makes it feel longer than it is.
The Clash
3/5
More good punk - not many of the "big singles" on this one so a good discovery.
JAY Z
4/5
Went in with low expectations but this is a corker. Uplifting, confident, great sound.
The Avalanches
5/5
So well crafted. They throw everything at this and it sticks. A perfect album.
The Charlatans
5/5
Feels like I'm 15 again, loved this album then and listened the hell out of it, so it's great to hear again. Loads of musical layers, brilliant lyrics, it's a big noise. What a band.
The xx
5/5
Atmospheric as fuck
Pantera
1/5
Absolute pish, hated every minute of it.
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
Takes you on a journey - builds and builds, crashes out, then you come out of the end on a euphoric note. Brilliant.
Ice Cube
2/5
Not my thing personally. I can see why it's so influential, but probably agree with the original Rolling Stone review - "The relentless profanity grows wearisome, the Bomb Squad beats lose steam, and Cube's attitudes toward women are simply despicable."
The Black Crowes
4/5
A lot more fun than I was expecting, a rip roaring party of an album.
John Lennon
3/5
It very much sounds like what would happen if you were in the biggest band in the world then thought you could give it a go yourself. It's a good enough album but doesn't hit like the Beatles.
Moby
5/5
All time classic. Got played so much it was in danger of being over-exposed but after a while away from it, it's just great.
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
Honestly not sure if I absolutely adore this or hate it. Can you have both at once?
Donald Fagen
3/5
Alright, very 80's American soul wallpaper.
Kelela
4/5
Surprised me this one, a really lovely, soulful listen.
LL Cool J
4/5
A hot slice of G-funk. Didn't expect to like this as much as I did but I got right into it.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
This was alright. Bit musty.
The Undertones
4/5
Great fun, fast paced, cracking tunes.
Minutemen
3/5
There's a lot of good in here, but the relentlessness of idea after idea in song after song grates after a while. Should have probably been two albums with half the songs on each.
The tunes are good though, with some real variety in the first half.
Machito
3/5
Kind of passed by in the background - decent enough to work to though.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
A great album with a chaotic energy, but that sometimes drifts to being a little too chaotic.
Devendra Banhart
4/5
That was really beautiful. Distinctive voice and equally impressive guitar playing.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
A definitive Rolling Stones album. Went for the remaster rather than the delux version, which was far too long imo. Remaster sounds tight, and captures the era.
Beach House
5/5
Beautiful album, you forget about how much music was like this around 2010, it was a really good time for music. Surfy/indie/laid-back. Music to sit in a warm field and listen to.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Energetic and fun, absolutely classic breakthrough album
k.d. lang
3/5
That was a lot better than I remembered it being. Bit lounge-y but still enjoyed it a lot.
Aerosmith
2/5
Didn’t mind it that much. Found my foot tapping a bit from time to time. Forgettable apart from love in an elevator though, which does go on 2 mins too long.
Sebadoh
3/5
I liked half of this, but then it would go a little too far... I can see they were trying to push boundaries but it went from interesting ideas to just unpleasant listening.
You can hear where this has influenced a lot of other acts though.
Solomon Burke
4/5
A short, sharp, burst of blues, soul, and rock and roll.
Norah Jones
1/5
I'm fully confident that enough people like and buy enough Norah Jones albums that my opinion will make not one jot of difference, and neither it should, because she's clearly doing what she loves and has made an album she's really proud of.
That said, I'd rather stick my head in a bucket of fireworks than go through this again.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Great album, flows from style to style effortlessly smoothly. It goes a touch hard core dance for me at parts which brings down the rating to 4 but it’s still excellent
Goldfrapp
5/5
Beautiful album. Sat listening on a soggy February day and it took me to a warm sunny summer's afternoon.
Silver Jews
3/5
Quite liked it, bit wobbly in parts though. Can hear lots of other things like pavement/bright eyes/Elliot smith/Decemberists etc in there.
Beck
4/5
Beck was clearly Going Through Some Stuff when doing this record - it's much more low key and downbeat than some of his other offerings, but a great theme that he works well.
Nigel Godrich's production shines, particularly on tracks like Round the Bend which sounds like Radiohead done by Nick Drake.
Packs a powerful punch, if a bit gloomy. But a great one to have on if you want a wallow.
Madness
2/5
I've never been a big fan of White-Men-Do-Ska Madness, and this did little to challenge that, but wasn't as cringeworthy and grating as I normally find them.
Our House is of course a standout classic.
There are some definite moments when you wince, particularly at the "accents" used at the end of New Delhi, mirrored by the brownface on the cover... A product of its time, I suppose.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
A hot chunk slice of 70's funk.
Can
4/5
Nice background listen while getting on with work - when you see the tracklist and see 4 tracks, 40 mins, and the last track is half that runtime, you kind of have an expectation of what you're going to get, and you do get that, but I didn't find it as offputting as a lot of that kind of prog.
Enjoyed it, would listen again.
Pretenders
4/5
I really enjoyed the first half. Punkier than I expected. You can tell it's an album that's designed to be played over two halves of vinyl.
Brass in Pocket is still a bit cringe for me, but.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
Quite hard to find, this one - but worth it, his voice is wonderful as ever here, bluesy, jazzy, soulful - with some strong things to say about the politics of the day. Makes you sit up and listen.
The Doors
5/5
Absolutely storming from start to finish. I've not been an enormous fan of The Doors but this really nailed it. Well crafted, passionate, tuneful... absolute classic.
Eminem
3/5
I remember this seemed a bit edgy and funny at the time but now I'm a bit older, the constant graphic descriptions of violence towards women seems A Bit Much. But I guess that’s the point.
Great songwriting skill but it does become a bit of a grind by the end. Definitely preferred Marshall Mathers LP.
10cc
2/5
That was really weird. It felt like a sugared up kid distracted by a hundred different things. Every time you think you have a handle on whatever direction it’s taking, it goes somewhere more annoying. Then it just… stops.
MC Solaar
5/5
Absolutely tremendous talent
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
I can see the craft that's gone into this - it's not something I'd normally listen to but I did really like it.
The Young Rascals
2/5
Pretty solid churned out 60's funk/groove. Doubt I'll be rushing back to it and tbh I can't really remember most of it. Bounced along OK at the time though.
John Grant
5/5
Superb album. He's an amazing lyricist and musician, and just when you think you know what you're getting, you get so much more in the last third of the album.
I've always found Rod Stewart to be particularly difficult to like, but it works on this early, glam, stomper of an album.
It nips along and doesn't outstay its welcome, but feels a bit meat-and-potatoes.
It's kind of a steady plod from start to finish.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Wonderful, in turns traditional but modern for the time, acerbic commentary... brilliant.
Stereolab
3/5
A slice of 90s psychedelic indie, doesn't really have any standout bangers that grab you, but I'd happily put it on again while I'm working or cooking or something.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Cee-Lo is like a turtle on a fencepost. No-one really knows how he got there. One of those dudes that seemed to come out of nowhere, was everywhere for a couple of years, then immediately went to the "Hey remember when Iw as famous" circuit. (Until he cropped up on Masked Singer).
I can't see that this album would have been made or got the number of guest stars on there if his rise hadn't been so meteoric. It's pretty over-produced but I guess it suits that. It goes on about 20 min too long, but it's got some nice beats.
It feels like something you'd hear on a Saturday morning radio show (heavily edited of course).
Little Richard
4/5
A rip-roaring stomper of blues becoming rock n roll. The energy is off the charts. Keeping it that full-on gets a bit much at times, but the sheer exuberance punches through.
Super Furry Animals
5/5
A perfect 90s album. Updated 60's sounds and feelings for a new time, with smart lyrics, and it's a lot of fun!
Minor Threat
3/5
This would have been a great gig in the early 80s.
The album itself is one speed: full pace, top gear. It's a short run time but more than enough to listen to.
I'm left a little unsure about what just happened, but I quite like that.
Steely Dan
4/5
I do like hearing these albums from artists that are now considered a bit cheesy, back before they were officially cheesy, and doing things just as they wanted to, without irony.
Def Leppard
4/5
I can't believe how much I enjoyed this, firmly going on the guilty pleasure list.
Prince
4/5
That's a proper party album. Another artist I've grown to be a bigger fan of over time and appreciate what he's done.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
A rowdy racket of an album, with musical ideas by the bucketful. Unfortunately, like some other albums on here, this means that it can feel an unfocussed slog, I'd have rather had 2 albums 40 mins long than one at 80, but a great listen for the music all the same.
Judas Priest
3/5
Meat and potatoes heavy metal - the template for a lot of other metal from the late 80s/early 90s. Never really that into it me'self.
Röyksopp
4/5
Beautiful soundscape of an album - ebbs and flows.
D'Angelo
3/5
Not for me, but appreciate what he's doing here. It's all very soft-focussed 90's.
Venom
1/5
Utter pish from start to finish, couldn't bear it.
Koffi Olomide
1/5
I can see why this is on the list, big rhumba album and I do like a lot of the sounds, but looked into the guy and he's a convicted child rapist, so fuck 'im.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Decent rock album. Pretty big, soaring songs. Still love Been Caught Stealing.
Björk
4/5
Loved this. Some of her best vocal performances, beautiful production.
Bad Brains
3/5
Another heavy one, but enjoyed this more than I expected. Guilty pleasure. Sets up the scene for a lot of nu-metal/post-punk bands.
5/5
Absolutely triumphant - They really were the best of Britpop
Radiohead
5/5
This was my first album on the 1001 albums, before I joined a group so its come back around. It was 5* then, it's 5* now.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
That's a whole lotta country. Enjoyed it though, quality songwriting throughout.
Nitin Sawhney
4/5
Interesting album this. Lots of really old influences, merged with what was really up to date trip-hop sounds, it crams a lot into its runtime.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
The intro to this album is so iconically linked to smut in the media, that it's hard to disassociate that and take it seriously at least to start with. You can see why it was considered that way though, and after that opener, you know what you're getting throughout this. It's a sexy slice of soul, and although I'd listen to it again, I'm not sure I'd want to in the presence of company.
This has a short runtime, which amused me more than it should have.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
I do love the pet shop boys, but without the big standout singles, this does tend to merge into the background a little. There are a couple of bits that grab your interest, but it's not one I'll be rushing back to.
Napalm Death
1/5
It takes an enormous amount of work, dedication, talent and drive to sound this utterly awful.
I know it's meant to be a big loud noise, and people pour over the quality of certain guitar riffs/drumming pacing/bass scales, but I just don't care about any of it, because it's painful to listen to.
Pretentious shit.
Public Enemy
4/5
This is an all out celebration of who they are - loved it. The double bill of Bring the Noise and Don't Believe the Hype starts it out strong, and it keeps that level all the way through.
The Icarus Line
4/5
I'd never heard of this band before, but was pleasantly surprised - in turns grungy, rock, metal, melodic, noisy... I could really see myself finding more and more to like about this album if I give it a few more listens.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
Some interesting points, and at times pretty unsettling, but a lot of boring noodling about without really going anywhere.
Felt more of a chore than something to enjoy.
Milton Nascimento
4/5
Really enjoyed this mixture of different styles, all with Latin roots. Great light and shade. Would listen again.
The Boo Radleys
4/5
Much more varied and rich than you'd perhaps expect, given this was a few years before the "big hit". A fun indie bop.
Talvin Singh
3/5
It was OK
(I bet no-one's done that joke before, and can't wait to go to the global reviews page to confirm this)
I was a bit spaced out from the old 'rona when I listened to it so some of the trippier bits freaked my nut out a little, but it is certainly a lovely plinkly plonky trippy album.
The Cardigans
4/5
I loved this. Lovely tunes, lovely singing, lovely music, lovely album.
Lovely.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
What a talent, what production, what songs, what heartfelt delivery - flawlessly done.
Brian Eno
4/5
Another artist I'd heard a lot about but never sat down and listened to an album... And am glad I did, it has a lot of the atmospheric "ambient" sounds you'd expect, but I have to admit I thought it was going to be a lot more boring! Layered, doesn't outstay its welcome, a real pleasure to listen to.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
I'm still not much of a jazz fan, but this is on the good side of it.
Khaled
3/5
A curious one this - every time I listen closely, I start to dislike it, but playing it in the background it really loved it.
Sounds out of its time. Came out in 1999 but sounds like it's from 20 years before... And sometimes further.
The cover of Imagine is a bit weird - I don't think you can sincerely cover that song any more.
But I enjoyed it. A 3, but a very solid one.
The Verve
5/5
Sounds like drinking beers in the sun, smoking marlborough lights, cracking on with girls and feeling invincible... All the best bits of being in your late teens in the 90s. Rose tinted, yes, but the best memories are.
It's not an unbiased rating, of course. But still.
David Bowie
5/5
I've not listened to much of this bit of Bowie and it’s long overdue. This is brilliant.
Patti Smith
4/5
Really liked this, you can see why she's been so influential. Like a lot of these artists on 1001, the best stuff is the early stuff before they disappear up their own arses.
PJ Harvey
5/5
It's like the angriest most darkly produced folk you can get, I really love this album.
Alice In Chains
3/5
A grungy slice of rock - Didn't really know what to expect and in the first few seconds my heart sank, thinking I was going to get an incomprehensible shouty racket - but was quickly shown to be wrong. This has some great tones and musicality, and a soulful voice. Decent.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
It’s a bit like an art installation rather than a bunch of songs, which makes sense - but I didn't expect this from the mentor of the Sex Pistols.
Charles Mingus
1/5
From the start this is wheezy, aimless, painful to listen to. Like an orchestra tuning up for half an hour, yet all seemingly out of key with each other. It's stuff like this that gives Jazz its terrible reputation.
Moments of Track B and C almost have a tune but then seem to lose interest like a puppy with ADHD.
It's not for me.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Great beats, really well mixed, laid back vocals - a really effortless listen, just one to enjoy!
Thundercat
4/5
This was a welcome surprise - I'd been meaning to listen to this album for years but never got round to it. I'm glad I finally did hear it though - that's a soulful slice of funk. At points it veers towards going too jazzy, but then it pulls it back.
Any album that can include Kenny Loggins, Kendrick Lamar and Wiz Khalifa, and making it all sound like it should belong together has to be respected.
One to listen to next to a pool on a hot day with a cold beer.
The Jam
4/5
Another in the list of "Great early album by a band that went on to be a bit cringe"
New-wave/punky short tunes that nip along without sacrificing musicality.
Sister Sledge
4/5
I'm listening to this on a Friday morning, the sun is shining.
I made an effort to listen to it as a "new" album, and get past the feeling of being at a wedding or awful corporate away day, or another concert that Nile Rodgers has been wheeled out for (he just turns up to anything these days eh) and I really enjoyed it.
Roni Size
2/5
I remember absolutely hating this when it came out in 1997, I was a guitars-and-bucket-hats indie kid and this was just painful, particularly Brown Paper Bag which was *everywhere*. People were raving about this album and I just didn't get it.
25 years on, and my musical horizons have widened, and although I don't hate it quite as much, I don't really get the fuss. It seems to be the same beat all the way through with noodly moogs. I won't turn off Brown Paper Bag in disgust anymore these days, but I don't really want to listen to a whole album of it. Especially one that goes on for 78min.
The Crusaders
3/5
It was both short and went on for too long - Like an EP stretched out into an album. An "Also ran" in the 1001 albums, there are some great funk-and-soul albums on this list but this isn't elite. It was fine.
The The
4/5
I went on a proper journey with this album - hated the start of it but that was turned around with the absolute classic "This is the day" - and by the end of "Giant" I was singing along to it - I think I'll be revisiting this one for another go.
Mariah Carey
2/5
Sounds like a load of Disney movie credit songs. Too cheesy for me.
Missing an "All I want for Christmas" banger. Still, she was an early crush of mine, so kudos for that, I guess?
Little Simz
4/5
Breath of fresh air, this. Sounds like hot sunny London summer days. Really enjoyed it.
Raekwon
2/5
Not really for me. Went on too long, not much light and shade, felt pretty generic rap.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Struggled to know what to make of this one - Everything about it points to me liking it, but I just... don't. Sometimes you have to just accept you're not compatible, but I can't deny what an impact this album has had, there are some solid tracks on there.
Maybe I've just heard Come on Eileen too many times.
Prince
5/5
What an album! Packed with bangers, opening with one of my favourite Prince tunes - Lets go Crazy - and racing through with high energy, none of when he sometimes sneaks towards cringe... which lets him get away with the finale. Loved it.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Went into this fully expecting to find it a real slog, but I really enjoyed it - I do like a concept album, and the exploration of isolation was done well. Definitely verges on self-indulgent at times, but it's a really interesting journey.
Radiohead
4/5
A spooky, atmospheric album that flows so well you have to listen to it in one go really - A couple of tracks can be listened to in isolation but really you want to put it on and listen from start to finish. Not my favourite Radiohead, bit more low key, but definitely something to appreciate.
N.W.A.
4/5
Great fun, this one - some of the best sampling and mixing in any of the rap albums we've had - the lyrics are droll, delivered with bags of energy.
MGMT
4/5
I don't know why I keep thinking of this as a "new" album, it's been out for 15 years! Also thought, for some reason, they were British. Maybe I'm thinking of Metronomy, or Alt-J who came out around the same time.
One of the big sounds of the end of the 00's, like an updated talking heads. Great album, but overall not quite as good as Alt-J or Metronomy.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Mr Blue Sky is one of my all time favourite songs, and although the rest of the album doesn't land quite as strongly as that one tune, it's a great listen that they clearly put their all into.
The Temptations
5/5
Wow - that was a storming Motown album, far grittier and sharper than I expected. Hats off to them, that's a brilliant set of songs and amazingly delivered.
Destiny's Child
3/5
There are a fair few undisputed bangers on here. The opening 15 mins is relentless pop gold. The warbling gets a bit much after that, but they keep it interesting with actual melodies. All goes a bit "Disney Movie Credits" at the end. Like a lot of these, could have done with being 15 mins shorter.
Thelonious Monk
2/5
"What are you playing for us tonight?"
"Trumpet"
This one is not for me.
Living Colour
4/5
This is an absolute riot - noisy, rocky, with some great moments of samples and beats, and finishing on a wild cover of Should I Stay Or Should I Go. I'll be going back to that one I bet.
King Crimson
3/5
Enjoyable psychedelic prog - at points sounded like the soundtrack to a Zelda game. The rest was big and noisy enough to sound like they were making an effort.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
I've had quite an interesting run of funk/motown belters with a lot to say. This one whipped along fast enough, didn't grab me enough to want to come back to it though.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Mostly alright. He just makes me cringe, I can't get past that I'm afraid. Some decent stompers on there though, foot was tapping along.
Fela Kuti
3/5
I think I listened to this last week and forgot to rate it. Decent but loooong tracks. Kind of a latino jazz prog album. Didn't hate it though. Decent in the background.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
20 tracks, 55 minutes, that's some value for money. Though on research it looks like the usual trick of an original album has been padded out with a whole bunch of other things - but in this case I don't mind,. Wonderful production. Sound of the 60s.
Alice Cooper
5/5
Expected a cheesy glam rock stomper, based on the ludicrous opening title track, but was really surprised to get an album of great blues/soul/funk with some really great tunes and a lot of riffs and sounds that wouldn't be out of place in the 60s or 90s. Drifts towards cheese at points but holds together excellently.
Nico
5/5
I listened to this a LOT in the early 2000s, it was one of my friends favourites - so I'm really familiar with it, it's lovely to hear it again. beautiful guitars, lovely wistful production and an unmistakable voice.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Oddly comforting, with a real stripped back folky feel. Typical dark Cohen songs to sit down and feel sad to.
Aerosmith
4/5
Pleasantly surprised at quite a lot of this - Clearly finding their sound but I prefer a lot of the routes they went down on this album to some of the more tired stuff that they come out with later. A lot of this wouldn't sound out of place on a 90s album (and probably influenced a lot). Great energy and musicality. A couple of cringey bits, but you'll always get that with a band like this.
Tom Waits
4/5
His voice is a bit of an acquired taste, which did make this album a little bit of a struggle at times - I know it's meant to be a deep soulful thing but it does border on the ridiculous at times. But these songs are undeniably great.
The Stooges
3/5
Loud and rowdy - good fun but gets self indulgent. This is a band making a noise for themselves, not for others. Could have done with a couple more tracks and getting into a bit more light and shade.
The Who
2/5
People really love this, but I can't get into it at all. I'm sure I'm missing something. I find The Who very hit and miss generally. Basically I quite like the tracks that have been on CSI franchises. So it's probably not for me.
Korn
3/5
Music for angsty teens in the 90s. A lot to like in this but some of the themes haven't dated well over the years.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
That was brilliant fun. A whole load of honkey and a big bunch of tonkey. Mates with Johnny Cash, apparently, and you can hear that. Cracking production.
Arcade Fire
5/5
I distinctly remember disliking this at the time, but I have no idea what was wrong with me, it's a masterpiece. Epic soundscape, full of emotion, builds through the whole thing. What a fool I was to have missed out on this for so long!
The Cars
4/5
Really enjoyed this, a new wave classic. I was in a sort of new wave band in the 90s and I should have been trying to sound more like this rather than just make everything as loud as possible. Now I can see why it wasn't good, cos I wasn't trying to be this.
Fever Ray
4/5
One of those albums that you hear the songs and go "Oh it's THEM!" - lovely spooky soundscapes that are so much more than scene setters for TV dramas. I'll be giving this another listen in late autumn, for sure.
Erykah Badu
3/5
I just can't get over the idea of hearing Jools Holland announcing "Erykah Badu" before sitting down to do some boogie woogie piano over some of these tracks.
They're perfectly good, but does go on a bit and drifts a little too far towards the jazz-funk for me. Bit indulgent, but I'm happy they're having a nice time.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
A beautiful, haunting album - you can hear everything that's been poured into it and it's heartbreaking.
Adam & The Ants
4/5
That was a surprisingly rocky and fun album, which takes itself just the right amount of seriously - not as glam and hammed up as the live act seemed to be. Enjoyed that.
Miles Davis
1/5
I'm sure a lot of people will like it, but I hate it. Absolute pish.
fIREHOSE
4/5
Loved that - a cracking rock album with lots of fun diversions, all tied up in 30 mins.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Nothing outstanding, nothing upsetting. This was very much an album I listened to.
Faust
3/5
That's an interesting, curious oddity of an album. I'd quite like to be 20 years younger and listen to it live in a sweaty club in Leeds while drinking cider.
Mike Oldfield
5/5
I enjoyed every weird spacial moment of that. Iconic.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
Just one dude and his piano, but sounds outstanding. Really enjoyed this. Great to have on while concentrating.
David Bowie
5/5
I do love hearing these albums where you can feel the clear difference between the two sides of the vinyl. I've said this before about Bowie, that in my youth I just didn't "get" him, but I'm glad I'm making up for lost time now.
The first half of this is all out classic stomping Bowie. Then you get a taste of weird soundscape Bowie, before wrapping it up with a cracking track that brings them both together. That's great.
Jethro Tull
4/5
Good bit of folky-rock. Smells like hay bales and cider and cigarettes.
Travis
4/5
It’s just a lovely album of lovely songs. I didn’t give them enough love back in the day, but have grown into them!
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I've always loved the Zep and they were a huge influence on my guitar playing growing up. Bluesy, stompy, noodly guitars, that's good. The noodling gets self indulgent - which was great for learning bluesy scales as a kid but less great to listen to outside of that.
Arrested Development
4/5
That's just lovely - On a busy morning, this made everything that bit easier. Love the album version of Everyday People, which I don't know if I've heard before. And of COURSE Mr Wendal!
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
It was outstanding then, it’s outstanding now. I wouldn’t skip a second of it!
Muddy Waters
4/5
That's a great performance - captured so well - and great musicianship
Sex Pistols
5/5
Gamechanging - a band who did not give a fuck about calling out what they saw at a time when people were begging for change. But they do still care about making the noise, turning it out. One of those times when you're glad they did just one album because that would have diluted this.
Justice
4/5
Another album I reckoned was "quite new" but is actually 15 years old - Good album though, Kind of French electro house synthy.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Great set of tunes, punky/spikey music, great lyrics. This was Costello at his peak.
Steely Dan
4/5
This one won me over as it went - Show Biz Kids was a real standout (including a sample that was used in the 90s that I never realised)
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Another solid outing from Kendrick
Megadeth
3/5
Very daft but a fun listen.
Marvin Gaye
2/5
Had it on in the background but it didn't grab me, not as standout as "Let's get it on" and not a patch on "What's going on"
The Stooges
2/5
It was fine. Bit droney. Iggy sounded rougher as the album went on. Also he was a bit noncey at the time so points deducted for that. Apart from a couple of outstanding songs I've never really gotten on with Iggy.
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
That was alright. Felt like I was in an episode of This is Us quite a lot.
The Stranglers
4/5
Much better than I expected - I often find their stuff a bit cringey but in context it's cracking.
Bert Jansch
5/5
Incredible talent - was really taken by this. Both influenced by a lot and clearly a huge influence on a lot of other people. Loved it.
David Bowie
5/5
Iconic banger after banger.
Wild Beasts
4/5
If "Autumn in the North of England" was an album, this would be it. Spooky atmostpheric rock, great vocals.
Liz Phair
4/5
Stunned to hear this came out in 1993, and I don't think I've ever heard it - it's way ahead of it's time, I'd guessed it was from the mid 2000s, though in retrospect that's probably from the resurgence of this sound then. Anyway, this is full of light and shade, heartfelt lyrics, and an assured voice.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Better on his own than in The Stooges, which I had yesterday - he really just wants to be David Bowie here, and I mean who wouldn't, but imitation pales.
Also as always, points knocked off for noncery.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Absolutely bonkers. You know what you're getting. Pretty good fun though. Edges into taking itself too seriously at points, but a lark apart from that.
Randy Newman
4/5
Oh! Randy Newman! The Toy Story guy! This will be a lighthearted romp through stories of friendship!
[30 minutes later]
Gosh. Well. I didn't expect that. Absolutely vicious lyrics.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
I've heard this album a hundred times, but have no hesitation about putting it on again for this. Absolutely phenomenal.
Where would he have gone, musically? We'll never know - we were robbed.
Dire Straits
4/5
Well, it's a classic isn't it. Hadn't heard the slurs in there before though which takes the shine off. They don't sing that live anymore, I bet.
And it's a bit Levi 501s bootcut.
Ash
5/5
Outstanding album. Full of youthful energy, timeless. Still sounds perfect more than 25 years on. I remember the sleevenotes from this having a photo of Tim in a bath, pouring a bottle of vodka into his face and thinking that was the most rock and roll image, and being so happy that kind of slightly intimidating excess was still a thing.
Crowded House
5/5
Everyone knows this one, hasn't aged a bit!
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
White Men Play Blues
That's it.
Bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom duh-duh-duuuuuuh
Stan Getz
3/5
It's called Jazz Samba.
This album contains Jazz Samba.
That's it.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
A fun psychedelic thumping rocker of an album
The Who
3/5
It's a big old rock and roll racket that lots of people like, I don't hate it but it's not in my all time top albums.
Common
3/5
Enjoyed that a lot - Some really nice beats in there and heartfelt lyrics. A bit one-note but a good laid-back album to put on.
Frank Zappa
3/5
I liked _bits_ of this. But then there was some stuff that veered a little too far into the free form jazz that I just can't be doing with. For most of the journey though it was a decent enough wander.
Ray Charles
4/5
This sounds so Christmassy, and really shows his talent at taking songs and turning them into soulful classics. Probably a little over-done by the end but you can't deny that there's not a duff track on there.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Passed by in the background - pretty standard 60's stuff.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Me before I listen to Tom Petty: "Urgh, not Tom Petty, that's a bit cringe isn't it?"
Me after I listen to Tom Petty: "Why am I always so mean about Tom Petty, that's cracking!"
Sorry Tom.
Elvis Presley
3/5
You know exactly what you're getting here. It's Elvis through and through.
Black Sabbath
3/5
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to - some really nice light and shade.
George Jones
3/5
That's a whole lot of rootin and a whole lot of tootin, son. Now lets get you some liquor and a nice hooker.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I'm not a massive Springsteen fan. I know he's a legend and all that but he's never really done it for me. This was a nice enough listen. Born to Run is a cracker of course, but it does go on too long. All of them outstay their welcome really.
Cut them down to 3 mins and you're onto something, Brucey.
Radiohead
4/5
OK Computer is my all time favourite album - when this came out it was seen as "The weird one" but listening to it again all these years later it really isn't all that difficult to listen to. I really enjoyed this and the time away from it has given it some room to stand on its own for me.
3/5
Nice atmospheric, electronic, latin sounds.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Been putting this off for ages cos it wasn't on Spotify but found it on YouTube Music - and loved it. Much more varied and accessible than I expected. Drifts into real-ale-and-beards from time to time but that's OK.
Jamiroquai
2/5
I've tried to like these in the past but I just can't get on with them. Overindulgent noodling about, and JayKay just annoys me.
Marks for clear musical talent, but it's not for me.
The Sugarcubes
5/5
Hello. It is Christmas time and I am sitting here by my TV. I've been watching it very much lately because I'm on holiday.
You shouldn't let poets lie to you.
Can
3/5
This one starts out really strong and promising, goes a bit morbidy-weird in the middle, then goes just too stupid towards the end.
Bon Jovi
3/5
Everyone knows every song on here, I enjoyed it in the context of 1001 but wouldn't rush back as I'm fairly sure the big songs will keep popping up till the end of time anyway. Always been a bit too cheesy for me, but I respect what they're doing.
John Cale
3/5
Very pleasing - and excellent lyrics.
Eminem
3/5
This came out when I was 20, so was on the top of the target for this - And at the time the bravado, the jokes, the skits, all seemed funny, and the whole thing was a real rush, pushing the boundaries.
Revisiting that 20 years later and honestly it's just crass. "it's just a joke!" people would say... but then it does become a playbook for the worst people out there. Stan is meant to be the answer to that but it's a weak response to the rest of it.
Can't deny the songwriting is outstanding - so I can't rate it lower than 3, but really, the fact that this became so acceptable and mainstream has to be seen as a bit of a failure all around.
John Martyn
4/5
Some really lovely stuff on here, from early on in his time, an album I definitely wouldn't have heard if it wasn't for this.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Over this whole experiment, Iggy crops up probably more than any other individual lead singer (so far anyway). This is one of the better outings, feels pretty together. Bit weird hearing the tone of his voice vary from bass to treble, but all just about works.
Also as always, points knocked off for noncery, which is particularly noticeable in this one.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I don't really like Bob Dylan. But I really liked this.
The Kinks
3/5
This was fine. I struggle with The Kinks, personally, they seem to be finding "an idea" in each song then they play "The idea" then that's sort of... it. Every song fizzled out for me. But some of the ideas in there were really nice.
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
I adore this album, everything about it is just utterly gorgeous.
The Clash
5/5
An absolute riot from start to finish.
Green Day
5/5
A modern rock opera without the cringe, probably their best and most cohesive work. Angrily reflecting the hypocritical American rhetoric of the time.
A masterpiece.
Neu!
4/5
Nice soundscape, quite pink floyd-y but nice and snappy, liked how it built up over the course of the album. You can hear the Kraftwerk in there too. Great friday morning listen.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Croony-Bossa-Nova-ba-va-va-ba-baaaaa
Nina Simone
3/5
Not an album of bangers/big songs she's famous for, so a really interesting listen.
Eric Clapton
4/5
First Clapton thing I think I've heard that I've gone "Ohhh I do quite like that actually"
New York Dolls
3/5
A big old glam rock stomper - Think you need to be in the right mood for it, I can see why it's good but I shouldn't have put it on for a Monday morning listen!
Mudhoney
4/5
Cracking early nineties slice of grunge
Bob Dylan
2/5
Another Dylan album comes up - at least this one starts with the one song I usually quite like by Dylan, unfortunately after that it all sounds like the stuff I can't be doing with, like it's a parody of what someone recons Dylan sounds like.
Why would you want to hear a song just by a dude with a tambourine? And why would you then write a song about that, and make it go on for 5 and a half minutes, I just don't get it.
There are a couple of points later on that manage to skew this but overall it's not for me.
Sonic Youth
5/5
This is outstanding - it's got everything I want from a classic album.
Light and shade, great noisy guitars, songs that go on the right length of time... Cracking.
Don McLean
3/5
This album makes no sense. 10 songs, 36 minutes, but 9 of them are the opening track.
You forget just how long the song American Pie goes on, god forgive anyone who picks it as a karaoke song as it takes half the night.
There's absolutely no surprises here because everyone knows the song, and the rest of the album goes in the same vein. I'd quite like to listen to an album of tracks that are more like the ones you haven't heard before as I think it'd probably be better.
Slayer
2/5
What an absolute racket. I'm certain a lot of people will really love this but it's too much for me.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
A lovely soothing soulful album. Drifts into the jazzy indulgence from time to time but it all works.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
A more laid back offering from them, if such a thing were even possible.
All the things I loved about the other album I had on the list (Low End Theory) are in this too, so I'm happy. Hope there's more on this list as I'd happily listen to another half a dozen of these.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Usual fun from ELP, breezes along in it's noodly way. Finishes on a surprisingly straight-up rock and roll number which was great fun. Leave on a high and leave 'em wanting more.
Johnny Cash
3/5
A fun live album by Cash, not his best, but a great warm performance
The National
5/5
When it came out, I was obsessed with this album. Literally couldn't listen to anything else for weeks, possibly months. Still isn't old. To me, it's the rare beast - a perfect album.
New Order
4/5
An album of lesser known songs, which I really enjoyed - Classic New Order sound but really interestingly layered and on the edge of losing control, but just keeping the wheels on the road all the way through.
Joy Division
5/5
Interestingly I got this album straight after a New Order album, praise be the 1001 Gods.
The template for new wave, you can almost feel the cold walls in the room this would have been recorded in, filled with smoke and an old rug stopping the drumkit slipping around. This sounds like what all the early bands I was in wanted to sound like, but of course couldn't because we weren't actually Joy Division.
It's one of those albums that everyone knows the cover from it cos it's been on a million t-shirts but I'd have struggled to name most of these songs as being the tracklist.
Anyway, I loved it.
Ice T
4/5
Jaysis the MOUTH on him.
Did NOT expect what it did 2/3rds of the way through.
You can see why this is a classic, really well done. As so often with the rap albums on this list though - goes on a bit. But does take you on a journey.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
A nice half an hour of psychedelic noodling. Sounds like they took the tab at the start and after 15 mins it kicked in. They mostly nip out for a cup of tea at about 25 mins before coming back in and finishing the job in the last 5.
Beatles
5/5
An easy 5 this, not a duff moment in the whole thing.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I feel like I might have heard a lot of these songs too many times and this album didn't grab me in the way The Suburbs did, but you can't deny that it's a good album.
Soft Cell
4/5
Obviously Tainted Love is outstanding, it's not alone on this album of great electro 80s anthems.
The Band
2/5
Honky and tonky. Stood out to me as much as the band name did. Which is to say: Not much. That is definitely "An album" by "The Band".
Gang Starr
3/5
Another solid rap album.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Quite a nice psychedelic folky 60s album.
Otis Redding
5/5
You can't not have a massive grin on your face after this album. The very definition of soul.
The Saints
3/5
Aussie glam grungy stomper.
Queen
4/5
Honestly wouldn't have guessed this tracklist, a fair number of tracks I'd never heard before. A rockier/less cheesy affair than some of their output, and I loved it.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
All the hits! A rootin tootin hootenanny.
Muddy Waters
5/5
One of my all time fave blues albums this, absolute stomper from start to finish
Pink Floyd
3/5
An earlier one therefore with minimal weirdness and not quite as epic as the later ones, but still some really interesting moves on there.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Pretty steady solid 80's album. Couple of standouts, particularly of course Reward, but the rest is basically other versions of that song. Classic "acoustic track at the end" is a nice way to round it off.
Morrissey
4/5
He's a bit of a dodgy dude but he can write a tune
Tom Waits
4/5
I can find Tom Waits a bit much but this was really decent. Tremendous musicianship with some great dirty noises on there.
The Undertones
5/5
16 songs in 34 minutes? Love it.
Peel was right about Teenage kicks, remains one of the most perfect songs of all time.
George Michael
4/5
This is so much better than I remembered. Doesn't let up all the way through, and is just a great set of pop tunes.
Big Star
3/5
Bit of a mixed bag this one. Lots of the same Beatles influences you hear being picked up in the 90's. An americana version of a UK 60s sound - of which there's a lot out there.
Kanye West
5/5
He's gone off the rails lately but you can't deny this album absolutely slaps. Really didn't expect to enjoy this much at all but have to hand it to him, it's a masterpiece.
Elvis Costello
4/5
He's had an enormous output, and is still going! Really enjoyed hearing this album of not-the-big-singles.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
No "big singles" on this one but a decent dive into some classic Stevie. Not something that really grabbed me.
Oasis
5/5
From the second this starts to the end, you can practically smell 1994. For me it's the album that changed everything and it stands up. Absolutely storming - controlled chaos.
Bob Dylan
3/5
One of the better outings for Dylan, of which I've had FOUR turn up on 1001 so far, and I'm not a fan generally. This one starts a bit sluggish, then picks up, then tails off. Not the worst I've had from him, but not the best and not one I'll be rushing back to.
It's Dylan, if you like him, you like him, if you don't you don't. Someone, take that fuckin harmonica off him.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Heard this at the start of lockdown, and it blew me away. Ultimately led me to thinking about what other albums I'd missed and started on the 1001.
The Police
3/5
Didn't hate this anywhere near as much as I expected to. Aside from the cringe in the opening song it was actually pretty punky.
The Jam
3/5
Solid spiky turn of the decade between 70's and 80's stuff.
Paul Simon
5/5
I've heard this before and thought it was alright but for some reason on this listen it just clicked - absolutely joyful from start to finish. These are going to be in my head for a long time, and I'm definitely going to listen to it again soon.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
I guess it's alright, for a slice of late 80's American country, but I'm not sure what it's doing on this list, feels like there's a LOT out there like this, and there are a lot of others out there that it'll be taking the place of.
That said, I'm always happy to listen to an artist and set of songs that have millions of listens that I've never heard of. Doesn't do much for me, sadly.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Two shoegaze classics in a row for me, this one has a punkier edge, shorter songs and spikier, but still a great wall of noise.
Ride
3/5
Really enjoyed this shoegazer classic, instantly brought me back to the 90's and being stood on sticky floors just soaking up the atmosphere. Ride were the real precurser to a lot of 90's stuff that I loved the end result of, and you can hear all the things that influenced that through this.
Blondie
4/5
I honestly didn't think I loved Blondie and this album as much as I did. It's excellent. And lots in there that set me off on huge nostalgia trip for the songs I was playing in the late 90s that were being influenced by this (that I didn't even realise at the time).
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Sounded nice in the sun. Bit of a weird version of No Woman No Cry but it was nice to hear a different one. The whole thing is pretty upbeat.
Fugees
3/5
Another which suffered from massive over-playing of the big tracks back in the day, which has softened over time, there's a lot of good stuff on there, particularly like the beats and samples... But it probably goes on about 15 mins too long, and there are some questionable bits in there (the outright racist Chinese restaurant "skit" stands out for all the wrong reasons). Can't deny the overall quality, though it's not one I'll be racing back to.
Kate Bush
5/5
Crikey, when I was younger I'd always written off Kate Bush as "that weirdo from the 80s" but now I absolutely love that weirdo from the 80s.
About 15 years ago I suddenly "got" Running up that Hill, then Cloudbusting... Big Sky... Hounds of Love... and they're all from the first half of the SAME ALBUM? Come on, outstanding.
Every moment of every track on this album is like a warm hug.
Hüsker Dü
4/5
Well this came out of nowehere. Didn't know what to expect but it wasn't this upbeat version of pearl jam. Great listen. 1/3rd too long though, should have capped it at 50 min tops.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
This is a bit lovely isn't it. It's more of a soundtrack to a slow moving Americana film than a set of bangers-after-bangers. But a lovely way to spend 40 mins.
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
I came to MSP through Everything Must Go and it took me a while to get into the raw earlier songs - this is a big transition album from that early punk to mainstream rock, and is phenomenal.
Just pretentious enough.
Supergrass
5/5
God I love every second of this album. When I was a kid I was taken on holiday against my will (as I was a grumpy teenager in my own personal hell) and brought my guitar, sat for two weeks and learned to play along every note of it. That means nothing to anyone else but it means everything to me.
The Kinks
2/5
Maybe I'm not in the right mood for this but it really irritated me. It all feels very forced, and they're trying to take the piss out of something, but I think it's what they're basically saying. Nah. Just got on my tits.
Willie Nelson
3/5
15 songs in 33 minutes and it's not death metal. Nice. A lovely country ramble.
David Bowie
4/5
Only 6 tracks, but they are quite a journey. Kept thinking I wasn't really enjoying it but then found myself dancing at my desk. So I think I did. A rock disco smasher, this.
Ray Charles
3/5
Everything you'd expect from a Ray Charles record. It's not a very modestly titled record, but he WAS a genius, so what can you say??
Anthrax
4/5
I can see why it's so iconic, but it's a bit ridiculous for my personal taste. A fun chunky noise for an hour though.
Fela Kuti
3/5
I don't hate it, which is a lot for me to say about anything that can be described as jazz. I can imagine if you're into this that it's very exciting to listen to, and it's definitely lively... It does seem to drift off from time to time and forget what it's doing. Alright as a general rhythm in the background though.
Elton John
2/5
I can't explain why I just can't bring myself to like this. I should do, it's got lots of the sort of things I usually like in it - But I just can't get over the cringey cheese of it.
Literally everyone was banging on about how amazing he was at Glasto, I didn't watch it.
There's bits I find myself liking then I snap back to how much I just dislike it. I've been able to overcome a fair bit of prejudice on this 1001 albums journey but this is just too far.
Maybe one day I'll "get it" - like I didn't get Bowie for ages but now love him. But today is not that day.
Goes on for EVER as well.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Like the richest, silky smoothest hot chocolate. A good mix of the big hits you know and smooth jams you don't. A wonderfully laid back affair.
Mercury Rev
4/5
Can't believe this was from 1998, only really noticed some of these tracks much later, but makes sense. I really enjoyed this slice of Americana.
"Goddess" gets overplayed a lot, so it was nice to hear the light and shade in the rest of this, without going completely Arcade Fire.
Deee-Lite
4/5
These guys had a whole ALBUM? And it's... a GOOD album?
90's bangers, deep house beats, and a bit of New York hip hop too.
That's a funky total surprise.
Deep Purple
3/5
Fairly fun solid glam rock, Everything you'd expect from the Smoke on the Water band
Dizzee Rascal
4/5
Another one that didn't hit me at the time but sounds great with a bit of time between then and now - We know he went off into more pop afterwards (which I don't think was as controversial as lot of people do) but this is a great introduction to him - A fresh sound after the end of the 90s/first couple of years of the 00s. Launched a thousand imitations but this did it best.
Tricky
5/5
Another artist I'd not given much of a chance to in the past but now regret - this is fantastic. Much rockier than I expected.
I'm now finding that I think I misunderstood what "Trip hop" was, cos if this is it then I need to reevaluate a lot of stuff.
CHVRCHES
5/5
I bloody love Chvrches. Love this album.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
Man, I remember how this was written off by so many as just "angry woman" music (including, shamefully, 15 year old me) but as soon as you get past that and listen to it properly it's an all out stormer. You Oughta Know is one of the most perfectly arranged and produced bits of rage.
It's got tunes, it's got something to say, it's got light and shade. Everything I want from a 5 star album.
Laura Nyro
3/5
A nice slice of Northern Soul.
M.I.A.
3/5
Interesting one this. Obviously Paper Planes is so ubiquitous it's hard to look at it as anything other than standout/separate from the rest of this album, but on first listen it's pretty samey apart from these last two or three tracks - I feel like that would change over time with more listens. There's a lot to like on there and it does whip along nice and quickly.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
This one's the one with all the hits. Not as annoying as I often find it and by the end I was bopping away, so its charm is pretty infectious.
GZA
3/5
Yeah it's a vibe.
Sounds like something Ken Roy would listen to unironically.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Oh I see what this is for.
Foo Fighters
4/5
Amazing to hear this in hindsight of what was to come for the Foos. To write and record this whole thing by yourself in the wake of the abrupt end of one of the most famous bands in the world, incredible.
It's raw, and points to where they are going to end up in time. He's not there yet. But he's well on his way.
James Brown
4/5
Bangs through a whole lot of tune after tune after tune before taking it right down for an epic slice of soul. Band is perfectly in step, really well recorded, voice is at his early best, great crowd work, and you can't quite believe it's all over in just half an hour. More please!
Marilyn Manson
2/5
The shame of it all is there's some decent stuff on here but it's lost in the whirl of Brian taking himself all too seriously and being a weird little rapey dude.
Suede
5/5
The Rise of the flamboyant side of Britpop at it's best, this.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
He's very good at what he does but boy does that sound dated. It's not for me but I didn't mind listening to it, and there are definitely bits I like more than I thought I did.
Jack White
4/5
Honkey-tonkey-punky-rockin-and-rollin-singin the blues.
Great fun, upbeat album.
The B-52's
3/5
Everyone knows B-52s. They are, invariably, bops.
Motörhead
4/5
Full throttled rock and roll, often imitated, rarely bettered.
As usual, points docked for noncery (Jailbait in particular)
Michael Jackson
3/5
Can't decide what to rate this - it's impossible to listen to this completely without judgement/prejudice, but I did my best.
The songwriting and the singing are of course outstanding. The production is incredibly dated.
The cringe level is pretty high on this one when you think about it.
Man in the mirror was the surprise standout for me.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Hard to find the full album of this but really enjoyed as much as I could get to - sounded in parts 60s, 80s, 90s... Air, Bossa nova, jazz
Kings of Leon
3/5
Had no idea that was the name of this album. Devastated to realise this is nearly 20 years old too...
I bet they'd be great fun to see at a festival but I can't see myself thinking "Ooh you know what, I'm going to put on some Kings of Leon, that'll hit the spot"
ZZ Top
3/5
Old time boys, doin old time tunes. 4 chords and the truth, baby.
Public Enemy
4/5
Consistent and confident, just how we like them.
The White Stripes
5/5
Outstanding
UB40
2/5
I nearly liked this to start with then remembered I fuckin hate it, thanks.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Boogie and indeed woogie.
Weather Report
2/5
Some moments of alright stuff but they succumbed to the Jazz, and I did not.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
This does feel like a hot summer in album format. Really enjoyed the variety of heartfelt, soulful, bluesy, upbeat, downbeat... great.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Phenomenal. Blown away. Not a dud moment and banger after banger. Tempted to listen through a second time right away.
Dire Straits
3/5
This album is both incredible and awful at the same time
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Really beautifully crafted songs
Ananda Shankar
3/5
I can imagine having this as a slightly ironically cool album in the 90s to put on the background of a gathering, but come on, it's ridiculous. Not BAD, per se, but just... very very silly.
Bob Dylan
3/5
ANOTHER Bob Dylan. Give me a break.
I'm sure lots of people will love it. I just can't get on with it. He always just sounds like a guy doing an impression of Bob Dylan.
That said, I did start to enjoy some of these ones, when you push yourself to forget the weird heeny-hoony-wheeny-whoony voice. He's done worse.
Cheap Trick
4/5
There's a lot of tracks on here that you won't have known are by this band. This live album sounds fantastic. Would be a great gig.
Fiona Apple
5/5
I've always liked Fiona Apple but not heard a full album - glad to have changed that here, it's phenomenal.
Hookworms
3/5
Ah man, Hookworms. We were rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. I remember this album coming out and being super psyched that they were on the verge of breaking into something stratospheric - then it all came out. Yes, I know, it never went to court. But enough people round here knew what happened.
Terrific album. Should have been 5 stars. MJ threw it away.
Parliament
3/5
The funkiest of funky funks.
ABBA
2/5
Everyone knows ABBA. Everyone loves ABBA. Not me though.
Glad this wasn't "all the hits" because we've all heard them a million times, but this was very much like I'd imagine an album of ABBA songs I hadn't heard before.
Mudhoney
2/5
This just didn't do it for me at all, which I'm surprised by, cos by all rights I should love it. Very grungy, very shouty, lo fi recording, and a big muff. Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind for it, but it just seemed to be basically the same thing over and over for a very long time.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Having previously heard the album they did with Nico, and finding it bordering on too chaotic, I did miss a bit of that chaos on this album, but have to say I found it really lovely - one of the better Lou Reed projects I've come across.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Can't quite believe I'm on my THIRD CCR album in this list. Response is similar to the first I heard. It's alright. Bit Musty. Only half an hour, which is a bit of a shame, bit listening to it it doesn't FEEL that short.
Bad Moon Rising is a corker though.
Madonna
4/5
Everyone knows the lead tracks on this but after getting through those I found the rest really listenable and interesting
Cat Stevens
3/5
Another one of these "Legends" that I'm not hugely bothered by. I heard he was quite rude as well.
And "Father and Son" has been ruined over the years with so many covers...
I didn't mind it.
Nick Drake
4/5
Gosh this is a treat. One of These Things First is one of my all time favourite songs. Pretty beautiful from start to end.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Second live prison album on the list from Cash and this is so much better than the tired and worn out San Quentin - Every song is full of energy, Cash is in the form of his life, and the whole thing feels electric.
The Prodigy
5/5
When I was 17 and playing this loud in my bedroom, my mum walked past and said "That sounds like Devil Music"
She was right.
The Go-Go's
4/5
I was in a new wave power pop band in the 90s, and we used to cover Our Lips are Sealed. Love that song. And I love the rest of this! Punky, upbeat, fun!
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
This was a decent 70's light rock thing
Talking Heads
4/5
Another band I need to give more time to - this was excellent, chaotic, fun, punchy
Ravi Shankar
2/5
It's clearly very good for what it is but I just don't really enjoy this kinda thing. It feels like it should be on the background when I'm a bit stoned but it's not really one to sit and listen intently to. And the talking bits make me feel like I'm at some kind of lecture.
The Associates
3/5
Tribute act to weird Bowie. Nearly loved some of it.
Def Leppard
3/5
Second DL Album for me and it wasn't quite as great a surprise as the last one, this one started to slide towards more what I expected. Still a decent cheesefest.
The Last Shadow Puppets
5/5
Lightning in a bottle, this. Tribute to the old days, but brought up to date.
Slade
4/5
Slade are probably most famous for their Christmas song but they have a lot of absolute rollocking bangers when you give them a proper listen. Easy to make a joke of them but really they were much cooler than you think.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Third PJ album on the list and my 3rd favourite. Still a great angry soaring album but didn't feel quite as much of the light and shade that her others have.
The Doors
3/5
This was a decent romp through a bunch of Doors songs I mostly don't think I've heard before - so points for being all the good bits of the doors and not the bad cringy bits. Drifted in and out of it. Decent.
Blue Cheer
3/5
Ooh that's an album you can smell isn't it. Noodly guitar psychedelia.
Joan Armatrading
5/5
I've always loved "Love and Affection" so hopes were high for the rest of this - and it lived up to it. Beautiful album, soulful without getting too cheesy, upbeat - and just a lovely listen.
Santana
4/5
Santana at the height of his powers. The man can wield an axe.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Sounds like every other Bob Marley thing. If it's your thing, it's your thing. It ain't my thing. But it plonks along OK.
System Of A Down
4/5
I don't usually go for this kinda thing but I can't help but really like SOAD. This one comes out the traps at 100mph and doesn't stop. Plenty of moments of brief respite stop it being just an impenetrable wall, and he really has a superb voice. Cracking listen, that'll get your blood pumping.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
I'm a fan of all the Wainwrights, and this one is particularly good. Heartfelt 4/4 time.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
It's Rumours... by Fleetwood Mac... Of COURSE it's a five.
3/5
So we know Durst's a prick, and there's a lot of filler in this - it could comfortably be 25 mins shorter,but there are a couple of undisputable bangers on there.
Rollin' is still great fun on beat sabre now, that's nearly 25 years on.
And when Take a look around came out I remember it being one of the hardest movie soundtracks I'd ever heard and it's still up there.
Gotta give it half marks overall - it's not terrible by any means but it did enable a lot of whiny white americans.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Really enjoyed this - strong guitarmanship, the hour flew by.
5/5
I used to listen to this album as loud as I could, several times a day. It was _my album_ for so long, and I know almost every note inside and out. And I'm still not tired of it. This is Oasis at their peak.
Taylor Swift
5/5
It's a perfect pop album.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
This is like if ADHD made an album. First 20 or so minutes are racing from track to track, then it seems to jump genres, from prog to punky to soul, to... some other stuff... Still, I mostly enjoyed it but the frenetic approach made bits of it a struggle.
R.E.M.
4/5
LE-ONARD BERN-STEIN!
I never got into REM when they first came out as they always seemed like "Grownups music" -now I'm a grownup so I like them. This was great.
Brian Eno
3/5
I always enjoy Brian Eno more than I expect, and this was really nice. Quite spaced out.
Yes
2/5
Maybe I'm in the wrong mood for this but I found a lot of it insufferable pretentious noodling. Add in a terrible cover of Simon & Garfunkle's "America" at the end and I'm ready for this to be done.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
This didn't really click for me at all. It sounds like a lot of half ideas that were kind of workshopped while they recorded them.
Took me about three goes to actually listen to this as well, it's jarring and not really something I'd ever just want to sit and listen to.
Oh and Johnny Butterseller is an absolute fanny.
Queen
4/5
The GOOD bits of Queen, rock, and tunes, and anthems, with reduced cheese.
Boston
4/5
You know "More than a feeling"? Well you get that, then you get a bunch more tracks that are a bit like it. Let go of the cheese and you can't help but enjoy it.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
5/5
This one was a real horizon-widener when I first heard it back in 1996. Laid back and chill, but with some of the hardest shredding I'd ever heard. It's just so classy, man. It's pure, distilled, Noo Yoik Siddy.
5/5
Probably my favourite PJ album. It's got a lot to say, it's really in your face, it's beautifully produced, ebbs and flows. Phenomenal work.
Meat Puppets
4/5
I wasn’t sure at all about then when it started - but after the explosion of the start it goes on a pretty lovely journey of styles from punk to country via Americana and indie… all in all a lovely unexpected treat.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Smooooooth souuuuuuul.
But a little toooooo smooooooth for me.
Spiritualized
3/5
Junkie burbles on about how he can’t get his life together. Not as slick as Ladies and Gentlemen, which is far superior.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Stones at their best - Lots of country and rock and roll without going too far into the cheese.
The Divine Comedy
5/5
Neil Hannon is one of the most underrated songwriters of the last 30 years.
Traffic
2/5
Not a terrible standard pop 60's album, but goes on about 20 minutes too long and nothing really stood out to me.
That said, Medicated Goo is very strong. Sounds like it's from a different album.
Kate Bush
4/5
Lovely bonkers Kate, another artist I didn't appreciate at the time and thought was too weird - and am now making up for lost time with!
Don't know many, if any, tracks from this album so was a nice journey to go through.
Boards of Canada
3/5
Quite nice soundtracky plinking plonking electrical noodling. Bit unfocused. But a nice noise.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Justice for Emma Thompson.
This was lovely and the Christmas song in particular is a favourite to listen to at Christmastime!
k.d. lang
3/5
Oh that's some pretty nice gay blues. Feels oddly Christmassy. This is what Zooey Deschenel reckons she sounds like but doesn't quite.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Definitely "Trying some stuff out" in this one. There's a lot of earnest air-grabbing, but there's also the delightful Salsbury Hill, and some other nice bits in there.
The Blue Nile
5/5
Probably enjoying a surprising number of listens this month after being mentioned by T-Swift. And by coincidence it's exactly 40 years to the day since it was released.
Really enjoyed this - sounds like it could have been made in any year out of the last 40. Kind of Nu-romantic, kind of new wave, lovely arrangement and plenty of space for the songs to breathe. As the album went on I just found myself sitting and enjoying it more and more.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
Oof, cheer up Skip. This goes on about 25 mins and 11 songs too long. Weirdly I found myself humming along to a bunch of them that I've never heard before because they sort of sound familiar already. So that was quite clever.
But blimey, cheer up Skip.
Germs
3/5
A decent hardcore punk album. Hard to get on with parts of it but overall it's a decent racket.
Special mention has to go to the incredible album cover, that's beautiful.
Joan Baez
4/5
That was lovely - Similar to Joni Mitchell, great production to let the guitar and soprano sing.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
A full on rock out experience
Big Brother & The Holding Company
5/5
I am an idiot. I always thought Janis Joplin was like some growly jazz singer. And BB&THC was some jazz band.
This was the phenomenal blues rock album I didn't know I needed.
I am an idiot. I know nothing. But I'm happy to have been very well surprised. I'm now going to have to go and listen to a lot more of this.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
I don’t know why I’ve slept on Smashing Pumpkins for so long, they’re right up my alley. This is gorgeous.
XTC
3/5
Perfectly pleasant, but about 3-4 songs too long and kinda lightweight.
White Denim
5/5
An updated psychedelic 60s sound for the 10s, this has lots to enjoy, this album gets better and better. Definitely one I could see myself listening to a few more times and enjoying more and more.
The Sonics
3/5
An absolute garage rock thunder through the classics. More covers than originals which is a shame but they’re having a great time doing it for sure. Only half an hour but tbh that’s plenty - it does get a bit samey.
Bauhaus
4/5
Loved this. New wave rock with loads of variety.
Slipknot
4/5
Way better than expected, more melodic, clever musical style, great lyrics.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
You’ve heard the Everly Brothers yeah? It’s half an hour of that. Weirdo incels making music for when you need your TV to shout “this scene is set in the early 1960s”
Well put together though so points for that.
Adele
5/5
So many of these songs have been played to death it’s weird to sit down and properly listen but it’s really well done. You miss a lot when it’s on an advert or something but a decent pair of headphones brings out some cracking production, and her voice is phenomenal.
Nowhere near as moany as you think either.
The Damned
5/5
Nonstop tight as hell riot from start to finish. Outstanding noise.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
An epic slow burn that takes it’s time - which is mostly brilliant and only a fraction frustrating.
Suicide
4/5
Weirdly the album I had before this was LCD Soundsystem, and here’s Suicide doing the same thing but snappier 40 years earlier!
Baaba Maal
3/5
Very 80s Afrobeats, sounds like something Paul Simon would listen to then decide to do Graceland
Hot Chip
4/5
Interesting they chose to put this one on the list - it’s not got as many instantly recognisable singles but is a really nice listen
The Pogues
4/5
It’s a Pogues album, it’s got the hits. You know what you’re getting!
The Triffids
3/5
Straightforward 80's folk-ish pop, big hair and synths. Went on a bit.
The Verve
4/5
An iconic album from the time when things were JUST starting to shift into the various factions of shoegaze/britpop/rock. These guys are in no rush and it's ever so slightly too laid back for me, compared to their superior next album Urban Hymns.
The Doors
4/5
Better than I expected, still a bit hootin and hollerin but they came out strong
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
This is a VERY confusing album. I absolutely love about 60% of it, am distracted by the jumping of genres for about 30% of it then really dislike the last 10%.
Leftfield
3/5
Decent dance album - more accessible and more tunes I know than I expected.
Eels
5/5
So much darker than I remember. Even better than I remember.
Pulp
5/5
Breakthrough art, one of the greatest albums of all time.
Yes
4/5
Now that was some noodlin. More noodles than Wagamama.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Always pleasantly surprised by Beach Boys.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
Proper turn of the decade punk. Political but not too far up itself. Great musically - often I’ll hear albums that are big influences on other things and be left a bit cold but every reference from future albums is clear here and used differently.
Can’t find a reason NOT to give it the 5 tbh.
Willie Nelson
2/5
SNORE
William Orbit
3/5
That's definitely a William Orbit album eh. Quite enjoyed it to work to.
The Psychedelic Furs
2/5
This guy really loves David Bowie doesn't he? In fact he really loves one particular bit of phrasing of David Bowie that he just does over and over.
A nice wee tribute but grating.
Megadeth
3/5
Kinda what you expect from this band, this album title, this cover art. Moments of fun and quite a lot of very silly noises.
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
It’s the sound of this album that really hits you. Literally recorded around one microphone. Sounds so warm, that does a lot of the hard work. A really nice listen and one I’d happily put on again. Good to chill out to if you’re feeling on edge.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
Half of this sounds like when they do a "serious one" on Strictly, and the other half gave me a panic attack.
It's a bit much.
Louis Prima
4/5
This is a right laugh. Like a Christmas party straight from BTTF.
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
13 songs in under 37 mins is usually a good sign.
Especially when you get 12 short songs then one longer one.
That remains the case. This is ace. Power-pop-punky goodness. Really enjoyed that.
The Temptations
4/5
Smooooooth. Temptations at their slightly poppier fully soulful. Band is tight. Vocals are strong and smooth. Production is huge.
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
Oh this one annoyed me. “Ooh man we’re so trippy, maaaan” then it’s just four guys banging our standard 4/4 garage rock. Also the original albums only 35 mins but for some reason the “bonus” is another HOUR of the same with wobble wobble wobble over the top of it. . Sod that.
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
Really don’t know what to make of that. I can’t mark it down as being bad, but I didn’t really love it. Just not to my taste.
Q-Tip
4/5
This was really strong. Transports you to NY.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
You really don't get enough etherial waltzing in pop these days.
Van Morrison
3/5
If you love Van Morrison you'll like this because it's a load of Van Morrison. You'll have heard it before because you love Van Morrison.
John Prine
3/5
Some interesting lyrical things in there, all in all a solid country album.
Billy Bragg
3/5
This is quite interesting - Didn't realise the 2nd disk was from a reissue and think it would have worked better as more of a mix of the two - the initial album has its moments but the delivery starts to grate.
Cream
4/5
I was enjoying this, then I got to the track they have on Buffy, had a brief emotional breakdown, then carried on enjoying it. Bloody good.
Radiohead
4/5
Another storming album from Radiohead - It's so close to a 5 but not quite as strong as some of their others. Maybe needs a few more listens. But the lead singles are stunning.
Guided By Voices
4/5
Well they certainly throw everything at this. I really enjoyed the meandering themes, and although there’s a LOT of songs on here they’re all well formed and make sense as part of the album.
A great album to be pretentious to your friends about knowing.
The Who
4/5
When The Who are in their “Tommy” style I can’t get on with them, but this is a right rollicking gig. You can hear the stripped-back rock and roll, the recording is phenomenal for a live set, Keith Moon is (figuratively) on fire and the setlist is a riot of their own stuff and a great pick of covers. A great reset for them.
Nick Drake
5/5
Stunning
Grateful Dead
3/5
That was alright. Some of the harmonies were a touch ropy but it was a nice bloody country jaunt.
The Zutons
4/5
This was a far better listen than I expected!
The La's
4/5
Funnily enough I had the Zoutons yesterday then this today. I've heard There She Goes SO many times that I'm sick of it, but the rest of the album more than made up for it - Never really appreciated them before this.
Coldplay
5/5
Easy to dunk on this band but this is objectively a great great album.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
15 songs in 44 mins. Frank was a punk.
I’m listening in December so it’s quite Christmassy.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
This guy loves butt stuff. Nice beats but the concept feels exploitative.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
This was an 80s electronic rap laugh. Not quite varied enough for me but a good listen and one I’d bung on again.
Julian Cope
4/5
I enjoyed a lot of this but bloody hell it does go on a bit. Could have split this into 3 seperate great albums.
Sabu
3/5
Interesting mix of African and South American beats. They’re clearly having a ball.
Sugar
4/5
I thought this was going to be one of the best albums I’d ever heard from a band I’d never heard anything of but then “if I can’t change your mind” came on and it all made sense.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
If I asked AI to come up with a country album, this would be it. Ooh my love left me. Ooh she’s dead. Ooh I wanna drink. Oooh.
Madonna
4/5
Never listened all the way through and this is, actually, a banger? Couple of missteps (American pie - why?) but overall it’s a cracker!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Well that’s gorgeous. Heartfelt. He’s just incredible.
OutKast
4/5
Way better than I gave it credit for back in the day. The second album is probably about 20% too long though.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
I struggle with this. I love Blur and Gorillaz.
For some reason GBATQ are seen as incredible and I just find it a bit boring. Nothing really stood out and I found myself just annoyed.
And it’s a bad band name, I don’t give a toot.
Nirvana
5/5
The gold standard of MTV Unplugged.
Suede
4/5
An excellent slice of Britpop - though surprisingly long and loses direction sometimes as a result.
Kid Rock
2/5
Ooh look at me I’m kid rock, I’m a cowboy, I smoke the whisky and drink the weed, ooh I see women as nothing more than hoes and bitches, ooh I do the same rap over and over with a noodley guitar.
What a wee fanny.
The Kinks
3/5
First Kinks album on the list I quite liked.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Not the happy Mondays best by any mark but a solid trot through their usual sort of sound. Absolute standout from Hallelujah but there’s your Oakenfold/Weatherall influence.
I’d rather listen to PTaB or Black Grape tbh.
The Hives
4/5
It’s a tight spiky blast through their albums, but weaker for being a compilation rather than a whole album. Great fun though. Huge energy.
Klaxons
5/5
I always thought I liked this album but it turns out I LOVE it. Like if David Bowie had been reborn as a 20-something when he died. No idea how they even started with the arrangement or production on this, it’s SO tight.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
If you told me this came out in 1989 I would absolutely believe you. And it did.
Classic turn of that decade slightly indulgent soul rock.
Missing the big hits but it’s alright.
The Byrds
4/5
Weirdly I’d JUST been recommended this album as apparently John squire was a big fan.
I can see why, wobbly guitary psychedelia. It’s decent actually.
Janis Joplin
4/5
She was just the coolest
Soul II Soul
4/5
Some outstanding moments on here along with deep dub - yeah I liked this. Sounds great in the spring sun. Oddly one of the few times the remixes at the end actually lift up the album and make it worth the runtime.
Radiohead
5/5
I was so obsessed with OK Computer when I was 17 I forgot about the Bends and now see it as a perfect prequel. Every moment is stellar.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Now that's interesting - quite the mix of styles and genres. Enjoyed this as a whole piece - not sure it hit me as individual songs though.
AC/DC
2/5
This band are ridiculous. Alright in small doses but a whole album gets tiresome, and some of the lyrics are, at best, dodgy.
Heaven 17
4/5
Loved this - and surprisingly (possibly depressing if you think about it) relevant lyrics for now.
We don’t need this fascist groove thing indeed.
Circle Jerks
3/5
That was intense and I liked it but I couldn’t take much more than the 15 min runtime.
Doves
5/5
I love this album - these guys always felt underrated compared to their peers like Elbow and Coldplay - but this is right up there with them for me.
Pixies
5/5
Wow, I have heard so much of this before but not in one go, that’s an extraordinary album.
Brian Eno
4/5
Gotta love Eno pushing things as far as he can. This was really solid.
Primal Scream
3/5
I do like a lot of primal scream but every time I listen to an album? I’m left just somewhat underwhelmed.
Gorillaz
5/5
I’ve heard an awful lot of albums on this list that want to be this album, but can’t touch it.
Is it a band? Is it an art project? Is it a cartoon?
It’s just great is what it is.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Bloody hell this album could have been an email. I’m sure a load of groovy dudes thought it was far out man, but it is way too baggy.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Solid Joni fare. She’s been better but I still enjoyed it.
The Black Keys
2/5
Expected to like this more than I did, but it seemed so plodding and samey all the way through.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
There’s a lot to like about this. But I’ve always struggled with Wayne Coynes weedy whiny voice. And Fight Test reminds me too much of the Father and Son cover by Boyzone.
Just when I’m starting to get on with it the Whiney dirge that is “do you realise” comes on. I probably didn’t mind it first time I heard it but it’s been played to death.
It’s a lot better when he’s not singing.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Second Joni album in a row - the last was 4* and I thought “she’s done better” - and lo and behold I was right. This is better.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
Got this one straight after the Black Keys and it’s odd how much the Black Keys want to be this.
The Only Ones
4/5
Started out like a dodgy Doors tribute band, then Another Girl Another Planet drops and it’s great fun all the way through after. Really enjoyed that.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
“Mum can we have experimental David Bowie?”
“We have experimental David Bowie at home”
Experimental David Bowie at home:
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
As heard on repeat in Viva Cuba Leeds. I can taste chorizo when I hear this.
Iron Maiden
3/5
It’s good if that’s your thing but it’s not really mine.
The Roots
4/5
Excellent album let down only by its slight self indulgence taking the runtime to a lengthy 70+ mins.
Surprised I’ve only ever heard of The Seed (2.0) from these guys, given they seem to be huge…
Arcade Fire
3/5
It was fine, more of what you expect from arcade fire.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Oozes cool. “We’ve got one day in the studio, hit it”
Pavement
4/5
I always thought I’d enjoy pavement if I gave them a proper go, and I was right, I do.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Opens with two instantly recognisable tracks, and the rest is quite nice and summery fun too. Could happily listen to this on a yacht.
Frank Black
3/5
When it finds its groove this is cracking. 22 tracks means there’s a good number of less strong tracks on there that could have been dropped for a really tight, punky affair, but slips past it.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Hard not to let yesterday’s death impact this, but regardless I loved it. Couldn’t get into it in my teens but love it now.
New Order
3/5
Bit of a middling one from New Order. Missing a couple of big bangers.