Journey Complete!
Finisher #204 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
3.24
Avg Rating
64
5-Star Albums
100%
Complete
Favorite Album
Revolver
Beatles
Rating Speed
6.9
Per Week
1099
Days Active
Reviews
1079
Written
99%
Review Rate
vs Global
0.06
Avg Diff
3.24
Avg Rating
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How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
Ratings by Decade
Which era do you prefer?
Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1960s
Favorite Decade
Britpop
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Balanced
Rater Style
18
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smile | 5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
| Armed Forces | 5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
| Woodface | 5 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
| Too Rye Ay | 5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
| Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert) | 5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
| American Pie | 5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
| Blur | 5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
| Urban Hymns | 5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
| Parklife | 5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
| The Village Green Preservation Society | 5 | 3.4 | +1.6 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| The College Dropout | 1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
| Vulgar Display Of Power | 1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
| Arise | 1 | 2.73 | -1.73 |
| Master Of Puppets | 2 | 3.73 | -1.73 |
| All Hope Is Gone | 1 | 2.7 | -1.7 |
| Slipknot | 1 | 2.68 | -1.68 |
| Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine | 1 | 2.66 | -1.66 |
| Follow The Leader | 1 | 2.65 | -1.65 |
| Van Halen | 2 | 3.64 | -1.64 |
| Moving Pictures | 2 | 3.59 | -1.59 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 7 | 4.71 | 4.2 |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 4.57 | 4.1 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.75 | 4 |
| Blur | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Elton John | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Oasis | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Coldplay | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 4.17 | 3.78 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.25 | 3.71 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 4.25 | 3.71 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.25 | 3.71 |
| David Bowie | 9 | 3.89 | 3.67 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Queen | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slipknot | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Sepultura | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
5-Star Albums (64)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Dolly Parton
4/5
My album of many plaintive country songs
That Dolly made for me
Made only from fiddle, bass, steel and vibrato voice
But I listened so pleasantly
Although they sounded pretty samey
I was happy as I could be
With my album of many country love songs
That Dolly made for me
43 likes
Michael Jackson
4/5
There are three bona fide amazing classics on here. Then some good songs, a couple of fillers, and one cringer. Sir Paul, the girl is yours, Michael didn't even like her.
16 likes
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
This was actually fantastic.
Ahead of its time in ways, rooted in old school folk idioms in others. Nearly every song full of emotion.
I'm doing it, I'm giving it a 5.
9 likes
Joan Baez
3/5
Joan does some good stuff with these songs, but I do find 30+ minutes of her warbling away a little testing.
7 likes
1-Star Albums (18)
All Ratings
David Bowie
4/5
Man, there' s a lot of juicy sax on this album. And a trippy Beatles cover. And even a John Lennon collab. This is about as 70s Bowie as it gets.
Suede
3/5
This one brought back memories of a club I used to go to in the late 90s - Pure Pop at Club 77. The DJs would play Suede all of the time but I never got into the band. I can hear now the glam and Bowie influences.
ZZ Top
3/5
I always thought ZZ Top were jokey redneck rockers so this was a nice surprise, a bit of earthy hard blues rock. Not my scene but I appreciated the effort.
Tom Waits
2/5
Pretty kooky and eccentric, I can see the humorous side of it but not my cup of tea.
Kate Bush
3/5
Was so excited to listen to this - I love Kate Bush. But never given a whole album the time of day. I liked a few of these well enough, especially the first track, but most of it I found a bit...meh. I think I prefer 1979 Kate Bush
Elton John
5/5
GREAT ALBUM CHOICE, I listened to this just recently. Elton and Bernie developing their more epic and experimental sound that would come to fruition on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Good times.
The Beach Boys
5/5
WOW. I love this album. I'd put this in my Top 5 all time for sure. Stunningly beautiful melodies, soaring rich harmonies, insane instrumentation, and poetic lyrics. A classic.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Another good one. I haven't given this a full listen to since the late 90s I reckon. An amazing voice and some great songs. Last Goodbye and Hallelujah are both awesome.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Random generator...from son to father?
Very different from Jeff - jazzy, soulful, folky tunes that demand multiple lessons. A bit too slow and dreamy for me.
Paul Weller
4/5
Great album - rock solid tunes, a great marriage of the mod sensibility to folk and Britpop. Love it.
Violent Femmes
3/5
A few great moments on this, especially Blister... but I found a lot of it a bit samey for me. I should like this more...but not today.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Smooth as smooth can be. He does have a good voice, and I don't mind a bit of jazzy crooner big band when it's done right. And having some old-time music after a couple of weeks of 1980s-1990s heavy stuff was nice. Weird to think my grandad probably had this on the turntable back in '56.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
There's a bit of talent in this lineup. I've heard much of this but never listened to the album through. Our House is just such a lovely song. And a few of the others are very great. Like this one.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
First group in the list I've barely heard of. They sound like music from the future for 1984. Definitely interesting, creative, ethereal...but not my thing so much. I can see why people would love this though.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
YES! What an amazing record. For such a long double-player the overall quality of the tracks is amazing. Stevie's talent shines through on this. The musicality and lyricism is incredible.
The Band
4/5
Another cracker of an album. The Weight is in my top 10 songs of all time. There are some real flashes of brilliance on here and I could easily sit back and listen to this any time.
Public Enemy
3/5
This is a definite gap in my musical experience. Somehow it passed me by back in the 80s. I really enjoyed the samples, the lyrics, the beats - but overall not quite for me. I did like hearing a bit from Queen's 'Flash' in there somewhere. Wish I could give a three and a half, not quite a four for me.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
More Frank? Not so soon. I'm a little Franked out.
"In the wee small hours of the morning
While the whole wide world was having a snooze
Frankie crooned on in a smooth baritone
About ciggies, the moon, love and booze"
The Who
4/5
I'd gladly listen to The Who
I'd gladly say this ain't half bad
To hear this, I'd say it makes me pretty glad
I'd pay...a bit? just to get Who's Next
I'd work part of my life and I will
To win you, I'd stand naked, stoned and stabbed (scratch that) - but
I'd call that a bargain
The best album the Who ever had?
The best they ever had
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
What'll you do when you go crazy?
And your listeners are no longer by your side?
You've been racist and anti-vax much too long
You know it's just your foolish pride
Eric, you've got me on my knees
Eric, I'm begging, dude please
Eric, you're talented but you're out of your mind
PJ Harvey
4/5
"Sing, sing PJ, with your other-worldly voice
Pack up your troubles and let's head out
To the fountain of joy and listen out
Swim back, forth, back, back, laugh out loud"
Muddy Waters
3/5
I'm a blues album
I'm a full-grown blues album
ALBUM!
I'm a natural born blues album
ALBUM!
I inspired the Rolling Stones
Man, I'm a natural born blues album
I'm a blues album
I'm a hoochie coochie blues album (repeat ad infinitum)
Sonic Youth
3/5
Time to take a ride, time to take in some alt guitar rock
And if you want tonal interest, get on to Goo
Punking out the day, dreaming out the crazy way
Shivkumar Sharma
4/5
No lyrics for me to alter in my review for this one.
Love a bit of Indian classical music - very peaceful, pensive, and emotional. And nice to have something that isn't a western rock band!
Janet Jackson
3/5
People of the world today
Are we looking for some gated drums
We are a part of the rhythm nation
People of the world unite
Brisk electro-beat, we can get it right
One time
We are a part of the rhythm nation
Bob Dylan
5/5
And I was listening to each side of the disc
Words falling in my ears
Hearing an album of pain and grief
Lord knows there's some amazing tunes getting through
Tangled up in Bob
Dolly Parton
4/5
My album of many plaintive country songs
That Dolly made for me
Made only from fiddle, bass, steel and vibrato voice
But I listened so pleasantly
Although they sounded pretty samey
I was happy as I could be
With my album of many country love songs
That Dolly made for me
Blue Cheer
3/5
Oh Lord, I got to raise a fuss, Lord I got to raise a holler
About a playin' proto heavy metal just to try to earn a dollar
Oh Lord, I tried to destroy my amps, your ears I did abuse
Sometimes I wonder what I'm a gonna do
Lord, there ain't no cure for the early hard rock heavy ear-splittin' blues
The Jam
3/5
Artistic Freedom. Do what you want.
But just make sure that everything is very Mod
I'll tell you what, I got you sussed
You haven't wasted my time, this listening time was fun
Elis Regina
2/5
Vento de maio
Supa smoovo jazzo
Estrela cadente
Vergin on fromage
O fim da viagem
Funkita basso e sinthesizo
Pra voltar atrás
Nota so mucha for meo
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
All at sea again
And now my album generator has brought down this Ocean Rain
To bathe me again
In some Smiths-esque, sometimes acoustic, haunting rock
Can you hear its tender frame
Sounding from beneath the waves
Sounding from beneath the waves
Lou Reed
3/5
On Berlin, old school
Lou Reed sings in his crackly drawl
It was very nice
Candlelight and Dubonnet on ice
We were in a small cafe
You could hear the guitars play
It was very nice
Oh honey, it was paradise
Aphex Twin
3/5
Ambient
Robert Wyatt
2/5
You sound different from other albums
You come from the foam-crested mind
Suede
3/5
Dog man star took a suck on a pill
And stabbed a cerebellum with a curious quill
First album was a bit better
Introducing the band
Willie Nelson
3/5
Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely nights singing old songs
Those melodies haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you
Willie singing tunes
And each track an inspiration
Ah, but that was long ago
Now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song
The Sonics
3/5
Do you love this?
(They can really move, )
Do you love this?
(I'm in the groove.)
Now do you love this?
(Do you love this garage rock?)
Depeche Mode
3/5
The sweetest perfection
To some listeners
The slightest correction
Not really my bag
But some nice stuff going on
Nick Drake
3/5
Saw it written and I saw it say
Pink moon is on its way
And none of it is completely ill or brill,
But Pink Moon is chill
Herbie Hancock
2/5
There's an alternate universe where i'm a major jazz-fusion-funk fanatic. It would be a rather weird place.
Fred Neil
3/5
This old world ain't never change the way it's been
And all the ways of war can't change it back again
I've been a-searchin' for the album that's folksy
And sometimes I sing, "Everybody's talkin' at me"
AC/DC
3/5
Listenin' easy
Lovin' the rock
Seems I've heard some of these before
Aussie classic
Lots of riffs
Takin' everythin' in my stride
Don't need reason
Don't need rhyme
Are some things that I'd rather do
Goin' down
Party time
Fun when I'm in the mood
Nirvana
3/5
Teenage angst has paid off well (on Nevermind)
Now I'm bored and old
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
I woke up this morning, I had them Allman Brother Blues
I woke up this morning, I had them long guitar solo blues
Well, I played this album, baby
And it seemed to have them too
Rush
3/5
We’ve taken care of everything
Turned prog rock into hard rock
The songs we sing
Haven't really heard of them
But they're OK
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Oh, the revolution was here
That would set you free from those bourgeoisie
For some, electronica rock makes everything clearer
But my review exposes my age - or taste
Yes
3/5
I'll be the roundabout
The words and music will be pretty way out
Dr. Dre
4/5
Hahaha, yeah, nine-deuce
Death Row Records, creepin' while you're sleepin'
Songs with attitude? Shit yeah, songs with a mid-90s flava, brought back some memories
If I quote any more lyrics
I'll get arrested
Love the beats
Sexism can go get flipped
Jane Weaver
3/5
The salt of the earth
What is your impression?
Elements of Air
Surreal, ethereal, disconnection
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Cream
4/5
Randy Newman
3/5
(Comical voice) You've got to be in the right mood for a big dose of Randy
Liz Phair
3/5
Say, this sounds like it influenced a lot of 90s indie music.
Beatles
4/5
It won't be long yeah (yeah) till the Beatles have a 5-star album.
The Avalanches
4/5
Brings back memories of shared houses, Sydney Olympics and Rage on the TV.
Elvis Costello
4/5
I'm not gonna to get too sentimental
Like those other sticky valentines
This is a great little album
And Declan McManus is close to genius
Bee Gees
3/5
Man, that's a lot of Brothers Gibb.
Green Day
4/5
27 years ago? Some amazing classics on here. Yes. This is now a classic album. It can be played on Oldies stations.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Some Doors, some Jefferson Airplane... I had never heard of these guys but their influence on the late 60s is pretty obvious.
Weather Report
2/5
This sounds like an extended mix of the theme tune for the fictional sit-com, 'Jerry'.
Deerhunter
3/5
Some very good quality tunes by this band I've never heard of
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
I'm more rock than prog, I've figured.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
This was a solid 3. Then Kashmir came on.
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
I hated this stuff in the mid-90s. Now it gives me a bit of a warm nostalgic f***ing glow.
Blondie
4/5
Phew! Don't leave anyone hanging on the telephone with this one. Corker of an album!
Black Flag
2/5
Black Flag raised some red flags with me. Had to check if they were Nazis, apparently not at all, but some of their listeners are, not their fault but not my bag.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
Sure, here's a three-hour concept album, you have a day to listen to it.
But it does what it says on the box.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Some Natty, no cry
The Cure
3/5
Very mellow Cure here
Bob Dylan
4/5
This is such a great bit of Bob. If the next two albums weren't so spectacular, this would be in 5 territory.
Talk Talk
3/5
Some pleasantness here, nothing jumped out.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
SHAFT
Miles Davis
3/5
Sex Pistols
3/5
Thanks Rod!
Big Black
2/5
Too hard too fast too loud
Kraftwerk
3/5
My kids: this sounds weird
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Works just right as a bit of Welsh britpoprock
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
I've come round a bit on NIN but still just not for me
Various Artists
4/5
Try to forget that Phil is involved and this is a real Christmas cracker.
N.W.A.
3/5
Sounds as fresh today as it did then. But too many bitches to make it palatable
Meat Loaf
3/5
Two meats out of loaf ain't bad
Marty Robbins
3/5
Bang bang. A smooth listen as I cooked some Mexican food.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Smooth as can be.
Elvis Presley
3/5
That's alright Elvis
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Very Boss roadtrip
Love
3/5
Very 1966
The Who
4/5
The birth of great rock.
Deep Purple
3/5
Deep and long
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
Eagles
4/5
The Youngbloods
3/5
The Kinks
4/5
I love Ray's stories and Sunny Afternoon is just a masterful song.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
So THAT'S where grunge came from
Genesis
3/5
Very reminiscent of early Split Enz - it outstays it welcome but has some pleasant moments.
The Clash
4/5
A pretty masterful bit of Clash here
John Martyn
3/5
Pretty easy listening at times, but some moments
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
It was about time we had some salsa
Billy Bragg
3/5
Love the sentiment but the music just doesn't move me as much as I'd like it to. Good bloke though.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Tuneful, bright, twangy, light
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Some good rocking here
Nirvana
5/5
Not everything on here is incredible. But enough of it is. This is the sound of the early 90s for me.
David Gray
4/5
I genuinely enjoyed this and found there were a bunch of songs I knew but had never really thought to put into the same basket.
Pulp
5/5
This is the soundtrack to me being 16. It's probably a 4 but I feel that's too churlish considering how much these songs are in my brain.
Tom Waits
2/5
An acquired taste, and I don't really have the appetite.
Leftfield
3/5
Atmospheric and electronic
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
A bit rude!
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
This sounds a little bit like Bruce Springsteen
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Smooth and classy
Cypress Hill
4/5
I felt stoned just listening to this.
Steely Dan
4/5
Realised I really like a few songs on this album.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Great beats, I liked this.
Spiritualized
3/5
Pretty trippy and ambient, I didn't mind this.
Motörhead
3/5
A bit of 1980 heavy
Madonna
3/5
Some pretty classic Madge here
Culture Club
3/5
This has 1983 written all over it. In pink.
Aerosmith
3/5
I can almost hear Steven Tyler's lips
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Very inoffensive
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Ba-ba-BAAAAAAA
Incubus
3/5
I was apprehensive going into this one...but it was alright
5/5
1-star.
Fela Kuti
3/5
This is some original Afrobeat - I like what they're doing but I don't think I'd seek it out too often
Mudhoney
3/5
Some pretty passable Seattle grunge, but someone else did it better
The Stone Roses
4/5
Man that was some proto Britpop fun
Digital Underground
2/5
Not my thang
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Mucha samba
Traffic
3/5
Yeah pretty good.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Yeah I love these guys. A bit samey after a while though.
Fever Ray
2/5
Sounds a bit like a futuristic video game soundtrack.
Ian Dury
3/5
When I was about 9, I had a mix tape that had Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick on it - I had no idea who was singing it, or why, but I found it mesmerising.
Blur
5/5
Bank Holiday I could do without, but otherwise what a lineup of delicious Britishy pop.
The Go-Go's
4/5
Yeah they were pretty good. I like the opener.
Crowded House
5/5
Like a fine teak cabinet full of treasures.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
This brings back memories of the older kids break-dancing in the canteen when I was in Year 1.
Eminem
3/5
Man he just so angry with Britney and Christina. A few less homophobic slurs and this would be a 4
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Some very soulful Stevland here. Good times.
Donovan
3/5
I like Donovan. But this is a lot of acoustic warbling.
DJ Shadow
3/5
Very chilled but maybe too much to excite my feelings
Mj Cole
2/5
Not really in the mood for this one
Ghostface Killah
3/5
Terrible name, okay tunes.
Hole
3/5
Some pretty melodic and listenable pop rock - way gentler than I remember
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Good, solid Lenny but not his best.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Yeah so not so bad really, I can see where the 90s came from
The Doors
4/5
Some amazing stuff on here, certainly lit my fire
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
I just love this album, a lot of nostalgia for me with this one. Masterfully Cubano.
The Smiths
3/5
Minus 1 star for Morrissey being a dickhead.
Simply Red
3/5
Before Mick Hucknall went full tosser.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
There's a lot of easy skankin going on here.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
The best album by my favourite duo. Sublime in parts.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
Yeah, I enjoyed some of this...was thinking it would be a country album so was pleasantly surprised.
SZA
3/5
You know, good standard late 2010s pop
Aerosmith
3/5
Some relatively generic Rocks
Anthrax
2/5
Technically proficient. But too hard, fast, loud, and short for me.
Bert Jansch
3/5
A bit plucky and twangy for how I was feeling, but a pleasant interlude nonetheless
Ray Price
2/5
A bit too night time country
AC/DC
3/5
Does exactly what it says on the box
OutKast
3/5
A lot to listen to
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Never listened to the Lips before... this was a fun album
Elvis Presley
4/5
Some soulful tunes here, if there's an Elvis period I like it might be this one.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
They do this stuff well.
Talking Heads
4/5
Yes, this was very David Byrne, some of the tracks I've never heard but I felt like I could have known them for years.
The Stooges
3/5
I like some bits but overall not quite what I'm after
The Crusaders
3/5
A step above telephone hold music, with added smooth sax.
Cheap Trick
4/5
There are some classic live renditions on here.
Peter Frampton
3/5
That's a lot of vocoder
Stan Getz
3/5
That is some smooth samba.
Scott Walker
3/5
I think the word that best sums this up is, interesting.
Sparks
3/5
This be pretty kooky, I wouldn't have placed this as 1974.
Os Mutantes
3/5
Some kooky Brazilian psychedelia here. Wow
The Cars
4/5
Some good solid driving.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Amazing voice. Not my kind of music but there are flashes of great.
Brian Eno
3/5
Very Eno.
Gene Clark
4/5
This was a lovely one I'd never heard of, like finding a piece of the 60s-70s I was supposed to know about but had missed.
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
This was actually fantastic.
Ahead of its time in ways, rooted in old school folk idioms in others. Nearly every song full of emotion.
I'm doing it, I'm giving it a 5.
George Michael
3/5
This just about sums up the early 90s.
The Cure
3/5
Some standard Cure, Rob is in good voice.
Paul Simon
4/5
I just really love a spot of Paul Simon. Very laid back and sweet.
Roni Size
2/5
I found this grating and unedifying.
SAULT
3/5
I really liked the vibe of this one and would love to know a bit more about it
Elton John
5/5
STONE COLD CLASSIC
Harmony is just a beautiful, perfect song.
So much pop culture imagery and perhaps Elton's most diverse and interesting piece of work.
Brian Eno
3/5
Sounds pretty Eno to me
Moby
4/5
This is 1999 in Sydney for me
Tom Waits
3/5
You know what actually pretty ok.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Definitely a return to fomr, but not quite the best of form. Still, a few good moments
George Michael
4/5
An extra mark because of the intro to Faith
GM gets better with age
Machito
3/5
I felt like I was in Vegas in 1964.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Some Britpop singer-songwriter vibes here, was surprised to hear how he died sooon after this album.
How did you like it Adam?
Deep Purple
3/5
This is some pretty standard early 70s hard rock. A bit samey but some grinding organ
The Kinks
5/5
I love this album... Ray Davies at his whimsical best. happy it was the last one I got to listen to in Australia.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Pretty much as Happy and Monday as expected.
Rage Against The Machine
3/5
This is me and my mates drinking beers underage and acting silly.
Guns N' Roses
3/5
Tenacious D should sue these guys for ripping them off.
Air
5/5
This is share-housing in 1999 for me. Great album.
Joy Division
2/5
This might be controversial... but I'm not a fan of Joy Division
Ramones
4/5
Boppy, rocky, tuneful punky goodness.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
I dunno. Maybe 1986 proto-hip hop isn't my thing.
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
I was going to say, this sounds like the Gallipoli soundtrack.
Oxygene Pt 2 IS on the Gallipoli soundtrack.
I have heard this song about 200 times and never knew who it was.
Steely Dan
3/5
Some good ol' fashioned jazzy Steely Dan.
The Byrds
3/5
Some Byrds stuff I'd never heard before, a bit country, a bit twangy. Nice.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Faux reggae, easy blues, power ballads, big hair. Like a time machine to the mid-80s.
The Replacements
3/5
I'm being a bit generous here because I really want to like the Replacements more than I think I do. A bit gruff and ready for me.
Dead Kennedys
3/5
Another US act I've been meaning to check out, that got thrown at me this week. Good hard rocking punk.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
This is terribly 2000. I like some of it but it doesn't quite feel finished.
Chicago
3/5
That horn-heavy Chicago sound. A fun listen but nothing really stood out...except was that where The Prodigy got that riff?
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
I still think of this as a 'new' RHCP album... but I now realise it is old, and a classic. Perhaps their best.
10cc
4/5
Not my favourite 10cc stuff, but gee, they're having a lot of fun here aren't they?
Goldfrapp
2/5
Just a bit too creepy electronic for me
T. Rex
4/5
Marc Bolan really was terribly good at what he did.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
I know this was groundbreaking stuff at the time, but sounds like some standard beats today. Fun though.
Willie Nelson
4/5
This was just what I needed, some gentle country harmonies as I cooked dinner. Thanks, Willie.
Ravi Shankar
4/5
Ravi, what a master! Loved hearing this. And his little explainers for the uninitiated were great.
Q-Tip
3/5
Some pretty solid beats, a nice listen.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Smooth, funky, laden with disco strings. Good for a Friday night perhaps.
David Holmes
2/5
Some cut-price 90s electronica
Bob Dylan
5/5
This is one of the most inspired and inspiring slabs of vinyl ever dreamed up by a human. Incredible from start to finish. Can I give it a 6?
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Some prime LZ here, Rob is in fine voice and there's a nice mix of styles and moods.
The Byrds
4/5
Don't think I've heard any of these tunes...but they all sound really nice. I need more Byrds in my life.
Haircut 100
3/5
Like a happier boppier Duran Duran, with bongos, saxes and a nod to 1980s sitcom soundtracks.
T. Rex
4/5
Some more T-Rex to spice up May. Some goood ones on here, a nice combination of rock and bop.
808 State
2/5
I think I need more vocals on my electronica.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Some classic rap here. I'm bumping it up a star for the Beatles sample and the Bob Dylan reference.
Rush
2/5
I just found this very tiresome after a while. Didn't really give me a Rush.
The Byrds
4/5
Some pretty soulful vocals on this one...and they were REALLY going through a Dylan phase weren't they?
Norah Jones
3/5
Is this album 20 years old already? Nice, but not much more. Very jazzy and light.
Joan Baez
3/5
Joan does some good stuff with these songs, but I do find 30+ minutes of her warbling away a little testing.
Lana Del Rey
4/5
There's a few great moments on this, I do love the title track, good work all round.
New Order
3/5
Some good poppy stuff on here, offsets the proto-electronic stuff that I'm not a big fan of.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
A stone-cold classic in its way, not all to my liking, but there are some truly seminal musical moments on this album.
Tito Puente
3/5
If these rhythms were any more latin I think I might dance-form myself into a maraca.
James Taylor
4/5
Call me an old softie, but I do love me a bit of James Taylor. And Sweet Baby James was my son's baby song.
R.E.M.
5/5
This is a seriously great album with some amazing songs on it. I remember even in 1992 thinking that REM were geniuses. That still holds.
Jamiroquai
4/5
The early Jamiroquai is the best... as a 14-year old I remember loving Blow Your Mind, and I can still get the chills listening to that song. Great album.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Some nice, cruisy 1967 West Coast rock, a pleasant vibe.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
Very chilled jazz, just what the Saturday afternoon ordered.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Very different from what I was expecting, a pleasant enough interlude, less folk and more bluesy rock.
The Police
3/5
Not as much fun as I expected - but I was in a bit of an anti-Sting mood when I listened.
Aimee Mann
4/5
Never heard this but I do love some of Aimee Mann's stuff. I found a lot to like on here. Very lovely.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
A rock suite constructed around a Modest Mussorgsky classical piece? I'd say this errs on the slightly pretentious side of prog-rock.
The Gun Club
3/5
Some pretty tuneful and enjoyable punk here, I had a bit of fun with this.
The Clash
3/5
A second day of punk, I have to say this one wasn't the best Clash I've heard, but the elements are all falling into place.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
I liked the ambience and cruisiness of this one.
The Saints
3/5
It's been a very punky week. I liked tios one, and from Brisbane of all places! I'd listen to more of the Saints, in the right mood
Steely Dan
3/5
There are quite a few Steely Dan songs I enjoy, but many I find just a bit too soft-rock-jazz - which was the majority of this album for me.
Solange
3/5
I didn't even know that Beyonce had a sister! A lovely voice and some pleasant-enough beats.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I'm not the greatest Nick Cave fan but there were quite a few golden moments across this album. I probably won't delve any deeper but now I know there are some good albums to put on in the background
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
I listened to this two or three times, it really grew on me. A bit more ramshackle than the other Dexys album a few months ago, but a really happy vibe.
Nirvana
4/5
There's some really fine moments on this - it just suffers from being too much of the same sound. The green cardigan look is a classic which I tried to replicate as a Darwin teenager, not advisable in 33 degrees.
Beach House
4/5
Very melodious and beautiful, I will be giving this a spin for a while to get into the nooks and crannies.
Arcade Fire
4/5
There were some really beautiful moments on this. I will definitely be giving Arcade Fire a deeper investigation. Thanks, 1001albumsgenerator!
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I do like LZ, but I sometimes get a bit Planted out.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Brown Sugar is as hard and vulgar as the Stones get. Wild Horses is as beautiful as they get. A great album.
Pere Ubu
2/5
I found this one a bit jarring on the ear. Not really for me. And, sadly, there was no dub to be heard on the whole record.
Ride
3/5
Feels like hearing some of the soothing birth gurgles of Britpop. And there's even a future Oasis member singing lead!
TV On The Radio
3/5
Some OK stuff on this one but probably only one listen for me.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
A bit snarly for me but there's shades of Franz Ferdinand which I quite like.
Goldie
3/5
I'm probably being generous here because mostly I found this repetitive and a bit, well, too drum 'n' bassy. But i can see the artistry and the effort shinign through.
Travis
4/5
It was a delight to be reintroduced to this little gem. This was on high rotation in a share house I was part of in Galway, Ireland in 2001. Good memories and lots of beautiful melodies from Fran Healy.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
Gee, the first hip hop albums were cheery old things!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Ol' Fogerty is in great voice here, and there's a lovely homeliness to Out My Back Door and a fabulous rhythm to Grapevine. Good stuff.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Was really nice to have some Afrobeats playing as I tried to bake a cake yesterday afternoon. Some lovely stuff on here. Always happy to listen to Youssou.
The Smiths
3/5
Oh, Morrissey, you sound so good but everything now is tinged with your later-in-life bitterness and weird racism. So I'm detracting a point because I just can't get past it.
Can
2/5
A bit too way out for me I'm afraid.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
A really lovely vibe, was just what was needed for a Sunday family board game soundtrack
Black Sabbath
3/5
A good window into the birth of hard rock at the end of the 60s. Ozzy is definitely in finer voice than he would be today.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
Y'know, I didn't like MM's schtick when I was a teenager, and I like it even less now. Plus there's been too many questionable human beings in the list this week. So I'm giving my lowest mark yet.
Green Day
4/5
There's a lot of great melodic moments on here, and the lyrics give a reminder of just how fucked Bush's America was.
Elbow
3/5
Quite airy, and dreamy, a bit of Pink Floyd in there, and some Radiohead, and some...other things. Very pleasant.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Yeah this is some OG white boy rap. Some good fun on this album.
Daft Punk
3/5
Mostly pretty average Daft Punk considering how good some of the later stuff is. But a few good moments.
Grateful Dead
3/5
A nice spot of acid-tinged rock. My dad asserts it's a 5 but I beg to differ.
Iggy Pop
4/5
There was a lot of good stuff on here that increased my admiration for Mr Pop. I loved the Bowie collab!
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Some fabulous covers and reimaginings on this album, rather fitting for the guys who were covered by the Beatles for Twist and Shout.
Silver Jews
3/5
The vocals are a bit out of tune but that's maybe what makes this so goddamn cosy.
3/5
I'd love to be more into this, and I can completely appreciate why people would be, but it doesn't press enough buttons for me. Still good though.
Bad Company
3/5
Never listened to Bad Company before. They do the job competently.
Kanye West
2/5
Yeah nah.
Anita Baker
3/5
A little smooth and maybe too MOR for how I was feeling today.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
Obrigado for some funky Brasil-Afrobeat good times. I managed to pick up the melody that Rod Stewart got sued for.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Some very lovely moments on this, a fun listen. I feel like I need more Sufjan in my life.
Tina Turner
3/5
You could pack this up in a little bumbag, pop a blonde mullet on it, and call it the Eighties.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
This is some real premium, bass-heavy Bob. I was in a reggae mood so a full 5 from me.
Eurythmics
3/5
I really like There Must be an Angel from later on, but this is pretty good.
Ice Cube
3/5
Some solid rap here, plenty of MF and N and F and S. Good opportunity to explain genre-appropriate language to the kids.
Mekons
3/5
Touches of the Cure, a solid listen on our car trip into Malaysia
The Stranglers
3/5
Plenty of energy and fun being had. I could probably do with a bit more Stranglers in my life.
Bobby Womack
4/5
What a voice. Slap bass, funky beats, disco guitar, soppy strings. Nice.
Sepultura
1/5
I think I have figured out my least favourite type of music, he said in a throaty growl.
Animal Collective
3/5
An easy listen by the beach. Good vibes.
The Specials
4/5
I saw the Specials about 12 years ago for their 30th anniversary tour, man they were amazing. This album is patchy at times but anything that contains a stone-cold classic such as Rudy needs at least a 4 out of 5.
The Cramps
2/5
A bit scruffy and scrappy, not quite what I was after today
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
The Pet Shop Boys really are very good - uplifting melodies, a lovely interplay between major and minor keys, Neil Tennant's ethereal voice. Good listen.
Radiohead
3/5
I really want to like this one more than I do, but my musical tatses are just too conventional I'm afraid. That said, this was the most enjoyable listen to Kid A for me yet.
Barry Adamson
3/5
I have to say, this was an interesting listen - but not necessarily always a very fun one. I appreciate the effort though.
Frank Black
3/5
I was surprisingly impressed by this. I heard some Pixies in there but also a melange of other early 90s stuff - Madchester maybe? Pop? Grunge? Good fun overall.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
Perhaps ambitious is the word? Some great ideas but I feel that this would be bettter cut down to half the length.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
This is definitely the start of something special in Stevie's career - you can sense the creativity brimming over, and the pure musical proficiency he brings - wow.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Like going into an Alabama bar and hearing people sing about sensible things
Portishead
4/5
Wow that is some quality sound construction right there. Quite an amazing album. Big memories of first year uni.
Garbage
4/5
Another great mid 90s album, there are some legitimate bangers on this one. Much fun had listening to this
Mike Oldfield
3/5
Creepy once you realise this was the Exorcist theme... some impressive instrumentals but I'm not entirely sure what all the original fuss was about.
Beatles
4/5
So - the good. Amazing harmonies. If I Fell. I'll be Back. George's jangly guitar. John's creativity spurt. The bad? Not enough Paul. Too much puppy love in the lyrics. Sounds very samey. No George-penned songs. Overall? A very good album, though not a great one.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
I really enjoyed the soul stuff on this, a lovely listen
Taylor Swift
4/5
I'm a sucker for a bit of Tay Tay. Some kick arse pop right here.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Wow feel that rhythm.
Beatles
5/5
This was probably the first Beatles album that I really listened to properly. These songs are imprinted on me at a pretty deep level. There's so much amazing stuff on here - the arrival of George as a tour-de-force, the Long Medley, the final harmonies and guitar solos on The End, Ringo's voice overpowering the chorus on Carry That Weight, I Want You - just wow.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
It was nice to hear this. As a teenager I was very unfair about this album as my sister loved it. I realise now it's pretty darned great.
Janis Joplin
4/5
There's few voices as recognisable, or as quick to induce a spot of melancholy for what was lost. Especially in this week when we've lost a few iconic female singers. Some good solid blues with some raucousness.
The Smiths
3/5
I have to admit I quite enjoyed this, there's actually some great atmosphere and feel to some of the songs. And I did get to explain to the kids why Morrissey is such a disappointment, and how sometimes when people get older they become embittered and angry.
Foo Fighters
3/5
I never liked Foo Fighters in the 90s - I thought they were pretty forgettable and I had heard that Dave grohl was an AIDS denier so I didn't give him the time of day. In hindsight - this is a very listenable album, with shades of Nirvana - and Grohl seems a thoroughly nice chap.
R.E.M.
4/5
Yes thanks. What a great album.
Morrissey
3/5
Too much Morrissey for one lifetime.
Underworld
3/5
This is a real late 90s throwback. I'd only heard Born Slippy before, so this was nice to fill out my knowledge a bit. But overall I found it a bit repetitive and slow.
The Kinks
4/5
On certain days, I just got to listen to some Kinks. This is one of their best - moments of pure genius such as Waterloo Sunset are slightly offset by some more forgettable tracks. But a fine listen.
Morrissey
3/5
I've checked out on Morrissey a bit after the algorithmic glitch which has frontloaded him these past weeks. I feel like this list is overstating the cultural importance of a midly influential group. That said, I found this more melodic and listenable than the last one we had to listen to.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Some really great songs on here, Dusty does a great job with interpreting some classics. This is 1964 in a nutshell
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
I was ready to totally dismiss this as garbage but there are actually a few interesting musical things going on. But I can't say I actually enjoyed listening to it too much.
Bon Jovi
3/5
Well that was fun.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
This is the Summer of Love in an album - tuneful psychedelia with some great vocals and familiar melodies.
Elastica
3/5
Some good memories here from my Britpop clubbing days, not a bad listen.
Adele
4/5
That voice - amazing. There's a lot of soul on this album. Rolling in the Deep is a modern classic for sure.
Arrested Development
3/5
People Everyday wasn't as funky as I remembered it, but Mr Wendal was good, and this album definitely conjured up a refreshing 1992 vibe
Lightning Bolt
2/5
I don't like it when the reviewer promises a 'truly challenging listening experience". This is definitely hard, fast, loud, but there's some artistry to it. Now, how do I get rid of this ringing in my ears?
The Shamen
3/5
This is a solid sequence of tracks. With a tab of acid, it'd probably be 6 stars.
The xx
3/5
This one passed by my ears like a wispy cloud of echoey guitars and unobtrusive vocals. Nice but not the groundbreaking indie music I had been led to believe
Nas
3/5
As with most of these 1990s hip-hop albums - I love the beats, the samples, the lyricism - not so hot on the subject matter or music overall. Still it was nice to hear this as I'd never heard of Nas - another of my musical blindspots.
a-ha
4/5
There's not nearly enough synths on this!
Some real Highs, Take on Me is a case in point. And quite a few Lows too. Almost a middling album but enough to keep it interesting. And I am partial to that Norwegian falsetto.
The The
3/5
One of these songs had the exact same opening drumbeat as the previous day's A-Ha offering - so yes, another good dollop of pure 1980s here. Nothing really stood out for me though.
Moby Grape
3/5
Funny, I'd never heard of Moby Grape and then an hour after listening to the album, they were a topic of discussion on a podcast I listened to about Neil Young and Buffalo Springfield. The gist was, they were brilliant but never really made it. I did enjoy the album but it seemed like pretty standard West Coast fare from the late 60s.
Eminem
3/5
Oh so puerile and misanthropic and crude and silly, but it also seems so innocent now. I am partial to Eminem and without the homophobia and misogyny this would be a 4.
Adele
4/5
There are just some very impressive moments on this album, Adele has one hell of a set of pipes.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Thoughtful, jazzy, a pleasant interlude to accompany dinner.
Beck
3/5
I've always wanted to like Beck more than I do. This album has some nice semi-psychedelic moments and plenty of lovely melodies but it never quite hits as I think it should.
John Lennon
4/5
This is a fabulous album, for the most part - probably John's best post-Beatles. But I'm subtracting 1 for him being such an arsehole to Paul in How Do You Sleep.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
Some nice early punk with a few fun moments, I most like the Pablo Picasso song.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Some relatively inoffensive pop with an interesting twist of having it in the two languages.
Ute Lemper
2/5
I was going to say, this is a bit too Disney musical for my taste, and then I read that Ute is a cabaret and musical singer. So that makes sense.
Pulp
3/5
I'm a massive fan of Different Class and Pulp's early singles. This album I remember being quite disappointing back in '98, and though there is the odd flash of brilliance that's largely how I still feel today.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
I really loved bits of this, it was music that felt like it had real joy and real stakes to it. Some real hard-thumping desert blues.
John Prine
4/5
At first I thought this was just some redneck trad country but then a few songs in it got political and emotional and musical with shades of Dylan. I enjoyed it
4/5
I had never heard of ABC and then Poison Arrow kicked in and I was like, oh, THEM. Martin Fry, what a voice, I'm sure I've heard him on a thousand other things. I really liked this and I can see now where Duran Duran hatched from.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Jimi is amazing on guitar. The drumming on this album is incredible. Voodoo Chile is great but outlives its welcome.
Can
4/5
When I read about this, I thought, Oh-oh, what is krautrock? But it was pretty good it's just like normal rock, but it's German. With some bits in Japanese. And backwards.
Kate Bush
3/5
It was nice to have a bit of Kate. I listened to this with my daughter who I think was puzzled by some of the screaming and shouting. I appreciate Kate's eccentricity and eclecticism but I'd say her earlier albums are better.
Pavement
3/5
Some nice indie rock, I enjoyed the vibe of this.
The Who
4/5
It starts a bit shaky but once Keith Moon's drums and Entwhistle's bass kick in, this has some real heft and excitement. Enjoyed it a lot.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
This was a great album, loved this and quite a few songs I'd never heard before.
Van Halen
3/5
Some pretty generic mid-80s hair rock. Apart from Jump it's largely pretty listless.
Frank Ocean
3/5
Shades of Stevie Wonder, some cool songs on here worth another listen.
Eric Clapton
4/5
I punished Eric on the last one for being a racist bugger, so I will be generous here and say, I Shot The Sheriff is a great cover, and Let it Grow is a beautiful ballad.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Very listenable, generic 1986 rap? Check.
The The
3/5
I get the distinct impression that the compiler of this list was a fan of alternative music in the mid 80s. This is okay but I wouldn't seek it out.
Tears For Fears
3/5
Rule the World is a fabulous song. The rest of the album has never really grabbed me but I can appreciate TFF's talents.
Sabu
3/5
Good atmosphere on this one
2/5
A bit too rough and raggedy for me
Supergrass
4/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I love a bit of EC, even this one which isn't one of his best.
The Strokes
4/5
A bit same but I think this captures the early 2000s zeitgeist well. There are at least two amazing songs on this one.
Living Colour
2/5
A bit too much hair and rock for me
Megadeth
2/5
So many people at school wore these shirts. I can appreciate the mastery of the guitar neck but this isn't something I really enjoy
Depeche Mode
3/5
I'm still not a keen listener to DM but this has some okay moments.
The Dictators
3/5
This was a fun little thing.
The Doors
4/5
Some rock solid Doors, Jim is in fine voice.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Even if this only had Rolling Stone and It Takes a Train it would still be a 5. Amazing album.
The Birthday Party
1/5
Ooh. Not the punk I'm into, I'm afraid.
Bad Brains
2/5
Some moments of okayness but overall a bit too dirty rock
Funkadelic
3/5
More rock than funk
Thelonious Monk
3/5
I can appreciate the skill of the piano playing and improvisation, but modern jazz just doesn't grab me much
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Some of the sharpest rock 'n' roll the boys ever delivered. It needs more ballads in my mind, but a hefty, quality album nonetheless.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Certainly an eclectic collection of tunes, I do have some respect for old PG and his ability to change it up.
Pentangle
3/5
A bit too much treble and wheedling vocal performances but overall a satisfactory bit of late 60s folk.
Neu!
3/5
Not a bad listen but it would have been nice with some vocals.
Primal Scream
3/5
I was listening to this, and I thought, gee, these songs all sound a bit like that long, groovy, repetitive early-90s song - which then popped up as track no 7, Loaded. This whole album made me feel like I was in a Scottish dance club in 1991.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Without You is a fine fine song. Nilsson has a great voice and there are some cool songs on here I'd never heard before.
Hawkwind
2/5
There's too much, too many ethereal moon sounds, too much indulgence. Whittle it down to a strong 6-song album.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
So FUNKY. Loved a lot of this. Also got to talk to the kids about what funk music is.
Sam Cooke
3/5
Nice to hear some energetic live music from Harlem. Sam is in good humour and pulls out the hits, the songs are good but just a bit simplistic.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
The music is dead simple but the effect this album had on popular music is almost immeasureable. And That'll Be the Day is a stone cold classic.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
I really enjoyed most of this - some lovely melodies, great mood-setting songs.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
A little too much vibraphone for me. I think I'd enjoy it more sitting in a jazz tango bar in Buenos Aires.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Not a relaxing listen, but plenty of good energy
Donald Fagen
2/5
A bit too smooth,like the adult contempo radio station on Grand Theft Auto Vice City.
Ozomatli
4/5
This was something I'd never heard before, but it makes complete sense when you put it next to contemporaneous stuff like the Cat Empire or Manu Chao. Good fun.
Supergrass
4/5
Lots of really fun rocking tracks on this one, almost a bit of Smashing Pumpkins in amongst the Britpop.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
There are some classic Joni vocal moments here, let down a bit by some very mid -70s production and musical choices
The National
3/5
A pleasant listen, not much stands out but would be a nice soundtrack to an afternoon
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
What a fantastic album, really liked a lot of this. Melodic, fun, bouncy, plenty of nods to rock and pop heritage.
The B-52's
3/5
Some kooky old classic B 52s, plenty of fun but won't make it to my play list as a regular
Louis Prima
3/5
Ooby Doo I wanna be like you hoo hoo
Good voice, fun popular jazz listen
Goldfrapp
4/5
I gave this two listens, lots of beautiful singing, chilled rhythms and pleasant vibes. Will come back to it for sure.
David Bowie
3/5
There's a few classic moments on this but mostly this is not a patch on the Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie.
M.I.A.
3/5
Some nice surprises here, such as finding that MIA is of Sri Lankan background, and discovering rhat annoying song Paper Planes was one of hers. Not my type of music but I do appreciate the lyrical themes, musical creativity and diversity of influences.
The Auteurs
3/5
There was a nice aroma of melodic Indie here. Some good tunes. Worth another listen.
ZZ Top
3/5
Some down and dirty early 80s rock. Couldn't get the image of frizzy beards out of my head.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
I'm a sucker for ELO - this album is loaded with some amazing cheesy faves, but there's enough misses to warrant not giving this a five.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Love that voice, the funky music and the overall vibe. Nice album.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Who'd have thought that Frank doing some bossa nova standards would sound so good?
Neil Young
4/5
Never heard this album, it was a really good one with some classic Neil hallmarks.
Orbital
2/5
It gets better toward the end but I'm really just not that into 90s electronica. A bit too repetitive too.
Van Halen
2/5
For a moment I had to check, I thought this was a spoof album by Spinal Tap.
The Pharcyde
3/5
I really enjoyed the deep bass, good humour and playfulness of this
Michael Jackson
4/5
A brilliant, funky, exuberant album. Minus one star for MJ being a creep.
Stereolab
3/5
Quite a gentle and listenable spot of 90s rock
R.E.M.
3/5
The murmurings of something great about to happen, but not quite there yet.
Otis Redding
5/5
THAT VOICE and oh what a collection of soulful, funky, rockin' songs.
Don McLean
5/5
The Rolling Stones get a raw deal on the main song, but there's so many great moments on here it'd be churlish to knock any marks off.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
There's a lot to like on here, but I still can't help but see them as a cut-price David Bowie ripoff.
Britney Spears
3/5
I had high hopes for this, so I've got to say it was a letdown. Track 1 is a classic, track 2 is good, and the rest sound like generic offcuts from the Spice Girls, Natalie Imbruglia and Backstreet Boys. I do love that there is a track called Email My Heart, that's wild. Maybe the next album is better?
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
This brings back fond memories of late night listens in Year 12, of learning bass with an old friend, of discovering alternative music. Mellon Collie has more good songs but this has some special moments.
The Blue Nile
3/5
Shades of Let's Dance era Bowie, I'm guessing some of the curators of this list might have been Gen X with Scottish heritage.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
This passed me by back in the day. This is the sort of hip hop I think I like, clever, jazzy, strong beat, funny, melodic.
Patti Smith
3/5
Not half as punk as I thought it would be. Some cool moments but mostly not my bag.
The Verve
5/5
It was so lovely to return to this album. I think, in the future, when any Top 5 representative 1990s Brit (pop) album list is put together, it'll contain this, alongside Definitely Maybe, Parklife, Different Class and OK Computer.
Wilco
3/5
A long breezy slice of acoustic indie that might be enough to get me to explore Wilco a bit more
B.B. King
5/5
This is the album to show anyone who thinks the Blues might be a bit pedestrian and formulaic. Perfect interplay of instruments and wow those BB vocals. Loved it
New York Dolls
3/5
Some good strong punk, just not where my head was at today though.
Brian Eno
3/5
This was some kooky stuff. That said, it went well alongside a Saturday board game.
Pretenders
4/5
This was a little slow burn for me but some great tracks on there make this just beyond good
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
An incredible voice, some pretty great compositions - but I wasn't feeling very Gershwin when I listened.
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
This is a super-interesting and bold album that has some truly funky tunes exploring important topics. That said, I'm a white male prude who listens to music that doesn't challenge or intimidate me too much so I still have a way to go to feel this might be for me.
Lorde
4/5
I've known Lorde is supposed to be good but this was the first time I've given an album of hers a listen. Some pretty good songs and musically very interesting. Will come back to this.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
There's some massive tunes on this big boy.
Beatles
5/5
Worst. Album. Ever.
Sorry I meant best.
Just an amazing line-up of amazing tracks by amazing people. Still sounds as fresh as if it'd been recorded yesterday.
So yes, my favourite album of all time.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Gotta say this is a constantly interesting album.
4/5
I enjoyed this more than I thought. A dramatic hybrid of Queen and Radiohead. Just a bit too dramatic though.
Tricky
3/5
It was nice to hear the Portishead/Tricky melange again. Some very mid-90s stuff going on here.
Pixies
3/5
Where is My Mind? is a fantastic song. Nothing else on here matches it but there is certainly some passion on display.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
I really wanted to enjoy this as there are a few TR songs I like. But this was a bit of a self-indulgent slog. I wanted to give a 2 but I'm awarding an extra mark for effort.
Little Simz
3/5
Not my sort of thing, and the first song really put me off. But after a few tracks I could appreciate the sentiment.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Forgive me Adam I know this will be a 4 or 5 for you... didn't really spark my interest except for the last couple of tracks.
Stereo MC's
3/5
I felt like I was watching a Telstra ad during a lot of this. But it provided a chilled soundtrack to a Sunday morning game with the kids.
Pantera
1/5
Fuck that was a slog. My throat hurts.
Black Sabbath
3/5
This might give Pantera a lesson in how to do hard with a bit of soul. Ozzy is in good voice and there's some great moments on this album. Even some quiet ones.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
What?! No Tom's Diner? Must be on the next one. Suzanna V sounds a lot like Edie Brickell here, all stories and understated mid-80s acoustic adult contempo. Good but not great.
The Beach Boys
4/5
A bit scrappy and scruffy but gee there's some great tracks on here. Loved hearing the original release of Help Me Rhonda (re-recorded a few months later for a single release). What's most amazing is that Pet Sounds came out just a year and a bit later.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Some superb musicianship, great covers... but 40 minutes of instrumental blues is just a bit too much. I was longing for some searing vocals to kick in.
U2
3/5
Well that's my quota of U2 for the year.
'One' is a legitimately great song.
The rest, meh.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
I'd only ever heard one of Queens etc's later albums. This was much the same but maybe less bombastic. Some melodic and interesting rock but not something I'd come back to much.
Laura Nyro
3/5
One of my musical blindspots. I'd never heard of Laura Nyro, despite her being in the Rock hall of fame. I definitely had my interest piqued.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
This is rudimentary but very listenable TP. I prefer the 80s stuff but American Girl is a banger.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Haven't heard any SA for decades. A bit harder than I recall. Definitely distinctive.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Just the right amount of smooth that I required whilst cooking dinner.
Def Leppard
3/5
I always thought DL were more like Pantera but they're actually more Bon Jovi meets Guns and Roses. A few familiar moments on here which was nice because I didn't think I knew any of their songs. Not really for me, I gave a bonus point because they do it all with a one-armed drummer.
Gang Of Four
3/5
Nothing special but nothing terrible.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
This sone funky shit.
Khaled
3/5
Well definitely an eclectic mix of... just about everything.
The Prodigy
3/5
There were a few familiar moments on this one. A definite mid 90s throwback.
Nick Drake
3/5
A very chilled album to cook along to.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Right amount of jazz for today's purposes.
Johnny Cash
4/5
The creaky voice and air of melancholy are just the thing this album needs. Sadly beautiful in its way.
Television
3/5
I liked a lot of this quite a lot.
Justice
3/5
Not really my bag but the French do EDM really well. Shades of Daft Punk here.
Spiritualized
3/5
Spacey and chilled vibes
Pink Floyd
4/5
A bit too quirky at times but undeniably a pretty impactful album, and deservedly so.
The Young Rascals
3/5
Some cool calm and collected 60s groovy rock. Not overly memorable but nice.
Metallica
2/5
I'm sure Metallica have done some better stuff than this. Just too much chugga-chugga-grr
The Triffids
3/5
Some relaxed Oz rock vibes, perhaps a bit too long
Black Sabbath
3/5
Another sound album from Black Sabbath - does what it says on the box.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Light and folky, whispered away on the wind.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
A band that passed me by in the 2000s. Worth another listen I reckon.
Gang Starr
3/5
Never heard this before. Quite melodic and chilled.
Randy Newman
3/5
There are some great songs on here but Randy's schtick gets a bit tiresome quite quickly
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
This is good competent blues psychedelic live rock - but I think you have to be in the mood for 20 minutes of Who Do You Love.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
An iconic album, a mixed bag for me, but no denying the raw power of Stairway.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The beats and samples were very cool.
The Undertones
3/5
This was some good fun, passed me by quite pleasantly.
The United States Of America
3/5
A really interesting album by a band I had never heard of. Not something I'll revisit any time soon but I feel somewhat more musically educated.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Solid 80s blues rock by a veteran master of the genre
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
I thought this was bad French electro and then found out it was bad UK electro. I found a lot of this album genuinely annoying to listen to. Why put this in the Top 1001 when there are so many better examples from the time?
Miles Davis
3/5
I felt like I was listening to the sundtrack from Homeland. Relaxing and good vibes.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
I'd never encountered the Flamin' Groovies, these guys ROCK. Shades of the Stones and CCR. Good find.
Ray Charles
3/5
Ray has an incredible voice, but this is more the crooner end of his spectrum. I prefer the bluesy rock 'n' roll Ray.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Good strong early soul
Saint Etienne
3/5
There were some really interesting moments and intepretations of other songs on this. Not my bag but I was okay with carrying it for a while.
John Martyn
3/5
I'd never heard of this guy. True to coincidence form, a half hour after listening to this, I was on a podcast episode about a faded pop star called Beverly Martyn...the narrator said the following: "John Martyn, meanwhile, wrote and recorded a critically-acclaimed album about how sad he was his wife had left him. That album often gets included in some of those “albums you need to hear before you die” lists, and as if to rub salt in the wound, he gave Beverley co-writing credit on the last track" (he'd just mentioned JM's domestic violence and controlling behaviour credentials before this). So I ended up disliking this guy almost immediately after hearing about him. The music is fine.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Not even a little bit.
Venom
1/5
Wow that was hard work. And this is a rough week.
Queen
4/5
This used to be my least favourite of Queen's early albums, but it grows on me every time I listen. Some incredible Brian guitar work on Brighton Rock, beautiful Freddie melodies on Lily of the Valley, and some left-field Roger songwriting on Tenement Funster. John holds it all together with that bass. This album lifted my week!
The Zombies
5/5
I really loved this album. Beautiful melodies, complex harmonies, great songwriting, clever lyrics. A real treat after a week of too much heavy metal.
Burning Spear
4/5
Some good rock-solid reggae, nice to hear some that isn't Bob.
Wild Beasts
3/5
Some real shades of 80s and 90s stuff here. Nice, but nothing especially grabbed me.
David Bowie
5/5
What a fantastic album - a genius songwriter at the peak of his powers. If someone asked me to distill Bowie into a single musical statement - this would be it.
Public Enemy
3/5
I enjoyed this quite a bit, I kind of wish I could go back to 12 year old me and try again, this time actually giving rap a red hot go.
Lou Reed
4/5
Perfect Day is just about a perfect song. There's a few other greats on here. At times I was a little underwhelmed, but overall, a great album.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
There's some fantastic guitar playing on this album, as you might expect. It really feels like something from ten years ahead of when it was recorded. Jimi changed the way that rock bands did guitar. Most surprising was learning that part of I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred was lifted direct from a riff on Third Stone from the Sun.
Steely Dan
3/5
Jazzy and smooth like warm treacle.
Roxy Music
3/5
Some tuneful Roxy but not much I'd heard before or listen to again
Joni Mitchell
3/5
The voice is great. The music a bit too MOR and soft jazz.
50 Cent
2/5
The rhythm is pumping (yeah!) and the music is pretty okay (woah!!) but I just can't get past the attitudes that inform the album (uh-huh!)
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
Nothing Compares 2 U - amazing song. The rest is a bit of a hodgepodge, some of it OK but nothing up to those lvels.
Common
3/5
Ths started badly but definitely improved. Apparently after this album Common promised to stop using homophobic slurs in his songs so that is kind of admirable in a fucked up way.
Dire Straits
5/5
This album really scratches my 80s rock itch. It conjures up memories of family road trips and Dad discovering CDs in about 1985. Some classic tracks that stir up the emotions.
2Pac
3/5
A lot of anger but I suppose it comes from some complex trauma. This is just about as 90s gangsta rap as you get.
GZA
4/5
Yeah okay. I lind of like this. Probably as brutal lyrically as 2Pac but it sounds less aggressive.
Dr. Octagon
2/5
Third day in a row of 90s hip-hop/rap. This is by far the weirdest of the three. Also the one that makes me feel most creeped out. Some of it sounds good but I can't get past the bizarre theme and imagery.
Billy Joel
4/5
Oh I do enjoy this album a lot. Some classic William.
David Crosby
3/5
Hmm. Sounds a bit like Crosby, Stills and Nash. And the Byrds. And Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. And Neil Young. Quite a nice, cosy album.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Father and son both very talented. There was some very pleasant folky stuff on this album.
Slade
3/5
Slayed ar gud fn nd alwayz garanteed too plai sum sollid rok.
Michael Jackson
4/5
There are three bona fide amazing classics on here. Then some good songs, a couple of fillers, and one cringer. Sir Paul, the girl is yours, Michael didn't even like her.
4/5
I really love the Kinks when they're all whimsical and eccentric like this. A few great tracks and a couple of less focused ones. When I'm in the mood I really dig this album, especially Victoria and Australia.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Some lovely chilled bluesy Malian vibes
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Engaging but a bit listless at times. Plot twist, I watched the completely unrelated film of the same name tonight as well.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
What a lovely album... shades of 60s and Blur and Pulp. Will give TDC more time for sure
Korn
1/5
This should probably be a 2.
But I used to do support work with a guy who would get filled with rage.
And he'd listen to this album to 'calm down'.
It didn't work.
So I attach some slightly traumatic memories to it.
Plus it's a bit shit.
Joy Division
2/5
I gotta be honest, Joy Division got better later on. A bit glum for me.
Wilco
4/5
I really liked this, lovely songs and sounds.
Mylo
3/5
Some okay ambience for the afternoon, but largely forgettable
Queen
4/5
This Queen album has grown on me over the years, I now love the faerie themes and over-the-top glam elements. Nevermore, what a song, I wish it was three times longer.
The Waterboys
3/5
Brogue, tin flute and acoustic guitars, that's what I needed
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Never listened to Joan's less famous stuff before. Nice, but verging on too easy listening for me today.
Ice T
3/5
Just a bit too gangster for me. I'm not the OG, I'm more PG.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
I enjoyed the attitude and musicality of what I managed to listen to... will come back to this
The Stooges
3/5
What the actual fuck, punk was invented 5 years before I thought it was. Grrrr
Ray Charles
4/5
There's enough amazing classics on here to warrant a 4 I reckon. Some filler, but mostly pretty brilliant. Ray has such a great vooice.
The Temptations
5/5
Wow - I was blown away by this - I was expecting some pretty generic Motown standards but the funk and soul really shine through. Love the bass vocals and the instrumentation as well.
Milton Nascimento
4/5
There are some really beautiful songs on here - this deserves multiple lessons to get to grips with. I really enjoyed it.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
I love the Mac and Rumours is just an absolute classic. Tusk, not so much, but I think there's enough moments of pop beauty to outweigh the occasional lazy or silly addition. Full American marching band, anyone?
Elliott Smith
3/5
A really pleasant album which reminded me of similar time-period offerings from Badly Drawn Boy and Sean Lennon. Was sad to read what happened to this artist not long after.
Radiohead
5/5
A couple of the songs don't quite hit for me, but otherwise this album is almost pure genius. Take a liberal dose of Britrock/pop melodic sensibility and add some amazing experimental instrumentation and harmonic movement and cerebral ideas and lyrics. An absolute classic.
3/5
A bit frenetic for me. But I understand Devo better now.
Napalm Death
1/5
Gawd help us
3/5
I don't mind a bit of melodic twangy country. This is almost too much of it but every time I got bored I looked at that velour jacket and sports shirt combo on the album cover and was invigorated again.
The White Stripes
4/5
This one largely passed me by back in the day. I feel that Jack listened to a lot of Cream, Led Zepp and Rolling Stones before recording this. Really very good.
Miles Davis
3/5
Not a difficult listen, mostly very melodic and swinging. Still not really what I'm into but I appreciate the craft. WELCOME SUKI
The Rolling Stones
4/5
It's quite bare bones and slight in its way, but you can sense the power and the fun behind all of it. The first Jagger-Richards song is great, and their reading of some of the Blues classics is near-faultless.
John Grant
4/5
I'd never heard of this guy. The first 3/4 of this album I thought was quite amazing. Loved the drums and melodies. Last few songs were more, meh.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Slower and more restrained than I thought it would be. Some quite pleasant songs but nothing that really blew me away
Cat Stevens
5/5
Wow. There is not a bad song on this album. In fact, there's at least three or four amazing ones. This is a singer-songwriter at the height of his creative powers. Love this so much. Check out the 2020 re-issue and re-recording of the album where 2020 Yusuf duets with 1970 Cat on Father and Son.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
There are some cracking live renditions on here. Pure raucous West Coast blues rock. Good stuff. Especially Janis.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Man this is some sexy music.
Talking Heads
3/5
This all sounds very Talking Heads. There's nothing of the calibre of Psycho Killer or Road to Nowhere, but Once in a Lifetime comes close.
Eagles
4/5
A guilty pleasure that I always enjoy way more than I should. I loved showing the kids the guitar solo at the end of Hotel California, iconic.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
This really is a very fine album. Man, Lauryn can sing with true soul.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Serious nostalgia with this one, it felt like Year 11 all over again. Watching Rage with mates on a Sunday morning, sharing the back stories of Darcy and Iha and Billy in a pre-internet world where information was currency. Some cracking tunes and some beautiful ones and a few too many. This would have been a sublime single album.
The Slits
3/5
Not half as tough as I thought it would be. In fact quite a pleasant listen.
The Jam
4/5
So that's where Blur came from.
Some of it is average but there are some brilliant songs on here too.
Talking Heads
4/5
Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa
What a lot of fun they seem to be having
Paul Simon
3/5
Not Paul's best, a bit too much sax, but a few very good songs, including his semi- Lennon tribute.
Screaming Trees
3/5
I prejudged this as being some sort of death metal by an objectionable band. It was actually pretty okay, a bit generic in parts, but okay.
The Who
3/5
Pretty standard Who stuff. A few crackers and a fun concept but overall a bit samey.
Duke Ellington
4/5
Holy hell the trumpet player is incredible. Hard to believe this was recorded live, if it wasn't for the banter in between.
Baaba Maal
4/5
I've always enjoyed a spot of Baaba Maal. I just love that voice and those Afrobeat rhythms. There are some really lovely chilled songs on this album. Nice.
Sister Sledge
3/5
A classy and boppin little album of cool, cool R and B with more than a tinge of disco. I enjoyed this.
Gary Numan
3/5
Mot my favourite kind of music but I enjoyed some of the songs.
The Verve
3/5
A bit slow and melancholy, not really a patch on Urban Hymns.
Judas Priest
2/5
Generic hard rock. Minus one for that album cover.
Kraftwerk
2/5
Too mechanical for me.
David Bowie
3/5
Dave is in fine voice and fine form, this could be from 20 years earlier. It is very very Bowie.
The Police
4/5
Two fantastic songs, a few good ones, some kooky tunes that don't even sound like The Police. A very good album.
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
This was fun, like finding the soundtrack for a lost Tarantino Bollywood film.
The La's
3/5
The rest of the album is strangely eclectic and very different from their most famous song and the centrepiece of the album. Good, but not earth shattering.
The Sugarcubes
3/5
I thought, oh another Gen X postpunk album, and then I heard this familiar voice and I thought, Iceland punches above its musical weight.
Massive Attack
3/5
This sounds pretty fresh for a 32 year old album. Not really my bag but I quite liked it.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Not all of it hits, but the bits that do, really do. The musical and conceptual themes are quite magnificently integrated.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Some real classics on this bad boy. Sweet harmonies and stoned vibes.
Barry Adamson
3/5
Sone of this is very interesting and funky. Some doesn't hit very well. Overall, maybe worth one more listen.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
Yeah okay but pretty generic, more a rattle than a commotion
3/5
The first track was just too much. But just when I was thinking, No, I heard the cover of America, and I thought, maybe a slight Yes.
Mudhoney
2/5
No just too much, I didn't enjoy this. Loud and out of tune. Plenty of energy though
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Not bad at all. Like the Smiths meets the Cure meets Duran Duran. Never heard these guys and I'm sure I should have.
David Bowie
3/5
A more ethereal and synth-heavy Bowie. I'd need to be in the mood for Vangelis-style dreamscapes before listening to this one again.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Yeah I suppose he is. Not a bad listen. In strong voice but as my son James pointed out, when I told him that Elvis was the most famous rock 'n' roll artist, this isn't rock 'n' roll
Supertramp
4/5
Ah the Tramp are always good for some very familiar, cheesy, sax-heavy proggy tunes. Enough iconic ones on here to warrant a 4.
Maxwell
3/5
This had some elements of 90s R and B that used to turn me off: the louche lyrics, the air of arrogance, the soft jazz vibes. But I liked quite a bit of it and it sank in quite satisfactorily.
Morrissey
3/5
I really hate the idea of Morrissey. Sadly, or maybe not, this is actually pretty good. A reminder of what he was before he was a grumpy racist.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Not every one of these songs slaps, but most of them do, and Keef and Mick are finding their songwriting chops and Brian is playing some weird instruments, and the psychedelia is just about creeping in and the blues is giving way to rock. A fun fun album.
Lambchop
3/5
A chilled and enjoyable spot of early thou's indie, might come back to this
David Ackles
3/5
Started promising, but became a bit Broadway musical meets Peter Allen meets Hot August Night. Anyway nice to discover someone I'd never heard of.
The Cure
4/5
Wow, what an epic album. This has to show everything The Cure is capable of. Some of it I really like, a lot I find okay, some I'm not into. But I have to give credit where credit is due.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Only five songs but two of them are absolutely iconic. There's not many 13-minute songs I'd gladly listen to from top to tail but Shine On is one of them.
The Adverts
3/5
Not a bad dose of energetic, happy punk. They certainly seem to be having fun and they sound more musically competent than many of their peers. I'll check out further.
Linkin Park
2/5
I was prepared to give this a go, but I just do not like it. Nu-Metal crossed with bad rap. I can appreciate some of the creativity, but I won't be spinning this one again.
CHIC
3/5
There's some iconic guitar work in here but overall just a bit too silky smooth for my tastes.
The Monkees
4/5
I do enjoy a spot of the Monkees, and this had lots of lovely moments, especially Randy Scouse Git. I am a little torn on whether this is a 3 or a 4 but I'm having a sad day so giving this a 4 will uplift me a tiny bit.
3/5
Phew that is some intense trumpet screeching. And the drumming. I'm exhausted just listening to it. I can't say I'm a free jazz aficionado but I can see a place for it in 1950s Otto Preminger films.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
I learned a few things from this album: Eric Clapton and John McVie were in a band together; Eric was an amazing guitarist way back in '66; British bands could do the Blues rather well.
The Specials
4/5
Gee this is a fun album. Enjoy yourself!
Jeff Beck
4/5
This rocks and blues and blues rocks. Nice to hear the Rods and Rons having a go too.
Guided By Voices
3/5
This had moments of being great and then a few of being average. But 28 songs in 41 minutes? No time to get bored I suppose! The occasional Beatlesque tune which I liked. Might check this out further.
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
Hmm. I tried I really did. But I don't like the voice, the music, the rapping, the sentiment. I appreciate the effort.
Paul Simon
5/5
From start to finish, I love this album. It's euphoric, melancholy, funky, folky, melodic, harmonic... just about one of the most effective blending of different musical styles, and all of the emotions seem real. Well done Mr Simon.
Metallica
4/5
You know what, this isn't half bad. This would have been one hell of a live show to attend. Orchestral, epic, blistering guitars and great vocals. Well done lads.
John Coltrane
3/5
A cruisy listen on a relaxed Saturday afternoon. Some nice jazzy sax.
Cornershop
3/5
Brimful is a great song. The rest I found okay.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Not really my kind of thing, but a real snapshot into the dance scene of the early 90s. And Groove is in the Heart is such a great song. Go Bootsy!
Björk
3/5
I think this will warrant further listens. Love the first track. Many of the rest I found a little challenging. I need to adapt to the cadences of Ms Gudmundsdottir's voice.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
This had plenty of boppy good moments. Time After Time is a great song.
The White Stripes
4/5
Wow, this album rocks. The first half was all songs I knew, but didn't know I knew. The second half wasn't as good, but still great. Good work Whites.
Massive Attack
3/5
A very chilled and atmospheric collection of songs. Not entirely in my wheelhouse but I can see situations where I might call on this again.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Well I think this has to be full marks as a cultural touchstone alone. The songs do have a similar kind of sound but the lyrics and vocals and sentiment are spot on.
Public Enemy
3/5
This is nice exuberant but still political rap. A pleasing and nostalgic listen.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
This is one funky collection of tracks. Everyday People I could listen to on repeat, what a driving rhythm! Stand! is also awesome.
Arcade Fire
3/5
These folks passed me by I'm the late 00s. Not bad but a bit generic Indie sounding. I think I've always mixed them up with Arctic Monkeys.
1/5
Yeah nah this was pretty much unrelentingly awful.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
What an interesting album. An odd collection of Caribbean, African and proto- hip-hop. I need to listen to this again.
Oh and that's where Eminem got it from.
Tori Amos
4/5
I was very impressed with this - I really haven't given Tori the requisite amount of time, and I should, and I will.
Grateful Dead
3/5
It was so good to get this album this week. I'm listening to a favourite podcast at the moment and the latest episode is on The Grateful Dead. They are one of the 60s bands that has passed me by, somehow. I enjoyed this but I'd love to check out some of their studio albums. They are way more blues rock than I thought they'd be
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
Hmm yeah okay. Not a fan.
Joe Ely
3/5
Some good ole country vibes, nothing out of the ordinary, twangy and light.
Ash
4/5
Oh how I loved this album back in 1997, first year at uni, into all things Brit-adjacent. Some cracker tunes and some great guitar work.
White Denim
3/5
This was interesting, never heard of them before. Bits of it I really liked, others weren't as easy on the ears.
Steve Winwood
3/5
Nice to hear a bit of 60s rocker become an 80s proggie/poppie dude. I loved the first song, the rest were okay.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
I listened to this three times and liked it more and more each listen. Arriba!
5/5
Timely, this one. I just did a podcast on the rise and fall of Britpop, and of course Blur has a new album coming, as does Noel Gallagher himself.
It may be unfashionable to say this, but this is an amazing album. Strip away the ego and hype and bullshit and you have a collection of truly beautiful songs. Noel never wrote better, Liam (and Noel on one) never sang better.
Just love this.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
A bit too raucous for my tastes but this album had its moments
Erykah Badu
3/5
This is kind of exactly what I thought it would be, reminiscent of Lauryn Hill but lighter and airier. Some lovely vibes and I liked the duet with Stephen Marley. But a bit too early-2000s R and B at times.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
I enjoyed this WAY more than the Trout one he did two years later. Experimental and plain kooky in parts, but there's enough on here to find some enjoyable country-blues-psychedelic rock that is enjoyable.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
I know of these guys and have maybe heard two songs, and I also know they've recently reunited for a new album. This was very smooth late 80s stuff, fine for a casual listen.
Gotan Project
2/5
I got heartily sick of this after a while. Which is a shame, I don't mind a good tango.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
"Hello, could I please have fourteen serves of 1989?"
"Certainly sir, take this Neneh Cherry album !"
Soft Cell
3/5
Soft Cell are certainly one of a kind. This had some fun moments. Not really my thing but I didn't find it objectionable.
The Undertones
3/5
A lovely serve of jaunty, happy, semi-punk. Very tight and well arranged.
Queen Latifah
3/5
What's that? You're all out of Neneh Cherry? How am I going to relive the salad days of 1989?
Oh, you have some Queen Latifah? Well that will substitute nicely.
k.d. lang
4/5
I actually really enjoyed this. Great voice, some smart songwriting, a casual and relaxed vibe.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
This was a nice find. Now i know where Powderfinger got their name. Quite a mix of stuff that sounds more early 70s than 1979.
The Band
4/5
A lovely bit of homespun comfort from the country-folk-rock-Canadiana/Americana boys. How good is Dixie Down?
Taylor Swift
4/5
This has always been the lesser of Taylor's lockdown albums for me - there are a few great tunes but mostly it breezes over you more than astounds you like the tracks on Folklore. Still great though.
Fats Domino
4/5
This is a four, for Blueberry Hill alone.
3/5
Very chilled vibes this passed me by without incident
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I try and try but I can't get into Nick Cave. Saying that, there are some moments on this that are tuneful and interesting, especially the duets.
Beatles
5/5
Ok ok.
If this was distilled down to 14 tracks, it would be perhaps the greatest album ever.
As it stands it's just in the top 10.
Plus we get 14 extra pretty kooky Beatles tracks.
So good decision to go for the double.
PJ Harvey
3/5
A bit scrappy and raucous for me at times, but I like the spirit and the attitude. At the end of the album it automatically switched to a 'similar' artists, and the Tori Amos song that kicked in was so different in tone that it was a little jarring.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
I always think of BST as a disco group, probably getting mixed up with Earth Wind and Fire. I listened to this in the car with my Dad and it was a nostalgic listen for him, so this was a positive listening experience. They seem like another of the long line of 1968/69 generic country-blues-jazz-psychedelic rock groups that evolved into prog and 70s easy rock.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Honking saxes, chiming guitars, crashing pianos - and more Meatloaf than I would have thought. I felt like I was on a cracked bitumen roadway in western New Jersey.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
A gentle dose of soft Aussie rock
Eels
3/5
I liked some of this. Good alternative 90s rock
Scott Walker
2/5
I was thinking a 3, then my dad said it should be a 1 as it was so much saccharine 60s orchestra bits with the same wavering vocals. So let's be mean and give it a 2.
The Icarus Line
3/5
Dad says good voice, songs are rubbish, good after a few beers and a joint.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Interesting for sure, occasionally listenable, intermittently not. Giving an extra star for the effort.
Shack
3/5
Good solid northern British rock with a shade of Oasis and Beatles
Bee Gees
3/5
I like the Bee Gees a lot, but there's only so much warbling over a treble-heavy strings ensemble I can take. First song is amazing though.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Great renditions although a tad too long perhaps.
Minutemen
3/5
Some functional punk, was pleased to hear the Jackass theme on this.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Pure Bruce. I'm not sold on him but he goes down like a cheap wine.
Faust
2/5
I had a few moments of interest in this but it mainly served as background music.
Neil Young
5/5
Wow this is a fine piece of craftsmanship from start to finish. Incredible lyrics and themes that should have been written by someone twice his age, beautiful fragile musicality, and enough anger under the surface to keep it all tense and interesting.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
That Stevie really did do some amazing stuff in the early to mid 70s. Incredibly this was already his FIFTEENTH album. A few less impressive tracks but overall great.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
This is quite an amazing album, and despite Joni's voice getting a little tiresome after a while, the cosy familiarity and brilliant songwriting offset the shrillness.
Madness
4/5
There's probably better Madness albums than this, but it's certainly very interesting, and Our House is such a great song, which knocks it up a point.
Simple Minds
3/5
Simple Minds has largely passed me by. They sound melodic and emotional and all that, but there's something not quite there for me.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
I loved Something 4 the Weekend when it came out but I didn't give SFA albums much of a listen. This is great, poppy and slightly kooky, with shades of early Blur.
Roxy Music
3/5
Does the Roxy Music job. None of it sticks with me but flows by nicely.
Billy Bragg
4/5
This was a lovely listen. I think I liked Wilco's efforts more than Billy's... they sound like a new version of The Band.
The Offspring
4/5
This is a guilty pleasure. Great memories of moshing at Balinese nightclubs during Schoolies '96. The Offspring never sounded this good again.
King Crimson
2/5
Oh dear, another inscrutable prog rock album. A few rock-y moments but mostly interminable noodling.
Brian Eno
3/5
An OK listen. Jaunty in parts, but mostly just a soundtrack to my morning.
Kanye West
3/5
Hmm. Ordinarily this would be a 3, as it is pretty listenable and melodic. But I feel it should go down due to Kanye's repulsiveness and also the repetitive nature of his shtick. But some songs are good. Ok, a 3 it is.
Most relevant line: "You've been putting up with my shit just way too long"
Tom Waits
2/5
I gotta say, after a few of these albums, I'm just not a Tom Waits fan.
Neil Young
5/5
Another one of Neil's classics, perhaps a little gentler than Harvest except for the absolutely scathing Southern Man. Love it.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
Jeez that's a hell of a lot of bluegrass and trad country.
I almost picked up a jug in the kitchen and started blowing into it.
Appreciate the craftsmanship though.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
This is the best Nick Cave album on the list so far, by a margin. Some genuinely beautiful melodies but the odd lyric had me worried that this was almost a Christian album.
Stephen Stills
3/5
This was a pretty fun listen - very repetitive, and I'm kind of done with the early-70s country-folk-blues-rock by white guys schtick - but it was done well. Colorado was a lovely song.
Sonic Youth
3/5
This got a bit grating after a whle. i quite like the chunky guitars but the vocals I can take or leave. Just too long...
Prince
3/5
Try as I might, I just can't get into most of Prince's stuff - too many gated drums, too much performative sexiness, too much synthetic sound. This album was no different: listenable but nothing really stood out.
Missy Elliott
3/5
Album review written by Tom, feat. nobody el$e
I used to hate this music, and what it stood for, the conspicuous consumption and brazen sexuality and egotism. I think that my analysis was very simplistic and I appreciate more of what people like Missy were doing, which barriers they were breaking down. I still don't like most of the music but some of it is passable. I'll be generous and give a 3.
The Black Keys
4/5
This album is pretty ROCKING. Nice to hear, I've always let the Black Keys pass me by a bit.
Beck
4/5
I got to say, I really enjoyed this. Good Beck is good music.
N.E.R.D
4/5
I'd never heard of these chaps, they started a bit shaky, like a sort of Bloodhound Gang copy, but they evolved into a mix between Silksonic and Flight of the Conchords. I genuinely really liked a bunch of these tunes.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I wasn't keen on the first song or two but then this really started to do things for me. This is the most Beatle-esque I've heard Elvis go, I think, and comparisons to the fab Four finally kind of make sense. Some great tracks towards the end of the album.
Talking Heads
4/5
I had lots of fun with this. Great drums, bass and crazy David Byrne vocals. I must be in a good mood this week because I'm giving another 4.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Some lovely sweet country vibes. No relation.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Some lovely sweet country vibes. Hang on, wasn't that yesterday?
Brian Eno
3/5
This is about the most accurate description I've seen of any album yet. Pretty slight, but exactly what I needed this morning.
Blur
5/5
Oh wow. So timely. Been reconnecting with Blur a lot recently. This album was HUGE the year I started uni, in fact it became an obsession of mine. Beetlebum was the song that served as my gateway Blur drug, and Song 2, despite being overplayed, is still a mad headbanger. I saw Blur twice in Sydney in a couple of days, the second concert at the Hordern we managed to catch Dave's drumstick after it flew into the audience during Song 2. I still don't know what happened to that, I had it for years. We managed to blag our way into the after party in Kings Cross, and I sidled up to Graham Coxon at the bar, and what did I say? 'Great guitar Graham'. Damn what a loser.
Oh and the album is a real mixed bag, some I love, some I'm a bit indifferent, but as a package and a statement and a disc full of memories, this has to get full marks.
D'Angelo
3/5
Not my kind of thing, but smooth and silky enough to provide some background sounds.
Kraftwerk
2/5
I can appreciate the kraft and the werk but I don't know if I enjoy listening to 22 minute electronic songs from the 70s.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Ah, so that's where the Foo Fighters heard it.
TLC
3/5
I veered between hating this and almost liking a few songs, especially the last one. I just didn't like this stuff when I was at high school and it's hard to detach. But these obviously very talented ladies were a product of their time and social milieu. They made some good music. And said Sexy a lot.
MC Solaar
4/5
Ah, beaucoup de fun! Always thought rap and hiphop sound better in French.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
This was not as challenging as I thought it might be, a pretty generic slice of early-90s hardish rock. Nothing jumped out but nothing jumped away either.
Jeru The Damaja
2/5
A bit too angry and mean spirited for me
Pere Ubu
2/5
Punk is fine, but once you start calling it art punk maybe the original intention is being lost. Anyway I found this a difficult listen.
Johnny Cash
4/5
This sounds like it would have been one helluva show. Love how he humanises the audience so naturally.
The Byrds
4/5
A microcosm of 1966: sitars, backwards guitars, jangling 12 strings, psychedelic imagery, close harmonies, eastern melodies. I liked this a lot.
Parliament
3/5
This is just about as funky as it gets. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling too funkadelic myself, maybe this would be a 4 on a party night.
Mike Ladd
3/5
A rather eclectic and interesting record, a few different things emerged during my one and a half listens
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
As easy on the ears as can be, nice to hear a samba cover of one of my favourite Lovin' Spoonful songs, got to say the original was better. There were real shades of Burt Bacharach at his most saccharine on this album.
Madonna
4/5
I've never been a massive fan of Madge, but I recall the impact this album had back in the late 90s. A worthy and memorable reinvention with some classic tracks. Well done. It was all downhill from here (cue worst James Bond theme ever)
The Libertines
3/5
Not half bad, actually, kind of Living End meets Britpop. I'd never heard Pete Doherty's stuff and my estimation has risen slightly.
The Monks
3/5
This was so 1966 but also so ahead of its time. I liked it but it was too garage for me, I like a slicker bit of 60s production.
Hot Chip
3/5
This had a weird 80s or 90s vibe, like a chirpy New Order or something. I did enjoy the melodies and the quirkiness but I'd grow tired of it after a while I think.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Very generic mid-2000s rock. I'd heard a few of these, you know, they're fine, but I can't see how they've achieved a billion streams on one of their tunes. The singer had the sound of a less committed Damon Albarn.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
This one I half listened to in the car, and then I thought it deserved a second listen, which I'm glad I did, as it had more nuance than I thought. Nothing hugely innovative, but you can see where the first wave of grunge bands got some of their inspiration.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
A pleasant enough listen - just enough electro and acoustic and nice vocals and easy charm to keep me bopping along, but not overly enthused. I was more into Oasis and lad rock at this time.
Gram Parsons
3/5
Ah, country music that was more friendly and optimistic and accepting than the current racist, right-wing nonsense parading on the charts. Some lovely tunes.
ABBA
4/5
Is this the first appearance by the Swedish legends? I am very partial to a spot of ABBA, I have a real sweet tooth for those melodies and voices and songwriting hooks.
There's a few mishits here, including the morally questionable first song, but the inclusion of Fernando on the Australian album version, plus at least two other bona fide amazing songs, keeps this at a solid 4.
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
Yeah nah. I'm not into late 80s Goth rock. Too many gated drums and emotions.
M.I.A.
2/5
I should like this more, but the overall effect was a bit grating and repetitive
Motörhead
3/5
Motorhead do one thing and seem to do it quite well. Lemmie is certainly in fine fettle.
American Music Club
3/5
Never heard of these guys. A pretty okay slice of 80s indie, some nice vocals, pretty sounds. If you'd told me they were a MOR Aussie act from the time, I'd have believed you (excepting the band and album names)
Primal Scream
3/5
There were moments on this I really enjoyed, and quite a few others which were a bit 1990s-naffpop. Kind of Stone Roses meets vague electro. I'd give it another listen for sure.
Stan Getz
3/5
Ooooh, that some smooth sax and bossa nova vibes. Good music to mark to.
Miles Davis
3/5
Some smooth as silk jazzy sax. Music to drive to.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Some good ole thoughtful country with shades of Johnny Cash among others.
Calexico
3/5
Love some mariachi trumpets with indie rock.
Sonic Youth
3/5
More of the same from these guys. Music to BBQ by.
Jack White
3/5
Good rock but not up to his White Stripes standards
Julian Cope
3/5
Definitely interesting. Had never heard of this fella. I really like one or two of these, might give this another spin.
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
I really got a lot out of this, these guys sounded awesome and had such a distinct and full sound. A real flashback to 1997.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Not a bad bit of rock guitary stuff, feels newer than 1980
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Second time today I'm rating this...the last review didn't take.
An absolutely sublime album. A band where all members were firing on all cylinders musically and creatively...not so much romantically. An amazing listen.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
There are some really great songs on here that I've never properly listened to before. Old Jimi was many years ahead of his time.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
It's amazing what a redneck cousin-marrying pedophile can do behind a piano.
Fairport Convention
4/5
I approached this with no real knowledge of what to expect, and I was very pleasantly surprised. A lovely album with some really interesting songs. Will listen again.
The Soft Boys
3/5
Shades of the Sunnyboys, Midnight Oil, other early-80s Aus Rock acts. Has its moments.
Le Tigre
3/5
A pretty kooky and interesting selection of tracks. I enjoyed how different it was.
Fun fact: I played one song in my Year 8 class and one of the students asked if it was Le Tigre. Kudos to them!
Pink Floyd
5/5
This all hangs together very well, but I feel that it needs the film to really lend context to some of the soundscapes and snippets. I give this a base of 4, minus 1 for the short, less impactful songs, plus 1 for the amazing tunes (Comfortably Numb - wow), plus 1 for the pure chutzpah of the whole thing. So a hard-earned 5.
Rod Stewart
4/5
I'm a bit ambivalent about Rod, some of his stuff is great, a lot of it is very MOR and cheesy. But this early period stuff is rock solid. I really enjoyed this album
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Sledgehammer is a high point, there's a few other okay ones, nice to hear Kate Bush, otherwise it's a bit mid 80s over produced, innit
George Jones
3/5
Good old-fashioned steel pedal poignant country. Slow and low.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
A rather weird and rambling concoction. Once I read the tragic story of Spence, this one-of-a-kind solo album took on a new shade of meaning. The last gasps of a fading genius?
Prefab Sprout
3/5
Heard of the band but never listened to them. Very mid-80s, perhaps echoes of early Crowded House and Squeeze and the Beautiful South. I got to say I quite enjoyed this.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
Did a bit of reading, now called Anhoni (?) and a really interesting back story. Quite an amazing voice but the music isn't quite what I'm into. Appreciate the beauty and effort though.
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
Another group I've never heard of, I enjoyed this as it glided by. Got me in the mood for my end-of-term 1993 dress-up tomorrow (30th anniversary of my school).
Iron Butterfly
3/5
I only ever knew these guys from a Simpsons episode. I quite enjoyed some of the songs, very 1968 in their way. The extended final cut was a little too much rock organ and killer riffs.
Sugar
3/5
There's little bits of Oasis and grunge and Lemonheads and all other manner of 90s rock in here. Glad to have heard some for the first time.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
I've not heard this FBS album, certainly not as iconic as his next one.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
One minute in I was about to turn this off. Then I got a bit hooked and then I read that this is a Talking Heads offshoot and then I heard some rather cool and kooky music and I overall enjoyed it.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
This brought some comforting loveliness. I will be listening to this band some more for sure. I hearted about four songs.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
If I was in a club in 1997 this would be much better. Setting Sun is still an amazing piece of music though.
Genesis
2/5
There are some genuinely beautiful musical snippets amongst all of the self important over-the-top grandiosity. I love Peter Gabriel's voice and some of the dramatic moments are great. But there's just so much of it. This one truly outstayed its welcome.
Beth Orton
3/5
Some serious 1999-2001 memories for me here,my darling wife used to have this on high rotation. I liked some of the songs then and still now but this isn't my go-to music.
Roxy Music
3/5
There are moments I love the kookiness of Roxy Music. But I never seek them out, best enjoyed randomly or in small doses perhaps.
Nitin Sawhney
4/5
This was never not interesting. Some really great Indian fusion stuff going on. And even an Oppenheimer quote (well, a Bhagavad Gita one). An extra point for pure effort.
Radiohead
3/5
I've tried and failed to get into late period Radiohead. I love the mid-90s stuff but this is all to avant-garde for my ears.
That said, I enjoyed this and there were some beautiful moments. Another listen required.
R.E.M.
4/5
There's some fabulous tracks on here, not all of them, but plenty.
Big Star
4/5
There are some lovely Beatlesque moments on this album, sweet harmonies and lush chords. A kind of missing link between the Fab Four and Fleetwood Mac.
Hookworms
3/5
There were some ok moments on this but I'm not really sure what this band is. I read about why they folded so not keen to follow up.
Dr. John
3/5
Kooky as all get up. Quite fun though.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
A bit too electronic and synth-y for me to be head over heels, but there are enough melodic moments to have made this a lovely listen.
Madonna
3/5
I was prepared for this to be an utter trainwreck. But it wasn't, some of it was quite, ahem, 'musical.' However the less said about the horror of the American Pie cover, the better.
Beyoncé
3/5
Far too self referential and wallowing in her own genius for my likes. But an amazing voice and musicality.
Carole King
5/5
This is a near perfect album in terms of songwriting. Truly a great composer at the top of her game. Her voice never quite comes to the same heights but there is a vulnerability and emotion there that just works. And these two versions of Woman and Friend are beautiful reimaginings of songs that were already amazing.
Radiohead
3/5
Kooky and inscrutable at times, though not as difficult to listen to as I recall. Still, I much prefer the earlier, more shallow but more melodic iteration of the band.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
I liked this, some beautiful melodic songs. Will listen again.
Megadeth
2/5
Too fast too loud too many arpeggiated guitar solos.
My head hurts.
I think I just don't like generic heavy metal.
Suicide
2/5
This was too glitchy and meandering for me. Not very enjoyable.
4/5
I feel like this album, more than any other Blur one, captures the zeitgeist of the moment - the calm before the Britpop storm, the angst and ennui of 1993, pre-Cool Britannia. Half of this album is a bit naff, the other half is incredible. Sitting on the threshold, waiting for the madness to begin.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Ah, 1989. Back when I could understand rap lyrics.
Cheeky, fun, a sense of playfulness. Not bad at all.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
The voice is great, the songwriting is occasionally awesome - but the mid-70s production is where this suffers. A bit too polished or trebley, or maybe it's the high bass lines, or something. Nice but not the best Joni on offer.
Fiona Apple
4/5
Started a bit meh but this soon grew on me, loungey yet dramatic and accusatory. Great voice. Good work Ms Apple.
Manu Chao
4/5
Man, I listened to this about a thousand times during a road trip through Central and South America. A chill dope-smoking French dude, living in Colombia, singing a variety of genres in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese... lovely memories of backpacking and being a global citizen. I even saw Manu in Sydney in the mid-00s. Or was that a fever dream?
Def Leppard
2/5
I just wasn't in the mood for 80s hair metal today. It does it competently but too much slick screechiness for me.
The Residents
1/5
Holy shit.
Prince
3/5
I still struggle to really get into Prince. I can tell he's good but some of his songs just don't resonate. That said, there's a couple of crackers on this album.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
I had completely forgotten about this Damon Albarn (plus random other luminaries - The Clash! Fela Kuti! The Verve!) side-project. Like a weird cross between Blur and Gorillaz - how about that then?
Some great stuff, Damon always impresses me with his enthusiasm.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
What an amazing set of songs. Aretha can take any source material and just turn it into hers. And the thumping rhythm section and horns just complement her incredible voice so well. Great work all round team.
The Human League
3/5
A bit synthed out after that. I'd say that apart from Don't You Want Me, the rest of the songs sit in the average category. There's a few flashes of brilliance, but mostly hiding behind some spacey electronic noises.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
Birth year record!
I'm not a huge fan of Faithfull's voice nor her interpretations of some pretty iconic songs. I'm feeling generous today, so a 3, but some days this would be a 2.
The Temptations
3/5
Some real funky moments on here. 12 minutes of Papa is a proper treat. There's even some surprising before-its-time use of a particular racial slur. Overall, though, a bit patchy.
The Cardigans
4/5
It was lovely to hear a whole album by these folks. I just love Nina's voice, the funky bass, the flutes, the kooky lyrics. A nice time capsule from the era of gentle Indie.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
My daughter asked why old Lennie couldn't sing properly. I winced and tried to explain how iconic a songwriter he was. I then played Avalanche again and she kind of understood a bit. That said... beyond the amazing songs, they do start to sound the same.
Gorillaz
3/5
This is definitely kooky and ground breaking and fun. Thing is, most of it isn't my kind of music.
CHIC
4/5
Loving that Nile Rodgers guitar and the funky disco vibes. A bit samey at times but on a Friday night this would be one pumping album. Now, where's my flowing satin dress?
The Fall
3/5
After reading some reviews, I was prepared for industrial punk noise. Happily, a lot of this was pretty melodic and listenable. Not great, but not terrible.
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
The audio equivalent to jamming three interlocking berets down onto your head, then sticking a Gauloise cigarette, soaked in Chartreuse, into each ear. I enjoyed this for what it was.
The Mars Volta
3/5
I always thought Mars Volta were an electronic act. But evidently not. More a kind of Muse-meets-Limp Bizkit-meets-Yes. So some of this is just fine, and clever, but there's just too much. Too much I tell you.
fIREHOSE
3/5
I was pleasantly surprised by some of this. A real eclectic mix of songs, occasionally pretty melodic.
The Streets
2/5
I really don't like The Streets. I don't like the rhymes, the vocal, the flow, the themes, the music, the fake amateurism, the sexism. It should be a 1 but I'll give it an extra point for the pure commitment to being consistently crap throughout.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
I enjoyed this quite a lot - very topical commentary on the environment, society, the media. Funky beats and a strong, rhythmic flow. If anything, though, I found it all rather depressing. Need a bit more joy in my music.
Radiohead
4/5
Woah, this is way better than I recalled. I just remember being so turned off Radiohead's stuff after OK Computer, finding it too dense and complex and ethereal. But twenty years later, this sounds like a natural evolution from the likes of OKC. Heaps of beautiful melodies, intricate guitar work, and nods to their pop-rock past, wrapped in a prog-spacey package.
Love
4/5
A very lovely, emotional album. I listened to this first around 6 years ago, and remember being pretty bowled over by it. This time around, it didn't have the same effect, but there were certainly flashes of brilliance. It is nice to think of a 1967 multi-racial band doing psychedelic stuff, kind of represents a better zeitgeist.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
This was lots of fun. A nice mashup of cute, gentle psychedelia, pop and Indian classical. I loved the cover of Light My Fire, super funky.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
This was a lovely album, a bit slow and vague at times. Reminded me of The Frames or a low-fi Neil Young. Will try some more BPB.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
A bit more milktoast than tigermilk. Softer than I remembered
The Yardbirds
3/5
Good to hear these lads with their rough and ready blues stylings. Definitely one of the more proficient British Invasion bands, but nothing that really set the world alight.
Björk
3/5
Kooky and ooky, as predicted. Still not a fan but I can happily listen.
Thundercat
3/5
A strange album, very technically proficient but it left me feeling a little empty and unenthused. I think I could enjoy it more in a different frame of mind. Echoes of Silksonic but not as fun.
The Prodigy
4/5
This is not usually my kind of music, but there's no doubting that this was a seminal album, and perhaps the best of its kind. There are three legitimate classics of electro dance on this one release.
For pure nostalgia value, I'm adding a star.
The Killers
3/5
I wasn't super excited about this one at first, but pretty soon it was rocking track after rocking track, some familiar, some pleasingly new. It's not all Mr Brightside after all! A good little album.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
There was a lot to like here - like a Beatles/Stones/Beach Boys mashup. Some cool left turns and spot-on musicality. I will listen to these fellas again.
Oasis
5/5
This album is Year 11 for me. I listened to it over and over and over. Just a fantastic statement out of the gates for the lads. Supersonic, Live Forever, Rock 'n' Roll Star, Cigarettes and Alcohol, Slide Away... hell, even Digsy's Dinner and Married With Children are incredible. Makes you want to snarl fuck off into a microphone with your hands behind your back.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
I veered between hating this and quite liking some of the tunes, samples, vocals. Overall, not for me. But I'm bumping it up to a 3 due to the lovely Daydreamin'
Van Morrison
5/5
Okay, Van Morrison has become a grumpy old shit. That said, this album is so full of classic bluesy bangers that I am willing to ignore his current nonsense. Into the Mystic and It Stoned Me are just about two of the best songs to come out of the 70s. Moondance is overplayed but gee that voice.
Pixies
3/5
At times a bit too searing for me, but there are enough melodic moments and interesting songs to warrant a further listen down the road.
Buzzcocks
3/5
The Buzzcocks have mainly passed me by, I always kind of hazily thought they were an American Ramones-style group. Nice to hear this bit of cheeky fun, like Bur meets the Sex Pistols.
Arcade Fire
4/5
One of those bands I should know better, but never give the time of day to. I feel like later 2000s indie for me is a blur of Killers, Strokes, Arctic Monekys, Tame Impala, these guys, plus many more, and I haven't yet separated it all out in my mind. Will definitely give these more of a run around. Some lovely tunes on here.
KISS
2/5
At their best, KISS are theatrical and fun. Not here - plain, average and sometimes cringey. Perhaps one track worth a listen.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Flows past like a dreamy bit of guitar fluff with echoes of early U2, but better.
Slipknot
1/5
Well that was shit.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
This is an absolutely solid listen from end to end. Great lyrics (including, I'd argue, the head turner in Oliver's Army, which is actually a reference to the racism experienced by the Irish in the British army); just kick-arse bass playing; ol' Declan's voice in full flight; and the vibes of Accidents Will Happen and Party Girl among others. This was released the day after I was born, so maybe a bit of birth year bias, but I'm giving the full 5.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
Captain Beefheart is a sadistic, weird Tom Waits without the musicality and goofy likeability.
Fugees
3/5
This is Year 12 all over for me. Not really my bag but the vocals and arrangements are certainly pretty great. I much preferred Lauryn Hill's solo efforts but this is okay for a listen through.
Jethro Tull
3/5
An old classic, I know, but something I've never really wished to explore, I put it in the Stairway to Heaven hobbit music category. Anyway it was good enough, my Mum heard it in the car and said it was an album she bought when it was released.
Boards of Canada
3/5
Not really into this sort of stuff. The first few songs really put me off but the more ambient and relaxing later tracks brought me back a bit. A bare pass for this though.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
Maybe the name put me off, the expectation of generic pop not enough to entice me. But I really liked this. Doing a deep dive now into their catalogue. A missing link between 80s indie rock and 90s Britpop, fusing elements from both sides of the Atlantic, with the odd Beatlesque hook (or blatant borrowing). Good Times.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
Bjork with a harp.
Only joking. It's genuinely great to encounter unique and interesting music I've never heard before, nearly 800 albums in.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
What happens when you drop 60% of your band between albums? You lose some of the ebullience and chaos that made you such fun to listen to. Some poignant and beautiful tunes but missing the sense of good old-fashioned hijinks of the first two albums.
Meat Puppets
3/5
Surprisingly tuneful for a band called Meat Puppets.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Well yes, terrible cover art, so expectations were low. But this was more proto-metal with elements of punk and 70s rock. So I quite enjoyed it.
John Lennon
4/5
This is either the best or second-best John solo album. I love the rawness, the emotion, the bitter anger tempered with soothing love. A few too many rough edges for me but a fine album that captures where our boy was at in 1970.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Twangy, occasionally violent, forgettable. I liked the Buck Owens cover though.
New Order
3/5
New Order just New Ordering, nothing new, just what the doctor ordered.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Yeah you know, some sick beats and some interesting samples and raps and stuff. But not really how I like to fill my listening time.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Yeah nah. Johnny is just a bit crap I'm afraid.
Mercury Rev
4/5
There's two bona fide beautiful songs on this, a few interesting ones, and a couple of head-scratchers. But mostly ethereal and melodic enough to warrant a few dedicated listens. I could do Holes and Opus 40 over and over though.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Funky and fly as can be. I liked the instrumental the most.
CHVRCHES
3/5
Very 80s, very tuneful, very emotional - it hits some of the right spots but not all of them. A solid effort though.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Well not bad at all I suppose. He certainly was, but his mid-80s music was a notch up from that.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I'd say the opener and closer are about as good as The Stones get. I'm feeling generous today.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
This got better as it went along. Very Peter Gabriel.
Destiny's Child
3/5
I hate hate hated this in 2001. Thought it was another clone of all the crap R and B doing the rounds.
20-odd years later this sounded like nostalgia and competent singing. Hearing Beyonce before she was bigger than God was quite interesting.
Red Snapper
2/5
Subpar electro DJ stuff, not for me this day.
JAY Z
3/5
Not a bad collection of songs and samples, given time I could probably develop a bit more tolerance for this sort of thing.
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
This started off like an 8 bit Nintendo game and improved, but not enough to hook me in at all.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
I'd always known the name but never heard their music. I was relatively impressed, especially liked track 3. Will keep listening.
Metallica
3/5
...and growly vocals for all
Dennis Wilson
4/5
The 1970s Beach Boys, but with a hangover. I liked the vibe a lot though.
Doves
4/5
Somehow I missed this rather major post-Britpop band altogether. I really enjoyed it, shades of Noel Gallagher and Coldplay when they were great.
Coldplay
5/5
Straight after Doves? Weird.
I used to really love Coldplay. Now I find them very irritating.
Listening to this fine album reminded me why I liked them, and I'm no longer embarrassed to say they were a very brilliant group.
Not a dud song on here.
FKA twigs
2/5
There were a couple of bright moments but overall this wasn't the vibe I was feeling today.
Raekwon
3/5
This reminded me of the film Ghost Dog. Dark and stormy and lots of pent up rage.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Some pretty solid early 70s rock, but nothing life changing
Nina Simone
4/5
What an amazing voice. Plenty of emotion and pain in these songs, but she makes them beautiful.
Orange Juice
3/5
A couple of fun little ditties, mostly the usual post-punk fare that is regularly served up by 1001
Billie Holiday
4/5
Must be a vocal jazz week.
Distinctive and pretty great voice, with interesting orchestration weaving sinuously between the phrases. A good vibe for a rainy New Year's Day.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
I was expecting some rollicking twangy country but got a pretty flat collection of fairly insipid yet tuneful slow ballads.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Oh yeah this was fairly huge. Some crackers on here, amazing songwriting but maybe a bit repetitive in terms of production and instrumentation. A nice listen.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
This one breezed by like a guava mocktail at a hipster bar
John Cale
3/5
This was a nice spot of whimsy. I really like the title track, very music hall meets prog.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
I appreciate some of the artistry on this but mostly I think this is a single listen album for me. A grudging 3 stars.
The Bees
3/5
This sounded like a novelty record at times. I enjoyed the vibe occasionally but I left it not really knowing what they were trying to do.
3/5
First few songs are pretty great I suppose. But it's U2 and they're insufferable.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
Too much ethereal bleeping and wavy phasing for this listener. Perhaps if I was on the moon.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Great attitude but the 80s production and instrumentation really hurt this. Man he can go low with that voice. Two or three actual bangers on here that would be good just with an acoustic guitar.
Metallica
4/5
More of the same old Metallica sound, lifted to the heights of metal greatness by Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Nothing too amazing going on here, but a solid set of rock tracks worth a single listen
Röyksopp
3/5
Not my kind of vibe, but they seem to do chilled electronica quite well, so I'll be generous today.
Gillian Welch
3/5
Lovely acousticy country vibes, well sung and well plucked and well strummed. Good road trip music.
The KLF
3/5
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Hmm. Some interesting ideas but I feel like this would have made more sense in 1977 than 1997.
Queen
5/5
Oh dear. Here it is.
Perhaps one of my favourite albums of all time.
Operatic, over the top, melodramatic, ballsy, camp, silly, wondrous, magnificent, unique.
Top marks to all four lads for this one, but a bonus star for Freddie's artistic vision.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Parts of this are the old ho-hum generic RHCP funk, and parts are pure genius. Under the Bridge, gee, what a corker. Almost a 5, but not quite the consistency required.
Rod Stewart
4/5
Rod at his godliest. He didn't write much but he can growl a good tune, and I loved the louche ruggedness of his backing band.
Soundgarden
4/5
About as great as grunge gets. Love Chris Cornell's voice. Black Hole Sun, awesome song.
Robbie Williams
4/5
I'm a sucker for a bit of cheeky lad pop, especially when it sounds like it's been put through a 1965 Beatles song generator. Confident and faintly ridiculous.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
This was significantly more interesting than I thought it would be: gloomy cowboy and pirate vibes with a touch of music hall, new wave and postpunk. I heard some Duran Duran, Blur, Specials and Talking Heads in there.
The xx
3/5
Lovely voices, songs a bit too spacey for me.
Sade
3/5
Smooth, jazzy, repetitive
Bill Callahan
4/5
Wow, I really enjoyed this, very unique. Going to check out the stuff he did as Smog. A lovely find.
George Harrison
5/5
Hands down, the best solo album by a former Beatle. The last few novelty songs are best left untouched, but the rest of the tracks are an absolute tour de force. George has found his slide guitar mojo, and his songwriting is at its chromatic best. Fun fact, 'If Not For You' was our wedding song.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Pretty generic mid period Neil, not bad but not great
The Pogues
4/5
Pretty basic Irish folk semi punk rock, done extremely well.
Somehow Shane takes an Aussie folk tune about Gallipoli to another level.
Dirty Old Town is a lovely little ditty.
Santana
3/5
This is exactly what Early Santana should sound like. Pass the reefer please!
Björk
3/5
File this in the basket marked 'challenging'
Snoop Dogg
3/5
So puerile and gross and stupid at times, but Snoop has an undeniable flair for clever cheeky rhymes, and catchy melody and harmony. And man, this took me back to 1993.
Nick Drake
3/5
Another lovely little acoustic album by our mate Nick, breezes through the ears quite nicely but doesn't really set the world on fire. Better than the other Drake.
Peter Tosh
4/5
Good hard reggae, done well. Not quite at Bob levels but close.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
This sounds just like the Pet Shop Boys!
LL Cool J
2/5
Hmm. I appreciate the cheekiness but I got fed up of him talking about his willy.
Magazine
3/5
A kind of kooky bit of punk, post-punk, rock, pop - never heard of this but I had moments of enjoyment.
The Fall
2/5
I've got to say, I didn't like this album. Too flat, too low energy, if you hadn't told me the year it was from, I'd have guessed it was 10 years older - stale before its time.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
It'd be the height of churlishness to criticise any of the performances on this. Not perfect, but close to it.
Syd Barrett
3/5
A study in how mental illness can affect the critical and creative faculties. Moments of brilliance, mostly a bit...well, madcap.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
Big nostalgia hit here. All the ballady bits of Michael Jackson with some memorable percussion.
The Beach Boys
4/5
A strange album this, a transition between their orchestral pop of the late 60s and the meandering nostalgic rock of their later career. Til I Die and Surf's Up are two of their most beautiful songs. It's almost a 5 but the inconsistent tone and underlying sadness bring it down.
Holger Czukay
3/5
That was some damn kooky business.
The Young Gods
2/5
It appears that French industrial rock from the late 80s was not what I was after this fine public holiday Monday
The Beta Band
3/5
Um, okay I suppose. It passed me by like an easy breeze.
Deep Purple
3/5
Good solid British rock. Music to make models to, well today it was, anyway.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
Oh dear. *shakes head slowly* Oh deary deary dear.
Sonic Youth
3/5
17th Sonic Youth album much the same as the others
3/5
Some fairly funky easy listening. Might need to focus more on the lyrics next time around.
David Bowie
4/5
Probably not his best work, a bit too much rock at the expense of space pop. But very fine nonetheless
Skepta
2/5
No thanks, I just can't get into this sort of thing. Try again later.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Well that was a bit of Congolese poppy fun.
The Doors
3/5
The Doors seemed way cooler back in the 90s. There's a couple of crackers on here but I'm not feeling very generous.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
I've heard lots of good stuff about Kendrick, in fact a colleague of mine teaches his lyrics as a poetry unit.
I, however, remain largely unenthused.
Kate Bush
3/5
Some relatively generic Kate, warbles and smooth ethereal music alongside. Not her best but very listenable.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
Soothing and soaring, beautiful harmonies.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
I thought this was going to be some old school Jamaican ska or a rustic spot of Louisiana blues. Was surprised to hear some pretty smooth and luscious sax-based jazz. Not my favourite sort of thing but performed with great flair.
Pearl Jam
4/5
This is peak Grunge at just about its peakiest. Some real old school corkers on this album.
1/5
no I want to be a horse.
It has some ok moments but overall quite the assault on the ears.
Ice Cube
3/5
Amazing beats
Shit lyrics
Of its time
The Boo Radleys
3/5
I'd only ever heard one Boo Radleys song and it was very different to these and I loved it. I liked lots of this but it didn't blow me away.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Some cool 60s vibes, feel like I've been on this electric roundabout before
Pavement
3/5
Now I know who Graham Coxon was listening to in the late 90s.
Not bad and worth another run around.
Jacques Brel
3/5
A stirring sliver of Gallic brio. Bravo!
Prince
4/5
This is some peak 1984. Prince is amazing, yes, but the production brings this down a bit for me.
The Pretty Things
4/5
I'm amazed I've never actually encountered Pretty Things before. This was a legitimately awesome piece of music. A real 60s gem.
King Crimson
3/5
I thought this was going to be soulful sax. I was very wrong.
Sebadoh
3/5
This is very early 90s, it's got indie rock written all over it. I like the vibe more than the individual songs.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
This very very 60s, I've heard of them and always wondered if they sounded like the Beatles. Not so much. More like a copy of a copy of the Beatles.
The Only Ones
4/5
Never heard of these guys. Breathless, melodic, poppy and punky, good times all round. More please.
Talvin Singh
3/5
Quite chilled with nostalgic throwbacks to late 80s backpacking tunes
Fugazi
3/5
A bit too hard for me, yesterday it was a 2, today I softened to a 3, but prob won't listen to it again.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Definitely a seminal moment in the history of rock. The music is a bit scrappy at times but the atmosphere, sentiment and spirit bring this one romping home. Good on you Johnny.
The Damned
3/5
Another from my birth year - a good year for music I maintain. This was beyond passable punk, to downright melodic and quite musically interesting.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
I didn't have high hope for this. So I was almost pleasantly surprised.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
These folks were just huge back in the early 00s. Laura and Comfortably Numb are great tunes. Love the vibe, the vocals, the retro disco crossed with rock crossed with 21st century gender ambiguity.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Nice to hear some older MSP. Started strong but got a but samey towards the end.
Duran Duran
4/5
Peak peak Duran Duran. Hungry Like the Wolf always connects well, I used to go the the restaurant in Colombo where the video was filmed. Fewer tables being flipped when I went though. And no saxophones in sight.
Dire Straits
4/5
I've somehow never listened to this album. Seems they had already perfected the formula - poppy rockish bluesy ballads with a minor inflection, a Dylanesque vocal and plenty of twiddly guitar fills. For the opening track and Sultans, this gets lifted from a satisfactory to a very good.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Moments of quite ok listenableness. Not really a fan of KOL.
The Beta Band
3/5
Hmm. A strange one. Not uneasy on the ears but won't feature on my listening list again I conjecture.
Buck Owens
3/5
As twangy as Apple pie and banjos. Always reminds me of George Costanzas's porn name, Buck Naked.
Hole
3/5
Very Hole very 90s indie rock
Mariah Carey
3/5
Not her best work. But I enjoyed this way more than I would have 27 years ago. Melodic and highly musically competent
U2
4/5
Wow, U2 were interesting once.
De La Soul
3/5
Ah, such joy and good times with some great samples. But I can almost taste the bright yellow Reeboks.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Let's file this under Interesting.
Death In Vegas
3/5
Another one to file in the Intriguing folder. Some genuinely cool instrumental tracks, would make a good soundtrack to my life in the late 1990s.
Bauhaus
2/5
I was hovering between a 2 and 3 but overall this just felt too dark and choppy for me.
David Bowie
4/5
Creepy, cool, tragic, fun, all the best bits of the man who we knew and loved and lost just two days later.
Slint
2/5
Nothing to see here folks
Boston
3/5
70s rock at its epic daddest. Squealing harmonised guitars and melodic vocals over chugging drums. The first song is amazing, the rest are so-so but the overall effect is... quite welcome on this Sunday morning.
Aerosmith
3/5
Oh sorry I thought yesterday was the peak of Dad Rock.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Lovely twangy bluesy West African vibes. Music to drink a cold beer to.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
I was never a real fan of Amy, but this collection of songs are certainly very soulful, and her voice absolutely rocks.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Bet punters were disappointed when they found out a quarter of their LP was John Cale talking over a guitar jam.
Klaxons
3/5
A pretty kooky mix of ideas and styles. I veered between disliking it and vaguely enjoying it. Almost a 2.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
This is so much better than the VU album that popped up last week. A few genuine classics on here which I'm sure changed some of the trends in pop music back in the day.
Japan
3/5
An interesting mix of Duran Duran and Joy Division, seemingly ahead of their time, this sounds more 1982 than 1979.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Some lovely songs and a few head scratchers
But overall, great album.
Alice Cooper
3/5
I was surprised at how melodic this was. Kind of semi-epic and orchestral and listenable.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
Paul at his solo best. So many great moments on this album.
Wire
3/5
I started off not hugely impressed but my tolerance levels rose with each song. Not a bad bit of punkish rock.
Merle Haggard
3/5
So country it makes my toes twang.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
A very enjoyable concept album with lots of familair sounds and even a fake Ronald Reagan cameo. In the end though the 80s production and repetitiveness just did me in a bit.
The Stooges
3/5
Suitably Stoogey.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
I was surprised by this. Thought I'd hate it. Not as experimental and freaky as I imagined. Quite fun at times.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Yeah some nice crass rockin' punk, very late 70s UK.
Femi Kuti
3/5
That was a lovely vibe, perhaps a bit too 90s in terms of production, but some really funky moments.
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
This was really lovely and unexpected. Beautiful songs.
Slipknot
1/5
Oof. That wasn't right.
Kid Rock
1/5
Please replace this album with anything. The new Taylor Swift album would be nice.
This became near unlistenable once this unlikeable dicked started rapping about his balls and then brought in a child to accompany him.
Richard Hawley
3/5
Surprising addition, never heard of Rich but of course would have heard him as part of Pulp. A lovely little collection of Divine Comedy style pop tunes.
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
Shades of Prince, Stevie, John Lennon, even some grunge. I liked a lot of this.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Really? Four Sonic Youth albums? I think they made their major statements in the first. Enough already.
William Orbit
3/5
A bit low energy but I guess that's just how he does it.
Finley Quaye
3/5
Some chilled reggae-in-the-90s vibes. I remember liking some of these once upon a long ago.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
Some highly competent country blues hippie rock
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
I was pleasantly surprised by how tuneful and enjoyable this was.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
It's kind of like what you'd get if you asked AI to generate a mid-90s alternative rock compilation
Some bits good, mostly pretty generic
The Who
4/5
Well yes the Who certainly know how to pull off a cheeky rock opera.
Faith No More
3/5
This the 90s
Incredible Bongo Band
2/5
I mean, how much bongo can one person handle
Christina Aguilera
4/5
There are some pretty excellent vocal performances on here. A bit too much but I'm feeling generous.
System Of A Down
2/5
I was worried when I saw this pop up. I always put these guys in the Slipknot/Korn category. So I was a tiny bit surprised to find more emotional depth and subtlety to their songs than I expected. Still, not my kind of music at all.
Germs
2/5
Not the greatest release from my birth year. Punk has been done much better.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Not a huge fan of late era Lenny but he certainly has a style about him.
Sigur Rós
3/5
Ethereal, at times quite beautiful, but maybe too wispy
Muddy Waters
4/5
Man this fella could SING and play the BLUES
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
This was a nice surprise, a bit of baroque northern British supergroup pop, will listen again for sure
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I'm being gnerous here but to be honest I'm a bit over meandering Gen X indie stuff from the 80s that the 1001 moderators obviously have a penchant for.
Common
3/5
Yeah some of this was pretty OK.
The Coral
3/5
Interesting little thing, a bit like Cat Empire meets Liverpool folk pop
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I used to listen to this album during my uni years to look more sophisticated.
Very samey but So Long Marianne is an amazing song.
Traffic
4/5
This was some fun late 60s British stuff I'd never heard. Again, please!
5/5
Sloppy and raw at times but man what a document of Robbie Z and his talents. One mark off for scruffy vocals, one added for inspiration.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
I oscillated on this one, but in the end, I just don't like Zappa very much. (Sorry Dad).
Doves
4/5
I really quite enjoyed this, atmospheric, melodic, epic. Britpop with some grandeur.
The Style Council
2/5
I really like Paul Weller but I didn't like this. Not sure why but it didn't hit.
The Roots
2/5
Ho hum I'm not feeling the albums this week. Not my thing.
Scritti Politti
2/5
Cut price Michael Jackson sings the soundtrack to a generic 1980s fish-out-of-water comedy.
Al Green
5/5
Jeez this guy can sing. What a collection of amazing performances.
5/5
Woah, two crackers in as many days. This is a masterclass in producing a kooky Bowie album, by none other than...Bowie. Amazing stuff.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
I was suprised by this. Truly a document of the early 200s - but what a voice. 'Strip' out 8 of the weaker songs and you have an absolutely kick-arse album. I enjoyed this a lot.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Good ole fashioned dad rock
Alice Cooper
3/5
She's a lot more harmonious than you think
Beatles
5/5
Not a bad effort, wonder what became of these fellas.
The Fall
3/5
Not too bad, another birth year record so I'll go easy on this, and also the lyrics/vocals are pretty interesting.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Pretty generic mid 80s fare. Unobtrusive and unlikely to cause me to become a fan.
Slayer
2/5
Hmmm. Too angry for me today.
Neil Young
3/5
Neil can be amazing, Neil can be croaky and out of tune. This has both Neils.
3/5
This was a really interesting and varied album, by a group I feel I should know a bit better. Might come back to this if I can be bothered finding it again on youtube.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
This is meandering stock standard CCR, better was to come.
Kelela
3/5
A pleasant enough listen, seems like a typical bit of late 2010s genre mixing
OutKast
3/5
I can see why this is clever and fun and good, but it still doesn't quite hit for me
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
This is a LOT
But I enjoyed it for a while
The Lemonheads
3/5
Ah, this was a lovely spot of poppy rocky sunshine, they weren't too bad were they?
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
Woody Guthrie vibes, nice and rustic.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
I'd never heard this, nice to have a dose of SFA. They sound a little like Welshy Blur on this record. I was gung-ho for it first listen but less so second time around, still giving it a 4 though.
Paul McCartney
4/5
A bit light and fluffy but also cosy and intimate in the most McCartney of ways. Two or three genuine classics on here. Also two or three bum songs.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
I only know G from a couple of songs he recorded with Jack Johnson, and now I can hear where Jack got a lot of his influence, especially those echoey old snare drums. Anyway this was cool.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Some good tunes but too long and monotonous for my tastes
Morrissey
3/5
Crashing Bores indeed Mr Morrisey. Heading into his angry old racist phase. Still some nice tunes though.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
Nice relaxed country pop vibes
Ryan Adams
4/5
There's a lot of good stuff on here. I seem to remember this guy was everywhere in the early 00s.
Turbonegro
3/5
I was expecting some real dark Scando Metal but got this odd hardened mix of Oasis, Offspring and old-school punk. A bit puerile but not a bad listen.
The Cult
3/5
This be some 80s rock
Coldplay
5/5
The original and best before they disappeared up their melodic stadium pop arses.
The War On Drugs
3/5
Some dreamy indie pop with shades of Springsteen and Dylan. Nothing amazing.
Nico
2/5
Fascist flute vibes. Too much for this weekend.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Yeah this was quite good.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Bit of baggy Madchester fights off the midweek blues.
The White Stripes
3/5
Not their best work. Some good tunes but overall it feels a bit scrappy and undercooked.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
The world is indeed full of crashing bores.
Air
3/5
Some beautiful tunes and I do love Air but maybe a bit repetitive and too soundtracky
Miriam Makeba
4/5
Spotify said this album was from 2012 so at first I thought this was a modern artist doing an ironic attempt at an old school album. Realised it was just old school. Good fun. And she sounds like quite an amazing person.
Radiohead
5/5
Wow, I'd forgotten just how awesome this album is. Back to back incredible songs, this might even pip OK Computer for best Radiohead album.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Probably about as good as 2002 R and B gets.
Björk
2/5
Just wasn't feeling like electronic Bjork today.
The Thrills
4/5
Great discovery, never heard these guys, a lovely mix of harmonic country and surf pop and Irish hugs. Love that 1001 is still throwing me curve balls at #993.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Oh I do love these guys. Maybe a tad too much twangy guitar and warbling falsetto but still great.
Van Morrison
3/5
Iconic songs, great backing band, huge voice. But too much Van for one sitting.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Now that's country
Pixies
3/5
Some angry loud pixies and some soft happier pixies
k.d. lang
3/5
This was subpar kdl by my measure.
James Brown
3/5
Hopefully my last problematic yet talented human on the list
Would have been quite a show
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Quite a fantastic showcase of our Dusty's talents. Happy 1001.
Big Star
2/5
This was just kind of sad to listen to: a band which had such promise, recording a bunch of half-arsed covers and crap. A few shining moments but overall, pretty terrible.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Too much Nick. Get the Gen X crew off the 1001 selection panel.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
This wasn't my mood today, but I can see the attraction for some.
Fishbone
2/5
I wanted good ska.
Method Man
3/5
Nah not quite the music I needed today. It improved over the course of the album but I couldn't get into the motivations.
I'll go and say it, this could be a great U2 album.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Super sweet and lovely country trilling. Appreciated this today.
Tortoise
2/5
Um what was that
3/5
This sounded like it had come from the future.
Funkadelic
3/5
Funkadelic for sure
UB40
3/5
Low-key and earnest, this is pleasant early UB40
Butthole Surfers
2/5
Well that was not to my liking
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Lovely but there's just so much piano.
Tom Waits
3/5
This was surprisingly listenable and fun for an artist I don't particularly like. Good work Tommo.
The Byrds
3/5
There are better Byrds albums but mostly this is fine, and Eight Miles High Rocks.
Elvis Costello
4/5
I'd never heard this one, it's definitely an EC album and it has some lovely tracks that I'll be revisiting. Thanks Dec.
Django Django
3/5
A strange little beast, elements of 60s folk, psychedelia, surf rock, acid jazz... definitely a wild ride.
Sepultura
2/5
Ooh, ow my ears hurt a little. Not my favourite thing but I was interested to learn that this band I mostly know through 90s metal shirts worn by other people, is from Brazil.
The Zutons
3/5
So I'd never heard of these kooky cats, I did enjoy a lot of this and will come back for a bit more at some stage.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
Wow, I really loved this - what a great voice and interesting compositional style. Lots of fantastic new songs to explore and I will check out more of Rufus' stuff.
Ministry
2/5
Oof. Not my thing. Stop banging that spanner.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Peak 90s dad rock Bruce
Minor Threat
2/5
Too much hurty ears this week for the love of Pete.
Cee Lo Green
1/5
"Fuck You", indeed, Mr Green. Let's get this flaccid bag of homophobic misogyny out of the 1001 please. He sucked 20 years ago and he sucks now.
MGMT
4/5
Hey I knew so many of these. Enough bops to make me happy.
Orbital
2/5
Ho hum, bleep blop.
Gene Clark
3/5
Very easy on the ears, you can hear the early Byrds sound, and some lovely songwriting especially the first track.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Ah, silly stuff but all in good fun.
Giant Sand
3/5
Flashes of brilliance on this album I'd never heard of, but perhaps just a bit too long.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Man this holds up well. What a bunch of awesome grooves. And I wasn't expecting a Louis Armstrong James Bond cover. Good times this one.
Ryan Adams
4/5
This started really strong but petered out a little for me, perhaps a bit too slow and brooding. The duet was lovely. Definite Dylan and Beck vibes.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
Hmmm strangely I wasn't really up for avant-garde German classical pop today.
Stephen Stills
3/5
I'd not listened to much Stills solo stuff but yes this is exactly what it should sound like. Gentle and hipsy-folkish.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
Good dose of pure dad rock, sometimes they sound like Status Quo, sometimes they sound like Led Zep, mostly they sound like some good ole boys from Florida.
The Hives
3/5
They do one thing and do it very well.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Maybe two decent songs the rest is candy floss
Beck
3/5
I feel I should appreciate Beck more than I do. That said, the beats on this album are SICK in the fullest and best sense.
Van Morrison
4/5
What do I find more irritating, the flute riffs, or Van himself? But yes this is a pretty epic album.
Circle Jerks
2/5
Yeah nah, too fast, too loud, too angry. I'd maybe re-listen to one of them.
Frank Zappa
3/5
Not a bad bit of bluesy background music. I've softened on Frank a little tad more.
Small Faces
3/5
This was very much how I'd imagine a Small Faces concept album to sound. Raggy and British and a bit silly
The Charlatans
3/5
Just some cut-price Oasis innit.
Missy Elliott
3/5
Not so much sex positive as sex in your face. Much better than I remember feeling about Missy and her music in the early 2000s.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
This is a really beautiful album, America and Old Friends are such lovely tracks. Perhaps a bit too shrill in other parts, and the old people voices a little too much. Depending on my mood this could be a 4 or 5 but I'm feeling happy to reconnect with it.
Steve Earle
3/5
Good ole boy from the good ole 80s.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
Oh dear, too much dududududududududududududududududuud I think I made it through about an hour of the 3 hr remix album
Coldcut
2/5
Hmmmm not the sort of late-80s stylings I was hankering for today.
Yes
3/5
Yes? or maybe no? Or perhaps the songs are too long and prog?
Baaba Maal
3/5
Sweet soothing Senegalese sounds.
Dion
4/5
Hey Dion I thought you only did The Wanderer, this isn't half bad 1970s singer songwriter stuff. Shades of mid-70s Lennon and Simon.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Beautiful harmonies, some familiar tunes, not a bad way to zone out at work for a bit.
The Vines
3/5
I had completely forgotten about these guys. They were OK but not worth the hype.
Killing Joke
2/5
I had a bad cold over the weekend and this didn't help things.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
The boys are most certainly back in town.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
A pleasant enough listen but nothing ground-breaking for me here.
Throwing Muses
3/5
Yeah this was pretty ok but again nothing to rave about. Been a few of those of late.
Bob Dylan
5/5
The master of words at work. Not all of this hits but gee it made an impact. Don't Think Twice is nigh on a perfect song.
Kings of Leon
2/5
I just don't like this band. The voice, the energy, the sound. Not for me.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Ho hum,very pretty but very samey.
Basement Jaxx
3/5
This is some HARD uni memories. I guess they did this stuff pretty well.
The Associates
2/5
Sulk indeed, found this a bit too whiney.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
Definitely stringy. Sounds like a band (of bearded hippy types I'd wager). Perhaps not incredible, maybe more average.
Heaven 17
2/5
I'm kind of done with mid 80s indie synth postpunk
XTC
4/5
A strange and pleasant mix of Ben Folds and Elvis Costello and the Beatles and God knows what else.
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
Too much noise
Portishead
3/5
A bit too acid not enough jazz
David Bowie
4/5
Not peak Bowie but yes it is Bowie.
Brian Wilson
5/5
It may not fire on every cylinder, but I think it's a true gift to the world that Brian managed to get this together 37 years later. The opening track is sublime.
Soul II Soul
3/5
Ah, 1989, a golden age. Not my kind of music, even when I'm at the club, but the vibes are solid.
Carpenters
3/5
I don't mind the Carpenters in small amounts but this was verging on an overdose of artificial sweetener. I did enjoy track 1, their cover of Help! and the Bacharach tune. Almost a 4
Charles Mingus
3/5
You can almost hear the smoke and sweat on this one.
Kanye West
1/5
The history of music is littered with shit people.
A man with a colossal ego yet so much to be humble about.
The Darkness
3/5
Cut-price Queen
Spacemen 3
3/5
Some bits good, some bits ho-hum, probably good for the background.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Melodic and easy to listen to but not something I'd seek out
3/5
Tuneful enough at times, not enough for a return listen
ABBA
4/5
Soft Machine
4/5
Not the greatest ABBA album. But enough melancholic Nordic synth pop to keep me very happy.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Too angry for today
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Woh I used to love this album. The first four songs hit pretty hard. Dark of the Matinee, good stuff.
The Pogues
3/5
Good but death by fiddle
Caetano Veloso
3/5
In the right mood this would be perfect. Not sure how often that mood pops along.
Laibach
2/5
Can't believe it took me 1084 days to hit my first Slovenian German language industrial rock album.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Recognised a few tunes on here. Will give this another listen next time I need some low key indie sounds.
Little Richard
4/5
Some stone cold rock and roll classics on this album. God knows how many 60s icons this inspired but music history would have been different without it for sure.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
I love some of Sheryl's stuff. This was rather slim pickings though, and at tines a bit cringily 90s.
Alice In Chains
3/5
Nice to get some heavy grunge towards the end
Richard Thompson
3/5
Hey this was pretty good, almost sounded like 80s Australian folk pop rock at times.