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

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.

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.

I felt stoned just listening to this.

This is a solid sequence of tracks. With a tab of acid, it'd probably be 6 stars.

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.

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.

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.

Pretty kooky and eccentric, I can see the humorous side of it but not my cup of tea.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Great album - rock solid tunes, a great marriage of the mod sensibility to folk and Britpop. Love it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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"

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

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

"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"

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)

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ambient

You sound different from other albums You come from the foam-crested mind

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

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

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?)

The sweetest perfection To some listeners The slightest correction Not really my bag But some nice stuff going on

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

There's an alternate universe where i'm a major jazz-fusion-funk fanatic. It would be a rather weird place.

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"

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

Teenage angst has paid off well (on Nevermind) Now I'm bored and old

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

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

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

I'll be the roundabout The words and music will be pretty way out

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

The salt of the earth What is your impression? Elements of Air Surreal, ethereal, disconnection

(Comical voice) You've got to be in the right mood for a big dose of Randy

Say, this sounds like it influenced a lot of 90s indie music.

It won't be long yeah (yeah) till the Beatles have a 5-star album.

Brings back memories of shared houses, Sydney Olympics and Rage on the TV.

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

Man, that's a lot of Brothers Gibb.

27 years ago? Some amazing classics on here. Yes. This is now a classic album. It can be played on Oldies stations.

Some Doors, some Jefferson Airplane... I had never heard of these guys but their influence on the late 60s is pretty obvious.

This sounds like an extended mix of the theme tune for the fictional sit-com, 'Jerry'.

Some very good quality tunes by this band I've never heard of

I'm more rock than prog, I've figured.

This was a solid 3. Then Kashmir came on.

I hated this stuff in the mid-90s. Now it gives me a bit of a warm nostalgic f***ing glow.

Phew! Don't leave anyone hanging on the telephone with this one. Corker of an album!

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.

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.

Some Natty, no cry

Very mellow Cure here

This is such a great bit of Bob. If the next two albums weren't so spectacular, this would be in 5 territory.

Some pleasantness here, nothing jumped out.

SHAFT

Thanks Rod!

Too hard too fast too loud

My kids: this sounds weird

Works just right as a bit of Welsh britpoprock

I've come round a bit on NIN but still just not for me

Try to forget that Phil is involved and this is a real Christmas cracker.

Sounds as fresh today as it did then. But too many bitches to make it palatable

Two meats out of loaf ain't bad

Bang bang. A smooth listen as I cooked some Mexican food.

Smooth as can be.

That's alright Elvis

Very Boss roadtrip

Very 1966

The birth of great rock.

Deep and long

I love Ray's stories and Sunny Afternoon is just a masterful song.

So THAT'S where grunge came from

Very reminiscent of early Split Enz - it outstays it welcome but has some pleasant moments.

A pretty masterful bit of Clash here

Pretty easy listening at times, but some moments

It was about time we had some salsa

Love the sentiment but the music just doesn't move me as much as I'd like it to. Good bloke though.

Tuneful, bright, twangy, light

Some good rocking here

Not everything on here is incredible. But enough of it is. This is the sound of the early 90s for me.

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.

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.

An acquired taste, and I don't really have the appetite.

Atmospheric and electronic

A bit rude!

This sounds a little bit like Bruce Springsteen

Smooth and classy

I felt stoned just listening to this.

Realised I really like a few songs on this album.

Great beats, I liked this.

Pretty trippy and ambient, I didn't mind this.

A bit of 1980 heavy

Some pretty classic Madge here

This has 1983 written all over it. In pink.

I can almost hear Steven Tyler's lips

Very inoffensive

Ba-ba-BAAAAAAA

I was apprehensive going into this one...but it was alright

1-star.

This is some original Afrobeat - I like what they're doing but I don't think I'd seek it out too often

Some pretty passable Seattle grunge, but someone else did it better

Man that was some proto Britpop fun

Not my thang

Mucha samba

Yeah pretty good.

Yeah I love these guys. A bit samey after a while though.

Sounds a bit like a futuristic video game soundtrack.

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.

Bank Holiday I could do without, but otherwise what a lineup of delicious Britishy pop.

Yeah they were pretty good. I like the opener.

Like a fine teak cabinet full of treasures.

This brings back memories of the older kids break-dancing in the canteen when I was in Year 1.

Man he just so angry with Britney and Christina. A few less homophobic slurs and this would be a 4

Some very soulful Stevland here. Good times.

I like Donovan. But this is a lot of acoustic warbling.

Very chilled but maybe too much to excite my feelings

Not really in the mood for this one

Terrible name, okay tunes.

Some pretty melodic and listenable pop rock - way gentler than I remember

Good, solid Lenny but not his best.

Yeah so not so bad really, I can see where the 90s came from

Some amazing stuff on here, certainly lit my fire

I just love this album, a lot of nostalgia for me with this one. Masterfully Cubano.

Minus 1 star for Morrissey being a dickhead.

Before Mick Hucknall went full tosser.

There's a lot of easy skankin going on here.

The best album by my favourite duo. Sublime in parts.

Yeah, I enjoyed some of this...was thinking it would be a country album so was pleasantly surprised.

You know, good standard late 2010s pop

Some relatively generic Rocks

Technically proficient. But too hard, fast, loud, and short for me.

A bit plucky and twangy for how I was feeling, but a pleasant interlude nonetheless

A bit too night time country

Does exactly what it says on the box

A lot to listen to

Never listened to the Lips before... this was a fun album

Some soulful tunes here, if there's an Elvis period I like it might be this one.

They do this stuff well.

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.

I like some bits but overall not quite what I'm after

A step above telephone hold music, with added smooth sax.

There are some classic live renditions on here.

That's a lot of vocoder

That is some smooth samba.

I think the word that best sums this up is, interesting.

This be pretty kooky, I wouldn't have placed this as 1974.

Some kooky Brazilian psychedelia here. Wow

Some good solid driving.

Amazing voice. Not my kind of music but there are flashes of great.

Very Eno.

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.

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.

This just about sums up the early 90s.

Some standard Cure, Rob is in good voice.

I just really love a spot of Paul Simon. Very laid back and sweet.

I found this grating and unedifying.

I really liked the vibe of this one and would love to know a bit more about it

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.

Sounds pretty Eno to me

This is 1999 in Sydney for me

You know what actually pretty ok.

Definitely a return to fomr, but not quite the best of form. Still, a few good moments

An extra mark because of the intro to Faith GM gets better with age

I felt like I was in Vegas in 1964.

Some Britpop singer-songwriter vibes here, was surprised to hear how he died sooon after this album. How did you like it Adam?

This is some pretty standard early 70s hard rock. A bit samey but some grinding organ

I love this album... Ray Davies at his whimsical best. happy it was the last one I got to listen to in Australia.

Pretty much as Happy and Monday as expected.

This is me and my mates drinking beers underage and acting silly.

Tenacious D should sue these guys for ripping them off.

This is share-housing in 1999 for me. Great album.

This might be controversial... but I'm not a fan of Joy Division

Boppy, rocky, tuneful punky goodness.

I dunno. Maybe 1986 proto-hip hop isn't my thing.

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.

Some good ol' fashioned jazzy Steely Dan.

Some Byrds stuff I'd never heard before, a bit country, a bit twangy. Nice.

Faux reggae, easy blues, power ballads, big hair. Like a time machine to the mid-80s.

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.

Another US act I've been meaning to check out, that got thrown at me this week. Good hard rocking punk.

This is terribly 2000. I like some of it but it doesn't quite feel finished.

That horn-heavy Chicago sound. A fun listen but nothing really stood out...except was that where The Prodigy got that riff?

I still think of this as a 'new' RHCP album... but I now realise it is old, and a classic. Perhaps their best.

Not my favourite 10cc stuff, but gee, they're having a lot of fun here aren't they?

Just a bit too creepy electronic for me

Marc Bolan really was terribly good at what he did.

I know this was groundbreaking stuff at the time, but sounds like some standard beats today. Fun though.

This was just what I needed, some gentle country harmonies as I cooked dinner. Thanks, Willie.

Ravi, what a master! Loved hearing this. And his little explainers for the uninitiated were great.

Some pretty solid beats, a nice listen.

Smooth, funky, laden with disco strings. Good for a Friday night perhaps.

Some cut-price 90s electronica

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?

Some prime LZ here, Rob is in fine voice and there's a nice mix of styles and moods.

Don't think I've heard any of these tunes...but they all sound really nice. I need more Byrds in my life.

Like a happier boppier Duran Duran, with bongos, saxes and a nod to 1980s sitcom soundtracks.

Some more T-Rex to spice up May. Some goood ones on here, a nice combination of rock and bop.

I think I need more vocals on my electronica.

Some classic rap here. I'm bumping it up a star for the Beatles sample and the Bob Dylan reference.

I just found this very tiresome after a while. Didn't really give me a Rush.

Some pretty soulful vocals on this one...and they were REALLY going through a Dylan phase weren't they?

Is this album 20 years old already? Nice, but not much more. Very jazzy and light.

Joan does some good stuff with these songs, but I do find 30+ minutes of her warbling away a little testing.

There's a few great moments on this, I do love the title track, good work all round.

Some good poppy stuff on here, offsets the proto-electronic stuff that I'm not a big fan of.

A stone-cold classic in its way, not all to my liking, but there are some truly seminal musical moments on this album.

If these rhythms were any more latin I think I might dance-form myself into a maraca.

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.

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.

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.

Some nice, cruisy 1967 West Coast rock, a pleasant vibe.

Very chilled jazz, just what the Saturday afternoon ordered.

Very different from what I was expecting, a pleasant enough interlude, less folk and more bluesy rock.

Not as much fun as I expected - but I was in a bit of an anti-Sting mood when I listened.

Never heard this but I do love some of Aimee Mann's stuff. I found a lot to like on here. Very lovely.

A rock suite constructed around a Modest Mussorgsky classical piece? I'd say this errs on the slightly pretentious side of prog-rock.

Some pretty tuneful and enjoyable punk here, I had a bit of fun with this.

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.

I liked the ambience and cruisiness of this one.

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

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.

I didn't even know that Beyonce had a sister! A lovely voice and some pleasant-enough beats.

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

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.

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.

Very melodious and beautiful, I will be giving this a spin for a while to get into the nooks and crannies.

There were some really beautiful moments on this. I will definitely be giving Arcade Fire a deeper investigation. Thanks, 1001albumsgenerator!

I do like LZ, but I sometimes get a bit Planted out.

Brown Sugar is as hard and vulgar as the Stones get. Wild Horses is as beautiful as they get. A great album.

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.

Feels like hearing some of the soothing birth gurgles of Britpop. And there's even a future Oasis member singing lead!

Some OK stuff on this one but probably only one listen for me.

A bit snarly for me but there's shades of Franz Ferdinand which I quite like.

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.

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.

Gee, the first hip hop albums were cheery old things!

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.

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.

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.

A bit too way out for me I'm afraid.

A really lovely vibe, was just what was needed for a Sunday family board game soundtrack

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.

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.

There's a lot of great melodic moments on here, and the lyrics give a reminder of just how fucked Bush's America was.

Quite airy, and dreamy, a bit of Pink Floyd in there, and some Radiohead, and some...other things. Very pleasant.

Yeah this is some OG white boy rap. Some good fun on this album.

Mostly pretty average Daft Punk considering how good some of the later stuff is. But a few good moments.

A nice spot of acid-tinged rock. My dad asserts it's a 5 but I beg to differ.

There was a lot of good stuff on here that increased my admiration for Mr Pop. I loved the Bowie collab!

Some fabulous covers and reimaginings on this album, rather fitting for the guys who were covered by the Beatles for Twist and Shout.

The vocals are a bit out of tune but that's maybe what makes this so goddamn cosy.

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.

Never listened to Bad Company before. They do the job competently.

Yeah nah.

A little smooth and maybe too MOR for how I was feeling today.

Obrigado for some funky Brasil-Afrobeat good times. I managed to pick up the melody that Rod Stewart got sued for.

Some very lovely moments on this, a fun listen. I feel like I need more Sufjan in my life.

You could pack this up in a little bumbag, pop a blonde mullet on it, and call it the Eighties.

This is some real premium, bass-heavy Bob. I was in a reggae mood so a full 5 from me.

I really like There Must be an Angel from later on, but this is pretty good.

Some solid rap here, plenty of MF and N and F and S. Good opportunity to explain genre-appropriate language to the kids.

Touches of the Cure, a solid listen on our car trip into Malaysia

Plenty of energy and fun being had. I could probably do with a bit more Stranglers in my life.

What a voice. Slap bass, funky beats, disco guitar, soppy strings. Nice.

I think I have figured out my least favourite type of music, he said in a throaty growl.

An easy listen by the beach. Good vibes.

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.

A bit scruffy and scrappy, not quite what I was after today

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.

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.

I have to say, this was an interesting listen - but not necessarily always a very fun one. I appreciate the effort though.

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.

Perhaps ambitious is the word? Some great ideas but I feel that this would be bettter cut down to half the length.

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.

Like going into an Alabama bar and hearing people sing about sensible things

Wow that is some quality sound construction right there. Quite an amazing album. Big memories of first year uni.

Another great mid 90s album, there are some legitimate bangers on this one. Much fun had listening to this

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.

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.

I really enjoyed the soul stuff on this, a lovely listen

I'm a sucker for a bit of Tay Tay. Some kick arse pop right here.

Wow feel that rhythm.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yes thanks. What a great album.

Too much Morrissey for one lifetime.

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.

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.

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.

Some really great songs on here, Dusty does a great job with interpreting some classics. This is 1964 in a nutshell

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.

Well that was fun.

This is the Summer of Love in an album - tuneful psychedelia with some great vocals and familiar melodies.

Some good memories here from my Britpop clubbing days, not a bad listen.

That voice - amazing. There's a lot of soul on this album. Rolling in the Deep is a modern classic for sure.

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

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?

This is a solid sequence of tracks. With a tab of acid, it'd probably be 6 stars.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

There are just some very impressive moments on this album, Adele has one hell of a set of pipes.

Thoughtful, jazzy, a pleasant interlude to accompany dinner.

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.

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.

Some nice early punk with a few fun moments, I most like the Pablo Picasso song.

Some relatively inoffensive pop with an interesting twist of having it in the two languages.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 is amazing on guitar. The drumming on this album is incredible. Voodoo Chile is great but outlives its welcome.

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.

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.

Some nice indie rock, I enjoyed the vibe of this.

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.

This was a great album, loved this and quite a few songs I'd never heard before.

Some pretty generic mid-80s hair rock. Apart from Jump it's largely pretty listless.

Shades of Stevie Wonder, some cool songs on here worth another listen.

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.

Very listenable, generic 1986 rap? Check.

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.

Rule the World is a fabulous song. The rest of the album has never really grabbed me but I can appreciate TFF's talents.

Good atmosphere on this one

A bit too rough and raggedy for me

I love a bit of EC, even this one which isn't one of his best.

A bit same but I think this captures the early 2000s zeitgeist well. There are at least two amazing songs on this one.

A bit too much hair and rock for me

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

I'm still not a keen listener to DM but this has some okay moments.

This was a fun little thing.

Some rock solid Doors, Jim is in fine voice.

Even if this only had Rolling Stone and It Takes a Train it would still be a 5. Amazing album.

Ooh. Not the punk I'm into, I'm afraid.

Some moments of okayness but overall a bit too dirty rock

More rock than funk

I can appreciate the skill of the piano playing and improvisation, but modern jazz just doesn't grab me much

Some of the sharpest rock 'n' roll the boys ever delivered. It needs more ballads in my mind, but a hefty, quality album nonetheless.

Certainly an eclectic collection of tunes, I do have some respect for old PG and his ability to change it up.

A bit too much treble and wheedling vocal performances but overall a satisfactory bit of late 60s folk.

Not a bad listen but it would have been nice with some vocals.

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.

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.

There's too much, too many ethereal moon sounds, too much indulgence. Whittle it down to a strong 6-song album.

So FUNKY. Loved a lot of this. Also got to talk to the kids about what funk music is.

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.

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.

I really enjoyed most of this - some lovely melodies, great mood-setting songs.

A little too much vibraphone for me. I think I'd enjoy it more sitting in a jazz tango bar in Buenos Aires.

Not a relaxing listen, but plenty of good energy

A bit too smooth,like the adult contempo radio station on Grand Theft Auto Vice City.

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.

Lots of really fun rocking tracks on this one, almost a bit of Smashing Pumpkins in amongst the Britpop.

There are some classic Joni vocal moments here, let down a bit by some very mid -70s production and musical choices

A pleasant listen, not much stands out but would be a nice soundtrack to an afternoon

What a fantastic album, really liked a lot of this. Melodic, fun, bouncy, plenty of nods to rock and pop heritage.

Some kooky old classic B 52s, plenty of fun but won't make it to my play list as a regular

Ooby Doo I wanna be like you hoo hoo Good voice, fun popular jazz listen

I gave this two listens, lots of beautiful singing, chilled rhythms and pleasant vibes. Will come back to it for sure.

There's a few classic moments on this but mostly this is not a patch on the Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie.

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.

There was a nice aroma of melodic Indie here. Some good tunes. Worth another listen.

Some down and dirty early 80s rock. Couldn't get the image of frizzy beards out of my head.

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.

Love that voice, the funky music and the overall vibe. Nice album.

Who'd have thought that Frank doing some bossa nova standards would sound so good?

Never heard this album, it was a really good one with some classic Neil hallmarks.

It gets better toward the end but I'm really just not that into 90s electronica. A bit too repetitive too.

For a moment I had to check, I thought this was a spoof album by Spinal Tap.

I really enjoyed the deep bass, good humour and playfulness of this

A brilliant, funky, exuberant album. Minus one star for MJ being a creep.

Quite a gentle and listenable spot of 90s rock

The murmurings of something great about to happen, but not quite there yet.

THAT VOICE and oh what a collection of soulful, funky, rockin' songs.

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.

There's a lot to like on here, but I still can't help but see them as a cut-price David Bowie ripoff.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Not half as punk as I thought it would be. Some cool moments but mostly not my bag.

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.

A long breezy slice of acoustic indie that might be enough to get me to explore Wilco a bit more

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

Some good strong punk, just not where my head was at today though.

This was some kooky stuff. That said, it went well alongside a Saturday board game.

This was a little slow burn for me but some great tracks on there make this just beyond good

An incredible voice, some pretty great compositions - but I wasn't feeling very Gershwin when I listened.

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.

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.

There's some massive tunes on this big boy.

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.

Gotta say this is a constantly interesting album.

I enjoyed this more than I thought. A dramatic hybrid of Queen and Radiohead. Just a bit too dramatic though.

It was nice to hear the Portishead/Tricky melange again. Some very mid-90s stuff going on here.

Where is My Mind? is a fantastic song. Nothing else on here matches it but there is certainly some passion on display.

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.

Not my sort of thing, and the first song really put me off. But after a few tracks I could appreciate the sentiment.

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.

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.

Fuck that was a slog. My throat hurts.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Well that's my quota of U2 for the year. 'One' is a legitimately great song. The rest, meh.

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.

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.

This is rudimentary but very listenable TP. I prefer the 80s stuff but American Girl is a banger.

Haven't heard any SA for decades. A bit harder than I recall. Definitely distinctive.

Just the right amount of smooth that I required whilst cooking dinner.

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.

Nothing special but nothing terrible.

This sone funky shit.

Well definitely an eclectic mix of... just about everything.

There were a few familiar moments on this one. A definite mid 90s throwback.

A very chilled album to cook along to.

Right amount of jazz for today's purposes.

The creaky voice and air of melancholy are just the thing this album needs. Sadly beautiful in its way.

I liked a lot of this quite a lot.

Not really my bag but the French do EDM really well. Shades of Daft Punk here.

Spacey and chilled vibes

A bit too quirky at times but undeniably a pretty impactful album, and deservedly so.

Some cool calm and collected 60s groovy rock. Not overly memorable but nice.

I'm sure Metallica have done some better stuff than this. Just too much chugga-chugga-grr

Some relaxed Oz rock vibes, perhaps a bit too long

Another sound album from Black Sabbath - does what it says on the box.

Light and folky, whispered away on the wind.

A band that passed me by in the 2000s. Worth another listen I reckon.

Never heard this before. Quite melodic and chilled.

There are some great songs on here but Randy's schtick gets a bit tiresome quite quickly

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.

An iconic album, a mixed bag for me, but no denying the raw power of Stairway.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The beats and samples were very cool.

This was some good fun, passed me by quite pleasantly.

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.

Solid 80s blues rock by a veteran master of the genre

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?

I felt like I was listening to the sundtrack from Homeland. Relaxing and good vibes.

I'd never encountered the Flamin' Groovies, these guys ROCK. Shades of the Stones and CCR. Good find.

Ray has an incredible voice, but this is more the crooner end of his spectrum. I prefer the bluesy rock 'n' roll Ray.

Good strong early soul

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.

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.

Not even a little bit.

Wow that was hard work. And this is a rough week.

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!

I really loved this album. Beautiful melodies, complex harmonies, great songwriting, clever lyrics. A real treat after a week of too much heavy metal.

Some good rock-solid reggae, nice to hear some that isn't Bob.

Some real shades of 80s and 90s stuff here. Nice, but nothing especially grabbed me.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jazzy and smooth like warm treacle.

Some tuneful Roxy but not much I'd heard before or listen to again

The voice is great. The music a bit too MOR and soft jazz.

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!)

Nothing Compares 2 U - amazing song. The rest is a bit of a hodgepodge, some of it OK but nothing up to those lvels.

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.

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.

A lot of anger but I suppose it comes from some complex trauma. This is just about as 90s gangsta rap as you get.

Yeah okay. I lind of like this. Probably as brutal lyrically as 2Pac but it sounds less aggressive.

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.

Oh I do enjoy this album a lot. Some classic William.

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.

Father and son both very talented. There was some very pleasant folky stuff on this album.

Slayed ar gud fn nd alwayz garanteed too plai sum sollid rok.

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.

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.

Some lovely chilled bluesy Malian vibes

Engaging but a bit listless at times. Plot twist, I watched the completely unrelated film of the same name tonight as well.

What a lovely album... shades of 60s and Blur and Pulp. Will give TDC more time for sure

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.

I gotta be honest, Joy Division got better later on. A bit glum for me.

I really liked this, lovely songs and sounds.

Some okay ambience for the afternoon, but largely forgettable

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.

Brogue, tin flute and acoustic guitars, that's what I needed

Never listened to Joan's less famous stuff before. Nice, but verging on too easy listening for me today.

Just a bit too gangster for me. I'm not the OG, I'm more PG.

I enjoyed the attitude and musicality of what I managed to listen to... will come back to this

What the actual fuck, punk was invented 5 years before I thought it was. Grrrr

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.

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.

There are some really beautiful songs on here - this deserves multiple lessons to get to grips with. I really enjoyed it.

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?

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.

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.

A bit frenetic for me. But I understand Devo better now.

Gawd help us

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.

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.

Not a difficult listen, mostly very melodic and swinging. Still not really what I'm into but I appreciate the craft. WELCOME SUKI

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.

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.

Slower and more restrained than I thought it would be. Some quite pleasant songs but nothing that really blew me away

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.

There are some cracking live renditions on here. Pure raucous West Coast blues rock. Good stuff. Especially Janis.

Man this is some sexy music.

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.

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.

This really is a very fine album. Man, Lauryn can sing with true soul.

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.

Not half as tough as I thought it would be. In fact quite a pleasant listen.

So that's where Blur came from. Some of it is average but there are some brilliant songs on here too.

Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa What a lot of fun they seem to be having

Not Paul's best, a bit too much sax, but a few very good songs, including his semi- Lennon tribute.

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.

Pretty standard Who stuff. A few crackers and a fun concept but overall a bit samey.

Holy hell the trumpet player is incredible. Hard to believe this was recorded live, if it wasn't for the banter in between.

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.

A classy and boppin little album of cool, cool R and B with more than a tinge of disco. I enjoyed this.

Mot my favourite kind of music but I enjoyed some of the songs.

A bit slow and melancholy, not really a patch on Urban Hymns.

Generic hard rock. Minus one for that album cover.

Too mechanical for me.

Dave is in fine voice and fine form, this could be from 20 years earlier. It is very very Bowie.

Two fantastic songs, a few good ones, some kooky tunes that don't even sound like The Police. A very good album.

This was fun, like finding the soundtrack for a lost Tarantino Bollywood film.

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.

I thought, oh another Gen X postpunk album, and then I heard this familiar voice and I thought, Iceland punches above its musical weight.

This sounds pretty fresh for a 32 year old album. Not really my bag but I quite liked it.

Not all of it hits, but the bits that do, really do. The musical and conceptual themes are quite magnificently integrated.

Some real classics on this bad boy. Sweet harmonies and stoned vibes.

Sone of this is very interesting and funky. Some doesn't hit very well. Overall, maybe worth one more listen.

Yeah okay but pretty generic, more a rattle than a commotion

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.

No just too much, I didn't enjoy this. Loud and out of tune. Plenty of energy though

Not bad at all. Like the Smiths meets the Cure meets Duran Duran. Never heard these guys and I'm sure I should have.

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.

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

Ah the Tramp are always good for some very familiar, cheesy, sax-heavy proggy tunes. Enough iconic ones on here to warrant a 4.

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.

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.

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.

A chilled and enjoyable spot of early thou's indie, might come back to this

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

There's some iconic guitar work in here but overall just a bit too silky smooth for my tastes.

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.

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.

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.

Gee this is a fun album. Enjoy yourself!

This rocks and blues and blues rocks. Nice to hear the Rods and Rons having a go too.

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.

Hmm. I tried I really did. But I don't like the voice, the music, the rapping, the sentiment. I appreciate the effort.

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.

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.

A cruisy listen on a relaxed Saturday afternoon. Some nice jazzy sax.

Brimful is a great song. The rest I found okay.

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!

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.

This had plenty of boppy good moments. Time After Time is a great song.

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.

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.

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.

This is nice exuberant but still political rap. A pleasing and nostalgic listen.

This is one funky collection of tracks. Everyday People I could listen to on repeat, what a driving rhythm! Stand! is also awesome.

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.

Yeah nah this was pretty much unrelentingly awful.

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.

I was very impressed with this - I really haven't given Tori the requisite amount of time, and I should, and I will.

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

Hmm yeah okay. Not a fan.

Some good ole country vibes, nothing out of the ordinary, twangy and light.

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.

This was interesting, never heard of them before. Bits of it I really liked, others weren't as easy on the ears.

Nice to hear a bit of 60s rocker become an 80s proggie/poppie dude. I loved the first song, the rest were okay.

I listened to this three times and liked it more and more each listen. Arriba!

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.

A bit too raucous for my tastes but this album had its moments

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.

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.

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.

I got heartily sick of this after a while. Which is a shame, I don't mind a good tango.

"Hello, could I please have fourteen serves of 1989?" "Certainly sir, take this Neneh Cherry album !"

Soft Cell are certainly one of a kind. This had some fun moments. Not really my thing but I didn't find it objectionable.

A lovely serve of jaunty, happy, semi-punk. Very tight and well arranged.

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.

I actually really enjoyed this. Great voice, some smart songwriting, a casual and relaxed vibe.

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.

A lovely bit of homespun comfort from the country-folk-rock-Canadiana/Americana boys. How good is Dixie Down?

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.

This is a four, for Blueberry Hill alone.

Very chilled vibes this passed me by without incident

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A gentle dose of soft Aussie rock

I liked some of this. Good alternative 90s rock

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.

Dad says good voice, songs are rubbish, good after a few beers and a joint.

Interesting for sure, occasionally listenable, intermittently not. Giving an extra star for the effort.

Good solid northern British rock with a shade of Oasis and Beatles

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.

Great renditions although a tad too long perhaps.

Some functional punk, was pleased to hear the Jackass theme on this.

Pure Bruce. I'm not sold on him but he goes down like a cheap wine.

I had a few moments of interest in this but it mainly served as background music.

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.

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.

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.

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 has largely passed me by. They sound melodic and emotional and all that, but there's something not quite there for me.

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.

Does the Roxy Music job. None of it sticks with me but flows by nicely.

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.

This is a guilty pleasure. Great memories of moshing at Balinese nightclubs during Schoolies '96. The Offspring never sounded this good again.

Oh dear, another inscrutable prog rock album. A few rock-y moments but mostly interminable noodling.

An OK listen. Jaunty in parts, but mostly just a soundtrack to my morning.

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"

I gotta say, after a few of these albums, I'm just not a Tom Waits fan.

Another one of Neil's classics, perhaps a little gentler than Harvest except for the absolutely scathing Southern Man. Love it.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

This album is pretty ROCKING. Nice to hear, I've always let the Black Keys pass me by a bit.

I got to say, I really enjoyed this. Good Beck is good music.

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.

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.

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.

Some lovely sweet country vibes. No relation.

Some lovely sweet country vibes. Hang on, wasn't that yesterday?

This is about the most accurate description I've seen of any album yet. Pretty slight, but exactly what I needed this morning.

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.

Not my kind of thing, but smooth and silky enough to provide some background sounds.

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.

Ah, so that's where the Foo Fighters heard it.

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.

Ah, beaucoup de fun! Always thought rap and hiphop sound better in French.

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.

A bit too angry and mean spirited for me

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.

This sounds like it would have been one helluva show. Love how he humanises the audience so naturally.

A microcosm of 1966: sitars, backwards guitars, jangling 12 strings, psychedelic imagery, close harmonies, eastern melodies. I liked this a lot.

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.

A rather eclectic and interesting record, a few different things emerged during my one and a half listens

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.

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)

Not half bad, actually, kind of Living End meets Britpop. I'd never heard Pete Doherty's stuff and my estimation has risen slightly.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yeah nah. I'm not into late 80s Goth rock. Too many gated drums and emotions.

I should like this more, but the overall effect was a bit grating and repetitive

Motorhead do one thing and seem to do it quite well. Lemmie is certainly in fine fettle.

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)

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.

Ooooh, that some smooth sax and bossa nova vibes. Good music to mark to.

Some smooth as silk jazzy sax. Music to drive to.

Some good ole thoughtful country with shades of Johnny Cash among others.

Love some mariachi trumpets with indie rock.

More of the same from these guys. Music to BBQ by.

Good rock but not up to his White Stripes standards

Definitely interesting. Had never heard of this fella. I really like one or two of these, might give this another spin.

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.

Not a bad bit of rock guitary stuff, feels newer than 1980

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.

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.

It's amazing what a redneck cousin-marrying pedophile can do behind a piano.

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.

Shades of the Sunnyboys, Midnight Oil, other early-80s Aus Rock acts. Has its moments.

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!

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.

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

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

Good old-fashioned steel pedal poignant country. Slow and low.

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?

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

I've not heard this FBS album, certainly not as iconic as his next one.

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.

This brought some comforting loveliness. I will be listening to this band some more for sure. I hearted about four songs.

If I was in a club in 1997 this would be much better. Setting Sun is still an amazing piece of music though.

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.

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.

There are moments I love the kookiness of Roxy Music. But I never seek them out, best enjoyed randomly or in small doses perhaps.

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.

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.

There's some fabulous tracks on here, not all of them, but plenty.

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.

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.

Kooky as all get up. Quite fun though.

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.

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.

Far too self referential and wallowing in her own genius for my likes. But an amazing voice and musicality.

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.

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.

I liked this, some beautiful melodic songs. Will listen again.

Too fast too loud too many arpeggiated guitar solos. My head hurts. I think I just don't like generic heavy metal.

This was too glitchy and meandering for me. Not very enjoyable.

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.

Ah, 1989. Back when I could understand rap lyrics. Cheeky, fun, a sense of playfulness. Not bad at all.

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.

Started a bit meh but this soon grew on me, loungey yet dramatic and accusatory. Great voice. Good work Ms Apple.

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?

I just wasn't in the mood for 80s hair metal today. It does it competently but too much slick screechiness for me.

Holy shit.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is definitely kooky and ground breaking and fun. Thing is, most of it isn't my kind of music.

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?

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.

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.

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.

I was pleasantly surprised by some of this. A real eclectic mix of songs, occasionally pretty melodic.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A bit more milktoast than tigermilk. Softer than I remembered

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.

Kooky and ooky, as predicted. Still not a fan but I can happily listen.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'

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.

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.

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.

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.

At their best, KISS are theatrical and fun. Not here - plain, average and sometimes cringey. Perhaps one track worth a listen.

Flows past like a dreamy bit of guitar fluff with echoes of early U2, but better.

Well that was shit.

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 is a sadistic, weird Tom Waits without the musicality and goofy likeability.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Surprisingly tuneful for a band called Meat Puppets.

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.

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.

Twangy, occasionally violent, forgettable. I liked the Buck Owens cover though.