Journey Complete!
Finisher # to complete the list
481
Albums Rated
3.1
Avg Rating
60
5-Star Albums
44%
Complete
Rating Speed
2.5
Per Week
1332
Days Active
Reviews
300
Written
62%
Review Rate
vs Global
-0.15
Avg Diff
3.1
Avg Rating
Rating Distribution
How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
Ratings by Decade
Which era do you prefer?
Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1980s
Favorite Decade
Electronica
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Balanced
Rater Style
52
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orbital 2 | 5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
| Leftism | 5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
| Post Orgasmic Chill | 5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
| Germfree Adolescents | 5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
| Floodland | 5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
| The Colour Of Spring | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
| Make Yourself | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
| Murder Ballads | 5 | 3.08 | +1.92 |
| Oxygène | 5 | 3.08 | +1.92 |
| Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo | 5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic For The People | 1 | 3.82 | -2.82 |
| Is This It | 1 | 3.82 | -2.82 |
| Definitely Maybe | 1 | 3.52 | -2.52 |
| The Dark Side Of The Moon | 2 | 4.43 | -2.43 |
| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | 1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
| Pretzel Logic | 1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
| Music From Big Pink | 1 | 3.36 | -2.36 |
| Neon Bible | 1 | 3.35 | -2.35 |
| You Want It Darker | 1 | 3.34 | -2.34 |
| Sea Change | 1 | 3.33 | -2.33 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Bowie | 5 | 4.4 | 3.88 |
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| ZZ Top | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Depeche Mode | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| New Order | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Metallica | 4 | 4.25 | 3.71 |
| Radiohead | 4 | 4.25 | 3.71 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 4.25 | 3.71 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Buckley | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Steely Dan | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 1.67 | 2.33 |
| Morrissey | 3 | 1.67 | 2.33 |
| Leonard Cohen | 3 | 1.67 | 2.33 |
| Arcade Fire | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
5-Star Albums (60)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The Beta Band
2/5
Crap band name. Shit cover. But, credit to the recording engineer; it's difficult to get a good quality of sound when the vocalist's head is so far up his own arse. Good job.
21 likes
Arcade Fire
2/5
I just can't bear his weak whiny voice. Would have given it one star but I know there is far worse on this list ...
6 likes
Skunk Anansie
5/5
A great album by one of the most underrated bands of the 90s. Classic.
6 likes
Leonard Cohen
1/5
First track ok. The rest of it an endless boring dirge.
5 likes
Mariah Carey
1/5
Musical pollution. In the case of the people vs. Mariah Carey, this is evidence for the prosecution.
4 likes
1-Star Albums (52)
All Ratings
Black Sabbath
5/5
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
Sonic Youth
2/5
John Coltrane
4/5
Metallica
3/5
The Police
5/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Dirty Projectors
4/5
Def Leppard
5/5
Fela Kuti
4/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
Radiohead
5/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Red Snapper
3/5
ZZ Top
5/5
The Kinks
5/5
T. Rex
5/5
The Blue Nile
1/5
Kate Bush
3/5
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Bobby Womack
4/5
David Bowie
4/5
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
David Gray
4/5
Ray Charles
2/5
Aphex Twin
4/5
The Specials
4/5
R.E.M.
1/5
Buck Owens
4/5
Screaming Trees
2/5
The Stranglers
4/5
Massive Attack
5/5
Pulp
3/5
Morrissey
1/5
Neneh Cherry
4/5
Nick Drake
4/5
Tears For Fears
5/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Despite my growing antipathy towards RHCP, I actually quite enjoyed that album.
Depeche Mode
5/5
Sepultura
3/5
Ok, but doesn't add anything to what Metallica achieved 8 years earlier.
Supertramp
2/5
A couple of decent tracks but the rest is a meandering mess of self-indulgence. Not a patch on their later masterpiece: Breakfast in America.
X-Ray Spex
5/5
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Not my kind of thing, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
4/5
Excellent guitar work from Graham Coxon and, as a result, the first Blur album that really establishes their sound.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
A couple decent tracks but the rest is a fairly monotonous janglefest.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Radiohead
4/5
Better than expected though still somewhat meandering and freeform. Second half better than first.
Joni Mitchell
1/5
So dull.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Milton Nascimento
4/5
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Generally good, consistent album. But not a patch on NWA's debut.
Fleet Foxes
2/5
Bland.
Coldplay
4/5
Probably Coldplay's best album.
Talking Heads
5/5
Excellent album.
Gary Numan
4/5
Metallica
5/5
Bad Brains
4/5
Paul Simon
3/5
A couple of good singles, a nice blues number and some meandering filler. And he's a prick.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
The archetypal blue collar rock album. Infectiously enjoyable. With a title track that humiliated US politicians who only read the title.
The Jam
3/5
The singles are excellent and there are a few decent album tracks. Ok.
David Bowie
4/5
Never listened to this before. Really good. Feel I will be coming back to this one again quite regularly.
The Who
2/5
A couple of good points but mostly background music.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Aside from "Hurt", obviously, the stand out tracks are Cash's own compositions or where it is just him and a guitar. A couple of the covers miss the mark ("Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Danny Boy", "We'll Meet Again" once it broke into a singalong). Some are wrecked; either by an infernal pianist noodling in the background ("Personal Jesus"), or by some awful co-vocalists - Fiona Apple and Don Henley I am looking at you. Overall, though a really enjoyable listen; I just wish they'd have cut out the unnecessary collaborators.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Excellent.
Roxy Music
2/5
Meh. Not particularly interesting and featuring just one, distinctly average, single.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
I decent blues album with a variety of styles. Much more a John Mayall album than an Eric Clapton album.
Tim Buckley
1/5
Tedious.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Most enjoyable Chicago Blues album.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Have to admit to being somewhat disappointed on listening to this for the first time in many years. I now find it quite dated and repetitive. Maybe a result of overplaying over the years. In contrast, DJ Shadow's Endtroducing ... (an album of similar style and vintage) still sounds fresh and interesting.
Mariah Carey
1/5
Musical pollution. In the case of the people vs. Mariah Carey, this is evidence for the prosecution.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
An album of two halves. The first half is back-to-back bangers. The second more moody/reflective/Cave-like. Ends on a cracking high. The best of the Bad Seeds so far.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
A mixed bag. All the classics are great, naturally. A couple of other good tracks, but I just get bored when he goes all psychedelic and weird. Stick to blues Jimi.
Miriam Makeba
1/5
Not my thing at all.
Ice Cube
4/5
Setting aside the rampant misogyny, this is a great album. A fair amount of that credit must go to The Bomb Squad - the production is top notch and the beats infectious. Ice Cube's delivery is relentless and he carries on very much in the same vein as during his time in NWA - though perhaps even more extreme. Reckon I will be coming back to this one.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Isn't it lovely, made of love? Well, yes it is.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Ok but gets a bit samey after a while. Nowhere near as good as Ms Dynamite's debut, which came out the same year.
The Young Rascals
2/5
Pleasant enough, but probably won't be going back.
Jane Weaver
3/5
Enjoyable and interesting album, though perhaps a little patchy.
Beatles
3/5
A very patchy album with the second disk marginally better than the first. Some great tracks and some absolute dross. A strong argument against double albums in principle.
Tom Waits
2/5
Kinda interesting but not something I'd want to listen to again in a hurry. One particularly irritating feature of the record is the almost canned laughter during the song intros; a bunch of people laughing to things that are barely funny, in a kind of "we get this but you don't because you're not cool enough" way.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
Decent album with a couple of stand-out tracks. Still don't particularly like Neil Young's voice - sounds like John Malkovich doing karaoke. I get the impression that Stephen Stills was the real talent here ...
Michael Jackson
4/5
Great album. Just not as great as its predecessor or follow up.
4/5
A good album but not their best.
Kid Rock
1/5
Came in with extremely low expectations which it seemingly surpassed. Then I realised that pretty much everything good about this album had been pillaged from the greats of 80's hip-hop - you can hear Doug E Fresh, NWA, etc. all loud and clear. So, plagiarism combined with a level of misogyny that would make Ice Cube wince.
Joan Baez
2/5
I'm sure it's lovely. It's just not my kind of lovely.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4/5
Excellent album with some cracking singles and a good mix of interesting experimental tracks.
5/5
A stone cold classic. No weak points at all. Pure brilliance.
The Band
1/5
Whiny Canadian caterwauling. Pretty dreadful.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
It's been a long time since I last listened to this one. Good album and very much of its time. Enjoyable listen.
Pentangle
1/5
For folk's sake.
The Byrds
2/5
A pleasant enough jingle jangle.
Frank Ocean
1/5
Everything that is bad about music today.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Average wannabe indie band. I struggle to see what is super about them.
The Human League
4/5
Fantastic album full of analog synth goodness. Slight dip at the beginning of side B but starts and finishes very strongly.
Merle Haggard
2/5
Pleasant enough "Country Bears" music.
Dr. Dre
2/5
As much a Snoop Dogg album as a Dre album. Decent enough but falls short of Ice Cube's debut. The relentless misogyny and "look-at-my-big-dick" lyrics are regrettable and mar an otherwise decent effort.
Cream
3/5
Three or four stand out tracks and a couple of other decent ones. Want to give it 3 1/2 stars really.
The Cure
4/5
Excellent album containing the archetypal Cure track: "A Forest". Production is sparse but excellent.
Fiona Apple
2/5
Pleasant enough listen one time. I don't feel it will stand up to further visits though. File in the "good for one listen" box.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
To my mind, incredibly overrated. A meandering, forgettable mess of distinctly average blues rock.
Set fuzz box to full badger's arse and rock out, preferably in some spit and sawdust pub. Quite enjoyable but a bit one-dimensional.
The White Stripes
4/5
Great album with a couple of standout classics. Still not their best effort, with that honour going to De Stijl, which best captures their down-and-dirty take on classic blues.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Definitive heavy metal album containing, arguably, three definitive tracks of that genre. Possibly the best last three minutes of any album.
Brian Eno
3/5
Nice, relaxing ambient, possibly only suitable for airports in 2020/21. Not a huge amount of substance though ...
Korn
1/5
Dreadful.
Dire Straits
3/5
Far more easy listening than I remember it. A good album but hardly justifying the 60m+ in album sales.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
What a great voice. Well produced album containing the classic "Son of a Preacher Man" along with a couple of other well known tracks. The rest is pleasant-enough but not particularly memorable.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
Blues standards by hammond organ. Some of the tracks work; some don't.
The Doors
3/5
Prefab Sprout
3/5
Knew the band and the singles but had never listened to the album before. First half definitely better than expected, though the album definitely tails off on the second side.
Traffic
2/5
The panpipe player must die.
Femi Kuti
4/5
Very enjoyable continuation of his father's work.
SAULT
3/5
David Bowie
5/5
This was 4* all the way until I hit "Stay". Then it instantly leapt to 5*.
3/5
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
1/5
Really very dull. A couple of ok tracks.
OutKast
2/5
Miles Davis
1/5
So Miles walks into the studio and says: "hey cats, I've got an idea: let's all play each other's instruments. I don't have the first f'ing idea how to play drums, but how hard can it be? Also, let's not stick on any particular tune ... or key.". Nigh on two hours I don't wish to repeat.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Mostly enjoyable afrobeat. At least the parts where they've managed to keep the keyboardist away from E. PIANO 1 on his DX7.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Great album with some bona fide classics. A stepping stone to the greatness that was to come ...
Burning Spear
4/5
Probably one of the most consistently excellent reggae albums I have ever listened to. Not really my genre, but I really enjoyable listen nonetheless.
John Martyn
3/5
Interesting album. Liked it more than I thought I would. Very varied and, as a result, a bit patchy.
Skunk Anansie
5/5
A great album by one of the most underrated bands of the 90s. Classic.
Cypress Hill
2/5
Ok, but quite forgettable debut. Black Sunday is way better.
Steely Dan
1/5
Blandy McBlandface
The Cure
4/5
Great album but not exactly one to take you to your happy place. Unless, of course, your happy place involves chronic depression and a debilitating drug habit.
Scott Walker
2/5
Quite interesting for its obvious influence on the subsequent vocal stylings of Neil Hannon and Marc Almond, to name a couple. Not really my thing though ...
The Replacements
1/5
A forgettable album that doesn't appear to know what it wants to be, veering from punk to rock and roll to MOR. A couple of ok tracks.
Motörhead
5/5
Classic album. Still sounds great to this day. Legends.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Cat Stevens
3/5
Patti Smith
2/5
Largely forgettable.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
Simply Red
3/5
Actually enjoyed this a fair bit more than I thought I would. Those initial expectations were pretty low mind ...
Belle & Sebastian
1/5
So dull, even the singer sounds bored with it. The nadir is "The Boy Done Wrong Again" - 4:17 of utter tedium. Terrible.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Bass fader to 10. Wah pedal to max. Sit back and enjoy his soulful voice.
Frank Zappa
2/5
Not at all what I was expecting. Largely background music.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
Very enjoyable jazz album. Laid back. By the numbers. Just how it should be.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Classic.
5/5
Adele
2/5
A "perfect" voice that sounds like a million other perfect voices. A collection of generic, factory-produced AOR. Offers very little that is new or interesting.
Taylor Swift
3/5
As over-produced, factory-made pop goes, this wasn't bad. Enjoyed the album tracks over the singles, probably due to the overplay of the latter.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Elliott Smith
2/5
The Saints
2/5
An ok punk/new wave album from a band that sounds like a proto-INXS. A lot of the tracks start of promisingly but then fail to live up to that initial promise.
Beck
1/5
Snoozic.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Excellent, but short. Must of been one of the first recorded works by a major artist featuring a synthesiser.
Beatles
2/5
Justice
2/5
Not bad overall - just not particularly special or interesting. Many of the songs start strongly but then peter out and end badly.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
Nice background music and starts engagingly enough. A bit samey after a while.
Kanye West
1/5
Utterly dreadful. One of the worst things I've listened to on this list so far. Monster is the one bright spot on an otherwise derivative turd of an album.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Iconic East Coast rap album with some absolute classics. A couple of weak points though, which docks them a star or two. They still have more influence, relevance and authenticity in the tips of their little fingers than Kanye and his ilk ...
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Tina Turner
2/5
Very much of its time. And "Private Dancer" written by Mark Knopfler - who knew!??!
Jefferson Airplane
2/5
A couple of stand-out tracks and some background music. "White Rabbit" is the pick of the album.
Björk
5/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
The eternal set-closer "Born to Run" is a stone cold classic. The rest of the album continues in much the same vein but not quite so memorably. Born in the USA is a better album and more varied.
Eels
5/5
Great album. Wonderful production. The opener is a (25 year old) modern classic.
Sepultura
3/5
Oasis
1/5
Definitely not. Mediocre Beatles/T-Rex karaoke in a pub round the corner from Maine Road.
Ray Price
3/5
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Crazy varied album with some very interesting high points together with some decided vanilla 70s prog.
Aerosmith
3/5
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Great album title. Fantastic cover photo. One stone cold classic track. The rest a mixed bag; second side better than the first.
Deerhunter
1/5
One of the more tedious albums I have had the misfortune of listening to. Thought it had finally got interesting but then discovered that Spotify had moved me on to other artists ...
Richard Thompson
1/5
Morris dancers sing Don McLean. Dire.
Manu Chao
4/5
He IS the king of bongo bong.
N.W.A.
4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Japan
3/5
Starts strongly but becomes somewhat anonymous
The Stone Roses
3/5
Five great tracks bookend this album, around a somewhat anonymous middle section. Quite why they decided to drag "I am the Resurrection" and "Fools Gold" out to well north of 8 minutes each, is beyond me - ended up turning good tracks into tests of endurance.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Common
2/5
Billy Joel
2/5
Wasn’t impressed by this. Aside from the hits, a bit dull.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Classic
Elbow
5/5
Prince
5/5
The Strokes
1/5
For an album of not much more than half an hour in length, it really does drag. 20 seconds worth of musical ideas are dragged out to minutes and the vocals are really uninvolving. Disappointing.
CHIC
3/5
A couple of great tracks but generally a little disappointing
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Ray Charles
2/5
Genius schmenius. An album of dull crooning of which, 5 minutes later, I can't even remember one note.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Marilyn Manson
3/5
Some bright moments but a lot of background music and some terrible lyrics. Suspect Trent has a lot to do with the bright points ...
Haircut 100
4/5
Lou Reed
2/5
Not an ideal morning listen. Ok. Had its moments; but I won't be listening again in a hurry.
James Brown
4/5
Why don't all albums have instrumental interludes?
Hookworms
3/5
Starts off promising but quickly becomes background music.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
A remarkable recording even if it does descend into background music at some points.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Interesting banter …
The Smiths
3/5
Definitely one of the best Smiths album. Some great tracks but some filler also.
Public Enemy
4/5
Pixies
3/5
Their fourth best album, if you count the "Come on Pilgrim" EP. Some bright spots but nowhere near as consistent as their earlier work.
Ryan Adams
2/5
Hoping for upbeat Canadian eighties rock but ended up with ownbeat audlin ccoustic uzak.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
Jeff Beck
3/5
Boy does Jimmy Page owe this lot ...
2/5
Q-Tip
2/5
Background hip hop. Decent beats though.
Brian Eno
3/5
Depeche Mode
5/5
A classic, building on the promise shown in "Black Celebration". Backed up by a legendary tour and live album.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Ok. But rapidly becomes background music. Can barely remember any of it. Not a patch on his earlier work: Armed Forces, This Year's Model, My Aim Is True.
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
Better than I expected from a band with probably one of the most pretentiously crap names in history. Dodgy cover though.
George Michael
4/5
Pink Floyd
2/5
It's probably as good as people think it is. Just for me, it's kinda slow and ploddy. Maybe I just don't really like Pink Floyd ...
Bob Dylan
4/5
Can write songs. Can play guitar. Can't sing. Thinks he can play harmonica. Can't play harmonica. Good though!
KISS
1/5
Possibly one of the worst albums I've heard by one of the worst bands. Commercial "hard" rock by the numbers, sold by the bucketload, lapped up by sad losers chanting "THEY CAN'T CHANGE WHO I AM!". Whatever, Gene. Whatever.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Country Bears suicide music.
Beatles
4/5
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" - probably one of the worst things ever committed to vinyl. Then again, "Come Together", "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" - all fantastic. Seems like George was really on form on this one. Macca not so much.
Public Enemy
4/5
Gotan Project
4/5
Unexpectedly enjoyable. Got better as it went on.
Orbital
4/5
Not their best album. Probably not in their top 3. Still very good though.
Alice Cooper
3/5
2/5
No.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Alice In Chains
4/5
Clearly a big influence on QotSA, Incubus etc.
Beatles
4/5
MC Solaar
5/5
Brilliant album. No idea what he's saying, but he is great at saying it. Let's just hope it's not about anything dodgy ...
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Richard Hawley
3/5
Chilled out, pleasant-enough listen. Think I'd prefer "Hawley Corner" by Richard Coles though.
New Order
5/5
A truly nostalgic listen which takes me straight back to sixth form. Still fantastic.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
My least favourite of the first four Led Zep albums. That said, worth it alone for the epic "Since I've Been Loving You".
Pixies
5/5
Gene Clark
3/5
Dead Kennedys
3/5
Paul Simon
5/5
Classic. Even if he did rip off Los Lobos. Prick.
Beth Orton
3/5
Anita Baker
2/5
Sweet Love is a great track, but a whole album it does not make. Most of the rest of the album is filler, though the last track isn't bad.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Talking Heads
4/5
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
The Crusaders
1/5
Four minutes of a good track then endless muzak. Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Sax, see what evil you have wrought upon this world.
The Verve
3/5
Some great tracks, and a lot of filler.
Lightning Bolt
3/5
Difficult to rate. I like to think of myself as being at the noisier end when it comes to music appreciation. However, this album proved a bit wearing after a while. I think I need more than just noise ...
Stephen Stills
3/5
R.E.M.
2/5
Okish album from one of the most overrated bands. Mostly background music but refreshing in that Stipe hadn't yet developed is full whine of a voice.
Otis Redding
4/5
Bad Company
3/5
"Can't Get Enough" is a great track. As for the rest of the album, it's ok when it picks up the pace a bit, but the majority is just too slow. Ok Company.
Sarah Vaughan
5/5
Genesis
4/5
Well, it goes on a bit, but I enjoyed a lot more than I expected to.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
1/5
John Wick in a pig farm.
John Lee Hooker
4/5
Very enjoyable blues album from a legend. Could've done without the Santana-smothered opener though.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Spiritualized
1/5
One of the most boring things I have ever had to listen to.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
Sounds like an album of Green Day b-sides. And "On a Rope".
Blur
3/5
Not the best Blur album but it definitely has it moments and surprises.
Jacques Brel
2/5
The Byrds
3/5
The Hives
3/5
The Birthday Party
3/5
Crap cover but not bad album.
Sisters Of Mercy
5/5
Classic of the genre. End of.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
The effortless groove; the feel-good lyrics; some classics of the genre. It just puts me in a good mood.
Peter Frampton
3/5
Knew the name and a couple of the tracks but had never put the two together. Not bad overall and better when he sticks to the out-and-out blues numbers. "Baby, I love your way", however, is an appallingly saccharine rhodes-soaked-cheesefest.
Nas
3/5
Iggy Pop
3/5
Wire
3/5
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Billy Bragg
1/5
Possibly the most grating voice in popular music.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Van Halen
3/5
Morrissey
2/5
The Prodigy
4/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Portishead
3/5
The third best Portishead album by a stretch. Fourth if you also include the live album. Not a patch on their first two which are both 5*.
Garbage
4/5
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Apart from the execrable "Excuse Me", an otherwise brilliant album.
Talking Heads
4/5
Gang Of Four
4/5
Boston
2/5
One good track and then 32+ minutes of AOR nonsense
Cornershop
3/5
Elton John
3/5
Weather Report
1/5
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
Brian Eno
2/5
The Beach Boys
2/5
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Suicide music on a grey Monday morning. Just what I need.
Mike Oldfield
1/5
Tubular Hell.
Ian Dury
3/5
Röyksopp
4/5
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
TLC
3/5
Billie Holiday
1/5
Dull.
Neil Young
3/5
The War On Drugs
4/5
Kate Bush
4/5
Sheryl Crow
3/5
Sister Sledge
4/5
Chic mk. 2. And nothing wrong with that.
Crowded House
3/5
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
Many people would think this was Layla plus a bunch of filler. I view it as a solid blues album with Layla as a bonus.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
First track ok. The rest of it an endless boring dirge.
Bert Jansch
1/5
Little Simz
3/5
Mylo
4/5
Tim Buckley
1/5
crappy bad
Steely Dan
1/5
An album so dreadful that I wanted to stab myself in the ears to make it stop by only the third track.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
my bloody wastatime
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Taylor Swift
2/5
Nevermore will I listen.
Tricky
3/5
His cover of Black Steel is awesome. The rest of the album is pleasant background music.
The Clash
2/5
1 star for the title track; 1 star for the cover.
Fairport Convention
1/5
Encapsulates everything I hate about folk music. Why can't I choose zero stars.
The Smiths
2/5
Best enjoyed whilst eating a 12oz ribeye.
Parliament
2/5
A little funk-light for my liking. Possibly the greatest cover ever though.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I just can't bear his weak whiny voice. Would have given it one star but I know there is far worse on this list ...
Beatles
2/5
Napalm Death
2/5
There is worse than this on this list.
ZZ Top
5/5
La Grange, on its own, earns 5*.
The Kinks
3/5
Aimee Mann
2/5
Whatever.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
The Triffids
1/5
Shit was ass. Nothing more to add to that.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
2Pac
2/5
Nice production and delivery. Loses a star for being a dick in real life.
Alice Cooper
3/5
The Gun Club
4/5
Like finding a lost Pixies album.
Roni Size
3/5
Elvis Costello
4/5
The first of three great albums from Elvis Costello.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Classic.
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
Dolly Parton
3/5
Country Bears music. But Country Beats music done well.
The Soft Boys
3/5
Sugar
2/5
I like it when they sound like the Pixies. Actually, I just like the Pixies really.
2/5
11+ minutes of Desolation Row did it for me. Quite apt really ...
Janelle Monáe
4/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
M.I.A.
3/5
Decent enough and interesting in places.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Fever Ray
3/5
Sade
2/5
Iron Butterfly
3/5
3/5
Quite enjoyed this but can't say I was listening that closely ...
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Sounds like one continuous groove. All good except I've heard it before on other Marvin Gaye albums. Think I'll stick with What's Going On.
OutKast
3/5
Nirvana
4/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Radiohead
5/5
Bee Gees
1/5
The Bee Gees Sing and Play a Sprinkling of Shit Beatles Songs, by Barry Gibb.
Circle Jerks
3/5
"World Up My Ass" is one of the great song titles and this album gets 1* just for that. However, I am struggling to give more than 3 when they could only be arsed to produce 15 minutes of music.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Quite the change from their previous masterpieces, but still very good in its own way.
Madonna
4/5
Great album apart from the crime that is her American Pie cover. And the awful cover.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
... good.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
Great packaging, and one of those where, though it appears old hat today, I imagine it's impact at the time would have been considerable.
The Cure
4/5
When this was released it would probably have been an easy 5*. 34 years of life later it has lost something of its relevance.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Short and savoury.
Mekons
2/5
mehkons.
The Mars Volta
4/5
Terrible title. Awful cover. Bullshit lyrics. Pretentious band name. 12+ minute track. All of this should add up to an hour or so in sonic hell; but ... actually a really enjoyable listen.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Raiders of the Monkees, Byrds and Beatles.
The Beta Band
2/5
Crap band name. Shit cover. But, credit to the recording engineer; it's difficult to get a good quality of sound when the vocalist's head is so far up his own arse. Good job.
Love
2/5
Harpsichord has no place in popular music.
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
Tres dodgy.
The Vines
2/5
"Highly Evolved" but not particularly involving.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Electric Jugaloo
The Police
4/5
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
Oxygenius
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Elvis Costello
2/5
Brutally dull.
The Auteurs
1/5
The Auturds.
Stephen Stills
4/5
Metallica
4/5
...And no reverb for anybody.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Puts the fun in funky.
Morrissey
2/5
You're an arse.
Janis Joplin
3/5
Bluesy Janis beats Folksy Janis
King Crimson
4/5
Long live the King!
Thundercat
2/5
Thunder thunder thunder thunder ... cack.
The Cramps
3/5
But which lord? The Dark Lord? The Lord of the Dance? Jack Lord?
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Fuck you I won't do what you tell me.
Nirvana
5/5
Never better.
The Coral
1/5
A single catchy song does not an album make. Dull.
Primal Scream
3/5
Ok but overrated.
Isaac Hayes
2/5
What this really needs is a film to watch at the same time.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
A very pleasant morning listen. Hopefully the little man didn't steal too much of the profits - though I wouldn't count on it ...
Orbital
5/5
To all you haters out there: f*ck you. This is f*cking gold.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
A beautiful album for a morning listen. Almost 5*.
Massive Attack
4/5
The weakest of the first three Massive Attack albums. A couple of muzak tracks and an entirely unnecessary cover of Light My Fire have cost it a star.
Orange Juice
3/5
Far from freshly squeezed ...
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Feeling fairly fulfilled.
Throwing Muses
3/5
Dolly Parton
4/5
Gorillaz
4/5
Heaven 17
3/5
Can
2/5
Justin Timberlake
2/5
The spirit of MJ is strong in this one.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Perfekt bleep-bleep.
Madonna
4/5
Bonus star for offending organised religion.
Hot Chip
5/5
The hipster band it's ok to like.
2/5
It turns out my life didn't need an eight minute organ solo. Who knew.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
Can you have too much Country Bears music? Well, yes, it turns out you can.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
Starts well; gets boring quickly. Others have done this sort of thing much better.
The Thrills
1/5
So much for the thrills ...
Herbie Hancock
3/5
Everything Don Simmons wishes he had.
Big Black
3/5
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Killing Joke
4/5
Unexpectedly good
Talking Heads
4/5
Killer debut.
The Magnetic Fields
1/5
69 dull songs derivative of the Divine Comedy and Lloyd Cole.
Kate Bush
4/5
Brilliantly bonkers Bush.
Erykah Badu
3/5
David Bowie
4/5
Hero.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
The best thing he ever recorded. Classic.
Christine and the Queens
4/5
Tres bien. C'est un album quatre etoiles.
Talk Talk
5/5
I've been waiting for the colour of spring.
Foo Fighters
4/5
Dave Grohl. Now there's a talented chap. All his own work don't you know.
Primal Scream
3/5
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Decent enough effort from my least favourite Wilbury. Extra star for Mr Blue Sky.
Julian Cope
3/5
Unexpectedly good. Bit long though.
Brian Eno
3/5
Hit and miss.
JAY Z
2/5
Dull beats. Lacklustre delivery. Bonus star for Eminem's contribution.
Arcade Fire
1/5
Nothing Bible.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
The slightly boring also-rans of techno.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Leftfield
5/5
Etched into my eardrums, Brixton 1996. No complaints.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
Preachy; overrated; average.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Yes
2/5
Again, no.
The Residents
1/5
Unlistenable shite.
Chicago
1/5
One of the worst things I've heard.
Kings of Leon
5/5
Fun album. Still their best.
Adam & The Ants
4/5
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Marvin Gaye
4/5
What a voice.
Kacey Musgraves
1/5
Nice voice. Decent songs. Solid production. Completely derivative.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
The Sonics
2/5
WAAAAAAAAAAAA
Pantera
3/5
Guns N' Roses
5/5
Absolute banger.
The xx
3/5
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
Metallica
5/5
The Who
3/5
One cracking track and a lot of middling filler.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Brilliant album and surprisingly a fairly clear NIN influence.
Beck
4/5
R.E.M.
2/5
Wishing I could force feed that mandolin to Peter Buck.
Björk
3/5
Bjackground Music.
AC/DC
4/5
I've been to far worse places.
The Only Ones
1/5
Only One Star
Scritti Politti
4/5
Hated Scritti Politti back in the day. However, saw them recently, and glad to see their live show has moved on.
M.I.A.
3/5
Beatles
3/5
Wilco
1/5
Dullcore.
Pixies
5/5
Does a lot.
New Order
5/5
I think I'll listen again when it gets seasonable.
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
An hour of bewilderment as to why this is rated so highly
Sex Pistols
4/5
Norah Jones
3/5
UB40
3/5
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
Good fun. I dig.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Clearly influential but not exactly a fun listen.
Incubus
5/5
Love this. Their best by far.
Radiohead
3/5
Too long and far from their best work. Still good though.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Search failed.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
A little too laid back.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
A pleasant reminder of how good an album this is.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Gun-toting, avenging preacherman. Relaxed listen. Great voice.
Mercury Rev
1/5
Happy to desert this crap.
2/5
A couple of ok tracks and a lot of plinky-plonk nonsense. Not their finest hour.
Giant Sand
1/5
My god, that was so boring.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Yeah.
Lambchop
3/5
Aptly named after a cut with a disappointing amount of meat on it. Decent enough background music.
Stan Getz
3/5
Any more laid back and you'd be horizontal.
Culture Club
3/5
It came and went.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I didn't know.
Nico
1/5
Sorry, I just can't bear to listen to this. Interminable.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Miles Davis
4/5
Probably the only jazz album I really like. Still not enough to make it to 5*.
Eagles
3/5
I would like to leave now.
The Roots
4/5
Phrentastic.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
You can't stop ... that 808 cowbell.
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
An album that could have been released by any of a 1000 bands in any of the last 30+ years.
Slint
3/5
There's some good stuff here but not enough to generate 8+ minute long tracks.
808 State
4/5
Everything But The Girl
4/5
Lamb-lite.
5/5
To give this anything less than 5 stars is puerile posturing.
The Lemonheads
3/5
It's a shame it's not just a bit better|.
Madness
3/5
As up and down as its title suggests.