Journey Complete!
Finisher #419 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
3.64
Average Rating
100%
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London Calling
The Clash
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2010s
Favorite Decade
Samba
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other
Top Origin
Generous
Rater Style
187
5-Star Albums
18
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman | 5 | 2.22 | +2.78 |
| Haunted Dancehall | 5 | 2.37 | +2.63 |
| Oar | 5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
| Duck Rock | 5 | 2.66 | +2.34 |
| Let's Get Killed | 5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
| Slipknot | 5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
| Justified | 5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
| Cut | 5 | 2.71 | +2.29 |
| m b v | 5 | 2.71 | +2.29 |
| Group Sex | 5 | 2.74 | +2.26 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel California | 1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
| The Gershwin Songbook | 1 | 3.53 | -2.53 |
| Wish You Were Here | 2 | 4.3 | -2.3 |
| It's Too Late to Stop Now | 1 | 3.25 | -2.25 |
| The Wall | 2 | 4.14 | -2.14 |
| Too Rye Ay | 1 | 3.12 | -2.12 |
| Nighthawks At The Diner | 1 | 3.01 | -2.01 |
| Let Love Rule | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Viva Hate | 1 | 2.96 | -1.96 |
| The Stranger | 2 | 3.86 | -1.86 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 4.8 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 4.67 |
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.33 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.6 |
| The Stooges | 3 | 5 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.4 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.5 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.5 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 4.67 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.14 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| Primal Scream | 2 | 5 |
| Stan Getz | 2 | 5 |
| Portishead | 2 | 5 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 |
| Love | 2 | 5 |
| The Chemical Brothers | 2 | 5 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 4.25 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 4.25 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 4.33 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kings of Leon | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Who | 5 | 4 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Morrissey | 4 | 1.5 |
| Grateful Dead | 2 | 1.5 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1.5 |
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Albums | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Waits | 5 | 1.55 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 1.3 |
| Pixies | 3 | 1.25 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 3 | 1.25 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 1.25 |
5-Star Albums (187)
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Popular Reviews
The Zombies
2/5
Expected so much more from the band that gave us 'She's not There' and 'Time of the Season' - it's a listenable album but very forgettable
13 likes
Gillian Welch
5/5
It’s Been a long time that I heard an album of which I loved every song on the first listen - wonderful
12 likes
Slipknot
5/5
This was earth shatteringly ground breaking when it came out to my ears and I think it still holds up. It’s particularly unique sound - actually strong songs and atmosphere - I think it’s probably one of the few surviving good albums of its genre. I mean ridiculously over the top anger and silly clown costumes with an overly staffed band - but at the same time churning out a great record… can’t not love it. Maybe the white rapping is a bit naff at times but hey a Time Capsule of embarrassment never killed anyone.
7 likes
Jurassic 5
2/5
Starts strong - love the break beats and general feel but unfortunately as an album it tapers quite early - by the time it hits its 56 mins of length it really feels overlong. It could have done with half its length removed and it would have been an excellent record
7 likes
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
Nope. Besides the first song all I got was images of pickup trucks and leopard print and a whole lot of meh.
6 likes
1-Star Albums (18)
All Ratings
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Little wing and castles are standout - lovely musicianship but as an album is not the most balanced
The Crusaders
3/5
A bit on the cheesy side but introduced me to a new genre
Bob Dylan
3/5
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Perfect album start to finish
Judas Priest
4/5
Surprisingly listenable
The Stone Roses
5/5
Classic and excellent
Sepultura
4/5
Quite fun and listenae
Ute Lemper
2/5
A bit of an uphill struggle to listen - very cabaret-y and wasn't too impressed by it.
Pixies
4/5
Awesome always loved this
David Bowie
5/5
Fleet Foxes
4/5
I actually like this album surprisingly - also perfectly wintry
Eminem
5/5
Good album but super homophobic and misogynist - something that feels rather aged in the post-me-too era. But damn that was a trip down memory lane in the early 2000s - I didn’t listen to this album back then but it’s just a perfect snapshot of that particular time. Which is why it’s an album one must listen to- and probably not love. It’s a tough one man’s screwed up thought roller coaster that has no place 20 years after it was released but at the same time it’s a perfect Time Capsule. It’s a pendulum swing between brilliant and horrible.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
A strange lyrical obsession about paying the bills and rent - and generally quite a non-memorable album except for a couple of classics. It’s a container for it’s a sin and heart and kings cross I guess - the rest are fillers
The Beach Boys
4/5
Hawkwind
4/5
Great but super long
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
One of my all time favourites
Napalm Death
4/5
At time novelty at time to be taken seriously - at times comical at times kick ass - good album - needs further listening
Laibach
4/5
Interesting - can see where rammenstein got their chops. Wholly entertaining industrial - and makes sense given the bands history. Great dark humour too - but Milan Frans’ vocals are the standout here.
Kind of starts petering out toward the end though
Garbage
3/5
Nice poppy tunes but unremarkable as an album
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Lovely voice great wintry album - and some classic songs to boot.
Aerosmith
2/5
Better on second listen but still a bit meh. It’s a good rock album and see where Aerosmith got it’s cred as a band.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Better than expected - main single is still a banger but not something I’d return to
Rush
3/5
Not a great album but a fun album - I would go back to it. I mean who doesn’t like to start an album with a 20 min song? Am I right?
PJ Harvey
4/5
Great needs further listening - one of those that unfolds with every listen
Kate Bush
5/5
Lovely and wintry
The Jam
4/5
Best balanced album by the Jam - gets better with every listen so far. On the lines of London calling by the clash
Iron Maiden
4/5
Excellent - forgot how awesome number of the beast and run to the hills are.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Like a happy OK Computer with awkward lyrics - it’s better than expected
Wire
3/5
Fun punk album - some really good songs but as an album unremarkable
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Thought I was going to suffer hippiedom but this is a great album - I have got to stop starting with preconceptions. ‘Today’ is a wonderful song and besides ‘Somebody to Love’ and ‘White Rabbit’ all other songs are infused with a gentle blues and folk - reminiscent of Love’s Forever changes
Iggy Pop
4/5
Awesome
Machito
4/5
Not jazz literate enough to understand it’s significance but it’s a great listen that’s for sure - one for repeats definitely
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Amazing obviously
Grateful Dead
2/5
Meh
Queen Latifah
3/5
A grower - and it gets funkier as it progresses. It’s Jamaican tinged tracks are my favourite.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Oh my god … beautiful - how did I miss this album before
The Kinks
4/5
So far my favourite kinks album as a whole
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
Fun but a bit too angst - some classic songs but if you’re over 20 it feels a bit disconnected
Mott The Hoople
3/5
Ok nothing remarkable
The Go-Go's
3/5
Interesting - but not a classic - some good songs and quite fun overall
Simply Red
2/5
On the cheesy uninteresting side - but it’s got its own sound
Orange Juice
3/5
Pretty ok - like a bargain bin Roxy music, or Specials or David Byrne
Spiritualized
4/5
Had a different impression of this album - loved the gospel angel and while no standout songs - it feels like a true album - one large musical piece from start to finish - pleasant surprise
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Oh bossa nova grooves and Sinatra swooning over it - what’s not to like - end to end lovely record
Various Artists
3/5
Well - it was painful but this IS the definitely Christmas album in my book. and the wall of sounds cuts through and it does have some personality - so while did not wholly enjoy it due to my disdain for Christmas songs - it does have substance in its own way
2/5
Meh. Not the best blur album - and a bit overlong with very few standouts - my favourite turns out to be the delightfully demented intermission
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Lovely - what a discovery and what a great live album
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
It’s ok but nothing special I guess - some decent reggae and dub but it’s a very 90s ‘WORLD’ music album - emphasis intentional
The Byrds
3/5
Interesting listen - some decent songs and a nice change
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Still as good as I remember it - and still holds up well. Not their best album but it’s a good one.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Good song after good song.- this album is fresh as ever and grooves madly. It’s also themed with what I think is David’s struggle with newfound sobriety - which gives it a layer of depth beyond the dark synth pop that makes this album
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Forgot about this album - surprisingly poignant even for today and a lovely voice - not skunk anansie s best but a good one
New Order
3/5
Nice - very The Cure like and finally a full album by new order that I warmed up to fully
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
Sublime album - somehow been avoiding it but it’s a masterpiece
The Strokes
4/5
Lovely - although biased because it brings back really nice memories. It’s still rocks and now with time as perspective it’s not just a trend but has a bit of, dare I say, classic vibe going?
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Can never really warm up to Elvis costello but at the same time can feel some brilliance in rhythms and Melodies pop out of most songs. This album also isn’t the most accessible
The Beach Boys
4/5
I don’t think I’ve heard a beach boys album I didn’t like - this is not their best obviously but love the more surf-iness sounds of early beach boys - enjoyed every bit of it
Supergrass
4/5
Great fun - I think it’s an under appreciated album vis-à-vis it’s contemporaries - it’s a good punk ish album with a tinge of the kinks and a bit of its own thing - and the song ‘alright’ is a timeless classic - the perfect anthem for the youth of its time
The Young Rascals
3/5
A nice discovery - what I at first dismissed as a beach boys copy actually turned out to be a really good album in its own right - with great stand out tracks and a good representative of the decade - enjoyed this one.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Often overlooked but this band was actually consistently good - not least due to Mark Lanegan’s wonderful voice. It is not special and it’s not their best - but it’s a good album that gets better with every listen.
Elbow
2/5
Some good tracks - an album worth exploring but doesn’t feel like one of the greats
The Rolling Stones
5/5
What a perfect set of songs… and gets better with every listen
Bee Gees
2/5
Kind of a B-version of the Beatles and Kinks - tries to be anglophile-twee in the vein of Eleanor Rigby / Village Green, but the Gibbs take themselves too seriously to be able to do it honestly - don't just take my word for it - listen to the excessive vibrato throughout the entire album.
But, hey, it was an interesting journey, albeit a little let down, as Bee Gees generally deliver. They showed promise but the Beatles were writing better songs, the Kinks were more fun, the Who did better concept albums and the Beach Boys were more mind blowing virtuosos - this album tried to do all of those things, and well, it didn't quite hit the mark.
Talk Talk
3/5
If this album were a punctuation mark in the history of albums it would be a single comma, not all commas, just one - but a very pretty one at that. It's not game changing but it's a lovely listen - it's unique and it does have one transcendentally beautiful song in it's listing - 'Life is What you make it'.
Enjoyed this one, enjoyed the space in mix in each of the songs - enjoyed the arrangements - and it does lend itself to multiple listens. But it's not a seminal album.
MGMT
4/5
Love it but I’m biased because I know it well a three great songs in here and a set of other good ones and flows well
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Interesting, compelling and surprisingly listenable - enjoyed this one and it merits more listens - nice discovery
The Zombies
2/5
Expected so much more from the band that gave us 'She's not There' and 'Time of the Season' - it's a listenable album but very forgettable
The Who
5/5
Listening to this album makes you wish you were in the room - and it gets you close enough to smell the burning dust inside the hiwatt amplifier stacks - the sweat flying off Daltreys tambourine and feeling Moons constant kick drum thumping right in your chest - it’s definitely one of the best live albums ever released
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Excellent and classic
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
First half of the album is promising -reminiscent of the Jam, Gang of Four, at times Blondie and a ska-less Specials, but then it tapers of into songs about bouncing babies and muddled lyrics - it could have been a staple of early 80s post-punk but being overlong and at times half baked lyrics killed that chance. Nice discovery and a fun listen nonetheless
The Slits
5/5
I know this album. Love this album. Get bothered by this album. Love this album again - and this time I realised why.
It's lyrically seminal - avante garde even for 2022 - it's unique, it's powerful - rhythmically sophisticated and musically interesting. Every song has it's place in the album - but this is not an album that you listen to in the background while doing something else, this is one of those that demand your full attention.
I listened to it three times in a row this time round - first while doing something else - and that kept me wondering why the hell I used to like this album - then I wore headphones, and gave it it's due attention, and there I was rewarded and realised what's so great about it.
Loved it.
Q-Tip
3/5
It’s like a Tribe album at 70% - Q-Tips silky voice grooves throughout a generally pleasant album - one or two good bangers - ManWomanBoogies and Move stand out - but it generally comes and goes and does not stay for coffee.
Public Enemy
4/5
This is not an album you review in one day - this is an album that forms you and you grow up with - unfortunately I didn’t - I am going to need more time with it I guess - but so far I can see the specialness of it
Ray Charles
3/5
Fun, and a nice listen, but otherwise standard crooner fare - nothing really stands out from the whole.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Pleasant album - with more depth than what appears - really enjoyed it more than i thought I would.
Still my favourite track just because it’s such a beautiful song is their rendition of Everybody’s Talking
Gang Starr
4/5
Funky Funky Funky - Funky Beats from Premier and Rhymes from the MC represented the common man. Had a lot of fun with this
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Some good songs but lost me at times - the bob dylan parody and silent night kind of cringed me
3/5
So - first listen I abandoned - almost 80% of the way and it did not engage me one bit - and was going to leave it there BUT then I decided to give it one more go to listen to while running and there it shone.
This album wasn’t written to be listened idly in the background - it needs some form of physicality and that’s how I could appreciate it - the early 90s trip hop bossa nova rhythms and occasional dub is not necessarily my cup of tea but it won me over eventually.
Booker T. & The MG's
5/5
What can I say? Funky 60s Instrumentals? One of the best organ song ever written?
The Black Crowes
3/5
Middle of the road 90s blues fuff
The Soft Boys
4/5
Really fun post punk new wave thing - completely new to me - loved it - only fault is slightly awkward lyrics - but otherwise really fun
Green Day
4/5
Heartwarming because this album was my contemporary - but generally still holds as a petulant 90s suburban Ramones album - might be hard to translate across generations.
David Bowie
4/5
Not the most accessible album by Bowie but an interesting sonic exploration - this one needs more than a day to savour but clearly a lot of pedigree
ZZ Top
4/5
Very fun especially by the time it gets to LaGrange. Again nice turn and surprise
The Cure
3/5
Just because it's a vehicle for 'A Forest' it's worth the 3 stars. But the rest of the album is ok at best. And I love the Cure.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Lovely short and sweet and some great songs
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
Overlong psychedelic 60s rock
The Who
5/5
Amazing album start to finish - The Who really kick ass - and it’s really nice to see an album I didn’t understand when I was younger feel so good after all these years - funny - some great songs (Maryanne and I can see for miles among some other classics) tops
T. Rex
5/5
Amazing - start to finish - sexy, groovy, fun and just the right length. Some great songs on this one too - Jeepster and of course bang a gong
Björk
3/5
It’s ok it’s Bjork. Great orchestration - and some good tracks like Human Behavior and Violently Happy. The middle sags a little but it’s ok
Fugazi
3/5
Didn’t appreciate it at first but it does improve with every… repeat… 🙃I think this one requires a bit more listens but it’s not going to get much deeper than a decent early 90s punk album. Would have appreciated it much better had I heard it in my teens
Carpenters
4/5
a Lovely collection of songs
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Every minute of this album oozes craft and greatness - from starting with Thunder Road to the title track Born to Run - the guitars drive - the saxophone blares and the piano thoughtfully sets the mood for this all American blue collar carnival - but it’s Bruce’s masterstroke that pulls it all off with his ridiculous car metaphors and blue jeans gung-ho storytelling. On paper all this sounds like my nightmare but it’s so much more than the sum of its parts
AC/DC
4/5
Start to finish fun - it’s a party album albeit tinged with mild schoolboy misogyny. but that riff from the title track oooof what a punch in your beer gut - never fails to make you want to rock out. It’s compact and kicking. Like the AC/DC rhythm section
Tom Waits
5/5
Great album - great songs - especially Side A in its entirety - but it’s a tiny tiny bit too long - even though the quality is high throughout
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Good fun - a super solid jazz album - not as good as some other contemporaries - but the inclusion of ‘Take Five’ among the track listing makes it an inevitable classic
Pink Floyd
2/5
It’s like pink Floyd wrote the title track and sandwiched a set of fuffy tracks around it to make it look pretty - like the flowers which are not roses in a bouquet. Its pleasant mid tempo plod is non threatening but Dark Side of the Moon this album is not
George Michael
3/5
Well, began with prejudice 🙃 - but it turned out to be a surprisingly listenable album and not as dated as expected. Going to admit - not going to blast this down main street, but had a good time listening to it. And, at times George Michael channels an unusually unparalleled Freddie Mercury, especially in 'Mother's Pride'. I unfortunately underestimated his talent - but he is a consistently good artist in general, even though not up to my musical tastes.
Alice Cooper
2/5
First listen, a bit disappointing and meh, but gets better with repeated listens. It's a bit too theatrical in a pantomime way - which makes it hard to consider as more than a cartoon-y or novelty album. But title track is I guess a bit of a classic in it's own way.
What stood out for me was 'Public Animal #9' and, strangely 'Gutter Cats vs. The Jets' - but all in all, didn't feel that great as an album
John Martyn
3/5
Ugh, that title. But actually quite a nice mumble blues set of songs with a tinge of jazz - in the likes of Nick Drake and Neil Young. Better with repeat listens
Common
3/5
Quite a generally good hip hop album - but not the most memorable. Nice find though
Beastie Boys
5/5
A perfect album - always wondered why the beastie boys are three white dudes with so much cred in hip hop - besides the Rick Rubin connection - they are artfully awesome at this - organic and honest hip hop to who they are - not white boys trying to be black
The Pharcyde
4/5
Pretty cool album - a bit too adolescent at times but groovy and interesting and modern
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
Pretty cool for the Genre - can see the Emo influences permeate decades from this album - not my favourite genre to be honest and struggled to find standout songs - but I would have loved this had I discovered it in my youth
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Unique and interesting - time has proven that nothing has quite Perry’s voice and sound - Jane Says is iconic whole Ocean Size and Mountain Song stand out. It’s not entirely my cup of tea but enjoyed its sound.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Quite fun
Kanye West
5/5
The Yardbirds
2/5
It’s ok - a bit generic and forgettable - kind of wish washy between the who, the kinks, the Beatles and Brit blues.
Gillian Welch
5/5
It’s Been a long time that I heard an album of which I loved every song on the first listen - wonderful
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Haunting, beautiful but very long and at times impenetrable - the language barrier doesn’t help - I’m sure there are pleasures to discover in the words but unfortunately cannot appreciate them.
Beck
3/5
Good fun, at times great - but a bit overlong and quite a few fillers. Devil's Haircut and Where It's at are 90s mainstays and iconic though
Ice Cube
3/5
Tough as nails inner city portrait - very often threading misogyny but at the same time ground breaking in terms of enlightenment for 1990. Does not let up for a minute - Ice Cube really brings out the words and paints hugely vivid images of gangbanging life
Tito Puente
4/5
Can’t but be in a good mood after listening to this - danceable and feels like you’re sipping cocktails on a riviera in the 60s
Fugees
4/5
Awesome - sounds like it was recorded yesterday - consistently great tracks and Caribbean sounds - in hindsight there has been nothing like it since - a classic
The Police
3/5
Musically excellent - side B more than Side A (albeit a little colonially culture appropriating) - classics such as “King of Pain”, “Wrapped Around Your Finger”, and “Every Breathe You Take” but lyrically - oh my. Maybe it’s just me but Sting sound like he is reciting an intel manifesto - the stalker in Every Breathe… The “Miss Gradenko” and “Tea in the Sahara” fantasies, the Freudian “Mother” and finally the Serial Killer in “Murder by Numbers”. It just gets uncomfortable to listen to with that perspective in mind - shame as otherwise the musicianship is wonderful and the hooks eerily beautiful.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
The minute this album came I let out an audible groan - all I was thinking was scents of bad incense - elephant print yoga pants and tie dye everything. But … it actually turned out to be a insightful journey into a non-western music form - by which you understand both it and western music principles in contrast - beyond the music Ravi explains what you’re listening to and what is instruments are being played. Not going to dig out my bong again but it was an interesting journey
Pixies
2/5
Great band, crap album. The best song 'Dig for Fire' on the album holds a small candle to the great classics this band wrote in other albums. Quite a disappointment.
808 State
3/5
Good fun - a bit dated sound wise but otherwise a solid electronic album
Randy Newman
2/5
Not a big fan - it’s an interesting slice of Americana but can’t really enjoy an album by a white man that freely uses the n-word in multiple forms.
The Stooges
5/5
Perfect end to end.
Van Halen
3/5
Huh. I wouldn’t have guessed that I would ultimately start enjoying a Van Halen album. First listen was a bit like nails to a chalkboard with that over the top guitar sound and them lyrics - but digging a bit deeper and some forgiving for hair metal misogyny- there is some honest to god good tracks here. Not going to be my favourite - but would listen next to what I consider fun albums like Iron Maiden.
Buzzcocks
2/5
It's ok - not the most remarkable releases in the Buzzcocks' repertoire - but fun if like me you're into the sound.
4/5
Serves well to remember this is an amazing album - avant garde and still relevant.
I forgot - I had devolved - now I remember.
Jamiroquai
2/5
It was a wave of nostalgia and the the cultural appropriation realization kicked in - the 90s innocence of a random Brit who scats mediocrely adopting the name of an American tribe he has nothing to do with it and littering the didgeridoo throughout an slightly overlong and plodding album… at times it’s good - but it peters off sharply towards the end. The musicianship is virtuosic but there are few songs that are memorable here. Jay has a couple stronger albums than this - despite being more banker w*nk later on with songs about fast cars and yuppie love.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Strange - but interesting
The Who
3/5
Of course - the album with My Generation and The Kids are Alright is supposed to be a classic but not the band at their best as an album it’s not so special. Still a good pumping The Who album though.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
This album has no flaws - starting with Badlands - peaking in beauty with Racing in the Streets and Promised Land and ending with an absolute banger of a title track - phew - one of the three flawless Springsteen albums.
Might be hard for first time Springsteen listeners and he is generally a ‘grower’ artist but if you’ve warmed up to him this album is a treat.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Beautiful
Jorge Ben Jor
5/5
Relentlessly fun interesting album that sounds timeless - there is no fat here - every note and rhythm has its place and even after repeated listens it never gets boring.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Great fun - Bonham grooves and great songs - was a nice trip down memory lane.
Jurassic 5
2/5
Starts strong - love the break beats and general feel but unfortunately as an album it tapers quite early - by the time it hits its 56 mins of length it really feels overlong. It could have done with half its length removed and it would have been an excellent record
Bee Gees
1/5
Abysmal. Overwrought, self indulgent, over long, nails on a scratch board performance - worst album I heard so far. And the writing l? Ooof. When will I get the fun BeeGees? This is terrible.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
A decent fun album - a bit too sneery for my liking but can’t fault it much otherwise
Soul II Soul
3/5
Fun album albeit not my genre. It sounds specifically dated - so much so it feels cool again.
The Offspring
4/5
At first was a bit unhappy with this album being my listen for the day - but it turns out to still hold up well - with surprisingly lucid lyrics and some classic tunes which might have lost a little luster with being overplayed back in the day yet are still great tracks. Almost every song is a banger. Unfortunately it went downhill for the band after this but don’t fault this album for that.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Pretty lovely and a good trip down memory lane - but it’s a bit overlong - I’ve started to a appreciate a compact album - although this one is actually quite engaging throughout. It would be a 4 star were it a quarter shorter
The Byrds
4/5
Interesting melodically and sonically and feels very ahead of it’s time - love some of the darker Melodies - while the songs are quite memorable and the whole album feels like it keeps you wanting more. A nice inclusion of I might say so.
Norah Jones
2/5
It’s definitely a plodder - despite Ms. Jones’ silky-gravelly voice. While it’s a pleasant album at times - it reads like a bankers BMW CD changer collection member - or at times one could imagine a cowbro listening to this in his barn or pickup truck. It’s declawed jazz and country at the same time - kind of like Muzak- pleasant but with the right conditions tortuous.
The La's
5/5
End to end greatness - snotty, melodic, great musicianship and then there’s ‘There She Goes’ throughly fun and enjoyable.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Unencumbered, unpretentious rock and roll - short and to the point and fun.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Quite…
Wilco
2/5
A bit too long to appreciate in a day - to be fair to other albums I guess I’ll give it a an average score - but it sounds very much like a grower
The Pogues
4/5
Good fun and debauchery with these punk marinated pirate shanties. Bring out the rum and swashbuckle!
Little Richard
3/5
Fun and trailblazing but songs are a bit on the same-y side to make for repeated listens.
Ramones
5/5
Perfect bopping with no fat and perfect tunes. What a blitzkrieg of an album - end to end.
Drive-By Truckers
1/5
Not unlistenable but wow it never ends… and not always sure its taking the mickey or earnest in intent.
What is for sure I couldn’t take hearing Lynnyrd Skynnyrd namedropped one more time by the end of it
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Pleasant yet nothing that hasn’t been done before many times over - some good songs though
Sonic Youth
2/5
Sigh I tried - but very little hooks
Eminem
3/5
Well - it’s not as good as the album that followed it - it’s we crafted and clever but also a bit too nauseatingly misogynistic - the concept of even talking this way about violence against women - even with the intention of furthering some other point - shouldn’t even be a thing in 2022. Judging with that lens this album isn’t as strong to make up for the passage of time and more acceptable language of the past.
That said some classic tracks and even through the violence and irreverence - Eminem is a master of words and rhyme - and the production is wow - perfect beats, just enough comedy and Easter eggs in the mix.
We’re it not for the nails on scratch board depiction of hatred against women - this would have been a comfortable great album.
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
Lovely - blues and jazz with a Malian twist - warm and enchanting from end to end.
CHIC
4/5
A good fun short album with some mega bangers included.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
Middling white man blues. Mean musicianship though.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Good album - not their most memorable and few classics here
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Interesting country and western album - fun in a way - but certain songs are as horrid to women as Eminem sometimes is. Never thought these worlds would cross but they do - and they intersect at heavy misogyny.
But musically - yeah - good Americana, interesting harmonies - although at parts repetitive. Overall pleasant.
Arcade Fire
5/5
With the benefit of the passage of time - this album stands the test of time - an excellent end to end album with no fat and great songs.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
5/5
Stellar album - funky, lucid, soulful. In the past ‘The Message’ felt like a novelty song - good but a one off showcase of the Furious Five - but it’s just the facade to a much more three dimensional album. Loved every song.
Billie Holiday
3/5
Billie Holiday is lovely but this album is quite repetitive - it’s a nice long song - as a whole it’s great but it’s hard to pick individual songs.
Lenny Kravitz
1/5
Afternoon drive time radio fare - at times going to be interesting but then falling short to mid-tempo rock / blues. Maybe I’m biased but time hasn’t erased the sound of Lenny Kravitz voice as the sound of fast food music - and the writing is a bit too Christian rock for my linking - struggled to give it a fair listen - but was better on the second round.
The Smiths
3/5
Not great, not terrible. Some interesting songs but the masterpieces are lacking. Then there’s Morrissey. I hate him but he is a master wordsmith - witnessed in probably the most elegantly put vegetarian call to arms title track:
’And the flesh you so fancifully fry
Is not succulent, tasty or kind
It's death for no reason
And death for no reason is Murder’
And the whole album is littered with brilliant turns of phrase - as is typical of whatever this fucker writes. Begrudgingly few people are of this caliber - maybe Ray Davies?
As much as I love the big Smiths songs - I never had the patience to sit through the albums in depth in the past - and while im sure there are some greats - this one is average.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Still - I think this seals the fate between Elvis Costello and me - we are not compatible. It’s probably me not him - and I do like the occasional Pump It Up and I feel him when he doesn’t want to go to Chelsea - but once I got it into my head his voice sounds like one of the Smurfs (an unfair judgement I know) I just couldn’t see past it. This relationship is finally over. It’s an ok album but 3 stars is the best I can do and we both walk away with our heads up high.
Joy Division
5/5
Finally! Joy Division has always been one of my blind spots - and multiple (admittedly half hearted) attempts in the past of trying to find an album representative of what I imagined to be their greatness while also appealing to me provided unfruitful. I had even across this particular album and snubbed it…
But now hearing it in context almost every song is a memorable - Ian’s doom echoing over ethereal beats while sounding mystical and punk at the same time. From start to finish, even without some of their more poppy affairs - this is a brilliant album and finally I have seen the light.
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
Hmm an entire album devoid of flavour and all building up to one song. I had high hopes of a misunderstood one hit wonder band - but no - they wrote a brilliant song and sapped colour from every other filler track on this album.
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
Ok. I hear this once and go - ugh white man blues again - and oh did not know Eric Clapton’s Layla was a cover - and everything I liked a song - I was seeing it was 6 to 7 minutes.
The the incredibly long and boring Key to the Highway comes on and a bad cover of little wing? Total run time 1 hour 14 mins? Ugh.
Who is this Derek and who are the dominos? oh it’s Eric Clapton? I hate Eric Clapton - and now Layla makes sense. One of the Allman’s is playing the cool riffs I like - then the band is shitting on then with 4 hour long solos. Is this album really about Eric Clapton shitty pining about his best friend’s (George Harrison) wife Patty Boyd? Really? What a dick.
Then I go look let me give it one more listen - and it’s better on second listen - but it’s still way to bloody long - too many solos but good musicianship. Could have easily been halved in length but Clapton is always oh so ever self absorbed he can’t take himself down a notch and see that his head is up his own arse.
Anthrax
4/5
I’ve always be a fan of Slayer and also partially to early Metallica. I’ve struggled to find a place for Anthrax in my mind - they are ever present in the era but I failed to hear a memorable album until this one.
It starts wonderfully with thrash banger after banger - then it evens out to a solid album. Feels like the last two tracks have been forced on and could have done without them. I also went and listened to Reign in Blood, Master of Puppets and Kill ‘em all to place this album in that hall of fame and it fits nicely trailing closely behind the other behemoths.
All in all a solid trash album
Dr. John
5/5
So this was a very interesting mellow and swampy and fun album. Great rhythms hinting at the Caribbean grooves with a very much Creole setting. There’s a hint of a future Tom Waits in here - I loved this. And it was short enough to keep you wanting more
Prince
3/5
Ah the great Prince - some genius songs here but did not feel like his best album.
Common
3/5
On the one hand a strong solid album… it flows well, maintains the level of quality throughout, smart rhymes, wonderful guests. On the other hand it has few standout tracks - it doesn’t peak and through it just marches on, albeit a good march - you’re not going to walk away with favourite tracks - but you’re very likely to like the album as a whole. It is also a tad overlong, but not tiresome.
Justice
5/5
Ok so I prepared myself for a guilty pleasure down memory lane of summer parties in 2008 - revisiting what might possibly have been just a fad of the time … but no - this is an absolute Ed Banger of a record - track after track of stylish grooves, distorted synths packaged to perfection and some downright plain good songs.
End to end fantastic and nothing short of 5 stars would give this album Justice.
Nico
4/5
Lovely voice - lovely songs - it’s very side A heavy - the most obviously beautiful songs lie there - it just had a little distribution problem - the sunnier songs are early and gets progressively darker so it feels like it tapers off towards the end.
But all in all a wonderful record.
Willie Nelson
5/5
A perfect album - end to end - and it’s Willie Nelson’s 22nd I found out. Wow.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Very standard nice Sinatra fare - a bit of a whiny incel sometimes though.
The Youngbloods
2/5
Meh
The Clash
5/5
Aww brilliant end to end but I’m biased. From the machine gun drumming of Janie Jones to the snotty chants of Garageland it’s such a great debut while signposting the great things this band was to become.
It’s not London Calling - and it’s not comparable because it’s a completely different gente - this is the Clash at their most punk - but every ratatat beat and every riff and every bass line and every Strummer bark and Jones yap is glorious.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Was looking forward to this and expected quite a bit out of it - however why it’s overall a good funk album it’s kind of a bit flat overall. Love the instrumental jams and the humour but the singles are not very remarkable. Quite an average album.
The Replacements
3/5
This sounds like an album I’ll love in time but I can’t give that verdict in just one day so I’ll give it a neutral 3. It’s like a snotty less classy clash but with a lot of bite and layers.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Starts strong with an excellent Side A but Side B gets lost and it fizzles out. Good band average album.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Awesome funky danceable and groovy. When Pusherman and Superfly hit - it’s instant joy - and the soundtrack is consistently paced and of a perfect length.
Dire Straits
3/5
Going to be upfront - I’m no white man blues fan - especially the VH1 special breed - and was not looking forward to this. However objectively Dire straits are one of the more stylish classy of the bunch - with delicate and restrained sound and clear production while still retaining an element of soul and unique voice. The album itself had a few good tracks which are new to me but make a solid strong side A and Side B starts waning a little until Sultans of Swing inflates it back and rescues the pace of the album.
If I likes the genre I would have given it a higher rating - but that would be an injustice to other albums I liked more - so this is a subjective score of 3/5.
Prince
4/5
'When doves cry' and 'Purple Rain' elevate this album to a complete classic. I am not going to individually review each track, but this is a quintessentially the 80s contemporary piece of pop art that should be the showcase of the vernacular of the era. Drum sound, slight kitsch - hedonistic and yet innovate and ground breaking. Very close to a 5/5 - it's a 4/5 because it requires some adjustment to get into the mood for it, but when you do, you're well rewarded.
Pulp
5/5
I thought it was nostalgia - but there’s isn’t a single song that does not pull at my heart strings when I listen to this album. Jarvis Cocker and lurid and lucid take on a Brit’s coming of age - is executed with panache and sardonic wit. A perfect album through and through - the best album from the whole Britpop era.
Germs
3/5
An interesting punk artifact - it straddles the line where punk begins to lose me at hardcore - but this album has some wonderfully interesting riffs hidden away and it’s nice and snotty at the right amount. Love the Joan Jett and Al Pacino connection as well - had no clue
Blue Cheer
5/5
Whoa. Hard to find to listen to but it was worth the hunt - oh the fuzz and the fuzz - the drums pounding throughout and the voices tearing through this 30 min powerhouse of an album. I’m sold on blue cheer - kind of in the world of a more bluesy stooges and a rougher hendrix experience.
Method Man
4/5
The Nice dark and sleazy Method Man drawl makes this a mean rhymed record. Solid album.
Madonna
3/5
Title track is genius - as well as ‘Love Song’ - the rest make up one of Madonna’s most complete albums I’ve heard. Prince’s contribution to the album also shine through. Good album.
Cream
3/5
Strong A side - meh B side.
The Young Gods
4/5
Interesting moody French industrial record. Loved it - so moody it actually spooked me out while listening on a night time drive. Kind of a gem like Suicide’s debut.
Metallica
2/5
Overly self indulgent - some good moments from their back catalogue but wholly unnecessary. It REALY sags in the middle - not to mention it never ends.
Gotan Project
3/5
Interesting take on tango - good background music I guess.
Brian Eno
3/5
Well two of music's greatest legends meet and make an interesting album that no one will really love. You might have it on your shelf, but really, would you ever pull it out except to pretend you're onto something?
Maybe it's a dance album, but really? Which of these tracks will you party to? I guess it's bound to happen - it's not offensive, it wasn't annoying, it's just feels unnecessary.
Bad Brains
2/5
Not what I expected - it’s a bit awkward - at times interesting but the vocals get in the way and I get hardpressed to find a song. I want to like it but I can’t.
Beatles
3/5
Well well… moments of brilliance by the Beatles but a reminder that they are human and not demigods. Side A is strong, Side B falters a little bit but this serves as good contrast to shine a light on how brilliant this band became later on.
The Who
3/5
Well - an album that contains Baba O’Riley, Won’t Get Fooled Again and Behind Blue Eyes should be a perfect album, no? Alas the rest is a slightly sagging bell bottoms of a 70s Rock Monster that the 1977 movement stood against - its a band bloated - still an excellent band, but departed from its ‘My Generation’ roots and its sense of humor and blistering guitars in favour of arena enormity. Still - it’s a good album - and the aforementioned tracks are up there in the rock and roll canon - but this is The Who at its fading out.
MC Solaar
4/5
Musically stylish hip hop - makes for sipping your beaujolais while bopping to some of these songs. Now while I don’t know French, some cringey rhymes seem to popup but I might be wrong.
However overall - quite fun to listen to - a shame if one doesn’t know the language (like myself) as I guess as you miss out on half the fun.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
This album might as well be the epicentre of rock and roll. It's the peak, the high water mark that every other album preceding it built up to, and every album following it, tried to no avail, to best.
This is not Lou Reed best, I leave that to his magnum opus that is 'Transformer', but this is the world of fashion, design, art, music, drugs, sleaze, psychedelia, literature and poetry - the meeting point of the minds in New York at it's most vibrant and decadent.
The album sleeve alone is literally an art piece - its sign by Andy Warhol itself rather than having the band and album name. It's legendary its function too.
And then, there's Nico, whose contribution elevates the album past the sum of it's parts, lifting it from the opium den fever dream to an angelic catwalk.
It's not the Beatles, it's not the Stones, nor the Stooges that should be the snapshot of 7 decades of guitar music. It's this specific album.
The Prodigy
4/5
That was a fun trip down memory lane yet the album still sounds good despite it being so of the era. Liam Howlett’s mastery of production is uncanny here and most of the songs, especially on Side A, are total bangers. It starts to wane a little in energy after No Good, but theyre actually good tracks still - albeit not the classic pounding of the first half. Good stuff.
Tortoise
3/5
A 24 min track normally disqualifies me from liking an album. Overall I grew to like it with every listen - musicianship is great, the production sublime - but in essence it only serves as pleasant background music in my opinion - it doesn’t grab you and demand you give it attention - and maybe that’s not necessarily a bad thing - but when The Taut and Tame kicks in with a beat resembling The Clash’s ‘I Fought the Law’ my heart pumps every time with expectation and gets dismayed that it’s back to post rock.
There is one standout track - the Morricone influenced ‘Along the Banks of Rivers’ to me - the rest is just ok.
Fishbone
2/5
This album tries to do too many things - sound like too many things but it kind of falls short. It’s a pity - it feels like this band could have been a great one.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
A good live album - if you like Thin Lizzy. And I don't mind them - had a good time listening to it, but not something I'd probably revisit often.
Spiritualized
4/5
This feels like it’s intended as an album listen not as a collection of songs - in that way it’s an excellent record
4/5
Loved this album - how had I never come across this gem before?
The epicenter of 80s Pop with catchy songs - lots of lyrical puns and for some reason economic terms like Supply and Demand, Law of Diminishing Returns make up for the quintessential Me record for the Me Decade.
Muddy Waters
2/5
A testament to how Muddy Waters was influential was the fact that this album sounds like I’ve heard a thousand times except for the fact that all songs bar one I’ve never heard before. However this is a double edged sword - coming late to Muddy Waters this sounds tired to me precisely because I heard him through a hundred other artists.
Also this specific album is not a mind blowing live performance and it’s neither the most remarkable in general - yet this still, even as a throwaway album, surpasses the vast majority of the white boy blues albums trying their best on this list.
Maybe it will be another album to win me over I guess. This one kind of was rather neutral.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Ok a sonic youth album that I didn’t hate - some good tracks here - and some shall k dare say qualify as good songs - dirty boots and a few others.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Musically interesting but if you’re expecting his son’s introspection from this album - you’re not going to get it - it’s a sleazy LA album with a hint of Jim Morrison and a lot of misogyny. Still some good music at times
Goldfrapp
4/5
Part Shirley Bassey, part yodelling (in 'Felt Mountain), part polka, but generally lovely and atmospheric Trip Hop. While it is of a time, and while it plays of 60s nostalgia, it still sounded modern then, and relevant now. A good album all in all, short and beautiful.
Taylor Swift
5/5
Almost every song is a coming of age tale and a scene from a light romantic comedy - love songs for the early 20s, care free yet surprisingly lucid - this album is well crafted, well written, restrained yet pumping throughout - stylishly and well produced. It’s also paced just right - and I enjoyed every minute of it. Never thought in my life I’d give a Taylor Swift album 5 stars but here we are.
Orbital
4/5
Enjoyed it - it’s a bit long over all and it sounds a tiny tiny bit dated - but fair enough. I guess it would have done better without the first AND last track - they’re fine on first listen but then they become tedious.
Radiohead
5/5
I was there when this album came out - I remember the jaw dropping whiplash I got when I heard the follow to the more conventional OK Computer, and it's predecessor, The Bends.
It had taken some time to grow on me, but this then become of my favourite ever albums - end to end, it's beautiful and well managed, and honestly a bit of a one of a kind. Rarely does an album contain so few pop cliches, yet still hook you on for it's entirety. It could very much be an instrumental as Thom Yorke's contribution here is mostly warbling and and rambling of a deranged stoner. But it's orchestrated perfectly, and even after all these years, there are lot of gems till to be discovered deep in the mix and musical arrangements. Cannot give it a lower rating than the maximum.
Nick Drake
5/5
Beautiful, timeless.
Khaled
4/5
Well this was unexpectedly good… was hard to find it to listen to but once I did was rewarded with a very eclectic album - and a very odd but pleasant rendition of Lennon’s Imagine.
Neil Young
3/5
A good Neil Young album, but definitely not his best. Hard to place it side by side to his bigger and badder albums, but it's a good and listenable album nonetheless.
John Cale
3/5
Title track is a wonderful song - but the rest is quite average folk… there’s a little interest in the choice of the subject matter of the songs - but not much more to me. To be fair this album popped up for me right after a Nick Drake album so I might be a little unfair on Johnny.
Billy Joel
2/5
Always want to like Billy Joel - and he sometimes shines through - but he’s not Stevie Wonder or Elton John or McCartney that he tries to emulate in parts of this album. It’s interesting however when he makes it his own cocktail of piano balladry - like on ‘She’s Always a Woman’. I might stand to be corrected in time but as it stands I felt this album to be rather average.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
Jerry Lee Lewis is awesome - this as an album is average. The songs are good the performance nice and raw but nothing to write home about - though I like the fact it’s a short 24min.
Metallica
5/5
Well I’m no Metallica fan per se… always felt the they were a bit naff… but I grew up on a post Black Album Metallica - one where they were lost in self absorbed excesses and not the Metallica of Master of Puppets. Besides maybe the overwrought evil cackles at the end of the title track - listening to this album now with hindsight is this is unparalleled genre album - this is as Beatles as metal can get yet still retain its cred. It’s an opus of grand proportions - wonderful musicianship (except Lars - fuck Lars), and surprisingly lucid songwriting - even after all these years. There have been better metal songs and maybe one or two better albums - but none as influential and important as this one. Now with the benefit of time past - so far after almost 4 decades no one has made metal so good, accessible, yet still heavy and ballsy.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
You gotta love bob. Anytime he’s on my anxieties melt and all is generally good with the world - yet the songs are still some of the most poignant protest songs out there. What do you know.
The Only Ones
3/5
Well it sounds interesting to me - the first two tracks are bangers but either this album is a grower or it’s bland - it felt a bit more like the latter but going to keep an open mind.
Buck Owens
3/5
Well quite a fun and light record - nothing particularly amazing but a solid listen.
The xx
4/5
Lovely, spacey and does not overstay it’s welcome - some memorable melodies and hooks peppered throughout - whole production is stylish and singing lush.
N.W.A.
4/5
Amazing and powerful - avante garde on a racial issues level - prehistoric on a gender level - beats groove to a tee - every tracks feels like the genesis of another sub genre of hip hop. It’s a seminal record tarnished by it’s toxic masculinity and - well to a degree the glorification of violence - And well yeah it’s a product of its environment and time but it doesn’t get exempt from the lens of the future. They could have easily done away with ‘A bitch is a bitch’ and still had the one of the most ripping hip hop record of all time. It would have gotten my 5 stars had it been a little more … enlightened on certain aspects.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Wow. What an a-side - so good that an actually amazing b-side gets lost - but if you start an album with War Pigs, followed by Paranoid - Planet Caravan and Iron Man - it’s hard to follow. But a perfectly packed punch of an album - definitely worth the score.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Interesting novelty and blast from the past - lounge-y Latino hip hop - but it beyond some catchy tracks it doesn’t have much staying power as a record in itself.
Deep Purple
4/5
More interesting than I expected - however still not 100% my cup of tea. Musicianship - especially the drumming and the organ playing is spectacular - and the pace of the album is good and not too long. I mean as far as proto-hard rock / metal geek music goes - this still hasn’t edged too much into the abyss of corniness - but you can see the Spinal Tap tropes slowly inching their way into the music. Anyway - a strong offering from the genre.
Dirty Projectors
4/5
While songs lack depth and substance - sonically and melodically it’s a quite interesting and varied album.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
This album is a bit of an overstatement and rather underwhelming. Now on paper this should be one of my favourite albums ever - surf and spy stylings written by indie pop song maestros and sung in a Yorkshire accent - but it falls shorts on the songs. It sounds gorgeous though - but I can’t think of a.l standout song - not because they’re all excellent but because they’re all average.
It’s sounds like this was a fun side project just to scratch the itch to bring this sound out.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Fun and a stunning live performance
Supertramp
3/5
While not a great record per se - and I’m not of the rock opera leanings - somehow Supertramp know how to spin a tune and make it memorable.
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
There’s a lot of interesting parts of this album - but it’s a little on the monotone side musically as a whole. However it contains some juggernauts - Why D’Ya Do It - the album closer is off the wall gritty and powerful - her cover of Working Class Hero is also a perfect match for her brooding gravely voice - title track Broken English and Ballad of Lucy Jordan also elevate this album. The brutal honesty of emotion throughout this record just gives it an extra star - it is the journal of a wrought heart and should be measured as such.
Michael Jackson
4/5
A stunning and pumping A side - yet a sagging B-side - still a great record.
Elvis Costello
2/5
I find Elvis Costello irritating. And he had been over represented in this list - yet I can’t seem to give him very bad ratings because each album has a few gems - this one has Allison and Watching the Detectives. The rest hints at promise but his voice sounds like a Smurf in a toothpaste tube.
Janis Joplin
3/5
Well well - this was unexpectedly fun. Enjoyed it.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
With its appearance I was baffled but when I got to listen to it I found it pleasant albeit a little odd. The folk and classical marriage works well - and somehow the whole record feels very orchestrated and thematic.
Nirvana
5/5
This album holds a special place in my life as it was the gateway to everything else music wise (and as a consequence highly formative. Eleven years old mw - sneaking up to the family stereo, nicking the CD from my sister’s collection when nobody was paying attention and listening to ‘All Apologies’ on repeat brought out the love of music in me.
I still remember the day when I first saw the words ‘Nirvana’ etched out on a wall in my then new school - and being surprised that someone else out there also liked the band as for me, liking this album in the beginning was a very private and personal matter. So much so, I never really bothered with or knew ‘Nevermind’ until years later. Nirvana, started and ended with this album, and to me, it’s there best album.
How does it hold up, however, now in the context of the all the other records I’ve listened to since? It’s still a wonderful journey - as dark as an abandoned formeldehyde-scented anatomy lab, at parts grotesque, at parts gentle, at parts ahead of it’s time both musically (Steve Albini’s touch/non-touch really lets this album transcend the era it was recorded in), and thematically (“Frances Farmer…”, “Pennyroyal Tea”, even the much less soft-touched ‘Rape Me’ - still relevant, almost even more so nowadays), while still leaving some space for pop gorgeousness in “Heart Shaped Box”, and “All Apologies”.
Yes, it does hold up. It’s amazing through and through, and I’m grateful to this record for the world it has opened to me.
5/5
Ma tantx hemm kliem li nista nikteb biex niddeskrivi dan l-album li ma niktbix diġa, allura se nipprova bil-Malti.
Album kbir, m'hemmx x'tgħid. S'hemmek nasal - min ma semgħux għadu, f'ħajtu missu jisimgħu imqar darba.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
What a voice - it’s a great album - silky smooth and soulful at most times and maddeningly funky with Superstition at the helm… I can’t fault the album except for the fact it’s too smooth for me. I’m more of a crunch peanut butter kind of person.
Living Colour
3/5
There are points when this album just makes me want to like it - but while all the tracks show promise - the band tends to favour virtuosity over style. And lyrically it feels weak after the cutting bluntness of the hip hop canon on the politics of race and poverty.
So after many unnecessary solos, slap bass, jazz drumming and lyric restraint, it ends up being a mediocre record in all.
Gang Of Four
4/5
This is the sound of a dystopian Thatcherite nuclear winter - the sound of an sinking Argentinian destroyer and the soundtrack to that future striking coal mining automatons would funky dance to. To me subjectively this is an awesome album - influential to me on a musician level and most of my favorite musicians probably count this band as an influence. Lovely.
Steely Dan
2/5
Nah. I mean this sounds like an album someone with a very expensive audiophile stereo would appreciate. It has great musicianship and instrumentation - but rather soulless and forgettable. It’s not devoid of humor but not enough to absolve it.
ABBA
4/5
Well, with enough distance from wedding music, I could listen to ABBA with an open mind - and this album delivers wonderfully sublime pop tunes - Fernando, Dancing Queen - albeit both overplayed are masterpieces - Money, Money, Money is also a good contender. The rest of the tracks pale in comparison to the strong showing of the hits, but it's a good album nonetheless - sometimes a bit too Swedish twee to enjoy on a regular basis, but objectively a true pop opus.
The Stooges
5/5
This week has been intense - great album after great album - I cannot keep up. Another of my all time favourites - blisteringly violent, sexy, cool, with Iggy's infinite swagger, and the Stooges' perfect magic in a bottle proto-punk. I don't think the essence of this record can ever be replicated by anyone except alas the original members together in the same room.
All three original Stooges albums are perfection personified.
Steely Dan
3/5
Much better and more listenable than 'Aja' which popped up earlier for me. Still can't totally lock in to Steely Dan, but appreciate the sense of humour and musicianship. I guess I signed them off too harshly with the other album I heard.
B.B. King
4/5
Well one of the first blues 'legends' albums I actually enjoyed - it's fun, light, the performance feels warm and welcoming and the songs memorable - 'Help the Poor' is a standout, and the back to back performance of 'Sweet Little Angel' and 'It's my own Fault' is a fun play. I feel relieved I actually liked one of the classic blues albums on offer.
Lou Reed
5/5
Another perfect album, with banger after banger. Lou Reed (alongside Iggy Pop, Marc Bolan and Leonard Cohen) have produced some of my favourite ever music.
Like his Velvet Underground output - this is the epitome of sleaze New York cool, as a solo act a bit more intimate then the whirlwind of the band Lou Reed fronted.
Among the gorgeous melodies, arrangements, horns and keys - there's a seedy underbelly while being lucidly open minded lyrically, which puts to shame many other artists for decades after this album was out.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the bands I loved as I grew up - and I remember eaglery waiting for this album to be released after about four years since 'One Hot Minute' (and eight since 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik').
Well, I hadn't warmed up to it immediately, but over time grew to like it - with some classic songs in there - among their most popular ever released. Given their earlier albums were the ones I loved, this ushered the era of the Peppers that weren't any longer the ones I loved, despite the return of John Frusciante.
'Scar Tissue', 'Californication', 'Other Side' were great hits, but I kind of prefer some of the in-betweeners like 'Parallel Universe', 'Porcelain', 'Road Tripping' and 'Easily'.
However, one of the things that I increasingly find jarring in RHCP, the older I grow, is that Kiedis sounds locked into a permanent puberty, even though on this album, like its predecessor, he matured somewhat.
Anyway, it's a good album, one of the best the band released, although not my favourite.
Hookworms
3/5
Interesting sound - never had heard of them before, but enjoyed the record as a whole - worth further listens.
One fault is that the songs don't exactly stick after time passes - so it's a kind of a transient album.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
It's a long record, that's for sure, but personally this is probably the closest to be a perfect double-album in the CD era. It's not just the songs - the single from this record are hugely iconic and timeless (Tonight, Tonight, 1979, Zero, Bullet with Butterfly Wings) - but it's a record's record in the sense that each track flows to another seamlessly, rising, and falling, yet remaining interesting throughout.
There's gentle, there's aggressive, the production is impeccable, James Iha's guitars are unique and wonderful - balancing virtuosity, with style. Chamberlain's drums are pounding and tight, and gorgeous sounding.
The way the entire double album is bookended with a piano theme is iconic - and the energy is balanced perfectly throughout. Lyrically it gets a bit twee, but not too embarrassingly so - and it doesn't yet feel dated.
I remember listening to this when it was released - one of the first albums I really discovered and loved - and nothing this band did before or since matches up to it - so it's a fluke, and one that should be honored.
And yes, it's Billy Corgan, and yes it's the 90s and yes, there is a lot of space for mockery - but musically, this record holds.
The White Stripes
3/5
Well, this feels like Jack White at the end of his incubation period to become the masterful songwriter and producer that he is today. The first 2/3rds of the album is perfect, 'Hotel Yorba', 'Fell in Love with a Girl', stand the test of time as being great great songs, while most of the rest of the songs are awesome. As an aside I find 'Little Room' a masterpiece of production and performance - and it feels like 'White Stripes in a bottle'.
However, the last 1/3rd of the album starts sagging and feels unnecessary, the whole album would have benefitted from a little snip here and there.
Otherwise good fun, a defining album of the era.
Sister Sledge
4/5
If you appreciate disco, like I do, then this album is awesome - Nile Rogers in full form - with a carefully crafted album of funky, soulful, sexy songs. Obviously, 'He's the Greatest Dancer', and 'We are family' are monster hits, but the whole album is one of the defining records of the disco canon.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Washy goodness - I love the sound, and each song blends into another to make up a great record from start to end. There are standout tracks, but this is an album to enjoy in it's entirety.
Madness
3/5
Madness somehow remind me of the Kinks in terms of scope and theme, while at the same time defining the British ska sound of the 80s alongside The Specials. Apart from the hit 'Our House', most of the songs are good, albeit not immediately memorable. Great band, ok album, good songs.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
Punk Blues cool madness. I love it.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I’m relatively new to the boss and besides his early career behemoths I’m not that that familiar with his entire body of work - I just thought his later work was a bit poorer than Born to Run or Nebraska or Darkness…
Well. I was wrong - this is a very strong showing - and I suspect it’s anther of his ‘growers’ - its subtler, mellower, more introspective but it’s a good record.
John Lee Hooker
4/5
Well not normally my cup of tea but this is actually a nice restrained and classy blues album - surprising for me to find it enjoyable because normally I find the genre tiresome. Listen to this on a swelteringly hot humid day for maximum pleasure.
The Jam
3/5
Some very big hits here - 'Start!', 'That's Entertainment', and pretty much most of Side A is a solid 5/5... Side B starts faltering (this is becoming a pattern I guess), and it becomes much less memorable - I found myself losing interest many times at that point - even though I love this band. Great band, some great songs but average record.
Elastica
4/5
An awesome and very very underrated 90s classic... which I was only partly familiar with. But almost every song here is a banger. Not a 5-star because most of the record suffers from iffy production - apart from the singles which magically fall into place. But song wise it's a lovely and cool album.
John Coltrane
3/5
Rather a brainy musical experience - definitely not a mellow jazz record. There’s a lot to let your teeth sink into if you’re a muso - if you’re not you’re kind of left behind. Still some stunning musicianship.
Sade
3/5
I like Sade - but this record is basically Smooth Operator - and a few more A side tracks but not much more. It tapers quite a bit towards the end and from something special it turns into an easy listening 80a album.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Country blues? Well it’s a record that elevates both but not going to be a go to record for me for sure.
Kanye West
5/5
A strong epic album - more grand and self indulgent than his debut - but it’s way more mature in a strange way. With his self obsession in a way Kanye transcended himself - along the while making great music.
Frank Zappa
2/5
Apart from the first song, ‘Peaches in Regalia’. The rest of the album is the embodiment of Hot Rats. In all senses of the word it shouldn’t exist.
Fiona Apple
3/5
A bit winding and long and hard to get into - even though I like Fiona Apple and she really carved herself her own sound and voice. Probably this record isn’t her strongest.
Primal Scream
5/5
Oh Man what an album - a soulful, fun rave and really there is nothing like it out there: it truly befits this list - one MUST listen to this album once in their lives.
Deerhunter
3/5
A kind of mediocre indie album - at times interesting but very forgettable.
Adele
4/5
Well I was bracing myself for cringe - but I actually ended up enjoying this one - starts strong - kind of sags in the middle and ends well. I definitely got bought over with the quite decent version of Lovesong. Not a perfect record but overall a good album.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Well, it's a good album if you like the Manics - and I do - but it's not their best and it might not be the best introduction to an otherwise awesome band.
Talking from a Manics fan - it's wonderfully arranged and produced - and contains 'A Design for Life', and 'Kevin Carter' - and it's fun to revisit. But in the pantheon of a 1001 albums - it's not among the greatest.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
Lovely album and good fun
Roxy Music
4/5
Well apart from singles I never managed to dig a Roxy Music record - and probably this is one of the least ‘singles’ record I came across - but it’s definitely a grower - first listen was hmm - but on second a lot of the hidden qualities started to turn up. I think I’ll grow to really like this one over time.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
I always saw the flaming lips as a sideshow oddity almost - so when this came on I was a bit ‘sigh here we go’. But. BUT this album is a work of art I wish I had listened to before.
It takes the very definition of the album form and uses it to the full - it’s an end to end piece that in context of the other tracks is better than the sum of its parts. Not to say the songs themselves aren’t great standalone - they are awesome too but they sound better as part of this album.
Also it must be the first time I came across a Joseph Campbell hero’s journey in an album format.
This is probably the best discovery for me so far from the list.
The War On Drugs
4/5
Nice and dreamy - didn’t expect this sound and somehow this band completely flew under my radar apart from spotting it on festival lineups.
It’s and 80s kind of sound and Adam’s vocals sound like a mix of Bob Dylan’s, Mark Knopfler and a Young Turks era Rod Stewart yet strangely skirting being derivative.
The record tapers a bit towards the second half but the first half is banger after banger.
Miles Davis
5/5
One of the perfect trio of Miles’ records.
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
Beautiful through and through
Nirvana
5/5
Great from end to end - it’s a masterpiece of an album - a great Nirvana record, one of the best live albums ever recorded - highly influential and very listenable. It’s also very formative musically for me on a personal level.
The Cure
3/5
Dark.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
Not bad, but not my cup of tea. Worth existing just for the inclusion ‘Breakdown’ alone though.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Not terrible but a bit too country for my taste. Some good turn of phrase and some good songs - but not a fantastic record.
Lou Reed
4/5
This was a new Lou Reed entry to me - but loved it - same cheery tone musically as Transformer but with a deeper and darker intellectual seedy underbelly lyrically - the characters are real and fully dimensional and the outlook is 30 years ahead of its time. And emotionally Lou takes you down quite some sorrowful alleyways - it’s an artful record.
Taylor Swift
4/5
A good album especially the first few tracks and the collaborations but not as striking to me as some of her other records. Still lovely.
Blondie
4/5
I love Blondie - however they are one of those bands that write singles so well that they dwarf the record they are on - even though the album is a good one - you expect an ‘Heart of Glass’ and ‘Hanging on the Telephone’ at every turn.
Amazing singles, Great Band, Ok Record.
The Monks
3/5
Super great discovering this album for myself - it’s Interesting - very fun but as a record it’s not well balanced or paced - were it not such a portent band - the record would be average.
Eagles
3/5
It’s the Eagles. It’s not as bad as I thought - it’s listenable at least so it’s a 3/5 but because it’s the Eagles, it loses one star.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
Ugh fake country sung by hippies.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
A real fun soul funk album. Plus has the best and possibly only yodelling funk song ever written in it.
Miriam Makeba
5/5
Where was Miriam Makeba all my life? What a delightful album - funny, haunting, bold, beautiful - I’m totally in love. So far the best new discovery for me from this list.
Missy Elliott
4/5
A fun album - it does not contain my favourite Missy Elliot but it’s a great record nonetheless - soulful, playful - great collaborations and the production is impeccable. There’s a lot of Missy Elliot’s sass right below the surface but it hasn’t bloomed yet in full glory on this record..
Van Morrison
2/5
I had listened to this album some years ago and I had liked it. This time though I could stand it - the singing just sounded like the incoherent warbling of a chronic alcoholic. Shame - the backing band is sharp as a tack.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Was expecting a lot of doom and little fun - but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s doomy alright but so ese cent dunes and an overall pleasant listen.
Travis
4/5
A Scottish introverted Oasis - I remember this album from when it was out and I used to like it a lot - it actually still holds up as a pretty collection of songs - however if I had to find it a fault it’s that it suffers from the same 90s album ailment - it could have done with fewer songs and it would have been a classic.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
It’s regular over represented Elvis Costello fare. Only first track is memorable - the rest is just warbling over some elaborate backing music - it’s almost likeable but falls very short.
10cc
3/5
Odd - almost in a cool way but falls short. An interesting listen but a bit too prog for my liking.
The Hives
5/5
What a bottled perfection of a millennial punk album. Swedes with an attitude and a sense of humour - who would have thunk?
This album specifically is also a bit personal - skiving university lectures to listen to my friend describe this crazy band callled the hives that they saw at Reading - and pulling out their disc man and spending a morning with an ear bud each listening and discovering this album. Good stuff.
Also perfect for running to.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Probably one of the most fitting titles for an album - every song is on the love of life, hedonism and sleaze - but oh how wonderful Iggy conveys it all.
It’s also the vessel for Iggy biggest songs - the eponymous first track and The Passenger - couldn’t get enough of it.
Im reducing a star because Iggy takes the creepiness a bit too far on some songs.
Björk
3/5
It’s pretty - one of Björk’s most easily listenable album. The trade mark vocal acrobatics remain - which one can either love or hate - but the music is a nice soft electrónica - reminiscent of Kid A or Boards of Canada and that ilk.
Not great not terrible.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
Short and sweet and some good fun songs. The beauty of the opener cover though shines a spotlight on how Jacks own songs are a bit plain compared the richness of others of the genre.
Doesn’t make it less fun though - just frames the album into the context of others and hence why although I had a good time listening to it it’s simply 3 stars.
The Smiths
5/5
Hate Morrissey - love the Smiths, sometimes. And this album is one of those times - almost every track is a hit - the album is well paced and keeps you wanting more - the songs are masterfully crafted. A wonderful album. Also love the troll that this was pushed to all listeners the day after the Queens death.
Suicide
4/5
Influential album, yadda yadda. Yeah, we all know this by now - but..
One noteworthy feature of this album is "Frankie Teardrop" - a demented little song of around ten minutes long - and probably one of the toughest listens from the album I've listened so far. Frankie kills his six month old baby and his wife with a gun at minute four. At that point - you have another six minutes of the song. At my many attempts over the years to get through the song, this was probably the first time I made it. Happy not to do it again.
Which brings one to the point that this is a seminal record - nary a rudimentary drum machine - some occasional guitar and Alan Vega's echo-laden screaming and singing - a ghostly ethereal soundtrack from hell - truly one of the ballsiest and toughest punk album out there. Scarier than Iggy Pop on a drug binge - it's like what the Doors in a fever dream after a night in hell might sound like.
Great great stuff, but a tough listen.
Yes
3/5
Well - at times it feels like it’s interesting - a bit Beatle-sque and of course quite a vlrtuoso album it being prog and all.
There seems to be an indication I might have warmed up to this album after a few repeated lístens but this exercise is not kind to long and difficult records.
I might revisit this album just to give it a fair chance in the future - but in the long train of daily records - there are more deserving examples of better albums.
The Cure
4/5
A powerful dark and looming, yet saccharine sweet and lush at the same time - very representative of the Cure o general. The wonderful Fascination Street, Pictures of You, Lullaby and of course Lovesong are just a perfect example of Robert Smith bass-driven and gorgeous pop songwriting - and on the flip side Plainsong and Closedown among the rest of the album tracks are seriously strong musical pieces.
My only gripe is it is a tiny bit too long - and some songs overstay their welcome a little - which while this is a close to perfect album makes it JUST miss the mark for me.
Foo Fighters
3/5
Was happy when this record turned up for me - less so when I listened to it. Don’t get me wrong I generally like the foo fighters - but this record does not contain much of Dave Grohl’s pop genius and frankly I don’t know how it got picked up by a record label back then besides as a novelty album ‘Nirvana drummer’s cute attempt at a record’. Big Me is the only track here which could have offered a clue as to what Dave Grohl was to offer.
Thankfully though it was picked up so maybe this was the importance of the record - it ultimately led to the Juggernaut the band is today - but musically? It’s very bland.
M.I.A.
5/5
Wow amazing from start to finish - I think this is one of the most British albums ever recorded.
Lyrics awesome - production perfect - Mia’s delivery is constantly on point while also bring tongue in cheek - the influence varied and global in reach …
The references to Modern Lovers, Pixies and of course the perfect use of the sample from ‘Straight to Hell’ in what probably is one of the most anthemic songs of the late noughties ‘Paper Planes’…
It’s made me plenty sad because I have not known this album for the 15 years it has existed - sad that I won’t have the joy of listening to it for the first time again and be blown away at every corner with every track … but hey now I can make up for it.
Janet Jackson
2/5
Bloated, dated and self important.
Elliott Smith
3/5
It’s ok - some potential but a forgettable record overall
The Kinks
4/5
Davies’ smarm and British charm - three quarters of this album is brilliant - musically, pop wise and lyrically - and thematically is wonderfully consistent - yet the last few songs start slowing down the freshness and pace of the album and it falls short of being a perfect classic. Great band very good album.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
A lovely jazz album - impeccably produced - you can almost hear the sweat dripping off the musicians’ brow - and whoa what musicianship.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Again I must have never truly paid attention to the brilliance of The Flaming Lips - this is a great sounding standout of an album - it’s not as perfect as the masterpiece that is Yoshimi but it ranks pretty high to me.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
A timed delay grower - on first couple of listens this record does not stand out - but it starts revealing itself in layers with subsequent plays.
It’s soulful, modern eclectic and a fresh take on the R’n’b Genre.
Scott Walker
3/5
Strange - but in a good way - it actually contains some interest tracks like ‘Jackie’ and ‘Next’ but overall it’s just a bit of a novelty - a crooning psychopath over a Spector wall of sound - worth a listen but not going to be a regular
Brian Eno
3/5
It’s not terrible - but like some other solo Brian Eno albums - does it need to exist?
Frank Ocean
5/5
Amazing soulful, clever song writing and performance - I don’t know how I had passed on Frank Ocean but I sure do regret it.
This album is great, end to end, and gets better with every listen.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
Middle of the road 90s cross over country - there are a few songs which diamonds in the rough, pop wise, but most of the album is bland.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Well well well. Let me start by saying I dislike Pink Floyd - but this is the album I always bring up as an exception to them actually having a fun record.
And yes I can still corroborate that statement - begrudgingly I say as far as records go this is a perfectly balanced well written album - not merely a collection of songs but a volume in itself. It does not taper or sag in the middle and gets your attention from the start. It’s a really good record. But because it is Pink Floyd it gets a 1 star penalty. Especially because Roger ‘the Sponge’ Waters is a self absorbed dick
Coldplay
3/5
Well. I rather dislike Coldplay, but the point of this exercise is to try and keep an open mind... and... the first half of this album is actually a lesson in great pop songwriting - every song up until "Daylight" is an incredibly written, well-crafted pop song. With the benefit of time and distance from the overplaying of the noughties, they are actually objectively good.
Sadly, either because the first half is such masterly written, that the rest of the album is a sharp drop in quality - the band is not interesting enough to survive filler tracks - their own strengths contrast their weaknesses.
Moreover, the tracklist could have benefitted with spacing out the singles across the rest of the album, to keep some interest going throughout - like this it sticks out like a sore thumb as a collection of songs, whose cohesion runs out of steam mid way, and with it, the whole record.
Given the star quality of the singles, this album gets a 4, but it gets a Coldplay penalty point of 1 - so the final score is 3.
Fats Domino
4/5
A pleasant pioneering album, with some classic tracks and a solid, fun listen.
It's not the most memorable, and also one of the hardest to find to listen to in 2022, but well worth the hunt.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Beautiful beautiful beautiful voice - lovely production, arrangements and instrumentation - but it lacks the songs to elevate all those ingredients. Good base average recipe.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Somehow missed this interesting gem from my knowledge of the early punk canon. They are an interesting point of view of punk in 1978 - screaming saxophones and pristine production - with an intense voice at the helm of it.
There are some great songs here but overall as a record it a too much I feel - the pace is a bit haphazard and the record of a bit too long for the intensity at which it plays.
Aphex Twin
5/5
Another of my all time favourite albums - end to end perfection - it sounds timeless despite the calendar range in the title, surprisingly chock full of hooks and soul for an ambient album - and perfectly paced and an absolute immaculate flow.
This is definitely the album that I’d put on to fight a ‘meh’ - in productivity, focus or motivating - it’s just pumping enough to get me going and gentle enough to ease me into a good mood.
William Orbit
2/5
Strange Cargo indeed in a very 90s rave culturally appropriating way… it shows signs of interesting beers but it feels very dated and it’s not remarkable enough to ignore that fact.
4/5
As I was growing up, Muse were among my favourites after coming across a televised live show of theirs, around the time of their first record in 1999.
Then came a series of albums, one stronger than the next, and their albums peaked around the time of this record - Black Hole and Revelations - stronger songs, great singles, and a well rounded overall. Probably not as good as its predecessor, Absolution. At least from my recollections...
Of course, over the years, I kind of fell out of love with the band (I'm afraid to check how deep into the conspiracy nuttery Matt Bellamy might have dug himself into) - but even musically, they are what they are, and while I used to like their epic Rhapsodiacal nature, I don't love it anymore.
Now, with that in mind, listening to this record brought over some nostalgia, and it's a well balanced album, yet feels a bit dated production wise. It's got great songs, and some stellar singles, but the 'maturity' that was felt they achieved when they released the record, doesn't exactly hit the mark with enough time passing, and it's not as fun and care-free as some of their previous albums.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Good record, too self-important, this band has better ones.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
Surprisingly listenable - initially I dreading having to go through it but it’s actually fun at times and while still a little oddity - it’s still easy on the ear. Now that I know it was the brainchild of a 19 year of mid triply impressed.
Prince
4/5
Well the idea of an 80s double album seemed like a daunting until the title track came on and Prince woo’ed me into enjoying over an hour and a half of his music. So much groove, so much soul with a dash of tongue in cheek and plenty of sexiness - it’s Prince - sans his most popular songs but still a great album.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Rather forgettable mumble core - bar the first two tracks which somehow stick well. But it tapers off rather steeply from the third song onwards. It’s the last gasp of noughties indie.
Elton John
3/5
The record is not great but bad either - the pace and length is doable and just the fact it has Tiny Dancer and Holiday Inn on it elevates it - but the rest is middling Elton John fare so it balances out.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
If Southern rock is not your Texas BBQ and when the kings of southern rock turn up to haunt you from the grave - you brace yourself… but it’s actually a great record - is definitely up with there with the classic rock greats - and well try as you might - but finishing off a good record with Freebird is begrudgingly awesome.
Fred Neil
4/5
Two deeply beautiful songs in 'The Dolphins' and 'Everybody's Talking' and a very good folk record throughout.
The Black Keys
5/5
Quite a lovely fun rock and roll album with few flaws. Maybe a bit too long but in this case it’s just more of a good thing. Since it’s well paced, fun and fresh, it doesn’t feel like tedious at any point.
Bad Company
2/5
Bad Company? More like the Boring Company. Forgettable white man blues.
Funkadelic
3/5
Weird - besides the over wrought two songs that bookend this record, the rest is solid funk tracks that stand the test of time. Pity that the psychedelic noise fest bring this otherwise fine record down.
KISS
3/5
Well not as anthemic as I expected - although it was more so with every listen - but still an overall fun album. Lyrically it’s a desert - a 70s teenage boy’s fantasy that by 21st century standard is comically unrealistic (OR straight on veiled misogyny and tales of sexual harassment…) but hey it was a different dumber time. I mean - Detroit had some clout as a city back then still.
Sabu
4/5
Not fully my cup of tea - but it’s still a wonderful jazz virtuoso album - it’s hectic, urgent and fun - barely a moment of calm so it’s not an everyday album.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Beautiful as some of Leonard Cohen’s best - and like Bowie’s Blackstar, it is a wonderful gift of a goodbye by one of the demigod artists of the 20th Century. It’s a little less dark than Bowie’s epitaph and the soaring lyrics and smooth husky baritone of Cohen allows the world the grieve a little better for the loss.
The Kinks
4/5
Davies’ baroque Britishness and joyful plodding through the songs on this record makes it difficult not to love - some classic singles in here like a David Watts and Waterloo Sunset, but also an array of great album tracks. Good fun.
JAY Z
3/5
Music, beats and production is excellent - however on this record Jay Z is an intolerable dick. He just sounds like a rhyming CEO and I have expect him to pull out a power point at an all hands meeting. It’s basically C-Level hip hop and not in a good way.
It rhymes, it flows, it’s about to be fun but Jay’s eagerness to show how awesome he is falls short and sounds like overcompensation - which if he chilled it’s obvious that he would be awesome if he stopped getting in his own way. Better than Biggie? No - he doesn’t have the true swagger and effortless charm. Even when Biggie goes low he’s always a cut above - Jay Z spends an entire album just dissing and not much else to the extent Eminem’s guest appearance is almost welcome dose of adulthood. Shame cos the record could have been perfect and Jay is a true master of flow. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Fun and light bluesy jazz - nothing too memorable but will put you in a good mood if you put it on.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
Nope. Besides the first song all I got was images of pickup trucks and leopard print and a whole lot of meh.
The Monkees
4/5
Of all the Beatles clones - the Monkees on this album capture Help! Era feel and fun. And it’s a good record overall - helps that it is short and keeps you wanting more.
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
When this record came up, I prejudged it as another Ravi Shankar-esque album before even hearing the first note... and then I forgot about it.
Going back to see the albums I missed I put this one and whoa... it's wonderfully eclectic and awesome. It's a mix of Morricone-esque numbers, with Indian instruments, quite a lot of good tongue in cheek, some bossa nova - it's a delight from start to finish.
Looking back I feel like an ass for missing out on this.
Otis Redding
4/5
Warm, sunny, great tunes - it's not ground breaking, but it's a really good listen. Otis' interpretation of some classic songs are beautiful and highly listenable.
Devendra Banhart
4/5
Oddball but honest - suffers a tinge of over-tweeness of the noughties but still a good record - at times haunting, at times delightful while being very well paced.
John Martyn
3/5
Not going to be my favourite record but surprisingly listenable. Has a good flow too.
Buffalo Springfield
4/5
It’s a lovely album with great arrangements and production - and while the songs are hippy fare - they are quite memorable. Enjoyed this one.
D'Angelo
4/5
Smooth and silky - and actually a good record. It kind of leans towards a steamier Stevie Wonder with a lot of soul.
4/5
A blisteringly raw album - it’s first few songs are some of the most ínstense punk and rock and roll minutes in all of guitar music history - however the bar gets set so high that the rest of the album feels feeble in comparison.
It’s still an awesome album but the energy that the MC5 brought to the world, the Stooges distilled it and bottled into the refined petroleum we know and love.
Still this source of the river - and it’s well worth remembering that when listening to it.
Beatles
3/5
Obviously some great songs here because well it’s the Beatles, but it’s definitely not their best record - and I think it’s not a very good one in general.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Ok let’s put aside the record for a second and talk about the titular character in the 19 min epic ‘By the time I get to Phoenix’…
So the fellow thinks he can buy his way into a successful marriage - working double time, triple time… and then when it fails - he believes he can just keep doing the same thing and expect different results? I think he deserved all he got - he should first been more sensible and worked on his relationship and then when the mistake was apparent he should have learnt some form of lesson.
Anyway the records smooth and lovely - Walk on by is a masterpiece and the rest of the record is true to its name - soulful buttery spread. However, while the monologue of ‘By the time..’ has a cool edge when narrated by Isaac Hayes - it’s not exactly going to hold up with repeated listens. Without it - it would have been a stellar record.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Really good fun - even the distance of time away from its trendiness - it holds up really well. Maybe a little weak lyrically but it’s a solid noughties garage album end to end, with a some good memorable tunes to boot.
The Mars Volta
4/5
Well, another band I have had a lot of reservations about - to me the Mars Volta are rather overwrought - from the name, to the lyrics, to the 8 min songs. On paper they should have been one of my favourite bands - being that I was a big fan of At The Drive In... but.. anyway.. back to this album
My first reaction at revealing this album was of dismay, however, I actually enjoyed most of it - a lot of it stuck from previous listens, oh so many years ago, and it still holds up after all these years. I actually liked it quite a bit especially given I started with a negative precondition.
All in all it has a lot to sink your teeth into, and the intricacies of the songs aren't going to turn up within 24 hours - however, it's a solid record, despite its length, it's never boring, and merrily steam rolls through its 1 hour of length easily.
One thing about this 1001 album exercise - it gives you perspective - I've now hear albums which have the traits I had disliked about Mars Volta, amplified many times over, so in comparison, this is almost feels like a Ramones album in terms of lean-ness - only relatively.
Aerosmith
3/5
Not an excellent record but still fun - it’s got the original pre RUN-DMC ‘Walk this way’ and ‘Sweet Emotion’, which are bangers but the rest is quite forgettable albeit agreeable.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Know this very well from my first attempt at doing the 1001 albums (only had managed 3 in a month haha)
Good tunes with a strong booming voice and the band feels like it’s doing quite its own thing on this record.
It’s also well put together - each songs belongs with the others in the order they are - and they are all good songs.
Lyrics are a bit too stream of consciousness but it also goes well with the theme of the album so.. it’s a good one.
Tom Waits
5/5
Lovely album - got confused because of the Screaming Jay Hawkins and Bruce Springsteen covers (that they did of Tom Waits) so I thought I had already heard it before - but first time listen, first time love - Tom Waits always soothes my soul.
Charles Mingus
4/5
If Miles Davis' early records are delicate shuffles of greatness, this record just pushes all that jazz to a very dirty and groovy place - raspy trumpets and saxophones, a little flamenco and a wild ride all throughout - with wonderful ups and downs - a true rollercoaster along the 4 medley tracks.
Not a chill album for sure, more of a party thing going - loved it.
Patti Smith
4/5
I always thought Patti Smith was awesome, but never could find a record I liked much - so much so, that I started dismissing her - until I absent-mindedly drifted to a show of hers - and whoa... her live shows are wonderful - poetry with teeth, powerful music and Patti oozes charisma like no one else - even today.
The record still don't capture and bottle that wonderful fleeting moment of watching a Patti Smith show - but now I can see them in context.
Obviously Horses is the quintessential Patti Smith album - and once you know that she is a deeply talented poet with a backing band - it all makes sense.
And the context in which this album is released and her grip on the rock'n'roll canon is impossible to ignore. This is a great album.
Death In Vegas
4/5
A record with a lot of 90s Britpop swagger - had a good time listening to this. A kind of Oasis / Primal Scream thing going, with it's own dark streak and clever storytelling, while consistently paced and just the right length.
Alice In Chains
4/5
At first was reluctant to enjoy what this record that I and relegated as a B rated album from the 90s - but… there are surprisingly many good bangers here with Rooster, Would, Angry Chair, Down in a Hole and more - that I could get past the dated production and the very 90s-shopping-spree-at-a-guitar-shop tone.
And as pacing goes it’s excellent - the lesser songs are supported by the many good singles and so the record never saga in energy and interest - even though it’s not a short record.
Bobby Womack
4/5
Funky, soulful, velvet smooth singing, and oh, that bass guitar sound.
Elvis Presley
3/5
A fun Elvis record, but not much is remarkable besides his rendition of 'Fever'.
It's nice and short, sounds lovely but rather forgettable as a whole.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
It's probably among the most pristinely produced records out there - so crystalline it actually stands out - however while it starts strong in a new-wave-y kind of way, it tapers out to Steely Dan-esque proggish ballads pretty quickly. It really starts losing it's steam by the 5th song and it feels like it's never going to end... meh
The Dictators
3/5
Knee deep into punk and missed this band... what do you know, you learn new things every day.
At first listen I thought it was pretty much a derivative of UK Punk, with snotty American lyrics, until I realised, well this actually precedes UK Punk. (And most of US Punk as well...)
So - besides the history lesson, it's musically fun, and while at first lyrically it kind of feels irreverent but too much in a silly way, it actually, with a closer look is actually great satire - culminating in the closing track (I Live for) Girls and Cars - the perfect California Surf pop parody, while being a great song in itself.
Great choice of covers too - however ultimately, despite its importance and relevance in the pantheon of punk rock - many musicians have taken the influence, and done what The Dictators do better. In the end it's an ok record.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
First song I ever danced to, and first song I ever sang to was the title track - at 4 years old - and it was my favourite song too.
Obviously I grew up with Springsteen in the background - kind of uncool, but not ignorable, and went through most of my life just kind of thinking, one day I'll give him a proper listen.
And in my late 30s I did - and I discovered the wonderful world of The Boss, Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska - all stellar records, and while I did get into a number of individual tracks from this album - which are unavoidable if you grew up anywhere near guitar music, I kind of thought this is the 'cheesy' album - not up to the heights of it's predecessors.
And yeah, well, there's a lot more to it than meets the idea. It starts with the title track which is a bit, well 'much' - even though it's such a great song at it's core, and probably one of the most misunderstood songs ever written.
But after that, it's a well rounded record, upbeat throughout - not the most introspective - celebratory yet self-aware.
Even here, Bruce manages to keep it multi-dimensional - talking about the Vietnam veterans shrouded in faux-jingo-ist anthem, which ends up being the most jingoist anthem ever used - mocking others' Glory Days, a prohibited affair in I'm on Fire, and so on so forth. Musically and lyrically, there's a lot to dig in and discover over the years.
It loses one star, because you can't really play Born in the USA out too loud in many places, can you, and it's hardly avoidable in being the first track.
Motörhead
4/5
Blistering, intense and relentless rock'n'roll - Ace of Spades, Bomber, Iron Horse, Motörhead - all kick ass here - performed to perfection.
Quite a rare thing, at least I don't think I ever came across it before, but a song dedicated to the Road Crew is awesome. It is what separates the real bands from the made up ones.
A classic.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Elvis Costello. again. Roll up my sleeves as I think this is finally the last one in the batch, and well it's the one of the most listenable as a whole.
His nasal voice and awkward song concepts are still there, but there are few standout tracks here and there. Costello has better songs, but the albums they rest in are uneven. This one is a bit more of an all rounder - but I'm all Costello'd out by now.
He's good, but not good enough to have his whole discography here.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
At times gorgeous, lovely collaborations, hilariously funny, and awesomely performed on one hand, at times a bit dragged out and a bit dated production wise. It’s a great album just not perfect.
Sebadoh
3/5
Oddball and very Pavement-esque, some moments of pop brilliance - but in general trying to hard to be alternative - a fault of many albums of the era I guess. Also a bit tinny on the production side. A good listen though.
George Jones
3/5
Pleasant yet forgettable - besides the gorgeous title track the rest of the record is very homogenous and blends into itself too easily.
The Verve
3/5
Discount Oasis that is surprisingly better than the real thing - besides the notorious main single which is also still a great song - this record is peppered with very memorable tracks yet it feels a bit too long and the fillers are fillers with not much to remember them by.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Ok I count myself as a non-fan of Bob Dylan - nasal voice, too derivative from his influences in folk of the time and well I probably (misguidedly) think he is overrated.
This record though is the one that I warmed up to most of his - and after listening through the hundreds of albums so far - you start feeling the records with secret sauce - and this one is one of those.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Missy Elliot rocks - definitely one of the best hip hop artists of the late 90s / early 00s.
This album blazes through with gusto, right from the first track until the last - with the masterpiece that is Work It and a series of songs with a bold feminine point of view that is incredibly refreshing and rare across genres. Production is awesome, the guests stellar.
A great album that maybe is a tad long, given it’s relentless intensity.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
Well this is the third Indian artist that I came across in this list and the third one that pleasantly surprised me. It’s surprisingly earnest and the songs pump through with very awesome renditions of Jumping Jack Flash and Light My Fire.
It’s a tad tad longer than it feels like it should be - but otherwise a record i would return to.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
2/5
Apart from Janis Joplin’s amazing voice - I struggle to find anything interesting in this record - generic white blues that other white blues artists have done better.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Typical of the 00s - sarcastic, neurotic yet hedonistic in outlook - great beats genuinely funny writing and memorable hooks throughout - a very good record.
Tom Waits
4/5
Not Tom Waits best in my opinion but it’s a gorgeous album nonetheless. Peculiar in sound and production and only a few standout songs - but it’s more of a complete record kind of thing - it makes sense as a whole.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
A bit self indulgent - I guess a post Beatles McCartney us allowed to do that - it tries to bring in the conceptuality of the beatles era with repeated themes and self-referencing lyrics - but misses the mark a bit - because the songs aren’t all very good. However when they are they are masterpieces like ‘Jet’ and the closer ‘Nineteen Hundred…’ all in all interesting but not something I’d return to much.
Television
4/5
A right on riffing classic - snotty at just the right amount and memorable hooks throughout … it feels a bit long because it is intense but it’s worth it.
k.d. lang
4/5
Gorgeous voice - and a nice take on the country genre - very familiar yet compact and smooth. Still very country but that doesn’t bother me.
Raekwon
4/5
Grimy hip hop at its best - feels like steaming city sewers and darkened alley ways populated by Shaolin and Samurai - battling leather clad spiked epauletted hoodlums for street supremacy. It gets better the longer you listen to it - and while on first listen it might feel special - it’s a hauntingly awesome album with great beats and rhymes and deep cut hooks.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Pleasant - wonderful musicianship - albeit not so memorable songs.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
Ehhhh. When this album came up I was balking at the idea of having to sit through it. I remember it well as i grew up with Alanis Morissette in the background - and I remember this album too as we had it at home on cassette…
Does it stand the test of time and can one forgive it for being so overplayed? I have to say it just about makes a ‘yes’ on both counts.
For starters - Alanis is unique in many ways - and yes maybe very easy to parody beside her ludicrously whiter than white girl silly name - her naivety and her youth but at the same time the songs are truly honest - imperfect and human - and her voice is undeniably unique and strong. And the vast majority of this album is greatly crafted pop songs.
Now test of time? It’s very uniquely 90s that’s for sure - but the themes and the point of view and the honesty of Alanis is actually very ahead of her time… I feel it’s urgency might have been a laughing matter at the height of its popularity but now it’s a truly strong feminine point of view of the world.
However It’s ironic, don’t you think at how a wholly misunderstanding of the concept of irony made it the most iconic inclusion of ‘ironic’ in a song in the history of pop music.
Big Star
4/5
Well well what an interesting surprise - kind of Proto-indie what nice moody atmospheric songs in among a sprawling record. It’s a really good album despite it feels a little unfinished - which in itself makes it interesting as well. Some great tracks here.
The Fall
3/5
A workman-like album doing the drill as the Fall - not bad, not excellent - it sounds what an album number 8 of a band would sound like. Not fresh, but right off the production line.
The Roots
3/5
Some seriously fun and groove-y tracks - but when you plonk a 10 min semi psychedelic track mid way through the album it loses its steam. Plus the last few tracks feel like the last mile of a marathon - the whole record is a bit too long. Had it been shorter it would have been a great album.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Pink Floyd. I don't like them. All my life everyone told me, "Ok Fine, but did you hear Pink Floyd with Syd Barret? It's probably more up your street". Suffice to say I hadn't until now.
And this album is actually awesome. Can't believe I can say this about a Floyd album - but here they have some edge, they're fun and playful in the Kinks' vein, way better than when they started to take themselves too seriously and got 'Water-ed' down (ha ha ha).
They still have the virtuosity, and the psychedelia - but here it feels genuine. Great album.
Dolly Parton
2/5
I like Dolly Parton - but this record is quite tedious. Besides the opener and a couple of other songs i could wait for it to end.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
Very good Dinosaur Jr fare - if you like the band - this is very representative and very little to say against it. Had a good time listening to it - just not sure I’ll remember it.
Doves
4/5
Interesting - Coldplay-esque but a bit hipper - yet they lack the hit factory appeal of the former. Still a nice member of this list of records I might have missed otherwise.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Pleasant Willie Nelson country fare - but not his most distinctive.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
All the fun of LCD Soundsystem - but elevated and more for your teeth to sink into - the songs are quite epic and go almost into the realm of depeche mode, Bauhaus and the ilk. Great album lovely surprise - hadn’t heard it before.
U2
4/5
Well before Coldplay, there was U2 to fill the airwaves and the stadia... and they also are masterful pop songwriters - anthems that transcend even decades after they were released. I'm not too happy about it - but I cannot deny great craftmanship when it comes along. When they are great they are great, when they are middling, they are awful - but this album balances it well - peppering the hits strategically and sounding gorgeous.
Didn't know Eno produced this, so I guess it adds to the pedigree.
Lightning Bolt
3/5
Whoa. What was that? Brutal jazz-metal-noise-punk instrumental record? I can’t even put a name to it. It’s fun to listen to at least once in your life but I doubt this is going to be on repeat listen for much. Good album - for novelty.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Meh… besides the title track most of this record reads dated and misses the mark with regards to poignancy. I guess the members and the band itself make it significant - but that doesn’t make it good.
SZA
3/5
Interesting but didn’t totally win me over - it starts a bit naff but then the middle part is very strong and gently closes the album with some decent tracks. Maybe it needs more listens - but then most albums in this list need that…
4/5
Ok. You can definitely not count me as an Oasis fan. Firstly - was not a big fan of the Gallagher voices, then came Blur vs. Oasis and I was wholeheartedly in the former's camp. So while I had heard a few of these tracks singularly - I never sat down and listened to this album. I told myself I cannot take more than one Oasis song at a time.
And I was wrong. This is truly a great album. Some of the most memorable of the 90s, and even the most overplayed ones are just simply fine pop songs with a good edge. "Don't Look Back in Anger' is pure class, so is "Champagne Supernova" - and the rest of the album is just good - not too long, well-paced and pumping throughout.
A good strong record I stupidly ignored most of my life.
Pulp
4/5
Aptly following Oasis - this album is more classically up my street from the Britpop camp. Jarvis Cocker's sneer, the title track - and it being the sound of 1997 to me.
It might not be as great as Different Class, but it's still a strong showing.
Deep Purple
4/5
Not a Deep Purple fan, but this album is FUN. Kick ass drumming, bass, guitar and synth - and Ian Gilian also does a good enough job to my taste. Maybe coming across Smoke on the Water made be balk a bit - but it’s the songs fault - it actually gave me a chance to give it a proper listen after all these years and appreciate its special place in the rock and roll arsenal.
Much more fun than I thought it would be.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I would never have imagined liking a 90s blues Bob Dylan album - but here we are. Suffers a tiny bit from its length - ‘Highlands’, the last track, is a never ending slog - but the rest is pleasant, fresh and solid song writing.
SAULT
3/5
At times fun, at times soulful - but it gets in the way of itself with the self affirmations throughout the album. I get it maybe I’m not the target audience, but there are plenty of similar racial themes in hip hop and sometimes even more militant - yet hold your attention and are not exclusionary.
It’s not the subject - it’s the delivery - pity because the music is quite a nice example of modern soul.
Frank Black
3/5
Were the pixies to split and the frontman to have his own solo project - this would be it. Oh that’s what this is?
Kidding aside - it’s good a good fraction of what makes the pixies cool and wonderful but it’s got the missing spice. It’s still a decent record and the songs are good - probably one of the better Frank Black albums.
David Holmes
5/5
A lovely surprise - late 90s electronic - in a slight vein of the Chemical Brothers but at the same time it’s own thing - drawing from Reggae, funk and Jazz.
The field recordings that litters the album really give a context to the whole record while the music itself is impeccable from start to finish. Enjoyed this one very well.
Lorde
4/5
Good, fun ‘Saturday night’ pop which at times hints at a Kate Bush stylings - maybe it gets repetitive towards the end.
Genesis
2/5
My lord this is loooooonng. It’s a strange album to booth so it needs patience to even tolerate it.
At first I completely dismissed it - but there is some interest hidden just below the surface. There isn’t much pop to sink one’s teeth into and when there is - the lyrics are all over the place. But there are interesting and sometimes memorable moments on this record.
It could have done with some self editing - or someone should have told them that half this album could have been cut or released as a separate one.
So unfortunately this gets a low rating because as an entire record it doesn’t work even though there are interesting bits.
Les Rythmes Digitales
4/5
Nice - funky, danceable album - about a decade ahead of it's time - Ed Banger records peak of the mid-noughties seem to have either drawn from this album or it's one hell of a coincidence.
Has the same groovy playfulness and thicc-ness of Justice, but with the earnest-ness and innocence of the 90 - the darkness hadn't set in on the dance floor yet I guess back then, although there are hints throughout.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Wu-Tang Clan ain't nuttin ta fuck with. Indeed. I don't think I can add much beyond that.
Bert Jansch
4/5
Huh. Kind of Nick Drake, kind of Bob Dylan, kind of Fred Neil - I guess comes with my untrained ear for the folk genre - maybe not as great as some of the work of these three, but comes quite close. Nice find.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
While listening to this album, I couldn't help but thinking what an apt band name and record name. It does sound like super furry animals, and does sound like fuzzy logic.
It's a fun album in the usual strange unique vein of the band - closest references I guess might be Supergrass and The Flaming Lips, in quirkiness of the latter and pop-sensibilities of the former.
Fun album to explore again in the future.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
If the elves from Lord of the Rings sang folk, Joni Mitchell's voice with feature. It's a lovely album - the vocal acrobatics alone are a must listen at least once in one's life, and here, unlike other Mitchell albums, the songs are quite solid. 'Blue' and 'California' naturally stand out, while 'River' is possible the most interesting Christmas carol (and meta-tribute) of recent times - painting a picture of a snow covered mid-western American winter in the vein of a proto-Springsteen. It's an interesting, and good, album.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I keep on forgetting this band is really good - songs are memorable over decades and they have this lush unique sound to them. This one is a perfectly paced and balance album
Kraftwerk
4/5
These crazy cool kraut cats do it again! Anthropomorphising inanimate objects and giving them emotional depth backed with deep hooks on a bed of synth baths. This record strides between hopefulness, glamour, intense geekiness and brilliance. Loved it.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Not the best of Neil Young - in fact quite opposite - while it wasn't terrible, it is quite nondescript and it doesn't have much spark. I'm not going to feel missing out if I never listen to this album again.
OutKast
5/5
Well. This is gold and timeless. While OutKast are critically lauded and also popular, I feel they do not receive the same kind of acclaim some of their peers get (I guess in a way they live up to their name heh). Yet here they are with this masterpiece of a record that is consistently fun and pop, while being true to their hip hop roots. I don't think I can say more than other, more articulate reviewers have, but this is a top record.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
The 20 minute title track is too much. Good musicianship, fine, but it reeks of the excesses of the seventies - with prolonged synth solos and over the top conceptual songwriting - nah. Firmly not my thing. Side B offers an interesting variety of songs, which unfortunately get eclipsed by the monster song.
Saint Etienne
4/5
Nice and sweet - even funny at times - kind of electronic ambient with a bit of class and some good pop writing. An interesting record
Faust
4/5
It's funny that some of the records with the most rich sense of humour come from the stereotypically stoic country of Germany. While it's a serious record in many ways, there is a lot of self-awareness through it's runtime, and in a good way. The songs are also long, but well paced and with purpose, and the blend of languages is beautiful, making it a very European album - a kind of forward-looking earnestness that came with Central Europe in the 70s.
I had never gotten into this band before, but this is a good album to discover them with.
Eurythmics
4/5
Fun pop album - it verges a bit on the overly cheesy, lyric wise and even song wise - but it has quite a few timeless classics in here.
The synth sounds though - wow - impeccable production and arrangement. The whole record has a strong start, but kind of tapers off towards the end after the title track - which is kind of expected since it overshadows this whole band's career.
But don't get me wrong - it's not a one song album.
Megadeth
3/5
It's good thrash metal, but it doesn't hold strongly against Reign in Blood, Master of Puppets or even so of Anthrax's best. I know Megadeth and Mustaine are basically inseparable from Metal's vernacular, but the is album is just not that great.
Beatles
4/5
Peress li hemm ħafna diġa miktub fuq il-Beatles bl-ingliż u niddubita li se nikontribwixxi xi ħaga ġdida jien, se nipprova niktibha bil-Malti.
Album kbir, xorta għadu mhux l-aħjar tagħhom - imma qisu l-bidu ta' l-aqwa żmien ta' dawn l-artisti. Dan ir-rekord qisu b'sieq il-passat tagħhom u sieq fil-futur. 'Norwegian Wood', 'Michelle' u Nowhere Man juru ċertu ambizzjoni fil-kompożiżżjoni li ma kienetx hemm qabel, filwaqt li 'Girl', 'Drive My Car' u 'In My Life' jagħtu xeħta għall-albums ta' qabel fil-quċċata tal-kitba.
Kollox ma' kollox album tajjeb, sabiħ, bilanċjat u mhux twil wisq - hawn il-Beatles qed jagħtu lemħa tal-enormitá tal-arti tagħħom imma jidru li għadhom naqa fit-triq għall-quċċata.
James Taylor
2/5
Meh. Found it hard to even grasp at this album.
Cat Stevens
3/5
Some intensely important tracks of the rock'n'roll vernacular reside in this album, like 'Wild World' and 'Father and Son' - but maybe because in my childhood some of these songs were hijacked by 'cool guitar Catholic Mass' that I kind of balk at listening to them. It's not the album's fault - the music is great - the songs are tremendous, but I can't digest due to their association.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
Perfect, surf-punk - right up my street - with biting and clever sardonic lyrics, adrenaline packed beats and pumping bass lines.
Listening to this record, makes the contrast of American punk (and even British punk) that came after this feel so hollow and weak. This is the real thing - from intensely funny 'California Über Alles', to the poignant 'Kill the Poor', from 'Holiday in Cambodia' and even in the perfect madcap cover of 'Viva Las Vegas'. Love it - a true classic.
Peter Frampton
2/5
"Did you hear the one song that Frampton makes the guitar talk?" Sigh - if I had a penny for every time I heard that question in some form or another. It's there, at the end, milked for 10 minutes, it's OK, and I guess it's memorable, but the rest of the album isn't - quite a generic mid-tempo songs, and an absolute terrible rendition of 'Jumping Jack Flash'. Nope, I haven't grown into it more over the years, more like the opposite.
Röyksopp
5/5
What a delightful album. End to end warm, interesting, fun and gentle - and even if I remember clearly the time it was released - it has a timeless nature - in the vein of Air's 'Moon Safari' and Kraftwerk's 'Man Machine', for some reason. Lovely.
Moby Grape
2/5
Pleasant and all but very little to grasp. The general sound is good - but the record is forgotten the minute it stops playing. Maybe it needs further listens but with the same amount of attention as all other records are given - this falters.
The Adverts
4/5
Nice snotty B level punk. The band is good - the record is good too - but it’s not Never Mind the Bollocks, Ramones. Dead Kennedies or the Clash. It stands proudly in the hall oh oh m though.
New Order
4/5
I have been meaning to get into Joy Division / New Order for a lifetime - and not because I don't like them - I don't seem to have found the right record. This one comes close for me to like it - probably because it occupies the same space as the Cure for me, which band I love. With no disrespect to either band they do tend to overlap at times, and I find it a good thing here.
This record gets me closer to warming up to New Order I guess, so it's favourable.
4/5
The first half is just solid perfect pop - not one missed song, and it makes this an instant classic. It's long because it's from the Compact Disc era I guess, but it's undoubedtly a great great album, even if I am not quite a fan of U2.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Good fun Jazz - hectic and vibrant - not my favourite but definitely a fun record to put on in a party
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Well this is a beautiful album - around 4/5ths of it is basically perfect - Smashing Pumpkins have truly their own unique sound down to the instrument level - and remarkably songs are at the same time memorable enough to classify as strong pop songwriting layered in the above mentioned unique arrangement and flavour. The last part feels a bit extra - suffering from the CD era’s indulgence in album length… were this released on a vinyl it would have been a 5/5.
Neil Young
5/5
Oh so, this is one of the excellent Neil Young records. Upbeat, clean, perfectly produced, and most of the tracks here are bangers. Definitely one of my fave Neil Young albums. I realised with a career as diverse as Neil Young's, I will find records I really dislike and some I really love. This is one of the latter.
Dizzee Rascal
4/5
Intense - but the production awesome - even though it's skewed heavily on the rhythm and rather spare on the melody. Quite a few tracks are bangers here, and while it's not an album for all seasons because of it's intensity, it's a great one when the time and mood is right.
Violent Femmes
3/5
I always kind of liked the Violent Femmes when listening to them at arms length - some memorable tunes, and lovely sound - but looking closely the songs are rather hollow. It's too snotty to be twee and it's too twee to be punk, and having their famous opener being pretty much an anthem for onanism, it gets old at one point or another.
Beck
4/5
This album was basically regularly played at home - I remember when it came out it revealed Beck to have a little more depth (even though his genius was still undeniable). Now with time, it doesn't have that same impact - the songs are long, and I suspect I am warm to them because I know them, but if I had to hear it for the first time again, beyond the novelty of an acoustic space-y Beck album - I don't think I'd find much more. Just a note, unusually the second half of this record is better than the first, at least that's what it felt like. I still have fond memories of the record so I cannot help but rate it slightly higher
Blur
4/5
Magnificent, fun - and even though it’s long it maintains it’s energy throughout. It’s out as a British baroque classic such as the Kinks’ Village Green - some of the Beatles’ McCartney contributions - while adding a new sound for the new era it resides in.
The Undertones
3/5
Surprsingly disappointing to me - especially being such a John Peel / British punk mainstay. Lyrically it's a bit too schoolboy-ish and one-dimensional for my taste, and while there are some great songs here, it kind of drags at points.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
While there are snippets of brilliance in here - this album completely suffers from the the too much syndrome - too much album, too much emotion, too much contrition, too much self confidence, indulgence - at times talent and brilliance but the negatives are too much. Self editing might have made a wonderful record but I guess that’s the pitfall of going at it alone with so much ambition. Shame really.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Funky, soulful - a good nice dose of Curtis Mayfield without too much fanfare and straight to the point. A lot of record in this list should take a page out of this album’s book.
Yes
3/5
Oh, I thought I was in for torture, but it let me down easy. It's not a record I will ever like, but it's listenable, and it's earnestness is actually infectious. In this class of 70s prog, this is probably the most grounded.
The B-52's
4/5
Fun, kooky, surf-ish punk craziness - just right up my street. Might get a tad repetitive at points, but I just can't get enough of Rock Lobster, Planet Claire and well, most of the songs here.
R.E.M.
5/5
I'm not an R.E.M. fan. I wouldn't pick up an R.E.M. album consciously to listen to but this album is a true classic - every song here has it's place, and some of the songs are stellar - mainstays of the 90s - and while some songs might have been spun a lot - none of them feel overplayed. It's subtle, it's warm, it's catchy and it's unique. Loved this one.
Ray Charles
2/5
Country music with saccharine R&B? No thanks - depressingly dark words that lose their wit without the music, and they all basically sound like christmas carols - basically this feels like a cross-over money grab, that, naturally fell flat on it's face. Country and Blues are a dangerous combination.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
Can't shake the post apocalyptic feeling this album conveys with samples from Nuclear test news reports and Oppenheimer quotes - it's actually surprisingly interesting throughout - even though for me it's dreaded WORLD music in it's actually stereotypical sense. But it's actually good, interesting, maybe not as memorable as others.
Moby
4/5
Whoa forgot Moby was once everywhere - almost every other track on this album was a hit of some sorts - and while it's a nice snapshot of the specific time it sat in, it's also surprisingly relevant musically. Now wonder what happened to Moby... wait... SIXTEEN records since?
GZA
4/5
Strongly themed, tightly rhymed great record by GZA - from the memorable sample from the opening track to the very end of the album this is a strong strong showing from the ex-Wu Tang Clanner. Moody, dark - but without going overboard it's just right.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
This is a lovely warm, album - short sweet to the point - it can't get wrong with 'Respect' as an opener. Aretha's voice here is immensely beautiful - one forgets and might take it for granted - but hear her sing is a wonderful pleasure.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Well what's not to love? It's quite a nice barebones funk - meat and potatoes instrumentation that is actually just just right. Cooked medium rare, this album exhudes cool and sleaze in a stylish way. It tends towards the longer side of records which might be it's only slight flaw - but you need to take your time with good things and this is a record that someone should get to know properly.
Faith No More
4/5
Well I'm biased - loved Faith No More in the past, but now, with the exercise of listening to some of my favourite records in my youth, and sometimes feeling the cringe - this is kind of less so. Yes Mike Patton feels less interesting to me than he did in the past from this record, but there's a hint of what's to come in the dark but silly sense of humour in songs like Surprise! You're Dead! and some of the Pattonisms littered throughout. Also musically the record is solid, albeit a bit too much on the tail end of the 80s metal production - and while there is the undeniable similarity to the Chili Peppers, at least refreshingly they did not inherent the schoolyard sleaze and the misogyny. And the closing instrumental 'Woodpecker from Mars' has aged well.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
A perfect album, I think I've listened to this way too many times in my life, and I always find something new and a new perspective to the songs and the playing in this album. A true masterpiece - wish we had more of Jeff Buckley - we lost him too soon.
Shivkumar Sharma
4/5
Well not my general cup of tea, but quite an intensely relaxing and focus album. With it being played in the background, rest assured you'll be accomplishing the task at hand, and yet it is also stylish and interesting - marrying some Indian and non-western melodies and rhythms with electronic music and somehow still not going on the naff side. Not going to be my favourite record, but objectively it's a good one.
The White Stripes
5/5
The waves of classic rock'n'roll peaked at this album and after it crashed and it's probably hard to reach these heights yet again. It's a record that condenses around half a century of blues and country influenced rock, and bottles it to perfection - yet adds it's own flavour and tint, while stripping it all down to it's most barebones ingredients - a guitar and drums and voices. It's a punctuation mark for guitar music - and whether it's a semi-colon or a fullstop - it's hard to avoid thinking that there cannot be anything beyond this album that is not derivative of it, or any of it's vast canon of influences. But, hey, guitar music, what a way to go.
Eric Clapton
3/5
Well, it's brief, which is good, and probably of the least tedious of Clapton's records so far. Not too memorable, but listenable, and best of all, short.
Femi Kuti
4/5
Good fun afrobeat album by a master. Poignant with a good sense of humour - it's a really fun listen.
Guided By Voices
3/5
A collection of half-baked song ideas that could be great tracks, but the band was to lazy to weave them into something solid. Still, strangely not an unpleasant listen, but it feels truly incomplete.
John Lennon
4/5
A classic, sweet, sweet album - starting with one of the most universal songs ever written in 'Imagine' and closing with the beautiful 'Oh Yoko!' - Lennon is a master and I think this is the only record that stands out after the Beatles' for any of the former members as a true classic. There have been good ones mind you, but none as legendary as this.
R.E.M.
2/5
It's a murmur all right - there's little in these songs to stick for more than a few minutes after the record is over - and is especially start when you know R.E.M. have composed some of the most stubborn of earworms. Disappointing.
Erykah Badu
2/5
Nondescript late-90s / early-90s soul that is instantly forgettable once each song ends.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
This was surprisingly fun - I mean - CCR are usually a good butt of many jokes, but this 33 mins of tightly packed Southern blues is belted out with good feel and proper rocking. It basically sounds like it should and the brevity of the record makes it never overstay it's welcome.
Parliament
4/5
Super fun, genre-funk record. Last two tracks are mega-bangers - and the whole record is full of energy and good humour - kind of like the best of Chili Peppers try to be, but much better.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
Although there are slight moments of brilliance peeking through - this is an ex-Beach Boy after all, it's coated in the worst possible 70s rock garb that ruins it. What isn't brilliant is basically cliched to a tee.
Air
5/5
Beautiful, wonderfully paced, timeless classic. More of a special significance to me as it was playing in the background for most of my teens. Re-listening after all these years it is still as awesome - just one cute noticeable difference - I can note the low quality of certain samples in the mix - but that actually doesn't even detract from the greatness of this record.
Gene Clark
2/5
Forgettable - not worth my time to review even .
Lana Del Rey
2/5
Besides the track opener, the rest of the album is a slog. Also just can't get past Lana's descent into conspiracy-land - and with an album that has 'chemtrails' in it's title, just irks me. This album is simply not good enough to allow me to separate the art from the artist, so down it goes.
Suede
3/5
I thought I liked Suede, but this album is alarmingly whiny. Hope my memories aren't too rosy and their later albums still hold out. But this wasn't fun.
The Pogues
4/5
Some more Irish-flavoured pirate shanties that is fun all throughout. Nothing as such stands out - but the entire record is good - so... a good album.
The National
3/5
Finally, after all these year got the opportunity to sit with the National - and well I'm a bit disappointed. This record wavers from being interesting to being a high-brow Coldplay - the later is not a good look. A middling album - although maybe a grower in the long run - we shall see.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
I always had thought Amy Winehouse was a tad novelty and didn't get the hype when she was alive. Then, of course after her tragic death she kind of faded from the forefront of everyone's mind - this record is a damn good one, in retrospect - without the dressing of fashion or hype.
Mike Ladd
3/5
Middling hip-hop record - on the intellectual side it's interesting but on the other hand clinical and devoid of too much emotion.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Controversial opinion: I dare say Bob Marley is more important and influential that the Beatles. Apart from writing some of the most universally loved pop songs, there's no country that has not fell in love with good ol' Bob. The music transcends language and border, while comparatively, the Beatles are very anglo-centric in scope.
This record itself is perfect - up there as Abbey Road, with sublime love songs, straight on political lyrics that can be applicable even today, and it's timeless. Yes, reggae itself is a kind of the marmite of music - but these songs transcend even the genre itself.
And what's more - it's hard for me not to be put in a good mood from the first few skanks on this album. It's perfect.
The The
3/5
It’s generally interesting and good just is not the most memorable and sticky albums around. After you put it down it just doesn’t stay with you. On the other hand the songs are interesting, enjoyable and the good side of the 80s - at times Bowie-esque
Barry Adamson
4/5
At first feels a bit off - but it’s a grower - eclectic, tongue in cheek and creative, it’s unique, a bit oddball yet highly listenable and overall a good record. Nice surprise.
Van Morrison
4/5
Oh I mistook Astral Weeks with Moondance. I had not heard Astral weeks, this is the record I heard, and it's a great one. Great from end to end, in this one Van Morrison actually sounds good, and each track is lovely and flows from one to the next. The album never tapers and is simple a great record.
Motörhead
4/5
Can’t get any more rock and roll than this - blazing through its entire length with nary a breath to spare it’s a wild ride in every sense. Lemmy’s pumping bass and gravel-sleaze singing is just perfect and all songs are about gambling drinking and women. Maybe the latter is kind of it’s failing - it’s on the misogynistic side but what can you expect of Motörhead? You cannot really expect them to be nuanced about gender equality. Anyway super strong Side A, tapering Side B with a side of creep in Jailbait - but just because it so is what it is - can’t help but rate it 4 stars
Radiohead
3/5
One of the more mediocre of the post Kid A era - starts rather weak but then starts picking up towards the end. Don’t know what to make of second life Radiohead - I liked them and still like them at times but they don’t seem to have songs - yet they are not even too spaced - they kind drift between pop and film score music like in a dream.
However Hail to the Thief misses a bit the mark compared to others of its ilk.
The Cramps
5/5
Punk and Surf, irreverence, swagger, tongue in cheek and actually good songs. It might not be a masterpiece but it feels like it was written right for me - rockabilly madness, a touch of horror and a complete album. A lot of the best songs from the Cramps aren’t here but as a record it’s perfect.
Hole
5/5
I think this is vastly underrated masterpiece of the era - lyrically, musically and thematically - Love and co really don’t get enough credit. From the urgency in Violet to the rose thorn rasp in Miss World - all have deep meaning in a genre where the voice of women is generally muted - while Love is confrontational while being vulnerable, honest and jeering at the same time. A great great record.
Elis Regina
3/5
Well some lovely standout tracks but as a record itself it’s quite middle of the road.
Haircut 100
2/5
A white suburban middle class British funk album that sounds like a shit Duran Duran. And what a terrible name. A few good songs but the rest is naff
Ride
4/5
It's quite a good shoegaze genre album - kind of Stone Roses, but harder, and without the pop glaze in the songs. It's kind of the Kyuss to the Queens of the Stone Age for stoner-genre.
That said, it's a great listen, memorable and strong and I'm amazed I never got the hear this before. A truly lovely discovery.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Starts like a masterpiece but tapers off somewhat by being too overlong. The first half is perfect - and probably my favorite nick cave album from this exercise so far - but self editing would have helped make this record a timeless one. As it stands it feels like the remnant of an era of Compact Disc stuffing to give value for money - even though some of the fillers here put many other songwriters to shame. Still it’s a 4 star album but would have loved to make it one of my all time faves.
Can
4/5
Well a surprise self indulgent album that i actually like - it doesn’t feel like the band takes itself seriously even though the musicianship is dead serious.
Although the tracks are long the album isn’t - and there are pockets of gorgeous pop hidden away (apart from the obviously awesome Moon Shake) I guess I won’t return too often but I can truly say I really liked it.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
It’s fun but I guess feels a bit too one dimensional after all the music that succeeded this album. Still production and arrangement and harmonies are beautiful and some of the songs albeit done to death since still have some magic left in them - which is a mean feat in itself. The album being short also helps it be more digestible.
The stalkery nature of the love songs hasn’t aged well though and well again this has all been done better since.
Nina Simone
5/5
Lovely voice, lovely songs - poignant, perfectly paced and just the right length. Just a wonderful record.
Tom Waits
1/5
I don't think I would ever hate a Tom Waits album but I do this one. Like nails on a chalkboard, every 'comedic' monologue grates, and they rarely land. I mean it's an interesting concept, and when the music starts it's generally ok, but you couldn't pay me to sit through that record again.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
It’s a unique sounds to some actually good songs that for me have permeate through the years and always feel fresh somehow. Dave Navarro’s guitar is awesome and Perry’s voice between haunting and snarky - a rather odd combination however they never seem to grip me for long - the album tapers towards the end even though it still remains interesting. I think to solve the deadlock the question is - would I ever pick this album on a whim? No so I guess i like it but not that much.
Björk
3/5
Interesting album overall - it’s a good one simply for intellectual curiosity but at least to me not one to return to often. It’s well paced and somehow the jagged edges that Bjork usually presents are sanded down while still retaining the good part of her eccentricity - and I especially love the vocal instrumentation and beatboxing.
Green Day
3/5
Was quite something when this album came out - Green Day being political and ambitious artistically - however, it has aged and it hasn't helped that it was way overplayed. What's left is a decent album, with nods to the who, and a little brainier than Green Day's other outings, yet not as earnest and fun.
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
What a banger of a record. Every track. Every beat. Every rhyme. Retro and avante garde, it oozes cool at every turn, and while the 808s bang it squarely in the 80s, the many revivals now make it almost timeless. A perfect record.
Talking Heads
3/5
It’s not bad and it’s a very David Byrne style album which I don’t mind - but at the same time it’s not very memorable and not something I’d return to.
Oasis
3/5
Definitely...Maybe.. good - I haven't been much of an Oasis fan for most of my life, but now hindsight makes me appreciate them much more. This record is not as good as others - despite having some great tracks here, it does not feel like one that I would revisit. Good, but not their best.
Pere Ubu
3/5
Well slightly disappointed it’s not actually a dub album - but it’s an interesting new wave album - akin to Talking Heads, Devo and the likes. While it’s probably groundbreaking at it’s time - it’s objectively doesn’t stand as well next to it’s peers - with most of the stylings, less of the songs.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Surprisingly good end to end - well paced - great covers - great songs and musicianship - and Emmylou has a wonderful voice.
Miles Davis
5/5
A perfect album that chills you out with the first few smooth trumpet notes from the master himself. This and ‘Round about Midnight’ are absolutely perfect records as well as guaranteed to mellow out may anxieties you might have.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Koffi Olomide
4/5
Good fun and maybe because the sound is the new to my ears - but fresh and just simply puts you in a good mood. A tad long but not too much - I’d definitely pick this one up again
Elton John
4/5
Quite a long one - but it's also pretty good. Not entirely my cup of tea, but most of the songs here are great, and it deserves acclaim. Candle In The Wind alone, outside the context of later years is sublime, and everything else is almost as well crafted. So far, this is the first Elton John album I can actually say I like.
Sex Pistols
5/5
A true classic - the definitive punk album - that captures the essence of the genre and the movement as well as a collection of great songs on an album of perfect length. A masterpiece.
Maxwell
3/5
Good genre 90s soul. Smooth and silky but ultimately not my cup of tea. It’s good, just not something I’m likely to revisit.
Mudhoney
3/5
Interesting record - very of the time yet doesn’t sound dates. It captures the same essence as Sonic Youth and Fugazi and lays the groundwork for a lot of the grunge sound. It’s a cool record from a genre that is now almost overshadowed by the breakout acts, but does not offer enough to cut through.
Grant Lee Buffalo
5/5
A masterpiece - almost every song is haunting but the title track alone is a juggernaut. I had forgotten this album, and it seems to me even the rest of the world but it is probably objectively one of the best of the 90s decade.
Muddy Waters
3/5
A bit repetitive for my liking and this brand of blues feels tired because probably it has been overplayed and done to death - but I can’t fault it for it being a good genre album - and when the stars align - adds a nice good mood to whenever it’s played. But it’s pretty one dimensional from where I stand. Might say more about me than the record but it’s my review damn it! Also lol at title.
Baaba Maal
4/5
Atmospherically sunny, and in a way enchanting probably due to the non familiar language to me - but while it’s rooted firmly to its west African roots - at least from what I can tell - the whole album comfortably references jazz and other western influences - another interesting discovery through this project.
David Gray
3/5
Pleasant but at the same time it’s too strongly associated in my head with noughties London bankers with beemers singing obnoxiously to some of the singles.
That said on an objective level - a bunch of very good songs, a nice version of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye - and an overall well paced album - only true fault is David Gray’s voice becomes a bit too grating at times since it’s a bit on the particular side.
Overall a good record but can’t get past my prejudices.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Well it’s PJ Harvey with some great great songs - Dress, Sheela-na-gig, oh my lover… not her best overall record but a strong one nonetheless that is always fun to revisit for me.
John Prine
3/5
There’s a lot lyrically to this album - Sam Stone is definitely a standout among a wealth of well written songs - Illegal smile and Hello in There also being strong shows. However the country folk thing is a bit too much for an entire record - and while Prine is a phenomenal lyricist - it’s a tough listen to ears like mine. Still a good record though.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
Mumbly record that hints at Roxy Music but without the raw magnetism. There seems to be more below the surface but after three rounds of listening to it didn’t reveal itself to me. Maybe another time.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Smooth, sexy and silky R&B - which is basically the embodiment of the genre. It’s a bit naff with many wedding references but if you want to set the mood for bonking, lower the lights and spin this record.
Wilco
4/5
Stylishly produced songs that I personally categorize as a post-country I guess? Songs that can be alternative rock from the noughties wrapped in metallic white noise and a certain air of sardonic introspection. Good though.
David Bowie
5/5
A gorgeous album - as sad as it is, it is also a joyful celebration of the life of one global hero. This record helped mourn Bowie - is riddled with his own meditation and struggle with his approaching death and serves to ultimately show his victory of it by crowing his artistic life with an epitaph like no other. Only David Bowie could have birthed such a regal masterpiece with his death and still be thoughtful, kind and transcendent.
Dion
3/5
Some good songs to be found on this record, but it's biggest draw is Phil Spector's sound which elevates the record from being a generic 70s rock album, to having production pedigree. In here, the engineering is an instrument in itself - which is true most times, but it is often taken for granted.
Cheap Trick
3/5
A good fun live album - some good songs too - and it feels like it's a good snapshot of the specific show - but on the other hand it does not stand up to the greatest live records.
Adam & The Ants
5/5
Kooky, fun, unique - well paced and just right in length. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but purely subjectively to me - this is an awesome perfect album.
Tim Buckley
4/5
A lovely haunting album from Tim Buckley - whose later albums lose the magic he managed to bottle here. It’s consistently interesting albeit heavy on the hippiness. Plus an iconic sleeve too.
The Incredible String Band
1/5
Aaaaaaaa the horrror!
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
This is regular Neil Young fare, and regular Neil Young fare tends to be good fare. It's not as striking as certain albums, but it certainly was a pleasant listen, generally balanced pace and good songs.
The Notorious B.I.G.
5/5
A perfect album - cinematic, grimey city criminality - with perfect rhymes and perfect beats - it’s timeless even though it’s a 90s staple. One the best records ever released - while being the perfect length. Maybe the sexual noises that pepper the record and the heavy violence in the themes prevent it from.l being a Beatles-level of ubiquity - which is why it is also such a great and important record.
Talking Heads
3/5
Hmm I like Byrne but he’s got a lot of fluff around and this album is just that.
Linkin Park
3/5
Ok - the Coldplay of metal. Almost every song on this album has been a hit, and objectively over the years they are well written songs. The packaged stylings of the era sounds terribly dated, yes, but a good song is a good song.
I never really liked this band to be honest, and they were terribly overplayed back in the day, so I cannot bring myself to put this album on rotation willingly, but it's objectively a strong showing and it's never boring.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Beastie Boys just before they became legendary, and yet still a damn awesome album.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Huh. An acapella South African band? A very good record? Yep.
Stan Getz
5/5
Another great jazz record - this time with a samba flavour - it doesn’t need many words to say it’s wonderful.
The Police
4/5
From the police albums so far I got this has actually been a good one - less of the creepiness - still some of the hits - with Message in a Bottle still holding up, and Walking on the Moon being awesome - as well as a few other good ones. It’s not a perfect album - but it’s short enough to keep you consistently interested. And oh those Stewart Copeland drums …
Suzanne Vega
3/5
A little too quirky and a little too much obsession with queens and soldiers. Still at times interesting and it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome but not one of my keepers.
Slipknot
5/5
This was earth shatteringly ground breaking when it came out to my ears and I think it still holds up. It’s particularly unique sound - actually strong songs and atmosphere - I think it’s probably one of the few surviving good albums of its genre. I mean ridiculously over the top anger and silly clown costumes with an overly staffed band - but at the same time churning out a great record… can’t not love it. Maybe the white rapping is a bit naff at times but hey a Time Capsule of embarrassment never killed anyone.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
A wonderful record - quirky but solid - perfectly paced and just the right length. A lot of classics here and while there is a lot of borrowing from their contemporaries, Beatles, Beach Boys - they make it their own and now with the benefit of hindsight it’s just a sprinkle of influence in the end. With every listen I found myself liking this record more and more.
The The
3/5
Odd - camp, flamboyant - it’s not a bad record and there is something to The The (although the name for some reason really bothers me), but this record overall is a bit meh.
Peter Tosh
4/5
Ah, it's what it says on the tin - good fun classic reggae time to me.
Pantera
4/5
A great great genre album. And what in the past i dismissed as bad production - is actually genius sound engineering - bass on the guitar - and keep the kick drums on treble - and still a powerful metal album?? Phwooar. To me this is a quality metal album end to end.
Boston
3/5
Peak 70s Rock - More than a Feeling is of course a strong showing - the rest? Nothing to really write home about. It’s great it’s not a long record so it’s pleasant but not memorable by any measure.
Pavement
3/5
I’m generally favourable towards Malkmus and friends but this album is a bit mediocrely poor.
OutKast
3/5
Man I love Outkast but this is looooonng. I managed to listen through its entirety after many false starts and the verdict is … it’s unnecessary self indulgent for the most part because the music is brilliant but the pacing is a slog.
Speakerboxxx gets through alright but The Love Below has a lot of filler. Shame this has hints of masterpiece all over it but as a whole it’s tiresome.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
I find myself returning to this record multiple times over - it’s a very good one.
King Crimson
3/5
I’m not usually of the 9+ minute song fan category - but if you see it as a record it’s actually not too long and not overindulgent. It’s also quite surprisingly grounded given this is prog AND King Crimson. I was pleasantly surprised - enjoyed most of the album except maybe Moon Child - which while interesting - is way too sparse for repeated listens. That said it’s not my genre still won’t return to it often so hence my rating.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
This brand of sixties teen bopper love songs have a tendency to be rather creepy. Couldn’t help but rate each song - “phew! this was not as stalkerish, incel and misogynistic as the previous one… no wait….oh dear”
Love the guitar sound and love that it’s short and it’s pleasant until you listen too closely. But not a keeper. It’s a creep in’
Bon Jovi
3/5
Ok I hated Bon Jovi back in the day. But man he can write bangers. And now with hindsight and without him being overplayed to death, objectively this album is full of well crafted songs.
You won't catch me listening to this album regularly willingly, but if it's on, I'm going to like it.
1/5
Ugh. Terrible. Everything about this album is idiotic, from the name of the record, the name of the band, the artwork, the songs, the lyrics, the themes. It is a terrible terrible record.
There was a time when Limp Bizkit had some fun songs, but by the time this album was out, they were jumping the shark, pushing their luck on how much patience the world has for them.
All these years later, with the benefit of hindsight - it's even more terrible - the songs are about nothing, but the whining of a petulant white asshole, starting off with a very badly executed diss track towards Trent Reznor, and ending with an attempt and self-deprecation that is even more cringeworthy than had they avoided it.
I can't even laud any of the hits from this album as they are totally hollow and just remind me of jocks with baggy pants and backward baseball caps and wallet changes doing the 'rolling' dance. ugh.
This was Limp Bizkit which I had a little sympathy towards a very narrow selection of their older stuff when I was younger - I shudder to think when Kid Rock's album will turn up. I'm bracing myself.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
A bit too eclectic and not enough hooks. Still a good listen but not one I’m yearning to return to.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
More Elvis Costello fare. I mean by now k get it - you either like Costello or you don’t - and all his material is basically very much the same brushstroke.
If you like him - then you’re going to like every record - if not - you’re going to bemoan every time one pops up. So far I always find myself in the latter camp.
Basement Jaxx
3/5
Good fun groovy and danceable - not a masterpiece by any measure - but a good record nonetheless
Solomon Burke
3/5
Again - the creepiness of 60s teeny bopping songs - pleasant to listen to but so terrible so many years after the realization of what is actually being said and thought. There are better albums that are worth apoligisim but this can pass.
Mylo
4/5
Interesting - funky and at times ambient - but in general good focus music. Where does it stand in the pantheon of half a century of pop music? I guess somewhere in the middle - but I like it so I’ll give it a little extra.
4/5
A good punk album - but like many good punk albums - they need time to know if you really love them - and since I’m very late to the ‘X’ party I still am on the fence. Had a good time listening it though at face value.
Jane Weaver
4/5
Lovely album although as an album of the modern era, it's a tad longer than it should be - but Side A is a stellar showing of great track after great track. Production and arrangement is wonderful, and I was left wondering how I hadn't heard of her before.
Daft Punk
4/5
Although this is already 26 years old - it sounds like it was released yesterday - stylish - timeless, grooving. A little long, typical of a 90s album, but it's a tight set of tracks. Had a great time listening to it.
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
Whoa. I was not in the mood for a generic hip hop album today - and so I braced myself when the first tracks hit - but when ‘Kick, Push’ came up not only did I realise I was not listening to your average ‘guns, cars and ho’s’ hip hop album but a true delight of a record. The Jay-Z sound puts it squarely in a good mood place and every track is impeccably produced - and Lupe rhymes with gusto and panache from start the finish - loved this one and what a pleasant surprise. And can’t commend enough a hip hop track that rallies against misogyny in the genre.
Spacemen 3
3/5
On the fence about this one - it’s good shoegaze and gives the genre a good run for it’s money - but it’s a tad too too sparse to stay with you for long after you’ve moved on from it.
It’s got good points - think the band Suicide with the extreme edge off - Stone Roses albeit without the pop lushness - and a gospel tint. from their peers Primal Scream. But for 7 min songs need to be a little more than just a droning repetition to be worth listening too - and unfortunately there’s a little too much of that.
But it’s a nice discovery nonetheless.
Gene Clark
3/5
It took a number of listens until I could warm up to it - at first it felt bland but a lot more gold can be found after a bit of digging. At the same time it’s not going to be among any favourites - but it’s a good record - more so with a little more attention.
Merle Haggard
3/5
I think a lot of Merle's troubles would be solved if, a) he didn't murder anybody. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time, and b) Stop whinin' and maudlin'. 'Em women in country want the strong and silent cowboy, not a muddlin' Merle.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Smooth, silky, sexy - many a baby has been made to this album, especially Side A. When Marvin gets it on, he gets it on. A true soul classic.
R.E.M.
3/5
Trying very hard to ‘get’ REM beyond the master singles and the odd album - but this one - besides a few really good tracks - again kind of leaves me underwhelmed.
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
Atmospheric synth fest to a tee - a master work because if you ever played with a synth for long enough - you know it’s a dangerous maze and a downward spiral of hours of plinking and plonking on those keys to little effect…
But levity aside - I put this record on while running in a quasi sand storm and it was aptly moody and great. And interesting record - as well as not overstaying it’s welcome and interestingly enough - with a hit or two to boot.
Nas
5/5
Funky, urgent, classic. One of the first hip hop albums that got me into the genre and it’s still fresh as hell.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Ok CCR - ultimate boomer land… BUT.. it’s a good record. Somehow I start off by bracing myself for some 70s cheese but it turns out to be simply good records. It helps this came on while flying on a plane - it seems to have been written by… a… travelling… band… heh but it suits the mood of jetting around as a soundtrack. That aside it’s a good record even on the ground and probably at sea too - which I haven’t tried yet.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
Up my street in terms of sound but besides a few standout tracks it does not have the markings of a great album. It deserves less but I’m marking it 4 to remember to pick it up again in the future.
Big Star
3/5
I would really like to like this album but it’s a bit too much bloated 70s rock for my liking. It sounds epic but the songs aren’t really great…it was a pleasant surprise finding ‘In the Street’ though.
My - this record is so front heavy, if it were a cat it would oversteer so much it would spin like a… never mind.
A stack of rather decent hits in the beginning and the a tail end of some of the most cringe set of songs in a modern record. ‘peace on earth’ whimpers Bono feebly - and ‘Grace finds beauty in ugly things’ explains Bono hopefully.
The Edge’s guitar bits are sparse and interesting actually here - understated and suitable at many times.
Anyway the hits are masterfully crafted but as a record this is terrible.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Oh what a stellar album. I’m new to most Rolling Stones but as far as debuts go, this is way better than most. Perfect and timeless.
Radiohead
5/5
Trying to find a fault with this album but I couldn’t manage - every track has its place - it never tapers - keeps the interest throughout the entirety of the perfect length of the album. To me this has always been part 1 of the trilogy of great consecutive Radiohead albums - this, Ok Computer and Kid A - and despite it’s hard to recognise what used to be the sound of Radiohead pre-Kid A pívot - it sounds on brand and still holds up even after all these years. I would like to diss on Radiohead but - definitely not regarding this record.
Cornershop
3/5
An unrewarding addition in representation of and angle of British that doesn’t often get represents in indie music. Well of course ‘Brimful of Asha’ steals the show and I think I actually prefer the non remixed version more for it’s honesty and now it makes a lot more sense in context.
The rest of the record also is actually a nice surprise - love many bits and bobs from it - the sound, the general theme and pace of the tracks. Yet as a record it just just just falls short for me of the 4 star rating because it’s not one I think is put on heavy rotation in the future - I’m just glad I heard it, discovered a number of good songs and added some resolution to my 1997 memories.
Hot Chip
4/5
I don’t know what to make of this album but I guess… do I like it? Yes. Is it a great album? No. Do I want to listen to it again in the future? Yes.
I liked the prior hot chip album a lot and this one feels like a polished evolution. It’s not an obvious easy album but maybe that is what makes it feel a little special.
Deep Purple
3/5
A great live performance of songs I don’t like. Musicianship and tightness is superb - but for some reason I can’t forget my ambivalence to Deep Purple. Also the Spinal Tap level of self indulgence kind of makes it a harder to digest. Still a good listen but not something I’m ever really going to seek out specifically again.
Syd Barrett
4/5
What a wonderful surprise of a record - reminiscent of the Beatles and Nick Drake but with a darker sound. At the core though Syd is writing earnest and heartfelt songs - and it feels real. The production also is subtly clever and it’s just the right length and the songs flow excellently into one another.
It kind of tapers a bit on the last three songs which sound plasters on mindlessly - even though they’re not unwelcome.
70s plod all the way - Rod Stewart’s voice elevates it a little but not enough to make up for the amount of fuff present in this album. Not unpleasant listening mind you but meh
Kate Bush
4/5
Anything Kate Bush so far has been a delight - and this was a record I wasn’t even aware of. None of the obvious hits here but it’s still a remarkable and strong record. Ms Bush does what she pleases and that pleases us all. She’s awesome.
Morrissey
2/5
A Morrissey moaner of little note. It lacks the mystery and magic of the rest of the Smiths while all of the downsides of Morrissey at his least compelling.
Supergrass
3/5
It’s a polished strong album and I have a liking for Supergrass - but this record although sounding gorgeous kind of is a bit flat and unexciting - I tried multiple times listening to it in different moods but it didn’t stick.
Sisters Of Mercy
5/5
I knew a little Sisters of Mercy but had never dove into a complete record and wow I feel I have missed out all these years. This one was great end to end - big towering doom-laden songs with a tinge of industrial due to the drum machines.
The pace is good, the length is good and w every song has its place.
I also have learnt how to nail the description of the band to the uninitiated - kind of the Cure as if sung by Bowie.
Don McLean
3/5
It’s like a happy Bob Dylan with a little Billy Joel thrown in possibly? It’s very much focussed on the American Pie song I guess, everything else pales in comparison - and even that is a bit too overplayed and overdone to be welcome.
It’s not a bad album - just not a must listen.
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
This is grower - couldn’t make up my mind after two listens but as you scratch the surface you start seeing some of the gold shine through. Haven’t had time to figure out how deep the precious metal vein goes but it’s deep enough so far to warrant a place on the rotation list.
The Residents
4/5
What if Looney Tunes characters had a collective bad acid trip? This would be the result - at first I was a bit bewildered by it but after a couple of listens I think this is a rather strange unique treasure - it’s bizarre but well done and executed - weird but never boring. I liked it.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
Surprisingly ballsy and fun to listen to - songs are awesome, even the over played 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' is stellar, along with 'Time After Time', which is a perennial masterpiece.
The album is consitently paced, well balanced, not too long and nary a filler song - every track has it's place. It might not be a 5-star but it's close. Had it been possible I would give it 4.5
David Crosby
3/5
Of course the similarity to Neil Young is unavoidable to note, but it feels less earnest and more pretentious than his former band mate, at least on this record. The heavy slog of the 70s is all over the sound and it kind of meanders too much. It's still a pleasant album to listen to, but there are far stronger albums doing the same that I'd pick before I'd get to this one.
The Magnetic Fields
5/5
Went out for a run, and put this record on. After an hour, I assumed I'm close to the end and start looking at how many tracks left and, to my horror, I realise that 69 Love Songs does mean 69 Love Songs. 3 friggin hours long.
But.
It's a masterpiece. Every song is clever or witty, funny or pulls on your heart strings - and it's ADHD-inducing in it's eclectic nature. I didn't want it to stop, and by the second listen - i.e. 6 hours in - I was having withdrawals - wasn't sure how any album this week is actually going to stand up to this, while at the same time kicking myself for being so late to this party. It's awesome - worth every minute I dedicated to it and it's nigh on being one of my favourite albums ever.
Aerosmith
3/5
It's fun, and Janie's got a Gun is a banger, and while the quality is actually quite good - I'm not a big fan of Aerosmith in general. If one likes the band, or can tolerate the, this is a good one I think. But I cannot.
The Associates
2/5
Ugh, tried many times, but none of this album stuck. It's Duran Duran / Spandau Ballet / Roxy Music / David Byrne, but bad. It's a shame - I really wanted to like it.
David Ackles
4/5
Quite a fun album, the songs have charm - "Oh California" is a banger, and so is the title track and "Blues for Billy Whitecloud" - other tracks are middling, but still a good listen, and a couple, like closer "Montana song" overstay their welcome. It's not a perfect record, but it's a good one.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
A lot of it is really good, but man is it long. It is too self-indulgent - where a lot of tracks could have been edited out to make a stronger more condensed album. It also tapers heavily at the end, losing steam and because of its length, you are left without remembering the gold nuggets at the start of the record. It's a shame.
Van Halen
4/5
Was prepared to hate this, but man was I wrong. It's party all the way to Panama, the musicianship - even though I usually am not a fan of shredding - is awesome, and the songs, for what they are, are pretty good. Maybe the dash of creepy schoolboy misogyny is a fault, but I guess it's an interesting cultural artefact to learn from now that music world has generally moved away from it and it also doesn't sound that it had an intention to be destructive at the time.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
Oh dear. This was terrible. The crystalline production is probably the only good thing about it, but the songs, the voices, the arrangements, I hated it.
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
Well, yes the hit is good. The Tatcher bashing is also good, but the rest of the record is rather grating. Had a hard time slogging through the entire length of it.
Megadeth
3/5
A top genre album - definitely one of the trash metal classics - immediately hit me even if it was actually the first time I sat down and listened to it end to end. Maybe not as strong as Reign in Blood or Master of Puppets and it does kind of taper towards the end.
Talvin Singh
2/5
Ok is ok, but it's also nothing special. While the ambient electronica is decent to listen to, it is generic, and maybe through no fault of it's own, but the Indian sub-continent sounds have been overused by the genre so much that it kind of makes it background 'buddha bar' music that is hard to remember it as it's own thing.
Gram Parsons
3/5
Starts a bit nondescript but gets a bit more interesting towards the end. Side B’s medley, cover and penultimate song are the highlights but as such not a record I’ll remember.
The Allman Brothers Band
2/5
Very good white man blues - but I don’t like the genre and it is a bit too long for me.
Radiohead
4/5
I must admit I always looked down on Kid A’s less popular brother, it had come out too quickly after the world was blown away that it kind of felt like a cash out. And besides Radiohead at the time were harping about both albums being written at the same time meaning it felt like a b-side album.
But now, after all these years with fresh ears - it’s a good one - probably one of the more underestimate neo-Radiohead records, albeit a bit on the darker side, it’s still a gripping listen.
Beatles
5/5
A stellar album - if I wasn’t decided which one of the Beatles album is the best, right this feels like it. Some of the richest of the songwriting. Even the inclusion of the Yellow Submarine doesn’t take away from the sublime beauty of this record.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
The first Bruce album I ever fell in love with - it’s perfect end to end and it’s the perfect introductory album to be able to appreciate the heart of Springsteen’s songs once you get past the pomp of the bigger albums.
Haunting, memorable, honest and heartfelt and yet somehow with the right amount of swagger and cool.
Paul Weller
3/5
Interesting album from the man of eclecticism - although generally I can’t really warn up to Weller’s post The Jam stuff like Style Council - this record feels heartfelt and warm - but at the same time it just doesn’t stand out particularly. It’s good but forgettable.
Pixies
5/5
Oh yeah - banger after bange, Debaser, Here Comes Your Man, Mr Grieves, La La Love You, Monkey gone to heaven… what a stellar record - the Pixies were mega inspired with this one.
FKA twigs
4/5
It’s an albums’s album - not much standout songs per se, at least off the cuff - but they are majestically parts of a larger whole. Sparse but surgically precise production - and constantly to the point.
Portishead
5/5
I’ve loved this album for decades and I’ve gone back to it many many times over the years.. but this time round tried to listen to it as earnestly as possible to try to recapture the first few times I listened to it and man it still holds up. Beth Gibbon’s voice is ghostly beautiful, the production stunning and the songs consistently wonderful.
5/5
Waaa… I braces myself for this record being often at the bottom of the rankings but whoa this actually blew me away. Death Metal but jazz … the drum sound is earth shatteringly awesome and amidst the swirling chaos is order and precision. Not for everyone I guess but I loved it.
Lambchop
2/5
Very bland and plodding and way too long to make it a good record.
The songs are generally pleasant but very forgettable.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
Good fun blues from Bamako. While generally the genre is not my favourite, it sounds fresh enough to my ears for me to want it in my rotation, and besides it’s a well balanced, just the right length record.
Liz Phair
3/5
I’m torn between 3 and 4 stars - for starters it’s too long, it’s also has a mediocre start and mediocre end - but the mediocrity sandwiches a wonderful middle part that is risqué on point and ahead of it’s time - with some strong songs. But we’re rating albums not parts of, so I guess it does not hit the mark.
Culture Club
2/5
Was looking forward to a good fun record but besides Karma Chameleon, boringly thrown right at the beginning, an omen that the rest of the album is filler, it’s just an album full of filler. To Boy George’s credit, wittingly or not, he’s recorded an anti-money laundering anthem in Black Money.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Hey well a rather listenable and engaging Bob Dylan album. I’m guessing it’s a classic - and while normally I shun that harmonica swallowing nasal songster - he’s quite easily likeable here.
George Harrison
4/5
What a lovely record. Probably one of the best of the post-Beatles solo albums. Track after track just unfolds like a time-lapsed flower and every listen reveals more and more depth in Harrison’s soulful playing and singing.
Kid Rock
1/5
Oh my. What a dweeb Kid Rock is. Even his choice of beer is mediocre, Becks and Heineken? What are you? Eurotrash? I thought you were going for red neck and cowboy.
Musically every track borrows, to put it mildly, from contemporaries, and while I have to admit the first half is definitely more listenable than Limp Bizkit’s Chocolate Starfish, it’s somehow more mediocre. In a way Fred Durst is honest - this guy is just naff all the way.
The second half of this album overstays it’s welcome. Anyway - trying to polish a turd here - it’s shit.
The Temptations
3/5
Hard for me not to like that temptations - and for a lot of this record, I still do - but an epic tedium of a song about a runaway from bad 70s afternoon tv serials and a pretty terrible cover of Heard it through the Grapevine, lowers the quality of this record significantly.
The Byrds
3/5
Well Interesting and not. I can’t really decide - at times it’s a pretty listen, at times the same record is tedious.
But what’s for sure this is a record’s record. This songs are stitched well together and not simply a collection of unrelated tunes. They are greater together than the sum of their parts.
The Doors
3/5
Well title track, Riders on the Storm and Love her Madly are great songs, and as a record it’s not too long and decently paced but kind of saga in its third quarter. And even though I had the joy of rediscovering Morrisons strength of voice - I still am a bit off the Doors for some reason - and this record is not special enough for me to see past that.
Queen
3/5
This albums shows Queen can rock - they are very Sabbath-esque here. However it’s lacks the magic of regular Queen fare. I’m surprised at the range of sound this band has - not familiar with their albums - so this is all new to me - however I’ll probably have the heat their heavyweights before I can truly judge their record making. I knew they kick ass as song writers.
This album however has neither the hits neither the sheen of a balanced record.
Beach House
3/5
Pleasant but hard to stick. Sounds a bit dated late noughties indie, and while polished and sleek, it’s very wishwashy.
The Auteurs
2/5
I struggles to find a diamond in the rough here. Sometimes it is what it is, sometimes it’s just rough.
Mariah Carey
2/5
It’s not terrible but not my thing at all.
Portishead
5/5
When this came out - it was over a decade from the previous Portishead release - so the thirst for it was massive. I remember thinking to myself I love this, but is it because I've been waiting for this so long or is it because it's actually good?
And now, approaching TWO decades later, it stands in its haunting intensity with a reply to my now, in hindsight, rhetorical question, brushing it aside with it's brilliance.
The music of the band in its trip hop heyday had its slickness ported to 2008, and even if their records have always stood the test of time, at least to me, this sounds considerably more modern.
I had the opportunity to see the band live, and old Portishead, middle Portishead and 'new' Portishead are a seamless beautiful stunning experience of silence, space, and intensity. With Beth Gibbon's haunting singing on top, which is probably the immediate actual draw, this band is magical.
Malcolm McLaren
5/5
What a lovely unexpected surprise. Eclectic - perfect length, great tunes and I actual like the radio show inserts - frames the variety well. Who knew. One of the best and nicest discoveries of this exercise to me - at album 599.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Some stunning songs but a lot of unnecessary fat. It could have used with some editing out of songs that water down the power of Elliott at his best.
The Clash
5/5
I got into the clash later in my teenage years - shunning punk in favour of indie and metal throughout most of my formative years. Besides Rock the Casbah and Should I Stay or Should I Go - I heard nothing. The first ever band rehearsal I was invited to asked me to play London’s Burning - and I pretended to know of it - but was completely blank. The band did not last long. Finally a very cool friend had gifted me a compilation of sorts of clash songs and to impress her I tried to listen to it on my then Walkman. One listen got to two, to three, to many - the song that hooked me first was Straight to Hell - not from this record but still. Of course compilation is not the way to love a band so go course the albums came through recommendations from my other punk friends - Sandinsta came from the stoners - good but not the most varied - the debut album of course rocked and Give ‘em enough Rope was my personal favourite - but London Calling - oh my a perfect record even though it’s quite long - but like most clash song the whole record poignant, cheeky, rough, poppy or smooth - the Jamaican influence popping in most of these tracks and all of it is dead serious and heartfelt.
This record opened up my life to punk - the local scene - the friends - a big influence on most of the bands I played in - which led me to my career and my home life. I’m sure most people have one of these records that propelled their life into a direction - and this, alongside another one, maybe two - can be traced on how it opened up my mind to ideas, people and more music, as well without exaggeration - these things leading to important life decisions.
Sometimes we look at music frivolously - but here we are slogging to a minimum three year project because it’s important. And it is - no doubt.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Sardonic orchestral love songs is probably a good summary of the album. It is also a short album, as promised... thing is with The Divine Comedy it's very much a mood thing - some days I'm into them, some days, not. Still, this record is short enough for that fact not to matter, as it's funny, soaring and doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Baaba Maal
3/5
Atmospheric and enchanting at times, overwrought at others. It could have benefitted from a little snipping at the track count, because despite this record having really beautiful moments, they get lost in amongst some murk.
Holger Czukay
4/5
Huh. I don't know what to make of it, but I like it. Four tracks of bizarre samples and jazz, but pleasant listening. Oh it's from a Can man. Makes sense.
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
Pleasant jazz record that is just right - interesting, but also easy - maybe not one of the greats but definitely one to return to.
George Michael
3/5
Actually surprisingly a good record - good production, songs (except for the rambling about monkeys?) and length - it would be. 4 star if it’s my genre but it’s not.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
All the hits, but not as good as a record as "Axis: Bold as Love" in my opinion. It could be because most of these songs feel overplayed and in the classic rock pantheon, and in Axis, the songs are fresher - but still it feel it's a tad too long, and some songs are extra.
Then again, Purple Haze, Fire, Hey Joe, Foxy Lady, 3rd Stone from the Sun... all bangers, even though they Are overplayed.
Looking at the original UK edition though, I'm curious to hear that version - might, just might, make a better record. Or not. I'll see.
Aimee Mann
2/5
Whatever. Low effort, middle of the road quasi-pop country.
Donald Fagen
3/5
Cheesy but fun, lounge lizard jazz kind of thing. I wasn't aware Donald Fagen was of Steely Dan, but it makes perfect sense - the sound of the record firmly brought to mind Steely Dan, and I guess now it make sense.
Not my favourite genre, and it's not special enough to make it for regular rotation, but it gets an easy three-star rating.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
What’s with the anal obsession throughout this album? Every skit and almost every verse deals with recta and anii - it’s not always terrible but it’s terribly long and very naff at times.
Elvis Presley
4/5
A good solid soulful blues rock and roll record - without any of the Elvis bangers, yet still a solid record end to end.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Ugh - a bunch of mumbling and little song. They sound like they’re going to break out into come on Eileen at every corner but maybe it’s a good thing they don’t, but maybe it could have made this record bettter? Still better than the other Dexy album on the list but that’s not saying much.
Arrested Development
5/5
Not to be confused with the ‘banana stand’ arrested development - this took me by surprise … it’s a fresh take on hip hop of the era - scratch that - it sounds fresh even now - 31 years later. The rhymes might not be machine gun like of this post Eminem time and age - which is only what gives a clue it’s not a new record - but the beats and the pace of it just stands out as a top record. Loved it.
The Shamen
3/5
Surprisingly fun and dancey - sure it’s a little dated but it’s a pumping album. Maybe the 90s overly optimistic rave hippie culture sounds naive and laughable but also if you take it in earnestness it’s a bit refreshing after the mountains of cynicism that came since.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
When this album came out it sounded fresh and new - now it’s a tattoo of the era - it defines a chunk of the sound of the decade it resides in but it’s still is a good record… well balanced and paced - some good bangers - but maybe because it’s in the awkward time where it’s not old enough to be back in fashion and not new enough to not sound tired, it just does not feel like a timeless record
Caetano Veloso
4/5
Lovely Tropicalia album through and through. Maybe can do without 'Ave Maria', but the rest is just perfect. Awesome record.
Depeche Mode
4/5
A strong record - moody and dramatic and despite the heavy 80s sound it doesn’t get in the way , actually the synth work is quite classy. Not many of the big hits here beside Never Let Me Down but there is no filler here. Also this record can definitely classify as a grower with every listen.
The Band
3/5
Very good white man blues - a genre I don’t like very much. The Weight is still a banger though.
Boards of Canada
4/5
Don’t see the hype - even after all these years - but it’s a good ambient album.
Meat Puppets
4/5
Love this - besides the big songs that Nirvana made famous, the whole album is a mish-mash of punk psychedelia, country rock and generally good vibes. It's especially more unique due to it's rough edges, which kind of puts in a class of it's own.
Simple Minds
3/5
There’s promise to this record but it seems you need to scratch deeper through the surface to get to the bone. Overall it sounds same-y and Jim Kerr kind of warbles through most of the album but after a couple of listens the songs seem to reveal themselves ‘Promising you a miracle’, ‘Glittering Prize’ turn out to be bangers at closer listen - and the rest of the album is a tight rhythmic showcase. However as a whole it just doesn’t live up to the great albums on this list. Did not have a bad time listening to it though.
Kate Bush
3/5
Love Kate Bush, but I don’t love this record. It’s not bad and I guess it needs time to sink in but by that logic 1001 albums are never going to be heard before I die. I might one day return to it but it didn’t win me over after the same chance I gave all other records.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
It’s a strong record - and very angry but poignant - just not my genre. Her voice is lovely - her writing is also wonderfully political and human.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
Never thought it would be the case - but this record is mightily good. From ‘Relax’ to the Springsteen cover - which came as a mega welcome surprise - to the rest of most of this album - it is highly entertaining and well written. Maybe a couple to overlong songs and maybe the whole record could have done with a tiny bit of trimming but it’s a great one.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
He’s like a budget Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder combined - and that’s not an insult. It’s hard to get to their level but he comes damn close - voice and performance wise. Songs are ok, it’s a good record overall - although not my cup of tea per se.
The Human League
4/5
Good fun album with surprisingly good songs. It’s obviously a sound of an era but the songs transcend it. And now in hindsight those synths sounds are gorgeous.
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
Lovely lovely and lovely - it’s mind blowing love musicianship - perfect, even - with a twist on tango and incredible arrangement of instrument - to make this a rousing climaxing record. Not always going to be in the mood for this but it’s excellent.
Traffic
3/5
The songs are simply not there - so it’s one generic mush of a part psychedelic part folk and part jazz. I appreciate saxophone though now that I started to play the instrument - but a a record - meehh
Jack White
4/5
It’s interesting to hear a great musician that wrote songs contemporarily to your current life - there a certain better understanding and comfort - after all this exercise is twitchy and all over the place in that respect - it’s an erratic time capsule that can leave a little dizzy 600+ albums in.
This record is short, concise, fun, well paced with Jack White’s usual highly strung gusto - almost every song stands out - and despite Jack’s penchant for hipster retro cool - the songs sound like they are written at this time by someone who is experiencing the world almost in the same manner, well at least in the same timeline.
I missed that feeling - that the music I’m listening to feels like it’s written for me as an audience - and that gives me pleasure.
The Stranglers
4/5
The unfiltered sound of the sudden indignant realisation of the loss of white male entitlement and the expression of this in the form of very good art punk. With scratchy guitars with matching personalities, the earnestness of earlier, younger punk is now gone and lost when the royalty cheques aren’t enough and the looming threat of day job employment is now rearing its head - here come the Stranglers bemoaning women who reject them and celebrating leering at Peaches on the Beaches, doing what had already been done countless times but with gusto style and sleaze.
Slint
4/5
Great post punk sounding post rock. Lots of post there - almost as much as the Royal Mail.
Had a good time listening to it - cannot knock it but I wrote this review a couple of days later and completely forgot what the record sounds like except that it sounded good.
The Waterboys
4/5
Lovely album - there’s a lot to chew here - but despite the length it keeps interesting and varied and it’s gorgeous in many places.
Massive Attack
5/5
A lovely record through and through - maybe it’s easy to mock Trip Hop but I can’t deny I love the big records that came out of the genre - and this is definitely THE trip hop album.
I grew up with Mezzanine and I always kind of dismissed this one but it’s gorgeous - moody, groovy, sexy and theatrical.
Steve Earle
3/5
Good strong Americana - on the same feel as Bruce Springsteen (the edition I heard had an excellent live cover of State Trooper) but a lot more country. Somehow I always had a soft spot for Steve Earle - especially after appearance in The Wire - but it’s not like I’m ever going to seek this specific record again just for kicks.
The Libertines
5/5
The libertines are to me the last true rock and roll band spillover from the 20th century - they’re dangerously falling apart musically and I guess truly at points in their short explosive burst of their original career - of which they barely survived but gave us two records of perfection - with a duo songwriting combo of Doherty and Barat - which echo the Lennon and McCartney phenomenon of being greater than the sun of their parts.
This album is meticulously produced and performed - yet the struggles are evident even in the singing performances - the drums are comically overplayed but somehow just for the right amount and the guitars weave in and out dangerously with punk gusto. Doherty barks and mumbles away musically throughout while Barat keeps it grounded and Mick Jones captures it gleefully as it probably reminds him of the shambles the Clash were in their later years.
An artful record - maybe maybe not totally perfect as their debut but only by a hair.
Paul Simon
5/5
Oh my - this was wholly unexpected - a stunner of an album - with South African music - which at first inducting start to ring ‘cultural appropriation’ alarm bells, being at centre stage for most of the album, but after a bit of reflection they feel more like a collaboration with actual stars of the genre.
Even more interesting is the story of the record and the divisiveness that ensued as Simon as perceived to be breaking the apartheid boycott… but as someone cleverer than me said - this record was not propping the apartheid regime - but rather giving jobs to black South African musicians. At least I hold that view - I might be wrong. Anyway this record is fantastic objectively.
Miles Davis
4/5
Good album - obviously masters at play here - but it doesn’t hit home to me as Davis’ earlier records. Still lovely though.
John Lennon
4/5
Wonderfully and stylishly produced - with some really powerful songs. Of the Beatles I think Lennon is for me the most punk and has the most ‘fizz’ so to speak - Working Class Hero is as a classic as they can possibly come - so is ‘I found out’ and ‘Mother’. A great record.
Jethro Tull
4/5
It’s very Spinal Tap, but Spinal Tap is good. I was actually pleasantly surprised - i thought it was going to be a classic rock slog with a flute - but the flute was a good thing. Fun record.
Goldie
4/5
Ehh. Some good drum and bass - for a genre album it’s really good - but it feels dated - and over long at many points - more than it needs to be. But it’s still a good Drum and Bass album. It’s niche saves it.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Another sublime album by the Velvet Underground - subtle, gentle yet gritty, high minded yet sleazy - art and rock and roll and fun. No wonder this is arguably the most influential band in guitar music. It’s not a 5 star because as a record they have release better - but only by a hair.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Banging old school classic - holds up awesomely.
Björk
4/5
Well I braced myself for yet another Björk album but thankfully it was one of the good ones. With Björk it has been either good or terrible - you don’t know if you’re going to get food or an uppercut to the chin.
This one is actually one of the better better ones - cinematic - almost conventional - and a semblance of recognisable structure - so I actually enjoyed it. It’s still Björk mind you - unmistakable - but if one can tolerate her - one would like this one - and actually find reason to return to it.
Johnny Cash
5/5
What an amazing record - and a snapshot into the utterly incredibly performer snd person Johnny Cash was. I mean to play a set of songs to inmates, giving them a good time, peacefully - threading the thin line between not getting them over exciting, not pissing off the prison staff, but being emphatic, honest and real and even connecting - this record just culminates in a rousing record with strong songs and a Swiss watch makers precisión of a balancing act. A Masterpiece of a show and a masterpiece of a record.
G. Love & Special Sauce
4/5
Huh. This band slipped under the radar - it’s the right era, and right genre but I had never come across them. Growing up I’d have loved them - a bit of Beastie Boys, Sublime and a mellow JSBX - and the accent somehow is both grating and refreshing.
Now I’ve kind of moved on from this blues / funk thing but still an interesting find for me.
De La Soul
4/5
Funky - cheeky and really good fun hip hop. I mean as usual the skits get very old very quick but at least on this record they’re short and don’t get in the way…
Except the orgy song. This record basically excludes itself from being played unattended and publicly. Shame as it’s a strong album.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Oh what a perfect album. Dare I say it’s even better than Low End Theory? Yes I do. And it’s not long for a hip hop and doesn’t fall for the skit tropes that plague even the classics. And the sampling from funk and soul just generally give it a timeless feel - especially considering this album was released in 1990. Way ahead of its time. A perfect record.
Bill Callahan
3/5
Interesting find - beautiful moments and occasionally sublime - but words feel too awkward to be a great record. Still fun and pretty.
The Fall
3/5
Well well well. Somehow the Fall sound like a cult to me - people who like the Fall buy into the whole Mark E Smith / John Peel thing - but I haven’t yet come across the money - and since I’m not in the cult I definitely feel like a heretic. BUT there a certain refreshing lightness of soul in this record - from what I can see it’s recorded in one day - and it truly feels like it’s a live show even if it’s not as the name alludes - a live album.
Is it the directness and freedoms that appeals to me? Possibly? Is it why others like them? can’t say as I’m not in the cult. Is it a great album? No. But it’s fun.
ABBA
4/5
This record doesn’t contain any of the hits but man is it a good record. Sublime songwriting permeates this album yet it’s rather dark - especially considering the saccharine disco pop they ABBA are normally associated with. The synths and the delivery product, dare I say, a bit of a post apocalyptic mood to the proceedings - and listening to this will running in post USSR Batumi certainly helped.
Loved this record - it’s a serious piece of art.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
The grief in this record is palatable and it is a complete mood sponge - a black hole of darkness that is very understandable - but maybe because I’ve never been emotionally where Nick Cave has been during the time of writing this album - it just completely overwhelms me with unhappiness that i don’t want to listen to it again- it doesn’t help that it’s long and very sparse - which although helps convey with Nick Cave wants to - but it’s not for me.
The Cardigans
5/5
Oh man - this record threw me back and I realise how criminally under rated this band feels to me. The musicianship is mind blowing - production perfect - there isn’t one song that doesn’t fit - and at their poppiest this band is gold - even with the overly sweet and possibly omnipresent single in 1996 ‘Lovefool’ - it’s still subtly brilliant.
Crown jewel to me is the Sabbath cover.
Jeff Beck
3/5
It’s a lot of elements I don’t like - the Clapton-esque school of white man blues, and Deep Purple style hard rock. It’s not a terrible album - but not something I am into.
American Music Club
3/5
Ok but unremarkable alt country rock. Tried many times to get into it but it just slips away like sand in the desert…
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
Well well well, third time’s the charm. The other two records by Dexys Midnight Runners on this list were abysmal and almost downright loathable - but this one is actually pleasant - almost touching on that late 70s / early 80s British aka sound that Madness made popular, but also not quite ska, the songs fun, and upbeat and the record well balanced. I wouldn’t have guessed from the way I crossed paths with this band before.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Banger after banger - can’t knock any of it. It’s ore of those records though that the songs outshine the album - because the single’s gravitational pull just makes the in between tracks feel pale in comparison even if not. But then Bad or Smooth Criminal come up and you find yourself dancing again. Good fun.
Klaxons
4/5
Had forgotten what fun this record is. Maybe it's not for everyone, but given I'm accustomed to the scene this band came from, it's a darn good album to me. Hectic and urgent from start to finish, a little dark and quite unique - I'm glad this one is on the list.
2/5
I really tried but it’s too meandering and I couldn’t hold my attention for even the length of the shortest track. Great musicianship - mediocre record.
Mekons
3/5
On paper should like it, in reality, despite the many times I tried to warm up to it, it couldn't stick. The related bands though are up my street, but probably they were recommended to me due to this band's previous punk output. The record itself, fell flat to me, but it's not bad, just forgettable.
Roxy Music
3/5
I want to like this album so bad, it feels cool, it ticks all the boxes - but I still can't totally see a great Roxy Music album. Maybe I'm not cultured enough, or maybe it's not a great record - but I'm applying the same rule I've applied to everything else on the list - would I pick it up again voluntarily? no...
The Divine Comedy
4/5
It’s the most accessible album of the band I’ve heard so far - some pretty clever wit thrown around - mixing the lecherous with high mindedness. The arrangement are also just the right amount of tasteful. Maybe the only thing that kind of put me off is the lechery - even if it’s comedy - it just kind of grates nowadays - but not enough to demote this album seriously.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Beautiful soul album - short and sweet. I probably don’t have much more to say that what had already been said by others on this record.
LL Cool J
3/5
Funky but the misogyny kind of ruins it for me. It’s not that special that I can turn a blind eye to it.
Tangerine Dream
4/5
Interesting simple early ambient, which was pleasantly enjoyable. A bit Jean Michele Jarre meats ambien works Aphex Twin.
Girls Against Boys
4/5
Good hard alternative rock - love the drums - not much to write home about but I’d definitely like to revisit.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
Gorgeous alt rock record - very melodic, poppy but also with a lining of grit - kind of in the vein of the Wannadies, Ash and Dinosaur Jr. It's a shame it's not available on some streaming services.
Blur
4/5
Good solid album - first half is excellent but it kind of tapers in interest towards the end but still overall fun.
Calexico
4/5
Lovely album - eclectic, without trying too hard and all the while forming a cohesive whole. Love the Mexican / Latin tinge to the songs. One small fault is Side B, does meander a tiny bit compared to the compact directness of the first half, but it is pleasant nonetheless.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
5/5
Oh what a beautiful record. End to end sparse and lush. Love it and loved it again after all these years.
Alice Cooper
4/5
Whereas most Alice Cooper records thread a fine line between witty and passé, rocking and tiresome… this was a fun one throughout. Still with the same dry Alice Cooper delivery but this record is proper glam - more akin to T-Rex and Bowie but maybe not as refined.
Anyway it was a fun record.
Brian Eno
4/5
Oh lord not another Brian Eno album… that’s why I thought - expecting 2 hours of sparse synthesisers.
But no - this is an awesome album - funny witty, banging and rocking. Just the right length and it kept me wanting more. Bravo Mr. Eno.
The Blue Nile
4/5
Not an ordinary record and sound - the sparse arrangements in some of the songs is quite Interesting and so is Paul Buchanan’s vocal style and phrasing - although it’s quite samey throughout the record and can border on the tiresome.
But… it’s not a long record and it’s unique and the songs are pretty cool. Nice surprise.
3/5
Some good but forgettable hippie folk. If you’re into the genre I think these seem to be a less appreciated one but still hold their own alongside the Byrds and Jefferson Airplane and the likes.
Afrika Bambaataa
5/5
A retro futuristic concept of a Zulu Nation out in space with an avant garde sound that is both funky and techno, with some of the most memorable early hip hop tunes to booth? This album is a masterpiece and it’s also super fun.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
Ugh - I braced myself when this album turned up - but but but - it turns to be a pretty half decent record. First half is a strong showing of R&B, Soul and Gospel influences that are actually tasteful, then this second is split between some decent pop ballads and had it ended at the ‘Thank You’ track it would been an actually great record. But then it kind of descends into this gaudy cartoonish cabaret that gets old very very quickly. But if you skip that - this is a good record. I would never have guessed.
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
A gorgeous album musically - but hard to ignore the casual glorification of child abuse. It’s funny, but it’s not - risqué, fine, but uncomfortably so - I mean it achieves its goal of making you squirm and ‘pushing the boundaries’ and in a way making you think - but do I want to spend 28 mins in the skin of a Nabakov character? No.
So despite the musical brilliance and the high minded concept - I’d rather put something else on rotation. That said it’s a good piece of art to make you wrangle with yourself.
Ash
4/5
Lovely, simple power pop - I hadn’t come across Ash in decades I think - criminal. This record is packed to the brim with punchy memorable songs and didn’t get tedious even after repeated listens.
Black Sabbath
3/5
It’s a good record but not as awesome as Paranoid - it’s definitely an interesting listen. I find it hard to not rate it high intellectually but emotionally it’s a 3. I’ll have to go with my gut on this one.
Tears For Fears
4/5
An epic 80s pop album. The singles are masterpieces and the album tracks, while good songs, stand in their shadow, as often happens when the record is full of hits. That said it’s still a very good whole.
Public Enemy
4/5
Solid hip hop record - gotta love public enemy - frantic political and militant while being groovy and funky - it’s a good all round album
Beth Orton
2/5
Rather average 90s singer songwriter stuff. Mostly was a slog for me.
Gorillaz
4/5
An awesomely fun record. Light and breezy and solid pop tunes. A quirk of this record is one of the few ever good albums that have a slow start but then escalate to a mouth fizz bomb of pleasure by the end of it.
Coldcut
4/5
Can’t decide whether it’s a good record or not a bit given it wasn’t available on my regular streaming platform I’ve stop started this record many times and I kind of grew to like most of it, especially the first half. It feels a bit dated at times but it’s original and fresh and eclectic - a strange one I wouldn’t mind revisiting
Doves
4/5
A thoroughly strong record end to end - it’s one of those that is better then the sum of its parts. Loved it.
Crowded House
3/5
Apart from a couple standout singles this is a rather bland record.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Interesting take on British folk songs, kind of on the lines of Genesis' Selling England by the pound. Sandy Denny has a gorgeous voice and the album is well balanced and interesting. I tend to be annoyed by this kind of prog-rock-ish folkiness - but this record actually straddles the line well and turns out to be highly listenable. Enjoyed it.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Gorgeous start, quick taper - while there are diamonds in this record - it’s a bit repetitive by the end of it - and it doesn’t help I find old Tim to sound too much like Jim Morrison for my liking.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Interning fun pop record - there’s more to it than meets the eye. Not one of my favourites but did find myself enjoying the listen.
Stereolab
4/5
Lovely album - a record’s record - pleasant synth alt rock with a French accent.
N.E.R.D
4/5
Good solid pop hip-hop album with a little dada-ist streak, and only a slight smidgen of misogyny, which is refreshing. Had a good time listening to this record, funky, clever, and fun.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Quite a lovely album over all but not my genre and hence don’t feel like I’d ever revisit. But it’s actually quite a lovely listen.
The Triffids
2/5
Mediocre record - I think I’m getting the hang of this - albums like this are here to contrast actually good ones - so that one can appreciate quality when one hears it. This? Definitely not one of them.
Joy Division
4/5
A classic but not their best in my opinion - I always found it hard to get into Joy Division despite on paper influencing almost every band I like - and while this starts strong it tapers off quite quickly. But Peter Hooks bass lines - oh yeah - and that record cover - legendary.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
I like this band - it’s good punk and punk is good for me - but while it starts strong - it tapers off into the background and samey-ness quite quickly despite its short length. Unhappily I don’t feel I can rate it highly.
Metallica
5/5
Well a perfect metal pop album if there ever was one - and it’s still hard as nails when it wants to be. I mean yes overplayed to death and yes many a cliche but to put yourself back in 1991 and hearing this for the first time - whoa. Not only that - it’s persistently being present over 30 years on… essentially this is the Beatles of heavy guitars. Not to mentioned well paced and doesn’t over stay its welcome. A classic for sure even if I’m jaded to most of it.
Heaven 17
4/5
Nice surprise - original and hectic, funky and with a little punk attitude thrown in - liked this one and want to hear it more often.
Animal Collective
3/5
Forgettable spacey-indie stuff. Not enough meat on these bones to stay with you. It sounds lush don't get be wong, and it's not a bad record - just I don't picture myself ever going - "I think the mood is just right for me to put on that Animal Collective record ..."
Britney Spears
3/5
Surprisingly a good record - the sound of teeny-bopping-american-trailer-trash - and bizarrely most of the songs sound like anthems for future women locked in abusive marriages. At the same time, either very deeply honest, or very prescient knowing now in hindsight the story of Britney Spears. And it's very listenable and albeit the production is a bit dated, and ... no comment on.. 'Email my heart'... It is definitely far superior than contemporary crap like Kid Rock or Chocolate Starfish Limp Bizkit - but at the same time it sites nicely alongside the peak of the pre-me too misogyny of the time of the likes of the aforementioned terrible records, Eminem and well quite a lot of pop culture late 90s / early 00s.
So it kind of makes it a cultural snapshot disguised in bubblegum pop, and, in a way, deeply political. Yes. I stand by it.
Kings of Leon
5/5
I think pre-mainstream Kings of Leon were a super fun band - and this album is the richest of the two. For me it brings good memories too since it was out during a specific period of my life - I don't think I can find any fault in this album to be honest - it's perfectly paced, good songs, never overstays it's welcome, and it makes great music for running to.
The Fall
3/5
Not an unfun album, but it sounds a bit dated production wise. Also not the best I've heard from the Fall so far. Still enjoyable.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
This is the sound of a British dystopia - but also, while listening to it - I kept on thinking - who is this record for? It sounds like a jam band, and one of the punk's most seminal frontmen warbling above the meandering tracks. But, at the same time, I'm glad it exists? Critic wank and 'had to be there' claimers aside, it's not a great album - maybe groundbreaking at the time, but it's novelty did wear off.
Steely Dan
4/5
Not too bad, considering I'm not a fan of Steely Dan at all - as this one has some good songs in overall, and it's a pleasant listen overall. Wasn't a fan of the other inclusions though.
Stereo MC's
2/5
A very bland and monotone record - I guess it’s an interesting curio as a crossover with 90s electronics pop, British hip hop and that earnest hippie culture and political activism that came with it - but as music - yawn.
Christine and the Queens
5/5
A sublime find - his voice sounds almost on par with Michael Jackson, and the first few
songs on the album give off that influence almost uncannily. Thoroughly enjoyable in English and in French - so happy to have been exposed to this record.
The Pretty Things
3/5
Middle of the road hippie fare - it's mildly interesting in terms of being a concept album, but it got a bit grating to me quite a few times.
4/5
Interesting - a bit of a psychedelic indie thing going on. The production is gorgeous and the mood eerie and dark-ish with a little mischief. I am not sure it's a record I am foreseeing I'd return to frequently, but I think this merits more than a couple of listens to really get to the meat of it. Also - it doesn't overstay it's welcome.
AC/DC
4/5
AC/DC is always a party and this record is no different - I somehow can’t resist a good romp by this band - and maybe this is not their best outing - but I still enjoyed the brainless fun it exudes.
Hole
3/5
Some great songs but not nearly as good as ‘Live Through This’ which was action packed and filled to the brim with bangers. Opening track and ‘Malibu’ are standouts but then the record tapers off quite quickly - and while I love Courntely Love and as mentioned, the previous record, this one doesn’t deserve beyond 3 stars unfortunately
Marty Robbins
5/5
A perfect record. Originally got into it by a recommendation on a Mick Jones playlist and fell in love with ol’ Marty ever since.
Ice Cube
4/5
Funky and poignant - it feels a completely authentic snapshot of post LA riot Los Angeles.
Bar the misogyny - that let’s face it - the vast majority of hip hop of the era reveled in - it’s a banging album. One of the best of the era - possibly up there with the Chronic.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
Sublime and fun Jazz/Funk record. Short and sweet even though it has 15 min songs. Gotta love Herbie.
Love
5/5
A LOVEly album - short and sweet - while to me it’s not as special as the band’s Forever Changes, its length makes it as good - as it’s a nice bite sized group of songs - and this record has ‘7 and 7 is’ - so - LOVE it.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Neil Young is always surprisingly listenable to me - it’s maybe the 100,000th album of his on this list (and thankfully he’s now back on Spotify - even though I agreed with his stance) This album is a strange one but it’s highly quotable - with ‘better to burn out than to fade away’ and the oft repeated ‘rock and roll is/is not dead’. Good record - not great though.
Adele
4/5
Hello, Adele. Second record I got, and it's undeniably also a great record. Not my regular favourite cup of tea per se, yet the benefit of distance from it's omnipresent radio play helped judge it fairly... it's a solid dramatic pop record - maybe a bit too dramatic from a 25 year old but the themes hold up.
Bauhaus
4/5
Good and interesting dark post punk record - it’s kind of the true spiritual successor to Joy Division - with a little infusion of the remnants of the punk movement. It’s right up my street - not sure if it’s everyone’s cup of tea though.
Paul Simon
4/5
Another gorgeous record by Paul Simon - impeccably produced - just the perfect length and great great songs. I don’t know how I passed over Paul Simon for so many years but he’s been a delightful discovery to me.
It’s not 5 stars by a hair - because it’s not his best record - so I’m being very unfair here.
TLC
4/5
A really good album that stands the test of time and also at the same time a snapshot of the era it is from. A keeper.
Stan Getz
5/5
Perfectly gorgeous.
Joan Baez
4/5
Was thinking I’m going to get a lot of hippie singer songwriter but I got a record sung by one of the most strikingly powerful and beautiful voices - while being full of wonderful songs, sea shanties and even ends with sung in Spanidh. Much more than I bargained for - this is truly a memorable record.
Duran Duran
4/5
Such great songs, and such a grand pair of closers - which makes you forget the filler in between. And with filler I guess I will say, decent songs, just enough to keep you interested until the next banger - and with Duran Duran the filler tracks hold up well. It does not make it a perfect album for sure, but it's a damn hell of a good one.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
It's a long album. But it's a classic album - I had tried in the past to get into and didn't manage, however I think my palate has changed since and I loved it. Yes it may be a bit camp and kitsch at times - but it's such earnestly and beautifully executed, and such a unique masterpiece that you take it in your stride.
Jacques Brel
4/5
Fun cabaret album by a powerful performer - I don’t speak French but I can get the context - so I know I’m losing out - yet it’s still a good listen I’d like to revisit.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Starts strong, but inevitably runs out of steam due to it's CD-era album record length - it's almost an hour long, and just over mid-way, it gets quite tedious.
Still, for the time, it's a powerful alternative to the gung-ho misogyny and violence of contemporary male fronted hip hop acts. But it doesn't make it an excellent record I'd like to get frequently back to.
Beck
4/5
A good pleasant album - impeccably produced a - it’s Beck after all. It’s a bit longer than it should - and maybe not as groundbreaking as some of his other records but fun nonetheless.
Underworld
5/5
Awesome electronic album - a bit long, but somehow it doesn't feel that way. It's got a punch and it's both atmospheric and also dance-y. I liked Underworld, but love this record.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Surprisingly interesting. Not something I’m going to get back to but definitely better than most Pink Floyd records.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
2/5
It’s quite a crass and at the same time, bland album. The glam element pulls you in but then when you realise the songs are about Swampsnakes and Gangbangs - it goes downhill from there. The song ‘next’ comes up and you start thinking it can redeem itself but then you remember it’s a cover. next!
The Sugarcubes
3/5
Well sounds like Björk but in an 80s indie band with a Frenchman - oh wait - it is Björk - almost cute but still Björk - and while I’m no big fan she’s more suited to the psychedelic grandeur that is her solo act rather than this middle of the road stuff.
The Stooges
5/5
Stellar record by one of my favourite bands Mad, fun, wild and violent - with an added demented saxophone wailing throughout - lovely.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
A gorgeous gorgeous record… from a phase where similar post crooners like Cohen were reaching out for this metallic semi electronic sound - but for Cohen it sets the mood and frames his words so beautifully. I found myself loving every song on this record. Another perfect one.
Brian Wilson
5/5
What a joyously perfect record - intertwining harmonies and beautiful songs. This was already a favourite and I remember it took a couple of listens before I really saw its genius - but now I kind of see it as a slightly better brother of Sgt Pepper.
Le Tigre
4/5
Fun shouty hipster punk - with a strong start - a strange middle yet the right length. Always welcome to listen to it.
Ministry
4/5
Oh yeah fun, heavy and dark industrial metal. There’s always a time and place for it.
The Style Council
2/5
I’ve tried many times over to like the Style Council but it always sounds off to me. Don’t get me wrong I love the Jam and Paul Weller in general but this band sounds naff
Peter Gabriel
3/5
High concepts but ultimately a naff recor. While Peter Gabriel does not irk me normally, and it’s not terrible - it’s rather self indulgent in the belief that whoever is listening is fully bought in what Peter Gabriel is warbling about.
Soundgarden
5/5
I grew up with this record as one of the first few I ever loved - but over time I fell out of love with the sound of the early nineties - it felt tired and overdone - because of course there were so many derivatives of it over the years. Even this record at one point sounded tiresome to me at one point - yet now, with a clear mind and enough distance I can recognise the brilliance - the Sabbath-esque grooves and guitars, Chris Cornell’s unique piercing voice and generally the power of this rather long CD era record - it still holds up - and I argue - as a classic.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Nah
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
It’s good indie - there’s a lot to like about this album, yet it’s not the most mind blowing of records. I feel there’s more value to be gotten from repeated listens.
The Saints
4/5
Good fun punk record - right up my street.
Donovan
3/5
Pleasant album yet one that i won’t ever go - ‘I’d like to put on that Donovan record…’ - I think I’ve already gotten the most out of it
The Verve
3/5
I found this a bit tedious and somehow couldn’t really warm up to it
The Bees
4/5
Lovely eclectic album - and excellent addition of A Minha Menina cover - all in all fun and colourful.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Nothing new to be said about this album - it’s a great one - and it’s also amazingly produced, amazingly sung, and amazingly performed.
Japan
2/5
The band sounds like Duran Duran broodier cousin - but this record is a it winding and meandering. Shame - as some tracks show a lot of promise.
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
Oh nice, a surprising and fun record right aligned with the musical mood I’m in today.
Al Green
4/5
Smooth lovely soul - not as memorable as other records but still a good one - feels more like a genre album rather than a generalist one. That said I’d be happy to dig jt out every now and again.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
On paper if Paul Simonon in it’s going to be cool. And it is - yet only after 17 years of trying to warm up to this record did I finally get it. And it’s quite a gorgeous one.
Neil Young
5/5
Beautiful record - my favourite Neil Young album.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Meh, middle of the road boomer fodder.
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
So - musically lovely smooth and silky contemporary R&B and hip hop - but it’s a nice shift of perspective finally from the usual male focussed idea of sexuality to women’s viewpoints - each song accompanied by a ‘skit’. Thing is, again t skits - they’re fine on first listens but get in the way of making an album timeless.
Suede
4/5
This was a lovely album and actually paced well even though it is from the CD era. Much stronger than their debut record - which could get a bit tedious - this one doesn’t.
Santana
4/5
As much as I was dreading this after hearing a lot of this record on dive bar juke box on heavy rotation - it’s still a good and strong record - with instrumental that transcend their format and overall a pumping and fun record. Enjoyed it.
Thundercat
4/5
Beautiful post millennium psychedelic hip hop - and that bass guitar playing phwwoooo. There’s a lot to dig in through the hundreds of layers of this album
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
Oh man - I had but written off this band as a relic of the noughties garage rock revival - but what a banger factory of a record. Song after song of memorable hooks and even though I’d heard this over a decade ago - I felt it was just yesterday that I was playing this album. Who would have thought the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a breakthrough for their era. Good stuff.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
Smooth silky funk and soul - which starts off with a great side an and a rather mellower and less memorable side b. Still it’s a pleasant listen and discovery.
Ryan Adams
4/5
Good fun and a gorgeous record full of American stylings and good writing. Was always a bit ambivalent about Ryan Adams, but at least his debut is definitely a winner.
Steely Dan
4/5
I started hating on Steely Dan on other record but some of them from this list have been pretty decent records - always impeccable production - I guess they are the gold standard for sound quality but the songs are actually good - the album not too long and a little tongue in cheek here and there. Enjoyed it.
Giant Sand
3/5
Terrible band name, ok record. It feels like there’s more to it with further listens but within the frame I get to judge these albums it didn’t captivate me so … sorry :/
The Prodigy
4/5
Crossover banger after crossover banger. Can still remember the impact of this record when it came out - probably among the few true punk records of the 90s.
Only gripe is the first track which feels so dated in its heavy handed casual misogyny. Almost turned me off this otherwise excellent album.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Those two guitar power chord stabs that open the record in Good Times Bad Times just make one go f—- yeah! Whatever you’re doing when listening to it. Then John Bonhams grooves kick in and you’re off - what a great record. And I’d thought I’d gone off this band - was going to write them off as boomer fodder that resonated with my younger self - but this record definitely still holds up.
Sugar
4/5
A really good early 90s alt rock record I had never heard before - highly melodic, interesting and gets better with every listen.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Good fun, fast and easy. Now knowing the background though - this record makes a lot of sense - as in 2024 we tend to take live gig noises for granted - heated and almost punk like for the time for Sam Cooke must have been quite a heart attack for his label. Screw them.
Magazine
4/5
A good strong interesting punk new wave album. That never hurts in my book.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
It’s not as good as Ocean Rain - it gets forgettable towards the end - but at the same time it set the stage for it as a debut. It’s worth further spins I guess.
Cypress Hill
4/5
Gritty, yet funky and vibrant, but more violent than I remember Cypress Hill. Then again I had gotten on the Cypress Hill bus on Black Sunday (which is beautiful and dark). Had a good time listening to this - and it avoids the skits to make a more condensed and packed Latino gangster album.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Gorgeous. Knew about them never heard them - and it was a treat of a record.
Lucinda Williams
2/5
For the genre of the 90s country it’s quite a good album but the genre is not for me. I can see that it’s good but I can see I don’t like it.
Fever Ray
4/5
Whoa Björk if Björk was actually listenable - what a nice surprise - ethereal but at the same down to earth in a way - strong sounds and songs. Enjoyed it very much.
Pretenders
4/5
Surprisngly punk and new wave (I’ve known of the pretenders but never actually sat down and listened to them) so it starts right up my street - with some reggae influences at times and also a tinge of good pop with Brass in Pocket. Didn’t expect I’d like it so much.
Def Leppard
4/5
Oh man I can believe I’m saying this but I really had a good time with this one. I kept putting it off for weeks until i decided to take the leap … and … it’s a generally strong record - a really tight back to back hit middle, sandwiched by a well paced beginning and end.
Yes it’s hair metal, yes it’s corny at times but it’s better than a lot of middle of the road records on and off this list.
The Who
4/5
Quite overlong but I can’t help liking this one - quite an epic concept album - and the Who at some of their most grandiose.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
I’ve tried repeatedly over the years to like this album - and it’s not because it’s a bad one - Anonhi’s voice is surreal and beautiful and the songs have a certain pull - but it just does not resonate with me. It didn’t when it was released and still doesn’t now. I guess you can’t like them all.
The Dandy Warhols
5/5
Lovely lovely modern shoegaze style psychedelia with song bangers thrown in the middle and a a good balance flow throughout its length. A record’s record. It’s meant to be enjoyed as a whole.
4/5
Pleasant 70s street funk record - makes you want to drive a low rider with a pimp outfit and talk jive in a blaxploitation movie.
Can
3/5
Interesting, cinematic and atmospheric - maybe a couple of overlong tracks could’ve been done without but then again they might grow on one I guess. I know the cult like status Can have but I’m afraid I’m new to them on an album scale so cannot judge them on that level
The Doors
3/5
A little more mature as a record than others from the Doors - and also a pleasant listen at times a bit somehow I don’t know what happened but I’m totally off Jim Morrison these days - I find him cringe and he totally puts me off the band.
Dire Straits
3/5
Strong start with VH1 heavy rotation singles, and also gorgeously produced throughout - but then it kind of tapers off into wishwashy-ness. While strangely it was nice to hear some of these tracks - as a record it’s bland.
The Byrds
4/5
Surprisingly decent folk record - I was cringing at the idea of spending the day listening to a stalwart of 60s folk psychedelia - but it still holds up as a whole and gets better throughout its length.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
Starts ok but gets shrilly and grating quite early. At points Neneh Cherry is rapping like an adolescent - a far cry from future acts like MIA who are more honest and articulate.
Mercury Rev
4/5
A pretty lovely sounding record - highly eclectic and definitely a grower - gets more interesting with every listen and while there are no standout individual tracks - it sounds great as a whole. To be explored further
Little Simz
5/5
Awesome record - short poignant - aggressive in the beginning - introspective towards the end - kind of M.I.A without the conspiracy theories.
Traffic
2/5
Mediocre and forgettable.
Air
4/5
Beautiful soundtrack - and captures the essence of what I remember the movie to be- but also works wonderfully as a standalone record besides being the score.
The Doors
3/5
While a lot of these songs are bangers and actually fun to listen to - hearing them with 2024 ears a lot of the songs are very creepy and uncomfortably so. In Whisky Bar he’s harping about Little Girls, Back Door Man - and while they are both covers they were chosen and modified.
Not even starting with The End, which while back in the day sounded avante garde, it’s a rather lazy worded and rhymed song. This listen to this record made me like the band a whole lot less - even though musically it’s still quite gorgeous.
Don’t look too closely at the sausage you’re eating they say.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Not a Dylan fan but a solid record. Maybe a little bloated in the middle but still keeps interesting and a good pace.
LTJ Bukem
4/5
Was dreading listening to 2 hours and over of Drum’n’bass but it was actually quite pleasant - especially as focus music. Maybe the general sound of it is a bit dated enough that you wouldn’t want to blast it out of your car but in headphones while running or working it’s pretty good. It’s varied and atmospheric and keeps you interested for its duration.
Silver Jews
2/5
Monotone and forgettable
Astrud Gilberto
4/5
Gorgeous - guaranteed to make my day lighter and get me to float and hum around - beach, samba and good vibes.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Good fun punkish alt rock record that’s been in and out of my life several times. Always a welcome listen - more as a whole than individual songs.
Paul McCartney
4/5
Sweet album - wonderfully short with some great songs.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Great voice and occasional glimpses of beauty but otherwise very bland and forgettable - a marked departure from earlier Goldfrapp records
2/5
I’m no Bob Dylan fan - and this album doesn’t help - over 1.5 hours of Dylan is not for the faint hearted.
It’s not bad, don’t get me wrong but it’s essentially greatest hits album but recorded live and a live album that doesn’t really make you feel you’re part of the audience. It’s not particularly very good at either of the things it is.
And if I’m going to dedicate 1.5 hours to a Dylan record - they could have been spent listening to his best ones, not this.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Always a good time with a Sabbarh album - meaty, dark and fun. Nice addition of Changes and of course Snowblind are the obvious standouts but there really is no bad song here.
King Crimson
3/5
A very good record that I don’t like. Still good - but I’m already over it.
David Bowie
4/5
A sublime record that is built around the title track - and while there are no particular stand out singles beside it - all the songs complement each other. Another record’s record - all strewn with David Bowie’s essential cool.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Lovely little record - with some great big hits from this weird weird man. Plays wonderful start to finish - and while there’s a lot of Beatles influence here it also presents itself as a fully 70s record.
Eagles
1/5
Fuck the Eagles, man.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Wonderful piano playing but not exactly my cup of tea, or maybe I really need to be in the right mood. Still it’s good atmospheric focus music by a virtuoso. At points Keith sounds like he is playing 3 pianos together harmoniouslyz
Stephen Stills
3/5
A very good album I find boring and do not like. But still a good album.
Korn
4/5
Well well well - this strikes a deep nostalgia chord - I remember hearing Got the Life as a single and complete being blown away by the sound - I had heard nothing like it before - followed by a mad scramble to purchase the Cd from the low stocked local record store - to countless hours listening it. Oh and the first 13 tracks of the CD intention skipping until ‘It’s On’ suddenly kicks the record off.
Now. Does it hold up? Actually in my opinion yes - it’s still a well crafted record - and a good snapshot of the time. Unfortunately casual misogyny and homophobia pepper the record - which was rife at that point in time - and also feels like the proto white incel anthem record. Oh and a terrible and quite aged like white milk rehearsed diss track with Fred Durst somewhere in the middle.
But hey that is countered with a good cameo from Ice Cube and Cheech Marin.
So .. cringe at many times? Yes. A bit overlong with a few unecessary tracks at the end? Yes - a side effect of the CD era. Fred Durst? ugh yes.
Then again nostalgia is powerful. And objectively it does kind of sound unique - and it does have qutie a few banger tracks throughout. It’s complicated but it gets a 4 star from me.
Miles Davis
3/5
Hard to warm up to this album in a short time span - it’s definitely a good record and stellar musicianship but I couldn’t find myself warming up to it easily. And that essentially is how I’ve been rating the rest - how much I enjoyed the record and whether I would want to spend more time with it in the future. At this stage my gut says no.
Rush
4/5
An earnest fun record - not generally my cup of tea but this is in a way an ideal record for Spinal Tap-like fans. Less of the tiresome machismo, more of the light political, sci-fi and fantasy lyrics - and oh the drums. Was not at any point boring.
Nirvana
5/5
Well a classic - banger after banger. Strange to have grown around it and it’s now in the pantheon of great albums, not just another good one.
Still not my favourite Nirvana record but it’s still a perfect record.
M.I.A.
4/5
Well another great MIA record. Not much to say - it’s consistent for the most part - groovy fun and punch. Shame about her strange views.
The Coral
5/5
A short sweet old favourite. It still holds up.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Another classic I guess. I’ve begun to appreciate The Beach Boys and this I guess is a one of their best.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
A bit overwrought - and when the long awaited title track kicks in then it’s bloody 15 mins long
4/5
Oddball record which at times is actually very pretty sounding. A slight hint of Beatles and Beach Boys, interlaced with strange but interesting choices of instrumentations and songs. On the fence whether it's good or awkward, but it's overall more the former.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
For a second was scared it was Trout Mask Replica - then realised this is the record I like - it’s stellar start to finish. Love this album.
Mudhoney
4/5
Oh my - with every listen this record gets better and better - gritty, snotty and actually a genuinely great punk record. The track listing is all over the place with the various versions and releases - but the 2008 deluxe edition (even though I avoid such versions) was still well paced and fun throughout - loved it.
Skepta
4/5
Groovy Brit hip hop album - it’s fun but very self absorbed man child vibes going around. Then again it is the state of most hip hop of the period.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Lots and lots of classic bangers, but it's rather self-indulgent of ol' Jimi. Even though of all of his contemporaries, he's the one most deserving of self-indulgence.
Still a good record - definitely not my favourite of his freer, less clunky records.
Genesis
4/5
Surprisingly fun and listenable - who would have thought I’d like a Genesis record? What next? Pink Floyd?
The Icarus Line
4/5
Interesting find - not the most remarkable of records and gets a bit samey by the end but one I’d like to explore further
Pearl Jam
4/5
Some bangers here, and I think Pearl Jam get a little too much discredit for their song writing - some songs here are bona fide classics both musically and lyrically.
As a record though it sadly tapers very much towards the last quarter, but for most of it, it's a strong debut, and of course, a stalwart of the Seattle-era. Nice to revisit, even though I'm rather weary of it after all these years.
Beatles
4/5
Well it’s a classic album - I know it but also - not as much as other Beatles records. It’s rather mature and feels like the pinnacle of their career and while it has some their best songs, it’s not my favourite. Still awesome but not a 5 to me.
Pavement
4/5
Not generally a big fan of pavement but this album kicks ass. Melodic, catchy, a hard round the edges - had a good time with it.
Paul Simon
3/5
So far all the previous Paul Simon and Simon and Garfunkel records have been quite surprisingly wonderful to me - always more than expected. This, although it has a lot of the sweet earnestness of Simon’s usual songwriting style - is not as strong as his other ones on this list in my opinion. I felt it a little forgettable
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Starting the record with the Immigrant Song is a sure fire winner - and the rest of the record that follows is actually a gentle subtle set of songs — that make this record one of their best in my opinion.
Leftfield
4/5
A very good electronic record - albeit a bit long. Yes fine there is a lot of hippie cliche from the era this album was released- but to be honest it’s quite in earnest and hopeful - so it’s forgiveable.
Black Flag
4/5
Great fun punk record.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Fun but a bit derivative and has that 70s creepiness going. It’s got hints of T-Rex, Stones, Elvis and Skynyrd - and rarely does it have a voice of its own. Doesn’t make it not fun but it is easily forgettable.
Tricky
5/5
This record has been with me all my life - mysterious, sexy, smooth, profane, punchy, dark, funny, beautiful. Another perfect one.
Sonic Youth
4/5
My my my finally a Sonic Youth record and can honestly say I loved. I have finally found Shangri La, and my Rosebud.
UB40
4/5
I would have signed off UB40 to the iffy excesses of 80s pop reggae but this is an actually good reggae record. Shhh - I can’t believe I’m saying that. It’s akin to the Specials and Madness and the rest of the 2 Tone greats - Red Red Wine it’s not.
The Birthday Party
4/5
Nick Cave’s original punk bad. My first attempts at getting into it years ago failed - but now I can see through its pleasures. Enjoyed it.
The Beta Band
4/5
Good fun, a bit dorky but nonetheless a more than decent record.
The Cars
4/5
Interesting - not what I expected - a post punk band right at the break of the punk wave. Interesting and fun.
XTC
3/5
Good and interesting but a little too oddball for my liking - happy to have heard but I don’t think I’ll go looking back for it.
Burning Spear
5/5
Reggae greatness. A nice addition to the pantheon of the golden age of reggae.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Not the most remarkable album although it hints at what was to come in a good way. Would love to have loved this album - but I don’t. It’s kind of small sparks of genius, but most of it is pretty forgettable album - in sharp contrast to some of their later records.
Big Black
3/5
Very Steve Albini but a formula I think he perfected later with Shellac. Not bad but not memorable either.
Slayer
5/5
What a classic, what a scorcher! End to end a perfect record - tight, fast, furious, dark and evil.
My go to record to passive/aggressively signal my displeasure at neighbours’ musical choices - and have a good time while doing it.
Scritti Politti
3/5
Strange - a clear sign of an artist’s name not matching the music and a general feeling that Scritti Politti albums are the ones one used to find at the bottom of CD bargain bins. Not bad, but not my thing.
Madonna
4/5
A surprisingly good album and love Mirwais’ contribution. It’s very clear eyed and stark in its intention to be a good pop album, and it hits all the right marks - well balanced, not too long and with a few good modernish Madonna hits.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Oh and I thought At Folsom Prison was one of the greatest live albums ever recorded - but this is even better. Amazing record!
Metallica
4/5
Good fun thrash metal record - not their best but the one with One - so can’t be too bad. A bit longish but not terribly long.
Django Django
4/5
A very good modern day indie record - surprising at every turn, warm and fun.
Happy Mondays
3/5
It’s a not a bad record - better than I thought it would be - but I struggle to remember much of it, let alone love it.
Tori Amos
3/5
A bit overweight and dramatic - not quite as creative as Kate Bush and not quite Taylor Swift. I got bored by the end of the record.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Somehow I realised I have an affinity for these three country giants. It’s a pleasant record - unpretentious and pleasant.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Somehow I had forgotten this album - it’s gorgeously sweet and pleasant to listen to - a good length and well balanced.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
Very fun first half of the record but then mind of meanders midway through.
The Byrds
3/5
Mediocre and tedious faux folk hippie nonsense
Chicago
4/5
Quite pleasant but on the border if I’d like to revisit again. I guess it just about makes it. It’s a bit too long - but it’s surprisingly eclectic l.
Red Snapper
3/5
Average electronic album. Enjoyable but forgettable.
Morrissey
2/5
There are some good moments in this album but it’s general quite forgettable. And it’s Morrissey, so it gets a penalty. Fuck Morrissey.
Coldplay
4/5
Ok hear me out. I dislike Coldplay - but every time one of their records came out- while they do contain chunks of mediocrity - when they’re brilliant they’re pop geniuses.
This album isn’t exactly that - it’s quite a delicate subtle album with hints of pop brilliance - some songs that don’t even make it to 2 minutes - it’s intimate it’s wintery and it’s just a good band writing an honest album.
That they become as big or even bigger than U2 is a different story - if they seem to have the charisma of a plank is another but this record is a very good one.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
Starts interesting but then gets tied up into a meandering set of songs. It got me intrigued than bored me by half way through. Nothing to write home about
Throbbing Gristle
3/5
Ok - I don’t like experimental and noise albums much - but I liked the mood this one created. I’d very much doubt I’d pick it up to give it another spin but I’m glad I listened to it.
Randy Newman
4/5
I had a previous Randy Newman album that kind of rubbed me the wrong way - felt like a cabaret Elvis Costello - so I was reticent when this came up - but this is a hooter of an album - clever witty fun - with my favourite song of the month Political Science firmly setting the scene. Loved it.
Duke Ellington
3/5
Good but nothing memorable.
The Charlatans
3/5
Forgettable britrock record.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
The missing link in my knowledge of 80s introspective goth-ish bands - love it.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
I like snoop but this album is ridiculously crass and does not even have his best work.
There are teases of potential throughout but in general it’s forgettable adolescent crap.
Sonic Youth
4/5
I’m finding myself liking Sonic Youth albums.. what’s happening to me?! A solid atmospheric gritty record where the guitars reign supreme and sardonic vocals litter its length. Second Sonic Youth album in about a month that I found more than palatable… Geez!
The Beta Band
4/5
An interesting eclectic album I’d like to hear more of - enjoyed its particular brand of noughties alternative
Louis Prima
4/5
Good fun raunchy romp big band and a little rock and roll. Enjoyed this one.
Weather Report
2/5
To my ears bland and wish washy generic jazz. I get it that the line up is amazing virtuosos but the genre grates to my ears.
Orbital
4/5
A strong electronic album - slightly dated on the production side but doesn’t detract from its quality
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
Wow what a find - who knew a 2 hour album littered with conversations between country dogs, blue grass banjo picking, fiddle playing, country drawling and songs would resonate so well with me.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
It’s Creedance. Hard to fault the de facto dad rock band
T. Rex
4/5
Aw man always love me some T Rex - not the best album but fun nonetheless
Talking Heads
3/5
A fun album - but made special through Psychokiller. I would like to get to know this album more but it didn’t totally win me over - on paper I would love it but somehow.. I don’t
Kraftwerk
4/5
Fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn! Fun fun fun (sic) auf der Autobahn! Well it’s essentially one good song and a little side dressing but always like me some Kraftwerk.
The Damned
4/5
A genuinely cool album that I never knew - loved it - has the swagger and the tunes.
Brian Eno
4/5
This was a very listenable Brian Eno album - some of the ones on this list were too abstract for me and they didn’t stick much - but this one was actually on point. Liked it.
Richard Hawley
3/5
Middling operatic Brit rock verging on country and Americana. Didn’t care for it much but interesting part of the palette in the genre.
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
What a beast of an album - there are very little in the way of famous singles besides some lesser known ones but the whole album bangs hard end to end. A classic and underestimated one. Forgot how awesome The Chemical Brothers were at their height.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Well - experimental and irreverent - had fun listening to it but not going to look it up intentionally in the future - doesn’t make it a bad album - rather more a good interesting oddity.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
A different flavour to this band compared to their later records - its rawer and more post punk - and has a very strong Side A. The energy tapers in the second half of the record but it’s still listenable. A good record.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Good, irreverent like a fiery preacher from hell, Nick Cave tears through this record with gusto. It’s some of his most entertaining of the records on this list so far - and I could not find any fault with it. Lovely.
fIREHOSE
3/5
Rather middle of the road - although it’s had moments of interest. For instance there was a sudden hint of the Minutemen at some points. Then I found out Mike Watts played in both bands so it made sense. Does not make the record any better.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
Interesting for a one time listen - clever and impeccably sounding but the nature of experimental noise is that it’s normally too clever for its own good. It does a good parody of hippie culture and its scathing review of Zappa’s peers but that doesn’t make want to hear it again.
The Specials
4/5
Of course it’s fun - classic two tone ska from the specials - side A is perfect - side B falters a bit but it’s a good album nonetheless.
Ghostface Killah
5/5
What a record. Musically perfect end to end - first time listening to it and it blew me away.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Ach you can feel the coolness exuded by this record from miles away, Ja? Not the best Velvet Underground output - but definitely the most bohemian sleazeball one.
Tina Turner
3/5
Good record, good songs, awesome singer - but not my cup of tea. Would deserve more if it was but for my appetite I’ve had my fill of this album. Still a good one mind you.
CHVRCHES
4/5
Quite a good record with much to bite into. Doesn’t feel like a classic but it’s one I would like to return to.
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
A sunny fun record, with moments of musical introspection - between the language barrier and the genre that I’m. It familiar with cannot pick the nuances - but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this on a hot summer’s day.
Queen
4/5
Well it’s not an amazing album but when it’s good it’s stunning - just a couple of songs lift this record amazingly. The rest of the record is well balanced but the minute Killer Queen kicks in you know you have a winner.
The Streets
4/5
Was going to readily dismiss this on a first listen until I realized this was a mini Brit rap opera. See Mike lost a grand… and well actually while musically it’s pretty fun - it’s quite ingenuous in its story telling, funny, heartfelt and a trip through a lot of misplaced angsty emotions that make the titular character as much of as a foe to himself as his own circle of friends.
Wild Beasts
3/5
It’s a pretty sounding album but it’s a bit too ethereal to be memorable. It’s fun and well made though.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
One of the better Siouxsie albums - not perfect but quite a good post-punk / goth standard. For a genre album it’s tops.
Guns N' Roses
2/5
Well - good fun, good hits but I don’t think I’ll ever actively seek Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City and Sweet Child of Mine in the foreseeable future.
White Denim
3/5
Interesting but quite a forgettable record compared to some on this list. Also not the most memorable White Denim record I heard - all in all quite middling
Gary Numan
4/5
Oddball and deadpan - Gary Numans own unique sound cuts through and is what mostly stands out in this record. The songs are good, the pace is fine but what makes it selfish is the man himself.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Better than I expected - I loathed the other EBTG album i got from this list - this was strange but not unpleasant - a drum and bass ambient ish album and some hints of trip hop. But still I couldn’t fall in love with it either.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
A great soul and r&b record - well balanced and just the right length.
The Modern Lovers
5/5
Oh man Jonathan Richman is a hero of mine and this is an awesome record as well as a trail blazing one in its own right. Not necessarily Jonathan Richman best song but of course he hadn’t yet landed in Bermuda for his epiphany.
From the bopping perennial Roadrunner, to Picasso and down to closer the Modern World this is a perfect record in my book.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Interesting and lush in the beginning - whiny towards the end. Good songs, not a great record.
The Killers
3/5
Very good album - great singles but I’m still recovering from this band being overplayed to death.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
So far this to me has been Stevie Wonder’s most accessible record - it’s gorgeously played and sung and it’s does thread that weird overly sugary place that he tends to thread in.
Loved it end to end.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Not the most obvious Marley record but a beautiful one with a tinge of darkness and wit, yet still a great reggae record. I mean the evergreen and global omnipresence of Bob Marley is an interesting comment on the Euro / American centric bias of musical culture - and this could easily be as, or more relevant to global audiences than say Abbey Road. Maybe comparing apples and oranges but definitely relegating this to a genre album would be a crime. Try playing ‘Stir it up’ anywhere in the world and just watch a crowd melt.
Maybe one exception as sometimes reggae is the coriander of musical genres but man is it amazing if you get past it.
CHIC
5/5
Oh man perfect pumping disco and divine bass lines - can’t fault any of this album: it’s the quintessential Nile Rogers’ record.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
To be frank… it’s actually a refreshing debut that is lacking pretense and hype - just a strong decent soul record
Tom Waits
5/5
Cool, sleazy and Tom Waits own personal vaudeville at its best. The bizarre story telling and the rag tag instrumentation is a perfect combination and enjoyable throughout
Radiohead
5/5
Ah what a joy. I have gone off Radiohead in the past few years but this album is rock solid and beautiful. Sonic landscapes and actual songs embedded in them - weaving in and out of various emotions while still pumping and rocking throughout.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
A good well balanced moody record. Not totally memorable bit probably the most even Per Shop Boys record on this list so far.
Meat Loaf
3/5
First half is a corny take on of Bruce Springsteen style of songwriting - where most of it is actually ok - but the second half descends into high cheesiness. It’s cute the see the ambition and uniqueness - the level of earnestness is what endears me at least - but Iaps my cringe button a bit too much.
The Band
3/5
A good average white man blues band. Not my genre but not unpleasant to listen to.
Dusty Springfield
5/5
A solid soul / Motown style album - always loved Dusty but never sat through a full record. This one is lovely - well balanced and beautifully sung - with the right feel and groove and sound. Loved it.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
A band name that says exactly what’s in the tin. Gritty but lush, aggressive yet ethereal - synths and guitars intertwine and you get this lovely album.
Killing Joke
4/5
Oh yeah! Post punk gritty record - engaging through and through - the guitars and drums grind through machine-like while it maintains enough variety to be well paced and interesting - lovely discovery for
me.
The Temptations
4/5
A generally good funk album - short, seeet to the point and groovy. Wah Wah everywhere and all that’s left is a 70s Blaxxploitation movie to go with this record.
Still fun although track 2 gets one grimacing a little - funny now words can make one do that
Nightmares On Wax
4/5
Pleasant and eclectic Ambient album - unlike most in the genre it does not ever thread into corny territory - it straddles jazz, dub and more and while it’s on the longer side it never gets dull. Good record.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I’m no Dylan fan - in fact I was dreading this record when it came up but then I was pleasantly surprised - it’s short, well paced and highly listenable - found myself enjoying it quite a bit. So far my favourite Bob Dylan album - not the first that pleasantly surprised me - but the one I liked most.
Sonic Youth
4/5
I always happily claimed to others that i disliked two bands even though i recognized their relevance - Sonic Youth and Pink Floyd - since starting this list I changed my mind about the former - I’ve begun to like them. This is not their best record but still a good moody one - a template to thousands of garage bands that tried to be this and fail. Reminded me of the sounds emanating from rehearsal spaces but this was actuslly good.
The xx
3/5
Pleasant, subtle but not too remarkable - it pulled me in but didn’t grab my attention. Struggle to even remember a song from it.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Raw, aggressive and fiercely feminist and at times gentle, feminine and orchestral. The Steve Albini sound gives it a particular hue but it’s Polly Jean hints at what’s to come further down the line.
Mj Cole
3/5
Actually decent record - not my genre but didn’t mind it - it’s a tasteful house record but probably I’ll never actively seek it out.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
It’s actually a great great album. I remember when this record came out - with ‘Once Around the Block’ cute music video of the titular character ferrying out taxi fares round a city on his back. At first thought not much of it but a pretty twee song until I can around to listening to this record.
Back then enjoyed it thoroughly and spun it many times but for some reason I forgot about it - and now two decades later I’m listening to it and remembering it very much - it’s a sticky album. Happy to have had the opportunity to revisit it.
Laura Nyro
3/5
Lovely voice - quite a listenable album but also forgettable the minute it’s over. Also tends to be a bit repetitive.
Not a bad album but definitely not much higher than average compared to some of the records on this list.
Ian Dury
4/5
Awesome musically - well paced, well balanced - almost a perfect record but for the rather pervy lyrics. Up to a point it is almost chalkeable as a little tongue in cheek and naughty charm but after a while it starts getting a bit too much. Still good songs and still a cool record - but it loses a star as you’re not sure if you’re complicit - and heaven forbid you listen to some of this record too loudly in 2024.
Anita Baker
3/5
Can’t find much remarkable about this record for it to merit its place among the 1001. Anita’s voice is wonderful and there is hint of soul grandeur in the songs but the production fights very hard to sterilize it and you really have to struggle to see anything special in this assortment of songs. To me the only thing going for is that it’s short - 36 mins - but that alone is not going to make me seek it out to play it ever again.
U2
4/5
I am by no means a U2 fan - I’ve lived around them too much to not feel them overplayed - but this record is a rather good one. Besides the gorgeous production - song wise - from the opener which is still evocative and powerful both musically and lyrically, to New Years Day - which is equally poignant - it starts VERY strong and maintains the quality throughout most. It kind of tapers towards the end of Side B but by then you’ve gotten most of the meat from the record that you forgive it. They are not lauded for nothing I guess.
Ozomatli
3/5
It’s a fun party album - but not seeing why this is special enough to sit with some other more striking records. It’s not bad but not something I’m going to look out for - especially given how hard it was for me to find it to listen to it.
50 Cent
5/5
I liked 50 Cent but didn’t expect this record to be so good. It’s got grooves, a healthy dose of tongue in cheek - and a good deep swagger. 50 here sounds like a mix between Jay Z (for his freshness and Hip Hop CEO thing), Biggy (the drawl and the smoothness) with a touch of west side gangsta coming from Dre’s touch. The guest are also stellar. Great record.
Justin Timberlake
5/5
Quell surprise! A perfect record end to end by Justin Timberlake - who would have thought? It’s soulful, bluesy and catchy but with a confident cool. Yes now in hindsight Timberlake become a mega celebrity and this was his reinvention - but it’s a truly good good record.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Winding and self indulgent. I really tried but it held me the listener in contempt. Some moments of gold but don’t ever want to sit through all this again. A far cry from the summer of 69 /s
The Electric Prunes
3/5
It sounds British but it’s not - a good psychedelic album with a dark bite - but st the same time doesn’t feel like it holds up as a peer to many of the records here.
Minutemen
3/5
It’s long. But good. But long. I enjoyed a lot of it - but I found my attention waning at points. It feels important but it doesn’t seem to be planned to flow and it does not do it accidentally - at the same time it’s at points highly poignant and on point - it just makes me feel a more condensed record would have made it perfect.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
A strange album that starts really interesting but tapers of in a meandering noodle towards the end.
A little more editing discipline and this would have a been an oddball but good record. Instead it just oddball with some moments of brilliance.
Nick Drake
5/5
Lovely record - end to end - warm, melancholy and at time haunting in a good way. It’s a nice little cosy record.
Roxy Music
3/5
It’s sounds like an album I’d like but I couldn’t get anything to stick - maybe it needs more time.
Yet by the metrics I’m judging other records it’s forgettable and same-y and no matter how cool Brian Ferry might be - it’s not a good LP.
Stephen Stills
3/5
A better album than I expected.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
When this turned up I was skeptical on a My Bloody Valentine reinvention but it turned out to be very lovely, dark and moody - got to listen to it on runs on Welsh Coastal woodland runs and it was very apt. Its a record’s record - meant to be heard it it’s entirety to fully appreciate - and it presents a full evocative journey.
Throwing Muses
4/5
Surprisingly interesting throughout - a kind of punk Kate Bush or an American Siouxsie and the Banshees - each track is rather memorable. Hersh’ vocals get a bit repetitive at times but the songs are good so she’s forgiven. Enjoyed it.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Bah. noodly and waily - definitely not Joni Mitchell's best. She warbles throughout the songs, and when finally she actually start singing, it's a 7 minute slog in the shape of song for Sharon.
Boring.
The Lemonheads
3/5
Short and sweet - some rather catchy tunes - snotty but in the arts college kind of way. These guys influenced half the British punk bands of the late 90s from my half bakes recollection - I could hear a lot of Ash, Sleeper and a hint of the Charlatans.
However while it’s short it gets quite samey and besides the couple of catchy songs like the title track, Alison and a couple others i already forgot, it’s not the most memorable albums still fun while listening to it.
New York Dolls
4/5
Oh yeah, some good ol' glam punk. Love David Johansen and Johnny Thunders' sardonic writing, sneery vocals and guitars.
It's not a perfect album but it's definitely a darn good one. With songs such as 'Personality Crisis' and 'Trash' being obvious highlights and classics, the rest of the album maintains the pace and interest throughout most of it's lenght.
And now it bought a lot of respect for Todd Rundgren for me - as while I did already like his output - didn't know he was responsible for finally making this album work and making it sounds super cool in the process.
Julian Cope
4/5
I was not looking forward to this when it came up, but it turned out to be a rather interesting one.
It starts a bit generic, but builds up to a meaty middle and ends well too. It might feel a bit too long, but it weaves in and out of genres and is rather eclectic.
It's an album that needs to be unpeeled and savoured to get the best out of it - and it's worth revisiting in the future.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
There is something interesting about this album but I'm not a fan of 16 min songs, no refrains, long windy vocals, modern folk - which this album is and has in droves.
Moments of musical brilliance do shine out though, and the fact that it has Steve Albini's paws on it makes me a little warmer towards it - but sitting through it's length it feels like a slog.
The Specials
5/5
From the first off beats off ‘Message…’ it’s a perfect and fun record. Not only does it put one in a good state of mind but it’s also a strongly well written political album at times.
It makes you dance, pogo, laugh, think and fires you up against racist behaviour.
2Pac
4/5
It was a bit hard to get into at first - unlike other hip hop albums 2Pacs brilliance is understated - this record doesn’t blow mr away like some Biggie or Nas albums do but it’s solid and tight with some of the most level headed lyrics of the era. And I love there are no skits.
Venom
4/5
A great speed / thrash metal record - maybe a little weak on the production side (although it’s awesome its self recorded) and maybe it could have done away with the Teacher’s pet song - which throws off the macabre theme of the album.
Carole King
4/5
Amazing number of classic songs in here - I knew Carole King was one of the greatest and she’s so prolific that she wrote some of the most famous standards out there - but finding them on this record together - and then discovering that of the best selling records ever… stands to learn that even after so many years and so much music - there will always be gaps.
It’s lovely.
Small Faces
4/5
Well maybe I was in a bad mood or something but the first few seconds of this album made me brace up - but it quickly won me over - besides having a few songs I was familiar with (particularly ‘Lazy Sunday’) I had never heard this one before. Which made the experience all the more enjoyable as while the first half is a bona fide good record section - when the narration starts it’s a delight - on paper it sounds like a bad idea but it actually makes this record special. The songs intertwine an absurdist fairy tale and you’re left actually wanting more.
Quite a fun one this album.
The Sonics
3/5
Good solid proto-punk and the actual songs written by the band are special - but the covers makes this a bit more generic. So great band, great songs - mediocre album.
Neil Young
5/5
A gorgeous straight to 5 star record. Every track has its place, every track is exquisite. After many Neil Young records (most of them rather good) this was a perfect one.
David Bowie
4/5
Lovely album - but probably written and recorded in a cloud of cigarette smoke and cocaine dust in the 70s. I mean - the Thin White Duke? See, though - this is why David Bowie is the man who fell to earth and made it so much better - that even at his probably most ‘off’ persona ushers out a gorgeous record.
Bowie is sorely missed - probably without knowing, the entire world misses him - it is definitely a noticeable less colourful and interesting world without him in it.
Solange
4/5
Quite a lovely soul and r&b record - and a nostalgic snapshot of pre-2016 African American renaissance felt like - hopeful, clear-eyed and intellectual. It almost feels like a completely different dimension now in 2024 and it’s only 8 years.
The collaborations are awesome - always love a Lil’ Wayne and a Q-tip appearance and the whole album is not too long. Solange, despite inevitably always being in the shadow of her older sister sings and writes beautifully - and it’s the right balance between poised and soulful - even when she lets her claws out. Nice addition to the list.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
An inevitable classic - warm and gritty and cool. Probably not going to write a thing better than has been written about it but it put me right in a good mood while it was on.
Sparks
5/5
My what a discovery - a favourite band I didn’t know existed - a hint of B-52s, Kate Bush, Devo and Adam and the Ants.
The opener is perfect but the rest of the record keeps up the momentum and it’s a lovely discovery for me.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
So, so.
Cowboy Junkies
5/5
Well thought it was a bit naff on first listen but with the second one fell in love with it - subtle, moody, sparse - with the crowning jewel of the Sweet Jane cover. Lovely album.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Up until this record Kings of Leon were a sunny American wheat field, southern rock kind of band - with two fun record under their belt - and they were destined to stay there in that space.. until this record came out… I remember it quite clearly - and this is even before ‘Sex ion Fire’ exploded. Suddenly from sunny they went too moody with gritty bone crunching bass lines - and while rhythmically they always had a flair for the off beat memorable patterns - this one was on the heavier side.
But then Sex on Fire is everywhere and they became that band - and this record specifically got eclipsed - destined to never be appreciated as an album again in the same way.
However with these listens I appreciated it again - it’s a solid record - even that darned single is actually a good fit in the listing - and it’s a shame to dismiss it.
Bar a little baby fat at the end of the record - it’s solid tight and fun.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
Felt a bit dated on the hip hop side and also a bit rigid compared to a lot of its contemporaries - but it is a welcome, albeit a bit naive, political stance - a point of view ever diminishing in the political discourse in the past few years - so enjoyed it for mostly that reason - but it’s probably not something I’ll ever seek back.
David Bowie
3/5
At a minimum, a David Bowie album is interesting, at best it's mind-blowing. This is a bit difficult-to-place. It has all the elements of the beautiful and meaningful Black Star, but it's not the same. It's kind of a more celebratory version of it - a proto-attempt if you will, before the actual masterpiece. It's important, but it's not Black Star.
Morrissey
1/5
Haven’t heard this yet but fuck Morrissey.
The Smiths
3/5
Oh man what a whiny asdhlle - a whole record of snark and sneer with barely any songwriting out in there. At this point Morrissey wasn’t even trying to- and while the music is good, the words entertaining - it’s rather a transient album - nothing too memorable besides Girlfrkend in a Coma. And I’m not even applying the Morrissey penalty score of -1 star.
Billy Bragg
4/5
A lovely record - interesting sparse arrangements. For starters Levi Stubb’s Tears is a masterpiece - but most of the songs here are also really good.
Secondly - Billy Bragg’s political views are sorely missed in political discourse nowadays - unionization and unaccountability of corporations and politicians - and they give a certain British partisan flavor to these songs. Which I like.
It kind of tapers at the end so it’s not a perfect record but it’s definitely a damn good one.
The Sabres Of Paradise
5/5
A strong fun electronic album. Enjoyed it end to end .
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Hmm not what I expected - this does have the bangers but it’s still a good electronic record - a good genre album.
Finley Quaye
3/5
A decent reggae album - affectionate towards this one as I remember this was a favourite of a sibling - however in the spirit of some objectivity it’s not as good a reggae album as most of the good ones on this list - and as a pop album it’s ok at best.
Incubus
3/5
So Incubus were one of my go to bands for a while and they were a good balance away from the toxicity of a lot of the jock metal music scene at the time. For that they stood out but listening to this album now - while still brings good memories - it just doesn’t cut it as a good record. Other incubus records might, who knows - but while I’d like to rate it higher - it just isn’t worth more than average.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Man what a record. While previous Beastie Boyd albums were good - this was the first truly awesome album out of quite a few.
The Undertones
4/5
Good fun punk album - this one has the bangers on it as opposed to the other Undertones record on this list, but even as an album it’s good bopping end to end.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Ehh - it’s not a bad record but it’s not like one day I’m going to wake up and say let me put on a Rod Stewart album. It didn’t pull me in enough I guess.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Well this is a very good album I have to say - it’s a good positive snapshot of its time and Lauren Hill is on fire here.
Tom Tom Club
5/5
Whoa never heard this end to end - only a few songs here and there but this one is a gem. Loved every second of it - dance-y, clever, tongue-in-cheek and fun while sounding original. Tops.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
An inevitable classic - feel good, full of swagger and while not the one with the most hits - it’s a solid end to end well paced fun record.
Soft Machine
3/5
Don’t know what to make of it - a bit overplayed and quite forgettable. Not my cup of tea.
Slipknot
4/5
An awesome metal album - not as good as some of their older material but still a good one. Amazing how Slipknot turned out to be one of the most valid of the era of early noughties metal bands.
Kraftwerk
5/5
So perfect - I always play this when i start a half marathon race - because seeing my fellow runners in neon colours bobbing at dawn to ‘The Robots’ and ‘Neon Lights’ always puts me in a good mood. End to end this record is flawless, as a friend calls them - these cool German cats - are hilariously poignant, and through their rigid robotic ways - have loads of oomph and swagger. I can’t sing praises high enough.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
A good one but not as good as some of the other Garfunkel record I think. But I always find myself loving anything Art is on - who would have thought?
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
Moody and magical if you listen to it in the right conditions…. For me it was a stroll during a Catalan sunset - and I can imagine it’s quite special in unfamiliar conditions. However I didn’t warn up to it every time I put it on - strange how it works.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
A bit long and derivative with occasional good moments. As a whole record though was a bit of a drag - had there been a bit of trimming it would have been better.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I had become a bit averse to dad rock in this exercise - especially with the biased scoring of some of the records from the same era and genre - but listening to this one - it is just a masterpiece - with the bangers, the band’s groove, John Bonham’s drums and the general story telling of this album. Even next to the other Zeppelin albums - this is stellar.
Roni Size
4/5
Actually super nice genre album - good focus music and actually good over all record - never boring and kept me wanting more even with its long runtime.
The Avalanches
4/5
Oddball and unique - I don’t think it’s even a part of a genre - but it’s a very good album none the less.
Pink Floyd
2/5
Objectively a decent album but I hate it.
Neu!
4/5
Lovely ambient-like post punk - it packs a punch and it’s soothing at the same time - and well balanced and paced album.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
A great record - maybe to me not as good as 'To Pimp A Butterfly' - but it's definitely among the best out there.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
Starts awesome but then tapers a bit towards the end. It has some very cool standout tracks though and they make up for the record’s flaws.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Well this was a lot better than I remember it - and I get the rave culture vibes it presents. Still find it hard to love, but finally I've come to terms it's actually a more than decent record.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Very pleasant record - but has few standouts throughout. Not a bad thing - it’s a cohesive album but given its length it’s not a very easy listen and it feels like it needs to be sat with to really appreciate. Looking forward to that eventually
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Meaning whiny bullshit. Not a song in sight.
Electric Light Orchestra
5/5
What a gorgeous perfect album. Was hesitant at first before I jumped into it - it had quite a few songs I knew but not that well - but it turns out to be up there with the best Beatles albums while being its own boss and also being a cohesive fun gorgeous whole. This is very criminally underrated I think
Dagmar Krause
3/5
Interesting.. mini operas in German and English about interwar Germany … what could go wrong? Not much really it was surprisingly listenable but given I’m not fluent on German I’m not to sure I’d like to play this out loud in public… although reading about it it’s quite fine in terms of content.
Michael Jackson
5/5
A perfect record that you can forgive the cringe ‘The Girl is Mine’ for.
David Bowie
4/5
Another great Bowie record - not much to add to that.
Queen
4/5
I know Queen through their singles but don’t know their albums much. This one has some great tracks but the bulk of it is a bit middling - until out of nowhere you get Bohemiam Rhapsody. In terms of pacing and track order it’s not a great record I guess to me but the sheer volume of awesome songs here makes up for it very well.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
A perfect record. Funky and fun and awesome.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Fun bombastic crooning - maybe a little same-y at times but I can’t but help being in a good mood with some good old big band Sinatra
Dr. Dre
5/5
A true hip hop classic of course. I missed out on all the best records of the genre of this era, including this one because I was dumb as I was growing up.
I got into them way too late BUT when I get to listen to a record like 'The Chronic' again, I can objectively judge it without the lens of nostalgia - it is truly a groundbreaking influential album.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Who knew some of the most anti-establishment and truly stong left leaning bands would be Welsh? I love the Manics in many of their forms, and while I'm more familiar with their later albums - revisiting this record, especially given the current political climate - it's quite on point throughout.
Like most Manics albums it takes a few tries to really know the record - and this exercise does not make it easy - however grew to love most of the tracks now, and as a full record, it's a strong, poignant and cohesive piece of political art.
TV On The Radio
5/5
Don't know what to make of this album - it's not the best album of the era, but I always liked it when I put it on, back in 2008.
And now, 16 years later (my my), when I heard it again, I had the same feeling - it immediately resonated again with me, with some actually strong standout songs, so I guess it holds up really well to me.
Also, I cannot highlight what a perfect song DLZ was during the 'stay out of my territory scene' in Breaking Bad - one of the best timed song inserts.
I'm kind of feel uncomfortable giving this a 5 star rarting, but I honestly can't find much fault with it.
Joe Ely
3/5
Not unpleasant but not something I’d return to as it’s not my regular cup of tea. Didn’t hate it though.
Kelela
4/5
The production is gorgeous, her voice and performance is awesome, but most of the record blends into each other to me. It's still a good record mind you - but I don't rate it as highly as quite a few records on this list.
Soft Cell
5/5
Oh man, Marc is one horny almond, but he makes a good synth pop record. Full of energy throughout, with genuinely good songs, which are occasionally about sex dwarves and a sleazy blue film cities - but when he's not going on about over-enthusiastically about his fetishes, Tainted Love, Say Hello Wave Goodbye and Frustration are awesome, and the rest are close behind.
The drum machine and synth production is also top notch. I loved this album.
The Thrills
4/5
A collection of semi-surfpop, semi-garage-rock songs about California - an overall pleasant and a general good listen throughout it's runtime, but not much stands out from this album. I'd struggle to remember a specific song, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to get back to it.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Yes yes - this band and this album is loved and lambasted - but to me it is one of those cultural artefacts that made me, me.
My sister had this record on cassette - at 11 Zack sounded too shouty to me so I dismissed them at first. Somehow - I don’t know when - one attempt at listening to it got me hooked.
Tom morello’s guitar and Tim’s bass sounded like one instrument to my ears and their riffs compelled me to want to learn guitar - and this band was considered good musicians for the time enough for me to be accepted with other musicians. I probably can pinpoint this record as having helped me connect with the person who sold me my first guitar - the friend who introduced me to join a band, and to the friends I played on stage with first.
So there is that - but this record is something else. Zack’s lyrics - and the band’s activism did affect my moral compass - yes it’s cliche but to a 12 year old - authority wasn’t necessarily having your best interests to put it mildly - and besides the loud ‘fuck you’s’ in this band - there is enough subtlety in the words and so jammed packed with references to give you tools to understand a whole lot more about the world.
Naturally this band introduced me to activist friends in my formative years and led me to connect to some of my closest friends - and led me to read so much about so many things that I can’t imagine who I’d be if this album didn’t exist.
In a world were fascism is on the rise and compassionate socialism is seen as extreme - this band is a shining light that is fading over the decades - the idea that antifascism, anti racism and feminism is bad - and ‘woke’ is almost considered a taboo word across the political spectrum - the band that called you to wake up needs more allies and I have to say - the way this band taught me about the world - political music is a highly needed and sorely missed factor of our social discourse.
Yes and every song on this album rocks - all the riffs, all the bass lines all the beats - but Zack is the one who gives life to this band.
Madonna
4/5
This feels like Madonna’s most complete and well paced album - with bangers like the title track and frozen but also a tight set of songs throughout its length. It’s never boring and at times surprising - not what I expected.
Funkadelic
4/5
Some good genre funk - not a great album. It a good example of the genre. On the fence about it - but since I enjoyed listening to it I feel it passes.
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
Oh man, what a record. Always nostalgic to hear the Chemical Brothers, especially the tracks on this record, but the album itself - funky, banging, diverse, fun, interesting, psychadelic, dance-y and does not sound dated at all. It rises, falls, punches and kicks, entertains and surprises.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
I mean - it’s an interesting record undoubtedly - but it also is not very listenable. Probably before Gunnars app I had tried doing this 1000 album thing and this record was the first one I had tried - needless to say it was discouraging. Now - so far into this exercise and in context one can appreciate its place in the list yet I think I’m not going to be seeking it out much in the future.
Shack
3/5
Glimpses of interest but generally quite bland - tried quite a few times to get into it but something about it was off. It’s kind of part Britpop part sea shanties and part indie and it feels like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. It gets better as it progresses but not enough to win me over.
Talking Heads
4/5
Good fun post punk - Talking Heads are always a good thing in my book and love this record.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Whiny - with occasional moments of interest but it’s overlong and nothing stood out to me.
a-ha
2/5
I would have thought this album would be a little interesting but besides the obvious single and a couple of other tracks, it's a rather forgettable album.
Don't get me wrong - I don't dislike this band, but this is not a good record.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Some good songs here Son of a Preacher Man of course, and a few others - but this feels more like a disparate set of songs than an album. Not bad but not excellent.
The Gun Club
4/5
Interesting how you get to know your genre when a record you’re not familiar at all with comes up and you sigh with relief and comfort… post-punk and punk is it for me and when this came up - while not the best record of genre - I disproportionately like it. Love the little infusion of country throughout and the musicians behind The Gun Club have intermixed with some of my favourite artists of the time. Enjoyed this one.
The KLF
3/5
Interesting at times but feels a bit dated to the early 90s. Just learned this was a movie soundtrack but haven’t watched it therefore I do not have that context.
There are little glimpses of brilliance in here but due to the fact that this record was hard to find to listen to properly - it’s not like one can return to the tracks easily.
Anyway it’s good - but not good enough for me to scour all music mediums to listen to it honestly.
David Bowie
5/5
Oh man although all Bowie albums are good - this is so far the most straightforward easy album to love. Killer beginning, great middle and a good ending.
Slade
4/5
Good fun - almost AC/DC without the nudge nudge wink wink of it all - and maybe not as good either. However the record was a fun listen and a welcome on days when high pitched sneer shouts and rock and roll guitars are what you’re after.
The Zutons
3/5
It's a pleasant album - but somehow every time I try to get into this band I feel something's missing. The songwriting's good, the pacing of the album is good but something grates with my brain and all these years I have not been able to pinpoint what. Well, sometimes that's how it goes.
Love
5/5
A folk record I can tolerate - got to know about them after hearing that the Doors used to open for them back in the early days of the band, got curious and found the treasure of this album.
Got to see them play live in 2004 before Arthur's Lee's death - and while they were awesome musician - he was intolerably drunk and bumming notes so it was a disappointing experience.
This record though, never disappoints. Psychadelic folk I can get behind.
The United States Of America
1/5
What? terribly boring and on album 1010 I finally can say, I have no time for this.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
So I always associate this band with the Zombies and both with standard summer of love fare - but while the Zombies have better singles, the records I heard of theirs were quite terrible, while this band has the singles AND the album fitting quite well together. So far out of the similar contemporary artists, this probably is the best representative record of the genre.
Fairport Convention
4/5
When Fairport Convention turned up this morning - I flinched - I honestly think it's the name because every album of theirs that came up in this exercise I actually liked. This was an understated and well balanced album - with not much that particularly stands out from the rest, but as a whole it's quite lovely. It's strange as a format in that it starts darker than it ends - the mood subtly and smoothly shifts a bit more sunny towards the end. Not my cup of tea, but I'd definitely enjoy relistening.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Pleasant modern Bossa Nova - and happy to listen to it again. And my, when the producer dies trying to save it from a fire, it's worth giving it a listen before you die.
Morrissey
1/5
Ugh, Morrissey again. Like the Smiths, hate Morrissey, and this began his Marr-less record string. This one was especially Morrissey-y - whiny and pretentious with a lot of bitterness. Plus it gets the Morrissey penalty of -1 points.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
Oh wow. Ok where to start. This record was really meaningful growing up - it put many a parent in a tizzy over the obviously provocative title of the record. Then there was Brian Warner's look as Marilyn Manson.
But really the best of this album is the Reznor industrial sounding riffs and production with Warner's cheeky show- and penmanship, so it was great because it was actually good, and it pissed off any uptight adult of the time.
It also is meaningful as a late friend of mine adored Manson, being his first introduction to guitar music, so this definitely holds a memory of him.
How does it sound though, after all these years? Does it sill hold up? As it came up, the first few tracks in a row just blew me away, pumping industrial riffs, and exactly as I remembered it, snarky, angsty, and maybe now a lot less clever that it sounded to a teenager. However, it tapers off quite a bit - and most of the album could've done with a bit of snipping of a few tracks - it kind of goes on and on, as most records of the CD era. It's run time overstays it's welcome and as more time passes, the ratings go lower.
The songs are good, the record a little medicore - I'll happy revisit the former and not the latter. And then there's the thing of Brian Warner's allegations coming up. Whatever interest he had kind of fizzled out when he starts looking like your average sleazebag.
So... begrudgingly I'm going to rate this album much lower than I'd have liked to.
The Darkness
4/5
Good fun record with Jusin Hawkin's acrobatic vocals and a party-time feel to all of it. Nothing too deep, and I had forgotten most of it, but spent a good time rediscovering it.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Not the most obvious of the Zeppelins, but one with some of the grooviest, most experimental and interesting songs - and while the bombast of the band is ever present - they always still know how to make songs out of them - something a lot of their contemporaries didn't.
Even now, it sounds fresh and timeless - whereas other 70s bands of their scale sound stale, and dusty.
Loved revisiting it - probably the album I know most songs of, but the record I know least.
Manu Chao
5/5
When every hippie bar and cafe overplayed this record as cheap background music it cheapened it - but listening it to it now, with the a fonder heart through being able to take some distance from it, it's truly a wonderful record.
The urgency and melacholy of this record is hidden behind the ridiculous singles in King of the Bongo and the seemingly generic Je ne t'aime plus, but these are rays of light in an otherwise rather dark record. Songs about desperation from mass migration, a desperate view of the world as full of lies and a general picture of misery - all hidden behind pokey light reggae guitars.
Is it good because it's dark? No - it's good because a manic polyglottal lyric - jumping from colonial language to another, Manu Chao documents post-colonial aftershocks in a personal way, without preaching or condescension, and interweaves these stories and political views, with his own internal struggles, while without really knowing what is going on, it's a reggae bar party album.
And when I did stumble upon Manu Chao live during the tour of this record - it was a mad punk show - with a nod to these sweet dark songs, that end up in massive mosh pits.
As a record? It's well paced, it's interestingly produced - simple yet packed with aural nuggets - adding the the urgency, madness, melancholy and sweetness. And screw those hippies for almost ruining it for me.
The leftist teenager in me still feels his heart strings pulled and now it feels somehow even more relevant.
Ray Price
3/5
Ok wait, just learnt Willie Nelson is on this record. It starts with the cute intro, thanking the listener for enjoying the previous album - and it goes on from sweet country ballad to another. It's not too remarkable, but the heart is in it - and what I've learnt in this exercise is that I have a soft spot for old Country music much to my own bewilderment.
Franz Ferdinand
5/5
First introduction to this band was in 2004 at a Festival in spain - four plucky scots that couldn't believe they were playing in front of such a large crowd. They were epic - touring this album - Jacqueline and Take Me Out will always remind me of that summer.
This record is short, to the point, original and cool - it's very much a snapshot of the lightness and innocence of the era, and feels like it is of a simpler time. Probably because it was for me - right on the cusp of my 20s.
Kanye West
4/5
Whoa great music - urgent and strong but Kanye’s bullshit shines through here lyrically. It’s a shame - he’s a master producer and he was interesting lyrically earlier on. Here he’s just a born again weirdo with an unironic god complex - and you now know what’s next in hindsight.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
The most teeny boppy I ever heard the stones so far and somehow I liked it - they add their layer of cool over it which drives it up a notch in quality and makes their lesser contemporaries feel one dimensional. What I’ve learnt in this exercise is that the Stones are good and I like them.
DJ Shadow
5/5
I wouldn't have discovered and loved this record were it not for my late Gozitan friend - who introduced me into the world of left field electronic music. This record might not feel much on face value, but the layers of genius to build up this record is mind blowing - and it's a groovy, fun, at times funny, wonderful record. A pastiche that is actually cinematic and cohesive in it's wildly differently sourced samples. Modern and analogue, and cool - not only is this to me objectively genius, but keeps the memory alive of a person I wish the world did not lose so soon.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
It’s clever and it’s a virtuoso record but it feels a little too novelty for it be something I’ll happily revisit. I can objectively see its brilliance and there are some really good moments on it - but it feels like a 60s Tenacious D - if you weren’t there it’s not so funny anymore.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
The deep husky voice of Gil Scott-Heron soothes me and also riles me up - he represents a certain militancy of righteousness that is missing in modern art - and in a world were it's either centrist materialism, lightweight left politics and the loudest emptiest vessel of right wing militancy, both idiotic and terrifying - Gil Scott-Heron's type of tone of voice to bring some balance in the mix is missing - nothing to keep the Overton window to rocket to fascism.
Sounding more like a poetry album than a pop record, as Scott-Heron's records tend to sound, there are some good r&b numbers, but it shines in his telling of the Watergate Scandal - chillingly prescient and reverberated in the politics of today.
As music? It was rather enjoyable and interesting - but after listening to all these records so far - clear-eyed political views are actually rare, so this is a gem, specifically for that.
5/5
Oh man lovely start to finish - Bowie released better albums but this one is the de facto standard concept record which is also stunningly objectively awesome.
James Brown
4/5
Hectic fun - crazy soul live shows- feels like you’re in the room and while these are not James Brown’s biggest songs - they are fun and cool.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Good but way too long - and while it’s never bad it’s kind of a flat journey - it doesn’t rise and fall too often so unless you really pay attention it kind of feels monotonous. What’s for sure - this isn’t an album you learn to love in a day but I’m intrigued enough to try at another time.
Beyoncé
5/5
A great record - was struggling to find why Beyoncé is so highly rated - and this album explains it. Good pop, hip hop and soul - stunning voice and a huge influence on a lot music that came after it.
I would put it up there head to head with the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
A good hip hop album but not as great as some of it’s contemporaries - DJ Premier on beats makes it cool and Jeru does a good job on the mic - but it lacks star tracks.
TV On The Radio
3/5
A bit generic compared to the other TV on the Radio record in this list (Dear Science) - it starts well but then tapers sharply after the first couple of songs. Disappointed.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Oh man Johnny Cash is always welcome - and I’m not new to this album - but really listening to it again it’s gorgeous - Cash elevates every song he sings and makes it his own and at times better than the original. Of course the standouts are Hurt, Personal Jesus, the Man Comes around - but I’d be hard pressed to find a song that is less than brilliant.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
Ugh the only good thing about this record is that probably it was a catalyst for punk music. Over sel indulgent naff.
Hüsker Dü
4/5
First listen in regretting this trebly mess - my first impression was its punk with no teeth - noise and with a hint of emo melody - but somehow I stayed with it and the genius of this record started shining through. Past the lo fidelity production which actually suits this record - there’s a rollercoaster of melodies and good songs and it works throughout the full length of the album. With every listen I discovered new gems and it’s one to explore more - even in its lengthy runtime. It’s a diamond in the rough.
The Boo Radleys
4/5
A nice surprise - lovely record albeit a bit too long. Even then it’s never tedious - love the poppy positive vibes throughout - kind of like the Wannadies and early Cardigans.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
A good fun 60s record with enough roughness to make it interesting- hadn’t heard most of this before although some of these tracks are classics. Had a good time with it.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
I wasn’t a fan of Bonnie Prince Billy - after having seen a show of his and I felt it was too long and maybe I wasn’t in the mood for it. This record though won me over - it’s got good tunes - not too long and happy to refer back to it in the future.
Sepultura
4/5
A great metal album - I think i even prefer this to Roots although only by a bit.
Minor Threat
4/5
Solid punk record - given it is on the American punk side I’m not the biggest fan - I’m more of classic UK punk - but this is still quite a solid record throughout
Digital Underground
3/5
It’s ok - interesting take on hip hop of the era but feels a little corny at times. Humour is dated and over all it feels like a long skit that isn’t very funny - so the novelty wears off with every listen. I don’t hate it but it’s not something I’m interested in seeking again in the future.
Robbie Williams
4/5
I’d think I’d hate Robbie Williams but this album won me over - it’s balanced well and it’s got some hits that have proven to stand the test of time and general a pleasant and well paced collection of songs. Even though I had dismissed him as boy band nerd back in the day - Wiiliams has proven time and time again to actually be relevant and sometimes cool and give an interesting twist to things. I can’t believe I’ve written this.
Brian Eno
4/5
Been avoiding this record - although I love myself a good ambient record - this one seemed like it was going to be too spacey… but the opening track is hauntingly beautiful - it came on during a ran on a foggy morning - a perfect soundtrack and I was hooked. The rest is good too but that first track - chef’s kiss
System Of A Down
5/5
It's 1998, Napster hasn't happened yet, I have Kerrang! magazines are every issue is raving about this Armenian-American band called System of a Down, describing the sound as something I'd be in love with.
I have no way of listening to this record because the 3 records stores in the country do not stock it and the hype is real.
I get invited to a friend up to camp in Abruzzo in Italy, and I'm in the mountains besides a village abandoned 50 years prior to an earthquake with a bunch of strangers clamberring waterfalls and swimming in rivers - and that evening - a bunch of spotty 15 year olds get to talk about life and things under the clearest starry sky I had yet, and since, seen.
Conversation turns to music and I discover that one other kid likes the same music I do and he has a copy of this album on CD and a discman - and I explain my predicament - and finally I get to hear it, once, twice, three times through - and it's as perfect as I thought, and yet, I still do not know how I can get ahold of this album.
It takes another 3 months, when my sister, back from holiday in Austria buys it for me - and it holds up to the same hype, 27 years later.
I love Toxicity and later albums for different reasons - but this was such an important record for me, and so difficult to obtain, and so original at the time that this is definitely my favourite record of the band.
It still holds up today, and while the novelty wore off, the quality stays. 5/5.
The Vines
3/5
Apart from two tracks it’s not much of a record to remember - it’s a kind of noughties take on Nirvana and it sounds quite tired nowadays. It’s not bad - just unimpressive.
Os Mutantes
5/5
This is a hauntingly beautiful, funny, crazy album - from the cool surfy A Minha Menina to the array of psychadelic reverb drenched songs it’s interesting and inspiring even after tens of listens - to me this is an awesome record. Need to learn Portuguese to appreciate another dimension of it though
ZZ Top
4/5
Full of bangers and it's suprisingly a solid record end to end. Time has shown ZZ Top have quite a unique sound and it holds up even after all these years. The singles themselves though were so much fun to revisit.
John Grant
4/5
Weird, but cool - very oddball. Enjoyed this very much - laughed out loud multiple times with the clever humour of the writing while listening to it.
Ice T
4/5
Well it’s a little more intellectual than other gangster records of the era - and Ice T seems to be more of a bridge builder than a feud maker - clearly he loves making music and he nods to others he respects - the music is at times awesome - at times not as great as some contemporaries but I love how he slots in Body Count on this album. Of course there’s always the dratted misogyny but otherwise this is as classic a hip hop record as it gets.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
Still super fresh sounding after all these years - a solid hip hop record that stands out from the time in the sense that it's purely about regular life stuff, rather than all gangster hip hop that was occurring at the time.
It's a bit naff sometimes lyrically and thematically, but it's still a solid and interesting album.
Van Morrison
1/5
Why is there a double live album by Van Morrison??!! I mean he had produced some good songs here and there and an odd good record but live? Really? Did I really have to go through that snooze fest of mediocre performance with songs from a b-list artist? Unoriginal flat and unnecessary
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Decent modern country, interesting voice - a good first half and a tapered ending. I enjoyed listening to it, but I'm not too interested in seeking it out again.
Fiona Apple
4/5
Interesting record - leftfield, beautiful voice and actually good but not in the traditional pop kind of sense. Interesting to get more acquainted with it in the future.
Pentangle
1/5
Hippie, whiny shite.
3/5
Oh Loretta quit a’whinin’. Lovely voice - over dramatic country songs.
4/5
Well the Kinks kick ass - and this one holds up. While it doesn't have a parade of hits besides Victoria and Shangri-La - hey, two transcendental pop songs is too little for the Kinks.
It was a strange one for me though - I love the band, and this album floats in and out of interest - it's cool because it's thematic - a concept album if you will, but it's a little self-indulgent - and by now, self-indulgence has shown to not be popular with me.
Yet, I canot but give the Davies' a pass for that - and even though it could have been leaner - it's still objectively good.
5/5
I had caught PJ Harvey touring this album in Berlin - and it was the first big name I got to watch live - and it was incredible - set in Museuminsel among grand old buildings and Polly Jean playing Good Fortune - it will always be a big part of my life.
Listening to this album again welled up those memories as well as made me appreciate objectively what a lovely record this is end to end - moody, melodic and for once I really appreciate Thom Yorke’s contributions. To me this is an awesome record undoubtedly.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Lovely, flamboyant and fun - the disco tracks are killer - the ballads tasteful and they actually managed to make me like their version of comfortably numb - probably one of the top songs I dislike. Enjoyed this one.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Some moments of interest but overall not very memorable and trying to hard I feel.
Sigur Rós
5/5
What a surprise - I always dismissed Sigur Rós as being arty crap - kind of the slow moving and broody post rock - but this is a genuinely gorgeous record - at many times uplifting and special. Loved it and now I have to question my biases to other contemporary artists.. oh dear.
R.E.M.
4/5
Not generally an REM fan - but this was a great album. Tight and not much filler and through and through a well paced record.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Oh what a banger record - the sound of the late 90s - each track a memory of a constant soundtrack everywhere you’d go - and yet it never did and does overstay its welcome. Had so much fun listening to this - even though I never really knew it as an album.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Oh man. If I hear Sex on Fire one more time… I get it this made it big and I was happy for them as I knew them around this record - they were kind of a super light southern rock take on the New York strokes - and what a fun debut this is - I found my self dancing all day to it - with some truly killer tracks and heartfelt ballads.
I grimaced when this record came out because I thought this band didn’t hold up - but every time I hear them - even the dratted one with Sex on Fire which I think I encountered on this list as well - they hold up. This is a good band whether I like it or not - and this record i definitely love.
Circle Jerks
5/5
What a fun short killer punk record. Were it longer I’d have found lots of fault in this but its short snappy and balanced length ended up getting me to listen to it three times in a row and enjoy it thoroughly. Even in its simplicity it’s funny, smart and clever while being anarchic. Loved it.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Yawn fucking boring hippies.
Beatles
5/5
Well. Beatles yadda yadda.
Einstürzende Neubauten
4/5
When this came up I braced myself since it’s frequently in the pariah bottom 5 records of the list - but it was surprisingly a strong record. Certainly not for everybody but dark and moody and angry and at times I felt even witty. I couldn’t stop laughing at the sound of jackhammers blasting through my headphones while running past a construction site - and still enjoying it.
I think it gets too much flak - it was so much better than most dad rock here.
Pere Ubu
3/5
On paper this should be something I’d like - raw unfiltered post punk - but somehow it didn’t win me over. Maybe more listens - but then I’m not one to force myself to like an album.
Primal Scream
5/5
A banger of a record and also gorgeous at many points. Paced well and keeps the energy high while being subtle throughout…
Vanishing Point, Stuka, Medication are standouts - scratch that almost all the tracks here are memorable and I think this is a little forgotten gem.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
I really tried to get into this album - I liked quite a few Belle and Sebastian albums in the past - but no matter how many times I listen to this nothing stuck. Sounds pretty but forgettable.
k.d. lang
4/5
Gentle and moody - the alternate country in this normally doesn't call out to me - but I actually liked this record - it's well balanced - with some good stand out songs, and having it's own sound. Plus it actually has a sense of humour at times, and K.D. Lang's voice is gorgeous.
Scott Walker
3/5
I’m not sure what I scored his other records on this list but they all seem to have elicited the same emotions - I’d like to like them but they are too overwrought and forgettable.
Turbonegro
4/5
Good fun punk record - kind of like a proto-Hives - as in Scandinavian accents singing punk like clockwork arranged songs - yet of course varied enough to be quite cool and interesting.
Richard Thompson
3/5
A rather generic but pleasant record. Can’t like them all - and I didn’t hate it - it’s just that a blend of country, sea shanties and Irish songs is not entirely up my street no matter how good it might be.
Def Leppard
4/5
Oh wow didn’t think I’d enjoy it so much - going on my daily run feeling like a million euros. As I grew this band was written off as cringe in my mind but it’s actually just chill strong partying and good vibes. Not sure what the songs are totally about - didn’t get too deep but the music - oh yeah.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Interesting experience - so as an album it’s a bit too long and has too many ballads for my taste but some songs are really good here. It’s funny how one changes over the years - the attitude my world had - and to a degree myself - towards Aguilera was a little too hostile but now - with the benefit of some clarity of thought and the wisdom from the passage of time and better awareness - she was going through a world of misogyny that was quite accepted at the time and she had the audacity to call it out.
The intro track quotes music news (wow what a quaint concept nowadays) shows talking casually about Fred Durst being a creep toasted her - and the rest of the album goes on to talk about the double standards towards women and anthems towards being self appreciative and see one’s own beauty while also having fun.
And to think at the time it was considered risqué - while today it’s considered par for the course…. Then again this was a time when Fred Durst - a douchebag - had an impact on popular culture.
It has been funny revisiting my contemporary artists - Eminem, Britney, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit and see how I, and the world had grown since. Some stood the test of time and some didn’t - but Christina’s actual and artistic voice stands.
Billy Bragg
4/5
I like Billy Bragg and I was unsure about Wilco- but this record actually plays beautifully - understated good songs throughout with a tasteful alt country take to Bragg. On the second listen I found myself already warm to quite a few of the songs and while it’s a little too long for my taste it’s a strong record.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
5/5
At first it was - oh not another psychadelia album - year checks out - artwork too. But as the record starts it starts from the ebbing tide of the summer of love - and descends deeper into a genuinely beautiful and emotional record.
With hints of Drake, Dylan, Cash but not purposefully - it captures the end of the San Francisco sound - everyone moved the California and everyone now wants out. The ones that remain - Alex Spence one of them - are left dry and forgotten but not without leaving this gorgeous record in his way.
Nick Drake
5/5
Gorgeous - happiest sounding of the the Nick Drake albums but they are all beautiful. I always enjoy them more than I expect to when I put them on.
Massive Attack
4/5
Not the best Massive Attack album but still a very good one.
Ella Fitzgerald
1/5
I tried. I got half-way through - but if I finish I'm going to hate Ella Fitzgerald AND Gershwin.
Including this album is probably the biggest disservice in the whole of these albums, because this isn't really a complete work - it's just a massive marketing ploy and a marathon of songs that cannot be possibly enjoyed as a whole.
Which defeats the purpose of an album - a good one is a thematic book that keeps you interest and doesn't tire you. It shouldn't be a chore to listen to and it should be digestable enough to listen to in one sitting without zoning out.
This is not that - I seriously doubt ANYONE has sat through this without gritting their teeth and gave it an complete ACTIVE listen. Putting in the background while working or doing chores doesn't count if you're zoning in and out.
No, as the entire set of songs, over 4-6 discs - it's the most indulgent of records on this list and as much as the parties involved are musical gods in their own right, and Ella Fitzgerald deserves all the credit of her whole career - this is simply a jazz version of yacht rock for the privileged and culturally-poor.
Destiny's Child
3/5
First half of the album is amazing, but the whole record is let down by the second half of it - it drags on too long and ends up in a series of RnB ballads clustered together and crowned with a rather cringe Gospel song at the end.
But had it only contain the fist half or at least interwove some of the later ballads it would have been a stellar record.
Still the songs are bangers and meaningful and hold up today - the three members of this outfit kicked ass back in the day.
Radiohead
5/5
It's Radiohead, it's OK Computer - it's one of the best album hat tricks in modern music - snarky, depressing and now surprisingly guitar-focused for Radiohead - before they took their wonderful sharp left turn with Kid A.
Undeniably an end-of-the-20th-Century classic. A retro-modernist-dystopian set of songs whose satire feels sadly naive and innocent coming from a pre-9/11 world.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Gorgeous, mellow and a well balanced record - the kind that would fit a lazy afternoon, a walk in the sun or even a rainy evening. Of course cannot appreciate the words but the music is lovely. And it makes for a good album start to finish.
The Cult
4/5
Felt a little corny southern rock - but on closer listen it's a really fun rock'n'roll album - band in a room kind of thing - every instrument sounds like it's being played right in front of you, and the songs make you want to air guitar in the most inappropriate situations.
Was pleasantly surprised by this one - even if it at first I was reticent to like it.
The White Stripes
4/5
Oh wow. So this is no way as good a record as some of The White Stripes, or even a few of Jack White's other projects' records - it misses the kind of set of bangers that create cultural shifts - ooh oh oh oh oh ooooh oooh.. kind of thing.
But that's because the standards The White Stripes have created are so high for themselves, that a genuinely sweet, short, and honest record does stand as high in regards as the rest of their body of work.
Yet Blue Orchid inspires me, and quite a few of the songs are memorable if not super-pop-hits - and this is where the genius shines through - good song writing, well performed and heart felt.
Not to mention the most awesome badly played solo in Instinct Blues... you can feel the emotion aout of the choked guitar - when you Jack White can knock out any blues solo perfectly out of the park.
Ok I sound like a fanboy, but this album was a revelation.
Grateful Dead
1/5
Fuck it. I just managed to dodge Ella Fitzgerald's because I had an epiphany that I'm going to grow a spine and simply refuse to bend over to it's chore of 3.5 hours, I'm not going to lose my spin again for 1 hour 15 mins of the 'best jam rock album of the psychadelic 60s' - and live to boot.
I have listened to over 1001 albums, so fuck you. Mission Accomplished. And fuck the Grateful Dead. It's two more albums and it's over and I'm going to have skipped two records.
Steve Winwood
3/5
Steve Winwood represents much that I dislike in many ways musically - it's corny and cringe and sugary, but in a warm Pepsi left in the sun kind of way.
However, I didn't entirely mind this record, which makes me hate it even more - it's complete an antithesis to my taste - but at the same time... I can see some songs in there and I kind of have to forgive it as it is quite earnest.
Doesn't mean it's a great album - doesn't mean I want to listen to it again, but I can be neutral about it.
Eels
4/5
My first encounter with the Eels was the album 'Electro-shock Blues' not this one - and it came at a very inopportune year in my early teens full of funerals of close family members. That album is dark and it itself is grasping with grief and darkness of it's own.
This record in comparison is rather more earnest and it's lovely in its darkness - while still bopping. Kind of like a demented Beck, and a whole of sardonic singing.
I'm glad I got to hear this - reminded me of Electroshock blues which I should revisit and got familiar with this record, which is solid album.
Public Enemy
4/5
My last album - 1089! Jesus what a journey. Not too bad for a last one - this is a hell of a hectic mad rush of Afro-futurist hip hop - a genre I've grown to like thanks to this list. Termintor X is pushing all the buttons on his Akai and 808 - while twiddling the Pan knob like there is no tomorrow - and it just adds to the organised chaos.
'It takes a nation to hold us back...' is a rather angry record - cutting and meaningful, but not a walk in the park to listen to. This still retains poignancy, but it's clearly they're having a lot of fun doing it.
Public Enemy is quite an interesting slice of hip hop - highly politically charged - nerds with machines and just making music in their own sound - sadly not many have try to pick this up stylistically - but in a way it shows how trail blazing Chuck D, Flav and Terminator X were.
And hats off to Gunnar - so long, good bye, and thanks for all the fish!