796
Albums Rated
2.55
Average Rating
73%
Complete
293 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
Ratings by Decade
Which era do you prefer?
Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1960s
Favorite Decade
Funk
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
🎯 Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
29
5-Star Albums
88
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rings Around The World | 5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
| Golden Hour | 5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
| Emergency On Planet Earth | 5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
| Sound of Silver | 5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
| Aja | 5 | 3.46 | +1.54 |
| Paul's Boutique | 5 | 3.47 | +1.53 |
| Bookends | 5 | 3.56 | +1.44 |
| Moon Safari | 5 | 3.58 | +1.42 |
| Penthouse And Pavement | 4 | 2.61 | +1.39 |
| A Love Supreme | 5 | 3.63 | +1.37 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dookie | 1 | 3.8 | -2.8 |
| Born In The U.S.A. | 1 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
| Black Holes and Revelations | 1 | 3.59 | -2.59 |
| Natty Dread | 1 | 3.58 | -2.58 |
| Arrival | 1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
| Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music | 1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
| Darkness on the Edge of Town | 1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
| Songs Of Leonard Cohen | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
| Red Headed Stranger | 1 | 3.35 | -2.35 |
| You Want It Darker | 1 | 3.34 | -2.34 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 5 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Waits | 4 | 1.25 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 4 | 1.25 |
| Leonard Cohen | 4 | 1.5 |
| Brian Eno | 4 | 1.5 |
| ABBA | 2 | 1 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 1 |
| Pet Shop Boys | 3 | 1.67 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 3 | 1.67 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 2 |
| Ali Farka Touré | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Pogues | 2 | 1.5 |
| Public Enemy | 2 | 1.5 |
| Green Day | 2 | 1.5 |
| Baaba Maal | 2 | 1.5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 1.5 |
| Randy Newman | 2 | 1.5 |
| Barry Adamson | 2 | 1.5 |
| Willie Nelson | 2 | 1.5 |
| Ice Cube | 2 | 1.5 |
| Madonna | 3 | 2 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 2 |
| Bob Dylan | 6 | 2.33 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Albums | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| Fleetwood Mac | 2 | 1.5 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 1.25 |
5-Star Albums (29)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Todd Rundgren
2/5
So opens with an all time classic and then is just indulgent studio wankery with no great melodies? And this guy dissed the Beatles?!
11 likes
Paul Simon
2/5
ah, when cultural appropriation was seen as cool and helpful. never liked it
5 likes
Ray Charles
1/5
All very lovely, but I feel quite sick - I'm only 52, not 95 - this is not my bag baby
5 likes
Johnny Cash
2/5
Clearly quite a show, but the music is a bit too 'gee shucks I'm an outlaw' simple country for me
4 likes
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
Nope, just can't do it. I am allergic to this bloke
2 likes
1-Star Albums (88)
All Ratings
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Not bad, couple of classics, not really my kind of thing
ABBA
1/5
I
Just
Can't
Do
It
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Air
5/5
An old favourite - nice to revisit and one track made it into the wedding playlist
ABBA
1/5
In what world does an avowed Abba hater get 2 albums in the first five on this project?
Didn't listen, couldn't do it to myself, even Partridge ironically
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Simple Minds
4/5
Better than I expected, not as bombastic
Elvis Costello
2/5
Not a lot of fun. Other Elvis albums are better
Elvis Presley
4/5
Way better than I thought it might be. A little bit cruise crooner in places, but also really beautiful in others
Portishead
5/5
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
New Order
4/5
Sheryl Crow
4/5
TV On The Radio
4/5
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
Pearl Jam
4/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Metallica
2/5
Aerosmith
3/5
Ryan Adams
3/5
Duller than I thought it might be
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Enjoyed it, groovy
SZA
2/5
Meh - whiny stuff about shagging gaidos
Elton John
3/5
One legendary tune, several less impressive but not terrible
fIREHOSE
3/5
Interesting, some proper melt solos and stuff, but really quite odd
Duran Duran
4/5
One of the first non-Beatles albums I ever bought. Still quite a lot of fun
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Familiar in places and fun, but not one I'll go back to
The Stooges
3/5
Pretty good, pretty generic, nothing outstanding
The Jam
4/5
Lots of Beatles and Who lifts, actually pretty good, would listen again
The Boo Radleys
3/5
OK - little on the baggy and samey side - can't believe I've not listened to this before, I'm sure I had the CD!
Beastie Boys
5/5
What a banger - so many excellent samples from before when it was too expensive. Loved it
The Beach Boys
3/5
Some clear high points, lots of meh
The Birthday Party
1/5
Ugh, not for me - terrible low energy emo garbage
The Streets
3/5
An old friend, not as good as I recalled
TLC
1/5
Not my lane at all. Musical muesli or wallpaper, just so bland. Didn't make it past track 3
The Clash
2/5
Never really got these guys, and this hasn't helped explain how massive or important other people think they are
Various Artists
3/5
Better than most - where are the women who can sing like that today? Too many autotuned megastars, too few Darlene Love's or Aretha's
Deep Purple
3/5
Pretty sure my dad had this on vinyl, not too bad, but quite proggy in parts. Won't listen again
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Enjoyed it, didn't star any tracks though
Neil Young
3/5
Couple of excellent tracks, not as good as Harvest Moon though. Might listen again
The Black Crowes
4/5
An old favourite, not their best, but better than I remembered - starred at least one track I'd forgotten
Maxwell
4/5
Better than I expected - really pretty groovy
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
They were never my thing, still aren't my thing nearly 30 years later
Pink Floyd
4/5
As ever with Floyd, you need to be in a certain mindspace, but this was the first time I've listened to all of it - can see how it is so popular. Not quite Wish You Were Here, but pretty good nonetheless
Morrissey
3/5
Had this on tape when I was in sixth form, and listened quite a bit. Wasn't a Smith's fan, and didn't buy another Morrissey album, but there's a couple of serious tunes on here, and listening in 2021 revealed layers of instrumentation and production I'd not heard before. Suedehead is a proper banger
Kanye West
2/5
Just not interested anymore. Someone has forgotten about beats and melody and having a sense of humour
Eric Clapton
4/5
Really enjoyed it - always thought Sheriff was a bit gimmicky - but the rest of the album is good solid drug induced blues. Peak Clapton
Yes
4/5
my dad owned this for years and I never listened, now I don't understand why not - some weird stuff yes, but also some pretty excellent stuff, reminiscent of late beatles, which is never a bad thing
Elliott Smith
4/5
Better than I expected, very tuneful - will listen again. More hints at the Beatles than I expected
JAY Z
3/5
Fun vintage stuff from the world of sampling whatever you want to.
Talking Heads
3/5
OK - nothing amazing, was never that bothered about them and this doesn't change things
The Clash
2/5
Really can't bring myself to care. They might be seminal, but I think it lacks fundamental melody or sophistication to me - just a lot of stomping and shouting
John Martyn
4/5
Oh, now this was really good - smokey jazzy bluesy - right up my street - a couple of tracks added to the favourites list
David Bowie
3/5
Already has two stone cold classics, the rest of it was not so special. Wasn't that impressed
Paul Simon
3/5
Audio wallpaper - a couple of classic tracks, the rest felt like much of a muchness, won't be going on the rotation
The Triffids
2/5
How is this on the list? Obscure Aussie Jangle pop from the 90's? I guess the author has a soft spot. I don't
Todd Rundgren
2/5
So opens with an all time classic and then is just indulgent studio wankery with no great melodies? And this guy dissed the Beatles?!
PJ Harvey
4/5
I think i owned this - good grungey bluesey stuff
George Michael
2/5
Duller than I expected - couple of hits, but the rest of it was a bit slow and with unexpectedly poor production
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
Had to download it - not on Spotify. Proper good stuff this - very funky, very groovy and politically on point all these years later
Michael Jackson
4/5
All time classic - owned it on vinyl, and I don't care if he's cancelled, there are some serious tunes on here especially if you go past the obvious ones
Supergrass
4/5
Some proper bangers from the old days - better than I remembered and holding up well after 20 years
Frank Ocean
3/5
Not bad, not amazing - won't listen again I don't think
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
Simply brilliant, as usual. will be listening again and crossing my fingers for a ticket to the return tour - one of the best live bands I've ever seen
Frank Zappa
2/5
Very odd - been in my life for 50 years because my muso dad was on the good drugs. Never listened. Might not listen again.
Nitin Sawhney
4/5
Really enjoyed it - i guess I'm getting used to Indian music, but the overall vibe was of a chic curry house - one I'd like to eat at!
Metallica
2/5
Too heavy for me - even the famous tracks. I can only work with Black Album Metallica, everything else just feels a bit too aggressive
Neil Young
3/5
Tricky to listen now he's dropped off Spotify.
Always like a bit of grumbling canadian - this is no different, no absolute bangers though, so just 3 stars
Funkadelic
4/5
Fun - excellent moody atmospheric opener and then some pretty standard funk by numbers jobs
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
80's muso nonsense, with that one banger. The rest of it just doesn't have the funk of ABC or the melody of Tears for Fears.
Won't be listening again
The Specials
3/5
Familiar, never really been my lane, but not terrible by any means
PJ Harvey
3/5
Familiar, already know and love a couple of the best tracks - rest are a bit meh
Minutemen
4/5
Surprisingly good vs what I expected - almost similar to White Denim in the quality of musicianship and how tight the band are. Acceptable punk, but I don't think it really is punk
Heaven 17
4/5
banger - so much excellent groovy bass happening. quite odd as a concept, but enjoyed the listen
Sigur Rós
3/5
Nice soundscapes - no idea what they're singing about and unlikely to listen again, but not inoffensive
Anthrax
2/5
Not as bad as Metallica's listing I had to listen to, but still well short of the melody I prefer in my music
The Louvin Brothers
1/5
Oh dear. not for me. at all. and I like country music
3/5
3rd Polly album in the list, can't be too many more? Supposed to be her best, I think I prefer the edgier stuff - couple of good tunes on here. Not likely to go into my listening rotation though
10cc
2/5
Had this on tape as a kid from my dad's collection. Weird and seems deliberately jokey and quirky - some interesting tracks in there but feels a bit tiresome generally
Jeru The Damaja
2/5
Not terrible, not amazing - some very 90's references and attitudes. Clearly very proud of Brooklyn. Will not be listening again
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
Nope - shouty unsophisticated crap - or at least the first track was.
2nd feels a bit more interesting
into the two central massive tunes with more music and less screaming, much better
glad I listened to this - I'm relistening already
Guns N' Roses
3/5
An old friend, still sounds as good as it did when I was 18, perhaps a bit juvenile, but does that matter. Side 1 is streets ahead of side 2.
Brian Eno
1/5
zzzzzz - what on earth is this? audio wallpaper, and not especially pretty stuff either
MC Solaar
2/5
Erm - beats that take me back to being obsessed with Acid Jazz, but four tracks in and I've lost interest. Other people did this better, regardless of the language they rapped in
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Does what it says on the tin. Think I owned this on CD, but never really listened because white boy metal rapping is just not good. They can be good when being melodic, but otherwise it isn't my lane. Was happy when Spotify started playing 'similar' music at the end of the album
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
Not my thing at all - they all sound remarkably similar
Screaming Trees
3/5
Not bad, not as good as the predecessor which I loved as a younger man
Happy Mondays
2/5
Not quite what I thought it would be. Some bangers from back in the day, but not as groovy and not quite as much fun as later albums would be
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Loved it when I was a younger man - saw them play it live - not quite as magical through the lens of time, but still pretty good in places.
Mad as lorries, and delightfully so
Black Sabbath
4/5
Must be good - except for the track with 41 million listens, as I've had it on repeat for a couple of days now and added one or two liked tracks
Brian Wilson
2/5
Odd - a couple of wonderful beach boys elements, but the rest is just fragments. It was never going to beat or be in the same league as Pepper
Bob Dylan
3/5
Knew more tracks than I thought I would. Never been a big Dylan fan, can't get past the lack of melody having been raised on McCartney. Not terrible though
Alice Cooper
3/5
Some familiar stuff, some batshit crazy stuff, but throughout there is a groove and some insane guitar work. Lots of fun when the songs go for it
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Insane to think this was 1969, it is still more innovative and interesting than most of the stuff from the past 40 years - they clearly had much better drugs
Coldplay
4/5
An example of how a legacy can be ruined. I loved their first single and didn't even notice how much of a prat Chris Martin could be - he was just posh with some cracking tunes.
On a relisten, some excellent standouts and a happy bit of nostalgia - shame subsequent events mean this album is effectively cancelled for people with good taste
The Who
4/5
Very good - lots of bangers and markers for the future of rock for 1965
Muddy Waters
3/5
Own this on vinyl, from my muso blues fan teenage years. Classic blues - not a lot of variety, I think I only ever really played Mannish Boy
Crowded House
4/5
Double listen - nearly perfect in places, almost too twee in others. Never listened before, couple of truly electric moments.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Ugh - never liked him, don't understand how he's held up as a legend
Method Man
2/5
Meh thod man - fine, but far from exciting or interesting
Franz Ferdinand
2/5
Owned this, kinda liked it when it came out, but really not that good in retrospect. Pretentious
Primal Scream
3/5
Not bad, bit long winded in places now.
Was absolutely massive when it came out - carved out a new genre
Van Halen
2/5
Fun in it's own way - nothing ground breaking, but I guess it was 1978. Nothing tagged to be added as a favourite. Don't understand the hype around these guys except for Murica F Yeah
The Mars Volta
4/5
Weird but superb, a couple of spine tingling moments. Who knew that weird guitar jam with latin beats and a lunatic would be so compelling
John Cale
1/5
Not interesting at all, why was this on the list?
CHIC
2/5
One banger, lots of meh - not that interesting to hear disco as an album
Ride
4/5
An old favourite, but I am not sure I ever listened to it end to end - vinyl was a pain
Still good - might prefer later stuff
1/5
What a load of nonsense. beats that go nowhere. can't tell the difference between tracks. Not a clue why this is on the list - I'm 100 days in and haven't had anything by the Beatles or Stones
Orange Juice
2/5
Interesting mix of white boy groove and african stuff - must have been very interesting in the early 80s. Nothing to get too excited about though
Kanye West
3/5
Some good beats, clearly setting a template for a lot of what we're still hearing now. Big stars too. He's an angry dude though, lost his sense of humour when he got successful
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Yes, all very good and fine, but really not my kind of thing. All sound very samey
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
More audio wallpaper - washed right over me and nothing annoyed or offended me, but neither did anything grab by attention
Gang Starr
2/5
Fun samples, vintage beats, but again this is nothing earth or butt shaking. Never heard it before, won't be listening again
Pixies
4/5
An old favourite, just as much fun as it used to be
Roxy Music
4/5
Very good, top guitar work and not as arty or as wanky as I expected it to be!
Tangerine Dream
1/5
Ugh - was never interested in these guys. If this is their best work, then good luck to their legions of fans. I need beat and a melody in order to elevate music above being wallpaper
Steely Dan
4/5
Good stuff and bad stuff and amazing stuff. Very familiar having a father like mine
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Fun for what it is. Was revolutionary, feels very vintage now, and quite misogynist. Again, nothing starred into my favourites
Tori Amos
2/5
OK, nothing amazing. Much prefer other female singer songwriters
Deep Purple
2/5
Yes, OK - apparently seminal, but not a patch on Zeppelin, who must have stolen their better tunes
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Not bad, but nothing moved me extraordinarily
Radiohead
5/5
Absolute classic - with an arc in the middle that is simply peerless
Slipknot
1/5
Couldn't do it to myself
The Pogues
2/5
Not my thing at all, some well known classics, but I never bought into the whole thing. Music for nutters
R.E.M.
3/5
I owned this as a student - an investment in a CD, I kind of liked it then but it wasn't a favourite. Listening again, 3 good songs, the rest are less interesting
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Fine for what it is, which is something I don't enjoy
Richard Hawley
2/5
Not my lane, I'm sure it's OK for people who like a crooner, but simply too schmaltzy
Talking Heads
2/5
Not as good as I expected it to be, nothing stood out
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Twee twiddlee twaddlee - too lightweight for me
The War On Drugs
4/5
Good stuff, liked it originally, still does goes stuff for me
Pretenders
2/5
One great track, couple of other interesting ones, sounds like one foot in the 80s and one in a different time. Not bad, won't be listening again though
David Bowie
4/5
Not listened before, excellent stuff - some real classics
Genesis
2/5
Noodly doodly, some familiar elements, but not really my bag
N.W.A.
2/5
Not terrible. Quite Juvenile. Not likely to ever roll it with my homies ever again
Adele
3/5
Couldn't bring myself to listen, I can do without the diabetic shock. I liked it back in the day, but I'm as far from torch ballads as I can be at the moment
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Not on Spotify - and yes, clearly very pretty, but she does get a bit wearing
Tom Waits
1/5
Mad as a box of frogs, and about as much fun
John Prine
2/5
Yee haw, not my thing - way too simple
Sonic Youth
2/5
Nah, not interested
The Verve
4/5
Vintage banger, not quite as good as the earlier stuff - and way too popular with mouthbreathers for my elevated sense of musical taste. Cant deny some of the tunes though, however much of a prat he was
Eminem
2/5
I can't do this to myself, the sniggering idiocy of the introduction was enough
Nico
2/5
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The Gun Club
2/5
Never heard of it, listened to it, realise why I'd never heard of it.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Fun but not as much fun as Paul's Boutique
Beatles
5/5
It's about time. 150 albums in before the GOAT arrive.
The Cure
2/5
Meh, not bad, not amazing, didn't notice much
The Monks
2/5
What is this? It isn't good
Traffic
4/5
Pretty good - clearly enjoy a jam jazz rock folk album or two. One track added to the roster
Suede
3/5
An old friend, good but not great
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
I'm sure he is a genius, but not to me. Can't make it through any of this stuff
The Band
2/5
Not as good as I expected it to be
Mike Oldfield
2/5
I loved this as a teenager - the soundtrack to many a ZX Spectrum gaming session - but listening now, it just feels a bit limp and odd and the opposite of what I find compelling in music
The Offspring
2/5
Not good
Hole
2/5
OK - not listened before, but it is a bit 'grunge by numbers' for my taste
Van Morrison
2/5
Had this since I was 17 - only ever played 2 tracks. Listening back, I understand why. Lovely where it counts, not that interesting anywhere else
Bob Dylan
3/5
Better than I expected, but not life changing
The Jam
3/5
Fun - couple of monsters, but nothing too earth shattering
Boston
3/5
Enjoyed it for what it was - surprised I'd missed it for all these years
The Pogues
1/5
I don't possess the relevant DNA to enjoy this hibernian folksy drunken Captain Pugwash nonsense. Never liked it - music for people who like you to know they get properly drunk
Stephen Stills
4/5
Excellent stuff - love this vein of southern rock
The Electric Prunes
2/5
An album from 1967 that I haven't heard of? Impossible, unless it turns out to be this load of old tosh - what on earth am I supposed to take away from this? Derivative and irritating
Parliament
3/5
Very fun, very funky - but mad as a bag of hammers and feels like I'm a bit too old to get excited about being funked up
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
zzzzz
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Good, manufactured in places, quite samey throughout, but a couple of tracks made me sit up and take notice
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
Fine for what it is - and a banger is a banger, but not enough bangers here for me
Living Colour
2/5
Had this on tape as a kid. I suspect Q Magazine is responsible for me picking it up. Doesn't hold up
Santana
3/5
Some lovely old grooves, but it is a bit samey and just washes over you
Anita Baker
3/5
Had this, loved it, but actually, loved just a couple of them. I seem to have gone past this kind of music now
Michael Jackson
3/5
Liked it as a kid, not as much as the predecessors, but feels surprisingly soulful compared to what I remember.
Massive nonce or not, he had a rare groove to his music
T. Rex
2/5
They never really hit for me - always seemed to be style over substance
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Oh.......my........god - dude, I hope these songs all got you laid. Definitely not my bag
David Crosby
3/5
A couple of songs missing, but I liked what I did hear
Gang Of Four
2/5
Ugh, nope
The La's
4/5
You know this - as good as it ever was
Beatles
5/5
Possibly, or probably definitely, the best album of all time
Count Basie & His Orchestra
2/5
Old school big bang swing jazz - perfectly fine, but not my lane at all
Neil Young
4/5
Love the man - tuneful and angry despite that reedy voice
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
I just can't. This includes one of the most evil songs ever concieved, and a cursory listen includes more of their jaunty irish fiddle and shout 'soul' music
Talking Heads
2/5
Another band I don't get - their hits are hits for a reason, the rest of the albums add nothing at all, such is the case here. Weird noodly arty stuff, clearly too clever for someone like me
Haircut 100
2/5
Fun - couple of old familiars. Nothing amazing though
The Smiths
3/5
They were never my favourites, too unhappy, but there are some great tunes here if you can look past the wanker out front
Brian Eno
1/5
Nope, don't get it. Absolute art wank
Turbonegro
4/5
More fun than I expected - will listen again, good noisy guitar grooves
R.E.M.
2/5
Had this as a younger man, didn't really embrace it - not as good as their earlier stuff. Dull music for dull people
Lou Reed
3/5
Ok - I can see why this is a classic and how radical it was for 1972, but the hits are the standouts and I already knew them
Ananda Shankar
2/5
I guess it is interesting. It is also background music for a movie or a restaurant and not something I'd ever listen to again
ZZ Top
2/5
Weird - sleazy lazy boogie that is good when it is one of the hits, and terrible otherwise
The Kinks
2/5
Not bad - a bit too whimsical and consistently similar for my taste
Weather Report
3/5
Yeah OK - fine - fun in a vintage movie kind of way, but not something I think I'd listen to out of choice on a sunny day
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Wonderful stuff - so much better than I expected. How have I gone 50 years without knowing this was there?
Cypress Hill
2/5
Not my thing at all
Fela Kuti
3/5
Much funkier than I expected, quite a lot of fun. The 20 minute drum battle isn't really what you need
Suzanne Vega
2/5
Apart from that one track, way too bedroom nerdy woe is me type stuff
Soul II Soul
2/5
The epitome of 90's shabby albums underpinning a couple of club bangers. 2 club classics, everything else is dreck - it was better owning the 12 inch, or CD single with the best tunes and a couple of remixes
Billie Holiday
2/5
Yep, it is amazing, but so covered in sugary instrumentation and sentiment that I nearly got diabetes listening to it
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
2/5
Good in its way, definitely not my lane
Deerhunter
2/5
Fine, dull, won't listen again
Fever Ray
3/5
Weird, not terrible and not what I expected at all
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
Fun bluesey jam marathons - some insane guitar chops, especially for a live album. Not sure I'll listen again though
Dolly Parton
2/5
Fine, a bit twee for me, and I love a bit of country. The tracks Spotify played after the album are more fun.
Fugazi
2/5
Not for me
The Kinks
2/5
Ugh - it's like a gor blimey guvnor musical. This is why you stick to the hits and not wander around the albums of anyone except the beatles and floyd
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
Never liked him. Don't like monotone acoustic miserablists. This is the perfect storm of stuff I don't like
The Cure
3/5
Had this as a younger man - never really went into it in detail - preferred the weirdness of A Forest, but this is still pretty good and holds up well
Public Enemy
2/5
Have listened before, didn't need to do it again. 2 x meltingly good bangers, the rest is just not in the same league. Do The Right Thing is the best way to listen to this music
Kraftwerk
2/5
Not good - dull droney boring
Dr. Octagon
2/5
Pretty chilled, seems to be one long groove and some jokes I'm not really listening hard enough to get. Juvenile
Funky but not my thing
The Fall
2/5
Not as bad I thought it would be from my memory of their random crap when I was an NME reader, but still - who likes this stuff?
Jeff Buckley
3/5
An old friend - at least 20 years now I've just had the two best (for me) tracks tagged. Listening to the rest of it, there's some good and some really not good. I'll be sticking to the two monsters - not Hallelujah though, that's overplayed massively
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
I should like this stuff, white boy soul, horns etc. Indeed a couple are quite fun, but his voice isn't great and I can still hear the insidious evil of Come On Eileen and too many ruined nights as a kid
Kraftwerk
2/5
Better than TransEurope Express, but the spotify radio shuffle after was much better
Nick Drake
3/5
Had this for a while, love the killer track - not really listened to the rest of it. Good without being great
Taylor Swift
3/5
Yes, massive, also a couple of super catchy tunes, but also a bit too obvious and worn out. I don't think I'm the target audience for this kind of music
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Her schtick has been overplayed to the point where it almost sounds like parody. But I did own this when it came out and loved the smokey jazz chanteuse style before the china white, fags and bad boyfriend ruined her talent
John Martyn
2/5
More odd inclusions in this list - there have to be 3001 albums better than this. it's fine, it's even got a funny song, but it doesn't feel like my life is better for having listened to it
Chicago
4/5
Barking mad, almost unlistenable in places, but by far the best thing I've been pointed at in ages
Mudhoney
2/5
Not good, didn't really notice it as I was working whilst listening
The Rolling Stones
4/5
How many five star tracks does it take to get stars? There's 2, possibly 3, on here - and two of the best ever. Still a bit wanky outside those though
The Rolling Stones
3/5
A couple of the best tunes ever, but also quite a lot of filler - still worth it
Solange
2/5
Pretty standard and unremarkable R&B from the sister of someone very talented
5/5
Don't need to listen to this one - it's been a part of my life all of my life. Some odd choices in there, but mostly just a wonderful nostalgic journey through some of the best melodies, riffs and harmonies we'll ever hear
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
Unusually unknown bluesy grooves - really enjoyed it. It is a very much a period piece but there are some tracks here that really groove
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Just nonsense - interesting story, but really not worth a listen
Super Furry Animals
5/5
Generally, and typically excellent, but gets an extra star for Run Christian Run, which is up there as one of my favourite tracks ever
Korn
1/5
Couldn't make it past the 4th track. Never liked Nu Metal, and these guys are at the apotheosis of that particular trashheap
Machito
4/5
Lots of fun - not what I expected, but was tapping my foot. Not entirely sure why this is afro Jazz, but whatever it was, I liked it
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
If anyone gets close to peak McCartney, is it Paul Simon in this period. Such a strange but wonderful album with some of the best songs they ever produced, and some very unusual other elements
Wild Beasts
2/5
OK - similar to their other stuff, but not as funky or immediate. Won't listen again
Def Leppard
3/5
More fun than I expected. But then spotify played similar tracks and they were so much better
Elvis Presley
3/5
Clearly seminal stuff, but also it's Elvis, so it's a bit of cultural appropriation and never going to be as good as the Beatles
Saint Etienne
2/5
Meh then, meh now
Supertramp
3/5
Interesting band - feels like they'd have been insufferable art wankers at the time, but there's a few fun songs on here
Miriam Makeba
2/5
Nope
The Young Gods
1/5
Nope
Billy Joel
4/5
Lightning in a bottle - so many familiar tunes from a great songwriter
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Add Crazy Horse makes everything better - love these tracks on Arc Weld - love them here
Tom Waits
1/5
Not my thing - I like a song, or a melody, rather than piano twiddling whilst a tramp menaces me
Queen Latifah
2/5
OK - not keeping any of it to come back to
1/5
First track - is nuts
Second track - is also nuts
King Crimson
2/5
I've always liked the title track, but to be honest, the rest of it verges on unlistenable
Michael Jackson
5/5
I don't care what he did - this was a classic of my youth and still makes me smile thinking about the family just loving all the magic on this
System Of A Down
2/5
So not my lane
David Bowie
3/5
It's Bowie, so it isn't crap, but it's also very much an album produced by a man who's muse left him a long time ago
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Some wonderful stuff, some noodly stuff - worth an extra star just for those harmonies
4/5
Overplayed and over familiar, but that's for a reason - so many good memories of sitting on a bus on the way to work in Leeds and talking to my mates about how great the music was. Never my favourite band, but their Beatles schtick was better than most others
Stevie Wonder
5/5
My spotify tells me I like 6 of the 9 tracks already, so I think this goes into the echelon. True genius at the peak of his powers.
R.E.M.
2/5
OK - it's REM, and it's early, so not too douchey, but still it all sounds very much of a type
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
I couldn't in the past, and I can't now - I just don't get Bruce
Prince
5/5
Stone Cold Classic - introduced me, as an innocent british teen, to all kinds of exotic things. One or two of these songs would make my all time top ten
Carole King
3/5
clearly very important, but it all sits in a very familiar lane and tone - two or three wonderful classics, the rest is just a bit indulgent
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Um, not sure about this - one massive tune and a lot of random stuff
Sisters Of Mercy
1/5
Never understood this stuff - despite hailing from the heart of dark gothic stuff. it's joyless miserable posturing
Happy Mondays
2/5
Owned it, loved it back in the day, seen them live a few times - always a party, but the music itself...not so good really - not quite appealing to the lowest common denominator, but close
Megadeth
2/5
Don't get it - feels like a token entry - but a lot of them do
Red Snapper
2/5
It was on, didn't really notice it - how is it on the list?
Caetano Veloso
2/5
Music for a bad Spanish restaurant
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Seems OK - less challenging for me than the other stuff I've heard. Still not my lane by any distance
Miles Davis
3/5
Nice moody lane - smooth jazz times
Sonic Youth
2/5
Yeh, meh - nothing stood out here
Sparks
2/5
One absolute banger, and a whole bunch of meh
Led Zeppelin
4/5
One or two of my top 20 songs on here, but also a few that are very prone to be skipped
Radiohead
4/5
An old familiar favourite
Green Day
2/5
Fine for what it is, again not my kind of thing
Tina Turner
2/5
Didn't like it when I was a kid. She's immense, yes, but this was poison to my ears back then
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Another example of wallpaper music - washed right over me
Dead Kennedys
1/5
Just not interested - was never my lane
Jerry Lee Lewis
2/5
Yeah, a legend - and a weird dude. Not terrible - it's a rollicking live set, but most of the tunes were done better by others
Sade
4/5
Household staple from my youth - love all of it, with extra cheese
Ravi Shankar
2/5
Fine - not that interesting, and it constantly feels like it's about to kick into a Beatles tune or two
The Monkees
2/5
Meh, they weren't really musicians, although I did appreciate finding a tune I used to enjoy on the closing credits of the TV show when I was a kid
Alice Cooper
2/5
1 massive tune, the rest underwhelming, not like his other album on here
Black Sabbath
4/5
Belting - 3 or 4 total bangers here, and not much is better than Warpigs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Ok - nothing too exciting really, even the bangers are a bit dull by now
Missy Elliott
3/5
Enjoyed it - much chiller than I expected
Syd Barrett
1/5
Yeah, there's a reason he wasn't in Pink Floyd anymore
Bob Dylan
2/5
Never been my thing - I like a melody too much, or someone who can actually sing
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
1/5
Can't do this either - bloody lion king graceland nonsense. Yes it is beautiful music, so is throat singing and polka, but I cannot listen to any of it
Meat Loaf
2/5
Just terrible. Been something I've tried to avoid all my life - I simply cannot understand why this is so popular
Cheap Trick
2/5
Period piece - weird acoustic quality - a couple of interesting songs but mostly completely forgettable
Ray Charles
1/5
All very lovely, but I feel quite sick - I'm only 52, not 95 - this is not my bag baby
Baaba Maal
1/5
Ugh, no. Just absolute no from me.
Starting to get a bit sick of the project - too much world music not enough popular music
Aphex Twin
2/5
I don't understand ambient music, or why it needs to exist
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Oh baby - five stars all the way
John Lee Hooker
2/5
legend returns with...pan pipes...oh dear
The rest of the album - nothing got me as excited as his proper blues
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
Nope, just can't do it. I am allergic to this bloke
Tears For Fears
5/5
Probably my favourite album as a teenager - on constant walkman action in the summer it came out
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
2 good tunes, the rest is noodly wank fodder
Roxy Music
4/5
Held out for a long time - they were just too much in the 80s, but now seeing the genius of the early stuff
Van Morrison
3/5
Harmless - couple of lovely tunes, lots of filler that I no doubt would love if I'd lived with this for 50 years
David Bowie
2/5
It's not Ziggy Stardust, is it?
Soft Cell
2/5
One undeniable banger and a lot of pervy crap
Madonna
2/5
Yeah, couple of good singles, lots of moody beats driven crap otherwise
SAULT
2/5
Feels a bit tokenistic - and is it really worthy of an entry? I wonder what wonderful sixties or seventies album in the original book made way for this collection of meh?
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
yeah no yeah, it's OK - nothing wonderful in here though
Marilyn Manson
1/5
File under Wankers, epic.
Not interested in this copycat Gary Glitter
UB40
3/5
Better than I expected - it's early UB40, so quite moody and not popularist white boy reggae
Plus, Food for Thought, immense
Iggy Pop
3/5
It's OK - nothing extraordinary
Astrud Gilberto
1/5
Ugh. Saccharine Shite
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Batshit crazy - quite fun, made no sense
Judas Priest
3/5
More fun than I expected, proper Bri'ish metal
Tim Buckley
3/5
Nice, fun, but nothing outstanding
The B-52's
1/5
Shite shouty deliberately quirky crap, it was always crap - remains crap 30 years later
Koffi Olomide
1/5
It's a no from me
The Stooges
4/5
Face melting guitars, dripping with rage and energy, still sounds fresh 50 years later
Sonic Youth
2/5
Nothing too exciting here - lots of these now feel like filler rather than seminal
Burning Spear
2/5
More reggie - simply not interested
KISS
2/5
Juvenile teenage wank rock - but not entirely terrible
Norah Jones
3/5
Meh - it is what it is
Peter Tosh
2/5
Better than I expected, but still reggie, and pretty sleazy reggie at that.
Louche
John Grant
3/5
Enjoyed it again, like I did before, but still nothing really stands out
Suede
2/5
Preferred their debut - this is OK, wasn't interesting
The Lemonheads
3/5
An old friend, comfy without being too memorable or making me heart anything new
B.B. King
2/5
Was OK - couple of fun tunes, but mostly meh. The blues on the spotify shuffle afterwards were much more fun
Little Simz
4/5
Excellent - groovy and modern
Public Enemy
1/5
Don't even want to listen. Yes, you're angry and you might have dope beats, but life is too short
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Hmmmm - not very good, is it? Pretty but pointless
The Young Rascals
4/5
Includes one of my favourite ever tunes, so gets an extra star for that - and for generally being funky in a good white boy way
Johnny Cash
2/5
Clearly quite a show, but the music is a bit too 'gee shucks I'm an outlaw' simple country for me
Radiohead
5/5
Up there for GOAT
Mekons
1/5
oh no darling, this is just terrible stuff
Everything But The Girl
1/5
Ugh - starts bad and gets less interesting. I'm too young to have suffered this crap at dinner parties - what was wrong with just having Sade on all the time?!
Queen
4/5
A lot of fun, enjoyed the comparative lack of bombast - felt like a working band rocking hard
Underworld
4/5
Lovely - a nice throwback to a CD that kept me company for quite a while
Killing Joke
2/5
Couldn't get into it or understand why it is so seminal
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Pretty sure i've heard this before, but I was always more of a Ray fan, in fact - I struggle to find much to love in the Dinosaur Jr catalogue these days
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
Nowhere near as much fun as most of his other stuff, all a bit meh
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
It was OK - not sure how I missed it, I loved Daft Punk, Cassius etc. - I suspect it was because this stuff is just a bit average really
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
OK - nothing special apart from the tracks I knew anyway
Jamiroquai
5/5
Loved it on vinyl when it came out. Lifelong acid jazz fan. Met Jay. He was cool.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
Ding dang done, 10 four ol buddy - much as I love a Burt Reynolds smuggler chase movie, I'm not sure I want a full album of this stuff, no matter how much a pedal steel can melt my cold heart
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
Ha, one legend and a load of supermarket music
Arcade Fire
2/5
Pomposity to the fore, rather than songwriting or melody. Only the mighty James Murphy made them sound interesting rather than just another dull as ass American Indie band moaning about something. Cannot understand how high a regard this is held in
Gary Numan
2/5
His big hits are hits for a reason - the other stuff is dark and odd
Songhoy Blues
2/5
Fine, not offsensive, but didn't make me sit up and listen at any point either
James Brown
2/5
Clearly legendary and seminal, but in actual fact, it is pretty dull and samey and not really in the groove that made him a legend
Raekwon
1/5
zzzzzz
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Half of it missing - curse you Joe Rogan - but still enough wonderful harmonies, guitar virtuosity and songwriting to earn 4 stars. I'll even give Our House a pass, but not for long
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
Yep - know it, enjoyed it back then - a bit long but not terrible
Rod Stewart
2/5
Rod the God - some great, some meh
Stereolab
2/5
I tried to listen to this, but it just disappeared into the background. Deliberately quirky, or feels like it - no bangers and no beauty, won't listen again
2/5
Tried to get through it a couple of times, it just doesn't work for me. The calculating earnestness of their influences and output is very disingenuous, always has been. They're copyists rather than innovators - music for people without ambition or imagination. Some of their music is magical, but even that is lost in the face of the zealotry of their believers.
The Manchester United of music
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
Nope
Randy Newman
1/5
Holy jesus fuck, how bloody miserable is this stuff? His Toy Story schtick got old despite the magic, this is just miserable and all a bit samey
Basement Jaxx
2/5
It was pretty ground breaking back in the day, but now just sounds repetitive and lacking imagination. Couple of bangers, but a massive amount of dreck
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
As good as it gets in modern music - I had a couple of these pinned already - top 100 lifetime streams. The rest of the album is just as good. Into the rotation
Erykah Badu
3/5
Better than I expected - the groove is undeniable, if somewhat repetitive. Odd that I missed this first time around.
Thelonious Monk
2/5
Tepid background irrelevance. Clearly whatever particular blend of classic jazz this is, it isn't my lane baby
Iron Maiden
3/5
Better than I thought - not that much hair metal. The Maiden were prevalent on denim jackets when I was young, and I thought they were for thick people. This wasn't anywhere near as crap as some of the stuff coming up on this project
Jane's Addiction
3/5
I loved this as a 19 year old - tortured my poor dad to listen to it on the drive to university. But listening now, the bulk of the album is pretty crappy raga type shit rock. The final 4 songs more than make up for it, as mad as they are
The Stooges
3/5
All a bit samey really - not that I was expecting prog-style landscapes of sonic magic, but I guess, as garage music goes, it's pretty good. Really dirty grooves with some wonderful touches of guitar magic
Sonic Youth
2/5
Fine - had this, or had Kool Thing, when it was released. It's sonic youth, it doesn't veer far from that course
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
This was fun, a couple of tunes I knew from elsewhere and popular culture, others I didn't. Ultimately, I will never listen again - but it made a friday afternoons work a little less dull
Queen
3/5
OK - one Killer tune, and one or two other bangers. The rest of it is pretty standard 70s hard rockin - not bad, not amaze
Merle Haggard
2/5
Never listened to Merle Haggard before - heard of him in movies and stuff, but here we are. 30 minutes of what seems to be the same song, or what sounds like the exact same song, just with slightly faster or slower parts. And boy, it is depressing. Maybe I want to do in jail for the wrongs I done, maybe I don't
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Is there a 0 star option? Did not and will not listen to this, just about the opposite of what I consider music to be
2/5
OK - nothing special here, didn't even recognise the singles
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
So annoying that the legend isn't on my preferred streaming service, but youtube to the rescue.
Proper this one - couple of timeless classics
Bert Jansch
2/5
Fine for what it is, but it's a no for me.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Interesting, but also not engaging - I was hooked by the Pimp Butterfly one, not by this
Nirvana
5/5
Massive - not much more to day. Some filler, but the killer is primo extra good killer
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
Never knew this existed - very pleased to find it, sleazy groovy fun
Talk Talk
3/5
Not as brilliant as their moody magnum opus that followed. When they hit their muso peak, they lost their audience, but this has hints of the magic to come.
Rush
3/5
I like the pomposity of this - knowingly clever and clearly demonstrating prowess. At the same time, only Tom Sawyer has a hook, and that is a pretty proggy hook. Won't be putting the album in heavy rotation, but that mad jazzy rocker is in the 'liked songs' folder.
Barry Adamson
2/5
It was, OK - is also a shadow the magic of Melody Nelson from earlier this week, and for other similar sleaze lounge stuff that came on the shuffle afterwards
Beach House
1/5
Ugh, so dull.
Not sure I'd ever want to meet the Teens who have Dreams as anodyne as this whiny lo-fi crap
Ute Lemper
1/5
Oh dear. No thank you
"if sex were an olympic sport we'd have won the gold"
Yes, I'm sure that's both true and something anyone wants to happen
Beck
4/5
Nice, chill, moody. Loved finding Paper Tiger earlier this week, and very much a companion piece to Morning Phase, which I loved already
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Seems to be missing what made their early stuff reasonably interesting. And that was a stretch
5/5
Untouchable, weird and wonderful
The Black Keys
3/5
They're not what they were - but they're still OK
Elvis Presley
2/5
I was a Beatles kid - Elvis felt irrelevant despite their love for him. This is another collection of good but not great stuff
Brian Eno
3/5
An Eno album that isn't the aural equivalent of a folding bicycle? (i.e. only for total smug wankers).
Seems to be - but Robert Fripp provides the clear highlight - that track was tagged for repeat listening.
The rest of it is mad as a lorry, but also quite entertaining
Wilco
3/5
Nice - prefer Wilco going a bit mental with guitars, but this was one of the better recent offerings on this site
Hole
4/5
Actually and surprisingly really enjoyed this, some cracking tunes
Le Tigre
2/5
Yes, I'd rather not. The riffing is OK, but the caterwauling really isn't helping
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
zzzzzzz
Röyksopp
2/5
Soundtrack to the days in hip cafe's before they discovered charging a tenner for avocado on toast
Throwing Muses
2/5
Like the Muses, hadn't owned this. It's OK - nothing amazing
The Stranglers
3/5
Hmm - not what I expected. Punk with musicians and instruments. Still not my lane though
OK - nothing to get too excited about. How do you have Rod in your band and decide to sing yourself?
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
my 16 year old self, discovering this on vinyl after reading about it, as a massive Prince and 60s fan - wow, blown away.
Going back at 52 after too many years away, that opening groove - man - sensational. Can do without the odd sesame street vocal singalong moments, but otherwise...
Marvin Gaye
3/5
His voice and groove is undeniable, but this is the purest form of divorce core I've ever heard. Not a happy listen
The Icarus Line
3/5
Not bad, made it past the desire to skip after 4 seconds. Will listen again
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
Enjoyable retro sheen across this - couple of very good pop songs
Oasis
3/5
Amazing in 1994, feels a bit one-note now, the follow up was more interesting
Slayer
1/5
Nope
The Temptations
4/5
Could get 5 just for that amazing centre piece, dropped to 4 because it isn't quite enough
The Zombies
3/5
Very good, if not outstanding 60s keyboard choral stuff, closing with an absolute worldie
Hüsker Dü
2/5
Enjoyed it - won't be going back, but it is like REM without the whining overtones
Patti Smith
3/5
Never listened, despite all the accolades. Turns out its ok, just not my lane really
Radiohead
4/5
It's Radiohead. 4 stars
The National
2/5
Oh. So so dull
Aretha Franklin
3/5
Legend, but just a couple of her most legendary tracks on this one, as is usually the case
Elbow
3/5
An old friend - couple of serious hotspots, but also music made for people who look like me by people who look like me
Lou Reed
1/5
Life is too short and there's too much good happy music out there to put myself through more than 2 tracks of this shit
Spiritualized
3/5
Owned it, but only ever played the first 2 or 3 songs, which must mean something
Grateful Dead
2/5
Never listened to this legendary band, but even being in a huge Crosby, Stills and Nash phase, this just sounds dull and second rate. What a boring set of songs with less than stellar harmonies
a-ha
3/5
A couple of serious nostalgic classics, with a load of less impressive euro synth pop schmaltz
Motörhead
2/5
A voice only a mother could love. One banger, all filler
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Yee haw - apparently all about murderin a cheating lady, but it was just a bunch of yodelling and strumming. Not my thing
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
OK - nothing amazing on here. Nice and short though!
Elton John
3/5
Good solid 70s tunes, couple of serious bangers, but also quite indulgent. Enjoying the spotify post album shuffle more
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Not bad. Used to think they were the worst thing in the world, and now can see them as being better than most of what was around at the time.
However, nothing stood out like Happy House, so moving on. 3 stars
William Orbit
3/5
Actually quite peaceful. Not something I'd ever choose to put on and listen to though
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
Noodly nurdly proper jazz - nice enough but aural wallpaper really
Gorillaz
2/5
Never really got this stuff, too popular whilst also being too hipster
Laibach
1/5
Oh hell no
Jurassic 5
4/5
Nice funky funny groove driven hip hop
Johnny Cash
2/5
I just don't get it. He sounds so grumpy, and the tunes lack subtelty
Blur
2/5
Opens strong, very strong. And then... leaves you feeling disappointed
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
Was a favourite when I was a student. Blatant throwback, even in the late 80s, to the golden age. Still holds some water, but mostly sounds cliche now
The Who
4/5
Banging, but I think i still prefer Oliver Reed and the tunes from the movie, which introduced me to the material.
Thoroughly bizarre as a concept, but with some insanely evocative musical moments
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Couple of serious bangers, lots of filler.
Amazing suits
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Not sure what these guys are, super nerdy, but also capable of moments that can move. Had the 1st track on my liked songs forever, but the rest of the album just washed over me
The Replacements
2/5
OK - had wondered about these guys, mentioned a few times by different things that were interesting.
Nothing leapt from the listen, a nice solo here and there, but not enough to earn a 'like' on Spotify
The Cardigans
2/5
Meh
Cat Stevens
2/5
Always a bit weedy and nerdy for me. And the last bloke you'd want to end up being stuck in the kitchen with at the end of a party, man.
Pere Ubu
2/5
Not my lane, but also not completely horrible
Slipknot
1/5
Didn't listen. Wouldn't listen. I'm not 12, I'm not American, this isn't for me.
Queen
2/5
Weird, and then 2 billion streams
The Doors
3/5
2 or 3 good/great tunes. The rest is just dreck
Steely Dan
3/5
Note quite as perfect as their later stuff, but still some amazing tracks here
Nina Simone
3/5
Good, but oh so slow and moody. Not really my thing, feels completely devoid of any fun
The Hives
2/5
Opens big. Then really struggles to follow on from that
Elvis Costello
2/5
Not bad, not interesting - 1977 too, quite nasal
Tom Tom Club
2/5
Clearly quirky, and I loved Wordy Rappinghood when I was a kid. The rest is just a big pile of wank
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
Hated them - or more precisely his voice - since I was 12. Almost as bad as Erasure. Instant no
Kelela
2/5
Not bad - but why is this here? There are hundreds of identikit female R&B albums over the years, this is just one more of the same
Tito Puente
2/5
Oh, here's another world music box ticking one. I don't mind a bit of Tito, but these all sound very similar when on an album - and after 5 or 6 I've lost interest
OutKast
2/5
Had this sprawling beast on CD - you only ever listen to the Shake it and Way You Move tracks - the rest is just nurdling tomfoolery
Otis Redding
4/5
Lovely stuff, untouchable really - the GOAT of melancholy soul
Stan Getz
2/5
Pure wallpaper - and nothing more
Brian Eno
1/5
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The Cars
3/5
Better than I thought it would be, but the hits definitely helped with that
Lightning Bolt
1/5
What on earth is this garbage?
Barry Adamson
1/5
More token instrumental bollocks. No thanks
Jean-Michel Jarre
2/5
Pretentious tosh really, with one banger. I'm sure it was revelatory, but now just sounds a bit silly. 2 stars
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
1/5
the fuck is this shit?
Incubus
1/5
Shite in 99. Still Shite in 23. Utter Shite really
Eagles
4/5
I know the Eagles are hated and plastic, but I grew up listening to my dad's band play a lot of this stuff, so it is just burned into my soul
Cornershop
2/5
Nah, and the big track is so overplayed it isn't worth mentioning. I was a massive indie fan when this came out, and I couldn't get on board with it - dull as fuck
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
OK, not amazing. Very on point for that period.
Jane Weaver
2/5
Played it whilst working, didn't notice anything interesting at all
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Brilliance and schmaltz, as ever - not one of my favourites from his period of magic, but still pretty good
Pink Floyd
2/5
Not good
Paul Simon
2/5
ah, when cultural appropriation was seen as cool and helpful. never liked it
Grateful Dead
2/5
Yeah, endless nurdly jam band stoner nonsense - struggled to find a song or melody
Slint
2/5
Tried but couldn't get on with this one
Primal Scream
2/5
Weird ambient low energy nothing of an album
David Bowie
2/5
One massive banger, lots of filler
Buzzcocks
3/5
It's OK
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
I can't do it, John Lydon might be a ledge, but he's no singer or musician
The Soft Boys
2/5
Tried it twice - it was OK, but nothing remarkable, and not worth recommending to Spike, who loves the bands they're supposed to have influenced
Digital Underground
3/5
Not bad, couple of fun tunes, nothing warranting a repeat listen
Madonna
2/5
Half decent album by the ultimate singles Queen. Won't be adding to the rotation though
Beatles
5/5
Seminal
1/5
Properly, and I mean super properly, shite
Sex Pistols
2/5
I know what it sounds like, don't want to listen to it - the Disney show was better than the reality
Fred Neil
2/5
Ok - not interesting really
Ian Dury
2/5
One Blockheads tune, every now and again on the radio, or a playlist, is quite a fun thing. A whole album of the cheery geezer gertcha twaddle is tiresome
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
An old CD friend, doesn't hold up as well as I'd have thought it might. Certainly not in my top 500
The Charlatans
2/5
Good, but not seminal, way too much filler
King Crimson
2/5
Album title is 100x better than the music
Pink Floyd
4/5
Excellent, but you have to be in the right mood. which is monged.
The Only Ones
3/5
Not bad, decent tunes, oddly deadpan vocalist
Meh of the highest possible order
Beck
4/5
Uniformly excellent work by the weird little dude
Mike Ladd
1/5
Not for me, or for many others judging by the number of streams the tracks have, most of which are likely to be the people doing this online activity
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
critics darlings, did the decent thing as a loyal NME reader. Still just sounds like shite noise
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Ah, I remember this - used to be used extensively on the highlights package on UK Channel 4 for the NBA. Bought it on that premise, but turned out just to be a load of deck and sample wankery with no discernable tunes or melody, and therefore really quite pointless as an album
Spacemen 3
1/5
Oh dear, soporific and not in a good way
Kacey Musgraves
5/5
Simply beautiful songwriting and singing - not quite country, not quite pop. Immensely more wonderful than poor Taytay
Willie Nelson
2/5
Standards in full schmaltz mode, sung by a guy who can't really sing
Rage Against The Machine
2/5
felt like true rage when it came out. Is it nostalgic rage now? all a bit too much for me at 52 - 30 years later it seems quite silly
Talvin Singh
1/5
Hmmm - complete codswallop
Paul Weller
3/5
nice classy mellow stuff
David Bowie
3/5
Not bad, not great. Couple of great tunes, but not stellar tunes with endless listenability
The Style Council
2/5
Jazz Club....nice
Ultimate wankery
The Adverts
2/5
Better than most punk, but that's not really a glowing accolade. It is still punk, still repetitive basic stuff
David Holmes
2/5
Owned this, wouldn't buy it again. Music of a certain time for certain moods and places
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
Fun stuff, very grooovy baby. Unlikely to listen to it again though
Traffic
2/5
Underwhelming
Jimmy Smith
2/5
Love me some Jimmy Smith, but this one is pretty mellow to the point of being not worth listening to
Ramones
2/5
More fucking punk - and I don't care if this is seminal or bleeding edge, it's still shite
Mj Cole
2/5
Had this when it came out, had a trendy girlfriend into garage, but I found it repetitive back then - now it is just generally repetitive crap with a generic beat. Even the title track, which felt epic at the time, is just dull
Robbie Williams
1/5
Mandatory presence in every charity shop in the Midlands, alongside Travis - you don't find Beatles and Stones CDs being discarded this frequently
Therefore, utter shite, without even listening
Portishead
4/5
Not Dummy, nothing is Dummy, but innovative and elegiac enough to stand out
Robert Wyatt
2/5
I like the noodly take that some Radiohead does, apparently inspired by this guy. It's weird, and clearly has a quality, but it isn't an album I'll listen to again
Green Day
1/5
Yank Wank
Eminem
2/5
I just can't. Best version of this stuff is from Phoenix Nights. Please stand up
Can
2/5
Some groove, some jams way too zonked out for anyone to enjoy straight
The Cramps
1/5
Oh dear - one for the weird fetishists
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It isn't Revolver or Pet Sounds. But it isn't terrible either, Under My Thumb is wonderful and stands out from everything else here
Megadeth
2/5
Always a step beyond Metallica and acceptable metal for me, gave it a listen and...still not for me
Fun Lovin' Criminals
1/5
Always struck me as music for morons, still seems very basic - designed for meatheads to dance in fist pumping ecstasy after way too much alcohol
Tom Waits
1/5
This shit has to stop - he's probably worse at singing than Roger Waters, but at least Roger Waters can write a tune...no more Tom Fucking Waits
Neneh Cherry
1/5
I remember her being pretty foxy, and those two hits weren't terrible, but the rest of it...ugh
Marty Robbins
2/5
Nah
Scott Walker
2/5
Crroooooonneeerrr
Donald Fagen
3/5
Yeah, samey, but ever so smooooooth
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
both mad and crap, and I quite like a bit of bollywood
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
On a rope, but nothing else worth listening to
Blur
3/5
Hit and Miss, as usual
Pink Floyd
4/5
Excellent if pretentious stuff
Q-Tip
2/5
Nuh uh - no Breathe and Stop, not worth it. Did 4 tracks and Stopped
The Smashing Pumpkins
2/5
Loved this band before they did this - miserable droney shite
The Avalanches
2/5
I remember buying and then never playing this CD - one trick pony bollocks
Black Flag
1/5
Nope
Arcade Fire
2/5
Dull and pretentious...the James Murphy stuff is clearly much much better
Prefab Sprout
3/5
Smooth enough, better than I expected from a band I used to avoid
1/5
Automatic 1 star for the ultimate wanker band - by wankers for wankers. He's a classical musician playing at being Radiohead, and his acolytes go on about his skills rather than the quality of his song writing
Tim Buckley
2/5
Tried a few times, but nothing here stood out as being an essential classic relisten
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
Beer boy bar band boogie. It's OK, but there is no nuance or melody
Stereo MC's
2/5
White hot for a moment in the UK in 1992, and then...poof...gone into 90's fun pub obscurity
Fiona Apple
3/5
Better than I expected - completely missed out on her, mainly because her name is so vanilla. Some fun stuff, but also quite sleepy in places
Nick Drake
3/5
Nice, but apart from one song, just is wallpaper
Manu Chao
1/5
How does this have so many listens? Bongo Bong? Christ - its worse than the background music when the fast and furious gang head to Cuba
Suicide
1/5
Should have spent their sunglasses money on a fucking drum machine. How did this stuff get people to riot at live shows?
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Not bad, not amazing, but was a decent listen
Tim Buckley
2/5
Nah - so much for a legend
Laura Nyro
3/5
Sassy fun this
The Crusaders
2/5
Opening track is great, the rest sounds like the best lounge bar band in a groovy hotel - but a lounge bar band nonetheless!
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
80 minutes of yelling and scuzz, with no swing? No thanks
Everything But The Girl
2/5
yawn, meh, bloodless drum and bass under warbling wallpaper
Tricky
3/5
Sub Portishead with a less capable chanteuse, nice beats though
Milton Nascimento
2/5
I'm sure this is very good. It doesn't work for me
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Bought it as a student, because that's the law. Tried it, didn't really get on with it - Reed's voice in particular is too flat.
But undeniably influential - classics everywhere and across pop culture
Devendra Banhart
1/5
This is just shite
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
1/5
All the 'songs' sound the same. Not like songs
Sam Cooke
2/5
Not my soul brother number 1, however good he was, it's too lounge for me
Yes
3/5
Couple of belting bass heavy tunes, not much else. Odd cover of America - not really that interested even after 4 listens
Magazine
2/5
Another seemingly important british band from the edges of punk, which just means it is never that good.
The Temptations
3/5
Very good, very much in a lane and quite samey
The Dandy Warhols
2/5
meh
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
Blissed out brasilian vibes, but I am not sure when I would ever choose to listen to any of this
Fairport Convention
2/5
Godawful shite, just like the people who like this, in their raggedy jumpers and pints of cider with horse piss covered straw sticking out of it - and that's just the ladies
The Cult
2/5
Fine, but still just as dull and macho as it was when it never interested me the first time around
Common
2/5
80 minutes of this stuff? C'mon Common, I don't have the time for that much half decent rap music
Pixies
3/5
Yes, excellent. Screamy
Also
Beeeeeeeewwwwwwwbbbs
Pulp
2/5
Not riffy enough for me, and Jarvis was too snarky when he wasn't being dirty - the big hits were odious compared to the better bands. Musically this stuff is dreadful
Gram Parsons
3/5
More moody pedal steel country. not sure I get how influential this dude is - apart from teaching Keith how to get properly stoned.
Didn't mind it
Rufus Wainwright
1/5
As bad as I thought it might be
ZZ Top
2/5
White boi boogie - not great, not terrible
k.d. lang
3/5
Smooth, the country chanteuse over some nice pedal steel. Not stellar and all in a very similar lane. Coffee shop stuff
Dire Straits
2/5
Avoided this when I was 15, it isn't any better now - Sting is the best thing on the album. Very worrying how this sold so many CD players considering how miserable it is. Good closing track though
Steely Dan
5/5
Love it, have loved it for a long time, despite it being a moustachioed cliche. Peak smooth AOR
The Go-Go's
3/5
OK, nothing especially memorable outside the hits, and they didn't get enough of a reaction to get tagged for a playlist
2/5
3 nasal harmonica drones in and it's goodnight irene - just can't get past that voice and lack of beauty in what he puts out
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
So much filler, and no real killer
Ray Charles
3/5
Yeah, seminal and all that - also music for people who are just old or who have heard this stuff on romcoms
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Had this as a teenaged obsessive of the NME and Melody Maker, but never really got it or got on with it. And now I'm over 50, I still don't. Noise doesn't make up for a challenging lack of melody. Extra star for 'Soon'
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Grrrr jjjjjggggghhhh grrrrrrnnnnnngggg with a dude mumbling over it
The Darkness
2/5
Still as exhausting and knowingly 'clever' 20 years later - as is Justin. One half decent song reminds you that the proper bands delivered four or five per album - and had more than just ironic fun as their selling point
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
love these guys, but not so much on this album - other stuff is amazing, live in particular
this feels like an epilogue
Mercury Rev
2/5
Weird nerdy nasal hollow sounding stuff
Coldcut
2/5
Not on spotify, not that interested
Giant Sand
3/5
Not bad, moody and evocative, or just one note sad lad crooning
Ice Cube
1/5
Nott for me dawg
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Responsible for the worst song in history.
Never surrender, never forget
This isn't terrible, but still - Come On
John Lennon
4/5
Lifelong Beatles fan - from the day the guy was shot, and have only just listened to his solo stuff this year - and for this one, today. The best riff is saved for the meanest song - perfect Lennon move, with George twisting the blade. Enough good here to make the less good fade away
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
More music that's not for me. Title track much better when remixed for Cafe Del Mar, the rest of it? No gracias mate
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Pretty basic 60s stuff, some of it total dross. Most of it really - but no worse than anyone except the very best were producing in 1966
Eurythmics
3/5
Enjoyed it, didn't 'like' any of it into my playlists, unlike some other 80s stuff - so only 3 stars
Massive Attack
2/5
Owned this CD, because you were supposed to like Massive Attack - but unlike blue lines, this had no massive bangers. And now it is just dull and completely forgettable
Lambchop
3/5
It wasn't as bad as the reviews suggested, or as good as the critics would have you believe
Flamin' Groovies
2/5
not great, the spotify bio suggests there might be some groove, or blues to this, but there isn't - it's pretty much sub Stones pub rock garbage
Simply Red
3/5
Enjoyed it more than I expected - good white boy soul, without his ego getting in the way. The famous tracks are the most annoying, a preview of what was to come. Soundtrack to many a boomers shagathons
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Good but not great, and just because she drank herself to death with a smackhead doesn't mean she gets to be better than Dusty Springfield. Plenty of Amy wannabes have stepped into her shoes but left the needle and brandy alone
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Didn't listen, couldn't do it to myself - it was shite in the 80s, won't be any better now
Björk
1/5
No thanks love
Kings of Leon
3/5
Not as strong as I remember it being back when it came out. Still good though
Scritti Politti
3/5
Love a bit of Scitti Politti, but it is all a bit samey and they needed some new disks for their synth, the stabs are a bit repetitive
Leftfield
3/5
Chill but dull, I owned this cd back in the day because you were supposed to, not enough piano happy house bangers for me. All a bit samey
George Harrison
5/5
Waited too long to do solo Beatles, particularly this one. Became the soundtrack to an epic and sad trip around India, and convinced me that what John and Paul were really missing in their solo work was the melodic genius who put this together. Ignore the jam disc, you don't need it. Listen to the new remastered version and let the vibe of the most but also least ascerbic genius songwriter sweep over you. So much loveliness, so many great riffs that could have been insanely good Beatles tracks if not for ego
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
I think it was OK - couldn't tell the difference from all the other bloody Elvis Costello I've been made to listen to
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
Couple of bangers, rest is struggling to be filler
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Never listened to them, he's not a good front man or singer - or songwriter it seems. And it seems I was right, this is proper shite
Ice Cube
2/5
Not my thing at all
Ella Fitzgerald
2/5
Feels like tokenism - great singer and some amazing tunes, but feels out of place alongside Ice Cube and the Shamen - this isn't really on topic
The Shamen
2/5
Opens strong and then, what on earth is the rest of it?
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
Enjoyed this more than I expected - her voice isn't great, but the tunes have an ache to them, and the rage in a couple is very sharp
The Libertines
3/5
They were too hip and wanky for me when they were God's Gift - listening now, some decent grooves and guitar work, but they are just as one of the better comments states - Landfill Indie. Plenty of other bands doing this without burning their trackmarks with silk cut
Os Mutantes
3/5
Feels like quota filling, how is this notable for anything other than being mental brazilian physchedila rather than british or west coast trippy bollocks
Fun but also proper fucking mental
Big Black
1/5
I guess someone might like it. I certainly didn't
Neil Young
3/5
erm, lovely, but also quite samey in the second half
Paul McCartney
4/5
Inexplicably - despite being a Beatles obsessive for 50 years, apart from the odd McCartney release in the early 80s, and Band on the Run - I didn't go anywhere near any of the solo stuff until last year.
This isn't Ram, or up with the other immediate post Beatles stuff, but there are moments that sink in and stay. Maybe I'm Amazed is stunning, what could the best backing band in history have added to it?
The alternate takes on the archive version are equally cool
Destiny's Child
2/5
All feels a bit formulaic and odd now one of them is treated like a deity - the music here was fun, but isn't fun anymore unless you happen to be smashed off your tits in a shit club
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Crooooooooooon you irish fecker
New York Dolls
2/5
I'm sure this is another seminal collection of cutting edge stuff that actually is bereft of melody or originality - its just 60s garage rock with leather and eyeliner
Metallica
3/5
Yeah baby, accessible metal. I had this beast when I was at Uni - loved the edge to a couple of the billion stream bangers, but honestly couldnt remember any of the filler tracks.
Still - worth a few stars for some epic riffery
Bee Gees
1/5
Oh you can't be serious - I had to hear it to believe how crappy this is. A response to Sgt Pepper and Pet Sounds? Yeah, sure - this has nothing comparable to the worst tracks off those albums.
My only issue - 1 star or 2?
Ash
2/5
Meh indie meh
The Modern Lovers
2/5
This is not good. I don't understand American music sometimes.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Guilty by association? Possibly. Was never interested, and after about half the album, won't be listening again. Not terrible, just not my bag
The Slits
1/5
Punk was deliberately shit. So it follows that 45 years later, it is still pretty badly shit - no extra points for boobs
Jethro Tull
3/5
Listened thru a few times, enjoyed it - the flute is an unusual tool, but the grooves on some of these tracks are undeniable. Not sure I'll drop into rotation, but interesting stuff
The Youngbloods
3/5
Enjoyed this. All over the place, but in a good way rather than 11 songs sounding very similar as they can do in this era. Lots of pointers to stuff that will come later. Ride the Wind sounds like proto Steely Dan/Yacht Rock!
Khaled
2/5
If I want to listen to this kind of music, and believe me, I really don't, then I just go for a haircut here in the UK - where all of the gents salons have this playing whilst the football highlights are running
Goldfrapp
4/5
Actually much prefer the mellow and blissed out Goldfrapp albums to the disco bangers. Tales of Us is ethereal and was essential when I was commuting on twice weekly flights to Germany. This is in that vein, and therefore wonderful
The Zutons
2/5
Scouse no mark gobshites, more famous for a cover of one of their tunes than anything they ever did.
I think I had this and never got to the end of listening to the CD. It's fine, it's just not great in any way
Shack
2/5
Sub-LAs stuff I'd never heard of, and I liked this stuff
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
Nurdle - nowhere near baked enough to enjoy this, and not sure I would want to listen to it even if I was
Dolly Parton
2/5
Amazing harmonies, and some classic tunes, but really? Who'd decide to put this funereal dirge on for any reason?
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
There was a time and a place where this was cutting edge, it's now a curio. One track with any kind of groove, the rest is just angry noise that is kind of exhausting. Should be a 2, but Closer gives it an extra star even if it isn't going onto any kind of regular rotation
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
Not meaning any disrespect, but all I can hear is the backing music to people ordering many many pints of Cobra and some jalfrezi with naan breads
Frank Black
2/5
Listening to the Pixies without the rest of the band doesn't really make it much fun
Shivkumar Sharma
2/5
Did the Spotify thing, which was OK, then the Youtube version as advised, and it was actually less impressive.
Not my thing, but interesting nonetheless
The Who
4/5
Legendary live show turns out to be less amazing than you'd expect. Despite the band being on sensational form, and the recording quality is impeccable, the song selection seems a bit strange - lots of vintage rock and roll and not enough Who bangers.
Magic Bus though
Ray Price
3/5
Quite liked this - smoky and sleazy country
The White Stripes
3/5
It's alright, like most White Stripes stuff. Difficult to see past the ego of the guy, but he can produce the odd total banger. Didn't feel like there was one on here to match some of the others.
Generally, their stuff can feel two dimensional and slight
Sonic Youth
2/5
Nowhere near as good or cool as hipsters have made them out to be. Again, owned this, got very little play from me even in the pre-streaming, pre-ipod days
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Enjoyed this way more than expected - but I'm a Yacht Rocker, and some of the musicians on here are LA studio legends.
It was all going so well until the final track, which is just painful synth nonsense
Johnny Cash
2/5
One of those 'legendary' things that you hear about. I've never got Johnny Cash - or why he's so important. All his songs are very very very similar, and aren't heavy on melody or musicianship - but I get how he can be fun, and how it must have been amazing in 1968.
But still, this is just three quarters of an hour of a guy singing risque songs to some criminals
Bob Dylan
2/5
Dylan? Nope
Skepta
2/5
Nah bruh
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Bloody excellent, but not really compelling
Linkin Park
2/5
never been my thing, i'm too old to like wank metal, or wigga hip hop
Louis Prima
3/5
Lots of fun, and familiar from all kinds of movies. Not really my bag, baby, but happy I listened at least once
Fishbone
2/5
Can't remember if I'm blaming Melody Maker, NME or Q for me having owned this on cassette for nearly 40 years and only really remembering 2 songs.
Near mint copy for sale? This is, not good
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Clearly way better than Jane Macdonald, but the choice of songs seems somewhat similar
Beatles
5/5
I bought a copy of this when I was 11 - which is 42 years ago. I still find it wonderful.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
As was always the case - great beats and mood diluted by synth tropes and ruined by that nasal snark. They should have hired a singer
Hookworms
3/5
I like LCD, I like HotChip - I like this enough to add it to my 'give it a listen' rotation. Never heard of them
Beth Orton
3/5
OK, but nothing struck me as essential listening
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
This project has resulted in me ordering a few 'definitive' editions of remastered classic albums so that I can really optimise my enjoyment of the sonic majesty.
Not this shite though, sounds like it was recorded through a wall, and whoever was on the noodle wobble jug thingy is sat right next to the only microphone and wouldn't listen to the request to put the fucking thing down
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Surprised myself when I bought this when it came out - teenybopper groove. Mainly for the opening couple of tracks - but this is really Pharell's record, not Justin's
Big Star
2/5
Nothing remarkable here - I don't get the hype. These guys are held up as one of the greatest power pop bands - whatever that means. I think it is just that Americans are not good at pop music, because this is pretty uniformly underwhelming
G. Love & Special Sauce
1/5
What fresh hell is this? White boy rapping over swinging beats? No fucking thanks
Circle Jerks
1/5
Thank fuck this is only 15 minutes. Fucking terrible 15 minutes
John Lennon
4/5
Painful and magical - the recent 6 cd set shows you, similar to the All Things Must Pass set, how fully formed some demos were on take 1, but also how the music transforms through collaboration. Some amazing moments on this - and great to hear a clean Lennon vocal that isn't double tracked
The xx
3/5
Wallpaper
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
So full of classics, but just one that I need to keep on rotation and it isn't the big moody title track
The Go-Betweens
2/5
Bland - one half decent pop song and 9 dull ones
Charles Mingus
3/5
Track A - a lot of fun
Track B - somewhat less fun
Track C - mental
Mode D, E, F - not sure what is going on
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
He was an odious sneering prick back when I was reading smash hits. Never listened to anything he did that wasn't forced on me by the radio. The hip hop here is cool, but it isn't McLaren's doing
The Police
4/5
A favourite for a long time, apart from that one track that's way worser than a ringo one
Funkadelic
3/5
Weirdly mostly missing from Spotify, but also something I've had on physical media in the past. Boogie wonderland. One album under the same groove.
Taylor Swift
2/5
Never done any Ms Swift listening apart from the Shake It thing. This isn't meant for me - it's fine, but it really will be stuff for my 18 month old daughter to love, not her 50+ dad
Tom Waits
2/5
Yeah, not for me dog. The acclamation of genius to an old pisshead growling over piano pisses me off more than the music itself
4/5
Way better than I expected - lots of mental concept album stuff going on here, and a properly mental backstory
The Roots
3/5
Yeah, groovy and all that - but also feels a bit too influenced by Prince without delivering on this magic
Eagles
3/5
Better than expected - the classics are overplayed. Some of the other stuff is hit and miss, still found one or two that I liked the sound of
1/5
Fuck off punks
Roxy Music
3/5
Not as good as some others, but Dream Home Heartache is alltime excellence
Orbital
2/5
Legends, but this kind of thing ain't my bag baby. Prefer Underworld, because they occasionally use some melody rather than just beats
Donovan
3/5
Couple of massive bangers, for their time, but the rest of it is both a bit mental and quite dull and similar. He doesn't have the best voice.
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
oh for fucks sake, cheer up lad
The Coral
3/5
Love the Coral mostly - some amazing tracks drawing lineage back to the best of British pop. This album is really quite patchy though
Madness
2/5
Never liked them. Oi. They have a couple of half decent melodies, but this is music created for people who like to shout along to their favourites, just as they would do on the terraces
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Wow, nostalgic. This was in my dad's vinyl collection that I explored after wearing out his Beatles records. Found it odd - found it fun, listening again was quite odd. Blues Variation definitely very fun, but the rest is peak wankerdom by prog monsters
Genesis
2/5
Tried to listen twice, didn't get it and lost focus
Elliott Smith
3/5
Either this is lovely late night melancholia or it is indulgent sad boy guitar wankery.
Probably both - all a bit samey, I'm generally too positive a person to love this stuff, but nor do I hate it
Elis Regina
2/5
First song was fun
What followed...not so much
Al Green
4/5
Loved this longer than I care to remember, on vinyl too. How does it sound so brilliant? What being horny really sounds like... doesn't get better than some of these tracks
Carpenters
3/5
Exactly as schmaltzy as you think it might be. High quality shmaltz, but despite that voice, it all sounds strangely bloodless
Easy listening for stepford wives
Frank Sinatra
3/5
It all sounds the same, but it is the best of breed sameyness. Not sure I'd ever consciously decide to listen to this kind of thing - and Tony Bennett had more swing.
Love
3/5
Loved this (ha) as a teenager when I discovered it by chance rather than recommendation. However, it's quite flaky in places now I'm 40 years older
Pavement
3/5
It's alright, quite samey and his vocals can get a bit tiring. Better than most american indie music
Jeff Beck
4/5
Great fun, takes me back to being a blues obsessed teen - can't believe I missed this in my initial discovery of the 60's british masters. Some dodgy stuff takes a star off, but the playing on the belters is peerless
The Smiths
2/5
Never used to like them, he wasn't my cup of tea. This was reinforced by seeing Johnny Marr deliver blistering versions of his tunes, sung properly, at a festival. Not sure any of them were off this album though - it's OK, but won't be listening again
Bob Dylan
2/5
Ugh more bloody Dylan - and even this, as important as people seem to think it is, isn't universally popular - mainly because this bloke just cannot sing
Blondie
3/5
Nice - perfect vintage pop
Billy Bragg
3/5
It's fine, not my thing at all - subjected to too much BB as a younger music fan, and amount of Wilco magic can take that away
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Surprisingly good - funky, when I was expecting sub Joni Mitchell folky stuff. Won't be likely to listen again, but can't fault most of this
Aerosmith
2/5
American tosswads trying and failing to emulate the Stones and/or the Zep. Just one half decent hook on the whole album of overproduced questionable cock rock.
So many better options, even a couple of them are actually American - Skynyrd or CCR
The last track is all you need to listen to - rock as a show tune with strings. Mick and Keef would never have stooped so low
M.I.A.
2/5
Perennial example of an album included because of one massive track. plenty of these from the 80s and 90s too - this is just unlistenable nonsense, but an extra star for that massive song
CHVRCHES
2/5
Yeah, it isn't what it was 10 years ago - feels a bit tepid in places. Influential, but also culpable.
And a million miles away from the magic that is proper 80s synth pop
Pere Ubu
2/5
Musically not terrible, they should have got rid of the "singer" and whoever is fucking about with the noise pedals though
Won't be listening again
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Already had the two bangers marked here, but the rest of the album is pretty sweet too. So much talent, so many pointers to the magic that was coming
Violent Femmes
3/5
Opening tune is from my favourite ever film, but it's not actually that amazing. Rest of the album is similar - sounds weirdly jaunty but also fucking furious, if a glockenspiel solo can sound angry.
Better than 95% of us alt rock from the same period - looking at you B52s, you shitwads
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
Soo boooored
Would it hurt to get a singer involved?
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Another one trick album - that trick being the track with all the streams, and it's brilliant. The rest feels like standard 1980's filler fare
Jacques Brel
1/5
Zut Alors
28 minutes of my life gone in a swirl of gitane smoke and badly recorded crooneur nonsense. I'm sure this is fun if you get the words, but if it was an English guy with this level of histrionics and that musical backing it would be absolutely awful and nowhere near this list
Radiohead
4/5
Three or four works of genius, but some knob twiddling too - not quite the peak of their output
The Flaming Lips
3/5
One standout track and then lots of examples of why they needed to be sensational live - that voice just doesn't cut it if the band aren't smashing it
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
2/5
It's fine. I'd never choose to listen to it, wouldn't know it to be different from other similar stuff
The Incredible String Band
2/5
Nuts
And not in a great way
Cream
3/5
3 absolute melting classics and 7 standard 60s blues rockers, and one 1 comedy closer
Listen to Mr Baker, quite extraordinary what was in the water in the UK to create him, Moon, Bonham, Starr and others
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Better than peak Britney - isn't that all that matters?
Van Halen
2/5
Cheesier than a triple cheese burger with cheese fries and shake. Without the hair, the spandex or the bikini's, it all sounds a bit too formulaic.
Best track is Panama, but that's a jock anthem and feels sub ACDC on all levels.
Jump is too synthtastic and just overplayed
Hot for Teacher is Beavis and Butthead boogie fun though
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Great album - not written for me, but I can appreciate some of the wizardry of the samples and the musicality of his lyrics.
X-Ray Spex
2/5
Better than most of the punk that was kicking around - the sax helps, as you can't just thrash that instrument. I think her voice is also much more interesting that most punk yellers.
Still, won't ever listen to any of it again
Britney Spears
1/5
Erm, are the people running this list OK? This isn't peerless pop music - one annoying hit doesn't mean this is a classic album
Madonna
2/5
Overblown production sounds so stilted today - Like a Prayer, Express Yourself etc. were more about the video than the music itself.
Extract this music from the hype and scandal of the time and it's just sub-Janet Jackson formulaic tunes with a less than stellar singer
Willie Nelson
1/5
Jesus Christ Almighty - how has this dude made an epic and legendary career out of delivering this kind of country by numbers bollocks?
Rod Stewart
3/5
Half decent. Such a shame he never found a true rocking place for that voice - and became a sad but very rich standards crooner
Lana Del Rey
3/5
Don't mind her whole vibe - it's archly gothic and a little stalker/bunny boiler, but every song sounds like the others - and that seems to be the case for her 2024 stuff when compared to this
It is all quite soporific too - not really stuffed with party bangers
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
An old favourite - absolutely loved this as a younger man. Still holds up, but I can see how it might be a bit repetitive
Duke Ellington
2/5
Trad Jazz just ain't my bag baby
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Surprisingly nuts - wasn't 100% focused on what was going on, and thought that Spotify was on shuffle. Probably need to listen again, but well behind track on this project...
1/5
Damn you - no Zero Star option
This is everything that's been wrong with American music for the past 25 years - meatheads making music for other meatheads.
Good luck to them and keep them and their fans as far away as possible from my children
The The
3/5
It's OK - nothing really reminded me of the intensity of Infected, which seared into my brain as a teenager, and still moves me.
Standard 80's agit-groove fare
The Dictators
4/5
Liked this, it is simple, it is stupid, but also feels more vibrant than all the other Yank garage rock we are supposed to respect. Excellent guitars, great vibe throughout
The Prodigy
2/5
How did we have the energy to listen to 80 minutes of this stuff in the 90s? Not top banger stuff, but still pretty fucking banging
The Auteurs
3/5
Harmless and toothless - they weren't for me when I was an obsessive indie kid of 23, they definitely haven't aged as well as I have for the past 30 years
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Nope, always a nope these guys. Where's the melody?
The Doors
3/5
Nice, better than I thought it might be
Kate Bush
4/5
Enigmatic genius makes album full of weird and wonderful stuff
Blue Cheer
2/5
I'm sure it was sensational and revolutionary when it came out, but thru a 2024 lens it just sounds a bit overblown and full of cliche - even if it was one of the originals, there's a reason this isn't up there with Zep and Cream
Bob Marley & The Wailers
1/5
I'm allergic to Reggae, particularly the melodic stuff that uni tossers 'love' as they get baked
Bauhaus
2/5
Meh, moody, some of it quite tuneful - nothing stood out and it felt quite long. Not for me.
Finley Quaye
2/5
Like the hits, very mellow. Didn't really like the guy himself from what I remember.
Music for middle class white women who have had a few too many glasses of rosé at the garden party
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
Weird one, could have been a little like the mighty Jill Scott (who probably isn't on this list), but it falls short. The vignettes are not particularly flattering, and the songs aren't terrible, but they aren't amazing either.
Time will judge that this isn't a classic of any type.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Been on the 'should listen to that' list forever, decades. Now I've been forced to, I'm underwhelmed. The big ballad actually felt better when Badfinger did it, Coconut loses out on the Tarantino context, but Into the Fire is a beast even without the helicopters.
The rest of the album feels like indulgent filler in a time when McCartney and Floyd and others were dripping with full coverage of both sides
De La Soul
3/5
Remember loving the hits, and it was fun to hear the first couple of skits. This was revolutionary - shame rap ended up more on the sexist, gun tilt than this whirligig of old soul and beats
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
I love the first few bars of one of these songs, so that's worth a star. The rest of it? Influential but also uninspiring and very samey
Liz Phair
2/5
Felt a bit miserable, and not the best singer - couldn't get into the presumably deep messages she's putting out there.
Gave up before the hour was done
Bon Jovi
2/5
Rocking out with your cocking out. Music for meatheads, and the girls who wanted vanilla hair metal.
Except Wanted Dead Or Alive - that is epic. East coast cowboys....
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
A cassette from my youth. Didn't get much play - Killing Moon and Seven Seas aside. Clearly so, as I didn't recognise any of the other songs.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Ah lovely, such a shame they lost their way. Saw them tour this album in a sweaty 3rd room at the Carling Academy in Brum - a few years later there were teenage girls screaming about their Sex being on Fire in the National Indoor Arena and it was time to let the band go
OutKast
2/5
Another album you bought (pre-Ipod days) just for that one track. Because the rest of it is nutso nonsense.
Aerosmith
3/5
Yes. It does.
Garbage
2/5
Another trip into nostalgia of my cd collection - wasn't that big a fan, but they were very hyped. Opens strong, then a LOT of filler.
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
Po faced misery guts of a band, generally loved by people who would be boring if you ended up sat with them in the pub. And the Welsh. This one hasn't even got any of their "hits" on it
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Nice enough, nothing too exciting or likely to ever be listened to again - standard 90s bedroom twee
U2
3/5
Back when these twats were just about tolerable and hadn't fully manifested their god complex...
Dr. Dre
1/5
Not my thing - but 30 years later, it all sounds a bit ridiculous
Steve Winwood
3/5
It's OK, clearly 80s music from the birth of the decade. His voice, sometimes, a bit too much
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
2 or 3 melting bangers, lots of filler - makes it difficult to score, but Superfly is worth 2 stars on its own
The Smiths
2/5
Could have been a 40 minute song - same beat, same guitar, same mad warbling
not for me
Faust
2/5
Different and not obnoxious, but not something I particularly enjoyed. Not going to go look for more Faust, or purchase a CD copy
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
One monster, but also pretty high quality in some of the other tracks, given how early and formative this was
Coldplay
3/5
The McNugget Meal of an album - you know you shouldn't, but damn if it isn't good in the moment of consumption, followed by deep guilt and a promise to avoid doing that bad bad thing again
Until...
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Always struck me as belonging to that class of intellectual luvvies like Jarvis and those twats from the Housemartins, so never bothered to listen to any of his music. Gets a point for Father Ted, but the rest of it is inoffensive and forgettable
Baaba Maal
2/5
Not for me - good luck to you if you like it, but I couldn't finish it
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
First track is amazing, an all time favourite. And then we're in a cuban restaurant waiting for a song you recognise. Nice enough - nothing wonderful
Dennis Wilson
4/5
Finally took some time to listen to an album that I knew I should try. I love a bit of Jonathan Wilson - Fanfare in particular - and you can see where he gets some of his inspiration, this is beautiful mellow melodic magical stuff. Needs a few listens to soak in, and space to feel it wash over you
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Given my age, and being a Brit, I have a soft spot for funky 80's stuff similar to Janet Jackson. A couple of tracks here tickle that nostalgia bone - Girlfriend in particular is nearly groovy enough to be a song Prince might have given to whoever he was trying to bang that month. Worth a star on its own.
Rest of the album is fine, without being amazing. Didn't listen to the french version, why would you?
Black Sabbath
4/5
I must have enjoyed this one - 3 straight listens on repeat. Classic Sabbath that I hadn't heard before, not sure why.
Proper bostin'
Beck
3/5
Yeah, it was alright. Opens strong and then....it's all a bit too similar and lacking in oomph
Mudhoney
3/5
It's alright, nothing amazing
Foo Fighters
3/5
Weird, I generally picked up Foo Fighter CDs as they came out. Yes, it is butt rock, but it is usually fun shouty melodic mindless stuff. Grohl seems like a decent bloke most of the time, which is a rarity.
This was, um, OK - no clear bangers
Iggy Pop
2/5
Two big bangers, and even the Passenger is a bit shit really.
Not interested in any of the other sub Bowie stuff. He was better with is original mates
Kate Bush
4/5
Madder than Mad John McMad - but also perfectly pitched in its weirdness.
Paul Simon
2/5
Yeah, this is sub Randy Newman nonsense, or signposting the objectionable culture theft of Graceland.
Someone should really have been harsher when he presented these songs - Cars are Cars all over the world?
Slade
2/5
Sure it rocks, but it is rock by numbers for knobheads - it was in 1972 and is in 2024, I can't believe anyone loves this music
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
Bought this on record (not bloody vinyl) rather than tape in 85. Proving to be quite a sensible decision, as it is near mint from never being played. Thanks Q magazine, or NME, or whoever it was who told me this was the new coming. Couple of decent songs, but not what a boy obsessed with Tears for Fears was ready for.
Was, and is, music for hipsters wearing black
Randy Newman
2/5
Starting from a rough spot because this bloke's music is nails on a blackboard for me, even if it sometimes makes you sad in Pixar movies.
This is clever stuff, no doubt, but it is still music that feels lacking in the blood, sweat and tears that other stuff gets you engaged with
Smart, dry, dull
Miles Davis
4/5
Had this within 4 days of A Love Supreme, which I'm much more familiar with. It's excellent stuff, but almost too mellow to warrant an immediate replay and 5 stars
Cowboy Junkies
2/5
Sopor-fucking-ific. I guess it could work for something other than making me sleepy, but I am not sure what that might be
Animal Collective
2/5
Another case of a cool sound for a big hit becoming massively tiresome across a whole album. Nerd core
John Coltrane
5/5
As good as it gets for those of us not quite committed enough to get into Jazz properly. An entry drug that is very very good but doesn't mean you're totally hooked.
2/5
How many people with the t-shirt, or the poster, ever listened to this. Not bad for what it is, but it's a mess and a long way from the Stooges or the Experience offered in terms of melting their instruments onstage
fuck hipsters - the Zombies should be better known than the MC5
Culture Club
3/5
Solid if somewhat maudlin white boy soul - possibly the origin of what followed. Good bass and whilst his voice gets tiring, the Boy can sing
Won't be listening again
2/5
Identikit stuff - couldn't tell where one song ended and the other started. Pleasant enough, but really not anything I'm interested in hearing again.
Maybe her man would have done better if she had a bit of variety in her music?
Daft Punk
2/5
The hits hit good, the rest is terrible filler that no one listens to
The Police
3/5
Couple of amazing hits, and a lot of indulgent filler. Very well played filler, but filler none the less
Ali Farka Touré
1/5
Glad to get this shit out of the way
Sooooooooo boring
The Byrds
2/5
Nowhere near what I thought it might have been, no wonder they all went off and did better stuff
Fela Kuti
2/5
Not really my lane
Seemed OK - but I didn't tap my foot or stop to listen at any point
Björk
3/5
Enjoyed the nostalgia of this - from a time when you had to listen to your CDs over and again. But by god the girl still sounds a few shillings short of a full bag
The Associates
1/5
Does one half decent song make an album 'essential'? I don't think so, especially when it isn't as good as Ultravox and Simple Minds of the same era.
Most of this album is pure dreck
Fats Domino
2/5
Yep, seminal
Also very much can be visualised as part of a Tom and Jerry soundtrack, so much pastiche
Nick Drake
4/5
By some considerable distance the best Drake in music
The Saints
3/5
Not really my thing, but had never heard of them or any of their music, so gave it a full spin. Not bad - nothing into my playlists though.
Rock in the punk age, rather than pure punk
Skunk Anansie
2/5
Should be good. Should be Portishead with real instruments and a kicking beat. Should be able to remember at least one song from a 25 year old album, but I can't (maybe Secretly), and that's because it simply lacks any killer hooks, melodies or other things to make it something worthy of being cherished
Moby
2/5
I would instantly be suspicious of anyone who got excited about dancing to this aural wallpaper. It is fine for what it is - a load of other peoples work over a beat, but it is greige in the extreme
Fat Boy Bald
Bobby Womack
3/5
Good but nothing extraordinary or special. First 3 tracks not working on Spotify - but their play counts don't suggest Im missing much
Dion
1/5
Pure shite
Goldie
2/5
Ain't got time for this mate. Go make another Bond movie and spare us 20 minute drum and bass operettas
Wilco
2/5
I had this on CD, but wasn't able to remember any of it. Listening again, oh, so, dull. Where are those squealing guitars Wilco?
Janet Jackson
4/5
I was very much about this lane of music when I was a younger man - a great mix of Michael Jackson without the narcissism and lunacy, and Prince without the lunacy and narcissism.
This album isn't control, but Janet doesn't get enough credit for being Beyonce first
Dr. John
4/5
Surprised me - I was expecting a load of creole gumbo piano nonsense, not some weird voodoo tone poem
Excellent just for being so fucking different
Mariah Carey
2/5
Good to see that whilst God gave her the looks and the talent and gave her the spotlight, it was also very much the case that her choice of songs was dreadful sentimental crap.
But I like Honey, and she clearly had a sense of humour making the video
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
God almighty this is dull stuff with a loud bass
Pulp
3/5
Listened through this a couple of times, watched the video of the title track. The vibe is right in my lane, but I have a visceral reaction to Mr Cocker, he's just not Ferry or Bowie, however hard he seems to try.
Makes it difficult to love what could be a stellar album
David Gray
2/5
Ah, a charity shop classic - alongside Travis' The Man Who, and any Robbie Williams CD - this is ubiquitous
I also suspect this could be ground zero for the hideous state of modern music, or at least responsible for the moody, vulnerable troubador tribe that eventually became Ed Sheeran and his acolytes? Loses a star for that
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Five songs in my liked list, and I'm fussy. He was simply on a different plane to the rest of music, stolen from life and never ever replaced
Radiohead
4/5
Stellar stuff as usual, but not quite as gleaming as some of their other albums
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Iconic. Love that big bald horny head on my original vinyl, but the second side lacks the power of the first 2 tracks.
Van Morrison
4/5
Grumpy, soulful and magical in pretty equal measures
TV On The Radio
2/5
I really like an album of theirs that isn't on this list, this was not good - all the worst bits of their other stuff
The Vines
3/5
Not sure what happened here, I loved their 2nd album, which included some of these songs in better versions - one of my early iPod favourites, but this is all a bit meh apart from Get Free
The White Stripes
3/5
Bruising opener, and some fun in the rest of the tracks without being stellar - quite a few too many quirky tracks
808 State
2/5
One stone cold classic, 7 other noisy wordless 'tracks'
Silver Jews
2/5
oh dear, that's not a pretty voice - couldn't make it past the first 6 tracks
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Cool 70s songbird country - some cracking tunes and some less cracking
The Waterboys
2/5
I was deeply scarred by Come On Eileen, so any fiddlers on pop music need to be Charlie Daniels or I'm instantly dismissing them as dungaree wearing ejeets.
This is fine, and you can see how some people love the arse off of it. Not me though. Too many fucking fiddles.
Neu!
2/5
Seems very nice, but also quite slow - mostly instrumental krautvibes are not really my lane I've learned today
The Undertones
2/5
2 or 3 decent 'songs' but it is pretty relentless pop punk, and not really my bag
Joy Division
2/5
Possibly as low as you can get on the scale of 'party banger' music. And maybe too dark for its own good
The Prodigy
3/5
Far from surprising. I think I had this CD back in the day. Track 1 - heavy rotation, track 2 - decent rotation, track 8 is a banger but it was played out for me in 1997.
The rest of the album? Not good
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
Big chunks missing from Spotify, but I suspect I'm not missing too much given how similar the stuff that is there sounds. Harmless, but hardly earth shattering
New Order
3/5
An old friend, still sounds just as fresh today - but not really full of killer tracks
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
s'Alright. Not quite what a 54 year old pasty rock fan from Yorkshire tends to enjoy - fun beats, lots of juvenile stuff here. He can rap, the samples are beautiful, but this is more fun for my 14 year old son
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
Clapton was decent with the Yardbirds and Cream, a complete mentalist by this point and on his way to serious MOR bollockery by the 80s.
Always lauded by blokes who like their cars just a little bit too much.
Even Layla is a bit pants compared to other epic 70s guitar monsters
David Bowie
2/5
Odd - clearly there's a context here, but the music doesn't feel too dark. Or too inspiring. Late period Bowie is different from most old man rocker stuff, but it still doesn't grab me
Beastie Boys
2/5
1980's equivalent of Gen AI - stealing 95% of your content from actual artists
Some decent grooves here and there, but they weren't appealing to me and i was 16 when it came out
Klaxons
2/5
Golden Skans is a copper bottomed banger, the rest of it is far from essential - indeed quite generally dreadful.
Especially thier mauling of one of the best trance dance tracks in history. Playback was cut short to go find a nice 12 minute Perfecto version of that rather than carry on listening to these hacks
The Beta Band
4/5
Not their best, but still head and shoulders above most other stuff
Depeche Mode
3/5
This was the album before they got insanely good. Not too many serious bangers or specific moments in here - at least not on a first listen thru
Stevie Wonder
4/5
One of my favourites from my childhood, but only because there's a great single album in there, and another album full of self indulgent nonsense
Massive Attack
3/5
Another classic 2 banger album. Their later stuff was better, when they actually had more songs
LTJ Bukem
1/5
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Clearly a very important influence on my favourite band ever, but it is still nascent rock and roll, and quite twee, but there are a couple of hints and then you get a worldie to close the album, worth a star on its own
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Almost tolerable, for once.
Hardly a fan of toe tapping melodies though, is he
And I hate how he's supposed to be some kind of god level musician
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Not quite as dull as I expected, he's not the most latin of singers, but it works quite well