I've listened to new music a lot more in the past few years. By new music I mean anything that doesn't appear on the front cover of Mojo magazine. But Melodrama reminds me why I hate the formulaic approach to much modern music making. It's almost as if it's been written by an algorithm to hit all the right mass market consumer hot spots. A familiar theme for me in these reviews: no soul. Sorry.

Well that was a cheery start to Monday morning. It's not exactly Britney Spears. Pleasant, but you'd be hard pushed to call it music. More of a project.

A magnificent album that somehow managed to push through to the mainstream. Who knew that tales of messy sex, chopping up body parts and dead monkeys would be so popular? Everything is perfect about Doolittle; the songs, the musicianship, the production. Kim Deal's bass is an absolute beast and holds it all together. Note how the quiet, loud, quiet thing predates Nirvana by a couple of years. One of the few albums that I could play on rotation and not get bored.

What a delightful album. It was an absolute joy to discover this. It makes the 1001 project worthwhile. There's a downbeat soul feel throughout. No so much Move on Up, but take a look down instead. Things are happening, and not all of them are good. This is an introspective album from Curtis. Sadly not a lot has changed in America half a Century later. Add in the odd love song, plus THAT voice and you have the perfect album. This is a companion piece for What's Going On. Amazing. And short!

By default I should despise this type of music. Middle class white men whingeing. My prejudices haven't changed much after listening to it. I didn't know the Glyn Johns connection. This still doesn't rescue it. You need some Roll with your Rock. This album lacks any rhythm. I felt like I was listening to the soundcheck for a ropey pub covers band.

Too much saxophone action. Would have been a nice album with just the jazz drums and piano. Sorry.

Best thing I can say is that the running time of 34 minutes made the miserable listening experience as short as possible. It got ever so slightly interesting with Good Golly Miss Molly. Never trust a hippy.

Bubble gum pop with just a hint of rock 'n' roll creeping in. Would have been interesting if more drugs were involved.

Surprisingly soulful, great production. Gets a little preachy.

Terrifying album cover. Never judge, etc. That girl has lungs on her. Tremendous vocal delivery, honest and aware of the campness of it all. There's a very fine whiff of the '71 counter culture breezing in.

I've never actually listened to this album in full from start to finish. It felt a little like a history lesson, rather than a pleasant experience. I know that I'm suppose to adore Kraftwerk. I can't even pronounce their name properly. But I find it all a little... soulless. Sorry.

By default I should despise this type of music. Middle class white men whingeing. My prejudices haven't changed much after listening to it. I didn't know the Glyn Johns connection. This still doesn't rescue it. You need some Roll with your Rock. This album lacks any rhythm. I felt like I was listening to the soundcheck for a ropey pub covers band.

I love it how Bowie just jerks around on the whole album, not bothered about format, styles and song lengths. He is free to be... an artist. He'd probably earned this right by the time Station to Station was released. Or maybe it was the drugs? The bass line on Golden Years could get a reaction out of a corpse. Love it how TVC15 was played at Live Aid.

I wasn't expecting this. It's almost a Dylan goes electric moment. A BONKERS start as Save the Life of My Child crackles in. It then goes back to more folk sensibilities. They have the melodies, for sure. America is a bit of an anthem. The spoken word segments don't quite work for me. I want music, not randoms recorded on the street. Nice strings on Old Friends. Mrs Robinson is annoyingly over familiar.

You can't can't pigeon hole this as hip hop. PE sound like nothing else that has gone before. It's pure noise with a ferocious rhythm holding it all together. And that's before you even pay attention to the militant lyrics that are decades ahead of their time. Thirty years old. Blimey.

I've listened to new music a lot more in the past few years. By new music I mean anything that doesn't appear on the front cover of Mojo magazine. But Melodrama reminds me why I hate the formulaic approach to much modern music making. It's almost as if it's been written by an algorithm to hit all the right mass market consumer hot spots. A familiar theme for me in these reviews: no soul. Sorry.

It's the future, apparently. Does that include the bloody flute? 22 minutes was pushing it a little for the title track. The wonky key changes didn't help. At best this could be packaged up as Electro 18.

A very angry album - not exactly late night listening. But I guess that's the point. More funk than I was expecting. I think I would have loved this if I had been more street wise back in '91 and listened to hip hop rather than third rate shite Midlands indie crap. Check yerself before you wreck yerself, etc.

What a shocking album. I struggled to make it beyond the first track. It's billed as a concept album. That concept must be themed around crap. Lyrics such as "You know the neighbours that live next door, they haven't got their dog anymore..." don't help. I wish zero stars was an option.

Baba O'Riley has to be the best opener to an album ever. Nope - the keyboard changes in the first five seconds of Baba O'Riley has to be the best album opener ever. Then the chords kick in, drums next etc. The whole album just gets better and better throughout. Keith Moon's drumming on My Wife is class. Note Glyn Johns' involvement once again. Outstanding.

Something of a one trick pony. The album gets off to an outstanding start with Apache - probably the most sampled beats over the past 40 years. The bongoes then get a little annoying. It goes bongo bonkers in the Satisfaction cover. Austin Powers without the irony.

Great production, but that's the best I can offer. I'm sure there's a decent album in there, just not a genre I'm overly familiar with. The Fame sample was nice.

Clean cut country just before the alt.country started to surface. Decent songs: heartbreak, booze and prison. It's all there. I find it hard to listen to most country albums from start to finish, Johnny Cash notwithstanding. I made it to the end with Merle. Might revisit.

Nice band feel to this, despite being a solo effort. Proper guitar, drums and bass set up. Powers through, right from the opening chords of the first track. It loses some of the bite when the sound is stripped down to just guitar and vocals. Still, a mighty impressive debut.

Up Against the Wall Motherfucker as the opening track suggests that this isn't an easy listening album. I rather wish it was. I HATE rock music and all the macho posturing that goes with it. I put the kettle on before I made it t the end of Motherfucker. I had a much more enjoyable experience drinking my hot tea in silence.

21 songs filled me with dread at first. 35 minutes later and it was all over. I played Pink Flag for a second time. Intelligent and dumb - exactly how I like my guitar music. I had no idea that REM's Strange was a Wire cover. This is the very decent album that Elastica never made.

JLH was 73 when h recorded this. Wow. The late 80's production brings out the best of the blues guitar. It's a little trudge laden in places, but that's the blues, innit.

This passed me by, both then and now. Pleasant, but not memorable.

I rather enjoyed this. Groove is in the Heart is highly irritating because it is over familiar. There was a period between late summer and early autumn in 1990 where you couldn't escape this song. The rest of the album surprised me in a good way. The house tracks and pumping piano actually got my dancing around my MacBook. There's more depth to the album than I was expecting. I had no idea Bootsy Collins was involved.

The bass sounded non-existent on this. Maybe it was my Spotify being streamed through AirPods? The production sounded very tinny. Which is a shame as there could be a decent rhythm behind the lyrics. There's perhaps a concept album trying to break through here. It felt like there was too many competing genres trying to be heard. tbh I didn't give it my full focus.

Raw and tight - the live versions are far superior to the studio recordings. What a voice. You feel that Sam was constrained on record.

I wasn't looking forward to this. Zappa is one of those few artists where I just don't know where to start. I was surprised by the promising jazz intro on Peaches. It's actually quite a funky album for 1969. I lost a little interest during the guitar breaks. Gumbo at 12'54" is about 12 minutes too long.

Some great songs, yet spectacularly unfashionable. I liked the storytelling narrative that runs throughout. It reminded me of Meat Loaf without all the ridiculous posturing. Quite uplifting and cheery - not my usual thing. A very odd album cover art.

Refused to listen. You might as well ask me to take up ballet. Not going to happen.

Neu! are... new to me. I'v never felt brave enough to dive into Krautrock. This doesn't sound like it was recorded in 1975. It's not exactly a whistle happy sing-a-long album, more of a film soundtrack waiting to happen. It provided a decent wfh companion.

Pretty much a one man band by this time - but what a one man band. The opening five tracks are close to perfection. Imagine what this might have sounded like with contributions from his previous band members.

Great vocals and production. It felt like a proper album as well - just the right number of tracks without any filler. Soulful in places as well. The title track is a fantastic call to arms.

I'd forgotten how big FF were back in 2004. Take Me Out was bloody everywhere. This is probably why I made an effort to avoid the album at the time. With retrospect it's not bad, but certainly not worthy of the hype. So much of the content was lifted from elsewhere. The bass is strong and benefits from some decent production. The whole indie / dance crossover thing is about 15 years too late. I didn't find much else to hold my attention other than Take Me Out, which is something of a banger.

I know little about grindcore. I'd never listen to this voluntarily out of prejudice. But then I still play Crass records. I was quite intrigued by the two sides, two bands approach. Spotify messed this up slightly. Are there actually any coherent lyrics? A get up and go morning album. Not one for lovers late at night. Can't but help think there might be some melodies trying to break through.

I didn't know about the backstory and the nine unsuccessful jazz albums before this release. That shows some persistence. It's a rare example of the vocals matching up to the quality of the songs. A Change is Gonna Come is close to five star perfection. I found the album the ideal early morning listening for wfh.

This really isn't my kind of thing. I find it hard to rate something when I have no comparative point of reference. I don't understand the music, the language or the late 60's humour. I'm sure it meant something to someone at the time. But it's just not music for me.

It's easy to forget that Fugees only released two albums. I've always loved The Score. Clever lyrics and beats that still sound fresh. Ready or Not is a moody mutha. Killing Me Softly is far superior to Roberta Flack's original. This was EVERYWHERE back in the day. At a push it would make my top 10 songs of all time. The comeback vocal from Lauryn Hill towards the end is a real moment. Zealots samples Armagideon Time - there's your Clash connection. Plus any album that name checks Chaka Demus and Pliers is a bit special.

The analogue sound makes this album. Even listening via a digital stream you get a sense of old school equipment. A lot of the songs were unfamiliar - odd, seeing as though I played it constantly for a few months after its release. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself has an interesting take. I suspect it was something of an in joke between Meg and Jack at the time. Some of the harmonising reminded me of Queen. Oh dear.

Hard beats and a boastful vocal delivery. You can see why RUN DMC were so irresistible to Aerosmith. It was fun recognising parts of this album that other artists have sampled. Half the tracks on Electro 1-6 seem to have been lifted from the album. Dave put the record, etc.

Grunge hasn't aged well. I always viewed Mrs Robinson as comedy record. Didn't make it to the end of this album. I'd forgotten all about Juliana Hatfield.

Boardwalk is a far better cover than Bruce Willis‘s effort. I’ve always loved Wednesday Week.

I'm not sure what I was suppose to do with this album - dance or make love to it. It's that kind of groove. There can be worse activities that music leads you to. The upbeat tracks have a great rhythm going off. The ballads aren't the best of the genre. You'd be better off listening to What's Going On. Or Fat Larry's Band.

A little too clever and knowing. I like my music dumbed down. There's some great musicianship and production, if that's your kind of thing. I quite enjoyed the riff on Boston Rag. But it's hardly Teenage Kicks.

The stereo mix sounded weird on my AirPods. It was far too stretched - almost like listening to two different albums simultaneously. The album is strongest with the cover versions. Spanish Harlem and The In Crowd stand out. An interesting album from a historical perspective, but it doesn't speak to me in 2022.

One of the best opening tracks for an album. The bass and the strings carry it - and that's before you get to the outstanding vocals from Randy. The jazz funk instrumentals that follow feel like they are missing some vocals after such a powerful opener. It can get a little repetitive, but never dull.

It was a bit of a racket tbh. Did me head in.

I liked the collision of styles. Unfortunately Spotify didn't. It would only play the opening track for me.

It sounded like too many competing styles trying to break through. A little too heavy for my liking. The live drums worked well and the lyrics sadly remain relevant twenty years later. But I like my hip hop old style. I found it unlistenable in parts. The track Water is a mess.

Not exactly Sunday morning listening, not exactly how I like my hop hop either. The Daisy Age this isn't. It's very tight and well crafted, but doesn't speak to me. The life story samples aren't worth a second listen. My ears pricked up with the MTME Juicy sample.

Sigur Rós passed me by 20 years ago. I was aware of them, but I was too busy buzzing off me nuts to sit down and listen to space cadet music. I've mellowed since. Now is the time to take it all in. This still sounds like a live band, despite the layers that build up. Maybe I should have rolled a fat one back in the day and gone with the ride. It did drone on a little, mind.

I've become attracted of late to any form of tribal music. I love the romanticism and mystique that surrounds it. It's like a non-Western partisan and radical approach to music. Rocking the Casbah, etc. Ali Farka Touré has some great chants and even better blues. I've no idea what it all means, but I'm ready to enter the frontline.

Another album that is new to me. I loved it from the first opening seconds on Chivalry. It reminded me how brilliant albums use to be when they actually sounded like albums. 35-40 minutes is the perfect length. No ta to add ons and bonus tracks. Wonderfully wonky and unlike anything else around the time. You can hear the influences this had as post-punk grew up to become something a little more mature and socially aware.

One of those artists that I really should know more about, but sadly there are some major gaps in my listening history. There's only so much listening time available each day. This is defo Bob Harris alt-country R2 territory. Not the type of album I'd fire up for a Friday night. It had depth, both in terms of tunes and texture. That sounds pretentious bollocks. Sometimes it's the only way to describe AOR and the lack of irony or even humour within.

I really enjoyed listening to this again. It was my first introduction to Hendrix as a teenager 35 years ago. The way I listen to music, and the way I appreciate it has changed a lot since. It was great hearing tracks that I know inside out, yet still finding something new to get me excited. Jazz wasn't on my radar 35 years ago. I can now hear how Hendrix took jazz rhythms and then scrambled them up to produce a masterpiece. It would have been 5 stars if it was a single album, and not a double.

A great album that has plenty of funk and tight arrangements. Talking Heads were often over analysed with plenty of post modern bollocks written about them. I think they were just a fantastic little dance band. I prefer the Talking Heads version of Take Me To the River over the original. Controversial.

Probably my favourite Radiohead album. I always found it hard to buy into band's vision back in the day. The music papers tried to pigeon hole them in with Britpop. This clearly didn't fit, and so I didn't really understand what they were trying to achieve. I did buy The Bends, and played it constantly for a couple of months. It still stacks up - possibly more so now once the Britpop prism has long since been removed. The production on the drums sounds fantastic. Plenty of beef to compensate for the more bed wetter moments. I've given this 4. It could be a 5 tbh.

Most of these songs are so ingrained in popular culture that it's easy to forget that this is a debut album. It almost runs like a Greatest Hits. The pub rock production is great. I suspect the songs were even better when played live. Watching the Detectives should have been the album opener, not the final track. A minor gripe.

My favourite Bowie album - although every Bowie album is my favourite album from Hunky Dory through to The Lodger whenever I play them. This was his sixth album - SIXTH ffs. It was recorded almost as an afterthought in-between legs of the Ziggy tour. It gets a little deep in places and shows where the cracks were starting to appear. Mike Garson's haunting piano ramblings darken the mood, as well as adding a touch of Les Dawson humour. Pretty much flawless. His name was always Buddy. Yep.

There's so much to enjoy from this album: the vocals, the sensitive production, the general all round ambience and warmth. But it comes down to the songs. There's not a poor choice on here. Each track is a masterpiece in song writing. Carole King makes the album personal with the emotion coming across. I've returned back to Tapestry for over three decades now. Each time it still delights.

I'm starting to see the appeal of desert blues. I've no idea what the lyrics are about. They're probably singing about egg mayo sandwiches. But this does sound like an uprising, even if I don't know what I'm uprising against.

Not quite the groundbreaking album I was led to believe. Some of the Streetsounds compilations piss all over this. The Message itself is magnificent. But the rest is a little electro auto-pilot.

One of those albums that I've always wanted to love, but never really given it close attention. There was so much competition in the early 90's when it came to spending your weekly music allowance. Polly Harvey somehow slipped through the cracks. I think it was because she didn't fit into the early 90's scene as Britpop was starting to bubble. Thirty years later and the post rock sound really appeals to me. Sheela-na-gig is an absolute romp of a song.

This was a welcome surprise. Paris 1919 couldn't be more far removed from the Velvets. It's an uplifting pop album with a wonderful warm and homely production. Not exactly an album in which to take Class A drugs to. I'm never really a fan of concept albums. They require too much investment for a narrative that probably doesn't interest you. But a pop album about the Paris Communes worked well for me.

I wanted to really dislike it. I'd written it off as mid-70's plodding turgid rock before I even gave it a listen. I thought I wouldn't last longer than five minutes. This is the very reason why we needed punk so desperately. But it's actually half decent. If I drove a car I can imagine putting my foot down to some of the tracks. But I ride a bike and have more soul and reggae as part of my infernal movement. But yeah, it's alright.

This is good - really good. Well-crafted songs delivered with some unashamed pop confidence. The late 80's production doesn't surrender to the trends of the time. It brings out the best in the song writing. How Streets of Your Town wasn't a massive hit I don't know.

Fairport's second album in a year - unthinkable these days. They saved their best for the second half of 1969. Sandy Denny's Who Knows Where the Time Goes is flawless. Elsewhere and the folk shackles are thrown off to create something of a rocking album. I can't decide if I love this album because it's so important to the evolution of British folk & rock, or just because it's brilliant.

I like deep throat, growly Len. This album seems like a transition from folk singer to storyteller. I need to come back to this to take in some of the themes and tales being told.

'Double live album' - refused to listen.

I wasn't expecting much and I didn't get much. Bolan was great as a pop star. Any Best Of knock off will serve you far better than his actual album back catalogue. This album plods with some very average musicianship. A drum machine could provide more soul. Ballrooms of Mars raised a little interest - a Division 2 Ziggy. I've given it two stars - one each for the outstanding two singles.

This is new to me. It completely passed me by when released. It started promising, but then I got a little bored tbh. UK trip hop does the slowed down beats far better. This just reminded me of dull late nights in over-priced Shoreditch bars over 20 years ago.

Bold and brash, full of ego. The vocals hover a little around Liam territory - not surprising given the Britpop territory at the time. This reminds me of listening to The Evening Session every night. The Charlatans always seemed to have a single out - a bit like The Smiths a decade earlier. North Country Boy bit of an anthem; there's a killer bass on One to Another. This was the start of the more thoughtful songwriting from the band. Tremendous stuff.

An album that I'm already very familiar with. It's a tough act making a hard rock sound acoustic friendly for Unplugged. There's a real sense of the band being hopelessly under-rehearsed. This is good. They make it up as they go along with some wonderful results. Kurt has an almost apologetic persona. The Bowie cover works a charm. Shout out to Dave Grohl with his brush drumming light touch work. This helps the whole album to hang together.

Funk metal shouldn't exist.

This was grim. It was hard work getting to the end. Metal is shit. 80's power metal doubly so.

I hesitated over giving this album 5 stars - but not for too long. If an album is perfection then it's worth ranking it to the highest level. Protection was such a defining record when it was first released. It still tells us a lot about the mid 90's, without losing the edge over the pst 25 years or so. Sometimes I think it's the production that makes this album stand out; then I think it's the songs. Or maybe the vocals of Tracey Thorn alone? It's probably all three. Right place, right time. Still banging.

You know this is Chic, right from the opening bass lines. It's such a defining and unique sound. They've almost crated their own genre. The singles and upbeat tracks work best. Impossible not to toe tap along with. Not a great, great album, but certainly a decent listen.

A magnificent album that somehow managed to push through to the mainstream. Who knew that tales of messy sex, chopping up body parts and dead monkeys would be so popular? Everything is perfect about Doolittle; the songs, the musicianship, the production. Kim Deal's bass is an absolute beast and holds it all together. Note how the quiet, loud, quiet thing predates Nirvana by a couple of years. One of the few albums that I could play on rotation and not get bored.

This wasn't as great as I remembered it at the time. It's still a very polished album, but I think I got caught up in the hype when it was first released. There's great musicianship and the ambience of the album is maintained throughout. I wouldn't be in a hurry to for a repeat play though.

I didn't dislike this. It just wasn't for me. I really do try and experiment with different genres. But this didn't have any connection to me. There's some decent rhythms and a nice groove going off. Two stars for that, but I'm struggling I'm afraid.

Life's too short to listen to this. I did however skip to Orgone Accumulator out of curiosity. The Pop Will Eat Itself cover pisses all over this.

How is the album almost 25 years old? Gosh. I knew the singles from back in the day, but never really explored the album. My loss. Holes and Goddess remain outstanding. Such quality, crafted songs. The understated vocals draw you in. Quality listening.

I quite enjoyed this in a passive way. I've never really understood Frank and the clamour to eulogise him. I confess to not paying too much attention to this. I was busy with other tasks and had it on in the background. But it was soothing. Wiki said it's a concept album. That completely passed over me.

This felt like bing at Church. Not a good place to be. The Naughty Little Flea got right on my tits.

Interesting, but sounded a little dated already. Lazy comparison, but I'd probably turn to Daft Punk if I was in the mood. A half decent Body Pump fitness soundtrack.

What an album! Al is performing in the studio, rather than just recording - quite a distinction. There are so many subtle changes in vocal style. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is more than the perfect pop song. Pretentious warning alert: it's a work of art that can't be beaten. The Hammond organ holds it all together, along with the horn stabs. Amazing stuff.

A little too twee and country-fied for my liking.

I tried to listen to this without thinking too much about the Nick Drake backstory. But it runs heavy throughout the album. Which all makes for a compelling listen. The song structures are wonderful. The recording is almost in demo form. Rather than wonder what might have been, I think it's best to appreciate this album as a snapshot of the talent.

Another artist that I'm afraid I come to with some prejudice. I find it difficult to separate the music from the lifestyle. Neither are for me, tbh. This isn't a bad album. It's got a good groove running throughout. Yer man can clearly hit the right notes. I think I'd rather explore early 70's funk if I was in the mood.

What a bloody racket. Their Mums must be so proud.

This was great. I've been struggling to find a route to get into alt country, for want of a better term. Sweetheart of the Rodeo might just open the door for me. It's a little dated in attitude and themes, but then so are most albums from the late 60's. There's a strong band theme with everyone working together. The choice of covers are strong.

Strangely hypnotic in places. This is possibly the only type of metal that I can stomach.

Really loved this. It's got such a warm, analogue feel to it. I had no idea this album even existed. The Wiki page description about the circumstances surrounding the album match up perfectly with the music. I would probably give this a 5 if I was overly familiar with it. Four stars will do now for. I've just bought a copy on CD and so we'll see over the coming months.

I'm probably a little odd in that I like very, very early Elvis, and very, very late Elvis. At a push I would say the latter is my preferred listening. The completely bloated showman, just about holding it all together for one last stand. Which means that this album sits somewhere in the middle. It hasn't got the rawness of the pre-army period, or the polished production just before he copped it on the shitter. It's decent, but you can already sense the Hollywood mediocre years that were to follow.

Refused to listen. Played some Crass instead.

Quite a debut. It just about still stacks up with all the hype it received at the time. Suede aren't shy about where they lifted their ideas from. At least they have a decent taste in music with Bowie and a brief stomp through the glam back catalogue. It's a shame what followed with the Britpop bollocks. Suede never fitted into this scene. They were far too clever, far too questioning of everything. This led to their sound being drowned out when arguably they had reached their peak. This debut was a hard act to follow. Very strong. I've had my moments in the past listening to Animal Nitrate...

I'm not sure this album was worth the 22 year wait. The DJ Wrongspeed thing is annoying.

I didn't really give this my full attention. It sounds like the type of album you need to really focus on to gain any kind of reward. I liked the more jazzy moments. I didn't his voice a little... whiney.

Well that was a cheery start to Monday morning. It's not exactly Britney Spears. Pleasant, but you'd be hard pushed to call it music. More of a project.

The songs didn't really work for me. I did like William Orbit's production though. I'd probably enjoy an instrumental version of this album as background music. Ray of Life is the exception which is a great pop song. I've given it an extra star for this track alone.

A band that I have wanted to try and get into. This was the ideal opportunity. They didn't disappoint, but they didn't quite get me over the line. I enjoyed the slightly distorted production. It added a real DIY element to the album. But it was the falsetto vocals and lurches towards disco that put me off buying a cheapo copy on CD.

The poor fella doesn't seem to be in a happy place. I don't want to particularly be in this place with him either. The track where the other half in the break up gets to have her say just drags it out further. I played Shaky and Bonnie's Rockin' Good Way to cheer me up.

This was great. I loved the intro acting as a prologue. It would probably get on your tits after repeat listens, but it helped to set the scene for me. Work It was a little cheeky back in the day. It still managed to put a smile on my face. The old skool feel with all the samples is strong, yet Missy still keeps it relevant. The Roxanne Roxanne head nod was a surprise. Like most hip hop albums, it's probably five tracks too long. I would have given it four stars if a little shorter, but three for now. Still very strong.

I made it to track number 5, but this just wasn't for me. I'm not a fan of hip hop albums that tell the story of the artist's history. Especially when it's a backstory I have zero interest in.

A wonderful album. I love the sensitive nature running through the songs, masked by the macho rock 'n' roll posturing. It's the songs that win through, all delicate and in danger of breaking into tears at any moment. The black leather hides the emotions well.

I thought I would hate this, then warmed to it after the first few tracks, before thinking meh towards the final third. It's a little too twee, a little too thigh-slapping. Plus I find it hard to enjoy an album that is all about guns. It has some romantic imagery, but I suspect it tells the story of a world that never really existed.

I enjoyed the DIY home bedroom element, especially the distorted bass. The album passed over me though. Not quite background music, but it didn't maintain my focus.

I really wanted to hate this. I can't tolerate Indie Lite does mainstream. There's no passion, power or point to the music. It's bland as fuck. I wasn't disappointed. Elbow are bland as fuck.

This trundled along rather nicely. Nothing too groundbreaking - just some decent tunes played out at a rolling pace. It needs a little more bite to get me fully signed up. But I like the almost disposable take it or leave it approach.

Such a dirty album. And that's why I love it. Looking back, I'm surprised that the 18 year old me was into Mudhoney. This is the same year that I bought a Chris Rea CD. Something clearly wasn't right. I could jump around to Touch Me all night long.

This is something of a timepiece. I'm not sure that I could give it repeat listens. It sounds like a work in progress and an indicator for what was to come. Sunny Afternoon stands out, but the rest wasn't the high standard of a Kinks Greatest Hits. At least I now know where The Coral lifted most of their ideas from.

I started listening to this with some interest, but then it got a little tedious. It was pleasant background music to work to, but nothing more.

The singles stood out, but not much else. I was expecting more.

This was bloody awful. It was like listening to a whole album of Joe Dolce. I prefer Dave Lee Roth's version of Just a Giglio - and that's saying something. The only relief was when the instrumentals silenced the 'humour'.

I love the innocence of this album. The medium really is the message with Rip It Up; just start something new... It could almost be Nile Rodgers on production for some of the tracks. The rhythms are so strong. Add in Edwyn's almost crooning like vocals and you get a very, very decent album.

I always thought Lloyd Cole a little too clever, a little too knowing for my tastes. I could just about get my head around a Smiths album, but Lloyd Cole to my young mind was a bit of a Bob Dylan. I'm pleased to be proven wrong. My personal intelligence hasn't advanced much over the years. But I've come to realise that you should approach music at a basic level. If you like it, then you like it. I like this.

I missed this at the time because of all the Mercury hype. I was a little suspicious of the industry back slapping and wanted to listen to it objectively. I never really got round to this until today. It's around thirty minutes too long, but is still decent. It's impossible to classify this a genre. I think BDB is a bit of a prankster like that. An impressive debut.

Given this 5 even before listening to it again. You know...

This was an uplifting start to the week. It also matched the summer mood. I' usually weary of foreign language albums. I wouldn't read a foreign language book, so why listen to an album I don't understand? I have very low cultural limitations. The language wasn't an issue here. The music carried it through.

I'm not sure what came first - Tribe Called Quest's debut or Three Feet High and Rising. Either way, you can hear the crossover and shared ideas. Q-Tip's smooth delivery style achieves the almost impossible of making hip sound relaxing. Bonita Applebum is very addictive. Hip hop was in a much healthier state three decades ago.

Didn't make it to the end. I quite liked the commanding nature of his voice, but it wasn't enough to carry it for me.

There's an edgy atmosphere running throughout the album. The recording captures a live moment which seemed unpredictable where anything might happen. Cash is a wonderful communicator. He has his ideal audience with the inmates. The outsider songs are still relevant today. Musically it's raw with only tow chords throughout. But the songs and the message are more important.

I quite enjoyed the old skool breaks, but that was about it. This is an album to dance to, rather than to listen to. No bad thing, but perhaps listening through my MacBook on Spotify didn't do it justice.

I found this bloody irritating with the OH SO FUNNY radio ads and jingles. The Spotify ads that dropped whilst listening were actually less painful. The songs themselves didn't add enough for me to overcome the radio bollocks. I've given it two stars on the the strength of I Can See for Miles alone.

I really wanted to give this an objective listen and try and understand a little more about the music. But it's just not for me. I'm never going to like any metal music. I stopped after the first track and played some Smokey Robinson instead.

Uplifting and a very bright start to the morning. I liked the variety of styles. It reminded me a lot of Carole King's Tapestry. Some decent Northern Soul head nods as well. Not life changing, but decent.

I confess to listening to this at the end of a long day whilst drifting off to sleep. It sounded stunning as I left one life and entered another. I may have been a little tired and emotional.

What a delightful album. It was an absolute joy to discover this. It makes the 1001 project worthwhile. There's a downbeat soul feel throughout. No so much Move on Up, but take a look down instead. Things are happening, and not all of them are good. This is an introspective album from Curtis. Sadly not a lot has changed in America half a Century later. Add in the odd love song, plus THAT voice and you have the perfect album. This is a companion piece for What's Going On. Amazing. And short!

I love the mini-soap opera that runs throughout this album. It'a a shame that the lyrics get a little lost in the music. This is Springsteen as a poet. His whole soul meets rock 'n' roll is hard to resist. The wall of sound works really well. There's something of a goosebumps moment when he sings "when the Big Man joined the band..." ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! Brooding.

I've always been put off by Buckley's whiny voice. He sounds like he is singing through his nose. This album did little to win me over. Wishy washy music. Betcha Coldplay are fans.

Double albums send the fear through me. Especially an album that pivots around Lynyrd Skynyrd. This wasn't easy on the ear. I didn't think it would speak to me, and I was right. It's beefy and has some decent riffs. But an album telling the story of other albums doesn't really work for me. I'm amazed I made it through to the end. It was an effort.

Nonsense lyrics. So so tunes. Never trust a hippie.

The sheer joy and energy from this album still gets be buzzing off me tits more than 40 years later. SO many memories of youth club discos, especially with Nightklub. I could listen and dance to this every day.

This album is so caught up in the times. It made sense in the mid-90's, but not so much now. You forget how much of a mainstream breakthrough it was for the Manics. At the time they were the support act for The Stone Roses at Wembley Arena. No one outside of the music inches had really paid much attention to them. Design for Life remains an anthem, although not one that I would want to keep on singing 25 years later. It's such an anti-ladism song, yet at the time it got swallowed up by the Britpop masses with takes of only wanting to get drunk. It's a decent album, but very, very dated.

The range of styles on London Calling is incredible. Yes, it's a mess - but what a glorious mess that somehow holds it all together. It shows a band that was confident in mixing and matching, borrowing bits from their own upbringing and then trying to to piece it all together. The rockabilly, reggae and even elements of jazz have such a strong London street feel. You have to remember that music was so tribal at the time. Attempting to fuse together so many diverse styles is quite a feat. I also love the double album element, You wouldn't get any rock band trying to pull this off today. Experimentation now seems to be the preserve of hip hop with Kendrick, etc. Death or Glory still reminds me of Bill Joel's We didn't Start the Fire. But even this doesn't distract from an absolute masterpiece.

This is Hardcore, this is actually a little dark. It's definitely over produced. This worked well on previous Pulp Britpop bangers, not so for the comedown album. It was also around 20 minutes too long. There's a few hidden gems such as A Little Soul and Sylvia. But definitely a difficult album for everyone.

The was a group that is new to me. At just over 30 minutes it has the perfect album running time. Some of the riffs strangely reminded me of Sigue Sigue Sputnik. It's a little low on melody, but it makes up for this on attitude.

Big Band does me nut in. The ballads washed over me.

What a bloody awful racket.

I enjoyed the beats more than the lyrics. Strange Fruit was an odd choice of sample. There's a sense of drama that builds up. This may have been amplified as I listened to the album whilst a workman was drilling up the road outside. The Daft Punk contribution added a little humour. I couldn't hear Rik Rubin's efforts.

I didn't listen to this, but I gave it 5 stars all the same. It should be 6. It's probably my favourite album of all time. Quite a dull, unadventurous choice. But's it's their finest piece of work from what is an impressive and exhaustive choice. I listen to it rarely these days. I don't like to overkill it. But when I do listen, I really DO listen. It doesn't deserve being on in the background whilst I work away at home. The run of songs for the final suite can't be bettered. Perfection. Their finest work.

Part of me want to denounce R.E.M. for stifling the growth of black music and keeping it pale and stale. But then another part of me recognises that this is pretty much the perfect pop album. Sidewinder still makes me smile today. It's not all sweet and sugar - it can get quite dark with Drive and Everybody Hurts. It stands up as a complete album. That's something that is often overlooked these days. It has a start, a middle and an end.

Not usually my style of music, but I made to to the end and actually quite enjoyed it. Very polished, very brash. The album almost makes a statement, although about what, I'm not exactly sure.

aka Ziggy goes to NY. Skuzzy, just how I like it.

Very strong songs. Passengers is the stand out track. Tonight is a little soiled for me. I wasn't aware of the Iggy version, only Bowie's abomination. Lovely old analogue production throughout the album. Cheers, D

This album was first released roughly when I lost all interest in most things Indie. It meant that it passed me by. I didn't miss much. I still find it dull. It reminded me of the reasons I looked elsewhere for my musical thrills at the time. It feels like the band is forcing the tunes out, almost out of breath before the end of each track. There's no control or pacing. Chill, dudes. I'm such a snob. The whole Northernness really annoyed me. Riot Vans came close to saving it.

A decent album albeit a bit messy. Love the beats and the lyrics. It doesn't speak to me about my life, but that doesn't take away the impact. It sounds a little too familiar now. This is because it was so influential and copied by so many. It's quite a leap from the early 80's hip hop of only five years previous. Sure, Public Enemy were first to make the leap. But this takes it to another level.

Below par Queen. And I bloody hate Freddie Mercury as well.

I had to double check to make sure that I was listening to the right album. This is a mess. It sounds as though it is unfinished. Most of the songs remind me of nursery rhymes. Without You is a shocker.

Scream, Dracula, Scream! Not today, thank you.

Eminem added a little energy. Otherwise this was just treading water. The lyrics were a complete turn off for me.

Slick production. The samples between the tracks was irritating. Didn't make it through until the end. The pyramid thing did my nut in. Had a little Frank Turner confusion.

I've always shied away from Radiohead. Too big, too ambitious. But it has to be better than bloody Coldplay. Hail to the Thief was a pleasant surprise. Some lovely harmonising and melodies. It feels a little dated and of the time with the subject matter. The world was a different place in 2003 when all we had to worry about was The War on Terror. This has quite a rainy day feel to it. Which was fitting as I listened to it on the day we had our first downpour in a couple of months.

The melodies were half decent. I'd forgotten about Come Out and Play. It's a fun tune that passed a pleasant three minutes or so. But there wasn't anything life changing about this album. An unplugged album with a little more soul might have been more appealing to me. The sound grated after a while. Pop punk shouldn't exist. The only authority is yourself, etc.

This sounded like proper early 80's indie. I remember seeing the album on display in Selectadisc but opted for Simple Minds instead. Oh dear. Budgets were an issue back in the day, as well as musical appreciation. What I like about this record is that there is no formula, no attempt to sell the 'product', no masterplan. Just the music. The vocal delivery gets a little silly. The album also tailed off with dark thoughts after a breezy start. I might just buy a £4 copy on CD.

This album demands your full attention. I didn't quite follow the full story. It's all or nothing - I couldn't make that full commitment. The melancholy didn't do much for my mood.

A nice summer feel - it reminded me of the Isleys at their peak. Clever, intelligent and funky. But also far too long. I didn't make it to the end.

It was like a wanky piano version of a guitar solo. This could have been Richard Clayderman or Klaus Wunerlich.

Pleasant, but a little Mike Flowers Pops.

I liked the soap opera style of the album. It benefits from not knowing the back story and listening as a standalone piece of work. Heroes and Villains is the standout track. I was left feeling happy that something positive came out of what sounds like a very negative creative process going back over the years. Smile...

Got bored reading the Wikipedia entry, let alone listening to this shit.

I wasn't really in the right frame of mind to focus on the lyrics. I quite liked the different musical styles - a little slide guitar and even some cod reggae. But nothing really stood out for me.

I didn't skip this after the first song - something of a first for me with a metal album. I could actually hear some tunes trying to break through. It wasn't quite enough to win me over. But something of a pleasant surprise.

This is such a snap shot of late 70's English life. Weller's story telling is backed up by a very tight band. Song after song - it sounds like a Best Of.

I wanted to really like this. I find it very disjointed and was a difficult listen. Neighbourhood raised the stakes.

This album strangely passed me by. I've never listened to it before from start to finish. I held it up as some iconic recording, almost afraid to give it a try. It isn't, and I shouldn't have placed so much trust in it. There's a fresh European sound. But nothing that screams out CLASSIC to me. I wonder how would Joy Division would have developed if you know, hadn't have happened. I think I prefer the New Order outcome.

I went through a Hendrix phase back in 1989 during my final teenage years. I rinsed his three albums so much that I haven't really touched them since. Over 30 years later seems like a good time to revisit them. There are some tracks on Are You Experienced that I don't remember - which is a little odd. I've moved away considerably from my earlier rock outlook. But I'm still something of a sucker for a powerhouse trio. Even if you listen to this album away from what must have been a revolutionary new sounds when it was first released, this is still a very, very powerful album.

This album has aged very, very badly. The lyrics: "which Spice Girl I want to impregnate" dates it. I found it hard work following the stories. Technically it's very polished and the vocal delivery is faultless. I'm very open-minded but the lyrics got the better of me before I reached the halfway point.

This had a warm feel to it. I loved the bass and drums combination, plus it was rather soulful in places.I lost it a little halfway through with all the hippy shit.

I never really listened to Depeche Mode as an album band. This had more depth than I was expecting. It's not reliant on quirky three minute pop songs, aka the DM Greatest Hits. There was a strong feel throughout. This sounds like a driving album, even though I don't drive.

Sorry. I absolutely bloody love this.

This 'random' album was served up to me... the morning after the death of the Queen. Oh dear. It made the listening a more poignant exercise. The songs bounce along with effortless melodies from Marr, and oddball lyrics from You Know Who. Oh how he has fallen though. I had vowed never to listen to him again - quite a statement as he meant so much to me during my teenage years. wtf went wrong? Not a lot on this album. It comes over more like a Greatest Hits package. I genuinely believed back in the day that The Smiths would end up as big as The Beatles. They're not far off on The Queen is Dead. A pinnacle ahead of an almighty fall.

I enjoyed the melodies, but preferred the earlier Cocteaus with the impossible lyrics. It felt like some of the magic and mystique had been removed. This album drifted and passed me by - which was probably the intention.

I approach Led Zep with dread. I feel like they're a band that I should know inside out. Album after album of classic recordings, all part of our shared history. But I'm always too scared, not knowing where to start and what I might find. The band have been elevated to God like status. Gawd knows why. This just droned on and on. It picked up a little around the more folky moments. But it wasn't for me. Oh well. That's one more band not to waste my time over.

A beautiful album that sounds like nothing else around the same time. It really wasn't very fashionable to display your Pink Floyd influences back in 1986, especially after you had been wrongly been placed in a second rate Duran Duran pigeon hole. Life's What You Make It is spectacular. It has the last of the driving rhythms from Talk Talk before the rhythm section was toned down on the next two albums. Time It's Time ends with a nursery rhyme like quality. I bought a £3 copy on eBay on the back of playing this again.

You can't fault the beats, but the album didn't really take me anywhere. You probably need to be buzzing off your tits to truly appreciate this, It was a half decent soundtrack whilst watching the football with the volume turned down. Fuck 'em and Their Law pricked up my interest slightly.

This was a challenging listen on my AirPods with the vocals in the right channel and pretty much everything else in the left. I quite liked some of the opening Mod riffs, but it then drifted into blues, and then horrid early hard rock. There was too many competing styles. It all sounded a little random. It gets a little trippy midway through. They had BAD drugs in 1966. This could have been a Friday night pub band tbh.

I came close to taking my traditional approach to metal albums: DO NOT LISTEN, or at least bail at the earliest opportunity. I was interested in War Pigs though, and so let this play out. My ears pricked up further with Paranoid. It's one of those songs that you listen and hear out of routine, rather than trying to appreciate it as a song on its own. Paranoid is everywhere. It's almost wallpaper music now, such is the familiarity. The album wasn't as heavy as I feared, and even had moments of melody. Planet Caravan stood out for the tune, if not the title. I lasted until track 6. I probably won't play this again, and certainly wouldn't buy it. But nowhere as bad as I was fearing.

A decent bridge between Blur's debut and Parklife. Modern Life is the sound of the band in transition. They managed to ditch the baggy sound they had been lumped in with, and started to develop as songwriters. The comparisons with The Kinks are obvious, both in subject matter and style. The singles of course stand out. For Tomorrow, Chemical World and Sunday Sunday are Student Indie Disco defined. A great album to drink pints of cherry brandy and cider to.

This started positively with Playground Love. But then it just drifted. I think I wanted more vocals and less background music. But soundtracks are all about background music. It sounded pretty timeless. This could quite easily have been released in 1972 as a companion piece for Tubular Bells. It might have helped if I was familiar with the film. In the end I made up my own story as the soundtrack progressed. The plot of a mass shooting at a popular 1980's megastore brand wasn't the brightest of plots.

This album was new to me. I don't think I've missed out on much over the past 30 odd years. The vocals were far too low in the mix. I liked the atmosphere, but found found the mumblings a distraction. I wanted more emotion. JUST SPIT IT OUT, man. He did, but not until the final track.

I've always loved Graceland and often come back to it. There's a slight uneasiness with the cultural appropriation. Breaking the South African cultural boycott of the time is also not cool. But the album opened up western ears to other possibilities. It's a really happy album that often leaves me dancing.

More of an Andrew Weatherall album than a stand alone Scream release. I was very naive in the early 90's. I missed out on all the best drugs and music. So this passed me by, apart from the singles. Loaded was all over the crappy student discos. I soon grew bored. This is a good album, but I'm not prepared to archive it in a Museum celebrating Buzzing Off Yer Tits. It's very dated, but still danceable. Don't Fight It, Feel It is the stand out for me.

Aussies never really got punk. This was probably recorded wearing denim. There are some decent melodies. The horns section hinted at where Crazyhead lifted their ideas from. I lost a little interest towards the end - not a good sign for an album that is 36 minutes in duration. I looked at picking up a £2.50 eBay CD. £150. No thanks.

Steve Albini has his fingerprints all over this. I love the quiet / loud change in tempo that runs throughout. There's also a proper band sound, rather than session musicians filling in the gaps. Polly had a complete disregard for fashion and trends of the time. This is most definitely not an early frontrunner to spark the Britpop scene. 50ft Queenie is immense in every sense. The sound captures the ambitions of the lyrics.

A classic 80's sound with keyboards and a squeaky clean production to match. Which is a shame as Winwood's voice is more suited to something a little more authentic. There are some great songs in here waiting to be set free. But the music doesn't match the emotion. Night Train has a nice groove going on. A hint of what was to come.

Awful, awful music. I only persisted with this for Black Hole Sun - hardly the cheeriest of tunes. I'm proud of my musical prejudices. Ultimately I know I am right. You always need some Roll with your Rock. No soul, no ta.

There's so much time and space on this album. Nothing is rushed. The songs and instruments are given room to breathe. It takes nine minutes before the first vocals drop. Yet you don't feel that you are left hanging around waiting for them. When they finally do arrive, "Remember when you were young?" is a great album opener. The saxophone break on Shine On achieves almost the impossible of adding some soul to Pink Floyd. Welcome to the Machine and Have a Cigar lag slightly. A four star album for three outstanding tracks.

I was expecting a Wall of Sound pastiche. Thankfully this is more a Dion album than a Phil Spector Doo-wop record. It was uplifting, almost spiritual. The saxophone breaks come close to stealing the show. The album drifted a little towards the end, before rescuing itself with a rousing Good Lovin' Man as the closer. Dion deserves wider acclaim.

Another album that I never got round to buying back in the day. Record shop decisions on a Saturday afternoon were random. Different factors could influence your choice. The common theme was usually girls and how my latest purchase may - or may not - impress them. I didn't do too badly by turning down Macca and Co. This album is dramatic in places, but equally lame in others. The singles stand out with Silver in particular punching strong. The rest of the record sounds like dodgy Doors demos. My memories of Echo & The Bunnymen are of losers wearing long coats, lurching around at Youth Club discos. I was having all the fun with my Streetsounds compilations and snogs.

Some decent electronica, some decent jazz lite drumming. Radiohead are at their best when they are playing at not being a rock band. This was originally released as a Pay What You Like download. I'd say a fiver for a download would sound about right in todays money. Not that I would be stumping up.

I'm not sure which I love the most here - the sparse, atmospheric beats, or Beth Gibbons' haunted vocals. I could listen t both in isolation; put them together and you have a really, really great album. It sounds like autumn with the swirling moog building up in the background. One of the great debuts.

This is an album that deserves to be played at full volume. It has great get up and go feeling to start the new week. I was familiar with Purple Rain inside out before seeing the film. Put them both together and my hormone racing mind as 14 year old was blown away. There's such a powerful band feel with Wendy and Lisa both having strong contributions. The Beautiful Ones is... beautiful. Darling Nikki is FILTH. Baby I'm a Star is pure funk. You don't even need the Purple Rain album closer to make this the perfect album. It's already achieved this before the iconic chords of the opening track are played. I love every second of this album - and I mean every second. There's not a single moment where I have my doubts. What a fella. Much missed.

I wasn't expecting the ambient piano solo start. The bass always plays a blinder on Cure albums. This wouldn't sound out of place as a 2022 new release. A Forest is a great single.

This was my first introduction to The Fall back in '85. It was tentative steps from Billy Bragg to The Smiths and then THIS. Impossible to categorise, apart from saying This is The Fall. You know what you're getting, but then again you never really do. It's a frightening album in places, yet full of optimism in others. But mostly it's just bonkers. Spoilt Victorian Child is the obvious highlight. But the riff on Barmy is Eurovision worthy. Cruiser's Creek is classic Fall. A brilliant, brilliant album.

I preferred he music over the vocals. Oh dear. Not exactly what you're supposed to think of Sarah Vaughan. There was something a little pushy, a little extrovert about the delivery. Which is probably the whole point of being a singer. Maybe it was just my mood. I wanted something mellow to start the morning. The piano and gentle bass achieved this. I quite enjoyed the live aspect of the album as well It adds to the occasion.

This sounded unlike anything else when I first bought it back in 1989. It's the loved up response to a West Coast rap scene that was heading down the gangster route. I knew which direction I wanted to turn to. Hip Hop concept albums should usually be avoided. But the dialogue and in-jokes aren't annoying, They keep the Daisy Age feel flowing thoughout. There's still room for politics with It's a Ghetto Thing. Plus there's also personal politics on Say No Go. This should be a SIX star album.

I really didn't want to play this again. It's one of those albums that you know inside out. It's in danger of spoiling the enjoyment through over familiarity. Abbey Road, Dark Side, Nevermind etc. I always skip Rehab anyway. No joke intended. Instead I tried to find something new here today. I played it on the AirPods, listening out for anything I've missed. There was the odd guitar riff buried deep in the mix. But it comes back to the songs and the voice. And for those reasons alone this has to be a five star album.

An album recorded partly on talent, partly on very bad drugs. It sounds like it was more fun to make than it was to listen to. I'm afraid I bailed after seven songs. It made no sense to me. The early 70's were batshit crazy.

Possibly the most sampled album in history? I had no idea that De la Soul lifted the Roller Skating Jam line from here. The bass is the star throughout the album. Bernard Edwards' playing is sublime and tight. I wasn't expecting the ballads. This leads to the album drifting slightly in the middle. I'd forgotten how fantastic My Forbidden Lover is.

A very classy album that sounds complete. There's nothing missing here. Even the sparseness of the music doesn't sound awkward. There's space for the songs to breathe. I'm never sure if Solid Air is a summer or autumn record. Either way, it carries you through with a very warm feeling throughout. The bass sounds lovely through the analogue production. Martyn's voice could break down and cry at any moment. He just runs with the full spectre of emotions from the downbeat title track, and then straight into Over the Hill. May You Never is the complete F-IT song. Superb.

Santana always scare me. All that noodling, all that hair. It's not for me I'm afraid. The drums and rhythm picked up my interest. Black Magic Woman was surprisingly soulful. I got a little lost five tracks in though. It comes back to all that noodling, all that hair.

This was a ramble of a record. It's also VERY LOUD - even with my own volume output set to manageable levels. What a bloody great racket. I quite liked the Thurston / Kim interchange on vocals. Who needs a sole lead singer anyway? Some tracks dragged. Just end it, Dude. Sonic Youth are at their best when they at least attempt some melodies. Disappear is the standout track here. I like the F-IT attitude of just doing what they want, and not what other people want them to do.

Well this was a pleasant surprise. It's a new artist for me. I was expecting some early 70's folk shit. All the suspect ingredients are there - the artist name, the album artwork, the choice of cover versions. But it doesn't sound dated. Decent songs don't age. It's far too long, but that's part of the appeal. Maybe the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band caught me on a good day. Maybe I'm maturing with age and becoming a stupid hippie.

A very odd album. There's a lot going off here - and not always in a good way. I preferred the psychedelia over the folk whingeing. Mood Raga is just plain weird. It's a time capsule of a record. Some things are best left in the past.

There's so much more to this album than simply Buffalo Gals and a song about skipping. It's rich in styles, piecing together different cultures and seeing where it takes you. Yep, Malcolm was the great magpie. A musical thief who lifted other ideas for his own benefit. But he had the vision to look a little further afield whilst others stayed at home. I had no idea Thomas Dolby was involved in this. The best album artwork ever?

Four killer singles, rather weak elsewhere. This has the Chic fingerprints all over it. Sister Sledge are all about the good times, and not break up ballads. This would have made for a brilliant, brilliant 12" EP. A little too diluted with all the slushy stuff.

I really wanted to like this. I even looked into a cheapo CD on eBay after having enjoyed all 16 minutes of the album opener Chameleon. £3.49 including P&P sounds about right. Jazz shouldn't be fused with anything. It's just jazz, innit. There was an awful lot of noodling and little action. I think I lack the musical sophistication to enjoy albums without vocals. I need someone to tell the story for me.

Masterful playing and production, plus honest and raw songs. This album is a masterpiece in storytelling. Elvis Presley Blues is the standout track. But there's so much choice and depth throughout. Anyone who has hang ups about Americana or alt Country should give this a listen.

"The album itself approaches free jazz from the perspective of hardcore punk, particularly taking note of the contemporary innovations of thrashcore and grindcore." aka a bloody racket.

This sounds like an album recorded by a school music teacher during her lunch break. A little harsh maybe, but I couldn't be doing with her warblings today. I wanted something a little more uplifting, and probably without all the endless storytelling as well. I lost interest three tracks in. And yeah - that voice. It doesn't half grate.

This sounds like it's only a chord change away from becoming a bloody Eagles album. Almost Cut My Hair is the most hippie meme song ever. Our House is charming enough and conjures up many warm childhood memories. There's probably a lot more depth to this album than I'm giving credit for. It's actually quite a radical approach for 1970 with the different styles. It sounds like a museum piece though.

A very disjointed album. At times it's great snapshot of the Irish diaspora around North London. And then it fades and struggles with back to the Old Country fiddly diddly. Which isn't really for me, I'm afraid. Shane's voice sounds strong throughout, particularly on Dirty Old Town. He belts it out like an old pro. It's probably an album that's best appreciated after five pints, rather than on a miserable, overcast Monday morning.

Fuzzy Logic is SO out of sync with the whole Creation / Britpop narrative of the time. It could have been released in 1971, it could have been released in 2022. Dumbed down rock sits happily alongside baroque. I love the almost cult like quality of SFA. They've always been very insular, and like The Man they don't... give a fuck. It was a pleasure to revisit Fuzzy Logic. Trippy.

I quite liked how the early tracks segued into one another. This gave the album a collective feel. It didn't last long. This was a DULL listening experience. Maybe it was because I was streaming? It felt like it was a chore to reach the end of the stream, rather than enjoy the music for what it is. Which isn't much cop tbh... I'm surprised that I made it to the end. The Suburbs is far too bloody long at over an hour from start to finish. Thirty minutes might have held my interest. It was saved from one star by the Régine vocals.

I loved this album when it was originally released. Girl VII was my gateway to London as I started to explore the city in the early 90's. Saint Etienne managed to make Kennington, Silvertown and Tooting Graveny sound glamourous. It's lost a little of the appeal over the years. It still has a nice slouch feel without ever being seedy. Some of the samples get on your tits after a while.

I thought I was familiar with Axis, but nope, this was all new to me. I definitely rinsed Are You Experienced and Electric Landlady as an unbearable A Level student who thought he would change the world by wearing a tie-dye T-shirt. Axis must have been AWOL from the local CD library. I don't think I missed much. This sounds more self-indulgent than the other two albums. But then isn't Jimi all about being the showman? He was hardly a shrinking violet. It sounds very fractured in places. Not a complete album, but a collection of songs. I like the British Mod backbeat, but not so much all the hippy shit.

Another album that passed me by. I think I was put off by all those knock off Parka coats with Paul's Boutique plastered along the tail. No album should be a fashion accessory. I understand the great production and decent use of samples. But I still feel that the Beasties are shouting at me. It's not the best music to listen to alone in isolation on a Monday morning. I bet it makes much more sense in a club with a bunch of mates. But I think I'm past those days now.

It's stating the bloody obvious but I love the simplicity of singer songwriters. No clutter, no fuss. Just the songs and a stripped down approach to music. It's a very honest way of working and shows a great belief in your own talents. James Taylor carries this off effortlessly. There's a real mix of styles here, but the singer songwriter thing holds it all together. Some of the gospel reminded me of Alabama 3 - without the drugs; there was also nursery rhyme style chants that were oddly appealing. Steamroller Blues shows that JT has a sense of humour. I had no idea this was the original. I only previously knew the Elvis cover. Four stars on the first listen, probably five once I become more familiar with the songs.

This was a big deal back in 1996. Steve Lamacq was all over them. Ash were the young kids that could unite indie and pop. They pretty much pulled it off with 1977. What's great about this album is the pure pop: Goldfinger, Girl From Mars, Oh Yeah, Angel Interceptor - all timeless songs that would work just as well if they recorded by a boy band. Ash add an extra snark and snarl to the tunes. It's a pretty cool package when put together.

I wanted nothing to do with this. More to the point, I wanted nothing to do with Mozza. It's a decent album though from a time when Mozza wasn't being a complete twat. Rusholme has an ACE rhythm going off. I almost danced. Nine songs at 39 minutes is the perfect length for an album. It wasn't quite as strong as I remembered. I'm pleased that I have managed to move on from believing that The Smiths would have a legacy that would last 50 years plus.

I was fearful of being sucked into another Beatles cycle when Rubber Soul was served up on the 1001 Albums website for me. Once I start, I can't stop. It's a very healthy musical addiction. Rubber Soul is the perfect pop for me. The songs would work for any artist at any time. The Beatles were getting a little druggy, druggy, druggy around this time. It's makes for a hazy listening experience. Time stands still. Rubber Soul was recorded in a four week period - which is quite remarkable. I managed to spill a four pint carton of milk whilst listening this afternoon. It made a right bloody mess of the kitchen floor. I still came out smiling. No point in crying over... etc. Only The Beatles can have that affect over me. Them Beatles were alright.

Christ, this was shit. Any hope I had faded when I saw the running time of 1 hour and 16 minutes. How many Atlantic soul singles could I fit into this timeframe? ALL winners, unlike the crap from the silly old racist doing his guitar shite on this album. I know, I'll wait until Layla, I thought. I could probably just about stomach this in a non-ironic Partridge strumming style. But it was the penultimate track. Even the Spotify ads for CEX were better than this shit. Bailed three songs in. Ahh - here comes Wilson Pickett. That's better.

What a bloody glorious racket. Bowie gives it some really UMPH for his final hour. There's the danger of eulogising this as one of his finest works, given that it was released two days before his death. A six year retrospective period seems about right for a reappraisal. It still stacks up fine and is worthy of the tag of one of his career highlights. Working with young musicians leads to an energy and urgency throughout. Plus Bowie's voice sounds magnificent, despite all the health shit going off at the time. I Can't Give Everything Away is a strong message in which to say farewell upon, bowing out in style.

This was the perfect music for a rainy morning. Sixty-five years old and still sounding fresh. Maybe I've been listening to too much Gilles Peterson of late. You can never listen to too much GP tbh. The horn stabs are so sharp that they leap out and grab you by the bollocks. OUCH! That hurt, but soulful pain is good pain, right? The rhythm helped out with the morning typing tasks. I had a very productive and enjoyable morning at the keyboard. The tunes and history here are special. They need to be remembered.

"Pictures at an Exhibition is a live album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in November 1971 on Island Records." That's me done, then. I parade my musical snobbery with pride. I've worked hard to refine my exquisite tastes. This shit is beneath me. DNL.

The fretless bass is bautiful, as are many of the guitar riffs. Not so great are vocals and the The fretless bass is beautiful, as are many of the guitar riffs. Not so great are the vocals and the lyrics - which is kinda the whole point of Joni Michell. The songs sound as though she is rushing to fit all the lyrics into each song. A breathless delivery agains the backdrop of some laid back music. I would have enjoyed this more as an instrumental album. Sorry.

The Great Songwriter returns. This is such a statement. It takes BALLS to release what is basically two albums in one package. Bruce tried it with Lucky Town and Human Touch. It usually leads to the conclusion that one album would have been best. But not so with St Nick. The rawness of Abattoir Blues is intense; the comedown on The Lyre of Orpheus reminds you that you always need a ying to your yang. You end up feeling a sense of balance having explored many highs and lows. Cave is bloody great at taking you on these trips.

This sounds like the death throws of an artist, but not in a mournful manner. The choice of songs is superb, with some sounding even better than the originals. The First Time I ever Saw Your Face, I'm So Lonesome, and even Personal Jesus. The production places the vocals right at the centre of the mix, where they should be. Cash was taking risks right through until the end, rather than playing the cabaret Country circuit. Ditch Danny Boy (no such thing as a decent version of this) and you'd have a five star album.

Any album that open with the masterpiece One Nation gets an extra star as the starting point. But where to go from there? You can't keep up the quality for an entire album, and it shows here. Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock picks up the pace slightly. They are SPELLING OUT the message of the album, in case it had passed you by. It gets a little self indulgent with the ice cream thing and strays into South Park territory. There was a little too much going off here to enjoy the album as a whole. Bonkers, spirited.

This wasn't as rewarding as I had hoped. I thought that I was familiar with the album and was in for a treat. I managed to get it mixed up with Don't Renege. Whoops. It was pleasant enough, serving as a useful document of the folk meets electric crossover. Dickie and L harmonise well together. At times I thought I had been transported to some Gawd bloody awful folk club and was expected to take a turn on the stage. Half decent.

I was shitting the bed ahead of playing this. I came close to a Did Not Listen. Never trust a hippie. It wasn't that painful. Some of the harmonising is half decent. I like the electric country feel on what is a strong set of songs. It would probably make more sense if I was wrapped up in US culture. It got a little happy clappy camp fire towards the end. I bailed and played some drum 'n' bass instead. ON YER TOES!

This album has fantastic production from Glyn Johns. Love and Perfection is a bit of a moment, especially hen the sax solo kicks. There is no specific style or genre. Joan Armatrading makes it all sound so simple. Songs, music, performance. Quality listening.

The production on this sounds incredibly distorted. There's far to much going on. I've never warmed to that voice - or even the songs tbh. I fail to understand why so many people wet the bed over Radiohead. I prefer the Easy All Stars Radiodread take. I gave up with three tracks remaining. I caught up with a work webinar instead.

Fripp, John Cale, erm Phil Collins. Fripp's guitar contribution makes the album. You can hear how Bowie wanted him to do the work on Heroes. I like the idea of how Eno was working against pop music at this time. Especially given his Roxy background. This sounds like a bridge to punk in ethos, but most definitely not in substance. He's not the greatest songwriter, but he knows how to put a song together

Apologies, I ADORE this album. Actually, no apologies. I didn't actually own a copy until last year. Back in '87 and early '88 and it was everywhere in my world. You couldn't escape it. Not that I wanted to. The songwriting and production is perfect pop for me. Yes, Georgie is trying to grow up. He lays down a marker for this on tracks like Kissing a Fool and Father Figure. But the fun is still there on I Want Your Sex. Ewww. This actually seemed radical at the time. He's a great artist, and this is his peak. Spin on that, MUTHAS.

You need to peel away the layers here. You need to forget about all those Shitty FM rotations of the lead track. Remove that memory of Tyson Fury and ringside karaoke. The only way to approach this album is to listen to it as a virgin. I felt alone and naked. But once your pants have been pulled down, American Pie is quite a song. I found it hard to pick up any reference points listening with fresh ears, Rock meets ragtime? The rest of the album was Paul Simon outtakes. Appalling.

This isn't a bad album, it's just not an album that was meant for me. The voice is too prickly for my tastes. She sounds like she needs a good gargle before stepping up to the mic. I Get Along Without You is so so for an amazing song. I'd turn to Nina Simone every time. Bailed halfway through.

There's some great storytelling and imagery across the album. Plus also a little humour with Mr Spaceman. I suspect drugs were involved. It gets a little dark in places with I Stand at Every Door. That's best skipped if you haven't taken the happy pills in the morning. Hey Joe was interesting. A very mixed album. It's the type of record that needs your attention, rather than background music whilst you're working. Sadly I fell into the latter category this morning. I may come back and revisit.

I had no idea that this was n the Stax label. Such details matters. Musically and this album has so much energy, so much rawness. The horn stabs come at you from all directions, building up to, well, building up to sex, basically. But you can't last all night. That's where the instrumentals come in. They're actually rally thoughtful and scenic. This album makes perfect sense as a film soundtrack. I love the way you can listen to it in isolation, and relive the film plot in your mind.

The opening chords for Wouldn't It Be Nice are joyous. The album then loses the urgency for me. I've never understood why Pet Sounds is held up in such high esteem. It's good, but not great. Maybe the context of listening to it for the first time in 1966 added to the elevation. The singles so strong leading you to expect the rest of the album will follow a similar path. The songs get lost in studio experimentation. Style, substance etc.

The second best Blondie album, behind Best Of. Which sounds like a Partridge thing to say, but this doesn't quite reach the heights of hit after hit. The singles here are outstanding. The rest of the album keeps the very tight rhythm section running. Plus that silk voice. Debbie Harris actually sounds like she looks in all those early 80's sugar pop lush videos.

The temptation was to skip Imagine as the opening track. Great song, for sure. But how many times do you need to hear this? The message has long since been lost on me after every shitty commercial radio station plays it on rotation. They don't wake up the breakfast crew with Gimme Some Truth. Which is a shame, as there are bloody great rallying calls here beyond all the hippie bollocks. I'm always surprised when I see that this was recorded in 1971. It doesn't sound like a Beatles crossover album. I also had no idea that Phil Spector was involved. Jealous Guy is up there amongst some of the finest Beatles songs.

What's great about this album is that it makes jazz accessible. The pace changes effortlessly between tracks and themes. Some of the softer tones on the trumpet are stunning. Masekela puts the brakes on leading to some understated playing. He is so confident in his abilities that he can afford to hold a little back. Then the pace picks up. It's here where the album is at its best with the multiple trumpets playing a brash sound together.

This album is such a mess with so much going on. The lyrics fight for your attention against the vicious backing tracks. It sounds magnificent. The message is more important than the music and wins out in the end, Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me. Tell It Like It Is

The early 80's were a productive time for Costello. He broke free of the angry young man image and developed as a great songwriter. Up until around late '83 he was untouchable. Then Mozza came along and added some oddity to the package. Imperial Bedroom sounds like a man transforming in front of you. This couldn't be more true than on Man Out of Time. It all means that the album doesn't quite hold it together. But it does move Costello up to another level.

I hate Christmas. I hate Christmas music. This isn't going to go vry well, is it? I tried to listen this through the prism of the production alone. The way the sounds attacks you like a tidal wave is fantastic. But they're singing about Christmas. I hate Christmas. I hate Christmas songs.

This album is pretty much the blueprint for the many great, strong females records in recent years. You can hear how influential it's been on Adele, Duffy, even Amy in attitude. The horns and the Sweet Inspirations bring out the best of Dusty's voice. You can see why Elvis was so keen to get them on board. Breakfast in Bed is a bit of a tear jerker.

It really is 69 songs. Oh dear. I'd struggle to listen to 69 songs by The Beatles in one sitting, let alone 69 songs by a US indie act I don't give a shit about. Most of the songs reminded me of nursery rhymes, rather than love songs. I made it as far as track 23. Nice innuendo with the album title, all the same.

I'm beginning to understand that Nina is the greatest ever female artist. Wine, sex and social issues all blend effortlessly together throughout this album - sometimes at the same time. The Wild is the Wind title track is overblown and bonkers. WHAT A WOMAN! This would be a six star album, if six were available. It's without a doubt the best record so far in almost a year of listening to an album a day on the 1001 generator site. I broke my usual £3 maximum online rule and picked up a CD for £6. Outstanding.

Melodies, noise and a sense of danger. This album is bloody brilliant. The Spector inspired production teases you with the melodies that are hiding away underneath all that feedback. Psycho Candy was responsible for the reverb on amps being fucked around with in teenage bedrooms throughout the mid 80's. Guilty. At the root of the record are some beautiful songs. The Mary Chain are classic rock 'n' roll: flicking the finger but tearful behind the shades.

This was little too happy clappy for my liking. Plus it's not personal; but I had problems with the voice. Too sugary when I wanted a little more anger. I listened to the album whilst carrying out various online admin tasks. It completely passed me by from start to finish with nothing memorable. Inoffensive, but then so is marmalade.

This album chugs away. It sounds like the perfect driving music - if I could drive. It's an ambitious record that never strays far from its key message. I'm not really sure what that key message is, but that doesn't matter. It makes you feel as though you are part of something - whatever that something is. I love the mixing up of the vocals between Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. Sharing these between male and female responsibilities might sound confusing with other other artists. But not for Sonic Youth. They blend in and out without you ever realising that the interplay is taking place. Decent.

There's far too much going on. It did me nut in tbh. Bloody racket.

This album flows from start to finish, despite the competing styles. There's great interplay with the other musicians - whenever they are allowed to get a look in. Sheena Easton is a left field, but welcome addition. I could listen to Sign "☮︎" the Times on loop all day long. It was so important to me personally when first released in 1987, and remains so today. Prince's head at the time was somewhere not really on this planet. No bullshit but the concert film is probably the best live movie ever released.

I was expecting great things from The Poet after hearing from several different sources raving about it. Sure, it was soulful, but it wasn't the masterpiece I was led to believe. There's too much reliance on the technology of the time. The songs would have worked better on the raw power of a live band.

This is a very sad album. The 60's dream is over, Dude. It's almost as if the Beach Boys are twisting the surfing myth and culture. They're pissing on their own grave. There's some decent stories buried away in the lyrics. The music struggles to bring them to the surface. Please tell me Student Demonstration Time is a piss take?

I wasn't listening to a lot of new music in 2010. I don't think that I missed out on much. This sounds like a cynical attempt to make a lo-fi record. The distortion is overplayed. The drums crash over all the wrong places. There are hints of melodies that might draw me back in again. But I just don't get these tidal wave songs that grow and build. The climax is always a disappointment. It leads to an album with little direction. I want some variety in there.

A fantastic and influential album. Try and put aside the political and social messages, and it still stands up as a musical masterpiece. Marley's vision was simple: bring together people through music. It helped that he was a half decent songwriter and performer. I'd never considered the two sides to the story on the album: one political, one personal. It's all music to me. Waiting in Vain has always hit a personal spot. A remarkable record.

First up: Mozza 2023 is a knob. Mozza 1994 was a different man. His masterful lyrics flow through each track. The More You Ignore Me remains infectious. This is a great, great break up album. It's still a little raw for me, almost 30 years later. There's a ray of hope from the old bigot with The Lazy Sunbathers. Lyrics on ecological issues didn't get you NME covers back in the day. It still stacks up. A reluctant five stars.

This completely passed me by when it was first released. I listened to so little new music around the turn of the Century. It all sounds very sincere and serious - which kinda sums up that turn of the Millennium period. There's not a lot of joy here. Some days I just want some dumb shit rock 'n' roll. It got interesting with some of the Latino rhythms on Human. But it wasn't sufficient for me to jump up and down and act like a twat. Today was a jumping up and down and acting like a twat type of day. I should perhaps come back to this after I've had dental surgery.

Planet Claire was a youth club disco favourite around 1982. What the fuck is this? It sounded like nothing else that was around at the time. It helped that my gf at the time was also called Claire. Our planets never really collided. The is the dumb shit rock 'n' roll that I craved for earlier. Rock Lobster is as stupid as stupid can be. I bloody love it.

I bloody love this album. Three weeks to record, £4k all in. Money well spent. I always seem to form an involuntary knee twitch when listening to The Clash. The pace of the twitching relates to the timeline of the work - the earlier, the more twitchiness. I couldn't control my right knee this morning as soon as Janie Jones kicked in. The reggae crossover with Police and Thieves could have sounded cringe. But it has even aged better with time. It has an energy missing from the original. This is a blink and you'll miss it album from start to finish. It's fucking fantastic.

This is pretty harmless, but hardly a classic. The Cramps were more of a lifestyle than a music band. The whole psychobilly thing was pretty cool at the time. This probably made more sense live than listening to via Spotify. The songs blended into one. It's a little music by dots with no great variation or surprises.

I shit my pants when this album appeared on the 1001 albums generator. I've really got to listen to this? It's WAY out of my comfort zone. My highly refined musical prejudices should make me run a mile from this shit. I needn't have worried. It was the first thing I listened to today. It was the perfect soundtrack for my online catch up as I slowly eased into the morning with endless mugs of hot tea. It got a little Dungeons and Dragons. I came close to bailing. Soundscapes drifted in and out, not quite sufficient to grab my attention, but decent background music all the same. I probably would feel a little different if I wanted a buzzing off yer tits Friday night album.

This is possibly the most accessible album by The Fall - which doesn't diminish it in any way. Lost in Music is the obvious talking point. Who is lost in music though? And why? A celebratory experience like the Sisters? I get the impression that this is one of Smith's in-jokes and he's having a dig at his band at the time. It'a a rare feat to be aware of what's happening around you musically, but not be influenced by it. You wouldn't describe The Infotainment Scan as a Madchester album, but Smith is playing a clever game here. Or perhaps he was just pissed and didn't give a shit?

I don't think I'm quite ready for a Pulp reappraisal. Yes, it's a great album, but it's also still incredibly over familiar for me. I tried to listen out for anything new. The production has a lot more to offer than I first thought. The focus on Jarvis and the lyrics can lead you to oversee some interesting twists and turns in the music. Pencil Skirt in particular was pretty trippy for the music alone. It gets a little deep with I Spy. I thought 4 stars initially. But Sorted for E's made me smile and tipped me towards 5 stars.

It's about time I got round to listening to this with Diesel Park West banging on about it for the past thirty years. There's an awful lot of different styles jumping around here. Mr Soul is a promising start. But then it seems to run out of steam for the rest of the album. I prefer DPW tbh.

Christ, this was fucking awful. It started quite promising with Sunshine Superman. But then it became rambling hippy shit. I'm pleased I didn't live through the late 60's and early 70's if this was the music of rebellion. It's about as dangerous as a cold cup of tea.

I would have preferred more Congolese rhythms rather than the Western influences that appear to be stapled on to some of the tracks. The better moments are when the slick US soul production doesn't feature. I've got limited knowledge or reference points. It's probably best to take it for what it is: an uplifting album, not quite my thing, but still decent.

A hint at what was to come. The debut is decent, but also rambling. I struggled to make it to the end tbh. Virginia Plain carries an extra star for the level of BONKERS-ness.

Refused to listen.

One of those albums that I never bought back in the day, but I pretty much know it inside out. It was EVERYWHERE around '95. The Evening Session had it on rotation each week. I finally bought a cheapo CD copy last year. It still stacks up, I still love it. The influences are clear to hear. Line Up, Connection, Waking Up, Stutter - all snarling BANGERS. Elastica were great at being a slightly more angry band compared to the othe

I'm pleased that I started to play these albums early in the morning. Two hours is a lot of music to take on board. It was too much for me. I sometimes struggle with all three Sandinista albums in one sitting. Apologies, but I bailed at track 9. It offered up some hip hop humour and honesty, but it wasn't enough. I prefer UK hip hop.

I quite enjoyed the tunes and lyrics. It's not my usual style, but there's a lot of depth to explore here. I could do without some of the irritating sketches in-between tracks. But this was uplifting and pretty much hit the spot on an optimistic blue sky day. The gospel overtones were particularly welcome. It's didn't half drag on though. I'm not sure how it all went so wrong for Kanye.

I knew nothing about the Dead Kennedys apart from being shit scared of a punk in the year above me at school. He had a mohican, wore size 10 DM’s and had Dead Kennedys painted on the back of his leather jacket. What was all the fuss about? This is pussycat music compared to Crass. You can hear the transition from the first wave of punk through to post punk. This is an album caught in No Man’s Land. It’s not dangerous, and it’s nothing to be scared of. It’s a good time fun album.

TWO chuffing hours? No thanks Billy, mate. I only knew the tracks 1979 and Tonight before listening to the album in full. Both are pleasant and plod along in a nice sensitive pop kinda way. The rest of the album was a racket. I bailed after track 9. What US alt artists lack in humour they certainly make up for in stodge.

There's a lovely prog space rock feel to this album. Yet still it sounds fresh and contemporary. Weaver's vice is the real star. The analogue sound brings out the best of her talents. An unexpected surprise.

This plodded with some very pedestrian chord changes. The only comfort was the Johnny Cash two chord bass. Stepping Stone came close to rescuing it. But it's one of those rare occasions when so many other covers are better than the original. Definitely of its time, not for me.

This sounded incredibly tinny. Maybe it was the streaming via my AirPods that forgot abut the bass? I'm such a music snob. My War Against Pop means I have no room for this. There's absolutely no soul. It's such a cold album. Not a bad record, but not my style. I bailed after seven tracks.

The Disney production on the opening tracks gave this a gloss that it didn't really need. Sinead always works best when she is being raw and honest. The Soul II Soul funky drummer beats were a surprise on I Am Stretched. Nothing Compares can pull at the heartstrings. She didn't half warble for the final third.

Not my kind of thing. I didn't really listen to it. Even as background music it passed me by.

There's some tremendous riffs throughout on Cosmo's Factory. That's probably why it's pretty much a Creedence singles album. You can hear where Dr Feelgood got their ideas from. It sounds like they had loads of fun recording this. The last great rock 'n' roll album? An extra star for featuring a man on a bicycle wearing what looks suspiciously like dungarees on the front cover.

Something of a Rubber Soul pastiche. Please tell me that Randy Scouse Git is a Beatles piss take. This worked well with the country soul tracks; not so when it went off waffling in a folk direction. There's a sad feeling that tries to hold the different fragments together. Zilch very odd. It reminded me of A Tribe Called Quest and Benita Applebaum. Drugs might have been involved. Not really an album, more a random collection of songs

There's a freshness to this album that wasn't on Diamond Dogs. It sounds modern and forward thinking, even in 2023. The change of location clearly worked. Bowie was such a sponge for soaking up whatever was around him at the time. The album sounds like a time lapse. It doesn't appear to have a start, a middle or an ending. It carries you along without plodding. This would be five stars, but Fame has always dragged ever so slightly for me.

Well this was a WEIRD one. It started off as the ideal wfh music. I usually give any album described as 'a soundtrack for an imaginary film' a large swerve; but this was half decent. It then took a dark twist and got a little disturbing with Business as Usual. There was a sudden switch to light jazz on Miles. wtf is this imaginary film all about? I thought Vermillion Kisses what a stupid Spotify ad. An interesting sound collage, but not exactly a stadium filler.

the stage. I really quite enjoyed it. It helped that half a bottle of red had been sunk before Miles got to blow his stuff. But then that's Jazz, YEAH? Abide With Me reduced me to tears.

There's still a lot of churn on this album. It's an improvement on the lame film soundtracks, but hardly the future of rock 'n' roll. It's the voice as ever that pulls it off. There's some great harmonies with both the make and female backing singers. In the Ghetto is a great hertbreaker song. But I wanted something a little more dangerous before Elvis heads to the hotel circuit and death on the shitter.

This felt like a Green Day Greatest Hits. All the tracks are so familiar. It's a great punk pop album. The tracks are the right duration to capture your attention before it's time to move on. It's not a revolutionary album like London Calling, etc. But Green Day deserve credit for going against the fashion at the time. Making a pop punk record in 1993 wasn't a smart move. This still stands up.

This is relentless. It doesn't pause for a breath from start to finish. I bloody love it. I tried to listen whilst working. This didn't work. I had to save it whilst out on a walk. My pace picked up and I was walking with a purpose. This probably wasn't the stated aim of Chuck and pals whilst making the record. Hip Hop Hikers is a thing. (And yes, I accept that this album wasn't made for me, but it doesn't stop me from enjoying, if not quite feeling the message and the importance to the black community. Especially so in 2023.)

This is lush, from start to finish. You need to be in a PSB frame of mind and embrace the campness right from the start. There's a sugar rush feel throughout the songs. The album is effortless with the delivery and production all leaving a feeling of calmness. We need more intelligent pop music. Very good.

This wasn't the thrill ride that it used to be back in the day. Disclaimer: I revisited this at 9am on a February morning in 2023, and not in a club whilst feeling tired and emotional. That probably explains the downgrading. It's still decent with some great samples. But not a record to listen to at home alone.

This was more melodic than I was expecting. But it was still a bit of a bloody racket. I've never really bought into Iggy. Sorry. It's too crude for my sensitive tastes. The man needs a good a good shirt and jumper.

This is just what I needed for my early morning work. Not too demanding, but a burst of energy to get my fingers tap, tap, tapping on the keyboard. I could have been a jazz musician, y'know. Well, a two chord bass player. I lost it a little in trying to match the rhythm with my keyboard, But that's jazz, YEAH? I never know where to start with the jazz classics. Sometimes just diving in does the job. Nice, etc.

More jazz, this time of the funk variety. It put me to sleep after the first couple of tracks. It was all a little too Kenny G for my liking. It livened up slightly with the Latin feel. Maybe I just wan't in the mood for all that jazz.

The sleaziness of Non Stop lures you, right from the front cover and into the opening cracking of the whip on Frustration. This was one of the first records I bought back in 1981. I thought at the time that Marc was holding a bag of chips in the brown paper bag. Some childhood innocence was soon overcome when I heard Sex Dwarf. It's a cold album in terms of the beats and lyrics. But also SO warm and genuinely sung from the heart. I could still play this and the sister Ecstatic Dancing every week. Say Hello is up their with the classic torch singer songs.

Christ, this was turgid. Bailed after three tracks. Played some Sam and Dave instead.

This floated from start to finish. It passed me by during a wfh session. There was little pause for thought. I wasn't distracted, but I wasn't drawn in either. The Portuguese lyrics probably had something to do with it. I liked the rhythms and drum loops. It sounds as though it could have been recorded this year, and not the mid '70s. A useful listen, but not a life changer for me.

G-funk is not normally my kinda of thing. There's so much space, it's so relaxed. I think the clue is in the album title. Snoop makes it. Snoop always makes any album. I love the language, although it hasn't aged well.

The Smiths had pretty much run out of steam by '87. There's little of the original anger passion from the first three albums here. You can see why Strangeways was the album that ended it all. Marr's music is stronger than Morrissey's lyrics. A few gems poke through - Girlfriend in a Coma is great. But otherwise it's not the first Smiths albums you reach for, if indeed you reach for any these days.

This had a carnal sound to my innocent ears. It reminded me of some of the early work by The Creatures. The rhythmic pounding wasn't something I was expecting from Tom Waits. He has so much soul in his voice to balance out the beats. That's all I ask for in any album. Waits is at his best when he is ballideering. The gentle sax touches are soothing in relation to the harsh lyrics. This was a great find. The CD has been snaffled up.

A very jagged and angular listen. You can almost feel the elbows digging into your sides as the guitars move up and down the frets. That's the muso wank verdict. And I' not even a muso. But hey! Marquee Moon doesn't require a PhD in the Inky Press to appreciate it. It still sounds like no other album, apart from the endless post-punk copyists that followed... Stick with the best, stick with the original. Superb.

Jack Bruce's bass playing on this album is brilliant. It bounces along, keeping all the mystical hippy shit tight, stopping it from straying into never, never fairy land. There are some strong songs, but even at 38 minutes, there's not quite enough to make it outstanding throughout

Refused to listen.

Bailed after the first track. Shocking, awful sound.

It probably meant a lot more back in 1968, but to my contemporary ears this is just pretentious shit. It means fuck all to my world. My world is all the better for this. Never trust a hippy.

I'm not sure I really need to listen Parklife again. Everything is so familiar. It's probably in my most played top 10 in iTunes, not to mention the endless CD plays going back over the decades. But whereas others on that list (HELLOOO Beatles) I can always return to, I'm not so sure about Parklife. It really was of its time. That time was full of fun and opportunities. It kinda all worked out OK. Girls and Boys is a brilliant disco rom; End of a Century is a little emotional. Bank Holiday gives you a good kicking. It's a four star album, reflecting not what I feel right now, but for what it has offered to me over the years.

There's a high bar set with the singles. The rest of the album fails to catch up. Nick Lowe's production is superb and holds it all together. I wasn't expecting Peace, Love and Understanding at the end - a highlight.

The most BONKERS opening ten seconds for any album. Maggots and drowining in your own shit probaboy was the expected norm as album openers go back in 1971. THis is going to sound terribly, terribly wrong: Maggot Brain reminds me of a black Pink Floyd. For that reason alone I love it.

I've never understood the hype about this album - both at the time of its release and in the present. It's been mythologised as some gold standard. That's what happens when you only record one album and then split. It's decent enough, but far from the level of adoration it generates. There was a time when There She Goes Goes got released every September it seemed. That did me nut in.

All metal is shit, right? Apart from Thin Lizzy. I was going to write some snark such as Live and Dangerous? Live and Limp, more like. But this is half decent for a genre I don't give a stuff about. OK, so it may not actually be live. *shhhhh* Neither was The Style Council's Home and Abroad. And that was bloody awful. I'd take Thin Lizzy over that, any day.

Only Once in a Lifetime stood out here for me. Listening Wind was hypnotic, but hardly a game changer. I'm not sure what all the hype is about with Talking Heads. This sounds like it could have been recorded anytime between 1980 and 2000. You can't date them because they don't have a style. I rather like style.

I loved the bass playing on this. Add in the guitars that poke you in the face, plus some personal and political crossover in the lyrics, and you've got a great album.

I want to have Fast Cars played at mny funeral: "I HATE FAST CARS." They'll probably be the death of me, actually. There's some great melodies and harmonising here. It's on par with the Beach Boys. Seriously.

I wanted to really hate this, purely through musical snobbery; US mid 90's guitar band, wailing, long hair. Not exactly Boy About Town, is it? Some of the melodies and song structures reminded my of Blur's 1997 self-titled album, y'know, the American one. Interesting. It still wasn't enough to win me over, but it wasn't the write off I was expecting.

Where has this even come from? It's completely new to me, although I don't think any punk album should ever be a double. Apart from the Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, obvs. Bailed after 14 tracks - the ideal length.

Rich and heartfelt vocals - and that's just the backing. This was the ideal Friday afternoon music to help me wind down ahead of the weekend. Stevie does the message of love far better than The Beatles ever did. Sir Duke is sublime. This would have worked even as an instrumental with the big brass sound leading the way. A little too long to make it to five stars.

It's very difficult to listen to this album in 2023. It made perfect sense in 1985. Even five years later and the world had changed. It's best approached as a document of the times. Skip the album title opener. It's a powerful song, but so deeply misunderstood. I love the idea the millionaire rock star living the blue collar dream. But Bruce somehow gets away with it. There's some great fun to be had here: Darlington County, Working on the Highway and Glory Days - a song that I relate to more with each passing year. I'm on Fire was a very odd choice for a single. It's very haunting. Dancing in the Dark is great for Dad Dancing. My Hometown is a wonderful album closer, and a hint as to what was to come.

Eno always interests me. You're always going to get something interesting from him. It's not always what you want, but he's not afraid to experiment. This is really dreamy in places, without straying into hippy shit territory. Here He Comes is gorgeous.

This was a pleasant way to ease into the working morning. It didn't really deserve any more of my attention though. The vocals sounded too slow and laid back for my liking. It felt a little too retro for retro sake.

Refused to listen. Turned to the Surrey cricket ball-by-ball feed instead.

Refused to listen. Turned to the Surrey cricket ball-by-ball feed instead.

Well this is a HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY album. It makes quote a statement from start to finish with a big old sound. The rolling drums are a little dimensional and haven't aged well. On the other end of the scale is Bob's voice - this hasn't changed one bit in almost 40 years. What a trooper.

The trumpet saves the songs here. There's some half decent melodies and structures. But they need a bit of brass to flush them out. The production is a little too DIY and tinny for my liking. I've always felt B&S to be something of a closed scene. You need to be really into the little grouping to get the music, unlike other outsiders of the time such as Pulp. I didn't fancy hanging out with bed wetters.

My only memory of this album was getting pissed at lunchtimes as a 16 year-old whilst working on the record stall in the market. The local low dive boozer that specialised in under age serving had a video jukebox. The lead singles from Licensed were on rotation. Three pints of lunchtime lager, some Beastie snarling and I was KING OF THE WORLD and ready to take on the afternoon shift with added bile. How very Beastie Boys. Oh, it’s a bloody good album btw. SO much fun.

ACE riffs right from the start. There's some great sax on Brown Sugar that is hidden way down in the mix. I didn't know that Billy Preston appeared on this album. Wild Horses is both morose and uplifting. It has that rare quality of recognising that life can be shitty, but gives you a helping hand to rise above it. I think? The rest of the album rambles a little with Can't You Hear Me Knocking. It's best not to analyse and navel gaze - just enjoy Sticky Fingers. It's only rock 'n' roll, YEAH?

Refused to listen

I picked up a cheap copy of this but have always struggled. I can't hear how it's the masterpiece that many claim. I've not really listened to it in isolation. I've had things going on whilst this is in the background. I gave it a proper listen this morning. No distractions, just the music. It'a not bad, but I still can't hear that magical sound that many pin upon it.

I'm not a fan of this form of storytelling in a song. Too many wordplays, too many clever tricks to and disguise the blandness of the music. Tell It Like It Is, etc. Run Baby Run is a half decent tune. It would make for a good song in the end credits for a crappy soap. The Na-Na Song is lame. Nothing more than a piss poor Subterranean Homesick Blues.

Clever lyrics and some interesting themes. This requires your full attention. I was unable to give it this today. I kinda get the nostalgia fest. It probably made more sense in 1968 than 2023. I don't want to go back to a bland world of black and white and shitty suburbia.

I really enjoyed this after a batshit work day. It was just what I needed to declutter my mind. The tunes and no lyrics had a calming effect. It was a little too sparse in places. I bet it makes more sense if listened to through the prism of the album title. Aye

I came close to my perfectly acceptable ALL METAL IS SHIT approach, DO NOT LISTEN. But GNR always had a little more. I'm not sure what this is. All the usual metal tropes are there: screaming vocals, no soul, everyday sexism. It's only the singles that stand out for me. The rest is just noise. And pretty dumb stupid noise at that. No ta.

It's difficult to listen to With The Beatles through fresh ears. It's all so familiar, it's all so predictable. But imagine listening to this for the first time in 1963. It's a great little rock 'n' roll album. The originals are actually stronger than the covers. Thirty three minutes is also the perfect running time for any album.

Was it still acceptable to like Mozza at this point? I lose track. Bengali in Platforms in a recruitment track for the Nazis, right? How the hell did he get away with this? The singles stand out. Suedehead floats from start to finish. It's close to the perfect Mozza track. Ditto for Every Day is Like Sunday. The rest of the album is still something of a climbdown from The Smiths - although they were well past their sell by date with Strangeways. Oh well. What a talent, what a waste.

Bob Marley's Natty Dread is a refreshing departure from the usual hits found on Legend. This doesn't mean the album is subpar; rather, it showcases the depth of Marley's back catalogue. Natty Dread is a cohesive and soulful album, featuring a collection of songs that blend together seamlessly.

I honestly think Richard Hawley is on par with Elvis. No shit. I rate him that highly. A peerless working class songwriter with a voice of velvet. Coles Corner is his masterpiece. Hawley achieves the rare feat of writing songs that actually suit his voice. There's a rhythm in the vocal delivery that matches the music. Plus he's cool as fuck. Which always helps.

There's not a lot of fun happening here. The album title explains it all. Bruce is best when he's being Bruce - pumping the air and living the American Dream. He's down on his luck on Darkness. Badlands and Promised Land stand out. But elsewhere and it's tough going.

Well this was an odd one. I don’t my head was in the right place for a singer songwriter on Monday morning. I could have done with some proper BANGERS instead. Leonard doesn’t bang very well. I failed to keep up with the ideas and lyrics. I'm sure it has its place and time. But that wasn't Monday morning for me. I also prefer how his voice scaled down in later years. This is a little busy.

It all comes down to the voice with Credence. John Fogerty certainly has the lungs, but not the subtlety for my liking. All you need to know is that the album highlight is the instrumental Broken Space Shuffle. I've added an extra star for Bad Moon - not so much for the song, but the memories from An American Werewolf in London.

I came close to refusing to listen. How many times do you need to hear Pepper to accept that it's half decent? But I gave in, hoping to hear something new. I can always come back to the White Album, Abbey Road, even Let It Be. But I'm not sure that Pepper has the long lasting quality. It's more of a project than a tight rock 'n' roll album. She's Leaving Home still gets me.

I quite enjoyed the humour on this, along with the samples. That was a decent jazz vibe to some of the tracks. I found it hard to locate any reference points. This sounds like a unique album. Unfortunately it's also far too long. Plus some of the lyrics haven't aged well.

Woh. This was LOUD. There's a great 60's garage feel going off. There Goes the Fear is close to perfection for the period. The best guitar bands always come from a dance background. I do miss Doves.

I lose track of all the SAULT albums, they're that prolific. But I remember how Black Is dropped at just the right time in 2020. It could already sound a little dated, but sadly the issues are still there. The DIY beats add an urgency. The vocals are lush. It drifts a little towards the end. An important document of 2020 though.

Finger picky music. This surprised me. I was expecting an album of rallying calls after opening with Gimme Shelter. It sounds like sessions or even outtake's. There's a great sax sound on Live With Me. Midnight Rambler doesn't half drag on, mind.

For some reason I use to think this was a Bowie album from the second half of the 70’s. Pulling off the feat of reinventing himself during such a short space of time is incredible. It makes this early 70’s Bowie achievement all the more spectacular. It sounds like an album from an artist who is already a star. In his own mind, he probably was. The voice has a sorrowful lull that draws you in. There’s humour as well. But it’s the quality of the songs from a relatively unknown at the time that still stand up. Remarkable.

14 songs in 15 minutes. Barely enough room to breathe. The Spotify ads lasted longer. I listened to this album three times. I still wanted more. Punk's not dead, etc. It's available for £15 on eBay...

Hippy shit fairy music. Bad drugs. Bloody awful haircuts. No ta.

I surprised myself by not really knowing many of the songs here. You assume that The Beatles back catalogue is immersed into your brain. But no - there are some lost gems on here that gave me a little more interest once again. Tell Me Why sounded like a new song for me. It's a fun album, something that tailored off with The Beatles output that followed.

I came close to bailing halfway through the first track. Horrid, horrid rock music. And then the turntable kicked in. Interesting. I persisted through until the end, ignoring the cock rock posturing, but appreciating the experimentation with the turntable. Not horrid, horrid rock music after all. Just horrid rock music.

A classic album? Seriously? Style, yes. Not sure about the substance. With no shame, this was SO familiar back in '82. I even had the poster on my wall. Four decades later and it was a pleasant morning singalong, but nothing more. I quite like the hint of something more sinister on Save a Prayer and Lonely in Your Nightmare. It wasn't all sugar gum pop. But it belongs in a time capsule and will probably stay there for me.

It's quite a leap from My Girl to psychedelic soul. Obviously there was a middle act to help with the transition. But still. Grapevine's got a great groove going off, something that even Marvin couldn't achieve. The soul is still there; the soul is always there. Plus it's cool to hear the familiar Motown house sound bass pumping along, holding it all together. If you wants the Temps to do anything, then psychedelic soul it probably is. Country soul may have worked. But Cloud Nine is a product of its time. It still stands up well.

A little too clever, a little too knowing. But when it comes down to it, this is just dull music. It's hardly rock 'n' roll, is it? There's some half decent melodies in here like Hide In Your Shell. But it's not enough to bring me back. Dreamer is a great song btw.

If this didn't have the name of The Doors on the front, then you might dismiss it as a CD sold after a pub gig by a village blues band.

I didn't give this the attention it deserves - work shit, innit. From what I heard, it sounds like a monument of an album. The subtle horns on He'll Have to Go add to the emotion of the song. Three stars on a half-hearted first listen. It's probably worth at least one more when I get to grips with the album.

I love the way this album blends together. It's more like one constant stream than 13 individual songs. As a concept album, the subject matter of divorce is a little, erm, odd. It must have been a particularly painful divorce to stretch to a double album. The album covers is bonkers. Coked up Marv at his best.

Oh joy - another pub rock outtake. This album dragged. Complete nonsense and nothing to draw me back in. CHANGE IT.

I know I should adore this album. Everyone else seems to. But I find it a little meh. I get the raw energy, but the songs sound half-finished to me. It's not exactly a party floor filler, either. Sorry.

Walt Disney music, innit.

This was a bit of an early morning jolt in an attempt to overcome the hangover. Another album that I know I'm expected to like, but, but... It's too angular for me. All elbows poking you around with no smooth flow. Maybe I drank too much last night.

There's some great sax and female backing vocals. I wasn't expecting that. The L.A. in the title is dominant throughout. This is a showbiz album, again a surprise. It really is quite soulful.

Still sounds fresh, still has plenty to say as an album. That's more of a comment on the shitty state of the UK, 43 years since the original release. I love the space that the songs have to breathe. Music needn't be complicated.