1020
Albums Rated
2.73
Average Rating
94%
Complete
69 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1980s
Favorite Decade
Reggae
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Critic
Rater Style ?
84
5-Star Albums
155
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Public Image: First Issue
Public Image Ltd.
|
5 | 2.43 | +2.57 |
|
Penthouse And Pavement
Heaven 17
|
5 | 2.61 | +2.39 |
|
Don't Stand Me Down
Dexys Midnight Runners
|
5 | 2.61 | +2.39 |
|
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
|
5 | 2.65 | +2.35 |
|
A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets
|
5 | 2.67 | +2.33 |
|
So Much For The City
The Thrills
|
5 | 2.81 | +2.19 |
|
One World
John Martyn
|
5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
|
New Wave
The Auteurs
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Soft Cell
|
5 | 2.87 | +2.13 |
|
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
|
5 | 2.87 | +2.13 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
|
1 | 4.12 | -3.12 |
|
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
|
1 | 4.1 | -3.1 |
|
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
|
1 | 3.97 | -2.97 |
|
A Night At The Opera
Queen
|
1 | 3.96 | -2.96 |
|
Ten
Pearl Jam
|
1 | 3.92 | -2.92 |
|
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
|
1 | 3.92 | -2.92 |
|
Back In Black
AC/DC
|
1 | 3.86 | -2.86 |
|
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
|
1 | 3.83 | -2.83 |
|
Metallica
Metallica
|
1 | 3.79 | -2.79 |
|
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
|
1 | 3.75 | -2.75 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.56 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.43 |
| Prince | 3 | 5 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Specials | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| John Martyn | 2 | 5 |
| Fela Kuti | 2 | 5 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.33 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Metallica | 4 | 1 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 1.4 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 1 |
| Queen | 3 | 1 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 1.33 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 1.33 |
| Aerosmith | 3 | 1.33 |
| Megadeth | 2 | 1 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1 |
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 2 | 1 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 1 |
| Taylor Swift | 2 | 1 |
| The Divine Comedy | 2 | 1 |
| Rush | 2 | 1 |
| Motörhead | 2 | 1 |
| Christina Aguilera | 2 | 1 |
| Fiona Apple | 2 | 1 |
| AC/DC | 2 | 1 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 1.67 |
| Madonna | 3 | 1.67 |
| Joni Mitchell | 3 | 1.67 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1.5 |
| Iron Maiden | 2 | 1.5 |
| Todd Rundgren | 2 | 1.5 |
| Goldfrapp | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Verve | 2 | 1.5 |
| Adele | 2 | 1.5 |
| Genesis | 2 | 1.5 |
| Sepultura | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Mothers Of Invention | 2 | 1.5 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 2 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 2 |
| Frank Sinatra | 3 | 2 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 2 |
| The Doors | 3 | 2 |
| Beck | 3 | 2 |
| Kings of Leon | 3 | 2 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| My Bloody Valentine | 2, 5 |
| Curtis Mayfield | 5, 2 |
| Pulp | 2, 5 |
| Amy Winehouse | 5, 2 |
| Brian Eno | 3, 3, 2, 5, 1 |
5-Star Albums (84)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Lorde
1/5
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.
20 likes
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
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!
18 likes
The Who
2/5
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.
17 likes
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
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.
12 likes
2/5
Pleasant in a really innofensive type of way. A little bland. Wallpaper music for a dull wine bar.
10 likes
1-Star Albums (155)
All Ratings
John Coltrane
3/5
Too much saxophone action. Would have been a nice album with just the jazz drums and piano. Sorry.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
1/5
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.
The Beach Boys
2/5
Bubble gum pop with just a hint of rock 'n' roll creeping in. Would have been interesting if more drugs were involved.
Cat Stevens
2/5
Surprisingly soulful, great production. Gets a little preachy.
Dolly Parton
3/5
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.
Kraftwerk
2/5
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.
Led Zeppelin
1/5
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.
David Bowie
4/5
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.
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
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.
Public Enemy
3/5
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.
Lorde
1/5
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.
Kraftwerk
2/5
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.
Ice Cube
3/5
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.
Bee Gees
1/5
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.
The Who
4/5
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.
Incredible Bongo Band
1/5
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.
JAY Z
2/5
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.
Merle Haggard
2/5
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.
Liz Phair
3/5
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.
The Icarus Line
1/5
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.
Wire
4/5
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.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
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.
The xx
2/5
This passed me by, both then and now. Pleasant, but not memorable.
Deee-Lite
3/5
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.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
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.
Sam Cooke
5/5
Raw and tight - the live versions are far superior to the studio recordings. What a voice. You feel that Sam was constrained on record.
Frank Zappa
2/5
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.
Billy Joel
3/5
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.
Van Halen
1/5
Refused to listen. You might as well ask me to take up ballet. Not going to happen.
Neu!
3/5
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.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
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.
Burning Spear
3/5
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.
Franz Ferdinand
2/5
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.
Napalm Death
2/5
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.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
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.
Os Mutantes
1/5
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.
Fugees
4/5
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 White Stripes
3/5
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.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
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.
The Lemonheads
2/5
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.
The Undertones
3/5
Boardwalk is a far better cover than Bruce Willis‘s effort. I’ve always loved Wednesday Week.
Earth, Wind & Fire
2/5
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.
Steely Dan
2/5
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 Mamas & The Papas
2/5
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.
The Crusaders
3/5
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.
Charles Mingus
1/5
It was a bit of a racket tbh. Did me head in.
Ozomatli
3/5
I liked the collision of styles. Unfortunately Spotify didn't. It would only play the opening track for me.
The Roots
2/5
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.
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
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
2/5
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.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
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.
Mekons
3/5
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.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
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.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
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.
Talking Heads
3/5
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.
Radiohead
4/5
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.
Elvis Costello
4/5
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.
David Bowie
5/5
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.
Carole King
5/5
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.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
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.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
2/5
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.
PJ Harvey
3/5
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.
John Cale
4/5
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.
Bad Company
3/5
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.
Talking Heads
3/5
The Go-Betweens
4/5
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 Convention
4/5
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.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
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.
Deep Purple
1/5
'Double live album' - refused to listen.
T. Rex
2/5
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.
Mike Ladd
2/5
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.
The Charlatans
4/5
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.
Nirvana
5/5
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.
Living Colour
1/5
Funk metal shouldn't exist.
Def Leppard
1/5
This was grim. It was hard work getting to the end. Metal is shit. 80's power metal doubly so.
Massive Attack
5/5
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.
CHIC
3/5
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.
Pixies
5/5
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.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
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.
Baaba Maal
2/5
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.
Hawkwind
1/5
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.
Mercury Rev
4/5
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.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
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.
Miriam Makeba
1/5
This felt like bing at Church. Not a good place to be. The Naughty Little Flea got right on my tits.
Justice
2/5
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.
Al Green
5/5
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.
Lucinda Williams
2/5
A little too twee and country-fied for my liking.
Nick Drake
4/5
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.
Jamiroquai
2/5
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.
Megadeth
1/5
What a bloody racket. Their Mums must be so proud.
The Byrds
3/5
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.
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
Strangely hypnotic in places. This is possibly the only type of metal that I can stomach.
Neil Young
4/5
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.
Elvis Presley
3/5
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.
Mariah Carey
1/5
Refused to listen. Played some Crass instead.
Suede
4/5
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...
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
I'm not sure this album was worth the 22 year wait. The DJ Wrongspeed thing is annoying.
Q-Tip
2/5
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.
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
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.
Madonna
2/5
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.
MGMT
3/5
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 Afghan Whigs
2/5
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.
Missy Elliott
3/5
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.
Kanye West
2/5
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.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
5/5
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.
Marty Robbins
2/5
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.
Aphex Twin
2/5
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.
Elbow
1/5
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.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
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.
Mudhoney
3/5
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.
The Kinks
2/5
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.
Jimmy Smith
2/5
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.
Arrested Development
2/5
The singles stood out, but not much else. I was expecting more.
Louis Prima
1/5
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'.
Orange Juice
4/5
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.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
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.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
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.
David Bowie
5/5
Given this 5 even before listening to it again. You know...
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
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.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
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.
Baaba Maal
2/5
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.
Johnny Cash
4/5
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.
Jurassic 5
2/5
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.
The Who
2/5
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.
Black Sabbath
1/5
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.
Laura Nyro
3/5
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.
Red Snapper
3/5
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.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
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!
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
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.
Tim Buckley
2/5
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.
Drive-By Truckers
1/5
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.
Yes
2/5
Nonsense lyrics. So so tunes. Never trust a hippie.
The Specials
5/5
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.
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
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 Clash
5/5
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.
Pulp
2/5
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.
3/5
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.
Ray Charles
2/5
Big Band does me nut in. The ballads washed over me.
Pearl Jam
1/5
What a bloody awful racket.
Kanye West
2/5
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.
Beatles
5/5
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.
R.E.M.
5/5
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.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
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.
Lou Reed
4/5
aka Ziggy goes to NY. Skuzzy, just how I like it.
Iggy Pop
4/5
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
Arctic Monkeys
2/5
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.
N.W.A.
3/5
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.
1/5
Below par Queen. And I bloody hate Freddie Mercury as well.
Harry Nilsson
1/5
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.
Rocket From The Crypt
1/5
Scream, Dracula, Scream! Not today, thank you.
50 Cent
1/5
Eminem added a little energy. Otherwise this was just treading water. The lyrics were a complete turn off for me.
Frank Ocean
2/5
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.
Beatles
5/5
Radiohead
3/5
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 Offspring
2/5
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.
Violent Femmes
3/5
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.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
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.
Erykah Badu
2/5
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.
Keith Jarrett
1/5
It was like a wanky piano version of a guitar solo. This could have been Richard Clayderman or Klaus Wunerlich.
Stan Getz
2/5
Pleasant, but a little Mike Flowers Pops.
Brian Wilson
4/5
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...
Slipknot
1/5
Got bored reading the Wikipedia entry, let alone listening to this shit.
Paul Simon
2/5
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.
Iron Maiden
2/5
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.
The Jam
5/5
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.
Tom Waits
2/5
I wanted to really like this. I find it very disjointed and was a difficult listen. Neighbourhood raised the stakes.
Joy Division
3/5
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.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
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.
Eminem
2/5
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.
Grizzly Bear
2/5
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.
Depeche Mode
3/5
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.
Meat Loaf
4/5
Sorry. I absolutely bloody love this.
The Smiths
5/5
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.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
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.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
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.
Talk Talk
4/5
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.
The Prodigy
3/5
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.
The Yardbirds
2/5
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.
Black Sabbath
2/5
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.
4/5
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.
Air
2/5
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.
Slint
2/5
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.
Paul Simon
4/5
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.
Primal Scream
3/5
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.
The Saints
2/5
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.
PJ Harvey
3/5
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.
Steve Winwood
2/5
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.
Soundgarden
1/5
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.
Pink Floyd
4/5
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.
Dion
3/5
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.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
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.
Radiohead
3/5
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.
Portishead
5/5
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.
Prince
5/5
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.
The Cure
4/5
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.
The Fall
5/5
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.
Sarah Vaughan
2/5
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.
De La Soul
5/5
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.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
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.
Todd Rundgren
1/5
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.
CHIC
3/5
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.
John Martyn
5/5
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
2/5
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.
Sonic Youth
3/5
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.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
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.
The Byrds
2/5
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.
Malcolm McLaren
5/5
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?
Sister Sledge
3/5
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.
Herbie Hancock
2/5
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.
Gillian Welch
3/5
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.
1/5
"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.
Joni Mitchell
1/5
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.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
2/5
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.
The Pogues
2/5
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.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
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.
Arcade Fire
2/5
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.
Saint Etienne
3/5
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.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
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.
Beastie Boys
2/5
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.
James Taylor
4/5
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.
Ash
4/5
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.
The Smiths
3/5
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.
Beatles
5/5
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.
Derek & The Dominos
1/5
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.
David Bowie
4/5
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.
Machito
4/5
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.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
"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.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
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.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
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.
Johnny Cash
4/5
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.
Funkadelic
3/5
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.
Richard Thompson
3/5
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.
Grateful Dead
2/5
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!
Joan Armatrading
4/5
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.
Radiohead
2/5
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.
Brian Eno
3/5
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
George Michael
5/5
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.
Don McLean
1/5
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.
Billie Holiday
1/5
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.
The Byrds
2/5
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.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
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 Beach Boys
3/5
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.
Blondie
3/5
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.
John Lennon
3/5
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.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
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.
Public Enemy
4/5
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
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
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.
Various Artists
2/5
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.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
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.
The Magnetic Fields
2/5
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.
Nina Simone
5/5
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.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
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.
The Cardigans
2/5
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.
Sonic Youth
4/5
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.
Miles Davis
1/5
There's far too much going on. It did me nut in tbh. Bloody racket.
Prince
5/5
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.
Bobby Womack
2/5
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.
The Beach Boys
2/5
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?
The National
2/5
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.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
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.
Morrissey
5/5
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.
Goldfrapp
2/5
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.
The B-52's
3/5
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.
The Clash
5/5
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.
The Cramps
2/5
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.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
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.
The Fall
3/5
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?
Pulp
5/5
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.
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
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.
Donovan
1/5
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.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
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.
Roxy Music
3/5
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.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
Refused to listen.
Elastica
4/5
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
OutKast
2/5
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.
Kanye West
2/5
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.
Dead Kennedys
3/5
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.
The Smashing Pumpkins
2/5
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.
Jane Weaver
3/5
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.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
2/5
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.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
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.
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
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.
Manu Chao
1/5
Not my kind of thing. I didn't really listen to it. Even as background music it passed me by.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
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.
The Monkees
2/5
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
David Bowie
4/5
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.
Barry Adamson
2/5
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.
Miles Davis
3/5
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.
Elvis Presley
3/5
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.
Green Day
4/5
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.
Public Enemy
4/5
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.)
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
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.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
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.
The Stooges
2/5
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.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
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.
Weather Report
2/5
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.
Soft Cell
5/5
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.
The Verve
1/5
Christ, this was turgid. Bailed after three tracks. Played some Sam and Dave instead.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
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.
Dr. Dre
3/5
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
2/5
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.
Tom Waits
4/5
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.
Television
4/5
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.
Cream
3/5
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
Pantera
1/5
Refused to listen.
Deep Purple
1/5
Bailed after the first track. Shocking, awful sound.
The Incredible String Band
1/5
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.
Blur
4/5
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.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
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.
Funkadelic
4/5
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.
The La's
2/5
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.
Thin Lizzy
4/5
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.
Talking Heads
2/5
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.
Gang Of Four
4/5
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.
Buzzcocks
4/5
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.
Screaming Trees
2/5
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.
Minutemen
2/5
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.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
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.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
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.
Brian Eno
3/5
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.
Silver Jews
2/5
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.
Black Sabbath
1/5
Refused to listen. Turned to the Surrey cricket ball-by-ball feed instead.
Bill Evans Trio
1/5
Refused to listen. Turned to the Surrey cricket ball-by-ball feed instead.
The Cure
3/5
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.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
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.
Beastie Boys
4/5
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.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
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?
Led Zeppelin
1/5
Refused to listen
Jeff Buckley
2/5
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.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
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.
The Kinks
2/5
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.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
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
Guns N' Roses
2/5
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.
Beatles
4/5
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.
Morrissey
2/5
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 & The Wailers
4/5
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.
Richard Hawley
5/5
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.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
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.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
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.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
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.
4/5
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.
The Pharcyde
2/5
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.
Doves
4/5
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.
SAULT
3/5
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.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
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.
David Bowie
5/5
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.
Circle Jerks
4/5
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...
Jefferson Airplane
1/5
Hippy shit fairy music. Bad drugs. Bloody awful haircuts. No ta.
Beatles
4/5
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.
Incubus
2/5
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.
Duran Duran
2/5
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.
The Temptations
4/5
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.
Supertramp
2/5
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.
The Doors
1/5
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.
Solomon Burke
3/5
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.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
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.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
Oh joy - another pub rock outtake. This album dragged. Complete nonsense and nothing to draw me back in. CHANGE IT.
Patti Smith
2/5
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.
Ella Fitzgerald
1/5
Walt Disney music, innit.
Pere Ubu
2/5
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.
Tim Buckley
3/5
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.
UB40
4/5
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.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2/5
This reminds me of Van Morrison in places. It's positioned on the threshold of punk in'76. Tom Petty could never be placed within this scene, but it did influence his future direction. What we have here then is the Like Punk Never Happened version of Tom. It's very twangy. The pace picks up finally with American Girl at the end. The album is short on melodies. A useful starting point, but nothing great.
Beck
1/5
The slacker feel sounds tedious. I felt like I was transported back to a crappy early 90's bar. How the chuffers did this break through to the mainstream? Gawd, it's shit.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
I liked the idea of this album more than the end result. It's quite a pastoral album, painting pictures through the music. That sounds like arty farty shit, but in the absence of any lyrics, then the mind wanders. It gets a little paranoid in places with the jabbing from the strings. Not quite the early morning relaxation I wanted. But different, which is always good.
Orbital
1/5
This makes more sense hearing it in a field rather than sat at home streaming through the AirPods. Even then I'd need some pretty strong drugs to get through this shit at 3am in the morning. If it wasn't for the GUSHING of the techno fan boys, this could quite easily be a mixtape from a dodgy early '90s pirate station.
The Style Council
5/5
I've always found this such an uplifting album full of optimism. Our Favourite Shop may be TSC' masterpiece, but this is equally worthy for the joy it spreads. The two contrasting sides work really well. Weller was pushing it / taking the piss with the jazz club feel on side 1. Flip it over and side 2 makes you want to run free and celebrate life. I still get that buzz almost forty years later. Headstart for Happiness is such a calling card for all that is possible. Infectious.
Elvis Presley
4/5
This was raw as fuck. It must have been a hell of a wake up call back in 1956. The voice is a little higher than I was expecting. But its's the groove that carries it through for me. You always need some roll with your rock. Blue Moon is bloody brilliant
Depeche Mode
3/5
I didn't want to like this. I love poppy Depeche Mode, not dark Depeche Mode. I had written off Violator as being a bit of a downer. It has a bit of both. Enjoy the Silence is a great piece of electronica. Personal Jesus is still a banger. Uplifting, but also a downer as well.
Brian Eno
2/5
This was a little bonkers. The production is all over the place, as you'd expect. There wasn't much in the way of songs to anchor it all down though. More of an experiment for what was possible than a body of work.
Sparks
3/5
The wiki entry describes this as glam. Really? It's in a genre all of its own. Completely bonkers, pulling in baroque and early electronica. It sounds like the drugs that were around at the time. The melodies are all there. Kimono is a pop album at heart. I wish Eurovision was still as utterly baffling as this.
The Dictators
1/5
Is this Spinal Tap?
New Order
5/5
This is a classic New Order album, right from the the first five seconds of Love Vigilantes. You have the whipping snare, the bass tuned down too low and some synth melody creeping into view. Bloody ACE. The album gets better. The Perfect Kiss is untouchable as a lesson in mid 80's indie pop crossover. By the time you reach Sub-Culture towards the end of the album, you're left feeling disappointed that it's all over. Stunning.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
It's not exactly a summer smash of an album. This takes me back to dull winter nights and trying to find some escape from all the mainstream bullshit of the time. But sometimes you need a little joy. Especially on a Monday morning. This dragged tbh. Spellbound has some great guitar work, but it wasn't enough to give me the boost I wanted. Something of a timepiece.
Killing Joke
3/5
There's a great groove going off throughout this album. I wasn't expecting that. 1980 was a bit of a No Man's Land for post-punk. Killing Joke's debut makes a decent stab for what was possible. Faith No More managed to stretch out a whole career based around this album. I usually despise the extra packaged songs bolted on to a CD. But the Dub mix of Change is a killer.
Eurythmics
2/5
The stunning vocals work well against the cold synth sound. I might have enjoyed this better as a guitar album - but that's the whole point of Eurythmics, right? It's not exactly a masterpiece or anything to come back for apart from the singles. I didn't know Green Garside was involved.
Queen
1/5
Refused to listen. Christ, Hate EVERYTHING by these bell ends.
Boston
2/5
I could have played More Than a Feeling and left it at that. 'Cos that's Boston's career, right? Boston sound like a band from the fag end of the 60's that didn't quite grasp the new. This limps along after the opener. One extra star for More Than a Feeling.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Not really my kind of shit. Slick production. The speech in-between the tracks got on my tits.
The Who
3/5
A great live album, for sure. But it gets a little too heavy for me in places. Young Man Blues borders on Led Zep territory - never a good place to be. The band is tight as fuck. When they turn their hand to being The Who, and not some bluesy wet dream of who The Who wanted to be, then it's bloody great. I Can't Explain, Substitute and I'm a Boy all have amazing energy.
Queen
1/5
Refused to listen.
3/5
There's some great momentum behind many of the tracks here. They start at 50mph and don't slow down. Polly Harvey has a great technique at building up songs. You feel like you're being carried along with them. I love the voice and the way it matches the music effortlessly. I raised a smile when Thom Yorke waded in singing in a higher key.
Yes
2/5
There's some great momentum behind many of the tracks here. They start at 50mph and don't slow down. Polly Harvey has a great technique at building up songs. You feel like you're being carried along with them. I love the voice and the way it matches the music effortlessly. I raised a smile when Thom Yorke waded in singing in a higher key.
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
Understated vocals, and tbh, unstated songs. There's no denying Curtis has the delivery. His falsetto lulls you in to what you think will be a sweet, innocent song. The issues addressed here are bleak. It works in the lyrics, but the songs weren't strong enough to carry it for me. Disappointing.
Throwing Muses
3/5
This is a very ambitious debut. No album should be one hour and 41 minutes though. In its favour are the melodies. I thought I would bail after half an hour. I'm pleased that I persisted. I was rewarded with some of the more hoe down tunes towards the final third. It's the bass that holds this album together.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
This was pleasant. It was the ideal soundtrack for the working morning. It has a nice pace and a classic pop sound. Dusty could sing Crass songs and they would still sound upbeat. The faster paced songs work better than the ballads. Dusty's voice can be a little too emotional for the heartbreak tales. She sings from the heart.
Tina Turner
3/5
I had no idea there was so many covers on this album. Or that Mark Knopfler wrote the title track. Tina's version of Let's Stay Together was the first time I heard this song. It remains a favourite to this day. The 80's production dates the album. But still a decent voice and a great choice of songs. Even 1984 is half decent.
Judas Priest
1/5
Judas Priest - British Steel
Refused to listen.
Adele
2/5
Just not my thing. Sorry. Stuck with it for the first half dozen tracks. Too polished for my tastes. An extra star for The Cure cover.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bob has always been a brilliant storyteller. This works at best for me with the full band behind him. I can't be doing with the finger in the ear folk shit. BIABH rocks from start to finish. There's still some acoustic strumming to add a light touch to the electric riffs. But over the top of all this, and stealing the show, are the lyrics. Baby Blue is a one of the best ever album closers. What a trooper.
Madonna
2/5
Not a lot stood out away from the singles. I had no idea that Prince appears on this album. Love Song is more about him, than it is her. It's all the better for it.
The Shamen
2/5
This was interesting as a document of early 90s rave culture, but of little value elsewhere. You wouldn't sit down of an evening, light up the log fire and say HEY! I know what: Let's play The Shamen's En-Tact on vinyl whilst we wind down for the day. I always thought it was quite a leap of faith from their psych prog early output to the dance crossover. En-Tact sounds like a step too far. It's the soundtrack for walking around Camden Market in 1993 and having a headache.
B.B. King
3/5
The musicianship is outstanding. I didn't realise his voice was as powerful as his guitar. I could done without the screaming fans - part of the live album experience I guess. Some pleasant changes in pace. Not the usual blues fodder.
Isaac Hayes
2/5
Not really an album, more like a jam session. It's not exactly radio friendly. I wanted to really like this. But it dragged with no real direction. One Woman works well - and that's the shortest track. Nineteen minute of By the Time I get to Phoenix is about fifteen minutes more than you need.
John Grant
1/5
Christ, this was bloody awful. It meant absolutely nothing to me. I came close to bailing after the female warbling over the top of the first track. It's a whimsical album, bed wetting itself over 70's slush pop. Is this really one of the top 1,001 albums to listen to? I finally lost the will after the third track and departed. Bloody awful shit.
Paul Simon
2/5
Pretty inoffensive, but also pretty much not my type of music. It's a stepping stone to Graceland. What's lacking is the energy and optimism for what was to come from Simon. This has soul, but little rhythm.
The Replacements
3/5
This sounds like a band, it sounds like a gang. I preferred the melodies compared to the more hardcore roots. It doesn't quite flow with the constant change in direction. It's the sound of a band not sure if they want to break through to stadiums or not. The songs stack up with enough oomph to carry them. Maybe the ambition wasn't there. An interesting mid 80's musical document.
Alanis Morissette
2/5
Slick. Almost too slick. The attitude feels forced. Sure, she's angry. But get over it. I found the breathless vocals annoying. Calm down. No ironic joke form me, either. Which is...
Ice Cube
2/5
Decent groove dodgy lyrics. Mr Cube certainly has a lot to say. Most of it I don't agree with. Like he gives a shit. I bailed when gun shots replaced the beats.
The Cars
2/5
This reminded me of early Roxy in places. There's a US college humour. It's the sound of a proper band all working together. It got a little repetitive midway through.
Gorillaz
3/5
I can't listen to this without being reminded of early 2000 bars in Clapham that cornered the market for the boozer / club crossover. I was resentful at the time for Damon dissing his indie roots and going for the dance market. I was probably resentful at my own personal transition at the time. Almost a quarter of a Century (!) later and I now get it. Club culture over indie shite any day. This is dark, yet it leaves you with pockets of optimism in which to escape. It all comes back to the tune, something which Damon has always had. Wankerville is still Wankerville, mind.
Mudhoney
2/5
I would have been all over this back in '91. Not so 24 years later on a damp Thursday morning. What a bloody racket. The more melodic tracks such as Good Enough at least dial it down slightly. There's tunes in there, until the dumb reverb swallows them up. I'm surprised I made it to the end.
4/5
I mean seriously - do we have to listen to this again? I didn't. I'd rather look towards the future. The four stars are for what the album meant to me almost 30 years ago, and not how I view it in 2023. I don't feel the need to play this ever again.
Sex Pistols
4/5
Part comedy, part semi-serious political message. Jones' guitar is immense throughout. The tight rhythm section holds it all together. You can almost feel the snarl coming out of Rotten. Bollocks is not a musical masterpiece, but a fun record all the same. One album and then you're done. That's the way to do it.
Sugar
3/5
This is a very LOUD record. I'd forgotten that Sugar were on Creation. They appeared to be travelling in the opposite direction of other acts on the label at the time. The tracks flow together really well. Good Idea to Changes is almost a continuous song. If I Can't Change Your Mind could have been a Lennon and McCartney song. Seriously.
Pretenders
3/5
An album mainly full of fillers, with only the singles really standing out. Harsh, but I've been brought up on the Best of The Pretenders. Private Life is fantastic. I didn't realise the origins of this song. It gets a little more in depth with the song writing on Lovers of Today. There's a definite Pretenders sound with the bass and drums always deep in the mix. Not bad for a debut, but a little thin on the ground.
SZA
3/5
A pleasant reprieve from some of the bullshit hip hop that has been served up here of late. Laser sharp rhythms with lyrics that actually represent. The vocals are delivered in an understated way. You don't need to shout your arse off about how you're the fucking bomb. It gets wonderfully twisted in places. There's a flow from start to finish. A great find.
Moby
1/5
Bailed after three tracks. Bland as fuck
OutKast
2/5
Twenty four tracks – I made it all the way through to the end as well. It was decent, but I wouldn’t line up a second sitting. Albums should be forty minutes, max.
There’s a light tough to the production. It didn’t feel like I was being lectured. Some pretty cool turntablist action as well.
John Prine
2/5
I like a bit of C&W with a sense of humour. Alabama 3 are clearly fans. There wasn't enough to sustain me until the end. The lyrics wouldn't make daytime radio in 2023.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Bleak, beautiful. A bit like Bruce. The acoustic recording suits the songs. He's a half decent storyteller. Bruce Springsteen is very good at being Bruce Springsteen
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Leonard drops down another level here with the vocals. This is an album that has the passage of time running through it. The macabre subject matter isn't hidden away from. It got a little too deep for me. It made me question things that I'm not really ready to question right now. This is a cool version of Songs of Praise.
Dr. John
5/5
Gris-Gris Gumbo is an astonishing opening track for your debut album. It sets out the calling card for who you are and what's to come for the next three decades. Quite a statement. Then the samba hits you. The good Dr doesn't stand still. Latin rhythms, African chanting, plus so much more that I couldn't keep up with on the first listen.
Brian Eno
5/5
An album that has a gentle touch running throughout. It achieves that rare feat of passing you by, yet still being memorable. It also sounds modern, yet also analogue. Bloody love it.
Miles Davis
4/5
There's a lot of emotions going off here. As with all jazz, its best listened to late afternoon. The space between the music is just as important as what you can hear. I often want more soul from the jazz I listen to. Kind of Blue achieves this. Timeless.
Tricky
5/5
A hugely important album - both on a personal and a wider macro level. Maxinquaye shouldn't work. Fucked up Bristol beats from an outsider who somehow caught the attention of the inkie indie kids. I bloody love it. Even the Public Enemy cover works. The beats seems to exist in a different dimension, such is the doped up delivery. Tricky has a twisted mind. You need this to record, and appreciate Maxinquaye. Essential listening.
Roxy Music
3/5
Right from the opener you can hear the tension here: Bryan's lyrics fighting for attention with Eno's music. It's a glorious clash of styles. This is such a cocky second album. Do The Strand swaggers along. It stalls a little towards the end. Eno seems to have won that battle for one final time.
Parliament
3/5
I love how this album goes from quiet to loud as the tracks build up. Parliament were funk trailblazer for Pixies. I couldn't stay still listening to this. The funk slowed down and stretched out. I felt a little peculiar after the album had finished and needed to sit down.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Warm, reassuring and sounding distinctly like the Pet Shop Boys. The PSB are always the PSB, decade in, decade out. It gets a little like a deep house lite compilation at times. Not remarkable, just likeable.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
It's hard to listen to this without thinking that you're at a basketball or ice hockey match. The samples and snippets have been bastardised for mass entertainment.
This sounds great in either a small club or at an outdoor event. Norman knows how to build up a tune. There's a crude DIY bedroom feel on tracks like Fucking in Heaven. That sounds so dated now. But plenty of fun, all the same.
George Jones
2/5
He's not a happy man. I'm not surprised with a haircut like that. It's a little too twee for my tastes. Great musicianship, but bloody depressing. Selling for silly, silly money on eBay.
Muddy Waters
5/5
I really should listen to more music like this. Outstanding.
Suicide
4/5
For some reason Sigue Sigue Sputnik comes to mind here. But a lot more stylish. I was expecting something dark, It's actually quite uplifting. Rock 'n' roll should always be dumb and simple. At times it sounds like an even seedier version of Soft Cell. The tape hiss just adds to the overall lo-fi effect. 32 minutes is the ideal time for any album. And 10 minutes of that is taken up with Frankie.
TV On The Radio
2/5
This started off sounding very cold, then the soul arrived on track 2. There was even a punk lite edge to some of the songs. It gets a little Coldplay crappy in places, then launches straight into some Chic funk on the next track. I can't be doing with all the genre bed hopping tbh. Not really my kind of thing.
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
This has been a summer of blues and R & B for me. It wasn't planned. The albums served up here of late have taken me in this direction. It's a road I've greatly enjoyed exploring. At Fillimore East is a great find. Of course the guitar solos are bloated. That's what you want from the blues. The tight rhythm section holds it all together. I've become an old man. There's no shame in my musical tastes reflecting this.
Scritti Politti
3/5
This is a great pop album. The '85 in the title is perfect. It sounds exactly how a record made in 1985 should. The production is sharp and sweet. The songwriting isn't always there, but it feels like an album, and not some random songs put together.
Hanoi Rocks
1/5
I came close to bailing during the first track. The saxaphone saved it. This is bar room brawl music. I'm not up for the fight. I wimped out at track two.
Scissor Sisters
1/5
Bee Gees shite. Got bored after two tracks. Bailed after Comfortably Numb. One half of this description is how I was left feeling.
Ravi Shankar
2/5
I enjoyed the music, but not the commentary. It got right on my tits after the first five minutes. This felt like a history lesson. Bailed.
Fats Domino
3/5
Compilations aren't really my thing. I refuse to believe that there is a stand alone Fats album that isn't any better than this collection. It's decent - VERY decent. It was hard to keep my foot still with plenty of involuntary tapping throughout. But I like albums to have a story or thread.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
I've never really got on with Joni's warblings. She tries to say too much, rather than keep the message simple. I struggle to keep up, tbh. The star of the show is Max Bennett with his effortless bass playing. Lose the vocals and you've got a half decent album. Harsh, but true.
Girls Against Boys
1/5
Horrid, horrid indie. I'm done with this shit. Really can't listen to this sort of crap these days.
William Orbit
2/5
This reminds me of Shoreditch bars in the early 90's. I don't really miss Shoreditch bars in the early 90's. Weak, slightly trippy but no meat on the bone. Bring back my Summer of Blues.
Big Star
2/5
Not quite the blueprint for Teenage Fanclub that I was led to believe. This is more like a US version of The Sweet. It's good, honest rock 'n' roll. Nothing wrong with that. But nothing to offer much hope with, either.
Ministry
1/5
Just no.
The Specials
5/5
The transition from ska revivalists to something a little more meaningful runs throughout More Specials. This isn't the sound of a pastiche tribute; it's the sound of The Specials. They deserve their own genre. Enjoy Yourself sums up the entire album, both in spirit and sound. It's tremendous fun. The gang mentality comes across on each track, even though they were about to fall apart. It's a time capsule for the in-between period of post-punk and pre-80's pop. Do Nothing is just perfect.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
I struggle sometimes with the production for conscience hip hop. It often gets overlooked in favour of the message. Not here. The beats are as smooth as the delivery and the lyrics. Television The Drug of the Nation remains powerful and relevant.
The Byrds
2/5
It's not exactly Sergeant Pepper or Pet Sounds. Musically it's quite a mess. I found it a tough listen with some pretty basic production. The songs are half decent, but it sounds like there was a push to try new production methods.
Jeff Beck
3/5
like the late 60's bluesy feel. The guitar solos drag on a little too long however. Beck clearly has a delicate touch with his playing. I didn't know about Rod's involvement. It's a shame that Beck didn't push himself forward as a frontman.
The Monks
2/5
I thought this was streaming at the wrong speed at first. It was also really short - Spotify only served up two tracks. Not sufficient to form an opinion. Harmless, but not exactly life changing.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
This is a very tired and spaced out recording. You don't say. The songwriting sounds like an afterthought to the vibe that the band are trying to create. It sounds more like a disjointed jamming session. Family Affair is the stand out. It doesn't really fit the mood of the rest of the record. A disappointment.
Eagles
2/5
Take it Easy is a great opening track for a debut. The harmonising is pitch perfect. What follows is an odd mixture of songs. I had to check Spotify to make sure that it was still The Eagles streaming. What starts out as a classic 70's rock album fizzles out to become meh. I didn't now about the Glyn Johns connections with the production.
Astrud Gilberto
1/5
One song away from wearing incontinence pants.
Neil Young
3/5
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is sung with so much sorrow. The message in Southern Man is more powerful than the actual music. The album fades a little towards the end, but it's still very decent
The Sugarcubes
3/5
It's hard to listen to this now without thinking that it's a standalone Bjork album. Her voice is so distinctive. It rises above what is a decent overall sound. Birthday is incredibly trippy. The post-punk Icelandic scene sounds like it was some serious shit.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Sharp beats, even sharper delivery. Not bad for a debut, but also not really my thing. Musical Youth have got a lot to answer for.
Tracy Chapman
5/5
The best debut album? Possibly. Fast Car is certainly the best debut single. Outstanding. The songs are so strong that they could work in any genre. The endless covers coming out of this album show this.
Mixing the personal and the political is never easy. You never feel like you're listening to a protest album. It's more the sound of someone calling for change by observing what is happening in her personal life. A quite brilliant record.
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
I'm never a fan of spoken word interludes. It's insulting to the listener, assuming that you need the context to appreciate the track that is to follow. Take away the ramblings and you have a fairly tight album. The bump 'n' grind ballads work well. And yes, I was able to keep up with the story.
Frank Sinatra
1/5
I wanted to hate this. I despise Sinatra and all the banality that he stands for. I wasn't won over by this album. I might have tolerated it as an instrumental.
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
There's not much here apart from the obvious. Patterns is WEIRD. The Dylan pastiche was just odd. Warblers.
3/5
A really challenging listen. I like it this way. I can't say I'll play it again. But it did hold my focus. A rarity these days.
Van Morrison
4/5
I'm a sucker for this sort of shit. Not knowing many of the originals might have helped. This sounds like an incredibly polished live set of performances. I suspect studio twiddling took place at a later date. It feels wholesome, it feels worthy. Which is not something you always want from dumb rock 'n' roll. But a sense of righteousness is never a bad thing.
ABBA
1/5
Refused to listen.
Dagmar Krause
1/5
Very odd. I feared an oom-pah band breaking out at any moment. It's unlistenable.
Slipknot
1/5
Refused to listen.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Raw as fuck. If this was a 2023 release, then the production would drown out the voice. Not so in 1968. The vocals lead, with everything else added as backing only. It's great to hear the classic soul starting to stray in new directions. Jazz, rock, even a little country soul. Sexy as well.
The Undertones
5/5
Four stars for Teenage Kicks alone. Plus one for Jimmy Jimmy. The rest is a bonus. But WHAT a bonus. You can see where Supergrass lifted their best ideas from.
Beck
3/5
I wasn't expecting this - a break-up country rock album. It wasn't exactly the Friday I'm in Love start to the weekend that was needed. The Nigel Godrich influence comes over strong. This could be an outtake of Radiohead songs sung by smiling Thom's US cousin. It's high quality, just not the type of quality that I need these days.
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
Q magazine liked to offer up one word reviews to sum up an album back in the day. I recall 'sultry' being offered up for TTD's debut. I also remember mis-reading this at the time as 'salty.' Both descriptions do justice here.
You forget how huge TTD was in 1987. What happened next is the more interesting story. But Introducing the Hardline remains great fun. There's a distinctive 80's production. It's very funky in places. The vocals are fantastic.
A sultry, salty 4 stars.
5/5
The pinnacle of pop. And intelligent pop, at that. What an outstanding debut. The storytelling, the production, the songs - it's all there. I use to listen to this on repeat 40 years ago (!). It transported me as I visualised stories and experiences around the songs. So many memories. It still sounds incredible, four decades on. Lexicon of Love II is half decent as well.
Django Django
3/5
I usually stay well clear of art rock; I don't art, I don't like rock. But this has a wonderful rambling feel to it. It sounds like a clean living version of Alabama 3.
Destiny's Child
1/5
Just not my shit.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Not a bad album, but it can't touch Pixies who were on the upward curve as Hüsker Dü were falling. That's how the music industry works. Bands fall in and out of fashion. The songs don't quite hold together, the production is up way too high in the mix.
It gets a little repetitive in places. She Floated Away would have been a decent folk rock song if it was recorded properly. Turn It Around would make a great nursery rhyme. Too much clutter for a double album.
Bee Gees
2/5
Ballads ahoy! These are belted out by the Bee Gees, with varying degrees of success. The timpani drums on Israel are bonkers. Any Trafalgar concept passed right over me. I preferred the album artwork to the actual songs. Music for a rainy work morning.
The Gun Club
4/5
This album kicks you up the arse. It's almost impossible to explain what's going off here: Blues, rockabilly, punk. It could be confusing, but it's so simple. The music matches the attitude. I wish this type of music was played on daytime radio. No let up. LOVE IT.
The Only Ones
2/5
There's not a lot here tbh apart from *that* single. It's... the only one.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
This album has ambience. You don't say. I love the mix of electronica with acoustic strumming. It contains some very strong songs, all delivered with rich, understated vocals. There's an innocence about the record. It really is quite sweet, especially given the robot future overtones. An early 2000's masterpiece.
Ice T
2/5
You've got to be in the right frame of mind to make this work. A drizzly early morning stuck in the bloody Estuary Wilds is not quite South Central. It's a comedy album, right? So much machismo. Nice use of antidisestablishmentarianism. It's a shame there was no rhyme for this. Quite funky for hip hop. It bridges old school with world domination superstars.
Soft Machine
3/5
I would have run a bloody mile from this in years gone by. These days I'm the one making all the moves. You grow old, you listen to jazz, innit. Life 101. Even better if it's on the cusp of psychedelic shit fusing it with freestyle jazz and drugs are involved - participants, not the listener.
I love how the songs build up throughout ten minutes or so. You aren't going to hear these on Heart FM anytime soon. There's also a soft approach to all the jazz shit. The horns won't blow your arse off.
If you make it through all four sides then you have done very well. It takes you on a journey. Gawd knows where to. I became lost on side 3. That's half the fun, right?
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
The old goat creates quite a racket here. I say old goat - he was only 44 at the time. I remember back in 1990 thinking that he sounded ancient. There is a great live feel to this record. The mix is spot on with the reverb rattling away and some highly tuned guitars to add to the balance. It's also a proper collection of songs. This feels like an album, and not random ideas. It's driving music. It almost makes me want to learn to drive.
The KLF
2/5
I wanted to say that this a flawless album. But it's clearly not. The White Room is disjointed, out of place and confused. But that's half the fun of The KLF. Subversion was always more exciting than playing the game.
There are some absolute gems on here. The singles are all five star ratings. They sound better in a club, obvs. But I doubt I will get to experience that again.
Build A Fire offers a different, darker narrative. KLF continue to fascinate me. I wish they had continued. But that would have led to disappointment. The myth grows ever more as time passes.
The Band
4/5
There's a real ragtime theme running throughout this. Contemporary references can't be heard. The only way you can describe this record is that it's an album by The Band. You can almost hear the sound of beards growing from start to finish. I wouldn't call it funky, but they know how to lay down a groove with the bass. The album is very wholesome and worthy in a way that only The Band can get away with. Mumford and Sons this is not. Thank fuck for that.
Blur
3/5
By far the most interesting of all the Blur albums. It killed off Britpop (hurrah!) and turned towards smack instead. Happy, happy, joy, joy. Damon's voice sounds great, especially on Beetlebum. I had to skip Song 2. There's only so many times you can tolerate the grunge piss take. There's some killer melodies with On Your Own. It gets dark with Death of a Party. I sniggered at Essex Dogs. Not a lot has changed.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
This was the perfect distraction music that I needed as I got my head down for a Monday morning work task. I didn't want complications and Dylan introspective lyrics; I wanted uplifting noise to carry me through the morning.
The sound is stretched out, even through a pair of AirPods. Lee Scratch Perry comparisons are obvious. There's also a lot borrowed here from early Art of Noise. The beat is always one step behind. It was the rhythm I needed to tap, tap, away on the keyboard.
The mix of Wilmot here is unrecognisable to the 12" I bought almost thirty years ago. The Sabres still sound fresh compared to some of the crappy ED music of today.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
I really struggled with this album. The sleeve notes suggest that it should be outstanding - Fripp! Weller! Phil on drums! But it's not an easy listen.
There's no obvious theme for it to all hang together. It felt almost as disjointed as Fripp's guitar style. Gawd knows how Weller fitted into this back in 1980. Not a disaster, but an interesting listen.
1/5
Bailed less than a minute in. Appalling.
The Thrills
5/5
A five star album before I listened to this with a fresh pair of ears. I pretty much lived this album when it was first released. I rinsed it continuously for around six months. Some albums have that impact on you.
I'm not sure why I was drawn to it at the time. It stood apart from the drum 'n' bass that was also taking over my life.
I haven't played it for a few years, up until this morning. It still has that spark for me. The optimism, the musicianship, the songs. Plus it sounds like a session, rather than a polished, studio crafted album. It's the pure joy that it offers that still gives me a buzz.
Outstanding.
Tito Puente
3/5
I have little reference points here. So it's probaby best to appreciate this album for what it is - joyful, uplifting music. There's nothing wrong in that.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
2/5
This sounded like a Hymn book being sung. I wanted some uplifting Monday morning music. Instead I got a right old racket and a moan. It's not offensive, but it's hardly Choose Life either.
Kraftwerk
2/5
I struggle with Kraftwerk. I don't dislike them, I just find them... cold. I know that's the whole point. But it's not what I look for in music. It sounds like computer code to me. And badly written computer code at that. Modem dial up music.
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
There's far too much going on here. And most of it sounds like sludge being processed. A very confused album.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
The drifted away pleasantly for a working Friday. Stevie is at his best when he effortlessly knocks them out and sequences a series of songs into a single album. They Won't Go When I Go is sublime. Boogie on Reggae Woman is far better than it should be. Controversial: Stevie's glorious five album run in the early 70's is even better than Bowie's golden years.
LTJ Bukem
3/5
I wanted to really dislike this - wine bar D&B. It may lack the dirtiness of proper buzzing off yer tits from back in the day, but it's decent. The album has a pace from start to finish. You never feel out of breath, or as though you may drift off. That's the DJ journey, innit. Wine bar D&B...
Mike Oldfield
3/5
This perhaps wasn't the ideal morning for me to listen to some doom and gloom with Smiling Mike. I have a twisted relationship with Tubular Bells. Love, hate etc. I was once obsessive about it. Isn't everyone?
Sure, it has structure and superbly crafted production. It's also become a cliche over the years and hasn't aged as well as other classic albums from this period. But it's still very, very good. Just not right now for me.
Lambchop
2/5
I wasn't expecting a laid back disco vibe. Add in elements of gospel, plus the strings and horns, and you have a rather confused record. It sounds too polished. The songs suit a more stripped down approach.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Freak Scene is pop perfection. There. Stop the album there and then, five fucking stars.
The production throughout Bug is far better than any mainstream shit, past and present. Each instrument is allowed to argue its case, without battling one another. The guitar chops and digs away.
J Mascis' vocals are tender, yet still crash down on you with a tirade. The fucked up attitude is the appeal. There's actually some real clever melodies here. Adorable.
Underworld
2/5
This was great wfh music, and not the full on 90's clubbing experience I had feared. It's a rarity for EDM to sound better at home than in a club. There wasn't much else in there to draw me back. Pleasant, but not life changing.
The Damned
2/5
This was a right old racket tbh. It was a very confused listen with too much going on. I only made it to the end because of the brevity.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
1/5
This felt like I was intruding on some random strumming his guitar in his bedroom. Ramblin' is indeed the right adjective to describe the racket. I'm not sure why this nonsense is on the 1,0001 albums list. I listened to some Michelle Shocked instead.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
I use to love this album. It was my gateway to Hendrix. That door is now firmly shut. Listening to it again for the first time in almost 30 years is weird. My musical tastes at the time were a little confused. It's a decent album. But I was led more by the marketing than the music. Lenny wasn't quite the great saviour he was billed as at the time. It's harmless stuff. But sometimes I want a little harm and danger. Growing old, kicking against the pricks, etc.
The Blue Nile
3/5
This is an album that has layers. It's quite a debut and sounds like little else from 1984. I love the way each track builds up. Yes, it lacks balls. It's a lot smoother than all the cock posturing that the 1,001 Albums list has served up of late. Shaven balls. That feels nice.
X-Ray Spex
2/5
The saxophone makes this album. It gives a new dimension to the punk sound. There's elements of a glam hangover - no bad thing either. It was fun in places, but then got a little repetitive towards the end. I like the Stockwell tube station namecheck.
Tom Waits
4/5
There's no one else like Tom Waits. Dr John comes close, but Waits is unique. I love the rhythmic feel to Rain Dogs. His storytelling is superb. There's an uplifting and almost spiritual feel to some of the songs. Hang Down Your Head remains a favourite.
The Kinks
3/5
There's a jamboree sound to this record. It's a mixed bag with even some sea shanty songs - never a good sign. The Coral leaned heavy on this. It plodded along, apart from the singles. The three stars were for Waterloo Sunset alone.
Primal Scream
4/5
There's so much good shit going off here. It's a road album that fucks with your head, such is the level of confusion. My kinda listening.
Styles chop and change, but without ever feeling disjointed. Mani's bass lines are a killer, contrasting delicately with Bobby G's fairy vocals.
You get the feeling that this album is incredibly fragile. Drop it on the floor and the band will break - which is pretty much what happened.
Echo Dek is half decent as well.
Metallica
1/5
Refused to listen.
Lupe Fiasco
2/5
There's a proper 80's feel to match the album artwork. We're talking BIG production with some slick vocals. One hour and 12 minutes is WAY too long though. It passed a pleasant 45 minutes during some online admin. Then I bailed.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Thre's so much hype surrounding The Holy Bible. The Richey story is mainly behind this. Sure, it's a good album, but not great. Gold Agaisnt the Soul had more baslls. The talking in-between the tracks has always got on my tits. It's the reason I don't listent to commercial radio.
Beastie Boys
3/5
There's a lot going off here. Too much. It's a mixed bag, with some interesting samples. Definitely a departure and progress from went before. But It jumps around a little too much for my liking. Sabotage remains sublime. That kicked the shit out of Monday morning for me.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
This was over before I realised it. It was there in the background whilst I was tap, tap, tapping away on other projects. It didn't leave much of an impression or distraction. Not offensive, but not something that grabbed me by the balls and demanded that I give it my full attention.
Soul II Soul
3/5
Groundbreaking. I love the 'Go forth and achieve your ambitions' instructions from Jazzy. It unleashed an army of London soul brothers and sisters. There's nothing radically new here, yet it all still sounds so fresh. The sound of late 80's Ldn going global.
Oasis
4/5
Refused to listen. Yes, it *was* a 4 star album. But those days are long, long behind me now. Move on.
Eels
2/5
There's some great bass playing on this album. It comes close in places to being a US version of trip hop. Susan's House is LUSH. It drifts a little towards the back end of the album, getting a little too heavy for my tastes. But interesting and something of an early 90's timepiece.
Travis
1/5
Music for bed wetters.
Pavement
2/5
An interesting listen. I liked the way the sounds builds up across each track. It sounds almost orchestral in places. There's an edge, a rawness. Pavement are clearly decent musicians. I'm not sure about the songs though. I've always loved Range Life. But then it drags for the second half of the album. Work in progress.
Carpenters
3/5
This is dreamy. The Carpenters were at an early stage where there was no expectation to deliver a conveyor belt of pure pop hits. They had the space to experiment. And woh - Close to You is an album of experimentation. Reason to Believe is even better than Rod's version. High praise indeed. Close to You as a song is both slush and lush. Mr. Guder is BONKERS. They don't make them like this anymore. Nope.
Solange
3/5
This was new to me. It's an atmospheric album. The vocals are understated, almost apologetic. This feels a little wasted. The message is far more important than the music. Decent.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I love the energy and rawness here. It sounds like an album that was recorded in five days flat. It benefits from the DIY production. There's a great choice of covers. These boys could go far.
U2
4/5
There a sway to Achtung Baby - almost an arrogant sway. But it's not full on U2 in cock rock action. But yeah, there is a bounce that carries the album from start to finish. It sounds like a jigsaw was tossed in the air for different sources and inspiration. It always was - and still remains - highly unfashionable. That's why I like it. One shows some great songwriting. The riffs on The Fly and Mysterious Ways are meaty. U2 at their best.
Kate Bush
2/5
A little too sweet and sickly for my liking.
Rod Stewart
5/5
Bawdy, bravado and boastful. Rod at his boozy best. He's come a long way since being Rod the Mod of Archway.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
There's a lot of twee and twang taking place here. Plus plenty of sorrow. Dark End of the Street just might be the best version of the song ever recorded. Decent harmonising. It still sounds like it could have been recorded this year by some alt country revivalists.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
The staccato production did my nut in. The drifting from left to right in the mix gave me a headache. Once it settles down, then the vocals takeover. It sounds freeform, rather than a selection of songs that have been written. Decent jazz noodlings as well. An extra star for the use of the flute. Your Daddy Loves You is a tear jerker.
Roni Size
3/5
Steely Dan
2/5
A little too clever, a little too knowing for my liking. Some days I want dumb ass cock rock. It's the instrumentals that stand out here. I couldn't be arsed with the lyrical wordplay.
4/5
The Voice of Heartbreak. I can't decide which leads the way here - the songs or the tearful delivery. Put them both together and it's a combination that is going to leave you feeling a little down on yourself. Perfect for a rainy Wednesday morning in January.
Nick Drake
4/5
A wonderful, whimsical album. It's best to focus on the music, rather than the Nick Drake story. Don't read too much into the lyrics. You might not emerge on the other side. The trademark Joe Boyd production is outstanding. It adds an almost dub like sound to folk.
The Associates
4/5
This album doesn't hang together as a whole. It's all the better for it. Sulk is bonkers, with grand, sweeping gestures. It's more like a musical than a pop record. There's no direction from start to finish. I like to get lost in music. Billy was one of the last great pop pantomime Dames. Party Fears Two: Song of the Century.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
The bass dominates here, as expected. There's always an ambience to Wobble. It's more sound than songs. The flamenco guitar was a surprise. Ditto the samba rhythms. The album strays a little towards the end. The focus isn't quite there.
Taylor Swift
1/5
Refused to listen.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
A unique sound. At a push I would describe it as Glam Music Hall. It's beefy and playful. There's some power coming out of those vocals. The brass is joyous. Some of the songs you couldn't get away with these days. Gang Bang was interesting. In its favour is that the whole album lasts 35 minutes. All albums should follow the same.
Suzanne Vega
4/5
There's some great songwriting here for a debut. Only Tracy Chapman pushes her close for the best debut release. This doesn't sound like a mid-80's record. The production serves the songs, not the times. Suzanne has such an understated voice. She makes grown men weep, almost 40 years later.
Brian Eno
1/5
I wanted to really like this. Music snobs rave about it. Music snobs are dicks. This was shit.
2/5
Pleasant in a really innofensive type of way. A little bland. Wallpaper music for a dull wine bar.
Skunk Anansie
2/5
A great band sound. Just not my type of thing. They don't half make a bloody racket.
The Stranglers
4/5
Bass, keyboard and razor blade guitars. Plus some fella called Hugh. This is an incredibly accomplished debut album. It was also highly influential. OH HAI Elastica. I Loved Go Buddy Go and the boogie woogie sound for the extra track.
Hot Chip
2/5
This felt a little too optimistic for my natural pessimistic outlook. Why are you so fucking happy? The tweeness got on my tits. I can't work out what the point is. What's the message? Where are you going with this? Back to bed...
Ananda Shankar
1/5
Don't take drugs.
Rod Stewart
3/5
This has a real ragtime feel to it. Rod can't half belt them out. The rawness makes it sound like a busking session. Only a Hobo is even better than Bob's effort. Overall it comes across as more of a Faces album than a solo Rod effort. It's all the better for it.
Venom
1/5
It’s such a fine line between stupid, and uh... clever. Bailed before the first track had finished. Shocking.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
2/5
This would probably hold my attention late at night, rather than the early morning listen. It was pleasant enough in a cardigan wearing cuddly sort of way. It did sound very dated.
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
There's so much soul throughout this album. The horn section is STONKING throughout. Yet there remains a dark, early 80's mystique. You can almost feel the weight of the trench coats as you listen. I had no idea that PWEI sampled When I Dream. A fantastic album
Klaxons
2/5
I'm not a fan of mash up albums. Rock, rave, Arthur, Martha etc. I'm too old school to like genres and definitions that aren't inbreds. There's a lot of energy, but not a lot else going off here.
Khaled
2/5
I've no reference points to evalauate this with. Which sounds incredibly cold. But as a standalone piece of work, it means very little to me. I had to bail at Imagine, a song I don't like at the best of times.
R.E.M.
3/5
An album that sounds like it was recorded in 1986, and not 1983. These minor timeframes make a difference when they are your formative years.
It sounds like a proper album - a body of work with each song relying on each other. Songs such as Radio Free Europe come across as being a bit jointed on a Greatest Hits.
I enjoyed sitting down and listening to this, start to finish the way it should be. Blimey, there's a bit of funk in that bass. A half decent debut.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
This was a mess. I rather liked it. Fuck Shit Up is the obvious stand out. It sounds like it should. I don't remember this being played on the radio. Mr Spencer is a very excitable fella. Thirty two tracks was pushing it a bit. May - or may not - have made it to the end.
Bob Dylan
5/5
It's all about the songwriting. Bob delivers, with a little bit more as well. That voice is aquired listening. Somehow he stretches into showing signs of a soulful delivery. He changes direction completely on Idiot Wind. Bimey. Bob doesn't half belt this one out. It's like a drunken bar roomdelivery. It's a bloody great break up album.
Julian Cope
4/5
Usually artists focus on one style, rather than try and knit them all together in one song. You can’t beat a surf / Afro funk / post punk mash up. I don’t know how he gets away with it. No one else could.
Anita Baker
4/5
This is such a smooth album. It flows from one track to the next. The arrangements are close to perfection – not bad with Anita Baker self-producing only her second album. All the talk at the time was mainly within the HiFi snobs market. It was the ideal record for showcasing your set up. Three decades later and the music does all the talking. It’s the perfect album length at only 37 minutes. What a voice.
Peter Tosh
4/5
There's such a laid back sound to this album. It's got.a great analogue vibe running through it as well. You Don't Miss Your Water was a surprise - soulful reggae at its best. Deffo not... tosh.
The Divine Comedy
1/5
Weak Noël Coward crap.
Animal Collective
4/5
This album starts strongly. There's a tremendous amount of energy. It more like a collection of anthems than songs. Yet there is a strange Eno under current influence that carries it all. It was a pleasant surprise. It made me want to dance - never a good thing. I was sad when the album finished. It left me wanting more. And so I bought a copy.
Giant Sand
2/5
An interesting album. It starts off with a slacker stoner feel, and then shifts to full on industrial. Are they fans of Beck by any chance? There wasn't enough here to hold me through to the end.
Ride
4/5
There's so many layers to this album. The mood shifts from calm to a full on panic attack with the change of a chord. I love the structure and repeating patterns as the sounds build up. It's hard to believe that Ride were all under 20 when this was recorded. It has such an innocent charm, yet sounds like the work of a band already full into their stride. A major, major debut.
Nick Drake
4/5
Poor Nick - SO misunderstood. Hazy Jane has a real rocking feel going off. I love the light brass touches on At the Chime. There's even a late Elvis Vegas gospel tinge to Poor Boy. Drake hangs on to the notes and shows a great vocal delivery. It almost makes me want to go out for a walk in the countryside.
Portishead
4/5
I love the electronic folk feel to this album. The band have clearly moved on from the first two releases. THAT voice cuts through, always on the edge of a breakdown. Wifey said: "What's that bloody terrible racket?" They must be doing something right.
Big Star
3/5
This isn't exactly an album to get the party started. I wasn't expecting the Femme Fatale cover. It's a far better version than the VU drone of a song. The slide guitar carried the album throughout. It falls apart a little towards the end - much like the band.
Deep Purple
1/5
Refused to listen.
Milton Nascimento
2/5
I've got so few reference points here. The lyrics mean nothing to me. The sound is breezy. It felt like summer is on its way. Plus I do love a good whistle on a song. The album drifted slightly on the slower numbers. I bailed after ten tracks.
Bob Dylan
3/5
MAJOR misconception about Bob: he's a grumpy old git. He's actually a lot of fun. He often takes the piss out of himself. That's the feel for this album. It's cartoon Dylan, but still quality.
The production by Daniel Lanois threatens to derail the Dylan by Numbers. But no one makes them like Bob. There's no one like Bob. Celebrate the old bugger.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
This is more like a film soundtrack. The songs attempt to create dramatic scenes. Some work better than others. It never quite delivers with the final knockout blow for the end scene. There's a lovely analogue feel throughout. Never a bad thing.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
This album has a fairytale quality to it. The distorted drums crashing all over the melodies add to the confusion. Any album containing a song called The Gash has to be worth at least three stars. Music for a rainy day.
The Hives
2/5
This is what AI would come up with if you asked for a pop punk album. It's as inoffensive as you can get, plus a little fun along the way. The killer bass lines stand out. You've herd the rest of the album after the first three tracks
Heaven 17
5/5
A five star album, even before listening to it once again. The precision in the recording and the sound is incredible. It still sits well in the early 80's critiques of Thatcherism. Unlike most, it has aged incredibly well.
Janis Joplin
4/5
I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. It has an uplifting gospel feel. I always thought Joplin was on the darker side of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. The organ sound almost steals the show. But it's the 50 B&H a day gravel voice that won me over. Walked it like she talked it.
Beck
2/5
It felt like there was too many in-jokes here. Ha, bloody ha. But not so funny when you're not in on it. I like the bleeps and the general electronic fiddling. It works best when the analogue comes crashing over the digital. He knows how to write a decent riff.
But I wanted something a little extra more. There was no knockout punch. I get the impression that Beck recorded this album for himself, and not his audience. This is never a bad thing. But I don't share his personal musical direction.
Rush
1/5
Bloody awful shit. Bailed less than a minute in.
The War On Drugs
3/5
Deerhunter
1/5
Was there a Producer for this album? It doesn't sound like it. The band also appear to have given up after the first three tracks. They couldn't be arsed. And neither could I.
Steve Earle
3/5
Songs about heartbreak - what did you expect? Guitar Steve certainly carries the Johnny Cash tradition. He knows how to kick some shit out of country. A very decent debut.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
A homicidal, extraterrestrial, time-traveling gynaecologist. Disclaimer: I don't think the good Doctor is actually a Doctor. Great turntablism, juvenile lyrics. Strangely addictive.
Björk
3/5
I didn't want to enjoy this. I've never got my head around Björk . But I loved the creativity as each track builds up. It's not exactly sing-a-long classics. Being challenged is never a bad thing. She's a one.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
A very important album for so many reasons. Even without the social message, the music is strong. Very strong. There's a craft at work here as Kiwanuka builds up the songs. At times it sounds like a concept album. Powerful stuff.
Devendra Banhart
2/5
This sounds like a demo session, but in a good way. It's also very silly. One playing was sufficient
ZZ Top
1/5
What a bloody awful mess. Three turds.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Eno is all over this. There's a definite feel of Sound and Vision to some of the tracks. It's almost as if the music is in motion. Wyatt's voice is very soothing on the ear. Music to happily slurp tea to.
Buck Owens
3/5
Well this was a lively one. I love the crossover from country and rock 'n' roll. Everything sounds fresh - the rhythm, the Johnny Cash bass and the light touch percussion. The vocals are fun. It made me want to dance.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
This sounded a lot better in a club back in the 90's whilst buzzing off yer tits, compared to a tinny Spotify stream. Important at the time, not much relevance now.
Spiritualized
2/5
I've not heard this album in decades. I've no idea what I thought was the attraction all those years ago. It starts off soothing, but becomes sickly after a while. That last track at 17 mins was a bloody awful racket. I bailed five minutes in.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
A glorious mess. You settle into one style and rhythm, and then it changes on the next track. The autenticity sounds real, as do the tensions in the band.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Not a lot of light in this album. It sounds like someone trying to escape the winter months with the calendar moving backwards. The production from Bill Drummond isn't his best. It's more about the legend of the Bunneymen, or more importantly, what they could become, rather than the end product. Work in progress.
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
I loved this album from the first early rhythms. The horn stabs punctuate the beats. If this don't get you dancing then you have no soul. Short and sweet as well.
Kelela
3/5
The production here is great - sharp, precise, ultra clean. It suits the vocals. There's a futuristic feel throughout. A little too squeaky around the edges for me. But I can see what the idea was and where this is heading. Impressive, given so much modern pop is absolute shite these days.
Death In Vegas
2/5
This has a very dirty feeling throughout. It got right under my fingernails, and not in a good way, either. It sounds like it was written with soundtrack licenses in mind. Very formulaic.
Crowded House
3/5
ALL HIT RADIO! Hit after hit after hit! Weather With You actually bends the sound. Overblown hype alert: this sounds almost Shakespearian; the play on words, the story telling, the subtleties in the change of mood. Very classy
Neil Young
4/5
Canada's greatest soul singer. Seriously. That voice. Harvest is a great album. It still sounds timeless, despite the social commentary of the time. Good effort, dude.
The Police
1/5
The first couple of tracks sounded speeded up. I thought Spotify was fucked. Mother is a mess. How did that even make it on to a Police album? Every Breath is VERY creepy. A strange inclusion for 1,001 Albums To Listen To.
Aimee Mann
1/5
The album title said it all.
Tom Waits
4/5
Tom Waits at his most Tom Waits.
Elliott Smith
2/5
Well he's a cheery fucker. There's some decent melodies to lighten the mood. But it's not an album I'm going to turn to on a Friday night. It felt like a throwback to the mid 70's. It felt like the reason why punk had to happen.
CHVRCHES
2/5
I'm not the target audience here. I don't dance. I could appreicate the production, but that doesn't mean that I like it. It sounded like the soundtrack for an American Candy Store.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Completely of its time, riding the upward curve of yuppies, CDs and Filofaxes. But the songs would have worked across any time period with a shift in production trends. Gabriel's vice commands each track. He has the ability to bellow out the lyrics, yet still offer some soul. In Your Eyes is pure joy. An album that I regularly come back to as a comfort listen.
Bert Jansch
2/5
Folkie finger-picking. This was a bit of a drone tbh. The DIY demo roughness rules. And not in a good way. It probably makes more sense if you're on a downer. It makes Morrissey sound cheerful.
Björk
1/5
This would have been great without the vocals. Such a bloody drone.
Guided By Voices
2/5
I like the way the songs flow into one another. It's a little rambling at 28 tracks. Melodies are rare, attitude is everything. The budget clearly wasn't spent on production values. At times it sounded liked a random bloke shouting shit down a mic. This probably sounds best on a C90, rather than a streaming service.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
This was a throwback. It felt fresh and exciting back in the day. Now it sounds boring and dull. Background music for all those crappy mid 90's bars where you would talk shit about how GREAT you are.
Red Alert remains a banger. I still have the urge to run around and shout BINGO BANGO in the face of randoms.
The Beta Band
3/5
I love the don't give a shit attitude here. It's easy to see how the Betas self-destructed. The tracks build up with so many layers. Experimental Beach Boys are an easy comparison. It's always good to celebrate oddities. The Betas were right old odd ones.
David Gray
1/5
Bailed after three songs. Just not my thing.
The Who
3/5
More a collection of tracks than an albums. Rocks sits nexts to some fairly decent soul crooning. It sounds a little plodding at times. A decent debut, with a hint of what was to come.
Hole
2/5
There's such a circus around Courtney - most of it self-manufactured. Doll Parts is decent here.
Hole borrow heavily from the Pixies stop / start approach to making music. It was a little too SHOUTY SHOUTY for my tastes.
It left me pining for Celebrity Skin, which I played straight after this.
Bob Dylan
2/5
I found this very cold listening. For all his lyrical genius, it sounded more like a shopping list being read out by a dude in the subway. Talkin' World War III Blues was a little unsettling to hear once again
2/5
Cheap Trick
1/5
At Shit Creak, more like. Just bloody awful. By far the worst album on this list.
Bill Callahan
3/5
I knew nothing about this. There's a commanding voice reflects the delicacy of the songs. It reminded me of Richard Hawley, never a bad thing. There's a very polished sound, but maintaining a DIY feel. Monday morning music.
Gang Starr
2/5
This album sounds like it was recored on the cusp of the Daisy Age. Macho posturing is toned down, but there's still a slight growl in the delivery. The production is fantastic. There wasn't a lot of variety in the tracks. I tired after 45 minutes or so.
Supergrass
4/5
I'm still not ready for any Britpop retrospective. I rinsed this solid for a period of around three months in '95. I had very one dimensional musical tastes at the time. Supergrass were a little different though. Underneath the cartoon characters they had a dark side. the bass playing is a BEAST here. The joy of the songs keeps it all happy, happy joy, joy. Caught by the Fuzz still managed to raise a smile.
Motörhead
1/5
Unlistenable.
Motörhead
1/5
wtf. More unlistenable.
The Killers
1/5
Piss poor weak US wannabee indie shite. Why is this music still being made?
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
Technically a Trevor Horn album. Overblown, overhyped. Ultimately it fails on the strength of the ambitions alone. But woh, aim high. Four stars for those four singles alone. Still yet to be bettered as a run of debut releases. The animals are still winding me up.
Adele
1/5
Just not my shit.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
You can't question the ambition here. The Bunnymen were never short on balls. But they didn't always deliver the grandness that was expected. Porcupine is a great listen. The scraping guitars, Mac's FUCK YOU vocals and some killer melodies. It's enough to make you want to put on your overcoat. Porcupine falls short by not having that killer blow. It needs a theme to hold it all together. Decent, mind.
Chicago
4/5
Woh! Where the chuff did this come from? Chicago Transit Authority is unrecognisable from the AOR Chicago shite. Is it really the same band? The horns are lovely, the tunes are uplifting. There's clearly a Sergeant Pepper hangover happening here. No bad thing. Free Form Guitar worried me for a while. But then it's back to the white funk. Horny.
Garbage
3/5
Bless up Big Youth laying it down with Facts of Life. Riddim is Delano Stewart's That's Life. Big Youth does the business 🔥🔥
Big Brother & The Holding Company
1/5
Bloody awful racket. Dull. With a capital D.
Miles Davis
4/5
The perfect music for a sunny spring afternoon. Light touches, short durations and a backing band worthy of Miles. The music leads to internal stories and scenes in your own mind. It's pretty cool when creativity leads to creativity. I've not been BOOZING btw.
Joanna Newsom
1/5
No
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Old Nick loves a rant. He also rambles an awful lot on this album. It's more of an ode to BOOZE than a musical body of work. I had a hangover after the first three tracks. I prefer it when Cave is more introspective and questioning.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
I wanted to dismiss this as music for bedwetters after the first few tracks. But there's a lot more depth going off here. The harmonies and analogue feel to the production makes it hard to date this. It's timeless. That time period may not necessarily be one that I want to live in right now, but it's pleasant enough.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
SMOOTH, Marvin. Very smooth. The transition from soul to funk can almost be physically felt whilst listening to Let's Get It On. It's uplifting, but then ends on a downer. Oh dear. Poor Marv. He was a... troubled man. I desperately miss him.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Stripped back pure rock 'n' roll. This is very short and sweet. There's an innocence throughout. The songs are pretty much standards these days. They show that you don't need the technology to create something special.
Christina Aguilera
1/5
Just not my shit. Refused to listen.
XTC
2/5
A little too twee for my liking. I felt like I should have been wearing full on tweed just to listen to it. It doesn't speak to me about the multi-cultural country I live in. Nature shit and Little England is overrated. The Kinks did this far better. The final Dear God track saved it for me.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
I'd rather Jack. But seriously. It's pretty lush from start to finish.
Orbital
3/5
Mechanical, repetitive, religious. But still bloody brilliant for buzzing off yer tits before you've had breakfast.
Dwight Yoakam
1/5
Too twee, too twang. Ta ta.
The Fall
4/5
There's so much energy and ideas swirling around here. And all under 30 minutes. Right from the start The Fall didn't give a fuck. It must have sounded like nothing else in 1979. It still pretty much the case. A glorious mess. Mark was a one.
Steely Dan
1/5
I felt like I was being held hostage at some shitty middle class dinner party.
Radiohead
4/5
Pink Floyd
2/5
A little left of the dial even by my flaky standards. It strays into BONKERS mystic and mushrooms territory.
Gene Clark
4/5
This was great! The songs are the real stars, pushed to the front in the production and allowed the space to dominate. The minimal use of the Hammond organ adds a little variety. It doesn't grab you by the balls and say LISTEN TO ME. The quality spoke for itself. So good I played it twice.
Digital Underground
4/5
This was great! The songs are the real stars, pushed to the front in the production and allowed the space to dominate. The minimal use of the Hammond organ adds a little variety. It doesn't grab you by the balls and say LISTEN TO ME. The quality spoke for itself. So good I played it twice.
Eagles
2/5
I should really dislike this and all that it stands for. But the songs are strong. It's hard to dismiss it easily. I never want to hear the title song ever again though.
Fiona Apple
1/5
Just not my shit.
Pentangle
3/5
Now this is interesting. I loved the passing of the baton between the male and female vocals. The boy Bert has some remarkable guitar picking. It all sounds very earthy. The religious shit lost me slightly.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
A heavyweight MUTHA of an album. I adore the mess. I crave the noise. MBV still sound like they are kicking against the pricks, 30 years on.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
This is a mess. The vocals sound reluctant. It's not exactly structured songwriting. I don't think that was the idea. It descends to nursery rhymes at the end. Ivor Cutler comes close to saving it.
Hole
3/5
The opening title track is a killer. it bloody rocks. I've always loved this. The melodies that followed were a surprise. It strays into guitar pop territory.
Pixies
4/5
Leftfield
3/5
Decent tunes, but not something I would choose to sit down and listen to. Sadly my clubbing days are behind me. Open Up remains a right old banger
Taylor Swift
1/5
Refused to listen.
The Zutons
2/5
This did my nut in, tbh. The screeching guitars were matched by a bloody screeching voice. It picks up with a Scally twang. But I'd rather listen to The Coral.
Simple Minds
3/5
This sounded great 40 odd years on. The singles are utstanding. Promised You a Miracle straddles new romantic make up entering stadium rock. Never an easy - or wise - move. Impossible not to dance to this. In a weird way, natch. The tunes are given space to breathe. Who needs constant vocals anyway?
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
This felt raw, not to mention a little whiny. Dude is clearly ANGRY about something. I wasn't able to tell what exactly from the lyrics. The bass has a nice Johnny Cash twang. That's the best I can offer I'm afraid. It fizzles out in to guitar wank.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I find it difficult to write anything meaningful about jazz albums, apart from the cliche 'this is nice.' Time Out is very nice. Light, fluffy, never straying into the nervous breakdown genre of some avant garde jazz. It's very classy. It makes me want to take up smoking again.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
This starts with pastiche of hippie shit. Marrakesh Express is an invitation to make a twat of yourself in public. It then gets a little darker, a little more interesting. I still want to kick out all the accoustic bollocks and shake them up. Never trust a hippie, etc.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
More poetry than songwriting. Half decent stories though. It has a 'nice' classical, earthy feel to it. The voice can grate a little. I prefer later Leonard when he knew he was a parody of himself. A talent, for sure. But not an everyday artist to reach for.
Can
4/5
I was really surprised by this. The rhythmic feel that runs throughout left me wanting to dance. The funk sounds great. But there's also a darker side. You can see where Radiohead lifted half their ideas from. Ditto Primal Scream.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Refused to listen. What else can you say about Thriller? You know it inside out. It's pop perfection, soiled by what we now know. I spent my time instead seeking out some new music. Forward ever, backwards never. Gave it three stars. Back in the day it would have been five.
The Waterboys
3/5
A romp in an aran sweater. What a mess. But I still like it. I've always loved Bang on the Ear. It's stupid as stupid.
Ute Lemper
1/5
Punishing listen, more like. Far too bombastic. It fails to achieve the ambition it so clearly wants. Apologies, but I've neveer understood the joke of Divine Comedy. They are a joke, right?
Sonic Youth
4/5
This kicked the shit out of Monday morning. Who needs traditional song structures, or even melodies? Spiky.
2/5
This starts with the rallying call of Victoria, and then goes downhill with each track that follows. It's a time piece, stirring up nostalgia for a land that no longer exists. I struggled to follow the story. The Kinks were far better as a singles band than concept album bollocks.
2/5
Fela Kuti
5/5
Michael Jackson
3/5
Quincy Jones is the real star here. It's impossible to listen to Off the Wall without shaking a leg. Unlike Thriller and BAD, the album drifts a little away from the singles. Still sounds fresh, mind.
Pere Ubu
2/5
A bloody EAR RINGER of an album. There's a lot of experimentation taking place here. I like the gang feel, with mantras and slogans being paraded around. I couldn't find any overall direction I could get behind though. The glass smashing sound effects on Sentimental Journey saw me off.
Bauhaus
3/5
An unlikely hybrid of goth meets funk. That's going to be quite a look. The bass is bloody brilliant throughout. I'd forgooten how good Bauhaus were.
Billy Bragg
5/5
It's all too easy to whack out five stars for Taxman. But it still stacks up today. I love the progression from one SHOUTY bloke and his amp to something a little more considered. It was almost a Dylan electric moment at the time when Marr and Kirsty came on board.
There's almost a warm up for this album as Bill prepares you for the big political hitters. Greetings, Train Train, The Marriage and then BOOM. You're in there with Ideology.
What follows is a mix of the personal and the political. It gets very warm and fuzzy towards the close. Quite an achievement, quite a ride from start to finish. Energy, ideas and youth. We need this once again.
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
A little too Austin Powers for my liking. I got slightly interested with Twist and Shout. But not enough to dance. The bluesy elements work best. But still background music.
Sade
4/5
You need to listen to Diamond Life removed through the prism of emerging yuppie shit that was taking hold at the time. This is a product of the Ldn Nu Jazz that was coming up from the clubs, and not twats wearing red glasses. Sure, it's highly polished. But that's the appeal. Clean living under difficult circumstances, etc.
Kings of Leon
2/5
I wanted to really dislike this. I can be such a musical snob. It threatened to keep my interest, but then descended into 70's cock rock. There's not a lot of invention taking place. Ideas are lacking, guitar solos drag on. Oh well.
Jack White
3/5
I like the way how Jacko has moved along from the his 'n' hers approach to making music. The White Stripes were ACE. But he shows here that he has a little more depth to his talents. The full band adds an element of depth. You're not focussing on the lyrics or the riffs alone. Weep Themselves to Sleep is terrific. Not outstanding, but still half decent.
Amy Winehouse
2/5
I'm not really sure what to say about Frank. I know I'm suppose to love it. But it almost passed me by in the way that listening to Serenade Radio does. The voice is of course superb. But the songs aren't quite there. Fuck Me Pumps made me smile. I'd love to hear that on Serenade Radio at 7am.
Germs
4/5
Fuck. I needed this. Let's kick the shout outta Thursday morning, YEAH? Not an album I'm ever goign to buy, but the attitude and energy gives you a boost over crappy breakfast radio. Shut Down would sound GREAT just before the 8am news on Smooth Radio.
Shivkumar Sharma
1/5
Never Trust a Hippy. Bloody awful racket. Curry that goat.
FKA twigs
2/5
I enjoyed the music more than the vocals. Not much else more to say.
Ray Price
2/5
Couldn't get beyond the rambling introduction. Tell It Like It Is, etc. I stuck with it as background music. The only country I can tolerate is outsider music. Ray's view of Night Life is a little different to mine.
Tears For Fears
5/5
There's so much depth to this album beyond the brilliant BIG HITTER singles. Jazz, primal therapy, synth prog - all get a look in. The songs are woven together, teasing of a concept, but keeping the overall story hidden from view. The Broken / Head Over Heels / return to Broken suite wasn't your usual pop album expectation at the time. I rarely give five stars. Big Chair would have received five stars from me back in 1985. Almost forty years on (!) and it still gives me great pleasure. A real treat to listen to.
Beyoncé
1/5
Just not my shit.
Calexico
2/5
This started strong, and then slipped into a dream like mode. It faded fast, and so did my interest. There's no way I'm making it to Disc 2.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Solsbury Hill is joyous. Gabriel's voice is so rich and strong. The rest is a little experimental, a little hit and miss. The Bluesy feel for Wiating for the Big One surprised me. An ambitious album that falls a little short.
Finley Quaye
3/5
I was surprised by this - far more interesting than I remembered at the time. Maybe that's a comment on how one dimensional I was back in 1997. Yer man was pigeon holed at the time, which was slightly unfair. He didn't fit into the Britpop times. There's a lot of depth here. It's aged far better than most of the Britpop dirge.
Antony and the Johnsons
1/5
Bailed after 30 seconds. Can't get beyond that bloody voice.
Rahul Dev Burman
1/5
This wasn't the body popping experience I was expecting.
King Crimson
4/5
I'm pleased that I got to hear this for the first time outside the prism of 70's progressive shit. I approached it as a new piece of music with no baggage. I bloody loved it. Exile in particular stood out. Lovely sweeping arrangements, with mournful vocals. Shit. I've become a bloody hippie.
Jacques Brel
2/5
Qu'est-ce que c'est? Not for me, mate. I lived out my Parisian fantasises for a short while. My own ignorance defeated me.
Abdullah Ibrahim
2/5
I knew nothing of this. I'm now keen to find out more. There's a light and breezy touch. It should be sold as one of those introduction to jazz albums. It dragged a little towards the end.
Linkin Park
1/5
Nu metal shit. Refused to listen.
Teenage Fanclub
5/5
I love the way the songs seems to be dragged over the line. This is an album that sounds like it was recorded in slow motion. The extra space allows for the soul to come through. It still kicks shit. It's till a five star album.
Small Faces
2/5
An album I've always avoided. I want songs, not a soap opera. I approached this mainly as background listening, paying little attention to the narrative. It was all the better for this. Tell It Like It Is, etc. Plucky, with a certain amount of attitude. Gawd knows what it's all about. Stanley Unwin was a one.
John Martyn
5/5
This sounds like it was recorded in a cardboard box. The album is all the more better for this. Production values aren't at a premium; the songs are allowed to develop and steal the show. The message of the One World title track remains powerful. Couldn't Love You More always leads to a few tears. Big Muff makes me smile. Plus Rico!
Rush
1/5
Oh dear.
The Stone Roses
5/5
Refused to listen. Repittion is never a good thing. Forward ever, backwards never. But five stars, obvs, for what it meant to me at the time.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
SHIT THE BED. This was joyous from the first soulful vocals through until the final hammond organ sequence. It straddles folk revivalists with the cusp on soul taking some early steps towards disco. I love the social message as well. Why isn't this spoken in the same glowing terms as the What's Going On masterpiece? Amazing!
David Ackles
2/5
I found this hard work. The lyrics are intense. The piano demands your attendtion. Never a bad thing, but I wasn't in the mood for this level of focus.
Sonic Youth
4/5
There's so many layers here - not just throughout the album, but within each track itself. Sonic Youth had a real buzz about them. The songs aren't going to trouble the Top 10, but they remain upbeat and joyous, despite the subject matter. Youth Against Fascism had more than one repeat play. It was good to hear a LOUD album to start the week.
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
This was a real mixed bag - as most concept albums tend to be. This reminded me of Polyphonic Spree. There's too much Happy Clappiness going off for my liking. The folk elements work best. I still couldn't follow the narrative.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
There's an awful lot going off here. And most of it is bloody awful. Like most double albums, this should have been a single, The early 70's slush stuff would suffice. I'm surprised that I made it all the way to the end. Piss Aaron is a very odd piece of music
Sonic Youth
2/5
Japan
3/5
The sound of an album that was very much made in 1985. This is a tangled up mess. Maybe that was the idea? The mid-80's were a WEIRD time for alt music - trying to shake off post-punk, and wondering what might come next. E.V.O.L. lays the foundations for the noise assault that followed. But it still can't quite ditch the Oh Woe is Me obsession. Lighten up, dudes.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
I love the innocence of the early TTC. There was a quite a scene of NYC post-punk does rap - and surprisingly rather well. The bass here is thunderous. Under the Boardwalk has a nice sugar candy feel to it. We need a return to clever pop.
Steely Dan
3/5
Effortless pop, slightly too clever and knowing. I've always loved Do It Again. My musical tastes are SO conflicted and fucked up.
Electric Light Orchestra
2/5
I came close to not listening to this. It looks SO bloated. I find it interesting how Jeff Lynne created a new genre - let's call it Pomp Bearded Brummie Rock - and then exported it to the hierarchy of classic rock. Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and all the way up to The Beatles. This was a fun listen for the first five tracks or so that I could be arsed with. It then became bubble gum rock and utterly ridiculous.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Marvin's masterpiece. "Picket lines and picket signs" within the first couple of minutes. Tell It Like It Is, Marv. This still sounds 100% relevant in 2024. Mercy Mercy Me has an almost spiritual feel. The album has so many layers, without ever feeling cluttered. At the centre is still a collection of simple soul songs. Plus it's proof that an outstanding album need only be 35 minutes in duration.
The Beta Band
4/5
A glorious fuck up.
Christine and the Queens
2/5
Pleasant, inoffensive. Bland as fuck.
American Music Club
2/5
Basic, reductive, predictable. I don't feel your pain, dude.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
Roadrunner is the dumbest rock 'n' roll start to an album. I like dumb rock 'n' roll. Elsewhere and the energy can't be matched. The album has its moments. Someone I Care About has a great buzz about it. The Strokes are clearly fans.
Jeru The Damaja
2/5
I can live with the lack of a fuck filter, but not the misogyny. This has aged appallingly. Tight beats, dumb ass lyrics.
Lou Reed
2/5
An album from Smiling Lou that has somehow passed me by. I was looking forward to this, but ended up feeling a little let down. I quite liked the scummy cabaret feel, but felt it lacked the quality of songs to see it through. Marc and the Mambas did a far better cover of Caroline Says.
Ryan Adams
2/5
Fella is clearly a little mixed up. I wanted to share in his heartbreak, but he didn't half make it bloody hard work. The harmonica got on my tits. Just talk to her, mate.
Stan Getz
3/5
I liked the light touch throughout on this album. It felt very breezy. It suited the working mood whilst listening. I'm increasingly leaning towards jazz these days. Whatever gets you through the night, morning etc.
Genesis
1/5
aka The Hobbit soundtrack.
The Residents
1/5
WEIRD to a new level. Almnost unlistenable. Especially at almost two hours long. An interesting timne capsule, but I wouldn't go anywhere near this again.
The Triffids
3/5
A fantastic find once again. I had completely forgotten about this. Bury Me Deep in Love is the acceptable face of late 80's AOR radio. Grand orchestral sweeps, genuine songs and superb production. There's a hint at Deacon Blue, which tbh, is never a bad thing.
Queen Latifah
4/5
I bloody love the Daisy Age ecosystem at play here. The stories from different artists intertwine and overlap. Mama Gave Birth holds it all together with the cartoon character plot. There's a great back and forth rhythm. Impossible not listen without swaying to the beats.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
There's not a lot here apart from the singles.
Goldfrapp
1/5
Warbling by numbers.
The Cult
4/5
Warbling by numbers.If you start me up, if you start me up, I'll never stop.
Whoops. Wrong song.
But yeah, The Cult do little to disguise where they wanted to head with this change in direction. It's a MONSTER of a guitar album, without swaying into the silly metal category.
The riffs are basic, but beefy. The stop start drumming paces the songs well. It has more in common with Run DMC of the time than Gawd awful Metallica.
A whole lotta fun.
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
Introducing a new genre: Comedy Goth. I can't take this seriously. Is that Phil Collins on drums?
New Order
3/5
This made me want to throw some mid-morning shapes - never a good idea. It's a fun album, something that you can't always level at New Order. The bass sounded ACE. I bloody love this band.
Les Rythmes Digitales
1/5
The soundtrack for an aerobics workout. Bloody awful.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
This was a pleasant surprise. For some unknown reason - probably musical prejudice - Ive always steered clear of Nitin. My mistake. There's some wonderful melodies fusing with music from all around the world. I didn't understand the thread that held it all together, but it did sound like a complete body of work, from start to finish. Off to investigate more.
Faust
3/5
I Bloody LOVE a bit of Krautrock. Sure, there's elements of dungeons and dragons here. I'm too old to give a shit about style these days. There's a lovely pace and rhythm throughout. Ozric Tentacles were clearly fans.
Traffic
3/5
Short, bluesy, not bad. It sounded like a very good pub band, nothing more, nothing less. John Barleycorn always reduces me to tears, whoever sings it.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
There's a lot to take in here - probably too much. I'm all for experimentation, but a bit of continuity between tracks is often welcome. The singles shine. Rings Around the World, End of the World and of course Juxtapose. It all has a Millennium feel about it, not surprising given the release date. Interesting, not outstanding
U2
2/5
I tried to listen to this once again as a stand alone piece of music; no prejudices, no knowledge of the fuckery that was to come. It kinda worked with the energy of the songs. Adam Clayton's bass playing in particular is a highlight. 40 is a great album closer. Hindsight got the better of me. They're utterly ridiculous as a band.
The Bees
3/5
Another album that I missed in protest of not listening to any shit new music in the first few years of the Millennium. But wait! What's this? Sunshine Hit Me is not shit. I was a foolish 30-something.
It's an oddball mixture of styles, not ashamed to exploit The Bees' record collection. So not technically new music. I like the end of summer festival feel to it. I wonder what else I missed out on during the Great Shit New Music Purge?
2/5
I've always struggled with MC5. Too much rock, not enough roll. I'm all for the revolution, but preferably with a little more soul and a cup of tea.
John Lennon
2/5
Someone's got's a lot of issues here. COOKIE.
Kate Bush
4/5
There's so many emotions tied up in this album. It's a very mournful listening, almost too downbeat. But there's also optimism in Hounds of Love and Cloud Busting. It drifts slightly towards the end with all the fiddly diddly stuff.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Another REFUSED TO LISTEN. How many times do I need to hear this? Five stars on what it once meant to me, and sometimes, still does.
I'm supposed to write something to add a little depth and focus, right? OK... It's a journey, and a bloody depressing one at that. The layers work well.
The subject matter of alienation and pessimism for the masses works well, as sung by multi-millionaires... But hey hoe. I still occasionally end up buzzing off me tits listening to this. But not this morning.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I thought this was Radiohead at first.
Norah Jones
2/5
Whimsical. Joni does it far better. Ditto Minnie Mouse.
Lana Del Rey
2/5
This would work better as spoken word poetry. The lyrics are shoehorned into song structures that don't quite fit. It passed me by over a couple of hot mugs of tea. Nothing more, nothing less.
Anthrax
1/5
Came close to not listening at all. This shit just isn't for me. I gave it a go. There's something almost spiritual about it all, even if I'm a non-believer in the metal bollocks.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Great beats and production, pure pop songs and a silk voice. There's not quite the stardust magic of Thriller, but it comes close. Less mechanics, and a little more soul would have helped. It's hard to listen to this now though, knowing what we know.
Raekwon
2/5
I focussed on the beats, not so much on the lyrics. A head nod of album. I looked bloody ridiculous in doing so, wearing my wfh clothes.
Arcade Fire
1/5
Chirst. I fucking hate this indie shite.
System Of A Down
1/5
Unlistenable. Polish, turd, Mr Sheen, etc.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I'm a sucker for this shit, when I know that I really shouldn't. Another Brick in the Wall is ACE. It's almost Chic disco with the whole bass thing and Nile Rodgers guitar riffs going off.
It's a bat shit crazy storyline, and one that's probably best not followed. Just enjoy the music and pomposity of it all.
For the avoidance of any doubt, this isn't a party album.
Simply Red
2/5
I tired to listen to this with unbiased ears. But I can't get beyond the ginger.
4/5
Another album that I should burn rather than be beaming about. I smiled all the way through this.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
Too much noodling. Too much genre jumping. Too much flute.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
What's with the Torvill and Dean shit on the album opener? Weird. I quite liked the orchestration that followed. It gives the album a feeling of grandeur and importance. It sounds like it was recorded in the 70's. No bad thing. Dragged a little towards the end.
k.d. lang
3/5
Proper old ragtime vibes here. The voice is superb, the songs stand up well. The country slide guitar grates after a while. But a decent debut.
Fred Neil
4/5
This was a lovely find. I've always like Dolphins as a song. I had no idea about the history behind it. Fred's baritone voice serves it well. The whole album is an exercise in masterful songwriting.
The pace feels so out of time with the period. There's no urgency or rush.
There's not enough songs about cocaine these days. I love a good old rambling guitar solo, as is the case for the final unpronounceable track.
Alice In Chains
1/5
Unlistenable. Shit. Poo.
Ray Charles
4/5
It's tempting to give this five stars after the first few bars of Bye Bye Love. Ray Charles, a Phil and Don cover, WINNER! The rest of the two discs didn't disappoint.
Ray's voice and choice of covers are the perfect match. The crossover between country, soul and good old rock 'n' roll somehow works. I was left toe tapping and GRINNING.
The Coral
4/5
How did they hoover up so many influences whilst still so young?. This is a punchy debut. It bounces along with a Scally psych feel. The lyrics are clever, the songs are tight. Ian Broudie polishes up the rough edges without too much Mr Sheen. Songs for window cleaners to hum.
Snoop Dogg
2/5
This hasn't aged well. Had to bail because of the shitty lyrics.
Röyksopp
2/5
Music for wine bar wankers.
Tom Waits
3/5
Everyone loves a bar room drunk playing the piano, right? Actually, I do. Yes, this dragged on. But then you try calling time on the BOOZE. The songs rather than the spoken word rambles work best. Chin chin.
Talking Heads
3/5
I've never actually played this from start to finish, yet it all sounds somehow familiar. It gives you a peak at what is to come, without quite reaching its potential. You can almost hear the band fighting and pulling in different directions, even in its infancy. That's what made Talking Heads so cool and complicated. Psycho Killer still sends a shiver.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Sepultura
2/5
Lie down, more like. Actually, it wasn't that bad. Some of the more melodic moments gave me pause for thought. The tribal drumming has a certain appeal. But it's still metal shit, right?
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
Talking Heads without the irony. Or talent.
Morrissey
2/5
I love We Hate It and Fatty. Elsewhere and he's a silly old racist sausage.
2/5
This sounds like electronic baroque to me. The cover of Satisfaction is bonkers.
Boards of Canada
4/5
This somehow passed me by when it was first released. Blame the Britpop hangover. What a find! I love the beats and hip hop head nods, all mixed up with some weird analogue synth shit.
Le Tigre
3/5
I love the SHOUTY SHOUTY element to this, especially first thing on a Monday morning. There's a general skuziness to the sound. Plus the overtly feminist lyrics give you plenty to think about. Cassavetes doesn't come out of this well.
New York Dolls
4/5
Glam stilettos taking the first few wobbly steps towards punk. Falling over is encouraged.
George Michael
4/5
No apologies, the title said it all. Bloody love George, yep.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
It was good to actually listen to the Flamin' Groovies, rather than only be a reference in a PWEI song. This is a dirty, dirty album. I needed a shower after listening. Sometimes raking around in rock 'n' roll filth is good for the soul. I loved the old timer covers that closed the album.
The Strokes
3/5
Effortlessly cool. Almost too easy. It felt fresh at the time, but now sounds rather stale following a set formula. The Strokes as a concept band were fun. But they put genuine FUCK YOU indie back by about a decade.
Cypress Hill
2/5
Juvenile. The beats are tighter than the crappy lyrics.
Little Simz
3/5
Sharp lyrics. London pisses all over the East and West Coast when it comes to urban music these days. LOVE a girl who takes no shit.
Mj Cole
1/5
Sincerely sorry, more like. Korrupt FM for the dinner party wine wankers.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
A new style for me, and not something I would normally listen to. A toe tapper.
Van Morrison
4/5
I love the seamless transitions from soul to jazz to pop. Van is Van. No one else sounds quite like him. Music to smoke fancy fags to.
A Tribe Called Quest
2/5
I'm sure this is great, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind. It's a mistake to listen to such a lyrical heavy album when you are... reading yourself.
The Mars Volta
2/5
Space cadet shit. There's a lot going off here, and not much of it is any good. I was surprised to read that Rick Rubin was involved. This could easily be mid 80's glam metal. I'd only give it one star if that was the case.
David Holmes
2/5
Tight beats, but loose with all the chat shit in-between tracks. I could have done without that.
The Temptations
5/5
A masterclass in shifting from pretty poor soul to cutting social commentary. The opening bass of Papa alone set the scene for what is to come. This is such an ambitious album. I was going to give it four stars. The First Time I Ever Saw tipped it over to five. Run Charlie Run doesn't get played on the radio today. Fancy that.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
A soulful offering from Bob. Plus there's a real band sound throughout, and not the one man show that was to follow. A work in progress ahead of the world superstar that was to follow.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
Megadeth
1/5
Refused to listen. Played some Patsy Cline instead.
Haircut 100
5/5
White boy funk with some superb samba experimentation. I'm a sucker for a Britfunk horn section. This is one of the first albums that I grew up with. It always reminds me of autumn. It left me feeling very happy, despite the often downbeat tales of lost love.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
This sounds more like one of those BBC Sound Effects recordings than an album you would turn to for pure pleasure. It's just noise, tbh.
Willie Nelson
4/5
This was the relaxing comedown that I needed after particularly uneasy start to the morning. Willie Nelson's voice is like no other. It's almost spoken word, yet still so soulful.
David Bowie
4/5
For an artist that has a history of reinvention, there is nothing too radical about The Next Day: it's a Bowie album, it's bloody good.
You can look too far and deep into meaning and symbolism over this final comeback. When it comes down to it, The Next Day is an a very decent album by an artist that knows what he is doing, and is happy to off glimpse of stardom, but then still tease with some of the guarded and coded lyrics.
It's a little too long to be considered a genuine five star classic.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
I've always struggled with the good Captain. I just find this a bloody racket - which I know it's suppose to be.
N.E.R.D
2/5
I wasn't expecting this to be so guitar heavy. It was refreshing to hear lyrics that I could understand, and also had a social conscience. Oh. Hang on. Just heard: "Her ass is a spaceship I want to ride." Scrub that social conscience. The Daisy Age this isn't.
808 State
3/5
Pacific State was just perfect for the times. I could dance to this until the early hours - and have, in my long lost clubbing days.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
A little twee but some great guitar solos. The harmonies are spot on, without a vocoder to be heard. Cathy's Clown is a five star song alone. All albums should be 27 minutes long. Or short.
Stephen Stills
2/5
Wholesome, sluggish, far too bloody long.
Kings of Leon
2/5
What's with the voice, dude? Stop screaming at me. Another example of shitty US indie for the masses. Listen to some Glenn Miller instead.
The Human League
5/5
The first album I ever bought with my own money. I'd buy it again, and again and again if I was ever left without this.
Dare has a mystery throughout the tracks, yet it remains an accessible pop record. There's something lurking a little deeper underneath the lavish production, but you're never quite sure what.
It doesn't even need Don't You Want Me to hit five stars. But I'd rather have it than not.
Disclaimer: The League Unlimited Orchestra remix mini is even better.
Slayer
1/5
Refused to listen.
Elton John
4/5
Ah, Reg from Pinner. Punchy, bombastic, overblown. I bloody love it.
Alice Cooper
2/5
This was a lot more playful and poppy than I was expecting. Still not my thing - especially when the guitar solos kick in. But so so.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
I love a good Beano. This doesn't feel retro, despite obviously doffing its cap to those who have come before. The analogue richness bleeds out at you.
I could have done without the drum solos. Clapton makes up for this his handy work. Nearly God, etc.
Gawd knows why there is a track named after my local Tory MP.
10cc
1/5
Far too clever for its own liking.
Duke Ellington
3/5
This was a pleasant working soundtrack for the afternoon. It drifted, which is never a bad thing whilst I'm tapping away. I could have done without all the talking in-between tracks
Metallica
1/5
Refused to listen.
Jethro Tull
2/5
I quite liked the rambling here - both musically and with the lyrics. I also love a flute on the odd track here and there. It makes me think that I have sophisticated musical tastes. Sadly an appreciation of Jethro Tull is unlikely to impress possible partners. So I'm only giving it two stars. So there.
Metallica
1/5
Refused to listen.
The Doors
2/5
Stodge.
Skepta
2/5
A little dark in places. I enjoyed the music more than the message. Shutdown is still strong, but with silly lyrics.
TV On The Radio
2/5
The brass section saved this from being indie shite landfill. It's actually quite thoughtful in places. The acapella is a nice touch, with the songs building up from the bottom. Not my usual genre of choice, but there's plenty worse. I thought I would bail, but I stuck it through until the end.
AC/DC
1/5
Refused to listen.
Prince
5/5
It's all about the funk here. And the smut. We've all got a lion in our pocket, ready to ROAR, right? The cage is open, but the beast is asleep. Or something.
1999 defies the rule that all double albums would make for far better single albums. Blimey, this sounded astonishing after all these years.
He was a one.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Twee. Quite adorable.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Laibach
3/5
BONKERS
R.E.M.
3/5
This is surprisingly upbeat, if in tone, and not lyrics. I must have played it hundreds of times previously, without ever really understanding the lyrics. I' still not sure that I do.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This was a great surprise. I've always thought of the Stones as a great singles band, not so for albums. The songs hold together well from start to finish. The production is tight and sounds fresh for 1965.
My problem with the Stones is that they become the comedy Stones. Not so here. This is a band that in every true sense. Even Mick comes across as a superb singer, and not a cartoon character.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
This sounds more like early Dire Strait rather than the surf sound. It's quite heavy in places. There was a lot going off in 1977 away from punk. Not all of it can be dismissed. Pacific Ocean Blue sits well alongside the likes of John Martyn and Genesis at the time. Quality.
Madonna
1/5
Sorry. Just not my shit. It sounds like it was recorded underwater.
Otis Redding
5/5
Raw as fuck.
Tori Amos
1/5
If you own a Tori Amos album then you are also statistically likely to own a Queen album.
Queen
1/5
Refused to listen. Fucking HATE this band.
Tim Buckley
2/5
A bit of a whine, tbh. It felt like I was attending a shitty Church service.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
I was tempted to dismiss this as demos that should have remained as demos. But then Weighted Down kicked in. There's a richness and rawness here. Skip was clearly a troubled fella. I stuck with the album and rather enjoyed the downbeat feel. I've heard worse 90's misrerabilist indie shite.
The Avalanches
2/5
It's been a couple of decades since I heard this. It was the go to album back at Universal for a brief period in early 2001. The office decks rinsed this pretty much all day. It kinda got on my tits after a while. It's useful as a game of Spot the Samples.
Björk
3/5
Quite a debut. I had no idea Nellee Hooper was involved. What works well is the pace of the album. The running order is perfect, an often over-looked feature these days.
Ryan Adams
3/5
For some reason I've always swerved this album. I even turned my nose up at it for £3 in a charity shop earlier today. I've no idea why I've had such a downer. It's great! Proper wholesome US rock, with a slight outside feel.
This feels like an important album. The songs are solid and well structured. The storytelling kept me interest. I caved in and splashed out £2.40 on ebay. Another decent find.
2/5
He's doesn't half drone on at times.
Stereo MC's
3/5
Coldplay
2/5
Who knew at the time that such innocence would lead to the crap that was to come? Pleasant, in isolation.
Justin Timberlake
1/5
Just not my shit. Refused to listen.
Kacey Musgraves
1/5
Bland as bland is.
Sebadoh
2/5
I was a little disappointed by this. I was expecting so much more. It sounds wholesome - you can almost hear the sound of the songs being crafted. It's a little rough around the edges. UK Vs US indie is quite a leap of understanding and aesthetic
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
This is all a bit dramatic and OTT - which I guess is the whole point of The Mothers. I didn't laugh - or even smile - throughout. Ha, bloody ha.
Def Leppard
3/5
This should be filed under Refused to Listen, right? Wrong! I've always had a soft spot for Leppard. Maybe it's the soft rock thing. The Reagasn Thatcher shit was a bit Spitting Image. But SEVEN singles. Blimey.
The The
3/5
This is peak mid 80's production It kinda kills the mood a little. I would have preferred a rough and ready DIY sound of around 1982. It's a little intense trying to follow all the lyrics. I was distracted by work at the time. Heartland remains relevant. MAGGIE! MAGGIE! MAGGIE! etc
D'Angelo
2/5
Slick bedroom music. But I'm not really a slick bedroom kinda guy, with my Lidl PJ's.
Madness
2/5
This isn't a poor album. But there' only so much you can take of the plodding music hall formula in one sitting. Madness were always at their best as a singles band. The perfectionism of Our House demonstrates this.
Coldplay
2/5
What a load of fucking shite.
Nope, that's a little harsh. It's too easy to typecast Coldplay as the new U2 punchbag. They have the tunes, the sweeping build up of emotions within songs, and the message of, y'know, centrist love. It's just not for me. I'll upgrade them to two stars.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Well crafted songs, sung with a voice that jumps out and gives you a friendly slap around the face. I love the way Polly addresses current issues, then moves on to something new. Let England Shake is already something of a time capsule, but it's still worth repeated listens.
DJ Shadow
2/5
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
I never tire of hearing the opening keyboard burst of Girls Just Wanna. I also enjoyed the Prince cover, although it didn't quite have the same energy or smut as the original. Time After Time is just LUSH. The rest of the album is early 80's production formula heavy. No surprise. Still decent.
Elliott Smith
2/5
I found this rather upbeat, despite the bitter lyrics. It dragged a little towards the end.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
I often struggle with garage rock. I wasn't optimistic ahead of listening to this. It has a little more depth than the usual racket. Onie was a pleasant surprise as a ballad. A bit of a time capsule album. It's probably best left there.
Method Man
3/5
This is quite dark in places, although it has a decent flow with the beats. It made me want to smoke once again, and probably something a little stronger than 20 B&H.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
I can appreciate the interest here. But it's just not my shit. Dungeons and Dragons with guitars, innit.
Meat Puppets
4/5
I quite enjoyed the country twang meets hardcore here - not the usual bedfellows. Kurt Cobain was clearly a fan.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Something of a disappointment. Neil Young is at his best when he's not making a bloody racket. He's making a bloody racket for much of Rust Never Sleeps. I guess the clue is in the title, right? More harmonies, less lumberjack please.
David Bowie
5/5
You need some balls to be at a... low in your career, yet still pull off a spectacular album where the music dominates, and not the lyrics. I love everything about Low: the muffled drums, the experimentation, the hair. ALWAYS the hair. Oh how we miss him.
The United States Of America
2/5
Well this was weird, right from the opening nursery rhyme through until the Coming Down junkie final track. The late 60's were some seriously fucked up times.
You wouldn't sit down of an evening and choose to listen to this to raise the spirits. It made even less sense at 9am on a Tuesday morning.
Wikipedia tells me this is the only release from the band. I wonder why?
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
There's not quite enough here for me to form an opinion. It's pleasant, she has a decent voice. But I wanted a little more variety and experimentation. It sounds like Bossa Nova pop music. A little bland.
Nas
4/5
It was great to hear this again with a fresh perspective. The vocal delivery is masterful, the tight beats add to the tension. This was a different era for hip hop. Music seemed to matter. It's almost a cinematic album with the sharp storytelling.
M.I.A.
4/5
So many different styles, so much musical shoplifting. She's a one, isn't she? I love the DIY approach M.I.A. takes to making music: Fuck it. I'll do my own thing and see what comes out at the other end. I always feel energised after listening to her.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I never know what to say about Bob. He's just Bob, innit. The story telling, the message, the voice. Oh, the voice. He still puts a smile on my face. He's just Bob.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
I was always aware of this when it was first released, without ever listening to it. There was just so much choice, so little funds back in the days of pre-streaming. I'm pleased that I've finally found it. Fuzzy has an element of Ziggy about it. The guitars crash in and out, with strained vocals. It sounds like a proper album.
Nirvana
4/5
What a glorious mess of an album. There was only ever going to be one way out of this, right? Albani delivers his usual bruises, whilst KC tries to add some soul to the chaos around him. The album almost falls over, such is the out of control nature. A fitting full stop.
The Black Crowes
3/5
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. It's got a bar room brawl sound to it, lending heavy from The Faces. Never a bad move.
Thundercat
3/5
Drunk is anything but. This is a very tight, accomplished album. Thundercat has the ability to allow his bass to drift through the songs, yet keeps it tight with the production and vocals. Mark King for the cool kids.
The Zombies
4/5
What a wonderful surprise. Right from the opening harmonies of Care of Cell 44, which then carries on throughout. Beautiful stories are told. The album sounds like 1967. Never trust a hippy, apart from The Zombies.
Van Morrison
2/5
An album that I own, but I'd struggle to recognise any tracks from it tbh. You bounder! You cheat! Yes, tar and feather at the altar of Van. He doesn't half waffle on.
Robbie Williams
1/5
Refused to listen.
Jungle Brothers
2/5
Decent rhythms, with the beats bouncing from track to track. Got a little bored tbh.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
Awful, just bloody awful. What a dick.
James Brown
5/5
STAR time indeed. Pure energy, rawness, and dare I say it, sex... This is a proper showtime album. Live albums are usually shit. Unless they're released by James Brown. I danced along throughout.
Suede
3/5
A trip down Memory Lane that I'd rather not revisit. Too many bad drugs.
Nine Inch Nails
1/5
Refused to listen.
Maxwell
2/5
I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. There's a lovely groove going off throughout. He came close to giving me the horn. It sounds like Backstabbers being played at the wrong speed for most of the album.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Very trippy in places. It's an experimental album. The band have the time and space to explore before big label expectations. It all got a little too Rock God for me.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
TWO JA's albums, served up in two days? My head hurts. Been Caught Stealing soundtracks my student indie discos. I don't want to go back there. A guitar solo is still a sodding guitar solo, irrespective of who is wanking it out.
Christina Aguilera
1/5
Refused to listen.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Joyous, moody and uplifting. This is everything music should be. Raw emotions played out by very a tight band putting across a powerful political message. It always helps if you can dance whilst you stick it to the Man.
Common
1/5
I liked the jazz elements, but there wasn't anything new from the hip hop world that grabbed me. I bailed after the first 15 minutes when the 'faggot' jokes kicked in. Oh dear.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Just as infectious as hid Old Man, if a little more polished. It's impossible not to dance to these rhythms.
Pixies
4/5
Blimey. That kicked the shit out of Monday morning. I often overlook Bossanova in favour of Doolittle - clearly a mistake. They work well together as a pair. Velouria is a beast of a song, sweeping up and down the scale. But it's all about the bass for Pixies. BOOM.
The Go-Go's
3/5
Our Lips Are Sealed is a half decent way to go about starting your recording career. The rest of the album was pleasant, if a little plodding.
Björk
3/5
She's a one. Actually, this is half decent. Some lovely sweeping moods, with her warbling all over the top. It has a decent ambience throughout. There's not enough use if harps in modern day music.
Eric Clapton
2/5
Plodding. The only song of interest here is one that wasn't even written by Clapton.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
The first album I ever owned. I've always had exquisite taste. Wild Frontier is a BEEFY album. With hindsight, the non-single tracks are a little weak in composition. But the drums fill the gaps nicely. The panto element is strong. It's always good when an artist doesn't take themselves too seriously.
Beth Orton
3/5
Haunting vocals, with the music to match. Beth is brilliant at creating an atmosphere across an entire album. Central Reservation keeps you interested and calm throughout.
Joan Baez
1/5
Gawd, she doesn't half warble on. Bailed when she murdered House of the Rising Sun.
Randy Newman
3/5
I'm really unsure about this album. I want to hail it a masterpiece, but I'm not sure that it is. I want to downplay it as background music, but it's clearly far more than that. I think the lack of genre makes it a tough call to describe. I'll settle on superb songs, sung by a poor man's Bob Dylan.
Moby Grape
2/5
There wasn't anything here to appeal to me. The Monkees are far more fun.
Supergrass
3/5
The Britpop comedown was pretty fucked up. This sits well alongside Pulp's This is Hardcore. The cheesy grins from the first album are replaced by a bit more beef. This is no bad thing. Mick Quinn's bass plays a bloody blinder here. Late in the Day is a lovely lull mid-album.
MC Solaar
2/5
Rap music is so much better when you cant understand the lyrics.
Aerosmith
1/5
If only the band were locked in the attic.
k.d. lang
4/5
I really enjoyed this. I love how lang weaves different storylines together. It's an atmospheric album, played out in a very understated manner. Classy, lush throughout.
Beatles
4/5
I'm not sure how many times I need to listen to Revolver before deciding that this is half decent. I prefer to pick and mix, listening to one off Beatles songs these days, as when the mood takes me. Eleanor Rigby was the choice for today. What an outstanding piece of storytelling. SO twisted and removed from the times.
Love
3/5
Alone Again Or aside, it's all very Dungeons and Dragons.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Anger is an energy, etc.
The Doors
3/5
What's your favourite Doors album?
The Best of The Doors.
Not quite enough here to break on through, so to speak.
Talvin Singh
2/5
I wanted to dismiss this as hippy bullshit. I quite enjoyed it as background music. Damned, faint praise, etc.
Sepultura
1/5
Refused to listen. Played Matumbi's Seven Seals instead. Aye.
Bon Jovi
1/5
No.
Traffic
2/5
I was left a little disappointed with this. I had high hopes after listening - and buying - John Barleycorn, as recommended by the 1,001 albums list. This sounds as though it can't escape the heavy blues of the late 60's, despite the band clearly wanting to break through with something different.
Wild Beasts
3/5
This was a lot more soulful and sensitive than I was expecting. For some reason I always thought Wild Beasts were horrid BritRock. Apparently not. There's so much depth and layers to these songs. They drift off a little at tangents, but there's a strong feeling of tranquility throughout. Decent.
Bob Dylan
3/5
I own a copy of this, but I don't think I've ever listened to it from start to finish. It's quite a tomb of work, it's quite a riot in places. There's a sense of danger just around each corner or track, but then in true Bob style, he goes a little soppy on you. It could do with some auto-focus on the album cover.
2Pac
2/5
I wanted to really dislike this. I hate it when the artist becomes the story for the album. This was actually a little more soulful than I was expecting. There wasn't enough there for me to return, but it wasn't a write off, either.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
The voice is always on the verge of an emotional breakdown. But old Shakey has the support system of a raw rock 'n' roll band to see him through. Delicate, dangerous. Bloody LOVE this.
King Crimson
4/5
I'm such a sucker for this hippy shit. This album makes we want to take up jousting.
Cornershop
4/5
I love the deliberate wonkiness on this album. It's as though the band are trying to slow down their pace, yet can't resist the odd sprint here and there. This is proper DIY music. There's an inspired choice of covers. Norwegian Wood comes close to bettering the original.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
There's something very comforting about this album. It doesn't challenge you, but it's not pop fluff either. Rent in particular is a reasurring moment, both in lyrics and tone.
AC/DC
1/5
Refused to listen.
Grateful Dead
2/5
That was a struggle. I did well to make it the end of the opening 23 minute track. It's not exactly radio friendly breakfast show music. It got s little better with some of the more bluesy numbers. But I did feel like I was trapped in some weird West Coast late 60's cult.
The White Stripes
2/5
This sounds like it was recorded in a toilet. It's an interesting departure from the usual meat 'n' two veg of The White Stripes. But I think they work best with a back to basics approach.
Simon & Garfunkel
1/5
Pull up the drawbridge. Let them drown.
Paul McCartney
3/5
He still has the magical musical stardust, even on a DIY effort. Imagine what some of these songs would have sounded like with the full on Beatles production. But then again, the rough and ready allows them to stand on their own, without the strings etc. Not a bad debut. He seems like a nice fella.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Oh Leonard. I've loved this album ever since it was first released almost forty (!) years ago. I still love it today, playing it probably at least once a month. It's his Let's Dance moment - a left-ish artist crossing over to the mainstream. Leonard does this without any effort, sounding cool as fuck and not selling out. Outstanding.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
An OK album, but it feels very much of it's time. It's easy to forget how EBTG went from folkie heroes to drum 'n' bass cool kids, almost overnight. It was a change they had to make; the folk noodling had run its course.
And so here we have Walking Wounded. It opened up D 'n' B to a wider audience, albeit heavily diluted. I still like the songs and the overall feel of the album. But I'd rather look for something fresh if I've got my horn and whistle crew hat on.
Joy Division
2/5
Confession: I've never really liked Joy Division. Apologies. It's too dark for me. Unknown Pleasures did little to win me over. The songs aren't there. It's just noise.
Billy Bragg
4/5
This could easily have been a Them and Us album. Bill Vs Wilco. Instead it sounds seamless as they chop and change, sharing duties. Behind the scenes and apparently all was not well. But that doesn't stop both sides pulling off a tough ask. Woody would have approved.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Looking For Another Pure Love hits the spot, especially the Jeff Beck solo when Stevie adds "do it, Jeff." I Believe is one of the great album closers. VERY classy.
Nico
3/5
This started off really strong, but then fell away for the final third or so. It gets a little sharp in places. It Was a Pleasure Then, isn't a pleasure now. Bonus star for the flute. All three star albums need a flute, right?
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
I love it when Kev goes off on one - which he does frequently on Don't Stand Me Down. English upper classes, thick and ignorant, etc. Tell It Like It Is. The idea of a band on a mianstream label being allowed to release a twelve minute bitter soul work out sounds bonkers now. Maybe tbhat was the downfall? Some albums deserve to fail. It doesn't mean that they aren't musical masterpieces.
Metallica
1/5
Refused to listen.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Emmylou Harris
2/5
Wishy washy music. For No One saved it from one star.
Radiohead
2/5
The mix of Digital with Smiling Thom's 'soulful' voice doesn't quote cut it for me. He doesn't half drone on.
Donald Fagen
3/5
I had high hopes for The Nightfly. The title track has always been a favourite. The rest of the album is patchy. The production is slick, but the songs can't quite keep up. Another advert for bad drugs.
Willie Nelson
4/5
I didn't quite follow the story being told here, but I liked the outlaw idea. Willie Nelson has a voice that always sounds so fragile, yet he's one of life's great survivors. There is genuine emotion in this album, even if it's telling a tale far removed from my world. Decent.
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
I came close to skipping this album. I'm pleased that I persisted. There's a real pace and bounce throughout. Questionable lyrics, mind.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
This is just class, from start to finish. Cave is of course, cool as fuck. The stripped back band allows the songs the space to stand on their own. The spirit of Lou lingers. It's a bloody great album for necking a bottle of red with. Chin chin.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
I can appreciate some indie music. But this is just noise. I wish she would sing, rather than squawk.
The Police
3/5
This is so problematic: white reggae, US rock stars, erm, Sting. It's also so bloody good.
Mylo
2/5
I'm pleased this album has popped up on the list. I listened to it a lot when it was first released, yet have no memory of it. I keep on seeing it for sale in charity shop cheapo bins, but I never take a punt. My reservation was right. Moby-lite.
Barry Adamson
2/5
There's not a lot going off here. Classic style over substance.
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
A very muddled album. And it's all the better for it. You feel like you are fighting against the music, struggling for air. Sometimes you need music to be a challenge.
Kings of Leon
2/5
Bloody awful. Silly old rock racket. Songs about Sex on Fire and shagging 17 year-olds make for painful listening.
Nirvana
5/5
Five stars alone for killing off hair metal.
Tortoise
3/5
This sounds as though it was recorded in 1976, not 1996. I think it's all the better for it. I'm softening in my own older age. I've become a bloody hippy.
The Soft Boys
3/5
Not as good as the hype suggested. Sounds very authentic, often a little too laboured. Was probably recorded with plenty of denim involved.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Little Stevie grows up. Decent.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
Refused to listen. Just not my shit.
Scott Walker
3/5
Sunday morning music. A little over dramatic in places. But at least he sounds as though he actually cares. Camp as fuck.
Gram Parsons
3/5
Morrissey
3/5
Silly old racist. Half decent album. mind. Mozza has a thing about blokes in uniform - yet he wears a suit on the front cover. The sausage. The First of the Gang is bloody great. His last album worth taking an interest in.
The Verve
2/5
Plodding. Gawd this dragged. Almost sent me to sleep.
The Young Gods
1/5
Sounds like Billy Idol singing CSE French. The only thing that could make this worse would be if I could understand what the fuck they are shouting about. Music? What music?
Aerosmith
1/5
Fucking awful cock rock shite. Bailed ten seconds in. That bad.
Faith No More
2/5
I confess to having a soft spot for this album. I think I owned a copy 35 or so years ago. It certainly sounds familiar. But it never really stuck. I moved on... Some of the songs came back to me whilst listening this morning. Epic is indeed, a little epic. The usual metal fuck filter was bypassed with a little funk added here and there. But funk metal is still something to be frowned upon. War Pigs actually gave me a headache.
Led Zeppelin
1/5
Christ, this plodded. An album so heavy in sound and thought, it led me to have the urge to live a life of abstinence.
The White Stripes
4/5
It's probably about time for a White Stripes reconsideration. Fifteeen years or so since they came to a halt, the band still stacks up. The music is timeless, raw and sincere. But no reunion please. Keep the myth alive.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Love at the Five and Dime is so sweet, even for a hardened cynic. This album is like a sugar rush. It does leave you feeling that you need something a little more sour come the end.
Happy Mondays
3/5
A rambling album - what else did you expect? The Mondays were never going to come up with a polished piece of pop. The guitars float over you, rather than pick out the notes. It's like one endless sound, stretched up and down the scale. I've no idea what Ryder is singing about. The album is all the better for that.
Coldcut
4/5
A really interesting album. By no means a GREAT classic album, but then you don't want all your favourite records to have the smell of authenticity. This is really playful. Genuine fun. The songs are pure pop, yet still a little rough and cheeky. Any album with Mark E Smith offering a guest rant gets extra marks.
Sabu
3/5
If this don't turn you on, then you ain't got no switches. Although it did start to sound like a 12" remix for Test Match Special after a while
Lightning Bolt
3/5
I told myself this isn't a metal album. I liked it all the more with this way of thinking. You need to listen to this through a powerful pair of headphones.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
There's a lot to unravel here: the lyrics, the stories, the beats. Plus don't forget the voice. Almost 30 years on, and this album still stacks up. It's quite outstanding in its ambition, and delivery. Top of the class, etc.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Lush harmonies. Almost a precursor for the Everly Brothers. The album title is a bit of a downer, given the uplifting sound. Got a bit repetitive towards the end.
a-ha
2/5
Not really my shit. Not now, and not in 1985. Polished, but not a turd.
The Band
3/5
A bit of a bundled mess of a debut for The Band - and it's all the better for this. The Weight is majestic. I love the sweeping ambition set out here.
Randy Newman
2/5
My finger hovered over my ebay basket to buy a cheapo copy of this whilst listening. The buy or bin ration went a bit downhill as the album slogged on. By the end, I emptied my basket. Substance over style. I love the lyrics, but it drags. Tom Waits knows how to get the balance right.
KISS
1/5
Refused to listen.
Gene Clark
3/5
I really liked this, despite knowing nothing about the artist or album beforehand. There's a growling feel to the musoc and the voice. It made me want to drive down highways, despite not being able to drive. A decent find.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
This is classy, as well as being a little downbeat and regretful. Mott were always the underdogs, failing to make the monster breakthrough they deserved. Failure is underrated, as is this album.
George Harrison
3/5
I love it when double - or even triple - albums are a glorious mess. Al Things is a prime example of this. The ambition overweighs the delivery. The album is all the better for this.
From the A List of big hitters playing on the album, through to the Spector production - this is a two hour scrambled collection of songs. But ultimately it's the songs that make it work. The Dark Horse done good.
Frank Black
2/5
Proof that Pixies were not a one man band.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Weird as fuck.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
It felt like I needed GP to hold my hand and guide me through this one. A Little too flowery for my liking.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Fingernails on blackboards. Poor old Walter.
Daft Punk
3/5
An OCD pleasing album. Everything is just perfect, all in the right place. Precision and pop.
Doves
4/5
I'd forgotten how bloody good this. The playing style is almost presented as a catch up. Everything is slowed down, behind the beat. The band wants the energy, but can't quite reach it. This leads to a lovely chilled, yet slightly exhausting sound.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
A decent album that still just about stands up. But it has aged badly in places with some of the lyrics. It's all very competent. Strong songs and musicianship. The singles stand out above the rest. It sounds like a soundtrack to a late 70's yoof programme.
Eminem
2/5
Not the WOKE-est of WOKE albums. I quite enjoyed hearing Stan once again.
ZZ Top
3/5
A beast of a boogie album. It's the sound of old men finally owning a colour telly, and opening up new possibilities. It's hard not get caught up in the groove.
The Psychedelic Furs
2/5
Not much else here, apart from that obvious song. It picked up towards the end with some decent sax solos, otherwise disappointing.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Blues has become my fave genre in recent years. I'm a sucker for this rawness and sheer power. It's a robust escape from some of the crap that modern music throws up. Live at Newport was another welcome back to the future moment for me.
Turbonegro
1/5
Dumber and Dumber. Bloody awful.
Fiona Apple
1/5
Strays into Yoko territory. Plus some Queen crap. No ta.
The Divine Comedy
1/5
Never got this lot. Nope. Music for MELT centrists.
The Vines
2/5
Not aged well. Struggling to remember what all the hype was about. YOu might as well listen to Nevermind.
The Pretty Things
3/5
This was a pleasant surprise. I'm not a fan of rock operas. I struggle to keep up with the story. But I was rooting for S.F. Sorrow from the start. The music does well not to stray into Dungeons and Dragons territory.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Just perfect. Fuzzy, beautiful, fucked up.
The Smashing Pumpkins
2/5
I've always managed to resist Smashing Pumpkins. Too much anger, not enough soul. Each to their own. Siamese Dream did little to cause a rethink. It's not a bad album. It even has its moments with Today. But it sounds like an album that makes you want to hibernate in the bedroom, rather than get out there and get shit done. I choose getting shit done.
Gary Numan
3/5
This was great! I loved the time and space that allowed the songs to develop. Nothing is rushed. You don't feel like listening is a chore and a race to the end. Instrumentals, crisp analogue production - even some electronic violin in there? He's quite unique; he's quite a one.
Spacemen 3
4/5
Choir practice for junkies. Revolution is bloody magnificent.
The Cure
4/5
This is a class album. It's almost Cure by Numbers. But that's no bad thing. No one else makes music like The Cure. Not then, not now. Good old Captain Bob.
The Libertines
3/5
I managed to swerve this at the time. It's good to separate the headlines and hype from the music itself. Time has treated the Libs well. This is a great British pop album. Full of swagger, with a soap opera thrown in. The Morcambe and Wise of junkie pop.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I never can say no to Bruce. This was a great comeback album. Sure, his late 70's peak was well behind him. But he still had the balls to give it another go with E Street. Not the most challenging of listens, but then it's Bruce. Solid.
The Dandy Warhols
2/5
This is a messy album from a messy band. It was genuinely hard work battling through a sound that is deliberately under-produced. I'm all for raw records, but you need the songs in the first place for it to stack up. The lyrics have aged badly.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
This is a delicate, heartbreaking album. It's such a pivot from the first two VU releases. Beginning to See the Light put a bloody great big smile on my face. I played it three times in one sitting. Spectacular!
Arcade Fire
1/5
Indie shite. Bailed four songs in.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Yes, I know they're whimsical when it full on folk mood. But sometimes, that's just what I want. Along with endless cups of tea. Idelwild hit the spot for my whimsical needs this morning.
Common
3/5
Man has some sharp delivery. Quite soulful in places. Almost a Daisy Age album.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
Trippy. This would normally fall way under my radar. I enjoyed it first thing with endless mugs of hot tea. I suspect it be even better with something a little stronger.
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
Ladies and gentlemen. Perfection. You'll hum this song forever. Too Rye fucking Aye, Kev.
David Crosby
2/5
Not bad. But I think he misses his mates on this one.
fIREHOSE
4/5
Another new album for me, and a great find. The late 80's was so busy with new music and styles forming. Often things passed you by. This is a wonderful US take on English angular indie. It's sharp, and jabs away at you. Also funky as shit. Which always helps.
The Jam
4/5
This sounds like a proper album - a throwback to when side 1 and side 2 came together to create something that stacks up collectively. It's The Jam at their sharpest, with Weller starting to get edgy and wanting to break free of the band constraints. The songs are tight as fuck, cutting social commentary. We miss them but we wouldn't want them back.
Roxy Music
3/5
A very bold and in your face album. It demands your attention, often when it's not welcome. I prefer the more introvert Roxy of soundscapes and endless introductions. But at least its got balls, and isn't afraid to show them.
Fishbone
1/5
Bloody awful.
The The
3/5
A trip into a time vault - but one I was very happy to visit. Uncertain is a great lost indie Northern Soul anthem. Doves were clearly fans.
Aerosmith
2/5
I was fearing this. The outcome is an album that ins't that heavy, or even that metal. The songs actually have some substance - a rarity. Listen carefully and there's funk around the edges. But it's still dumb ass rock. It works better with Beavis and Butthead.
Can
4/5
There's such a delicate touch throughout. Almost a fear of creating any kind of noise. Less is more. The album doesn't demand your attention, but it maintained mine throughout. Superb!
The Byrds
3/5
Jingle jangle, jingle jangle. The opening notes of Mr Tambo are great, very reasurring, very autumnal. Not a bad way to start a recording career. To my shame I thought Feel a Whole Lot Better was a Tom Petty original.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
Not quite the classic I was expecting. I've heard a lot of noise about this album, without ever listening to it. I've not missed out. It's decent, but not great. Working Class Hero felt authentic. Never an easy task. Why'd Ya Do It was difficult listening.
The Stooges
3/5
Killer opening two tracks. Then it all goes a bit late 60's fucked up weird.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
New Seekers with a little space dust.
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
You can't legitimise this shit. Even though I don't understand a word, and Sunderland is involved. Sunderland.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
What a load of old bollocks.
Joe Ely
2/5
Decent country blues twang thing in places; noise and sub-standard country shit in others.
TLC
1/5
Didn't listen. Just not my shit.
Hookworms
3/5
Decent energy throughout. A clubbing record for clubbing at home. I like the way the tracks segue into each other.
Spiritualized
2/5
Scuzzy, but nothing new. 8am on Monday morning wasn't the best time to take in all the thrills. Will revisit after a couple of shandies.
Goldie
4/5
BALLS to Britpop. The real soundtrack for the summer of '95.
Neil Young
4/5
Wholesome, hearty, worthy. Also rather good.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
The Spotify mix of this sounded tinny as fuck. Which is a shame, as it's probably half decent when beefed up. Bloody loved The Cure cover.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Summer Breeze is lush. Didn't know about the Doobies cover. Makes me want to head off to Skegness and large it up. Yep.
Cee Lo Green
2/5
Not my usual shit, but so so. It almost has a house feel to it. The album bounces along with positivity. Still bailed halfway through.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
5/5
Probably my fave Albarn album. I love the London Music Hall head nod, the bass, the random off beat drumming. A true English melting pot. Yer man Damon should be spoken of in decades to come as one of the greats of English songwriting. I love it that he has the balls to do what the fuck he wants, when the mood suits. It's helped here, obvs, that he is backed by a stellar cast.
The xx
2/5
It's obviously decent, but a little too dreamlike for my tastes. I want some more BALLS in my electronic music. Otherwise it's just digital folk. The Hall and Oates sample just about saved it.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Too much to take on board here - especially during a working morning.
It served the purpose of background music that didn't do my nut in - which sometimes, is all you want from a background music working album.
Nice analogue sound with a warm bass and drum thing going off. No shit, seeing as though Tusk was from the analogue era.
Oh - and it's bloody long. I persisted, only because I couldn't be arsed to break out of the working mindset.
Prefab Sprout
5/5
Clever songs, but never too knowingly. Prefab Sprout have always navigated the fine line between polished and smart arse when it comes to their craft.
Appetite is a statement alone; When Loves Breaks Down is lush.
Overall the album does well to capture that transition from early 80's indie pop to the arrival of the CD audience. It has a delicate touch, but still sounds professional.
An album that makes you want to BOOZE and reflect in equal measures. The transition from Stay with Me to Debris captures this perfectly. An extra star for only being thirty six minutes long - the ideal time for any rock 'n' roll album.
The Adverts
2/5
I struggled to get my head around this. It's more rock than punk, even taking a few unwelcome steps towards goth.
What a racket from a bunch of young Herberts. It's a sludge of an album that sounds as though it's stuck in time.
I've never got on with Gary Gilmore's Eye. Sixth form humour at best.
The Prodigy
3/5
I wasn't really in the mood for this, first thing. But I persisted and gave it a spin. It's all very familiar. The beats build up, the bass kicks in, you go apeshit crazy.
It's not exactly a home listening album. You need to be mashed off your head and stumbling into a ditch to really appreciate. Sadly those days are long behind me.
Gotan Project
3/5
For once a foreign language album I can appreciate. The tightness of the beats and the production elevate above the lyrics. I bailed at the end of the album, rather than continue with all the mixes. The strength of the originals was enough to satisfy me. A decent working soundtrack.
Peter Frampton
1/5
Christ, this was bloody awful. The oh so enthusiastic handclaps ten seconds in should have served as a warning sign. This isn't really a live album, is it?
I could have tolerated the post-production feel if the songs stood up. But they were shit. I bailed on track five - quite an achievement.
The Streets
5/5
I love the oddball story behind this. Writing an urban concept album based around losing £1k [SPOILER] down the back of a telly, shows that we have moved on from the days of 70's prog.
This was so fresh when it was first released. There wasn't anything like it around at the time. It does sound a little dated now, but only with the song references, and not the style. C-Mone steals the show.
I rinsed this to death back in the day. I wouldn't have hesitated then in giving it five stars. I paused a little this morning. But yep - it still stacks up.
So ambitious, so cocky, so bloody young.
Elis Regina
3/5
Light and cheerful, with an almost rural feel throughout. As ever with foreign language albums, it helps that I haven't got a chuffing clue what they're banging on about. It's probably something as mundane as the price of a pint of milk.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Cultural appropriation probably isn't appropriate. These days we call it a collab. Both styles suit each other, with Ry Cooder holding down the more freestyle Mali approach. Makes we want to go and listen to some Andy Kershaw.
Shack
3/5
I'm pleased the 1,001 Albums list threw up the Shack album this morning. I'd forgotten completely about the band, plus The Pale Fountains.
There was a lot going on back in 1999 - both musically and personally. I was always aware of HMS Fable through the music press, though I've never listened to it. Which is odd, seeing as though the NME banged on about it.
It sits perfectly in a post-Britpop world. There's even an argument that The Pale Fountains were very early forerunners for all that followed.
On HMS Fable you have the melodies, plus the production. I would have preferred something a little more raw and rough around the edges. The songs are strong enough to carry it without the polish.
Little Richard
5/5
It's not just the opening seconds of Tutti Frutti that make you smile - it's the opening few tenths of a second.
BOOM!
lowpero camera bag
You're straight in, knowing that there's quite a ride ahead.
It's almost impossible to shock and surprise musically these days. Everything seems to have been exhausted. There's no more boundaries to push.
It's quite remarkable that an album from 1957 can still give you a whack round the head and leave you with optimism.
This is just bloody great from start to finish. There's no concealed cleverness, no nod and wink here and there. Just a FULL ON assault as it confronts you with the rhythm and energy.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
This sounds a little like Stars on 45 - HIT after HIT after HIT. And all under 23 minutes as well. It's a breakneck speed of an album that leaves you a little breathless.
What Jerry Lee lacks in his vocal abilities, he makes up for with the piano playing. It sounds like the vocals of Donald Trump with the body of Jools Holland.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
5/5
One of the first albums that I bought back in 1981, and one that I continue to play almost forty five years later.
Gosh.
OMD mastered the delicate balance of subverting beautiful pop ballads with a dark and atmospheric message. The music hooks you first, before the lyrics then leave you thinking.
Any album that can have a song (and consecutive singles!) with the same name sitting side by side, tells you that OMD weren't playing the game.
A rare example of 80's music that understood that the medium is the message.
5/5
It's difficult to understand the importance of Ziggy at the time when I was only three years of age back in 1973. But it still sounds like the future, more than fifty years later.
The album starts in such an understated way with Five Years. It's a softener for what is to come. By the time Starman kicks in, then we're rocking.
Despite the WHAM BAM force of nature, it's also a sorrowful record. Lady Stardust in particular always lowers the mood for me.
Four songs that have the word star in the title - he was trying to tell us something. My brain hurts a lot.
Oh how we miss him.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
An interesting album, but hardly a classic. It does what you would expect from Fatboy - it builds, it bleeps, it bounces. But it's very much a fast food instant hit. I didn't find myself humming any of the lops later in the day. My main interest was in trying to spot the samples.
Jean-Michel Jarre
1/5
An album that all the nerds at schools use to have wet dreams over. I was too busy with 2Tone and girls. Time to see if the nerds won the long game?
tl;dr nerds never win.
At the end of Oxygène 1 I was ready to bail. Wait. There's five more servings of this shit sandwich to come?
It sounds more like the annoying soundtrack for an early 80's video game console. It's got a crap cover as well.
UP YOURS, nerds.
Slade
3/5
There's more to Slade than the singles suggest. Much of this album is good old boogie bar room riffs, with an English sense of humour. It's bloody great fun.
But it's not all one great big knees up. There's a darkness to Slade, something that is rarely explored outside of the mainstream narrative.
The guitars get a little too heavy for my liking in areas. It almost strays deep into Led Zep territory. But what do you expect? It's Slade, innit.
The Stooges
3/5
The sound of a man waving his willy in the air, and not giving it a shit.
We should all try this more often.
It's relentless, from start to finish. The bass and drums pulsate with no let up. Iggy never was one for ballads.
The Auteurs
5/5
I cannot stress how much I absolutely adore The Auteurs debut. This has everything I want from a pop record: melodies, classic songwriting and a sharp wit.
It swings with ups and downs, never going for the safe middle ground. New Wave sucks you in with the promise of something joyous, and then leaves you thinking wtf was that?
Bands should have more cello players, although I doubt if Luke Haines agrees these days.
A strong contender for one of the best debut albums ever.
Korn
1/5
Magazine
3/5
A really interesting record, released between punk and the rise of post-punk. _Pre-post-punk?_ Art house gets a bad press when it comes to music. But Real Life shows that it needn't be up its own arse. Shot By Both Sides amplifies the fucked by left and right message throughout. No future, etc.
The Slits
4/5
You can't underestimate how radical Cut is: an all female punk band back in 1979, singing radical lyrics behind Dennis Bovell's bass heavy production. It still sounds fantastic, almost half a Century later.
It's rare to hear an album these days where the music is made purely for the artists, and not the audience. This isn't a criticism; it only adds to the drama and intense atmosphere throughout Cut.
OUTRAGEOUS comment: The cover of Grapevine is even better than Marv's original.
I think the album cover is ironic? If irony was such as thing in 1979.
Fugazi
2/5
There's a lot of noise here. And not all of it good. I struggle with the US interpretation of punk, post-punk. It doesn't speak to me. This sounds more metal than the street talk of UK punk.
Iron Maiden
1/5
Refused to listen.
The Who
2/5
Spotify tried to serve me up three and a half hours of this. No ta. I pressed on with the original release. The storyline is BONKERS. I tried to ignore this and focus on the music instead. Rock and opera should never appear in the same sentence. It's a mess of an album that lectures you. YOU MUST LISTEN! I'd rather buzz off me tits with some drum 'n' bass tbh.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
Of course this album is preposterous. That's the appeal. I spent most of the time listening to the bass lines. I really wanted to buy a copy. I even found a cheapo copy on ebay. But it's a crap album. That's why it's so cheap. Doh! In summary: I like the idea of the album, but not the execution.
Elvis Costello
3/5
I always find Costello a little too clever with the lyrics. What a bounder! Writing intelligent lyrics... I think I'm just a passive listener. The music is always great, as is the case on Brutal Youth. The band sounds tight here. He always benefits when backed by the Attractions. Maybe the last great Costello album before he hit the comfortable years?
T. Rex
3/5
For some unknown reason this reminds me of the Metal Micky telly show. It would have been the perfect soundtrack: new, shiny, the future. It still sounds fresh, over fifty years later. Bolan knew how to riff. He's Chuck Berry with an afro perm. The singles of course stand out. Jeepster had me swaying along first thing in the morning, still in my PJ's. There's a certain amount of sorrow, before the boogie picks you up again. Decent.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
This is such a hypnotic album. I found myself drifting between tracks, not really paying too much attention as one track ended and another begins. It's all so hypnotic. All My Friends is clearly a banger. There's a cult like feeling to the whole album, with mantras sucking you in. Rather joyous.
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
Energy, enthusiasm, optimism. That's Dexy's - and never more so than on the Searching debut masterpiece. It's not just a record. It's setting a blueprint for what Kev believes music should achieve, and how to live your life.
I honestly believe that Dexy's are equally as important as 2Tone in bringing together a diverse mix of musical styles. At the heart of Searching are fantastic tunes. The messages and call to arms are a bonus.
For God's sake, burn it down, etc.
Beach House
2/5
Not a bad album, but the NME naming it as one of the Top 500 albums of all time tells you more about NME, than the music itself. And so here we have a very dreamy album. It doesn't inspire - it sends you to sleep. Which may - or may not - have been the point. Pleasant enough, but hardly a rallying call.
Green Day
2/5
There's some decent pop songs in here. But there's an awful lot of noice. What's with all the power chords and posturing? Green Day work best when they're Green Day: back to basics pop punk. No one wants to hear a punk rock opera. I didn't make it to the end. No shit. Like punk never happened.
Genesis
2/5
I wanted to really like this. I think it's the idea of really liking it, than actually hearing anything of interest. In the end it was all a load of hippy nonsense, as expected. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) was a rare highlight.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Only Nick Cave could get away with an album all about murdering women - although I doubt if he would walk away unscathed in 2025. The Kylie duet gets all the headlines. But it's the PJ Harvey collab that works best for me. Polly brings out the best baritone in Smiling Nick.
Alice Cooper
2/5
I know Alice Cooper is cool, and I'm supposed to like Alice Cooper. But it's still US rock shite. I haven't spent the best part of four decades forming my finely tuned musical prejudices to give into this posturing.
The Pogues
3/5
I had to give this a second listen. I admit to allowing it to wash over me first time round - which is quite an achievement for a Pogues album. I guess I just wasn't in the mood. And you need to be in the mood for a Pogues album. This isn't easy listening. There's much more depth than I was expecting. The Eastern influences add more light to the simple piss up Pogues' persona. I had to skip THAT song, even in deep December. Sure, it's magical. But you can only take so much of it, especially so at this time of the year.
Public Image Ltd.
5/5
There's an awful lot going on here: you can't ignore Lydon's cry for help - but even an instrumental version of this album would rate highly. Levene's guitar is like a dental drill; Wobble's bass sends you dizzy. Even the drums sound unlike what you would expect. There's something of a rock god feel to them, but somehow they still slot into the jigsaw. It's a fucked up picture, for sure. But that's how I like my music.