Journey Complete!
Finisher # to complete the list
1086
Albums Rated
3.22
Average Rating
100%
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Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
Ratings by Decade
Which era do you prefer?
Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1970s
Favorite Decade
Reggae
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
267
5-Star Albums
166
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Image: First Issue | 5 | 2.42 | +2.58 |
| Oar | 5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
| Medúlla | 5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
| Nixon | 5 | 2.76 | +2.24 |
| Southern Rock Opera | 5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
| Colour By Numbers | 5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
| Freak Out! | 5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
| Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge | 5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
| 69 Love Songs | 5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
| Kilimanjaro | 5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not | 1 | 3.73 | -2.73 |
| The Low End Theory | 1 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
| Ill Communication | 1 | 3.65 | -2.65 |
| The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | 1 | 3.63 | -2.63 |
| Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| To Pimp A Butterfly | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| good kid, m.A.A.d city | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| Illmatic | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| In The Court Of The Crimson King | 1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
| Straight Outta Compton | 1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 7 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 5 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 5 |
| U2 | 4 | 5 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 5 | 4.6 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4.75 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 4.75 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 5 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 5 |
| Prince | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 5 |
| Queen | 3 | 5 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.33 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 4.33 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4.4 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 4.5 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.5 |
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.11 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.67 |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 4.67 |
| Neil Young & Crazy Horse | 3 | 4.67 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Doors | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| The Specials | 2 | 5 |
| Sly & The Family Stone | 2 | 5 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 2 | 5 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 5 |
| Dusty Springfield | 2 | 5 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 5 |
| Funkadelic | 2 | 5 |
| Ali Farka Touré | 2 | 5 |
| Stephen Stills | 2 | 5 |
| Lou Reed | 2 | 5 |
| Metallica | 4 | 4.25 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.33 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.33 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.33 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kate Bush | 3 | 4.33 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Kanye West | 3 | 1.33 |
| The Prodigy | 2 | 1 |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 1 |
| Missy Elliott | 2 | 1 |
| Ice Cube | 2 | 1 |
| Orbital | 2 | 1 |
| Sepultura | 2 | 1 |
| M.I.A. | 2 | 1 |
| Can | 2 | 1 |
| King Crimson | 2 | 1 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 1.67 |
| The Fall | 3 | 1.67 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 1.67 |
| Coldplay | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Chemical Brothers | 2 | 1.5 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 1.5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 1.5 |
| Eminem | 2 | 1.5 |
| Barry Adamson | 2 | 1.5 |
| Common | 2 | 1.5 |
| Robert Wyatt | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 1.5 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1.5 |
| Def Leppard | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pavement | 2 | 1.5 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 2.2 |
| Aerosmith | 3 | 2 |
| Frank Sinatra | 3 | 2 |
| Madonna | 3 | 2 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Public Image Ltd. | 5, 1 |
| The Mothers Of Invention | 5, 1 |
| The Velvet Underground | 5, 2, 1 |
| Fatboy Slim | 5, 2 |
| The Clash | 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (267)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
David Bowie
2/5
"All hail the Berlin trilogy!" I think they should be called Low, parts 1, 2 and 3. This is music that only sold because of his name. I wonder how many praise these albums because they don't want to admit that they wasted their money.
I've learned a frightening word since I started listening to 1001 albums: AMBIENT. It is code for plain boring, weird boring, or monotonous pretentious twaddle. This album is just boring because I've heard it before. Back in the day it was weird boring.
I assume Lodger is also in the list. I hope not. Yesterday I had Paranoid, more of that ilk, thank you.
22 likes
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
The fact that She Bop follows Time After Time says everything about this album. Everything she does is joyful.
19 likes
Supertramp
5/5
What an introduction. Davies' wailing harmonica was so good, they used that instrument as the main intro to side two of Breakfast. "School" shows us exactly where they were in '74 - bridging the gap between prog and pop. What follows is a great album, showing us some serious rock, those Wurlitzer pianos, some thumping good rhythm, and a balance between art, rock and pop that few bands have managed. Somehow Hodgson's voice doesn't annoy, while Davies always has that extra bit of bite that makes him one of my favourites.
Then it finishes with those piano chords! Simple, unadorned, powerful, memorable. So what do you do? Turn it over and listen again.
Oh yes.... probably the best cover of any album, ever.
14 likes
5/5
It starts off innocently, a couple of fairly standard rocky numbers, which had me worrying about lack of diversity. Then we hit the numbers she did with Thom Yorke, which sandwich the genius of "The Whores Hustle..." Now we start hearing the Nick Cave influence.
There is light, shade, darkness. She uses that voice to stab you in the heart. When it's over, you feel bereft. Thank God for replay. I knew she was good, but this is the best album I've heard in years.
14 likes
The Sonics
5/5
This smashed me over the head in 2022. Imagine what effect it had in 1965. The Witch is amazing, Roslie's vocals are insane, something he carries on for the whole album. But the ultimate sound is that quivery bass. I don't know if it's backed by bass pedal, but it just sounds EVIL! Only 30 minutes. Perfect. It leaves you begging for more.
Apparently the Seattle scene was full of bands like The Sonics. If I ever get a ride in the TARDIS I'm going to Seattle in the early '60s. Then I'll stay for 30 years. (I won't be going to Starbucks. That coffee is awful)
8 likes
1-Star Albums (166)
All Ratings
Miles Davis
3/5
Jazz isn't my thing, but I do love the sound Miles got from his horn. Side one belongs to that omnipresent fizzing from the hi-hat and some of the coolest bass I've ever heard. I heard someone use the word "ambient" to describe the album. It is something you'd put on late at night while peacefully discussing with a couple of friends.
Machito
2/5
I only lasted 4 songs before I started pushing the next song button in the hope that something would be different. Two stars because the musicians played well, but it sounded like every other Latin beat piece of big band music.
The Verve
3/5
This isn't one of the great albums. The best song is only memorable because of a sample of an orchestral rendering of a Rolling Stones' song. The rest is a reasonably pedestrian attempted copy of Oasis, but lacking the bite.
Love
4/5
I'd never heard of Love until I started using Spotify. They frequently add Alone Again Or to a variety of playlists because it's such a genre hopper, with those excellent harmonies. The rest of the album doesn't disappoint, with that lovely contrast of sweet backing against some dark lyrics.
Yes
4/5
Kanye West
2/5
Every time I hear n***** I hate a song. I'm an old fart who occasionally likes hip-hop, but I find it so cliched and repetitive, and that's the worst cliche. The second cliche is the name-checking that goes on with the intense self-interest that most of the lyrics feature. So far this is living up to the cliches. Cliche three is their hatred of women.
"So Appalled" is the ultimate joke, with one of these idiots busily yelling out, "F****** ridiculous, " as his contribution to art. The rest of them spout out whiny, misogynistic crap. Ok, I give up. I'm bored. I lasted 9 songs.
Musically it is interesting, almost orchestral. Lyrically... they whine more than a faulty gearbox.
I'm giving it two stars because one star means an album has nothing to recommend it. This has some good sounds. I wish they'd just shut up.
The Icarus Line
4/5
Angst factor 11 and rising. This is ultimate screamo from a band that can play. A whole album becomes repetitive. Will still listen again, however.
Tangerine Dream
4/5
Can you really expect a PNE supporter to like Blackpool?
I was surprised how enjoyable this was. That sequencer sound is very good to listen to.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
What a piece of music! Four amazing songs that are a great as anything ever released. Five songs that are much more than filler. Then...a truly terrible version of "A Change Is Gonna Come." It almost made me stop the rating from five to four stars. It sounds like a bad attempt at the national anthem by a wannabe. Not the Queen of Soul.
But this album placed her at the absolute top. Magnificent!
Beastie Boys
4/5
Mj Cole
1/5
This is elevator music hell. Do people actually like this crap? It's boring enough to put you to sleep, but just irritating enough to keep you awake. This actually scores zero stars.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
It's clever and catchy. But it's house. I didn't like dance music from my generation (disco), so I'm even less enamoured with EDM.
Saint Etienne
2/5
Carn't sleep put me to sleep. Started skipping tracks. Why am I getting house albums? Give me something that rocks or I'm out of here.
New Order
4/5
I heard the first track, Fine Time, which sounds like a Stock, Aitken, Waterman instrumental. Throw some Kylie vocals over the top and it's 1986. No thank you. Then comes, "All The Way," which threw me back to The Cure doing Inbetween Days. The rest of the album has me in a happy '80s place, hearing echoes of The Go-Betweens, Depeche Mode, and smidgens of The Smiths. I've always thought of New Order as innovators, now I'm hearing them as musical Bower Birds: collecting shiny things that turn into something that is very attractive.
5/5
It starts off innocently, a couple of fairly standard rocky numbers, which had me worrying about lack of diversity. Then we hit the numbers she did with Thom Yorke, which sandwich the genius of "The Whores Hustle..." Now we start hearing the Nick Cave influence.
There is light, shade, darkness. She uses that voice to stab you in the heart. When it's over, you feel bereft. Thank God for replay. I knew she was good, but this is the best album I've heard in years.
Ian Dury
4/5
It's hard to go back and remember how shocking this was. It seems more naughty little boy nowadays, although Blockheads and Blackmail Man have a bit of serious bite to them. My Old Man is quite lovely. The less said about Billeracay Dickie and You're More Than Fair, the better.
The Prodigy
1/5
More EDM. So boring. Why would anybody buy a whole album.
David Bowie
3/5
A couple of great songs, but I've discovered I rarely like instrumentals. I've never taken to the Berlin trilogy and time hasn't changed my opinion.
The Cure
5/5
For those who don't know, Townsville is a tropical city, definitely not conducive to wearing long coats. Nevertheless, in 1985, I discovered that the West End hotel was the home of the city's goth scene. Both music is the best dance music, without question, as far as I'm concerned. It manages to have a hypnotic, insistent beat, while escaping the utter boredom and repetition of '70s disco, EDM, etc. Whenever they played a song I didn't know, but really liked, there was an excellent chance it came from this great album.
When you find out that it was recorded while they consumed vast quantities of alcohol and drugs, while Smith has stated he was suicidally depressed, it is no surprise this album is considered the beginning of goth rock. When they toured it was the first appearance of the big hair and make up that symbolised goth.
A wall of thundering noise that thrills me like few other albums.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
A lot of meh, somewhat relieved by Boogie On Reggae Woman. Then you hear the clavinet lead into You Haven't Done Nothin', one of the greatest songs I've heard. Side two is a great Stevie journey: a slow ballad that makes your heartache, a sweet bit of samba soul, with that wonderful sound of the cuica, and a great soul song that fades out with a jam. Can't go give stars because the first side is a let down, but side two is everything that genius was capable of.
Coldplay
2/5
It feels like the same song being played over and over with all the feeling of a lounge band. Murph and The Magictones, anyone? I feel they're wearing beige velour. So boring. Pretty good if you need to be put to sleep.
Nico
1/5
Manages boredom and irritation. "It was a pleasure then" is a collection of cacophony. Did those great songwriters (Dylan, Jackson, Hardin) write bad songs, or did she wreck them?
After listening to some other versions, the answer is that Nico can't sing
James Taylor
3/5
James has always sounded a bit weedy, to me. This album doesn't change my mind. Fire and Rain is unquestionably brilliant, and there are some good lines in some of the other songs. But it isn't an album that I needed to hear.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Well that was disappointing. Just noise.
Solange
2/5
I'm with the reviewers that say, "Sounds nice, good message, but oh so boring."
Kanye West
1/5
This is my 25th album and it's the second by this overrated tabloid fodder. Apparently his music changed with every album. Pity the lyrical content is still just as tawdry. He's either bragging or whining. I didn't have to listen to this. Nobody does.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Chemical Brothers do EDM really well. The first couple of songs are enjoyable, but then I start remembering why I dislike EDM. Every song is an introduction that outwears its welcome. I keep waiting for a song to break out, but all they do is minor variations on the riff. Then that uptempo beat starts to irritate and agitate. I don't know how people manage to listen to a whole album without getting violent. Two stars because it is better than most.
Adele
4/5
It's kind of interesting that this top selling album isn't really a great album. It is a collection of big songs that doesn't really have the journey that a good album takes you on. It has some phenomenal songs by an artist who sings powerful songs brilliantly. But there's no contrast and it gets a bit boring and repetitive.
HOWEVER... it is bookended by four great songs, and they earn four stars.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
There's lots to like with this throwback. I was getting '60s hippie vibes, and was getting hopeful. But his voice becomes repetitive. There are far too many albums that suffer from lack of variety. This is one of them. Can someone explain why I must listen to this album?
Portishead
4/5
Other reviewers have asked the same question: Why haven't Portishead been tapped for a James Bond theme? Beth has a great voice, totally suited to the slow beats that back her up.
I'd never heard this band, their name sounded like a folk band. Then I read something that said they were pioneers of trip hop. This immediately sent my antennae waving, not in a good way. But I've been pleasantly surprised and enjoyed their music, bar one important detail. I've listened to several albums recently that all suffer from a lack of variety. EDM is chronically guilty of that. Sadly, it becomes a bit wearing. But it's so well done it still gets four stars.
A couple of reviewers had a go at the scratching. IT'S 1994 FFS!
Stevie Wonder
4/5
It was a revelation when it came out. Living For the City a and Higher Ground are top shelf, but the rest doesn't reach that standard.
Supertramp
5/5
What an introduction. Davies' wailing harmonica was so good, they used that instrument as the main intro to side two of Breakfast. "School" shows us exactly where they were in '74 - bridging the gap between prog and pop. What follows is a great album, showing us some serious rock, those Wurlitzer pianos, some thumping good rhythm, and a balance between art, rock and pop that few bands have managed. Somehow Hodgson's voice doesn't annoy, while Davies always has that extra bit of bite that makes him one of my favourites.
Then it finishes with those piano chords! Simple, unadorned, powerful, memorable. So what do you do? Turn it over and listen again.
Oh yes.... probably the best cover of any album, ever.
Lorde
2/5
Meh.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
They arrived with a massive explosion. There was some great rock around at that time, but it wasn't played on commercial radio. Instead we had that travesty known as "hair metal." Firstly, it wasn't metal, it was plastic pop with guitars. It didn't rock, it primped. I took one look at G'n'R and expected more of the same. Then I heard this!
It just launches and never sets down. Usually I get bored with too much of the same, but they rock so hard it doesn't matter. Like every great band it begins with the rhythm section. Slash peels off solos that Page would struggle to equal. Like all the great leads, he is melodic, not just some boring shredder like Steve Vai. Axl doesn't have a great voice, but it suits the songs.
This is one of the great debut albums, yet they went better with Use Your Illusion(s)...
The Incredible String Band
1/5
This album should be in the other book: 1001 albums you should avoid at all costs. I've never listened to an album so quickly. It went like this - Track 1: Listen for 20 seconds, scream in horror, skip to Track 2: listen for 15 seconds, vomit, skip to Track 3: listen for 10 seconds, feel a part of my soul die, no more skipping. This is worse than Crazy Frog, Brotherhood of Man, and Nyaan Cat, all on permanent loop. No amount of drugs accounts for this abomination being written, let alone recorded, let alone getting released!
The Pogues
5/5
Oh, how I wish I'd seen them live. Preferably in a pub with a dance floor. I love the little touches that elevate it above folk (I love good Celtic folk BTW). My favourite is the surf guitar solo on, "A Pistol For Paddy Garcia." I was expecting to mark this down because of repetition, but this glorious LP is packed with variety, fun, skill, and that spark of anger and rebellion that turns good into great.
The La's
4/5
Like many listeners I only knew that beautiful single, so was looking forward to the album. So it begins with a bunch of great pop songs, culminating in "There She Goes." That song deserves its place as a soundtrack favourite: jangly, sweet guitars and those glorious, uplifting harmonies. Pure pop perfection.
Then it starts getting interesting, a bit of rock, and some more introspective stuff. "Looking Glass" is a psychedelic masterpiece, I love how it finishes in a whirring blur. A bit of tightening and this is a five star album. I wish they'd recorded more. This is a great debut with a couple of great songs.
Aerosmith
2/5
My first impression is that I know why they didn't make an impression in Oz. We had so many bands that knew how to rock. First two tracks - meh. A little bit of life in the third, but I'm still struggling to stay awake. "Walk This Way" sounded much better in 1986. Maybe it's the production, because there are some good songs trying to get out, but it sounds pretty pedestrian except for "Round and Round," which is good rock.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Nope. Joni wrote some great songs, but her albums drag. This one manages to combine dull with pretentious. What is it with this vocal delivery? Is she trying to demonstrate how clever and poetic her vocals are? The Jungle Line doesn't deserve to be on this album, it's much too good. Saves the album from a one star.
Gary Numan
4/5
That plaintive voice against the robotic background gives these songs way more heart than I expected. This is so early in the electronic era yet sounds better than most. He brings a lovely musicality, especially the swirls of sound that add colour to several pieces.
Björk
5/5
Expectations are an interesting thing. I was expecting something weird that would probably get 3 stars. I expected her voice to get annoying. There was a bit of weird, the correct amount of weird. I found the first few songs enjoyable: quirky, clever, upbeat. But all she was doing was luring me in to the stunning finish. All of a sudden I felt so much emotion. Each song in that second side is a mini masterpiece, a combination of vocal and musical excellence. Her voice! The variety of songs, complete with a potential James Bond theme. This has made 1001 albums worth it.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Putting on a Creedence record is like answering the door to an old friend. Except this old friend still manages to surprise. If you haven't heard them for a while it's easy to forget how great Fogerty's voice is. The wonderful thing about Cosmo's Factory is that it's littered with hits, but the less well known songs are also brilliant. It has variety, it rocks, it has several killer riffs.
There is one fault: Why is Heard It Through the Grapevine so long? Ramble Tamble is long, but it never bores. Creedence did the best version of Grapevine (that riff alone, let alone the vocal). The first coda is fine, but they needed to stop. Doesn't stop it getting five stars.
John Cale
4/5
That was surprisingly good. It does beg the question as to why Reed was the lead singer of the Velvet Underground. Because Cale can sing. In tune, even.
Eric Clapton
2/5
Not the most boring thing I've ever heard, but that's because I kept skipping. All the other guitar legends make albums that are boring because they try too hard to show us how clever they are. Borehand hides his only skill so we can hear lame vocals and trite lyrics. Then he covers great songs lamely. Then I find out he's a twat! This is not an important album, it's an example of a name that sells records.
Brian Eno
4/5
The first side is great. Side two points towards that godawful ambient music that so many critics love. Why? Very boring. Background stuff. Fortunately this album doesn't fall too far into that category.
Brian Eno
4/5
Due to the randomness of the 1001 songs generator, this is my second Eno album in a row. I really enjoyed them both, which is a surprise because this isn't my type of music. I'd heard some of Eno's ambient stuff and found it dull, but this was a return to form, no doubt helped with the collaboration with that absolute genius (and pain in the arse) David Byrne.
I missed a lot of good music in the '80s, tending to stick to rock. I shall keep listening to more weird stuff.
1/5
Nope. Big nope. That's worse than terrible. Does he actually make a living from this crap?
Supergrass
4/5
They're Smashing Pumpkins... if Billy had a positive attitude. This is a lot of fun but it is too long.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Like all albums of its era, this contained a lot of killer, and some filler. The best songs are at the top of the pantheon.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
Pretty boring. The hits are great, but most of it is self indulgent. He was an interpreter, a showman, and a guitar genius. But he needed to be in a band with some decent songwriters.
The Jam
3/5
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
What an album! It begins with a merging of two glorious songs, which would be enough for some artists. It finishes with a chilling take on Silent Night. In between, it takes us to joy, sadness, longing, love. It's all killer, no filler. The blending of their voices is perfect, then Artie gets his moment on For Emily. If you think that's perfect, find a live version to listen to. He really is that good.
What's really amazing is that this wonderful album isn't their best. Bridge Over Troubled Water wins that accolade. That magnificent achievement is then dwarfed by Graceland, IMHO the greatest album of them all.
Cypress Hill
1/5
Whinge about life....check.
Use the n word.....check.
Brag.....check.
It starts off interestingly, but it's still this boring genre where you make a beat and talk over it. The cliches, misogyny, glorification of violence and conspicuous consumption are just another reason to hate this shallow shit.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this, having been subjected to some of that modal stuff, hard bop, and other totally unmusical styles of jazz. I read a review that said he improvises, which is usually code for harsh music from technical types who like to show off their skills. Or would he just play discordant chords, which seems to be another jazz piano trait.
NO! This is lovely, melodic, mostly peaceful music that can play away in the background, but is quite glorious to hear with headphones on. He understands melody and phrasing and has the happy knack of knowing when it's time to change things up.
John Coltrane
2/5
It immediately starts annoying me, like so much '60s jazz. Coltrane is all over the place, while the piano and drums fight for attention. When he stops playing, then they work together.
Part 2 has the same problem. Once Coltrane stops playing the piano takes over the lead and the drummer settles into rhythm. Then the pianist gets overexcited and starts banging chords, which are no doubt modal, but they just sound random to me.
Part 3 starts off with a good drum solo, but Bonzo did it better in triplets. In comes the piano and they work together well, until Daddy comes home and they start begging for his attention again. It settles down nicely for a while before Coltrane decides to show off again.
Part 4 is pretty good, maybe the drummer needs to stick to the kettle, that rolling rhythm was effective, there is no discordant battle, so it finishes the album nicely.
I'd like to mention the bass player, who just sits there and backs the others, except for his long and dull solo.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Dr. John
4/5
That was quite entertaining, not as weird as I thought.
Black Sabbath
5/5
So do I write a review with hindsight or do I write the review I would have written as a 12/13 year old, nearly 50 years ago. Because I remember hearing this the first time. War Pigs was like nothing I'd ever heard before, and the rest of the album kept me enthralled. It still does. Some of the lyrics are trite, but it's a sonic masterpiece.
David Bowie
2/5
"All hail the Berlin trilogy!" I think they should be called Low, parts 1, 2 and 3. This is music that only sold because of his name. I wonder how many praise these albums because they don't want to admit that they wasted their money.
I've learned a frightening word since I started listening to 1001 albums: AMBIENT. It is code for plain boring, weird boring, or monotonous pretentious twaddle. This album is just boring because I've heard it before. Back in the day it was weird boring.
I assume Lodger is also in the list. I hope not. Yesterday I had Paranoid, more of that ilk, thank you.
Kraftwerk
1/5
My God that was boring!
Hawkwind
1/5
Yesterday's album was a boring and repetitive effort. So I gave it one star and was looking forward to today's effort. When I saw what it was I had low expectations. They weren't met. I kept falling asleep but it sounded like the same song. 21 times! 1001 Alvin's has thrown up some wonderful surprises - PJ Harvey, 1 Eno album, Keith Jarrett, among others. But it has also introduced me to acts that were so unlistenable it defies logic that they made money.
The Stranglers
4/5
Primal Scream
2/5
What a let-down. The first track is quite a catchy song. Then it just goes on with that repititious music that is only bearable if you're taking pills, grinding your teeth, and drinking a truckload of water. I can understand people jumping up and down to this crap, but would you buy the album?
The Specials
5/5
Why has it taken me over 40 years to hear this gem? About half of the 21st century's music is influenced by this album. It's of its time, yet harkens strongly to the future. I thought Ghost Town was an outlier, but you can hear them building up to it.
It's taken me nearly 50 years to realise what I need in an album - variety, but with an overarching connection. So many albums become boring, I'm thinking of famous ones like Exile On Main Street, and almost every electronic album. Then we have some that vary too much - psychedelic music springs to mind. This is why classic bands like Queen, Beatles, Led Zep, were able to release so many great albums: they instantly sound recognisable, but provide a dish of varied ingredients.
Dammers nearly went too far - International Jet Set, but this is a great, skilful, sometimes funny, almost apocalyptic joy.
3/5
5/5
I've listened to this album hundreds of times, yet when I saw it come up I got a little thrill. I can play this album in my head and not miss a beat. My first musical memory is The Fabs. I've loved them for nearly 60 years because they were the greatest. They still are.
This album is one of the main reasons we love albums.
The Boo Radleys
4/5
Lots of little Beatles' references in this ode to psychedelia. At one stage you'd swear they're writing a new chapter of Strawberry Fields. They start off flexing their shoegaze muscles and manage to throw out some crunchy guitar and storming drums. I've Lost The Reason is an encapsulation of the whole album. Twee verse with a bit of Beach Boys harmonies, then they bust out a massive chorus that pays homage to Kurt, but with weird distorted sounds a la Sergeant Peppers.
I hope they had fun making this, because I had fun listening.
Pulp
3/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
Every time I listen to this masterpiece I notice something new. This time it was that jump from the sheer fun of Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts to the wistful wonder of If You See Her, Say Hello. I've heard the latter song many times but it is so much more effective in the album. It's a phenomenal album. There is a reason why he's a Nobel laureate. This is a big part of it.
PJ Harvey
4/5
What a debut. She doesn't mind spilling her heart all over the stage. She arrived fully formed and just got better. Just when it was getting a bit same-ish, the last four songs just blew me out of the water.
A Tribe Called Quest
2/5
Very cool start, but I'm worried that 70 minutes will be too long.
Sadly, it's like a lot of hip-hop. Interesting start, then they repeat a beat while talking. Choruses can be good, but it's so repetitive.
Gorillaz
2/5
That was really boring.
The Sonics
5/5
This smashed me over the head in 2022. Imagine what effect it had in 1965. The Witch is amazing, Roslie's vocals are insane, something he carries on for the whole album. But the ultimate sound is that quivery bass. I don't know if it's backed by bass pedal, but it just sounds EVIL! Only 30 minutes. Perfect. It leaves you begging for more.
Apparently the Seattle scene was full of bands like The Sonics. If I ever get a ride in the TARDIS I'm going to Seattle in the early '60s. Then I'll stay for 30 years. (I won't be going to Starbucks. That coffee is awful)
The Jam
5/5
This is one of the great punk/new wave albums. The songwriting genius of Weller is the backbone, Buckler laid down some great beats, but it was the phenomenal bass of Bruce Foxton that pinned it all together.
John Lee Hooker
4/5
Dire Straits
4/5
This was something different when it came out. Lots of blues and country influences with Knofler's guitar giving it so much colour. It still sounds good. Interestingly, their biggest album, Brothers in Arms, sounds way more dated.
Suede
4/5
It's always interesting to find a band like Suede, that have had long-lasting success in the UK, yet are quite unknown here in Australia. I can see why they haven't hit it here, we tend to go for more straightforward music.
This is a little bit prog, a little bit pomp, and quite enjoyable.
5/5
The first three songs are great, individually. But they are so similar that you can be excused for thinking that boredom is about to arrive. Then along comes Bullet The Blue Sky, a bolt out of the blue. The rest of the album shows a variety of songs, some that rock, some that sound like folk, and one that does both and is probably the best song on the album: Red Hill Mining Town.
Yes, Bono is a douche, and they have become monstrously egotistical, and this album was the start of that. But it's still a great album.
Neu!
1/5
The first side is boring and inoffensive. Side two starts out promisingly, then he starts screaming. One star because I wasted a car ride and couldn't pull over to change to something decent.
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
The fact that She Bop follows Time After Time says everything about this album. Everything she does is joyful.
Death In Vegas
3/5
Pretty decent for instrumental.
The Stooges
3/5
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
I was 7 when this came out, but I rarely heard any of his songs for another 10 years. What an absolute barnstormer this is now, let alone 55 years ago. All killer, no filler, funky, rocking, guitar pyrotechnics. It has it all. 55 stars.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
It's quite amazing that this album was recorded in such a disjointed fashion. How did they get those beautiful harmonies without singing together? It just shows their genius. I'm assuming that Stills was the conductor, he is one of the true geniuses of modern music.
The addition of Young takes them to another level. While none of the songs reached the transcendent heights of Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, they still were a level above anything released at the time. Except for the excitement that was happening on the heavier spectrum, of course.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
That was even better than I expected. Nobody does the standards better than Ella. Not Frank, not Bing. Nobody. That voice is so warm, so smooth, so perfect. If you want to be picky, some of the lyrics don't fit my feminist leanings. But Someone To Watch Over Me is a song with astounding longing, just pouring from the singer's heart. The secret is in the delivery - straight. No warbles, no melisma, no screeching out high notes, just honouring the melody.
Fatboy Slim
5/5
I find EDM repetitive and boring. NOT THIS! Just when it's in danger of becoming boring, he wanders off into something knew. It's a lot of fun, some of those odd, mangled vocals remind me of naughty boys playing with words and fart sounds. It's when he segues into those big beats that he shows his mastery. This is so far above anything in this genre, except maybe Daft Punk.
Buck Owens
4/5
I'm pretty disappointed. Lots of heartache, but not one dawg! No trucks! I had to laugh at some of the lyrical content, but found it highly enjoyable.
Robbie Williams
2/5
Ok. Couple of good songs, but it's background stuff at best.
I was debating two or three stars, but Baby Girl's Window added an extra layer of wedding band blandness.
Pixies
5/5
What's not to love. Black Francis spirits and screaming out these strange stories, backed by that solid rhythm. But the thing that takes it next level is Joey Santiago's sonic wails, they just accentuate everything. Here Comes Your Man is great pop, written by Francis when he was 15.
Paul Weller
3/5
Mmm. Sounds like classic rock by some American band I've never heard of. Ok bit it's no Jam or Style Council. To answer Paul's question... his fire has gone out. (For this album anyway)
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
George Michael
4/5
Morrissey
2/5
This belongs in 1001 albums you say, "Meh!" to.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
Yes
2/5
Some bits good, but so many bits of keyboard and bass playing quickly with no connection to the song. I actually prefer '80s Yes.
Moby Grape
5/5
I knew nothing about this band, yet they produced this stunner. I particularly love those slightly bluesy numbers with that distinctive late-60s bass. Whichever of those great singers had that raspy voice, he is a good as anyone. Ever!
That manager deserves to live in he'll with Kenny G being piped in.
Guided By Voices
3/5
Some good bits. Some average bits. I do mean bits, because they aren't songs.
Steely Dan
4/5
Shack
4/5
This was a lovely surprise. I thought I was going to hear Oasis with Michael Stipe as lead singer. But then we get these folk songs, as well as lush songs with strings in the background. This is the album that Oasis wished they could make.
Herbie Hancock
2/5
Joan Armatrading
4/5
She has a great voice, but it gets a bit tedious until the last two songs.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
This is the album that launched Bruce into the stratosphere. It rocks. It tells stories. It has so much heart. It has "I'm On Fire," which must be one of the greatest songs about desire that's ever been written.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
T. Rex
5/5
For a while there, I thought that T-Rex kept recycling three songs, which is appealing but repetitive. Then they started breaking out on the second side. Chariot Choogle is a much fun as the title suggests. Great album.
Traffic
3/5
Steve Winwood has one of the great soul voices. They should have stuck with soul.
The Zombies
4/5
Side one has that baroque stuff that flooded the market in 1967/68. But it gets way more interesting on side two. Time of the Season is a step above everything else. The closest I can come is to describe it as sinuous. There is a reason why The Beatles and Stones are so much more successful than all other '60s bands. They took psychedelia to strange, wonderful places, then moved on.
Sebadoh
2/5
I was listening to REM before this came up. The contrast is significant and Sebadoh don't come out of it favourably. Some reasonable songs but lots of noise. I don't think I'd feel happy listening to this mix if I'd made it.
Big Black
4/5
That was angry fun. I heard bits of The Pixies as well as some angsty metal. There was a pop sensibility hiding in well constructed, musical songs.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Ghostface Killah
1/5
Paul Simon
4/5
It's a little bit samey, but it's still Paul Simon. I'm very glad it's failure helped propel him to trying out some different sounds, because Graceland is my favourite album of all time.
When listening to this unfamiliar album I was inclined to mark it down, but when I listened to it objectively, I realised that it had some great moments.
System Of A Down
5/5
I'm 61, but courtesy of my sons I know, and love SOAD. This album is a nice introduction to this band. This introduction, however, isn't a handshake. It's a musical assault of glorious insanity. I mean, it's seriously warped. It's ANGRY! They are unique, they are wonderful. I'm a little afraid that I won't sleep well tonight. Or at all.
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
Everything But The Girl
2/5
As soon as I read trip-hop I expect that I'm going to get irritated WHILE also being put to sleep. I guess that is a compliment to this style of boredom.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
This is just bliss. Hearing songs I've never heard before that are phenomenal. The best example is Good To Me As I Am To You. That song has everything! Aretha blows every other singer into the weeds. Then it's followed up by Come Back Baby which has that classic groovy bass that signified the late '60s/early '70s.
The Hives
3/5
Really enjoyed it at the start, but the songs all blur into each other.
Wu-Tang Clan
1/5
Nope. Just nope. Every hip-hop cliche ever made. Beyond terrible.
Crowded House
5/5
A bunch of hits backed up by songs that the competition wish they could write. A lot of negative reviews probably due to the content of Chocolate Cake. Americans really can't take criticism, it seems.
Neil Young
4/5
There are some great songs, but it's not 5 star Neil.
Röyksopp
2/5
So I put this on towards the end of a car trip, because putting ambient/dance/electronica on can be dangerously soporific. This is better than most of its genre, but it still begs the question: Why don't they try to write an actual song? They do the same thing we used to do in the 60s/70s/80s... which was to jam with your friends. Sometimes you came up with a good sound and tried to turn it into a song. But these electronic types record it and put it out. They're fragments, not songs.
Eminem
2/5
What a whiny bitch.
Arrested Development
3/5
Musical. Fun. Positive. These aren't words I'd usually attach to hip-hop, but not really a surprise as they come from the South. That area gave birth to some of the greatest genres (blues and jazz to begin with) but it also took different types of music and just made them better.
The Smiths
4/5
I really wanted to hate this, but it has some good songs and Morrissey’s odd voice gives the songs a lot of their character.
Suede
4/5
Oasis, Blur, and Pulp are well known in Australia, but I don't remember Suede. This is a pity as they play some intriguing intriguing. I particularly enjoyed Where Pigs Don't Fly, with that haunting guitar in the background.
Tim Buckley
3/5
What I expected. Some of it good, some of it twee (the title track is excruciating). Everyone needs to listen to Knight Errant: I love her upstairs, I love her downstairs, But I love my lady's chamber.
I can't stop laughing.
Eurythmics
5/5
After listening to their debut effort I wasn't holding out much hope. I love Annie's voice (weapon) but found it had that repetitive dullness that colours so much euro-electronic stuff (that definitely includes the humdrum that is Bowie's Berlin trilogy). But they got their groove going in this one, retaining the experimental edge while truly displaying their rhythmic, melodic pop sensibility. Songs like Somebody Told Me have that hypnotic quality while being fun.
The Notorious B.I.G.
1/5
Another loud man boasting about his prowess. It manages to be boring, yet highly irritating at the same time. Thank God they started making decent music in the south, because this east coast/west coast stuff is uniformly poor.
ZZ Top
4/5
The only band that successfully married boogie with the '80s. The album is way stronger than I thought it would be.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Not as good as her first album as some songs are very grungey. When she gets back into pouring her heart out and screaming, she's much better.
Miles Davis
5/5
So seductive. So cool. This can be background music, but it slowly, languidly, pulls you in until it's just you immersed in the gentle swishing of the ocean, which is actually Jimmy Cobb on the brushes. There's a cracking fire that warms you. That's Miles.
I can resist most jazz. I actively hate free jazz and hard bop, which are less musical than hip-hop. But this is irresistible.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
Tina Turner
5/5
That was a pleasant surprise. Even the singles sounded better, not as produced. That cover of 1984 was excellent, paying homage to Bowie's version by going a little further than he did.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
What a hot mess! How can someone come up with such brilliance while being totally fucked up? Spaced Cowboy is now my new favourite song of all time. Country funk is even more fun than country rap. This was already a five star album, but the last three songs belong in the stratosphere.
I always thought that Parliament/Funkadelic had released the weirdest, and best, funk. But this is next level greatness. I could happily listen to the bass by itself.
George Michael
5/5
Faith was the first time I'd ever liked a George Michael song, but the remaining songs left me cold. At the time I was a pub rock devotee with a dislike for anything that had a dance or electronic bent. How my tastes have changed. Anything with a bit of funk lures me in and this album oozes funk. Yesterday's album was that batshit crazy "There's a Riot Going On," which is the godfather of '70s funk. This is its sexy nephew.
David Bowie
3/5
Pretty boring considering the secrecy of his return. Where Are We Now is head and shoulders above the others, with that powerful, yet fragile, delivery that makes it feel more like Blackstar (which is a far better album).
Stan Getz
4/5
So we should blame it on Getz and Byrd. Latin rhythms make any kind of music better. Basically this is ridiculously cool jazz.
Billy Joel
5/5
Goldie
1/5
Dr. Octagon
3/5
It's a pity it went on forever.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Wow! I find hip-hop to be frequently boring and the lyrical content to come from two schools: boastful excess or whiny promises of violence. I'm lying here with a nasty dose of covid, yet this has me bopping. The vocalists (MCs? Talkers?) are great, taking over, harmonising, using their differences to emphasise their lyrics. I particularly like the deep voice. He's so musical. It is too long and they fell into that familiar genre failure, using that n-word.
Steve Winwood
3/5
I think Steve has a great voice and his singles are uniformly great. But the gap between the good and the meh is pretty big.
Tracy Chapman
5/5
That voice! She has that rich, low, smooth tone that makes you feel warm and comfortable. But then she has this quaver, that makes you feel the pain that shines in so many of her stories.
Johnny Cash
5/5
This is just wonderful. So much humour, so much love.
Miles Davis
1/5
That wasn't pleasant.
R.E.M.
5/5
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I tried to get this. Some sounds worked, but I like to hear vocals, not some ambient fuzz.
The Clash
5/5
I can't believe I haven't listened to this album before. I was 19 when it came out. But then again, we were arguing over whether Chisel or The Angels were best. (Chisel. Not really close once you'd seen both bands live)
My main exposure to punk was through reviewers who kept saying wonderful things about music that I found had no depth and no breadth. Siouxsee and the Banshees, The Damned and The Clash all had a couple of good songs, but didn't sound like the saviours of music they were written up to be. Never Mind The Bollocks was something else. It was a raging, roaring, thumping, sonic masterpiece.
So, when the critics went into paroxysms of delight about London Calling I wasn't falling for their message. Which is strange, because the title song was electric. Still is.
Now I've heard it, and I realise I have heard all the songs. Is it 5 stars? Probably. Are there better albums from that time? Oh yes. A selection from 1979/1980 includes The Wall, East, True Colours, Glass Houses, Scary Monsters, Breakfast in America, 52nd St, and Parallel Lines. All of those are better than this album, but they weren't punk/new wave so the critics dismissed them. Blondie didn't count because they were American. Even though they were punk before the English knew what punk was.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
The Cramps
4/5
What a wonderful piece of weirdness.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
Amy Winehouse
2/5
Good voice. Boring songs.
The Shamen
1/5
This isn't the worst thing I've heard, but I think I'd prefer to hear someone vomiting than listen to the rest of this album. Why is this on 1001 albums? It's a tepid example of a forgettable genre from the '90s.
Milton Nascimento
5/5
This is really quite wonderful. Milton's voice soars beautifully, sometimes strangely, above this beguiling mix of surprisingly western music that is sprinkled with splashes of Latin flavour. It is different, yet familiar.
Michael Jackson
5/5
I never owned it, but I'd certainly heard every song, many times. All killer, all thriller, no filler.
The Crusaders
2/5
I live in a small country town with no elevators. The first song was alright, but then they put me in the longest elevator ride.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4/5
That's another album I wish I'd heard back in the day.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Germs
2/5
The band are thrashing away well but Darby is just irritating.
Radiohead
2/5
My attention is starting to wander. How to Disappear Completely is the song that makes your attention disappear. It's also grating enough to keep you listening while you really want to do something else. In Limbo is closer to in hell. No. Just no.
I approached this album with trepidation when I read that it was Radiohead goes electronic/ambient. They manage to salvage some intriguing sounds, but hearing Yorke whining over repetitive beats isn't a pleasant experience. The big question. Is the drop in quality from OK Computer to this badly polished turd, the biggest in the history of music?
Sometimes, it's what you hear after the album finishes that tells the story. I was barely paying attention when a crunching riff backed by a driving rhythm came on. It's Queens of the Stone Age. It's the chaser that I badly needed.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
There are some great songs, but I found myself drifting off. I think there's too much similarity between songs.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
Ok.
Christine and the Queens
2/5
Not the most boring thing I've ever heard, but it's up there.
The Who
3/5
It's taken me years to work out what's wrong with The Who. They've performed some of the greatest songs of all time, but I find the quality drops if you listen to a whole album. Who's Next is an exception, but usually a Who album has too much filler.
So part of their problem is lack of good songs, but Tommy has good songs. I have two problems with this album. Firstly, any song that doesn't have Townsend power chords tends to be weedy. Secondly, their vocals aren't up to snuff. Roger needs to be singing balls-out rock or he should shut up. Pete should never sing. They needed to hand these songs over to other musicians. Except Pinball Wizard. That is magnificent.
The xx
2/5
I just wrote a review about The Who in which I started that they are boring unless they are rocking it with massive Townsend power chords. Now I'm about to listen to stripped-down, minimalist, pop. All this from a group I've never heard of. Not holding out much hope.
It wasn't awful, but it was a long way from being something I need to hear. The vocalists are having a "lame-off" over uninspiring music. Not bad if you need to sleep
Lauryn Hill
1/5
Big nope. I'd prefer to grate my ears off than subject them to this.
Hole
5/5
I was already a fan of Celebrity Skin and Malibu, but this album outperformed my expectations. I really like it when Courtney uses her voice differently, like the power pop sound of Awful or the Kurt inflection of Northern Star. When I read that Billy Corgan had contributed to this album I knew I'd like it. This album is a gem.
One question. Surely Boys On The Radio is an REM track? The lyrics are a bit too direct, but the sound comes straight from Athens, Georgia.
Fiona Apple
4/5
What a intriguing collection of words and sounds. Lots of dark humour and anger.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
5/5
Why do I like this album? Muddy vocals, muddy instruments. It's the ultimate late night, stupendously drunk, sad but containing sardonic humour, epic. I hear Jeff Buckley, then I hear Tom Waits! This is the poster child for pain producing great art. This is the reward for sponsoring 1001 albums. I'd never heard anything about this man before.
5/5
Whenever I have the chance to see Bob live, I listen to this album or watch Pennebaker's/Scorsese's films. They are so good that I know I must go. Then I watch a few minutes of Rolling Thunder (I can't listen to the whole thing) and save my money.
This album is perfect, particularly Tamborine Man, which he attacks, and the sheer noise of Baby, Let Me Follow You Down. Bob and the band are having so much fun. I wish he'd taken it down a few notches for Ballad of a Thin Man. The band have that sardonic tone down, but Bob's into full noise mode, not servicing the lyrics. Meanwhile, that nasal bellow is perfect for Like a Rolling Stone. "No secrets to conceeeeeeeeeeeeeal!" Perfect!
Jane's Addiction
1/5
It's a pity they couldn't have sprung for a decent vocalist.
The Kinks
3/5
Prince
5/5
The king of funk decided to write the most blistering rock song of all time. That opens a stunning album. I prefer the purple one's funk which is why Die 4 U is probably my favourite track. But the album just a sublime over the top piece of glorious madness.
Parliament
4/5
CHIC
3/5
Quite good but a bit repetitive. It's dance music, not made for listening to.
Merle Haggard
1/5
Nope. Just nope.
Lana Del Rey
1/5
That was a boring as anything I've heard in a long while.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
It's pleasant, but I prefer Latin music that smokes with heat, not as background drinking sounds.
That was disappointing. Everything blurred into one except for the last song, which had some life.
The Police
5/5
Green Day
3/5
Energetic but repetitive.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Finley Quaye
3/5
Wasn't bad, but I couldn't get over the Scotsman trying to sound Jamaican.
Hugh Masekela
2/5
Bon Jovi
2/5
I tried to listen to it all. But they're so irritating, while being boring and repetitive. I remember finishing an assignment with the radio blaring non stop hair metal all night. I wasn't listening, just having it in the background. It was one long song, with exaggerated drum beats, shouted choruses, generic solos, and great dollops of pretentiousness. Listening to an album of this crap gives me that same feeling. What's really sad is that I believe Jon is a good person who writes good stories.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Adele
2/5
6 tracks in and my attention's starting to wander. She reminds me of the date from hell. You know the one. She is really attractive with this sardonic sense of humour. After two cocktails she's given the bottle of white a fair going over, and is now totally off about a past relationship. The humour has gone and you are just waiting for the night to end. It's nice for Adele that's she's made a bucket of money from her angst, but maybe it's time to move on.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
The title obviously refers to the vocals. Really unpleasant for too much of the album. Even a song like Mirage, which is quite musical, suffers because she only sings two notes. It's a pity the vocals are so poor because I like the backing.
Richard Hawley
3/5
Quite nice but it needed more fundamental range.
a-ha
3/5
That is the most '80s sounding album of all time.
The Who
5/5
This is the greatest Who album: all killer, no filler. All the faults of Tommy were corrected. They remembered they were a rock band, so we have Moon and Entwhistle driving the songs with Pete crunching out lots of power chords. The songs are strong because we don't have to put up with all those twee bridging things that filled up so much of Tommy. But then they'd also improved. Roger's voice has depth and power, let alone that famous scream. Pete is becoming a lead guitarist, without wandering off into extended solos. Of course, this was also the album that he started using, changing, the synthesiser.
This album contains three of their best-known songs, which are great songs. But I've long been mystified by the lack of acclaim for "The Song Is Over." It starts with typical weedy Townsend vocals, but then it has one of Roger's great vocals on the chorus. I'm a huge fan of the blatant metaphors on "Getting In Tune." I could go on, but I believe this is The Who's finest and one of the great albums, an important part of the bridge between the '60s and '70s.
Roxy Music
4/5
Air
1/5
Not interested in the movie. Really not interested in a soundtrack. I don't want to listen to the Star Wars soundtrack, which totally added to a wonderful movie, so why would I listen to this? Yawn.
David Bowie
4/5
I swear his voice was at its peak here. Nothing like a mountain of cocaine to add character. His Beatles cover is in the running for worst of all time, although I think that accolade goes to John Farnham for his histrionic attempt at "Help."
Despite the critical love for the boring Berlin trilogy this is his last good album until Scary Monsters. I was debating whether it was 4 or 5 stars, but that dismantling of "Across The Universe" knocks it down a peg.
Prince
5/5
That was the quickest 80 minutes of my life. Usually a double album tends to drag. But this just barrels through a barrage of different genres until it's finished. Which is disappointing because I don't want it to end. Then I remember that I can start all over again. This is the best double album I've heard. Sorry White Album. Sorry Physical Graffiti. Sorry Frampton. (Only kidding there. That album begins to pall by song 3) The teeny-tiny genius truly came from another planet. How can you get so much variety from a solo songwriter. Oh. Yes. He invents a new persona. Camille is breathtaking. So is this album.
Sometimes Spotify gets out right. After the last strains of "Adore" faded, I was greeted by Strawberry Letter 23, the Brothers Johnson version. This is one of my favourite songs and definitely fits the vibe.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
This is phenomenal! It's a double album that keeps you excited for the whole ride. I still haven't heard a chillies song I don't like and I get to see them in January!
Suzanne Vega
4/5
The The
4/5
Sam Cooke
4/5
Billie Holiday
3/5
Her voice was shot and everything became repetitive.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
So this gets categorised as garage or grunge. But it has more than a twang of country in it with those lazy riffs. Then we hit Days That Used To Be and Love And Only Love. Both of those songs could have been released on Everybody...in 1969. Whatever you classify it as it's a whole lot of fun. Special shout out to the feedback finishes which just add the cherry to the top of this delicious confection. I love the fact that a renegade like Young has remained relevant, popular, and cranky for nearly 60 years. Meanwhile the band are obviously having so much fun. All this from an album I knew nothing about.
Supergrass
5/5
I'd Like To Know is probably the best introduction to a debut album ever! This album surely is a tribute to their parent's recited collections. Frenetic fun from a band that was a step above the other Britpop purveyors.
The Pogues
4/5
This is just glorious. I'm particularly in love with Sit Down By The Fire, but the whole album just sings with a vibrancy that brings a smile to your face. As a descendant of the Irish diaspora my celtic heart beats happily to this. I'm glad this is part of my heritage, as it makes up for skin that burns in an Australian winter. Summer is just a nightmare.
Otis Redding
5/5
That was a ripper.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
The best album by an ex-Beatle. Better than George's epic (triple albums are always too much), John wrote great songs but uneven albums. Ringo - his wife is the best looking. Seriously, this just proved he's a genius, even Mamunia. Let Me Roll It is one of the greatest answer songs of all time.
Nirvana
5/5
What can I say? This rocks like few others ever have. Smells Like Teen Spirit is one of the great songs, but I've been in love with Lithium since I first heard it. The music and lyrics work together perfectly. Seriously, there are only great songs and better songs.
Grateful Dead
3/5
It's inoffensive but I fail to see why deadheads are so fanatical.
Jacques Brel
4/5
Well well. I want expecting much but I found this enjoyable. So I did some research which led to Bowie singing Amsterdam (good, but not at Brel's level) and live clips of Brel. So much emotion. And sweat.
The Who
3/5
Nothing special. Not a patch on Who's Next.
Justice
2/5
Sounds ok but it's EDM, it gets boring.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
OutKast
5/5
I'm a white, boomer male. I've found hip-hop and modern R'n'B to be boring, with R'n'B also being insipid. So a two hour album should be a chore. Not a chance! This sprawling epic is one of the best albums I've ever heard. Big Boi sticks to his genre but the addition of all these collaborators adds variety to what are superior songs. Then we get Andre who starts with jazz! Just as it starts getting a bit too much he throws in that stupendous version of My Favourite Things (huge nod to John Coltrane) and a very cool guest appearance by Norah Jones. Outstanding!
Bob Dylan
5/5
5 stars isn't enough.
Blur
5/5
This is 1000 times better than that twee stuff they farted out when Britpop was a thing. (In England, mind you. Here in Oz we liked Oasis, but Blur and Pulp? Nah.) It rocks in places, there is homage paid to psychedelic Beatles, and a couple of tracks score quite highly on the weird shit-o-meter. Great stuff. Much better than I thought it would be. Woohoo!
Culture Club
5/5
So I'm enjoying the first few songs, then on comes That's The Way, where Helen Terry flexes her vocal muscles. This then leads into The Church of the Poisoned Mind, where the band rips into this bouncy, irresistible tune where Helen once again soars. Those two songs are worth the price of admission. This is a perfectly designed album, with a natural flow that is perfectly signed off by Victims, a song that deserves greater recognition for it's clever mix of big ballad and minor key sadness.
GZA
1/5
More gangster crap. Boring and ugly.
Megadeth
2/5
Intro that doesn't got three test of the song. Check.
Crunchy riff. Check.
Shredding solo that shows technical versatility but detracts from the song. Check.
Repeat ad nauseum.
Two stars for the riffs but this is very boring.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
There is some nice tasty backing and some clever lyrics but I still find him annoying.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
This just irritates me. I put on some beach boys to clean out my ears.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
2/5
The Byrds
3/5
It's OK and it's nice to hear the emergence of country rock but it doesn't have anything that grabs me.
Harry Nilsson
5/5
Without You is so wonderful you'd buy the album just for that. Then you get this eclectic mix from The Beatles favourite singer (and favourite band). Jump Into The Fire is a great song that features the that bass legend, Herbie Flowers in one of his finest appearances. The whole album is breathtaking.
Norah Jones
5/5
This is the perfect late night headphones album. That voice! Lovely songs that slowly invite you to a place of peaceful joy.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
It has some great moments, but it should have been culled into one disc. New World Record and Discovery were stronger.
Nick Drake
5/5
I was so impressed by this man I knew nothing about. I swear that he had influenced every singer songwriter of the past 50 years
The Byrds
4/5
The mid-60s belonged to The Byrds. Pleasant listening with a couple of great tracks.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
When Seasons Change puts the blues into rhythm and blues! So In Love throws back to Stax in the mid-'60s. After an outstanding start it did tail off.
Fleet Foxes
1/5
Sounded good to start with but I lost concentration pretty quickly. The word "pretentious" keeps entering my consciousness. Then I read some quotes by Robin Pecknold, he is pretentious with a capital W.
The annoying thing is that I can hear echoes of Brian Wilson, which should make me want to like it, but it just sounds try hard.
I'm getting to the end and it's just sounding annoying. Bellowing out "Oliver James!" at the end of a song doesn't help.
Spotify decided to play Belle and Sebastian after this album had finished. I think that comes from a playlist entitled "Overrated Twaddle."
I'm going to listen to Queen now, to get my good humour back. They were over the top, but with tongue wedged firmly in cheek.
Prince
5/5
I thought it was starting to drag then I hit the funktastic All The Critics. Only the purple one can get away with that stripped down repetitive groove. If you can get an over 60 white man dancing you must have something. But I think International Lover is my new favourite song. I smiled, then giggled, then bellowed with laughter. He is that naughty little boy who keeps getting away with it. So much fun.
I decided to re-listen because I needed to decide if this was worth four or five stars. That bass on Lady Cab Driver, perfect mix of '70s and '80s funk. Then it gets into that rocky little jam that becomes a full on shred. Oh yeah!
Prefab Sprout
1/5
This album was obviously meant for the 1001 insipid albums list. They almost grabbed my attention on Goodbye Lucille which built up to a chorus where the singer started putting in a bit of feeling. Then back to the humdrum verse. Then they really crushed my interest with the next song, followed by the next ad nauseum.
I didn't know them. They were only successful in the UK which really tells the story. Lots of great British music hit our charts during the 2nd invasion (I'm Australian) but this stuff has nothing of interest.
Horsin' Around is the final nail in the coffin. This album may end up with only one star.
Yep. One star. It went from insipid to annoyingly twee.
David Bowie
5/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
TV On The Radio
4/5
This was pretty good. I particularly liked the funkier songs.
Dusty Springfield
5/5
It was so good I listened twice. The second tin through was even better.
Ray Charles
3/5
If this was anyone else is probably be raving. Lush arrangements backing a smoky voice that puts out plenty of emotion. But it's Ray. He sings sassy rhythm and blues. This is too middle of the road. It features those awful choral backing harmonies that were prevalent at this time. This is particularly damaging on the final track. Ray is singing in that special bluesy tone that only he owned. Then in come the harmonies, turning it back into schmaltz.
Al Green
4/5
Jungle Brothers
2/5
I lasted half way but it is way too repetitive.
Metallica
5/5
Eye of the Beholder has a great riff.. at first. Then we get all these jarring changes. But it is a vehicle for Kirk to throw in a couple of good solos.
Did I just hear the Winkies at the start of The Frayed Ends of Sanity?
Dyers Eve is insane! I think my favourite is The Shortest Straw. But the whole album just smacks you down with all those crunchy riffs.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Early '90s dance. I wasn't expecting much even though I've enjoyed their hits, including Go West. There is something quite beguiling about Tennant's vocals that elevates the repetitive backing well above most examples of the genre. Dreaming of The Queen and Yesterday When I Was Mad provide a 1-2 punch, both lyrically and musically.
The Pretty Things
4/5
That is so much better than Tommy! Some wonderfully offbeat moments by a band that also did some great Stones-like stuff earlier in their career.
Primal Scream
2/5
The Avalanches
1/5
So we finally get an Australian act. Yay! What a let-down. Stitching together bits of other people's work isn't music. At least the first "song" has some sort of variation. But by the time you get to Flight Tonight all interest is lost. Can you seriously take pride in the never ending repetition of a few seconds of sound? Why MUST I listen to this? Music requires some musical skill. This just requires copy and paste.
Little Richard
5/5
Sabu
4/5
Gene Clark
4/5
Loving the CSN harmonies on Silver Raven. Strength of Strings has a big Neil Young vibe. Life's Greatest Fool and Silver Vial definitely remind me of Mike Nesmith's solo stuff. I was pleasantly surprised with this.
Barry Adamson
2/5
I read a review that compared this with The Avalanches. Expecting something between meh and really irritating.
It was slightly above meh. Some reasonable sounds but I still fell asleep. Not going back to hear what I missed. Why is this in this list?
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
The Black Keys
4/5
I LOVE this cover. Never Give You Up is a faithful cover that manages to give it a blues edge. Howlin For You is the standout track.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Soma takes you on such a journey. Billy's voice always sounds creepy when he songs slowly, which is why that little break in the middle of Geek U.S.A. is so brilliant. The rest of the song is such a great thrash. Mayonnaise is surely the song that Courtney played before forming Hole. Silverfuck is just a monster. I'm going searching for live videos now.
Tortoise
2/5
First song was ok. Then I thought it had finished, but no! It had devolved into this mushy slow ambient horror. The second song has a good riff, but like all instrumental stuff it sounds like they're jamming but they don't get anywhere. Sounds are OK but I need songs with lyrics.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
That went downhill fast. I Saw the Light is a great song, but then it's just totally forgettable. Some Folks Is..... is quite a blast, but that's it.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
That was very enjoyable. I thought I was hearing Rod Stewart for a few seconds.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
This is immeasurably better than The Hissing of Summer Lawns. Her vocal excesses fit the songs and just give you that extra dose of emotion. That long note in River is so wistful. Wow!
5/5
Tim Buckley
3/5
This was pretty good. A lot less annoying than his son.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
So bleak. So perfect. This is the first time I've ever sat down and listened to this album. I know most of the songs really well. The others are familiar. Hearing the whole album should be depressing but I'm too busy with my feelings of awe. Simple songs with sparse backing, sung by a singer with limited range should be a recipe for boredom. Far from it. Springsteen imbues the songs with so much passion that he takes you with him into this dark land and you enjoy the ride
Kendrick Lamar
1/5
Some genius. Foul-mouthed whinging little sook. Manages to get that balance between irritating and boring.
Bad Brains
3/5
Pretty decent backing but the vocalist tends to get annoying. Spotify played The Cramps after this album. My head started banging and my body got moving which tells me that Bad Brains are just missing out on some life.
A Tribe Called Quest
1/5
They start a beat then someone talks over the beat. Rinse and repeat. It's not offensive like gangster rap but it's boring and it's not music.
The Blue Nile
3/5
The further you get from that diabolical "Rooftops" song, the better it gets. "Stay" has a nice groove, while "Easter Parade" sounds like a Tom Waits song, sweet and melancholic. Then it loses steam when it gets to "Automobile Noise." It should be renamed Dull Noise. A couple of four star songs drag third album into three star territory. Just.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Dream pop with unintelligible lyrics. This should just irritate me with tweeness. But it doesn't. There's some truly intriguing sounds here. My attention started to wander, however.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
5/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Unlike the previous 5 Led Zep albums I had to think before giving it 5 stars. Then I listened closely and realised that comparing Led Zep with other bands is unfair. A pity they didn't make this a single disc, then Presence could have been Achilles, Nobody's Fault and a bunch from Physical Graffiti.
Incubus
4/5
When I hear late '90s rock I sometimes wonder of there was just one drummer doing all these tracks. There is little originality except for The Warmth which piqued my curiosity. It has some great sounds and some interesting rhythmical variations. Drive isn't representative of their sound but that's no bad thing because it is a great piece of laidback pop with great harmonies on the chorus. Clean is great! That build up in the intro and the dirty bass in the verses are worth the price of admission.
I wonder if they've released a remix with no scratching. I've yet to hear anything by anybody that is improved by scratching. Just grab a percussion instrument, any one, and it'll do better.
Brandon Boyd has a great voice, bringing more musicality and a level of sweetness to these songs.
Soul II Soul
1/5
Keep on Movin' didn't start me moving. Fairplay sounds OK.... for about 15 seconds, then it descends into depressing lameness. The women have good voices but the songs are so uniformly awful that I just kept skipping. Back To Life is a step above the rest but not enough to save this borefest from a 1 start rating. If Jazzie's Groove was on a 5-star it would drag it down to 1 star. That is the worst assault on my ears ever. Although Ambition goes close. Worst rapping ever! No competition! Whatever drugs they were on are a danger to humanity.
Talking Heads
5/5
It starts with Tina's bass. It's direct, primitive, a heartbeat. There's an irresistible brew of jagged, danceable tunes with David's voice over the top. He should be irritating but he's not. This is possibly their weakest album yet it's an easy 5. This album came out when I was 17 but I didn't discover it until I was 57.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Boston
5/5
The Smiths
4/5
WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO A SONG ABOUT A GIRLFRIEND IN A COMA? Two songs later he's singing poignant lyrics about love and the sadness that comes from its lack. Then we get a nasty song wishing an ex an unhappy birthday which is full of hatred. He was 28 when he wrote this, surely he's past teenage melodrama by now.
Seriously, Morrisey is a gigantic twat from just reading his lyrics, let alone his public rantings. Somehow his whiny voice works while Johnny and the rest of the band are brilliant. If I kept listening to this is probably go 5 starts as it is quite addictive.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
I've had a run of bands that I'd never heard of in the last two weeks. Some of them I've listened to several times as well as going for a dive into their catalogue. That won't be happening with The Afghan Whigs. The most interesting song is The Curse which features a guest vocalist. Dulli needs to try something other than yelling when he sings.
There are some good sounds but album blurs into sameness because of Dulli's dullness.
The Teardrop Explodes
5/5
This is one of those bands I'd heard of but know nothing about. Although as soon as I heard Reward my memory was pricked by one of the great dance numbers.
Definitely enjoying the surging bass and drums on Second Head. Then it pops nicely into Poppies which builds very nicely to a satisfying conclusion. When I Dream is a great conclusion to the album with its psychedelic slow fade giving more than just a gentle nod to a certain Liverpool band.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Animal Collective
3/5
I kept turning the volume down. It doesn't immediately sound bad but it builds up. Summertime Clothes is a bit gentler, maybe even a bit infectious. I like the vocals on most tracks. Sometimes. But the constant echoing does annoy me. Interesting, but I'm not going to try it again.
Radiohead
5/5
This is so much better than those boring things that preceded it. There's tension and build up in the songs. Yorke's vocals are atmospheric, whereas they'd descended into irritating, fingernails on the blackboard. We Suck Young Blood is freaky, creepy perfect.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
Pleasant.
Blondie
5/5
This was one of three albums that were played at almost every party I went to the year after school finished. The others were Rumours and Rocky Horror. Why Parallel Lines? Because it is full of bangers that force you to dance! It loses a little impetus with Pretty Baby and I Know... then side two roars into life with 11:59. Even the two lesser tracks are better than any power pop because THEY STARTED POWER POP. It's driven by Clem Burke's power which is then topped by layers of instruments which enhance but never get in the way of Debbie's golden vocals.
This is unquestionably the best pure pop album of the '70s.
Air
4/5
This was a big surprise. So musical, laidback but inviting. It's drenched with '70s feel. Then it steals that drum sound from Do It Again. Classic!
Love
3/5
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Any album that can contain Pale Blue Eyes and The Murder Mystery is going to be either brilliant, or a mess. This is brilliant with none of the horrendous irritation that we were delivered when Nico was around.
Santana
5/5
Holy shit! That first hit of Carlos' guitar on the first song! Then we hear the congas, so I'm expecting a balls-out, totally Latin jam. Oh no.... cool jazz with some psychedelia in the background. That electric piano sounds like Ray Manzarek is riding on the storm.
Then the segue into his most famous lick. I'm two songs in and I'm in awe! Can they keep it up? Well.... the next song is Oye Como Va which is another classic. Then into Incident at Neshabur which is atmospheric and wonderful.
Flip the disc to Se a Cabo. Rocking riff, polyrhthms and a bit of fun to finish. It just keeps being brilliant:Mother's Daughter has Gregg Rolie bashing out some great bluesy vocals. Samba Pa Ti is the only song that Carlos dominates. It then finishes with some more Latin flourishes.
This album showcases a band that has taken sounds from North and South America and merged them into an irresistible brew. Fabulous!
Peter Frampton
3/5
Beastie Boys
4/5
Oh goody. The shouty boys are back. I'm going to listen to this while doing the dishes which is a problem because I can't press skip while wearing gloves. Maybe they'll surprise me. For one song they did. Cool and mellow. They did get shouty but there was a lot of variety and a lot of humour. Schoolboy humour, but I enjoyed it.
Iron Maiden
4/5
That was good. Lots of high energy riffage. Yes, they sounded better when Dickinson arrived on the scene but this was a great debut.
Drive-By Truckers
5/5
The mix is so murky, the outright theft of Lynyrd Skynyrd riffs is blatant. This just sounds so good. Days of Graduation made me laugh so much I had to pause the music and gather myself. There is darkness and humour. The correct name for this genre must be Southern Gothic.
The Southern Thing sounds like Don Henley on guest vocals. I love the fact that we're getting history lessons. Good history, nuanced history. Then it finishes with the devastating Angels and Fuselages. Who would think that "Scared shitless" would be poetry.
This is why I subscribed to this list, it's a totally unexpected piece of genius.
Magazine
2/5
Pretty boring then you hear a good song and think it's getting better. Then they spoil it with a track like Parade. Get a singer with a decent voice ffs! Boring and annoying. Never heard of them back in the day. Wasn't missing anything.
Cocteau Twins
1/5
Two Cocteau Twins albums that you must listen to before you die. If you plan to die of confused boredom, that is.
Laura Nyro
1/5
This is the ultimate try too hard album. An aural assault.
Beck
5/5
How can such a downer of an album be so good? I know that heartache is responsible for many great songs but I thought an album of depression might be too much. Nope! I'm now listening to Sunday Sun, where a ray of light is piercing through the gloom. He's taken me on a journey that I'll have to visit again.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Very compelling and I don't know why. I guess it's just good to go along for the ride.
OutKast
3/5
If it was based on sound alone I'd give this 5 stars. But it loses one for the overuse of THAT word and another for a combination of sexism and two foul songs. One is Snappin' and Trappin' which has vile misogyny courtesy of guest talker Killer Mike. The other is the song I was looking forward to which had Cee-Lo. Don't listen to it. The beat is a confused mess.
Astor Piazzolla
1/5
That was the most boring thing I've ever heard.
Roni Size
1/5
There are lots of jokes about drummers and bass players. This is what happens when they decide to bring those jokes to life. Words can't express how disturbed I am that these people actually get paid for this.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Neil Young
4/5
4/5
There are so many things to dislike about this album. Ridiculously long songs, Anderson's helium-infused vocals, the sheer wankery of some of their vocals. Yet I really like it and it took me a while to realise why. When they get in the groove they rock! Somehow they stay in the groove even through all the key and time changes.
The Doors
4/5
Common
2/5
Some of the sounds are good and the lyrical content is better than most of this genre. But it's still just people talking over a beat which ultimately bores me.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Diamonds in the Mine is unbelievable. He starts off with a sardonic, Dylanesque voice. But it finishes with this coarse shouting. Try and ignore that if you can. The whole thing is just ridiculously brilliant.
Black Flag
5/5
OH YEAH!!!!!! That clears your sinuses. I remember listening to a punk playlist from America and was a little underwhelmed. There was some great pop and garage rock, but it lacked attitude. Then I heard this cacophonous blast of guitars, drums and angry vocals. Just when it couldn't get any better they threw in these shouted extras from the rest of the band. It won't call it harmonies or a chorus, it just sounded like a bunch of blokes with beers telling from the front row. Then I realised they were singing about getting pissed (drunk) and I knew I'd found something special.
A great thing about Black Flag is that they've moved on and showed all their musical influences in later albums.
This album is a fantastic blast of anger and confusion.
The Killers
5/5
All the hits at the start but I'm enjoying the variety of the second half. Believe Me Natalie is such a U2 homage, while Everything Will Be Alright is wistful and hopeful. Meanwhile the closing song is just hilarious.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
When you realise the bass on You Oughta Know is one of the best lines of all time, it's no surprise that Flea played it. Just a great album. Several songs that are played way too often but they're so good they never lose their freshness. Always something else to please your ears.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Straight Shooter riff isn't a million miles from Last Train to Clarksville. The vocals have a passing resemblance to the Hollies. The last four songs are filler. It does contain sponge of the greatest pop ever recorded. I love the fact that John Phillips went from Svengali to being cuckolded and writing about it. He was a genius, and a twat.
The Stooges
4/5
1969 committed many crimes, because there is no other year that would convince a band like The Stooges to record We Will Fall. It is supposedly 10 minutes and 18 seconds long. It seemed like hours of my life passed before I pressed skip. That's right. I didn't even finish it.
The Stooges save themselves with the next track being No Fun. It is a lot of fun, with Iggy doing his best Jagger, finishing with a couple of barks. Ron Asheton is a killer guitarist. He gives his best Hendrix on Real Cool Time.
The White Stripes
5/5
Anybody who doesn't find themselves bopping to Black Math has no pulse. There's more light and shade than I was expecting with quieter songs like You've Got Her In Your Pocket. The guitar on Ball and Biscuit is perfect, both rhythm, lead, and that muddy, squealing solo.
Marty Robbins
3/5
The Black Crowes
4/5
This takes me back to the '70s, when there was lots of boogie. Lots of meaty riffs all driven by that gunshot snare. What's not to love.
Funkadelic
5/5
Groovallegiance has the funkiest bass..... then along comes that lead break! The funk band CAN play rock. That is the most driving bit of rock I've heard in ages. Doo Doo chasers had many funny bits, but I'm hearing a falsetto backed by shredded guitar. Remember that a purple clad genius from Minnesota was recording when this came out. This album has so many layers. To think I knew nothing about GC when this came out. So many wasted years.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Great album with some of the best songs ever written. A peaceful, uplifting journey that does have a couple of fillers. The great songs and the overall beauty lets it squeak in to 5 star territory
Massive Attack
2/5
Some interesting sounds but I'm still in danger of falling asleep while standing. By the time I got to Spying Glass I was ready for the skip button. Once again, as is the case with most modern music, the best song is Better Things. It has a guest female vocalist who sounds great. Then they follow it with a hip-hop talk. I find rap with an English accent sounds even stupider that the usual American talker. Don't get me started on Australian accents (I'm Australian BTW).
Digital Underground
1/5
That is the most tedious piece of crap I've ever failed to not listen to.
Aerosmith
2/5
Doves
2/5
Insipid and unoriginal. There is no reason for this to make this list.
The Dictators
4/5
That cover of I Got You Babe is glorious. Overall this was pretty good fun with the last track being a glorious surf rock throwback.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
The Clash
2/5
That was very boring.
Pixies
4/5
Missy Elliott
1/5
Busta is not the person you want to introducing an album. He's a boring moron who can swear. Which sums up this repetitive, dated, cliche-ridden waste of space.
Various Artists
5/5
My only complaint is that this arrived at 3 on Christmas afternoon, so I finally listened to it around 10 that night. If it had arrived a week before it would have been in permanent rotation while I spent 3 days on the road. If anyone needs proof that Darlene Love is one of the greats, then this album is it. This is a most joyous, perfect piece of pop.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
Karen O's voice reminds me of PJ Harvey with a little of Courtney Love's raspy twang and some of Katie Steele's sexy tones. She takes it all to the next level. While I find some of her vocal affectations a bit much, the basis of their music is crunchy guitar riffs and drums that don't take prisoners. The whole package rocks. What more can you want? Maps and Y Control are tonally different from the rest of the album and push it up to 5 star status. Both songs really grabbed me, so the contrast with some of their extremes just makes this album a great package.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
The Yardbirds
5/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Eagles
5/5
I always listen to every album before I review them. Which is totally unnecessary with this one. I have no idea how many times I've listened to this. Hundreds, easily. I still love putting it on again because it is a piece of genius that should get a higher rating. That's the problem with great albums from a certain era, they get overplayed so people get sick of them. Not me. It's note perfect. All killer, no filler. Some of the greatest harmonies this side of The Beach Boys, twin guitar leads from Felder and Walsh, Henley's bluesy voice.
David Crosby
3/5
Metallica
3/5
Duran Duran
4/5
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
Two good songs but his voice gets boring.
Jazmine Sullivan
1/5
Not horrendous. Just boring. My idea of hell is a road trip where the DJ plays non-stop R'n'B. It's such an insipid genre.
Queen
5/5
It's Queen. It's brilliant.
Thelonious Monk
2/5
Just when it starts getting musical (to me that means that the next note has some pleasing relationship to the last) off they go with some random, discordant plinking or plucking or some arhythmic stuff from the drums.
Jazz really wanted to be overtaken by rock, because so much of the late '50s early '60s stuff is just plain ugly. Pannonica is mostly smooth and silky. The second side is less harsh but boring. Once again I'm convinced that
Monk is the most overrated musician ever. He just hits random keys and everybody genuflects at his altar.
Waste of my time.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
I shouldn't like this so much but the whole album roars.
Janis Joplin
4/5
Violent Femmes
4/5
Napalm Death
1/5
This is even worse than K-Pop.
Afrika Bambaataa
4/5
1. Hip-hop isn't a favourite of mine.
2. Electronica isn't a favourite of mine.
3. It's dated.
4. Despite the three strikes I like this.
It just sounds like they're having a whole bunch of fun and that means that the listener is having fun too.
Who You Funkin' With has the funkiest bass and some of the funniest raps.
I'm in the uncomfortable position of debating between 4 and 5 stars.
Alice Cooper
4/5
Nirvana
5/5
David Holmes
1/5
That was the biggest waste of time in ages. 10 minutes of this is worse than any torture ever devised.
Peter Tosh
3/5
Bert Jansch
5/5
His difficulty with finishing songs cleanly is the big clue to my untutored ear that this was a home recording. This is a lovely album.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
4/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Yeah Yeah Yeah! This band is the gift that keeps giving.
1/5
Wimpy backing to annoying vocals. This is about as punk as Celine Dion but her voice is marginally better.
I'm starting to hit skip.
Just not in the mood for weeny punk pretenders. Just because you said "Fuck" doesn't make you punk. I've heard this compared with the debuts from Siouxsee or Clash. Fair cop. Their debut albums sucked but they got much better. This is the third album from X. They obviously weren't improving.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
They're all the same song! Well played, well sung, (although he always sounds like he's phoning it in) but he could play the same song 15 times and I wouldn't know.
Johnny Cash
5/5
He was an original. This is a great example of why he remained cool and relevant for all of his life.
Mike Oldfield
5/5
The White Stripes
5/5
MGMT
5/5
I don't give 5 stars to a band I know nothing about. Correction. I hadn't given 5 stars to an unknown band until now. Other than Kids I'd never heard any of this album but I'm adding them to my deep dive playlist. So much variety, so many influences, so catchy.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Sonic Youth
3/5
That was a thousand times better than the other Sonic Youth album. But it's still only average. Their other album was horrendous. This isn't a band I need to listen to.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
Once you realise that Scar Tissue is a perfect song then everything else falls into place. Frusciante's solo is one of the greatest by anyone. Ever.
Get On Top is a classic Chili's breakdown that is sandwiched amongst famous, much more mellow, songs. That makes it even more fun while also setting the scene for the title track's anthemic grandeur. Right On Top is just insane then we go to the sweetness of Road Trippin'. Not many bands can get away with that but RHCP do it with ease.
Rush
4/5
The Streets
1/5
This talentless twat talks about "songs." How can you call those things, songs? He burps out this incredibly boring story of some loser doing things that nobody cares about. It has the same beat that a thousand other "songs" inflicted on us then he makes it even more grating by totally missing the beat while he talks. Not raps. Talks. There is no flow, no poetry, just nothing. Meanwhile this charlatan actually has people parting with their hard-earned to own this drivel or go to his shows.
There's a sucker born every minute. Surely the creator of this list got payment for including this shit on the list.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I knew they were Scottish from the first chords, although I hear echoes of Hoodoo Gurus and The Church (both great Australian bands).
John Grant
5/5
Wow! He just puts it out there. All this catharsis sung with a beautiful voice and great backing. JC Hates Faggots is the most unsubtle song I've ever heard. Then he follows it up with a straightforward love song which is then succeeded by a late night, whiskey-soaked break-up song.
The Human League
3/5
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
That was boring.
Wilco
5/5
So much hate. Yeah, he's a wanker, but he's avoided sex and drugs while continuing to play rock and roll.
This was a good album with a great mix of past and present.
Incredible Bongo Band
5/5
What just happened? An instrumental album featuring the bongos was going to start off ok, then get boring quickly. Nope! Not in the least. It's an ode to the rhythm section with some of the greatest rearrangements of popular songs. Especially the surf songs. Particularly Pipeline. This was such a wonderful surprise.
The Damned
4/5
I love Captain Sensible's lead work, pretty impressive for a man who was the bass player. While listening to the breakout on Looking At You it becomes apparent that Dave and Captain are able to go off on their tangents because the rhythm section keeps it nailed down.
Foo Fighters
4/5
The Byrds
4/5
Morrissey
3/5
Meh.
Rod Stewart
5/5
Side one is good, while side two is amazing. Reason To Believe is yet another stunning cover of a Tim Hardin song. Rod is one of the great interpreters of other people's songs. He also wrote a few classics. Mandolin Wind is one of the best songs of that era.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
1/5
Moby
1/5
Well that was beyond boring. The best thing about repetitive drivel is that you can press skip after 30 seconds and be guaranteed to have missed nothing.
Tom Waits
2/5
Yawn.
Steely Dan
4/5
Iron Maiden
5/5
They're so dumb and Bruce is so over the top that I shouldn't give it 5 stars, but listen to the drums and bass running along while the guitars do their thing. Love it.
Super Furry Animals
5/5
My first thoughts were that it was too silly, but then I realise that this is the ultimate party band and sounds so much better than Blur and Pulp. (I like Oasis)
David Bowie
5/5
The title track is a weird epic. I remember seeing Bowie singing about the return of the thin white duke and wondering why I'd never heard of him before. Golden Years wah wah wah: is simply sublime funk. Word on a Wing is a desperate track which sometimes sounds too melodramatic. TVC 15 is a spectacular piece of nonsense that builds to a nice crunchy finish. Stay has that glorious guitar interplay backed by THAT bass. When Bowie finally decides to interject he puts in one of his finest vocals. It sounds like three levels with that desperate high voice giving it so much drama. Then the bands plays it out in that great jam. Delicious! He finishes with a melodramatic cover of a song that needs emotion, Wild is the Wind. To me there is one version that beats his, Nina Simone's live cut from 1966 (I think).
I don't belong to those who like the Berlin trilogy. I think he dipped badly in the late '70s. But those 3 let downs were bookended by two fabulous discs: this one and Scary Monsters.
The Temptations
4/5
I love those numbers where each singer drops in for his little bit. I just realised that's where MCing came from.
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
You Ain't the Problem: nice groove that starts with a distinct Latin flavour. It has a summery, almost mid-70s vibe.
Rolling: very insistent rhythm with sprinkles of psychedelia in the keyboard sound and the background vocals.
I love Piano Joint. It has that late night, melancholic hopefulness that is so hard to get right and so perfect when it is done right.
Living in Denial is Philly Soul without the almost incel-like misogyny that pervaded it.
Maybe I'm not making it clear just how fucking wonderful this album is. His voice is bringing soul back. The backing is perfect.
Am I a Hero encapsulates why this man is so superior to his contemporaries. He finds a sound and loops it, just like so many acts nowadays. But then he adds a great groove and an awesome vocal with a message.
Solid Ground is so simple, his voice and a sparse backing. It feels so sad. Then it builds up to an almost discordant climax. Very effective.
Light is nice and bluesy, then that great guitar finishes it off perfectly.
It's no surprise that Spotify then went to Bill Withers after this. Michael Kiwanuka is his spiritual successor.
Orange Juice
3/5
Forgettable.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
The title track sounds like the riff from Child in Time, but on a Reggae beat! Penda Yoro is a blues jam, with a polyrhthm. Totally danceable. This was a very pleasant surprise.
Ice Cube
1/5
I hate this rubbish. I've heard this message without all the vileness.
Dusty Springfield
5/5
The Pharcyde
1/5
That was a waste of time.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
Metamorphosis is a five- star banger that just keeps building. This was quite enjoyable.
Fugees
4/5
They were on some good drugs because some of what they say is bizarre. Funny, but weird. I do love the constant dropping of little musical references. This was so many levels better than the garbage coming from most of their peers.
Pearl Jam
5/5
Once is probably the greatest intro song ever. Even Flow has Eddie do that slow/fast thing, it's always been a favourite. Alive is the anthem that all other bands wish they'd recorded. Why Go is frantic, with a desperate sound. Black is a quiet song, giving us a break before Jeremy arrives. What a song, even without the video. So much repression which then bursts out, mirroring that horrifying tale. Oceans is a sort of hippy Led Zep song, very much sounding like LZ III. Porch sounds like a live favourite, it's such a jam.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Tom Waits
5/5
I heard Nighthawks a week or so ago and found it boring. So I approached this one ready to hand out 1 or 2 stars. After the first song I was thinking 3, then as I immersed myself in this odd sonic experience, I was thinking 4. By the time I'd run through Murder in the Barn, Black Wings, Whistle Down the Wind and I Don't Want to Grow Up I had to go 5.
He takes you on a journey through weird, wonderful, scary, and hilarious. Each song uses a different voice. Each voice should grate on the ear but he's like Dylan. His voice fits the songs. He even sounds like Dylan at one stage.
Bloody brilliant!
ZZ Top
4/5
The Sugarcubes
4/5
The Fall
2/5
Was sort of enjoying it but it just got annoying. It sounds like where the Stones may have gone if they didn't care about what they sounded like.
Bobby Womack
3/5
Joe Ely
2/5
Some really horrible cliched country, but then there are songs like Boxcars, which is brilliant, and Fingernails, which is a great piece of rockabilly.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Maxwell
2/5
Kenny G meets '70s elevator music. This is something they should add to the torture arsenal at Guantanamo. 10 minutes of this and I was admitting to everything from being Jack the Ripper to actually being Q.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
So far it's got some crunchy rock bit it's all a bit samey. The lead singer is a hair's breadth away from being painful.
Then we get a nice light touch with Small Black Flowers. The Girl Who Wanted to be God had a nice funky bass. Removables starts off like Nirvana Unplugged work the lead singer getting a bit of Kurt, except he doesn't sound funereal.
Killing Joke
4/5
Radiohead
5/5
I Might Be Wrong is just so cool, that funky bass line is a joy. You and Whose Army? Wow! I've been too busy listening to write notes. Dollars and Cents just got completely under my skin. Maybe I want in the mood, but I found Kid A to be disappointing, whereas this weird collection is just magnificent.
Beatles
5/5
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Sorry. More than one Sinatra song is boring. He's supposed to be sad but there's no emotion.
Mike Ladd
2/5
Started off ok but started to drag.
Janet Jackson
3/5
Plenty of cringy moments with those interludes. Lots of repetitive industrial percussion and a couple of R'n'B songs (I hate that wimpy genre.). Despite all that there are lots of enjoyable moments and I find myself dancing along to Rhythm Nation et al. Black Cat almost makes it a 4-star.
The Specials
5/5
2Pac
1/5
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Some bearable songs but they aren't very good, with two average singers.
LCD Soundsystem
1/5
Boring!!!!!!
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
Kid From Red Bank explodes and is then followed by the cheekily suave Duet. After Supper lives up to its name, a smoky blues number. Flight of the Foo Birds is big, bold and brassy. So far each track has featured a different lead and a different vibe. This one has had trumpet, sax, and the whole brass section lead it. Double-O is classic jazz, with the lead being handed over to everybody. It's a great track that is really driven by the bass. The sax at the end is invigorating. The whole song would have couples racing out onto the dance floor. I wish that Teddy the Toad had stayed with the piano, the brass was a bit dull. Whirly-Bird is exhilarating, once again it's all about the bass, with plenty of treble from the brass. Midnight Blue is so suave. The quieter moments give us plenty of time to enjoy The Count's piano. Splanky is fun while Fantail just keeps building, while once again that man, Eddie Jones, nails it with the bass. Lil Darlin' is a standard that just sweetly sweeps you out the door.
Beatles
5/5
When you consider that the title track is my first musical memory, it's no surprise I love this album. They were on the greatest roll that any band has ever had.
Queen Latifah
1/5
Not looking forward to this. Even those who grew up with it can't give it 5 stars. I'm guessing I'll start pressing skip after the first "song."
It was a boring and predictable as I expected.
The War On Drugs
4/5
I kept hearing touches of Dylan in his phrasing, then he went full Zimmerman on the final song.
Derek & The Dominos
1/5
So I'm going to sit here and fall asleep. Layla has that pointless, endless coda. Seriously, this bloke is only good as a guest performer. Only in the studio. I'm suspecting that his live guest appearances become extended wank-fests. There is no way this should be on any greatest album lists.
XTC
4/5
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
She can play, she has an excellent voice, burr mist of the album was dull. The last 3 songs were much better.
Blur
3/5
Public Image Ltd.
5/5
Jah Wobble is the king of the groove. I don't care what everyone else is doing and sometimes I wonder if they do, but it doesn't matter because he just drives every song.
Pink Floyd
3/5
A couple of great songs and a lot of twee rubbish.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
The Saints
5/5
Album number 417 is the 2nd Australian disc I've been given. First was The Avalanches, a truly, stunningly boring piece of repetitive twaddle. But this is the business! Bailey's nasal snarl over Kuepper's buzzsaw wall of sound is head-bangingly perfect. Know Your Product joins I'm Stranded in the pantheon of Oz Rock.
They should headline the opening ceremony at the 2032 Olympics.
The 13th Floor Elevators
5/5
Beatles
5/5
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Charles Mingus
2/5
After 6 5-star albums in a row I suppose I had to get some jazz. Not as bad as Ornette Coleman but it still has a lot of jarring sounds.
Django Django
5/5
I think WOR is my favourite song of the decade. I started off unsure, then beguiled, but when that surf rock rhythm started pounding, I was enthralled.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Inoffensively pleasant. Doesn't sound like an album I must listen to, though.
Kraftwerk
3/5
The Monks
5/5
Wow! Somebody needs to do a doco on these legends. Had never heard of them but won't ever forget them.
Mariah Carey
1/5
Truly this is one of the worst things I've ever listened to. She may have a good voice but why does she have to warble away like that? Truly terrible.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
I shouldn't like this so much. I'm listening to Funland at the Beach with an embarrassed grin on my face. Holiday in Cambodia has everything that a song needs. Then we finish with the "reconstructed" Viva Las Vegas: "Got coke up my nose to dry up the snot." Truly wonderful/horrible.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Not quite as boring as the other Frank albums I've listened to. Still boring.
Erykah Badu
3/5
There are some good sounds and her voice has lots of emotion. But there's just something inherently boring about neo-soul and R'n'B. It's too soft. It's like pop music of the '40s and '50s as sung by crooners. Just background. Inoffensive, but finally irritating. Bag Lady has a bit of oomph but the rest of it induces sleep. I couldn't wait to finish this and get back to some '70s funk. That's never going to be elevator music.
The Youngbloods
3/5
Pleasant, and I understand that it was a transition from psychedelic to country rock, but it's not a "must-listen." Beautiful has a bit more oomph to it. Then it was followed by a not-funny attempt at humour. Sham is a genuinely good piece of rock, with some soulful singing, staccato guitar and thrashing drums.
Randy Newman
4/5
Great lyricist but can be a bit annoying with that music hall shtick. I was going 3 stars but some of his wordplay is so acerbic that I found myself smiling frequently.
Tim Buckley
3/5
What's annoying is that I like this kind of funky, sexy, bluesy jam. Tim just needed to dial back the affectations a bit and this would be a really good album.
Raekwon
1/5
There isn't a cliche this person doesn't hit. Person, not musician. This is dire.
The B-52's
5/5
Brian Wilson
5/5
This album grows on you, just like Pet Sounds. Keep listening and you will become entranced.
Spiritualized
3/5
Ho hum.
The Replacements
4/5
Dr. Dre
1/5
George Jones
1/5
Yes, Virginia. There is something worse than gangsta rap.
2/5
Alice In Chains
5/5
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
Neil Young
4/5
Morrissey
4/5
It's Morrissey and here I am deciding between 4 and 5 stars!!! This is what happens when Mick Ronson is the producer. This album rocked! The mopey songs just add counterbalance.
2/5
Venom
2/5
Pantera
1/5
The riff isn't bad, then the lead yeller starts yelling. He obviously wants to be Hetfield, but he also has this dramatic thing going. Good metal drags you in to an experience. Cliched metal is intensely boring. This is next-level cliche.
Sigur Rós
2/5
Pretty good lullaby music. Every song just drags.
Deep Purple
4/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Such a great album. The deep cuts are so good.
Taylor Swift
4/5
PJ Harvey
5/5
There comes a point in every PJ Harvey album when you realise you're hooked. This time it was On Battleship Hill. Once again I was lured in to the world she'd made. So I finished it and listened again. It's what you do with the glorious, varied genius that is Polly Jean.
Robert Wyatt
1/5
No. Lots of musicians doing their own thing. Discordantly.
The Auteurs
1/5
Surely the lead singer is holding his nose while he sings. This is a truly annoying piece of crap.
Madonna
2/5
I was pleasantly surprised to find this as underwhelming as it was. Because I'd always wondered if I'd missed out on some genius, which is what so many people tell us she is. I hate the video of Like a Prayer, but it is a strong song, while Cherish is a sweet bit of pop. Is forgotten just how boring Express Yourself was. Truly terrible. The rest was lightweight and really quite boring. Just filler. As for Dear Jessie: people go to jail for less.
Madge is the ultimate triumph of style over substance.
5/5
This has been one of my favourite albums since I first heard it. Easiest 5 star award. Not one song is less than 5 star. Probably the ultimate all killer, no filler.
10cc
3/5
A little bit too over the place.
Pixies
4/5
Stereolab
4/5
Beatles
5/5
Ministry
3/5
The best riffs had the worst vocals.
Hole
3/5
The The
2/5
A combination of generic '80s pop with socially conscious lyrics that are really quite cringeworthy. But what really deals the deal is the vocalist. He's trying something but failing. The '80s had some great music but a lot of misses. This is bottom of the pile.
Lupe Fiasco
2/5
Interesting sounds and really boring lyrics. Yesterday's album was a British group from the '80s with exactly the same problem. Socially conscious but lacking any imagery or imagination. Pity, because he sounds OK.
4 tracks later. Attention starting to wander because it is hip-hop. I need songs, not talks. There is a lack of light and shade when someone keeps talking over a beat.
The Undertones
4/5
The vocalist is so familiar. Surely not.... but yes! Bloody Feargal Sharkey! Why didn't I know about this band? Energetic, fun, funny, sarcastic, with variety. A night with these boys on stage and you'd be a sweaty mess.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
This is my favourite LZ album and one of the best albums that I know. Side 1 has two of the greatest songs ever recorded, Immigrant Song and Since I've Been Loving You (Jimmy doing his Janis homage), but it's side two that really gets me going. It's such a journey.
The Mothers Of Invention
5/5
I was amazed at how normal it sounded. The lyrics were wonderfully satiric, and delivered sardonically, but it wasn't weird or freaky. Then I hit It Can't Happen Here. That is an acid trip come to life! Then we get the sonic palette being fully expanded on that final track.
This is a brilliant album, with a special nod going to Don't Put Your Head On My Shoulder. Sorry, that should read Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder. I love where he satirises the love song genre.
Fishbone
4/5
I'm hanging the washing and bopping along. This was fun.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Slade
4/5
The Band
2/5
Is this the most overrated album of all time? A couple of decent songs in amongst the dreck, all of them badly sung and poorly played.
Isaac Hayes
1/5
It's a soundtrack with one song! No!
The Cure
4/5
ABBA
4/5
Fernando was number one in Australia for 14 weeks! Money, Money, Money and Dancing Queen spent a combined 14 weeks at the top. I was one of those sick of ABBA by then. So it's good to finally listen to the whole album finally.
What's not to like: the blending of those two voices with Benny and Bjorn's brilliant arrangements were at their peak here. I wonder why Tiger wasn't a single, but they were spoiled for choice. A couple of fillers prevents it getting 5.
Ravi Shankar
2/5
Got bored very quickly.
Van Halen
5/5
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Klaxons
5/5
What a nice surprise that was. Some say that rock is dead, certainly it doesn't dominate, but bands like Klaxon take rock into this century with aplomb. It's noticeable that they take us on a journey from obvious rock to stuff which is a little more electronic, a bit more dance oriented. Yet I think the last few songs, which feature some killer bass work, actually rock harder while bringing on the funk.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Minor Threat
3/5
Orbital
1/5
I set the expectations bar low and this proved twice as boring as the worst electronica. I was driving ffs! While waiting at the lights I started nodding off.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Donovan
3/5
Kate Bush
3/5
Fairport Convention
5/5
This is a great album! Above everything else are the vocals; whether they are the sweet harmonies or Sandy's solo beauties. I knew who Fairport Convention were but had never listened to them. I'm rectifying that error from now on.
Björk
4/5
The Stooges
3/5
Common
1/5
Uncommonly boring.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
5/5
I took away a star because it's a fake live album. But that's okay because I wanted to give it 6 stars.
JAY Z
1/5
Typical foul-mouthed rubbish. This is a zero star piece of crap.
Pere Ubu
1/5
De La Soul
4/5
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
The Doors
5/5
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
Fela Kuti
3/5
Gang Of Four
5/5
Clearly defined voice, drums, guitar and bass leaves all this space. It works so well that when they change it up (the climax of Damaged Goods is a classic example) it has so much power.
The Gun Club
2/5
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Cee Lo Green
2/5
Peter Gabriel
5/5
The Who
2/5
Paul Simon
5/5
N.E.R.D
4/5
Meat Puppets
4/5
Curt Kirkwood has annoying vocals but the band just has something. 4 stars because the instrumental tracks are great.
The Darkness
5/5
One of the great debut albums. Over the top nonsense with tongue firmly wedged in cheek. Which cheek? Have a listen and you decide.
William Orbit
1/5
Bored now.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
R.E.M.
5/5
I could listen to Stipe's voice forever. This is one of the best albums of all time.
The Beach Boys
5/5
This is simply brilliant! It takes you on a journey of joy and darkness like few others can do. But that's just an aperitif for the title track and Carl's vocal tour de force. Must be heard with headphones.
The Chemical Brothers
1/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Tom Tom Club
4/5
The Only Ones
4/5
Janelle Monáe
5/5
That just blew me away! She takes a range of disparate genres, does them better than anybody else, and manages to make a cohesive piece of magic.
Missy Elliott
1/5
Dear Missy. It's easy to hate your music without being a hater. I'm a pretty decent person but your "music" manages to mix boredom, irritation and the stupidest, most puerile lyrical content which seems to infest your genre. I'm going to listen to yesterday's album from Janelle Monae again. There is an artist worth listening to.
3/5
Grateful Dead
1/5
I thought studio Dead was bad. Deadheads must take a lot of drugs to make this palatable.
1/5
Hüsker Dü
4/5
Stereo MC's
4/5
David Gray
3/5
Deep Purple
4/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Any album that fumigated with Moonlight Mile is perfect.
Richard Thompson
4/5
Scott Walker
2/5
The first song was fun but it went down quickly. It becomes this strange forced muddle of unlovable boredom. His lyrics seem very odd in a way I can't pin down. It reminds of mid-70s Joni Mitchell, and I detest mid-70s Joni Mitchell.
The Divine Comedy
1/5
Nobody needs to hear that dismal crap.
Rush
3/5
The production is way too clean! There's a whole bunch of stuff I could like but it's way too polite. I'm betting that they'd sound much better live.
The Allman Brothers Band
2/5
Boring.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
This has only the 2nd lowest overall rating. I'm not liking forward to what came last. This excrement is a waste of time.
Portishead
5/5
I'm glad I didn't skip this, which I was tempted to do after hearing their earlier stuff. Fuck I hate trip hop. But this is magnificent: slow, moody, muscular, weird. I swear that it sounds like Kate Bush at times.
Stephen Stills
5/5
Simply Red
2/5
One great song doesn't make an album.
Miles Davis
2/5
It is cool but all tends to merge into a wallpaper sound of sameness. Sometimes Myles gets some dynamism going but not often enough.
Bill Callahan
4/5
Elis Regina
2/5
Johnny Cash
5/5
Devendra Banhart
2/5
I tried but that voice travels from different to irritating pretty quickly.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Robert Wyatt
2/5
One half decent song followed by one unlistenable piece of crap. Repeat. No thanks.
John Martyn
2/5
Lots of try too hard wankfest. Even when he comes out with a truly excellent piece of funk he souls it with that irritating put on vocal.
Television
4/5
Gillian Welch
3/5
R.E.M.
5/5
Soundgarden
3/5
There are some good moments but way too much of that slow heavy dirge material.
Mudhoney
4/5
Yesterday I listened to Soundgarden's multi-million-selling album which I found to be turgid. Meanwhile this pre-grunge EP is EP-IC! That guitar sounds is glorious, while the songs have so much life and power.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Mudhoney
5/5
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Let's mix some stoner/spacey vocals with some decent rock instrumentals. No? Let's just try some really annoying slower songs with a coalition of clashing sounds.
This whole album sounds like the work experience guy did the mixing. This shit isn't just irritating, it's aggravating.
Black Sabbath
4/5
In 1970 this was absolutely 5 star with nothing that came close to it. But it was overtaken by Paranoid. Still... the title track is a doom laden killer, while we hear some great riffs from Tommy and that glorious swing that Bill brought to the party. It's still a great introduction to the band (including some naff lyrics from Ozzie).
Roxy Music
3/5
Dagmar Krause
1/5
Yeah....Nah! Life's too short to listen to that.
The Coral
2/5
Showed some promise but it just ended up being silly nonsense.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Paul McCartney
3/5
Queen
5/5
Easiest 5 start rating if them all. This is the album that started my lifelong love of Queen. There are people who don't like I'm In Love With My Car. Inconceivable! Roger had one of the great rock voices of all time it's just that he was in a band that had the greatest front man with the greatest voice of them all. Four great musicians, four great songwriters and the sheer audacity to turn prog rock into pomp rock.
There's a song about time dilation from a man whose doctoral thesis was in the field of cosmology. Yep... it is rocket science.
Oh yes. That guitar sound comes from a guitar built by Brian and his dad feed through a pre-amp built by John.
Judas Priest
2/5
Beach House
2/5
I'm beginning to think that dream pop is like The Grateful Dead. You need to take the right drugs to enjoy this humdrum silly nonsense.
Run-D.M.C.
1/5
Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
Aerosmith
2/5
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Super Furry Animals
2/5
This is really irritating and I'm not sure why. But every track causes me to get a bit more peeved, miffed even. It's not outright crap like Bon Jovi or Aerosmith but I really don't like this.
Barry Adamson
1/5
Weather Report
2/5
Pleasant enough background music but I'm not giving a pass mark to something that is too boring to remember.
5/5
One of the most gloriously OTT albums ever released. Knights of Cydonia is magnificently ridiculous, yet the song itself pales in comparison with that absurdly stupid video. This may bit be their best album but it is certainly my favourite
Kings of Leon
2/5
Before I listen I have to say that I hate Sex On Fire, so it will be interesting to see if the rest of the album makes up for that overblown rubbish.
Closer: nope. Ponderous crap with the same vocal stylings. He sounds like he has a massive dose of constipation.
Then I remembered Use Somebody is of that same turgid, earnest style. Not looking good.
Manhattan is better... lighter. Sounds like Christine McVie on the synth.
Revelry is very good, it has a nice laidback feel.
Seventeen is disturbing but good.
Notion - no.
I Want You - dull.
It just finished up being meh. There are a few good songs in the middle but they are flanked by songs that are just plain annoying.
Sepultura
1/5
Stupid growling vocals automatically means one star. Only because we can't vote zero.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Destiny's Child
2/5
5/5
In the words of the bard, "This is some seriously good shit!"
Everyone knows about Page ripping off the intro of Taurus which was somehow thrown out of court. What most of us don't realise is that they released some brilliant music despite never being big. Maybe they received some airplay on the US because I never heard of them in Australia.
They are a band I'm going to dive into. Maybe the rest of their albums weren't as good but I'm expecting to hear something good.
Aimee Mann
4/5
FKA twigs
1/5
You can tell she harkens to Kate Bush, Tori Amos and Brisbane's own Kate Miller-Heidke. But there's a massive difference: they are all eccentric with high voices but the other three actually sing coherent songs. I don't know what this singer is supposed to be doing, but it isn't musical - just random noises. This is one of the worst things I've ever listened to.
The Kinks
2/5
Just a bunch of lightweight, same- sounding, twee bits of fluff. This from the band that is considered a progenitor of heavy rock/metal. Most disappointing.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
I read a review that compared this with FKA Twigs and Massive Attack, acts that I've given one star reviews of. Not looking promising.
It's better than those acts. Still boring, but better. Pilgrim is probably the worst piece of music I've ever heard, managing to be boring, irritating, pretentious and dumb at the same time.
Bee Gees
2/5
That was a turgid little journey. Every song the same.
John Martyn
2/5
There's a song you like them a song you hate. Then you teach the final track, which I liked and hated.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Always thought an album of Nick would be too much, let alone a double. How wrong was I. Second listening was even better. Some of the funniest dark lyrics ever.
The White Stripes
5/5
A million stars. Surely the best band of the century.
Iggy Pop
3/5
The Zutons
4/5
DJ Shadow
1/5
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
That voice is just annoying.
The Police
4/5
Todd Rundgren
2/5
The only good bit was the soul compilation.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
The Mars Volta
5/5
The lyrics are merely there to fill in the space, like another instrument. But who cares when it's this good!!!??
Oasis
4/5
Great sounds, love Liam's voice, but it has that familiar Oasis sameness.
Tori Amos
5/5
If you're unsure what rating to give this album, just listen to the final two songs.
Dion
2/5
The Waterboys
5/5
OK. Didn't know of this album but I was busy falling in love with its wonderful folk/rock when I heard When Ye Go Away. It has a glorious combination of celtic fiddle and voice which contrasts and complements this laidback country-ish guitar. So lovely, so clever. That sold the deal.
Sister Sledge
3/5
As much as I love hearing Nile's guitar and Bernard's oh so funky bass, the rest of it leaves me cold. The vocals are sterile. I can hear they have good pipes but they sound reticent.
Baaba Maal
4/5
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Anita Baker
2/5
You don't have to hate music to like this (if you do then listen to noise rock or avant-garde), but you DO have to be totally disinterested. 2 stars because she does have a great voice. This album would be in the top ten examples of ultimate cheese.
Madonna
1/5
That a cringeworthy cover of one of the most loved songs of all time is probably one of the better songs on this debacle says it all. Madge is the poster child for the history of pop music. Take a black genre, make it palatable for a white audience, rinse and repeat. She has tried to rise above her insipidness by flashing her "edgy" image all over any willing media platform.
If you need reminding just how insipid she is, the first two songs feature electronically altered vocals. They're awful but still way better than those songs that feature her natural voice.
This is a truly horrid album. But not as bad as Like A Prayer. Nothing is worse than that shit.
Metallica
4/5
Disposable Heroes is magically manic, complete with fake finish. Hammett's solo is also quite musical instead of his usual jarring speedshow. A bit more light and shade and a bit less Orion would give this 5 stars.
Tears For Fears
5/5
Hadn't listened to it for a while. I'd forgotten how good it was. Head Over Heels is just about perfect.
The Verve
4/5
That was a pleasant surprise. So much better than Urban Hymns.
2/5
Doing a crunchy riff and screaming fuck doesn't make you Rage Against the Machine. I really don't know which is worse, Durst's voice or the lyrics. Why did they hire angry 14 year olds to write them?
Seriously, sometimes they sound OK but most of it is poor.
Holger Czukay
3/5
Goldfrapp
4/5
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
They Always Come is a mess. I'm quite impressed that the vocals and guitar are permanently out of sync when they're performed by the same person. I'm getting bored and irritated now. That sludgy sound needs some refinement. Or just an off button.
Queen
5/5
Queen's proggy high water mark. After this they expanded their palette, becoming the eclectic, magnificent group that will always be my favourites. This is how prog should be: Freddie's imaginary fantasy world of Rhye is front and centre. He performs a song about a painting! We get chord and timing changes in abundance. Four superb musicians show us what they have. Yet it never falls into the twin prog evils - overly long songs and unnecessary (boring) solos. Brian is the greatest at playing solos that serve the song. If you want to see extended solos see them live. My favourite album by my favourite band but not my favourite of all time. People are strange.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Underworld
1/5
Well that was pointlessly annoying.
Silver Jews
1/5
This is just shit.
Duke Ellington
5/5
The sounds they got out of the trumpet. It sounds like a human voice at times. I may have had trouble listening to the full 2 hour plus recording. But the original record is fantastic.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
Rod Stewart
2/5
The songs I don't know sound generic. The songs I do know, It's All Over Now and Country Comfort he does an abominable job. Quite an abysmally boring album. Congratulations to Jack Reynolds for the worst backing vocals of all time.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
SAULT
1/5
I get it. There's a message. But it has the lyrical complexity of a thirteen year old's essay. Boring lyrics and repetitious music don't do it for me.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Beck
2/5
I don't hear the genre hopping that people either praise or hate. Most songs are just set to a drum machine beat that stays the same until the next song. New beat, yes he plays with the sounds, but it gets very samey. Until Ramshackle. That is good, although Waronker sounds like a drum machine.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Wild Beasts
1/5
Really stupid, pretentious lyrics delivered in a really stupid, pretentious voice.
TV On The Radio
1/5
This obviously came from a different list, 1001 albums you'll skip through because it's absolute shit. That droning pulse is awful, the lyrics are trite, but that all pales into insignificance with those grating vocals.
LTJ Bukem
1/5
Drum and bass. I'm going to be hitting skip. Lots. Yep. As awful as any of that genre.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Hullo old friend, it's been a while. I'd forgotten just how wonderful you are.
Eagles
4/5
Scott Walker
2/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
Just brilliant. Bob drags is through his influences with a bleeding heart and a voice that fits perfectly. There's something about the delayed delivery of the lines on Can't Wait that makes me laugh.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Don't need to listen to hand out 5 stars. This was on the turntable at every party. I've owned it and played it constantly yet never get sick of it. One of my top 5.
Nick Drake
4/5
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
The Go-Betweens
4/5
The sheer rarity of an Australian act hitting this list just makes me sad that the rest of the world has missed so much great Oz rock. A very good album with a couple of bangers. Vale Grant.
Pretenders
5/5
Why didn't I get this album in 1979/80? I really loved their singles but this album takes it to the next level. Precious has so much attitude, while The Wait is just a jammin' good time.
Elliott Smith
2/5
He sounds better with plenty of backing. His voice gets very boring really quickly. I was vacillating between 2 and 3 stars because this is all kinds of meh without being offensive. Then Spotify played Nick Drake after this album was finished. It made me realise that I wasted 54 minutes on something that is many magnitudes less than Nick and other good/great songwriters. If my rating saves one person from wasting time on this piece of white bread with no crust then I've served my purpose.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Rufus is like a rich dessert. Really good for a couple of bites, but becomes way too much too quickly.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
I've worked out ELP. They should only adapt other people's music. Who seriously thinks 20 minutes of fast scales with a few interruptions makes a good song?
The 2nd thing is that Emerson is a very average keyboard player. He plays scales and that's about it. When he tries to bust out some Jerry Lee Lewis he is quite lamentable. If you want to hear someone who could sing from symphonic to a killer impersonation of The Killer, go and listen to Man On The Prowl from The Works by Queen. Freddie nails it.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I had the first half of this two days ago. I compared it with an overly rich dessert. No way I want this as well.
Mylo
1/5
Someone compared this with Sneaky Sound System and Pnau, another mentioned The Avalanches. All three of those acts are solid 1-star acts that manage to mix tedium and irritation. I'm about to listen to this so I'll let you know whether tedium or irritation won.
Boring intro followed by trap beat followed by aimless vocalisation. Tedium is well in front. WAIT! There's an interlude. It's fucking dull! Back to the vocalisation. Skip time.
Second verse (song)! Same as the first. (Actually even duller)
Do people dance to this shit? It's so dull.
Final score: Tedium easily won. Rock and roll didn't feel any pain at all.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Lou Reed
5/5
Wow! That was something else! I really didn't want to keep listening breeches the end was inevitable, compelling, and tremendously sad.
The Cure
2/5
Ok! I get it! The slow build-up, adding layers, one instrument at a time, it builds tension and atmosphere. It works, but it gets so repetitive. Songs like Prayers For Rain and (especially) Lullaby work. But there are a lot of forgettable tracks.
The National
1/5
Stupidly boring. They sound like they don't like what they're doing.
Q-Tip
1/5
The samples are good, then he starts talking in that wimpy, nasal style. Gets very boring very quickly.
Arctic Monkeys
1/5
Geordie Shore done by no talents. Try and talk to a girl when you're sober you useless twat!
3 stars less 1 for the repetitiveness less 1 for the Geordie Shore shit.
Jeff Beck
4/5
The Prodigy
1/5
Revolting shit. Somebody should smack these bitches up.
Femi Kuti
4/5
Laibach
4/5
Syd Barrett
1/5
Combines the worst of early prog and psychedelia with hints of lame folk vocals. Early Pink Floyd had good moments courtesy of Syd, but he also contributed some awful guff.
The Style Council
3/5
The best songs are the instrumentals or those with guest vocalists, which is weird because I think Weller is a great singer.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
It's been Cave month. Yesterday was The Boatman's Call while Murder Ballads was only a couple of weeks ago. This one definitely fits with Murder Ballads as he tells dark stories to a noisy, yet musical backing. The only relation to Boatman's Call is his voice and his incredible poetry. Generally the nastier the song, the more poetic the lyrics. He is a true genius.
Happy Mondays
2/5
That annoying, unnecessarily busy drumbeat that permeated the '90s combined with that half whine/half shouted vocal all mixed together in a repetitive mess that is probably fine if you're drugged-up on a Friday night. It's just a drag. I'm going to keep listening to decide between 1 or 2 stars.
2 stars because it's dull but not horrible. The best sound is the sampled (stolen) riff from He's Gonna Step On You Again. The rest of the song is a pastiche of '90s kitsch horror.
M.I.A.
1/5
"Most sparkling debut since Madonna."
Madonna is overrated shit, this is unlistenable shit. Fair call.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Baaba Maal
4/5
I wish I could translate his lyrics. I didn't need to with Sy Sawande, he was singing with so much regret it was heartbreaking. I finally looked up a translation of the title " I'm Sorry." Perfect.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Those harmonies! Brian is a genius.
Beastie Boys
1/5
Beastie Boys: still yelling. Still have nothing to say. Just STFU already!
The Offspring
4/5
A bit less shouting and it would be 5 stars
2/5
I consider Drums and Wires and (especially) English Settlement to be some of my favourite music. I can hear some of those pastoral sounds taken to their ultimate limit in this album. But this has all the worst excesses of a lot of British '60s psychedelia. It's like they have a big red button marked TWEE!!!! It should be tapped gently....occasionally. This sounds like they kept bashing it. TOO MUCH, GENTLEMEN! Too much.
Coldplay
1/5
Not the worst really successful artist in the world, because that honour belongs to Madonna, but they are up there. I actually understand why people like Madge but I cannot comprehend people's love for this porridge.
I'm just imagining a double act of meh, that would actually (horrifyingly) get a good crowd: Coldplay and Ed Sheeran.
Can
1/5
Goldfrapp
2/5
Lucinda Williams
2/5
Some of her songs are Randy Newman on Family Guy, where he sings every mundane thing they do. She makes sex boring in the first song! It does get better but I'm not feeling drawn. Her voice sucks the life out of any of her good lines. This would easily win the Grammy for Lifetime Mundanity.
Slipknot
1/5
Love the crunchy riffs but that stupid growling/shouting noise just spoils it. That vocal style is automatic 1-star territory.
Doves
2/5
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Mekons
4/5
k.d. lang
5/5
She puts so much feeling into such subtle songs. She probably wouldn't pass the auditions for one of those TV talent shows and their need for histrionic caterwauling. Yet she also avoids the boredom that other laidback singers (e.g. Lucinda Williams) tend to inflict. It's all down to that voice and the brilliant performance of her band.
U2
5/5
Less preachy worth some great hooks.
The Beta Band
3/5
Started off ok but it's starting to get a bit wearing like most electronica. They do love their repetition, don't they. It reminds me of Grateful Dead and their ilk. What do they have in common? You need drugs to like this stuff.
The Associates
1/5
So it started with an instrumental and I was wanting vocals. Then I heard his voice. Think the worst of Bowie's excessive overkill on the Berlin trilogy (I detest the Berlin trilogy) but with no break. This is some of the worst noise ever committed to disc. Truly awful shit.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
She tries sexy but makes it boring. A ballad: long and boring. Empowerment is extra boring. Factory music by someone who's trying way too hard.
Brian Eno
1/5
Blue Cheer
2/5
There are some decent songs trying to break out here, but it sounds like a bunch of high school kids trying to get together while they've dragooned their mate in to do the sound deskand he keeps playing with sliders trying to get a coherent sound. Meanwhile, the drummer's mother recorded it on a Dictaphone she was holding outside the room because they were playing too loud.
Fairport Convention
2/5
50 Cent
1/5
Total utter shit. Nothing stinks as badly as this.
Orbital
1/5
The Brown Album. Shit is brown. I know why we must listen to this, because there isn't a word that explains something that is too dull to be boring. So we need a literal example. Why did this dull duo get TWO albums in this list?
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Depeche Mode
2/5
Sorry. Got distracted. All of a sudden I was near the end of the album where all these generic 80s songs blurred into each other. Definitely not a game changer.
The Byrds
4/5
Whenever I hear people comparing this with Songs From Big Pink I do get their point. But this is miles above that poorly sung effort. It is also so much better than a lot of country music of that time. Why? Those harmonies.
T. Rex
4/5
Dolly Parton
4/5
The Birthday Party
2/5
No. I love The Bad Seeds but this is too far gone. Every time the band get a bit musical, Nick has to go full scream.
Julian Cope
4/5
Isn't it nice to get something from the '80s that doesn't scream '80s? Restrained use of synths, no gated reverb, just good musicianship. A surprising gem.
Wire
4/5
Another previously unknown band that I'm going to deep dive.
Patti Smith
3/5
I really hate Birdland, which goes on (and on) for 9 minutes. The album is saved by the other 9-minute piece.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Dire Straits
2/5
1985 me gives this 5 stars. 2024 me found it boring and plodding. He needed someone to edit all that noodling out. I still like their first two albums but there's a reason why I skip any of these songs on a playlist.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
When they run out of inspiration they start bragging, but there are some clever lyrics. Dumb Girl hasn't aged well. Raising Hell is a great rock song (thanks Rick). I loved this, although Daryl should get over the McDonald's obsession.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Giant Sand
2/5
Beyoncé
1/5
Let's see. Let's do a vocal gymnastics song....check!
Talk over that horrible bass hum...check!
Now be really dreary over boring drumbeat....check!
What about talk/sing really quickly over combo hum and boring drumbeat....yeah!
Let's try sexy. The secret is to make it so glaringly obvious that this song is "edgy." Fuck off, it's just crass.
I've heard her do some good songs, but this is every bad pop cliche thrown in the blender.
Hard pass.
Tito Puente
2/5
Mercury Rev
2/5
Very meh.
Joanna Newsom
1/5
Not available on Spotify. After finding it on YouTube I don't think Spotify are too broken hearted. Truly appalling rubbish presented by one of the worst voices ever.
AC/DC
5/5
My favourite Acca Dacca.
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
Alice Cooper
5/5
Oh yeah!!!!!!!!!!
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Stan Getz
5/5
Stan Getz is so smooth. He and Gilberto turned a form of dance music into wistful mood music. Astrud's contributions just add the icing to the cake.
The Fall
2/5
Some of backing is so good, but that affected, atonal, wankerism is just wrong. It's even worse when he attempts to sing. Then it's just baaaaaadddd karaoke.
The Band
4/5
I found Songs From The Big Pink to be a huge, discordant disappointment. This is excellent. It's musical, whimsical, just plain good.
Soft Machine
1/5
2/5
Blur...pronounced bleuh.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Next Time Round nearly pushed it up to 4 stars.
Dirty Projectors
1/5
So many emotions. All negative. This reminds me of an 8-year old's school project. You know the one. They just got glitter pens so everything is glitter. Lots of pretty pictures with no content. That they manage to earn money from Rhoda triple is an embarrassment.
Le Tigre
5/5
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
Nice voice and some songs are OK but naggingly familiar. She copies someone like Pink and sounds alright. Then she does that neo-soul (polite way of saying "dull and boring.")
Nina Simone
4/5
Nina was always very florid and this album definitely ratchets it up. I think she needs a bit of instrumentation, because then she tones it down a bit.
Cheap Trick
4/5
Fun rock 'n' roll from a band that really shone live.
Ute Lemper
2/5
Fell asleep while listening, which tells the story. Those duets with Kurt Weill (correctly pronounced vile) are a special torture.
Def Leppard
2/5
It doesn't sound as bad as they look. But seriously, the drummer sounded one-handed when he had two arms. Decent riffs, but over produced. The less said about the solos the better. There is nothing as bad as lame and long.
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
There is something worse than gangsta rap. Gangsta rap with a cockney accent. This was hilariously cliched and stunningly bad.
Nick Drake
5/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
This album is a definite must, because it is the greatest example of a perfect single album hiding inside a double. I haven't decided which tracks make the cut, but I do know that side 3 is a gigantic waste of space.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
The start of a run of great albums that all proved that Exile should have been a single album. There's s great merge of blues, country and they've kept some of the psychedelic touches in songs like Sympathy. The last two songs on side 1 are a bit meh, but then they launch into Street Fighting Man. Side 2 is peak Stones.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
You need to hear this a few times. By the third listen his voice is no longer annoying, it suits the strange little stories he tells.
Songhoy Blues
5/5
Spacemen 3
2/5
They really need someone who can turn those sounds into songs. I kept going from hopeful to bored to just plain annoyed. Suicide is 11 minutes long. It's that song trying to make the listener suicidal?
Gram Parsons
5/5
You'd give 5 stars just for Gram and Emmy-Lou's heart rending performance of Love Hurts. Actually you'd give 5 stars just for that last exhalation of those two words. But it's backed up by a glorious collection of what makes country great.
Arcade Fire
5/5
Kelela
2/5
This is the music you hear in a clothing store that caters to teen girls with vanilla style. Boring with a side of meh. Quite a nice voice but dreary songs.
Soft Cell
4/5
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
The Beta Band
4/5
John Prine
5/5
It's great when someone surpasses your expectations. Simple stories, told with no drama, but so many leave a year or two behind.
Motörhead
2/5
Aceof Spades and Overkill are great songs, but the rest just blurs into hyperkinetic noise with Lemmy desperately shouting. Sorry.
Sade
1/5
I didn't like her singles back then but I'm trying to go in open-minded. Smooth Operater isn't a good start. Too slick. Next song is better but it's like a chocolate tart. Too smooth and rich. When we get to Frankie's First Affair, which is the first unfamiliar song, I'm in the land of don't care.
This is a collection of dreary songs that are making me sleepy while drinking coffee.
Sade: All filler, no killer. Now I have to decide if the good musicianship gives it two stars.
Nope. Those cookie-cutter songs are unforgivable.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Oh wow! This album is 50 next year. It is still a yardstick and still sounds great.
KISS
5/5
My favourite Kiss album. I played it too death. It is still wonderful.
Steely Dan
4/5
Sex Pistols
5/5
I remember expecting to hear discordant noise. What I got was a wall of guitars backing Lydon's snarl. Songs that ranged from anger to WTF? (Bodies is the starring example of that)
Just brilliant.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
Make sure you skip Sad and Lonely. Truly terrible. But the rest of this album is quite decent. You can really see the link between country and psychedelia.
The Go-Go's
5/5
Just irresistible. Those backing vocals have a soothing effect behind the spikiness that is their hallmark.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
The Smiths
2/5
I was laughing during the last (title) track. Why didn't Marr team up with a decent singer? Combine the histrionic lyrics with those whiny vocals and that poorly worded final song is just a joke.
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
This is just bliss!
New Order
2/5
A chips of decent songs surrounded by boring '80s electronica.
Tricky
1/5
Exactly what I expected: boring, boring, boring
Korn
1/5
I was a bit confused by the plethora of negative reviews. Chunky riffs gave it promise. Then he started doing whatever you call those vocal twitches. At first time I thought he was about to vomit. Then he does another weird one followed by the dreaded "growl-shout." I agree with the reviewer who couldn't stop laughing. This is hilariously bad. Absolute shit, but funny.
Method Man
1/5
This person keeps teasing is with an introduction that is musical. Then we proceed into the standard hip-hop routine: repetitive beat with person talking. There are some who claim this isn't gangsta rap. Let's see, does he go on foul-mouthed rants threatening violence. That's a big yes. Same shit. Same rating.
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
Took much dull plodding and waaaaaay too much gated reverb from the drum machine.
Skepta
1/5
Boring with an English accent.
Daft Punk
2/5
I like the sounds, but it's so repetitive.
Iron Butterfly
4/5
Side 2 is iron while side 1 is mainly butterfly. I definitely prefer iron. Are You Happy is the epitome of a freak-out. Great song.
Bauhaus
4/5
Pavement
2/5
A whole album of stoner rock gets a bit wearing. Maybe I need to revisit the '80s and light up a few cones then listen.
Kings of Leon
4/5
1000 times better than the turgid repetition of Only By The Night.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
The Cardigans
3/5
Talking Heads
5/5
Every song comes back to that married couple rhythm section, which is ridiculous because Jerry Harrison produces all these amazing licks and David Byrne is one of the great geniuses. I love to listen to each song while concentrating on one instrument. Then repeat the song and focus on a different instrument.
Memories Can't Wait is an assault on the senses, TURN IT UP!!!!!!!!!
Jane Weaver
1/5
At least it isn't too electronic. Then comes track 3. This is an awful genre.
Van Morrison
4/5
Paul Simon
5/5
My favourite album of all time. Absolute game changer.
Beth Orton
2/5
Dull, dull, dull.
Funkadelic
5/5
You give this 5 stars just for the title track. Eddie Hazel wipes the floor with a true face-melter. The rest is so heavy, so dark, so perfect.
The Lemonheads
3/5
It's OK but shouldn't get 5 stars. This is pleasant pop released while grunge turned everything up to 11.
Os Mutantes
5/5
That is what psychedelia should be: weird and musical.
Beatles
5/5
This is where it all started changing. Not only that but it has two awesome Lennon songs: Nowhere Man and In My Life. Fortunately the nasty misogynistic song is at the end so it's easy to skip.
Travis
4/5
A bit derivative, with a bit of Coldplay, a dollop of Oasis, and a massive bucket of Radiohead. Then we get Why Does It Always Rain On Me? That doesn't sound like anyone else, it just sounds memorable. I read a few negative reviews and was expecting something repetitive. Nuh uh! The atmosphere is sad lad, but it's quite intriguing.
Pink Floyd
5/5
It's a close to perfect as an album can be.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
How can such a thrash be so boring?
Fats Domino
4/5
The Who
4/5
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
The Soft Boys
3/5
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Pavement
1/5
Why do so many stoner-rock bands have bad singers. He sounds like the karaoke act who gets lots of encouraging applause because he keeps trying to hit moderate notes and misses badly.
This is really bad.
Steve Earle
1/5
Why do so many reviewers compare this country cringe with Springsteen? I finally realised why I like some country and absolutely despise others. If you're going to put on this "good ol' boy" accent then you are going to set yourself up for all the cliches. Unlistenable garbage.
Japan
2/5
This got boring quickly.
Thin Lizzy
5/5
Those twin guitars and Phil's bass attack. What's not to love.
Radiohead
5/5
Brian Eno
2/5
Eno is a great producer but this is passable at best. It's not passable when he sings.
The Monkees
3/5
Willie Nelson
5/5
Frank Zappa
2/5
I always thought people didn't like Zappa because his music was inaccessible. It's just boring! They just noodle along them start another noodle. It's not good enough to be jazz, just very, very dull.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Van Morrison
4/5
Shuggie Otis
1/5
Dull.
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
I quite often enjoy stuff that is off-putting, but not for 70+ minutes.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
X-Ray Spex
2/5
Dear Poly,
STOP YELLING ....OK!!!!!!!
Sarah Vaughan
2/5
I'm sure I'd like this if I was musically educated but my plebeian ears find this style of jazz to be irritating. It just sounds like everybody has to show off their chops instead of working cohesively. If you want to vamp wait until you get a space and remember you are the singer's backing band.
Sarah has a great voice but I'm not a fan of her phrasing.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
It's better than Nashville crap, but it's still crap.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
"Eclectic mix of genres." Interesting. After a passable beginning it settles into a predictable late '80s meh. Every song has that same beat and embarrassingly familiar instruments. The genre is cringe.
Frank Ocean
1/5
A perfect blend of every wimpy sound I hate. The parental advisory should be that your child might become infected by shit music.
Green Day
5/5
Love the wall of guitars.
Ozomatli
4/5
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
Started off dull and stayed the same. No redeeming qualities at all. Why did they stop making that dramatic music? I hope they credited casio.
D'Angelo
1/5
Dullest album, wimpiest voice.
Kendrick Lamar
1/5
I hate this bloke and his misogynistic, foul-mouthed rants.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
How many people bought this because they were rebelling? How many listened to it once and realised they'd wasted money on a poseur?
In the last three days I've had the really boring 1990 Pet Shop Boys, Kendrick Lamar's misogynistic whining, now this. Have I offended God?
Meat Loaf
5/5
Perfectly OTT. He was outstanding live. RIP Meat.
Public Enemy
2/5
AC/DC
4/5
If only Bon had sung these songs.
King Crimson
1/5
The first minute of this album is good. Then they go off on pointless noodling. But it gets worse. How about the vastly wimpy I Talk To The Wind? But things can still get worse. Moonshine is 12 minutes (seemed like 12 decades) of guitar/vibraphone (or glockenspiel) pointlessness. The title track is stupidly self-indulgent.
If you want to listen to prog, find Queen II. They do stretch out to 6 minutes for a song, but those songs are full of dense ideas and power. If you played King Crimson to impress girls you would remain a virgin. I was going 2 stars because they play well. But insipid shit like this should be dumped.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
That was disappointing. She never gets out of 2nd gear except for We Do What We Can. I get the feeling that too much weed was smoked.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Started off ok then I went to sleep
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
I love listening to the effect South Asian music has had on western music since the mid-'60s. But I've realised that I don't like listening to that music for any length of time. Not my cup of tea.
Brian Eno
3/5
Elliott Smith
4/5
Ryan Adams
3/5
The Stone Roses
4/5
Big Star
2/5
ABBA
4/5
The xx
3/5
When Oliver sings solo this is quite dull. However, Romy has a wonderful, warm tone that saves this album.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
Motörhead
2/5
Lemmy's voice becomes grating by the 2nd song.
5/5
This was headed for a high 4-star rating until it reached All Of My Heart. If forgotten how perfect that song was.
Björk
5/5
Surely not even Bjork could pull off an almost totally vocal album. She triumphs.
Ash
2/5
I want sure if this would get a pass. Reasonable chunky riffs but pretty weedy vocals. Then I reached Let It Flow. That's the most irritatingly nasal vocal I've heard in a long time.
Chicago
4/5
Muddy Waters
4/5
The United States Of America
2/5
There were 2 decent songs and a few moments, but I don't do drugs and you need to be in a different place to get this.
Kraftwerk
1/5
They put on these electronica albums. I listen in the vain hope of getting something interesting. Nope.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
2/5
The title track is horrendous while the 2nd track is abhorrent. While there are a couple of decent tracks I'm not going to listen to this again.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
Exasperating, as there were some decent songs spoiled by the drum mix. It sounds like they're back in the garage but not in a good way.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
k.d. lang
2/5
Traffic
2/5
Traffic is one of those famous bands that I'd never heard. Now I know why, they are insipid. The best song on the album is Feeling Alright and its best feature is the Joe Cocker cover. Normally that isn't a criticism as Joe's covers are legendary. But in this case his version is many orders of magnitude better than the original. Were they smoking too much weed? This album has the oomph of a fly crawling across the desk on a stinking hot day....pass.
The Roots
1/5
Some "songs" (what do you call it when it's a repetitive beat with someone talking over the top with little relationship to the music) consist of a beat with someone talking in that earnest, angry fashion. Some of them have a bit of tinkling over the repetitive beat while someone talks earnestly. Some of them even have a background singer, which is so wimpy it gets lost. All of it is soul-numbingly boring. Oh yes. He likes saying that word because he's obviously cool.
There is plenty of hip-hop with variation and musicality that deserves to be on this list. This doesn't.
Talvin Singh
1/5
I'm reading reviews that mention electronica (not promising) and ambient, which is code for too boring to be elevator music.
It was even worse than I predicted. Easiest 1 rating in nearly 2 years
Cornershop
3/5
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Lightning Bolt
1/5
This is their most accessible album. The others would surely be a powerful emetic.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Nightmares On Wax
1/5
Nope. That's a waste of my life.
Living Colour
2/5
1001 albums that sound horribly dated.
1001 albums that faded into insignificance because they are insignificant.
This dreck is top 10 on both of those lists.
Stephen Stills
5/5
Where has this been all my life? The songs on this album vary between great and excellent. Stephen Stills possesses a brilliant voice, awesome songwriting ability, AND he is a top notch guitarist.
Faith No More
4/5
Madness
4/5
The Velvet Underground
1/5
Surely the worst album that regularly pops up on "best of" lists. Monotonous, noisy, lyrically offensive. VU are like a comedian who thinks it's cool to be crass. Nah... just boring.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
The Residents
1/5
I tried. But this was really trying.
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
Humdrum
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Talking Heads
4/5
Gang Starr
1/5
Somebody steals a bit of music and repeats it. Somebody talks over it. Rinse & repeat. I think I'll go and watch the grass grow as it's easy more exciting.
Fiona Apple
4/5
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Liz Phair
2/5
I tried. But that monotone and the dreaded lo-fi mad it too much of a chore.
Kings of Leon
2/5
Faust
2/5
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Maybe Your Baby is the dirtiest funk imaginable, while everyone loves Superstition, but there is a lot of schmaltz.
Joan Baez
2/5
Throwing Muses
2/5
Started ok then went downhill. Way downhill! Just enough good sounds to avoid 1- star, but that lead vocal becomes irritating by song 3.
Genesis
4/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
808 State
1/5
That was nothing more, or less, than I expected. Boring enough to be a lullaby, but just too irritating to let you sleep..... except I did go to sleep.
Elastica
4/5
Manu Chao
4/5
I love when this list gives me a band I'd never heard of that goes somewhere I didn't expect.
Elton John
4/5
If it was a single album it would be an easy 5.
Calexico
4/5
Deerhunter
2/5
Björk
2/5
Can
1/5
Cream
4/5
Eric solo: dull. Eric in a band: great
The Slits
2/5
Punk and reggae, what's not to love? I'll tell you what's not to love: that God awful sound that masquerades as singing.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
Public Enemy
1/5
Boring then. Boring and dated now.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
Fugazi
4/5
When I saw the genre I was bemused: post-hardcore? But I understand now. It's still shouty and angry, but it gives us time to breathe. There's space, there's a bit of funk, some variation. It's got some great crunchy riffs and is just really good to listen to. When they get thrashing it's fun, instead of that relentless, numbing sound you get from Black Flag et al.
Lambchop
5/5
I'm trying to work out why I love this album so much. When they get into that soulful groove I don't care that his falsetto doesn't fit the mark. When they're getting sad I don't care that he sometimes hits a flat note. I think he might be another Dylan: superb lyrics with a voice that conveys emotion.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Elvis Costello
5/5
Fela Kuti
3/5
The first three songs are great but the last song, and drum solo, tend to lag.
Jamiroquai
5/5
Whatever it is it just blew my mind.
Marvin Gaye
1/5
So far all I hear is the worst of Philly Soul: elevator music backing some dude who is whining about how his "woman done me wrong." There's something so sappy in the vocals you can totally understand why she found someone better. It's very hard to stay awake through one side of this album so I've started skipping. Each song is the same as the last.
I believe that What's Going On is highly overrated, basically one good song repeated. This doesn't even have one good song. It belongs on a lesser-known list:1001 different ways to go to sleep.
Circle Jerks
4/5
I hate to admit how much I liked this. I couldn't stop laughing, especial at the title track.
Terence Trent D'Arby
5/5
Scritti Politti
1/5
Move over Brotherhood of Man. Bugger off William Shakespeare (horrendous Australian singer back in mid-70s). We have a new candidate for worst song of all time: THIS WHOLE ALBUM! Every '80s cliche fronted by the most embarrassing voice since Crazy Frog. Somehow I avoided this nightmare back in the day and I know to avoid them now. It feels like a caster oil enema just exploded in my ears.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
2/5
The Dandy Warhols
5/5
The Beach Boys
5/5
5 years ago I would have given this a tepid rating which bugged me because I love vocal harmonies and love a lot of their work. Then I did a deep dive and really listened. I've been converted. It's stunning.
Ray Charles
2/5
You hear all these songs with Ray's voice giving them so much meaning, but it's all drowned out by the lush backing and those awful massed backing vocals, which reach heights of horror when that soprano hits the jarring notes up top.
White Denim
5/5
Oh lordy! '60s psychedelia with some '70s prog but they pack this in with tight songs that never outstay their welcome. Listeners get to play Spot The Influence. On my first listening I heard flutes on a song that sounded like Jethro Tull. On another I heard Neil Young play guitar on a song that could have come that Canadian God.
This is so much fun!!!
The Libertines
2/5
Well... they're better than Arctic Monkeys. Then again, a 3 a.m. vomit is better than Arctic Monkeys.
This went from ok to annoying to unlistenable shit in a short space of time.
Bob Dylan
5/5
It's one of Bob's first nine, therefore it gets 5 stars.
Megadeth
2/5
Just like Slayer, this band is so far beneath Metallica. Boring... humdrum... repetitive.
New York Dolls
2/5
Important, but boring.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Emmylou Harris
4/5
That voice!
Elvis Presley
4/5
R.E.M.
4/5
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
The Bees
1/5
What a load of disjointed crap. Sometimes one part of the "groove" sounds good, but it is badly mixed, the vocals are consistently shithouse, while they emphasise percussion performed by the trainees.
Avoid.
Snoop Dogg
1/5
Snoop is now an international treasure. But this is typical '90s hip-hop: lay down (or steal) a rhythm, talk over it (angrily or stoned), brag, use a lot of repetitive foul language, mix and repeat. If you're adventurous, add those stupid filler tracks. Thank God for Tribe Called Quest and southern hip-hop.
The Young Rascals
4/5
Sunshine perfection with a hint of the psychedelia they would embrace. Groovin' is sublime.
John Lennon
4/5
Justin Timberlake
1/5
So he wants to be MJ. There's a cringey "singalong" in the first song. He didn't need to do it. The song was boring already, if I wasn't falling asleep i would have laughed. Now he's doing his "sexy" impersonation. Very wrong when you consider his prime audience was early teen girls. Now he's putting on his jacket and somehow that's sexy.
This is tremendously awful shit.
Van Morrison
5/5
Just joyous perfection. Kind of a contrast with his personality.
Coldcut
1/5
Boring.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
Massive Attack
2/5
Oh yay. More British electronica. Better yet...trip-hop. Those are words I've come to detest while listening to this list. This is the beginning of trip-hop and so far it isn't a dull as most of that genre.
Still dull.
I believe this was big in the clubs. WHAT DRUGS WERE THEY ON? Surely you only dance to this after 25 pints of lager. Yes, I understand you are comatose after 25 pints... that's the point.
SZA
1/5
CHIC
3/5
Great musicianship and singing is excellent. It's easy to see why Nile became a great periodic because he's not a songwriter.
Pulp
2/5
The Cult
2/5
Sounds like an Acca Dacca tribute band has to write their own songs. They thought they'd steal a few "Baby"s from Robert Plant and that would be all good. How did this boring shit sell?
John Lennon
4/5
Eels
5/5
Morrissey
1/5
Why are there so many brilliant lyrics unintelligibly sung, meanwhile this twat's diction is pure! He did write a song about the world being full of crashing bores. I think crashing is too high praise for this idiot. If I could give this shit its proper rating my average would tumble.
Def Leppard
1/5
I know why they spelled their name wrong: they're barely literate. I usually avoid hair metal but I'm performing my duty of listening to "500 necessary albums and 501 mediocre/poor/absolutely shithouse British albums from '80s and '90s." (You can see why they renamed it..too wordy)
What I didn't realise is that when you dig beneath the cliches and hairspray is that they have produced the most inane lyrics of all time. Love Bites is meant to be a song of tortured love. But any 10-year old would be embarrassed.
Truly laughably awful album.
Aaaannnd it's long. FML.
Sinead O'Connor
5/5
Wow! I only knew that one song but I should have listened to her more. So much passion in the slow songs but she sings beautifully in the faster numbers.
Leftfield
2/5
Album length 1 hour 9 minutes, should be able to sleep for an hour. Not as bad as most of its kind. Still boring and dated.
David Ackles
2/5
Big Star
3/5
Spiritualized
2/5
The Fall
1/5
Yeah nah! Definitely nah! That for more and more horrible as I kept playing it.
Suicide
2/5
Whenever this list throws up anything from 1975 -1987 that I don't know my expectations aren't high. Those were my peak years glued to the radio, buying a metric shit ton of records so even if I'm not a fan I know the artist.
When it's an unknown with the word experimental attached to it I'm starting to get nervous.
At least it's only 32 minutes long. It bettered my expectations, by they were low.
Skunk Anansie
4/5
The Temptations
4/5
Tom Waits
5/5
Slint
1/5
That went from interesting to boring to torture in 3 songs.
Little Simz
2/5
My initial response is not favourable.
Anyone whose name is Little or Lil.
British rap is a genre that I consistently hate.
Time to start listening.
The music is a lot better than most in this genre. Real instruments! But she sprays THAT word around and it's still just sometime talking. I don't want to listen to spoken word, I want music.
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
Public Enemy
2/5
Ryan Adams
4/5
You're immediately hearing echoes of Gram Parsons, then Emmylou turns up on backing vocals. He may be an arse but his music is good.
Jeru The Damaja
1/5
Well that was original....(desperately searching for an irony emoji)
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Talking Heads
5/5
The Triffids
2/5
Why pick this instead of Born Sandy Devotional? It's like going through the faeces instead of eating the meal.
Kate Bush
5/5
David Bowie
5/5
Van Halen
2/5
Worst drummer ever! His fills have a lameness that reminds me of 1976: that's when I realised I would never be a drummer. I could keep the beat but that was it. How do you rate an album with that starts with two scorchers that then drops the ball completely. Every other song just sounds boring or wrong. Girl Gone Bad has a decent groove but then it has all these awkward changes that don't work. I've always had my doubts about EVH - he can play but a lot of his stuff is repetitive, derivative, jarring, or a combination of that. He needed to be in a band with a strong leader to tell him when to stop. House of Pain is aptly named. Yes... we know you have chops, please stop. Oh God, here's that primary school drummer again (that's elementary for you in the US). Huge let down
Buzzcocks
5/5
That was a breath of fresh air.
American Music Club
4/5
Arcade Fire
2/5
Tom Waits
5/5
Always listen to Tom Waits on repeat. The more you listen to this cacophonous glory the more you fall under its spell.
Then you hear Frank's Wild Years with the ultimate black humour sting at the end. That's when you realise you need to listen to every lyric for the surrealism and humour. I tend to open up a lyric sheet on my computer. Whatever you do, however you do it, just enjoy this bonkers man and his creations.
Slipknot
2/5
Poor little diddums. I'd be angry if my throat hurt that much. There are some decent riffs BUT, those drums sound like a toy set while nobody can ever persuade me that that vocal style is anything other than a joke.
The Adverts
2/5
Meh.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
B.B. King
5/5
Short and sweet with lots of brass.
Fever Ray
2/5
Some good bits, but lots of samey boredom.
Heaven 17
1/5
That was horrible.
Metallica
5/5
Ohhhhhhh yeeeaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
1/5
Nope.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
King Crimson
1/5
There's good prog, bad prog, then there's this: cacophonous, guaranteed to cure constipation prog.
The Magnetic Fields
5/5
This is truly incredible. Each song is a little gem. Merritt examines every aspect of love and then he covers so many song styles. First, I was interested, then beguiled, and eventually flabbergasted. Every emotion: from joy, through sadness, to wry laughter, to falling down laughter. It's all here! Oh...and some goan worthy rhymes. I'm down to the last 100 and this has been the best moment. Well... along with discovering P.J. Harvey.
Michael Jackson
3/5
The Kinks
3/5
Better than their really twee stuff. Best song wasn't on the album, just the extras: I'm Not Like Everybody Else
Depeche Mode
2/5
Better than some of their stuff but it still gets boring and sounds incredibly dated. Seriously, Led Zep did albums 2 decades earlier that sounds more recent.
Beck
4/5
James Brown
4/5
Radiohead
4/5
Jack White
5/5
The torch bearer of rock and blues proves that there's life in a genre that's 70 years old.
MC Solaar
2/5
The positive is that I don't understand rappers, so the foreign language is no problem. His voice sounds better, that French accent is always a bonus. But it's still just someone talking over a repetitive (so bloody repetitive) groove. Instead of saying nope, I'll say non.
Bad Company
3/5
Meh.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Kate Bush
5/5
Sumptuous album.
Pentangle
3/5
Sonic Youth
2/5
Before I listen I ponder the big questions of life:
Will I skip the first song?
1 star or 2?
The first song was good, melodic even. Then they got into that shtick where a decent song ends in extended feedback. By the end we're back to unlistenable. 2 stars because it was ok to begin with.
Genesis
4/5
Side 2 gets a little too proggy, but it's a good listen.
Thundercat
1/5
This is like the worst of King Crimson without KC's redeeming features.
KC has no redeeming features.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
One really long disjointed song. Flower punk doesn't completely suck.
Roxy Music
3/5
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
5/5
Not sure if I'm giving it 5 stars because it's that good or because it's so much better and varies than almost all the hip-hop that had followed.
Sparks
2/5
Interesting to start off but it gets repetitive. By the end I was sick of his voice.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Nirvana
5/5
It starts with that chord then takes us on a journey of angst that is one of the best albums ever.
Jethro Tull
3/5
Finally. I owned this album but haven't listened for over 40 years. Here goes...
There's a reason I didn't listen to it very often. It's ok.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Adam & The Ants
4/5
Joy Division
4/5
Crosby, Stills & Nash
5/5
The Undertones
3/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Hot Chip
4/5
English electronic band. My expectations are instantly low. They have vocals so there is a chance it won't be dreary repetition. Alexis Taylor has quite a lovely voice, I can now be officially coloured intrigued.
The Thrills
3/5
Fred Neil
2/5
That was boring. So boring I almost used an exclamation mark. But then I realised that would overstate just how mediocre this album is. It's not actively bad, it just embodies every meaning of meh.
Deep Purple
3/5
Kid Rock
1/5
Well that was shithouse.
Hookworms
3/5
Khaled
3/5
Gotan Project
1/5
Slayer
1/5
As good as Metallica are, the rest of the big 4 pale into insignificance. Anthrax are awful, Megadeth are megadull, while Slayer suck sadly. The drummer must be fit.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
TLC
1/5
Rock was undergoing a huge surge at this time but you had to be careful and avoid top 40/teen radio because it was full of this junk. My hatred was only magnified by them purloining R'n'B as a title for this dull, wimpy, repetitious drivel.
Burning Spear
5/5
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
The Modern Lovers
2/5
Carole King
5/5
Tom Waits
5/5
Small Faces
2/5
Barely two stars. That second side is an abomination.
Beatles
5/5
1005 stars.
The Cars
5/5
Elvis Costello
4/5
Ice Cube
1/5
Butthole Surfers
2/5
The Strokes
2/5
Getting strong feelings of meh.
Wilco
4/5
Haircut 100
2/5
4/5
Talk Talk
1/5
This album deserves its place as the Oxford Dictionary definition of dreary. It is the background music to that classroom scene in Ferris Bueller.
Sugar
3/5
It's okay but definitely not a must hear. I've heard that drop d with slow tempo and attempted Dave Grohl drumming on plenty of albums.
Louis Prima
5/5
Nas
1/5
Another '90s hip-hop. Same shit different.... nope.... it's all the same. I used to hear this coming out of people's cars and wondered if it was one song. Then I thought I'd hear the nuances when I listened to different albums. Nope! Identikit crap.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
I have to agree with the majority. Albarn sucks.
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
Sounds good but it's too sleazy.
Turbonegro
4/5
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Don McLean
5/5
The Electric Prunes
1/5
Just think how lucky we are that cultural artefacts like this are preserved forever.... to warn us that we, the boomer generation, shouldn't arrogantly think our music was superior to that which has followed. Because these prunes really gave me the shits. This is laughably bad but I can't laugh because it hurts.
Boards of Canada
1/5
Promising start, as in, "This promises to be an immensely dull piece of music (is it music? ) that will involve lots of skipping and a 1 star review. "
This is even less appealing than a load of other ambient shit we've been forced to listen to.
I have a philosophical hatred of edm as it isn't music that you listen to, it's either background music or being stoned music. No message, it doesn't take you on a journey, it's too dull to dredge up any emotion, just a travesty.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
U2
5/5
Kanye West
1/5
Elton John
3/5
Elbow
5/5
That was so good with its hints of Radiohead and Peter Gabriel Genesis. It would be good but it's elevated by the wonderful singing of Guy Garvey.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
5/5
Hughie Flint's drum solo sounds like that nice kid whose parents bought him a drum set and nobody has the heart to tell him that he just isn't very good. Hughie's pretty good when just laying down the beat, but that solo is embarrassing.
But that's my only complaint. I can only imagine the effect this had in 1966 because it is an exceptional blues album.
Ride
2/5
Nowhere is a good name for this mob. Each song goes nowhere. Just an aimless, amorphous blob of music.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
The KLF
1/5
Another British electronic duo. Another waste of my time. They are consistent, but a consistent turd is still a turd.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
Okay. I must have listened to a different album. I have read a bunch of reviews telling me how wonderful this album is, with frequent mentions of different musical styles. All i hear is a bunch of riffs on The Wind Cries Mary, and all of them fairly flaccid imitations.
Are You Expirienced is an incandescent bombshell that told us music would never be the same. Electric Ladyland was a masterpiece with a couple of filler tracks. Axis is all filler, no killer.
UB40
5/5
Gene Clark
2/5
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
The Byrds
4/5
Carpenters
3/5
Should be 4 but that fussy version of Help is a crime I cannot forgive.
Girls Against Boys
3/5
A great band searching for a singer. Lots of crunchy riffs with power and zest badly spoiled by that distorted noise coming from the lead singer. 7 Seas is a classic example. That song is fun and you can hear good musical lyrics wrecked. 5- star band with a 1-star singer.
Ramones
4/5
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
The Doors
5/5
The only thing that would make this album even better would be if the title track was the opener. Still sublime.
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I'm finishing strong. Down to the last 30 and in the last 3 days I've had my favourite Doors, an excellent Nine Inch Nails, and now my favourite Stones. Easy 5-stars.
The Vines
2/5
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Randy Newman
2/5
There should be another list: 101 albums by artists who are too boring to be in an album. A couple of songs are ok, but they all sound the same.
Should only appear in compilations.
Red Snapper
1/5
Click app.
After a few seconds of intrigue that unmistakable beat drops in.
Look at summary.
Electronica.
Again.
Fuck off! I'm Australian. I was born in 1960 so I heard almost nothing of that genre before this list. I'm down to the last 20 so in 3 weeks time I will hopefully NEVER hear this genre.
I don't take drugs so this "music" has no appeal at all.
Track two samples that sublime bass riff from Rock On. Badly. The rest of the track is shit. Will listen to a bit more of this to see if it manages to squeak in 2 stars.
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Not even close. Truly fucking awful.
CHVRCHES
3/5
That was pleasant. Wouldn't say it's must listen to before you die but it's a lot better than the plethora of '90s electronica tedium that constantly appears in this list.
Joy Division
4/5
Billy Bragg
5/5
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Thanks for the music, Sly. RIP.
Grant Lee Buffalo
4/5
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
Some good moments but a little too country for my taste.
fIREHOSE
4/5
Garbage
4/5
M.I.A.
1/5
I tried to listen but this really puts the shit into... well...shit.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Why is there more than one album from this mob? Sounds like the rest of their output. There is a thin intersection between this mob and Smashing Pumpkins. The very best Sonic Youth song is as good as the very worst Smashing Pumpkins.
Miriam Makeba
5/5
The Charlatans
4/5
Lou Reed
5/5
Sonic Youth
2/5
The least worst Sonic Youth album which has a couple of decent songs. But once Kim's voice descends into ugly, instead of emotional, then you know it's just more noise. Surely onw album of identical shit is enough, but we've been forced to listen to four.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Muddy Waters
4/5
Donald Fagen
3/5
Madonna
3/5
Bee Gees
3/5
Shivkumar Sharma
2/5
It's pleasant background music. I don't choose to listen to background music.
Screaming Trees
5/5
This was a pleasant surprise. They should have been treated in the top rank of grunge.
Anthrax
3/5
Frank Black
2/5
Simple Minds
4/5
N.W.A.
1/5
So my final album is this shit. Thanks for the journey 1001 songs. Far too much Britpop, British electronica and unknown British bands. I've discovered that gangsta rap is stunningly boring and viciously nasty. I've also found that Bjork is brilliant and PJ Harvey is breathtaking. Now I'm off to journey through the albums of my Australian homeland.
Minutemen
3/5
Cat Stevens
5/5
Cat delivered three perfect albums in a row with no weaknesses. This one may be the most perfect.
Britney Spears
2/5
Sepultura
1/5
Why would there be more than one album by this "band?" One album of recorded vomiting is enough, thank you.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
David Bowie
5/5
My favourite Bowie album and a LOVE a lot of his stuff. Because he'd had huge success with Ziggy he was able to test the boundaries and came up with a masterpiece.
Neil Young
4/5
Linkin Park
2/5
Aphex Twin
1/5
This put the numb in mind-numbingly boring. Really? Why did we get more than one album of elevator music? This is only classified as music for those people who don't listen. Considering this list quotes itself as 1001 albums you must LISTEN to it seems a little oxymoronic.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Dolly Parton
4/5
LL Cool J
1/5
That's not even good enough to be rated garbage. It's proper place is in the 1001 albums you should avoid.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Average songs brilliant voices.
Steely Dan
2/5
Okay. Maybe I'll be surprised.
Wow! You know how some bands have a gift for grabbing you with a first track? This is the absolute opposite. Possibly too insipid to put me to sleep. Truly dire with a piano solo that truly sucks. The rest of the album isn't as bad but it still has all the life of a custard. Elevator music with lyrics.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Pere Ubu
2/5
Eminem
1/5
I like one song but the rest is just depressing. He whinges and moans. I haven't seen anyone hold this many grudges except for a certain cheeto-flavoured taco who will hopefully never release an album.
George Harrison
4/5
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
Radiohead
5/5