Journey Complete!
Finisher #319 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
2.71
Average Rating
100%
Complete
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
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2010s
Favorite Decade
Britpop
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US
Top Origin
Harsh
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16
5-Star Albums
41
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | 5 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
| Different Class | 5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | 5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
| The Number Of The Beast | 5 | 3.59 | +1.41 |
| Illmatic | 5 | 3.61 | +1.39 |
| Born To Run | 5 | 3.64 | +1.36 |
| The Queen Is Dead | 5 | 3.66 | +1.34 |
| A Grand Don't Come For Free | 4 | 2.67 | +1.33 |
| 21 | 5 | 3.69 | +1.31 |
| Born In The U.S.A. | 5 | 3.7 | +1.3 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitches Brew | 1 | 3.3 | -2.3 |
| B-52's | 1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
| Another Green World | 1 | 3.12 | -2.12 |
| I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight | 1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
| Will The Circle Be Unbroken | 1 | 2.99 | -1.99 |
| Sheet Music | 1 | 2.96 | -1.96 |
| Superfuzz Bigmuff | 1 | 2.93 | -1.93 |
| Brown Sugar | 1 | 2.91 | -1.91 |
| When I Was Born For The 7th Time | 1 | 2.91 | -1.91 |
| Rip It Up | 1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.2 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Sepultura | 2 | 1 |
| Madonna | 3 | 1.67 |
| Tim Buckley | 3 | 1.67 |
| Brian Eno | 5 | 2 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1.5 |
| Mudhoney | 2 | 1.5 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 1.5 |
| Robert Wyatt | 2 | 1.5 |
| Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 1.5 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 2.25 |
| Björk | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Albums | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| The Smiths | 3 | 1.25 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 1.22 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 1.12 |
5-Star Albums (16)
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Popular Reviews
Small Faces
2/5
The album starts off okay, a reasonably decent instrumental to kick us off followed by Afterglow (Of Your Love) which is great. The next track is filler, feels a lot longer than two and a half minutes (partially because it does that thing where it fades out and fades back in again). Then Rene, a song about a prostitute at the docks which if you'd told me was from a Monty Python sketch I would've 100% believed you... at least until it spends a couple of minutes at the end in a long, drawn out, instrumental finish. Song of a Baker is better, great guitar in this. Lazy Sunday is next, this is the one that is miles ahead in the Spotify listening numbers, but it's like Madness trying to do prog rock. Kinda catchy, but not great.
Then we change tack completely. I had a quick google and this is the other side of the album, which I guess gives them an excuse for a stylistic change. Lots of narration, and the worst of prog rock weirdness. It's a gibberish fairy tale about someone looking for the other half of the moon, consulting a fly and a tramp. There's the odd interesting instrumental bit, but it's 50% narrative and just strange.
Just about squeaks a 2 for me on the strength of the first couple of tracks.
11 likes
Rush
2/5
Fine, but a bit dull. Very long first track, which isn't a crime in itself, but it felt like four or five different tracks needlessly stitched together (although it is telling the one story). Other side of the album is a bit more accessible, but nothing that really stands out.
I do like a bit of prog rock, but it needs to be a bit tighter and a bit cleverer than this. I came into this not knowing Rush at all, but am not particularly minded to investigate further. 2/5.
7 likes
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
Opening track is iconic, repeated again slightly different later on. The rest of it is funky instrumental versions of other people's songs. Do I like it? Yeah, it's great background music with a bit of oomph and fun, but it's not really anything more than that. Tough to give a high score based on one original song and a load of instrumental cover versions really, opening track almost drags it up to a 3 but doesn't manage it. 2/5.
7 likes
Bobby Womack
3/5
A nice, easy listen. It's very smooth, just glides through your ears, but doesn't really leave a mark. Basically exactly what was said above, it's pleasant background music that you can tune in and out of, but nothing about it screams top class or holds your attention. 3/5.
4 likes
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
File this away with Manu Chao in the 'things that I only ever listened to to impress girls' cabinet. Not memorable in any way, can appreciate that there's a range of styles there, but don't particularly enjoy any of them. Not unpleasant background music, so it can sneak a 2.
3 likes
1-Star Albums (41)
All Ratings
2/5
So this album came out when I was 16, and I remember being really disappointed with it then :( feels like their attempt at doing a Night At The Opera that just falls a bit flat. The lyrics aren't as clever as they think they are, and it's super overengineered.
Forced myself to relisten to it this morning though. First track is really quite dire, don't want to sound too much like a grandpa but it's just noise, isn't it? Starlight is decent twinkly pop, Supermassive Black Hole is less good twinkly pop.
Map of the Problematique is ok, but it'd still be one of the worse tracks on the previous albums. The next one is a floppy wander with no energy. I like Invincible at the very end, when it sounds more old school Muse, but it spends way too long getting there (and the lyrics are SO cheesy). Assassin sounds like a proper Muse song and is probably the second best song on the album.
The next two I have no proper opinion on, they are in the old Muse style but just doesn't really get going at all and are in no way memorable. One after is half Muse, half theme tune to a Western and it is not a combination that works.
Then Knights of Cydonia - the only song on this album that actually achieves the level of theatre that they're going for. Almost prog-rocky, I do like this. Should have left it at that, would've been a nice closer, but they added on another track at the end that is similar to the 8 and 9 in that I am utterly indifferent to it.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Very different vibe for this next one, particularly after doing them back to back :D Feels very much like the sort of thing that I've quite enjoyed, but will almost certainly never listen to again...
I don't know the R&B scene at all, but this is a lovely gentle intro to it, very relaxed in terms of the style of music (even if the first track is about someone getting shot!). Also, at 35 minutes it doesn't overstay it's welcome, only 7 songs too.
Not normally a God fan but Jesus is class... Spotify listens suggest a big drop off after the first three songs, but that's not the case in terms of the quality. Tracks 2, 3, and 7 my faves.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Not really my thing, to be honest. 2/5.
The song with Beyonce was probably the one I enjoyed the most, which is pretty telling given it's quite different in style to most of the others.
Generally, I tended to enjoy the bits that weren't Missy Elliott rather than the bits that were, which isn't great. I just don't get on with her style of rapping for some reason, Play That Beat (which was much more R&B but still just her) was quite good.
R.E.M.
3/5
Massive Attack
4/5
The Massive Attack one is my favourite so far. 4/5, will be listening to it again.
Very chilled, electronic plus gentle hip hop. Opening track is super, quality stays high until you hit Unfinished Sympathy (the one track I knew before today), then drops a little but the last track is great again.
Small Faces
2/5
The album starts off okay, a reasonably decent instrumental to kick us off followed by Afterglow (Of Your Love) which is great. The next track is filler, feels a lot longer than two and a half minutes (partially because it does that thing where it fades out and fades back in again). Then Rene, a song about a prostitute at the docks which if you'd told me was from a Monty Python sketch I would've 100% believed you... at least until it spends a couple of minutes at the end in a long, drawn out, instrumental finish. Song of a Baker is better, great guitar in this. Lazy Sunday is next, this is the one that is miles ahead in the Spotify listening numbers, but it's like Madness trying to do prog rock. Kinda catchy, but not great.
Then we change tack completely. I had a quick google and this is the other side of the album, which I guess gives them an excuse for a stylistic change. Lots of narration, and the worst of prog rock weirdness. It's a gibberish fairy tale about someone looking for the other half of the moon, consulting a fly and a tramp. There's the odd interesting instrumental bit, but it's 50% narrative and just strange.
Just about squeaks a 2 for me on the strength of the first couple of tracks.
John Coltrane
3/5
I always like the idea of jazz more than I do actually listening to it. I don't think I'm sophisticated enough for it.
This is very easy listening, gentle stuff, but it doesn't really grab my attention.
Kate Bush
3/5
A real mixed bag, very top heavy. Running Up That Hill is a gem, Cloudbusting, The Big Sky, and Hounds of Love also good (but better when done by the Futureheads). Then it gets worse from there. Just sneaks into the 3/5 range.
Norah Jones
3/5
This is good. Not quite enough oomph and energy to warrant a 5, but a really nice listen. Went back and played it again straight after I finished it the first time around. Her voice is incredibly soothing, it's a nice, gentle listen.
Don't know if I've heard the album as a whole before, obviously knew the opener and a couple of others sounded familiar. In contrast to the Kate Bush album, it keeps up the quality right the way through - although it is a little bit same-y. Reminded me a lot of an Eva Cassidy album that my parents used to have on all the time.
Japan
2/5
Not my favourite this. Think it makes the list by virtue of being seminal in doing something first (or almost first) in 1979, but a lot of people did similar stuff better. A couple of decent tracks (the opener grew on me after the first listen and Fall In Love With Me is good, very Duran Duran-y), but nothing else grabbed me.
George Jones
1/5
Again, not one for the ages. Miserable subject matter, in a musical style that isn't my favourite. Just getting to the end of this now, and been tempted to tell him to pull himself together at least four times over the last half hour. This is my first 1.
Kacey Musgraves
2/5
This is just a bit dull. Saccharine country female voice, nothing that I can put my finger on as being particularly wrong (other than the lyrics getting quite kitschy every now and then), but nothing that's particularly stand out good either. This feels like the sort of thing that Taylor Swift has been doing for 15 years, but it doesn't have the oomph or the sass. 2/5, marginally better than yesterday.
R.E.M.
2/5
This was good, but not spectacular. Two songs I knew before (It's The End Of The World As We Know It and The One I Love), both I like. Nothing else really stood out - although Exhuming McCarthy was a fun listen for the lyrics.
Would I turn this off if it was on in the background? Probably not. Will I ever think, "you know what, I really want to listen to Document right now"? Probably not.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Yeah, this is excellent. 4/5 for me.
Opening track is really fun, then Paranoid is a classic. Planet Caravan (Track 3) is really odd - feels completely out of place on the album and isn't interesting at all in its own right for me. Back to form on Iron Man, then a couple of good but not great songs before it perks up again at the end.
Only critique of the album as a whole is that the songs drag a little bit, could maybe do with shaving 30 seconds to a minute off a few of them. Paranoid really leaves you wanting more, but some of the others go on a bit too long.
Little Richard
4/5
Lovely stuff. I didn't enjoy quite as much as the rest of you, but it's definitely a 4, particularly of the context of when it came out. Did feel a bit same-y on occasion, but Tutti Frutti and Rip It Up are absolute delights.
The Clash
3/5
This is.. fine? Had some rave reviews in here, and I don't think I quite get it. There's a decent energy to it, particularly if you play it loud, but it's not a top scorer for me. White Riot and Police & Thieves the standout tracks for me, but even after a couple of listens it's not getting past a 3.
Steely Dan
3/5
Lovely bit of yacht rock! Do It Again is just brilliant, love that song. A couple of other really solid tracks (Midnite Cruiser, Reelin' In the Years, and Change of the Guard). Suffers a bit from a few tracks that slightly overstay their welcome (despite not being that long), and is a bit too middle of the road to get a top tier score, but an enjoyable listen nonetheless.
Parliament
4/5
This is great - had never heard of the band or the album (but do know their other work as Funkadelic). Not a bad track on this album, but none that are absolutely stellar, stand-out individually either - that's why it only gets a 4 for me even though I really like it and will be listening again. It has great energy, a bit of attitude, and a really cool sound that fits beautifully with the zany track titles, lyrics, and broader theme of the album.
Johnny Cash
4/5
This was good, but not quite as good as I expected it to be. I love the wit in Johnny Cash's music, and his voice is incredible, but this album was missing some of the soul and emotion that you get from his other work. Give My Love To Rose has it in buckets, but there's not so much other than that. Also, I thought it could done with a bit more of the back and forth with the crowd - the big thing about this album is that it's recorded live at the prison, but you lose a lot of the interaction and the energy from that. There's a recording of A Boy Named Sue that he did at San Quentin Prison which captures that perfectly - this album doesn't reach the same heights as that. 4 on 5.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Dry by name, dry by nature. Felt like the sort of thing that I should have liked more than I did, it sounds like things I like a lot more except that it's missing something. Sheela-na-gig was excellent though.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
3/5 for me, pushing a 4. This is a really cool sound, on my second listen of it now whilst I'm working. I'm not a fan of what's traditionally referred to as 'world music', but this is a really fun fusion of bits of that and rock and roll guitar. Would thoroughly recommend the deluxe edition, which has three extra songs, all covers. The fact they did Should I Stay Or Should I Go? and Kashmir says something about their inspirations (they also do Soul Makossa, which a quick Google tells me is originally by a Cameroonian sax player).
I listened to it cold first, and enjoyed it, then had a quick read up on the story behind it (they are Malian, from a region that got taken over by fundamentalist Islam, so they had to flee to the capital). If I could speak the language, I think this would push up to a 4 or maybe even a 5, would be interested to understand what they're actually saying.
Elton John
4/5
4/5 for me.
I agree with the rest of you that it was way too long, and would add that it was too sprawling in terms of what it tried to cover. you've got:
- big instrumental hovering between rock opera and prog rock (Funeral For a Friend)
- ballad types (Candle in the Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, This Song Has No Title, Grey Seal, I've Seen That Movie Too, Danny Bailey, Roy Rogers, Harmony)
- Elton with attitude (Bennie and the Jets, Saturday Night, Social Disease)
- reggae Elton (Jamaica Jerk-Off)
- smutty Elton (Sweet Painted Lady, Dirty Little Girl, All The Girls Love Alice)
- Elton the Beach Boy (Your Sister Can't Twist)
Would have worked better as a double album, with the ballads on one disc. As it is, it doesn't really feel like an album, there's not much connecting the songs and the styles.
That being said, there are some phenomenal songs on there, those first four is probably the best start to an album that we've had so far. Then you've also got Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, which I knew coming into this and a couple of others (Roy Rogers and Sweet Painted Lady) which I didn't know before but really like.
Wire
2/5
Not for me, this one. Not awful, but doesn't say a lot to me. I feel like this one must be something that inspired people rather than being brilliant in its own right? Does definitely sound later than 1977, more so the instrumental than the vocals (which are very punky and of their time).
About the same number of tracks as Elton yesterday, but half the length in time - only two of the tracks are over 3 minutes long. There are a couple I enjoy in there - Ex-Lion Tamer being my favourite - but I can't see myself listening to this ever again.
2/5.
David Bowie
3/5
A mixed bag. I was expecting to like this more than I did (obviously I know a fair few Bowie songs, but I don't think I've actually listened to an album before). Definitely front-loaded, Changs, Oh You Pretty Thing and Life on Mars the highlights, (3 of the first 4!), but did also quite like Quicksand as a slower one, and then it picks up at the end with the last two tracks. 3/5, probably would've been a 4 without tracks 7 thru 9.
Os Mutantes
2/5
This is bizarre. Not unenjoyable, but very unlikely to listen to again. The first track was really good (in a peculiar way), and built my expectations up a bit too much - the rest of the album only hit that again in fits and starts. A real mix of styles and genres, but it does have something that I can't quite put my finger on that holds it together.
Panis Et Cercenses, Baby, and Ave Genghis Khan my favourites.
Think it fits in at the very top of 2 out of 5.
The Mamas & The Papas
2/5
A bit disappointing, to be quite honest. I knew nothing other than California Dreamin' (which is spectacular), and the rest of the album couldn't live up to it. It's perfectly acceptable folksy pop music, but it doesn't offer much more than that outside of a track or two.
They don't make the most of the girls' voices (which are stronger than the guys). The very last track is great because of this, it's much more powerful and has some proper oomph.
Also, the out of place apostrophes on the album cover annoy me. 2/5.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
This is really, really good. Best we've had so far, I think, comfortably a 4 but not knocking on the door of 5. Really powerful stuff, stories that resonate now as I'm sure they did in 1988. Those first two tracks are amazing, it can't maintain those heights the whole way through but it comes surprisingly close.
It feels like a coherent set of songs whilst still giving a bit of variety in theme, mood, and style, and there's not a bad song on the album. What a voice as well, not many singers who could pull off a track completely a cappella like Behind The Wall as well as her.
Rush
2/5
Fine, but a bit dull. Very long first track, which isn't a crime in itself, but it felt like four or five different tracks needlessly stitched together (although it is telling the one story). Other side of the album is a bit more accessible, but nothing that really stands out.
I do like a bit of prog rock, but it needs to be a bit tighter and a bit cleverer than this. I came into this not knowing Rush at all, but am not particularly minded to investigate further. 2/5.
Muddy Waters
3/5
This was fine, pleasant enough to listen to (although I didn't think there was any need for two parts to the Mojo song), but not spectacular. Tiger in Your Tank and Soon Forgotten are the highlights. 3/5.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Was expecting to enjoy this more than I did. Scrapes a 3/5 really. It's too long, and a bit too bland, not an unpleasant sound but not particularly striking. Very bluesy and not as energetic as I'd hoped for.
Supergrass
3/5
Top end of a 3, this one. Really liked the energy and had a bit of edge to it. I really don't like Alright though, find it really grating despite its popularity!
Can definitely tell that loads of the indie bands from the early 200s listened to stuff like this, it's definitely got more attitude and oomph than most Britpop (but it's not as catchy as Oasis or as clever as Pulp).
The Doors
4/5
This is fab, really like this. Almost falls out of the 4 category because it does get a bit self indulgent - to a lesser extent at the end of Light My Fire, and definitely on This Is The End. It's amazing that this album is 55 years old, there are bits of it that sound so fresh, and it keeps up the quality pretty well throughout. Some really nice changes of pace, too.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
2 4s in a row! This is really fun, bags of energy and some cracking songs. Like the Doors, the psychedelics probably led them to be just a smidge overindulgent (not sure we really needed 11 minutes of Heard It Through The Grapevine), but there are some really good tracks in there. Up Around The Bend the stand out for me, but there are no bad tracks on it (although Ooby Dooby is not my thing).
Beastie Boys
2/5
Too long (20 tracks is obviously too many), too many instrumentals (that's not really what I listen to the Beastie Boys for). Sabotage obviously a stone cold classic, and a couple of other decent songs, but no more than a 2 for me.
Does get some bonus feels for reminding me how much I like Q-Tip's voice though.
Ride
2/5
Pretty middle of the road 2/5. There's the odd bit of cool sound in there, hints of Stone Roses type music, but nothing particularly notable. Probably would've been better with the original, shorter version than the remastered one that Spotfiy hoists upon you, but can't say I was ever hooked.
T. Rex
3/5
3/5. Solid, but unspectacular. Preferred it to the last couple of albums, but not by a huge margin. I really liked the opener, but it's all a little bland afterwards. Not awful, but not one that I'll listen to again. Sneaks into the 3 category as it all fits well together as an album.
Machito
2/5
This was fun, quite jolly for a few songs, but I wouldn't want a whole one! I enjoyed listening to it, very upbeat, but I'm not going to rush back to it. First track in particular has such a strong start. 2/5.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
This is the opposite of most of the albums we've listen to - the first few songs are fine, but nothing special, and then it kicks up a gear or two when you hit the middle of the album. Exodus - Jamming - Waiting In Vain - Turn Your Lights Down Low - Three Little Birds - One Love/People Get Ready is as good a run as we've had so far. 4/5. Not something I'll listen to regularly, it's not really my style of music, but of the limited amount of reggae that I'll listen to, most of it is on this album.
Elton John
2/5
Definitely doesn't hit the heights as regularly as the previous Elton album we had, but is a lot more focused (and more like a normal album length at 45 minutes). On the flipside, each song is probably a bit longer than it needs to be; only the last track (which is more a vignette than a song) clocks in at under 4 minutes.
Tiny Dancer is a wonderful song (although I need to keep listening to it more to cleanse the memory of that awful remix that was everywhere 11-12 years ago when I was at uni), but it's a bit weaker after that. Fun to discover Indian Sunset (that's the one 2pac used for Ghetto Gospel!), but there's not a huge amount of depth in quality. No songs other than Tiny Dancer that I'd go back to, so it's a 2/5 for me.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
This is cool, did enjoy this a lot as a whole. Not that many tracks that really stood out individually, but it comes together really well. Locked Inside, Cold War, and Come Alive probably my highlights.
Couple of bits of odd sounding filler in there which cut the rating down a bit (and it's over an hour which also doesn't help), but a comfortable 3/5, getting close to a 4 but not there.
She has an absolutely wonderful voice which I think she doesn't quite make the most of on this album? There are some moments, but could push it a little further I think?
10cc
1/5
Christ, this is dire. Feels like they were just mucking around in the studio being silly and decided to release it. There's a song written from the point of view of a time bomb on an airplane...
Completely disjointed. Felt like getting to the end of this 38 minutes was a real challenge. There are a few of these songs that could have maybe gotten away with being the quirky song on an album, but this is packed full of them and it becomes an exercise in 'how are 10cc going to try and piss me off next?'. 1/5.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Upper end of 2/5. Really didn't like it at the beginning of my first listen yesterday, but it definitely grew on me towards the end and on a re-listen. The first few tracks are a bit tuneless and shouty, it gets much better later on when she sings rather than shouty. I'd heard Maps before (but didn't know the name of the song or that it was by them), didn't know any of the others. Not really for me, but not awful.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
3/5 for me, this one. Leans pretty heavily into the breakup theme, gets a little wearing after an hour and a quarter. Irritated me that he had three versions of the same song, too. But, it's beautiful, soulful singing with a shitload of emotion. A pleasant listen that is gentle from a pure musical perspective, but harder work from an emotional perspective. I think we'll have better Marvin Gaye albums to come.
Sister Sledge
4/5
Not a disco fan, but this is class. This was an absolute delight. Some classic disco here mixed in with some really lovely, soulful ballads. Nice and upbeat, will be listening to this again when I need a pick-me-up. 4/5, maybe deserves a 5 but I don't like disco enough for that.
Neil Young
2/5
Mid to upper range 2/5. Not awful, but not particularly memorable. Neil Young's voice is a bit ropey for someone so successful, isn't it? Very much a downer after Sister Sledge on Friday, not a bad album but not one I'll be revisiting.
Death In Vegas
3/5
This is quite cool, but not as memorable as it should be to get anything more than a 3/5. Aisha probably my favourite track. Probably not what they'd want, but it serves as excellent background music for working - not so distracting that it captures your whole attention, but enough going on that it keeps your mind moving. I guess that's why their music is used a lot in soundtracks?
The Prodigy
3/5
Probably not an album best appreciated sat at my desk working, but quite enjoyed it. Felt that it took a while to get going - I wasn't a huge fan of Break and Enter, and Their Law wasn't much better, but it does pick up through that middle section. There is no need for this to be so long, more than an hour is very rarely necessary, particularly when it's relatively intense music like this. I expect there should be another Prodigy album on this list, which will be better than this? Just scrapes a 3/5.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Not great. When the album finished on Spotify, it autoplayed the first track of the Massive Attack album we had a few weeks ago, and I realised that there's a lot of similarities between that and this, except that the Massive Attack album is basically better in every way.
The songs with the woman singing in Spanish are generally OK, the ones with the bloke chuntering on generally aren't. However, the title track (particularly at the end) is so peculiar that I actually quite liked it for its bizarreness, 'oh look, a fragment of plastic! Oh look, a sports commentator. Or was it a disused railway line?'
2/5. Just.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Better than the last Neil Young album, but still not great. I still don't like his voice, but these songs seem to fit it a bit better than the previous album. Not something I'd listen to again. Upper end of a 2.
Eels
2/5
Don't actually have a huge amount to write about that one. Opening track is good, but goes a bit beige after that. Not unpleasant to listen to, but in no way memorable. Could have waited until after my death. 2/5.
Depeche Mode
2/5
A mid-range 2. It sounds so miserable, without the jaunty bits that make Joy Division / The Smiths more bearable. I wouldn't say there was a standout song. Not going to listen again, but not the worst we've had.
Goldie
1/5
Absolutely dire, this. Not a massive fan of this kind of music, and for it to work it needs to have a lot more energy than it does. Also, almost two hours long???
Pantera
2/5
Too screamy for me, really, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting after the first minute or two. Won't listen to it ever again, but glad that I did. Top end of a 2/5.
Elbow
3/5
This was good - the two songs I knew before (One Day Like This and Grounds for Divorce) are really, really good, and the rest of the album is pleasant to listen to. Not mind-blowing by any stretch of the imagination, but a comfortable three out of five.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
I like this - 3/5, pushing a 4. Feels quite ahead of its time. Wouldn't complain if this came on, have listened to it a few times now ahead of moving on to the next one. Good energy, nice mix of songs and sounds, a couple of more ballad-like songs, some cracking guitar (Steppin' Out in particular). Folksy Beatles, very pleasant.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
I quite enjoyed this - seems to have sparked some pretty strong opinions both ways here, but it's a middle of the road 3 for me. Quite gentle, picks up the pace on a couple of the tracks. I know the name Belle & Sebastian, but couldn't name a song of theirs. It's perfectly pleasant, there are a couple of tracks that remind me of the Shins, quirky lyrics and some odd messages.
The Damned
4/5
Best we've had in a long time - 4/5. Bags of energy, witty lyrics. Still has enough of that rawness that keeps it edgy and punky, but is probably a bit more refined than others in the genre? Definitely preferred it to that early Clash album we had (which if memory serves was from the same year as this).
Alice In Chains
3/5
It's good, and you can easily see what kind of music it comes from and where that genre's headed since, but it's not particularly remarkable on its own. Bottom end of a 3 for me.
Van Halen
4/5
This is really, really good. Wouldn't have been able to name any of the songs ahead of time, but definitely a couple that seemed familiar. Runnin' with the Devil, followed by the guitar solo in Eruption (which is enough to show that these guys are great with their guitars and love pushing them to the limit but not so long that it gets nauseatingly self-indulgent and overstays its welcome), and a rocky cover of the Kinks is an amazing way to start, and the quality stays high right the way through. Also seems pretty well put together, tracks flow nicely and it's nice and snappy, doesn't overstay its welcome. 4/5, will listen again, loved this.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
3/5, just. Came out the same year as the Little Richard album we had a few weeks ago, and it just isn't as good. This album is a little bit twee, a bit too soft, and doesn't really have the oomph that even the Little Richard album did. I don't know fifties music well at all, but this embodies what I think of when I think of middle of the road towards the end of the decade. Maybe this is a bit unfair, but I feel he'd be much less well-known know had he not died in that tragic plane crash.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I am a huge Pink Floyd fan, so this is totally biased, but this is an incredible piece of music. We've had some prog rock on our list already, which was average at best, but this showcases what you can do with the genre. That being said, it's still probably only my third favourite Pink Floyd album It's not as iconic a sound or as tightly crafted as Dark Side of The Moon, but it tells this wonderful story that is comprehensible and relatable (two things which prog rock normally struggles with), and has this amazing haunting sound throughout. It flows perfectly between tracks, managing to switch the mood several times without it feeling jarring; it's clearly one piece of work rather than an assortment of tracks. And it does singles way better than almost any prog rock (Dark Side of The Moon included) album I've heard. Another Brick In The Wall, Run Like Hell, and Hey You are all brilliant standalone songs that you can take out of this.
Crowded House
2/5
Just a bit beige. Some really nice songs in there, particularly in the first half, but the album really dragged. Had it been ten minutes shorter, might have snagged a 3, but as it is it only merits the top end of a 2. Weather With You is lovely though, and I did know Fall At Your Feet before (but only because James Blunt covered it).
Ice Cube
2/5
Given the reviews above, I thought it'd be worse than it was, but I think we'll get a lot better hip hop than this. Mixes in some interesting social commentary that would've been pretty inflammatory in 1990 (but feels a bit stale now) with a lot of lines that made me wince pretty hard. It's pretty crude in a lot of places - 'Get off my my dick and tell your bitch to come here' as the title of a song sounds like a bad parody of rap, and the attitude towards women in general is pretty grim. Also, I'm not a prude, but the unrelenting tide of bitch/nigga/dick is pretty wearing and it loses its edge by the end because you're so worn down. 2/5.
Joy Division
3/5
This was mixed. Some really good songs in there, mixed in with some slightly tedious dirge. I much prefer their other album. This one just sneaks a 3.
David Bowie
2/5
OK. Young Americans was a good opener, then it builds up nicely through the middle of the album, and I was really enjoying it by track 5. Then the cover of Across The Universe comes along. I really like the song, but this cover is just not very good, it doesn't add anything to the original and he just uses increasingly sillier voices through the song. Took the edge off the album for me, the track after that isn't great and I never really liked Fame. 2/5.
Heaven 17
1/5
Dross. Boring, beige synthesiser stuff which has been done so much better by a lot of other people. Opening track is the best of the bunch, which isn't saying much. 1/5.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
This is... strange... A particularly weird start, and roughly alternates between mostly short, punky songs that are kind of cool and weird instrumental breakdowns that are just strange. 2/5, would've been higher if they'd have skipped a load of the particularly peculiar stuff. Won't listen again.
Tom Waits
3/5
This is cool. Not 5/5, but I think a solid 3, pushing a 4. His voice is obviously really weird, but I do like it, and there's a really nice variety in the song mix, from blues to full on crooner. All with a lovely helping of gravel.
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
This is a bit dull tbh. Slightly elevated lift music. Not unpleasant to have on in the background, but it didn't grip me at all. 2/5.
Aerosmith
2/5
Short and sweet(ish). Just squeaks over half an hour, but nothing particularly memorable. Like Tim said above, I knew a fair few Aerosmith songs before listening, but none of these. Won't listen to many again, but I did like the last one (I do have a weakness for schmaltzy cheesy rock ballads though). 2/5.
Queen Latifah
3/5
This is really fun, great beat and energy to it, little bit corny but not too much. Bit too long, could've stripped it back a little and pushed it higher, but 3/5 seems fair.
The Cure
3/5
Started off thinking 'this is really cool', but it's just too long (both the album as a whole and most of the individual songs, particularly when you get to the second half of the album). That said, I'll definitely be listening to a few of these songs again - Pictures Of You, Fascination Street, and the title track my favourites. 3/5, too long and samey for a 4 but it's just too good to be a two.
Bee Gees
2/5
Started brightly, sounded like a good Elton John album, but fell away pretty quickly into saccharine ballad territory. Not one for the ages, 2/5.
Spiritualized
4/5
Really like this. One of the few albums we've had so far that I've actually listed to from start to finish before, but it must've been at least a decade since I last heard it all the way through. That beginning section is wonderful, it tails off a little in the middle, and then picks up again at the end with that closer. Just squeaks a 4 for me.
Al Green
3/5
Fine, but a bit dull. Gentle, smooth listening with a bit of soul, a couple of stand out songs that elevate it to a 3, but mostly background music really.
The Stone Roses
4/5
This is really, really good. One of the best we've had, comfortable 4 and not far off a 5. It flows really nicely (like a proper album), there are quite a few really good songs on there (it'd still be a decent album even if you only had 2 out of I Wanna Be Adored, She Bangs The Drums, Waterfall, Made of Stone, and I Am the Resurrection, let alone all 5), and there's not a lot of filler. It does dip a bit briefly in the middle (the main culprit being the weird reworking of Scarborough Fair into Elizabeth My Dear), but not a lot. Without a couple of those tracks, it'd be close to a 5; if you tightened it all up and took 30s to a minute out of most of the tracks, it'd comfortably get a 5.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
Not great, but not actively offensive either. Fine background music, the kind of thing you'd expect to hear playing in a hotel lobby, but no edge or interest. The penultimate song (You Didn't Have To Be So Nice) has a child singing on it and is vomit-inducing. Sits at the bottom end of a 2.
Elis Regina
3/5
Definitely better than the Brazilian album we had yesterday - has a lot more edge to it, and attitude. Think it just sneaks a three, although not sure I'd ever listen to it again.
Tom Waits
2/5
I like this much less than the previous TW album we had. In places, sounds like a parody of himself - the opening track in particular is pretty painful to listen to. That said, I do really like his voice when he doesn't try to go too fast/jolly with the music. Hang Down Your Head works nicely, and Downtown Train is superb. There's too much weirdness on this album for me, which keeps it firmly in the 2 category.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
His voice is gorgeous, and some of these songs are really pretty. However, there's nothing here that really elevates it. I think it just scrapes a 3, it's a perfectly pleasant listen but doesn't hit any real heights.
Pixies
3/5
Fine, but not particularly mind-blowing. A bit too angry and shouty for my tastes at the beginning, but settles down a bit without losing its energy. Nothing that really stands out, bottom end of a 3 I think.
The Pogues
3/5
I love this kind of music, a kind of fusion between Irish folk and punk (hope we get some Dropkick Murphys on this list too), and this is a really clever album in the way it incorporates both of those and a load of other influences. That said, the quality of this is pretty variable, a lot of ups, but a lot of mediocrity there too. I think it's the top end of a 3 for me, doesn't do quite enough to get into a four (but a lot of the reviews on the site say that there's a better Pogues album out there, fingers crossed it makes the list).
Sepultura
1/5
I was hoping this would be an album called Sepultra by the Roots. It wasn't. I'm not a fan of screaming metal at all really (although one of the plus points of this singer was that it was relatively easy to understand the lyrics). Still, this genre of music has never done anything for me really, and this album has done nothing to change that. 1/5.
David Crosby
2/5
Dull as ditchwater. I looked it up afterwards, and there's a host of really interesting musicians on it (Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Neil Young), but I barely noticed any of it because it offered almost nothing. It's fine background music I guess, but without anything to lift it above a million other similar albums, despite the stellar cast. I finished listening to it about an hour ago... if only I could remember a single song... 2/5, only getting that because it's not actively unpleasant to listen to.
Earth, Wind & Fire
2/5
This album ends up being a bit dull - it can't decide whether it wants to be soul or disco. It ends up not having the richness and depth of a good soul album, and not being as fun or as energetic as a good disco record. Nothing on there that I'll ever seek out to listen to again. Feels like what Magic FM probably plays at 3 am. 2/5.
Supertramp
2/5
This is not particularly gripping. I'm pretty busy at work today, so maybe not giving it the attention it deserves, but it's quite formulaic I think. Nothing really stood out to me, once the album was over I went back and listened to the most played songs to see if I'd missed something. If I had, it didn't reveal itself to me on a second listen.
Pretenders
3/5
Good energy to this, but ultimately not that interesting. Brass in Pocket the clear standout, but I did like the sass throughout. 3/5, just.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Quick re-listen, as I listen to this quite often anyway. It's really, really good - crackles with energy, switches moods all quite smoothly, and there's not a bad song on it I don't think? 4/5, great stuff.
3/5
Yes? No! Well, not really. I quite enjoyed the first track, felt very Genesis, but it doesn't quite have the energy to get you through 18 minutes - it's got some at the beginning, and kicks into gear at the end, but slows down a bit too much in the middle. I think I will listen again, feels like the sort of thing that will grow on me, but the thing really putting me off is the nasty Simon & Garfunkel cover (the original is a song that I really like). I think I'll give it a 3, just.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
This is really fun - loses its way in places (the lowlight was the 45 second 'He's So Unusual' which sounds like a super saccharine 50s musical song), but generally bustling with energy, good bit of attitude, and a couple of all time classics. Time After Time beats Girls Just Wanna Have Fun for me, but the Spotify listener numbers have it the other way round. Just falls short of a four, but not by a lot.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Never heard of them. I don't think that there's much that really stands out here, but it's a really well put together album, the sound is good (if a little generic rock), and it's a fun listen. Wikipedia says that they're a grunge band, but I don't get that at all? Comfortable 3 for me, could've made a four if there had been a bit more to make it unique.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
This was quite nice - perfectly pleasant to listen to, but not particularly exciting or gripping. Wouldn't switch it off if it came on, wouldn't choose to switch it on either. 2/5.
The Beach Boys
4/5
It is outrageous that this was created in the mid-60s. I find the Beach Boys in general a bit schmaltzy, but this is really well put together, and Wouldn't It Be Nice / God Only Knows are all-time classics (God Only Knows being the better of the two). Could get a 5, but I just don't like their type of music enough to put it up with the best albums I've ever listened to. 4 it is.
Lightning Bolt
2/5
There were parts of this that were fun, interesting sounds - these guys can clearly play their instruments - but they didn't take it anywhere worth listening to. Very little coherence, nothing behind it. Noise rock is a very apt name. 2/5 as it had quite a few moments of interest, but definitely nothing more than that.
The Beach Boys
2/5
BORING! Having had Pet Sounds a couple of picks ago, this one was so much less interesting (despite being just a year earlier). Saccharine pop, very twee, nothing really to recommend it at all, and the lyrics are so bland. Scrapes a 2.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
This was... okay... Everyone obviously knows Immigrant Song, Since I've Been Loving You is a great slower song, and I really like the gentle sound on Tangerine. But, as a whole, it's not super gripping - I expect we've got better LedZep to come... 3/5.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Listened to this without really concentrating yesterday, didn't enjoy it particularly. Listened to it again this morning, and have completely changed my tune. We had that Rufus Wainwright album a week or so ago, and this feels like what that could have been - both have wonderful, haunting voices, but JB is just better at imparting energy and emotion into the music. There's a great variety here, from slow, almost creepy sounds to proper rock music (often within the same song!). Solid 4/5 for me. The Hallelujah cover is obviously amazing (but I've heard it so many times that the effect is starting to wear off), and the title track is also brilliant.
Digital Underground
2/5
It's quite fun for a while, but I lost interest in it pretty quickly - an hour of this stuff is just too much. Probably would've stepped up to 3 had it been a tighter 35-45 minutes, but there's too much filler (both in the album as a whole and within a lot of the individual tracks), so it's a 2. Won't ever put it on again, I imagine, but don't regret listening to it.
Pulp
5/5
One of the few albums on this list that I have listened to the whole way through a load of times before. This is proper nostalgia for me - I would've only been 5 when this came out, but my dad loved it so it was on in the car all the time. In retrospect, the lyrics are really inappropriate for a five year old to be listening to, but I don't think it's messed me up too badly! I can't give it anything other than a 5, the combination of some proper singalongs (Common People & Disco 2000 the most obvious) with a few of their hallmark album tracks (the slightly creepy, slower songs like I Spy and Live Bed Show) with a proper ballad (Something Changed) and some really clever social/political commentary. Fits together really well as an album, and closes nicely with the energy in Monday Morning into the drunken ramble of Bar Italia. Mile End (which is only on the Deluxe Edition) is also well worth a listen (and not just because I live just round the corner from there).
The Clash
3/5
Think we can file The Clash under 'bands I don't like as much as everyone else'. This is definitely better than the other one that we listened to, but it's not a showstopper for me. Title track is a classic, but it's pretty much all downhill from there (although Train In Vain is also great to finish it off). A lot more variety than the previous album (which is good) and it hangs together quite nicely, but loses points for being too long with too much filler. 3/5.
The Isley Brothers
2/5
I like this - it's gentle, easy listening in the most part. It's aged pretty well (other than the odd lyric that is slightly iffy in its attitude to women), but it doesn't offer anything particularly spectacular or lifechanging. 2/5.
Steely Dan
2/5
Just a bit dull, really. Inoffensive, and a bit one-paced. No stand out tracks (unlike the last Steely Dan album we had), but it's well put together. 2/5.
DJ Shadow
2/5
Listened to this for the first time yesterday, and didn't get it. Saw all the love it was getting on here, so listened to it again this morning, and... still don't get it. It's clearly cleverly put together, but the resulting sound isn't one that particularly appeals to me. 2/5.
Elastica
3/5
Enjoyed this, more so on the second listen this morning than my first yesterday. Hadn't heard of them before really, but do remember Connection. It's a good sound, and keeps the quality pretty high all the way through, although was a bit samey bar a couple of tracks. 3/5, not miles off a four.
The Band
3/5
It's perfectly pleasant and competent from a musical perspective, but not really challenging. The themes / subject matter are interesting, but the music doesn't change enough to tell the different stories in a particularly interesting way. Re: the confederacy stuff, it does get dangerously close to tipping into longing for the good old days of slavery etc. - apparently the writers did try to make sure that it was telling the story from the perspective of one non-slave owning Southerner who lost his brother in the war, but they didn't clarify that until 2020... 2/5, not miles off a 3 though.
Killing Joke
2/5
Listened to this on Friday and thought it wasn't great then, flicking through it now and I don't disagree with past me. Not awful, but not particularly good either. Not my favourite genre, and I don't think a particularly good example of it. 2/5.
Blur
2/5
Had never listened to a Blur album before (although obviously know quite a few of the singles). Song 2 always transports me back to 1998 and playing the world cup Fifa game (think that was the one where they had the indoor mode too)? Overall, though, decidedly underwhelmed. Maybe there's a better Blur album out there (there must be, surely?), but if there's not then I've no idea how Blur vs Oasis was even close. 2/5.
Aerosmith
3/5
Listened to this not long after the generator first gave it to us. Clearly didn't generate a huge amount of energy in me! That said, listening to it again now, it's decent - not outstanding, but fits together nicely, doesn't outstay its welcome, and Walk This Way / Sweet Emotion elevate it a level. 3/5.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
I think I liked this more than most of you, but it's got some pretty big flaws. It's far too long (both some of the tracks on their own and definitely the album as a whole). Lazarus is great, and if you skip the first minute then so is the opening track. The rest of it is fine, but nothing else really stands out. 2/5.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Really like bits of this - Brown Sugar a classic, and Wild Horses is even better. Then it starts to go a bit downhill. Can't You Hear Me Knocking is overblown and self-indulgent, You Gotta Move carries on in the same vein, but it picks up again after that with Bitch and I Got The Blues. Nice, slow, really bluesy sound carries on a little, then gets more upbeat in style for Dead Flowers and Moonlight Mile is a nice chilled ending. Comfortable 3 for me, probably would've made a 4 without the two tracks that annoyed me in the middle.
Elvis Costello
2/5
I thought this would be pure crooning before listening, but it's got a fair bit more energy than I expected, which is great. Short, sharp, and snappy songs, that blend into each other quite nicely with a couple of changes of pace. No particular standout, but nothing unpleasant either (although he crosses the line into crooning on Alison). Just fails to squeak into 3/5 territory I think, so a gentleman's 2 for me.
Portishead
3/5
Liked this a lot - it's a bit miserable and definitely not an album for all times and moods, but it's done really well and consistently good all the way through. Not often that an album ends with its best song, but this one did. Just falls shy of a 4, but not by much.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Suffers a bit from coming straight after Portishead - just not quite as good as that. But, the music is a bit more upbeat (even if the songs aren't really). I like the title track, but not much of the rest is super memorable. Yesterday was the top end of a 3, this is the bottom end.
Pavement
2/5
I'd never heard this album before, but it definitely felt like I had - feel like it sounds like a genericised version of a lot of the much better music that was coming out around that time. No real standout tracks, not unpleasant to listen to but not deserving of any more than a 2.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
I can't decide whether this is complete pseudo-nonsense or whether I really like it... there are some really creepy lyrics in it, the style is all over the place, and it's all a bit mad, but there's something about it that's really interesting. I don't think I'll ever listen to the whole lot again, but there's a couple of tracks that I'll stick on a playlist somewhere. A fair 3 - could've been a 4 without the aggressive creepiness.
AC/DC
4/5
4/5, but a low 4. Starts really well, the opening couple of tracks are great, then fades a little before the two absolute classics, Back In Black and You Shook Me All Night Long. Then fades again at the end. Won't come back to it as an album, but happy to have discovered the first two tracks.
Hole
2/5
2/5. Not great, but better than I expected given some of the reviews here! No real standout tracks, angry, mostly tuneless grunge without much to say really. Can't imagine I'll ever listen to it or any song on it on purpose, but wasn't offensive enough to give a one.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
1/5
Started tedious, and got worse. I did laugh when he did an intro spiel about how people often seek solace in sleep, but that it sometimes made it worse, before launching into a song about bed bugs :D then we have what sounds like a hostage situation with Woody Guthrie to start track 5. Now he's quacking at the end of track 6 (which is about geese, who don't quack. They hiss or honk). Next track wasn't offensive until he started yodelling midway through. Back to inoffensive but interesting for the next couple, then whiny, and then a song that is better than the others but still not good. He just really can't sing very well. 1/5, but only because I can't give a 0. Probably the worst thing we've had so far, but at least he had the good manners to stop after half an hour.
Richard Hawley
3/5
This is... not what I expected... but really quite good. Very easy, gentle listening in general, and he takes it up a notch every now and then. It's an interesting sound, somewhere between crooner and the slightly arch conversational style (you can tell he was in Pulp for a bit!). I'm coming into this after a little run of really dire albums, so resisting the urge to overrate this one because it's not them, but it comfortably merits a 3. The Ocean in particular is a great song, title track is good, and none of the rest are bad.
Solange
2/5
Meh. Not unpleasant to listen to but, despite the punchy subject matter, the musical style is pretty slow and gentle which doesn't really work. Veers into being preachy and self-righteous. 2/5.
Jorge Ben Jor
2/5
yay, more Brazilian stuff. 2/5 this, we've had worse Brazilian music and this was a bit funkier and cooler than the previous. Still not of huge interest.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
This is beautiful, very gentle, folksy music. There aren't many cleverer lyricists than Paul Simon, but this is all a little bit too gentle for me. Homeward Bound is the best of the bunch, and Scarborough Fair / 59th Street Bridge Song not too far behind, but it doesn't have enough bite. 3/5.
Can
3/5
Mad. Absolutely mad. There is so much going on that is absolutely bonkers. I think this'll need another couple of listens at least to properly appreciate, but I think it might be a bit too out there for me. Starts really well, but the descent into madness of the two 17 minute songs is a bit much. I think someone mentioned they have some slightly more accessible stuff? Well up for that, 3/5 for this though, just about. Definitely want to try some slightly less intimidating krautrock though.
The Kinks
3/5
This is fun, nice and jolly and easy to listen to. Not much that elevates it though - Sunny Afternoon is superb, but not much else that I think I'm likely to go back to. Just squeaks a 3 as well.
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
Not for me, Clive. A couple of good moments - more towards the end of the album than the beginning - but not my cup of tea. It mostly fits well together (although there are a couple of jarring moments), and there's a bit of variety in there, but it's a bit too grim. There are a couple of tracks on there which are really unpleasantly sexual, and the guy needs to pick and choose where to swear better. I imagine NIN don't get compared to Ice Cube much, but I felt similarly after listening to his album - a bit gross. 2/5. Did like Ruiner though.
Queen
3/5
Mixed on this - it flows together beautifully, it shows off Freddie's voice beautifully, and it's a really fun concept. But, it's so overblown (probably at least a bit deliberately?) that it takes some of the shine off, and there are some bits that don't work very well (I'm In Love With My Car is not great, and The Prophet's Song is a bit too prog-rocky in a bad way). Doesn't quite make a 4, even with Bohemian Rhapsody in it.
Guided By Voices
3/5
I don't think I'd ever listen to a single track of this on its own, none of them particularly stand out. But, together, it kinda works? 28 songs in 41 minutes is completely mad, but it's good fun, the fact you change tracks every 90 seconds or so means it has this manic energy to it which I like. But don't think I can give anything more than a 3 to an album where I don't really like any of the tracks individually!
Grateful Dead
3/5
Nice, gentle, country folk style stuff. A couple of recognisable songs (Friend of the Devil and Ripple), but was all a bit chilled. 3/5, pleasant enough to listen to but not particularly memorable.
The Everly Brothers
2/5
It's a bit twee, isn't it... At least it would be if the lyrics weren't so casually chauvinistic. You can miss that quite easily given the nature of the music, but it feels so dated because of that. It's well sung and performed (and nice and short), but can't give it any more than a 2.
The Fall
4/5
4 for me. Had heard of The Fall (almost entirely due to the big fanfare of publicity they got when Mark Smith died), but never knowingly listened to any of their stuff. I started out thinking that it wasn't really my thing, it's almost a bit too noisy and jarring, but after a few tracks I started to get properly into it. Really solid quality all the way through, I thought, didn't really tail off in any way. It's all a bit weirk, dark, and quirky, but it fits together really well and I like it a lot.
TV On The Radio
3/5
More obviously my kind of music than most we've had recently, but not one I'd heard before. This is a really nice sound, something in between Bloc Party and M83 in that it's quite synthy indie stuff. Will listen to this again for sure, but I don't think it offers quite enough to make a 4 (although I'm sure it would if I'd come across it back then).
Chicago
3/5
A cosy, pleasant enough listen with a nice big band sound, and I like the sax that pops up in most of the tracks. But as others have said before me, it's all just too much, the songs are almost all too long, and it is very self-indulgent. Just squeaks a 3, would've been edging close to a 4 if it was 20% shorter.
The Crusaders
2/5
Perfectly fine background music, quite a pleasant listen if you're not really concentrating, but doesn't offer a huge amount beyond that. A step above lift music, but only a small step. 2/5.
The Replacements
3/5
A comfortable 3, pushing a 4. Really strong, consistent album with some solid tracks right the way through (and a couple of less good ones like the one about Gary's Boner!). But, there's nothing there that elevates it to the level above, nothing that which is why it stays at a 3. Could do with sanding off the rough edges a little, but did enjoy listening to it.
The White Stripes
4/5
This is great. 4/5. Seven Nation Army has been done to death and beyond, but it's still an amazing song, and what a way to open an album! The energy is really high right through (even though the pace changes a bit). Falls away a little towards the end (no need for the little monologue about squirrels or the weird last track), but a proper banger. Well worth the listen, will revisit for sure.
The Stooges
3/5
Didn't look at the release date for this initially (although you'd have thought I'd get a clue from the first song!), but was very impressed when I did - this feels very ahead of its time (actually in places sounds really similar to the White Stripes album that I just listened to before this). Do I actually like it though? Not massively... can see that it's totally trailblazing, but didn't actually enjoy listening to it that much. The 11 minute track is absurd, even the first two tracks could probably have benefitted from being a bit shorter (but are still pretty good), and after that it's fine but doesn't below me away. 3/5 overall.
Miriam Makeba
2/5
She's got a great voice, and it doesn't sound dated despite being 60+ years old. That said, I really didn't enjoy it, it's not my style of music at all, so it gets a 2.
Manu Chao
2/5
This was fine. I'd listened to a bit of Manu Chao before when I was a teenager (it was the exotic international stuff that you listened to because you thought it made you look sophisticated rather than because you actually enjoy it). It's great background music for a bar somewhere where it's sunny, the sea isn't far away, and you're sipping cocktails. Unfortunately I'm in my home office in Bethnal Green and I'm sipping a cold coffee (cold because I made it about an hour ago, not because it's supposed to be). Sun's shining though... Still, not really for me, fine to stick on the background but nothing more. 2/5.
New York Dolls
4/5
Loved this, it's the best punk album we've had so far IMO. Given it's a punk record, goes without saying that it's full of energy and edge, but they hold it together really well. It teeters on the edge of being a bit too sleazy, but just stays on the right side of the line and is all the better for that. Solid consistency all the way through, it's a few yeras after the Stooges record we had recently and it seems to have taken that sound and refined it to make something that bit better. 4/5.
Beastie Boys
3/5
So much better as an album that the previous Beastie Boys one we had, fits together much better and it's much more consistently good throughout the album. I do find them hard work to listen to for more than a couple of tracks at a time though. I think this is the high end of a 3 from me - a couple of good songs (Shake Your Rump and Johnny Ryall my favourites), but I just don't like their style enough to rate it higher than that.
Ravi Shankar
2/5
This was not for me. Did quite enjoy the track where he explained how it all worked, but the actual sitar music itself is just so dull. The intro track saves it from being a 1, but only just. 2/5.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
This is good, but not great I think? I don't know the Chemical Brothers album by album, but I don't think that there's quite enough here to excite me compared to some of their other work. That said, it's definitely not a bad listen - the fact that I was happy to listen to an hour of dance music at 7.30-8.30 on a Monday morning suggests it must be pretty good - but there weren't any tracks that really stood out. I tend to prefer their more psychedelic stuff, so the end of the album was more me than the start, but still a good album. Top end of a 3.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would... Basically, it's better than the previous Neil Young albums because there's a lot more to hide his voice than usual (the songs suit it better, there's more backing vocals, and there's much more weight given to the instrumental parts). Still not exactly mind-blowing, but scrapes a 3 as I'm in a generous move and it is better than the two other Neil Young albums we've had.
Finley Quaye
2/5
Not listened to this before, I knew one of his songs that wasn't on this album, and don't have any nostalgia for this at all. Not particularly fond of it to be honest, it's fine background music but doesn't offer a lot more than that (although it goes a bit weird sometimes). Voice sounds quite similar to Maverick Sabre, but compares unfavourably I'd say? Can't give this any more than a 2, there's a couple of good tracks (I liked Sunday Shining most) but nothing much more.
Eagles
3/5
I've seen the Eagles live, and they weren't very good. Played their guitars and sang beautifully, but there wasn't any stage presence or much in the way of energy. I went into this with quite low expectations, but it was a lot better than I expected. Hotel California is at that stage where it's a great song that I've heard so many times it takes the edge off, but there are plenty of other good songs on this album too. Lots more edge in the lyrics than I expected, I came into this thinking it would all be kinda kitschy country-ish (and New Kid in Town doesn't do much to disabuse that), but there's plenty of variety and a decent bit of wit too. 3/5, top end and not far off of a 4.
ABBA
3/5
This is one of those albums that I'd be shocked by anyone giving it a 1 or a 5, it's middle of the road, slightly tarted up gentle pop with a couple of stronger songs. I quite enjoyed this, an easy three. Straight down the middle, more or less like the music.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
This starts off OK, feels like a nice entry to what'll turn into a Creedence Clearwater Revival type album, but loses all it's energy pretty quickly and never really gets it back. It's too long, too meandering, and too boring to get anything higher than a 2. It's fine background music and not actively unpleasant, but nothing more.
The Doors
3/5
Not as good as the last Doors album we had, but still a really good listen. Strong 3 out of 5, just shy of a 4. It's a good album, the quality keeps up the whole way through, but I don't think there are individual songs that really lift this up to a 4 or 5. Will probably listen to this again, it's good music both for working to and for active listening.
Bon Jovi
4/5
This is brilliant. Knows exactly what it is, doesn't try to be anything more than anthemic stadium rock that is of its time, and totally nails it. Can see how people would dislike the style (and if the album was 15 minutes longer it would definitely get a bit too much for me), but I love the exuberance and the energy. Is it the most musically sophisticated album we've listened to? No. Are the lyrics particularly insightful? No, it's Springsteen without the depth. Is it the most fun album we've had so far, 130 albums in? Probably, yeah. 4/5.
Sugar
3/5
Also like this - I knew Hoover Dam (think the Spotify algorithm recommended it to me a couple of years ago and it stuck), but nothing else by Sugar, and it's good fun. An easy three, doesn't do enough for me to lift it above others of its type and get into the 4/5 range, but a pleasant listen. Might not ever go back to the full album again, but if it comes on I certainly wouldn't be switching it off. It's pretty consistent the whole way through, wouldn't say there's a bad song on it, and a good bit of oomph to it. I had the remastered edition on, and it's clear to see that the real sound they like is a bit more raw than this. Unlike Tim, I prefer the recorded version of Hoover Dam to that live one, it's too scratchy and raw for me.
Kraftwerk
3/5
This is a really interesting listen, but I don't really like it. Must've been groundbreaking in 1977, and probably was the grandfather of a lot of music that I like more than this, but it's just a bit too weird for me. It's all very repetitive, and really creepy. I did quite like The Hall of Mirrors for its over the top creepiness, that felt quite clever, but the rest is just creepy without being OTT. 3/5 for me, it's clever, well-done and clearly groundbreaking, but not that enjoyable.
Milton Nascimento
2/5
I see no way to differentiate this from the fifty million other Brazilian albums that we've had. Honestly, I'm baffled by the reviews on the site being able to go into so much detail about it, I listened to it twice yesterday and have already forgotten almost everything about it. 2/5 as it was perfectly fine to have on in the background.
Shuggie Otis
2/5
Completely different to the album yesterday, but somehow exactly the same. Some very nice sounds that are gentle and easy to listen to, but nothing that is in any way memorable. Just read the Wikipedia page, and I know that album sales aren't everything, but it reached 184 in the album chart at its peak and the single hit number 56. It's not particularly influential I don't think, there's certainly nothing new here as far as I can tell. Literally no idea why it's on this list. 2/5.
Beach House
2/5
Couldn't get into this at all. Listened to it the first time last week, thought it was dull, then listened to it again when a couple of you thought it was really good and still didn't get it, then listened to it again this morning and still find it dull. Too beige for me, doesn't do enough to elevate it above background music. 2/5.
Faith No More
3/5
This is decent - the start of the album is great, and the guy's voice is great for this kind of music, sounds like the lovechild of Jon Bon Jovi and Axel Rose. But, it goes a bit downhill after the first four tracks to be honest. Gets a bit too long, drawn out, and self indulgent in places and doesn't quite have the same pizazz as the first section.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Simon & Garfunkel always seem to have one foot in the too twee camp and one in the beautiful, brilliant folk song camp. This is no different - the first few tracks illustrate this perfectly, Bridge Over Troubled Water (brilliant), El Condor Pasa (weird and incredibly twee) and Cecilia (great). The Boxer and The Only Living Boy in New York are also super songs, which gets this album a squeaky 4 - just about.
Steve Winwood
3/5
This was nice, easy listening stuff but with a little more oomph than most easy listening. Lovely background music, there's a bit more there if you choose to listen to it, but not a huge amount. Just scrapes a 3.
D'Angelo
1/5
Doesn't even scrape a 2. It's really dull musically, and the lyrics are both cliches and throwbacks to the creepy lyrics you'd get in 50s/60s music but without the innocence that gave the oldies a bit of an excuse. Would've got a 2 had I only been half listening to it, but the lyrics drop it down to a 1 as it made it actively unpleasant to listen to.
Judas Priest
4/5
This is class. I always get nervous about metal because I hate screamer songs, but this is not that at all, I'd barely class it as metal really. Little bit cheesy in places, but it stands up forty years later and I will definitely be listening again. 4/5.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Expected a bit more from this - it's all a bit too gentle for my liking. There are a couple of songs that step it up a bit (Beginning To See The Light probably my favourite), but tough to give this any more than a 3.
Bad Company
3/5
Not quite sure what I think of this. A little bit overblown - despite not even being 35 minutes long, each of the tracks felt a bit longer than they needed to be. That said, other than that there's nothing bad about it, but there's not really anything that makes it stand out either. A bog standard, middle of the road 3 for me, Clive.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Not for me. This is one of those albums that is trailblazing and influenced loads of other groups, but it's just not that interesting in the context of knowing what comes after it. It sounds so dated, both the style and the lyrics. Rock Box the best of a bang average bunch, 2/5.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
This is some reasonably pretty but unexciting folksy music punctuated with a couple of brilliant songs. America is possibly my favourite S&G song, it's much closer to most of what they do than Bridge Over Troubled Water or Mrs Robinson, and it really shows off how good Paul Simon is at telling a story in song. Then towards the end of the album the pace picks up, about thirty seconds into Mrs Robinson, that and Hazy Shade of Winter would've made a wonderful climax to the album, but they then inexplicably put a song about going to the zoo at the end It's not awful, and would have fitted nicely a bit earlier in the album, but feels a bit jarring here. 3/5 for this one, really not far off of a 4 though.
Frank Zappa
3/5
I was not expecting to like this having read the description that 'because Hot Rats largely consists of instrumental jazz-influenced compositions with extensive soloing, the music sounds very different from earlier Zappa albums', but actually it's really quite good, isn't it? Suffers from the same issue as almost every instrumental album in that it goes on a little too long and gets repetitive in places, but the sound is great and it's a super background soundtrack to get some work done to. Loses it's way a little towards the end, but I think it gets a comfortable 3.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
Pretty beige in the most part. Alanis Morrissette without the anger, pain, and lyrical cleverness. Run Baby Run and All I Wanna Do are good enough pop songs, but it's all a bit bland with a couple of real stinkers in there (yes, I'm looking at you, Solidify and The Na-Na Song). 2/5.
The Byrds
2/5
This is fine, perfectly pleasant to listen to but not a whole lot more than that. Jingly jangly and a bit dull, takes a lot of the energy out of their covers and don't add much else. 2/5 for me.
Paul Simon
4/5
I love this - really not far off getting a 5. I knew a few of the songs, but never listened to the album from start to finish. What elevates it from other S&G stuff is the quality of the album as a whole - all the albums we've had from them have had a least 1 or 2 really good songs, but amongst a sea of mostly forgettable folksy stuff. Graceland and You Can Call Me Al are the two standouts on this album, but the rest is much much stronger. Have listened to this 3-4 times over today and yesterday already in the background whilst working, and will happily listen to it again. There's so much variety in the album (with a clear African flavour to it).
The xx
3/5
This is a good listen, but definitely fades towards the end. Don't quite understand how they got so popular tbh - it's not super accessible, and it's quite laid back and chilled out. Not my favourite, but a comfortable three heading in the direction of (but not reaching) a four. Probably would have made 4 if it had stayed at the level that the first three tracks set.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Well, this is odd. I'm kinda glad that I've listened to it, it's definitely interesting, but I can't imagine ever going back to it again. It's very much harking back to ages past, the style is very folky (with a strong hint of Celtic in there) and the stories the songs tell feel almost medieval. The singer's voice is fantastic, haunting when it needs to be and gets mroe upbeat to. Overall a 3/5 - it's definitely worth a listen but I'm not going to rush to seek out more of their stuff.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
These guys are great - distinctive voice and sound, great energy, and really fun songs. 4/5, last track of the original 7 drags it down. Born On The Bayou and Proud Mary are super songs.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Really not much here. Jane Says is a really good song, but other than that there's not much to recommend it at all. 2/5, pushing a 3 because of the strength of that song. Quite cringey in places.
3/5
Was expecting a lot more from this than I got. A really strong start with those first three tracks, but even those are a bit elongated and could've done with shaving off a minute apiece. The rest is just a bit dull. Middle of the range 3, really all because of the beginning.
Johnny Cash
4/5
This is great - a solid 4 which is impressive given that so many of the songs are covers. Will very happily listen to it again, a great bunch of songs although it plays more like a collection of hits than it does an album. The opening track definitely my favourite, but it's a great opening 3 songs in particular.
Beatles
3/5
This hasn't aged as well as a lot of the other Beatles albums (or maybe I've just grown out of this sort of thing), it's a bit too saccharine. The opener / title track still hits reasonably hard, but any edge that had is very much filed down through the vast majority of the rest of the album. That said, it's a really solid pop album that keeps up the pace through a tight 30 minutes with a couple of really big hits, so it's a comfortable 3.
The Pretty Things
2/5
This was a big old bucket of not very much. Sounds ahead of its time, but not in a particularly interesting or exciting way. There's a lot of talk in the reviews and wikipedia about similarities to The Who's Tommy - by all accounts Tommy is a lot better. This doesn't really have any memorable tracks, the story of the album isn't particularly clear and it just all sounds a bit beige. 2/5
David Bowie
2/5
Not for me, this one. I think I don't really like Bowie as much as most people do, we've had a couple of his albums now and I haven't really gotten along with any of them. I've read that this album is really influential etc., but I didn't find it a particularly enjoyable listen. It doesn't feel like it's finished, loads of the songs either drift out or end a bit abruptly. Sound and Vision is the best of a pretty average bunch (but even that feels like it's missing something despite a really good hook). 2/5.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Listened to this first last week, and didn't get it at all. Listened again this morning and get it a little bit. I do want to give it another listen to see if it keeps growing on me, but need to move on to catch up with the rest for now (and also to give my ears a bit of a rest, that album is quite hard work!). It's too long, but there's some glimpses of gold in there once you dig a bit deeper, it's not accessible by any means but I will certainly go back to it. 3/5 for now, may well update to a 4 in a few more listens time.
New Order
2/5
Can't give this anything more than 2, there really isn't anything of particular interest. Janky synth notes, uninteresting lyrics, feels incredibly dated. Best bits are when they relegate the synthesiser to the background and let the guitars play, but those are too few and far between.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
I shouldn't like Janis Joplin's voice, it's way too gravelly and it feels like she pushes every note too hard, but I really do. There's so much energy to this, and a couple of real stand out songs - Piece of my Heart is the best, with Summertime not far behind. Solid 3/5, but it's not consistently good enough for a 4.
The Waterboys
2/5
I liked the title track on this, but not much afterwards tbh other than Sweet Thing. 2/5. I like the type of music that this almost is, when it has a bit more energy like Dropkick Murphys or a bit more soul like the Pogues, but this doesn't quite reach the heights of either except in the odd place.
Megadeth
2/5
Feels quite dated to me - religion and holy war plus nuclear armageddon is so eighties... I can appreciate that it's technically really good, and well put together, but it doesn't grip me at all. Lyrics are a bit too cheesy, and it doesn't quite work for me. Not unpleasant to listen to, but not one I'll ever go back to. 2/5.
Haircut 100
2/5
This sounds so tired, it's like you've taken a Duran Duran album and sucked out all of the energy. It's super generic and really long, it's only 10 am, I've had a strong coffee, and I still feel like I'm struggling to stay awake during it (although tbf the heat probably doesn't help). Only the first 12 tracks are on the original release, and I have no desire to listen to any more of this than I absolutely have to. 2/5 - just. It is not actively repulsive, just dull as hell. Actually, that seems harsh on hell.
Aphex Twin
3/5
Might be the best electronic album of all time, but it still isn't for me. Maybe my musical ear isn't sophisticated enough to tell the difference between good electronica and bad, but I just don't get that much out of it. It can just scrape a three based on its wider contribution and because it's perfectly fine to have on in the background whilst I work, but I can't justify giving it anything more than that.
Air
2/5
Oh good, more electronica this is way more accessible than Aphex Twin, but what it gains in accessibility it loses in interest. I've heard the second track somewhere before, but can't place it. Everything is a bit too long and rambling, most if not all of these songs could've been a minute shorter and been much better for it. 2/5, nothing to raise it above pleasant background noise.
Kid Rock
2/5
I have never listened to anything that has made me so completely sure that the person responsible for it is a total c**t. It's like the Beastie Boys, mixed with the worst of early 90's rap/hiphop, with any charm or nuance stripped out. Lyrics are a mixture of generic self-promotion that regularly turns into breathtakingly unself-aware arrogance, and lazy misogyny. But, there are bits of it that are quite catchy Nearly burst out laughing with Only God Knows Why (a self-pitying song lamenting how people don't understand him and like him) after ten songs of this, and then immediately followed by a song titled 'Fuck Off' Pretty much every song is at least a minute too long (and there is a line in one of the songs where h talks about the producers telling him this and him ignoring them). 2/5, because it was quite entertaining in places.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Underwhelmed by this to be honest. I'm sure we'll get more Iron Maiden in the next 900 albums, but this just didn't have as much to offer as the Judas Priest and Black Sabbath albums we've had. Maybe that's unfair (as I think this is older than both of those), but it just didn't grab me in the same way that they did. Nothing really wrong with it, but nothing particularly exciting either. 3/5, would've considered giving it a 2 but it definitely doesn't belong with Kid Rock!
Neu!
4/5
I... really liked this... After the Can album (which was a bit too much for me) and Kraftwerk (bit too repetitive and creepy), I thought that Krautrock probably wasn't for me, but this was great. Lovely transition over the course of the album from some really mellow electronica to something approaching heavy metal at the end - I liked it all, but definitely enjoyed the second half more. Sounds incredibly modern for something made in 1975, certainly feels fresher than the Kraftwerk album which came out a couple of years after it. 4/5, really strong.
Incubus
2/5
This was really underwhelming - I wasn't super excited by the prospect of it, but it's got 2 songs on with 100m+ plays on Spotify so I figured it must have some interest to it. It really doesn't, it's pretty bland, not really sure what the genre is but it's not tuneful enough to be poppy or loud and energetic enough to be rock/metal. And it all sounds more or less the same. Not bad enough for a 1, but not close to getting 3. 2/5.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
There are a couple of different versions of this on Spotify - the one it linked me to was the British release, which was 10-15 minutes longer and didn't start with Paint It, Black (which is a real loss). The start of the British version of the album sounds very different to the rest, if it wasn't for Jagger's voice being pretty distinctive it could quite easily have been a Kinks track. Quickly slips back into more American sounding folky rock, which is not unpleasant but not outstanding either. Gets a three, not close to getting a 4 but comfortably above a 2.
Massive Attack
3/5
This was not close to being as good as Blue Lines - Blue Lines seems to have a much more developed sound, despite being three years earlier. This feels more focused on reggae/ska, early tracks very reminiscent of the Specials, and it's just a bit too slow for most of it for me. 3/5, disappointing.
The Youngbloods
2/5
No one had any thoughts on this on Friday, and I can understand why! Starts off quite cool, that opening track sounds like what you'd imagine CCR would if they were a bit less Southern in style, but quickly fades in interest from there. Unoffensive and uninteresting. Decent enough for background listening, but it's nothing more than that. 2/5, but a high 2.
Fever Ray
3/5
Never heard of this before, but quite liked it. The overall sound is interesting, nice gentle electro atmosphere, quite low impact but just enough there to keep me listening. I saw MO at Glastonbury a couple of years ago and that felt very similar to this (albeit a bit more upbeat and with some extra oomph). Would I actually go out of my way to seek this out? Probably not, but it's a perfectly pleasant listen. 3/5
Beastie Boys
3/5
45 minutes of the Beastie Boys is just too much. All the songs sound way too many similar, the slow rapping passed back and forth with the extended notes at at the end of every few lines gets grating after a while. This album takes a while to get going as well, not a great first few tracks, but then a couple of their best songs about halfway through. This gets a 3, relatively high 3 because it's got a couple of their best songs on it but it's really hard work to get through a whole one.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I always confuse Nick Cave and Nick Drake in my head, so the first ten seconds of this really shocked me before I twigged :D It's dark, heavy, and not an easy listen by any means, but I really enjoyed it anyway. It's a double album, the first half (Abattoir Blues) much more rocky and full of energy than the second half. Don't really understand why they released them together tbh, it's a very different vibe and both are plenty long enough to be an album in their own right. I think the first album is a comfortable 4, the other is a middling to high 3, so it's a scraped 4 for the pair together.
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
I do not like this Their two voices mesh together very well, but neither is actually particularly pleasant to listen to so the overall effect is not great. Definitely lives up to what it says on the tin re: tragedy - there are some pretty grim songs on there, the single is about beating a woman to death and getting arrested for it. Other themes include the death of a brother and the subsequent discovery that his sweetheart had been playing away, and a whole lot of Jesus towards the end. 2/5 for me, not far above a 1.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
Yeah, this is class. Doesn't quite make a 5 because there's a bit of filler in there, but it'd have to be quite bad to stop an album with Welcome To The Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine and Paradise City (my personal favourite) getting a 4. Their ballads are much more hit and miss - My Michelle works but a couple of the others don't really. That said, it's a long album at 53 minutes so does need some variety. Would probably have been better at a tight 40 mins with 3-4 tracks fewer, but even as is it's a comfortable 4.
Ozomatli
3/5
Only one track on Spotify, and a few more songs on YouTube. I quite enjoyed what I heard tbh, and would be quite happy to listen to a whole album. Really fun mix of genres, hiphop base with a few different latin influences. 3/5 (on the basis that I think this is what a whole album would've got).
The Sonics
3/5
Quite enjoyed this, although it seems like most of the songs are covers. That's a shame really, because their original stuff has a lot more edge to it than the covers that they do (which are by and large inferior to the originals). All sounds quite raw, it's almost like a precursor to punk, and they sound much better without the very sixties backing vocals they have on most of their covers. 3/5, won't listen to the album again but will add Strychnine to a playlist.
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
Not a lot to say about this album, except that it suddenly grabbed me with the last track. There's so much menace in that, it really suits her voice (which sounds exactly like you'd expect someone who's been through all the things she had to sound), but it doesn't work so well for the rest of the album. Working Class Hero is one of my favourite Lennon songs, and I really didn't like the cover of it, not quite sure why but just had something missing. 2/5 for the album, but the last track is worth a listen.
Baaba Maal
2/5
More world music. This is not interesting at all, fine to have on in the background but doesn't really offer much and gets very repetitive very quickly. Bland and uninspiring, 2/5. Just.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Felt like this album just got better and better as we got through it - wasn't convinced at the start but it really grew on me towards the end. It's lightyears ahead of some of the other stuff we've had from that era, and it's so influential on basically everything that comes after it. But, am I going to be listening to it a lot? Probably not, it's not really my kind of music and it lacks a bit of variety in the style - Scenario (the last track) changes it up a bit which is good, but I think it falls short of a 4.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Big fan of Arcade Fire, but hadn't listened to this full album in a long time. It's really, really, good - I love the almost orchestral sound they create - and there aren't many bad songs on this. Definitely a little pretentious when it comes to song titles (I'm inherently sceptical of most albums that have songs split into different numbered tracks) but there's so much depth to the record that I can move past that. There's also tonnes of energy, coming at you in slightly different ways, and the album if anything gets better than worse as you get towards the end. I've always found that I can take or leave their albums after the first listen or two, but they really grow on me. 4/5, not far off a 5.
Elvis Presley
3/5
A little underwhelmed by this - Here's Little Richard came out a year after this and feels so much fresher and full of energy. There's tastes of it here - Blue Suede Shoes and Tutti Frutti have that oomph - but it's a bit too croonery for my liking. Doesn't feel like a revolution. 3/5, closer to a 2 than a 4 though.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
This was exactly as I expected it - something that really needs a proper listen to and tough to appreciate on the first way through. It's slow, emotive, and often pretty miserable, but his voice just makes you need to listen and the lyrics make it worthwhile. It's a tough listen, and probably not something I'll be revisiting regularly (it's not good background music at all!). A comfortable 3.
Talking Heads
3/5
I don't really know Talking Heads, and this doesn't really grab me to be honest. It feels like it's almost something that I'd really like, but never quite gets there. You can see that the style is a big influence on later stuff though - Modest Mouse, that kind of thing. I don't think I'll ever actively seek out a song from this album again (apart from maybe Take Me To The River), but interesting if not mind-blowing. 3/5.
Slipknot
1/5
Not as unpleasant as I had expected - this seems like an attempt to move a bit closer to the mainstream, after the first couple of tracks most of the lyrics are sung rather than screamed. That said, it still isn't very good - it's loud but a bit dull. Not sure why it's made this list to be honest, I get that people like Slipknot but surely you should include an album of Slipknot doing Slipknot things rather than a pretty lacklustre attempt to go more poppy? 1/5, might've got 2 had it not been so bloody long.
4/5
What a start to the album! The title track has tonnes of energy, then leads off really nicely into With a Little Help From My Friends and LSD which is great, but from there it loses its way a bit. It's all quite disjointed - the songs all sound very different and don't fit together particularly well as an album. The next three are a bit fluffy, then we go back into the psychedelic stuff with Mr Kite and a strange sitar interlude, before two more very nice but very twee ballads. Then we go back to the energetic and psychedelic stuff from the beginning. 4/5 for me, there's so many good songs on here, but it doesn't quite fit together well enough and there's some filler.
CHIC
2/5
Just a bit dull and repetitive. Good Times is a classic but it needs a radio edit, absolutely no need for eight minutes of it. Not the best disco record that we've had, it's fine but just a bit too slow and all sounds quite similar. 2/5.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
This was really fun! I struggle with live albums a bit - and this one (like many others) is cut from a few different shows. There's a bit too much instrumental (which works when you're there, but not so much when you're listening to it on your own at 9.30 on a Wednesday morning!), but that doesn't mark it down too much. Phil Lynott's voice and attitude is great, would've been great to actually see them live I reckon. Good, but not great. 3/5.
CHIC
3/5
Second CHIC album in 3 days... not ideal, but not bad. This one is definitely the better of the two, but it still suffers from being pretty repetitive and each song being at least a minute too long. But, it's got a bit more energy, I enjoyed the instrumental Savoire Faire a lot, and that elevates it to a 3/5.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
The album art has them doing their best to look hard, but it's a pretty twee, janky, pop rock album that doesn't offer an awful lot. Think the Lightning Seeds or The Magic Numbers but with a bit less oomph. Synths sound very dated, it's all a bit cheesy. Will gladly never listen to a song from this album again. Not painful on the ears though, so it squeaks a 2.
The Smiths
5/5
Expecting this will get lots of 1*s on the site (assuming everyone gets it today rather than it being a ridiculous fluke), but I think it's brilliant. Ticks every box that you need for a 5/5 - quality songs throughout, a really recognisable sound, quirky, clever lyrics, properly memorable stand out tracks (There Is A Light That Never Goes Out in particular), a range of styles that blend together nicely, and NOT TOO LONG! 5/5.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Tough one to rate, this. There are some brilliant songs there, really good bluesy-rock, and Kashmir just sounds incredible. On the other hand, almost every track is long-winded to the point of self-indulgence, and an hour and 20 is just too long for an album. There's a fair bit of variety in style from song to song, which in most places works well but occasionally feels a bit jarring. Loses its way towards the end as well, not much there after Ten Years Gone. Despite all those flaws, I think it does just about merit a 4 - the highs are so high.
OutKast
3/5
Again, it's just too long - if an album is over an hour long, it really needs to justify it and this doesn't quite manage it. The opening 5 tracks are brilliant, it flows brilliantly, there's some real changes of pace and style, Andre 3000's rapping in particular is brilliant. But then it starts getting a bit scrappy, it doesn't flow as well, and there's some weaker songs. The interludes work when there's a really good song either side, but not so much when it's their less good stuff. 3/5 for me, would easily be a 4 if they trimmed it to a tight 45.
The Avalanches
4/5
Love this. I knew the title track and Frontier Psychiatrist from before, but never listened to the album. This is one that is very much an album rather than a collection of songs, it flows so well and it manages to be a really easy listen to have on in the background whilst working and worth delving into deeper for a proper listen. 4/5, will definitely listen to again. Amazed by the complexity of it too.
The Roots
3/5
A mixed bag. And that's four in a row that have been over an hour. Amazing amount of variety and range in the type of music, but I don't think it all quite works? A couple of tracks really hit home (The Seed in particular), but most of it washed over me really, and the second half is quite a bit weaker than the first. 3/5.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
I actually quite liked this, unlike most of you it seems. Was refreshing to have a nice, tight, short album with all the songs between 2 and 3 minutes. The opener is great, if it had been released by a band with a slightly less silly name it might be better known than it is, and there's a couple of other really good tracks on there. But there are also a couple of stinkers, particularly towards the end. So it's 3/5.
The Who
2/5
Not sure why they bothered releasing this as a live album - if there was an electric atmosphere, they certainly haven't captured it, and the live versions of the songs they do are elongated worse versions of the original recordings (which I don't rate that highly anyway). 2/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
This is really good - it's Cohen's first album and his voice hasn't developed the gratingness that makes his later stuff harder to listen to. The songwriting is great, and it's very relaxing to listen to. The album fits together well - a little too well, to be honest, it's all a little bit the same, and that knocks it down from a 4 to a high three.
Gang Of Four
3/5
This is really good, and miles ahead of its time - if you don't listen too hard this could very easily be mid 2000s indie rock (a la Maximo Park, Franz Ferdinand etc.). Don't think there's a huge amount of filler in this either, punchy, gritty not quite punk music. Top end of a 3/5, really enjoyed.
Randy Newman
3/5
Meh. Title track is good, as is Political Science, but I don't like the songwriting enough to overcome the sketchiness of his voice (which is great at within a pretty small range and not great otherwise). It's pleasant, but not a lot more than that. Squeaks a 3.
Justice
4/5
Apparently this album is called Cross if you buy the actual record/CD, but Justice in digital format. That's odd. Anyway, to the music - was much much better than I expected, a French dance duo who I hadn't heard of. Very listenable, not overly repetitive (which is how I find most dance/electronic stuff) and most importantly not too long! Each track was 3-5 minutes, nothing really outstayed its welcome and the album didn't either. Think it deserves a 4, really good.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
This is consistently very very good, but not quite great - lacking really memorable standout tracks. But, blimey, what a debut! Not a bad song on there, although it does suffer from the same issue as every Led Zeppelin album imo, it's almost all a little bit too long and drawn out, could be a bit tighter. Otherwise, it's great, like the bluesy style, feels very much like a British CCR. 4/5.
The Cure
2/5
Did not enjoy this really, it washed over me with a pretty heavy tinge of melancholy. Musically not particularly exciting, lyrically pretty miserable. There are better miserable albums out there, can't imagine myself ever revisiting this. 2/5.
Björk
2/5
This is a bit mad. Very funky sounding, a lot going on from all sorts of different directions, and some clever layering. But, for the most part, the sound that comes out isn't something I actually like that much. It's not unpleasant, but it's not something that I find particularly memorable for anything other than 'that was a bit weird'. Top end of the 2 range.
Roxy Music
3/5
I quite like this, but feel like it's missing something... mainly a decent middle... there's some good stuff at the beginning and the end, but they go a bit into prog rock without the sophistication in the middle. The proper glam rock songs are pretty good, would happily listen to those again. If It Takes All Night takes the pace down a bit, which is fine, but then leads into Bitter Sweet and Triptych which are utter dross. Gets a bit better towards the end, but not more than a 3 overall.
The Specials
3/5
Wasn't convinced by this at first, but it did really grow on me. Only know a couple of Specials songs (Rudy and Ghost Town). Surprising amount of variety, good to hum along to, and really works as an album together. Someone mentioned that it sounds a bit dated, in places I agree but in others it sounds totally fresh. 3/5.
Deerhunter
4/5
Knew the name, didn't know the album or indeed any of the songs on it. Totally up my street, really liked this. Really good background music for working, beautifully atmospheric, but I did also listen to it with much more attention whilst I was having my lunch and it's got a lot more to give. Not an album with many real individual standout tracks, but the overall sound is one that I really like, will listen to this much more regularly and seek out their other stuff.
Coldplay
4/5
This is really good, it's been on my work music rotation playlist for ages. People (rightly) mock Coldplay for becoming very middle of the road, crowd-pleasing, and a bit bland, but this is before that happened when they still had some edge (even if it is a little blunt). The quality and consistency is really good throughout. Is it the most exciting? No. Is it very listenable and one of the best examples of dinner party pop rock? Yeah, it probably is. 4/5 for me.
The Who
2/5
This is quite boring. Obviously know the title track, but thought given their reputation the album might offer a bit more than it does. There's a good patch (My Generation / The Kids Are Alright / Please Please Please) but nothing more than that. Not far off a 3 on the strength of that burst, but it's just a bit dull.
2/5
This is fine. Not quite as exciting as you'd expect from a Kinks album, it's more of a concept album focusing on the end of the British empire. Maybe it's a bit unfair, looking back on it from almost 60 years later, but it doesn't really tackle any of the interesting themes around the end of empire. The musical style is all a bit twee, nothing particularly striking. An underwhelming 2/5.
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
This is really cool, I definitely prefer this older style of ambient to stuff like Aphex Twin (which I tend to find a bit more jarring), and also to Kraftwerk, which is just too robotic. This is way smoother (probably shouldn't go too heavy on the French vs German stereotypes, but fits well here!) Feels very 'old sci-fi' in its vibe, which isn't a bad thing, could quite easily get lost in this and would imagine it is excellent fun to listen to whilst tripping. 4/5.
The Pharcyde
2/5
This is fine... I like that it doesn't take itself too seriously, but it does feel a bit lightweight. I don't see what makes this stand out as particularly memorable, if it was the first of its kind (which surely it wasn't in 1992?) then maybe you could class it as innovative, but I don't think it particularly stands out. Beginning of the album sounds like the kind of rap that a GTA character would make. The guy's got a good flow though, shame he didn't make more interesting music. 2/5.
Julian Cope
2/5
There are moments in this when I think that it's about to be something that is really really good, but it never quite makes it there. He's clearly having a bit of fun making it, trying out all sorts of different styles, but the overall effect is a bit of a mish-mash that never nails even one of the genres that he's playing to. Also, it's so long, Disc 1 of the deluxe edition (which I imagine is the original release) is well over an hour. Not for me, Clive, 2/5.
Common
3/5
Wasn't expecting much when the intro rolled in, but actually this was pretty good. Hadn't heard it before, but it captures that era of early-2000s rap/hiphop really well, a bit more accessible and commercial than most of what you got in the nineties but still keeping some edge. Quite refreshing subject matter too, only a bit of it about the streets/conflict with the police and a lot more about the broader culture of that area of American life. 3/5, none of the tracks really stood out for me.
The Prodigy
4/5
Not really my type of music, but this is really good. I like the more psychedelic stuff more (think Climbatize was my favourite), a bit less aggressive big beats than most of it, but the rest of it still works really well despite being 25 years old. Consistently good, three instantly recognisable tracks, 4/5 for me.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Wow. This is I think the best album we've had of the 230 odd that I've reviewed so far. Never listened to this start to finish before, and it's mindblowingly good. Energy, pathos, a really interesting window into a side of America that I don't think anyone's captured as well as he has (definitely not musically). Was umming and ahhing about buying tickets for his Hyde Park show this summer, but so so glad I did it now! 5/5.
The Kinks
3/5
Album title exactly reflects how I feel about it (Waterloo Sunset aside). It's decent, definitely more coherent than Arthur, but not a lot better. Scrapes a 3 on the strength of Waterloo Sunset, the rest is fine but easily disappears into the background.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
I liked this, having not heard anything of them other than All The Young Dudes. You can very much tell that they were friends with Bowie, the influences here are really obvious. It's good and fun, but misses something to really take it to the top level. 3/5.
Steely Dan
2/5
Pretty bland. At least it was short! Jazzed up rock, easy listening but doesn't really offer anything more than that.
Talking Heads
2/5
I really like the idea of Talking Heads, and want to like their music, but just can't get properly into it. Suspect it is one that requires more listening than I'm able to put in at the moment given how far I am behind! Nothing really stood out for me in terms of individual tracks, the sound is not unpleasant (although David Byrne's voice is a bit jarring), but there's nothing that I'm particularly excited about going back to. 2/5.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
Now this I enjoyed much more than I expected. Had heard of McLaren because of the Sex Pistols and Vivienne Westwood stuff, but didn't know that he'd released anything under his own name. Not sure how much of this is actually him, but it's a bizarre mix of sounds and styles that fits together pretty well and is a really fun listen. The radio presenter schtick is a nice touch the first time, but it gets a bit wearing after 40 minutes... Does not sound British at all, he's borrowed sounds from everywhere (sometimes without crediting the people he's borrowed from). 3/5, it's really fun.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Not far off of a 5. Three really really good songs (Free Bird, Tuesday's Gone, and Simple Man), a couple of okay to good ones, and then Mississipi Kid and to a lesser extent Poison Whiskey towards the end which drags it down from a 5 to a 4. Won't listen to the album again, but will be picking out those three songs and listening to them over and over.
The Adverts
2/5
Pretty unremarkable punk record. Maybe I'm being harsh, it's not unpleasant, but it's a bit less raw than the rest of the punk we've had, particularly from that era. It doesn't sound as angry and lashing out in the same way that the best punk albums do - you can't listen to them without feeling a bit of that emotion, but this didn't move me at all. 2/5.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Haven't listened to this album for ages, and it's a mix between some really quite good songs (generally the ones with a bit more emphasis on the music - Ragged Wood, Your Protector probably my favourite 2), and some vocal arrangements that are perfectly pleasant, but a bit twee. Listening to it back in 2008, it felt very different from anything else that I was listening to then, the sound isn't quite as unusual now but it's still a decent listen. 3/5.
TLC
3/5
Sounds like a 2000s girl band with some edge, which isn't bad for a record from 1994. Chasing Waterfalls is the song that everyone will know, but the album as a whole has a fair bit more edge to it. Flits between R&B and hip hop, does both of them pretty well. 3/5, annoying amount of interludes that never really hit.
Metallica
2/5
Really underwhelming. I mean, it's not my type of music anyway, but this is held in such high esteem by metal people and I don't really know why? We've had a few metal albums over the course of our 250 albums so far, and the Judas Priest one was streets ahead of this. Don't particularly like the guy's voice (yeah, I know metal is supposed to have an edge to it, but it's always better when they actually sing as well), it's long, repetitive, and convoluted. 2/5.
Merle Haggard
1/5
This is so dull. Only 31 minutes, but still really dragged for me, little energy to it and nothing particularly worth listening to in the lyrics. I don't mind country, but this is pap. 1/5.
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
File this away with Manu Chao in the 'things that I only ever listened to to impress girls' cabinet. Not memorable in any way, can appreciate that there's a range of styles there, but don't particularly enjoy any of them. Not unpleasant background music, so it can sneak a 2.
Coldplay
3/5
Not as good as Rush of Blood to the Head, but still some really good tracks on it, and fits well together. That opening couple of tracks (I really don't like Yellow, the success of that followed by The Scientist on the next album sent the band down a direction that I really didn't like) is great, Shiver being my favourite. There's not a bad song on the album, but there's not as much that elevates it as Rush of Blood to the Head. 3/5.
Pink Floyd
2/5
I love Pink Floyd, but I don't love this. Syd Barrett gets a lot of love, but the band made much better music without him - this is too out there for me (although every album should have a song with as silly a title as Take Up Your Stethoscope and Walk). Interstellar Overdrive is a very cool instrumental that loses its way and drags, there's no song that obviously appeals, and then you have stuff like Bike which is just too weird. 2/5.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Not a lot for me here, it's gentle 90s electro / D&B with a haunting female vocal over the top. Nothing really grabs me, it's all a bit bland tune-wise, the lyrics are pretty miserable in general. 2/5
The Jam
3/5
This is good, but doesn't quite get really good. The middle section is the best bit, good bit of energy, but I think Paul Weller's voice is too polished to make a properly rough album, and too rough to make a properly polished one, so it sits kind of uncomfortably in the middle. Doesn't stand out enough to get a 4, but comfortably too good for a 2.
David Bowie
3/5
I think I've come to the conclusion that I like Bowie songs, but don't like Bowie albums to the same extent. This is OK, but never quite works for me - there are a few tracks on it that are good (and it does sound very modern for the early seventies) but also a lot that I don't like. Drive-In Saturday is good, Jean Genie is Bowie at his glammiest, but I don't particularly want to listen to this again. Just scrapes a 3 because I'm feeling generous, and Drive In Saturday is great. 3/5.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Not unpleasant, but very strange. Can't justify giving it any more than a 2, really don't get the purpose of it. A film soundtrack is supposed to elevate and add to the film it's supporting, how on earth are you supposed to judge it if there's no film attached to it? 2/5.
Tom Waits
3/5
I like Tom Waits when he does his spoken word stuff, I like him when he sings properly, I really really don't like where he does something in the middle. The first track on this is exactly what I don't like. I love his lyrical style, and when he describes these almost film noir scenes it works beautifully with his gravel voice, but the faster and more upbeat stuff just doesn't do it for me. I'll be generous and give it a 3, because when it hits it hits really well, but there's a couple of tracks on there that I'd barely give a 1.
Fiona Apple
3/5
This is perfectly fine, but I don't think it's outstanding. Quite similar to the Alanis Morissette album that we had, but without the same level of energy or raw anger, this is a bit more reflective throughout. It does suffer for that a bit, and the quality fades away at the end. An easy 3 though, a pleasant listen with some really soulful lyrics underneath it.
Germs
1/5
Not my cup of tea. Feels like one of those bands who are more famous than they should be because of tragedy? Too scratchy and tuneless; the music isn't great and you can't really hear much of the lyrics. Apparently it's the first hardcore punk album, but I don't think there's much there that we haven't heard from other artists recording earlier in the seventies? 1/5, it's just not nice to listen to and has very little in the way of redeeming features.
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
This is good. Really strong, haunting voice, with a lot of range in the songs. Nothing Compares 2 U is the one that everyone knows, but there's a couple of others that are worth listening to as well - Black Boys On Mopeds is one for the anti-English, and The Emperor's New Clothes is much more upbeat in Tempo (and a bit less bleak!). 3/5, not a showstopper but really good.
James Taylor
2/5
Just completely beige. Musically has no edge, lyrically even less. And it has the Jesus element. It's a pleasant enough sound, so it gets to a 2, but doesn't warrant anything more, there's nothing of interest there.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Don't get it. The version of No Woman No Cry is way weaker than what he produces later on, and there's not much else on this album that excites, it feels a bit light somehow. Them Belly Full is good, but I don't think I'll be listening to much else of this again. Expect we'll get better Marley albums on our list. 2/5.
Björk
3/5
I liked this more than our last Bjork-based adventure - felt like there was a bit more depth to it. It's quirky, it's odd, but in places it's really really good. Pagan Poetry is brilliant. Some people seem to find her voice/singing style really offensive, but I certainly don't on this album. Very chilled out soundscape with a lot of nuance on top of it, it's great to work/write to. 3/5, could do with another stand out track to get it up to a 4.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Not sure about this, it's almost like two different albums in one. First half is pretty standard post-punk, except the music is all a bit too jolly. Nothing from it grabs me like 'Jane Says' did from the other album of theirs that we had. Been Caught Stealing is apparently their big hit from this album, but I don't think I can forgive it for starting with the dogs barking... Second half is completely different, it's quite prog-like, very long tracks, and much more introspective. If you could combine the two halves (literally blend them, not just stick one half in front of the other), then it might make for a decent album - as it is, the first half is too lightweight, and the second half is too faux-serious. 2/5.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Another good album, and one that I hadn't heard of. Equally good for having on in the background during work and for actively listening to. I don't quite get why I like it, it's definitely an overall construction thing rather than any specific part of the music or individual track being out of this world. Her voice is nice, the stuff behind it is verging on psychedelia. And it's really consistent, solid tracks pretty much from start to finish. Top end of a 3, missing a standout element, but I will be listening to this plenty more.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
This was not as bad as I expected it to be, particularly after the first two tracks (which are basically the same but one happy and one sad). Also, Black Rose probably crosses the racist line about being ashamed of an interracial relationship. Apart from that, it's not a bad album (for country, anyway). I really want to find some country music I like (other than Johnny Cash), but this isn't quite it. It's a bit more rock and roll than pure whining country music (which is why I like it a bit more I think), there are some decent songs in there, but it's not anything I'll go back to. 2/5.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
This album starts off brilliantly - that first five tracks is really, really good, she has a fantastic voice and the storytelling is great. But, it loses its way in the second half, there's not really a track that stands out. Definitely someone who's reputation benefited from dying young, not as good as a lot of people think but still really strong. 4/5.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
What a disappointment. After the first two tracks (which are a big old bombastic prog rocky style intro) followed by Relax, I was expecting a proper concept album. What you end up with is a couple of their songs mixed in with a lot of really underwhelming covers. It's overproduced to the point it sounds like it's done on purpose - might've worked quite well had they properly leant into the Pleasuredome theme, but it's just a bit of a mess. 2/5, credit for The Power Of Love completely cancelled out by the painful cover of Born To Run.
Motörhead
2/5
Every song is basically the same, but it's pretty fun. Some really dodgy lyrics in one of the songs in particular (Jailbait) which is a bit grim. It's an odd kind of music, it's simple like 50s rock & roll (Dance in particular sounds like this) but with louder guitars. Not really for me, one track of it is fine (particularly when it's Ace Of Spades), but it gets very samey very quickly. 2/5.
The Lemonheads
2/5
Not particularly memorable - that said, I thought it was early 2000s indie and it's actually early 90s, so probably gains some bonus points for being ahead of its time. Title track is decent, and their Mrs Robinson cover (which I knew already) is great, but otherwise there's not much here to recommend. 2/5, nearly a 3 but just not enough depth.
Richard Thompson
1/5
Had this on in the background whilst working, and the first time I listened to it made no impact on me whatsoever. The second time I tried to listen a bit harder, and it still didn't do a lot for me. The site describes it as 'never commercially successful and critically ignored outside of its release', and that seems fair to me. The folk isn't done artfully enough to be properly good, there's not enough cleverness in the lyrics, and when they add the brass backing it just sounds a bit comical. 1/5.
Miles Davis
1/5
I struggle with entire instrumental albums at the best of times, and this was no exception. Freeform, improvised jazz is not my cup of tea, there's not enough structure to this and IT'S NEARLY TWO HOURS LONG!!!! There probably is an album that I'd be quite happy to listen to in there somewhere, if you cut out a decent chunk of the repetition and twiddling around that slows everything down, but it gets lost in the mess. 1/5.
Goldfrapp
3/5
I really like this, it's a really nice blend of electronica and 'real' music, somehow peaceful, ethereal, and haunting at the same time, and her voice is amazing. The opening track and Utopia are the standouts, the rest is good but not top drawer. 3/5, comfortably.
Little Simz
3/5
Liked this, didn't love it. She's clearly a really talented rapper technically, the flow is really quick where she needs it to be and she controls the pace really well. There are some really good beats in there too, and it's a tight, coherent album, so this should be something I really like... but I just don't. 3/5.
The Band
3/5
This is somewhere between folk and rock & roll, similar to the Eagles in style. It's good - a perfectly pleasant listen without a really bad track on it - but doesn't hit any particularly great notes. Feels pretty ahead of its time for 1968, holds together really well as an album. 3/5, quite comfortably. Will be listening again.
Metallica
3/5
I like this way more than I did the 'real' Metallica album that we had before, which I guess shows that I'm not really a proper metal person (sorry @Hector). Feels like they've taken their previous work, listened to a load of Bon Jovi, and set this new record about half way in between. Agree with Joe on this version of Nothing Else Matters, but it's still a brilliant song and so different to what they've done before. Also agree that it's a bit bloated, but it's still pretty listenable. 3/5, has its flaws, but I do like it.
David Bowie
2/5
Again, I really struggle with Bowie albums. This is really experimental, a bit odd, and nothing about it really grabs me, other than the title track. I read that he put out 11 albums in the seventies and, based on the handful that we've had, I think he would've been better working a bit harder on 6... There's clearly shedloads of creativity and innovation here, just needs a bit more of a filter because a lot of this stuff really doesn't work. Still a Bowie singles fan, but we haven't yet had an album that I think is really good. 2/5.
Adam & The Ants
2/5
Another underwhelmer, although I went into this with lower expectations. Nothing that stands out at all, it's not awful but it's not something I'll ever be tempted to come back to. Falls somewhere in the cracks between punk, glam, and new wave without seriously troubling the best of either. 2/5.
Fela Kuti
3/5
This is quite fun, but too meandering to get a really high score. Can just about scrape a 3, would probably have been a comfortable 3 without the SIXTEEN MINUTE drum solo track at the end. Fun sound, strays into the overly experimental at times but not too often. Probably won't listen again, but glad I listened once!
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I think a low 4 for this. It's lyrically very nice, tells some great stories, and is wonderfully haunting, but doesn't do enough musically to elevate it further than this. Not a lot of variety in it, other than the harmonica (which I don't particularly like).
Maxwell
2/5
First porn music album we've had for a little while. Doesn't do anything for me at all, it's not unpleasant to having washing around you whilst you get on with something else, but no real appeal. 2/5.
King Crimson
3/5
This is really good, way ahead of its time and well worth a listen. Definitely better than the Pink Floyd of its era, but not as good as later Pink Floyd. I still find that prog rock albums set in fantasy world albums are a bit cringey, and this has its cringey moments, but it mostly manages to overcome them. 3/5
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
This is really patchy. I really like it in places, but really don't in others. Starts off very bland, has some really interesting bits interspersed with some dross in the middle, then bland again towards the end. Just didn't fit together very well (did they decide to make an experimental album or is the album referred to as experimental because it's an incoherent mess?). 3/5, just.
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
Fine, nothing more, nothing less. Perfectly serviceable 90s rock, but nothing stands out to me on this, won't listen again, and it drags towards the end. 2/5, not unpleasant but nothing worth recommending.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
Really disappointing, this. Superstition is a classic, most of the rest is very basic saccharine stuff, not particularly interesting lyrics over the top of mostly lift music. Stevie is much more interesting when he gets the proper slap bass going, a bit of sass and rhythm, rather than crooning. 2/5.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
I liked this, but not quite as much as the rest of you did. The lead singer's voice probably stops it from being a 5, and it does drag a little, but it's still a great listen. Can tell that it's a good album by pretty much everyone having a different favourite song from it A really good sound (love the ever so slightly self-indulgent guitar solo in Soma), could probably criticise the lack of variety but it's all pretty good so I don't want to! 4/5.
The Strokes
4/5
This is a really tidy, really tight 35 minute album. Everyone knows Last Nite, I didn't know anything else other than that and Someday, and really enjoyed this. Another 4/5 (not sure I've given 2 in a row before!), missing a bit of variety that might lift it up to a 5 but it's really good 2000s guitar music and clearly an inspiration for a lot that came after it in the mid-00s.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Oof this is good too. An easy four, could well have been a five without the flight into Tolkein-y fantasy in the Battle of Evermore. Starts and ends with brilliant songs, and of course you've got Stairway to Heaven in the middle. Lovely stuff.
Scott Walker
2/5
Didn't do an awful lot for me, this. Mostly washed over me, occasionally caught me with an interesting lyric or two but musically it's pretty bland. 2/5.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Not quite as good as The Wall, or Dark Side of The Moon (certainly in terms of storytelling), but still very very good. Shine On You Crazy Diamond is the best bit of proper prog (i.e. long songs with lots of instrumental) that they've done (and possibly that anyone has done?), the title track is superb, and there's some really great caustic lyrics about the music industry in particular (by the way, which one's Pink?). It's an incredible soundscape with a few bits that make you really listen - DSOTM and The Wall don't really have those lulls, so that's why this only gets a 4 rather than a 5, but it's very very close.
Queen
2/5
Queen are a band that I liked more going into this process than I do 300 odd records in (of which I think 2 have been Queen?). I'm getting a similar feel to Bowie - I love a lot of the individual tracks, but there's a lot of dross on the albums. Unlike Bowie, I'm not convinced that I'll like this more with repeated listens. Sheer Heart Attack is a really disjointed record, the transitions between songs are so stark, the pacing is completely varied, it's mad. I love Killer Queen - Queen do big, melodramatic, and either super emotional or (more often) OTT camp glam very well. When they stray from that, they don't offer an awful lot. The more I listen to their albums, the more I feel like they wasted Freddie's incredible talent for showmanship. 2/5 for this, Killer Queen almost drags it up to a 3 but can't quite manage it.
Ute Lemper
3/5
Never heard of Ute or this album, but obviously do know a lot of her contributors. It's been absolutely trashed on the site, but I really quite like it. It's not exactly groundbreaking, but it's lyrically clever, her voice is beautiful, and she tells some really fun stories. The people who compare this to hotel background music clearly haven't been listening properly, it's way too hard-hitting for that. Shades of musical theatre and bombastic Bond theme tunes in places, pretty melancholy in others, I think this is great. 3, pushing close to a 4.
New Order
3/5
Much better than our previous New Order album, but still doesn't massively grab me. Didn't know any of the songs, but the hook on Love Vigilantes is somehow familiar. It's a nice listen, but there's not a lot there that I'll remember. 3/5.
2/5
I think maybe I'll like later Blur albums better? This is fine, but a bit dialed back and bland compared to what they'd become later on. Opening track is good (but not great), but the rest fades a bit into beige. 2/5.
Ray Charles
3/5
This is a really nice listen - good amount of range, amazing voice, and I do like the big band sound on occasion. But, it feels much more like an anthology than an album, and I get fed up of the style after about 45 minutes. Scrapes a 3, no more than that.
John Martyn
2/5
Dreamy, on the verge of porny, but with slightly too much energy to be either. Not unpleasant (although his voice sounds like Louis Armstrong has stopped taking Strepsils and lost a decent chunk of musicality), but not super interesting either. Started badly, got better as it went on, but still not really enough to elevate it above a 2. Did enjoy the final track though.
Fiona Apple
2/5
I was quite excited when we got Fiona Apple again - I hadn't heard of her before listening to her earlier album through this - but this was a bit disappointing. Went a bit too heavy on the 'all men are bastards' theme with not much subtlety or cleverness, and musically it feels a bit weird - can't put my finger on why, but doesn't work for me. Nothing anywhere near as gripping as Sleep To Dream from Tidal. 2/5.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
This is quite fun, a quick, tight half an hour of blues rock with a few changes of pace. As has been mentioned a few times, it's very similar to the Rolling Stones. I like it but don't love it, it's all good but there's no standout track. 3/5.
Iggy Pop
2/5
A Bowie album by another name, so I don't really like it I've given this a few goes whilst I've been working today, and it's not growing on me at all. Not awful, but I just don't really like it. 2/5.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Enjoyed this a lot, in patches. The guy is clearly really talented when he wants to be, the flow and rhythm is amazing and the stories are really well-crafted in patches. But, the skits are generally pretty awful (as they are pretty much invariably on any rap album), and there's a bit too much rapping about his dick for my liking... 3/5, 5/5 for his ability and most of the gang-related song, less 1 for the skits and another 1 for the really crude sexual stuff.
Brian Eno
3/5
This is quite odd, but I actually quite like it. Really janky changes in styles. Backwater is a bizarre song, but weirdly catchy, there's an instrumental, Here He Comes sounds like it could be off a Jarvis solo album, and the sound of By This River is great. Not a worldbeater, not coherent, but a pleasant enough listen and I'll go back to several of the songs. 3/5.
Nirvana
4/5
I don't generally like live albums, and a grungey rock band doing a gig without the ability to go loud on the instruments didn't exactly fill me with excitement. But, this is really, really good. Hearing some of these songs stripped back shows the underlying talent there without the protective layer of being loud and full of energy. The album also manages to capture (in a way that most live albums don't) actually being there, and some of the character of the band. 4/5.
Bauhaus
2/5
This is pretty beige. Weird staticky start into some drums which sounds interesting, but it really fades into background music pretty quickly. Vocalist is crap, production mix is a bit weird so you can't really hear them anyway. The overall sound is actually quite good (if not that exciting) but the vocals really break it and don't seem to fit well with the rest. 2/5.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
This is cool, bounced off me a bit the first time I listened to it but I've enjoyed it a lot more coming back to it now. It's consistent all the way through - a good pace with enough variety that you don't get into your comfort zone - with a handful of really good songs (Someone Great, All My Friends and New York). The album as a whole doesn't seem to drag, but most of the songs do; you've got to be questioning yourself when your average song is over 6 minutes long! Doesn't quite merit a 4, but it's not far off - 3/5.
Sex Pistols
4/5
Have listened to this plenty of times before, and it's just brilliant for what it wants to be. It's musically pretty simplistic, but it's a perfect platform for the snarling rage and caustic lyrics that go over the top of it. Does it merit a 5? Not quite - it gets a bit lazy lyrically on a couple of the tracks - but it's definitely a 4. God Save The Queen, Anarchy In The UK, and Pretty Vacant are all incredible songs.
fIREHOSE
2/5
Bit of a comedown after the Sex Pistols - this is much more charming but lacking a bit of energy. Not sure that it merits being on this list to be honest, there's nothing about it that particularly grabs me, it was never particularly popular, and it just doesn't stand out at all. 2/5, not unpleasant but no reason for it being on this list.
Gene Clark
2/5
I've ended up listening to this loads - not because I massively like it, but because I keep listening to it and then not actually writing anything. It's quite nice, not unpleasant to listen to, somewhere between rock and country. The kind of music you'd get if you put a cowboy hat on one of the lower energy REM albums, or if you dialled down the talent from the Eagles by 10-15%. Much more country at the very beginning and the end than it is during the middle. 2/5, fine.
Orange Juice
1/5
Underwhelming. Although I had pretty low expectations anyway. It's pretty bland disco rock, there's nothing here that I'll ever deliberately listen to again. 1/5.
Green Day
4/5
This album is not how I remember it from when it first came out. Did they really combine so many tracks? Weird. The political stuff felt a bit lightweight and simplistic when I was 14, and hasn't aged particularly well - but musically it's still really fun, varied, and got a lot going on. And I'm a sucker for a good rock opera. Can't remember how many of these they released as singles, but could easily have been American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, St Jimmy, and Wake Me Up When September Ends - although none of those songs are lifechangingly brilliant, it's rare that you get six single-worthy songs on a single album. 4/5.
Mudhoney
1/5
This is... really, really bad. One of those albums which inspired other people to make much better music. The Spotify link takes you to the 2 hour megadeluxe version, the actual one is only 6 tracks and 22 minutes long. It's loud, thrashy, guy with a rubbish voice oscillates between singing and screaming, the odd song with religious influences, a lot of anger. 1/5, will actively avoid in future rather than merely not seeking it out.
Björk
2/5
This gets stellar reviews on the site, but I prefer her later stuff - to me a lot of the sound here sounds very dated. Her voice is amazing, but the music behind it is a bit too disco/electro in a lot of places for it to work for me. 2/5.
a-ha
2/5
Quite enjoyed bits of this, but did feel that it dragged (although it's less than 40 minutes long). It's fun, synthy pop music - not a huge amount of complexity, nuance, or variation. I didn't know any of the tracks apart from Take On Me, they're all in the same vein as that but without the same levels of catchy energy. 2/5.
System Of A Down
2/5
This isn't great - I've listened to their slightly later stuff and it's a fair bit more tuneful than this. Full of energy, which is a positive, and you can actually hear the lyrics, which is unusual for this type of music and another positive, but ultimately it's just not a pleasant or particularly interesting listen. 2/5.
Wilco
3/5
I like this, I really do, but there's no need to make it a double album - there's not enough variety there to keep me engaged for over an hour and a quarter, and there's a fair bit of filler. That said, the pace changes a bit, there are a handful of good songs scattered through it, but it's not something I'll come back to in its entirety. 3/5.
The The
2/5
Don't think this was as bad as a lot of you are making out - although it isn't great. I'm not going to listen to it again, but it isn't unpleasant. A bit corny, a bit cheesy, overproduced, but not awful. 2/5.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
Sounds quite pretty, but it's pretty bland and doesn't evoke much emotion. A 36 minute album shouldn't drag, but this one did. 2/5.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
I do like Genesis, but not so much a fan of Peter Gabriel's solo stuff. First track of this is quite Genesis-y, then Solsbury Hill is very different but good, but the rest of the album disappears into mediocrity (aside the end track which is quite cool). 2/5, just falls short of a 3.
Arcade Fire
4/5
This is a really good album. There aren't really standout songs in the same way there are on Funeral, but it all flows together beautifully and shows you a world in a way that very few bands can do (particularly more modern ones). The bonus tracks (not on the link that the site gives us) are also really good, the one with David Byrne in particular. 4/5.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Didn't listen to this on Christmas Eve, based on the feedback in here, and I'm glad I didn't! Utterly miserable, this - so much pain, from so many different perspectives. That's what keeps this record really interesting right the way through though - normally when you get a misery album it's very 'woe is me' and that gets wearing, but this is much much broader. I don't think I'll be listening to this much again, purely because it's so miserable and angry, but it's really really good. 4/5.
Various Artists
4/5
This was an absolute delight - packed full of Christmas classics and perfect for Christmas morning. Just the right amount of saccharine, but not too much, with a bit of reflection in there to. 4/5.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
First half of this album is really really good (although part of that is probably nostalgia from when I listened to it a lot as a teenager). It's so catchy, mix of some classic indie and more funky stuff, very easy to listen to. Unfortunately, the second half of the album really brings it down; there's nothing there really worth listening to after track 7 (out of 15), which brings my rating down to a 3.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
This is the closest we've got so far to a full-on spoken word album. That's really difficult to make work, the lyrics have to be so good and so tight, and for the most part this album doesn't get there. The TV song is great - it's focused on one theme (unlike some of the others that really wander), and it's got some very pithy lines in there - but there's not enough else there that gets close to that level. It also drags - could really do with losing a track or two and focusing the rest in from 6/7 minutes to 4/5. 3/5, some great messages that really resonate 20 years on but needs a bit more polish and refinement to make it truly great.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Nicely put together, short and relatively punchy crooner songs. Does all blend together a bit though, a couple of vaguely memorable tracks but that's not particularly impressive out of 15. 2/5.
Gorillaz
3/5
Not as good as I remembered it being back when it came out. A couple of great songs in there, a bit mad, felt very out there for 11 year old me but in retrospect it probably wasn't as weird as all that. A lot of filler in there too. Hopefully we get the next couple of Gorillaz albums in here too, they're definitely better than this (but maybe a bit less significant?) 3/5.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I struggle to get Led Zeppelin the same way that some people do - particularly when listening to a whole album. Their songs are always just a little bit too long, and often a bit too waily - don't particularly like Robert Plant as a vocalist and it's just a bit too tortured (and creepy in places). That said, Whole Lotta Love is a great song, but the album is no more than a 3/5 for me.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
That opening is absolutely iconic - Right Here Right Now with the radio bit at the end into Rockafeller Skank - but overall the album is a bit of a disappointment. I came into it knowing those two plus Gangster Trippin and Praise You, and I don't think there's another song on there that I'll ever actively listen to again. That said, those 4 alone are enough to get this album to a 3, but no higher.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
This is definitely a better album than the previous one(s?) of his that we've had. Not really a standout song, but a much more coherent album with a bit more edge than the lift music that he can sometimes drift into. Happy to give this one a 3, it still doesn't excite me any more than that and I probably won't go back, but glad that I've listened to it.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
Preferred this album to the other efforts of the contributors that we've had - they hide Neil Young's voice really well in this one - and it's not a bad listen, if a bit bland. Beautifully put together, some nice harmonies, and nicely sung. If it was on Spotify I'd probably revisit it, as it isn't I won't. 3/5.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
Not come across this before, but lots of the sounds are very familiar. Feels like it's probably on the list by virtue of what it inspired and what has borrowed from it, rather than on its own merit. Sounds very dated, lacking a bit of energy, not really my cup of tea. 2/5.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Had never listened to this as an album before, but put it on and was amazed at how many of the songs that I recognised. I don't think it's as high a 5 as some we've had previously, it's maybe a little too middle of the road for that in places, but there are so many good tracks on this that you'd be a fool to give it anything less.
John Lennon
3/5
Not as good as his other post-Beatles album - although there are a couple of really good songs on here. Imagine I've heard so much to the point it hurts, so not really a net positive, but Jealous Guy and Gimme Some Truth are fantastic songs (but probably both better when covered by others), and the McCartney diss track is also decent. Not great aside of that, it merits a 3 but no more.
Thundercat
2/5
The album art is by far the best thing about this album, it is marvellous. The music's not brilliant though, it's relatively inoffensive but doesn't do much to spark any emotion whatsoever. Hotel lobby / dinner party background music - perfect for that, but nothing more really. 2/5.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
A mixed bag - a lot of beige music with a couple of tracks that stand out - the opener in particular. It's easy listening indie stuff, would've been very generic had it have come out in 2006 but the fact that it was 7 years before that shows that it was a bit more unique for its time. Voice gets a bit strained at times, but it's generally a set of quite pretty arrangements that excites in places. 3/5.
Gang Starr
2/5
This is fine, decent rap but nothing special - the storytelling that makes really good rap great just isn't here (although it gets close in Just To Get A Rep). A lot of filler in this album, only really a couple of tracks that are really worth listening to (the title track is decent, a bit faster paced with a bit more funk than most of the album). 2/5.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Another live album - JC does these much better than most, as you can actually hear the atmosphere and enjoy the back and forth with the audience (rather than the usual poor recording quality and a few screams). This is really good - not sure the music deserves anything more than a 3, but the way it captures an event elevates it to a 4.
Anthrax
2/5
More enjoyable than I expected. A bit repetitive. and doesn't have as much character as others in a similar vein, but it's not unpleasant to listen to. 2/5
Q-Tip
3/5
I love Q-Tip's voice, and his flow, and there's some stuff that works really nicely here, it's really smooth. But nice is all it is - it doesn't bite lyrically and there's not enough punch to it. Not an unpleasant listen by any means, but not a great one. Just about scrapes a 3.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
Minus points for album name originality! The album is good, but could have a bit more to it - seems to sit about half way between Springsteen and Bon Jovi without quite getting the lyrical storytelling of Springsteen or the catchiness and infectious energy of Bon Jovi (aside from American Girl). 3/5, hoping we get some more of them later in their career when they've refined their sound a bit.
Joy Division
4/5
This is really miserable, but really good. Hard work to listen to, definitely less approachable than their other album, but probably the better for it? Not a bad song on it, good changes of tempo, sounds, and style. Probably won't go back to it as a full album unless something really unpleasant happens to me and I need to misery out, but there are plenty of tracks that are worth having on a playlist. Isolation and 24 Hours probably the highlights, but not by a lot. 4/5.
Ray Charles
3/5
A perfectly pleasant listen, but feels very dated - big band swing/blues stuff. Nicely arranged, all very smooth, but lacks a bit of grit for my tastes. 3/5.
Eagles
2/5
This is full on beige - Take It Easy is a decent enough song, but not particularly memorable, but the rest of it really doesn't inspire much of anything. Perfectly pleasant to listen to in the most part (Chug All Night feels very weird and out of character for them), but it's pretty unambitious given how good their voices are. Should be doing a lot more (and did so with some later albums, much better than this). 2/5.
Radiohead
2/5
I struggle with Radiohead a bit, to be honest. Find it very up and down, a lot of miserable dirges with a few real highlights where things come together for me. Unfortunately, on this album, they don't really. There's a decent little stretch from You and Whose Army to Knives Out, but other than that not a lot that works for me. That said, I probably will listen to it a bit more - I haven't heard this one before, and it does feel like the kind of album that's a grower rather than a shower. Feel a bit mean giving it a 2, but doesn't do enough for me to get to 3.
M.I.A.
2/5
Not for me. Sounds a bit quirky, and not much like almost anything we've had on here, but it doesn't do it for me, it's a bit too raw and doesn't have enough to really hook me in the way that Paper Planes does. 2/5.
Madonna
2/5
Great first track, really catchy pop song, but descends into mediocre schmaltz very quickly. Lyrics go from cheesy to painful throughout most of the rest of the album, it's like ABBA but without the catchiness or the charm. 2/5. Probably a 1 without the single.
Burning Spear
3/5
This grew on me the more I listened to it - stuck the album on again after I got into it more towards the end of my first listen, and I like this. Maybe it's a bit too clean and smooth for its message and style, but it's still a good listen. 3/5.
Air
3/5
Do you remember a few months ago we had the album that was a soundtrack to a film that didn't exist? This is a soundtrack to a film that does exist, which is an improvement on that. I was sceptical going into it - haven't seen the film, so didn't think that it would really add much. It is background music, but it's very listenable, feels like it could definitely be one of those movies where the soundtrack is front and centre. 3/5.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
I don't really know what to make of this. And then I look to see that it's from 1973 and I'm really impressed - it sounds much more modern than that, although there is the odd place where it shows its age (the Flamingo synths is where it sticks out the most). It's somewhere in the prog rock / psychedelia mix, and I really like it. Doesn't have the drama or compelling story telling of really good prog, but has a wonderful flow to it and is really nice and light hearted. Just about squeaks a 4/5.
Stereolab
2/5
Didn't enjoy this, despite the excellent track names. Felt very lightweight, fine for background music but didn't engage me much at all. Quite janky and repetitive in places. 2/5.
3/5
Much better than our previous PJ album. Doesn't feel like it overstays its welcome even at 53 minutes, got some punk energy too it but some tuneful melodies and thoughtful lyrics too. This Mess We're In with Thom Yorke is a really lovely song, I like A Place Called Home too. 3/5.
Jimmy Smith
2/5
Perfectly pleasant to listen to as background music, fun, jazzy stuff but not something I'll likely go back to. 2/5.
Leftfield
3/5
Did not enjoy this for the first five minutes, then got way more into it as I listened. Does the album get better as it goes on or did I just get into the groove better? I'm not a massive fan of dance music, but this is way more listenable than a lot of it - still suffers from a lot of the songs being overly repetitive, but it's good. Open Up is wonderful - I definitely prefer their music with lyrics over the top of it rather than the purist dance music. 3/5, verging on a 4 but a bit too repetitive a bit too often to get there.
Fred Neil
2/5
Pleasant, vanilla, bluesy folky stuff. Pretty voice, nice gentle guitarwork behind it, but not cutting in any way, doesn't really say much, until he goes amusingly off the rails for the last few tracks of the album. 2/5.
The Cars
3/5
This was not quite what I expected, thought it'd be more straight down the line pop rock from my (clearly limited) knowledge of The Cars. Synth sounds feel pretty dated now, but must've been pretty ahead of the curve in 1978. Just What I Needed is a really good song, the rest is fine but a bit cheesy, 3/5.
Pixies
4/5
Never heard much of the Pixies before (although we've had Bossanova a while ago on this which I didn't enjoy that much), but I was pleasantly surprised by this. Still a bit angry, shouty, and tuneless in places, but there's an amazing energy to it, a huge amount of variety without losing a common thread, and it's just a good fun listen. 4/5.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
I enjoyed this, but it's a bit harsh to have it follow that Pixies album. The sound is a bit cleaner (though still has a bit of filth), the singing is often even more tuneless, but the lyrics are just a bit painful. Sort of thing that I'd have loved when I was 13 (and would still be fond of now if I'd have listened to it then), but I've mostly grown out of now.
Santana
3/5
Much more interesting when it's faster - the more laid back tracks give it a major hotel lobby vibe, but Incident at Neshabur and Hope You're Feeling Better have a bit of edge to them. 3/5, better than I expected.
Radiohead
4/5
Much better than the other album of theirs that we've had so far - know this one from before, it's really good. Paranoid Android is one of my favourites of there's Karama Police too, there's levels of energy in there but also sophistication. 4/5.
Sleater-Kinney
2/5
This is full of energy, pop punk style stuff. Feels a bit short of edge and a little lightweight, plus the vocals are quite grating, there's not enough variety there. Still, a tight 35 minutes, we've had much worse albums. 2/5.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I had it in my head (not ever having listened to Echo & The Bunnymen before) that they were much more modern than 1980, but it seems not. It's a good listen, good energy, a sound that is maybe a bit dated now but definitely wouldn't have been in 1980. It is a bit samey though (apart from the final track), and there's no track that really stands out. Just about scrapes a 3.
Otis Redding
3/5
It's a really nice album, but it's mostly cover versions so I struggle to give it a super high score. His voice is wonderful, he's singing classics, but there's a couple of bits that don't do it for me (not convinced that Satisfaction works in this style, and Respect sung by anyone other than Aretha sounds weird now!). 3/5.
2Pac
3/5
Really like the start of this album - the first three tracks - but after that it slowly descends into much slower, easy listening rap/hip hop that doesn't really work very well. That said, it's not an unpleasant listen, but it lacks the bite that the first section of the album has. Disappointing, but scrapes a 3.
The Cramps
3/5
This was really fun, rough round the edges, good energy, but lacking a bit in anything to make it stand out (I Was A Teenage Werewolf seems to me to strip out a lot of the energy that makes the first part of the album more fun). Did quite enjoy the unexpected cover of Fever at the end of the album, very different sound. Another 3!
Bob Dylan
3/5
I'm in two minds about Bob Dylan - I definitely don't see him in the same overwhelmingly positive light as some people, but I do enjoy his stuff? Is he a better singer than... even 50% of most professional singers? No (although I like his voice more later in his career, like this album). Is he a noticeably better lyricist than people like Paul Simon / Tom Waits? No. I'm not sure he deserves a Nobel Prize over them and potentially some others, but it's a really nice, gravelly bluesy listen. Mixes up the pace a little, but overall pretty slow and ballad-like. 3/5, but a comfortable 3.
Deep Purple
3/5
Reminds me a lot of Led Zeppelin - although a bit poppier and a bit less folky. It's a bit self-indulgent in places, to be honest, and the lyrics are really average in most places (particularly the sci-fi shit). Highway Star is a good pop song, and Smoke On The Water is great (helps that they're actually telling a real story, which masks some of the lack of creativity in the lyric that you hear on the stuff they've made up), and Lazy is a cool listen (although again, a bit self-indulgent). 3/5.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Bit late to this one, but the Spotify link takes you to a weird remaster rather than the original, with the tracks out of order and some missing. I really liked this - it's not super original, but it's catchy, doesn't overstay its welcome, and it's got bags of energy and is full of fun. The R rolling a la Sex Pistols is funny, the lyrics are really quirky but quite clever and I enjoyed it. Not quite good enough for a 4 though, so still stuck in my rut of 3s.
Dr. Octagon
1/5
That first minute really set the tone for the rest. This is really not good - it's a hip hop concept album, based on the concept of a pervy space doctor, and it's just as good as that description makes it sound. The lyrics are either crude, crap, or both - his delivery is pretty good, but there's very little interesting being said. I quite like the idea of a trippy hip hop album like this (and maybe it inspired better ones), but the execution of this is just not great. Some of the sampling, the flow, and the music behind almost lifts this to a 2, but the lyrics just destroy it for me. 1/5.
Traffic
2/5
Sounds like a budget Genesis - vocals are quite Peter Gabriel-y, but the music is a bit more middle of the road than most of what Genesis did (certainly in the Gabriel days). It's got that slightly folky twang to it, but without the lyrical interest or musical complexity really. 2/5, not an unpleasant listen, but not compelling in any way.
Incredible Bongo Band
2/5
A really fun listen, but it's upbeat jazzy bongo cover songs, so it gets a bit wearing after about 5 (and there are 19 tracks, although probably only 17 on the original release?). Prefer it in the contexts where it's being sampled rather than all at once! 2/5.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
One of the worst things I've ever heard. Very occasionally, it sounds like it might turn into something interesting, but the vast majority of the time it's just incoherent noise that doesn't flow, doesn't say much, and is downright weird. Maybe I'm just not sophisticated enough for this, but it gave me absolutely nothing. 1/5.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Same thoughts as on our last Dylan album - although I think the lyrics and the storytelling are a level up on this one. He stretches his voice a bit too far in a lot of places though, which is really jarring, and probably stops it from being a 4. 3 (if I'm allowed to give a 3).
Taylor Swift
3/5
Bit disappointing, if I'm honest. Knew a few of the songs (Shake It Off, Blank Space, and Bad Blood), but had never listened to the album in full. The singles are catchy pop, the rest of the album is... not catchy pop. First track is pretty painful, the synth sounds amazingly dated, vocals are mega over produced and the song is so repetitive and boting, and once you got past Bad Blood it really fades away. Makes a 3 on the strength of the singles, which are really catchy and great pop, but not brilliant.
Big Star
2/5
Probably a bit ahead of its time - it sounds like not very good Radiohead, which is impressively forward for 1978, but ultimately it's not that good. Vocals are okay, a bit strained, lyrics are pretty dull, and there's not much going on musically to grab your attention. Not unpleasant, 2/5.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Weird album - one side taken up by one 20 minute track, the other with a series of much shorter vignettes all in completely different styles. ELP's synth/keyboard sound is unique and instantly recognisable, and they're probably better when they do the weirder prog rock (i.e. side 1) vs the the other stuff (although Infinite Space / A Time And A Place are a bit better). Lyrics aren't great though, it's not as tight or as meaningful as some of the really good prog rock, and in some cases (Jeremy Bender(!)) particularly woeful. 2/5, although the first side is probably a 3 and the second slips close to a 1.
Don McLean
2/5
Everyone knows the opener, and it's a good song (although overstays its welcome by about 50%), but the rest is really average, nothing I could ever see myself going back and listening to again. Very beige, slow songwriting. You can get away with pretty banal lyrics if the music has enough energy and interest to get you through it without really thinking, but this is slow, and lyrics-focused without the good lyrics to actually focus on. 2/5.
The Verve
3/5
Four really good songs (three of the first four, plus Lucky Man), supported by a lot of less good stuff. I've seen Richard Ashcroft live, supporting someone else (can't remember who). He was quite good, but got visibly frustrated that almost no one knew any of the songs he sang other than Bittersweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work. It's too long (even without the 15 minute final track which is mostly silence), and it's a bit beige other than the singles, but they lift it up to a 3/5.
Animal Collective
3/5
I want to like this more than I do. It sounds kinda like psychedelia meets the Beach Boys. Maybe a little bit too trippy for me, maybe a bit too much going on, but not as good as I'd hoped it would be? My Girls is very familiar, but wouldn't have known it was by them before listening to this. Clearly paved the way for some music that I like more though, so it can get a 3/5.
The B-52's
1/5
Didn't like this at all, had all the tunelessness of that era of punk without the attitude and aggression or the cleverness in the lyrics. Also, all the songs are way too long, there's very little excuse for a punky song to hit 4 minutes, but most of these do, and Rock Lobster is almost SEVEN minutes long. Would not recommend this to anyone. 1/5.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I also really like Nick Cave, but this is a really weird album. Some great storytelling, but pretty bleak, it's in the title, it's almost all stories of murders, and he definitely gets into character pretty well as a murderer. O'Malley's Bar (just before the end) is the high (or low) mark for this, basically telling the story of a killing spree, then they bring it all to a close with a much more tender number, with Kylie, Shane MacGowan, and PJ Harvey all making appearances. Not his best album (out of the two that we've had so far!), but still worthy of a 3.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I enjoyed this - a pretty little collection of stories with mostly really good lyrics and a nice bit of sass. Occasionally gets a bit rambly, and the album is a little bit same-y, so 3/5.
2/5
Yeah, this obviously isn't here for the musical quality, or lyrical dexterity, but it does have something about it. It's mostly either incoherent, unpleasant or both, but I guess you could say that about a lot of punk? Appealed to me to an extent when it came out (I was at an age when I didn't appreciate nuance quite as much as I do now), My Way / Rollin / Take A Look Around still great songs, but they are surrounded by total dross. 2/5.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Going to try and play the ball and not the man here, so we'll focus on the music. It's nicely arranged, and his voice is obviously really good. But, it just feels like he's playing within himself here, it's all quite safe, disco pop without even the hint of any edge - even the most memorable songs feel like brain filler rather than anything that screams genius. I think I just don't really like disco, this one can get a 3/5 because it's good at what disco is, it just doesn't really do much for me.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
2/5
So the first minute of this is disco, and then the rest slips pretty comfortably into standard Latin American salsa stuff. I really struggle to differentiate much between most of this, my Spanish isn't good enough to get the lyrics unless I really concentrate (and this kind of music doesn't lend itself to intense concentration on the lyrics), and it ends up all sounding perfectly pleasant but lacking in any kind of oomph. Not an unpleasant listen, but no reason to recommend. 2/5.
Billie Holiday
3/5
Beautiful voice (if a little bit raspy), pretty love songs with a great range of emotion, and nice orchestral backing. The downside is, that it's all quite samey from a musical perspective - you can pick a lot of these songs individually, listening on their own, and they are great, but it's a bit too repetitive to make a great album. 3/5
Sade
2/5
An odd one. Mostly, for me, it doesn't really work, it fades into the background far too easily, and when you do concentrate the lyrics aren't great. That said, I'd listen to Smooth Operator over and over again, great song. 2/5, Smooth Operator almost gets it to a 3 but not quite.
Daft Punk
3/5
A bit too much in the pure dance music camp for me - there are bits of this that I love, but there's just way too much repetition for me to want to listen to it, and I don't have the fond memories attached to it that others do. I just don't need to hear them say Around The World in autotune 144 times over the course of 7 minutes. The bits which aren't overly repetitive and have a bit of musical depth to them are really good - I love Da Funk and Fresh - but Christ the bits that don't are horrible - Rollin' & Scratchin' is the worse, but there are others too. Will give it a three on the strength of it paving the way for a lot more (including their own work that I prefer).
Moby Grape
3/5
Felt like this was the stepping stone to something really good, so had a look to see what happened to them afterwards and sad to see that it all fell apart pretty quickly after the difficult second album. This has some really good starts to it - Omaha (not on the Spotify listing) is probably the best of the bunch - but it doesn't quite follow through. Fun, 60s stuff that isn't too folky and boring and has some fun psychedelic elements without straying into the completely mental and unlistenable territory. 3/5.
Slint
3/5
This is odd. Moody, jarring, dark, without really any singing but the creepy murmurings of a miserable man. It establishes that haunting mood really well, but I don't think it does enough with it to really deserve a top rating. 3/5 again, I'm back in a rut.
OutKast
3/5
It's a bit odd to release two solo albums as a double album by the collective, but it kinda works. I mean, it's too long (better listened to one at a time), and like almost every rap album we've had has pointless interludes that annoy me, but it's still really good. Probably higher highs on The Love Below, but Speakerboxxx is definitely the one I'd rather listen to start to finish. Andre 3000 grates on me after a while, comes across as a bit too smug and finding himself really funny, which works for a song or two, but not a whole album. Would probably be a 4 for Speakerboxxx, 3 for The Love Below if reviewed separately, but combining them drags them down to... yet another 3
Ryan Adams
2/5
This is fine, but a bit dull. If you're going to do an album cover like that (looks like the Green Day guy doing Springsteen) it probably needs a bit more to it than this has (sounds like Buble doing Springsteen/Dylan). Feels like there's some talent there, but all the edge has been sanded away and you're left with something that is perfectly pleasant, but uninteresting. 2/5.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I think this is the best Neil Young album we've had? Like the two different versions of the same song to start and close the album, agree that Powderfinger is great, and I don't think there's a bad song on it? 3/5... closest we've had to a 4 in a while but I still don't like Neil Young's voice.
Public Enemy
4/5
Finally! This is great, and sounds amazing for 1990; there's the odd moment where it sounds a bit dated, but it's so much tighter and better produced than most other 90s hiphop we've had. It's full-on, but there's a lot of variety in the pace and flow, some fun sampling, it actually flows as an album without millions of interludes or skits, and Fight The Power is a classic. 4/5.
The Beach Boys
3/5
This was a real eye-opener - similar to an extent in style to other Beach Boys records we've had, but very very different in terms of mood and content. Going into it without knowing anything, and reading the title, expected a worse version of their standard 60s jolly surfing songs. This was really different, much darker, less catchy, but much more interesting. There are some songs that really don't land (the one written from the point of view of a tree, for example), but when it's good it's really good. 3/5, verging on a four but too inconsistent.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Absolutely magic, this. Struggling to decide between a 4 and a 5, but it's the best album we've had in a long old while. Her voice is beautiful, the album hangs together really well with a few changes of mood and doesn't overstay its welcome at all. It's sweet, but not saccharine, and there are a couple of brilliant songs (everyone knows Son Of A Preacher Man, but I think The Windmills Of Your Mind is even better) On balance, will round down to a 4 as not all of the songs are hers, but was very close to a 5.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Veckatimest is a bit of a mixed bag - there are certainly parts of it where it collapses in on itself under the weight of its own self-importance, where it's not quite as clever as it thinks it is, but there are also some real highs. Two Weeks is great, but doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the album, and While You Wait For The Others is also good. It's really nicely put together, the vocal arrangements are good (feels like Fleet Foxes without quite as good vocals but with much better instrumentation), but it doesn't really grip me for the most part. 3/5.
Billy Joel
4/5
Billy Joel gets a lot of shit, and I totally understand why - stuff like Uptown Girl is painfully cheesy. But, this album is so much better... Apart from the last two tracks, he stays on the right side of schmaltzy, tells some good stories (although occasionally they do slip into being lectures), and does it in a really catchy way. Works as an album, has some really memorable songs, 4/5.
Magazine
2/5
This is just not very good. The guy has a punk voice, but tries to sing in a way that only works if you have a much better one. The songs aren't particularly musically or lyrically interesting, and it doesn't have the energy and pace you need to carry a voice like that. 2/5.
Steely Dan
2/5
This is the FOURTH Steely Dan album we've had, which seems whatever the next level up from excessive is. This one, like the other three (apart from 'Do It Again', on the first album we had), was entirely forgettable. Sounds a bit different to the previous ones - we've moved away from purist yacht rock to prog yacht rock - but doesn't make it any less dull, apart from a post-apocalyptic closing track that is actually kinda interesting in a proggy kind of way. If only more of the album was like that... 2/5.
Prince
4/5
Some absolute magic in there, but a bit too bloated to get a 5. Apparently this was due to be a triple album, but the record company insisted they cut it down to two and I'm glad they did. That said, the length of it does give him a chance to really show off his musical versatility, he sings in several different voices, and the songs are in so many different styles and paces. I like it less when it trips into disco, but he nails funk, soul, R&B, and probably a few more genres over the course of this album. 4/5.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
This suffers a bit from coming shortly after we've had Dusty Springfield - both women with beautiful voices, singing over pared back musical accompaniment. This is not on the same level as Dusty for me, whilst her voice is close to as good the musical arrangements are not - it's a bit too country for me, and a bit twee. There's also a bit too much Jesus in there for my liking. Too Far Gone is a lovely song, really showcases her voice and doesn't have the same level of American country to it as most of the rest. That and Boulder to Birmingham are the standouts, but don't do enough to elevate it to a 3. 2/5.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Very short - less than half an hour - but still managed to be a bit boring. Sounds very generic, like a lot of other music that came out at that time, but nothing that particularly makes it stand out, and the guy's voice is quite interesting but strays into territory that it shouldn't (it really doesn't work when he holds a note for a long time, and he does that a lot). 2/5.
Napalm Death
1/5
Wow. 28 tracks in 33 minutes, with one song lasting just 4 seconds (it's just a groan with a musical flourish behind it). It's an angry album, centred on the themes of corporate exploitation, plutocracy, and moral hypocrisy, all of which remain very relevant today, thirty five years later. Shame that we can't understand any of the lyrics, as they are all either drowned out by the racket going on behind it, totally unintelligible, or (as for 90%+ of the album) both. Not sure if the singer can't sing or won't sing, but it's entirely inexplicable to me why you'd choose to express yourself like that. Some of the guitar, particularly at the beginning of the longer songs, is good, and tricks you into thinking that, finally, they might have done an actual song. But no, it quickly turns back into thrashing noise. I'm not a proper metal man at the best of times, and this certainly isn't the best that metal has to offer (for me at least). With some metal, I get why other people like it, it just doesn't do it for me, but I can't comprehend how anyone would enjoy listening to this. 1/5 (site doesn't allow for 0s).
Michael Jackson
3/5
I don't quite know what to think of this... on one hand it's got some of my favourite MJ songs on it (Dirty Diana, Man In The Mirror, and Smooth Criminal), on the other it flips between so many different styles that it feels almost more like a greatest hits album with the lack of coherence. Plus, outside the songs I already knew (which tbf is half the album), it's not great - there's this horrible run from Speed Demon through to Another Part of Me which was really not good. And Leave Me Alone at the end was pretty bad too. 3/5, feels a bit harsh but the bad bits were really bad.
The Charlatans
3/5
A good album, but not a great one - it's consistent most of the way through (but not too samey), there's not an awful song on there and a couple of really good ones, North Country Boy and One To Another. They're better when they sound less like Oasis, How High sounds like a budget Gallagher impression, and it serves to remind you that what they've done doesn't have the same energy as the good Oasis albums. One To Another is definitely one that a lot of the British indie from the mid 00s borrowed from, Kasabian sound just like it. 3/5, missing something that would make them really stand out but a solid Britpop album.
Gene Clark
2/5
This was really boring, Dylan-lite. Voice isn't great, lyrics aren't great, music is not interesting in any way. All sounds very same-y, not unpleasant, just dull, 2/5.
Love
2/5
Didn't enjoy this - sounded like a forerunner to stuff I do like (most obviously Genesis) but it was a bit too twee and nonsensical for my liking. Musically not as interesting as you'd want for an absurdist album like this. 2/5.
Tortoise
2/5
This is another one of those albums that had to be made so better versions of a similar sound could come after, I guess.. Explosions In The Sky, God Speed You Black Emperor, all that sort of thing that is like this but with a lot more energy and pizzazz. Was fine as background, bit didn't offer an awful lot imo. 2/5.
Frank Ocean
3/5
This was a weird one - I started out not really liking it at all, the beginning part of the album (after a pretty interesting opening sequence) felt like hip hop's answer to easy listening. Then you get to Pyramids, and from then onwards it's so much more interesting, there's more energy to it. That half an hour would be a 4 on its own, but the rest is a bit too beige, so drags it down to a 3 overall.
N.W.A.
3/5
Hasn't aged that well - a lot of the lyrics are painfully misogynistic, and the rapping is a bit of a mixed bag. Dre and MC Ren are great, Ice Cube is pretty decent, but Eazy-E not so much. That said, when they're not talking about women the rhyming is great, and it's clearly something that birthed a whole genre. Also, way more variety than I expected - Express Yourself is something else entirely. Agree with Phil, not as good as Public Enemy from a couple of weeks ago, 3/5.
Klaxons
3/5
I'm surprised that I've never listened to this as a whole - it was when I was most into music, it's totally the sort of thing I would've been into then, and I knew all the singles (and quite liked them). Listening to it now, it's aged... okay... I guess? There are bits of it that still work, but others that feel like proper teenage pseudo-intellectualism (referencing all the stuff that you were supposed to read to seem clever but not too academic back then), and it gets a bit cringey. But, the music is still really good if you don't listen too hard! Golden Skans is the one that everyone knows, but It's Not Over Yet is probably my favourite. Was wavering between a 3 and a 4, but the fifteen minute silence mid-way through the last track tips it down into 3 territory (particularly given that neither half is any good).
Jungle Brothers
3/5
I'm kinda torn by this. Having just had Straight Outta Compton, you come out of that thinking that it'd be really nice to have something that's maybe a little more upbeat and positive. This is exactly that, but now I've heard it I'm not sure it was really what I wanted. There's nothing technically or thematically I can fault with it, but it doesn't really excite me - maybe it's a little too long and a little too samey, and there's no real outstanding track. 3/5.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
Not my favourite album of all time. Don't get this one, it's got the worst bit of Sound of Silver (the overly long tracks) but without the highs really. There's nothing as catchy as the best few songs on SoS, call the police is the only one that really gets lively. Someone on the site describes it as 'dance music that it's impossible to dance to', which feels not far wrong to me. 2/5.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Easier listening than I expected it to be - given their reputation (and the album title), thought it might be a bit weirder and harder work. Agree with Rolfe that it was too cutesy in parts, but it's pleasant enough with a couple of highlights (Somebody To Love, White Rabbit, and 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds are all well worth a listen). 3/5.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
Too much vibrato for me, Clive... Her voice is really unusual, haunting even, and it works really well with the stripped back music, but not in a way that I find particularly pleasant for more than a track or two at once. What Can I Do? with Rufus Wainwright doesn't help - it's a stark reminder that this kind of voice can do a lot more when it's a bit more versatile than hitting the vibrato with almost every note. 3/5, just. Probably would've been a 2 if not for the guest vocalists.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Best Stones album we've had so far, I think, but still manages to lose its way. Opener and closer are fantastic, but most of the time it really suffers when they slow the tempo down. To do slow songs, with a voice like Jagger's, everything else needs to be on point. For most of this album, it isn't. Other than the first and the last songs, Live With Me is the only one that really gets the pulse going. 3/5.
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
Opening track is iconic, repeated again slightly different later on. The rest of it is funky instrumental versions of other people's songs. Do I like it? Yeah, it's great background music with a bit of oomph and fun, but it's not really anything more than that. Tough to give a high score based on one original song and a load of instrumental cover versions really, opening track almost drags it up to a 3 but doesn't manage it. 2/5.
GZA
4/5
Not gonna lie, after Dr Octagynaecologist I wasn't that excited by the prospect of a rap concept album starting with a minute long film sample... but this was actually really good. The flow is great, the storytelling is great, despite being of a similar era to a lot of the albums we've had the language isn't jarring or overly misogynistic. Probably goes a bit OTT with the length of the samples, and falls away a bit towards the end, but still gets a 4 from me.
Astor Piazzolla
1/5
Imagine a Billy Joel album, with a bit more oomph instrumentally, without the singing, add a bit of vibraphone, and some applause at more or less random intervals. Like spending an hour on hold, waiting for a fancy Argentinean boutique hotel to tell you that they've got no reservations within three weeks of the time that you'll be in Buenos Aires. 1/5.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Quite a dull riot, really. Started out quite funky, but got very repetitive very quickly and really feels like it's lacking in energy. It's soul without the really good vocals, funk without the oomph, and it goes on too long (both overall and at least half of the individual tracks). 2/5.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Listened to this twice, both times I stopped noticing it about halfway through. There's nothing that's memorable (either good or bad), just straight down the line rocky pop with a vague military theme. 3/5, straight down the line, like the album.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
Don't get the love for this at all, feels like an angry teenager screaming whatever he thinks will get the biggest reaction. If he'd been born 10 years later Alex Jones-style shock jockey, or 30 years later he'd be a Twitter troll. On the plus side, there's a fair bit of variety, in the most part I can actually hear the lyrics (although more often than not I wish I couldn't). Does get better in the second half too (after o not great start and an atrocious middle). 2/5.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Dinner party / background music for me, Clive. It's not unpleasant to listen to, but it's pretty stripped back to focus on the vocals - the singing is fine but unremarkable, and other than the odd phrase in French I can get, I don't understand them. Makes this album very difficult to appreciate for me, I think. 2/5.
Talvin Singh
2/5
This is a fusion of electro/dance music with world (mostly Far Eastern I think?) influences, and it doesn't really work. Not unpleasant, but not as interesting as the collision of two very different genres should be, 2/5 for trying though.
Elliott Smith
4/5
I really liked XO (if you can like something that miserable!), but somehow hadn't listened to this before. He's a great songwriter - his voice isn't as good as his writing, but it's by no means bad either. really well put together music, maybe could have done with a bit more variation in the album but it's still really good. 4/5.
Simple Minds
2/5
This wasn't great. First song quite catchy, but it quickly degenerates into pretty generic beige new wave, not a lot to distinguish it from a lot of other stuff at the time. Every song outstays its welcome, it's overly repetitive, and just not that interesting. 2/5.
The Gun Club
4/5
Surprisingly good - punk meets Americana, kinda like the Rolling Stones with a bit more oomph. Feels miles ahead of its time for 1981, sounds much more like early 2000s to me. I like this, it's a pretty cool sound, probably a bit too bluesy for me really. Will happily listen again, 4/5.
Gary Numan
2/5
Eurgh. The quirky electro sound is cool for a track or two, but then gets so so repetitive. M.E. does sound quite good, but that's only because other people have done better things with the one bit of synth that he really gets right. Cars is the famous one, it's a bit janky isn't it? Everything feels like it goes on too long, and it's all the bloody same. 2/5, verging on a 1.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Like two of the other three PJ Harvey albums we've had, this is consistently good but never really great. Good energy, pace throughout, some variety, but somehow there's never anything that really gets me going and I don't know why. 3/5.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Yeah, a perfectly pleasant listen, but jazz doesn't grab me in the way it does some people. I'm sure it's technically great, and it is a really nice sound, but I struggle to distinguish good jazz from bad jazz (apart from the really experimental stuff, which is either really good or horrific!). 3/5.
Lou Reed
5/5
This is astonishing. Such a harrowing story, told really well from start to finish, and one of those rare albums where it really peaks at the end. I don't quite know how it's so captivating, the guy can't sing particularly well, the music is pretty stripped back and relatively simplistic, but it captures the mood amazingly well and allows the lyrics to shine though. It's really hard work emotionally - it tells the story of a marriage breaking down because of infidelity, the husband abusing the wife, and the wife eventually killing herself. The most upbeat it gets (both musically and emotionally) is right at the end - talking about how the abusive now widower is freed to move on with his life by his wife's suicide - not exactly a happy ending but weirdly a little uplifting. Too many of the albums we've had have been way too easy to ignore or lose interest in, this one absolutely doesn't do that. 5/5.
The Police
3/5
A mixed bag. The first couple of tracks are okay, then takes a real downward turn with Oh My God and especially Mother and Miss Gradenko. After that, though, it gets really good - Synchronicity II and Every Breath You Take are superb, King Of Pain, Wrapped Around Your Finger, and Tea In The Sahara are good, then should have ended the album there. Murder By Numbers (the last track) is a bit too janky for me. 3/5.
David Bowie
4/5
With the other Bowie albums we've had, they've had some brilliant individual songs but not really come together as albums for me. This is different - the individual songs don't stand out as much (understandably given the subject matter), but the overall effect is much much more cohesive and better as an album. The real emotional punch for me came right towards the end - Dollar Days and I Can't Give Everything Away really hit hard. The range of genres it hits without sounding incoherent is also really impressive, there's classic Bowie sound, there's jazz/swing, there's some beats behind Sue that almost verge on Prodigy-style rave music, it's mad. I don't think it quite gets a 5 - the beginning of the album is a bit incoherent - but it's easily a 4.
XTC
2/5
This is not good. The lyrics are a bit too cheesy and in places godawful, the music is quite simplistic. Seems to be trying really hard to make a big hit, but it just sounds too constructed to be good, and there's nothing memorably good about this. The last track is as close as it gets to being interesting, but the lyrics are a bit obvious and in your face. 2/5.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Another good singer/songwriter album - a bit more cheerful than the album of his we had last week, but not by a lot! Not quite as soulful though, and didn't grab me as much as the previous effort did. Feels harsh to only give it a 3, but there we are.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
Fine, with a moment of greatness with Layla (which you can kinda tell by the title), it's not particularly exciting, blues-lite music. Someone else on the site described it as ramble-rock, and that seems pretty fair. Doesn't grab the attention other than the title track, which just manages to drag it up to a 3.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Quite enjoyed this at the beginning, but it gets so repetitive very quickly - like a Beastie Boys album with cleaner production. Needs more variety - why Walk This Way is by far the standout track, it brings something a bit different in. There's just something about it that feels a bit too... polished isn't the right word, but it doesn't have the rawness of the really good rap and hip hop of that era. 2/5 for this, the quality dips towards the end and that combined with the repetition make it a difficult listen later on.
The National
3/5
Doesn't quite do it for me. It's a lovely album, well put-together, flows nicely, and it's never bad, but it never really elevates itself above that. The alternate version of the opener (which is miles better) and Bloodbuzz Ohio are the closest they get to doing that, but not convinced that this deserves better than a 3. I'm sure there are other National albums on the list that will warrant a higher score, but this doesn't.
Miles Davis
2/5
Another perfectly pleasant listen, but jazz doesn't grab me in the way it does some people. I'm sure it's technically great, and it is a really nice sound, but I struggle to distinguish good jazz from bad jazz (apart from the really experimental stuff, which is either really good or horrific!). 2/5.
ZZ Top
3/5
This is really fun. It's quite consistent all the way through - to the point that a lot of it starts to sound the same - but that's mostly fine here. It's probably a bit too poppy to be really good, it's a bit too clean for this kind of music, but a nice way to start the week. 3/5.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
This is not as good as the previous Cohen album we had - it's weaker lyrically and musically just as simple and relatively empty. There's not a song there that really captures me, Bird On A Wire is good but nor great and there's nothing else that really comes close. 2/5.
The Who
3/5
I should like this more than I do - I'm a sucker for concept albums with a bit of narrative behind them - but this didn't quite work for me. It all merges together a bit, and not in the good way that you'd expect a concept album to. The intro to Pinball Wizard is incredible, shame really they put a song about pinball after it. Needs to be a bit tighter (really should have ended it after Smash The Mirror rather than the nonsense about a cult), and the lyrics aren't quite there in most of the songs to rival something like The Wall (which has a similar journey but builds a world much better). 3/5.
Sparks
2/5
Glam rock works when it's a bit self-aware and leans into itself properly. This doesn't do that at all, really - The Darkness do a cover of that first track that is just much better, it goes full glam, and it sounds like they're having fun, whereas here it's a similar level of OTTness but without the sense that anyone is taking this anything other than 100% seriously. 2/5.
George Michael
3/5
His voice is just amazing. I saw him live when I was a lot younger, not knowing any of his music, and it was just so impressive. That really shows through on this album, but there's something about it which stops it being truly great. Maybe it's because it's musically a bit too safe, maybe it's because some of the lyrics are a bit too on the nose? Probably a bit of both. The opening of the album (Praying For Time / Freedom / They Won't Go When I Go) made me think we might get something really special, but it tails away a bit after that. 3/5.
The Soft Boys
3/5
This is great fun - it sounds at times a throwback to some of the 60s stuff that we've heard, and at other times a flash forward to a lot later in the 80s/90s. Great level of energy, some of the lyrics are pretty clever and I'm glad that I've heard it. Will I listen to it again? Probably not, so 3/5.
Slade
2/5
Another fun album, but not a lot really stands out (apart from the atrocious spelling!). Mama Weer All Crazee Now is the best of a beige bunch, 2/5.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
Don't quite get it. It's perfectly pleasant to have on, but doesn't grab me at any point. Starts off well enough, but goes downhill pretty quickly and doesn't really recover. 2/5.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
This is the best Joni Mitchell album we've had so far (think this is our third?). That said, it's still not really for me, I'm not a huge fan of the wobbliness in her voice, and it's a bit too samey throughout. 3/5.
Liz Phair
3/5
This is good. Must've been pretty shocking for a WOMAN to produce something as explicit and casual about sex as this in such a conventional musical format back in 1993, although I guess this kind of sound wasn't as well-established then as it is now. That said, her voice lets it down a bit, and that probably drops it down from a 4 to a 3.
Randy Newman
2/5
We've had Randy Newman before, but this album is quite different to that - he's much more political, even if the sound of the music is identical. That said, I don't think a lot of it lands particularly well, sounds like he's trying too hard, and the emotions he's trying to get across don't really fit with the laid-back style of the music. 2/5.
Dr. Dre
3/5
Was expecting a fair bit more from this than I got. I'm not mega into rap, so only passingly familiar with Dre's work, but this is way less clever than I thought it would be. Apparently 2001 is better, hopefully we'll get that too. Sampling and production are really good, the actual content and lyrics aren't at the same level. I don't particularly like Snoop, but he does bring this album up a level on the handful of tracks he contributes to. 3/5.
Paul Simon
3/5
This is a step down from Graceland, which we had near the beginning of this project. It's very stripped back, very singer-songwriter, and although the lyrics and storytelling are really good, they aren't great enough to hold up an album like this on their own. And Paul Simon's voice isn't that strong - he's at his best with Art Garfunkel, or working with something a bit more musically complex. 3/5, just.
Tom Tom Club
2/5
This feels way ahead of 1981 to me, but I still don't particularly like it. I wouldn't have batted an eyelid if it had been from the early 2010s, it's electro/synthy but something about the vocals makes it feel more modern. There's just not enough to it to make it interesting for me, most of the time it lacks energy which this kind of music really needs to work. 2/5, could get a 3 for being so forward-looking but I just don't like it enough.
Pixies
3/5
I like this, but I don't love it. Where is My Mind and Gigantic are amazing, but the rest is only a little notch above OK, I think. Of the three we've had, I'd put this better than Bossanova, but not as good as Doolittle - so the top end of a 3. Could elevate it to a 4 given that it's their debut and it's clearly a bit of a game-changer more broadly, but I'm not going to, it's still too tuneless and shouty in places to deserve that. 3/5.
Dire Straits
3/5
Dire Straits do moody and bluesy really well, and they do proper upbeat dad rock really well, but too much of this album falls in between the two and it doesn't quite work, sounds like easy listening. Not awful, but doesn't quite reach the heights of some of their other albums (which I'm sure we'll get to). Knopfler is a brilliant guitarist, and I like his throaty vocals, but this isn't their best work. Sultans of Swing is a great song, but there's nothing that gets close to that on this album. 3/5.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
This is really quite dull. They've got the ingredients there to be much more interesting than they are - you can't really fault their singing voices (because Neil Young isn't part of the group yet), they are competent musicians, but the songs all sound the same, and the same isn't particularly lively in the first place. Lacks energy throughout, don't see this as an essential listen by any means. 2/5.
Ice Cube
3/5
Marginally better than The Chronic, but still not really good. It Was A Good Day is a step above the rest, but other than that it's nicely produced but not much more. Nothing specifically wrong with it, I don't think, but it just doesn't grab me. 3/5.
Anita Baker
2/5
This is... fine... Nice voice without being noticeably brilliant, perfectly solid R&B but nothing more than that. Songwriting isn't particularly special, a pleasant but not exciting listen. 2/5.
Roni Size
2/5
Yeah, this is not my cup of tea, but I don't think it's even a particularly good example of what it is? Other than Brown Paper Bag, the rest all sounds quite generic - this relatively minimalist music with no/minimal lyrics really needs to have something to give it an edge to be memorable, and the vast majority of this doesn't. Also, an hour and 20 mins of this is far too much when I'm not on something. 2/5, better than Goldie.
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
This was not great, and I don't get why it's on this list? If you're going to include Indian music (and you probably should given the population makes up 20% ish of the world) then include something made for the purpose of being listened to, rather than something that is setting the scene for something more visual and vocal! We've had a couple of movie soundtracks (and at least this one is for a film that actually exists), but this one doesn't seem to have anything that makes it special. 2/5.
Doves
3/5
This is really solid early 2000s indie, without ever really hitting a mega high point - There Goes The Fear is as close as it gets, but that'd be nothing more than a strong album track from the real stars of the era. 3/5, I liked it having not heard it before but it's not outstanding. Minus points for a having a song named after a motorway.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
This is fine, but nothing more. Each individual song is quite nicely put together, but it's all a bit too gentle and doesn't have the impact that its trying to, and there's not really much coherence. As a few of you mentioned, it's in the same style/genre of a few contemporary albums we've had, and it's just not as good as them. Shouldn't be on the list really. 2/5.
The Incredible String Band
1/5
Lyrics are really sketchy, vocals are even worse, and it's musically passable but nothing more. Is it particularly influential? I can't see that it is, and it is not a pleasant listen. 1/5.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
I liked this. Not loads (and don't see why it's in this list as it's definitely not the best of its type, or particularly groundbreaking), but it's fun, slightly OTT glam, on the way towards metal but doesn't get that close. Nothing special, but quite a good listen, a low 3.
Cheap Trick
3/5
I don't think I'd ever heard a Cheap Trick song before, and I'm not particularly minded to seek out more of their work, but this was a really fun album. Tonnes of energy, sounds like them (and the fans) are having a really good time, and that's infectious. It's a little bit samey, and doesn't really get going until right near the end, but a solid enough album (particularly for a live one. 3/5.
The Smiths
3/5
Not as good as The Queen is Dead. Has a highpoint in the middle (Girlfriend in a Coma / Stop Me / Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me), but other than that it mostly lacks the emotional punch and the energy of the previous album. 3/5.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Very laid back, pretty music, but lacking a little oomph. First track is easily the highlight, some clever musical stuff going on around it but nothing that really draws me in much closer. A fair bit of variety, and a nice listen, but lacking something that takes it to the next level. 3/5.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
Production is great (really emphasising the voices and somehow making it feel like they're all around you when you listen, even not on headphones), and their voices are great, but on its own it's nowhere near as interesting as when Paul Simon brings it into Graceland. Glad I listened to it (and did so twice), but won't revisit. 3/5.
Soft Cell
4/5
This is really good for what it is - somewhere between glam and electro, quite experimental, with a couple of classics in there. Properly dancey in places, quite reflective in others, and peculiar in others - Sex Dwarf clearly inspired Pulp's This is Hardcore album (both soundwise and filthwise). Just about squeaks a 4 from me - there's a bit of dross towards the middle, but the stuff at the start and the end elevates it to that.
Public Enemy
3/5
Fun. Could've done with being 15 minutes shorter - remove some of the filler and keep the actual range that the album shows, and it'd be an easy 4, but what we've actually got is a bit lazy in places. It reverts to the same sounds, the same injects, and you lose a bit from that. Could benefit from being a bit rawer in a lot of places - there seems to be a conscious effort to make it stand out from every other album of rapping over a beat, but that's what these guys are really good at. Rebel Without A Pause the most egregious example, where you've got a really decent, varied song, that has this high pitched wavy drone over it for no real reason Bring The Noise is a stone cold classic though. 3/5.
Van Morrison
4/5
This is really pleasant, particularly at the beginning. It's levelled up crooning - it's got that style to it, but it's got something else about it that elevates it above your Randy Newmans. Album flows together beautifully, there's a little bit of variety, and the lyrics are interesting enough but without being world-beating. First half of the album is stellar, falls away a bit in the second half, but still just about merits a 4. Will listen again.
2/5
This was better than I expected, but still not really to my taste. It's a lot more modern and electronic than most of the rest of the Brazilian music we've had. but still retains a bit of that repetitiveness (fine for dancing to, but not so good if you're just listening to it). Definitely outstays its welcome, although I think it improves towards the end - could do with a bit of pruning of the first half of the album. As it is, a strong 2.
Dolly Parton
2/5
This one was exactly as expected! Three very pleasant (but not earthshatteringly brilliant) voices, hopping between full on country and gentle soft pop. Nothing particularly inspiring, nothing to really note. 2/5.
The Residents
1/5
This has had a good stab at being the worst record we've had so far. Doesn't quite deserve it, but it's not miles off. It's like what a Red Dwarf set from the early series would sound like if you asked it to sing - vaguely futuristic, incredibly dated, weird, and absolutely awful if you concentrate on it for too long. 1/5.
ZZ Top
3/5
This is fun, ZZ Top tend to be, but it falls short of being really really good. La Grange has a great little riff behind it, and the rest is all really good for nodding along to, getting close to funk in some places. The live versions of three of the songs at the end are also really good. A strong 3, just falling short of a 4.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Amazing that this is 55 years old, I know we've got the White Album coming up and from memory I think it'll struggle to compete with this, but both deserve their places in the 'crazy experimental stuff that inspired so much more' pantheon. Is there a single song on there that is brilliant? Other than Heroin, probably not, but there's so much variety in the sound across the 11 tracks, it's probably the best prog rock record that was out there by 1967 without even being prog rock. That said, it's not a good enough listen in its own right to get a 5, so 4 it is.
Beatles
4/5
As I expected, not as good as Nico. There's a really good album somewhere in here, but it's probably around 45 minutes long rather than an hour and a half. I'd can all the tracks that sound like kids songs on it (Bungalow Bill and Rocky Raccoon at the very least), as well as the weird sounding experiments that don't work (Wild Honey Pie and Piggies the worst examples, Revolution 9 has something to it but not enough...). Ob-La-Di is a bit too janky and twee for me (as are many of the Beatles hits). But, when it does hit, it's amazing - Helter Skelter is my favourite Beatles song by quite some way, While My Guitar Gently Weeps is also a stone cold classic. The album also showcases their range: you've got pure ballads, experimental stuff, proper pop, and a couple of songs that if they were a decade later you'd call punk. That merits a 4, not as high a 4 as Nico got, but a 4 nonetheless.
Taylor Swift
3/5
I like this as an album probably more than the previous Swift album we had, but it lacks the standout hit tracks that she had in that one. It's definitely more sophisticated (musically and lyrically), but she's sacrificed a lot of the energy that she had in the old music. And it drags. 3/5.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
So this is an odd one. It's a pretty run of the mill country album for the first two thirds, too biblical and twee for my tastes, but then livens up a lot with two tracks entitled Hot Burrito #1 and #2. That's a lot more like psychedelia, which I much prefer. Quick return to twee country with Track 10, before a proper proggy closer which I also really liked. Just manages a 3, on the strength of the three good tracks, but wouldn't recommend as a full album.
Britney Spears
2/5
This starts off strong with the title track that everyone knows, and Crazy (which I would expect most people, like me, would know it if they heard it). After that, it's a really uninspiring saccharine tour through various genres (Britney + reggae = total fucking shite!) and painful cliche; it feels really, really dated. And it's an hour long (if you include the two remixes of the single). 2/5.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
She's got a really nice voice, it's well arranged, but it rarely really hits the spot - The Queen And The Soldier being the honourable exception, which is a super song. Otherwise, it's a little bit folky for me to give it a really high score, so 3/5, as per usual.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
Not sure about this, it's pleasant enough on the ears but it's experimental without being at any point exciting. Feels like it's been made by people who aren't quite as clever as they think they are (or maybe are just so much cleverer than me that I've missed the point). 2/5.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
A real mixed bag, this. Some funky electro pop, a couple of nice ballads, a fair bit of trash, and an excruciating cover of Comfortably Numb. Just squeaks a 3 on the strength of most of the first half, but that does feel pretty generous (and probably helped by me being a teenager when this came out).
The Stooges
3/5
Our second Stooges album, but probably the worse of the two, I think? Decent energy to it in places, but most of the tracks (definitely the second half of the album) drag at least a little for me. No obviously bad songs, but no real standouts for me either - a good listen overall, but not a great one. As per the last one, influential and ahead of its time, but not one of my favourite listens on its own account. 3/5.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
I've listened to this a couple of times now, and it's definitely grown on me, but I think its good rather than great. It's a 2010s rehash of 80s electropop - doesn't particularly stand out in this regard, although her voice is nicer than most who've done this kind of record. Sounds better in French than in English. 3/5.
The Only Ones
2/5
I like the single, and the track after it is kind of cool, but it's not much beyond that really. Lead singer's voice isn't great, which works okay in the more punky stuff but suffers when they try to be tuneful. 2/5.
Tina Turner
2/5
I wanted to like this more than I did, but it just doesn't really do it for me. Her voice is super powerful, but there's really nothing else to the album than that, the drums are tinny, there's a bit of odd synth and a saxophone every now and then, it's everything that you learnt to hate about the eighties. 2/5.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Not as good as I expected it to be - the Dusty Springfield collaboration was a pleasant surprise, and It's A Sin is a classic that I already knew, but the rest of it feels a bit lacking in nuance (maybe that's unfair given that it's 25 years old and society has really changed regarding a lot of things they were talking about). Definitely preferred the second side to the first, but it's a 3 from me.
Fairport Convention
2/5
Never get these guys. All the ingredients seem to be there, but the combination never rises above dull for me. She's got a great voice, the tunes are pretty enough, but I've just finished listening to what is a pretty short album and I couldn't say that I remember even one of the songs. 2/5.
Yes
4/5
I like this, unsurprisingly, but not loads. It feels like it's almost really good, but doesn't quite hit the heights of what their contemporaries were doing - then I check my dates and realise that Pink Floyd at this point haven't come out of their proper psychedelic period, and Genesis hadn't really got going either. So this is actually ahead of a pretty forward looking bunch (in the early seventies, anyway). Doesn't feel disjointed at all, but also doesn't quite get me going in the way that the later work from Genesis/Pink Floyd did - hope we get some later Yes albums. Just about squeaks a 4.
Beth Orton
3/5
I like this, and think it'll grow more on me with a few more listens. It's in your Fiona Apple / Alanis Morissette wheelhouse - something that comes from folk but with a lot more fun and oomph behind it. It's not quite as full on as Alanis, but it's definitely slightly prettier music, and despite not having the emotional volume keeps the range. A downbeat album, probably not one for one of the hottest days of the year, but one that I'll add to my rotation. 3/5, lacking something really standout to push it to a 4.
Elvis Presley
3/5
This is more grown up Elvis than we had before, and I like it better. It's still pretty cringey in places (and some of the lyrics really haven't aged well), but you can definitely see why he was really successful in this reinvention of himself. Not trailblazing at any point really during this album, gets too croonery at points, but there's some real highs too - is there a better Elvis song than Suspicious Minds? I don't think so... That and In the Ghetto are the all time classics from this album. 3/5.
Minutemen
3/5
43 tracks is too many for any album! Admittedly, they're all less than 3 minutes long, but it still adds up to 74 minutes. That said, I was pleasantly surprised listening to it (having kinda written it off because of the structure), there's a really nice variety of styles in there ranging from all-out punk through jazz and some spoken word type stuff. It's very political, angry without being too shouty and, whilst 74 minutes is definitely too long, it doesn't drag too much. Probably could have benefitted from cleaning up a bit and taking some of the filler out, and misses any real standout hits (possibly because most of the songs don't get a chance to get going), but well worth a listen. 3 still, but a higher 3 than Elvis.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
This is the worst album we've had in quite some time, I think. Opening track is a 9 minute mess - seems like they've tried to marry punk and prog, and forgotten that the two didn't really get on. Then we have a spoken poem about religion that is about as subtle as being hit over the head by a brick, and track 3 is the same poem set to music and elongated to 3x the length. Track four would be a passable punky type song if it was half of its 6 minutes. Then 5/6/7 are all reasonable punk album tracks (the title track being the best of the bunch) before we get to a final track that has a simple hip hop style beat with some weird quiet half screaming set to it. For eight minutes. At least the album is over in 40. 1/5, title track almost gets it to a 2 but it is just unlistenable for the most part.
Mj Cole
1/5
Did not gel with this at all really. Not my jam in general, and this doesn't seem to be a particularly good example of the genre? The 'Be Sincere' motif does a lot of heavy lifting, I didn't count but it felt like it featured on at least a third of the tracks. That said, there's one guy who contributes on a couple of tracks (Danny Vicious) who is the most obvious inspiration for Kurupt FM - they even do an interlude where they pretend to be running a pirate radio station and it's just as cheesy and painful as the worst Grinda bits... 'all the text message crew'... but with a bit more layered in. 1/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
This was better than expected - I struggle a bit with reggae sometimes in that it's too easy to make it all sound the same, but this was really good. Great shifting between the personal and political in subject matter, beautifully put together (backing vocal are superb throughout), and some nice changes of pace. Lacks a standout track to get it to a 5, but definitely merits a 4.
Def Leppard
3/5
Pretty much everything about Def Leppard had passed me by until now (though I did recognise Pour Some Sugar On Me), but that was pretty good. Massively OTT, very glam, but bags of fun. He can't sing particularly well, but that doesn't even matter that much with this, it's half sung and half shouted anyway. Best if you don't really listen to their lyrics (they aren't offensive or anything, just a bit cliched), just nod your head to it and enjoy the GINORMOUS sound. 3/5 - in a similar vein to the Bon Jovi album we had quite a while ago, but not as catchy as that was. Almost a 4 though.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
This feels a bit too much like hard work. Clearly a lot has gone into this, it's a really complex layered album, but it's a bit too far gone from what makes a pop song; there's not enough real energy and structure in most of it, and the overall effect is too heavy to be ethereal but too lacking in... something... to be dark. 2/5.
Hole
2/5
I don't hate this, it's fine, but it's not particularly inspiring. Definitely more listenable than the previous Hole album we had, but a bit more generic too - and you really can't get away with a voice like that when you're singing music like this (whereas she kinda could with the proper grunge album before). 2/5, but a high 2.
Robert Wyatt
1/5
I listened to this once, read some of the reviews on the site and they said it improves with a second listen, so listened to it again just in case. I did learn to appreciate the bits where he isn't doing an accent a bit more, but other than that did not take much away from the second listen. It's psychedelic, and there are a couple of cool instrumental bits, but he really can't sing very well, the lyrics are more miss than hit, and it's quite a painful listen in places. 1/5.
Shivkumar Sharma
2/5
Fine, pleasant background music, but did nothing to inspire me. Wouldn't turn it off if it was on in the background, but would never seek it out. Beautiful, gentle sound, but nothing more. 2/5.
Orbital
2/5
Maybe it's because I'm just back from the dentists, but found this more grating than interesting. Not my genre anyway, really, but it seemed more repetitive than most of this stuff we've had. That said (and this feels like a total contradiction of what I just wrote), there's loads of variety between the tracks - the contrast between Kein Trink Wasser, Quality Seconds, and the beginning of Are We Here? which are one after the other is crazy. 2/5 - they've tried some interesting stuff but it doesn't work for me.
Nico
1/5
She really can't sing, and there's nothing interesting enough in the music or the lyrics that really atones for that, particularly given that it's quite a stripped back album with a lot of focus on the vocals. Actually unpleasant, it's another 1/5.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
This is much better than we've had over the past week or two, and a lot more thoughtful and reflective than the other rap/hip hop albums we've had from the early nineties. That said, what it gains in lyrical dexterity and subtlety it does lose a bit in energy and catchiness - there's not much that really sticks in your head musically aside from Can I Kick it?. Definitely liked this album, but am I actually likely to revisit it? Probably not, so it's a 3/5.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
I just don't like the guy's voice that much, and it almost all lacks a bit of energy. Perfectly pleasant listen, but again nothing that's really stayed with me or caught my ear whilst I was listening. 2/5.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Is the title a name or an instruction? This is a fun listen, a bit more depth to it than a lot of mid-sixties stuff. Happily listened to it twice, would I go back and listen to the whole thing again? Probably not, there's not enough spark to it to really get me going. 3/5.
Depeche Mode
3/5
I do struggle to get on with this style of singing, it's just a bit too electro/robotic for me. That said, it's a really good example of this kind of music - the production is really clean, there's not a bad song on it, some good beats and synth. Enjoy The Silence my favourite track on it, which is almost dance music - there's a decent amount of range here too. Not far off a 4, but we'll stick with 3.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
A pleasant surprise - I was expecting a worse Beach Boys album but this is something different and intrinsically more interesting (if not as catchy). Drink and drugs had changed his singing voice, making it much throatier and giving it a bit more edge. Leans a lot more into funk, jazz even. Well worth a listen, but still lacks something to take it to a high score, so it's another high 3.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Don't like this as much as I do some of his other work - it's a bit too brooding and ballady, lacks the energy of some of the other stuff. Also gets a bit cringey lyrically - the first track is a bit too on the nose with its atheism, and People Ain't No Good is a bit much too. 2/5.
Neil Young
3/5
One of the better Neil Young albums we've had (which isn't saying much!) - first track was excellent, then consistently decent until it lost its way a bit with the last track. The songs are written in a way that mask the weaknesses in his singing voice. Solid but never quite spectacular - 3/5.
The The
2/5
Sounds very of its time - not sure why this does more so than a lot of the other electro-heavy albums we've had, but it does. This Is The Day is good, catchy, but I struggled a bit to connect with the rest. Most of the tracks drag on a bit too long, there's a bit too much going on in places. A fine listen, but not one that I'll return to, 2/5.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
This is Julian Cope again, and (much like his solo stuff), it's quirky and interesting without ever being super catchy and memorable. You could have told me this was released in the 2010s and I wouldn't have been particularly been surprised - it feels like a slightly more modern take on synth rock/pop which I quite like. 3/5
Eric Clapton
2/5
It's just a bit dull and insipid? Doesn't show off his guitar playing, which is his greatest asset, doesn't have much energy to it, doesn't have much of anything really. 2/5.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
Not totally uninteresting, but didn't really give me anything to hang onto. Slightly weird energy to it, bluesy rock stuff verging on psychedelia in places. We've had a lot of stuff that sounds similar to this on the list so far, and most of it has been better than this. 2/5.
Traffic
2/5
Again, we've had lots of albums like this in the 500 odd so far, and this doesn't really stand out. It's late 60s rock with a bit of blues influence thrown in, and a hint of psychedelia in places. Not an unpleasant listen, but not much to write home about, though I did enjoy Cryin' To Be Heard more than the rest. 2/5.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
First properly good album we've had in a little while - I'd heard bits of this before but never listened to it from start to finish. First of all, it's one of those rare hiphop albums where the little skits between songs actually add something! Pretty unusual to have such a good singing voice and be able to rap that well too (particularly at that time), plus she can really write meaningful lyrics that flow. There's a really good variety of pace and style in there too. I think it's a 4 from me - the only thing that it's missing is a really catchy, massive hit type song (Doo Wop comes close but isn't quite catchy enough, and Ex-Factor also falls just short).
The Darkness
2/5
This is somewhere halfway between painfully bad and glorious fun - you can tell they're loving doing it, hitting all the cliches from the glam metal of 20/30 years before. From what I remember at the time, it was a nice counter to all the Pop Idol / X Factor stuff that was just emerging (as well as the trend in rock at the time towards being whingy), and it chimed really well with 13 year old me, it always makes me smile. That said, I haven't listened to it for a long long time, and doing so again now I'm older reveals that it really wasn't that good, the lyrics often make me wince, and I'm almost certainly not going to listen to it again. 2/5.
Deep Purple
3/5
Probably a bit too metal for me to really enjoy, but this is decent. Nothing as catchy as Smoke On The Water or Highway Star on this album, but it's consistently good without being great. Awesome energy to it, maybe overstretched on a few of the tracks. 3/5.
The Young Gods
2/5
Did not enjoy this, but it was definitely interesting. My French isn't good enough to understand what he's on about, but the titles of the tracks suggest some unpleasantness that definitely chimes with how it sounds. A lot of the commenters on the site mention how it sounds a bit like Tom Waits in places, and I'd agree, a really deep raspy voice at the centre of it all, but it also goes into the creepier end of metal in places. 2/5, worth one listen but no repeat.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Listened to it once yesterday whilst deep in concentration on some work stuff, and it kind of washed over me, didn't take any of it in. Listened again this morning and was much more impressed. All the usual Dylan criticisms apply; his voice isn't great and the way he inflects his voice is weird and a bit annoying, but the storytelling is great, he combines some pretty cutting snarkiness with really tender moments and it's a really good listen (barring a couple of tracks that are a bit too on the nose). I don't enjoy Dylan enough to give it a 5, but it's definitely a 4.
The War On Drugs
4/5
This is one that I've listened to a couple of times now, and it's definitely growing on me. Sounds like the album you'd get if Arcade Fire replaced their singers with Bob Dylan. I'm enjoying it more and more with each listen, but there are definitely some weaknesses to it: the songs are all a bit drawn out (Arcade Fire do similar but not to the same extent as this), and the vocals aren't as strong or as striking as Arcade Fire. I think in a few months time (if I keep listening) this will be an easy 4, so we'll give it the benefit of the doubt now and stick it in that category.
Cypress Hill
2/5
Found this a bit naff, to be honest. The gangster stuff isn't really my style, then they shift to some stuff about the joys of marijuana - but there's no real stylistic shift between the two sets of tracks, so it feels a bit weird and all sounds quite similar (apart from a couple of the really stoned tracks), just centred round a different sample. Production is pretty good - the one real sound style they create is quite good but not particularly original. 2/5.
MC Solaar
3/5
I wish I could understand it! Musically it's great, there's shedloads of variety and changes of pace, it sounds really smooth but can grab your attention when it really wants to. In terms of production, flow, and style, comparable in quality to anything coming out of LA at the time... 3/5, would almost certainly be a 4 if his lyrics are as good as the rest of it.
Can
3/5
I quite like this. It's quite psychedelic, trance-like on occasions - lots of weird instrumental interludes, long tracks, and interesting sounds. Would say it's probably not as interesting as Tago Mago which we had before, it's I think a bit easier to listen to though? 3/5.
Van Morrison
3/5
This was decent, particularly for a live album, but not as good as Moondance which we had before. Some decent energy in it in places, and obviously the songs are decent, but it doesn't have the pace/energy to keep it up for the length of the album. 3/5.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
This is... fine... Nothing special about it really, it's a tiny bit too jarring to be good background music but doesn't give you enough to warrant your full concentration. Not awful, but we've had much better examples of this kind of thing. 2/5.
The Jam
3/5
Again, this was okay, didn't blow me away for the most part. But the end is really good - the last two tracks are the standouts for me, A Bomb In Wardour Street is a great more punky one, and Down In The Tube Station at Midnight is a bit softer, but it's some really good storytelling. Lifts the album up to a 3.
Method Man
3/5
Not lifechanging, but not bad either. Marginally more of a nuanced take on gangster life etc than you got from the albums 3-4 years earlier, but still not exactly subtle. His flow is great, the production is good but not great. A solid but unspectacular album, 3/5.
The Killers
4/5
Sound track of my teenage years, this. Going back to it as a whole, it's really weirdly structured - did no one realise that the first five tracks were all going to be the singles when they put it together? Then tracks 6/7 are the next best two, before a load of a dross and then a nice closer. Still sounds great, they were really good live when I saw them last year as well. 4/5
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Couldn't get along with this at all, I'm afraid. Vocals just too weak and almost in the background, whilst the foreground instrumental wasn't doing enough on its own to sustain it in the most part - it does get more interesting when it gets heavier, but not enough to sustain an album. 2/5.
Ministry
2/5
I liked this more than I thought I would after the first track. Still not that much though! It's a bit heavy for me, though the screaming gets closer to singing the further you get through the album. Jesus Built My Hotrod is worth a listen for its sheer silliness, rest is tolerable but not great. 2/5.
Public Enemy
3/5
Not as good as the previous PE album we had, but still decent. They're really good, political storytellers, but it has dated a fair bit (in the mixing and the style more so than in the lyrics, sadly). Fun range of styles and beats, but just doesn't grab you as aggressively as their other work. 3/5.
Beck
3/5
This is fine. It's pretty, gentle, and melancholic, but it's a bit too passive and fades into the background too easily. I think it would require a really dedicated listen to properly appreciate it, and I don't think that it's good enough to warrant that. It'll grow on me over time, but for now it's a pleasant background listen and not a lot more. 3/5, just.
SAULT
3/5
I flit between really liking this and it really irritating me. The sound is really cool, as Hector says it's like a more modern Massive Attack, there's a really fun range in there. It goes on a bit too long, but the thing that grates on me is that there are too many places where it's just completely lacking in any sort of subtlety with the messaging, painfully so, and that jars with the style of the music quite a lot. Appreciate that a 3 minute song is not the easiest place to have a nuanced discussion about race, but there are a few too many moments where this album is let down by some real lowest-common-denominator lyrics and messages. Still gets a 3/5 based on the highs.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
This is definitely a level or two above most of the rap albums we've had in terms of sophistication (both production and thematically). Really cool fusion of different styles and the callbacks/references fit in really smoothly without sounding forced, there's a real variety in moods. But, I can't make up my mind whether I like his voice or not, it's too long, and there are a couple of tracks that I don't like as much (For Free? as track two is definitely going to put some people off). 4/5, but only just.
Primal Scream
3/5
I'd always assumed from the name that Primal Scream were a metal band, so never chose to listen to them This is much easier to listen to than that, a nice mix of rock and dance mostly led by the dance beats, often drifting into psychedelia as per the title. The dance/psychedelia bits work much better for me than the more guitar-led sections, which feel a bit overproduced (Damaged could quite easily be an album track on Be Here Now, the album where Oasis went wrong). Album as a whole suffers from that a little, plus again quite a few of the tracks are just too long for my tastes (given they're repeating the same beats over and over). 3/5.
Kate Bush
2/5
This is rubbish, shouldn't have made the list. Didn't sell well, wasn't critically acclaimed, and doesn't seem to have much in the way of redeeming features. Maybe it's one that grows on you, but it hasn't made enough of an impression first time around to deserve another chance. Occasionally finds an interesting combination of her overly theatrical voice and the overly theatrical music, but most of the time it's just too much. 2/5.
Ryan Adams
3/5
I definitely preferred this to the other one of his we've had - this one is his attempt to be the lovechild of Bob Dylan and Neil Young rather than his previous attempt to be the new Bruce Springsteen. This one works better. It's pretty good country rock, better in the places where it veers more towards rock than it does country. 3/5, meanders a bit but there are a couple of good songs on there. Disappointed to hear that he (like too many of the artists on our list) is a bit of a piece of shit.
The Who
3/5
I hadn't heard I Can See For Miles before, but absolutely love that. The rest of the album I can take or leave, really - I like the idea of the theme of it being a pirate radio station with loads of ads, but they lean into it a bit too far. Is there another song on the album I actually like? Not really, so it's a 3 for me for the one great song and the interesting idea (but failure to deliver it in a way that works for me).
Todd Rundgren
2/5
I think this is positively poppy compared to the other album of his that we had? Not as interesting (although with a couple of highlights) and FAR TOO LONG! I don't think I've ever listened to an album much longer than an hour that couldn't have done with being a bit shorter, and at 89 minutes this one doesn't break that streak. The reward for getting to the end is an eye-opening closer called 'Slut', which is exactly as pleasant as you'd expect. It's a bit straight down the line, ballady, and not really good enough to excel in that genre. 2.5.
The Police
3/5
Message In A Bottle is obviously a classic, Walking On The Moon also good, but not a huge fan of the Police when they get too reggae. On the plus side, this is mostly less creepy than our previous Police album, but I think the places where it gets full on white reggae are a bit much for me. 3/5, Message In A Bottle elevates it.
The Fall
2/5
I really want to like The Fall, people whose taste is almost certainly better than mine think that they're brilliant, but I really struggle. It's too tuneless, and rambly, without anything to elevate it from there in my opinion. 2/5.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
This is better and more consistent than I expected - of course I knew the singles, but the rest of the album holds up okay as well. It's too long, there's a bit too much production on it so it sounds more manufactured than I'd like, but I guess that's part of the appeal. Won't ever listen to the album as a whole again, but pleasantly surprised when I did. 3/5.
John Grant
2/5
This is a bit odd. Cool in places, the title track in particular, but jarring in others (if you have a track titled JC Hates Faggots, you know you're not getting subtlety). That lack of subtlety takes something away from this - he's borrowing a lot from other artists and genres but not really doing anything other than making inferior versions of the music (the Kraftwerk pastiche in particular sounds like a lazy coverband). 2/5, has a lot of potential but doesn't live up to it.
Wilco
4/5
Knew this one already. It's a really nice listen, but lacks a little bit of spark to get it up to a properly top score. It's 5/5 background music, but doesn't stand up to that if you really listen, there are a few too many places where it's a bit lacking in energy and excitement, and the songwriting is maybe a bit too clever for its own good. That said, it blends a really nice variety of styles (although sometimes a bit jarringly). Just about a 4/5.
Stephen Stills
3/5
I didn't clock that this guy was part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young until I read some of the other reviews. Given that, it's more interesting than you might expect, with more energy too. Opening track is a good one, a bit dated in its style but still decent, and there are a couple of other solid songs (Go Back Home being the most notable). Vocals get a bit strained and almost slurry towards the end of the album, and it fades in terms of quality towards the end, but not an unpleasant listen. 3/5.
Underworld
3/5
I tend to find this kind of music really grating (when the beats are a bit too strong and there's less complexity in the layering) or that it completely washes over me. This is closer to washing over me - I couldn't listen to it without doing something else at the same time, there's not enough energy and it's all a bit elongated. That said, there are some interesting bits, I particularly liked the end bit of the second track (both of the first two are over 15 minutes long). There are definitely a lot worse albums of this kind of music, but it's not blowing me away. Another 3.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
This is really good, isn't it? Never listened to it start to finish before, but plenty of the individual tracks are familiar. I disagree to an extent on the skits - whilst I can't think of any album where the skits in the main are truly additive, they're a lot less jarring in the most part on this album than they are on almost any other (apart from the one at the beginning of the Method Man track where they're threatening each other). We've had a few of the (sort of) solo albums from some of the members, but this is a level up from any of them - all of their styles grate a bit in their own way eventually, but when you're skipping between them it keeps it feeling fresh in a way that a whole album from one of them doesn't. 4/5.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
This is better than I expected - does get a bit screechy in places (although with a backing band called the Banshees, should really expect that), but in the most part it's punk with a bit more musical depth and tunefulness to it. Didn't like the Helter Skelter cover really, took a load of the energy out of it (which is unusual given how full of energy the rest of this album is). Solid album, not quite a 4 but pretty close.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Not sure this is worthy of the list, tbh - it's interesting from a historical perspective, as it shows what they were doing before they made the more Britpoppy stuff that was much better, but it's not an album you need to hear before you die, is it? It's way more 80s than their later stuff (understandably), but it sounds like a slightly tuneless, less tidy Pet Shop Boys album. 2/5.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Yeah, this is great. Beautiful sound almost throughout, great atmosphere to it, and a lovely warm voice. Could listen to this all day (and am, currently on my backtobacktoback listen of having this on whilst working). Fun mix of upbeat and downbeat, some really reflective stuff, great lyrics, some a bit more fun. 4/5.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
This is really good fun. There's still a bit of grunge in here, but it's much closer to the reworking of punk that comes in the early 2000s really, so ahead of its time. The singer's voice is a bit grating over the course of a whole album, but it's fine for a few songs at a time. On A Rope is mega catchy, like that, there's some decent variety in styles throughout. 3/5, not miles off a 4.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
Yeah, this was pretty dull. Vanilla pop/soul stuff that doesn't say enough to make it interesting, and isn't funky enough to really get you going. Not unpleasant, but felt very dated. 2/5.
Iron Maiden
5/5
This is mega. Bit of a steady start, had me worried that I was going to have to give a bad rating to another of Hector's favourites, but it really takes off by track three. I'm not a real metal fan, but I don't think this is real metal - it's far too tuneful and you can actually hear the words. It's pretty well-written lyrically, but the thing that elevates it is that you can't listen to this without tapping your feet or nodding your head, it's that catchy (again, not something I'd say about most metal albums). I'm sure they wouldn't take this as a compliment, but it's like listening to a good Bon Jovi album, with 25% more bite to the lyrics and 50% more bite to the music. And that guitar at the beginning of Run to the Hills is just magic. 5/5.
Mylo
2/5
In My Arms is the best song on this, and much of the rest is either a smidge too repetitive (and therefore irritating) or a bit beige. It's low-fi, chilled dance music, and that doesn't really do it for me unless it's really catchy, which most of this isn't. 2/5, not my jam.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
This is very different to the other Pet Shops Boys album we had, but I like it - it's a fair bit quieter, slower, and more understated. It's different music, for a different context, it's not for dancing, it's much more reflective and is actually pretty good for working to - when you need to focus on the work, you can, but when you need a distraction there's enough there (lyrically and musically) for it to be worth actively listening to. Soundwise it sounds a little bit dated (as does anything which uses that much of that type of synth), but the lyrics still resonate. 3/5.
Yes
2/5
Less convinced by this one than by their earlier offering that we had. This one doesn't seem to have evolved from that much, in the way that Pink Floyd and Genesis evolved and changed going into the 70s. There's not enough that really grabs your attention, and the prog bits are really, really prog in a not particularly good way. The America cover on the deluxe edition is the worst of the bunch, taking a wonderful song and stretching it out to 3x its length with a load of noodling that adds nothing. 2/5.
Morrissey
3/5
This is really good, sounds somewhere between The Smiths (obviously) and early Pulp. I don't think there's a standout track on this, but there's nothing that lets it down either, right to the end (if I had to pick, either the first or last tracks would be my favourite. He's a great storyteller and lyricist - limited in the sense that he can only seem to write misery and despair well, but he does that really well. 3/5 for this one, pushing a 4 but not quite getting there.
Blondie
4/5
This is fun - had no idea that all these hits were on one album (reminds me of Rumours in that sense). A few of the tracks feel like filler, but not many, and there's the odd song which really surprised me (Fade Away & Radiate goes almost proggy in the second half). That said, it's a bit samey through that middle section. Could've done with a bit more edge to the music, it gets a bit twee and ABBA-y in places, which takes a bit away of it (they're not as good as ABBA are at being ABBA, sounds much better the punkier it gets). Just squeaks a 4 though.
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
Never heard of these before, was fine but didn't inspire me really. It starts off well - the opening track is a good, but not electric opener (it lacks a bit of pace and energy), but it doesn't really accelerate from there. My favourite track - and the only one I'll save to listen to again - is the closer, which is a guitar-led instrumental that works really well. Feels a bit harsh to give them a 2, given they're quite early proponents of this type of music that I generally quite like, but what came later really improved on this, so 2 it is.
Laibach
2/5
This is completely mad. I can't see myself ever listening to it again, but I'm kind of glad that I've heard it once. It's mostly in German, combination of a bit of metal, some creepy spoken word, and some orchestral pieces. The guttural German cover of Queen's One Vision is a highlight. 2/5, knocking on the door for a 3 but it's just too weird.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Not really for me, this one. Have heard of Sonic Youth but don't remember ever listening to them. It does sound quite modern (or more likely it's more that other more modern bands grew up listening to this), but it's really missing something for me. A lot of the songs are way too drawn out in a way that doesn't really work for me; when you're playing music this loud, it really needs something to sustain it if you're going beyond the 5 minute mark per track, and this just doesn't have enough. Also, the industrial noise bits really do my head in. 2/5.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
This is really modern for 1978, could quite easily have come out in the 2000s and not felt dated. That said, it's just a bit underwhelming, isn't it? Feels like every song on there is an album track, in a style that is designed to generate singles. There's plenty of energy, all the ingredients are there, but it never quite comes together to make something truly memorable. 3/5.
Genesis
3/5
That was harder work than I expected. Never listened to this start to finish, and it really is far too long and convoluted. There are a few brilliant bits in there - The Cage, both the On Broadway tracks, and Carpet Crawlers - but it's surrounded by a lot of what feels like filler. Story is convoluted and too literally 'Hero's Journey' for me, and musically it's much the same. Shave out the filler, cut it down to under an hour, and it's probably a 4 for me, as it is it barely scrapes a 3. Hopefully we have more, tighter Genesis albums to come...
Steve Earle
2/5
Always worrying when track one has the same title on the album, and has more than twice as many Spotify streams as all the rest put together. It's all a bit bland, reasonably generic country soft rock that doesn't really speak to me. What you'd have got if Springsteen was half as talented and grew up 1000 miles further south west. 2/5.
Fishbone
3/5
Funny one, this. Feels like it hits a different genre with every other song, flicking between glam, ska, metal, soul, ballads, all sorts really. There's something here for pretty much everyone, but it never really comes together to make something properly coherent, it's a collection of songs rather than an album. Scrapes a 3 because it is an interesting listen, but not one that I'll return to.
Duran Duran
3/5
A couple of brilliant singles, supported by a load of new wave glam that is interesting at first but gets a bit samey after a while. Not a bad song on there, but other than Rio and Hungry Like The Wolf there's not really anything to go back to. 3/5.
Lorde
3/5
This is good. Drifts a little bit in the middle, but a really punchy opener and plenty else to keep me interested. Definite notes of Lana del Rey in there, but it's a bit more euphoric and synthy than most of LdR's stuff. I think it just misses out on a 4 by virtue of not having a really outstanding song on it, so 3/5.
Sonic Youth
2/5
I didn't enjoy the last Sonic Youth album we had, and this one was less good than that. It's really depressing, but not interesting, it's grungey without the energy. 2/5.
The Verve
2/5
Everything's a bit slow, without the tunefulness and (ironically given the title) soulfulness of Urban Hymns. All the tracks are probably a minute too long (although tbh Urban Hymns was the same), and there's nothing on this album that's as arresting as the top 3 or 4 tracks from their earlier work. 2/5, washed over me pretty much completely.
Motörhead
4/5
Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would given the reviews above. Like I said when we had the studio Motorhead album on it, they've only got one trick. It's a good trick, and I'd challenge anyone to not get lifted by Ace of Spades, but the rest of it does get a bit formulaic and mostly one paced. Again, it's a good pace, full of energy, but it does make it all sound really similar. Glad they kept it to 40 minutes though, it is a really good cut of what presumably must've been a much longer set? And it ended pretty well - the air raid sirens and plane noises leading into the last track pumped up the ambience, pulling it up to a 4.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Didn't really get this at the time it came out, and don't really get it now. Chicago is a good song (but absolutely does not need to be 6 minutes long), there are a couple of nice ballads in there but it all gets a bit twee after a while (and definitely after an hour and a quarter). Gets a 3, because it's beautiful easy listening music if you don't really concentrate on it, and is interesting when you dial your attention in for a track or two at a time, but it's too much to last a whole album.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Technically I'm sure very impressive at the time, but feels a bit dated now in places (the vocals are definitely a bit clunky, and The Model is a bit too straight down the line in terms of the beat) - but much of the rest has held up really well. 3/5 again.
Khaled
2/5
Not for me, this. Trigue Lycee was a pleasant enough listen, but none of the rest really stood out. Apart from the cover of Imagine, that was really, really painful. 2/5, Imagine nearly dragged it down to a 1 though.
The Temptations
3/5
This is really good - love the title track, it's got some proper edge to it, which is great. Far too easy for this kind of music to slide into easy listening (which this album kind of does towards the end), but the beginning is great. Would be a 4 if it could keep that up, but as it is I'll give it a mid to high 3.
Boston
4/5
This is great. I mean, it's proper dad rock but it's a giant of the genre, most of those bands wish they could get anywhere near an album like this. It's pretty cheesy in a lot of places, it's ever so slightly overblown all the way through, but with this kind of music that's all part of the charm. More Than A Feeling is the obvious standout in a positive way, but the album is really quite good throughout. 4/5.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Another good album. Lots of blues music ends up a bit too soft for me, but this keeps its hard edges throughout. There's attitude, energy, some fun lyrics, and a great vibe to it. Some of the songs, particularly towards the end, overstay their welcome a little, but it's still good enough for a 4.
Black Sabbath
2/5
Underwhelming. Never really gets going, not a patch on Paranoid which we had before. Reviews on the site suggest that this is a proper landmark album - the first heavy metal one - but they moved on from it pretty quickly and rightly so. 2/5.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
This is our fourth Cave album, and I've ranged around a bit with the first 3 in terms of scoring (2 for The Boatman's Call, 3 for Murder Ballads, and 4 for Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus). I think this one is also a 3 - it sounds most like Abattoir Blues of the previous three, but doesn't have the same catchiness, lyrical interestingness, or energy. Even Straight to You (the best song on this album imo) doesn't hit the level of the top 5 tracks on Abattoir Blues.
John Martyn
3/5
Sounds way more modern than it is, somehow. But I'm not sure that it's that good - shades of Nick Drake but not as good really? It's good a nice variety to it, all relatively slow and folky but it brings in some jazz in places. And he's quite tricky to understand, which makes music like his (lyric-driven) a bit less accessible. 3/5.
k.d. lang
2/5
Never really got on with this. Blended into the background very easily. not really much I can say that I don't like about it, there's nothing obviously wrong but there's nothing obviously right either. Not a patch on someone like Dusty Springfield who came before, or Norah Jones / Eva Cassidy who came after. 2/5.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Why is this on the list? Commercial and critical failure, nothing really new about it. The random bits of mumbled conversation aren't interesting or endearing (leave the skits to the rappers), the tracks are too long (even if the album is mercifully short), and his voice shifts from decent in some places to tuneless in others. I think on one track he does an Elvis impression. But it does have some moments of interest and isn't totally unlistenable. 2/5.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
It's beautiful, it's tuneful, it's really nice lyrically, but it just doesn't go anywhere. It's lovely to have on in the background, and quite nice to listen to closely for a track or two. But this is sung poetry, rather than proper music; the song structure isn't there, it meanders and wanders and doesn't ever catch me. Shedloads of talent there - the lyrics are good, her singing voice is superb, but there's just not enough actual music in there for me to want to listen to it again. 3/5.
Beautiful Day is one of those tracks that is only good to listen to now if I'm a bit drunk and/or really excited, it's been so overplayed over the years that I'm immune to it except in times of weakness. Stuck In A Moment is my favourite song off this album, then you have Elevation that is U2 attempting to make their own Song 2 (and is inferior in every way), and really not a lot else of note. 2/5, a real nothingburger.
The Go-Go's
3/5
Cracking pun in the album title, and the album itself doesn't disappoint. Didn't think I'd heard of these before, but I knew the first song, and the other single. Infectious energy, lovely pop punk with a bit of new wave thrown in. It's a really fun listen, not as polished as the Blondie album that we had in a similar vein, but well worth a whirl. 3/5.
The Black Crowes
4/5
This was pretty good. Sounds like a Rolling Stones album which swings a bit closer to rock than to blues. Nice mix of pace and energy, good they slow it down and go thoughtful every now and then, but give it a bit of oomph at other times. She Talks To Angels definitely my favourite, but it's all rather good. 4/5.
Gotan Project
2/5
Quite enjoyed it as background music for the first 20 minutes or so. But it's a combination of low-fi dance music and Latin, both genres that tend (for me at least) to get pretty repetitive pretty quickly, and it really does. 2/5, fine for background (and better than a lot of this kind of thing than we've had), but really nothing more.
Kanye West
5/5
This is just superb. Production is incredible the whole way through, uses the guests really well (in that they really bring something extra without taking over the album). Definitely the best hip hop album we've had so far, so many standout tracks that they don't really stand out. Probably listens better knowing that he's ended up fully going down this rabbit hole. Occasionally gets a bit too crude (the outtro to Blame Game is a bit much for me, no real need for pussy upholstering chat) but it still very much deserves a 5.
David Bowie
4/5
Liked this more than I have most of his other albums, despite it not having one of his megahits on. It's almost proggy, with the longer songs, the range of sounds, and the storytelling. Probably second favourite of the 8 million bowie albums we've had so far behind Darkstar. 4/5.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
A pretty voice, some pretty music, good but not great (opening track aside). A bit OTT theatrical in some places, 3/5.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Way too long, I don't mind Kiedis' singing style in small quantities, but I definitely don't need over an hour of it at once. Definitely more punky than the stuff that comes later, makes it a harsher listen but a more interesting one. That said, I think the later albums are better executed, this band are just better at pop rock than they are at punk - presumably the success of Under The Bridge sent them that way? 3/5.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
A really nice listen, but it's jazz, and therefore it's never going to score mega highly with me. I like the idea of jazz, but the reality just doesn't get me going. This is perfectly nice background music, it's smooth, with a bit of oomph to keep you interested, but not enough drama. 3/5.
Kate Bush
2/5
I actually quite like Kate Bush - the theatrical flourishes combined with the quality of her voice and the strong lyrics are a really good combination in theory. And when it works, it works really well - This Woman's Work is a great example of that on this album. But it doesn't work often enough; this album probably has a bit too much going on in terms of instrumentals and backing vocal tracks, and the weird squeaking noises she makes all too often put me off a bit. This album is decent at the beginning, better at the end, and not good at all in the middle. A high 2, doesn't quite deserve a 3.
Patti Smith
2/5
Not quite sure what I think of this. There are moments when it's really good, but long periods where it isn't. The intro to Redondo Beach sounds like a reggae version of the intro to Common People, which amused me... Gloria the clear standout track, rest of the album just not as good. 2/5.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
Quite enjoyed this - as people have said, the quality is pretty patchy, but Roadrunner and Modern World are real highlights. It's super simple, stripped back rock music focused around the vocals (which is odd, given his voice isn't that strong). That said, his lyrics are fun, and the attitude comes across in spades. Probably not an album I'll revisit (although I'll save a couple of the best songs) 3/5.
Carpenters
2/5
What a shame. As others have mentioned, she has an incredible voice, up there with the best of them, but the music itself is so dull. There's really nothing else going on - the arrangements are boring, the backing singing is boring, and the lyrics are mostly boring. It's a couple of very famous, very saccharine singles, a few more interesting songs towards the end of the album, and a load of boring dross. 2/5.
Prince
4/5
First side of this album is good, but not great (Let's Go Crazy aside). Second half is an absolute masterpiece. Purple Rain the best album closer of all time? Don't think we've had much better so far, close to 600 albums in. I think it's probably about level with Sign O' The Times - that had the more varied, more interesting overall sound, Purple Rain has the bigger individual hits. 4/5.
Elvis Presley
2/5
Very smooth, mostly easy listening stuff. Nothing that really gets the pulse racing though, even Fever loses a bit of oomph when you actually listen to the words. 2/5.
Orbital
2/5
Better than the previous Orbital album we've had, still not really my thing though, it's just too repetitive to listen to the whole way through. Halcyon was the best of the bunch, and I actually quite enjoyed it - even after 8 tracks - which is notable, but the rest of the album not really for me. 2/5.
4/5
Surprised this didn't get more love - I thought that this was really good. I guess that's because it's basically a greatest hits (up to 1966) album, but for some reason it seems to have a bit more character than the albums of his that we've had. I'm normally not a fan of elongated songs, and when I saw the track listing was a bit worried seeing 8 minute versions of 4 minute songs, but it actually worked really well. If we could cut out about half the harmonica, that would help, and if he had a proper singing voice that would help too, but it's still a 4/5 for me.
Baaba Maal
3/5
This is the second Baaba Maal album that we've had. Not sure he really deserves two albums on this list. I still don't speak any Pulaar, so this was more or less a mystery to me. Last track in particular was cool, most of the rest washed over me, although at least on this album there was an interesting mixture of styles and genres beyond the generic 'world music' style which we had on his previous album. I think it just scrapes a 3, might be better if I could understand it.
Brian Eno
2/5
Think this is our second Eno solo effort? Not as interesting as the previous one imo, no real stand out catchy tracks, but a lot of the same irritations in that it seems to be trying to be too clever without much depth to it. 2/5.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Did I ever think I needed to hear a prog rock cover of a classical album, performed live? No. Am I glad I did? Kind of... Am totally up for more of this sort of stuff being included in the list vs. Steely Dan's fourth most popular album - it's weird, experimental, funky, and quite a cool sound. That said, I'm pretty sure I won't ever listen to this again, it's just too much weird synth noise dragged out over too long for me. 2/5 in terms of it being a good listen, but it definitely belongs on the list.
2/5
Never heard of this lot before, and don't feel like I've missed much, to be honest. The type of new wave that doesn't really work for me, Uncontrollable Urge almost gets there but none of the rest does. 2/5.
Mekons
2/5
Not amazing, really. Slightly punky country, if that's a thing? Not a huge fan of the sound, and the lyrics aren't as clever as they think they are or need to be for something like this. 2/5.
2/5
Loses its way a fair bit, going too out there, instrumental, and samey for quite a while in the middle of the album. The rest of it is fine, but not good enough to make up for the wanderings. Cisco Kid and The World Is A Ghetto are catchy, memorable songs, but again overly drawn out. 2/5.
Van Halen
3/5
Such a good start to this album - slightly overindulgent intro, then Jump and Panama are great. Guitar work on Top Jimmy is super (the song itself isn't really, but the man can play guitar). It's a shame that it loses its way after this and goes very much teenage boy masturbatory fantasy, the lyrics to Hot for Teacher and I'll Wait in particular are so cringe-inducing... House of Pain is, however, a decent closer. Front half of the album is a 4, back is a 2, so it's a 3/5 from me.
Stephen Stills
2/5
Dreary, boring, somewhere between country and rock, nothing to recommend it really. A handful of passable tracks, the best you can say about the rest is that it's not actively unpleasant. 2/5.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
There are a lot of comparisons between this and Bowie's Blackstar on the site, because this was written and recorded just before he died (later the same year as Bowie), in the full knowledge that he didn't have long left. Unlike Blackstar, which starts okay and then gets magnificent, this peaks with the opening track really. It's amazing lyrically, tough to have on as background music as you just miss so much of it, but it captures the melancholy, tinged with a bit of regret and resentment, beautifully. 4/5.
Radiohead
3/5
We've had 2 Radiohead albums before this; this is better than Amnesiac (2), but not close to as good as OK Computer (4). So I guess it has to be a 3? 2+2=5 is a good song, but the rest is a bit too wallowy and dirgey for me. Nothing really sticks with me in the way that 3-4 tracks from OK Computer did. 3/5.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
Does this get a look in on this list if it's not by a supergroup? Probably not. I quite like the album, it's fine, but nothing special really. The singles are decent enough (if a bit insipid), but the real highlight is the closer. It feels like all the energy that's missing from the first 11 songs got sucked out and put into the second half of this one, it's brilliant. Otherwise, if you've not listened to this before, I wouldn't strongly recommend you do now. That last song pulls it up to a 3/5.
Big Star
2/5
Got to admire the confidence in the band name and album title. Doesn't quite live up to it really though, it's a decent enough listen but very generic 70s rock, not enough oomph behind it to give it a good score. 2/5.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
This is good. We get a lot of guitarry rocky stuff on this list, and this was one of the better ones. Consistent the whole way through, like Hector says there's no bad songs there. That said, there's nothing that really stands out either - Something 4 the Weekend is decent, but not groundbreaking or a classic, and there's not much more really. It's a lot less raw than most debuts, it's been produced pretty well, starts to head towards overproduction but doesn't quite get there. I think it's a really good 3/5, a really good single would've got it a 4.
MGMT
3/5
Brilliant opener, hadn't listened to this song for years but can't get it out of my head now. Kids is the other one that everyone knows, the rest is good but is it great? It's quite grating in places - Pieces of What sounds like an abandoned Oasis demo sung by someone who is very outside of their vocal comfort zone - but they're brave enough to try a lot of different sounds, getting dancey in some places, trippy in others. They're best when they stay close to the register of the two most successful - Tame Impala with a bit more oomph, slightly more rocky LCD Soundsystem. 3/5, not miles off a 4.
Amy Winehouse
2/5
There's flashes there of the talent that would really come to the fore later, but it's all too few and far between on this album compared to Back To Black. The opening track has a lot of the bite that goes into her best work, but without the soul and the wit, and that's a common theme throughout the album - there are quite a few songs that are one missing ingredient away from being really good, but if you're being realistic only one or two of these songs would get close to anything on Back To Black. 2/5.
The White Stripes
2/5
A very different style to Elephant (which was only a couple of years before I think?), much less of the loud guitar sound, much more reflective, bluesy music. Doesn't sound hugely different to a weaker Rolling Stones album to be honest, it lacks a bit for me. Blue Orchid is a good song - it's still got the energy that they had on the previous album, as does (to a lesser extent) My Doorbell - but much of the rest is a bit flat. Feels like he disappeared up his own arse in the midst of all the hype at this point about him being a genius, and it's a bit too self indulgent. 2/5.
Hookworms
3/5
Never heard of this before at all, but it's quite good. Not wildly different to the MGMT album we had a few days ago, but not as good. Fun electro-pop, feels much more 2010 than 2018 though. Just about gets a 3.
The Dandy Warhols
2/5
Proper stoner music, this. Low-fi, fades into the background in lots of places - Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth is the one that sounds like the Dandy Warhols album I bought a few years later, and the track after keeps a bit of that energy. Rest is not really for me, reminds me a bit of the My Bloody Valentine album we had and not in a particularly good way. 2/5.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Astonishing. Two albums on this list by this guy, who writes film soundtracks for films that don't exist. Ironically, one of the tracks was subsequently featured in a real film. Quite a bit of variety in the soundscapes he creates, somehow manages to get guest vocals from Jarvis and Nick Cave on here which was an unexpected treat, but I can't bring myself to give this any more than a 2.
Jeff Beck
3/5
This is decent. A bit of its time, a bit dated, but still a good listen. Shades of Led Zeppelin in places (after reading about it this is unsurprising given the people he worked with!), blues-y rock. But, it's really hard to give an album of pretty much all covers a particularly high rating. The Bolero is probably my favourite, and the cover of Hi Ho Silver Lining also fun. 3/5.
Def Leppard
2/5
Feels almost like a pisstake of itself, very much leans into the stereotype of whatever you call this genre of 80s OTT melodramatic rock. Photograph is the one track that is tolerable (but still on the edge). Hysteria was plenty better than this, this strips out any semblance of metal and edge and goes full poppy. 2/5.
Jacques Brel
2/5
Doesn't work for me - it's not interesting enough musically to get over not understanding French well enough to know what he's on about. One of the albums that probably does belong on the list - he seems to have influenced and inspired a lot of better music - but isn't particularly fun to listen to. 2/5.
Lou Reed
4/5
Not quite sure how I feel about this one. Has the two Lou Reed songs that I knew before this (Perfect Day and Walk On The Wild Side) which are both great, but there are a handful of patches where he doesn't seem to realise the limitations of his voice and takes it to places where it really doesn't belong. Doesn't tell a story in the way that Berlin does, but definitely has the better individual tracks on. I think it's a low 4 - probably not deserving of a 5 overall anyway, and the New York Telephone Conversation track definitely brings it down.
The Doors
2/5
Jim Morrison's voice is just very cool, isn't it? That really carries this album, which isn't particularly interesting musically or lyrically in the most part. Not much worth revisiting other than Riders on the Storm, 2/5.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
I liked the opening 30 seconds - proper attention grabbing, energy, then flowed nicely into a good little punk song. Shame about the guy's voice, really not sure how people like this get into professional music. Hope he at least writes the songs. Album starts out strong, and then weakens towards the end, before the decent cover of Just Like Heaven. 3/5, could've been better if he could properly sing.
Meat Loaf
4/5
This is just bags of fun, isn't it? Bombastic, over the top melodramatic. Someone on the site described it as 'Springsteen for musical theatre kids' and I quite like that - taking a pretty ordinary story and elevating it to make it worth telling to the whole world. That said, it goes a bit too OTT in places (do we really need almost nine minutes of both Paradise By The Dashboard Lights and For Crying Out Loud consecutively? I don't think so). Still, title track and For Crying Out Loud are just brilliant, so it's a 4/5 for me.
4/5
Think that this is the best 'traditional' Bowie album that we've had so far - not sure whether I like it more than I do Blackstar, but it's a very different beast. Been waiting for a proper concept album from him; most of what we've had so far has been a little bit disjointed, but this flows better mostly. A fair few songs take a long time to get good, but most of them get there. How have I never heard Moonage Daydream before? Then that ending - Ziggy Stardust / Suffragette City / Rock N Roll Suicide - is a really good run to finish telling the story and to finish the album. 4/5.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
This was a really smooth, pleasant listen. Wonderful dinner/cocktail party music, but not a whole lot more than that. I did like the intro at the start, did help set the scene, but the music didn't really grab me. Her voice is delightful though. 3/5.
Primal Scream
3/5
Before listening to Screamadelica (c.100 albums ago), I'd assumed they were a metal band because of the name. Came into this album having forgotten that lesson, so was pleasantly surprised to get some psychedelica. This has its moments, but the second half of the album is quite forgettable. Almost drags it down to a 2, but the first five tracks keep it at a 3/5.
The Zombies
3/5
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Sounds surprisingly modern in the production for an album from 1968, some of the songs wouldn't have felt out of place on a Ben Folds album or similar. Songwriting is a bit clunky in places, but they do tackle themes that are a bit more grown up than a lot of the bands at the time. The opener was great, This Will Be Our Year also good. 3/5.
Miles Davis
4/5
Still not a jazz guy, but this got me close. It's really well executed, everything sits together nicely, feels very smooth but still has something to it. Delightfully mellow, not sure I'll hear a jazz album that I like more than this. 4/5.
John Lennon
3/5
A really interesting listen, this. Feels like he's going through a proper breakdown (driven by his new relationship), there's moments of magic but some real dross too. Well Well Well sounds like he's deliberately trying to write a bad McCartney song. But then you have Working Class Hero, which is amazing and haunting, and God, which is one of the best breakup songs I've ever heard. Too much filler in there to get a really good mark, it's a 3/5.
De La Soul
4/5
This is top class in patches, but it definitely outstays its welcome. It's gentle, witty hip hop, doesn't quite have the bite of some of the other stuff that was around at that sort of time, but it mostly avoids the misogynistic stuff and glorification of violence that most of the that stuff does, so it's aged better. Eye Know and Me Myself and I are classics, The Magic Number would be as well had I not heard it too many times. Plenty of fun ideas, quick wit, and good sampling, but loses its way a bit too often. Could've been a 5/5 35-45 minute album, but the bloat drops it down to a 4.
The Dictators
2/5
This is presumably on the list as a milestone on the route to punk. It's got some good moments - the first track and the I Got You Babe cover in particular - but it definitely loses its way. It's not quite hitting the punk notes of being stripped down to its bare bones (it sounds like a Jim Steinman punk album!). Some questionable lyrics as well, I think it's supposed to be jokey but it wouldn't get written like that today. 2/5.
Ella Fitzgerald
2/5
The full version of this is 3 hours long, so grateful that Spotify only linked me to the 44 minute version. She's got a nice voice, but the music is just... really dull... isn't it? Feels like it's just beyond its sell by date now, some music may be timeless but this isn't (although it must have appealed to quite a few people for quite a long time). 2/5.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
This is wonderful, for the most part. Brilliant guitar playing, some great sass in the lyrics, and an instantly recognisable, unique voice. Loads of variety in this one - Little Miss Strange sounds like a Beatles song, there's a couple of tracks that you can't really call anything other than prog, proper blues, and plenty of psychedelia. The album probably suffers a bit from that, at 75 minutes it's too long and I was ready for it to be over towards the end. But then the last two tracks are the amazing Dylan cover and the slimmed down version of Voodoo Child. 4/5, pushing a 5 and would comfortably have got there had the album been 20 minutes shorter.
Dire Straits
3/5
I came into this (having not listened to the album for years) thinking that Hector and Joe were totally wrong about this being middle of the road dad rock, but came out of it much more on their side. It's a weird mix, there's a fair bit of dross, with a small handful of great songs in there. Brothers In Arms is great, Money for Nothing is too long but still a cracking song, and Your Latest Trick is a lovely, slower, jazzy number. But the rest? It's almost all schmaltzy down the line poprock (So Far Away, Walk of Life, Why Worry are the worst offenders), with the odd bit of overly long guitar noodling. 3/5, but only just.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Enjoyed this more than I have done her previous albums - the arrangements are a bit less bare, whilst still giving centre stage to her voice. Lyrics were crisp, clear, and interesting too. Irks me that she's not on Spotify (though for good reason), but it's comfortably a 3.
The Pogues
2/5
Good in patches, but hard work for a whole album. They've got two speeds - quick folk punk, and slow melancholy ballads. Both good in their own right, but both done a bit to death. The opener was probably my highlight, followed by the last song - the best of each the two speeds. Lowlight was definitely the Gentleman Soldier where he does the silly voices. Don't think there's enough there to give it more than a 2 though, not really for me. The other Pogues album we had was better.
Beatles
4/5
Almost certainly a 5/5 in 1966, but not sure it still quite is now. Definitely have to respect the range of musical styles (some of which didn't really exist before this album), but it does clash a bit and there's some stuff on there that doesn't really hold up (yes, Doctor Robert, I'm talking to you!). But the end of the album is magic, the way it builds from I Want To Tell You through Got To Get You Into My Life and then the almost psychedelic dance track to end it off, it's amazing even now let alone nearly SIXTY years ago. Ben's totally right, if you replace the vocalist with a less recognisable voice you'd put this as a mid-90s track rather than a mid-60s one. Almost talked myself into a 5 there, but not quite. 4/5.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would (definitely more than the previous SY albums we had). But it's miles too long, both the individual tracks (to a lesser extent) and the album as a whole (could quite easily cut this in half to make a far better album, should definitely cut at least 15 minutes worth). Much prefer the male vocals to the female ones. The odd good song, but not much more. Scrapes a 3. Can't believe this lot have 4 albums on our list already.
Tears For Fears
4/5
Another one I enjoyed more than I expected. Actually think it's really really good, obviously a bit oversynthed but it's good beyond the two songs that almost everyone will know. Rest of the album is a fair bit less Magic FM than the two singles, a bit funkier in places, a couple of soulful ballads. Really nicely put together, flows really well and feels like a completed work. Didn't outstay its welcome either 4/5.
The Slits
2/5
Not for me at all, this. Female punk/ska, that's on the list because it's influential rather than because it's good, I think. Just too tuneless for me in the most part. 2/5.
The La's
2/5
One classic single aside, there's not loads to this really. They try out a few different genres (the venture towards reggae is a bit much for me!), nothing really groundbreaking apart from the overplayed single. 2/5.
Paul McCartney
2/5
I didn't know that he'd written Maybe I'm Amazed. Other than that, found this album pretty uninspiring tbh, felt like a recording of a jam session rather than a properly finished album. Not unpleasant, but not good either. 2/5.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
The story surrounding this album is great, that's why it's on here I guess, but the actual music itself doesn't do much for me. Apparently it's all improvised, which is quite impressive, the way it still flows and channels different moods and paces, but it's still an hour of just the piano, which isn't quite enough for me really. I'll be generous and give it a low 3 becuase of the story behind it and that it's a seriously impressive performance, but I didn't particularly enjoy listening to it. 3/5.
The Fall
3/5
I enjoyed this more than the other Fall albums we've had, felt a bit more accessible (or maybe my musical tastes have matured over the course of the last 643 albums. Tough to tell.). I guess it's much later on in their career, so maybe they mellowed? Either way, this is a much easier listen than we've had before, but still not my favourite. Grubby post-punk. 3/5.
Queen
2/5
Wow, Queen really are the kind of band where you're far better off listening to the greatest hits, aren't they? It's basically a glam rock concept album based around D&D, and is exactly as nauseating as you'd expect something like that to be. Feels like Queen songs are very hit or miss, and this is very much a collection of misses (Seven Seas Of Rhye being the best of a really mediocre bunch). 2/5.
Fugazi
3/5
This album is patchy, but good - it sometimes falls into tuneless shouty noise, but most of the time it manages to walk that line pretty well. Like Tim says, it's quite hard work, but there are bits that are a bit more polished; Blueprint is probably the most polished song on the album and also probably the best. 3/5, could make the case for a higher score based on its impact but it's a bit too raw, rough and ready for me.
Tricky
3/5
This is a similar sort of vibe to Massive Attack (albeit a bit less Caribbean), but just not as good. Hadn't actually realised he was in/around Massive Attack until Googling it after writing that first sentence. There are a couple of good tracks - Black Steel is the one with the most energy, Hell Is Round The Corner straight afterwards is way more chilled but still good. Probably just about a 3.
Pavement
2/5
Don't get the love for this. Well, I suppose I do, but I guess it's more love for what it inspired than what it is? Could easily have come out a decade later (and if it had I suspect it would not be anywhere near as popular) It's a bit too raw, the singer's voice is a bit too weak, and there's just not enough interesting going on. 2/5.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Absolutely beautiful voice, some lovely songs in there. I don't think it's as good as the previous Dusty album we had - it's a bit too long and it doesn't make the most of her voice in quite the same way - but there are a couple of real classics in there. Minus a little for most (if not all?) of them being covers. 3/5.
Dion
2/5
Weirdly, Spotify has decided to combine this with another Dion album. I didn't realise this at the first time of listening, so I've now listened to two Dion albums, which is at least one too many. Started well - the title track is good - and hoped it would build from there, but that was the highlight of the album. All downhill from there, 2/5.
Van Morrison
3/5
This is a bit boring, decent dinner party music but not a lot beyond that really. Title track is decent, Sweet Thing also good, but not showstoppers, and the rest fades into the background very easily. Squeaks a 3 on the strength of the two highlights.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This is just brilliant. Don't want to totally rehash the Dylan vs Beatles debate, but this came out at a time when the Beatles were still mostly doing their twinkly pop boyband routine. They discover LSD and meet Dylan around the time this album comes out, and then they start doing their adventurous work. And Highway 61 has aged a lot better than most of that Beatles work, too. I'm not a Dylan fanboy, I haven't listened to even a quarter of his discography, but this is superb. He doesn't go too overboard on the harmonica, he keeps the songs within his vocal range, the lyrics and storytelling are wonderful, it's just a captivating album. 5/5.
Fugees
4/5
This is really good; Lauryn Hill is just absolutely brilliant, and the others aren't far behind. It's clever, witty, playful, with a bit of bite, and very listenable. They get away with it being a longish album because of the variation in the tracks and their voices, it all flows really well. 4/5.
George Michael
3/5
This is quite full on... astonishing that he didn't have to come out until ten years after this was released really. His voice is incredible, the songs are a bit too 80s in style for me really, but the voice makes it more than tolerable. Faith is pretty much the perfect 80s pop song, but everything else on the album drags a bit (Faith is the only track under 3 and half minutes, and most of them are pushing 5). Father Figure is the only one that really justifies being a bit longer. Hope we get some of his later stuff, think that's a bit less kitsch than this. 3/5.
Hot Chip
3/5
I like this. It's not brilliant or earth-shattering by any means, but it's definitely good. Feels like the LCD Soundsystem album we had, but a bit cuddlier and more mainstream, I think? Could probably do with a bit more edge, but it's a pleasant enough listen. 3/5.
Nick Drake
3/5
Hard to call this an easy listen, given the stories behind it, but it's quite a gentle sound. It's very serene, a nice album to have as gentle background but the depth is there in the lyrics should you wish to listen to it a bit harder. Probably gets elevated above other similar songwriters by virtue of his early death, but that doesn't mean that this isn't good. 3/5.
Joan Baez
2/5
Her voice is just too wobbly. Reminds me of that Antony and the Johnsons album we had previously; would have been much more enjoyable and effective if they'd saved the vibrato for a moment where it could have a proper impact, rather than every time they held a note. It's apparently very influential on the US folk scene (the Spotfy blurb puts her as second only to Dylan in terms of importance of emerging US folk artists at the time), but it's not something I'll listen to again. 2/5.
Bee Gees
2/5
This was rubbish! Doesn't sound like you'd expect a Bee Gees album to in any way, it's a 3rd tier prog album. There is not a single song here I'd want to revisit. Not unlistenable, but not in any way interesting. 2/5.
Alice Cooper
2/5
Not for me in the slightest. Starts out okay, but not sure if it's a weird joke or if it's just trying to be mega edgelordy. Starts out well, but turns into a prototype, more tuneful Marilyn Manson. 2/5.
Tom Waits
3/5
I really enjoyed the mood of this - all felt very positive, light-hearted, like everyone involved was having tonnes of fun. Is the music that good? Not really, it's lots of little riffs from other things, plus mostly spoken word, his usual film noir ramblings. 3/5.
Beatles
4/5
Think this is the best Beatles album as a whole that we've had - the highs are high but not quite as high as some of the others, but it flows together better and blends in the nonsense songs better. The first half of this is amazing - the good songs are so good that I find myself tolerating Maxwell's Silver Hammer and Octopus's Garden much more than I would anywhere else. It loses a bit after Here Comes The Sun, but then picks up again with Carry That Weight and The End (although the actual last track is pointless). Loses one point for the big old lull in the middle, but still a comfortable 4/5.
Beyoncé
2/5
This really washed over me. Probably not in the right state for this sort of music at the moment, but it didn't really do anything for me. It's just quite boring - impressive that it's this short of ideas despite having so many people involved in its production. There's not really a bad song, but there's not one I'd particularly go back to either. 2/5.
Devendra Banhart
2/5
This is apparently psychedelic folk; definitely leans more on the folk than it does the psychedelic. It's not very interesting really, a few different influences and styles but it's still pretty samey, doesn't particularly stand out from the bajillion other singer/songwriter albums with a voice that would've been unconventional had everyone with that style of voice not become singer/songwriters. 2/5.
Living Colour
3/5
Great start - Cult of Personality is familiar (think it was on a Guitar Hero game or something?). The rest is just a pale imitation of that, really, it's mostly quite samey but not as good. Decent amount of energy throughout, fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, 3/5.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Dusty fan myself, but this is class. Her voice is obviously incredible, the songs are nicely put together. Doesn't quite do enough to make a 5, but it's a safe 4.
3/5
There's definitely something to this - it gets close to being something really interesting, but just falls short. It's not aged as well as some of the better prog/psychedelic stuff coming out around that time, so it's a low 3.
Jethro Tull
3/5
It's quite a cool album, especially if you don't listen to the lyrics (the two characters they introduce in the first two songs are a homeless guy who hangs around school playgrounds and a child prostitute). The music is better in that first half, but the mood of the songs gets more thoughtful and reflective as you work through the album. Probably not one I'll revisit (aside from the title track), but worth a listen. 3/5.
LL Cool J
3/5
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would - it's aged better than a lot of its contemporaries. The production isn't quite as in your face as a lot of the stuff that was around at the time, and whilst some of the lyrics don't fit the 2020s, it's definitely less jarring than a lot of the stuff we've had from then and later. 3/5.
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
More jazz. A nice enough listen, but didn't get going in the same way that Miles Davis did. It's a live album, but you can barely notice it (which I guess says good things about the recording and bad things about the audience). 2/5, won't listen again.
Happy Mondays
4/5
We had another Happy Mondays album (Bummed) about 100 days ago, and this is miles better than that was. Shaun Ryder's voice isn't great, but he knows where it works and avoids where it doesn't. Kinky Afro is a brilliant song, I prefer it to Step On, and the rest of the album is decent enough. Also remarkably ahead of its time Britpopwise - we're still 3-4 years before Oasis and Blur get going - so bonus points for that. I think it just about scrapes a 4.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Production is good, but the album overall is just a bit dull. Nothing that is in any way memorable, and it really drags. 2/5.
Ice T
3/5
Another one that drags, and goes on too long. Too many skits, as well - although the one at the beginning of the album (First Impression) is great. The production is mega basic, but the lyrics and rapping are much better (obviously with the caveat that he falls into some pretty lazy rapper tropes at times). 3/5.
The Cardigans
3/5
I liked Step On Me more than Lovefool (which has been overplayed to death and then some). Rest of the album beyond those two is pleasant background music, nothing more and nothing less. The definition of a 3/5.
Dr. John
2/5
Cool in places, meandering and just plain weird in others. This is the kind of thing that I'm glad is on the list (versus another mediocre alt rock album), but I certainly won't be revisiting. Probably a 2/5.
Kanye West
4/5
Enjoyed this, have had it on a few times today. Some callbacks to his older stuff, some good sampling (though production is a bit more aggressive and a bit less theatrical than on other Kanye records that I've listened to). No standout hits really on this one, but it flows pretty well. Wish he'd dial back on the autotune a little bit, works better when it's marginally more subtle than it is here. But, overall, it's a really tight album, a good 40 minutes without any real filler which (as we've seen plenty of) most hip hop artists seem to struggle with 4/5.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
This is quite a fun bit of noodling, but a whole 80 minutes of it is a bit much for me. It's a good example of what it is, but it really does feel like a jam session rather than an album. Could've done with a fair bit of tightening up, works well as background music, but not much more. Probably would've been great fun to have actually been there and see them record it, but this just drags. A middling 3/5.
Aerosmith
3/5
There's a lot of good ingredients in there, but don't feel that they came together to make a particularly exciting album. Janie's Got a Gun & Love In An Elevator are good songs, but there's not much else here. That gets it a three.
The Beta Band
3/5
Perfectly pleasant chilled listen, but not an awful lot more. Squares (the opener, and by far the most listened to song) is basically a less good ripoff of I Monster's take on Daydream In Blue from a couple of years earlier. Nice and trippy, would be interested in hearing more of them if they've done stuff with a bit more depth to it. 3/5.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Starts off well - the title track is fab - but not really any depth to it beyond that (with the honourable exception of Let Me Roll It, which sounds like a grown-up Beatles song). Does sound a bit more modern than 1973, I guess, but not by a lot. Scrapes a 3/5, I think. Definitely better than the other McCartney album we had.
Youssou N'Dour
2/5
As Tim said, it's musically quite fun and good background music, but you lose a lot by not being able to understand the lyrics. I think it's not in French that much, and mostly in Wolof, which is totally incomprehensible to me. Still amuses me that 20 years of all time classics equals four songs. 2/5
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Did not enjoy this at all. Felt like proper stoner music with little to none of the charm. No energy, not much storytelling, very little to like. 2/5
ABBA
3/5
This is exactly what I'd expect from an ABBA album, delightful, catchy, twinkly, world famous pop singles supported by a cast of twee, less delightful, less catchy twinkly pop songs. Ratio of hits to fluff is pretty good, probably would've got a four had it not started with When I Kissed The Teacher. 3/5.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
Started out disliking this - one, it's not on Spotify, and two, she's got a voice that really rubs me up the wrong way. That doesn't change, the medieval kinda vibe also doesn't help. But there is something about it. Probably more her than it - I do quite like the wandering way in which it's put together, and there's something about her storytelling that I like too. Would be interested to hear a different album by her, but didn't so much like this one. 2/5.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
This was a bit cringe really. The single that everyone knows (in the UK at least), is decent, catchy, and there's the odd flash of something, but never really gets particularly deep. Tackles a lot of grown up themes, but none of them in a particularly grown up or thoughtful way. Akala does most of the hidden track at the end of the album, and it really highlights the gulf in class 2/5.
Nirvana
4/5
Absolutely iconic start to this album, think there must be something wrong with people who don't feel the energy at that start of Smells Like Teen Spirit. Not many albums with a better 1-2-3 than that. Great range of pace, bit of switching styles, but definitely losing something after the first five or six tracks - which isn't even halfway through. The rest is fine, would probably merit a 3 on its own, so we'll split the difference between the start and the end and call it a 4.
Faust
3/5
First track is a proper musical assault - 11 minutes of instrumental that I'm struggling to describe, it's an overwhelming wall of sound that is really intense without being aggressive. Then a couple of songs that are much more like trippy pop songs, before it's back to the instrumentals. It's a cool, layered sound - would say I was interested in it more than I enjoyed it - but I will come back to it. A solid 3/5.
Foo Fighters
2/5
Echo everyone else questioning why this is their only album that makes the list. I saw them live in 2018, and the only song they played from this one was This Is a Call. That still stands up as part of their repertoire, but the rest of this album really feels like they're trying to find a groove that suits them. They try a few different flavours here (more raw, metal type stuff than they move towards later on) and most of them don't work pretty well. It's kinda interesting as an early point in their journey, but a baffling inclusion as their only representation here. 2/5.
Stan Getz
2/5
So this is a bossa nova album, but a bit more jazzy than the others we've had. Like basically all the others, it's a nice enough listen but no more than that. 2/5.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
Too bloody long. Feels quite dated too - style of the album is much more 90s, apart from a couple of the more soulful tracks (Back Like That probably the highlight, more because I really like Ne-Yo's voice than GK's rapping in this one). Quite a bit of variety, to be fair to him, and decent production, which gets this album up to a 3, but nothing more.
Cat Stevens
3/5
This is gentle, country, folky music. Not really my thing, but this is a decent version of it - Wild Word and the ending (Father & Son / title track) are unsurprisingly the most popular tracks on the album, but the rest is decent enough too. Doesn't outstay its welcome, but doesn't do enough to really excite me. A middle of the road 3/5.
Metallica
3/5
Took the advice of plenty in the thread and listened to the mix on Youtube with the bass. Enjoyed it, but not as much as I thought I might really. It's kinda prog metal? I like the bits where it's a bit more complex (and proggy) rather than where it all too often gets into a 'look how fast and repetitively I can play my guitar' show. First half is definitely better than the second, but it doesn't do enough to make a 4. A (definitely not middle of the road) 3/5.
Saint Etienne
3/5
Hadn't heard of these until their recent renaissance, and hadn't explored enough to know that they were actually around in the early nineties. Spotify told me this album was from 2009 (which on further investigation it definitely isn't), and that didn't feel wrong. First track is great, unfortunately the rest of the album doesn't live up to it. Feels in places like a lighter weight Avalanches record, with the slightly odd sampling (come on auntie, we'll miss the bus) and ambience. Not a bad listen, but not really a good one either. I think it just squeaks a 3.
Morrissey
2/5
This is not as good as the previous Morrissey solo effort. Same kind of quirky storytelling and odd lyrics as usual with him/The Smiths, but it just doesn't work as well here. Not sure why, but not for me. 2/5.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
1/5
There might be some good songs on this album, but I can't remember any of them amongst the two hours and ten minutes of dross (no, I checked to make sure that I hadn't accidentally clicked on the deluxe edition link). It's quite basic bluegrass country stuff, with too many Jesus references, too much tweeness, and very little of interest. Oh, and it also has little skits in it, and sounds of them tuning up. Wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, 1/5.
Fats Domino
4/5
This was nice - probably would have appreciated it more had it come after something good, weirdly. It's clearly a big turning point in the history of music, that shift towards rock and roll whilst retaining a decent chunk of the R&B sound of the 50s. Blueberry Hill is the highlight, but there's not really much in the way of weakness on the album. It's probably a 5 in 1957, but given everything that's come after it and how tastes have changed it drops down to a low 4 for me.
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Not my thing at all, really - it's uber-repetitive, not much fun techno. Theme sounds like the title - it's the music you'd get in the background of beginning of a heist movie, when they flash up the individual members of the crew with their nicknames and roles on the job. Not really sure what the purpose of this is, can't imagine it's great for dancing to, and there's not enough going on to actually want to listen to most of it. 2/5, just, there's some cool stuff in places and it only overstays its welcome by about half an hour.
Mike Oldfield
2/5
Does an incredible job of creating a mood for most of the first track (which is 26 minutes long tbf), but loses its way after that. Can't decide whether I like him naming all the instruments as they come in towards the end or not. However, there's not enough there to warrant a 23 minute track two, which is a variation on the same themes, and no one deserves the odd growling in the middle of the track. Then the third track is a cut of part 1 that they could release for radio, and the last track is a horrific sailor's jig. 2/5, pushing 3 but the good first 10-15 minutes isn't good enough to hold up the crappy final 40.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Yeah, there are certainly too many Nick Cave albums on this list, but this is definitely not one to cut. Not one to listen to if what you really like is the high energy version of Nick Cave - this is an album that is mourning the death of his teenage son, it's beautifully reflective and soulful. I'd put it alongside You Want It Darker and Blackstar as top quality albums that tackle the theme of death/grief/loss (although in this case it's mourning the loss of someone else rather than his own impending doom). Can imagine it was an immensely difficult album to write, but probably quite cathartic. Could it've done with being a little shorter? Yeah, from the listener's point of view. That, alongside not having a really outstanding song (although Bright Horses gets pretty close), makes it a 4 rather than a 5. Best we've had in a little while though.
The Black Keys
3/5
A decent listen, but not one I'd ever seek out again, I think? White Stripes-y vibe, as Tim said, but with a bit more veneer and polish to it. That's good - it's a lot smoother than a White Stripes record - and bad - you sand off a lot of the edge. It was all fine, but nothing really great. Definition of a down the middle 3/5.
Solomon Burke
4/5
Another golden oldie. Had never heard of Solomon Burke, but his voice is just fab, isn't it? Tonnes of soul and richness to it, and it just sounds like he's got a massive smile on his face whilst doing it. That said, it's missing something - I think there was a bit more to the Fats Domino album, this is a bit samey throughout in terms of the arrangements and backing vocals. Still, I'm smiling at the end of it, so it just squeaks a 4.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
Actually listened to this in bursts whilst I was away. Definitely haven't got the energy to listen to all 3 hours of it again today (particularly given I was travelling from 3 am UK yesterday and got home about 40 minutes ago, to start a work day!). I didn't think there were many bad songs on this - and a fair few good ones - but the concept of writing 100 (and giving up when he got to 69) doesn't particularly appeal to me. Could've been a 4 quite comfortably if it had been 19 Love Songs, but it's just too much, so 3/5.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
I actually rather liked this this morning (I think it's good for a sleep-deprived brain!). Not loads going on, but a really nice, dreamy soundscape with pretty strong dollops of sci-fi synths. Would not have said this was from the early seventies without checking. That said, once you've listened to it for about 5 minutes then you don't get much more out of it really. If we combine that with it not being properly on Spotify, then it probably relegates it to a high 2.
Raekwon
2/5
Didn't connect with this one at all really, doesn't start brilliantly and doesn't end well either. There's some decent stuff in the middle, but it's not particularly consistent - the odd great landing line or perfectly judged sample, but they're too few and far between IMO. 2/5.
4/5
Really struggle with rating this - it's one of the first albums I listened to loads, so I'm kind of numb to it now? I much prefer Noel's voice to Liam's, I tend to prefer the more thoughtful, slower Oasis songs - the B-Side album that came at the same time of this has way more of those on it and it's really good. But there's 3 absolutely iconic, era-defining songs on here. So 4/5 I guess.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
A pleasant sounding listen, but 90 minutes really drag when you can't understand a word of it. It's pretty samey, too. 2/5.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Far too long, and too much of a tribute to another band to be considered a good work in its own right. That said, it's kind of interesting - some good Southern stories and some proper thoughtfulness. Could've been a properly good album if distilled down to 45 minutes (removing 90% of the Skynyrd references along the way). 3/5.
Suede
3/5
Didn't do it for me, it's a bit too noodley and doesn't have the same energy as Coming Up (which I think is the only Suede album I actually know). Wild Ones and Stay Together (which doesn't seem to have been on the original release) my favourites, but still don't really grab me. Sounds halfway between the Smiths and Britpop, doesn't have the lyrical wit of the Smiths or the energy of the bigger Britpop bands. 3/5.
Moby
2/5
Advert music, through and through, with a weird few bits of spoken word towards the end. It's perfectly fine as background music (and most of it is pretty familiar, I reckon I've heard most of it but never listened to it before beyond Porcelain and Natural Blues), but there's not a lot of depth. 2/5.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
This is class. I think I prefer the title track to A Design For Life, but they and Australia are all classics that I knew already. There's a real depth of quality throughout the album, don't think there's a really bad song on there (although it fades a bit between Everything Must Go and Australia). Then the closer is great too. 4/5, lovely stuff.
Frank Black
2/5
Like a Pixies record, but without the infectious energy. His voice isn't good enough for this more stripped back style of music and there's nothing that brings it back from that. 2/5.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
This was... okay ... Bit of an awkward blend between prog and pop, the songs create a bit of an atmosphere but don't quite get there, and they're too long and complex to be properly poppy. A bit cheesy, but there are a couple of decent songs in here (Sledgehammer has been somewhat (sledge)hammered to death by Magic FM et al, but it's still good, and Big Time is decent too). 3/5.
Neil Young
3/5
Are we nearly done with Neil Young now? To be fair, this is one of his better efforts, and has the song that everyone knows and is actually half decent. I think it just scrapes a 3 on the strength of Heart of Gold, but it's still a singer songwriter style without the lyrical dexterity that makes people who do that well successful.
AC/DC
3/5
This isn't as good as their previous, I think. First half of the album is very much hair dad stadium rock, second half fades quite a bit, doesn't sustain the energy that you need to carry an album like this. 3/5 (4 for the first four tracks, low 3 if not a 2 for most of the rest).
Portishead
2/5
Not my jam. There are occasions where you get a a bit enveloped and overwhelmed by the sound, which is interesting, but really it doesn't do that enough or offer much of anything else beside that. It's often jarring (particularly combining the harshness of some of the synthy stuff with the floatiness of her voice), but not in a way that gives it a particular direction. 2/5.
Paul Simon
3/5
This is perfectly pleasant, but not a patch on some of his other work. Production comes across as pretty 80s in places, which dates it, and there's nothing that captures the imagination in the same way that something like Graceland does. 3/5, not essential listening.
The Mars Volta
2/5
I almost really liked this after the first track - it's got strong hints of early Muse (which is a good thing), but the guy's voice really hacks me off, and there's too much emphasis on the vocal for me to ignore that. Add to that the fact that it just doesn't do much differently across the hour, and with no standout songs it probably drops to a 2.
Björk
2/5
I think we've had one Bjork album that I enjoyed, quite early on? This was not another, it's particularly waily and sad, but doesn't really communicate the emotion (or anything) very coherently. 2/5
Syd Barrett
1/5
This is just dire. I'm a huge Pink Floyd fan, but really the music only started getting interesting after SB left. It's interesting (for Pink Floyd nerds like me) to listen to the individual members' solo stuff (and also the albums they released as a group when not all of them were part of the band). Roger Waters clearly adds the edge, David Gilmour makes it melodic, and Syd Barrett makes it whimsical and lacking in any depth. This album is atrocious, it starts of kind of okay as psychedelic folk type stuff, but towards the album just completely degenerates into a mess. Guy can't really sing, the songs aren't interesting lyrically or musically, 1/5.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
Definitely benefits from coming straight after that dire Syd Barrett album, but it's still pretty straight down the line psychedelia proto-prog (can psychedelia be straight down the line?), with most of the bad of this kind of music and not a lot of the good. 2/5.
Charles Mingus
4/5
This album has helped me better understand the difference between jazz I like, and jazz I don't. Definitely prefer the big band stuff, but love the variety in this. There's a lot going on (sometimes too much), but it's a much better listen than some of the other jazz that we've had. Think it scrapes a 4.
Abdullah Ibrahim
2/5
More jazz, but worse! Second half of the album better than the first, but still not enough to elevate it beyond a 2.
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
This sounds way older than it is without anything particularly new to offer soundwise. It's pretty generic R&B, presume it caught the MeToo wave at just the right time given its lyrical content. And, to be fair, it does tackle that to an extent, but it's a bit too right on, a bit too obvious and lacking in the nuance that you get from something like Lauryn Hill. 2/5.
CHVRCHES
3/5
This is a really cool sound - have heard the first track at least before without knowing who did it or where it came from. It's got great energy, her voice isn't the best ever but it's notable, but the thing that brings it down is that there's only one trick to it, so it gets quite samey. Keen to hear more of what they've done to see if the sound has evolved at all. 3/5 for this one, but a lot of potential.
Prince
2/5
Really disappointing compared to the previous Prince albums we had. Just too 80s, not as cutting or as catchy as the other albums we had. Also the title track really grates on me, which downgrades it to a 2.
Eminem
3/5
Never listened to this when it first came out, and can definitely see why it attracted a lot of attention, both positive and negative. It's genuinely funny in places, clever in others, and deep in parts too. But so much of it is so immature, shock jockey stuff - I guess it worked, it really catapulted him further into mainstream awareness, but it's pretty painful to listen to in places (even if it is being rapped knowingly and ironically). Don't know how much Eminem we're due to get on the list, but this shouldn't be the only one we have, I hope. 3/5.
Simply Red
2/5
Well this is just awful. I didn't think it would be as bad as you lot rated it (I've heard of Simply Red, but couldn't name a song), but it really is. It's like if Magic FM decided to do Boring Hour. 2/5, it's not offensive, it's just bad.
Willie Nelson
3/5
I recognise that this is better than most of the similar stuff we've had, but I struggle to get along with almost all country. It's more stripped back, less cowboy than most of the country that we've had and I've heard before, which is a positive, but still doesn't quite hit me where it's supposed to. Glad it's on the list, glad we've listened to it, but not going to ever revisit. 3/5.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
Maybe it was influential if you're into this kind of thing, I just don't get it at all. Couldn't find a version on Spotify that matched Wikipedia's track listing, so used Tim's playlist suggestion, which was 90% identical (not that I probably would've noticed had it been a 100% match or only 50%, because it all sounds so samey). A bit too heavy on the beat to have as background music while you're doing something else, way too repetitive to actually listen to. 2/5, not offensive enough for a 1.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
Another one where the Spotify link doesn't correspond particularly well to the Wikipedia track listing. Of the 2/3 of it that we got, it's got bags of energy, and everyone is clearly having a load of fun. Would've been an exhilarating experience to have been there (unless you were an underage girl or not white, because JLL was an abusive, racist paedophile). But it definitely lacks a bit of depth, all the songs kind of sound the same. Gets away with it given the short and sharpness of the record though, 3/5.
Talking Heads
3/5
Definitely better than the other Talking Heads stuff that we've had - and obviously has their most famous song on it - but it's still not something that I really enjoy listening too. David Byrne's voice when he strains it gets quite painful to hear quite quickly. That said, the album does get better as it goes on (not just because they leave Psycho Killer until track 10). Would really like talking heads, I think, if it wasn't for the repetitive squawks that end up in almost every song. 3/5.
1/5
Total rubbish. Harsh on noise to call this noise rock. Doesn't get even close to being interesting, the music isn't music and the singing is barely singing. 1/5.
Billy Bragg
3/5
He really sounds like Paul Weller, but with crisper pronunciation so you can actually hear the words. I like this - he's a clever lyricist, and there's enough in the music to make it not too repetitive (though it does become a bit of a drag towards the end of the hour). I prefer him when he's a bit less political tbh, There Is Power In A Union and Help Save The Youth Of America are just a bit corny - he's better when he's talking about love, life, but he's also good when criticising (both political and otherwise). 3/5.
Radiohead
3/5
Don't get it. I listened to this when it came out, didn't get it then and don't get it now. It's not that it's a bad album, it's just not one that captures me in the same way that it does a lot of people. And it doesn't have anything that stands out in the way that OK Computer does; Weird Fishes and Jigsaw Falling Into Place get closer than the rest of the album, but neither will stay with me in the way Paranoid Android or Karma Police do. 3/5.
The White Stripes
4/5
I still think this is probably their best album? Has some of the foibles that get exacerbated in later albums (Jack White finding himself a bit cleverer than everyone else does, and trying to base a whole song on a line or an idea that can't carry it), but there's some great stuff there. Fell In Love With A Girl is probably my favourite of their songs - it almost sounds like a punk cover of a 60s pop song, it's so full of energy and there's so much boxed into 2 minutes - but Hotel Yorba also great. 4/5, best we've had in a while.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
An absolute mess of an album, incoherent, way too long, jumps between styles way too quickly, and the guy really struggles to sing (which isn't an issue when he stays in his lane, but he really doesn't). But, it's punctuated by some absolutely great singles - Bullet With Butterfly Wings, 1979, and Tonight, Tonight are really good songs that don't overstay their welcome, unlike the album as a whole. Makes it quite hard to rate, so I'll go (unsurprisingly) down the middle with a 3, the incoherence and the filler balancing out the patchy greatness.
The Bees
2/5
Nice, pleasant, unremarkable psychedelic easy listening. Nothing to write home about, there are a lot better albums in the same slot. 2/5.
The Coral
2/5
I remember this from when it came out, and I'm sure it used to be better!? Dreaming Of You was the instant classic, I Remember When is also decent, but there's really nothing else, plumbing new lows when they borrow some pretty reggae sounding beats to warble over. Just checked, and the next album is the better one (without the standout single though). 2/5 for this one.
Giant Sand
2/5
Tedious and boring. Can't really sing, uninteresting lyrics on top of pretty uninteresting music. 2/5, not actively unpleasant, but it's a low 2.
Buzzcocks
3/5
Quite gentle punk stuff, feels like it's had the edge sanded off. Means it lacks the real oomph and energy of something like the Sex Pistols, but it's definitely a bit more fun - the second half of the album in particular is really good. 3/5.
Louis Prima
4/5
This is really good fun, he's having a great time, as are all the contributors. You can't help but smile listening to it, it's not a live album but it's got all the energy of a live performance. Also there's probably the OG diss track in (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You, which is possibly the funnest and silliest of the lot. Livened up a boring afternoon of emails, 4/5.
Ian Dury
2/5
This is just a bit rubbish, isn't it? Not as clever as it thinks it is, the music's fine but isn't anything more than a backdrop to his voice and he can't really sing. Not particularly impressed, entertained briefly at the beginning but it really started to drag. 2/5.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
Well, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. There are dreadful bits, there's the odd passable bit, and then there's Human Cannonball, which is a great little punk song. 2/5, would not recommend anyone listen to anything other than the single.
T. Rex
4/5
Yeah, this is really good. Could maybe do with a bit more oomph - Get It On has that in spades, and it's by far the best track on the album - but it's still a great listen, a unique sound and voice and it works really well. 4/5.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
The Stones really are a singles band, aren't they? Sympathy For The Devil is a brilliant song, but there's not really an awful lot after that. Street Fighting Man is decent, but the rest is all very samey and bluesy. 3/5, just.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
I think this is really good, there's quite a bit of style switching (particularly liked the start of Ain't No Fun which sounds like what you'd get if you asked the Lighthouse Family to do gangsta), Snoop's flow is great and he creates a great character. There's so much here that gets referenced later, it's an absolute goldmine of inspiration for future rappers. Lyrics get painfully misogynistic in places, but that's par for the course for early 90s hiphop. Album flows really well, it's not overly skitted, and it isn't too long. 4/5.
Black Sabbath
3/5
This is decent, without ever hitting a real high. Starts off OK, then you hit Changes (which is the most famous song on the album, but really really doesn't work here if at all) and then a 2 minute instrumental with none of the pace, energy, or guitars that most of the rest of the record has. Then it picks up again, Supernaut is one of if not the best track on the album, and the rest is exactly what you'd expect from Sabbath; plenty of oomph, nothing earthshattering in the lyrics. Final track is a bit more sophisticated and even a little proggy. Overall gets a 3/5.
The Monkees
2/5
This is really lightweight, unimpressive twinkly pop. If you compare to Sergeant Pepper, or the albums that the Beach Boys, Velvet Underground, The Doors, or Hendrix were releasing at that time it shows how backward looking to the early 60s this was. Maybe that's a harsh set of comparisons, but this is supposed to be a list of the best albums of all time and this just doesn't get close. 2/5.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
This is dire, on a par with the Liars album that I listened to quite recently but was a couple of weeks ago for the rest of you. It combines some creative use of power tools with a total lack of any rhythm, or singing beyond some astonishingly unpleasant screaming. There's some music that's just a noise, but this is worse than that, it seems like it's actively designed to be unpleasant. I imagine it sounds like the sound you hear in the early morning from the cheapest room in the cheapest hotel in the cheapest, scummiest part of Magaluf, a combination of them building the next crappy hotel and the distant tinny echoes of some substandard club music. Oh, plus there's the angry German plotting to invade Poland in the room next door. 1/5.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
I actually really like this. I've heard some Sugar before (thought this reminded me of them until Tim made it clear it's the same guy!) and like that, this is a really solid album. Don't think it's got anything that's a stone cold hit on it, but there's not a bad track, I like his voice (despite it not being that traditionally good), and it bustles along with plenty of energy. Probably could've done with being 20 minutes to half an hour shorter, it does get a little bit samey as you get through the full hour and ten, but I liked it. A good, high 3/5.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
Not for me, this one. Vocals are a bit weak and low, it's somehow halfway between grunge and Joy Division and it's hard to get a handle on the lyrics. The most successful song on Spotify (the opening track) is the most accessible, it doesn't have the grungey noise sound behind it and it works a bit better - otherwise, it all gets a bit lost. A high 2 for me.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
Yeah, it's just not as good as Electric Ladyland, but that's an incredibly high standard to live up to. It's still a decent album, but without the standout tracks that made some of his other work so memorable - I really like Castles Made of Sand, hadn't heard Little Wing before and that's really good but not iconic in the same way as his other work. The rest is all fine, coherent, but not spectacular. A high 3/5.
3/5
Even the title is cringey this is over the top, mega 80s, super cheesy electro pop. Some of the lyrics are so painful that I actually quite enjoyed them. Will I ever listen to this again, probably not, but definitely raised a few smiles. 3/5.
Jamiroquai
3/5
This is quite fun, but I definitely don't love it as much as some of you do. It drags a bit towards the end of the album - there's not enough good stuff in Blow Your Mind and Revolution to warrant them being 8 and 10 minutes long. Don't know their music at all really, but sounds like a shame that we've got this album rather than the later ones that are maybe a bit more poppy. Fades away after a really good start, 3/5.
This was fine, Stay With Me is a brilliant song, but the rest pales by comparison really. Think that elevates it to a middling 3 - I quite like Rod Stewart's voice (though I get why people wouldn't), but there's just not that much of interest here. Decent energy in places - Too Bad has got a bit of oomph to it - but the more bluesy it gets the more boring it gets. 3/5.
Ash
2/5
I remember Girl From Mars and Oh Yeah from this (but curiously have no recollection of the other singles, even though they were seemingly more popular than Oh Yeah at least). It's not brilliant really, it's a precursor to the load of bands that did this stuff better in the early 2000s. Was it influential? Not sure, but it's not really good enough in its own right to make the list. Also, the singer can't really sing outside a narrow range, which is fine when you've got the loud guitars driving the songs, but there are a couple of ballads on here which are a really tough listen. 2/5, singles aren't good enough to elevate it.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
I think I admired this more than I liked it - there's tonnes of variety, lots of funky sampling, but it still held together coherently. The trouble is, none of it really spoke to me properly and I came away from it pretty cold. It can have a 3 on the basis that it's technically great and full of different sounds and influences, but nothing more than that.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
This is really, really, not good. It's saved a 1 because I'm reserving that for stuff that is actively unpleasant to listen to, but this has nothing to recommend it. It's just dull, the lyrics are cliched, the music doesn't do much, and her voice is perfectly good but not special enough to carry an album that's so vocally driven. And all the tracks go on too long, many of them ending via fadeout which makes them feel even longer. 2/5. Just.
Nina Simone
4/5
This is really good, I think, but not quite my cup of tea. I can definitely acknowledge that her voice is mega strong and unique, but I just don't like it that much. That said, the simplicity of the arrangements and the powerfulness in the lyrics make it a really engaging listen, the storytelling is fabulous and it flows between moods really well. I think it's a 4/5 for me, there's so much to like about this, but I just can't quite get on board with it.
Eminem
4/5
I go back and forth on this. There are parts where it's great - the storytelling flows, it's a great take on the impact of fame and the overlap between him and the character he plays (probably not one of his major influences, but the sentiment is very much similar to the middle/end of The Wall) - but there are also parts where it gets a bit lazy. The shockjock homophobia and wifebeating stuff goes a bit OTT, and the skits are pretty much all painful. Still, where it's good it's really good. 4/5.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
This is pretty dull - it's not bad, but it's not notably good either. I loved Songs For The Deaf when it came out, but this doesn't have any of the changes of pace and volume that made that work, it's all at one speed, all with the loud guitar wall driving it, and it's just not that interesting. A low 3.
Brian Wilson
3/5
Really nicely put together, it all flows beautifully, but the individual tracks just don't do it for me, Clive. Heroes & Villains is quite catchy, then you have Good Vibrations/Surfs Up (and probably others?) from the Beach Boys back catalogue by the time this was released. Beyond that, not a lot. The whole is more than the sum of its parts, unfortunately the parts are (mostly) really not good. 3/5.
Mudhoney
2/5
Did not get much out of this tbh. Grungey, noisy, not much in the way of a tune or lyrical interest, but at least it felt like they were having fun. 2/5.
Tito Puente
3/5
I liked this more than most of the similar stuff we've had - the vocals are clear enough that I can actually understand most of it, which helps, and it's relentlessly upbeat and jolly. That makes it a little bit more than the background music that we've had in the past, but it's still not enough for me that I'd actively want Vol. 2 to be on this list. A nice, pleasant listen, but probably not one that I'll return to, so a middling 3.
Meat Puppets
2/5
Yeah, this is pretty rough and raw. Vocals are pretty ropey, instrumentals very grungey but not particularly interesting. Influential on Nirvana at least, but not that listenable in its own right. 2/5.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
Enjoyed this, to an extent. Title track was great, there were a few others that caught me, but not quite enough for it to get a really good rating. It's quite Radiohead-y, probably more similar to their later stuff I think. Would probably be something that I revisited every now and then if it was on Spotify, but it's not worth the journey to YouTube. 3/5.
Television
4/5
This was really good - could I think have been proper top drawer with a better vocal - sounds way fresher and more modern than it is, could quite easily have been part of that wave of early 2000s bands (someone like Modest Mouse sounds like a very close descendent of this sound). I liked the title track (but would agree that it didn't need a full 10 minutes), liked the slowed down Guiding Light too. A lovely bridge between punk and new wave that somehow seems to take a lot of the best of both. A low 4/5.
2/5
This wasn't so good. Not much too it really, couple of catchy hooks towards the end of the album, but nothing that really engaged me. Lacked the tunefulness of 'proper music', lacked the rawness and energy of proper punk. 2/5.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Equally underwhelming in a very different way. Slightly psychedlic folk, a bit too twee for my tastes and not really offering that much of interest. Knight-Errant is a low point, there's not much in the way of high points. 2/5.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
This is good fun, particularly the first half of it, then tails off before you hit Come On Eileen as the closer. Agree with Phil that they are much better when they do the bouncy upbeat stuff rather than slowing it down too much. 3/5.
Ramones
3/5
I prefer Rocket To Russia to this album, but it's still pretty solid. Good bit of energy, no messing around, a tight half an hour. Weirdly, it gets a bit twee in places, and if you compare it to some of the other punk coming out around then it doesn't have the same edge, but it's still a good listen. 3/5, quite a high one.
John Cale
2/5
This is a real mixed bag. Starts badly, most of the first few tracks are slow and a bit dull, but gets much better towards the middle of the album with two very different songs in Macbeth and Paris 1919. Doesn't quite manage to get to 3 though.
Tori Amos
3/5
Better than I was expecting - she's got a great voice, and there's a great amount of drama in it all without spilling too far over into melodrama or pantomime that this kind of stuff can do. There's some power, some compassion, some playfulness, and a lot of emotion. Solid album, missing something to make it spectacular, so we'll give it a high 3.
Oasis
4/5
This is just such a good debut. Not (quite) as overplayed as What's The Story Morning Glory, but some really good songs on there, and it's a little rougher around the edges (in a good way, definitely compared to where they went later on). And it's only 1994 at this point, you're coming out of grungeland, you've had a bit of the Happy Mondays, and this is just on a whole different planet. Definitely some weak points, but it's still a very high 4.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
This was nice - definitely groundbreaking in some ways, not many hiphop albums around in 1982, but cheesy and corny in others. The Stevie Wonder tribute act is painfully saccharine, that and You Are are probably the two weakest tracks on the album (and the least hiphoppy), but the rest is decent without the jarring awkwardness you get when you listen to some of the stuff that came along 5-10 years later. 3/5.
Common
3/5
This is... fine... doesn't really get going at any point, it's not unpleasant to listen to but there's so much hiphop around by the time we get to 2000 that there are loads of records that either have more bite, more soul, more fun, or all three. Very smooth, particularly towards the end of the album, but doesn't warrant anything more than a 3.
Slipknot
2/5
I was pretty apprehensive about this coming in, I've not enjoyed any of the screamer stuff that we've had and only really know this by reputation. Was better than I expected, but still really wearing. Disagree with Phil - there was not enough of the melodic stuff to break up the full on aggression (but I'm much less of a metal fan than he is). I can only really handle about 3-4 songs of this (and definitely no 8 minuters). Dithering whether to give it a 1 or a 2, I'll be generous and give it a 2 given that it was pretty influential, and I probably would enjoy it more in short bursts.
Adele
5/5
This is superb, haven't listened to the full album in quite some time but it's so good pretty much all the way through. Agree that Set Fire To The Rain is the stand out, Rolling In The Deep and Someone Like You also iconic, and Don't you Remember is my favourite of the non-singles. The longer tracks towards the end of the album drag a little while you're waiting to get to Someone Like You, but that's only a minor complaint really. Production is kept relatively light most of the way through, which keeps the focus on her incredible voice. 5/5.
Willie Nelson
2/5
This is an album mostly (if not all?) of covers. It's nicely arranged, his voice fits some of the songs better than the others, but none of it is bad. Unchained Melody is my favourite of the bunch, it's close enough to the original to be the same song, but Willie Nelson enough that it feels like something quite different. But, not sure that an album of covers really deserves to be on this list, so 2/5 it is.
Skepta
2/5
Yeah, this isn't great. I knew the two famous songs, hadn't heard any of the rest and wasn't particularly impressed by it. Very much not the target audience for this music but, like the rest of you, I still know better iterations of a similar thing. 2/5.
The Undertones
2/5
Another underwhelming album. Doesn't even have the Undertones song that people actually know on it, the rest lacks the edge to be pop, lacks the energy to be proper rock, and lacks the tunefulness to be decently poppy. A straight down the middle 2, it's fine but it all feels like filler.
Talk Talk
2/5
We really are in a bit of a rut. This is pretty generic, 80s new wave, heavy on the generic synth, light on anything interesting. Tracks are all a minute too long at least, there's not much in the way of variety. Fine, but not good. 2/5.
Suicide
2/5
I thought it was newer than 1977, but it still isn't particularly good. More interesting than the last couple we've had, but also a lot more unpleasant I enjoy the experimentation enough that it gets a 2 rather than a 1, but really really do not understand how this gets anywhere near the best albums from the 1970s.
Gillian Welch
2/5
Another underwhelming album, and we're closing in on a whole week of straight 2s. This is stripped back singer/songwriter stuff, the singing is fine but unremarkable, the songwriting is fine but unremarkable. Not particularly strikingly arranged, doesn't make you sit up and listen at any point, just dinner party music. 2/5.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Probably benefits from coming straight after a similar album sung by someone with a less good voice than her. We've had one of hers before, it's really nice, gentle, soulful singing. I think there's a bit more to the lyrics than we had with Gillian Welch, and there's definitely more to the vocal quality. Not as good as the previous album we've had of hers in terms of memorable songs, but definitely a better album than the last few we've had. A low to mediocre 3/5 for me.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Definitely a good listen - didn't grab me as much as one of the Miles Davis albums that we've had, but elevated above most of the other jazz that we've had so far. Agree that it's better when its pacier, which it too often isn't really. Think it's a high 3/5 rather than anything more.
The Smiths
2/5
Haven't listened to their whole discography, but this is a lot worse than The Queen Is Dead. No songs really stand out, it doesn't cut in the way that their other albums do, 2/5.
Nick Drake
3/5
I preferred this to Bryter Later - not sure why, as there's not a huge amount of difference between them. I'm definitely not a paid up Nick Drake fan club member (it does get a bit too samey for me, and his voice is maybe a bit too ethereal to really cut), but this is still well worth a listen. Singer songwriter, quite floaty melodies, I think he's at his best when there's a bit more guitar and a bit less background strings tbh. Right at the top of the 3 category, could be a four but his voice just loses me a bit too much.
Kraftwerk
4/5
This is an album very much of a time - probably about 10-15 years after it was released. It's obviously very synthy, it's a cool, experimental sound that should probably be judged against that 1974 yardstick, and it's incredible in that regard. But, listening to it today, it does feel like it lacks a bit of energy - you can get away with some tracks that are more ambient and dreamy like Autobahn, which is a classic, but after that you need a bit more oomph to build on that, whereas it mostly dials back. I think it's still a 4/5 for me, but at the bottom end of the 4 spectrum.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Doesn't do for me what it does to Rolfe. Voice is a little bit wobbly for me, and it's a bit too twee in too many places for me. Better than a couple of the recent country efforts that we've had, but doesn't do enough to trouble the better ones for me. 3/5.
Mercury Rev
2/5
What do they have against the letters 'gh'? Otherwise not that much to write home about. Holes probably makes it onto an LCD Soundsystem (not as a single though), maybe Opus 40 does, but everything else feels a bit too lightweight. 2/5.
Pentangle
2/5
Yeah, as per what you both have said. This is twee, dull, and utterly unremarkable. 2/5, it's not actively unpleasant but is no good.
The xx
3/5
More accessible than the previous album we had, for sure, but still not really my cup of tea. Always feels like it's about to get going but never quite does. 3/5, it's interesting, but doesn't do enough to get a good score.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Not too much to say about this one really, it's new wave, decent enough but we've had loads of new wave albums and this one doesn't stand out as being particularly good or bad. Feeling generous so will give it a low 3 rather than a 2.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
I really like this - it's a descendent of prog really (which explains why Rolfe doesn't like it!), that blurring of the lines between guitar-driven music and more psychedelic stuff. Have heard the album a few times before (and Do You Realise loads more), but not for a really long time. Definitely adding this to my rotation, a good reminder of an album that I'd mostly forgotten, 4/5.
Tom Waits
2/5
I've probably written pretty much exactly the same thing about Tom Waits before - I like it when he sings relatively tunefully, I quite like some of the spoken word stuff, but I really really don't like the stuff in the middle that is half spoken and half growled, it sounds awful. This is mostly the latter, so 2/5 it is. There are some more tolerable songs, it's not completely awful.
Blur
3/5
I think being much more aware of Oasis and Pulp before really getting to know Blur's music has made it way harder for me to really enjoy it. It's not as clever or sardonic as Pulp, and not as anthemic as Oasis - there's the odd song that really works (obviously Parklife, but there's not much like that, and To The End which I really like), but the rest of it sounds to me like it's stuck halfway between the two, and rather than the best of both it struggles to get near the heights of either. A solid 3/5 for this, but it didn't resonate with me enough to go higher.
Beatles
4/5
This is a really good album - much more reflective and thoughtful than their early stuff, but a bit less weird and psychedelic than the stuff that's to come. Fades a little in the middle, but Norwegian Wood and In My Life are two of the best chilled Beatles songs, so a comfortable 4.
Pink Floyd
5/5
As I said before, this is probably my favourite album of all time. Pink Floyd at their absolute best - closely followed by Wish You Were Here that comes next. Then, after that, you get Roger Waters taking too much control, and the sound gets a bit too harsh on The Wall, and then after he quits the band loses its edge (but still makes some really decent, more chilled prog). And obviously miles better than the stuff before, the overly psychedelic and outright weird albums. It's a slowish start, building the mood, On The Run then probably my least favourite track on the album. Then the jarring intro into Time that leads into one of the most insightful songs (to me, in any case) I've ever heard, backed up by some awesome guitar work. Great Gig In The Sky closes side one, bringing you back down to earth, and then you get hit by that baseline for Money. My favourite bit of the album is the end though, that 15 minutes starting at Us & Them, going through division and insanity, and that wonderful closing track. It's so uplifting, you've gone through 40 minutes of reflection on death, madness, jealousy, isolation, and yet you still come out feeling more hopeful than you did at the start. Awesome.
(probably far more detail than any of you wanted, but it made me happy writing it). Oh, obviously a 5/5.
2/5
Pretty grim stuff, the lyrics and themes behind it are really sad, but the backing music is a mix between melancholy and bizarrely upbeat. Doesn't really click for me, her voice is nice enough, but nothing really gripped me through a couple of listens. 2/5.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
This is a great, tightly packed album full of soul and delightfully filthy, but in a classy way. If I Should Die Tonight probably my favourite - Let's Get It On an obvious standout but have heard it so so many times. 4/5.
Paul Weller
2/5
This is perfectly fine, decent enough to have on but it's not going to change anyone's life. It's pretty middle of the road, gets fun in places (The Weaver probably my favourite), but not a huge amount there. Think there's plenty better Weller stuff not on this list... 2/5.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Another great album from the Boss. Don't think it quite matches up to Born In The USA for me, but it's got that same raw storytelling to it that somehow feels very specific but yet timeless and placeless. Thunder Road is a cracking opener, then it's all about the build up to and come down from Born To Run. There isn't a bad track on it, it moves between moods and styles. Only small critique is that it gets a bit self-indulgent in places - definitely has a slight whiff of Meatloaf - but that doesn't stop it getting a 5.
The Temptations
3/5
This is nice, smooth, funky, and a good listen. There's not much to really grab you (other than Papa Was A Rolling Stone, and even that goes on too long!), but it oozes good vibes the whole way through. Definitely loses a bit when it leans to R&B rather than funk, but a solid 3/5.
Peter Tosh
3/5
Another nice listen - a bit heavy-handed with the messaging, nothing overwhelmingly exciting with the music, but it's nicely put together, it's saying something, and there's a good bit of variety. 3/5.
Minor Threat
3/5
This isn't brilliant really. I like that it's short, it's energetic, and in some places it's quite catchy, but it's also pretty tuneless. Doesn't say as much as other punk albums, I think it gets away with a three because it doesn't overstay its welcome.
B.B. King
4/5
This is really good fun, the live recording really gives it some edge and even more energy than it has already. Blues can sometimes get a bit slow and a bit languid, but this is the opposite of that, and I really like it. Comfortable 4/5.
Marty Robbins
2/5
This is fine, gets up to good in places but feels like that it's mostly on the list because it's really old. He's got a nice voice, there's the occasional good lyric, but it's so simple in terms of structure (both storytelling and musically) that it's hard to give it any more than a 2/5.
Wild Beasts
2/5
Not for me, this. You could make a lot of unkind comparisons with similar styles of album that we've had repeatedly on this list, but I'll settle for giving it a 2/5 and moving on.
Genesis
3/5
Exemplifies some of the best of prog, and also the absolute worst of it. Starts really nicely - Dancing With The Moonlit Knight / I Know What I Like are decent, then Firth of Fifth is just super instrumentally, rising and falling and then building up to finally hitting the vocals just before the end. Not sure about More Fool Me, but am absolutely sure that The Battle Of Epping Forest is absolute dogshit. After The Ordeal is an appropriately named track to follow (although really it's a continuation of the ordeal!), before Cinema Show which is very proggy but I do like. Then the closer is crap too. Some real highs and some turgid lows, that roughly balance each other out, so it's probably a middling to high 3.
The Vines
2/5
This is not really my cup of tea, mostly sanitised Nirvana-lite with the edges sanded off. It's never really bad, never really good, Get Free is the best song on the album but not much to write home about. A high 2/5.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Decent. We've had better Dylan albums, I think we've had one or two worse, but this is good without being spectacular. Two classics on this album, the rest is fine, a middling to high 3.
UB40
2/5
This was dull. Feels quite lazy, quite repetitive, and doesn't really say much. What you'd get if you asked ChatGPT to make a reggae album, with a bit of underwhelming electronica added. 2/5.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Did not get a huge amount out of this, it's grungey metal with little tune and it doesn't in most places have the pace and energy to give it much in the way of oomph. 2/5, could do a lot better.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Quite disappointing on reflection. The next two albums they did were definitely better than this one (before they went full poppy commercial) - don't recall listening to this all the way through (although it's forgettable enough that I might have done). Molly's Chambers and Red Morning Light are decent, the rest are misses. Scrapes a 3, just, on the strength of those two.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Went into listening to this thinking that I'd be coming out fighting on behalf of PG, but this is really turgid, isn't it? this is like a Genesis album without the depth and structure, and the synth is about as dated as you can possibly get. 2/5, not unlistenable but I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
Korn
1/5
This is really not good. Wouldn't have recognised a Korn song if I'd heard one before this, and probably wouldn't now, aside from maybe Freak On a Leash which sounds vaguely familiar. It's far too long, it's screamy at times for no real reason, and it falls miles on the wrong side of the edgy / attention-seeking line. Don't think this even merits a 2.
Femi Kuti
3/5
This is nice, fun, definitely outstays its welcome by some margin but it's upbeat, there's a bit of variety, and it's enjoyable. A solid 3/5.
The Auteurs
3/5
Possibly the ponciest band name that we've had so far? I quite liked the album though, but wasn't particularly memorable. Definitely sounds more modern than 1993, could easily have been released in the 2010s I think judging by the sound. Show Girl was a decent enough opener, had high hopes at that point, but unfortunately that was as good as it got. a low 3/5.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
This is really good. I I have it behind Born In The USA, but ahead of Born To Run. It's definitely a bit more reflective and less bombastic than Born To Run, and is probably better for it - doesn't have the obvious hits like Born To Run (Badlands aside), but it's wonderful storytelling, nicely put together, and a great ebb and flow. The title track to close it off is my favourite, Racing In The Street just behind. A high 4/5.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
A level up from the other Aretha Franklin album we've had, which was really good. This is quality the whole way through, her voice is obviously fabulous, and the arrangements are designed to really focus attention on that. That comes with its downsides - there's nothing worth noting on here apart from her vocals - but the power and range she has overcomes that. I hesitate to give an album with so many covers a 5, but I can't not with this one.
Sam Cooke
4/5
This is great fun, he's having a whale of a time and so are the audience. A lovely infectious energy, but it's missing something that stops it getting a 5, think the songs are a bit too samey maybe? 4/5.
Tim Buckley
2/5
A better effort than the previous one of his we had on here (why on earth did we need two?), but still not great. It's gentle, folky stuff occasionally verging into psychedelica, but only the very safe edges. Still a 2, but a high one.
The Birthday Party
1/5
This is terrible. Another Nick Cave album (I like him, but this is dire), doesn't ever really get near a tune, occasionally threatens to be somewhat interesting but chickens out at the last minute. Actively unpleasant to listen to in the most part, a 1.
Spacemen 3
2/5
Not bad, this, but not great either. Didn't know that one of the 3 went on to found Spiritualised, but it doesn't surprise me - it's the same long instrumentals and focus on atmosphere. It doesn't do it as well as Spiritualised though, and it drags quite a bit. 2/5, middling to high 2 though.
Roxy Music
2/5
This was not in fact a pleasure. Was a bit of a drag really, perked up a bit in the middle with Editions Of You and In Every Dream Home A Heartache, but the end was pretty painful, long, drawn-out songs without much to them in the first place. That middle section elevates it to a 2.
King Crimson
2/5
Eurgh. Indulges the worst of prog, long instrumentals that don't really go anywhere, lack of structure, and an INCREDIBLY PRETENTIOUS album title. Might benefit from being listened to a few times, but this doesn't do enough for me to give it that chance really, there's so much better out there to listen to. 2/5, it's not unlistenable but just doesn't offer much.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Never heard of him or this before, and I can see why. It's a pretty non-descript, folky, singer-songwriter album. Like a low budget Leonard Cohen, similarly dreary and miserable but less clever and interesting. Feeling generous, so will bump him up to a low 2.
The Thrills
2/5
I quite enjoyed this at the beginning - a tribute act to the Beach Boys with the harmonies and the constant California references, but with a bit more of a rocky sound. I knew Big Sur and Don't Steal Our Sun before, but the first few tracks are pretty good. Once you get past One Horse Town, it completely fades away, which is a bit of a shame. Nothing worth listening to really after that, which drags this album down to yet another 2. Highest 2 in a while, but that's not saying much.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
This is the best album we've had in a little while - excellent punk energy, doesn't bother trying to be mainstream, but stays away from being deliberately impenetrable. Some savvy commentary in there, some of it is very specific to its context, but quite a lot of it translates pretty well to now. I don't think I'm punk enough to really really enjoy this album (to be honest, I'd have preferred a bit more tunefulness), but it definitely belongs on the list, it's got something to say, and it knows what it wants to be. 4/5.
Donald Fagen
2/5
Just like the Steely Dan albums we had really, perfectly fine to listen to but pretty bland. This feels a bit more disco than the Steely Dan stuff, but that doesn't particularly improve it. Don't think we needed this on the list, 2/5.
Travis
3/5
Fond memories of this from my childhood - this is towards the end of the era (that started with Pulp and Oasis) when my dad got back into new music and had this on in the car a lot. Haven't listened to it in ages, definitely over a decade and probably a fair bit longer than that. Listening back to it now, there are some songs that stand up on their own, some that stand up with the benefit of nostalgia, and some that don't stand up at all really. Writing To Reach You, As You Are, and Why Does It Always Rain On Me are really quite good, I like Driftwood as well, and the rest is pretty ropey. 3/5.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Didn't much care for this, to be honest. It's very same-y, you can't get much of the vocals because they're pretty weak and overpowered by the drive of everything else. Ends up all blending into one, except towards the end where it goes full noise rock. Not enough variation or anything to give it more than a 2.
Iggy Pop
4/5
This was really good - a couple of classics in there but the whole album is pretty solid. Good energy pretty much throughout, a couple of changes of pace, obviously a bit of Bowie in there but there's also that punk edge. A middling to low 4.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
Remember when this first came out, and there was so much hype about it. I was a smidge too young to be living the life that they talk about, so it maybe didn't resonate with me quite as well then as it did for some of you. It's aged pretty well though (even though I'm now far too old to be living that lifestyle), it's been a while since I listened to the full album but Fake Tales Of San Francisco, When The Sun Goes Down and A Certain Romance are still regulars on my playlists. Unlike the rest of you, I quite like Riot Van, don't think it's the weakest track on the album by a decent whack. Really good album, not quite a 5 but not far off.
White Denim
3/5
This is good - prog influenced, bluegrass influenced, but still fits in the indie mould. Street Joy in particular sounds very very Pink Floydy, the instrumental bit in the middle of the song takes some very obvious inspiration from Speak To Me/Breathe From Dark Side of The Moon. I like it, but not loads, think it gets a really high 3 but only that.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Another good album - on a decent run at the moment. Wasn't particularly aware of their music other than vaguely recognising the name. First 45 seconds had me thinking that we were getting another grotty 90s dance album, but it changed pretty quickly, definitely for the better. There's a decent range, floating between proper punk through to full on ballad singing, but it fits together really well. 3/5, not far short of a 4 though.
Mike Ladd
3/5
This is a solid but unspectacular example of 90s hiphop, except it's from 2015 and melded with a load of electro and synth. And I think that makes it better. Maybe the beginning of the album is less good, maybe it took me a little while to get into it, but I enjoyed the second half more than the first. Think it really embraces the trippy psychedelic side then, which I prefer to the straight-up hiphop. Definitely drags a bit (more towards the middle than the end), we didn't need over an hour of this. Think it just squeaks a 3.
Sonic Youth
2/5
This is not the worst of the many Sonic Youth albums we've had, which isn't saying much. They're better when they're more tuneful, does lapse into noise too often, doesn't really do enough to get beyond a 2.
Peter Frampton
3/5
I think this album had to be live to get close to making it onto this list - the music isn't particularly groundbreaking, original, or even that exciting, but the live audience makes it feel quite infectious. It's quite hard to listen to this for too long without smiling and thinking about how much fun the audience were having. For that it gets a comfortable 3.
Janis Joplin
4/5
This is fab, she's got a phenomenal voice and the songwriting that goes with it is really really good too. A comfortable four, great pace and energy to it, didn't let up throughout (although a couple of changes of pace), and not a weak track on it. 4/5.
Pere Ubu
1/5
This was not good at all. Starts out tolerable - the first two tracks are jarring and not particularly good, but listenable, and then it goes downhill from there. One of the reviews on the site suggests we've got another Pere Ubu album, to come, I really hope that we don't... 1/5.
Talking Heads
3/5
I find myself thinking that Talking Heads somehow manage to sound like a parody of themselves. Once in a Lifetime kinda works, but I struggle with the rest of it. Like you guys have said, it's just too on the nose new wave for me to be able to take it seriously. I think it scrapes a 3.
Beck
2/5
Not for me, this. Girl probably the best of a pretty mediocre bunch, it's a bit too smooth and lacking in anything that makes it stand out. 2/5.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
Yeah, this is decent without being spectacular. There's no mega highlights, but not many bad tracks either (aside from the Outro, which is 12 minutes of him shouting out to various people in increasingly repetitive and boring ways). I like the production style, big on the sax in some places, much more dark and brooding in others. Kick Push the highlights of the lighter parts of the album, The Instrumental probably the best of the more full on stuff. 3/5.
Stereo MC's
2/5
Started out with quite high hopes for this one, but it fades pretty quickly. The title track is cool, but it's all very much of its time, steady, a bit hiphop, a bit alternative. Doesn't evoke much in me, it's a 2 really.
Dwight Yoakam
1/5
Vocals are pretty ropey, lyrics are worse. I'm not a massive country fan at the best of times, but this isn't even good country. And then he goes painfully cringey religious on the last track. 1/5.
Nick Drake
3/5
Very easy to get lost in, it's gentle, dreamy, the vocals are super airy (just like in the other two albums of his we've had), but this time there's not much other than him, his guitar, and the occasional bit of piano. Trouble is, it's so ethereal that I struggle to really focus in on what he's saying, which in such a light arrangement is a bit of an issue. That knocks it down from a high score to a 3, I think.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Phenomenal. I thought it dragged a bit towards the end, but that was because the album on Spotify is in fact an extended issue that adds 5 tracks and 20 minutes after the album is supposed to end with the title track. Also, always annoys me that he spells Foxy Foxey. Doesn't take away from the fact that this is one of the best albums of all time, quite possibly the best debut of all time, and chock full of brilliant songs. Purple Haze / Hey Joe / The Wind Cries Mary / Foxey Lady are unbelievable, Manic Depression and the title track not far behind, and there's not a bad track on there. Flirts with psychedelia, but doesn't go too weird. 25 when he released this, for heaven's sake. Guitar work is great, the sound is really cool, and he tells stories too. 5/5, possibly the best album we've had so far (and that's quite high praise, almost 900 albums in)?
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Not sure why this is on the list really, feels like Cohen trying to ride a wave that he really doesn't belong on. First We Take Manhattan is quite a fun song, but really doesn't suit his voice, the rest is at best okay with a few wanderings into dreadful (Jazz Police in particular). 2/5.
Eurythmics
2/5
Title track is an absolute cracker, the rest is quite forgettable 80s stuff. I struggle with this kind of music, it always feels really dated so almost anything that you hear from this era and style is either the odd single that absolutely has stood the test of time or the rest which absolutely has not. The single elevates it from a low 2 to a high one, but it's still a firm 2.
Green Day
4/5
Not quite as good as I remembered it, but still some real highlights. Somehow combines being a bit rough around the edges with being a bit too down the line and lacking energy in places to be real punk. Basket Case is brilliant, Longview and She not far behind, When I Come Around is a bit too poppy for my tastes really. They're better (at this stage of their journey anyway) when the vocals are more front and centre. Think it still just about squeaks a 4, but let me down a little compared to my memory of it.
The Monks
3/5
This is much better than I expected. Feels a lot more engaging than almost all of the experimental stuff we've had from the 60s, and the story around the album is great. Is it something that I'm going to listen to loads? No (particularly because it's not on Spotify). But is it something that should be on this list? Absolutely - it sounds a bit different and a lot fresher than a lot of the stuff that was out there at the time, on the road to punk with a big old dose of psychedelia in there too. Definitely goes too weird at times (Cuckoo!), but there's some great moments in there. 3/5.
Culture Club
2/5
An album that was very much of its time, and the kind of music that induces a smile for a track or two but quickly loses its gloss. I definitely didn't need a whole album of this, and starting with the only really memorable song meant that there wasn't even any anticipation that things might get much better. It's a high 2, but a 2.
Coldcut
4/5
Another one that I enjoyed more than I expected to - annoying that this album isn't on Spotify. Feels like it's very much from the same family as The Avalanches, but this is 15 years older and you can barely tell. Same criticism as everyone else - it's definitely too long and not tight enough - but it's a great sound, blends seamlessly between genres, some great samples and guest contributors, a really good listen. I think it merits a 4, a low one, but could've been a comfortable one had it been 10-15 minutes shorter.
George Harrison
3/5
A lot of good moments, and nothing that I really didn't like, but 2 hours is unforgivably long. Definitely a more mature sound than most of what the Beatles produced, but lacks a bit of the oomph and certainly the catchiness. I think that first side of the first album is top drawer, but it fades after that. A better score than I thought this would get when I saw it was 2 hours long, but it's only a 3.
Goldfrapp
3/5
This is decent, without anything that is particularly mindblowing. One of those albums that I'll be happy to listen to again, but really don't think it's something you need to listen to before you die (unlike the other Goldfrapp album we had, that I found much better). This is less psychedlic, and that takes something away from it, it doesn't have the same dreamy vibes as the other album did but it doesn't really replace it with much. There are a couple of songs towards the end with a bit more energy, but it's not mindblowing. Think it's a low 3.
Janet Jackson
2/5
This is not a good album, really. There's not one song on it that's really good, plenty that are quite bad, and the less said about the interludes the better. Very focused on the social commentary piece, which doesn't really land (which is fair 35 years later...), but the music is not good. 2/5.
American Music Club
2/5
Another pretty nothing album. Country pop rock, nothing notable about it - maybe you could claim that it was ahead of its time, as it sounds a bit like some stuff that comes to the fore in the 2000s, but really it's more like early 70s country/folk rock. And it's less good than most of that (and we've had a lot). 2/5.
Arrested Development
2/5
Didn't grab me really, pretty straight down the line early-ish hip hop. There's a lot more interesting other stuff going round at this time, this is almost easy listening in comparison. We've had some other more feel good hip hop - Tribe Called Quest the obvious one I can think of - and that was much better than this is, doesn't really bite at all. 2/5.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Seeing the Chemical Brothers live at Glastonbury was one of the best sets I've been to, but I do struggle listening to them outside that context (although some of the shorter songs make for decent running music). They only played Chemical Beats from this album (plus a bit of Leave Home in a big medley), and I get why - this is less accessible than some of their later stuff, but definitely still decent. When you're listening to it sat at home behind a desk, it's too repetitive, but it still on occasion hits a spot that most of the electronic/dance albums we've had haven't managed to. 3/5.
Red Snapper
2/5
Doesn't benefit from coming the day after the Chemical Brothers - this is not trying to do exactly the same thing but does it in a similar way and sounds very lightweight in comparison. We've had much better, call it a 2 and on to tomorrow.
Weather Report
2/5
Pretty dull, soundtrack style with not much to say for itself. I've listened to it twice through whilst working, gone to make myself a coffee, and now cannot remember much about it at all. 2/5.
The Associates
2/5
I liked this more than you did, but still not a lot. Ended up listening to the extended edition, with a few alternative versions of tracks that I found better than what made it onto the album. There are a few moments that work quite well, but it's subsumed in a sea of dross. And it's another new wave album, we seem to have a wildly disproportionate number of them. 2/5.
The Cure
3/5
This album builds a decent atmosphere but there's not much holding it together beyond that. Not mega catchy (although the bassline in A Forest sticks in your head). It's quite nice background music (nice probably isn't the right word given how downbeat it is, but it'll do), but it really doesn't do much more than that. Think it scrapes a low 3.
Megadeth
2/5
Not me. This is more accessible than I thought it might be - and a lot less screamy - but it doesn't have the ability to grab you like some of the Iron Maiden / Judas Priest / Metallica stuff that we've had. It's not bad, but it's not great either. Does descend into pure noise at points (although to be fair more on the bonus tracks), but it's mostly listenable but not particualrly inspiring. 2/5.
Madness
2/5
This is too twee to really be taken seriously, and not fun enough to be a properly fun album. It's much more downbeat in the most part than what Madness are really known for. I don't see a particular reason to revisit this, it's catchy in places (too few) but really falls short of being memorable. Stick to the singles, 2/5.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Same as most of the other Elvis Costello albums really, you listen to it and think 'this isn't bad', but you can never really name a song from it more than about an hour after listening. I am surprised to hear that we've had three other albums of his, because I really can't remember them. 2/5, hopefully coming to the end of a pretty poor run.
Bobby Womack
3/5
A nice, easy listen. It's very smooth, just glides through your ears, but doesn't really leave a mark. Basically exactly what was said above, it's pleasant background music that you can tune in and out of, but nothing about it screams top class or holds your attention. 3/5.
Sabu
2/5
Yeah, the man loves a bongo. It's simple, repetitive music, and it gets a bit wearing after about 10-15 minutes. Sadly, the album lasts 40. 2/5.
Throwing Muses
2/5
Another underwhelming album, we've had miles better female-fronted punky rock or rocky punk, will never deliberately listen to this again. Inoffensive enough for a 2.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Very 80s, didn't really stand out from the bulk of the other synthy 80s stuff we've had over the course of the last couple of years. The Killing Moon is great in patches, but drags out too long, the other singles are fine, but not particularly memorable, and there's nothing else to write home about. Another 2/5.
The KLF
3/5
Doesn't break the flow of mediocre albums that we've been on, really. Probably would've been fun live, in a big group, but sitting alone at my desk it didn't really hit. Does well (in comparison to others from the genre) to keep the tracks and the album as a whole tight, the beats are decent enough, but it's wrong time wrong place. Squeaks a 3.
Django Django
2/5
Yeah, this was a bit passive for me too, nice dreamlike sounds which never quite got as far as being psychedelic. I prefer psychedelia with a bit more oomph in the most part - this doesn't have that and doesn't really have anything else to hold my interest for too long. Another 2/5.
Boards of Canada
2/5
Yeah, I don't get this either. Ambient stuff, nothing particularly different from other ambient stuff we've had except this one grabbed me even less. Have heard it a couple of times through, and am now listening to Oxygene again because that does what this does so much better. 2/5.
Circle Jerks
2/5
This is one of those albums that seems to have been quite influential in the creation of things that were much more fully formed and better (except it seems to have come a lot later than stuff that was already much more fully formed?). It's a pretty aggressive sprint, 14 tracks in just under 16 minutes, no let up in the intensity, aggressive angry punk. Not one for the subtlety fans (the song with the chorus "I've got. The world. Up My Ass." is a particular highlight/lowlight depending on your perspective), but it's definitely got an energy to it that I can empathise with given the number of gentle, passive albums from the 70s we've had on this list. 2/5, could do plenty better but could also do a bit worse.
David Bowie
3/5
Yeah, not the best Bowie album we've had, by a long chalk, and Blackstar is far superior if we want to include his later work. The Stars and Valentine's Day are great songs (that middle portion of the album is pretty good), but it really fades away after about track 8 (which is just past way). Don't think that we needed this on the list, but it's not my least favourite Bowie album thus far. 3/5.
Shack
2/5
Yup, another substandard offering from the list. Very beige, gentle alternative stuff that doesn't have the oomph to qualify as rock, the fun to qualify as pop, or the tunefulness and soul to qualify as folk. 2/5.
The Icarus Line
2/5
Another non-entity of an album that left me feeling nothing beyond a mild sense of frustration. It's too long (both the album as a whole and most of the individual songs), and it's too slow through most of it. If you're going to be noisy rather than tuneful, you need more energy than the vast majority of this album brings. It's all just so disparate, and the bits that are completely noise can get in the bin. 2/5.
Brian Eno
1/5
Another in this seemingly unending torrent of shite. We had another Eno album before that was at least fun (if a bit dated). This has some of the weird (but somehow in a boring way) without any of the fun, it sounds really dated. Reminds me of the twee bits on the White Album (which I also didn't like), but never gets to the good stuff really. 1/5, actively angered me.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
There's a couple of decent songs in here (Ain't No Other Man and Hurt principally), but it's outweighed by the mess that's around it. It's an attempt at being more grown up and sophisticated (having already been pop princess and something a bit filthier at this point), but it doesn't really work. Her voice is just fab, but it works much better when she's doing her stuff, rather than the leaning into the classics bit that doesn't quite work. Bonus points for variety, but minus quite a lot for not really landing most of the variations. 2/5, probably would've had a 3 if it was a bit shorter.
Rod Stewart
2/5
This is, again, okay, but nothing more. It's all a bit too long, too drawn out (even though the album only runs to 40 minutes), but every track outstays its welcome a little. Maggie May is good (though even that takes too long to get going), and Reason To Believe is also decent, but much of the rest is filler really. Doesn't quite merit a 3 I think, but marginal.
The Blue Nile
2/5
Tried this a couple of times yesterday whilst working, and again this morning (I do try and do this when someone rates an album highly), but I struggled with this one. Maybe it's because we've been overwhelmed with synth-heavy 80s stuff (particularly over the last month), which isn't really my genre of choice anyway. Feels like the singer is trying to hit notes that his voice just can't quite make, it's all quite slow and ponderous, and really doesn't grab me. 2/5.
Lambchop
3/5
This is a bit mad, they mash up so many styles and genres across the 10 tracks that it's very difficult to know where to place it. It's almost every different flavour of easy listening, and thus ends up being a bit hit and miss. Think it's marginally more hit than miss, though it never really hits massively well and does sometimes miss really badly. Squeaks a low 3, I think.
R.E.M.
3/5
Enjoyed this more than anything we've had for about 20 albums. There are some really nice songs here - I like the lower key World Leader Pretend and the last couple of tracks, the poppier stuff (Pop Song 89, Stand, and Orange Crush) is also pretty good. Some of the rest falls in between and doesn't really work - REM have a tendency to go a bit twee and janky at times, and The Wrong Child is a nasty example of this. I think it's a high 3.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Yeah, not great. The Gift (the spoken word track that you all hated) was actually my favourite, it's not really music but it tells a story, and John Cale's Welsh accent is lovely. It's more noise than it it is music, really, it's really rough, production is bizarre. The title track is quite a gentle intro, but after that it's all noise, I Heard Her Call My Name occasionally threatens to be musical but shys away from it at the last minute. 2/5, just (saved by John Cale's lilting tones).
N.E.R.D
3/5
It's fun, this, production is good, flows and works nicely. Not quite sure what it's trying to be really though, it's a nice, smooth listen but doesn't quite go anywhere. Occasionally turns towards something you can dance to, sometimes goes a bit more rocky, doesn't do either particularly memorably. Think it scrapes a low 3.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Much preferred it to the other album we had from them, this offers a lot more. I really like the sound, it manages to somehow be both really full on but also properly cut in places. Shame the guy can't enunciate clearly, have no idea what he's actually saying and that loses at least a point - the way it's mixed doesn't help that (but might be a blessing given that he can't really sing). Have listened to this a few times, and it's a great listen for working to, enough there to keep you interested but without the lyrics being audible it doesn't distract too much. 3/5, could've been higher if I'd known what he was on about.
Cream
3/5
Mixed bag here, there's some really good (at the start of the album), and some a lot less good (mostly towards the end). Doesn't have as much character as Hendrix (with which it shares a lot of similiarities), but it's pretty close to equal on the guitar work and the music behind it. 3/5 seems fair, really slap bang in the middle of that. Probably would've scored better had it come before the Hendrix albums on our journey through this list.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
This was good fun (in the most part), nice upbeat music. It's notable that Everyday People is the best song on the album and also the shortest (and Sex Machine is the worst song and the longest!) - they probably could've done a bit more with a bit less (and definitely removing Sex Machine). A good listen, not one I'll return to, but glad that it was on the list. 3/5.
Funkadelic
4/5
This was great - maybe not quite as good an album as the Parliament one we had at the beginning of the run, but not far off. Don't quite need a whole hour of this, but it's generally really fun, catchy in places, soulful in others, but a great energy the whole way through. 4/5.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Enjoyed this, but definitely not as much as the last one. It's so laid back and self-indulgent, groovy, sensual, funky. Very smooth. That said, it's too much really, a 48 minute album split into 4 is very rarely going to be tight enough to get a properly good score, and this is no exception. Single edits (the bonus tracks I think for this) are much better really. 3/5.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
I'm not quite as sold on this as you guys - it definitely has some weaker points - but it is still a brilliant listen and one I will regularly come back to. It flows wonderfully, it feels like an album designed as a whole rather than individual songs stuck together. Does it sound a little bit samey? Yeah. Are there a couple of weak tracks? Yes, Save the Children makes me cringe quite a lot, Wholy Holy isn't up to the standard of the rest either. But that's because the rest of the album is really, really good, it tells a story, it cuts, and it's just a great listen. I don't think this is at the top of my list, but it's probably still a 5/5.
Joe Ely
2/5
Another filler album, without the decency of at least having one big hit on it. Pretty generic country plus (the plus being a bit more energy and more of a backing band), but, yeah, nothing we've not had better before. 2/5.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
Not one of our stronger efforts. Makes the cardinal mistake of reaching for a note that he can't hit in the first 30 seconds of the first track, and the music is too vocal-focused to get away with a voice as weak as that. I only knew two Lenny Kravitz songs before this, neither on this album, and I have no desire to seek out more. It's a bit dull and the guy really can't sing as well as a professional singer should be able to. 2/5.
The Beta Band
3/5
Beta by name, beta by nature - these guys make music that in the most part is very much not in your face, but happy to blend into the background. That said, it's not bad - the quality dips in the middle, but the beginning and the end are actually decent. Liquid Bird has much more energy than most of the rest of it, wish the rest of the album had been a bit more like that. 3/5.
Jack White
3/5
Not really my thing, in the most part - he goes a bit too bluesy for a lot of it to fit my taste. It's better when it's heavier- Sixteen Saltines is the stand out to me for that, Weep Themselves To Sleep gets there but takes a while. 3/5.
TV On The Radio
2/5
Didn't like this at all; not sure we needed two of their albums on this list really? Definitely preferred the other one we had (700 albums ago!), this one doesn't have the same edge to it. Staring at the Sun kind of gets there, but nothing other than that really moves me, it's really forgettable. Sounds like an album full of songs that Bloc Party didn't want. 2/5.
Soft Machine
2/5
Didn't much care for this, to be honest. Long, meandering, prog with not a huge amount of excitement. Seemed to focus much more on the musicians enjoying themselves and showing off rather than making something that would appeal to the listener. 2/5.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
Weird one, this. Not unpleasant, by any means, but there's not a lot there. Most of the fun is provided by the covers (Light My Fire and Jumpin' Jack Flash), the rest is fine but kinda blends together in an uneventful blob. 2/5.
The Young Rascals
2/5
This is fine, pretty generic sixties stuff. Most of this stuff feels like it's been done a lot better and a lot tighter elsewhere. Nothing wrong with it, but it's mostly forgettable. How Can I Be Sure and the title track are decent enough, but not enough that I'll deliberately come back to them. 2/5.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
This is wonderful, really like this, and the more I listen the better it gets. I think Down To Zero is the standout track, such a punchy opener. Rest doesn't quite live up to that bar Love & Affection, but it's still a really strong effort, full of soul and some great storytelling. 4/5.
50 Cent
3/5
A real mixed bag, this. He does the gangster stuff pretty well, in parts, but it gets wearing (Phil is bang on when he talks about how the delivery is really one-paced). Many Men is probably the best example of it - it's a decent song, the actual lyrics are interesting, but he just sounds SO bored whilst delivering it. That works OK when you've got some interesting production going on around it, but when you don't it really suffers. And, also, there's a fair bit of filler. 3/5.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
This is decent, not lifechanging, but good fun, decent energy, and very listenable. Heads Will Roll an obvious standout, not much else that will stay with me though. Could probably do with being a bit faster, or something to inject just a bit more oomph. 3/5.
Suede
3/5
Like our previous Suede album, didn't like it as much as the Suede I'd heard in my dad's car (Coming Up) when I was young. But this is better than Dog Man Star, I think. Just isn't that memorable for me, 3/5.
R.E.M.
4/5
This is the best REM album we've had by a long shot. There's so much less filler (the instrumental and Sweetness Follows are the only tracks on here that I'd chop if I could), almost all of it offers something, and it changes mood really smoothly. The middle section is the weakest, but Drive/Try Not to Breathe/Sidewinder/Every Body Hurts is a great start, and Man On The Moon/Nightswimming/Find The River is a brilliant way to end. 4/5, that little dip in the middle stops it from hitting 5 territory.
The Streets
4/5
Know tonnes of the songs from this, but not sure that I ever listened to it from start to finish. Definitely didn't appreciate that it was one flowing story at the time (which surely means that I didn't listen to it all in one sitting). There's a lot not to like, a lot of it is pretty one-toned, he ends up using some quite convoluted phrasing to make what he says vaguely fit the meter, and the whole story isn't exactly some grand drama. But, it's really compelling, tough to stop listening. Just wish there had been more songs with a bit more to them, as Phil says it's the ones with a bit more production and a bit more oomph that were the most successful. Think it just scrapes a 4, probably out of nostalgia really.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
Mediocre, at best. Scooby Snacks is tolerable, but it should be an album track on a good album (rather than the standout on this). A mix of styles that don't fit together that well, it's ultimately quite forgettable. 2/5.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
This is much better! Flies out of the traps very quickly (no gentle intro here!), Bombtrack and Killing In the Name are a really full on start, and it doesn't really let up at all. Tonnes of energy and emotion throughout, fades a little towards the end. Doesn't quite make a 5, it's a bit too cringey in places and has all the subtlety and nuance of a brick through a window, but it's easily a 4.
Roxy Music
2/5
Tries to do a lot of flavours of rock-adjacent, doesn't really do any of them well really. I don't really like his voice, he seems mostly as disinterested as I was. Not my cup of tea, 2/5.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
This is decent 60s stuff, bit more edge in places than most similar bands managed at that time. I'm Not Your Stepping Stone I recognised, but this was a much better version than the Monkees managed. They're better when there's more oomph there, there are a couple of songs where they get too ballady and it's just a bit twee. A mixed bag, but enough for a low 3.
Destiny's Child
3/5
Yeah, this album is too long, and too dull for most of the hour. Gets off to a solid start (probably the 3 Destiny's Child songs I know best?), but after that there's really nothing that catches the ear. It's tonally very strange - flits between songs that are very much girl power focused, but gets pretty close to slut shaming in a few places too. As Phil says, the strength of the start gets it a 3, but can't be giving it anything more than that.
Scritti Politti
1/5
Vaguely aware of the name, hadn't heard any of their music before, and would be quite happy never hearing any of it again. It's the worst of 80s pop music, billy basic synth pop with cringey, patronising lyrics and nothing to make it stand out from the thousands of others like it. It's Wham without the infectiousness, or Duran Duran without the energy. If a badly made prawn cocktail could make music, this is what it would sound like. 1/5.
Sebadoh
2/5
Very, very patchy. There are a couple of songs that are more than half way decent (Soul & Fire the obvious one), but a lot that is less good, alongside some really tuneless crap. 2/5 on the strength of the better songs, there are a lot of tracks on here that barely deserve a 1 though.
Brian Eno
2/5
This is technically impressive for its time, it's forward looking, but it's not very listenable, really. It's quite janky, there are a few good moments and the odd good track, but overall it's a bit of a tuneless mess. 2/5.
The Cult
3/5
This is fine, it's listenable, but it's not in the same class as some of the better rock that we've had. Sounds quite rock-by-numbers really, it's a bit too smooth around the edges to be really interesting, a bit tribute act really. That said, it's pretty listenable, I like the singer's voice, just not enough going on. A low 3/5.
Pulp
4/5
This is very different from Different Class, probably not quite at the same level, but not far off. It's funny, dark, but really angry and frustrated in places. It all works quite well together (although Party Hard is a little bit jarring), he's a great lyricist, and tells some great (if a little dark) stories. One of my favourite tracks on it is the bonus one (that wasn't on the release that Spotify showed me first) - Like A Friend, that they recorded for the soundtrack of the Great Expectations movie. This version of the album also cuts out the unnecessarily long and drawn out end of The Day After The Revolution, which is well worth doing, it's a great song without the ten minutes of drifting at the end. Surprised that we got this on the list rather than His N Hers (or do we we still have that to come?). 4/5.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
Yeah, I really struggle to get excited about this kind of music, and it's no different here. Most likely a fault with me, rather than the music, but I really struggle to differentiate between good and bad in this kind of genre. 2/5.
Isaac Hayes
2/5
Haven't seen the film, so no nostalgia for me for this. The theme is fun, lyrics are hilarious, almost exactly what you'd write if you were parodying a film like this. But most of the rest of it is incidental music, nice, but ultimately designed to accompany something else rather than being listened to in its own right. 2/5.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Reading the blurb for this, cannot believe that they had Angels as the fourth single of this and Let Me Entertain You as the fifth one... mad. How do you listen to this album and think anything other than those two are going to be the ones that are remembered? Agree with the rest of you, this isn't as good as I've Been Expecting You, but it's still a decent (if a bit trashy) listen. I think in my head I combined what I remembered from both of those albums into one imaginary top drawer album full of hits, this isn't that but it's OK. 3/5.
John Lee Hooker
2/5
This was decent, relatively easy listening, but not a lot more than that. Doesn't feel like an album of disconnected collaborations by a blues legend well past his best should really make this list, to be honest, it's quite disjointed. Interesting in places, but really not out of the top drawer. 2/5, should do better.
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
This was pleasant, quite dreamy and melancholy, not captivating enough to get a really high score but a reasonably comfortable 3, I think. Not quite my jam, but it's not bad.
Adele
3/5
Starts really strongly, those first two tracks are superb. But it's all a bit too safe, the songwriting isn't as raw as on previous albums and the ramped up production doesn't help there. Her voice remains absolutely fabulous, but a lot of it, particularly towards the back end of the album, sounds quite samey. Think it merits a 3 given the strength of her voice and a couple of iconic songs, but it's definitely disappointing from someone with her talent.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
This did not stand out, it's pretty generic dance party music. Got better towards the end, where it was a bit less poppy and a bit more of an interesting listen (I liked Damaged People, the final track, probably the most), but other than that it's pretty empty, stale synth dance stuff that has been done a lot better by other people. 2/5.
Kelela
2/5
Yeah, this is underwhelming. There's too much synth and tuning, the vocals aren't forward in the production in the way they should be when you've got a voice this good, and the end result is a bit drab, there's nothing to grip on to and it doesn't work together to make anything more than pleasant enough music to have half an ear on. 2/5.
KISS
2/5
This is good fun (for a while), but not convinced it's that good. Glam stadium rock, got a bit of pantomime to it, think it's probably better live than it is recorded. It's a bit lightweight, pretty cliched in places, and pretty repetitive. Feels very dated. Doesn't quite pass muster for a 3, so 2/5.
Cee Lo Green
2/5
Underwhelming, doesn't feel like a soul album at all, and is mega self-indulgent to a level that he really doesn't deserve given he hadn't had either of his two hits at the point of making this album. Really struggling to find much more to say about this album. It happened, it's budget hip hop that isn't particularly cutting, has way too much going on, it's just a bit dull. 2/5.
Duke Ellington
3/5
Good jazz, great jazz, it all sounds much of a muchness to me - I tend to prefer the live performances, but this one didn't really have much of the crowd element, you definitely couldn't feed off their energy. Thank you very much Tim for posting the original version, at 40 minutes it was just the right length, 2 hours would have driven me a bit mad. 3/5.
Jane Weaver
2/5
Was surprised to see that this was as recent as 2017. It's not bad, but it's not noticeably good either, and sounds pretty 90s to me. There's nothing new to it, her voice is good but not great, and it gets increasingly trancey towards the end. The Architect the highlight for me, but none of it up to that much. 2/5.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
This is almost really good - I really like his delivery on the verses, and the beats behind this are great - but it definitely lacks something. Not quite sure what it is, but it just doesn't grab me as much as it should do. It's all decent, but nothing screams brilliant. 3/5.
The Sugarcubes
3/5
This is cool, keeps all the edge of a Bjork vocal but shaves off most of the really OTT bits. Male vocalist nowhere near as good, and it's a bit distracting really. It's interesting, Birthday and Mama probably the best tracks, lands on a mid to high 3 I think.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
This is quite a cool sound, but it never quite gets going for me. Another that ends up on the pile of influential and inspirational for better stuff that comes later, really. Definitely preferred it to the previous album, but doesn't quite take hold. 3/5.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Well, I think this is great. Starts slowly, I'd say the first three tracks are probably the weakest on the album, definitely the weakest section, but Intervention is great and it just builds from there, I wouldn't skip any of the tracks after that. The big sound that comes from having the organ is great, but they probably play on it a bit too much and keep everything a bit too slow for a bit too long (even the fast start from a couple of the song fades away too quickly). Then the sound gets huge for the closer, which is utterly superb. 4/5.
1/5
I read a couple of the reviews on the site, and the few positive ones urged me to go in with an open mind, which I very much tried to do. 'Assault on the senses' is absolutely the way to describe the first half of the album, I hadn't expected an improvised jazz record to be so intense but it absolutely does borrow from stuff like thrashcore. As it's not on Spotify, I listened on YouTube with ads, and the dulcet tones of Sean Bean advertising some phone company were a nice bit of light relief. It did improve in the second half, a lot more tuneful but still with a bit of edge. I don't think it's the worst thing we've had, but it's definitely not my cup of tea or particularly good. A 1/5, but could've been worse.
The Byrds
2/5
Probably would've got a better score had we not already had eleventy billion 60s folk-adjacent albums that sound more or less the same as this. Fine, unremarkable, this is one of 4 Byrds albums on the list and I'm not sure even they would argue that a) we need more than 2, and b) this would be one of those 2. 2/5.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Disappointing, albeit from pretty lofty expectations. I can't remember listening to this MJ album in full before, and aside from the Thriller/Beat It/Billie Jean run, it's pretty mediocre (with a shout out to the ending of the Paul McCartney song which is excruciating). Did Like Wanna Be Startin' Something as well though. Basically, most things that he does with a bit of oomph and energy work for me, when he gets ballady it tends to be a lot less good. Low 4/5.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
Makes about as much sense as the title. Watching that video that Tim posted now, and the comparison to a weirder sounding Tom Waits is spot on. It's bizarre, and often tuneless and really difficult to listen to. The story behind and around it is actually quite cool, but as a listening experience (which, lest we forget, is actually what you want from an album) it's really not good. Yes, it's innovative and does something different, but sometimes there's a reason why no one does polyrhythmic and polytonal (plus all the rest) at the same time ... Apparently you have to listen to it plenty of times to get it, but I'm not giving it that chance. 1/5.
The Saints
3/5
I wanted to like this more than I did. It's definitely ahead of its time with its tightness and polish that didn't really match the rest of what was happening in the punk world back then. It's probably a 4/5 in 1978, but a middling three now as it sounds like a lot of 2000s bands, but without the infectious catchiness that made the best of those successful. I think it's maybe the singer's voice - not sure it quite matches with a slightly more polished production? 3/5.
Aimee Mann
3/5
This was fine, but nothing more than that. A pretty bog standard singer-songwriter album, she's got a nice voice but the songs are a little bland. Like a lightweight Alanis Morissette, a couple of these tracks could've been album tracks on Jagged Little Pill but none of it competes with the best tracks on that. A middle of the road 3.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
I thought this was decent - not as good as the one we had a couple of years(!) ago, which is on my work rotation, but it's a good listen. Like the other one, not sure quite what I like about it but it works, and Lorelei is a proper treat. A solid 3/5.
Gram Parsons
2/5
Yeah, this is pretty standard country. Preferred the Flying Burrito Brothers album (which he was involved in that we had before), not convinced this is on the list for any other reason than he had a bit of a cult following and died very young. Most of the positive reviews on the site are because they like Emmylou Harris, she's great but this isn't. 2/5.
The Libertines
2/5
Passable indie fare with a couple of highlights: Can't Stand Me Now (the strongest track on the album by a stretch) and What Katie Did. A lot of forgettable stuff in between though. Definitely not as cool as they thought they were, they sound a lot better when they put together a proper song rather than the slurred ramblings. 2/5.
SZA
3/5
I quite like this. But it's just too laid back for me, it doesn't excite musically at all really, the stuff behind it is all quite slow. Her voice is really nice when it's left alone (Drew Barrymore probably the best example of this), but there's too much production behind most of it I think? She tells interesting stories for the most part, the lyrics are decent, it's too good for a 2 but musically a bit too bland for a 4. 3/5.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I listened to this earlier in the week, and didn't much care for it. But, listened again this morning and enjoyed it a lot more. Pet Shop Boys, for me, are good when they're over the top and just short of pantomime or when they're thoughtful, and they're great when they manage to combine both in the same song. I don't think they quite manage great here, but it's definitely good, comfortably a 3/5.
Madonna
1/5
I find it amusing that "music" is in inverted commas on the album cover - someone at the record label must've had the same opinion of this as me. This is properly bad, no idea why it's made the list when she's made some decent pop in her career. Feels like a midlife crisis album, desperately trying to stay relevant and just getting everything one beat wrong. Like a dad going on his first night on the pull after the divorce, or David Cameron at a football match. 1/5.
Beck
2/5
A bit more creative than Guero, I think, but still not really my cup of tea. It's basic bitch indie singer songwriter with a handful of samples thrown in without much obvious thought. The songs are fine, not particularly catchy or interesting, but not bad, the samples and other stuff tend to be quite jarring. 2/5, not for me.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
God, the man can really write some drivel, can't he? Agree with Phil that the second half is better than the first, but he's gone for quantity over quality with 17 albums in 12 years. Think it probably would've been a 2, but for They Won't Go When I Go which is a wonderful ballad. 3/5.
Calexico
3/5
Enjoyed this, even if it wasn't outstanding. Relatively easy listening, nice mix of Latin beats with American indie (the singer gives real Bright Eyes vibes in places). Could've done with a bit more bite and energy in places - it does that better in the more instrumental tracks, but needs a bit more oomph to elevate it above the 3/5 that I'm giving it.
John Prine
3/5
Won't be going back to this really, it's too generic country in style. Lyrically it's pretty good, definitely has more depth to it than most country I've listened to, but the delivery just grates on me too much. If I had to listen to country music more often, this would be reasonably high on the list, but I don't so I won't. 3/5.
M.I.A.
2/5
Didn't enjoy this particularly, mega repetitive and she just sounds so smug all the time. There's definitely something there, but it's the same thing every time. 2/5.
Brian Eno
2/5
I think this would be quite good to play over the speakers in an airport: it's calming, chilled music that might take some of the heat out of the frustrations that go with air travel. It's just far too airy fairy to be an album you have to listen to before you die. 2/5.
Alice Cooper
3/5
This is surprisingly fun, not at all what I expected. I knew the title track, and expected the rest to follow with less good iterations of that, but there's prog, jazz, blues, a bit of everything really. It's not top tier, but it's certainly a high 3 for me.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
I liked this, a step above most of the singer songwriter stuff we've had from that era. He's got a great voice, and there's a couple of great songs there (Without You is the best-known and probably the best). Coconut is apparently quite well thought of, but my first thought when listening to it was 'problematic' (yes, he does do 'the voice'). A comfortable 3/5.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
This is fine, but unremarkable, mostly covers done in a very Stones style. We've had better albums from them, not sure why a cover album made it onto this list when they've got plenty of their own material that is deservedly there. 2/5.
Madonna
2/5
Meh. Better than the other Madonna album we had recently, but in no way good. Don't have any nostalgia for it (but do remember Beautiful Stranger that Rolfe mentioned). Some funky influences, goes spiritual in places and very electronic in others, but it doesn't feel like she's quite comfortable with either of those sounds. 2/5.
JAY Z
4/5
This is great - sound and production around it is perfect to enhance his rapping (which is good but not all-time) without overpowering it. At times loses its edge, but 90% of it draws you in to actually listen to it and the storytelling is worth listening to. Gets a bit bling, guns, and bitches in places, but in the main it's a bit more nuanced. 4/5.
The Triffids
2/5
This is fine - we've had a lot worse, and an awful lot that's pretty similar to this. It's pretty standard 80s electro pop/rock, nothing remarkable, could give it a 3 but don't think it quite earns it. 2/5
Blue Cheer
3/5
This is interesting, it's got some cool moments, proto metal type stuff, and I quite like it - it's got a bit more edge than a lot of stuff that was floating around at the time. That said, there's plenty from that era that did this better, it's too rough and the production is painful in places. Think it deserves a 3, I enjoyed it, but it's a low one.
Turbonegro
3/5
A strange combination of absolutely dreadful lyrics and quite fun punk driving rhythms (actually, it's not that unusual, is it?). It's good if you don't really listen to it, but it's basically what a 12 year old me would've thought was edgy and cool. 'Anus'! 3/5.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Very smooth, easy to listen too, and much more melancholy than most of the Sinatra I've listened to before. His voice is absolutely brilliant, but it's just a bit much. 16 tracks of more or less unrelenting beautiful misery is quite hard work. One to have on in the background on a rainy day when you've just been through a breakup, a comfortable 3 because of his voice, but nothing more than that. 3/5.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
I've listened to this three times now, to try and work out what KRS and Hector see in it, and I really can't. It's not angry enough to be a proper punk album, and doesn't have energy, but you lose so much in terms of thought and soulfulness from his voice (or lack thereof) that it makes most of the music unintelligible. 2/5.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
This is quite a nice listen, there's a bit more to it musically than most of the stuff we've had in Portuguese (though it does lose something from me not being able to understand a word of it). Very smooth, 3/5.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
This is mad, but pretty far out for 1968. Feels almost sample-y, Avalanches with the dropping in of the spoken word bits, phone conversations etc. It's definitely striking, but musically it's pretty ropey. 2/5.
808 State
3/5
Enjoyed this more than I do most music of this type - there's much more going on than in most electronic albums, and don't think you need to be on pills to enjoy this one. It's not lifechanging, but it's better than a lot of the instrumental heavy stuff we've had. 3/5.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
This was a nice easy listen - like Alanis Morissette on Prozac or something. Her voice is good, but not the most striking we've had, the music is nice but unremarkable, as are the stories. A low to middling 3.
Bad Brains
3/5
This is decent in places - the title track in particular is good fun - but doesn't have enough to it to give it a really good score. There's a bit of old school metal in there, a bit of punk, it's definitely on the journey towards grunge type stuff and it's a decent mix. A little bit too meandering, but still a comfortable 3/5.
Garbage
3/5
Not garbage, quite good actually. Milk sounded vaguely familiar, but I hadn't heard the rest before. It's pretty solid female-fronted electro rock, more PJ Harvey than No Doubt in the most part. It's pretty catchy, lyrics are in the most part worth listening to, high 3. Probably would've been a 4 if I had any nostalgia for it.
Slayer
3/5
Not my jam, too angry and too noisy. But, apart from that, it's not bad at all - on the spectrum of this kind of stuff, the lyrics are more intelligible, the music is hard and harsh but not unlistenable, and there's certainly some semblance of a tune there. Lyrics are a bit much in places, trying to show off how scary they are and it comes off as insecurity to me really Doesn't go on too long either, which a lot of the metal albums we've had have done. Can't imagine I'll ever come back to this, but see why other people might like it, so gets a 3.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
Didn't particularly enjoy this, to be honest. Experimental, lightweight, not a lot to it really. Sounds like a weird musical, and not a good one. 2/5.
Ray Price
2/5
This is fine, a bit underwhelming and not a huge amount to it, but not bad. Country-style crooning, mostly in a melancholy way, a lovely voice, but the lyrics are a bit cliched and there's not enough going on. 2/5.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
This was good - plenty of energy, Spellbound is excellent, and really the whole first half of the album is pretty decent. Trails away a bit towards the end, but a good vibe to it, 3/5.
Soundgarden
4/5
This is the best album we've had in a while - it's a level up in sophistication from the grunge that it came from, the sound is well put together and the guy can actually sing (which is a big step up from a lot of the stuff from that era!). It's definitely too long - almost all the songs are 5 minutes plus, which is a bit much, and could've done with losing four or five of them. But I think it still squeaks a 4 for me.
Elvis Costello
3/5
I liked this, in places, more than I hvae done most of the stuff we've had from him. He's lyrically a bit too earnest and on the nose most of the time, but it works every now and then. There's a fun energy to it, I liked London's Brilliant Parade best, 3/5.
Fela Kuti
3/5
This starts brilliantly, a cool beat behind it, fun sax, and some real feeling in the lyrics. I like it a lot, but it's too much of the same thing, meandering around over and over, and that stops it from getting a properly good score. 3/5.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
This was fun, a nice, funky but relatively chilled listen. Maybe a bit too much repetition in places, but a very nice easy listen. A high 3/5.
k.d. lang
3/5
Nice voice, but not nice enough to get me excited about this lowfi country sound. The ballads she does are much better, and she can compete with the best when it comes to ballading, but the country stuff is just dull if not irritating. Squeaks a low 3.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Didn't hate this. Didn't like it either, mind - it's too rambling, the good, introspective bits are too few and far between, and it comes across in the most part as pretentious nonsense. Does have some redeeming features, particularly earlier on, but not going to revisit this. 2/5.
Nas
5/5
This is great - have listened to this a few times over the last couple of days and it gets better with every listen. Flow on this is brilliant, lyrics and storytelling are great, and the production gives it enough music around it without distracting from the main event. Can't fault it, best rap album we've had. 5/5
The Human League
3/5
Bit of a comedown after Nas, this. It's actually better than I thought it might be - lyrically it's pretty weak, but as 80s electro synth goes (and we've had a LOT of it), this is pretty well put together, the vocalists are decent. Other than don't you want me, none of it is really catchy, I guess if you listened to it over and over it would really stick, but it's not good enough to make me want to do that. I think it manages to squeak a 3, just.
The Style Council
2/5
Pretentious twaddle. Clear that he wanted to do something completely different to the Jam, but this is not a particularly interesting direction. It's taking a lot of other genres and badly bastardising them, the instrumentals work better than the rest but it's still not good. 2/5.
Grateful Dead
2/5
Not really for me, this. Far too long (a 23 minute first track!!!) and self-indulgent - I don't mind something going on a bit if it really has something to say, but none of these tracks really do, although a few of them do have the odd good bit. 2/5, far too bloated.
Röyksopp
3/5
Some familiar bits to this, particularly at the beginning, and it's quite a nice vibe. A little too gentle in the most part for me, really - the opening couple of tracks plus Poor Leno are just about able to retain my attention but much of the rest of it fades into the background all too easily. Scrapes a 3.
Carole King
4/5
Think this just misses out on a 5 for me - the songwriting is great, but the arrangements are a bit too one-paced and her voice isn't quite strong enough to really wow me. There's not a bad song on the album, and there are plenty of really good ones, but I think it's telling that the best known songs on this album are all better known when delivered by someone else. A high 4 - easy 5 for the songwriting, just slightly let down by some of the arrangements and her voice being a 9 rather than a 10/10. 4/5.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Don't have any nostalgia for this, can't recall hearing any of it before. Singles sound okay, if a bit dated, it's very very 90s, not really for me. Red Alert is head and shoulders above the rest, not bothered by the rest of it, 2/5.
Neil Young
2/5
I did not know that Only Love Can Break Your Heart was a Neil Young song. His version is nowhere near as good at St Etienne's though. Don't think I can do better than the review in Rolling Stone when this came out: "none of the songs here rise above the uniformly dull surface." The man can't sing particularly well, the songs and lyrics don't stand out to me, I just don't get the adulation. 2/5.
Sepultura
1/5
This hurt my head. There's no nuance to this, like there is with most of the better metal albums we've had, not much in terms of variation either. Don't know why we had two of their albums, one was plenty and this one was the wrong one. 1/5.
Donovan
3/5
I liked this- it's Lou Reed with a bit more tunefulness, a better singing voice, but not quite as biting with the lyrics. Season of the Witch was my favourite, the album as a whole is a bit hit and miss, but a comfortable 3 for me.
Rush
3/5
Definitely preferred this to the other Rush album(s?) that we've had. It's classed as prog but it isn't really, it's much more similar to traditional rock of that time. Some songs go for a bit of a wander where they shouldn't, and drag it all out a bit longer than they probably should, but it's not bad. Synth sounds date it pretty hard though. A solid 3, probably would've been higher if I'd encountered it when I was younger.
Billy Bragg
3/5
This is decent, if a little one-paced. Not a combination I would've thought of, but it works surprisingly well together. Not mind-blowing, lyrics are nice, arrangements are decent, singing voices are a little ropey (other than Natalie Merchant, the guest vocalist, who is great), a solid 3 but nothing more.
U2
3/5
This is fine, pretty mediocre beige rock, with the exception of One which is great. A couple of the other songs appeal to an extent (Wild Horses), but really it's generic middle of the road pop rock. A low 3/5, thanks to One.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I think last time we had a Stevie Wonder album, it was very much quantity over quality. This has a better ratio of quality to filler, but you can't help thinking that it could be a 5/5 50 minute album, rather than what it is, which is 105 minutes of great soulful stuff interspersed with some songs that get pretty formulaic. When it's good, it's really good - the amount of bits that I recognise as samples from later work is ridiculous, which says something. 4/5, there's a top drawer 5/5 album in here, a 3/5 album, and a 2/5 album as well though! 4 seems about fair...
The Zutons
2/5
Bog standard 00s indie, doesn't compete particularly well with its peers let alone the best albums of all time. No idea why this is on here vs. Foo Fighters of that era, Bloc Party etc. etc. 2/5, nothing particularly wrong with it but nothing interesting at all.
Supergrass
3/5
Liked this a lot more than the other Supergrass album we had - doesn't have a standout single really, but it's decent all the way through. A good trip back to the 90s, still sounds relatively fresh compared to plenty of the other stuff we've had/ A solid 3/5.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Not my cup of tea really, our second of their albums in the past few weeks. Singing is really ropey, works in some places, doesn't in others. Definitely interesting though in places, probably does merit a place on the list, but not something I'm likely to revisit in reality. Just about a 3.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
This was decent - sounds pretty similar to Arctic Monkeys, I don't know much Miles Kane but assume that either makes music that sounds the same or had no influence on this at all really? Starts really well, there's a real energy to the first couple of tracks that fades after that start, but it's a really comfortable 3 and one that I probably will go back to. 3/5.
Linkin Park
4/5
Can't review this one fairly, one of the first albums I got without guidance from my dad. Asked for it for Christmas, my parents bought it for me on behalf of my grandma (who refused to buy it due to the 'explicit lyrics' stamp on the CD case) and then made sure in my thank you letter to her I only referred to it as 'the CD you got me'... Know it almost off by heart, bit rusty on some of the ropier songs in the second half but otherwise word perfect. I definitely prefer some of the versions they did on their remix album (W>th_You in particular a big improvement), but this still hits for me, and I can look past most of the over production (though Cure For The Itch made me cringe a bit even as a ten year old listening to it for the first time). 4/5.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Obviously, Blowing In The Wind is a classic, but there's not much else to write home about from a musical perspective. Lyrically it's still pretty interesting (with some exceptions), but musically it's just a bit dull. His voice just isn't good enough to get away with that little accompaniment, which weirdly takes the focus somewhat away from the lyrics. Can't believe the fuss about him going electric, was clearly the right decision. Lyrics get this to a comfy 3/5.
Jurassic 5
3/5
Think this must've felt quite old school in 2002? Doesn't feel like it's moved forward that much from the 90s stuff, but that's not necessarily a bad thing - it's definitely avoided most of the overproduction that came with the music of that era, it's clean and pretty fresh. It's a surprisingly smooth listen; probably would've benefitted from a bit more oomph and in your face in places. Does start to get a bit samey towards the end, don't think it needed to be almost an hour long. 3/5.
Kings of Leon
3/5
A million percent sick of Sex On Fire (and at least 1000% sick of Use Somebody), but this is not a bad album as far as commercial popified 00s rock goes. I like the second half of the album more than the first half - Revelry and Notion are probably my favourite tracks from it - but almost all of it stands up beside the two tracks that are way more poppy. I had purged 17 from my mind (or maybe it didn't sound quite so weird to 18 year old me!), but that has not aged particularly well given they would've been in their late twenties by the time they wrote this. There are definitely better KoL albums. 3/5.
Violent Femmes
3/5
I am surprised that this gets ratings as high as it does. It feels quite unfinished, everything needs a lot of tidying up, the singer's voice is super ropey and there's not enough interesting musically going on to make up for it in the most part, though some of the instrumental sections are decent). That said, there are a few really good songs if you look properly under the hood - some of which have been covered in a way that works much better for me than this does. Gets a 3/5 for the potential of this album, just wish they'd done a bit more work on it.
The Hives
4/5
For a few months in the early 2000s after I got this album, they were my new favourite band. Loved this album back then, it's still a load of fun now, and they are even more fun live (saw them ages ago supporting Pulp on their second most recent reunion tour, and again in June this year supporting Bloc Party). I didn't realise it was a compilation back then, does show that their back catalogue is a bit lightweight as it doesn't sound anything like a greatest hits album, but the energy and attitude is amazing. The hits at the beginning are the standout, but the punkier stuff later on has its own charm. Nostalgia pushes up to a probably undeserved 4/5.
U2
3/5
Definitely an improvement on the other U2 albums we've had, particularly the more recent one. It's less generic pop rock and has a bit more depth to it. Sunday Bloody Sunday (aside from encapsulating the frustration of a Sunday ) is a strong opener, the rest is good but not quite as memorable as that. I think it's a comfortable 3, one that I will come back to, but not quite a 4.
James Brown
3/5
This was a bit underwhelming, you expect an awful lot from someone reputed to be one of the all time greatest live performers, and it doesn't quite come through on this. There's this great energy at the beginning of most of the songs, that kind of evaporates quite quickly; this is recorded before he has his biggest hits, so we miss out on those, and it's just a bit too short (not often I complain about that). But, some of the energy in places is infectious, his voice is great, and it's a decent ride. 3/5.
The Stranglers
3/5
It's a weird mix between angry punk with a lot of the stuff that punk railed against, but somehow it kinda works. The vocals are cutting in places, grating in others, it's a bit odd but it comes together quite interestingly. 3/5.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
This is really good. Hadn't really listened to any of his stuff before we got his other album as part of this, but it's a really interesting listen. Think I prefer it to the other one of his we had, but only marginally - it benefits from being a bit tighter and less diverse in terms of the genres that he brings into it. There's not much that properly digs into your ears on a first listen (Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe the only one really), but it's definitely one I will want to come back to. Lyrics are great, it's a hell of a story, it's probably not a 5/5 for me yet but I think it might be after listening to it a few more times. 4/5.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Another throwback to my youth, which is nice. I think this is better than quite a lot of its era - it's a bit more creative, more diverse than most coming out at that time. Is it a bit pretentious? Yeah, for sure, but there's enough there to back it up - not enough to get it to a 4, but it's a very comfortable 3. Take Me Out is one of the best songs of that era, I like Matinee, Michael, and Come On Home as well. 3/5.
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
Buffalo Springfield, AGAIN? I did actually prefer this to much of the other Neil Young stuff we've had - it's less focused on his vocals, which is a good thing. Improves as the album goes on, but it's not particularly coherent or memorable really. Like Phil, Hung Upside Down probably my favourite - it has the most energy to it. A high 2/5.
Laura Nyro
2/5
This is a weird mix. It's beautiful in places, it's fun in places, but it's ropey in lots of others. There are bits that sound like they're from a musical, bits where her voice really doesn't quite make it, and bits that are soulful and really quite gripping. 2/5, the bad outweighs the good to make something that's not particularly remarkable.
Hawkwind
3/5
I liked this a fair bit more than you guys. Agree that the monologues are rubbish and cringe-inducing, but the instrumental work was strong enough to make it a really good listen whilst working and it flowed nicely. Obviously, it's too long and is drawn out in places, but there's enough there to like. 3/5.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Real mix of quality here - some interesting experiments, some monumental failures. The more R&B type stuff is pretty bland, it works better when it's more electronic with a bit of pace to it - Nadia the best track. 2/5.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Didn't get much from this, it's pretty generic electronica in the most part, there's not much oomph or much soul, both of which we got a lot more of with his later and superior album. 2/5.
Miles Davis
3/5
Didn't chime with me, this, wasn't really memorable in the slightest and I'm not going to go back to it after the couple of listens that it's had this morning. It's technically very good, and it's led on to stuff that I've enjoyed more, but this one is not really for me. 3/5.
2/5
A pretentious load of whimsical nonsense, this. Review definitely influenced by the fact I had to jump through a few hoops to listen to it, but it really wasn't good. "By the time of its release, Partridge no longer viewed XTC as a band, and preferred it to be known as a 'brand'" pretty much sums it up, a 2/5 because it's listenable.
Radiohead
3/5
I'm part of the OK Computer Radiohead crew really rather than much that came after it. The level of acclamation that this got (best album of the 2000s etc.) confuses me completely - sure, it's interesting, has a bit of a wander through a few different genres, but surely it doesn't grab anyone in the way that an album of the decade should? I don't think it's bad, it's got depth to it, but doesn't do anything more than a 3/5 for me.
Tim Buckley
1/5
Wasn't sure why his other attempts were in the list, and this one manages to be worse than either of the previous 2. Lyrics are pretty uncomfortable, music is uninteresting, might scrape a 2 if I was feeling generous but I'm not. 1/5.
David Gray
3/5
Is this the best dinner party soundtrack in history? Definitely in the conversation. I really like his voice, the songwriting is nice, if a little gentle, and the arrangements work well. 3/5, lacks enough spark to make it a 4 but that's why it's such good background music - memorable without you ever really noticing it.
Cornershop
1/5
This was really, really bad. There's next to no energy to it (Brimful of Asha is the only track that brings something, but it doesn't pack much of a punch without Fatboy Slim behind it). Only 54 minutes long but felt like it went on forever. Rubbish. 1/5.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Very dated, but in a fun and endearing way - like finding photos of your parents dressed up and out in their younger days. Album definitely gets weaker as you go through it, but there's enough fun there to merit a 3.
The Specials
2/5
We did not need more specials. It's got some decent ska at the beginning, then degenerates into a big old mess towards the back half of the album and it's really not good. 2/5, rescued from a one by the first few tracks.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
He's got quite a distinctive voice which I like, but the music is much of a muchness really, ends up sounding pretty samey throughout but there's a couple of decent tracks - All Of This & Nothing is probably my favourite despite it going on too long. 3/5, but a relatively low one.
The Offspring
3/5
I've not come across this before - only really know The Offspring from their poppier singles that come after this. It's okay - similar time to early Green Day stuff, a bit heavier and great energy but not quite as interesting lyrically and . Don't have the nostalgia for this in the same way I do Green Day, so this doesn't land as well with me, I find it decent but it doesn't really grab me and probably nothing that I'll come back to. 3/5.
Bill Callahan
3/5
This is interesting, dreamy, works well both as gentle background music but also a calming more focused listen. Really nicely balanced, enough variety not to bore you, a comfortable 3/5 that might get to a 4 after a few more listens.
Kings of Leon
2/5
I think I rate Kings of Leon higher than I ought to because I never really listened to their albums much, just picked out the good songs from 3 albums, but them onto my iTunes and assumed it was one album? This one isn't up to much, King of the Rodeo and The Bucket are good songs, Milk is kinda interesting, the rest is pretty weak. Not sure it even deserves a 3, so 2/5.
Pearl Jam
4/5
Enjoyed this, more on a second listen than on the first and will probably improve with each listen for a while (particularly when I can listen to it properly loud, rather than from my tinny laptop speakers). It's a really cool, rough and dirty sound, I like the guy's voice, and there's enough depth and variation in pace to make it an interesting listen as well as a fun one. Will join the regular rotation, a comfortable 4/5.
The Byrds
2/5
Doesn't do an awful lot for me, this. Pretty generic by the numbers country stuff - wasn't a massive fan of their earlier stuff really, but at least it was interesting in places, this really isn't. It's perfectly listenable, but leaves no imprint on the memory. 2/5.
FKA twigs
3/5
This is an interesting album - didn't know it at all, not sure that I like it enough to go back to, but was a good listen. Reviews on the site suggest that the followup, Magdalene, is better than this, so will be giving that a try. I'd like an album that has this kind of ethereal, floaty music in places alongside something with a bit more oomph - it almost gets there on Two Weeks, but needs a bit more energy elsewhere to really grab me. Definitely gets a 3, but definitely no more.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
Just not my jam, really - obviously remember Fix Up Look Sharp and Jus' a Rascal because they were quite big at the time, but don't have any recollection of the rest and don't feel like I've missed out. Dizzee has a really distinctive voice, great flow, but it doesn't translate into great music imo, there's something missing that doesn't grab me. 3/5, can appreciate there's something there and it's the start of a much bigger movement, but not really a grime guy.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Did Gil Scott-Heron have the coolest speaking voice ever? Definitely up there. This was an interesting listen, to be honest I'd probably not be that unhappy hearing him read the Yellow Pages, but there's some decent stuff in there. The music is smooth, pretty easy listening, but the lyrics and the clarity of the vocals pack a bit of a punch. It's not as good as Pieces of a Man (which I don't think is on this list?), but it's a high 3/5.
Mariah Carey
2/5
Why? Saccharine, middle of the road 90s pop music without even the excuse of having a mega hit on it. 2/5.
Erykah Badu
2/5
Also a bit underwhelming - chilled, soul sound that doesn't have much in the way of bite or energy, it fades into the background far too easily and isn't memorable really at all. 2/5.
Love
2/5
Yeah, nothing really to this, gentle psychedelia with nothing that grabs you or differentiates it from the rest of that kind of nonsense we've had. 2/5.
Sigur Rós
3/5
I do like this sort of thing in relatively small doses, dreamy soundscapes with haunting vocals, but I'm not sure I need a whole one (and definitely not 71 minutes worth). Despite not understanding a word of it, it's not that hard to connect with it, definitely a great one to listen to whilst working or relaxing. 3/5.
The Go-Betweens
2/5
Very much easy listening, this. The Smiths with two thirds of the edges sanded off. Definitely tails off towards the end as well - the opening track is the strongest and the last four tracks are really weak. 2/5, a high 2 but not deserving of a 3.
Deee-Lite
2/5
Did not enjoy this at all really - no nostalgia for this (before my time) and didn't recognise any of it. Without that, it feels really dated, underwhelming 90s dance music. 2/5.
Holger Czukay
3/5
I liked this a lot more than you two did, it probably isn't something I'll revisit much in future but have listened to it 3-4 times over the last few days. It's weird, quirky, lots of different influences, and does some stuff with sampling that is ahead of its time, I think? More experimental than I'd like, but definitely worth a listen. 3/5.
The Byrds
3/5
Another album from The Byrds - I like this one more than some of the others, for sure, but it's still not particularly inspiring. This one claims to be critical in originating psychedelic rock; maybe it was, but I'd prefer to listen to the ones that came after that took this to another level, rather than this thing that's stuck in the middle of folk, psychedelia, and rock, and doesn't take the best of any of it. But, there's something to it, it was influential, and it's not a bad listen, just not a particularly good one. Straight down the middle, 3/5.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
This is another really fun album of theirs - I think somehow this sounds more dated than the others we've had, but it's still buzzing with energy and a great listen. Bad Moon Rising is obviously the standout, but none of it's bad really. A very solid 3/5, not miles off a 4.
The Shamen
2/5
This is the kind of 90s dance music that I at least like the idea of, but this is a real miss. Move Any Mountain is ok, but the rest of it falls off massively, it gets really quite samey and dull, and it goes on too long. 2/5.
Pere Ubu
2/5
At least it was short. Sounds like the music you'd like if you thought David Byrne's voice was a bit too tuneful and not strained enough, and that the music could do with being a bit more jerky and weird. 2/5.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
Exactly the sort of thing I'd want to get from this project, something I've never heard of, would never have come across, but really like. Crazy variety between everything you might think is 60s, don't think that any of it is particularly groundbreaking individually but the way they blend it together puts it ahead of a lot that comes from that time. Definitely prefer it more when it hits the Cream/CCR type sounds rather than the pure jazz stuff, but it's well worth a listen. 4/5.
David Ackles
2/5
This is odd. Like a low budget musical in parts, but doesn't have the energy to make it work properly, it's an album full of musical filler songs and that is not really a good result from something that could've been really quite interesting. Lyrically it's also a bit weak, lots of awkward rhymes that don't really work. 2/5.
The Kinks
3/5
This is one of the better examples of 60s psychedelic-folk-rock albums that we've had. And we've had so, so many. Doesn't around trying to sound like something it isn't (no sitar music, faux-American accents, or Irish fiddle here), it's English folk enhanced by electric instruments. First half is definitely better than the second half, an easy 3/5.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I love her voice, but this album isn't her best - not sure whether we've got Norman Fucking Rockwell to come, but that's much better than this, there's more variety and it does better to bring out the haunting floatiness in her voice. Perfectly fine, but not sure why this one is on the list. 3/5.
The United States Of America
2/5
This is pants. Seems to be trying too hard to be weird and quirky, succeeds in that (to an extent, it sounds weird and quirky in a very similar way to the other fifty million weird and quirky albums we've had) but at the cost of making anything half decent. Yet another 60s folk-psychedelia offering, this one doesn't bring anything interesting and won't be listened to again. 2/5.
Black Flag
3/5
Don't get the outpouring of love for this, to be honest. Obviously it's got tonnes of energy, but it's so tuneless and throaty, without much there that's lyrically interesting. It starts off pretty well and reasonably catchy, but loses that in the second half. Think it manages a 3 on the strength of the first half and the influence that it has had on the evolution of the punk scene, but it's not a particularly good 3 from me.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
No thanks. Nothing memorable, another psychedelic folky country mess that doesn't say much or go anywhere interesting. 2/5.
Silver Jews
2/5
This was not very Christmassy. Miserable man singing about miserable things miserably. Doesn't have a good enough voice to allow for it being that front and centre of the production, and doesn't have good enough lyrics to make you not really care about it. 2/5.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
This was quite fun - definitely went on too long though. Super cheesy, bouncy, lots of energy (though it's hard to keep up that energy over such a long time). Think it would be really fun to see live (less so now than 20-30 years ago), but listening to it on my own makes it feel a bit lightweight. A very comfortable 3/5.
Morrissey
3/5
Every Day Is Like Sunday is possibly the best song that he/The Smiths have done, which is good, but the rest of the album isn't up to much. His stuff works best when the music is relatively high tempo for the most part, otherwise it all gets a bit too maudlin. Suedehead is decent too, could easily have fitted on The Queen Is Dead. A low 3/5.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Yeah, this is a bit naff. I still can't get over that Faces album that was full of energy, and we've had not much else decent from him at all. This is a 2/5, can't say there was one song on it that I particularly liked.
Soul II Soul
2/5
Arrogant album title without much to back it up. Back To Life and (to a lesser extent) Keep On Movin' are familiar, don't know the rest at all. To be fair, I was never much of a clubber (and definitely not in the mid nineties), but there's an awful lot of not very interesting repetition and far too little that grabs the attention. 2/5.
Hugh Masekela
2/5
Christ, that was a slog. It's definitely too long, it's decent where it has some energy, but it loses it all too often and that makes it a tough listen, particularly towards the end. Think it's another 2, I'm afraid, the beginning isn't good enough to hold up the long tail.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I do quite like Elvis Costello, but we've had a silly amount of his albums and they've all been decent rather than great. I think this is one of the better ones, he doesn't try any nonsense or changing with the times, so it gets a 3/5.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
Another one that is really good in patches, but is too long and loses its way. It's hard work - it's noisy, it's grating, it's better in the first half than it is in the second, but I'm glad I listened to it. Think it's a 3 rather than a 4, probably won't go back to it, but worth a listen.
Nirvana
4/5
Definitely less accessible than Nevermind, it's even throatier and the vocals get closer to screamer stuff on a couple of the tracks. The music is a bit less polished, too, and I think it loses a little bit because of that? Don't think that you can say that Nevermind was overpolished in anyway, so this falls a bit short of that; there's also nothing as catchy as Come As You Are or Lithium, let alone Smells Like Teen Spirit. Squeaks a 4.
The Stooges
4/5
This is an album with just the right amount of rawness(!) - it feels like it's been crafted rather than just spat out, without losing what made it exciting in the first place. There's so much energy in this, Search and Destroy is an amazing opener, veers into being a bit to screamy rather than singy in a coouple of places, but not often and not by much. A comfortable 4/5, really enjoyed this.
Buck Owens
2/5
Didn't get into this at all. Maybe there are better versions of a load of his original tracks here, and he is a really good songwriter (as a few of the comments on the site have said), but that didn't come across to me. Pretty down the line country, 2/5.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
This was quite nice - Sinatra's voice is obviously dreamy, and it works quite well with the bossa nova type stuff. That said, it's so laid back it's practically horizontal, it really just washes over you, and it definitely doesn't make the most of Sinatra's talents. A low 3/5.
The Undertones
3/5
This was decent - wants to have a similar vibe to the Stooges album, but really it's a bit more cuddly and poppy, with the singles being a lot close to pop than punk really. Nothing super memorable (other than Teenage Kicks that has really stood the test of time), I think it's a straight down the line 3 for this one.
Kanye West
4/5
This was the first rap album that I owned I think? Haven't listened to it for ages, but it still holds up pretty well; there's definitely a few tracks that aren't great but the singles are really strong. I don't like skits at the best of times really, and there are too many on this album, but Kanye does them a lot better than most (particularly the School Spirit ones). Solid 4/5.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
This is just fine all the way through, I Don't Want To Talk About It is a great song, but it's not theirs and theirs isn't close to being the best cover version of it. She's got a really nice voice, but it's all just a bit dull. 2/5.
Metallica
3/5
I really, really enjoyed this for a while - I'm a bit soft for a full-on Metallica album, and this balances it out really nicely - but it got a bit wearing getting through it all. It must've been amazing to see it live, but I'm not sure we needed all 2 hours 13 minutes of it on the record. There's a few tracks where it sounds like a slightly duff recording rather than a live performance, you need a bit more of the crowd (because they are clearly absolutely loving it) and it adds a lot. 3/5, could easily have been a 4 if they'd trimmed it a bit.
The Byrds
3/5
Another Byrds album, another album with little to write home about. This is probably the best of the bunch we've had though, it's much more psychedelic rock and roll than it is folk or country, and that's definitely a good thing. Just about squeaks a 3/5.
The Who
4/5
We've had quite a few of their albums, and I think this one is probably the best of the bunch to date. Baba O'Riley is an iconic opener, and Behind Blue Eyes / Won't Get Fooled Again is a great combination to close the album. What's in between is a bit mixed, ranging between okay and pretty good, and enough to get this album into the 4 range.
Deep Purple
3/5
This is cool in places, but possibly the most self-indulgent album we've had in terms of long instrumental solos and general noodling. The first three tracks are the most memorable, and that's a great first 27(!) minutes, with probably about the right level of noodling I think to keep it interesting. Then you get the Mule, which is 2/3 drum solo (and not that interesting a drum solo to be quite honest), Strange Kind Of Woman, which is good again, and Lazy / Space Trucking, which are 30 minutes where probably 75% of it is self-indulgence? 3/5, a tighter set would be a comfortable 4.
Morrissey
2/5
Definitely weaker than his previous efforts that we've had - musically, it's far more generic than the other albums of his that we've had. If you took his vocals off this, it could easily be a David Gray or a Dido album, and that takes a lot away. Plus, the lyrics on this in places are pompous beyond belief - 'I have forgiven you, Jesus'. Will avoid the temptation of focusing on 'The World Is Full Of Crushing Bores', and simply give this a 2/5.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
This is decent - definitely in the top half of the bunch of 60s psychedelic albums that we've had, but probably not quite in the top tier. The wobbly sound gets a bit wearing after a while, but not disastrously so. I wish it had a bit more oomph and energy behind it - the sound is quite cool but it could do with a bit more pace in most places. 3/5.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
This catches the imagination in places, Ai Du being the most notable one, but ultimately it's too long and drawn out to be a really good album. It's quite an interesting combination of blues and Malian music; I definitely prefer it when it's blues front and centre, but the Malian sounds to add something different and interesting. I think it's a 2, mostly because it's so long and bloated.
Venom
2/5
Another bloated and not particularly good album. It's pretty one note, the vocals are so dull, and the instrumental bits aren't much better. Somehow they've managed to make a metal album without much energy - metal albums to benefit from slowing down in places but this one never really gets going. 2/5.
Scott Walker
3/5
I quite enjoyed this - it's a reasonable balance between crooning and some songs with a bit more energy and oomph behind them. Reminds me somewhat of the Ute Lemper album we had right at the beginning of our journey. His voice isn't good enough to go toe to toe with the best of the crooners - his storytelling is decent though. All comes together pretty well, not my favourite but a comfortable 3/5.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
2/5
This was, if not sensational, quite fun. It's very glam, could almost be a filthy musical soundtrack. The vocals are a bit off, and the lyrics definitely are! Don't think I'll return, almost a 3 but not quite. 2/5.
Beatles
3/5
This is the Beatles whilst they were still a twinkly pop band - it's mostly straight down the line poppy rock and roll, which is decently done, but not fundamentally that interesting. Doesn't really signal what they'd go on to do, but a decent enough pop album so 3/5.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
This was a bit quirky, 90s crooning. Musically it's decent, I quite like his voice but it's not Buble let alone Sinatra, and the lyrics to a lot of this are pretty woeful. Don't think this qualifies for a 3, so 2/5.
William Orbit
2/5
This was really underwhelming, just an hour of synthy nothingness really. This kind of music has its place, but it needs a bit more to it than this album does, it's far too easy to not engage with it at all. 2/5.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Not convinced that this needed to be on the list - I don't think it adds a huge amount in comparison to some of the other Springsteen albums that we've had. I like the end more than the beginning, and both much more than the middle - could definitely do with losing that section from Countin' On a Miracle to Let's be Friends. I think it's a comfortable 3, it still tells an interesting story, but doesn't do enough to be considered as a really good album.
Bert Jansch
3/5
This is very different from most of the stuff we've had from the 60s, and I like it because of that. It's very reminiscent of Nick Drake in places, though it gets a bit more energetic and adventurous than most of his work. Think it definitely deserves a place on this list, even if I probably won't come back to it. 3/5.
2/5
This got off to a great start - the hyping up at the beginning made it feel like it could be a really high energy live album - but that good feeling dissipated pretty quickly. 1969 is very early to be a punk, but this is very much on the list because of what came after it rather than in its own right. Rambling Rose is a good start, but you lose the crowd energy very quickly afterwards, which means it just sounds like a bad recording. Completely the wrong mix, really takes away a lot - this kind of music lives and dies by its energy, and the mix takes out almost all of it. 2/5.
Stan Getz
2/5
A perfectly pleasant listen, but nothing more. A great album for a hotel lobby, or a restaurant that's trying to be cool but not trying too hard. 2/5.
Spiritualized
2/5
This was fine - nowhere near as good as Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space. It gets very meandering in places, particularly in the second half of the album, and it really does feel like it drags. It's an hour long, and I was very done with it after 40 minutes. Don't think it merits a 3 really, so 2/5 it is.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
This was super, enjoyed this a lot. Great funk base to a lot of it, he has a great voice that adds plenty of soul, and this album tells some really good stories. Definitely will be revisiting this, an easy 4/5.
Doves
3/5
I think I marginally preferred The Last Broadcast to this, but it's still pretty good. It's a little bit longwinded, feels a bit overproduced for an indie album, particularly a debut (I guess that comes from their roots in dance music), but it's still really listenable. It's an interesting sound, bit of early Coldplay to it, a bit of Radiohead, but it really captures a mood. A solid 3/5, knocking on the door of the 4 but not being let in.
Le Tigre
3/5
This was pretty good - catchy, slightly rough pop punk stuff with big, loud guitar behind it. The slight distort on everything dates it a bit, but it's still a really fun listen without being lifechanging. High end of a 3/5.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
I liked this more than I expected to given the reviews here - it's very much of its time (and has a lot of the excesses you'd expect from a late 80s synth heavy album), but it's not bad. It's a blend of Bowie, the Smiths, and Depeche Mode (though not getting close to the heights of any of them) - but it does create an atmosphere really well. Will listen again, but not regularly, 3/5.
David Holmes
2/5
Didn't particularly enjoy this tbh, a bit too laid back and not enough exciting going on. 2/5.
Funkadelic
4/5
I really like this. We had Parliament right at the beginning of the thread; this is similar (and a lot of the same people), but is more on the rock side of funk rock. First track is mega self-indulgent but in a way that I find really enjoyable, Can You Get To That is the best song on the album, but it's all decent, catchy, fun, really enjoyable. 4/5.
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
It's quite nicely put together - I do quite like the spoken word/singing hybrid stuff, he's like a less weird French Tom Waits from the sound. Fortunately, my French isn't good enough to detect quite how noncey this album is, that was a disappointment to read afterwards. 2/5.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
A very weird, very mixed bag. Some well put together, interesting semi-psychedelic songs, mixed in with a lot of real nonsense. Trouble Every Day is a highlight, the closing track is a real nonsensical lowlight. I don't think it quite merits a 3, there's just too much crap in there. 2/5.
Big Black
3/5
Somewhere between punk and noise rock, I thought it was pretty decent - high energy, short runtime, would've benefitted from being a bit more tuneful but I guess that's not the point of something like this. Won't listen to it again, but definitely happy that I did. 3/5.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
I said it when we had her previous album, but she has such a good voice, and a lot of this really fails to make the most of it. Beautiful really showcases it, and is great, but there's not enough like that on this album. It's probably twice the length that it needs to be, at 40 minutes this would be an album that felt packed with hits, this just isn't. I think it squeaks a low, low three on the strength of her voice. 3/5.
Radiohead
4/5
I think my second favourite of the Radiohead albums that we've had, it's good throughout with a couple of real highs (High & Dry, Just) and not much in the way of filler. A big step forward from Pablo Honey, and it gets even better with OK Computer. 4/5.