Journey Complete!
Finisher # to complete the list
1039
Albums Rated
2.61
Average Rating
95%
Complete
Rating Distribution
How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
Ratings by Decade
Which era do you prefer?
Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
Metal
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Harsh
Rater Style
48
5-Star Albums
119
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live) | 5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
| The Real Thing | 5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| The Blueprint | 5 | 3.22 | +1.78 |
| Ace of Spades | 5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
| Live And Dangerous | 5 | 3.32 | +1.68 |
| Smash | 5 | 3.37 | +1.63 |
| Eliminator | 5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
| This Is Fats Domino | 5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
| Bat Out Of Hell | 5 | 3.45 | +1.55 |
| Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols | 5 | 3.46 | +1.54 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunky Dory | 1 | 4 | -3 |
| Disintegration | 1 | 3.85 | -2.85 |
| Violator | 1 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
| Ill Communication | 1 | 3.65 | -2.65 |
| Hounds Of Love | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| Fleet Foxes | 1 | 3.43 | -2.43 |
| Crime Of The Century | 1 | 3.41 | -2.41 |
| Amnesiac | 1 | 3.41 | -2.41 |
| Seventeen Seconds | 1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
| Music for the Masses | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.6 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.67 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.67 |
| AC/DC | 2 | 5 |
| Motörhead | 2 | 5 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.2 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Morrissey | 4 | 1 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 1.4 |
| Kate Bush | 3 | 1 |
| The Cure | 3 | 1.33 |
| Tim Buckley | 3 | 1.33 |
| Depeche Mode | 2 | 1 |
| New Order | 2 | 1 |
| The The | 2 | 1 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 1 |
| Robert Wyatt | 2 | 1 |
| Yes | 3 | 1.67 |
| The Fall | 3 | 1.67 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 1.67 |
| Echo And The Bunnymen | 3 | 1.67 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 1.67 |
| Belle & Sebastian | 2 | 1.5 |
| Joy Division | 2 | 1.5 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pavement | 2 | 1.5 |
| Hole | 2 | 1.5 |
| TV On The Radio | 2 | 1.5 |
| Todd Rundgren | 2 | 1.5 |
| Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | 2 | 1.5 |
| Happy Mondays | 2 | 1.5 |
| Genesis | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Beta Band | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Mothers Of Invention | 2 | 1.5 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 2 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 2 |
| Björk | 4 | 2 |
| Brian Eno | 4 | 2 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 2 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 2 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 2 |
| Madonna | 3 | 2 |
| Beck | 3 | 2 |
| Kings of Leon | 3 | 2 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 2.33 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 2.25 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 2.25 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 2.25 |
| U2 | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Albums | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| Adele | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 1.41 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 1.25 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 1.25 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 1.22 |
5-Star Albums (48)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
George Jones
1/5
Not as fun as the coke-addled stories of his career might've hinted at.
9 likes
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
I See A Darkness is quite beautiful at times really, even if it's not something that really grabs me musically because of how stripped back and vulnerable it is. It's a delicate sound that contrasts with the themes of the songs being so full of sadness and solemn. It's also very well-balanced to deliver that experience, like the guitar work in Another Day Full Of Dread is restrained and pulled back to fully tie in with the themes on the record. I'm not gonna listen to it back any time soon but I definitely respect it and appreciate that there are times where this'll resonate more with some people than others and it's very much mood-based in its composition, delivery and listening. Gets a 3 from me.
4 likes
Blue Cheer
2/5
Vincebus Eruptum is promising but disappointing at the same time, it's late 60s rock moving towards metal and has good ideas but not great execution, and given Hendrix was doing some of this stuff lightyears better before this came along, it doesn't really stand up to being included in a must-listen list. High 2, it's too rough to deserve another listen and not as influential as people think it was/is.
4 likes
The Saints
3/5
I enjoyed Eternally Yours more than I expected, it's a more polished punk sound than a lot of stuff from this era and the horn section definitely goes down well with me when used, I've always enjoyed ska-punk and adjacent genres. It's not flawless, the bookends of the album are weaker than the middle, but the run through the middle is really good and No, Your Product is a genuinely brilliant song that sounds 25 years ahead of its time. Think it's a high 3 on balance but there's quite a bit of good stuff on here and a coupla tracks I'd definitely go back to regularly.
4 likes
The Youngbloods
2/5
The Youngbloods album was just like most of the other 60s psychedelic rock stuff we've had. Started okay then got lost up its own arse.
4 likes
1-Star Albums (119)
All Ratings
2/5
Not the best of Muse, though Knights of Cydonia is an outstanding track.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Missy Elliott
3/5
Solid, not outstanding, but understandably got some decent traction back in the day.
R.E.M.
3/5
Pretty easy listening, probably quite nice to hear R.E.M before they became much bigger but not really special. I like the vibe more than I don't, so 3/5.
Massive Attack
3/5
Objectively fine but not quite my sort of thing.
Small Faces
1/5
I think a lot of people will know Lazy Sunday, it's one of those songs my Dad would half sing around the house when I was growing up at least. I'm not really a fan of psychedelic rock (and really dislike most prog rock), though I can leave it on in the background like the radio and find it inoffensive. B side of the album is crap. Not sure I'll stretch to 2 on it even though there are a couple of good tracks.
John Coltrane
5/5
Outstanding.
Kate Bush
1/5
Absolutely fucking dreadful.
Norah Jones
2/5
Really not my thing but very much more listenable than Kate Bush. Fine background but no more than a 2/5 for me.
Japan
1/5
No.
George Jones
1/5
Not as fun as the coke-addled stories of his career might've hinted at.
Kacey Musgraves
2/5
Inoffensive Taylor Swift tribute act but nothing new. Happy & Sad the best of the lot.
R.E.M.
2/5
They're just not my bag, baby.
Black Sabbath
4/5
It's a seminal and influential album that misses the 5 stars for me because it meanders off halfway through but War Pigs, Paranoid, Iron Man and Fairies Wear Boots are as good as it gets.
Little Richard
5/5
A legendary performance.
The Clash
4/5
Quality stuff, influential and lasting.
Steely Dan
3/5
If you're going to enjoy one Steely Dan album then it's going to be this one. Has some iconic tracks, a cool vibe, underscored by the majestic Do It Again opening up. Dirty Work follows it with a different sound but it's just as good, Reelin' In The Years is a proper groove, and those three tracks alone get you to a high 3. The rest of the album is fine but unspectacular and maybe doesn't elevate to a 4. The weird thing about Steely Dan, though, is if you didn't know it was them and you weren't really a fan, you'd say someone else performed all of those songs.
Parliament
3/5
A good Sunday listen.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Cash is absolutely fine by me but I've never really been properly grabbed by his work. I suspect I'll enjoy it more in certain times/places/moods but at others less so. Not sure I'll stretch to 5 on it.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Just not my thing, even though it should be from a lot of my listening habits. Some decent moments (like Joe) but nothing that's really grabbed me and made me pay attention.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Really enjoyable this; went in completely blind but a very nice listen.
Elton John
4/5
I quite liked it overall although the body of work didn't match the highs and it was too long. Not sure whether 3 or 4 stars, if I could I'd give it 3.5 on the site. Still, that first song is a gem and I will listen to it regularly.
Wire
2/5
Meh, generic punk that isn't really punk, it lacks substance.
David Bowie
1/5
I want to like Bowie but I just don't. This did nothing for me.
Os Mutantes
2/5
Not bad, not good, just weird.
The Mamas & The Papas
2/5
Some familiarity and a sound of its era but it's nothing outstanding, just fine background stuff.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
Chappers is fine, nice in places, maybe some historical resonance has been lost on me but absolutely acceptable listening that I probably won't ever revisit.
Rush
2/5
Terrific technical ability and craftmanship but a ridiculous amount of self-indulgent, incomprehensible nonsense. Classic prog.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Pretty sound stuff, just didn't fit the mood of the day when listening to it. Hard to dislike though.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
The Stones are weird because they've been around for about 300 years but I don't feel I know them at all. I don't think this particular album best represents what I think is their general appeal but it is very good, full of soul and feel.
Supergrass
3/5
Alright. See what I did there.
None of it comes close to that track though. Decent stuff but not entirely in my preferred style.
The Doors
4/5
This is solid throughout but it has some of the most timeless tracks of all time in Break on Through, Soul Kitchen and Light My Fire, somehow nearly 60 years old? Deserves a 4.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Absolutely outstanding, John Fogerty knew what the hell he was doing.
Beastie Boys
1/5
No. They shouldn't have done this.
Ride
2/5
Pretty poor production but interesting 80s/90s crossover. Not enough in it for me but can see where they were trying to go with it. 2/5.
T. Rex
2/5
A bit disappointing overall, I liked Buick Mackane and Telegram Sam, but the rest is a bit flat and repetitive.
Machito
3/5
Curiously fun jazz x big band stylings that grab the attention early but don't really hold it. Similarly, a strong start to the album doesn't always hold up down the line but this is a very easy listen, 3/5 from me.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
A top tier example of reggae, which can often sound so similar and one-speed throughout the genre when not done well, but this is done very well. An okay start, good middle and a legendary finish with two of the most feel-good songs ever written, 4/5 because it has loads of replayability and resonates 50 years after it came out.
Elton John
2/5
This is one really good song and a load of nothingness. Elton John has a ridiculous back catalogue but not sure this belongs on here. 2/5, weaker than his best work by some way.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
The ArchAndroid a pretty strong groove to it tbf, a little overproduced here and there but it has a strong sound, some late 90s inspiration but modernised. Tightrope is great. 3/5, it just goes on far far far too long.
10cc
1/5
Absolute fucking shite. Why can't I give this zero stars?
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Reminds me a bit of one of my favourite bands, Dead Sara. Nice.
Marvin Gaye
2/5
Not his best work, obviously.
Sister Sledge
4/5
The quality on an 8-song album is incredibly high, everything is done so well and so efficiently, almost nothing wasted, a no-skips contender, has everything you want.
Neil Young
2/5
Tonight's The Night is not one of Neil Young's best efforts and that's saying something. It's a melange of meh. 2/5.
Death In Vegas
2/5
The Contino Sessions isn't really for me, it's moody electronica with a bit of dirt and grit to it, but nothing lasts or resonates. 2/5.
The Prodigy
3/5
Music For The Jilted Generation isn't my thing, I'm into more Eurotrance style house and dance than this, don't get me wrong, it has its moments and has great energy and No Good is an insane song, might get it into 3/5 territory because I respect it, just don't like it all.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
1/5
Shite.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
One of the better Neil Young albums on the list, Cinnamon Girl is very good, Down by the River strong, it's a tight listen with a groove. Shame there's just way too much of his work overall. 3/5.
Eels
2/5
Beautiful Freak is just okay, radio paint-by-numbers soft indie rock. Vocals are compelling, rest is meh, 2/5.
Depeche Mode
1/5
Fuck Depeche Mode. Incredibly monotonous, dull and boring.
Goldie
1/5
Are you fucking kidding me?
Pantera
4/5
Yeah, this is timeless and very good.
Elbow
3/5
Decent in a calming, considered way, it's dark and quirky in equal measure, well-crafted and listenable though not something I'd listen to on the regular. 3/5.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
And a good time was had by all. Will stick it as a 3 because I didn't think enough tracks had the quality of All Your Love but I'd happily stick this album in my collection and have stuff come on shuffle without objection, even if I didn't actively return to listen to it on its own.
Belle & Sebastian
1/5
No.
The Damned
4/5
Machine Gun Etiquette is generally good stuff, some great punk elements, some stuff I don't really care for, but Plan 9 Channel 7 is outstanding, Looking At You is pretty damn good too.
Alice In Chains
2/5
I get the influence Alice in Chains had and all that but grunge/sludge from their era has never been my favourite. I don't hate it, I knew Them Bones and Rooster and Would? already, but I prefer what the genre eventually became and diversified into more than the band themselves.
Van Halen
4/5
Easy 4 for me. Probably not a 5 but somewhere in between. So much groundbreaking stuff that holds up today.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Feels a bit dated but good fun and represents its era very well.
Pink Floyd
3/5
So I needed to give this a little time to settle before evaluating it, because I'm not a Pink Floyd fan, but I did enjoy some of this. It goes on for far too fucking long but when it gets it right it does so spectacularly, and it has my favourite PF song by miles in Comfortably Numb. That and ABITWP2 get it to a 3 by default, I don't think it gets above that but it's definitely a really interesting album to listen to and worthy of a place on the list. I might not be a big fan but I can understand what they were getting at.
Crowded House
2/5
Harmless easy listening. Not outstanding for me but I appreciate the 90s vibe this early morning.
Ice Cube
2/5
Decent, but a bit dated. Very clearly an early 90s west coast sound, good beats but the social commentary aspect of it probably more impressive than the actual lyrical quality. Influential on what was to follow but I feel I've been spoiled by improvements in the genre in general, particularly in production quality. 2.5 maybe.
Joy Division
2/5
Joy Division are mostly joyless and Unknown Pleasures has scant few pleasures at the end of the day. Just never been for me; this isn't bad but it's fucking boring, 2/5.
David Bowie
2/5
Soul and disco Bowie is not the best Bowie, his vocals are all over the place even though some of this works, it's just more miss than hit, 2/5.
Heaven 17
1/5
Penthouse And Pavement is desperately bad, the worst of the 80s shit, get it off my ears. 1/5.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
Now I Got Worry is a weird old album, some of it is interesting, some of it is very bad, not enough of it is good enough to get more than a 2/5.
Tom Waits
3/5
Another one I missed on the initial run through; given that I'm not keen on Waits generally, Heartattack and Vine is loads better than I thought it would be. It's bluesy, it's soulful, it makes proper use of his unique voice, it works. It's solid to good 3/5.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Easy listening background jazz, Tanto Tempo is always welcome, nothing wrong with it, time and a place but not right up my street as far as the genre goes. 3/5 as it commands respect.
Aerosmith
2/5
It's alright, I don't think it's representative of mainstream Aerosmith, but it's fine listening. Just not very memorable.
Queen Latifah
2/5
This has aged better than the Ice Cube album from last week, even if it feels very dated 33! years later. It's not outstanding but it is very decent in places. Could lose a few tracks and tighten the whole thing up. Ladies First a highlight.
The Cure
1/5
Thought I might like The Cure album more than I am, it's far too morose and repetitive for me, though I did like Pictures of You.
Bee Gees
2/5
Trafalgar isn't the Bee Gees at their best, everyone just wants the hits, not some crooner shit. 2/5, it's super self indulgent.
Spiritualized
3/5
Ladies and Gentlemen...is really atmospheric, emotive, uplifting and downcast in equal measure, but I really enjoyed it. Stay with Me is a great track, I tend to like big walls of noise if they're able to make me feel something and have a purpose, and this seems to accomplish that. Goes on a bit and it's a little samey but a high 3/5 for sure.
Al Green
3/5
Let's Stay Together starts with a humdinger of a title track and then just cruises through soft, soulful pop, a genre you can listen to for ages without ever getting tired or bored of it. Not an example of best in class but a 3/5 floor for sure, doesn't rise much above it but will never let you down.
The Stone Roses
3/5
I feel like the Stone Roses are a band I'm never going to properly get. The bookends of this album are well known but not must-listens to me at any given time, and the middle of it leaves me bored.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
Beach Samba, more middling jazz/bossa nova background music. 2/5, let's move on.
Elis Regina
2/5
Vento De Maio is only another 2/5 effort but it's quite a bit more interesting than some of the non-English albums we've had, or Brasilian albums, like Sai Dessa is really fun. Plenty of misses, but some decent stuff in there, she has a cool voice.
Tom Waits
1/5
This is bad Tom Waits. I don't like much of his stuff, Heartattack and Vine was okay, this is just unlistenable dirge.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Want Two is better than I expected, he has a great voice, some of the compositions are stunning, like Agnus Dei and Love Affair, but overall it just earns a good 3/5.
Pixies
2/5
First few tracks of Bossanova are loud and interesting, then it sort of settles down and loses me. Probably doesn't get to a 3 because of it.
The Pogues
3/5
I've heard a bunch of these live but never on record, and a bunch covered by the Dropkick Murphys, so it's very much up my street. Easy 3, possibly 4, not enough to get me to a 5 but plenty of stuff to listen to often.
Sepultura
3/5
I listened to Sepultura at the gym, which was a good place to listen to it. I didn't mind it, good in places (Straighthate, Spit, Born Stubborn especially) but again, when I'm listening to metal of this style I want a little more nuance and skill to it. Maybe I've been spoiled by Avatar. Anyway, 3/5.
David Crosby
1/5
No.
Earth, Wind & Fire
2/5
It's a nice album, not that memorable, as much funk and soul as disco tbh. That's The Way Of The World and Reasons stood out.
Supertramp
1/5
This is not the small area of prog I can tolerate. Hide In Your Shell was alright but otherwise I don't get on with the meandering storytelling.
Pretenders
3/5
Decent energy, a quality all-timer in Brass In Pocket but loses me somewhere in the middle, so the strong start and finish gets a bang average 3.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Really enjoyed that album, listened to it on a lovely sunny drive down to football and it hit the spot in lots of ways. And will relisten too.
2/5
I didn't listen to the version of Close To The Edge with the bonus tracks, just the original release, and it's more miss than hit. The title track doesn't do it for me, And You and I has its moments, as does Siberian Khatru. Don't think I enjoyed it enough for a 3 so it's a 2/5.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
It's kind of hard to evaluate this album because it has two of the most well-known songs of all time on it and everything else might seem like filler almost by default but she seems like she had a riot of a time recording it and it shines through.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Just got around to this one, sort of thing I can happily have in my shuffle and be perfectly content with, and would probably grow on me each listen. Not spectacular but it'll do nicely for me.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Easy listening crooning-adjacent with some pep but nothing remarkable in Rattlesnakes. 2/5.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Excellent.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
Fucking atrocious.
The Beach Boys
2/5
The Beach Boys Today! is nowhere near as good as Pet Sounds that only just preceded it on the list, it's short and tight and has that going for it but it's totally not memorable. This is here because of lazy authors who chuck some artists' entire back catalogue on the list and don't think about it, 2/5.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Good, obviously. Tangerine and That's The Way are beautiful songs, Jimmy Page is just incredible, though there's not enough on this album to lift it above a 4 overall for me.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
I wasn't really sure Grace was going to do it for me because I've heard so much about Jeff Buckley and heard some of his stuff, but this was really, really good. It's full of pain and passion and really simple but effective musicianship, his vocals are on point, you have songs like Lover, You Should've Come Over that are quality, the title track too, and as much as Hallelujah might be overplayed now it's bloody outstanding, especially if it can take you to a place or time. It's forever associated with The West Wing for me and that show is a happy place I know inside out. This is an easy 4 pushing a 5, it just doesn't hit the highest highs often enough but it's quality.
Digital Underground
2/5
Interesting enough.
Pulp
4/5
It's so good, and gets you in different ways each listen.
The Clash
4/5
A truly authentic sound guided by one of the best all-time front men. Niiiice.
The Isley Brothers
2/5
It's pleasant enough background music but doesn't lift itself beyond that, and darts between different styles so much that it lacks cohesion.
Steely Dan
2/5
Aja is relatively inoffensive but uninspiring groove rock stylings with some jazz, 2/5, move on.
DJ Shadow
3/5
I digged (dug?) Entroducing..., it's got an atmospheric swagger about it, a big sound without getting in your face, maybe drags a little at 1hr+ but it's an engrossing listen even if you're not paying attention. Solid 3 pushed higher by Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt.
Elastica
4/5
Sharp, smart, energetic, poppy. Nearer a 4 than a 3 for me. Would listen again.
The Band
2/5
The Band. Sound is pleasant, easy country listening, could do without the confederacy love though. Also one of those that clearly made the list for its impact at the time rather than doing anything special and long-lasting.
Killing Joke
1/5
Generic and very plodding in places, everyone else did it better than this. The Wait is the only redeeming feature.
Blur
2/5
Seems like a band short on ideas, yet they managed to find Song 2 in among it all and that's obviously a classic.
Aerosmith
3/5
Toys in the Attack has two massive songs (one made better by the RunDMC mix) and a bunch of other stuff that was fine, though casual Aerosmith fans wouldn't realise it was them I think, such was the style. 3/5.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
Giant Steps goes on for far too long and makes the likeable moments forgettable. The opening two or three tracks have an energy that doesn't last much beyond it, and it fades into generic 90s alt-pop-rock beigeness. 2/5.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
I feel almost guilty that I don't actively like the Stones but they just don't provoke a reaction in me. This is a decent enough album, solid work and clearly skilled but I'm left feeling very meh by them. Longevity is their biggest selling point imo, and I kind of think everyone who's covered their stuff has done it better? :D Wild Horses was good but not something I'd mark out as must-listen.
Elvis Costello
2/5
Nice easy listening but nothing special. Probably sums up his career.
Portishead
3/5
Dummy is good for a dreary wet day, which it is when I'm listening, there's an introspective to it and a pain in the vocals, which will always grab me. Fine, it wanders aimlessly for a while, but you can get away with it in an album like this, and Glory Box is a smashing closer. Easy 3/5.
PJ Harvey
2/5
PJ Harvey has never been for me and Let England Shake doesn't change that. A bit too dreamy and pretentious. 2/5.
Pavement
1/5
Nah.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Casanova tries to pass itself off as normal but it's really not; a very deliberately odd vocal style, some dodgy lyrics, it occasionally makes for an alright listen but I disliked more than I liked. 2/5.
AC/DC
5/5
A stone cold 5/5 that's long since been in my regular rotation.
Hole
2/5
The Hole album isn't anything special, obviously full of angst, decent gym listening but not memorable.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
1/5
Jack Elliott. I don't know how this is among the 1001 best albums, I doubt it was even particularly significant in 1958. It's very plain country music at best.
Richard Hawley
3/5
His voice is lovely, the first track is wonderful. Songs will really depend on the mood but he's good.
Solange
1/5
So boring I nearly fell asleep.
Jorge Ben Jor
2/5
Africa Brasil is not better than the countless other stuff we've had of a similar ilk. 2/5.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme is undeniably well-crafted by legends, it's just not so much my thing or my speed. It's a bit twee in places, a bit too 60s in places, but does a great job of being everlasting despite a 28 minute run-time. Easy 3/5.
Can
3/5
Tago Mago is way too self-indulgent to actually like; I can appreciate some of the stuff and there are certainly parts I like when you get through 73 minutes of it, including two 17+ minute songs. It's just not accessible at all, so it's a 2/5 even though there are easily 3/5 parts.
The Kinks
2/5
Think the person who put this list together has just done something like 'oh The Kinks, put their entire back catalogue on the list', because Face to Face is obviously the work of a skilled band and enjoyable in places, but not outstanding anywhere.
Nine Inch Nails
1/5
Much like the last NIN album, I don't get them. Never have, never will.
Queen
3/5
ANATO isn't my favourite Queen album, far from it, thought it's good and does what it set out to do. Just lacks in outstanding tracks that I love from them, except for Bohemian Rhapsody, and even that despite being something of a masterpiece isn't in my top 5 Queen songs. Probably gonna sit in the middle with a 3 rating for me.
Guided By Voices
2/5
Not memorable.
Grateful Dead
2/5
Grateful Dead was another of those that I didn't have a strong opinion either way on. Not terrible, not great, unlikely to listen to it again.
The Everly Brothers
2/5
A Date With The Everly Brothers is...dated. It has that late 50s/early 60s charm, or at least the veneer of it, but thematically it's a little problematic and musically it's not a patch on many others who were doing similar in the same era. 2/5, at least it was over inside half an hour.
The Fall
2/5
Never really liked The Fall so, while This Nation’s Saving Grace has some interesting moments, it's just not something I enjoyed or appreciated beyond 'yeah I can see why some like this, not me though'. 2/5.
TV On The Radio
2/5
Yay, more weirdness from the 00s, originality not entirely absent but this is nothing really new either. I thought it was going to be something more interesting because Halfway Home is a good opening track, loud and full of intent. Where did it go? Also, the lead singer can't sing, it gets annoying. 2/5 because it's not terrible.
Chicago
2/5
Chicago (Transit Authority). Charming, big band sound fused with classic rock that's actually quite a nice easy listen but far too overblown, eight tracks over 5 minutes long and a 15 minute self-indulgent closer. Probably better than I expected though.
The Crusaders
2/5
Street Life is basically gonna depend whether you like jazz with a disco flavour or not. I do, depending on mood, it's a very easy morning listen (especially on a nice sunny day like today), but I don't think I'd stretch to a 3 for it.
The Replacements
3/5
So I quite liked it even though I've not really found a lot of the post-punk stuff from that era to my tastes, I can certainly hear influences from acts I like that have come along since, probably gonna sit at a nice 3.
The White Stripes
2/5
Not my thing, but Ball and Biscuit is incredible.
The Stooges
3/5
Some of The Stooges is cool, the first two tracks and No Fun are great, fuzzy overdriven 60s rock, but then there are songs like We Will Fall and Ann that are absolute dirge. 3/5, right bang in the middle.
Miriam Makeba
2/5
Miriam Makeba is full of charm and undeniable style but it's not something that appeals to my ear. 2/5.
Manu Chao
1/5
New York Dolls
3/5
Good album, holds up now, strong from start to finish though I preferred the first half.
Beastie Boys
4/5
I get why people adore the Beastie Boys. I get the cultural significance. It's not always for me but it's good.
Ravi Shankar
1/5
I appreciate the time Ravi Shankar took to explain Indian classical music in the first track :D not sure I hugely appreciate the rest of the album but it's not the worst I've ever heard. Give me Project Mishram instead though.
This album is 65 years old, doesn't have a combined 1m plays on Spotify, and seems to be included on the list as a cultural curiosity. We've had Manu Chao, Miriam Makeba and Ravi Shankar in the last week and I'm not sure any of them have a place in a greatest albums list, however comprehensive it might want to be.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
A very good album for today's gym work, lots of good stuff, though lacked a bit more that would take it above a 3.5 I think. When it hits, it really hits, but I think they dragged some tracks out longer than needed without doing enough to justify it. Still, can't go wrong with much of it.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Coming back to some I missed so this was after a LOT of Neil Young, and Ragged Glory is probably some of the more enjoyable stuff we had to listen to. It's dirtier and heavier, Country Home, Over and Over, Love to Burn are all good, the music dominates rather than his voice. The rest is meh filler but 3/5.
Finley Quaye
2/5
Maverick A Strike occasionally hits a nice groove, Your Love Gets Sweeter especially, but only a 2/5 as it's quite bland at times.
Eagles
3/5
Yeah this was quite good.
ABBA
2/5
Not great.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
The first 25 minutes or so is a very long and experimental version of Bo Diddly's 'Who Do You Love'? that meanders around pretty aimlessly and doesn't ever come close to being as good as Bo's version. So there's that.
It's not a 1/5 but it's unspectacular. Heard better stuff from bands who were wildly off their tits in the same era.
The Doors
4/5
Loved this, right in my wheelhouse.
Bon Jovi
4/5
Stupid silly fun with songs that last the test of time.
Sugar
3/5
Copper Blue is pretty good, highlighted by the excellent Hoover Dam but it generally has a solid energy and catchy hooks that are consistent without being boring. Never gets into consistently excellent territory but a good 3/5.
Kraftwerk
2/5
Trans Europe Express is quirky and would've been well original back when it came out but it's not really for me, it's all a little bit too low key, I want in your face loud bombastic electronica. A high 2/5.
Milton Nascimento
2/5
Clube Da Esquina. Easy Brazilian listening stylings, unremarkable but not bad. 2/5.
Shuggie Otis
2/5
This album makes me feel like I'm on hold but the company have given a bit more thought to their muzak.
Or I'm on hold with Ann Summers or something.
Beach House
1/5
Sinfully boring.
Faith No More
5/5
So good I listened a lot.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Bridge Over Troubled Water follows soon after a different S&G album and it is night and day how much better this is. It's an incredible feat to include so many quality songs on one record that doesn't run 40 minutes. It's brilliant from start to finish, a strong 5/5 from someone who hasn't ever really appreciated them as an act but certainly did with this album.
Steve Winwood
2/5
Inoffensive but indifferent Saturday morning listening really. Like having Smooth Radio on or something.
D'Angelo
1/5
Brown Sugar drags on and doesn't really separate itself from loads who tried this genre and didn't stand out. Super dull, not interesting, somewhat offensive. 1/5.
Judas Priest
4/5
Great fun, great influence.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
This is another one of those folksy American albums that's just fine but not memorable in any way. I think it's better than some of the others we've had in the same genre though, Beginning To See The Light and I'm Set Free are very good and flow together superbly.
Bad Company
4/5
Easy, good quality classic rock.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
A lot of their lyrical style has always been quite jarring to me, changing rapper mid-line, all of that, though I get their importance in ushering in a new style at the time it was released, and the beats are decent. Rock Box is brilliant too.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Bookends isn't as good as BOTW from recent to this but it's better than PSRT and it's quite beautiful at its best. I adored Old Friends, that plus some classics get it to a really impressive 4/5. Brilliant song crafting, how this is all done in under half an hour is staggering.
Frank Zappa
3/5
So Hot Rats has a big groove to it which goes down well, doesn't really drag all that much and is largely enjoyable. Doesn't scale great heights but it's definitely better than a lot of Zappa stuff by reputation anyway. Son Of Mr Green Genes a personal favourite on the way to 3/5.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
Sheryl Crow is only tolerable for a couple of decent hits and most of them aren't on here. Tuesday Night Music Club only scrapes a 2/5 because it's so bloody beige and underwhelming.
The Byrds
3/5
Today's one is good, as it should be, covers of some top Dylan songs and some damn good songwriting in their own right. I've always been a fan of the 12-string guitar sound too.
Paul Simon
2/5
It's objectively decent but none of it resonates with me or have any personal historical connection really. Same for all Simon and Garfunkel stuff.
The xx
2/5
xx doesn't really impress when you discover that Intro is the best track on this album, a widely-recognised tune full of intensity and anticipation and tension and drama and then...the rest of it doesn't get close to the same quality or strength of feeling. 2/5.
Fairport Convention
2/5
Liege And Lief is very much styled to sound like it's from ye olde times, which is a good choice because the singer's voice is perfect for it; haunting but charming and carries some otherwise very ordinary compositions along to something that's listenable but not really that substantial. 2/5, okay, nothing more.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
I love their stuff, this one is a nice and tight album with some staying power and brilliant swampy blues.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
I was quite disappointed by Nothing's Shocking because I should like them; they're heavy, riffing, angry and loud, but rarely all at the same time and with enough quality to cut through and keep me interested. Mountain Song does that so well, but not enough others. Even Jane Says as an acoustic number turns me off because the lead singer has a voice that doesn't hold up to scrutiny. 2/5.
2/5
Bono is a cock.
Johnny Cash
5/5
This is beautiful, melancholy, sad and pure at the same time, a brilliant set of covers from a legendary musician at the end of a timeless and memorable lifetime. It's so good, it doesn't need much more justification than that. 5/5.
Beatles
2/5
My relationship with The Beatles is weird. I nothing them. I don't mind a lot of songs, and feel nothing about most others. Just very middling stuff that doesn't provoke much emotion from me.
The Pretty Things
2/5
Not special, not terrible.
David Bowie
2/5
Low is okay, it has Sound and Vision and not a lot else. No need to overthink another 2/5.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Daydream Nation is a decent listen, mostly when there's no vocals, but it creates a fairly interesting and consistently engaging sound, nothing groundbreaking but it's good. 3/5.
New Order
1/5
New Order were rubbish anyway and Technique is completely full of terrible 80s sounds without a single redeeming track, 1/5.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
Cheap Thrills is a groovy little listen and I always love Janis Joplin's voice. You hear a fair bit of this on other stuff but I guess it all started here, easy high 3/5.
The Waterboys
2/5
Some nice influences but not the strongest.
Megadeth
3/5
Solid but influential stuff.
Haircut 100
1/5
Aphex Twin
2/5
I don't mind this, though I need to listen to it at the right time when something mellow works better, and then I think I'll appreciate it more. Right now it's decent background music for me to work with.
Air
2/5
The album has some nice moments but doesn't land with me. To be honest, if I'm listening to electronic music I'd much rather stick some trance on, that's where it's really at.
Kid Rock
3/5
Guilty pleasure? Oh yeah.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Neu!
4/5
I enjoyed NEU! 75, it's well balanced, short and sweet, and varied enough to be interesting. Leb Wohl is outstanding and lifts this to a low 4/5, impressive.
Incubus
2/5
I don't know how this made it onto the list :D I don't mind it, I like some of it, but it's not historic or particularly influential now is it?
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Aftermath does nothing to convince me that the Stones are overrated, I'm still yet to hear anything consistent from them that turns the lightbulb on. Middling 60s nonsense, 2/5 and they're lucky to get that.
Massive Attack
2/5
Protection is too slow, too chilled, not impactful enough for me. Dull 2/5.
The Youngbloods
2/5
The Youngbloods album was just like most of the other 60s psychedelic rock stuff we've had. Started okay then got lost up its own arse.
Fever Ray
2/5
I listened to Fever Ray right off the back of Massive Attack's Protection and at some point I wasn't sure whether it was a continuation of the same record. Just as dull, 2/5.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Licensed To Ill is poor until Fight For Your Right, then you get a couple of monster hits and the back half hit hard. Does it deserve a 3/5 on that basis? Yeah, probably.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Never really a Nick Cave fan, Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus is okay, not really my scene though. 2/5.
The Louvin Brothers
1/5
Tragic Songs of Life is drab, underwhelming and a fair bit disturbing. Coming back to this after getting through most of the rest, we had loads better country than this, I'm struggling to give it a 2, so 1/5 it is.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
Easy 5/5. Iconic.
Ozomatli
3/5
I liked Street Signs, it's undeniably cool and finds a really delicate but funky balance in mixing influences and genres. Perfect example of something I'd have no idea about were it not for this list, it's an easy 3/5, not truly memorable but a good fun listen.
The Sonics
2/5
A load of covers that aren't as good as the original? Fun but not great.
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
Broken English is an unusual listen because it sounds more 90s than late 70s and has a moody bluesyness to it that doesn't really fit with expectations or the era. And some of it is good, Brain Drain I liked, then there's some real rubbish like The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, which is curiously the most listened-to track. She has a cool voice but there's not enough here for more than 2/5.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Djam Leelii...over an hour of world music I can't connect with and don't particularly like. Not a good example of impressive wider listening. Escapes a 1/5 because it's not outwardly bad, just boring as fuck.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Very, very good.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I steadfast had no interest in this album/Arcade Fire since they came on the scene. Listening now, I can appreciate some of the musicianship and a few of the songs sound nice, but they don't move me, and the vocals annoy me. Just not my thing.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Good when it's good but so much average in here and kinda prosaic musically, although that might've been revolutionary at the time.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Wasn't too bad, to my surprise, I liked more of it than not, and the not wasn't offensive, it was just there in the background. Not gonna relisten to anything any time soon but was better than a lot of stuff we've had.
Talking Heads
2/5
I don't like Talking Heads, and More Songs About Buildings And Food is really not that good. It's not my style of music at all and they always get thrown into 'rock band' categories. They're not. 2/5, nothing worth remembering here.
Slipknot
3/5
There are two Slipknot albums in this list and neither of them are The Subliminal Verses, which is my favourite and probably the one most deserving of inclusion. All Hope Is Gone is okay, certainly something I want to listen to more than 50% of this list, but it's not Slipknot at their best. It's a low 3 without any proper standout tracks except maybe Sulfur, but it wouldn't make a top 10 Slipknot songs list.
4/5
Sgt Pepper gets 4/5 from me because while it's great when it's great, there's stuff in there that passed me by entirely, and none of it truly grabs me like a 5/5 should.
CHIC
3/5
Chic gets a 3, really nice in places but not enough.
Thin Lizzy
5/5
I find live albums to be either outstanding or terrible, no middle ground, and this is outstanding.
CHIC
2/5
Same as the other one.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
A bit one-key and forgettable. Middle of the road 80s pop that avoids some bad 80s stuff but I can't comprehend how this is a must-listen, it's so beige. 2/5.
The Smiths
2/5
I can't abide The Smiths or Morrissey, I recognise that TQID has moments where it's clearly good but it bores and annoys me, it's not my type of stuff anyway but really rubs me up the wrong way for a bunch of Morrissey-related reasons. 2/5, not enjoyable.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
It's absolutely outstanding and has aged beautifully.
OutKast
4/5
Maybe a few too many tracks and could be cut down by boy they knew what they were doing.
The Avalanches
3/5
Interesting one today, solid 3 for me, because it's not entirely for me but it's loads better than some generic background stuff. Also can't believe it's more than 20 years old, has a much fresher sound than that.
The Roots
3/5
Phrenology is decent, nice mix of influences, nice rap flow, gets a bit messy so only a 3/5 but surprisingly alright.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Electric Prunes starts quite well with a song that is very evocatively 60s in a good way, then it doesn't last. One is the other big track off this and it doesn't have the energy or swagger of the opener and it goes back and forth between those styles, so it gets disjointed. I liked Sold to the Highest Bidder the most, 2/5 overall though.
The Who
2/5
A good example of what I said last week or whenever it was that a lot of live albums are crap. This does nothing to elevate their work, and The Who were terribly overrated anyway. And they have shit on-stage banter too.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Songs of Leonard Cohen is simple, fairly elegant and understated, and accomplished. A bit dull, sure, and that limits it to 2/5, but it's respectable for sure.
Gang Of Four
2/5
Entertainment misses more than hits for me; has some annoying early new wave influences and a bunch of stuff that sounds like 2000s indie pop I didn't like either. Misses the edge it tries to carry, 2/5.
Randy Newman
2/5
When you know Randy Newman can produce a song as magical and eternal as You've Got a Friend in Me, everything else he does is really disappointing. Maybe that's unfair as it's an impossibly high bar to hit a second time, let along be held to overall, but yeah, Sail Away is passable by comparison, and even then only because of the first two tracks plus Political Science. They're nice and sweet, I do like his voice more than most because it's authentic and easy, but 2/5 for the overall memorability of the album.
Justice
3/5
I've heard lots of Cross without realising it, lots of ad music, but it's quite good. Has a good mix of modern electronic, house, and old-school funk or jazz influences. Easy 3/5.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Today's Led Zep is predictably top stuff. Maybe not a 5 because it's short of something that elevates it into superior air though Your Time Is Gonna Come gets damn close.
The Cure
2/5
Dull.
Björk
2/5
Medúlla doesn't do anything for me that the other Bjork records didn't do either. I do not get or like her. An eternal 2.
Roxy Music
3/5
It's a catchy one that's easily a 3 and maybe a 4 for me, it's polished, skilled, not too long, creative and Bryan Ferry's voice is always great.
The Specials
3/5
Nice. Nice.
Deerhunter
2/5
Halcyon Digest is alright objectively, just not my thing. Too indie, too stripped back and soft, admittedly has a nice resonance in places but not enough for me to give it more than a 2/5. Helicopter is charming though.
Coldplay
4/5
Never been a big Coldplay fan beyond liking the odd single over the years but this album is an exception, I loved this album. Objectively I'm not giving it a 5 but it'll definitely get a 4 from me. Politik, the title track, The Scientist, Amsterdam are all brilliant.
The Who
2/5
The Who are dull.
2/5
Also dull.
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
Going against the grain for me, I really liked Oxygène. It's quirky, it's cool, it's relaxing, it's interesting, it's really well put together, it's not spectacular or a must-listen but easily worthy of a 4/5 because it's the sort of music you can lose yourself in.
The Pharcyde
2/5
It's entertaining enough but I keep feeling I'm missing what made these early 90s rap albums transcendent.
Julian Cope
2/5
Peggy Suicide is derivative but not terrible, has some decent bops, but ultimately boring and far too long. 2/5.
Common
4/5
I really liked this. Probably a 4, also shows how much better that genre got very quickly from some of the early 90s stuff we've had.
The Prodigy
2/5
The Fat Of The Land has a few iconic tracks and isn't bad overall, but the full Prodigy experience doesn't really come across listening on record while working. No fault of theirs I guess, but it didn't really grab me enough outside of the singles to get more than a middling high 2/5.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Outstanding and memorable.
The Kinks
2/5
Something Else By The Kinks made me want to listen to Something Else Not By The Kinks. This has one really good song and a lot of waffling twee. Rescued by Waterloo Sunset to a 2/5, a real example of an album that doesn't need to be on this list but is because iconic acts get their entire back catalogue catalogued.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
I like their style of storytelling, and it's a very good example of glam rock done well but also with passion and heart in reflection. Ballad of Mott The Hoople is wonderful.
Steely Dan
2/5
Pretzel Logic is decent yet unremarkable, perfectly listenable like radio you don't care for. Title track is great, 2/5.
Talking Heads
2/5
Fear of Music is average at best, quirky and horribly of its era, not bad, just something I don't like and that doesn't feel like it has a high quality bar. 2.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
Duck Rock was surprisingly interesting, sounds very much more 90s than 80s and more American than it is. Double Dutch is a cracker of a track, the rest is solid-to-good, 3/5 please.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
An all-timer with three of the best songs ever. Wonderful stuff.
The Adverts
2/5
Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts is melodic but average punk, lacks the punch all good punk needs. 2/5.
Fleet Foxes
1/5
It's boring as fuck. How people are listening to this in their millions I'll never know.
TLC
3/5
CrazySexyCool is a decent album, though 9am on a working weekday probably isn't the intended listening hour :D I remember bits of it from the 90s and it's really good in places, but quite once-paced and I'm fairly sure every album that has ever added skits and interludes could bin them all off and nobody would notice.
Metallica
3/5
I like metal, I like some Metallica, but I've always felt that they're really overrated and a load of people that came after them did it better and made them look poor by comparison. I like some parts of MoP but, yeah, never really gotten on with them like lots of metalheads have.
Merle Haggard
2/5
Merle is a country legend and this is easy listening, just not remarkable. 2/5 for I’m a Lonesome Fugitive.
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
Give me Tito Puente over BVSC any day. This is alright but nothing to write home about, 2/5.
Coldplay
3/5
Not as good as their second album, better than everything that followed that though. Yellow, Trouble, Don't Panic, Spies are all good.
Pink Floyd
1/5
Holy crap is The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn bad. PF are hit and miss for me but this is terrible and nowhere near them at their best. Syd Barrett was a fucking rubbish musician off his tits on all sorts and we're meant to appreciate it? No. 1/5.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
It's alright, just doesn't stand out to me in any way and grab me. Fine background music, not something I'll ever listen to again. Preferred the remix tracks at the end tbh.
The Jam
4/5
Sound Affects is good but everything from Set The House Ablaze to Man In The Corner Shop is really good and probably pushes this to a 4 for me.
David Bowie
2/5
Aladdin Sane is more proof Bowie has some great singles but not many great albums. The Jean Genie is iconic. The rest is average. 2/5 on balance.
Barry Adamson
1/5
Moss Side Story is a sountrack with a film to connect to. It's what it is, there's nothing really that stands out. 1/5 because it's boring without that context.
Tom Waits
1/5
Tom Waits always gets 1/5 from me because it's not music, it's fucking awful.
Fiona Apple
3/5
I liked Tidal a bit, it's soulful without becoming annoying, sure it lacks some conviction but it's well put together and very listenable. 3.
Germs
2/5
GI is alright if a bit paint-by-numbers punk from that era. Nothing really standing out and grabbing my attention though.
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got has one iconic song and a bunch of good to okay ones. I enjoyed Black Boys On Mopeds; this is full of heart and pathos, a good 3/5.
James Taylor
3/5
I don't mind James Taylor in small doses, and some of this is good, Steamroller Blues is catchy for sure, but if you want a singer-songwriter who tells stories of America that are meant to be meaningful and resonant lasting beyond their respective eras, give me Springsteen ten times out of ten.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Natty Dread is okay but not his best work. 2/5.
Björk
2/5
All Bjork is the same weird 2/5ness.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Been Caught Stealing (banger) gives a false impression of what Jane's Addiction are about, because Ritual De Lo Habitual doesn't have enough of that stuff. It's all a bit weak for a supposed post-punk band, I want to like them but rarely do. 2/5.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
I said this about the other Cocteau Twins album we had later on, listening out of sync; dream pop and laid-baid electronica doesn't do much for me so Heaven Or Las Vegas gets limited mileage. Objectively fine and easy to have in the background, but I need more from my music. 2.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
Honky Tonk Heroes is perfectly normal country, and by that I mean it sounds like most other artists of the era and has some of the same questionable content of its time. Nowt special enough for it to be here, 2.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
I have a complicated relationship with Amy Winehouse's music because of Amy Winehouse the performer, the celebrity, the focus of really awful media attention within the context of addiction, and a bunch of other stuff, and it's often hard to separate that from her music, which I tend not to like a lot because her vocal range and style just isn't my thing. Regardless, this has a bunch of hits and the actual music is, at times, really rich and mature yet simple and effective. You Know I'm No Good is the best example of that, Me & Mr Jones is a camp affair that pulls it off, Back To Black could stand up to anything in any era, but the longer the record goes on the weaker it gets, which isn't unique to her, I just think a) her singles hide a weak back catalogue and b) her rise to prominence off the back of a small handful of them was less about her music and more about her personality, and that it all ended in tragedy is something I can't get away from. Anyway, 3/5.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
Welcome To The Pleasuredome isn't good despite a couple of terrifically overplayed hits, of which only Two Tribes is really good. Covering Born To Run should be a criminal act, there's so much poor filler here it can't get more than a low 2/5.
Motörhead
5/5
Top, top stuff.
The Lemonheads
2/5
A bit disappointing, coupla songs that stand out (I really like Ceiling Fan In My Spoon) but too much of it is one-paced and forgettable.
Richard Thompson
2/5
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight. Okay. Unremarkable. Has no place being in this list. 2.
Miles Davis
2/5
I don't get it.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Felt Mountain isn't my thing but I can recognise it's good. It's really well produced if nothing else, it's relaxing and haunting in equal measure. Better than most of the stuff I've given a 2 to, so I guess 3/5?
Little Simz
4/5
Really good.
The Band
3/5
I don't know what to make of Music From Big Pink because it's nice, good at times, never bad, but wholly unremarkable overall. If it's indistinguishable from others of its era is that a good or a bad thing? It can hang with some of the heavyweights or sink to be as forgettable as some never-weres. The Weight is an all-timer though so it gets it to a 3/5.
Metallica
3/5
It has a bunch of songs I like and a bunch that are pretty meh but better than most other albums we've had.
David Bowie
2/5
Copy and paste. Heroes is more proof Bowie has some great singles but not many great albums. The title track is iconic. The rest is average. 2/5 on balance.
Adam & The Ants
1/5
Kings Of The Wild Frontier is bad 80s stuff, nothing here I liked, lots I actively disliked. 1/5.
Fela Kuti
3/5
I enjoyed this, has a fun energy, quality jazz style with some funk, less said about the drum solo the better bur 3 easy.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Not the very best of Springsteen but it's certainly very good.
Maxwell
1/5
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is porn music for the common man. No thanks.
King Crimson
3/5
In The Court Of The Crimson King has some really hatable prog but also some half decent late 60s/early 70s rock sounds. Probably lands in the middle at a 3/5 because it captured my attention.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
Tusk isn't among Fleetwood Mac's best work, although their bar is really high. Sara is lovely, the rest is pretty bland for a 2/5.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
It's quite nice in places, but doesn't do enough to elevate itself beyond just pleasant middling listening overall. Easy 3.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
Talking Book is basically Superstition and not a lot of good around it. He has better work and it's painfully clear. 2.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Enjoyed that, they're a band I've never taken the time to check out even though I should, some good stuff on it. Loved Mayonaise.
The Strokes
3/5
I was never a fan of the sort of lo-fi sound The Strokes and bands of that ilk produced, catchy in places but nothing properly resonated with me or left a lasting impression.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Outstanding.
Scott Walker
2/5
Scott 4 is quite frankly too many works from this guy, who has an okay voice and occasionally draws you in but mostly bores you. 2.
Pink Floyd
4/5
So I listened to Wish You Were Here twice, because it appeals more to me than most Pink Floyd stuff, but not throughout and I wanted to give it a chance to win me over. It pretty much did, mostly because of the bookend tracks which are stellar, the title track works well too though as a simple easy rock song. The Crazy Diamond journey is obviously proggy but not in a way I disliked for a change. This is really good 4/5 stuff.
Queen
4/5
Gets a four from me, first half of the album is entirely excellent but falls away a bit after that.
Ute Lemper
3/5
Punishing Kiss is quite engaging in that it has this enormous big screen sound and energy about it that convinces me overlook some of the musical shortcomings and just feel the emotion in the delivery. It pulls it off enough for a 3/5, it treads that fine line of being a pastiche of itself but still serious enough perfectly imo.
New Order
1/5
Low-Life is better than Technique but New Order were crap, and this proves it. Another 1.
3/5
Modern Life Is Rubbish is weird because it's a Blur album without pretty much anything Blur were well-known for. It's alright, good in places and forgettable in others, preferable to lots of stuff we've had but really average in general. Just gets a 3.
Ray Charles
3/5
Quite a nice listen today, incredible vocals obviously, lovely big band sound in there, versatility. Enjoyable.
John Martyn
2/5
Okay voice that sometimes shows off some bluesy chops, middling music, One World isn't worth a place on the list. Beige 2/5.
Fiona Apple
2/5
Some of Fetch The Bolt Cutters works. Much more of it doesn't. I'm interested in her voice but the music around it is very messy to the point I don't want to listen. 2/5.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
It's alright, fairly formulaic 70s rock and roll, but nice in places. Whiskey Woman maybe my standout track.
Iggy Pop
3/5
I liked The Idiot, it's imposing and bluesy and quirky and it has China Girl which is exceptional. It's not high quality but it's 3/5 solid.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Hard to believe it's nearly 30 years old because the production, flow and storytelling is better than 99% of anything that followed it.
Brian Eno
3/5
We know what Brian Eno does now, it either really appeals or it just sits there as you go about your day doing other stuff. And that's fine, to have a floor where it's not annoyingly bad is a pretty hard thing to do, but let's not pretend Before And After Science and other stuff is transcendent or really and truly enjoyable. It just is, it's 2/5 or 3/5 depending on the day you're having and I think this gets to a 3, just. Maybe a 2 tomorrow.
Nirvana
3/5
MTV Unplugged In New York is revered for a whole bunch of reasons that aren't really about the music. Don't get me wrong, some of it is really good, some of it less so, but this is just a middling live acoustic album if it wasn't for everything else around Cobain, and maybe that's the point, I dunno. Just sits in the middle for me, 3/5,
Bauhaus
2/5
It's...something. I don't know how or why it's in the top 1000 list, it's weird, not terrible, not good, not memorable. Not groundbreaking. Kind of a waste of an hour.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
Not my thing, objectively fine, but dull.
Sex Pistols
5/5
Full on 5/5.
fIREHOSE
2/5
Fromohio. Boring. 2.
Gene Clark
4/5
Quite a pleasant country album with a bit more to it. From a Silver Phial is delightful.
Orange Juice
1/5
Terribly boring.
Green Day
5/5
One of my favourite albums of all time.
Mudhoney
2/5
Superfuzz Bigmuff isn't good. Think it staves off a 1/5 because it doesn't annoy me but I don't like it much. It's prosaic, inauthentic and not very fun.
Björk
2/5
Debut is the same as all the other Bjork. Not for me, 2/5.
a-ha
2/5
Hunting High And Low starts well with a classic the rest of the album can't live up to, instead sinking to 80s depths we don't want to hear very often. 2.
System Of A Down
4/5
Good but lacked the skill and nuance of their follow up efforts, Toxicity especially. 3, maybe 4 depending on mood.
Wilco
3/5
Being There was a pleasant surprise; well-crafted easy rock styles which are catchy enough yet never overbearing. The whole thing goes on for too long and it loses marks for that but an easy 3, Outtasite a top track.
The The
1/5
Crap.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
The Last Of The True Believers is a meandering country-style album that doesn't offend but doesn't impress. 2.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
In Peter Gabriel, Solsbury Hill and Modern Love are good, the rest not so much. 2/5.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I found The Suburbs very bland, it's inoffensive modern radio pop, and does nothing to suggest my thoughts of them being decidedly overrated were wrong. 2.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
The Holy Bible is good, incredibly angst-ridden and very listenable, though I'd stop short of saying it's very good or anything like that because it's very one-speed and doesn't reach the heights of some of their best singles. 3.
Various Artists
4/5
Christmas!
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
I only like RHCP in small doses and they get repetitive *really* quickly, so Californication has a tough job to tread a fine line and make me like it more than tolerate it. Kiedis' voice and delivery is irritating but it works selectively; Scar Tissue, the title track, Easily, and not really all that often. The back half of the album is poor, the first half holds it up just enough to get a 3 but they're really a marmite sort of band.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury has standard, unoriginal beats, and lyrics that offer an illusion of being ambitious and dexterous but really don't. It's 2/5 average.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Songs For Swingin' Lovers! is standard Sinatra. Swaggering, cool, listenable, one or two hits but not the greats, 3/5 easy.
Gorillaz
2/5
Not great, not terrible, not memorable.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Led Zep II is a brilliant album with two of my favourite LZ songs; Thank You is my favourite, it's incredible, and I've always loved Ramble On as well. Whole Lotta Love is iconic, the rest of the record sets a high bar and those three tracks surpass it. 5/5 because it's as good as the other LZ album I gave max marks to.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Strong work, iconic tunes.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Innervisions is cool Stevie Wonder; not at his genre-defining best, nowhere near some of the dross he turned out in releasing so many albums either. It's a good to very good effort, Higher Ground is obviously the best track, a positive 3/5.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
2/5
Deja Vu is smack bang middle of the road 60s/70s easy listening rock, not good, not bad, just exists. 2/5, totally unremarkable except for Our House, which is very good.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
This is alright but almost every track is better as a sample source than a work in its own right and they each go on loads longer than necessary.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Strong 4. Some quality tunes.
John Lennon
3/5
Imagine is pretty good, I'm not a Beatles fan and the little I've heard of Lennon's solo stuff outside of the played-out Imagine isn't my thing, but this is well put together. Jealous Guy is really good, delicate but stoic, Oh My Love is nicely done as well. 3/5, it's good.
Thundercat
2/5
Doesn't move me. It's fine really but I don't feel anything listening to it.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
The Soft Bulletin disappointed me. It's all a bit too whimsical and occasionally weird without any punch or purpose to it, and I can't get on with music like that. It's music made to be a background soundtrack to something much more interesting.
Gang Starr
2/5
Step In The Arena is just like loads of early 90s rap/hip hop we've had in that it just misses the quality bar set by the better East Coast artists, which have a distinctive (but not necessarily better) sound compared to the West Coast titans. It's just too laid back, it lacks edge, it lacks intensity, and tries to serve as a vehicle to show off their (average) lyrical dexterity while telling stories that don't engage or make you think. 2.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Do we need a load of live Johnny Cash albums on the list? Probably not, At San Quentin is good fun, quick and sharp and he does live stuff very well but once you've heard one you've kinda heard them all. They're all a 3/5.
Anthrax
3/5
Enjoyable musically (can be a bit samey but accomplished drum abs guitar work nonetheless), not such a fan of the vocals, but I can get on with the whole thing as a solid 3.
Q-Tip
2/5
This is alright again but one of those that I don't think is particularly memorable and I dunno why it's on the list. Good sound, deft flow at times, but I'm not gonna listen again.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Nice and tight album, impressive for a debut effort, decent variety of rock sounds too, good vocals, and an all-timer to finish it off.
Joy Division
1/5
Closer is fucking miserable and crap too. 1.
Ray Charles
5/5
The Genius Of Ray Charles is a gorgeous album, smooth and soulful and arrogant and charming and swaggering and raucous and everything else. Absolutely golden stuff, Deed I Do was the best of a high quality bunch, 5/5 stuff.
Eagles
3/5
Not an especially memorable one but a lovely easy Sunday morning listen.
Radiohead
1/5
Amnesiac is the very worst of Radiohead, it's desperately boring and mostly crap. Some of their stuff is okay to me, much of it isn't my thing, but this sucks. 1.
M.I.A.
2/5
Kala flirted between stuff I found interesting and stuff I hated. More of the latter than the former, so 2.
Madonna
2/5
Very generic 80s pop, couple of decent tracks, some not so, Love Song is awful, lyrics filled with cliches except were they even cliches in 1989? Probably.
Burning Spear
3/5
For a reggae album Marcus Garvey is quite good, it's chilled but has a powerful vibe, doesn't get too repetitive, easy to listen to. An enjoyable 3.
Air
2/5
Virgin Suicides is background listening but doesn't connect with me from a film I've never seen. It's just there, 2/5ing.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
There is an awful lot going on in A Wizard, A True Star, quite hard to define it by a single number but given I liked some, didn't like some and the rest was somewhere in the middle, it's 2.5/5.
Stereolab
2/5
Holy background music batman, Emperor Tomato Ketchup passed me by without any real recognition it was there. That's a 2/5 all day long.
3/5
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea is a decent listen, fine energy, some edge, catchy but never truly memorable. Think it gets a low 3 because I really liked The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore and This Is Love.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
The first song on Back At The Chicken Shack reminded me of Baby Elephant Walk and The Simpsons, so that was interesting. Then it settled into decent middling jazz, 3/5, could listen often without hating it.
Leftfield
3/5
Yeah I really like this, it has so many sounds that came along years later in the late 90s trance anthems era, dunno how influential it would've been but hard to deny it must've had an impact. Stuff I can just stick on and chill to but also I've always found it really helps me focus.
Fred Neil
2/5
Fred Neil is easy listening by Fred Neil. Nothing remarkable to write home about. 2.
The Cars
3/5
This has a MUCH more modern sound than 1978, not wholly my thing but it's impressive.
Pixies
3/5
Busy old album that, lots of different styles and influences packaged up together. Some I like a lot, some less so. Good overall.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Found that super generic tbh. Might listen to it again with more focus as I should like it but didn't really feel anything.
Santana
3/5
Good but disappointing at the same time.
Radiohead
4/5
OK Computer was good Radiohead by all the standards we've had from them, and the fact I don't especially like them. I'd go as far as to say it's my favourite of theirs, strong throughout.
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
Only ever listened to Sleater Kinney in passing or on compilation albums but they're clearly very much my thing. Like this a lot.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Too 80s for me to really like much. Decent middle of the album though with the title track then Rescue.
Otis Redding
2/5
Otis Redding is good. Soul is good. These are soul classics but none of them as good as their originals, so it's all just a bit average. Nice but doesn't deserve more than a 2/5 because it doesn't improve things.
2Pac
2/5
Me Against The World starts well but fades quickly. It's easy to listen to musically but not easy to listen to lyrically, both from a hardship perspective and also that of 2Pac being a dirtbag and trying to reflect on it. 2/5.
The Cramps
2/5
Songs The Lord Taught Us has some good moments, most of it is a bit late-era glam rocky and not in a good way, but then I Was A Teenage Werewolf gets bluesy and I liked that, same for What's Behind The Mask. The glam rock/punk stuff is a poor effort, it's all about a 2/5 overall.
Bob Dylan
2/5
Dylan might be the most overrated musician of all time fwiw. This album is fine but utterly unremarkable and not at all memorable.
Deep Purple
5/5
Masterful.
X-Ray Spex
1/5
This was not good.
Dr. Octagon
2/5
Just really strange, not downright terrible but not good either. It is unique at least I suppose.
Traffic
4/5
This is good, really good in places. Freedom Rider and Stranger to Himself are quality.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Bongo Rock does what it says, a bunch of good-time covers with heavy bongo influence. Hard to hate, makes you smile. Not original but also kinda original, I dig it. 3/5.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
Fuck off.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Blood On The Tracks is average Dylan. To die-hards it probably holds up, to the casual it's nothing special but it's an easy and accomplished 3/5 listen.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Not as good as Fearless but pretty damn good.
Big Star
2/5
Third/Sister Lovers is pretty one-speed moody indie from a long time before it became a think. A little glam too, 2/5.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
Fuck prog.
Don McLean
3/5
The rest of the album isn't as good as the title track. Kinda middle of the road, but the album gets at least a 3 from me off just one song.
The Verve
4/5
A pretty, pretty nice album. Some classic singles.
Animal Collective
2/5
There's a lot going on in Merriweather Post Pavilion but I don't think it's particularly cohesive or enjoyable. It's trippy without taking you on a trip, weird without purpose, really just a dull 2.
The B-52's
2/5
This is painfully average and has a diabolically bad opening track.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Not good, Nick.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Joni Mitchell has a very specific audience and I am not it. I don't care much for her stories, the songs are fine and I can understand the appeal but it's not for me and it's a 2.
3/5
Lyrically terrible but some of this goes really hard and evokes some great memories. Objectivity is hard.
Michael Jackson
3/5
I can't hear Don't Stop Till You Get Enough without it being autotune sung by Chris Tucker in Rush Hour and it cracks me up every time. Good stuff. Off The Wall is funky and peak pop disco from an artist who tended to know where to go to stay relevant even if it didn't always deliver excellence. This is really that; it's solid and occasionally historic with a couple of timeless tracks but earns a square 3/5 for managing to stick a simple landing to not fuck up. If only he'd have managed that in his life.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
2/5
Offensive Lineman Willie Colon moonlighting as a musician? Sure. Siembra misses me with the language barrier, I'd have liked the funky opening track to be a sign of the rest of it but, alas, it ends up being El Generico and not in the good Sami Zayn way. 2.
Billie Holiday
4/5
Lady In Satin is a smooth, easy listen from a great. Her voice strikes all the right notes and has the vulnerability about it that lifts it ever so slightly. For Heaven's Sake is so good. I enjoyed this a lot, 4/5.
Sade
2/5
Diamond Life is basically Smooth Operator and then a bunch of forgettable soft pop songs. 2.
Daft Punk
3/5
Good but their best was still to come.
Moby Grape
2/5
Moby Grape has some promise but ultimately disappoints. Good energy, not enough stuff that makes me want to stick around. 2.
Slint
1/5
Spiderland is crap, it has loads of odd high-pitched guitar breaks that annoy the fuck out of me, the rest is a grungey mess punctuated by bad vocals. 1.
OutKast
3/5
It's good but not especially memorable.
Ryan Adams
2/5
Maybe Winona Ryder was bad in bed? Or at least dull, because that's what this album is, with any of the better moments stuff that everyone has done before and done it better.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Rust Never Sleeps is among the best Neil Young stuff we've had; really good songwriting, lovely sounds, evocative themes, and his voice even works well here. 4.
Public Enemy
4/5
Enjoyable album, especially early on, but it does go on a lot longer than it should and becomes quite samey in the back half. The goods are very good though, maybe lifting it to a 4.
The Beach Boys
2/5
Surf's Up isn't for me, The Beach Boys aren't in general but a more sober and retrospective album of theirs appeals even less. 2, because I liked Disney Girls.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Dusty is a bonafide legend and my Dad loves her music so it's always been around me, this is a fantastic reminder of a beautiful sound. It all seems so effortless.
Grizzly Bear
1/5
I did not like that album. Absolutely nothing going on except self indulgent pontificating masquerading as music.
Billy Joel
4/5
The Stranger is cool and cheesy together, it's a great listen. Just The Way You Are is an all-timer, then it's followed by the sweet sax of Scenes from an Italian Restaurant which is mega playful and heartfelt and everything else building to a cinematic crescendo. Vienna is a wonderful song and She's Always a Woman is stunning. This falls short of a 5/5 by the finest of margins but my word is it good. This is so well-crafted.
Magazine
1/5
I don't get what Real Life is meant to be, none of it works. Some of it is instrumental only and I'm not sure if that's good or bad given the singer can't sing. 1.
Steely Dan
2/5
Steely Dan are boring and Countdown To Ecstasy is more of the same 2/5 dullness.
Prince
4/5
This is good but it doesn't lift me often enough to get a really top score. I like I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man, Hot Thing, U Got the Look especially, and there's some great evocative language, but more a 4 than a 5 for me.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
If everything on here was as jaunty and fun as Bluebird Wine it would be better for it. Unfortunately it's not, even though she has a great voice it's not top 3 in the genre (or adjacent genres), and it has to cover a Dolly Parton classic too, so there's that. Average at best.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Twee 60s folk rock. Nothing to hate, nothing to like, everything to 2/5.
Napalm Death
1/5
I think it's absolutely shit, I'm into a fair bit of metal but this nonsense is atrocious.
Michael Jackson
3/5
A good album, not great. For all the famous songs, the other stuff in between is a waste of time and nothing but filler, so probably a 3, because even the best tracks aren't Jackson's best.
The Charlatans
3/5
I suspect if I listened to it a lot I'd like it quite a bit more but, as it is, I just found it good. Get On It was superb though.
Gene Clark
2/5
Dollar-store country stylings by a guy with a generic voice and nothing new to tell us. Sort of stuff you hear on a nondescript radio station passing through without leaving a lasting impression.
Love
3/5
Nice, although not memorable.
Tortoise
1/5
A colossal waste of time.
Frank Ocean
2/5
Not for me, this, I don't understand the acclaim. It's not impressive in terms of overall sound, he's not a great lyricist not is there anything special going on there with structure or rhyme, the beats aren't memorable, he can't sing (plus there's some autotune guff and I hate all of that, it comes across like a stream of consciousness he's put on record rather than doing something coherent, and it's no better than lots of R&B from 10 and 20 years earlier.
N.W.A.
4/5
Obviously an incredibly seminal album for all sorts of influential and cultural reasons and it's very good in places but I think I preferred Fear of a Black Planet a few weeks ago by comparison.
Klaxons
2/5
This was more interesting than I expected but that style of music has already grated on me and the vocals are terrible. There's just enough interesting hooks and composition to make it worth persevering through but I wouldn't say I liked it. Even Not Over Yet isn't as good as the original or several cover versions, though it's a fair attempt at doing something a bit different with it. Probably gets a 2 as most of my 3s are more listenable.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
I really liked that, really great sound that doesn't seem dated, loads of different influences, a bit samey in places but easy 3.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
american dream is a bit too all over the place for me without ever hitting a truly positive note. It's just there, doing nothing, 2ing all day long.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
I thought Jefferson Airplane was fine but a bit too twee for me in places, but such an iconic sound and Somebody To Love is an all-timer. Embryonic Journey is beautiful too.
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
I Am a Bird Now isn't for me, it's interesting with subtle arrangements and a rare voice but not actually good. A bit dull once the curiosity fades. 2.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Once again, the Stones leave me feeling absolutely nothing. It's only really saved by the first and last tracks.
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
Nice enough but sounded too much like fairground music by the end.
GZA
4/5
Really accomplished and has a great sound now, 4th Chamber and Swordsman stand out. Also makes me realise again that I think I prefer the East Coast sound over the West.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
The New Tango is like a score from a film I've never seen and don't care to. It's in the very average but no thanks bucket, 2.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
This wasn't for me. Apparently hugely influential but I didn't feel it in the slightest.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Just a straight up pleasant listen from a really accomplished performer but not something I'll listen to again or remember. And that's fine sometimes, just maybe not in a book reviewing the best of all time.
Marilyn Manson
4/5
This is really good, absolutely blasting opening 4-5 tracks, the next chunk are decent, loses its way a little but then fires right back from the title track on apart from that weird hidden track bollocks loads of people did in the 90s. Think the dip in the middle stops it getting a 5 but even though I listened to this a bit around 2000, I didn't remember it well, and it's a lot better than I remembered.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
It's alright in places, like Soya and Machengoidi are nice to listen to, and listening to anything blues-influenced is usually decent, but this mostly misses the spot for me.
Talvin Singh
2/5
OK is...okay. I liked the style, what if house but South Asian? It's just that there's not much more to it once you get past that moment. Scratches an itch but then it's gone, 2.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Figure 8 is good; it starts really well for the first three tracks, tails off a bit but comes back pretty well. Not spectacular but it's a 16 track album that lasts nearly an hour but doesn't feel like it. Well constructed, can give or take his voice but it's effective at its best, solid 3.
Simple Minds
2/5
Bad 80s synthpop that doesn't have their best songs on it. What?
The Gun Club
3/5
Fire Of Love is middle of the road 60s rock with a fresher sound, interesting enough to listen to, not much to dislike but little to elevate it beyond a fine 3.
Gary Numan
1/5
Cars is an overplayed song now and this album is shite.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Nah PJ Harvey isn't for me, and this doesn't change that. Dull 2.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Skilled but nothing to get excited about although everyone knows Take Five and will probably have things that resonate with them from TV and film that mean more than the music itself.
Lou Reed
3/5
Berlin is really interesting, musically it's not special but the content and story is captivating and the music then becomes a vehicle to tell it. Which is fine, not especially my style but I can respect it, 3.
The Police
3/5
I didn't take much from Synchronicity, The Police have never interested me much and as good as Every Breath You Take is, it stands out so much from everything else on here both in quality but also in style and it feels weird. That track alone earns a 3 though.
David Bowie
3/5
Not what you come to expect of Bowie but Blackstar is a pretty impassioned and pained listen, in a compelling way. Not excellent, has some moments of meh, but warrants a high 3/5 for being interesting and authentic.
XTC
2/5
Underwhelming.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Clearly good, just not my scene.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
Clapton's personal views aside, the guy knew how to play guitar, and the album is good with a couple of obviously great moments. Some of it a bit procedural with simple progressions but given it's 50 years old I try to remember that it not being groundbreaking now doesn't matter all that much.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Run DMC are what they are. Socially iconic with some great hits but I think they miss a lot outside of that. Not a fan of the shared vocals on the same line and a lot of the non-famous tracks sound the same.
Think it's telling that when Aerosmith come in they go to another level that Run DMC can't get to themselves, with maybe the exception of the title track, which has some rock influence anyway.
The National
2/5
High Violet is boring. 2.
Miles Davis
3/5
In A Silent Way is cool, chilled and interesting. A solid 3.
ZZ Top
5/5
Some absolute worldies on here.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Songs From A Room is calming, simple and soothing yet never quite moves beyond good. And that's okay, I liked it enough for a 3.
The Who
3/5
Absolutely mental, too long though.
Sparks
2/5
Today's effort is particularly bland glam rock.
George Michael
4/5
Elegant, timeliness, heartfelt. Not special musically but the emotion and quality of his voice shines through and it's way ahead of its time.
The Soft Boys
4/5
This isn't half bad you know. Great energy, authentic, really good production, doesn't lean into the annoying aspects of the genre, doesn't outstay its welcome. A pleasant surprise.
Slade
3/5
Slade are good fun 70s rock and roll, this album has a couple of blinders but the rest of it is middle of the road stuff. Still enjoyable though.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
Architecture And Morality. I don't get it. The music I mean; it's just a bit shallow and pointless? 2.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Joni Mitchell is undeniably talented but ultimately just not for me. Blue is another example where her voice and range just don't work for my ears, however nice the music is. 2.
Liz Phair
3/5
I know this sound had started to emerge a bit more by 1993 but it's still remarkable how recent it feels. Bit too indie for me to really enjoy but great voice and very well put together.
Randy Newman
2/5
Good Old Boys sounds easy on the ear, content notwithstanding, but it's not skilled or particularly good. 2.
Dr. Dre
3/5
The Chronic has a big, definitive sound from the start, it's not as good as some of the stuff Dre did and produced/worked on afterwards but it is really good in the first half of an album that is admittedly too long and, obviously, full of questionable content. Deeez Nuuuts is my favourite track for pure sound and vibe, Snoop is a strong addition throughout, it's a 3 because there's a bunch of other hiphop I prefer.
Paul Simon
3/5
I liked this more than Graceland, and maybe more than most S&G stuff. It was stripped back but interesting, calming but fascinating. Solid 3.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
A quality album, just always enjoy listening to Knopfler, even some of the more average stuff.
Pixies
4/5
Surfer Rosa has some really good and some other generally good, an easy 3 pushed to a 4 by Where Is My Mind.
Dire Straits
3/5
Knopfler is just so very listenable.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
Terribly average.
Ice Cube
2/5
This is alright, though it suffers from some of the same problems that other West Coast rap albums on this list so far have encountered. It's very one-speed, same rhythm and stylings over different beats, same delivery patterns, and doesn't elevate itself at any point except for It Was a Good Day. It has the usual mix of social commentary, misogyny and silliness, guess that was most of the 90s though.
Anita Baker
2/5
This isn't very interesting. She has a voice of good range but nothing that hadn't been done before or since, the opening track is the highlight, but she doesn't seem to care about any of it. This was four years before that George Michael album we had recently, similar eras and a similar style of music, but the emotion and quality of his voice made that several tiers better than this by comparison.
Roni Size
2/5
New Forms doesn't hit for me, lasts too long and doesn't stand out in what it's doing where it should. 2.
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
Shalimar misses a lot, this is a soundtrack to something to watch, not to be listened to in isolation. It just doesn't resonate. 2.
Doves
3/5
I knew a bunch of songs by ear but not by name, it's good in places but lots of it remind me of a Jimmy Eat World record but without the up tempo rockier bits, so I found it lacking there.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
Bitte Orca is just a bit too weird for me. Interesting turns to disinterested quite quickly. 2.
The Incredible String Band
1/5
Convinced this is a pisstake. Even if it is, it's not a good one. 1.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
I feel like Back to Mystery City is good but also doesn't quite deliver on its potential. It's fun and glam but doesn't push itself enough to earn more than a low 3. Could've been more.
Cheap Trick
4/5
This is really good, obviously Cheap Trick are great but live albums can be a problem for the best bands. This has enough punch and energy and just the right amount of over-indulgence to be memorable.
The Smiths
3/5
For The Smiths, I found Strangeways, Here We Come oddly likeable. That's still a low ceiling because I don't like them much at all but this was pretty good and gets a 3.
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast is perfectly okay, bland easy listening. Somehow BDB got massive in 2000. Like a lot of people, shouldn't have.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2/5
Shaka Zulu is fabulously produced but a little samey and doesn't really go in some of the directions we know they can based on their collabs. Soothing but not interesting.
Soft Cell
3/5
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret was pretty good for weird 80s shit, a coupla bangers and solid throughout gets you a 3.
Public Enemy
2/5
This PE album isn't as good as the one we had a few weeks ago. There's just too much going on in every song and it loses coherence because of it. Lots of droning repetitive accents over the beats that range from distracting to annoying and draw too much focus away from the lyrics, which are generally strong from PE, though a couple of tracks are just nonsense.
Van Morrison
4/5
Moondance is quality, good stories, easy bluesy folksy stylings, endearing voice, 4.
2/5
São Paulo Confessions shows that modern Brazilian music isn't necessarily better than all the other Brazilian music we had on here. It's different but no more interesting or able to connect with it.
Dolly Parton
2/5
Three great vocalists doing regulation country music. Undeniably nice, just not very exciting. In the right context and environment, a very pleasant listen I'm sure, but rush hour traffic in West London probably wasn't that. :D
The Residents
1/5
Shite.
ZZ Top
4/5
This was good, not as strong as the last ZZ Top album we had, but any ZZ Top is still better than most stuff. La Grange obv an all-timer, Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers is excellent, and almost everything else hits the groove.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
The Velvet Underground & Nico is groovy enough and pretty ahead of its time. Doesn't entirely enthrall me but I respect it. 3.
Beatles
3/5
The White Album sits below Sgt Pepper and Rubber Soul for me. It's well put together, a bit too twee in places but that's them, and a few really good songs. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is always an incredible track but there's not enough here to get a 4/5, it's a 3.
Taylor Swift
3/5
A good example of a well produced stripped back album but it's not all for me, too monotonous overall and doesn't have enough elevating moments in songs. Strong from from no body, no crime through to ivy though.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
Pretty generic uninspiring country, first three tracks of Side 2 are decent, that's about it.
Britney Spears
3/5
Not as good as Oops I Did It Again but a good'un.
Suzanne Vega
2/5
Simple, easy listening, well constructed but never memorable. 2 because we've had better 3s.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
A bit dreary. I don't mind the idea but it wears thin quite quickly.
Scissor Sisters
1/5
The Scissor Sisters should not be on a must-listen list of this depth and breadth. They are not original, they are not interesting, entertaining, ground-breaking or special, it's paint-by-numbers pop masquerading as alternative and it's just sinfully boring, annoyingly overplayed and they bastardised Comfortably Numb, making me uncomfortably angry. 1, fuck off.
The Stooges
4/5
Quality little album, hits a groove early and holds it throughout. Tight, listenable, great stuff.
Christine and the Queens
2/5
What if 80s but in 2018? It's okay but not good, it's very superficial. 2.
The Only Ones
2/5
This is only on there because of Another Girl, Another Planet, let's be honest. A fine track but there's only one other song worth listening to on the album, this isn't a must-listen just because of a good song. 2.
Tina Turner
2/5
If this had more songs like What's Love Got To Do With It? it'd be a much better album. That song is a tour de force from a tour de force, the rest of it isn't up to the same standard and doesn't do her justice.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
I don't think Actually is close to their best work, though it's not without its charms and qualities. It's a Sin is class, but the overall balance only scrapes a high 2.
Fairport Convention
2/5
We don't need two Fairport Convention albums on this list, we know what they're about, go and do your medieval cosplay somewhere else. A forgettable 2.
Yes
1/5
Yes are a bit too proggy for me, and with the psychedelia that most people wisely left in the 60s there's not a lot here to like. Not sure we get to a 2 here.
Beth Orton
2/5
So Beth, what separates you from the countless other female singer-songwriters out there? And if there is something, why didn't you let it shine through here? The late 90s gave birth to so much of this beige music (and not just female either, I mean Badly Drawn Boy and David Gray and Damien Rice and Ryan Adams and everyone else). It's music that belongs in romcoms and doesn't do a whole lot else. Dido was a lot better. 2.
Elvis Presley
2/5
Couple of all-timers but not the best.
Minutemen
3/5
There is a LOT going on in this album, lots of it good, some of it absolutely not.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Nope, fuck off.
Mj Cole
3/5
Oh if we're doing turn-of-the-century UK garage/house stuff then there's so much more you could do than include MJ Cole, although he deserves some respect for breaking through to the degree this did. It's FAR too long and only really has Crazy Love to stand out, especially in a genre that was doing some really cool shit around the same time that didn't get the acclaim. It gets a low 3 just for the massive nostalgia but probably doesn't deserve it compared to some of those who should've been represented on the list.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Decent.
Def Leppard
4/5
Quality.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Every MBV album is the same wall of fuzz that only gets a 2/5.
Hole
1/5
Hole aren't good.
Robert Wyatt
1/5
Absolute shite.
Shivkumar Sharma
2/5
Pleasant offerings from the Indian scene but unremarkable overall. 2.
Orbital
2/5
There's nothing here really is there? I like the odd piece of electronica but it needs to have a lot more substance than 'sounds you hear in the background' to deserve more than a low 2.
Nico
1/5
She can't sing.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
This is a good album if a bit too chilled and laid back to really grab me; I want my hip hop to be a bit dirty and gritty and this, as good as the flows are, the beats just don't really take me anywhere. Still, 3.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
Easy twee listening, not remarkable. 2.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Good, not spectacular but it holds up brilliantly for being nearly 60 and has a nice fuse of bluesy groove and some good old psychedelic sounds.
Depeche Mode
1/5
Another Depeche Mode album that leaves me not wanting to listen to them. This is worse than the others, 1.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
I liked Pacific Ocean Blue, it's straight down the line 70s Dad rock stuff with a swagger and a style at times, and then a bit more stripped back and considered at others, 3 for sure.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I liked The Boatman's Call more than most Nick Cave stuff; it's dark and deep and brooding and reflective in mostly good ways. 3.
Neil Young
2/5
His voice doesn't get any better by the 140th album. Another 2.
The The
1/5
Bad 80s.
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
Again, bland beige 80s stylings, better than some efforts but not good. Just scrapes a 2 because it's closer to The Jam than it initially appears but a poor imitation of them.
Eric Clapton
3/5
A nice enough sound by a very accomplished musician but too many covers for me to really care much.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
Had some decent moments but some awful ones too, not a lot for me to hold on to.
Traffic
2/5
Decent.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
A true masterpiece.
The Darkness
4/5
Good, silly fun.
Deep Purple
4/5
Deep Purple are always great.
The Young Gods
1/5
Weird and not good.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Better than I expected for Dylan. Not his best work but definitely nice and captures my attention. Stuck Inside...is a brilliant song.
The War On Drugs
3/5
Better than I expected it to be. The echo/reverb works really well for their styling, it has a momentum and a passion to it, An Ocean In Between The Waves is my favourite but piqued my attention to learn more. A high 3, not into very good territory, but could get there on more listens.
Cypress Hill
2/5
A bit disappointing tbh.
MC Solaar
2/5
French rap? Sure.
Can
2/5
This wasn't bad, it's just weird and dull.
Van Morrison
3/5
A fair if slightly underwhelming live album, a good listen but not close to his best, doesn't really belong on this list.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
This is quite a nice chilled out listen but doesn't hit the heights I want from this style of music and that came along afterwards. I lean more towards the trance side of chillout music really.
The Jam
3/5
Decent if unremarkable.
Method Man
2/5
Not my favourite rap album; flow is good, beats are too low key without being gritty, makes it hard to access or really dig into.
The Killers
3/5
Feels like the big singles from Hot Fuss are quite a lot different from the rest of the (underwhelming) album, but they do some heavy lifting on their own tbf.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
This was just dirge.
Ministry
2/5
Only okay, heavy but lacks nuance, subtletly and melody. Only mildly interesting.
Public Enemy
3/5
Yeah this is good, they produce a sound that has the conviction of their content, the beats are a bit dated now but not so much that they feel hard to listen to, just solid stuff. 3.
Beck
2/5
A bit dull.
SAULT
2/5
Not really my thing and isn't as varied as it might be to really make a lasting impression. It's only occasionally good, generally middling, not enough for a 3/5.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
This isn't as good as young kid MAAD City, it's good and he has such a good emphatic flow, but the stylistic choices, the interludes, his voice (still) and the lack of enough truly impactful songs knock it down to a 3. Still, very skilled.
Primal Scream
2/5
nothing on this album is as good as Movin' On Up, one of those things where you'd get an album based off one track and the rest of it was nowhere near as good.
Kate Bush
1/5
Absolutely fucking dreadful again, just like everything she's ever touched.
Ryan Adams
3/5
It seems like this stuff comes more naturally to him than some of the other work he's produced and it shows. It's not as good as the artists he's inspired by/trying to piggyback on but it's still good, country-adjecent singer-songwriting stuff that is well thought out and stands up to a decent listen. 3.
The Who
2/5
Not sure what the fuck this was but it's some of the worst The Who I've heard which is saying something. Only saved from a 1 because I Can See For Miles is good.
Todd Rundgren
1/5
Far too long, far too not good. Very little quality to write home about, all the hallmarks of a bad album.
The Police
2/5
Not really a fan of The Police and this manages to be annoyingly 80s even though it was 1979. Message In A Bottle is a saving grace but Walking On The Moon's unnecessary reggae influence from a bunch of white guys didn't really resonate with me that well.
The Fall
1/5
I don't like The Fall. This is a live album that lacks any notable qualities of a good live album, let alone a must-listen. It sounds like it was recorded in someone's living room and was half-arsed the entire time. Maybe that's the point, I dunno.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
The singles are bangers and get an easy 3 immediately, but the rest is mostly filler and goes on too long. Still a fun slightly nostalgic listen.
John Grant
3/5
When this works it works quite well, it has gentle arrangements and his voice is soothing, it occasionally veers off into the weird but enough of it is centred around a simple but effective old-school pop sound. I'm staggered that this is from 2010, it sounds like 1977.
Wilco
3/5
It's nice and well put together but a little sleepy for my tastes without enough to break up the flow or tempo (except for the excellent I'm The Man Who Loves You). Just a solid 3.
Stephen Stills
4/5
This is fucking miles better than anything his mate Neil Young ever did, it's really good in places. Love the One You're With sounds like a 90s pop hit 25 years early, Church is a soaring uplifting ballad type, Go Back Home is bluesy, generally a really enjoyable listen.
Underworld
2/5
Not a favourite example of the genre. Too generic, doesn't dig into a particular area and really deliver something compelling or interesting; it doesn't tug at the emotions, it doesn't set you soaring, it doesn't make me feel. Music for elevators.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
The legendary.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Good but not very good. When it's on form it's punky, edgy, angry and with hammering guitars and drums, but it strays a bit away from it at times and that doesn't impress me. 3, solid enough.
Happy Mondays
1/5
Bad 80s, don't care that it's a deep cut from an influential act, it's crap.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Yeah this is really good, it has an authentic, enriching sound, it's genuine, it's thought-provoking, just a good listen. 4.
Rocket From The Crypt
4/5
This was a riot of a discovery, some good straight-down-the-pipe grunge punk, good guitar sound, good energy, singer is so-so but the music allows him to get away with it, bet they're great live. 4.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
Big 80s drums, generic pop stylings from a guy who was in his right era but doesn't need to be relevant 40 years later. This is weak.
Iron Maiden
5/5
Unbelievable quality, The Prisoner/22 Acacia Avenue/Number of the Beast/Run to the Hills is as good a four-song run as any album has ever had.
Mylo
2/5
El generico. Again, if you're doing electronica, do something that makes me feel, not that makes me think I'm in a lobby waiting for something or someone more interesting.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Fair introspective PSB stuff, not as boisterous or memorable as their best but a decent sound anyway. Still underrated, including in my own head.
Yes
2/5
Too long, overblown and indulging in bad traits. Not horrible but not good.
Morrissey
1/5
Morrissey remains a cunt.
Blondie
4/5
Debbie Harry is the bollocks. This is proper fun and packed with hits. Not the very best of its era but very much up there with them.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
I quited liked Bandwagonesque, it's not polished or really good but it does sound authentic and has hints of what some of the better parts of the genre would become later in the next 10-15 years. December is the best track.
Laibach
3/5
I read the notes before I listened to it and I wish I hadn't because it would have made it even funnier. Absolute piss take with 100% knowledge of what they're doing, amazing.
Sonic Youth
3/5
There's too much Sonic Youth on this list; I liked some more than the others but really they just find a middling 3/5 ground where there's a fuckton of fuzz and a wall of noise that initially captures the attention but doesn't really build on it or give you much variety to keep you engaged. A low 3 in this case, it was alright.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
This is some of the better Elvis Costello on the list, when it's at its best it bangs, and it's short enough to not have a great deal of filler. Pump It Up smashes it out of the park and gets us up to a 4/5.
Genesis
2/5
Pretty sure nobody actually likes Genesis. You tolerate them at best.
Steve Earle
2/5
Guitar Town doesn't even have Copperhead Road on it, so it's a disappointment from me. Title track is alright, the rest is fairly derivative and okay at best. 2/5.
Fishbone
3/5
Sounds like a hotel bar act that try to send everyone home happy by hitting all the right vibes and giving a little something to everyone, jacks of all trades. Question of Life is my favourite track, pretty fun, and I think they deserve a 3 for a bit of good time fun even if it's all a bit average overall.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Same as all the other Sonic Youth records except falls towards the lower end of the scale. Stop putting their entire back catalogue on the list.
The Verve
2/5
Urban Hymns was really good. This was not, it's just a bit boring and almost deliberately provocative to try to show how they're not defined by one record.
Motörhead
5/5
Outstanding live album. A lot of Motorhead songs can sound the same but the energy and rawness of their music is incredible. Bomber :bowdown::bowdown:
Boston
5/5
Just outstanding musical craftsmanship.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Sabbath did some great stuff and this album is good but not great, it has just too much 60-style influence in it for me to really enjoy, especially considering they released Paranoid less than a year later and that is a genuine all-timer. Still, good Sabbath is better than most other music.
Coupla good singles but fuck Bono.
The Black Crowes
4/5
Cracking listen, finds a great groove early and doesn't let up.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
This is far too long and has so much filler but it's rescued by a couple of the hits being absolute bops that stand the test of time. They can only do so much though, 3/5 because Kiedis is really a tough challenge to listen to at length and to really tolerate at all.
Kate Bush
1/5
Fuck off Kate Bush.
Prince
4/5
Some legendary stuff but a couple of songs not so good that see it fall short of a 5.
Elvis Presley
2/5
Elvis is pretty boring most of the time.
Van Halen
4/5
The highs here are great but it falls short in places.
Radiohead
2/5
I cannot abide Radiohead.
Amy Winehouse
2/5
Can't do Amy Winehouse. Crap.
Jeff Beck
4/5
Beck's Bolero is an all-timer. Masterful guitarist, even if this isn't his peak work, it's still a top listen.
Def Leppard
3/5
Not their best but fun enough.
Meat Loaf
5/5
One of the best ever.
5/5
Being someone who mostly remarks 'meh' to Bowie stuff, I'll make an exception for this, because to me it's clearly his best work, and certainly my favourite. I'm a sucker for a concept album that's part rock and part musical theatre and this holds up 50 years on, and then some, probably one of the best early examples on how to go about it. You have every style you want from a production like that, the storytelling is great, the musicianship solid, and you get a couple of the best rock tracks of all time, although Suffragette City often gets forgotten despite being among them. It squeaks a 5 because it's truly iconic even if there are a coupla tracks I care less about.
De La Soul
4/5
Quality.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
Okay, so three hours of Ella Fitzgerald is meant to be a great use of time, her voice is majestic and oozes personality and swagger and delicateness and everything else, and it works with so many styles and settings. There's just far too much content here, the distilled version is fine, if you're evaluating it off just that then you get a 4, but the fact the original and main item on the list is the full 3 hour slog means it gets docked a mark, because that's just too much of anything, however good she is.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Some of the best music ever written.
Dire Straits
4/5
A few top songs elevate this.
The Pogues
4/5
Big fan of the Dropkick Murphys so this is really up my street because it's the influence that laid the foundations for them. It's not outstanding, it doesn't reach the highest highs, but it's great storytelling and a generally good listen.
Beatles
3/5
For a noted Beatles sceptic like me, this is good, excellent in places and masterfully crafted. It's just not my sort of thing, it doesn't inspire me, it doesn't lift me. I want to like them but I just meh them.
Sonic Youth
4/5
I didn't expect this to impress me as much as it did. I love it, not sure how they remained a complete blind spot for me for so long given some of my listening habits but it'll teach me about presumptions, I'd just thought they were a bit too sludge and scuzz to appeal to me but it's just in the right spot to end up in my regular rotation. Not outstanding enough to get a 5 but a high 4.
Tears For Fears
2/5
Far, far too much 80s. Not my sound at all. Will give it a 2 because EWTRTW is okay.
The Slits
1/5
This is absolute crap.
The La's
2/5
Disappointing. There She Goes is a classic but the rest doesn't come close. The songs that follow it are better than the songs that precede it but I wanted more.
Paul McCartney
2/5
Sort of how I feel about The Beatles. I respect the artist and artistry but it doesn't do anything for me. It's also just not as good as anything The Beatles did.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
In the right mood and the right setting this is excellent, but it's very specific and I can't say it deserves higher than a 3 because of that.
The Fall
2/5
This did nothing for me. It's not good, it's not bad, it's just there and I didn't care. Pretty much how I've always felt about The Fall.
Queen
4/5
This one is probably where I'll go higher than everyone else because I do like Queen quite a lot, they're stupidly bombastic in lots of ways but part of that is their charm and what made them what they are, though I can never attribute that adjective to Freddie because he was anything other than empty in his showmanship and character. This'll never be a widely-loved album because it lacks their most famous work but it's a great sound and does some really interesting stuff.
Fugazi
3/5
Another classic band with a lo-fi sound that isn't entirely my thing, though I can see why it's popular and I enjoyed Merchanise and Blueprint quite a lot. Just doesn't go far enough down that route to hold my attention.
Tricky
1/5
Guff.
Pavement
2/5
Some decent guitar work saves it from being otherwise unremarkable and unmemorable.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Dusty Springfield is incredible, and an album of her singing incredible songs, covers or not, goes down very nicely.
Dion
4/5
This is actually quite good, a lot better than I reckoned going into it. Reading about it and some of the perceived production issues have me wondering how good it could've been in that regard but in terms of composition and storytelling, I enjoyed it.
Van Morrison
2/5
Pretty weak for Van Morrison, not a patch on his more famous work, his voice remains outstanding but the whole thing doesn't get very far as an album.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I'm not exactly a Dylan evangelist but this is excellent. The two bookend tracks probably just get it a 5 from me.
Fugees
3/5
It's good, obviously, and the well-know stuff is timeless. I think I just wanted that standard to be maintained throughout and it doesn't, but a very easy listen.
George Michael
3/5
Faith is brilliant as a single, but I preferred Listen Without Prejudice v1 when we had it a while ago, think that did his voice more justice and was a more refined than this 80s-heavy sound. A proper legend though.
Hot Chip
2/5
Nah, not for me. I like my dance music to be more towards the euphoric trance genre, not this approach. Not giving it a 1 because it's not objectively bad, just I don't like it.
Nick Drake
3/5
Quite a pretty sound for such sad content, and accomplished work even if not so much my thing.
Joan Baez
1/5
Goes on really far too long for someone with a really annoying voice. Also ruins a couple of classics, fuck off.
Bee Gees
1/5
What the actual fuck is this?
Alice Cooper
3/5
I kinda like Alice Cooper but this was a letdown because wtf were they going on about at times? His solo work is much much better than this, and it only gets a 3 because No More Mr Nice Guy is an all-time great tune and his vocals are strong enough to make it generally listenable.
Tom Waits
1/5
Yeah I'm not having this as music, fuck off.
Beatles
4/5
Same as all the other Beatles stuff, where I'd usually just stick it as an inoffensive 3, but it gets a 4 from me because of the strength of Come Together, Here Comes The Sun and Octopus's Garden.
Beyoncé
2/5
Like someone else said, I don't know how you can throw so much at an album and have it do pretty much nothing special? Beyonce at her big and bold best is magnificent but this doesn't get anywhere near to that.
Devendra Banhart
2/5
It's alright, he has an interesting voice and guitar chops, he just doesn't use them to make music I find appealing to listen to.
Living Colour
3/5
A decent listen but Desperate People is the only track that gets close to the quality of Cult of Personality, and CM Punk is a cunt so I can't like it as much as I want to.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
She is so, so good. Infinitely listenable.
4/5
Mad album. First three tracks are good, next four are less so, When I Touch You is a strong return to form and it runs quite well to the finish. Not what I was expecting but I enjoyed this muchly.
Jethro Tull
2/5
Yeah this isn't good, the title track and Locomotive Breath probably deserve the wider acclaim they get, but the rest of it is rubbish meandering prog that can't decide what it is or where it's going. Prog is rubbish.
LL Cool J
3/5
Another one that shows I seemingly prefer the East Coast sound to the West Coast. Some gems in here alongside some standard filler, Murdergram sounds great, and yeah some of this doesn't age well 30 years later but not quite as bad as some others from the same era.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
A friend of mine is a big jazz aficionado and thinks Bill Evans is brilliant. I can recognise this as good jazz but otherwise I don't enjoy it a lot; I previously gave a Coltrane album 5/5 but that's because I want my jazz to have some saxophone.
Happy Mondays
2/5
There are a couple of good songs on here but more that are really underwhelming, and reminds me that I was pretty selective about BritPop stuff for a reason. When it's good it's great, but there was loads of guff as well.
Missy Elliott
2/5
The best parts of this album are someone else's work; the production isn't hers, the cameos from Busta, Lil Kim and Aaliyah outshine her, and it's not really that listenable overall.
Ice T
1/5
Third hip-hop/RnB album in 5 days, and the weakest of the lot. Low-fi sound only works if you've got a strong flow and compelling storytelling and this doesn't. Has too many skits, basically an album trying to hide that it isn't very good.
The Cardigans
3/5
This is a pleasant listen right up to the point her voice becomes grating. It's just too high for too long and that's enough for me. Gets a 3 because the songs are fun and nicely crafted.
Dr. John
2/5
Just a bit of a waste of time, at least they're trying to do something, and it doesn't outstay its welcome. Not as bad as some of the other insane shit we've had.
Kanye West
1/5
Fuck this, I'm overlooking the 2-3 songs that sound good and giving this the lowest possible score because the man is a grotesque cunt who doesn't deserve attention. We've had a lot of much older albums in the genre where we excuse some of the content for being in less enlightened times. No way does he get the pass here, especially for the fact it's in every fucking song. Also probably the tipping point for him becoming a galactic self-obsessed arsehole.
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Yeah this is a bit of me, great groove, great vocals, top guitar.
Aerosmith
4/5
Yes please, all the silly OTT 80s hair rock in one place, timeless classic rock songs, full of energy and big crunching sound.
The Beta Band
1/5
Too dull, too esoteric, not my thing at all.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
See I preferred a lot of this to the Beatles, though it's very up and down. Title track, Mrs Vandebilt, Let Me Roll It are good. Jet, Bluebird are not.
Youssou N'Dour
2/5
Sounds nice enough but not worthy of a place on this list.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
The music here is alright, the vocals suck.
ABBA
4/5
This is strong stuff, the major hits are all classic and great listens, the stuff that was in Mamma Mia like Kissed The Teacher and Why Did It Have To Be Me? are just as worthy of acclaim, just let down by the rest of the album, they're very much filler material.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
This is really interesting but with some caveats; she has a nice voice but it's a bit grating over a long piece of work. The music behind it is delightful but in the context of the whole thing being quite reminiscent of musical theatre or a production of some kind. And that would be a pretty good vehicle for it, but I have no connection with it or a story to associate it with, so its impact is limited. Can only give it a 2 because I wouldn't listen again without something to give it meaning to.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
This is alright, not good, not bad, just happily existing in a bit of a time capsule, as it's very clearly turn-of-the-century female-fronted RnB with empowerment and societal issues pushed forward. Some of the beats are done well, Put Him Out is the standout track, it just could be better, and probably doesn't need to be on this list.
Nirvana
4/5
So I think Nirvana are one of the most overrated bands of all time BUT I can still say that this is a very good album, just not on the same seminal level a lot of people hold it in the highest of esteem for (and I get why that is). STTS is a good opener but I've heard it too often, though it does kick off a strong start. Come As You Are is a better song, then the rest of the album doesn't hit those standards. Lithium is okay, Something In The Way was done a lot better by Avatar, and oddly Territorial Pissings is quite good but doesn't get brought up as one of the better songs on here. I'll give it a 4 because it's better than a lot of stuff we've had but it's a low 4, not close to a 5.
Faust
1/5
An absolute nonsense really, there are some elements within the instrumental songs that sound cool but, given that's what you're aiming for from start to end, it doesn't deliver quality, it's just crap
Foo Fighters
3/5
I don't understand why this is here, it's not even close to their best work and there aren't a great deal of standout tracks. Even those that have become FF staples aren't memorable, this strikes me as the author being a bit 'did you listen to them way back when tho?' I'll give it a 3 because it's not bad and it's the Foos, but come on now.
Stan Getz
3/5
The last time we had a jazz album I said I wanted some sax, so here we are. Bossa Nova isn't really what I had in mind but it's enjoyable. I gave the last one a 3, this gets a 3 too, but if there's any more granularity this goes above it.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
One of the better albums in the genre we've had so far, great beats, atmospheric, passionate delivery and flow. A few lulls and unnecessary skits stop it getting a 4 but it's a high 3.
Cat Stevens
5/5
This is just delightful really, it's simple but has remarkable depth, compelling stories, memorable songs, and Father And Son is just one of the best songs of all time.
Metallica
3/5
I seem to say this a lot, but I don't quite 'get' Metallica. I think I missed what made them most resonant, although I like quite a bit of their stuff. This doesn't strike me as a must-listen though, there's their usual repetitive chugging which hasn't aged so well, and I've never really liked Hetfield's voice. That said, the good bits are pretty good, and metal is metal, so a 3 by default.
Saint Etienne
2/5
I'm not gonna say this is crap, because it's at least listenable, but it's neither good nor approaching anything I want to spend my time on.
Morrissey
1/5
Every song sounds basically the same form of dull monotonous crap from a complete wanker of a human. Never liked The Smiths or his style, this isn't for me at all.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
1/5
I like a bit of country/bluegrass. I don't like 2+ hours of it. Any quality is negated by the fact it goes on too long, sorry.
Fats Domino
5/5
Lovely stuff, loads of fun, oozes class, influences a load of stuff that came after it, a wonderful listen. How this is 65+ years old is genuinely astounding.
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
I'm sorry, this is just noise. The very few moments where something grabs your attention are massively outweighed by the rubbish. Like I've said before, if I want instrumental stuff, give me euphoric trance, or something that makes me feel something. This is neither of those things.
Mike Oldfield
2/5
Prog dressed up as instrumental experimentalism. Not as bad as most prog, saves it from a 1 because it has some curious moments, but enough of this fucking instrumental stuff please.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
A heavy, haunting listen. Incredible weight to the album, cathartic, intense, beautiful, and the minimal production punctuates it perfectly. I won't give it a 5 because I won't listen to it again but it's pretty close.
The Black Keys
3/5
I've heard a lot of this over the years but never all together. When it's good it's really good; the first 4-5 songs are very nice, but it loses its way with songs like The Only One and Too Afraid to Love You where the bluesy groove slips and they go into warbly pop mode. Means it only gets a 3, too hit and miss.
Solomon Burke
4/5
This is another good listen, not as good as the Fats Domino one we just had, but strong throughout and has a few different styles to mix it up.
The Magnetic Fields
2/5
It's almost impossible to try to appraise in the way we've been doing so because of the length and diversity of the content, and it really does come across at times as if the inspiration for putting this work together was to receive acclaim for exactly that, rather than because of the music. Some of the songs are really nice, some of them are pretty, some quirky, there's cross-genre stuff, there's stripped back stuff, there's a lot going on. The femle vocals are infinitely more tolerable than Merritt's (my favourite songs are those ones, No One Will Ever Love You, Come Back From San Francisco, Acoustic Guitar), which I find annoying most of the time, although it works on the most stripped back songs like The Book of Love and Meaningless and Nothing Matters When We're Dancing. If I was going to give this a 3 because of everything going on and settling in the middle, I'm dropping it to a 2 because it is far, far, far too long and doesn't hit enough highs to remotely justify it.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
Only reason I'm not giving this a 1 is because it would sound alright if you slapped a 140bpm beat over the top of it and called it euphoric trance. Without that, it's just Ross Geller playing the keyboard to everyone in Central Perk.
Raekwon
3/5
This is quite different to some of the breakout Wu-Tang stuff we've had, it's a more chilled and stripped-back beat for the most part, accomplished but not spectacular lyrical work, a bit too cinematic and listenable but not memorable.
5/5
A true no-skips album with some of the most memorable songs of its era on it. I'm one of those who prefer it to Definitely Maybe by some distance and even the so-called filler songs are tunes I enjoy. Big big sound, epic highs, it's quality.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
Another foreign-language song where the connection is really hard to establish; it has some nice sounding stuff and an undeniably great rhythm running through it, it's atmospheric and skilled but I can't really get on board with it because of that distance between me and understanding the content.
Drive-By Truckers
4/5
Pretty much right up my street. It's a curious and rather long journey through a lot of subjects but all framed around Lynyrd Skynyrd, and that's fine by me. It's the sort of southern rock sound I could happily listen to all day long as background radio music but it doesn't really stick with me enough to be truly memorable. That said, Zip City, Let There Be Rock, Shut Up And Get On The Plane and Greenville to Baton Rouge are all excellent, but the last song really misses, it's got the potential to be a terrific closer but the vocals just don't do it, and it goes on too long. I think it's probably a high 3 rather than a 4 but there are songs I'll definitely add to my rotation.
Suede
3/5
So while I prefer Coming Up, Dog Man Star is good, with lots of obvious parallels to Bowie (their voices are remarkably similar at times) and strong songs in all three singles released from the album. The 2 of Us is also good, but the rest don't land so well and, knowing what came next, I'm only gonna give this a 3, but a strong 3.
Moby
3/5
Feels like everyone knows most of these songs because half of them were on car adverts or TV shows over the years. Also a lot of the work isn't exactly his, or original, but it resulted in massive popularity, so I guess he's happy. I wouldn't willingly go back to listen to it now like I did when it was out and I was younger, but I'll give it a decent 3 because it's loads more listenable than some of the other electronica bollocks we've had.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Everything Must Go is an enjoyable listen, I'm one of those people who knows the Manics' big songs but not their albums or bigger body of work, so this was an enlightening listen, and they tick the boxes I want from most music in that it's loud and sung with feeling and passion and some fucking oomph. Might sound like a low bar to clear but many fail to; not JDB, that's for sure. I already knew ADFL, the title track, and Australia, and pretty much everything else on there was good except for Small Black Flowers, so this gets a good 4 from me.
Frank Black
2/5
No thanks. I really don't like his voice, I don't really like the Pixies anyway, and this doesn't do much to change my mind. It's too long and has far too many songs that are so unremarkable as to immediately be forgotten, and it only gets a 2 instead of a 1 because it's not definitely bad, I just don't want to listen to it.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Genesis were fucking shit, and So is INCREDIBLY 80s, although more accessible than anything Genesis did anyway. First two tracks are good, think everyone in the world knows Sledgehammer, but it falls off a cliff after that and struggles to get back anywhere close. Big Time tries with some party vibes and big backing singers and stuff to jazz it up but nah, not quite there, and everything after that is crap. A generous 2 because of the first two songs.
Neil Young
2/5
Yeah, Neil Young is Neil Young, and Harvest isn't a relevation in that regard. It sounds like pretty much everything else he's done and particularly similar to earlier efforts. This is lazy, I don't like his voice, and it's telling that he has to have a star-studded list of collaborators to try to elevate it. Even the supposedly seminal Heart Of Gold isn't great by any standard. He's a wannabe Bob Dylan who never ever ever got close to that quality of output. 2, and that's generous.
AC/DC
5/5
I gave Back in Black an easy 5/5 a while back in this list but I feel like I know Highway to Hell a little bit better than that, and I'm very tempted to go 5/5 again because it's just full of absolute quality no-skip tracks. Back in Black has four all-timers in Hells Bells, Shoot to Thrill, Back in Black and You Shook Me All Night Long, with a good supporting cast, while Highway To Hell might only have the title track as an all-timer but the rest of the album is probably higher in terms of overall consistency. Stuff like Shot Down In Flames and Get It Hot aren't among their best-known songs but have been some of my favourites for years. If I took it in isolation I'd give it 5/5 so I probably will, I've listened to it for ages, but Back In Black has the lasting headline prominence so I'm second guessing myself :D what a band anyway :bowdown: they put out those two albums in consecutive years :bowdown: and I enjoyed Brian Johnson as much as Bon Scott.
Portishead
2/5
I can't really get on with it. I'll echo what I've said about a load of previous albums we've had that fall in the electronica/experimental/weird genre, I find it hard to engage with unless there's a consistent drive and a power and a loudness to it, and this never gets to that point for me, although Machine Gun kind of teases it and is clearly my favourite track on the album for that reason. I can over look some of the weird shit on Silence, Plastic and We Carry on because it never becomes central to the music, just a curious experimentalism underpinning it all. I don't like Beth Gibbons' voice but I also don't hate it like some obnoxious vocals we've had, and there are a few times throughout this where if I metaphorically squint, I'm taken back to Origin Of Symmetry and Absolution and get vibes of songs like Endlessly or Ruled By Secrecy or Space Dementia, I think it's a mix of the haunting falsetto and the style of music reaching a crescendo that gets to that point, though I might just be chatting shit and have Muse on the brain right now. Anyway, I'll give it a 2 because it interested me enough to write this much but didn't make me like it enough to give it a 3.
Paul Simon
3/5
Never been a Simon and/or Garfunkel fan, and this is quite 80s as well so doesn't massively appeal, but I can recognise that it's quality musicianship, songs put together in a stylish and compelling way, everything just balanced right between emotions, production is great, nice and concise 41 minutes. I'll give it a 3 on balance because it's not appealing to me but I respect it.
The Mars Volta
2/5
Not my thing, and yes prog, but at least a more modern take on prog that has elements of stuff I want; it's loud, it's impassioned, it's creative, the drumming is excellent and deserves calling out for that, but I've really no idea what's going on most of the time and it doesn't make me care enough to want to find out. I see in a lot of the reviews that people say it takes a lot of listens to really get it, and that's cool if that's for you, but I'm not interested in that. It didn't make me want to turn it off at any point but that's quite a low bar, I'm giving it a 2 but it's a more tolerable 2 than a lot of things we've had.
Björk
2/5
Yeah I don't get her. Vulnicura sounds perfectly fine if a bit weird, there's just absolutely nothing there that appeals to me, she sounds like she's having a whale of a time but whatever creativity is on display is lost on me.
Syd Barrett
1/5
This is called The Madcap Laughs but there are no laughs. It's a self-indulgent stream of dirge that doesn't elicit any emotion from the listener and it's only on the list because of its place in the history of Pink Floyd. It's rubbish.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
In the Garden Of Eden by I.Ron Butterfly is basically only famous for the title track, which is almost half of the album and, despite it being a 36 minute album, a single 17 minute track makes it feel like it lasts longer :D I didn't really enjoy the psychedelic sound of the first 4 songs, I expect you had to...be there to get the most out of those. Are You Happy is more my think, and then the first 6 of 17 minutes are good before it loses its way with a pair of poor drum solos, some generic church organ, and a repetition of what we had at the start. Keep it at 6 minutes and it works, but you don't get the gimmicky factor that made it what it is. Plus we got a GOAT Simpsons moment out of it, so I'll give it a solid 2.
Charles Mingus
4/5
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady is one of the first jazz albums we've had that I can visualise a story in, that I can feel as being the soundtrack to a 50/60s black and white classic, that makes you feel. The big band contribution definitely works in its favour in that regard, the solo piano parts break it up really nicely, it's full of energy, it doesn't have much by way of unnecessary improvisational meandering, it's a nice 40 minutes, yeah this is really good and a 4 for me.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Water From An Ancient Well is a weird one. The first two tracks are really nice. The next few aren't. The Wedding is beautiful, Sameeda is decent. Lots of it doesn't feel like a jazz album either, but it's a decent listen. If I gave yesterday a 4 then this is probably a low 3.
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
So Heaux Tales isn't particularly remarkable, it's not bad but I think it has an inflated view of itself, albeit successfully as it's ended up on this list and been successful. It's like a wannabe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill but without any of the depth of lyric or content or worldly understanding (which is funny because Jazmine was 33 when she put this out, Lauryn was 23), the beats are passable but unrefined, there's the always unforgivable use of autotune at times, but there are a couple of really nice moments in there. Pick Up Your Feelings is excellent, also unsurprisingly the track with the most writers and production, and Girl Like Me finishes off in a similar vein. Probably a low 3 on a generous day.
CHVRCHES
4/5
I have never knowingly listened to Chvrches, just a general thing about a lot of modern well-known music that doesn't overlap with my tastes, but from The Bones Of What You Believe I feel like I've been missing out. This is great fun, it's pulsating, it's cute and whimsical, it's soaring, it's infectious, and it constantly makes me think of bits of other songs I've heard from all over the place over the years (the singer's voice is great and is also often uncannily similar to one or two female-fronted pop-punk bands I've enjoyed). Lots of times I wasn't immediately taken by a song early on but the way it's built to a bigger finish works well and clearly by design. Only real knocks I have on it that stop it getting more than a 4 are that a few tracks are generally not very memorable (especially the last three tracks), and they all sound somewhat similar, but very glad this was on the list for me to find.
Prince
2/5
I've enjoyed the two other Prince albums we've had but 1999 is not one of his better efforts. It incorporates a lot of bad 80s themes and sounds and doesn't lead anywhere near the sort of stuff I prefer from him. Couple of good tracks at the start, although I didn't like 1999 in 1999 and that was its third release, at least two too many. More misses than hits on this for me so probably a 2 since I didn't even particularly enjoy the hits, I'll just listen to Purple Rain and Sign O The Times for my Prince stuff thank you.
Eminem
4/5
I'm sort of conflicted on The Slim Shady LP because it's absolutely iconic, culturally huge, and has some outstanding work on it including maybe my favourite Eminem song in Rock Bottom, but trying to be objective, I definitely know I preferred the MMLP, and this also misses in some places. I'll get the bad out of the way first; the skits are all crap and always crap, Cum on Everybody might be the worst track on any Eminem album, I'm Shady and Bat Meets Evil are forgettable, My Fault is goofy and a waste of time. The rest is great though, you have that goofy Eminem (My Name Is, As The World Turns, Guilty Conscience, JDGAF), introspective Eminem (my favourite face of his, Rock Bottom is said favourite track, but If I Had and SDGAF are all top top pieces of work, full of heart and soul and pathos and as genuine as they come), and edgy/scary Eminem (97B&C), all of which mesh together on all of his best works in just the right harmony, but it does sometimes feel like he's at his best when he cuts out the goofy/scary stuff and just delivers from the heart. Hard to really criticise that though because he's made a legendary career out of the mix, some of the goofiest tracks are his most famous, and this is the album that started it all. Don't feel I could give it less than a 4 but I can't go 5 because MMLP is an automatic 5/5, and this falls short by comparison.
Simply Red
1/5
Simply Red's Picture Book is not good. At best, I'll begrudgingly admit that Heaven is a nice song but would be better with a vocalist who could fucking sing, which is where this album and pretty much all Simply Red stuff falls down. Hucknall's voice sucks, plus he's a prick, but I'm trying to be somewhat objective about this. I've never liked the two famous tracks off this, Money's Too Tight and Holding Back The Years; the latter is like something Spandau Ballet would've said no thanks to. It's also mixed really badly in places and has a lot of really bad 80s tropes in it just to make it worse. I'm not sure I can find a way not to give it 1/5 because it's just bad.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Red Headed Stranger is a very easy listen in terms of sound, but a sad tale of love and betrayal and murder. He has a voice you could listen to forever, the stripped back production is perfect, it's controlled, it's cool without trying to be, and it's beautiful storytelling. The title track is my favourite, though a few others come close, it's just not especially memorable or remarkable above the fact it's skilled and a very nice listen. Maybe 4, definitely 3, happy I listened to it.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
Logical Progression is alright, I don't like drum and bass as a general thing, and that's why I won't give this a high mark, because while all of the stuff outside of the dnb beats is nice and very much more my thing, they all lead back to a sound and beat that turns me off. In lots of places you can stick a set of headphones on me in a quiet room and let me chill to this and it'll be great, but as I've said before I want more of a trance sound than dnb, so it has diminishing returns. It's just fine as it is, though it goes on way too long, I'll give it a 2.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
Not a lot to say about Live at the Star Club, Hamburg that hasn't been said. It's full of explosive energy and timeless rock and roll songs performed with passion and everyone there is having a riot of a time. It's less than 23 minutes too! Shame JLL was one of the worst humans around, it taints the entire experience, but the music in isolation gets 4/5. Not a 5/5 because there are too many covers.
Talking Heads
2/5
Talking Heads 77 is too new wave for me. Some of the music hits a nice groove, there are decent elements of funk in there, but the vocals aren't my thing, never have been across the genre, and bring it down wholly. Just a style that's somewhere between nonchalant and whimsically ironic, no thanks. No Compassion probably the high point of an album I didn't mind listening to (First Week/Last Week also decent) just didn't enjoy. 2?
1/5
They Were Wrong, So We Drowned is atrocious. It has no redeeming features, it's apparently classified as noise rock but it's just noise, and not good noise, not interesting noise, not coherent noise, rambling nonsense lyrics from a vocalist who can't sing, I'm not really sure it should be classified as music. If you wanna piss around in the studio and produce stuff like this, knock yourselves out, but how it even got released let alone find a place on this list I don't know. Fuck off.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Talking with the Taxman About Poetry is a nice little listen. Billy Bragg is a remarkable lyricist, wordsmith and storyteller. He can't sing, but never gives you the illusion that he thinks he can, or that it detracts from what he's trying to do (whereas Liars yesterday clearly think they're doing something revolutionary while producing horseshit). The music is stripped back but delivers just enough to pair with the words while not overshadowing them, it all works quite well without being spectacular or superb or anything, just a good thought-provoking listen. The Warmest Room probably my favourite track.
Radiohead
3/5
In Rainbows. I've never been much of a Radiohead fan, their stuff just doesn't do it for me, although I think this gets a bit closer than their widely-agreed best works. That's not to say I really liked it; Bodysnatchers and Weird Fishes/Arpeggi are my favourite tracks, the rest are generally okay, interesting enough without moving me, House of Cards isn't any good though, nor is Videotape, and that makes for a disappointing end to the whole album. I dunno, their stuff never goes where I want it to go, and while I know the whole comparison between them and Muse was always ill-founded in the first place, Muse give me what I want from a falsetto-type vocal and some of the experimental touches on top of an alt rock foundation. Probably gets a 3 because it made me engage and there were all of those hints of stuff I want to like but nothing that really gets me to do so; it wasn't bad, objectionable or completely out of my tastes, so gets a middle of the road score.
The White Stripes
3/5
I'm conflicted about White Blood Cells because I both like it and I don't like it. First off to get it out of the way, The White Stripes have never been a particular favourite of mine, and Jack White's voice sort of grates, but they've turned out songs over the years I've enjoyed. This album is a proper hit and miss affair because it tries to be really bluesy and a bit of a 70s throwback in style and doesn't stick the landing there much beyond Offend In Every Way and Now Mary. It does a better job when it ventures into a heavier sound like Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground and I Can't Wait (and Aluminium except for the ridicuous drone laugh sound over the top of it that ruins it), and it has some utterly crap/forgettable stuff like Little Room and The Union Forever. I don't think it's a very well produced album either but I kinda get the sense that was the point, but not for me. It is at the very least a pretty interesting album, maybe one that can't quite make up its mind what it really wants to be, and probably therefore why I like some bits and dislike others.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness holds up incredibly well nearly 30(!) years later. It has a massive sound when it wants to be massive, it has a softer and more considered ballad side, it has a momentum about it in the first half, the drumming is excellent, it's very listenable and memorable overall. Negatives are that it's far far too long and that momentum from the first half is clearly lacking in the back half, and I've never really liked Corgan's vocals much, they grate quite considerably as we go along given the length of the album. I'll probably forgive that a bit, it's a high 3 or a low 4. Tonight, Tonight is such a fucking good track though I might just let it sit at a 4 because of that.
The Bees
2/5
Sunshine Hit Me but didn't make me feel warm. It's an easy background music style listen, could be playing in any bar or lounge or poolside in nice weather and you'd not be offended but also not nearly interested enough to Shazam it and find out who's made it. Most famous track is a cover that got some traction because it was in an advert, and it's not an especially good cover either, just fine. Fuck all people have listened to it on Spotify and it's more than 20 years old, I don't get why it's on the list. A solid old 2, not terrible, not great, not remotely memorable or interesting.
The Coral
3/5
The Coral has one incredible, timeless song, and then another half an hour of stuff that's just okay. I don't mind it, Skeleton Key is a riot and the next best track, everything else just fine. A low 3 because Dreaming of You is brilliant brilliant stuff and also the soundtrack to an iconic Scrubs moment.
Giant Sand
1/5
Chore of Enchantment is just a chore tbh. It tries to front itself as folk rock but it's miserable, uninviting, lacks creativity or poise, utterly boring. Nothing else to add.
Buzzcocks
3/5
Another Music in A Different Kitchen is class old school punk, less anarchic and more having a good time, full on energy, consistent groove throughout, very listenable. Sixteen, Fiction Romance, Oh Shit probably my favorite tracks, if there's a major criticism it's that a lot of songs sound very similar, and his voice isn't my favourite after that much similarity, but it's an easy 3 and maybe a low 4 on a given day.
Louis Prima
4/5
The Wildest! is a beautiful throwback sound, a joyous listen and there's wonderful camaraderie between everyone on the record. It's great occasion party music, big bang, swing sound, brass instruments and the lot, could also pass as a film soundtrack and indeed Prima was in the Jungle Book, quite the infectious character throughout this too. Made me smile, gets a 4.
Ian Dury
2/5
New Boots and Panties! is a strange old album. I didn't like Ian Dury and The Blockheads, new wave etc isn't for me, and this album certainly isn't that so it's immediately more accessible, but it's just wildly different from track to track and indulgent rather than esoteric. Some of it is good (Sweet Gene Vincent, Blockheads), some of it is really bad (seriously, Billericay Dickie ffs :D ends up being a shit Chas and Dave wannabe with some of the worst lyrics I've heard) and lots of it is just passable but to call it pub rock is a bit of a misnomer too, it's mostly undefinable. If you contrast it with Billy Bragg from a coupla weeks ago, it shows the different in quality, subtlety and nuance, Bragg streets ahead by comparison. Not sure I can give this more than a 2.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
Yay, more noise rock, which is absolutely a disguise for 'we're gonna do whatever the fuck we want, call it music, and release it with absolutely no shame'. This is at least better than that horseshit we had from Liars recently, but not by much. Mercifully they keep it short, and devote a good 20% of the record to the opening track Sweat Loaf, which is at least heavy and has a great riff (which they unfortunately overuse). Human Cannonball is also fine, maybe because it doesn't have many vocals, just a lot of screaming, and some inoffensive punk styling. The less said about the rest the better (although I'll highlight Kuntz as maybe the worst track we've had on more than 700 records); why this is one of the 1001 albums we must listen to I don't know, but I'm not sure anyone should've expected much at all from a band called Butthole Surfers.
T. Rex
4/5
Electric Warrior is a brilliantly tight and well-executed album, so much so that I can't really believe it was just their second record and that Marc Bolan was 23 when he was putting it together. Every song has a tight composition that delivers a groove and a vibe and a proper distinct sound; you know very quickly when you're listening to T-Rex and this is the album that defined that. No bad songs, a couple of quality ones (Mambo Sun, Monolith), and an all-timer in Get It On. Give it an easy 4 and enjoy.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Right, Beggars Banquet starts with my favourite Stones song, which isn't saying much as I don't get on with them, but Sympathy For The Devil ticks a lot of boxes. Then nothing else gets close and it's the same middle of the road inoffensive sound that I've never liked or disliked, it's just there. I've said the same for the countless albums we've already had from them; weirdly their new release last year has a few songs I do actually like although that might just be because they got a lot of run from Planet Rock and they seeped into my consciousness and likes that way. Anyway, this one peaks on track one, Street Fighting Man lifts it midway through after some rubbish (Dear Doctor is awful), and it sits in the middle of the road to the end. High 2/Low 3 just because of SFTD.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
Doggystyle has a place in music history for helping define the G Funk era, and that's really where this album shines. The sound and feel is incredible in that regard, it's instantly recognisable now but I can only imagine was transcendent when it came out, unlike much that had come before it except for The Chronic. Lyrically it's what you expect of hip-hop and rap lyrics, but the flow and dexterity is pretty high and it makes for a good if slightly samey listen. Who Am I? and Gin and Juice are the most known tracks for a reason; they're a class apart on the record, the rest of it is good enough to earn a 3 but nothing more. Said most of the time we've had this genre I prefer East Coast over West Coast sound and still stand by that, has more of a bite and a rawness to it, though I think Dre probably provides the majority of the exception to that rule.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Black Sabbath Vol 4 isn't my favourite Sabbath, not by a long shot, but any Sabbath is still better than most other music. It's heavy, driving metal with plenty of unique quirks that lift it beyond what a lot of other bands were doing in the same space in the 70s, and Ozzy's voice is unique and among the very best of the genre as always. Letdown is Changes, I've never liked the song, the reprisal he did with Kelly years later was fucking atrocious, the original simply bad and out of place on this album. Also, what the fuck is FX? Just a waste of two minutes. It gets a low 4 because everything else is top outside of those two tracks; Supernaut is outstanding, so is Under the Sun.
The Monkees
2/5
The Monkees are a bad Beatles imitation, albeit one who had a song in Daydream Believer that was every bit as good as anything the Beatles wrote. That's not on this album though, and so this is really just prosaic 60s pop that isn't at all memorable. Forget That Girl has a nice riff/hook but that's it, Sunny Girlfriend is jaunty and bouncy in welcome relief from a mid-record delve into psychedelia, and No Time might be the best song as it's straight up rock and roll, just nothing loads of others hadn't already done before them. Not sure it warrants more than a 2.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Holy fuck is this bad. Like the worst album we've had so far. Track 2 starts with 33 seconds of a drill being used in screeching fashion and I almost refused to carry on from there, genuinely angry at that point. It doesn't get better. One of the reviews says "Not bad background music except for it feeling like I was being shouted at by Hitler the entire time", I would've actually preferred that. Fuck off.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
This sits right between two genres I enjoy but was part of a genre I didn't do much. Punk was good, late 90s pop punk/ska punk was good, the late 80s/early 90s post-punk sound really didn't grab me in any sort of way and the result is that this album is listenable but feels like a tease of what might've been. It leaves behind good aspects of the punk scene (but revisits it with songs like Actual Condition) before it but also kind of does a good job of hinting at some of the pop-punk sound that would come along later (You're A Soldier sounds like some really early stuff from Less Than Jake without the horns). It's a long album but doesn't really feel like it, maybe because the middle part is strong with a good run from Visionary, She Floated Away and Bed of Nails. I'll give it a solid 3 because there's plenty to at least make me think here, never bored me, but didn't give me quite what I wanted.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Psychocandy is a decent enough listen but not quite for me, particularly the echoey vocals, I just don't like the style and struggle to make out a lot of what they're signing about. A shame really, because the energy and drive of the guitar is great, hugely atmospheric and epic in places, consistent but diverse enough that we don't end up with songs full of the same sound and an album full of identical songs. The whole experience comes together well in the way that they clearly wrote it to deliver, but it's the vocal side that doesn't let me really enjoy it. A solid 3.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Axis: Bold as Love isn't as good as Electric Ladyland, which earned a 5/5 from me, but it's still good. The start of the album is very offputting but you forget about it by track three, Spanish Castle Magic, which sounds quite like Crosstown Traffic to start with but quickly establishes both itself and the tone of the record. Little Wing is a favourite song of mine over generations but weirdly I think I prefer several covers to Hendrix's version, One Rainy Wish has such an authentic sound you can get lost in, and while the whole album is groovy, esoteric, psychedelically heavy, quirky and everything else you know and expect from the Jimi Hendrix Experience, it's short of top-end, eternally memorable songs. A low 4.
3/5
The Lexicon of Love is emphatically and unashamedly 80s. It's like Duran Duran, Phil Collins, Rick Astley, Spandau Ballet, Heaven 17 and anyone else, even some later Bowie, all thrown into a blender and you end up with something not quite any of those individually, but somehow they make it work as their own sound. I don't love it because it's SO 80s and new wavey that it'll never properly appeal but it is undeniably fun, has a great bouncy energy to it and songs that make you feel; Tears Are Not Enough and Valentine's Day are a terrific back to back punch and the second half of the track that follows, The Look of Love (Part One) is pretty iconic. I can't hate it, it's an easy 3, and if we've gonna have 80s pop on here I'd rather have this than many other albums.
Jamiroquai
3/5
Emergency on Planet Earth is a great sound, loads of fun, energy, groove, style and swagger, and a reminder that Jay Kay has a top voice and delivery for this stuff. Travelling Without Moving has all the hits and rightly deserves acclaim but this is superbly put together and is basically impossible not to get up and dance to. A high 3 because I don't really think any of it will stick with me in the same way the big singles that followed did, though there are reasons outside of quality for that (and the first three tracks on here are stellar), but this is a stylish album worthy of inclusion.
My parents love Rod Stewart/Faces so A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse was a familiar enough listen even if I'm not really up on specifics, except Stay With Me, a song I love. I got what I expected here, some standard rock and roll with gravelly vocals and a generally good old time. Love Lives Here and Too Bad are top songs outside of the big one, That's All You Need is a mixed bag to close it but the best parts of the song really hit for me, power, arrogance, fun, the lot. I liked this album for what it is, it's not pushing 4 or 5 territory but a good and nostalgic listen for an easy 3.
Ash
3/5
Good in places, not good enough throughout to really resonate, but I like the heavier stuff in the first half of the album; Lose Control, Goldfinger, I'd Give You Anything (my favourite track) are all right up my street. Girl From Mars is memorable as their big hit off the record, but I don't think the last 3-4 songs are very good and that leaves you ending on a disappointing note. Probably a high 2 or a low 3.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Rings Around The World is pretty interesting, not the sort of thing I lean towards in my listening habits and I probably won't go back to it, but it more than held my attention for the duration. It has a very polished yet very layered production, an epic and cinematic sort of sound, sort of like each song tells a story individually and collectively. I particularly enjoyed the run from Receptacle for the Respectable to Presidential Suite, which obviously has the famous Juxtapozed With U in it, but they all stand up to scrutiny. An easy 3, not a 4 because it's not my favourite stuff, but it's just really well put together.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
Nick Of Time is bland, bland soft rock/easy listening radio fayre; somehow Thing Called Love ends up on Planet Rock sometimes :D I knew that song very well but none of the others and I don't feel like my life has been improved by having this bestowed on me today. It is inoffensively, 2/5 bland.
Nina Simone
5/5
Well, here we go. Pound for pound, genre for genre, this is the best single voice we've had through 750+ albums; it's not a revelation that Nina Simone is an outstanding singer but fucking hell this is deep, emotional, personal, impassioned, rich, textured, layered and probably thousands of other adjectives too. There isn't a bad song on the record but there are some bloody good ones; Four Women is majestic and dominating, Break Down And Let It All Out is jaunty and ever so familiar while being original by itself, Wild Is The Wind is epic. Gonna give this a 5/5 because, while it's not gonna be a regular listen for me, it commanded my full attention, has depth of quality, and was intoxicating at its best moments.
Eminem
5/5
I said a few weeks ago when we had SSLP that I couldn't give it a 5 because the Marshall Mathers LP is 5/5 territory for me, and so it is. I know this album inside out, back to front, cover to cover and all that, listened to it back this morning just to see if it hit different, but this is the very best of Eminem in all of his personas and guises. It's him at his lyrical best - arguably nobody before or after him could match the level of dexterity, ingenuity, aggression and pathos - and it has strong collaborations and massive hits, so much so that I can forgive all the unnecessary skits and Remember Me, the only weak track on the album. The Way I Am and Marshall Mathers are among his very very best works, Amityville and Bitch Please II are incredibly underrated in the overall catalogue (particularly his last verse on Amityville), and as much as The Real Slim Shady is overplayed, it pretty much captures the artist and the era in 5 minutes perfectly. I do often wonder whether I should hold it in such reverence given a) the unpleasantness coursing through it and b) the Kim track, which is genuinely harrowing and chilling but also a somewhat impressive feat of song-making at the same time, but this was the soundtrack to mine and many others' year 2000 and it's every bit as impressive nearly 25 years later.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
Queens of the Stone Age is basically paint-by-numbers late 90s/early 00s mass produced rock, isn't it? Heavy on the fuzz, driving rhythm sections, random noodling improvisation, it's all listenable but very unpolished and inelegant, and most of the songs are indistinguishable from each other. I listened to the 2011 re-release and my favourite track wasn't even on the original (The Bronze) so dunno if that says anything. I'll give it a middling 3.
Brian Wilson
3/5
Brian Wilson Presents Smile is an album I don't really know how to evaluate. I get the story behind it and appreciate the incredible sentimental value it holds to fans of one of the most talented and accomplished groups ever, and there are places of real quality throughout as you'd expect of anything Beach Boys related, but it doesn't quite get me the way I think it gets people who were and are far more into them than I am. The entire production is meticulous and impressive, the layering of instruments and tones and textures, the voices themselves being as much an instrument as anything else, it all comes together into a magnificent sound that has atmosphere you can almost reach out and touch. I just think it's unnecessarily long and weird in places; it does whimsical well at times and entirely unnecessarily at others, like I could do without Barnyard, Vega-Tables and Mrs O'Leary's Cow right off my head. Again, I can forgive that as part of the project and the importance of it to Wilson, but if I don't care about the story and only the music then it doesn't fulfil me, and that's a flaw of this entire exercise we've pointed out before, that the true resonance of many reverential albums lies in the moment in time and the narrative/journey it took to get there and what came next. I'll sum this up by saying In Blue Hawaii was incredible, and I'll give the whole thing a 3 overall.
Mudhoney
2/5
I don't get it, it's a pleasant listen, Good Enough and Thorn in particular, has good energy and everything, but not remotely deserving of a place on this list. 2.
Tito Puente
3/5
Dance Mania is lively and fun and basically impossible not to want to dance to, you kind of expect that from Mambo anyway, and I'm not clued up enough to know whether this is truly a good example of the gentre except that it's on this list (not a given) and Tito Puente is a household name (probably makes it good). Better than a 2 but not good enough for a 4, but I have previous for Simpsons references giving the score a boost so an easy 3.
Meat Puppets
2/5
Meat Puppets II did nothing for me. It's just boring, not good, not bad, not really anything. Wasn't especially as described either, so at least that was momentarily interesting, but I can't understand why it's a must-listen. 2.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
I See A Darkness is quite beautiful at times really, even if it's not something that really grabs me musically because of how stripped back and vulnerable it is. It's a delicate sound that contrasts with the themes of the songs being so full of sadness and solemn. It's also very well-balanced to deliver that experience, like the guitar work in Another Day Full Of Dread is restrained and pulled back to fully tie in with the themes on the record. I'm not gonna listen to it back any time soon but I definitely respect it and appreciate that there are times where this'll resonate more with some people than others and it's very much mood-based in its composition, delivery and listening. Gets a 3 from me.
Television
2/5
Marquee Moon is alright, another one of those albums on this list that isn't bad, isn't notably good, it just is. None of the tracks do enough to separate themselves from each other except the title track, which only does so because it's more than 10 minutes in length and entirely unnecessarily so, which means I'm giving it a 2 rather than a 3. Guiding Light the best track on the record.
2/5
Wild Gift isn't for me, it's another one where every song sounds mostly the same, several shades of a palette that's too similar, and I've never really liked the lo-fi punk sound anyway. Shouldn't be on the list, 2.
Tim Buckley
1/5
Goodbye and Hello continues a bit of a meh run we've been on with a couple of decent interruptions; again, why is this on the list? It's a very 60s crooner sound by a guy who warbles rather than sings, and doesn't bring anything fresh or new or unique to the table. I'm pretty sure it's only on the list because he's Jeff Buckley's old man and, well, that can fuck off. 1.5 if I'm generous.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Too-Rye-Ay gets a 2 before anything else comes into play because Come On Eileen is one of the biggest bangers of all time but most of it doesn't reach me in the same way. Jackie Wilson Said is top, Show Me is lovely, as fun and wild and happy as those three are, don't do enough to get above a low 3 because the rest of the record is weak. It also has too many meandering, slow, pointless ballad-type songs which expose the poor vocals and I want more of the upbeat and bouncy stuff.
Ramones
3/5
Ramones is a easy 3 all day long. Doesn't fuck around, has very simple but effective rhythms, probably a bit too samey track to track, but mix it up just enough vocally to give them personality and make them memorable. They've become overrated in general because of the brand and because of Blitzkrieg Bop but this was half an hour of good energy.
John Cale
2/5
Paris 1919 isn't up to much. The first few songs are mostly miserable, then we get something really quite good in Macbeth, before by far and away the most recognisable song in the title track. Shame that's quite forgettable too, then we're into the closing few because thankfully the record doesn't outstay its welcome, and those last few songs aren't memorable either, although Half Past France does sound quite sweet at times. Think it scrapes a 2.
Tori Amos
3/5
It sometimes sounds like what Alanis Morrissette would sound like if she was into piano (and I guess it's to Tori Amos' credit that she preceded her), with plenty of ethereal weirdness and jauntiness thrown in for good measure, and there are times where it doesn't work and some where it really, truly and incredibly does. Winter is a brilliant, breathtaking song, and deserves all the acclaim it's ever had. China is written and performed in a very similar way and holds its own, and it's these two tracks that give the album strength and depth and leaves a lasting impression. Me And A Gun is a truly strange way to head towards the end of the album because it's so raw and so exposed, there's no place to hide, and while I didn't really like it, the voice talent is undeniable. A solid 3, because while there are soaring highs, there aren't enough of them and more middling stuff than anything else.
Kate Bush wishes she could've ever delivered something of this level btw.
Oasis
4/5
I said in January that I always preferred (What's the Story?) Morning Glory to Definitely Maybe, and I do, but that doesn't diminish a quality and historic album, and to produce a sound this big and this memorable with your debut effort is pretty staggering. Rock 'n' Roll Star, Live Forever, Supersonic, Bring It On Down and Cigarettes & Alcohol are all the epitome of Oasis, but Shakermaker, Columbia and Slide Away all have the hallmarks of stuff they had the versatility to pull out and would go on to be just as memorable for. I think a couple of weaker tracks in Up In The Sky, Digsy's Dinner and Married With Children stop it getting a 5, but it's the highest of 4s.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
The Message is a mad melting pot of different sounds, influences, themes and styles that it's hard to really evaluate it as a cohesive piece of work, so for me it's about what I enjoyed and what I didn't enjoy. I have to constantly remind myself that this was 1982 and so songs littered with sound effects I'd find on my Casio keyboard in the 90s and hammer childishly (MORE COWBELL!) were probably revolutionary back then, and you get tracks like Scorpio go mad on it. How you can then change pace to Dreamin' and You Are entirely two tracks later I dunno, but they're both at least interesting listens. Fuck knows really, I'll probably give it a safe 3.
Common
3/5
The only rap albums we've had in the last coupla months were by Eminem and Snoop so Common's Like Water For Chocolate probably had an unfortunately high bar to live up to, and it does a decent job without leaving a tremendously lasting impact on me. It's a decent mix of hiphop over some rnb/soul grooves at times, good production, a very smooth flow and feel throughout, just didn't have anything that leapt out at me and truly commanded my attention and made me want to listen to it again and again. 3.
Slipknot
3/5
I was never into metal or many of the offshoot variants around the time Slipknot came to prominence, and I didn't appreciate any of their work until a lot more recently, so this was an interesting listen as while I knew a few tracks, my favourite work of theirs came a bit later on Iowa, Vol 3 and All Hope Is Gone (and then latterly quite a bit of Corey Taylor's stuff). This particular album is a good listen and really hits its straps in the run from Liberate (my favourite track) to Only One, and delivers an authentic sound that wasn't really breaking through to the mainstream at the time and did so as much through its shock value presentation as anything else. The drumming is incredible and drives the whole production along, there's enough stuff that's more melodic to break up the grinding persistence of the metal, it's good while not great and set the foundations for better stuff that came after. A high 3 or a low 4.
Adele
5/5
Can't think there are many people in the world who haven't heard at least one song from 21 at some point since it was released, an insane level of fame and play from a single record and at its best it's brilliant. Set Fire to the Rain is an all-time classic, Someone Like You probably is too though I feel I've heard it far too much to feel that way, but all the singles are monsters in their own right. I really liked Take It All too, of the non-singles, but I feel like if 5 of your 11 tracks are that good and you turn out three historic songs on one record, it deserves a 5/5, allowing for a couple of songs that don't really do much.
Willie Nelson
2/5
We're back to albums that are perfectly fine without being memorable with Stardust. We had another Willie Nelson record recently and I don't remember that either, he's doubtless an illustrious and accomplished artist with a mellow voice and delivery and his productions are well balanced, but the only stuff that stays with me from this one are the songs I already knew from the original tracks or better covers. 2.
Skepta
2/5
I'm a white guy who's nearly 40 so grime is not especially my forte but I'm struggling to understand why Konnichiwa is on this list when, two months earlier, a much MUCH better album in Made in the Manor was released and that is not on this list to my knowledge. I don't think it's even a particularly strong grime album from other artists I've listened it, but it has more crossover appeal and I guess that's reflected in the accolades and awards it got. I hoped for/wanted a more raw, edgy sound, and the only songs that really gave me something like that were the obvious Shutdown (hence the expectation, I knew that before listening to the album) and Man. Think I can only go as high as a high 2 here, and now I'm gonna go listen to Kano because he's just better at this.
The Undertones
2/5
Hypnotised isn't good. It's not so bad as to warrant a 1 but it doesn't do anything special, remarkable, talented or memorable. We've had better examples of punk or pop from adjacent bands from the same era, and there are better left off here. It's so inexorably bland, the lowest of 2s.
Talk Talk
2/5
The Colour of Spring is interesting enough in places to make it stand out a bit but ultimately not enough to save it from falling into the pile of stuff from the 80s marked 'why is this here?'. Living In Another World is the best of the three most listened-to songs, but the track that I liked most was I Don't Believe In You, and even then the guitar work that elevates it near the end really comes across as a poor attempt to ape Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms from a year earlier. 2.
Suicide
1/5
Suicide is crap. Can't use electronica and synth to create driving anticipation in several tracks without ever kicking into another gear, there's no tempo change, no variety in how loud or soft the sound gets, just ends up being marginally better than something any of us could knock up on a kid's play keyboard. Shit 'vocals' too.
Gillian Welch
2/5
Time (The Revelator) is pleasant enough, stripped back production to accentuate the style and the voice, but another 2/5 piece of nothingness that doesn't belong on the list. Sixth album in a row where that's the case, the price to pay for having Adele right before that.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
Red Dirt Girl is musically more mature than yesterday's offering from a similar genre, and it's a nicer listen but not by much, still a 2/5 from me, though would be a higher 2. Her voice has more authenticity to it, even if I don't think it's technically better or anything. Get the feeling this album goes in and gets the acclaim as sort of an emeritus work, it's not close to outstanding by itself. The title track is nice though.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
The Atomic Mr Basie is an absolute riot, great jazz/big band sound with an INCREDIBLE walking bass driving every song along at every tempo you could want, but it's at its best when it's rollicking at speed and everyone's having fun. It's highly skilled and infinitely listenable, just not especially memorable for someone like me. It's a very easy 4.
The Smiths
1/5
Yeah, Meat Is Murder does little to convince me that The Smiths did anything more than produce miserable dirge, fronted by a dickhead, and I'd rather never listen to anything of theirs that isn't Panic, because I think every artist lucks out with at least one okay song over their careers even if they're fucking awful.
Nick Drake
3/5
I think I'll say the same about Five Leaves Left as I did about Bryter Layter, which is that it's a nice sound for such sad content, and clearly skilled, just not my thing. This is a better album than that one, not really a fan of his singing style, but the composition of the work underneath is just lovely. Easy and high 3.
Kraftwerk
2/5
I think I'm meant to like Autobahn more than I do. First things first, it's genuinely remarkable that this album is 50 (FIFTY) years old, the sound is so much newer than that and could only have been revolutionary in its time. I get that it's also been hugely influential too, and that has some weight, but the actual music doesn't give me what I want from this genre, which as I've mentioned before really needs some power, some acceleration in bpm and a lot more euphoria. We get that a bit here and there, most notably in Kometenmelodie 2, but it's a record that leaves me wanting a lot more than it gives me. Also Mitternacht is fucking awful. Probably a high 2, needed more from the back half of the album to get a 3 or higher.
Dolly Parton
4/5
We've had a few country albums recently, with Willie Nelson mingling in with female vocalists Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch, but Dolly Parton is the GOAT and shows why on Coat Of Many Colours. This is how it's done; it's timeless, warm and inviting, authentic and accessible, mixes love and heartbreak and sweetness and sadness all together, and all delivered in under half an hour. And what a voice; I'm very tempted to give it a 5 but I think it just falls short because a couple of tracks aren't quite as good (Early Morning Breeze especially). The title track and She Never Met A Man (She Didn't Like) are so good though.
Mercury Rev
2/5
Deserter's Songs starts well with Holes, and then nothing else is quite as good or interesting as that. It's all a bit wishy washy, the vocals generally don't do it for me, the...creative instrumental accents don't do it for me, and the rest of sort of just middle of the road alternative rock. 2.
Pentangle
1/5
Basket Of Light is crap, has no business being on here, isn't offensive but has no redeeming qualities. 1.
The xx
2/5
Lots of fans here but I See You isn't for me. Another one of those more indie pop albums that leaves me wanting something more substantial, and isn't really the sort of thing I'd choose to listen to. The girl's voice is good, the music is skilled but maybe not especially creative, and I can see why it appeals in certain situations or environments but it's not me. I much preferred CHVRCHES to this when we had them a while ago.
Echo And The Bunnymen
1/5
Porcupine is deeply 80s new wave/post punk in a way I've desperately disliked forever. It's just miserable really, doesn't do anything better than punk did, doesn't lead to anything particularly memorable at the end of that era, and mostly defined a time that was quite forgettable anyway. I'm glad Ian Broudie moved on from producing rubbish like this and did the Lightning Seeds, at least they were fun.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots is another one that isn't for me. The styling of indie rock mixed with experimental electronica to create this curious sci-fi type sound in places, and the rest being sort of dreamy weirdness, nah, just doesn't tick any boxes for me. Also they completely stole Fight Test off Cat Stevens and didn't improve it either, an inauspicious start in itself, but it didn't lead me to anything else I liked. Wikipedia's entry says "is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips"; it's not rock at all.
Tom Waits
1/5
I swear Bone Machine is some practical joke or listening experiment because it's not music, it's fucking awful. I then looked back at my previous reviews of Tom Waits and got "Yeah I'm not having this as music, fuck off." so I'm really not sure how this guy ever had a career.
Blur
3/5
Said it before, I always liked Oasis a lot more than Blur and so, while Parklife has some good stuff on it, it's also very hit and miss. Bank Holiday is the standout away from the two massive hits, Trouble In The Message Centre is good, but mostly I don't like Albarn's voice a lot, the second half of the album is nowhere near as good as the first, and the storytelling while accessible becomes a bit too deliberate in trying to be just that, like they're very consciously trying to be meaningful where Oasis never gave a fuck and were just stupidly basic and loud, which worked better. Probably a solid 3.
Beatles
4/5
I've said my piece on the Beatles every time we've had them here, and that's lots, so I won't really do it again. As far as Rubber Soul is concerned, I don't have it as good as Sgt Pepper or Abbey Road, but it's better than Revolver, Hard Day's Night and White Album for me. It's very skilled, it's got a creative and authentic sound and it's brilliantly produced. Nowhere Man, The Word, Girl and If I Needed Someone are all top songs I didn't know before this because I've never been a fan, but this is probably a low 4 if the two I had above it are high 4s.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Really not a Pink Floyd fan but I'll say that The Dark Side Of The Moon is the best piece of work of theirs I've heard. It has a really interesting sound throughout, has creativity in abundance, creates a remarkably atmospheric experience, and doesn't actually go on too long at all which is incredible for Pink Floyd. Didn't think much of the first four tracks but it then gets going with The Great Gig In The Sky, Money and Us And Them, which are all really good but the third of those is brilliant tbf. Stuff that has too many sci-fi influenced sounds like Any Colour You Like really don't do it for me though, just a stylistic choice I hate and also I don't think works so well even in the context of this album. I think it gets a 4, which I didn't think I'd be saying coming into this.
2/5
Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) is a pretty sad half an hour of country music about broken relationships and living in misery, which is bleak, but not exactly unique to the genre. Her voice is lovely and has the vulnerability needed for that sort of record but the rest of the music is pretty paint-by-numbers country and pales by comparison to the Dolly Parton album we had a fortnight ago. A high 2, probably, it's not memorable, but there are moments of quality in there.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
I listened to Let's Get It On and immediately fell pregnant. It is luxuriously smooth and his voice is incredible, it creates exactly the vibe it sets out to deliver and, while listening at lunchtime during a work day isn't the intended environment for enjoying it, it's an easy 4.
Paul Weller
2/5
Wild Wood doesn't deserve to be on here. It's bland stuff that thousands of other artists have done over decades, and just because it comes from a leading name in the industry doesn't make it any less bland. A boring low 2.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Born To Run is an absolute masterpiece to be honest. It's incredible that this is 50 years old next year, but when you create a timeless sound from stories that are simultaneously timeless themselves but also very much embedded in and defining an era, that's where the magic is. There's not a bad song on here, but there are some of the best of all time. The title track is an obvious highlight as a rollicking ride that was, I think, the inspiration for Bat Out Of Hell, there are so many similarities and I love both but this is the original and definitive.
The first two songs are beautiful tone setters, Backstreets is a terrific underrated track where the piano comes into its own and that pained vocal searing through, then Jungleland is an all-time top five single of mine (I can never really pick a definitive #1), I don't care that it's overproduced as a song or a record, it's stunning, evocative, emotional, restrained, pained, arrogant and everything else in between. Springsteen is music's best storyteller and this is his magnum opus. One of the easiest 5s I've given in this, might be the best of them all.
The Temptations
2/5
All Directions really misses for me, for an act that produced quite a lot of quality, it's lacking from this album. Almost a third of it is devoted to a really awkward cover of Papa Was a Rollin' Stone that doesn't work for me, and that's even before you get to the history behind its inclusion on the record. The other cover on there is delicate and stylish but also not better than the original or other takes. Only Mother Nature near the end really piqued my attention in a good way; a disappointing 2.
Peter Tosh
3/5
Some reggae can be a hard listen because it's often heavy, slow and repetitive, but Legalize It does a fair job of delivering something better than that. It's light when it needs to be, deep when required, and it's a nice overall listen. WHY MUST I CRY? and Ketchy Shuby are highlights, and it'd probably be a bit better if I was somewhere warm and sunny instead of cold and wet, and also if I partook. A decent 3.
Minor Threat
3/5
Out Of Step is a manic 20-minute ride of raw punk that has incredible energy and a decent sound, but I prefer the refinement and variety that came after it. Happy they kept it short, a low 3, I'd listen again casually, but not with a great amount of interest.
B.B. King
5/5
Ain't many better than BB King and Live At The Regal delivers some of the best blues sounds ever. The musicianship, the voice (my GOD the voice), the skill is off the charts, and the live environment lifts it because the folk in that room sound raucously excited to be there and to be seeing and hearing such quality, and so they should be. This is so good, I'm giving it a 5, it's 60 years old and as good as anything in the entire time in between, plus it's foundational and inspired a ridiculous number of genres and sub-genres since.
Marty Robbins
2/5
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs is twee as all hell, it's alright at times and forgettable at others, and the most interesting songs sound like inferior versions of stuff that Gene Pitney did a few years later that I far prefer. Give it a 2.
Wild Beasts
2/5
Two Dancers doesn't do much for me, more of that dream pop indie style that is too whimsical and repetitive to generate much interest, especially the vocals, they're not good imo. If I'm holding up CHVRCHES as an example of an act that does this sort of stuff and that did actually impress me, this doesn't come close, although We Still Got The Taste... was alright. 2.
Genesis
1/5
Selling England By The Pound is bad, bad prog. Genesis are fucking terrible anyway and this has all of the genre's worst indulgences by some of the most recognisable people to inflict such dirge on the world. The only thing that I took away from it is that I now know the song Richard Hammond particularly hates in many Top Gear episodes, so I can share his dismay. 1.
The Vines
3/5
Highly Evolved is good in places, average in others, never bad or annoying, but frustratingly inconsistent. You get a meh track followed by a good one and back and forth; Autumn Shade, Sunshinin, Get Free and Factory are good, the tracks between less so. There's strong lead guitar work on most tracks but the vocals miss more than they hit throughout, probably a low 3 overall.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Bob Dylan isn't my favourite, I've said it before, but Bringing It All Back Home is pleasant and interesting enough, has the right balance of playfulness and grit, has a couple of iconic tracks and also a few I didn't know but enjoyed, particularly Love Minus Zero. A high 3 or a low 4, he has a way of compelling you to give your attention to his sound, whether you properly enjoy it or not.
UB40
2/5
Signing Off is alright, don't think it's as good as the Peter Tosh record we had recently, but it has its moments. Has a decent sound underpinning everything but it goes off in some weird and random directions that are sometimes interesting but far more often just distracting and don't work in the song at all. Like the last third of Burden Of Shame is terrible, like a kid playing with sound effects on their Casio ffs, and while I like saxophone, it's overused throughout. Reefer Madness is a fun closer, wish they'd have done a bit more up-tempo stuff like this earlier on in the album. Give it a 2 and move on.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby is decent in places, I dig the heavier sound and could happily listen to it just casually, like if one of the songs came on the radio I'd enjoy it, but it is somewhat prosaic and paint-by-numbers of the genre and isn't good, important or memorable enough to be on the list. Another 2 but a higher 2.
Kings of Leon
2/5
Youth And Young Manhood doesn't do it for me. The music is quite generically bland for its intended style, the tempo and styling is repetitive, and the guy's voice is really really annoying, almost like a pastiche of the genre. It has good energy and isn't particularly bad, I just don't like it enough to give it any more than a 2. That era of The Stokes/The White Stripes/KoL/Arctic Monkeys/The Hives etc never delivered for me.
Peter Gabriel
1/5
Peter Gabriel 3 is shit. Peter Gabriel is shit, Genesis are shit, this has no redeeming features.
Korn
2/5
Despite enjoying some nu metal and generally lots of metal, Korn were never among my favourites, so Follow The Leader doesn't quite hit the right notes for me, but it's good enough in places. Like Freak On A Leash was massive because of the video but the song is pretty meh, but when they go heavier like they do on Dead Bodies Everywhere and BBK and My Gift To You I'm happier. The whole thing is too long and most of the tracks have too much of that weird low screechy hum in them somewhere that is most pronounced in the mix for FoaL and I find it distracting. No higher than a 2.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Femi Kuti is really fun actually, has a huge vibrancy about it, some fair variety in arrangement and sound, goes on a bit too long overall and I'm obviously quite disconnected from the intended audience, but I like it. 3.
The Auteurs
2/5
New Wave is unremarkable, not notably bad, not memorable, holds a tune but not much variety, singing fits their desired style but doesn't excite me, not worthy of a place on the list. 2.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
We've had two all-timers from Springsteen so Darkness On The Edge Of Town feels a slight climbdown from SUCH a high bar, but it's still quality. There is some obvious maturity in themes and styling from Born To Run prior to this but it works, and like I said, he's music's greatest ever storyteller. There's nothing that lifts it into the upper echelons of the most legendary tracks but every song is quality, Racing In The Street is the best of those, it's outstanding in every way, while Adam Raised A Cain, The Promised Land and the title track are all very good as well. It's a high 4 on the basis that Born To Run is the highest of 5s and Born In The USA is a lower 5.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Aretha is great, we know that, so I Never Loved A Man the Way I Love You was always going to deliver, and it does so from the first note of the first, most iconic song of hers, then doesn't let you down after. The only artist we've had so far who I'm confident has a better voice is Nina Simone but I'll be damned if she's not a very close second, she's the star of the show and the music is just along for the ride. Baby, Baby, Baby and Do Right Woman, Do Right Man deserve singling out for special praise too but this is another easy 5.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Sam Cooke is great too, and Live at the Harlem Club is a fun listen, great tunes, great energy, timeless and soulful and memorable and all of that. I think we've had better live albums that capture a more iconic moment and with greater showmanship, but an easy 4.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Happy Sad didn't make me feel anything, it's not offensive, it's just not good, it avoids a 1 on the basis that I didn't hate it.
The Birthday Party
1/5
Junkyard is offensively bad, apparently this is Nick Cave, who we've already had far too much of on this list, but this is by far and away his worst effort to be included. It tries to cover a few genres without doing any of them well, and I never want to listen to any of it again. 1.
Spacemen 3
2/5
I quite liked Playing With Fire, it's a mostly mellow and chill sound with enough diversity and changeup to keep it interesting. Sure, some of the tracks go on too long and too monotonously, but I think they do enough throughout to create a cool atmosphere that doesn't get tiresome or annoying. Doubtful as to whether it merits a place on the list but enjoyable in and of itself, high 2.
Roxy Music
2/5
For Your Pleasure is a mix of good glam rock and bad glam rock, other acts did the genre better and this isn't really them at their best selves either. The first couple of tracks are rubbish, then it gets better for a bit and Editions of You and In Every Dream Home A Heartache are enjoyable, but the back half/side two aren't up to much, like The Bogus Man is very bad. I never really get on with Bryan Ferry's voice either, and the whole thing doesn't deserve much better than a 2.
King Crimson
2/5
Yay, more fucking prog. Larks' Tongues In Aspic ain't for me, there are fleeting moments of interest but otherwise it indulges the worst aspects of prog too often, there's basically not enough rock in there to call it progressive rock, it's overblown, it tries to do too much, and it doesn't even tell a cohesive story (like I'm not a big Pink Floyd fan as I've said but I can at least get the story from their albums). Just a 2 again.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
1/5
Okay so maybe Oar isn't outright bad, it's just boring. Definitely as sad and depressing as advertised but we've had loads worse. Don't really want to give it any sort of a 2 because it's not good but yeah, happy that it didn't make me angry. Weighted Down (The Prison Song) is quite a good song tbf.
The Thrills
3/5
So Much For The City is relatively endearing at its best but quite average for the most part; when it's good, like the first four tracks or so, it reminds me a little of a less good Lightning Seeds, but it's nice and warm and a good listen. Doesn't keep that quality or feel throughout so a high 2 or a low 3.
Dead Kennedys
3/5
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is one of the better 80s punk albums we've had, better than the Ramones, and it's very easy to see the influence it had on bands for the next thirty years. It's not just your standard repetitive sound for 40 minutes, there's variety, there's subtlety, and there's a fuckton of energy. Chemical Warfare is a great track among those I didn't know, obviously the big tracks are all good, doesn't give me a huge lasting quality to get a 4 but a sound 3 for sure.
Donald Fagen
2/5
I don't like Steely Dan, therefore I don't like The Nightfly. It does nothing for me, it isn't horrible and we've had considerably worse, we've just had many, many, many better. A quick and forgettable 2, although I will say Ruby Baby was decent enough until he started singing.
Travis
3/5
The Man Who is really hit and miss; the singles are all pleasant and largely memorable, Turn in particular is a bit of a classic, and then As You Are is quite good too. The rest is a bit dreary and Fran Healy's voice grates the higher it goes; he's a more effective and interesting listen when he's in a lower register, otherwise it becomes a little warbly and pitchy and lost. The strength of the highs outweighs the annoyance of the lows, it's a high 3 I think.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
Bug certainly has its moments, it's got a good sound, that heavy/dirty style, big on the overdrive with enough in the bridge of most songs to keep it interesting, but the vocals are terrible and effectively make every song sound the same. More refinement and skill gets this a higher 3 or maybe 4 territory, but otherwise it's a low 3 because it could've been so much more.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Lust For Life is really good for a lot of the record, obviously a massive Bowie influence but I kinda prefer it to most of what I've heard of Bowie. The two massive songs are obviously great but there's quality throughout, Neighborhood Threat is intense and heartfelt, Sixteen is swaggering and youthful, Fall In Love With Me sounds like about 100 songs from the 2000s trying to imitate it, and on a record of just 9 songs it really annoys me that Turn Blue is SO fucking bad as it's really noticeable. A good 4 for me.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
Dunno how times I've said in here that Arctic Monkeys and bands of their ilk from the 00s never really landed with me, but it's probably a lot, so Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is far less for me than most of you. I know the hits, I didn't really know the rest, and there are some good tracks on there for sure. Fake Tales of San Francisco and Dancing Shoes are a strong pairing early in the album, Still Take You Home has a similar energy and From The Ritz...is decent towards the end. The bass work is stellar throughout, that deserves calling out, but yeah, I can respect the authenticity of it and understand that it really resonates with a demographic of people who felt it captured an era of their youth or early 20s, I was the same age as that audience but not the same sort of person so that combined with not being a great fan of the indie rock sound means I'll probably give this a 3. Plus Alex Turner really annoys me for some reason, dunno why, it's probably misplaced.
White Denim
3/5
D is another one of those albums that does a load of stuff throughout the entire record and within each song. It's never boring but not special and not really appealing to me, it's too proggy, although it is spectacularly well produced. A friend of mine is in an Indian Carnatic fusion band and a lot of it gives me similar vibes, just different geographic influences running through it. A lower 3 than yesterday's Arctic Monkeys offering.
Skunk Anansie
4/5
I feel like I've not really listened to Skunk Anansie as much as I should given I'm a big fan of female fronted rock; Halestorm, In This Moment, Dead Sara, Pretty Reckless, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Joan Jett, Heart, Interrupters, the list goes on and on, and I've been aware of Skunk Anansie here and there, but Post Orgasmic Chill was a really good listen and compels me to add them to my rotation a bit more, certainly their hard rock stuff anyway. Skin is an iconic vocalist, I also knew that from general awareness, but her voice is the star of this show. It's effortlessly passionate, raw, angry, determined, and memorable. The music itself is pretty standard late 90s/early 2000s stuff, a little hint of nu-metal sneaking in, and nothing particularly remarkable, but it's heavy and supports the voice properly. Tracy's Flaw is a brilliant song, I really liked Cheap Honesty a lot too, some of it just blends into background listening without leaving a mark but most songs have something that leaps out and grabs you for another listen. A strong and happily surprising 4.
Mike Ladd
2/5
I feel like Welcome To The Afterfuture isn't something I'm meant to get, obviously not a massive hip-hop thread but I've heard more than enough over my time to know what I like and what I don't, but most anything from the last decade just doesn't hit the spot, and this is more experimental by design and doesn't get that right either. The beats aren't as good as others have produced, there are too many electronica-based influences, the flow and lyrics are weak, most of the good bits are just imitations of someone who did it better and it's really just too low key for me to really enjoy. I guess a 2?
Sonic Youth
2/5
Last time we had a Sonic Youth record I said "I'd just thought they were a bit too sludge and scuzz to appeal to me", but I guess that one was the exception to the rule because what we had before that is basically what Sister is, which is nondescript noise rock that doesn't do anything to excite or innovate or deserve to be here. A weary 2.
Peter Frampton
3/5
Frampton Comes Alive! is nice and easy middle of the road 70s easy listening Dad rock, really. The live factor makes it a bit more interesting but we've had some spectacular live albums and this doesn't come close, it does however show him and his band off as accomplished musicians who are just about interesting enough to not outlast their stay. Wind Of Change maybe my favourite of the songs that aren't global hits because it's simple and stripped back and doesn't do anything with silly effects, which are otherwise a bit overused. Easy low 3.
Janis Joplin
4/5
Janis Joplin is so fucking good and Pearl is a brilliant album. She has a voice unlike pretty much anyone else in music history, she can do the lot and it would be enough for her to be the star of the show without even half-decent music behind her, but the music on this record is also stellar, songwriting is masterful, strong arrangements, quality guitar work, you bring in the pianos and organs and backing singers/choirs for emphasis at the back end of some songs to finish strong, it all works really well. But she's one of the greatest ever for a reason and she shows why on Cry Baby, A Woman Left Lonely, My Baby and Me and Bobby McGee in particular, though it feels unfair to leave out the rest of the songs (the a cappella Mercedes Benz obviously), her range, her styling, her full range of emotions from desperate to playful to seductive, it's all there. The only disappointment really was that Half Moon and Buried Alive In The Blues aren't as good as everything else on here, and it might just bring it down from a 5 into the highest of 4s, but damn if she didn't go too soon.
Pere Ubu
1/5
The Modern Dance is bad. Not as bad as some of the worst stuff we've had, but it's definitely not good, incomprehensible mumbled vocals, insufferable high-pitched screeching that sounds either like an animal in distress or some faulty machinery, and really nothing to take away from it other than the fact the bass player is talented and the production highlights their work. It's a 1 from me.
Talking Heads
2/5
Last time we had Talking Heads I said this: "Talking Heads 77 is too new wave for me. Some of the music hits a nice groove, there are decent elements of funk in there, but the vocals aren't my thing, never have been across the genre, and bring it down wholly. Just a style that's somewhere between nonchalant and whimsically ironic, no thanks." Remain In Light is the same, I don't need to say any more. Still a 2, still not something I want to listen to.
Beck
2/5
Yeah Guero is a bit dull really, isn't it? Throws in occasionally interesting hooks or beats that momentarily make you pay attention but otherwise it's just a bland piece of nothingness. Not even a very interesting singer either, 2.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
I enjoyed Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, it has big and bold production and beats that draw you in, and his flow and the stories he tells are a lot more evolved and accessible than a lot of classic hip hop, it's a lot more inviting while being authentic. There's a lot of good mixing of the stone of those stories too, some of them are vibrant and celebratory, then you have stuff like The Instrumental which goes in the other direction (and it had a very familiar sound to me, so when I found out Mike Shinoda produced it, that made a ton of sense) and Hurt Me Soul. Couple of good samples/covers thrown in for good measure too. From the time it was launched, it's fair to draw some parallels and suggest this is what Kanye West might sound like if he wasn't a massive massive cunt. High 3 or a low 4, it's just too long and the Outro track, for whatever it means to him, is best ignored.
Stereo MC's
3/5
Connected is decent in places, it has a very 90s style and vibrancy to it and some of it is very well known, it just gets a bit samey after a while. Still, it's interesting and a bit of fun so a solid enough 3.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room is just average country stuff, we've had some good and bad efforts from the genre, this is an easy 2 that is just okay listening and might be better for Tim driving through AZ today than it was for me on a dreary June morning in Hammersmith :D it's also not exactly the most progressive lyrically either, lots of older country stuff deals with some pretty bad themes but this one isn't one of the better efforts.
Nick Drake
3/5
Yay, more Nick Drake. Pink Moon is quite similar to the others we've had from him, it's a stripped back but skilled piece of composition filled with all the sadness and quiet desperation of someone who clearly struggled for a long time with a lot of problems. He had three albums and they're all on this list, I think we could've been just fine with one of them, as they're all much of a muchness, and all get a middling 3 from me. Things Behind The Sun is the best track on this record though, it's more rounded and lyrically engaging than the rest.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Are You Experienced is one of the most influential and transcendent albums of all time and one of the best we've had. Outrageous that this is a debut effort, it seamlessly pulls together all sorts of genres into a timeless sound, arrogant and swaggering at every turn, and you can still hear their work in music nearly sixty years after the fact, incredible. The mixing is pretty good too, I sometimes hear criticism about it because stereo mixing was quite new around this time and people struggle with some of the decisions, but it's hella immersive on headphones and does a fair job of reflecting the sort of atmosphere it was recorded in imo, just stuff coming at you from all directions and bringing it all together superbly. Easy, easy 5/5, a masterclass of rock guitar.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
The wiki notes for I'm Your Man say "the album marked Cohen's further move to a more modern sound, with many songs having a synthesizer-oriented production" and, while that's true, God it's cheesy. It's awfully 80s for late 80s, it's like a kid discovering all the possibilities and throwing them into all the songs, and it's only really his voice and some other small details that make this slightly listenable, like most of the songs do hold a tune and keep your attention. It's not good though, it's a 2.
Eurythmics
2/5
Sweet Dreams (are made of this) is another one that's just too 80s for me. Very capable musicians and skilled careers, a couple of very well known songs that stand the test of time, but otherwise a lot of stuff that didn't and that I don't care for, indulging some of the 80s sounds I disliked most. 2.
Green Day
4/5
Dookie isn't my favourite Green Day record, it's a bit early in their journey from my preferred sound but it's still excellent and has loads of great songs. It's pop punk at its real infancy, there's that immature sound that later becomes more nuanced and accessible, but this is punchy youthful energy with more quality than everyone else who was trying the same thing at the same time, and ever since. Longview and She are two of my favourite 'lesser known' GD songs, Basket Case is iconic forever, there are no bad songs on here but it's a 4/5 from me because there was much better to come and this set them on their way.
The Monks
2/5
Black Monk Time sounds like so much average 60s rock really, apparently it was quite different and interesting at the time but I don't really feel that 60 years on, it's got some good stuff, I liked the singer's style and voice which is a good mix of playful and belligerent, and I liked We Do Wie Du quite a bit, but it's mostly quite samey the whole way through and is a high 2, we've had loads better.
Culture Club
2/5
Apart from Karma Chameleon it's poor, it's not actually as bad as a lot of 80s stuff but that's because it doesn't try to be anything, it flirts with styles without being any of them, and tries to lean on Boy George's voice as a strength. That's fine, but his voice and style is shown up for being inferior to George Michael some years later, not their fault, but with 40 years of hindsight this isn't list-worthy. 2.
Coldcut
3/5
What's That Noise? is one of the better electronica-based albums we've had, it must've sounded fucking amazing at the time because 25 years later this still feels fresh and creative and varied. Has great fluidity, some cool vocal guest stars, it's just let down a bit by the length, makes some spells seem overly repetitive or last longer than they need to, if it was a tighter edit I'd maybe give it a 4 but otherwise it's a solid 3.
George Harrison
4/5
Right, two hours or not, All Things Must Pass is really good. I suppose it should be given who it is and the length giving more of a chance for quality to come through but most of it is genuinely excellent, and I preferred it to anything we've had from the Beatles themselves. There's a bigger feeling - that 'wall of sound' production really resonates with me and gives it a direction and an impetus I often felt missing in the Beatles work. Wah-Wah is a brilliant example of that but you can pick half a dozen songs that are just as good in that regard. Let It Down oozes power and control in perfect balance and is the sort of song artists were trying to imitate for the next 50 years, I Live For You has understated quality on the guitar and the sweet vocals match it so well, the title track is a standout, Art Of Dying rocks out, and it's just the last 25 minutes of improvisational indulgence that bring it down (as much as I liked Thanks For The Pepperoni, it's just not needed and the trio of tracks feel out of place with what preceded it). A high 4, surprised me a lot, didn't expect to enjoy it as I did.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Some of Seventh Tree is really nice and memorable, and some of it isn't. The second half of the album is much better than the first and has quality in A&E and Caravan Girl in particular, so you end up feeling positive about it rather than so many records that meander off to weak finishes. She has a beautiful voice, the ethereal dreaminess isn't overdone like some other work of the genre, doesn't reach any excellent heights but I'm happy to give this a 3, it made me feel good.
Janet Jackson
2/5
Rhythm Nation 1814 is big on social commentary but bad on music. So. Much. Snare. Just a load of generic sounds from an artist capable of so much better, just feels like she wanted a vehicle to be able to speak on things and didn't care as much about the music. 2.
American Music Club
2/5
California is bang average, listenable without doing anything especially skilled or memorable, the sort of stuff you could hear on generic radio or in random TV shows that accompanies a much more interesting story or journey. 2.
Arrested Development
2/5
3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of... is sort of like Janet Jackson from the other day, they set out wanting to deliver a message and the music becomes an afterthought. By 1992 hip-hop was already sounding quite different, layered and bigger than this, and although it's a fun and energetic sound it's also really stale and not interesting enough. Another meh 2 though it's better than Janet's effort.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
I think Exit Planet Dust and a lot of this sort of stuff depends on where you are/were when listening and what memories or feelings it evokes. Last time we had one of the Chemical Brothers' records I listened at the gym and it worked, today I listened shortly after getting some bad news and it didn't. It's creative and upbeat, it's not my favourite of the genre and I think Dig Your Own Hole was better, but this is probably still a 3.
Red Snapper
2/5
Our Aim Is To Satisfy is more electronic stuff but a more chill vibe, just ultimately quite boring and not as skilled as someone like Massive Attack. I didn't need to hear this before I die. 2.
Weather Report
2/5
Weather Report is our third instrumental album in a row, and it's also not very good. Sounds like so much cheesy 80s jazz that would soundtrack a shit movie with non-copyright audio. 2.
The Associates
1/5
Sulk brings a bad end to a bad week. Just really bad art synth new wave bollocks, some of the worst of that genre we've had, 1.
The Cure
1/5
Nah, Seventeen Seconds is crap too, miserable moody 80s shit with no redeeming qualities, awful vocals, the worst of the decade. 1 again.
Megadeth
3/5
Good to have some more metal on this list, and Peace Sells...But Who's Buying is baseline enjoyable, it's just maybe not a really good representation of the genre and deserving of a place on the list. Maybe that's just personal preference though, it's not really heavy, it's full of shredding solos to the point that they're overused and lose their sense of purpose, it's basically an indulgence into 'look what I can do!', and while it might've been one of the first albums to really push thrash as a style, loads of albums have come along since and done things a lot more skilfully. It's a solid to low 3, since I gave Slipknot's self-titled effort a higher 3 the last time we had some decent metal. That was 89 albums ago and the closest we've had since then is Korn, yet we're inundated with new wave bollocks.
Madness
2/5
I really wanted to like The Rise & Fall but it's really just Our House and then none of the other stuff that made Madness good or fun. It's too experimental, too morose in its delivery, camp but not camp enough to enjoy, and yeah, they have better work. 2. Also there's blackface on that album cover and I don't care to hear the explanation for why that happened.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Blood And Chocolate is alright, I've always liked Elvis Costello's voice and general style but none of it lasts, it's just a standard easy listen without giving me something to take away. Given that I use 2 for albums that disappointed me and 3 for ones I liked to varying degrees, it's a low 3, he's done better work than this.
Bobby Womack
3/5
The Poet is short and sweet, maybe just really cheesy and sweet, but it's a decent listen. Problem Womack has is that it all seems like a budget tribute effort to giants of the genre; his voice is good but not great, the grooves are slick but not legendary like his predecessors, his lyrics are passionate but lack depth, and calling himself The Poet doesn't sound tongue-in-cheek but a little arrogant by comparison. Just My Imagination is the best track, it's a solid 3, but when the backing singers and production are better than the artist, you're sort of limited as to how good it can be.
Sabu
2/5
Palo Congo starts well with the opening track but then quickly loses its way. Way too much bongo, way too repetitive, it's nearly 70 years old and it shows. Not really a fan of the genre anyway, it gets a low 2 because it's inoffensive, just not very good.
Throwing Muses
2/5
Throwing Muses continues a really meh run. It's neither good nor remarkable nor memorable, it's too indie and too pitchy, I've maybe been spoiled by much better female-fronted punk and/or rock, this doesn't do it for me. 2.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
More meh, Ocean Rain has a good first track and not a lot else, too much 80s, another 2, please save me from this meandering meh.
The KLF
3/5
I'll give The White Room a solid 3, it's got that more epic and trance style to it, which is right up my street in what I want from the genre. Not such a fan of the very 90s rap-style lyrical delivery but I could definitely chuck this onto a good set of headphones and zone out to this, good stuff. Last Train to Trancentral is great.
Django Django
2/5
Django Django is a bit too twee and dreamy for my tastes. It has a nice and comforting momentum underpinning the dreaminess, but ultimately it's music I can't do anything with and doesn't invoke any feelings in me. A high 2.
Boards of Canada
2/5
Nope, Music Has The Right To Children is not for me. Half of it sounds like the sort of interlude nonsense nu-metal bands chucked onto their 2000s albums to pad it out, and the other half sounds like what happens when robots have orgasms. Rescue from this run of disappointing 2s; this one's lucky to get a 2 at all.
Circle Jerks
2/5
Group Sex is like so many of those raw punk albums we've had or we know and, while it's short, it's too short to really be anything except an explosion of whatever it is they want to do, aggression, emotion, dunno, it doesn't really come across. Another 2.
David Bowie
3/5
The Next Day has some really good moments but obviously isn't a patch on the best Bowie work, which I've often said I wasn't a huge fan of in terms of style, but I recognise the skill. There's obviously a sentimental value to this after his heart attack and the comeback matters, The Stars (Are Out Tonight) is a magnificent song, there's the unmistakable Bowie passion and yearning coursing through it but it lacks his edge or flair, so it's really only a 3. There's a ton of his work on this list and certainly not all of them are must-listens; including this does the others a disservice.
Shack
2/5
I dunno why HMS Fable is on here (yeah it's another one of those albums). This was recorded in 1999, well after everyone was doing this sort of thing and being interesting with it, so their particular brand of underwhelming britpop-adjacent alt rock doesn't stick. Vocals are just there without really doing anything, music is unremarkable with efforts to elevate it with poor Oasis imitation riffs and stylings. I'll give it a 2 because it's listenable enough and Comedy is a good song, but really, did we need this?
The Icarus Line
2/5
Penance Soiree is quite annoying because it's really like 80% generic noise without structure or purpose, forgettable in an instant, with a few decent and interesting moments scattered throughout that tease that they were capable of doing something a lot better but not smart enough to realise that. Please save me from this, it's been three weeks since I gave a 4, this is another disappointing 2.
Brian Eno
1/5
Well Another Green World was crap. Not music. 1.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Back To Basics is an album of almosts and nearlys. It's good but too long, her voice is incredible but all too often brought down by the way she adds in woahs and ohs and ahs along the way (just grates on me), and while she tries to present herself in a different, rehabilitated and mature image showing deference to those that came before her, it feels really forced at times and not really natural or authentic. It's a very listenable 3 with some impressive highs but you feel a bit short changed because it doesn't realise its potential.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Every Picture Tells A Story disappointed me because Rod Stewart is great fun at his best, but this is Maggie May plus a bunch of average stuff where he strays too close to country and that doesn't work for him. I know his stuff well as my parents adore him and this is a poor effort saved by an all timer of a song. A high 2.
The Blue Nile
1/5
A Walk Across The Rooftops is rubbish, absolutely no time for any of this twaddle. 1.
Lambchop
2/5
Nixon is a really strange and unusual album, at its best it's properly groovy with great orchestral arrangements bringing a quality vibe, at its worst though it's like a poor Simply Red effort, and that is unacceptable. The good parts certainly aren't memorable enough to warrant a good score, but it was at least an interesting listen, if only from a 'wtf comes next?' perspective. An easy listening 2, which isn't so much of a compliment as it is a disappointment.
R.E.M.
3/5
I've never really enjoyed REM beyond a couple of obvious singles so Green was probably not going to excite me in the same way it might for some of you. There's no particular dislike, they're just there doing their thing and it doesn't really overlap with things I like, Michael Stipe is a fabulous lyricist who creates a great atmosphere with his voice and style but I guess I find that the music behind him doesn't get close to doing anything of the same quality. Much of this album does nothing to me, but it does finish very well, Hairshirt is cool, I Remember California is hauntingly beautiful, Untitled is a nice uplifting send-off. Those three tracks probably lift it to a low 3 from me and hopefully avoid your collective ire. Like what you like imo.
The Velvet Underground
1/5
Jeez, White Light/White Heat is definitely not for me, it actively annoyed me and/or made my head hurt at times, and the rest of it was pretty inaccessible with (deliberately) sparse production and a lack of coherent structure. The Gift as a spoken word song was crap, Here She Comes Now was a load of noise, and Sister Ray is stupidly overblown and genuinely terrible in places. I am not remotely the target audience for this sort of stuff, experimental in every way, but it can get in the bin as far as I'm concerned, a 1 from me, and I'll fight you about it too. Lou Reed was a cunt and I'll fight him as well, dead or alive.
N.E.R.D
3/5
Fly Or Die is good in places, less so in others, the front half of the album is much better than the second half and it feels like they were short of ideas the more they added to the album. It kinda felt like a continuation of what Prince was doing 15-20 years earlier but without the quality of evolution you'd like or want from that sort of thing. It's a 3 but I didn't enjoy it as much as I maybe hoped to.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Loveless is really just a big wall of noise, with awful or useless vocals, and there's not much else to say about it. It gets a two because the wall of noise does create a fairly epic sound on occasion, but it's not remarkable or memorable.
Cream
3/5
Cream are basically the quintessential 60s psychedelia rock but Disraeli Gears is just good (very good in places) without being great. Obviously it's quite self-indulgent because the entire genre is; at its best you have quality all-timers like Sunshine Of Your Love, Strange Brew and Tales of Brave Ulysees, and it's a pretty tight album overall despite that indulgence, it's all boxed off in quality grooves and guitar work. It's a high 3 or a low 4 because it doesn't last throughout the record, there's too much filler, but one of the better albums we've had recently.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Stand is enjoyable for the most part, some proper slick 60s soul and jazz grooves, peaking with the wonderful Everyday People. It just hit that quality throughout and, like so many albums from this era, loses itself up its own arse. Side One is good but could've been stronger, side two is one quality song then they clearly got bored and decided to stop and fuck to a 14-minute song. Fair play if that's what they wanna do, but it stops it being any more than a 3, but a good 3 that was quite influential in places.
Funkadelic
4/5
One Nation Under A Groove is the best album we've had in weeks. It's brilliantly fun funk, disco, good times, great guitar, quality bass, iconic and lasting. Only reason I'm not giving it a 5 is because it's a bit too long and suffers somewhat for it, but it's so creative and vibrant that you can't help but smile and groove along. A strong 4.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Hot Buttered Soul keeps up a strong mini-run with some effortlessly cool, silky smooth soul that is properly excellent at times. The main and only real drawback is that he gives up far too much time to talking or making random noises over music that isn't going anywhere, because when it does all come together, it's SO good. One Woman is the second-shortest track but the best by some way, a magical experience and composition, but it's then followed by a nearly 19-minute track :D which is a perfect example of the problem, the back 6-7 minutes are wonderful, but it doesn't need to take me so long to get there, the payoff doesn't justify that wait imo. It's also ridiculous that he had this sort of voice in his fucking 20s too :D just sounds like this world-wise grandpa with a rich velvety tone that a young person shouldn't be able to produce. I'll give it a 4 because the best bits are outstanding, and I'm not rating it off the Deluxe Edition that has an interview with him on it, no need to when it's not part of the original work.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
What's Going On is a masterpiece of storytelling, reflection, analysis, heartache, optimism, pessimism, a full spectrum of emotions delivered in a truly elegant and memorable composition. Every part of it delivers, one of the strongest and most important records we've had through this whole thing.
Joe Ely
2/5
Honky Tonk Masquerade is a disappointing end to a fairly good week, it's prosaic country with a bit more tempo to it, fun at times (Cornbread Moon, I'll Be Your Fool) but really it's not anything special (Fingernails is enjoyable too but it's a standard blues shuffle you've heard from hundreds of acts) and we've had better country or country-adjacent albums. Probably only a high 2, I don't care for it much.
Lenny Kravitz
1/5
Let Love Rule is not good. The main problem is that Lenny Kravitz can't sing, or couldn't at this point, and it starts on the second line of the first song. The music itself is pretty meh, not especially creative or interesting, but it's dragged down further by the vocals and it's not a enjoyable listen at all. Don't see how I can reach to a 2, it's so poor, not downright bad and offensive like other 1s (although it is lyrically quite empty too), just embarrassing.
The Beta Band
2/5
Heroes To Zeros is interminable twaddle. It's just boring, not bad, nothing for me, a low 2.
Jack White
3/5
I liked Blunderbuss more than most White Stripes stuff, which does absolutely nothing for me, but I still only found it good in places, not throughout. It has a personality and a little bit of playfulness, the piano is pretty good throughout, Weep Themselves To Sleep is the standout track but Trash Tongue Talker is a quality little throwback rock and roll sound too. It's a middling 3 but one that left me surprised that I liked it more than I was expecting to.
TV On The Radio
1/5
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes did not sound like something I'd enjoy from the write-ups and the genre, and so it proves. This is awful indulgent rubbish from people who have an over-inflated opinion of themselves as musicians. 1.
Soft Machine
2/5
Well I certainly battled it but Third does have its moments. Yeah it's too long and most of it is a waste of my time but the last third of both Slightly All The Time and Moon In June build to something fairly enjoyable. I have a bit of a natural bias towards the saxophone and it's welcome here as a jazz element to otherwise probably forgettable prog, let's call it a 2 and get on with the day.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
Ananda Shankar is alright, it's something of a novelty album in places because of the sitar versions of really famous songs, and they're cool but no improvement over the original, and the fact they were included on a debut record kinda shows that the rest of the original work was lacking in quality and needed that to grab everyone's attention (and tries to over-compensate with Sagar being so long). Rest of it is well-produced and it's a genre that's worth representing in this list, it's just below average filler, 2.
The Young Rascals
2/5
Groovin' is inoffensive 60s easy listening, fine for a Sunday morning, not good enough for the list, another 2. Won't remember it by this afternoon.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Yeah, Joan Armatrading is good in places but Love And Affection is excellent. She's Tracy Chapman before Tracy Chapman was Tracy Chapman, a compelling voice and lyricist, a solid 3 with some nice highs but not enough to elevate it further.
50 Cent
3/5
Get Rich or Die Tryin' is pretty hit and miss, especially for such a big and acclaimed album. It's very clear very early on that the songs produced by Eminem or Dre are better than the rest of the tracks, and they're also quite clearly a different style with a richer and more compelling sound, Back Down is probably the best example of it but it's just so obvious throughout. It lacks cohesion as a result, because every time it delivers something that sounds great, it's quickly followed by something that returns to a generic beat and monotone sound, because his rapping style doesn't have enough variety or unpredictability to it. A tighter overall delivery (16 tracks just under an hour on the main release without bonus tracks is a bit bloated) and a more considered production overall would get this a 4, but it's a 3 because it doesn't.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I really enjoyed It's Blitz! and I didn't expect to. Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of those bands I've heard of but never knowingly heard or sought out, but they immediately reminded me of a smaller/less known act I like called Rews, who I found supporting someone else a few years ago and added to my regular rotation, and also a few tracks from more recent Dead Sara music (their earlier stuff was heavier), who are one of my absolute favourite bands. This is really similar in style in places, an infectious and bubbly pop-rock energy with some quality atmospheric sounds. Zero, Skeletons, Runaway and Hysteric were really really good, everything else is solid, this is a good 4 for me.
PS listen to Dead Sara, because they're great.
Suede
3/5
Suede is the second Suede album on the list as far as I remember, but neither of them are Coming Up, which was my favourite. The first four tracks on here here bangers and easy 4 territory, everything else afterwards is a bit weaker by comparison (Sleeping Pills is the best of them, just over Metal Mickey) and a bit less interesting, so it's a 3 overall because it's on its way to being the stuff I really liked from them, but not there yet.
R.E.M.
3/5
I'll say the same about Automatic For The People as I did Green when we had REM three weeks ago, they're not my think beyond a certain point, they're fine, Stipe is the star of the show and creates the atmosphere with his voice and the lyrics over some relatively unambitious compositions. Green was a low 3, this gets a high 3 because of Everybody Hurts and the last two tracks; Nightswimming and Find the River are both excellent and elevate a record I maybe expected more from but didn't enjoy as much as I hoped.
The Streets
4/5
The Streets and A Grand Don't Come For Free are complicated for me because they definitely don't resonate in the same way as they do for lots of people. Conceptually this album isn't remarkable, the remarkable comes from the ability to take a mundane and somewhat silly story and make it incredibly relatable and accessible with brilliant lyrical creativity; it's a skill of a great storyteller to be able to do that, and it's something someone like Springsteen is universally revered for in making Americana come to life with vivid colour and depth. It doesn't have outstanding musicality; a lot of the beats are basic (which is fine, Skinner is the star of the show, they don't need to be), and the lyrics while creative struggle with structure and metre, though if you want to give him credit it's this that means you really have to focus and engage with the story, rather than just listen along casually. The basic beats approach is also shown up a bit by Blinded By The Lights and Fit But You Know It because those two tracks do something different, and it's probably no surprise that they were the two most successful off the record. I completely understand why this got such acclaim at the time of its release, such was its originality and freshness in a genre and industry that needed it, and it holds up in its own way 20 years later, but it's a long way from flawless despite its positives. I think a low 4 from me on the strengths outweighing the stuff I don't like.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
1/5
Come Find Yourself is rubbish really, a couple of interesting bits where they seem like they know what they're doing, but really it's a mess of stolen influences repeated in shoddy fashion, immature production and execution, doesn't really come together well, and features far too many of the worst tropes of late 90s music. Struggling to find a reason to push it into 2 territory.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Rage Against The Machine is great stuff, huge sound, angry, aggressive, impassioned, memorable and lasting riffs, thunderous bass driving the whole thing along, it's epic. The first seven tracks are outstanding, think it tails off slightly at the end, which probably stops it getting a 5, but it's the highest of 4s.
Roxy Music
3/5
Roxy Music is loads better than the last one of theirs we had; I found For Your Pleasure to be a pretty bad example of glam rock, while this isn't really glam rock for much of the album, and it's a lot more interesting for it. It's a lot more eclectic, apparently by design, replicating or taking the piss out of a lot of genres, but they manage to pull it off with some brilliant sounds tbf; If There Is Something is a brilliant Skynyd-esque riff-driven country rock song, Virginia Plain (on the US release, which is the Spotify version) comes off the back of that has a bit more driving 70s sound to it, sprinkling the glam into a proper rock and roll bassline, and even at the back end something like Sea Breezes is interesting enough to not outstay its welcome. There's a bit too much filler to give it a really high score (Bitters End isn't good, and although I like saxophone it's used too much in the wrong places throughout the record) but it's a high 3 or a low 4, happy to have listened to this.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Midnight Ride is sprightly 60s fayre, a familiar sound but quite polished in places, inconsistent in others, enjoyable enough for a middling 3 but forgettable quite quickly. Just like tens if not hundreds of bands who had the same sound at the same time for the same reasons.
Destiny's Child
3/5
Survivor makes a classic mistake in loading the front of the album with absolutely iconic songs that will be listenable for generations to come, and then not being able to follow it up with anything else nearly as good for the rest and majority of the album. Maybe a rich person's problem to have, because a lot of acts would dream of having one song as impactful as Independent Women Pt 1, Survivor or Bootylicious, so you can't knock them for it, but I guess spreading them throughout the hour-long record might've made it seem like a stronger piece of work, but Emotion is the only song that really delivers anything close to it later on and that's a cover. It has a high floor of a solid 3 because of those first three songs but I don't know that the rest of it pushes it up to a 4, even though the group and Beyoncé were elevated into superstardom off the strength of those songs. Anyway, it could've been a lot better, they showed their strengths and then didn't do enough of it.
Scritti Politti
2/5
Yeah Cupid & Psyche 85 is terribly 80s :D and not in a good way, it's a very dated sound, doesn't do any of the genre's better things, just sits there and doesn't achieve anything. Not annoyingly bad, not even average, it's a low 2.
Sebadoh
1/5
Bubble and Scrape starts off nicely enough with Soul And Fire, a decent indie style tune with some familiar sounds and elements that made me think of a dozen groups that came along later and did similar. Unfortunately, almost everything that comes after that is a mess of out of tune music, terrible singing, misused instruments, all thrown together and excused as lo-fi experimentalism. Happily Divided is the only tolerable song outside of the opener, this doesn't deserve any more than a 1.
Brian Eno
2/5
Brian Eno confounds me, we had some bad Roxy Music, some good Roxy Music, some bad solo stuff, and then My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts which I did not especially enjoy. It's not outright terrible, it's a sampling and ambient electronica album from well before it became a big thing but I don't think it does an especially good job of it and doesn't warrant a place on the list just because it was interesting or revolutionary at the time. It's a 2, there's not much I liked on here, but also not much I actively hated.
The Cult
4/5
It's actually not that often we get a hard rock album on here, which is a bit mad really, and so I'm happy to see Electric on here even if it's not my favourite album by The Cult; I very slightly prefer Sonic Temple that came just after this, it has the epic Fire Woman and Edie on it for starters. This is pretty good in itself though, with Lil' Devil and Love Removal Machine being the famous songs a lot of people will know, the rest of it is good, tight rock (except for a piss poor cover of Born To Be Wild), solid if unspectacular riffs and solos that don't extend into silliness, easily listenable any day of the week (I listen to Planet Rock most of most days and they're on regular rotation on there), an easy low 4 for me, it's punchy, fun and bursting with energy.
Pulp
4/5
This Is Hardcore is a fairly notable departure from Pulp's Britpop stylings, apparently very deliberately so, and what you get is a hugely impassioned, somewhat angry and hostile record, but one still full with Cocker's outstanding storytelling. None of it is properly outstanding (and it's a bit long) but all of it is enjoyable as a piece of work, the compositions are quality, I'm A Man is my favourite track but I didn't dislike anything. Darker than its precedessors, it's a 4 from me.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche is jaunty and uplifting in places but gets pretty tiring and samey pretty quickly. It doesn't need to be as long as it is either, it's a standard underwhelming 2, aside from the guy being a rapist sack of shit, but we've had our share of absolute cunts on this list already and there's always an effort to try to separate the art from the artist.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Shaft is a good listen but not as good as the Hayes album we had a few weeks ago. I'm not really a fan of soundtracks being on this list, especially when, as good as this might be, it's not nearly as good as it being in context with the film. Probably lands as a 3 because there are some quality grooves in there, but a lot of film filler, not enough of Hayes' voice which is ordinarily the star of the show, and it's mostly in here because it was part of the film, not the main feature.
Robbie Williams
3/5
So yeah, Life Thru A Lens is a smaller guilty pleasure than his follow-up, which is excellent tbf, but this is a good pop album. The singles do all the heavy lifting and they're outstanding, but the weakness is in the rest of the album, they're basically all fillers and instantly forgettable. On I've Been Expecting You, the singles are a half-step below the ones on this record, but the rest stands up to closer scrutiny (Phoenix from the Flames is one of his best songs period). It gets a standard 3 because the singles are properly iconic and enjoyable, but IBEY would get a 4 if it was on here.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
So decent blues is better than no blues but The Healer is only average really, it's a perfectly ordinary listen that struggles to come together well because it's so collaborative. Every guest on a track gets the style slanted towards them and it doesn't work as an album, especially when JLH's own work isn't special by any means. The track with George Thorogood was my favourite as I've long been a fan of his, but there's better blues out there and it's still annoying there's no Gary Moore on this list. A low 3.
Cowboy Junkies
2/5
The Trinity Session is okay but it tries to be intimate and low-key without doing enough to properly invite you in and make you feel, so it just comes across as pretty boring for the most part. If you're going to strip it back and expose yourselves you need to have a singular trait rip through the shrouded darkness, be it angst, passion, pain, seduction, sarcasm, anything, and this lacks it, she has a nice voice but they try to sell it as ethereal and it sort of just meanders along and doesn't get anywhere that interests me, so it's a high 2.
Adele
2/5
25 is nowhere near as good as 21, but it's kind of impossible to be that good, so it was always gonna be a challenge as a follow-up. It comes across as an attempt to be more mature without actually having the depth to pull it off, and it's mostly boring, losing all of the edge and passion and fire that 21 had in favour of bland cllches and vagueness, it's pretend nostalgia wrapped up in overproduction. Hello and Love In The Dark are the only decent songs, a disappointing 2, doesn't do enough to lift it to a 3.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
Darkdancer is really cheesy for the most part, sounds like it was recorded 15 years earlier than it actually was, and that's not a good thing. Often seems like a pisstake of 80s synth electronica, but I dunno if that's giving it too much credit. Hypnotise was the only track I really liked, the rest was a load of meh, 2/5.
Kelela
2/5
Take Me Apart is massively overproduced, which detracts from Kelela's voice, and that's a poor decision. The whole thing is a bit too whimsical and dreamy to really grab me, it's a dull 2.
KISS
2/5
I know I'm hardly meant to but I can't take KISS seriously. They're also a 'play the hits' band and albums like Destroyer just don't work for them as their less famous stuff is not as good, and there are some genuinely terrible efforts on here where they try to stray too far away from the big stadium sound that made them famous. Detroit Rock City and Shout It Out Loud are good, Beth is decidedly not, don't try ballads lads, they're not your thing. A disappointing 2, KISS are the example of a band that should be right up my street but they're just not, because they've got no depth to them.
Cee Lo Green
2/5
Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine but he's not particularly good. This is a massively over-produced album that seems desperate to hide the main attraction's voice or skill or personalisation, which is an interesting way to go about things (they hide his voice because it's really annoying). All in together it creates something that is at least listenable, but not especially enjoyable, and there's no soul in it. 2.
Duke Ellington
4/5
Ellington at Newport is more of the same sort of jazz we've had a few times, iconic and revered in its own right, harder to appreciate at times for my ear though I do like jazz, and very fun to listen to for a lot of it. It doesn't actually sound like a live performance for much of it, I think it lacks some showmanship in that regard, but the work is impressive enough and remarkable for nearly 70 years ago. Could happily listen to this any time, a low 4.
Jane Weaver
2/5
Modern Kosmology is a bit boring, it's too dreamy and whimsical for me, her voice is okay but doesn't have enough dynamism to excite, it's not bad, it's just not good, 2.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
The Sun Rises In The East is decent, not something that properly grabs me but the beats are fucking stellar, they've not overly complicated or showy or anything but they stand up strong and make most of the album a good listen. His style is pretty methodical but not in the boring way like 50 Cent was recently, it's just matter of fact, lacks flair but works fairly well with the overall production. A solid 3.
The Sugarcubes
3/5
I prefer Life's Too Good to pretty much anything Bjork did as a solo artist afterwards, this isn't spectacular but it's got enough about it to keep me interested and manages to deliver an authentic sound even though that wasn't apparently the intention. Mama is my favourite song off the album, easy 3, haunting and aggressive, makes the later 80s-style alt rock sound interesting.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Darklands is much like the last offering we had from TJAMC, where I said it's hugely atmospheric and has some impressive guitar work and composition, but I can't get on with the vocals. Think this is better than Psychocandy but it's still a shade of 3.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Neon Bible, like all Arcade Fire, just ain't for me. Not a sound I appreciate or enjoy, I get a sense of the atmosphere and performance they're trying to get across, but it bores the shit out of me. A 2 based on that, they've never ever been my thing.
1/5
The first half of Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman is absolutely disastrous, it's like a drum and a saxophone are having a fight but really only in the style of Peter Griffin vs Ernie the Giant Chicken, and it's just the most awful impossible to listen to shit on this list, legitimately painful. The back half is a little more tolerable as it gets away from the assault on the senses just enough to offer some melody and tunefulness, but it's still not very good. A 1 and one of the lowest 1s I could possibly give.
The Byrds
2/5
Yeah The Notorious Byrd Brothers does nothing for me, it's boring paint by numbers 60s psychedelic-folk stuff that meander forever and offers little excitement. 2.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Thriller is obviously massive but to me it has three incredible songs and then some that are somewhere between good and terrible (Paul McCartney is definitely not needed :D ). I think the strength of Thriller, Billie Jean and Beat It plus the quality of production are enough to get this to a 4 by itself but the rest of it doesn't come close and can't get into the sort of 5 territory something iconic like this challenges you to grade it as.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
Yeah I'm not having Trout Mask Replica as a serious album. It's terrible for like 95% of the time, it occasionally gets okay (Moonlight on Vermont is tolerable) but this is mostly unlistenable and goes on for fucking ages. I can see there's a quirky nature to it that appeals to a certain audience but it certainly isn't me. 1.
The Saints
3/5
I enjoyed Eternally Yours more than I expected, it's a more polished punk sound than a lot of stuff from this era and the horn section definitely goes down well with me when used, I've always enjoyed ska-punk and adjacent genres. It's not flawless, the bookends of the album are weaker than the middle, but the run through the middle is really good and No, Your Product is a genuinely brilliant song that sounds 25 years ahead of its time. Think it's a high 3 on balance but there's quite a bit of good stuff on here and a coupla tracks I'd definitely go back to regularly.
Aimee Mann
3/5
Whatever is a little bit better than whatever, but not much. It's like a less good Sheryl Crow, and Sheryl Crow was only occasionally good. Aimee's voice is fine but overproduced, the lyrics are fine if predictable, it's all an average low 3 and is only on this list because Elvis Costello liked it.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Dream pop or any of the Cocteau Twins' stylings don't really appeal to me, so Treasure doesn't resonate as much as it will for others. A lot of it sounds really similar to my ear, the lyrics are deliberately incomprehensible but I'm not really interested in that, and while it occasionally hits the right sort of notes to build a massive epic sound like on Lorelei, it's a) not often enough and b) still not really what I enjoy. Always sounds like the sort of stuff that soundtracks something more interesting in tv or film than something that stands on its own merits, always find that quite telling. Just a 2 from me.
Gram Parsons
2/5
Grievous Angel is pretty average country for the most part, interspersed with some standard rock and roll that does lift the mood and tempo, that's welcome, and it gains positive marks from including Emmylou Harris as well. Raises it to a high 2, not bad, not great, not memorable but a fair enough listen for the half hour or so it lasted.
The Libertines
1/5
Pete Doherty was (is?) a colossal dickhead, and I have enormous sympathy with addicts, but the man has always been a tosser of the highest order even when sober. The Libertines were shit when this came out and it hasn't aged any better, it's crap indie rock brought down to an even lower level by their inability to construct anything original, dynamic or refined. Fuck off with your 1/5 and don't bother me again.
SZA
2/5
I can't get on board with Ctrl, it sounds too generic to interest me, doesn't come close to the quality or depth of the genre from 10 or 20 years ago, it's pretty shallow and I continue to dislike the modern production of music and the heavy heavy use of autotune. Dull as fuck 2.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I've often been guilty of looking down on Pet Shop Boys because they carry this perception of being quite cheesy and cliched, and some of that's true, but I enjoyed Very to be fair to them. The whole thing exists mostly in a minor key so you have this melancholy, downbeat vibe running through it and that works pretty perfectly with their synth-heavy production, but for 1993 this lays quite a bit of groundwork for some of the pop and trance that came along a few years later, almost every song has a fragment or section that you can identify another song through. The best example of that is how similar To Speak Is A Sin sounds to Robbie Williams' No Regrets, so of course it's no surprise to learn Neil Tennant was involved in both songs, and there's also a lot that sounds like prime era Lightning Seeds, especially on vocals. It's not outstanding, don't get me wrong, but it's worthy of a solid 3, it creates a compelling atmosphere and sound.
Madonna
2/5
Music is not a good album despite its pretentious ideas to the contrary. For starters it's a weird collection of styles that don't work together, all copycats of late 90s stuff Madonna clearly thought she could use to reinvent herself. Some very generic pop, some piss poor efforts at introducing trance/europop sounds, some embarrassing country-adjacent bits and wtf was she doing with autotune? None of it is cohesive, it's lyrically empty (What It Feels Like For A Girl is *bad*), a couple of songs are passable (Music and Amazing) so it's not downright bad, but the cover of American Pie should have her in The Hague. A low 2 because it didn't disgust me enough to turn it off early and give it a 1.
Beck
2/5
Anyway Odelay is as dull as Guero was to me when it came up in June, it's pretty boring stoner music, trying a bunch of stuff that doesn't work in isolation or together, mumbled vocals, just a rubbish 2 that'll never appeal to me.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
I was a bit disappointed by Fulfillingness' First Finale because you can rightly expect great things from Stevie Wonder and quite a bit of this doesn't deliver, it's solid to good but doesn't really get to the heights he's capable of. The back end of the album is really good though, the last four tracks are so much better than those that preceded it, It Ain't No Use and Please Don't Go are the best of those and get me up to a high 3. I've also mentioned this a few times but the work rate from artists in the 60s and 70s was mad :D this was his 17th album in 12 years.
Calexico
3/5
I liked parts of Feast Of Wire, the first song sounded quite similar to some of the more recent Dropkick Murphys efforts to reinvent Woody Guthrie's music, there's some latin-adjacent stuff that leaps out of the speakers, and the other stuff is decent and tells a story even if they lose me a bit when it gets too dreamy. Nice 3.
John Prine
3/5
John Prine isn't remarkable from a music perspective, it's really understated and stripped back simple country, but he's a wonderful lyricist and storyteller with a sweetly captivating voice to sell it. It gets a nice high 3 because it was a good listen, had some moments of promise when it breaks out of its shell like Pretty Good and Angel from Montgomery, not enough of those moments to go higher but a decent album.
M.I.A.
3/5
Arular was decent, catchy hooks and some decent vibes with a nice run of songs from Amazon to URAQT but ultimately the lyrics (as much as they can be called lyrics) are ultra repetitive to the point it's annoying, and heavily staccato in style which I don't like much. A solid 3 anyway, it's not bad.
Brian Eno
2/5
There's not much to say about Ambient 1/Music For Airports is there? :D It does what it says on the tin and achieves his goal, I wouldn't pay attention listing to it because I'm not meant to, in the right setting it delivers perfectly but this is an exercise into what I like, not whether the artist's intentions hit the spot, so I'm giving it a 2 as it's neither good nor bad, it just is.
Alice Cooper
4/5
If you only know School's Out from this record then the rest is gonna surprise you, because it's really a swaggering, arrogant broadway/west end show with a bluesy glam rock foundation, and it rocks. Everything on side one is brilliant after the title reack, Blue Turk being the highlight, side two/the back half isn't quite as good but this is a quality album that's getting a strong 4 from me, it's ambitious, fun, weird and well crafted.
Harry Nilsson
2/5
Nilsson Schmilsson, Meh Schmeh. Nice voice, clean arrangements, has a certain appeal but could've done a whole lot more with what he has than this. Coconut is quirky but doesn't fit the rest of the album. Somewhere between a high 2 and a low 3, he seems to be more famous for his friendships with The Beatles than his work in its own right.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
The Rolling Stones is a debut album which is almost entirely covers of songs done better by their originators and/or others. It's below average, mostly standard blues progressions and riffs, and while it's actually more listenable than most Stones efforts, it's quite arrogant to launch yourselves like this and then build a 60 year career on it, the album only gets a place on the list because it's their debut record and it doesn't get higher than a 2 for me.
Madonna
2/5
Yeah, Madonna's comeback in the late 90s/early 00s was pretty desperate and Ray Of Light isn't good, but it's better than "Music". I don't know whether it's simple nostalgia and familiarity from having lived through their releases but the title track and Frozen are really quite good songs, and better than anything else on the record, but we still only get to a high 2 vs a low 2 for Music. Her best song from the comeback 'era' was ironically Beautiful Stranger, which never ended up on any album.
JAY Z
5/5
The Blueprint is outstanding, isn't it? Massive sound, quality production, inimitable vocals and flow (even if he's not the very best of the best (anyone who gets a cameo from Eminem gets shown up tbf)), and really it's just the first and last track that aren't as good as everything in the middle. It's iconic, it's a 5, first one from me in a while.
The Triffids
2/5
Yeah, Calenture is very 80s but not in a lot of the annoying trope ways, it manages to create a decent sound, vocals doing a lot of the work to make it sound interesting. It's not great, it doesn't belong on the list, but it's fine and worth a listen anyway. High 2.
Blue Cheer
2/5
Vincebus Eruptum is promising but disappointing at the same time, it's late 60s rock moving towards metal and has good ideas but not great execution, and given Hendrix was doing some of this stuff lightyears better before this came along, it doesn't really stand up to being included in a must-listen list. High 2, it's too rough to deserve another listen and not as influential as people think it was/is.
Turbonegro
3/5
So I know Turbonegro a bit from some of their better-known songs in the few years after this, and I know what I'm getting into before listening to Apocalypse Dudes, and it doesn't disappoint. They are...not good lyrically, which is being polite, but I also don't care? :D The guitars go fucking HARD and it's a proper fun, energetic listen that I can get hyped to in the right moment, a nice mix of glam and metal and driving hard rock, can't go wrong with that. It's a high 3 for sure, maybe a low 4 because it's a riot of a listen right up my street, scoring highly for guitarmanship and low for immaturity. Probably not a 4 really.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
So Sinatra is under represented on this list, with In The Wee Small Hours just the second album of his we've had through 950+, but this one isn't really one of his better works. His voice and style is, as always, super comforting and evocative of all the sorts of places and settings and moods that you associate with him, but it's an hour of him being woe is me about break-ups and love lost, and doesn't have any of his hits. The title track is beautiful, the album itself is just fine and a solid middling 3 because of how remarkable his voice really is, but I want and expect more from a must-listen Sinatra record.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Metal Box is bad, almost no redeeming qualities, noise trying to pass itself off as music for the most part, atrocious vocals, lots of really bad new wave tropes, it's a painful 1.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
Caetano Veloso is alright, like a lot of foreign-language stuff it leaves a limited impression, but it sounds nice in places, isn't too long, and Superbacana is great. A high 2.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
We're Only In It For The Money is crap. It's stupid, it's an awful listen, it's not cohesive or structured, it's random and gives me nothing I want from music. Frank Zappa can fuck off, 1.
808 State
2/5
90 isn't for me, it's got something about it for sure but it's too 80s and too heavy on the sort of things I found on my first Casio keyboard in the 90s and thought were gimmicky. Sure, you can create decent music out of them, but it's not a must listen for me, just a solid 2.
Lucinda Williams
2/5
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road is fine, not the best middle of the road country we've had, not the worst, a decent voice and production, just not really memorable enough to want to listen again. It's like if beige picked up a guitar and moved to Louisiana. A high 2/low 3 sort of effort.
Bad Brains
3/5
I Against I is pretty good hardcore/late 80s chugging metal with punk foundations, it's pretty tight overall if a little rough around the edges and doesn't quite know how to structure a song to its advantage. Vocals are interesting but not entirely my thing, but everything else is a solid effort for a decent 3.
Garbage
3/5
Garbage is good for the most part but I only really like it in places. Songs where she mumbles in an attempt to be seductive or whatever and then gets into full voice at the chorus don't really appeal to me, but when they get into a groove from the start and let go a bit, Vow, Only Happy When it Rains, Stupid Girl, they're a lot better. A solid 3, just some of the stylistic choices aren't my favourite.
Slayer
4/5
Reign In Blood is pretty iconic and holds up in the genre nearly 40 years later, which is a big positive to me but other people might think that says something about speed/metalcore. The title track closer is outstanding, the middle run from Altar of Sacrifice to Reborn is strong, sure there's unnecessarily crude shock-value lyrics that lack nuance and that's been shown up by the evolution of metal since, but the sound is tremendous and immediately recognisable, it's a low 4 from me Clive.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
Tank Battles is certainly weird, but it has a compelling aspect to it that I think is very much more about the style than the substance or the music itself. Must-listen? Doubtful, but as a curiosity it's at least interesting, no higher than a 2, not good, not bad, just...weird.
Ray Price
3/5
Night Life is quite a nice listen, a mix of crooning and simple country, not extravagant but easy and smooth. Wild Side Of Life is one of my favourite songs by lots of artists who've done it, this is another good version, a happy morning 3.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
I like some of Juju, can hear some of the influences on loads of the female-fronted bands I listen to now, just not enough of the songs are good enough to really enjoy it. Halloween and Monitor are ace though, gets me to a 3, Monitor is clearly a song Dead Sara were influenced by (I mean their guitarist is Siouxie Medley :D as if it wasn't obvious enough from that).
Soundgarden
4/5
Superunknown exudes cool, doesn't it? It's just enough ahead of the early 90s grunge scene to not be an utterly boring copy of what preceded it but also pushes the boundaries into what the latter half of the 90s would sound like in this and adjacent genres. It's huge, it's dark, it's full of emotion from one of the best singers ever, it's a strong 4 that misses a 5 because a) it's a little bit too long and b) therefore it has a bit too much filler in it, but it's quality.
Elvis Costello
2/5
Brutal Youth is Elvis Costello trying too hard to stay relevant and/or muscle in on the 90s' changing sounds. It's standard average easy listening from him, always falls between a 2 and a 3, this one isn't as good as some of the others we've had (entirely too many) and it's too long so it slips into the (high) 2.
Six albums btw. Six.
Fela Kuti
2/5
Zombie starts well, a ton of energy and a bright, colourful sound over the top of some deep and politically charged lyrics. Would be an easy 3 if it carried on thar way throughout but it quickly drags, songs going on for far too long without doing enough to keep my attention. Drops it to a 2, disappointing because the first song was strong.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
I liked Headhunters, it's funky, it's jazz made more accessible in that way, it's quite catchy, lasts a bit too long with some repetition that loses your attention but most of it is a very likeable jam, high 3 maybe low 4.
k.d. lang
3/5
Shadowland is a bit of a mixed bag, all the country stuff is bang average and not close to any of the good country we've had, but the tracks that move away from that into ballads and soulful singing are quality, like Black Coffee, the title track, Tears Don't Care Who Cries Them and then the bluesy Busy Being Blue. Those are worthy of a 4 on their own, the rest of the album a 2, so we'll meet in the middle at a nice 3.
Robert Wyatt
1/5
The last time we had a Robert Wyatt album I said it was absolute shite and 1/5. Shleep doesn't improve on that I'm afraid, even though Heaps of Sheep and Maryan are okay enough to listen to at the start of the record, this is mostly a preposterous excuse for music, fully aware of what they're doing, and another 1/5. Bomb Canterbury.
Nas
5/5
Illmatic is revered as the best, or one of the best, rap/hp-hop albums of all time, and for good reason. The sound, the flow, the lyrical dexterity, the very real way it brings you into where he's from and the life of his community, the storytelling, it's all outstanding and an obvious 5/5, even if it's not actually my favourite album (I thought The Blueprint was better, for example). A massive influence too, even to this day, that's some legacy and heritage.
The Human League
2/5
Dare! is quite bad really, terrible 80s synth pop with only one notable, massively overplayed song. Open Your Heart is the only other song I didn't mind really, new wave was crap, tempted to give this a 1 but I didn't hate it, it's just rubbish. Might squeak a 2 because Don't You Want Me Baby is still a little bit cult in spite of everything.
The Style Council
2/5
Cafe Bleu is all over the place, some nice but hardly original instrumentals, some average 80s crap, and then rap :D at least it's not Weller trying to rap, that would've been horrific, but it's a mess of an album that only gets a 2 because it's not outright awful, it just makes no sense as a piece of work.
Grateful Dead
2/5
Live/Dead, then. First track starts nicely enough, but seventeen minutes later it's still going. It's so far all over the place that there are obviously and naturally good parts and bad parts but it's so fucking long and it's prog dressed up as rock and it's another example of overindulgence not delivering quality. Gets a 2 for the listenable parts but this isn't music to be encouraged imo.
Röyksopp
3/5
I like most of Melody A.M., it sits halfway between trance/edm style and electronica and hits the right spot in general. The first two tracks are the strongest, so the rest of the album feels a bit disappointing and a few times where it creeps into music you'd hear on hold calling the doctors or something, but it's a fair 3, not one I'd go out of my way to listen to again but would happily hear when it comes on.
Carole King
5/5
Tapesty is really good. It's piano-driven without being too samey, her voice is such an easy listen, the composition of the songs is beautifully balanced for the most part, you get a strong feel of the emotions attached to each story, it's a very strong piece of work. Way Over Yonder is the best song on the album, but the well-known You've Got a Friend and the two 'covers' (she wrote them but didn't perform the original releases) of Will You Love Me Tomorrow and A Natural Women are excellent too. This deserves a 5/5, I knew her name and a bit of her work but very happy to have this reason to find out a bit more about here.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Yeah I feel like Remedy doesn't meet my memory of Basement Jaxx, the singles are better than the other stuff on there, which is quite crap, but even then only Red Alert and Bingo Bango are actually good. Not sure those two alone get this up to a 3, it's very heavy lifting if they do.
Neil Young
2/5
After The Goldrush is more of the same from Neil Young, no shock there. His singing is ludicrously high and bad for a lot of it, Southern Man is a good song but mostly for the guitar work, I've never really 'got' him and this 2/5 effort won't help that much.
Sepultura
2/5
I'll say the same for Arise that I did for the last Sepultura album we had over two years ago, it's okay but it's a little one-speed for me and there's a lot of metal around this time and especially since that's more nuanced and interesting than most of this delivers. Orgasmatron is easily the best song on here because it does something different and interesting, on its own not enough to lift it above a 2 though.
Donovan
2/5
Sunshine Superman has some decent moments, notably the first and last track, but for the most part it's middling 60s psychedelia that doesn't really hit the spot. I like his voice, but I don't much like the arrangements or the musical consistency of the album. 2/5.
Rush
3/5
I have a strange relationship with Rush where I hate some of their stuff and I like some other parts, usually if I like a band I like 95% of their work. Moving Pictures falls mostly into the 'like' category, they ditch a lot of their prog stylings and embrace the 80s rock sound a lot more, and when it works it really works because Geddy Lee is properly talented, his bass work is outstanding but he also has a voice that just immediately hits the mark within Rush's sound and the rock genre overall. Tom Sawyer is an all-timer of a song, the back half of The Camera Eye is really good too; if the highs of this album are a 4 and the lows (YYZ, Witch Hunt) are a 2, then it gets a solid 3.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Mermaid Avenue is interesting to me because I'm a little bit familiar with the project to bring loads of Woody Guthrie's work to life, Dropkick Murphys have done a couple of albums worth in the last few years, but I didn't realise how widespread it was or that it was going on for as long as it has been. Billy Bragg's a decent figure to try to do some of this, he's got that accessibly authentic style without actually being able to sing very well, it gives it a groundedness. The songs themselves are lyrically quite impressive, the compositions simple and never trying to dominate the content, it's not a remarkable album or anything but it's a fairly solid 3 (the DKM stuff is better but not spectacular either), not one I'd say you have to listen to but worthwhile anyway.
U2
2/5
Achtung Baby is rubbish, U2 are mostly crap anyway but this has one song of redeeming quality in One and the rest of it is utter dirge. Scrapes a 2 because of One.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Songs In The Key Of Life accompanied me on a morning drive to Southampton, and I only just finished it door to door because it's SO BLOODY LONG. There are outstanding, historic songs on there, there's a lot of filler and there's some crap. This gets an easy 5/5 if it was 65 mins long and cuts out the waffle, it's a low 4 because it has too much waste, but the highs are so so good and it's testament to the quality that it's been such an influential piece of work covered and sampled by so many, while the original work still stands on its own too.
The Zutons
2/5
Who Killed The Zutons? Probably me, for having to listen to such a sinfully boring album, it's every possible shade of bland, grey, dull, nothingness. Escapes the 1/5 I reserve for actually bad music but scarcely. Can only imagine the author of the book had a teenage hard-on for scandalously unoriginal British indie crap, and it's not even indie.
Supergrass
3/5
I thought In It For The Money took a while to get going, but hits its stride in the middle of the album and turns out to be decent. Sun Hits The Sky is where it kicks into gear, Going Out is my favourite of the lot, it's not remarkable but it's better than some of the other 90s Britpop stuff we've been served, gets a 3.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Searching For The Young Soul Rebels does a fair job of setting a really tangible mood with plenty of emotion but it's mostly brought down by terrible vocals. Kevin Rowland can't sing, it doesn't really matter at times because it suits the song (I Couldn't Help It If i Tried, for example, is a fantastic song and his vocals are fine here), but there are too many occasions where it's just incoherent warbling in the wrong key and ruins the song. The highs of the song I mentioned plus Tell Me When My Light Turns Green and Geno are impressive, the horn section is very much my bag throughout, but it doesn't hit a consistently high quality bar often enough to get more than a middling 3.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
The Age Of The Understatement grabs me more than anything I've ever heard from Arctic Monkeys, so there's a start. It's hit and miss but it does at least create a cool atmosphere, with galloping drums driving the whole thing, and the songs where you can hear Turner singing properly are clearly better than the ones where the overdrive masks him out somewhat (I Don't Like You Any More). The opening/title track is really good, I also liked The Meeting Place, but none of it will really stick with me despite all of that. Probably a low 3 on balance, mostly because it's at least a little bit interesting and not actually bad.
Linkin Park
4/5
I obviously know Hybrid Theory inside out and back to front and all of that, hard to believe it's nearly 25 years old because I remember listening to it as a teenager and I've listened to most of it regularly ever since. This whole 1001 albums endeavour has always been a bit weird because you try to be objective about evaluating a lot of stuff you've not heard before alongside a load of stuff you have and, in a lot of those cases your preferences conflict with conventional wisdom about what's good and what's bad. Nu-metal got a terrible rap (lol) in general, mostly deserved, but I was into it for a little while and maybe more importantly it then shaped my listening habits by exploring other genres around it and finding a whole load of stuff in the metal/rock/hardcore genre that makes up the core of what I've listened to for a long time ever since, so this is pretty influential for me in isolation. I think Linkin Park also showed they had the chops to become a whole lot more diverse than others in the genre, not just collabs with Jay-Z or whatever, but the maturity of their sound and their themes separated them from the likes of Limp Bizkit, who they were kinda tied at the hip with for a while because of when they broke through. Chester Bennington was also one of the better vocalists of the 2000s of course.
Anyway, the album is pretty strong, Chester and Mike bouncing off each other's vocal stylings on top of heavy, meaty riffs with enough from Joe Hahn to make it interesting but not stupidly OTT with the turntabling, and proper emotion in the execution which I've mentioned for a fuckton of albums on this list as a decisive factor for me, I need to feel something in a song for it to grab me. When I was 15/16 With You and In The End were probably my favourite songs; the latter has become sort of timeless but as time has gone on I've grown to really like Pushing Me Away and Forgotten at the back end of the album, both tracks which were easily forgotten when this launched/was big because the front of the album is loaded with three big singles. It's definitely not flawless, it's a little overproduced and it's definitely lyrically...simplistic compared to Meteora/Minutes To Midnight certainly and then obviously everything that came after, but it's still a real favourite of mine. I do prefer Meteora by comparison and I'd give that 5/5 if it got on here, it doesn't, and while I'm tempted to give this 5/5 for just how much I've listened to it, I'll give it a very high 4/5.
As a side note it's still super weird to me that Emily Armstrong is now their lead singer, not because of her replacing Chester or whatever, but because for 6-7 years or so I've been a big fan of Dead Sara that pretty much nobody else I know listened to, I saw them in London a coupla years ago in a crowd of 150 in a tiny pub in Haggerston and had a whale of a time but now she's fronting one of the most recognisable groups in the world. Mad.
Bob Dylan
3/5
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is the same Dylan as we've had time and again on here really, it was only Highway 61 Revisited that escaped a middling listen for me, and this is another 3 or so because it's not remarkable enough to separate itself from the rest of his discography, except for one absolute classic in Blowin' In The Wind (that The Simpsons has ruined for me because I always shout SEVEN) and one other really good one in Bob Dylan's Dream. I get it, the man was an evocative poet and illustrated life in a way that very few of his contemporaries were doing at the time, I just don't think we need his entire catalogue on the list when a lot of it is very similar, to my uneducated ear at least.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Power In Numbers is pretty good and one of the stronger hip hop albums we've had, it takes a little while to get going but there's some really strong balance between all of the vocals and how they're shared around, the beats are very cool, relaxed and with a slightly inquisitive/occasionally confused lilt but that works really well with the lyrical ambition and flow, it's not a simple album falling back on cliches and tropes and denigration. Main criticism is that it's a bit samey and lacks some of the grit I want from the genre but still gets a 4 I think. A Day At The Races my favourite track.
Kings of Leon
2/5
Only By The Night is super bland soft rock, isn't it? Two massive singles, one good but overplayed to death, one alright but nothing special, and the rest feels like a lot of stuff better artists would've left off their record or rejected out of hand entirely. Also, 17 is pretty creepy. It gets a 2/5 and should probably be grateful it gets that, it gives 'Southern Rock' a bad name.
Violent Femmes
4/5
Violent Femmes shows you how to do stripped back music that still carries an edge and remains interesting and cool. The first half of the album is stacked with big songs most people will know but not know it was VF who did them (myself included) and, although the second half isn't as good, it's a high bar to reach so the whole record still stands up to scrutiny. The bass is outstanding, it gives every song personality and momentum and irreverence, the storytelling is quirky and fun, and there's even a xylophone solo thrown in for good measure on Gone Daddy Gone. Confessions was my favourite song followed by Ugly, it gets a strong 4/5, falls short of a 5 just because I don't think I'd go back to it regularly and it does lack something that would make it properly compelling and truly memorable, but it's really really good.
The Hives
3/5
The Hives are not mine or Your New Favourite Band but this isn't too bad. They're much better when they do punk stuff rather than trying to appeal to the radio-friendly 'indie' lo-fi bollocks; Automatic Schmuck is quality, AKA I-D-I-O-T also very good, and I liked Mad Man too. Front of the album is better-known but the back half is loads better, good enough to get a 3.
U2
3/5
I'm still not a fan of U2 but War is probably better than most of what we've had from them. Looking back at my review history I gave the other three entries 2/5 and offered some abuse of Bono in 2 of 3 reviews, I'm quite proud of that tbf, but maybe this one scrapes a 3 because it's a little more original and interesting. New Year's Day is really good, I like Two Hearts Beat As One, nothing annoyed me or turned me off as being really bad, so that's the best they can do as far as I'm concerned.
James Brown
3/5
I was disappointed by James Brown Live At The Apollo because he's such an iconic performer and vocalist with energy and swagger (the guy was a megacunt but that's nothing new on this list) but it doesn't really come across in this performance. It's a little slower, soulful but not full of soul, just feels like it's not representative of his best work, and it's a long way short of the best live albums we've had too. Gets a 3 because it's just fine, but I expected more really.
The Stranglers
3/5
Rattus Norvegicus definitely has its moments, it's got a really funky undercurrent to it, a proper groovy bass with exceptional tone and the organ works so well throughout. It's a bit new wavey, a bit art poppy, a bit punky but where a lot of albums are worse for it not being one clear thing, I think this benefits from touching at the edges of everything yet finding its own sound. Princess of the Streets is a great tune, Peaches is the song everyone knows but still holds its own now as a swaggering classic. I think there's enough on here for a solid to strong 3, not enough for a 4 because it lacks something that makes it really memorable or epic, no songs that really wow you, just a tight album, but that's good.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
good kid, m.A.A.d city is a really good album, that much is clear, I just feel conflicted about it in places because I feel like I'm supposed to like it more than I do, and the reasons I don't like it enough to give it a 5/5 are really just stylistic choices. His flow, lyrical composition, storytelling and vocabulary is undeniably top-tier, and there are some absolute bangers on here, but where Kendrick loses me is a mix of a) his voice, b) some of the songs having a 'silly' quality and b) a lot of the chorus-type hooks are just him repeating the same line over and over. I've said before that my preference for hip-hop and rap sound is for a darker, grittier sound, so the run of good kid through to the end (except for Real, which is crap, and the 'Promise that you will sing about me' lines in Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst are a good example of the silly sound I dislike) is outstanding (so is The Art Of Peer Pressure), but a lot of the early tracks just don't resonate with me in the same way. There's also a weird thing where there are almost two songs in one in a lot of places and, while I'm sure that's an intentional decision, it feels a bit jarring to me. On balance it's a 4/5 because it's all good, it's just not all really good or entirely to my preferences, whereas something like The Blueprint absolutely was a few weeks back, that was one of the best albums we've had on this list regardless of genre, like top 5, and I don't think this is quite as good by comparison.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Franz Ferdinand is unremarkable but does enough to hold my attention fairly for a style/genre I'm not really into, although that's possibly unfair because they mix it up a fair bit throughout. Mostly, I don't like Alex Kapranos' vocals, so the stuff where he isn't singing is better for me, and Auf Achse is the best track on this album, followed by 40', sure he sings on both but it's not the main attraction and they create a really cool sound across both. The rest of the album is sort of the same fayre as the big hits, decent enough but they become earworms that you'd rather not listen to very often for fear of them getting annoying. Gets a 3 though, a low one, but solid enough.
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
Not a fan of Buffalo Springfield Again, the first half of this is rubbish, the second half is fine, Hung Upside Down and Sad Memory are the standouts but it doesn't offer me anything exciting, 2/5.
Laura Nyro
2/5
Eli And The Thirteenth Confession is a 'what could've been' album because she has a great voice, but it's not used to its strengths, and you end up with an album that isn't sure whether it's meant to be a cabaret-style performance or a little bit more soulful and reflective. It doesn't really hit the spot at any point as a result, it's an easy listen but not an especially engaging one, probably hard to rise above a 2.
Hawkwind
2/5
Space Ritual would be fine if it was just heavy 70s rock grooves and bang average singing on top, nothing fancy or flashy, just good old fashioned rock. They even got Lemmy on board for a few years for this reason, but when you're off your tits on every substance known to man you end up bastardising it like this with a litany of random noises and choices that go on for fucking AGES. There are large portions of this I'm happily jamming along to as background music, chugging heavy guitars, easy stuff, then I'm instantly turned off by the space/psychedelia/prog interludes. Gets a 2 because it's okay in places but fucking hell, don't do drugs kids.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Some of Beyond Skin is good. Some of it is awful. Stands to reason for an album that by its own admission is pretentious and deliberately diverse, but it doesn't work for me even though it has an undeniably interesting appeal in the sound and atmosphere it creates. I liked Homelands (has some really cool influences) and Nadia (quite Massive Attack-ey), I hated Serpents, I'll give it another 2.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
You've Come A Long Way, Baby deserved to be on here when it turned up nearly 700 albums ago. Better Living Through Chemistry doesn't though, it's fine, it probably has less wider public appeal and accessibility than its successor, but it's only really going to be one for the purists or those who had a connection and resonance with it at the time. In its current guise listening at home it's okay background music but nothing more, it doesn't stick with me, I have no personal connection to it and, like all the electronica stuff we've had, I need a more epic trance/edm type production if you're gonna grab me. First Down the highlight, it's a lot of fun and in that sort of guise. 2.
Miles Davis
4/5
Birth of the Cool is undeniably cool, and a very good example of skilled and accessible jazz. Jeru and Venus de Milo are my favourite tracks, it's quality as background music but also as a focused listen. A solid 4, it's not outstanding enough or lasting with me enough to get a 5 but it's really really good.
2/5
Yep, Apple Venus Volume One is not something that should be on this list and definitely only a 2/5 candidate, although the first 3-4 rubbish tracks do at least give way to something that's listenable and occasionally interesting. I quite liked Green Man as well as the closer, The Last Balloon, but it's all too whimsical and directionless overall.
Radiohead
2/5
There's a scene in Friends where Joey warns Chandler not to tell everyone that he doesn't like dogs, because it's basically heresy. I feel like that about Radiohead. I don't like them, I never have, and I've tried, but I mostly nothing them, there are a few songs that I think are decent but most of their stuff misses me by a huge distance. Kid A is an album full of stuff that misses me, it's a collection of ambient noises/sounds that are clearly for an audience with very different tastes to mine, I can't exactly argue that it's bad but it is quite boring to me for the most part. Everything In Its Right Place and The National Anthem are good, but I'm left wondering when songs like Treefingers and Idioteque will finish and why they're even there in the first place. Given I gave that XTC album a 2 it almost feels like I should give this a higher score because 'they're Radiohead' but I didn't enjoy it any more or any less. Music for other people.
Tim Buckley
1/5
I don't think Tim Buckley deserved a single album on this list, let alone the three or four we've had, and I didn't enjoy Greetings from LA very much. It's full of mostly crass lyrics and content and delivered in a style that aims to honour or imitate predecessors of a funk or rock and roll/rhythm and blues background but really only comes off as a poor effort at best, a mockery at worst. Actively annoyed me at times, not gonna get higher than a 1/5, and like I've said before, I think he's only revered for his lifestyle and his young death (plus Jeff) more than his music.
David Gray
3/5
The singles off White Ladder are good but I think lifted by the nostalgia of living through them being ubiquitous in the charts, film and television, basically anywhere. When we had Moby's album a little while ago it was kinda the same, this shit was EVERYWHERE and it ends up inextricably linked with our memories. This Year's Love is legit good, Please Forgive Me is nice too, but I don't think it's really outstanding singer-songwriting, and I know I'm making this comparison a) because their names are similar and b) Scrubs used both of their work but I always think of Colin Hay when I hear David Gray, and Colin Hay is just a lot better at this sort of introspective stripped-back acoustic stuff. This is very much a middling piece of work, a high 2 or low 3 effort.
Cornershop
1/5
When I Was Born For The 7th Time is a weak effort, it has one song of note and even that wasn't nearly as good as the Fatboy Slim remix of it that made it famous. The rest of it seems a half-arsed effort to reflect Punjabi culture and music through a British lens, it doesn't work, it's not remotely memorable and some of it is so boring that you skip along to the next track to see if it's any better. Rarely is, gonna get a 1, it has few redeeming features.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
I dunno what to make of Raw Like Sushi, it's good in places, rubbish in places, often comes across a bit like she wants to jump on the bandwagon of others before her (like Janet Jackson) and it's VERY 80s at times, but it's not without its charm. The opening track is a certifiable banger, her delivery is authentic and emphatic, it's got a bit of everything which means it hits and misses, often throughout the same song. Probably fun enough to get a 3, it has personality and then some.
The Specials
2/5
More Specials doesn't need to be on this list, some of it is fun, a lot of it is rubbish, it's too muddled and confused and they should really stick to stuff like Hey Little Rich Girl and Pearl's Cafe imo. Back half of the album is close to unlistenable and seems like they ran out of ideas (I Can't Stand It is an aptly-named song because it's SO bad :D ), scrapes a 2 because the first half is fine.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
I liked Talk Talk Talk more than I expected going into it; it's not really really good or anything, and it's not worth a place on the list, but it's got enough about it to keep me interested, mostly in the lead singer's vocals, which despite being new wave-adjacent in style, work for me because there's an urgency to it that works with the music. The one-two punch of Into You like A Train and It Goes On are great, they remind me a little bit of Faith No More during that little run, which is good. I dunno, probably wouldn't listen again but found it good enough for a solid 3.
The Offspring
5/5
Smash is a stone cold classic, there's not a bad song on there but loads of good ones, and the standard is so high throughout. The singles are all obviously strong but Genocide has always been my favourite off the album, it's original and authentic and accessible as anything, this is a 5/5 and makes for a great start to a Sunday.
Bill Callahan
3/5
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle. Dude has a pretty captivating voice which is almost spoke-word rather than singing, it's dominant because it's a rich baritone but it's not distracting, the balance of the compositions is pretty great tbh. It's just that it's a generally chill album without too much to write home about, it's somewhat standard melancholic singer-songwriter stuff with a country-adjacent twist. Hard to hate it, hard to dislike it, definitely a 2, maybe a 3 because I found it calming after a night of relatively little sleep due to a poorly 3yo, but it does get a little weird and proggy towards the end.
Kings of Leon
2/5
Aha Shake Heartbreak is instantly forgettable. I didn't need one KoL album on this list, let alone two, and this one doesn't even benefit from any big songs, except maybe The Bucket, which I suppose I've heard but could never have told you the name of the track. The singer's voice is as shit as ever, the whole thing is desperately meh, 2/5.
Pearl Jam
4/5
The first half of Ten fucking slaps, some huge songs, standing up to scrutiny more than 30 years later, genuinely outstanding territory. Second half isn't quite as good, loses its way a bit but Release closes it out in impressive form. Gets a 4 because everything up to and including Jeremy is so fucking good, just a shame it doesn't hold that standard throughout, but such a cool sound, and what a voice Eddie Vedder has.
The Byrds
2/5
Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Middle of the road country, sweet and soothing in the right mood, boring and meandering in the wrong one, not special or remarkable, 2, hopefully this is the last time we have The Byrds but at least this was better than the last one we had from them.
FKA twigs
2/5
LP1 is certainly not for me. Apparently pretty big and pretty recent but had legit never heard of her or it until today, which means I'm old for sure. Too dreamy and weird, her voice is so high throughout it doesn't work for me, probably gets a 2 because it's not outright bad but I can't listen to this and like it.
Dizzee Rascal
4/5
Boy In Da Corner is really really good up until Round We Go, then there's a definite drop off even though it's still mostly decent. First six tracks are quality, big beats, enough flair that doesn't come across as trying to add variety for the sake of it, and a proper edge to the delivery which already has a stellar flow. Often feel Dizzee has been softened by the fact he got breakthrough mainstream appeal and tbf he often leant into that, but this is a reminder of the heart of where he comes from and the quality he was putting out there. A good 4.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Winter In America is a nice chill yet thought-provoking listen, incredibly smooth vocals from GSH, the piano flits between stuff I like and stuff that puts me off, and that's really the biggest weakness of an otherwise fine album. The Bottle was a welcome bump in tempo and energy. A good Sunday morning 3.
Mariah Carey
2/5
There's no reason for Butterfly to be on this list, it has none of the songs she did that anyone likes or cares about, it wastes her voice on some ridiculous notion of reinvention trying to capitalise on the late 90s sounds, it's just so meh. 2.
Erykah Badu
2/5
Mama's Gun is alright, it's a lovely chilled soulful sound with a voice that unfortunately ruins it far, far too often. She can sing to a point but when she stays too high for too long - which is very often - it grates very quickly. Also goes on for far too long, could cut 20% of it and be better off. Probably a high 2, it's not bad, it's not all that good, has its moments but plenty that lets it down, and not a patch on better from the same or similar genres.
Love
2/5
Da Capo is rubbish, it's not outright offensive but it's just a whole load of nothing, we've had far too much forgettable 60s psychedelic soft rock on here and almost none of it was worth including. Hard to scrape a 2 from it, maybe just gets there because it's short enough to get through quickly.
Sigur Rós
3/5
Ágætis Byrjun hits me with atmospheric beauty and a proper relaxing vibe, but it misses me with a real lasting impact or something that compels me to want to listen to it again. I didn't pay attention to a track listing much, so I dunno where it all starts and ends, but the first 10/15 mins or so are really quite sad and emotional (I talk about music making me feel, this bit made me feel pretty shit, although that may also have overlapped with a shitty start to my day), then we work our way through to more uplifting sounds (with a crescendo in Olsen Olsen, one I looked up as it was such a change in mood), obviously they're taking us on a journey through all of that and it's very obvious, it's just not very me. It's an interesting listen, good in places, dreamy instrumental stuff hasn't ever really been my thing as I've said every time we've had something like this, although I can recognise this is among the better efforts we've had from that genre. Call it a respectful 3.
The Go-Betweens
2/5
16 Lovers Lane is light, easy listening pop that didn't outstay its welcome but I will never listen to it again. I don't remember any of it 15 minutes after finishing it. Whatever, 2.
Deee-Lite
2/5
World Clique has one good song (which seems to be louder and clearer than any other track on the Spotify version? :D ) and the rest is really average to poor 90s dance. 2.
Holger Czukay
1/5
Movies. Nope, absolute horseshit. Goes nowhere, does nothing interesting or appealing. 1.
The Byrds
3/5
Fifth Dimension is the best album we've had from The Byrds but even then it's still only a 3/5 effort, it's happy-go-lucky middling soft rock, easy to listen to with a coupla songs like Mr Spaceman that stand the test of the time, but the rest is forgettable. Between Neil Young and David Crosby we've had FIFTEEN albums and I could've done with maybe two of them at most.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I love me some CCR so Green River is right up my street. I previously gave Bayou Country and Cosmo's Factory 5/5, this one doesn't get there but it's a strong 4, has a few well-known songs on it but I adore Wrote a Song for Everyone, while The Night Time Is the Right Time is a strong cover done well. John Fogerty is one of rock's greatest ever vocalists and he's on form here as ever; this is what evocative 60s rock should sound like, not some psychedelic bollocks.
The Shamen
1/5
En-Tact is a bit crap really, it's very very generic 90s house/rave stuff without a proper impact, doesn't have the one song that everyone knows them for, and is a really hard listen as it goes on far too long without variety or depth. Can't give it more than a 1.
Pere Ubu
2/5
Post-punk ain't my thing, Dub Housing ain't my thing either. Last time we had Pere Ubu I gave it a 1 and hated it; this isn't as bad, it's quirky enough in places to catch my attention, just not good enough to keep it. 2.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
Blood, Sweat and Tears is a lovely little 60s groove, moving between bouncy little numbers that sound like they've been lifted from an Austin Powers soundtrack and onto heartfelt soulful rock grooves that really last. The one-two punch of Spinning Wheel and You've Made Me So Very Happy are brilliant, And When I Die is almost motown at times, there's a bit too much filler in there but this surprised me and made me smile, dude has an incredibly listenable voice, easy high 3 that might sneak a 4 and I'd listen to again.
David Ackles
2/5
American Gothic is super weird. It's like an off-broadway show soundtrack but it's hard to get into it because it's so niche you really have to focus in on it and give it your full attention. Someone in the review said it sounds like Neil Diamond and I can't get that out of my head either. Anyway, it's not good per se, but it is interesting, and has its charms, but if you're gonna do something like this it needs huge moments of crescendo and celebration like all good musicals, and this never does that. Give it a 2, why not.
The Kinks
3/5
The Village Green Preservation Society is awfully twee, a nice and gentle sound, it just suffers from being the billionth 60s soft psychedelia album we've had and I can't do anything more with it than say it's better than most of those, a high 2 or low 3 effort. Look lads, metal and hard rock came along in the 70s and was miles better, let's have a bit more balance please.
Lana Del Rey
2/5
Chemtrails over the County Club is alright but dear god woman, mix it up. There's only so much dreamy mumbling over the same slow melody that I can take before I need something else, it's like being a vegetarian ffs. Her voice is lovely but boring very quickly, it's music very much not for me but it's just fine as an objective exercise, slap bang 2 or 3.
The United States Of America
2/5
United States of America. More 60s psychedelic adjacent stuff? Fuck off. I swear everything recently is also specifically from 1968, so that year can do one to. This isn't anything we've not had before, it successfully avoids some of the worst of the genre but that's a low bar to clear, doesn't do anything interesting, 2.
Black Flag
4/5
Damaged is one of the best punk albums we've had, huge energy, MASSIVE influence on so much that came after it, Rollins dominates without feeling like he's taking over, songs and album overall are super tight, gets a 4 because the only problem with albums like this is that they can be a bit samey song to song but it still does a fair job of avoiding that. Top stuff.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Electric Music For the Mind and Body starts much as expected really, some super generic 60s stylings, not much of it memorable, although it does strike the right notes on occasion with more bluesy stuff; Death Sound is a great little tune. Unfortunately they indulge in some bad choices soon after, Section 43 is an almost impossible listen, and then it just loses all sense of theme with some rubbish country and a mish-mash of genres where none are done well. Not the worst of this stuff, nowhere near the best, 2 again.
Silver Jews
2/5
Bright Flight is pretty miserable in sound and content, just morose bluegrass country stuff. Voice is alright (he thinks he's Johnny Cash at times) but the whole thing is just a bit too plodding and depressing for me to care about. Another 2.
Electric Light Orchestra
2/5
Out of the Blue is prog trying to dress itself up as something different, but unsuccessfully. It goes on for too long and it's only Sweet Talking Woman and Mr Blue Sky that stand out; the rest is a mix of okay arrangements with annoying synthesised twists to them, a singer who lives in a higher register that serves to annoy, and yeah, not good enough to warrant more than a 2.
Morrissey
1/5
For Viva Hate I'll literally just quote what I said for the last Morrissey album we had. Every song sounds basically the same form of dull monotonous crap from a complete wanker of a human. Never liked The Smiths or his style, this isn't for me at all. 1.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Rod Stewart has made plenty of fun music but, not for the first time, the albums that appear on this list feature basically none of them. Gasoline Alley isn't up to much, it doesn't reflect what he's all about, and the best track is a good cover of an Elton John song. 2.
Soul II Soul
2/5
Club Classics Vol. One is good in places but has an almighty amount of filler where it's just beats with minimal spoken words over them, and they're a waste of tine. A couple of decent singles or familiar tracks does not make a quality album, 2.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Home Is Where The Music Is is another solid jazz effort, quite funky and accessible for the genre, but also has a pretty chilled vibe running through it that almost distracts you from listening to it. Enjoyed The Big Apple most of all the tracks, it's not excellent or anything and we've had better jazz overall, but this is an easy high 3/low 4 effort. Very cool.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Imperial Bedroom is more of the same from Elvis Costello. Okay, catchy in places but ultimately a bit dull and one-speed and a guy who doesn't really deserve so many albums on this list. Another 2.
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
Yank Crime is pretty damn good when it gets it right, a bit different in the punk genre because there's some long tracks and some heavy guitar work, Do You Compute, Luau and Super Unison are great in the first half of the record, Human Interest towards the end, probably edges a low 4 for me because I liked most of it.
Nirvana
3/5
Not a big Nirvana fan, I like Nevermind more than In Utero but I still like this too, it's a slightly heavier sound, it's darker and probably more well rounded lyrically, but doesn't initially grab me as much by comparison maybe. Think it'd be one that stayed with me more on subsequent listens though, a high 3 for now.
The Stooges
4/5
I really liked Raw Power, it's dirty, it's aggressive, it's got some swagger, and it sounds cool. No fucking around, gets straight into simple, no frills rock and roll with scuzz and noise and a hell of a lot that would influence later music from all sorts of genres. Your Pretty Face... and the title track are standouts, Death Trip not far off, no waste, and I gather there are two rather different mixes here from Bowie and from Iggy and I listened to the latter, which I thought was top, so whatever on that. Strong 4 that I was tempted to give a 5, really good stuff.
Buck Owens
2/5
I've Got a Tiger by the Tail. Super generic country, barely merits a 2, thought it's just dull rather than bad, but he keeps it short and light.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Once again we have a Sinatra album that doesn't reflect his best work; Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim is him trying his hand at bossa nova stylings and, while The Girl From Ipanema is jauntily fun, the rest of it is dull and fairly troublesome in its lyrical content. Does nothing for me, basically just play the big tunes Frank, let us enjoy those and leave this stuff alone. 2.
The Undertones
3/5
The Undertones is solid and fun, has a couple of iconic tracks, the rest of it has a high floor low ceiling vibe, listenable and enjoyable but not something that stands the test of time aside from Teenage Kicks (not originally on this I believe) and Here Comes The Summer. Still, a 3, better than many recent efforts.
Kanye West
3/5
Ah, Kanye again, the real struggle of separating the art from the artist. I couldn't do it for Yeezus because by then he'd already gone into ubercunt mode, but I suppose The College Dropout is him at the start of a journey where that didn't seem likely. I actually bought Late Registration but never owned or really listened to this, it's alright, has some strong moments in All Falls Down, Never Let Me Down (especially, it's great) and Two Words, but the rest is a little overblown in style, content and length. Those three tracks probably squeeze it to a 3/5 though, they're really good, but it probably says something else that they're all made better by collabs.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Idlewild by EBTG is so fucking dull. Every song sounds the same, identical shades of boring, 2/5 because I never hate it, I just can't be bothered with it. Feels like I'm on hold to speak to customer service.
Metallica
3/5
S&M is interesting enough, it's Metallica with an orchestra, so it gets a high floor, but beyond that it's not impressive as an album. Hetfield doesn't have a strong enough voice to hold up live, the orchestra adds something but not enough to be truly compelling, and so you get a disappointing version of otherwise really good songs. This live concert would've been an experience to be at, but below par to listen to after the fact. 3/5.
The Byrds
2/5
Didn't need Younger Than Yesterday, would happily never listen to another Byrds album. Half an hour of nothingness, 2, next.
The Who
3/5
I'm not really into The Who, but Who's Next delivers what I want when I am; play the damn hits. The start and end of this album are top stuff, Behind Blue Eyes is among their best songs and one of my favourites of any band really, the middle is mostly filler but with a decent enough sound to not hate it. If the big hits are 4/5s and the fillers are 2/5s, this gets a solid high 3.
Deep Purple
4/5
I tend to prefer Rainbow to Deep Purple where Ritchie Blackmore is concerned, but Made In Japan is still a strong piece of work. Sure, they go a little overblown fairly often, that's their style, but at their best with Highway Star in particular they create truly memorable hard rock that stands out. It's not a top tier effort but it's always listenable, something I knew before today and will after. Easy 4.
Morrissey
1/5
There's a track on You Are The Quarry called 'The World is Full of Crashing Bores'; irony is certainly not dead, therefore. This is really dull and, even when it's not, the lyrics are choc-full of empty platitudes from a prick pretending to care. I mean you can't listen to the first two tracks without laughing and cringing in equal measure. I don't hate it as much as Viva Hate or Your Arsenal, the last two we had from him, but I'm not sure that means it should avoid the same 1/5 score.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators is actually decent in places for yet another 60s psychedlic album, it has some really fun elements to it, Roller Coaster and Fire Engine are bouncy little numbers with some rock grooves in there, vocals are interesting, basically there's a fair bit of character to this in places, it just doesn't run right through it. I can't be doing with like 90% of this genre but then something like this comes along and I'll have some of that, 3/5.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Talking Timbuktu offers some really strong bluesy grooves, I really enjoyed Amandrai and Ai Du in a solid effort that didn't always grab me, but earned my attention when a few really well-done tracks turned up. Does go on a bit too long, both within each song and overall, vocals are more miss than hit but it gets a 3 because it's an indulgent listen from the music alone.
Venom
2/5
I was well disappointed by Black Metal, given it should be right up my street and especially given what else was going on on the world of hard rock and metal around this time. The vocals are shit and most of the songs just really forgettable; the only one I liked was Burstin' Out, had strong Motorhead vibes, but that was on the bonus re-release stuff, so doesn't really give it much credit. 2.
Scott Walker
2/5
Yeah, Scott 2 starts really well then gets old very quickly. He thinks he has top-tier crooning chops but can't hang with the best of them, and most of the work isn't his, so it's quite shallow, even if Jackie is really good. 2.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Next was a bit of a hoot, it's hard to really define but it's both good and awful at the same time :D like a bunch of it wouldn't be out of place in musical theatre and then there's a fair bit of old school rock and roll in there. Nobody's gonna mistake it for quality musicianship but it does a good job of standing out and making me smile, 3/5, would probably listen again too so a high 3 at that.
Beatles
3/5
With The Beatles is not The Beatles at their best, nowhere near it, mostly because half the album is covers of songs done loads better by their originators (and there are betters covers done since too). A couple of strong original songs help, and the overall vibe is very listenable mostly because of the covers (Motown is great and they've just decided to hitch themselves to it here for whatever reason), but it's a 3/5 at best, which I suppose for me is generous given I'm not a Beatles fan really.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
A Short Album About Love has some really lovely arrangements, musically it hits all the right spots, but the rest of it lets it down. The vocals are okay but come across as a pale imitation of more sophisticated crooners, and it's unclear whether it's a pastiche or just a bad attempt at trying to be good, and the lyrics are so bad at times I can't overlook it. A 2/5 on balance.
William Orbit
2/5
Strange Cargo III is not my speed for this sort of thing, it's so low key that I don't notice it's there, I want it loud and uptempo and in my face. Decent chilled vibes but 2/5, it's not a standout of the genre either.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
It's been a long while since I listened to The Rising, and probably for good reason, I only bother with the hits because this is quite hit and miss, though when it's good it's still good because Springsteen is music's greatest storyteller. Nothing Man, Further On Up The Road and Paradise are nice deep cuts but this is about The Rising, Waitin' On a Sunny Day and Lonesome Day for the most part. Merely good Springsteen is still better than most, but I think this could've been 20 minutes and 4 songs shorter and been better off for it. Also, and something I appreciate in many acts, the maturing sound of artists who are still going 30-40 years after their emergence reflecting the world they live in now rather than way back when is always a sign of good writing, not so much thematically or in the lyrical content, but the actual compositions are more understated, even when they're celebratory or optimistic. You can't be young and full of anger or energy forever, but you can still have those emotions present themselves through the prism of your experience and knowledge. A high 3, it has a lot of filler, and isn't a patch on his best work.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Bert Jansch is a warm little listen, just a guy with an easy but vulnerable voice, sad and dark themese, and accomplised guitar picking. It's gentle folk/country stuff that makes you think, probably wouldn't return to it for another listen but enjoyed discovering it. One of the better examples of this stuff that we've had, and we've had a lot, it's an easy 3.
1/5
Kick Out The Jams (Live) is a poor effort, live albums should elevate the experience or at least make it seem like a time capsule of an event that was significant or noteworthy, but this does neither. It doesn't really show off anything in its best light, most of it is a wall of noise mixed terribly, incomprehensible vocals, and just really really bad. No idea why it's apparently so widely revered. 1/5.
Stan Getz
3/5
Getz/Gilberto starts on the right notes and carries a sultry summery energy through the first half of the album, not entirely dissimilar to albums of theirs we've already had, a bossa nova/jazz fusion which is balanced in just the right way to be accessible to many, not tipping too far into the indulgences and excesses that annoy those same people. Unfortunately the back half of the album sort of tails off into a sameyness, O Grande Amor aside. Gets a decent 3, wasn't a bad listen.
Spiritualized
2/5
Lazer Guided Melodies flits between utterly boring and quite captivating. Predictably, I quite like the tracks where it gets loud and heavy, like I Want You an Step Into The Breeze, but much of it just wastes my time and is musical nothingness to me at least. Doesn't get good enough often enough to warrant more than a 2.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Superfly manages to be super smooth but also deep and gritty at the same time, the result of some brilliant musicianship and great writing of themes that smack you in the face, whether you've lived them or not. Even the instrumentals are quality in that they're not filler, they add something to the record and are a part of the journey. It's a high high 4, was tempted to give it a 5 but the falsetto grates just too much, but it's excellent.
Doves
3/5
Can't say I've ever knowingly listened to Doves, so Lost Souls was new to me, and it's decent. Dunno why I'd thought it was a more recent record than TWENTY FUCKING FIVE YEARS AGO but it makes sense because this really does sound like a lot of indie music from around that time, you can hear influences from everyone from Radiohead to Travis to Muse and probably 20 or so others, those just leapt out to me without thinking. Some of it I like, some of it is pretty dull, The Man Who Told Everything might be my favourite track, a solid 3/5 overall though. Might've gotten to a 4 if it didn't go 20 minutes too long, but since I'm not given to a lot of indie stuff, I was quite happy with what this turned out to be.
Le Tigre
3/5
Le Tigre has a decent energy that pops when it's done well, obviously Deceptacon and Phanta but also Let's Run. It's good and I can hear a fair amount of influence it might've had on a bunch of music I enjoy now, but it doesn't sustain that quality throughout, and the last three tracks are really quite bad. Sure, that's not easy to do, but the guitar lines are the most memorable takeaway from most songs, rather than the song itself. 3/5 though, more good than bad.
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
Floodland isn't very good, the idea is, but fucking hell it's just terribly 80s in every way. I don't need New Wave Goth, thank you, and although it does a decent job at times (Lucretia My Reflection), I found it all just fading into nothingness. Vocals weren't bad, the music was, 2/5.
David Holmes
2/5
Let's Get Killed is not my speed for electronica or similar, it's really quite dull or awfully repetitive in placed and mostly sounds like a generic action or spy film soundtrack. It's not without its merits at times, like I really liked Rodney Yates, that sort of approach is much more my thing, so while it hits that spot at times, it doesn't do it often enough to get more than a 2/5.
Funkadelic
4/5
Maggot Brain is really enjoyable, didn't really expect such a rock-heavy sound given all I know about Funkadelic is the other stuff we've had from them here, and the last time we had them was One Nation Under a Groove with a disco focus, but this hits the mark all over the place. Super Stupid is a stone cold killer of a song, the opening title track goes through some cool stuff even if it lasts too long, and yeah, there's some guff on there (Back In Our Minds plus parts of Wars of Armageddon which has a) too much cowbell and b) a diabolical last two minutes or so with farting?!) that drags it down, though I think good enough overall to still get a 4.
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
Histoire De Melody Nelson isn't good, he mumbles into the mic in an attempt to be seductive but a) he's often unintelliglble even if you speak some French and b) don't look up the theme or content of this record if you don't want to be creeped out. A few tidy basslines and some nice guitar work doesn't mask an album that is mostly a bunch of stuff you'd heard a snippet of in a fragrance ad and that only finds a saving grace in how short it is. Struggling to find reasons not to give it 1/5.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Freak Out is weird because it's not one single thing, it's a load of stuff all thrown together and not really in a way I can enjoy. Agree that Trouble Every Day is a strong track, the first two tracks are also good but then followed up by rubbish and/or stuff that just doesn't fit with anything else. It also closes with a mental and mostly crap 12 minute classic 60s overindulgence of sounds when everyone was clearly off their tits on every substance possible. 2/5, disappointing.
Big Black
3/5
Atomizer is up and down, hit and miss, though we've had a lot worse. It has decent energy for a punk album but doesn't go too far with it, which I appreciate. Kerosene and Fists of Love are good songs, Bazooka Joe and Strange Things are smart little Oi! songs, it's fairly tight overall though perhaps longer than some punk records from the same era, I dunno, 3/5 seems fair, I liked more of it than not.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Stripped is really good in places but is also massively overproduced and way way way too long. As it's from 2002 there's a really strong nostalgic sound in the first half of the album from anyone who grew up around that time, and the hit songs off the album are truly excellent. There's just so much filler, it doesn't need to be 1hr20, you could cut everything between Beautiful and Dirrty and save 16 minutes alone, and you'd improve the quality and consistency. Gets a decent 3/5, could've been a 4 but, and I know this was an era of indulgence, leave some of it out and leave some of it a bit less well defined. You want to make an album that's simultaneously vulnerable and punchy, you need to expose the track as well as the content, and it's all just a bit too polished.
Radiohead
4/5
I liked The Bends more than any other Radiohead album we've had, there's more music I like in it, there's more of a Britpop style sound in it, and while I never got into this lot but really liked Muse, there are parallels everywhere. Didn't like Fake Plastic Trees, liked most of the other stuff, easy 4/5.