This was an inspiration. There are problems with production that at points feels dated, but once I let this go and got past some of the more late 70s/ early 80s sounds, I felt uplifted and held by this album in a way I haven't by many albums. Small Hours blew me away, it's wonderful ambient guitar over a simple pulse beat, eventually leading up to a short song, before returning to guitar and sound was perfect. It's made me want to hear more.

Wierd since I've been listening to a lot of Nico lately.

Absolutely loved this. Curtis Mayfield was a big listen at Uni, but this was all new to me.

This album generator is a real roller coaster...yesterday I was treated to a sublime mix of funk, soul and gospel in Curtis Mayfield's 'There's No Place Like America Today.' Today, I've been sucked back to earth by Rod Stewart. I'd pesueded myself he'd started off promising and gradually lost his way in a puff of 80s white powder and spandex. 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story, shows a more consistent awfulness, where despite a pretty good backing band, Rod manages to ruin nearly every song with his lechery, casual racism, terrible lyrics and braggadoccio. A particular low point was Seems Like Long Time, where he seems like he's in a competition to see how many times he can rhyme time with time...Maggie May is a high point, but even tales of his teenage sexual exploitation fail to redeem this preening pile of cack...

Lots of love for this album, listened while walking to work in the rain. Pretty much the perfect way to hear its dreamy melancholy. Wonderful.

This is dramatic, fire jazz. Playing on disruption, it throws me about, shifting tempo and style. Sometimes gentle, but never languid, and then a full acoustic assault, broke with moments of flamenco. Not what I expected, sometimes uncomfortable, always genius.

Meh...used to like Arcade Fire, but struggled to connect to this.

Great bit of classic hip hop for a sunny Friday. Stripped down beats, sometimes problematic lyrics with a few scuzzy guitar interludes. Great stuff

Enjoyed this, fun and funky, not a close listen today, bit will be returning to it.

A known classic, probably Radiohead's strongest album and one I love to immerse myself in.

Not sure Fat of the Land was designed to be listened to with a hangover after a night out at a gig, but then prodigy kind of set me off gig going in 1997 when I saw them touring this album at the Astoria (or possibly Brixton Academy) so fair is fair. Think it's generally aged pretty well. It distracted me from my morning funk pretty well.

Today a case of not what I wanted, but perhaps what I needed...day two of a Sunday hangover, lack of sleep and waking to hayfever irritation and strong grumpiness, I was hoping for something fresh, uplifting, something else...I got Weller's Wild Wood...by no means a terrible album, but the thought of the miserable old git deepened my funk. Stepping out to walk the dog, the album covered me with a blanket, told me to stop sulking and let go. His snarky moan warmed by soulful glow and a filthy band

Not sure where I stand with this album. On one hand, I admire the documentary of a certain type of familiar lifestyle. Skinner manages to explore romantically, but critically the position of a man in his 20s, stuck in a teenage drug phase, comfortable in his uselessness, but clearly with an itch to scratch, knowing there is probably more, but not quite getting it. His petty dramas, are never more than that. That all said, at points the album feels badly constructed, both musically and lyrically. While the narrative is always entertaining, he often sounds like he's reading his words over beats that don't quite match.beats that are simple in an obvious way. On occasions this works, the warmth of the story and his delivery keeping us engaged, on others it sounds flat and awkward. I found it frustrating, wanting to like it more than I did. I found myself less critical the further I got, but not sure if that was because the content got better, or because the story had pulled me in.

This one is always good company, listened on the way down to the coast. Nothing much to say, just good memories and dancing.

Jangly, summer vibes, few too many covers for my liking, but done well, and that was the way at the time.

Endless amount said about this album. It does it job well

Wonderful Sunday morning album, listened on a PA system in a tent, while I waited for a poetry festival that I was running the sound for to start. I will need to listen again for more detailed commentary, but as a good friend says 'Eddy Gomez on bass there. He shreds. He sheds so much those turtle boys don't cut him no slack.'

Hmmm. Some interesting beats and production with a couple of great tracks, but in general can't help feeling that by the time this was released it had all been done before and better. 50s tales of the streets seem slightly dull and lifeless, competently delivered, but lack either visceral, connection or humour. It just left me a bit bored.

I can tell this is well written and put together, I wanted to like it, but found it mostly dull...it seemed to get better towards the end, which may be a sign Costello was growing on my, but I'm not sure.

This was a poppy, chilled out refresher after two albums I didn't get on with. Not my normal cup of tea, but Tracey Thorne's voice is unique and even over the sometimes sketchy drum machines it somehow works magic. There is a wonderful sense of space in the production that lets the songs breath.

This was fun, nothing special, but fun.

Loved this, great bit of jazz/soul influenced hip-hop...

I don't mind the waterboys and there is a lot to like here, bit have to admit to getting a little bored and checking out before the end of what is a very long album

Wonderful Sunday morning record

Pretty great album, that has aged well. Like many people, this wasn't my entry point for REM, which was prob Automatic for the People or Monster, by which point the songs we catchier, but there's something here that cuts a bit deeper and makes me want to spend more time with Murmur.

Revelations of red mud, blood, blues and Elvis. Strong stuff.

Don't think I'll ever be much of a Rod fan, but this blows the shit out of his 71 solo effort Every Picture Tells a Story, that seems a lifeless pile of junk in comparison. Shows just how talented The Faces were to make Stewart sound as good as this.

So, I have to admit to a large amount of anti-coldplay bias. Along with Stereophonics they represent the death knell of the 90s, of my teenage years / childhood and not in a nostalgic way. A decade of music that excited me at the time but ended with a monotonous slump, both of these bands (along with Muse and a few other suspects) were its soundtrack. They felt like copycats, riding on earlier glory, but without the edge or tension that made the originals. Coldplay felt like Radiohead with the teeth removed. Stereophonics a Faces/Oasis covers band that got lucky. I'm probably being a bit harsh, but I was 21 and pissed off. They were everywhere, presumably because there was nothing else new and remotely exciting happening. I'd spent 3 years at uni unplugged from charts, TV or current trends, listening instead to the back cats of the likes of the beach boys, the kinks, the beatles, Pink Floyd, Tom Waits, wierd amazing jazz and loads of other stuff. Back in my home town, I stuck my head above the parapet and everything had gone to shit. Things got better, eventually there were some new bands, a bit of the old chaos returned with the likes of the strokes and the libertines...but mainly I went back to back cat diving and moved further from the music that originally inspired me. Now I better see the flux and wain of exciting music, waves of excellence quickly pass, but when you hit them at the right time they are truly beautiful...when they go, you are left with Coldplay and the Stereophonics and that empty feeling that somehow things could be better, but just aren't. It ok though, cause someday another wave will come...or maybe it won't, but you can find it if you look in the right places. I listened to Parachutes on my early morning dog walk. It's a well made record, whiny and lacking any real tension, but sounds alright. A bit dull but pretty inoffensive. I noticed it starts with a track called Don't Panic. From where i now sit, its mostly harmless...

Enjoyed this and it set me off for a day of listening to Brazillian pop. I kept catching glimpses of beatles and late sixties influence through a Latin lens. Definitely coming back to this.

Sleaze, vaudavilluan romp, ferry's voice vibrato can take some getting used to, but not so much I couldn't enjoy the stories. Sounds fantastic.

This was an inspiration. There are problems with production that at points feels dated, but once I let this go and got past some of the more late 70s/ early 80s sounds, I felt uplifted and held by this album in a way I haven't by many albums. Small Hours blew me away, it's wonderful ambient guitar over a simple pulse beat, eventually leading up to a short song, before returning to guitar and sound was perfect. It's made me want to hear more.

I missed this in the early 2000s, so mainly new stuff. Apart from a couple of unavoidable singles, which were probably the least interesting things on the album, this was a varied listen. Gentle tunes, which sometimes meant the songs seemed to float over me. Not unpleasant, but maybe a little forgetable. That said, I enjoyed my time with the Boy, his use of soundeffects and occasion washed out samples worked well for me. There are obvious comparisons to Elliot Smith and Nick Drake, both of whom can be felt in this, if as shadows of tribute, but a pretty decent tribute.

Superb piece of filthy raw, gritty soul. Loved this, you can feel the relationship with the audience.

Hmmmm....couldn't get on with this. Trying to work out what I think of the fusion of world music. Either shedding light on lesser heard styles or a cultural appropriation pick & mix with a dub bass line and bad mystical poetry spoken over the top? Im tending towards the latter. To me the fusion rips the soul, and authenticity from the borrowed styles and sounds, rendering them plastic. And the poor poetic ramblings grinded on me....platitude, attitude, gratitude...FFS...its full of 90s new age sentiment that leaves me a bit empty. Sort of become one with the planet by err thinking of trees or something...the whole thing seemed a bit shallow to me

Probably my favourite era and album of Bowie.

Beautiful, already loved it and great tobget it on a friday morning. A stomp trlhrough the pines.

This was pure joy, gave me a great start to the day. From the sleaze of the Satisfaction cover (it's filthy) to brilliant whole song drum solos. Felt a bit like the music to a terrible British port comedy from the 70s at points, but I'll allow that.

Lot of love for this album, the recipe of Billy Bragg, Wilco and Woodie Guthrie makes for good listening. Some bits work better than others, but there are some strong tracks here like California Stars, Way over Yonder and Sha Came Along to me. Good stuff.

Likeable Bruce album, sounds like it's time, but some storming tracks.

If Robert Smith from the Cure fronted the Waterboys....with more horns. Quite enjoyed it.

Great album to get lost in on a sunny morning, floated in it.

Being both catchy and monotonous is quite a trick. When this first came out I was about 13. I remember putting this in the bracket of what people in their late 20s probably listened to, along with M-People, Simply Red and Jamiroqui. I later realised some younger people liked this stuff. I did not. It has not aged well and I don't think I was missing much.

Nice, spikey stuff, with some lovely sounding bass. Has aged well and sounds pretty timeless.

Enjoyed it more musically, but some very dodgy lyrics distracted me a bit. Can see how it leads onto other things, but unsure I will be back for more.

Was up and down with this one. On one hand, I quite like the beach boysesque harmonies an d sound, but because of that sometimes found the cleanliness of the modern production distracting. Didn't hate it, and had some high points that sounded great, but uneven and failed to click as a whole.

Meh....dull, dated technical playing, with too much treble. A few cool riffs, that work better sampled in other songs, apollo 440 'ain't talkin' 'bout dub' ...but nothing much for me here

Superrbly beautiful album from start to finish. Second John Martyn album I've had on here and a very happy discovery.

This is a thought on. I am neither sure if I loved or hated this and think I need to listen a few more times, but also know it is an hour and a half a time. It was at points beautiful, at points grating, lyrics often daft and sung with seriousness, sometimes at the same time. It sounds like a wierd cross between the Who, Zappa and Preservation era Kinks. My favourite moments tended to be the instrumentals, the waiting room and silent sorrow in empty boats, finding Gabriel's voice and lyrics a bit hard to take. I can't help wonder what the whole thing as pure instrumental would sound like. Yet despite all this, I can't help admire the ambition of it and found myself thinking more about this album than many I have lived. Perhaps that is a sign of its depth or maybe its just too silly for me to properly focus. Who knows, maybe that's what makes this challenge worthwhile.

Groundbreaking, raw, but slightly dull

The is everything I want in a pop album. Fresh, funky and catchy as f#@k. Nice knew what he was doing.

Don't have strong feelings about the who tbh. I saw them headline glastonbury a few years back, and they bored the pants off me for the most part. This album is on the right side of their career, sounding fresh and soulful, I was more intrigued by some of the slower R&B songs on here than the hits, which felt a little out of place, but still sounded good.

This was kind of cool, but nothing stuck with me that much. May need another listen.

This feels like peak Simon and Garfunkel, ui grew up to some of these songs (always on compilations) and they make me feel calm and safe. I listened as my plane took off on the way to holiday. Soothed.

Has a feel of 60s Bond soundtracks and songs of sorrow and longing. Not unpleasant, but not entirely keeping my attention. Dreamy sweeps, subtle dramas.

Strong album, but cant help feel Cube spends a bit too much time obsessing over accusations of anti-semitism

Love Graceland, beautiful album from Mr Simon

Great album, chilled morning misoc

A beast of an album, rollicking through without stopping for air

As someone already said, great cooking music and perfect for the hot weather.

Need to give this a better listen, but liked what I heard.

Love this album, great one to wake up to in a van near Manchester on the way to a festival where Tim Burgess is playing

Enjoyed more than I expected, moody and stuff, but nicely put together

Listening to this while walking around London makes everything feel a bit epic. Another rone from my teens that just lights me up.

Liked this a lot, something interesting going on with the drums, particularly on the last track. Nice past discovery.

I get the allegations of elevator music, but loved this all the same...funky sunshine music, very chill

This was pretty awesome,

Beautifully voiced classic

This is the good stuff

Fell in love with this lovely bit of wierdness pretty quickly...messy, incoherent, mumbling foolishness at its best...

At points annoying and others some good tunes, I respect the effort and vision, but at some points felt like someone was being tortured to write another loves song.

I can't objectively rate this album. It (and nirvana's other albums) are so routed in my teenage experience that this is soul music to me. The grinding guitars and wailing lyrics still send me into a state of peace, excitement that makes me feel how I figure I'm supposed to feel. This may sound ridiculous, but nirvana are my comfort blanket. Despite the bleakness, the mess, the misery. It helps me feel.

Tough one, the Smiths sound great hear, but hard to erase the last twenty or so years of Morrisey being a bell end. Still great album, with some nice xperimental touches.

Loved this, missed til now, sonic excellence.

Fun cowboy stuff with plenty of heart.

I'd forgotten just how much I listened to this when it came out. It's a stomper, if a little too silly for its own good at times. Was fun to revisit.

I want to like this more than I do. More listening perhaps...it reminds me of more than itself and tells a tale, need to swim with this a bit more than one listen.

Much better than I remember and I didn't remember much. Found myself warming to stuff I didn't recognise and still enjoying the couple of singles.

Competently dull...sorry

Great stuff, beautiful, chaotic and full of charm

I don't know....kind of pretty at points, some interesting noise stuff, but not grabbing my attention all that much

I quite like the 80s synth indie feel to it, but it never really takes off quite the way I hoped it would

Hard to know what to say about this. After a weeks drought of dour indie albums (mainly from the 2000s-2010s) Dylan was a breath of fresh air. I've always liked thus album, lyrically brilliant, funny, wierd and always engaging...musically it may not be rocket science, but is a comfortable armchair to slouch into. I enjoyed the ride.

I like some of this, but it all gets a bit samey and sounds much more dated than a lot of older stuff.

Light, infectiously cheery 60s pop.

I had and disliked Brutal Youth early on. This is something different, and stands up well despite some questionable language from my costello at times...Pretty great album

Wonderfully bonkers

Beautiful, dreamy album I've over for a while

Couldn't get through all of this...maudling overplayed meh. Agree with comments about bad drum machines.

Great album, full energy and holding up well. One of those albums that makes me grin.

Hmmm...really not my usual cup of tea, but tried to give it a fair listen...I struggled with what seemed like what often felt like very robotic drums and a bit of country by numbers. Older country sometimes escapes this by being less polished, more lofi with looser playing. That said, I started ro warm a bit by the end...just a bit though...my Spotify went on random country after and think I enjoyed everything after, particularly Junior Brown's Broke Down South of Dallas. Not sure I'm likely to warm to much country newer than 1970 tbh.

Great chilled slacker album...love it

I struggled with this. Nothing offensive, but mainly a bit bland.

Great background music, with strong 90s nostalgia

Gets a lot of hate, but enjoyed the ride

Beautiful, godlike genius

Always loved this album, a bit up itself at points, but with style

Liked thisva lot. Intricate and varied backing tracks took me on a journey...accompanied by passionate, agile lyrics. Will be listening more

Great album, piss a bit long

Needed this one today, great fun bit of silly 60s pop that's better than it pretends to be. Sure the beatles thing is writ large, but there is something special here.

I made the mistake of trying to listen to this on earbuds this morning. It sounded weak and artificial. It lacked heaviness, despite itself. This evening I played again with my bigger headphones. Proper cans. Automatically transformed it into its true, ridiculous, heavy self. Lesson learned. Metal is for the evening and big headphones.

This was dumb and fun...not to be taken too seriously, but perfect in its way

Love this

Some good tunes on here, good bit of classic nostalgia, but also some dodgy attempts to copy other bands that don't really come across

Never listened to much of the early beatles content on original albums...bit of near perfect pop that only slightly hints at where they would end up...enjoyed though

Yep, the general misogyny, homophobia and nasty fantasies read very differently in 2022 to 1999...back then the offensiveness seemed more intent on using offensive language and slurs as part of an attempt to shock and punch up against a stuffy establishment, with little attention to the offence it might cause to those that it literally punched down on as apparent targets. That doesn't excuse its lack of awareness of harm, and its a good thing most people have moved on from what was pretty immature and hurtful stuff. I have little time for the rhetoric of calling things cancel culture, and free speech warriors demanding their right to offend...but wonder if the transition of ownership of that offence from the establishment to marginalised groups of people may have done more to protect the establishment than it has to protect those who are truly vulnerable. Politicians have become more shocking than rock and rap stars, who have been left looking a bit vanilla in comparison and that's pretty scary. I don't have any answers, just more concerns. Despite all this, this album still sounds great. Slim may say some terrible stuff, but he says it well.

This was a bright spark amongst a lot of dross on release. Still got a decent energy to it, but perhaps seemed better than it was due to lack of anything much else worth listening to at the time. Still enjoyed its chugging along today.

I liked this ramshackle love story for skynnard a lot.

Only did a light listen to this due to distractions. Picked up great rhyming ability and some unusually interesting backing tracks along with the usual mix of problematic language. This is prob better than I realise.

Morrisey is a fool, but this is still a damn good album

Truly beautiful

Well it's Johnny Lee Hooker, so some quality here, but also nothing much grabbed me. It's alright.

Awesome chill, Sunday jazz

Not the best of miles, but still miles

Pretty awesome 90s French hip hop

Liked a lot more than I thought I would

Pretty great

Ridiculous album...hated it, then kind of liked it...its very silly