351
Albums Rated
3.95
Average Rating
32%
Complete
738 albums remaining
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1960s
Favorite Decade
Soul
Favorite Genre
UK
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Enthusiast
Rater Style ?
116
5-Star Albums
3
1-Star Albums
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle | 5 | 1.88 | +3.12 |
| Oar | 5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
| Playing With Fire | 5 | 2.54 | +2.46 |
| Casanova | 5 | 2.67 | +2.33 |
| Orbital 2 | 5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
| New Boots And Panties | 5 | 2.7 | +2.3 |
| Medúlla | 5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
| Phaedra | 5 | 2.73 | +2.27 |
| One World | 5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
| Da Capo | 5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel California | 1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
| 461 Ocean Boulevard | 1 | 3.12 | -2.12 |
| Pump | 1 | 3.11 | -2.11 |
| Californication | 2 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
| The Cars | 2 | 3.67 | -1.67 |
| The Joshua Tree | 2 | 3.67 | -1.67 |
| Highway to Hell | 2 | 3.66 | -1.66 |
| Van Halen | 2 | 3.63 | -1.63 |
| Crime Of The Century | 2 | 3.41 | -1.41 |
| Hybrid Theory | 2 | 3.39 | -1.39 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 5 | 4.8 |
| David Bowie | 3 | 5 |
| The Velvet Underground | 2 | 5 |
| Curtis Mayfield | 2 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 2 | 5 |
| John Martyn | 2 | 5 |
| CHIC | 2 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 2 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 2 | 5 |
| Van Morrison | 2 | 5 |
| Nick Drake | 2 | 5 |
| Public Enemy | 2 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4.25 |
5-Star Albums (116)
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Popular Reviews
John Martyn
5/5
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.
8 likes
Throbbing Gristle
5/5
Another bit of wierd serendipity, I get this the day after going to see cosey fanni tutti talking in my local library....this is pretty special and wonderfully odd. All the negative comments make me love it more. I'd rather listen to this back to back than more MOR classic rock that makes me want to claw my eyes out.
6 likes
Everything But The Girl
4/5
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.
5 likes
Circle Jerks
4/5
This was dumb and fun...not to be taken too seriously, but perfect in its way
4 likes
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
5/5
Fell in love with this lovely bit of wierdness pretty quickly...messy, incoherent, mumbling foolishness at its best...
3 likes
1-Star Albums (3)
All Ratings
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Wierd since I've been listening to a lot of Nico lately.
Thundercat
4/5
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Absolutely loved this. Curtis Mayfield was a big listen at Uni, but this was all new to me.
Rod Stewart
2/5
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...
Elliott Smith
5/5
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.
Charles Mingus
4/5
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.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Meh...used to like Arcade Fire, but struggled to connect to this.
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
Great bit of classic hip hop for a sunny Friday. Stripped down beats, sometimes problematic lyrics with a few scuzzy guitar interludes. Great stuff
Femi Kuti
4/5
Enjoyed this, fun and funky, not a close listen today, bit will be returning to it.
Radiohead
5/5
A known classic, probably Radiohead's strongest album and one I love to immerse myself in.
The Prodigy
4/5
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.
Paul Weller
4/5
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
The Streets
2/5
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.
Happy Mondays
4/5
This one is always good company, listened on the way down to the coast. Nothing much to say, just good memories and dancing.
The Byrds
4/5
Jangly, summer vibes, few too many covers for my liking, but done well, and that was the way at the time.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Endless amount said about this album. It does it job well
Hugh Masekela
5/5
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.'
50 Cent
2/5
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.
Elvis Costello
3/5
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.
Everything But The Girl
4/5
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.
Ozomatli
3/5
This was fun, nothing special, but fun.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Loved this, great bit of jazz/soul influenced hip-hop...
The Waterboys
3/5
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
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Wonderful Sunday morning record
R.E.M.
4/5
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.
Gillian Welch
4/5
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.
Coldplay
3/5
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...
Milton Nascimento
4/5
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.
Roxy Music
4/5
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.
John Martyn
5/5
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.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
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.
Sam Cooke
5/5
Superb piece of filthy raw, gritty soul. Loved this, you can feel the relationship with the audience.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
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
David Bowie
5/5
Probably my favourite era and album of Bowie.
The Band
5/5
Beautiful, already loved it and great tobget it on a friday morning. A stomp trlhrough the pines.
Incredible Bongo Band
5/5
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.
Billy Bragg
4/5
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.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Likeable Bruce album, sounds like it's time, but some storming tracks.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
If Robert Smith from the Cure fronted the Waterboys....with more horns. Quite enjoyed it.
David Crosby
5/5
Great album to get lost in on a sunny morning, floated in it.
Stereo MC's
2/5
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.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Nice, spikey stuff, with some lovely sounding bass. Has aged well and sounds pretty timeless.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
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.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
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.
Van Halen
2/5
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
John Martyn
5/5
Superrbly beautiful album from start to finish. Second John Martyn album I've had on here and a very happy discovery.
Genesis
5/5
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.
3/5
Groundbreaking, raw, but slightly dull
CHIC
5/5
The is everything I want in a pop album. Fresh, funky and catchy as f#@k. Nice knew what he was doing.
The Who
4/5
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.
Living Colour
3/5
This was kind of cool, but nothing stuck with me that much. May need another listen.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
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.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
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.
Ice Cube
4/5
Strong album, but cant help feel Cube spends a bit too much time obsessing over accusations of anti-semitism
Baaba Maal
4/5
Paul Simon
5/5
Love Graceland, beautiful album from Mr Simon
Al Green
4/5
Great album, chilled morning misoc
Radiohead
5/5
AC/DC
4/5
A beast of an album, rollicking through without stopping for air
Caetano Veloso
4/5
As someone already said, great cooking music and perfect for the hot weather.
4/5
Need to give this a better listen, but liked what I heard.
The Charlatans
5/5
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
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Lorde
3/5
Enjoyed more than I expected, moody and stuff, but nicely put together
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Listening to this while walking around London makes everything feel a bit epic. Another rone from my teens that just lights me up.
The The
4/5
Liked this a lot, something interesting going on with the drums, particularly on the last track. Nice past discovery.
The Crusaders
4/5
I get the allegations of elevator music, but loved this all the same...funky sunshine music, very chill
Manu Chao
5/5
This was pretty awesome,
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Beautifully voiced classic
Isaac Hayes
5/5
This is the good stuff
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
5/5
Fell in love with this lovely bit of wierdness pretty quickly...messy, incoherent, mumbling foolishness at its best...
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
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.
Nirvana
5/5
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.
The Smiths
4/5
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.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Loved this, missed til now, sonic excellence.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
4/5
Fun cowboy stuff with plenty of heart.
The White Stripes
4/5
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.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
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.
Gorillaz
4/5
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.
The National
2/5
Competently dull...sorry
Love
5/5
Great stuff, beautiful, chaotic and full of charm
Deerhunter
3/5
I don't know....kind of pretty at points, some interesting noise stuff, but not grabbing my attention all that much
Orange Juice
3/5
I quite like the 80s synth indie feel to it, but it never really takes off quite the way I hoped it would
Bob Dylan
5/5
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.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
I like some of this, but it all gets a bit samey and sounds much more dated than a lot of older stuff.
The Young Rascals
4/5
Light, infectiously cheery 60s pop.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
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
Ute Lemper
4/5
Wonderfully bonkers
Boards of Canada
5/5
Beautiful, dreamy album I've over for a while
David Gray
2/5
Couldn't get through all of this...maudling overplayed meh. Agree with comments about bad drum machines.
The Specials
5/5
Great album, full energy and holding up well. One of those albums that makes me grin.
Billy Joel
5/5
I had a wierd Billy Joel phase when I was about 10, this brings back good memories. He's a great storyteller / song writer
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
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.
Pavement
4/5
Great chilled slacker album...love it
Kacey Musgraves
2/5
I struggled with this. Nothing offensive, but mainly a bit bland.
David Holmes
3/5
Great background music, with strong 90s nostalgia
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Gets a lot of hate, but enjoyed the ride
Prince
5/5
Beautiful, godlike genius
Suede
4/5
Always loved this album, a bit up itself at points, but with style
Little Simz
5/5
Liked thisva lot. Intricate and varied backing tracks took me on a journey...accompanied by passionate, agile lyrics. Will be listening more
OutKast
4/5
Great album, piss a bit long
The Monkees
5/5
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.
Megadeth
4/5
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.
Circle Jerks
4/5
This was dumb and fun...not to be taken too seriously, but perfect in its way
Beastie Boys
5/5
Love this
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
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
Beatles
4/5
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
Eminem
4/5
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.
The Strokes
4/5
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.
Drive-By Truckers
4/5
I liked this ramshackle love story for skynnard a lot.
Nas
3/5
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.
The Smiths
5/5
Morrisey is a fool, but this is still a damn good album
Björk
5/5
Truly beautiful
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Well it's Johnny Lee Hooker, so some quality here, but also nothing much grabbed me. It's alright.
Stan Getz
5/5
Awesome chill, Sunday jazz
Miles Davis
4/5
Not the best of miles, but still miles
MC Solaar
4/5
Pretty awesome 90s French hip hop
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Love Neil Young and remember liking this album more than I did on this listen. Ita a bit all over the place content wise...Still don't hate it, but not one of his best
Van Morrison
5/5
This was the right music for a funeral on a rainy day. Beautiful, soulful stuff.
Sheryl Crow
4/5
Liked a lot more than I thought I would
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Legendary and always a good ride
Missy Elliott
4/5
Pretty great
Bee Gees
4/5
Ridiculous album...hated it, then kind of liked it...its very silly
Nick Drake
5/5
Stunning
Guns N' Roses
4/5
Perfect running album.
New Order
4/5
Made me remember why I liked new order after a very disappointing live gig.
George Michael
4/5
Good poppy fun
The Beach Boys
5/5
Not much to say that has not already been said a 1000 times.
The Cars
2/5
No strong feelings on this one
Bad Company
2/5
Feels like a centre point of classic rock...and in being so is quite a dull ride.
LL Cool J
2/5
Hmmm...some good some bad...heavily dated, but still something there, despite pretty naffy lyricism
Lana Del Rey
4/5
Kind of loved this, the right mood for now, but think can be something that could get too much in excess
David Bowie
5/5
Beautiful last ride
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Nice
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I love Jimmy, but can't help feel this is a bit of an inconsistent mess of an album. Some awesomeness, but some crap too.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Lyrical skill shines through some dodgy content, typical of the time making this one of the more digestable rap albums I've come across on this thing...I grew up loving rap, bit time has not been kind to some of its obsessions and attitudes. What once sounded like rebellion and romanticised streetwise, sometimes blurs into being a bit of an arsehole with few redeemable qualities. Biggie at least owns his shittiness, with one track making it clear he knew he was headed to hell. Despite all his misogyny, a liveability shines through that suggests a bit more is going on, his seemingly prescient awareness of his own mortality reveal insecurity behind the bravado. Behind all this the backing tracks are a rich treat to be explored.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Pretty great
The Cramps
4/5
Loved this, campy fun horror rock
Neil Young
3/5
Great album that I know well, but found a bit dull this time round. Amazing how ears can tire of some sounds.
Yes
4/5
Full on prog rock explosion, liked it more than I thought I would, as provided surprisingly good running music.
Sebadoh
3/5
Good grungy stuff, fairly anonymous, but that works for me sometimes...liked the lack of commitment to being in key
The Clash
5/5
Prob one of my favourite albums of all time, alway puts me in the right mood.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I listened to this in a traffic this rainy morning, on my first monday back after a holiday. Wish you were here washed over me, bringing a needed calm to my addled head. This was probably the first Floyd album I owned and its been while since I listened. It's close to perfect.
Portishead
5/5
They hit something pretty special with this one.
Spacemen 3
5/5
Yeah, kind a love this
The Auteurs
3/5
Not loads to say, but liked this all the same, made me think of Suede.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Despite being overlong I liked this more than axis. It felt a more complete whole. Jimmy was great, but not sure he was always an album artist, that may have eventually come about, but will never know. I was soothed by the irony of listening to cross town traffic in a traffic jam.
Aphex Twin
5/5
This is always a go to for me, superb ambient joy
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
I go up and down on the Manics...lyrically interesting, some dodgy production choices hear and there, but at other points perfection. Seen them lice twice, once amazing, once shite so hard to judge. At their worst they sound like estate agent rock at their best their leading the revolution .
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
Winsome 90s indie done beutifully
Frank Black
3/5
I like some Frank Black, but gave to admit things picked up when the album finished and spotify autoplayed wave of mutilation
Cheap Trick
2/5
Really hits the middle of that road...
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Bon
Supertramp
2/5
Not feeling this exactly. Sometimes sounds like a musical, but not a good one. Moments of fun, but a hard listen.
David Bowie
5/5
Live station to station, think its really bowie in his stride. Cool, experimental but still with a great pop sensibility.
Le Tigre
4/5
Liked this a lot, good energy
R.E.M.
5/5
One of the best albums ever. Soul juice, it soothes.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
Kind of loved this. Grizzled and authentic.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
It's ok
Lou Reed
5/5
Always loved this, so more than a little biased. Great for walking on dreery days.
The Kinks
5/5
Storytelling and music hall mixed in this is pinnacle 60s brit pop
Elvis Costello
3/5
I'm starting to really dislike Elvis Costello...there's the odd great song and then a distinct feeling he's a bit of an arse.
Foo Fighters
4/5
Bursts out of the gate and even if it tapers off a bit at the end, its still a cracking album.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Difficult...on one hand, some great lyrics, really great storytelling lyrics...but the delivery is mostly quite dull...a lot of the songs just lack life, with overly multi-tracked vocals that stick in one register...the music is a lot of minor key and meh. Very dull piano playing on a lot of tracks.
'no body, no crime' is a massive exception. It cuts through everything and hits perfect. This is a collaboration with HAIM and think the collaborations are generally stand out.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Holds up pretty well, at times a bit ridiculous, but I went with it.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Yeah, loved it...
Dirty Projectors
2/5
Wasn't sure about this at first...but it grew on me later, then I realised the album finished and I was listening to random tracks vaguely linked to the album, so what I liked was not the album itself...
The Roots
4/5
This was a pretty good time.
James Brown
4/5
Powerfully funky stuff
Dolly Parton
3/5
Some fun hear, but wish they'd made it in the 70s rather than 80s
Nina Simone
5/5
Beautiful
Kanye West
5/5
I'd always wondered about the hype around Kanye, but had never listened to his early stuff. Wow, this is poss one of the best hip hop debuts I've heard. Great album. Shame about how things turned out.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Great stuff
Silver Jews
3/5
Some alright stuff, but some so so
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Quite liked my trip with Buddy, stands up pretty well to my ears.
John Grant
4/5
Great song writing / storytelling with wit and intelligence.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
Wondeful
Justice
2/5
Hmmmm....felt contrived and lacked something important...
Gang Of Four
4/5
More loved than lovable, but still pretty great.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
5/5
Wonderfully chilled, no where near as wierd or abstract as some of the reviews on here suggest. Really liked this.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
It's a long one, but has a lot of heart. Raw and meandering, it's a bit of a journey, but one I'm glad I've taken.
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Enjoyed far more than I expected. Started with feelings of...oh, its one of these albums...not going to be fun...but it grew on my. Loved the jammy feel, especially on the last track.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Went down ok
Marilyn Manson
2/5
Beautiful people stands up pretty well, but the rest of it feels like someone trying far too hard to sound shocking and evil , but lacking any real lyrical ability. Goth / metal word salad. Got a bit bored of it tbh.
Joy Division
4/5
Downbeat beautiful
k.d. lang
2/5
Like her vocals, but the backing tracks are awful, was a tough listen at points
Heaven 17
2/5
Bit of a struggle to be honest
Adele
4/5
A good album, well put together, but not my cup of tea. Also Adele has an awesomely original way of pronouncing risk.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Rootzy
The Jam
4/5
Pretty great
Solange
4/5
Feels like a classic, politically charged with deep soulful feeling. Liked it.
The Who
3/5
Some great songs on here, but overall I find something unlikeable about the who that I can't get over. Can't put my finger on it...what can seem like rebellion, may just be meaness...
Os Mutantes
5/5
Loved this. Some of the instrumentals made me think of the weirder end of the beach boys.
Linkin Park
2/5
Like bits of this, but similar to a lot of nu-metal it can feel a bit plastic to me. Not sure what itis, maybe over production, too much compression...not sure, but everything feels like it has a sheen, like it's somehow restrained and lacking depth. Lyrically, the overuse of first person moaning about relationships can get tiring, there is a lot of 'tell' and not much 'show' going one, with lyrics telling us how the singer feels, but not giving much story / context.
George Michael
4/5
Freedom 90 is a great track and the album us well put together, just not my cup of tea
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Love this, but bloody he'll its a long one.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Wonderful song writing, beautiful voice.
Santana
5/5
Santana sounding superb
Norah Jones
4/5
Perfectly fine, but a little too saccharine for me. Not back background music for a miserable morning.
Mudhoney
4/5
Enjoyed, if at points anonymous. As with a lot of stuff like this, I bet it was amazing live.
John Cale
5/5
Liked this, but feel I need to listen to it several times get deeper into it. John Cale's voice moves from understated to absurd, but always fascinating.
Carpenters
5/5
So, wasn't expecting to mike this as much as I did. Saccharine, maybe, but sort of perfect pop
Janelle Monáe
5/5
Very excellent, with some surprisingly Christmas's tracks
The Teardrop Explodes
5/5
This is the good stuff.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Couldn't get on with this, mainly due to the difficulty finding a copy to listen to and it being g a live album, but also classic rock. Shame as have liked thin lizzy sometimes.
Beatles
5/5
No loads to say beyond its a classic.
Red Snapper
3/5
OK background music, but nothing special
Michael Jackson
4/5
Perfect running music
The Pharcyde
3/5
Funky misogyny...funkogyny?
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Not bad
Happy Mondays
4/5
Love a bit of mondys
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Like this more than Song in the key of life...Great album
The Cardigans
4/5
Liked this a lot. Understated, cool indie-pop
Rod Stewart
4/5
You know what, not half bad...not a big Rod fan, but he has a hell of a band behind him at thus point
Cypress Hill
4/5
Love this
Wilco
4/5
Beautiful, miserable and light
Beatles
5/5
Not much to say other than it's a fine classic
Cat Stevens
5/5
Love this 🐈
Various Artists
5/5
Have to admit I didn't listen to this one this year, but know how good it us.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Despite some uncomfortable lyrics, this album rocks good, the stones almost at their finest
Big Star
4/5
Never heard this and liked it a lot. Will be returning for more.
The Byrds
4/5
This pretty awesome album was made all the more interesting by the hippy squabbling at the end of the secret track.
Tangerine Dream
5/5
This is pretty wonderful. I searched for a copy on vinyl when I got this, but couldn't find one. The hunt will continue.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Nice and spiky
DJ Shadow
4/5
Van Morrison
5/5
Beautiful, heartfelt and soulful
The Cure
4/5
Interesting early cure, needs further listening, but liked what I heard.
Korn
3/5
Was a slow burner for me, I really wasn't feeling it in the morning...vocals felt too artificial and self obsessed, overly compressed guitars making metal sound too neat and tidy as with a lot of nu-metal and similar...but I warmed to it as the day went on and was listening to it as background...my office sound system makes everything a bit muddy at low volume and it may have accidentally benefitted from losing a lot of vocal definition.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Not much to say, but a good album...interesting to hear freebird in context. Felt like it built up to it in a way that doesn't happen when heard on its own.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Liked, but needs a second listen.
Beatles
5/5
This was the first beatles album I brought myself and still probably my favourite. In some ways it feels like their most cohesive album, maybe not the best songs, bit works as a whole better than anything else they did.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Liked
Ramones
4/5
Yeah, this is pretty great
The Cure
5/5
Moody, with great drums. Something about the drums just got me on this one. The rest of it is great too, but the drums.
Japan
2/5
Not quite talking to me is this. All tomorrow's party's is still great though.
Laura Nyro
4/5
Had a bit of trouble with this one at first, a bit too showy. For some reason the cover had convinced me this was something more contemporary and probably a bit darker, it's 60s sheen and her voice were a little distracting, but after a while I found some things to like withing. It has a beautiful oddness.
The Doors
5/5
This has always been a go to for me. I'm not a massive doors fan, but love this album. It's ferocious and primal. Filthy, dangerous beauty.
Public Enemy
5/5
Never listened to Public Enemy much, was probably a year or two too young for it to hit, but this is awesome. Pure sampling genius with lyrics on fire.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Oh dear. Rhcp have some great singles, but this is pretty awful as albums go. Emit Remmus (summer time backwards) an atrocious piece of shite written after Tony Kletus had an affair with Mel C from the Soice girls, made me want to rip my ears off. The lyrics are some of the worst I've ever heard.
'Though I know that every river bends
Time to say hello to snow on the Thames
What could be wetter than
An English girl American man'
Damn that's bad. Sure Californication and Scar Tissue are pretty great, but there are a lot of crimes to get past for the few good deeds.
Machito
4/5
Yeah, always happy to get this sort of thing.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
This is an old friend. The first Nick Cave album I brought, not my entry, but when I properly started to get his work it took me a while, but fell in love with this. It's a warm and comfy place of dark discomforts.
Steely Dan
4/5
Wierd one. It's not my normal thing and the ingredients are not to my taste, but as a whole enjoyed listening and made me smile.
Goldie
4/5
Greatness
Beastie Boys
4/5
I loved this, listened as I walked round Brighton this morning and put a big smile on my face. However, it is the sampling and instrumental that stands out. I've got a soft spot for the Beastie Boys, but on this album I just can't quire connect with their lyrics and vocal style. I found myself wishing for a purely instrumental version so I could really pay attention to the cool stuff going on in the background.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Big love for the beach boys...not their best hear, but some good time tracks. Also some dodgy lyrics brian ... looking at you She Knows Me Too Well...the bonus track of them messing about and talking about food is wonderful...
Sade
4/5
Don't care what anyone says...this is great. Happy, chilled and smiling.
Napalm Death
4/5
As a lover of brevity and a self editor, this is perfection. Visceral and immediate.
2/5
Bo No
Eagles
1/5
Nope, this album made me miserable today. Its just so bloody dull and does nothing for me.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Enjoyed more than expected, though took a while to get through. Almost Blue is cracking.
The Prodigy
5/5
Impressed at how well this stands up. It was a staple album as a teenager, way more important to me than Fat of the Land...it hit as I started drinking and hanging out and was a bit of a soundtrack to both getting ready and hangovers. Listening today It still sounded fresh, intense and vital.
Parliament
5/5
Superfunkagroovalistic - have loved this for ages ages and it never gets old
Beastie Boys
3/5
Not their best, but still a lot of fun
a-ha
4/5
Pretty good
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Yeah, love a bit of Curtis and this is pretty much the shit
Songhoy Blues
5/5
This was good company today, perfect for walking about and well deserving of decent headphones. The record quality and tone of the instruments is superb. Beautiful.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Better than expected, bit surprised to see it hear tbh, but was a fun if slightly silly ride.
Pantera
3/5
Nice and heavy, not sure about those lyrics, some dodgy thinking going on there.
The Smiths
3/5
This smiths album feels airy and light compared to some of their others...not sure why. Some good tunes, but Morissey is still a tool.
Ian Dury
5/5
This is pretty fantastic, sordid stories full of character and fun with a superb band. Wonderful
The Rolling Stones
5/5
The best stones album by a long road
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Completely recognise why this is a classic. I remember listening to early Fugees in 93ish and the lyrics grabbing me then. I pretty much missed Lauren Hill's solo career when it came round, but this was clearly a mistake.
The Undertones
2/5
Not really feeling ti's to be honest
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Beautiful hip hop
CHIC
5/5
In a wierd piece of synchronicity, I got this album to listen to on the day a local venue announced Chic are playing an outdoor gig in my town thus July. Snapped up tickets straight away.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
Frank's voice is unmistakable, I've never heard an album from him though, just collection's. This is pretty special.
Grateful Dead
3/5
Was the only Grateful Dead album I owned and took me a while to get into it back then. Friend of the devil is a stand out, but it's pretty forgettable beyond that. Didn't hate, but nothing special.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Really enjoyed this, can tell they were navigating from pop to more experimental territory and it show. Feels like it points in the direction electronic music was set to travel.
Spiritualized
5/5
Just a beautiful album. Loved since I first heard it many years ago.
Pavement
2/5
Was expecting to like this, but found it quite irritating...could just be my mood. Though some music has the ability to pull me out of a funk, this drove me deeper.
Richard Thompson
4/5
This was rather lovely. I need to have a deeper listen though.
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
Great tunes, still sounds great
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Beautiful simplicity
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
Beautiful desert blues
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Sublime discovery for me. Had heard of, but not heard of Cocteau Twins and need to hear more.
Soft Cell
5/5
Yep, loved this sordid little gem
Jungle Brothers
5/5
I'd never come across this before and was listening to a lot of hip hop and rap at the time. Great album, full of clever samples and grade A lyricism.
The Temptations
4/5
Great and unexpected album, really goes to a lot of different places politically and pop wise. All the while deeply funky.
Michael Jackson
4/5
It's a weird position. I can see everything thats great about this album, even if it's difficult to see past Jackson himself. But it still sounds dated in places. Dated, but so well done.
Mariah Carey
2/5
Genuinely expected this to feel like nails down a blackboard, but it wasn't. My dislike for Mariah's music has apparently stayed in the 90s. It wasn't replaced by admiration, just indifference. It's pleasant enough in the background, but does nothing for ne. The only one that stands out I'd a Prince cover
Mylo
3/5
Quite liked this, but nothing that exciting
The Band
4/5
Yeah, love the band. Some awesome organ work here.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I know there great and all, but was left a little bored on this listen.
Ash
3/5
Very 90s, loved it went first out. A few good tracks, but...I don't know, just not feeling it today
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Quite liked, but didn't stick much. Needs more listens maybe.
Jerry Lee Lewis
2/5
Nah, not today thanks. Sure the tunes are big, but it grated on me.
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
Such a rich mix of politics and electro-pop, total joy to listen too.
Sister Sledge
5/5
Solid pop, listens like a best of.
Neneh Cherry
4/5
So much fun, dated, but great
Pentangle
3/5
My partner hated this. I went from like to luke warm few times. It took me a while to get through it. It feels like one I would have to be in the mood for, perhaps walking in a forest
T. Rex
5/5
Truly awesome glam pop. So many of these are ear worms for me.
The White Stripes
4/5
Stands up well, better than I thought it would
Maxwell
5/5
Loved this super slick and super chill
Genesis
4/5
Yep, overblown, ridiculous...incredibly british/pythonesque...quite fun
Nick Drake
5/5
Beautiful and timeless
The Hives
3/5
Good high energy fun
Suzanne Vega
3/5
Need to explore more. Plenty to like here, feels like a strand of music that stopped
The Birthday Party
4/5
Love the wildness o this...nick at his most unhinged and chaotic.
Neu!
4/5
Not much to say, but love where this goes, great album for ambient sound and texture
10cc
3/5
Surprisingly enjoyable
The Velvet Underground
5/5
What a lovely hot mess this is. Rambling story telling, protopunk thrashing, darkness and dirt. It plays less like an album and more like a slice of life.
Eric Clapton
1/5
Nope
Tori Amos
4/5
Great songwriting and singing
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
Beautiful, but requiring further study.
Robbie Williams
3/5
I know this is fairly good 90s pop, but really can't be fucked to listen to it. Sorry
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Yep, enjoyed this as expected . Reviewing a bit later than listen so not loads to say, but a good one.
Basement Jaxx
4/5
Pretty great, sweaty, pounding music. Polished and a bit sleazy, which is an odd combination.
Madonna
2/5
Didn't love this. Feels contrived and forced to me. There are some high points, but generally left me cold.
Metallica
5/5
Love this. It's overblown and a bit silly, but also pretty wonderful and lots of fun. Listened while driving to Tunbridge Wells and back to watch Garth Merenghi, and was tge perfect soundtrack. So much music is conditional, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much in other situations...but great driving music...and probably good for housework too.
Big Black
3/5
Some good raw stuff here.
The xx
3/5
Liked this more on release, seemed to pass by a bit anonymous, but still strong
Duke Ellington
5/5
Loved all two hours of this. Great live jazz album with awesome bits of chat in between.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Pretty iconic well trodden path. Not loads to say other than Desolation Row is a masterpiece in itself.
Dr. Dre
2/5
Loads of memories of listening to this as a teenage boy in the early 90s. It is part responsible for my love of Parliament / Funkadelic, but doesn't really stand up. The homophobia, misogyny and shock for shock sake reveal much more turgid lyrics than I remember...snoop brings it up and you left questioning Dre's lyrical ability. The tracks though and use of funk samples remains pretty great.
Aerosmith
1/5
Nope...Still hate Aerosmith
Beatles
5/5
My favourite Beatles Album by a country mile. So much to unpack here. It goes to a lot of places, proto metal, country, early sampling...a peak of creativity over perfection.
Jethro Tull
3/5
I love the bonus track on the end of the version on Spotify, with Ian Anderson opining his disbief that people like this album it pretty great to be honest, but a wierd listen
Emmylou Harris
4/5
70s country holds its head up pretty well compared to what followed in the 80s
Germs
4/5
Pretty great and dirty
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
Had not heard in the context of an album before, fascinating to hear the early development of hip hop, with both bits of social conscience and bits of discrimination dropped in...
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Great album
Public Enemy
5/5
This is sampling heaven.
The Stooges
5/5
It's iggy at his ridiculous, cool psychedelic best. Wonderful
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Yeah, thought I was going to like this, but got bored quiclly
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
This was pretty wonderful
Megadeth
3/5
Love a bit of thrash, but didn't keep my interests much
System Of A Down
4/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Yep, this is pretty great
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Yeah, this is the zeppelin I like...an improvement on the earlier stuff
The Verve
4/5
Liked much more than I expected...much less obnoxious than Urban Hymmns, which I liked at the time, but find harder to enjoy as an adult
Elvis Presley
3/5
Hmmmm
Slipknot
4/5
Better than expected...
Dizzee Rascal
4/5
Great energy and some awesome beats, dizzy did something special with this.
AC/DC
2/5
Meh
Nirvana
5/5
Morrissey
3/5
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
Duran Duran
3/5
PJ Harvey
5/5
The Divine Comedy
5/5
The La's
5/5
Classic
Throbbing Gristle
5/5
Another bit of wierd serendipity, I get this the day after going to see cosey fanni tutti talking in my local library....this is pretty special and wonderfully odd. All the negative comments make me love it more. I'd rather listen to this back to back than more MOR classic rock that makes me want to claw my eyes out.
Orbital
5/5
Greatness
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
Loved this
Johnny Cash
5/5
Talking Heads
4/5
Morrissey
3/5
Patti Smith
5/5
Tom Waits
5/5
Eels
4/5