My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Penance Soiree The Icarus Line	5	2.49	+2.51
Moss Side Story Barry Adamson	5	2.53	+2.47
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby Girls Against Boys	5	2.66	+2.34
Slipknot Slipknot	5	2.67	+2.33
All Hope Is Gone Slipknot	5	2.7	+2.3
Histoire De Melody Nelson Serge Gainsbourg	5	2.75	+2.25
A Short Album About Love The Divine Comedy	5	2.77	+2.23
Roots Sepultura	5	2.78	+2.22
Tarkus Emerson, Lake & Palmer	5	2.79	+2.21
Ananda Shankar Ananda Shankar	5	2.83	+2.17

Album	You	Global	Diff
The Queen Is Dead The Smiths	1	3.66	-2.66
To Pimp A Butterfly Kendrick Lamar	1	3.61	-2.61
Ramones Ramones	1	3.58	-2.58
Surfer Rosa Pixies	1	3.51	-2.51
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back Public Enemy	1	3.37	-2.37
Brilliant Corners Thelonious Monk	1	3.33	-2.33
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs Marty Robbins	1	3.33	-2.33
Sunday At The Village Vanguard Bill Evans Trio	1	3.32	-2.32
Bitches Brew Miles Davis	1	3.3	-2.3
Chirping Crickets Buddy Holly & The Crickets	1	3.29	-2.29

Artist	Albums	Average
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	5	4.6
The Smashing Pumpkins	2	5
The Prodigy	2	5
Air	2	5
Fairport Convention	2	5
Slipknot	2	5
Genesis	2	5
Stevie Wonder	4	4.25
The White Stripes	3	4.33
Peter Gabriel	3	4.33
The Beach Boys	3	4.33
Jimi Hendrix	3	4.33
The Doors	3	4.33
Black Sabbath	3	4.33
The Cure	3	4.33
Michael Jackson	3	4.33

Artist	Albums	Average
Robert Wyatt	2	1
Orbital	2	1
Rufus Wainwright	2	1.5
Dolly Parton	2	1.5
Kendrick Lamar	2	1.5
Public Image Ltd.	2	1.5
Ryan Adams	2	1.5
Madonna	3	2
Frank Sinatra	3	2
Public Enemy	3	2
Kraftwerk	3	2
Joni Mitchell	4	2.25

Artist	Ratings
Pavement	5, 2
TV On The Radio	5, 2
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band	1, 4
Green Day	5, 2
The xx	5, 2

OutKast

4/5

Speakerboxxx 5/5, surprisingly good album, I'm not a fun of this style of rap, but it was a real pleasure to listen to Big Boi. Nothing outstanding, just a very solid album from top to bottom. On the other hand, I was expecting a lot from Love Below. Hey Ya and Roses are great songs, that are still etched in people's mind 22 years later. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is, in my opinion, very average. I had to skip few songs, as they were a bit monotonous. There is a chance, that you have to be in a very good mood to enjoy it properly, but from my neutral perspective it was just a chore to go through the whole album. Two timeless songs and a looong bunch of noise. 3/5 Altogether, I would gladly enjoy another Speakerboxxx journey in the future, and for sure I was play on repeat two hits from Love Below, but the album as a whole is not even close entering my pantheon of best in history.

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

3/5

Very hit or miss album. I could listen to the Take Five any time of the day, everyday. The main beat, or sequence is instantly recognizable, because it was probably covered or used a thousand times since release. Same thing applies to Blue Rondo - a great and catchy song, very easy to listen to. I had great enjoyment from listening to these two songs. On the other hand, we have the rest of the album. I'm not an expert on jazz, nor I'm not a big fan of the genre. But I feel that sometimes songs are really hard to follow, not because they are very complicated, but because 'the experiment' the band has taken didn't work, and we are left with a Dr. Frankenstein's Monster. It is an achievment, but you won't take pleasure from looking at (or listening to it, in fact) him. Not my cup of tea.

Wild Is The Wind

Nina Simone

2/5

First album in here that I just didn't enjoy. Nina Simone has a great voice and plenty of songs that are known all around the World. I approached this album (for the first time ever), hoping that I could like it. It is now a big part of the history of musi, after all. First song, I Love your Lovin' Ways, was very promising. The groove was there, I could easily blend into the atmosphere and enjoy it. Next song, the famous Four Women, was a bit of a turn in the mood, that actually stayed that way until the end of an album. Light, jazzy bit, deeply in the background and Nina Simone pushing all emotions out. I do think this album might be enjoyable in a different moment in life, or with a different mood when listening. But at the time, I could not take any pleasure from the compositions. Especially the titular song, Wild is the Wind was a very hard one to even sit through. On teh first listen I had to stop halfway, and start again after some time. Strong voice of Nina plus a simple, jazzy structure didn't make my day better, in fact I was constantly throwing glances at the length of songs, to see how much is there until the end. I love some songs made by Nina, but unfortunately, this album has basically zero of those.

Superfly

Curtis Mayfield

3/5

In this little challenge I have decided to rate the albums by how much I enjoyed listening to it, with less consideration of the historical context. And I think that Superfly by Curtis Mayfield is one of those occasions, where that additional context might have been crucial in understanding the album. The album is a soundtrack to the movie Super Fly, neo-crime piece in the genre of blaxploitation. The songs are incredibly groovy and inspiring combination of funk and jazz (with a strong emphasis on funk). Really consistent album altogether, with similar musical themes and couple of instrumental pieces, necessary for a soundtrack. I believe the album starts very strong with song Little Child Runnin' Wild. This song is the epitome of the whole record - very thick and catchy beat, a bit desperate, but fitting vocal of Curtis and nice jazzy accompaniment. Song is very easy to listen to, with your legs moving to the beat subconsciously. After the song, the quality of the album takes a small drop. Songs are still pleasant and catchy, but forgettable. I have listen to the album few times and to be perfectly honest, I don't remember anything special about rest of the record. It is a very unique stop in my musical journey, but not one that I will be coming back to often (if at all).

Machine Head

Deep Purple

3/5

Listening to the most famous (and the only one that I know) album of the band Deep Purple, Machine Head, is like taking a time machine into a simpler times, where Highway Star was synonymous with total rebellion, unhinged freakiness and going overboard. But is it a pleasant trip? From the first notes of the Highway Star you can be sure what type of album this will be. Classic 70s rock, that slowly, over next decade, will turn into hard rock, and eventually into all kind of metal/rock genres. With that historical context, listening to Machine Head is like taking a dive into depth of wikipedia, to read some obscure facts about the reasons of a random 14th century battle in the fields of eastern Lombardy. And like that knowledge, it's nice to know about this album, but I probably won't listen to it again. Most of the songs are very similar, with an exception of Lazy and the afromentioned Highway Star. There is also another precedence with popularity of Smoke on the Water riff. If you never played that riff on guitar or bass, then you never had one in your hands. The song itself is beyond average, but not as good as two songs mentioned in previous paragraph. I will be able to hum to the rythm of Smoke in my sleep forever, but that doesn't change the overall reception of the album I had. I feel like this record is categorised in the shelf named 'history', not in somewhere, where all my favourite or even occasional music is stored. Interestin album, but I'm eager to move on.

School's Out

Alice Cooper

3/5

Yet another, in my opinion, average rock album. After listening to it yesterday, I can't remember any song. 2,5/5, but being generous it will round up to 3

At Fillmore East

The Allman Brothers Band

3/5

Very interesting album. It was my first experience with The Allman Brothers Band. I think that the lack of previous knowledge about this group bring the enjoyment down couple levels. This is the last Live album with the original lineup, also with a different arrangement to songs than on studio albums. I can understand the appeal to this record by fans of the band, but for neutral fans, like myself, this album was just a nice listen, but nothing more than that. Probably won't reach for this album anytime soon.

Doolittle

Pixies

4/5

Surprisingly nice album! Some of the songs felt like fillers with no emotions, but all the rest, with Hey at the top were really good. The album was a sweet mix of pop and rock, with some heavy moments in between. Catchy tunes plus some interesting vocal options. I will definitely come back to this album once again, probably sooner than later.

Opus Dei

Laibach

4/5

Sounds of rammstein before rammstein, enjoyable, but don't have time for a better description

Heaven Or Las Vegas

Cocteau Twins

3/5

Gorillaz

5/5

Album of my childhood. The beat to 19-2000 will never cease to bring up nice memories of summer, and especially FIFA games. Singing (and rapping) parts of Clint Eastwood is an essential part of every get-together with my friends. Sound of Re-hash, when starting the vinyl puts me into a great humour straight away. This is one of those rare fully positive albums (melody, not necessarily the lyrics), that I really love. Definitely 5/5, only Demon Days would be rated higher in my humble opinion.

Made In Japan

Deep Purple

3/5

Yet another album with a 50 year anniversary, this time a live concert recording from Japan by the band Deep Purple. The album has only 9 songs, but all of them have a different arrangement than on the studio recording. The big change - a lot of solos, improvisation and just general craziness. The first two songs were very promising Highway Star and Child in Time had the right amount of all the ingredients: faster songs, guitar solos, vocal improv, just a great show. As for the rest of the album, the quality, in my opinion, went a bit down. The same recipe as for the first two songs stopped working. It became bothersome and boring. I had a really hard time getting through last three songs. It might be amazing, when heard live, especially 50 years ago, but as a listener from a different generation, in my bed and with headphones on, that album doesn't have anything special for me anymore.

Kala

M.I.A.

3/5

Paper planes! First time listening to this album. Mia is of Sri Lankan descent and after growing up in UK she decided to sing and rap about socially and politically delicate subjects. Paper Planes is one of those songs. Unfortunately, I never cared about the lyrics to it before, but with that knowledge, it gives an another meaning (on top of very catchy tune). The rest of the album follows suit, with a small exception, that you can't find anything catchy, just your average fillers with an interesting agenda. A little bit dissapointed.

Inspiration Information

Shuggie Otis

3/5

Different album than the rest. Mix of genres, soft voice by Shuggie, catchy beats and riffs. Just not for me.

Hybrid Theory

Linkin Park

5/5

Another one for the memories! I was always more of a Meteora fan, but Hybrid Theory has a really big place in my heart. Song 'In The End' is extremely catchy, and I know the lyrics still after twenty-ish years. Album starts on a high note with 'Papercut' and it actually just gets better. All around, it's a very even record. With this debut album, Linkin Park position themselves on the Mount Olymp of the Nu Metal wave, and for some (like me), on the very top of it.

Eliminator

ZZ Top

2/5

One of the hardest albums for me to listen thoroughly. It felt like a one, long song, with an unchanged drum pattern and sleepy riffs in the background (except for few solos, which were very good, but not enough to wake you up from the coma). I'm trying to remember anything about vocal, and honestly, I can't. That means is as forgettable, as it can be. Not the record for me.

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

3/5

It was my first time listening to the full album of REM. I've been fan to some of their music, like 'Nightswimming', and 'Everybody Hurts'. In the end, the way I liked those songs is the same as I liked this album - pleasent to listen to, but definitely without fanfare. In general, album didn't have anything outstanding, something I could get a grip of, to start a journey together. Two best songs were exactly in the same style as whole album, on the melancholic side, slow with a characteristic vocal of Michael Stipe. And as usually I am a fan of this arrangements, this album was just average.

Garbage

4/5

Another 90s rock/pop band that I didn't know, but this time I really liked the album. Garbage sounded similar to Smashing Pumpkins, or for some reason Moloko, but maybe because the song were fresh for me, I had a nice time listening to it. Some songs, like 'milk' have potential of being repayable for quite a while. In general, very positive album.

If You're Feeling Sinister

Belle & Sebastian

4/5

Not my style, rather monotonous vocal, simple melodies and lyric heavy. Despite all of that, I really enjoyed this album and it was a pleasure to listen to. It was one of the most cheerful records so far on this list (if not the only one) and somehow it got stuck in my memory despite being completely different from what I usually listen to. Never heard of Belle & Sebastian before, now it is the first band on this list that I will consider buying a cd/vinyl.

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

2/5

Worst album I have heard on this list so far. Definitely not my style, I couldn't get into any song, although I can sense the appeal other people may have to this album.

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

3/5

Very hard album to rate. In general, folk and bard-like songs are definitely far from being my favourite genres of music. On the other hand, the influence and impact Bob Dylan had on culture and music is really out of the scale. In cases like this I have to refer to my rule - rating albums as I like them 'right now', without historical context. So if I will look at this album as a fan in 2022 with no prior knowledge of Bob Dylan, I have to say that the album is not that interesting. Musical layer is very basic - simple guitar chords and harmonica, plus Dylan's voice, which I wouldn't call a one to forget. What keeps me into listening, is the lyrics and those songs, that really hypnotise you and push you to feel something (mostly through lyrics). Blowin' in the Wind is a great song, which I will listen to again and again. Hard rain is one of those songs as well. But in general, there is too many forgettable songs on this record. As a person listening to the album 60 years later, I have to say it is an average album.

Moving Pictures

Rush

4/5

One of the classic rock bands, that I really like. I used to listen to Moving Pictures a lot back in high school. This was a very important part on my 'discover the music' journey. And although 'Working Man' is my favourite Rush song, this album still delivers a lot of positive emotions. The trio from Canada strike a nice balance between number of catchy riffs, monumental guitar solos and great drum work. At the beginning I couldn't buy Geddy's Lee vocal, but it grews on you with time. "Tom Sawyer' is that quintessential Rush song, that has everything to offer. I was ready to give this album five stars, but after another listening session, I realized that there is not much interesting songs after the great instrumental 'YYZ'. None of the songs on side b got stuck in my memory and the drop off in quality is visible. But it is still a very stron four.

I Am a Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

5/5

Wow! First album in here, that I didn't know at all, and then got transfixed by! I am (almost) speechless. This album is labelled as baroque/art pop. Well, if this genre is supposed to sound like this, then sign me in! Songs on this album have two layers. The first one, is a usually slow and rather melancholic, but beautiful melody, played on piano with plenty of string instruments. The second one is an incredibly rare and forceful voive of singer, Anhoni. And the song that shows that combinations better than anything else, is 'Hope there's someone'. If the only goal of listening to 1001 albums would be to hear this song for the first time, it is well worth it. Whole album is a very beautiful journey, that has been plaing in the background for the last day, and will be played for a long time since. Bravo!

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

2/5

Same story as with ZZ Top - monotonous, repetitive and irritating. The only reason it's not one star is that Ace of Spades is a great song (and then you have 9 more songs that barely sound different). Once again, not my style.

Juju

Siouxsie And The Banshees

3/5

I was really surprised by this band. Before my first approach to this album, I was expecting a doom and gloom punk, like a more melancholic Sex Pistols (maybe because of Sid Vicious connection)? But apparently those guys know how to play! Interesting and not at all punk-like guitars, plus very nice bass and drum layer. Some of the songs had a very good foundation to be hits, even now. Unfortunately, here comes the caveat - I just couldn't stand listening to Siouxsie vocal.. It was okay for one or two songs, but on a whole album, especially with vocals being so exposed on the tape, it's just unbearable. I might give this album a second chance sometimes, or even check different records from this band, but for now my only choice is to give it an average rating.

The Gilded Palace Of Sin

The Flying Burrito Brothers

2/5

Another album that means much more in historical context, than it is an actual good album. It is a country band, that mixes different genres with it, most notably rock, psychedelic rock and gospel. You can hear this album being molded in the same pot as some of The Beatles, early Pink Floyd or The Beach Boys. You could exchange couple songs between those bands and no one would be surprised. The only problem, in my opinion, is that as a whole, The Gilded Palace Of Sin didn't withstand the test of time. Not only I couldn't recognise any of those songs, but also nothing really was good enough even to recommend. Tracks that were pure country were simply not good enough. Those mixed with rock were better, but still at best could fit to the B side of bands mentioned before, so usually first to forget. As I mentioned once, I will try not to rate albums on the base of historical context, but only on the base of how much I liked it right now. And with this little detail I can't give more than two stars.

Remain In Light

Talking Heads

4/5

Such a fun album! As almost always, it was my first experience with this band, but man, what a pleasure. Such a nice ride, I felt like on european trip through safari. Another mixed genres album, that actually struck a gold. I think this is a type of album that is very consistent throughout the whole length of it. Starts with 'Born Under Punches', with a very distinctive African-sounding beat, that never leaves and actually sounds even better on few of the instrumental tracks. Couple of slower songs fitted in between also doesn't distract you from the roller coaster ride that is this album. The only problem is that the album is too consistent for its own sake. There is no stand out song, that I could remember. The most known one is 'Once in a Lifetime', but it wasn't anything special in my opinion. So in future, I will listen to the whole album, and not just few chosen songs.

3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...

Arrested Development

3/5

Hard album to classify, or to rate. In general, I'm not a biggest fan of rap or hip hop. But once in a while there is a rapper or a group, that I really enjoy listening to. Arrested Development might be one of that group, especially if you will look at the lyrical layer of some of the songs. First of all, the beats in the whole album are really great. Very catchy, actually in some ways being similar to the previous album from Talking Heads on this list - mix of African sounds with more modern remixes. It gets slower towards the end of the album, more melancholic, but still doesn't go outside of the album's concept. Second part is the lyrics, which this record is all about. I would divide this album in two parts: - one part is all about sensitive topics, equality, racism, religion. This part actually has all the best songs, like 'People Everyday, 'Fishin 4 Religion' and 'Give a man a fish'. For this part I could easily give it a full five stars. - but on the other hand we have a second part of the album with more universal and contemporary topics, shown in songs like 'Natural and 'Dawn of the Dreads'. It was actually a real struggle to get to the end of the album. Really diverse album, a lot of interesting topics, but in the end I need to give a rating for it all together. I think 3,5 would be fair, but there is no chance for that, so I'll give it a three.

Too Rye Ay

Dexys Midnight Runners

4/5

Another band and an album that I wouldn't have hear about if not for this list. And that would be such a great shame! Very entertaining type of music, very fast-paced irish type music, with a lot of 'countryside' instruments and sounds on the foreground. The album starts with the most interesting song, 'The Celtic Soul Brothers'. If you have ever imagined (as I did) what would be played on the lower deck of Titanic for the common folk to dance till they can dance no more, that would be it. I was taken aback by the vocals of Kevin Rowland at first, I felt like his 'throaty' voice did not fit at all, but it quickly grew on meand by the end of the album I was completely sold. After first song the album heads the same direction - full steam ahaed to the Irish party! Few songs that are very entertaining, followed by couple slower songs, which maybe necessary, were really not to my liking. The band was at its best in a fast-flowing rhytm, where your legs dance before you can even think of it. The best example - 'Come on Eileen'. I could recognise the song in the first few seconds, but I have never known, that Dexys Midnight Runners were the first authors of it. Although not as fast-paced as rest of the album, the song is incredibly catchy, and very easy to follow along by singing and dancing. Entertaining album - I'm very happy that I found it today.

Want Two

Rufus Wainwright

1/5

Well, that was definitely the worst album I have heard here so far. I honestly struggle to understand what is so appealing on this record, that it ended up on a list of greatest albums of all time. You can tell that Rufus has great 'opera' voice and unique style of singing, but it's far from being groundbreaking or entirely original. I had a really hard time trying to finish the album. Last song was somehow a breath of fresh air, 'Old Whore's Diet'. It included Anhoni from Anthony and the Johnsons, that I highly rated a week ago. Unfortunately, it was not enough to save this record. I was very hesitant to give one star to any of those bands, but I think in my opinion, Rufus really earned that. There shouldn't be a place for this album on the list.

Space Ritual

Hawkwind

3/5

Fun album - but up to a point. Space rock at its best, allegedly, is very entertaining in small doses. Listening to a song or two was a great experience, sound of guitars really could take light years away from Earth. But the whole album was almost 2 hours, and trying to listen to those 'sounds of future' quickly became unbearable. I won't recommend this album to anyone, but I would gladly put a random song from this album on a party, as a 'something different and weird'. But that has to be reflected in the rating as well.

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

4/5

I didn't know I would be a fan of The Rolling Stones! Obviously I knew a lot of their songs, but I always thought of this band as a generic 60s/70s rock band. And I was wrong. Sticky Fingers is a joyous album, mixing some classic blues melodies, a little bit of rock and everything rolled in a juicy Mick Jaggers vocals. The album is a real even mix of blues and rock, and the perfect example of it would be 'Can't you hear me knocking. The flow of the song and the feeling of an extremely well oiled blues improv make it my favourite on this album and probably favourite from the band. Only issues I have is that Jagger's vocal is tiring you in big doses and the 'only' rock songs are a bit underwhelming. But still, really solid album!

Third/Sister Lovers

Big Star

2/5

Yet another case of a band/album, that is on the list due to 'innovation', or a historical context. Big Star is apparently a big influence to a myriad of Alternative pop/rock bands of 90s, so as a precursor to a whole generation, it is celebrated now across the world (the world of critics, at least). My problem with this album is that whenever a record is on this list because of the musical context, it doesn't have any standalone power. It is a very bland album, just with a new concept, or a new way of post-production. This is the case with Third/Sister Lovers. After listening to whole album I am not able to pinpoint anything I liked. Or even anything that pick up my attention. I can agree that songs sounded very modern, not like made in 90s, but that doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't listen to it right now. I'll leave it to professional critics howmuch this band change the course of musical history, but for my amateur-self, it is a very boring album.

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

5/5

Jack White to the Rescue! I am a moderate White Stripes and Jack White's fan. I used to listen to the more famous songs and I was never interested in looking into their older stuff. But what a pleasure it was to listen to 'White Blood Cells'! It was like a more garage version of their pampered popular songs like 'Seven Nation Army' and 'The Hardest Button to Button', or 'Doorbell'. I feel like this album was meant to be a white canvas for Jack White's stream of consciousness. Many short songs, interlays, stories with couple notes here and there on the guitar, piano, or as sparse drum-work as possible. Somehow it all works and makes for a great album. Is it White's confidence? Or maybe his reputability? Or maybe just his honesty, dipped with a massive amount of talent? Whatever it was, I will come back to this album again and again. It's hard to pick up any song from this album to outline it with more details. I think this is a case of a sort of concept album without a concept, and the songs should be reconised as one. And if that is the case, then it was a really good song with variety of styles, chaotic, sweet, slow, but with Jack's name all over it.

Let Love Rule

Lenny Kravitz

5/5

First time listening to the full album by Lenny Kravitz and my first thought is - Why haven't I done this sooner? It's a very well made album, entertaining from start to finish (although it falls off a little by the end). Mix of rock, at moments hard rock, with blues and soul, resulting in extremely fun record for a wide variety of fans. Lenny was the solo artist on this album - vocals and lyrics, guitars, bass, drums and other instruments were composed and played by him. And you can tell how talented he is. It wasn't over the top at any point, which happens to some other overcomplicated recordings, but also it wasn't too simple, it hit the right mark. Guitar solos felt really at place and in the groove of the song or beat. Additional instruments like sax or trumpet added another layer to the mixture. And finally, it wouldn't be as attractive without great singing voice of Lenny. He could swing in-between slower, more emotional tracks and fast and heavy ones with ease, and you could tell he felt good and comfortable in any setting. I am very surprised with this album, but it easily jumps to the list of my favourites.

The Boatman's Call

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

4/5

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is a band that everyone should have at least heard of, like in my example. I would often reach for any song from Murderballads period, or go for something funkier, like 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!'. But I have never approached 'TThe Boatman's Call' before, and if I did, I quickly dismissed it as boring, because it is so much different from the other albums. This record is very austere. Up to two instruments at the same time and the neverending 'wailing' from Nick. This album feels like a private confession, unloading of his small secrets or just deeper feelings. Apparently he admitted, that one of the songs is about his ex, PJ Harvey. This only amplifies the general atmosphere of the album. I think that intimate aesthetics of it can only be fully appreciated in a specific mood of melancholy and posiibly sadness. As an average fan, looking for another crazy Nick Cave's album, I found a really interesting gem, that I would have to revisit once more in a better suited time.

C'est Chic

CHIC

5/5

If every R'n'B album would be like 'C'est Chic', then I would be the biggest fan ever of the genre. I am honestly in love with the bass line, the groovy rhythm and the wonderful vocals, rounding up the whole experience into an ultimate party. I think this is the first time I am essentially speechless, beacuse of how much this album surprised me. It's really hard to pinpoint any low moments on the album. There are two groups, that you can divide the songs into: - great songs - wonderful songs. The best way to describe how much I liked it - vinyl is on the way. Most deserved 5 stars yet.

Jack Takes the Floor

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

2/5

Well, not much to say. Kind of country version of Bob Dylan, but not as poetic and maybe subjectively better singer. Songs about hard life in West USA, for sure he had to be some kind of country prototype. As I mentioned couple times already, neither folk, country or bards are my cup of tea, especially that in my opinion Jack Elliott doesn't stand out in any way.

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

2/5

As a complete amateur when it comes to soul or R&B, it's no surprise that I have never heard of Sam Cooke. Apparently during his short life he was good enough to be called King of Soul. I have done this 'research' before listening to this album. I've also read that this recorded concert is treated as one of the best in the history of music, and Sam Cooke himself was more raw and unleashed on it, then during his studio albums. So I approached it with some expectations and hope. It quickly turned out that even the greatest Soul albums are not for me. I could hardly concentrate on the songs, as it was definitely not appealing to me. Sam could sing, that is a given, his band had some talented musicians, but they were in a different Solar System then I usually operate in. I feel ashamed of giving this album such a bad note, but as point of this exercise, I have to rate it as I enjoyed, and unfortunately, I didn't enjoyed it at all. Maybe my musical taste will expand with time.

Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby

Terence Trent D'Arby

4/5

This is a case of an album, that has a very well-known song ('Sign Your Name'), but you had no idea who the vocalist or the band is. And I have to say, that's a real shame, because Terence Trent D'Arby, or Sananda Maitreya as he is known now, is a really talented and entertaining singer. The album started on a very high note with a great 'If You All Got To Heaven'. Funky and with some rock influence, masquerading as a soul song.The rest of the album is leaning more into a mix of funk and soul. And although it is not my favourite combination, I really enjoyed listening to the album. Very solid record, I'm happy that I found out about this album.

Coles Corner

Richard Hawley

4/5

Usually I'm all in on melancholic music, but you have to be in a very specific mood, to thoroughly appreciate it. I wasn't in that mood during my first listening and as a result the whole album just slowly disappeared somewhere in the background, without me noticing anything special about it. Fortunately, by a coincidence, I gave it another chance, late at night, with a glass of wine for company - and the reception was so so much better. Richard creates an amazing atmosphere around his songs; you can feel as you moved in time 50 years and enjoy a full moon with a loved one on a bench in a park. It also helps, that Richard's voice is so soft and charming, that he slowly hypnotizing you into submisson to this album. As for my favourite song, I think I actually have to choose the first song on the album - titular 'Coles Corner'. The song is slightly different from the rest of the record - even more melancholic, perfect cooperation of violin and sadness in Hawley's voice, makes it the best song on this album. I was ready to quickly dismiss this album as just 'another boring work', but I am so lucky to give it a second chance. Really great album!

Phaedra

Tangerine Dream

1/5

Style over substance. I was waiting over the whole album duration for something to happen... Anything. Instead, I was given the middle part of 'Echoes' by Pink Floyd, but without the essence or culmination in Gilmour and Wright's vocals. It feels like I'm massively missing a context to those songs, that would allow me to enjoy the melodies and noises without being too sceptical or unsure of what I'm listening to. This album is on the list probably because of its innovative approach and use of never before used equipment to generate music. But in my opinion, does it pass the test of time? No.

Rage Against The Machine

5/5

This is literally the first album that I have listened to in my life. I think I was 12 at the time and I wasn't into music at all, then my friend told me to check this out - and the rest is now history. It's been now almost 20 years since that moment, but my musical journey keeps coming back to this specific album. It obviously has so much of sentimental value, I won't be able to be objective when describing the album, but that's just another reason why this should be rated highly. As a self-proclaimed bass player, songs like Bombtrack, Wake up, or Freedom are so rewarding to play. Bass is actually so characteristic on this album and in many songs it is a focal point of the composition. Tim Commerford was my first kind of an 'idol', or a person I was trying to shape my style after. I am not a big enthusiast of guitar solos, but Tom Morello is definitely one of the exceptions. And even though my favourite solo is on a different album, the heart and soul of his style is felt on this self-titled album. But what I really respect Tom for is his riffs - when written down they are pretty simple and very easy to play, and yet they match perfectly in the songs and they are the main reason, why your head is banging to the rhythm all the time. And finally, Zach de la Rocha and his vocals and lyrics. Ratm is mostly known to the wider audience for their 'Anti-Machine' themes. Just listen to the names of the song: 'Take The Power Back', 'Township Rebellion', Settle For Nothing'. Once again I think that Zach and his lyrics got more sophisticated on later albums, but here, there is the titular rage and raw energy, which gave them the fame. Great album, easiest rating I will ever do on this site.

Real Life

Magazine

3/5

Another album that's okay, but is not special in any way. You can hear the album is heavily influences by the punk scene from Sex Pistols onwards, but the sound is more modernised, it falls at time into 'pop' shelf. In general, just a little bit before it's times. The aforementioned sound has vocals, that actually bring Sex Pistols back alive. In my opinion, same ton of voice, similar way of singing. Not really my cup of tea. Guitar work is more interesting, there is couple small gems on the album, brave solos, amusing riffs. Problem is that now, day after listening to the album, I'm not able to name any specific song. They meshed into one, rather average record and this is how I'm going to rate it.

The Yes Album

Yes

4/5

If I would ever wonder which album (one of many, of course) Steven Wilson was influenced by, then here we are! I was actually a bit perplexed at the beginning, because I thought it's just some kind of early Porcupine Tree release and I just clicked the wrong link. Thinking of it, this album must have influenced quite a large number of progressive bands, as its sound is unique, quite original at the time, but also very entertaining even today. I think the best description of this album is the song Starship Trooper. It has everything - crazy solos, slowly paced instrumental parts, psychedelic verses and they all fill in nicely onto a pretty long 9 minutes song. Rest of the album is uniquely similar, a lot of crazy moments woven together with instrumental parts and vocals. Very good example of a historically important album, that didn't lose its value after all this time, and can be equally enjoyed today.

Maxinquaye

Tricky

3/5

As a Massive Attack and Portishead fan, I once went on a quest of finding other bands playing with similar style, something to expand my thirst for trip hop songs. Logically, the path quickly has taken me to Tricky, one of co-founding members of Massive Attack. So in essence, this is the second attempt to listen to his discography. Maxinquaye has a specific tempo and an atmosphere to it. Songs sound very much alike first Massive Attack albums - one overpowering beat with plenty of variations, slightly melancholic, and a female vocal all over the beat. Recipe is 'easy', but works almost every time. Different addition on this album is a spoken word and rap from Tricky himself. The whole mix can be heard in its best on my favourite song of the album (unsurprisingly) 'Hell is round a corner'. Beat sounds like a child of Massive Attack and Portishead, Tricky is leading the way with soft rap, and Martina Topley-Bird adding yet another dimension with her singing and choruses. The only problem is that the level of that song can't be reached anymore throught the album. Other songs are catchy, and they have this specific style, but are rather forgettable. Very interesting album, but probably I won't try it for the third time.

Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

50 Cent

1/5

Well, it will be pretty hard for me to describe this album. Mainly because this is my least favourite type of one of my least favourite genres. Is this album on the list because of something revolutionary that 50 Cent or his producers have done? Or is it just a peak example of the specific Gangsta Rap subgenre? Or maybe it was just very successful in terms of sales, so it had to be included here? In any case, it probably wouldn't get my vote. Whole album consists of catchy beats, mainly known for songs that made it high on pop lists, like 'In Da Club', or 'PIMP'. 50 Cent style of rapping is rather bland and his lyrics are one-dimensional. Plenty of collaborators on the album, most notably Eminem, but they don't change anything for better or worse. I believe that fans of this style of music will find plenty of enjoyment, but I reckon that neutral fans of music would rather just walk by it, like I did after first listening to this album.

american dream

LCD Soundsystem

2/5

Talking Heads album 40 years later, but less entertaining and not as original anymore? Yes, it is. I was wondering which albums from recent years would be chosen for this list. How good an album has to be, to put it on a list of Greatest of All Time just couple years after releasing? Well, the apparent answer is simple - not really good. I don't see any unique qualities in this album, nor anything transcendental, that leaves you with your mouth wide open. It's just another record with Talking Heads like beats, using a lot of electronic sounds and adding some indie rock in the mix. I don't won't to sound too negative for no reason, but the only single from the album, 'tonite', was actually the most boring song on american dream. Snappy, lively beat on drums and bass, some samples on top of it and a monotonous vocal, altogether very slowly cranking the atmosphere up and never releasing, just resetting. It's not a recipe for my liking, but in my opinion the execution is also lacking. Not the best choice on this list to represent the latest decade in music.

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

5/5

Sigur Ros is a perfect example of a band, that should be included on this list. They have such an unique sound and style, every album is completely different, yet there is no mistake, it always sounds like Sigur Ros. Also, one of few bands, that basically teleports you to the country of origin, in this case Iceland, of course, thanks to the fenomenal atmosphere of music. Sigur Ros is also high on my list of bands, that I would like to see live, but only in the middle of nowhere on a random Icelandic hill (like in Olsen Olsen video). Agaetis Byrjun most likely is on this list, because it's the first album, where Sigur Ros found their style and almost made it perfect. In my opinion, their bigger achievments are ( ) and Takk... Nevertheless, every song is interchangeable between those records and sometimes you could treat it as one. The best songs on the album are, unsurprisingly, self-titled and Sven-g-englar. Beautiful compositions, that just require you to close your eyes and drift away to that icelandic hill. One of the better contemporary bands in recent history.

Nevermind

Nirvana

3/5

I never understood why Nirvana became so famous in the first place. It is a really good example of grunge, with a timeless hit 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and a well known leader of the group Kurt Cobain. But Nirvana wasn't even the best on their own yard - in my opininon Alice in Chains had better and deeper albums, Soundgarden had a very special sound, and even Pearl Jam had a stunning debut album. Yet, Nirvana was the one etched in people's memories. The album itself starts with all bangers - 'Smells..', 'Lithium', 'In Bloom', 'Come as you are', which all in all, are really good pieces. But the drop off after those songs is amazing. Very anonymous songs, more than half of the album being a filler. It is a good album, that for some reason rose to the cult status, but for me that wasn't supported by ability or craftsmanship, but by non-music related stuff. So I am going to rate this album just as form any other band.

Machine Gun Etiquette

The Damned

3/5

My first impression of this band was to automatically categorise it as 'Another Punk Band', and then just move one. But after listening to this album a little bit more, I realised that it is original in its sound. Punk Rock, but with a twist. The twist in this case is the horror-themed motives and parts added to the songs. Guitars especially making wooing sounds, creating a nice, Halloween like atmosphere. For a while, it made the album really original and pleasurable to listen. Unfortunately, vocal on this album had to be produced in the Factory of Generic Punk Rock Vocalists. It did bring the whole experience down a level or two. I will give this band another shot in the future, but probably try to cancel out the singer, to properly enjoy it.

Deep Purple In Rock

Deep Purple

3/5

Third Deep Purple album out of around 50, gives around 6% on my list so far! And similarly, as on other albums, I think that this band is enjoyable and interesting, but a little bit outdated. I am honestly surprised, that Deep Purple is regarded so high in terms of cultural impact. There is a chance that I am missing the context again, that in late sixties this type of music was non-existent and they revolutionized the pop/rock genre forever. But if you look, for example, at Led Zeppelin, making music during the same time, there is no comparison between the bands in my opinion. Also, nowadays DP is fairly forgotten, and I really think this is not a coincidence. Deep Purple In Rock is a good album, that has couple strong moments, especially on Side A with songs Speed King and Child in Time. Interesting guitar and organ solos, long compositions and fairly entertaining rhytm section makes those songs tantalizing and hypnotizing.However I would argue that those are just moment on this album, whereas Side B is extremely bland and forgettable. This record is a really nice piece to listen to during a long, winter night, with a fireplace close-by and a drink in hand. But personally, I am pretty sure this won't happen anytime soon, so the way I enjoyed this album surely has to be reflected by the rating.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

2/5

I might be petty, but Tom ain't it. A very soft southern rock from 70s with a distinctive vocal from Tom Petty. Unfortunately it's not my cup of tea. At the beginning I could hear some resemblance to Lynyrd Skynyrd, probably through that southern connection, but those two bands couldn't be any more different. I feel like the songs on Tom Petty's album are made straight for the charts - they don't take any risk, they are short and to the point, and also are one-dimensional. Is this album on the list, because it was one of the first southern rock examples in history? Because otherwise, it shouldn't have been included, as it has nothing outstanding, interesting or groundbreaking.

Skylarking

XTC

2/5

New wave/pop album with only one exceptional song, tragically standing out in comparison to the rest of the album. XTC isn't a well known band, it doesn't have any strong position in any genre, and hasn't done anything revolutionary for music progression. In my opinion, the whole album actually feels like a filler for the single Dear God, which is a really good song, probably causing controversy even nowadays. Very smart lyrics and accompanying beats and melodies work amazing on this song, it's something I'm going to revisit every once in a while. Meanwhile, the rest of the album is totally anonymous. Nothing stands out, nothing caught my attention. There has to be something that I am missing, because there is no chance that Skylarking is on this list only for the song Dear God. Well, maybe time will tell, but at the moment the rating won't be too high.

The Marshall Mathers LP

Eminem

4/5

Another great album from my youth. Eminem was the first person, or rapper, that has introduced hip hop in my circle. His influence is undeniable, especially in a non-english speaking country, because he provided an idea that you can listen to rap in different language and stl immensely enjoy it. You can take any album from 90s or 2000s and it will open a box with great memories. As for Marshall Mathers LP, it is an album wealthy with hits and great songs. 'The Real Slim Shady', 'Marshall Mathers', 'Kim', and of course my favourite song, that I can still listen to on a weekly basis - Stan. The way Eminem is telling a story on this album, oscillating between a jokingly lyrics and funny, catchy beat, to an intense, almost horror like rapping style with a beat keeping you on your toes. Extremely well done songs. What brings the album down by a little is the coup songs that were probably made just for shocking purposes, like the 'Drug Ballad'. Nowadays, the line of shock was pushed so far, that this album feels almost family friendly. Other drawback is those couple songs featuring other rappers. I feel like Eminem, at least back in 2000s, had such an unique style, that bringing different artist on this album was a way to show how much better Eminem is at the moment. But overall, great album, I will listen to it again and again in future.

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

2/5

English band playing Irish punk rock with a heavy folk influence. This album is a decent example of the genre, that since has evolved and produced much better bands and records, with a notably example of Dropkick Murphys. The Pogues provided a breath of fresh air during 80s, but since then, their album can be played in a small Irish pub in the middle of nowhere, by a live tribute band, with only drunk people paying any attention to the music. After two times that I've heard this album, I still can't distinguish any specific song. Cohesiveness of the record makes it harder to enjoy the music. Songs are meshed together into one long 50 minutes composition, with no distinctive features. While it can be still enjoyable, I believe it is highly outdated and should be celebrated as a monument of past and not a beacon of irish punk greatness.

Paul Simon

3/5

Entertaining album from the past. Paul Simon has a really beautiful voice, which could work in any musical genre. Probably that's pretty blasphemic, but if Bob Dylan had a voice of Paul Simon, but would keep his great writing and a bard persona, then we would be talking about him as a Michael Jordan of popular music. Instead, we have Paul singing folky pop/soft rock songs, which are really nice to listen to, but ultimately a little dissapointing. As for the songs, this album can be divided in two parts - singles in one group and everything else in the other. There is a massive drop-off in quality between the three singles and other songs on the album. For example, 'Mother and Child Reunion' is a great song, with an upbeat tempo, charming chorus and, of course, gorgeous voice of Paul. Similarly, along the same lines, 'Me and Julio down by the Schoolyard' works great as a single on this album. The last one is called 'Duncan'. The style in this song is changed to a slower and more melancholic, although in my opinion Simon's vocal doesn't fit well , or at least is not at its best in this circumstances. But still - great song. Altogether, the rating for this album would be very high, if you only count those three songs, but we have to consider the whole record, which is filled with 'ready to be skipped' songs. But I will gladly check the full discography of Mr. Simon.

High Violet

The National

4/5

Another modern band that I haven't heard about yet. It seems that it falls under the very unprecise category of indie rock, which if you're brave enough, you can classify there the vast majority of current bands. I think The National stands out, compared to other bands from the genre, through abilities and craftsmanship of Matt Beringer. He has a specific style of singing, with a long sequences of deep voice talking, and usually short melodic blurts. The music itself doesn't seem too original, although I would like to point out the keyboard/piano work, which actually elevates the songs to a deeper level. Beautiful melodies create a melancholic mist over the album, but the drums, and ocassionally bass, keeps you on your toes, with an upbeat tempo and a sense of urgency. Guitars seem to be written on this album as a fillers and additional help in elevating the atmosphere and send the message of the particular song. I think that the biggest stand out on the album is 'Terrible Love'. It is the best example of everything I have written in previous paragraph and of how well it works altogher as a song. Moving on, the level of the album stays even, in general 'High Violet' doesn't have any fillers or weaker points. Songs like 'Buzzsaw Ohio', 'England', 'Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks' have something unique, but at the same time fit into the mould of the album. I really like the atmosphere of the album, although it can be a little monotonne over the length of whole record. Nevertheless, I will gladly come back to this album in the future and check other positions in the 'The National' discography.

No Other

Gene Clark

3/5

A bit of a folk/country rock mix by Gene Clark, one of the founders of The Byrds. The album has a very interesting story of early rejection and a comeback just before the death of Gene. So going from a literal trash (in the eyes of critics), to the status of cult album that it received in 90s and apparently still has nowadays, as seen by the presence on this list. In my opinion "No other" doesn't deserve either of those 'accolades'. It's a solid album, strongly holding the spirit of early 70s with a slightly psychedelic infused country/folk record. It doesn't have any standout moments, the atmosphere and level is equal from first song to last. "Life's Greatest Fool" is a perfect example - very anjoyable song, flowing with its own tempo, very southern like vocal from Gene and exciting choruses make it a perfect song to listen to in a diner somewhere on a road in middle Texas. Maybe if I will travel to US again, I will put this album on and just enjoy the road. But until then, I don't think I'll come back to this record often.

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

4/5

Second album on this list by Bob Dylan is his fifth studio recording in his career. This is a step back from the do-it-all bard persona as we've heard on the first album. On "Highway 61 Revisited", Bob Dylan is accompanied by a full band, and how well that works can be seen on the first song, possibly one of his most famous, "Like a Rolling Stone". The song itself is indeed great, finally Dylan's lyrical work is almost matched on the musical level (or in this case outmatched). The rest of the album doesn't climb up to the Mount Olymp of greatness, but is nevertheless very solid and strangely more atmospheric, talking by a harder subjects, which the music outlines. "Ballad of the Thin Man" and self titled song are among others very popular works. Especially the first one and "Desolation Row" seem to be on par with the general style of Bob as a generational ballads about hard topics. In my opinion this is a great improvement over the first album and it should be reflected in the rating as well.

Tago Mago

Can

4/5

This is my first experience with band Can, apparently a prominent example of the quirky Krautrock genre. Never giving it much thought, I identify this genre with band Kraftwerk, probably just making the connection by similar names and German-based roots? I never paid any attention to this band either, so Tago Mago was my first try, approaching it with a clean sheet. And what a journey that was! Combining Krautrock with more traditional psychedelic rock made wonders on the opening track "Paperhouse". This song's energy came straight from the core - drum work. I imagine, that you could rotate everyone else from the band with a different, random musicians, and the song would still be as attractive and incredibly atmospheric. Energy of the beat, together with climactic bridges, was amplified by a funky and at times aggressive bass line and erratic, but original keyboard. Guitar and vocals by Mr. Suzuki lifted the song into another dimension, although from a distance, guitarist, singer and the rest of the band seem to be at a completely different wavelength. And yet, it works very well! First part of the album is consistent with this song, the tempo is high, flow is amazing, but by the records midpoint, we are slowly descending into madness, which in this case means total abstract and avant-garde regions of music. The momentum of the album so far gives you enough energy and necessary context to enjoy the second half. But for a neutral fan, that wants to 'check out this groovy band from 70s' by listening to, for example, "Peking O" then he is well on the way to dissapointment. It makes me think of myself, how many times did I choose a wrong track to listen to the band for the first time? Easy to make that mistake with a band like Can. In summary, if this album would be a real psychedelic trip, then after first euphoric experience, we would get real close to overdose by the end. But the trip is well worth it.

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

1/5

Bitches Brew is an experimental, groundbreaking and very brave album, created by a genius-at-work Miles Davis and his ensemble of top-notch jazz musician of his time. The work is a fusion od modal, experimental and definitely avant-garde jazz, with some early rock and funk influence. Miles' experience is certainly expressed loud and clear on this album - he is not afraid, he knows what he wants from himself and other members, and is working hard to deliver an almost 120 minutes long masterpiece of jazz. On paper it's a recipe for a top album of all time. So what's my opinion? I... don't like it. I really tried, but I don't like it. It's very hard to find a key to understand this album. Obviously compositions here have their own rules and motives, but I can't identify them, or I can, but they are not appealing to me. I am a fan of avant-garde music, I love the chaotic neatness of Fantomas, erratic Igorrr, calmness of Sunn O))). But those band operate in context of completely different genre, that I know and understand so much better than jazz. Probably I am too oblivious to even the simplest examples of the genre, that's why it's harder to find the context. I doubt it, but maybe in the future I will spend much more time exploring nuances and rules of jazz, so that breaking the form and moulding it afresh will be fully appreciated by me. But at the moment, the album is totally incomprehensible for me and both times that I listened to it, I felt like I was being experimentally tortured by music. Maybe next time!

Aja

Steely Dan

2/5

Short, but concise album by Steely Dan, a jazz/rock ensemble with a core of two musicians: Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. The record itself is a very broad mix of of many jazz and rock subgenres, giving it a rather unique sound. The album is a quintessential leisure music - what I mean by that, it's a perfect music to relax and enjoy during a quiet evening, with a lamp of wine. The songs are really well written and produced, it feels like every track has its purpose, every instrument and every note is meticulously pre-planned and arranged. Steely Dan knew what they want and they achieved that in 100%. Songs are, from a more distant perspective, very similar to each other, it's easy to miss a transition from on to another, which feels like it's a one continous 40-minutes track, stretching for whole album. As a fan of different type of music, I had a rather hard time enjoying it after first few minutes - I felt like it's very repeatitive and unoriginal. In a context, album like that released in 70s must have been a great occurrence - not only it's something new, but also played and produced to perfection. But right now, it just gets lost in the sea of plenty of similar, or quirkier bands.

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

1/5

Well, naming-wise it was an excellent choice for today, perfect example of situational humour. I would rather have it totally randomised, but I really won't complain. So, all in all, that would be it in the positive section of this album. The Smiths is a soft rock/indie band, with a very apathetic instrumental section and a monotonous voice of Morrissey. When I was listening to the album, I felt like no one wanted to participate in this experience - not me and definitely not the band members. It was a real struggle to survive those 35 minutes. It felt like being trapped on that water planet in Interstellar - 10 minutes of listening to the album is few days of time in real world. Time that will never be returned to me, lost "like the tears in the rain". The Queen is Dead has some redeeming qualities, despite all of its faults. For example, lyrics to the songs are pretty clever, even funny at times, they just have to be read by someone that can portray at least one more emotion than total boredom. I didn't want to be too harsh to this album, but it has to join my, so far short, list of records that I will never reach out to again. English punk and post-punk scene is a big disappointment for me.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

4/5

I have never heard a full Elton John's album and only now I can tell that it was a great mistake. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a charming piece, consisting of compositions from a wide variety of genres, like rock, pop, rock'n'roll, country and many, many more subgenres of above. In general, Elton's voice, his pugnacity, showmanship and uniqueness, make it a genre of its own. I understand that this album has received plenty of awards and is internationally recognised, but I am honestly surprised that songs from this record aren't more popular on radio air, or in popculture, and instead we are being tortured with 20 different remixes of "Cold Heart" and "I'm Still Standing". Unless I have been mistaken, the album is still extremely popular, and I've been living under a rock for all those years. The album starts very strong, with my favourite composition "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding". Beautiful song with a great instrumental part, evoking many emotions, but still very entertaining and catchy. It has some resembling to progressive songs of the time, not only by structure, but also by length. The bar has been set up very high with this one, and truth to be told, it was very hard to match the energy and the complicated and complex part like this. After this song album slows down a bit and gives a lot more room for Elton John's voice to be at front. And even though it's the most sensible decision, I am a little bit disappointed the record didn't move in the direction of "Funeral For a Friend". Second part of the album explores multiple genres, we have a few ballads, couple rock'n'roll tunes, a country song, but everything is intertwined by a great voice and talent of Elton. I am very surprised at the quality of this album (positively, of course) and I am sure I will come back to this album times and times again.

Clube Da Esquina

Milton Nascimento

2/5

A surprise to find a Brasilian collective in a sea of English and American bands and singers. Clube Da Esquina is a group of musicians, headlined by Milton Nascimento and Lõ Borges, playing heavily brasilian folk-influenced music, with an occasional rock additions. Apparently, during the creation of the album, musicians were trying to mold their music the same way The Beatles were doing few years back, and it can be heard from time to time on some of the songs. It's one of the most influential albums in Brasil history, but is that important for the rest of the world? First of all, I'm not a fan of folk music from Portugal or Brasil. The main issue I have is the style of singing, frequented by both Borges and Nascimento - long howls, slowly digesting every note and every part, with a maudlin guitars, bringing the mood straight to the gutter. The fact that songs are written in Portuguese makes it even worse, as its hard to rely on lyrics to feel the same as the band. Many songs are not really different from more contemporary artists (kudos for starting a trend), and they don't stand out as especially great or unforgettable. But then, on songs like "Dos Cruces", or "Um Girassol da cor de seu cabello" we have those straight-out-of-progressive rock-parts, or even psychedelic, which transform the song into something much more interesting and complete. Unfortunately, those moments are rare on the album and because of that are muddled in-between folk parts into a occasional gimmicks. It was a nice album, but from my current position, I couldn't enjoy it - barrier of language and time was just too much.

Here Come The Warm Jets

Brian Eno

4/5

A very interesting album recorded by Brian Eno, British multi instrumentalist, and and judging by "Here Come the Warm Jets", an experimentalist in music. The album could be described as a simple rock/pop mix, but thanks to the various electronic sounds, unique guitar distortion and of course not-so-straightforward vocal by Brian, it creates an another layer on which you can enjoy this album. One thing, that can be written about this album - it won't make you bored at any point, surprises lie everywhere. "...Warm Jets" start rather slow and don't show the full potential of the album with first couple of uninteresting songs. But from "Baby's on Fire", we dwell deep into the elaborated mind of Brian Eno and his experimental noises and sounds, that surprisingly always seem to fall into a right place and time, something unusual for slightly avant-garde music. The record is at its best from "Blank Frank" onwards. Four closing songs are really unique, different but very entertaining. I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of this album, and for sure I will come back to this album again and again.

Bug

Dinosaur Jr.

2/5

Dinosaur Jr. is a band that supposedly inspired and influenced plenty of 90s groups and genres, including grunge and Nirvana, shoegaze and My Bloody Valentine, or just alt rock with Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead as the most known ones. Dinosaur albums, including "Bug", are regarded as well before its time and revolutionary to the genres mentioned above. But how does it sound now, after around 40 years? Does the music defend itself on its own? The answer is no. The album itself was very uneventful. You could hear the specific droning sound in guitars and vocal, but the songs just slowly blend into one long noisy background sound. I feel like this might be a prime example of band doing something innovative just for the sake of it, without any flesh or substance behind. Just when I thought the whole album will be just yesterday's fever dream, last song came in with a breath of fresh air. "Don't" has an aggressive vocal, more prominent guitars and it instantly wakes you up from the self-induced coma we suffered from the rest of the album. In fact, that last song actually brings down the rest of the record, because it shows how good the album could sound. With all those predicaments taken into account, I can definitely say the album didn't stand test of time well.

James Brown Live At The Apollo

James Brown

3/5

James Brown Live at the Apollo is probably his higest point in his career. The singer is very confident in his ability on this live record and rightfully so - he has a great voice and has enough charisma to fill an entire concert hall. This is a very entertaining album, perfect for a saturday night frenzy, something to help you give it all on the dancefloor. James Brown being called grandfather of soul is a statement very close to the truth. The songs flow from one to another as in a concept album. No breaks between them (which probably is a point in this version) make it feel like you are on an ocean, and the tides just keep crashing onto you, with just couple of seconds in-between to catch breath. If the point of this game would be to rate an album in context of the specific genre it is recorded in, then it has to be rated as high as possible. But I think the main idea is to rate it as you like it personally, right now, without any context. And in this case I enjoyed it, but it's not something I will come back to anytime in the near future.

Mr. Tambourine Man

The Byrds

2/5

An album full of folk song covers (mainly by Bob Dylan) played and recorded in an early The Beatles style by American The Byrds. Pop/rock with some folk influences, making it sound like a aforementioned Beatles, but with late Lennon's lyrics. The question that this record being on the list brings - is it good enough, or innovative enough to be here? The music sounds very outdated right now, and to make it worse, it wasn't original at the time as well. It's just the americanised version of british folk pop/rock bands. And the slightly unusual part of the album is that the lyrics are taken from Dylan's discography, which makes for a unique combination. But by saying that, it's not enough to make it special or good. It shouldn't be on the list at all, in my opinion of course.

Crooked Rain Crooked Rain

Pavement

5/5

Here's a really nice album by a band I have never heard before. Pavement is an Indie Rock group from California, created in late 80s. They rose to fame as a completely underground band, refusing to give live shows at the beginning, which created a sort of legendary status. This, together with a rather experimental approach to the compositions on the album, was what most likely put it on the list of greatest albums ever. Is it enough? We have seen records here, that didn't even have half of those accolades, yet it is still surprising to see more 'just good' albums. Crooked Rain Crooked Rain has 12 songs, and most of them have a certain gimmick, or a style, by which they are composed. Each song starts as a typical pop/rock tune, that you could hear in a radio everyday, but by the midpoint of it, it turns into a very alternative, interesting and original sequence. As an example, first song of the album "Silence Kid", starts as a sort of soft rock with a cowbell, and then breaks the mold and decomposes itself, together with a vocalist, who clearly doesn't care about clean singing. Yet the song has its charm and stays with you for a while, similarly as the rest of the album. It is a very pleasant surprise and a big candidate for an album I will come back to again.

The Grand Tour

George Jones

2/5

George Jones is hailed by many as "The Greatest Voice in Country Music History". His performance on this album, "The Grand Tour" might as well confirm that. It's an example of, what I would call as "Strict Country". What I mean by that is a record or a song that doesn't try to escape the mould of Country music, but essentially repeats all the quirks and clichés of the genre. My understanding of country and its intricacies is not at a high level, so it's hard for me to properly rate this album. All I can say, is if I objectively liked "The Grand Tour" or not. Unfortunately, similarly to folk/blues songs, I am not a fan of this genre and in fact of this album. I don't find any pleasure in listening to Jones' stories, and the instrumental layer is rather boring and uneventful. Maybe one day I will find a country album that will open the doors to the genre for me, but at the moment it's not something I enjoy or I like listening to.

Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

The Byrds

1/5

Second album from The Byrds in three days, but they are so wildly different from each other, it might have been centuries between those two. "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" takes turn, as you might have guessed by the title, into the uncharted territory of country music. It's also very helpful that yesterday's album was by George Jones, one of the staples in country music history. This gives me some room for comparison between those two albums. The Byrds leaned heavily into country style, leaving no room for soft, or psychedelic rock they were exemplifying before. Also, contrary to Jones music, they started playing a sort of group/band country, with plenty of instruments, with lyrics being just somewhere in the background. As a result, this album is not as good as previous one, and the change made the band 'just another one out there'.

Vespertine

Björk

3/5

Björk is the finest example of an artist with a such specific and distinctive voice and style, that she can't be mistaken for anyone else. It's really a double-edged sword, being this unique. You can be instantly recognised and you are only in a league of your own, but you are also in a certain artistic mould, that you can't escape. It must be especially hard for Björk, because her style is mostly experimental, so the more "weird and quirky" the song is, the more it fits into the mould. Similarly, we approach the same conclusion on "Vespertine". Björk's singing is as unusual as ever, voice modulation cut sharp as a razor, soft music, full of various string instruments adds a strong foundation, which actually amplifies the quirkiness of the vocalist. The dichotomy is clearly visible on the album as well. "Cocoon" is an example of, in my opinion, overcomplicated track with Björk being all over the place, cutting deep from all angles. But on the other end of spectrum we have just a little bit more conventional "Pagan Poetry", which is a beautiful composition, where the avant-garde elements are just the compliment, and not at the core. With such an ambivalent feelings, the rating has to reflect it as well, going for the 3 stars, just in the middle.

Reign In Blood

Slayer

3/5

Reign In Blood, and Slayer as well, is a good example of my musical taste drastically changing over the years. Once beloved band (fifteen years ago, but still), I could listen to certain songs on a loop, like "Reign In Blood" for example. Today, after listening to the album, I honestly couldn't tell when does one songs end and another one starts. It was all one very quick and constant mash-up of extremely oppressive drums (I still have a lot of respect to Dave Lombardo for Fantomas though), sometimes catchy, but generally fast-paced riffs and quick solos by King and rounded up by tagged-along bass and vocal of Araya, which in my opinion works only in small doses. Listening to his shouting for full half an hour is very exhausting, it is suited much more into one or two songs filled in-between your usual playlist. Something that can't be overlook - Slayer was very brutal and honest in their approach to music. There was no cutting corners, it was as rough and spiky, as the minds and idea of music of those four young boys. The bar for extreme music (but still being somehow in mainstream) was raised once again. The only song that I still like is obviously afrometioned "Reign in Blood". Very characteristic riff is probably recogised by people all over the World. It's also not as linear as other songs, with few pauses here and there, some small breakdowns and a very in-tone solo by King. A very good song in a somewhat monotonous album, when listen to nowadays.

Peter Gabriel

4/5

I was never a big fan of Genesis, or any post-Genesis bands or projects, so Peter Gabriel was fairly anonymous for me before listening to his first solo album. My first impression was that the first two songs are fairly underwhelming. By a quick research I found that "Solsbury Hill" is a well-liked single from this album, but I really found it boring and uneventful. Nothing that would excite me, both in the Gabriel's singing and in the musical layer. When moving into the second part of the self titled record, I actually realised how good this is. "Humdrum" and "Slowburn" were a really fun songs, but the best comes at the end, with "Waiting for the Big One" and "Here Comes the Flood". Very nice and not obvious compositions, heavily influenced by progressive rock, with a lot of tempo changes. Interesting solos, piano at the last track and great singing made those two a great songs. I was curious of who was the main creator of the album. Gabriel was the writer of all of the songs, but the music was created by Robert Fripp and Tony Levin, both known from King Crimson, which explains quite a lot. It might be my subconscious, but last few songs on the album, and "Waiting for the Big One" especially, could be easily added to Crimson's discography and no one would notice that there is something wrong. To sum up, I am positively surprised with this album. As far as I know later records are a little bit more pop than alt/prog rock, but going on a trip into Genesis albums and early Phil Collins should be very pleasant. Possibly even on this list!

Pearl

Janis Joplin

4/5

Among all the late 60s bands and singers I listened (or found my interest in) to Janis Joplin the least. I think that it stems from the fact that Janis is not as famous nowadays as, for example, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, or even Carlos Santana (looking at Woodstock '69 of course). Well, in few words that might be a mistake. I have listened to Pearl and although I didn't really like the style of the music, being too 'bluesy' and not interesting, I can't deny that Janis Joplin had a beautiful and mesmerizing voice. She could have sing "Baby Shark" and make it a powerful anthem of hippies - freedom and love. The album inspired me to look into her history more, and although it's not so inspiring (more like tragic), her live recordings are even better. This might be the only time, where I am going to rate the album solely on the basis of great vocal, with music being just a distant afterthough. I will definitely listen to this album and any other recordings of Joplin, looks like I was really missing a lot.

Untitled (Black Is)

SAULT

4/5

The newest album on the list so far seem to be an ensemble on artists and musicians from Great Britain. The collective creates music in various different styles, mainly electronic, funk, r'n'b, reagge and indie. This album, together with another untitled one from the group, was motivated by George Floyd's death, which is very visible in the lyrics. Many of the songs sound like anthems for a bigger movement, or are just a commentary of the sad reality that we are facing today. Although the issue is still far from resolved, the album probably would seem even more powerful to me, if I first hear it in 2020, not two years after. Untitled (Black Is) has an interesting composition - there are 20 songs, with many short bridge-songs in between, providing more commentaries or just changing the mood and feeling of the album. There is few songs, that are really good without the context of the record, like for example "monsters". Heavy hitting song, but with a nice vocal and great beat, really stays with you for a while. I feel like this type of an album couldn't be rated just from a musical or instrumental point of view. This is more of a performance, reaction to the situation in the world, which is closer to me than what, for example, Bob Dylan was singing 50 years ago. I will gladly come back to this album again, trying to understand the message and definitely I will listen to few more of the songs on my usual playlist.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

2/5

Who doesn't know Leonard Cohen and hundreds of covers of his most famous song - Hallelujah. Beautiful, deep voice and such a melancholic and momentous melody. But I've never done any deeper dig into the discography of Cohen. For me he was an artist of two songs (Dance Till the End of Love being the other). This was my first opportunity to listen to his debut album "Songs Of Leonard Cohen". My first impression was that I couldn't even recognise his voice. At the time the album was released he was 33 years old, he got most famous at 50 and the difference in voice is very noticeable. In my opinion he sounds much more mature, with a more prominent hoarseness and in general his voice transmits more emotions. Leonard in his thirties sounds more like a Canadian version of Bob Dylan, but not as interesting. The musical layer is also very thin - usually there is only few notes of acoustic guitar for accompaniment. There are certain songs, with more instruments and small choirs, where Cohen sounds much better, and the listening is more pleasant. For example "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye". Unfortunately, that is not enough to convince me of this album greatness. I prefer the older Cohen and probably won't come back to this album.

Closer

Joy Division

4/5

I have never had such a mixed feelings after listening to a new album on this challenge. First of all, of course I have heard about Joy Division, but I've never heard even on their song in my entire life. "Closer" is my first experience, and straight out of gate I was disappointed. Wildly known as a post-punk genre, heavy on disco beats, synthesisers, instantly put me away. Songs were fitting into a wide set of 80s british punk rock music, which were gloomy by lyrics, but frustratingly upbeat by music. I was very close to not finishing this album at halfway, I was so sure I have heard everything that's interesting already. But then I was hit by an extremely positive surprise. Last three songs of the album: "24 hours", "The Eternal" and "Decades" shattered my previous idea of Closer. The trio of charts has changed the mood and musical climate quite suddenly and by quite a lot. Slower, positively repetitive melody, atmospheric tension of the song and sparsely used vocal of Ian Curtis worked perfectly on those songs. In general, I'm not a fan of his style of singing (although he had a great, deep voice). He was a little overexposed on previous records, but with short sentences, almost uttered as in conversation, he fitted perfectly into the shape of the song, adding another dimension to it. I can really see new favourite songs in style that I cherish. In the end I need to give two different notes: Side A - 2 stars, nothing exciting, constant struggle for listener. Side B - 5 stars, atmospheric post punk? Sign me in! Final note will be a generous 4 stars. One good song can easily outweigh two terrible ones.

The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

Badly Drawn Boy

3/5

I have never heard of Badly Drawn Boy. After listening to the album named "The Hour Of Bewilderbeast" I am not surprised. This is an incredibly average record, the songs on it are really okay, entertaining to a point, but certainly not anything that should be placed on the list of best albums. The songs seems to be a one man army, with everything being done by a one person. Usually it's an acoustic guitar with some accompaniment from different instruments and a pretty nice vocal. My only question is - how is it in any way new or exceptional? After listening to the album twice my answer is "no idea". And it probably will stay this way.

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

Cee Lo Green

4/5

Surprisingly decent album! Cee-Lo with his style resembles a little combination of guys from Outkast - Andre3000 and Big Boi. It's an album combining southern rap, rnb and a specific type of 'soul', many times underlined by Cee Lo in his lyrics. The songs have really nice beat and flow, great use of different types of vocals by Green, nice choruses, in general really entertaining stuff! It's easy to follow through with the song and end up in kind of a trance. I didn't know that Cee Lo is also the singer in Gnarls Barkley project, but after listening to this album, all the points are connected. Very positive record, I will come back to it very soon.

Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury

The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy

2/5

Album so heavy in the lyrics and the message, that even the title barely fits on the website. Rap group from early nineties, that eerily are similar to Rage Against The Machine, even though the style is completely different. It is basically hip hop in its purest form - rapper with a cause, soft beat, interesting chorus, and once again, lyrics that could fill a small book. After some thought I think the genre most fitting for this album is 'spoken word'. And that is just too much for me. I'm here for music, the political message, however sophisticated comes later (not second for sure). They have my respect, but in this challenge I was looking for something else.

Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter

2/5

Today's treat was an indie rock band Deerhunter with their 2010 album Halcyon Digest. After some initial reading about the group and their music, I was very interested and was hoping for another record like I Am A Bird Now by Antony And The Johnson, something innovative, but entertaining and solid. Instead, the album sounded like it came straight out of the manufacturing belt in an Alt-J factory. Nothing on this cd screams (or even talks loud, going by this small metaphor), that any song is great or exceptional. In the ocean of new and old indie rock bands, Deerhunter is just another fish. There was one song, which I liked - Desire Lines. It had some nice moments, especially towards the end of the song, when the music was actually sounded like some dreamy sequences. Otherwise, I can't recall anything special that happened during those 45 minutes. I am disappointed by this album and I will gladly forget anything about this over the next few days.

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

4/5

I have to be honest here. After seeing another band from the 60s as my daily album, I labelled it as "old and boring" and listened to it in the background, while browsing internet. Additionally, before listening to it, I have seen couple comments, that the first song, "Victoria" is the best on the album. Unfotunately it was very average, with slightly irritating vocalist, so I completely gave up. Then I got to the song "Brainwashed", and as a title suggest, I was brainwashed into believing it's not a good album. From this song onwards I had a total 180 degrees turn - total rollercoaster of emotions, great gutiar and organs solo on "Australia", amazing song "Shangri-La" and a little step down, but still fascinating 5 songs to end the album. Excellent concept album in style of 60s rock, which isnt't my forte, but really captivated well enough, that I instantly re-listened the full record from the beginning. The songs were really fun, guitars were playing relatively modern riffs and solos, and the drum work was really on point - feeling the mood of the song and amplifing that at least two-fold. It's a very well-thought album, with some amazing moments and is very listenable in the future, in my opinion. The few negatives would be the specific vocal range by the Ray Davies and rather slow start to the album (music-wise). Still, a very pleasant surprise.

Giant Steps

The Boo Radleys

3/5

I think I have to finally accept that this list os full of bands and albums that I never heard of and probably never will again after this challenge is done. Especially that many of those positions are very average and ordinary. "Hey, remember that one irrelevant band from 70s, coming from that now non-existing village in England? They were producing music using only a synthesizer made from a half-chewed potato! It HAS to be on this list, it changed the food industry forever!" Well, maybe one thousand albums is too many for one list, if one has to reach so deep into the pocket to complete it. I'm sorry to The Boo Radleys for this small rant, they definitely don't deserve it. They released a pretty okay album "Giant Steps", filled in 90% with a very average britpop songs, rather boring and mundane to go through, and in 10% with some noise/orchestral shoegazing, which elevates this album to a different level, but at the same time angers you, because it's apparent that it could be so much better. Funnily enough, that 10% doesn't come as a full song or two, but generally it's appearing in most of the tracks, but during the last ~30 seconds of the song. Like the band decided "Okay, we are our usual, boring stuff, let's experiment a bit on the last part, but only for a bit, not to make it too interesting!". Very annoying. As one would think, only 30 seconds of good music per song is not enough for the good rating (unless you're into grindcore).

Blood And Chocolate

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

What a great voice! First time listening to Elvis Costello (although I've heard of him many times before) and I'm already hooked. This album might be an example of one where music is really just an uninteresting background. And well, they are really nailing the "uninteresting" bit. Blood and Chocolate is one of many albums recorded by Elvis Costello and The Attractions. They are playing mostly upbeat rock songs (rock'n'roll with some modern influences, in my opinion) with very uninspiring rhythm section and occasional great guitars and mini solos. Definitely this album was made to show the great vocal range by Elvis, and better music would just be in his way. There are few songs, that when listened to out of the context of this album can be a great joy, like "I Want You" and "Battered Old Bird", but this is not enough to change my opinion about this record. To sum this up, Elvis gets full five stars, The Attractions one, so we have an average of three. But despite this rating, I would be very curious to check another albums by Elvis. Maybe there is something more suited to my taste?

Elephant Mountain

The Youngbloods

3/5

Surprisingly hard album to define. On the outside it looks like another psychedelic rock band from sixties, and it is absolutely correct, but the album itself is diverse enough to sligthly escape that label. You can have a trio of songs, one by one: first instrumental, guitar solo-frenzy, or as one would say, epic song, then a transition to a sort of country piece, and finally an almost pop song made for radio with a very toned down instruments and a classic verse-chorus system. In general, the longer the song is, the most likely that it's going to be a classic psychedelic experience. And truth to be told, those tracks are actually highlights of the album (together with couple of the transition pieces). "On Sir Francis Drake" and "Ride The Wind" are nothing new, but they are very nice pieces, which will be enjoyed by every fan of psychedelic culture from 60s and 70s. The rest of the album falls flat, it doesn't fit with other parts and when listened on its own, is pretty average, especially the tracks with a traditional design. I will give it a three stars as an appreciation of the better parts of album, but as a whole it's not on par with other positions from this list.

Like A Prayer

Madonna

2/5

Interesting thing about popstars - I know all the hits, but I have never heard any of their full albums. The same rule applies to Madonna. Like a Prayer is definitely one of Madonna's best songs, but when I looked into the album, I didn't recognise any other track. What's even worse, I didn't like any of the other songs. They were average at best and probably were used as a platform to tell Madonna's story, which honestly I'm not really interested in. There is not much to say about the album, great titular song and the rest is basically a filler. Pretty dissapointing for for apparently "best album of her career".

The Bends

Radiohead

4/5

Finally a really good album after a flood of average ones! I have first heard of Radiohead long time ago (and since then I believe that Creep, together with Oasis' Wonderwall is the most overplayed song in history), but it took me quite a long time to finally appreciate them. I think their album are really hit or miss - for example I'm a big fan of OK Computer, but couldn't listen to In Rainbows. And this is my first approach to The Bends - I knew only the song "Just", which is one of my favourites by Radiohead. The result of this encounter is mixed, but with much more positives. The album is much more rock orientated than their next releases - you can hear it straight away on the very wild opening track - Planet Telex. The main riff is very "Radioheady", very specific and hard to categorise, together with Yorke's vocal it creates an ultimate mix, which pans over most of their career. The album then sort of oscillates between slower and more alternative ballads, and more energetic rock pieces. While I didn't really feel as inspired by the calmer parts, it did repay solidly during the atmospheric small breakdowns at the peak of anticipation. Good example of the whole album is condensed nicely isn aforementioned song "Just". Slow verses and a soft build-up, sharply cut just before culmination. Really rewarding type of music to listen to (in my opinion, of course). Still, I'm a little hesitant in giving this album five stars - few songs and couple more moments, however good, shouldn't be enough to award it the best score.

Histoire De Melody Nelson

Serge Gainsbourg

5/5

How come I didn't even know about this album before? I've heard of Serge Gainsbourg, but never in context of music. And now I know what a mistake that was. Histoire De Melody Nelson is a really well crafted album (although very short, just 27 minutes), that combines four main pillars, that could stand on their own anywhere else: - a funky bass line, that welcomes us to the album and doesn't leave us until the last notes - guitar with incredibly psychedelic solos, you could easily mistake it for a Pink Floyd part - orchestral elements added by Jean-Claude Vannier, adding another dimension to the album - and finally the vocal of Gainsbourg, soft and very deep voice, mostly just talking, is like a perfect topping for this musical cake. The whole album feels like a jam session of four musicians playing different genres of music, but somehow not only it works well, but is absolutely amazing. One of the easiest 5 stars on this list, especially among the albums I have never heard of.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

Over two hours of music! It should count for two albums, and I wouldn't mind, if both of them were on this list. I'm very surprised by The Smashing Pumpkins, I always thought its a soft rock band, but they had some power, energy and rage to it! I really liked the album, I will definitely listen tocthis again, unfortunately I don't have more time to write more than that. Easy 5.

Revolver

Beatles

4/5

It's almost 10% of the challenge and this is just the first The Beatles album. When I started listening to records from this list, I somehow thought The Beatles will be on every other day. I don't think that I am a fan of this band - I do reckon that they are a bit overrated. Certainly a product of their era, that felt new and original many years later, but contrary to some opinions, it's not a universal music. At this point they should be treated as a real trailblazers and innovators, that changed the musical landscape and defined the "superstar" status. We should learn about the band in history books, but I doubt anyone should listen to actual songs or albums - at this point it's just an interesting triva. Well, maybe that's taking it a little too far, but the overall sentiment is there. Meanwhile, the first album by The Beatles on this list is "Revolver". It's a collection of short songs totalling to around 35 minutes, written by all four members of the band. All the tracks are really different from one another. We can hear few songs, that could easily be associated with the early "boysband" days of the group, generic songs with a happy riffs and a unassuming drums, with soft voice of George, Paul and John. At the same time, we have few other songs, which cut deeper than that, like for example "Taxman" written by Harrison - a real psychedelic piece, with a very interesting guitar solo, adding a value to the level of the album. We also have the ever famous "Yellow Submarine", which actually is a really bright spot on "Revolver", and well-known "Eleanor Rigby", which is not as interesting, or original as I imagined. Another interesting song is "Tomorrow Never Knows", a composition written by Lennon, which is also heavily influenced by psychedelic rock genre. Overall, this might be a first time where I feel like I'm "supposed" to give a good rating to the album, just because it is very well known and universally liked. I would rate it at 3,5 stars, but to give it a little more benefit (as a historical context), it will be a round four. Let's see how other Beatles albums compare to this one.

The Modern Lovers

3/5

Another band, that I have never heard of! And it's a shame, because the self titled album was a very cohere and entertaining piece, with few underrated (apparently) gems in there. When I was listening to the first couple song on this album, all I could think of was The Doors. The style of music, slow melodies with a keyboard sounds a'la Manzarek and vocalist, not even close as charismatic as Morrison, but singing in a similar style, almost like reciting a poem in a deep, slightly drunk voice. Over the course of the album the style has changed into something more bespoke and original, but the slight influence of The Doors could be felt until the last song. The little gems I mentioned were as follows: "I'm straight" and "Hospital". The first one was a very outward, happy-like song, with a nice chorus and easy to follow throughout. The other one was a very calm ballad, a little out of style towards the rest of the album, but making it a real highlight. Rest of the songs felt a little monotonous and boring, especially toward the end of the record. I will be happy to come back to it from time to time, but only in small doses.

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

3/5

So now it's time for the less known album of one of the most overplayed bands in history (in commercial radio and whenever someone has a guitar in hostel). There is a lot of controversies around the group, especially Gallagher brothers, but I think the quality of music talked louder than other non-artistic excesses they provided to tabloids. The only one I was interested in was their rivalry with Blur, which died pretty early on. Definitely Maybe is a proper example of the brit pop/rock genre that started afresh in 90s, but the album was still leaning into a little bit heavier tunes, taking some pages from grunge and even late punk. The record has fewer of the big hits Oasis produced on later albums, which makes this one really consistent and very equal all around. The songs flow from one to another In a cohesive way, making it easy to listen to, but also making it a little too predictable and overall uneventful. It is very easy to listen to the whole album on autopilot, just forgetting something is on in the background. The two supposedly highlights of the record, "Supersonic" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol" don't have that magic yet, as they would achieve with Wonderwall, for example. Overall its a very nice album, just lacking any spark, but clearly showing that the band is capable of much more in the future.

Central Reservation

Beth Orton

3/5

First impression - British Alanis Morissette. The style of music and voice of Beth Orton really sounded similar to the Canadian star. Actually, as an average listener, I think that Alanis is a slightly better singer and writer than Beth. Central Reservation started really nice with song "Stolen Car", which could be easily a hit if released nowadays. But in general, the album lack of hits or more drawing songs hurts it in comparison to other similar artists, like Alanis for example. Titular "Central Reservation" didn't help it either, even though there was three different remixes on the album. The record itself was very pleasant to listen to, but it fell into background pretty quickly. According to some talking heads, Beth Orton created a certain subgenre, called folktronica, which is pretty self-explanatory. Unfortunately, I was not able to hear anything special or unique on this album. It sounded just like one of many, with a beautiful singing voice by Beth, but that is not enough to warrant a good rating on its own.

Born In The U.S.A.

Bruce Springsteen

3/5

First time listening to the full album made by Bruce Springsteen - somehow I expected a record full of hits and entertaining music like the titular "Born in the U.S.A.". Instead, I was greeted by one of the most famous songs ever and eleven others, completely anonymous tracks. The rest of the album was surprisingly average, which was even more noticeable in contrast to the great opener. One exception might be another single - "Dancing in the Dark", which has a little bit more recognisable riff and chorus, but somehow this song just disappears in the sea of mediocrity. Perhaps I am too harsh in my evaluation of the album, which has seen so much success over the years, but strong lyrics and one "anthem" for a generation of americans in 80s is not enough for me to declare it a masterpiece. Essentially, it is not my style and I am a little disappointed in the quality of this album.

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

1/5

What did I learn today - bebop jazz (or any of its subgenres) is not as repulsive as avant-garde jazz, at least for my small mind, but is still very hard to listen to. I am sure that Thelonious Monk is a great pianist and song writer, but we have to operate at a completely different wavelength (as are every band members). Brilliant Corners may as well be renamed to Thousand Sharp And Edgy Corners, because that is how I felt trying to comprehend this album. Maybe one day I'll try again, but for sure this is not the one.

Pink Flag

Wire

2/5

I am really surprised by how many punk, or post-punk albums are on this list. Were those bands pushing some kind of boundaries? Yes sir. Do those boundaries seem silly from our perspective now? Yes sir. Of course fight against an establishment is very noble and righteous, it is expressed differently nowadays. Punk and post-punk is not extreme anymore, doesn't seem vulgar or uncivil - I feel like it belongs in a Museum of Old Music, possibly located in London, like all the museums, and all those british bands should be hanged on the wall (symbolically, not literally) named "BRITISH PUNK 70s-90s", people would look at it, be amazed or not and then just move on. It's, in my opinion, a relict of not so old times, where music still had some power over the current affairs. Listening to "Pink Flag" was a chore. The songs were very diverse and different from one to another, you can tell the band was experimenting quite a lot on this album. But ultimately, it was like using the most expensive and rare spices on a raw egg. No matter how much of those spices or condiments you use, at the end of the day you are sill eating a raw egg. It's still just a simple punk album.

Document

R.E.M.

4/5

Album no.100 on the list! I somehow made it to 10%. Just couple years more and we're done with it. This is a second R.E.M. album on this list, and this time we have one of the earlier records - "Document" from 1987. It's already fifth album in their discography, which is very surprising to me, I always thought of R.E.M. as a more recent band. But nevertheless, when comparing this album with previously rated "Automatic For The People", I definitely prefer the older tracks. Their style is very unique and has put a mark on every record they produced, but "Document" has, in my opinion, better mix of melancholic melody, exalted lyrics and, at times, happy and uplifting vocals. The best example is "This is the End of the World (as we know it)". Great song, which works well on many layers - as a political statement, as an entertaining single and as a bit more sophisticated instrumental theme. Other great song from the album is "The One I Love", which is another successful single and is very pleasant to listen to. In general, R.E.M. music is not the most complicated or hard to execute, but when they hit it right, it's a really cohesive and fun music, and they definitely found the right tone for this album.

Double Nickels On The Dime

Minutemen

5/5

What an album! This has to be one of the biggest positive surprises of this list so far. Absolutely original and entertaining record by band Minutemen. Although they are categorised as a punk or post-punk band, I don't really agree with it. This has to be an avant-garde album first and foremost, creating a genre of its own, with funky, jazzy bass line, extremely weird guitar sound and slightly hardcore vocal at times. They somehow managed to squeeze 45 songs in 73 minutes, giving an average of less than 2 minutes per song. And they are all very different, yet somehow still feel aligned one after another. After listening to the album I dived into the usual Wikipedia rabbit hole, reading about the band, their style, about tragic death of D. Boon. I have never heard of this band, yet they remind me so much of more hard-core (or rock) version of Primus. Everything is weird and unusual, yet so entertaining and fascinating. Great album, I will listen to the full discography now, looks like I found another favourite band!

Horses

Patti Smith

4/5

Somewhat similar album to yesterday's Minutemen record - very original, experimental, but at the same time it doesn't lose any of the value by trying to be over the top. Entertaining release by Patti Smith, who is a very unconventional singer in my opinion and for sure someone that can be very divisive in how she's perceived by others. For me it was 50/50. In some songs, like in opening "Gloria", her voice sounded amazing together with funky/rock work from her band, fast-flowing, very upbeat. But at times, in longer tracks, her voice sounded too mundane and was even irritating, like in the 9 minute composition "Birdland". Instrumental-wise, the album is rather simple, but it works really well with "more complicated" style of Patti. It's a really nice album and I can understand that it was some sort of an innovation, or a setting stone for a new generation of music.

The Poet

Bobby Womack

2/5

This is the first time I have heard any Bobby Womack song, or even heard about him, as a matter of fact. What surprises me, is that usually albums on this list are debut albums, or records released rather early in the career, with the rule of thumb - after initial success, the band starts to "sell out" a bit. It's not innovative anymore, group is riding the wave of the past. In case of "The Poet", which is thirteen album in Bobby's career, this rule is definitely broken. Our today's album is a rather simple and ordinary soul and r'n'b release. Some of the songs are catchy, but they don't hook you for long, falling quickly into the background. The only hit from "The Poet" is a song named "If You Think You're Lonely Now". Apparently this track was the main reason which decided about placing this album on the list. However, in my opinion, the song is completely uncharacteristic, doesn't stand out in the genre, or even on this record. It is just an average release, doesn't matter from which angle I will look at it. Not the greatest listening experience.

Djam Leelii

Baaba Maal

3/5

A pretty interesting Senegalese album, which sounded like a nice mix between local folk music and some interesting electric guitar solos, taken straight out of 70s jam session. All the songs feel very spiritual and personal, even though they are singing in their local dialect of tribe transcendental over all the current borders. Although the idea of this album seems very interesting and inspiring, listening to this record is not the easiest task. It's more like a fascinating artifact you see in a museum from an ancient civilization. Nice to look at for a bit, gives you an idea of the culture of that period, and then you quickly move on. It's not an album you would listen more than once.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

A very joyful album by Simon and Garfunkel (also very short). Simple melodies, accompanied by soft voices of two singers, falling into abundance of sweetness at times. There was couple of very interesting songs, especially quite surprising "Silent Night" song, normal Christmas Carol, with radio news broadcast in the background (moving into foreground as the song progresses). News are pretty depressing, but very telling of current times. Very interesting idea. Other parts of album include the more famous "Scarborough fair", or "Homeward Bound", which are really nice folk pieces, just a bit too soft in my opinion, as if written for people with anger issues. But otherwise, very interesting album, and a good listening session.

The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan

4/5

Ultimate sounds of the 80s! From now on, whenever I'll be watching any movie, that takes place in those times, I'll be subconsciously waiting for this album to be in the background. The record was surprisingly entertaining, every songs stands on its own, fitting in the album, but also being unique. Each song has that weird quality of tracks from 70s and 80s, where they perfectly fit for a long car ride, suitably during the night. Electronic sounds, usually a little overwhelming, were really on point on this album, especially on tracks like "M.E." and "Conversations". I really liked this record, even though its not my favourite type of music. Synth pop at it finest!

Buffalo Springfield Again

Buffalo Springfield

3/5

A proper mix of genres on one album! Usually all different types of music are quite cohesively mashed together on one track, taking only some distinctive parts from the genre, making the song more unique and often times just simply better. Meanwhile Buffalo Springfield, apparently first band of Neil Young, basically recorded 10 songs, each in a completely different style. We have a blues song, country, rock'n'roll, psychedelic rock, funk and many other subgenres. The result of this colloid is really hard to describe. If I try to be straight to the point - all rock songs sound great and fresh, but we could cut the country and blues songs out. Best songs, coincidentally, are the ones sung by Neil Young, like "Mr. Soul" and "Broken Arrow". Other good bit was funky "Hang Upside Down" by Stills. And even though rest of the tracks are underwhelming, the good songs are well worth listening to the whole album. I think I will be happy to explore other records by Buffalo Springfield, to see how many hidden gems are there waiting for me.

Protection

Massive Attack

5/5

I don't know how to put it, but in simple terms: Massive Attack gets it. Even Protection, one of their lesser known albums (at least compared to other parts in discography) is full of that specific, slightly melancholic atmosphere. Every song takes you to a different place, like by pressing play, you are teleported to a land of chill and rhythm. The melodies and beats are always fascinating to get lost in it, and every track could have easily be 5 minutes longer with the main beat going over and over again. The selftitled, opening song is the greatest example. Its already almost 8 minutes long, but it's never boring, it just drills its attention deeper and deeper into your mind. It's just a great album and my only wish is that their other record will be on this list as well.

Dear Science

TV On The Radio

5/5

Two great albums in a row! Every song is entertaining in its own way, those can be funky, uplifting, melancholic or just simply instrumental, they all have that energy, that is so compelling and contagious. Two singles, "Golden Age" and "Dancing Choose" don't really stand out, because the whole record is very even - and at a high level. The real highlight of the album is the song "TMZ". It hits all the right tones, both lyrics-wise and instrumental. Guitar work is really extraordinary on this album, maybe not overly complicated, but it fits the overall style perfectly. It's a great album, and I'm eager to listen to the whole discography of TV On Yhe Radio in the near future.

Time Out Of Mind

Bob Dylan

2/5

A more recent album by Bob Dylan, which can be easily noticed thanks to coarser and in fact older voice of Bob. The style of songs is still the same, prominent Dylan's vocal, if you like it or not, some soft electric guitars, drums, piano and occasional harmonica.the problem is that this time there is no hits or "hymns of the generation". Instead we have just an average album by a great singer/songwriter. Pretty disappointing.

John Prine

3/5

A simple folk/country album by John Prime, who is supposedly one of the most respected musicians in this genre. Lyrics to his songs had a little funny or more sarcastic twist to it, which made it more pleasant to listen to, but ultimately, the music itself is not really defending the quality of the album. Rather an average record in my opinion.

Welcome to the Afterfuture

Mike Ladd

3/5

A very pleasant album to listen to, although that probably wasn't the intention (not fully, at least). It reminded me a little the Deltron 3030 album - both taking place in a future (or use future as a driving mechanism) to rap about current issues. I think this is a really good idea, it gives you a different perspective on the matter of things. It is such a Terra Incognita in music as of yet. Mike Ladd had a small contribution to the subgenre with his album Welcome to the Afterfuture. It's a hip hop album with quite few instrumental bits, like prominently "The Moon's Contractor". It's a very atmospheric track, nicely fitting into the whole theme of the album, but also defending itself on its own. The real highlight of the album is the closing track, a sort of an anthem, that is still very much important and valid - "Feb. 4 '99 (For All Those Killed by Cops)". It's a really great song, with interesting, important and quite moving lyrics. Unfortunately, rest of the album is not on par with the best tracks and I had mixed feelings about it. I definitely like the beats much more than the rapping style in general. I didn't like any of the guest appearances, and those songs bring the overall experience down in my opinion. Good idea, but mixed result.

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

4/5

Wow, so somehow after all the years of listening to the various covers of the song "Wild World", I finally found out who has written the original version. And surprisingly enough, even though this track is really great and deeply rooted in culture now, it's not the best song on the album. The whole Side A of the longplay "Tea for the Tillerman" is really amazing. "Where Do the Children Play" and "Hard Headed Woman" is a really strong start of the album, even though the songs are rather lighthearted and Cat Stevens' voice is very soft and gentle. All the tracks are rather simple, with a straightforward melody and not much of other, over complicated instruments. Listening to this record is like finally connecting dots, that you didn't even know were unconnected. Many of those songs were used for soundtracks of the movies, series or commercials, so now I can definitely say - I know where it started. Listening to the album was a very pleasant journey - not extraordinary, but it's definitely a big stepping stone in the music history.

NEU! 75

Neu!

4/5

As I proved couple times on this list already, I'm not a big fan of krautrock, or the German alternative scene from 70s and 80s. It usually feels like experimental use of synthesisers without much content behind it, all form or structure without plot. It feels different on this album, NEU! '75. I have a feeling this record is a missing link between traditional rock and electronic music and krautrock itself. Although there is still plenty of room for experimental passages of ambient electronics, especially on Side A of the album, the other side has thematically ventured into a completely new territory - krautrock with a big ROCK part. I was very positively surprised by the song "Hero", opening the second part of NEU!'75. The use of double drums playing the same beat, plus a slightly aggressive vocal by Klaus Dinger, together with his electric guitar and electronic sounds in the background, give a totally unique, but authentic feel. The track somehow takes the punk, or even hard rock into the future (at the time). I have read that this song has inspired many bands and singers to experiment with their sound more, and I am not surprised, this really feels like a small stepping stone in those genres. Overall, the album is very interesting, although the difference between both sides seem a little bit off - in the end its just two completely different half-albums, with not much in common. But the innovative approach of the second part deserves a higher grade and more recognition than it has now.

Fleet Foxes

3/5

I've never read so many praises by music critics about a seemingly ordinary indie/folk album. It's the first time I've heard of band Fleet Foxes, and after digging deeper into their discography and reviews, I feel a massive dissonance between what's has been written and what I think about this album. The self-titled album is a very soft and gentle folk pop, which sounds like a lullaby version of Mumford and Sons, if only all band members knew how to sing. The songs are very atmospheric and give you a vibe of a perfect listening session in late autumn, with a hot cocoa, under the blanket, with a cliche rain/snow outside. The album at times feels more manufactured than natural, like prepared by some perfect music AI, which programmed all the voices in spotlessly clean harmony, with no unnecessary sound or a note, from start to finish. The song, like for example their single "White Winter Hymnal" are really nice to listen to, but somehow it feels, just simply, like a product. And hey, it was good, but I'm not buying it.

Parachutes

Coldplay

3/5

It's a very interesting coincidence, that this album came out on the list just after another debut album of Fleet Foxes. I can see many parallels between those two records, and it actually gives me intriguing perspective in regards to how to rate "Parachutes". The difference from one to the other is not big enough to constitute a better rating, just because Coldplay is a more well-known band and I knew and like couple of their singles before. I always thought of Coldplay as a music equivalent of Paulo Coelho books. On one hand it's because of the similarities in the names of their most known work - "Scientist" and "Alchemist", but also because they pretend to be much more 'intellectual' and introspective than they actually are. While I know this might be a gross exaggeration on the Coldplay part, there might be a piece of truth in it. "Parachutes" is an okayish rock/pop album, with very simple, but catchy melodies, and good, but at times unbearable, Chris Martin's vocal. The songs, when listening to them separately, sound perfect for a chilled radio session in your garden, but as a whole, the album becomes incredibly corny and the songs seem identical, like the band is unable to change the gear (highest gear when going only 20mph). I like the songs and I'm going to appreciate them whenever I hear them on the radio, but I will probably never listen to the whole album again.

Gentlemen

The Afghan Whigs

5/5

Wow, it looks like I found another candidate for the surprise of the year (for myself only, of course)! The Afghan Whigs with an album "Gentlemen", described as the best breakup record ever written. I don't know about that, but you can feel the emotions filling the whole room from the moment the first song starts. The album oscillates between an indie rock, quirky melodies to hard rock, full-on grunge tracks. The combination, that falls somewhere in-between those genres perfectly encapsulates the anger and sadness, creating a very atmospheric setup for the whole album. I think that might be one of those records, that doesn't have any fillers - every song fits into the concept, but also stands on its own. One can easily say, that there is 11 singles, each deserving a spot on the list of "greatest songs you musty heard before you die". Vocal on this album doesn't sound very well, the voice of the main vocalist, Greg Dulli, breaks up pretty often, but probably that's on purpose - it also adds more melancholy and desperation for some of the tracks. What's interesting, my two favourite songs from the album are the two where Greg doesn't sing. First one, with similar style of singing, but from a woman, Marcy Mays, "My Curse". I think this song is the culmination of the album - great, hard rock ballad, do not listen when you are going through a breakup yourself, many tears may follow. The second favourite song is the last, instrumental "Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer". It's just an excellent ending to the album filled with emotions, giving you slow and soft release, perfect song to loop forward to the beginning of the record. Easy 5 stars, I'm looking forward to the journey into Afghan Whigs' discography.

25

Adele

3/5

This has to be the most popular and recent album on this list so far. I think in terms of the most known pop singers from 2010s, only Taylor Swift is more popular than Adele. Surprisingly, the album chosen in here is "25". If I had to guess, the record with more singles and hits is "21", at least it stands out much more. In case of the former, the only hit that I know of is "Hello", which actually is a pretty good song. It was a summer tune, but definitely it has quality and the lyrics are slightly more meaningful than of your usual hot tracks list. The album starts pretty strong with songs like "Send My Love" and "I Miss You", but soon after that the quality of the album drops, and we are greeted by fillers, or just a bunch of uninteresting songs. I'm not a big fan of anything there, let it be for music or lyrics. It's clear that Adele has a powerful voice, but it's not enough for me to be kept interested in the album. Not a record I would choose from the popular music in 2010s.

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

1/5

On the menu today - generic western influenced country music. I didn't want to be harsh to this album, as this is a very specific subgenre of music, but not even one song was convincing, or in any way interesting and addictive. It's just a simple country melody, with an incredibly campy lyrics about wild, wild west. In general, I'm fan of western movies, and I absolutely love some of the OST's, mainly Ennio Morricone, but usually those are instrumental. I don't think any type of music would be interesting with this type of corny lyrics. Still, the album has now more than 60 years, so maybe at the time it was revolutionary? Who knows, right now those songs, unfortunately, can live only as memes, or relicts of the past.

Violator

Depeche Mode

5/5

It might be very disrespectful, even though Depeche Mode is a great and legendary band, but they are in my opinion a one-album band. They have a long and eventful discography, but never before or after they hit it so right as in "Violator". It is extremly reductionistic on my part, but as an average fan of the genres - which in this case range from electronic rock/pop, to even resemblances of gothic rock, only this album sticks out and I'm happy to revisit anytime. The main part of every Depeche Mode's song, or album is Dave Gahan's vocal. His deep voice and certain way he is singing, almost talking, through a song is a big highlight and the most recognizable feature of the band. His persona creates a terrific atmosphere on the album, easily turning every riff or melody into a bit darker and ambient versions of themselves. In term of instrumental side, the riffs are very simple, but catchy, which very often is the case. Seven or eight notes, rather slower tempo, electronic background and that's it, we have a recipe for success, like the best (or second best) single from "Violator" - "Personal Jesus". Even though two most known songs really pushed their way to the top of pop-culture at some point, the rest of the album isn't that far behind. "Sweetest Perfection", "Waiting for the Night" and "World In My Eyes" are really good songs, staying in the general atmospheric surrounding of the album. A session with Violator is a really well spent time and it's important to know it, because there is plenty of covers there, so the connection will be much easier.

Low

David Bowie

5/5

This list is filled with "first times" for me, and that is no different with David Bowie - it is a first time, when I listen to his full album. And it was such a special introduction into his music and history. "Low" is an album, that is very hard to describe - it hinges on every possible type of mood, from cheerful and optimistic, to melancholic and thrilling. Also, as a big surprise for me, the album is full of instrumental tracks, which set the tone for the next part of the record, but each time they are just wonderful on their own, like beautiful composition "Warszawa", creepy "Subterraneans", or just energetic and simple intro, "Speed of Life". In general, there are just few songs, where David Bowie show us his vocal range, and even in those tracks he is sometimes overshadowed by a great guitar solo, like in "Be My Wife", or "Always Crashing In the Same Car". But that is not a problem - it can't be one, when the instrumental layer is so incredibly atmospheric and amazing. A big influence on the sound of the album had to be applied by Brian Eno - as a main collaborator and producer of the record. His ability to experiment was very obvious on the "Here Come the Warm Jets" album, which I rated previously on this list. This collaboration between Eno resulted in a trilogy, with "Low" being just a first step into it. But after listening to that record, I have no choice other than put the other parts "Heroes" and "Lodger" on my daily list "things to listen to" and see how great it is. Perfect introduction into Bowie's career.

Bongo Rock

Incredible Bongo Band

4/5

Bongos! As the name suggests, it's an Incredible Bong Band, with an album full of kind of cinematic music, like taken from 70s action movies. Bongos are really prominent throughout the album, but surprisingly not always at the forefront - sometimes, like in the song "Apache", they just set up the mood and work as a simple drum beat, whereas the orchestral instruments take all the cake, creating a really fun and catchy song, definitely a highlight of the album. Bongo Rock is an instrumental record, which also work well, leaving a lot of space for the incredible bongos to put influence on the songs. Simply - it's a very fun album, good for a quirky change of mood during a party, to uplift and wake up everyone. Is it good enough for the list of "must listen to" albums, though? I guess 1000 albums is a lot, so they have to fill it with something, unfortunately The Beatles didn't record 1000 LPs, otherwise it would be easy job.

Buena Vista Social Club

3/5

Legendary group, legendary song ...and that's it. "Chan Chan" might be one of the most recognisable songs ever, it's really amazing, doesn't matter if you're fan of Cuban music, or Latin rhythms. Great guitars - the main melody is perfectly melancholic and together with bongos and drums in the background instantly teleports you to the hot streets of Havana (even though I've never been there). Small solo at the end of the song was also incredibly fitting and atmospheric. But what makes this song whole, are the vocals from the group. Not very intricate, but they convey a lot of emotions with rather few words. Perfect composition. Unfortunately, that's where the positives of the album end, and it's so early on the record. All the other songs are forgettable and not really special in any way. I know that they probably helped expand the Cuban rhythms and culture to the wide world, but it doesn't work for me. The great atmosphere created on Chan Chan is gone, all we have then is just a mix of random tracks, like in a compilation. It's hard to give a proper rating for such a sinusoidal output, so I will probably go with a safe 3.

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

2/5

The cursed trio of genres, so far - country, of course, avant-garde jazz and reggae. I am 'a little' biased against this types of albums even before I start listen to them, but I'm trying my best to give it a fair chance. Unfortunately, it's no different with Bob Marley's music. I know his lyrics are as important as Dylan's at times, but even songs like "One Love" have a generic reggae beat, which I have hard time to listen to. I won't give it 1 star, because it's still a big part of the history, but two is a max. No time for a better review.

Disraeli Gears

Cream

3/5

Psychedelic rock, full steam ahead. If someone would ask you what "psychedelic" means in music, just show them this album - it's not the greatest, but definitely one of first of this kind and pulling all the string of the genre. You can hear it straight away in the opening song "Strange Brew". The guitar work on this track is just amazing, who needs drugs, when you can listen to it on the loop? But that's not everything, although drums help accenting the psychedelic parts, bass melody is extremely groovy and keeps you interested in the song. I would 100% call it a highlight of the track, and maybe the whole album? Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of the vocal on this single and record in general. High voice of Clapton doesn't song really exciting, and although it fits the theme of the light and fun melody, it's not something I would like to listen to more often. "Sunshine of your Love" keeps a very high level of quality on the album, being a very excellent song, with even more recognisable melody on guitars and bass. Claptons voice is much better here, high class. But moving on, the quality drops, and especially side b of the record is hard to listen. There was nothing special in there that I could point at, it's rather disappointing after such a good intro to the album.

The United States Of America

4/5

Scratch everything that I have written about Disraeil Gear being a perfect example of album in psychedelic rock genre. This is The Ultimate experience of late sixties music, for better or worse, condensed to one, as non-linear as possible album. It's a wild ride with The United States of America, which actually reflect the state and history of the nation as well. No guitars on the record, but plenty of other instruments, you can safely pick one and it's probably used on one of the tracks. It is a very experimental concept, avant-garde at moments, with plenty of surprises and unorthodox approach to music. I definitely recommend listening to this album, even though it's too self-conscious, crossing the line of being intelligible far too often. But again, what a fun ride it is!

Pretenders

4/5

Hard nut to crack, this one, or whatever the expression is. On one hand it was a simple, a little monotonous at times rock music, but on the other hand you could say straight away, that this album is so much different than usual 70s and 80s music from UK, and even today some of the songs are very entertaining. The duo of tracks to start the album were really excellent - "Precious" and "Phone Call". I think what I really appreciated the most in those songs is the bass track, together with drums, giving an amazing base layer for the rest of the band. I am not a big fun of punk music, but this mix of punk rock is really unique and fun to listen to. Chrissie's vocal is rather hit or miss. I think, contrary to what's more popular, that the slower songs don't sound that well and Pretenders, as much as the vocalist, is much better at higher tempo music. Nevertheless, listening to this album was a very fun experience, worth having four out of five rating.

A Walk Across The Rooftops

The Blue Nile

3/5

That's an interesting and quite original album on this list. The Blue Nile made an unusual choice of creating a record almost fully with synthesizers, but still keeping the tone of the early 80s post-punk and alternative group. Instrumentally, every two songs are really different from each other - the band uses a lot of gimmicks and methods to bend the sounds in new way to their will. There is a big "but" however, in this case it's about the vocalist, whose voice and style of singing is so phlegmatic, I just couldn't do it longer than a song at a time. It really brings the whole experience down to the level, where I am not even interested in giving it another chance. I'll give it a 3/5, but only because I actually like the instrumental parts.

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

2/5

Not my favourite piece of music. Few songs that stand out, I really liked the flow of "Kick It" and pretty funny "Bonita Applebum", but otherwise the whole album went on without catching my attention. I think it might be partially down to the fact that in 90s this album was first ever using this style of hip hop, whereas now it's much more common and that's why it feels like nothing special. I don't want to rate it according to rap history, because I know nothing about that, so I'll just rate how I feel now, without context, about this album. And unfortunately, it's not a really positive feeling.

Queen Of Denmark

John Grant

5/5

This is the case of an album, that gets better after every listening. It's a very charming record, that has many surprises hidden in very irreverent and full of humour tracks. The album is defined by the last, self-titled song, Queen of Denmark. An epic melody, in the essence of folk, with its quirky lyrics, perfectly symbolises how good and different the record is. John Grant has a great voice, but his true ability is to write and transform the lyrics into amazing pieces, but keeping it down to earth at the same time. I will need many more listening sessions with this album to truly rate it, but until then I'm happy to give it a highest possible note.

Manassas

Stephen Stills

2/5

Outdated album, in my opinion. Couple of interesting country/southern style rock, but otherwise nothing special. Really forgettable experience.

Graceland

Paul Simon

2/5

Well, I quickly discovered that there is a limit to how much of Paul Simon I can bear, solo or with Garfunkel, no difference. This is now third album with him on this list, after his self-titled debut and "The Spices" album with Art. And I know this is entirely unfair, but I feel like every song is exactly the same - quirky melody, interesting and evocative lyrics, and soft voice by Simon, with his talking/singing style, very similar on each track on this album. Even his greatest hit, "You Can Call Me Al" seems like came out of the same mould, just coincidentally they added here a very catchy melody and chorus, which made the song stand out. This is sixth album in Paul Simon's career, but I don't really see too much progress between this and his debut, which in turn makes me very hesitant to listen to the four records in-between. To sum it up, in vacuum this album is pretty good, entertaining and thoughtful. But looking at it from my perspective, with what I've heard so far, it is just another identical piece of puzzle in collection.

Tarkus

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

5/5

Another very positive surprise on the list. I have listened to the album twice already and it looks like I'm going to spend next weeks discovering Emerson, Lake and Palmer playlist. In few words, I would call Tarkus a much more progressive "Echoes" by Pink Floyd, with a very climactic vocal by Lake, on par with Gilmour, with prominent Hammond organs by Emerson and excellent drumming virtuoso - how come I didn't hear too much about Palmer before? I can blame only my ignorance. Side A of the album is filled with an epic 20-minutes song "Tarkus". Unlike the aforementioned "Echoes", the composition is less linear - it looks like ELP were experimenting with different styles and moods on this song, jumping from a very progressive and chaotic "Eruption", to much more chilled and atmospheric "Stones Of Years", for example. The song keeps you interested for the whole duration of the track and the multiple changes of tempo allow you to rediscover it once again. Surprisingly, I like the B side even better. Six short songs, by comparison, with instrumental "Infinite Space" and entertaining "A Time And Place" make it a great successor to the artful Tarkus. I really liked the album, even though it might be a little too "proggy" at times for my liking. But because it was my first experience with ELP, I will give it a round five bags of popcorn.

Brothers

The Black Keys

3/5

I think, with exception of Adele, that this is the first fairly recent band I know and like. The Black Keys apparently broke through to the mainstream with "Brothers", but the first album that I heard to was "El Camino" with a great single "Lonely Boy". I was very curious if "Brothers" is as good, or maybe even better. First couple songs were pointing to the latter - "Everlasting Light", "Next Girl" and especially "Tighten Up". Catchy melody, very low maintenance, just a simple riff, actually good drumming and great vocal by Dan Auerbach. Those tracks sound like something you could make up with you friends in 24 hours, but somehow it makes much more sense and brings a great atmosphere, feeling like you're listening to an alternative rock band in some obscure pub in the middle of nowhere, great stuff. Unfortunately, listening to the whole album wasn't such a nice experience. I felt like The Black Keys had written three or four riffs and the just split and cut them into 15 songs. Fifteen chicken dishes in different style, even if you try it will become pretty stale after a while. In general, it's great when you want to listen to song or two, but binging whole album? Probably not such a good idea.

Trout Mask Replica

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

1/5

Nice! That's the most original album on the list so far, together with Miles Davis "Bitches Brew". Completely chaotic record, or at least posing as one. As with every avant-garde album, it's extremely hard to get into it, although in this case it's experimental rock, so it's a little bit easier to understand where is it coming from. Just listen to all the popular releases from sixties, then write down all the sounds, notes and melodies that you haven't heard, compile it into an album and et voila! We have a "Trout Mask Replica". Worth noting, that half the album is filled with Captain Beefhearts blues-like stories, basically a spoken-word at times. I have listened to the album twice since yesterday, but I would have to listen to it twenty more times before I could get anything meaningful from it. Well, I probably will try, over the course of years, but as of today, the album was a hot piece of garbage.

Odessey And Oracle

The Zombies

4/5

A very surprising album by The Zombies! First few minutes in, you could tell that they were way ahead of their times. A pretty simple and entertaining rock melodies, a la early The Beatles, but the vocals were really amazing! At some point on the album you could tell if those guys are a recent band or are actually from sixties. The harmonies bu band members were perfect, "This will be Our Year" was just an example of great song created with simple measures. How come they aren't much more popular? They are on this list, but I would suspect at least a little bit more popculture references. Nevertheless, it was so nice to discover this band, I am sure I will come back to it many times In future.

The Clash

2/5

Debut album by one of the legends of punk rock. And well, as legendary as they are, this record didn't hooked me in even for a little bit. On the first go with it my mind went on autopilot and I had to go back to some of the songs, which by the way, are all very similar to each other. It's not my favourite genre of music and this album definitely didn't do anything to change it. From positives, I really liked the vocal, most of the times Mick James sounded genuinely angry and filled with rage, perfectly fitting their music at the time. Also, I was surprised with few quick, but nicely fitting guitar solos, giving the album a little bit more depth. Otherwise, I found the music a bit generic. Today there is hundreds of bands like The Clash, but I do understand at the time they were very unique and groundbreaking. Unfortunately, in my opinion they do not pass the test of time.

Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

Spiritualized

5/5

How come this album (and band to be fair) is not much more popular, is beyond my imagination. I am currently on my third loop of this record, it is absolutely amazing. Truth to be told, I don't really see the "space rock" angle on this album, I can see some psychedelic elements, but in general I would create a label "spiritualized rock". Excellent mix of atmospheric, chilled tunes like "Cool Waves", slowly transforming into a full orchestral, all-out jam in "Cop Shoot Cop". Great riffs, really amazing small solos, everything fits perfectly on the album. It feels like the band had an idea of how the record will look like before they even stepped into the studio. They take their time, play out the tunes as long as they want, to drive to the culmination point, which is a full release of emotions and feelings. I absolutely love this album, and it moves to my "favourite tracks" list straight away.

Fragile

Yes

4/5

Only now, thanks to this challenge, I'm learning how ignorant I am to some bands or genres. In general I tend to be a little dismissive towards the older music, but this time it is different. It is the first time I'm listening to "Fragile" ever, however I could very quickly recognise the main motive from opening song "Roundabout". After few minutes it clicked - I know it from the "To Be Continued" memes. And my ignorance hurts as ever, because this is much more than a nice jingle, it is also a great song, progressive rock with countless great riffs and complicated melodies, but still coherent and enjoyable. Jon Anderson provided great vocals on the whole album, fitting great into the slightly psychedelic structure of the songs. Unfortunately, only "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise" were great - the rest of the songs were basically fillers, trying to hit at least 40 minutes to fill the LP. But well, you can't deny the greatness, even if it's surrounded by blandness. It was definitely the best Yes album I have heard so far. And it definitely has a place on this list.

Ramones

1/5

As I previously pointed out, punk is not a genre I particularly enjoy. Especially if it is presented in its purest form - simple, fast riff, monotonous bass track and vocals, usually full of rage, or just with some wit in it. Ramones fall into that category and unfortunately, they are so dull and one-dimensional, I have hard time writing anything positive about the album. This is one of those rare occasions, where I couldn't even finish the record. All the songs became just one, continuous pulp with no special features to distinguish them from another. I've read, that Ramones inspired many new bands to follow their practices, which resulted in grunge, for example. Well, even if that's true, this band is already outdated in my eyes. Nowadays, every little town or village has a local punk band, that is more raw and just simply better. Hopefully that was the only album by Ramones on this list.

American Beauty

Grateful Dead

2/5

For so many years have I heard about this band and the "deadheads". I have met few of them, but I never felt like this would be a band I would like. Until today, when I listened to "American Beauty" for the first time, and boy, I proved myself right. This is definitely a band I don't enjoy, even though on the album Grateful Dead has mixed plenty of styles, some that I enjoy and then some I approach less enthusiastically. Well, the overall result wasn't that inspiring. The record was perfect for the time it was recorded in, which is late 60, early 70s. Hippie culture, love, not war, this album encapsulated this sub-culture. Unfortunately, it is not as interesting nowadays, and the folk/country vibe, with occasional psychedelic and rock intrusions are pretty outdated. Not even one song stayed in my mind afterwards, but at least I was able to listen to the whole album, unlike the Ramones. Not my favourite band and probably this will be the last album of this band I will listen.

Eternally Yours

The Saints

3/5

Aggressively average punk rock band. It is entertaining, much more pleasant than Ramones or any other punk, or post-punk I have recently listened to, but truth to be told, it's still surprisingly uneventful. The riffs are quite catchy, bass line and drums are pretty good and consistent (too much consistent). The vocals were toned down, compared to the rest of the music. I remember harmonica in one song, unfortunately I don't remember which one, they all sounded too similar. But still, it's nice to find out about a band from Australia!

Ingenue

k.d. lang

3/5

An interesting album that isn't very special, unless you read a little about the context of the record, certain songs from it and K.D. Lang history. It's a shame that there's still such a persecution and pointless hatred. The context helped with song like "Miss Chatelaine", but unfortunately it didn't change my overall reception of the album. It's a rather usual type of a folk music with po twists that I would to compare to Alanis Morissette, trying to stay in Canada for once. Favourite song - "Season For Hollow Soul", with the orchestral elements and atmospheric composition. The rest of the albumis rather forgettable, but still, I can understand why it is rated high enough to be on the list of 1000 best albums ever.

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

5/5

Great album! I spent a lot of time listening to and playing all the riffs on "Knights of Cydonia". It is such a great song and a perfect encapsulation of the whole album. Leading bass guitar, very upbeat drums, plenty of electronics, weird solos on guitar and a constant (and sometimes a bit annoying) vocal by Matt Bellamy. Every song on this album sticks to that concept, whether slower or faster, more melancholic or less, they have a recipe that works. It is not my favourite album by Muse, I find "Origin of Symmetry" a bit better and more diverse than Black Holes and Revelations, but still, it is a great album and I 100% recommend it to everyone.

Pyromania

Def Leppard

3/5

An average hard rock/metal album, with a sort of Judas Priest-like vocal, some interesting and hard to execute guitar solos and very unsophisticated drums, that can make you nauseous after 40 minutes of this album. In general, nothing special or extraordinary, probably one of the first albums of this type, but with almost no listening values nowadays.

Killing Joke

4/5

I was quick to dismiss this album as "just another punk, or post-punk british band", which is true, but up to a point. Killing Joke is in my opinion much more climatic and more music-orientated than their contemporaries from the time. A lot of the album is instrumental and those parts are definitely the best assets, showing real talent from the musicians, but also creating a great atmosphere on the album. Perhaps what actually attracted me to this record is the slightly heavier approach to the genre and bleaker sound, which somehow still feels fresh today. So far I gave it only a quick glance, but for sure I am saving this album for future reference and to come back and listen to it without rush.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Raekwon

1/5

Ooof, that was one, hard battle, to get through this album. It took less than 30 seconds into any of the songs, and my mind was drifting away. Not even a one beat or mix hooked me in, nothing seemed enjoyable or interesting. They style of rapping also wasn't my favourite, it was in fact a bit boring, I really couldn't focus on the lyrics that much. I have read about this album as being one of the best in Wu-Tang Clan's members solo career, and also very influential to new generation of hip-hop. Unfortunately, I couldn't see anything of value when listening to this record and all can I do is question the placement of it on this list.

Heroes

David Bowie

4/5

Second album by David Bowie on this list and also second of the, so-called "Berlin Trilogy", after "Low". And while I think that "Low" was one of the best records I have listened to, out of almost 150 albums, "Heroes" was quite underwhelming and didn't offer the same mix of emotions. The concept of the record is similar - few positive and high energy songs, followed by more atmospheric and electronic-filled tracks. But last time we had many hits, songs that are great on their own, plus sounded great in the context of album. Here I can point out only the self-titled track "Heroes", which is a great single and somehow continues the road of the album trilogy. This time the instrumental songs didn't hook me in, they felt like a slog, even though there were nice moments with small guitar solos and melodies. Bowie's vocal is great as always, so no complaints there. Some people treat it as the best album in Bowie's career, for me it's a step back after wonderful "Low".

American Idiot

Green Day

5/5

Well, this is a second time I have to write a review for this album, so in short - it's great. So many hits and singles, and in the context of the record they sound even better than on the radio. It's a really wild ride, and for sure a pleasurable one.

In Utero

Nirvana

3/5

Another Nirvana album after "Nevermind", which wasn't my favourite already. It's the first time I'm listening to "In Utero" and I still dont understand the phenomenon of this band. There is so many other grunge bands, that had a better career, higher highs and not so low lows. Nevertheless, Nirvana has some good songs, like "Heart-shaped Box" or "Rape Me", but as a whole record, it's rather anonymous and boring. What I like about Alice in Chains, or Pearl Jam, or even Soundgarden is that they put some real emotions into their songs, whereas I don't really feel it with Nirvana. Album to forget.

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Dead Kennedys

4/5

Actually a quite good punk rock album, especially comparing to all the other similar bands that I have seen on the list so far. The lyrics are funny, but surprisingly on point, even 40 years after release. The music is much more diverse than a simple punk 3 chords - we have here few interesting riffs, more energy, and more thoughtful experience. All in all, it's not an album that I would listen to more often, but because it's so much better than other punk rock bands on this list, I'm happy to give it 4 stars.

Melodrama

Lorde

4/5

It's actually a nice album! I know Lorde only from the extremely annoying song "Royals", which was definitely overplayed on the radio soon after it was initially released. My hatred for this song was sufficient for me to never try any other track from her album. Apparently only until today. I still dont know any other song from her previous album, but if it's as good as this one, then I should quickly make up for that mistake. "Melodrama" opens up with a really catchy song "Green Light", one of the singles from this record. This track also sets up the mood of the album (if you couldn't make it up from the title of the album), and this rather sad and melancholic theme is creating a nice atmosphere. It's not overwhelming at any point, it gives you a perfect look into the state of mind and emotions of author. I really like songs like "Louvre" and both parts of "Sober" really well done stuff. I guess there's two questions - is it good enough for this list? And regardless, why isn't this album more popular? Small contradictions, but still, I had a nice time with this album.

Remedy

Basement Jaxx

4/5

This is a weird one. If you would ask me few days ago if I'm Basement Jaxx fan, I would reply "Of course!". But after listening with special care to "Remedy", I am not so sure anymore. All the songs that I like, especially "Where's your Head at?", are from different albums, and this one actually doesn't have that much hits or outstanding tracks. The best song in my opinion is not really well known "Don't Give Up", which isn't that obvious electronic-disco track we identify with Basement Jaxx. Singles aren't really attractive and lack the "headbanging" element to it. But maybe that's just my twisted vision of those type of bands. I think I will break my own rules and give a rating to the band, not to the album (as I don't think any other record will be on this list). 3 stars for "Remedy", 5 for Basement Jaxx, so 4 in total today.

Southern Rock Opera

Drive-By Truckers

4/5

Very fun album! From what I (briefly) read about it and about Drive-By Truckers, it is a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and a really good one at that. There are plenty of songs that could have been composed by Lynyrd, the atmosphere, crazy guitar solos and southern-style vocal is really well fitting into composition. Tracks like "Greenville to Baton Rouge" or "Birmingham" are quite on par with monumental songs like "Freebird" (well, maybe a little scaled down though). My only issue is that some of the slower song are getting too much into the country genre, completely losing the southern rock style, which made me really dislike the second part of first half of the album. But otherwise, it was really like a southern rock opera! Movie-like album, great work.

Frank

Amy Winehouse

3/5

Somehow, I have never heard even a one song from this album! My musical knowledge is not as good as I imagined... "Frank" is much more melancholic and slower than "Back to Black", with fewer hits, but otherwise a very high level album. The opening "Stronger Than Me" is by far my favourite song, high tempo, very entertaining, more fitting to later part of Amy's career. All the other songs are much slower, bossa nova style, which isn't my favourite type of music. Amy's vocal is amazing as always, never heard someone with similar voice. I would give it a higher rating, but honestly a lot of the songs were very forgettable. I prefer Back to Black.

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

5/5

There's not much to say - this is the best album on this list, no competition at all. It's actually ridiculous how good it is, amazingly groovy record. I love "Walk On By" and "By the Time I Got To Phoenix". I'm heading to a music store right now to buy a vinyl of this album, from now on you can call me Isaac Hayes' fan #1. Perfect Sunday morning with "Hot Buttered Soul".

Oedipus Schmoedipus

Barry Adamson

4/5

It was a very unusual album. Whole record in the form of a soundtrack for a non-existent movie. Songs include plenty of unconventional pieces, like a spoken word, noir tracks with dialog from some kind of movie, funky style car chase songs or even something that would fall into a category of Bond-song. It is certainly and interesting concept, where by listening to the tracks, you can imagine a type of movie it represents or describe. Also, the songs themselves are of very high quality, a lot of very atmospheric pieces, transporting you to a dark, winter alley, with couple strange looking thugs, in full coats and a hat, of course. I know I can't change the rating later, but I think I will give it a 4 stars now, but it would probably change to 5 after few more listening sessions.

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

2/5

There is not much to elaborate. Frank Sinatra was a great singer, one of its kind, who inspired many other singers and songwriters over the years. Unfortunately, there is one problem - I just can't listen to more than one of his songs without getting nauseous. I can appreciate this music in theory, and I'm glad I listened and got familiarised with it, but I won't ever listen to this again. I'm not a fan of Frank Sinatra, just a little outdated music in my opinion.

Very

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

"Very" is a very Pet Shop Boys album. To be precise, every song they have ever released sounds so much Pet Shop Boy-ish, that there is no way you can make a mistake.my usual experience with this album: Song 1 - Woah, great song! They have done it again! Song 2 to the end - Hey, wait a minute now, isn't that the same song all over again? Obviously I'm exaggerating, but the sentiment stays is there. I think that the main issue why they sound so repetitive is in vocal - Neil Tennant's vocal range is basically a one note all over. It sounds great on singles, but whole album is just too much to bare. "Very" average album.

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

5/5

It's not the easiest album to rate for me. As a general principle, I'm not the fan of the soft rock ballad-like songs, it's like listening to IKEA of music - everything is looking nice and simple, but also incredibly boring and bland. But Fleetwood Mac has to be an exception here. Their "Rumours" is an album filled with all-time hits and few of the most recognisable melodies and tunes ever. Especially nowadays, with the tiktoks or Instagram, those melodies are ingrained into minds of everyone. There is no denying, that the guitar melodies, together with different types of soft sounded vocals in this case is a recipe for success. "Dreams", "Second Hand News", "Go Your Own Way" and "Don't Stop" are basically the gold standard of singles and hits for many years to come (and have been for the last 50 years). Even though, I think my favourite song was "Gold Dust Woman". Amazing outro, small guitar solos, and absolutely beautiful vocal. Well, after consideration, maybe it's not that hard to rate this album.

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

3/5

Very interesting story about the singer Nick Drake. He started his career when he was 19, released "Five Leaves Left" at 21, ended his career after two more albums at 24 and died at 26 (either suicide or an accident with antidepressants). Unrecognised when alive, his music found appreciation only 20 years later in 90s, when it was described as pinnacle of English melancholy. It's a really fascinating read, and the atmosphere of the album definitely helps asking the "What if" questions. As for the music itself, I have to agree that Nick's voice is beautiful and the melodies in songs really melancholic and moody, but it definitely feels so monotonous. There is no varieties between songs, like Drake went all-in on his possible depression, and recorded one, continuous song lamenting or contemplating his surroundings and his mood. I'll be happy to try this album again, maybe in a more suitable circumstances. In the winter evening, under a blanket and a glass of wine. But for now, I don't rate this album highly.

Synchronicity

The Police

3/5

I have few thoughts about this album. First of all, how out of place "Every Breath You Take" sounds on this album. The whole record is so lively and upbeat, with characteristic Sting's vocal and funky/rock guitars, and bringing fresh approach to popular music. And then we have their most popular (also terribly overplayed in the radio) song, which sounds like it was on this album by an accident. Second of all, is Sting a great singer? Of course! But, like it's a case for few more singers, listening to a whole album with his voice in a row is a certain type of torture. He changes the way he sings for "Every breath you Take", but all the rest is exactly the same, doesn't matter how much the melody changes. Pretty hard stuff. Overall, it's a nice album, I like both parts of synchronicity, but I won't be going back to this record often.

Behaviour

Pet Shop Boys

2/5

It's the second album by Pet Shop Boys in the span of less than a week! And honestly, it's more of the same. There was, apparently, a change of styles between "Very" and "Behaviour", but I feel like there is one, big issue that overshadows the instrumental parts of those albums - and it is Neil Tennant's vocal. As I already explained on the review for "Very", Pet Shop Boys has a really intriguing and interesting music, but listening to the whole album in one sitting is excruciatingly painful. And now I know why. Neil's singing, or rather his style and voice, is very specific. It works perfectly on some of the most known singles, like "Always On My Mind". Their hits, as standalone songs, are really great and timeless. But listening to 15 songs, some without those catchy beats and melodies, but always with the same constant and monotonous voice by Neil is just too much. "Behaviour" is just another example of this. To make things worse, I don't really think there is any outstanding single on this album at all. Every song just mashed into a big pile of puree, and trying to distinguish every little potato is almost impossible. I decided to rate both albums as one, even though it's not possible on this list. I gave 3 stars for "Very", so I think it will be fair to give 2 for "Behaviour". In this case we will have a nice 2,5 stars average, which should perfectly show how I feel about those albums.

Red Dirt Girl

Emmylou Harris

2/5

There is not much to elaborate in regards to this album. "Red Dirt Girl" is nineteenth(?!) Record in Emmylou Harris' career. It's a folk/country music, which unfortunately combines two genres I'm not particularly fond of. It feels like a deeply American album, so my connection to it isn't really there. The self-titled track is supposedly the most popular song by Harris, but I really couldn't understand why. It's a rather typical song slightly in style of Dolly Parton, who I think is much superior singer in Country style. I like the song "The Pearl", it had some rock elements into it, so it stand out amongst the others, but that's all that I could enjoy. Discover, Listen, Forget.

Fear Of A Black Planet

Public Enemy

2/5

Pros: music with a cause, important message, interesting lyrics. Cons: none of the beats were forgettable, rapping style by the group very anonymous, overall rap from early 90s that didn't get old with grace at all. I recognised couple songs from this album, but I believe the modern covers are much more listenable than the original songs. Public Enemy had an important message, and they were trying to make a difference, but music-wise, it really doesn't make any impact nowadays.

Rocks

Aerosmith

3/5

I didn't expect a band like Aerosmith, which is known for "Dream On" and Armageddon songs to have such a diverse and mature album, especially this early in their career. If I would listen to this album without knowing what it is, I would guess The Rolling Stones. The record has inspired many band and artists, like Kurt Cobain or Slash. What is the reception right now? In my opinion - rather unspectacular. The songs on the album are very much infused in 70s hard rock style. Plenty of blues/rock riffs, some really great guitar solos and surprisingly good vocal by Steven Tyler (whom I remember only as an old man). I'm not a big fan of this album, or of this band at all. It was fun to listen to this piece of history, but to be frank, its place is in the books on the shelf now. That's all.

Destroy Rock & Roll

Mylo

4/5

An artist with 100% of his records on the list of 1000 greatest albums ever! What a feat. Unfortunately, Mylo has released only one record, but still, great try! And actually, it's really good album. It's an electronic release, and I'm no expert on that, but compared to Basement Jaxx I've listened to couple weeks ago, it's more of a dance-orientated piece. I would say it's not any specific genre, just some good dance music. My favourite song would be "Paris Four Hundred".

The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips

4/5

Pretty good album! I have to admit, I've never heard anything like this before. Actually, it sounds more like a soft edition of progressive rock, like Porcupine Tree, but of course without as much virtuosity on guitars. Also, the vocal seems to be similar to Steven Wilson's or even Geddy Lee's from Rush. The vocalist is the best feature of the album, in my opinion. His singing, seemingly out of tune, and like he wouldn't even want to sing, adds a nice layer to the dreamy sequences of instruments. My favourite song is definitely "A Spoonful Weighs A Ton". Quite a lot of fillers on the album, but the overall reception was very positive. Might consider buying a vinyl!

Funeral

Arcade Fire

4/5

Great album! Wasn't a fan of Arcade Fire before, but I like this kind of indie rock. None of the songs is a clear radio hit, but the whole record maintains a pretty high quality from the start to finish. I'll soon listen to this album again, but it looks like a sure thing to buy a vinyl.

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

4/5

I was sceptical at the beginning, mostly because the band is very popular, and I have never heard a song from them, which probably means bad news. But after listening I can safely say, this is a really nice album! Don't have much time for more, the big question is 4 or 5 stars. It's 4,5 in my current opinion, after brief first listening. So maybe 4 stars right now, and then we will think again.

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

2/5

I'm going to spoil Christmas spirit for a bit. I'm not a fan of Christmas Carol's, especially those americanised versions. It's really nice to listen to once per lifetime, but those songs are being spoon-fed into you for few months every year. It is extremely hard to try being objective about this album. Music, or the vocals, are in 60s funky, rock style, which probably was pretty original at the time, but I'm afraid, quite unlistenable for me now. Merry Christmas!

Marcus Garvey

Burning Spear

2/5

As I mentioned with Bob Marley's album, I'm not a fan of reggae. In case of Burning Spear I have to admit that it's much better instrumentally than Bob's songs. The flow and gentle riffs are actually pretty entertaining, and are taking you straight to the dance floor. It's also very lyrics-heavy. Very difficult stuff about slavery and oppression. In general, I do like it a bit more than I would think of, but still, it's not my favourite style, tanking the overall note.

Dire Straits

2/5

Very average album with outstanding "Sultans of Swing". Other songs weren't remarkable or interesting at all. 10 songs on the record feel like trying ten times to roll 12 on 2k6, hitting it once and getting low results every other time. Pretty dissapointed, although once again, Sultans is one of the best song ever, the album not so much.

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

5/5

Amazing album that gets better every time you listen to it. I have heard about the band long time before, but I really paid attention to them after watching the movie "Love And Mercy", that shows the making of this album and visualise life of Brian Wilson. Immediately after the movie I have bought the vinyl version of the record, and I have to admit - I'm not a big fan of music from 60s or 70s, but "Pet Sounds" is not only amazing, but it holds up really well. Almost every song on the album is a hit and should be much more prominent in radio. Also, I have to agree, it is one of the best albums of all time.

Duck Rock

Malcolm McLaren

3/5

Music and jams from the whole, wide World, mixed together with some electronic music and hip hop. Quite a positive and original album, with one great hit "Double Dutch". I will be definitely coming back to this song again and again. Otherwise, fun tracks, but nothing memorable, although I'll try again listening to the album in the future.

The Idiot

Iggy Pop

5/5

Really great album! I felt like this was just another record made by David Bowie and lo and behold, it is produced by him. Even Iggy's vocal sounds like a slightly more used and tired Bowie. So this is already a very big positive. On the other side we have great instrumental music. It's not a classic rock, trying to fit many riffs into a short song. It's more bluesy, melodies are stretched over minutes of the songs, and they create amazing atmosphere, quite on par with best Bowie's albums. I have never heard any of the song on this record, but that's not really a surprise. Tracks aren't necessarily radio friendly and neither of them is a hit per se. But altogether, when listened in the most cliche way possible, with wine, on a sofa, under a blanket, it's incredibly great piece of music. Another favourite to add to collection.

In It For The Money

Supergrass

5/5

Simply great album. Sounds a little bit like Oasis, but there is a lot of freshness in their music. Vocal is exciting and doesn't bring nauseating thoughts, like Gallagher brothers (whoever is the singing one). The opening songs are straight up hits, like "In It For The Money", "Richard III", and "Tonight". Really entertaining british rock, looking forward to buying a vinyl record of this album!

Psychocandy

The Jesus And Mary Chain

2/5

It was a nice shoegaze album with some really nice moments, bur also with couple annoying parts, that had brought the whole experience down. The guitars wall of sound was setting up the atmosphere really well, I think it was a great foundation for a breathtaking piece of music (when comparing it to a band like Deafheaven). Unfortunately, band decided to add a very calm vocal, which wasn't perfect, but also wasn't a real, glaring hole on the album. What was breaking the immersion you felt, created by other instruments, was drumming line. The rhythmic and rather rock'n'roll style of drums was like from a completely different story than the rest of band. I even think that some of the songs were unlistenable because of it. A very big mixed bag. I was thinking it's 2,5 stars, which I usually round up, but in this case I will rather go with a lower end.

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

4/5

California Dreamin! This is an all-time hit, that will be celebrated for the years to come. Amazing song, followed by a very solid list of great songs in a very specific (at the time) genre of folk rock with a tsunami of harmonies. I think this is one of those albums that has so much fame, it's hard to overcome it and rate properly. Nevertheless, the soft and gentle voices of the quartet, together with unassuming music created really magical album.

Music For The Jilted Generation

The Prodigy

5/5

EPIC HARDCORE STUFF MAGIC PEOPLE MAGIC PEOPLE VOODOO PEOPLE VOODOO PEOPLE LIAM HAWLETT MAXIM REALITY THIS IS IT MOVE IT BOUNCE IT POW POW LET'S GO TRANCE RAVE TECHNO BEAT FEEL IT EVERYBODY BREAK THE FLOOR

Sunshine Superman

Donovan

4/5

I was ready to dismiss this album as boring after listening to the biggest hit, which is a self-titled track "Sunshine Superman". I have to be honest, I'm not sure what's the appeal of this track, it was rather unattractive and simply boring. Fortunately, I gave it another go and listened to whole record carefully, and I'll admit, the rest of the album is much better! "Season of the Witch" is simply amazing. Combination of the blues and rock, with soft voices by Donovan, I fell in love instantly. Other songs weren't as catchy as this one, but still very entertaining and in line of the general feeling of the album. Very positive surprise!

Here Are the Sonics

The Sonics

4/5

Supposedly an album (and a band) that was an inspiration for many "rebellious" bands, like Nirvana or White Stripes. "Here are the Sonics" is a mostly cover album, including remakes of famous rock'n'roll songs, but recorded in a really raw and rough way. Term "garage rock" is very fitting here. Probably the sound was the main attribute, that made them famous. Nowadays, a lot of big bands try to replicate this garage sound, with a better or worse outcome. This way of recording is now equivalent with punk/metal attitude, so the influence went pretty deep. As for the songs themselves, they are entertaining, and a bit more "rock" versions of rock'n'roll. The vocal was also a very positive surprise, it really fitted in the album. In general, a pretty good album.

The Slider

T. Rex

2/5

Second album by T.Rex on this list and once again I'm not sure what is so special about this band. Both albums are quite average with couple songs being entertaining and the rest went totally unnoticed. "Metal Guru" was quite a nice rock song with funny lyrics and catchy riffs. Unfortunately, soon after this song my mind started wandering anywhere else, just to dissociate from this record. Honestly, I felt like it was a waste of time, especially that the full album was very long. I was never a fan of Jurrasic Park.

Songs From A Room

Leonard Cohen

2/5

This is the second album by Leonard Cohen on this list and coincidentally it is also his second album in discography. After quite exciting "Songs of Leonard Cohen" I am greeted by "Songs From a Room", a weaker and less attractive record, without any outstanding, or even above average songs. Leonard Cohen recorded another ten folk songs, showing off his singing skills, which are surprisingly average or just uninteresting early in his musical career. If you compare those first two albums with his later work, from 80s onward, it's like a completely different person, style and feeling. I have trouble pointing out any song on this record to discuss or give example of his style. Slow, melancholic melody and Leonards voice on top of it. Real disappointment.

Tres Hombres

ZZ Top

2/5

Another album by ZZ Top and another reason why I'm not a fan of this band. Extremely monotonous and irritating drum line makes it almost unbearable to listen for longer than couple minutes. Vocal is rather unassuming and generic, I have heard voice like that in every other rock bands. The big highlight of the band are the guitars. Riffs are okay, but every time the band comes up with an unusual melody, or with another solo, you can tell its something special and unique. I didn't really like "La Grange", the biggest hit from this album. My favourite song was "Jesus Just Left Chicago". Drummer actually tried to do something different on this song and that was enough to change the whole perception of this record. Unfortunately, too little, too late. I'm not a fan and probably I won't ever be one.

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

4/5

A really nice and exciting combination of funk and rock! The album sounds very fresh, despite being almost 50 years old. The funky flow of the tracks, together with rock-sounding guitar riffs and solos is providing plenty of fun. But what separates this record from any others is just one song - Maggot Brain. It is one of my favourite songs of all time. The version on this album is a little bit different than original, which I find supreme. Still, the atmosphere of the song, slow tempo, extraordinary solos and melodies, every version of this song will be on top of everyone's lists (in my opinion). Actually, in comparison to this track, I don't find the rest of the album that attractive, but the bar is set very high on this one. Maybe that's a bit unfair, but for me it's going to be Funkadelic=Maggot Brain forever.

A Short Album About Love

The Divine Comedy

5/5

Another exciting and wonderful surprise in a shape of a band, The Divine Comedy, thatcI have never heard of! From the first song onwards, this album was full of baroque splendor and glamour, orchestral motives and actually great singing by the main guy in the band, Neil Hannon. I never knew this, but he was a composer that recorded music for IT Crowd and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. This album let me appreciate him even more. Basically every song on the record is a hit, or at least a single worthy track. I am certainly adding almost whole album to my everyday playlist. Great job Neil, easily 5 stars.

Phrenology

The Roots

4/5

One of the best hip hop albums on this list so far. I liked the beats and flow on most of the songs and also couple tracks are really popular, even though I didn't know they were recorded by The Roots. First of all, we have "The Seed (2.0)", great beat, very fitting style of rapping, easy to follow, maybe best hip hop track on this list? Then we have other good to great songs, like "Sacrifice" or "Rock You". What's also a great feature of the album is the way the filler song sound. For example "!!!!!" Is actually a pretty metal bit, but it's still fitting the overall atmosphere of the record. Really nice album, will have a look again at it in the future!

Queen II

Queen

3/5

I think Queen should be in the contention for the most overplayed bands in history of human music (and probably non-human as well). It's very hard to rate their records. Luckily, Queen II is a less known album, so it should be a little easier. But, by saying that, I think this record is very generic and none of the songs catches your attention. It sounds more like a tribute band, than a real one. Of course it's unfair, it's just a second album by Queen, so they didn't find their final style yet. Also, at the time this album had to be more impactful than nowadays. Entertaining stuff, but nothing exceptional.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

4/5

Interesting case with Red Hot Chili Peppers. If I could pick up my favourite songs by this band and condense them into a one, short album, that might be one of the best things I have in my collection. But unfortunately, in here I am about to rate just the song on Blood Sugar Sex Magic. And the jury is out with a verdict - slightly above average. When they get a hit, it's a really top notch song, breathtaking track. But on this album it's just 4 out of 17, and this is exemplifying the whole discography of the band. Very original bass lines, extremely interesting and atmospheric guitar riffs and solos, but only when the whole song lines up perfectly, and unique vocal by Anthony make it a great mix, but happening only 25% of time. Still, very worthwhile to listen to!

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

Derek & The Dominos

3/5

I'm not a fan of Eric Clapton, and I guess by extension of his other projects, like Derek and The Domino's. After listening to this album nothing has changed in my mind. One obviously great song, as albums title suggest, and then more than one hour of fun solos, exciting riffs and bluesy vocals, but nothing that sticks to you even 5 minutes after listening. Absolute average with a one diamond.

The Next Day

David Bowie

2/5

Disappointing and honestly totally average album, which went on for much too long. I think the same, old style of Bowie's songs was there, but they lacked some spark, of that substance to it. Also, Bowie's voice was unfortunately not up to task, or more like wasn't in the same shape as in the highest point of his career. Which isn't a problem, age works it's thing, but it's definitely something different than we used to listen to years ago. There is a chance, that this album will grow on me with time, but at the moment, there is nothing in it that I particularly enjoyed.

OK Computer

Radiohead

5/5

I have always rated Radiohead quite highly, but it was never a band I would call my favourite, it was usually an afterthought on any list I made with band I like. Probably one of the reason for that was a fact, that I have never listened to a full album in one sitting. It was always just few songs from this era, few of the other, then top hits and that's all. Today I have listened to the whole OK Computer in one go, and I have to admit, that's the way to do it. Songs are creating a specific atmosphere and context for other songs, and with that in mind, it is much more pleasurable experience. Every track has something special in it, the style is very unique, especially for 90s, but it holds on, even as the 30th anniversary of the release is coming along. Also, I noticed how similar Thom Yorke's vocal is on this album to whatever Matt Bellamy represents across his career with Muse. I had to check the timelines, but maybe it's possible, that he was inspired by this album? Whatever the answer is, I'm happy to be able to listen to both those bands. And for now, I'm even more happy to give this album a pretty strong five stars.

Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts

The Adverts

2/5

Absolutely average album by all possible standards. Punk? Average. Innovative? Not so much. Did I like it? Not really, although it wasn't that bad. In my opinion a good punk album should bring a a very fast-paced tempo, funny and real lyrics and a inspired vocal. The Adverts sounded like an advert for a punk band, something we would listen to in radio or tv, and that's not the way, for sure. No need to explain it further - this time a little below average 2 stars.

Close To The Edge

Yes

2/5

Here we go, another album by Yes on the list! Hurray! If only I could move back in 50 years I would be the happiest person on Earth. Well, I'm not a fan of this band or what they represent. This album reminded me a little bit of Rush (maybe because of vocalist?), but the overall effect is very underwhelming. I much more prefer King Crimson, or even Emerson, Lake and Palmer when we are talking about progressive rock from this period in time. In Case of "Close to the Edge" I don't feel anything special, no unique atmosphere is generated, three long songs that are quickly gone, like tears in the rain, to quote our favourite android. I wasn't hooked by any riff or guitar solo, I don't even remember drums or bass guitar, and I definitely didn't like the vocal. I suspect that whoever made this list certainly overvalues 70s prog rock. But to be fair, 1000 albums is a lot, so they have to fill the list somehow.

Tonight's The Night

Neil Young

3/5

It's an okay album, simple as that. Nice self-titled opening song, some nice blues guitars and riffs, enjoyable melodies and I think okay voc by Neil at best. There were few moments on the album, where I had to die inside a little when his voice broke down on a higher notes. To sum up, I didn't find anything special on this album, but it wasn't really a chore to listen to it. Just not my style.

Innervisions

Stevie Wonder

4/5

I learn something new almost every day - I really didn't know that "Higher Ground" was recorded by Stevie Wonder (in fact I didn't even know what is the proper name of this song). Innervisions is as very funky album, which, from what I read, is known for being a golden standard of R&B. In that regard I am only partially keen on this type of genre. I love the funkier and full of groove songs like "Higher Ground", or "Living for the City", but the slower ballads, or love songs aren't my kind of jam. One thing for sure, Wonder's voice is absolutely amazing, regardless of the tempo or type of the songs. The only issue is that slower tracks don't have that magic aura in it for me. I think this album falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but out of respect to Stevie and everything he has done, I will give it a four stars. It's a really good record to listen to once in a while, to slow down and enjoy the moment for a bit.

Bright Flight

Silver Jews

2/5

Wow, it's been a long time since I have heard a more reprehensible voice. This was my equivalent of sharp nails against the chalkboard sound. Every note that came out of the main vocalist was slowly burning down my neurons, until there was nothing left. Fittingly, at the end of the album, I started to like a song, "Friday Night Fever", possibly because my senses were already gone at the time. I'm not a fan of country and country indie rock , or whatever that was, didn't really fall far from the tree. I am actually quite impressed I sit through the whole record. Okay, no reason to bash this anymore than necessary, from the positive note, I have found even worse albums on this list, and some songs were actually listenable. It's something between one and two stars, but I really don't think it is worthy one, so... here you go!

Loveless

My Bloody Valentine

5/5

This sounds exactly like most of the music I listen to everyday. My Bloody Valentine started, and pretty much mastered, the art of shoegazing. I would even argue, that after initial critic of the vocalist, I started to appreciate the full sound of this album, Kevin Shields included. There is a really high chance that many of the metal genres, that followed My Bloody Valentines route, wouldn't exist, or would take much longer to crystallise. Wall of sound is one of my favourite elements in music, when done properly, of course, and I can only be forever thankful to the band to introducing us to this fenomenal style. Excellent stuff.

Ocean Rain

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

And here we have another anonymous post-punk from the land of post-punk bands and music. Echo and the Bunnymen is an okay group - they aren't original or special, just rather solid in what they are doing. Some melodies on song like "Ocean Rain" or "Silver" are genuinely good and melancholic. Vocal is also better, a little less whiny than in other bands. But as a summary, there is nothing special in this album. Putting it on a list like that might be a really big stretch. It kind of waters down the whole experience. Well, nice album, but not something I would include on a list of best anything. 1001 most solid albums of all time.

Roger the Engineer

The Yardbirds

3/5

A pretty disappointing album. After such a great one-two punch combo to start off the record, the quality went straight to the gutter. Really excellent psychedelic rock tracks - "Lost Woman" and "Over Under Sideways Down". If that would be a short EP, we are looking at an instant classic and easily a top rating possible. Phenomenal guitar rhythms and solos, such a great psychedelic atmosphere, it's just that good! Really nice vocals as well, but that goes across the whole album. The problem is, after those two songs the style changed a bit - no more psychedelic rock, instead we have rather straightforward blues, unfortunately with no appealing qualities. It's hard to call it anything else than a disappointment. Pretty sure it means that the album deserves only 3/5.

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

4/5

Looks like I've been listening to Kate Bush on the radio for years, but never actually knew those are her songs. Especially recently, with the success of Stranger Things, Hound of Love has been featured pretty often in popculture. I haven't seen the series, and I'm actually not a big fan of the song "Running Up The Hill", but the rest of the album is very intriguing! I have to admit, every song here is a hit or miss - Kate likes to experiment a lot with her music and it really shows. What's interesting, even though many of the beats or melodies sound so much like any generic 80s song, every track still feels original and different to what we can listen to nowadays. Songs like "Hounds of Love", "Hello Earth" or "Jig of Life" sound like nothing else before. Even though some of the tracks are rather mediocre, the overall reception of the album is really good. Call me a fan of Kate from now on.

Sheet Music

10cc

3/5

That's a really funny album! The melodies, riffs and tempo, and especially lyrics, are aligning very well into a pretty special and entertaining mix. "The Wall Street Shuffle" is not only funny, for example, but also very catchy, the band members are really talented, even though it's overshadowed by the context of the songs. In the end, it's a nice album to listen to, have a laugh and probably forget about it, if not forever, than for a very long time.

Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

2/5

Ugh, we have a small dilemma in here. Dolly Parton is truly a wonderful human being. She is one of the few celebrities, that actually has some kind of code of honour, but also is using her influence to make a lot of good things. Her approach to the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame is also very admirable. Unfortunately, if we have to talk about her music, it's not as positive as her private life. Dolly Parton has an amazing voice, but the type of country music she is playing and recording is certainly not for everyone, and especially not for people from different parts of the World than USA. I really dislike country in general, and the more "pure" it is, the worse my reception of it. And Dolly recorded a quintessential country album in the form of "Coat of Many Colors". There was only one song that slightly broke the scheme of out of the mill country music, and it was the track with a little more rock influence in it, I don't recall which one it was, but probably "Traveling Man". I think in general I would give a lowest note possible for the album, but it would be an evil act against Dolly, so just this time, a 2 star rating for non-musical influence.

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

4/5

It's not as good as Pet Sounds, but still very interesting and with equally great style and atmosphere. Lyrics on this album are completely different as well, very pro-ecological, trying to show us some issues going on with the oceans on our planet. Instrumental-wise the record is really good, every song is actually worth listening, although it doesn't have any standout tracks. Another positive surprise on the list!

GREY Area

Little Simz

2/5

This is an album that probably will be retconned from the list on one of the next editions. British hip hop record, with no original style or beats, and pretty interesting way of rapping by Little Simz, but in general GREY Area doesn't bring anything new or exceptional to the table. Few songs like Sunset Sorbet, or Venom were pretty good, mostly on the lyrical side, with some nice changes to the tempo as well. Interesting, but in my opinion it doesn't belong to the list of greatest albums in anything (maybe other than contemporary hip hop).

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

3/5

Good, but not a great album. I found that this band was more of a vocalists meeting, than famous instrumentalists. Plenty of beautiful vocal arrangements, especially in the first part of the record, but it doesn't bring anything new or special to the musical books. One song was definitely from a different mould than the rest. "Almost Lost My Hair", fully written and performed by David Crosby, is a really good piece of music. Slightly progressive and psychedelic in nature, it has a really good and interesting guitar riffs and solos. The issue is, after seeing how good this track is, it's definitely a shame that the rest of the album is underwhelming. This record is a great piece of trivia, something you would listen to out of curiosity, but not for pleasure.

Sweet Baby James

James Taylor

2/5

So this is a first time I have listened (or heard about) James Taylor, and I have to admit, there is a small chance there will be a second time. James has a beautiful voice, which he uses accompanied by a soft guitar melodies - not quite country, not quite pop, just whatever lays down on the bottom of his heart. And truth to be told, our hearts don't have too much in common. I understand why someone might like it, and why this album is on the list, but I think others would also agree that this music is not for everyone.

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth

5/5

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. Of course I've heard of Sonic Youth before, I've listened to couple of their songs and just like that decided it's not for me, case closed. And this is one of those rare instances, where I'm grateful to this list, because otherwise I wouldn't give them another chance. Daydream Nation is an amazing album. It has some bad post-punk influences, but I think in general they have a unique sound, which I really like. Variety in vocals across the band is pretty nice, but the best feature of the album are the elongated and stretched passages, melodies and riffs, creating this perfect atmosphere. Songs like "Trilogy", "Cross the Breeze" or "The Sprawl" have some amazing motifs, almost magical. Also, the nonchalant way of playing (as It seems, at least) is really catchy and feels fresh even 35 years later. It sounds like a recent record with a small homage to 80s rock. Great stuff, going straight to my daily listening list.

Electric Prunes

The Electric Prunes

1/5

Hmmm... So what did I listened to actually? Few songs vaguely resembling unspecified subgenre of rock, but most of the time being so unlistenable, I didn't recognised that another song came on. I've heard few elements of psychedelic rock, with very gentle guitar sounds in the background, but mostly it was something experimental, which in my opinion didn't work at all. I have hard time to find anything positive to say about this album. Clear candidate for the worst rating on this list.

John Barleycorn Must Die

Traffic

3/5

This album was all over the place. At the beginning I was infatuated with the opening song - "Glad". Very unusual structure of the song, I honestly had no idea what will be next, another bridge, another solo, melodic riff with vocal? Lovely feeling of being surprised every 30 seconds of the track, and to add to that, every new motif of the song was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, this unorthodox way of approach to the record turned into a choir for a listener soon after the first track. I almost felt like it became a predictable unpredictableness. My mind started to wander and it was much harder to focus on the album. It's like "John Barleycorn Must Die" is a one-trick pony, but you can choose any song from it as an example for that one-trick. Anything more and it becomes a burden. Really good note for original sound, but not so much for the structure of the album.

Picture Book

Simply Red

2/5

Not my type of music. I was never a fan of his/their songs, I find them boring and rather repetitive. Mick Hucknall has a very nice voice, but the music and the track in general are just bland. Every song on the "Picture Book" album sounded like a generic summer hit you would listen to on MTV and forget about it as soon as September comes. There was some nice use of saxophone or other brass instruments, few nice melodies, but most of the time I was just waiting for it to end, so that I can go back to listen...anything else actually. Simply Red was simply too red for me, whatever that means.

The Sounds Of India

Ravi Shankar

2/5

I think this album is a real piece of history, both in the positive and negative sense. It's incredible that Ravi was kind enough to introduce each song with a lengthy explanation of structure and sounds of Indian music. I think the biggest positive of this album is the idea of bringing two cultures closer together. By introducing Western society to Eastern classical music, we come to a better understanding of our beginnings. And while I can say that I feel and understand "The Sounds Of India", I'm not a fan of it. Sitar and its tone and melodies, plus mine musical upbringing taste are really in a big conflict while listening to the album. I felt more like I'm listening to a negative of western music (the "normal" one). Great piece of music and history, but not really for me, or hopefully not yet for me.

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

3/5

Second album by Steely Dan on this list, this time their debut record "Can't buy a Thrill". After a rather negative review (by me, in general very positive reception by critics) of album "Aja", there is only a little more to look forward to with CBAT. It's a slightly different style between those two records. CBAT is much closer to classic rock, with endless guitar and piano solos. And I have to admit, anytime a new solo came up, the quality of the song was rising exponentially. Very entertaining pieces, great virtuosity by all band members. But otherwise the songs were just bland. I was not the fan of the vocal (again). The melodies weren't interesting or especially inspiring, and the length of the album transformed my listening session into a snoozfest. I'm not looking forward to another album by Steely Dan, hopefully those doors are now closed. I was ready to give a bad rating, but although I didn't like the music in general, the abilities of the band should be rewarded.

Birth Of The Cool

Miles Davis

3/5

Finally, a Miles Davis album that is much more accessible than "Bitches Brew", although that is not a particularly a high bar to cross. "Birth of the Cool" reminded me of all the 80s and 90s sitcoms, with jazz intros or jingles in-between the scenes. Something that is not too distracting, but entertaining, classy and with some (a little) spice to it. It's probably blasphemous for real jazz fans, but I felt like sitting in a hotel lounge when listening to this album - relaxing, easy to follow, smooth. And that is what I think - it was a pretty nice listening session, track after track were flowing, nothing really caught my attention, for the better or worse. Perfect record for a chilled dinner with partner or friends.

Roxy Music

4/5

Fun album! Very quirky, unconventional and original sounds, but at the same time entertaining and making it irresistible to move your feet to the beat. Whole album is on the same level, it doesn't peak up, but definitely it doesn't let you down at any point, just constant high energy stuff. The crazy thing is that this album is from 1972. It definitely sounds more like a band from late 80s, early 90s. If I were to change anything, I would maybe look into the vocalist, who at times felt like from a different story than the rest of the band. But overall, very solid record!

Suzanne Vega

2/5

It's extraordinary how forgettable this albums was. I find it very difficult to point out anything worth mentioning that I heard today. I'm not really sure what was so good, different about this album, that it was included on the list. It's just another folk record with barely any other instruments than the acoustic guitar. Not my style, and even then, it's not something I would recommend to a typical folk or 80s music fan.

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

5/5

Okay, I'm going to say it - this is the best album I have heard so far on this list and it's going to be near damn impossible to find something better that will also surprise me at the same time. I think I was born too late to fully appreciate younger version of Stevie Wonder, but I take full responsibility of that now and I'm happy to make amends. "Songs in the Key of Life" is simply amazing. No need to write down the songs that Ixreally liked, because I would have to copy the full track list. I will just mention the biggest surprises, which are "Pastime Paradise" and "As". First of all, I had no idea Coolio didn't come up with his own beat, but it kind of make sense - Stevie is just too good. Also, the lyrics are much more hitting, although the cover wasn't that bad. As for "As", the song is just so beautiful. The choir, the voice modulation by Stevie and more importantly amazing guitars and bass line make it my instant favourite song from 70s. Moments like this is why I'm doing the challenge.

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

Sinead O'Connor

2/5

One great song, couple interesting, irish-style songs and not much else. I think that might be a reason why I know Sinead O'Connor more from non-artistic movements than music. It's not my style, even though Sinead proves times and times again, that she has beautiful voice and has an idea for herself. Unfortunately, other than "Nothing Compares 2U" (which was originally written by Prince, didn't know that) and Irish folk song "I am stretched on your Grave" I haven't found anything that would bring me back to this album.

Soul Mining

The The

1/5

My soul was definitely mined out of any pleasures during this sweet listening session with a band of great name The The. Some positives - a relative short album, only 41 minutes, suffering end pretty soon. Also, the song to end the record, I believe "Giants" had a really nice outcome, very surprising. On the other hand, what was that? And why is it on this list? Post-punk mixed with some synth disco and a terrible vocal, on top of(or actually somewhere under the layers of of sounds and instruments) a terrible mix. I'm trying to think of a reason why it would not deserve a 1 out of 5, but I can't think of anything. The The Worst Worst

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

4/5

So far the Beatles make up only 2% of the albums I have reviewed on this site, so much lower number than anticipated. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is one of the few albums that I have already heard start to finish on my own (which is something, I guess?). There is no denying - this record probably revolutionised popular music and started countless experimentation, that resulted in new music genres of all kind. Sound as of late 60s is definitely unique. As it stands right now, I think the reception of the album is still good, but not as amazing as you would think. It starts with a great trio of songs, Self-titled, "With a Little Help of my Friends" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". All three are now in popculture, many covers were made (some even better than original), and they still sound fresh and quite epic. After those songs, I couldn't find anything that would be as interesting, it all felt like a filler to this great opening. Small exception maybe to "A Day in the Life", which nicely mixes McCartney and Lennon style. Other than that, slightly disappointing for the "Greatest Band in History".

Shalimar

Rahul Dev Burman

3/5

OK, I'll admit - I was ready to disregard this album just on the fact that it is a Bollywood movie soundtrack. I don't like those movies, and I don't like (in general) music from India, so I guess a simple calculation, right? And even though its not perfect or a great album, it's surprisingly good! As a European, to get music from different culture, I have to experience it in doses. And this soundtrack is perfect for that. Music from classic 70s/80s style action movies, but withca twist of Indian vocalists or their specific instrumentation, making this a very unique experience. I honestly believe that this record made me more open to music from India than anything I've heard before. Dirty Harry from Bombai? I think next step is to actually watch the movie :) Why not!

The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys

4/5

I'll treat this album as the older brother of "Pet Sounds". And it makes sense, as "The Beach Boys Today!" Is a much rougher and less experimental version of the latter album. Every song is just very good, but safe in a way of composing and writing. We can see potential of Brian Wilson in here, but the full release of his abilities are visible on "Pet Sounds". As a result, we have pretty vibes and relaxing tunes, but no special spark. Just a strong and solid album.

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

One week, two Beatles albums. After listening to Abbey Road for the third time I made up my mind - this is my favourite Beatles record and also one of the more pleasant albums to listen to, that are older than 50 years. It also has a song that I most enjoyed, written by Lennon "I Want You (she's so heavy)". It's basically like watching (or listening) to a documentary about the early beginnings of progressive rock. Also, I was very positively surprised by some vocal techniques presented by everyone, but especially Paul. Ah, and important to point out, my second favourite song by The Beatles is from this album as well - "Something" written by Harrison. Really great and slightly melancholic piece. Remarkable album.

Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock

4/5

What an album! I think this is a perfect record for someone that is starting their jazz or funk journey and don't want to be overwhelmed straight away. Everything just flows so nicely, beats are so catchy and exciting, and the multiple solos, or improvisation never takes you out of the groove, but even add an another dimension to the music. It is especially visible on the opening track, "Chameleon". The beat just goes on and on, but it never tires you, or make you exhausted, because the additional instruments always add something new and exciting to it. I'm not an expert in jazz, but in my opinion this album was much more funk focused, than jazz. Maybe that's why it started a new subgenre like jazz-funk, or funk fusion, like we can read on wikipedia. Anyway, great stuff, very nice album to listen to for a more classy party. Definitely goes on my party list.

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Mudhoney

3/5

It's a very average album and not especially interesting band at that. I've heard the name "Mudhoney" on few occasions, but I never actually get around to listen to any of their songs. And apparently, in this case I was lucky. They presented a medley of rock and soft grunge on this album, that wasn't particularly engaging. One song, however, did stand out - "Broken Hands" is a very nice track from the album. Pretty long, compared to the rest of the record, and actually creating some palpable atmosphere. The song will stay on my playlisr for a while, but the rest of the album - back to obscurity.

Bluesbreakers

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

3/5

Absolutely unremarkable. I'm not really a fan of Eric Clapton, but even though, I couldn't hear much of his influence on this album. It was just out-of-the-mill, honest to god, born of the dirt blues and rock record. Bit interesting at times, but mostly just average and boring. Not even one song would inspire me to write a little bit more about it. I guess I checked out another box, let's move on.

At Budokan

Cheap Trick

2/5

Absolutely and amazingly average album. Apparently, I'm not a fan of Chrap Trick, so their live recording from Japan doesn't really impress me that much. The vocalist was honestly unbearable to listen to, almost singlehandedly he made this album unlistenable. Fortunately, even though most of the riffs and motifs were lacking in anything interesting, some of the moment in the concert full of guitar solos, fast bass line and atmospheric drums were really cool. You could feel like you're one of the fans at Budokan for a moment, somewhere around the middle of the set. But anytime else, really underwhelming. Moving on.

Fun House

The Stooges

2/5

Well, I wasn't a big fan of Iggy Pop before, and I actually dislike The Stooges even more. They have a pretty interesting style of going at one riff for the whole duration of the song, slowly descending into madness of Iggy's vocal. The problem is, it's not really entertaining to listen. The songs aren't crazy enough, the riffs aren't too original, or exciting and I just simply don't like the vocalist. The recipe kind of worked for a while in "1970", but in that case throw something at the wall 8 times, maybe it will stick. Good news - it's a short album.

The Infotainment Scan

The Fall

1/5

I honestly don't understand why there is so many random British post punk albums from unknown bands on this list. I get that the original punk movement was revolutionary, so I understand placement of records from that era in here. And then maybe one or two representatives of post punk genre and we're clear! But no, we have to include every single band in the history from UK that played in 80s. I have nothing against The Fall, (other than a fact I absolutely hated this album), but it just doesn't make sense to include it on the list of greatest albums of all time.

Trans Europe Express

Kraftwerk

2/5

TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS, TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS.

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Public Enemy

1/5

Second album by Public Enemy on this list, and for the second time I think there has been a generational gap. Lyrics are as relevant as ever, which shows not much positive change has happened since late 80s in (american) society. If you would release the lyrics to the whole album as a poesy tome, then we have a bestseller on our hands (with exaggeration of course). When it comes to music, beats, tempo, flow or whatever else, unfortunately it doesn't hold that well. I had a real problem to keep my focus on the song, on the lyrics or anything else. Every time it felt dragged, unnecessary, and just simply tiring. I'm not saying that it is worse than modern hip-hop, which is not true, by the way, but from my perspective the music just has nothing in common with the message, and that makes it really hard to swallow in one sitting. I really tried, gave few chances to couple of the songs, but I just couldn't do it. I'm sorry, but Public Enemy is just not a group for me.

Steve McQueen

Prefab Sprout

2/5

Ultimate 80s radio meets...even more ultimate 80s? This album provides everything good that eighties has to offer, which is not much. Synth beats, very soft rock, annoyingly soft and tender vocal, and nothing that stands out. The first song had some potential, "Faron Young", with a more lively disco beat, that was very entertaining and bringing some energy to the table. There is one "but", a big one at that - "Steve McQueen" peaked at that song, and the further you crawled along, the more miserable you got. I definitely think that 80s music is (especially this from UK) is over-represented on this list. Maybe you should pick up few album, to show what a waste of time that was and then just move on? Well, on to the next one, can't wait to see which British post-punk album it will be...

Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton

3/5

Before listening to this album I have read plenty of comments and articles about it. Everyone was giving it a high praise, some were calling ot the greatest live rock album of all time. The hype was really intense. But what I have taken from "Frampton Comes Alive" is that the guy, or the band members can play their instruments really well, with plenty of great-for-concerts solos, but the vocal didn't actually inspire anyone, and was lacking some serious substance. Not saying that it sounded bad, but certainly it was nothing more than your average rock frontman. Nice album, great solos, but overall average experience.

Cosmo's Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

CCR for the win? Almost. Very good album, interesting songs, love the vocal, some incredible solos, CCR at their best. What I don't like about this album is a little bit too much of the country influence, making couple songs just a bunch of running clichés. Otherwise, just waiting for their even better records!

Electric Ladyland

Jimi Hendrix

5/5

Another easy call - this album deserves a 5bagger just for the best cover in history of music, 100%, no challenge. All Along the Watchtower has to be one of my favourite songs ever, that I've heard for the first time in my early teens, and I like it even more now. Just a combination of amazing guitar solos, that gnarly vocal by Jimi and a dirty recording makes for a perfect recipe. Absolutely flawless, in my opinion. But the rest of the album holds on strong as well. Both Voodoo Child and Chile, Crosstown Traffic, or 1983, they are all amazing, way ahead of its times, and still sounding both fresh and legendary. I'm rather a fan of contemporary music, but Jimi Hendrix is an exception. There is just too much talent in one person, absolutely unbelievable. I'm waiting for his other albums on this list now!

Dig Your Own Hole

The Chemical Brothers

4/5

Wow! I'm happy that The Chemical Brothers are included on the list, but also I'm very surprised at the album choice. Dig You Own Hole is a good record, but far from the best in the band's discography. I think Surrender is the peak of their career, which they briefly visited before, or revisited after. Nevertheless, the DYOH itself is a really enjoyable album with many hits, that are still sounding fresh and crisp, ready to move up a modern crowd in a club. The opening track, "Block Rockin' Beats" is a real high energy banger, that sets the tone of the LP. Energy is maintained throughout, with couple less interesting tracks in the middle of the album, but still ending strong with a really nice "Where Do I Begin" (with Beth Orton's vocal) and "The Private Psychedelic Reef". Very good album, happy to revisit it on my The Chemical Brothers binge.

To Pimp A Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar

1/5

Okay, I really tried, but this is not my type of music at all. This album is full of political and social commentary, but I couldn't concentrate on the lyrics at all. This record has one song, that somehow strayed away from the overall style of the album and fell much closer to a type of music I like. "The Blacker the Berry" is a great song, and the more straightforward style of beat and rap made it much more digestible for me. But otherwise, I couldn't find anything worth praising. Probably a great album, but maybe it went far above my head.

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

3/5

Incredibly average album. Nothing that was exceptionally good or bad, just eleven songs that were moderately fun. Only unusual thing about this band is that it is a full-female group, which doesn't happen very often. The album is a somewhat mix of punk, rock and pop, where the average parts of each genre were thrown into the pot and an average soup (Beauty and the Beat) emerged. On to the next one.

Music From Big Pink

The Band

4/5

Actually a nice album with a very atmospheric music. I didn't really know nothing about a band named The Band, but apparently to the historical lore it is a group supporting and accompanying Bob Dylan. And although Bobby is not my favourite artist in the world, The Band, and "Music From The Big Pink" especially is a different and a very good album. Mix of the blues, rock and jazz in every song of this record was almost perfect. The opening track was a good example of that, the best of all worlds. Side B got much slower and blander, but it was still a good effort. Positive surprise.

Guitar Town

Steve Earle

2/5

It's another country album, much better than contemporary country, but still, nothing really exceptional. I don't have time to write much more about it, sorry.

Hard Again

Muddy Waters

4/5

Classic blues for the rescue! Great music.

All Directions

The Temptations

3/5

A pretty average funk album, wasn't bad by any measure, but also didn't impress me in any way. Not my kind of style.

American Pie

Don McLean

3/5

Absolutely great opening and self titled opening song, for the remembrance of Buddy Holly and friends. One of the greatest ever in the folk genre. The rest of the album is rather average, it reminds me of some of the songs by Paul Simon, but nothing actually stands out enough to describe it in more details. Interesting piece of history, hood to know the album, but nothing exceptional.

Take Me Apart

Kelela

2/5

Quite recent r&b album, released 6 years ago. What's the point of putting it on the list of greatest albums of all time? Not a style I like, vocal by Kelela is not my favourite as well. I think its a well made record, very solid concept visible throughout the tracks, but the atmosphere on it wasn't something I enjoy. Well, good effort, but lack of reception on my part.

Let England Shake

PJ Harvey

5/5

What an album! I have listened to many of the older stuff by PJ Harvey, but I have never looked at the newer record, like "Let England Shake". And as it happens quite frequently, it was a great mistake. This album is definitely as close to my liking as possible, with melancholic, original sound, reminding me of less black metal-ish Chelsea Wolfe, or A. A. Williams. I love the atmosphere of the whole package, unusual vocal by PJ and catchy and rather sad melodies, riffs and beats. Also, the lyrics are deeply emotional and actually quite relevant. I was also surprised to hear that this album was recorded by Mick Harvey (apparently a coincidence), long standing contributor to Nick Cave and Bad Seeds. And well, it makes sense - if you will compare some of the albums by PJ Harvey and older (or even more recent) records by Nick Cave - they all have that melancholic vibe and style, which attracts me to their music. It is a great album and straight away I will look for a vinyl LP for my collection.

Nothing's Shocking

Jane's Addiction

3/5

Nothing's Shocking is Nothing Spectacular. It's just an average alternative rock album, crudely recorded, although very original as for their times. Bass line and guitar solos were definitely the stars of this album, consistently providing a great foundation for songs across the record. Unfortunately, I didn't find any other positives, and quickly got bored of the album. Vocal was very irritating, so it's no surprise that the only instrumental song was my favourite here. I've heard of Jane's Addiction for a long time, but I had a feeling they play music that is not in my style. Today I realised that it's true. It wasn't bad, but I can't give anything more than 3 stars.

The Notorious Byrd Brothers

The Byrds

3/5

Okay, this is the third album by The Byrds on this list, and I can now say with full confidence, that I'm not a fan of the band. The music is very basic and sounds generic, which probably makes sense, because it's an 55 year old album. I don't see any magic in here, or any transcendental parts, it's just a simple country/psychedelic record that is very outdated. The only reason its on this list is possible of historical impact, which is not enough for me to give it a high rating. Just another average album in here.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West

4/5

What a surprise! I knew Kanye West more as a celebrity with extremely terrible opinions and world views, than a musician, producer or a rapper. But oh boy, he made a really great album almost 13 years ago now! First of all, I love the marriage between Kanyes style and prog rock riffs turned into samples. It creates a fabulous atmosphere without any additional input, just such a great foundation for songs. And then you have so many collaborations from many famous rappers and singers, but every time it actually adds something special to the track. The four opening songs are instant classics, at least in some genres, amazing beats, vocals, feeling. Unfortunately, the level drops quite a bit after "All of the Lights". I didn't like that the style became much subdued and the energy of the first art of an album was gone. None of the tracks from the second half were interesting or had any repeatability value, in my opinion. But just the four tracks to start off the album were enough to place "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" on this list. Overall, I really enjoyed this position, looks like at some point Kanye was actually a talented man!

Kenza

Khaled

2/5

I didn't expect an Algerian disco on this list! I think it is fair to include it in here, especially with how popular Khaled is among the french/arabic speaking population (which in itself is pretty huge). Unfortunately, as a person from a different culture (especially in a musical way) I had a hard time enjoying this album. I'm not a fan of nineties disco or pop, and mixing it with a style so foreign for me just makes it too much of a leap in one go. I truly believe Khaled is a great singer and writer, but I think he would understand that's his music was not targeted at an audience like me.

Goo

Sonic Youth

4/5

Second album by Sonic Youth on the list, and also chronologically sixth one in their career. After making a great impression on me with their breakthrough LP "Daydream Nation", "Goo" left me with plenty of mixed feelings and reactions. On one hand I feel like it was a great build-up of previous success, with more of the same uniqueness of guitar sounds and layers. Long outros, slow riffs, very mature and probably deliberate patience made it a great successor and another must-hear position in discography. On the other hand, this album had many more songs with appalling vocal, especially by Kim. Her voice just didn't really work for me on this record and took me out of the song on few instances. Also, some of the songs were just bland. I felt like "Kool Kids", for example, was just a product placement of some sort, not fitting into the style of Goo at all. In summary, I feel like it's a good album, and knowledge of Daydream Nation gives a much needed context, but it's a small step down in terms of quality. Maybe this time there was no argument of "fresh sound", as that's the second album by SY that I've heard? Very possible.

Live!

Fela Kuti

4/5

A really fun album! 45 minutes of great beats, groovy instruments and in a later part a mix of modern drums with more of the same African sound. It's a nice and unique break in the sea of more standard western-like rock music. I don't think it will be my alltime favourite, or if this even has any repeatability value for me, but for this one listening session it made a good impression. It actually might be one of the best live albums there is!

Rock 'N Soul

Solomon Burke

4/5

I'm not a fan of soul, I wouldn't choose any album from this genre for my everyday listening playlist, but after hearing Solomon Burke for the first time today I might change that. "Rock 'N Soul" is an incredibly climactic and atmospheric album, moving you straight to a jazz club in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee. First five songs to start the record were simply amazing and sounded very fresh - I would not guess, that this LP has almost 60 years. Beautiful and deep voice by Solomon was perfectly mixed with a female choir, and on the top of that a great upbeat music created an almost perfect recipe for success. In the second part the album slowed down a bit, but still maintained a high level throughout. great record, that widened my horizon just a little bit more.

Vincebus Eruptum

Blue Cheer

1/5

Okay, so probably I understand why this album has a place on a list - heavy metal sound in sixties, even before Black Sabbath, or any other prototype of metal genre. So kudos to Blue Cheer, their experiment might or might not influenced quite a big chunk of music in the years to come. On the other hand, "Vincebus Eruptum" is totally not listenable by any means. The vocal is atrocious, the guitar have that shredding, deeply distorted sound, but together with the rest of the instruments it feels like a randomised game of "you go, I go". I survived first two songs, which were covers, so it had some kind of structure, but as soon as we moved into uncharted territory of Blue Cheer's imaginations I had to throw in the towel and surrender. In my opinion it was one of the worst albums I have heard on this list.

I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail

Buck Owens

2/5

Well, there is not much to say about this album. 60 years old country record isn't really something that would make my heart skip a beat. Boring and generic when listened form modern perspective. The aura of catchy melody and funny lyrics survived for 1 minute of the first song and then was forever gone. I don't have a heart to give it one star, probably because I'm very against country, so to make it fair, two stars.

Armed Forces

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

My second attempt at Elvis Costello and The Band and I'm now 100% sure I won't need another try, I have made up my mind about them. Alternative music with a rock'n'roll feeling about it, usually upbeat and taking you straight to a dance floor. The lyrics don't match up with instruments, being about political and humanitarian themes. But it all doesn't matter in the end, because one thing I can't stand on this album (and any other album by them) is Elvis Costello's vocal. He has such a weird voice that it always make me too conscious and I can't focus on the song at all. He has original style for sure, but unfortunately, I'm not able to appreciate it. 3 stars for good effort, that much I can admit.

Music in Exile

Songhoy Blues

4/5

I didn't expect a blues album from Mali on this list! And especially I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Although I couldn't understand anything they said or sang, I absolutely loved the atmosphere and beats of this album. By reading a little about the context of "Music in Exile", one could actually feel some connection to the boys from Mali. It's a tragic thing, to be forced to flee from your own home, so kudos to them to stick to their guns and record an amazing album, which probably kept up the spirit of many people alike to Songhoy Blues.

Cafe Bleu

The Style Council

2/5

This album I very special and magical - basically every song is in a different style or genre, from baroque pop, through hip hop, to post punk. Incredible versatility by The Style Council. All the tracks had another thing in common - I didn't like any of the songs. The album felt pretentious and forced, all form no content. It was a really hard time, trying to get through the record, but fortunately it's short, so I could save my mental health state in good condition.

Broken English

Marianne Faithfull

1/5

I've never heard of Marianne before, and I have a pretty good idea why is that so. Her music is very boring and uninteresting, and her voice is absolutely dreadful. I had a hard time trying to sit and listen through one of her songs. I'm afraid this might be one of the worst albums I have listened to on this list. Quite frankly, waste of time.

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

2/5

I think it was once and for all established, earlier on this list, that I'm not enjoying punk music and even the shortest songs unbelievably drag for me into oblivion. Today I had yet another chance to change my mind. This album was acclaimed by many as the greatest punk rock album in history. It's certainly one of the better known records from this genre. And what did I find? Surprise! I still don't like it. There is no reason for me to pour my grievances with punk music over and over on this website. Let's just say that I slightly enjoyed the song "Anarchy in the UK" and absolutely suffered during every other track. I don't feel that it would be fair to give it a 1/5, as compared to other punk albums on this list it's not the worst, but 2/5 is absolutely as high as I can go.

American IV: The Man Comes Around

Johnny Cash

4/5

It might be a bit of cliche, but "Hurt", together with "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix are the best covers in the history of contemporary music. I don't even like Nine Inch Nails, but what Johnny Cash has done with this song is unbelievable. All the pure emotions just flowing out of the song, melancholy and sadness, just a tad of optimism at the end, and all of that sprinkled with a frail voice of Johnny makes it one of my favourite song of all time. Most of the album is being kept in the same style, with few old-style country songs here and there. His rendition of "Personal Jesus" is also very good. Old Johnny has an ability to add another layer of emotions to any song, even if that's a straightforward pop song. In summary - great covers, okay country original songs. A very solid 4.

Myths Of The Near Future

Klaxons

5/5

What a great album! This is the first time that I've heard of this band and I'm absolutely devastated it took me this long. Not only the music and vocal are great, but also the album makes references to some of my favourite books! I love the atmosphere of the record, putting some postmodernistic twist in their sound, appropriate to the books quoted on the tracks. I'm only after the first listening, so my emotions are really fresh, but for sure my next weeks will be spent trying to listen Klaxons to the ground. Great start of the week!

Mama's Gun

Erykah Badu

3/5

Somehow I couldn't completely lose myself in the style and and atmosphere of Erykah Badu's album. While listening, I felt a little distanced, deep in my thoughts, instead of just simply enjoying a really nice soul piece of music. How much is it my own fault and how much it is an incompatibility between my music taste and Erykah's flow? Looking back at other albums on the list, I seem to like soul features and genre in general, but in this case I found it more "acceptable" than anything else. I enjoyed the longer tracks, like "Orange Moon" and "Green Eyes", with their more relaxed structure and more atmospheric elements. As for the rest of the album, more than once I had to listen to a song twice in a row, because I couldn't remember anything about it afterwards. I think all of those signs tell me, that I'm just simply not a fan of Erykah, even though I can objectively say "Mama's Gun" is an album fully deserving to be on this list.

good kid, m.A.A.d city

Kendrick Lamar

2/5

I'm just a casual hip hop listener, but so far Kendrick Lamar hasn't been high on my list, and probably it will stay like this forever. I understand why he is so highly regarded by American popculture, but unfortunately it has no appeal for me at all. I'm not particularly fond of his style, I find his flow hard to follow, which makes it hard to focus on the lyrics as well, which are most likely not really aimed at an audience like myself anyway. Still, I think this album is better than the previous one I've listened to from this list - To Pimp a Butterfly. Slightly better rating, but not much improvement.

Raw Power

The Stooges

3/5

Second The Stooges album on this list, but it feels like I've listened to the same record twice. Not much change in style, still "Raw Power" garage rock from seventies, which just seem to be grossly outdated at this point. At now I also know what to expect from Iggy Pop, so no reason to double down on my antipathy for his singing. Probably a great album in its time, full of energy and raw emotions, but 50 years have passed, and with it out idea of how to show those emotions in a more modern way.

With The Beatles

Beatles

3/5

This list probably includes the whole discography of The Beatles, and I think that's definitely too much Beatles songs in one go. I can listen to couple songs in sequence, but everything more than that and I just have to tap out. And this album especially is so monotone, couple interesting songs to start with, and then just heaps of soulless "love songs" from 60 years ago. The band made a real breakthrough in music history, but this album is just a pretty old, outdated piece.

Siembra

Willie Colón & Rubén Blades

4/5

Salsa is not my jam, but I can understand why this album is the best selling record in the history of salsa and latino music. The opening song, "Plastico" sets up the mood, puts the pedal to the metal and keeps it there for 40 minutes. It's very unlikely that I will listen to this album again anytime soon just for pleasure, but whenever I will end up on a salsa course, or on a party with latino themes, then this will be the first record to put on. It's a very fun album, and a very positive surprise!

São Paulo Confessions

Suba

3/5

First couple songs on this album were really selling the mood of a night drive through a large metropolis, which Sao Paulo is, supposedly. Melancholic, electronic downtempo beat mixed with a rather classic latino theme and portugese vocals were overwhelmingly atmospheric, and sounded very fresh, even though it's been 24 years since "Sao Paulo Confessions" debuted on the lists. I have never heard of Suba before, but his background is really interesting, a Serbian producer/composer, mostly in electronic genres, falls in love in Sao Paulo and Brazilian culture, which is encapsulated on this very unique record. I was ready to be infatuated by it, but after first great impression the mood grew tiring and repetitive, the spark was gone, only redundant noise, which I couldn't connect with. It's certainly a record that deserves to be on every list for its uniqueness and sincerity, but unfortunately I couldn't feel the album in the end. But it certainly deserves another chance in the future.

Calenture

The Triffids

3/5

It's a little surprising to see an album like this on the list. Is that because people wanted some representation from the southern hemisphere? The Triggids seem to be a pretty okay band, much better than the whole post punk movement in UK in 80s, in my opinion, at least. Songs are entertaining, but rather in a "blast from a past" way. It's always nice to learn about a new band, but I'm honestly puzzled how did it end up on this list.

The Wall

Pink Floyd

2/5

Definitely my least favourite album by Pink Floyd. I think it's fair to call myself a PF fan, but "The Wall" is the only exception (plus maybe that newest record, which is very lukewarm). The album is very inflated, pompous and incredibly self-conscious to the point it feels very ingenious. Another big issue I have with this album is that I really don't like Roger Waters' vocal, or essentially his style of composing. I think he shouldn't ever start singing, especially if he has Gilmour and Wright doing such a great job already. Usually I try to separate the art from the artist, but it doesn't help that Waters is such a bellend in his private life. Some saving grace - bit of a cliche now, but I really like "Comfortably Numb", plus some of the bridging sounds and tracks are really interesting (although, maybe on purpose, taken from "Echoes"?). So a summary - this album is a condensed version of everything I don't like about Pink Floyd, fortunately the rest of their discography is much, much better.

New York Dolls

1/5

Let's be honest - that was one of the worst albums on this list so far, and I'm pretty sure this is not just my opinion. After doing some research, New York Dolls seem to be the best when performing live on stage. And hopefully that's true, because the quality of recording and total lack of energy or any special features is astounding. If someone will feel an urge to torture me in the future, just tie me to a chair, put this album on, and maybe for further punishment put it at 0.75x.

The Libertines

2/5

Unfortunately, this album goes on the pile of "What am I doing on this list" records. I was struggling to find anything original or honest about this position. But here I am, with empty hands, after listening to this two times in a row, because maybe I missed something important? Maybe there was a moment, on one of the tracks, that would unlock the whole experience for me? Or maybe a thorough background check of the band and the album will make it clearer? Nope, nothing works. It's just another indie rock band with indie rock album and indie rock tracks, just with a small twist - it's not good.

The Atomic Mr Basie

Count Basie & His Orchestra

3/5

Interesting and actually quite pleasurable jazz album with a whole ensemble orchestra from 50s. Catchy tunes, very positive tones, overall a nice experience. Nothing that really caught my attention, but a perfect record to listencto in the background on a lazy Saturday evening. I will try to remember the name, but probably won't come back to it very often.

Tusk

Fleetwood Mac

4/5

Fleetwood Mac as always with some quality songs and overall very good album. The titular song was straight away one of my favourite, original composition, I have never heard anything like this before. Definitely an album that I would like to come back to in the future.

The Holy Bible

Manic Street Preachers

3/5

Very average album, nothing interesting that I, or my family have found, for the fact. Just few rock songs that were pretty good and that's it, just total mediocre album. Nothing that stands out either way.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

4/5

Fun and nice slow tempo rock album! It took couple tries to get into the specific atmosphere of the record, but I think it is well worth it. I have a feeling that this album might become one of my favourites from this list, but for now it's only slowly growing on me. I'll give it a little bit more time to digest.

Who's Next

The Who

5/5

If you would add the song "My Generation" to this album, you could treat it as a "Best Of" record. All of their hits and my favourite songs are here. There is nothing better in more classic rock than the intro to "We won't Get Fooled Again". Amazing album, it has few doozies in the middle of the record, but in general just the few hits put it on top of 70s rock albums. It has to be 5 out of 5.

L.A. Woman

The Doors

4/5

This is not my favourite album by The Doors, but definitely it is a greatly atmospheric record, being as close to blues as it is to rock. Jim Morrison's vocal abilities are absolutely amazing, totally one of a kind. I also love Ray Manzarek's keyboard/piano style. On this album it was only partially exposed, but still, "Riders of the Storm" wouldn't be that great without him. Overall just a very solid album.

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

3/5

As I proved multiple times previously, I'm not a fan of Bob Dylan's music. He is a great lyricist, and he has a unique, groundbreaking style, but I just don't enjoy listening tocany of his albums. Blonde on Blonde is not an exception to this rule. I'm not a fan of this type of blues, and definitely I'm not a fan of Dylan's style of singing. That's it.

Shaft

Isaac Hayes

4/5

It is now settled - I am a fan of Isaac Hayes. His voice and musical style is just so unique, and somehow it is perfectly matched for my taste. In general I'm not the biggest fan of movie soundtracks, with many themes and instrumental pieces that will make more sense once you watch the actual movie, but every one of those songs has that special energy from Isaac. Looks like my vinyl collection will grew after today!

S&M

Metallica

3/5

A very interesting, but puzzling choice to include this album on the list of greatest albums. As a kid, being interested in metal music, Metallica was very influential in developing my musical taste. I understand it is now a bit of cliche to say that Metallica ended at "Black Album", but this is my opinion as well (at least the band changed their musical style, and at the same time I grew up and my taste changed as well). And here we have a live album with majority of songs from the second era, pretty entertaining, but completely uninspiring and very one-dimensional. To make things worse, I absolutely don't understand what the addition of symphonic orchestra brings to the table. It is at best distracting, it doesn't create any atmosphere. The whole symphonic section sounds like a mash-up of two different bands played at the same time, hoping for a better result. The only time it works, is at the beginning of the album - Ennio Morricone's cover sounds brilliantly, which tells you a lot. Only cover that was supposed to be played with orchestra sounds good. On the very top of issues - I really think that Metallica doesn't sound good live. They simply just don't sound good (I've been to their concert couple times, nice experience, but nothing special). The summary - Metallica is a legendary band, that simply deserves to have multiple albums on this list. S&M shouldn't be one of them. Okay album, but rather a thorn in their crown.

Legalize It

Peter Tosh

3/5

After listening to the first, titular song on this album, I was ready to abandon the ship and give it a lowest possible rating. I'm not a fan of reggae and the beat, and especially the lyrics, made me regret the choice of playing this song. But I decided to give it a chance and even though it wasn't exceptional, it had few gems that I really enjoyed. "No Sympathy" and "Why Must I Cry" were couple of very good songs, with great bass track, sublime melodies played on guitars and actually nicely fitting vocal. In general, this album was very extreme - I couldn't stand some of the track, while at the same time you could find some of the best reggae has to offer. Although my final rating will be average, surprisingly I did enjoy listening to this album.

Bitte Orca

Dirty Projectors

3/5

Kind of experimental indie rock, but the "experimental" part was on the far end of the spectrum. Some songs were straight up unlistenable, with so many tempo changes, erratic vocals, seemingly having nothing to do with the melody and general lack of flow made it a challenge to stick with the album. It had few high moments as well, where the music suddenly clicks and is very enjoyable, unfortunately I doesn't happen too often. Very interesting and original concept, but maybe a bit too complicated for me. Nice attempt, though!

Elvis Presley

4/5

King of Rock'n'Roll is here! And even though I'm not too interested in his music or his story, I must admit, he had so much charisma and energy, it's contagious. I didn't like his ballads or slower songs, but when he hit it into the higher gear, it was amazing. Also, it sounds surprisingly fresh, maybe because no one could really replicate this style since then? Whatever it is, Elvis Presley is here to stay.

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Lucinda Williams

3/5

Good news! I've just listened to a country album and it wasn't totally terrible! Bad news, it wasn't that good either. I just don't feel this kind of music - it's nauseating at times, which only makes me feel more antagonising toward the album. I found few songs that were quite good, for example "I lost it", or "Can't let go". Lucinda seems to be very talented and really good at what she does, just it's unlucky that it's so far out of my comfort zone, I can't enjoy it at all. But I tried! Good effort, not my jam.

Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney

5/5

I have never heard of this band before, but not only was that a mistake, it was a generational failure on my part! Maybe this album sounds so great, because I have listened to it for the first time, so I was was fresh and I didn't know what to expect. But then, I have listened to "Dig Me Out" for the second and third time, and I have to say - it's even better than I thought. One of the songs, "Jenny", instantly went of my 'favourites' list. The punk rock music Sleater-Kinney present here is not exceptional in any sort of a way, it's just solid, very interesting clean melodies, a "dirty" guitar sound and a very solid drums. But what puts the songs together is the vocal - it's simply amazing. You can feel the anger, some sadness, but also real feeling of freedom. It reminds me of Alanis Morissette song "You Oughta Know" - very similar style, full of energy, anger and disappointment. Honestly, even though it doesn't sound great, with a powerful style like that, you can sing about flowers - I would hate them with a passion. Great album!

Atomizer

Big Black

4/5

Finally something original and unusual. Very specific sound, like a compilation of electronic music from 80s, a bit of shoegazing, quite a lot of punk rock. At moments it sounds like an early attempt at industrial music, for some reason it reminded me early White Zombie, even though they provably have nothing to do with each other. "Jordan, Minnesota" and "Kerosene" are certified bangers, the question is, how come I've never heard of this band before? It goes on my "to listen" list straight away. Only issue - maybe it's too experimental at times, only for purists of new and chaotic music.

Ragged Glory

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

3/5

A nice rock album, that's perfect to listen to in the background, of course if someone is a rock fan. I'm still not a fan of Neil Young's vocal, it just doesn't resonate with me. "Ragged Glory" has no bad song, but instead is filled with a bit better than average songs, that let you move your leg to the beat constantly, but without much thought or deeper interpretation. Interesting position on the list, but I will probably forget about this album in few days.

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

3/5

Interesting choice for a more recent addition to this list. For sure, Lana Del Rey occupies a a certain niche in popular music on the very end melancholic spectrum in the business. Her songs evocate some great memories from the past, or just general summertime sadness. It's in the same mold on this new album, "Chemtrails Over The Country Club". Every song is very sentimental and keeps you daydreaming. The opening song is especially good, "White Dress" really puts the sadness to the maximum level, really great listen. The problem is, Lana presses the pedal to the metal, and never releases it. Her vocal becomes very tiring and after three or four songs in a row you actually can't hear anything, it's just a constant wall of wailing. This album really needs a slight change of pace, or maybe an instrumental song to give you a break. It's just unlistenable in this form. I still like Lana's songs, but I am sure I will be able to listen to only one song in her repertoire, and then few days of break.

Beggars Banquet

The Rolling Stones

3/5

We have here an interesting album by The Rolling Stones that includes their best song ever, "Sympathy for the Devil" of course, and another anonymous 9 songs, which are pretty nice for a bluesy/rock background, but nothing else. "Beggars Banquet" is seen as one of the best rock albums of all time, and possibly the best record by The Rolling Stones. I definitely think that this is a massive exaggeration. It's an average plus album - it has great guitar solos written by Keith Richards, some exquisite bass and drum line, but other than the first song, nothing is catchy or too interesting. I gave it a good listen, but I wouldn't speak highly of this album afterwards.

The Visitors

ABBA

2/5

What a surprise! Album by ABBA that I didn't know about at all. I would assume one of their albums from seventies will be on this list, as those were filled with hits. On the other hand we have "The Visitors", last album from the golden era, with fewer all-time hits, but with more experiments, like in the opening track's intro, sounding like an antithesis of ABBA. One song reminded me of a childhood, not even a full song, just the beat in the intro in "Head Over Heels". A lot of personal melancholy in this moment, spoiled by the fact that this song is absolutely unlistenable. In general, there is not much going on this album. Classic eighties disco, but not really convincing in any way. Unfortunately, a waste of time.

Triangle

The Beau Brummels

2/5

Not much to say about this one. Sounded similarly to The Beatles songs from this era (late sixties), with some interesting, psychedelic tracks, like "The Wolf of Velvet Fortune", but otherwise very average and forgettable. Fortunately it is a very short album, with length of under 30 minutes, the songs just pass by without much pain or trouble, bam bam and it's gone. I will forget about this record in less than couple of days.

Ananda Shankar

5/5

This album is actually much better than Ravi Shankar's album (for my westernised taste). The record starts with few covers of sixties rock songs, with a strong Indian influence, which makes it much more interesting and exotic. But what really makes this great is the second part of the album with original songs. There is a slight reverse in the trend, now we listen to Indian music with strong Western rock influence. I actually really liked every song on side B of this record. Amazing quality, the songs are very mature, Ananda is not in rush to show off his skills, instead he slowly develops the sound and atmosphere, creating a terrific tracks. It's going to be hard to rate this album, as we have two completely different styles clashing. Side A gets a 3+, but side B is an easy 5. I think it's fair to appreciate good parts more than bashing on average moments, so 5 it is!

In The Wee Small Hours

Frank Sinatra

2/5

Themes of depression, sadness, loss and melancholy? Sounds like a perfect music for me! Oh, well, not too much music in there, mostly it's just Frank Sinatra singing, in his rather (subjectively) monotonne voice. The songs just waddle through in the background, anonymous, fitting into the idea of loss, because I have lost the attention after first notes of the opening songs. Great singer of his time, maybe a first one with an idea of concept album, but as much as I want to, I can't enjoy this music at all. It's a music that belongs to the museum. Very interesting, but not relevant anymore.

Moondance

Van Morrison

3/5

Quite pleasant album, very easy to listen to. I liked Morrison's vocal, and even though it wasn't anything special, it was a nice background music. Interesting experience, but most likely I won't come back to Van Morrison anytime soon.

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

Joni Mitchell

2/5

Another album by Joni Mitchell and surprisingly the same reception on my end - Joni is a great singer and writer, but the style in which she creates music is not my favourite. It's hard for me to enjoy those small, cheerful melodies, which in result makes it harder to focus on the storytelling part of music. But still, I'm sure there is going to be more albums by Mitchell on this list in the future.

It's A Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads

2/5

Okay, it's a big no-no from me. Irritating voice, very boring music, all the songs blend in with each other, making it a one big pile of boring mash-up. Only interesting song is a cover, "Mrs. Robinson", which actually is not that much different from the rest of the album, but at least it wakes you up from the coma sustained before. Let's just forget about this album and move on.

Rattus Norvegicus

The Stranglers

5/5

So far the best punk album on the list, in my opinion. First of all, repetitiveness of the beat wasn't that off-putting. In fact, the music, mainly drum and bass line, was amplifying absolutely great vocal work. If we take a look at 70s and 80 punk and post punk albums, that have appeared on this list so far, then it is easily the best singer out there. Exceptional stuff, no filler songs, everything is at least above average. Additionally, there is no way I won't mention "Golden Brown", even if that song wasn't included in this album. One of the greatest melodies ever, it is going to influence the score regardless of the rules. I think in normal circumstances this album would receive a 4 stars from me, but to highlight how much better it is than other punk records, I will give it a full 5 stars. Great album!

The Rise & Fall

Madness

3/5

One of the most overplayed songs in the British radio! It's still a great track, but listening to it at least twice a day is unbearable. But it's a nice experience to witness the full album that the song is coming from. The everlasting tune I'm talking about is of course "Our House". In smaller doses, a great track for every type of mood. Some of the album fits the same mould. Two songs to start "The Rise & Fall" are pretty comparable, with a high energy, ska-like funk and good vocal. Afterwards, we are greeted by 10 songs that are trying too much. Very polyrythmic beats, broken in few places to make it more interesting, probably, but making it really hard to listen. There is no more flow, and even the vocal stagnates, like the whole band just stopped caring all of a sudden. In general, it's a very average album with few great exceptions, and it helped me make a decision, that Madness is probably not a band I would like to listen to in the future.

Tommy

The Who

3/5

Another epic and long concept album made by a rock band, after "The Wall" by Pink Floyd (although timewise it was the other way around). We have an interesting story on this album, but music was all over the place. I liked few of the opening tracks, very lively and essentially "The Who". But this recipe got very tiring and I had to sit through another hour of those songs. It's a cool concept, but I have to use an emergency exit.

Live / Dead

Grateful Dead

3/5

Unusual album. It started as psychedelic rock with some pretty awesome passages here and there, very interesting stuff, so atmospheric, no need for drugs to trip. Then a bit of interludes, and we're off to Elvis Presley impersonation? I was actually thinking that somehow the album finished and something else started. Very surprising, took me off-guard for sure. And finally another slightly psychedelic song with a long noise outro, which was not as fascination as the song in the beginning. Overall impressive record, a bit all over the place and pretty long, I think it would work much better, if they would split it into two albums. But not a bad start for my first listening to Grateful Dead.

Clandestino

Manu Chao

4/5

This album brings so many memories and emotions. In early 2000 you could hear Manu Chao and his "Bongo Bong" everywhere. Such a great song, extremely likeable beat and a very specific singing makes it an all-time hit. However this was my first time listening to the full album - "Clandestino". And although Bongo Bong is the biggest hit on the record, the rest of the tracks are also really good! A good mix of slower and more uptempo songs, mix of languages, generally positive atmosphere maintained across full 40 something minutes. I will gladly come back to this album every year or so, for another trip down the memory lane.

Os Mutantes

2/5

Psychedelic rock from Brazil! That's a really surprising position on this list. One could notice so many influences on this album (or maybe European and American bands were influenced by Os Mutantes). Few of the songs, especially those with piano solos reminded me of The Doors, for example. In general, the album was very experimental, with many weird noises and sounds, crazy vocals and unusual guitar notes. It didn't help that songs were in portuguese and I couldn't understand a word. And the uniqueness was a little bit too much for me.

Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde

3/5

Quite interesting rap album from early nineties. Full of funky beats and flow, with, at times, really funny lyrics and verses. Rather positive album, it was flowing nicely both in the background and when focusing on the songs. Easy listen, but definitely won't be coming back to this position.

Live At The Star Club, Hamburg

Jerry Lee Lewis

4/5

There is something about the classic, high energy rock'n'roll live albums from the heights of the genre craziness. I have never listened to Jerry Lee Lewis, but there is a lot of similarities in his voice and style with the one and only Elvis Presley. And I thoroughly enjoyed this album. It's extremely hard not to get drowned in this type of music. The only issue is that for me, five songs in a row in this style and I'm fed up. It's not made to be listened one after another on a random afternoon. It has to be all out, full energetic night, otherwise there is no reason to listen to it. But I'm glad I did, although once again, I don't think I would be coming to this album, or genre too often.

Heartattack And Vine

Tom Waits

4/5

What can I say about this album.. It's Tom Waits at his best, which is in fact his whole career. Very specific voice and style, but on the top of it an intoxicating blues and jazz beats in the background, making it a really unique experience. Some of the songs are really downtempo to the max, like "Ruby's Arms", but other than that all the tracks are actually great. Listening session for heartbroken.

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

5/5

O Mamma! I was always a fan of Nick Cave, but I never bothered to listen to his full discography, which I'm starting to feel like a massive, massive mistake. Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus is an amazing double album. First song, "Get Ready For Love" caught my attention, but third one, "Hiding All Away" cemented its position as one of the best albums I have discovered on this website. This album has a certain great quality - it sounds like a band you have always known, but at the same time it feels extremely fresh, because for some reason I didn't listen to it before. Also, big thanks to The Bad Seeds, with Warren Ellis at the top. The more I listen to his music, the more I fall in love with it. And the quality of music on this double album is really amazing,every song feels like an adventure into unknown. But there is one thing that is unparalleled - Nick Cave's lyrics. "The Lyre of Orpheus" is now one of my favourite songs, his ability to create a story and make it almost immersive is extraordinary. I think I'm not allowed to make any more mistakes, one quiet evening I will listen to the whole discography of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. No more excuses, I need to witness more greatness!

Californication

Red Hot Chili Peppers

5/5

I can't decide what to do with this album. On one hand, some of the songs are honestly amazing, instant partystarters, great guitar solos by Frusciante, amazing bass lines and style by Flea, and sometimes good vocal by Kiedis (I'm not really a fan of his singing voice, but one have to say, he fits into this band perfectly). And just like that, some songs from this album are all time great, instantly recognised by everyone, for all the right reasons. And finally, on the other hand, the album was so successful, that those songs are incredibly overplayed literally everywhere, that when I listened to the album, I found myself slowly drifting away, paying no attention to it. And furthermore, side b of the album is, at best, average. There is not even a one song that caught my attention. I think my rating in this case should reflect both my first and last impression, although the first contact with Californication was so extraordinary, I would feel bad giving it anything else than 5 stars.

The Stranger

Billy Joel

4/5

It's my first ever contact with Billy Joel and his music and I can admit it's a very positive surprise for me. His first song on this album, "Movin' Out" made a really big impression on me and it was even better from then onward. I like the style of the album, bit funky at times, with very catchy melodies and really amazing voice by Billy Joel. I am honestly surprised that this record isn't well known (at least in my circles). Another amazing position on the list, that introduced me to some great music!

Play

Moby

4/5

We have similar situation to RHCP's "Californication" from couple days ago. An album which has few songs that are so great, they've been overplayed into oblivion, and many more tracks that are average at best. I think that the difference between previously mentioned record and "Play" by Moby is that the hits are not as universally loved, or are slowly fading into obscurity, whereas RHCP is still going strong. Maybe that has something to do with Moby's alleged behavior in his personal life? Who's to tell. The fact is that four songs from "Play" are easily on my party playlists: "Natural Blues", "Honey", "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" and "Porcelain". This quartet alone deserves highest praises. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is a snoozefest. Few slower songs, couple of bits with mediocre beat, just a whole half of a record full of fillers. I really think in this case 4 is a generous rating.

Public Image: First Issue

Public Image Ltd.

2/5

Well... I have listened to the first song on this album "Theme" and I was instantly intrigued. Very unusual composition, long riffs and passages, very interesting melodies. Somehow a bit weird vocal work, but this song was really this good to overlook it. And then I listened to the rest of the album and I'm very disappointed. The vocalist is just unbearable, I'm feeling nauseous just from listening to his amazing vocal range of squealing pig, and the repetitive riffs quickly became terribly frustrating. I will give a undeserved 2 out of 5 rating for an interesting first song, but the rest of the album is definitely one of the worst I have heard on this list so far.

Joan Armatrading

3/5

Interesting album by Joan Armatrading, whose name I have heard for the first time today. When I started listening to this album, all I could think of is the similarity in her voice with Joni Mitchell, but with more rock instrumental parts. Music is very well written, it easily should be much more popular then it is right now (I am assuming it's not that popular, if I have never heard of her). The album had all kind of moods, every song was very mature and enjoyable for listener. "Love and Affection" was a really good example of that, very nice deep voice chorus. It's not really my style, but a good album nonetheless.

Like Water For Chocolate

Common

2/5

It's going to be a quick one in here - the topics that Common brings up on this album are very important and the way he sets up his lyrics is extraordinary. I have just one issue with his music - it's that I don't like it. The beats and flow is boring and I can't keep up with the verses. I'm just a casual hip-hop listener, but I need a little bit more "wow" ingredient to keep me entertained. So I'm really sorry, but I can't give a high rating for this album.

The Joshua Tree

U2

3/5

I'm going to cut to the chase - I feel like U2 is a tad overrated, and after listening to this album I am happy to hold this position. It's not a bad record, some song are hits for a reason, but I feel like the fame was not generated by music, but mostly through their humanitarian work. Bono is probably more famous than U2, so I wouldn't be that surprised if this was true. Musically, The Joshua Tree is a soft rock, but when you try to dissect it, there is nothing of essence left. Just your average album from Ireland.

Blur

5/5

I am a big fan of early Gorillaz albums, and all throughout this self-titled record by Blur I couldn't hear anything else other than demo recordings from the cartoon-band (plus Song No.2, which is a great addition on its own, from the early days of Fifa, up to gym session yesterday it keeps me company for the better or worse). I have to say, I just really like Damon Albarn's vocal, he is one of those pop/rock singers that I can just listen to anytime, even if the instrumental parts are total garbage - and in case of Blur, they are on the other end of spectrum. I love songs like "Beetlebum" and "Essex Dogs". Both aren't alike, but both have that quality of slow introduction, leading into a bigger or smaller eruption of noise. Great guitar work as always, thanks to the mighty Graham Coxon. Probably this is my favourite Blur album, but still it's not as good as Demon Days. In general, I would give it a weak 5 stars.

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan

3/5

I have heard so much about Wu-Tang Clan, that it became an incredible sensation from 90s that is beloved by everyone. This is actually the first time I've listened to their album, or any song, in fact. I was trying so hard to be enamored as everyone else, but it just didn't clicked. Nice beats, nice lyrics, nice flow, but nothing that would make me say 'wow'. I really tried, and I will probably try again, just because it's a groundbreaking album, but as for now, average experience, average rating.

Metallica

4/5

Band of my youth, I've been to quite a few concert of Metallica in my life, awesome experience. I'm not a fan anymore, but I still appreciate some of the older albums, like Ride The Lightning, or ...And Justice For All. It's a bit more complicated story with Black Album though. As a young metalhead I was full of clichés, so automatically I assumed Black Album was the worst record by Metallica up to date. It was more in soft metal genre then their usual thrash, and suddenly they became more popular, which is unacceptable for a fake metal purist. This approach changed with time - I still don't think of it as the greatest album, but I almost equally like every song on it. Only exception would be Enter Sandman, because I find the main riff very frustrating for some reason. Nevertheless, very good album, which opened the metal genre to the wider audience.

Treasure

Cocteau Twins

3/5

Second album by Cocteau Twins, it's quite interesting sound, gothic mixed with 80s pop and with a tiny bit of shoegaze for some additional taste. I kind of liked it, but I would rather move on to another album now.

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

4/5

I just love this sound, those vibes, funky bass line, psychedelic guitar solos, everything is almost perfect. Summer Breeze is definitely the best song on the album, encapsulating the raw talent and abilities of the Isley Brothers. It's the first time I was listening to this band, but for sure it won't be the last time.

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators

3/5

Interesting album with one very good, extremely psychedelic (in a good way) song, "Roller Coaster". Magical song, feeling of being in a trance, almost a perfect song. Rest of the album is not really impactful in any way, just a compilation of songs in similar style with an average outcome. Entertaining album to listen to, but to be discarded soon after.

Lost In The Dream

The War On Drugs

2/5

Rock impressions of country music. I am not particularly fond of this type of music, it wasn't in any way interesting, but for sure it was a bit frustrating. I think the title of third song on this album encapsulates my feeling towards this band and "Lost In The Dream" record.

Crosby, Stills & Nash

2/5

For some reason my review for this album was deleted and I have to write it again. It's a terrible task to do it again, so I will summarize - I like the iteration of the band with Young, it was okay, but I don't really find this version amusing in any way. Very average album altogether. That's it.

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

4/5

One of the albums I have on vinyl. I was never a particular fan of Coldplay, finding them too "mainstream" and annoying at times. For some reason I always made a connection between Coldplay and Paulo Coelho - maybe because their most famous work has familiar titles - Alchemist and Scientist. And also because their work is so much form over function. Very convoluted, full of overthrown metaphors and overused phrases. But at least in case of Coldplay you are able to look at it from a distance and enjoy it, unlike with the book. Fun album, just don't try to dive too deep.

Wonderful Rainbow

Lightning Bolt

3/5

What an album! Very original, erratic, breaking all rules, not compromising even for a second, pushing boundaries and so on and so on... Two guys with bass and drums and a lot of distortion are creating some anti-pop music. Something that is so unlistenable, that actually becomes interesting, and also something that is so interesting, it becomes unlistenable. It's hard to categorize this album, I like the label "nintendocore", it doesn't really reflect their music, but gets much closer than anything else. I had moments when I really liked this album and I thought this is the next big thing, but also I had moments when I was crying internally, with my ears bleeding profusely. Never had I such an ambivalent feeling toward a record on this list. I think the fairest rating would be 3/5, but that somehow is insulting for this band - it should be either 5, or 1. At least I think that is the goal of Lightning Bolt - to antagonize everyone, that some people will like them just because of the idea. I admire it, but I won't make this turnaround - I will just say - next.

461 Ocean Boulevard

Eric Clapton

4/5

It's a nice album Eric Clapton, congratulations. Nice songs, great riffs, amazing guitar solos, groovy jams,excellent vocals. It somehow felt a little bit too manufactured, but I might be projecting too much. Just a very solid album, much better than the one with "Layla" in it, recorded with Derek and the Dominoes. Good effort, but even though I had nice time listening to it, I won't be coming back to this record anytime soon.

1989

Taylor Swift

2/5

Not my favourite album by Taylor Swift. I definitely prefer the one recorded with Bon Iver, whose influence is very noticeable on "folklore". On the other hand we have "1989", an album made out of overplayed singles and just uninteresting and forgettable songs. If I would have to make an honest summary of the album, I would say - it's overproduced cotton candy, whatever that actually means, because I'm just throwing some words at the keyboard. 5 words, I did not like it. I will happily move on to the next album.

Paris 1919

John Cale

3/5

Interesting album, it reminded me a little of Rufus Wainwright style, but contrary to his music, I actually liked Paris 1919. I think John Cale's vocal is much more approachable, and his music is just average, without much of that baroque style. Some songs on this album were really good, mainly the opening and self-titled songs. On the other end of spectrum we have few tracks that absolutely were hard to listen to. In summary, average album with few great moments.

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

5/5

Fenomenal concert recording. I am pretty much speechless, whatever happened to Keith Jarrett on that faithful day in Cologne was amazing. Looks like from now on I will be on a hunt for a vinyl version of this concert.

Vulnicura

Björk

1/5

Album by Bjork in the pretty specific style of Bjork. It might be a hit or miss at times, but oh boy, it was a massive miss on the occasion of Vulnicura. Maybe my musical taste is down in the gutter, but I just couldn't listen to it at all. I'm sorry Bjork, you are a better actor than musician.

D

White Denim

4/5

This is actually a right amount of weirdness for a normal rock for me! Very interesting instrumentation, some great bass lines and crazy melodies, with a lot of instrumental parts. It's actually for the better, because in general I wasn't a big fan of the vocal, maybe that's why it was so sporadic on the album. Very fun record, happy to look into their discography now!

Vento De Maio

Elis Regina

2/5

Very interesting story about life and career of Elis Regina, about whom I have never heard before. The problem is that her music is not really up my alley, and I had immensely hard time trying to sit through not even the whole album, but even any song from it. Great voice, very confident style, but I will be staying away from this music in foreseeable future.

Honky Tonk Heroes

Waylon Jennings

3/5

That's a surprisingly interesting country album, words I would never thought of saying in this specific order! It's still the same, americana country style that I really don't like, but comparing "Honky Tonk Heroes" to other albums from this list is like a choice between laying in the mud for a day, or laying in the mud for a day, while also being on fire. I really enjoyed the opening, self-titled track, with some nice rock'n'roll style mixed into it. Then we had few ballads - and oh boy, I hate country ballads. But afterwards we got few interesting songs and in general it was a slightly positive experience?I won't give a high rating for this album, but even going average means quite a lot in my book when it comes to country music. Good job Waylon Jennings, I might listen to your songs again!

Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

5/5

"Shout", "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "Head Over Heels" were written and performed by one band? Amazing! And they were from one album? Mamma mia, that's honestly great! I will be honest, I knew those songs for years, but I have never heard of the band that made them, Tears For Fears. It's a classic style of pop from 80s, it reminds me of Depeche Mode, with some similarities in style and vocal, but they have their own sound, which puts them ahead in the line from the other anonymous and straight out of factory 80s bands. Songs like "The Working Hours" and "Listen" are really original songs, with very interesting parts, that sounds fresh even 40 years later. I have immensely enjoyed listening to this album, I am very surprised so many hits came out from this band, and even though couple songs in the middle of the record were average at best, it deserves all the praises and recognition. Great album, I will listen to it again and again in the future.

New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)

Simple Minds

3/5

The quality of the record is simply amazing, the sound is so clear compared to some albums and bands from 80s and even from more recent times. Bass guitar line at times is just phenomenal - some songs just beg you to go on a dance floor and move. Vocal is kind of underwhelming, but it's nothing serious. Other than quality, I don't see anything special in this album. It's okay when it's just playing in the background, but I wouldn't want to listen to it consciously for whole 40 minutes. Just another average album.

Vol. 4

Black Sabbath

4/5

Black Sabbath has that quality to their songs and albums, that is so hard to find in other bands from 70s and 80s trying to move into direction of heavier music. Honestly, I was only a casual fan of Black Sabbath, and I definitely didn't know any song from Vol. 4 album, but just first riff from the opening song was enough to tell me what a great music it is. Ozzies voice is at its best, drums and bass are doing their job, but Tonny Iommi is just magnificent. His solos, riffs, melodies, everything is top notch. I do prefer modern music, but 'll use another cliché- they don't make music like that anymore. Simply amazing job. As for the overall impression, I was enjoying this album on Side A, and slightly grew tired of it on Side B. Still, it's an exceptional work.

Le Tigre

3/5

I feel like this band, and this album, is in similar style to recent Sleater-Kinney record that I have stumbled upon on this list. Not only because of the mostly female lineup and lyrics theme, but also because of slightly experimental/screamo style both of those bands present. In case of Le Tigre, there is much more emphasis on "experimental" part - many songs are very original in their structure, with few hits and a lot of misses, in my opinion. Couple of more conventional tracks are really good, like the opening "Deceptacon". Overall, interesting position on the list, but ultimately I wasn't completely sold on it - but I will be happy to give it another go in the future.

Back In Black

AC/DC

3/5

I'm not really a fan of Acca Dacca, even though few of their songs are actually iconic, like the self-titled Back In Black, a track that is prevalent in gyms all around the World, together with "You Shook Me All Night Long". Is it entertaining? Sure, pretty nice song with a very catchy riff and quite fun vocal. But whole album, or listening to any song for more than two times in a row is part of guantanamo torture. Great job boys down under, your songs are everywhere and I just have enough of it.

Make Yourself

Incubus

3/5

Yeah, well I have heard of Incubus before, but I couldn't name or remember any of their song. And after listening to Make Yourself I know why it might be - all of their tracks are bland and uninteresting. I was slightly hyped through first few songs, because there were nice elements, mixing a bit of electronic music, rock, metal and rap. But that was it, just a mix of those genres, but the sum of all parts was definitely underwhelming. I still can't name or remember any of Incubus songs, so this is not a good sign. It's not bad either, but just painfully average.

Rust In Peace

Megadeth

4/5

I have quite a lot to say about this album, especially as a young and easily impressionable person I was listening to thrash metal (as a way to be independent, "free-thinking" soul). As a Thrash fan, I was listening to bands like Metallica and Slayer, so the rules said I had to hate the other two Anthrax and Megadeth. Who came up with those rules, I have no idea, but my group of friends was really "true" in this sense. Finally, after some growing up I did, the song "Hangar 18" completely changed my opinion about Megadeth. One thing being constant, I still despised Mustaine's voice and vocal, but I finally could appreciate his song writing skills. Awesome solos, riffs and speed, this song is definitely up there on the 80s/90s thrash pantheon. The rest of the album is sometimes good, sometimes bad, so I wouldn't feel comfortable giving it a highest praise, but for this single song, and massive amount of nostalgia that goes with it, I will give it 4 stars. I can't listen to this genre anymore now, but few exceptions like this are always welcome.

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

5/5

In my opinion top three album by Pink Floyd, on par with Dark Side of the Moon and Meddle. Beautiful, long passages of instrumentation, great guitar work by Gilmour, amazing bass lines by Waters, even though I still dont like him, and top notch complimentary work by Mason and Wright. One of those albums that can't be overplayed, maybe except to another hiking trip, when someone takes the guitar out and plays Wish You Were Here for the hundredth time. But other than that, I love every second of it.

Exit Planet Dust

The Chemical Brothers

5/5

Second The Chemical Brothers album on this list and first chronologically in their discography. I have listened to "Exit Planet Dust" before, but for some reason it didn't left any impression in me. After more thorough listening session, I thought that I like this album more than "Dig Your Own Hole", but still my favourite is "Surrender". Most likely through sentimental values, because songs and beats from "Exit Planet Dust" are really on par with anything else they recorded. Long parts with repeating beats, slightly changing and building momentum sound amazing on this record. Every track really held on its own and could easily be a single. After short consideration I think I will give it a 5 star, but probably one of the weakest so far - I enjoyed this album, but I feel something is missing.

Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)

Bob Dylan

3/5

It's not going to be a long review - do I appreciate Bob Dylan's music? Yes, of course! Great songwriting, one of a kind. Do I like to listen to Bob Dylan's music? Nope, not at all. His style of singing, sparse instrumentation (in general) and his voice create just a perfect storm that I would not survive. Did this album change my opinion about Bob, one way or the other? No, it's just more of the same and only notable things is amazing rendition of "Like a Rolling Stone", which I will probably listen to more often. Other than that, forgettable experience, it changed nothing in my life.

Walking Wounded

Everything But The Girl

2/5

The idea of this band is much better than the actual music of this band. Downtempo electronic beats and music with a very talented singer, collaborations with Massive Attack and other successful bands, hit single from nineties, that is still ingrained in my memories - it all points in the right direction. Unfortunately, after listening to "Walking Wounded" the hype was very slowly dissipating, leaving me really puzzled. I didn't like any of the songs, I didn't buy the atmosphere of the album, somehow nothing was working for me. It's not a bad record by any means, but I certainly didn't feel like it deserves to be on this list. At least I still have Massive Attack to listen to.

Since I Left You

The Avalanches

5/5

Great band, amazing album. I was a fan of few of the songs from "Since I Left You", they have a really catchy beat and melody, usually interesting vocal, but the best thing about it is the music video to the singles. It's just so captivating, weird, sad and funny, perfectly encapsulating what the song is about. I'm just a big fan of this album, I like how the track flows fluidly from one to another, with certain themes being explored again under a different light. Looking for a vinyl of this band straight away!

Street Signs

Ozomatli

3/5

Today we have a random rap motives mixed with latin rhythms. It sounds extremely naughties - as early 2000s as possible. I have never heard of this band before, so as with anything that comes from this times, if you haven't listen to it then, there is no chance you will like it now. The songs are okay, they are pretty fun, it's definitely an interesting collaboration between genres, but it's too late for me to really enjoy it. The moment to listen to this album is long gone, even though it sounds like I am in my sixties, and hate new music. Still, I appreciate it, pretty innovative idea.

The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

The Incredible String Band

2/5

The most psychedelic album so far on this list, for better or worse. Erratic sounds, every instrument you could have think of was used, many types of vocal. It wasn't really something that I was enjoying, or I would be enjoying in the future. Let's just forget about this album and move on.

The Gershwin Songbook

Ella Fitzgerald

5/5

Well, I was not familiarized with Ella Fitzgerald's game, and now I'm facing consequences of it. The music is not really up my alley, but the way Ella is singing on this album is extraordinary. Powerful, yet very subtle at time. At some point you forget about instruments and just focus on her. The album is pretty long, especially if you will look at all the Gershwin songs, but I can promise you all, I will come back to this album again and again. Looks like even a vinyl might be a good idea, if there is any cheap ones available! Really great music.

Time (The Revelator)

Gillian Welch

4/5

Actually a pretty good folk album! I really liked Gillian vocal skills, soothing voice and an interesting range. Instrumentally, I'm not into folk that much, I think you really have to be in a mood to appreciate it, but somehow Gillian made it much easier to get into this album with her skills. Positive experience.

Nick Of Time

Bonnie Raitt

2/5

What I have learned from this list is that I mostly likely won't like any album that can be labelled as "americana". Of course, "Nick Of Time" is one of them. Boring and uninteresting record, I didn't like any moment of it. That doesn't mean it's terrible, but I definitely couldn't listen to it for longer than 30 minutes.

Searching For The Young Soul Rebels

Dexys Midnight Runners

2/5

Not as entertaining as their next album, and there is no reason to look for any hit or single on this record. It might be because I have listened to those albums in this sequence, because I don't think Dexys Midnight Runners is a band you can listen too often. The novelty is gone, so is my excitement for this band.

Bringing It All Back Home

Bob Dylan

5/5

It might be 4th or fifth Bob Dylan's album on the list, but definitely it's the first one that I actually liked from start to finish. I think that this style of music suits him much better than his early folk persona with guitar and harmonica. Maybe that's me, but I could finally focus on the lyrics, which are, as always, amazing. Maggie's Farm is one of my favourite song of his, mainly thanks to the great cover by RATM. Maybe it's a bit too much, but to make up for low rating on other albums I will go with full 5/5 in here.

Crime Of The Century

Supertramp

4/5

Very enjoyable album. Honestly, I didn't know much about this band, other than the funny name. I thought they play some boring 70s rock, Procol Harum style for some reason. But whatever the genre was that (some psychedelic, progressive rock) it worked very, very well. I absolutely loved the outro song from this album, the self-titled "Crime Of the Century". I adore this type of songs, like I explained hundred times before. It was a very positive surprise, I have seen Supertramp vinyl records many times in shops, but now I can actually consider it as a really good buy.

Rhythm Nation 1814

Janet Jackson

3/5

We had some conscious hip-hop on this list, now it's time for a conscious r&b/pop. It's surprisingly solid - honestly, I was probably born too late to listen to this album by Janet Jackson, I always associated her with some cheap and boring straight-out-of-mill songs. But not only she can sing - she can write some inspiring verses as well. This type of music grinds my gears just a little bit, but I could still see how good and probably important this album was at the time. Kudos to you Janet, you have my respect, but your record is probably one and done for me.

Lust For Life

Iggy Pop

4/5

This album is important to me only because of one song - "The Passenger". The main riff from this song is now of cultural significance, you just can't have any existential road movie without some version of this song in the soundtrack. Great track, forever in my heart. As for the rest of the album, you can hear influence (and his voice, pretty often really) from David Bowie. It feels more like one of his record than Iggy's. I wasn't 100% hooked though, I still don't like Iggy's vocal, even though on this record it was less aggressive than usual. Overall, I think one great song is not enough to give It the best rating, so this time just 4 out of 5.

Sincere

Mj Cole

1/5

Another enigma album on the list. It's the first time I have heard about Mj Cole or about any of his songs, and after listening to the whole record, I'm not really surprised. It is basically a simple house beat, with some other instruments added on top and an atmospheric vocal as a topping. Although this description applies to many bands, like Massive Attack at times, or anything based on samples, it just didn't work this time. I wasn't into that album, I didn't like any song, I didn't feel the atmosphere at all. Very below average experience and honestly, I'm wondering, what was so special about this album in the first place, to show up on a list like that. Probably 1000 albums is a bit too many, for such a short history of modern music.

Reggatta De Blanc

The Police

4/5

If every reggae album would sound like "Reggatta De Blanc", then I would be a much bigger fan of this genre. Second record by The Police on this list and coincidentally also second in their discography. I'm 100% sure that "Message in The Bottle" is the best song they have ever produced, including Sting's stuff later in his career. Whole album was flowing quite nicely, every song had something unique, but at the same time fitted into the concept. Just a very solid album in general.

Something/Anything?

Todd Rundgren

2/5

Ugh, that was a struggle. My first contact with Todd Rundgren, hopefully the last one. I didn't like his vocal, and his music was, unfortunately, boring and outdated. Every song was basically a copy of each other bringing nothing interesting to the table. I couldn't make it through whole double album, so probably I missed a more interesting song, but at this point I will take my chances.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

Okay, as we established many times before, I'm not a fan of Neil Young, and first couple songs from this album were just a confirmation of that - quite boring, slow and soulless, at least from my perspective. But then it hit me, two almost 10 minute long songs, "Down By The River" and "Cowgirl In The Sand". Amazing blues-like tracks, with a simple riff and countless melodies and guitar solos layered on in long expositions. I could listen to songs like that for days on end. Neil's vocal, or whoever was singing there, was basically spoiling the song in my opinion, instrumental version would be definitely enough. As for the rest of the album, nothing positive to say. Very difficult position to rate, we have songs from both ends of the spectrum in here. But let's try to look at the positive side as more important, I know those two songs will be implemented in my soundtrack, so final rate must be better than average.

Teenager Of The Year

Frank Black

5/5

Looks like we have Pixies here before Pixies. And as with that band, I really liked Black Francis' album. Very diverse, you can never know what is going to happen next in the song. Just a very solid record, I'm actually surprised I haven't heard about it more. Over 20 songs with many diamonds in there, I'm looking forward to listen to them more often.

Scott 2

Scott Walker

4/5

Okay, it looks really simple - thanks to this list I was introduced to the magnificent person, Scott Walker. After listening, twice, to the album "Scott 2" I have fallen into the deep hole of googling everything related to Walker in his career. I am absolutely amazed by his uncompromising standards and most importantly his amazing voice. How can a person like this make a fabulous rendition of "Jackie" by Jacques Brel, to collaborate with drone metal kings Sun O))) years later? This is just simply an enormous achievement. Going back to "Scott 2" - I didn't like every song, some of it was a pretty boring "French Movies Song From 60s" stuff, but when he surprised you, there was no coming back. It's not the best album in the world, but it opened another door for me, and just because of that I will remember it for a very long time.

Paul's Boutique

Beastie Boys

3/5

I'll be honest, "Sabotage" is one of my favourite song of all time. The amount of energy it brings is almost unparalleled. I always thought that I should be a big fan of the band, but somehow any other song I listened to sounds mediocre at best. And this is the case with "Paul's Boutique". A lot of great beats, but the rap style of Beastie Boys is so draining, I just end up hating this band after few songs. It's better for all parties to just move on and leave an average rating, before someone (me) will have a mental breakdown.

Either Or

Elliott Smith

4/5

I have heard stories of Elliott Smith music for a long time now, but I never got into it properly until this album popped up on the list. There is few lists on the Internet with titles along the lines of "The most depressing albums/bands of all time". Elliott Smith was on every one of them. The thing is, as much his backstory and lyrics are gloomy and sad, his music is very much non-existent. It's basically a guy with a guitar reciting his poems, sometimes adding some instruments in the background. Few songs that have an actual band behind him are pretty good, giving more energy into his effort of externalising his painful experience. I liked this album in some way, and I will give it a good rating, but probably this was my last attempt at Smith's music. I'm just not depressed enough to listen to it for more than 10 minutes.

Bandwagonesque

Teenage Fanclub

1/5

Yes, that might be the worst album on this list so far! Other bad albums were very experimental and went over my head a little, or were in a genre I don't enjoy at all, whereas "Bandwagonesque" doesn't take any chances, it's a safe, traditional soft rock and somehow it's the most boring record I have ever heard. It's so bland that I don't have anything else to add. It's just a no from me.

1984

Van Halen

3/5

This album is pretty hard to rate, because I'm not a fan of Van Halen, or anything similar to glam rock, but I'm a big fan of Eddie Van Halen and his amazing virtuosity on guitar. And maybe unsurprisingly, I actually dislike every single from this album, as I think those didn't age well, being very dull and boring, but other songs on this album, with less prominent vocal work by Roth are actually pretty good. An example of that is an amazing "Girl Gone Bad". Basically, anytime Van Halen is not trying to put out a top 20 hit on MTV, the song is very good. With those ambivalent feelings about "1984" I causally give 3/5 as total. 1 for singles, 5 for Eddie Van Halen and his craftsmanship.

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Frank Sinatra

2/5

Not much to say - I don't like Frank Sinatra, I don't like his music and his singing voice. This album was a little bit better than expected thanks to Jobim, but all I wanted to do while listening to it is to move on. And that's what I'm doing right now.

Ghosteen

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

5/5

Not much to say about this album, other than that was an unbelievably sad and beautiful peace of art. Nick Cave just gave the rest of his broken heart back on this record. Amazing stuff. It reminds me, although it's a different genre, of Mastodon's Crack The Skye. Similar emotions evoked from listening to those two albums. Ghosteen jumps on my playlist once in a month, to make myself feel all the sadness in the world.

Blood, Sweat & Tears

3/5

Intriguing at times, experimental, but still cohesive, and in the end just average album by Blood, Sweat and Tears. Great compositions in intro and outro parts, few interesting piano solos, great bass line over the course of the album, a part here and there sounded like an awesome jam session. Otherwise, average vocal, and quite boring songs in-between. All in all, average experience.

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

5/5

Grandfathers of metal in full glory. It's not an album I would listen to, even occasionally, but I guess it has to be appreciated for taking a new direction in music, and all of that in 1970. Easily the place in history books is booked. Also, "Paranoid" main riff will be forever used by all 12 year old metalheads when they will first try the electric guitar (not that it's a bad thing).

Pictures At An Exhibition

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

3/5

Yet another album by ELP, this time we have their first live album. I was very surprised how similar it sounded to first King Crimson record. Of course it shouldn't be that crazy, knowing that Lake was the main singer on both albums, but even though so many passages from Picture At An Exhibition could have been added to In The Court Of The Crimson King and no one would bat an eye. Unfortunately, the rest of the album was to progressive for my liking. I'm definitely more of a fan of Tarkus, and now in retrospect I should have given a better note to that album. Here - just an average rating.

British Steel

Judas Priest

2/5

Oof, I have nothing against some heavy metal, but enough is enough. This album might take the prize for the most monotonous bass and drum line ever. It's just unbearable. I had a hard time trying to power through full song in one go. Even "Breaking The Law", track with a very nice riff, is so hard to be consumed, as it just slowly drills a hole in your brain, irreversibly destroying part of me. Big piece of metal history, but I'd rather forget about this part.

Mask

Bauhaus

3/5

Started out very promising, but in the end it felt like just another post punk album, that I was trying to power through. Nothing special.

Neon Bible

Arcade Fire

3/5

In general I would call myself a fan of Arcade Fire, but I'm not really an enthusiast of their whole discography. Neon Bible is one of those albums, that is on the lower end of the sinusoid. The record was just average, not one track caught my attention, it sounded like a blend of Coldplay and Mumford and Sons, but only average songs were fused together. A bit of a disappointment, but it is what it is.

Architecture And Morality

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

2/5

That was not the worst album of the list. Here, that's all of the positive things I could write about it. Additionally, some more experimental and instrumental parts of album were pretty interesting, but usual post punk stuff is terrible. That's all.

Sister

Sonic Youth

4/5

Another album by Sonic Youth, another big surprise - how good is this band, man? And more importantly, how come I have never listened to any of their songs? I'm absolutely baffled. But there is something weird about it - since listening to their other album, "Daydream Nation", even though I really liked it, not even once I revisited it. I have a feeling its going to be the same story with "Sister". Both albums are really great, but ultimately I think it might be too far down the line for me to properly enjoy it. I'll give it 4 stars, but just to balance it out with previous album, so that both of them are 4,5 stars.

Blackstar

David Bowie

2/5

It's the final album by David Bowie, which might have made the critics more sentimental, so we have it here, on this list. Personally, I didn't like "Blackstar". I felt like Bowie lost his charm and was not as entertaining on this album as earlier in his career. The quirky melodies weren't really fitting with his voice, just a bit of a mismatch. Average album at best.

Sea Change

Beck

2/5

Well, it's not my sound, and I had a hard time trying to focus on the music, while listening to "Sea Change". My favourite part - when I just gave up half way and turned it off, it was like my will to live came back, very euphoric experience. Maybe that's why I will give a good 2 stars for this album, instead of a more deserving 1.

Young Americans

David Bowie

5/5

I'm a simple person - if I listen to an old David Bowie's album, it's great. If I'm listening to a more recent one, it's not that good. As you can see from this complicated chart, I really like the album. Great mix of funk, blues and whatever the Bowie style is. In my opinion "Fame" wasn't even the best song on the album, and that says quite a lot. Another great position on the list!

Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black

Public Enemy

3/5

Old school hip hop, yet another album to the list of "Listened once, was okay, never again". It's actually a pretty long list now. And that's all I have to say about this album, let's just move quietly to another position.

The Score

Fugees

5/5

The style of this album is absolutely unique and phenomenal. Melodies and beats blend together with at times funky style of rapping from all members of Fugees. Three hits from The Score are still very fresh, and if released today, could have easily climb to #1 on any list in the World. I didn't know how good this album was until today. Just an amazing work of art.

Emergency On Planet Earth

Jamiroquai

4/5

This distinctive voice of Jay Kay and Jamiroquai style is instantly recognizable and creates an amazing funky atmosphere. This is my first time listening to their debut album in full, but some of the songs will definitely end up on my "for party" list. At times it was slightly too repetitive, with songs blending with each other, but the general reception was very good. Excellent stuff.

Superunknown

Soundgarden

3/5

Soundgarden is a band that I liked quite a lot in the past, but haven't listened to it since. And the ugly truth is that... I simply don't like it anymore. Black Hole Sun is still one of my favourite songs, but the rest of the album, or the rest of their discography is just simply tiring to listen. Chris Cornell's vocal is unique and very strong, but it gets so annoying after few songs. It's the same story with Audioslave, on the paper it looks like a great band, but I just can't listen to it at all. The music is also pretty tame and boring, unfortunately Soundgarden is rather low on my list of great grunge bands.

The Age Of The Understatement

The Last Shadow Puppets

3/5

So you can take Alex Turner out of Arctic Monkeys, put him into another random band and the result will be... Arctic Monkeys. Honestly, I have no idea why he didn't just release this album under his name, there is nothing special added by other members, whoever they are. As for the music, some songs are pretty good, like the self-titled one, with a nice build-up and quirky instrumentation. As for the rest, the quirkiness goes full throttle and kills all the enjoyment for me, even though Turner's vocal is great as always. In the end, just an average album on this list.

New Wave

The Auteurs

2/5

Annoyingly average album. I read somewhere, that New Wave inspired many artists in years after releasing it, but how could they be inspired by something so normal, or maybe even bland? Not one song stood out, I didn't like the music, and I really didn't like the vocal. Let's just forget about that album and quickly move on.

Movies

Holger Czukay

4/5

First of all - terrible vocal, really off-putting. But otherwise, it's a nice combination of songs on this album. We're starting with a nice and short funky track, then we move into some psychedelic territories (best song in "Movies" by far). Later on we have more experimental electronic stuff, which is not my favourite, but thanks to solid start sounded quite nicely. Good album, a positive surprise.

Fire Of Love

The Gun Club

1/5

Well, okay, The Gun Club hasn't done anything wrong (other than being on this list, while playing in a genre I really dislike), but this is just too much for me. I listened to fragments of few songs on this album, and I admit, it's far too much of that bland punk style. I don't have that much resolve in myself to force listen to this album. Just one too many, I guess.

Beautiful Freak

Eels

3/5

I have never heard of Eels before, and after listening to "Beautiful Freak" I know why. It is just your average 90s soft rock album, with many boring songs, few slightly interesting and many, many average and unnoticeable tracks. 30 years later it sounds like a generic 90s album, created by ChatGPT, or by a parody group. I think, at least in my case, to like albums from 90s, you have to be at least a little bit sentimental about it, otherwise it will be a negative experience. "You should have been there and see it for yourself to understand". In this case I wasn't there, so no appreciation towards it on my behalf.

The Last Broadcast

Doves

5/5

A really fun album! Somehow I missed everything about it for the last 20 years - how come I have never heard of it, is it not as catchy as Blur and Oasis? Well, probably it's not, not even close. Also, I'm not a fan of Man City, so how could I know about their great song "Words"? This album is genuinely great piece of interesting indie rock, with no extravagant motifs, but very entertaining from the top to the bottom. I was not bored during any of their songs, very solid record overall. I would like to come back to this album later, so to catch my attention I will give it a 5 stars, but to think of it, I would give it the highest note anyway. Doves will now regularly fly in my playlist.

Two Dancers

Wild Beasts

2/5

Not really something I enjoyed, I couldn't even get through the whole album. The music itself isn't that bad, unremarkable at times, with some fancy, baroque-like melodies, but what brings it down is the vocal. Hard to get through the song, if vocalist is exposed like that, firmly standing in the first row. I will just calmly forget about this band.

The Fat Of The Land

The Prodigy

5/5

Iconic album, almost full of great songs and few gems. Funnily enough, I actually like their newer stuff a lot as well, mainly Invaders Must Die album, but one has to admit, this record was a proper breakthrough and deserves to be on every list. One of the amazing electronic releases from nineties!

Pornography

The Cure

4/5

I never liked The Cure, even though I tried to like them for a long time. Plenty of my favourite bands cite them as one of their inspiration, but somehow I didn't know what is so appealing about them. One of the biggest problems I had with The Cure is the vocal. It reminds me so much of all the terrible post punk bands, that it felt like an allergic reaction. But my first approach to the album "Pornography" changed my view quite a bit. Mainly through the shoegazy background and general depressing sound, that didn't feel forced or overdone. And this time vocalist was fitting really well into the bigger picture. Every song was very solid, no fillers, and a great outro song. You can say I'm finally hooked. I'll give it 4 stars, but if their next album on this list is as good (and I don't doubt there will be couple more The Cure albums here), then it's an easy 5.

Dust

Screaming Trees

2/5

Southern grunge? Or just a normal southern rock with some metal elements? Whatever it is, it doesn't work. Songs are rather boring, I can't see anything appealing in it. Let's just move on.

Heaux Tales

Jazmine Sullivan

1/5

Music-wise it's not really audible for me. I don't like this type of modern american rnb. Couldn't get through the full album. Lyrics are much more relevant and social conscious, apparently, but with this type of music I just couldn't focus at all. Big miss for me.

The Stooges

3/5

Some interesting guitar solos on this album, that's for sure, but otherwise very average record. To be honest, I didn't like anything else other than solos. Definitely a relic of olden times, that happens to be on this list, because 1000 albums is an enormous number, so some mediocre stuff has to make its way in as well. On to the next one.

Safe As Milk

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

4/5

Okay, there is quite a difference between this album and "Trout Mask Replica". Essentially, when Captain Beefheart is not trying to be the most unique person in the room (or the whole world), his music is really good. Perfect combination of blues, psych rock, traditional rock, with a big dose of weird Captains vocal. I'm still not used to it, but when the music is more comprehensive and not as exaggerated, it doesn't bother anyone that much. After the lowest note for TMR, it is time for some redemption. Now that I know more of their music and their history, aI can say that maybe it wasn't the most appropriate note. To balance it out, I'll give a good 4/5 for Safe As Milk, even though it really deserves a note like this without this background.

Survivor

Destiny's Child

3/5

Great two opening tracks, so many memories, every club would play those songs over and over again. Very sentimental stuff. But then, listening to the rest of album, it's basically Beyonce version 1.0. If you remove the aforementioned two songs from this album, it sounds like a very early Beyonce record. To add to that, most of the beats and melodies don't hold up that well, it really sounds very generic. Mixed feelings about this one, great, sentimental tracks, plus a lot of disappointment. I'll give it a 3/5, but I feel like it might be a bit too high of a note.

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

3/5

I always thought of myself as an average Led Zeppelin fan, which means I love their well known part of discography and just disregard everything else. Today I had a quick date with that "everything else" part. Unfortunately, it didn't end on a positive note. Big highlight of the album is the song "Kashmir", which has one of my favourite guitar riffs of all time. What is really surprising, is that this song just sticks out both in quality and thematically from the album. All the other tracks are in different style, just like a random mashup of some (good) guitar solos and Plant's vocal, which is slowly grinding your gears on this album. I would never think that I will have such a bad time listening to Led Zeppelin record, but here we are.

Get Behind Me Satan

The White Stripes

3/5

Quite an average album from The White Stripes. Their crazy garage rock image was replaced by quirky garage drum and vocal, which was pretty fun, but not for the whole record. You can just listen to "Doorbell" 12 times or so, and I would have the same effect as listening to Get Behind Me Satan. I think I might mix a song or two into my daily listening list, but probably I won't come back to this album anytime soon.

Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane

3/5

"White Rabbit" is an amazing song. Powerful, beautifully performed by Grace, Woodstock was probably in ecstasy. Same thing for "Somebody to Love". Although more traditional composition, it's a legendary track, unsurprisingly again thanks to Grace. It feels like she can transform an average song into a masterpiece. And the problem is there - she is not that prominent on the rest of the album, and it's an absolute snoozefest. I couldn't get through other songs, it was just painfully average. Its a real shame, because those two songs are easily 6/5 on my list, but altogether I can't give anything more than 3. Sorry Grace!

A Wizard, A True Star

Todd Rundgren

3/5

Another average album by Todd Rundgren, but at least this time I was able to sit through most of it. Entertaining at times, some interesting guitar passages and solos, but it's too much for me.

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

3/5

Second album by Talking Heads on this list, after a very entertaining "Remain In Light". As a predecessor to that record, "Fear Of Music" put a lot of hopes in my heart. Opening song would push this hope even further, but the rest of the album turned out to be average and not noteworthy at all. Talking Heads style was very prominent, but ultimately it wasn't yet cohesive enough to create a great composition. Bit of a disappointment, its not the greatest album in their discography.

She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper

4/5

It is definitely the most 80s album on this list so far. Quintessential to the decade, it had everything - electronic beats, catchy rhythms, and simple lyrics. In my opinion, 90% of albums from 80s is absolutely unlistenable now. But those few exceptions include "She's So Unusual". If I were to dissect song from this album, they wouldn't be impressive at all, but somehow Cyndi wrote few hits, and they still hold quite well. I won't listen to this album again anytime soon, but I certainly appreciate a well done record from my least favourite decade.

Konnichiwa

Skepta

4/5

Finally a hip hop album with a bit darker beat and atmosphere. I like this style of music and additionally Skepta's style and flow was pretty inclusive for fans of different genres. A real positive surprise, I would be happy to check the rest of his discography.

1999

Prince

3/5

Some futuristic sounds by Prince, looking forward by 17 years and not being that much far from truth. The problem is that this future music is not really the best outcome, of all possible scenarios. Mixing r&b, rock, pop and some electronic sounds resulted in a very average album, which at the time, I believe had to be revolutionary. Prince was named Miles Davis of pop/rock, which might be true, because he mastered so many different genres, but this album on its own doesn't really appeal to me. I'll be happy to listen to other records by him, to see how much he changed his style later on.

Shleep

Robert Wyatt

1/5

Brian Eno did it again. A very specific and experimental album, which is as dividing as possible. This time I have to tap out - if I would want to listen to an absolute lunatic, that has problem hitting any tune in every song, with a bunch of random noise in the background, I would just record myself taking a shower. Couldn't finish, won't try again.

Private Dancer

Tina Turner

3/5

I didn't know that "What Love Got To Do" is from 1984, that's basically 40 years! Time flies by, I guess. Tina Turner and a long set of pop songs from 80s. Pretty pleasant listening session, boring at times and repetitive, but Tina's voice is a real sight to behold. Couple songs are nice to listen from time to time in a radio, but overall it's not an album I would like to listen again. Nice piece of history, nothing else.

Murder Ballads

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

4/5

Great band, great singer, great ballads, great contributions from PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue, but not the greatest album. 10 ballads in a row is quite a struggle to get through, although every song is almost perfect. Light melody, some nice bass lines, bit of a toned drums and Nick Cave reciting or sometimes singing the lyrics. Only problem is, one song per day is enough. Definitely their other albums are more approachable.

Rings Around The World

Super Furry Animals

5/5

Welsh band from around of era, but somehow I have never heard about them. I approached this album being very sceptical, as I always do, and truthfully I didn't find it original, creative or even fun at the beginning. I think the song "Receptacle for the Respectable" completely changed my perception of this album. They tried to fit every possible genre into a song, and somehow they created an absolute banger, which goes to the top of my favourite songs . Only then I noticed how original this album is, with songs all over the place musically, but with a cheeky lyrics on top of it. I had so much fun listening to the whole record, and I still have b-sides and remastered versions to listen to. Amazing stuff, looking forward to deeper dig into the discography in the near future!

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

4/5

Elegant and graceful album, just like Elton John and his music in general. Interesting thing is, that the music really is secondary every time Elton is singing, he is just that good. I have to watch Rocketman soon, so I will have a better knowledge of his history and background. But the album was a treat for sure!

Hysteria

Def Leppard

2/5

Sugar on me has been planted. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is the slowest and the most boring car crash I have ever heard. Literally nothing happens during the songs. Apparently, the drummer recorded the album while having only one arm. It's very impressive, kudos to him, but why does it all sound like the whole band had a collective one arm to use instruments? Few nice moments, but otherwise a waste of time.

L'Eau Rouge

The Young Gods

1/5

Nice album! Very original, groundbreaking, once in a lifetime achievement. Inspired countless different bands like X and Y. We are truly living in the Post - L'Eau Rouge era. Excellent stuff. The only issue? It's unlistenable and I hate it. Of course it's only a small problem in a sea of superlatives, but the hatred is of purest quality, so I'm sorry The Young Gods, it's a very considerable 1.

Tidal

Fiona Apple

3/5

I was told that Fiona Apple is like PJ Harvey, just from the other end of the pond. After listening to her album, I can tell that's a big exaggeration. I didnt feel the same emotional package like PJ presents in her songs, instrumental parts are just there, Fiona's voice is soothing and rather...normal? Basically, I wasn't impressed, I didn't have fun, but it's definitely not the end of the world. Just not my thing.

Moon Safari

Air

5/5

Have I heard about Air? Probably couple times, but never about a band with this name. And that's a mistake, because "Moon Safari" is a really peaceful and very atmospheric electronic music, apparently opening the doors for downtime bands all around the world. The album is filled with many great moments and beats, it was a lot of fun from start to finish. It's not the greatest record of all time, but it hits all the right tones.

Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield

2/5

Not my type of music. I used to like "Son of the Preacher Man", but probably I remember this song from covers or different arrangements, because the version on the album was quite slow and raw, in my opinion. And so is the rest of the album, but without that catchy phrase. Altogether, just a below average record for today's standards.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

4/5

PJ Harvey's album that sounds like PJ Harvey, absolutely surprising! It just wasn't exactly my favourite record of hers. Still really good though. I'll have to listen to it again, but for now Im happy with a rate of 4/5.

Mama Said Knock You Out

LL Cool J

3/5

That's a pretty pleasant album and quite a surprise for me. By the cover I just immediately assumed its going to be a full on gangsta rap, but instead it was an interesting rnb slash rap that was quite good. Nice rapping style, just an above average album compared to other hip hop records on the list.

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

4/5

Another album with some amazing songs by David Bowie. I think it should always be an automatic 4/5, and if most of the songs are great, then an easy 5. This time the legendary "On Mars" put a shade on the rest of the album, so I didn't really enjoy other tracks the same way. I will give it another go in the future, but for now it's just 4 stars.

Astral Weeks

Van Morrison

4/5

Positive surprise. Every song had a vibe similar to "Brown Eyed Girl", to the point that I thought it's just one long medley based on the melody from this track. And the melody is great, but it was pretty repetitive. But what was the best on this album was Van Morrison vocal. Just genuinely a treat to listen to. Pretty good album, but rather one and done on my list.

The Lexicon Of Love

ABC

5/5

I don't usually listen to this type of music, but oh man, it is filled with bangers. Whole album can easily be broadcast 24/7 on any station, and probably no one would mind. Just an amazing pop record, with great vocal, nice instrumentation and really fitting orchestral music in the background. This album probably won't change my view of pop music, or 80s music, but I have just found a needle in a haystack of crap.

Whatever

Aimee Mann

2/5

Calling this an average album would be a stretch. I didn't like the music, style or Aimee's vocal. Just a boring record, on to the next one.

Rattlesnakes

Lloyd Cole And The Commotions

2/5

Just another average album. I got very bored when listening to it, I didn't find anything exciting or inspiring in it. Its hard to comment on any songs, because I couldn't remember any, even though I just finished listening to the record.

In Rainbows

Radiohead

2/5

I really like Radiohead, some of their songs have cult status on my playlist, whatever that actually means. But there is one problem with this album - it sounds like the most boring mashup of Thom Yorke's groaning and moaning, with occasional guitar riff in the background. It was honestly one of my biggest achievements, that I could survive that album in full. I'm still a fan, but I will avoid In Rainbows with a wide radius.

Good Old Boys

Randy Newman

3/5

Okay album, but I didn't have time to make through it properly. I will listen again to it soon.

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite

Maxwell

2/5

Well, really nice hotel lounge music, which is perfect if you don't like to sit in silence, but you don't want to listen to anything that requires attention. It feels like Maxwell had an idea for a great bass line, and then decided to build a whole album off of it. Honestly, all that I remember from this album is that bass line, otherwise everything is so forgettable and mediocre. Very surprising choice for a "greatest album of all time", even if that would mean a place closer to 1000. Very disappointing.

California

American Music Club

2/5

I'm on a streak of average albums on this list. This is another one, rather anonymous country rock band, that brings essentially nothing to the table. Its hard to point in any direction with praise, it's mostly just generic music probably created by Chat GPT, after feeding in the name of the band. Waste of time.

Cypress Hill

2/5

Somehow an idea of Cypress Hill was so much better "in my head" than in reality. I had the impression their discography is full of Rage Against The Machine type of work, but with heavier hip hop influence and a bit darker tonnes as well. Meanwhile, this album was just an average hip hoop album with a slight latino sounding drums as a beat. None of the songs had a nice flow, it was all very raw. Even "How I Could Just Kill a Man", a song that was perfectly covered by aforementioned RATM, in its original sound was incredibly clunky and just plain unattractive. I am very disappointed, I really thought it might be a great album.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

2/5

Early album by The Rolling Stones. According to the lore, this is the record that showed the potential in their songwriting skills, finally coming up with their own style which we all know and love. But even though it's an important album for them historically, it's also an incredibly boring and definitely not noteworthy piece in their discography. Snoozefest to the top, very gentle melodies, vocal somewhere in the background, no power, no flair. This is definitely not a list of 1001 Most Important Albums in History, so what is it doing here?

Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons

2/5

Well, I didn't like Flying Burrito Brothers, so it's not a surprise I don't like Gram Parsons' album. It sounds like a classic country album, which means it is mediocre at best. Struggled to finish it, and I'm happy I stopped trying.

Unhalfbricking

Fairport Convention

5/5

Amazing album, I think this is the ultimate surprise of this list. I have never heard of this band, or if any song made by them and still I am speechless after listening to it. "A Sailor's Life" is a great song, beautiful vocal (on the whole album), great melodies and guitar solos, but the best is the atmosphere of the record. Somehow it's very captivating from the start of the album and just keeps you in the clenched fist until the end. Looks like sometimes this list is worth all that wasted time.

Slippery When Wet

Bon Jovi

4/5

OOOooooOOOO, Living on a Prayer! It's one of the most overplayed songs in the history of humankind, right after bones hitting the stones in a semi-rhytmic way. I probably even know the full lyrics, even though I never intended to. It's a hard listen nowadays, after being bombarded by it for years, same as the rest of the album that sounds like an elongation of said song, just not as catchy. I'll give it a good note, because the current, sarcastic me shouldn't come in front of the young, innocent person that has heard this song for the first time many years before. And the rest of the record is just there.

Cross

Justice

4/5

Once again an album with one great song and an overall average rest of the record. That one song is obviously D.A.N.C.E. such a great piece of electronic music, whatever the actual subgenre is. I think every party since 2007 includes some version of a remix of this song, and for a good reason. Other tracks maintain the tempo and energy of that song, but there is something lacking, you don't really feel the same atmosphere anymore, it's nothing as substantial as this. So once again, above average note, for an average album and a great song.

21

Adele

4/5

That's a really good pop album. I didn't realise how many summer hits were on this album. I don't really think it's one of the top albums in history, but maybe one of the best summer records with crazy hits post-2010. Nice voice though.

Infected

The The

3/5

Second album by The The on this list, and as far as I can remember, Infected is infinitely better than the previous one, which name I don't want to remember anymore. Musically, it's a very average and uninteresting piece of post punk, but lyrically it was actually really good. Especially song Heartland, even though the instruments were snooze inducing, vocal was keeping it alive. All in all, much better, but nothing I would like to listen to in the future.

Vanishing Point

Primal Scream

3/5

Average album, nothing interesting in particular, I tried to pay attention, but overall really underwhelming.

Urban Hymns

The Verve

4/5

Good album, but other than Bittersweet Symphony there is nothing special on it. The record sounds extremely British and in the same mold as Oasis, Blur and all of the rest bands like that. Quite pleasant listening to this album, but it won't stay with me any longer than that.

Highway to Hell

AC/DC

3/5

Well, I'm not a fan of Acca Dacca, their beats are really annoying, as is their vocal. They struck gold with a highly regarded titular single, but otherwise it's just a slug tempo mix of the most boring drums.

Here, My Dear

Marvin Gaye

3/5

Relatively pleasant album, mainly thanks to the soothing voice of Marvin Gaye. The small drawback is that I couldn't differentiate between the songs at all, because they all sounded the same to me. Easy an gentle melody, groovy bass line and Marvin. Hopefully his other albums are more interesting than this.

The Renaissance

Q-Tip

3/5

Average album by my uneducated hip hop standards. Beats and flow was unique, that's for sure, keeping you on your toes, but being at least semi interesting. Q-Tip's rapping style was very bland. It was hard for me to get into the flow, it was a little bit too gentle and, in the end, boring. The only saving grace is its originality. Nothing happend here folks, let's all disperse.

Achtung Baby

U2

2/5

Well, as I already have mentioned when reviewing Joshua's Tree, I'm not a fan of U2 and I find them overrated. Achtung Baby is even worse. There is song One, which is quite okay, but the rest of the album is just incredibly boring. On the positive note, this record was perfect for an afternoon nap - with such an uneventful music I slept like a baby. I don't think 1/5 would be fair, but it has to be lower note than I gave to their first album, which was 3/5. So the final rating is pretty clear.

Life's Too Good

The Sugarcubes

2/5

Everything that there was to say about Bjork and her projects has been said. Her style is very unique and addition of soft rock band doesn't change anything. 2023 - I survived another Bjork's album.

Maggot Brain

Funkadelic

5/5

Amazing song, amazing solo, atmosphere through the roof. How come this album is not one of the most popular ever? I can listen to the titular song on the loop everyday. Rest of the album is pretty good, but this track just elevates the whole thing to the top of this list so far. Great stuff.

Scott 4

Scott Walker

4/5

Scott Walker has a lovely voice and style. His songs are always pleasant to listen to, even though some of them are rather basic. But even then, I liked this album as a thing in the background, with Walkers very soothing vocal range. Really positive record.

La Revancha Del Tango

Gotan Project

3/5

First song was very promising - a nice and quite original mix of electronic music and latino rhytms. Melody was as catchy as the beat. But for the rest of the album, so another 50 minutes or so, I felt like I'm listening to the remix of that song in few different versions. It was repetitive and tiring, it just seemed like Gotan Project took a nice idea for a song and made a full record out of it. Overall, it wasn't too good, but wasn't that bad either, definitely I had worse experience with other albums like that.

Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Bill Callahan

3/5

Beautiful voice, average music, average experience. Bill Callahan seemed to mastered a certain subgenre of low-fi pop/ kind of country(?) music. And while some of the songs were interesting, with a simple set up going for few minutes, it was just too overwhelming for the duration of the whole album. It was nice to listen to "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle", but more likely it will be my first and last encounter with Bill.

What's That Noise?

Coldcut

1/5

I think the name of this album works both for people that like it, and those that despise it. Unfortunately, I'm much closer to that latter group. It was just a bunch of noise that I couldn't fins a key into. It seemed very chaotic and random, just for the sake of chaos and randomness. I didn't have any fun listening to this album and honestly, I would just rather forget about it.

Elvis Is Back

Elvis Presley

2/5

Elvis is Back! Unfortunately, I didn't ask for him. Its just a bunch of semi-interesting songs, nothing popular, just audibly sang by Elvis. I'm not his fan, although I enjoy his music, just not from this album.

3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul

3/5

Fun rhythms, cool atmosphere, groovy style, but otherwise underwhelming and outdated. I felt like I was listening to soundtrack from "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", but with no emotional baggage towards the series. Lyrics weren't especially interesting and I was slowly losing interest in the song as it went on. Interesting piece of trivia, but not a band I will remember for their music.

At Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash

2/5

Great voice, nice idea of recording in prison, but once again, I just can't stand country music, especially the "true" genre, without a mix from anything else. I am trying, but it's just too much for my ears. Sorry Mr. Cash, I will always cherish "Hurt" instead.

Da Capo

Love

2/5

Very average album, I haven't heard anything interesting on it, and I'm not sure why it has been recognised by this list. Classic psychedelic composition of few short tracks and one massive bit, but problem is, it just wasn't good or worth listening. Big disappointment.

Beach Samba

Astrud Gilberto

2/5

I'm not a fan of samba, and Astrud's singing certainly didn't help. I felt like listening to a child learning the scale. It's just music completely out of my element.

Now I Got Worry

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

3/5

Very interesting album, it reminded me slightly of "Trout Mask Replica" by Captain Beefheart, but in this case the foundation of songs was really enjoyable - the blues was an actual blues genre. Vocal was also pretty good, going very experimental at times. Unfortunately, after few songs it became very repetitive and boring. Good idea, quite fun at times, but ultimately disappointing.

Cut

The Slits

1/5

Apparently very influential album, and additionally, totally unlistenable. A mix of reggae and wolves howl isn't that enjoyable, I was basically grinding my teeth while listening to them. It's a great milestone in music (I guess?), but we should be moving on from that and put it into Hall of Fame Bu Don't Listen Please.

Go Girl Crazy

The Dictators

3/5

That wasn't actually that terrible as I thought. It had some punk elements, but otherwise couple nice guitar melodies here and there. The vocal wasn't annoying, just an average album.

Kick Out The Jams (Live)

MC5

4/5

That was an actually great album! I know this band just because Rage Against The Machine covered the title song, but I never looked into the rest of discography. And apparently they were kicking the jams already in sixties! A lot of energy, a lot of great riffs and melodies, just overall entertaining and slightly antiquated album. From now on I know that the original song is at least as good as its covers.

Sunday At The Village Vanguard

Bill Evans Trio

1/5

Nice idea, let's get one of the greatest bass player (at the time) and let him play against the rhythm of other members. Interesting concept, full steam ahead! For some reason this album reminded me of a video of Pablo Picasso I have seen, where he was painting a bird in a childish way. We all know he is great and extremely talented, so he can now do whatever he wants, it will all amuse us anyway, doesn't matter how stupid it is. Well, Bill Evans Trio members were great and very talented, and together they came up with this unlistenable album, that is giving me heart palpitations from all the wrong reasons. Great milestone in history, there are no rules in music anymore, hurray!

Queens of the Stone Age

3/5

I was never a big fan of Queens if the Stone Age, mostly because I thought of Josh Homme as kind of a prick. They have few very catchy songs in their discography, but Ixwas never interested enough to take a deep dive into their albums. So this was my first experience with that and the result was average. Interesting first song, very much in southern style, but then every next track sounds like an exact copy of it. Josh has a great voice, but it isn't enough to hold your interest for the whole song. If something stands out, I would pick "Walkin on the Sidewalks" because of a great, atmospheric outro. Otherwise, nothing special.

The Coral

3/5

An average band with an average album is just enough for the average times we have right now. A sort of folk rock with a forgettable songs (honestly, I have listened to this record few hours ago, and I remember nothing). Interesting gimmick, but not down my path

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

3/5

Samba, bossa nova, bit of jazz influence. It's a nice album for a song or two, and then the constant drum rhythm just drills a hole in your head and you're not able to hear anything. Listen in small doses and you will enjoy it.

Feast of Wire

Calexico

3/5

I think this is a contender for most average album on this list. Nothing that I like, but also nothing that I would dislike. Just few soft rock, indie, country even songs, with gentle melodies and some quirky (but not too much) moments. Okay singing voice, a bit dispassionate instruments and that's all.

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Aphex Twin

1/5

I'm very much surprised. I know and like Aphex Twin from songs like Come To Daddy, or whatever his other good songs are named. But I've never heard of his ambient work and I wish it would remain this way forever. Is it revolutionary? Maybe at the time, I'm not historian to say that. But is it nice to listen to right now, in 21st century? Not even in the slightest. What I remember from this album is a constant stomach ache from those beautiful tracks. So just let me forget it and move one to next one.

I Against I

Bad Brains

2/5

Is Bad Brains one of the first bands to create music in hardcore punk genre? Very likely but is it enjoyable to listen to nowadays? Not at all, 0%. I'll admit it is an interesting record with quite unique sound and vocal, giving me a comparison to some albums by Beastie Boys, or even RATM at times. But overall it's very raw and just so sharp around the edges you have to take a break after every song. Once again, an album that's an essential part of the history, but not really easy to listen to.

Planet Rock: The Album

Afrika Bambaataa

3/5

It's like listening to a meme album making fun of the music from late 80s and early 90s. And the weird thing is, it was quite good at times. Renegades of Funk is a great song, made immortal by RATM. Rapping was very average, but the samples were just oozing 80s. Nice blast from the past, pretty enjoyable, but let's now hide this album somewhere in the basement, never to be seen again.

Winter In America

Gil Scott-Heron

3/5

A bit of a spoken word with a light jazz, actually quite enjoyable record, although I wouldn't label it as an "Album That I Like". The beauty lays in the lyrics, but if those are put forward in an unattractive wrap, then it's too hard to connect. But I can understand people that think very highly of Gi Scott-Heron and this album.

Parklife

Blur

3/5

I am a big fan of Damon Albarn's work, mostly his stuff from Gorillaz onwards, but I have always assumed Blur had some great albums that I just never listened out of lack of time. "Song No.2" is basically an anthem from my FIFA playing days, and many more songs are just so good, like Parklife's "Girls & Boys". Today finally I had a chance to listen carefully their album track after track, and I have to say I;m just disappointed. Maybe Oasis was a better band, at least other than the main singles? This record didn't move the needle for me, it was quite predictable and rather boring, or even dull. Maybe it's a sign of times, we need something more entertaining now? Nice singles, but the rest of the album is very forgettable, I'm happy to move on. I think I have to listen to the rest of their discography, just to make a more conscious decision about this band.

All Hope Is Gone

Slipknot

5/5

Okay, I'm just a very casual fan of Slipknot, I would sometimes listen to their more famous songs, like "Psychosocial" or "Snuff" from this album. In 2000s I always thought this band is all "shock" and no essence, just 4 dudes using kegs as drums in a weird and scary masks. Stuff for teenagers I guess. But one has to admit that "All Hope Is Gone" is a much more mature album, with quieter and slower moments, good on its own, but also underlining the speed and anger from other songs. I'm also a fan of Corey Taylor, pretty good vocalist, that has some nice songs outside of Slipknot. Not the greatest album on the list, but I think it's worth 5 stars.

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

4/5

I think every album recorded by Stevie Wonder in 70s or 80s should have a base score of 4 out of 5, going to max in case of even higher greatness (or higher ground). In case of "Fulfillingness First Finale" we have a really good album, with some great songs, like "They won't Go When I Go". I just love this kind of funky rhythm, some epic vocal coordination with choir sounds, and an amazing outro. Rest of the record is good and enjoyable, but not as impressive as this song.

Deloused in the Comatorium

The Mars Volta

4/5

Very interesting and probably important album. I can hear a lot of modern post-rock, post-metal bands in this record, especially with the way all of the instruments work together despite the possible chaos. What's surprising is how user friendly this album is, despite a massive amount of experimentation. It didn't strike me as an undisputed great modern album ever, like some people think, but I do find it very enjoyable and pretty important in popular music history.

Fly Or Die

N.E.R.D

2/5

I have remembered this album as much more entertaining than it apparently is. Maybe my musical taste changed, or it's just a mark of time, but this record is absolutely miserable and I had a really bad time trying to listen to it all. I didn't like the beat in any song, it wasn't particularly rock, but it wasn't a classic rap beat as well, flow of the songs was just not there, at least Pharell Williams was keeping some composure and a certain level in his singing/rapping. Never again I will mention NERD as a band I used to listen to.

Youth And Young Manhood

Kings of Leon

4/5

Hard one to rate. On one hand it was a simple and normal rock with a lot of country influence, but on the other hand it's quite an achievement from a bunch of teenagers. Couple nice solos, good flow of the album, perfect summer record. Well, let it be 4 stars, why not.

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

3/5

Boys are back in town! It was nice, pretty fun, but they can go back to their village now. Entertaining at moments, but ultimately quite a boring album.

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

5/5

It was an amazing album. How come I didn't know it's so good? I think I learned about Meat Loaf from Tenacious D "Kickapoo", so I felt like he is partially a meme, but apparently he has better songs than "I would do anything for Love". Great voice, I could honestly listen to him for hours at end. It is supposedly one of the best selling albums in history, so I guess it's time for me to add to that number. "Bat Out Of Hell" is this type of rock opera, that Todd Sanchez would create, if he had any talent and no bad influence from Bojack. That's my head cannon from now on. Very easy 5 stars.

Duck Stab/Buster & Glen

The Residents

1/5

Mysterious, dark, experimental, innovative, extreme, brave, nonchalant, terrible. All I have to say.

Bone Machine

Tom Waits

4/5

There is something about Tom Waits, that just make his music so appealing, no matter how weird, or unorthodox it is. He could just wail for 45 minutes (which he often does) and it would be still a good album. Same with Bone Machine. Different to anything I've heard before, but still working really well, both with lyrics and instruments. Really solid piece.

Henry's Dream

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

5/5

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds never go below a certain level (with very small exception). Henry's Dream is a really good album with a fantastic music and excellent lyrics and vocal, as always. Some great songs, and few at least average, but always pleasant to hear. Nick Cave and the band has a really diverse discography, which one has to admire.

Marquee Moon

Television

4/5

Quite interesting album, very modern and clean sound of guitars for a record from 1977. The melodies and riffs are actually pretty good, though they are offset by some real howling by the main man Tom Verlaine. Apparently, this album is pretty important, making a way for the post- post punk generation, before the real post punk was even created. Kudos to that, even without this knowledge Marquee Moon is an entertaining position on this list.

The Trinity Session

Cowboy Junkies

3/5

It started off really nice, with couple of very atmospheric songs with very good vocals, real melancholic tunes, but the rest of the album became a little too country generic for me. The shtick became tiring and I couldn't stay connected with the music. It was a nice position on the list though, definitely better than a lot of other country artists I found in here.

The Stone Roses

2/5

Not my favourite album, slow tempo that I just couldn't get into, very off-putting voice and just general atmosphere didn't suit me at all. I didn't finish this album, it felt like an eternity listening to this self titled record by The Stone Roses. I'll just simply move on.

Groovin'

The Young Rascals

2/5

Very average album, too old, too basic, just not fun at all. Couldn't finish this album, it was too taxing on my brain. Not the worst on this list, but definitely not a great position.

Arc Of A Diver

Steve Winwood

3/5

Okay album by Steve Winwood. Some nice guitar solos, rather average voice, a lot of 80s sounds in the background, which was very unnecessary. Good and solid record, but certainly not special in any way. Happy to move on.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

Eurythmics

3/5

One great song and a bunch of moderately entertaining tracks, telling you how it would like to go to disco in 80s. I didn't know if I was fan of Eurythmics, because I only know their two most known hits, but after listening to Sweet Dreams album I made up my mind - it's just not for me.

Devotional Songs

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

3/5

Surprisingly quite an okay album, even though it is culturally so foreign style for me. Khan just makes some lively and catchy music, which apparently can be enjoyed by people from the other side of the globe. It's not a record I will come back to, but at least it's much better than many other records on this list.

Rejoicing In The Hands

Devendra Banhart

4/5

It started as a very average folk album without any distinctive features, but some of the songs were actually pretty good, even though I can't put up my finger why they stand out. I especially liked Insect Eyes and the self-titled song. One has a very ominous feeling when listening to those two. Nice album, I would like to come back to it one day.

Virgin Suicides

Air

5/5

First time that I have listened to a soundtrack from a movie, that made me really want to watch it. Very soft and gentle melodies, quite melancholic arrangement, but some ominous overtones are very visible. Opening song is obviously the best example of that, such a great track, instantly it goes to my daily playlist. Second album from Air on this list, but both releases are so diametrically different from each other, its actually amazing how diverse their sound can be. Excellent record, very easy 5/5.

Fear and Whiskey

Mekons

2/5

Very average album, which for me is a mix of post punk and Irish folk songs, but it really sounds just straight up average. I couldn't listen to the whole album, just fast forward a couple times, but I didn't get the atmosphere or the style at all. Just not a record for me.

The Message

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

3/5

A very good title song and an average album. Conscious lyrics, that somehow haven't get old, not even a bit, really impressive. Otherwise, nothing to see in here.

Don't Stand Me Down

Dexys Midnight Runners

4/5

What a fun album! It's so much better, in my opinion of course, than other records by Dexys Midnight Runners. Every song is very entertaining, this album must have been awesome to hear live on concerts. I like the vocalist, he has a really unique voice, but so is the sound of the band, it's really hard to compare it to anything. Very solid position on this list.

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

4/5

That's actually one of the better jazz albums on this list so far, and definitely one that is much more approachable for a common folk, like me, than Thelonius Monk or Miles Davis. Great beats, some surprising elements, like A Love Supreme chant, and obviously great saxophone to round it all out. It's a positive surprise.

Nowhere

Ride

3/5

Very average shoegazy album. It wasn't impressive from a view of non-genre specific ear, but even compared to other position on this list playing shoegaze it was just uneventful. It didn't stand out for better or worse, there was nothing to pick up in the review. Bit of a waste of time.

Haunted Dancehall

The Sabres Of Paradise

3/5

Another totally average album with electronic music. Nothing too catchy, nothing too terrible, just a long list of tracks with some random beats and flows. Extremely unremarkable.

No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)

Motörhead

2/5

I don't have much more to say about Motorhead, other than repeating my rather unfavourable opinion of their other record on this list. I'm not a fan of this band, and it feels like all the songs sound the same to me - one big variation of Ace of Spades. Not the worst ever, but I just cannot stand it.

Butterfly

Mariah Carey

1/5

Not a Mariah Carey fan, her style of singing is really off-putting for me, I had a hard time to sit through a whole song from this album. She is talented, that's for sure, as is the recording studio, but I'm not the target audience for this album.

Trio

Dolly Parton

1/5

I'll just repeat myself - Dolly Parton is a great human being, a very good singer and an icon of country music. I just can't listen to this genre at all. It's just too much. Sorry

69 Love Songs

The Magnetic Fields

2/5

Well, not my idea of Love Songs apparently. I didn't like the style , the simplicity, and the vocal, just terribly not my type of music. I tried to listen to at least 10 songs, to make an opinion (out of 69, which is actually unbelievable), but it was quite repetitive, so no reason to listen to it in whole. Bad match.

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

4/5

Elvis Costello and his unique voice starts to grow on me the more I listen to his discography. His style, so awkward at the first glance, is getting more and more attractive, as is his band. I think I will have to listen again to other positions on this list, maybe I was too harsh for him at the beginning. But for now - a really good album!

GI

Germs

1/5

Sincere, brave, exciting, powerful, innovative. In other words - terrible. Absolute unlistenable sounds, straight from My Own Personal Guantanamo. I might never recover. Pain.

Amnesiac

Radiohead

4/5

You and Whose Army - excellent song, easily my favourite by Radiohead, there's been times, when it was on a loop for a whole day. As for the rest of the album it's typical Radiohead. Some songs are quite good, catchy, melancholic, original. But others have just too much of Thom Yorke's wailing, which in bigger doses is on par with an audio torture. Still a great album, but don't listen to it too much, please.

On The Beach

Neil Young

4/5

Best album by Neil Young so far. Melancholic, but very simple and easy to digest. Great melodies, beautiful solos and amazing voice. Just a really solid album, which makes my opinion of Neil much more positive.

Hypnotised

The Undertones

4/5

I'm actually surprised, but I liked this album! Fun and lighthearted melodies, mostly with positive vibes (not looking into lyrics though), just overall pleasantly looking record. In my uneducated opinion this type of music is so much better than other 80s post punk pretenders.

The New Tango

Astor Piazzolla

3/5

Pretty okay album, definitely not a music genre I would listen to, but it was quite entertaining and interesting. Very different from all the other albums on the list so far as well.

Oracular Spectacular

MGMT

5/5

I mean, this is on of the easiest 5/5 on this list. Great band, magnificent album, but I am pretty confused about the placement. Is it really that good, is it justifiably on this list? I don't feel like it's a modern breakthrough, it's not a start of a new genre, it's just a really, really solid album. Nevertheless, great music, it goes quite high on my "Vinyls To Buy Next" list.

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective

2/5

I don't get this band and I don't get this album. I don't understand this type of music, it's pretty confusing and random at times, with some unexpected passages of melody coming in least expected moments. It's definitely not terrible, but 100% it's not entertaining at all. Couldn't even get to a halfway point on this album, just too much of a n experimental mess.

Fever Ray

4/5

Great song in an otherwise mediocre album. Honestly, for me Fever Ray was a one-song band/performance since the beginning. If I had a Heart is an absolute banger, top notch meditative, unsettling song, which was made immortal with Vikings show. First time listening to the album, I feel like the idea was very neat, more approachable Bjork with better beats, but it just didn't feel as exciting as the opening song. I'll give it a good note, but it is hard carried by all-time battle hype hymn.

Actually

Pet Shop Boys

5/5

I'm not the biggest fan of Pet Shop Boys, but I guess everyone has to admit that this album is an absolute excellent piece of music in the highest quality available. Amazing album, great songs, will recommend to anyone!

There's No Place Like America Today

Curtis Mayfield

2/5

Second album on this list made recorded by Curtis Mayfield. The first one was much more memorable, with some interesting beats and flows, even though I haven't seen the movie (Superfly). This one seems to be more standard rnb album, with that irritating vocal that I identify with Redbone by Childish Gambino. It's very hard for me to concentrate on anything else with that style of singing, and that's why I won't be able to appreciate this album. Not my kind of jam.

4/5

The English response to Iggy Pop (or just their own version of it, at circa same time), which in my opinion checks all the boxes that Iggy didn't. It's fun, original, not that straightforward, with some great guitar solos and a plethora of other instruments. Really nice album, I'm pretty ashamed I have never heard of Alex Harvey before!

So Much For The City

The Thrills

3/5

Quite okay album, nothing too special, few country-like, pop, soft rock songs that sound like one-summer hits from years before. And like those hits, I will probably never hear of them again in the future.

You Are The Quarry

Morrissey

4/5

An actually fun album with a very progressive and socially conscious lyrics. But what's really great, is that after listening to this album, I was singing some parts of it, even though it was my first time listening to this record. Very fun stuff, will listen again!

This Nation’s Saving Grace

The Fall

3/5

Okay album, much better than other post punk installments on this list. Very diverse record, good beats and rhythms, going on minutes on end. Still not mu favourite genre, but a positive surprise.

Music From The Penguin Cafe

Penguin Cafe Orchestra

3/5

Interesting albun with every song being unexpected and coming out of blue. We've got some pop style, jazz, a bit of orchestral music, definitely a bit of folk and who knows what else. And as interesting, it was as confusing, with so many mood changes that it was hard to focus. Unusual position on this list, but otherwise nothing remarkable.

Brown Sugar

D'Angelo

1/5

I'm sorry, but I'm not able to be neutral in any way when rating rnb albums. DAngelo might be one of the greatest in the genre, but it's so physically painful to listen to it for me, that it's basically impossible. I survived 15 minutes in total, which is a nice achievement itself. Really not my type of music.

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

3/5

As a casual Massive Attack fan I enjoy their later albums, not the early ones. Blue Lines has a feeling of the band trying to figure out their own sound, experimenting and looking for a secret recipe. What that leaves us with is this record, pretty heavy on hop, not so much on trip. Honestly, I didn't really enjoy this album, even though it had to be a breakthrough at the time. Maybe I need to be more mature to like it.

In A Silent Way

Miles Davis

3/5

Duality of albums like that - first part is almost impossible for me to digest. Different instruments playing their own songs all at the same time, with some overarching melody from Miles. Very hard song to get through. Second song starts the same, but after some time all parts come together and they finally sound like one band. Miles is really amazing in the second part, and the background actually is very good on its own too. This album won't turn me into jazz addict, or even a casual fan, but it's a nice stepping stone. Let's give it another 10 years, maybe mu musical taste will be more sophisticated then.

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

Much better album than the previous one by Bob Marley on this list. Still, very much so not a fan of reagge, but at list it was a slightly nice experience. Nevertheless, I'm glad it's over.

Want One

Rufus Wainwright

2/5

I don't think it's as terrible as Want Two, that appeared on this list like a year ago. Maybe I had a very bad day? But the fact remains that I have a massive problem to listen to two songs by Wainwright in a row. His style of singing is just vertigo inducing, and not in a positive way. His instrumentation was quite good this time, less baroque and even rock at some times, but it's just so hard to push anything past that vocal. I now need a couple days of rest after this cheerful album.

Selling England By The Pound

Genesis

5/5

All time great Side A and unfortunately a little underwhelming Side B. Early Genesis, with Peter Gabriel as their frontman was a marvellous band. Original Dream Theater, just with much better vocalists (any of them will do). Basically, some of the songs are absolutely amazing even 50 years later, great solos, beautiful melodies, it has everything. Second part falls off from the standard a bit, but you have to admit, it's one of the best prog rock band in history.

Pretzel Logic

Steely Dan

3/5

An okay album, but as it was established twice now, I'm not a biggest fan of Steely Dan. They have some amazing solos on multiple instruments, but their overall work is rather average. Vocalist is quite soulless, taking the fun out of the experience. Also, most of their riffs and melodies are just underwhelming. Okay album, okay rating.

Slayed?

Slade

1/5

Nice and easy, no need to be eloquent about this one. Terrible album, couldn't listen to even one song from start to finish, too old, very much obsolete stuff. And quite a off-putting album cover, although I think that was the idea behind it.

Truth

Jeff Beck

3/5

Very average album, one day after listening to it I don't remember any song, or even one riff/solo. 40 minutes passed, where I had a pretty mediocre time and then it was gone forever.

The World is a Ghetto

War

3/5

Another album that is just okay. Very nice and groovy instrumental parts, especially in son City, Country, City, but other parts are rather average and kind of boring. Nothing special.

Born To Be With You

Dion

2/5

New York folk bard is not really my type of musican, or a genre, and it was showing, as I had a really hard time listening to this album. I survived halfway through and just run out of goodwill to finish it. Below average for sure.

Colour By Numbers

Culture Club

3/5

Every now and then I encounter a new quintessential album of the 80s, and after few days I see another ultimate record with 80s tunes. And Culture Club is so much formed by this decade, that it's hard to analyse the music from a neutral perspective. In my opinion - too much 80s is not a good thing.

Felt Mountain

Goldfrapp

4/5

Nice music, pretty good atmosphere, really nice vocal, chilled performance. Some songs were a bit too lofi for my liking, but otherwise an almost perfect album for a quiet night in the autumn, with a stereotypical tea and a book by the fireplace. Very cool record.

Fred Neil

3/5

I have never heard of Fred Neil before, and I won't become a fan of his work, but no one can deny that this man had a deep and beautiful voice. It almost made me like this type of folk/country style, even just for a short bit. Interesting position on the list, but I won't be looking back at it anytime soon.

Something Else By The Kinks

The Kinks

2/5

Very influential band in the sixties, and very boring, outdated band nowadays. It wasn't a nice album, and I would like to just move on.

The Dreaming

Kate Bush

4/5

Much better album than the other one recorded by Kate Bush, that is also listen in here - "Hounds of Love". I was very surprised with the amount of experiments in regard of Kate's vocal performance. So many modulations, weird voices, but ultimately it fitted very well with the theme of the album. Kate Bush is really a talented singer and songwriter, it is real shame she wasn't that famous before (at least in my circles). Really cool album, will definitely come back to it again!

Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division

4/5

Much better album then its successor, Closer. I like the atmosphere, being darker, more gothic. Guitar and bass melodies were original and interesting, vocalist was doing a lot of work by not doing too much. Definitely not your average post-punk album. Also, the artwork is present on at least 10% of people's arms as a tattoo. I'll give it a 4 for now, but I will be happy to revisit this record soon and maybe I will change my mind.

Golden Hour

Kacey Musgraves

2/5

Okay, that was actually a pretty nice album, boring, but it didn't sound anything as your typical country music, more like a positive pop star, which is nice to hear. I would give it a nice and average note of 3/5, but I was definitely lied to by Kacey. Song "Space Cowboy" is not about Cowboys from the Space, or about Cowboy Bepop. Instead, it should be named Space COMMA Cowboy. Terrible advertisement, which made me dislike this album. Very disappointed, 2/5.

Solid Air

John Martyn

3/5

Solid Air is pretty solid. Very artistic album, mixing folk and jazz in nice quantities, but overall being a little too slow and lowfi for me. Also, I'm not a great fan of John's vocal abilities. Average album, nothing special to see in here.

Rum Sodomy & The Lash

The Pogues

3/5

A bit of shanties for a nice start of the week, although listening to them in the office makes almost no sense. You need to have a pint of guinness in your hand and sit somewhere in the pub in Dublin, preferable with a view on the sea. Otherwise, it's just your average album.

Different Class

Pulp

4/5

This is 100% the best 4/5 album on this list. First five songs are so entertaining and just pleasant to listen to it's incredible. Record dips in quality after that, it definitely suffers from it being a bit too long. But overall verdict is set - it's a great album!

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

3/5

It wasn't that bad! Pretty chilled beats and samples, very much as any hip hop tracks from 80s, and quite "gangsta" lyrics, but compared to some of the contemporary music, it's not that outrageous. Just an album that for some reason became very influential and well-known. Only issue is - it's not in my style. Still though, pretty good job!

Getz/Gilberto

Stan Getz

3/5

I'm pretty sure this is a third album on this list that includes some version of "A Girl From Ipanema". I have no idea which version is original, but I think Getz/Gilberto collaboration had it recorded and performed in a best way. Otherwise, it's just a solid album with nice lounge songs, pretty fine for a background during a slow and peaceful day.

Alien Lanes

Guided By Voices

2/5

Very irritating album that started pretty well, with original sound and interesting concept. Unfortunately, after few songs this concept became unbearable and I was ready to give up. It's pretty amazing that I have listened to 14 songs and ended up just halfway through the album (one of many, as well). Not a music I can enjoy for longer than couple minutes, I'm afraid.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

3/5

"Gimmie Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" top, the rest of the album very boring and average. I have opened my eyes (and ears) on the great albums recorded bu The Rolling Stones thanks to this list, but I don't think "Let It Bleed" is one of their finest releases. Two hits, that I would call rather forgettable and a blues like album with anonymous songs didn't take my heart at all. I'm looking forward to more positions from their discography, but this one is a small flop, in my very honest opinion.

Van Halen

3/5

Few great songs (or rather great riffs and guitar solos), few duds, and nothing else. I really wanted to give a good note for this album mostly because of Eddie Van Halen's talent, but I actually have such a hard time listening to their songs, it's unthinkable to give anything more than 3/5. Vocal and compositions on this album are atrocious. Biggest discrepancy between talent of the guitarist and the rest of the band. Three stars, all going to Eddie.

Yeezus

Kanye West

4/5

I'm surprised, I didn't know that Kanye actually recorded a good album? I honestly thought he is just a celebrity that raps as a side hustle, or something like that, but this record might have change that opinion. Really interesting and unique compositions, something that I haven't heard before, with addition of a really solid flow and lyrics by Kanye create a great atmosphere. Addition of few covers/borrowed melodies it makes the whole experience even better. Very positive surprise, I will be happy to listen to his older albums more often now. Yeezus will get 4/5 at the moment, but i will definitely revisit it sooner rather than later and maybe I will change my mind. One of the better hip hop albums on this list so far.

xx

The xx

5/5

I think this is my favourite low-fi, chill album. The songs just flow perfectly throughout the record, strengthen by smooth voices of both vocalists. But the real pleasure is the legendary now intro. There has been a time I could listen to it on a loop for few hours, just perfect combination of melancholy and anticipation. Great album, amazing band.

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

2/5

Early 2000s rap scene is something we all would like to forget ("we" being me and probably few more people somewhere in the World). Unfortunately, this list like a constant reminder just how awful that time has been. Missy Elliott missed a lot with Under Construction. It's a below average adventure through mediocre beats and underwhelming flow. I just want to get out of this ride (which I have done after 5 songs).

Arrival

ABBA

4/5

Old ABBA=Good ABBA. I've been brainwashed into liking this band by being constantly bombarded by their songs probably since I was still in the womb. I wouldn't listen to their album on a whim, but I just can't deny that they are probably the best pop band in history. Good job and thanks for all the fish.

Mermaid Avenue

Billy Bragg

4/5

A great album! I have never heard of Billy Bragg, or Wilco, or even Woody Guthrie, but it all changed today. This might be the first folk record that I genuinely liked and didn't feel forced to listen throughout. Great, diverse vocals, very interesting lyrics and really nice instrumentation made it an excellent experience. It is an easy 4/5, but I will be very happy to listen to it again in the future and revise the rating, if possible.

Logical Progression

LTJ Bukem

3/5

Mediocre and a very long album. It's really tiresome, when you have to listen to full album of drum and bass songs, especially if they are written in the same tempo. I felt like I was in Guantanamo during one of the interrogations, torturing me with the songs in the background. But it wasn't that bad, a single song might be actually pretty good to listen, probably any song. Just don't do it with the whole album.

A Little Deeper

Ms. Dynamite

3/5

Pretty nice little album, cool blast from the past with the Dynamite song. The rest of the record was quite harmless, nice to listen to in the background. Not something I would look into again.

Disintegration

The Cure

5/5

One of the best albums on this list so far. Definitely better than "Pornography", even though it's pretty good itself. Two of my favourite songs are included here: "Homesick" and "Disintegration". I first heard them as covers, recorded by Rosetta and Converge, respectively. Originals have some special charm though, as the whole record. Bit of a wall of sound, atmospheric feeling, sadness, long, stretched melodies, everything I like. Just a great album.

Foo Fighters

2/5

I'm very disappointed by this album. I like some of the songs from their newer releases, they are usually pretty simple, but very entertaining. Perfect for a rock party night in the background. This album nailed the "pretty simple" part, but definitely is far from the entertaining section. Listening to this record was nauseating, with the same tempo, same rhythm, copy->paste style. This records level was very even, although that level was well below average. You could hear that Dave Grohl composed it on his own, because for sure he needs someone to just say "no" to few of his ideas. Confusing choice for this list, to say the least.

Moby Grape

2/5

This album stands out in the list of the average records because of how incredibly average and ordinary it is. After listening to it, I can't say anything about any of the songs - it just came and went, almost unnoticeable. A big waste of time. I bet there is a lot of random "quirky" bands in 60s and 70s, but it's really not worth listening to it today. Just let them die with dignity.

Your New Favourite Band

The Hives

3/5

It is, in fact, not my new favourite band, far from it, but it is not my least favourite band as well. They might comfortably fall into the most ambivalent category, with quite entertaining style, quickly turning into boring and monotonne throughout the album. Interesting punk rock concept, but ultimately, it fell flat, at least in my opinion. Good try though.

Chris

Christine and the Queens

3/5

Quite a good album, never heard of the band or this singer before, but I wouldn't be against listening to other positions in band's discography. For now just an average note.

Odessa

Bee Gees

2/5

As an extremely casual Bee Gees fan, I haven't heard any songs made by them other than "Stayin' Alive" and similar. So to my big surprise, Odessa was a big jump in genres, almost lie a trip from Earth to... Earth, but somewhere else on the globe. Unfortunately, while their biggest hits are hits for a reason, I never heard of this album probably because it's just too boring and mediocre at best. I'm very disappointed and I won't be exploring any more of Bee Gees discography, just in case.

This Is Hardcore

Pulp

3/5

Just an average album by Pulp. Couple of nice songs, including the self-titled, but otherwise just a background theme for the afternoon. Not much to say, honestly.

Tapestry

Carole King

4/5

Beautiful voice, plenty of known songs, really solid album. It sounds a little bit raw in my opinion, at least the production, but that might be the product of time (this album is now more than 50 years old!). Very nice record, good addition to the list.

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

3/5

Classic album by Joni Mitchell, which means I had a lukewarm reception of it. Neither great, neither bad. Really good voice, but just not my style of music at all.

New Boots And Panties

Ian Dury

2/5

Pretty fun and entertaining music, but I just can't stand Ian Dury's vocal. It's very off-putting for me, and it definitely takes away all the pleasure from listening. I get that it's a specific style, but I just don't care when I'm in literal pain. My eardrums were begging for mercy. I will give it a 2/5, because the instrumental parts are actually really good, nice melodies, great bass lines and nice small piano solos, but unfortunately it wasn't an instrumental version.

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

Ministry

3/5

It's your run-of-the-mill, honest to god, industrial metal, with music as streamlined as possible. Funny thing is, somebody is listening to it non-ironically. Seriously though, just an average album, pretty different than all of the 70s music this list is filled in, which is definitely a plus. As a general fan of metal music I was trying hard to like it, but it's just too mindbending for me, whatever that means. But it's definitely a cool interruption on this list.

Quiet Life

Japan

4/5

Good, atmospheric album, great opening songs, gets a bit monotonous later on, but still a positive impact. New record to listen to from time to time.

Junkyard

The Birthday Party

3/5

Very weird album by Nick Cave and the gang. You can hear some similarities to his later work, but at this time it wasn't anywhere near as good as, for example, his collaboration with The Bad Seeds. Just an average album at best.

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

5/5

After some consideration, I should have been giving automatic 5 stars to every Talking Heads album. Their style is just so unique and entertaining, that it makes the listening experience a fascinating time. I think this might be their best alb on this list so far.

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

2/5

Quite uninspiring album, chilled melodies and sounds, perfect for a restless night, during which you can't fall asleep. I do recommend this, if you have any insomnia issues. I didn't feel any connection to any of the song, it just went along in the background until I stopped noticing any changes. Boring and disappointing.

Green River

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

CCR album? Great as always. Not too many hits on this one, but their very distinct style is recognisable straight away. Amazing instrumentation, very good vocal, everything works very well on "Green River".

Strangeways, Here We Come

The Smiths

4/5

Very good album, I really like Morrisey's vocal on it, the music is entertaining, all around decent record. I was never a fan of The Smiths, but maybe I need to change that and listen to few more songs and albums. Very solid.

Rio

Duran Duran

4/5

A very cool and popular album with some timeless music, even though it's not the most sophisticated art. Great vocal work across the whole record (even across the whole career), nice disco/pop beats and melodies that are just perfect for a casual listening session, or for a chilled party (back in 80s or 90s). Pretty cool little gem.

Forever Changes

Love

4/5

I was planning to write another average description of an average album, but I can't get over some of the psychedelic guitar solos on this record. It's basically the stereotypical "high" music from 60s, which in this context is perfect. Everything else, including vocal and other instruments was rather normal or uninteresting, but guitars were actually great. And for this reason it will stand a little bit above the average cohort of albums with a solid 4.

Only By The Night

Kings of Leon

4/5

Side A - a mighty Hulk, smashing through, explosion of sound, great riffs, really good vocal, I loved their style, especially the first song was amazing. Unfortunately, Side B was a big snoozefest, vocal became monotonous, maybe because it was exposed by lack of interesting instrumental parts. I'm still very much impressed with this album, I will look forward to listen to it on a vinyl, but I wouldn't call that an essential buy. It is a really good band, I think it will be worth it to listen to other positions in the discography.

LP1

FKA twigs

3/5

Intro and the first song on this album sounded very promising, I was actually visualising myself liking r'n'b for the first time, but well, it all turn to same old story after that. I do think that LP1 is a pretty original album, with unique style that I haven't heard before, but that didn't mean I would like to hear it at all. It was just a bit too much for my liking, music stuck on a loop, with vocalist that has constipation problems, or at least has an issue with use of words. I'll give it a 3, but only because I like those first two songs.

I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

Merle Haggard

2/5

Not much to say, I'm still not a fan of country music, and this album definitely haven't moved the needle at all. It's pretty similar to Johnny Cash album I've encountered on this list, for sure thematically. Otherwise, I don't have much to say about it.

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

5/5

Okay, I'm converted. Elliott Smith was a great composer and I honestly like his music. Really good album, bit more polished and optimistic (at least instrumentally) than the few records before. Easy 5 out of 5.

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

Aretha Franklin

4/5

Can't give Aretha Franklin any note lower than for out of respect for her, and mostly because of Respect. Beautiful voice, timeless compositions, endless entertaining values. Aretha is sitting high on the music pantheon, and this album surely reflects that.

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

4/5

Much better than the other album by Alice Cooper on this list. Some songs were actually quite good, which took me by a surprise. I was expecting a terrible record, but here we are! I change my opinion on this band, I will listen to some of their songs in the future.

The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow

3/5

Just an average album, couple interesting songs, unique style by the vocalist, but it didn't set anything on fire. It's just a normal, out of the mill record with straightforward, honest to god songs.

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin

3/5

I'll be honest, when Led Zeppelin writes a hit, it's an all time best song. But when they miss, the solos are becoming boring, the rest of the instruments anonymous, and worst of all, the vocal becomes unbearable. This album mixes those two in their most extremes. Whole Lotta Love is a masterpiece, 55 years later its being used in every other movie, I feel like. But the rest of the album, with slightly exceptions, is a mediocre slog. I felt really bad trying to sit through it all. Very disappointing and quite surprising. I used to be a big fan of Led Zeppelin, but somehow I closed my eyes (or ears) for many of those songs. Being more conscious about it now, all I can give is 5 for The hits, and 3 for the rest, which equals to 4. Still pretty high, but I don't have a heart to give it an average note.

Blunderbuss

Jack White

3/5

Unfortunately, an average album by Jack White. Few great solos and weird an original guitar riffs, but otherwise it just sounds like a pop and boring version of his band. Disappointing.

Illmatic

Nas

3/5

Okay for a 90s classic hip hop album, maybe even more entertaining and easier to listen to for an outsider. The lyrics re also more listener friendly, so maybe it's actually better than average? I will give it a 3, but for hip hop albums in here it's like 7/10.

Olympia 64

Jacques Brel

3/5

Live album by Jacques Brel who seems to be a legendary figure in music (and other arts). I'm happy to admit he is a great virtuoso and a massive influence on modern music, but it's too hard to enjoy this type of singing for me. French bards are not high in my hierarchy of greatest acts of last century. Very average experience for me.

Underwater Moonlight

The Soft Boys

3/5

Honestly, I have nothing to say about this album. It was neither good or bad. Nothing caught my attention and soon after I finished I forgot everything about it. I guess that's the definition of 3/5.

Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman

John Zorn

1/5

Okay, looks like an early inspiration for Fantomas. With albums like this you have to appreciate the virtuosity, but it only gives you a binary approach - you love it, or you hate it, no in-between. And even though I tried, it was just a straight way to epilepsy. Still, a really interesting and original album.

A Date With The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers

2/5

Amazing album! If you are 80 years old, of course, and this was the only record you ever owned when you were young. Otherwise, it's just a piece of history, to look cool in the museum of music, saying "look, this is how music sounded in 1960s! Funny, eh?". Yep, funny.

The Madcap Laughs

Syd Barrett

2/5

I agree that the history of Syd Barrett is a tragic one, but I never understood his phenomena. After listening to his album, I have even more question marks - what's so great about that? I didn't find early Pink Floyd albums interesting in the same way as I don't like "The Madcap Laughs". It wasn't in any way terrible, but certainly boring and just simplistic, from the lack of better word. Misunderstood, probably by a lot. But I'm not interested in trying to "get it".

Gold

Ryan Adams

2/5

Boring, irritating, uninteresting. I honestly thought its a Bryan Adams album that I don't know of, and I was mightily disappointed when I heard first few songs. It's just a country with a bit more sound and maybe electric guitars. Positives - I survived "Listened to Ryan Adams" challenge.

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens

5/5

I've never been to Illinois in my life, but after listening to this album...I still have no idea what Illinois is about, but at least I have experienced a great record. Usually music categorised as baroque pop is very low on my list of favourite genres, but Sufjan Stevens' music has to be an exception. Honestly, even few of the 20 seconds songs are amazing. I love the instrumental parts, which may slightly overuse banjo, but Sufjan's vocal is also very good and a highlight of the album. Also, it's not often that a record starts strong, but only gets better later, so another point for SS. I'm looking for LP straight away.

A Seat at the Table

Solange

1/5

I survived few songs, but it was all too quiet, too slow, too boring. I don't feel like it was "artistic", or innovative. Just ordinary boring pop album.

Larks' Tongues In Aspic

King Crimson

3/5

I don't know why, but I only like two albums recorded by King Crimson: "In the Court of the Crimson King" and "Red". Everything else is just quite bland for me, and that includes this album. It didn't hook me in, instruments were all over the place, vocal was just okay, solos weren't inspired. I think it's mostly about the feeling that the listener has at the time, and apparently I'm not really approachable with new musical content. It's just an average 70's album, unfortunately.

Lost Souls

Doves

3/5

I'll have to admit, this album had a nice atmosphere, although I didn't really feel inspired by it. The instrumental parts seemed very simplistic and, to be honest, boring. Similarly, vocal didn't really add anything to the equation. They went all-in on the feeling, and looks like it didn't work out in the end, at least in my case.

Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson

2/5

Amazing, after sooo many years I have learnt the origin of the song KEN LEE. To be perfectly honest, I never looked for it, but to stumble upon it is a pretty good feeling. And suprising thing is - the song is pretty okay, but so different than the rest of the album, which is, simply put, terrible. It felt like I was listening to a parody record and I just weren't in on the joke. But no, it's a serious stuff, just very boring and dated.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

Very strong two opening songs, classics know worldwide, and then a solid album full of traditional Simon & Garfunkel style songs. Hard to find anything against this record, other than just my personal taste doesn't really align with that style, but one cannot deny that Simon (and the other guy as well, I think), are really talented.

Headquarters

The Monkees

3/5

Absolutely average album. There's few exceptions, but overall all the records from 60s sound very similar to each other. Nothing interesting, zero songs worth mentioning, just another album on this list.

Before And After Science

Brian Eno

3/5

Average album, but a nice atmosphere, slightly bleak and ominous at times. Otherwise, forgettable.

Sail Away

Randy Newman

3/5

Nice and compact album, extremely American, but with an original vocal by Randy Newman. It wasn't as boring as I would have thought, but ultimately I will forget everything about this record in few hours. Pretty nicely spent time though.

Swordfishtrombones

Tom Waits

3/5

A bit underwhelming Tom Waits' album. His voice is still on its own level, but the atmosphere of the record and the songs were quite "normal". I liked the instrumental one, but that's not what I was looking for in this album. I've heard many better position in Tom's discography.

The Nightfly

Donald Fagen

3/5

I read a lot of good things about this album, and even though I'm not a fan of Steely Dan repertoire, I was still hoping for a strong, or interesting, performance. Unfortunately, it seems that "The Nightfly" might have been released by the full band, it just wasn't too far off their style, which once again, isn't to my liking. I just don't find that jazzy rock style appealing. Donald's vocal is pretty good, but his style just grinds my gears for some reason. Very good quality of the album, but I'm not going to enjoy it.

Axis: Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix

3/5

I am a pretty big Jimi Hendrix fan, but I have to admit, this album is a small disappointment. Except for "Little Wing" there is not much on this record that I enjoyed. The slightly spiritual style didn't really resonate with me. It wasn't bad, but sadly just normal. Probably one of the duds in his short career. In my opinion, of course.

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem

2/5

Second album by LCD on this list just makes me sure that I don't like, or will ever appreciate this band. The melodies and style just irks me for some reason and I can't truly focus on the songs. I like the style of the vocalist, but it's really a background thing. I don't really know what is so good about this band. Maybe I can try it again in few years, but for now, 2 would be the highest note I can give.

White Light

Gene Clark

2/5

Generic and boring album, nothing interesting at all. Probably just a waste of time.

Black Sabbath

4/5

Pretty good album, a lot of quality and you can hear their style forming to what we know right now. It still lacks the firepower that comes later with amazing riffs and guitar solos. Even Ozzy's vocal is a bit underwhelming on this record. It takes time to achieve greatness, but this album is a good indicator of being on the right track.

Wild Wood

Paul Weller

4/5

Pretty nice and pleasant album. I've read a bit about it and I could really tell that Gallagher brothers were impressed by Paul. Familiar style, but much more easy-flowing. I'm not sure if I ultimately liked it enough to rate it above average, as after 10 songs it became quite tedious to listen to, but I guess you have to appreciate the work. Nice and tidy album.

Caetano Veloso

3/5

Is it a good album? No. But is it a bad album? No. It's an album and I have just listened to it. 3 stars.

Bubble And Scrape

Sebadoh

2/5

It started okay, then dipped straight to the bottom, with few terrible songs I couldn't stand, and then finally it recovered a bit with few generic alt rock songs, whatever that really entails. The band sounds very 90s, quality straight from garage, but in my opinion not in a good way, more like St. Anger kind of way. Few redeeming songs, but honestly, I just want to forget everything about this album.

Second Toughest In The Infants

Underworld

3/5

Just an average electronic music album. Nothing exceptional, but also not that bad, interesting songs for a chilled party. But not really noteworthy otherwise.

Woodface

Crowded House

4/5

Good album, mate. Few really nice and well known songs, the rest of the record solid, at least. It's a rather typical pop rock album, but they have done almost everything correctly. It's more surprising, because I have never in my life heard of a band called Crowded House. Good stuff, not 5 stars worthy, but still a really positive note.

The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks

4/5

I was ready to label this album as another "old and forgotten" record, that is on lists like this just to show "knowledge" and quirkiness of the author. Usually I'm right, but this time "Preservation Society" turned out to be a pretty good and a fun album. Songs had a modern sound, they were very diverse, and most importantly, enjoyable. So looks like The Kinks was a pretty nice band!

Odelay

Beck

4/5

Hey, a good album, quirky lyrics, some interesting musical choices, few instances of scream by Beck, really solid effort. I think I wouldn't be a fan of any particular song when listened to in the vacuum, but altogether Beck created a nice atmosphere and introduced a specific atyle, so that the overall effect is better as a full album. Very good, but not exceptional.

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

4/5

Okay, I'm not a fan of early work of Johnny Cash, but this album has a different feeling than the others, like Folsom Prison one. I liked the style, the songs, interactions with prisoners and audience. Really good live album.

The Band

3/5

The Band, The Album, The Songs. It feels that the generic name of this "musical group" is adequate to the content of this album. Okayish songs, some nice melodies on multiple instruments, an at times off-putting vocal. But overall, nothing stands out, for the better or worse. Just a forgettable experience.

Grace

Jeff Buckley

4/5

A very weird album. Some songs are very good, or even amazing, like the closing "Forget Her", (as long as it was on the original release). On the other hand few tracks like the carol one, or any song with Jeff wailing were unbearable to listen to. I think in general I'm not a fan of Buckley and his style, most likely I won't pick up this album anymore, but there was something interesting there, that doesn't allow me to give it only an average rating. So 4 stars it is, probably mostly based on recognition.

...The Dandy Warhols Come Down

The Dandy Warhols

4/5

Very pleasant album, rather calm and easy going. No studs or duds, but every song is slightly above average, at least when compared to usual output of this list. I would be very keen to listen to this record again, this time more carefully, and see if I get a bit more out of that. Until then it's a really solid 4.

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

Pink Floyd

3/5

As I said previously, I'm not a fan of psychedelic music, or a fan of any music created by Syd Barrett. And although few songs on this album can be linked with their later style, overall it was filled with Syd's quirkiness and unique sound. It's not terrible, but certainly not enjoyable to listen to. Just another brick in the wall.

Kings Of The Wild Frontier

Adam & The Ants

4/5

Pretty good album, Antman song is a classic. It gets tiring after 20 minutes, but I'll give it a 4for a fresh look at pop in 80s.

Microshift

Hookworms

3/5

Difficult album to rate. Very specific style, songs with a constant beat throughout, building on it to better or worse results. Quite good vocal, but otherwise a very much hit or miss. I wasn't entirely convinced by it though, so I will give it a three for today and then grab it again someday to give it another go.

The Suburbs

Arcade Fire

4/5

Arcade Fire always has something interesting on their records. Although I feel like their vocals are sometimes off putting, my general reception is really positive. They have few low-key hits on every album, this included, that I have never heard of before. I believe it is time to listen to their full discography, because so far it's been a great time spent listening to albums from this list. 4 for now, very possible future 5.

Ellington at Newport

Duke Ellington

5/5

One of the better jazz albums on this lost, in my opinion. I think this is the entrance level jazz music, that a novice in the genre (me) should have listened to first, before jumping at Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis. Every song on this record is really amazing, everything works together really well, every instrument has its place and time to shine, but it's not overly complicated, or it's not trying to invent something new. Great album, this is where my jazz journey will start (if it will take off at all).

...Baby One More Time

Britney Spears

3/5

1999 and few more years after that definitely belonged to Britney Spears. I wouldn't call myself a fan of this type of music, but I knew all the lyrics to the hits from this record. And now, 25 years later, I have my first approach to listen to the full album. And what a weird journey that was. Songs like "Soda Pop" and "The beat goes on" definitely don't belong in here. Some other songs are extremely cheesy, you can't get much more "naughty" than that. And the hits slightly lost their power now, but one still has to appreciate how much she changed musical landscape with those singles. Rating for the album would be 1 without the impact and fond memories, but because of that, it goes up to 3.

War

U2

2/5

Rough. Not a fan of U2, or Bono's singing. I never realised how boring their songs are - simple beat and howling. I'm exaggerating, but I just really don't like their style. I'll simply move on now.

Fromohio

fIREHOSE

1/5

I don't know what's going on here and why this album is on this list. Being quirky and off-the-box? Maybe, but it sounds horrible at the same time. I couldn't stand the vocalist and the music was so uninspiring, I gave up halfway. Most likely I am missing something, an important piece of trivia to unlock this album, but after half an hour with fIREHOSE I am not interested in finding out what that is.

Faust IV

Faust

3/5

It's better than the krautrock I've listened to already, but definitely far from being okay. It wasn't irritating, and that tells you something. Definition of average.

Porcupine

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

Average album, not interesting at all. It's not the worst one ever, but certainly a waste of time. Just moving on.

Metal Box

Public Image Ltd.

1/5

Second Public Image album on this list, so I kind of knew what will happen. Still, I wasn't prepared for this. One riff for 10 minutes, terrible singing, and general grinding of the gears. It's 2024 and I'm a survivor of Metal Box.

Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen

3/5

Great music, unfortunately I'm not American enough to really appreciate it. Definitely, it went over my head, but I'm not really bothered too much. I don't think I'm main target for Springsteen's music anyway. I'll simply move on, again.

Gris Gris

Dr. John

4/5

It should be a zero for the album cover alone. It's so bad, it's almost good, I have no idea what is happening there. As for the actual content, it was surprisingly okay! Very nice atmosphere, quite scant instrumentation, great choir, aggressively bad vocal. But I can't deny, it has something magical, really nice record.

Wild Gift

X

1/5

Not a fan, very boring and outdated. I've never heard of the band, and apparently for a good reason. Now I have to live in a shame that I listened to 15 minutes of this album. Unforgiveable.

Nighthawks At The Diner

Tom Waits

3/5

Great lyrics, amazing atmosphere, but ultimately a little bit boring and quite frankly not what I would enjoy listening to. But that doesn't change the fact that Tom Waits is a national treasure (for every nation, I guess).

This Is Fats Domino

Fats Domino

4/5

Fun album! It's always a day for some classic rock'n'roll.

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Genesis

5/5

Original lineup of Genesis? Wonderful, legends of whatever genre that is, let's assume progressive rock. Influential, amazing, original and breathtaking. Definitely an album that deserves to be somewhere on the top of this list.

Fuzzy

Grant Lee Buffalo

2/5

Boring, bland, unoriginal. A bit waste of time, even the few songs I listened to.

Immigrés

Youssou N'Dour

4/5

A pretty nice album! Good mix of African sounds with some jazz influence, or the other way around. By the look of the cover I thought it's more tribal music, but this was actually very nice listening session. Not something I'll remember forever, but still a nice one hour.

Music Has The Right To Children

Boards of Canada

3/5

A very low-fit album, I might have snooze off during especially monotone moments, but otherwise it was a nice record. Surely you have to be in a mood to listen to it, something like Lowfi Beats to Study to. I know what to play through my headphones at night when I'm unable to sleep, so I'll take it as a compliment for the group.

Led Zeppelin

5/5

One of the better albums in their pretty great discography. I was a fan of Led Zeppelin as a teenager, but some love is still there. I think this band would have one of the greatest Best Of albums, but this record is not that far off. Love the sound, I like the vocals, amazing riffs and guitar solos, surely still one of the better albums in history.

Dr. Octagonecologyst

Dr. Octagon

4/5

Pretty good album! Very nice bits, good flow, funny ant interesting lyrics, just a little bit of everything. I'm quite surprised that I have never heard of this album or artist. I'm going to come back to this album in the future, similarly to Deltron3030, which I thought of while listening to this record. Very interesting position on the list.

You're Living All Over Me

Dinosaur Jr.

2/5

Mix an absolutely disgusting voice by the main singer together with incredibly boring riffs and some wild screams and guitar solos and we have Dinosaur Jr. I really don't like their music, and every album I listen to on this list just reminds me every reason I hate it. It's not as bad as some other incomprehensible records from the list, but it's definitely a mood-killer.

Doggystyle

Snoop Dogg

3/5

Chilled beats, very nice flow, enjoyable music to listen to for everyone, doesn't matter what's the background...until you listen to the lyrics. A bit chauvinistic, and certainly doesn't fit into today's culture. It was very rough at times to hear Snoop's lines in this. Stron 4 for the music, straight-up one for the lyrics, and just because of the old times it's going to equal with 3.

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

Classic hip hop album, some great tunes on it. Really cool record, a bit of old-school throwback, always nice to listen to.

Future Days

Can

5/5

Second album by Can on this lost, also second with Damo Suzuki at the vocals, although he is the most forgettable part of the band. But what I learnt by listening to this record, is that Can might be my favourite band from the 70s. I have no idea why it is sometimes labelled as Krautrock, when the only thing in common with this genre is the country of origin. For me this is the quintessential psychedelic sound. When I think of psych rock, I think "Bel Air" from now on. Amazing album, great band, criminally underrated (because I have never heard of them before).

Slipknot

5/5

This is one of those albums that has defined "the other kids" musical taste in 2000s. Their visual style and, at the time, unprecedented wild riffs, vocals and seven different drummers or so were just enticing for everyone included. This albums started it all, but I'm pretty sure it was Iowa that perfected it and got my attention as well. Nevertheless, record really close to my heart, even though I preferred different bands at the time.

(What's The Story) Morning Glory

Oasis

5/5

As I mentioned before, I'm more of a Blur fan than Oasis, but if I have to be honest, this album is the peak 90s and absolute top of the britpop era. The number of times I have heard random people playing "Wonderwall" in hostels make it the most hated song ever in my book, and that says something about the fame of this record. Just a bit too good.

Pieces Of The Sky

Emmylou Harris

2/5

I'm not a fan of country, and this album is no difference to that rule. A very basic Americana-like country singer, and listening to her is just a little too much of a chore.

Green

R.E.M.

4/5

Apparently R.E.M has a lot of hidden gems albums that I have never heard of. Radio and tv definitely overplayed a lot of their songs like "Shiny Happy People" or "Losing My Religion", whereas any song from this record would do wonders. Very solid album, full of good songs that I like. Maybe I do have to look into this band more carefully.

Happy Trails

Quicksilver Messenger Service

4/5

Pretty good album, really nice guitar riffs and solos. Refreshing sound, even of the record is more than 50.year old.

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

5/5

Seemingly normal album, soft rock with electronic influence and a gentle vocal. A recipe for mediocrity. But somehow this record has something special that makes it absolutely amazing. Yoshimi's story and her fight against evil robots is not short of being epic. It goes on my usual listening list, but with a small caveat - I will have to listen to the album in normal sequence.

Smile

Brian Wilson

3/5

The charm of Beach Boys albums is gone, all we have left is the main guy and the same songs, just sang 40 years later. I'm not a big enough fan to appreciate it, so I'll just quietly move on.

En-Tact

The Shamen

3/5

Your usual electronic music album, nothing to see here, please disperse.

Exile In Guyville

Liz Phair

2/5

Irritating voice, average songs, waste of time.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

4/5

The charming voice of Ray Charles is basically half of the job done for the album. Add in some great music in the mix and we have an excellent record. Music heritage.

Licensed To Ill

Beastie Boys

3/5

I think Beastie Boys suffer heavily from songs fatigue. Listening to one random BB song on a playlist - great fun, so many hits to choose from. Listening to the whole album in one sitting - please, just release me from the pain and send me back to hell. Great album, but after 10 minutes of this I'm at my wits' end. I think it's the style of rap, so much "in your face", with no holdback, that makes it unbearable to listen to in long strides. But the hits are still as good as they were 30 years ago.

Copper Blue

Sugar

2/5

Very average, monotonous, boring and just too common. I'm not sure what is this album doing on the list, there is nothing good or original about Copper Blue. Just waste of time.

New Forms

Roni Size

2/5

Another pretty boring lounge electronic music. It has a quite original and unique style, but unfortunately it's not enough to deem it worthy of a listen. I've been to hotels with much better music, although it nailed one specific feature of this genre - it's really forgettable.

The Who Sell Out

The Who

1/5

It feels very wrong to give a bad rating to The Who album, but it has to be done. It's a very boring and uninteresting record, not even one song stands out. Compared to any other album in their discography, The Who Sell Out looks like it doesn't belong on any list, except the one with biggest flops of the career. It almost feels like they decided not to use drums and guitars at all on this record, and just feature Daltry, who is not as good as a solo artist. Very disappointing.

London Calling

The Clash

4/5

Surprisingly, that might be my favourite punk/post punk album on this list, even though it doesn't change the fact that I still really don't like those genres. Title song is very good, atmosphere created by the bass and drums is amazing, vocal and lyrics put it straight to the top of the best songs list. The rest of the album is okay, but not as spectacular as London Calling. Solid album.

Out of Step

Minor Threat

2/5

A big milestone in the hardcore music history, but it's equally hardcore for a normal person to listen to it nowadays. Good outro song, when they finally slowed down the tempo for a minute, but all the rest was quite incomprehensible mess, which I didn't enjoy in the slightest. I'm pretty disappointed, I thought it would be a much better album.

Stripped

Christina Aguilera

3/5

Two hits from early 2000s and a long album of quite average song to compliment it. Christina had an amazing and unique voice at the time, but stylistically it's on the rather boring generic pop music level. Anyway, Stronger will remain a great song forever.

Talking Timbuktu

Ali Farka Touré

3/5

Pretty good album, nice guitar work from both main guys, unique sound. But that's it, 3 stars and a big handshake.

The Predator

Ice Cube

4/5

A good, classic hip hop album back from an "interesting" times. Few very nice songs, with some darker, almost psychedelic beats. A surprisingly good album and a rare 4 stars from me for this genre.

Femi Kuti

5/5

Afrobeat? Very is 5/5. Great album from start to finish, I loved everything about it. What a perfect combination of jazz, funk and African influence. Another record to look for in my vintage vinyl shops endeavours.

Fishscale

Ghostface Killah

2/5

Some nice beats here and there, almost too good for the album. It would be so much better as instrumental record, instead there is too much of bad style rapping all over it. Pretty hard to to listen to the whole album in one go.

Raw Like Sushi

Neneh Cherry

2/5

It's not a good hip hop album, it's not a good pop album. It's just not good in general, with boring tracks, unspecified style, all just levels below than the stars from that time. Record true to its name.

Water From An Ancient Well

Abdullah Ibrahim

2/5

A bit of an average lowfi jazz, unfortunately Abdullahs piano skill didn't come to shine too much. Not my favourite album to listen to... anytime.

The Rolling Stones

2/5

Definitely worst album by The Rolling Stones I have heard so far. It sounds like a copy of Beach Boys, but without their grace and fun. It's not good or entertaining, no one in the band has their specific style yet, just a group of friends playing together in the sixties.

Transformer

Lou Reed

3/5

Few nice melodies and interesting instrumentation, with a memorable brass section, but the vocal and lyrics make it almost unbearable to listen at times. I'm not a fan of Lou Reed and probably (most likely) I will never be. Very average album.

Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

Soft Cell

3/5

Few bangers, few duds, and everything with a minimal music and sound. It's actually a bit impressive if you think about it - two synth beats and we have a successful album! Unfortunately, it's not good enough to give it a good note with a clear conscience. Tainted Love and then few too many boring songs is good enough for 3/5.

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Kings of Leon

3/5

I'm sorry, but I honestly have no idea what critics see in Kings of Leon. This is a third album on this list, and it's hard to recognise how it is different from the other ones. The vocal is as annoying as ever, and the music is just systematically average. Hopefully that's the last time I have to listen to their record.

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

2/5

Well, first(?) father - daughter duo on this list. Unfortunately, except for that bicycle song in Beijing, I am unable to listen and enjoy and Norah Jones track. Her style of singing just do not compute with my brain at all. Beautiful voice, just the overall presentation is unbearable. I'd rather listen to Ravi all day long, and there is no competition.

The Specials

3/5

Quite a good album for a ska genre, I was able to listen to few songs before being taken to mental asylum, which is definitely my personal best. Never again (*).

Medúlla

Björk

3/5

Much better than expected. Last album by Bjork on this lost was one of my lowest point, thoughts of quitting this challenge were as tempting as ever. And I was afraid this album might be the last nail in the coffin. But surprisingly, even though this record is still very much experimental and 'artsy', it's also much more user friendly, and actually pretty entertaining at times. I like the use of the choir, Bjork's vocal is very nicely complimented by it, and the very laconic music suits it pretty well. Still, I wouldn't want to listen to it more often than necessary, but overall it was an average experience (which is a big compliment, when looked at my history with Icelandic singer).

Justified

Justin Timberlake

3/5

5/5 for Cry Me a River, which is only a good song, but is linked to many good memories from 2000s. Rest of the album is way below average though, so I think it's only fair to give it a solid 3/5 as a testament of a banger from my childhood.

Off The Wall

Michael Jackson

4/5

Good album, started really well with few great and almost legendary songs now, but towards the end the quality dipped pretty hard. Jackson's vocal works very well in the singles, but 40 minutes of that is just a bit too much for me. Music wise it's not my style, but there's nothing to complain. Solid record.

Tank Battles

Dagmar Krause

1/5

I'm not really sure if I have listened to the right album, but somehow Dagmar Krause and Hanns Eisler made me hate tanks. The music feels very experimental and innovative, but it went completely off the scale. Dagmar sings okayish, but that doesn't even matter, when the songs are incomprehensible for most of the time. I don't know what is this album doing on the list honestly. Waste of time.

The Sensual World

Kate Bush

2/5

Not a good album by Kate Bush. Her style is already very controversial (in my opinion), and when the music is as boring as on this record, then there is nothing redeemable about it. Whole album was a perfect example of music for human tortures, probably it's number 1 in Guantanamo. I think I'm a bit too harsh, but definitely it is not a record for me.

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

4/5

Great album full of great covers. Nice singing by Otis, but I'm not sure if that's enough to make it exceptional. I'm pretty sure I might like some of the original songs better, although it's a really good try.

A Girl Called Dusty

Dusty Springfield

3/5

Nice voice, okay songs, but in the end it doesn't even matter. Nothing special to talk about.

Master Of Puppets

Metallica

5/5

It's a hard one to rate. As a teenager I was enamored with this album, I used to learn every song from this album on guitar, I went to many concert just to hear the title song live one more time. Although I can still appreciate it, it's not even close to being enjoyable anymore. Great riffs, amazing solos, but altogether it's just so tiring to listen to. It's great as a relentless, raw and fast paced album, but after some time you just need a brake, which Metallica doesn't provide. I still think it's a 5/5 record, just for the past experiences and for easily being top 3 in the genre all-time, but I probably won't listen to it ever again in its entirety. Blast from a past, but the flash is much more dimmed now.

Veckatimest

Grizzly Bear

2/5

Completely ordinary and uninteresting album. I didn't seem to connect to the style or to any of the songs, if you can call them like that. Not something I would recommend to anyone, unless someone is looking for "clueless background music".

Autobahn

Kraftwerk

2/5

Not much to say in here, I'm not a fan of Kraftwerk or the genre, and I don't think any album can change my mind now. Autobahn is pretty okay for the first few minutes, after which you're getting nauseous and sick of the all music altogether. Please, no more krautrock.

Strange Cargo III

William Orbit

3/5

Absolutely average album, good for a sleepy day, when you just need one more push to take a nap. Honestly, I have nothing to say about the record, it changed exactly nothing in my life, except for the perception of time.

Out Of The Blue

Electric Light Orchestra

3/5

Very average, looking at below average territory. Music is pretty good, classic 70s rock, but the vocals are a challenge for a normal human being. I guess I will leave it at 3 out of 5, because somehow I made it to the end of the record.

Born To Run

Bruce Springsteen

3/5

Cool dude, just not my type of songs. Generational voice, but quite average sound.

Group Sex

Circle Jerks

3/5

Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. I'm not a ffun of punk, or hardcore punk, or even those very short songs, but this album had some interesting bits and was quite entertaining. I guess a big thing is that it was only 15 minutes, so my mental health didn't get too much of a hit. Pretty good for punk, average for an album in general.

Cupid & Psyche 85

Scritti Politti

2/5

Very boring, pretty bad. What is this album doing on this list? It's much worse than usual 80s stuff, just a waste of time really.

Foxbase Alpha

Saint Etienne

4/5

Pretty good album from a band that I have never heard of before. It reminds me slightly of the early Chemical Brothers, similar, chilled style, cool beats, really nice vocals, just an above average package. I think this is the best hotel lounge music on this lost so far.

Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

3/5

Another average album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, they have a really great style, that grows stale after a couple of songs. It's not the most interesting experience, just a chore to listen to.

The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk

4/5

Talk Talk is a band that I know from the amazing song "It's my life", but literally nothing else. And although "The Colour of Spring" is as 80s sounding as it gets, plus the vocalist sounds like he urgently needs to cough, it grows on you with every song. Great beats make up at least for 75% of enjoyment on this album, but the overall output is just really good. I'll difinitely remember this band from now on.

The Last Of The True Believers

Nanci Griffith

2/5

Beautifully bad, unequivocally boring. Too American for my uneducated ears.

Supa Dupa Fly

Missy Elliott

2/5

Below average and pretty cringy to listen album, after all these years. I didn't know any song from this record, so no sentimentality score, plus it just wasn't good. The only thing slightly helping the situation is that the beats throughout the whole thing were really solid. But that will definitely not make too much of a difference.

The Rising

Bruce Springsteen

4/5

That's a really nice album, genuinely good and entertaining songs, with that Springsteen flair in some lyrics. I enjoyed this album much more than the older, more classic albums by Bruce. Wholesome surprise.

Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Stereolab

2/5

Started off nicely, catchy beat, nice vocals, but then every song was almost exactly the same and you just wish for it to stop. I don't know what's so good about this album to have it on any list of "best" anything, but here we are. I expected nothing and I'm still disappointed.

Hotel California

Eagles

4/5

One of the best songs in the history of rock music plus the most average album in the history of the average albums. Listening to this lp was a pretty boring experience in general, but I just don't feel it's fair to give a bad rating to one of the greatest guitar solos ever. So here we are.

Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago

4/5

It's a really good album! Great instrumental parts, the less singing the better, brass section was amazing, the flow of the album was just spectacular. The more conventional songs with vocal parts were rather average and it really brings the whole experience down, but still, really nice time spent listening to the record.

Punishing Kiss

Ute Lemper

3/5

Okay album, great voice by Ute, some very interesting guests on the album, but it definitely wasn't something spectacular. Just not a type of a record I would like to listen to.

The Bones Of What You Believe

CHVRCHES

3/5

I feel like Chvrches is a bit worse M83, but without great songs, only with those average ones. The vocalist is pretty good, but none of the songs hooked me in, it was just a pretty good background noise. I might listen to it again, but I wouldn't do it on purpose, I guess.

Beyond Skin

Nitin Sawhney

4/5

Very hard album to rate. Each song is from a completely different story, entirely different genre, but at the same time they all are pretty solid. I think it deserves a good note just on the fact how varied this record is. Plus, of course, the meaning behind the lyrics and the story from the tracks. Very solid album.

Traffic

3/5

Another generic late 60s album, it's pretty good, but literally indistinguishable from the bunch of other rock records from this time period.

Slanted And Enchanted

Pavement

2/5

A big disappointment, after listening to Crooked Rain x2 before. This album is very boring and unspectacular. It was very polite and obliging, something that is a mortal sin of any indie record. Zero risks taken. It is not a bad album, but certainly it doesn't stand out in an aggressive way.

Dummy

Portishead

4/5

Two legendary songs, but it's no wonder I've never heard any other track from this album. It's quite disappointing really, with how high the bar was set with Roads and Glorybox. Also compared to other artists and band from Bristol, it's just a little bit underwhelming. Anyway, after this festival of venting, I have to admit, I'm not able to give it anything lower than 4 stars. Roads are just too good, man.

It's Too Late to Stop Now

Van Morrison

4/5

Really decent album! I didn't know any of the songs from it, but every track was a real pleasure to listen to. Van Morrison has a great voice, very powerful and with such a wide range. One of the better live albums on this list, really good choice.

Antichrist Superstar

Marilyn Manson

4/5

First of all - I'm very surprised that Marylin Manson is on this list. I don't think he was ever famous for the quality of his work. Second of all - I'm very surprised it's his early album that got him on the list. His best singles are from 2000s, and those are mostly covers. But after listening to Antichrist Superstar I can tell it was something pretty unique for it's time. What if black metal wasn't metal at all but rock, and main vocal just a bit creepy? And somehow it will be aimed at all the teenagers of the era? Well, it kinda worked. Marylin got famous, although this album didn't really survived the stand of time (less than 30 years later). It's a very interestong record regardless, pretty nice blast from the past. Just don't read about anything that's not music related, this dude is bounded for jail sooner or later.

Countdown To Ecstasy

Steely Dan

4/5

Much better album than other Steely Dan's records I have heard so far. Still not really a fan of Donald's vocal capability, but I have to admit, their guitar work is fantastic. Few very catchy songs and riffs, really cool stuff!

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

Lupe Fiasco

3/5

One good song, which is a cover of course, and a long album full of average to medium impressions of Kanye West. It's okay.

Thriller

Michael Jackson

4/5

One of the most famous albums in the World, with some of the most famous song ever on it. Well, it's greatness it's pretty undeniable, but at the same time I, was a little bit disappointed with the overall quality of this record. Very catchy beats and riffs, amazing voice, but it lacks something substantial. I don't really think this album ages finely. But surely it deserves a spot in the museum of music as one of the greatest album of its era.

Club Classics Vol. One

Soul II Soul

2/5

After second thought, I think there's too many albums form the 80s on this list. Exhibit One:

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

4/5

Very good album, always a pleasure to listen to it every now and then. Also, pretty consistent, almost any song can be a single.

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

5/5

What an album! In my head canon Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy make the big trio of electronic music from 90/2000s. And this record is just amazing from start to finish, with three bangers, that will stay on my favourite lists forever. 10/10

McCartney

Paul McCartney

2/5

Kudos to Paul that he was brave enough to come out with such a terrible album straight after his stint with Beatles. He deserves at least one star for it. But it's undeniably bad and boring, really surprising stuff.

Bummed

Happy Mondays

2/5

Fake The Cure, quite boring, I didn't like it. There's no need to say much more than that.

Talking With the Taxman About Poetry

Billy Bragg

3/5

Lyrics-drive music, few interesting bits and fragments, but in general pretty unremarkable and definitely unoriginal when compared to other albums from the list. That's it.

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

4/5

It would be an easy 5 stars if not for all the songs not named "Free Bird". Amazing track, phenomenal guitar solos, top 20 all time songs in some random rankings, for sure. But overall Lynyrd Skynyrd and this album is quite average. Good Southern rock/blues sound, pretty good vocal, and two extraordinary songs. The whole note for this album goes to Free Bird.

Dirt

Alice In Chains

5/5

This is THE album I think of when someone mentions grunge. Absolutely great record, almost every song is perfect. After listening to it for last 15 years I can also see my taste changing - first I was a biggest fan of "Them Bones", now it's definitely "Down in the Hole". Layne Stanley was an amazing vocalist, his voice will remain one of the most memorable ones, at least in my memory. Additionally, it doesn't hurt to have Cantrell, and his genius riffs on this album. One of the best albums from 90s.

Bad

Michael Jackson

5/5

Well, I think it's going to be the weakest 5 so far on this list. It feels bad, pun intended, to give it anything lower than five, with songs like Smooth Criminal and Man in the Mirror. But at the same time it feels like this album, and whole career of MJ is a bit overrated. His singles and hits were phenomenal, the rest pretty average. I'm not a fan of his music, but I have to respect him for those few songs, and of course for the cultural impact around the world.

The Man Who

Travis

3/5

A blast from the (recent) past with a really nice hit, but otherwise an average album to round this off. Okay vocal, okay music, but nothing that I will remember in a day or two.

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's

4/5

Never heard of the band, but their songs are eternal. It's a really nice album, certainly some talent in there.

The Man Machine

Kraftwerk

2/5

No more Kraftwerk, please. Really, please.

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

2/5

I'm not a fan of jazz music from that era, it's just a firm no.

Songs Of Love And Hate

Leonard Cohen

3/5

Great voice as always, quite boring album, as always. Nice to listen to, nice to move on.

Viva Hate

Morrissey

3/5

Amazing voice, but almost 80 minutes of Morrissey is about 60 too many. Some songs at the beginning of the album were really good, nice groove, but mid album it became very tedious experience, and I just gave up before the end. But again, amazing voice!

Music

Madonna

2/5

First time I have listened to a full Madonna's album(or maybe a second one, after Like a Virgin) and I instantly regret it. Three singles are pretty good, revoking some good memories, but the rest of the album is so terrible, I can't even think of it anymore. The auto tune songs are so bad, I actually did a double take if it's a real thing. In case of Madonna - only listen to singles from now on.

In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson

5/5

Simply said - one of my favourite album of all time, however cliché that may sound. Just beautifully crafted record, the whole composition and every single part or melody perfectly fits together. Also, one of the greatest opening motifs in history of rock. And it gave us so many great covers (like The Shining one). Bravo!

Throwing Muses

3/5

The album was boding well after a pretty good opening song, but later it turned into a boring and uneventful 30 minutes of rather uninteresting music. I'm not the fan of the band or album, but it also wasn't the worst showing I've heard from this list last week.

Life Thru A Lens

Robbie Williams

3/5

Pretty cool album, great two songs that remind me of the childhood a lot, it's a bit more rock-like than I would have imagined. Robbie has a great voice, and a good team of producers and musicians behind him. Nice album, but nothing special, really.

The Doors

5/5

One year back in 2000s, I went on a camping trip with friends for about 10 days. We didn't have Internet or any connection, all we had was a small radio with only this album. And believe me, I will never forget those nights with cheap wine in the middle of nowhere, with "Alabama Song" on a loop. Amazing memories. And still, after years have passed, this album is as good as it ever was. One of the few older records, that in my opinion, every song is enjoyable and very good. Big fan forever.

After The Gold Rush

Neil Young

4/5

Another good album by Neil Young. The more I listen to his discography (which appears aplenty on this list), the more I like his voice, which is very specific and unique. I love Southern Man, there's a really good cover of it by Inter Arma, but original is just an insanely good song. Really enjoyable, I think I should have a closer look at other records by Neil soon.

Me Against The World

2Pac

2/5

Everyone knows 2Pac, one of the most popular rapper ever. But until today I have never heard any of his songs. And I can compare this experience to the first time I tasted a fresh carrot - unremarkable and slightly irritating. Boring album, nothing interesting to write about.

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

John Lennon

4/5

I'm not really a big fan of The Beatles of John Lennon, but I have to admit, he was very innovative in late 60s and early 70s. Songs like Mother, or I Want You for Abbey Road really started defining a new genre in music. I love the outro in Mother especially, that's some heavy stuff with the gentlest melody in the background. The rest of the album is pretty solid, it makes a really nice and enjoyable experience. Good job Johnno.

Diamond Life

Sade

4/5

Smooth Operator, enough said. On top of that - Sade has a beautiful voice and incredible style. I'll admit that O would have to losten to this album more, to properly appreciate it, but as of right now, a very solid 4.

Greetings From L.A.

Tim Buckley

4/5

Second Buckley album on this list, this time by Buckley Senior. I didn't even know father was a singer as well, and he had as tragic story as the son. The record itself was a really fun trip, Tim's vocal was pretty good at times, but mostly I was impressed by the instrumentation. Amazing riffs, melodies and guitar solos. Very solid album, I will give a four for now, but let it be known it's a really strong four.

Kenya

Machito

3/5

A nice and cosy lounge jazz. This music won't make you distracted for a better or worse. Good but slightly repetitive.

Hejira

Joni Mitchell

1/5

I'm really trying, but Joni Mitchell and her style of music is as far from my alley as it can be. Maybe I can like her music one day, but definitely it's not the time right now. Just a bit too poetic for me.

It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

3/5

I'm very disappointed with this album. Heads Will Roll is one of the greatest songs of late 2000s, Yeah Yeah Yeahs have many more great hits, but this was my first attempt at the full album. And unfortunately, it was a swing and miss. Boring and uninteresting songs, it didn't catch my attention even for a little bit. Usually it would be 2/5,but I just can't give such a note to an album with Heads Will Roll. It's unethical. So a still subpar 3 it is.

Come Find Yourself

Fun Lovin' Criminals

4/5

I've heard the song Scooby Snacks so many times before, but somehow I've never heard of Fun Lovin Criminals, which is criminal and very non-fun loving. Honestly, album is quite nice, very approachable and easy to listen to, but I'm genuinely confused what is it doing on the list of greatest albums? Not really original, not really special, just a solid and very 90s record.

Bert Jansch

2/5

Never heard of the guy before, will probably forget about him tomorrow. Not a big fun of Scottish folk music from 50s, surprisingly. Music wise I didn't remember even one melody or piece of lyrics from the album. I might be 70 years too late to the hype.

Ambient 1/Music For Airports

Brian Eno

2/5

Sounds like lounge music... But it's actually an airport lounge music. I'm pretty confused about this album, was it an attempt at the best songs that no one will consciously listen to? Well, Brian did a pretty good job then, because I couldn't listen to it at all, it was so bland it was distracting. Nice experiment though.

Mott

Mott The Hoople

4/5

It wasn't that bad like the band's name suggested! I was expecting a boring and bland rock from 70s, but most of the songs were quite good and pleasant to listen to. Some nice guitar solos, few interesting psychedelic moments, okayish vocal, just an overall nice album. Positive surprise, biggest quality of an album to quality of an album cover ration so far.

All Hail the Queen

Queen Latifah

3/5

Groovy album from late 80s, never heard it before, but the jam is pretty good. Honestly, I didn't even know Queen Latifah was a singer, I guess I wasn't interested in rap/funk from 80s and 90s. The fact is, I'm still not. Cool few songs that come and go, no strings attached. Nice bit of trivia, but nothing more than that.

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

4/5

This is the first time I have listened to the full Brothers In Arms album, a bit of legendary record amongst rock fans. I've seen plenty of lists of best songs ever with Brothers In Arms and Money For Nothing taking two top places. And those songs are undeniably great. Amazing guitars, great flow, top shelf riffs. The thing is that the rest of the album is just a bit above average and I don't really think Mark Knopfler is the greatest singer ever. If this record would be just few songs, adding Walk of Life and maybe So Far Away, it's easily somewhere at the top. Instead, it's very solid, but largely forgettable.

Damaged

Black Flag

1/5

Yeah, nah. I'm not going to go through this again. Survived 10 minutes, probably world record.

Crocodiles

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

Every other week I'm surprised by another most average album in the history of music. This time, it's Crocodiles. I have nothing else to say about this record.

The White Room

The KLF

3/5

Started off great - amazing opening song that gives off Matrix vibes at the beginning, nice electronic vibes from 90s. Unfortunately, the rest of the record was very underwhelming and boring. Honestly, I'm not really sure how to rate it, so I will just go for the highest possible score for average records.

Heartbreaker

Ryan Adams

1/5

If I would like to design an album that would be a mix of all tropes that I don't like in popular music, Heartbreaker would be very, very close to perfection. It's not a bad record by any meaning, I guess, but I just hated every second of it.

Liege And Lief

Fairport Convention

5/5

I don't know what it is about Fairport Convention, but their music just hits the spot. Combination of beautiful vocals, great melodies, some guitar solos, a bit of melancholy in the music, it just creates a perfect blend, just like the previous record by Fairport on this list. Great music, easily 5/5. Looking for some vinyls straight away.

Screamadelica

Primal Scream

4/5

Pretty cool album! Some nice tunes in here, a bit funky at times, very British on other songs, reminded me of a hybrid of Oasis and Talking Head for some reason. And I think that's good enough to give it a pretty strong 4.

Joan Baez

3/5

First impression of this album - what if Bob Dylan had a little bit more feminine voice? It really reminded me of his early music, which I guess is a good thing. I don't know much about her history, I just read a bit of her wikipedia page, but music is pretty decent, probably more prominent back in the 60s than now. Just an okay album.

E.V.O.L.

Sonic Youth

2/5

EVOLution of boredom and mediocre music. Wasn't entirely terrible, but definitely it was a wasted time.

Another Green World

Brian Eno

2/5

Any album by Brian Eno is a real hit or miss. His more traditional records are really good, up to a high standard, best quality. The other positions in his discography are innovative and quite dividing electronic music experiments. While I'll agree that his influence on the genre was probably substantial for the time, I can't enjoy any of the song on this album. Boring and without a spark, it's just (again) an excellent hotel lounge music.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Fatboy Slim

4/5

Another fun and entertaining album by Fatboy Slim. Those 90s records have something in them, that specific style which invokes so many good memories. It's still a nice addition to the party playlist.

Country Life

Roxy Music

4/5

Pretty good album, started off amazingly, with a masterpiece of The Thrill of it All. Great song, easily best on the record. Rock of the highest level, guitar solos, maybe not complicated, but fit perfectly into the tune and the feeling of the song. The rest of the album afterwards slowly turns into a generic pop album, only with few rare moments of the first, glorious song. Vocal sounds like in every English 70s and 90s pop bands, so pretty common, but quite pleasant. Overall, memory of the opening song cannot allow me to give it any lower rating than 4,regardless of the other songs.

Ctrl

SZA

1/5

Well, I don't like rap too much, and I definitely don't like rnb, so it's quite hard to find any redeeming quality in this album. I tried, but it's not for me, at all.

Third

Soft Machine

1/5

A big disappointment. Psychedelic rock from 70s, some connection with Pink Floyd, very long songs, mostly instrumental? On paper it looks incredible. But this album was just straight down awful. Boring, nauseating, uninteresting, slightly repulsing. And with the addition of vocalist on the third song, it became even worse. Why did I listen to the whole thing? Give me back my time!

Deserter's Songs

Mercury Rev

4/5

Pretty nice album, melancholic vibes, quite beautiful melodies at times, the general atmosphere suits me very, very well. Vocalist has a unique voice, which compliments the music and puts the quality up a notch. I think something is missing, because this album gets boring after few songs, maybe even tiring, but it's pretty good in smaller samples.

The Scream

Siouxsie And The Banshees

2/5

Uhh, another album by The Long Name band. I didn't like it before, I don't like it now. Well, I guess it always could have been worse.

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

4/5

One of the greatest song in the World (or just a tribute) is located on this album. Alternate name for the record - Compilation of Greatest Riffs by Led Zeppelin. It's an amazing work and craft by Jimmy Page. Otherwise, I am getting a bit tired by this album, Plant is a bit too much in the long run, some of the songs a bit too repetitive. But in general, Led Zeppelin at its greatest.

American Gothic

David Ackles

2/5

I have read the Wikipedia description of David Ackles (because I've never heard of him before), and saw few opinions that he is one of the least appreciated singers in USA. Well, it's not hard not to appreciate him, when his most famous album is as boring as American Gothic. I survived through few songs, but I'm not brave enough to go further. Run, you fools.

All Mod Cons

The Jam

3/5

Amazingly average album. There's not much to write about this, just a bit of new wave pop/rock, it sounds pretty modern for the 70s, but in general it's just boring.

The College Dropout

Kanye West

2/5

My least favourote Kanye West album so far on this list. To be honest, I don't really remember any other record, but this one just wasn't it. Couple songs that are passable, the rest just wasn't really interesting. Quite boring and uninteresting.

Spiderland

Slint

4/5

Heyoo, another vinyl that I own! I kind of lost count, but it makes 4 in total from the list? Not too shabby. Slint is a quite unremarkable band, except for Spider land, for some reason. It's a quite good album on its own, few nice riffs and vocal moments, great atmosphere. Nothing that special, but it gets it recognition because of the year it was released. At the time rock and metal was quite standardised, so a lot of people think Spiderland came out of nowhere, progressing the music by many years. A lot of my favourite bands have something in them thanks to this record. Whatever the truth is - kudos Slint for trying!

Django Django

3/5

Django Django. Other than that, it's a funny album with some lively music, that just becomes tiring after few songs. For some reason I've listened to it twice, once in a background, but it didn't inspire me to anything.

Sex Packets

Digital Underground

2/5

No sex packets for me, I'm about to become a sexual abstinent after listening to this album. It's not that old, but certainly it's not easy to listen to it nowadays. Relic of its times.

Vulgar Display Of Power

Pantera

5/5

The sound of my teenage years, for sure. Pantera was also my entrance band into more "extreme" music, which evokes a lot of positive memories. I used to love Darrell's creativity, countless number of catchy and heavy riffs and of course Anselmo's voice, both the growl and normal, singing voice. It took a couple years to kind of "grow out" of this band, I seamlessly moved into different genres of music, but one has to admit how influential, and simply good this album was. I would rate higher "Cowboys From Hell" for the simple reason that it was more shocking and unexpected album, but Vulgar Display is still a really solid record. It's a bit harder to listen to it nowadays, but I'm still going to rate it 5/5 for all the memories and pain in my neck.

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

4/5

A lot of fun, some good songs, just an overall nice experience. The funk/soul albums on this list do not disappoint.

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother & The Holding Company

4/5

Pretty good album, Janis is talented, but I actually felt that the band was the main attraction of the record. Great groove and guitar solos, cool woodstock vibes.

Shake Your Money Maker

The Black Crowes

2/5

Mediocre and slightly annoying album, average songs, nothing spectacular. I'm not a fan of the vocalist, it's just a bit too much for me. Overall a weird poaition on this list, very forgettable.

1977

Ash

4/5

A difficult album to properly rate. It's a quite fun alternative rock music, it has some kick to it, but in the end has no special 'something'. Just a fine rock record, that made appearance on this list for some reason. This is a perfect opportunity to give an album a 3,5 stars, but as always, let's give it a benefit of the doubt.

Little Earthquakes

Tori Amos

4/5

Easily one of the best folk singer/songwriter album so far. Beautiful voice, nice composition, interesting lyrics, full package. Pretty good record.

Our Aim Is To Satisfy

Red Snapper

4/5

Pretty cool modern jazz/electronics album. Never heard of it before, but I'm happy to jump into the genre now. Nice little find.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

David Bowie

4/5

David Bowie at his almost best. Almost, because Low is easily his best album that I have listened to so far, and Ziggy was just a little bit underwhelming, taking into consideration his other work. Still, a really good record, easily a classic album now.

Millions Now Living Will Never Die

Tortoise

3/5

Description of the album was so mich better than the album itself. Early post rock record, paving the way for a great genre to grow? Sounds amazing. Unfortunately the songs lack a bit of substance, all form. A slightly disappointing effort.

The Velvet Underground

4/5

A very different atmosphere provided here by The Velvet Underground. It's one of those albums that you have to listen in the right circumstances - slightly focused on the musoc, but relaxed, certainly not when you're not in the good mood. I had to listen to it twice, and only on the second try I started to appreciate the easy and peaceful melodies. Pretty good album to have on a vinyl, for those calmer evenings.

The La's

3/5

One pretty good song and a very average album to follow. It's actually quite frustrating how big the discrepancy is between There She Goes and the rest. It's not something I'm going to remember for long (two days max).

Playing With Fire

Spacemen 3

3/5

I knew this album reminded me of something - one of the group leaders is the leader of Spiritualized. Playinhlg With Fire is basically a worse, a bit more boring and blander version of this band. I'm not really sure why do we have this record on the list, just add another random Spiritualized album, it's probably so much better. A bit of wasted time.

Fisherman's Blues

The Waterboys

3/5

Nice irish music, sounds like an evening at the pub, where I don't recognize any of the song (and I wont recognize it even if it's played twice). One bright spot on the record was The Stolen Child, Waterboys rendition of Yeats' poem. Very good and melancholic song.

Talk Talk Talk

The Psychedelic Furs

3/5

Another boring and very avwrage album form 80s. This list just has to fill the spots, so probably the records are picked at random. Like in this case. Wasted 15 minutes.

Guero

Beck

3/5

A weird combination of early Gorillaz with Chris Cornell vocal. Unfortunately for me, Beck is like a bit worse version of them. Quite mundane album, but funky tunes slightly elevate the record and try to make it interesting. No two songs are alike. But also most of them are not to my liking.

Who Killed...... The Zutons?

The Zutons

4/5

It started off very promising, good vibes, nice, quite original melodies, enjoyable vocal, but throughout the album the quality was not that consistent. Few boring and mundane songs, and back to original and exotic tunes. Overall, the novelty probably weigh more than the downsides of the record, so a solid 4 it is.

OK

Talvin Singh

4/5

It's surprising that I have never heard of Talvin Singh before. Very unique and original mix of electronic music and traditional indian elements. It got a bit boring in the second part of the record, but overall a very nice example of experiment going right.

Stankonia

OutKast

4/5

Ms. Jackson might be one of my favourite hip hop songs ever, but that is mostly thanks to Outkast style, quite unusual in the rap world. Beats are just too good, Andre3000 singing voice is great, pretty good album overall. Some songs are quite rough to listen to after almost 25 years, but the majority holds strong. In my opinion it's only a second best Outkast album.

Station To Station

David Bowie

3/5

One of the less entertaining Bowie's album that I have listened to so far. Nothing really caught my attention, songs were pretty basic, more fitting for a background noise. Maybe a bit too much of cocaine during recording?

Connected

Stereo MC's

3/5

Time machine to older, simpler times, where everything was colourful, people more happy, and the music was terrible. Jokes aside, Connected has some redeeming qualities, few nice beats, but overall it's at best a relic of its times, which at least in music category, are gone.

Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye

4/5

What an opening song.. Possibly best soul song in the history, and that comes from the person that has no knowledge of the genre at all. Tge rest of the album is pretty solid, but nothing special. I like What's Going On more, but it's still pretty good.

Heroes to Zeros

The Beta Band

4/5

Well, nice album cover, but the music is not as explosive or colourful as it would suggest. It's just a nice alternative/soft rock, with frw cool songs at the end. I'll give it a four, but I certainly would have to listen to it couple more times to assess it.

Suede

4/5

Pretty good album, nice vocal, okay music. Bit surprising position on the list, but I really enjoyed it. Will gladly look into this album again in the future.

There's A Riot Goin' On

Sly & The Family Stone

3/5

Slightly disappointing album. I was hoping for an usual great funk, akin to early Stevie Wonder, so more like FUNk, with some good lyrics and theme. Instead, only the latter part was there, musically it was quite underwhelming. Average record.

We're Only In It For The Money

The Mothers Of Invention

1/5

Yeah, I'm not going to pretend I get anything that was at least prtially created by Frank Zappa. Most likely he was breaking genres that were gone years before I was even born. It's like trying to read Voltaire without knowing the context of his book. Just to much research involved trying to appreciate one guy. I'll politely refuse to do that.

Harvest

Neil Young

3/5

Not my favourite album by Neil, it's a bit toned down compared to rest of his discography. Very artistic, for sure, but I just found it too boring and uneventful.

evermore

Taylor Swift

2/5

If the feeling of being nauseous was an album. It felt like one, long, boring song. I read that this album consists mostly of offtakes from Folklore, which I really like,yet Evermore is so much different. Definitely there was a reason those songs weren't used in the original album, it's most likely a cash grab. Another wasted half an hour.

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys

5/5

Somehow I have never listened to this album in my life, even though I like Arctic Monkeys from Humbug onwards. And I don't even know why is that, maybe I just assumed that the whole record will be filled with "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor"? Truth be told, there is only one banger like this on the album, but it's a really solid start to a career. I had a lot of fun listening to it, and even though it's not the greatest rock album in the world, it's good enough for the weak 5.

Eagles

2/5

Boring, disappointing, old. Couldn't make it all the way through. Eagles, before they learnt how to fly.

Natty Dread

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

I'm still not a fan of reggae, but I have to admit, this album was not as irritating as other on the list. That deserves a grrat 3 stars, which for reggae record is basically a max available score.

If I Could Only Remember My Name

David Crosby

3/5

Nothing exciting, nothing special. Definitely I prefer Crosby in slightly different environment, with more friends around to share the composing. Otherwise, quite forgettable album.

Roots

Sepultura

5/5

Ah yeah, I'm back in school, trying to be an edgy teenager by all means necessary, deciding that for the next few months of my life Sepultura will become my favourite band. And what a glorious time that was! Roots was, of course, THE album to listen to during that period. It's funny, but I tried to give it a go today, almost 20 years later, but I can't really go through the whole record. Roots is meant to be listened to in a certain moments in life, and I'm sure those moments are long gone for me. But the sentimental and melancholic feeling of having Ratamahatta on a loop in my childhood bedroom will definitely stick with me forever. And for that reason only Roots deserve the highest possible praise.

Lady In Satin

Billie Holiday

3/5

Was about to write how good this album is, but apparently I was listening to a different record by Billie Holiday. This one is much more toned down and actually not that interesting as I would assume. Beautiful voice, but boring album.

Peace Sells...But Who's Buying

Megadeth

4/5

I always thought of this album as a natural extension of Rust In Peace (or the other way around), so the only logical choice is to give it the same note. Peak thrash metal, great solos, good riffs and amazingly terrible vocal. Recipe for success.

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

4/5

What a hard album to rate. Three all-time bangers, and 10 below average songs full of Axl squealing and uneventful instrumentation. What doesn't help is also the fact that the hits are extremely overplayed in all media. Well, I guess I wouldn't feel comfortable with an average 3 for this album, even though it sounds fair. Very weak 4 it is.

Peter Gabriel 3

Peter Gabriel

4/5

Experimental Peter Gabriel is a guarantee of fun. Very good album, great voice, legend.

Franz Ferdinand

4/5

One of my favourite rock songs of all time, Take Me Out, is apparently from this album. Amazing track, great memories. Rest of the record - pretty good, but not entirely convincing. Just a very solid album which I'll happily revisit again.

D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle

Throbbing Gristle

1/5

Amazing, finally I found a band that revolutionised music with a new, groundbreaking invention - industrial music. Without this new genre we wouldn't have bands like... Rammstein, I guess? Other than that, absolutely terrible and unlistenable album. Very easy 1.

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

4/5

One thing about The Cure - their instrumental songs are really top notch. Nothing complicated or extravagant, just a massive amount of atmosphere and emotions pumped into the tracks. I think I should have started listening to The Cure long time ago. If only the vocal was more approachable, I guess.

One World

John Martyn

3/5

This album by John Martyn is a little bit better, in my opinion, than Solid Air, that appeared on the list before. Style is rather similar, maybe it doesn't feel as 'folky', but that's a good thing, in general. Just a pretty good album, but nothin I will remmeber in few days.

Moss Side Story

Barry Adamson

5/5

I have just basically watched a fascinating movie without through the music medium. Great album, much better than the other Barry Adamson record on the list. Another contender for the surprise of the year.

The Undertones

2/5

Nice, early punk rock/post punk, or whatever it is, just worse than the genre itself. Ultimate garage band, with quality of everything as low as humanly possible. Not really my kind of jam.

White Ladder

David Gray

3/5

Bland album, bland review, bland score.

Happy Sad

Tim Buckley

2/5

Not really a fan of older Buckley's music. I didn't like this album, songs were very uneventful, it was hard to see any merit in it. Bit of a wasted time.

Fuzzy Logic

Super Furry Animals

4/5

Debut album by Super Furry Animals, and second on this list. I'm still not sure what is so special about that band or their songs. It's an okay alternative music, nothing too crazy, nothing too popular. It was good, but is it something for this list?

So

Peter Gabriel

5/5

I think this might be the best album by Peter Gabriel, although the bar is really high. It's one of the most accessible records, but still very artistic and innovative. One of my favourites on this list.

Boston

4/5

Amazing song, everyone knows which one, and a bunch of early hard rock tracks, mostly average or slightly above average. Not a fan of this type of music, but opening song is just too good. More Than a Good, I would even say.

When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Cornershop

4/5

There's suprisingly quite a few albums on this list that mix traditional music of India with western pop tunes. When I Was Born for The 7th Time is abother example, and as with other cases it's a pretty good record. More traditional pop/rock rhytms with unusual instruments or melodies, and with a quite distinct vocal. And a total tune from 90s - Brimful of Asha. Until this day I had no idea what's that about, or what the actual lyrics are, but the song is pretty good.

Elastica

3/5

Surprisingly average album, even though it has some Damon Albarn influence. Not much to comment on, to be honest.

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

Charles Mingus

4/5

One of the better jazz albums on this list. Very approachable, telling a cohesive story, with plenty of surprises along the way (spanish guitar, for example). I'm not an expert, but I think this album might be a good starting point for future jazz enthusiasts.

Pelican West

Haircut 100

2/5

Sounds like a failed copy of Talking Heads, with a pretty annoying vocalist. Couldn't get through two songs without a long break, and I gave up after 5. Not really interested in continuing.

Third

Portishead

5/5

Easily (and surprisingly) the best Portishead album and one of the biggest revelations on the list. Even though the best songs are from first album, this one is extremely solid and enjoyable. Different style than last two records, we have a more chilled, more trip, less hop. Basically electronica with few additional genres as a soundtrack to a trippy movie. Amazing album, will listen to again. And again.

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

5/5

How good is this album, honestly? Amazing from the start to finish, bangers only, incredible riffs and guitar solos. This guy was not afraid to experiment, that's for sure, with his albums being either genius or straight up unlistenable. Now I have to listen to few remaining records in his discography that I haven't heard yet (around 50 albums). Good luck me.

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

3/5

A pretty average jazz fusion album, maybe a bit approachable than usual. It has few good melodies in it, but otherwise not that much juice.

Kilimanjaro

The Teardrop Explodes

4/5

Pretty good album, much better than usual 80s pop/rock. Songs are flowing nicely, nice soundtrack if you're not too invested in it. But probably too ordinary to make note of it.

Rain Dogs

Tom Waits

4/5

Another super solid album by Tom Waits, with his usual, extra-recognisable style and amazing stories. It's not something I would like to listen too often, but it's a real piece of music, this one.

Tellin’ Stories

The Charlatans

3/5

Boring, unoriginal, obsolete. Sounds like worst bits from Oasis and Blur mashed together. I'm exaggerating of course, but it just wasn't a pleasant listetning session.

Follow The Leader

Korn

3/5

Freak on a Leash and a full album of average and underwhelming nu-metal, or just rock/metal. I'm very disappointed, all the other popular nu-metal bands from the late 90s have inspiring albums full of singles and bangers. Korn has only few boring songs, where vocal and specific bass style only gets more and more annoying. With a very heavy heart I'll have to give it only 3/5 rate, Freak on a Leash is not enough.

Night Life

Ray Price

3/5

Nauseous music, but amazing voice. I think if this album would be all a capella, then it's easily 4 stars or more. The reality is that Ray plus same country beat on all 12 songs is just too much to bear.

Bryter Layter

Nick Drake

2/5

Second album by Nick Drake on the list, and other than addition of some brass instruments, my feelings haven't changed towards his music at all. Nice voice, not mu style of music. Coincidentally, couple weeks ago I have watched Inside Llewyn Davis, and the history of Llewyn from the movie really resembles Nick's real story, just with a better ending. Very interesting style of life. But it's pretty telling that I didn't really like music from the movie either.

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

4/5

I'm not really a fan of Elvis Presley, but it's pretty obvious how talented he was, and how he surrounded himself with great musicians. Pretty good album.

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

TV On The Radio

2/5

How different this album is to Dear Science. In comparison it comes really flat - songs have more garage quality, which sometimes is preferable, but not in this case. Also, no distinguishable single or hit makes this album pretty basic. I still listen to DLZ or Golden Age, Staring at the Sun is just not on that level.

Your Arsenal

Morrissey

4/5

Another good album by Morrissey, love his voice and style, every song on each record seems to be at least slightly above average.

Germfree Adolescents

X-Ray Spex

4/5

Okay, surprisingly good album, with few exceptions. I quite liked Poly's vocal, music wasn't ordinary, as it is with punk in general, I enjoyed most of the record. It's quite unexpected, because after looking at the album cover, I was ready to skip it.

Dry

PJ Harvey

4/5

PJ Harvey's floor is always at least 4 star album, in my opinion. She has that darkish style, which sometimes feels like an unplugged black metal. But her more optimistic and neytral songs are relly good as well, the whole record fits together stylistically, pretty good debut album. Dry lacks a bit in hits and singles, but overall it's easily an above average position on the list.

Step In The Arena

Gang Starr

3/5

Some nice beats, okay flow, but very mundane album. It was okay, but I'm glad it's over.

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

4/5

Okay, tutti frutti saves the day. The rest of the album is fun, but not as spectacular or noteworthy, really. Very old, but almost gold.

Everything Must Go

Manic Street Preachers

4/5

Really decent album. Very unusual song structures, but still entertaining. I liked two singles from the record: "Kevin Carter", whose story is quite fascinating on its own, and "Everything Must Go". They story of Richey Edwards' disappearance gave me few hours of reading material, which I guess adds to the album's fame. Wales has some pretty good bands in there.

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

3/5

Not a fan of Nirvana, even though unplugged version is a bit better than normal. Couple of pretty good songs, I really liked "Where did you Sleep Last Night", but the rest of the album was a bit boring.

Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix

5/5

Okay, I don't know anymore which album in Hendrix' discography is my favourite. What's important, is that Jimi is one of the best artists from that era. I'm not planning to listen to his records on a daily basis anymore, but he still holds a special place in my heart. Great album, top 10 on this list.

Black Monk Time

The Monks

4/5

Tolerable punk rock from 60s. Just the fact that I kind of liked it, makes it an exceptional feat. Pretty nice, old, trailblazing album.

The Modern Dance

Pere Ubu

4/5

Fun and interesting album, pretty modern, even 40 years later. Cool stuff.

Ritual De Lo Habitual

Jane's Addiction

3/5

Ooof, what a frustrating album. It was my first time listening to Jane's Addiction, but I'm pretty sure it will be also the last time. I enjoyed everything about the music except for vocal, and it was so bad, that it spoiled the whole experience. It's no surprise that my favourite song was 10 minutes track with minimal addition by vocalist. Very hard to properly rate it, but I would guess that the riffs and solos are too good to be rated low. 1/5 for vocal, 4/5 for the rest, as a result - very weak 3.

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

George Michael

5/5

Great album, it's a real shame I have a chance to discover George Michael's songs when he is no longer here. Amazing side A to the record, I loved every song on it, especially his rendition of Wonder's "They Won't Go When I Go". Beautiful songs, great lyrics, amazing voice. Side B is still solid and brings in few interesting tracks. Looking at it from the distance, it has to be the best album in George's discography. Let's look for vinyl now.

Purple Rain

Prince

5/5

I've read in couple different places that Prince's music (and especially this album) is a guilty pleasure experience for metal fans. After listening to Purple Rain I'll have to agree. Prince's singing capabilities are quite extraordinary, and putting him with a different genre wouldn't really be a surprise. Great album, I liked every minute of it. Intersting thing, one of the rare albums that the last song is the best one. A lot of guts on this man.

Scissor Sisters

4/5

Great album, until I've listened to Comfortably Numb cover. Pros - they have a distinct style and they went all the way to ahow it with their rendition of the song. Cons - they really went all the way. Other than that, few great moments, entertaining album, really cool stuff.

Yank Crime

Drive Like Jehu

2/5

Weird album to appear on the list. I know so many better hardcore bands from early 90s, what is so special about this one? All I can hear is that it's a very grounbreaking and influential band, but I just don't hear it. Pretty disappointing and boring record, not my style.

Locust Abortion Technician

Butthole Surfers

3/5

Not good, but not bad. On the list of chaotic mess and occasional cacophony it ranks pretty high, with few enjoyable track, slightly reminding me early Primus. But whole album like that is just too painful to listen to. Good effort though.

Close To You

Carpenters

3/5

Well, it's only just begun, and all the hits were gone. Very nice voice by the brother and sister from the band, but the album was quite underwhelming. Other than catchy opening song, there is nothing to write about.

System Of A Down

5/5

SOAD's debut album wasn't really the first one I have ever heard. I started listening to their music probably soon after Steal This Album, and that record, together with Toxicity, is what defines System of a Down for me. But after some time I could certainly appreciate the debut album more. It feels slightly less produced, more "garagey", just dirty, and probably closer to what Serf, Daron and the rest had on their mind when they started writing songs. Great music, will always look fondly at this band.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

3/5

Not my vibe, not my type of music. I liked that one famous single, but otherwise it was just a bit too much for me. Not a bad album though, from an outsiders perspective.

Orbital 2

Orbital

1/5

I have seen a comment saying that Orbital belongs to the big trio of electronic music, together with The Prodigy. I hope that was the first an last time, that someone put those two bands together in one sentence. Orbital orbits the wrong star, I'm afraid.

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

3/5

After album C'est Chic by Chic I thought this type of music can't go wrong. And although Sister Sledge had the same producers as the aforementioned band, the drop in quality is quite noticeable. Two nice hits and a very average rest of album is certainly a disappointment, when compared to excellent C'est Chic. At least I finally learned who was the original creator of We Are Family, will be useful at pub quizzes.

Casanova

The Divine Comedy

3/5

You can make a clear connection between this album and "A Short Album About Love", which I really liked and enjoyed. Unfortunately, Casanova is just a step on a path to achieve greatness, and that step is pretty massive. Orchestral and baroque elements are very sparse and underdeveloped, even vocal is a bit afraid of going all the way, like you're supposed to do with this genre. Good album, but a bit of a let down, when listened to out of the sequence.

Ys

Joanna Newsom

4/5

Great Bjork-like album, with some mystique and elegant melodies played on lyre or harp, which was making me feel a bit nauseous the longer it went on. Every 15 minutes or so I was feeling more fed up with this record, even though my first impression was very positive. I just decided to stop listening to it, before it will become unbearable. Still, it's hard to give it a bad rating, it has something magical that makes me come back for more. Maybe it will grow on me a little bit more in the future?

A Grand Don't Come For Free

The Streets

2/5

Great story, average music, terrible vocals. It ended up being easier to just read lyrics to all the songs intead of listening to them. I don't think that's a sign of good album.

Dookie

Green Day

2/5

Wow, that was actually a really boring and monotone album. I think I am not a fan of early Green Day at all. It's just that type of punk rock which is grinding your gears for an hour straight, three chords over and over again.

Vauxhall And I

Morrissey

4/5

As always, Morrissey provides heaps of quality and enjoyment for the listener. Haven't heard a bad album from his discography yet. Very solid record.

Oxygène

Jean-Michel Jarre

1/5

If that album is the only source of oxygen, then I'll rather suffocate.

Snivilisation

Orbital

1/5

As terrible as the other Orbital album on this list. Not much to add,just a very boring and outdated style.

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden

3/5

I'm not really a fan of heavy metal, which means I'm not a fan of Iron Maiden, the most heavy metal band in the history of heavy metal. I would describe this album as boring, repetitive and repetitive. Vocal kind of a grows on you after some time, they have nice guitar solos as well, but overall package is just so forgettable, it's crazy. Plus one star for Run to the Hills, only song by them that you will ever have to listen to.

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

1/5

Love and special sauce, terrible name with music on equal level. What the hell happened to the sound of that drums? Does the singer know the words to his own songs? Does anything make sense in here? Interestingly bad album, once in a lifetime experience.

Stephen Stills

4/5

It's just one of those solo albums of Crosby, Stills, Young and Nash group. And similarly to their records, with small exceptions, they are all good, enjoyable, but slightly lacking in substance. I don't think that 55 years really preserved it well. But regardless, the whole group just knew their stuff well enough.

Penance Soiree

The Icarus Line

5/5

An actually good album with couple great songs, like "Getting Bright at Night" and "Big Sleep". Interesting style, a bit watered down hardcore with a pleasant sounding vocalist. I like their sound, there are few really good riffs hidden on the tracks. Pretty good atmosphere of the record as well. Ah, why not, 5 stars, it's been a long time since I was so positively surprised.

Tom Tom Club

1/5

So how do you exactly start with Talkin Heads and end up here? Terrible album, easily bottom 10. It's just not my aesthetics.

Technique

New Order

2/5

My first reaction to this album was a surprise that it has already finished and I haven't even noticed. This album is as bland as it gets. And it gets pretty bland, believe me.

That's The Way Of The World

Earth, Wind & Fire

3/5

Quite disappointing album, I was expecting a much funkier sound, some groovy tunes, more September. Unfortunately, it was just an average pop record. Nothing too exciting.

Talking Book

Stevie Wonder

4/5

First things first - Superstition is an amazing song, and it might be top 3 songs in a vast repertoire of Stevie. The rest of the album is slightly on the weaker side, the atmosphere is toned down, it lacks that wow factor from Innervisions. It's still a very solid record and I can't really believe I was ignoring Stevie's music for so long.

Hunting High And Low

a-ha

4/5

Amazing song, good album. Take On Me is incredible, top10 song from 80s for sure. They practically saved the whole decade from obscurity with this one track. The rest of the album is okay, fades away a lottle after such a strong opener. It's a shame Manhattan Skyline is not from this album, my favourite song as a metalhead. RIP Benny Harvey, I miss you big fella.

My Generation

The Who

3/5

Other than a great main song - My Generation - it's a quite weird album. Every song seems to be from a different genre, it's a big mix of styles, for the better or worse. Guys probably had a lot of fun making it, but I'm not so sure it's that listener-friendly. After listening to few record of the band I can say that I'm not really a big fan. Love few songs, but the rest is unremarkable.

Hms Fable

Shack

2/5

Confusing choice. There is plenty of more interesting britpop albums from late 90s, what is so special about this one? I didn't really feel the atmosphere or even the point of this record. Everything was average at best. I can't recall any song even couple hours after listening to this lp. I'd say it's a miss.

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

5/5

Legendary album, if you've heard about music, you've probably heard of The Dark Side of The Moon. There is a lot of amazing songs on this record, few of my favourites, and also one of my least favourite Pink Floyd's track - Money. For some reason I feel like it doesn't have a place on this album and it spoils all immersion I gained on side A. But back to good things - Time is timeless, Us and Them is so emotional, The Great Gig In The Sky is perfect. Great album with one, pretty big issue. But it's still an easy 5.

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Liars

4/5

Another noise and chaotic album, revolving pretty closely to hardcore universe. Fortunately, that's what I actually like, so Liars is now on my list of bands that I will thoroughly listen to in the future. As of right now it's just a four, but I reckon after few more tries this will be a very strong five.

Violent Femmes

3/5

Very average album with a positive, but boring music. Violently unremarkable.

Palo Congo

Sabu

3/5

Fun album, nice couple of songs to begin with, and then it turned into a more average show. Pretty good to listen to for 10 minutes.

Tigermilk

Belle & Sebastian

3/5

Some interesting tracks, some absolutely average and boring ones as well. All combined into a rather disappointing album by Belle & Sebastian. It's not my type of music, as I have realised the first time I listened to the band, at the very first week that I sterted using this website.

Pacific Ocean Blue

Dennis Wilson

4/5

A bit of Beach Boys without most of the Boys. Definitely not the greatest vocalist of all time, but still, Dennis had some good ideas on how to record an album. He sounds at his best in a bit quicker, more confident songs, whereas the slower, emotional tracks are really ill-fitted for Dennis talents. Overall, pretty cool record, different experience than I thought it would be.

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

Brian Eno

2/5

Weird album, it doesn't really sound like Brian Eno, and it definitely doesn't sound like David Byrne. A classic collaboration, that shows none of their respective talents. I certainly didn't enjoy it and will quickly move to the next one.

Morrison Hotel

The Doors

4/5

This album allowed me to realize that The Doors had other records than their self titled one and LA Woman. Morrison Hotel sounds much more like their debut, great bluesy style, but none of the songs sticks out as a hit. Jim's vocal as great as ever, very good record. Maybe I should have a deeper look into their discography now?

Pink Moon

Nick Drake

3/5

Third and final album by Nick Drake, fortunately it's also the last tine he will appear on this list for me. Still not my jam, I don't feel this music and certainly I dont enjoy listening to it. Tragic backstory doesn't change it too much.

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

1/5

One really good song and a full album of terrible and unlistenable tracks. I'm not a fan, I didn't enjoy it, and probably won't listen to it again. Steve Albini is for sure an original producer, but not everything he touched turned to gold.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Iron Butterfly

1/5

This is one of those albums that has no redeeming qualities at all. Vocal sounds like fake Elvis Presley, songs are really neutered of all excitment, and even long guitar solos on b side are completely boring. I guess it's not known for a reason.

Songs The Lord Taught Us

The Cramps

1/5

Three really bad albums in a row! The perfect imperfect trifecta is completed thanks to The Cramps and their amazing and evocative achievement "Songs The Lord Taught Us". 4 songs in I just gave up - maybe I'm not feeling well today, but this album made it much worse. I'd like to go back the the World where cramps were much more enjoyable than this band.

Fifth Dimension

The Byrds

3/5

I'm not a fan of The Byrds, but at least they gained a bit of my respect with "Hey Joe". I liked guitar solos on this album, which were pretty revolutionary of 60s, I think. But otherwise, it's just another older album that is interesting only because it was different at the time. Not something one would listen to nowadays.

Superfuzz Bigmuff

Mudhoney

3/5

Second album on the list by Mudhoney, this time not even the full LP, which is very surprising. I reckon that the appearance of this ep is purely historical - it's not a very good record, but it started a new genre and inspired sound of many new bands. So points for that, but otherwise very average album.

Exile On Main Street

The Rolling Stones

4/5

I think, so far, this is the best album by The Rolling Stones on this list (and there has been 5 or 6 in total). None of the songs is a hit or a popular track, but the 70 minutes long record is very solid and equally good from start to finish. Blues sound, a bit of rock or even rock'n'roll, pretty good vocal, some nice guitar solos. Definitely it stands out in the band's discography. Quite pleasant surprise.

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere & The Raiders

2/5

What a great opening track and what a letdown afterwards. The album is only 29 minutes long, and still I had to fast forward in few places, because I just couldn't take it anymore. First song saves the day, otherwise a pretty bad record.

Black Metal

Venom

2/5

We may be thankful to Venom for introduction, and basically creation, of new genre that so many of us love and appreciate, but it's honestly almost unlistenable 42 years later. Points for inspiration, but also a lot of points deducted for a pretty weak album.

Teenage Head

Flamin' Groovies

2/5

It's not Rolling Stones, and it's not something I would listen to without being forced. So unfortunately, I will just quietly move on.

Faith

George Michael

4/5

George Michael's floor is 4 stars for me, so it's mostly decision if I think this is good or a great album. I think Liaten Without Prejudice is easily his best album, and Faith is just maybe a little to "pop and normal" for me. But still, such a talented musician.

Maverick A Strike

Finley Quaye

2/5

Weird sound, style and album. Definitely it's not the most interesting record on the list. Boring.

Savane

Ali Farka Touré

3/5

Nice, classic African Blues. Quite enjoyable sound, cool guitar vibes, pretty nice album. It's not my favourite genre, but I still enjoyed it as much as I could.

Iron Maiden

3/5

Debut album by Iron Maiden is an interesting piece. I always dismissed this band as boring and repetitive, and honestly that's quite close to truth. This record, other than terrible vocalist, includes few nice to grrat songs, which probably make it worth listetning to this album. Phantom of the Opera and Transylvania are really good, mostly because they don't really include too much of Paul Di'Anno. Cool record, bad band.

...And Justice For All

Metallica

3/5

Another stark reminder why I don't listen to Metallica anymore. I love stumbling upon "One" from time to time, a classic in metal music forever. But the idea to listen to the whole album in one sitting is quite a grueling task. It's just incredibly boring and repetitive record, and I'm honestly surprised I was able to like it many moons ago. Metallica is so relentless in what they are doing, that you're either ride the lightning, or you're being dragged behind. And like with Master of Puppets I gave that album 5 stars, moatly for the nice memories, I'll have to balance it out with 3 for this record, because current me just can't take it at all. From now on, one song at a time, then couple months of break. Repeat forever.

More Specials

The Specials

4/5

Special album "More Special" by The Specials. Funky sound, groovy beats, nothing that stands out, but everything that makes the evening better. Easily above average record.

In Our Heads

Hot Chip

4/5

Finally something from a completely different barrel. Alternative disco/dance, or just an original attempt to redefine the classic genre in 2010s. Few songs are honestly amazing, and will sit on my "party mix" forever. For example "Motion Sickness" and "Flutes" have a tremendous quality and bring a breath of fresh air into pop/dance. On the other hand, when the quality isn't there, the track become slightly tiring, not providing anything interesting, and slowly but surely becoming mundane. This opinion comes after just one hearing of the album, and I have a feeling that there is a possibility of falling in love with the whole record. For now it's just 4 stars, but a really good core for future enjoyment.

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

3/5

Nothing crazy, just another very old album with a very outdated vocal work by Louis Prima. Nice music, but quite unremarkable.

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

4/5

Finally a good Queen album. I mentioned it before, but I really feel like this band is seriously overplayed in mainstream nowadays. It's hard to escape, impossible to hide from them. But fortunately there are records like Sheer Heart Attack, that maybe with exception of Killer Queen didn't feature in the endless waves of commercials and movies with Queen music. It's a pretty good and very well-made album, great opening song and just a solid set of numbers later on. I'm not a fan of the band, but I guess I like Brian May's style, Brighton Rock really shows his genius. Freddy good as ever, very solid album.

Kollaps

Einstürzende Neubauten

2/5

Rammstein's grandfather, and as with all the trail blazers, their sound is very rough and edgy. Couple interesting songs, but otherwise it's just weird sounds and effects. Thank you for showing the way, but as for your actual music - no thank you.

Arise

Sepultura

3/5

Questionable choice of an album from Sepultura. I guess this is the record where the band started showing flashes of their new style, which was groundbreaking for metal music at the time, although it's definitely not their best achievement in the discography. I think that Sepultura peaked with Roots, had some really high standard with albums right before and after, and the rest is pretty standard or forgettable, like Arise. I like this titled song from the record, but the thing is, the rest of the album is quite monotone and similar. Plus for metal representation, minus on the choice.

Imperial Bedroom

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

1/5

Fourth album by Elvis Costello and his crew on this list, and easily the worst one so far. I don't have that much time, or more likely willingness to check what is so different on Imperial Bedroom as compared to other records, but I was struggling very much to finish this. I have seen this album being described as baroque pop, which apparently is something I just don't get at all. Convoluted melodies, unpredictable vocal lines, you can tell Wainwright was inspired by this music. Which makes sense, because I had zero pleasure listening to his albums as well. Bottom of the barrell it goes.

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

4/5

Classic funk album, nice groove, great singers, a bit boring on side b, but I think it's normal for records from that period. Just overall good album.

World Clique

Deee-Lite

3/5

Very average album with a very average hit, that doesn't even feel like it belongs. Very specific style, that probably worked in quirky 90s, but is rather boring nowadays. Not much to say about this album.

Low-Life

New Order

2/5

Anotger generic post punk/dance album from 80s. Absolutely unlistenable, I made it three songs in, just on pure hatred. I guess the record is not so bad in broader terms, but definitely I didn't enjoy even a second. Generous two, because it's Friday, I guess.

Arular

M.I.A.

2/5

Similar to her second album, but without Paper Planes as a hit. The lyrics might be political, but the music that comes with it is just very off putting. M. I. A style is just so much out of my comfort zone. A slightly too far out.

Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room

Dwight Yoakam

1/5

This music reminds me of a deep countryside fair, with people in very weird clothes, plenty of raunchy games and a multitude of bad food. It's just not a music I will ever like, even if I try (and I tried).

Younger Than Yesterday

The Byrds

4/5

This is easily the best album by The Byrds on this list, although I hope it's also the last one. I think it's not a coincidence that this record is the most similar to The Beatles. Very nice pop/rock sounds with some heavy psychedelic influence, which was definitely too heavy at times, making it unbearable to listen to. But some of the guitar solos, riffs and melodies were top notch, surprisingly good. Even the vocalist was better than expected. Overall a very solid album, I would certainly listen to it again.

Hot Fuss

The Killers

5/5

In my opinion it might be one of the best, or most important indie albums of 2000s. In my mind this record started a mini-revolution of those soft rock/emo bands that are just perfect for a long sitting in a pub on Friday night. Great album, where every song has its own merits - not perfect, but very entertaining, simple but stylish. Small symbol of early 2000s.

Basket of Light

Pentangle

3/5

Actually a pretty good medieval folk music from UK, nothing extravagant, just a solid effort.the album has similar issue to all non-popular genres - it's getting tiring to listencto after a while. So it's nice to learn about something new, but I won't come back to check rest of Pentangle's discography.

Ill Communication

Beastie Boys

3/5

One of the greatest song of all time and another average album by Beastie Boys. It's just not that interesting. I have no idea how they come up with Sabotage, this song sticks out so much from the whole discography, it's very weird. I think an album with this track on a loop would be much more entertaining than Ill Communication.

Highly Evolved

The Vines

2/5

Highly average garage rock from Australia. I approached this album four times, and each time I got distracted after the first song. Even giving it my undivided attention was not helping. It just wasn't too intersting, quite contrary, it was a bit off-putting. Not really a fan of this band.

O.G. Original Gangster

Ice T

3/5

Another classic hip hop albums from the early 90s. Nice beats, okay flow, but it's nothing remarkable.

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

Ice Cube

2/5

It's not a most wanted album in my household, that's for sure. Don't really like the flow, style, beats. Or the lyrics and themes. I guess for me Ice Cube is more an actor than a rapper. Bit of a waste of time.

Aladdin Sane

David Bowie

4/5

Another of many Bowie's albums on the list, Aladdin Sane, is in my opinion a good representation of his career. Very solid record, basically no bad song, but overall a bit underwhelming. One would excpect even more genius from Bowie, which tells us all about his fame and career. It's not my favourite, but still a very goid album.

Rising Above Bedlam

Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart

2/5

Weird mix of 90s pop, a bit of jazz, some electronics and other unspecified genres. The end result was certainly not cohesive, listening to it for more than 10 minutes can result in stomach pain. Otherwise, amazing album.

Isn't Anything

My Bloody Valentine

3/5

I think My Bloody Valentine is basically a definition of the band that marries some terrible sounds with an absolute genius ones. This debut album of their is the perfect example, it is sometimes visible in single songs. In general I'm a fan of a good shoegaze sound, but in a more rock/metal environment, whereas here MBV resembles a more experimenting The Cure. Still an okay album, but far from my favourite one.

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo

MC Solaar

4/5

A pretty cool french rap with very interesting beats and melodies. Quite jazzy at times, full of positive 90s vibes, with a very accesible vocals (although I didn't understand a thing). Looks like I'm going to give a good note for a french rap, who would have thought.

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

Small Faces

4/5

Okay album, pretty relaxing and fun music. Few nice guitar solos, interesting themes, overall good record.

Call of the Valley

Shivkumar Sharma

4/5

Very pleasant album, one of the few records on the list that are actually relaxing. I've listened to whole 40 minutes of this lp and then just start it again, amazing background music. But to be fair, the talent of Shivkumar to make me like the sound of such a foreign instrument has to be enormous.

Endtroducing.....

DJ Shadow

5/5

Amazing album, absolute top of the feeling/atmospheric records of all time. For a long time I was only listening to Midnight In the Perfect World, and the song is great for sure, but in comparison to the rest of the album it doesn't really stand out. Every track is like a short, slightly melancholic story that creates an overarching theme, and MITPW is just one of those stories. Easily one of the top records on this list, in my opinion, and probably one of my favourite trip hop album, maybe even better than Massive Attack. Absolutely great stuff.

Boy In Da Corner

Dizzee Rascal

3/5

Pretty good album by my Bonkers guy. Honestly, I had no idea he had any other songs than Bonkers, actually. Boy In Da Corner is a nice example of british rap being at the same level as american (although few years too late).

Live At Leeds

The Who

3/5

Another rather average album by The Who. Not really impressed by their solos or improv ability. Live version didn't change much. The conclusion remains the same - I like few of The Who's biggest hits, but all the rest is more than forgettable.

Truth And Soul

Fishbone

3/5

On paper it seemed like an almost perfect album for me - a mix of funk, rock, metal and a bit of ska just for a good measure. In reality, the album didn't do any of those things well enough, none of the songs were really interesting. Quite boring record, shame I couldn't have liked it more.

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

4/5

Another super solid album by Depeche Mode. I honestly feel that this is the only band that can pull off this electronic beat style so popular in the 80s. This sound is almost timeless, even though it is slightly monotone before the end of the album. No hits on the record, but plenty of solid tracks.

Kimono My House

Sparks

3/5

A very quirky and original album, where quirkiness quickly changes from its biggest strength into by far biggest annoyance. It's actually a pretty common description in regards to many records on this list - first song bringing this innovative and amazing style to the forefront, but by third song you're just slowly waiting for it to end. And by sixth song you just give up. Very much original, very much not listenable for longer than 5 minutes.

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

5/5

Wow, that was an actually great album! For some reason I expected a classic, modern rap album, which I'm not so fond of, but instead I listened to a really catchy, Childish Gambino-like r'n'b record. I actually never even knew that Janelle Monae was a singer before she started her acting career, so this album was full of surprises. I basically liked the whole side A of the record, which happens only with great releases. Great style, very enjoyable singing/rapping by Janelle, honestly great music. Something more modern to have in my vinyl collection.

Toys In The Attic

Aerosmith

4/5

Not an easy album to rate. On one hand it is the most simple and straightforward rock album from 70s, very much in the same vein as The Rolling Stones, one catchy riff per song, melodic vocals and clear-cut style of the track. On the other song, this album has no bad songs, everything is at least average and pleasant to listen to, with couple songs standing against the test of time (especially Walk This Way, which may have one of the catchiest riff ever). I don't think I would like to listen to this album ever again, but I have to admit, it's just a very solid record, hard to find any big flaw in it. Good job Aerosmith.

Apple Venus Volume 1

XTC

4/5

Second album by XTC on this list, after a very mediocre Skylarking. And unlike that record, Apple Venus Volume 1 has no real hit, just a long list of solid and quite unique tracks. Out of curiosity I have revisited some older albums by XTC and I'm surprised how different my opinion about the band is now. Maybe it depends on a day, or I changed that much over last couple years? Whatever the reason is, I liked that unusual style presented on the record, even the vocalist was well-fitting into the whole picture, something I had a problem before. I will look at AVV1 in the future for sure.

Pump

Aerosmith

3/5

Two Aerosmith albums in three days might be a little too much of Steven Tyler for my liking. Pump is actually really similar to Toys in the Attic I have listened to previously. Couple of radio hits, like Janie's Got a Gun and Love in an Elevator and a set of pretty solid hard rock/glam songs. Regardless of those similarities, I felt like this record was slightly more boring. Very likely that it was because of the limit of Aerosmith songs my body can take in one week. Whatever the reason is, the rating has to be lower than for the previous album.

The Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest

3/5

Once again, an album that starts off very strong with two great tracks with amazing beats, but then slowly falls off into the abyss. By the last 10 minutes I was dozing off, with the beat and rap becoming quite stale and generic. It's interesting that the three singles from this album were actually below average compared to the rest of the songs, in my opinion. I have to say, I never seen something like this before.

I See You

The xx

2/5

There is a BIG difference between their debut and this album, I See You. Even though it seems The xx was trying to hit the same tones as on their self-titled record, it didn't really resonate with me at all. Every song sounded like part of a random radio station "sad playlist" on a Thursday night, but that sadness has no depth, at least none that I can feel. Basically, it sounded like a bad imitation of The xx. Which is a shame, because I really liked their debut album.

The Cars

3/5

Well, another band from the 70s that I have never heard of and will forget about very soon. 1000 albums out of 70 years history of recording music on physical media is really a lot. So I'm not exactly surprised that there is so many random and average bands in here. This is just one of them.

Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water

Limp Bizkit

2/5

First of all, I have to admit that I am very surprised that a list of best albums in history has Limp Bizkit in it. Do they deserve this award? I can respond with 100% conviction - no. LB is a product of its time. Not the best one at that, they are very generic in nu-metal scene, adding not much other than few radio hits for rebellious teenagers. And even though 70% of the album is quite incoherent, some of those hits, like Rollin' and My Way were pretty good at the time. Listening to it gives you a bit of positive vibes and good memories. It's nice to have a talented guitarist for those catchy riffs. But otherwise, it is a big mistake, this album doesn't really belong here. And if we talk about more deserving record (still not close tbh), I would suggest The Unquestionable Truth. It's a good, honest try at something more original.

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

Whatever you want to say about Billy Corgan, and there's probably a lot you can say about him, he was a great songwriter with few top-notch albums. Siamese Dream is one of them, just a all-round great rock music which hasn't lost any edge since the release. No point to describe specific tracks, everything is at least solid, which also is quite rare nowadays. I liked Silverfuck the most, but that's because I'm a sucker for longer and more atmospheric songs. I think is not as good as Mellon Collie, but still it's an easy 5 on this list.

Shadowland

k.d. lang

1/5

Great voice, unfortunately for me this type of music is just absolutely unbearable to listen to. I stopped after third song, it didn't make sense anyway. Sorry KD Lang, I really tried.

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye

3/5

This album by Marvin Gaye is definitely in the same vein as Let's Get It On and Here, My Dear. Similar style, same emotions rising up in the air,great vocal and quite boring overall package. I didn't find anything interesting on What's Going On, just few average to solid tracks and I don't remember any of them few hours after listening to the whole record. I'm a bit surprised this is the most famous album by Marvin - it feels like he was getting better over the next releases. This one, in comparison, was pretty average.

Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby

Girls Against Boys

5/5

That was probably my favourite indie rock album on this list. I was honestly so surprised how well it sounded from start to finish. No need to pick a single from this record, just try a song at random, it will be amazing. I have never heard of Girls Against Boys before, but after listening to this album I will have to go on a little binge-listening session. I'm very impressed, new vinyl goes to the collection.

Parallel Lines

Blondie

3/5

I think this album may be used as an example of an absolutely average record. There is one pretty good song, one that is quite catchy, and 10 others with no descriptive features. Very boring album, I guess there's not enough Blondie in Blondie, as she's the only good part of the band. It's funny that they have a Buddy Holly cover on Parallel Lines. I was thinking this record was very much in his style, just much worse. That's it.

Blue

Joni Mitchell

3/5

Great album, amazing work by Joni, probably one of the greatest folk albums of all time. Spectacular voice, important and brave lyrics. Only problem? I didn't like it. Other than that, it's pretty good!

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

3/5

The Great Ray Charles! Fantistic person, amazing musician and composer. I really appreciate his talent and music, but I'm simply not a fan. This album is more like a main piece in the exhibition about history of music and that's the only way I can look at it. I didn't enjoy this record almost at all.

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Richard Thompson

4/5

Great album as always, so far I really liked every Fairport Convention records on this list, so solo album by Richard and Linda is no exception. I don't know what makes them so special, when compared to other folk albums I have listened to. Maybe an inclination that folk doesn't have to be so "pure" and musically simple? Whatever it is, works for me though.

Back to Basics

Christina Aguilera

2/5

I'm not really a fan of those naughties pop stars albums. They are definitely a relict of their times and for some reason we liked it then. Nowadays, listening to full albums of Aguilera, Spears, Carey or Lopez (or any boysband, for that reason) is like a highest order of punishment. My mental was strong enough to make it halfway through the album, afterwards the changes in the psyche will be irreversible. Christina has couple of nice songs, but her album doesn't belong on this list, unfortunately.

Face to Face

The Kinks

3/5

Average album by an average band, placing comfortably somewhere in the (lower) middle of the list presented by whoever. It was entirely okay, but I forgot everything about it couple hours after listening.

Another Music In A Different Kitchen

Buzzcocks

2/5

Shameful display of punk rock (or something similar) by Buzzcock, offering us an album full of... punk rock. I'm fully disappointed, even though I had no expectations beforehand. It's just 15 minutes I lost and will never get back.

16 Lovers Lane

The Go-Betweens

3/5

A bit of a soft rock/pop from Australia. I wanted to like it more, but just couldn't, couple of catchy songs is not enough. It actually might be a stretch to call them catchy, it's just not that good.

Tical

Method Man

4/5

There is a lot of Wu-Tang Clan albums on this list (or records by its members). And to be honest, this one had a really good atmosphere. Gritty, dark, perfect album for a rainy day. I like the beats, which seem to be similar to a simple rock/metal riffs. Pretty interesting style of rapping by Method Man, overall just pleasant album to listen to.

Rubber Soul

Beatles

4/5

Well, I don't know, I think I'm giving a good note for this album just because it's the Beatles. It's an okay record, but it doesn't stand out of the line-up of other rock releases from the same era. Nice and polished sound, but otherwise it's more hype than actual good music. I like their experimental songs more, and Rubber Soul, in my opinion, is not it.

Warehouse: Songs And Stories

Hüsker Dü

3/5

Nice songs, great stories, average music. If you randomly jump between songs, you don't even notice any change of beat, so it feels like one, long track that goes from "pretty good" to "please stop" in about an hour. Would be much better if this album was under 40 minutes.

Floodland

Sisters Of Mercy

5/5

Okay, this is the one exception of 80s band playing supertypical 80s music and being just so so good. Campy and probably a bit cringy at times, but it's such a gem to listen to. Give me an old shed in the middle of nowhere, 50 other people in and this music and I will dance until dawn. Great album.

Home Is Where The Music Is

Hugh Masekela

5/5

Definitely on of my favourite jazz albums on this list. I feel like I need to dip my toes first into the whole genre, instead of attacking Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk and quickly regretting it. I like every song on this album by Hugh, great bass line throughout the record, and sound of flugelhorn is just amazing. If I'm ever buying a jazz vinyl, here is where I start with.

Tracy Chapman

4/5

Okay, other than the fact that I don't like the song Fast Car (and I hate that cover which is constantly on the radio) i quitr liked this album. Tracy Chapman has a great voice, which is nicely complimented by slightly ascetic guitar sounds. Definitely my favourite song is the opening track - Talkin' 'bout a revolution. Rest of the record holds a quite high standard, so very enjoyable 36 minutes (minus Fast Car).

Electric

The Cult

4/5

Okay, that was surprisingly good, maybe except for that cover. I'm not a fan of hard rock, especially from 80s, but Rick Rubin has to be some kind of savant - he just makes most of the records he touch so much better then the genre would suggest. Nice vocal, interesting guitar solos, pretty okay riffs and beats. Very enjoyable.

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

4/5

B. B. King and his records are just timless classics, Live At the Regal included. Early master of the guitar solos, this album is just as energetic as it gets. Very enjoyable.

B-52's

The B-52's

4/5

Quite funny and entertaining album, something different from the recent records on this list. Pleasant surprise.

Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

4/5

Very interesting album and great voice by Laura Nyro. I have never heard of this person before, but after listening to this album I can tell that plenty of artists have been influenced by her. It reminds me the most of Barbra Streisand and her music, if she was a better vocalist and songwriter. Very pleasant album, she should be much more recognisable than she is at the moment.

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

1/5

Perfect example of an album and style that I am physically unable to listen to. I hate this type of vocal, the melodies are unbearable, it's all just so old and bad. I don't like country, but I especially don't like this type of country music. Too much to bear.

Goodbye And Hello

Tim Buckley

5/5

Simply put - the best album in Buckley's short career (both older and younger one). Every track has struck gold, Tim's vocal is amazing, no other information is needed. Easy 5/5.

Honky Tonk Masquerade

Joe Ely

3/5

Okay country album. It wasn't terrible, which already tells a lot. Nothing I would like to listen to again, but much more entertaining than other country records on this list.

Ray Of Light

Madonna

2/5

Absolutely below average album by Madonna, you have a quite sentimental Frozen and a bunch of weird 90s rough electronic samples that didn't survive the test of time. Like Madonna herself, actually. Pop culture icon, but not because of this album, surely.

A Northern Soul

The Verve

2/5

I did not expect such a boring album by The Verve. I knew only Bittersweet Symphony before, and stylistically this song matches A Northern Soul, but it just lacks a hook making it a boring slugfest. I honestly imagined it to be more britrock than britpop. Not on the same level as other records from the genre.

Modern Kosmology

Jane Weaver

4/5

Nice album, quite soothing sound, but not too drowsy. Pleasant record to listen to, just positive vibes. I have never heard of Jane Weaver before, and probably will quickly forget about her, but she is a pretty good singer and songwriter.

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche

Koffi Olomide

3/5

African rhythms, something quite foreign for me, but it was a positive experience. Just general good vibes. Probably won't remember anything about this album in a day or so.

Seventh Tree

Goldfrapp

3/5

Second album by Alice Goldfrapp on the list, and I think it helped me to make up my mind if I even like this band/singer. The answer is no, Seventh Tree is super lofi, chilled music, that just slowly drains your energy and brings you down, regardless of the initial mood. I didn't get the atmosphere of this record, it sounded to pessimistic for me. It's not a bad album by any means, but it's just wildly out of my comfort zone.

The Sun Rises In The East

Jeru The Damaja

2/5

Another relict of hip hop past in the US. Honestly, it's hard to tell a difference between all those albums. Not much interesting music in here, unfortunately.

The Healer

John Lee Hooker

2/5

Average at best, boring in general. I think I usually like blues albums, but something here just didn't click for me. Not even Santana can fix it.

I Should Coco

Supergrass

4/5

Supergrass is just a really solid band, how come I have never heard of them before? Easily somewhere on the top of the britpop or britrock pantheon. Very solid album, I like their second record more, In It For the Money, but it's just such a positive vibe, really good music. Next on the list is the rest of Supergrass discography, one of the good findings on this list.

Celebrity Skin

Hole

3/5

Average album, average singles underwhelming sound. Just not as interesting as hoped for.

Melody A.M.

Röyksopp

3/5

Very average album, quite subpar electronic sound, that is not showing anything new or exciting. Boring and disappointing.

Vivid

Living Colour

3/5

A petty good opening song, nice classic rock music from 90s. The rest of the album is a little bit underwhelming, it's just too bland and average. Whole record passed through on my headphones without me noticing anything out of the ordinary. But again, cool opening song.

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

2/5

This album is definitely very "Prince-like", but I think it might have gone a little bit overboard with this style. It was too much for me, I enjoyed few songs, but felt assaulted by the music, the continuous beat over 5 minutes songs, lack of tempo changes, just same style over and over again. I wouldn't mind listening to some of the songs in a vacuum, but whole album was just unbearable. A bit waste of time.

m b v

My Bloody Valentine

2/5

First album was definitely a lightning in a bottle for My Bloody Valentine. Every subsequent release is like a parody of that album. m b v is basically a boring and uninventive pastiche of their earlier work. It is very disappointing and it was definitely a waste of time.

Miriam Makeba

1/5

Beautiful story, big political influence, but as a raw album it's definitely not something I would ever enjoyed. Nice to learn about music from different cultures, but that is the only positive I can think of.

Sunshine Hit Me

The Bees

4/5

Quite okay lofi rock/alt music album. Pleasant sound, cool vocals, general positive vibe. What makes it appear on this list? I have no idea. There is hundreds of similar records all around the world, every year, every month even. But well, I guess you have to pick some random albums on such a long list.

Talking Heads 77

Talking Heads

2/5

Definitely the worst Talking Head album on this list. Nothing was working, they didn't find the groove yet, vocal sounded terrible, it was boring and repulsive. I had hard time trying to listen to side a, not much better on side b. I guess one more star for the name, but it feels wrong.

Stand!

Sly & The Family Stone

3/5

Sounds like a more fancy Jackson 5 at times, with much better instruments and guitar solos especially, but altogether it was a pretty boring album. Maybe the woodstock performance was better, but the recording was just average.

Elephant

The White Stripes

5/5

I'm not sure of this is the most famous album by The White Stripes, but for sure it is their best achievement. Very simplified, just rag and bones music-wise, but it's almost perfect execution. The riff in Seven Nation Army is now legendary, but it's definitely Ball and Biscuit that is their best song here. Simple riffs, amazing solos, recipe for greatness. Great album.

Fetch The Bolt Cutters

Fiona Apple

5/5

Amazing album. Just reading the lyrics is enough to fall in love, but on top of that we have great singing voice, original use of drums and instruments, and overall great package. I have listened to the album twice now, it has couple of less interesting songs, but the level of quality is still really high. The highlight of the album - definitely Relay. Great poetic work, simply but moving melody and emotional vocal. It's now one of my favourite songs that I've discovered through this website. For sure it deserves 5 stars and an asterisk, meaning it's more like 5 and a half. Looking for a vinyl straight away!

Chore of Enchantment

Giant Sand

3/5

Unique sound, I have never heard anything like this before. A mix of alt rock, quite lofi, with a strong country influence. One point for originality for sure. Small problem is that I didn't like it. It wasn't that bad to listen to it, but certainly my mind was not entirely focused on music, it was too 'backgroundy'. But it's nice to know there are quirky bands around.

At Newport 1960

Muddy Waters

3/5

Cool sounding, classic blues album, straight from the mind of Muddy Waters. Historically, possibly pretty important, otherwise sound generic and just plain. Not really my kind of music.

Repeater

Fugazi

4/5

Reading about the history of Fugazi was a wild ride. One thing is clear though - respect for their stance and morals, which probably is unprecedented in music industry. The album itself is a bit up and down for me, starting super strong with a great opening song "Turnover", but then dipping in energy with "Repeater". Overall very interesting album, amazing piece of trivia, pretty good music.

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

3/5

It's not a bad album, quite typical product of its era, which is late 60s - early 70s. Unfortunately Jethro Tull is not on par with other bands from this generation. No wonder the band is slightly forgotten nowadays, with only a small group of fans. I didn't really enjoyed any of the songs, maybe with exception of "My God", which had a pretty good riff and couple of nice solos. Otherwise, very irritating vocal and definitely too much flute (or flute like instrument). A good definition of an average album.

Let's Get Killed

David Holmes

3/5

Extremely average album, one good beat in Gritty Shaker, that is stuck in my head, but otherwise it's just a boring baclground music. I've never heard of David Holmes before and I'm not really surprised. Not sure what is this album doing on the list, just another example that 1000 albums might be a bit too many. 500 seems to be the sweet spot for now.

I'm Your Man

Leonard Cohen

4/5

Great album by Leonard Cohen, side A is basically a stuff of legends. Amazing voice, good music, although slightly too electronic to my taste. Last four songs are a bit of a letdown, but that mostly stems from the super high level of the singles. Well, Leonard Cohen is my man.

Ten

Pearl Jam

5/5

This is one of the best and most complete albums that came from the early grunge scene. In my opinion, it's at least 75% thanks to Eddie Vedder. He elevates every song on this album, making quite boring tracks instrumentally, like Alive, into a world famous hits. Black and Jeremy have such an emotional package, that it's hard to listen to it twice. The album itself slightly dips in quality on side b, but the number of hits from the first side of LP make it one of my favourite rock album ever.

Be

Common

4/5

Cool album, great production by J-Dilla as always, I liked the beats and Common's flow. One of the better modern rap albums on this list so far, enjoyable and positive record.

Debut

Björk

3/5

I'm actually quite surprised that this list has 4 different Bjork's albums. And with the general consensus I can announce - I'm not a fan of her music. It's different, original, as quirky as it can get, but it's just too over the top for me. I appreciate her ideas and courage, but it's not music I will ever enjoy.

Hearts And Bones

Paul Simon

4/5

Another super solid album by Paul Simon. This one might be slightly too melancholic for me, but his aura makes everything better. Always a good record.

Back to Mystery City

Hanoi Rocks

1/5

80s pop rock, my favourite genre. Let's just forget that I have ever listened to this album.

Drunk

Thundercat

3/5

Honestly, I have no idea how to rate this album. I have never heard anything like this before, modern jazz meets soul and rap ina very quirky packaging. Every song was balancing on the line of weirdness/greatness, heavily leaning to the former time and time again. I would certainly listen to it again, with a different mindset, but it's hard to say I liked it so far. It has something magnetic in the way it's recorded, that another chance is basically given. Until then a placeholder, generic note is most suitable.

#1 Record

Big Star

2/5

Similarly to the other album by Big Star on this list, it was an unimpressive and boring show of generic 70s rock. I didn't like the album Third, as I don't like #1 Record. Well, maybe I'm glad that this list is slowly coming to the end.

BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé

1/5

I'm not really a fan of Beyonce, but I know some of her songs, quite normal pop hits, nothing that stands out. After looking at this album I realised that I don't know any of the songs from it. After listening I know why - it's just bad. Album feels very personal, but the style was very unpleasant, I couldn't get through any song in full. Didn't like the vocal, music or anything else. One of the weakest pop albums on this list.

Dog Man Star

Suede

3/5

It was infinitely better to read about this album, then actually listen to it. No wonder Suede is pretty forgotten now, even though music is not that bad, the vocal makes it a super long slog. Britpop? Only Blur, Oasis and Supergrass.

Sound Affects

The Jam

2/5

Super average, boring and unworthy of further explanation.

Fever To Tell

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

5/5

Amazing album, it might be one of, if not the best rock records of 2000s. Every song is a banger, emo popculture's bible. Date With the Night is stuck with me forever, such a great track. Karen O might be one of the best and most original vocalists from that era (she's still active though), there is something unique about her style, that makes this album truly special. Maybe not the greatest record on this list from a general point of view, but certainly one of my favourite.

Destroyer

KISS

2/5

It's embarrassing to think that someone listens to Kiss unironically in 21st century. But truth to be told, they are just a product of their era, their style doesn't fit with the music at all, but it's not the worst production ever. Just an old band that definitely doesn't get better with time.

Suicide

2/5

Not the greatest album on this list and also one of the most mismatched names for a band ever. It's not a norwegian death metal, or at the very least bleak and depressing black metal from Sweden. It's just a random(?) rock band with a very boring and unimpressive music. There's no other words to describe it, because it's that bland.

All That You Can't Leave Behind

U2

3/5

Couple nice songs from my youth, but overall this album fits well into the U2 mold - which is a boring and uninteresting pop rock. I'm still not a fan and every record just shows more of the same. Average at best.

Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus

Spirit

3/5

My good will meter was running really low right after the second song. It's a nice little album full of talented musicians, but I don't feel like listening to this ever again. More of a history then actual greatness.

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

3/5

Not the most exciting album by Simon and Garfunkel. We have Mrs. Robinson in here, but every other song is average at best, just not pulling its weight. Boring release, I definitely prefer other albums by the duo.

Among The Living

Anthrax

2/5

A weird choice of band and album for this list. I can understand a representative album from Metallica and Slayer, Megadeth also somehow fits the bill, but Anthrax is just a bit too much. The vocal is terrible, even compared to Dave Mustaine. Music sounds like a bad off takes from previously mentioned three bands and no one actually cares about lyrics. A really weird and disappointing choice.

Dub Housing

Pere Ubu

4/5

It's a pretty good and entertaining album that is rather hard to define. Avant-garde rock funk pop might be as close as I can make it. Pere Ubu often travels on the border of cacophony, but never really crosses it, instead being really relaxing and interesting. Positive vibes and positive outcome.

Liquid Swords

GZA

4/5

Okay, that might be my favourite album from the Wu Tang family of records. Very cool beats, nice flow by GZA and every guest, just a really pleasant album. Good stuff.

Done By The Forces Of Nature

Jungle Brothers

3/5

Great example of an 80s/90s conscious rap album. So consciously I will give it a strong 3, because it's a pretty boring and repetitive record. I'm not a fan, but it wasn't the worst effort. Just not my style.

Stardust

Willie Nelson

4/5

If that's what country sounds like, then call me a fan. Really nice cover album by Willie Nelson, great choice of songs, beautiful voice, solid effort.

Abraxas

Santana

4/5

When you say Carlos Santana, what comes to my mind is few 2000s pop hits he had, like Smooth with Rob Thomas. Quite boring and unimpressive affairs. But it seems Santana had a different art life before - great Woodstock concert and Abraxas album soon after. Carlos really is a talented guitarist with a knack for good songwriting as well. Really good album, I'm a new fan of old Santana, it seems.

Rapture

Anita Baker

3/5

Nice voice, good sound, okay songs, although I have never heard of Anita before. Just overall positive album, just not really in my style.

Devil Without A Cause

Kid Rock

3/5

I honestly had no idea that Kid Rock recorded any albums before song "All Summer Long". Looks like I missed out on this record, it would probably hit hard in the late 90s. Nowadays, this album seems very outdated and not that interesting, the craziness for country rap rock is long gobe, I assume. Sentimental, but it doesn't provide much else.

Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

Good, classic rap album, few well known songs, overall positive vibes. Pretty good altogether.

Idlewild

Everything But The Girl

3/5

Nice band and great voice, but slightly boring and too downtempo/minimalistic for me. I knew the band only from the song Missing, like probably moat of the people here. Their discography seem to be much more diverse, but ultimately really not in my style.

Mothership Connection

Parliament

5/5

I would have never guessed that I'm a fan of 70s funk, but this list gave me an inside into Parliament, Funkadelic, some Stevie Wonder records and many others which turned me into a believer. Mothership Connection is a great album, I had a great time listening to it and it easily becomes one of my favourite funk releases.

Risque

CHIC

4/5

Not as good as C'est Chic, but still definitely worth listening. Vocal work from the ladies is pretty good as always, electric guitar has some great mini solos and melodies, but the king of this album, to the surprise of no one, is the bass. Amazing bass lines, inspiring generations of new bass players to come. It's so hard not to bop your head to the rhythm. Album is quite good overall, but in my opinion has only one, opening song worthy being a hit. The rest is just pleasant to listen to, nothing more than that. But it's confirmed - Chic is a great band.

Kind Of Blue

Miles Davis

3/5

Seminal album by Miles Davis. I think it is one of the most talked about records among other musicians, which only amplifies how important it is. The thing is, I can appreciate the genius, I don't really feel the music. The album is still much better than anything from the modal era, but it's just not my cup of tea.

Tanto Tempo

Bebel Gilberto

4/5

I've read about the album before, pretty sad story, but this is my first time listening to it. And I can say straight away, this is the best samba/south american record on this list. Beautiful voice by Bebel, pretty good and chilled music, I wouldn't mind listening to it in the background all the time. A very positive surprise.

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo

Devo

2/5

Okay, it was funny for a little bit, but this list definitely has too much of Brian Eno. Very original sound, you always expect unexpected, it's modern music made back in 70s, but it's just too annoying and boring. One album per list, please.

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

5/5

Isn't it ironic that I have never heard this album until only last year? No, I guess that's not a definition of irony, but that doesn't stop Alanis. One of the greatest hits from 90s, a really solid record to come with it and my absolutely favourite You Oughta Know. Amazing song, transcendental, epic, essential, worthy of adjectives. Very emotional song that perfectly encapsulates a certain mood in one's life. Let's go Canada, best singer from the country by far, Celine Di-who? But seriously, really good album that has a nice spot in my small collection of vinyls on the shelf.

Lam Toro

Baaba Maal

2/5

African music from a very specific region of Senegal. It's very nice to learn of the Futa Tooro culture and music, but it might be too exotic for me. I appreciate Baaba influence, but mostly from the distance.

Africa Brasil

Jorge Ben Jor

3/5

More brasilian rhythms, apparently in African style, but it's far from anything special. Just another slightly exotic album that didn't really fit my style.

Bad Company

3/5

Simply another rock album with no distinguishable features. It wasn't good nor bad, but after 5 minutes after listening I can't really recall anything about the songs. This record should be downgraded to the list of 1000 Best Average Albums in History. Together with about 499 other albums.

Permission to Land

The Darkness

3/5

Great single, had awesome time watching a clip to this song on MTV back in the day (it was 20 years ago?!). Never listened to the album, but remembering I Believe In A Thing Called Love I had a high hopes. Turns out the whole record, all 30 minutes is the same song over and over again, just woth slightly different riff and new, but thematically same lyrics. The main vocal is pretty good in a sample size of 3 minutes, but 10x more classifies as a torture in Guantanamo. Once again, cool songs, but take a break of few weeks to few months before listening to another one.

Entertainment

Gang Of Four

3/5

A bit funkier post punk than usual, mixing a bit of punk, reggae and ska, so three of my least favourite music genres (in general). This album was almost listenable, which speaks for itself. Let's just end this list finally.

The Chronic

Dr. Dre

2/5

After few good classic hip hop albums on this list we have approached Dr. Dre and his attempt from early 90s. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this album, I found it quite boring and honestly slightly repulsive. The beats weren't bad, but the lyrics and the flow just completely missed the mark, in my uneducated opinion. One of weaker rap records on this list.

Rock Bottom

Robert Wyatt

1/5

One of the biggest discrepancy between quality of music and singing on this list so far (which means a lot, because it's album no. 1000). I liked the instrumental parts, a fresh look at the jazz genre, very interesting bits. I couldn't focus on that though, because Robert, or whoever was singing, spoiled that experience. This is how I imagine myself sound when singing, which is one of the worst thing you can say to an artist. Good intentions, terrible output.

Let It Be

The Replacements

3/5

Album no. 1001 and the surprise is, there's still more to come. At the moment I have a love/hate relationship with this list, so another 100 albums to go causes some mixed feelings in me. They are exacerbated by records like Let It Be - a random and uninteresting punk album with no punk features in it. Atypical and boring - you can describe a lot of records here this way. Well, I guess I'll just have to push it through.

Scum

Napalm Death

1/5

Whose idea was it to bring forward Napal Death to general audience? This is the type of band that should operate only amongst its fans, which is in deepest dungeons, in solitary confinements and in every edgy 13 year old bedrooms. Last time I've heard this album in my laryngologists office, when he wanted to show me the potential effects of not taking care of my throat. Napalm Death is not a band for everyone. To be very precise, it's a band for no one. Simple experiment of how far we can go before it stops being music at all. They reached this threshold within first notes of their second song, and then explored terra incognita for another, extremely long, 30 minutes. Clearly, humanity has failed in its progress, if we ended up here. Just a quick note, if this list will show Cannibal Corpse as well, I just simply quit. Otherwise, great album, no notes, great job!

2112

Rush

5/5

One of the big sins of this list is genral lack of Rush albums. Over 1000 records and it's only a second one by the Canadian band? Blasphemy. As for the sound, Geddy Lee's vocal take some time to get used to, but after a while you just can't fanthom a different vocalist at all. Guitar solos and riffs are amazing as always, but the highlight lies in drumming. It's easy to miss it, but Neil Peart might be one of the greatest drummers in rock/metal history. Amazing band, great album.

Ready To Die

The Notorious B.I.G.

4/5

I'm not a fan of gangsta rap, or hip hop in general, but I have to admit, I had plenty of fun listening to this album. I think thaf might have been first album pre-2000s, where the lyrics were just seamlessly flowing in the foreground, making the beat quite obsolete. Usually, at least in my uneducated case, I have to get into the song through the beat, and only later listen to the lyrics, but Notorious Big was too good of a rapper and writer to do that. Ready to Die is especially good song, because it's not often that I remember any lines from a track afterwards. But "Your face, my feet, thay meet" is stuck in my head since then. Really good album, I think it's worth trying, even if you're not a fan of gangsta rap like me.

The Contino Sessions

Death In Vegas

4/5

Great opening song, perfect blend of electronica and soft rock. Like someone rightly pointed out - a really good blend of 90s and 2000s, just in time for new millenium. Other songs on the album keep the same convention, but I didn't notice anything as good as Dirge. Overall a good record, something to keep in the back of your head for a moody evening.

This Year's Model

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

It's becoming very hard to properly rate Elvis Costello's albums. On one hand, they all sound exactly the same. On the other hand, 4 of his records that I've already rated have different note each (from 1 to 4). I guess it depends on a day and my mood, but one thing for sure, I will never reach for his music on my own, it's just not my type of genre. Only fair call is to give a solid 3 and to hope that this is the last time I hear about Elvis.

Dance Mania

Tito Puente

3/5

A bit of mambo from 50s, quite entertaining album, but only relevant in history books. To be bold, it's too old.

Murmur

R.E.M.

2/5

Fourth album by R.E.M. on this list and definitely a weakest one. Guitar melodies weren't that interesting, bass lines were good, but forgettable and even though vocalist is as good as always, it didn't really work on this record. It feels like the band didn't find its rhythm yet. Unfortunately, no better than average songs in here make it a bit of a disappointment.

Darklands

The Jesus And Mary Chain

2/5

So forgettable, that I forgot the album was on halfway through. The biggest hit of Darklands was extra slow and boring - it was actually a pretty good representation of the whole package. It wasn't the worst album ever, not even close to the worst on this list, but certainly it was a wasted time with ol' Jesus and Mary.

Zombie

Fela Kuti

5/5

Second album by Fela Kuti on this list, I think I can announce now that he may be my favourite African singer. Amazing record, such an intense, but funky music. Reading about the background to this album makes it even more impressive. Easy 5 stars, great job Fela!

Smash

The Offspring

3/5

Comparison to early Green Day is warranted, but for some reason Smash is a bit tamer and boring then Dookie. Self-esteem is a great song, still working as a hit nowadays, but the rest of the album is just slightly underwhelming. I like The Offspring, but in a sporadic, hit related environment, not as a one hour marathon of 90s punk rock.

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart

3/5

Rod Stewart performing as... Rod Stewart. Nothing to see in here, just a bit of classic blues/rock.

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

3/5

Nice groove, funky beats, actually pleasant style, but otherwise a bit too 'normal' album. It's okay for a background music, because there are no sharp edges at all, nothing stands out. Quite forgettable.

The Only Ones

2/5

Mediocrity Minus. Boring songs, vocal and music. Not on par woth some average albums on this list, it stands out with its universe of dullness. Soon to be forgotten (at least by me).

Blood On The Tracks

Bob Dylan

3/5

One of the less known (for me) and not as good albums by Bob Dylan. It definitely features more instruments and is at times closer to rock then blues. But ultimately, it doesn't fit as well as one would have liked. This record is just too normal. Without his name on it, this album would be quickly forgotten, I assume. I'm forgetting it as we speak.

Modern Life Is Rubbish

Blur

4/5

Another good album by Blur, who is probably my favourite britpop band, I guess. MLIR has been slightly under the radar in their discography, and I think that's fair - it's a very solid album with fun songs, but nothing really stands out or catch you by surprise. Just a very good release.

Rip It Up

Orange Juice

2/5

Too 80s for me, 3 attempts, but I just couldn't get through the album. Not my favourite genre, style or era.

A Night At The Opera

Queen

5/5

Huh, who knew that Queen has so many good songs hidden behind their hits? Everyone knows and likes Bohemian Rhapsody, but just how good I'm in love with my Car is? Great album with slightly underwhelming side B, where only the single stands out. For sure one has to celebrate how diverse Queen's music is. Basically each song has a different style, sometimes the mood changes mid-song, really impressive that they make it work. Maybe I should be a fan after all?

For Your Pleasure

Roxy Music

3/5

It's just too much Brian Eno on this list. Trailblazer, innovator and a legend, but his music might be a little divisive. Couple of entertaining songs, but overall I'm happy to just move to the next album.

I See A Darkness

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

3/5

Not your usual album. A bit of country, soft rock and a folk coming together for some good tracks and some boring songs. It was quite hard to gauge if I liked Will's vocal or style, mostly because every song seemed to be totally different. "Death to Everyone" was clearly the best track on the record, you could feel a gothic influence on it, but this style wasn't replicated anywhere else. Slightly disappointing album, just because you could feel the potential for more.

Bossanova

Pixies

4/5

The floor for the Pixies' albums is at least above average. Great songs to start with, Rock Music might be my favourite in their discography yet. Very solid effort, this band is easily a significant milestone in music.

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

Another good album by CCR, but one can tell that it is slightly lacking in quality. Couple great songs, consistent style throughout the record, but ultimately it's a bit underwhelming. Great band, but somehow something is off for me.

Sulk

The Associates

1/5

Even though I had low expectations, seeing that this album is 80s pop punk, I was still disappointed. It sounded like Pet Shop Boys, but with weak vocalist and very monotonne music. I don't think there's anything that I can praise. Just a waste of time.

Being There

Wilco

4/5

That's a good example of an album that is clearly not in my style, but i liked it nonetheless. A bit of country infulenced soft rock, very long record, but I had a good time listening to it. Very good album to have on headphones while at work. Nica and pleasant surprise.

Live At The Witch Trials

The Fall

3/5

Opening song was really good, but afterwards the style turned from experimental into a classic post punk, which was drilling a hole in my soul with each subsequent song. Not my favourite album, but still quite better than others from the genre.

Kid A

Radiohead

4/5

Great album, but honestly, it's not easy to get into Radiohead. It took me a long time to appreciate this band, and stillI find some aspects of their music grating and irritating. But every now and then I find a new song that I will force-listen on a loop for days, as it was with few from this album. In theory I like everything about this band, in practice few things are still missing - vocal is not always great and few songs are too overcomposed, whatever that means, honestly.

Band On The Run

Paul McCartney and Wings

3/5

A pleasant, but ultimately boring extension of The Beatles. No one can deny Paul McCartney's talent and ability to compose great songs, but it doesn't appeal to me. Rather average album, all things considered.

Live Through This

Hole

4/5

Another pretty good and fun rock album by Courtney Love. Funny thing is that I had no idea that she was in any band before. I just knew she was Cobains girlfriend, or something. But look out, it seems like she was a really good singer in a very solid band. Good album.

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

3/5

Good album, interesting lyrics, quite easy to dance to, but way too much 80s synthpop for me. It might be a seasonal thing, but I'm feeling terrible listening to those beats.

Tubular Bells

Mike Oldfield

4/5

Great album, progressive rock slowly appearing into the mainstream. Love it, surely a perfect vinyl suggestion for near future.

Is This It

The Strokes

2/5

I know The Strokes as the band that had the hit Last Nite.. and from nothing else. This is the first time I was listening to their whole album and the results just came back - I don't like it. I understand that they revived the garage rock genre, but was it really necessary? We were doing pretty well as a humanity without bands like that. Honestly though, it's a very boring album, slow and uneventful, with a vocalist that is slowly drilling a hole in your head. Nothing I really hated, but it was definitely an unpleasant album to listen to.

Signing Off

UB40

4/5

Once again, I'm nit a fan of reggae, but this album had a little bit more quality then others from the list. Great opening song Tyler, few nice tracks later on, actually pleasant groove. One of the better examples of the genre.

Timeless

Goldie

2/5

According to some opinions, Timeless is a quintessential album in electronic music history, opening doors to many different subgenres. It may be true, but there is one big problem with it - it's not good. Basocally every song had an irritating and a boring beat, that probably might have been outdated back in 90s already. I couldn't feel the atmosphere in this album at all, just anger and boredom. Not so timeless in the end.

Oar

Alexander 'Skip' Spence

3/5

After reading few articles about Spence you would think that he was the biggest musical genius in the history of rock and adjacent genres. After listening to his album, Oar, you would think he is a raw Frank Zappa without any of his guitar abilities, and honestly not confident enough. Truth is probably somewhere in the middle, I reckon, so without more unnecessary pages of text, a rating to reflect that.

Meat Is Murder

The Smiths

4/5

Much, much better album than Queen is Dead. I have never seen such a discrepancy between records of one band in my short career on this website. I really liked the style here, melodies and riffs were really catchy, even vocalist did a good and fitting job for this album. I'll come back to this record, for sure.

Homework

Daft Punk

3/5

Biggest discrepancy between the hit and rest of the album, ever. Around the World is a great, simple and incredibly groovy song that easily could have been 50-minutes long, because rest of the record is that bad. One amazing song, ten mediocre at best. I'll check the other Daft Punk albums out if curiosity, but I don't think it's going to be this bad. Nevertheless, 3 stars minimum for the hit from my youth.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

4/5

It cost me three attempts at this album, mostly because you have to go through 42 songs. I think it was worth it - this might be one of the best country/blues/americana record on. This album is just too fun andpositive, hard to stay in one place while listening to it. Next time I'm camping in USA I'm listening solely to Nitty Gritty.

Teen Dream

Beach House

2/5

A pretty soulless and boring indie album, from an anonymous band that I have never heard about. Not much to explore in here, a bit of a waste of time, unfortunately.

Dirty

Sonic Youth

4/5

Mr. President, we've been hit by... 5th Sonic Youth album?! Okay, I get it, they are a good band, nice songs, interesting stuff, now please just leave me alone.

The Good, The Bad & The Queen

5/5

I think it's hard not to like Damon Albarn's album, doesn't matter what's the band. The Good, The Bad and The Queen seems like a transitioning pieve between Blur and Gorillaz, although much closer in the style to the former, with a lot of chiller and melancholic melodies. Great album, love it, excellent songwriting skills.

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

4/5

Good album with some great songs on it. Power of Love has to be a universal top 10 on people's lists, there's just no way around it. Self titled song and Relax are also great, but the rest of the album sounds too much like generic 80s record, which we should avoid at all cost. But overall great, but slightly forgotten band.

First Band On The Moon

The Cardigans

4/5

Cool album, nice and catchy tune, very recognisable single. Alternative pop sound from Sweden, a little boring, but solid. Non-controversial 4.

90

808 State

2/5

Not as bad as late techno from 80s goes, but that's not an achievement in itself. Very tiring, super oldschool, forgettable.

Tuesday Night Music Club

Sheryl Crow

4/5

Okay, I don't think I will ever revisit this album, or Sheryl Crow's music in general, but I have to admit that it was a very pleasant and cute album. Catchy tunes, nice vocal, nothing crazy, but also nothing too boring. I would think that it's a perfect example of 3.5 stars, but let's be generous this one time.

Nixon

Lambchop

2/5

Wow, what a boring album. I think it was a good, honest, down to earth indie music with a terrible vocal, which made you look at the clock, waiting for it to end. Lambchop sounds a bit like a bad imitation of Prince decided to do a boring americana indie rock. Waste of time.

White Light / White Heat

The Velvet Underground

3/5

The Velvet Underground clearly was a band ahead of its time. Very experimental and polarizing, it would be raising some eyebrows even if released today. But the thing with polarizing music is that it's not for everyone. I appreciate the groundbreaking approach and composition, but I didn't enjoy it. It's just a bit too much of noise.

The Real Thing

Faith No More

5/5

Faith No More with Mike Patton? Easy 5, no reason to go into details. I just hope I'm going to see Fantomas on this list as well, his every band deserves to be included.

Crazysexycool

TLC

2/5

This album allowed me to go into a rabbit hole of what happened to Lisa Lopes. Heartbreaking story. Music-wise, there's not a much to say. I didn't like this band as a kid, nothing changed as an adult. Not a pleasant session with TLC, seems like it's a product of 90s, which is very much outdated today. Some radio stations are still trying to push Waterfalls down our throats, but there is only one possible response - stop, please.

The Downward Spiral

Nine Inch Nails

5/5

Legendary album, great songs, unique sound, maybe a little clunky at times, but it's still top notch thing.

Shaka Zulu

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

4/5

Interesting choice of an album, very unique style, I have never heard of this type of music before. Kind of like a medieval georgian chants, but much more positive in tone. Pretty cool record.

Scream, Dracula, Scream

Rocket From The Crypt

4/5

That's an album that I would love as a teenager, if I would ever heard of this band before. On a Rope is a pretty special song, I'm happy to listen to it for few weeks non-stop, even if it's 30 years too late. The vocalist's voice is not the greatest ever, slightly too nasaly, I guess? But otherwise nice 90s mtv style rock.

Trafalgar

Bee Gees

2/5

Hey, I'll be honest, Stayin Alive is great, maybe even one of the best funk/pop songs ever, but I just can't get into any other music by Bee Gees. Vocal is irritating, it feels like music follows just one pattern over and over again. I understand their influence, but no love for this album.

Electric Music For The Mind And Body

Country Joe & The Fish

1/5

Okay, that album confirms that not every band featured on Woodstock 69' was good. This record sounded a little bit like a very bad attempt to encapsulate the whole psychedelic rock era, creating a bit of a caricature of the movement. No revival please.

Brutal Youth

Elvis Costello

2/5

Ok guys, it's just too much of Elvis Costello in here. I'm not able to listen to his music anymore, my body has a pre-birth lock at around 20 songs, this is it. Goodbye forever Elv.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

4/5

2+2=5 is probably one of the biggest banger made by Radiohead, especially contrasting with the rest of album, which at times is an unbelievable slugfest. I know that this is their style, but one hour of Thom Yorke's wailing is a little bit too much. In short spurts that might be the greatest band in the world though.

Apocalypse Dudes

Turbonegro

2/5

Whose idea was it to add Turbonegro to this list? I don't think it would be featured on top1000 rock/metal albums list, but here we are. Very weird decision, very boring album.

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

3/5

Honestly, if this album was by any different band, no one would bat an eye. But here we are, one of the greatest records of all time (critics) and one of the most boring boysband with uninteresting songs (me). It gets better on their subsequent albums, but A Hard Day's Night is a work in progress.

A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse

Faces

3/5

Another woodstock-style album with plenty of great psychedelic solos and parts, average vocal and quite unimpressive songwriting. It's a record that you listen to because you want to be seen as quirky, not because it's good, probably. Woodstock produced better bands.

Led Zeppelin III

Led Zeppelin

3/5

Once again - greatest hits album made by Led Zeppelin might be the best records in the history, but their respective releases are quite troublesome, as is this album. Immigrant Song and Since I've been Loving You go straight to the pantheon of greatest songs, the rest is an annoying slugfest - very skippable. I know I might commit sacrilege by saying that, but overall Led Zeppelin is just a solid band with quite a few great songs and many below average ones.

S.F. Sorrow

The Pretty Things

2/5

Okay, even if The Who copied from this album, they made a much better version anyway. The opening song on S. F. Sorrow was good, but the rest is just like a big opera filler. Disappointing album, very boring.

The Blueprint

JAY Z

2/5

Very much 2000s album. I don't recognize any song, and mostly for the right reasons. Not much to see (or hear).

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

5/5

Bruce Springsteen should be an easy, patriotic 5, even though I've been to US only once in my life. Great music, great personality, superb voice.

Post Orgasmic Chill

Skunk Anansie

5/5

I know Skunk Anansie from well before, but honestly, I couldn't recall any of their songs. After a quick session with Post Orgasmic Chill I can see what might be the reason - it seems like every song on this album is at least great. More than 25 years later this record sounds as fresh as in 1999. Amazing vocal work, with pretty hard rock instruments in the background, just underlining how great Skin is. One of the better contemporary albums on this list, straight to the record shop I go.

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

5/5

Great album by Cohen, this is the music I will remember him. No duds on this record, and his voice is deeper than ever. Amazing stuff.

Hot Shots II

The Beta Band

4/5

Pretty good band, nice songs, use of Daydream always welcome. Happy to explore this band further.

Lazer Guided Melodies

Spiritualized

3/5

Not as good as other Spiritualized album on the list. Lazer Guided Melodies falls a bit flat, especially after raising my hopes through "Ladies and Gentelmen..." Still quite entertaining, but slightly disappointing.

The Slim Shady LP

Eminem

3/5

I guess you can call me a super casual fan of Eminem, because I knew only few singles from 90s and early 2000s, which I obviously liked. This was the first time listening to his album in full, and boy, was I in for a surprise. Eminem's flow and dr. Dre beats were as good as ever, but I just couldn't get pass the lyrics. I'd assume that most of hip hip in this era was misogynistic, but this was definitely over the top. Well, it's shocking for sure, but oh man, what a way to fuel stereotypes. I guess I will stick to those few singles with a little bit more pg lyrics.

Chirping Crickets

Buddy Holly & The Crickets

1/5

For years and years I have heard legends about the life and music of Buddy Holly. In my mind he became like a second coming of Elvis Presley, but much better. Once, I was stuck on a vacation with just one book - about Buddy Holly. So it's pretty funny in the hindsight that I have never heard any of his songs. And it was quite a shock to me that I actually can't stand this album. I forced myself to sit through thew whole thing, even though it's one of the shortest albums on the list. He had a tragic story, great name and awful music.RIP

Meat Puppets II

Meat Puppets

1/5

An interesting combination of punk rock, psychedelic music and southern vibe, resulting in a terrible mess that was not supposed to come to light at all. Few nice solos, but it wasn't enough to lift the album from the hole, or crater even. Never again.

Chelsea Girl

Nico

1/5

This album sounds like a parody of an album. Very unusual voice, strong, german accent and a silly melodies just don't work together at all. One of the more grating records on this list.

Berlin

Lou Reed

4/5

Pretty good album, great opening songs. I'm not really a Lou Reed fan, but that might change soon.

Freak Out!

The Mothers Of Invention

3/5

It's a decent album, not as divisive as other Frank Zappa's records. This one actually sounds a little too normal. It wouldn't be on this list if Zappa's name was not attached to it.

Rid Of Me

PJ Harvey

3/5

Great song to open the album with, and what follows is mostly experimental endeavours by PJ, exploring every possible genre and venue where her mind can take her. It's quite hit or miss, withca heavy leaning towards the latter. I'm still PJ Harvey fan, but maybe her later work is more suited for my taste.

Imagine

John Lennon

4/5

100% not my style, but I can't deny that Lennon's work sounds really good. Great voice, cool arrangements, he is a proper songwriter. I'm not going to listen to this album ever again probably, but it's really enjoyable.

The White Album

Beatles

4/5

Okay, it's a pretty good band. Probably exceptional in the 60s, now it sounds bit outdated. Certain songs are overplayed, some are definitely underrated, but it's clear that all four members are great songwriters. Otherwise, just a long album filled with very old pop hits.

All Things Must Pass

George Harrison

5/5

I might agree with the sentiment that this is the best album of The Beatles era, including all pre-, during and post-acts. Great voice, beautiful songs, amazing melodies and guitar sound. Definitely one of my favourite albums so far on this list.

Street Life

The Crusaders

2/5

Just when I was thinking that 70s funk can't go wrong, I have found The Crusaders. Boring album, not so good vocal, and just okay bass lines. Quite disappointing and forgettable experience.

Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)

Loretta Lynn

2/5

No country for young men.

Leftism

Leftfield

3/5

Started off nicely, but overall 90s electronic music is too overwhelming after few songs. Feels like I'm spending my time just waiting for the track to end. Not a greatest feeling, but Leftfield still might be enjoyable in small batches.

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

5/5

There is something amazing about Kiwanuka's atmosphere in his albums that just make it a unique experience. It definitely works for me, this slightly melancholic and funky style. This record has no truly bad song, so there is no other way than to give it a full 5 stars.

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

3/5

Not the worst album, very pleasant voice, but it's just too country for me, sorry Willie. 3 is an absolute maximum I can give.

Peggy Suicide

Julian Cope

4/5

This is one of the most forgettable good albums I have listened to on this list. All I remember from it is that I enjoyed it, but I can't think of any song or even a section that stood out/was memorable. I don't even know why I liked it. I guess that's a skill as well, so good job Julian, it was nice while it lasted!

Electric Warrior

T. Rex

3/5

Easily the best T. Rex album on this list, but still it's very insufferable to listen to. Glam rock is just not it, not in the 21st century. I look forward to the future, where I won't be exposed to Felds music ever again.

Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches

Happy Mondays

3/5

Cool album with a nice and recognisable opening song, that very quickly makes you irritated and angry. Maybe Madchester wasn't that mad, in the end. Nice record in small doses.

Lady Soul

Aretha Franklin

3/5

Great voice, legend of music, but not my style of music.

Darkdancer

Les Rythmes Digitales

4/5

Cool album, nice electronic music, very enjoyable. Late 90s at its best.

Gasoline Alley

Rod Stewart

4/5

Nice and tidy album by Rod Stewart. Great voice, cool music, although not really my style. But definitely worth listening to.

Dare!

The Human League

1/5

Absolutely terrible sounds, we can all be glad that this era of music is now gone. Never again.

Back At The Chicken Shack

Jimmy Smith

4/5

Nice and enjoyable jazz album, really good to listen to in the background, but also as your main source of inspiration. Nothing too complicated or intricate about it, perfect for casual jazz listener like myself.

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