FUN record with some great tracks in 'Kicks', 'I'm Not Your Stepping Stone' and 'Take a Look at Yourself'. A good portion of non-memorable tracks and 'Little Girl in the 4th Row' is a bit tedious. For a band who, according to their name, should oppose the British Invasion, they sure do sound a lot like their contemporaries - just almost breaking out into 'Day Tripper' on 'Louie, Go Home'.

Peak MBV. Peak shoegaze (along with Souvlaki by Slowdive). Absolutely insane that Kevin Shields was able to create something so dreamy which at the same time insists on having an intimate connection with the listener.

I love everything about Bat Out of Hell. Everything is so extravagant, overcomposed, and just in general turned all the way up to 11. Steinman's melodies are rock-solid and his lyrics succeed in convinced you that the entire fate of mankind depends on whether or not this horny teenager gets to third base tonight in the backseat of a Chevy Camaro. EVERYTHING is at stake. Instrumentation is of course ridiculously on point with Todd Rundgren and members of the E Street Band combining to make this silly record one of the best and most enjoyable rock operas ever. Thank you Meat Loaf, you absolute legend.

Strong start, weak finish

'Them Bones' is a top-5 track in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. 'Rooster' is also a song. Also: most ypt (yeah's per track) - Layne Staley or James Hetfield?

Phantom of the Opera, Transylvania, the transition into Strange World and Iron Maiden (x3) are all 'cheff's kiss'. Di'Anno, not so much.

This does very little for me. Half a star each for 'Make Me Know It', 'Fever', the melody of 'Girl of My Best Friend' and 'The Girl Next Door Went A'Walking'. The rest is incredibly bland. I don't believe this Rock 'n' Roll thing will survive for too long.

Soubour is a classic, Wayei great desert-trance, Petit Metier beautiful, and great finish with Desert Melodie and Mali <3

What a peaky record. 'Gasoline Dreams' hits harder than I remembered, and the lineup of singles is great: 'So Fresh, So Clean', 'Ms. Jackson' and 'B.O.B.'. The lows are quite low - looking at you 'We Luv Dees Hoez'... - but THAT PRODUCTION. Insane to induce frisson by the sound of pouring a drink. As a cherry on top, it's always nice with a bit of Killer Mike and Cee-Lo.

What a pleasant surprise! Someone has been hanging out with R.E.M. and Dinosaur Jr., and I'm all for it. Probably my second-favourite song titled 'Man on the Moon' released in 1992.

Not every composition is strong enough to be held up by basically only Cohen's guitar and recognizable vocal, and the melody of 'A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes' borrows a bit too much from 'So Long, Marianne' off his previous record. That being said, an album containing 'Bird on the Wire' and probably my favourite Cohen recording 'The Partisan' will never go below 4 stars. Ever.

Wow, okay. This has very few redeeming qualities to me. Some tracks like 'Planet Claire' and '52 Girls' are tolerable, but it was truly an annoying chore to listen to this. To top it off, the album finishes by absolutely ruining 'Downtown' for me. I don't know, maybe I'm just no fun.

'You Ain't the Problem' is an awesome opening track setting the tone for this entire genre-defying album. Then you have great tracks like 'Rolling' with a pulsing beat straight from Tame Impala, the beautiful 'Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)', 'Hero' with transcendent strings and a catchy indie-riff, and of course 'Solid Ground'. There is juuuuust a bit too much of filler in the form of interludes and intros for my tastes, but what a statement of a debut album!

FUN record with some great tracks in 'Kicks', 'I'm Not Your Stepping Stone' and 'Take a Look at Yourself'. A good portion of non-memorable tracks and 'Little Girl in the 4th Row' is a bit tedious. For a band who, according to their name, should oppose the British Invasion, they sure do sound a lot like their contemporaries - just almost breaking out into 'Day Tripper' on 'Louie, Go Home'.

Things I like: - Post-punk - Marxist ideals Things I do not like: - Fear - Whiskey - The fiddle With each listen the underlying melodies surface more and more, and 'Last Dance' is starting to convince me that perhaps the fiddle has some "raison d'être".

God, I love The Waterboys. But not like this... You can sense their greatness on 'We Will Not Be Lovers', which is an excellent track not at all suited for this album, until they smacked a fiddle on top of it. Speaking of which, I am still not friends with that instrument. Then you have other highlights like the title track and a great Van Morrison/Beatles cover on 'Sweet Thing'. Overall they are still at the top of their game when they lean into the grandiose or their Irish and Scottish roots as on 'The Stolen Child'. Then you also have 'Jimmy Hickey's Waltz'. Just, why? And can we please stop it with albums ending on a shitty cover song? Thank you.

Geez, leave some sweet melodies and groundbreaking innovations for the rest of the music industry. How does 'Tomorrow Never Knows' still sound so fresh 57(!!) years later?

The album that solidified Amy Winehouse as a household name is drenched in retro and Phil Spector-esque sound, while laying the groundwork for a lot of soul-inspired music that followed it. Don't pay too much attention to the lyrics behind the upbeat songs, unless you want to be sad and bluesy.

For virtually any other band, Amnesiac would be the definitive magnum opus. With Radiohead, you can make a somewhat reasonable claim that it doesn't even belong in a list of their top 5 albums. I won't make such a claim. 'You and Whose Army', 'I Might Be Wrong' and 'Knives Out' is a strong contender for the best 3 track-stretch in their entire discography.

The Ramones are not the world's worst band. They are, however, the world's most overrated band. 'Hey ho, let's go'? No. Come on, there is nothing punk about 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' and then to have it as your second single. Fuck off.

One of the few albums where I can still remember the first time I listened to it. Incredible how Coltrane translates the incredible skills of the entire group of musicians into something spiritual and almost otherworldly.

Does it get any more 70's than this? A very ambitious blend of prog, glam and art pop (is art prog a thing?) results in an album that doesn't even sound like it's from earth. It gets a bit too flimsy on the art waltz 'Falling In Love With Myself Again' and 'Talent Is An Asset', but the highlights make this a very enjoyable listen. 'Thank God It's Not Christmas' is one of the greatest titles ever (mostly due a certain Queen song it predated quite a bit), 'Complaints' has some great Supertramp vibes and the catchy 'Equator' lives rent free in my mind, and I don't mind.

At first I was ready to give this 1 star, maybe 2 for 'Freedom! '90'. But it's a pop record, and its qualities lies within its catchiness and recognizability. And there are some catchy and beautifully composed songs on here like 'Waiting (Reprise)', 'They Won't Go When I Go' and 'Cowboys and Angels'. 'Waiting for That Day' is also quite a good tune, but like the man himself acknowledges, it is veeeery close to 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' in chord progression. On the other hand, you also have the ridiculous pan flute on the heavy-handed 'Mother's Pride', so I really don't know what to make of this.

Impressive showcase of creativity and musicianship fueled by strong and important beliefs. Efforts like these give a reason for publishing a new version of '1001' each year. A bit too few strong, memorable tracks to hit a 5/5 rating.

Wow, these The Smiths blokes make some great music. I sure hope that Morrissey isn't an insufferable prick and ruins an otherwise perfect album composed by Marr by smashing on bloody awful lyrics on 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others'. Oh well.

Tough record to boil down into a rating. Its greatest strength is Van Morrison insisting on defying conventions - lyrically, compositionally and structure-wise. This strength also makes the whole thing a bit inaccessible and makes you alter between a calm meditative state and frustration at the repetitiveness and runtime of the tracks. When it transports you to an entirely different state of mind, it's magnificent. I am just not able to stay there for the entirety of the record.

"Can we get much higher?" Probably not. The production and sampling alone is worth 5/5.

If this doesn't immediately transport you to a curbside café in Havana, nothing will. The impact this record had and the doors it opened for world music everywhere is difficult to overestimate.

Interesting production with some early highlights in 'Novocaine For The Soul' and the catchy 'Susan's House'. I'm not quite sure that the lyrics hold up, like on 'Guest List' which sounds like a sad RHCP song. There is a fine line between naïve and simple lyrics. That cover still gives me nightmares.

A classic with obvious highlights in the megahits 'Rio' and 'Hungry Like the Wolf'. Shoutout to the mean bass on 'My Own Way' and 'New Religion' - that shit slaps! Also amuses me that 'The Chauffeur' is the perfect song for the movie Drive - written 30 years prior.

Man I love 'Child In Time'.

Perhaps the most important underground band since the velvet kind? I believe the Onion was right when they wrote that Pitchfork wrote “In the end, though music can be brilliant at times, the whole medium comes off as derivative of Pavement.” 'Gold Soundz' really is a terrific track.

'Never Let Me Down Again' is the best Depeche Mode track ever released, and I am willing to die on this hill. In general, this is peak Depeche Mode - great with a little (a lot!) S&M action on 'Strangelove'. I don't understand closing an album with a small hidden instrumental piece at the end of another instrumental piece.

How on earth was this the successor to Astral Weeks? Quality is obviously still here, but the structures and lyrics are almost complete opposites of his previous output. There is still plenty of room for innovation, and the title track is just immensely impressive.

This is my jam. 10/10 cover. Absolutely insane production (just listen to 'Dragon Queen'!). Stunning highlights in the bangers 'Zero' and 'Head Will Roll' along with the wicked good 'Dull Life'.

When I first heard this record a while ago, I thought that maybe there was something I was missing. Now I am sure. I am not missing anything, it's too long and just not that good.

Peak Nirvana. Peak Grunge. Incredible run of tracks from 'Scentless Apprentice', 'Heart-Shaped Box', 'Rape Me' to 'Frances Farmer...'

New Order doing New Order things. At their best when the drum machine is kicking and the production is filled with tons of samples. Individual tracks go in just a bit too many directions which makes the record lose a bit of focus.

Peak MBV. Peak shoegaze (along with Souvlaki by Slowdive). Absolutely insane that Kevin Shields was able to create something so dreamy which at the same time insists on having an intimate connection with the listener.

Interesting choice of Massive Attack album to say the least. There are some definite highlights on this like the classical 'Weather Storm' and 'Euro Child' which would serve as the blueprint for the majority of tracks on Gorillaz' debut. However, when they decide to dip their toes into reggae like on 'Karmacoma' and 'Spying Glass' I lose all interest.

I knew the day would come where Prince would pop up. I mean, I can appreciate His Royal Highness’ virtuose talent and his take at bringing down gender barriers, but I am always bored, disappointed and wishing that the runtime of almost every track had been halved.

Greatest a cappella achievement since Don’t worry, be happy? All joking aside, it is impressive how much warmth and intimicy is created on Medúlla through the use of the human voice. This is amplified by the production on Björks voice, which makes you feel like she is either whispering or screaming into your ear - a great example is on the Icelandic 'Vokuro'. Maybe a bit uneven track listing favoring the first half - or perhaps the curiosity sparked by innovation quickly wears off?

I do not connect with the blues in any way, shape or form. The musicianship is there, but what else? Three of the tracks, including 'Mannish Boy', are re-recordings - perhaps because the remaining (original) songs are just not that great. Two stars for the musicianship and for not being actively annoying to listen to. I am just completely indifferent to this record.

Strong Zeppelin record, albeit a bit too long. If they had disregarded the need for adding material in order to make it a complete double album, this might had been in the discussion for their best. The run of 'Houses of the Holy', 'Trampled Under Foot' (if only they had recorded many more funk-inspired tracks!) and 'Kashmir' is incredible, even for them.

Cinematic triphop. At times the atmosphere created is magnificent, but more often than not the music fades into the background to the point that I didn't even notice when the album had finished.

This is a fun album. It is also an absolutely terrible album where I often genuinely wondered how on earth Soft Cell recorded, let alone released, these tracks. On 'Youth', Marc Almond can't hit a single note even if his life depended on it. The only bearable moments are 'Tainted Love', 'Seedy Films', and the closer 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye'. Having sung and danced countless times in my life to 'Tainted Love', I've wondered why I hadn't dived deeper into their discography. Now I know why.

How on earth do you release this as your debut album in 1969?? It's completely insane to think about. Side one is out of this world - 'Good Times Bad Times', 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You', and 'Dazed and Confused' are sublime. Side two doesn't quite keep the ball rolling with 'Communication Breakdown' being a highlight. I love this album, but somehow it doesn't quite feel like a 5/5.

A lyrical odyssey with great classic hiphop production. Storytelling at its finest and packs a great one-two punch in '4th Chamber' and 'Shadowboxin''. Impressive lineup of guests, and it's always nice to have the whole clan together.

I hadn't listened to this record in its entirety since the obligatory grunge-fanatic period as an angsty teen. I found it to be a surprisingly tedious listen, the album bloated and most tracks way too polished for my taste. There are obviously some legendary tracks on this, but then there's also 'Half' which is just... not that good.

Definitely a highlight of the late stages of Bowie's career. Incredible that he could keep this level of innovation and songwriting quality throughout. Perhaps also one of the most accessible and thoroughly enjoyable Bowie albums out there - which is certainly not a bad thing. 'Where Are We Now' really is magnificent.

What can anyone say about 'Highway 61 Revisited' that hasn't been said countless times before? Dylan perfectly captures the cultural landscape of his homecountry and creates lyrics and music defining an entire generation while driving his own evolution into rock instrumentation. Even though Dylan was only 24(!!) years old when releasing Highway, he speaks as though he has been around for centuries with lyrical references to literary works spanning throughout the anthropocene. 'Like a Rolling Stone', 'Ballad of a Thin Man' and 'Desolation Row'. What more is there to say?

Bang-average album by Costello. 'Blame It On Cain' and 'I'm Not Angry' were interesting, but overall the record sounds incredibly bland. Not looking particularly forward to the remaining entries by Costello.

For sure an influential album, but there are some real stinkers on this. 'Buried Alive' and 'Teachers Pet' make it seem like the album is more of a parody than an actual attempt at creating something, well... good. And the lyrics are often downright atrocious. Then 'Don't Burn The Witch' hits and you get to see why so many bands were inspired by Venom's sound.

Very interesting production with obvious inspirations from the contemporary post-punk movement and especially Talking Heads (especially on the title track). I like it! Crazy to do this as a follow-up to Rumours, and perhaps it was necessary for Fleetwood Mac to continue to develop and not get stuck in their previous sounds. As almost always with double albums, some tracks could have been omitted, but I even a length of 60 minutes might have worked.

There is some great classic instrumentation on this. The trumpet on 'But Beautiful' really is beautiful and haunting. With that said, I found the entire thing to be quite dull. Although her voice is magnificent and the arrangements are very pleasant, it tends to fade into the background. I was reminded of Nat King Cole's Christmas record, but unlike that I can't really think of an occasion to ever put this on.

The album where Paul is fixated on honey pies - the wild and domestic kinds - for some obscure reason. With 93 minutes this includes a plethora of first class Beatles songs: 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun', 'Blackbird', 'Revolution' to name some. But in all honesty it does also contain some fillers ('Wild Honey Pie', 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road?'), and I found side three to be actually quite weak. The record would probably have been stronger if Harrison had been allowed to get more songs in the final tracklist. My biggest surprise with this re-listen was that 'Revolution 9' was... not that bad? I actually quite enjoyed it, and they seemed like they were having fun.

I genuinely believe this is a perfect record. Joni Mitchell writes lyrics just as hard-hitting 50 years later and accompanies them with lush instrumentation comparable to Paul Simon. The melodies are catchy without ever being trivial. THAT moment in 'This Flight Tonight' when the music switches to what she is listening to in her headphones while on a plane... Come on! And the title track. Wow. That track is SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL. Closing out on 'River', 'Case of You' and 'The Last Time I Saw Richard' is also just completely unheard of.

Knopfler's (the Mark one) signature finger-picking guitar is evident from the first track 'Down To The Waterline'. But what really shines here is the drumming of Pick Withers. Never a dull moment! A really strong debut with highs - the funky 'In The Gallery' and 'Sultans of Swing' - and lows - the lyrically weak 'Wild West End'.

Hilariously dated and way too long. Perhaps you can find some redeeming qualities in som well-produced beats, and 'Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes' was enjoyable, but it's just not enough for me. And can we just agree to drop it with pointless interludes? Thanks.

Honestly almost completely blown away by this. This is the missing piece of the puzzle bridging the gap between British psychedelia of the late 60s up to the British rock groups of the 00's. You can clearly hear the sound presented on Kilimanjaro in later British acts like Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. Some great tracks on this like the opener 'Ha Ha I'm Drowning', 'Thief of Baghdad' and the danceable 'Went Crazy'. Throughout the record is a controlled chaos of synth, organ, drums and erratic vocals, and it works really well! Unfortunately, 'When I Dream' is way too long - at least the version currently on Spotify. I wholeheartedly understand why it was originally cut down.

Without a doubt the most boomer rock band out there, but who cares. 'Take It Easy' is one of the greatest opening tracks on a debut ever. However, it's no coincidence that their best-selling album is their greatest hits. As you say in Danish, 'There is far between the schnapses', and for every memorable track, you have at least two that does not move me in any way. It's odd because I am bored during the acoustic tracks and then when the electric guitars kick in I am yearning for a more stripped-down instrumentation. 'Take the Devil' manages to hit a sweet spot though, and 'Tryin' is not half bad either.

evermore contains a lot of fine melodies, but Swift insisting on repetitions in her lyrics to cater to the lowest denominator really irks me. The intimate production of the instrumentation throughout (as on 'champagne problems') really is something special, and Swift is at her best when she channels her inner Phoebe Bridgers (''tis the damn season') or Lana Del Rey ('cowboy like me'). The collaboration with HAIM on 'no body, no crime' is another highlight.

A legendary album by a (now) legendary songwriter. His increasingly gloomy world view definitely seeps through on this, his third and final record. The emotions are never hidden and it seems like everything is constantly balancing on the edge of a knife. Indeed very haunting and it's very refreshing to hear songs which are absolutely cut the bone with no fill.

I love everything about Bat Out of Hell. Everything is so extravagant, overcomposed, and just in general turned all the way up to 11. Steinman's melodies are rock-solid and his lyrics succeed in convinced you that the entire fate of mankind depends on whether or not this horny teenager gets to third base tonight in the backseat of a Chevy Camaro. EVERYTHING is at stake. Instrumentation is of course ridiculously on point with Todd Rundgren and members of the E Street Band combining to make this silly record one of the best and most enjoyable rock operas ever. Thank you Meat Loaf, you absolute legend.

This is one of my favourite alternative rock albums of all time. The record is packed with power and beauty. 'Look at You', 'Sworn and Broken' and of course 'Gospel Plow' are incredibly beautiful. With each listen, my favourite track changes. First it's 'Dying Days', then it's 'Witness' and the next time it is yet another one. Very impressive! Mark Lanegan truly was a genius with a voice of his own.

"Alright so we got a Bee Gees record for you." "Okay, but I'm not the biggest fan of disco." "It's over 1 hour in runtime." "That's... a lot of disco." "It's from 1969!" "That's... a bit early for disco?" "Also it's a failed baroque pop concept album about a fictional ship sinking in 1899." "It's a WHAT?" 60's Bee Gees where have you been all my life? There are some genuinely great songs on this - 'Marley Purt Drive', 'Give Your Best' and 'Seven Seas Symphony'. The lovey-dovey songs are a bit tedious to get through, and the entire album seems a bit disjointed. It left me longing to hear more about the sunken ship!

My familiarity with The Beau Brummels is quite sparse, but on this 1967 record they sound miles behind their folky contemporaries. The songs are underdeveloped, and throw in an uninspiring and sloppy production and the end result is a truly unremarkable record. 'And I've Seen Her' and 'Old Kentucky Home' tempted me to give this a 1/5, but the 'The Wolf of Velvet Fortune' luckily manages to raise this to a 2/5.

What a testament to the absurd quality and depth of The Cure's discography that not a single of my Top 10 Cure tracks are on this record. Despite it being one of their strongest. The songs are grandiose, Smiths vocals desperate, and the lyrics gloomy as ever.

The influences from Master of Puppets are obvious, but Sepultura's fourth record is more brutal and experimenting in nature. And the drumming is just slightly more tight, as heard on 'Subtraction'. A monster of a track with a brutality in the higher end of the thrash metal spectrum. The legendary title track is equally as brutal and sets the tone for this entire tour de force of industrial-inspired thrash.

How the hell did Boston manage to create this as their debut album??? The style is fully-developed and the musicianship is at full display here. There are some great tracks on this - of course 'More Than A Feeling', but the follow-up 'Peace of Mind' is also extraordinary. At some point though, you begin to question what the purpose is of all this virtuosity. None of the songs succeed in moving me, and while this might not be the aim at all, it's still sad to feel no connection with these brilliant musicians.

Of course this album is immensely impressive - not only for being the prototype heavy metal album, but also for how developed the sound and style is. Tony Iommi's riffs are legendary - as on 'The Wizard' - and his unique way of playing definitely guided the band towards a heavier sound. 52 years later and 'Black Sabbath' x3 is still one of the best doom tracks ever written. Lastly, the production throughout this really is something else, with the vocal pan on 'Behind the Wall of Sleep' being a highlight. The whole process of recording the album in one session seems to have added a unique element to the atmosphere and overall feel.

For sure a milestone in the ever-expanding career of the Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers contains some of Jagger and Richards' best songwriting. Mixed with a band that sound so incredibly in sync and the product is bound to be extraordinary. While 'Can't Hear Me Knocking' and 'Dead Flowers' showcase the band at their grooviest best, the biggest highlight is without a doubt 'Wild Horses' which is as beautiful as 'Brown Sugar' is creepy. The use of 'Wild Horses' in the Gimme Shelter documentary - with the camera panning over the faces of the then-young group contemplating their own lives and the stark contrast to the tragedy at Altamont Free Concert - is one of the greatest moments of rock and roll ever caught on film.

A refreshing departure from the usual radio-friendly disco tracks which catapulted ABBA into music stardom. Everything is still thoroughly composed on the album, but the tracks seem to have more air to breathe and space to develop in. The songwriting is of course extraordinary with the title track providing a strong start while warning the listener that this is not your usual ABBA endeavor. Good stuff.

How can you not like an album which includes the greatest song ever, 'Respect', as determined by the unassailable metrics imposed by Rolling Stone Magazine? Joking aside, Franklin truly is at full force on this record, making incredibly good choices in the songs she covers. A highlight is of course 'A Change Is Gonna Come' - Franklin might be one of a handful of artists capable of matching Sam Cooke's emotion and strength on this song.

For sure some underdeveloped songs on this album, where the sound and Jack's eclectic guitar playing can't quite carry everything. With that said, there are plenty of highlights throughout. 'Black Math' is awesome and it's refreshing to hear Meg on 'In The Cold, Cold Night'. The guitar on 'Ball and Biscuit' is so muddy and ugly, and Meg's drumming on 'The Hardest Button To Button' is vicious as hell. And then what the darn is 'Little Acorns'? I guess the only thing that's left to say is: lååå lå lå lå lå låååå låååå

Absurdly strong start in 'Chocolate Cake' which is never quite lived up to on the remainder of the album. A weird mix of catchy pop-psychedelica including the grossly overplayed 'Weather With You'. 10/10 artwork and title.

There are obviously some very talented studio musicians present here (and a lot of them!). And Bakers deep vibrato is smooth as silk. But overall the record is quite non-memorable, save for some few moments sprinkled throughout. The funky bass on 'Sweet Love' and 'Same Ole Love'. The discrete funk guitar on 'Been So Long'. And the layers upon layers of percussion on almost every track. But all in all the album is much too polished for my tastes. I understand why it was Baker's commercial breakthrough, because every track feels as though it was written and produced with the sole intention of maximizing airtime.

15 years ago this album was on repeat non-stop via Youtube in my room at home. A lot has changed since then, but the sound quality still sounds like someone ripped a DVD and converted the audio track to an mp3 file. The mixing and volume levels are all over the place. Everything is incredibly bloated - I mean, I've listened to Grateful Dead live bootlegs from the 70's with better sound than this. Then there's the setlist which is atrociously bad. Hetfield's voice is very rough on the first handful of tracks, and often time it feels as if the band and the orchestra are playing two different songs entirely. A few tracks like 'Call of Ktulu' and 'The Thing That Should Not Be' actually grow to something else entirely with the added orchestration, and both band members and audience seem to be having fun. Lastly, if this Metallica record is on this list, I will be very disappointed if the first four albums of their discography isn't on it as well.

Amazing to think that Ye was already an insecure megalomaniac with a victim complex on his debut album. The main message of the record is the dumbest of takes: "Kids, don't stay in school. Instead work a lot to make money so that your kids can afford to... go to school?". Overall, the production and sampling is off the hook with Ye being responsible for the vast majority - absolutely incredible. Apart from too many interludes/skits (why is this a thing?), the only true miss is 'The New Workout Plan' and maybe the last 8-9 minutes of 'Last Call'. The rest of the album is fully packed with absolute bangers - 'We Don't Care', 'Jesus Walks', 'Never Let Me Down', 'Family Business', and the mythical origin story that is "Through The Wire". Great debut setting the tone for hiphop for years to come.

Extremely enjoyable effort from the legend Tito Puente (perhaps most famously known as one of the prime suspects in the shooting of C. Montgomery Burns). The orchestration feels effortless but interesting and complex at the same time. Although the lyrics are completely non-understandable to me, the language of mambo is universal. Highlights were the classic 'El Cayuco' and the playful 'Hong Kong Mambo'.

'Close To You' is such an amazing song (although originally by Burt Bacharach). Rest of the album? Not particularly so. The cover of 'Help' really adds nothing new to the song. 'Baby It's You', another Bacharach product, starts off side 2 quite strong, and although the vocal harmonies are impressive, the remaining songs continues with a mix of blandness and sugary sweetness.

There is not a lot worth mentioning on this the sophomore major label album by The Lemonheads - most famous for an uninspiring but radio friendly cover of 'Mrs. Robinson'. 'It's A Shame About Ray' stands out as a decent track, and you can see why it was chosen as the title track. Nothing aggravates about this record, and nothing stands out. I most certainly did not need to listen to this before I died.

I don't really think that Nelson's vocal and melodies are strong enough to elevate the VERY sparsely instrumented songs on this record to something interesting. Then you finally get full orchestration on the terrible 'Down Yonder' which sounds like a parody more than anything else. While this may be a concept album dealing with a double-murder and subsequent newfound love-interest of the Red Headed Stranger, I was never truly invested in the story nor enticed by anything musically. Although the title track does have a nice melody and Willie-boy is quite good at conveying emotions (as on 'Can I Sleep in Your Arms'), this just wasn't for me.

This is REALLY not might kind of groove. 'Janie's Got a Gun' was nice and 'Hoodoo/ Voodoo Medicine Man' cranked the energy up a bit which was much needed. Hate the fiddle at the end of 'What It Takes'. Interesting that this album should appear the day after NASA redirected the trajectory course of an asteroid by crashing into it - just a shame that 'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing' is not on the record.

I think it's difficult to realize just how amazing it is for any band to sound this good and play this well together. Every single part of the instrumentation sounds magnificent - both in isolation and in the interaction with the rest. The runtime is daunting, but Exile On Main Street is packed to the brim with top-notch tracks: 'Tumbling Dice', 'Let It Loose' and 'Shine a Light' just to mention a few. "I know I play a bad guitar" Jagger confesses on 'Living Cup', but luckily Keith Richard sure doesn't play a bad guitar on this record - perhaps the greatest collection of rock and roll tracks ever.

Strap in boys, this is gonna be a long one. Full disclosure, I believe that Kendrick Lamar's run of "good kid, m.A.A.d city", "To Pimp A Butterfly", "DAMN." and "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers" is completely untouched in the world of hip-hop. It might be the best run of albums for a solo artist ever. The man is on a completely different level. "good kid, m.A.A.d city" is the record that catapulted Kendrick Lamar into superstardom. This is before Kung Fu Kenny and before creating a political and societal shockwave. This is K.Dot transforming into Kendrick Lamar. Both are storytellers beyond belief, though I prefer the latter. The whole album really is a long journey - into the depths of Compton and into the depths of his transformation. Starting off with a flash-forward to the ending of 'Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst' is pure genius. It lets the listener know that the gangsta-rap persona is not here to stay and also plays into Kendrick being "thirsty" - but for what? Money, power, pussy or religion? In the spirit of transformation 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe' and 'Backseat Freestyle', although clever, are a bit underwhelming compared to the later tracks. I realize that it's K-Dot representing his own self-image at 16, but the record REALLY takes off from the storytelling of 'The Art of Peer Pressure' and onwards. From here on out, maybe except for the less interesting Janet Jackson-featuring 'Poetic Justice', the album is a full 10/10. The one-two punch of 'good kid' and 'm.A.A.d city' is impressive - the vocal effects and panning are sick. Combining the lyrics of the latter with confessions in 'Money Trees' it's very understandable why a lot of people believe Kendrick once killed a man. I mean, at the very least that is what he wants us to believe. The darkest moment might ironically be on the abstinence preaching 'Swimming Pools (Drank)' which became the number one party anthem in 2012. And you understand why - the production is off the charts. Then you are hit with the closing 3 tracks. 'Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst' is an instant classic with rich storytelling and introspective reflections. 'Real' is incredibly personal and then the tribute song 'Compton' hits with everything you could ever want - from Dr. Dre to Tupac throwbacks. I'm going for a 4/5 and saving 5/5 for the next 3 of his albums. DAMN this was good. But he was only just beginning.

Quite enjoyable effort from shock rocks grand old man, Alice Cooper. The themes are of course macabre and the content a bt difficult to take seriously. Overall there is just enough variation throughout the record to avoid it becoming a snoozefest. The cover 'Hello Hooray' kicks everything off with a lot of theatrics. I was surprised by the entire vibe, but then saw that it was probably due to producer Bob Ezrin who would later turn the theatrics all the way up to 10/10 when producing The Wall and co-writing 'The Trial' off of that. The album also includes a weird variation on the James Bond theme on 'Unfinished Sweet', a nice pop tune a la The Monkees on 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' and finally the classic 'I Love The Dead' which opened the door for many future metal bands concerning what you were allowed to actually sing about on a record.

Impossible not to enjoy Manu Chao's music and the impact his debut had on exposing people around the globe to world music. One of my go-to artists for chill music that anyone can jam to. And boy does he love his marihuana.