Wow, this certainly shook the cobwebs off this morning! I've heard of Sepultura but never listened to them until now. What a great surprise! Incredible amounts of energy and anger here, but also much more melodic than I expected. I always imagined they were more in the "unintelligible-gutterally-screamed-lyrics" sort of territory. I've only listened as far as Itsári so far, this is another long album from this generator. That seemed a good place to take a break. I'd give an 8/10 so far. Finished the rest of the album, it did not disappoint! Although the 13 minute long meditation style song at the end may have been a bit unnecessary, still a solid 8/10 for me that I will definitely come back to.

Not exactly an easy album to listen to but a very important one. The production really hits you, it's overwhelming in places. Revolutionary in every sense of the word, I can't really think of any other group like PE. This is probably my favourite of theirs, and my favourite 80s hip hop album, even though there are a couple of Flava Flav duds on it. It's pretty nonsensical listening to him rant about trash TV on 'She Watch Channel Zero' considering he ended up running his own reality TV show in the 00s! Chuck D is as great as ever though, Particularly on Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos and the second side of the album.

Ah yes, Jeff Buckley's dad! I listened to this album years ago and didn't really get it. It'll be interesting to re-listen to it now considering my tastes have changed a good bit since then. Wow what a voice! Very impressive songwriting too. I love how different each of the songs are, enjoyed every minute of this.

I don't really get why this is on the list. I'm not a huge Beach Boys fan, and never got into their albums in a big way. I just like their most famous songs, and none of them were on here. I didn't find any of the tracks particularly memorable or innovative whatsoever. Overall a miss for me, looking forward to listening to some of their other albums though.

As a teenager in the 2000s, I was obsessed with grunge. For years, I was convinced I was "born in the wrong generation" or whatever. However through all that, I think Alice in Chains were a bit too dark for me, I was always more into Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Then when I went to college, this album really clicked with me, as I got into darker music and films. I watched their Unplugged concert and it really moved me. Layne Staley seemed to have been struggling so much, but he distilled his essence into this album and created a timeless work of art. It's an incredibly sad thing to see an artist at work who had the skill to produce something that essentially made him immortal, yet his life was literally falling apart. It also seems a shame that his addiction was made so public, but no one was able to step to intervene enough to save him. However that is unfortunately the nature of addiction I suppose. Musically, this album is incredible; the vocal harmonies are fantastic (once you get used to Layne's unusual voice), the guitar wails with ferocity, and the bass and drums sweep you along for the ride. It really creates a soundscape that draws you in. As soon as I finished the last track I felt like diving in again. Like an addiction I guess?

Solid album, but apart from a couple of standout tracks, not particularly memorable. It was probably very significant at the time, but not different enough from his work with Garfunkel to be seen as a landmark in my opinion. Interesting to see Paul Simon progress as the solo artist that would eventually be putting out masterpieces in pop music a few years later.

I remember reading a review years ago which said the Stones made a very successful career by regularly releasing mediocre albums which had 2 or 3 fantastic singles to carry them. I still feel like that's pretty accurate after giving this another go. I'm sure they had fun recording 6 mins of "Jigsaw Puzzle" but it pales in comparison to something like "Sympathy for the Devil". Remove "Sympathy" and "Street Fighting Man" and thos would be a forgettable 1/5 for me. You can't deny the genius and influence of those two songs though!

Apart from the (somewhat cheesy at this point) title track this one is new to me. Great production! Lots of smooth ballads. I didn't enjoy this as much as "What's Going On", but would definitely come back to it.

Apart from Roadrunner, I hadn't heard anything from this band before. It's a bit too repetitive and basic for me. I don't think I'll intentionally listen to it again, but I can see how it's an important piece of rock history and would have influenced the likes of The Replacements, Pavement, The Strokes, etc.

Somewhat strange to be listening to this on the day the Queen's death was announced, but there you go. I've had a love hate relationship with The Smiths; hated them as a teenager in the 00s, then started to appreciate them in my college days. When I got my first car I bought this album on CD and played it to death. Definitely my favourite of their albums. Its almost perfect, maybe not quite a 5 but close enough that I'll round it up!

I completely forgot how great this album is, haven't listened to in full in years. Some favourites from my teenage years and at least one of my all time fave songs (1979). As with virtually every double album, it is a bit bloated and there are a couple of forgettable tunes. Some of the lyrics are a bit cringy now that I'm a 30-something ["God is empty, just like ME! >:(" for ex]. It doesn't quite live up to "Siamese Dream", in my opinion, but it is still a fantastic album.

I listened to this one around the time it came out, and am pretty familiar with the singles. I tried to give it a fresh listen, but I still don't really get the hype! Thundercat is obviously a fantastic musician and I've really enjoyed most of his collaborations with other artists I've heard. But I just don't like his singing voice at all, and I find this album way too repetitive. At 50 mins, I also found that it dragged in places. I'll probably only revist the singles, if even!

I'm a big fan of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot so have tried a few times to get into other Wilco albums, but none have clicked so far. Being a double album, there's a lot to unpack here, but some of it was great. I'll need to give it more time to get my head around it all.

I think this is the first album in this series so far that I've listened to twice, really enjoyed it! I've always been a fan of Blur but until now I've only really listened to their singles and greatest hits. Going into this album knowing it was influenced by The Kinks makes a lot of sense and gave it good context. Some really solid songwriting here and a lot of memorable songs. It's a shame this album has been somewhat overshadowed by their Parklife era which followed.

I found this one quite mediocre apart from "Violence", that song slaps. The rest was very generic "classic rock radio" and sort of faded into the background. I might give it another go, but maybe it's one of those where you had to have been around at the time to really appreciate it!

This was a new one to me, I knew of XTC but was only familiar with a couple of their hits. I really enjoyed it, kind of like a weird cross over between Tears for Fears and the Beach Boys. Definitely think I'll be back for more of this, and will check out their other albums!

Not sure what I can say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's an absolute classic and has been played in my house for as long as I can remember, even the cover art sticks out in my earliest memories of music. For sure one of the best Jazz albums of all time!

I've tried to listen to this one objectively over the years but I just can't really get into it. I recognise it as a landmark in hip hop history and see its influence in the music that followed. It obviously has fantastic production and instrumentals. But I can't see past the homophobic, misogynistic, and often just plain immature lyrics all over this thing. Maybe if I had been around at the time or gotten into this when I was younger I would feel differently. Its hard to de-couple Dre and Snoop from the legions of terrible bling era wannabes who followed in their footsteps. If I want to listen to some hip hop from the early 90s, I always turn to something like TCQ, De La Soul, or Queen Latifah over something like this.

I didn't expect to like this much, based on the two singles I knew (Tainted Love and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye). But it was surprisingly weird, and also very innovative for a pop record at the time. There were a few real dud tracks (Frustration and Youth) and some forgettable ones. I especially liked Seedy Films, Sex Dwarf, Chips on My Shoulder, and Bedsitter, all were every transporting to what must have been a very strange but exciting time in London. Not sure if I'll revisit this often, but so much of the music I listen to was obviously influenced by it. I don't think we would have gotten Nine Inch Nails without this album, so it gets 4 for innovation!

I was delighted to see this pop up, one of my favorite albums of the 80s! Put it on and went for a jog this morning, great start to the day. Maybe it's not completely perfect, more like a 9/10. But without a doubt one of the best pop albums ever released.

This is definitely a landmark album in Hip Hop. I don't enjoy it quite as much as "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back", and its bombastic, production can be a bit too jarring at times, but it does an excellent job of getting Public Enemy's message across. I've always felt that P.E. channelled their anger much more effectively into their music than N.W.A. It's a challenging album to listen to and they are guilty of the occasional homophobic or sexist lyric, but nothing anywhere near what turned me off "The Chronic". It helps that they actually have a clear political message to convey, and don't waste time metaphorically waving their dicks around like Dre and Snoop!

Wow, this certainly shook the cobwebs off this morning! I've heard of Sepultura but never listened to them until now. What a great surprise! Incredible amounts of energy and anger here, but also much more melodic than I expected. I always imagined they were more in the "unintelligible-gutterally-screamed-lyrics" sort of territory. I've only listened as far as Itsári so far, this is another long album from this generator. That seemed a good place to take a break. I'd give an 8/10 so far. Finished the rest of the album, it did not disappoint! Although the 13 minute long meditation style song at the end may have been a bit unnecessary, still a solid 8/10 for me that I will definitely come back to.

I have a vinyl copy of this masterpiece, so cracked a beer and put it on. It's not one that I can just have on in the background, it demands your attention. I'm by no means a jazz connoisseur, but I think I've listened to a decent portion of the all time greats. This is by far one of the finest I've listened to. It's quite experimental and has some passages that border on "free jazz", so it's not one I'd recommend for someone new to the genre. I don't have the knowledge to fully understand the music theory, but to my ear there's nothing missing here and no fat to be trimmed at all. Other than that, I'm not sure what else I can say that hasn't already been said. 10/10.

Brilliant hip hop album, and probably Kanye's best in my (possibly controversial) opinion. It's Kanye back when he had a somewhat manageable ego! It's not a perfect album however. It's very long at 75 mins, I would have cut at least 20 of that. I normally don't like skits on albums but the School Spirt ones are quite funny. 9/10 Fave Tracks: We Don't Care, All Falls Down, Jesus Walks, Get Em High, School Spirit, Through the Wire Least Fave: Workout Plan, Slow Jamz, Breathe In Breathe Out

HOT TAKE: I'm a bit sick of Bob Marley. I mean I appreciate his music for what it is, but his Greatest Hits album has always been enough for me. Listening to this album the whole way through twice hasn't changed my feelings on that. I still really enjoy Exodus, Jamming, Three Little Birds, and One Love, but I can easily go months or years without intentionally listening to them again. They have become so ubiquitous that they often just fade into the background. On the other hand, I'm really, really sick of "Waiting in Vain". I don't think that song ever did anything for me, I've always found it boring AF. The rest of the songs on the album are pleasant enough but nothing special, especially the first few preceding "Exodus". A lot of them are a bit too "church-y" for me too. Overall, none of the deep cuts really resonated with me, so I think I'll stick to the Greatest Hits.

Another one of my faves, and another that I'm lucky enough to have on vinyl. I think it was only pressed once, since it was released in the vinyl dark days of the 90s. The songwriting, performance and production are all perfect on this album. It almost sounds like she's in the room with you. I don't enjoy this one as much as her two later albums with ridiculously long titles. But it's still a solid 9/10 for me.

I've only really discovered this in the past few years, so I don't have a huge connection with it. There are some fantastic songs on it, particularly the first three. It is quite jam rock-y and, um, space-y in places. So it's one where I find I need to be in the right mood for it. Its a relaxing sort of chill out album, but also quite emotional in places. The last song "Cop Shoot Cop" is 17 mins long, so could be seen as a bit self indulgent. But over all the album is very well produced and put together. You can tell a huge amount of work went into it with a wide range of great musicians. 8/10

Wow what an energetic album! I'm loving the variety on this list so far. I listened to this twice and really enjoyed it, will definitely check out some of his other stuff too. The lyrics address some important themes too, although I'm not sure I agree with everything he says. I thought I caught a few homophobic lyrics in the last song but maybe I misunderstood.

Glad to have a chance to delve into this one a bit more. I'm a bit fan of Dummy but don't know their other albums as well. I really enjoy the experimentation on this one! It is a bit jarring in places, but in a good way! Beth Gibbons is an iconic vocalist, one of the all time greats. This album really sets a mood and sticks to it.

I like the Undertones' hits but thought this one was just OK really. Fairly basic early punk, a bit repetitive, lyrics aren't anything special. Enjoyable enough but I don't think I'd listen again. Even though I'm Irish it felt a bit too far in the past for their specific brand of teenage angst to resonate much with me. Maybe if I had been a teenager in the early 80s I would have liked it more.

Another of my favourite albums, but I'll try and give it a closer listen to see if I hear anything fresh... Wow, I'm really glad I did give it a full and fresh listen, because I just realised that I've been neglecting the second half of the album for a while now. I had forgotten how beautiful "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades" and "The Tallest Man..." are. Not to mention the last song, which was weirdly the first song I ever listened to from this album, on my sister's iPod shuffle if I remember correctly! There are too many fantastic songs ( and their titles are too damn long) on this album for me to list them all here. But I will say that Jacksonville, Decatur, and Casmir Pulaski Day are some of my favourite songs ever. I often get snippets from these songs (and others from this album) randomly stuck in my head as I go about my day. The instrumentation, vocals and harmonies throughout the album are all delightful. The historical references in the lyrics are so specific that its often hard to get the full meaning without looking things up, but that just adds another element for me. Over all a perfect 10 album, in my opinion.

I thought this was a bit...meh on first listen. Might give it another go tomorrow. Her voice was fantastic but I'm not mad about how she used it at times, some of the screeching was a bit too intense. Me and Bobby McGee is a fantastic song though!

The first half of this album is a lot of fun, the second half not so much. The singles are definitely the best songs, however I don't think they are meant to be taken too seriously! Some of the later cuts (like Bear Hug) are a bit cringy. Overall though a light hearted and unusual album, I like the fusion of rap, jazz and Latin music on here.

This was a nice surprise, I've always liked Sheryl Crow's singles but maybe have underestimated her in the past. This was a really enjoyable listen, solid album!

Not my favourite Pink Floyd album, but special in it's own way. I only really enjoy 3 or 4 of these songs but do like some of the experimentation on a couple of the others. A couple of them are borderline unlistenable though.

Wow, this is a bland album...like the definition of bland

I hadn't heard of this band before, and I can kind of see why. It's a pleasant enough album to listen to, but none of the songs were particularly memorable or standouts. It was probably lost in the sea of other folk rock albums coming out of America in the 60s.

I fairly stubbornly avoided nu-metal as a teenager, but I did always have a bit of a soft spot for these guys. This is the first time I've listened to this album the whole way through, and I quite enjoyed it! I do still find some of the rapping a bit cringy and the lyrics are somewhat melodramatic in places, but it's a solid album, and there's no denying it's influence on the following decade of pop/rock, for better or worse!

I didn't recognise the name of this band or album, but when "ONAROPE, ONAROPE, GOT ME HANGIN ONAROPE", kicked in I remembered it instantly! I don't think I knew any of the other songs so was excited to check the rest of the album out. I enjoyed it overall, especially the energy and the brass section, which was great throughout. At first I thought the vocals were a bit too pirate-y, but they grew on me. I do think it feels like it loses steam towards the end, so perhaps 50 mins is a bit too long for a punk album. Maybe the last few songs will grow on me too though. Overall, a nice surprise which I see myself listening to again. It's interesting reading through some of the negative reviews on the more unusual albums on the list. It's seems like people were expecting this to be 1001 CLASSIC ROCK Albums to Hear Before You Die. Broaden your horizons, people! Albums like this are why I'm here. 8/10

It feels a bit strange to give an album this foundational and influential anything less than 5 stars. Some of the songs are a bit basic and boring, but the album is short and punchy enough that none of them outstay their welcome. The best songs on it are pretty fantastic on the other hand. It's also surprisingly well produced for something that came out in 1957, apart from some weird/clumsy panning on a few of the songs. Having said that, it's not something I'd listen to on purpose very often.

I don't really know how to rate this album. On the other hand, apart from Blue Suede Shoes, I found most of it boring and unrelatable. I can't decide whether I love or loathe Blue Moon, the guy sounds like he's singing from the bottom of a well. On the other hand, it's the debut of ELVIS and was undeniably influential.

I think I listened to this years ago but never got into it. Really enjoyed it this time! I love the stripped back, intimate style of the whole album. It contrasts nicely with his more radio friendly hits I'm familiar with. This really put me in a contemplative mood and was ideal for driving to. It might not be something I'll listen too often but I will definitely come back to this when the mood is right.

Found this just OK really. I know their hits and like them but never really got into their albums. This one didn't really grab me this time either. It is an interesting turning point from 80s rock to 90s rock and you can see how the early 90s bands were influenced by them though.

Not exactly an easy album to listen to but a very important one. The production really hits you, it's overwhelming in places. Revolutionary in every sense of the word, I can't really think of any other group like PE. This is probably my favourite of theirs, and my favourite 80s hip hop album, even though there are a couple of Flava Flav duds on it. It's pretty nonsensical listening to him rant about trash TV on 'She Watch Channel Zero' considering he ended up running his own reality TV show in the 00s! Chuck D is as great as ever though, Particularly on Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos and the second side of the album.

I listened to this a LOT when it first came out (my first/second year of college) and loved it, but got a bit tired of the songs on the first half. They were quite overplayed and popped up in all sorts of films and TV shows at the time. 'Intro' in particular was very overused. Listening to it again today though, I think enough time has passed that I can appreciate it again. This is a finely crafted album. The music is fantastic and it is atmospheric and melancholic in all the right ways imo. I can see how some might say it is a bit melodramatic, too "of its time", or that the lyrics are a little basic. It is all of those things, but overall I think it's a great album, and only has a few tracks that I find a bit underwhelming (Fantasy, Basic Space and Night Time). Maybe that's my emotional connection with the time speaking though. Nice one to round off my first 40 albums! 9/10

18-Oct-2020 Well, this one is a bit all over the place. Some enjoyable songs, some weird ones (You Didn't Have To Be So Nice), and some pretty questionable singing in general tbh. Pleasant enough vibes overall, but not for me. Quite dated as well, this is such a 60s album. I read "August Is Wicked Month" recently, some of these songs would have soundtracked that perfectly! For some reason the Spotify link took me to a version of the album with 5 extra songs which appear to be from the album "A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness" not sure if that's a Spotify issue or an issue with this app. I prefer the shorter 12 song version!

I normally think double and triple albums are ridiculously self-indulgent. This is one of the rare exceptions! All killer, No filler.

This was a nice surprise.! I'm familiar with both artists separately but had no idea they had collaborated before. I definitely preferred the first half of the album and found it tailed off a bit towards the end, bit then the last song was quite good. Overall an enjoyable album, I might check out the others in the series.

Great album. I love how the songs flow into each other, but it does mean that a couple of them get lost in the sauce. Overall, I prefer The Queen is Dead, but this is still very solid and has 4 or 5 standout tracks. Plus the cover art is 🔥

I've tried to get into this album many times over the past decade or so, but apart from 'Terrible Love' and 'Bloodbuzz Ohio', I've always found it dull and melodramatic. This time around I did hear some instrumentation on 'Conversation 16'and 'England' that I really liked. But apart from that I wasn't moved. Maybe someday this will click with me the way 'Boxer' did - I love that album but I've always been fairly lukewarm on the rest of their stuff.

Really enjoyed this. I was only familiar with "Television, the Drug of the Nation" and have been meaning to listen to the full album for a while now. The lyrics, beats and samples are all great. I'm surprised really that this album doesn't have the popularity of some of its contemporaries. It is quite lyricly dense in some places, so I feel like I'll need to listen too it a few more times to fully absorb them. The only negatives I would have is that some of the songs are a bit over long, and some are a bit too derivative of Public Enemy. I actually thought I was listening to Chuck D rapping on the title track at first! Other than that though I enjoyed it. It's interesting to hear some of the lyrics and samples discussing cost of living crises and recessions at the time, some of them are exactly the same as sound bites you hear on the news today. I guess its true; the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I initially quite enjoyed this, but wasn't blown away really. I've been listening to a lot of Prog this year, but haven't come across Traffic. I do know of Steve Winwood though. I might give this a second listen, since I just had it on in the background on the first spin. It is quite short! OK, so I listened to this a second time while doing the dishes and paid more attention to the vocals this time. I'm now questioning why this album is included in the book. The singing isn't great at all and the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. This pales in comparison to Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes and Jethro Tull albums from the era, so I wouldn't even argue that it was super influential or anything. Maybe people just love having an origin story for Steve Winwood? I'll give it 2 stars because the musicianship is good throughout, but I doubt I'll listen to this again.

25-Oct-2022 Listened to this while working and enjoyed it for the most part. I'm familiar with Crowded House's big hits, but I think this is the first time I've listened to this album in full. For some reason, I used to think "Weather With You" was a Housemartins song. Anyway, I enjoyed the first half of the album more than the second, towards the end I felt like it was starting to outstay its welcome. However that might change on a second listen, if I have the time.

26-Oct-2022 Where has this album been all my life? I knew this band for Dreadlock Holiday, but always assumed they were a bit of a one hit wonder. This album is great throughout on first listen though; well written, great performances, and quite funny in places! I enjoyed hearing the origin of J Dillas "Workinonit" samples in "The Worst Band in the World". "Silly Love" and "Clockwork Creep" were also great and reminded me of Sparks, who I only discovered recently also. The second half of the album maintains the quality and weirdness with "Sacro-illiac" and "Oh Effendi", the abrupt end of the latter left me wanting more. The only songs I didn't really enjoy were "Old Wild Men" and "Baron Samedi", but I didn't dislike them either. This is one of my best discoveries so far from this app. Far from the worst band in the world! 9/10

27-Oct-2022 TLDR; Aged like milk, would not listen to this one again. I went into this album knowing Pet Shop Boys' biggest singles only. I've often heard good things about them and based on the scene and era they fit into, I vaguely assumed I would like them, but never got around to listening to them. Surprisingly, I had a fairly visceral negative reaction to this album. I thought the first song was ok, but the songs immediately after had me cringing and squirming. I thought the second half might turn it around with the passable "My October Symphony", but alas, no. I could only listen to half of "Nervously", and I'm not usually a skipper. After that, I was dying for the album to end. Its hard to put my finger on what exactly I dislike about the album (because there were so many things), but the vocals are definitely a big part of it. I like Neil Tennant's singing in small doses, but on this I found his whiny cabaret style grating. The lyrics are also quite trite in places. Musically, I found this very repetitive, with similar drum and bass beats the whole way through. It's also very dated overall, and not in a fun nostalgic way, since I have no emotional connection to any of these songs. I like a lot of similar music from this era (New Order, Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, etc.), but this sounds like a sort of death knell of 80s synthetic pop to me now. Its interesting to read that this was heavily influenced by "Violator". I love that album and don't find it dated at all. I see some similarities I suppose, but this is definitely "Violator-lite", if anything.

28-Oct-2022 One of my favourite albums of all time, I would give it 6 stars if I could. Glad to see that Kate is finally getting the recognition in the US she has always deserved, thanks to Stranger Things. Hoping to see a few more ladies in this list soon, it has been a bit of a sausage fest so far!

30-Oct-2022 Listening to this on a lazy Sunday morning, the day before Halloween feels very appropriate. I've listened to this album many times before, but I think I usually get so bowled over by the quality of the first two tracks that I don't always get the whole way through it. Pharoe's Dance and Bitches Brew could have been their own 5-star album, but there is so much more here to explore. On this listen, I noticed how much some of the other instruments shine, particularly the drums on the title track and the saxophone toward the end of Spanish Key. At times the trumpet is a little too brash, but that's important too as it whips the listener into a frenzy and takes them along for the ride through this madhouse of an album. I can only imagine what it must have been like to listen to this for the first time in 1970. It must have absolutely blown people's minds, and mortally offended some too. It's one of the most imaginative and creative albums I've ever listened to, and one of the best by far for daydreaming.

I had heard of this band bit don't think I had listened to them before. I enjoyed some of the songs on it but overall it sort of faded into the background for me. Instrumentally it sounded quite good but the singer's baby voice vocals were a bit grating in places. Not sure if I'd listen again, maybe it would grow on me a bit.

Another album where I'm not sure what else can be said. This is probably my favorite Beatles album (either this or Revolver) and it's fantastic, but I think it's important to acknowledge that it isn't perfect. The Beatles were so highly and blindly acclaimed that they were able to get away with a couple of actual duds ("Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "Oh! Darling") on what's considered one of the best albums of all time. "Octopus' Garden" is quite silly too, but I love that one. Obviously though, "Come Together", "Something", and the entire second side of the album are solid gold. I had also forgotten how much I love "I want You (She's So Heavy)"!

01-Nov-2022 I've never even heard of this artist, so will be intersted to check this out! Good to see some other countries represented in the list.

Wow, that cover is...unsettling...After listening to this I'm not sure why it's on this list. It's alright and has a few good songs, but it doesn't seem particularly innovative or influential. Sounds like a load of other 60s bands that came before them!

The album this linked to on Spotify has half of it marked as Unplayable for some reason, but I dug around a bit and found a playlist of the correct tracks someone had made. I'm glad I did, this is a great album! New to me, but I recognised a few songs and new of the artist. Not something I'd listen to often, but miles better than that Elvis shite I got a few weeks back!

I'll admit, I was a bit disappointed when I saw this one pop up. But I forgot how good this album actually is,I enjoyed almost all of it. The last three tracks are a bit meh, but everything up until then is great! Really well written and performed. Where did it all go wrong for Coldplay? They really did have some great albums in the 2000s.9/10

Wow a 2019 album! Probably the most modern one I've gotten so far. I didn't realize this list had been updated so recently. I like some Nick Cave &co stuff but haven't listened to this one yet. Had a listen to this while playing a computer game, it's very well produced and emotional, but it just didn't do much for me. I hope I never go through a point in my life where I relate to this.

Really enjoyed this apart from tracks #4 and 8, was just a bit lukewarm on those but they might be growers. Nice surprise as I only knew a couple of songs from this band. Soundtracked a chilly and wet trip to and from Galway, one listen each way. Also, top notch cover photo!

So apart from the obvious 2 songs, I found this very underwhelming...not sure what I'm missing here since I know this is a very well liked album. On a closer second listen, I think I get it. I can still take or leave about a third of the album though, and I'm much more interested in the songs where Mama Cass takes the lead! This is like a 3.5 for me, but I'll round up.

I think I listened to this years ago but forgot all about it. Thought it was great this time around, very groovy bass!

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would tbh. I've always liked Run DMC's singles but was never interested enough to check out their albums. Their flow and beats are very old school, but it's intersting to see the evolution into hard-core hip hop starting here.

Terrible stuff, even worse than The Doors! I thought "7 and 7 Is" and "The Castle" were alright. The latter half of "Revelations", after all of the whooping and masturbatory grunting was finished, was fairly passable. Other than that, it's a no from me. I'm tempted to give this a 1, but I know they probably did influence a lot of later 60s bands. I can't think of anyone else who was making music like this in the mainstream pre 1967.

MY MIND IS GLOWING I had this on fairly heavy rotation when I was a teenager, but it has been years since I listened to it in full. I expected it to have aged worse than it has though, it's still fantastic! A truly groundbreaking album in electronic music, and music in general. Some of the songs may be a bit too lengthy and repetitive for some listeners, but overall I think this is a big improvement on their first album, and still stands as one of the best albums of the 90s. The only songs on here I don't enjoy as much are "The Heat" and "One Love", I don't hate them though.

I was expecting another terrible 60s album, but I quite enjoyed this one! I'd say I will come back to it.

This was another new one to me, I only knew a handful of Byrds songs before. I really enjoyed it, especially the weird alien voice on the third track and "Everyone's Been Burned". That's a real standout track, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the link between it and The Charlatans' "The Only One I Know", I love spotting stuff like that throughout musical history. The only negatives I would have is that some of the songs are a bit same-y, and the vocal style has me questioning Tom Petty's originality!

I had listened to this before, however its the only album by The Jam I've listened to in full. I enjoy it and think the songwriting is very solid, it's not one I listen to very often though.

Love this album, I used to listen to it a lot when I first got my car. I have great memories of it, but I'm drawing a blank at some of the titles on the second half. Looking forward to giving it another listen! Listening back to this, it's about as flawless as I remember. Love "Novocaine For the Soul", the piano and hip hop influences on "Susan's House", and the weird bee-guitar solo on "My Beloved Monster". Very weird and innovative, and that's just the big singles! Of the titles I didn't recognize, I knew them all and remembered most of the lyrics even. I love the melancholy and the weird humor on these tracks. Great bassline on "Your Lucky Day in Hell" too.

As terrifying as these dudes look on the album cover, this isn't too bad. I think I only knew "Free Bird" previously, which is obviously a great song. Not really my thing anymore though, 3 min long screechy guitar solos don't really turn my head like they used to! Apart from that song, I found most of this pretty forgettable...they're no Creedence anyway

I don't recognize this band or album cover, the songs "Poison Arrow" and "The Look of Love" ring a bell though. Should be interesting. This is musically fairly decent throughout, but it's not doing much for me. It's quite repetitive and the lyrics aren't great. "All of My Love" was my least favourite. Overall its a very dated album, but I can see why it would have been popular at the time amongst the likes of Spandau Ballet and late stage Roxy Music fans. Favorite tracks: Poison Arrow, Look of Love, 4 ever 2 gether

Wow, two Prodigy albums in a week! I wish I had revealed this before I went out for my jog. I'm not as fond of this one as "Jilted", but its still a very significant album. I think as a whole, "Jilted" is a better album, but the singles on this one are better. "Smack My Bitch Up" is a bit weird to listen to now and hasn't aged well, no matter what way the guys try to explain it. It would have been perfect as a purely instrumental song. I did always prefer the Enya Orinogo Flow mash up anyway.

Ah yes, Jeff Buckley's dad! I listened to this album years ago and didn't really get it. It'll be interesting to re-listen to it now considering my tastes have changed a good bit since then. Wow what a voice! Very impressive songwriting too. I love how different each of the songs are, enjoyed every minute of this.

Most of this album is fairly standard classic rock radio fare. The first two songs are well written but I've heard them more times than I ever needed to. The second half of the album I could take or leave. But I'll bump it up to 3 stars since Just What I Needed is such a fantastic track!

This is a perfect album in my opinion. I listen to it fairly often but I may as well listen again! Unfortunately, you do have to take into account the allegations of cultural appropriation and the (far more serious issue) of breaking the cultural boycott of Apartheid. I'm glad to see now that the other artists are credited on each song on Spotify, because this was much more collaborative effort than the original album credits show. However, if you take the music on its own, this is nothing less than a 5 star album, and it did also bring a new style of music to western audiences.

This one took me a few days to digest, I wasn't really sure if I liked it or not at first. I've heard of Bauhaus before but I don't think I've listened to them actively. I knew this was going to be gothic rock so I expected something like The Cure, but I was surprised by just how dark and rough this is. Some of the songs were familiar to me, but the two singles(?), "The Passion of Lovers" and "Kick in the Eye" didn't appeal to me as much as the fantastic "Hollow Hills", "The Man With X-Ray Eyes", and "Mask". I think I'll be revisiting it a lot, and I'm delighted to have found it. It's a 4 for me right now because I find it a bit uneven, but I could see the punkier songs growing on me, which could eventually raise it to a 5. Side note: I'm getting sick of the sneaky "Bonus tracks" and "Deluxe Editions" on Spotify. They should be either clearly labelled as bonus or you should be able to filter for the original version. With this album, the title track has a very definite end to it which is kind of spoiled by the 5 off cuts that follow it. Plus it makes the album like 50% longer...I have over 1000 albums to get through here!

Wow, I was really sick of this guy by the end of the album. Musically and lyrically, I quite like it, but his voice and singing style ruin it for me. When the female vocal popped up on "Tenessee" it gave me such relief. At that point I just kind of accepted that this isn't my cup of tea.

Got a Silver Jew's album yesterday and a Pavement album today, interesting...I've known and loved Pavement's singles for a long time but I don't remember listening to this album through many times. I definitely will be again, there's some great tracks on here, apart from the obvious 3. It goes to show that a band doesn't have to take themselves too seriously to produce great music.

Yesss! This must be one of my most played albums of 2022. I discovered Yes early on in the year, became obsessed with this album, and then started a really deep dive into Prog. I love the mad fusion of rock, jazz and classical. There's no bad songs on here, my favourites are Roundabout, Mood For a Day, and South Side of the Sky. Although the songs all flow together so well I find it difficult to remember specific pieces I like. The production is fantastic as well, I listened to this one on the good speakers on my lunch break.

Enjoyed this more than I expected, considering I only knew "Lovefool" going into it. Really nice chilled vibes the whole way through it, but some surprising dark lyrics too. Musically it's really well put together, although very "of its time" in some ways (I'm picking up some Stereolab and Air vibes). Favorite songs were Lovefool, Loser, Your New Cuckoo, Happy Meal II, Step On It, and the weird but great cover of I-ron Man.

I've only ever listened to CCR's greatest hits, so I'm glad to see this album holds up. This is near perfect as far as I can see, so many gems on this album. I enjoyed every song!

I only came across John Prine this year, and I've listened to this album a couple of times over the past few months. It's hard to believe I hadn't listened to him before, although I had heard of him. I really like it, even if he does remind me a little bit of Kermit T. Frog! The song writing and guitar playing are fantastic, they range from brimming with positivity (Hello in There) to heartbreaking (Sam Stone). Fave songs: Spanish Pipedream, Hello In There, Your Flag Decal... Least Fav: None in particular really, but some of them (like Paradise) are a bit too country for me.

Hmm, "Black Skinhead" really hits different in late 2022 doesn't it? I was listening to this album a lot in 2014/2015, but then it fell out of rotation for me. Instrumentally, there's a lot to love here. However the VERY strong Death Grips influences on the best of the songs (On Sight, Black Skinhead, New Slaves) make it seem a but unoriginal now. I wasn't really familiar with DG at the time, maybe if I was I wouldn't have been so into this album. Lyrically, I think some of Kanye's worst are on here. There's some downright stupid bars, a lot of unnecessary sexism/misogyny, and some really terrible auto tune. The Billie Holiday sample on Blood on the Leaves is a bit of a headscratcher too. I know he was probably trying to spark controversy, but I don't see what a song about Jim Crow era lynchings adds to a song that appears to be about a divorce. Maybe I'm missing something? I like New Slaves as a song, but it's strange to think that we've reached a point as a culture where "I'd rather be a dick than a swallower" is considered a good hook, maybe even a deep one. Fav songs: On Sight, Black Skinhead, New Slaves. The rest are OK but a bit forgettable.

Love this album, another find from my 2022 dive into Prog. This has the perfect balance of short punchy radio hits in Tom Sawyer and Limelight, and longer more intricate tracks. The musicianship is great throughout, fantastic drumming from Neil Pert in particular (goes without saying really). I think I first discovered Rush from watching Freaks and Geeks actually, so this brought up some nice memories of Justin Segal's drumming scenes.

I've really tried with this album, on many different occasions. I like the first two songs, but after that it just does nothing for me. I find the singing, particularly the harmonies, to be really grating in places. Musically, it's really uninteresting throughout. Overall, I just don't get the hype. Admittedly, I've never seen them live, so that's probably what I'm missing (that and a healthy dose of LSD). I understand that they have a big cultural impact, etc. But I don't think I'll bother with this one again.

Sometimes, when I hear "There She Goes" on the radio, I wonder to myself why this band didn't make it bigger. Now I guess I know why. The rest for the album is very mediocre and fairly forgettable. Some tracks are so obviously derivative of the Beatles it's a bit laughable. I guess they do get some points for influence considering they helped pave the way for artists like Oasis and their subsequent imitators. But is that really a good thing?

I've never listened to this one before. Some of the songs are unplayable on Spotify, presumably due to the contributions of Joni Mitchell and/or Neil Young, so I'll have to find it elsewhere! I'm a big fan of Joni and Neil, but don't know much of the other CSNY members' work. Had a listen on YouTube -wow I can't believe I haven't heard this before. So many great artists on one record, and the Grateful Dead too (having said that, this is much better than their solo album I was subjected to last week). The album flows really well together, and is very well produced for the most part. Lyrically, it maybe strays a bit to far into hippie-dippie territory, but given the political climate at the time, that's understandable. Overall a great find, I'll be listening to this again for sure.

I don't need to listen to this one because I have quite recently (and many times before that). One of my favourite albums of all time, it is perfect. Some of the best songwriting and musicianship ever recorded.

Another one of my favourite albums, and one of the best hip hop albums ever in my opinion. The instrumentals and samples throughout this album are flawless, particularly the bass and drums. Love the live jazz feel! The rapping is great also, and has a lot of variety between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg sharing tracks, and also the several guests featuring here and there. There are a few lyrics that haven't aged well, but not as many as other albums from the same era. The "gold digger" trope rears its head a bit in a few songs, and "Infamous Date Rape" starts off very well but loses its way a bit towards the end. Maybe men weren't really ready to talk about menstruation in 1991? At least they tried, I guess. On another note, "Skypager" aged poorly in an amusing way. Kids listening today probably have no idea what's going on with that track. Overall though, there's fantastic songs all over this album, and it's both relaxing and fun to listen to. In my opinion it's the best hip hop album from this scene, and it's interesting to follow this branch of the hip hop tree as it grew throughout the 90s and 00s.

It took a while to decide whether this is a 4 or a 5 for me. I do like the majority of the songs on it and some of those are some of the best ever written. But there are quite a few I don't care for much. It also has to be seen in context, Highway 61 Revisited came out later in the same year is a better album for sure. However maybe if Dylan hadn't released that at all this would be a 5 for me. As it stands I think I'll stick with a 4. One of my favourite things about this album is referencing it in arguments about hip hop. I'll often be like, "how can you say you don't like hip hop if you love Subterranean Homesick Blues?". The dude's definitely rapping, don't lie to yourself!

I got two Bob Dylan albums in a row, so I decided to come back to this one. I think this is a 3.5 or so for me, it has some of Dylan's best songs, but a lot of the other tracks are fairly forgettable. It also has some of his most obnoxious harmonica-ing (see the outro of The Girl From the North Country). But I'll bump it up to a 4 star for Blowing in the Wind, Masters of War, Hard Rain, and Don't Think Twice.

This one takes me back to my teenage years, I remember listening to this album on repeat when I was 17/18. I got sick of hearing "Keep The Car Running" and "Intervention", but never got tired of "No Cars Go". I think I had listened to Funeral before this came out, but Neon Bible was the album that really got me into Arcade Fire. I love the darkness and melancholy throughout it, and especially the intensity of "(Antichrist Television Blues)". "Windowsill" is great too, and "Black Mirror" is a fantastic opener. I thought I'd feel a bit weirder about listening to this after the allegations against Win Butler, but I think I have strong enough memories of this album that I can separate it from him. I feel sorry for the rest of the band, but their new music weirds me out a bit now (it's also just not as good).

I love this album, another one that I listened to a lot in college. It took me a while to get into it fully, but when it did it took hold! Especially love Dancing Choose, Golden Age, Family Tree and DLZ.

I didn't think much of this really. All over the place and too long. I like the Pixies but this really drove home for me how important Kim Deal's contributions are!

I've somehow managed to live over 32 years on this earth without listening to any of Oasis' albums in their entirety. I've always been pretty firm in my dislike of them apart from a few songs. However, I knew going into this journey that I would probably have to listen to about 3 of them at least, and I completely understand why this one is on the list. So I tried to go into this with an open mind. Unfortunately, this was close to torture for me, apart from "Live Forever", "Columbia" and "Supersonic". And even those songs aren't that good. They wrote some good melodies and obviously know how to play their instruments well, to some degree. But the lyrics...as Phife Dawg famously said, "Go get yourself some toilet paper, cuz your lyrics is butt".

I've loved this album for quite a few years now. It has great variety, is funny, delightfully messy, and is brimming with creativity and talent. It's influence is very obvious when you look at the rest of the 80s and 90s alternative scene - very ahead of its time! "I Will Dare" and "Unsatisfied" are obvious gems, "Androgenous" is fantastic as well and often brings a tear to my eye. I love the cover of "Black Diamond" too, but I don't think I've ever thought to look up the original. Overall a great album, possibly one of my favourites of the 80s.

Growing up in Ireland in the early 2000s, this album was absolutely EVERYWHERE. In shops, comstantly on the radio, at dinner parties, in pubs, etc. The stat about 1 out of every 4 households having a copy is very believable. Because of that, it's very nostalgic for me and is obviously an influential album. Ireland had a run of wannabe David Grays over the following 10 years, none of whom ever came close. But is it any good, you ask? Well, yes! The first 3 songs and the last 3 are fantastic, but I do think they overshadow the more average songs in the middle. This is a pretty solid 4 star for me.

I don't think I've listened to this album in full until now, but I have listened to some other Orbital albums, and I've seen them live once too. I think their music is best heard in a live setting, but I still really enjoyed this for the most part. The only tracks I didn't enjoy were "Remind" and "Walk Now". The intro and outro are also a bit long for what they are - quirky experiments. Orbital's sound still stands out to me as unique in the early 90s electronic scene, it's amazing to see the diversity and innovation that was going on in these years. When "Planet of the Shapes" kicked in, I felt like I had to strap in for the ride. I do prefer Snivilizaton, but that might just be because I'm more familiar with it.

I hadn't listened to this before, but I have listened to one of their earlier albums and never really got into it. Same for this one really, the guitar tone is too sharp for me and the singing isn't great at all. I found it quite repetitive; a few songs stuck out a bit for me but nothing particularly memorable. Too long as well!

This was completely new to me, but I really enjoyed it and gave it two full listens. Very funky and groovy, I especially enjoyed "Ponta De Lanca Africano", "Taj Mahal" and "Xica Da Silva". I'd see myself listening to this again, it would be a good one to play at a party or just while chilling. I only wish I understood the lyrics!

I don't really get why this is on the list. I'm not a huge Beach Boys fan, and never got into their albums in a big way. I just like their most famous songs, and none of them were on here. I didn't find any of the tracks particularly memorable or innovative whatsoever. Overall a miss for me, looking forward to listening to some of their other albums though.

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. I'm familiar with Alice Cooper's hits and quite like "School's Out", but the rest of the album didn't disappoint! I especially liked the bass and piano playing, it was all much more melodic than I was expecting. I guess I was putting them in the same category as The Stooges or something similar before I listened to this. Having said that, it didn't blow me away or anything. I don't see myself re-listening to it often, but I'm glad to have given it some time.

I love this album and have listened to it many times before. It's one of my favorite hip hop albums of recent times and I think Little Simz is one of the best rappers working today. Great instrumentals and production throughout too, she went to to build and improve on this even further on her next album.

As a teenager in the 2000s, I was obsessed with grunge. For years, I was convinced I was "born in the wrong generation" or whatever. However through all that, I think Alice in Chains were a bit too dark for me, I was always more into Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Then when I went to college, this album really clicked with me, as I got into darker music and films. I watched their Unplugged concert and it really moved me. Layne Staley seemed to have been struggling so much, but he distilled his essence into this album and created a timeless work of art. It's an incredibly sad thing to see an artist at work who had the skill to produce something that essentially made him immortal, yet his life was literally falling apart. It also seems a shame that his addiction was made so public, but no one was able to step to intervene enough to save him. However that is unfortunately the nature of addiction I suppose. Musically, this album is incredible; the vocal harmonies are fantastic (once you get used to Layne's unusual voice), the guitar wails with ferocity, and the bass and drums sweep you along for the ride. It really creates a soundscape that draws you in. As soon as I finished the last track I felt like diving in again. Like an addiction I guess?

Never heard of this one before. I thought the 1st and 3rd tracks were alright, not mad about the rest though. Terrible singing, but some good bass and guitar playing. Another case where I'm not sure why this was included in the book!

Good album but not great. Production still sounds really fresh and the bass is very driving. Listened to this twice and it was great to jog to this morn. However it is a bit repetitive and the best of the songs are much better than the rest. "Peaches" is a great earworm but has quite creepy lyrics!

This one slipped through the cracks somehow, only coming back to it now. I only knew a few Common songs before so glad to give this a full listen. It's a real gem of hip hop; thoughtful lyrics, great instrumentals and production. Common does just seem like a really nice guy, even though does have some weird ideas about interracial relationships. Great features from Kanye too, back when he was a serious artist.

I've never really liked this album much, apart from Imagine. I'm really tired of hearing Jealous Guy, and it definitely has a different vibe now knowing how abusive Lennon was to his wife! The rest of the album is very middle of the road; a lot of throwaway songs with muddy production and several that run too long.

Not much to say about this one really, full of classics! Had it on in the background on Christmas Day. "Baby, Please Come Home" is one of my faves.

I've listened to this album a few times now but I don't really get the hype. The production is fantastic and I support the overall message, but I find it lacking lyricly and vocally in places. Some of the songs are so repetitive that they are basically just chanted slogans that break up the flow of the album. Most of the songs with more traditional structures (like Wildfires) are great however.

One of my all time favourite electronica albums! This was so original when it came out and still sounds fresh to this day. Essential listening in my opinion.

This isn't for me, but I see why it's on the list. It's repetitive and punky, and I'd say it made quite a few parents nervous back in the day. For the most part I found it a bit bland though.

Fantastic album, on of my favourites of Neil Young's. Some great songwriting and guitar playing. The only song on it I don't like is "A Man Needs A Maid", I find the orchestral arrangements and Neil's wailing a bit over the top. Still a 9/10 for me though.

Not quite as consistent as "Green River", but there's still several fantastic songs on here. I love "Looking out My Back Door", "Run Through the Jungle", "Grapevine", "Who'll Stop the Rain", and "Long as I can see the Light". Definitely deserves a spot on the list.

I've always enjoyed Prince's music but found it hard to get through one of his albums in full. This album was no exception, It took two sittings to get through all 1 hour and 20 mins. I liked a lot of the songs here, but these were the bigger singles that I knew already. I found a lot of the deeper cuts to be longer than necessary and a bit boring. The mixing was also questionable is some cases. I'm not sure if it was intentional, buts in some songs the vocals are ridiculously quiet. I appreciate Prince's singing and guitar playing, but maybe his music just isn't for me.

This was a bit of a strange one - I'm not sure how I feel about it being on the list. On the one hand, it's a fantastic soundtrack to a fantastic film. On the other hand, it also sounds VERY like a soundtrack and not really like a standalone album. There's also a piano piece that sounds far too close to "The Great Gig in the Sky", to my ears.

I've only really listened to Queen's hits, never a full studio album. So I was surprised to see that I only recognised one song off this, Killer Queen. I enjoyed it for the most part, some of the songs were a tad boring, but the guitar and vocals (when Freddie was singing) were fantastic. I didn't know their early stuff was so Prog. This is somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me, but I'll round it up.

"Daddy, why is the Toy Story singer saying the n-word?" I enjoyed this but it didn't really leave much impression on me. I only listened to it once though, so didn't really get to absorb the lyrics. I'll come back to it another time, given his reputation.

Hadn't listened to this one before, but I love Fragile and Close to the Edge, so was excited to check it out. Its almost as good as those, and might grow on me with further listens. Hard to believe they brought this and Fragile out in the same year - that's some impressive creative juice flow!

I enjoyed this one almost as much as "Hello, Goodbye", but found the songs on this one to be a bit less memorable. Maybe a bit too lengthy in places as well. I did really enjoy the jazz instrumentation though, along with Tim Buckley's perfect voice!

Incredible album! Music today simply wouldn't be the same without Kraftwerk, and this is probably their most accessible album, of the ones I've listened to anyway. I still prefer TEE I think, but this is still fantastic.

I'd never listened to this album before, but have liked everythibthing I heard from The Fall in the past. I thought this was great, interesting lyrics and a lot of interesting things going on musically. More complex than I was expecting for a punk band, I can see why they're considered so influential.

I though this was just OK, I only knew Epic well to begin with. A couple of other tracks stood out to me, but none were particularly memorable.

This is an intriguing album, I had listened to it before but never really penetrated it until now. I'd like to look up the lyrics a bit more because they seem to have some quite specific historical references. I'm wavering between 4 and 5 stars for this one, but I'm feeling generous after getting several very mediocre albums in a row, so I'll give it a 5.

"Faith" is a fantastic song, but the rest of the album didn't do much for me. "Father Figure" is a bit creepy, "I Want Your Sex" comes of like a bad Prince cover, but without any hint of innuendo or cleverness. "Hard Day" has a good instrumental with nice bass line, but I didn't think it was going to save the album. It rallied a bit in the second half however; "Look at Your Hands" is a good song, "Monkey" was a bit of fun, I guess, and "Kissing a Fool" was a nice bit of schmooze to round it off. Overall it's well produced and I see the appeal for some people, but the rest of the songs in between sound like something you'd hear in a dentist's waiting room.

Bittersweet Symphony was one of my first "favourite songs" of my childhood that I remember clearly, I was around 7 or 8 at the time and it always takes me back. The rest of the album never really clicked with me, but listening to it again now, it is very solid.

Not terrible per se, but not particularly interesting or memorable either. The first song started out well instrumentally, but the vocal melody set my teeth on edge. Overall I thought this was too long and a bit boring. It reminded me of Gomez, Grandaddy and Elbow in parts, but I'd much rather just listen to them.

I thought this was ok, but there is a bit of a cringe factor for me with Metallica. I much prefer Master of Puppets and the Black Album. I agree with the reviews that mention the bad mixing, the band sound like they're playing inside of a tin can. The only songs that stick out to me are "One" and "Harvester of Sorrow". I think I read somewhere that they have 4 albums in this book, too many! Master of Puppets and the Black Album would suffice. They could have included two other metal artists instead. No Tool albums in this book, really!?

Expected to dislike this, as I've never been a big fan of the Beatles' early work. However, it wasn't too bad. I enjoyed "All My Loving", "Till There Was You" and "Please Mister Postman" especially. Not an incredible album by any means, but interesting to to see the early stages of a great band.

I love this album! Tom Waits is definitely an acquired taste though, not everyone's cup of tea.

Some good songs on here, but ultimately they sound kinda like a cover band to me. I've heard waaay too many bar band covers of "Hard to Handle" to get any enjoyment out of it anymore, "She Talks to Angels" was a standout track though.

15 year old me probably would have been really into this. 32 year old me just wants the 10 minute drum solos to end.

The was a big ol' yawn for me. Elvis sounds like he had a bad headcold half the time, the other half he sounds like he was trying to swallow the mic.

I listened to the US version, so at least it had "Paint It Black", which is obviously fantastic. Under My Thumb is a great song too, but the lyrics are downright horrible. I'd like to think that level of misogyny was unacceptable in 1966 too. Apart from those two and "Lady Jane", I thought this was mostly terrible.

Not a new one to me, very solid album. Maybe not as good as "Music From the Big Pink" though.

This was a fairly tedious listen if I'm being honest, but also a very necessary album, with the benefit of hindsight.

Found this quite relaxing...or at least I would have if the version on YouTube wasn't interrupted every 5 mins by ads. The versions on Spotify and Tidal seem to be a modern re-recording with different artists done in 2012. I'd like to find a better quality version and listen again. I enjoyed it, but on the other hand I don't really have much knowledge of Indian music to compare it to!

I really like this album. It's fun, had a bit of a hard edge, and was pretty original at the time. It also has a few timeless songs on it so doesn't feel like it's aged poorly. I never really get tired of "Brass in Pocket" for some reason.

What a voice! I've never listened to Ray Charles properly, and only know the hits really. The change in style on the second side was welcome I thought, by the halfway mark I was starting to find the big band songs a bit repetitive.

Fairly pleasant to listen to but not really my thing. Quite funny too! I love the cover.

Never heard of this band before, but seeing THAT haircut, I had a rough idea what I was in for. This is pretty much everything I hate about 80s hair rock, not sure how it ended up on the list. Plenty of power chords and badly written lyrics. "Beating Gets Faster" is a prime example of that. Is "Lick Summer Love" written from the point of view of a rapist? Creepy AF

Nothing to say here, one of the best rock albums in the history of the world.

Found this interesting, but I don't think it's something I would listen to very often.

I'm really surprised by how much I've enjoyed this album. I knew Jeepster and Get It On (obviously), but the latter is a bit of a cliché at this point, so I wasn't expecting much. However, listening to the whole album through I was pretty blown away. Mambo Sun, Cosmic Dancer, Jeepster, Girl, and Life's a Gas are all incredible songs. Definitely deserves all the praise it gets, and even more proof that 1971 was one of the best years for popular music.

This is a great album, but not quite a 5 star for me I think. It's very well produced, but a couple of the songs are a bit underwhelming and Iggy's voice isn't exactly pleasant to listen to at times. Its hard not to compare it to Bowie's Low and Heroes that came out in the same year. I feel a bit bad about that, but hopefully Iggy wasn't too put out by being upstaged by his friend.

This was a weird one, interesting in places but not all of it was too my taste. Reminded me of the Spirit of Jazz in the Mighty Boosh! Definitely unique and interesting enough to justify a spot on the list.

Not a terrible album, but most of it had little to no impact on me. Actually, "When Numbers Get Serious" and "Cars Are Cars" are pretty terrible. A little too wacky in places for me as well.

Enjoyed this, will definitely give it another listen. The two songs I knew already (This Is The Day and Uncertain Smile) are pretty perfect, so kind of overshadowed the rest. But I didn't hear anything I disliked. The only negative I'd have is that the overall sound is very "of the time". But it was the early 80s so I think that can be forgiven.

This has some good song on it, but overall it didn't do much for me. I can see why it would appeal to some, but not sure if it's needed on the lost. Cover art is a 0/10 for me.

I've never really gotten the fuss about this album, apart from Blister in the Sun. I understand that it's an important early alternative album and would influence many bands in the years following. In retrospect though, it's a bit immature and boring in places.

I've listened to this one a few times over the years, and it is definitely groundbreaking. However the second half just drags for me for some reason. The first half is just fantastic though.

I got this album immediately after Maggot Brain by Funkedelic, interesting! I prefer this one overall, it has a more polished sound and is a more cohesive album. It also feels more like a funky party, rather than the scary acid trip of Maggot Brain. Some of the songs do run a bit too long for my taste, but that's just the nature of the genre really, jams galore. Definitely deserves its place on the list. The influence on other artists is clear, even from the hip hop samples alone. I'll even forgive the weird farty synths and key-tar on the last track.

Not a fan of this at all really - it's not terrible, just very MOR. One to Another is the only really memorable song.

I'm not that familiar with this band, apart from their major hits. However, I loved this from start to finish and will definitely be revisiting it. Love the overall aesthetic, the vocals, and the unusual guitar sounds. This seems to have been really original for the time.

Took a while to get through this one, it was hard to find the right moment to listen to it! I found it a bit of a mixed bag, some good songs, some cringy. A bit too long imo, but more varied than I was expecting.

I can't bring myself to give this anything less than a 5, it's not one that I listen to often anymore, but it's a definite cornerstone of my music taste. I played this to death when I was a teenager, but much prefer III and Houses of the Holy these days. I find some of the lyrics on this one a bit cringy and immature (especially Living Loving Maid and Lemon Song), and I now now that something like half of the songs are rip offs, but the incredible musicianship and groundbreaking production more than make up for those missteps. Ramble On was and still might be my favourite Led Zeppelin song.

I got caught out by another deluxe edition here - thought it was a double album and listened to all 80ins or so. Then found the proper 45ish minute one, which is much better! Some very good songwriting on here, I'm surprised I haven't heard more of these songs before.

Hadn't listened to the one at all, I only know the screaming man album. Really enjoyed it, it sounds like the birth of math rock!

This was new to me, although I have heard of him. Really enjoyable, groovy beats and a nice short album.

I listened to this twice, the first time just in the background and I didn't think much of it. I only knew "Didn't Cha Know" before and did like it, so felt like I was missing something. I gave it a second listen with my "good" headphones, and was completely blown away! The production is fantastic, great drum and bass sound, and her vocals are really unique and interesting. The panning on "AD 2000" is particularly beautiful, like being wrapped in a warm blanket.

This is the third Creedence album I've gotten out of 163 so far, that seems like a lot! Nowhere near as good as Green River, even though it does have Proud Mary. I prefer Cosmo's Factory too. Overall some decent jams on here, but a bit hit and miss, some fairly forgettable songs.

Great album, Massive Attack opened me up to much other music when I got into them as a teenager. I much prefer Mezzanine, but this is nearly perfect. It looses a couple of points for the somewhat cheesy closing track and a couple of other duds, but the title track, Safe From Harm, and Unfinished Sympathy are all classics.

Not really what I would normally listen to, but as far as live albums go this is fantastic. Really warm sound, and a nice amount of crowd noise. Sam Cooke's voice is great and it sounds like he put on a brilliant show. It's quite funny that the label thought this was too "raw and gritty" for release in the 60s. Maybe it was the bit where he asks the crowd to wave around their handkerchiefs that pushed it over the line.

I understand why this is on the list, but it just doesn't really do much for me. Relaxing vibes, but just sort of fades into the background.

I actually don't enjoy this album as much as I used to, which is surprising because I still listen to a good bit of noise rock. There was a time when Just Like Honey was one of my favourite songs, and I still like that and quite a few of the others on here. I just find their wall of noise to be a bit oppressive and monotonous after a while. Having said that, it's undeniably a hugely influential and important record. I wouldn't be surprised if I warm to it again at some point.

There's a bit of nostalgia here for me since I listened to this band a good bit when I was about 13. I'd pretty much forgotten about them though, and I see why, they aren't particularly interesting. It makes sense to have them on the list though, since they were a big part of that garage rock revival, particularly in the UK.

Never listened to anything like this before. I found it quite a dramatic listen, got me working at a much quicker rate! Would definitely listen again. I'm glad that I've had a decent variety of albums over the past couple of weeks.

This album is fine, but nothing fantastic IMO. Love in an Elevator is very catchy, but in a junk food, insubstantial sort of way; Janie's Got A Gun is great, but I can take or leave the rest. Except for "What it Takes", that song is atrocious.

Well, it doesn't get much more 1984 than this (I mean actual 1984, not George Orwell's 1984). This is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me I guess, although I try not to use that phrase anymore! Definitely the best of the testosterone fueled "Hair Metal" of the 80s. Since I got this the day after getting Pump by Aerosmith, it started me thinking about this 80s hair rock scene in general. It was a very strange time compared to 70s glam wasn't it? As I see it 70s glam's "gender bending" and cross dressing was somewhat more inclusive and boundary pushing, whereas these 80s bands were hypermasculine to the point that their cross dressing seems to have been more of a shock value thing exclusively. It's a bit off-putting really, considering the modern backlash against Trans rights. I can't help but wonder if this scene contributed somehow to that. Anyway that's the end of my Ted talk for today. 3 great singles on the album, the rest I can take or leave.

Is this a joke album? I love Neil Young for After the Goldrush and Harvest, but this is just terrible. I think it's the first time on this list I actually stopped before getting through the whole thing. Honestly, this has some of the worst singing I've ever heard on a record. Especially on World on a String, he's both out of tune and out of time!

Well well well...Once you make it past the opening onslaught, there's a lot to like here. It's certainly unusual and definitely intentionally off-putting. It's interesting though, would definitely listen to it again, not very often though. Looking forward to reading some of the other reviews for this one!

There certainly is a lot of MOR folk rock on this list isn't there? 5 albums from the Byrds, really?

This is a great album. I've only really come to appreciate Steely Dan in recent years. Before, I would have enjoyed their singles but had them consigned as some sort of Dad Rock trope. However, now that I've delved into a few of their albums I really appreciate their musicianship, songwriting, and above all, production skills. This album is definitely one of their best, and the production here is fantastic. Even the few songs that don't resonate with me lyrically sound amazing. I'm not sure why they often get lumped in with Prog, to me they seem quite unique and stand somewhat alone in the early 70s rock scene.

Absolutely fantastic album, one of my favourites. Started listening to this when I was in college and it has been a constant in my life ever since. I think it did take me a while to get into it properly, "Only Shallow" hooked me though and from there I knew the rest of the album was for me. I really think this is a near perfect album; it's unique, hugely influential, and is a pinnacle of alternative music in general. Best Irish album ever released, in my humble opinion.

Never heard of this band or album, but I'm always up for some early heavy metal. Should be interesting! Overall I enjoyed this and see the influence of it, but I found some of the songs outstayed their welcome. Probably not one I would re-listen to often.

I've become a bit of a Prog head over the past couple of years, but this is a bit too "proggy", even for me. This must be what Yes sounds like to people who don't like Yes.

Incredible album, and not just because he died! Although it is impossible to separate the release if this album from Bowie's death. It's like he turned his death into an art piece, or like the album was a funeral that the whole world could attend. I'll never forget listening to this album in work that Monday morning completely oblivious, thinking "wow this is really dark", but loving it. Then going out to the canteen and a co-worker broke the news to me that he had died. I think it's the only time I've really been truly saddened by a aging celebrity's death.

I couldn't remember how much I liked as a whole, it's been years since I listened to it through, but I love the singles from it. On review it is great for a "Debut", but not a patch on her next 3 albums. It's undeniably important though, and has had massive influence on many other artists since. Some of the songs on here are a bit dated, but I really enjoyed hearong some of the deeper cuts again, especially "Anchor Song".

Not really my thing, but he does seem to have a great voice. Like 95% of country music sounds exactly the same to me, it's never interested me enough to get more familiar with it. "Who Will I Be Loving" was the only song that stuck out to me here, I like the melody.

I like some of Hot Chip's earlier songs (from The Warning and Made in the Dark), but after two listens of the album, it doesn't really do much for me. The production is quite good, but I don't think the songwriting measures up. The only memorable song to me is Night & Day, which is memorable in the most annoying way! The singer's voice really grates after a while.

Fighter and Beautiful are good songs, and some what nostalgic of my teenage years, but as for the rest of the album, it's too long and a bit boring. I had to quit about halfway through - I just can't with the weird honking singing and endless vocal runs.

Never heard of this band before. It's a very interesting and eclectic mix of genres...maybe a bit too eclectic! Some of the songs on the second half stuck out to me more than the first half. I might give it another listen and see if there are any growers. Yeah after a second listen, I can confirm that the first half is utter chaos! They switch genres so quickly its hard to keep up. The second half has some bops though, especially Bonin' in the Backyard. Some of it reminds me a lot of early RHCP.

Been a long time since I listened to this, I forgot how good it is! Obviously, it's best enjoyed in a nite club or something similar, vs on headphones in my home office. But it brought back some nice memories. There are are couple of songs that run a bit too long, and tbh "Soul Surfing" and "You're Not From Brighton" don't do much for me. Other than that though, great album. Weirdly enough, I had Acid 8000 stuck in my head a few days before this popped up, despite not having heard it for years. Maybe I'm psychic!

Well, this is a blast from the past. What ever did become of the likely lads?

Interesting as a historical footnote in the evolution of electronic music, but not interesting for much else.

I hadn't heard this before, so I didn't really know what I was in for. The cover art and concept are mad but it really works. I love the growly bass on The Humpty Dance and a few other songs. It's a really groovy and funny album throughout, really creative too. The concept makes me think of the Fifth Element, Sex Packets (and this album) sound like something that could exist in that universe.

I enjoy this album, but don't think it's quite as good as Master of Puppets. There's a couple of songs on here (like Unforgiven) that I just find really uninteresting. But for the most part, it's great!

Never heard of this guy before. I love the title track! This album has a real mood, and I like the production a lot. The music really does evoke the nightlife setting described in the lyrics. Price has a fantastic voice too. This might be the best (non-Johnny Cash) country album I've ever listened to. Having said that, I do find a lot of the songs quite similar, and the lyrics are a bit preachy in places. Some people just like to go to clubs and drink alcohol, Ray.

I don't have much to say about this one, it's an incredible album but obviously quite dark! I have to be in the right mood to listen to it the whole way through.

I really tried with this album, gave it about 3 full listens. I like some elements of it, but overall I think it's a bit of a mess. Way too long, annoying vocals, and I find it very hard to decipher what each song is about. It's a shame because it seems like it would be up my alley, but something just isn't clicking!

One of my favourite albums from when I was a teenager, but one I hadn't listened to in a long time. It still holds up, pretty flawless album! One of the best albums of the grunge era and the 90s in general, in my opinion. It's a shame that Billy Corgan went off the rails and the band kind of self destructed after the first three albums. I would have preferred that he just start an average solo career rather than continuing on with the SP name.

It feels a bit blasphemous only giving this a 4, but it is what it is. Obviously very influential in many ways, but a several of these songs just aren't great. Nico's singing is way off, and Lou Reed's isn't much better. although this is probably his best.

Enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I appreciate Abba's hits for what they are, but never really thought of them as album artists. However there are some great moments on this album, particularly the first few tracks. I found it dragged a bit in the second half, but rallied on the last song. The cover art is beautiful also.

This is very "Spinal Tap", particularly "Child in Time". There was a brief time, when I was about 14, where I enjoyed Deep Purple's greatest hits. I realize now how wrong I was. They are best forgotten about I think apart from their few good hits.

I like this, but apart from the iconic title track, I don't love it. Still though, it's a very pleasant one to listen to!

Really enjoyable album, I found that there weren't too many standout moments though.

I have been really hoping this would come up on the list. Over the past few years, it has become one of my favourite albums, and over the Covid lockdowns became important to me in a way I find hard to put into words. The production is fantastic, both warm and icy in equal measures (if that even makes sense). The songwriting is amazing; even though the lyrics are mostly unintelligible, the melodies speak for themselves. Overall I wouldn't change a thing about this album. 6/5.

Love this album, another relatively recent find for me. I've been aware of Frank Zappa for a long time, but mainly only knew him for Bobby Brown and thought he was a bit of a novelty act. However, just before Halloween of last year, while driving out to a haunted house type experience, my partner randomly put this on in the car, because we had both heard it was a great album. It was suitably horrific for the night that was in it, and has been on fairly regular rotation for me ever since. Peaches En Regalia is a great opening, then Willie the Pimp follows it up in a fairly unsettling, but enjoyable, way. One of the best album covers I've seen in relation to the music also; what appears to me to be a clown who's taken too many drugs, attempting to hide in an empty swimming pool. Not sure how accurate that is, it's just what I see. Fits the music perfectly.

Great album! I could only listen to it once though, because I can only get so aroused, even while working from home.

I always thought that The Specials were a bit overrated, but having listened to the through twice, I get it! There's so much raw talent here, and also some really thoughtful political songwriting for such a young group at the time. It makes sense that they were such a phenomenon, definitely worth the praise!

I quite enjoyed this, even though it is very of the time. It's a bit too long, and the last 3 songs didn't do much for me. Up until that point though, I thought it was pretty solid, and even fairly funny in places.

Very good album, makes me feel like I'm on holiday!

I've never really understood why this album is considered a masterpiece. I guess musically it is quite good, and is a significant departure from their earlier music. But I really can't stand Wayne Coyne's screechy singing for very long. The lyrics are also way too simplistic for it to be considered "one of the best albums of the 90s". I'd take Yoshimi over this any day.

Some good songs on here, and good production, but it's not something I'd listen to again. Which is surprising, because I thought it would fall into the bucket of hip hop I usually like.

This is a fantastic album, but it's surprising to see something so recent on a list like this. I've listened to it several times since it came out, but still feel like I'm digesting it! Fiona Apple must be one of the most consistently great singer/songwriters working today.

This is a great album, another one that I've only come across within the last year or so. "Burn it Down" and "Gino" always end up stuck in my head for hours after I listen to them. It's great to see that this band were much more than just the very overplayed "Come On Eileen". This album does waver a bit towards the end I find, but maybe those songs will grow one eventually. 8/10

Listening to the first few songs here I was wondering why I hadn't listened to this album in so long. The first disc is solid gold, especially the incredible "Kashmir". But then I got to the second disc, and that's a completely different story. Apart from the excellent "Ten Years Gone", the second disc is mostly forgettable. No wonder I couldn't remember it! Bit of a mixed bag overall really, and way too long. A 3 seems harsh, but this doesn't really hold up to III, IV, or Houses of the Holy to me.

I still feel like I don't really "get" Prince. I appreciate that it was a different time and that he pushed boundaries that needed to be pushed, etc. He was also obviously a fantastic musician. But I find a full album of his hard to get through. There several songs on here that are way too long and probably a bit too self indulgent. I also find the production and mixing is bad in places, sometime the vocals are somewhat buried and the bass is way too loud ( or treble way too high?). Having said that though, the first 3 songs are absolute classics, and the album definitely deserves a spot in this list. Just maybe not in my heart!

Had nevet heard I'd this guy before, but enjoyed a lot of this. Its an interesting mix of genres and he has a great voice, remeniscent of Scott Walker. I also really like a lot of the guitar playing. Only downside I have is that after two listens, several of the songs aren't particularly memorable. I think the raga at the end was a bit of a strange choice too, but it's not terrible.

Had a listen to this twice, some good storytelling and a couple of really well written tunes. Overall I found it a bit repetitive, but that is a recurring problem for me with Reggae!

Enjoyed this in a general way, but nothing really stood out that much. Kind of reminded me a bit of a James Bond soundtrack.

Haven't listened to this one before, although obviously I'm well aware of Dire Sraits. This is a really solid and well produced album. Sultans of Swing does tower over everything here, but there are some other bops too. Not a bad track here really.

One of my favourite Kate Bush albums, there are really some fantastic songs on here. "Deeper Understanding" is weirdly both nostalgic now and also quite prescient. "This Woman's Work" always gets an emotional reaction from me.

This is another album I listened to a LOT as a teenager, mainly because so many of their songs are easy to play well on the guitar. The immaturity of the lyrics probably appealed to me at some point too. These days, it doesn't do that much for me, but there are a handful of great tracks on here; Highway to Hell, Touch Too Much, Shot Down in Flames, If You Want Blood. They are mostly variations of the same 3 or 4 chords though at the end of the day!

Hadn't listened to this before at all, so it was a nice surprise! I didn't care much for "One Woman", but apart from that, it was great. Voice smooth like butter.

This is right down the middle for me really, some interesting sounds that were probably very new at the time but do sound a bit dated now. The vocals didn't do much for me either, but most of the songs were pleasant enough to listen to. Having said that, I listened to it fully through twice and can't remember any of the songs now!

This is a fantastic recording, it sounds like she's here in the room with us! Her voice is incredible, even though the lyrics don't have much substance. It sounds like she put on a great show too, with some funny ad-libs. Glad to finally put a familiar name in context, I've heard of Sarah Vaughan all my life but never really listened to her.

I tried to listen to this twice and couldn't make it half way. A double live album by a mediocre band has no business on this list. Have Hawkwind no decent studio albums they could have included instead?

Hadn't listened to this one before, but I knew the singles and am a fan of TCQ. This is a good album with some memorable songs and thoughtful lyrics. Q-Tip maybe isn't the best rapper out there, but he's likeable and is a good lyricist. I thought that the production and instrumentals on here were decent, but sound a bit dated in places. I'd say about a 7/10.

I'm somewhat ashamed to say that I don't think I've ever listened to this the whole way through. It's a masterpiece, but still not perfect I'd say. The Paul McCartney duet and the last song were a bit cringy I thought. Other than those though, it's a solid 9/10.

This is a fantastic album, been listening to this since I was a teenager. There are no bad songs on it, and the first half has several perfect ones. The bassline on "La Femme D'Argent" is heavenly.

One of my favourite Bowie albums, this one is great start to finish. It's more of a cohesive album unit, with only "Golden Years" really standing out as a single, so I can see why maybe it doesn't get as much praise as his other 70s albums. It's a solid 5 for me though, great production and songwriting. I have an 80s vinyl of it, so gave it a spin to refresh my memory!

This is another one that takes me back to my teenage years, I was a big Beck fan back then. I've cooled on him a bit since then, but this album was always one of my favourites of his. I had "E-Pro" set as my ringtone for a few months at one point, so it always has me looking for my phone if it comes on unexpectedly. Overall there's some great songs on here, especially "Girl", "Missing", "Earthquake Weather", "Scarecrow" and "Go It Alone". It's nor a perfect album, but I'd give it a solid 9/10, possibly due to a heathly dose of nostalgia.

On a bit of a roll here, five 5s in a row! This is another of my favourites from my teenage years, such raw energy and great songwriting on here. Quite unhinged and funny in places too. I really don't think music today would be the same without this album and Doolittle. Favourite songs: Bone Machine, Gigantic, River Euphrates, Where is My Mind.

This was an interesting listen, but only memorable in a very unsettling way. Still glad to have listened to it though.

I've listened to this before, years ago, but kind of forgot about it. I still hear Holes or Godess on a Hiway on the radio every now and then though. I think I consigned them to the same bin I put The Flaming Lips into at some point. Listening to it through again though, I'm pleasantly surprised! It's a very relaxing blend of genres with clever use of a few classic melodies here and there. Some of the deep cuts are great too, like Hudson Line. Still probably not something I'd listen to very often, but I was glad to spend a bit of time with it today.

This was a bit of a surprise, I had heard the name of this band but never knew who they were. I really enjoyed a lot of this, will come back to it for sure. Definitely sounds like a precursor to a lot of 80s and 90s rock and metal.

I've been listening to this a lot recently, another recent discovery, via Róisín. This album just gets better and better every time I listen to it, I'm always hearing new things. Truly a masterpiece of music production.

I don't think I had listened to this one fully before, I only knew the singles. This isn't nearly as good as The Low End Theory, but it's very enjoyable. We'll written and often funny lyrics, and some well picked (but maybe a bit too obvious) samples.

I'd like to preface this by stating that I am a HUGE fan of Loveless. It's one of my favourite albums and I consider it to be perfect. However, I've tried to get into Isn't Anything several times over the years and I just can't. Too abrasive, too meandering, too noisy. I understand why it's on the list, and it's interesting to see it as a precursor to Loveless. But I just find it difficult to listen to. Listening to Loveless is like listening to a dream; listening to Isn't Anything is like listening to a nightmare.

We're certainly in Dad Rock Heaven now! I'm conflicted about whether to give this a 3 or a 4. On the one hand, it has three genuinely brilliant songs, and his melodies are great throughout the album. But on the other hand, several of the songs have terrible lyrics and made me physically cringe (particularly Long Boats). I don't see myself returning to this anytime soon, but I won't be too upset if it comes on the radio. I'm feeling rebellious so I'm going to go with a 3. 6/10

Fully expected this to be a bit cheesy, but it was surprisingly smooth and enjoyable the whole way through. The title track towers over everything else here, but some of the lesser known tracks were quite good too. Incredible singing, but the production was a bit too raw perhaps, made it sound like a much older album than it is.

This one was quite interesting in places, had never heard of the artist or album before. I enjoyed the first few songs, but after a while it just faded to the background a bit. A lot of the sounds are a bit dated however. I can see why it's on the list, but not one I'd come back to again.

I don't know what it is exactly about the White Stripes, but I just find them so boring. They have some undeniably great singles, but a whole album of theirs is a chore for me to get through. This one was no exception.

Pretty much what I expected really. Ace of Spades is great, but the rest of the album is just mindless monotony. Also Jailbait and the Chase are creepy AF

I listened to this about three times and can't remember a thing about it now. Not for me, but I can see how it might be considered influential.

Another one that I've never listened to at all before. I've always enjoyed QOTSA singles but never really understood why they got so much attention. However, I do now! Listening to this at full blast in the car on a hot sticky summer's day made me feel like I was driving across the deserts of New Mexico instead of semi rural Leinster. It's such a unique sound, I'm going to have to go and listen to their other albums now and see how they hold up. If I can stop listening to this one that is, just finished my 4th listen!

Hell's Bells, Back in Black, You Shook Me, and Rock n Roll are 4 great songs, but I'm not convinced that they're worth the effort of sitting through the other 6 somewhat embarassing and boring songs about how horny they were.

Really enjoyed this, definitely one of Neil's best. Some great songwriting and melodies, and I like the transition from acoustic to electric in the middle. Hard to believe it was recorded live; the quality is great! You can really see the influence on grunge music on the second half. 9/10

This a fantastic album, one I always forget about about for some reason. The title track is especially great. The singing is a bit patchy in places, but hey, it's proto punk I guess? 9/10

Enjoyed this in a general way, but nothing in particular stood out to me. It's not really original enough to get me excited either; you could have told me that a few of these songs were by My Morning Jacket, The War On Drugs, or Grizzly Bear and I would have believed you.

Hadn't listened to this one before, really enjoyed it though. More so on the second listen; on the first everything melded together a bit. I think Dubnobasswithmyheadman is a better album, and probably a better introduction to Underworld. That's on the list though, so I'll get that eventually, right?...RIGHT???

This is a great album, but not quite as great as Bookends. There's a few real classics ("Scarborough Fair" and "Homeward Bound" in particular are fantastic), a few enjoyable but MOR songs, and a couple of goofy duds. However the singing and playing is fantastic throughout all of them. Overall I'd say it's a 7 or 8/10.

This is perfect disco really, even if it probably was one of the last gasps of the dying genre. The 4 singles are fantastic; smooth, funky and groovy. Just makes you want to dance. Thinking of You is my favourite of them, it's a real earworm! The other album tracks don't live up to the rest, but they're pleasant enough to listen to.

I enjoy this album a lot, but not nearly as much as Low. The first two songs and the last one don't do much for me, but the title track and the ambient pieces on the second side are fantastic.

Not my favourite Bowie album by any means, but it does have some of his best songs in the singles. It does drag a bit in places, particularly towards the end. I was actually looking forward to the end, which leads me to think of this as a 3 star instead of a 4.

With all the hate that Coldplay now (quite rightly) get, it's easy to forgot that they used to write some great songs. I don't think this album is as good as Parachutes (and my opinion is probably biased by some preteen nostalgia), but it's still a decent 4 out of 5 in my book.

This wasn't the first time I listened to this album. I thought it was just fine, but it never really really clicked with me that much. I guess I prefer folk from the 60s on mostly, and in general find originals more interesting. I do find her voice a bit grating I places, but she is very talented at the same time, and I recognize the cultural importance of the album.

I've been stuck on this one a while, time to finally bite the bullet and review it so I can un-pause! I understand why people like Leonard Coen, but this album does very little for me. The first song is a strong start, but after that it just becomes a dull slog; so many repetitive and dreary melodies. "So Long, Marianne" has to be one of my least favourite, the halting melody in the chorus makes me grimace, even though it is quite catchy. His singing really leaves a lot to be desired too. Although there are some nice guitar parts in places. I know he is supposed to be renowned for his lyrics primarily, but I find it hard to sit down and unwrap them from such a boring package. I'd much rather read them in a poetry book than listen to this album again. I do like Bob Dylan, which makes me feel a bit hypocritical, but at least Dylan has a bit of variation throughout his albums, and is a quite good songwriter musically to boot. In addition to being a great lyricist!

Some of the best (and funkiest) pop music ever made.

I really don't get the hate for Taylor Swift. Her songs are well written and she's a great performer. I didn't enjoy all of these songs, but the high points (Style, Out of The Woods, Shake It Off) really are great. Towards the end I found it all starting to sound a bit repetitive, but I did enjoy the last song with Imogen Heap.

Enjoyed this much more than I expected to. I always had Rod Stewart pegged as a sort of cringy, poor imitation of Robert Plant. After listening to the full thing though, I can appreciate it for the straightforward rock it is. I was marvelling at how good the guitar playing is, then checked the credits to find that Ron Wood played on every song. Makes sense!

I enjoy this album, but it's not on the same level as Heaven or Las Vegas for me. It has a great overall sound and mood, but some of the songs aren't particularly memorable. Elizabeth Fraser's voice is as fantastic as ever though. HOWEVER, that album cover is hideous.

Never heard of this before. At first glance, assumed it was a metal album! Enjoyed it nonetheless. I don't listen to a lot of this big band sort of thing, but it got me dancing a bit in my seat and kept me engaged throughout.

Thought this was interesting, but a bit hit and miss. The first few songs were misses, but after the Imagine cover it really finds its feet. C'est la Nuit was my least favourite.

Very enjoyable album! I only knew the two singles going into it, but there are several other brilliant tracks on here. I especially like the drumming throughout. Can really see the influence this would have had on other acts later on in the 80s.

I didn't make it all the way through this, but enjoyed more of what I heard than I expected, given its reputation. Giving a neutral review because I don't want to fall too far behind, but definitely want to come back to this someday and give it another whirl.

This is another one where context is everything really. This was a very necessary reactionary movement in music, and a couple of the songs still hold up "God Save" and "Pretty Vacant", but the rest doesn't do much for me. Minus one star for the homophobia on New York (also a pretty cringe dis track).

Enjoyed this overall, especially the first song (which I already knew). It has a really unique sound for the time, and I can see how it would have influenced other 80s acts like U2. I really like the bass sound in particular. However, after two full listens none of the other songs really stick out to me. Also, the vocals are really buried. I know it's a stylistic choice, but I don't understand it. So many 80s albums seem to have the same issue, so it kind of dates the album somewhat.

Apart from the first song, I didn't like this at all. How did this terrible band end up with two albums on this list?

Enjoyed this, but apart from the hits, some of the songs are a bit same-y and over long. I think I would have had to be in my teens/early 20s to truly appreciate Pulp.

Enjoyed this much more than the Byrds albums. I do think Crosby is overrepresented on this list, but this album (and If I Could Only Remember My Name) definitely deserve a place on the list.

This has the makings of a 5 star hip hop album; great flow, fantastic production, very funky and great personality. However, similar to my feelings with The Chronic, the lyrics are just unapologetically disgusting, and can you really listen to rap without listening to the lyrics? They are, without a doubt, misogynistic and glorify the "gangsta" lifestyle. However, Dre and Snoop tried to spin it as a cautionary tale or whatever, which just laughable. There's no critique of that lifestyle or any sort of self consciousness whatsoever. I understand that gangsta rap was a necessary reaction to police brutality in LA, and that it was an important stepping stone for hip hop, etc. But that doesn't necessarily mean we have to endure it forever as a classic album.

This was just fine, the title track was great, but not many others were particularly memorable. Production is a bit dated at this point.

Enjoyed this, but again nothing mind-blowing. I can appreciate his talent and how influential King must have been, but I just find this era or blues to be so same-y. I know that's kind of the point, but it's just not for me I guess!

I've tried to get into this album many times, but its still a bit of a head scratcher. I think My Girls is a fantastic song, and there are a few other great ones, but for the most part it doesn't really move me.

Thought this was just as good as Live At the Witch Trials, but I question whether this list needs two albums by the Fall.

Enjoyed this, but wasn't completely blown away. Just very pleasantly funky throughout.

Enjoyed this a lot, Nina really shows a lot of versatility throughout the album. Sometimes her voice strays a bit, but that sort of adds to the appeal for me. 9/10

Loved this, had never listened to it before. I only knew a few Fairport Convention songs from Spotify, but will definitely be listening to more of theirs now. Interesting to see what was going on across the Irish sea around the same time that Planxty, Rory Gallagher and Thin Lizzy were doing similar experiments with trad/rock fusion.

Great voice, but honestly this wasn't for me at all. Almost put me to sleep.

Not as bad as I thought, but still quite cringe! Definitely seems to have been a big influence on Iron Maiden and Metallica, but also seems to have been the direct inspiration for Spinal Tap. Wouldn't listen again.

I enjoyed parts of this and found a lot of the spoken word pieces thought provoking, but overall I think I have a bit too much ex-catholic guilt left in me to enjoy music so sexually explicit to the full. I have similar problems with Prince and some gangsta rap groups.

I understand why this is on the list, but apart from 3 or 4 of the Assorted Love Songs, I found this so meandering and uninteresting. Obviously Clapton is a very talented guitarist, but he plays with so little emotion; it's like someone taught a robot to play the guitar. A really xenophobic, anti-vax robot.

I'm glad I finally listened to this the whole way through, since I've always considered the title track to be a 10/10, but never bothered with the rest of the album. Vincent is especially moving, it's unusual to hear a man of that generation write a sort of platonic love song to another man. The last 3 songs were a bit too "Sunday School" for me though.

Good album, it never really blew me away like Full Moon Fever did though. Pretty standard radio-friendly dad rock, Some good songs on here though.

This is fine I guess, but I'm a bit puzzled why it made it into this list. It didn't exactly make a huge splash at the time, and doesn't interest me any more in 2023 than it did in 2008. It's not terrible, but does wear its 60s influences on its sleeve. I just don't find the songwriting particularly interesting.

Never heard of this, but it was an interesting one! I'm much more into the bands that emerged later in this scene (Blag Flag, Minor Threat, and especially Fugazi). But this was a quick one so I had time to listen to it twice, glad I did.

I used to be a bigger Beck fan when I was younger, and Golden Age and Lost Cause were always amongst my favourites. I think this album is a bit too dreary in places, and the last few songs are quite dull. But overall it still holds up!

This is just OK really, obviously great guitar playing, but nothing much else of interest. If this is considered psychedelic rock, it's the absolute safest version possible. Also, there are like 3 versions if this album on Tidal, and they all have 20-30 songs on. Ain't nobody got time for that!

This has some excellent singles on it, and starts off really strong with "Welcome to the Pleasuredome". Great bass and production. However, I could have done without about 30 mins of it. Why are there so many mediocre cover versions on here?

I haven't listened to this the whole way through in about a decade, so I was shocked by how many hits are on here. Like 75% must have been a radio hit! Some of the lyrics are a bit cringey now (particularly the ironically-not ironic "Ironic"), but there are some great songs on here. Although I can't listen to "You Oughta Know" anymoee without smiling at the memory of Kevin from the US Office performing it at karaoke.

One of my favourite punk albums of all time. Love the energy and humor throughout this, makes some excellent political points too. There are very intense live performances of most of this album on youtube - check them out!