841
Albums Rated
3.05
Average Rating
77%
Complete
248 albums remaining
Featured Review
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins • 5/5
On my review of Siamese Dream I said it was mad that the Pumpkins got lumped in as 'grunge', and how I thought they were way more interesting than a lot of other bands at the time. Mellon Collie only further exemplifies that point, because this album totally blows those guys out of the water. How many other bands of the time had this range and breadth of songs? This level of mad ambition? This insanely prolific level of creativity? Even their (many) B-sides from this era were so good and could have easily appeared on this album, or walked onto any other album of the time. Am I biased? ....Yes. I came to this project with Mellon Collie as my favourite album of all time. I have the t-shirt, the record mat, the original pressing vinyl that I spent an absurdly large amount of money on. This album, to me, is perfect. I love it deeply on a very personal level. It means an awful lot to me, and I think it always will. So with that said, I'll try and leave some notes with fresh ears... I think what's funny, re-listening to this critically through the 1001 lens, I totally get why people might find it a bit bloated. If I listened to it for the first time I would undoubtedly be blown away by a lot of these songs, but I think I would likely dismiss a number of them too. Overall though, I do love the way this album ebbs and flows, and has various moods working through it. I like how some of the weirder songs punctuate that too. I love how grandiose the whole thing is. And that extends to the cover and the whole package. It's beautiful. Sonically it's so good. The drums really struck me this time around, as they explode into life in Tonight, Tonight. There's so many sounds, instruments and vocals layered brilliantly throughout the whole thing. The work that Flood and Alan Moulder did can't be underestimated in that respect. This album does things to me that I struggle to explain. Listening to something like 1979 - I love it SO much. It's transcendental. It evokes something in me that makes me so happy. As a nearly 40 year old man, I find myself losing more and more individual fandoms, but it's so satisfying to know that I can put this on and still be so moved by it. I came here with the plan of hopefully beating this album and finding my new favourite. I haven't yet, and likely won't. After all, how do you top something that has so much nostalgic and sentimental value? Something that was there for me in some of my most formative years, and has stayed a constant in my life since? I will hold out hope though, because if Mellon Collie can be toppled, it'll need to be by an album that's very special indeed.
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1990s
Favorite Decade
Grunge
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
41
5-Star Albums
28
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
|
5 | 2.75 | +2.25 |
|
I See A Darkness
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Maxinquaye
Tricky
|
5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
|
Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
|
5 | 3.13 | +1.87 |
|
The Holy Bible
Manic Street Preachers
|
5 | 3.14 | +1.86 |
|
S&M
Metallica
|
5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
|
Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai
|
5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
|
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
|
5 | 3.32 | +1.68 |
|
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
|
5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
|
Sulk
The Associates
|
4 | 2.36 | +1.64 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
|
2 | 4.43 | -2.43 |
|
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
|
1 | 3.3 | -2.3 |
|
The Idiot
Iggy Pop
|
1 | 3.21 | -2.21 |
|
Shaka Zulu
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
|
1 | 3.09 | -2.09 |
|
Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson
|
1 | 3 | -2 |
|
Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)
Loretta Lynn
|
1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
|
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
|
2 | 3.94 | -1.94 |
|
Ctrl
SZA
|
1 | 2.92 | -1.92 |
|
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
|
1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
|
Fromohio
fIREHOSE
|
1 | 2.88 | -1.88 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Pixies | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 2 | 5 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 5 | 4.2 |
| Beatles | 6 | 4 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 2 |
| The Mothers Of Invention | 2 | 1.5 |
| Miles Davis | 3 | 2 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Iggy Pop | 1, 4 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 2, 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 3, 2, 5 |
| Radiohead | 5, 4, 2, 5, 5 |
5-Star Albums (41)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
King Crimson
1/5
I really hate prog rock. I get the impression they think they're way more clever than they actually are. They're just farting about and making random noises. It's utterly tedious. There's a bit of nice violin in there which always gets my attention, and some nice piano and musical bits AT TIMES. That's where my 1 star is going. But it's like a feeble ray of light shining on a giant cloud of guff, which can't quite penetrate it and break free.
34 likes
Meat Puppets
2/5
I think this is pretty rubbish. The songs don't have much form to them at all, they're just kind of loose and chaotic. I don't like the singing at all. It's so whiny and weak and nothing. It's kind of telling that the best track is the instrumental one.
22 likes
Miles Davis
3/5
I'm a filthy millennial, so I'm clearly not educated enough to understand or conceptualise this properly. Kids these days just don't understand what the jazz is all about.
So now that my ignorant and stupid position is established... this is fine. You know, in a kind of reasonably nice, background, boring way. There's some nice trumpet in there. My thoughts on this may be more easily summarised with a slow head-nod and a lip sticking out, in a kind of 'not bad, but ultimately I don't really care' face.
2.5 rounded up.
21 likes
Gene Clark
4/5
Well this has happened before... kick straight off with a country twang and a prominent harmonica... "Ugh... kindly fuck off please". But wait... actually it's not too bad. In fact it's really nice and chilled and I'm enjoying it very much. I don't often go in for this kind of folk music, but these are some smooth vocals and the whole vibe is incredibly mellow.
Thanks again 1001 for making me confront my various musical prejudices! It's nice, real nice.
3.5 rounded up.
12 likes
1-Star Albums (28)
All Ratings
The Killers
4/5
Really solid album front to back, with a run of constant great songs - and then some absolute bangers sprinkled in on top.
The Stranglers
3/5
I quite liked the vibe and attitude, but it's not really for me, or an album I'd revisit.
Beatles
4/5
It's really good. I don't think it's my go-to Beatles album, but lots of great songs on there.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Quite a soft, delicate album. The songs are all quite nice, but there's very few standout tracks to me, it all kind of sits in the background a bit and feels a bit samey for the most part. No body, no crime is a good track and worth revisiting.
The Smiths
3/5
This can't be a coincidence getting this album to listen to today of all days. Madness.
Anyway it's a really solid album with some great tunes in there, Bigmouth Strikes Again and There is a Light being particular highlights, along with The Queen is Dead itself.
The main problem with this album comes outside of the album itself, as Morrissey is such a rampaging bellend these days it's hard not to be put off at least a little bit listening to it. And I know he's a massive anti-royalist, but the Queen was brilliant and an amazing public servant, so there.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Not for me. I'm not really a fan of any of this, there's just nothing grabbing me at all. Oliver's Army is pretty good, but that's about it.
Black Sabbath
3/5
I do like a bunch of Black Sabbath songs. I think I appreciate this album more than I like it though. There's some really nice rhythmic stuff going on here, some great guitar work, and so on. It's just not maaaassively my jam.
Buck Owens
1/5
Not a country fan at all. 1/5
Genesis
2/5
It's safe to say this isn't what I was expecting from this album at all. It's not my thing, and I have a major aversion to Phil Collins usually, but I do really dig parts of this album. There's some good jamming and guitars on firth of fifth in particular. Elsewhere it's pretty damn weird, which I was surprised by and kind of respect in a way, but ultimately it is still just weird and I'm not that into it.
Alice Cooper
3/5
I like it, it's nowhere near as heavy as I thought it would be at all, but it's still got some fantastic guitars in there, and it's also quite melodic. I'll certainly check out some more Alice Cooper beyond this (and the other big hitters I know).
Frank Zappa
3/5
Quite easy going, it'd make for good background music at times but that's about it.
Metallica
3/5
I like it - I couldn't listen to it for too long in one sitting, especially as the songs are all quite long, but it's hard rocking, and some good riffs in there.
Mekons
3/5
I like the vibe of this. Some good driving beats, and I like the violins.
Sleater-Kinney
2/5
I'm not a fan, it all sounds a bit one-note and not drawing me in at all. I'm not liking the vocals, lots of shrieking and it's just too much.
Charles Mingus
3/5
I'm glad this project is helping me to really expand my horizons... I'll be honest, I thought the first track was not great and really put me off... but later on it's very listenable and I had a good time with it. I'm still not a jazz man so I'm never going to rate this too highly, but maybe I appreciate it a little bit more now.
The Who
4/5
There's some great tunes on here. A really nice, chilled record, but it also has some decent driving rock n roll.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Really great - the Stones have got such a great sound, and some real tunes.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
The best Led-Zep album. Stone-cold classic.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
I'm struggling with this one - I don't like his voice at all, and it's all just a bit weird and floaty and weak.
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
It's a nice easy listen, but I'm not really invested in it. I found it a bit much after about 6-7 songs. If I were watching them play in a Havana club while sipping a rum cocktail then this would be 5/5.
Gary Numan
3/5
I like it, some solid synth tunes.
Raekwon
2/5
This isn't my kind of thing in general... but it's not too bad. Some nice beats in there.
Joan Armatrading
2/5
Nice melodic tunes, but it's not grabbing me.
The Prodigy
4/5
Banger.
David Bowie
4/5
Quite short this one, but some really great songs on there. I love love love love love Wild is the Wind, I genuinely think it might be my favourite Bowie song ever. I know it's a cover, but he sings it with so much pain and soul and it's JUST sublime.
PJ Harvey
3/5
I like the vibe of this. I've heard other stuff from her and not got on-board, but this has got a nice energy to it, and a really interesting sound.
Dr. John
3/5
Eurythmics
2/5
Not into this, it's just a bit weird and not connecting with me in any way, musically or lyrically.
Massive Attack
4/5
I much prefer their darker, moodier stuff (like Mezzanine) but this is still a really good album. Lots of good tracks and generally very solid throughout.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Willie Nelson!? Ugh... this is going to be a chore.
*2 seconds in* - Ok, damn, those are some smooooth vocals. Yeah. Ok, I really like this.
I'm not convinced by the entire album, but there's some really lovely tracks in here.
DJ Shadow
3/5
It's ok - It covers quite a few styles and moods, but most of it I'm not that into beyond general background music. Some tracks I really dig and are definitely my kind of thing (like Midnight in a Perfect World) but I wouldn't revisit the album beyond that.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Not bad. I started off really into it, but it seemed to slow way down as it got into it, and my interest dropped off a bit. Some nice tracks in here though.
The Soft Boys
3/5
It's got a nice vibe to it, this. It's hardly deep, and a little bit one-note at times, but it's an easy listen.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Yeah man, love a bit of Stevie Wonder. Never heard this album before, but some great tracks on here. Really nice funky soulful grooves.
2/5
I'm not really a fan of U2... A lot of this just doesn't do anything for me. I like some of the moodier bits and some of the soundscapes on songs like 'bullet the blue sky', but the rest just doesn't hit for me.
The White Stripes
4/5
I love the driving guitars on this. Jack White has such a distinctive tone and style.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Very middle of the road, gentle, folky rock n roll. It's very dull. It's not for me.
Blue Cheer
1/5
Ugh, I hate this. I like a guitar, but this is just grating and an assault on the ears. Production is terrible. They sound reeeeally amateur, like they're a teen band who haven't learnt how to play with each-other properly yet. Why the fuck does the lead guitar keep cutting in and warbling in a different tempo and style to the rest of it? This is the kind of thing I'd expect to see in a comedy film or parody - a lead character in a band who thinks they're good and are tearing it up, but the reality is they're shit and the audience are laughing at them. This is the first album to make me properly angry. Fuck this noise. I'm not a fan at all, and neither is my tinnitus.
1/5
Arcade Fire
3/5
I really like Arcade Fire's earlier albums, and my interest fell off a bit beyond those. However there's some good songs in here. It does feel over-long though, with a bit of sag in the middle. I really love Sprawl II. Seeing that song in particular live at Glastonbury - there was actual magic and electricity in the air and it always takes me back to that moment.
The Cars
4/5
I really like this. I'd heard some of these guys before but never really invested beyond a few songs, but there's plenty of catchy songs in here and it's overall a really good listen. The whole presentation is great, I love the cover too.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I like the big sound of a lot of this, but I'm not connecting with it on a deeper level. I've never been able to 'crack' Pink Floyd beyond a few songs - I guess they're just not entirely for me.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
It's not really my vibe, and it was a bit much in one listen, but I can appreciate it. It's got a gentle funky vibe, and damn has he got some smoooth vocals! I think I'd appreciate it more in smaller doses. 3
Pink Floyd
2/5
I just can't seem to get into Pink Floyd. I honestly don't get it. A lot of people approach this album with sheer reverence, but it seems to me that there's plenty of random filler and blase songs in here, along with random weirdness. I like some of the instrumental stuff. The Great Gig in the Sky is good. Please stop giving me prog rock.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I knew essentially nothing about Neil Young, so I'm glad this has enabled me to actually give him a listen. I really like the vibe of this. It's a nice gentle listen, but it's really good musically, and there's plenty of stand-out songs.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I like this, it's a really good moody mix. I guess it's just as well it's not too long, because it is a bit hard-going in one sitting, especially the bits where he's singing with a kind of mania. I love the first track in particular. What a voice.
David Bowie
3/5
It's fine. I do like a lot of David Bowie, but this one isn't hitting for me. I think I appreciate the fact that he did a weird musical half more than I like the weird musical half.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
I only listened to the first half, as it wasn't really my thing. However, this is definitely better than I was expecting. I like the ambition of the thing, and it's way more thoughtful than I was expecting. Ultimately though, this isn't my jam and I don't connect to it.
Les Rythmes Digitales
4/5
After seeing the cover I was expecting a radical being from an alternate future to come and take me on a most triumphant voyage through hyperspace. While it didn't quite reach those dizzying highs, I did have a really good head bop and foot tap while he played an array of synthesizers at me. I spent some time in his company. We nodded knowingly at each other during particularly rad beats. We drank way too much sonic-Pepsi. We had fun together.
Elbow
4/5
It's a nice listen, and musically pretty interesting. I'm glad I gave it more than one listen, because it's definitely grown on me a lot more with repeat listens. I've now upgraded this from a 3 to a 4 because I really like a lot of what they're doing here.
David Bowie
2/5
This is on the lower-end of Bowie for me. Not really my jam. It's alright. His cover of Across the Universe is terrible. It feels at complete odds with the content of the song. Go to Fiona Apple for a beautiful cover of it.
Radiohead
5/5
I love this album, but I am sympathetic to the people who really don't get on with this, particularly if they enjoyed earlier Radiohead. I think the whole 'Radiohead disappearing up their own arse' thing is valid, and there's some tracks on here that definitely come off as pretentious. On the whole though I think this is a big, bold and beautiful album. It definitely requires a few listens I think, and it deserves to be listened to as loud as possible. Some of the tracks on here and truly transportive. Songs like 'How to Disappear Completely' just wash right over you in their melancholic majesty, while other tracks like Optimistic and Idioteque really drive on with some real thrust. There's so many dark, broody, interesting tracks in here, and I think it was a really interesting direction for them to take as a band. It definitely paid off.
Queen Latifah
2/5
I didn't realise, but this is a proper old-skool sound. Some quite funky beats in here, and some properly weird bits. It sounds very dated which goes against it a lot, but I'm more on-board with this than I thought I would be. It's still way too much though, I gave up after 8 tracks. In small doses... it's alright.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
It's a well put together album, and it's got a lot to it, lots of different vibes and styles, and some interesting things going on - that gives it an extra star, as I don't like it at all.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
I don't like reggae, so..... a few stars to show appreciation for the musicianship.
Ps: JAMMINGG
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
A lot of this I quite like, nice easy listening, good jams etc. Especially towards the end, they really go for it. But then there's plenty of smug, masturbatory musical interludes that are annoying and soooo long, and do absolutely nothing. Imagine seeing them in concert and a third of the gig is them just them wanking each-other off on stage.
ZZ Top
3/5
Although it's an album I doubt I'd ever come back to in its entirety, I do quite dig this. Lots of great guitars and driving rhythms, alongside some solid bluesy rock.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
I like a bunch of their songs from other albums, but this one is kind of boring.
Sigur Rós
5/5
Ugh, I really love this. It definitely helps to listen to this as an album in its entirety. Turn the sound way up and let the whole thing wash over you in its sublime majesty. The whole album is solid, with big melancholic soundscapes throughout, and flashes of searing beauty (notably with songs like Starálfur). The long tracks go by so quickly.
I love everything about this. The album art, the concept, everything.
Nirvana
5/5
You know a band are really on top of their game when a whole bunch of live acoustic versions sound better than the originals. I'd say that's true of 'About a Girl', but definitely 'All Apologies' which to me is the definitive version. Chuck in some absolutely brilliant covers, and you have one of the best live albums ever. I love how it's a celebration of lesser-known songs, and they play so well.
There's so much feeling in a lot of these songs. 'Where did you sleep last night' is utterly mesmerising and imbued with so much pain and emotion. It's like his very soul has been laid bare.
Billy Bragg
2/5
It's mostly low-key and nice and inoffensive. It doesn't get me going.
Sam Cooke
3/5
I'm not really loving it, as it's not my groove, but I am loving the passion and the energy. It sounds like it would have been a grand old time.
The Temptations
2/5
It's not my thing.
Jane Weaver
3/5
I like this, it's got a good atmosphere and some really interesting songs. Quite dark and broody in places. Plenty of cool synth too.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
I find it weird that so many people classify this as grunge or even part of the grunge movement. I think what the Pumpkins were doing here was so much more interesting and varied than a lot of their contemporaries in that space. Sonically, it's so good. You have deep, fat, layered guitars that smack you around the face (notably on tracks like Hummer and Mayonaise). The ridiculous amount of tracks mixed in give it such a robust, unique sound, with layers and layers and layers of guitars and noise. Jimmy Chamberlain is pummelling his drums like he hates them, and Billy is laying down some mad, squealing guitar solos on top. When this rocks, it really rocks hard, with a real depth and force to it.
But then you have some beautiful and tender ballads thrown in, utilising violins, bells and all sorts, and some truly iconic songs sitting in there like Disarm. Lyrically there's so much to love here too. There's a lot of raw feeling, vulnerability and honesty. Billy really chucked himself out there, and the songs benefit from it. I get that a lot of people don't get on with his voice, but personally I love weird, interesting singers and it really works for me.
There's so many different levels and riffs and interesting details running through this whole album. I just don't think other bands of the era had anywhere near this level of range.
This is an absolutely superb, iconic album.
Living Colour
2/5
Eh. It feels dated. And bland. And inoffensive. I'm not sensing any stand-out tracks throughout.
Metal / Hard Rock.... eh?? Who's picking these classifications? Is this what passed for hard rock in the 80's? I feel like this is the kind of thing you put on at an American prom to get the kids to have a bit of a boogie. Mr. Strickland is roaming the floor making sure there's no inappropriate touching, and keeping an eye on the fruit punch so it's not getting spiked.
New Order
3/5
Quite nice. There's some nice melodies in there. Nice.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
There's some nice smooth, soulful tunes in here, along with some real funky jams and big hits. I really like the funky psychedelic space guitars.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
I like a lot of this. I'd never heard of this band before so this is a genuine little hidden gem. They have a lot of elements from similar 60's bands, like the jangly guitars, bluesy riffs and vocals... some surf in there. It's kind of the Doors meet the Rolling Stones, with a bit of Dick Dale thrown in, or sitting somewhere in that space. The jug was pretty interesting at first, but jeez do they use a lot of it! It would have been better used sparingly I think. Still.... Groovy!
As a side note, the first song was SO familiar and I knew I'd heard it in a film I knew well - turns out it's the start of High Fidelity, apt!
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
It is the distant future. The year TWO THOUSAND.
Jean Michell Jarre has invited you to a strange alien landscape. He invites you to sit awhile, while strange noises and themes come at you. They come slowly, and deliberately, allowing you to explore them at your leisure. There's probably some weird alien fauna surrounding you. It's blue, and the sky is yellow, and there's a strange alien breeze whisping about your feet and running over your toes. Somewhere you hear a distant shore.
You're calm and laid back, exploring this world in no real hurry. JMJ is taking his time. He's exploring the space himself, just like you. A look of serenity is on his face. He looks over at you and nods approvingly. Am I in a dream right now? Am I dead? Why am I surrounded by purple clouds? Have we transcended into another spiritual realm?
No. It's all over now. That was interesting, and I've enjoyed this moment in time.
Pulp
5/5
I've always been a fan of Pulp, but rarely ventured into their albums as a whole. Clearly, I'm an idiot. This album is brilliant, and plays so well front to back, especially as so many of the songs tie into one whole, throwing up themes of class, resentment, and general depravity. I love the cover with this in mind. I also didn't realise how brilliant the lyrics were on some of these songs. Kicking off right away with Mis-shapes, it's superb, and really pointed.
Jarvis Cocker is such a brilliant front-man. I really wish I were rich enough to hire him to just follow me around and read things for me in his overtly sexual perv-voice. Imagine him listing off a recipe while you cook.. "Add in two grams of... salted butter... and stir... vigorously... while you ladle over... ladle over the beef dripping, and STIR"
So many big, sing-along classics here. And even if you didn't have the rest, this album has Common People on.... I mean come on... it's an absolute stone-cold classic. What a song.
It's a big five from me.
David Bowie
3/5
There's some quite engaging and upbeat tracks in here, compared to some of this other stuff. The musical tracks feel pretentious and I'm not into them.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
It's very nice.
3/5
I quite like the jams they're kicking out here.
James Brown
4/5
What a character! What a presence! What funky jams! What soulful ballads!
Crowded House
3/5
Bit of a mixed bag. It starts off really bad. It's just a bit boring, and the lyrics are terrible. But there's some nice songs in here like Fall at Your Feet and Four Seasons in One Day, and Weather With You is a good tune too. Overall, it's just a bit mediocre / soft / middle of the road I think.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
It started off ok, and it has a few songs in there that stand out a bit, but I don't really like his vocals, and plenty of the album just comes across as a bit soft and wanky.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
He's got a great voice, and it's got some nice smooth songs in there. It all blends into one a bit though with some very samey songs, and it's just all so slow and sad.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
I don't like country, and I'll never listen to this again, but it was easy enough to have on in the background.
Dwight Yoakam
1/5
I don't like country. I'm sure it's a fine example of the genre, but that genre is awful.
Various Artists
4/5
Some great songs on here, I'll definitely make sure this album works its way into the Christmas rotation.
5/5
I think this is probably the last great Muse album for me. From here they did some good songs still, but the band as it exists now is so far removed from the one I was really into.
This album though is solid front to back. I really, really like the fact that they're unafraid of going as big as possible. Massive sounds, big riffs, interesting instrumentation and lots of fist pumping stadium bangers, highlighted best with the ridiculously epic Knights of Cydonia.
Beatles
4/5
It's a great album with some real stand-out all-time songs. In My Life is possibly my favourite Beatles song. The content and lyricism is just superb. Deceptively simple, but so expressive and effective.
XTC
2/5
I don't like it, it's really annoying.
Garbage
4/5
I really love the sound of Garbage. I'm sure a lot of that is down to the fact that a lot of the band are music production nerds and have carried it across to the band. The guitars are droney and interesting, and I really love the big sound they generate. Then you have a bit of trip-hop flavour seeping in there, and Shirley's vocals on top.
I like the album as a whole, but there's some real stand-out tracks in here. I particularly love both Queer and Milk. Great stuff.
Thin Lizzy
5/5
This album is an absolute banger. I'd only really listened to Jailbreak before, but I'm definitely checking out more Thin Lizzy albums now. So many big, big tunes in here. Massacre is fucking great! Jailbreak is a tune! Emerald is utterly badass!
All the guitars are awesome. The squealing guitar solos are SO my jam. Phil Lynott's vocals are iconic.
Do I want it to lose a star for not being fully live...? No, I enjoyed it way too much for that.
A great discovery, this.
Le Tigre
2/5
I'm not a fan. There's a few interesting tracks in there, and some others that sit in the 'not bad' category, but there's also a lot that are just very noisy and screechy.
The Roots
3/5
I'm not really a fan of most hip hop, and that's still the same here, but there are some good tracks. I like the more upbeat tracks like 'Thought @ Work' which has some old-skool funky beats in it, 'The Seed (2.0)' and 'Rhymes and Ammo'. There's some interesting variation across the board.
KISS
2/5
I like some of their bigger, bombastic hits, but a lot of this isn't hitting for me. It's alright. I was quite surprised at some of the slower, piano-based songs, so at least there's that. 2.5 / 5
Manu Chao
2/5
Ehh... it's ok. It doesn't move me in any way though.
David Bowie
3/5
I do appreciate the opportunity to go through Bowie's albums as a whole, because you get a much better understanding oh his back catalogue and get to stumble across some hidden gems beyond the greatest hits. This album has got some nice tunes in, and is way more consistent than some of his other albums.
Life on Mars remains an absolute classic and is the stand-out, with Queen Bitch coming in a close second.
3.5 / 5 rounded down
Björk
4/5
I like a lot about this. It's quite a bold debut, pulling together lots of different elements. I already knew there were some good songs on here, like Human Behaviour, Big Time Sensuality, and definitely Play Dead, but there's a lot of other good songs on here too. I really like 'There Is More to Life Than This' and 'Come to Me' too.
CHIC
3/5
Some good upbeat songs on here. Some nice chilled grooves otherwise and some little hidden gems. I really like Happy Man.
CHIC
2/5
Two Chic albums in two days! I liked the first one, but this one is just a bit too disco for me.
4/5
I was never really into Oasis as a kid. I always said Blur were the more varied and interesting and maybe dismissed Oasis as a bit one-note, but I realise that's not really true. Maybe when you look at their career as a whole, but there's a lot of variation in here.
Production is really good. I'm hearing a lot of bits I hadn't really heard before, with some really interesting harmonies and background tracks. The riffs are really good. The song-writing itself is super strong, and there's a lot of big, big tracks on here. The hit ratio across the whole album is massive, and this is undeniably a classic, magic album.
So why am I not giving it five stars? I guess because despite all the above it still doesn't quite connect with me enough. I don't think I would ever choose to actively listen to this despite really appreciating it.
Screaming Trees
4/5
Quite nice this. I like his voice. It seems pretty solid all the way through. I'll have to check out their other albums, as I hadn't really heard of these guys before.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
I like his voice, and some of the musical bits and melodies are nice, but it's just so sombre. There's a few standout tracks, but the whole album certainly didn't fly by, let's say that.
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
I mean... it's interesting... there's lots going on here. I'm not really on-board with this wild ride, but I appreciate it's out there somewhere and people are jamming with it.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Very nice. Very soft, but some lovely songs on here.
Nas
2/5
He's got some good rhymes, but I'm not big into hip hop and it's very samey the whole way through. The score came down the more I listened.
2.5 rounded down to 2.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
This is a really random album. It started off as a 2/5.. it was very delicate and I was finding it hard to engage with a lot of it. But then you have Without You, which is a sudden weird burst of passion and energy, then you have that followed by the quirky and upbeat Coconut. And from there you have some genuine stand-outs. Jump Into the Fire has some jams, and I'll never leave you is really interesting and weird and quite heartfelt. Harps and everything, violins. I really like it.
So there's actually loads of variation across this whole album. It's a real mishmash.
Portishead
5/5
This is definitely my jam, and it really is a classic album. There's a lot of big hits in here, but the whole album is solid. Lots of interesting jams and production. Definitely one of the big trip-hop albums / touchpoints. 'Roads' takes the best song award - what an emotional punch that has.
PJ Harvey
3/5
It's alright.
The Stooges
3/5
I like the first song a lot. It's got a lot of manic guitar energy, and driving jams. The middle and end felt like it dragged a bit to be honest, and was just a bit too loud and brash.
(It's a really clever album cover. I had no idea about the face until I saw the deluxe album cover turned the other way around)
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Again, as with their last album I reviewed, it's mostly very gentle and folky. But once again, there's some really nice songs in here.
King Crimson
1/5
I really hate prog rock. I get the impression they think they're way more clever than they actually are. They're just farting about and making random noises. It's utterly tedious. There's a bit of nice violin in there which always gets my attention, and some nice piano and musical bits AT TIMES. That's where my 1 star is going. But it's like a feeble ray of light shining on a giant cloud of guff, which can't quite penetrate it and break free.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
It's a really nice time, lovely jangly guitars, nice harmonies, some great toe-tapping beats in there. Lots of very short songs so it's over and done in no time at all - perfect to get in and out and have a perfectly enjoyable time in-between.
fIREHOSE
1/5
It seems to me like nothing much at all is happening in this album. I'm nearly at the end and I'm not sure I've really heard a single fully-fledged riff or some kind of theme. It's just... a bunch of stuff happening. Or maybe it's so boring and nothing that it's washed over me without me even realising it.
The Byrds
2/5
It's quite nice for the most part, but very gentle, and it didn't really grab me. I don't know why so many bands of the era felt compelled to add in random, tedious instrumental tracks with weird sounds. It's not big and it's not clever.
The Jam
3/5
I like a lot of this. Nice music and grooves, good musicality, really good production. I like Paul Weller's vocals and style. The general content and attitude. "But I'm different now" is my standout, it's really upbeat with driving rhythms.
Linkin Park
5/5
I was 17 when these guys exploded onto the scene, and I couldn't have been MORE the target audience. Those were some formative years and these guys were part of my identity almost. I played this CD so much it's permanently engraved on my brain, to the extent I could probably not listen to it for another 50 years but still somehow remember all the lyrics.
I'm aware that the nostalgia factor has woven its way firmly into my rating, but I think if I heard it for the first time today... I think I'd still be on-board. I'd definitely have some heavy eyerolls at some of the overly-dramatic lyrics. I can't go on! The face inside! Paranoia! Pain! However, I think I'd still massively appreciate how many brilliant hooks and singalong choruses are in here. You can't deny how great some of these songs are.
To me these guys hitting when they did, it was lightning in a bottle. Everything came together, riding the nu-metal wave, Chester's raw vocals, Mike Shinoda's rapping, the heavy riffs, the soaring choruses. I love it. What a debut.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Sorry Boss. I'm not really into it in general. It feels way too broad rock n roll and I just don't think it's for me for the most part. 'No Surrender' has got something about it and 'Dancing in the Dark' is a real air-punching tune.
Janet Jackson
2/5
The 80's always feels like it's dated the worst out of any decade by far. A lot of this just doesn't work for me at all because it feels like it's from a different world. The music itself just feels so soulless. Maybe if I were wearing some mad, garish shellsuit or something then it would help me tap into this energy. I got about halfway through - I'm very certain it wasn't going to change direction. 2/5 because it was inoffensive enough and didn't actively irritate me. What a recommendation!!
Sonic Youth
2/5
My experience with Sonic Youth before listening to this was that I liked a bunch of their songs, but that the majority of their work was unrelenting shoegazey noise. I had some hopes after the first track 'Teen Age Riot' - It's got a real groove and energy to it. The rest of the album doesn't hold up to it though. There's a lot of general meandering and extended takes. I do like a bit of distorted guitar and shoegaze at times, but it gets more and more oppressive the longer it goes on, and this is a long album. I end up feeling completely drained by the end of it.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
I wonder how many people have actually listened to the whole thing?
I was fully expecting this to be quite irritating when I first turned it on, but, I don't know... it sounds quite nice. There's some nice songs on here and there's some interesting variation. It's obviously way way too long of course and there's tons of filler. I listened to the first disc before giving up. I get the idea.
Daft Punk
3/5
I totally understand some people finding this really grating, with tons of repetitiveness throughout, but damn some of these beats are good. I've had some solid head-bopping going on here. It is really long though and there's plenty of tracks that don't cut it. Overall, generally happy with this.
Carole King
4/5
This is real nice. Lovely songs, really solid instrumentation, good singing. There's not a single track that feels out of place, they're all consistently good across the board. I'll definitely listen to this again. It wouldn't be a common go-to, but it'd work wonders at a dinner party or something, but also as a good rotation option for when I'm in the mood.
Brian Eno
3/5
I was fully expecting to dislike this based on the overview and genre, but it's remarkably listenable for the most part. It's definitely avant-garde, but doesn't feel pretentious in the same way similar albums do. At least, again, for the most part. There's clear musical melodies and themes here. I wouldn't really come back to it, but I quite liked it overall.
Alice Cooper
4/5
My first Alice Cooper album I got on here I met with a raised eyebrow - until I realised that it was actually really good, and there was a lot more going on with it than I thought there would be. So I was actually really looking forward to getting stuck into this one.
This one is really varied. There's some great songs on here, and it's hard to place it in any one genre. Alma Mater as an example sounds like a Beatles song, and you wouldn't expect quite so much brass either. I'd say a few of the middle songs lag a bit, but it's still very listenable overall. I like a lot in here. I really like the songs with lots going on instrumentally, including brass, piano and violin.
Bring on more Alice Cooper!
Dion
4/5
The very first note of this is a typical country-twang note... siiiiigh.... but hey wait, it's not country, and this actually sounds quite nice. The second song is nice too. In fact these are all really nice songs. He's got a nice voice, it's all quite heartfelt and there's some nice melodies and interesting ideas here. Real easy listening.
It's consistently good all the way through. While it's not 100% my thing, the fact that there's 20 songs and not a single bad one is some achievement.
3.5/5 rounded up to 4
Sex Pistols
4/5
This is a really good album. Catchy songs. Lots of driving rhythms. Some iconic bangers in here. And lots of energy and oomph in general.
** this review brought to you by Country Life butter **
Mmm-hmm, taste the country with every delicious bite. Our vegetable oil blended spread is made with love and dedication, from us to you. We've carefully blended British Country Life butter with British rapeseed oil so that it's SO easy to spread straight from the fridge. Straight from the fridge! You heard that right. And it's perfect for making sandwiches, and tastes delicious melted onto crumpets too. Or scones. Or teacakes. Why not try adding it to British favourites such as mashed or jacket potatoes? Why not try rubbing it into your tits? If you stand outside naked maybe some local wildlife will flock to you and have a lick. With your warm yellowy sun-like glow, they'll feel comforted as they gather around you at dusk. Apparently you can even fry this stuff! And bake it. Stick it in a fucking cake so it's all moist. All cakes need to be moist. What kind of monster is against a moist cake? This stuff is literally suitable for everyone, meat eaters, non-meat eaters, animals, non-animals (not vegans). Use it in your DIY as a substitute for WD40. Hey! This product is totally free from palm oil, so don't go thinking we're scrimping on the quality here. Country Life Butter IS quality. In fact it's made from 100% British ingredients. 100% British ingredients for 100% British people. This is proper Brexit butter. Suitable for freezing. Suitable for sneezing. Suitable for oral and anal ingestion. Keep refrigerated below 5°C. If you do freeze it PLEASE do it prior to the best before date and defrost in the refrigerator properly. You can recycle everything here. At Country Life, we're proud of our countryside heritage. That's why we support a sustainable future for British farmers in partnership with the Prince's Countryside Fund. (not that Prince). We also have a Royal Warrant. A Royal Warrant! We mean it, man. So good it has to be in caps. God save.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It's a nice album, but it's definitely a contrast between the two big hits, and the rest of the album that meanders along.
Kate Bush
3/5
This is a really bold album. The tracks are so strange in places, with tons of variation is music and tone. It's not a typical singer-songwriter approach at all. Overall I found it interesting.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Nothing has really stood out at all across the whole album. It all seems to have melded into one giant murky thing, with no particular standout riffs or moments, and no real changes in tone or mood.
It's completely ordinary. I'm not getting a lot from it.
Deep Purple
4/5
Solidly good all the way through. There's some killer tracks on here. Highway Star is an absolute beast of a song \m/
There's some great guitar work on here, but I also particularly love the keys too. They seemed to fall out of favour at some point.
3/5
There's some great songs on here, the first three or four in particular. It's weird, in that I don't think I'd ever properly heard this one all the way through before. There's definitely a lot more expansive stuff on here compared to other Beatle's records, but I personally think there's a lot of misses in here too. There's also some stuff I actively dislike as well. I'm not digging 'Within You Without You' at all (sorry George).
Def Leppard
3/5
This is quite easy-ish listening. A bit of general toe tapping and head nodding going on. But this kind of 80's rock just feels a bit empty for the most part, devoid of any real depth of feeling. There are some standout tracks in here that I dig, including 'Love Bites'.
Steely Dan
3/5
It's quite nice. It's not exactly exciting though. Very soft.
Pere Ubu
1/5
Fucking hell. I'm 30 seconds in, and I'm already wondering how the hell I'm going to endure this whole album. What the fuck is this 'singing'?
Ok, two songs down, it's picked up a bit... to the point where it's not utterly grating. Let's wait and see...
Track 4 checking in... this whole album is just weird, and I'm not really along for the ride. I don't find it particularly charming or interesting, just weird. I can't help but think about the recording process. What's going through their heads? Are they embarrassed when they're just spurting hysterical gibberish into a microphone?
Track 7... not far off the finish line now... close, but OH so far. Who the hell voted this into a compilation of greatest albums? What are people getting out of this? Christ.
Final song. Come on. Let's limp over the finish line. Please. I'm a pretty upbeat guy, but this whole album has made me wish for death's sweet embrace.
Ok. I'm done. It's over. I'm going for a lie down.
Elvis Presley
2/5
It's quite easy-listening I guess, but it feels a bit anaemic. If you take away the force that is Elvis and his whole persona and fame, and just listen to it fresh on its own merits, I don't think there's that much there to really get excited about. I appreciate I'm saying this from the year 2023 of course.
Eminem
3/5
When I was a kid I printed out the lyrics to 'Guilty Conscience' and learnt it with a mate of mine, taking a part each. My parents found the lyric sheet and freaked out, which I thought was a bit over the top, but looking back now I'm not fucking surprised! I think the main thing I find re-visiting this album now as an adult is just how immature the whole thing is. And needlessly 'edgy'.
That said there are some good tunes in here. The production is really good, and all the samples and sound effects work well. And yes, I did rap along to Guilty Conscience with full gusto when it came on, regardless.
Nick Drake
3/5
He's got a lovely voice. A bunch of tracks on here I really like. There's a real melancholic undercurrent with the whole album. I can see a lot of influence on later albums like like Beck's 'Sea Change'. There's also some interesting musical arrangements in here that I dig.
It's mostly quite nice, but I feel like a lot of it bleeds together as one. I think this is more of a selective listen with a few individual tracks for me rather than listening to the whole thing in one go.
Grizzly Bear
2/5
This album is incredibly boring. It's far too floaty, nothing, indie-wank for me. Nothing stands out at all.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
It's alright. It's definitely better than the other Elvis Costello album I had. The songs in general are at least quite musical and have something about them. 'Pump it Up' is probably the stand out.
5/5
Victoooooooria! Victoooooooria! Victoria. Victoria.
I love the Kinks. I've always loved their songs, but their back-catalogue was always a bit intimidating, so I never really ventured into it beyond the (admittedly still quite large selection of) greatest hits. So thank you 1001 albums generator for making me do just that!
There's lots of really good songs in here, with tons of personality and charm. Everything is top class - songwriting, musicality, instrumentation, the sheer variation on display.
I am loving the brass on here! I'm loving how upbeat it is! I am loving the extended instrumental moments! I'm loving the boldness, the chucking lots of different ideas at it, the range of instrumentation! The different styles! The lyrical content!
They're just an all-round class act.
Gang Of Four
2/5
I got quite a long way into this before I even realised that it had been playing. It was just kind of moving along in the background. Its alright, it's in no way exciting though. It all feels a bit one-note, with very little ambition.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
It's a really nice time. She has such a lovely soulful voice (I mean, obviously).
The Pogues
3/5
It's an interesting album. I love the storytelling in these kinds of songs. There's also some great tunes in here. Sally MacLennane, what an upbeat toe tapper that one is. I much prefer that kind of thing over the slower songs.
Ps: What a great album cover. Very renaissance.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Wow what a voice! This is way better than I was expecting from the cover. I love the vibraphone throughout the album, especially on the opening track, and the general mood through the album is nice.
There's lots of really interesting instrumentation throughout the whole album. Gypsy Woman is over-indulgent and a bit annoying, but it's still got some interesting instrumentation and rhythms going on in it.
I'm going to go 3.5 / 5, rounded up.
Bob Dylan
3/5
I think, objectively, this is a good album. The songs all have some passion and energy to them, they're well crafted, and the melodies are nice. I'm generally not a fan of Bob Dylan, but I did have quite a nice time with this one. He needs to give his harmonica a fucking rest sometimes though.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Yes boy! Some sick beats in here. Lovely bass, really working my headphones.
A lot of it IS very repetitive, but it's still a head-boppin' good time. What I appreciate about a lot of these songs is that they're a real, real happy time. Standing in the sunshine with friends, pint of cider in your hand, feeling the good vibes kind of songs.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
It's a nice listen. Lots of funky, upbeat jams and cool instrumentation, and he has a nice voice to boot. It's not my usual listen, but I appreciate it.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
It's alright, but it's not really for me. I thought there'd be more standout tracks, but a lot of it feels quite repetitive. Some of the longer jamming moments feel pretty tedious.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
It's fine. It has some nice guitar work and is pretty competently made in general, but it's definitely not exciting and nearly all the tracks go on for way too long. You could easily lose 2-3 minutes of generic jamming off of nearly every track. It wore on me more and more as it went on - it's just all a bit generic and samey.
Gillian Welch
3/5
I was fully prepared to downvote this because 'Country', but there's some really lovely soft songs in here in places and I had a nice time with it in general.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
It's perfectly nice.
The Human League
2/5
This isn't even bad 80's, it's completely boring 80's. Don't You Want Me is of course the only exception.
Elton John
4/5
It's a very solid album, and a really good listen. Once again, I appreciate this project giving me the opportunity to dive into back-catalogues and discover an artist's work in a more cohesive way.
There's a lot of brilliant standout tracks on here. The start in particular is really strong. I love the opening with the synths and real upbeat rocking out bits. Candle in the wind is superb. Obviously Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a real sing-along. "I've Seen that movie too" really worked for me. I'm not digging ALL of the songs, but that said even the ones I'm not massively into are still really solid.
Orbital
2/5
It's not working for me, it just kind of sits in the background. There's not really any fully defined songs - it's more like different experimental soundscape phases. That's not bad in itself, it's just that those soundscapes have nothing much to them.
Ps: The album name and cover are terrible. Who signed that off?
Beastie Boys
3/5
It's pretty upbeat and funky. I'm liking the beats and sampling going on. Overall I liked it.
Willie Nelson
4/5
This is my second Willie album, and he's shown me once again that Country can be genuinely great if done right. This guy just seems like such a class act. Once again, really lovely songs on here. His voice is liquid honey.
The Who
3/5
I do like the Who, but I'm not massively feeling this live album. They do have a good energy about them, but, as with seemingly everyone else on here, I am puzzled by its inclusion. I'd much rather hear the studio songs.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
It's not really my thing. I don't particularly dig it, but it's nice enough.
T. Rex
3/5
It's pretty groovy, I quite enjoyed it.
The Auteurs
2/5
I liked the opening song. After that a lot of it all felt quite soft, generic indie that didn't really grab me. He's got quite a weak singing style that doesn't work for me. Maybe it'd be improved with a more dynamic or interesting singing style?
2.5/5 rounded down.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
I found this really boring. I fundamentally don't like the song structures or compositions on any of these tracks. She effectively sing-talks over all the tracks, and each track is SO dense with lyrics, it's just incessant. She doesn't allow any of it to just breathe, or introduce any interesting hooks or melodies. She should have just written a book of poetry or something.
Elvis Presley
4/5
It's a nice listen all the way through. I actually came to like it the more I listened. Plenty of toe-tapping tunes, nice production, nice instrumentation, backing vocals and so on. Once again, I love the brass, and I love the violins. Suspicious Minds remains an all-time classic, but I've also saved a bunch of other tracks too including Long Black Limousine, I'm Movin' On, Power of My Love and Gentle on My Mind.
Laibach
2/5
This is a very oppressive album. I quite like how weird it is, with the rhythmic drums, layered synths, guitars and trumpets. It definitely has a unique atmosphere to it, it's just a real slog. Very repetitive and very hard going.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
It's not the best Led Zep album, and it's definitely overlong I think. That said there's some good standout tracks, and the rest of the album is generally pretty solid. Contrary to a lot of people, I actually think I prefer the second half more. I like a lot of the chilled songs, and I think there's some real nice grooves going on. Across the whole album I found a decent amount of songs quite generic though.
3.5 rounded down.
Fela Kuti
2/5
The first two tracks were quite nice. Pretty upbeat and interesting instrumentation, but I was absolutely done after 20 minutes. It got more of a slog as it went on. The third and fourth tracks I didn't like at all.
Radiohead
4/5
I remember being underwhelmed with this album when I first heard it, and wrote off 'latter years Radiohead' in general, but actually it's been really nice to re-visit this. First off I think the production on this is sublime. There's so many interesting layers to the songs, lots of variation in tempo and style, and just a very consistent mood sitting underneath the whole thing. It's definitely a whole album experience, I don't think I would dip into any of these songs individually from here.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Overall this is a really well produced album. Musically I think they're really strong and sound super tight. The drums and guitars are all solid. There's some interesting rhythmic things happening throughout. I agree with another reviewer that I really like the jamming moments and wish there were more of those / they were extended. Like I said, they play well together and those bits are great (found in songs like 'Sir Psycho Sexy').
On the other side I'm not a big fan of the general rapping and musical style for most of the songs, and it's also a long album. RHCP remain a band that I really like a number of songs from, but who I'm not that interested in overall. Under the Bridge remains a stone-cold classic.
Stereolab
3/5
It's quite nice. Easy going but with some interesting things going on.
Green Day
4/5
I was an Offspring kid around this whole era, and I never got to listening to much of Green Day or this classic album, despite the fact that Basket Case was on constant rotation on MTV2 / Kerrang TV.
I really enjoyed this. It's really upbeat and toe-tappingly good all the way through. I really like Welcome to Paradise - this was one of the songs I did know, but it's nice to re-connect with it. Plenty of other good songs in here including, of course, Basket Case. Re-listening now on headphones I noticed lots of new little details like the additional harmonies that work really well. Overall a well made, fun, good-time album.
Music aside, this is also an awesome album cover.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
I really like the vibe of this album. Plenty of nice tracks, good song writing, nice instrumentation. Free Bird is obviously a stone-cold classic, but I really liked Tuesday's Gone as well.
3.5/5 rounded up.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
There's a lot of really nice songs on here, but I realised they're all covers, so a lot of that is simply down to the power of the song writing. She's a good singer though, of course. It's a perfectly nice time overall.
Suede
4/5
Yet another album where I knew a bunch of songs, liked them quite a lot, and had never listened to the album as a whole.
Kicking off with So Young, what a way to open an album! And then straight into Animal Nitrate, wowzers. This album is upbeat and rocking in a few areas, but there's also a lot of really lovely songs with floaty guitars and really nice melodies. I like his vocal, it's quite ethereal and I think it works well with the songs.
I'll be re-visiting this again, but have also added a few additional songs to my liked list, including 'Breakdown'.
Elliott Smith
3/5
There's some really nice song-writing in here. A lot of the album kind of floated by, but there are some good standout tracks. I particularly liked 'Junk Bond Trader' and 'Stupidity Tries'. I really like the instrumentation and his vocals.
Coldplay
3/5
I'd never really listened to this album before despite hearing various songs here and there. There's some nice songs in here though. It's also a lot more chilled than I realised. There's a lot of interesting floaty guitar tracks running through it. Sparks is really nice, I really love the mood on that track. Other standouts for me are Don't Panic and Trouble.
Ps: I really like the album cover. Very simple but impactful.
The La's
2/5
I'm finding it hard to tie this band and sound down. A lot of it sounds like it's straight out of the 60's. 'There She Goes' is an obvious example. 'I Can't Sleep' sounds just like the Kinks, but other tracks feel like they have lots of other touchpoints from that era. It doesn't feel 90's to me at all.
It's fine in parts, but most of the album isn't really grabbing me. A lot of it really drags. It certainly doesn't feel essential.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I do like a decent amount of this. I really like the interesting layers of guitars, and the quite complex picking that serves as an undercurrent for most of this album.
It's just very dense. There's lots of storytelling and lots and lots of lyrical content, and after a while it gets a bit samey.
The standout for me is 'So Long, Marianne' (which I'd already had as a favourite before listening to this album). It's got a really nice driving rhythm to it, but most importantly it's just way more direct in terms of the song writing and message. It's feels more heartfelt and is just a really well written pop song.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
This is the second Springsteen album I've had now, and another that I just haven't connected with on any level beyond one song.
I'm reading a lot of people raving about Thunder Road. It feels like it should be an air-punching good time but it's evoking absolutely nothing in me. I don't really like his voice, or particularly the way he sings. It feels like he's tuned into a completely different energy to me. I get why people might like him, but christ, it's not for me. And just to pick out one track in particular to shit on: Backstreets is fucking terrible, my word.
JAY Z
3/5
This was better than I was expecting after the first track. It's still not my scene, but there's plenty to appreciate. The production is really what makes the album for me, which is pretty consistently interesting and well done across the board. Girls Girls Girls works well, as does Hola' Hovito.
I'm not a fan of the lyrical content or his rapping style particularly. "U Don't Know" in particular is terrible. Ah you've got so much money and you're so great and brilliant and untouchable. Good for you.
Bob Dylan
2/5
Uh man, this album is just a drag. It wore me down into the ground. And give the harmonica a fucking rest man! It's not big and it's not clever.
The Clash
4/5
I enjoyed this overall, despite it being not massively my scene. Having only heard 'London Calling' before, and knowing they were a punk band, I was really impressed by the variation on display here. There's genuinely lots of different styles and the songs all stand apart from one another. The second half is better in my opinion. I think I would enjoy it more with more listens too, so that's why I'm going to go.... 4 stars!
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
It's very pretty. Lovely singing, really nice delicate instrumentation, but with lots of interesting layers. Some of these songs are definitely entering the rotation on my various 'chill' mixes.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
From all the negative reviews I thought this'd be terrible, but it's really pretty decent all the way through. The songs are pretty varied, there's nice instrumentation across the board, and it's sang well with plenty of character.
Dire Straits
3/5
I let out a groan when I saw the album, because ugh... Dire Straits! I realise now that I had a bit of an irrational prejudice against them, based on very little data. They just generally blended in amongst a whole bunch of other similar bands who I couldn't possibly get on with. But hey, now I'm over that, this is a nice album! A solid 3 stars.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Heee-heeeee!
My overriding memory of this album is from listening to it as a (roughly) 6-7 year old. My brother had it on cassette, and I remember us playing it while jumping up and down on our beds together. Fun times!
A lot of these songs do sound dated now, but you can't deny MJ is a really talented song-writer. There's some great songs on here and the hit ratio is really high.
3.5 / 5 rounded down.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
The whole album is nice. Really smooth tunes, relaxed vibe, and of course she has an incredible voice. I bet this was amazing watching live. However I found it a bit much all in one go and found it a bit samey by the end.
Beyoncé
1/5
This album is terrible. The opening track 'Pretty Hurts' doesn't prepare you for what's to come, because that's actually not bad - but from there it just descends into boring nothingness. It only picks up slightly towards the end with the last few tracks, where they start to resemble actual songs.
I know this sounds pretentious, but at least with other albums I don't like I can at least see why others might like them, or even appreciate how they're made. I don't get any of that with this. The beats are basic and stripped back, the content is completely shallow and nothing, and it's irritating to listen to. Bewildering.
Johnny Cash
3/5
It's not massively my jam but this is a really good live album, with lots of great audience interaction and lots of energy. What a character.
Kraftwerk
2/5
I'm not on-board with their weird shit.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
This is a lovely album. It's real smooth and chilled. I love her voice, I love the instrumentation and melodies, and it's just a real nice time overall.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
It's fine. It's ok. There's some standout tracks, but a lot of other tracks feel quite low-key and a bit boring. It's not the most exciting album in the world. White Rabbit is a hell of a track.
2.5 rounded up.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
This is a big and noisy record, with plenty of punky, chaotic energy. It sounds quite rough around the edges, and in production, but I think that works in its favour. I like Karen O and the anarchic energy she brings to it.
There's a lot of hits, but also a lot of weird tracks that you need to tune into to really appreciate I think. For me I tended to like the singles on the album, and found a lot of the rest a bit hard to get into.
Best tracks: Date with the Night, Pin, Maps, Y Control.
Duran Duran
3/5
Even though I would never choose to listen to this album from here, I had a pretty good time with it overall, and I appreciate having an opportunity to check out different genre's that I wouldn't have otherwise touched.
There's quite a few tracks on here that I liked. I like how upbeat My Way is. Songs like Save a Prayer and The Chauffeur are really good. Rio is just a bit much for me, I've heard it too many times at various family discos and whatnot.
A solid 3/5
Cream
3/5
It's alright. Kind of floaty and jangly. I like the playing on this, but not so sure about the main vocals. It sounds like he's being gently haunted by a ghost throughout. "ooOooo a ghhooOOooost"
George Harrison
4/5
George really did have a great career post-Beatles. This is a really good album, with a lot of standout tunes on it. My Sweet Lord is probably the main one, but there's a lot of others in there across a generally solid album overall. I like the guy's style.
Some of the mixes do sound quite strange with the vocal mixed way back, but they're still carried by the songs. Musically it's very good. You might switch off before all the extended jams at the end, but they don't really detract from what went before.
Blur
3/5
There's some really good tracks on here, including some real classics. I'd never listened to this album as a whole before now, and I don't think I'm missing much at all by only hearing the singles/hits before. It has a good energy across some songs, but there's also quite a lot of weird tracks and general filler it feels like.
Public Enemy
4/5
Public Enemy Number 1! Public Enemy Number 1! Kna what I'm sayin? Yeah Chuck!
I like how aggressive their rapping style is on a lot of songs, and I like a bunch of their beats. A lot of other tracks are really upbeat and quite funky. Overall the album is solid, with no real dips in quality.
Standout tracks: Nighttain, By the Time I Get To Arizona, Move! And of course... Bring Tha Noize - Tony Hawk reprazent!
3.5 rounded up
Iggy Pop
1/5
This is absolutely dreadful, I'm not a fan at all, and I love a lot of other Iggy Pop songs! But this is so subdued and grubby sounding, with a really low mix and zero energy. It's utterly depressing and a chore to get through. It sounds like he's singing it while sat half-drunk on the sofa or something. There's nothing dynamic or attention grabbing here, it's just a constant dirge.
Serge Gainsbourg
5/5
This is what this whole 1001 greatest albums process is all about. Completely left-field choice, something I'd never even heard of before, a concept album in a different language - and it's a real, genuine hidden gem.
What an atmosphere this album has. It's quite dark and dangerous and sexy and seductive. The music and production is incredible. I love the violins, the sudden explosion of drums, that deep driving bass. Very very good. I've given it about 3-4 listens now, and it'll definitely be one I go back to a fair bit. There's something really compelling about this.
Album 192 and I've finally found my first 5 star album from an artist who was completely unknown to me beforehand - thank you!
Nick Drake
3/5
It's real nice musically, even if it's not massively my thing. I find his voice a bit floaty and too nice, which sounds like a weird criticism. I guess I just prefer something with a bit more bite, and this is just very pleasant and lovely.
Muddy Waters
3/5
It's not really my jam, but it's got a good energy to it in general. The guitar and keys are nice. Too many of the songs just sound the same to me though, it's so formulaic. Also, if there's one thing this 1001 process has taught me, I find the harmonica really, really irritating.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Zero is a tune. It's a great energetic way to start the album. I knew that song well before listening, and also knew 'Heads Will Roll' which is also good. The energy and vibe changes a bit beyond this, but it's generally solid, with some standout tracks sprinkled in. 'Runaway' is great, it's got a real depth and atmosphere to it.
3.5 rounded up. And side note: It's a great album cover!
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Boooooring. I don't want to check how many Bruce Springsteen albums are in this list, because I suspect it might make me cry. Please, I implore you, no more Springsteen. I don't get on with it at all. It's just so bland and middle of the road, man. The lyrics are absolutely dreadful. And why are there 15 tracks? Why?
I will however give a shout out to the track 'World's Apart' which has something about it.
Aerosmith
4/5
It's very solid across the whole album. Nice guitar work, nice singing, nice tunes in general. There's some standouts of course - Sweet Emotion is always going to be up there. Walk This Way is a classic. I really like 'No More No More', there's some great guitar and keys on that.
I'm glad I gave this a second listen, because I didn't give it enough focus first time around. It holds up well with the second play-through, and I'll listen to it more from here for sure.
The Jam
3/5
I'm not getting lots out of this. I still get why people do, and I like the energy of it, but it's a middling 3 for me. My favourite track (David Watts) is a Kinks cover, although I do also like Down in the Tube Station at Midnight.
Pink Floyd
5/5
My third Pink Floyd album, and this one finally hits!
Considering there's so many tracks, there's surprisingly few that are just ok. This album is also interesting, in that their more experimental bits I'm really on-board with, whereas that definitely wasn't the case on some of their other albums.
I love the whole concept album approach, the way the tracks repeat and are re-worked, and how it all plays out in one big sweeping thing. It's way more expansive than I was expecting.
There's a real epic feel to some of these tracks, but I also like some of the drama on this too, like 'One Of My Turns'. It's really interesting. The standout element though has to be the guitar playing. A lot of the guitar work in this album is genuinely amazing. Comfortably Numb is such a fucking tune, oh my god. His guitar tone is like liquid honey.
I'm going to go 4.5 rounded.... up! I admire the ambition.
Rush
2/5
I'm not a fan - It picks up a bit once you get past the bloated, boring first track, but it's still not good. I don't really like his voice. Some of the guitars are quite nice, but still the songs aren't grabbing me at all.
Tito Puente
3/5
It's a real nice, fun happy time. Really great instrumentation and playing. It's all top-notch and I appreciate it, it's just not massively my scene.
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
I thought it was going to be rubbish 80's glam based on the cover, and the first few 1 star reviews on here... but I really liked this! They've got something about them. They have a real manic energy, with tons of personality and attitude. Nice rocking guitars and rock vocals. Plenty of 'waows' in there and so on. Good stuff!
Al Green
3/5
Let's Stay Together is a tune. The rest of the album is a nice time overall.
MGMT
3/5
It's overall pretty good. Time to Pretend is a brilliant track, and Kids is also really good. There's a reason why they were the two main singles. The rest is kind of a nice time for the most part but I didn't find it massively exciting. Of Moons, Birds and Monsters was the other standout for me.
Skepta
2/5
My only exposure to this before now, was that the track "Shutdown" was in the Tony Hark remaster, and was always an instant skip the second it came on. Blah blah blah, shutdown! Blat blat blat and shutdown! Did some tings and shutdown!
Fam, I'm not a fan of grime. It's boring and repetitive, you get me fam? Also the actual content is just dreadful fam. It's dreadful fam!
Some of the beats and production are good though, I'll give him that.
Gene Clark
4/5
Well this has happened before... kick straight off with a country twang and a prominent harmonica... "Ugh... kindly fuck off please". But wait... actually it's not too bad. In fact it's really nice and chilled and I'm enjoying it very much. I don't often go in for this kind of folk music, but these are some smooth vocals and the whole vibe is incredibly mellow.
Thanks again 1001 for making me confront my various musical prejudices! It's nice, real nice.
3.5 rounded up.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
This is actually really good, and pretty consistent throughout. For someone who doesn't really listen to hip-hop, there's a lot to like here. The beats and production are really solid throughout. There's a lot of variation here too, with some real driving and funky beats. The Champ is siiiick, what a tune.
Elliott Smith
3/5
It's a nice album. Quite chilled and soft. I like his style, but also feel like it tailed off in the second half a bit.
Michael Jackson
4/5
It's a good album, and consistently good too. Thriller is a massive, massive tune, going straight into Beat It (wowzers!) then THAT goes straight into Billie Jean (hooo lordy!). What a 3-track run. Overall it's a solid 4 stars.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
Well this is really weird. I'm not really with this. The cover definitely reflects in the music. Like he's just dropped a load of acid and is exploring this mad world via weird ditties and sounds..
But then there's some genuine songs in there in the second half that work well, particularly the more soulful ones found on the likes of 'Medley'.
I kind of appreciate that he's done something interesting, and I admire the variation, but too much of it is just weird, and there's not enough to latch onto.
Bee Gees
2/5
It's all very soft and breezy for the most part, but there's nothing really standing out, and it IS a bit weird. I'm usually a sucker for a violin undercurrent, but this was just a bit bland overall. Especially when you compare it against some of their other bigger (ballad-type) hits - these just can't hold a candle to them. I can't say I'm a fan.
Marley Purt Drive was nice though.
Bon Jovi
3/5
I used to listen to Bon Jovi back in the day as a kid and thought they were awesome. Listening back now a lot of this stuff seems so bombastic and cheesy. Just his voice alone is so exaggerated, "YeeeEEAaaH, huhh!" *rock riff*
They DO do the bombastic, woah woah hair metal thing effectively and well though, and there is plenty to like, with lots of great hooks, choruses and riffs. I think people can be too elitist about some of this stuff. I mean, come on, Livin' on a Prayer is superb. I don't care if people are sneering at me while I'm punching the air, I'm having a good time!
Led Zeppelin
4/5
What a way to kick off the album eh? Straight into Immigrant Song - whollop! And then this follows with a bunch of great tracks all in a row. Just very good rock, interesting instrumentation, style. They're a great band.
I think the second half tails off a bit, but I do like some of the more folky type songs and they're still good overall. It's a shame I really don't like the last song, because it leaves a bit of a sour note.
The Police
2/5
I came to this album thinking, "I really don't like the Police, they're shit", and I'm glad I got the opportunity to give it a listen now, because it confirmed my suspicion. I was right, they're shit.
The Blue Nile
3/5
This album is more interesting to me than it is exciting. It's not my scene, but I kind of appreciate what they're doing with it. The actual musicality and skill are there, and I admire the amount of different ideas and experimentation they've thrown at it. There's some interesting things happening with the instruments, with brass, violins, weird kind of soundscapes, synth... It's just a bit floaty and unassuming for me.
Love
3/5
Alone Again Or is such a great song. I love the Spanish guitar, the brass, the orchestral movements in it. What a great opener.
The rest of the album feels reeeeally 60's hippy / psychedelia. There's a few standout tracks with some interesting things going on, but it's mostly quite soft and floaty.
Louis Prima
4/5
I love this guy's energy. It's a real good time, with some FAT trumpet.
I'm Baloo in that moment in the Jungle Book where he can't help but be taken by the music. I'm gone man, solid gone.
Common
2/5
I like the intro. There's some funky beats in there man. It's a shame the rest of the album doesn't hold up to that. There's still some nice things going on, but it's just not my thing and lots of it sounds generic.
Beatles
4/5
This whole album is full of real nice, catchy songs, all just brilliantly crafted.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
This feels like country in the classic-mould, twangy, sincere, well shucks country. It's a genre I can never identify with, I just don't get it. So much of it is so derivative, and tends to stick within extremely close parameters. This one certainly isn't pushing any boundaries, but it's competent enough. There are some songs that are actively irritating to me, but 1 star would feel harsh I think.
Ride
2/5
It's weird that some of my favourite ever bands have shoegazey elements to them, but outright shoegaze I really struggle with for the most part. It really just grinds me down and down, and I find it so dreary and depressing. This album holds mostly true to that, but also just seems really samey and goes on and on. There's nothing here that stands out.
Donovan
2/5
It's very gentle, 60's hippy-folk. It all feels quite painfully sincere and nice. It's not necessarily bad, it's just quite boring in my opinion.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
It's a quite nice floaty-sounding album. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I think I had these guys confused with another band who were a bit more hard-hitting. I can't say this is particularly exciting. They kind of sound like a softer, less-interesting Roxette or something.
2.5 rounded up.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
It's a nice easy listen this album. I was expecting it to drag on, but I had a pleasant time with it. A lot of reggae is so formulaic and samey, but I don't want to dismiss this on those grounds because it's pretty solid throughout.
Scott Walker
2/5
I'm honestly not sure what to make of this - it's quite nice in places - there's a kind of performative, theatrical element to it. There's some nice instrumental bits, with sweeping violins and things. The first song is certainly something - It's very grandiose. There's plenty of other meandering songs though that are hard to latch onto, and a lot of other songs that are just really slow and drag. Overall it's just... a bit weird? Hard to digest as a pop album?
I like the ambition, but it's not for me.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
This is really nice. She has such a strong singing voice and sense of self for a debut at such a young age. I like the songs and style. It's very cool.
Santana
3/5
I'm not really into this genre and style of music, but it's quite a nice time.
Green Day
4/5
I think the hit rate on this is pretty damn good. It's fairly consistent across the board too. Really upbeat, nice catchy songs. I always thought of Green Day as super quick, pop-punky songs, but there's plenty of longer ones on here too that still work well.
Tom Tom Club
2/5
It's all a bit weird and silly and shit.
Love
3/5
I wasn't into it that much. 'Orange Skies' is quite pleasant. The rest of the normal length tracks were just ok. I was actually dreading that last 19 minute long track. It was just sat there taunting me. "It's almost 100% likely that I'm going to be an over-indulgent wank-fest" it said. However... that was actually the track I dug the most. It changed this from a 2.5 rounded down, to a more favourable 2.5 rounded up!
Suzanne Vega
3/5
It's very nice and is consistently good across the album. I like the mood of it. It's not massively engaging, just kind of soft and pleasant.
3.5 rounded down
GZA
2/5
I'm not into it. I like the kung-fu elements, but I'm not feeling the beats or rapping at all really. They don't feel particularly innovative or interesting.
Lauryn Hill
3/5
This album is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I much prefer the more soulful / singing songs to the rest, which I'm not big on. I actively dislike all the backing uh, uh, uh's - yo, yo, yo stuff that are littered throughout the whole thing. I think it actually undermines some of the nicer songs. Overall, it's alright, it's easy enough to listen to.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
Everyone naturally compares them to the Stones which is fair enough. They are very similar, but they do it very well. It's a good album - I like their flamin' grooves!
Robert Wyatt
4/5
I'm glad that this project gives me the chance to discover these kinds of albums. I would have avoided this like the plague based on the description, but this one mostly works for me. Yes it's experimental, and it's a bit of a concept album, and it is weird and non-conforming... but he achieves a cohesive mood throughout the whole thing that I'm on-board with. There's some nice floaty songs in here... a little bit melancholic at times... and sure, there's quite a lot of meandering bits in there too, and some odd moments, but it holds true to the vision of the album and works overall for me.
3.5 rounded up.
Carpenters
3/5
Is it a bit too gentle and nice? Maybe. Will I revisit it again? No. Is it a perfectly lovely time in general? More or less.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
On my review of Siamese Dream I said it was mad that the Pumpkins got lumped in as 'grunge', and how I thought they were way more interesting than a lot of other bands at the time. Mellon Collie only further exemplifies that point, because this album totally blows those guys out of the water. How many other bands of the time had this range and breadth of songs? This level of mad ambition? This insanely prolific level of creativity? Even their (many) B-sides from this era were so good and could have easily appeared on this album, or walked onto any other album of the time.
Am I biased? ....Yes. I came to this project with Mellon Collie as my favourite album of all time. I have the t-shirt, the record mat, the original pressing vinyl that I spent an absurdly large amount of money on. This album, to me, is perfect. I love it deeply on a very personal level. It means an awful lot to me, and I think it always will.
So with that said, I'll try and leave some notes with fresh ears...
I think what's funny, re-listening to this critically through the 1001 lens, I totally get why people might find it a bit bloated. If I listened to it for the first time I would undoubtedly be blown away by a lot of these songs, but I think I would likely dismiss a number of them too. Overall though, I do love the way this album ebbs and flows, and has various moods working through it. I like how some of the weirder songs punctuate that too. I love how grandiose the whole thing is. And that extends to the cover and the whole package. It's beautiful.
Sonically it's so good. The drums really struck me this time around, as they explode into life in Tonight, Tonight. There's so many sounds, instruments and vocals layered brilliantly throughout the whole thing. The work that Flood and Alan Moulder did can't be underestimated in that respect.
This album does things to me that I struggle to explain. Listening to something like 1979 - I love it SO much. It's transcendental. It evokes something in me that makes me so happy. As a nearly 40 year old man, I find myself losing more and more individual fandoms, but it's so satisfying to know that I can put this on and still be so moved by it.
I came here with the plan of hopefully beating this album and finding my new favourite. I haven't yet, and likely won't. After all, how do you top something that has so much nostalgic and sentimental value? Something that was there for me in some of my most formative years, and has stayed a constant in my life since? I will hold out hope though, because if Mellon Collie can be toppled, it'll need to be by an album that's very special indeed.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
It's real nice. "Ain't No Way" wins the best track award, which is a lovely soulful ballad.
Metallica
3/5
There was some decent headbanging going on during particularly gnarly moments, and some decent foot tapping too. They're really tight as a band, with some great musicianship, but it's just relentless.
Queen
5/5
I didn't discover this album via this project, but it has been a recent discovery nonetheless. I joined a vinyl subscription club during the first covid lockdown, and this was in one of my monthly bundles. I have to admit I was massively disappointed when I opened it. Queen are just so bombastic, and while I like a bunch of their songs, they're not really go-to listens. Or so I thought...!
This album is fantastic, and I've listened to it a ton since then. Brighton Rock is a mental opener. It was one of those cases playing the vinyl where you immediately take it off and play it on the different speed setting because it sounds like a chipmunk singing... only to realise it was correct in the first place!
So many other great songs, with lots of variation and playfulness. Big glam hits. Really catchy, great guitars and melodies. TONS of personality. I love the way the tracks merge and sit alongside each other. I particularly love the segueing of Tenement Funster into Flick of the Wrist, which then eases beautifully into Lily of the Valley. Flick of the Wrist is an absolute beast, and definite favourite on the album for me. I can't help but sing along. Killer Queen is obviously another big hit, but Now I'm Here and Misfire are other real standouts.
I think this is a brilliant album. And for me it's a real left-field choice. I just think it fires on pretty much every level.
As a fun aside, the actual track 'Sheer Heart Attack' didn't make it onto this album, but instead went on 'News of the World'. However, that is also a tune!
Soul II Soul
2/5
This is ok, just ok. And by that, I mean it's ok as background music only. It doesn't really have much substance. It has that kind of 'nothing' feeling to it that a lot of 80's music does. It's not offensive.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
I like a lot of Creedence songs. I feel like this album doesn't reflect their best work, but it's still pretty good. Graveyard Train was the only real down note and was a real slog at over 8 minutes. The album beyond that was nice and groovy. Proud Mary is obviously pretty iconic.
Dead Kennedys
2/5
I don't like it, it's just so chaotic and noisy.
The xx
2/5
I really like the intro to this - it's a really nice way into the album and sets up the tone. Sadly I don't think the rest of the album really delivers on that early promise though.
I do like the atmosphere on some of these tracks, but the songs are just waaay stripped back and I'm not really digging that. I do usually really like bands where they have a girl and guy playing off each other, but less so here. The vocals are so breathy, and it feels a bit wanky indie to me. It doesn't have a ton of substance and I was a bit bored by the end.
2.5 rounded down.
Michael Jackson
3/5
There's some big hits in here. The album in general is pretty nice, but it's not setting the world alight for me.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
This album has got such a sense of style and mood to it. From the cover alone the tone is set, and the album really carries that promise through the whole thing.
I'd had 'Where the Wild Roses Grow' on my main playlist for years, but this was another classic case of not delving into the album as a whole. I think I did once, but maybe got unstuck after the first song, which frustratingly is a bit of a slog.
It picks up a lot from there. Stagger Lee has some real bite, and that's followed by Henry Lee which is a lovely duet. Outside of those, I thought The Kindness of Strangers was also one of the better individual tracks.
O'Malley's Bar threatens to derail it as it's SUCH a long samey song again, but it's then finished off with Death Is Not the End which is a great closer.
As an album and overall piece of art I think it's very good.
PJ Harvey
3/5
It's pretty raw and grungy. I don't find it particularly compelling. It's alright.
Jamiroquai
5/5
This album is funky as fuck. The main thing for me here is the absolutely brilliant instrumentation. Smooooth bass, funky psychedelic space keys, violin, sexy synth, trumpet!
There's tons of great songs on here, but I also I love the extended musical interludes - really nice. And big shout out to the mixing on this record - it's top notch.
I find the other commentary on here around appropriation so boring, if we're talking solely about the music of course. Are you not allowed to have influences anymore? Get over yourselves. You're a white British man JK, stay in your fucking lane. You should be more like someone like George Formby, play ukulele and sing some innocuous song about cleaning windows or something. Oh wait, the ukulele was from Portuguese origin and popularised in Hawaii... but... that's appropriation too! Is it too late to cancel George Formby? He's a monster!
Rant aside... great album!
The Black Keys
3/5
There's some nice songs in here, and the album as a whole is pretty solid. I like their phat guitar tones in particular. I just think some of their other albums are a bit more exciting.
3.5 rounded down
Cat Stevens
3/5
I'm not sure what I really want to say about this other than it's just really lovely. Lots of nice songs, quite delicate in its approach, and kept nice and short. As the songs are all well crafted and presented there's no bloat at all.
3.5 rounded down
N.W.A.
3/5
Yep, this is misogynistic as fuck, and that's obviously a mark against it. Looking beyond that there's some good tracks on here - quite an array of different sounding tracks - you can tell the influence of the 80's scene coming into the 90's. I quite like how aggressive something like 'Fuck Tha Police' is. If It Ain't Ruff is good. Express Yourself is a tune.
John Coltrane
2/5
The first track is boooooooring. The only positive being that it got me looking up some Mighty Boosh skits on YouTube. "No-one listens to jazz. Science teachers and the mentally ill, that's all jazz is for." - "You hate jazz? You fear jazz!"
I'd say it picks up from there a bit, and it's not quite as chaotic. There's some smoother stuff later on with the last track.
2.5 rounded down
Pretenders
2/5
The whole album is kind of lo-fi. It doesn't have a huge amount of bite to it in general. Is it just mixed a bit weird? Everything seems so far back and just a bit bleh. It's not grabbing me at all, sorry.
You do get a sense of Chrissie Hynde as a personality, and she seems to have a bit of attitude which comes across. Brass in Pocket is about the only stand-out track. 'Stop Your Sobbing' was done way better by the Kinks.
I'm not going to fall-out of love with the Pretenders as a result of this, as 2000 Miles remains my favourite Christmas song and I'll be singing along to that with gusto come December (probably November).
3/5
It's quite a nice time. It's pretty funky in places, pretty atmospheric in others, and well made in general. It's not really something that kept my attention though, and the reality is a lot of it just sat in the background. But it was pretty nice background music.
Keith Jarrett
2/5
It started off real nice, then it started to get a bit tedious after a while. I didn't even really like it as background music.
2.5/5 rounded down
ABBA
3/5
This is a good album on the whole. These guys really know how to write a song, with plenty of catchy tracks on here. I like the driving rhythm on a lot of songs. Especially towards the start of the album, I was tapping my foot a decent amount. There's some good synths in here, some nice piano and violins, and generally pretty good production. There's also a bit of atmosphere on a number of tracks.
It's not my usual go-to, but it's pretty good. I felt like the quality fell off a bit from about the half-way mark, but it's still quite solid.
3.5 rounded down.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
I love a bit of Stevie. This isn't his best, but it is a real nice, funky time. He obviously has great soul and presence, and a WONDERful voice. I really love the ballads most on this album, I think they're reeeal nice.
3.5 rounded down.
Rod Stewart
2/5
I'm sorry Rod, I just find this SO boring. It's way too boring, twangy, middle of the road rock n roll for me.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
It's nice enough, but I'm 5 songs in and it's not really popped yet, it's just kind of floated along. Ok I'm now 8 songs in and it still hasn't - it's so stripped back and barely there. Surely this can't keep up for the whole album...? Ok I've finished it, and it kind of did. I'm not mad Fleetwood Mac, I'm just disappointed. You have some banging tunes, did you forget to put any on here?
The album cover is rubbish as well.
2.5 rounded down.
Moby
5/5
This is a really good album. I like the lo-fi beats across it, the strings, the piano, the melancholy / bittersweet feeling to a lot of the tracks. There's some good variation in there too, with some good upbeat tracks. It's really consistent across the board here, just very well done and great to listen to.
Johnny Cash
3/5
There's some nice covers in here, alongside a few original songs. It's very soulful. Plenty of songs that are stripped way back, but mostly hit well. I really like the first track, that's great. Hurt is brilliant. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is a standout, which has a real depth of feeling.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
This is a real weird album, real hit and miss. The tracks are way too long and over-indulgent, and they start to get repetitive and grate after a while, especially when so much is instrumental.
The 18 minute track is 9 minutes of completely uninteresting talking, 9 minutes of great track that slowly builds into something with real energy.
One Woman was reeeeal nice - why couldn't they all be 5 minute tracks? I love all the instrumentation on here: keys, sweeping violins, wind instruments, chimes, backing chorus - and of course the big man's incredible voice. It's very dramatic and big and I love it.
On that note, I should say I'm reviewing this album without the single edits (so the original album). The single of Walk On By works SO much better. If they'd have trimmed the rest it would have improved this immensely.
Minor Threat
3/5
I grew up as an Offspring kid, and I am hearing SO much influence from this band, as I'm sure it influenced so many others. I do like the attitude and driving bass. There's just not really much variation and it's very samey. Thankfully it's short.
Beastie Boys
3/5
I like a lot of Beastie Boys tracks, but damn man, so much of this is just irritating and repetitive. Some of the samples and beats are good. Fight For Your Right is a classic and I love it. No Sleep Till Brooklyn is good.
2.5 rounded up.
Bob Dylan
4/5
This is my third Bob Dylan album now. My previous two reviews both resulted in me demanding for him to 'give his harmonica a fucking rest', and in this case... you know, he's used it JUST the right amount. And when he does use it, it seems to have some genuine personality and fit well within the songs. So well done, Bob Dylan, you come good.
I actually really enjoyed this, and I think it's a definite step above the other albums. Some songs are over-long, yes, but they're also just really good. Again, lots of personality here, and well written, interesting songs.
Meat Puppets
2/5
I think this is pretty rubbish. The songs don't have much form to them at all, they're just kind of loose and chaotic. I don't like the singing at all. It's so whiny and weak and nothing. It's kind of telling that the best track is the instrumental one.
Marty Robbins
3/5
I like this. It's very nice, well sung, nice tales, gentle guitars. What a silky voice! I like all the "oooOOoo" backup vocals too.
3.5 rounded down
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
It's not bad this. More gentle than I thought it might be, but a few tracks hit a little bit harder and are more upbeat. I like Neil Tennant's voice.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
This just showcases that Paul McCartney is a really accomplished and interesting songwriter. I really like this album, there's tons of great songs, and lots of moods and tones running through it.
4.5 rounded down.
Miles Davis
3/5
I'm a filthy millennial, so I'm clearly not educated enough to understand or conceptualise this properly. Kids these days just don't understand what the jazz is all about.
So now that my ignorant and stupid position is established... this is fine. You know, in a kind of reasonably nice, background, boring way. There's some nice trumpet in there. My thoughts on this may be more easily summarised with a slow head-nod and a lip sticking out, in a kind of 'not bad, but ultimately I don't really care' face.
2.5 rounded up.
Bob Dylan
3/5
It's not bad - another middling Bob Dylan for me. I kind of appreciate him, but I'm definitely not a fan outside of a number of songs.
Subterranean Homesick Blues is great and the standout track. The rest are kind of just nice. He still has the habit of having waaay too many verses in a lot of his songs, but once again, at least the harmonica doesn't grate here.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
It's pretty good. It's quite upbeat. They kind of sound like a more energetic and slightly rockier REM. I don't think there's tons of variation across so many songs, but I didn't really mind, and it was a real easy-listening experience in general.
3.5 rounded down.
The Avalanches
3/5
It's a bit weird, but there's some nice vibey tunes in here. All weird samples flowing into each other. Frontier Psychiatrist is brilliant and elevates the score a bit, but overall it's a bit mad and chaotic for me to revisit or to have as a go-to background chill mix.
David Bowie
4/5
I love David Bowie's back-catalogue of songs and hits, but this project has taught me that a lot of his albums are wildly inconsistent. This album however is actually consistent and good throughout. The context of the album definitely elevates it I think, making a concept album out of his looming death. A true artist to the end. It's bold, and artsy, and kind of wonderful.
The Cure
3/5
I like that there's a consistent mood on this. It's just that, for me, that mood is quite oppressive for most of the album. A lot of it is quite lo-fi, and there's not many stand-out songs that particularly grab me.
UB40
3/5
I don't really do reggae, but this is a super chill time.
Paul Simon
4/5
It's real nice. Lovely song-writing. Good instrumentation. It's quite inventive and with varied songs.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
I love the energy and vibe of this. A lot of it is pretty iconic. I like the vocals. I like the artiness. I love the droning violins, the weird jangly guitars, the heart-attack inducing, thumping drums. They add to this kind of weird oppressive atmosphere on it. Heroin, jeez what a stressful time, but it's so good. It's not their best album in my opinion (I prefer the more accessible Loaded) but it's still great.
The Band
3/5
Who could have guessed that a band named "The Band" would be incredibly boring and middle-of-the-road dad rock? I mean... it's alright. It's competent. It's just not exciting in any way shape or form.
2.5 rounded up
Queen
3/5
It's such a weird, bold, arty album. It has some similar DNA to something like Sheer Heart Attack, but the songs aren't anywhere near as compelling or succinct. It's all a bit chaotic.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
It's got plenty of catchy songs, but also a bunch that are just quite samey. I really like the addition of rock guitars with rapping over the top. There's a lot of similarities with people like the Beastie Boys, only their voices aren't quite as grating. I wouldn't listen to the whole thing again, but there's definitely stand-outs that raise the bar overall.
Walk This Way is iconic. Tricky has tons of energy. I had flashbacks to SSX Tricky on PS2. Tricky Tricky Tricky Tricky!
a-ha
3/5
Take on Me is a belter of a tune!
Some of the other songs are a bit generic and ehh. Others pop (like The Sun Always Shines on T.V). Overall it's quite nice, but it's only Take on Me that's worth revisiting.
Jungle Brothers
2/5
I quite like some of the older hip-hop stylings from this era. This one feels a bit underwhelming in terms of the beats though, and the mix is really murky. It feels like it should be way funkier. And it's way too long.
What "U" Waitin' "4"? is a good track, despite the MAD punctuation. Good Newz Comin' has something interesting going on. But it's not enough.
2.5 rounded down
Meat Loaf
4/5
It's utterly bombastic from the off, and I kind of love that. It's unapologetic, leaning heavily into the grandiose rock opera thing. Lots of foot tapping happening across a lot of these songs, but there's a lovely ballad in 'Heaven Can Wait' too.
Little Richard
3/5
This man has ENERGY. A lot of the songs sound very similar in the beats and delivery, but they're still great.
3.5 rounded down.
B.B. King
3/5
It's a nice time. Real upbeat and full of energy.
Liz Phair
3/5
Sounds very 90's alt-singer-songwriter. I guess because it is. It's alright, but I'm not really into it that much.
Richard Thompson
3/5
I feel like I say this about a lot of albums lately, but it's generally a nice time. It's not my go-to genre or type of music, but it's gentle and easy and well made.
Elton John
3/5
I'm not really a massive Elton John fan. He does have a pretty great backlog of classics, but a lot of other songs feel quite similar to me, at least in a structural sense.
On this album I think that kind of holds true. Tiny Dancer is a great song. I (obviously) love the bit where it all kicks off, and you get all the strings coming in along with the piano and the rest of it. A lot of the other tracks are very well done, and are good in themselves, with plenty of decent hooks and melodies... it's just I started to lose a bit of interest after a while.
There's some really good experimentation and variety of instrumentation on this album though. Holiday Inn has some cracking mandolin playing through it for example. Other than that there's violins, keys (obviously) and even some soul backing vocals. So, overall good, just not entirely my jam all in one sitting.
3.5 rounded down.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
I like this. Lots of driving energy throughout. Some of the guitars in this are greeeeat, both bass and jangly lead guitar.
I obviously have no idea what they're singing about, but they clearly have some serious lived experience to draw upon. I'm sure it's quite profound.
The more 'world' sounding tracks I didn't enjoy as much.
Sepultura
2/5
Not a fan of metal albums where it's just guttural screaming. The Brazilian influence in the music is interesting, and there's a few good heavy riffs, but... ehh.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Ehh. I'm not a fan. I like some of their singles, but a lot of this just melds together as one big noise, and a bunch of tracks also annoyed me.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
I love the energy on this record. Lots of driving, catchy rhythms. There's some other interesting things going on instrumentally, with some nice organ keys and so on. Take Me Out is obviously a big hit. I'm definitely going to re-visit.
Arcade Fire
5/5
There's so many great songs on here. I love the big sounds they create, with lots of layered instruments and backing vocals and so on.
Intervention is such a fucking tune, real power and building to SUCH a crescendo. Been working for the church while your life falls apart - DADAA DADAA DADAA!
4.5 rounded up.
Public Enemy
3/5
Much like the other album I had by these guys, I like it. There's good rhymes and beats and I really like the sampling. It's quite a noisy record, with lots and lots going on (which I like) but it's also 20 tracks so it's quite a lot in one sitting.
3.5 rounded down.
Beck
4/5
Beck is such a great musician. Everything he does is at least interesting.
This isn't his best album, but there's plenty of great songs on here. You have real upbeat numbers like E-Pro, which is a great kick-off for the album, via weird electronic robot songs like Hell Yes, and then a gorgeous ballad like Broken Drum. The music and instrumentation is so varied and interesting throughout.
Beck transcends genres even as he re-invents them, and I for one applaud that.
4.5 rounded down.
FKA twigs
1/5
Jesus Christ, it's so minimalist. It's like literally nothing is happening. There's some interesting sounds and backing bits that sound kind of sci-fi, but it's just so empty. I don't think any single song distinguishes itself as something separate from the rest. Just high breathy vocals over some basic minimalist beats on every single song.
It faded into the background easily enough for the most part, but that's hardly a winning endorsement now is it?
Baaba Maal
2/5
It's nice enough and made with enough skill, it's just not my thing at all.
The Clash
4/5
Overall this is a pretty good package. There's lots of energy, and some great iconic songs. Some don't work for me, but being a punk album it's quite quick, gets in and out and does it's thing.
3.5 rounded up.
Adele
3/5
This may sound a bit cynical, but it feels a bit X-Factor-y for me. She's got a big voice, but it's like a lot of the songs are just a vehicle for her voice and not a lot more. I don't find the songs themselves that particularly interesting bar a few. It's ok overall.
The Damned
4/5
Fast-paced and snappy, with a decent energy and plenty of personality. It's pretty good. I feel like it picked up the more it went on. I'd have to be in the mood for it though.
3.5 rounded up.
The Waterboys
4/5
Well this was much better than I was expecting based on the cover and title. I like the singer... those are some real nice vocals. He doesn't sound like he should be singing in this kind of band, more like he should be in a rock/indie band or something. I like the mix of fiddles alongside the kind of upbeat rocky numbers. Some nice mandolin in there too.
It turns way more traditional towards the end of the first half, which is quite a nice way to end I think. The songs are very nice. They're very tight musically and it's all solid.
I was going to say it was way too long, until I realised the original album is just the effective first half of the special edition. That makes it a much more appetising package I think and means it doesn't outstay its welcome.
Mj Cole
2/5
A bit more interesting than I thought it was going to be based on the most popular reviews. There's at least a bit of inventiveness in there, with some interesting soundscapes and changes in mood and tempo at times. That said, it's still not good. UK Garage beats are all pretty much exactly the same. Some tracks are incredibly vacuous and irritating as hell. And it's SO long.
I almost gave up after 10 tracks, but then a few good tracks dropped. Incredibly frustrating that there's some good stuff in there, but that so much of it is just actively shit.
Little Simz
2/5
It's not really my thing, but it's put together well enough. Plenty of weird and wonderful instruments and sounds. I'm not a fan of the rapping style and content.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Lots of great songs on here, lots of experimentation with genre, lots of changes to tempo and style. Sprinkle on a ton of classic riffs, iconic vocals, big interesting guitars and you're looking pretty good!
4.5 rounded down.
Primal Scream
3/5
I like the chilled vibes of this. There's some interesting instrumentation and soundscapes in it, and the overall atmosphere is pretty nice.
3.5 rounded down.
Simple Minds
2/5
I'm not really a fan. Most of it is sitting solely in the background and it's not grabbing or interesting me. There's some nice synths, but it's quite pared back. It's mostly forgettable.
Pavement
3/5
It's ok. It's quite murky and rough around the edges, and his vocals are definitely an acquired taste. There's enough variation on display and a few standout tracks, but I wouldn't revisit.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
This is a well made enough record and I'm sure a fine example of the genre. It's just... reggae is so boring.
The Temptations
3/5
This is a nice record and it's well made, there's just something that's not quite taking it to the next level for me. Some bigger hooks and memorable choruses maybe. It feels a bit paint by numbers perhaps.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
It's interesting having a solely instrumental album for a change, and there's some nice songs in here... but it's a bit limited.
Janis Joplin
3/5
There's some good jams in here but I'm not massively keen overall. I know people love her voice, but for me it's just way too bombastic.
2.5 rounded up.
Randy Newman
3/5
People obviously find it hard to shake the Pixar thing, but there's some good songs in here, and some nice music. I got over it pretty quickly. I like the backing orchestral bits. Overall quite easy-going and it didn't outstay its welcome.
3.5 rounded down.
Pixies
5/5
What an album! So many amazing tunes on here, my god! Debaser, Wave of Mutilation, Here Comes Your Man, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Hey..
They've got a bit of an anarchic edge to them. Lots of weird and wonderful compositions and approaches, but then just tons of catchy hooks and choruses as well. The combination of male and female vocals...
It works so well as an overall album.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
I'm enjoying this. Real big sound and tons of personality.
Travis
4/5
This is objectively a good album, with good standout songs, strong melodies, choruses and all the rest. It's quite soft and melancholic, and I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but reading the top reviews on here it just reads like complete snobbishness. I guess it's just somehow cool to hate on it? Who knows? Fuck the haters, I like it.
Happy Mondays
3/5
I like the atmosphere on this. It's got a manic energy to it, and there's some interesting things going on musically. I like the psychedelic guitars. It's quite unique.
3.5 rounded down.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
It's quite a chill time. He's got a great voice. It's just a bit slow.
The Cure
3/5
I feel like The Cure are a band I should like, but I can never quite get into them. I quite like the vibe on this album. It's broody and a bit foreboding, with some interesting soundscapes to it. Once again, there's not really any standout songs, but as a whole it's quite consistent.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
It feels quite samey all the way through, but it's pretty listenable.
Anita Baker
3/5
Plenty of nice songs in here sung well. It's not something I'm massively into in general, but it's easy listening.
John Martyn
4/5
Oh this is nice. The music is complex and interesting, and there's lots of varied songs. Plenty of experimentation. I really like the acoustic playing, the vibraphone, the brass, the vocals. The musicality is absolutely on point.
4.5 rounded down.
TV On The Radio
3/5
I like the vibe on this for the most part. It's a bit frantic at times, but they're an interesting band and the songs have a lot of experimentation in them. Probably not one I'll re-visit, but there's some good songs on here.
3.5 rounded down.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Lots of really catchy tunes in here, and some utterly badass riffs. Loads of energy. This is great.
\m/
Van Halen
3/5
It's quite good. There's some good riffs and plenty of energy. Nice and short. Maybe a bit superficial? I don't know if that's a massive criticism as it is what it is, and it's not trying to be anything more than that. Just a bit of good fun that you can nod your head to.
The Thrills
3/5
It's quite nice, but it's a bit indie-wank. It's the kind of music Zach Braff would put in one of his movies. All very floaty and quirky and inoffensive with breathy vocals on top. Crafted well enough but not exciting in the least.
2.5 rounded up.
The Doors
3/5
It's a bit hit and miss for me. I like a lot of the Doors hits, but there's lots here that's quite plodding and slow. I'm not really that excited by most of the album.
Love Her Madly and Riders on the Storm are the standouts for me.
The War On Drugs
2/5
It's all a bit dad-rock, gentle fist pump while sipping a cup of tea for me. Since others have pointed out the drums thing, it's really bothering me. It must be the most dull band to play in as a drummer. Even though there's plenty of layers of sound to the whole thing it still somehow feels really anaemic. And it's just so bloody boring, christ.
The Byrds
3/5
Overall it's a nice record. There's some interesting experimentation and some weird old sounds in here, but also some solid, well-crafted 60's tracks. Favourite tracks: Thoughts and Words and My Back Pages.
The Prodigy
4/5
I'd never really listened to this album all the way through before for some reason, despite loving 'Music for the Jilted Generation' as a kid. There's plenty of banging tracks outside of the big singles, although they don't all hit. In terms of quality and consistency I think someone like the Chemical Brothers were way better, but this is still decent and I'm pretty there for it.
3.5 rounded up.
Kanye West
3/5
I didn't know anything about Kanye West before listening to this, apart from the fact that he did the 'gold digger' song, and that he's a flaming bellend in real life.
So I had no idea what to expect here. I was definitely expecting it to be way more obnoxious than it is, and I was under the impression that he was quite minimalist, but that's definitely not the case.
It's actually pretty impressive how varied and broad this is in scope. There's lots of different, interesting beats and samples, and the content is also more varied than I was expecting. It's incredibly well produced, and I hate to admit that this is good, but it is.
3.5 rounded down
Paul Weller
4/5
It's a really nice album and well crafted. Very consistently good across all the songs. I really like the instrumentation and like his voice.
Miles Davis
1/5
"You hate jazz? You fear jazz! You fear the lack of rules. The lack of boundaries."
I mean, this is mostly nonsense isn't it? In my humble opinion, a lack of any kind of cohesive structure makes for a dull and un-engaging listen, especially if you spread it into a long-form piece. I didn't hate it like I have some other albums, but I have to judge it based on how well it moved and involved me, and that answer is not at all. It sat in the background well enough, and I adopted a face of mild bemusement for the most part while listening to it.
Jazz isn't big, and it isn't clever.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
I groaned so loudly when I saw this pop up, but actually it's nice. I like the covers on here unlike some others, particularly Jumpin' Jack Flash. I like all the weird spacey sounds. I'm not sure about the extended 13 minute track, but overall it's a really chill album.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
I had a nice happy time listening to this. Straight down the middle, good vibes.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
I would usually expect to go for something like this. Something with some moodiness to it, and with plenty of extravagances with the violins and brass and so on. But... it's just fine. I don't quite click with Alex Turner, either here or with the Arctic Monkeys. The songs just seem a bit superficial and lacking somehow despite all the nice instruments on top. They ultimately don't excite me at all.
2.5 rounded up.
OutKast
3/5
It's pretty varied, upbeat, funky, lots of layers and grooves. Well produced. But boy is it loooong. And the second half isn't as good as the first in my opinion. I appreciate this one way more than I like it.
k.d. lang
3/5
It's pleasant.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
I'm not usually into punk, because it's just so noisy and discordant, but as an example of the genre I think this is decent. There's some good grooves and riffs running through this, and it clearly has a lot of typical punk energy. It's way groovier and more musical than other punk albums, with the addition of the sax in particular.
3.5 rounded up.
David Bowie
5/5
Top-tier Bowie. I love how generally dramatic and big the whole album is. Watch That Man is such a great opener. I love the elaborate twinkly keys across a lot of the album, definitely in songs like Aladdin Sane but then particularly in Lady Grinning Soul. That song is soooo good and elevates the whole thing.
The Police
2/5
The Police, to me, put out really soft, insipid, uninspired, nothing music. It's not dreadful, but it's just so, so weak.
1.5 rounded up.
Destiny's Child
2/5
I recognise all the hits, but I'm not into them. It is hilarious how you have a bunch of female empowering songs, followed immediately by a song slut shaming someone and telling them to put more clothes on. Hmm.
It's a 'meh' for me overall, with one or two tracks that elevate it a bit. I can't relate to most of it and it doesn't really move or inspire me in any way. 'Happy Face' is probably the best and most interesting track for me, and that is by far the least listened to song on the album according to Spotify, go figure. I guess I'm really not the target demographic!
2.5 rounded down.
The Verve
4/5
It's a good album overall. There's some really well crafted indie pop songs, and some particular standouts (basically the singles!). The longer form, meandering songs I'm not as big a fan of.
3.5 rounded up.
Neu!
3/5
This is more interesting to me than it is something I actively enjoy. It starts off quite chill, with some interesting soundscapes mixed in and then it builds into this kind of relentlessly upbeat thing, which all feels a bit samey and repetitive. I think I would enjoy the songs more individually, but a whole album in one go is a bit much.
2.5 rounded up.
Judas Priest
3/5
I quite like this, but it's not one I'll revisit. Breaking the Law is a real head-banging tune.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
There's some great tracks on here, but there's also a lot of generic filler. I don't think it really recovered after the rubbish 11 minute track smack bang in the middle of the album. Who thought that was a good idea? It completely kills all the momentum. The mix is really low and strange for much of the record too.
A generous 3/5
1/5
Good country or bad country? Bad country. How does a 28 minute album manage to feel like an eternity? It's so, so dull.
Tim Buckley
3/5
I didn't like this as much as the other album I had of his. It's still quite nice overall. He still has an incredible voice, and the instrumentation is still on-point for the most part. I'm not really into the whole 60's hippy folk-singing scene. To the person who mentioned it sounding like a renaissance fair.. I can't quite shake that, and yes those songs in that vein did grate a bit. Pleasant Street was real nice, that's the standout for sure.
2.5 rounded up.
Boston
3/5
I've enjoyed this, but I have to be honest that it mostly sat in the background. I looked up and it had practically finished. So it's good, but obviously not gripping enough to push the score up further.
Talking Heads
2/5
Thanks to this 1001 albums project, I've come to learn that I really don't like 'Post Punk', so at least I could come into this album preparing for the worst.
And yes, it still holds! I just think it's way too weird, and it does absolutely nothing for me for the most part. I don't like his singing style at all. He's either singing with some kind of mania, or just mumbling and farting about. I thought I would hate this more though. There's a few upbeat tracks that work well, but that's about it.
Solomon Burke
3/5
It's real nice. He's got a lovely voice. Smooooth.
3.5 rounded down.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
This is bad in the classical 80's way. It just sounds so dated.
The bits where she's singing definitely work better. There's some more upbeat numbers that are quite good, but overall it's just dated and feels hollow like so many other 80's mainstream pop albums.
Supergrass
4/5
I watched their 2023 Glasto set, and realised they're one of those bands where you know way more of their songs than you thought you did. There's plenty in here which were pleasant reminders of that.
I think this is overall a good album. I love the trumpet on the opener. And then really, to be honest, when it's at its best it's with the singles and bigger hits. I thought it tailed off a bit in the last third or so.
There's some great songs in here though. Great melodies, happy singalong times. I may revisit the album, but it'll mostly be putting the bigger tracks into playlist rotation.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
It's alright. Jimi knows how to play, but it's not speaking to me. It's quite stop start, and the songs are quite chaotic. There's not enough flow for me, and not enough to latch onto.
Blur
3/5
Once again, I think Blur do disappoint a bit on the album front. You're kicking off with a classic in Beetlebum, and the other singles on the album are great too, but outside of those it's a bit meandering. I do admire them switching things up a bit and trying different things creatively, but there's not enough outside of the big hitters.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
It started off so promising with the opening tracks, but I'm sad to say it fell off and I ended up bored by the end. There's lots to appreciate here - the big concept album approach, tons of varied instruments, lots of interesting songs, good lyrics.
It's way too long for me though. The songs are all quite soft, and touching on the twee for some of them, and it's just too much. There's still some good tracks throughout, but it mostly feels like one big gentle thing.
Sade
3/5
It's very pleasant and chilled. Smooth songs, sung very nicely. I wouldn't usually go along with this level of sensual 80's sax, but you know what? It's working.
3.5 rounded down.
The Yardbirds
2/5
It's alright. It's fine, but entirely forgettable. It lacks any kind of bite.
2.5 rounded down.
Ash
4/5
I love Ash, they're genuinely one of my top 10 bands - and yet there's so many albums I haven't listened to all the way through. They're one of those bands that I've mostly only listened to on compilation albums. Maybe it's because their music is more about an overall feeling, and delivering a particular kind of hit. They're kind of specialists in that nostalgic, teenage fantasy realm, where it's always summer and there's possibility everywhere. When I want to feel good and rock out a bit I'll stick some Ash on and they'll always deliver. I don't need to go beyond the big hits and compilation songs, because they all rock and do exactly what they need to do.
Anyway it's a stupid reason. This is a really good album, and I definitely enjoyed it. I'm so happy Ash made it onto this 1001 list, as I've always thought they were a bit underrated and should have been bigger. I've seen them a bunch of times live and they've always delivered big. I remember seeing them play a tent at Reading festival, and some 'cool kids' at the back were sneering at me for jumping up and down when Kung Fu came on. Come on man, it's Kung Fu, it's an absolute jam! I went straight down the front, jumped about with those lot and had the time of my life.
Lots of brilliant songs on here. Some great melodies, choruses and riffs. Bits of the album fall off a little bit but overall it's another feel good treat.
De La Soul
3/5
Two albums in a row where I've mentioned seeing them at a festival. This one was Glastonbury festival on the pyramid stage. We were walking generally past. The weather was utterly abject. Dark clouds overhead and rain coming down. I decided to buy a pear cider. We take a look at the main stage, and who is coming on? De La Soul. At that moment, the clouds part, a ray of sunshine breaks out, and I'm standing there with a pear cider in my hand and a big grin on my face, watching some super happy fun-time music. It was magical.
Anyway, I like the upbeat energy of these guys, but most of the album isn't as good as the big hits. I guess we'll always have Glastonbury.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
I don't like jazz really, but this one was a real chill time. Way more accessible than most jazz albums, and there was some genuine foot tapping action going on for most of its runtime.
3.5 rounded down.
Aphex Twin
4/5
I like this kind of electronic ambient stuff. It can't exactly reach the highs of other albums in terms of impact and merit, but I really dig it.
Steely Dan
2/5
It's competent but really boring.
2.5 rounded down.
R.E.M.
3/5
As a broader fan of R.E.M I thought I would like this more, but the only songs really worth re-visiting for me are the ones I already know (It's The End Of The World As We Know It and The One I Love), which are obviously great.
Taylor Swift
4/5
There are some absolute bangers on here (Blank Space, Style, Shake It Off). The rest of the tracks are all very solid and catchy. She's a very gifted songwriter.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
There's some really accomplished songs on here. Lots of character and depth of feeling. The production is superb. It's not the kind of thing I'd put on usually, but I can't deny it's a really good album. That's why I'm going 3.5 rounded up.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
I like this. Good rhythms and beats, and it's pretty solid throughout.
3.5 rounded up.
Common
2/5
There's a few good tracks in here which are pretty funky, with good beats and production, and lots of variation in instruments and so on. There's not many though, and the runtime is too long. Most of the album for me doesn't work and isn't my thing.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
A bunch of my favourite bands have shoegaze elements to them, so I always find myself optimistically starting albums like this, before almost immediately realising that it's depressing, droney bullshit. It's so fucking miserable! Christ.
Turn that frown upside down guys! Go outside for a bit, sniff the fresh air.
Alice In Chains
3/5
It started off pretty good, but the further I got into it the more it dragged, and the more samey it felt. There's not really tons of variation across these songs. There's some nice guitars in places, but it was definitely way too much in one sitting.
2.5 rounded up
Talking Heads
3/5
It's way less obnoxious than the other album I heard from them. I don't like his voice and the manic way he sings a lot of them still, but a lot of the actual music I'm finding myself tapping my foot along to a fair bit. There's some good upbeat grooves in here that work for me, with nice guitar and drums in particular.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
Some of it is pleasant. There's some chilled tracks with nice violins and guitar. Some of it is kind of boring. In fact it's mostly boring. I'm not really into it.
2.5 rounded down.
Tortoise
3/5
I don't mind these kind of ambient, soft electronic albums. It's a very chill time for the most part, but it's never going to dazzle me.
Eagles
4/5
I've listened to this twice now, and I've come to the conclusion that it's really good. There's some great upbeat numbers, as well as some really nice ballads. It's pretty consistently quality throughout, and the instrumentation is on point. It's got a real easy listening vibe to it.
I'm going a solid 4/5.
But... you know, that's just, like, my opinion, man.
5/5
I know from this 1001 project that a lot of Bowie albums can be strange beasts, and be wildly inconsistent. It's great to see an album like this where he's just laying down perfectly crafted rock n roll / pop songs and nothing but.
I'd never heard this album before outside of 3-4 songs, but it's great. Obviously there's some massive hits, that are still as good as ever. Listening properly now I've come to appreciate new little details like all the layered vocals, and the really great guitar on Moonage Daydream for instance. I've also been introduced to other great tunes like Five Years, It Ain't Easy and Rock 'N' Roll Suicide.
It's a great overall package. Brilliant songs. Great production. This one is a HIT.
Dolly Parton
3/5
I mean, it's classic country music, so it's not going to be my thing. Dolly's a class act though. There's lots of personality in these songs, and they're nicely put together. This one is easy listening enough to work for me.
Arcade Fire
5/5
What a debut this is. There's so many big hits. Catchy hooks. Big choruses. I absolutely love all the layers of instruments, the violins in particular coming through, but also the dual vocals. It has a really big depth of sound and tons of energy to it.
Parts of this album are just absolutely joyous. After this album came out I saw them at Brixton Academy London, and seeing everyone on stage at the same time really was something, but having the whole crowd sing back the melody to Rebellion Lies minutes after the song had ended was something else. A great memory, and great collective experience.
This is a brilliant album.
The Louvin Brothers
1/5
Yee-haw.
Kanye West
1/5
It doesn't really sound like anything else I've ever heard, so I guess there's that? I do quite like some of the weird electronic noises throughout, but everything else that goes with it, rapping, lyrical content etc, is shit. I was going to give an extra star for production, but I realised I hated the content so much that I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Kanye West is a piece of shit, and a gay fish.
Dire Straits
3/5
It's nice enough, and it's not too offensive. There's some quite good songs in here, more so on the first half. There's some nice variation in music, instruments and so on. I'm not excited by any of it, but it's nice.
The second half all goes a bit slow and the length of the tracks start to wear on you a little bit more. Side note: It's a rubbish album cover, but I won't hold that against it.
A perfectly acceptable, middle of the road 3.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
This is funky as SHIT. Great production, flow and tunes. It's also misogynistic as shit.
The KLF
2/5
I don't hate it, but it's hideously dated, and generally kind of rubbish.
Fred Neil
4/5
This is a real nice, smooth, chilled album. I kind of like everything about this. The really nice guitar, the complex strumming and picking. I like his lower register vocals. I even like the harmonica, so that's saying something. Maybe because it sits nicely in the mix, and isn't brought obnoxiously up front.
The Byrds
3/5
It's nice and jangly, and whips along at a fair old pace. This just reminds me of Saturday mornings, my dad playing this album while cooking a bacon sandwich for everyone. Nostalgia!
The Who
3/5
I knew some hits on this already which I liked. Most of the album I thought was a bit of a let-down though. Maybe I was expecting more from its reputation, but there was plenty of 'meh' in here for me.
Beach House
3/5
It's nice enough. Chilled, inoffensive, and not too engaging.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
It's not that bad, it's just a bit disjointed.
4/5
It's quite a strange record, with unusual production and song construction, as well as some quite varied tracks. It is interesting though, I'll give it that. I'm kind of digging the vibe here and there's some good jams. It's definitely unique and doing it's own thing, which I respect.
3.5 rounded up.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I really like this. I love his voice. I like the chill, spacey keys. I like the ballads and I like it when he brings the funk. It's not as good as his absolute best (IMO: Songs in the Key of Life) but then that's a very high bar!
Otis Redding
4/5
What a reeeeal nice time.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
There's some good songs on here. I like how raw some of these are, with some really biting lyrics. It's mostly 'quite good' throughout the rest of it.
Spiritualized
3/5
It's alright. It's got a real laid back, shoe-gaze, spacey stoner kind of vibe, while channelling the likes of the Stone Roses and the Jesus and Mary Chain at times. It's nice enough for what it is, but nothing leaps out and excites me about this.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
Hell yeah, lo-fi, trip-hop style beats. Good ethereal singing, good instrumentation. And now he's rapping... and now some drum n bass. I'm really on-board with this first half or so.
It definitely falls off in the second half and that brings the score down unfortunately, but I'm still on board overall. I get that people are annoyed by some of these tracks, but slightly bewildered by the barrage of 1 star reviews.
3.5 rounded down
Radiohead
2/5
This is a bit of a mixed bag for me. There's some absolute gems in here like Pyramid Song, but then it has some absolute bullshit in there too. Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors I can't figure out if it's them being pretentious or if they're actively taking the piss. It doesn't have the cohesiveness and grandeur of Kid A, and plenty of the album is just a bit miserable and flat.
2.5 rounded down.
The Doors
3/5
It's way upbeat this album. Lots of driving songs with interesting guitar and cool keys. It dies down a bit towards the end.
3.5 rounded down.
Eagles
3/5
I liked the last Eagles album more. This one is a bit too Country for my liking, and some of the rock n roll numbers feel a bit more generic.
That said, it's well made and I'm still pretty down with it. Good production, some nice guitars, good backup vocals, and a number of the upbeat songs I really dig.
Muddy Waters
3/5
It's perfectly nice blues. Competent, really lively at times, easy listening, not massively varied. I had a nice enough time with it.
Beck
5/5
Beck is such a unique artist. I love how he can just let loose on an album like this and do SO many things while still having a cohesiveness.
This album is funky, it's weird, it's accomplished, it's zany, it's engaging. How does he manage to blend so many genres so seamlessly? Something like Hotwax is a perfect encapsulation of this, mixing up country, rap, electronica, all sorts - and making them work together.
Lots of great (multi) instrumental work here, sax, drums, guitar, organ keys, harmonica and more. So much creativity on display. It's great.
4.5 rounded up
Ps: Shout out to the awesome album cover
Pps: Odelay IS a word. Just look it up in the Becktionary.
The Kinks
4/5
I love the Kinks. Their songs are so interesting and have so much personality. Most of these are all little, self-contained stories which I really like. There's a lot of great songs in here, including some all-timers. Waterloo Sunset on its own is one of the greatest songs of all time.
As I said on the last review, the song-writing and compositions are really diverse, and they do lots of different things sonically here too.
Overall, it's a really good album, but not a great one for me, despite some brilliant songs. There's just too many so-so songs in-between which bring the score down.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
It's too wanky and floaty for me. I don't like the singing or the approach. All too comfortable and soft and harmless, and painfully earnest.
It's so long man, and so utterly dull. Such a slog.
Underworld
3/5
It's alright. It's quite nice and chill and lo-fi.
Germs
2/5
Really chaotic and noisy, as expected. I'm sure punks would enjoy it way more, but it's not for me.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
I'm absolutely baffled by the deluge of upvoted 1 star reviews here. This is pretty nice you know. It's got a good energy to much of it and has some nice bopping tunes. Some of the songs are a bit droney and repetitive and those I like less.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I love the driving energy of this album. It has a kind of innate coolness to it. The only thing is there's not tons of variation, and a bunch of the songs sound quite similar. It's a good listen though.
Depeche Mode
2/5
I know it's cool to like Depeche Mode, but I don't get it. I do quite like the moodiness that sits underneath a lot of this, and the almost gothic, dramatic instrumentation on some of the songs, but it's an issue when everything else is kind of droney and flat and boring.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
I had to re-write my thoughts on this, because I initially found a lot of it incredibly boring. However about half way through I thought it picked up a lot more and I was way more on-board with it. I went back and re-listened a bunch of times and actually it grew on me much more and I was able to appreciate it. There are some lovely songs in here as it turns out.
3.5 rounded down.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Weird and floaty and annoying and boring.
The Charlatans
3/5
I usually shake my head when I see a lot of American reviews of classic Brit Pop albums. "Ugh, not another BRITISH band, they're so shit and overrated". While that opinion is usually stupid and wrong (!) I think this is the first time I'm actually kind of agreeing with them. While I don't think they're shit, I don't see anything in this that makes it stand out from the pack. It feels entirely generic and done better elsewhere. Other bands of the time had better riffs and better ideas. Even the annoying, whiny singing voice has been done better elsewhere.
I'm going 3/5 because it's decent enough, but in no way does it stand among any of those other great break-out 90's Brit-pop bands.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
This is their "most accessible album"!
Maybe this review is influenced somewhat by the fact that I've been doing this whole project while I work during the week - and this music is fucking TERRIBLE for working along to - but I'd like to think that even if I had my headphones in, sitting in a quiet space and really honing in on this, I'd still think it was bloated gibberish. I like SOME of the melodic bits within it, and I like the badass sounding guitars. The genre's just not for me. I need structure! I can't handle how aggressive and frenetic this is. It's just a bunch of stupid noise.
David Bowie
4/5
It's a really nice album. It's pretty solidly listenable and interesting throughout, and I like a lot of the songs. It feels imbued with real emotion, particularly in his vocals. I really love Where Are We Now? It's such a sad song.
3.5 rounded up.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
Unfortunately, this album is underwhelming. Some of the other reviews had this spot on, saying it's a bit of a tease and seems to promise something, but then ultimately fails to deliver. It's quite stripped back and restrained and doesn't deliver on the bigger grooves. Strawberry Letter 23 is a clear standout.
2.5 rounded up.
Yes
3/5
The first track is supposed to be the best by far, and I didn't like it. What does that mean for the next 50 minutes? Oh no...
I mean... hang on... it's not that bad. I kind of prefer some of the other tracks to the opener. It's not really my thing, but it's not bad. It passed by well enough. Plenty of wanky instrument noodling, but it doesn't come across as completely obnoxious, and there are some nice instrumental bits in there.
I deem that this album is "OK".
Mylo
4/5
Yeah baby. This is definitely my jam. I prefer the more down-tempo tracks, but the rest are still a nice upbeat happy time. I'd never heard of this before, but I think it'll enter the rotation given how easy-listening it is.
3.5 rounded up.
Sisters Of Mercy
4/5
There's something about this. It's very atmospheric. It exudes a lot of cool. The album cover is cool as fuck. It's quite repetitive within the rhythms and construction of the individual songs - but somehow that works in it's favour. It's really interesting and unique in that respect, maybe because it has such a consistent mood and vision.
I like the driving beats on some of the songs. I want to hit up a goth club, stare at the floor and kind of generally flail about a bit while looking desolate. Outside of the goth club where I won't be judged, there's plenty of toe-tapping going on.
3.5 rounded up.
Depeche Mode
3/5
As I said with their last album, I quite like the dark moodiness that sits across this, and I like some of the dramatic instrumentation. I way preferred this one to 'Music for the Masses', but it still doesn't quite hit 100% for me, and isn't something I gravitate towards in general. It IS slow and brooding, but not in a way that works for me.
Enjoy the Silence is a great song, but even so it's still not really a song I would actively seek out or bop to.
Magazine
3/5
It's nice to discover a band like this that I knew literally nothing about beforehand. Nearly every single 'post punk' album on here I've actively disliked, but this one hits for sure. It's actually cohesive, and the kind of post-punk mania generally works in its favour.
I definitely really like the music on here, across the whole album. I like all the different instruments. I like the weird sci-fi synths in particular. I like the energy and drive of the music itself. I'm not a fan of the singing though.
Shot By Both Sides is great. Really nice driving rhythms and guitar in there.
3.5 rounded down.
Tom Waits
2/5
This is such a hard album to properly review, because it swings so violently between dark, sombre, interesting ballads, and just utterly weird, maniacal shit. And then I need to consider how much I respect and appreciate him doing something interesting and unique, with a real particular voice, against how much I actually enjoy the album.
So... I really like the ballads. They're quite affecting, and dark and brooding. I don't like his voice in general, but it does work on these tracks. The rest of the album brings it way down, because it's just nonsense and complete shit.
2.5 rounded down. I have spoken!
The Shamen
3/5
The opening track sounds SO dated. The drum machine in particular roots it firmly in that specific early 90's era, and to me it just makes it sound really hollow and superficial. I was fully expecting to give up about half way through this with a verdict, but to its credit it did pick up and there were some nice tracks in there. I don't know if this is a positive or not, but it drifted into the background really easily, so there's... that?
2.5 rounded up.
Justice
2/5
I thought I would like this way more. I was expecting a super happy uplifting electro time, and to be honest I found a lot of it quite weird and discordant. It's mostly a miss for me and I won't be re-visiting it. There weren't even really any standout bangers. Really disappointing.
2.5 rounded down.
R.E.M.
4/5
It's an overall really nice album, with some great hits in there. It's strange, but when you're actively listening to an album you notice so much more. I wasn't too aware before just how much organ was on some of these songs. I also like the jangly guitars and the violins. There's some standout songs in here. Everybody Hurts has to take it though, it's such a beautiful song, my god. My favourite songs are generally the ones I already knew, but 'Find the River' is a lovely end to the album. Great stuff.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
This album is great – what a brilliant find!
The opening track is funky as FUCK. That trumpet! Those keys! The second track is on, “Rip This Joint, and there’s that SAX. This is the first time in this whole process I’ve ever exclaimed out loud while listening to a song, made a hand movement to indicate “Yeah boy this is sick!” and then immediately CRANKED the volume. It makes me want to jump on a dancefloor and spin a pretty dame all about the place.
It was so explosive at the start, to the point that I was really, really loving it. So I was slightly disappointed when it came down in terms of that energy afterwards, but the rest of the songs are still really accomplished. They cover a lot of styles, and do them all really, really well.
The actual musicality on display is so impressive, and probably the thing that stands out the most for me. I love the huge range of instruments all played perfectly, the variance in styles, the soul backing singers. The keys. The brass! When it all comes together it’s exquisite. There’s some monster tracks in here.
It is strange how they’re a British band, but this is so massively inspired by American Blues and Soul. They do it so well though. They’re the real deal.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
It's relatively pleasant, but the mix is muddy and a lot of the instruments sound flat. I feel like the music would be way better if it was a bit more dynamic in the mix. More guitar and drums, and take the organ back. 'Are You Happy' has got some great rocking moments. And this is the moment I realise that the title track was used famously in the Simpsons, hah! This has been said, but it's got a real Doors-y vibe at times. A way-overlong track with plenty of filler, but also some great jams.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
The opening track is a slog man. I mean, it's going for a particular scene and I get that, but it's not for me. Then you have a cringey spoken work poem about religion, subsequently added to music. Some of the songs in the middle did pick up a bit and my foot DID tap at times, but so much of it is just rubbish.
I had to look this up, and found out that John Lydon was still very young when he made this. Which gives him more of a pass I guess, but it still feels completely juvenile.
Fela Kuti
3/5
This is very accomplished, and musically it's very good. It suffers (in my opinion) in the same way that a lot of these long-form jazz / jam type sessions do, in that the tracks end up feeling very repetitive. I wish they were much shorter and with more structure, because the music itself is good. There's some real nice jams in there.
Hot Chip
3/5
It's a pretty solid, upbeat and bouncy album, but it doesn't ever reach beyond that. There's some good tracks in here, but nothing particularly standout. It's just generally a good time.
Ute Lemper
3/5
Overall, I quite like this. At it's best it's theatrical and very dramatic. Lots of people are hating on this, but I'd way rather listen to something like this than some insipid, safe pop album. This one at least swings for the fences a little bit and is doing something interesting. Funnily enough, the tracks I like the least are where other artists are involved that I'm not particularly a fan of.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
It's quite groovy. I like the jangly 60's bluesy / rock n roll guitars, and I like some of the weirdness and experimentation.
Joanna Newsom
1/5
Opening the first track and playing the first 5 seconds... *extreme wince face*... Oh man, this is going to be an experience.
Her singing voice is really bad. Like, really bad. And not just her voice, but the performance of it. It's like she's role-playing a crone from Macbeth at times, and other times as some kind of woodland nymph, caught up in a state of perpetual wonder at the natural world. The music around her is all dis-jointed and awkward. She occasionally juts in with this extreme shrill tone, and it would always make me jolt back in an alarmed manner.
I might actually quite dig some of the music if it wasn't accompanied by such an awful performance. But let's be honest, most of it sounds like cringey, medieval minstrel music, with artsy-fartsy poetic lyrics that are WAY too earnest.
I don't just dislike this, it makes me really annoyed. Awful.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
The first track was ok, just the right side of wanky, but it leeeaped way over that line coming into track 2. Track 3 doesn't show any sign of stepping back. This guy singing is annoying me enough just listening to him, I have no idea what I'd feel if I saw them live. It's just so pretentious and pleased with itself, but the content is so bad. "Stillness is the Move" has something about it. See, this is a bit more cohesive and works for that reason. I seem to have inadvertently done a 'track by track' review again, so may as well continue. Track 5, "Two Doves", what have you got? Ehhh.. it's quite nice. I like the violins as usual. If I heard this track in isolation I might be more dismissive, but maybe on the back of the poorer tracks, something like this stands out a bit more. Track 6... Ooh I like the weird synths, but oh wait, this stupid bloke is breathing sensitively over the top again. He's starting to really wind me up. They're being all weird with the music now, seemingly just for weirds sake. Good job! I do like these mad guitars rounding out the song though. "No Intention" is a more palatable track, but nothing special. Track 8, mmmm, a delicious cup of weird indie wank, delicious. God they must be so pleased with themselves. Nearly done, track 9! Oh whoops, I completely tuned out and didn't really pay attention, I only really caught the end. Erm, let's just say that it was probably 'ok at best'.
Overall grade: 2/5, "Mostly Bad"
Thelonious Monk
3/5
I'm reading the novel Erasure at the moment with the main character Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison, and this is the point where I realise why he has his nickname.
To the music... it's ok. It's not particularly special. It sounds kind of generic, and doesn't appear (to me) to be doing anything that interesting or different. It just kind of plods along. It's pretty harmless in itself, and easy enough to listen to, which is about all I can say for it.
2.5 rounded up.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I really love Lana Del Rey's earlier albums, so it's such a shame not to have the chance to properly review them as part of this process. Her debut album in particular is superb, including the EP that goes along with it. There's so many big songs in there, and lots of different producers bringing different vibes to the table, while still keeping it a consistent whole. I started to fall out of love a little bit after so many albums, as they veered away from what I thought was more varied, interesting music, into more one-note 'sad jazz singer' territory only. Whenever I see a new LDR track drop, I strongly suspect it to be along those lines, and it almost always is, much to my disappointment.
Which brings us to this album..
Right off the bat with the first tracks it's clear that the above holds. It feels way more one-note, with her floaty, whispery vocals not really changing all that much, or the feeling of the songs really changing that much at all. I still like her vibe, and if I didn't have this comparison I'm sure I would be way more up on this. There's definitely moments where the music is quite affecting and her talent shines through. Despite what I said, I do like the sad singer vibe, it's just that I feel like so much of this has been well-trodden by her before, and too much of the album passes by without grabbing the attention as much as it should.
Parts of it are very good, and there ARE some different sounding tracks in there, but overall I have to mark it down. We're talking 3.5 rounded down, so still a recommendation overall I guess. But it's not an album I'll revisit very often, if at all.
The best thing about this was having the opportunity here to say that I think Born to Die and Ultraviolence are both stunning, 5 star records.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
This is a really impressive album. I groaned when I saw it was a double album, and realising I rated his other album 2/5, but this flew by pretty quickly. There's a real consistency across the whole album, with no real dip in quality. There's plenty of variation too, from soft ballads, to more upbeat rocky numbers, to more soulful ones, and weirder interludes. He makes it all work together. There's an impressive amount of instruments across this, that he apparently all played himself, and does so excellently.
Roxy Music
3/5
It's quite unusual in many ways, but has a nice vibe about it. A lot of the tracks are quite joyous and fun, and make for a good listen. Virginia Plain is a real tune. I don't really do karaoke, but that would make a great go-to karaoke hit, due to all the theatrical warbling. I've been known to tackle it in the shower on more than one occasion.
3/5
This is better than I was expecting based on the reviews and commentary. It is 80's, but it doesn't have the hollow production that a lot of other 80's albums suffer from. There's driving, funky bass, and lots of interesting instrumentation with strings and brass. The songs are dramatic. It's got plenty of catchy grooves and a lot of energy. It's still not really my thing, but I can see why it has it's place in this list.
Big Star
3/5
There's seemingly lots of big fans on here. Either I don't get it, or maybe it's a cultural thing, or perhaps it plays hard into nostalgia for some?
For me it's just quite easy-going, generic rock 'n' roll. Heavy emphasis on 'generic'. I mean, it's fine. The first half was better. There's some Led-Zep sounding moments, just without the Led-Zep ooomph. And there's some nice enough ballads that aren't offensive. The second half, slower acoustic stuff, again, is nice enough to listen to, but it's all a bit bland and ponderous.
A generous 3 out of 5
Björk
4/5
This is definitely a whole-album experience. It's weird and wonderful in places. It's very atmospheric. There's not really any hooks or strong melodies, but it's not about that. It's all about the overall. There's definitely moments where it tested me a bit, where it was just a bit much, a bit too formless. Overall I think it works. It's layered and atmospheric, and doing its own thing, which can only be commended.
3.5 rounded up.
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
This is pretty solid throughout. The production and beats are excellent. It's quite a chill time, and I like the flow of it.
3.5 rounded up.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
I have an unbroken record of giving Springsteen records 2/5 stars, so to say I wasn't exactly optimistic about this is an understatement.
I started out tolerating this one, genuinely, but it didn't take long to start to grate. I don't like his voice. I don't like his vibe. And if we can banish the fucking harmonica to the annals of history then I'd actually be delighted.
I'm sure he's a lovely bloke, but I don't want to listen to anymore of his music. I get the idea.
You guessed it... 2/5
The B-52's
4/5
This album is a lot of fun. It's just a total bop from start to finish, and my foot was in a constant state of tapping. I like the groovy beats. I like the attitude. It's refreshing. This album will be making an appearance at some summer barbecues this year for sure.
2/5
Ehhh... it's just a bit weird innit? I don't really get on with this kind of random, post-punk style. It's all a bit haphazard, and lacking real substance. Gut Feeling makes me nostalgic for 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' but that's about it.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
It's alright. I knew quite a lot of tracks already, and some of them are a good upbeat time, but I was expecting to like this more. It's just ok. The Comfortably Numb cover surprisingly isn't all that obnoxious, and kind of works. The best thing about this album is the album cover.
Fever Ray
4/5
It's a dark, interesting album. I'm glad this kind of stuff is out there, as it's so different. Plenty of atmosphere and mood. The music and vocals are quite effective.
3.5 rounded up.
Sugar
3/5
It's all a bit generic alternative rock. I can't say there was much that jumped out and got me excited. The odd track has a bit more about it, but most of it just completely passed me by.
2.5 rounded up.
Nirvana
5/5
I mean, fucking hell, kicking straight off with Smells Like Teen Spirit, it can only go downhill from there... right?
Wrong! Because In Bloom kicks in and veritably smacks you round the chops with that great, fat riff and those big, big drums. And it's another banger. Followed by another, and another. The flow of this album is so good. You have a lot of big hitters merging into more laid back tracks. You've got songs you can lose yourself in and belt out at the top of your lungs, like Lithium - YeeeeEEEeeeeaaaAAH! And just when you think it's taken a step back with something like Polly, Territorial Pissings comes in and smacks you about the face once again.
How much fat is on this album? Very little. How many absolute bangers are lined up in a row? A lot. It's got so much energy to it. It (still) feels so vital. This truly is an album of a generation, and it's SO good.
Skunk Anansie
4/5
It's a really good album, with plenty of great songs. I like how they're not afraid to go really big with it at times, with driving guitars and drums, orchestral surges, great big power vocals... they also have plenty of softer moments with sweeter vocals. Some of the music is sublime, notably on tracks like Secretly or You'll Follow Me Down.
It's slightly surprising that this album of theirs would make the list as there's none of their big hits in here, but this one does play well as a whole album experience.
The Beta Band
3/5
It's quite nice. It doesn't have a lot of bite to it, but there is some interesting and varied music, with lots of different instruments. There's some nice soundscapes and general production.
Stan Getz
4/5
It's a real smooth, chill time, sitting nicely in the background. The sax is soft as butter, and I like the nuanced guitar in there. It is what it is.
3.5 rounded up.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It's full of quality as you'd expect and well put together, but it doesn't have a lot of stand-out tracks. A number of the tracks I wasn't particularly taken with, especially those that lean towards country.
3.5 rounded down.
Ice Cube
3/5
It's not massively my thing, but there's some good upbeat tracks in here that I like, bringing a little bit of funk. It's not on the level of some other hip hop albums I've listened to on this project, and the beats don't deliver as those other albums do. Some of this sounds like it's still carrying over some of the influence and style of the 80's. It's ok, just ok.
2.5 rounded up.
David Ackles
1/5
This really isn't for me. He gets credit for some of the music, or perhaps the ambition of some of the music, but I find the whole thing really annoying. The conversational delivery of the singing winds me up, and the more dramatic moments are weird and disjointed. And I wrote the above BEFORE he laid down the overt Jesus track. Maybe this didn't find it's audience because it's simply shit.
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
So much of this album is really slow and laboured, and there's nowhere near enough oomph. I don't like his vocals or singing style at all. It's so high pitched and floaty. There's a few tracks with a bit more about them, including the likes of 'So in Love'. The last few tracks also pick up a bit. Mostly though, no thank you.
R.E.M.
3/5
This feels like lower-tier REM for me. They've got the nice jangly guitars and rhythms, and the usual backing 'ooh' vocals. It's all perfectly nice, it just feels a bit bland and samey to me.
George Michael
3/5
It's not really my thing, but I can appreciate it well enough. The content and lyrics are pretty weird, and it does sound quite 80's, but he's got a great voice and it's produced and put together well enough. I like 'Kissing a Fool' the most as it was nice and chilled.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
5/5
I really like this. I love how soft and melancholy it is. It's stripped back, yet still has a lot of depth. It's such a shame I had to listen on YouTube with all the advert interruptions, because it's a real mood from start to finish. I love his soulful singing. The artwork just tops it off. Great find!
I've uhmmed and ahhed on this all day, but the fact that I've listened to this album like 5 times already tells you all you need to know. I have to go big on the rating. They're rare, and few and far between, but this is what we all want right? Completely new musical discoveries that really take you and capture your imagination. Great stuff.
Gotan Project
4/5
I feel like I've definitely heard of some of this before, on some kind of chill mix playlist. I love this kind of down-tempo vibe, and it's very much in my wheelhouse. In terms of the music and quality, it's consistent throughout, and I enjoyed all of it. In terms of where this sits for me in terms of music and albums in general though? I don't think I would ever specifically think of this band in particular, or remember them... I would save this and come to it occasionally when looking for a particular chill mood. And that's just fine!
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
It's a bit up and down really, and quite a mish-mash. The opening few tunes are funky as shit and a real good time, and then the next few definitely fall off and are a bit weird and dated. Then there's a strange ode to Stevie Wonder, a bit of a soulful ballad.. and obviously The Message, which is back to being upbeat and funky. It's a bit inconsistent, but I had a good time.
Animal Collective
1/5
Jesus, when the first song kicks in... grimace. This is way too much. I fully expected this to be released in like 2020 something, as it feels like the kind of music I'm too old and out of touch to understand. I mean, I definitely am too old, the album cover alone is giving me a headache. But the music just doesn't make sense to me. I don't think it's clever to have random noises and time-signatures that make it feel completely disjointed. I don't understand it. I just don't understand!
I want to round this up to 2 just so I don't have to look at this stupid album cover again on my user summary page, but I'm just too much of a professional dammit.
Bauhaus
3/5
This isn't too bad you know. I like the driving rhythms, and a lot of it is quite upbeat.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
The fuck is this shit? It's not making any kind of statement, so it doesn't even feel like an art piece. It's just a bunch of stupid unfunny skits and noises that they've released and called an album. It's like the secret track you find at the end of a normal album where they're just messing about with a personal in-joke or two, only, you know, doing that for the whole thing. This is utterly embarrassing and they should all be ashamed of themselves.
Ramones
4/5
Straight into Blitzkrieg Bop and we're OFF, pedal to the metal! Yes, the songs are incredibly similar, they mostly share the same three chords, and are all very short and chanty. But for the most part it's a good, head bopping time. It gets in, does it's thing, and gets out. And it's kind of great for it.
3.5 rounded up.
Adam & The Ants
4/5
It's got a bit of attitude to it, this. I like how this embraces the weird, and how it doesn't really sound like anything else. Some nice grooves and a lot of fun.
3.5 rounded up.
The Undertones
3/5
This is definitely pushing for one of the worst album covers on here. Thankfully the music is better, and it's an upbeat, pop-punk good time.
Ministry
3/5
It's not too bad. It's quite murky and a lot of it is just too noisy. But there's some driving rhythms in there and I'm down with some of it. It's not one I'll return to by any stretch.
Oasis
4/5
This is really good. There's tons of great songs with catchy hooks. It's also really rocking in places, which I hadn't necessarily always attributed to Oasis. I think I'm overcoming my Oasis prejudice and coming to realise that they really did deserve to be as big as they were. They're still not a go-to band for me, but I do really appreciate the quality here.
4.5 rounded down.
Adele
2/5
It's 'powerful vocals' pop ballads, but powerful vocals alone don't make for interesting music. And powerful vocals doesn't even mean that they're more impactful or emotional. If you compared Adele to someone like Aimee Mann, her music and singing style conveys so much more emotion and depth of feeling. There's a sheen to this that detracts way more than it adds in my opinion. It feels like a perfectly polished piece of commercial pop property, designed to appeal to the masses. I just found it all a bit boring.
Steely Dan
3/5
This feels better than the previous albums of theirs I've had. It's pretty easy-going and well put-together. It started out better and slowly got more boring, but... it's nice enough I guess.
Parliament
3/5
I thought I would like this more than I did. I like the music and the vibe for the most part, but I wasn't as tuned into it as I thought I might be. It feels somewhat repetitive at times. Overall though I had a pretty good time.
3.5 rounded down.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
1/5
This is so profoundly boring and nothing. I wish my musical tastes knew no boundaries, but they do, and this isn't for me at all.
TLC
3/5
This is an overall groovy time, and legitimately sexy, I'm impressed. It's not really the kind of thing I would listen to, but I enjoyed this, and Waterfalls is SUCH a tune.
3.5 rounded down.
The White Stripes
3/5
Overall good. I like the rawness of this record, and I'm always down for some Jack White guitar. There's some big hitting songs in here, and I like some of the softer songs too like "We're going to be friends". There's a bit of bloat in there, and it doesn't all hit for me.
The Stooges
3/5
It's a bit of a mixed bag for me. I like the weird fuzzy spacey guitars, and I like the rawness of it. Some songs are excellent. Others are a bit murky and more meandering. It's a pretty good album overall. I mean, cam' ahwn!
Silver Jews
2/5
I quite like a good, sad album. You can really descend into a quiet, contemplative mood and let the music take you. This sad-sack approach on the other hand is really boring and irritating. His voice is so droney and half-arsed. It sounds like he's chronically depressed, and singing all the songs while sunk deep into the sofa (presumably the one on the cover). He's dragged me down to his level and left me feeling a lot worse for it. Thanks for that mate.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
It's not good. It's so dated, and there's not really anything to it at all. Every song is so samey, with incredibly basic beats and rhymes over the top. I found the whole thing really boring.
1.5 rounded up.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
A loud audible groan when I saw this pop up, but this is WAY better than I was expecting. This is some FUNKY shit. I am way digging these bongos (just as well really) and some of these covers (like Apache) are BAD ASS.
I thought I would finally answer the question of "how many bongos is too many bongos?", but you know what? I haven't. We need more bongos if anything. More. Bongos.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
It's weird, and oppressive, and murky, and very noisy. I'm not really sure what they're going for here. There's not really that many succinct, actual songs. It all kind of bleeds into one loud mess. Weird.
Kate Bush
3/5
This isn't really my thing, but I do respect it. It's interesting at least. I really like the moodier elements, and some of the more grandiose moments. So much is forgettable for me though, and it mostly wafts along in the background, with a lot of songs blending into each other.
Faith No More
4/5
It's really good man. I have no idea why I hadn't properly dug into Faith No More before beyond a very surface level. I like Mike Patton's voice, I like the heavy driving riffs, and I like their style. It sounds super fresh given it came out at the tail end of the 80's. Rock \m/
Ravi Shankar
1/5
I appreciate the skill, but I don't like it at all. I wish there was an option to have gifs in your reviews, because this could so much more easily be summed up by a single funny gif of a bored and frustrated looking dog or something. Maybe a dramatic eye-roll from a small child, wise beyond their years. Or maybe I could just include a static image of me lying down flat on the pavement, looking utterly defeated.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
I found a lot of this to be real nice. My kind of jazz. Super chilled and laid back, down-tempo, lo-fi. A bit moody, with some real atmosphere to it. Nice elegant keys and gentle backing bass.
I'm not as much of a fan when it introduces more of a chaotic element in some songs, maybe more 'traditional jazz'? Drums in weird time signatures and the like.
Overall, it was an enjoyable relaxing time while working.
3.5 rounded down.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I've had a lot of Bob Dylan albums now, but I'm pleased to say this is on the higher-end of the scale. I don't really like his warbly voice, and I'd still rather he wasn't always defaulting to his harmonica all the time, but the song-writing is undoubtedly good and there's some jams in here. It's got a real nice vibey upbeat feel to it for the most part.
3.5 rounded up.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
For FUCKS sake, I've only just had these guys and it was one of the worst albums I'd ever heard in my life. And now you're subjecting me to another whole hour of them? Why on earth have they got two albums on here?
Once again they seem to think they're really funny, but they're just annoying. There's clearly some skill there, so it'd be nice to hear an actual serious album from them to see what they really have. Some songs have some promise to them, before they're inevitably ruined by some stupid interjection or undercurrent. Overall this is definitely better than the other album I had, but it's still SHIT. I hate them and everything about them.
1.5 rounded up.
Merle Haggard
2/5
I mean, his voice is nice enough, but dear lordy... yaaaawn.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
I like how big and bold and varied this is. There's lots of layers of instruments, different styles being thrown around, theatrical elements, lots of pomp and sass. I like that something like this exists. It's quite confidently out there without being obnoxious, which (after listening to a lot of other albums in this list) I know can be a tricky thing to pull off.
3.5 rounded down.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
The absolute best thing about this for me is the consistency and flow of it. One of those albums that drops little notes and flavours that follow-through to the rest of the album and make it work well as an individual piece of work, with a consistent mood.
On paper this isn't for me, but actually I'm down with it. There's some great tracks in here, solid instrumentation, some good covers, and he has a great voice to boot. And it has actual atmosphere that carries through like I said, with layers of sound. Quite the surprise as I was expecting this to be not for me at all.
3.5 rounded up.
Pentangle
2/5
I really don't like this at all. It's way too twee, earnest and, frankly, boring.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
This is a perfectly nice, jangly 60's record. Lots of nice upbeat songs, with some good variation in music and instruments.
3.5 rounded down.
Fishbone
4/5
They way this album mixes so many genres together while keeping a consistent whole is genuinely impressive. There’s rock, ska, punk, funk, soul and reggae all working together, but it also has a lingering sense of the 80’s about it. I don’t think there’s any real dips in form across the whole album. It’s really accomplished.
The Icarus Line
3/5
I was way more up on this at the start of the album, but over time it started to drag a lot more and began to feel more repetitive and samey. It’s nowhere near as noisy and discordant as people are saying. I thought I was in for an ear-splitting time, but it’s just quite competent grungey / garage rock. It’s ok. There’s enough here that works.
Roxy Music
3/5
I’m not quite sure what to make of this. It’s a pretty nice listen overall. A little strange. Much like their other album I had I guess. It’s not going to be a re-visit, but I’m glad I spent the time with it, and got to get a better feel for the band.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
It's very pleasant for the most part, with some nice technical guitar.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
This is kind of middling for me. It’s easy-listening enough but I’m not excited by it.
Brian Eno
2/5
I like a bit of ambient / chill background when I’m working, but this was barely there. I may as well have been listening to rainfall. It’s a bad album to judge because the music is literally designed to be ignored. However, when I actually did focus on it, I found it boring. If you stick this on while giving me a massage, then fine, but other than that I won’t be listening again.
Tina Turner
2/5
I’m not a fan of this one. Firstly, it can’t escape all the 80’s trappings, which make it sound incredibly dated. I really don’t like the idea of ‘vocals above all else’ either, which probably applies to a number of tracks here. Her cover of Let’s Stay Together is probably the perfect example of the fusion of these two things. The original is this incredibly soulful ballad, and here it’s turned into some kind of grotesque parody. She belts the whole thing out and in doing so strips out all depth of feeling from it, and it’s so abundantly worse for it. This may be sacrilegious to some, but I don’t even particularly like her vocals. I much preferred the upbeat campy tracks, that had a bit of flavour of Meatloaf. I had way more fun with those.
Stan Getz
3/5
It's a lovely, chilled time. I like the vocals, I like the instruments, it's just all very pleasant and smooth. Is it a bit limited? Possibly. But it is what it is, and it's very nice.
3.5 rounded down.
Grateful Dead
2/5
When I hear the jams on this, I just instinctively picture a whole crowd of white middle-aged dudes, watching on and nodding slowly while stroking their massive beards. I guess this was the 60’s, so I need to slightly re-calibrate and make the crowd a bit more hippy-ish, but it’s the same thing.
There’s an enormous amount of noodling here though. Is this what this band is all about? The first track is 23 minutes of gratuitous, over-indulgent wanking on guitars. I can’t imagine how boring that would have been to watch live, and with the first track! Christ.
When the band do kick in and sing, it’s really muddy sounding. And boring. And repetitive. ‘Turn on Your Love Light’ was a slog and a half.
I do actually like some of the music, and some of the jams. I think they have some skill, despite what a bunch of other prominent reviews here say. When they kick in with that nice solo guitar and electric organ I’m all for it. But you’re talking a few sprinkles in amongst a massive bloated whole.
Not that impressed with this one.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
The Velvet Underground are properly arty and weird, particularly on this album, but I do dig it. I’m tuned into the energy of it, even when it's chucking out frenetic drums at you and weird screeching guitars. Or a whole short story set to a grungy jam track.
I know songs like “I Heard Her Call My Name” are obnoxious and noisy, but something about it works for me still. I'm still tapping my foot a good deal. The last track is a jam, until it does actually get a bit much.
I like this, and I like their style, man.
3.5 rounded up.
Leftfield
4/5
I’ve been aware of this record for most of my life, but I’m only just realising now that I’ve never actually heard any of it before. I assumed it was straight down the middle house music, but this has a lot of interesting layers and moods within it, and a real ebb and flow between the tracks.
This is exactly my kind of jam as it turns out. I like the overall mood of the thing, but more importantly it still kicks some arse when the beat kicks in.
Fiona Apple
3/5
It's quite quirky in the composition and delivery, with a lot more experimentation compared to her earlier stuff. It's not bad.. a good number of songs are really nicely put together musically and have something about them. There ARE some good songs in here, but I'm not feeling the overall vibe, or I'm just not tuned into the energy of it enough. I did find myself liking it more and more as it went on though, so maybe it's a grower.
3.5 rounded down.
Missy Elliott
3/5
This isn't really my thing, but it's not too bad. I like the production in general, and there's some good flowing, vibey songs in here. It's more chill than I thought it might be, and more singing than rapping which I didn't expect. It was quite listenable.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
I thought I might like this more. I was quite aware of 'Mechanical Animals' which has got a lot of great tracks on, but this one is messier and noisier, with an emphasis on messier. There's still elements that I like here. I like how some of the tracks flow together. I like the big fat guitars which crop up in places, and I like the clear Trent Reznor influence with the industrial background vibes.
The problem is that there's nowhere near enough standout tracks, particularly as there's 17 to choose from. It's a big messy mix that all bleeds together. And for something so noisy, you wouldn't expect it to be this boring. Really disappointing.
King Crimson
3/5
I may seem to have a bit of a beef with King Crimson. At time of writing, my review for Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the top rated one, where I essentially rip into prog, call the whole thing shit and accuse them of just mucking about. I was CORRECT.
However, I'm delighted to say that this album is much better! Not the first track, which is all a bit weird and frantic, but the rest demonstrates some actual musical skill and even nuance, which was crucially missing from that other album. Parts of it are very listenable, varying from softer ballad tracks, and balancing those with bigger, more vibrant moments.
Over the course of this project I've come to soften on prog as a whole, understanding that it's only certain parts of it that really grate with me. There's still elements of them pissing about and making random noises here, and I'd point to that as evidence that they still think they're more clever than they are (hello most of 'Moonchild'). But you can hear the more expansive bits coming in, and clearly laying some kind of template and influence for bands to come.
A mixed bag. I actually enjoyed bits of this, and King Crimson can now come (a little way) out of musical jail.
Haircut 100
4/5
I'd never even heard of these guys before, which is strange because this is good. It's new wave, but way funkier and way more more upbeat, with some great driving basslines, percussion and sax. I had a nice time with this.
3.5 rounded up.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Am I done with him yet? Am I done? What is this now, like 5 albums...? They're all shit. All of them. I do understand why people like him. I'm sure they can tune into his dad-rock, gentle fist-pump slice of Americana. For me, it makes my whole body slump in boredom. I seriously don't like his voice. It sounds like he's smoked way, waaaay too much weed and he's trying to drag himself off the floor and sing at the same time. The music, everything, it's just mediocre across the board. The most consistently 2/5 artist of all time.
Morrissey
4/5
This is an overall good album. A lot of the songs are quite catchy and approachable. A number of tracks do tend to descend into generic Morrissey warblings, but thankfully it's not too many. First of the Gang to Die is a tune!
3.5 rounded up.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
It's quite an interesting and moody record. I like a lot of these tracks, and I like the whole of it. It doesn't sound dated at all and has plenty of depth and feeling to it. I think a lot of that is conveyed via her singing which I'm really impressed with. Nothing Compares 2 U is obviously brilliant, but that song more than any other highlights just how incredible her voice is. So raw and full of emotion, but also incredibly powerful.
3.5 rounded up.
Bad Brains
3/5
This album hasn't made an impression on me at all. It's overall "fine", but the songs aren't very dynamic, and there's not really much that's making them stand apart from each other. It feels quite basic, and it's really murky.
2.5 rounded up.
Foo Fighters
4/5
It's a really solid debut album with a sprinkling of really great tunes in there. The opening trio of This is a Call, I'll Stick Around and Big Me is just great. There's proper riffs and melodies in here, and good variation. I quite like the grungy, raw production, as it adds to the overall vibe. It's pretty accomplished overall.
Mercury Rev
3/5
This is one I appreciate more than I actually connect with. It's quite floaty and quirky and unusual. They have some interesting instrumentation and chorusey swells and saxophone and all sorts. I really do like the moments when it goes grand and operatic, and that's when it's at its best for me. It's well put together and I appreciate the skill and how they stand out in the scene. I get it, it's just a bit too indie quirk for me in general.
The The
3/5
I've had to recalibrate a bit for this, because I always thought "The The" were some kind of 70's noodly guitar group or something. Apparently I was way off!
I kind of admire what they're doing here. It's got an interesting mood to it, and the songs are varied with different instruments and synths coming through. I even like the harmonica for crying out loud! Overall I quite like this, it's a nice vibe.
3.5 rounded down.
George Jones
3/5
I mean, it's classic country, so it's not going to get me going, but this is pretty nice across the board. He's got a nice voice, full of emotion. This is unapologetic, heart on the sleeve kind of stuff. Some of the earlier tracks I found quite effective, especially with the big swells in music.
2.5 rounded up.
John Lennon
3/5
I like a lot of John Lennon's solo career. He has some great stand-out tracks, but there's not really many in here. Working Class Hero is a particular standout, but there's also plenty of average, nothing tracks. It's not bad as an overall album.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
This is pretty nice. It's not obnoxious in a way I thought it might have been. Good instrumentation, nice singing, nice melodies. I had a pretty good time with it.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
I thought I would have heard about this, but it apparently completely passed me by. It's quite subdued in general, and there's no real hooky elements to it, but it has a nice enough vibe. I quite like some of the quirkier elements of the production. It's not bad. It's ok. I won't be revisiting any of the songs or the album as a whole though.
Beth Orton
3/5
She's got a nice voice, and I like a bunch of the arrangements and instruments. There's some gentle vibraphone running through some tracks that's really nice, along with various strings. The more upbeat numbers also tend to hit a bit better.
I'm sad to say that the nicer elements of this get overshadowed by the overall slog though. The songs are long, and it really lags a lot. I thought I was coming up to the end, before realising I was only half-way through. At its worst, it's boring, and it feels like a chore.
2.5 rounded up.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
I'm not sure I'd ever listened to the whole of this album before. It's obviously very good. Plenty of big hits, but it's also nice to see that even the lesser known tracks are very good, and doing all sorts of interesting things musically. I really liked the softer delicate tracks in here that I hadn't heard before.
The songwriting, structure and musicality is really solid across the board, and they do plenty of interesting things. I really like the vocal harmonies in there. And of course some of these tracks are immense, particularly Go Your Own Way and The Chain. Good going, Fleetwood Mac.
4.5 rounded up
American Music Club
3/5
"Nondescript", the album. This is so generic and low stakes, honestly. It's listenable enough, just, you know, in a boring way.
2.5 rounded up.
Brian Eno
4/5
I'm quite impressed by this. Musically it's very interesting, and it has a great mood running throughout it. Some of it is quite unusual, but always accomplished. The melodies are still really nice. It just stands out as something quite unique to my mind. I like how it tails off towards the end, going more lo-fi and chill, with those cool sci-fi synths.
Surprised and quite delighted with this one.
Sabu
2/5
It's not for me, but it's a bit better than I was expecting. The songs are pleasant enough for the most part and they don't actively irritate me. That said, the bullshit tracks of them screeching can do one. I started to enjoy it way more towards the end, until I realised Spotify had segued into an altogether different album!
The Beta Band
3/5
I do like doing some deep dives on the back of these things. Through this I realised that both "Squares" by the Beta Band, and "Daydream in Blue" by I Monster are actually both covers of "Daydream" by Wallace Collection. And now I've just checked out that original, and it's also good. VERY 60's hippy vibe.
Back to the album as a whole, I'm generally up on it. I like the overall vibe, the musicality of it, the production, the mood. I'm starting to realise that I describe far too many of these albums as 'nice', but you know... it is.
3.5 rounded down.
Death In Vegas
4/5
Obligatory "never listened to this whole album before outside of a few tracks", and I don't know why I didn't. Maybe I actually did and forgot. Either way I'm usually very down for these kind of down tempo, trip-hop, electronic type affairs.
I can see how people will find this incredibly repetitive, but I really like the slow build that they employ on a lot of the tracks. The soundscapes and musical themes all develop over time into something more, and a whole big mood.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
It's a bit of a mixed bag this one. A lot of the record is really murky and a bit weird, but there's also a bunch of really good tracks in there too. I much prefer the more upbeat tracks. There's some genuinely funky tracks in here with some good riffs, nice keys and so on. The skill and musicality is there, but I wish it were more consistent. I enjoyed this the more it went on, so I think this one might be more of a grower over time. I went from a 2.5 rounded down to a 2.5 rounded up, to a 3.5 rounded down.
Rush
3/5
I didn't realise this is what Rush sounded like. I always thought they were some kind of thrash metal type affair. I know I've already listened to one of their albums so far, but I'd clean forgotten what that sounded like, such was the impression it left on me.
This to me has all the annoying trappings of prog, but maybe with more conventional song structures? There's some nice bits in here. I like the synths, and some of the musicianship is good... but as with other prog albums, a lot of this feels way too earnest. It seems to take itself very seriously, yet it's kind of silly and lacks substance.
2.5 rounded up.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
I got way more into this the further it went on. You see a bunch of highly upvoted 1 star reviews calling it cringe, and then you hear those kind of drawling vocals coming in, and you do start to wonder. I thought I'd be more annoyed by them, but actually I'm not that much. After a while I kind of got into the vibe of what he was doing.
I like the laid back, casual flow of this album with those nice bass lines running through it. I feel like it'd be cool to hate on this kind of thing, but if you actually just go with it then you can have a pretty decent time.
3.5 rounded down.
Pixies
5/5
I'd love to know how I'd rate this album if I wasn't already quite familiar with it. I've got a feeling that I might rate it a bit lower, and that part of this rating comes from familiarity, and being a fan of the Pixies work in general.
The fact is, I do really like their style in general. I like their anarchic edge, their humour, the guitars, the dual vocals. This may not be as consistent as something like Doolittle, or have as many stand-out tracks, but the album still really works as a whole. They kind of hit the scene fully formed as a band, with a completely unique identity, and that's kind of cool.
4.5 rounded up.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
Top tip people - the Spotify linked album includes a whole other album. You just want disc 2, so you can cut the time of this in half. It's something I'm glad I knew ahead of time, because I tend to listen to these things all the way through, and this one isn't really for me.
It's made with skill and there's some nice enough rhythms in there. I like some of the compositions and the back and forth vocals, when it's not being super repetitive. I don't vibe with world music at all in general, so I guess 2/5 is actually somewhat of an endorsement in that respect...? I'll actually go a 2.5 rounded down, because it was easy enough to listen to in the background.
N.E.R.D
4/5
This is way more varied and interesting than I was expecting. There's some funky tunes in here, some laid back grooves, and a great array of instruments. The album as a whole is generally pretty cool, and it's well put together.
Wire
3/5
I've not really got a lot to say about this one. It didn't really leave much of an impression on me at all. It all felt pretty samey and one-note, but was accomplished enough for what it is I guess..?
The Coral
2/5
I'm not down with this at all. A lot of indie from this era was just terrible, floppy haired, happy-go-lucky music with no oomph to it. And of course, this is no exception. Maybe they're a bit more varied than some of their contemporaries in what they're doing musically, but it still has no bite to it at all.
The Cure
3/5
I like elements of this album, but as with Disintegration it is quite oppressive overall and does wear on you over time. I do really like the oppressive, droney opening on this. It really sets the mood. Some of the guitars feel like they're actually dripping in sorrow, and the atmospheric drums and moody vocal echoes work really well also.
But then it does just become a drag over time. His singing in particular is quite one-note. This is the kind of album that you should probably listen to as a whole, but then so much in one go is also quite hard work. By the end you realise you've hunched all the way over as this album has been weighing on you for the past 43 minutes.
The Only Ones
4/5
I liked this one! In general I really liked the guitars and backing music, with their upbeat musical jams. Lots of tracks on here are a total bop. I'd never heard of these guys before (outside of one track), so it was a nice surprise.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
Back in the day this wasn't really my particular scene, but of course I was aware of the band. I'm impressed that the whole album is genuinely quality, with loads of great songs, tons of energy and loads of great hooks.
It's still not something I'd naturally flock to but I have to admit it's really good. It's a really accomplished debut.
Sepultura
2/5
I like some of the driving guitar riffs and more melodic bits that they sprinkle in there, but it's not really my bag in general. If the vocals weren't so harsh I would probably like it more.
2.5 rounded down.
Weather Report
2/5
This definitely sounds like the theme music to some old-school knockabout police show, and as such it's kind of hard to take seriously. How on earth this made it onto the list I have no idea at all.
Jack White
3/5
It's mostly ok. Even though it's pretty accomplished, a lot of it isn't that exciting. There's a few good tracks in here though.
The Birthday Party
2/5
Even though I don't like this, and it's really noisy and abrasive, and chaotic, and his voice is manic and weird... it somehow works. There's just enough form, and at least in amongst the madness they're consistent in their vision and what they're doing. I still don't like it, but I understand what they're doing.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
I actually really liked the vibe of this. I like the layered noisy guitars and I even like his singing. They've got a good sound here and a real identity which I admire.
3.5 rounded down.
The Adverts
4/5
This was a real jam, with solid tracks throughout, good grooves, melodies and solid production.
3.5 rounded up.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
This is a reeeal smooth, enjoyable time. Lovely orchestral compositions with the silkiest of silky smooth vocals across the top. I guess I don't have to wait until Christmas to get that feel-good, warming feel.
The Hives
4/5
This was a lot of fun, and a great bop pretty much all the way through. It's hard not to like something that has so much infectious energy. It also doesn't overstay its welcome. 'Hate To Say I Told You So' is an absolute tune and is the standout.
Side recommendation: If you ever get the chance to see these guys live, do it. They're very, very good. Complete showmen.
John Martyn
4/5
'Solid Air' was a really nice surprise for me, so I was optimistic about this one. Thankfully I think this one also works really well for the most part.
More than anything I think the music in this is just seriously on-point. There's so much variety and scope across the whole album. I love the ambient moments, the interesting soundscapes, but also just the variety of instruments and styles as well.
It's good overall, but there's some standout tracks here that will definitely make it worth a revisit.
Spiritualized
3/5
It’s an interesting one this, as parts of the album work for me and others don’t. I was hoping I might like this more than I did to be honest, as it seemed from the write up that it was well up my street. I really like the bigger soundscape moments the most, with the violins and brass and more, that stuff is great (eg. Broken Heart). And then in general I like those tracks that sound quite big, with lots going on in them.
But then there’s plenty in here that feels self-indulgent, and much of it is overlong. In general it feels pretty accomplished, but… I don’t know… lots of it also feels kind of sanitised somehow. I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe a bit surface. There’s something that’s preventing me from connecting with it on a deeper level – which feels like something an album like this would be really striving to do. There’s moments and soundscapes here that remind me of someone like Sigur Ros – but they don’t connect and resonate in the same way.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
This is a decent enough listen. I’m not 100% on her voice, but the songs themselves are good enough. I like the dark synths that crop up on some tracks, along with the more upbeat numbers in general.
Slipknot
4/5
I think this, for the most part, is absolutely excellent. It doesn’t feel like some of the other heavier metal stuff I’ve listened to, in that it’s way more interesting and melodic. It’s not incomprehensible noise. Although there is screaming, there’s plenty of proper singing too, and he has a genuinely great voice. A lot of the tracks have real drive to them, and there’s plenty of shifts in tempo which keep things fresh. The drums hit really hard, and the more technical squealing guitars when they kick in are massively my jam. For much of this album I was scrunching up my face and nodding along in a ‘this is badass’ kind of way.
I’m generally on-board with most of the album, but there are some truly stand-out tracks. Sulfur is a great tune. Psychosocial is badass. All Hope Is Gone. Snuff, while the least ‘Slipknot’ song on here is superb. I loooove the guitars in that song when they kick off. Vermillion (it’s a bonus track I think) goes even further with all kinds of interesting instruments and orchestral bits thrown in. Really quite impressive.
4.5 rounded down.
The The
3/5
It’s a generally nice time without wowing me. Uncertain Smile is my pick of the bunch. I like the synths.
The Beach Boys
4/5
It's just a perfect slice of happy-go-lucky pop songs. Under 30 minutes. Right off the bat it gets straight into it. Nice and upbeat and pleasant with lots of really nice harmonies. It's just an enjoyable time.
3.5 rounded up.
Ian Dury
3/5
I really like his voice and style, how East-End it is in the delivery and content. I understand that won’t translate so well to other markets, but I dig it. Right from the off this is upbeat and a bit quirky and interesting. I love how mad and overblown some tracks are, like Blockheads, with the shouting and mad synths.
3.5 rounded down.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Ah, a mixed bag overall. Initially I was really on-board with it. I love the musicality. I’m a real sucker for orchestral bits, strings, brass and so on, so that side of things was always going to win me over. I like how optimistic and unabashed it is, and particularly love any grandiose moments of musicality. I fucking love a big soar, me.
And then initially I thought it was super funny about comparing a lover to a horse. For Father Ted fans, he’s someone who’s famously written a song about a lovely horse, but crucially not about being IN love with it – so it’s nice to hear the other side I guess! And then in the next song he keeps going on about grazing on grass… peculiar.
I’ll be honest, I like the silly elements less. Some of the songs are quite affecting, and as the musical bits are done so well it feels like he could achieve something more consistently earnest. The later songs started to slow down a bit and weren’t as appealing as the earlier ones.
3.5 rounded down.
The Who
2/5
So disappointed with this, it's rubbish. Pinball Wizard is good, and there's a smattering of reasonable tracks elsewhere, but the rest of the songs don't have enough form or oomph to them. It mostly just kind of exists and meanders along for the whole thing - which is very long.
Goldie
3/5
I've been aware of Goldie as an artist and personality for ages, but never actually known what his actual music was like. I didn't realise he was so influential in the DnB scene.
I guess this is what it is. It's not something I'll ever celebrate or go back to. I'm not bothered by the super long tracks as so many are. I vibe with it well enough, and it works well enough in the background while cracking on with work.
Wild Beasts
1/5
I hate that wispy, floaty voice so much. And oh dear god... it gets worse with the insane, falsetto shrieking. It actually makes me shiver and cringe at the same time. "Shringe". No... 'Criver'.
Some of the music is fine enough in terms of ability, and there's a bit of a groove on some tracks, but it's of that awful noughties period where it's all so safe and delicate and inoffensive. And BORING. I'm getting literally nothing out of this other than great regret at having pressed play in the first place.
1.5 rounded down.
Air
5/5
I've acquired quite a nice collection of pleasing, down-tempo chill albums over time, of which Moon Safari is one. It's massively my jam, and I revisit it a good amount of times throughout any given year. I just really love what these guys are doing. There's so many interesting soundscapes and textures running through this, with solid melodies and production. The flow of the whole thing is incredible. Overall, it's just a really mellow and satisfying time.
Miriam Makeba
2/5
Sorry, African music isn't my thing. She's got a nice voice, and some of the more soulful songs are lovely. Several tracks in here are incredibly irritating though, and it took all of my will power not to bomb this entire review as a protest against them.
Ray Charles
4/5
This is great. Smooth. Classy. Jazzy. It's that kind of old-timey vibe that feels like Christmas. I think I will revisit, but perhaps just half of it, as it does feel over-long and I checked out more in the second half.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
I like this, it's a really chilled and soulful time. I like the backing violins and sax bringing some extra oomph, and he's got such a great voice, sugar.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
The write-up says that these are effectively glorified demos, and that definitely feels like it's the case. There's some good songs in here with interesting melodies and guitar-work, but there's also a lot of meandering and mumbling as well. Some songs on here are so weak and not formed at all, and perhaps if this was a more traditional process those songs would either be scrapped or punched up a bit. There's enough promise to warrant a halfway decent score, but it's a shame we didn't get to hear a proper fleshed out album with full production.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
There's a bit to like in here. Overall it's a good debut. I like the riffs and the guitars in general, and the kind of down and dirty production. There's some propulsive energy to the songs. It has that QOTSA feel to it, with a lot of minor keys. The main criticism I guess is that not enough really stands out. It's all kind of similar.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Well this is great. There's some big big heavy hitting riffs in here, but I also love how melodic the guitar work is as well. They're not just smacking you round the face, it's also really musical.
Janelle Monáe
5/5
I am so impressed by this, what a find. The ambition of it, the breadth of skill and the variety. I love the commitment to such a cool concept. The musicality and production across the whole thing is superb.
It's really upbeat for the majority of the album, but there's so many little hidden moments and gems sprinkled throughout, with lots of different moods and themes. I love the variety of instruments, with the cool guitars, the brass, bells, the cinematic sweeps.. I haven't even properly dug into the lyrics yet, but the snippets I've looked at are really interesting.
This definitely isn't in my usual wheelhouse, but I'm honestly so impressed by this. She's seriously talented, and I love the huge ambition and skill on display here. That's why I'm going big. What an eye-opener.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Some nice songs, with nice melodies, singing and guitar work.
Eminem
2/5
As with his other album I reviewed, looking back on this it comes across as so juvenile, edgy, and embarrassing. I didn't realise he could mine so much content from being violent towards women, raping people, and slagging off gay people. Were people in the studio down with it, or were they cringing while he laid the tracks down? I guess the sales speak for themselves, but jeez.
Stan is arguably the most accomplished song on here, but after the Dido bit came in, I kind of wanted that to continue and sing along with that song instead. That kind of shows where I'm at these days, compared with listening to this as a kid, where it had more appeal.
It gets some points because the beats and lyrical skill are there.
Syd Barrett
2/5
If he didn't have the association with Pink Floyd then he'd be nowhere near this list. These sounds like demos. They're quite flat and tedious, and the timing and delivery is really strange and disconcerting.
Wilco
2/5
This is seriously dull for the most part and doesn’t really work for me. Some of the sounds are interesting, but can also come across as a bit twee. Some songs are a bit upbeat and inoffensive enough. But that's just it, it's all so soft and inoffensive. There’s no excitement to be found anywhere in here.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
In terms of song-writing, this album is spectacular. Really lovely songs, with great melodies and stories. The lyrics are beautiful. I love the little musical flavours they add in, just chiming in with little accents and notes. The Boxer is a great example, as it has that kind of ambient drum popping up, various woodwind instruments, and then the swelling violins. I enjoyed this.
Van Morrison
3/5
It's relatively pleasant, but also just a bit slow and boring. The Way Young Lovers Do is the standout track, but the rest don't hold up to it.
2.5 rounded up.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
Fuck sake, it's the first listening day in December, can't I have some Nat King Cole or something? Instead I get a 'challenging listen', joy!
The tracks with music in are either rubbish discordant noise, or mumbling nothingness, and the talking tracks you can't even hear what they're saying. This is absolute bollocks.
I'm off to boot up some 'Christmas with Nat & Dean'.
Madness
3/5
Slightly disappointed if I'm being honest, because I do really like Madness. I love their style and what they're about, and they have some great hits. This album is a bit hit and miss for me. It is interesting, and has a variety of different styles, but not all the tracks are landing for me.
Our House is SUCH a tune and is definitely the stand out. Spotify actually randomly skipped it on the playthrough, so I was really confused about how I could have worked through it and not noticed. The rest of the album doesn't hold up to that track unfortunately.
A lot of people slamming this for not being as good as some of their earlier albums, but this feels more accessible to me. I'm not the biggest U2 fan, but I'm actually appreciating the craft of the songs and his voice. I much prefer this to the upbeat jangly nonsense they became famous for.
3.5 rounded down.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
It's very similar to Darklands, in that a lot of the songs feel quite similar. There were at least 2 occasions where the drums kicked in and I went, "oh, it's 'Just Like Honey' again", only it's wasn't. That's not necessarily to it's detriment and I did quite enjoy this overall, just not as much as their other albums. I like the fuzz for the most part, but it does get a bit much at times. In their later albums the songs had a bit more drive to them, and they eased up on the distortion a little bit, which I think works better.
I know this is proto-shoegaze, but it's more upbeat than a lot of those bands that went on to define that genre. There's actual melodies and grooves in here under all the fuzz and distortion.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
It's nowhere near as bad as so many are making out. That said I do struggle to see how something like this made it onto the list. I guess it's filling some kind of quota. Overall, it's perfectly nice, mellow background music. Some tracks are a bit repetitive and weird and offer nothing, but mostly it's a perfectly reasonable time.
The Triffids
2/5
I love the write-up discussing the prestige of this title. No. 24 on the Swedish Albums Chart! No. 25 on the New Zealand Albums Chart! Appearing on the Belgium Albums Chart Top 60! This must be essential!
The reality is it's not great, but it's also not bad. It's a perfectly nice, inoffensive meander through gentle 80's pop-rock. It is, obviously, far from essential.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Ah man, this is such a disappointing one in some ways. The music here is SO good. It's a real party atmosphere throughout, with real passion, personality and skill, and I completely applaud it. The problem is that the tracks are way too long. It's such a shame, because even the best tracks become repetitive and samey. If this were a much tighter album, with shorter tracks and a shorter runtime, then I'd be way more up on it. By the end it just dragged way too much.
3.5 rounded down.
Pulp
4/5
This is quite a mood-shift from some of their earlier stuff. Pulp were nothing if not interesting. The Fear is such a great opener. It's got so much atmosphere to it, with so many interesting bits thrown in, from the ominous strings, to the backing vocals. I like how melodramatic parts of this album are, and I like some of the darker textures and soundscapes in there. Help the Aged is excellent, and I love it when that goes big. Plenty of other great tracks in here, but the overall quality isn't as good as something like 'Different Class'.
Dr. Octagon
4/5
I'm on-board with this! I really like the style of beats and rapping. It's quite funky in places, but it also veers off into weird asides, with sci-fi and spooky synths. I like the trip-hop beats and scratching. Some of it is really funny. The album as a whole is definitely quite unique, and one I'll revisit.
Favourite tracks: Blue Flowers, I'm destructive.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
How mad that I get this today of all days, as I literally fly out to Hamburg.
There's plenty to like in here. There's SO much energy. Great twinkly, frantic keys. If you're in the mood then it's great fun. I'm sure if you're in the room then it's incredible. It's obviously live though, and the recording isn't brilliant.
This has got to be one of the shortest albums on here right? Just as well, because I don't think I could do much more of this in one sitting even though I enjoyed it.
3.5 rounded down.
Small Faces
3/5
This feels like a bit of a strange one. It's competent enough, but I didn't really find it that engaging. It just kind of floated along. From a production point of view it sounds really wishy-washy and kind of far away which doesn't help.
I'm not massively on-board with the comedy and twee elements. That's always a turn-off. And then side note: I realise I knew Lazy Sunday already, so that's always nice to connect the dots with something from my past.
2.5 rounded up.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
I was quite hopeful coming into this, as I do like a bit of soul and funk. I knew the name 'Sly & The Family Stone', but didn't really know much of their stuff, so I was excited to finally learn more. On listening though, it's way slower and more stripped back than I was expecting. It's not really bringing much oomph. Some tracks are kind of not even there. It's just ok.
However I did leave it running after the fact, and Spotify served up an awesome selection of funk and soul for the next few hours, and that worked spectacularly for the rest of my work afternoon - so this album was a good gateway!
2.5 rounded up.
Burning Spear
2/5
It's pleasant enough. I like the brass, and I like the little whistle / woodwind thing they're peppering in there. However, all reggae is the fucking same! It's the exact same beat on every song. It is so, so limited as a genre that I can't get excited about it.
2.5 rounded down.
3/5
I like the quirky start to this on the intro, but jeez... going into Hot Dog makes me feel so embarrassed for them, it's absolutely terrible. I had this album back in the day as an angsty teenager, and even then I was cringing and making fun of that track.
That said, even though this album is completely juvenile, with utterly dreadful lyrics, there's still plenty that I like about it. A lot of the riffs go really hard and you best believe I'm head banging and rollin' along with Fred when that beat drops. Nostalgia plays a part of course, but I think there's still a bunch of songs on here I would enjoy fresh today.
Some of these tracks I would rock out to back in the day down the rock club. 'Take A Look Around' was just about the most aggressive mosh pit I ever saw, even more so than Slipknot. I do like those heavy guitars when they kick in across this album, it's just that there's a lot of juvenile, awful aspects to this too.
Tori Amos
2/5
I can appreciate that people would like this, but it's not for me at all. It's not terrible, it's just kind of bland and uninspiring. At it's worst it's a bit annoying. I don't like her style at all, the construction of the songs, the delivery... Nothing works for me personally.
Funkadelic
3/5
I'd seen this album cover crop up a lot, so I'm glad to have finally given it a listen. I think this is broadly pretty good. It's quite funky, with some driving beats and uplifting moments.
3.5 rounded down.
Mudhoney
3/5
It’s very raw and rough around the edges but has plenty of energy to it. Touch Me I’m Sick is great. The rest if fine and a reasonable listen.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
I was expecting this to be quite irritating, but it’s actually pretty pleasant throughout. It is what it is.. it’s not something I’d ever listen to again, but it’s quite nice pop-country-blues. She’s got a nice voice and it’s easy listening.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
I like this. It’s really strong throughout, with great songwriting and musicianship. He sings well, there’s nice melodies and the guitar work is on-point. I thought it might all be front and centre and showing off, but it’s not really. There is a reasonable amount of noodling, but it’s done well, and it’s mostly complimentary. Layla is obviously a monster of a tune. What a riff that is, honestly.
The Young Rascals
4/5
I’m pretty impressed with this. It’s such a varied record with so much going for it, and lots of styles and genres. It says it’s psychedelic on here, but that’s only really one track among many. The rest has swells of brass, flutes and even an accordion. He has a great singing voice and it’s just generally solid throughout the whole thing.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
I much prefer their later stuff, but I still enjoyed this album generally. This one is more rave-y and repetitive I’d say, where they developed songs with more substance and structure in their later albums. I thought this would be a nailed on 4, but sadly not.
Nick Drake
3/5
Once again, I’m generally up on this. His voice is pleasant and quite floaty, but I like it. The whole album is stripped back, but it has interesting guitar work and it’s quite evocative. It’s really nice.
3.5 rounded down.
Mariah Carey
2/5
The thing that strikes me the most about this album is how floaty and soft the vocals are. She has an incredible voice, but she’s not belting it out at a hundred decibels – it’s all kind of soft and breathy. Also, that she bloody loves a trill! Half of this album is “Oooo…oooOH…ooOOOooOOooOH!”
It’s quite pleasant as a general background listen for about half an hour. As a piece of art it feels boring and empty. I don’t feel like I’m getting anything at all out of this. It’s not doing anything exciting or saying anything interesting. There’s a time and place for it, sure, and no doubt many people love this kind of thing, but it’s not for me.
The Black Crowes
2/5
This kind of Americana rock ‘n’ roll isn’t for me. It’s accomplished enough, it just feels so painfully generic.
2.5 rounded down.
Slint
3/5
A slow, moody, sombre album. I like bits in here, but it's a bit much for me overall. I prefer more conventional compositions. I don't mind the spoken lyrics so much, as that definitely goes with the vibe and what they're doing. But it's quite draining, and discordant at times, and it just wore me down a bit.
2.5 rounded up.
Scott Walker
3/5
It's very dramatic - leaning quite a long way into the melodramatic. There's lots of musical swells and exaggerated crooning going on, which I do like sometimes, it's just that it's not always very exciting here. Some of the songs kind of merged into another and passed me by, but there were some nice ones in here too.
2.5 rounded up.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
I'm quite impressed with this. It's a really varied, eclectic record, with lots of interesting approaches and bits of detail. I like the vocal harmonies, the variance in instruments and just the general mood. It's quite floaty in places, but dramatic and bombastic in others.
The White Stripes
3/5
Now on my third White Stripes album, I realise I'm just a fan of the singles... or most of the singles. This is put together well enough, in their kind of ramshackle, rough around the edges way. It also has enough skill. It's just that there's lots of filler and there's not nearly enough that stands out, or differentiates itself from the rest. And, sadly, a lot of this is actually boring. Disappointing.
I thought the last track was WAY better than the rest of the album, until I realised Spotify had segued into another album of theirs.
2.5 rounded up.
Tricky
5/5
I kind of half-heartedly tried to get into this album a few times in the past, but it never stuck beyond a few choice tracks. I was looking forward to the opportunity to re-appraise it through this project, and give it a proper run-out and fair go... and the results are good!
One of the issues before might have been that it starts off quite slow and isn't immediately accessible. It feels murky, dark, off-beat and dangerous. But then it opens up a bit and you find yourself tuned into the energy of the album a bit more.
What I really like about this album is that it doesn't really feel like anything else. It's its own beast. You're not quite sure what you're going to get from one track to the next, but at the least you know it's going to be interesting. There's good use of keys, synths, guitars, percussion, and it varies between slow and deliberate, and more upbeat. Overall I really like the production. I found that the longer it went on, the more I got into it.
The samples are really interesting. You can tell that he's taken inspiration from lots of different areas across quite a broad spectrum. Big shout out to him sampling the Pumpkins and their track 'Suffer'.
Some real standout tracks here. Black Steel, Hell is Round The Corner, Suffocated Love..
I like this, and I think I'll be revisiting it a reasonable amount. The whole thing is just such a mood.
4.5 rounded up.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
I was quite surprised with the level of drum n bass in this, or definitely the more upbeat dancey tracks, only with mellow vocals put on top. It does work and it's quite nice. I never really checked these guys out back in the day beyond knowing the singles. It's the kind of thing I might be into, I just found it wasn't particularly engaging. The album seemed to pass me by somewhat, but it was a nice background listen.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
It's two for two for the Super Furries, and both within a week of each other.
Again, it's a really eclectic album. They chuck so much at this and go all out, which I really appreciate. It has a kind of 'fuck it let's do this' attitude. There's brass, whistles, synths, weird soundscapes and all sorts. It sounds so genuinely unusual at times (like on Frisbee and Bad Behaviour) but it's really fun and upbeat overall. The whole approach could have been fraught, but in my opinion it avoids the quirky or twee label.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
I mean it's a classic isn't it? What an album. The guitar playing is so unique, and iconic. His vocals are really pointed and angry. It's a perfect match.
There's a few tracks on here that I'm not really into that much, but the best ones are SO good as to massively elevate the whole. There's tons of great riffs and grooves across the album. Really deep and driving guitars. And there's some absolute monster tunes on here. That trio of Bullet in the Head, Know Your Enemy and Wake Up - my god!
3/5
My overall thoughts on this is that it's a bit weird, but nice enough. There's some skill there, but it's unusual, and not something I really vibe with that much.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
It's kind of alright, but for someone who's not massively into it, it is long. If you like synthy, new-wavey, dreamy pop then knock yourself out I guess.
Frank Ocean
3/5
I'm going to give him some credit for the PS1 loading sound right at the start. After that there's not really that much to go on. It feels like such a minimalist, safe, non-offensive time. It's really quite mellow.. but not in a particularly interesting way. The music and production is nice enough I guess...? I don't hate it, it passed the time nicely enough, but it's not exciting.
Faust
3/5
I appreciate the experimentation and the fact that it's doing something a bit different at least, but I wouldn't say it's a great listen. It's quite repetitive throughout, as a bunch of the songs slowly, slowly build into something, although without much pay-off. There's not huge amounts of form here. It's not bad... it's ok. The last track is nice and ambly and I like that more.
SZA
1/5
As shallow as a muddle puddle. Shitty autotune applied throughout. The lyrics and content are utterly, utterly dreadful. No artistic merit at all.
It gets one feeble extra half-star because some of the production is quite good, and the song 'Prom' isn't bad. However I'm still rounding that 1.5 down.
John Grant
5/5
I was looking forward to getting this one. I'd heard, and enjoyed, Pale Green Ghosts, and was deliberately holding back on this as I knew it was on here. I'd only heard Marz and Sigourney Weaver before which I liked.
So.... it's really good! I really like the mood across the album. I love all the minor keys, matched with his voice. He has a kind of melancholic air to him, and when that's matched with further backing vocals and swells in the music it can be absolutely sumptuous. Notably on tracks like 'Where The Dreams Go To Die'.
Apart from a slight lull in the middle of the album (where it feels a bit samey for a number of tracks), it has tons of great songs, with plenty of surprises thrown in. There's plenty of variance too, not least with the instruments. Piano, violins, brass, woodwind, spacey synths..
I'm on-board, and I'll definitely be re-visiting.
4.5 rounded up.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
This is kind of similar to the most recent Chemical Brothers' album I reviewed, in that I'm a fan of the artist, but the earlier stuff isn't as fully formed, and is more repetitive. But in this case it's still really good. Yes, it is more repetitive, but as with his later work, it's just a real upbeat-happy time and it's a great listen.
Doves
2/5
At it's best, this album is perfectly cromulent. But let's be honest, it's so bland. It's like plain white bread. Bran flakes with no milk. Tepid tap water. You don't even need words to describe it. A single, large, languid yawn would do the trick.
2.5 rounded down.
Gene Clark
3/5
The write-up on this is wild. Having listened to a lot of albums on here now, why this would be a critical failure I have no idea, and the record company deleting it completely from their catalogue is mad. It's really nice. Well made, and well put together. He's got a nice voice, and some of the tracks are really lush.
3.5 rounded down.
Queen
4/5
This is such a strange and quirky album, as I guess as a lot of their stuff is. You have all the Queen hallmarks, with the theatrical singing, vocal harmonies and powerful riffs. There's lots of variation and fun to be had. It is maybe a bit TOO quirky at times, but it's made up for with the number of big songs in there. Not least Bohemian Rhapsody, which as we all know, is a MONSTER track.
Chicago
4/5
This is the kind of album I'm really glad to receive on this project, because there's just no way I would ever listen to it otherwise, let alone even be aware of its existence.
It's not the kind of thing I gravitate towards, but I do really admire the ambition, and the amount of stuff they chuck at it. The musicianship is really on-point. I like the down and dirty guitar (except when it goes on in extended periods, and definitely not in 'free form guitar'). There's tons of brass in here which I really like, and it's so unapologetically upbeat for most of it. I'm also quite impressed at how varied this album is, and the amount of different things they try, successful or not. It definitely doesn't feel like 'one thing'.
3.5 rounded up.
Billy Joel
3/5
Musically, the songs are accomplished enough, I'm just not really into it that much, and it seemed to drag a bit at times.
Dagmar Krause
3/5
It's very dramatic. And it's definitely an 'interesting' listen. It's like a soundtrack to a theatrical wartime production rather than a standalone album. I'm definitely not revisiting, but I kind of like that this is in the list.
2.5 rounded up.
Kings of Leon
3/5
This feels like a bit of an album of two halves really. While it's still listenable enough, it really falls off in quality from about the halfway mark. The first half is much more successful I think. I've never really liked his voice or singing style, but I still enjoy a bunch of the tracks on here.
There's some down and dirty beats in the opening tracks, particularly on 'Crawl' which I really like. Sex on Fire is a big track whether you like it or not, and whether it's been played to death or not. That will always bring back memories of me dancing on a table in an après ski bar in Austria, drunk on schnapps and drunk on life. Good times.
The Cramps
3/5
Lots of manic, punky, relentless up-beat energy to this. Like the B52's, but a bit darker and more kitsch. It's good to get an album like this, if only to learn more about the deeper, niche layers of particular genres. I now have an understanding of 'psychobilly' and 'garage-trash'.
It's good. It's FUN. It's so specific though, I don't think you could easily return to it with any great regularity.
2Pac
3/5
Why are hip hop albums always so long? I'm not sure he's got THAT much to say that it needs over an hour. It's competent enough I guess, and there are a few good tracks in there (best one: Old School). I preferred the tracks with additional vocals on in general.
2.5 rounded up.
Ozomatli
4/5
Ah man, this was really great, I loved it. It's just such a shame that it wasn't that accessible all in one place. It was really difficult to piece together the different tracks on YouTube, which upset the rhythm of it a bit. And because there is quite some variance between some of the tracks, you wonder if you've even lined up the correct one.
Either way, it's just really accomplished. The music itself is really great. Lovely melodies and singing. I like the fusion of all the different elements. I like the pervasive violins throughout, the trumpet, the mixing.
It's such a great time. I would definitely revisit more if I could actually track it down. I might have to buy it on vinyl.
4.5 rounded down.
Pearl Jam
3/5
I've never been big on Pearl Jam. I always found them a bit dull, and I don't like his singing delivery. There are some good tracks on here though, I can't deny. Alive is probably the stand out, but Even Flow and Jeremy also registered. Listening to this made me realise that I may have been a bit harsh on them before, because it really is quite good in places.
Aimee Mann
3/5
This is a nice, well-made album. The production is strong, the variation in instruments is impressive, and her singing is reeal nice. There's some really nice little flavours sprinkled in there, even if it's some tiny detail like a small bell or something. The layered backing vocals also work really well.
It started off stronger, and while it remains accomplished, it gets a little bit less interesting and more samey as it goes on. I'm a big fan of hers, having been obsessed with the Magnolia soundtrack when I was younger. It's been nice to go back and explore her other stuff. I've only recently listened to 'Bachelor No. 2' which was excellent, and this makes me want to continue and check out some of her other stuff.
3.5 rounded down.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
This is pretty good! I like his voice. The songs are well put together and deliver for the most part.
3.5 rounded down.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I really like the variation on show with this album, and I’m generally impressed with the quality over the two halves. Musically it’s very good, and at the least it's always interesting. He’s feels like a true artist forging his own path and I admire that.
SAULT
2/5
I like some of the beats, and it's a chill enough time, but I don't think much of this as a whole to be honest. It's so one-note, and I don't think they're even saying anything particularly meaningful or profound. And it's really long.
2.5 rounded down.
Fairport Convention
2/5
I'm not really into folk. This at least, is kind of lah-de-dah and a bit boring.
Violent Femmes
3/5
I'm surprised by how modern this sounds. I'd previously liked 'Gone Daddy Gone', and looked this band up, thinking they were like late nineties or something. It's mad that this was early 80's as it doesn't sound like it at all.
It's got some good songs, however a lot of songs really drag, especially the slower ones where he's doing his manic, Lou Reed kind of thing. The upbeat tracks are way better.
The Gun Club
2/5
This isn't necessarily bad, but it's really samey. It's the exact same style and energy throughout the entire album. I couldn't differentiate any of the tracks.
2.5 rounded down.
Tom Waits
3/5
This is such a strange album, but I can't help but admire it rather than be put off by it. It's kind of ramshackle and down and dirty, but there's a real artistry to it. It's not really my thing, but it's bold and I like that.
The Fall
4/5
I was thoroughly expecting to hate this, but it's good! I actually really like the music. It's quite murky, the guitar sounds quite dirty and distorted at times, but it also has a real driving beat to a lot of the songs. I don't mind his vocal delivery at all, it works.
'A Past Gone Mad' might be my favourite track. It has drum n' bass elements along with synths - very cool!
3.5 rounded up.
Public Enemy
4/5
I think these guys have been pretty consistent across all the albums I've heard. Once again, this is an album full of energy and I'm pretty on-board with it. I really like the mad squealing on all the tracks. Kna' what I'm sayin'? YeeeeeAAAH booOOOiiii.
Side note: I've noticed a bunch of references from other artists. 'I'm the epitome of public enemy' is lifted by Weezer, and I've only just had the Tricky album that lifts the words from 'Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos'.
3.5 rounded up.
Donald Fagen
2/5
Now that your kids are all grown up and off at university, it's just you and the wife at home. Things are comfortable, but dare you admit... uninspired? You're so entwined as a couple that you feel like you've lost some of your own personality. A little bit of your own spark. Time to challenge that! The wife has just taken up a new pilates class, so here's your chance to stay home and have some proper 'me' time. Pull on that sensible cardigan, break out the comfy slippers, and treat yourself to some alone time with Donald Fagen. Cup of tea to match, or pint of bitter if you're feeling a bit saucy. Go on, nod along and let that foot tap in time, be a bit extravagant. You still have a fire burning deep within you.
The Pharcyde
3/5
I like the upbeat, funky nature of the beats and I like their vibe. It's pretty good fun.
Grateful Dead
2/5
It's kind of rock n' roll country, which really isn't my jam. It's just a bit boring. I don't want to go too hard in on it though, as it's not too offensive. It's nice enough in places. I like the track with the mandolin, that's nice. But the rest.. mostly forgettable.
2.5 rounded down.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
I've been annoyed by a few reviews of various albums here where they mention white people misappropriating blues music, and rate it extremely harshly almost out of spite. In those cases I've seen the skill in the album and enjoyed them in their own right. I thought that might be the case here too, but actually.. I think they might have a point. This is still accomplished enough, but it does sound like a much tamer sound, like they've taken something way more raw and powerful and just 'blanded' over the top of it. They play their instruments well enough, but this is incredibly dull for the most part. I enjoyed some of the tracks.
2.5 rounded down.
3/5
I'm sure if you go into an obscure record shop somewhere, all the bearded men behind the counter would be nodding along sagely while this plays over the speakers. You have to have a 'musical ear' to get this. Simpletons don't understand. Prog rock is music in its FINAL form. The truest music in existence.
Actually, this got better as it went on, so ignore some of the snark above. It's still definitely a bit wanky, but some of the music and themes are good, and parts of it sound properly epic - particularly as they bring in those cool synths.
Throwing Muses
2/5
It's not for me. There wasn't really enough to grab a hold of. No solid enough melodies or rhythms. A fair few reviews mentioning the grittiness and energy - I don't know, it feels pretty tame to me. And it's way too long, or felt it.
2.5 rounded down.
Fleet Foxes
2/5
The production is good, but it's just a bit boring innit? It's all very twee and lovely and lah-de-dah. Let's all drink a pint of mead and stroke our luscious beards while swapping our favourite vegan recipes.
Orbital
3/5
This is way better than their last album that I got. This one is way more engaging, even if it is pretty repetitive by its nature. The beats and production are stronger and it's a good easy listen.
Coldplay
4/5
The great con in muso circles is that Coldplay are shit. You can't be part of the club if you like Coldplay. How embarrassing! But of course, they're actually pretty good. The songs are solid, well put together, and quite effective. There is an actual reason they're so popular amongst the great mass of musical plebs. I'm glad some people on this project are coming to the same conclusion - as am I! Before this I mostly wrote them off, but now I'm middle-aged and I don't care and I like what I like, with no pretence. Overall this is pretty solid, with some nice tunes in there.
3.5 rounded up.
Gram Parsons
2/5
Aw gee shucks, more good ol' country. He's got a nice voice at least, I'll give him that.
2/5
I'm way more up on this than I thought I would be when I read about it, but then of course I did have super, super low expectations. Just the fact that it wasn't ear-splitting noise was a nice enough surprise. I would say it's more 'experimental music' than outright noise, but I didn't find it particularly challenging to listen to, and it's at least interesting.
2.5 rounded down.
The Offspring
5/5
It's another one of my nostalgic 5's, but this one is pretty special to me, and it still KICKS ASS.
I was about 14 or 15 when I first heard this album. I remember it incredibly vividly. I know the exact spot I was standing in at school when a friend handed me his headphones one lunchtime and I listened to 'Gotta Get Away' for the first time. The Offspring for me weren't just a gateway band into alternative music, it was a whole moment in our lives. I became part of the 'alternative' crowd and embraced that as part of my identity. I wasn't a trendy asshole and I liked good music!
I was obsessed with the Offspring from there. They were the first band I saw live (side note: The 'Million Miles Away' video is from that very gig!), and I listened to them all the time. I'm SO happy that they've actually aged well, and that the albums still have heaps of energy and punch to them. I even saw them live again last year for the first time since 2000, and they were excellent!
Putting my music critic hat on.. some of this can sound quite samey, or have the same kind of energy throughout. The drum beats and drive is so similar across the album. But I love how relentless it is, and how it barely stops for air. There are some great tunes on here, full of energy and bite and get up and go, and I love it.
The Slits
2/5
This isn't really punk is it? It's more like a stripped-back, reggae-infused kind of thing. I'll be generous, and say some of the tracks are quite interesting in the setup (like Newtown) but it's mostly just boring and slow and weird. The groove on 'I Heard it Through the Grapevine' is really good, but then that's not officially on the album anyway.
Basement Jaxx
4/5
There's plenty to like in here. Many of the tracks have real energy to them, a sense of fun, and great beats. There's a few dips, but overall it's pretty solid, and there's also a good amount of variation too I think. The singles are still the stand-outs, and the most upbeat, fun ones of the lot. However there were a number of tracks I'd never heard before that were real jams (like Yo Yo).
I remember dancing around like a loon as a kid to Red Alert, blasting it on my TAPE cassette walkman with crappy cloth headphones. One time we had a power-cut for about an hour, and I listened to it on loop about 10 times in a row. Meeemories. Rendez-Vu is where it's at though, what a tune!
3.5 rounded up.
David Holmes
2/5
This kind of electronica is pretty shit. It's really minimalist. It's not something you can dance to or even nod your head along to, it's just kind of there. The only good bit in the whole thing was the rip off of Melody Nelson, but then all they really did there was put a rubbish drum beat on top of it.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
It's pretty chill and a nice enough time in general. There's some quite complex arrangements here that are very well done, it's just it doesn't massively stir anything in me. It all weaves together nicely and is an easy enough listen.
Method Man
2/5
It's not my thing. There's some good rhymes in there in places, but it's really grimy and lo-fi. When you compare it to the Ghostface Killah album I got, that had real energy and smacked you about the chops. This is just a bit limp. At least it's not full of shitty skits.
The Associates
4/5
On paper, a mix of post-punk and 80's pop should be my anathema. But you know what, I'm actually kind of digging it. It's really weird, but quite daring and different. Some of the tracks are moody, others are kind of awkward and unsettling, with harsh synths pushing through, and weird drum beats.
There's an overall manic energy to this, again, something I've historically not got on with, but it works here. I really like the synths and soundscapes in general. They make for such an interesting backdrop.
A bit of a weird outlier this one, but I respect it and I'm very positively surprised by it.
3.5 rounded up.
Blondie
4/5
It's a really great pop album without any real dips in quality. There's so many big hits on here, but even the ones I didn't know are good. It's just a very tight, consistently good album. Good hooks and melodies, and plenty of hits.
Van Morrison
3/5
It's quite jaunty and assured. It's very long, but it played nicely enough in the background.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
It's a bit of a weird album, completely hit and miss. At its best, the music is pretty interesting and quite varied. I even like the weird Klingon bit. But at its worse it's meandering, and it doesn't really stand out. It's a strange beast, I kind of admire the weirdness, but it's not something I'd return to.
2.5 rounded up.
U2
4/5
I haven't liked some of their other albums, but this one is actually pretty good. It's got a lot of propulsive energy to it.
3.5 rounded up.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
It feels quite sedate. It's just kind of ambling along in the background, and it doesn't stir any real passion in me. I don't really understand the appeal.
2.5 rounded down.
Bob Dylan
4/5
There's some artists on here who have SO many albums represented, and that can feel like an absolute chore because you hear one, you've heard them all right? However, this album is further proof that that absolutely isn't the case with Bob Dylan. The preconceptions I brought into this album were proven wrong, and this feels like a real change of pace from what I've heard before.
I really like how slow and deliberate and soulful this is. It's got a great mood to it. Interesting, well written songs throughout. It's put together really well, and the musicality is absolutely on point. Great job BD!
Happy Mondays
3/5
I'm struggling to form a cohesive opinion on this one. It's kind of generally dancey and upbeat, but it's not something I'm particularly vibing with. It's ok.
The Residents
3/5
This album is deeply, deeply weird, but I kind of like it...? That is, I obviously don't like it, it's terrible... but it IS funny... and I enjoyed finding out what would come next, and was met many times with more weird, mad shit... which is obviously bad and not something you would want to listen to... but it's also kind of great and I kind of love them and want to hang out with them. It's either a complete, ridiculous joke or a masterpiece, I'm not sure. Either way I'm actually glad I listened to this one.
2.5 rounded up.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
This is quite similar to the last review I gave for their debut, in that I like it, but I prefer their later stuff. There is some further expansion in their sound in this album, but it is still quite repetitive in a lot of the tracks. Whether that matters or not is the question I guess, as I do still dig a bunch of those ones. There are some seriously dirty beats going on at times, and then songs like Setting Sun are excellent.
3.5 rounded down.
The Beach Boys
3/5
This is one of those albums that it's kind of mad I'd never listened to before now. It's such a well-known, iconic album. It's actually way more sedate than I thought it would be, based on other songs of theirs. In general, I preferred the more well-known songs like God Only Knows and Wouldn't It Be Nice. I liked the variance in instruments though, and the more orchestral bits. Overall, it's a nice time. Elsewhere, I had the realisation that Frank Black covered 'Hold On To Your Ego'.
The write-up on this is fascinating, and I hadn't had any of that context before now. I feel like I've grown as a music appreciator, even if this one didn't completely hit for me.
3.5 rounded down.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
Quadruple platinum, what the hell!? I guess this one really isn't for me. They seem accomplished enough at playing, and I like some of the musical bits (notably the brass explosions), but mostly it's just naff. I'm not drawn into any of this. It's incredibly boring.
Edit: I wrote the above before I'd gotten onto the fucking awful, drawn-out drum solo. That's got to be half a star off right there.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
This is exactly what I thought it would be, and I had a pleasant enough time with it for the most part. 45 minutes of incredibly similar, softly softly music is a bit much though I admit.
Lou Reed
4/5
It's a really good album. The best tracks to me are those that are full of energy, and have a bit of anarchic spirit to them (Vicious, Walk On the Wild Side). There's a bunch of weirder, meandering tracks that I'm less enthused with (New York Telephone Conversation), but overall it's very solid. I like his style and what he's about.
Perfect Day is an absolute all-timer of a song, my god. So good, I love it.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
This is a perfectly nice 3/5 album. It’s competent, with some nice melodies and grooves. I’m not massively into this era or genre(s), but it has some personality to it and that works in its favour. I like the bass-lines and touches of keys in there. I felt there was a bit more filler as it went on, but overall it’s not bad.
Funkadelic
4/5
I like this. Musically, it's really on-point. It has a really cracking opening, with real energy and grooves, and it's just a lot of fun. There's some really funky bass-lines, and I love the squealing guitars. I did find myself getting less interested in the longer tracks that became quite repetitive, otherwise I would have rated this higher. However, when it's good it's really good.
3.5 rounded up.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
This actually grew on me the more it went on. I didn’t like all the talking at first, but actually it worked at times. Some of the tracks are pretty pleasant, and I like the musicality of it generally. There’s a bunch of bits in here which sound like they’re ‘creatively borrowing’ from other artists. ‘Knowledge of Beauty’ has that ‘bom bom bom’ bit from Lou Reed’s Satellite of Love, and One of Those Things’ main groove sounds suspiciously like Sweet Home Alabama.
Still, straight down the middle, it’s not too bad.
Kraftwerk
2/5
I’m not a fan, it’s just weird, and boring. I don’t understand why a lot of people seem to have such an affinity for these guys. I know they were influential, but it’s still shit.
Eels
4/5
It's a great album. An impressive selection of songs in here in terms of variation, with a really unique sound. I really like their style, and his singing voice. It conveys a lot of emotion somehow despite sounding quite strained.
Novocaine for the Soul and My Beloved Monster are my personal highlights, but I like a lot of the others.
4.5 rounded down.
Iggy Pop
4/5
This is so much better than the Idiot, it has some actual energy to it. Although I gave that album 1 star, and I'm starting to suspect that I may have received that at a time when I was in a severely bad mood or something and was overly-harsh. I might actually give it another listen..
Either way, this is still immensely better. There's some big hits on here like Lust For Life and The Passenger, but I also really dug some of the other tracks I hadn’t heard before, like ‘Some Weird Sin’. It's really solid overall.
Can
2/5
Man, this one was all over the fucking place, what a weird journey. At first I was kind of bemused, not-really into it, but fine. A bit too disjointed and artsy for me, but better than I thought it was going to be. Then some of the tracks I was kind of on-board with. Despite it being over 18 minutes I was down with that first jam track… but then it’s followed by an equally long one that’s shit, and yet ANOTHER really long one that’s mostly mad, raving gibberish. And then we’re back to a track that actually has some kind of musical basis, where even if you’re not into it, it’s still interesting, with layered instruments and great drums. So… up and down? But mostly bad. I’m glad people can enjoy this, but jeeez man.
Randy Newman
3/5
It's not as good as the other album I had by him. This one feels way more earnest and twee, "root-de-doo, I'm Andy Newman" than his other one. That said there's a few nice tracks in here.
2.5 rounded up.
Radiohead
5/5
This is such a great album, and it deserves the acclaim. Listening now with fresh, critical ears the main thing that's struck me is just how exceptional the production on this album is. All the tracks have something interesting going on, be it interesting drum arrangements, layered atmospheric instruments, or unique sounds cutting in. The soundscapes in this are so fucking good, be it the lush kind of orchestration of Subterranean Homesick Alien, or the more manic moments in 'Climbing Up the Walls' - both songs I'd never really considered as highlights before, but they're both so rich and atmospheric in different ways. You want to play it loud with headphones and just lose yourself in it. I would point to particular song highlights, but this is a great example of something working so well as an album. It's all good and all one experience.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
My dad used to play this all the time, so it's well known. It's solid throughout, with some standout big hits. Overall there's some good melodies, good harmonies, and really nice backing instrumentation.
3.5 rounded up.
Madonna
3/5
I'm struggling to say much about this one. It's quite good? I kind of took it all in and had a reasonably nice time, without really having many critical thoughts about it. It's perfectly serviceable and well-done 80's pop music.
Japan
3/5
It's quite nice, this. I like the production and general mood on it. There's some really atmospheric synths and soundscapes going on. This is a typical, 'not really my bag, but I quite enjoyed it' album.
Joan Baez
2/5
Man, this is boring as shit. Someone said how they love how her guitar is used to enhance her voice, but I have issue with that because I don't particularly like her voice. It's way too soft and floaty. But mostly, the album is just so earnest and twee, and it rubs me the wrong way.
3/5
It's quite good, but it's not wowing me. You can hear plenty of influence on later bands. It's got a good amount of energy, but the mix is just a bit murky. At time of writing this album sits on a perfect 3/5 and I'm not going to rock that boat.
Bee Gees
3/5
It's alright. The songs are pleasant, and it's put together well enough, with nice instrumentation and some nice backing vocals and so on. I guess it just feels a bit inoffensive, and not particularly ambitious. Is that unfair? Their other album 'Odessa' I rated lower. I think this is a step above, but I have the same complaint as on that album. When you have soaring violins and surges of instruments, you'd expect it to be more rousing, but it somehow isn't. Again, knowing that they have some really amazing songs in their ballad-backlog, I was maybe hoping for a little bit more.
Gang Starr
3/5
It's not too bad. Old-skool kind of beats and rapping style. It feels long and samey though, so it wears thin.
2.5 rounded up.
Ryan Adams
3/5
It's very easy going and breezy and I had a perfectly nice enough time with it.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Broadly I think this is a really good album. There's a number of fair-to-middling tracks, but there's also plenty of really big songs on here that really hit. A lot of those ARE the singles, but still. I think the instrumentation is really good. I'm not sure I'd ever credited these guys with that before, but there's some great grooves in here, and other songs are really quite melodic.
3.5 rounded up.
Mike Ladd
3/5
This is actually quite a varied and interesting album. After an unsure start, I got kind of on-board with it. It's quite lo-fi, and even ambient at times. Other times it veers into quite dark, discordant soundscapes. Overall the production is generally interesting and I admire the ambition, even if it's inconsistent at times.
Björk
3/5
It's not bad. I don't find it particularly challenging like others have. It's really well put together for what it is. But it's also not THAT exciting. Bjork's output, if nothing else, always remains interesting.
Shack
3/5
I'd never even heard of these guys before, but they're pretty good. The melodies are nice, and it was pretty consistent for the whole thing. Maybe it started to feel a bit more generic as it went on? Maybe. I think there's enough variation in here to make it worth a listen. I like the backing vocals and the additional violins for a bit of heightened delivery.
3.5 rounded down.
The Mars Volta
4/5
Best review section ever. Reading this right at the top...
"Expect to find music that is written for the sake of music, that breaks boundaries, that forces the listener to think and experience concepts outside of the easy boundaries of culture and social norms that are forced on us by the media."
Saying "fuck off" out loud as I scroll down to the next review, which simply says "Fuck off". Just absolute... *chef's kiss*.
Ok I'm going to actually listen to it now... and you know what, it's good! It did, and does stand out from the pack. It's super frenetic. It's doing its own thing. Musically it's really quite accomplished. I'm way more up on this than I thought I would be. There are some genuinely great tracks on here and it's a cohesive whole. Something I would genuinely return to.
I've actually seen the Mars Volta live before. I reckon maybe 98% of the audience were middle-aged men. Then maybe 80% of those middle-aged men had middling to impressive beardery going on. Then I'm going to say at least 60% of those impressively bearded middle-aged men spent the whole gig stroking them rhythmically. I make that about 47% of the total audience, which you have to say is pretty impressive.
I couldn't get into these guys before, but as a now middle-aged man, I guess I finally fit the mould. I'm not yet ready to fully join their ranks and go full-beard wanker, but I'll salute them from slightly afar with my generic stubble.
Suede
4/5
I come into this as a casual Suede fan, having only really dug into their singles before. There's things about this I really like - the expansive sound and the variance in instruments and approach. There's a few tracks that sit in the 'meh' category for me, but others grew on me with a repeat listen. It's a really strong ending to the album. The Asphalt World is real nice. It develops into a really lush, drawn-out proggy affair. 'Still Life' is an absolute banger to end on. I love the bombast there with all the violins and brass. We Are The Pigs is also top notch, what a tune. I originally went 3.5 rounded down, but it's grown on me and I've re-assessed.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
I'm not a Joni fan, and this isn't helping to win me over. She still has a tendency to shove way too many lyrics into each song, and for the most part it's just really boring. The music is at least a little weird and interesting on one or two songs, but the overall impression is just a bit meh.
The Incredible String Band
2/5
It's absolutely dreadful, but also kind of funny with it. They at least seem self-aware. If this were more earnest then it'd be intolerable.
1.5 rounded up.
The Streets
3/5
I can't really complain about all the people who hate this. It's so quintessentially working-class British that the Americans on here must be fuming. But even within the UK, it's still quite an acquired taste, particularly as so much is quite monotone and delivered in such a specific way.
I'm somewhere in the middle. The Streets were very much part of the cultural zeitgeist back in the day, but I was never really into the scene or particularly up on it. In fact we'd take the mick out of the delivery and content, being alternative kids and all that - "I'm going down to the chippy to grab some tea - I'm 'avin a can or two and knockin out some mad bantz with Gaz and the boys - and we're off our 'eads and we're giving it large'. Etc etc.
But you know what, over time I came to appreciate them / Mike Skinner more. It's got a lot of personality, and personality goes a long way. And I'm absolutely bopping my head to Fit but You Know It - it's a genuine tune!
Venom
3/5
It's not really for me. It's not bad, but it's very murky, and it's kind of silly.
2.5 rounded up.
Pavement
3/5
I'm quite on-board with the garage-rock sound. There's a kind of blasé, casual quality to it. I like his vocal delivery as well pretty much. There's some good tracks in here that stand out, but also plenty of middling ones that kind of merge into one.
3.5 rounded down.
Roni Size
3/5
This was actually pretty good. It's got some genuinely interesting beats in there. I thought I would struggle to work while listening, but it's on the more chill side of DnB. Some of the songs are very long, but they didn't feel like they dragged particularly. I like the bassy jazzy beats in particular.
3.5 rounded down.
The Zombies
3/5
I thought this would be more interesting, given I'd heard (and liked) a bunch of their songs before. The sad reality is it's just a bit boring. I'd feel harsh going 2.5, but this is a low 3.
The Pogues
4/5
I had such a good time with this. There's a real drive and propulsion to it, and it's packed with tons of personality. The musicality is absolutely on-point. I was maybe expecting it to be a bit one-note, and for that to drag over a long runtime, but there's tons of variation here and it whizzed by. It's kind of weird listening to Fairytale of New York in May, but whatever.
I enjoyed it so much, I'm going to have to revisit 'Rum Sodomy & The Lash' which I only gave a 3 before. It's funny how these albums can completely change dependent on the mood they find you in - maybe it was one of those.
4.5 rounded down.
Wilco
3/5
You know this was a perfectly nice album. I preferred the first half, which was a bit more upbeat and had me tapping along with it a lot more. The second half felt more sombre, and was less engaging, but still fine enough. Overall it was quite easy going.
3.5 rounded down.
Beatles
5/5
The Beatles are a very good band, and they're iconic, and a lot of their songs are completely timeless. However, I initially had this scored lower and it was only repeat listens that helped me to appreciate the approach and execution a lot more.
You still have the kind of classic Beatles sound with jangly guitars and nice harmonies. They really know how to beautifully craft a song, and the song writing in general is seriously on-point. I like how bold it is, with lots of approaches and instruments, and its left-field decisions. A song like Eleanor Rigby is brilliant, and it has an entirely string backing. It's maybe a bit less successful with something like Yellow Submarine, but hey, you still have to admire the ambition and personality of it.
I don’t know why I was holding off from giving this a 5 before. It’s excellent and pretty much the whole album holds up to serious scrutiny. Very well made, and a very good listen. And yes, it is timeless and iconic.
Sparks
3/5
I like how theatrical and idiosyncratic this is. I can only commend them for doing something so artsy and out there, and to really own it. For the most part I enjoyed this and had a nice time, but it did seem to bleed into one a little bit, especially the longer it went on.
Nico
1/5
Christ this is so fucking boring. And it's just so bad.
Erykah Badu
3/5
This is a nice time, but in a quite unassuming way. My main criticism, if it even is one, is that it doesn’t feel immediate and engaging. It plays more like pleasant, soulful background music, with just a touch of jazz and funk. But you know, everything has its place, and in circumstances where you just want to play something casual, which will sit nicely in the background, this is perfect.
3.5 rounded down.
Red Snapper
3/5
It doesn't bode well for an album when the only thing mentioned in the write-up is that it was included in the 1001 albums book, but this actually isn't that bad. It's maybe a bit inconsistent in terms of style, as it flits in and out of different approaches: Sometimes more down-tempo, other times kind of hip-hoppy, other times kind of weird electro.. but it mostly delivers for me. Certainly not something I'll return to, but hey, very few albums on here fit that criteria.
Ryan Adams
2/5
As with his other album I reviewed, it started off very easy going and breezy, but after a short while it seemed to slow waaay down, and I just found it so dull.
The Saints
3/5
I don't really have that many strong opinions about this one. It's a bit more musical than some other punk-rock bands, but it still feels a bit samey in my opinion. It's just ok.
Turbonegro
4/5
I had NO idea this is what Turbonegro sounded like, but I like it. Super high energy, and with heaps of wailing guitars across most of the record, which is very my scene.
It's incredibly silly in places, but fuck it, I love that they're singing about pizza. I'm hearing parallels with bands like AC/DC and Kiss, but a bit punkier. They have that kind of fun edge to them. Maybe a hint of Ramones as others have said. All melted together in one high-octane, glam-punk-rock melting pot.
It's maybe a BIT much all in one sitting, but I'll definitely check out more of these guys. Most likely this'll be an album I save, but won't return to much outside of a few tracks, but that's ok.
I bet these guys were/are excellent live.
Can
3/5
Well I definitely wasn't expecting this of a 'rock' record. This has way more in common with freeform jazz than it does rock in my opinion, but I quite dig it. It's quite a chill time, with some nice playing. Moonshake was the standout track for me, which sadly was the shortest by some distance. The rest is quite experimental and strange, but nonetheless interesting.
Norah Jones
3/5
The majority of criticisms for this album seem to be that it's too safe and middle of the road - perfectly pleasant to listen to in the background, and that's about it. I'm afraid I can't even afford it that. Right out of the gate it's just so bland. It's perfectly well made, but it's so safe and boring that it just lacks any kind of soul. There are precisely zero edges to this.
2.5 rounded up.
Arrested Development
3/5
The greatest discovery on this album was playing the track ''Mr. Wendal', and immediately remembering the time an old school-friend had played the intro to me in his house one time, and how he loved the 'WaaAAahhH' bit. I'd wondered on that track a few times over the years, and now I know what it's from. A nice little slice of nostalgia there.
Anyway! Broadly I think this is pretty fun, and it's quite a nice listen. I like how upbeat it is. Lots of funky grooves, and interesting music.
3.5 rounded down.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
I’m not sure what to make of this one as it’s somewhat inconsistent. There’s moments in this where I found it a bit droney and uninteresting, but other times it just seems to explode into life and is really quite something.
I was quite glad to receive this as I’d heard of him before, but had literally no idea what he actually sounded like. Now I can say that I think there’s a lot to admire. He seems like a truly accomplished artist – I just may admire this more than I like it.
I really love the moments in this where it swells with a real sense of feeling. I like it when bands or artists go BIG, I just do. In a genuine, heart on sleeve kind of way, not an anaemic, pop, punch it up an octave for extra feels kind of way. And this isn’t afraid to go there, with sudden explosions of brass, belted out vocals, and a whole range of interesting instrumentation. At other times the music is really lush. The backing vocals are superb and deserve a special shout-out, as I think they add so much at times, and in interesting ways as well. There’s definite Radiohead vibes at times too, and that’s no bad thing.
I’m going generous with this, as I suspect this may grow on me with repeat listens. It’s definitely bold and really unique – and that has to be admired.
Röyksopp
3/5
I do like Röyksopp, and I do like this album, but it's not their most engaging in my opinion. It's a chill time, and it's put together well enough, but it seems to lack a little bit of oomph for me. I way prefer something like 'Junior', which has a lot more about it. There's some good tracks in here, but not sure there's any actual stand-outs.
3.5 rounded down.
Neil Young
3/5
It's not really my thing, but I can recognise that this is pretty solid for what it is. At first I wasn't really sure, but I warmed to it more as it went on, and particularly to his voice. Southern Man is the real stand-out on here.
LL Cool J
3/5
My first reaction to this was annoyance at how long it was. But you know, it's a pretty enjoyable album. It's pretty funky with some nice rhymes in there. I'm not a hip-hop guy, but I much prefer these kind of vibes compared to some of the more modern stuff.
The Beach Boys
3/5
This sounds so far removed from what I understand a Beach Boys record should be. It feels way more expansive, and kind of weird and unusual. A much darker tone, with typical Beach Boys notes punctuating it at times. The production is quite interesting as well. There's some good tracks in here, but the overall to me is merely 'quite good'. The album cover is badass.
RIP Brian Wilson.
Miles Davis
2/5
It feels really kind of samey throughout the whole of the first 18 minute track. I guess there's some nice themes running throughout? Kind of? But there's really very little to grasp onto. The second track is so fucking boring. And why is the recording so bad? There's so much background hiss. I get that it's hardly a studio session, but still.
This is a generous 2/5.
Stereo MC's
3/5
This is alright enough. It's quite upbeat, quite 90's! But it's not a bad listen. I do wonder why this makes the list though - unless I'm missing something, I fail to see how this helped push things forwards or was otherwise influential. I doubt it's actually that celebrated these days.
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
Part of the challenge of reviewing this is that it's such a grimy, discordant and angry album. Some songs are incredibly abrasive and others are actively unpleasant to listen to. However! It's a great album overall, and I really appreciate it. I think the production is incredible. Obviously very industrial, but there's some super interesting synths and soundscapes in there that really work. It feels like a complete thing, like one big mood. You can almost imagine this whole album being the backdrop to a disgusting, grimy, post-apocalyptic world.
I had this album on CD when I was younger, and my opinion on it (and the band) has changed somewhat over time. I've come to appreciate the weirder, slower tracks a lot more, whereas I was all about the upbeat, rockier, in-your-face tracks before.
There's some great tracks on here, but it really works as an overall.
The Crusaders
3/5
Street Life is an absolute banger. It's a shame the rest of the album is devoid of vocals, because they clearly have it. That said, the rest of the album is a chilled and groovy time.
3.5 rounded down.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
This is similar to the other album I had by him. It's obviously mad and all over the place, but I dig it. I like that he's putting this kind of thing out there.
It's such a strange album - a real experience - a real mood. The vocals put me off at first, but they work with it. I like the spacey synths. I really like the 'Little Red' tracks. There's a mad, awkward cacophony of trumpets, but it creates such an interesting soundscape. There's all sorts of other shit going on in there.
Music preferences are weird aren't they? An album like this by another artist might make me roll my eyes - or I'll be put off by another album doing quite similar things, and sitting in the same kind of space.
I understand if other people hate it. I think it's delightfully weird and I celebrate it.
3.5 rounded up.
John Prine
2/5
I was somewhat hopeful for this after reading some positive reviews. I know there's good lyrical content in there, but it still sits within the framework of standard, "well shucks" country. All the hallmarks of country music, with the twangy guitars, and especially his drawling, country twang of a voice. I'm not a fan.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I'm sure this is influential enough, it's just kind of boring. I don't always necessarily mind the mix and the dissonance of it, but it does get to you a bit. It's so sludgy and dirgy at times. Ultimately, it's fine, but not that engaging or exciting. It doesn't really deserve a 3, but I don't want to give it a 2.
2.5 rounded up.
New Order
4/5
Well I wasn't expecting this - I think this is really good! I really like all the layers to the songs. It's got surprising depth to it, despite being quite heavy on synths. I like how it's upbeat but also quite melodic. It's 80's, and it has some trappings of the 80's, but it doesn't sound dated to me, or at least it's held up way better than some other bands from the era.
Surprised by this one, as New Order were never on my radar as being a band I might like.
Pixies
5/5
This, weirdly, was my first route into the Pixies because I loved Velouria so much (and it remains a firm favourite of mine). It's not as loaded with hits as something like Doolittle, but I really love the majority of tracks on here. The music is on-point. I love the opening track so much with those driving guitars.
I like their attitude. I like the harmonies. I like how short and sweet so many of the tracks are. I like their weird, quite basic, sometimes non-sensical lyrics. They're doing their own thing and they're owning it.
4.5 rounded up.
Joy Division
2/5
Uh man, this is so fucking dour. It's such a slog.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
What an excellent album. It's maybe more classic, early rock 'n' roll than I thought it would be (eg. Before You Accuse Me, Ooby Dooby) but there's so much to like here, with some real standout tracks. My foot got a really good workout with all the toe-tapping going on. I love the prolonged jams! The 11 minute runtime on I Heard It Through The Grapevine is entirely necessary and I won't hear otherwise.
4.5 rounded down.
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
It's not my thing, but I appreciate some of the orchestral bits. There were also some nice little funky bits in there. For the most part it wasn't a bad listen, and I was happy enough with it playing in the background. I really can't get on-board with the wailing singing though.
2.5 rounded down.
Pantera
3/5
It's not my usual go-to, but this isn't too bad. I like the mad guitars. It's a bit too much guttural screaming for me and got a bit much after a while. "Walk" brings back memories of attending "Freak Night" night club when I was a kid. Lovely stuff.
Prince
3/5
I've never really got on that much with Prince, so I wasn't expecting to like this. However, it's not too bad. It feels a bit dated, but it's also completely unique and it's clear he's a singular artist. I like the parts that are particularly upbeat and funky. The title track is the best one.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
The rating on this site puts this as one of the greatest albums of all time, and I just really don't see it. Sure, it's good, but one of the all-time best?
It might be a bit obvious to say that I really love the guitar in this, but I do. I love how down and dirty it gets at times. There are some monster tracks in here - particularly Hey Joe, but Purple Haze and Foxey Lady are excellent too. I doubt I'll really revisit outside of those tracks I liked the most really.
3.5 rounded down.
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
What an album. Incredibly bleak and dark, and with a real atmosphere running through the whole thing. It's thick with it. Even the guitars are quite heavy and grimy too. The lyrical content is so dense, but they've made it work so well, where if you disregard them, the songs and music still stand totally on their own.
While there are some standout songs, it's a whole album experience really. I'll chuck out special mention to 4st 7lb though because I love it. You can tell it was a lived experience. It's SO evocative with so many standout lines. You get the sense of a real person in there. 'I wanna walk in the snow and not leave a footprint. I wanna walk in the snow and not soil it's purity'. "Mother tries to choke me with roast beef and sits savouring her sole Ryvita. "That's the way you're built" my father said'. The song starts off so angry and heavy and it just melts into this heart-breakingly sad finale, and the final line, 'I've finally come to understand life through staring blankly at my navel'.
Very powerful stuff, and it still holds up today in a big way.
The Libertines
2/5
Outside of a few songs, it's really not that notable. So much generic sounding, soft filler. I was never really into the Libertines at the time, but looking back I can confirm I really didn't miss out on much by avoiding the albums. There's precisely zero oomph to this. It seems to be going for a punk energy, so why does it sound so flat? The guitars are jangly but otherwise completely unremarkable. The vocals are really weak. Maybe it's the recording letting it down? I can't believe this is 42 minutes, I could have sworn it was well over an hour. Really boring.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I groaned out loud when I saw this being served up, as I've not really been on-board with most of his stuff. But you know, this one is at least pleasant throughout. I think the music is good enough that it prevents it from being boring, but it is quite slight.
Not too bad! I had quite a nice time with this, and it was consistently good throughout with no real dips in quality. Not overlong also, which is appreciated.
It's quite a jam in general. Kind of upbeat rock n roll with some nice keys and jammy guitars. There's a few softer bits in there too which worked. It kind of flew by, and was a nice background listen.
3.5 rounded down.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
This isn't my go-to kind of thing, but I have to give her props for this. It's quite varied throughout, it has some interesting production on it, and there's some really good songs on here too.
The two halves are genuinely distinct, but I think the second half is much better, to my taste. As with a lot of 'powerful' pop singers, I find the vocals can be a bit over-powering at times. That's more the case on the first half, but the second half it feels like they're servicing the songs in a much better way. Although maybe I'm being a bit contradictory, because she absolutely belts it out on something like Mercy on Me, and I really enjoyed that.
This album is genuinely quite surprising, as I wouldn't have thought that this kind of thing was in her wheelhouse. I assumed it was all route-one, sugary pop, but there's jazzy showgirl stuff, soul, and melodramatic power-ballads thrown in here too. I think that's pretty impressive, and she clearly has a lot of talent.
Side A: 3/5
Side B: 4/5
Overall... Let's be generous. 3.5 rounded up.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
2/5
It's got some energy to it, and they're musically talented, but... *dramatic sigh*
M.I.A.
2/5
I guess there's some interesting beats... kind of? It's shit though.
MC Solaar
3/5
This is pretty decent, if not exactly my thing. There's some good variation in beats and production, and some interesting little notes of difference in there. It feels ahead of its time a bit considering this is very early 90's. It's quite funky at times, and there's some nice smooth rhymes in there, even if I don't understand what he's saying.
The Monkees
3/5
It's quite pleasant, but so much of it is just really bland. Listenable, but really quite uninspiring.
Talking Heads
3/5
There's a few good tracks, including Psycho Killer, but so much of this album is just really bland and meh. "Bleh".
2.5 rounded up.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
I've described way too many albums as 'pleasant' lately, but I'm really struggling to find other words. It's just a real smooth and thoroughly pleasant time. It's not exciting, it's not particularly daring, it's just nicely listenable. That's hardly a ringing endorsement, but I enjoyed it in the background.
3.5 rounded down.
1/5
Fucking hell.
The Fall
3/5
It's not as bad as I thought it would be, and I mean that in the sense that I'm not really into this genre at all. So it's not to my taste, but there's things to appreciate in here. There's some nice grooves, and he has a manic energy that works. Very rough around the edges, but it's got a bit of bite.
2.5 rounded up.
Black Sabbath
4/5
One of the great things about this album is the diversity on display. You might expect a relentlessly heavy kind of thing, but it’s actually really melodic and quite surprising. You know straight away on the first track when it segues into that kind of vibey, mellow musical breakdown. Then obviously ‘Changes’ is a real change of pace. But of course this is a rock record, and there’s plenty of great riffs and good guitar work on here. I love Snowblind which has a bit of everything.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This album is such an achievement. There’s loads of stand-out songs on here, but the rest of them are consistently good as well. He has such a lovely voice, but musically there’s tons of creativity and variety across the board. To create a double album of such consistent quality and variety is seriously impressive.
Peter Tosh
3/5
As someone who dislikes the majority of reggae, this was a real nice surprise. I was prepared to moan that this was the exact same beat on every single song – and of course it does have that persistent reggae beat – but this album feels WAY more varied than a lot of other reggae albums I’ve heard. The musicality of it is great, with tons of interesting sounds and varied instruments laid on top, and the songs are genuinely distinct from each other. It’s incredibly mellow (duh?) and I enjoyed listening to this one.
3.5 rounded down.
D'Angelo
2/5
What an absolutely nothing album. I’m really trying to hone in on the actual content and discern the differences between the tracks but it’s so difficult. It’s all one long, indistinct, gentle waft of an album.
The Specials
3/5
It’s alright. It’s quite perky and upbeat at times, and relatively inoffensive. It’s not wowing me. It’s a ‘sit gently in the background’ kind of album.
2.5 rounded up.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
This was a good time. Funky (naturally) with good instrumentation. He has a real nice voice.
3.5 rounded up
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
I quite like his vocal delivery and general (musical) vibes, but the actual content is awful, and the skits are fucking tedious.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
I’m delighted to say that this is better than the other album of theirs that I reviewed, but given that I gave that album 1 star and called it “depressing droney bullshit” it’s hardly a high bar to clear. This is still kind of indistinct and boring, but at least there’s some melodies in there and some interesting soundscapes at times.
2.5 rounded down.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
It's country, but it's at least on the more listenable / accessible side of country. I prefer the songs that lean more away from it, but still, generally it's quite an easy listen. There's some nice heartfelt ballads in here which I liked (like Hot Burrito #1).
John Cale
3/5
I like that this is a bit experimental, a bit unique. It's quite a nice listen, maybe one I appreciate more than I love. It fell into the background a little bit, but it's done well enough. Macbeth was a fun, upbeat track, full of instruments and stuff going on. That would be my pick of the bunch.
808 State
3/5
I quite like a bit of electronica, but this one feels a bit empty to me to be honest. It's not bad, there are some nice tracks in here, but even the best of them are never getting elevated beyond general 'quite nice to listen to' status. Maybe it's the production, it's just a bit weak.
2.5 rounded up.
Suicide
1/5
I was expecting something way more harsh and dissonant, but this is incredibly minimalist. It's kind of nothing really, just breathy vocals over the top of some veeeery stripped back, basic synths, and a bit of fuzz sitting in the background at all times. All the songs sound exactly the same. It's genuinely shit and shows no skill or ambition at all. Absolutely bizarre.
Frankie Teardrop has to be competing for the single worst song I've heard out of all 742 albums I've listened to so far, and that is IMPRESSIVE.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
It very much feels like low-level prog. It's not grabbing me. It's just a bit mediocre.
Cheap Trick
3/5
It's full of good, upbeat rock numbers, and it's a reminder that I should check out more Cheap Trick. I'd prefer to hear an actual studio album though so I can check out the songs properly. It's always a bit strange listening to a live album for a band you don't really know that well. I only knew Surrender on this album (which I love) and that hit well as a result. Overall... it was a good gig.
3.5 rounded down.
OutKast
3/5
This is a bit different. It's quite quirky, but a lot of the tracks land. Good production in general, and it's quite varied across the runtime. I really like the more upbeat tracks with heavier drums. They seem like fun dudes.
3.5 rounded down.
The Byrds
3/5
I got through nearly the whole album without writing any notes. I guess it's that kind of album - just a nice, 60's, floaty kind of time. I didn't recognise a lot of the covers. The Hey Joe one I appreciate on the basis that it's a genuine different take on a classic, rather than just doing the same thing.
Os Mutantes
3/5
Well this one was quite a pleasant surprise. Definitely lots of energy and personality in here. I like the mad trumpet and the dirty bassline in some of these songs. There's lots going on, but it's cohesive, and quite varied throughout.
3.5 rounded down.
Deee-Lite
3/5
This is more slight than I was expecting. It's funky and with a positive energy, but it's not quite as energetic as I thought it might be. It's still quite a good listen for most of the runtime. Groove Is in the Heart is a certified banger.
Ps: Good album cover!
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
I strongly suspect that this band have been labelled as one that you're not supposed to like if you're a 'proper' muso - in a similar vein to a band like Coldplay - and the reviews are being a bit over-zealous as a result.
I would have assumed ahead of time that this album would contain the big smash-hit single, and then a lot of uninspiring filler, but it's way more musical than I thought it would be. There's some great melodic guitar in here, some funk grooves, chill backdrops, harmonica, brass... I think it's really interesting musically.
I think this is really good. Forget the haters. And it IS fun.
Eric Clapton
3/5
I kind of breezed through this album without bothering it too much with my full attention. It's alright I guess, musically on-point, but kind of boring with it. I take some issue with the sheer number of covers on here.
2.5 rounded up.
The Youngbloods
3/5
This is a nice one! And it stands out for having a good amount of variance in styles and approaches, and all done pretty well.
3.5 rounded down.
Cornershop
3/5
The album is ok. I guess it's kind of interesting incorporating elements of Indian music into a more typical indie rock kind of approach, and there's some other quirky elements in here, but it's not really hitting for me overall. It's pretty dull in a lot of places.
The original Brimful of Asha doesn't hit anywhere near the level of the Norman Cook remix version. It sounds like a demo in comparison, although it does have its own charms with nice bits of violin in there.
2.5 rounded up.
Holger Czukay
3/5
This is quirky, and weird, and kind of delightful in places, but it's not something I would come back to and actively listen to. It's musically interesting, and obviously quite experimental, but there's a lightness of touch and it's kind of fun with it.
The Undertones
4/5
There's something very Ramones about this. It's overall good fun and quite knockabout. Plenty of energy and tempo. It's slightly more melodic in the guitars, but nonetheless very direct and with plenty of hooks.
Teenage Kicks is a perfect pop-rock song. There's something to be said for a song that's this simple, direct and earnest. It wears its heart on its sleeve, and distils a real feeling into 2 1/2 minutes.
3.5 rounded up.
Aerosmith
3/5
It's alright, but it's nowhere near their best in my opinion. There's something a bit disjointed and murky with the songs. I'm finding it hard to get into the actual groove of them. They're all sitting at a level, and there's nothing elevating them beyond that - be it a killer hook or chorus, or something a bit brighter or more engaging.
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
I'm disappointed by this. I thought it would be more dynamic, but outside of a few tracks or interesting pieces of production, and a few good rhymes, it's kind of flat. The whole album is weirdly murky.
I'm being generous here. 2.5 rounded up.
Genesis
2/5
Kind of boring, and weird in a way that a lot of prog is. If you're making prog music it seems to give you license to be irritating and twee in your musical approach, and to be overly sincere about random bullshit. As I'm writing this right now they've just started singing about erogenous zones, and it made me throw-up in my mouth a little bit.
It's not all bad. There's some good music in there in small spots, and some interesting instrumentation in places. But it's mostly just tedious, and long, and I really don't like it.
CHVRCHES
3/5
This is pretty good overall. It IS overlong, and it does start to feel a bit samey at times, but then a decent, upbeat track will hit and I'll be more on-side again - or a track will land with a different kind of energy or atmosphere to it. There's some decent synths and soundscapes in here.
3.5 rounded down.
Jacques Brel
3/5
I don't mind this, but it's not something I would ever just pop on, and there's nothing in here I'd ever re-visit. It's quite dramatic at times, which I kind of dig. But of course it's in French, I have no idea what he's singing about, and it's all a bit old-timey. This might be quite generous considering it's not my cup of tea, but I'm giving it a 3.
M.I.A.
3/5
This is why I always listen to an album all the way through. I hated this at the start, but I kind of talked my way around into giving it a somewhat reasonable rating by the end.
Let's start with what I don't like. It's repetitive, kind of shallow, and the lyrics are complete dreck. But man, this album is forging its own path and doesn't give a single shit what you think, and that's kind of marvellous.
It's weird, but weird and owning it. There's lots of world influence, all kinds of musical approaches, time signatures, sound effects, soundscapes, big synths. Lots of it is disjointed but in a way that kind of works. The repetitiveness even has a kind of charm about it once you tune into it.
It's deliberately out there, and it has attitude, and it's doing its own thing. And I celebrate that.
Metallica
4/5
Yes boy! Big, proper riffs are in. Riffs to rock you. Riffs to shake you! Riffs to pick you up off your feet and slap you round the chops.
There's lots of big tunes in here. Enter Sandman. Sad But True. The Unforgiven. Nothing Else Matters - My God!
It's such an accomplished album. Even if you took away all the big big hitters, the rest of the songs are, at worst, still good.
4.5 rounded down.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
This was way better than I thought it would be. I was full into my alternative kid phase when this came out, so I'm sure I just lumped it in with 'other'. I was aware of Dy-Na-Mi-Tee but I certainly didn't listen to it.
Getting the album now, I was expecting more rap / hip-hop, but it's much more melodic and singing-led. It's not my usual cup of tea, but I actually enjoyed pretty much all of it. Dy-Na-Mi-Tee is a stand-out, and has a real chill vibe to it that I like.
As an added bonus, it's a real cool album cover.
50 Cent
3/5
The content in this is so fucking bad, it has to be highlighted. Look at me, I'm so fucking great. I'm the best. I deal drugs. I fuck hoes. I kill people. Woooo!
That aside, there's some well put together tracks on here with some decent production and rhymes, and some of the tracks are a bop.
2.5 rounded up.
David Gray
2/5
Some parts of this were quite pleasant to listen to, in a kind of disengaged manner. However most of it is just boring. It's all a bit sad-sack, but the music behind it isn't anywhere near good enough to elevate it to something meaningful. It's all just a bit plain and generic in every sense.
I've rated worse albums higher than this, usually because they actually aspire to something or try something interesting, but this is so uninspiring that it deserves to be rated lower.
2.5 rounded down.
Scritti Politti
3/5
80's pop music was such a strange scene in retrospect. Out of all the era's this is definitely the most jarring. It sounds so dated now, almost kind of alien.
In terms of this album, it's very gentle. Shades of Prince, with other 80's trappings. It's kind of faintly ridiculous, so... why am I kind of into it? I seem to have found a sense of equilibrium while listening to this one. It's not unpleasant.
Laura Nyro
3/5
Well this was an interesting way to start the morning, with some very bold, dramatic show music. It's certainly not meek this, it's very bold and in your face and with full-on vocals. I kind of appreciate it, despite it not being for me.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
I enjoyed this. It's really grimy, with some really nasty guitar in there. Big rocky and grungy hooks and riffs. The vocal delivery is a bit drawling and whiny, but the dirty guitars elevate it for sure.
Brian Eno
4/5
Another Brian Eno album that I've largely got along with. I like this. It's weird and moody, with a good variety of tracks. I like the layers of sounds building up over time, creating real textures and mood.
Peter Frampton
4/5
A solid album. There's a lot of nice songs in here, with some good grooves. He's got a good voice, and I like the vibe in general.
Django Django
2/5
I hadn't heard about this band at all ahead of time, which was strange, but I now realise that I really didn't miss anything. It's really not very good, and it's very obviously not rock either. It's a sort of tedious, weak and wafty indie album.
It's not so much bad, it's more like this kind of music just really rubs me the wrong way. There's such little substance to this. It's like a silent fart wafting gently across a room, only in music form.
The Strokes
2/5
It's all a bit meh. The music isn't particularly exciting. Super repetitive and quite monotonous. As someone else said perfectly, all style and no hooks. I'm struggling to discern where one track ends and the next starts.
On the plus side, there ARE a few ok-good tracks. Although those are the singles, and how much of that is just me being familiar with them I don't know. If they were playing in a club I'd probably stay on the dancefloor if I was a few drinks deep and my friends were more into it than me. Another plus... I guess the guitarists and drummer didn't have to over-exert themselves too much...? It's a stretch.
2.5 rounded down.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
I appreciate that much of this is upbeat and sparkly and happy. It starts to get quite repetitive by 3-4 tracks in though. The tracks are incredibly long, and it gets a bit wearing.
2.5 rounded down.
Morrissey
3/5
I'm going to put aside the fact that Morrissey is a whiney douchebag.
It's a middling album for me. There's some really nice songs in here, but plenty of meh ones as well. His style is a bit meandering at times.
Motörhead
4/5
Fucking hell what a way to start a gig, straight into Ace of Spades, and it doesn't really let up from there. This album goes HARD. Hard hitting. Fast playing. BIG sound. There's some great guitar work in here which I really love.
Does it sound a bit samey at times...? Maybe, but it's a serious nit-pick. There's so much energy here, and they put on a serious show.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
It's ok. Very loose and chaotic and noisy. Parts of it really aren't vibing nicely with my tinnitus, but I appreciate the attitude.
Maybe it helped pave a way for a certain type of music, but I don't think it's particularly remarkable outside of that.
Iron Maiden
4/5
I like this. It's a very rocking time, with a great tempo and quality to it. There's something of the Black Sabbath to it, where the music is really quite melodic, with some great riffs, and interesting shifts in rhythm and tempo.
I really like the squealy guitars, and I'm also impressed with his singing. The cover art maybe belies the sound a bit, as you might expect something aggressive or even ear-splitting, but this is really quite accessible.
3.5 rounded up.
The Cult
4/5
I'm on-board with these guys and I like their style. If you want nice grooves and tap-along beats, then this is for you. It's fun, upbeat, nicely put together, and with assured energy and personality in the vocals. A real nice, upbeat, uncomplicated time.
3.5 rounded up.
Giant Sand
4/5
This might be my favourite type of album to receive on here. Something completely unknown, but which a lot of people seem to be slating. The expectations are low, but you come to realise almost right away that it's just full of surprises and invention, and totally go with it.
The first song is so moody, with that undercurrent of strings, and a sitar? It works! Throughout the album there's discordant noises, scuzzy guitars, piano, sound effects, industrial soundscapes, operatic moments.. Parts of it sound like they could be on a film score. The thing I really appreciate about the music is that it never seems to take the obvious route. Even something like the addition of piano.. it has it's unique sound. It's a bit off-key maybe, but it works.
I'm not put off by his voice as some others are. It's a very deliberate approach, and it works for the songs. Taking something like "Raw" as an example, it's really quite effective in setting that sombre tone, and it helps to build real atmosphere and mood.
I listened to it twice through, and that may have been too much in one sitting to be honest, but I remain pretty impressed by this!
4.5 rounded down.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
This has an obvious, massive Bowie influence. It feels very easy to point out, but it's undeniable. Overall I like the vibe though. There's some really good tracks, and it's generally pretty solid. I like when they really go for it, and you have the backing singers giving it some too (eg: on hymn for the dudes).
3.5 rounded up.
The Zutons
3/5
It's gently nice. Musically they're doing some interesting things. There's a variety of instruments and approaches, and the song structures aren't always typical. I give them credit for that. The majority of noughties indie just really doesn't do it for me though. This is better than some of the others in my opinion, even if it's never elevated above a 'generally nice listen'. I'll also give props to the cool album cover.
A thoroughly cromulent 3/5.
Van Morrison
3/5
It's all just very nice. Well crafted songs, with nice instrumentation and vocals. It won't be something I'll revisit, but I quite enjoyed it nonetheless.
3.5 rounded down.
Don McLean
4/5
I'm one of those listeners who knew Don McLean solely as the guy who stuck his dick in a pie, before getting caught by his comedy dad, but then someone pointed out that he did American Pie the SONG and not the movie, and I then came to know him as the American Pie singer. But now I know that he's so much more than that as well.
American Pie is what it is. It's good upbeat fun. It's iconic. The rest of the album is really where it's at for me though. This isn't necessarily my kind of thing as a general rule, but the song writing and composition on these songs is just really on point. There's a collection of delightfully crafted songs, with undeniable quality and musicianship on display, and it's just a really nice listen. It's gentle, but it has substance.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
This isn't bad you know. It's pretty upbeat and funky and I can get on-board with that. It's quite musical, and the music and production in general are pretty much on-point. There's also a good amount of variance across the album, with various styles thrown in.
A lot of it breezed past quite quickly, and I very much enjoyed myself. That said, it did start to feel overlong coming into the last quarter, especially as further tracks dropped that felt very much like filler (eg. 'Sometimes').
I'm less enthused with his rapping. It feels off, and I'm not buying him as a gangster rapper. I was looking at a 3.5 rounded up, but for all the reasons mentioned above, I'm going....
3.5 rounded down.
Television
3/5
It's ok, just ok. There's some good guitar riffs in places and some good driving bass lines at times. I'm down with the extended jams. I'm not 100% up on his singing, it's fine I guess. Guitar-wise, and overall sound-wise I like it, but I'm not blown away.
White Denim
3/5
This might be one that I appreciate more than love. The musical parts are all quite complex, and while it's quite impressive it does make it a bit less accessible. I can appreciate the talent and work, but it's a bit much for me. It doesn't quite match my own musical frequency.
That said there's some really nice songs and moments in here. I like the atmosphere that's generated across a number of tracks, and parts of this really take off and hit harder. They're just not that frequent. I appreciate the musicianship, including some of the longer jams. It shows a level of confidence in the music, but it's not 100% for me.
Steve Winwood
3/5
I think this is the first time I've heard of the term 'yacht rock', despite having albums in a similar vein before. As with those other albums, it's very soft and breezy. I can't get on-board (no pun intended) with these kind of stylings, it's just not me. It's nice enough in itself, and I do actually like the synths, but it's just so tame and middle of the (sea). He gets credit for playing all the instruments though.
2.5 rounded up.
Def Leppard
4/5
This is proper cheesy 80's rock, with those 80's rock n' roll vocals, and that 80's attitude. I'm sure they recorded most of this album while strutting around the studio, throwing in an occasional crotch thrust for good measure.
It's good for what it is. They've got some riffs. They've got some grooves. I also really like the extended guitar jams. You have to admit it's kind of catchy. It might not rock my world, but they have some serious toe tapping energy, and the album is very consistent from start to finish.
Ps: As with others, I was taken aback by the line that the Offspring sampled.
3.5 rounded up.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
I'm finding it hard to review this one. It's mostly just a very chill time that plays nicely in the background. It kind of passed me by, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's pleasant, but kind of strange in places. Much of it would play well as a movie score.
I didn't love it. I liked it in a very non-committal way.
Metallica
5/5
It took me a little while to warm up to this.. but jeez, this album is FULLY bad ass. There's a few awkward moments where the backing orchestra feels slightly at odds with the music and doesn't quite gel right, but the majority works really well. At it's best it's an absolute beast, with a full on assault of the senses in the most dramatic and grandiose way.
These guys are so good as a live band. They're just incredibly tight as a unit, and like all the best live bands they can extend their songs into longer jams and moments to create something new and magical.
The moments where extended guitar interludes meld with the orchestra were very much my thing. I love it when artists go all out and chuck lots at you. Some songs are spectacular, including 'One' which is just gnarly as fuck once it kicks off. \m/
There are small quibbles and it maaay be a bit much in one sitting... but I really appreciate that this is a live album that offers something completely different to the studio albums. And it's executed really really well.
John Lee Hooker
2/5
Disappointing - there weren't many moments where I could appreciate the music. There's some down and dirty guitar in there in places which is pretty good. So much of it is just really repetitive and dull though. It's just that same blues template going through everything. It starts off simply ok, and gets more slow, stripped-back and boring as it goes on.
2.5 rounded down.
Gorillaz
2/5
Oh man this is so disappointing, and so dull. It's remarkable that you can have a great opening single / music video reveal to the world in 'Clint Eastwood', and then the rest of the debut album just be completely boring.
I don't get all the positive reviews on here. The best I can say is it's 'ok'. It's kind of chill in places - in fact much more chill and slow than I was expecting. It's a bit weird, but not in a good way. It's just kind of weird and basic.
I will say that I still really like a bunch of Gorillaz songs outside of this. Also, the two remixes on here (that can't be reviewed as part of the album itself) are really good. They give a lot more energy to the tracks, particularly 19-2000, which is way better as a result.
The National
2/5
It's so fucking dull. It's just some sad-sack sounding bloke mumbling into a microphone. Every song sounds the same, and they all bleed into one another.
I actually like a depressing album if it invokes some kind of feeling in me, but this sounds like he's struggling to pull himself up from the sofa. There's absolutely zero edges to this, it's just one monotonous, boring slump of an album.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
This follows my reviews of his previous albums quite closely. I like the guy, and I like his style. As with some of his other albums, there's a great, manic energy to this. He has his own unique, artistic style and I appreciate it. I also appreciate a lot of the music. They don't always go with the usual route. There's a kind of propulsive energy to most songs, but there's some really interesting other bits that they're doing, with additional vocals and instrumentation. Having the songs be quite 'story based' also works for me.
So, I like this! That said though, I still don't think he will be a go-to artist for me. Maybe I need to change that.
3.5 rounded up.
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
This was a nice surprise, particularly after reading a lot of upvoted 'blah' reviews. It's got a really good energy across the album, but the music in general really brings it up a notch for me. Despite what those reviews say, I think they've got quite a unique sound and style. I like the use of sax and instrumentation in general, and there's some great rhythms. Mr. Jones is the standout track for me, although there's plenty of others I really enjoyed and tapped along to happily.
3.5 rounded up.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
Absolute nothing 'music'. And I hate to be one of those dickheads who puts the word 'music' in quote marks, but honestly. I quite like a bit of sci-fi synth, but much of this is so ambient as to barely register. Just a slight whisper of pretension on the air. I didn't even realise it was there half the time.
Traffic
3/5
This is pretty good you know. Apart from the odd track that goes a bit prog, this has a real cool vibe. I'm liking the instruments and his singing in general. And it's nice and short.
3.5 rounded down.
Radiohead
5/5
I had to keep reminding myself to listen to this critically because I just found myself singing along to the whole thing. I mean, what an album. Not only is there not a bad track, there's SO many very strong ones. Just a few of these tracks on a single album would elevate it, but all on the same one? Phew.
This is more 'jangly guitar' Radiohead, but still the production and musicality on this album is really interesting. Lots of layers of instruments and melodies and sounds going through the songs. I like the build up of instruments and atmosphere, and his singing is really on point. There's a real sense of feeling running through it.
Some of the songs are just stunning. You wouldn't always expect to end an album on one of the best songs, but wow, what a way to sign this off. Street Spirit is such a beautiful song.
Stephen Stills
3/5
It’s not the kind of thing I’d ever reach for, but I enjoyed my time with this. He’s a very good musician, and you can’t deny the musicality is on-point throughout. There’s some real nice guitar in here, some really great grooves, and some nice keys. I’m much less into the country stuff.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
This is quite a jarring record. Some of the content and style isn’t for me. It’s super repetitive and it’s abrasive as anything… but that kind of works for it? I thought I would hate it from the off, but it’s got so much attitude and personality, and some dirty, DIRTY beats.
It won me over the more I listened despite it still not really being for me, and it not being something I’ll ever return to. The production is genuinely great. It’s so weird and unusual, it kind of doesn’t sound like anything else I’ve ever heard before. I like the voice over bits, the random noises and beeps, and those phat, disgusting beats as I mentioned.
I love that something like this is on the list, rather than listening to another fucking Bruce Springsteen record or something. At least this is something genuinely different that I would never have listened to otherwise.
Jethro Tull
3/5
I’m mixed on this. It has an interesting mix of instruments and styles. Everyone mentions the flute, but it works, man! I also like the guitars and music in general. I found myself mostly tapping along. It’s just… all a bit weirdly dramatic. I can’t think of many prog / concept albums that I really enjoy. This has the same kind of trappings as those. I just find it hard to engage with it as much.
Beatles
4/5
They’re a really good band aren’t they? There’s not really any all-timer greats on here, but what you do have is a bunch of perfectly crafted, straight-forward pop singles. Many of them aren’t their own songs of course, but musically they’re on-point, and it’s an overall brief, fun time.
3.5 rounded up.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Hey this is pretty good fun you know. I really wasn’t into this scene as a kid, but I think these guys may have aged better than some of their contemporaries. The whole album is a consistent bop and much better than I thought it’d be. Musically it’s good. I particularly like the guitar work, which alternates between some nice acoustic work, to some upbeat twangy solo stuff, and down into that really grimy, thick sound. Underneath everything there’s some genuinely good grooves in there, and I routinely nodded my head along. I can’t understand a fucking thing he’s saying, but it kind of doesn’t register after a while. That kind of drawly, mumbly approach might grate elsewhere, but for some reason I’m ok with it here.
3.5 rounded down.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Eh… it is what it is. It’s one of those generally pleasant albums your parents would play back in the day. You didn’t like it, but it was inoffensive enough to not cause upset. A bit boring. Parts of it do sound very 80’s, with those soft backing keys and drum loops. There’s some bass in there that’s threatening to make a mark but doesn’t quite do so. There’s some nice piano and strings. A bit of awkward sax.
This might be the least exciting album I’ve ever heard. It has barely any edges or texture to it.
2.5 rounded down.
Ice Cube
3/5
It’s got quite an interesting sound to it. It has elements of 80’s rap and hip hop, as well as some of the sound that became more prominent in the 90’s. I’m surprised at how funky it is, and I’m actually pretty down with most of it. I’m guessing this was at the earlier end of having skits on records, and of course, they remain painfully unfunny.
There’s a strong feeling of Public Enemy about this (and actually after writing this I re-read the intro and realised it was the same production crew) – and the more politically charged tracks do work well - but it’s kind of undermined when he also starts rapping about going at a hoe with a coat hanger. I made the mistake of actively looking at the lyrics for one of the songs and…. eeeeesh. I made a concerted effort to ignore them as much as possible after that point.
Jurassic 5
4/5
This didn't leave as big a mark as I may have wanted, but it's still a real funky time for much of it. I like the way they rap together and the rhyme and flow is really good. I like the production too, and the music, samples and beats are always at least interesting.
3.5 rounded up.
Deep Purple
3/5
I'm sure something with such raw guitar and solid instrumentals should excite me more than this. I like what they're doing, and moments really shine, but it's also just a bit boring. It's quite a murky, wall of noise mix, and there's something about the compositions that doesn't sit quite right for me. I'll give some bonus cred to music and production that must have been quite bold and experimental back in 1970, but it doesn't all land for me. I really liked Machine Head, but for whatever reason this just isn't really gelling with me as much.
3/5
For whatever reason I can never seem to muster enough energy to properly engage with her music. All of my prior reviews for her albums have just been straight down the middle, "It's alright". Aaaand... It's kind of the same here. Yeah, it's alright. At least she's consistent. Some tracks are nicely done, but there's also a lot of dirgy stuff in there which I'm not into.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
This is a real random album, flitting between different styles and moods, and sometimes even within the same song. You just have to look at the first track which has really interesting, dark, moody synths and those iconic smoky vocals - only for it to suddenly shift into an upbeat 80's bubblegum pop tune! It's really jarring. It's also kind of echoed with the album cover, where he looks all dark and mysterious, and yet completely unserious.
People are mean about the synths. I like them dammit! They're layered in really interesting ways (at times). Some other tracks are just weird - I'm looking at you Jazz Police.
Everybody Knows is a great track. I love the music in that song. You have some great guitar work (the internet tells me it's guitar, but it sounds more like some kind of twangy sitar or something), and then those really pervasive synths sitting under everything. And the backing vocals and strings. I particularly enjoy singing this song when I have a really bad cold and my voice sounds Leonard Cohen as fuck.
I kind of admire him being a bit of an oddball on this album, but it's hit and miss. I still like the guy.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
It's ok. I can appreciate the musicianship, and it's got some energy to it. I don't like his voice though, I find it quite jarring. I'm also just not a fan of this type of music.
2.5 rounded up.
Soundgarden
3/5
I know loads of people like this, and I know some of my favourite albums sit adjacent to this - but I just can't get fully on-board. I like a bunch of tracks. I like some of the guitar work, especially when it's really big and bold sounding. But there's also plenty here that just sounds a bit generic rock to me.
I want way more melodies and identifiable riffs in my rock. They are in there in places, they're just not popping for me. Also, I'm not as won over by his voice, or this style of singing as a lot of others are, so I'm not giving plus points there. I can still appreciate it when he's wailing away at times, but I'd much rather some strange but interesting vocals personally. I know I'm in the minority there.
It's pretty good, but I'm not going to revisit.
Julian Cope
4/5
This is actually great. Despite it's length, it grew on me more and more as it played, and I found myself admiring the scope and talent behind it as it went on.
There's lots of range in here, with different styles and approaches. Lots of different instruments. Running through the whole thing you get a great tempo, tons of personality, and the sense of real quality and commitment. Musically it's really on-point. There's lots of surprises in there, with little notes of difference, a choir at one point, brass, synths, talked-over bits. It's so vibrant.
I just think it's really accomplished, and you get a sense of a true artist at work. I hadn't heard of this guy at all, or his previous band, so it's nice to have access and knowledge of this whole other scene that I was completely unaware of.
Brian Wilson
3/5
Ah man, it started off really well but just turned into one long blah-fest, punctuated only occasionally with a good track. If it didn't end with Good Vibrations then I likely would have missed the ending. Just far too many boring tracks in here that passed me by and struggled to hold my attention.
2.5 rounded up.
Tears For Fears
4/5
I knew more songs on here than I realised. As someone else said, this is very much a product of its era, but it's got such a moody edge to it that I really like. There's layers and layers of sound. I have to say I also really enjoy the magic 80's sax, it really works.
3.5 rounded up.
Tom Waits
3/5
As with his other albums, I admire the artist and the artistry. Maybe more so than the actual music..? Perhaps. Less so on this album though, as there's some good stuff in here. It's weird. Much of it is discordant and kind of 'off', but it has a cohesive rhythm and drive to it. I like the random chimes and little areas of detail across the album, and I'm really liking the softer ballads.
3.5 rounded down.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I think this is the best one of theirs yet. The first track is really bold and in your face out of the gate, and shows some of the promise found elsewhere on the album. However it does also segue into that typical downbeat, out of tune, droney wall of noise which I struggle with. Parts of this album are like a bad fever dream, and it's not a pleasant listen.
When the songs get a bit more structure to them, with either a good hook or a more discernible rhythm, and it's not hidden behind a complete wall of fuzz, then it's much more listenable.
2.5 rounded up.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
I'm sorry "The Rolling Stones", I think you're great, I really do, but this album of generally competent covers isn't it. A nice enough listen, but completely uninspired.
2.5 rounded down.
Goldfrapp
4/5
It's such an unusual album, with many strange and wonderful tracks, but I both admire it and I'm into it for the most part. There's lots of minor keys, strange sci-fi synths that punctuate the songs, and violins that sit underneath it all. There's really nice keyboards and soundscapes that run through it, but with lots of really good instrumental work over the top. It's like one big mood. Strange, and ethereal, and melancholic.
I'm not always a fan of breathy vocals, but they're really evocative here, and really beautiful. Yes, some tracks have definite Bond overtones, with those big dramatic swells - but hey, I'm into that stuff!
If you were being picky you might say it can be a bit much after a while, but if you're in the mood then this definitely hits.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Traditional folk isn't my bag, sorry. I guess it's nice enough, in a boring kind of way. There's a few tracks with something about them.
2.5 rounded up.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Perfectly pleasant pop ballads with a country flavour. She's got a lovely voice and there's some nice melodies in there. I think there's enough variance in the songs, and enough hooks and whatnot to keep you interested. It works well as a pop package, but I'm really struggling to see how this can be elevated beyond that. There's nothing profound here. The lyrics are genuinely woeful, just so basic and surface-layer. There's nothing wrong with that for what it is, and there's nothing wrong with enjoying this as a favourite album.. but this really shouldn't be up there with the very best albums of all time in my opinion. You need to have something a BIT more.
Baaba Maal
2/5
As with his other album, this is skilled enough, but I'm just not into it at all. As such, almost a whole hour of this was a hard time.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
Ah man, it's already so shit and I haven't even hit the 20 second mark yet. It's just utter, utter bullshit. There's such little artistic merit to this. It's just a bunch of people fucking about between themselves, and, I suspect, with us the audience. Many of these people are also in 'The Mothers of Invention', another band that supremely grates on me. These guys think they're well funny. Well how's *THIS* for funny Captain Beefheart and your Tragic Band? How's *THIS* for funny!? 1 star. And you can thank me for it. Oh wait you can't, because you're dead.
Paul Simon
3/5
He's a great songwriter, and this remains on show here. There's some lovely melodies, nice singing, and great storytelling in his lyrics.
Khaled
4/5
Seeing the length of this album at the start, it's fair to say I wasn't looking forward to it at all. But what a nice surprise, this guy is a real talent!
My overall takeaway is that the whole album is really accomplished. There's lots of different types of songs and flavours. Some of them are quite catchy, pop-type numbers. Others are funky, some are super chill, and is that some drum n' bass flavour in there..? Musically it's on-point throughout. I really like the trumpets in particular, and that nice funky bass..? Yes please!
Maybe this gels more with my Western sensibilities than some other, more traditional Arabic albums, but I did really appreciate the fusion of styles here. It's refreshing to enjoy a complete unknown album that you absolutely would never have heard of otherwise, and in this instance I had a great time with it.
3.5 rounded up.
Fugazi
3/5
Not bad. I like the dirty, fuzzy guitars and it's pretty rocking at times. I'm just struggling to engage with it much beyond that. I can't really make out anything he's saying.
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
This is a great album. It’s almost a shame that so many people haven’t really dug into their back catalogue before, because there’s so much to connect with.
For me I think this is at its best when it’s more upbeat. It’s got real driving rhythms, and layers of sounds, synths and instruments to it. They kind of don’t sound like anyone else - It’s got a real sense of identity. I particularly love the keys whenever they crop up, which give it a real propulsive energy.
The only negative for me is that the more sombre tracks don’t land as well. While I still appreciate their vibe, it is slightly jarring going from something like “I Love You” into “Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth” (for example).
Nevertheless, this is excellent, and we should celebrate it.
4.5 rounded down.
Deerhunter
2/5
There is SO little to this album, honestly, and it's so fucking boring. There's nothing arresting here, just kind of listless vocals and weak backing music. The drums are so basic and nothing. It's like one big, pathetic sigh.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
The man has a voice of liquid honey, and the band are playing reeeal nice. It's just a nice warm hug of an album.
3.5 rounded up.
Neil Young
3/5
It's not one of his better ones. It's a bit generic and just not very engaging. His singing also seems a bit off. It's genuinely terrible at times. The music itself is accomplished enough.
2.5 rounded up.
Culture Club
3/5
This is definitely better than I was expecting. It's pretty good, and these guys have got talent. It's all very 80's, but it's not irritating, which can't be said for a LOT of that decade. The songs are mostly just really nice, with some fun upbeat melodies, and little bits of detail. I tapped along quite a lot!
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Ah man I haven't listened to this album (or the Velvet Underground come to think of it) in ages. It's nice to be reunited with some of these tracks. I love 'What Goes On' in particular. What a tune, even if it does have weird, jarring moments of putting everything through the left channel. I'd say there's less stand-out tracks on this album as a whole, but it's pretty good throughout, and of course there's plenty of artsy weirdness as well, as is custom.
3.5 rounded up.
The Who
2/5
This isn't good. Fair play for committing to a concept and trying something a bit unusual, but it doesn't work for me, at all. There's not many songs on here I actually get on with, and those that I do I simply find 'ok'.
Sonic Youth
4/5
I'd heard this back in the day, but don't remember really getting on with it outside of a few tracks. I'm glad to say that it's better than I remember - or more likely, this appeals to me more now than when I was younger.
I don't like dirgy, droney shoegaze, but this thankfully isn't that. There's much more about it, and I really like a lot of the actual music on here. It's really quite propulsive in places. These guys, and this album in particular had a kind of 'cool' cult around it, which may make me inclined to push against that a bit, but you can't deny it's got a real style and swagger about it.
3.5 rounded up.
2/5
I'm not sold on Bob Dylan live. His voice really isn't good on this one. It's so strained and drawn-out and 'off'. It can't be overstated, it really is woeful.
And SO many of the songs feel really drawn-out and samey. It's hard to see the distinction in them when it's the same warbly vocals stretching out over the song, and with that constant harmonica shoving itself up into everyone's business.
Bob, kindly, why don't you shove your harmonica up your fucking arse instead? Then next time you're going for a shit you can experience what we all have to.
...ok, the second half is much better I'm pleased to say, and with less focus on his voice alone it's a much, much better listen. The instruments are vibrant, the tone is upbeat, and the songs themselves just come completely alive.
Still, I'll never get that 45 minutes back again from the first half.
2.5 rounded down.
Billie Holiday
3/5
I do like these 50's, gentle ballad, orchestral-backed albums. Especially in winter time. The backing music is lovely, with it's occasional flutters and swells. It's just a real nice, warm kind of album.
As others say, it totally all blends into one, and it feels overlong, so loses marks as a result.
3.5 rounded down.
Hole
4/5
This is good! Generally solid throughout, maybe with a bit of a dip in the middle (?) but for the most part these are some great, upbeat rock tracks with some good melodies and hooks. I like the punky vocals and I like the guitars, and you can't deny the title track in particular is an absolute tune.
3.5 rounded up.
Nina Simone
3/5
I prefer the more chill tracks. She's got a beautiful voice, and it's just a real mood. I always loved loved loved the Bowie 'Wild Is The Wind', and never really delved into this one beyond one listen before. But it's still excellent. I love the elaborate keys on this one, it really works. And her voice is still imbued with emotion.
3.5 rounded down.
Barry Adamson
4/5
I love that albums and projects like this exist. It's a fascinating artistic decision to soundtrack a film that doesn't exist. It certainly feels quite cinematic in places. I’d always liked ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ from the Lost Highway soundtrack, and other tracks feel like they could appear in other films. I really like the vibraphone in the third track (I always like the vibraphone). It always gives off a sense of someone being lost, or otherwise alone in a big world.
Elsewhere there's some dark tracks and some chill, musical tracks, as well as some guest cameos by interesting artists. Some tracks are superb and are really expansive. However, it does go a bit weird in the middle for a few tracks and isn't particularly fun to listen to. A little bit inconsistent overall.
Overall though, this was a nice find. I like this guy's style!
3.5 rounded up.
Megadeth
3/5
There's stuff to like in here. I'm definitely tapping away to this, but I'm not massively feeling it. I much prefer more defined riffs than wall of noise shredding. I'm also not a huge fan of the singing. I'm glad I got to give this a chance though.
Tracy Chapman
2/5
I'm not into this at all. It's so boring, and it really drags despite being just 36 minutes. At best it's 'vaguely nice'.
R.E.M.
3/5
It's pretty good. Plenty of decent tracks, but never elevated to anything more. Quite nice. Kind of upbeat and pretty fun. Some interesting instrumentation in places. A solid 3/5.