1001 Albums Summary

Great funky sound and love Mayfield’s voice but all kind of blurs into one and kind of ends up sounding samey. Ended up as background music rather than holding my attention

I’ve always liked Neil Young but never loved him. This didn’t change that But Running Dry was new to me and I did really like that

Lovefool stands out like a totem. Head and shoulders better than anything else But the rest was good if a little samey

Hey Ya is of course a brilliant song but good lord this does not justify its run time

Well this rocks None of the Pixies songs I already knew and yet the most I’ve liked them

This remains amazing and Venus In Furs is a top 100 song

Started off great and the first two tracks reminded me of his son at his best. Then it got jazzy and noodley and I lost interest Disappointing

60’s gorgeousness Know more of these than I realised already

When I’d listened to this before I’d thought it was unbearably twee but it’s actually pretty rough around the edges Works brilliantly as a cohesive body and was fantastic start to finish

I love Jane Says. The live version is one of my favourite songs ever. This album does not contain the live version… It was ok but nothing really stayed with me but I imagine it sounded great in 1988 before there was a lot of grunge that sounded very similar

It was ok but as a concept felt a bit half developed Nothing I hated, nothing I loved (but I can see for miles brings back memories of being in my dad’s car)

Well this was a great surprise Started off sounding like Pixies redux but then got good and then kept getting better Really liked this

Just not what I look for in my music. I’m sure it’s good if you know what you’re listening to but does nothing for me

It’s ok but feels a bit one note with not much standing out. In large part I think that might be because the vocals are quite flat

Look of Love was first dance at my wedding for a reason Possibly best album of the 80’s and brilliant from the first note till the last

Really like the energy of the title track The rest kind of blended together for me

Only knew the specials from their singles before but this whole album is excellent. Really enjoyable and fantastic energy to every song (but especially Enjoy Yourself and Sock It To Em JB)

Maybe I’ve heard too much of the indie bands that came after this and which were influenced by it, but I was surprisingly unmoved by this. Didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it. Not sure I could pick any of the songs out of it

Well this got pretty tedious pretty quickly. A lot of noise in search of a song Only the Viva Las Vegas cover saved it from 1 star

Quite liked the darkness of it but it all kind of merged together

I liked it I didn’t love it

Some of the best songs ever recorded by a nonce

Love lot’s about this but it feels a bit soft round the edges. Prefer Ray Charles when he’s rougher

Holy moly How have I never heard of these guys before A fantastic album from start to finish with a brilliant horn section as well Kind of sounds like what a punk album by the Rolling Stones might sound like

It’s fine I like I want you But just find it does nothing that makes me want to return to it

Just felt really lightweight and nothing really stood out Expected more

Outside of the interminable jazzy, noodly bits this is breathtaking and an easy 5 stars So it’s a shame the other bits knock a star off

Completely not my thing but I will grant that In Da Club is a tune

A couple of fantastic singles but not consistently outstanding

Fine punk

Again I struggle with a Joni Mitchell album I think it’s the way she runs away from melody in her singing that does it

God I just find this boring. Something about Joni Mitchell’s way of singing just leaves no trace for me.

It’s alright and some edgy songs but all feels a little flat. Middling

Solsbury Hill is a 5⭐️ song Here Comes The Flood isn’t far behind The rest is fine but later albums hit that standard more consistently

Well this was a lot better than I thought it would be. I already knew the singles but the rest wasn’t as droning as I feared it would be. Not sure I’ll return to it much but it wasn’t a bad listen at all

Good Fun Disposable

Had never heard of this before but how perfect is it?! Beautiful understated singing and melodies. A fantastic discovery

God I love her voice Listening to this reminds me of listening to Jeff Buckley’s Grace for the first time. There isn’t much higher praise I can give an album

It’s ok Really like The Weight but the rest kind of went past without really landing

I only discovered Lloyd Cole in the past year and I now feel I wasted the previous 40 not listening to him. This kind of literate, jangly indie-rock is exactly the kind of stuff I love and this is a terrific example of it The 2nd half of the album doesn’t quite maintain the charm of the first but I still thoroughly enjoyed this

In order to fully enjoy this album you need to be a teenager in 90’s Britain. Which happily I was. Hard to over estimate the impact this album (and the follow up) had on my generation I’ll never not listen to this without being transported back to my teenage years. Know every song like the back of my hand. Rock n roll Star and Cigarettes and Alcohol remain as alive as ever, whilst Slide Away has matured like a fine wine

The musicianship is impressive if overly complicated The singing is grating and hard to get past It’s fine

Pretty decent if not really my thing

Only knew shake it off but this has got a bunch of great pop songs on it An enjoyable listen

I like Rage but can’t ever see myself playing a whole album of their stuff. Rage is thrilling in a song, but exhausting in an album

The title track is one of the greatest tracks ever. The rest isn’t far behind

The sound is gorgeous and haunting but I’m not sure I’d want to listen to a whole album of it

Her voice is utterly beautiful and incredibly fragile. I didn’t think the music quite lived up to her voice as it felt a little country by numbers

So this sounded very meh - like talking heads with more repetition and less energy. But All My Friends stood out before NY I love You blew me away at the end. Wish the rest of the album had held by attention like those 2 tracks Initially gave this a 2 but have edited it up to a 3 based on those tracks alone

I love the 1st VU album with Nico I love Transformer by Lou Reed And yet this just did not hold me at all. Hard to say why

Great voice and energy to these songs but ultimately they ended up sounding the same

What an extraordinary voice. I don’t think I realised how young she was when she recorded this. Fast Car is amazing despite years of overplay on the radio. Talking bout a revolution and Baby can I hold you are also brilliant. The latter is incredible when juxtaposed with Behind the Wall on the album If the rest gets a little samey, it doesn’t diminish how brilliant the high points are of this album

I normally quite enjoy lo-fi but this was hard to get into Can’t see myself ever revisiting it

Made it 30 seconds and no more. Just cannot abide that style of singing

Another Lo-if record that just didn’t click for me. Tennessee was fun but none of it was exactly memorable

Has moments but they’re fleeting. Feels like background music for a coffee shop

A new genre for me but I really quite liked this. More of a vibe and very cool mood than something I could imagine myself returning to over and over but really enjoyable

This sounds great. Drums in particular are magnificent. Really enjoyed schizophrenia and Stereo Sancity Not listened to much Sonic Youth before but reminded me of a heavier Velvet Underground or Joy Division

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha No

Had a sonic youth album on this the other day and really liked it. This was a bit of a dud however They’ve upped the noise and lost the songs

Only knew the singles before and this was rather underwhelming Like a first draft for a bloc party album - and I’ve never liked bloc party

I find this a curious album. It’s an interesting project and some songs have fantastic moments but it also never feels particularly essential

No hip hop album is made better by the skits The peaks of this are undeniably great Less convinced by some of the rest of it

Any album this length is going to have a few quality control issues, but at its best this is the best solo outing of any Beatle

So I thought this would be fairly lightweight punk based on the little Greenday I knew And for the first few tracks that’s all it seemed to be. But as the album progressed the songs got more varied and ambitious A surprisingly enjoyable listen

Well this is the most I’ve ever liked Joni Mitchell I still think the way she sings and over complicates melodies detracts from the songs, but the songs and lyrics are often quite remarkable. Still not sure I’ll ever be a Joni fan but I did like this, whereas I’ve given some of her other albums one star reviews

It is impossible to overstate my love for this album. Tinseltown in the rain is the absolute stand out but the whole album is drenched in big synthy strings that sound fantastic when off set by that 80’s bass sound and Paul Buchanan’s soulful vocals. There’s so much going on in the mix that even now, after knowing and loving it for 20 years, I still discover new things on each listen

Bloody hell, bit of a disconnect between the bouncy rhythm and beautiful close harmonies and the murderous content of the lyrics. You can hear how this is an antecedent of a lot of subsequent country in terms of the sound, and the murder ballads clearly had a big impact on the likes of Kurt Cobain and Nick Cave. But as an album it’s very samey and plodding. An interesting historical curio but not one to return to

I adore Scott Walker. His is the voice I wish came from within me when I open my mouth to sing. This is a fabulously (over) dramatic album. Only reason it’s not 5 star is that it’s probably the one I return least of his first 4 albums. But that is an endorsement of the quality of the rest of those albums rather than a knock on this collection

So I only knew Cult of Personality from one of the GTA games and as CM Punk’s entrance theme. So I was kind of expecting this to be a one-song-wonder and then a whole lot of meh And whilst Cult is the only 5 star classic on here, the rest of the album is more than decent and I really enjoyed it Shades of the RHCP, half a dozen grunge bands and something unique

Jump is obviously a classic The rest was not up to much. Impressive guitar playing but forgettable songs

Nothing sticks around long enough to be offensive Nothing sticks around long enough to be memorable Feels like there might have been something great in there if they’d actually let any songs develop

Nick Drake is the template that all folksy singer songwriters have borrowed from This meanders a bit but touched greatness more than a couple of times

Nothing wrong with this but one of those things that hasn’t stood the test of time that well as so many people followed and refined the sound

My first Abba album beyond ABBA Gold. Abba really are a singles band so Gold is the perfect way to enjoy them. This is fine at worst and contains 2 or 3 of the greatest pop songs at best Nothing wrong with this but when I want to listen to ABBA it won’t be an album I reach for - it will be Gold

I struggle with B&S Some intriguing lyrics Some sweet melodies But overall it feels flimsy and lightweight And I hate his voice

Destination: Rock Direction: Straightahead La Grange is monumental Can give or take the rest

This takes me back I was at university when Take Me Out was released. Back then the moment the riff kicks in felt like the most thrilling thing I’d ever heard. The musical equivalent of that moment a rollercoaster crests the peak and you start hurtling downhill. The thing is, as thrilling as that moment is, I never really loved the rest of the album. I remembered it as a strong 3, maybe a 4 at a push. So imagine my surprise to find it’s actually matured like a fine wine and is a comfortable 5. Listening to it back for the first time in nearly 20 years I’m struck by how there are no bad tracks, the pace never lets up, but each song still sounds distinct. A very pleasant surprise considering how in my head I’d remembered it as very patchy

Back to Life is just a brilliant song There’s some other bits which work but plenty that out stay their welcome (you’re on much safer ground whenever Jazzie B is not on the mic) Call it a generous 3 because with Back to Life doing the heavy lifting

Funky but flat I’ve listened to 3 funk albums on this list so far and none of them have worked for me Fully prepared to accept this is an issue with me rather than the entire genre! I’m sure this is good but it didn’t move me at all

I think people who sneer at Coldplay are similar to those who looked down their nose at ABBA years ago. They have more hooks and great melodies in this album than most groups manage in a career Never cool. Never edgy. But these songs still pack out stadiums after 25 years so it’s hard to argue they’re without merit Yellow, Spies and Shiver remain particularly great

One of those bands that is fantastic to listen to one song of but that gets very samey very quickly over an album

My favourite singer is Scott Walker and my favourite band is The Divine Comedy so Jacques Brel is patient zero for all the music I love. my French isn’t up to following the lyrics but what is undeniable is that these are extraordinary songs performed with fantastic intensity

Was there ever a time where this sounded anything other than dull? Background music

Didn’t hate it but also not for me

I was somewhat disappointed by this. I know the singles of course. The rest of my Talking Heads knowledge comes from Stop Making Sense which is the most fantastically energetic live performance. By contrast this felt a bit flat and lethargic. Not bad by any means but I went in expecting to have my socks blown off and they remained firmly on my toes

It’s ok but nothing more Prefer the REM cover of the title track and the RUN DMC version of Walk This Way There’s a lot that hasn’t stood the test of time particularly well, but equally nothing that’s terrible

Pretty cool

A great sound. It feels like several different continents worth of cultures colliding

There was a lot of stuff that sounded like this round at that time Not sure there was much about this that deserves elevation

Sounds like The Smiths, The Bunnymen, The Cure and early REM with a punkier vibe Quite a few songs take some very surprising turns Singer grates after a while but it kind of all works anyway

Very hard to judge but also enormously enjoyable

There are no bad tracks on this Not 5 star but pretty bloody close I’ve never been that fond of Mardy Bum though I seem to be the only one

Leonard Cohen is obviously a terrific lyricist/poet but what really stands out alongside that is his strength as a songwriter. Suzanne, So Long Marianne, Sisters of Mercy, Hey That’s No Way are just great songs

Didn’t hate it but equally found it hard to really like

This just felt really boring and like some songs chucked together rather than an album Disappointing

Anyone who saw the sideburns I was rocking in the late 90’s will attest how much I loved Supergrass so I was delighted when this came up. And this is a brilliant album - probably the best “Brit pop” album - up to a point And that point is Going Out The first half of the album is so great. Brilliant songs the lot of them, but especially Richard III and Sun Hits The Sky Then post Going Out it disappears off a cliff. The songs become workmanlike at best, outright annoying at worst So frustrating

At the centre of the Venn diagram Jazzy / Insufferable / Catchy Songs I didn’t like, that I don’t want to listen to again, but or inexplicably stuck in my head anyway

Sounds like the future in 2023 What must it have sounded like in 1974?

Let’s go full Monty on this It’s never not surprising You can stop this record at almost any point and it would be almost impossible to predict what it would sound like 30 seconds later

Absolutely ridiculous but in an endearing way Like a 6th former who's tried too hard on their art project and massively overdone it but you can't help but find it quite endearing

This is really interesting and the mix of punk and country occasionally threatens to explode into greatness However, the vocals are in that awful, affected nasal whine that was so prevalent in the 80’s and that’s hard to get past This could have been great… but really isn’t

Sheryl Crow has always been fine to listen to but not something I’d seek out First listen to one of her albums didn’t really change that but do like Run Baby Run and All I Wanna Do (which is a 5⭐️ song)

It must have sounded extraordinary once upon a time but it doesn’t stand up particularly well now Feels like a great sound but not enough for a song let alone an album

This was fun. Loads of energy

Remains as brilliant as ever The title track and the boxer are amongst the most quintessentially classic songs ever recorded. The rest is pretty close behind Frank Lloyd Wright is a peculiar curio that lacks the melody of the rest of the album but we’ll forgive that one misstep when the rest is so great

I liked this. Never stayed the same shape for long and was an enjoyable listen

Love the title track Nothing wrong with the rest but a whole album of it does get a little samey

Sounds like public enemy but less so

Like a 6th form band trying way too hard to be arty

It’s the Neil Young album I love. The only one as can take or leave him a lot of the time Heart of Gold and Needle.. are all time great songs

I love dusty’s voice but - Son of a Preacher Man aside - this doesn’t quite have the songs to match it. Nothing wrong with it but the rest of the album tends to blur together a bit

Nope

Well this was a big disappointment Only Smiths album I already knew was The Queen Is Dead This is a million miles from the greatness of that album

Less a collection of songs than a landscape of sound This blew me away Only knew them from Urban Hymns really (which is both as brilliant as this and more accessible) but this was a fantastically immersive listen

This is a lot more country than Ingenue (which is the only other album of hers I know - it’s 5 ⭐️) This does miss that lusher sound but her voice is so wonderful that it carries this along perfectly well

Pretty great blues rock this Stay With Me and the Chuck Berry cover are brilliant in particular

Boom Never heard of these guys before but this is right up my street Constantly surprising but filled with hooks Loved it

Liked this a lot more than I thought I would A real melting pot of different sounds and cultures As an album it’s lack of cohesion means it’s more of a compilation though

I find The Who a great singles band whose work gets too flabby on an album This was no exception

What a wonderful surprise this was Never listened to them before but this was absolutely bewitching and impossible to second guess

I mean it’s fine Her voice is lovely - very sultry - but it’s all very samey

It’s good obviously but pales compared to what came later

The first time I listened to this album I listened to it 3 times through - back to back Not entirely by design. One wrong turn on a pre-satnav journey through mid Wales turned a 2 hour journey into a 6 hour one But then there aren’t many double albums that can reward such a listen, let alone ones that still stand up 30 years later Is it bloated? Of course. But it’s very much the equivalent of overdoing at the most fantastic feast imaginable. You may have had too much but you’ve had too much of the very best

Funk has been one of the genres I’ve consistently rated the lowest on this; it just doesn’t work for me So it is much to my surprise that I absolutely loved this album His voice is brilliantly soulful but the songs are fabulous as well Particularly loved So Many Sides Of You, Just My Imagination, Stand Up, If You Think You’re Lonely Now For turning the head of someone who doesn’t normally go for this, this gets the full monty

It’s interesting I suppose but it makes me feel nothing

Not for me

I will confess to being a sucker for anything that goes big and this has ambition piled upon ambition piled upon ambition The only bum note is Electricity - a decent song but just doesn’t feel a part of the rest of the album. Was torn between 4 and 5 but I think there’s so much that works so well we’ll go the whole hog

For some reason I’ve always had a perception that David Bowie’s best days were long behind him before we reached the 21st century. Consequently I’ve never listened to his later stuff before But I was very pleasantly surprised by this. It’s a pretty decent rock record. I particularly liked the title track and then I realised I quite liked all the tracks I started off thinking this was a decent 3, then an impressive 4, and ended up thinking it was a surprising 5 Edit - I’ve adjusted this down to a 4 as, though I still think it’s very good, Mr Bowie had far better albums and they’re the ones that deserve the top accolades

I don’t really go in for metal but enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would

It’s not earth shattering but I have a feeling this might be quite a grower with time for a few more listens Edit - I was right! I find myself returning to this a lot do bumping it up to a 4

How to rate the album I loved most in the world aged 8 now we’re in 2026 Well it sounds incredibly dated in places But it does still contain some incredible songs (Smooth Criminal probably stands the test of time best of all) But it’s really impossible to enjoy an MJ album anymore now we know he was at best guilty of inappropriate relationships with young boys, and at worst guilty of unspeakable acts Probably just best to leave it as 8 year old me loved it as much as MJ would have loved 8 year old me

I tend to rank Scott Walker as the greatest male vocalist of all time so I was intrigued by this. It felt like it would be right in my sweet spot as they’re clearly aping his sound. The sound is great and you can’t fault their ambition but unfortunately it falls over in that neither Alex or Miles have a voice that is up to the job. Wish they’d got someone else in to really make something of these great sounding songs. They’ve built an Austin Martin then asked Mr Bean to drive it

Still sounds great Synths rarely sounded better

Fairytale of NY is as perfect a song as could be. Not just the perfect Christmas song but probably the most perfect song full stop. The rest of the album is pretty great as well with the folk sound enriched by influences from all over the world as well as punk. The only knock against it is that it’s a bit too long

Really didn’t know what to expect going into this. Not my normal genre of music at all and never heard any of his stuff. But this was a very pleasant surprise. His voice is gorgeous, the sound by turns smooth, and funky, and lush Never quite knew what was next Think I’m going to listen to this a lot more to fully make up my mind

It’s a wonderful sound in search of more memorable songs

The only question is whether Hudson Line stops this album being 5 ⭐️ or not? It is extraordinary in so many ways - a big, ambitious sound that keeps an incredible psychedelic sound all the way through Hudson Line doesn’t fit the feel or sound of the album at all and has always felt jarring But the rest is so good I think we’ll go for full marks The wailing guitar on Funny Bird probably makes up for it all by itself

I was a bit disappointed by this I’ve known the Killing Moon for years and it’s one of my favourite songs but I’d never listened to one of their albums. There was just nothing else remotely as good as The killing moon A shame. Not bad at all but maybe I went in with expectations that just couldn’t be matched

It’s impressive but also a bit forgettable

The kind of music dickheads at my school listened to Sorry Fishbone Some of this is decent but I’m predisposed against you

Take On Me and Sun Always Shines On TV are two of the greatest pop songs of the 80’s The rest of this, not so much Nothing particularly wrong with it but it’s a bit bland and samey But those two singles are more than worth a listen

More than a feeling is a classic of the genre The rest is very much of the genre

Sweet Jesus this is boring

I once saw Air play live. They were the 2nd most tedious band I’ve ever seen It was my great misfortune that night that the most tedious band I’ve ever seen was their support act So, 20 years on from that trauma, how does this hold up? Well, the best thing I can say is that it’s easy to listen to. The worst thing I can say is that it’s easy to not listen to. Kelly watch the stars is wonderful. Sexy Boy, La Femme D’argent, & All I Need are pretty great too The rest is forgettable

It’s interesting but not exactly a comfortable listen or something I’ll be rushing back to

Like listening to a really good band indulge themselves

Didn’t hate as much as I thought I would but gets quite boring quite quickly

Fight for your right is an all time great single The rest gets tedious very quickly

The bangers are all timers. Heart of Glass, Sunday Girl, One Way Or Another, Picture This, Hanging On The Telephone are brilliant songs Such a shame that what is in between them is so forgettable

Well this is certainly the best bongo based album I’ve ever heard

I don’t dislike it at all but the way he sings does make it hard to love

I mean I can’t hate what I can’t understand

I was disappointed with this Long wanted to give them a listen as lots of artists I like were influenced by them But I found this to be a good sound that wore thin over the course of an album

Can’t really argue with the quality of the songs here

There is such a rare beauty to these harmonies Our House in particular is just gorgeous and transports me to such a comfortable place The only criticism I’d make is that this feels like a collection of great songs by 4 different song writers, rather than a cohesive whole

Very little to recommend here

Like someone trying to seduce you into their bed for a good nap

He killed a man in Reno, just to watch them die… and you think some of audience probably genuinely have. Best live album ever, and then June Carter turns up half way through and it gets even better Faultless

It’s a fine, meditative album but not one I rush to revisit much

You go into this thinking it’s going to be alright and so-so and then you’re reminded why Coldplay became one of the biggest bands in the world There are so many brilliant songs on this album (the first half in particular) Kind of tails off a little towards the end but the first 5 tracks are pretty much untouchable for memorable pop/rock hooks You’d think hearing these songs played to death for the past 20 years would diminish them, but they stand the test of time

I only knew On A Rope already It’s a great song All the rest of these sound just like it And that gets a bit tiresome a bit quickly

I'd listen to Drew Barrymore and 20 Something again Not sure theres much else I'd ever want to seek out a second time

Come On Eileen is untouchable Jackie Wilson is a fine cover The rest is ok but certainly not essential

No arguing with that voice or that Respect is one of the greatest songs ever recorded But nothing else on here touches that level But then, whatever could…

Kind of think it’s hard to be that enthusiastic about this without the context of being in Thatcher’s Britain It’s fine nothing more

It’s perfectly fine reggae but I don’t know that I’ll ever listen to it again

Walks a fine line between interesting and annoying and doesn’t always keep its balance

Pretty fantastic from start to finish Not as good as Post or Homogenic but not far off at all (a little too noodly in places)

The Ramones only really have one song, but when the song is this good it’s all you need. A relentless blast of punk rock

The Divine Comedy are my favourite band but I’d somehow never got around to listening to this. Ute Lemper has a great voice but these do occasionally sound like cabaret covers of stuff Neil Hannon, Scott Walker and Nick Cave do better themselves. It’s not essential by any stretch of the imagination but it’s considerably better and more interesting than a lot of the reviews on here suggest. It’s a 3 but I’m feeling generous so go to 4 as I know I will come back to listen to it again Edit - much as I like it and think it was harshly judged by lots on here I can’t stick the 4 so a 3 feels fair

Another one to put in the “probably sounded great in the 60’s when stoned” pile Sounds a bit indulgent now but it’s pretty cool

I’m sure the musicianship is great but Christ this sounds like background music

Strong memories of being in my dad’s car in the 80’s listening to this album. There’s a crackling energy to every track that means it flies by Majority covers of course and greater was to come but a great listen nevertheless

I don’t really know enough about this type of music to fairly rate it Sounded fine though

I mean it's fine but I think I've expected more from all these Echo and the Bunnymen albums. Nothing remotely close to The Cutter or the Killing Moon and I think I always expect an alnum of songs of that quality

It’s very loud for a very long time Which is fine but a bit draining after a while

None more Bowie Only knew All The Young Dudes previously and figured them to be a one hit wonder How wrong I was This was great! Derivative of Bowie obviously but done really, really well

I wonder how much your enjoyment of this album is affected by whether you saw the Lips performing live in support of this album. I saw them twice and they probably rank as two of my favourite gigs of all time. It was an astonishing mix of instruments (including a giant gong!), loops, samples, movies, confetti, fake blood, and ambition. At the front of it all was Wayne Coyne - the greatest singer who could never sing a note. But that didn’t matter as his performance, both live and on record, is so honest that he takes you with him. The fragility of his voice actually suits these big songs about big ideas (depression, the Big Bang, oblivion) as his sometimes child like vocals match the simplicity of the lyrics. Waitin’ For A Superman still reduces me to tears after nearly 25 years. This is a jaw droppingly ambitious album that rewards so many repeat listens. Slight preference for the Uk version of the album as I think Slow Motion is better than the Spiderbite Song. I’m only giving it 5 stars because there’s no option to give it 6 My favourite album of all time

Always found an entire album of Metallica gets a bit samey, so the orchestra added an interesting new texture. It all worked far better than I thought it would

This is great Loads of great pop songs that are also decidedly odd Great synths, great horns Reward towers of the rest of the album but this was a great listen that I feel will reward repeat listens

They’re trying too hard No thanks

Very spacey but occasionally very dreamy and very beautiful

Better than I thought it was going to be but not a patch on The White Stripes

I’ve had a really mixed reaction to the ambient stuff on here I’ve found myself enjoying the work of Eno enormously but not being able to abide the bleepy bloops of Orbital This falls somewhere in the middle but on the lower end of it It’s not without its charm but there’s not a lot that I would want to revisit I probably end up as a high 2 but it could be a low 3

The first half of this is phenomenal It just trails off a bit at the end so ends up as close to 5⭐️ as you can get whilst being a 4

Unlike anything that came before The repetition is the point. Like being on a train journey into the future

Well this is something different Feels like some days I could find this tiresome but today it made for an interesting listen

I remember being absolutely blown away by this when I first heard it and it remains just as amazing today. It’s almost impossible to predict what genre is coming next on this constantly inventive and surprising album. Fantastic guitars and singing throughout Love this album

Ok - this is better than I remembered it being Had a memory of it being middling at best but those 1st 3 songs are great FM rock classics (though the single version of elevation is massively better than the album one) Gets a bit Bono in the pulpit after that and considerably less enjoyable Thought it might be a 1. Briefly looked like a 3. Before it settled into a fairly good 2

Stands alongside Warren Zevon and Johnny Cash as ruminations on the end of life This is by some distance the most haunting of those three An incredibly immersive listen

As good as Bowie got Which is about as good as any earthling ever got

So I’ve ended up feeling quite mixed about this album At first I thought it seemed quite flat with nothing really making much of a mark But as it went on I realised that it was getting further and further under my skin. By the time it got to One Big Love I was hooked. Will relisten and enjoy further I suspect Edit - I did relisten and I did enjoy it further. Up to 4 it goes!

I always imagined I wouldn’t like this I was right

I’ve never loved Dylan but this was fine No desire to revisit it but didn’t grate like some of his other stuff does with me

Travis are a facsimile of loads of other bands - chiefly Bends era Radiohead on this album Which is fine as far as it goes - they do it better than lots of others did in that era. But it’s all just a bit flat - nothing hits the highs of a great record. A lot of that has to do with Fran Healy’s voice not being Thom Yorke’s so he just sounds weak by comparison. But driftwood is a genuinely wonderful song (have always loved the way the lyrics overlap) and the hidden track hints at a direction you wish they’d explored more on the record

Paul Weller has had the career of 3 men and they’ve all produced classic songs. Never properly listened to any of his solo albums though and this was… disappointing Sunflower is a brilliant song. Wild Wood has a great vibe. The rest is just there and rather uninspiring

When I first put this on - having not listened to it in 20+ years - my wife walked in and asked who it was trying to do a bad Alanis impression. Turns out it was Alanis herself! Which kind of sums up how quintessential, overplayed and dated this sounds in 2023. But it’s hardly Alanis’ fault that she hit upon a blueprint that was driven into the ground in the following decade. There’s lots here that still holds up very well and this was really enjoyable to revisit

Oh for a 90’s rap/r&b album that is a) shorter and b) has no skits Still this has some pretty strong songs, creep and waterfalls being the stand outs A very high 3

So this is pretty extraordinary Constantly surprising in the soundscape and Beth Gibbons’ voice swings between mournful, sultry and explosive Also a really complete album in that it feels like a suite of songs that all build the mood and atmosphere

It was fine but didn’t really strike me as anything special

The first two tracks are an absolutely belting 1-2 punch - I’m struggling to think of many albums that start stronger. So it is beyond disappointing that the album quickly takes a nosedive, becomes more pedestrian and quickly forgettable A real shame

Has the same beautiful, pastoral, folky sound but the songs felt less developed than what he went on to do on Bryter Layter

Don’t Stop… is a song so good that it’s enough to make you forget that MJ abused young boys The rest of album is not good enough to make you forget MJ abused young boys

It’s a great sound, but it’s not the most versatile one so gets a bit samey over the course of an entire album. The 3 singles - Electric Feel, Kids and Time To Pretend - are brilliant (especially TtP) Not sure there’s much worth a repeat visit outside of those but it was a decent enough listen

It’s a timeless sound and their version of Scarborough fair is amongst the most gorgeous things ever recorded. Homeward Bound hints at the songwriting greatness that was to follow. The rest of this album doesn’t consistently hit that level but there’s certainly nothing wrong with any of this

As an album with such a MASSIVE reputation I was a bit disappointed by it. Love, love, love the X factor, and Doo Wop but outside of that I got a little bored. Maybe the straighter rap stuff just isn’t my thing (the between song skits really aren’t)

2nd album from this guy on the list and just like the last I don’t hate it but I also don’t love it. On the plus side, the music is dramatic and ever-changing. He can certainly create a mood. But the flip side is that you desperately want some singing or dialogue to help it all hang together. Music by itself is not a storytelling medium but serves to enhance the lyrics. You do wonder how well this might work with a Nick Cave or Scott Walker on vocals. As it is, this score for a film that does not exist is like going to see a flea circus in a really, really interesting theatre. Ultimately, you’d rather there was more on stage no matter how grand the setting

It was ok but based on the singles I already knew (personal Jesus and enjoy the silence) I think I expected more

Sometime in the summer of 1995 I bought this album as part of a buy 3 for £20 offer (what the other 2 CDs were is lost to history) My mate Simon saw The Bends in my bag and said I’d just bought one of the greatest albums I’d ever hear. He wasn’t wrong I listened to this and OK Computer religiously for about 5 years until Kid A came along and the umbilical cord that drew me to Radiohead snapped So how does this sound with 20 years of dust on it? Still sounds amazing Not a bad moment let alone a bad track Flawless

There’s lots I really like on here but it is very long!

So I liked this a lot more than I expected

I never really appreciated just how rich and wonderful George’s voice was. Freedom is an all time great single and the rest was perfectly enjoyable. I can see why the label were less than thrilled but Michael’s voice suits these darker ballads rather wonderfully

I’ll forever be a sucker for that jangly indie sound Not sure this is quite the pinnacle of the genre but it’s a more than decent listen

Absolutely nothing wrong with Dusty - her voice is obviously unimpeachable - but not sure this is one of the 1000 greatest albums considering it’s all covers. Incredibly well executed covers, but often fairly close facsimiles of the originals. Great for what it is, but what it is is fairly disposable albeit brilliant

So, despite being a big fan of Mellon Collie era pumpkins, I’d never properly listened to this before. Which is a case of more fool me as this was absolutely brilliant. Corgan’s voice is never going to be the most accessible instrument but there’s something about the crunching guitars on this that off sets his sneer perfectly. About as great as early 90’s guitar rock gets and I find myself struggling to think of a reason not to award the full 5

It’s hard to argue against songs that have stood the test of time this well. It’s the blueprint for everything that came afterwards It always blows my mind how quick rock and roll evolved from this to where it was a decade later

It’s hauntingly beautiful but does tend to blend into the background

I mean it was interesting but unbelievably tedious

Bjork is one of the greatest singers of all time. In the Sugarcubes you get to hear her paired with one of the worst rappers in history I don’t dislike the Sugarcubes but there are far better examples of Bjork’s extraordinary voice out there. Fail to understand why this is on the list as an essential album but it’s fun in a what-Bjork-did-before-she-was-famous sort of way

Like sitting by a warm fire, this album washes over you

Never listened to any Steely Dan before as always thought they’d be insufferably noodly and indulgent. But this was actually really good A jazzy influence but not to the detriment of some great tunes

The title track is obviously a classic Jealous Guy and Oh Yoko also stand up brilliantly The rest is more than fine but not amazing. Misses the rest of The Beatles

I'm never going to be a fan of Jazz but this was nice!

What sounds great for one song on the radio or in a club can do your effing head in on an album. Too much repetition to be enjoyable

They’re interesting soundscapes but I can’t imagine ever wanting to listen to it again

This was better than I expected as I’ve always found Bryan Ferry’s voice incredibly grating

Seven Nation Army is one of the greatest rock songs ever that still sounds amazing despite 20 years of being played everywhere. How does the rest of it hold up? Pretty bloody well is the answer! The opening four tracks in particular are blistering. The quieter tracks don’t land with the same punch as the rockier ones so it does somewhat lose its way after the Dusty cover. But Button to Button and Hypnotize are great in the later part of the album

Mama said is a 5⭐️ song A lot of the rest is nothing but odes to his cock

I mean, this obviously sounds amazing and has a firecracker energy unlike most anything recorded before or since That said, it is recorded by one of Earth's mightiest dickheads so loses a lot Call it a 3 that's a 4 or 5 by anyone less reprehensible

There’s some decent tracks but nothing exceptional. A solid Britpop album Nothing more

Mr Blue Sky is an unimpeachably great pop song The rest of the album sounds like knock offs of it

I don’t think I’ll ever love a Bob Dylan album but this was fine. Rolling Stone is a great song. The rest is fine

Interesting soundscapes for sure but hard to find a hook that would ever make you want to listen again

Jazz is never going to be it for me but this was solid

I’m never going to dislike a Stevie Wonder album but I’m yet to love one either

Robbie has his place and it is not on a list of essential albums Not a 1 because Angels is a classic and LMEY is fun (and should be the first track) Outside of those two this is pretty dull stuff

I feel I want to return to this album again quite soon to properly live in the storytelling

Relax, Two Tribes and Power of Love are pretty much the greatest first 3 singles ever The rest is a bit bloated Did enjoy the Springsteen cover though

This was pretty fun

Up till Chicago I’d say this is one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Like some strange cross section of Simon & Garfunkel and a pulp sci-fi horror novel, it’s both fragile and maudlin and shocking and beautiful. And then it keeps going and going and going And there just aren’t the tunes to justify in the back half of the album But a high mark on the quality of the 1st half alone

Tracey Thorn has a gorgeous voice. The cover of I Don’t Want To… is lovely The rest is utterly insipid though

Just not for me at all I’m sure it’s very accomplished but I don’t get jazz

It’s fine. This was my first time listening to The Fall and for a band with such a big reputation I expected more I think

There She Goes is one of the greatest songs ever written. Nothing else here is remotely close but it’s a fine enough listen

Hard not to get swept up in the incredible energy of this

This is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Big dumb rock

Outside of paranoid never listened to Black Sabbath but I really liked this

I’ve never had much interest in XTC but this caught me by surprise in the most unexpected way Dreamy, reflective, nostalgic, melancholic I loved this

Grace Slick has one of the great rock voices White Rabbit and Somebody To Love are unbeatable The rest is nowhere near that level but is perfectly fine

I either find Neil Young boring and annoying or really, quite good I did not find this really, quite good

I think there's 2 or 3 great songs here but no more

I’m never going to be a Dylan fan I think

It's far too long The production is of its time and not in a good way And whilst she can sing, her voice is also so light that it doesn't leave much of an impact An album I wish I could give 2.5 to but it's more of a 2 than a 3 so down it goes

It starts off strong with 1969 and the firecracker that is I Wanna Be Your Dog Then rather fizzles a bit but is still pretty strong

There’s lots of interesting things going on here but none of them add up to a memorable song

The perfect intersection of noise and tunes

The ultimate album for slightly pretentious teenagers that have a sense of just how ridiculous they are. Yes it’s a shame Morrissey turned out to be such a plank but these songs remain as wonderful as ever The jangly guitar sound is unbeatable and the lyrics are by turns touching and very funny

Unless you have taken a mind bending amount of LSD this gets tiresome pretty quickly

Whilst I think there are other Elbow albums that are just as good - if not better - as this this, Seldom Seen Kid is a great album. One Day Like This is such a beautiful anthem but the album is brilliant from start to finish. From the way the delicate start of Starlings gives way to the synth stab, the album constantly takes surprising turns (hello Grounds For Divorce’s convoluted but effective singalong). Guy Garvey’s voice has a fragility and honesty that comes from singing in his own accent whilst the lyrics approach Nick Cave levels of poetry (A friend of mine grows his very own brambles…) A fabulous album. I’d put at least another couple of theirs on this list too

Quite liked this Got a bouncy, funky energy

Get's really samey really quickly

Summer Breeze and That Lady are the obvious standouts But there's little wrong with the rest of it even if it is several notches below those crackers

It’s ok. The title track is amazing but it feels like there’s a lot of ideas that are only half finished. Expected more

The title track alone is probably 5⭐️ There are so many other tracks on this album that are equally strong (All Surface No Feeling being the other song that I feel has really stood the test of time)

Oh I really liked this. Feels like a bedfellow to some of REM’s early stuff and the link between punk and indie Terrific energy and some great tunes

Maybe this is a victim of its status as one of the great albums but I didn’t come away as blown away as I expected It’s good Very good Not sure I quite saw what puts it in the top echelon though

This was a lot more noisy fun than I was expecting In a Venn diagram sweet spot of blues, metal, and psychedelic rock

Well this is fantastic

It’s a pleasant enough listen but not a lot feels memorable

It’s fine but Lord it gets a bit tiresome over the course of an hour. Something that’s great for a song or two but not a whole album The Heard It Through The Grapevine cover makes you realise what a great sound they have when coupled to an actually decent song though

My absolute favourite Bjork album Her voice never sounded stronger whilst also sounding so delicately fragile. The backing vocals (a chorus of angels?!) are extraordinary throughout. One of the ultimate headphone records that just envelopes you in it’s soundscape.

Fairly fun and funky

This isn’t a genre I know much about but I really quite liked the other tribe album on this list. This was ok but seemed less inventive than the other album

I’d remembered this album as a warmly gorgeous 5⭐️ album And whilst it was very good - great in a few places - it seemed somehow less than I’d remembered. A solid 4 rather than the slam dunk 5 I’d hoped for

I just cannot get on with Dylan

Yet more Tim Buckley and I am yet to find him less than insufferable

Absolutely fine 60’s folk rock but also circles the same sound the whole way through (it’s a good sound but…)

Starts off brilliantly but rather tails off towards the end Decent overall but not spectacular

Oh man The way this kicked off I thought we were in for a 5⭐️ album Unfortunately the final third of the album is nowhere near as strong as the first part but this is still a great discovery

Yet more aggressively fine stuff from Rod

2 of the greatest songs of all time and a lot that is usual But Girls… and Time After Time get Cyndi a pass

It’s very 80’s That is the best and worst thing I can say about it

This album is the answer to the question, what would it sound like if Taylor Swift made a country record with the Flaming Lips? And it sounds awesome Deceptively simple songs with a touch of psychedelia that are enormously affecting One of the best albums of the past decade

So this is pretty awesome Top to bottom great songs and fabulous vocals (obviously)

Never smoked a spliff (square I know but not my thing) and not a particular fan of reggae but I quite liked a lot of this

There’s a reason why my eldest son is called Elliott

I really like the two big singles (Block Rockin Beats and Setting Sun) and the rest is fine

I have a friend who thinks Perfect Day is a song about drugs. He’s wrong of course It’s a song about love - it’s just that Lou’s love was a very unhealthy one That this album contains two of the greatest songs ever written (Perfect Day and WOTWS) would be enough That the rest of the album is right up there too is testament to its greatness

Some absolute bangers Some incredibly dated sounds But a pretty great record nevertheless A very high 3

I just do not get it with Dylan at all

I made it to the end of the first track I hated this sound the first time around and 25 years has done nothing to improve my opinion of it

It’s a hard tightrope to walk - bridging a gap between swooningly earnest romance and knowingly humorous cynicism. But with great songs. And an orchestra. This is the absolute apex of Neil Hannon’s Divine Comedy, where the band synthesised The Smiths, Scott Walker and 60’s pop into something truly magnificent. Only 7 tracks, each one perfect. In Pursuit of Happiness is breathtaking in where the orchestration runs to from the single guitar it starts with. Everybody Knows is just a great pop song - and has a genuinely laugh out loud line about making a small boy cry. Someone just a great love song about longing If… I wrote about this for my English A Levels. Just so clever the way the nasty heart of the song is hidden inside what initially seem comedic lyrics. If I Were You is another great pop song Time watching is an update of a track from his first album and is starkly dramatic with just the strings and his voice. I’m all you need another great orchestral piece I wouldn’t change a note on this album The covers of Johnny Mathis’ Feet and Make it Easy On Yourself on the extended edition are well worth checking out as well

This is good but only becomes exceptional when she really leans into sounding like Kate Bush

Hard to know how to rate this Accomplished obviously But a good listen - not always

This is a really fantastic sound Not sure it needed to be this long but I enjoyed it

Skin has an exceptional voice and the sound is pretty great but there just aren’t the tunes to carry this

I wanted to like this more but outside of Juxtaposed With U (which is charming) this is not that inspiring

By rights I should love Pink Floyd as I am partial to a good bit of prog But they always leave me cold and this was no exception Not sure I can really put my finger on why

When it’s good it’s phenomenal Sunday Shining and Your Love Gets Sweeter are all timers But there’s a lot of noodling around them

Joni remains an artist I struggle to enjoy. Didn’t hate this so that counts as a win for her

I thought these were one hit wonders from the 90’s Turns out this is a fairly fantastic album of acoustic punk songs from the 80’s

Simultaneously her most experimental and accessible which is a hell of a trick to pull off The big singles are amazing. The second half of the album deeply weird

I really liked this but we knock off a star for Kanye because fuck him forever

It’s ok. Starts off a lot like Arcade Fire but then kind of circles the same sound over and over

This reminds me of some of Lou Reed's albums I can appreciate what is being done I can enjoy parts of it I can be impressed with the inventiveness of it I can't imagine particularly ever wanting to listen to it again

It still sounds angry but less dangerous

I mean, it's not really the right fit for this list but its never a bad listen

So I’ve always found this style of country singing - with the catch in the throat - a rule turn off. So it says something about the strength of these songs that I really enjoyed this. Good tunes, dark lyrics

The sound of Christmas

The Message is obviously brilliant and you’ll never go wrong with a Genius of Love sample but the rest is a bit flat Probably phenomenal at the time but sounds flat now

I probably prefer Takk slightly more but this is still an extraordinary listen. For an album in which the lyrics are utterly obtuse it is remarkable how affecting it is

Life’s what you make it is a classic pop song but the rest of the album is very different I think it’s going to take a few listens but it is really atmospheric Time It’s Time stands out in particular

Gimme Shelter is a 5⭐️ classic There are some glimpses of genius in the rest but nothing close to the drama of the opening track

Like a car, you hear it coming, you hear it going, you never need to hear it again

I’ll never not find Bryan Ferry’s way of singing annoying but there’s some good songs on there

This is great

I mean, it’s clearly very impressive but also not for me at all

I really like The Kinks but never find myself loving them

As ever Fuck Kanye

Oh I liked this. Terrifically moody and atmospheric

Just a huge series of bangers

It opens with as good a 1-2 punch as any but can’t sustain it. Good fun in places but middling in a lot of others

I liked the lo-fi jangly bits but really didn’t care for the distorted noisy bits

Ghosteen is an extraordinary listen. A really powerful articulation of grief and love. But it’s hard to listen to more than once Bright Horses aside which reduces me to tears on every listen

A couple of great songs but not that great and not much else

My first Queen album - I’d always regarded them as a singles act before - and this was a lot better than I expected. Fun, eclectic, and containing the greatest rock song ever

Only happy… and Stupid Girl are great. Queer is fine The rest is utterly meh

What a sexy second gear he’s stuck in

There's a hole in daddy's arm where the money goes. Jesus Christ died for nothin', I suppose. That’s a hell of a line It’s a good solid 3 Suspect I could be convinced to go to 4 with enough listens

Incredibly dull really

This marked the moment I lost contact with Radiohead. Loved the Bends and OK Computer but found this almost impossible to engage with when it came out. Listening to it now I think I may have viewed it a bit harshly. The textures and soundscapes are incredible and there are some songs in there (even if Thom Yorke is trying really hard not to sing anything with too clear a melody) Still prefer their earlier, funnier stuff

Like before but with more piano and less magic

Well I can say I've listened to it You can hear snatches of things that came in its wake and remembered to write the tunes but good lord I'll never listen to it again

I know I should like Belle and Sebastian but I just can’t find much to love. Just too twee I think. Not bad at all but nothing I’m coming back to

The Man in Black goes out on his shield

One of the great debut albums Radio Free Europe is a brilliant opener Perfect Circle is the most mysteriously romantic song

Why are all these rap albums so long Ms Jackson is brilliant The rest is inventive but just get some quality control

This is too long but doesn’t really feel it thanks to the variety of genres A classic title track and the rest is pretty great

Immigrant Song is a beyond fantastic way to open an album The rest is fine but never particularly moved me

I went into this fearing the worst of crusty folk but it’s actually a beautiful, charming pastoral record

I’d never listened to Steely Dan before but this is the 2nd album of theirs I’ve quite liked. I don’t think I love their stuff particularly but each time I listen to one of their albums I find myself surprised by how much I’m enjoying it

It’s fun for a track But a whole album of this - no thanks

Well that’s probably the 3 greatest opening tracks ever Never had much time for U2 before but this was uniformly excellent

It’s certainly angular

This Woman’s Work is one of Kate Bush’s finest songs (which by default puts it on a very high pedestal) The rest of this is not always her most accessible work and suffers accordingly

Great guitar work but fairly workmanlike songwriting

Fabulous singing but jazz is quite dull

I'll go 2 because she has a great set of pipes but the production and songwriting (sweet love aside) is really lacking

The lyrics and the atmosphere are as strong as ever but I don’t think this is his best set of songs

Not an easy listen And that’s the point

It’s fine Santa Cruz and big sur are great songs But it’s far too slight to really warrant a place on this list

I think I expected more from this It’s good folky stuff but doesn’t half meander about the place

There are some gems on this album (Babylon, This Years Love, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye) but it’s nothing extraordinary

Heroes is one of the greatest songs ever The rest is fine

Sad beck is the best beck

A fun collection of 60’s songs

Back in 94 this was my litmus test of if I’d get on with someone. If they had this album I knew we’d be friends. His voice is extraordinary obviously, and there’s a few covers (Hallelujah most famously) but his own songs are equally strong. About as good as it gets

It’s got Girl From Ipanema but otherwise this is wallpaper

Outside of the singles this gets very samey and the singles are only good not great It’s fine

Clapton is a colossal dick and this is insipid stuff

Only knew the hits before which are obviously great, but the rest more than holds up to that mark

Didn’t enjoy this anywhere near as much as exodus. Plus the album version of No Woman just sounds wrong

A mellow groove but it doesn’t go anywhere

Sweet Jesus this is a load of noodly bollocks

Things I’ve discovered doing this: I like LCD Soundsystem a lot more than I thought I did

I go back and forth on this. Is it amazingly good or stupendously good? Today I’ve decided that it is both

The high points of this album are exquisite. America and the bookends theme in particular. But there’s a fair chunk which is far more lightweight and forgettable

To be honest this was a lot better than I expected it to be

Absolutely impossible to be objective about the first album I fell in love with 15 years old. Listening to this on repeat. Perfect