"Guarantee you anyone born after 1982 is not putting this in their 1001 albums to listen to list" It is the 3rd top-rated comment of 'So' on this site. Well, I can guarantee that I was born well after 1982 and I not only put this album on my 1001 albums list but I also give it a 5. The reason is that I appreciate great music. 'So' is one of the best albums of the 1980s for sure - this album is a great example that pop music can be very good if everything is of high quality: songwriting, lyrics, production, guests musicians etc. Even the video for Sledgehammer is iconic, innovative and the best of the decade. Perhaps it helps that I've seen Gabriel live at a concert and when he played these songs from 'So', the quality was the same as on the album. Mindblowing experience. If there is any pop album that deserves to get high rating, it is this album.

A great alternative rock album that had so many influences on the developing of the grunge scene. Most songs on them are raw and deranged but are melodic that are enjoyable to listen to.

I very much enjoyed listening to this record. If there was a disco album I'd put on when I invite my friends to a house party, this would be it. It's fun, rather complex yet accessible at the same time. Awesome. I don't give a 5 out of 5 often but this one deserves it.

A highly enjoyable neo psychedelia album. It sounds like something from the late 1960s with a fresher sound. It's also clear how this album influenced the later neo psychedelic albums, even many bands in the 1990s. The songwriting and production are excellent. There are clear influences of The Beatles, The Byrds, Pink Floyd-Syd Barrett, even the Velvet Underground. Very good record. I've listened to it many years ago but I didn't remember it was this good.

Classic disco record. Fun, catchy tunes, great production, killer bass and guitars here and there. Le Freak is great. At the same time, there are repetitive, easily consumable songs that are often longer than they should be.

Great US alternative rock music from the first half of the 1990s. Some songs are raw and have grunge influences. Billy Corgan's singing is so distinctive. Billy Corgan's singing is so distinctive and overall the album has quite a unique sound.

A well produced but a rather stiff album - those were right who called it a pop metal record than anything metal/glam rock. It is fun listening to nevertheless even though it's not the genre I often listen to.

I think this album needs more listen to get into it. It is a consistent and unique sounding indie/indie folk rock album.

A classic album of electronica. It still sounds as fresh and as futuristic as it was in 1992. Amazing.

'Pet Sounds' is one of the most influental albums of all time - the influence it had on the development of pop music is inmeasurable. It's genius, timeless, and it is such an incredibly beautiful record. It is also one of my favourite albums of all times, in my Top 3 definitely.

One of the best prog rock albums ever. Pink Floyd's second concept album which is about alienated feelings, criticism of the music industry and about their old bandmate, Syd Barett. Beautiful album.

'Greetings from L.A.' has a more blues-y sound than his early works which I'm more familiar with. It was a good listen.

One of the best British albums from this era. It is a stylistically very versatile record (synthpop, instrumental waltz, punk-rock and so on) with excellent songwriting and lyrics.

Fiona Apple's debut album is one of the best albums written and recorded by a teenager - she was only 16-17 when she wrote the songs and later recorded them. She is a great songwriter who has a distinctive voice and unique style.

I haven't heard a full album by The Cardigans before although I knew a couple of songs from them. It is a good alt rock album which didn't seemed to be long when I listened to it. I guess it means it is a good thing.

Portishead's third album has a different sound than their previous trip-hop albums in the 1990s, it's more electronica. It's an original album, but it's less cinematic, more colder and more distanced.

Traffic's fourth album is more jam-rock oriented and stylistically it is more jazz fusion and blues influenced than their previous works. Winwood's singing stands.

A very good singer-songwriter album - the lyrics are great, the arrangement and production are also great, only the music is subpar sometimes. A remarkable debut by Leonard Cohen.

One of the earliest concept albums and double albums in the history of rock. It's a wicked satire of American pop culture with some brilliant lyrics. Musically, the second part of the album is more experimental than the first half. A very strong debut from Zappa.

Don't judge a book by its cover, this dream pop album isn't as dark as it seems to be. It started off a bit slow for me & it's definitely a grower. Beautifully atmospheric and there are many great song on it.

A consistent album, I can't pick any song which was a lot worse than others.

The first album which was entirely created from samples, and it had so much influence on hip-hop/electronica. A relaxing, hypnotic and atmospheric record.

One of Lennon's best solo albums and some of my favorite songs are on it (Jealous Guy, Gimme Some Truth). The title track is his signature song. Great production too - the sound is lush and relaxed, especially compared to his first solo record which had a raw sound.

A laid back and relaxing soul/funk album, it is fun to listen to.

A monumental album, the finest in the world of jazz. I'm more into rock and other styles of music but this is unbelieveable. It draws you in like nothing else.

An angry and raw record that preceded the big grunge classics that followed later in the early 1990s.

Who's best album, it's excellent, powerful - it is pure hard rock. Their use of rock synthesizers was so innovative at that time. One of the best opening songs (Baba O'Riley) & closing songs (Won't Get Fooled Again) ever.

It's a good world music album with very diverse influences. I liked the second half of it a bit more, it was more interesting.

A catchy and fun punk rock record, it was really refreshing to listen to. There are some new wave influences and I loved the saxophone on it. Great album.

A decent classic rock album which has influences from hard rock, glam, jazz and blues. The second half of the album has particularly interesting songs.

One of the most emotional, melancholic and intimate albums ever. Nick Drake created magic by using only his voice, guitars and piano on this record. I wish he would have lived long enough to see how many people love his music today.

Powerful hip-hop music with lyrics about societal issues that are still relevant today. It's a long album, some song are perhaps a bit too long.

A good pyschedelic rock album with a classic song on it - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, the 17-minute long acid rock classic.

A lovely soul/R&B album, Solomon Burke's voice is very good, very smooth. I liked this album.

by Alice Cooper (USA, 1973) A consistent, good rock album, though none of the songs really stand out. I like the fresh sound of it - it's 50 years old but it sounds like as if it was something from the late 80s.

A rockabilly-influenced album with a lot of melodic songs on it. The production work on the album is great. Morrissey's best solo album perhaps.

Crosby, Stills & Nash by Crosby, Stills & Nash (USA, 1969) A very nice, smooth folk rock debut of this supergroup. The vocal harmonies are incredibly beautiful.

Many call it a prog rock gem but I think that the album has more accessible rock songs than prog. Perhaps I still need a few listens of this album, because I'm not 100% sold on it - yet.

It is a more lo-fi oriented album than their previous two, more pop-rock records, they showed their versatility here. There are some great classics on it (Beetlebum, Song 2), but overall I prefer some of their other works.

Songs blend together in a lovely and smooth way. A very nice jazzy folk record.

A great classic collection of rock and roll songs, it was a fun listen. 4 5/5.

A mind-blowingly beautiful space rock album, I loved the wide array of instrumentation and the lush sound of it. One of my favourites albums from the 1990s for sure.

80s synth pop and new wave are really not my cup of tea but I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I would. A great collection of songs.

Hypnotic, trance-y record. It reminds me of a mix between Stereolab and Beach House but more electro pop. It was enjoyable but a lot of songs were quite directionless.

I appreciate the cultural importance of this album but musically it was too repetitive and boring to me and all the swearing and bad lyrics were a no. Not my cup of tea overall.

A very unique and interesting prog rock/psych rock album from the former Soft Machine drummer. I understand that the avantgarde weirdness isn't everyone's cup of tea but I love this. My fav is the last song.

Nasty, noisy, primite hardcore punk, it was difficult to get through those 38 minutes.

It was an overall quite good listen, this album has some nice and interesting songs, but some others aren't that good in songwriting. Overall enjoyable.

Not a bad listening experience, Elton John's talent in songwriting shines through. There are dramatic, bombastic prog rock songs on it. My main issue with the album is that somehow the songs are still superficial. When this album was released in 1971, bands like Yes, Genesis, or Pink Floyd were also recording prog rock albums but those albums have a lot more depth than Elton's Madman Across the Water. But overall this album isn't bad, it is just that I can't connect with it completely.

A classic rap album, the first one that went to the top of Billboard charts. A lot of songs are cool and fun to listen to, but musically they are so repetitive that it is a bit too much by the end. The mysogynistic lyrics are also a no.

Very enjoyable fun music to listen to. If there is a music I'd describe America with, it'd be Ray Charles. My only complaint is that after around 7-8 songs it's getting a bit repetitive to me because of the style of music. 4.5/5 but I'm giving it a 4. (p.s. my twitter account @AlbumsChallenge got hacked today and I won't be able to get back my account according to twitter support. I am sad to see my account go, I loved to write my little reviews there. I didn't even reach 50 albums yet...).

I really liked listening to this album. Dancey with some slower/acoustic songs that blend together well, it is artsy, cool, electrifying, but not simple/superficial. I'd give it a 4.5 but will stick to 4 out of 5.

A great alternative rock album that had so many influences on the developing of the grunge scene. Most songs on them are raw and deranged but are melodic that are enjoyable to listen to.

I very much enjoyed listening to this record. If there was a disco album I'd put on when I invite my friends to a house party, this would be it. It's fun, rather complex yet accessible at the same time. Awesome. I don't give a 5 out of 5 often but this one deserves it.

A beautiful, calming, relaxing and soothing album. I love her melancholic voice. If I ever organise a coctail party in a hot summer night close to a beach this album will be played for sure.

A soothing, calm album. Their voices are beautiful together. Country isn't my genre but this was a good listen.

It has a great 70s funky vibe that I enjoyed, this albums is like a best of late 60s/early 70s album with bongos & percussion. It's one of those albums that I wouldn't have discovered if it wasn't for my 1001 Albums challenge.

Very commercialised pop music without any surface, it is simple music with simple lyrics. It isn't horrible in a way that it is completely unlistenable but this album is a good example why I can't stand commercial pop music from the past years.

A 77 minute long album which is really long, and maybe it is the reason why I felt even more that musically the album is just directionless. The hit songs (Fighter, Beautiful) stand out and Christina's voice is great throughout the whole album. Overall it is an OK album.

A really enjoyable funk/soul record, but so short that I blinked twice and it was over (it's merely over 30 minutes long) - It'll probably be one of the shortest album in the 1001 albums challenge.

A classic prog rock album which is one of the finest in its era with lots of great, varied, musically well written songs. I love the flute so it's a plus that it's one of those prog rock albums on which this instrument is the main one. I'd give it a 4.5 of it, because it is not nearly as perfect as some other prog rock albums from around that time.

A consistent rock album throughout but to me the songs were quite monotonous and sounded really similar to each other.

The Yeah Yeah Yeah's debut was my second album from them in my challenge, the other one was The Blitz! which I liked better than 'Fever to Tell'. This album is garage rock, art punk but often a bit too deranged and chaotic. I prefer more artsy or far-out songs, like for example the closing song, 'Modern Romance'. Overall not a bad record but it isn't that record that I will often replay.

When I listened to the first song on the album, I was afraid the sound of the whole album would be too synth pop, but I was wrong. It's a genuiely fresh sounding album considering it's from the early 1980s, an era its sound is so dated nowadays. Overall, it's a good post-punk, synth pop album.

A great jazz-rock, prog-rock collections of song with some really great musical achievements here. My problem with this album however that the direction of the album doesn't go anywhere, and it is particularly evident when an album is as long as it is (76 minutes). I often felt like the songs drag on forever. So it is a 3.5 instead of 4.

I admit blues rock/country rock isn't really my thing but I understand that Americans, especially those from the south love this kind of music. They can connect to it much better than me, somewhere in Europe. That being sad, there were a lot of good songs on the album and the last two minutes or to, was bombastic. I loved how the album finished. But overall it isn't a very enjoyable album for me. I'd give it a 3.5 but since there are no 'half points', I'll stick to 3.

It's on the top of the very best albums ever made. What can I say about Abbey Road? The Beatles got together one last time to make an album and they created this masterpiece which is really one of the best written, best produced and greatest albums ever. The album was almost called 'Everest' and yes, it would have been a fitting name of it, too, since they reached the top with this album. It has Harrison's finest songs he wrote (Something, Here Comes the Sun), Lennon's incredible opener with a fantastic bassline (Come Together) or the great I Want You, McCartney showing his singing abilities on Oh!Darling, Ringo's fine Octopus' Garden, and the fantastic medley on the B-side. 10/10, 5+ without a doubt.

I like this hip-hop album, great rhythms, great writing, great production, all the songs flow so well together, from one song to another. It was a fun listen to. 4.25/4.5.

It isn't garbage, but it is a record that is musically quite minimalistic and not really memorable. It sounds a bit like dreampop/alter rock but in fact it is just a pop record. As I said it isn't very bad but not really great either.

An absolute classic, beautiful noise rock that paved the path for so many great bands the following years.

Metal, nu metal is really not my thing, I have headache while I listen to the aggressive music, and aggressive lyrics. The only tracks I enjoyed on this albums are the slower tracks, like Canyon Jam, for example, which stands out maybe too much on this album (and the Brazilian influence is definitely there). 1.5 but since I have never gave 1 on any album, I'll give it a 2.

For someone who was a teenager in the late 1990s this album should be enjoyable, but it isn't. All the songs sounds really samey to me, and musically very simplistic. Her voice is very nice, soothing and mellow but she often shows off her voice for the sake of showing it off - then she doesn't sing words just moans. So overall I've found this album quite dull. 2.5/10.

The raw power and energy on the album is insane. Heavy metal isn't usually my cup of tea but I really enjoyed listening to this record today. Perhaps I was in the mood for it today more than usually, but I liked it. It's a consistent album throughout, pure rock - great stuff!

It's one of the best albums in the prog rock era and in the very successful catalogue of Genesis. It's a 90-minute long concept album which was the last one made with Peter Gabriel. It's a very exciting journed from start to finish with great music, lyrics, and production throughout the whole album. I get it if it is too long and too heavy for those who aren't familiar with this genre. But it isn't for me, I always enjoy the twists and turns of this magnificent album. My favorite songs are In The Cage, Counting Out Time, The Carpet Crawlers, The Chamber of 32 Doors, The Lamia, The Colony of Slippermen. 9.5/10

There are 15 songs on this album but all of them sound the same, I can't remember any of them even if I have just finished listening the whole album. It's a bland record without any originality of songwriting, very simple music, bad lyrics, and overproduction. Her voice is okay, not bad, but that is way too little to save this album. And one thing I don't understand is that why this album is on the 1001 albums list - it is the second Taylor Swift album on my list even though I still haven't listened to 80 albums overall. I'm sure there are hundreds of other albums that could have made the list but it won't. I haven't given out a 1 out of 5 on any albums yet even if there were 3-4 albums that were really bad and I regretted not to give a 1 on some of them, but I'm giving this a 1. It just doesn't deserve more than that.

Too simplistic, easy listening punk rock for my taste which isn't really memorable. It sounds quite lazy and bland overall, and they make feminism too much the centre of their identity. There are some songs that have a nicer sound/atmosphere though but overall it wasn't my cup of tea. Luckily it was a short album.

A really nice, pleasant jazz pop/folk/experimental record.

Not shocking but surprising that this album is from the 1980s because the sound of it fresher than that. I am certain that this is the link between 1980s hair metal and 1990s alternative rock. The album sounds raw, well played, the musicians are obviously very talented. It was a bit monotonous after a while but I am giving it a generous 4 because of the cultural importance of it.

A lot of songs are very good on this album, they have great rhythm, they are written so well and they blend together easily. My main issue with this album is that the lyrics are often so much and they sing so fast that it is difficult to understand what they sing about, and as someone from Europe, as a non native speaker it's a lot more difficult to get into it. The other thing is that because of the amount of lyrics, and packed songs the album feels really long with the 73 minutes. I had to pause it and take a little break while I was listening to it because otherwise I couldn't have processed everything. Anyway, it's a good record but I am sure I would need more listens to like it more.

A very pleasant, smooth nice jazz album. The songs blend together but it's just a really great album to listen to.

The songwriting is great, but the whole album's atmosphere is distanced and rather cold so I haven't enjoyed it as much as I wanted to. This album is not as memorable to me as their previous works in their fantastic catalogue. The level of quality is always really high with Radiohead though. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.

I was never into the music of the Grateful Dead and now that I've listened to a full album by them I know why I dislike them so much. 'American Beauty' is a bland, boring country/folkish album with weak singing, weak songwriting when none of the songs stand out. It is not a completely unlistenable abum but it is just really bad album. I really don't understand how the Grateful Dead got so famous in the US. There are many bands at that time who played roots rock, Americana or country-rock but they were much better than this band. It's a massive disappointment, and I seriously don't get why so many people love them in the US. Perhaps it really has to do with the fact that people who were at the first acid tests got into them, then the guru of LSD supported them so people have this nostalgia for them. They were in the right place at the right time. I don't often give a 1 or 1.5 on any album but since I love the 1960s-early 1970s and there were so many fantastic albums from that period, this album and the whole band is so overrated that I can't help but give them one of the lowest rating I gave out.

I usually enjoy soul/funk albums but this album was so directionless and boring overall. It reminded me a bit of Earth Wind and Fire except that it was musically really bland (unlike EW&F which always made fun music). It wasn't my cup of tea.

I appreciate his talent for songwriting, he is really good at what he is doing. However this album was too sugary pop-rock for my taste. It's not one of those albums I would relisten again soon.

A very theatrical and overblown prog rock record with some really great, fun and witty songs including one of the most well known songs in the history of rock, Bohemian Rhapsody. Mercury's voice is of course, incredible.

One of the reasons I'm doing the 1001 albums challenge is to discover gems like this album. What a stunningly beautiful record it is. A few guitars, percussions and a touching voice and the end result is simply magic. I don't understand the lyrics - though I made some research and read about what they sing about - but it's a good proof how music can connect different cultures, backgrounds, and people together. This album touches my heart deeply. Just wonderful.

A nice soul/funk album by Stevie Wonder. If he is great then he is really a genius, though some of the songs are too sugary/cheesy for my taste. It's a 3.5 so I'll stick with 3.

A hugely influental album in the history of rock. Tight, simple, fun, and catchy - it is awesome.

A very strong debut album from Roxy Music, it sounds something from the late 1970s or 1980s but in fact it is an early 1970s album. A great mix of glam rock and art pop, it is really an enjoyable listen. The lats few songs falls flat a bit, so I'll give it a strong 4, but it is really a strong one.

A great album from the Queen of Soul. What a voice she had!

I have heard about the band before but never listened to an album before today. It's a great rock album with elements of pychedelic, pop and glam rock. There are many great melodic songs on it which are quite accessible, but not too accessible. I liked it!

There were some great songs on this albums and some weird ones as well. Sometimes so weird that I had the feeling they were trying too hard to be weird. Anyway, the good songs are interesting, and it's a genre that I haven't really heard before...noise rock, with blues?

I should like this album more since I'm into noise/experimental music, but this album wasn't really for me. It's a bit directionless and all over the place. The first half of the album was worse than the second half where there were some better and more interesting songs. 2.5/5

A pleasant easy-listening album, I enjoyed it. Nothing more, nothing less.

A very well written and produced soul-folk-jazzy album on which every songs are great. Van Morrison is such a great storyteller and I love his voice, too. A very soothing and calming album.

A pleasant, well produced funky, and groovy album. The songs blend together really well. It was fun!

Commercial pop with catchy tunes and some controversial lyrics. I enjoyed the first half more than the second half. It's that kind of well-made pop album that I usually listening to for 10-15 minutes and then musically it gets too simplistic to me and I get bored of it. This was the case with this album, too.

With this album George Harrison was finally able to let it all out what he had in him - after he was allowed only 1 or 2 songs on the Beatles albums as he worked in the shadows of the biggest geniuses of the 20th century, Lennon and McCartney. And the result was a triple album with 4 sides of so many great songs and 2 other sides of groovy guitar jamming. The fantastic production - which may be the finest work of Phil Spector - creates a big, lush, and very atmospheric sound throughout the whole record. This album is too great not to give it five stars as it deserves.

This is very commercialised pop-rock music - Robbie's voice is good and he has a charisma so it was more listenable. 'Angels' and 'Let Me Entertain You' stand out to me, otherwise it can get quickly boring musically. I'm giving it a 2.5/3 just because it was pretty enjoyable as a background music while I was cleaning windows lol.

A highly enjoyable neo psychedelia album. It sounds like something from the late 1960s with a fresher sound. It's also clear how this album influenced the later neo psychedelic albums, even many bands in the 1990s. The songwriting and production are excellent. There are clear influences of The Beatles, The Byrds, Pink Floyd-Syd Barrett, even the Velvet Underground. Very good record. I've listened to it many years ago but I didn't remember it was this good.

A raw rock 'n' roll album, very enjoyable from start to finish. The only thing that prevents me from giving it a 5 is that the songs are a bit similar and it tends to get a bit monotonous after a while. But overall it is a classy and really great album.

It's really not my genre because I don't like the sound of the early 1980s synth pop but this is a good, consistent and well written album. The only song I didn't like was the opening one.

Very good pychedelic, early prog rock album from 1968. The opening song is stunning, and there are a lot of typical British pychedelia on it (Lazy Sunday Afternoon is one good example of it). Steve Marriott was such a great frontman. Overall it was a very enjoyable record. 4.25-4.50/5.0

A very interesting, calming, relaxing, mystical art rock/indie rock/psychedelic record. It needs a few relistens probably but at first listen I liked what I heard.

An excellent art pop, experimental album, which was way ahead of its time when it was released in the mid-1970s. It is between Eno's previously rock oriented music, and the ambient music he later made in the end of the 1970s, some of the songs already are very ambient-like. An excellent album. It's 4.5-4.75 for me but since it is so influental I'm giving it a 5.

It is amazing that this album is from 1967. What a sound! The arrangements, the production, Jimi's skills, the songwriting are all so good. A truly psychedelic masterpiece.

A good album with lots of interesting tunes and songs. Paul Simon's voice is so appealing, it is very pleasant to listen to. This album is easy listening but still interesting and more complex musically. It was a good listen overall.

The first half of the album was more folk rock, the second half more rock. It was a pleasant listen but I don't find this album particularly special. 3.25-3.5/5

This theatrical, often overdramatic and musical-like pop music is not my type of music even if she can sing really well. The last avant-pop song is probably the most interesting, it stands out and is something different from the rest. But otherwise it isn't my cup of tea.

Not an interesting record musically or lyrically, all songs blend together and sound the same, honestly. It's very middle-of-the-road pop music which isn't my cup of tea.

Beautiful, smooth stylish soul album, it was a very enjoyable listen.

I was ready to dislike this album because synth pop is not my cup of tea at all. But it was quite an enjoyable and fun listen, it sounds fresh and old at the same time with some good tunes.

Smooth jazzy pop record, perhaps a bit too accessible to me and without much intensity it is a big boring after a while. But I appreciate the clear production and talent the band has.

I know Can but I have never heard a solo album from Holger Czukay yet. This is the type of music I like to discover during my 1001 albums challenge so it was a nice surprise. It is something different, strange, interesting, experimental. It's not amongst the very best albums I've listened so far but it is definitely those albums that it deserves higher ratings. 7.0-7.5/10.

I can see why this album was so popular in the mid-1990s when it was released, it was the perfect sound of the mood and the atmosphere of the time and it spoke to a generation of young people. Though some songs are a bit too samey to me it is overall a very good record with many great hits on it (the biggest one, obviously, Wonderwall). Champagne Supernova is a great closing track.

Pop rock album with new wave and post-punk influences. Musically many of the songs are too poppy for my taste and for some reason Costello's voice doesn't fit with the songs. Lyrically it is heavier than the more commercial music. Overall it is a listenable record but it won't be an album that I'll relisten soon.

It is Roxy Music's last album with Brian Eno on it. I really liked this experimental/art-rock album, especially the second half. There were some very interesting music on it. At first listen I liked their debut album a bit better but this is also a strong 4 for me.

The first ever rock opera is a great album. It was made during the best period in The Who's history, in the late 1969 and overall the end result was very good. The album is long since it is a double album, and this might explain why it has some songs that aren't that consistent. So I don't give it a 5, but it is a stronger 4 record.

A very interesting mix of different styles, electronica, trip-hop, pop with Indian influences. It's different. Listening to it was like a religious experience, something I've never listened before. Strong 4+.

A masterpiece of an album by the unique and genius Prince. I adored it.

Generic grunge/alt-rock album from ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. It is nothing outstanding but it was an ok listen overall.

Quite generic psychedelic pop/indie rock album. Nothing outstanding but not very bad either.

A quintessential English album of the 1960s. Just perfection!

A smooth, pleasant and enjoyable r'n'n, neo-soul album. My problem with it is just many songs are similar and nothing stands out after my listen. It is also a long album with over 70 minutes so it drags on a bit.

A really fun and quality pop/new wave album from the 1980s. The first half was a bit stronger than the second half otherwise it's closer to the 5 than to a 4.

It's one of the best live albums ever. I love the story behind it, how Cash recorded it at a prison and how it sounds so 'live' - the reaction of prisoners after and between the songs, Cash's talking etc. Musically it is a really great country, rockabilly album. Lyrically Cash was tougher than metal bands later with his lyrics about killers and crimes. This album is closer to a perfect 5.

Chill, relaxing, fun album, one of the best of reggae.

A really nice smooth country/Americana album. I generally dislike country because it has been commercialised so much but this is still original from the mid-1970s.

Enjoyable southern rock/blues rock album, though nothing really stood out on it.

There are a lot of good space rock/psychedelic rock songs though it is not very coherent as an album. As a whole it is isn't as memorable as many similar albums from the past 10-15 years either. I like the genre and I like when songs flow together well, but for example the end of the song 'Boxing Day' was way too abrupt compared to other songs. Overall a good album but I feel like it doesn't really deserve more than 3+.

After their incredibly successful album OK Computer, Radiohead didn't stick with their usual style but they had the courage to make a completely different album than their previous ones. It's an incredible listen and still sounds futuristic and fresh after 23 years, this is the kind of album that will sound new even in decades from today. It's a complete, very well rounded album. The production is amazing, too, it's a great experience to listen to it with headphones on.

It's always a fantastic journey to listen to this album in its entirety. It's a very cohesive album despite it a double one and it being very diverse stylistically (rock, pop, proto-heavy metal, blues, avantgard etc). The White Album has the best songs of Lennon, a lot of great McCartney tunes, Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps, among others, and Ringo's first song he wrote for the band. Even Revolution 9 is an interesting piece of music concréte, an atmospheric college of sounds. The Beatles once again showed what geniuses they were.

A pleasant and chill album with amazing quality of production. My issue is that it's too chill for me with songs having similar rhythms, tempo, no highs and lows. Nothing is too memorable on it (will I remember any of the songs? no) but overall the listening experience was fine.

Great prog rock album with some really unique tunes. I'd love to have more structure in it, though.

I loved the raw energy on the first half of the album and the second half had some songs with lovely melodies. Overall a fun and enjoyable debut album from the band.

A groovy, smooth and very pleasant instrumental album which was ahead of its time when it was released in the early 60s. I love the sound of the Hammond organ. If you want to put up a record for an afternoon tea party or little garden party, this album would be a good choice.

I was more familiar with the 1960s albums from the Beach Boys' but this was a very pleasant surprise. Their signature "doo woop" style of singing isn't there on this album though their beautiful vocal harmonies are. Musically it has some more complex structures and lyrically they sing more about politics and social issues than before. I'll need a few relistens but it's definitely a strong 4 at my first listen.

Loved the raw and powerful energy on this album. It contains a few original songs and a lot of covers. The sound is way ahead of its time (1964), it is proto-punk. A fun listen.

A decent garage rock album from the early 2000s. I don't really like Jack White's voice and the lack of bass guitar disturbed me a bit throughout the record. Otherwise it is a good album.

Average garage rock album with quite simple music and a singer whose voice distracts a lot from the music itself.

A hauntingly beautiful album by the late Elliott Smith.

There are some interesting rhythms and tunes but most of the songs aren't my cup of tea at all. It also doesn't feel like a coherent album, rather than different songs put together one after each other.

Coldplay's debut 'Parachutes' is a post-brit pop/pop-rock album. There are some songs that I like as much as I did 23 years ago when they came out - Trouble and Yellow, for example. However, the songs on the album don't have too much variety, they are similar to each other and musically they are quite simplistic with low energy and melancholy. The production work on the album is great though. Overall, it is a average/good debut but it isn't something that would deserve a very good rating (strong 4 or 5).

The blues influence is very strong on the debut album of Black Sabbath, but it's heavier rock than that - it's the birth of heavy metal. There are some very good riffs. The band recorded this album in late 1969, imagine how innovative this sound was at that time and how heavy it was for everything that was before. It was something completely different to what was before. Ozzy's voice or the lyrics are less interesting. For this reason, overall I give the album a rating of 4.

Individually the songs aren't that bad but overall as an album it's monotonous with similar songs on it. The structure of the songs is that it builds until a point but then they don't have a highlight which is quite frustrating and it makes the album dreary. The singer's voice is also quite tired/bored. It's not an unlistenable album but despite of its hype I wouldn't like to listen to it many times in the future.

Classic Cool Jazz album from the 1950s, very smooth and pleasant compositions with unusual time signatures. Take Five is obviously the most well known song on the album but the other songs are also great. It was a fun listen.

Beautifully atmospheric and dreamy noise pop/shoegaze album. It's all about those fuzzy and layered guitar sound - forget about the lyrics because it isn't important. They created something unique over 30 years ago and no album sounded quite like this ever since then. Every time I listen to 'Loveless' it blows my mind. It's easily one of my favourite albums from the past three decades. Favourite songs: Only Shallow, Loomer, Come In Alone, Sometimes, Blown A Wish, Soon

An incredibly fun, catchy and infectious album, that had a big influence on the indie rock scene that came after the release of this record. Is this it? Yes, it is this!

Well, it was painful. Very loud, very fast, very primitive punk rock with awful musicality and lyrics. At least it was really short. Probably the shortest album on this challenge.

Highly fun and enjoyable funk album to listen to. It's the perfect record for a late 1970s retro party. Musically it was a bit too samey for me, though, so it's 4 stars and not perfect 5.

It's actually the first Tina Turner album I've listened to. It is a good album, though I felt the first part was stronger than the second one which fell a bit flat. Tina's voice was extremely powerful, the music here was just secondary. I enjoyed it quite a bit overall.

A well produced rock-and-roll and new wave album. The talent is there, and some songs - particularly in the second half - are quite good. But for some reason I can't warm to Elvis Costello's music. Is it the singing, his voice, the not memorable songs, or a combination of all these? I don't know but overall I haven't found this album interesting or great and I haven't enjoyed it...

Tight and heavy but more varied in styles than I'd imagine this album would be. 'Changes' and 'Laguna Sunrise' are beautiful songs too. Overall a really enjoyable album.

The album is a bit too middle-of-the-road for my taste, musically not very interesting. His voice isn't great either. However, I like how the songs flow together well and the overall production is good, too.

Very nice and listenable sophisticated jangle pop/new wave album from the mid-1980s.

I'd enjoy listening to these songs more somewhere in a pub in Ireland on a Saturday evening rather than at home on a sunny morning. Albums like these have a time and place for them. I couldn't really got into it.

An amazing album, one of the best in trip hop genre, the sound of it is completely unique and the atmosphere it creates on the album is special. 'Unfinished Sympathy' is one of my favourite songs from the 1990s. Some songs are a tad bit repetitive though. Overall it's a strong 4+.

I have heard about the band before but never listened any of their albums before this one. 'Happy Trails' is a good psychedelic-rock album, which is mostly instrumental. Because it is so jammy, this music is better to listen to live than on a record, though. But overall it was an enjoyable listen.

"Guarantee you anyone born after 1982 is not putting this in their 1001 albums to listen to list" It is the 3rd top-rated comment of 'So' on this site. Well, I can guarantee that I was born well after 1982 and I not only put this album on my 1001 albums list but I also give it a 5. The reason is that I appreciate great music. 'So' is one of the best albums of the 1980s for sure - this album is a great example that pop music can be very good if everything is of high quality: songwriting, lyrics, production, guests musicians etc. Even the video for Sledgehammer is iconic, innovative and the best of the decade. Perhaps it helps that I've seen Gabriel live at a concert and when he played these songs from 'So', the quality was the same as on the album. Mindblowing experience. If there is any pop album that deserves to get high rating, it is this album.

Fantastic soul and funk album from the early 1970s. A classic for sure.

A short but very effective, effortless and an overall enjoyable roots rock album. I loved it!

Nasty and disgusting. Absolute waste of a record. Possibly one of the worst albums on the whole list.

Good, consistent funk rock album overall, though the songs don't really stand out. Mr. Cab Driver was the only song that was truly memorable.

A highly enjoyable live record by blues legend Muddy Waters. You can hear why is this so influental, it inspiried so many bands in the 60s an 70s after it was released in 1960. Great stuff.

Tight and energetic punk rock/new wave record with quite varied styles of songs. She is a great lead singer. My issue is that it drags on a bit and it feels quite a long album. Towards the end of the album I already forgot what I listened to in the beginning. Overall it was good though not sure I will listen to it again soon.

A deranged, highly energetic and addictive rave/electro album from the late 1990s. The production of the album is top class. In small doses this record is entertaining, but as an almost 1-hour long album I've found it quite exhausting. Musically it is also quite repetitive.

Another fantastic album by The Kinks after their brilliant their Village Green...LP. They were at the peak of their careers at this time. This rock musical has great storytelling, music, production. It really has it all.

Jimi Hendrix showcased his incredible technical abilities for the first time on a LP. What a debut album it is - groovv, funky, an overall incredible experience to listen to still today (and I can't imagine how it sounded for those who listened to it for the first time back in 1967). It is an absolute classic record for a reason - one of the very best of the 1960s.

A very enjoyable, fun Tropicalia album from the last 1960s. This album is something different to what I've listened so far which makes it a bit more special. I like the various instruments and the rhythm of the songs even if I don't understand what he sings about. Good album overall.

Quite catchy synthpop/electronica album with very clean production (that reminds me of some 80s albums). My issue is with synth pop that I find few songs listenable, but a whole album with 12 songs is too much and the songs really drag by the end. Overall it's OK but it's not an album that I would relisten again soon.

Very good collection of songs, great songwriting and excellent vocal harmonies by Crosby, Still, Nash and Young.

A soundtrack album to a movie that doesn't exist - it doesn't sound like a consistent album but only a bunch of songs thrown together, and this is my main issue with it. Some songs are good, the more experimental ones aren't that interesting though. Overall a good background music but nothing more.

Good old country music. Overall it's quite boring musically, and most of the songs are too similar too so I don't think I'll come back to this album.

A very good album with so many funky tunes on it. The songwriting and production are excellent. It's very long and it makes a bit difficult to listen to it in one sit, and I loved the second disc more.

Classic disco record. Fun, catchy tunes, great production, killer bass and guitars here and there. Le Freak is great. At the same time, there are repetitive, easily consumable songs that are often longer than they should be.

Talented rapping, interesting music and various rhythms. She's good at what he she does. But personally I find this kind of music overwhelming after a few songs. It's tiring to read the lyrics/rapping and focus on the music, too, perhaps because I'm not a native speaker.

I enjoyed this alt-rock/Americana album from the first half of the 1990s. Nothing really stood out from it but overall it was pleasant, the production is good, the guitars and voices nice. I can see why Michael Stipe of REM thought this was the album of the year - its sound reminds me of REM quite a bit, though not as distinctive. 3.5/5

A landmark album of San Francisco psych rock and 1967 in general. When Grace Slick joined Jefferson Airplane the band started to make great albums one after another, but Surrealistic Pillow is their strongest one they recorded together. It sums up the Summer of Love perfectly and in such a high quality - the songrwriting, the clear production, the singing, the lyrics are all there. Slick brought two songs with her when she joined the band - Somebody to Love, which was originally a slower and more melancholic song, and White Rabbit that she wrote herself - both songs became big hits and are classics today. Slick's amazing voice adds a lot to the sound of the band. All other songs are great as well. The album is a mix of psychedelic rock, blues and folk-rock by the band that had a really great line-up at the time with Slick, the main songwriter Balin, singer and rhythm guitarist Kantner, guitarist Kaukonen, bassist Casady and drummer Dryden. Besides the hits, my favourite songs are the opening 'She Has Funny Cars', Balin's hauntingly beautiful 'Today' and Kaukonen's fantastic 'Embryonic Journey'. 5/5

Not my cup of tea. It's an incredible long album yet there was not a single song that stood out on it...the lyrics didn't age well either. It was challenging to get through this one.

I understand why this was such an important album in the mid 1990s to many teens, mainly in the US. I wasn't a teen back then so I don't have nostalgic feelings about this album. When I got a copy of it from a friend of mine in the early 2000s I wasn't too impressed by it. Now that I listened to it again, my opinion hasn't changed that much. It's all just guitar based pop-rock, not a punk album - and all the songs sound really similar. My 11/12-year-old self probably would have liked it more, but it isn't my thing...

Mysthical, dark, hypnotic, atmospheric and beautiful. Glory Box is the perfect ending of this magnificient trip hop album.

Exciting, fun, musically complex, mostly instrumental latin rock album. I enjoyed it!

I enjoyed it quite a bit even if I don't understand all the lyrics. The only thing that disturbed me was Dylan's voice/singing style.

Very pleasant Cuban jazz album. Although I have known about the existence of this album because it got famous when it came out in the late 1990s, but I haven't listened to the full album before. It introduces me to a world that wasn't that well known to me and I really enjoyed it a lot. Great music.

I liked the clear production of the album but musically it was very repetitive overall. The sound of the whole album reminded me of Daft Punk here and there though in a less exciting way. It wasn't completely unlistenable, just a record that I couldn't get into it because it felt so samey.

A fun and enjoyable garage rock/rockabilly album from 1980. I can also hear some The B-52's influences on this record.

Very well written, produced and sung album. The whole album has that 1960s wall-of-sound feeling without being a copycat of that style - it's also modern, raw and very soulful. Amy had a beautiful voice. I enjoyed this album quite a lot.

A quintessential pyschedelic rock album with lot of blues guitar influences. It's among the best albums of the 1960s, in the decade that produced the finest albums in the history of pop-rock.

An enjoyable alt-rock album from the early 1990s but the first half had samey songs and nothing really stood out of the whole album - it also felt similar to other alt-rock albums from the same era.

Fun, rhythmic concept hip-hop/rap album from the early 1990s about G.S.R.A - but it is too long and it sounds dated nowadays.

Intense and aggressive rap album, and it's very long with over 60 minutes - in fact, it was the second 1990s hip-hop album in a row that was longer than an hour and it's just too much to listen to in one sitting. It also sounds quite dated...Not my cup of tea overall.

After the grunge albums, Nirvana presented a folk-rock, acoustic live concert and perhaps this could have been the next direction for the band had Cobain not died in 1994. The choice of songs is great, it contains not only Nirvana songs but has also many lesser known covers, by the Vaselines, the Meat Puppets or Bowie. 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night', which closes the album, is a perfect ending of this album. Cobain's voice was powerful and raw, and together with the music it created a special atmosphere on stage. Great album.

I have always liked Pet Shop Boys' radio hits, like 'Go West' from this album, but a whole arecord full of simple, commercialised, now dated sounding songs is too much for me. I thought I would like this album more but I was clearly wrong.

I don't really know why exactly but I couldn't enjoy this otherwise fun sounding album. Perhaps it's his slightly annoying, whiny voice? I have already known 'Come On Eileen' before, but I didn't know it was from this band. This album wasn't for me.

This album has more laid back, mellow songs than other Stevie Wonder albums that I've had on the 1001 challenge before. I preferred his more funkier songs and there weren't that many of them on this album. Overall good but it's not my favourite album by him.

A very influental country-rock album that has lot of different styles mixing together so well: country and rock, of course, and psychedelia, folk, and soul too. This is Gram Parson's most important work after Sweetheart of the Rodeo with the Byrds. I'm usually not really into country but this is a good album.

Excellent 1960s album that combines San Franscisco psychedelic rock music with blues, country and power pop so incredibly well. It was the first time I've listened them but I'll surely come back to this album many times in the future. Great discovery!

Had it been released in December 1966 as it was originally planned, it would have changed the course of popular music forever. It was ahead of its time by decades. I can be grateful this was released four decades later because it is a brilliant and genius work. The emotions throughout the record, the arrangements, the vocal harmonies, everything is top notch.

A surprisingly fun new wave/post-punk album, it reminds me a bit of Blondie though the Go-Go's were an all-female band. My issue is that it sounds quite samey throughout the whole record so nothing really stood out to me.

A beautiful, mellow and dreamlike psychedelic and folk album from the mid 1960s. I love the arrangements on this album, particularly the sitar sound which was still wasn't really common in pop music at that time - Sunshine Superman was recorded at the same time as the Beatles' Revolver and before that, the first and only song in pop music which had sitar in it was Norwegian Wood by The Beatles. A great album overall that I really enjoyed listening to.

There aren't many albums from the past 15 years or so that I find brilliant but Arcade Fire's 'The Suburbs' is one of them. It's a very well made, high quality album musically, lyrically with so many great songs on it. They created a magical sound on this album and it works so well - it is majestic, and grandiose. Personally I can also relate to the album because I live in the suburbs of a big city and the theme of the songs speak to me so much. My favourite songs are Empty Room, City With No Children and Sprawl II (this might be my favorite Arcade Fire song from any of their albums). 5/5 without a doubt.

Bowie was ahead of time by 10-15 years. When disco fever hit the world, he made this brilliant experimental/avantgard record. He was one of a kind.

The peak of blues rock, with some psychedelia here and there. Janis' voice was incredibly powerful. It's a great album.

Strong debut album by The Who, it's powerful and energetic, Keith Moon's drumming stood out. My Generation is an iconic song, too.

I love old school rock 'n' roll, great, fun music that was very influental, and Little Richard had amazing voice!

The musicianship is extremely good on this album, the guitar playing is one of the best ever. I admit, though that blues is often too repetitive to me and it was the case with this album as well. Nevertheless, I could get into the mood and I enjoyed it quite a lot!

An innovative, unique and exciting album - I like the mix of new wave, world, funk which result in a really strange but danceable and fun record. It's one of my favourite albums from the era for sure.

If there is one genre I really loathe it's trash/death metal. It's aggressive, musically repetitive and boring and emotionally it brings out the worse from me, too. I get irritated and angry just as I am now after I finished listening to it. Sorry, but it gets a 1 from me.

I enjoyed Daft Punk's debut album quite a lot, especially the first part of the album, perhaps I was in for the mood tonight for this music. My main issue with the album was the repetitiveness of it which was even more a bit much because it a very long album with over 70 minutes. Still, the band's debut album was quite a good effort overall.

This album sounded uninspired with very similar songs rhythm and melody-wise and tired/lazy singing. The production work was good and there were some more interesting bits, but otherwise I'd describe this album as boring.

Pleasant country/soft rock/singer songwriter album from the ex-Byrds member, it has a lot of smooth songs on it.

Country isn't my cup of tea but this album was a great listen, I enjoyed it both musically and lyrically it is also good.

Musically reggae is a bit too samey to me taste, but this album was a pleasant and enjoyable listen nevertheless.

This was the third album by Joni on this list and this is the one I enjoyed the least. It's more jazzy than others I listened to - musically they aren't structured well because the songs lack choruses, therefore it always feels there is no middle or end of the songs and they just go nowhere. The songs are intricate, which I usually like a lot but for some reason I couldn't warm to this album.

Belle & Sebastian's debut is one of the first indie rock records. It was a great introducation of the band with a lot of lovely and sweet (but not too sweet) songs. I liked it!

Admittedly I don't know much about jazz but it was an extremely satisfying listen. I loved it!

Amy's voice was very good and lyrically it's a strong debut album considering she was barely an adult when she made it. But musically the album was much weaker compared to Back to Black and the whole album isn't as structured and well thought out as the following-up.

Elliott Smith was a very talented songwriter and I liked this indie rock/chamber pop/psychedelic inspired album a lot. In some parts it even felt a bit Beatleseque. The last song, the instrumental 'Bye' was harroving considering it was Smith's final album before he died three years later.

I don't know much about jazz music but their musicianship was excellent and I enjoyed listening to this record. I can't really say anything beyond this.

It's one of his best albums, there are a lot of songs I like it on it (Subterranean Homesick Blues, Outlaw Blues, Mr. Tambourine Man, Gates of Eden etc.). The songwriting and lyrics are superb, the only weakness is his singing.

I've found this album very monotonous, boring, slow and musically uninteresting. For some reason I can't relate to Americana/country in any way...The only positive about this album is that it's old style and not that over commercialised country music that was so popular in the past decades in the US.

Enjoyable, fun rumba album - something refreshing and different from the usual American/British pop-rock music that is the vast majority on this list. Though I think that this type of music is even more fun listening to it live in a bar somewhere in Cuba rather than listening to it alone at home far away from the country.

A catchy compilation of songs from the last days of britpop era. It's a lovely album but at first listen it's not something that is unique and outstanding. It was still a good listen though.

The background story of making this live album is quite fascinating. I'm not really into improvisative piano music (coming from a family full of classical musicians incl. pianists) and while Jarrett's talent is amazing this albums feels a bit incoherent and directionless because of its free style. I enjoyed listening to it but admittedly I'll never be someone who understands and loves jazz music that much.

Good folk-rock album. I like his voice though musically overall it isn't as interesting apart from the last few songs. I can hear how his music and singing style influenced Tim Buckley's.

I've found the concept story interesting but I don't like how the band executed it. Musically it is way too boring, simplistic as an album and I didn't care for the rapping either.

A completely unique sounding album with a lot of different influences - house, electronica, (art) pop, avantgarde etc. and Björk's voice is very distinctive as well. This album must have sounded very new, fresh and different at that time (I was too young to remember). I find an album great if it can hold my interest throughout, it's diverse and it brings somewhere different from what I've heard before and this album ticks those boxes.

The link between the more poppy Help! and the more experimental Revolver, Rubber Soul was a transitional album in the band's catalogue. It is amazing how much their sound changed in just a few months (Norwegian Wood, If I Needed Someone, Think For Yourself), in 1965 and how much better they become as songwriters (Michelle, In My Life, Girl, Drive My Car) - in this sense, this album was the turning point for The Beatles. Rubber Soul may not be among their Top 3 or Top 4 albums - the more groundbreaking records came after this one, but it's still an excellent album and one of the most important ones in the 1960s which definitely deserves nothing less than a 5.

Consistently good bluesy, jazzy album musically, and I love Manzarek's keyboards as always. It's one of their best albums I think. Strong 4+.

I listened to the original UK release (so Paint It Black was missing from this release, which I love). Overall I think while the Stones had some great songs but a lot of their songwriting were quite repetitive at that time. Comparing with the Beatles' Rubber Soul which was released right before the Stones went to the studio and record Aftermath, I have to say The Beatles were much more developed in songwriting and they had lot more complex songs. Favourite song: Mother's Little Helper, Lady Jane (nice baroque pop).

I don't know much about hip-hop but from the records that were on my list from this genre, it was one of the most enjoyable ones so far. Musically there are some quite good songs here. What I dislike about the album the most is the length - with so much lyrics it is really overwhelming to listen to it in one sitting for someone like me who is a non native speaker.

I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. I liked Clapton's work in the Yardbirds and Cream but I thought I wouldn't like his more blues-y solo stuff - I was wrong and I really liked most of the songs and especially his 'slowhand' guitar style. Good album overall.

I've already known their hit song 'I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)' but it was the first time I listened to a full album by this band. And it wasn't a disappointment at all. While it's not a pioneer album, it's overall great 60s psych garage rock with lots of fun songs and an enjoyable sound. The album as a whole has a similar echo-y sound/atmosphere as Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow which came out around the same time in 1967. I liked the nursery rhyme too, which was a surprise!

A very well made britpop/neo psychedelia album from the 1990s with a massive hit and other hit songs. Production is top notch, and Ashcroft's voice is brilliant. They created a sound that was really great - perhaps you have to have live through that time to appreciate this album greatly. 'Bittersweet Symphony' remains one of my favoruite songs from the whole decade, it's iconic with a fantastic video clip, and its consequence was one of the most unfortunate and biggest plagium-related lawsuit in the pop-rock business. I once read a great analysis of the meaning of it that began so: 'This is a brilliant song. It is about the feeling of being trapped and powerless to change your behavior or your life due to circumstances beyond your control. It is about the sense of desperation you feel as your life passes before your eyes and you struggle unsuccessfully to control and shape it. It is about the perpetual conflict between the path you want to follow and the path you are compelled to follow.' So true. I can relate to this song a lot. Another favourite of mine is 'Lucky Man'. Other hit songs, like the heartwreching 'The Drugs Don't Work' and the hymnical 'Sonnet' are also great and so are the rest of the album. The only criticism is of the album is that it's a bit too long (any album that is over an hour are long to me). It was a more commercial effort than their two previous, more psychedelic albums, but it was their biggest hit. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Musically interesting, rich, diverse, different album, I genuiely enjoyed this fun record. The whole atmosphere of it could be described as 'mad' a bit, which I guess fits the name of the band perfectly.

An adventurous and experimental album. It is a bit difficult to rate this one, because I didn't hate it but I didn't find it pleasant or enjoyable to listen to it either. I appreciate how much Björk showed the variety of different vocals on this album.. It's the second album by her on this challenge and I liked her debut album more than this one.

This album reminds me a lot of Portishead although I find it musically less interesting. This is a very atmospheric, lush and cinematic sounding album, it sounds like as if it was a soundtrack of an old film noir. These are characteristics that I usually love about music - but in this case, something was missing, as the music couldn't grab me that much.

This is the type of music that I want to listen to in a pub when I'm with friends - then I checked what type of genre is this and it turned out it is really called 'pub rock'. It's mellow and bit of bland, musically, except for the guitar playing which is really outstanding. The clean production of the album is also really great, it sounds so fresh. Sultans of Swing stands out, it's very groovy, but the rest of the album is more forgettable for me. 3.5/5 but I stick with 3.

I'm usually into most of prog rock so I thought this album would be for me, but nope, I didn't like it. The songs didn't lead anywhere, the music was way too intense and busy throughout (except for a short time in the middle of the album), it's overproduced, and the singer's high falsetto voice annoyed me most of the time. Majority of the album is more post-hardcore than prog rock anyway. It was difficult to get through this one...

Good chamber folk/baroque pop album with hints of avantgarde. Nico's voice (and strong German accent) is very distinctive, instantly recognisable which may not be the cup of tea for many people but undoubtely it brings a lot of character to these songs. I like the arrangements on this album, though the production wasn't that great. Overall it must've been a fresh and different album when it came out in 1967. 3.5/5.

This is the most generic and boring synth-pop that shows nothing new or unique compared to any other albums from this genre. It is very similar to any stuff that came out 35 years ago or so, perhaps it's more overproduced but that is all. There are so many great albums that could be on this list which aren't, imo this album doesn't belong on the list.

An absolutely magical, dream and atmospheric album by Cocteau Twins. The vocals are stunning and an instrument in itself (proof lyrics aren't always that important), the guitars are beautiful, too. Overall a gorgeous dream pop album that belongs high on any 1990s list.

Commercialised, bland, simplistic and forgettable country-flavoured rock music with a lot of very similar songs. But it is not he type of music that is completely unlistenable so I'm giving it a 2.

This was a rather boring reggae/dub album, it's just chill background music and none of the songs stood out. I guess it's on the list because of their political message (which I disagree with anyway).

Previously I've only heard about him because of John Lennon and his lost weekend in 1974. Well this album was a pleasant surprise to me. It is well written, really well produced and arranged, it reminded me of some of the later Beatles songs (perhaps it's no surprise Nilsson is named the American Beatle). There are songs on it from varied styles - pop, rock, ballad etc - and Nilsson shows a wide range of emotions on this album. I've found the first side + Without You and Coconut stronger than the last few songs but overall it's a really solid album.

Good rhythms and samples on this album, it sounds 'cool', though I don't like much of the lyrics and that many times there are a lot of shouting-rapping (I don't know how to call this). Overall I appreciate the culture impact it had, but it isn't my cup of tea.

Good collection of western/country songs.

This was a completely uninteresting new wave album. It wasn't outrageously bad, but why is it exactly on this list? Especially when I've jut realised that such utterly beautiful, one-in-a-kind albums like Vashti Bunyan's Just Another Diamond Day is not on the list.

I've found it a bland and uninteresting record, and overly long. A single album with max. 40 minutes would've been more than enough. I usually like pop-rock, and experimental rock from the 1970s but I can't hear the appeal of this album by Fleetwood Mac.

Very good collections of soul songs. His voice was amazing.

Nice, pleasant indie music from the early 2000s. I loved their Os Mutantes cover. Though I enjoyed listening to it, it's nothing extraordinary so I don't think it should go above 3 out of 5.

It's more space-y than their previous albums and I love the sound of it. The songs don't stand out to me but the strength of this album is that it's overall very, very good. There's a bit of wildness, weirdness going on, too but that is what makes the album even more exiciting. Loved it!

Weak lyrics, even worse singing with lot of autotune, and boring music. Sorry, it is a 1 from me.

A very funky, enjoyable neo soul album. It sounds more 70s but it was still made in the 1960s, it must've sounded so fresh at the time. I loved it!

A very fun album to listen to. Anyone who needs to lift up the mood, this is it.

Skate punk album for teenagers, which hasn't aged well in the past 30 years. It's not completely unlistenable but it deserves nothing more than a 2.

Good, very mid-1990s sounding acid house/electronic/psychedelic album, which aged quite well and doesn't sound dated in 2023. I liked the second half of the album more than the first one. Overall it's weaker than their next album. Strong 3+.

It is one of the best albums by one of the most influental bands from the past 20 years. Neon Bible is the one from their holy trinitiy (Funeral, Neon Bible, The Suburbs) that I've listened to the most in the past few years. I love the more grandiose, somewhat darker and heavier sound of this album compared to their other releases. None of the songs stand out that much here, but the strength of the album is that it's very well rounded from start to finish. It close to a perfect album so I'll give it a 5.

Great songwriting and very beautiful voices. Mrs. Robinson is a classic. I didn't like the interludes that much, but overall a very nice album.

Very enjoyable bossa nova - cool, relaxed, and pleasant collection of songs. It's difficult to rate jazz albums, because they are so different from the rest on this challenge - since it doesn't have the feel of the completeness of an 'album', it's more like great songs put together,, I'm giving it a 4, but otherwise, musically it is top-notch.

A compeletely groundbreaking album from Kraftwerk that still sounds futuristic even after 45 years. Amazing. I can't even imagine how it sounded back in 1978 when it was released. I have it on CD, the German version, so I've just listened to that one. The most famous song is "The Model/Das Model", but my favourite is "Neon Lights/Neonlicht". It had a huge impact on the music later so it's an album that deserves a 5 no doubt.

The album was surprisingly good, especially after the opening, hardcore track there were more acoustic and psychedelic rock songs on it, some of them I've known because Nirvana covered them later. I liked it!

Very good, groovy and funky music, the extended voiceovers are a bit too much, though, and it's also a bit repetitive. Otherwise, 70s funk rocks!

Musically quite varied which was nice but I didn't enjoy his voice, at some parts his singing was just annoying. Overall it's just not my type of glam rock but overall it is an average album.

This album has started off quite well but then it quickly became repetitive and overall a bit boring - it was dragging too long since it is an almost one hour long album which is too long imo. Overall it is not a bad blues rock/garage album but there are so many better albums in this genre than this one.

A collection of very smooth slow songs. Ray Charles' voice is just fantastic. Some of the songs are a bit too sweet to my taste, but overall it is excellent music.

Short art pop/post-punk album, it's different and fun. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

One of the earliest punk (proto-punk) albums in the mid-1970s. While other bands that came after them made better records but it is still quite a pioneer record and it must have sounded fresh and new back then. I quite enjoyed the fast, upbeat rock, even if the lyrics were mostly just silly. But at least they didn't take themselves seriously!

Oldschool hip-hop album with quite a lot of varied styles, most of the hip-hop songs were fun, but I didn't like the more soul-y ones or the electro 'Scorpio' track which was so different from the rest. Overall an OK album.

It was the first time I listened to Iin Rainbows and I feel I should listen to this album more to rate it, because it takes more time to get into Radiohead's music. It is more chill and perhaps emotional than other albums I listened to by this band, but I preferred their other albums so far (The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A) except one (Hail To The Thief). Now I'm giving it a 3.5 out of 5.

I like jazz and many of free jazz in general but I was deeply disappointed in this album. It is actually a tribute but was way overdone. The first half is practically unlistenable and not accessible at all, it improves a bit in the second half but it is still messy, noisy without any direction or harmonies. I managed to listen to it but it was enough for once in my life, thank you very much.

Very smooth funk with elements of jazz and rock. I've heard another album by this band which I liked more I think. This album was good but not that memorable.

A very good rock/country rock album with tons of hit singles on it (my favoruite is Who'll Stop The Rain). The second half of the album is especially strong. I love John Fogerty's vocal but the music is also great.

Sophisticated, smooth and chill French electronica with tango influences. This is a very good background music also because for almost the whole album it is instrumental. It's a bit long and feels repetitive here and there, but otherwise it's a great album.

A very unique album, its sounds as if it was from the 2000s, not from 1990 - it was way ahead of its time. It's dark, haunting, something different than I have ever heard before. It's more than an album - it is an experience.

A lot of rambing and yodling on this record. I can see the influence he had on a lot of artists that came later, but those musicians put out better albums than this one. I didn't enjoy this too much, it was average at best.

I liked the rhythm and general vibe of the album which is very 1990s. On the other hand I admit it's difficult to carefully listen to the lyrics of a long hip-hop album like this, and understand what it's about for those who aren't native speakers. So I feel like I'm missing half the fun here. But one thing is sure: I didn't like all the profanities...

Quite funky and it still sounds fresh after nearly 30 years, but to me it's too long, and musically is repetitive and not very interesting. 2.5/5.

This simplistic, commercialised, musically boring glam rock/hard rock isn't my cup of tea. It's listenable enough not to give it a 1 but it doesn't deserve anything more than a 3 out of 10.

Heavy metal is not my thing so I knew I wouldn't enjoy this one...to me it sounds just samey, with loud guitars and not understandable lyrics. Perhaps some of their later albums will be better, I guess this album is not the only one on this list so I'm giving it a 2.

The Byrds went from a folk and pyschedelic rock group to a country rock one with this album which was a very influental one. I usually don't enjoy country that much but I liked this album. It's short and very nice, with some really great songs written by Gram Parsons.

I like some of the weirdness of this album and I like some of the songs (White Light/White Heat and Here She Comes Now) but overall I don't see it as revolutionary. Yes, it was everything what the hippy movement wasn't, so it made it underground/different/cool but feedbacks, guitar distortions weren't new at that time. I get that it had influence on the next genres (proto punk/noise etc) but overall I find it a weaker effort than their other albums.

It was the first time I listened to a whole Courtney Love album. It's classic grunge and punk, angry and loud. The songwriting reminded me a lot of Kurt's/Nirvana. It wasn't my favorite overall but wasn't bad either.

Very nice, fun collection of songs, though they are a bit repetitive after a while. His singing was fantastic. The quality of the recordings isn't that good, in fact from this aspect it was probably the weakest album so far in my challenge.

Accessible, good indie rock/alternative rock from the late 1980s. Its sound is more 90s than 80s actually. It is a good album though none of the songs stand out or that special in my opinion.

Surprisingly good rock/alternative rock album by this British band. Musically it's varied and shows a lot of different energy, so it never gets boring. I love Skin's voice too. Overall a good album.

A good collection of folk rock songs by Tracy Chapman. Her voice is beautiful and storytelling is also good, the songs are really sad because she experienced a lot of hardships in her life but she presents them in an accessible way. Some songs are a bit too samey to me musically. Overall good though not sure I'd want to listen to it again soon (because of the heaviness of the lyrics). 3.5/5.

I like the Smith and Meat is Murder is a decent record. It's cohesive and has a very typical 1980s English rock sound. There aren't as many memorable songs on it as on "The Queen is Dead", though. Overall a strong 3+.

Good collection of rhythm & blues songs although almost all of them are covers and nothing is really outstanding. I think if it wasn't a Rolling Stones album, it wouldn't be on the list. Since it is the band's debut, it's part of the rock history, of course.

It's my first time I've listened an album by Hüsker Dü. I liked the overall mood of the album and the songs were nice but this album was a bit too long, almost 70 minutes. If there's a double LP then usually it should be more varied or the material must be strong so that's enough for a double album. In that sense this album wasn't varied at all because the songs sounded quite samey and while the songs weren't bad I am not sure all 20 songs should've been released. But overall I didn't mind this album, so it gets an average 3 rating from me.

It's one of the best debut albums ever. All songs are great musically as a whole as all the instruments on their own, too. Superb band. Alex Turner is also one of the greatest lyricist of his generation, this album is also great lyrically, not just musically. The whole album perfectly captures the British youth in the mid 2000s. I haven't lived there but I am the same age as these guys are, and I listened to this album a lot when I was younger. Excellent debut in the very strong catalogue of Arctic Monkeys. It deserves the 5 stars.

It was the first time I've listened to 'Tubular Bells', even if I heard about it before and wanted to listen to it years ago. So glad I finally listened the whole album. What a cool concept and a beautiful record it is. I immediately loved it at first listen and I'll for sure come back and listen to is many more times.

Good mix of r'n'b, rap, hip-hop and soul. Her voice is beautiful, and the production of the album is smooth - really great quality. My main issue with the album is its length - it was the late 1990s when CDs were the thing which made it possible to make 70-80 minutes albums, and many artists took advantage of this new technology. But I find such albums too long. 45-50 minutes are always enough.

Good album, more cohesive and harder than other Queen albums. Songs don't stand out to me individually, I've only known Seven Seas of Rhye, which is a good closing track. Overall an enjoyable album, 3.5 but I'll give it a 3 since a couple of other Queen albums are stronger than this one.

I don't really like glam rock especially if it is such overproduced music with outdated lyrics. Some songs were fun to listen to for a few minutes if I didn't carefully listen to the lyrics, but in general it's too commercialised 80s glam for me.

I like to discover albums by bands I have never heard of before. I really liked this trippy electronic and rockish album, very different and fresh. I will definitely come back to this later.

I know this album is very popular but to me it was a bit too free flowing musically and her distinctive, yet often very high voice was a bit annoying. It was a good listen as a background music but I wouldn't give it anything near a 5.

I enjoyed this album a lot, it was accessible enough not to be a very experimental jazzy pop-rock record but still interesting, varied and energetic enough, unlike many pop records that aren't exciting enough. The length was also perfect, not too short, not too long.

Fun British punk album with short, sweet songs. I enjoyed this one!

Nick Drake made only three albums in his short lifetime, but all three of them are real gems. The atmosphere he created on his second album 'Bryter Layter' is magical - it was his most optimistic release which contained lush, beautiful production (which overshadowed his masterful guitar playing here and there, though). Songs like 'Northern Sky', 'Hazey Jane I', 'At the Chime Of A City Clock' or 'Fly' are just absolutely gorgeous and among the most beautiful songs ever written on this planet. I read the book 'The Life' about Nick Drake which was released not long ago and the last chapter about his life described how severely depressed he was in the last years of his life, which was extremely saddening to read. I wish he had known how much his music would mean to so many people these days. Aged 24, he told his father that he had finished his life's work and had done more than many in a lifetime - and one day, people would realise it. We know it now. Thank you Nick.

I loved this album when I was around 18 years old and listened to it a lot. It's a great debut album with so many hit songs. The hits are the best here. Probably I wouldn't like this album that much if I lived in the US and listened to these songs every day on the radio...Sweet Child'O Mine is played in Europe a lot, but that's one song that I will never get tired of. I am not a fan of late 80s hair metal but this is more hard rock. It's a 4 from me overall.

I expected not to like it but I actually quite enjoyed this one. I haven't heard the band before so they were new to me. Quite good mid-2000s UK indie/electronic album, perhaps I'll listen to it again some time in the future.

I don't know much about jazz but this was very enjoyable and fun, and probably very high quality jazz. Since I don't often give a 5 for an album and I don't really like giving 5 for a live album I'll stick with 4.

Nice, smooth bossa nova music though I'm not quite sure why this album is so important that it needs to be on this list, there are others in the genre that are better than this album. Perhaps it's because Bebel is the daughter of Joao Gilberto?

A masterpiece of an album, among the very best psychedelic rock records ever and in general, very high on every "best ever album" list. 'Break On Through' is one of the best opening songs on any album. 'Light My Fire' is a classic and so is the closing 'The End'. I love Jim's singing and especially Ray Manzarek's playing. A 5 no doubt.

Bowie went to a different direction stylistically compared to the first half of the decade. This album is a grower and needs more listens. I like it a lot but I prefer some of his other albums to this one (Hunky Dory, Ziggy, Low).

Jazz-rock at its finest. Also, if there was a list of best late night albums, this one would be one of the top albums on it.

A varied and good hip-hop album, I especially liked the jazz influences. I didn't like sometimes excessive profanity in the lyrics, otherwise I should probably listen to the lyrics carefully to try to fully understand what this album is about. But the music was quite good.

Some songs are nice and his voice is really good but after around 1/4 of the album it gets really repetitive and after a while it is just boring. I'd give it a 3 if it was just an EP with half of the songs but since it's too samey it's a 2 from me.

A really great singer-songwriter indie rock album. Top notch quality, and I love the general mood of the album. No hits, but it doesn't matter because the album is very cohesive.

Good debut album, she is a talented singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music reminded me a lot of Kate Bush, especially Kate's debut album, which she made almost 15 years earlier than this one, but I find Kate's music a lot more exciting than Tori's. Nevertheless, Tori paved the way for such singer-songwriters in the US like Fiona Apple a few years later. A strong 3+ album.

All songs sound the same, slow tunes that dragging along for too long and his voice doesn't help either. Forgettable, dull, boring. I don't often give a 1 for an album but this is nothing more than a 2.5/3 out of 10.

I don't know anything about tango but of course I've already heard Astor Piazzolla's name. It's a tight, virtuoso live tango album, which sounded really good quality to me. I enjoyed this album; too bad the album I've found on youtube had some muted minutes which disturbed my experience of listening the album. Perhaps I'll listen to it again later.

Excellent and fun acid house album from the late 1980s rave scene of Britain, I enjoyed it quite a lot.

I'm not into trash metal, because it is way too repetitive to me, and too energetic to endure it for a longer time. I get that why it hypes up many people but I don't like this genre. Hetfield's voice is recognisable and good, though, I think that's what I liked the most about this album. But otherwise sorry, not my cup of tea.