I really dislike funk but parliament are undeniably good at making it. It’s repetitive and there’s all this chat in the songs. It’s a great example of a classic from my second least favourite genre. I danced a bit during the first track, despite myself.

No one’s saying that this album is better than Born in the USA, right? Just that I like it a lot more. I had to rate today based on how much I loved relistening to this album that I had on almost constant rotation for a few months in 1999. I know every word and can still sing along. I still love some of the moments that happen throughout; a moment in Luv when Fran Healy’s voice seems to crack a little with emotion. Or maybe not. Maybe I’m just being 16 again and hopelessly romantic. Either way, I enjoyed this too, too much.

Far more enjoyable than I’d expected and so many bangers on here that I knew well but could never have named the artist if you’d asked me.

I liked the songs I already liked but was eager for the others to end. Made it through the whole album but won’t revisit.

More fun and melodic than I expected

It’s a brilliant and important album but I can’t go 5 because I have to be in the right mood to listen. It’s best on headphones for me, and when I’ve got a march on, heading some place.

I wanted this to end so badly. The best of the album feels borrowed. The rest, cringe. There were delightful moments of 90s nostalgia early on but they got swallowed up by the overall awfulness of the rest of the album. Was wavering over 2 stars but song by song, Jah Wobble talked me down to 1.

Not my thing at all but I get it. It’s fine. One thing I have never realised is that it’s not ‘in the garden of Eden baby’ that they’re signing and that has blown my mind.

An absolute pleasure to listen to. I’ve always liked Willie but never chosen to listen so really grateful to have this nudge.

I really dislike funk but parliament are undeniably good at making it. It’s repetitive and there’s all this chat in the songs. It’s a great example of a classic from my second least favourite genre. I danced a bit during the first track, despite myself.

One song I liked but oh so samey. I went with two stars because If You Want Blood reminded me of Empire Records, which isn’t a bad thing.

More appealing to 2023 me than 1997 me. Almost perfect but Albarn’s mockney accent just grates on me.

Excellent album. Very much reminds me of being little as my folks played this a lot.

I have never listened to this lot, unless someone has been playing it, but it’ll go into regular rotation now. A real gift of this challenge

Look, of course it’s really good but no. I can’t. I tried! I started off well with Street Life and then the rest. It was too smooth. Jazzy. It put me in mind of theme tunes to old dramedys.

I really love this album so was delighted that it appeared on the list to remind me to give it a listen again.

A fantastic listen. Some good, old-fashioned hip hop. I always enjoy hearing the moments that were borrowed by later tracks. It won’t be in regular rotation for me but it was properly good to hear.

A really enjoyable listen. I’ll probably listen to more now that I’ve been nudged. It was a little odd listening to Fairytale of New York outside of the Christmas build up.

Great album. Jonny has been trying to get me to lists for a while and I’m so glad I had a reason to listen. Some incredible songs on here. The titular track is really special

His skill is undeniable but I got ever so bored. I get it but I’m not into it.

Of course this was wonderful. One of my all time favourite songs lives here. Beautifully made. A joy to listen to.

Yeah fine. I was bored much of the time but his voice is actually gorgeous. Just won’t be taking it for a spin again, any time soon

Really good fun and very recognisable. Happy enough to listen and can defo recommend walking through Bristol city of an evening while listening. Really adds to the atmosphere.

Aw great stuff. I really like this album and miss the days when rap was slow enough so that I could understand what they were saying

I’ve never listened to a full album by this lot and it was really good. Felt like the building blocks to a lot of later music I have loved. Some songs were stronger than others but the grungy feel was just right for me

So freakin’ cool. It’s hard to believe some of these tracks were made in 69 as they feel so contemporary. A great listen. Some tracks didn’t do it for me but the bangers banged.

“I’ve been around the world a million times and all you men are slime.” Love love love this album. I have listened to plenty of Sonic Youth over the years but never sat to listen to an entire album. Nothing but love for this one.

A classic! It is obviously brilliant but it is never going to be my go to. Total respect for this album and glad to listen.

So much atmosphere. Impossible to listen to dispassionately because it’s so tied up in my youth. Much nostalgia for me. In an attempt to appraise it honestly though, it’s beautifully produced, has provocative lyrics and imagery, the music itself is sumptuous. A truly great album.

What I really like about this challenge is that a few times I get an album that I’m sold on and I don’t enjoy listening much. This is one of those. I’m like ‘yeah, course, born in the USA.’ And the listen through feels so underwhelming. Without the context and the appreciation of the entire catalogue, and album like this one doesn’t land the same. Grateful to The Boss for many things and some tracks on this album are incredibly important to me but it’s not one I’ll listen to over and again.

I didn’t hate it but I did want it to end.

No one’s saying that this album is better than Born in the USA, right? Just that I like it a lot more. I had to rate today based on how much I loved relistening to this album that I had on almost constant rotation for a few months in 1999. I know every word and can still sing along. I still love some of the moments that happen throughout; a moment in Luv when Fran Healy’s voice seems to crack a little with emotion. Or maybe not. Maybe I’m just being 16 again and hopelessly romantic. Either way, I enjoyed this too, too much.

This album is perfect.

Another great listen and such a pleasure to hear the two Clash albums so close together. Two years between them and the sound has matured so much. This album was a riot.

Far more enjoyable than I imagined. Even live, this band sound so good.

Yeah I found this pretty dull. Cee-Lo Green definitely has his moments for me but none of them were on this album. Incredibly mediocre.

Huh. Maybe I do like funk. Not all of the songs were available on the album so I patched together a Funkadelic experience and did not regret it. Grateful for this listen.

Scuzzy, grungy goodness.

A lot of fun. Good summery record.

Yep, an important album by and important band but her voice has always grated on me. Should be my cup of tea but isn’t.

Brilliant storytelling and super enjoyable from the get go.

Mad. A totally mad record. Kate Bush is a total legend but this isn’t the album I’ll listen if given a choice.

I found his voice lovely on the country tracks but thin on the blues.

It’s not my first listen and I don’t know if my mood was just exactly right or if I get it now when I didn’t before but I loved it this time. Loved it.

There are a couple of songs on this album that I’ll always love. I struggled with Blur when they first landed and this album kinda sums up just why. Damon’s into his mockney phase and it isn’t very pleasant. Even as a kid I felt that he was taking something that wasn’t his and it drove me crazy that others didn’t see it but I know now that’s because we all came from different places. Anyway, fun songs on here and moments of grace too, ie. This is a low.

Ok, well actually, pretty good

A fun listen and I could hear how many bands seem to have built their sound on these songs, such as incubus lol, but it wasn’t something I could listen to again.

Wow. This was great. It’s way outside of my usual listening and I’ve always given this genre a wide north but I know Fela is a legend so I wasn’t too surprised when I enjoyed the listen as much as I did.

YASSSSS! I can listen to this all day long.

An excellent debut. I listened when it came out and the same songs jumped out for me this time too. It’s a nicer listen without all the hype.

I love John Grant. This has a few songs on that I first heard in the movie Weekend and was stunned when I did. His voice is so rich and sad. So many layers of feeling. Just glad to listen again.

Good and dramatic. Quite a voice!

This is one of my all time favourite albums, thanks.

It was perfectly good. Moments of funkiness and progginess that I heartily enjoyed but nothing jumped out for me.

Very 60s. I felt like I was in an Austin Powers movie. Psychedelic. Not for me.

A really good listen. I was too young to get it at the time. I didn’t think electronica was for me. Certainly not the case now. This is an amazing piece of work.

A really powerful album. One that I didn’t love back when but adult me feels quite differently. Wonderful poetry, beats that get you moving, it’s a win.

Yeah I liked this more than I thought I would.

Ah I don’t like it. It’s fine. It’s well produced? It’s fine? I just find it a bit annoying really.

Beautiful. Perfect.

What a marvellous listen. I have missed this and I didn’t even know it.

It’s a singles album for me. The singles are incredible but the rest don’t do a thing for me. Her latest album is gold and packed full of excellent songs, tells a story from beginning to end. This is her building up to finding that voice.

I didn’t like this at all and that’s interesting because I always thought I would have but just sorta missed the boat. Happy to revisit and see that I wasn’t missing a thing.

Fun, weird, brilliant. I knew it would be. It’s not one I’ll go back to though. David Byrne’s voice has always grated on me

So much of The Smiths no longer works for me. A relisten is always good but a listen to less familiar tracks leaves me cold.

Some nice pop moments but mostly unremarkable

A great album. Loads of fun, such classics and the skits might even actually be funny, depending on my mood.

Sounds gorgeous and so very Bowie. Just not one I go back to often. It’s like the building blocks of what makes him such an incredible artist but in itself, I don’t fancy it

This album surprised me. I thought I knew Roxy Music but I didn’t at all. It was far more challenging than I had expected. A good listen.

This didn’t do anything for me throughout most of the listen. My ears pricked up during the second to last song but I forgot to care throughout the day. Inoffensive but dull.

Sumptuous, interesting, classic. So much love for this one. Never thought I was a Hayes fan but I was wrong.

I enjoyed this way more than I should have, given how purile some of this stuff is. I’ll listen again, for sure. How old is Blister in the sun, though?! Really thought that was a 90s record.

That was a slog. I found it really boring.

Really enjoyable listen. The singles from this are top notch and the rest were alright too. Blank space is one of the greatest pop songs of all time and yes, I know that’s a big statement to make.

Fine. I get The Fall but I don’t love The Fall

LOVE this album. So many bangers. It was a massive part of my youth too. These two crazies who rap really fast. They’re funky and sorta futuristic. Funny too. Yep, just a massive yep.

Oh The Beatles. What to say. I just don’t get on with it all but then a song comes on and I’m like ‘Ooo.’ This album has some of those on it.

It’s a perfect album. I can come back to this often and still hear something new each time I do. I wrote it off when it first came out as I was hoping for more like The Bends and every album after OK Computer just felt too left field. In my defence, I was very young. Now I’m delighted by how timeless and enjoyable a listen this is, along with the other less-indie records.

It’s a great album. It’s not my fave of theirs and I don’t pick it up often but I’d find it incredibly difficult to listen without thinking of sweaty summer nights dancing in crowds watching this racket play. It’s an even better album for conjuring those memories.

Classic psychedelic rock fare. Grateful for the vibes but I’m never delighted when I am faced with going back for one of these. I need to bring context to fully appreciate it because I can get terribly bored unless I remind myself that the music I love is here because this was first. That said, some lovely moments on this one. 10/10 for vibes but a solid 3 from me otherwise.

Such beauty, sadness, grace, humility. So many things that rarely come about when an artist covers a song. Johnny Cash is raw and vulnerable and his voice is cracked and full of emotion. I heard this album a lot back when it came out and naturally it means different things to me now. I cried listening (while cycling which isn’t a good look).

At times, funny but then I’d remember it’s unironic and that it’s not a parody. The rest of the experience was characterised by boredom.