Seeing this album on the list surprised me. I haven't listened to Koln in about eight years... In fact I'd almost completely forgotten about it and the life I was leading before the bright lights of Warwick uni took me to the Midlands. The record has a special place in my heart because the first girl I had a proper crush on and, crucially, also (briefly) dated showed me it. She was from one of the fancy schools in Bristol, could hear a song and play it back on the piano immediately, and got with me on sixth form results night. We then went out for about six classy weeks together. It was mega. Well, until she broke up with me on an indie club night on a boat. I had to wash up in a Brewer's Fayre for about ten hours the next day, I've rarely been more broken. The record itself is as good as I remember it. The opening section is maybe the finest solo piano performance around. It's all an improvisation and grows organically, in ways other pieces can't. Keith uses the whole piano, his feet and voice to occupy the place of an ochestra. The grunts and groans show you he knows exactly where he's going and how much he's feeling it. Perhaps most importantly for neo-classical music, Koln is a perfomance that's also very listenable. Jarret goes wild on the keys at points but also pulls back, giving the piece and audience space to breath and take it all in. I'd give it a five, but then again, Hettie also said I didn't kiss her enough when we split up in Thekla. You can't have your cake and eat it Ms Piano Girl. 4.5/5

Maybe it's because I was forced to listen to this on YouTube, but every song sounded like it would be for an ad promoting a 'revolutionary' new crypto exchange platform, a hemp inspired make up cleanser or some green fuel for future generations. That bored me. Needs more grit. 2.5

Not even good background music. It's like Sade got put through the X Factor machine, only with desperate BTEC Indian samples attached. It's worse than boring, it's bad.

Pretty unique record this. Manages to be soulful and still have that nineties street feel. I'm a fan of the melodic flows the group use, definitely adds extra colour to tracks. Ms Hill is probably the stand out member. She brings a confident feminine swagger and perspective that I don't think you see often in any album, let alone a hip hop one. There's a world music feel to it too, which definitely add to the NY/big city vibe. Don't think that this makes it into five territory, but it's a top drawer album.

This is a sonically radical, lyrical maze of an album. Remain in light asks: what does it mean to be given five stars? It required multiples listens but I think I've cracked it. As a government man, I got hooked by the rythyms, bamboozled and then intrigued by the lyrics. A great listen and genre bending piece of art. Want to walk around a big bright city and listen to this over and over.

A couple of great singles on this, the rest sort of washed over me pleasantly. That was about it.

Listened to this album travelling yesterday and very much appreciated that it's innovative for the era. Gary walked so others can run but it just didnt quite hit for me.

Didnt fancy today's album and boy am I glad to have come to this instead. The first time an album I didn't know at all has landed in five territory. It's a magical musical carpet ride that takes you through about seven different states every seven minutes. Brilliant.

The singles on this still fizz - music for everyone and anyone at the house party. The rest of the record was all nice but did wash over me. 3.5

Big up this fella Fela

Very wholesome. It'd calm your nerves as you drove up north to dodge the draft.

Not often do you get a hip hop album that manages to be both dense and icey cool. Liquid Swords is spooky, lyrical and backed up by pumping old school beats. There isn't a track on this that doesn't still stand up. RZA's production at its finest. GZA's bars are fierce, no other way of putting it. Special technique *insert eighties kung fu movie skit to make that point again*.

Probably the most complete rap album ever made. Illmatic alone put Nas on hip hop's Mount Rushmore, there's a reason for that. The rhyme schemes are trend setting, backed up by fiersome lyrics and a production team that creates the perfect NY backdrop. It's a rich picture. Full of gritty scenes and big dreams from young men caught in a broken city. Illmatic sounds as good as it did the first time I heard it. Everytime I relisten there's plenty more to unpack. Simply put, it's compelling.

Seeing this album on the list surprised me. I haven't listened to Koln in about eight years... In fact I'd almost completely forgotten about it and the life I was leading before the bright lights of Warwick uni took me to the Midlands. The record has a special place in my heart because the first girl I had a proper crush on and, crucially, also (briefly) dated showed me it. She was from one of the fancy schools in Bristol, could hear a song and play it back on the piano immediately, and got with me on sixth form results night. We then went out for about six classy weeks together. It was mega. Well, until she broke up with me on an indie club night on a boat. I had to wash up in a Brewer's Fayre for about ten hours the next day, I've rarely been more broken. The record itself is as good as I remember it. The opening section is maybe the finest solo piano performance around. It's all an improvisation and grows organically, in ways other pieces can't. Keith uses the whole piano, his feet and voice to occupy the place of an ochestra. The grunts and groans show you he knows exactly where he's going and how much he's feeling it. Perhaps most importantly for neo-classical music, Koln is a perfomance that's also very listenable. Jarret goes wild on the keys at points but also pulls back, giving the piece and audience space to breath and take it all in. I'd give it a five, but then again, Hettie also said I didn't kiss her enough when we split up in Thekla. You can't have your cake and eat it Ms Piano Girl. 4.5/5

Love the sampling, hate the shouting.

Actually expected more from this. Some good bops at the start, but by the end I felt like I was listening to a smooth FM channel at 2am and could have nodded off. Sidenote - it's remarkable that most of the British public couldn't tell George was gay based on the album cover alone. 2.5

Moody as hell. Nihilism manifest.

Big vibes and great spirit throughout.

Given the rave reviews this got, I thought it'd be worth giving this a listen - was not disappointed. Dre's production is funky, punchy and very difficult to not get down to. Hadn't realises how much they came for Eazy E on this record. Dre and Snoop take no prisoners. The gang banging and throat fucking is relentless. No wonder America was scared of CPT and LB. Snoop's flow is perfect for this album. My highlight was 'The Day the Niggaz Took Over' which anarchic and a real statement of rebellion post LA riots. The hits on this have ages brilliantly and rightly still get played today. The tailend of the album does drop off a bit but overall this is a grear hip hop album.

A lot more ambient and sparse than I'd anticipated. It's a meloncholy and at points creepy listen, really very good melodically. The songwriting didnt particularly stand out but works. You can hear a bit of their later stuff here too. 3.5

No surrender eight track bender. Music you have experiences to. I reckon the youtube comments section is legendary for some of these. 4.5/5

This is music as therapy that explores the big themes (identity, dignity, love) poignantly. The instrumentation is excellent throughout - it's simple but rich, creating the perfect canvas for Antony, whose voice I found unique and haunting, to croon and then explode over. Lyrically it's simple on the surface, although that disguises how big some of the examined themes are. The features come in at the right times and add extra colour, keeping things varied. It's a very rich canvas we get as a result. A really interesting and deep album that gets a very strong four from me. I'll be checking out their other stuff. 4.5

Clearly a set of fine musicians, led by the biggest name in jazz. Despite all that the birth of cool never really hit home. Most of the album felt like the kind of big band music guests walk out to on the Jimmy Kimmel/Fallon show. That was about as far it took me, the melodies were complex but not that interesting. The album didnt go places and the theme got repetitive by the end. If this album was the birth of cool jazz, we've come a long way. Then again, Coltrane has better albums from the same period, so age is no explanation.

An album meant for big soundsystems and even bigger doobies. Burning Spear bounces us through the hardship, but knows that having a good time is just as important.

Is this the best album by a woman ever? Very possibly. Kate's vocal range is impeccable, always crystal clear and full of emotion. It's only strengthened by her songwriting. She knows how to write about feeling feelings. The backing tracks (which I read she also produced) are superb throughout and have aged remarkably well considering their ambition. We go from driving bass, guitar and synth lines in the first half to jigs, reels and space like organs later on. The whole thing is a god damn movie.

A classic. Moves nicely between hard rock and ballads, with the softer tracks hitting better. Made for a good train journey home. A few of the tracks seemed like Radiohead doing their best Nirvana impression, can't hate too much on that that though. 3.5/5

Saw this was the selection for today and was excited, then bemused, then disappointed. Turns out 'sweet dreams' are actually just made of one world class track, the rest was medoicre at best. The production sounds like it was made on a bop it. A lot of the songs were rudderless. I'd have been gutted if I'd saved up for this LP based on the single.

Made me want to grow a mullet and start hanging out with the punks of Camden. Raw and artistic and there was no filler. David Watts into English Rose was something else.

This album is funnier and more ecclectic than I'd remembered. Great production as you'd expect. Jesus Walks is still an absolute number. You can see the makings of the man we now know here. Despite that and a few unnecessary tracks / underwhelming feats it deserves a solid rating.

Beyond the songs I already knew (Essex Dogs was an exception) there wasn't much on this that genuinely stood out. Fair amount of noise generated, betcha it felt more rebellious and exciting back in the day.

It's from about this point onwards that you start to get a feeling rock has been dying a death. 2.5/5

It's good enough rock but didn't take me places. If those three central circles on the cover were a venn diagram representing the album, I'd title them: dreary, spacey and delirious.

After a few days in leather jacket-land rock it seems like we've moved into chequered shirt wearing tweed-ville and, sonically speaking, I back it. Some truly lovely numbers on this. The frontman's voice is smooth as sage and butter. The backing melodies are simplistic but sweet. Blue Ridge Mountains was a real highlight.

First album so far that has felt out of place on this list. The frontman's voice was shakey and funny at best, god awful at worst and usually the latter. Poorly mixed, guess they didn't care about that though. Made me feel like I was trapped in some cook out in Nebraska, probably blind drunk and lost (perhaps that's what that song was about). I'm A Mindless Idiot was the stand out. Good intricate folksy blues that. Definitely helped that there was no singing involved. Read they influenced Nirvana which is fair enough, but that doesn't mean it's good. Couldn't help but want to TURN THAT NOISE OFF. A first solo dolo star.

Not completely my cup of tea or what I expected a tribute to the steel city to sound like, but I'm here for it. Richard creates some smooth, nostalgic scenes. This has a proper melancholic, night time atmosphere throughout. My only criticism would be that it feels a bit low on energy. 3.5/5

This album is more ambitious and innovative than it sounds at first. While not every song on here is a hit, the Waterboy's have pulled off an expansive, varied and powerful record with this one. The highs on this (Fisherman's Blues, The Stolen Child, When Will Be Married, Sweet Thing) belong in the Himalaya's. The title track itself is one of the finest songs going, regardless of genre. Perhaps it's my Irish roots and familiarity with a few of these numbers but it's a great craic, pour me a big creamy guiness please Mike.

Started off really feeling this one. NoW comes out with some proper D-Boy sounding beats and they're immediately infectious. However, as I bumped through the album that flavour got increasingly stale. It wasn't that I disliked the vibe or the music overall, more that it all got a bit two dimensonal. The production is catchy but gets less interesting as it goes on. It seems like NoW has his loops set up and moves through them steadily, and that's kind of it. If this was an album from the seventies I would understand that, but because it's not more is needed. In that sense this record reminds me of Lemonjelly who were also big around then. It's that sort of nice and bouncy, easy listening style of beats and - in this case - it's at risk of sounding like the background soundtrack for Babestation. I don't hate it, but can't back it either.

The punk-blues fusion on this grew on me. It mixes modern rawness with that old cowboy style Americana which, thinking about it, have a lot in common culturally. At points I got art-rock Velvet Underground tones too, during others I was head banging. This is a neat marriage. One where the bride and groom are both carrying blunderbusses. Good on the Gun Club. 3.5/5

I could hear the dads of the world unite and say "proper music this" as soon as the first track started. They've probably got a point. This album got looped a few times for me as I went to and from the dentist today and got better for it. For me the more interesting stuff on this album was the looser, more surreal or pyschadelic material. With Waiting for the Sun and Blue Sunday standing out. Lyrically I'm not quite sure what's going on but it just sounds right, like hazey rocker poetry. Indian Summer would have been up there too but musically was a little to close to The End to surprise like those other two had. The other tracks are all at least good and got more interesting with more listens. Probably an album that belongs in the pantheon of rock counter culture.

I have never purposefully put this album on and listened to it front to back. How late I was to the party. Perfect for a Friday afternoon. 4.5

Final two tracks were good, seemed like a lot of chaotic noise otherwise. Don't think this has aged that well. 2.5

Album cover looks like it belongs to a facebook album from a year nine's house party. Like a combo of CSN and the Beach Boys, but with a Fleetwood Mac ratio. A charming listen. Didn't clock California Dreamin' was on this which puts it into very healthy territory. NB: want it known that I relistened to Jimi's album from yesterday not hungover and now disagree with myself. I'll be issuing a statement shortly.

Believe it or not I'm actually a big fan of Waits, have been since I first heard his vocals in Shrek 2 (little drop of poison). There are some great moments on this album. Stand outs: dirt in the ground, who are you this time, a little rain, goin' out west, whistle down this wind and that feel. This really feels like music for the apocalypse, either that or for the orcs of mordor or from some travelling circus in the mid-west in the thirties... In fact, I can't properly place it. It's chaotic, scratchy and raw. Lyrically Tom is pretty entertaining, it gets both absurd and vivid after a few listens. There are some numbers that don't quite hit imo, but there are also some worthwhile additions to his overall catalogue here. 3.5

It's good but another pretty generic rock record all considered. Stuff like this can't continue getting the equivalent of a 2:1.

Not sure this would even make the cut for the Monster Truck Madness soundtrack.

This is a sonically radical, lyrical maze of an album. Remain in light asks: what does it mean to be given five stars? It required multiples listens but I think I've cracked it. As a government man, I got hooked by the rythyms, bamboozled and then intrigued by the lyrics. A great listen and genre bending piece of art. Want to walk around a big bright city and listen to this over and over.

It's a Wu Tang Clan mob story, whats not to like? Tight lyrics, sparse and varied production, awesome feats. Wasn't sure whether I was in Staten Island or Stevenage waiting for the rail replacement bus today.

Can understand why it was and still is popular. They remind me of a Deep South RHCP. No real stand outs but high calibre. Tremendous set of outfits and haircuts on this cover. Warwick Uni kayak society had a similar aesthetic.

Just such meh pop.

Pretty unique record this. Manages to be soulful and still have that nineties street feel. I'm a fan of the melodic flows the group use, definitely adds extra colour to tracks. Ms Hill is probably the stand out member. She brings a confident feminine swagger and perspective that I don't think you see often in any album, let alone a hip hop one. There's a world music feel to it too, which definitely add to the NY/big city vibe. Don't think that this makes it into five territory, but it's a top drawer album.

This has rightly been brightening up teenagers' bedrooms since '99

Meandering and clumbsy sounding. The final track was a minor, pyrrhic victory.

A wanna be Beatles album that leveraged a Dylan song. Definitely didn't deserve the fame and sales they got 2.5/5

Damn these Krauts can rock. An album from the A and B side era that could have come out at any moment since. Both sides are excellent. The first is ambient before Eno and a pleasurable journey around some mellow melodies. The second half is edgier, rockier and disruptive to the point I almost got delirious with all those hard edged sounds.

Between a McCartney diss track, a song about shouting Yoko's name in the bath and a rant about pyschotic critics/journos this was a pretty entertaining listen. Listened to Imagine (the single) while working to the tube this morn. I felt briefly more cerebral and peaceful before getting into HMT. John needs Paul's musicality to take his records to the next level but this is a decent solo job. 3.5

Felt like I was in scenes from a nineties romcom and/or chic click throughout this.

This is another pretty generic nineties rock record. Saw flashes of Nirvana, Shrek and Gorillaz, but they weren't all that bright. 2.5

It's more varied, distinct and funnier than this American tripe we've been getting. Would like to imagine a pitt's brass band coming out for the opening track. Not totally my cup of tea (bit too twee) but the badly drawn boy's done good.

Was I waiting for AXA to process my insurance claim throughout this? Seemed so.

The album leaps about a lot and isn't especially consistent as a result but the talent's there. Young and Stills take turns to pump out some classy tracks. Mr Soul, Expecting to Fly and Rock & Roll Woman were real highs. If those elements had been more coherently tied together across the record we'd be looking at a strong four to a light five. I'm still tempted to score highly because this album preceded and inspired a lot of the more innovative and exciting folk rock that defined this era music-wise. 3.5

An amphetamine spiked sledgehammer of an album. Not an ideal Monday listen tbh. From the front cover alone I knew it'd be on a collision course with today's to do list. I like hardcore as much as the next man but can't back the metal fusion on the opening few tracks. Things did get better from Full Throttle (a stand out). The more acid sounds from Speedway onwards were appreciated but I've heard similar so often. Things then fell back to being pretty consistently 'hard' and two dimensional. Even the softer tracks nearer the end seemed out of kilter. Didn't hate it but not sure I'd turn to it again. Read that Bowie was really on this record, but this was dnb era Bowie (aka his worst iteration). 2.5

Music for corridors where the bulbs flash on and off at night. Eerie, liminal and disarming all at once.

Surprisingly good. Varied production, great voice, very wistful. A feminine proto-Drake figure from Ireland, funny really. 3.5

I was raised in Portishead, which means even if this album wasn't as good as it is, it would still get *five* big ones. A rock and hip hop fusion with blues and dub mixed in for good measure. That combination could get messy but Portishead give us a tour de force of moody and groovy melodies. On top of that, Beth's voice is something else. Once saw a couple of the band members perform at Portishead's town carnival when I was eight, didn't understand it at the time but knew something was different about them.

Packed full of musical flavours. The ballad of Dorothy Parker is my fave prince song, plus half a star for that.

The production on this is wild to me. Sounds like the sort of stuff we're still hearing in Venue MOT. It zaps, tinkles and thumps. The tetchy backdrop creates a paranoid atmosphere that's matched by Dizzie's schizophrenic persona. He swings between jokes, rage, bravado and his own fears. You're left on edge, pumped up by streets encounters you'll never know. Jezebel was damning story. It's an East London electronic opera. 4.5

In the bucket of good records I wont be coming back to. Feels like an album for people who got scared of music produced by later generations.

Listened to a couple songs. Just never going to be my thing.

Really enjoyed this. Jennifer was the only song I knew and was glad to be reminded it existed. Think Kraut rock might be my new thing. In this case it was the combo of it being both good ambient and post-punk rocker style stuff in close proximity.

Not awful but it sounds like plain porridge tastes. A few zaps and a bit of disortion doesn't do enough to make this album genuinely interesting. He sounds like a boring Thom Yorke. Not "one of the best albums of the noughties". 2.5

Some good singles but didnt ever make me go "cor blimey". The De Stijl album is a much bettet listen

Always helpful when an album starts with a classic, gives you a good bar to assess the rest against. This one didn't maintain that standard but was very simply nice. Seems like some sort of family friendly summer party would happen with Joan performing in the backdrop: healthy amounts of progressive politics and an assortment of love ballads. Good voice. However, I just don't think this album is all that memorable. Musically it's not that distinct, it seemed like session musician central. Lyrically, all very positive but didnt have the righteous edge that might make it a more interesting listen.

Maybe it's because I was forced to listen to this on YouTube, but every song sounded like it would be for an ad promoting a 'revolutionary' new crypto exchange platform, a hemp inspired make up cleanser or some green fuel for future generations. That bored me. Needs more grit. 2.5

Reckon George Harrison loved this. Personally quite liked a few of the covers early on. The lengthier, more classical Indian stuff was alright too. However, having had a (brief) Ravi Shankar phase as a teen (dont watch) those numbers didn't really compete with the old master in terms of richness and ultimate zen-ness. Raghupati was great though, a brilliantly executed fusion. My new favourite record by an Indian. If the album had stayed on that path this could have got a really high score. 3.5

This is cocaine jazz, providing the perfect backdrop for conversations between lines following your eighties themed dinner party. It's so smooth you can listen to it front to back and still want more. Five hours later you realise you're not the smooth operator of the titletrack.

An interesting one. At first it's hard to hear past the fact this is the Beatles playing. However, these tracks get repetitive. It's a very teenage set of songs, focused on fawning affection for girls and not very rebellious rebellion (e.g. roll over Beethoven). This is real Beatlemania stuff that doesn't get near to competing with what follows. That said, the songz are generally pretty charming, but just too twee to be actually good imo. All my loving is the stand out. Till there was you would be a great track for holiday photo montages.

Dire Straits are the biggest dad rock band going. This is the album that offers them sweet release on the drive home from work. After all those listens I'm sure it sounds world class. I get the popularity but don't back it. After money for nothing (nb: who knew they'd say faggots that much) and walk of life there's a lot of slow proggy rock, bit of lounge jazz, some ballad-y stuff and a bunch of tacky add ons in the tracks themselves. Ride across the river stood up, then I was pretty bored again. 3.5

Lots wranging on the gutair followed by wailing vocals. It feels tired. I got tired listening.

Very raw and aggressive. Some of these tracks had so much bite it hurt. Appreciate the fusion of hard rock and electro.

This was very okay, there just not any real stand outs. Get the feeling this album committed to being cool and that's where the intrigue ends. It's like going to a club filled with everyone dressed the exact same way, they all look decent but there's not all that much beneath the surface.

Normcore and a half album cover. The frontwoman has a cracking voice and is key to the best songs on this (somebody to love, white rabbit). She should have featured more. Also appreciated the embryonic journey. This did not however speed up my hungover bus journey to Riga. So in spite of a few highs this is not getting beyond a very ordinary three.

Whale song for humans, but now as good in the bath as I'd hoped for.

This was a pleasant listen. The sort of album I reckon people love if they've heard it in the car from a young age. Very difficult to dislike the folksome instrumentals paired with clear, crisp vocals. Ingenue probably goes well with a glass of cloudy lemonade in the garden. It's domestic and charming, lyrically it doesn't goes much beyond that.

Thought this was genuinely excellent. Lots of stand outs beyond *the* stand out single. Great voice and gutair melodies. Each song does it's own thing and does it well. Will be putting this on again in the future.

Encountered this album through Fantano and knew it would come at some point. A few listens later I'm convinced I still don't fully understand the true heights it reaches. The listening experience is like being in a noir film. It's debonair, warped, sometimes fidgety but constantly cool. That atmosphere morphs and evolves strangely throughout but stays exciting and - for a fifty year old album - edgy as fuck.

Hella smooth and sexy. I'm a bit of a sucker for this nineties neo-soul and r&b stuff. The instrumentals just pop different to what we hear nowadays, probably because they provide more space for D'Angelo's delicious voice. Hoping his most recent album Black Messiah is on the list because it's more mature and varied than Brown Sugar. My only gripe with this album is that it doesn't move beyond the very specific style it opens with.

Zzzzzzz All very generic, doesn't do anything for me. Some of these bars are plain crap. Cringey as hell album title to boot.

The hits on this are dance records for the ages and still sound terrific. As a fan of big beats I'll always be up for getting down to this. More venues should play this kind of stuff, it's good fun.

Never really liked or took an interest in this sort of indie music growing up. It always seemed to be for kids who did things to tell people they'd done it rather than for the sake of doing it. I stand by the younger me and continue to think this sort of electro-indie, where the tracks build towards an underwhelming climax is shallow music. Not a track on this stood out *and* I went back to their most played songs from this album on Spotify to double check I was listening properly.

An absolute classic. This album has perfect balance, managing to be both poignant and uplifting. The songwriting is sharp and poetic.Tracy's voice moves exquisitely between warmth and righteousness. The backings are simple but catchy and infectious. Each track has its own clear identity and makes for a powerful whole. I see no faults on this.

Some world class moments on this. Superstition, Blame it on the Sun and I Believe are some of my favourite funk and soul records going. There's enough musical meat on them to chew for days: simply sonically delicious. The rest is all very nice and good but doesn't have the same depth. A highly respectable four.

What having a fit probably sounds like.

This album is legendary. At Folsom sounds like manhood from another time. It's Johnny's big bassy voice that half sings, half talks which does it. It creates a whole bad, almost mythical world of bootslinging, gun toting and moonshine running action. If recordings of this survive in hundreds of years time I think they'll be used to understand what it meant to be an American. What happens on this album isn't complex but it also isn't simple, that's why no other country/folk/record sounds like it. Sidenote: a few weeks ago I watched a Youtube recording of this performance cut between confessions from Folsom prisoners, would strongly recommend. A wild watch .

At best some of these tracks channel a kind of Radiohead-esque wistfulness. At worst, they're a bit bland, particularly in the latter sections. Overall the better moments outweigh the blandness. Shout out to The Scientist - loved the record and video when I was younger, still stands up now.

Pleasantly surprised. Less ridiculous and unthinkly heavy than some of the other metal stuff that's come before. Not sure I'd play it much again but I wouldnt oppose hearing it in the right bar.

I saw the year and genre and quivered at the prospect of another long, self indulgent lad mag era production. But wait, what's that - interesting production? Kinda cool/abstract lyrics? Genre bending? Not bad Mr Vegas, not bad...

Music for latin themed cocktail bars in Bishop Stortford.

It's intense and skillful, but still doesnt quite crack the hardness nut. If I wanted raw aggression I'd go for dnb or hardcore hip hop. I respect it, but dont love it. *Very* hard to work to.

Truly monumental hip hop album. Knock your teeth out aggression at the start, deeper cuts peppering throughout. The huge variety between members' style keeps it energetic, spontaneous and multi-dimensional. RZA's production fuses a silly variety of samples with kung fu movies, spicing up an already gritty boom bap style. The album paints a unique picture and aint nuttin to be fucked with - it created a god damn cult.

Sounds like it quickly became irrelevant. Found the vocals whiney and backing tracks plodding. Village fayre album.

Good but not great. The familiar tracks were catchy but it never made me pause for thought.

Watched the Elvis biopic recently which rekindled my interest in The King so thought I'd come back to this. The thing with Elvis is his voice has a richness and charm that still sounds impeccable years later. This album comes at the start of the Las Vegas era which is all about performance - the production is full of bells and whistles. It's a spectacle but one that can seem tried hard at points, certainly against what else was coming out in the late sixties. Depsite that, there are some brilliant moments on this - Elvis was Elvis for a reason. Have since read more about the man and it's fascinating. Probably the most drugged up man in rock & roll history, but he didn't know it (doctors gave him 800 pills for a ten day tour). Easily the most famous musician of his time yet a man who was ultimately a loner deep into delusional conspiracies (see the Berry letter to Nixon on YouTube). A man who only knew who to say Yes and at the same time capable of some of the stand out records of the 20th century. A true enigma, an all american rockstar icon. Strongly worth a listen.

Started strong then got long and winding

Sometimes sweet, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes bad

Era defining but still thoroughly enjoyable and fresh sounding. The looser and more cerebral stuff has mystical qualities which give it a wild, psychedelic style that will always be cool. Compared to the last Doors album we had, there are more R&B and blues elements too (e.g. on Been down so long and Crawling king snake). That addition matches Jim's gruffer voice neatly, taking this album to higher heights. Closing off with riders in the storm was just the cherry on the top. Dead cool.

Got annoyed after the first tracks on the day, came back to it this morning. Felt political in a boring nineties way and like a lot of other rock floating about at the time.

Music as meditation. The sort of thing that can keep playing all day and is only ever going to lift the mood. It's pot purri of scales, rythyms and free flowing jazz. Timeles.

There's never been a better fusion of hip hop and R&B. The feminine soul food energies on this are impeccable. Perfect start to the weekend.

My mum loves Adam and the Ants. I think it's because they have a few bops in their discography and were colourful and flamboyant. However, a full album of this murkily produced new romantic stuff doesn't really inspire.

Sounds like this was meant for a kind of shit but ultimately enjoyable western which has Benedict Cumberbatch and the Rock Johnson in it.

Dreamy, floaty, nostalgic, a bit sad. This Beach House album impressed more than the last one with the trippy cover. The sort of music you have drink to in hazy light.

Very backpack, don't think it's aged especially well.

Wow. This would be a gut punch of a record but it's got too much artistic finesse. Black Sabbath have long been in a metal box that I haven't opened. What a listening experience this was. The riffs are big, roaring and relentless but also varied. This isn't just heavy for the sake of it. Planet Caravan is the best example here - an unexpected ambient prog rock interlude - those sort of shifts appear in shorter sequences across the record. Ozzy's vocals adds here too, they're tough but also sort of soft, reminded me of a screamier Jagger or Plant. Big. Very big. That this came out in 1970 makes it even more monumental.

Some nice numbers on this. T Rex manages to pull off sexy rock without it sounding desperate or contrived. Vocals were a bit weak and at one point records started to become identikit. Not bad, but wouldnt listen through again.

Being on a train to the end of the world (Bangor) has given me a chance to revsit a few albums on the list. This was high up because the White Duke stage is one of my favourite Bowie eras: he's at his most egotistical and problematic. The swagger here is brilliant, Golden Years being the pinnacle

A fine soundtrack to a detctive movie, didn't inspire anything more than that.

Despite hip hop's best efforts there's never been a record that's made drug dealing seem cooler. Take that Nixon!

A trailblazer, but didn't set my ears alight.

Sabotage and Get it Together came on at one point and briefly shone a light on the Beastie Boy's appeal. It's all vibes and jokes, maybe I'll become a fan, I thought. Then those tracks passed, the kinda funny lyrics and nice beats resumed and I was left feeling the same way about Beastie as I do about New York: rightly popular but too crowded, noisy and just too long winded.

Not awful, but not excellent either. A decent overall length album given the title track meanders more than the Missisipi. Didn't actually mind the opener all considered but then it just gets too honky tonk and baroque. What the hell was that about roses in the mouth of a wolf??

Dad rock without the excitement or mystery of some its peers.

Can see how this was seen as a return to form. Some of this album is experimental while retaining an earlier era Bowie charisma. However, a lot of it felt a bit desperate, as if Bowie was looking back rather than forward. Blackstar, in comparison, goes further and darker and is all the more powerful for it.

Not sure there's a mood I would ever be in and put this on as a result.

Remember this coming out and being an album you could slap on and listen front to back. It still has that quality. The production is subtle, then bombastic and then simple again creating this dubby space for Kelela's sweet little voice to fill. Lyrically it could be more complex, but then again this is a RNB album and not a PHD. Very solid four. Recommend her most recent album too.

Incredibly meh listen.

The hit is as big as it always was, nowt else really stood out while cooking.

Always been a big fan of Sly and there were undoubtedly some absolute numbers on this. However, the whole thing in one listen gets boring.

They're definitely talented and artistic, but there's just something about the overall sound of metal which gives this a low ceiling. Heavy distortion and pumping chords wont ever not remind me of ridiculous arcade games. For that reason metal will always seem like what young kids must think hard music is meant to be like.

Essentially a less impressive/adventerous Kate Bush, although there were some nice enough PJ Harvey flavours. Been suffering a stalemate of threes in recent days.

It's a no from me. One of the most 'session musician does a recording' album we've had. Lots of musicality but where does it go? Round and round and round.

Felt like a less charismatic and unfunny Gorillaz album.

Honestly pretty good listen

Does the thing where it opens with it's best number, only this one is more a flukey hit than a good piece of music.

Not revolutionary but I'm a sucker for this kind of folk. It's music for armchair nostlagia. It inspires recollections of wilder days and deeds done. Read through the tracklist, it's 12 slightly different sad sips of whiskey. 'Drink up and be somebody' takes the crown and wins the woeful olympics. Get feeling, but not too much boys.

Sounded like a really committed gig band: good energy but I don't think this 'hits'. The latter hit isn't as good as a few of the records on this though.

A welcome shift but the albun got pretty reptitive. That might be a language barrier thing.

Not even good background music. It's like Sade got put through the X Factor machine, only with desperate BTEC Indian samples attached. It's worse than boring, it's bad.

A group of instruments have never been so free from one other and yet so pefectly together. Unreal album. Impeccable vibes and range.

It's not a perfect album, but the idea of Ringo and George losing their minds during the course of recording Maxwell's Silver Hammer is undeniably funny. Octopus's garden is also a silly little ditty, but I have a soft spot for it. Everything else on Abbey Road pretty much speaks for itself. Some of the best songs ever recorded are on this. Come Together and Here Comes the Sun were some of my favourites as a kid, as an adult you can find pretty much whatever you want on here. I did while listening happily on the beach yesterday. There's also something undeniably sad about this album. It's the final one recorded together and it's filled with a set of swan songs by a band that changed music forever. Such a strong ending leaves you wondering what else could have come out of the fab four if they'd stuck together. That they stayed a unit for so long is equally as remarkable.

This was U2 doing their thing which is genuinely pretty good. Beyond Bono acting sanctonious and shouting down a I 💚 SF poster in San Fran (thinking it was about Sinn Fein) I don't really get the hate they get. Not going to die on a hill defend them, but this was atmospheric, nicely pumping rock.

Knew a few, liked a couple, wouldn't have minded a bit more variety.

I like the blues but this wasn't blue and gruff enough.

Where Is My Mind offered a glimpse of what a good early grunge album this could have been, but there was still room for improvements to the lyrics and vocals. The rest simply didnt cut the mustard

Just an incredibly Bowie this.

Great songs but not sure this is a quality live album.

The previous generation's Buena Vista Social Club and in the best sense. So smooth and easy. Delicious listening.

A surprisingly quality record given the name and cover. A healthy mix of campfire classics and late sixties youthful rebellion. Hints of something bigger to come in this, not sure that was realised.

Very enjoyable listen, could imagine this reworked into a future pop musical

Opening track is a blaze anthem

Five star production, three star bars

Enjoyed a lot of this. A few of the rnb and blues inspired records didn't quite land, to the point where Jagger's voice annoyed me. That said, not many albums are bookended this well. A nostalgic four APPLIED. Nb: going through this list firmly settles any Stones v Beatles discussion, if it even existed in the first place...

One of King Neil's best. There's an ocean of different feelings in this. Could listen over and over and find more every time.

At least it was short

Honestly below expectations

At thirty five minutes long and as smooth as a buttery bubble bath Stan's stock continues to rise.

Some great stuff here but I wasn't in the mood for the sort of chaos Iggy looked to unleash

Like a less harmonically rich but spacier CSN. It's good but I don't think I'll come back to it again, not quite enough there.

Hadn't realised this album came out in '69. Feels like the sort of record that confirms the axis of rock and popular music had fundamentally shifted. Led Zeppelin is heavy, roaring and powerful. Sonically it shifts from bohemian and romantic to psycadhelic and spacey, and extremely confidently. Having never listened front to back before, the experience was remarkable. It's complex while remaining listening, ambitious but relatable. An album that rightly has a place on this list. I'd have gotten Page's hair to match this energy if I'd been around at the time.

Really started it all this one. The voice is obviously legendary and some of the singles are timeless. That said, the production is just a bit too simple to get this into the upper star echelons. Rightly on the list nonetheless.

Could listen over and over and still not hear that much.

Europe Endless should be the EU's anthem, not Ode to Joy. It captures our great continent's energy perfectly. The first set of songs are totemic and epic. The final section doesn't bring that same atmosphere but this is still a great album