Guarantee you anyone born after 1982 is not putting this in their 1001 albums to listen to list

Really? "Hide away in your ivory tower and cover me in your golden shower"... Feel like my ears have just been covered in piss after listening to this one. Awful pop rock from someone trying to come across as a bad boy. Cringe. Angels stops it from being 1*. 1.5*.

My only prior knowledge of Prince is loving the song Purple Rain but trying and failing several times to get into the album of the same name. I was quite excited when this popped up. After a couple of songs I thought there'd been some kind of mistake. The first track was ok, but the second poor. The third, Housequake, was abysmal. I checked the album on wiki to see what was going on and I'm astonished that it's cited as his best work. Really? The music sounds so dated, unlike a good chunk of other 80s stuff that survived the times. The poor drum synthasiser definitely doesn't help proceedings. Got half way through the album and had to stop. Honestly let down. Why was Prince so popular?

I'd like to think that there are hundreds of subgenres of music, and with this list being only 1001 long, the best 1-10 albums of any subgenre are represented here. If this album isn't right at the bottom of this particular subgenre then god help the rest of the albums. Jesus Christ.

I'm often a fan of experimental music but this was terrible. Experimental albums usually have their high points and their low points, this was just the latter. Just seems to be rambling, directionless, no emotion/soul behind it.

Just too slow and soft for me

Espantoso vibes... Nice

Obvious great. But heard it too many times

I'd heard this album a few times growing up, but finally 'got it' when I was 22. Then I listened to it daily for about 6 months and totally ruined any future listening experience of it for myself. It's been years now and already after one listen I could easily avoid it for another decade. One of the best debuts of all time, an easy 5*, just wish I didn't rinse it and could still enjoy it.

Took me a while to get into it back in the day but it eventually got me. Very good but not great album. Wouldn't have hurt it to trim the fat and make it a long single album, rather than a double.

So dull. Just no enjoyable features.

Just ok, the honky tonk tracks didn't do it for me, bit some of the rocky ones were alright. Would give it 2.5* if I could. Probably won't listen again so maybe 2* is more fair than 3*

Starting off a bit interesting, dare I say good, but then just got a bit depressing and rambly as it went on. I'd have a couple of the songs on an atmospheric playlist but an entire album was a bit too much. Last track was so bad.

Started off really loving it. Bit of funk. Quickly went downhill though, by the time "will you cry" came on I was praying it would soon end. If they kept the same energy and enjoyment from the first track throughout it would have been a couple stars higher

I think the only Madness album I'd listened to before was a greatest hits, and I couldn't get quite get into the Ska-iness of it. This was quite refreshing however, seemed to go a bit deeper than their main hits. Definitely one to give another listen to

Wow. Rare I hear something that sounds so familiar that I've never listened to before. Shades of Daft Punk, The Avalanches, bit of lo-fi house etc. Definitely one to explore more of.

R&B just isn't my thing. First track I was enjoying, then when the vocals kicked in the second it just made me groan. Some ok tracks, mostly due to backing band. Some great bass lines. But most tracks I was praying for the end. I'm not trying to skip a single song in any listed album but by the end of this one I couldn't resist. Would give it 1.5* if I could purely for some of the decent backing tracks

Really great. Don't think I've ever even listened to Stereolab before. Captivated immediately, could hear shades of them in so many artists I do like. An artist to explore more of for sure

Some good songs, some not so good. Not really my style of music at all but I can see why it's popular. Just doesn't spark anything inside of me to be honest.

Despite being a big metalhead in my younger days, I never gave Priest any attention. Refreshing to listen to now, though I think Maiden took their brand of NWOBHM and perfected it. Probably won't listen to anything else by them, but if it was 10-15 years ago I'd have been a lot more hooked.

Just too early. Shades of what was to come, but R&B/Honky Tonk covers just don't thrill me. Ground breaking at the time I'm sure, but just dull and dated 60 years later sadly.

Interesting album. If I'd have heard this 15 years I'd have been in love. I can hear the effect it had on so many bands/albums I loved in my late teens... Manson's Portrait of an American Family, Offsprings's Smash, bit of Faith No More, early chilli peppers etc. Albums that I still love to this day but probably wouldn't grip me the same way if I heard them afresh. Like this one. Which is a shame. 3* purely because the tunes are actually really great. Can't dig the vocals though, although I definitely would be if I was 17 again. Something inside of me is screaming out to rate it higher, so maybe I'll revise after a few more listens.

The start of the ascent for the Beatles. Not much of a fan of the earlier pop stuff, but what came after was utterly groundbreaking. Revolver and Sgt Peppers are surely up there with the greatest albums (though it's almost a crime they decided not to include Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane on Sgt Peppers. Rubber Soul is the bridge between those two eras. Some great songs with signs of what was to come with some experimentalism, and it starts off strong. There are a few weaker tracks as the album chugs along, before ending with the absolutely terrible Run for Your Life. This one has aged particularly badly, especially once you find out about Lennon's wifebeating past. In isolation, this album is probably 3*, but knowing what was to come, and knowing this was the catalyst, makes me want to uplift it slightly.

Made it half way through. Sorry. Not my style at all. 'Booty' finished it for me. Not sure what I'm meant to be getting from this.

I'm often a fan of experimental music but this was terrible. Experimental albums usually have their high points and their low points, this was just the latter. Just seems to be rambling, directionless, no emotion/soul behind it.

Pretty bland britpop/madchester album. How I expect Oasis would have sounded in the mid 90s if Noel never joined. Some ok songs (title track for example) but the majority is forgettable. Lacking the actual good tunes that Oasis/Stone Roses/Dodgy/Doves had. Maybe one of those had to be there moments.

I'm very selective when it come to hip-hop. Extremely selective probably, thoroughly disliking 99% of it. Only albums I really like anymore are Illmatic and the Infamous, despite regularly listening to NWA, Dre, Snoop, Biggie etc when a teenager. I absolutely detested the hip-hop that came later, which seemed to revolve around how much money and/or how many girls/cars each had, and I realised a lot of that stemmed from the previous named artists, just taken to the next level. Illmatic/Infamous actually spoke about the real, in some way grim, lives a lot of people are tapped in. Onto this album. I've not even bothered with hip-hop artists in the last 15 years, writing them all off as the same. But this album definitely brought me back to the first time hearing Infamous. The beats are honestly incredible. First track floored me with the Aphex Twin vibes; the variety is amazing though, subsequential tracks drifting through jazz, soul, standard hip-hop, ambient, electronics etc. Some of the vocalists don't do it for me, but I only found one song skippable (Hood Politics) which is very good going. Looking forward to giving it another couple of listens to fully digest the lyrics

I've never given Neil Young a chance, despite being one of my dads favourite artists, as country has never done it for me. Four songs in, I felt my decision was justified. Just bland and poor. A man needs a maid was actually laughable, I hope that wasn't a genuine song at the time because that's incredibly sad, but I don't know why he'd be taking the mick. Are you Ready for the Country and Old Man turned my head though, two great songs, why couldn't the album have started like that?? The rest of the album was pretty solid. Needle was enjoyable. First four tracks ruined any chance of it getting 4*, but it's a very strong 3. It's a shame he's no longer on Spotify but I totally get the reason. Fully support him. But my god YouTube is so bad to listen to music on. Ads every two tracks is not my jam.

I'm very familiar with Jimi, but mostly the greatest hits. I remember trying to get into his individual albums years ago but it never gripping me so I never ventured back. The same is true today. There are some amazing, unbelievable tracks on there, but still the ones that I've been listening to for years. The rest are pretty good. What amazes me though as I didn't realise how early this was. 1967! For some reason I always put him in the early 70s. The fact this was out before the White Album, before any Zeppelin, blows my mind. Surely one of the best debuts of all time, to help pioneer a genre and cement yourself as one of the greatest guitarists immediately. A mixture of 3*, 4* and 5* tracks means I have to give this 4* overall.

I can do some bits of folk. I cannot do any country. Sadly here the latter shone through. Absolutely abysmal. Can't take his voice seriously. Some of the songwriting sounded like he was trying to emulate the freewheelin, but failing. So happy I never have to listen to it again.

So bland. Can't believe someone heard this and thought "yes, this has to be one of the 1,001 albums to hear before you die".

Terrible. Simply terrible.

I gave Hounds of Love a couple of listens a good few years back after liking some of her singles but could never get into it so never bothered with anything else. The Sensual World gives me similar vibes. Not particularly bad but not particularly great. Pretty even across the board, some decent tracks, some not so decent. Nothing amazing, nothing terrible. Music very 80's but not in a negative way. Pipes didn't really add anything vital.

Conflicting. Half way through my first listen my interest was thoroughly piqued. Three full listens later and I'm torn between praising the ideas/potential, and lamenting the ramblingness of it. I feel like the last eight tracks could have been clipped and the album actually improved as a result. Feel like this was released six months too early.

First track piqued my attention. New wave-ish with hints of other sounds in there. Bit of queen maybe. Second track I'd heard before but didn't realise how much I disliked it till now. Too poppy in a 'trying to be catchy without being catchy' way. Most of the album followed that path. Not terrible, but forgettable.

I can't do rap normally, but in French made it even more pointless. Background beats simple and uninspiring. Made it half way through most songs waiting for a decent hook before getting bored and skipping next track.

Drivel.

I wish zero stars existed as an option here, because this was by far one of the worst things I've ever heard. I wish I could go back to the person I was 58 minutes ago. I'd now like to sit down for a couple hours with someone who loves this album and try to work out which one of us is completely insane.

For some reason Spotify doesn't have the first three songs available, so I cheated a little and added his top three listened songs in their place. The only Bobby Womack song I know is 110th Street from the Jackie Brown soundtrack, which I do really enjoy, so I went into this with promised hopes. The album starts in earnest with Just my Imagination, which I was digging until about the final two minutes when it started to drag. The rest of the album was disappointing, a cross between accidently going to the wrong gig and feeling too awkward to leave ("this next songs dedicated to all those lovers out there..."), and something my mum would have on a mixed tape when I was growing up in the 90s (if you think you're lonely now). Shame. After a long row of disappointing albums this week this one follows suit.

Sounds like hiphop for 8-12 year olds in the late 80s. Boring, simplistic and nonsensical. Probably included 'De La Orgee" so it wouldn't be placed in the children's aisles at record stodes. Not absolutely atrocious though, so probably doesn't deserve 1*. Not far off though. 1.5*

I'd like to think that there are hundreds of subgenres of music, and with this list being only 1001 long, the best 1-10 albums of any subgenre are represented here. If this album isn't right at the bottom of this particular subgenre then god help the rest of the albums. Jesus Christ.

Refreshing. Not the type of genre I would ever listen to but after the dross of the last 10 days if was nice to hear something talented. First track was the best, but the other were pretty good. 3.5*

I've always viewed Queen as overrated. One of those bands that have a decent greatest hits album but then too many album fillers when you try to actually deep dive into their discography. Queen II was actually alright, surprising given none of the big hits were on here (despite the weak Seven Seas of Rye). I enjoyed the heaviness of Father to Son, something I've not really heard in Queen before. Bit of a Zeppelin vibe in some songs on side 1, The Loser In The End particularly sounded like a range of bands that weren't Queen, so maybe they were still finding themselves at this point. Side 1 was definitely better, side 2 was the reason I'm not a Queen fan, gives off that 'rock opera' vibe that didn't age well, and I'm surprised was even a thing at the time. 4* side one, 2* side two. Funfact: I once had a long chat with Brian May when we worked at the same place. He spoke about Badgers for the majority of the conversation.

My entire knowledge of Isaac Hayes is from watching South Park as a kid. Refreshing to hear that voice again. Great first track. Peters out a bit from there, I know it's a soundtrack, but a large bunch of the tracks sound like they're trying to focus the viewer on what's happening, which doesn't really work in solely audio format. The other two vocal tracks Soulsville and Do Your Thing were disappointing for opposite reasons; the former because it simply wasn't good, the latter because it was good but then ran far too long. I'm a fan of a long jam but 10-12 minutes would have been much better than the actual 19. Might check out some of his other stuff given the vocal tracks were on the whole enjoyable.

I've heard of the Pretenders many times before, but it's only now I've just realised I had them mixed up with the Proclaimers in my head and (rightfully, if that were the case) never gave them the time of day. First track was therefore a bit of a pleasant surprise. First couple of songs in general had me interested, but then it tailed off a bit in the middle. Album wobbled it's way to the end, with a few decent tracks. Reading up on it afterwards I see it's lauded as one of the greatest debuts of all time, and indeed some give it a nod as one of the greatest ever albums. Had to be there I guess. 2.5*.

I've listened to their debut before which was alright. This one was similarly alright. "Hero" let it down a bit, regardless of whether or not it was a catalyst for the punk invasion that was soon to follow. First track was the best, rest were pretty skippable but not offensive. 2.5*

Brilliant. Never heard of these but was instantly into it. Janis' voice is phenomenal. Think it could have done without the bonus tracks, ending where it was meant to. No absolute stand out tracks, one to listen to as an album for sure.

Enjoyed that. Quite LCD-ish (though one track went down the Coldplay route which surprised me. Not sure it's something that'll be on frequently but one to dabble back into every now and then. 3.5*

Probably the best debut album of all time, if not one of the best albums. You Shook Me the only track letting the side down. All the rest are 5* material.

Pretty decent. I'd obviously heard Tuesday's Gone and Free Bird many times before, but the rest were all new to me. Most of the other tracks were alright, couple of honky tonk ones in there which didn't do it for me. Wouldn't listen to again but didn't dislike it. 3.5*

Just a bit dull and uninspiring. Not a fan of the generic 90s hip hop that this seemed to inspire, no heart or soul to it. Feels like his hops version of what Limp Bizkit was to metal. Amazing if you're a kid but changes the course of the genre for the worse for several years.

Really? "Hide away in your ivory tower and cover me in your golden shower"... Feel like my ears have just been covered in piss after listening to this one. Awful pop rock from someone trying to come across as a bad boy. Cringe. Angels stops it from being 1*. 1.5*.

Started off interesting, I was hoping the first track was the intro to a genre-exploring punk album, but it turned out to be more of the same. I can do the crap vocals, but I can't do the reggae-style at all. Bit less of the reggae and it would have scraped a 3*. As it is it slide down towards 2*.

Guarantee you anyone born after 1982 is not putting this in their 1001 albums to listen to list

An amazing album to hear as a pre-teen. All that pent up child/teenage angst released with a nice bit of rap/rock/nu-metal. Then a few years later I turned 16 and never played it again. Listening back as an adult I'm torn between hearing the songs as I heard them then and loving it and hearing it afresh now and realising it's pretty naff. 4* and 2* respectively for those two versions of me.

That was.... Good. Surprisingly good. If you gave me a 1 sentence description of the album before hand I would have immediately written it off. But wow. Great backing tracks. Peaceful but complex in parts. Vocals just on the right side of the line between annoying and modern. I'm learning from this 1001 albums that there are some great rnb/hiphop albums few and far between all the terrible ones.

There was a couple of years when I thought the electro-synth-indie-pop genre was going to take over the world. Once the dust settled I realised that a lot of the albums had very little replayability. At one point Alt Js debut was probably my favourite album... haven't bothered listening to it in the last 5 years. Get much of the same vibes from the xx. Good music but not anything that really excites me. First half of the album was definitely stronger. Was a tad bored by the end.

Some of the punk/post-punk movement brought some unbelievable bands with not so great vocalists, all the way from the Stooges up to the Pixies, where it just *worked*. What they lacked in vocal talent they made up for in spirit, sound, energy, meaning, passion. This album shows what happens when all of those crucial aspects are missing, and it's stripped down to a lazy punk album with terrible vocals. It's very rare I'd rank a rock album as 1 but here we go.

I only discovered Arcade Fire the other year with Funeral. Enjoyed it but didn't venture elsewhere in their discography. Likewise, I really enjoyed this album. Similar veins to Funeral, but the longer runtime resulted in a few more songs that I think could have been cut. Some great tracks though

Got excited at first. Sounded very stooges-esque. Quickly descended into boring rambling nonsense. By the end of Pablo Picasso I'd already written them off.

Music was great, especially the piano. But backing instruments also deserve credit. Some of the vocals though... Couldn't help but picture Vic Reeves doing his club singing. Reading about the album it sounds like Jerry was diddling his 13yo cousin, so there's no way he's getting 4*. Reading

That was strange. I can't recall hearing an album so dull without being able to put my finger on as to why. I don't know what I'm meant to be getting out of it. It wasn't terrible, or offensive to my ears, just so... empty, without the music itself being bland or quiet.

By far the weakest of their first six album imo, which is still pretty decent, more showing the strength of the other albums in potentially one of the best golden ages of any band. Ramble On and Thank You drag this album just about into 4* territory

Kraftwerk make me laugh. I think because I'd have actually liked them at the time, but listening to them 50 years down the line they've aged terribly. Cutting edge electronica music in the day that was shortly made obsolete by the hardware and software available. I feel like it belongs in a museum or something, which is most likely the reason it's on this list. Looking back without nostalgia though it's generally poor. Spacelab the only half decent track. The opener is diabolical. The singer sounds petrified and lacking self confidence when he's going for actual rather than computerised vocals. Not worth a 1*, but not a million miles off.

Second Neil Young album on my list, much preferred that to Harvest. It's a shame it's not on Spotify as I'll never listen to it again if so, can't even give it a second/third listen to pick up which were my favourite tracks as I've had enough with an ad-riddled YouTube sesh. Enjoyable though, first half was better I think, 3.5*

I've never got Simon & Garfunkel, turns out I also don't get it when it's just Simon. How was everyone not bored listening to this back in the day? Surely no one's putting on this LP, lining the needle up just right, thinking "I can't wait until 'when numbers get serious' and 'cars are cars' comes on". Dull as dishwasher.

Half decent soul music. Bit too slow and boring in most parts though. Would flick between 2&3 stars depending on my mood, I'll give it 3 today though. 2.5*

One of those 80s albums where having a great synthesiser (for it's day) meant the album was held in high acclaim, despite the guy apparently not being able to make good use of it for half the album with boring, tepid sequences. Vocals were bad, and not in an interesting, funny, or so-bad-its-good way. Just bad bad. Probably the best tune on this album, sex dwarf, had the worst lyrics, which sums this album up. Constantly missing the mark. 1.5*

Not the biggest fan of ska but that was alright. First half definitely stronger. Could hear a lot of ska-punk elements that bands I used to love borrowed/stolen.

Would have loved to have been around when Velvet Underground were releasing music, must have sounded groundbreaking and unreal at the time. The last 55 years has been relatively kind to it, with it not sounding overly dated, but I still can't deny if it was released today I wouldn't be particularly bothered by it. 3.5*, let down by one or two tracks (Jesus was crap)

Yawn. Not for me Clive. Hoping that's the only van Morrison album on here but I reckon I'll be disappointed

Now this is the kind of thing I was expecting to get from this list. Relatively obscure album that I never would have heard of otherwise (as have most of the population judging by the fact his 5th most listened song has less than 750,000 listens). Started off slow but really peaks in the middle. Can hear the Beach Boys elements but some of it so dark and heavy. Reading up on him afterwards...Jesus. Crazy life. Interesting and enjoyable album anyway. 3.5*

Never listened to Ian Dury, the extent of my knowledge is my dad was a fan. Pretty disappointing overall. First song amused me it, but it was pretty downhill from there. Track 4 onward was terrible, almost hitting 1* territory. I do wonder what Americans would think listening to this, I'd imagine this is heavily lost in translation. 1.5*

Tried getting into this album years back after discovering running up that hill (several years pre-stranger things, I'll hasten to add) but it didn't do it for me. A fresh listen now was much better. I think it helped having heard a lot of the shite that this list has produced from a similar era. It's actually great time for it's time, and her voice sounds great if you allow it to not annoy you. Second half a bit weaker but a decent finisher. Will definitely give it a listen from time to time

Second blaxpoitation soundtrack I've had. Not as good as shaft, but less instrumental tracks and didn't drag on as long which is good. Fairly okish album, not bad but definitely not good. Will probably never put on again, 2.5*

Loved the pixies first two albums but could never get into the last two. Just a bit directionless without the magic that sparked throughout the first two. Never listened to Black Francis' solo stuff as I thought it would be a continuation of the same and it looks like I was right. Bit of a bloated, mediocre album, but not unlistenable

Everytime I've heard the talking heads I've liked them. Kind of band that I think I'd have loved at the time if I was around. Slightly dated now but still good stuff. 3.5*

Never given The Cure the time of day after hearing Boys Don't Cry and Friday I'm in Love years ago and dismissing them as some kind of poppy prototype emo. This was great though. Certainly one to come back to.

Wow. Thoroughly enjoyed that. In another mood I might have found it dull but to work along to was amazing. Bassists in particular stood out, so sad to read that he died straight after in a car crash. What a final bow out. Something to explore more of, genre and artist.

I was always much more Beatles than Stones, with this album cementing some of the reasons why. The faux-americana of tracks like Dead Flowers makes me physically cringe. What were they even thinking. The lyrics of Brown Sugar are just pretty strange as well. It could make for a good sombre, thought provoking track but the music alongside the lyrics makes it sound almost celebratory of the raping of slaves. Wtf Mick. Other than that it's alright. 2.5*

Let's put aside the obvious elephant in the room and focus purely on the music. Cracking stuff. The bass particularly drives this album, the percussion rythmic and perfect throughout. MJ sounds great. Mix of good to amazing tracks, having Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, Speed Demon, Leave me Alone, etc on one release is insane. The only tracks letting it down are the slow ones (Liberian Girl & I just can't stop loving you), alongside Bad, which for some reason was chosen as the album name/leader. It's one of the worst. Seems to be appealing to prebuscent boys (oops); no adult is hearing that thinking "yeahhh, I'm bad too". So close to being an all time classic but the weak tracks bring it down. A hybrid of Thrillers best tracks alongside this would be one of the best albums ever surely.

All I knew about this album beforehand is it's one of my dad's favourites. Within 2 minutes I thought I was going to hate it. First listen through, I'm not sure whether it's genius or terrible. The sarcasm/juxtaposition of writing a battle ballad about an east end cockney brawl is ridiculous, but in an amazing or awful way? After the second listen through I think it's more the former. Very rarely after a couple of listens am I still utterly conflicted about an album. One to revisit, for absolute certain.

Started off interesting, I was digging the first couple of tracks, then I rapidly got bored from 4 onwards. I think in the right mood I'd be up for exploring this more, but not right now.

Imagine actually liking Frank Sinatra lol.

Probably the best alternative rock album out there. It's influenced can be heard in so many places. One of those rare albums where at 14 tracks not a single one is skippable (Love You comes close but just about escapes). I must have listened to it hundreds of times and not once have I got bored and turned it off. Jumping from genre to genre without seeming erratic. Pixies and Black Francis at their/his very best.

Interesting concept. Started off quite into it but then quickly got bored. Maybe one to revisit again when I'm in a particular mood. Can see why it made the list at least.

Don't really get it. Surprised to read Brian Eno was in the band as I liked a lot of stuff he'd produced. First couple of tracks were grating, got a bit better in the middle and some bits at the end. Singer was a bit crap. One to forget about.

Always find S&G a bit boring. No different here.

Good stuff. Bit Zeppelin-ish with some early NWOBHM thrown in. Really liked Child in Time, reckon Iron Maiden took a lot from that. Some songs were good but just dragged on too long, e.g. Flight of the Rat. Could go back and listen to again at some point. 3.5*

Could never really get into Bowie in my younger days, but I really enjoyed Low when I discovered it a couple years back, and I enjoyed Blackstar after hearing it on this list. Was looking forward to this reading it was the follow up to Low, and in the same vein, but can't help but feeling disappointed it didn't live up to expectation. Thought the instrumental tracks were fairly average, and other than Heroes the rest of the lyrical ones were fairly non gripping. Not a bad album, but not a great one.

Not the biggest Bowie fan, and I generally don't enjoy albums by artists 30 years after they've hit their peak, but this was great. Reading more about it, sounds like there's a bit of inspiration in there by bands I do like, like Boards of Canada, and LCD, so maybe that's no surprise. Definitely going to listen to this one again. Great swansong.

As far as hiphop goes it wasn't terrible. Nothing particularly good about it though. 2.5*

Find blues rock a bit dull. Don't think this really added anything to mankind. Could have been written in the 60s, 70s or 80s. 2.5*

Two Sinatra albums in a week, how unlucky can you get. This time I lasted three songs

Never my fave Zep album, always been between I and III for me. Still a fantastic album, but there's a few too many weak points for it to be one of the best ever. Black Dog is a good opener but gets old after a few too many listens. Rock n Roll is good at best - often it's a bit simplistic and repetitive, which often results in a skip. Evermore actually pleasantly surprised me this playthrough, I've always regarded as the second weakest track but this time I was into it. Perhaps my expectations were so low. Reminded me of some of the stuff from II/III. Stairway, perhaps controversially, I think also gets old after so many listens. Great song the first 50 times but I don't think I've ever searched for it to put it on since my days of streaming music began. Misty Mountain Hop is definitely the low point, the only track on the album that I would say is categorically bad. Four Sticks is a bit better but not by a long way. Finally we arrive at the pinnacle of the album, California and Levee being the perfect album closers, possibly two of Zeps greatest songs. These two are what save the album, and stop it from slipping into 4* territory.

Reading the blurb beforehand I was excited about this. One of the best live bands at the time trying to capture and show that energy? Sounds great. It wasn't. Even focussing on the six tracks initially selected for the first release, just felt a bit flat. Keith's drumming the stand out item. Enjoyed the medley/jam after my generation. But other than that it was pretty mediocre.

I've had a few early protopunk albums so far in this list. After the first two songs I thought it was alright, fairly standard but sounded half decent. Third track turned my head a bit, actually good. Melody Lee and Anti Pop then hit me. Great pyschadelic-infused punk tracks. Definitely something different about this band compared to all the other protopunk stuff.

She cannot sing. Not in a good punk way, just in a bad way. Ruins most songs. Shame as I think with a decent vocalist (or a decent bad vocalist who can pull it off) it would have been a half decent album. 2.5*

Great album. Where he made the clear leap to stardom. So much more consistent and just simply better than previous MJ/J5 albums. 10 tracks, 3 of which are weak (girlfiend, she's out of my life, falling in love). The others are all bangers though, 70% is a great hit rate. If he'd sang less about heartbreak and more about disco dancing this would have broke the 5* barrier

I try to listen to albums on here with fresh ears, but sometimes that proves impossible, like now. From hearing this hundreds of times in my teens to hearing it played live in full in 2013, even after many years away I can still recite every line before it comes up. I'd actually love to know how it would sound from an impartial perspective. 15-year old me would award it an easy 5*, but listening back there's just too many non-bangers that I think it would be unfair on some of the album I've ranked 4*. A few of the tracks towards the end are skippable but thankfully short. I've always disliked the placement of She though, it breaks up such a great run of songs before and after it right when you feel like the album should be hitting its peak. First four tracks amongs the best openers in pop punk though.

Never gave Courtney Love the time of day when I was younger and I stupidly bought into the slander that she was responsible for Kurt's death. Now older and wiser it's nice to give this a chance. Pretty decent. It's hard not to compare it to nirvana, with a lot of similarities but some differences. Bit publish, I like the vocals on most of the tracks. Overall pretty good, need to come back to it I think to make sure

I was heavily into It Takes A Nation.. years ago but never bothered exploring anything else. Similar vibes to that album, some of the Chuck songs are really good, but too many weak intermissions break up a lot of the flow. Less catchy then their previous album on first listen. Still pretty good though, 3.5*

I can actually imagine this being great if you were into the genre. For me though, just a bit depressing and, after a few songs, dull.

My only prior knowledge of Prince is loving the song Purple Rain but trying and failing several times to get into the album of the same name. I was quite excited when this popped up. After a couple of songs I thought there'd been some kind of mistake. The first track was ok, but the second poor. The third, Housequake, was abysmal. I checked the album on wiki to see what was going on and I'm astonished that it's cited as his best work. Really? The music sounds so dated, unlike a good chunk of other 80s stuff that survived the times. The poor drum synthasiser definitely doesn't help proceedings. Got half way through the album and had to stop. Honestly let down. Why was Prince so popular?

I've had a couple of Neil Young albums on here and so far they've been hit and miss. This one was a miss. Bit too countryish, not anything to really grab or turn your head. Not in the right mood for it so not even going to give it a second chance. 2.5*

Enjoyed the first listen through, but the second and third weren't as captiving. Really though it would go the other way. Bit lo-fi, bit pixie-ish, other bands in there also. Might revisit if I'm ever in the right mood for more lo-fi

That was actually pretty dull. I thought I'd like it since I've heard of them being a inspiration to a lot of later rock bands. Not sure if it's aged terribly but it seemed slow, simplistic, and simply not catchy. Metal Guru was the closest they came to being interested, but it turned it out to be a dropping off point rather than a jumping off point. Shame.

Never actually listened to anything from the Eagles before this (depsite hearing Hotel California too many times). Pretty disappointing. First sign was alright, but then quickly got terrible. Chug All Night was embarrassing to listen to. Rest of it pretty terrible except for Take the Devil. Country needs to be resigned to the bin.

First time actually listening to a motorhead album, pretty enjoyable, but I don't reckon I could listen to more than 30 mins at a time normally. Some strong tracks, some not so good, but overall good. 3.5*

Really enjoyed that. One annoying country song on there (Teach Your Children) that spoiled the start but quickly got better. Nice hearing Young's voice but not have it dominate the entire album. I'd love to give it a few more listens but as with most of the Young albums it's been decimated by Spotify signing alt-right conspiracy theorists up. YouTube is insufferable. Ah well. One to explore more of if it ever comes back. 3.5*

Just sounds like a poor-mediocre Smiths album, as per usual with Morrissey. Some good tracks, 2-4 were a nice run. Really goes downhill in thhe second half though, probably scrapes into the 3* bracket

Honestly always found Joy Division overrated. Tried and failed quite a few time to get into them. They're ok, just don't get how they're held in such acclaim. Closer is pretty average. First half definitely the weaker side. Just can't do Ian's voice most of the time. Latter half saves it. Very atmospheric, almost cure-like

I remember we got this when it came out, probably my first introduction to electronic music. Not heard it in years but listening back it's stood the test of time amazingly well. The tracks suffer from a bit of repetitiveness, the motif introduced in the first 10-20s of each song rarely develops into anything new over the course of each 3-4 minute track, which stops it from being an all time classic. Still, thanks to Moby for teaching me that music doesn't have to be rock or pop. Great album to have my eyes opened to.

I really hated most of the Indie-surgence that happened in the mid 2000's, but you can't deny a genuinely amazing album when you hear it. 1000x better than the overly contrived nonsense that a lot of their contemporaries were putting about. One of the only Indie albums I actually enjoy, and I absolutely love it at that. Not a single bad or even mediocre song on there (although New York City Cops is new to me?? Mustnt have been on the UK CD version). My head's going 4* for the Indie, my heart is going for the full 5*

That was pretty disappointing, especially after how good Are You Experienced was. Set the bar way too high. Only track that was an instant repeat was Little Wing. Disappointed in If Six Was Nine, especially given that was the only track I recognised before listening. Still a good album, but nowhere near what it could have been after his first.

Started off alright, a bit new-new-waveish, bit of LCD in there. Not bad but didn't really blow me away. I was a bit fatigued by the end though, got excited when I thought what was the obvious last track was coming to a close but then another one appeared. Probably scrapes 3*

Most likely this album was included on the list to present a snapshot of popular music at a moment in time, rather than for its artistic merit. It's not actually bad, but it's also really not great. Few very skippable tracks, only seemed to reach a good level during the last two.

Surprisingly good! The Simon & Garfunkel, together or solo, albums I've had on here have bored me too death so far. Not my usual type of music but I could still really enjoy this. Great African infusion, some tracks didn't do much for me but didn't really grate. Some others though we're thoroughly enjoyable. One to listen to again for sure.

Only R.E.M album I really know, but I love it. Another 80s band, like Talking Heads, that I think I genuinely would have been very into if I was old enough at the time. First half better than second half, but a lot of catchy lyrics and melodies throughout

Think I just don't like big band stuff. First track was alright, Ray shone through and made it his own. Second track though, along with most of the rest of the album, felt too much like he was being told to try and emulate Sinatra, which is never a good thing. No need to listen to that again.

I actually like a lot of shoegaze stuff but I couldn't really do this. The non-lyrics had the opposite effect, constantly bringing my attention to it rather than letting me get lost in the music. Might have been the prototype which launched a decent genre, but knowing what came since makes this sound very disappointing on reflection

Naff indie

I feel like I should hate it but I also kind of don't. Side A was way better than Side B, which got a bit unbearable and I had to skip a few. Last track brought it back a bit. Don't think I could listen to it over and over, but it was an enjoyable listen for now. 3.5*

Haven't listened to this in at least 15 years, so it's been entertaining going back and rediscovering it. It's held up extremely well. Still think it would have been a perfect album if they'd chopped a couple songs off of it and shortened it - I Like Dirt and Purple Stain can go instantly, possibly Emit also - maybe it's due to being English but it just sounds cringey. Porcelan sounds like an absolute Smashing Pumpkins rip-off but I'll let it slide. Doesn't really suit the rest of the album though. A high number of 5* tracks on there, sadly slightly dragged down by the weaker ones. Arguably 4.5*, which is still a great score

Let's ignore the Swamp Songs. Of the other 10, they were so close to perfection but not quite there. Roll with it and Don't look back in anger are the biggest disappointments to me, what sound like on first to be class tracks quickly fall away on subsequent listens. Almost like Noel was trying too hard to write a catchy Oasis song. She's electric, much like Digsys Dinner before it, tried to provide a comic relief that was neither wanted or needed. The rest are all pretty stellar, finishing off with possibly one of their greatest songs. Solid 4-4.5* album. Have no regrets rinsing it to pieces in the mid-90s such that I can barely listen to it anymore. What an album it was at the time.

Strong disliked the previous Common album I got on here. This one was slightly better. First and Last track both really good. The rest was pretty meh. 2.5*

I've HATED Cecilia for years. Always played at parents parties when I was a little kid and utterly detested it. Never bothered to find out who sung it as I didn't want to associate that anger with a name but here we go. Congratulations Simon & Garfunkel. I've previously accused you of being the dullest artists ever but now you go and double down with infuriating. The only time the album wasn't awful was when they were ripping off the Beatles. Some good stuff in those bits.

I used to rank this way higher than Mellon Collie, as went into this review thinking I'd end up giving it 5*. On reflection though, as I've grown older the gap between the two has almost disappeared. Some amazing tracks on here, Quiet, Hummer and Soma being some of the best in the genre, but other tracks suffer from overrunning (e.g. geek USA, mayonnaise, silverfuck) that take good riffs/hooks and let them play on a minute or two (or 5, in silverfucks case) too long, that makes the album feel bloated, especially as by the end you're just glad the recent run has come to an end. Undeniably great album, but on reflection could have been even better with carefull editing.

Really interesting on first listen. Felt like it was going to be a grower, an album that would take a while to sink in but when it did, wow. Something like Arcade Fire, Alt J, etc. A further 5-6 listens and I'm fully bored. Didn't grow on me at all, in fact the opposite. 2.5*

Saw Herbie Hancock at Glasto 22 not knowing any of his stuff and was thoroughly impressed. First track here was great, think it was even one of the ones he played. Heard a lot of Squarepusher in the latter half. Definitely one to listen to more. 2-4 didn't do much for me though.

Not terrible country. But still country.

I don't know who that album was aimed at. Is it for britpop fans? Smiths fans? Pop fans? Comedy fans? Apart from the Father Ted bit it was painfully aimless.

Really not my thing. I recognised take five from somewhere and it was actually decent, but the rest bring and forgettable.

Probably Led Zep's most consistent album. I and IV probably contain better songs but each have their weak points. This just starts an inch from the top and cruises on from there. Perfect.

Like a lot of jazz albums, seem to start off great before descending into a bit of boredom. The solos in tracks 3 and 4 dragged on far too long. First two were alright. 2.5*

Meandering and uninspiring. I'm glad popular non-gangsta-hiphop existed out there in the early 90s for humanities sake, but this just ain't for me.

I'm really glad the late 60s happened and music evolved. 1.5*

What on earth was that? Sounded like a blend of New Wave and Gothic Rock that I hope never gets repeated again.

Everything by Simon and/or Garfunkel I've heard, except for Graceland, is just dull dull dull

After getting Murmur last week, this was very disappointing. Nothing in there other than the songs i already knew that interested me. Some actively disinterested me. Shame as I thought it was a band I could see myself getting into after Murmur.

The quintessential prog rock album. Everything from the lyrics to the music to the album cover. The only slight negative thing I can say is the post-moonchild element goes on a bit too long, but when it thunders into Court of the Crimson King... Wow. Easy 5*

I really wanted to love this album as a teenager. Tried so hard to get into it but after the first 3 tracks I would skip to the real thing and then end it there. Disappointing. Angel Dust was always my jam. Listening back with a much wider appreciation of music it's actually top notch. Makes much more sense after knowing Mike Pattons range a lot better, there's even hints of Mr Bungle in this despite the music being written before he apparently joined. What turned me off as a teenager was the jump from the thrash Surprise youre dead to soft rock of Zombie Eaters. But this time i was into the floating genres, very Mike Patton and very cool.

One of my favourite discoveries of the last few years is Christian Brothers by Elliott Smith. I listened to this album a few years back but wrote it off after one listen. Listening again a couple times now...I still don't really get it. It's not bad, but it's not particularly good either. Just straight average, but I know it's lauded. I feel like I'm missing something.

Some great tracks, some stinkers. Don't know why, but the "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" always miffed me. Feel like they tried going too big in parts. Walk before you try running. The last track epitomises this. Don't fully get the hype tbh. 2.5*

Almost unlistenable. Like someone taking the mick out of 50s rocknroll, but badly. Thought it was one of those random mistakes you see on the 1001 list, maybe the inclusion of a genre pushing album that really doesn't deserve to be here. But looking at the album on wiki now, "wide critical acclaim", "one of the best rock debuts of all time", "frequently appeared on lists of the greatest albums of all time". Shame on you, human race.

Wow. Love it when my preconceptions are completely wrong. Album cover and year had me thinking it would be some naff Sinatra ripoff, instead some great folk. How was this guy not more famous?!

Pleasant, if a bit uninspiring. Street Life clearly the stand out track but lasted 7 minutes too long. Vocals sorely missing from a couple other songs. 2.5*

Weird one. I've got used to not seeing one of my favourite genres on here as it's not the usual 1001-vibe they go for. So one finally appears and it's a bit lacklustre? I can think of 10 very similar albums that are miles better than this. Good in parts but goes on too long. Some songs just a waste of time. Not terrible though.

First song had me dreading the next 40 minutes. Enjoyed Le Freak but I just thought it was going to be them trying to see how many times that could say "Chic" in one album. After that it was surprisingly alright. Something that my mum would listen to back in the day. Not my kind of music but I could vibe with it. Savoir Faire was an absolute banger. Great guitar.

I remember being blown away by this when it came out. Listening back now, you can hear the anger and emotion in a lot of these tracks, how fame hasn't helped him at all, particularly in The Way I Am, Marshall Mathers and Kim (the latter maybe a bit too much). Massively prefer this rap to the type that just bang on about how amazing/rich they are. Still quite a few weak tracks on the album, all the ones when he gets someone else involved as well as a few others towards the end. But there's 5 or 6 absolute bangers in here. The skits are terrible I should add, why on earth include them. Pointless and detract from the serious issues discussed on the album. 3.5*

I don't care for it, and I won't respond to it.

Slightly on the dull side, but not offensive. I think I could have listened to the whole album without listening to it. 2.5*

Holy 80s. Started off bearable but by track 4 I was praying for the end.

That was difficult to get through. Never been a massive Mac fan but could appreciate Rumours. This felt like their White Album, immediately following up a great album with a maraudering stumble through different sounds that just goes on too long. 2.5*

The first electronica album I ever got into. I used to enjoy the first half but would usually switch off toward the end. I then moved on to much better stuff. Listening back now 15 years later it's actually pretty disappointing given what else is out there. The songs have too little variation and go on far too long. Any catchy hook that appears is then rinsed over and over again. 2.5*

Love the message. I remember being 14 and flicking over to Wildstyle on Vice City every 5-10 minutes waiting for the message to come on (or be on next). Was looking forward to listening to the rest of the album but Jesus that was hard to get through. How can a song as groundbreaking as the message be pre-fixed by utter cross? Why was the message not on first, followed by similar politically conscious tracks, instead of terrible band intros, robotic autotuned samples, Steve ripoffs etc.. very disappointing. 1.5*

Not my jam

Not enjoyable, but I can't put my finger on why. Sounds similar to a number of other bands/artists in that early 90s grunge, soft/hard rock era but without any of the catchy stuff

I actually discovered Jane's Addiction on here with their first album, which I immediately regretted rating 3* as it grew into one of my favourite albums I've heard in a while. Their second is not as good admittedly, but still sounds pretty strong. Between the two album there's 10 or so unbelievable tracks. I can't not rate this a 4 to make up for Nothings Shocking.

First half bearable. Second half not so. Please end. 2.5*

Wrong mood for this today. I think instrumental rock music just doesn't work as well as in other genres. Rock is there to be sung over. I can handle it when it's a mix, Santana for example. Frank's amazing at guitar, but by the end I wasn't even concentrating on the music.

Wow. I know I've always hated Money for Nothing, but I didn't realise all of their songs were that terrible. I feel harsh giving this 1*, given the utter dross that have achieved my 1* rating, but it's really not far off. Lucky escape.

I fell in love with Once in a Lifetime years ago and instantly explored the rest of the album to find myself disappointed. Then about 3 months ago More Songs... came up on this list and I found myself completely hooked. Going back to listening to this album again, I just can't get on board with it. The first half is alright, it leans too heavily into the African theme but has some good hooks. The latter half, specifically the last two songs, are just pretty weak. Disappointing given how good buildings and food was.

Other than Straight Shooter (which was a good Beatles rip off) and California Dreamin (which is a class song in its own right) that was a pretty dull set of poor Beatles/Beach Boys rip offs. Disappointing given how great CD is, the only song I knew going into it. 1.5*

I presumed they would have been a one hit wonder band as you never hear anything else by them, but some tracks on here weren't bad. Most were though. But some good northern soul/early ska-punk in here. 2.5*, probably would not listen again.

That's the kind of album I was hoping to find on here. Took about six listens but I think I get it now. Such a mix and mesh of genres and bands in here. It's like if The Flaming Lips decided to make a tribute album to the Beatles, Squarepusher and Radiohead blended into one.

I don't know why, but I initially thought this was going to be terrible. Why do I have a bad impression of Beck, despite not knowing a single song he has done? Do I have him confused with someone else? Anyway, wow. What a nice surprise. Great voice, few skippable tracks, but mostly solid ones with a few gems in there. How have I never heard him before??

When I was a teenager I really tried getting to this album. I thought you either loved it or you stupidly didn't get it, and I was terrified I was the latter. After maybe 40-50 listens over the years, and caring a lot less about what other people think, I can happily say Joy Division are one of the most overrated bands out there. By far the worst album-rating-per-t-shirt sold ratio in the world. Disorders a great opener. And then it's 35 minutes of shite. 1.5*

Abba's hits make me a die a little inside. So a full album of abba non-hits makes me die a lot inside. One of the worst things to ever happen to music.

Never heard this guy before. First (real) song I was actually quite digging. The rest of the album seemed to phase in and out of semi-interesting to background music. I gave it a day for a refreshed listen the next day but felt the exact same thing happened. Nice to have non-offensive/outrageous hip-hop, but reading the reviews now on wiki I think I'm missing something. Wasn't particularly groundbreaking, wasn't bad. Just alright. Straight down the middle.

Pretty disappointing 80s alternative rock. Took all the bland bits of similar bands and rolled it up into one. Not a single track worth saving down.

I tried getting into Elton before Glastonbury this year but he just didn't do it for me. Crap gig anyway. So it was nice to be forced to a listen to a full album, his magnum opus apparently. I think it hasn't aged that well. There's a lot of 60/70s bands/sounds merged into one on this, but it falls flat apart from a couple of tracks. I think I've made my piece with Elton now.

Really this is two albums, so I'll review both separately. Speakerboxx was pretty generic early 00's hip-hop I thought, despite all the plaudits it got. Grated in parts. 2* The Love Below was an exciting experimental hip-hop/blues/rnb mix. Lack of stand out tracks but numerous good ones scattered throughout. 3.5* to 4*. Would listen to this half again for sure.

After the first few songs I was bored. Sounded a bit like generic early new-wave stuff. Bouncing babies caught my ear though, and then a few tracks later on..gave it a couple listens back in the end. Some of it weak but some catchy tunes. The bonus tracks all pointless, but the actual album is fairly decent. Saved a few tracks down. 3.5*

Second nick cave album on here. Just as depressing and disappointing as the first, but with a whopping 82 minutes in length it wins the rare and coveted 1* award. Congratulations.

First time listening to Elbow. Few great tracks, opener and #3 were great. Dragged on slightly toward the end, whilst The Fix should have been nowhere near this album. Take that away and it would have just tipped into the 4* bucket. As it is, it's an on the fence 3.5*

First time listening to this. Started off really well. Can really hear where the Stooges got their inspiration from, though I must say that I think they perfected it. Was doing great until Alabama song which felt so out of place and almost ruined the vibe. Light my Fire brought it back up before the second half went and ruined it again. By the time The End came on I was completely unenthused. Would have sounded much better if it followed some bangers. First half (excl Alabama) 4* Second half 2* Rounding up to 3.5* considering how early this was. Still pretty groundbreaking despite the second half.

I've never bothered listening to U2 ever, just never seemed like my kind of thing. And I was right, a lot of it just comes across as self-indulgent. Can't quite put my finger on why, but there's no soul to any of these songs. 2.5*

Any album containing Danny Boy has a ceiling of 2* which is a shame. But seriously, what a voice. It's a shame the track selection seemed to often detract from that, with many more misses (personal jesus, first time.., I'm so lonesome..) than hits (hurt). His frailty with age is exposed in a negative way in tracks like In My Life, whereas that same frailty is what makes tracks like hurt sound great. With the correct song selection this could have been 4* minimum

Having just watched Dewey Cox, I could semi enjoy a few tracks by imagining him singing it and believing it to be a pisstake. However, when the realisation dawns that this was an actual album. My god. 1.5*

Really enjoyed that. Nice bit of Dreamwave/shoegaze. Perfect to zone out and work to.

Managed two songs. Given they ran 40 minutes, I think that's fair enough. I don't get jazz tbh. I think it's good? Just not my thing. It wasnt off-putting, just got bored. Feel like I'd need to be stoned to actively enjoy it, and that ain't me anymore. 2.5*

Listened to this years ago after discovering Pixes but couldn't get into it so never bothered with it since. Wrong decision. Only a couple of listens in but I think this is going to be a grower similar to Doolittle. Excited to dive deeper into it.

Feel like REM steadily got less interesting over time. Loved their debut, liked their follow ups, but by now it sounds like they've run out of ideas. Still a good album, just definitely not a great one like their earlier stuff.

Inoffensive 80s pop/rock. Nothing really stands out but wasn't desperate for it to end. Not in the right mood for it but probably won't listen again.

I got about 20 songs in. Tedious. I'm terrible at music so I wouldn't even be able to write one of these songs admittedly, but I can't help but feel any musician who's half decent could knock up a similar set of 69 unfleshed out ideas within 24 hours. How is this even anywhere near the 1001 list.

First two tracks in I was loving this. I was feeling nostalgia for an album in never listened to at a time I would have been too young to appreciate it. However, it then quickly turned into mediocre 90s rock. Few other tracks on here that were enjoyable but a let down from how good it started off

Very disappointing. All I knew about Willie was his love for the green so I was expecting some decent country but nope. So dull. Tracks 2 and 3 the only ones I could possibly listen to again. The rest deserve to get in the bin. 1.5*

Pretty early/raw electronica. Could really hear a lot of early AFX in this but whereas he perfected the genre, this was just... dated and pretty disappointing. 2.5*

I am familiar and fond with the first 3 Sabbath album, so I was excited to see this appear. However, definitely didn't hit me the same way as their earlier stuff. Reading up on it it sounds like this was the first Sabbath album fueled by coke rather than booze and weed, which I think is the perfect summary for the deficiencies of this album.

One of the most overrated albums of all time. This one particularly annoys me as it totally blew apart the run they were on, with the three preceding it being three of the best album of all time. Waters' rock opera nonsense killed what was amazing about the band. Gilmour saved it a bit with Division Bell, but other than that this album marks the death of Pink Floyd. Few good songs that save it, but so much dross it's unreal.

First Metallica album I bought, and I remember quickly getting bored of it. Luckily I went back through their catalogue after and fell in love, rather than forward. This album is terribly overrated. So many more misses rather than hits. And Justice... wasn't amazing admittedly, but this album marked a slight but distinctive change from their earlier stuff that was definitely for the worse rather than the better. Probably sneaks a 3* due to a few of the decent tunes on here

One of those albums where they had one great tune so put it at #1 and hope that will be people's lasting memory. Bloated album with one or two other catchy songs (Sketch) was alright but for the most part just drags on and on. Too many songs and most of those overrun. Glad it's over.

Lasted three songs

Wow. Second Cure album on here and I've loved them both! How have I never gotten into them before!? Honestly blown away. Regretting skipping them at Glasto 2019 now. 4.5*, rounding up to 5* as I rounded Disintegration down

You know in Vice City when they made that fake band "Love Fist" that was a pisstake of 80s hair metal that were funny because of the lyrics and how ridiculous was, but not something you would ever listen to outside of the game? That's how I view The Darkness, but without the funny lyrics. Some of the songs, particularly without the high octave voice, are bearable. The majority aren't.

Strong no

Weak start, with a real low point at Tentative Decisions. The rest of the album is actually really good. Not as polished (and good) as the Eno-produced albums, bit a good debut nonetheless. 3.5*

The more I listen to Sonic Youth the more I think they caught lightning in a bottle with Daydream Nation. How can one band have such a stellar, groundbreaking album, but everything else they do is pretty naff? It's rare to find a good song outside of that album nevermind a good album. The few decent tunes here are ruined by Kim's strained vocals, which are used waayyy too frequently. 2.5*

Bit of a slog to get through. Few good tracks on there but most drag on. Album definitely could have been about 5 songs shorter and hit much better. Never been a massive fan of Soundgarden, they fell on the wrong side of the grunge explosion, unlike Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam etc. Still not bad though, especially when you remove the attrition from the queue.

I think I'd love JJ if I was into that style of music. Few tracks are ok but quickly gets tiresome, despite the short runtime. 2.5*

I've enjoyed a few REM albums from here, so I was disappointed to be disappointed in this. Felt like they had ran out of ideas a bit, which is strange as some of their later album were then pretty good again.

Self indulgent, over the top... It shouldn't work, but somehow it kind of does. Fair play. Drags on a bit at the end but start was unique.

Pretty good. What country could have become rather than Pick Up Trucks and what-not. Slower ones in the latter half dragged. Could have been a 10-track album and easily hit 4*

Between this and Zenyatta Monetary for the worst Police album, but only because the other three are so bloody good. Some stellar tracks on this but some very skippable ones. 3.5*

Used to be one of those pretentious metalheads who wrote AC/DC off as being a gimmick act with their school outfits etc, so never even gave them a proper listen back in the day. So now years down the road it was great to be forced to listen to this. It's actually really... Fun? Angus' voice probably would (and really starts to after 40mins) grate if listened to too much, but a small dose is great. Some amazing guitar work on here. The songs about shagging do start to get a bit old after the third or fourth one but a few select deletions turn this into a quality 25-30 minute EP

Goldfrapp is another one that I've never had any interest in. Slightly proved wrong I think. First track was amazing, really wish it was an entire album in that style. The rest of it was good but not great, nice background music but nothing really grabbing. 3.5*

What is this? Music for posh girls who know their parents would disowned them if they got into Emo music and dyed their hair black? Bored after 5 songs of being breathed at.

Sadly nowhere near on the level on the albums that surrounded this release. No Cars Go is probably the only track worth banging on repeat. The rest just sounds like the weaker points of Funeral/Suburbs. Not necessarily bad, but not great. 3.5*

Like Steely Dan, very hit and miss, but here with wayyyy more misses. Only the first track worth saving. Disappointing

Rinsed this album dry as a teenager so it's hard to listen to it freshly. But having just had Back in Black, which I rated as a fun 4*, surely MoP has to be in 5* territory. Not their best album (RtL imo), but with only one week track on the album (thing that should not be) and 4 or 5 absolute bangers, including one of the most powerful album openers of all time... Well done.

Dammit. Tale of two halves. First 5 songs are pushing 5*. Last 4 songs are lucky to get 2*... 3.5* average then? I'll round up but Stevie's a lucky boy

Like all of Blur's albums, a bit of a bloated mess with some gold in hidden in it. One of those bands with a legitimately great greatest hits album that isn't really missing anything else.

Painful. Extremely painful

Rambling indeed. Quite bad early recorded country. Doesn't even sound sure of his own voice.

Easily the best, though tbf one of the only decent rappers I've had in the last 20 years. Take off a few dross tracks and this is a great album. A combined hits from this + pimp a butterfly would be approaching 5* which is incredible for rap for me.

I didn't hate two of the ten songs, so that's an improvement on the last Roxy Music album I got on here. 1.5*

Excited when this popped up, but honestly a bit disappointing. Really short runtime, about 30% of which is him chatting to the audience. Once song inexplicably appears twice in a row. The duet is cringy. The good songs end too early. Surely he's had better albums than this. Boy named sue brings this up to 2.5*

Totally zoned out. Forgot I was even listening to anything. Went back to the beginning and started again. After 3 tracks I was bored senseless. I find gangsta rap bad 98% of the time, good 2%, but this is the first time I've had no emotion to it. What a boring album. Boring beats, boring lyrics. 2* but I don't know why. Probably because I reserve 1* for albums I really dislike but I'm entirely indifferent to this.

My one regret for the human race is that the Beatles were stubborn and refused to put singles on albums. Imagine if Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane were on here. Even better, imagine if they replaced the only weak tracks, She's Leaving Home and When I'm Sixty Four (I'm with John - I dont care much for Paul's music hall obsession). Almost the perfect album. If I heard this for the first time now without any knowledge of what it is, I'd give it 3.5*. However, when you consider when this came out, and how groundbreaking it is, that surely bumps up to 4.5*. Rounding up due to finishing with Day In The Life.

Kickstarted an entire genre that I hate. The first track was alright, but from there it was rapidly downhill. 1.5*

Not listened to this in years. I resisted Muse for ages but obviously everyone in uni banged on about them so I finally absorbed this album. It's admittedly amazing. Some of the tracks wouldn't hold up as well on their own but as part of this album they sound great. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Didn't care for much of their other stuff so this is them at their peak.

I find the hair metal era a bit comical, not going to lie. Some good songs on here, particularly the Zeppelin-like ones (Girl Gone Bad for example). Others were pretty naff. Overall a mixed bag, not one I'll be rushing back to. 2.5*

My second Morrissey album from this list. The first one I didn't enjoy, thinking that he lost a lot of the magic that Smith's possessed. This album, his first post-smiths, straddled that line, with it sounded like his departure from that sound. Half of the songs are good, the half that could easily be Smith's outtakes. The other half...not so much. A blend of 4 and 2* throughout

Just can't do afrobeat. Never heard of the genre before this list but sadly it just does absolutely zero for me. Feels wrong to give it 1* as it's not offensive, just not for me.

I actually got this album at Christmas time and I still hate it. Surely one of the worst genres.

Thought I would like this, given I like early Dylan, but just didn't do it for me, mainly due to the Falsetto singing. Guitar was great though.

Like being in an excited elevator that occasionally claps at you. 1.5*

Pleasant. Nothing really stood out, but was nice to have on in the background. Unlike most things from the mid-80s, it didn't sound dated at all. Not sure I would have placed it correctly if I didn't know beforehand. Album cover looked like it was knocked together by an 8-year old who's just got into MS Paint

Pretty decent actually. Some some not so good tracks but short and sweet. Great for the 60s

Wow. Unexpectedly loved that. So 80s, but so many bangers on it. Take out the middle section (Tag through to San Jose) and that is a phenomenal album that I've never come across or even thought would be nothing but shallow new wave. I'd obviously heard of Relax, Two Tribes, Power of Love before but by themselves they seem like novelty 80s songs. Put them together and pad them out with the rest of the selection here and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. 4*, only dragged down because of the middle section being weak

I hated that. I don't know Billy Bragg, I don't know Willie Guthrie, but I have zero interested in hearing anything else by them.

Arguably one of Radiohead's weakest albums, yet it still sounds absolutely amazing on reflection. Probably took me the longest to get into of any of their albums, but when you get it you get it. Luckily that happened years ago, otherwise I fear I'd be in the 2-3* region. Makes me wonder how many other great albums I've missed out on from instantly writing them off on this list. Sadly not enough time in the world to find out. Solid 4*

That felt like a more melodic, meloncholy Be Here Now. An absolute slog to get through to be honest. I'm exhausted and the last track is still playing. A few tracks less and a few minutes trimmed off several of them would have made for a much better album. Reading up on it now, how was this voted one of the best British albums ever. Jesus Christ. 2.5*

Really likes the Mambo ones. So tracks 1, 3, and the last one. The rest were not good. Either just drumming, or something which didn't for the rest of the theme. 2.5* averaging out

Was ok. Quickly got boring. Most songs followed the same structure. It's like they took the pixies formula and made a template song from that and just tweaked that very slightly 12 times only. 2.5*

Jazz just isn't my cup of tea at all. 1.5*, rounding down as even as far as jazz goes this is totally uncaptivating

Terrible, congratulations.

Interesting idea for a genre but a pretty dull execution. First track was alright but rapidly went downhill. Found myself a minute or two in before getting bored and skipping. Probably ok background music, but nothing more.

Whether by random or by design, I've had the three Jimi Hendrix Experience albums in order, and each one has deteriorated in quality, from 4* -> 3* -> 2*. This album is saved only by Voodoo Child (both the jam and the single) and Watchtower. The jam was new to me and I loved it, though the last couple of minutes rambledba but. The other two I know well. But the rest of the album was extremely disappointing. Absolutely nothing stuck out of any quality. Reading up afterward it sounds like this album isn't grower so I'll try it again at a later date, but right now i can't help but feeling let down by this entry.

Like all Iggy stuff after the Stooges, this was a bit disappointing. Dunno what drugs he was on but just seems a self-indulgent mess tbh. 2.5*

Like with most punk albums, one or two ok songs but the rest just drags.

I feel like this is some kind of inside joke I'm not a part of. 6 songs in and I still don't know what's happening so I'm going to call it. Abysmal.

First Beatles album that made me realise they weren't just a collection of sporadic decent songs. All Beatles albums suffer from filler that only makes sense the deeper you dive into it, but apart from one or two Revolver contains so many hidden bangers that don't take a lot to uncover. Taxman, Tomorrow Never Knows, Doctor Robert, Love to you, Got to get you in to my life. So many songs that would mean nothing to many people who claim to even like the Beatles. Here there and everywhere probably the only weak track on the album. Just incredibly dull. Also have a dislike for Yellow Submarine, but probably due to over listening as a kid. Feels out of place on an otherwise mature album. Apart from that, an easy 5*. Though I reckon it might be 2-3* if I wasn't already a big fan, which makes this entire exercise conflicting in some way.

Surprisingly good for an album/band I've never heard of. Quite Talking Heads-ish, only they seem to come a few years before. Only given a couple of listens but I think it's one that will be need to be on rotation before I can fully understand it

Fairly decent. Wasn't a fan of some of the blurbs that start most of the tracks, and some of the beats were a little dull, but on the whole there were some good tracks on there. Nothing really stand out though. Pleasant, but not essential. 3.5*

I've always found Bowie hit and miss, but this was more hit. A lot different to his usual sound but shows he can smash it out the park even when changing genre for an album or two. Fair play. Few duds but mostly hits. Beatles cover feeling completely out of place being the worst sin.

Sounded like emotive new wave. Recognised one of the tracks from vice city which was a nice throwback. Last 3 tracks definitely killed any momentum the album had, before then I was quite enjoying it. Middle of the road on balance.

Better than I expected, but not amazing. Seemed to meander at times. Some of the non hip-hop tracks were good, but a fair few fell flat. The vocals also got tiresome after a while, which is at odds with the intermissions also getting stale. 2.5*

Grunge seems to be either very good or very bad. This is the latter. If I was 15 and gave it a hundred listens I reckon I'd have grown to like it. But that time has long gone.

Kings of garage rock. Not my favourite genre, but admittedly great at what they do.

I used to enjoy the three EPs album when I was younger but never ventured any further. How foolish. This was great. The bits that went great I suspect might be growers. Definitely adding this one to my rotation list.

Extremely disappointing. My dad's got the front cover to this album as a poster on the wall so I was expecting great things. Possibly the worst Bowie album I've heard. Nothing worth keeping, besides maybe the Stones cover.

Absolute drivel. This can't be the same guy that's revered by so many rock lovers around the world? First time properly listening to him is from this list and it's god-awful. Every single song.

Aways find massive attack disappointing. Again they start off with a great album opener and just drop off a cliff from there. I like triphop, so why can't get I on board with these guys?

Wow. I'm stunned. 250 albums in and I've finally found something that's completely blown away from a genre I was no expecting. Everything just seemed to click and I've no idea why. The opener was earnest and heartwarming. Little Red Riding Hood seemed to be foreshadowing mid 2000's Radiohead three decades early. The Alfib tracks were strange at first but cute after a couple listens. And the album outro is so out of place but also perfectly in place. Binged a few times now and I still hear something new and exciting with every listen. Congratulations 1001 albums, you've finally done what I expected from the start.

I'm torn on this one. I think it doesn't make sense without knowing and appreciating Loveless. The first three tracks seem a continuation in the mould, a slightly worse version in my opinion, but still quite good. They then seemed to put a halt to that (quite literally with the ending who sees you). They then appear to showcase new stuff they're trying out in two further sections. I prefer the middle 3 to the last 3, but I honestly don't think it deserves the acclaim it gets. If this is on the list over Loveless then that's an absolute crime against humanity. Good but not great.

Just can't get on board with Buddy or early rock n roll in general. Sounds so primitive in a a bad way. Like hanging a children's drawing in an art gallery just because it shows the foundations of someone's art even though it's clearly shite.

Pretty uninspiring gothic/post punk 80s stuff. Like a blend of the cure/joy division/type o negative that didn't quite work out. First track was alright but quickly tailed off. Terrible album cover by the way. Looks like something I would have made in PowerPoint during my emo phase when I was 15. 2.5*

Conflicted. If I was 16 I'd be loving it (but aggrieved I just spent £10 on a 15-minute album), but it's just not that great now I've matured. Obviously a seminal hit, but other bands took it to greater and better heights. Also, Hardcore fans must be one of the most annoying of any fan base. I'd hate to go to a gig because of them lot.

This list has made me realise just how much I hate Clapton and Springsteen. Here's another one of the former. Tried to hide behind a different band name but within 4 seconds I was suspecting something was up and 20 seconds in I was letting out a groan. And not a good one. Layla the only non terrible song, but they went and ruined it by sellotaping 4 minutes of chaff onto the end and then naming the album "that + other songs". How up your own arse can you get man. Sick of him.

Interesting voice. Would be a great voiceover on TV/film. Maybe an audiobook. Just not music. Insanely bored 5 songs in. 1.5*

First listen through I quite enjoyed. Bit of a blues with hip-hop, lazy singing but not in a bad way. Intrigued, I dived straight in for a second listen. Not as good. Too much hip hop, not enough blues, too lazy in parts. Third listen through I stopped half way through. Couple of great tracks but mostly misses. 2.5*

Where it all changed for Radiohead. I thought Pablo Honey was pretty poor whereas OK Computer is one of the greatest albums ever written, so this is a lovely stepping stone to get there. The Pablo-esque songs are the weaker points (Bones, Just, Sulk). The stronger points are when they begin to explore the elements of their sound that would shortly propel them to the echelons of music. Solid 4*

I listened to this album when it won the Mercury prize, loved it, then immediately forgot about it. Glad to hear reminded. I initially thought it might be 5* worthy, but after another couple of listens I think what holds it back is although almost every song is very, very good, there are no amazing songs that I'd want on constant rotation. 4.5*

Way too much filler here. Always thought this album was overrated, bar a few decent tracks nothing really sticks. You can see the bridge between their earlier terrible funk albums and more melodic stuff that was to come. 2.5*

So so so so so so bad.

Really gave this one a chance, due to how many swifties I seem to have as friends. It's ok. Catchy in parts, but I just can't connect with any of it, really feels like it just isn't written for me, which is fine. Not all music is. Arguably the most catchy song, Shake It Off, is inexplicably ruined by a terrible bridge towards the end which is a shame. Less poppy ones are amongst the better ones. 2.5*

Pretty mediocre. Interesting voice and well jell of the guitar skills, but no really stand out tracks even on second listen. Reading the reviews don't really understand how it's a cult classic. Maybe another 20 listens would be required...

Strong no from me.

Love Stooges, find Iggy a bit meh. This is better than the Idiot, but not by a long way. Title track, Passenger and fall in love with me doing a lot of heavy lifting here

A deceiving album. I heard Next Girl years ago and dived into the album, immediately loving the stripped back sound. Like a more bluesy, slightly cooler white stripes. But after a handful of listens I came to the conclusion not lacked depth, and almost every song got boring after a couple of sprints. Fast forward 10 years and my conclusions are exactly the same. I reckon I'd have given this 4* after 2-3 listens, as it is I'm struggling to give it much higher than a 2.5*

Pretty bland early Floyd - Beatles - beach boys crossover. Only the opening and ending tracks worth listening to again.

Wow. There's so much terribly rap out there but each time one has appeared on this list it's had some good moments. The same cannot be said here. What an absolute terrible collection of songs. The beats are incredibly lazy, the lyrics uninteresting, the skits pointless. Drivel.

Stunning. Heard of this guy but completely got him confused with a mesh of other artists which he is not. Ethereal and beautiful album. Slightly trails off a bit in the latter half but excited about diving a lot more into this over the coming months. Starting off with a 4*, but can easily see this slipping up or down a tier. It feels like it's either gonna grow or get boring..excited to see which.

Congratulations Kanye, one of the worst things I've ever heard. Hope you're proud. I would literally pay a lot of money to never have to hear this front to back again.

God help anyone who rated this 5*

Well that answers my question of "what if the Rolling Stones had no talent?" 1.5*

I'm adamant no one truly enjoys Bruce Springsteen. They just think people like him so they follow along. It's like that Darren Brown episode where he coerces someone into committing murder via peer pressure alone. The same is true for Eric Clapton. Once people start to realise this basic truth the world will be a much better place.

Very bold to put a live album by an experimental rock band on here as the the first time I'm hearing them. Maybe just unlucky on my part. Funnily enough I'm hearing a bit of squarepusher and other IDM stuff in here. For the most part though it's just skippable. Think I would have loved it at the time but not now.

Couple astounding songs, few good songs, several bad songs. With albums like this I wonder why, after writing something like Perfect Day or Walk on the Wild Side, they wouldn't wait to pen another 5-6 unbelievable tracks rather than just release them next to any old thing.

Doors always sounded like a less fun Stooges to me. I don't think it stands the test of time very well. Probably very cool in the day, but that day has been and gone.

Disappointing, given the other Kate Bush albums I've had on here which I've rather enjoyed. Feels a bit out of left field this album, alternative and edgy in a negative way. The growls and screams can work great in the right genre, but this is not it.

Not bothered with this album in years, I always wrote off most of the early Beatles stuff as too poppy. Sop pop almost. A few songs on here are still like this, I'm happy to dance with you for example. But there are some really great tracks buried in here, almost masquerading themselves as pop but trying to break free. Others are blueprints for later Beatles, You can't do that sounds lightyears ahead of the rest of the album. Actually a pretty decent album on reflection. 3.5*

Pretty uninspiring 60s psychadelica. Not sure how this made it on here.

Love ateviea voice and style. Didn't have as good songs as the other Stevie album I've had, Innervisions, but some pretty solid tracks here regardless.

Got as far as the terrible cover of Imagine. No thanks.

Like most trip hop albums, some good songs but most last too long and there are too many tracks on here. Its actually one of the better ones though, despite not being great still.

God damn I'm still bitter my uni days coincided with this lazy shite British indie rock nonsense. Ruled out 90% of songs played in clubs. Boyband pop for teenagers who think liking guitar music is cool. Only of my biggest regrets is waiting hours at the mainstage to watch these headline Glastonbury. Should have just left my mates for a few hours and actually had a good time elsewhere.

Enjoyed bits of that. African bit towards the end not so much, but early parts were pretty chilled and fun. Not something I'd have often but once in a while.

As if Sinatra wasn't already destined for a 1* again already, he's decided to make a song called "making whoopee", which appears to be saying don't shag your wife on your wedding night else you'll have kids(?). Let this man's music die goddammit.

Lasted until the end of Work It. After reading that that song won a Grammy Award, and was named the 56th greatest song *of all time* by Rolling Stones, I realised that this stuff is like landing on an alien world and just not being able to understand any of it so what's the point in trying. It sounds utter, utter, shite.

Always had the inkling Massive Attack were overrated from the little I've heard from them, and this album solidifies it. So many skippable tracks

An interesting album, that was completely unhelped by poor audio quality. Low fidelity, when not by design, never sounds good, masking the nuances that would make some songs extremely interesting. Low-fi when used in modern music plays on that and uses it to it's advantage by making song structures purposefully non-complex, which was not the case here. It was hard to get past that. Not really much worth keeping, but I can appreciate that at the time this must have been mind-blowing to hear. 2.5*

Way better than Sinatra, but that's not saying much. Wish the album continued in the style of the opening track which was actually pretty decent. Rest just got too slow and 50s for my liking

Tale of two halves. Great opening tracks. 3 & 4 also pretty good. 5 - 8 much weaker, (Fred Durst has forever ruined Behind Blue Eyes it seems). Outgoing song was pretty good. Not sure why it's heralded as one of the greatest releases ever though. Nowhere near as good as other seminal rock hits of the early 70s.

Despite loving the Freewheeling and the times... I was never able to get into anything Dylan after that. This was pretty good, though still nothing compared to those two. Some good tracks, but nothing to blow me away. Some poor ones. Good but not great album. 3.5*

That was bizarre, but disappointing. Music was mediocre early UKs raver scene, with a few very self indulgent dubbed vocals. The wiki page on this band though was an absolute wild read. Music didn't live up to the heights I was expecting based on this sadly.

No unenjoyable but not sure why this was on the list. If this has made it then surely Richard Cheese or Elvana have to definitely be on here. Maybe these guys were first. Definitely didn't need to last 80 minutes though. 2.5*

Started off good but really tailed off in that second half. Some good 80s synth pop in there (despite it being a 90s release). Not paid much attention to Depeche Mode, I reckon they'd have a decent greatest hits album but way too much filler on this. First half 4*, second half 2*

Okish tribute to 60s British rock. What gets me is how insanely good Dreaming of You is compared to the rest of the album. One hit wonder almost. If I'd written a song like that I'd have harnassed all my energy to achieving 10 other songs like it, but it feels like they only got anywhere near close once or twice.

Pretty dull 60s psychadelic rock. This list seems to be a bit saturated in this stuff now, I've lost count at how many times I've written that first sentence. 1 or 2 good tracks, the rest utterly skippable. 2.5*

THE industrial rock/metal album. The only one that matters anyway. Pretty Hate Machine and The Fragile I'd argue are different genres, so, (the broken EP aside) Trent came in and absolutely smashed it out of the park with this release. This album is probably the one that has the most profound impact on my life. I used to love other bands at earlier stages in my life - Oasis, Blink, Limp Bizkit (sorry), Queens of the Stone Age etc. But this was the first time I properly connected with an album on a much, much deeper level. The first and maybe only time I'd felt like an album was written *for* me. I havent listened to it properly in years so it's nice to be made to go back and listen to it afresh again. Mr Self Destruct is such a great opener. Basically tells you what you're going to get on this album. Other bands had mastered the soft/hard style of songwriting (Nirvana, Pixies spring to mind) but Trent shows he is equally adept at it here. Closer has perhaps been overplayed too many times that I didn't think too much of it on reflection despite absolutely loving it as a teenager. Ruiner/Becoming is such a good combination. The Godzilla samples he uses on Becoming are so perfectly placed. The last 5 songs though are just a phenomenal run. People (including Trent) have said that Hurt is now a Cash song, and I get that point of view, but also respectfully disagree. Cash changed it to something else which also had great meaning and sounded amazing, but in a different way. Similar to how the US office is totally different to the UK office but it's ok to love and respect both without feeling one ripped off the other or made it better. They're literally two different genres in each example. 5/5 on reflection, thought I'd like it less than I did listening back 20 years a later but it's an absolute beast. Phenomenal stuff.

Really enjoyed that. Some good slightly psychadelic 90s British rock. Reminded me a bit of of Dodgy with sprinklings of Smashing Pumpkins/Sonic Youth in there. First 5 tracks were absolute belters, but definitely trailed off a bit in the latter stages. Would have loved it to end on the penultimate song, don't understand why some bands end great albums with gimmicky songs (looking at you Kyuss/Lick Doo). Will listen to this many times again I'm sure.

Well that answers my question of "what if a giant Welsh guy had the voice of Michael Jackson?" Very 80s. Very poppy. Very disco-y. But it kind of works. Not going to lie, even by the end of the 39 minutes I was slightly bored of it, but it had it's charm in places. 2.5*

This list loves a bit of new-wave, which is strange looking back as someone born just after that period ended. It's clearly not a good enough genre to stand the test of time, same as bubblegum pop, glam rock etc. etc. Pretty mediocre stuff.

Really loved that. First time hearing these guys, great bit of funk n soul. Definitely gonna put this on the rotation.

Was excited about this, loving metal and all. Even the albums namesake I used to love in my teenage years. Sadly didn't do a lot for me. A lot of the other NWOBHM were better, if still not my thing. Very average.

Good opener, amazing closer. The rest was pretty meh. Unique voice but it got tiring by the end. Last track should have modelled the whole album. Pretty good, feel I will listen to first and last track a lot in the future but the rest maybe never again.

Wow. First time really listening to Bjork. Blown away. That voice is unreal, utterly captivating. Music is phenomenal, blend of UK rave, IDM, jazz, pop, all blended into one. 4.5*, rounding up for the surprise factor

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Ignoring Hotel California. That song is so overplayed it's impossible to rate. The rest was boring dad rock. Some songs teased that they might go somewhere interesting, but they were just teasing apparently. 2.5*

Thought it sounded dull on the first lesson. Read up on the album on wiki and thought I must have not being attention given what was written about it. Second listen, still dull. Third listen, still dull. It's not bad, there's just nothing particularly good about it. 2.5*.

Like a slightly less annoying version of the wall. Not a fan of the 70s rock opera esque albums that pop up on here. 2*

Hear me out, I think this album needs to be on this list. The rap-rock genre was absolutely massive at the time, and this album encapsulates all the bad parts of the genre - over-produced, by a guy who was completely fake, terrible lyrics that a teenager would be proud of, an appearence from the flavour of the day (Eminem here). The genre died as quickly as it came about, so this acts as almost a time capsule into why it was a flash in the pan. 1.5* for the music, rounding up to 2 as perversely I think it needs to be on this list even though it's absolute dogwank.

Amazing. First track was brilliant, second good in parts but didn't hold itself like the first. Can really hear the impact this had on music, still hearing it's legacy in music released today... Floating Points, Squarepusher etc. Second or third Miles Davis album I've had now and by far the best. Definitely will have this on rotation. Perfect to work to.

Very disappointing. I had ill communication a while a back and thought it was ok at best. Rapping style got a bit tiresome after a while but there were a few good tracks on it. This one...rapping even more annoying and no good tracks. 1.5*

Made it half way through. Couldn't do the honky tonk. Not going to lie, I thought at first the album cover was him having a wank over a couple. It was downhill from there. Unnecessary intro track, a not terrible actual first track, and then loads of naff tracks before I pulled the plug. 1.5*

Enjoyed that. Didn't need to be so long, could have been a great 10-12 album or so. But still, cut the weak and there's a fantastic album in here. First time hearing him and impressed

Nope. 1 year in and finally meet a Grime album, one of my least favourite genres. I just can't take it seriously. Literally grow up and do something productive for society instead of this individualism bullshit.

Great album. Listened to it once when I was younger but couldn't get into it. Right time/age now. Appreciate him not overdoing it and making an hour long 14-track album which kneecaps most of the best ones. Few weaker, softer, more biblical tracks stop the covered 5*, but it sure comes close. 4.5*

Not great, not awful. Poppy first half got old after one song. Rocky bit was better but still uninspiring. Liked Black Maria, sounded like recent-qotsa. Rock opera was awful, turned off mid way through. Interesting concept, probably great for the time, just doesn't really do a lot for me personally. 2.5*

So dull. What was that?? How is that something everyone must listen to. It wasn't bad, but was so hard to tell if it was good as it was instantly forgettable. 2.5*

I'm guessing that was a ground breaking album for its time because otherwise it's just pretty boring jazz from the 60s that's randomly appeared on the list. 2.5*

Normally not a fan of live albums when unless a massive fan of the music already, but was intrigued when I read that this was the album that got him fame, after his previous ones didn't sell to well. Sadly it met my initial expectation. I feel like I'd need to know the original version inside out to get the emotion and intricacies behind the live version. Audio quality wasn't amazing although I'm sure it was great for a live recording back in the 70s. Bonus track was the best on the album, ironically the only non live one. 2.5*

That actually wasn't bad. Inoffensive hiphop/rap. Went on too long as always but there were actually some decent tunes in there. More relaxed ones were more enjoyable. Saved a few.

Lasted about 15 minutes. That was so bland it's impressive. I'm not sure if I'm meant to feel anything towards that.

It's rare to say this, but what an incredibly beautiful album. One of my favourites despite rinsing it dry after spending £1 as a poor student on it when they released it initially as pay-what-you-want on the internet (remember those times?). Every song hits you in different ways at different times. Videotape might be one of the most chilling album endings ever. A very very welcome response to Hail to the Thief, which was imo their poorest since Pablo Honey and signs they were falling away a bit. It's a shame they've never hit the lofty heights of In Rainbows since then, but if this is indeed their last 5* album of their career then what a bloody great run they had.

Felt bit like a modern art exhibit at points. So while some tracks were enjoyable, most others seemed up to the listener to turn it into something greater than they actually were. For example "Black" was little more than a slightly annoying basic tune on repeat, with someone frequently telling us they were black on top of it. Feels like when I'm at the Tate Modern looking at a rusty bedframe stuck to a wall and the plaque says it represents the evil and suffering of mankind. Fair enough, but I'm still just seeing a bit of metal sellotaped to a wall. Taking the music and lyrics in isolation, removing the social issues aspect, I don't think there's enough going on here to justify it being a great album. I'm not surprised they've pumped out 11 albums in 5 years given how basic this was. 2*, though removing about three quarters of the tracks that don't lead anywhere you'd have a pretty decent short EP of meaningful songs.

What an album opener. Bring a big fan of metal, I would have loved to have been there at the time when this album came out just to experience the title track, having heard nothing of the sort before. Easily one of the best doom/stoner metal songs of all time, and it arguably was the first one to exist. Sadly the rest of the album doesn't live up to these lofty heights. Sabbath would go on to achieve greater things in their next two albums, but the rest of this album is a bit meandering. The wizard is ruined by the harmonica imo, and Evil Woman was an unnecessary cover inclusion which is sounds like the band didn't even want on the record. They recorded the album in less than 12 hours and mixed it in one further day, so I can't help but feel if they spent more time making it tight rather than practically a live album it could have been an all time classic.

Pleasant. Not as good as What's going on which came a couple days ago funnily enough. Less social issues and entirely love related, which gets a bit boring after a while. Appreciate the short run time though. Combining the best from the two albums and you've potentially got something pushing 5* on your hands.

I'm going to assume this was the first experimental instrumental album released, because otherwise if the reason for it's inclusion on this list is it appeared in the exorcist that's a joke. Pretty poor stuff to be honest. I've seen this album referenced a lot so that was a big let down. Massively overrated. The sections were too jumpy, haphazardly moving from one segment to another without any link or keeping the listener engaged and understanding the flow. When he started listing instruments that were due to come it was time to bow out. Way better pieces have been made by this. If there's no Steve Reich in this list but this makes it in that's a crime against humanity.

Might be biased as I think the genre is shit, but this list has an overabundance of US country music. It's strange as it also has an overabundance of British rock, which I don't mind as a genre. But why those two genres? If the list is made by one person it's very bizarre to love two genres that have zero overlap. Anyway, naff. Somehow butchered a Beatles song. Congrats 1.5*

Just cannot do Rod's voice. Honky tonk also just doesn't sound right to me, nevermind from someone our side of the pond. Stones are the only ones to vaguely pull it off imo. All Over Now is alright, the rest of the album was pretty tosh.

My favourite Smiths album. Though it's only now I've discovered that How Soon Is Now sometimes isn't included... The CD version I had growing up was obviously the 1993 UK rerelease version, as it looks like the original UK release and the 2011 remaster both don't have it, as with the Spotify version. Weird hearing That Joke... segway into Nowhere Fast. I included it back in for my listening pleasure Anyway, this contains a few of my favourite smiths songs, Headmaster, How Soon, Barbarianism. But what makes this album their best is that other than Rusholme and the title track, the rest are incredibly strong. Johnny Marr's playing is unbelievable, and it's one of the best guitar - bass combo albums. The presence of the bass being brought right to the front of the mix on Headmaster and Barbarianism makes it sound bloody amazing. 5* (4.5* if we're excluding How Soon Is Now)

Pretty bland 80s funk/rock. I preferred Faith No More's debut which is the only thing I can relate to it. 2.5*. Not bad, not great.

Can't stand indie, but this wasn't absolutely terrible. Just mostly terrible. Opening track the only one I recognised, wasn't as bad as I remember. Most of the rest was tosh. Man who would be king was alright tbf. But my god what a bland souless genre of music.

First two tracks were class. Super funky. Loved the surprise Let Me Ride by Dre sample in track 2. Sadly it tailed off a bit after that. Track 3 good but 4-7 really dropped in stature. Will throw those first two into my rotation list though for sure. Good vibes.

If you told me I was about to embark on 35 minutes of instrumental music from a backing band in 1962 I'd have said Oh Christ. Luckily it wasn't as bad as I feared. I do actually love the 12 bars riff which formed the basis for a good chunk of the songs. The organ was a welcome addition in lieu of any vocals. Couple tracks saved down, first one is obviously timeless. Also nice to hear where Beatles got their Twist & Shout version from.

New wave has always been a bit up it's own arse, but this took the mick a bit. I'm not sure if he was singing out of tune on Joan of Arc on purpose, but it really didn't come off well. Turgid.

That was shite. I've seen Alice before but was too pissed to remember. Looking forward to being made to listen to this when it popped up but what an absolute mess. Seemed to stumble from genre to genre, tweaking each slightly to try and sound cool to rebellious 14 year olds in the early 70s. Really, really not my thing. 1.5*

Possibly one of the best debut albums (of original songs) of all time. The fact he was 20/21 when writing these lyrics is incredible. Some of the best song writing of all time. The way he wraps existential dread, anger, sorrow, all up into humourous and downright clever lyrics blows my mind. I'd start quoting but there's too many examples to even begin. Few weak tracks (never got on with the opener), but 8-9 of these songs are easily 5*. This album could be nothing else.

The creator's love for britpop continues. I feel sorry for the confused yanks going through this list, the same way I feel sorry for myself when the 200th terrible country album appears. Pretty bland stuff from the verve. I've honestly never met anyone in 35 years of living in the UK that has ever mentioned the verve, nevermind it being a positive opinion. I feel drained of energy after this. It's as if Pearl Jam did a 90s album without a single catchy riff or lyric. 2.5*

"First album written on ecstacy", but far from the best surely. Way to much echo/reverb placed on Shaun's vocals to find them enjoyable, and a real lack of catchy tunes. Sounds like a "had to be there" album. Not bad, but not offering much to the table 35 years later.

Not on Spotify, which makes it annoying to judge. Managed to find a version on YouTube, it after about 20 minutes and my fourth adbreak i gave up. There was one funky track near the start I liked, after that it got a bit naff. Move on.

Dull as dishwater. Not in the mood for this today.

Alex Turner/Kaiser Chiefs do a spaghetti western soundtrack. Not what I asked for, and not what I really wanted to be honest. Reminded me of a much worse spin off than Them Crooked Vultures, so if this makes the list and TCV doesn't, then the compiler needs to get off the indie hype train.

I get the impression the guy liked the first track, presumed the rest of the album followed suit, and so put it on the list. It did not. Good first track, naff rest of album. Yawn

Some albums have disproportionate importance to your life. This is one of mine. After 10-15 years of nothing but rock and metal, progressively getting heavier and heavier, with the last few years basically being solely death or black metal, I suddenly flipped in my early 20s and got into electronica. This was the gateway album. I'd heard other stuff before, but this was the album that pretty much every track I was hooked to, and it became the soundtrack of my year (although I've forgotten exactly which one). It actually starts off weaker imo, great opening track but then 2&3 are the only low points in the album (though not *that* low), but after that... Wow. Id love to listen to this album completely fresh now I'm 10+ years down the line of non-metal genres but like so many albums on this list that's impossible. All I can give it is the highest honour

Always find Queen a bit too operatic and even though this album had nice tinges of heavy metal, it still suffered from the same thing most of Queens music suffers from. Nothing special other than the songs i already recognised. 2.5*

Enjoyed that. Can't recall if I've heard anything by them before. I think what I enjoyed most was hearing where a lot of later bands took inspiration from. It wasn't a perfect album, but its sound has been taken and expanded by others in different directions elsewhere. Feel like it was an important release, which is said far less frequently than I was expecting on this list. 4* for that reason.

Dont recall hearing these before even though the name sounds familiar. Enjoyed it. Funky, didn't drag on, would listen to again. 3.5*.

The first triphop album I got into when I started branching away from metal. Rinsed it dry, but can still hear the quality. It drags in parts, cant help but feel a lot of the interludes could have been cut, and each song trimmed slightly. Very good album, but just shy of great.

Can't work out if this is genius or whether it falls into the same category that Alt J/the XX etc did - 2010s breathy alternative pop that sounds immensely deep but after 10 listens you realise it's actually quite shallow. Ill have this on rotation to check but it could go either way - I'll start off by going down the middle. This could very easily be a 2 or a 4 by next week.

This is one of those rare albums that I initially thought would comprise the majority of the 1,001 albums. An album that I've never heard of, probably wouldn't have discovered, am not initially a huge fan of the genre but appreciate why it's on this list and makes me want to explore more. Refreshing sound, much better than the endless list of country, Clapton and Morrisey nonsense I seem to get on here. Tales off slightly in the latter half but definitely one I'll be exploring more of.

Can hear a lot of inspiration that other bands took from this, but it's really not good. Not sure if it just hasn't aged well, but it just sounds pretty tepid. Rare I skip the majority of tracks on a rock album, so this is how unenjoyable I found it.

Always something unsettling about British artists doing country music. This wasn't terrible, just creepy. 1.5*

Pleasant. I only knew Fast Car beforehand, probably a reason why that's her standout hit. Rest of the album sounded extremely similar but with slightly less emotion in it. Nice background music, but not something I'm desperate to have on repeat anytime soon.

The last of Zeppelin's hot streak. 6 stellar albums from formation, though this most probably the weakest of the six, whilst still containing some great songs. I think like almost all double LPs it runs into the sin of feeling a bit bloated in parts. This could have been yet another amazing album if it had been polished and trimmed correctly. Really tails off toward the end. Everything after 10 years gone is skippable imo. 3.5*

One of the more overrated albums imo. The Nico tracks are pretty diar. Heroin probably the only standout. I get for it's time it was groundbreaking, but unlike a lot of similar groundbreaking albums around that time (from the likes of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Stooges, Sabbath etc.) I don't think it's aged particularly well. It sounds like pretty bland dream-pop that would have been forgotten instantly were it released a decade later. 2.5*

Well that's answered the question I didn't know I asked, as to "how would the Beatles sound if they had less talent". Most of that pretty skippable/forgettable. First and last tracks the only one worth a second listen. Even switched over to the stereo version as the mono sounded awful. Not a winner in my book. 2.5*

Was intrigued by the first song but it got more and more grating as the album went on. Lasted till half way. Vocals got unlistenable, which is pretty brutal given some of the vocals on things I actually like. Not quite sure why it's on this list.

Bland to the point of being a bit annoying. In the right mood I wouldn't mind this on in the background, but that day is not today.

Not the worst country, but still absolutely terrible. At least this was a quick listen/skip. 1.5*

Something different...much needed after a week of dross. Experimental without being OTT. First 3 tracks were pleasant but not really stand out, final 20min saga was where the album really came to light though. One to listen to again another time. 3.5*

This is my third Morrissey album (compared to a solo Smiths record so far). Hopefully that lead will be reversed by the time this ends otherwise I'm going to question the relevance of this list. Like the other ones so far, incredibly mediocre. Certainly not a game changer, even for it's time.

Ok. Pretty funky. But laboured in parts. Nothing really great but nothing that poor either. Can see why it made the list.

I really wished I got Adele, for my partner's sake, but she just doesn't really do it for me. It just feels a bit empty to me, despite the subject matter being apparently very emotional. Compare this to Bjorks vespertine for example and they're a world apart. One tugs on the heart strings, this just sits in the background until your realise you're still listening to it. I think I preferred it to her earlier 21 album, but given that was relatively forgettable I'm not too sure.

Let me know which club these classics are played in as I need to ensure I never go. 1.5*

I'm torn on Sigur Ros. I feel like I should love them but I don't. Their albums always sound nice and dreamy when listening to them, but they turn out to be one of those dreams that you forget instantly and wake up groggy and confused. Surprised to see this is their best rated album, been a while since I listened to them but I think I prefer the later ones (Takk etc.)

Pleasant. Not entirely sure it's groundbreaking enough to be included in this list, but at least it wasn't crap/annoying. Might listen to a few songs again but the rest were pretty backgrpoundish.

What on earth, a country album that I actually liked?! Either there's something intrinsically different about this one or this lists endless barrage of country music has finally broken me. Second half petered out a bit but the first half was pretty stellar.

God damn I hate Kanye so much. It's rare I detest a musician but here we go. Even putting aside his recent mental deterioration, despite this album being shite I was pleased to hear some samples of stuff I like, including King Crimson and Aphex. Then I decided to read up on the album. Robert Fripp from KC quit the music industry after this was released a he had no say in it. Richard offered to redo the AFX sample as it was so poorly copied but Kanyes team said they own it now, not him, so do one. How do I give negative stars?

Not sure why anyone has to hear this before they die. Not that it's bad, it's just so forgettable. I feel like it should be played quietly of the lobby in the Hilton in Krakow. A few songs stand out a bit, but a good 10+ I skipped as I was falling asleep and I actually need to be awake today

One of those albums that I think if I tried learning a few instruments over the course of a year I'd probably be able to match it. Not sure why it's on here. Few songs were ok, most were pretty bland. Inoffensive overall. 2.5*

Possibly my favourite Shoegaze album. I can totally understand why people might not be able to get into it, but once you crack the surface you can see the absolute beauty lying under earth. Lyrics don't matter, the vocals are just yet another ethereal sound to add to the dreamscape that is the music. One of the best albums to work to. 4.5*

I don't get Run-DMC. How were they ever big? They have the most basic backing beats, the vocal style is tiring, there's just nothing good about it. Just put together a few snares or bass drum hits hear and there, the occasional record scratch, shout down a 30m long corridor and congrats, you've got yourself a Run-DMC cover band. Yawn. 1.5*

Well blow me away. I remember this coming out and hating it. Never really got on with grime in general. Listening back now, I'm pleasantly surprised. Some of the backing tracks are great, almost sound Aphex Twin-esque. When he calms down a bit with the rapping it actually sounds really great. Tracks like Cut em off, Jezebel and Do It are very enjoyable. This is offset somewhat by the OTT ones, like stop dat, just a rascal etc. Mixed bag, the lows are low but the highs are high. Will listen to some of these again for sure.

Weirdly this isn't on Spotify, despite her having tonnes of others on here. I can find the remix album, and a playlist of seven of the original songs, so I've opted to rate the latter. Very chilled, quite enjoyed it, would have liked to hear more. 3.5*

I know Aja fairly well but that's it when it comes to Steely Dan apart from a couple other tracks. The ones I knew from here I really like, Rikki and the title track. The rest were a bit of a let down, a smattering of a genres that felt a bit unnecessary and disjointed.

One of the only tolerable gangsta rap albums. The misogynistic side gets a bit tiring, but the beats are actually pretty decent and some of the lyrics are clever. Could be a lot shorter and a better if the crap was cut. 3.5*

Very disappointing, particularly coming a few weeks after getting Heart of Gold and absolutely loving it. It reminded me of Be Here Now, a rambling mess with what should be 4-minute songs lasting 10 minutes. Arguably one of the better songs, fuckin up, inexplicably decides to end on 1 whole minute of amp feedback. Why? There's a reason every song doesn't end on a minute of feedback. Because it's a shite idea. Not even once. Neil's voice sounds particularly strained and aged here, and suits rock n roll a lot less than it suited the country/folk of Heart of Gold. Didn't even save down a track from this one.

Surprisingly good. Never given her the time of day, but to hear this from an 18-19 year old is pretty incredible. Normally not my genre at all so fair play. A few of the backing beats seem unnecessary, the latter half of the second track is ruined by them for example. Can see why she was fuming with the mixing of the album. Some really good tracks on here though, what a voice on such a young woman. 3.5*

Very pleasantly surprised to see this on the list, given the greater commercial success of the later FF albums. Got to into this album quite late, but my god what a debut. Love an album where one person plays/sings everything. Something I could only dream of. This album is a perfect follow on from Nirvana. Grunge elements retained in bit, but with a blend of garage rock/whatever Dave felt like at the time. Though almost all songs are not as polished as later FF releases (e.g. everlong), their rawness adds to the charm. Good Grief remains one of my FF songs despite it's relative simplicity, whereas Exhausted is one of the best album closers - after a pretty heavy fast/slow album you've got a droney, black-metal esque riff with some of Dave's most ethereal vocals. 4.5*, rounding up as it's just ended on an absolute banger

Pretty dull, not going to lie. Often can't get on with non-english vocals as there's nothing to relate to / agree with etc. there are a few exceptions but this definitely isn't on them. Music itself left me a bit bored.

Super 80s that I actually quite liked it. The more cheesy 80s songs were the better ones. No need for the Al Green or Beatles covers and pretty naff ender. But other than that I somewhat guiltily enjoyed it.

Perfect. Exactly what I wanted from this list. Something which is not normally my thing and something that I never would have listened to without it, but blew me away. The solo's on the opening track and on super stupid are face melting. Love it. Few weaker tracks and I was hoping the last track would be more akin to the first but overall still incredible for something that's over half a century old.

This list has made me realise I can't do the Velvet Underground. It's experimental for experimental-sake. It's like getting some sixth form students together studying art with ok-ish musical ability and telling them they have 4 weeks to come up with something outside the box. This is literally that album. Waffle. Sister Ray the only bearable song, for about 7 minutes. Then it just descends into yet more shite.

Not entirely sure what the point of that was. Pretty poor trip hop album given the quality that was getting released around a similar time. Belladonna the only track that made me feel anything. Anything at all. 2.5*

For someone who doesn't like Reggae I've annoyingly found myself at many concerts given friends' music tastes. Once left a Damian Marley half way through as i thought it was about to die of boredom. My mine gripe is the lack of diversity in songs. Go through this album, listen to the first 2 seconds (the intro percussion beat), and then skip to 1 minute or so. All 9 tracks are virtually indistinguishable. Don't understand it. 2.5*

Thankfully there's not been many live albums on here - my view is that in general, unless you're familiar with a band it's very rare that a live album would be more enjoyable that the studio versions. However, I would probably guess that the opposite would be true here. Not the biggest blues fan, but this live album actually made me interested in exploring more. Definitely the best live album on this list so far. Only a few unnecessary moments (the classic drum solo, the 3-5 minute quiet bit that you're just waiting to pass) that come with every love album, but the rest was pretty stellar. Only 1 weak track and that was possibly the shortest on the album.

Just find VM a bit boring, despite it not being boring music. Can't quite put my finger on it. 2.5*

Pleasant in parts, but ran on too long and my lack of love for non-english music shone through. 2.5*

I had Surfer Rosa/I am Pilgrim growing up, which I always found a bit bloated so didn't rate it that highly, especially in comparison to Doolittle. However, this is my first time absorbing Surfer Rosa solo. Being just 33 minutes actually helps it a bit, it makes the weaker tracks, and there are a couple, drag on less. There's still plenty to about about on this album. Not as polished (or as good) as Doolittle, but a great debut from a band which quietly changed music history

Not long after my Alex Turner randomly assembled side project, here's Damon Albarns. Pretty tame/bland again. Last song the best, which makes me think he had a good idea for a song and decided to name both the band and the album after it. Very inoffensive. Doesn't deserve to be anywhere near this list, which makes me want to mark it down, but I'll refrain.

God. I think Pulp are sadly one of the most overrated British bands. This is their pinnacle and it's still pretty shite. Take away Common People and Disco 2000 and it's a horrible album seemingly written by a perv. How the hell these headlined Glasto is beyond me. 2* for the aforementioned two songs.

Surprisingly good. Always found S&G a bit bland in the past but I relatively enjoyed this. Nice 60s folk, short run time, plenty of variety. What's not to (really) like!

Lasted half way. Not sure I was really hoping to hear Woody from toy story mug off the southern states before I die but fair enough. Happily will erase this from my memory now.

My first album was Nick Cave and it was shite, so it's amusing to see him pop up again over 400 albums later. Story behind this is very sad, and it comes out completely in the music. Not normally my thing, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much it resonated still. Saved a couple songs, but most aren't the kind of thing you would pop on for a quick listen. Once to absorb fully, though I'm not sure I would again.

Really bad proto-punk. Can hear a lot what would come in the genre here. Might have enjoyed it when I was 14 but no chance now. 1.5*

A day after getting some terrible proto-punk in the form of Violent Femmes, here comes some really good proto-punk! This is how it should be done ffs. Never heard of this band before but thoroughly impressed. Few weaker tracks but some absolute bangers on here. Will be on rotation for sure.

Like most Rolling Stones albums, a bit bloated, rambling in parts but with some good tunes. Less honky tonk than some other albums which is a good thing. One of the more enjoyable ones I've listened to but after two listens I still couldn't tell you a single song I remember.

The worst of the Smiths albums but still an absolute banger. Ridiculous band. The fact that neither of them achieved nothing great afterwards showed how much it was lightning caught in a bottle. Well done.

Gutted this isn't on Spotify... Really enjoyed that and would love to listen more but YouTube is a massive pain. By far the best non-spotify album that's popped up, great lyrics and great tunes.

That wasn't as terrible as I was expecting, but I was expecting something horrendous tbf. Faith has been overdone so ignoring that. First half I didn't hate, I can see why he's popular with people with that particular taste in albums. By the latter half of the album I was lastine a minute or two then skipping. The actual music was boring tbh, beats were way too slow and soft. Nice voice, but not really my genre.

Sea Change is arguably one of my biggest pleasant surprises on here, but the brief bit of Beck I checked out at the time was disappointing, and this album continues that. He was great at singing about heartbreak, this album just seems a bit all over the place and a bit random. Some genres he's alright at, some others I'm questioning the need for. Average.

Insanely boring. Like someone took the worst parts of REM and made a compilation of it. Should be nowhere near this list.

Pretty forgettable 60s pop. Few random genres thrown about but on the whole pretty underwhelming

Pleasant if I was in my 60s and was throwing a dinner party, but that's a while till that becomes me. Faster tracks were much more enjoyable, slower ones not so much. Nice to hear, can see why it's on this list, but generally not for me.

Enjoyed that actually, never heard anything but the Trigger Happy theme tune. Amazed at how well it did, beating Oasis to the fastest selling album... It's good but not that good. Decent blend of punk, britpop, rock etc. torn between 3 and 4*

Wow. I've never listened to these before. I don't like hardcore as a genre but I get it now. This is it, everything that has come since is poser shite. Not normally my thing but will definitely have this on my life to get fired up sometimes. TV Party seems to have been the entire basis of NOFXs discography, and I've got no issues with that. Hilarious song that led to a hilarious band. Extra * just for that one song.

First song was really good. Looking forward to the rest after that, but it just got bogged down by bland but inoffensive tunes. Only a couple stood out, but the rest pretty forgettable.

I just find her voice a bit annoying tbh. Just because you have a massive vocal range doesn't mean you should use the entire spectrum in almost every song. Not for me.

Like seemingly all of queen's albums, shite when they go operatic/soft, good when they actually go heavy. I'm in love with my car the only new addition to songs by them I actually like, which are seemingly few and far between. Reminds me a bit of the Beatles when they'd go off-piste, with the main difference being it was a novelty with the Beatles so acceptable, but for Queen it's seemingly 3 in every 4 songs. Really drags. 2.5*

Torn as to whether this deserves 2* or 5*. On the one hand I like the 80s throwback. On the other hand I think it sounds better than a lot of music back then purely because of improvements in technology, and is completely unoriginal. On the one hand I find the voice captivating, on the other it grates after about 5 songs and the lyrics seem pretty shallow. Not sure where to place this. I think a few songs are good in isolation. I enjoyed Under the Tide being a break from her voice. I'll tentatively give this a three but will put it on my list of things to listen to again.

A slightly laborious listen. Way too long, with most songs sounding the same. Prefer it when he sings about political issues rather than emotional. 2.5*

Bit of a random inclusion. Actually sounds pretty good for 1970, but not so stand out to warrant an inclusion on the top 1001 imo. Still, it's a lot better than some of the shite on this list.

Slightly biased as I was obsessed with this album when I was 18. Nice to listen back half a lifetime later and reflect on it. It is slightly simplistic, but sometimes that really helps it. Real cool time - lyrics beyond simple, but unreal guitar sound/tone that makes it sound so raw. Wanna be your dog one of the best 'simple' songs out there - unreal tune. Mad to think this came out when the Beatles were still about. I can understand those who can't get into it, but I can equally understand why it blew me away as a teenager.

Wow. I'd partially forgotten this album existed, foolish me. What a fucking debut this is. They captured lightning in a bottle with this, tried getting into other Pearl Jam albums over the years but just never done it for me. Ten is phenomenal however. How can anyone not instantly dig Even Flow on first listen. And the other tracks that then open up on subsequent listens. Best opening 6 tracks of any band ever? Quite possibly. Easy 5*

Despite the list owner loving Nick Cave, I sadly do not. Really really grating voice. Spoils every track tbh. Please no more, this is #3 and I'm only a third of the way through the list. Make it stop.

Lasted 4 songs. Surely this isn't the best Congo has to offer. The bad MS paint job album cover, the string of controversies that litter his wiki page, the ok-ish music... Not for me.

I've always rated the Avalanches as a slightly better version of Daft Punk. A fair few songs that miss but the album works really well together as a whole. Nice to have on in the background when having mates over etc. Great live as well

I get some things with music that goes against my beliefs. I get people thinking the Beatles are overrated. I get people not liking metal. But I do not get people who hate Radiohead, in particular this album. Either they're lying, trying to go against the grain, or there is something wrong with the audio part of their brain. I can't even listen to this anymore due to overplaying it as a teenager, but even within 10s of airbag I know it's still going to sit up there at the top of the best album of all time. What makes it even better is knowing the transition from Pablo Honey, via the Bends, to this. You can literally hear a band evolve from bland, generic rock to ethereal stardom. That's so unique. Id love to have more examples but struggling to even think of anyone else who's had such a trajectory.

Got just over half way. Not my cup of tea, first couple songs I could appreciate it for what it is but after half an hour then sheer boredom kicked in. I've heard a lot of similar bands that equally aren't my thing but probably deserve the list more than this one to be honest. 2.5*

Happy to be made to listen to it, after so many years of being aware of it's presence and not bothering. Positives: Some songs are pretty good. You can hear the Beatles strongly throughout which is no bad thing. Negatives: Way too long Vocoder ruins some songs, even arguably the best on the album. Very outdated instrument. Quite samey, though this probably ties into the length. Glad I was made to listen to it, but won't be running back. Ironically for a band that wanted to extend the Beatles and bring them into the future, they ended up sounding very dated and not standing the test of time, unlike the Beatles.

Took many years to get into this, but glad I finally did. The ingenuity and innovation is extremely impressive, but the one thing holding it back is it's insistence on including songs that are too far out there and too far removed from musical reality it detracts from the rest of the album. Some songs aren't great but allow the album to push it's boundaries (Bungalow Bill, Honey Pie, etc.), but others take that too far and ruin it a bit. I think if they excluded Wild Honey Pie, Piggies, Revolution 9 etc. The latter inclusion are the only thing holding this record back from being 5*.

Just can't do Lou Reed. When I see his name appear as next up on here part of me lets out a little groan. Same as Nick Cave, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen. Can I just skip them all now please. Give them all 2* so they don't feel too put out.

That was actually a lot better than I remember it to be fair. I always thought I liked Parachutes more but now I'm not so sure. This was the start of the end for them though. Songs like "In my place" and "Clocks" typify what went wrong with Coldplay imo - stadium rock songs that on first listen sound so deep but after another couple of listens you realise there's just zero substance to them. Warning Sign the stand out song.

Shame about this not being on Spotify, I was quite enjoying it but the ad breaks after every song completely ruined it. Very sombre, can see this hitting hard when in the right mood. Wish I could listen another couple of times to judge properly. 3.5*

Perfectly middle of the road. Not my genre, but not offensive. Not captivating, but not boring. Not great, but not bad.

First listen was pretty dull. However, something about it made me interested in going back, and reading someone say "picture it as Nick Drake singing" made it click for me. Second listen more enjoyable. Some decent songs, some mediocre. Overall a pleasant experience. 3.5*

Unique mix but very enjoyable. First African rock/blues I've come across and it worked very well, impressed

Couple songs in and I was quite enjoying it, very intriguing. Then I recognised it was Bjorks voice and it clicked why the band's name sounded familiar. Not as good as her solo stuff but still good, especially the first half. Petered out towards the end, and the songs with the male vocals were noticeably worse. Interesting to hear more of her pre-solo days. 3.5*

Best cooper album I've had on here so far. Didn't overrun, didn't get boring, was varied enough without going too far off piste in different directions. Can see why he was massive now. And 1973... that's less than a decade after the Beatles were still churning out love songs. Fair play.

The start of the steep downturn for Metallica imo. They ran into the trap of taking their current formula and extending each song out. When it works it works well, but some of the poor songs drag on and on and on - eye of the beholder totally ruins the great groove the album got into after the first two, and even those especially ajfa could have been a few minutes shorter. Some great riffs nonetheless, but the bloatedness and the mixing (whyyy would you remove the base) leave this album very far from 5* territory.

Fairly decent punk, loads of short songs which have their good and bad points - the good ones sadly end to early whereas the bad ones thankfully do. Can see this inspiring lots of bands so can understand it's inclusion.

Can't really do hair metal. I like sanctuary by this band but that's about. Shame this wasn't even that album. The fact this was coming out the same time as Metallica were releasing stuff makes me wonder who on earth was going to see the cult. Slightly different genre, yet 10x worse. 2.5*, first track the only one worth saving down.

If I was on a desert island with only this album for company I'd choose to live the rest of my life in silence.

The most refreshing new thing I've heard on this list in ages. It simultaneously sounds like so many other bands I've enjoyed and yet so unique. Love the musical style, the lyrics and their delivery, perfect use of hard/soft, fast/slow. Wow. How wasn't this album more massive. Kudos list creator for treating me to this. Easily top 5 new finds.

Not my thing, but not absolutely terrible. First song sounds like a 60s version of Its not Fair by Lily Allen. Happy it's over, nothing saved. Guessing the album help womens empowerment, good if so. 1.5*

Second Jam album on here and second one I've quite enjoyed. Some strong tracks but even the less strong ones I think I could grow to like. Reckon a lot of bands would have based their sound on these. 3.5*

A classic. No escaping from the fact that this was an absolute stellar album that changed the course of music (in Britain at least), despite the fact that the gallghers were bellends, britpop was short-lived, and this would have nowhere near the same impact if it hit today. One of the best debuts of all time, oasis forever chasing it's magic which they arguably only hit with the follow up, despite signs of wavering.

What luck. Two of my favourite albums two days in a row. End of a really good week in fact. Really think Sonic Youth caught lightning in a bottle with this one, nothing they did before or after came anywhere close, and lord I've tried finding. First 4 songs are an absolutely unbelievable opening sequence, guitar tone sounds like nothing I've heard elsewhere, the tuning is absolutely mental as I found out later. Dips a bit in the middle but the ending is again stellar. Wish I'd found it when I was 15 and 25, would have changed the course of my music journey I reckon.

I swear every Blur album is the same. Too many songs, too long, some good tracks, most mediocre, by the end you're glad it's over and but you enjoyed it in parts. Slightly better than Parklife at least. 3 5*

Bit hit & miss. He's obviously a bit of a bellends but he has some talent. Do think he leaned into the rock/blues thing a bit too much, album sounded disjointed with how quickly he veered off from imagine before going back into the softer stuff. The unsubtle dig at Paul was actually one of the better tracks funnily enough. Alright album but zero chance it was making this list if it wasn't John Lennon.

Probably my fave Bowie album, although you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy the second half. First half is good enough to enjoy whatever your mood. I oscillate between 3 and 5 for this so I'll go down the middle.

I've come to the conclusion after hearing plenty more rap over the years that Em is completely overrated. Bubblegum hardcore rap. MM LP is the only decent thing he ever did, this was actually pretty poor. As a kid I loved the singles but god listening back now it has not aged well.

I like working to ambient. I dont love it. Glad to see it represented on this list but I think there are better ones out there. SAWII, Pop, etc. Can see this getting slated on here but it's nice, peaceful etc. 2 to 4 depending on my mood.

First time hearing this, very interesting, if mainly for the fact that Nirvana's Bleach now seems like a complete rip-off of this (albeit quite a bit better), even including the album cover. Interesting to hear the formations of grunge, plenty of Stooges in here alongside a lot of other 70s/80s alt rock. Could see me getting into this if I were a bit younger.

Torn on this. To have made this is in 1967 is unreal. Released only a month or so after Sgt Peppers. On the other hand it's really not very good in places. Prog rock really finding it's feet and stumbling many times along the way. Flaming, for example, sounds like someone taking the piss out of early prog. That entire track 3-5 section is very poor. But then there are some good moments, like the opening track and the majority of Interstellar Overdrive. Difficult to score. 1* if it was released today, 4* as it kicked off a genre, extra points for it being Pink Floyd. 2.5*, but rounding up.

Howww has Rod appeared again in this list. I just don't get it, possibly one of the most grating voices in music. He sounds like he needs to suck on a strepsil and book a doctor's appointment if it doesn't clear up in 3 weeks (nevermind 70 years). Every song ruined yet again. Giving it 2 stars as some of the music is actually pretty good.

First track looks to be a homage to Talking Heads, which is a good sign. Starts off alright, definitely takes a turn for the worse in the middle when it started to get boring. Vocals don't suit an entire album. Picked up at the end but maybe a bit too late to save it from being a mediocre addition to the list.

No no no no. Got as far as Hillbilly Highway. That voice sounds like someone trying to dona parody of country to show how annoying it can be. How is that an actual voice. Just stop it. 2* as without the stupid accent it would actually be not terrible music wise. Starting to understand how Americans feel when they hear drill or Lily Allen or something.

Sorry, really not my thing. Reminds me of a less fun Beans on Toast. I can imagine being in a packed but very still & quiet crowd at Glasto as my friends have dragged me to see him and I'm bored stiffless. Can see why others might be into but just not for me.

Nice. Never would have heard this without this list. I find foreign language music very hit and miss, with a heavy skew towards miss. This was some great music where the vocals acted as another instrument almost, coming in and out of the foreground, which made it extremely enjoyable. Would listen to again.

So it turns out I really like King Crimson. Always thought they were a one album wonder band. Some good solid prog rock there, can hear a lot of inspiration this album had in later bands. Not one to pick out tracks to listen to isolation, but that isn't a bad thing.

Lasted half way. It's just not needed on the 1,001 albums you need to hear, let's be honest. Inoffensive country (a rarity) but it doesn't particularly lead anywhere interesting. So many better things that should have made this list.

Started off a bit slow but the middle was alright. Still not heard anything by Neil Young that even gets close to Heart of Gold record. Don't think this was worth of an inclusion unless I've missed something important

Probably among the biggest disappointments I've had on here. This has been on my radar for years but don't think I've ever given it the time it deserves. Turns out that isn't a lot of time at all. Aged pretty poorly, felt like another Happy Mondays-esque taking as much ecstacy as possible to see if something sticks. Like if Stone Roses went off the rails. Might have been something in this if it was half the length, but by the last 2-4 minutes of each track I was midnumbingly bored. Huge let down.

Gave this a couple of listens over a couple of weeks. Good to see this music presented on here. I think this album hasn't aged amazingly (album cover especially so!), but you can really see something here. At the time I'd have loved it I reckon. Elements of other stuff I like in here - early Squarepusher etc. Arguably drags on too long but if you go into knowing itll be a bit of a slog it negates the taxing element. 3.5*

You can't really vote this down right. Its obviously not great on today's standards, but it's akin to going to see some ancient cave art and saying "this isn't very good is it". Appreciating how this genre laid the foundations for one of the biggest and most important evolutionary paths in music history means it's 3* minimum. I probably wouldn't revisit much of this so I guess it'll stay at that.

Class. I wish I was introduced to Maiden much younger instead of early 20s. Think I would have been obsessed. Hard to choose between this and Power slave as their best. This might nick it due to closing on Hallowed Be Thy Name. Absolute banger.

I'll start of by saying I am happy heavy/death/nu-metal has finally been represented in this list for me after 500 albums, but I'll then bring it back down to earth by saying I'm disappointed it's this album. There are just so many better similar bands out there - Mastodon, Gojira, Opeth, Meshuggah, etc. Hell even KoRn has better albums, which go even further down the naffer nu-metal route. On the whole there's not much worth saving down from this album, despite it being fairly decent. No killer tracks (arguably Roots would count as one but I overplayed it in my teens). What could have been.

That was tough listening, again because I really thought that when I at some point I'd give Prince the time of day I'd absolutely love him, after only knowing Purple Rain (song, not the album) and loving it. For the second time I'm left sorely disappointed. 80s pop dross to be honest. Almost made it to the end but I just couldn't anymore. I'd love for someone to explain the attraction of prince to me. Maybe you had to be there.

I don't think I fully get Bowie. I always think he's just alright, not really sure about the massive hype. Never bad but never great. Another middle of the road Bowie album to add to the long list.

Enjoyable bit of proto-punk. Managed to remain interesting throughout, non abrasive vocals whilst retaining that punkish sneer, simple but effective guitar parts. 3.5*

What an absolute chore that was to get through. Really not my thing.

Actually not as good as I thought it would be. I presumed it would be more black metal focused given its listed as the album which launched the genre, but it honestly just sounded like a heavyier version of Motohead, Diamond Head etc. Still alright, but not blown away. I'm guessing actual black metal isn't represented on this list which is a shame. I think everyone should hear Drudkh before they die.

I can normally do a bit of noise rock, but this seemed a bit too aimless, a bit too erratic, without anything to really hook you in. Gave it a second listen to see if I missed anything the first time, and it turns out no, not really.

Wow I really dislike Elvis Costello. I simply don't understand where the enjoyment or attraction of his music is meant to come in.

Big surprise. Never heard of this before, but I didn't mind the other Spiritualised album that came up on here. In parts it blended Britpop with a psychedelic twist, in other parts some really good noise rock, and other parts the Velvet Underground if they actually had talent. Album certainly started stronger than it finished, but one that I'm looking forward to coming back to and exploring a lot more in future. One of those which is an easy 4*, but could find itself going one up or one down once fully digested.

Actually not bad. Maybe this list has broken me down with the amount of turgid country on it. Inoffensive, not my style but whatever, some catchy tunes but nothing to write home about. Alright.

I was a stones throw from giving this 5* (ignoring the three bonus tracks which detract slightly). Reading the blurb it sounds like this was the formation of emo but I'm not hearing that at all. This is some really good post-punk, with blends of alternative, grunge, noise rock thrown in. What lost 5* by a whisker was that quite annoying intro to super unison and the "new intro" song. Both those moments cut through the flow of the album, jarring you back into reality. Great find though. The kind of album this list was made for. 4.5*

I've got a bit of time for politically conscious hip hop, given the amount of absolute shite exists out there within the wider hip hop umbrella. Not totally my thing but hope it struck a chord hard with some people. Last track was the only one worth saving down, rest seemed a bit slow without any real hooks anywhere. 2.5*

Was intrigued on my first lesson a few songs in but got bored as it went on. Two more listens over two further days and it actually gets a bit more annoying on every listen. Under the Table in particular gets pretty draining after the third listen. It's a really interesting style but sadly a bit grating for some reason. Not my fave.

Has Morrissey blackmailed the list owner or something? Fourth Morrissey album not and I'm not even half way through. That's twice as many Smiths albums as I've gotten so far. Wtf. Anyway, another mediocre Morrissey album, proving Johnny Marr was the not-so-secret to his success. He just comes across more like a bell end the older he got. 2.5*, nothing really catchy on here

Ok, second appearance now by this absolutely bog standard and slightly-less-than-mediocre band, so obviously the list owner seems to really like them for some strange reason. It's a classic 2.5* album, absolutely nothing endearing, but inoffensive at the same time. It's the musical equivalent of a dry Jacobs cracker, or a flavourless rice cake. It's technically sustinence, but no one's enjoying it

Jesus that was bad. Hip hops quite low down for me already, and this album was very low down within that genre. How tf has that made the list. Not seen illmatic or the infamous yet, no chance Tical has made it in over them surely.

I'm amazed more than one DMR album has made this list. Where they really that big or important at the time? That groundbreaking? This one a bit less annoying than the last one that came up, but still absolutely nothing really worth saving down or coming back to. Pretty bland. 2.5*

Couple songs in I was enjoying but then my god did it really start to drag. Bit depressing but not in an exhilarating way like Radiohead, just a bit exhausting by the end. Nice music for the background, but I couldn't imagine absolutely loving them and seeing them life. Jesus, of all the bands... 4* for the first bit until it wears you down to a 2*.

Fair enough. Never really given this album the time of the day, presuming it wouldn't be my thing, but I can say that, despite being correct it's not entirely my thing, the album is virtually flawless. Stevie's voice is astounding, the instrumentation absolutely sublime, the lyrics, the tempo, the lot of it. Oh Daddy the only non stellar point on the album, but I like to think times have changed since then and the lyrics were poignant at the time. A rare but well received previously 'unknown' 5*

Great stuff. Easily by far the best of the NWOBHM bands. Strange hearing a pre-Bruce Maiden but it's instinctively their sounds. The slower bits sound phenomenal, the fidelity and clarity of the instruments in songs such as Phantom and Strange World are incredible for a debut album in 1980. Fantastic debut album, the two weaker tracks in Running Free and Charlotte the Harlot are the only things stopping this from being a 5* album. 4.5*

Actually quite enjoyed that. Has to be listened to in a particular mood, but very good when done so. Bit of a slog and often repetitious, but like a lot of early electronica on here it's pretty impressive stuff despite not aging perfectly. Can't see this doing too well with general populace on here but let's see if I'm proved wrong. 3.5*

Another month, another Springsteen album. Surely they must be running out soon. Though not his worst, it's still pretty terrible. Recognised two of the songs and both already annoyed me. I'm on Fire saves it from yet another 1* Brucey award. 1.5*. Congrats Bruce

A slightly awkward bit of 60s psychedelica. Reminded me a bit of Pink Floyd's first offering without the "this will end up being one of the greatest bands" aspect. Releived when it ended.

Not the biggest prog fan. This was ok in parts. Shorter instrumental pieces seemed kinda pointless. Don't think I'd be able to tell between these and Genesis.

Art rock is often embarrassing, this is one of those times. Very rare it actually works (Disco Valente by Mr Bungle is the only time is actually springs to mind). Very happy to never listen to this again.

Yet more 60s psychedelica-infused rock. Not bad by those standards, but nothing to really come back to and explore. Might have been fundamental in changing the direction of popular music at the time but don't think it's aged particularly amazingly. Middle of the road.

Took a while but I'm there. Only knew of Born Slippy, which admittedly isn't even on the original album so I instead focussed on the expanded version to include this. I loved the opening moments of it as a kid but hated the hard dance beats it turned into so put this kind of music aside for the next 10 years. Returning over 20 years later and I can appreciate this album for what it is. It's a shame the list owner never seems to have expanded from early electronica, there are tonnes of electronica artists that should be on this list, Jon Hopkins, Autechre, Floating Points, Squarepusher, Ross from Friends etc. Regardless it's still good to be forced to go back to where all this began. You can hear shades of some of those bands in this. A solid, if drawn out release. Trim the fat and it's an easy 5*

Probably over listened to so it's hard to go back with fresh ears. Marginally overrated imo, not one you can listen to day after day, but still a powerful, hard-hitting album. One of the few rap-rock combos that worked. 3.5*

Very 80s, but actually pretty good 80s. Second half weaker than the first, but some very enjoyable moments on there. Surprised one of those tracks didn't make it on to Vice City. 3.5*

Well that's answered the question that no one was asking: "what if we took the bad parts of the White Album and wrote an album along those lines". Poor man. Very very poor.

I used to LOVE this album as a kid. Absolutely blew my mind when it came out. Very interesting to revisit it 27 years later. Because in hindsight it's actually...not as incredible as I was expecting. It's almost like entry level, pop electronica. The beats are quite surface level, far far too repetitive, each song should either be half the length or actually go somewhere else. The most interesting thing about this album is that the only song that actually excites me is Acid 8000, which is probably the only song I disliked as a kid. A totally different genre to the rest of the album. Bit of Acid house that comes out of nowhere and slaps hard. If I was 9 years old again this would be an easy 5*. As it is, tbh it's done well to get a 3*

Mindnumbing. An NWA rip-off without any of the charm or the humour. Or decent beats. Just utterly terrible. Everything I hate about gangsta rap in this album. Stoking racial division, mysoginisty, and releasing generally shite music whilst at it. Strong no from me. Made me give the bellend Elvis a 2* review FFS ice cube.

I just don't get it. One of the few artists who regularly appears and I just think why. The only thing saving him from 1* is I didn't skip every song and yesterday I had Ice Cube's AmeriKKKa's most wanted which puts things into perspective a bit.

I just can't do his voice. Maybe it's the Toy Story link, but it feels like a kids album. His voice is not a good singing voice at all, and not in an interesting way like Morrissey or a lot of metal, just in a lazy soft way. I'm amazing this has made the list And now reading the wiki on it, the critical acclaim bit is madness. Are you sure Spotify has the correct album?

Really enjoyed that. Sounded a lot like a Mexican Hendrix, with bits of other stuff thrown in. Think the interspersal of genres worked quite well, certainly more than the previous Santana album I got. Saved quite a few down.

Never gave the Buzzcocks a chance since I'd always written off early punk as Sex Pistols always felt so overrated. This was thoroughly enjoyable though, so maybe I unnecessarily cut them all off. Real groundwork being laid here for lots of future bands from a range of genres, poppunk obviously, but even stuff like Qotsa and Gary Numan I can hear here.

Not helped by the fact this came a day after the Buzzcocks, where I said maybe I was wrong about early punk being generally crap and overrated. This is definitely more Sex Pistols than Buzzcocks. Just little effort in places for little efforts sake. Other than the opener, nothing worth paying attention to.

Normally not a fan of country but the voice wasn't too grating. Some songs nice. Last song a shocker, almost lost it a star at the end.

I'm actually stunned. How on earth has this made it on the list? I've said this before about plenty of terrible rap on here, given the few (and I mean few) amazing rap albums out there that I'm no worried aren't going to turn up. This is utter, utter shite. Lyrically it's on par with what I scribbled down into my school book at 12 after getting really into Eminem. Read the lyrics for Takeover for example. Downright embarrassing. Then on girls girls girls... Slightly racist, very mysoginistic, but again, downright embarrassing. Glad I never gave this clown the time of day. Top 10 worst albums I've gotten on here, I'd pay good money to never hear this again.

I always feel I should like PJ Harvey more than I do. Some good grunge esque stuff on here, but something is just missing. It doesn't click the way I want it to. Can't put my finger on it.

Ok admittedly not a big RnB fan. And I've had a couple of similar ones that sound good on first listen and quickly become boring. I reckon this will fall into this category so won't put it on rotation. But still, find it pleasant overall.

I'm sorry, but soundtracks should *not* be on this list. They don't make complete sense in isolation. One of my favourite movie soundtracks didn't become that until after I saw the movie, and for good reason. They complement the movie, such that the movie complements the album. Knowing the album without the movie detracts massively from the music. Poor choice from the list creator. 2* purely for the opening track being good. Rest of boring boring filler.

So disappointing. I absolutely LOVE acoustic Dylan. Freewheeling is one of my all time faves. But I could never previously put a finger on why I couldn't do his later stuff. After listening to this several times in detail, I think it's because his voice clashes quite hard with rock/blues music, in quote a detrimental way. What complements folk completely falls down with rock. To outshine the additional instruments/noise it sounds like he's straining in parts which gives it a rambling feel. Bizarrely the one folkish-song, Desolation Row, happens to be one of the worst of the album, but due to it being a symptom of the excesses heard earlier. A rambling mess, with the final harmonica solo an epitome of the album - straining hard to be heard over the rest of the music, it just entirely grates on the ear. Think I'll just continuing sticking to his first couple of albums

Ok I think I'm missing something. How is that considered one of the greatest albums of all time? For starters it's almost entirely an album of covers, which should exclude it from the list nevermind the conversation of greatest of all time. It was fairly mid, some covers worked well some didn't. I'd say 3* average music wise, moving down to 2 for lack of original songs.

Finally, Smiths rather than Morrisey. Some incredible songs on here, including a free of their very best. But also some weaker ones - always thought that run from 2-4 takes the steam out of the album before it clicks back into gear. It's a shame as some of the B-sides from around that time are better than half the album tracks. Swap those in correctly and it may be one of the greatest albums ever.

Managed about 1/3 of the way through. Suffered from the classic shite that all 90s rap albums seemed to have to include: - pointless small skits (to put "first impression" as track 2 is honestly mindboggling stuff) - unnecessary introductions at the beginning of numerous tracks (Mind over matter etc.) - general mysoginy, offensive for shock factor etc. The only thing saving it from 1* is I had Ice cubes debut last week so at least there's some perspective. 1.5*

Interesting experimental/post-punk stuff. Definitely never would have found this without this list, presumed everything Johnny Rotten touched would have been overrated. Some interesting moments on here, specially in the first half. Latter part runs flat a bit, The Suit & Chant particularly poor moments. Delete the naff and there's a great EP here.

Torn on this. On the one hand the album changed the face of rap, so is obviously and important release, and some of the songs actually work really well, it's a combination of rappers that work well with good beats and dj's who can produce good beats. On the other hand... it arguably brought in a wave of shite rap - most of the solo stuff that came after (except Dre) was terrible, and the legions of wannabe copycats were even worse. It's full of questionable lyrics with way too much mysoginy and machismo. And some of the songs are legit shite.

Slightly torn on this. Rock Bottom by the same artist is one of my favourites surprises of this entire list now I'm half way through. So I can acknowledge the guys is pretty incredible. This is helping me hear things in this album that I wouldn't have paid attention to otherwise. That being said, unlike Rock Bottom there are songs which sound avant garde for the sake of sounding avant garde. And numerous of them. If I hadn't had Rock Bottom first this would be an easy 2*. And yet I want to give this much higher.

Possibly the weakest of all the Beatles albums. I'm torn, as I think I'd give this 1-2* if it was anyone else, but perhaps unconscious bias is making me want to rate this higher. It's much better than the other shite being released in 1963, but I feel like there's not really any evolution from their first album, whereas everything that came after was building upon the previous and improving each time. Heart says 3*, head says 2*

Not much lovin' but fun in parts. Genre eventually started to drag as the album went on. Can imagine it being people's thing but not really mine. Nothing too offensive though.

Enjoyed that. Part of that brief spell of bands in the early 10s that sounded so fresh and vintage at the same time - alt J, XX etc. something that I don't think had much longevity but was pleasant when it was out. Might have a few of these in my rotation playlists.

Without the Nirvana connection it would be harder to think why this was an important album. But it clearly was. Some great tracks on here, Plateau is even better than the Unplugged version, but also a lot of tracks that should have been clipped. Not one I'll have on rotation but an interesting listening experience.

I want to like this more. It has the energy of Stooges/White Stripes, but I just couldn't hack the vocals. Really really couldn't get into it.

Interesting one. This was the album that turned me off slipknot, after growing up absolutely loving their first three. It sounded too long, bloated, and like Stone Sour in places. So I never really gave it the time of day, which I now think might have been a mistake. There are some decent tracks on here, admittedly nowhere near Vol. 3 levels. Nice to come back to it almost 20 years later and get a different view.

"Pleasant" is the most I can give this. Terribly inoffensive, to the point where I'm wondering why it's included here. Sounds like it could be played at quiet volume in hundreds of coffee shops and reception waiting areas that you might have been in and you never would have noticed. 2.5*

So it turns out I really like The Beta Band. Maybe I should have explored further than the three EPs when I was younger. Such a nice chill vibe for a certain mood, with early psychedelic tendancies that don't outstay their welcome. Unique sound, unique voice.

Really really exciting stuff, initially. First 5 tracks are absolute beasts. It then tails off quite a bit which is a shame. But that first 20-25 minutes gives it 4* alone. Can hear where bands took that formula and expanded up on it (Sonic Youth, Pixies, Nirvana). An important release that I've never heard referenced before, a rarity. More of this please.

Hip hop for 12 year olds. Never understood this Kanye/JayZ nonsense stuff. Zero substance or anything to have any emotion toward

Get in the bin of history. I would pay good money to have an experience like that in the film Yesterday but instead of the Beatles it's Abba that no one in the world has any knowledge of. I'd just keep quiet and carry on as normal.

Jesus Christ come on. Not even half way through and this is my third Nick Cave album. Can no one else hear what I'm hearing??

Another one of "why are live albums on here". I don't think this really adds anything to anyone anywhere, unless you know and love the studio versions of these tracks already. It doesn't make me want to listen to him anymore than I did previously. 2.5*

Love this album. Dirt one of my Stooges faves. Down on the smStreet and 1970 absolutely killer. Only thing I never got on board with is the descent into the jazz breakdown at the end. Get rid of the last 2 tracks, put in three more of a similar vein and you have yourself a 5*

Surely this can't be in the top 1,001 albums everyone must hear before they do. Maybe the top 100,001. She doesn't even sound sure of herself when singing. She sounds like me when I'm embarrassed about my singing voice so I mumble most lines out. Wouldn't even want to hear this in an elevator or a reception lobby which is where it probably gets the only airtime nowadays.

Really don't like this album. I remember when it came out and it got all the acclaim it got. Didn't see it then, don't see it now. Admittedly I'm not the biggest U2 fan, but even by their standards this is clearly naff right. Absolutely souless and meaningless.

Was expecting bad things after hating Method Man's Tical when that came up last month, but honestly...fair play. Hard not to bop along to. Not as good or polished as Illmatic or Shook Ones which seem to have jumped on the success of this and propelled the genre onward. Not a rap fan but credit is due where it's due. How Jay Z/Kanye's brand of rap ended up ten times more popular than this I'll never know

Very unique. Glad it's on this list, not my thing but interesting hearing something completely out the realm of my knowledge that isn't shite. Enjoyed but probably wouldn't go and explore again.

That wasn't terrible. It suffered from the weaker songs. I feel like no pop album should be an hour long, it just hasn't got enough to keep you engaged. For starters the last two songs should be completely erased from history. Didn't ask to go church, didn't ask for a nonsense credits track at the end. Mental stuff. Delete the other faff and it's a decent pop album which offers a snapshot of pop at that time, not particularly to highlight it, but more of a museum-esque "at this point in time" view. 2.5*

Not really in the mood for an hour of Irish music this morning, but when am I ever really. Dirty Old Town the only one worth revisiting

Normally I'm against love albums on here, but with this one I get it. The blues have so much more soul to it live, which is really captured here. Don't think I would have enjoyed a studio album version anywhere near as much.

Just a bit...dull? Inoffensive, but unexciting. Not really sure what warrants it on this list, maybe it grows on you. 2.5*

Oof, that voice is horrendous. Would be an extremely mediocre album without it, but with, shocking stuff. 1.5*

Rare I say this, but what a fun album. Never really given NWOBHM/hair metal the time of the day but that was a nice little time capsule back to another time. Over the top vocals, over the top guitar work and solo's, decent drumming from a guy missing an important element, altogether an enjoyable experience. One or two songs could have been cut from the album is my only gripe, Love Bites in particular ruined a great run in the otherwise stellar first half. Still, there's much worse out there.

Yes. Superb find. Great energy, great riffs, great everything. Can't believe I've never heard of these guys before, outside of Metallica's The Wait cover which was crap in hindsight. Can see where people took a lot of inspiration from, even hearing LCD's Losing my Edge ripping off the final track was a welcome shock. Definitely putting this album into my rotation. Tracks 2&4 the only weak spots, but I'm feeling generous today. 4.5*

Avant-garde, which I try and be open minded to. There is some good avant-garde out there, but there is a lot of bad. I find the genre difficult to penetrate unless you have an affinity for that particular artist before going into it. This is no different. Some interesting ideas, but mostly ruined by the shrieking vocals. Not the worst I've heard on here admittedly.

Really not aged that well tbh. Ive had some later Elvis albums on here and strongly disliked them. But this isn't much better. One sided Love Affair sounded like someone taking the piss out of Elvis. The slow songs were bad. Blue Suede Shoes was the pinnacle of the album so it was pretty much over 2 minutes in. Another 26 minutes of getting through it. Also, why did he feel the need to butcher Tutti Frutti? Mad choice. 1.5*

I feel like I'm missing a bit of the context here. I'm familiar with Brian Eno, which maybe makes me give it the time of day more than if it were an unknown artist. Still, though some songs were pretty decent, others were not. The erratic genre changing resulted in a poor flow, particularly in the first half. Latter half was a bit better though. 2.5*

Dull, dull, and depressing.

Wow. Stooges' Raw Power now sounds like a total rip off of this album. Some great mid 60s thrash almost. The energy is sublime and chaotic. Wish there were more self penned tracks as the covers get slightly tiresome, given I've heard most of them 3-4 times from this list now. Sad to see Walking the Dog appear. 3.5*, rounding it up as this came out 59 years ago. Absolutely ridiculous. Someone who wasn't alive when this was released could be claiming their pension now for god's sake.

Pretty inoffensive, but not much else. Best played in the background of a hotel restaurant.

Honestly very, very impressive. I thought this was going to be some naff pop shite but wow I was wrong. The production is top notch, some of the beats are incredible. Hanuted a particular stand out. The clear display of sexuality made it a bit uncomfortable at first listen, but once you expect it it actually adds to the album. Puts it on a complete different footing than most Beyonce/Destiny's Child albums. Fair play. Well done Beyonce, I was wrong to paint you as a one dimensional pop artist.

Enjoyable. First time hearing this guy (though I'm now assuming he's of the Cosby stills and Nash fame). Some songs missed the mark but most were a good listen.

Tried and failed previously to get into SY albums other than Daydream Nation. Having a greater appreciation for them and other similar bands helped me this time I think. Couple of listens but I get it now. Avant-garde garage rock almost. Saved down.

Wow. I don't know why but I was expecting this would be terrible. I think I was getting him mixed up with Luther Vandross. Really good mix of funk with rock, leaning heavily on the latter. Lots of homage paid to various bands, heard elements of Faith No More, Beatles, even Nine Inch Nails in there. Not sure what that last track was about, skipping that it's a great album

I've never really got these to be honest. Another one of those 'had to be there' bands by the sounds of it. Love Shaun & Bez on Gogglebox though. 2.5*, rounding up as the album actually ends pretty strongly with the last 3 tracks.

I hated this when I first heard it a while back. It grew on me in parts, I think the first time you hear Desired Constellation it's hard not to be moved. After 20 minutes if purely vocals to have the softest, gentlest bit underneath some very emotional singing, wow. I wish the album had more moments like that. There are some really weak points though. The grunting in Ancestors really brings the album down. I think this probably should be a 2* at best, but still it's inclusion on the list makes sense. An album were almost every instrument is someone's mouth. Needs to be heard to be believed. One extra star for that reason.

Nice. Can hear Marilyn Manson and IDLES taking elements of this. Good energy, good riffs, energetic vocals. My only gripe was the songs tended to blend into eachother a bit, so not sure this would have the same repeatability other stellar albums have. But a solid record anyway. Easy 4*

Ooo this hasn't aged well has it. I'm sure groundbreaking at the time. But jesus. It's a shame hearing this that many other similar (ish) records at the time that have aged well haven't been included on this list seemingly. Autechre, AFX, maybe even Squarepusher if you extend a few years later. 2.5*

Interesting hearing the full album, only really knowing the opener and closer. Does go on a bit too long, but interesting for a punk band to effectively wizz through most of rock n rolls sub genres at the time, with a slight American focus. Not one I'd probably repeat in it's entirety, but can see why it makes the list for sure.

Pretty mid. Felt like they were just trying to keep up with the Beatles to be honest. Not sounding super fresh, but not terrible. 2.5*

After a brief read going into this I had low hopes but this was actually not bad. Some good ideas here, but the thing with these albums is that the good ideas don't last long enough and they're interspersed with a few that don't make the grade. First half better than the latter half, but maybe I just got jaded.

Not my cup of tea, but clearly should be on this list. The musicianship is great, the vocals good or annoying depending on singer (mostly the latter imo). Definitely didn't need to be 2 hours, but given it's the only bluegrass album I'm probably gonna give the time of day I'll let is pass. 2* for me, 4* for it being an album you should probably hear. Nice average.

Another solid entry from these. Like the first one, gives 4 or so tracks are really solid, after which it wobbles down a bit. Very similar to the previous release, whilst not necessarily a bad thing I guess one criticism is they could have branched out more. Still, an enjoyable listen.

Jesus Christ Tom. What a shite voice. Who's actually putting this album on at home by choice. It's like a rambling drunk guy stumbled on to the mic at some seedy underground wanky cocktail bar and everyone is too polite to kick him out. Almost gave it a 2* because the backing music wasn't that terrible but I even skipped the instrument track after about 3/4 of the way through so even that's severely lacking.

Difficult. I scored Roots a 3 which was an objectively worse album than this. I preferred the thrash/industrial theme much more than the tribal/nu-metal one Roots represented, but still... There was nothing really drawing me back in after the third full run through. It just feels a bit empty, which is such a shame given the multitude of vastly superior metal albums out there as I went into detail with on my Roots review. If that was a 2.5*, this was a 3.5*, but still not good enough for a 4.

Comically simplistic. Extremely basic beats, extremely basic lines, extremely basic samples. It felt like a sixth form project on hip-hop or something.

Always found Dire Straits a bit bland and this was no different. Easiest 3* I've ever given.

I bet this would have been a cracking night. Enjoyable listen, a snapshot back in time. But the audio quality isn't good enough to keep coming back to, or save anything down to a playlist which is a shame. Hard to justify this reaching 4* due to this.

Bleh. Don't get the hype. Classic 2010s wishy washy stuff that sounds deep at first but drags when you hear the 50th album that sounds identical to the last. Decent background music at least. Torn between 2 or 3*

A bit naff if I'm being honest. At first I thought it felt like a more bluesy early Led Zep, but it went too far down the blues rather than the rock route. Not sure what it's adding what other blues artists weren't already adding at the time. 2 5*

Never ever bothered with these before. Ignoring the closer that's a pretty solid album. Not my type of rock but very appreciative of how good it was regardless.

Wtf is this and why is it so good. There's elements of funk here, 80s disco, I wouldn't even be surprised if you told me Autechre did the tunes behind some of the last couple of tracks - surely Junie is sampling then. I'm all for black empowerment music if the message is right, Tina Taught Me is a great inclusion, a great message. Great vocals, great production , great segway/interludes, only thing stopping it from reaching 5* is a few weaker tracks, eg the lil Wayne track. Unnecessary cameo

Nice Bowie album. Liked Low which came after so really interesting to see where his head was at just prior that. Really really good tunes.

Holy hideous hell. Sucks the life out of my soul. Only 2* as it's not as though as it's a crime against humanity. It's just a bit shit.

What is this list doing to me. First Beyonce then this. It actually... Pretty good. Yes it falls foul of the same afflictions which made me write off this entire genre that's popped up in the last 10 years, the ASMR-like soft low pitched drawl into the mic - see Billie Ellish, Charlie XCX, etc etc. But here the beats are actually pretty good, and lift it up. A couple of songs are skippable as they make me shudder since it sounds like she's 2cm away from my ear whispering at me. But most of it is actually a nice listen. What am I becoming..

I like DSOTM to the Mona Lisa hanging in the Louvre. Often held up as the magnum opus of the entire industry. And it's really good for sure, but I think the prestige that is placed on it, and entire wall devoted to it, lights perfectly positioned, the number of people jostling to get the perfect look at it, adds to the value and praise placed on it. When you strip all of that away and look at it in the cold light of day, it for sure diminishes in stature slightly. The good points are it is a really solid album. Some cracking songs. Breathe and Time being too absolute stand outs, and I absolutely love that they ended Time by going to a Breathe reprise. Never heard another artist brave enough to end a banger by stitching another verse from the previous banger into it. And I wouldn't mind keeping it like that. Now, the narrative points. There's not many actual 'real' songs on the album. A fair chunk of it is made up of segways. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't give the album as much to come back to as other all time classics. The fact the best song, Time, is started by 1 minute of an honestly annoying intro, that makes it impossible to put in to any communal playlists without jarring everyone listening. The fact that some tracks that sound great upon first listen, eg Money and GGITS, do get tired after 50 listens, nevermind the 100s 5* album should be able to last. All in all, very good album, but not an all time great.

Background music, but good background music. Take out the 4th track (and possibly the 7th) and it's actually a nice thing to have on.

If I was 13 and female I would have absolutely loved this. With an older head I can see why the opener has orders of magnitude more listens on Spotify than anything else, it got me intrigued, excited, but by the third track that had all but died away. Some ok ones later on, but this album surely has no staying power.

Another band the creator seems to quite like. Not sure why two of these have appeared now, I think one was more than enough. Don't think it had much of an impact on music, the soft - hard - soft style had been in use for many years by many bands already by this point, and I don't think this added much to the genre. Not an unenjoyable listen, but one I don't think I'll be putting on again anytime soon.

A bit on the boring side, even 30mins was too long a run time. Not really my thing, but I'm still usually able to tell if this is a good or bad release within it's genre. But here I've no idea. 2.5*

I see Elvis Costello, I give 1.5*

Another fairly standard punk/post-punk output. Might have been more into it but I feel like I've heard this 10 time before from this list. Not great but not bad.

Offensive to music and humanity

4.1 Should have started giving decimalosed scores ages ago. Ah well, only 500 albums left. Really solid outing, I was familiar with a few of the tracks already but this really must have been groundbreaking at the time. Sounds quite distinct from the kraftwerk-esque synth pop happening elsewhere. Such dark, inhumane tones throughout. Can see why Trent Reznor idolised this man.

2.3 Ok, let's ignore the unnecessary butchered American Pie at the end. I'm going to assume that was a bonus track only for the tape cassette release in Djibouti or something and that no one actually ever heard it. That wasn't as terrible as I expected, but overall still pretty poor. The only redeeming thing about it was the surprisingly ok two songs sequence in the middle with Don't Tell me and the Girl one. Other than that it was pretty mundane pop. I remember when autotune was (thankfully) briefly all the rage but it was always going to sound crap in hindsight. Nobody's Perfect is laughably bad as a result. The rest of I'm just waiting to end.

1.8 I thought I was missing some kind of inside joke about the artist on first listen, as the songs were so bad. Was it meant to be humurours. But reading on Wikipedia...nope, this is a legit, serious album. Good god. Other than the chilled out enjoyable Hong Kong bar that was a tough listen. I'm drained just having to sit through it. He just scored lower than Madonna ffs.