311
Albums Rated
3.19
Average Rating
29%
Complete
778 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Soul
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
17
5-Star Albums
9
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kollaps
Einstürzende Neubauten
|
4 | 1.9 | +2.1 |
|
Junkyard
The Birthday Party
|
4 | 2.16 | +1.84 |
|
Since I Left You
The Avalanches
|
5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
|
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
|
5 | 3.32 | +1.68 |
|
Either Or
Elliott Smith
|
5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
|
Locust Abortion Technician
Butthole Surfers
|
4 | 2.39 | +1.61 |
|
More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
|
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
|
5 | 3.44 | +1.56 |
|
Blackstar
David Bowie
|
5 | 3.48 | +1.52 |
|
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
|
5 | 3.53 | +1.47 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1984
Van Halen
|
1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
|
Eliminator
ZZ Top
|
1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
|
Pyromania
Def Leppard
|
1 | 3.13 | -2.13 |
|
Pump
Aerosmith
|
1 | 3.11 | -2.11 |
|
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Genesis
|
1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
|
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
|
1 | 3.01 | -2.01 |
|
Live / Dead
Grateful Dead
|
1 | 2.83 | -1.83 |
|
G. Love And Special Sauce
G. Love & Special Sauce
|
1 | 2.74 | -1.74 |
|
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
|
2 | 3.72 | -1.72 |
|
Abraxas
Santana
|
2 | 3.72 | -1.72 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Aerosmith | 3 | 1.67 |
| Genesis | 2 | 1.5 |
5-Star Albums (17)
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Popular Reviews
Grateful Dead
1/5
When I heard all those stories about people following these guys around for years, I really didn't think it would just be a bunch of blokes noodling on guitars and doing silly voices.
Most of the material here either felt completely aimless or like a bad rip of other, better artists. Not free-form or experimental enough to be interesting, not structured or melodic enough to be engaging.
One and a half.
Fave track: Feedback
22 likes
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Mostly simple, effective songs played well. A couple of standouts. Could have done without the instrumental jams to finish off but gladly they are mercifully short.
Fave track: Wrote a Song for Everyone
2 likes
Devendra Banhart
4/5
A timely toych of winter melancholy to suit the season. This kind of low(ish) fi singer songwriter stuff will always work for me growing up on a healthy diet of Elliott Smith. Te strange elements of vaudeville, the beautiful guitar flourishes and the emphasis on the corporeal in the lyrics really set this one apart.
DBs voice was maybe pushed a little far at times, and it threatens to sink into twee on many occasions, but I was won over.
Fave track: Will Is My Friend
1 likes
The Avalanches
5/5
Stoked to have this one on my bday. Keen to give more close listens in the future as its been a long while but this is beautiful, exciting dance music with incredible transitions and sampling. My only gripe would be that some tracks play a little straight where I think they could go slightly funkier/glitchier.
Strong four and a half!
Fave track: Flight Tonight/Electricity
1 likes
4/5
Really fun record that still feels timely, with exciting angular melodies and often quite funny lyrics. Only mildly dated by its production. Can hear the influence in a lot of today's post punk.
Fave track: Too Much Paranoias
1 likes
1-Star Albums (9)
All Ratings
Radiohead
5/5
Pound for pound, this is close to Radiohead's best collection of tracks. What it lacks in cohesion it more than makes up for in its effortless fluidity of tone and style, acting as a bridge between the bands various eras and tendencies.
From the driving punk Rock of opener 2+2=5, as fierce and direct as the band has ever been, to the ethereal mathy dissonance of Sail to the Moon, the totality of the experience is something of an anxious distrust of people and systems. The constant noise and abrasion causes moments of peace and safety to be tinged with the feeling that they can never compensate against the chaos, lest we accept wilful ignorance. With some of Thom's most abstract poetics on this record, it feels as if he yearns to let go, to pour himself into a relationship or some safe haven, but his neuroses have created a guard that paints those reaching out as further agents of destabilization.
I don't think Radiohead will ever make an album like this again (though The Smile perhaps came somewhere close), and I appreciate the stable beauty of A Moon Shaped Pool and aggressive experimentation of The King of Limbs, but this feels like a band in a state of flux, channelling that energy into an amorphous rock album, more visceral and urgent than anything else in their catalogue.
Fave track: Where I End and You Begin (but that's just today)
Jane's Addiction
3/5
An enjoyable hard rock album that I could never quite sink into. Feels a little caught between a more epic, full-bodied vibe and shaggier rock n roll, in both the instrumentals and lyrics. Can see why it hit, just not going to stick in the mind for me.
Fave track: Jane Says
Elton John
3/5
Was most impressed with the lyricism here, as I've only really come across Elton's hits. There's some great nuanced storytelling that I wasn't expecting. At the end of the day, this kind of songwriting just isn't really my thing, but I can absolutely appreciate it for what it is and its resounding impact.
Three and a half
Fave track: Madman Across the Water
The Modern Lovers
4/5
Good in the car
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Not a style I ever normally gravitate to, so it took me a little while to settle in, but I liked it more as it went on. Ballads were my faves. Wailing guitar solos and nasal sax grate for me a lil.
The Everly Brothers
2/5
Not my style. I find the lyrics in a lot of this kind of music to be pretty inane. While a song here and there is charming, as a cohesive listening experience it's a bit of a samey chore.
Fave track: Love Hurts
Dr. Dre
4/5
Production off chops. Could do without the skits and the jammier tracks are weaker than the big hooks but so many great vibes. Didn't know it was so much bout beef!
Mott The Hoople
4/5
Hey had a lot of fun with this one! Really like the vocalists tone and there isn't too much noodle jamming to make me frustrated. Dunno what a Mott is or who The Hoople are but I'm into it. 3 and a half!
Fave track: Whizz Kid
The Police
2/5
Yeah there's gonna be a lot of this isn't there. Some nice instrumentation for sure, wasnt upset by it, but for the most part I don't eally understand The Police. 2 and a half.
Fav track: Bring on the Night
The Lemonheads
3/5
Perfectly inoffensive and quite nice to listen to on a sunny day in the park. Liked the little grunge sprinkles in there. Would never be mad if it was on but didn't ever grab me hugely.
Fave track: Rudderless
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Just a matter of taste - this kind of blues just isn't gonna make it on my rotation, but it's definitely got some weight behind it. Was worried after the Santana track but it picked up.
Fave track: My Dream
The Byrds
4/5
Liked this a surprisingly big amount. Really charming tracks and sometimes some unique lyricism that I appreciated; could see myself blissing out to this like people do The Beatles. Unfortunately, like those loveable lads from Liverpool, this is hamstrung by some truly abhorrent lyrical focus in a number of tracks (and no I'm not just talking about the Christian one). Could never fully sink into this with the amount of misogyny.
Three and a half.
Fave track: I Am a Pilgrim
4/5
Had an absolutely blast re-visiting this one. I'd take any of the previous albums over this one, but the band still feels like their own thing here, and the melodrama hasn't completely suffocated them yet. Still think there's some pretty masterful instrumentation and great hooks for a pop rock rekkid.
Fave track: Assassin
Van Morrison
3/5
Was feeling pretty anxious today and this was a nice balm. Nothing transcendent for me but very pleasant none the less.
Found that his voice isn't my favourite to listen to for an extended period.
Fave track: Into the Mystic
David Bowie
4/5
Not gonna lie, the first couple of tracks are a little too cacophonous for me. Can't quite parse a lot of elements, and I'd have to be in a very specific mood to revisit them. However, the whole experience when coupled with the moody instrumentals later on brought more cohesion than I was initially expecting. A very light four.
Fave tracks: Sons of the Silent Age
2/5
Really struck me how much this sounds like its doing stuff from other albums we've listened to over the past few days but somehow cheaper (even though it's probably much more expensive). This was a slog for me, even the arena rock anthems that kick it off didn't really hit for me. Hard to say it's flat out awful because there's some intriguing snippets, but it's bonkers how massive this is.
Fave track: Bullet the Blue Sky
Nanci Griffith
2/5
Another one that just ain't my thing! In this case, I didn't really find a ton that got me over my general aversion to the genre past some nice turns of phrase and harmonies. Won't be revisiting but if it's your thing I'm sure it's a good version! Rad album cover.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Fly By Night
Dirty Projectors
3/5
Has tenets of something that I don't quite know how to describe, but I'm gonna call it hypermusicality - essentially a lot of intricate, accomplished, often quite clean and shiny musical elements layered over one another, that I'm sure to the more classically trained ear are very pleasing, but for me tend to add to less than the sum of their parts (Jacob Collier is a good example).
I also find some of the bands vocalisations pretty grating at times - the frequent use of runs, bright harmonies etc. However nothing truly frustrated me, and there's certainly tracks I can see myself liking more if I came back to them. Not gonna make it anywhere near the rotation, but not a write off.
Fave track: Two Doves
The Avalanches
5/5
Stoked to have this one on my bday. Keen to give more close listens in the future as its been a long while but this is beautiful, exciting dance music with incredible transitions and sampling. My only gripe would be that some tracks play a little straight where I think they could go slightly funkier/glitchier.
Strong four and a half!
Fave track: Flight Tonight/Electricity
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Pretty undeniable collection of tracks. Whatta voice! Great grooves! Power and passion! What more can ya say?
Another strong four and a half and only accounting for my taste.
Fave track: Groovin' / (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
Spiritualized
3/5
So I listened to this in two halves over two days and they were very different experiences. I do think the tracks improve as it goes on for the most part, but my moods were vastly different and my tolerance for this kind of Floydian music is VERY dependant on my mood - context!
Anyway I feel like this would rock the house live, but it's never been my favourite stuff to listen to at home. For a proggy vibe I tend to go a bit darker, and either more or less full on. The heavier, noisier tracks appealed to me much more in that vein, while the playful stuff I really didn't feel gelled well. On a good day a four, a bad day a three, so three and a half.
Fave track: No God Only Religion
Jacques Brel
3/5
Jeez the crowd frickin loves this guy! I mean they're absolutely popping off, there's an applause break every time he mentions Amsterdam or puts on a silly voice! And I can't blame em! We're all just silly guys searching for validation! Brel! Olympia!
Fave track: Amsterdam
Gotan Project
4/5
Primo lounge music! I'd make the absolute chook out of a dinner to this album. And I don't say that as a knock in the slightest! Enough layers that you can sink into it, but easy going enough that it could sit cooly underneath a night of cocktails. Maybe my first proper discovery of the project, will be coming back!
Fave track: Chunga's Revenge
Charles Mingus
5/5
Hard to find a fault, an electric listen. Easy to get lost in, make interpretations, or just appreciate some impressive musicianship. Breaking a rule as its probably not one I'm coming back to incredibly regularly, but for what it is, it's a 5-bagger.
Fave track: Track A
Deep Purple
3/5
Not mad at all about the grooves and licks on this one, but the vocal styling of hard rock of this (any?) era grate me, technically impressive though they might be. Luckily they are most present on the shorter, more straightforward tracks, and I could settle into the jammier cuts where the band shines.
Fave track: Child in Time
Shack
2/5
Impossible to see how this is one of the 1001 albums I must listen to. Pleasant? At times. Cloying? More often than not. Enjoyed the vocals and was never offended. But far from essential.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Daniella
William Orbit
3/5
Spooky ambient stuff toward the end was in my wheelhouse, I enjoyed skulking around to it. As for the rest, it was overwhelmingly fine. One of those I just let play through for the most part, never particularly captured my attention for being impressively good or bad.
Queen
4/5
More enjoyment than I thought I'd get out of a Queen album! Still a lot of overblown theatrics that aren't really my thing, but I felt like a saw more colour than in just the singles I'd heard over and over.
Three and a half.
Fave track: I'm In Love With My Car
Megadeth
3/5
Really good fun! Enjoyed the riffing, thought it lost a bit of steam as it went on but I'd be happy hearing any of these at a seedy dive.
Three and a half
Fave track: Hangar 18
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
Really got into Love & Hate but somehow this passed me by. Glad this brought it up! Gorgeously layered tracks that never feel impenetrable. Kiwanuka's voice has incredible character, and blends with this slightly dusty production and smooth instrumentation beautifully.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Smooth n groovin. Plus incisive lyrics, a little humour, a lotta character. Didn't feel a huge distinction between the tracks but that was almost a plus for the easy flow of it all. Will definitely be coming back.
Fave track: So in Love
Van Halen
1/5
It's Top Jimmy, HE'S the king
You know, when Jump kicked this thing off I was like hey, maybe Eddie and the gang are just a bit of fun. We've all enjoyed some synth power-chords. A classic cheeseburger record!
What followed was some of the most stupendously annoying cock-rock I have ever had the displeasure of hearing. I thought Drop Dead Legs was handily the worst song I had heard doing this project, but then Hot For Teacher comes along and wins it by a country mile! What I wouldn't have given to tear out this man's larynx after the fifteenth 'neeyyoww', a vocalisation that reminded me in spirit of a baby being sick onto its bib.
Favourite track and only redeeming feature of the album is Jump.
Motörhead
3/5
Was fairly on board with this for most of the runtime. Lemmy's voice is undeniable, guitars are pretty chunky, and somehow an album with a songs called 'Jailbait' and 'The Chase is Better Than the Catch' is less offensive than the Van Halen record we were force-fed yesterday.
Couldn't help but feel things started getting stale as it went on though. Not a ton of dynamics here, in tempo, production, melody, or structure beyond the occasional chug chug moment. Listenable but came through a little bland by the end. Two and a half.
Fave track: (We Are) The Roadcrew
Neil Young
4/5
Some really lovely tracks here, slightly watered down by what felt to me to be some relatively bog-standard blues. The charm definitely wins out though, and Young's voice does a lot over simple, live band compositions.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Borrowed Tune
Public Enemy
4/5
Hard to deny the power and energy that Public Enemy put out. The lyricism is similarly impressive, often incendiary while being catchy and exciting.
I took this album in chunks, and my major drawback is that an nearly an hour I can see the boom-bap production and lack of vocal dynamics getting a little wearisome for me. Track for track its a classic, but as a cohesive listening experience I don't know that it's for me.
Maybe a strong three and a half, but could grow with more listens.
Fave track: Bring the Noise
Grateful Dead
1/5
When I heard all those stories about people following these guys around for years, I really didn't think it would just be a bunch of blokes noodling on guitars and doing silly voices.
Most of the material here either felt completely aimless or like a bad rip of other, better artists. Not free-form or experimental enough to be interesting, not structured or melodic enough to be engaging.
One and a half.
Fave track: Feedback
The Monkees
3/5
A couple of shining lights amongst what I found to be a mostly throwaway, if cute and inoffensive, list of tracks.
A really nice ballad in Mr. Webster just pipped to the post late in the game by my fave track: Randy Scouse Git
Two and a half.
Goldfrapp
4/5
Not normally something I'd gravitate toward, but I was really pleasantly surprised by this. A nicely layered alt-pop record with beautiful floaty instrumentals and sticky vocals. Caught me at a good time after a stack of big guitar boy albums, but I think I'll be coming back to this one.
Fav track: Eat Yourself
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Rageddy four chord jams with no discernible point of interest beyond Young's distinctive warble and lyricism. Granted that's a pretty good draw, but the painfully extended solos over a drab rhythm section kill any momentum this could have built from some interesting vocal passages. Even the vocals have a pretty thick layer of cheese at points. A thinly produced bore for me.
Fave track: Love to Burn
Janis Joplin
4/5
KILLER pipes. Never so much as dipped a toe in the Joplin pool but boy I had a good time with this one. So much attitude and power conveyed in that voice, well constructed songs, a tight 35 min listen - what's not to like. Really loved the subtle mixing of styles to keep things feeling fresh while still of a piece.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Move Over
Ride
4/5
Had a really lovely listening experience with this and its absolutely making the errands/cleaning rotation.
Love how the shoegazey elements blended with heavier/grungier passages that felt incredibly visceral. The vocals floating over each track, a tambre which can sometimes really piss me off, completely worked for me here.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Dreams Burn Down
Deep Purple
2/5
These guys just do nothing for me. Can't find anything particularly visceral or engaging in any of their compositions or lyrics. By no means are they bad tunes, but boy do I find them boring. Really wish there was a one album per artist cap.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Space Truckin'
Tom Waits
4/5
A wholly unique listening experience, unlike anything we've really had so far. Need to give it a much closer listen, but I'm all aboard the Waits train from this.
Fave track: Underground
Guns N' Roses
3/5
Pretty annoying album, but leaps and bounds more interesting and exciting than Van Halen, I generally found at least something to enjoy in each track.
It all just blends into one for me. The standout tracks I think are only standout because I've heard them so many times.
Lyrics are similarly inane to the other classic rock weve had and way too gross to get into.
A few foot-tappers, and I can see why it crossed over.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Welcome to the Jungle
The Replacements
4/5
A ripping listen! Had never really come across them before but felt like I could hear how they influenced a lot that came after - there's especially some proto-pop punk Green Day stylings in there which were really fun. Thought the lyrics and somgwriting had nuance and punch, and the performances were raw enough to feel very genuine. A keeper.
Fave track: Answering Machine
4/5
Really fun record that still feels timely, with exciting angular melodies and often quite funny lyrics. Only mildly dated by its production. Can hear the influence in a lot of today's post punk.
Fave track: Too Much Paranoias
Keith Jarrett
4/5
Sometimes a piano instrumental record hits just right for me, and sitting in the soul-sucking office today it was what I needed to get me through.
Really enjoying the flowing and flourishing passages that recalled for me the environmental narratives of Lubomyr Melnyk. Even heard a bit of Joe Hisashi in there - Jarrett's influence seems wide-ranging.
Hard to intellectualise something like this without any music background to speak of but I can grade it in how it created narratives for me, recalled sensory experience and developed emotions, and I think this did all of the above pretty well.
Fave track: Pt. I
Pink Floyd
3/5
I'll be copping more Floyd after this listen. While certain aspects were exactly as anticipated (flowery guitar solos, harmonic oohs and aahs, money), the album composition, experimental passages and relatively tight focus kept me involved.
It's not an all out sell for me - I still can't see myself ever throwing this on - but there's a lot to appreciate and respect. I'll happily dip my toe into more Floyd with Al's guidance - I think I'll find something to make the rotation in there.
Three and a half.
Fave tracks: Breathe (In the Air)/On the Run
4/5
Dug this much more than a lot of the prog/psych/classic we've had. Thought during the first movement of track 1 that we might have a secret fiver on our hands. That was quickly dispelled by the group harmonies and frustratingly clean vocals, along with some melodic noodlies that didn't do it for me.
But in general, I really appreciated the grit on the bass, some exciting syncopation in the drums, and some interesting instrumental flourishes - particularly on that first track.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Close to the Edge
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Mostly simple, effective songs played well. A couple of standouts. Could have done without the instrumental jams to finish off but gladly they are mercifully short.
Fave track: Wrote a Song for Everyone
Kate Bush
5/5
Another one that was on the list of shame. Was surprised by how big-pop sound it was after only experiencing it in the bedrooms of painting students who live in relative squalor and burn too much incense.
Within that there's room for some pretty radical experimentation. At times I felt like I was listening to a Lynch film as an album, such was the sinister, distorted beauty on display in songs like Waking the Witch, complete with amorphous narratives and passages of whimsy.
That theatre kid energy does at points threaten to overwhelm it, but in the end I think it toes the line well. I almost wish it settled into the darkness a little more at times, but as a pop experience it's pretty remarkable how far it goes at all. Pretty blown away and sheepish that I'd perhaps written it off slightly until now.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Waking the Witch
Sonic Youth
4/5
Moody, noisy, electric. Right up my alley and though it was a sunny day I nestled into a funk as I walked the streets and imagined that I was more intellectually stimulated than anybody else and that only I could sense the vague darkness of the human soul despite it being the focus of the art that millions of other nerds enjoy.
The more straightforward garage punky tracks lost me.
Fave track: Tom Violence
3/5
Enjoy a bit of playful punk-rock every now and then. Nothing transcendent here beyond some great vocal chemistry. Personally prefer music in this style that is a bit rougher and louder, but again, good fun.
Fave track: Universal Corner
George Michael
3/5
A really fun 80s pop romp, with a couple of flat-out classics. I think some of the material here suffers from being stretched out beyond its natural end point, which keeps it from being as tight and punchy as I would have liked. Look At Your Hands/Monkey/Kissing a Fool is a bit of a nightmare run on the record, and will keep me from coming back to the album in full. But for the most part, loved the camp fun of the production and George is mighty charismatic.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Hand to Mouth
Kraftwerk
2/5
I think all synth all the time is maybe just not my bag - inventive I'm sure, but the long runtimes wore thin for me. Deadpan vocals are a treat and there's some sticky melodies but it's just one that doesn't click for me.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Trans-Europe Express
George Michael
2/5
Bit of second album syndrome here - more ambitious, more overwrought, less catchy. I don't think big statement ballads are necessarily Michael's strong suit and they really bog this album down. Some of these tracks have no business being as long as they are. Still some big hits, but a definite step back.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Freedom
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Effortless flow, sticky production, incredible rhyme schemes. The album runs a thick 76 minutes but never really gets old, which is a feat for me particularly with a hip-hop record. The sinister, braggadocious vibe is fantastically well-realised
The only real complaint is the pretty rampant and graphic misogyny - it's pervasive and really limits the enjoyment of a lot of songs. Any mention of sex is so unimpressive, unsexy, and repetitive. And I never want sex skits!! It's gross!! Who are they for???
Fave track: Things Done Changed
Metallica
4/5
Held up as a pinnacle of the genre and its not hard to see why. Hetfield's delivery is perfect for the overdramatic, grand guignol lyrics. The band employ an impressive amount of light and shade over the albums runtime, but the shreds and headbangs are where it shines. Not my go-to brand of metal and never will be, but this was a great fun listen and a perfect entry point into one of the genres most indelible bands.
Fave track: Master of Puppets
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Tough one to review - a shaggy album that takes multiple diversions in style, some successful, some dodgy riffs on genres they don't have a handle on.
Includes some elements of jammy 70s rock that don't appeal to me. However, the ballads really brought it home for me, and I thought the album finished incredibly strong. In short, it won't be one I'll listen through to often, but certain tracks are real winners.
A strong three and a half.
Fave track: Sister Morphine
Pink Floyd
4/5
A gargantuan epic that swings between overwrought theatricality and genuine feeling. Gotta say it worked for me on this listen - the swing between moody and anthemic for the majority of the record really works (perhaps until the later stages). The bands knack for arrangement and impressive instrumentation are really on show here. Not one I'm gonna pop on often, but more than enough to appreciate here.
Fave track: Comfortably Numb
Suzanne Vega
4/5
A very intriguing one. For the first time in the project, listened to this twice back to back as I really couldn't get a handle on it. From the outside it seems like the kind of pop-folk of the MTV era that I generally find pretty naff. But digging into it, there's a real richness to some of the writing here - strange and often quite beautiful poetry wrapped up in bubblegum hooks.
I'm glad I listened twice, as I can see this getting better with each go through. Though maybe on another day I'd find it grating and twee, today I was strangely drawn in. Strong three and a half, but I'm gonna sat fuck it four and defend it later.
Fave track: Marlene on the Wall
Rush
3/5
Seems to be a clash on this between some really interesting and forward-thinking instrumental passages, and all the lame overblown tenets of classic rock we've come to expect. Those vocals, yeesh. I'd get into some cool syncopated rhythm and then be rudely interrupted by this insipid worm of a front person. That's a bit harsh but I wanted to use the term insipid worm.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Limelight
Tricky
3/5
Campy 90s hard-boiled action film BDSM club music. Often ridiculous and some beats are weaker than others, but I had a great fun time.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Hell Is Round the Corner
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Had never dunked my head into the waters of LCD Soundsystem completely. Are they the pacific, or a kiddie pool? This album would suggest somewhere in between, hot footing between Big W Talking Heads rips and anthemic indie rock that have resounded throughout the years. I think there's a lot of great songs and the album moves well, but there's a je ne sais quoi that's missing from the whole experience for me - a certain forced charisma on some tracks that holds me back. When it goes for sincerity, I'm much more of a fan.
Three and a half.
Fave track: All My Friends
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I don't have much of a knowledge of reggae to grade this against, but the vocals are soulful, the grooves loose and engaging, and the lyrics often incisive (when they're not too horny). Probably not gonna dip in frequently but I'd always be happy to hear it.
Strong three and a half.
Fave track: No More Trouble
Devendra Banhart
4/5
A timely toych of winter melancholy to suit the season. This kind of low(ish) fi singer songwriter stuff will always work for me growing up on a healthy diet of Elliott Smith. Te strange elements of vaudeville, the beautiful guitar flourishes and the emphasis on the corporeal in the lyrics really set this one apart.
DBs voice was maybe pushed a little far at times, and it threatens to sink into twee on many occasions, but I was won over.
Fave track: Will Is My Friend
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
A tough one to grade from listening to it on the commute - a record like this is so much about energy and context. That said, this was more than engaging enough to keep me jamming along, and I'd absolutely get it going for a groove. Some great beat switches, nice variety, dated - but mostly in a good way.
Fave track: Song to the Siren
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
Fun enough? Don't really get the kind of theatrical western theme with pretty typical Alex Turner lyrics but it's a point of difference I suppose. Didn't love my first listen but listened again with a big fan over speakers and had a nice bop around. Context, I'm telling ya! Alex is still working out his toxicity in some of these but it does make for interesting critical listening. All told though, this is one where I can't fathom why it's on the list really.
Fave track: Time Has Come Again
Lauryn Hill
5/5
An all-timer - aching, soulful, spiteful, angry - so wonderfully complex whilst being incredibly catchy, engaging songwriting.
Fave track: Lost Ones
Television
4/5
A cracking rekkid - full of wit, energy and verve, and a prototypical post-punk album that still reverberates in much of the genre output today. The playful vocal deliveries belies something deeper in the lyrics that I'm keen to dig into. Some great great riffs, and the longer progressive song structures allow for some wonderful movements.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Friction
Taylor Swift
3/5
Some pretty affecting moments of melodrama here, though I found the overall experience a little repetitive. It felt like the kind of album that could have used more of a journey - perhaps a resequencing would help, as it felt like we continually lapsed back into the same subjects covered a couple of songs earlier without much expansion.
It's obviously very cleanly produced too, maybe not my preference for a folk album, but when the poppier production elements come in there is some pretty rich tracks. Not mad about it, but a bit over-long and samey to excite.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Closure
Justice
4/5
Dated? Sure. Silly? Absolutely. But boy, this is buckets of fun! Catchy melodies, fun and inventive production that leaves a lot of space and breathing room for unique synth tones and beats.
Three and a half? Probably, but no. Four!
Fave track: Genesis
X-Ray Spex
4/5
Brash, loose, and really fun. Just enough bite in the lyrics. The horns add just enough to a soundscape that might otherwise get a little tiring over 40 minutes, but the vocals are top notch for this style. Can imagine this popping off in the dives.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Identity
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
I'm back!
Good stuff from Jimi. Can get quite frustrated with psychedelic noodles but this was pretty reserved in terms of wanton floweriness. This album feels like kickin back and livin free. Not one I'm gonna have on all the time but the appeal is very much there.
Three and a half.
Fave track: If 6 Was 9
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
All love for Jimi and this is as clear an expression for the importance of listening context as any, but I didn't vibe with this one today. It was very much on in the background I must admit, but in any sense I find it hard to really engage with this style and this one felt extra jammy. All the skill on show and I know this is just taste, so I'm going middle of the road.
Fave track: Manic Depression
Can
4/5
Bizarre and intensely atmospheric - really loved the transition from more traditional proggy stuff into freakish experimental soundscapes. Love a record with a journey and this certainly had one - I was hooked by the disorienting and dark turn in the record's second half. Every now and then I have a hankering for a record like this, and this might be one I come back to in those moments.
Fave track: Aumgn
Prefab Sprout
3/5
An interesting one - kind of sleight, but I sort of got under its spell. There was a frankness to the lyrics I really appreciated, and they still managed to retain a lot of poetry. Sometimes it tipped over a little into the twee on tracks like Blueberry Pies, but there was some genuine heartbreakers in here. Not always the most exciting instrumentation, a little dated sometimes, but enough going on to be engaging. I won't be taking in the album as a whole again I don't think, but definitely there's a couple of tracks on here that stuck with me.
Three and a half.
Fave track: When Love Breaks Down
Robbie Williams
2/5
Robbie's never really been my flavour of pop rock aside from a few undeniable bangers. This didn't really change things for me - I found it to be mostly duds, with cheesy production and lyrics even on the big tracks, and I don't think Robbie has the persona to carry them over the top.
Fave track: Hello Sir
Snoop Dogg
4/5
Dripping with style and swagger. Multiple stone cold classics on here. Snoops laid back style works perfectly with these g-funk instrumentals. Of course there is the requisite misogyny here, but maybe not in quite as reprehensible levels as some other records in the genre. Very easy to just bump along with this, and I wasn't frustrated by the longer running time.
Fave track: Gz and Hustlas
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
Hahaha this drove me kinda insane. It's not bad, I don't know, I just can't fathom ever wanting to throw this on. Like, these were HITS. Anyway. Very strange.
One and a half.
Fave track: Green Onions
3/5
Pleasant on the ears and has a nice laid back but a bit pissed off attitude. Not the kind of funk that grabs me and not quite smooth enough for me to fully relax into, but no real issues to identify either.
Fave track: The World is a Ghetto
Chicago
2/5
GRATING. So so grating. Beyond the intended (I guess) unpleasantness, I found the vocals annoying twee and coy and the lyrics with nothing to say. Some of the instrumentation worked and there were a few nice transitions, I can see the appeal for some, but boy it ain't me.
One and a half.
Fave track: I'm A Man
Coldplay
4/5
I really think this is superior pop/rock. There's genuinely melancholy here, very engaging production, and pretty brilliant songwriting. Martin's vocals have some soulfulness that seems to vanish after these first couple of albums - actually, that could be said for the whole band.
There's a big nostalgia element for me here as this was a record I remember Dad putting on frequently as a little'n. But revisiting it, I don't think it's ridiculous for them to have blown up like they did, it's pretty stellar. I have as much distaste for the rest of their output as the next person, but I'd genuinely agree that this gets on the list. A little sag as it goes on, but boy that front half fires.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Spies
Steely Dan
3/5
My first Dan - has a lot of flavours that aren't to my taste in terms of the melodies and instrumentation, but gets big points for the lyrics and straightforward song structure that other albums of the era have sorely missed.
Fave track: With a Gun
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Definitely my fave Jimi to date. Was really in the groove of the opening and closing sections of the record, and felt like it was very smart in transitioning from longer psych sections into punchy rock tracks. Definitely the best hooks on here, and I feel like the vocals are a bit more effortless. The middle did drag for me, but again I think it's a symptom of finding it very hard for this style to grab my attention for extended periods.
Strong three and a half.
Fave track: Crossbows Traffic
Alice Cooper
2/5
As is becoming a trend with the classic rock - not my bag. Nothing wrong with it, just not my bag. Not entirely boring and for fans of the genre, I can see why it's a stalwart. I did have fun with the campiness of it all, and Cooper's theatrical delivery.
Two and a half.
Fave track: No More Mr. Nice Guy
Cypress Hill
3/5
Great attitude, chemistry, pretty fun and bouncy production. I wouldnt say it was lyrical genius but theres good hooks and punchy bars throughout. I often have maybe a half hour cap with this kind of music and this didn't quite do enough to get me past that - my focus waned in the back half.
Three and a half.
Fave track: How I Could Just Kill a Man
Funkadelic
4/5
A stellar album - great chemistry between the band, a real journey bookended by two epic tracks, and some incredible playing. Maybe could have filled out a couple of the tracks a bit more for my liking, but I can see this getting regular spins.
Fave track: Super Stupid
The Smiths
4/5
Not my favourite collection of Smiths tracks, but there's still some goodns here. Another favourite of my dads, so I'm quite partial to these warbly jangly ditties. While their melancholy can be overwrought, it's also sometimes transcendent, and I think it reaches that a couple of times on this record. Morissey is a cunt.
Three and a half
Fave track: Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Radiohead
5/5
What more can be said? Walking thru n airport trying to find urself with The Tourist in your ears, it'd be a cliché if it wasn't so pitch perfect. The alt-rock album to end all alt-rock albums. Layered to perfection. Accessible and endless.
Fave track: No Surprises
Aerosmith
1/5
Struggled through this over three weeks. Really annoying and pretty gross. The little bits at the start of the songs were always better than the song itself which just pissed me off.
One and a half.
Fave track: Janie's Got a Gun
Parliament
3/5
Funky fun in the sun. Honestly didn't strike me as anything truly special, but it's pretty undeniably entertaining throughout. Some of the silliness (googoogaagaa) got a little much for me.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Give Up the Funk
Holger Czukay
2/5
I did not like this album
No I did not
It needled my brain
While I ate my brot
Maybe it is good
This I do not know
But I am sick of noodles
Stupid guitar bro
I like that it was weird
But mostly weird bad
That mad me sad
And a little bit mad
Fave track: I truly don't remember
Kanye West
4/5
The irony of these (great) bars stings.
Jaunty, fun, intelligent and incredibly accessible. The style wears a little thing for me over the inflated runtime.
Fave track: Jesus Walks
Massive Attack
4/5
Bops, books, bangers. Biggest issue with this one is that the vocal performances are often pretty over-dramatic for me - the instrumentals are so grooved and laid back and the vocals try to match it but it's like an affectation. Maybe by design but it doesn't quite go all the way enough to get to camp and be enjoyable in that way for me. Those grooves are so easy to sink into though, I'd always be happy having this on.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Safe From Harm
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
Up and down on this one - enjoyed the country elements, a good part of it was laid back but still tight, and the vocals had a lot of good character. Still, there's plenty of jammy noodles to be found - not my preferred flavour! Also seems to be a lot just wholesale stolen from blues that they maybe shouldn't have touched.
Soft three and a half cause I'm feeling generous today.
Fave track: Simple Man
Frank Sinatra
3/5
The driving crooner
Too samey all round for me, but badabing, the man can croon!
Fave track: Can't We Be Friends?
Can
2/5
Not enough for me to grab hold of here, especially sober. I think even if I was high this might annoy me a hit. Rhythm section popping off.
Fave track: Moonshake
Arcade Fire
3/5
My first fartcake mire record all the way through. Enjoyable, but I never felt like the songs earnt their anthemic presentation. To be fair I'd need to give it another go to dig into the lyrics and everything a bit more, but I'm not necessarily compelled to. You'll have to wait until next time fartcake!
*was 3.5 but Al slighted me and honestly I don't remember this album really anymore
Fave track: Ready to Start
OutKast
4/5
A lot of really great tracks on this album, some incredible rhyme schemes and flows with inventive production. Some gross stuff and skits (boo), a little over-long for my taste, but overall it's deserving of its classic status.
Fave track: B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
Brings me such joy to imagine those spooky little 90s freaks wriggling around in their bedrooms with this on. They'd be having such a fun time thinking about how spooky they are. This album has a bit of cheese whiff to it now but the flashes of Trent's compositional brilliance are there to elevate it all. For a long record it ebbs and flows nicely from harshness to creepy ambiance to pop metal hooks. Deserving of its place in the Canon for mine.
A strong three and a half.
Fave track: I Do Not Want This/Big Man with a Gun
Randy Newman
3/5
Not really sure how to take this one - some classic feeling story songs, a great charactered voice, and catchy little piano ditties, but some strange content that I'd need to dig into more, and nothing totally got me rootin and tootin.
Fave track: Kingfish
Portishead
4/5
Uuuge banger. Right up my moody little alley (that's what I call my butthole). Love the strange and ethereal instrumentation, emotive vocal delivery, and the flow of the record was pitch perfect.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Small
Bob Dylan
3/5
Never dived deep into Bobbo, but I know I like the pared back folk style a little better from him - I think his vocals fit better there. His voice is silly! Sorry but it is! Not a bad thing but there's definite silliness there. Anyway I quite liked this, his lyrical talent is undeniable, and I think that's the biggest strength of this record. Couple I'll be returning to for that reason.
Three and a half.
Fave track: One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)
Elliott Smith
5/5
A seminal album for me, completely inseperable from my formative years and still incredibly significant to this day, so it's impossible to be objective.
That said, there is a timeless, devastating beauty to Smiths songwriting that strikes me anew every time. The multi-track vocals feel at times so fragile that they might fade away entirely (No Name No.5); at other points they display a pained defiance, pushing futilely against devestation (the last verse of 2:45).
Smith preserves the raw emotion through intimate unadorned production, the soft fuzz of room tone providing the atmospheric sensation that he plays directly to you. It's an affectation that can frustrate me when used by some artists, but Smith's deceptively sparse arrangements display an exacting control over that atmosphere, rather than bloke-in-a-bar simplicity.
And above it all, Smith's lyrics are direct and poetic in equal measure, preserving the complete picture of event and affect. Coy illusions and abstractions will butt up against heartbreaking direct address, often from Smith to himself, speaking to deep shame, fear, pain, and brief glimpses of hope.
While there's Smith songs I like more on other records, this is his most complete and coherent collection. It's a recognition of much that is too hard to be said directly, delivered by a confidant late at night in a dimly lit bedroom, when sleep won't come and thoughts spiral. Specific and universal.
Fave track: 2:45 A.M.
Billie Holiday
3/5
The driving crooner
Undeniable talent, but as with Frank, these songs felt too similar to be enjoyed over an entire record for mine - but one at a time, lovely stuff.
Fave track: I Get Along With You Very Well
The Pogues
3/5
Not sure theatrical trad music is really my bag, though there's some effectively dark storytelling here. A bit overperformed for me at times and a bit underperformed at others.
Two and a half
Fave track: The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
808 State
3/5
A bit grumpy listening to this on a hot train. Just as the 808s intended. Think it was pretty cool though.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Pacific 202
Beck
4/5
Found this to be an incredibly tender record, gorgeously produced. Really touching stuff that I didn't necessarily expect with what I knew from Beck. The trio of Lonesome Tears, Lost Cause and End of the Day as the records centrepiece is something special.
Fave track: Lost Cause
Miles Davis
5/5
My jazz credentials are slim so I have nothing intelligent to say, but as far as classic(?) jazz goes, this has to be some of the best I've heard. Consistently engaging and amorphous, at times incredibly catchy, at times layered and complex. Vinyl is on high rotation at home.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Flamenco Sketches
4/5
Feels like cornerstone stuff. Great energy to the live record. Chewy thrashy goodness that peels itself off the fetid shambling corpse of classic rock and grows a body of its own.
Fave track: Kick Out the Jams
The Flaming Lips
2/5
Sometimes I start one of these albums and I know immediately that it's gonna annoy me, and I stop paying a lot of attention. And it's normally psych or classic rock and it goes for an hour. These are the dark times of the 1001 albums project. Probably good for those in the know, but the vocals and twee instrumentation just frustrated me.
One and a half.
Fave track: Feeling Yourself Disintegrate
The Bees
2/5
Cute I guess? A couple of tracks I really disliked and some of the more pared back ones that were smooth and I got into. Can see some inventiveness here but never felt essential.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Sweet Like a Champion
Aerosmith
2/5
The best thing to be said about it is its nowhere near as heinous as Pump. Some genuinely fun riffs to be found and most songs are mercifully short. Still gross and mostly sucks though.
Fave track: Round and Round
Violent Femmes
4/5
Ramshackle angsty whining of the highest order. Content and delivery are perfectly in line, and while the lyricism could become cloying, its ludicrously self involved to the point where I can't take it too seriously. That pairs well with the incredibly catchy hooks and spare, garagey production. I'd heard the hits but I was really having a great time with this one and will be coming back for more.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Good Feeling
The Offspring
2/5
All for some Tony Hawks Pro Skater core but this was pretty samey and a bit lame and just never fully committed to the scratchy ratbaggery or more catchy melodic punk rock.
Fave track: It'll Be a Long Time
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
I can totally see the appeal here - anthemic tunes, lots of juice in the vocal delivery and playing, just divergent enough from mass market pop rock to feel unique. All that said, it still felt a bit lame for the most part? Modern sensibilities maybe.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Enola/Alone
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
This one more my speed - a little rawer, borderline thrashy in a couple of sections will contrast really interestingly with the arena rock stuff. Still, it way overstsys it's welcome and has a foot firmly in the cringe pool on multiple tracks. Hey, I had fun.
Fave track: Ifwhiteamerica...
Paul Simon
4/5
A nice one. Lovely tracks and lyrics throughout, never overworked. Not something that's gonna rock my world but there was abundant pleasantness. Even tenderness you might say. Tenders.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Paranoia Blues
The Police
2/5
Look they can certainly create a vibe, it's just not one I ever really want to be on. Milquetoast mostly - needed to lean more into their Floyd shit like Mother.
Fave track: Synchronicity II
Black Flag
3/5
Rough n ready brat punk, a great time. It just loses a lot listening on some earbuds in the pharmacy though - it's live, massive crappy speakers or nothing here.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Rise Above
Sister Sledge
4/5
So many disco classics on one record. Just about every track holds up to this day. What a party.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Lost in Music
Dr. Octagon
2/5
Not especially my kinda hip-hop, but beyond that the theme and character feel a little weak, the long ride-out beats got tiresome, and it can get kinda gross. Still a lot of talent on display with the rhyme-schemes and delivery.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Real Raw
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Full of bangers. Such refreshing lyricism, so snappy and bitter, and the delivery only occasionally trips over into twee. It's not gonna be on high rotation but it feels pretty seismic and to have this many undeniables on the one album is no mean feat.
Fave track: You Oughta Know
Elvis Presley
3/5
Ihmm da snowmannn... yeeasss... leetle eeelviss... I mayke da snoww...
Fave track: Blue Suede Shoes
JAY Z
3/5
He was clearly a master craftsman at this point, and there's an effortlessness to the often quite complex delivery that is magnetic. I think everything just felt a little broad for me, and while each track is undoubtedly engaging, many overstay their welcome a little without really getting to an incisive point.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Death In Vegas
2/5
This was pretty bland for me. Definitely backgrounded in after a couple of tracks maybe a bit unfairly but hey. Liked the blend of electronic production and love instrumentation but beyond that felt a bit middle of the road.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Soul Auctioneer
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Moody, catchy post-punk that again feels like a real precursor to the genre at large. Love the way a lot of these songs are structured, playing with expectations, and the vocals cut through like a knife.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Head Cut
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Feels like the kind of album this project was made for. Ubiquitous, has only risen in the public conciousness as time goes on, and an album I'd somehow avoided listening the whole way through until now. It was just always there yknow!
But genuinely, I didn't even know some of these tracks were his. The grand alt-rock energy here was pretty unexpected, and felt incredibly prescient of a lot of what was to come with bands like Muse and Silverchair closer to home (thinking Neon Ballroom).
It was honestly a bit close to home with the kind of stuff I idolised when I listened to heaps of Muse and Silverchair. I would have eaten this up. And still, his voice is undeniable, and in the rock sphere I think this goes for big swings which, while not always without their moments that made me seethe a little, are admirable. The closer was unfortunately super weak for what was a pretty elegantly sequenced album before that. I might regret this as I don't necessarily think this is an entirely successful album but I had a really nice time finally giving this a whirl and I'll remember it that way.
Fave track: Grace
The White Stripes
2/5
Nothing Jack White has ever really hit for me and this was no exception. The jankiness is supposed to be charming I guess, but it fell on the side of annoyance for me more often. Every time I was getting really peeved though, a pleasant or catchy track would poke its head out to keep me trundling along. The rockier cuts really just leave something to be desired - I know they're a duo, but it sounds sooo thin I can't!
Two and a half.
Fave track: As Ugly As I Seem
Talvin Singh
4/5
Cinematic bangers abound! Love the mixture of sounds on this thing and how reverently it takes dance music. Certainly some tracks I felt had a lot more drive than others, but for a style I find it hard to listen to extensively on my own time (and when I can't dance), I really enjoyed this and was very impressed.
Strong three and a half.
Fave track: Sutrix
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Production was lush, some really nice orchestral touches. Those vocals, boya oh boy were they twee! Was often not sure if the lyrics were supposed to be funny, but not sure I can give it the benefit of the doubt. Too too twee.
Fave track: Someone
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Another list of shame band that I'm really glad I've touched base on now! For what I expected to be classic shoe gaze, this was refreshingly crunchy and unpretentious, with moments of real beauty. I thought the flow was magnificent and the sound matched the elevated repressed secuality emo angst of the lyrics. Did a really nice museum walk with this on and given the context was really loving it.
Four and a half.
Fave track: No More Sorry
Metallica
3/5
A little more cheese, theatricality, and less going for the jugular, meant I was less on board with this than Puppets. It's still a very solid record though, and while the length pushed it for me I found myself grooving to a lot of pockets throughout.
Fave track: To Live is to Die
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Some standout tracks for sure, others that felt over-dramatic, most felt inconsequential if well performed. I like Karen Oh over instrumentals like Heads Will Roll, but on others here she felt way too sharp.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Heads Will Roll
Iron Maiden
3/5
Some really fun shreds on here. While still not really my thing, I'm quite happy headbanging along to this and don't find it nearly as grating as a lot of its ilk.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Remember Tomorrow
The Killers
4/5
Nostalgia points on this, be warned.
THAT SAID
This is an impeccable rock album. It's so catchy. I put it on all the time. Opens huge, has some nice sentimental with just the right amount of kitsch tracks, and isn't afraid to get all anthemic. There's little quirks in the production that still excite me, and I think the slight snarky quirk on traditional rock lyrics formats is (for the most part) a joy. There's a dud or two (Change Your Mind I never remember is a track on here, Midnight Show) but it's still an exemplar of the genre for me.
I said what I said. What are you gonna do. KILL me? The KiLlers. Okay?
Four and a half.
Fave track: All These Things That I've Done
Janelle Monáe
4/5
A big deal concept album that hit for me. Justified the extended runtime by being sonically broad, traversing a number of genres, but still cohesive in its sound. Politically charged and cinematic, but often catchy too - no forgoing the pop hits.
Strong three and a half.
Fave track: Locked Inside
Gorillaz
5/5
Don't think I ever appreciated how much of an absolute vibe this album is. And I mean that seriously, like the cultivation of an entirely engrossing mood and aesthetic while traversing multiple genres. It just drips with style and is endlessly listenable. This was a big Dad put it on when I was little album as well, but this was probably the first time I gave it a proper first listen and the production is an absolute treat. No problem saying this is my favourite Gorillaz album and probably one of my favourite albums all told.
Four and a half.
Fave track: M1 A1 (freaked me out so much as a kid that I had to skip the intro on my ipod nano)
Dusty Springfield
3/5
A little frontloaded, and 20 tracks leads to some sag in the middle. Nonetheless quite a pleasant listen.
Fave track: Summer is Over
Weather Report
3/5
This was a weird one - I found a good bit of it to be pretty insufferable, creating no real particular mood or atmosphere (at least not one I appreciated). But then there's a couple of major bangers, including an all time classic.
So two and a half?
Fave track: Havona
The National
2/5
A mostly very middling album for mine, never scaling anthemic heights or delving into brooding depths. Petty but not acerbic, romantic but not passionate. Perfectly listenable.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Coversation 16
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
Skills on show but not the kind of jazz I can sink into on a cold listen. End of the last track synced up with me landing in Venice which was a moment. I'm sure it comes with more listening but I can't find anything to sink my teeth into with playing this loose.
Fave track: Jade Visions - Take 2
Neil Young
4/5
Definitely the best Yungian recording we've gotten our canals around so far. Real well constructed songs, some beautiful, surreal storytelling, it even gets pretty catchy at points.
Big winner.
Fave track: See the Sky About to Rain
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Not much I can add to the convo here. An all time voice. So much charisma in the lyrics and delivery. Great fun and often a bit heartbreaking.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Tears Dry on Their Own
Saint Etienne
3/5
Started out sooostrong and my attention slowly dropped away. Really enjoyed the subtle shifts in tone and tempo but I did find the melodies and vocal performances lacking on a few tracks. A few I'm definitely coming back to though!
Three and a half.
Fave track: Only Love Can Break Your Heart
The Doors
2/5
Was it just me or was this album goofy as hell? Like so silly? The vocals are so silly? Not that thats a bad thing. Just in this case it might be a bad thing. Instrumentals not bad, but nothing worth saving.
Fave track: Riders on the Storm
Scott Walker
3/5
Very engaging storytelling. Not sure if the overwrought horny sad sack is a character or true to life but it works well with the melodrama. I like how the grand instrumentals would shift in tone and timbre based on the narrative.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Black Sheep Boy
Pixies
4/5
Realising I have largely just listened to the Wave of Mutilation comp over and over again and rarely the individual records. This was a treat as its own piece with lots of my favourite tracks on there. Love how anarchic and silly it is, so much character in the vocals, with surreal lyrics that nonetheless create incredibly distinct images. Not quite 100% winners as I think at points it gets slightly too scratchy for its own good, but it's close.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Gigantic
Fugees
5/5
Fwooosh this was an absolute stunner of a listen. Never gone all the way through with it and I'm so glad I have. Even at around an hour it never gets old, the production so smooth and distinct, and all the members so complimentary to each other. I was following along with the lyrics all the way which is often hard for me to do, and they are consistently top notch. Only a single dud - No Woman No Cry doesn't offer much to the album and the interpolation doesn't really seem to fit the theme. (Also I see the words 'Includes Chinese Restaurant Skit' and shudder). Otherwise about flawless.
V strong four and a half.
Fave track: Ready or Not
fIREHOSE
2/5
Was very disengaged from this. Also very distracted so it's my fault, but it felt quite run of the mill and I don't have any inclination to give it another run. Production and vocals not there for me, some fun instrumental passages.
Fave track: Liberty For Our Friend
Caetano Veloso
3/5
Great vibe for a Mediterranean listen. Nice hazy production, lots of wide ranging influences blurring together. Little bit of a sinister edge to the pleasantries which I really liked too.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Eles
R.E.M.
3/5
Never been a big Stipend but the first half of this record had me rethinking! Lovely easy-going alt rock tracks with a nice little sprinkle of existential unease. Then I'm not sure what happened, but my interest really dropped off in the second half. Might give it another run in future to settle the score.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Laughing
T. Rex
3/5
Pretty good I think! Can see how this was hugely influential on decades on psyche/rock to come and deserves its spot on the list. The vibes carried me a long way, but they were just starting to wear thin by record end, and the insistent, sometimes creepy horniness got a bit wearing.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Rip Off
Depeche Mode
3/5
Pretty camp and groovy, I had a good time! Enjoyed the cinematic flourishes and almost wish it had gone further with them. As an album it won't be something I'll be coming back to but I reckon they've got some tracks in the catalogue I'd really enjoy.
Fave track: Strangelove
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Was actually really digging this album but the sodge lyrics brought it down a peg or two. Really cool blend of different styles and influences, particularly other regions, in some proto-punk rock.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Get Me to the World on Time
Daft Punk
4/5
Damn good album. Goes harder than I thought of Daft Punk at many points. Really impressed with a record that can have a dirty thumpin bass drum throughout and not get old. Impressively sequenced and an absolute trailblazer.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Rollin' & Scratchin'
Dolly Parton
4/5
Hard not to be won over by Dolly's signature drawl. Real emotion and tenderness in the vocal delivery too. High score, this is not necessarily my bag but I think if it is, it's a cornerstone record.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Coat of Many Colors
Elliott Smith
4/5
Elliott's big play at a more commercial pop record. This has always been a tough one for me, as I greatly appreciate the expansion in of his sound and how he adapted his signature fragility into a full band feel, but I do feel that some of these arrangements begin to lose some of what makes him special.
That said, on this listen I was very struck by just how catchy some of these hooks are, and how he plays off some of his most devastating lyrics against these upbeat instrumentals. The production detracts from his vocal style somewhat so it's not top tier for me, but it's still a big winner and only grows in favour the more I listen.
Fave track: Everything Means Nothing To Me
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
A bit too cheery and upbeat for my taste in jazz, but there's timeless classics played very well here so I can't knock it.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Blue Rondo à la Turk
Jeff Beck
2/5
This dude loves getting rocked all night long
Found a lot of it to be lamely exaggerated rather than particularly soulful. Also was very confused by how Spotify had the album sequenced - not sure its a fault of the album but it certainly hurt the experience.
Fave track: Ol' Man River
Guided By Voices
2/5
Didn't really get this for the first few songs, found the lo-fi aesthetic charming for a few, then grew frustrated at the vague sketches that populated most of the record.
Fave track: My Son Cool
Beth Orton
3/5
Some nice songwriting here. Lyrics were subtle but observant. Though for me, everything just felt very staid - production and vocals just a little dry. Feel like it might work better as a live recording or sumn.
Fave track: Feel to Believe
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Nothing super wrong with this! Some charismatic rock n roll with an Americana bent that feels a bit like cosplay but that's okay. Too much of that Jagger magnetism to be a write off but I won't necessarily be listening again.
Fave track: Sympathy for the Devil
Nick Drake
3/5
There's some lovely stuff here, mostly in the very spare guitar passages and some choice vocal lines. At times it dips a bit into the Jack Johnson easy listening territory that is a bit teeth clenching, but I don't think I'd ever be upset hearing this.
Fave track: From the Morning
Ash
3/5
Weird mix of butt rock, brit-pop and grunge... didn't hate it? Some songs had a sorta rudimentary charm that I was quite into. Others were bad!
Two and a half.
Fave track: I'd Give You Anything
Manu Chao
2/5
Serves up its vibe perfectly well, its just not one I'm super into.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Je ne t'aime plus
Morrissey
2/5
First part of this album was lame, soo soo lame, I knew he was a cunt but I didn't know he could make music so lame. The album does pick up toward the end, with some of that smiths magic recaptured in some nice ballads. But that doesn't make up for the truly awful openers.
Two and a half.
Fave track: I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Majorly dug this! Always knew it was around, but for some reason the Lou Reed and Warhol of it all put me off and I never gave it time.
But this is a really well rounded, surprisingly intimate collection of tracks with a great flow and diversity to them. Keen to dive into it more as it feels like there's a lot to be uncovered.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Venus in Furs
John Coltrane
4/5
Exceptionally impressive playing. Again maybe just that little bit cacophonous for my jazz tastes currently up until the last track, but it's taste not quality.
Three and a half.
Fave track: A Love Supreme, Pt. 4 - Psalm
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Classic for a reason. An iconic voice. If I'm 100% honest, I'm not totally on board with some of the vocal affectations and broad lyrical focus, so I know I'm gonna be blasphemously low to some. I think as I listen more through the years I'll warm further.
Fave track: Mercy Mercy Me
The Temptations
4/5
A pearl of a funk record. Effortless shifts in style and subject but always completely engaging. Would just have a big grin any time this came on.
Four and a half.
Fave track: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Syd Barrett
2/5
Not a gel for me. I really don't remember anything about it and I listened yesterday. Probably means I should give it another go but nothing compelled me to. All felt pretty bare and basic for mine.
Fave track: Late Night
David Bowie
5/5
Stunner of a record on this revisit. Shimmers like a mirage, Bowie's voice just out of reach, with strange, unique production that never settles into one mode. A one of a kind record and in totality my favourite from him.
Fave track: Lazarus
The Stone Roses
3/5
Throughout most of this I can really see why it still resonates, but it's not quite my brand and there were too many tracks that lost me for me to go back.
Fave track: Waterfall
The Stooges
4/5
So much tude in this record. It oozes charisma, in both the playing and vocal performance. A thrill to listen to even now.
Fave track: Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell
Flamin' Groovies
2/5
Nope, boring rehashes of far better artists with far more personality. More songs about underage girls.
One and a half.
Favourite track: City Lights
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
This kinda music can often quite easily dip into the background for me but this one managed to break through. Quite enjoyed it.
Fave track: Maria Lionza
The Go-Go's
3/5
Really fun rock album that keeps up the pace and doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Lust to Love
The Cure
4/5
Didn't know The Cure got so proggy! Had really only listened to the hits comp and this showcases much more versatility while retaining some hooky hits. Not a brain-breaker but really enjoyed!
Fave track: Prayers for Rain
The Triffids
2/5
Don't think there's anything particularly wrong with this record, it's just so far away from elements I enjoy. It took me four distinct listens to get through it. The lyrics have some pretty interesting turns of phrase, but otherwise it was one note for mine.
Fave track: Everything You Touch Turns to Time
Roxy Music
3/5
Feel like there's something going on beneath the surface on most tracks here that would be really rewarding on future listens. Very into the first half, but it lost me a good bit on the last few tracks.
Three and a half.
Fave track: If There Is Something
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
Felt like there was some pretty cooked Catholic guilt on this bad boy haha. Some horrific lyrics. Sometimes felt tongue in cheek and others not. Anyway I didn't like it at all.
One and a half.
Fave track: Dark End of the Street
Michael Jackson
4/5
Mostly a great album that is still tough to listen to.
Fave track: Smooth Criminal
Sam Cooke
5/5
Electric live album. Just so thrilling to listen to, the energy in the room so apparent, the passion of the performance captured completely by the recording. A voice that could move mountains.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Chain Gang
Butthole Surfers
4/5
Probably the most outright wild album we've had so far. Maybe it's just by virtue of it being refreshing, but I relished this. Weird, spooky, fuzzy, chunky goodness.
Fave track: Sweat Loaf
The Boo Radleys
3/5
A bit long to keep me fully engaged, and while some of the stylings are not my favourite, this seems like a pretty strong record through and through and if I was more inclined to this vibe it might be a favourite.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Best Lose the Fear
PJ Harvey
3/5
Liked this, but maybe a bit too spare and straightforward for me to really dig into. Definitely need to dig further into the PJ catalogue.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Plants and Rags
Talking Heads
4/5
Probably my least played record from the Heads, so I enjoyed this listen for re-appreciating some of the more raw and playful compositions of their early years. Not my favourite by any means but still a lot of fun.
Strong three and a half?
Fave track: Psycho Killer
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Definitely see why this had as much impact as it did. Doesn't overstay it's welcome and the wild, free-wheeling riffs never completely lose control. It's just never gonna be wholly for me, but that doesn't diminish the power.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Good Times Bad Times
Iron Butterfly
2/5
I have a general distaste for this style of psych-rock for sure, but this one really grated - annoying vocals, songs either too meandering or not developed enough, only a few choice lyrics. More like Iron Butt.
One and a half.
Fave track: Termination
King Crimson
4/5
Very cool. Really enjoyed the dark grooves and percussive elements. Not so much the vocals but they were absent for a lot of it and never outright annoyed me. Keen to hear that one with the big face on the front when it comes up on here.
Three and a half.
Fave track: The Talking Drum
The Zombies
4/5
Pretty great pop songs tbh. Just charming yknow. No pretension about it. Nice vocals with some variation. Boppier ones haven't aged quite as well but overall I thought it was a really nice time.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Rose for Emily
Dire Straits
3/5
Honestly first three tracks was really digging this (other than all the slurs). Don't think I knew those songs were by Dire Straits and they all bang, loved the ethereal passages especially. I found that it settled into a holding pattern after that which I cant say I was too inspired by. But there's enough here in those first three to recommend.
Fave track: Money for Nothing (other than the slurs)
3/5
The hits stick in the craw, there's no denying it. They're well written and theres great key vocal lines. Vocals grated more than usual this listen, the nasal affected American twang really doesn't do it for me. Some of the album cuts really don't resonate too. A worthy addition, but never a favourite.
Fave track: Champagne Supernova
Talk Talk
4/5
Call it the mood I was in but I was really worming around to this today. Even with the extended song lengths I only found that a couple of tracks overstayed their welcome. Mostly I was happy to let the vibe wash over me, and was won over by the dramatic vocals.
Three and a half.
Fave track: I Don't Believe in You
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Need to give this another spin to fully appreciate it I think, it was a bit backgrounded for my listen. But I found the pervasive pleasantness quite effective which is rare for me. Some great lyrics that popped out even though I'm not always one to pick up on lyrics. Would be interested to come back.
Fave track: Expectations
Boston
2/5
Anthemic for sure, not sure it's particularly exciting. Look I didn't pay a lot of attention. Sorry Boston.
Two and a half.
Fave track: More than a Feeling
Eagles
3/5
Only really knowing Hotel California, I was pleasantly surprised to find this having a lot more going on than that track. Some quite tender, laid back grooves, especially on the back end. Hey, I'd say I liked it!
Fave track: Try and Love Again
3/5
Some absolute stars here. Great closer. LSD is just the right level of twee. I sung With a Little Help From My Friends for my year 6 leavers. It's also an album that has patchy recreations of styles that don't really work for them. Some songs are just a groan. But I still reckon these guys are gonna be big!
Three and a half.
Fave track: Day in the Life
Def Leppard
1/5
Sounded like a trash compactor exhaust retracting, where all the bin bags are popping and the hiss of air fizzes and the fetid juices spray and the clatter and scrape of tin cans seem to ring out from your brain rather than your ears. The group vocals were good.
Fave track: Billy's Got a Gun
Paul Revere & The Raiders
2/5
Pretty lame! A couple of nice tracks but on the whole the lyrical focus and general lack of inspiration outside of a sprinkle of weird flourishes had this one leaving very little impression.
Fave track: There's Always Tomorrow
Faust
3/5
Enjoyed that this had a lot more space and texture that some of the psych/prog we've had on here. It didn't have the intensity to really dig its hooks in but there were some impressive compositions.
Fave track: Giggy Smile
Bob Dylan
4/5
My first time really getting big Dyl. His vocal idiosyncrasies were more charming that annoying this time around, and the compositions were simple and effective. It's not on the level that's gonna make him an artist I dip into over and over yet, but I'm certainly further on the way.
Three and a half.
Fave track: You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Miles Davis
3/5
This album had a little less of the atmosphere and light And shade that wowed me on the other records I've heard from him. This isn't the kind of jazz that tickles me. That said, the playing is still incredible, can't fault it.
Fave track: Moon Dreams
Burning Spear
4/5
Pretty incredible stuff! Impassioned lyrics and delivery with a direct and incendiary political bent. Great layers to the instrumentation and an overall atmosphere that kept me completely engaged. A real discovery for me, some of the best reggae I've heard and could be a gateway to the genre for me.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Jordan River
The Charlatans
2/5
Was very ready to shit on this album after the first half, even had a good joke review (The real charlatans were the people that put this album on the list!), but the second half did pick up a lot for me. Still thought it was overall bland and completely undeserving of a spot on the list, but a couple of perfectly good jams on the back end.
Fave track: Area 51
Talking Heads
5/5
In comparison to 77, this feels like a completely cohesive album experience. There's just some thrilling zags to the instrumentals that elevate these tracks above their contemporaries, and Byrne is firing on all cylinders, lyrically and in performance. There's more hits on other records but the flow is amazing here.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Warning Sign
Elvis Presley
3/5
This Elvey collection didn't really resonate with me. Didn't seem do have the soulful heft or elevate his voice.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Suspicious Minds
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
First couple of songs are flat out gorgeous. The most Neil Young has resonated with me. Achingly beautiful, and so immersive. But slowly, the album dropped into that jangly unfocussed rock n roll that I know really appeals to some but tends to frustrate me. This one not as much as that garage album by any means, but still. Rating high because those openers and real stunners.
Three and a half.
Fave track: My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Think this was fine but just had nothing for me. Completely passed me by.
Fave track: Do it Clean
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Super smooth, some nice cinematic touches, felt really fun to have on while I was working.
Three and a half.
Fave track: No Name Bar
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
Very much Not Music I Like©️ but there are idiosyncrasies in the lyrics and delivery here that pull it out of the gutter for me.
Two and a half.
Fave track: And When I Die
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Can't deny the classics on here. They still resonate, with that perfect controlled looseness that make The Stones so charismatic. There's still some dodgier blues rips that really don't work for me, but it's a winner.
Fave track: You Can't Always Get What You Want
Various Artists
2/5
Don't really enjoy listening to Christmas music at the best of times. Some nice renditions.
Fave track: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Laibach
2/5
Ludicrous, sometimes humorously so, other times testing. Some cool flourishes of experimentation but it couldn't elevate the whole experience.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Opus Dei
Incredible Bongo Band
2/5
I genuinely did listen to this, but it immediately left my brain. I don't know if Incredible Bongo Band needed a spot. Felt quite sad in the office pushing through the 75th minute of bongos.
One and a half.
Fave track: Okey Dokey
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Pretty into this. Interesting post punky new wave stuff that still felt quite fresh. A couple of in one ear out the other tracks, but this was sticky and had my ears perked up as I worked.
Three and a half.
Fave track: All of This and Nothing
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
As many duds here as there are outright bangers for mine, but the bangers are really great. The right side of cheesy and charming, more so than a lot of Beatles for me. Would quite happily have most of this on in the bar and be jolly.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Let Me Roll It
Pixies
5/5
Jesus christ there are so many hits on this album. It has such a masterful control of tone and tambre, leans just the right amount into eccentricity whilst retaining its raw power. Love almost every song on this and it's cohesive experience is just as good.
Fave track: Monkey Gone to Heaven
Bob Dylan
3/5
Pretty enjoyable low-key blues from the Dylster. Good background while making dinner vibe. Still didn't have anything I was clamouring for. Loved the reflective epic closer.
Fave track: Highlands
Tom Tom Club
3/5
A lot of fun to be had here but I ended up finding the relentless twee of it all to be a bit tiring. On another day it might be just what I want but this listen had me waiting for it to end at times.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Genius of Love
Donald Fagen
1/5
Dull as dishwater. Doesn't deserve to be played in even the shittest hotels.
Fave track: I.G.Y.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
2/5
Just can't sink into this kind of jazz. Would never doubt the playing or composition, but it's a little too jaunty, and I end up frustrated.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Lil' Darlin
Dire Straits
2/5
Could not be more dad music if it tried. I think it's boring as batshit but honestly I'll probably age into it as I get more jaded.
Fave track: Down to the Waterline
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Not exactly my scene but honestly this is what I want to see a lot more of on this list. Music that is from all corners, hugely culturally significant or influential, niche genres, overlooked classics.
Some passages of this one really got its hooks in me, others left me wanting more light and shade.
Fave track: Ode to the Sun God
Aerosmith
2/5
Really don't think it was essential for me to have heard this many Aerosmith albums. This one was fine I suppose? Anything is better than Pump.
Fave track: Sick as a Dog
Aimee Mann
2/5
A couple of Aimee Mann tracks at a time I can really get behind. A whole album was far too much of a helping for me. I don't think this record is nearly dynamic enough for its length. Her idiosyncrasies still shine through however.
Two and a half.
Fave track: I Know There's a Word
Fave track
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
Really enjoyed jamming out to this on a sunny day. Primed for a low-key day party dance. Impossible not to groove.
Fave track: Cavaleiro Do Cavalo Imaculado
Nirvana
5/5
Stone cold classic. With something so totemic, sometimes it's hard to discern your feelings about it later on, especially placing it in the context of this project and other albums of influence around it. What makes this better than some of the more middling grunge and altrock we've seen here?
I won't theorise but this was a thrilling listen, coming back to it after quite some time. Deceptively layered but retains so much raw energy. At times it's harrowing. Cobains voice loses none of its dynamism and power.
Four and a half.
Fave track: In Bloom
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Pleasant, I suppose - it's just too slight, without much emotionality, for me to get excited. Maybe it's a bit too clean? I felt like it was going for intimate but never quite got there. Enjoyed some songs well enough but won't be returning.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Scarborough Fair/Canticle
Sepultura
4/5
An absolute shredder. Does what it does very, very well. Never let's up but also includes enough of a range of dynamics to leave the ears fresh. Much prefer the vocals here to someone like Kirk Hammet in the thrash game - really gets my snarl going.
Fave track: Desperate Cry
Genesis
1/5
Nah come on. Soon as I put this on I was pissed off and didn't give it another chance. I hate this kind of media. It's like the very worst kind of nerd as an album. I don't wanna yuck anyone's yums but nothing makes me more frustrated than twiddly synths and big rock guitars and a man singing about an alien race he invented. Maybe I fear what I don't understand.
Fave track: The Lamia
GZA
4/5
Took me a minute but I really settled into this one. There's some brilliant introspection and genuine questioning in the lyrics along with the staunch stuff. Great beats too - its probably not my preferred hip-hop vibe but I can't fault a lot of it.
Fave track: Swordsman
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
Joplin's voice just cuts straight through. Incredible power. And some incredible cuts on here! It wore a bit thin for me though, and I found it treading too much similar ground.
Fave track: Piece of My Heart
Bert Jansch
3/5
Interesting little guitar record, I quite enjoyed it. I was locked into the instrumental solo guitar passages, and found they let the album flow really nicely. I'd be keen to give this a proper listen soon.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Smokey River
Ice Cube
3/5
Cube is so charismatic and it's hard to resist his energy on a lot of these tracks. But it has familiar problems of being way too bloated to maintain the loud boom bap production throughout, and horrific misogyny and homophobia in the lyrics. Some powerful stuff but not one I could go back to in full.
Two and a half.
Fave track: It's a Man's World
Massive Attack
3/5
A good time, and it doesn't feel like it's taking itself too seriously. Would never be mad to have it on. Not sure there's a heap of meat on the bones with this one.
Fave track: Heat Miser
The Who
2/5
Too long n too bland, not for me. Some cheeky lyrics which are fun but otherwise just not something I'm gonna get into.
One and a half.
Fave track: Shakin' All Over
Black Sabbath
4/5
Loved this for the most part, real rockin. Easy to jam out to, and some great riffs and vocals in there. Didn't feel the back end held up quite as much but still a really fun listen.
Three and a half.
Fave track: The Wizard
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Strange, and at times very beguiling. At other points the twee theatricality got the better of me and took me out of any potential atmosphere. But certainly enough to be interested in here.
Fave track: Alife
Liz Phair
3/5
Was very worried after the opener that this might be a massive dud - but really picks up. Responded most to the acerbic, low-key acoustic tracks. Some of the rock songs didn't do enough instrumentally to really get me excited. Would need another pass on the lyrics but sounds like there's some gems in there and I'm sure that's what elevates it to a classic for many.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Dance of the Seven Veils
The Incredible String Band
1/5
No thankyouu did not understand this one at all, lame compositions, lyrics oscillating between twee sincerity and forced strangeness. Happy to never hear this again.
Fave track: Waltz of the New Moon
Green Day
4/5
Pure pop-punk, not too shiny or cheesy, loaded with angst, very fun. New most of these tracks but not sure I ever ran the whole record through a lot back in my Green Day era. The style has passed me by so I don't know that I'll return a lot but for what it is, its a really good time.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Longview
Fela Kuti
4/5
Not my favourite Fela record I have heard but all the style and appeal is here in spades. Passionate music that can also be enjoyed in a blissful relaxation kind of way - works in every way it attempts to.
Fave track: Mr. Follow Follow
Kate Bush
3/5
This one didn't hit for me so much. There was a bit too much glam energy which I've never really responded to, and the dynamics that were so compelling on hounds just weren't here.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Between a Man and a Woman
The Hives
4/5
Really enjoyed this, and a vibe we haven't seen a ton of on the list - red-hot garagey punk rock. It's not reinventing the wheel but it gets ya going and there's a lot of fun to be had in the lyrics.
Strong three and a half.
Fave track: Supply and Demand
Pulp
3/5
Have never listened to an entire Pulp record and I found this to be a pretty happy experience. A couple of the more jangly art-pop tracks weren't so much my vibe but there was a lot that was - give me some wine and cheese and I could really brat about to this.
Three and a half.
Fave track: This is Hardcore
OutKast
4/5
Epic double album but consistently engaging. The two halves are distinct but complimentary. Some absolutely amazing production and Andre's best hooks. I feel that some of the concept tracks, particularly on disc 2, forego being great songs in favour of their central idea which drops things a bit.
Fave track: Tomb of the Boom
King Crimson
3/5
This has been in my orbit forever but ive never given it the time. Didn't have a seismic reaction to this in the end, but we know this psyche/prog vibe is not so much for me. Regardless, found a lot of it to be quite engaging and its performed very well.
Three and a half.
Fave track: 21st Century Schizoid Man
Baaba Maal
3/5
Some great rhythms and melodies, but it lost my attention eventually. Nothing to knock specifically, maybe just not the vibe I was looking for at the time.
Fave track: Yela
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Only ever heard Rumours - I loved this! I thought it moved well, the different tones of stanky country, tender balladry, and big time pop rock made for a compelling album throughout. At 20 tracks I maybe didn't vibe with every one, but on the whole this really surprised me.
Fave track: Beautiful Child
Roxy Music
3/5
Some intriguing stuff here, I'd say I vibed more than I didn't. There's some hallmark elements of this genre that don't tickle my pleasure centres so it's never gonna be a favourite. A little moodier than their other album we had on here which I appreciated.
Fave track: In Every Dream Home a Heartache
The Clash
3/5
Totally see the appeal and it mostly stands up to the test of time. It's prototypical punk fare now but it must have been pretty incendiary. A worthy addition.
Fave track: White Riot
Joy Division
4/5
Classic for a reason and exactly the kind of album I do this for - a titan that I've mostly overlooked. It's great but for me can't overcome that super reverby vocal treatment that is so distancing for me.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Candidate
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
I mean the people love this guy! Who am I to deny them. Hard to ignore the context of this music largely being stolen, but the charisma comes through the headphones and was enough to pull me through.
Fave track: Great Balls of Fire
Fred Neil
3/5
Pretty charming, well produced, some great standards in there. A little straight up and down for my taste in folk but nothing to sniff at - a good office listen.
Fave track: That's the Bag I'm In
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
Pretty fierce lyricism, delivered with a ton of attitude. Felt predictive of Nick Cave and his contemporaries. Musically it's not quite as interesting for me, but most of the time it provides a competent backdrop for the star of the show.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Why'd Ya Do It
Metallica
2/5
Mostly a snooze. My favourite Metallica songs have been the raw thrashy ones. These lean into the overblown cock rock of it all, Hetfields voice sounds way over-processed. Nice if you're a die-hard, but hardly essential.
Fave track: Master of Puppets
Elton John
3/5
There's some bangers on here for sure, but I don't think Elton's ever really been my speed. His voice is killer and charismatic, but the tunes are mostly a bit jangly for me. And some are really gross? Maybe I missed the point?
Two and a half.
Fave track: Bennie and the Jets
G. Love & Special Sauce
1/5
Fucking hated this album. I can imagine everyone that loves this band to be completely insufferable. So, so lame, boring, lazy (not in a good slacker way). Awful college douche music. Can't believe it got on this list. Even the name. Fuck this album. My new worst of the project!
Half a star.
Fave track: This Ain't Living
Shuggie Otis
3/5
Pleasant soul for pottering around the house, but didn't leave a huge impact. Another of those I'd never be upset to have on but would never pick out.
Fave track: Strawberry Letter 23
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Relatively didn't mind this album but also didn't care about it. Kind of went in anticipating The Flaming Lips to make me mad but they didn't. The annoying psyche concept vibe is not foregrounded too much.
Two and a half.
Fave track: One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21
The xx
3/5
Was surprised hearing how low-key and stripped back this album was from knowing how popular it was back in the day. I mean it's chill! No issues with it really. Nothing super exciting for me either.
Fave track: Crystallised
Arcade Fire
3/5
Has some tenets of music I tend to enjoy, but Arcade Fire seem to lean into the arena pop/alt-rock just that little too much. I end up cringing more than I feel catharsis. No Cars Go is close to Of Monsters and Men levels. There's enough to admire in the musicianship, but it's all a bit overblown.
Fave track: Intervention
Small Faces
3/5
Actually thought this was kind of funny. You know what, I chuckled.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Long Agos and Worlds Apart
Britney Spears
3/5
Had less fun with this than I thought I would :( there is more flops than bops. But there is some great bops.
Fave track: Born to Make You Happy
The Birthday Party
4/5
Raucous and manic, with Nicky boy in murder mode. LOVED the drums on this one, cracking in like gunshots and puttering in and out, only occasionally settling in on a groove. It can be shrill and punishing, definitely a sometimes food, but a treat!
Fave track: She's Hit
Tears For Fears
4/5
Bangers for days. Produced really well, has less of that frustrating 80s reverb than some. Had a great time hearing these songs in album sequence.
Fave track: Shout
Beastie Boys
2/5
Surprisingly really didn't enjoy this! Thought of myself as quite liking them but maybe I'm thinking of some later work. Found it to be largely very grating and without the self-awareness required to pull off such lame lyrics. Still some fun to be had.
Fave track: No Sleep Til Brooklyn
David Ackles
3/5
I DID listen to this, but it slipped the mind pretty quickly. I think it was pleasant with some moments of beauty, but not the kind of folk-pop that sticks with me.
Fave track: Love's Enough
Louis Prima
3/5
This was a whole lotta fun! Brassy big band sound has never been a fave but couldn't help but smile through most of the length of this. Would be fun to have a lemon drop and watch at the Brunswick Ballroom.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody
Blur
3/5
Didn't do a whole lot for me! Certainly there's a few tracks that are sticky, and I tend to quite like Albarns voice, but at almost an hour I tuned out quite a bit.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Chinese Bombs
The Doors
3/5
Standard issue psych/rock that didn't do a whole lot to ingratiate me to the aesthetics of the genre. I just get a bit bored.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Light My Fire
Prince
3/5
Funk joy to be had, but you have to pick it out from a fair stack of tracks, many of which bogged this project down for me. The character based vocals took away what for me is normally one of Princes greatest strengths.
Two and a half.
Fave track: The Cross
The Shamen
2/5
Not for me. Kind of lamely saccharine and doesn't get me in the mood for dancing.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Make it Minimal
Roni Size
4/5
Great to see some drum n bass on here. This seems like a good pick too - feels emblematic but also inventive, has a nice full album feel. I had a great time.
Fave track: Brown Paper Bag
Queen
2/5
Didn't have the grandeur or immediacy of Queens best tracks for mine and I wound up tuning out a lot of these scratchy glam rock tunes.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Killer Queen
The Rolling Stones
3/5
A couple of really nice tracks, but lacking the punch required for a classic record.
Fave track: Out of Time
Genesis
2/5
Not as painful as anticipated, as there's some grooves an moments of light and shade here that have been much less present in other overblown concept glam prog albums. Still not something I'd ever put on, but, if it works for ya.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Dancing With the Moonlit Knight
Spacemen 3
3/5
Alternately really boring and kinda great! Not sure if I've had an album on here to date with such a variation in how I reacted to different tracks. The more rolling rock stuff was super engaging - the floaty prog far, far less so. I guess an even 3 then?
Fave track: Revolution
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
Quite a fun experiment. Listened to this throughout the day at work and was never tearing my hair out which is an achievement for an almost three hour album I had no prior investment in. I'd say about 6 or 7 of the tracks really stood out to me - not the best hit rate but most I had no issue with, only a few clunkers. I don't think I'll be running this thing often but will definitely come back to those few tracks, and I think the concept is quite fun.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Papa Was a Rodeo
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Not the best Zepp we've had but still pretty cool tbh. One of these legacy acts that I can pretty immediately understand how they came to be that way. So much confidence in the performances, never overstays its welcome. Good rock and roll, uhhh, music.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Immigrant Song
Billy Joel
3/5
Very well constructed pop ballads, but not in a style that works for me. Can't hold anything against Bill except some questionable lyrics and a little lack of variation, but he's never gonna be my guy.
Two and a half.
Fave track: The Stranger
Santana
2/5
I find these lyrics of jilted male ex-lovers bitching and moaning about how their partner has moved on over noodly rock guitars so funny. Like... aren't u rock n roll? Deadbeats that can only find a partner cause guitar look cool then everyone realises they are deadbeats. Anyway the instrumental songs were okay but surprise surprise I don't like these kinda tracks.
Fave track: Oye Como Va
Einstürzende Neubauten
4/5
I often grade stuff on here based on how frequently I might come back to it, but that doesn't fit here at all. Lacks some of the sharp grooves of some of their other records, but more than makes up for it in industrial atmosphere. More wacky shit in the canon plz.
Fave track: Kollaps
Wire
3/5
Pretty strong early punk. Could have gone a bit deeper on a few tracks here but appreciated the punchiness.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Champs
Nirvana
4/5
Was big for me back in the day. Still think it's a pretty great Showcase for KC and reveals some of their compositions to have a bit more going on melodically.
Fave track: Dumb
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2/5
Found these tracks pretty plain and underdeveloped. Was bored and tuned out!
Fave track: Luna
The The
3/5
Some really fun moments and compositions here but has some new-wave production elements that I don't particularly respond to. Quite striking lyricism at points.
Fave track: Giant
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
4/5
A whole lotta charm to this voice. The spoken intros are so cozy and welcoming. I was humming and whistling along despite not knowing many of the songs. All I could really ask for with this kinda thing.
Fave track: New York Town
Hole
4/5
Pretty keen on this, thought it was raw and rough-n-tumble and would be killer live. Definitely gonna throw on when I have a riot grl moment.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Violet
The Specials
2/5
Largely just not my speed but there's flashes of real fun to be had.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Nite Club
Beatles
4/5
Definitely the best and most cohesive beety project I've heard in full. Timeless classics abound on this tracklist. That's not to say there's not goofy duds and bizarre lyrics - there absolutely is and they are still annoying - but they're far overshadowed here.
Four and a half.
Fave track: Because
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
Lovely scratchy depresso-folk ballads here. Thought the compositions were a cut above some of his contemporaries in the genre. Would be spinning a lot if it was on the toxic green app - I don't know if it quite reaches navigate to YouTube heights.
Fave track: I See a Darkness
Fave track:
Tim Buckley
2/5
Sounds rich and nice but it's not at all my speed. Sorry Tim. It really sounds like you were having fun and I love that for you.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Strange Feelin'
Brian Eno
3/5
Was listening to this in the office alone and when Blank Frank started I involuntarily said 'shut the fuck up'. Anyway the compositions are loose and sometimes interesting but the songs themselves I largely couldn't get into, at times they felt like parodic deconstructions of Beatles songs and... I don't think I like that. But go for it!
The more hazy instrumental passages I could get into, particularly the closer - great to hear where the Injury Reserve sample comes from!
Two and a half.
Fave track: Here Come the Warm Jets
Bon Jovi
3/5
As far as comically overblown arena cock-rock goes, this is probably as good as it gets. The hooks are incredibly sticky whether you like it or not. Its ridiculous, but not entirely offensive... dare I say kind of fun...
Fave track: Livin' on a Prayer
4/5
My favourite of the British invasion concept albums we've had so far - always liked The Kinks songwriting style and while this is not as catchy as their straight pop rock work I appreciated the theme.
Three and a half.
Fave track: Shangri-La
3/5
Nothing standout for me but did enjoy these my-man-aint-shit country ballads.
Two and a half.
Fave track: I'm Living in Two Worlds
The Cardigans
3/5
Started quite enjoying this but second half really dropped the ball for me - sound got a bit thin and ditzy for me.
Two and a half.
Fave track: Been It
ZZ Top
1/5
Hate!
Fave track: None
Prince
3/5
Funky funky tracks, but just too long-winded and meandering for me to get excited about.
Fave track: D.M.S.R.
B.B. King
3/5
Lotta charisma on this guy!
Three and a half.
Fave track: Help the Poor
Little Simz
4/5
So good to see Simbi on the list! In terms of like, the *album* you should listen to, I think Introvert takes the cake, but these tracks are just pretty killer across the board. Such an enjoyable listening experience. Really magnetic youthful energy.
Soft four and a half.
Fave track: Boss
Slipknot
4/5
Okay sorry but... this kind of ruled? So much more raw power than I expected out of this band but I suppose that's often the case of debuts hey. Only occasionally quite cringe.
Fave track: Liberate
Happy Mondays
2/5
Tooo reverby, tooo jangly, not direct enough to be catchy and not particularly groovy either.
Fave track: Clap Your Hands
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Nice, but very low key. Never quite went deep enough to escape the background in the office.
Two and a half.
Fave track: September in the Rain
The Sugarcubes
3/5
Ahh Bjork is so powerful. This had a bit too much proggy vagueness to really sink in for me but even then she just lifts it. And she's bratty here!
Three and a half.
Fave track: Birthday
Living Colour
2/5
Not my vibe! Hard rock but not hard or groovy enough for mine and not a huge fan of the vocal tone. Can't really knock it beyond taste!
Two and a half.
Fave track: Cult of Personality
Le Tigre
3/5
I'm so back!
This album was witty and fun but I don't know if I would actually... listen to it. A bit sparse and one note. All the same!
Fave track: Deceptacon