For all you Stevie Ray and Jimi wannabes out there - this is how you do blues. Even better is live at cook county jail, with Joe Walsh and carol king in the backing band. But no one did blues like B B.

The national try to do the birds. They try to do creedence. They try to do the band. There’s a little eagles in there. But they don’t, at least for me quite get there. They’re good players and the songs are ok. But I always thought they should have tried a bit more risk taking.

Certainly one of the contenders for first heavy metal band (tm) summertime blues is an excellent reworking of one of the top 20 songs of the rock era. Ok, the who did it first, but blue cheer slowing it down gave it a certain something. The rest of the album is less assured - they’re trying for something new, but not quite getting it. To be fair, they’re in uncharted waters and we’re listening with massive hindsight. Still I prefer the kinks, the who, cream, yardbirds, sabbath, cream and zeppelin as pioneers.

Preferred to the national and Mumford. They have a more nuanced sound. Great opener and a solid follow up. There’s a consistency to this album, with tweedy being pushed to write better songs by a good band. Wilco gave us all hope for that so called Americana movement.

Le freak is an ear worm of course. And let’s be honest Nile has milked the same style of guitar playing since at least this album. But it works. And Bernie’s bubbling bouncy bass is a global treasure. For me not an album to sit and listen to. It’s an album to dance to.

Aerosmith are a band I feel I should like more than I do. Great well crafted songs (thanks mostly to Desmond child working with them), great musicianship - Joe Perry is an underrated guitarist. But I’m left a bit cold. I don’t know why. Sure Steven Tyler is annoying, but a great showman. So, this album was … less than the sum of its parts? In the pantheon of great rock bands, I have many I prefer. This is a better album than many of their others, but a must listen? Nope.

At the time I was in two minds. Yes it’s great. Sweet child. Paradise city. Welcome to the jungle. Mr brownstone. It rocks. It rocks hard. But was this the direction rock was going? Back to the future? Didn’t the stones already do this? Yet taken out of the context of its release time, it rocks. sure, Axl is … well, axl, and is slash a one trick pony, or one of the best guitarists of his generation? I’m still not sure. Izzy Stradlin is the glue and a better guitarist than Slash. Which is either not hard or an Incredible achievement. Duff rumbles effectively. Rumour has it it’s all machines except the voice and guitar. Maybe. Certainly Steven Adler was sacked for poor timekeeping, but we can point to many many drummers who record ok In all a great album. It’s not as great as Queen II or Aqualung, but it’s up there. Fight me.

One of the greatest albums of the sixties. How could I not love a song and album that name checks Sherlock Holmes and moriarty. Overall the perfect mix of nostalgia and critique. Sure, this turns into the worrying politics of ray davies, but this album remains a perfect encapsulation of a certain type of Englishness that has understood it’s no longer the world power, but is happy to remain British, unflappable and unbowed. I love this album, despite where it points. But where it is (not where it points) is an expression of my Anglophilia.

You can’t deny metallicas impact. Both as a listening experience but also as a phenomenon. The pretence to classical music in hard rock goes back to at least deep Purple and Ibsen to remember kids doing an album with the Melbourne symphony. But this album works. A bit self indulgent But the orchestra does enhance the music. It’s not pretentious which is an amazing feat.

Elvis Costello wrote some good songs. Nowhere near as many as he or his diminished fan base will tell you. But mostly he’s a ‘not quite as talented as he thinks bore’. I suspect the stampeding elephants are meant to represent the power and strength of the music. To me it’s more like the dull thudding headache you get after wilfully exposing yourself to the ponderous pointless meanderings of the Costello oeuvre. David Lee Roth got it right - the reason rock critics love Elvis Costello is because he looks like most rock critics. Oliver’s army remains one of the greatest songs ever. There’s a couple on earlier albums - I don’t want to go to Chelsea and Veronica Watching the detectives is ok. The rest are at best twee. At worst forgettable mediocrity. Anyone can write one great song. Talent comes in at 4 or 5. The British new wave gave us compelling, unforgettable acts. Off the top of my head - the pretenders, the police, the cure, Lloyd Cole, Ian dury, the stranglers, the Irish boomtown rats, the list goes on. The wrong Elvis doesn’t make the cut. He was spoiled by the terrific Attractions, second only to the blockheads as a unit, but sadly with Costello, a band who were professional turd polishers.

Beyond review really. Here they are, young and free and cheeky. Except, not. But, also yes. The Beatles are more than musicians. They are a phenomenon. Still are really. But it’s about the music, man. And why it is is pretty good. The covers are great. My favourite cover of theirs is Boys, but please Mr postman and money on this album are particularly close to it. (Yes I know, twist and shout, it’s great too). Poor George had to face the ignominy of developing his songwriting in public - his song is, well, a song. And doesn’t really point to the superb efforts he’d later produce. But John and Paul did their dross in Paul’s bedroom in Liverpool. The album cover suggests the depths they'd plumb, which at this stage, they had no idea of. That it’s only 2 years to rubber soul and is incredible growth. Brian Wilson and Dylan are the only ones who develop that quickly. Also, they are presenting as ‘serious artists’ in that picture, probably cynically at this point. Yet, fate has a way of mocking you, innit? An important waypoint in the history of rock and a great listen, this is a five star album from any band but from the fabs it’s a 3.5. Rounded up to four.

Possibly an album put here to include post 2000 releases? And it sounds like every other 'edgy' Indy band. In other words dull. Plodding. It’s like Elvis Costello but on mandrax. Worse actually, because Costello at least tried to hide his lack of originality. There are 1000 bands that sound like this, and you know, I can’t name one off hand? Maybe we should ban listening to the Smiths, The Cure and Joy Division by earnest young urbanites till they’ve heard more music. (All three bands are vastly superior to their acolytes). I’d rather listen to Coldplay outtakes than this Another thing to ban is critics who promote this stuff. No one thinks you’re cool or edgy. There’s plenty of great post 2000 music. This ain’t it. I’m struggling but 2 stars because its mediocrity prevents it being 1 star.

Did indie music atrophy in about 1995? It’s not horrible but I’m not getting anything I can’t get out of ‘seether’ or Love. Edgily boring and more hip than the before shot in a weight watchers commercial yet not terribly interesting. 2.5 (rounded up to 3)

Probably the first great Beatles album, they are in fine form. Imagine hearing this in 1964, not knowing what’s to come. That opening chord - A G9/A - apparently The guitars playing a G7 and the piano playing a A major. Can’t buy me love. All my loving. A hard days night. If I fell. All of it. McCartney finding that melodicism. Lennon’s lyrics. Even the George song isn’t his worst. Stunning even in context.

Enjoyed this. Great songs. Impassioned playing. Shows promise.

I should hate this. But there’s a craft there that can’t be denied. Sure, Fagen is a miserable so and so and the late Walter Becker wasn’t much more pleasant but there’s a talent there. Crack musicians in the band. I don’t like this one as much as the glorious aja but it’s good. As a certain kind of musician it’s both the thing you’d love to play on and what you’d like to do. Too cynical to be really classed as ‘yacht rock’ (unlike the less misanthropic Doobie brothers or a tonne of privileged white boys most of whom I can take or leave), I can see why punks and harder rockers tend to dislike this. But it, as the kids say, slaps.

I woke up this morning and had myself a beer. Ooh edgy. The pretence. A group that would send Holden Caulfield into conniptions. If you’re 16 this probably appeals. But you possibly should grow out of it. Krieger plays guitar well. Densmore is a decent drummer. I can live without the organ. And the angst from a privileged moderately talented nobody. Ugh. Roy Buchanan on bass (just to shut up those who say ‘there’s no bass man’. Go and listen to b b king ‘live at the regal’ for ‘no bass and an organ’. Morrison is a poet in the way every sensitive year 9 boy is a poet - the world just doesn’t understand me. Sigh.

Gimme shelter. That apocalyptic dervish of destruction. If the rest of the album had been twinkle twinkle little star played half in G# and half in A and half in 3/4 and half in 4/4 that track alone would give the album five stars from me. And yet here’s the rest of it. A stunning collection of songs from the second (I think) of the greatest run of albums of all time. Beggars, this, through to Exile. Jagger Richards were a slow burn. Unlike Dylan, Lennon McCartney and Brian Wilson who made massive strides in songwriting in 18 months to two years, the stones take a little longer to reach greatness. Sure they wrote satisfaction. And some really fine stuff. But mick Taylor and gram parsons unlock the quintessential Stones sound. And as great as that early period can be (Have you seen your mother, baby, standing in the shadows?’ Or Paint it black or she’s a rainbow or dozens of others are truly great.). But the swagger, thanks to country music and blues makes the stones. The Stones swing. Individually they’re ok. (Charlie being the only one who approaches virtuosity.). But together unbeatable. After the phoney, shallow pretensions of The Doors, this is the palate cleanser we need. You want edge? Jagger delivers in spades. You want rock and roll attitude? Keith gives us the template. What other band would write about serial killers, drug use, the end of the world and end it with a jaded world weary understanding of what one can and can’t have? Tons have emulated the model. Few have equalled it. None have bettered it.

I should love this. For some reason this doesn’t connect. It’s on me. Not them. Bonus star as an ‘I’m sorry guys. It’s not you. It’s me.’ Can’t even tell you why.

A band which was let down by its production. In a sense highly important. In another sense less than the sum of its parts. More an artefact than a great listen.

This is good but I like the earlier stuff.

What a songwriter. Gets right what so many others get wrong. Personal but not self-indulgent. Universal but not cliched. Gentle but not twee. Father and son should be slop. In a lesser pair of hands it would be. Even the little snippet of the song which is also the title track at the end is the perfect concousion to the album (as it was when it played over the end credits of The Office (UK))

I feel I’ve heard this a million times by a million acts for at least a million days before this 1996 release. There’s a decent groove. Otherwise, meh.

Misogynist egocentric juvenile pap. Averagely played. No subtlety. No nuance. I’ve rounded up the star rating. This is an album no one needs to hear.

No one played like jeff. When he got it right though he got it right. Rod Stewart is the greatest singer of his generation when he has stuff that matches the magnificence. This is a great album

A great funk album. Curtis, Isaac, Marvin, Stevie. There’s your Mount Rushmore of funk. This album is probably enough to warrant Curtis inclusion.

I love the cure. I dislike the cure. I think smith is underrated. I think smith is extremely overrated. I think this is extraordinary musicianship. I think this is simplistic pap. On balance you can excise every second sentence from that paragraph. But then again the whole thing is how I feel. This album is about as cute as you can get. And I love it. And it bores me. And it’s timeless. But it screams that time. The three stars represents the five stars and the one star I want to give this album.

Hmmmm. Not awful. Not my thing. Some good stuff. Some self indulgent stuff. Play songs, not maths formulae.

Reelin in the years… what a song. Steely Dan gets their first great album. I know that there’ll be some saying this is too slick. But Fagen and Becker are New Yorkers. New York is slick. And they record out of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is slick. You want a bit of rough, go to muscle shoals or stax in the south, or even get out of Manhattan or Bel Air and go to cbgbs. Sure, it’s middle class first world problems, but they deserve their own songs too. Particularly if they’re this well-crafted and played. The edges are hidden under the slick. But the edges are there. Fagan's lyrics are bitter, twisted and cynical. Under some great playing by the band. This is a great album. With better to come.

Somewhat disappointing. Not sure why. Much prefer the monkees doing Boyce and hart for example.

Lemmy does more interesting things later. I think I don’t like psychedelia? This is … meh. Self indulgent. God, bring on punk.

An incredible group. I’m deeply familiar with two of the singles, the incredible spinning wheel and if I die, which is a song you don’t expect them to do but it’s magnificent. The rest of the album is a strong album. Liked side one in particular. Side two is pretty great though.

More critical darlings. Sigh. Actually not too bad at all but like the shins, despite Zach Braffs endorsement in that movie whose title escapes me this probably won’t change your life. To be fair if you were there, then, it might have. But I suspect it meant a lot more to those who lived in their parents basement, railing against the man, man, and earnestly assuring you this THIS is cool!

Has this aged well? Hmmm. The message is of course timeless and sadly still relevant for particular demographics. I’d suggest that this is important more for the direction it points than the weight of it as an album. Is it good? Yes. Is it great? In parts yes. But in 1000 years when historians look at the hip hop phenomenon this album will be seen as a seed not a tree. Grandmaster flash and melle mel deserve their legendhood.

Zappa sacked him and for good reason. Overrated, undercooked. Not as clever as he thinks. A decent painter. A pretentious musician. A horrible human being. Horrible humans can make great art. But not in this case.

I have a decent level of music theory. I’ve listened too and enjoyed Holdsworth , Coltrane, Zappa, later Joni Mitchell, Shostakovich, stockhausen, Jaco…. I’m still wondering if this is garbage or genius. One wonders if they weren’t from Iceland would they have received any attention? The stars reflect an acknowledgment I might be too hard. Or. Might not.

Were you to distil my musical dna into 50 albums, this would be one of them. I prefer this album to songs in the key of life. Livin for the city is an astounding song with incredible production. From the hard funk of Higher ground to the pop sensibility of golden lady. The hard brutal politics of mistra know it all. For me the standout is Jesus children of America. The response and call in it is so so cool. It’s really the state of black music, 1973-1983. It’s all killer, no filler. 10 stars.

The genius of this group is sneaky Pete of course. That spoiled rich kid brat, gram, knows his country, but compared to his contemporaries, including Kris kristofferson, Merle haggard, joe south, Dylan, the band, and even Mick and keith, he is more of an enthusiast than a legend. There’s nice stuff here, don’t get me wrong, and Hillman is never less than driven, but like grandmaster flash, more a a signpost of what was to come,rather than a waypoint. Solid though. 3:5 rounded up.

Never boring, restless, thoughtful, clever. Kid A is a great album, especially after the smash that was ok computer. Opening and title tracks are magnificent. The rest is solid. Check punch bros cover of the opener. I feel this has settled into the place where it should be. 4 stars

Not a band I’d put in a 'bands I listen to often, or at all, really’ list, but I enjoyed this. Maybe I should give them a better listen

This album didn’t convert me to being the Neil young fan I’m told I should be. He can be a great songwriter. But nothing grabbed me here.

It took me a long while to appreciate the craft of Billy Joel. I know sarcastic elbows has a book that calls him the worst rock star ever, but that same book also calls queen II the worst rock album ever and that is so incredibly objectively wrong so as to completely make it devoid of any credibility. It’s like saying Elvis Costello is more than a mediocre talent with one or two fluke songs. It just isn’t true. But nonetheless I thought Billy was a cheap Elton knock off. I then heard the my favourite albums podcast with a Long Island singer song writer. And he converted me. Hearing the praises sung by a follower opened my eyes. And Billy Joel can write some magnificent songs. Listen to the construction of just the way you are. Or she’s only a woman. The Wikipedia page lists five singles from the album. I knew them all. and really as crafted songs they’re all great. The band is terrific. Is he a favourite of mine? Well… There are still many I prefer. But this is a very strong album of exquisitely crafted and excellently played songs and I shouldn’t have dismissed him out of hand. 4 stars

Another one of the albums which is major part of my musical dna. King Harvest, man. What a fricking song. If it was the only good song on the album this would be a five star album. But all are classics. The instrumentation. The voices. The songs. This is F*ck of music. You listen to it and say 'f*ck off. What else is this good?' There’s maybe 25 albums that are this good. 'Dixie' is one of the best songs about the defeat of the South in the civil war, written by a Canadian just over 100 years later. Its only real rival is 'my fathers gun' written by a couple of Englishmen. Rag mama rag, rocking chair. Just F*ck off. Poor tragic melancholy Richard Manuel. He of the voice of an angel, the subconscious of a demon and a fine piano player. Garth Hudson, a prodigy, a multi instrumentalist, a musical genius. When they say that the band combined played 26 instruments between them, Garth plays about half of that. Levon Helm. The voice of the south, and one of the trio of great sixties shuffle drummers - Ringo and charlie watts being the other two. Rick Danko: he of the dark eyes, different harmonies and world changing bass. And Robbie. Wrote the songs and played the guitar like nearly no one else. The album that preceded this one broke up two of the biggest bands - famously Clapton flew across the Atlantic and thought he could demand his way into the band. They said no. He leaves Cream and joins Delaney and Bonnie and friends. I also think George harrison looks at how things were run, and the Beatles start to lose their pallor for him. This album is better. This is what the Byrds and the flying burrito brothers tried to do. That they failed to get there isn’t really a reflection on them. This combination was unbeatable. If you doubt it, look at the solo careers. Some fine stuff. But nothing to this standard. Levon’s dirt farmer is about the best of it and it’s great but … For me, The Brown Album is beyond criticism. 25 stars.

There’s an old joke which I’m willing to bet sarcastic elbows will also quote (and I think he told me it anyway) - what’s the difference between a wildebeest and simply red? A wildebeest has the horns out front and the arsehole in the back. I don’t know anywhere enough about mick hucknall to know if the joke is even fair but I will say there’s a bit of groove on this. It’s that particularly British groove coming out of northern soul - starts with I don’t know, Joe Cockker? Rod Stewart? Continues through Bowie, Queen, the style council, jamiroquai, everything but the girl and no doubt a thousand others I’ve blanked on. But this is part of it and it’s no surprise it sold so well. Well crafted. Well played. Well produced. It’s a 3.5 that I’ll round up to 4.

Cheap Trick should be a better and more important band than they are. I’m not quite sure what the issue is. They’re great musicians. Great songs. Yet there’s something missing. Surrender is a really great song. 3.5 rounded up.

You know, I didn’t like this when it came out. I dislike ‘singers’. But with the benefit of however long it’s been since 1992, she’s not a ‘singer’ as such. She’s a great singer. But like George Michael, there’s not a lot of melisma, or thousand notes crammed into a bar. Just strong melody and excellent intonation and a brilliant tone which is much harder than wailing. But apart from constant craving (so good jagger inadvertently picked it up for ‘has anybody seen my baby’ giving K D a stones writing credit) the songs aren’t really there. I listened to this twice before I realised that I’d listened to it more than once. It’s good but I don’t feel she ever fully reached her potential. As this is not worse than simply red I’m stuck on a 3.5 streak. Rounded up.

This is musical mogadon. An album you listen to So you die. When I think of post 2000 albums that are great and this comes up. Awful. I might have to do my own list

No album documents the end of the sixties better than this. We can herald the start as the hope of Kennedy’s election. His assassination. Beatlemania. MLK. Rfk. the hippie movement. Vietnam. Freedom rides Rosa parks. Selma. Woodstock. Altamont. And it’s all here. The hope is watered down. The seventies have started. Dylan has gone small. The Beatles are breaking up. Only Brian Wilson remains at a creative peak. The beach boys were outsiders of course. And the outsider has a special perspective sometimes. Clean cut, nice boys, gorgeous pop more suited to the fifties but their transition to bearded bloated hippies mirrored the sixties. That they could come up with this as has beens- a nostalgia act for a nostalgia that didn’t yet exist - is astounding. My third favourite beach boys album. 4.8 stars. Rounded up.

*snore*

This is what halfwits like Elvis Costello want to be, with fifty times the wit and a better backing band and a more honest and authentic Approach. (Though the attractions are a great unit). The songs keep coming, and Dury is an underrated lyricist. This is considered his best but I think it’s more of a harbinger to come. 4.5 stars.

Another musical dna album but I’ll be fair it’s faded a bit. Black knight. Speed king. Child in time. Again just f*ck off music. While Blackmore lord and Gillan are noticed Roger glover and Ian Paice supply seismic rhythm section. Blackmore is one of the top 5 innovators on electric guitar. Lord is about the only heavy metal organist. (Unless you consider DP hard rock. God I hate labels. ). And Gillan has one of the best sets of pipes in the industry. And they were to get better …. 11 stars.

He needs the pixies. It’s not awful but sometimes giving someone complete control diminishes them. Probably better than I think so rounded up from 2.5

I feel I should know this but if I did all memory of it has gone. And listening to it, I can see why. No doubt there are people for whom this album was life changing. And good luck and all gods blessings on them. My life trudges on, unchanged and unmoved by this.

Jesus. No.

Ok, it’s hard to know what will make the canon. Important stuff fades. Obscure stuff gets noticed. And some stuff starts a the top and stays there. So I might be wrong. But while pleasant enough I don’t see this as a must listen. Or even a yeah, might listen. I might be wrong. This might go on to be a beloved album listened to for half a century. But I doubt it.

Great albums since 2000. A partial list. No order. Not comprehensive. Not complete. Just as it comes to mind. Jay-z the black album Beyoncé - lemonade. Taylor swift 1989 Punch brothers - phosphorescent blues Sam bush, circles around me Mike stern, trip Jeff beck, loud hailer Dixie chicks - shut up and sing Olivia Rodrigo - sour Any of these over this. How is this must listen? Stop reading critics Dimery and use your ears.

Not as good as the incredible astral weeks but still a good album. After the last few ‘it’s cool to live at home at 35’ albums this is a bit refreshing. It’s still not a must listen (unless you are a van Morrison fan) but at least there’s a standard on it. Morrison is a problematic person and can be inconsistent as a songwriter. But when he hits it it’s brilliant. 3.5 rounded up. 5 from any other artist.

Preferred them to oasis. Sort of. I’m not sure how well they’ve aged. This was enjoyable.

In a gadda is a classic. The rest of the album is better than I remembered. But still not great.

Jay-z is, in a sense, much like Eric Clapton or the Beatles, strangely underrated. I prefer the black album, but this is solid, with his excellent narrative style mixing beautifully with phat rhythm.

Not my thing. Good at what it does.

The type of band you’re supposed to like, but I wonder how many actually listened to this album more than once or twice, though enjoyed having the cd cassette or album prominently on display - all the while listening to Fleetwood Mac, Duran Duran, Born to be alive, the eagles, pink Floyd, yes, ELP, etc and other horrid dreck, or mega selling crowd pleasers. not bad at all, but there’s a reason it’s more of a cult classic. Perfect way was good actually.

Elton and Bernie Taupin are in the first rank of songwriters. Probably only McCartney has as strong a melodic sense as eton and Bernie’s lyrics are magical. This is part of the incredible run of albums Elton released in the early seventies: a five album run that is rare and gems on every one. Now let me confess something. I’m not a fan of tiny dancer feeling it closer to two separate songs (both great) cobbled together to make one. I know that’s not what happened. But there are a hundred other Elton songs that make up my musical Dna. This is a solid album. I prefer captain fantastic and tumbleweed connection. But I still love this one. 4.5 rounded up.

Bored. When will something happen?

It’s fine. It’s not the best thing he ever did. That would be the South Park concert thing with Ozzie Osbourne and ol dirty bastard. But it’s solid.

Dimery clearly struggles with ‘importance’. The next album sabbath bloody sabbath is worth a must listen. So is the debut. Just because a band changes the world doesn’t mean everything it does is worthy. Notable exceptions do exist. To think we don’t have little Richard because dimery would rather show he knows rock music man. Black sabbath is cool. It’s a fine album but not the one you need to understand sabbaths place in the pantheon.

Beyond criticism. An extremely important album musically politically socially and culturally .

1986 was a key year for country. This is one of the key albums. Finally a must listen album. Earles brand of country was harsh, brutal, gentle, raucous and fun.

My favourite fab album. Or sgt pepper. Side 2 of this is the best thing they ever did. Fight me.

Pfft

Another musical dna. Sure carlos has perhaps become predictable but this mix of rock, jazz and Latin is irresistible. Hope you’re feeling better and mothers daughter kick. Samba Pa Ti is fantastic. Black magic woman pretty much copies greens solo from the original but the backing instrumentation is something special. Listened to this hundreds of times. 13 stars.

Always the next big thing. Never the thing. Weller could have been more of a contender than he was. This album shows why. While he could approach transcendence (Town like Malice for example) he never quite gets there. David Watts lacks a purpose. Why listen to this when you have the original? The jam are tight but not quite supported by the songs. Unlike execrable elvis Weller doesn’t waste the band. It’s more that he’s crushed by the weight of unrealistic expectations. But it’s still a pretty terrific album.

Ok even though I will be highly this is an album that you must hear to understand the development of post 1950s popular music in the US and elsewhere. The singles are good. The album tracks are filler. The harmonies are absolutely made, not by David Crosby whose note choices are admittedly superb but by the tone of graham nash who brings a clarinet into a flute ensemble (vocally speaking). Nash is the secret sauce. There are vocal blends I prefer. Otherwise. Bloated. Self indulgent, insular, learning all the wrong lessons of Dylan and Joni Mitchell, it’s an artifact rather than art. But yes. Worth a listen. 2.5 rounded up. Also Neil young is overrated.

English Funk is great Jamiroquai is good at it. Not 100% solid. But 80% excellent. Makes me wanna dance.

After a run of albums that are arguably must listen, even if I didn’t like all of them, we get this trendoid crap. Released in 2005. Won awards. Completely forgotten by 2006. I’m sure there’s a coterie of people holding onto this as they try and hold on to their thinning hair, trying to live in a place where it’s always 2005 and wondering why it doesn’t have the resonance of 1968 or 1992. Not as bad as I’m making it out. But nowhere near ‘must-listen’.

Hmmm. Is this a must listen? Licence to ill changed the world. This is excellent. I love the beastie boys. Probably the first hip hop act I ‘got’ before I ‘got’ hip hop. Hmmmm. Must listen? Are the beasties worth more than one album?

Just the inclusion of gud buy t jane justifies this album. Slade are the forgotten heroes of glam. We tend to remember Bowie, Bolan and Queen, but Slade, Suzi and sweet were there too. Noddy has become a notable figure. They were probably not quite ‘there' to be the superstars that Bowie and Freddie became. But their best was magic.

A critically acclaimed trendoid album I like. Sure, it’s unpolished. And his vocals are off key. And it’s more punk than roots. But here are the seeds that lead to the cruel sea and beasts of bourbon in Australia. I’m thinking later Tom petty took some notes. Probably not as directly influential as claimed. The later roots acts seem to get their inspiration elsewhere. But this album deserves its spot here. It’s good. Solid. 3.5 rounded up.

Not the kinks best but sunny afternoon is good.

Sigh. Neil young. Steven stills. A solid dose of musical Mogadon. Richie Furay is good. Carol Kay is good. Jim Messina is on this. Huh. This album isn’t really historically important except that it has early Neil and early Steven. Csny are important for better or worse but do we want to see every piece of juvenilia? Let’s get back to albums one can justify.

Must I listen to this? It tells me nothing of the development of rock music that I wouldn’t get from a dozen other better albums. I do think the title is great. Then it’s all downhill. Perhaps the nadir is space child (instrumental). The title says it all. Bored. Boring. Tedium. Grinding boredom. You only have 1000. Don’t pad.

Musical dna. And my favourite zep album. Yes, this is a must listen. One of the great opening tracks. aaa AA aaaaa AA. Down down down de down down… There’s a few bands where you have to hear their place over a few albums. Beatles, stones, zep. Springsteen. Queen. Dylan. The band. Maybe a couple more. Zeppelin definitely. Tangerine, the glory of gallows pole. Mah mah ma, I’m so happy, I’m gonna join a baaaand. … celebration day. John Paul Jones is the secret sauce. Listen to gallows pole. Mandolin, banjo. A great bassist. Of course Bonzo is great and page and plant … mwah. 2 stars taken off for since I’ve been loving you. 12 stars.

I like Polly Jean. Pretenders like Courtney Barnett just rile me, but p j is the real deal. Sure, she can be a bit self indulgent, but she’s a real talent.

One great song. The rest are ok. Not a must listen album.

Never a huge fan. Not awful, just never grabbed me. Does anyone still listen to this?

the overwhelming feeling that Dimery puts this in, and not any one of 1000 more worthy must listen albums. Greatest hits are valid. This isn’t.

Not quite musical dna - that would be modern sounds in country and western - but it is to me an album that lives up or at least almost lives up to its title. Rays genius lay elsewhere, but the man was versatile. 4.5 stars rounded up.

Yes, it should be on such a list if only to explain punk. Modest moussorsgky is a minor composer whose pictures at an exhibition is slightly interesting. If you have pretensions to bring a classical musician this is relatively obscure and technical so you can bask in your own glory. As this noodles away wrapped up in its own importance and pretensions, I felt the urge to form a punk band. Queen did the classical thing better. As does Chris Thile, bela fleck, Edgar Meyer. Iron maiden. Yngwie malmsteen. Frank Zappa. ELP don’t quite get it. And listening to this, neither do I. Come back Sid vicious. All is forgiven.

Great musicians. Weaker songs. Solid.

Another 90s hip hop. No review.

The first four zeppelin albums are musical dna. After then not so much. But there are gems on this. I think you can start to hear the decline. Had bonham lived I doubt zeppelin would have lasted much longer though they squeeze out a couple more after this. This might be the last of the great ones.

Ugh.

At first, I thought, oh, god dimery. Then I read about it a bit and thought, oh, ok. Then I listened. Kraftwerk? Yes. Einsterzende neubaten? Yes? This? Not a must listen. It’s ok, but has not survived its critical darling status.

Pretty funky. Pretty soulful. Pretty good. 3.5 rounded up.

Another iconic album. Probably the actual one which made me understand just how close country and hip hop are in lyrical themes. Go to church. Stay out of jail. Be part of your community. Don’t have money? Get a job. Merle haggard, bill Monroe and hank Williams would approve. Nwa gets us to the other side of hip hop and country. (I can’t see a moral difference between ‘I put my gun against his head, said hey mofo, gonna shoot you dead' and ' I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die). But this is an important album and despite its flaws - some awkward flow and rhymes - hey, you invent a genre - is a worthy album for such a list.