1001 Albums Summary

An enjoyable album throughout. It outstays its welcome a little in the middle, but overall it's full of mood, well-crafted songs, and some interesting throwbacks to motifs from classic Bowie tracks.

A great album overall. You can feel Young growing as a songwriter, with songs such as Southern Man being particular standouts. That said, I don't think it can compete with his next album, Harvest, which stands as an outright masterpiece.

A classic. Lauryn Hill's approach to hip hop was as fresh and insightful then as it is now. A great combination of catchy pop songs and deeper musings.

I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected. The production quality is great, the melodies are wonderful, and there are (obviously) some very catchy songs here. It's not my genre, really, but I had more fun with it than I thought I would.

Not as good as each component. It has some highlights, but I’d rather be listening to just Metallica or just an orchestra.

An absolute classic of the g-funk era. Snoop's debut sounded fresh and was full of creative lyrics and beats. It's held up well and is essential listening for rap fans and non-fans alike.

Very disappointing. I love The Jam, The Style Council, and have enjoyed some of Paul Weller's solo music, but this was so far off the mark for me. Generic, hokey, and somehow appearing ahead of its time only in the fact it sounds like a strange John Mayer acoustic tribute act at times. Genuinely torn between a 1 or a 2 star, but I found it hard to find anything I really enjoyed.

Slightly slow to start, but sensational tracks back-to-back after that. It’s legendary for a reason.

Whilst important at its time, I don’t think that it’s held up particularly well. More a museum piece than essential listening, and that’s coming from someone who was deep into the gangsta rap scene in the ‘90s.

A fantastic album. As a big Tom Waits fan, I was put onto this album a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Interesting sound throughout and well worth the listen.

Harmless enough, but not exactly impactful. Nothing inherently bad, but nothing to get too excited about.

Country folk done fantastically. Lots of wonderful songwriting and production throughout. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I thought that we'd consigned Travis to annals of dreary-pop history when the new millennium rolled around. Why on Earth this deserves a place on the list is beyond me. Even something like Elbow would've been acceptable, but not this dross.

The highs of this album are fantastic, but it’s just a little too watered down with filler.

Stunning. I’d never visited Dylan’s work outside of the main albums and was suitably impressed. Excellent delivery and swampy blues lines. Very good.

Fantastic playing and singing throughout, but to say that the songs are one dimensional is an understatement. I'm torn between a 3 and a 4 here. The quality of the musicianship is doing some heavy lifting here, that's for sure.

I started listening to this album on earphones which lack bass response, which was a massive mistake. I put on some decent headphones and it's improved ten fold. Really important in the history of electronic music, but also a great collection of songs and ambient beats. Funnily enough, I've found it helps me concentrate on whatever I'm doing. Worth listening to with an open mind.

A somewhat underwhelming entry. The low parts aren't as introspective as Queen can be, and the highs aren't quite as bombastic as they can be.

I absolutely adore the instrumentation on this album. There's some fantastic '90s grunge and alt-rock vibes throughout. However, the lyrics and vocals are so far off the mark for me that it mars the entire experience. When the female vocalist performs I love it, top-tier stuff, but the main vocalist lets down the side.

A solid album overall. Drags a little at times, but some notable high points that make it worth while.

Very hard work. Moments of beauty but disjointed between that.

A punk classic. Some ska influence throughout. I was surprised to see it pop up on this list, but it was fun to revisit it and feel 16 again.

Well produced pop with a couple of hyper catchy tracks which will get stuck in your head. Really not for me.

Fantastic album throughout. It’s definitely a product of it’s time, but Common has apologised for these lyrics and is always trying to improve himself, so I think it’s important to bear that in mind.

The album is a bit one note, but it's a beautiful note, at least. Not something I'm going to be in the mood for every day, but I can't deny that I enjoyed what I heard.

Joyful new-wave pop. I found myself completely wrapped up in it and enjoyed the entire journey.

A beautiful, and somewhat dreamlike, journey. Really enjoyed my time with it and will definitely be coming back for more.

A fantastic album which has stood up well over the years. The main themes are still salient and are delivered with a suitable amount of venom. Some great beats in there, too. This was never my favourite Ice Cube album when I was regularly listening to rap, but going back to it I think that I may have been too hasty with that judgement. Definitely a classic.

Just a wonderful, and at times weird, journey. Good headphones and setting aside 30 minutes to just listen are highly recommended here.

Not even “When I’m 64” can detract from this album.

Fantastic album. "Cinnamon Girl" is an incredibly strong start, whilst "Down By The River" is the true gem. Wonderful, wistful, and melancholy. Essential listening.

It's a solid album and a real nostalgia hit at the same time. They were very popular for a while in the '90s and it does take me back to that. That said, I did find myself wishing that I was just listening to Portishead instead.

I've found this a very difficult album to rate. When it's firing, it's up there with the best. However, there are probably a couple too many tracks which are just "okay" to justify a 5-star rating. The best tracks are almost entirely the ones with Grace Slick on lead vocals. Her vibrato and passion are infectious. A great album, but just not quite a masterpiece.

This album is certainly full on. It sounds as if "Extreme" decided to take a trip through Ska Avenue on their way to the studio. The album is rather all over the place and lacks cohesion, but there are some fun riffs here and there. I can't say that it's something I'll find myself coming back to any time soon, though.

A classic. Not a bad track on here. Not really much else to add.

A very enjoyable jaunt into psychedelia. I can only imagine how it sounded when it was first released as it's still enjoyable now. Worth a listen.

Dreamy.

Lots of great tunes throughout. It's a very influential album which still sounds unique and identifiable after all this time. It was clearly a massive influence on the vapourwave aesthetic, too. A little bit one note, but a great album.

I've never been a fan of Cheap Trick, and live albums are very hit and miss. This album was better than I was expecting, but then again I was expecting a 1/5. In fairness, I'd say that it's between a 2 and a 3, but there's not enough quality here to push it up to a 3 for me.

It’s brilliant, but that’s no real surprise.

Politics aside, this is really a mixed album. The singles are massive and still stand up very well now. However, some of the album tracks really drag down the overall rating. The highs are really high, but the lows really low.

An enjoyable slice of the '90s Britpop scene. At the time I preferred Stereophonics, but in recent years I've come around to the fact that the Manics are the better band. This album is solid throughout and has a few standout tracks. Nothing to take it to a 5 star rating, but definitely worth a 4.

I wanted to like this album, but it just didn't vibe with me at all. Obviously, his voice is divisive at the best of times, but I wanted to look past that. However, I felt that there were too many clunky or childish lyrics, and the music itself seemed juvenile. It really did feel like a "My First Singer Songwriter" type of deal, rather than a definitive album.

Sublime from start to finish. One of my favourite albums of all time, so I was delighted to see it on the list. Sultry, atmospheric, and Intensely stylish. I fully recommend this.

This is an interesting album, but it never quite delivers on its potential. I think that it's a little too "light touch" to full achieve what it could. Not bad in any way, just not moving beyond "pretty good".

I should preface this by saying that I've always loved heavy music and still listen to a lot of metal. That said, I hated this album. The guitar solos sound like they've just been pasted in without any regard to the rest of the song, the drums sound cheap, the vocalist is not a great singer, the lyrics are often childish and shoe-horned in without any consideration to cadence, chromaticism has been used as a substitute for creativity etc. I appreciate that it was important at the time for a number of reasons, but it's really not a good listen now.

Genuinely speaking, I find that live albums fall a bit flat. You don't have the benefit of precise mixing like on the album, and you don't have the energy that you'd get from actually being there in person. That holds true here, too. I do like Thin Lizzy and it was fun hearing a lot of their best songs in one place, but I'd rather be listening to a proper studio production, to be honest.

A pretty inoffensive Britpop outing. I'm not sure why it was deemed interesting or noteworthy enough to appear on this list, to be honest. I found that I'd stopped paying attention to it a couple of times and had to focus on it to even really realise it was there. Not "bad", per se, but certainly not of any particular note or merit.

As this is an album almost entirely of covers, I expected it to be a bit underwhelming and not a touch on some of the original blues tracks on which the songs are based. That wasn't really the case. There's enough personality and unique flavour here, and also hints of what's to come, that it's a thoroughly enjoyable album on its own merits.

Based on the reviews on here, I'd expected a very polarising album. However, that's not my experience. It was silly and sloppy at times, but it was endearing and had its own charm. I'm not going to say it was a transcendental experience or anything, but there were enough moments of interest to keep me hooked. It is silly, though.

Excellent album from start to finish. In fact, the only negative for me is that "Smoke on the Water" is on here and we've all heard that played a million times before. "Highway Star" is an excellent opening track and it just carries on from there.

Whilst this album invokes the sounds of Portishead and Massive Attack, it doesn't approach them fully. It was an enjoyable, if slightly forgettable listen.

A thoroughly enjoyable album. I was already familiar with the band, having seen them some years ago at a punk all-dayer festival, but this was more new wave than I expected. That said, it was great fun throughout. Not every song is a classic or anything, but the album as a whole has a lot of energy and personality. Well worth a listen.

An absolute classic. "Venus in Furs" is worth the price of entry by itself.

Some good stuff here and there, but it is overly saccharine and simplistic at times. Not awful by any stretch, but nothing that I'll ever return to.

An absolutely seminal album. Waits' earlier offerings were fantastic, but were more standard singer-songwriter style with lots of blues, folk, and jazz influences. This album marks a deviation from that as Waits delves more into the experimental and proto-industrial. Echoing clangs of junkyards, haunting Vaudevillian melodies, and poetic musings all fill a rich and varied soundscape. Waits' ability to craft worlds and characters with his lyrics is second to none and ensures this album is truly memorable.

Not too much to say here that hasn't already been said. It's a fantastic album throughout. There are a few weaker songs here and there, but I think they don't do too much to diminish the overall album.

Muse are not cool. That’s true. But there are some great riffs, tones, and soundscapes here. It’s grandiose, bombastic, over the top, and mostly fun.

It's not bad, but nothing particularly exciting either. It comes across at times like something off a jazz Christmas album. There's something inherently '80s cheese about the sound. Again, it wasn't bad, but nothing to bring me back.

As a snapshot of a moment in time in music, it's certainly interesting. Arriving at the intersection between the fading of psychedelia and the popularity of the country/folk scene, it has a foot in each camps. It's not massively remarkable in terms of the actual songs, but it's pleasant enough. Although, perhaps "pleasant" is an insult, in its own way.

A really solid album throughout. The highlights are obvious and there's not really a poor song amongst them. "Mr Blue Sky", whilst being one of the most overplayed songs of all time, still stands up and sounds wonderful.

There was nothing egregiously wrong with this album, but nothing that really made it stand out, either. It was pleasant enough, but I'm never going to go back to it.

I enjoyed this album far more than I expected. It’s cheesy at times, sure, but it’s like a more distorted take on new wave and New Romantics, and I’m here for that.

An unexpected treat. I was unfamiliar with Calexico and went into the album pretty blind. What a delight it turned out to be! The mariachi infused indie/jazz/folk offerings here are splendid. I found myself listening to not only this, but a whole number of Calexico albums as I got lost in their pretty unique sound. This album was awesome and has turned me onto a band that I apparently really love.

Silly and juvenile, but genuinely fun at times.

As a big Genesis fan, I knew that I was going to enjoy this. Yes, it's very '80s sounding, but the atmosphere that he invokes is wonderful and really pulls you in. There's a melancholy, particularly in the opening track, which really sets the tone well. Very enjoyable.

I'm a fan of Iggy Pop, but I don't think this album holds up anywhere near as well as "Raw Power" and the like. Obviously, "I Want to be your Dog" is a stone-cold classic, and there is stuff to enjoy here, but it's not one that I'll find myself going back to all too often.

There's parts of this album that I really enjoyed, then parts which were really not up to much. "Just One Fix" has an awesome industrial guitar riff that really grabbed me, but much of the rest of the album fell a little flat for me.

Not reaching the heights of any of The Smiths albums, but not terrible. I didn't hate it, but I can't say I fell in love with any of the songs, either.

This is really not my cup of tea. I’m not saying it’s bad, but just not for me.

A decent album with some major high points. The opening track, “Mother’s Little Helper”, does set the bar a little too high as it’s probably the best track on the record. There’s some pretty standard blues rock and a few other crackers. Worthy of four stars.

I guess that was technically an album.

Whilst not delivering as many singles and big "moments" as the follow-up album, "Coming Up", this is a fantastic album. More experimental than you might expect from Suede if you're only familiar with their bigger singles, but it's just a great journey from start to finish.

This isn't my favourite The Prodigy album, but it's still fantastic. I'm more of a fan of "Experience", as it goes. However, I'm a sucker for a bit of industrial, so this ticks that box nicely. I've fond memories of seeing them live as a teenager and this brings them all back.

Obviously, Eric Clapton is an odious human. That said, lets focus on the music. Eric Clapton is obviously capable of making some great music, this is apparent with the Blues Breakers album and his work with Cream. However, this album is not it. It's lacking in genuine punch or emotion, ending up feeling like the white-washed take on blues that it is. It sounds like it was made for bankers to listen to on the boats rather than channelling everything that makes the blues worth listening to. The second half of the album is better than the first, but yeah, not great.

An enjoyable album throughout. Rather poppy, but some lovely melodies. Worth a revisit at a later date.

I totally understand why her sound is divisive, but I found a lot here to love. The folk sound with flecks of Bjork here and there is something I can definitely get behind. You do have to be in the right mood for it, mind.

A great slice of mod. Whilst it doesn't have the singles of some of their other albums, it's solid from start to finish and bristling with energy.

An unexpected treat. When MGMT were new on the scene, I'd somewhat dismissed them for just having a few catchy singles and never paid the album much attention. That was a mistake. Whilst having the aforementioned singles, there's a lot more going on in this album. A kind of faux-pop which deviates into spacey and Bowie-inspired tracks. Absolutely excellent.

Whilst not the greatest Tom Waits album, this record defines the end of Waits' first phase, that of a singer-songwriter channelling the energy of every dive bar in the US in a piano and guitar driven Cab Calloway-esque explosion. It's not the best example of that early sound by any means, but it's still excellent and still worth anyone's time. As someone else so wonderfully said, Tom Waits finds more beauty in the gutter than most could find in the Garden of Eden.

It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a '60s Donovan album. Full of folksy guitar and a dash of psychedelia. I don't think it's a masterpiece, but it's a solid album and worth a listen.

This album transports you to a beach-side jazz bar in Cuba, resplendent with mojitos galore. In reality, it was a rainy day in Birmingham. Any album which can paint a scene and transport you there is worthy of praise and I'm sure to listen to this again the next time I'm enjoying a strong rum-based drink.

Fantastic from start to finish.

The album starts off as an old school rock 'n' roll affair, nothing too surprising. It does take a side step into the rockabilly at times, with tracks that would hint at the sound that The Stray Cats would go on to perfect a little later. Nothing too extraordinary here for the modern listener, but enjoyable, nonetheless.

I've enjoyed most of Damon Albarn's projects over the years. This one isn't the most exciting, but it's still a solid album throughout.

Whilst a little long, and god knows that "The Party" should've been cut from this album, this is a massive sounding album full of catchy tracks. Electronica isn't my genre, but I enjoyed this a lot overall. Honestly, just the quality of the production and how big these songs sound is enough to make it a good time.

I love Neil Young, but I thought that this didn't match the heights of his solo collection. Pretty middle of the road for the most part. As a fan of Joni Mitchell, I did enjoy the cover of "Woodstock" as a curio, but that's about it.

It's '80s rock in the same vein as Guns 'n' Roses, so if you're into that then you'll probably enjoy this. The sound reminded me a lot of Danzig, at times, which is odd as I haven't thought about them in many years. Something which I haven't seen other people talking about is the impressive production quality of the whole thing. The guitars sound massive and the drums are powerful, but that's perhaps not too surprising when you consider that Rick Rubin was at the helm.

I'm a massive Tom Waits fan, so it's always nice when an album of his pops up on this list. The atmosphere created in this album is arguably better than the songs themselves, as it's not his best collection in pure music terms. No one can paint a scene quite like Tom Waits, and this holds true here.

Not Springsteen’s most cohesive album, but probably his best collection of great singles.

An interesting album overall. It has its high points, such as "Bucky Done Gun" and "Hombre", but it's not a slam dunk throughout.

Always happy to listen to The Prodigy. This album is a wonderful mix of their dance roots with a mean streak of industrial mixed in. Still sounds awesome to this day.

I think I was already familiar with about half of this album as it's been used in adverts and various forms of media over the last couple of decades. It's solid, good at times, although it does drift into "background music" territory a touch too often.

This was a surprisingly interesting album. It started off as a solid, if slightly unremarkable, rap record. The second half, though, takes on quite a different tone. There's some jazz influence and more than a little Gil Scott-Heron rising to the surface. I'd say the first half is fine, and I'd have been happy giving it a 3/5, but the second half really elevates things. Definitely worth sticking with.

Still holds up. A nasty-sounding punk album with plenty of bite. Damn near perfect.

A great album from a legend in his twilight. Obviously, there's a lot of covers on here, but some of them are so good that they've transcended the genre entirely. There's a pathos to Cash's vocals here which is so powerful.

I was very excited for this, but I really didn’t vibe with it. It sounds incredibly dated. An amazing talent, for sure, but not something I’ll return to in a hurry. Couple of bangers, mind.

Pretty middle of the road throughout. It's not really "bad", but it didn't elicit anything from me, either.

Thoroughly enjoyable album. Starts with "Never Let Me Down Again", which is probably the best song on the album. That said, it's not as if there's a sharp dip in quality. Great album.

Yeaaaaa boiiiiiii! It holds up pretty well after all these years for the most part. the "yeah boi" does get a little tedious about half way through the album, but overall it's still fantastic. Lyrically wonderful and some great beats throughout. I'm kind of on the fence between 4 and 5. Either would be fair, I think. ... "YEA BOIIIIII" ... Yeah, four stars it is.

This is tough to rate. I love John Lee Hooker, he’s an absolute legend. That said, most of this album suffers from the same thing a lot of ‘80s blues albums suffer from: it’s massively overproduced and has too much going on. All the extra guitars and horns etc just don’t need to be there. The last couple of tracks, though, are much more stripped down and sound far better for it.

Technically very impressive, but I'm not sure that I had that much fun listening to it. I do enjoy some jazz, but this didn't hit right for me. I'm sure I would feel differently if I'd been listening to it in a whisky bar with a cigar, but I wasn't. I was sat at my desk working.

The joke wore thin quite quickly for me.

Some great tracks. It can be a little ponderous at times, but overall a great album.

A good album. Limited themes overall, but decent.

Eminently important and full of impressive soundscapes for the time, but it's definitely something of a museum piece for the modern listener. It's worth checking out, along with some of their other work, just so that you can get a feel for their influence and the impact it had on what was to come. That said, it's not terribly exciting in and of itself to listeners who have become accustomed to the more sonically impactful bands that followed.

Some absolute classics on here, of course. The album still sounds great as a whole and, considering the high points, is a must-listen for anyone into rock or rock-adjacent genres.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was better than that. Often dreamy, often with a little edge, it's an interesting listen. You can hear a lot of Joy Division in parts of this album, which I found particularly interesting.

I like a lot of the songs on here, but not as an album. I think it can become grating after a few songs, but individually they’re a lot of fun.

Timeless, accessible, full of hits, and somehow not cheesy.

A very interesting album. At its best it combines poetry with jazz, and at its worst it's swinging wildly without a target. The positives outweigh the negatives, and it's definitely something that any rap fan should check out.

It's certainly limited and showing its age, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. It's rather one-dimensional with its lyrical content, but the beats are catchy and it has a charm.

A unique and enjoyable soundscape. I didn't expect to hear Jarvis Cocker on there, so that was a nice surprise. Was also a bit surprised to actually recognise bits and pieces from throughout the album. Interesting, at the very least.

I don't like The Police. I respect their place in music history and respect their song writing, but I've never actually enjoyed their music. This album didn't change that, but the track "Synchronicity II" was bloody good.

It was like Joy Division, but replace everything good about Joy Division with something much, much worse.

Decent enough, but not Bowie's best showing.

It's not my cup of tea, but it's certainly a sound of the time. "Crazy Love" was everywhere for a while back then.

An absolute masterpiece of an album. "Carpet Crawlers" is an all-time great.

It's a shame that Kanye West has become such a deranged tool as the music he used to make was top tier. This album is fuckin' incredible and has to be enjoyed outside of the scope of West himself.

The album still sounds as fantastic now as when it released. Sure, it's a touch long, but when the only real criticism I have is that there's a bit too much of something I start sounding like my missus.

Sweet and twee, certainly a product of its time in that respect. It's well crafted, though, and the instrumentation is suitably delicate throughout. It's too long, that's for sure, but there's a lot to love about this.

Fantastic from start to finish. A chilled out and funky album with plenty of surprisingly cool guitar solos on it. A must listen.

“You ain’t a beauty, but yeah, you’re alright”.

This really grew on me as I listened to it. It's just a fantastic album. Kind of a missing link in English music, in a way.

Sensational album. I've been aware of Dinosaur Jr. for a long time, even catching a bit of their set at Download Festival many years ago, but I've never actually sat down and listened to their stuff. Turns out it's excellent. Who knew?

Wonderfully technically impressive with moments of true genius, but it's a long time to listen to a solo piano.

This grew on me as I went through the album. It's rough and unrefined at times, but there is a sincerity that shines through.

A work of genius.

I listened to a lot of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when they first hit the scene, but I was living abroad when this album released and never really listened to it. Shame, because it's fucking excellent.

Stunning.

Legendary.

It's hard to imagine a more mainstream focused rock album.

A wonderful album which swells into life and surges forward with honesty, complexity, and sincerity.

I've never gotten along with Iron Maiden. I find them unendearingly cheesy and lacking in everything which makes for good rock/metal in my eyes. They're also not as cool as their own t-shirts.

Saccharine from start to finish. There's some classic melodies and tracks here, but it's delivered in such a thick layer of sugar that it's hard to listen to more than one track.

Mr. Tambourine Man is one of Dylan's truly great songs, so when the title track of the album is a poor cover of that, you know you're not dealing with anything mind-blowing.

Unsurprisingly, just like a less good The Beatles. A couple of good singles, but nothing that really inspires.

Whilst certainly straying over the line into cheesy a few times, it's a classic album for a reason. The guitar sounds on this record defined guitar tone for a generation, so its influence can't be overstated in that regard. It still holds up, overall, despite the aforementioned cheese factor.

It's between this and Blood on the Tracks for the crown of best Dylan album. Either way, they're both stone-cold classics.

I've never been an Elton John fan, despite enjoying "Tiny Dancer". This album hasn't really changed my mind on that, but it was definitely better than I'd expected. I'm sure that a lot of people will find a lot to love here, but for me it fell short of what it could've been.

I'm a big lover of the blues and have been known to dabble in jazz, but big band is something I've never really gotten into. I see the appeal, but it's not for me. That said, this album was really enjoyable and probably the best example of the genre I've ever heard.

Surprisingly enjoyable. Scissor Sisters were everywhere for a while around 2004 and I'd never listened to their album. I found myself having more fun that I'd expected.

A new one on me. Discordant and dissonant at times, but an enjoyable kind of chaos that pulls you through rather than leaving you behind.

Stunning from start to finish.

So far ahead of its time. It's honestly quite surprising to think that this came out when and where it did. Yes, it does get pretty out there at times, but it's genuinely interesting to listen to.

Whilst not the absolute best that Dylan has to offer, it's still exceptional.

Enjoyable, well written, and overall tight. It just doesn't do a great deal for me compared to the other singer-songwriters of the age.

Slade are something of local legends around the Black Country, most famous for a few big hits, including "Merry Xmas Everybody" and "Cum on Feel the Noize". Despite that, I'd never really thought to have a listen to their albums. They sort of existed as a band with a couple of singles rather than having albums that might be worth listening to. This album wasn't revelatory or anything, but it was certainly better than I'd expected. Enjoyable glam rock and well worth the listen.

It was interesting at times, but it felt like they couldn't even play their instruments at times. The bass and drums fall out of time a lot, the snare sounds like it's made from a Quality Street tin, and some songs really drag on. It was marginally interesting here and there, but not one of the 1001 best albums of all time.

Reminds me a lot of the Cafe Del Mar scene that was popular in the late '90s/early '00s. It's nothing life changing, but pretty chill.

Cool before cool was cool.

Quintessential American punk.

There were a few tracks on there I was already familiar with and I found myself enjoying the album overall. Vibes of Happy Mondays mixed with New Order, at times.

The obvious issues with Phil Spector aside, this is a solid, albeit cheesy, Christmas album.

Stunning from start to finish. A masterpiece of the genre.

Atmospheric and moody. Not ground breaking, but an enjoyable listen, nonetheless.

An interesting mix. I wouldn't put it on this list myself, but it was good.

Early Bob Dylan was a work in progress, not yet complete, but the album is still splendid and essential listening.

Another classic from The Cure. Pure atmosphere from start to finish.

Effortlessly cool and timeless. This was one of my favourite albums growing up and it withstood the test of time. Could maybe do with getting rid of the Chinese restaurant skit, but skits were just endemic in this period of rap and hip hop.

Strong start and finish let down by a middling middle.

Obviously dated, but iconic and important. You can't view it purely with a modern lens.

Not up to the levels of Mezzanine, but still a good album.

This album has been a regular listen ever since I first picked it up around 20 years ago. Great beats with some wonderful lyricism throughout.

Starts and ends with cool hip hop, but the soul middle was unexpected. Great album.

Fast paced, full of anger and indignation, , doesn't stick around too long, and catchy to go with it. Basically, everything you could want from a hardcore punk album.

I enjoyed the storytelling here, easily transporting you to a different time and place. However, some of the people who followed him improve on this formula. I can't see myself going back to listen to this when Townes Van Zandt also exists. Still, enjoyable.

Sounds better now than it did as a teenager. A bit manufactured, as we all now know, but still influential, important, and great.

Cool, soulful, and hooky.

Very interesting album from a guy I wasn't familiar with. It's taken a couple of listens to really land, but it really is worth a listen.

I'm a Jack White fan for the most part, but there's nothing here that he hasn't improved upon in his later albums.

Whilst not my favourite Radiohead album, it's still fantastic.

I found his voice a touch grating at times, but overall it was a really good album.

Unexpectedly enjoyable. There's some low reviews on here, but I'm not in agreeance with them. Whilst the songs can come across as a bit cheesy on first listen, they're full of interesting stories and characters. In fact, I was quite surprised by the directness in covering certain topics considering when the album was released. Didn't expect to like this as much as I did.

Fun and interesting enough, despite many of its features becoming cliche over time.

It’s The Doors doing Doors-y stuff.

Unexpectedly enjoyable. It's on the right side of noise for me. A good wall of sound with melody still coming through. Very good album.

It finally struck me why I don't like Van Halen... they sound like a juiced-up Def Leppard. I hate Def Leppard. Of course, it's technically very impressive and some of the solos are great, but the actual songs? Not so much.

It's a banging album. That's all there is to it, really.

Not the biggest country fan, but it was okay. Nothing life changing or anything, but a pleasant distraction.

I enjoy Nina Simone, but this album wasn't her best work. The high points were high, but there's a couple of tracks which I really wasn't feeling.

Early punk done well.

Excellent.

I was thrilled to see this album pop up today. I've always really enjoyed Pearl Jam when I've heard them, but hadn't taken the time to sit down and listen to their albums all the way through. It's just as good as I'd hoped it would be.

Whilst I prefer "Kind of Blue", it'd be a crime to give this anything less than a five.

Obviously a little dated and the country influence doesn't appeal to me too much, but there's plenty to enjoy here.

As a solo artist he could never quite find what made The Beatles so good.

It's really not for me. It's well put together and Michael's performance is solid throughout, but it just doesn't do anything for me. I've never really been one for that kind of soft pop.

Heartfelt and vulnerable.

Interesting enough, if a bit airy at times.

Weird and a bit out there at times, but good. Found myself getting sucked into the songs.

I think I may have been overly harsh on Elbow over the years. I'd considered them to be in the same category as Coldplay and Travis. The truth seems to be that they are in a category above them, but still not a category worth revisiting regularly.

Well-written pop punk before pop punk was really a genre. Massively well known in the UK for Teenage Kicks, but they are offering something a little different here, and I'm here for it.

Rather torn on this one. On the one hand, the music itself is phenomenal. The playing is top-tier and can't be faulted. But, there are two major issues: 1 - Live albums are so rarely good. This isn't an exception. 2 - It's very long. Maintaining active focus on an album for over two hours is one hell of a challenge when it's not the main task of your day.

I couldn't make it through this one, to be honest. The songs themselves are pretty by-the-number R&B tracks of the time, but I can't stand her whistle notes. It goes right through me.

Awesome. Wish it was easier to get a hold of the original recordings without all the additional fluff, but just awesome.

Light and airy.

Interesting beats and some cool flows, but it's all rather creepy.

I didn't love this as much as other Radiohead albums on release, but it's grown on me over the years. I think the less focus on guitars put me off at first, but the songs themselves are just great.

Highs and lows on this one. Overall a solid album and somewhere between a 3 and a 4.

Solid.

Legendary.

Pretty middle of the road alternative.

Decent, but not particularly exciting.

Lots to love about this one.

Excellent. I love New Order, but I wasn't too familiar with this particular album. Parts of it stray into The Cure territory, which is never a bad thing.

One of the finest albums ever made. I'm not surprised to read some of the reviews on here of people so far removed from England who just don't get it. But if you do get it, it's transformative and raw.

Endearing and charming.

Pretty middle-of-the-road soul. He's got a good voice, but there wasn't much else going on here.

Just like the previous George Michael album on here, I just don't think I'm the target market for it.

The Specials are legends for a reason. A fantastic blend of ska, punk, and social commentary.

There's quite a few The Who tracks that I like, but I hate live albums. There's very few live albums that actually work, as far as I'm concerned. This isn't really one of them. It's not bad for the most part, but it's certainly not good.

I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I knew most of the tracks on the album, but actually listening to them properly let me appreciate them fully. Excellent production throughout and some truly iconic melodies and hooks.

Very well produced and with some great vocal performances. I don't think it quite has enough to push it into the 5* category, but it was a good listen.

Interesting, but not always engaging.

I wanted to like this. God knows that Green Onions is an absolute belter of a track. The rest of the album just couldn't live up to it.

I don't know what it is, but I just found this a bit dull and lyrics were pretty goofy at times.

Middle of the road and inoffensive.

What I listened to was fine, but this was just too long to commit to without it being truly exceptional.

Silent Night was weak, but otherwise a top album.

Solid album throughout. Some of the flute solos dragged on a bit long, mind.

A much more well-rounded and well-realised album than other The Doors records. It's solid and consistent throughout, but ending with "Riders on the Storm" elevates everything that comes before it.

I'm not a fan of Iron Maiden by any stretch. I find their particular brand of metal to be quite hackneyed and cheesy. However, this album was the best I've heard of them. There's a couple of weak tracks, notably "Charlotte the Harlot", but there's enough here that I enjoyed. Some of the early tracks reminded me more of the heavier Deep Purple stuff, so that was decent. As the album goes on it evolves into what I'd always considered a more stereotypical Iron Maiden sound. Not enough here to make me an Iron Maiden lover, but it's softened my hatred by a good amount.

Fire. I do feel that grime as a genre is somewhat unique in that it started at the high point, rather than building to it. When this came out, it really was a breath of fresh air. There was nothing out there that sounded like it and it wasn't merely aping the American sound.

Surprisingly solid throughout. I obviously knew a few singles before hand, but the whole package was good.

The Smiths this is not. There are moments where the old magic shines through, but it's not consistent across the run time. "First of the Gang to Die" is pretty solid, but not much else stood out to me.

Lacking a bit of cohesion as an album, but a decent collection of songs and a good slice of Americana.

This album makes me sad. There was time, before this album, when Kings of Leon were genuinely good. This was when that stopped being the case.

That's one of the most bizarre things that I've ever listened to in my life. It was like the feeling of existential dread you get deep in your soul the day after an intense session on the whiskey. It was like listening to the soundtrack to an oddly macabre musical which doesn't exist. It was like listening into an alternative timeline and hearing something you shouldn't. Yet, it was strangely compelling. Once I'd got my ear in, I was kind of hooked and dragged along for the ride. What an odd thing this is.

Sarah Vaughan is undeniably wonderful, but I'm not a fan of live albums 99% of the time. Whilst this was a pretty decent one, I would've preferred a proper studio album.

Excellent pop album.

Fantastic. Very powerful themes with some great melodies and soulful singing. I've been familiar with her most famous tracks for a long time, but had never listened to her albums. Will be rectifying that going forwards.

Decent folk album with a lot of Neil Young in it.

Some classics, but not something that stands out to me now.

The music is fun, the lyrics are childish. It's a good time overall, though, as long as you don't take it too seriously. Shame I didn't discover them when I was 12 years old because I'd have been all about it.

It's excellent. The second half isn't as strong as the first, but it's still excellent. Hell, the second half of this album is better than most other albums on this list, and that's not even an insult.

An awesome kaleidoscope of music. Perfectly on the edge of falling apart at several points throughout the album.

I enjoyed elements of this, but live albums really aren't the ticket for me. I'll probably go and check out some of their studio albums, though.

Yes, it's derivative. Yes, it's brash. But I still enjoy it as it was such a part of my music background growing up. This album is undeniably still good.

This was huge for a minute or three. I don’t get a massive amount from it personally, but it’s definitely an important album.

I see Gershwin and Fitzgerald and I’m happy.

A bit one note, but it's an enjoyable note. A nice dose of psychobilly which was, overall, a lot of fun.

The '80s production undermines this album a lot. There are good songs here, but the thick layer of synthetic makeup that's slathered over it hasn't stood up too well to the test of time.

Not my favourite LCD Soundsystem album, but still a good one.

Seminal.

Spacious and dreamy throughout. I'm a big fan of this kind of shoegaze.

Whilst I didn't enjoy it as much as the Nico album, it was still a good listen. I think it might be an album which improves with multiple listens.

Whilst it’s become a very familiar sound now, it was awesome and fresh when it was new. Still a good album.

Influential and still a good listen.

An unexpected treat. It's raw and chaotic, with bits of Iggy Pop and Captain Beefheart pulsing throughout. I saw the low reviews and feared the worst, but this was a belter.

Like an American sociology case study to a funky soundtrack. It's easy to criticise the content with a modern lens, but that really misses the point as to what makes this album so important. Add onto that the ground-breaking music and production and this is an easy 5 stars.

I enjoy a spot of country, but this style isn't exactly my vibe. Still, it had some really nice moments sprinkled throughout where the songwriting shone through.

A bit of a bizarre album. I bounced off the start of it hard, but then parts of it were actually enjoyable. The vocals were just too weak for me, for the most part, but it worked on some songs. It's not something I'll revisit, but I'm glad I heard it.

The music is great, the vocals are not. This holds a place of nostalgia for me, so it's hard to be entirely objective here. I think there are much better nu-metal albums that could've been on here in its place, though.

Not as pop friendly, but the journey of the album is fantastic.

Stylish, smooth, and full of personality. I've not really listened to any French rap before, but this was sensational.

I've never really understood the adoration of The Police. They're fine. They're good musicians. They wrote some good tunes. I just don't see how they belong in the pantheon of the all-time greats, is all. This album didn't go any way to changing that opinion.

Yet another David Bowie classic. It's not my favourite era of Bowie, but it's still exceptional.

Never listened to a full Rush album before, but it's about what I expected. There's a lot to like, but also I dislike the vocals generally. Still, good stuff.

A bit all over the place. Some good tunes throughout, but lacking cohesion. Great bass work.

I enjoy my shoegaze to be a bit more full on, but it was still a decent album overall.

It's not bad in any way, but it does nothing for me. She has a good voice, obviously, but the music just feels a bit bland.

Not my genre of choice, but enjoyable for the most part.

Decent, if somewhat uninspiring.

I don't like live albums, but this one is actually pretty good. It's not my style of music, but the power that Jacques delivers is impressive. A very emotive singer, that's for sure.

It's great. The production does sound a touch flat at times, but the songs themselves are awesome.

Some albums deserve their status.

A simply wonderful swirl of guitars and noise. I don't normally care for this style of vocals, it's a little too emo-adjacent for my tastes, but it works here.

It's an album you have to let happen around you, rather than actively enjoy. The first track got on my nerves, but it did improve a bit once it got going. However, I ultimately found it a bit too repetitive.

A good middle ground between grunge and metal. I enjoyed the album as a whole, even if the War Pigs cover was a little ill-advised.

Iconic.

A band I was only familiar with by name. I thoroughly enjoyed this waltz through post-rock.

Some of The Beatles best work is on this album and there are patches where it's amongst the finest works ever committed to vinyl/CD/mp3, but there are some bad tracks on here, too. It just seems criminal to have tracks like Ob-la-di on the same album as Happiness is a Warm Gun etc.

It's a bit one-note, but I still found myself singing along at times. It's obviously very dated now, but there's a lot of charm here, even now.

A classic. More accessible than their earlier stuff, but still heavy and full of great riffs.

I've liked some Captain Beefheart stuff over the years, but this album just doesn't stick the landing.

I've never liked U2 and this did nothing to change that opinion. It's not the worst of the worst or anything, but just feels so bland and uninspiring.

Iconic.

Just not feeling this one. Had I been on a beach in Ibiza recovering from a monster night out, then maybe I'd have enjoyed it a lot more. As it stands, I was sitting at my desk working. So, yeah, didn't feel it.

Compared to other Rush records I've listened to, the vocals on this were somewhat grating. Ended up being a pretty middling album.

Solid overall. The roots of what the band would become have been established here and it's an interesting listen. I wouldn't say it's essential, but I enjoyed it.

Obviously, Cult of Personality is a banger. The rest of the album was alright, but nothing amazing. It was a little watered down in some areas and a bit too over the top in others.

Very enjoyable and quirky throughout. Bjork has one of the most distinct voices in music and it's really cool to see the origins of what would become one of the most creative and unique artists ever.

The first track is sensational. Being a Wu-Tang fan, I immediately recognised the sample, but beyond that it's just stunning. The last track is a little slow on the uptake, but overall this is a great collection of songs.

Some of Dylan's finest songs are on this album, but there are a couple of weaker ones which detract slightly from the record as a whole.

A snapshot of that time in folk music, evoking memories of Jose Gonzalez et al. An enjoyable and dreamy album overall, if lacking in enough to really make it stand out.

Interesting at times, but I don't think that it built on the Nico album enough and just collapsed in on itself, instead.

Some questionable lyrics aside, there are some great tracks on this album. I don't think it completely stands up now, but still a good listen.

An enjoyable album and ahead of its time in many ways.

Some good tracks on the album, but it's a little monotonous as a whole.

Honestly, oddly enjoyable. I saw the negative reviews and feared the worst, but it was fun. The whole cabaret vibe is a bit cheesy, but it's endearing, too. The whole thing is played off well and I found myself enjoying it as long as I didn't think too much about it.

It got better towards the end.

A bit samey overall. I was hoping that it would grow on me, but it started to grate as it went on.

A really good album. I've heard a couple of their tracks over the years, but this is my first time listening to a full album. I enjoyed it throughout. The variety of beats is really interesting and helps to hold the attention.

Some great tracks on here and a great album as a whole.

I thought I'd enjoy this as a fan of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. However, I found it rather bland and middle-of-the-road.

Surprisingly interesting. It was daft at times, but genuinely gripping at others.

I didn't get hooked by this album. I think the vocal delivery was the main issue, really. It just felt so airy.

Classic.

Not for me at all. It felt too polished, too sentimental without substance, and too samey. I don't think it's bad, as such, and I'm sure that some people will find a lot to like. It's just not for me.

Top-drawer mod noise. The bass tone is awesome throughout and the whole thing just works.

Live albums are never good. This one was better than most, but it’s still a live album.

Stevie Wonder somehow manages to make potentially cheesy or overly-sentimental lyrics work. The chord changes during the songs are so out of the ordinary and fun to listen to. It all just works.

This album passed me by, even when I was listening to it. Didn't really grip me at any point.

My first time listening to Microshift, but this was fantastic. A swirl of pop, dream pop, indie, and electronic influence.

Pleasant, but a bit boring at times. They were improved massively when Young joined the lineup, to be honest.

Surprisingly excellent. There's something reminiscent of Beyonce in her vocals, but once I looked past that, I really enjoyed it.

Interesting, but not mind blowing.

It's an excellent album. Could do with less wet-sex noises being pumped directly into my ears, but everything else is great. Obviously it's violent and misogynistic, but that's a window into the scene at the time. You can't judge everything with a modern lens, basically. Musically, it's fire.

Self indulgent as hell.

I hated the last Randy Newman album on this list, so was expecting to hate this. Surprisingly, it was pretty good.

Stone-cold classic. One of the greatest gansta rap albums ever made and it still stands up today.

It was alright. It grew a bit samey as it went on, though.

One of the great albums of all time. The message is still annoyingly relevant and the music is still fire.

I like a lot of Miles Davis' work, but not this one. I appreciate it for what it is, but it's not an enjoyable listen.

Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash will always be my favourite The Pogues album, but this one has to be up there, too. It's a little odd listening to "Fairytale of New York" when it's not Christmas, but it's a great song on a great album.

Truly enjoyable. I was familiar with a few The Damned tracks, but had never sat down and listened to an album of theirs. That was a mistake as this is excellent.

I remember The Coral knocking about the NME scene of the early 2000s, but never listened to a full album. Better than expected.

Found myself enjoying this way more than I expected. Salsa isn't a genre I have a particular affinity for, but this just hit the mood. I can see myself putting this on the next time the sun is shining, the BBQ is out, and the rum is flowing.

Between a 4 and a 5. Not my favourite Neil Young album, but some belters on here.

I enjoyed it well enough for the most part. It's a little bloated as an album, but there's enough good songs to carry it on the whole.

Awesome.

A bit long and one-note, but good.

Solid overall. Not their best work.

The production on the tracks is more interesting than the songs. It wasn't as bad a listen as I was expecting, but nothing too enthralling.

There's a strange charisma about her voice that grows on me the more I listen to her. She was obviously great, but each time I put on one of her albums I have that same experience.

I enjoyed this album a lot more than Celebrity Skin. Catchy tracks, some great riffs, and overall just well made. Will revisit.

Top tier, as always.