I will vehemently defend this album - it's a great example of critics not knowing what they're talking about. Limp Bizkit were lightning in a bottle, and Chocolate Starfish... is their uncorking. It... Appealed to a generation of young people that were actively disenfranchised at the time (Full nelson) Spawned smash-hit singalongs that are still played in bars and clubs today (Rollin', My Way, My Generation) Captured the zeitgeist of the late 90s (Livin' It Up, Take A Look Around) and draws towards its' conclusion with a performance so heartfelt that even its' cringiest lines are forgivable-at-worst (Boiler) Whilst it's not its' generations Sticky Fingers or Blonde on Blonde it is something special that's too regularly cast off for being easy (wrong), unadventurous (wrong) or dumb (a little bit, but mostly wrong) 5 STARS

Style over substance to be honest. I'm not sure why this album is considered so iconic

I like the cure but this was a touch too whiny for my liking

This lbum falls off QUICK. Hotel California, the single, what a masterpiece. Quite simply a masterclass in how to write a single that will still be heralded decades (and generations) after release. The rest of this album is pants though. How can you go from /that/ solo to what is ultimately an additional hour of filler. Just release the single bro! Were it not for the single this would easily be 1*

This is the kind of album I'm here for! Music by musicians, not frauds chasing moneybags. Loved how bizarre this was, obviously a passion project - will tune in again

Quite enjoyed, didn't blow me away but 👍

It's Rage! Classic, wall-to-wall heavy hitters and they inspired virtually everyone that followed them. Easy 5

Actually enjoyed it quite a lot - this album is much more than just the singles. I can see why it's considered a classic

"do what you want to whenever you want to" - Speed Trials Otherwise not really my vibe

"Say Hello..." is a tune - didn't realise how much Self Esteem sounds like Adele (stylistically) until now. "Hello" is bang average though

Awesome! Totally punk rock in a completely novel way

James Murphy with a leccy guitar, how can I not give it 5 stars

Bit of a yawn fest - highlight was a cover of someone else's song which kind of says it all

Wonderful album to put on in the background or sleep to - nothing remarkable stood out to me though

Good fun album but again not much stood out as a takeaway song

Quite like the cars, very creative & varied despite always sounding like them. Big fan

ZZ Top are the kings of what they do, but this album struck me as quite same-y. Big respect but low score sadly :(

Really really enjoyed this! Songs like 'You in the Sky' give off grandios Dylan's-next-door-neighbour vibes - the classic Celtic sounds peppered in made for a varied but not chaotic listening experience. Big fan!

Little on the lame side - not my vibe :(

Really liked it actually, I suspect they smoked a lot of pot whilst writing it. Won't make it's way into my regular rotation, but loved how out-of-the-box this album is

Really really beautiful album - heartfelt and honest. Thank you Joni!! (not available on Spotify so ended up listening to someone elses version of the album by mistake, which was still v good)

Fun album, had a good time listening to it

Bless you Bruce, bit of a yawnfest though :(

Started off very vanilla but got kind of wild in the second half

Brilliant! Totally outside-the-box, no two songs sound the same. The kind of thing I'm here for

Bit meh but I enjoyed it

Style over substance to be honest. I'm not sure why this album is considered so iconic

Very cool! No idea what on Earth they were singing about, but really enjoyed how eclectic this album was

Maybe it's just not for me, but it was quite samey and no single track really stood out :(

A bit meh to be honest - couple of stand-out songs but sounds an awful like lot an awful lot of other stuff

Before listening: Love love love this album, it was on regular rotation when I was a tyke, and I only revisited it recently. Expertly crafted with some truly phenomenal moments. I want to give it 4 stars, but Yellow is one of the best songs ever recorded and ending with 'Everything's Not Lost' is such a great payoff it's a 5 from me. The guitars throughout are awesome, I just have nothing bad to say about it!

Enjoyed it, makes me wonder how an album like this logistically gets put together but otherwise not much to add

V interesting, not my usual thing but I did enjoy it

Very fun album, a few songs sounded very samey but it's so weird and eclectic I didn't even mind

Lovely album, feels like I've heard it before possibly because it was a trailblazer and other people made plenty of music that sounds just like it.

Thank you Bowie very cool!

Always wrote Beck off as being boring dad-rock, but he's made something really out-there with this album. Will deffo come back to it

Big fan of this album, not a bad song on it. The b-sides are strong too, could never give it anything less than 5

Fine

Not my favourite Maiden album, but listening to it this time around was the first time I ever really 'got' it - really enjoyed

ABBA really aren't a band for me, but this is a really brave effort. So many unusual sounds and styles all on the same album would typically be career suicide for most 'radio bands' but this is a really quality effort

Quite impressed with this album! It's inventive and a good bit of fun

Read the description and thought "no way this will be any good" - I'm very happy to be proved wrong! What a treat this album is, totally unpredictable and a really brave effort.

I was really looking forward to this album! I love a bit of prog, but it totally fell flat for me. It wasn't a bad listen, but no single song really stood out. I'll revisit it one day but not in a hurry.

I think Morissey had a superbly distinct voice, but that's all this album has

Fun album - shame it's not on Spotify because I would've listened through it a second time.

This feels like I'm listening to a regular 80s/90s rock album but I've done a tiiiiny bit of heroin

Classic album, among the first that I ever really enjoyed

Really took me by surprised - I'd always written off the Stones as not being my thing just because they're ancient. This album has totally changed my opinion. 50+ years down the line and this still sounds super fresh, every songs stands out as having something unique about it. I was sure this would rate reasonably low but I can't not give it 5*

On first listen I really like it - I mean The Pogues are legends for a reason. I've always had some disdain for Fairytaile... because it's a good song that's ruined by the Christmas setting. It fits neatly into this album, though. And having it on the same album as "The Broad Majestic Shannon" really highlights that. Toying with so many different genres really paid off as well, it's not a predictable album at all.

A brave album, very different from what I would expect from Bowie

Nice - not the kind of thing I'll go back to often but what a serene day I had as a result!

Never actually listened to this front to back, which is a cardinal sin for any metalhead. Really enjoyed it though, Metallica are at their best when they're experimenting and having fun. Orion really demonstrates that

I mean, it's got Simple Man and Free Bird on it, two of the best sing-alongs ever to have been written. That said, some of the rest of the album felt like filler, but when on the same LP as such big songs that's always bound to happen

Fun album, a little samey for my liking but I generally enjoyed the vibe

Upon first listen this was a big meh for me. There were a couple of songs that stood out but largely felt like a 'safe' album. Half a zoot and a moody sunset later and wowzers - still not a forever favourite but I can appreciate it much more now

I will vehemently defend this album - it's a great example of critics not knowing what they're talking about. Limp Bizkit were lightning in a bottle, and Chocolate Starfish... is their uncorking. It... Appealed to a generation of young people that were actively disenfranchised at the time (Full nelson) Spawned smash-hit singalongs that are still played in bars and clubs today (Rollin', My Way, My Generation) Captured the zeitgeist of the late 90s (Livin' It Up, Take A Look Around) and draws towards its' conclusion with a performance so heartfelt that even its' cringiest lines are forgivable-at-worst (Boiler) Whilst it's not its' generations Sticky Fingers or Blonde on Blonde it is something special that's too regularly cast off for being easy (wrong), unadventurous (wrong) or dumb (a little bit, but mostly wrong) 5 STARS

I know this isn't a one star album, but I don't understand why exactly it's in here. Live albums can be cool, and DP are clearly a world class live act but I've heard a lot of these songs already in other albums on this list, and the audience clapping along drives me absolutely nuts. Would have been awesome to be there live and in person, but sadly this was a dud for me.

Not bad but not for me

I do like The Band, this album felt very authentic

Interesting album, was great as background noise but didn't love it beyond that

I love reggae and I love Bob Marley but this album was just a little bit on the 'meh' side - I did enjoy it but nothing much stood out to me. Will definitely revisit it though

I have a lot of time for REM - I like their general vibe, and no one else really sounds like them

I adore this album, but it's definitely picked up the 4th star based off of nostalgia

Enjoyed this far more than I initially expected

This is a real exercise in separation of the artist from their art - I quite liked the album but Kanye West makes my blood boil so it's a low rating sadly

Great album, can't believe I'd never heard of this band before!

Cool album, nice vibes!

Changes and Snowblind I mean what songs! Amazed I haven't heard this album before

I liked this - it's a pretty massive project and was quite well done but I didn't fall in love with it. Not a bad listen at all though

Good album, interesting choice to record it live

I've never listened to the Black Crowes before but they sounded super familiar, I can only assume that they inspired a lot of later bands

The Beatles at their least interesting

I enjoyed this album but didn't finish it, will definitely return because Robert is a talent

Punk runs the world, but this album was a bit 'eh' - I'm not huge on live albums, particularly for bands I'm unfamiliar with.

Unusual album, I quite liked it

Awesome vibe, enjoyed it thoroughly!

I've always bought into the "U2 bad because Bono annoying" hype, but actually this album is class. Maybe it's my Irish bias but this album is varied, informative and passionate at heart. Will definitely be putting more U2 on in the future as a result

I actually discovered this album early this year and quite liked it - having heard Alright I initially wrote Supergrass off as being one of those douchey early 2000s flash-in-the-pan bands, but the rest of this album is really solid and Gaz Coombs seems like a nice guy so I'll happily give it 4*

This is the kind of album I'm here for! Music by musicians, not frauds chasing moneybags. Loved how bizarre this was, obviously a passion project - will tune in again

I really rate Queen Latifah, but I thought she started in gospel and had no idea she debut'd with a hip-hop album?? Either way I'm impressed!

Two SUpergrass albums in one week - prior to this year I'd never listened to them at all but I've found that actually they're on the edgier side of the whole britpop fiasco - I can't say I hate that!

This album arrived exactly when I needed it, amazed I've never heard it before. Thoroughly enjoyed it, will definitely put it into regular rotation

Beautiful album, we don't deserve Willie

I do like Bowie but this album didn't resonate too much with me

Big up Soundgarden - Chris Cornell is in my humble opinion the greatest rock vocalist ever to have lived. The emotion he spills into this album is intense, and the fact that something so heartfelt could still spawn so many hits is a testament to his talent

Weird but I didn't hate it

Synths!

Thank you Amy very cool

I like the cure but this was a touch too whiny for my liking

Pleasantly surprised! Really enjoyed some of the deeper cuts, I can see why 7NA was the hit but solid effort

I did enjoy this, but it was a bit mid

Awesome stuff, amazed I've never listed to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs before now

Better than I expected, had a Beastie Boys sound to it at times which was welcome. The singles definitely aren't the best songs on this album though

Perfect.

It's a lovely album, but I would never put it on of my own volition, except for maybe background music on Christmas day

Superb, cohesive and changed metal forever

Top shelf, sounds super fresh

Wonderful album, excellent vibe

Awesome album, one I'd never heard of before, loved the general sound, all of the drums. Something about it really resonated with me, will definitely revisit

This must be the 12th or so punk/hardcore album I e had so far and possibly the only one that is indisputably sonically unique. Loved how it leans into some more proggy and experimental genres

I like Def Leppard and I didn't hate this album, but I feel like I've heard this exact album a dozen other times by other bands

This one is tough because I quite like the general sound of this album. However I can't help but feel that it's an album that was made to test critics rather than a heartfelt attempt at using music to express something meaningful. I'm stuck at 3.5* wanting to round it up, but I think it's a bit too obnoxious and pretentious so it can't be a 4.

Classic, nothing to dislike really but can't say I'm infatuated

I really don't get the Elliot Smith hype, sorry! There's nothing much here that sets him aside from every other singer/songwriter I've heard. A couple of interesting songs but mostly fell very flat

A couple of heavy hitters on this album but equally there's some filler too, so no real strong feelings either way. Incredible that a band can put together an album like this considering the chaos going on in their camp, though. Commendable.

Way ahead of its' time, cracking!

Reading about this album made me really excited, among the best selling albums of all time and I'd never heard of it? Sadly I was a bit underwhelmed. It was enjoyable but there wasn't anything particularly iconic about it, even on my second listen it just fell a bit flat.

Parts of this feel like if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were a post-rock band. Other parts felt like really fresh and original indie-rock. Not what I expected from a 35yo album???

Sorry, Traffic. There's a reason I've probably never heard of you.

Simply not for me

Muzak

Awesome

Adventurous, a fun listen

Super interesting album for the 60s - it feels really modern. At times almost like King Gizz meets Bob Dylan, balancing each other out to make something that's not super bombastic but distinctly unique in the landscape of pretty plain 60s rock and roll music.

Bit of a let down

I wrote this one off almost immediately to be honest, but the longer I listened to it the more I realised that the BKs are actually quite a nuanced band, and not just another radio-rock outfit. I particularly enjoyed Black Mud - a Zep inspired broody blues song, shame it wasn't longer is all I can say!

I have a lot of time for MJ and this album is a great example of why. He was clearly superbly talented, and having been confined to the J5 box for so long this effort is him clearly expressing himself in his own way. I imagine he gets a lot of 1*s for reasons unrelated to his music, and being a talented musician doesn't absolve you of anything beyond just that, but I liked this album a lot.

Loved this, Jimmy is a force to be reckoned with. The intro really took me off guard, wasn't what I was expecting and he's so consistent - I don't have a bad word to say

Lovely background music but didn't do much for me besides

Lots of time for this band

Helped to have this on Xmas day - got all the classics and some other songs by women, made a nice change to Bing and Buble

I've yet to understand why Dead are so heralded. This album was fine, but nothing more so than that

Boring and too misogynistic for my liking

Cool album, can't say it left much more of an impression than that

Of course I got this right after claiming Tim Buckley is a misogynyst. This is a super album, definitely music-as-art and whilst it clearly caused a stir and the debate about whether Eminem is a genius, or a sheep-in-wolfs-clothing still rages 10+ years later. I can't quite articulate why, but the 'hate' on this record is worlds away from the bad vibes I got from Tim. Eminem's controversy has always had a manufactured-film over it that I think makes it much more tongue-in-cheek, rather than an impassioned rage. Anyway, this is a good album - considering it's his sophomore it's amazing to think that this was amongst some of the first things he'd put out. Easy peasy 4 stars, reserving that fifth one for Encore!

Never really got PJ - this album was good but nothing much really stood out to me

Big fan, felt a little samey at points but I think that's the intention

Great album, I've never heard of the Adverts before. Sounds super fresh even in 2024, classic but novel at the same time. Thoroughly enjoyed

Metal bias incoming - this album fucks. Sepultura have been on my periphery for a while but I've only ever heard them on shuffle. Arise proves demonstrably that they are a tight-knight unit that know what they're doing. I had no idea they were Brazilian too, so I've learned something today too.

Equal parts fun and chill, very easy to listen to and likely I'll revisit it

This was a lot of fun, clearly a Bowie album but felt less like a lot of what I'd already heard.

This was a good time, I really enjoyed how off-piste the second half of the album was. Zany at times, not enough albums are zany

Awesome - this gave me nostalgia for a time before I was even born. I suspect plenty of the 80s movies I watched featured songs from this album. Overall it's a lot of fun, I'll be coming back to it

This is what I imagine I'd make if I were casually making music with my mates. Super relaxed, lots of passion. Great album

Wicked - plain as day how and why this album changed music. Some of the combinations of and approaches to sounds would be fresh today, let alone in 1991!!!

Super novel, well put together but I can't say I like it for much more than that

Impressive for a debut album - some filler and not much stood out to me beyond the hits

I enjoyed this album, but there's something about The beach Boys (or maybe just Brian Wilson) that makes me feel sad

I've got a lot of respect for Bob Dylan, this album felt very sincere

Very cool album, considering it's from the 60s too. Got a bit pretentious and filler-y in the middle but it's bookended by two phenomenal performances so I'm quite pleased

This was very nearly a 5 - I'm not a fan of britpop whatsoever, but The Verve do everything so much better than the usual suspects in that genre. At times I thought the album had ended and an Oasis album had started playing, but then I'd tune into some of the more subtle sounds that were happening behind the main instrumentation and realise that it hadn't, and that Urban Hymns is simply '...Morning Glory' with far superior production, songwriting and (in my opinion) ambition.

Ya know what, I didn't hate this. Being a 20-something from the UK my entire experience of George Michael has been plagued by old women badgering the DJ to 'pop on a bit of George!' at events I'd much rather not be at, and it's always the same couple of songs. This album was totally different from what I expected - I didn't love it per-se but it's certainly changed my position on what I think of GM as a songwriter and artist.

Blown away might be a bit of a stretch, but I was dumbfounded by how many Dusty songs I knew. I've had Dusty in Memphis come up already and only knew '...Preacher Man' - but I think 80% of the songs on this album had me going "Oh I know this one" or "I had no idea Dusty wrote this??" Whilst it's not the kind of album I'll often go back to I enjoyed it for what it was, and it's opened my eyes to just how influential she is.

Amazing! I've listened to Graceland once, but don't remember it well enough for it to have affected my expectations here. I had expected this to be very forgettable, a little shallow and generally unextrodinary - why I expected that I don't relly know, but I'm so pelased to have been wrong. From the off this album is full of heartfelt anti-wart sentiment, intricate (but not obnoxious) guitar playing, and a folky-bluesy undertone that really resonated with me. I listened to this twice and both times thoroughly enjoyed it. There's some filler, but it pales to the high moments of this album.

Astounding! 36 minutes of succinct, berating social analysis. Whilst this is a heavy album, it doesn't feel like it at times. It's tragic that so little has changed in the ~50 years since this album came out, but it's clearly stood the test of time!

This album reminds me of Joab, a Portugese migrant who joined my school and struggled to settle as it was very middle class and resistant to non-white people. As a result he was challenging to be around, but I hope he's doing well these days. As for the album, it has a lot of character but isn't something that I'll be regularly playing.

Boom it's another 5 - there isn't a wasted minute on this album. VH know what they do best and they don't shy away from it. These guys reinvented guitar rock, but they don't spend 90 minutes parading around going "how good is this, corrrr bloody hell aren't we fuckin sick"

I don't really get Kate Bush, which is probably more of a me problem than a her problem. Clearly she's very good at what she does, but I just don't think what she does is for me

Cool album - Elbow always struck me as a bit of a dad-rock band from times-gone-by, but there's quite a lot more to this album than that. Previously I'd have put them into a similar bracket to bands like The Killers, Stereophonics and maybe to an extent Kasabian, not stylistically but in the sense that they write simple songs for a wide-range of mostly radio listenders, but TSSK has a lot more going on in the background. There's quite a lot of nuance to this album, a lot of sounds going on in the background that you may not pick up on if you're listening passively. I'll definitely give them a bit more time.

I'm a big believer in 'definitely do judge a book by its' cover, however this album let that down big time. I love psych rock and this album, at a glance, looks cool as fuck. I suspect back when this was first released in the 60s it was a great example of throwing the book out and blazing your own trail, but in the 21st century we're spoiled with so many better examples of those things. Rating it low on that basis may not necessarily be in the spirit of the 1001 Albums experience, but I just didn't vibe with this one.

Anapologetically 2000s - plus it's refreshing to listen to music by Beyoncé that was considered great based on its' merit rather than her status. Enjoyed this a lot, will definitely go back.

Wicked - Little Simz doesn't miss a beat nor does she waste any time on this album

I love this, and am amazed it's never popped up on my radar before. Very rarely do I hear something and feel like it's actually proper original - I get that this album uses samples quite heavily, but despite that being a genre in-itself this feels super fresh, inspired and is just good fun. I can't bring myself to give it a 5, though it would be an easy 4.5 if it were possible!

Some interesting songs on here, but there's a lot of 'filler' and other stuff that feels pretty homogeneous. I love the energy and messaging, but the delivery just didn't hit for me.

A nice listen, not something I see myself revisiting or falling in love with but pleasant enough!

Meh! I'd heard of PS before, so went into this expecting quite a lot. As a result I found this record underwhelming - it never really goes anywhere or does anything interesting. It's fine to listen to, but doesn't inspire me to come back to it at all. Maybe I've missed something, but it's a regrettable 2 at best

Interesting album, nice and varied - I always thought Echo.... were a modern band and sounded nothing like this.

Elton John just isn't for me. He's a global megastar because he knows how to get elderly people out of their seats and boogie in the aisles, but nothing makes me go to the bar quicker than an Elton single. I gave this a fair shot - Tiny Dancer is 90% naff with a pretty good chorus. The rest is entirely forgettable trash that sounds exactly the same as the preceeding song, but without any novelty. Truely, I'd sooner listen to a dog try and de-worm itself on a the Teletubbies Honky Tonk piano than put myself through this album again, a total waste of my time!! Sorry Elton, nothing personal. I think you coming in on Eminem's Stan that one time was a very big dick move, but please stop making albums like this.

I like The Doors, they're unproblematic

I was all for giving this a 5 - Kill You, Stan, The Way I Am, Real Slim Shady - but there's definitely quite a bit of filler, and the album goes on for longer than I would have liked. That said the good stuff is proper good - I'm not a huge hip-hop-head but I'd consider Stan one of the best songs ever written. I can't think of a song that does a better job of telling a story that's equal parts personal and social-commentary, plus it's only got more relevant with time AND it was a smash-hit. A song like that should have been an under the radar opus, but of course it was enormous, which is a testament for just how good Eminem is.

Another let down - I'm a big fan of avant-garde and music that's a little more out-there, however this record was directionless. It wasn't bad, but even worse than that was it left no real impression on me whatesoever

Didn't leave much of an impression sadly! No single song stood out much to me, and it's not the kind of thing I think I'd revisit

I mean it's Gorillaz - how could it not be 5*. 0 filler, some of the most recognizable singles to come out of the 2000s. It's totally original, there wasn't much that sounded like this is 2001 and there still isn't much now. There's a gimmick that doesn't detract from the music. Most of the songs would still be smash hits if they came out today. Even the remixes at the end of the album (not on standard release but was on Spotify at time of review) add to the album, and don't feel like afterthoughts. Simply brilliant!

Love a bit of Bosa, but I wouldn't say this blew me away any more or less than any other album like it I've heard

It's a man and a piano

Cool album, feels like the kind of thing I'd put on at the beach on a sunny day.

I enjoyed this, glad I stuck it out to the end despite its' length - the last song was a trip.

I enjoyed Cash's banter on this album but musically it was a big 'meh' from me

Cool album, super original sounding, almost like if someone decided to sing over a video game OST

Before listening to this album I never liked Madge. Now I like Madge a bit - good show.

This was a cool album, loads of stuff going on that you probably wouldn't notice unless you tune your ear into it. I'd never heard of The Bees, but am pleased to have changed that

I think Janis Joplin is very cool - I know that's a milquetoast take but I think it has to be said. I don't know why I think so, I figure it's because she's in the 27-club which is unarguable a very cool-person club to be a part of (second only to being alive) As for this record, I enjoyed it. I didn't read way into the lyrics but it is clearly a journey. I have a lot of time for acapella efforts too.

Not what I expected from Van Morrison, but still not really for me

Realistically I think this is a 3-point-something but for nostalgia's sake it's going to be a 4. To their credit, there are some really stand out tracks on this record - the hits obviously go hard, but some of the instrumentation on the other songs is quite unique and even sounds fresh after 20 years, so by no means is this one to sleep on.

Clearly an album made by a few fellas who love making music

Really enjoyed this, love a broody atmospheric album. Takes a few left-turns and makes some brave decisions that in my humblest of opinions definitely pay off

This is a lovely album, with some really fun songs on it. I didn't buy into the whole concept I suppose, much of the actual history was lost on me but it's obvious that this is a passion project.

I didn't expect this to be a 5 start album on first listen, but I'm fairly sure it is now. However, I think this is as good as Britpop gets. If '...Morning Glory' and 'DIfferent Class' are 5* albums this rightfully should be a 6. Some of the decisions made on this album are super brave, at times it's kooky and whimsical. It never feels like it's taking itself too seriously. Compared to the street-drug chic of Oasis, this record is a gem.

It's Radio-head, I get that it's good but there wasn't much that grabbed me. I respect a brave album but OK Computer may just not be for me

Reggae touches my soul

There is not a universe in which I give an album featuring Bonham <5 stars - it just so happens that everything else about this album is a smash hit. LZ win points for being an authentic band too. Putting hurdles in their own way, never caving in to pressure from the industry, making music because they want to rather than chasing the dragon. Simply joyous

Better than I anticipated

Really liked this - it reminded me of LCD Soundsystem at points. That said - I wasn't crazy about some of the country elements.

Blegh - this album whiffs of an artist intentionally creating a stinky album because they've won all of the awards and know people will eat it up - and y'all fell for it! If that's not the case, then this record is just a mish-mash of nothing particularly inspired or inspiring.

Banging album, but gets repetitive in the second half

I like Motorhead, and believe that every industry should have a Lemmy Kilmister. I also know just how important Ace of Spades was in the beginnings of heavy-metal, and as a single it's simply phenomenal. The rest of the album is lackluster though. MH are pretty famous for doing the same thing over and over again, and this album definitely reflects that. After the 3rd or 4th song it gets samey. Good samey, but samey nonetheless.

I mean they're just a cool band aren't they? Not my new favourite band by any means, but definitely shifted up in my ratings

File this one under disappointment - totally judged this book by its' cover and wasn't at all what I expected. Even having read the bio I thought it was going to be one thing and it was something else entirely. I don't think it's a bad album per-se, but even had it been labelled differently I don't think I'm as into experimental jazz records as your average participant

Wish she would crack a smile

I really liked this actually. Never heard of Steve Winwood or this album, but this feels like somebody has put the 80s into a can

Sounds like it came out yesterday, despite the steel drums

Awesome - I think Courtney Love is a bit mental, but this is decent

Jazzy

This fella gets about a bit doesn't he. Makes a good album but his todger must be rotten.

This lbum falls off QUICK. Hotel California, the single, what a masterpiece. Quite simply a masterclass in how to write a single that will still be heralded decades (and generations) after release. The rest of this album is pants though. How can you go from /that/ solo to what is ultimately an additional hour of filler. Just release the single bro! Were it not for the single this would easily be 1*

Gosh this album takes me back to simpler times - listening to Sulfer and Psychosocial on ScuzzTV as I got ready for school. This album was among the catalysts that got me into metal culture - I paid 99p to have the album artwork for AHIG as my phone background for Pete sake. It's super easy to pass over this album, particularly if you're not partial to metal, because it's abrasive from the offset. Slipknot also have a reputation for being ridiculous and definitely created sumething of a nu-satanic panic n the early oughts which maybe didn't help them much commercially. HOWEVER - this album is dead good. It's probably Slipknots most accessible album - the singles are groovy and poppy at times. Minus the image, songs like Dead Memories could definitely have played on some of the big commercial radio stations (and probably did, I don't know I was too edgy to listen to the radio at the time) I don't think it's SKs best effort. If you liked this album but didn't love it I'd definitely suggest trying some of their other stuff. If this album isn't heavy enough give their self titled a spin. If it's too heavy try Vol. 3. If you don't want to do that go and give the music video for 'The Devil In I' a watch before you close the book on them forever. At any rate, I think you'll make a big mistake if you hear 'screamo' and skip this album after 3 songs. There's a lot more to it, but I will concede it's not for everyone. Oh, and if you get a chance to see them live don't pass it up. It's a real Cirque du Horror, and not an experience you'll forget quickly.

Loved this, had a groove to it that no other album so far has had. Very very fun.

This is music as art, but super accessible. Big fan!

My gut instinct is that this is a 5* album, but that's probably got a lot to do with me listening to this record to death in my formulative years. Then I thought it was a 3* album simply steeped in nostalgia, but that didn't feel fair too. Admittedly this album is lightning in a bottle - considering that it's a /debut/ album made by a bunch of 20 year olds, AND they pioneered viral online marketing - a 3* would be very harsh. It's a good album. The perfect length, good mix of upbeat and downtempo songs. The singles are raucous and the 'filler' is still pretty good. Have your 4* and be happy with it Alex.

Easiest 5 of my experience so far... Let's Go Crazy is one of the best opening songs ever put to tape. Purple Rain is one of the best closing songs ever put to tape. Everything inbetween is joyous, plus Prince himself was a trailblazer, visionary and had the garb to boot. If I were his manager I'd promote him to King.

It's fine as background music but didn't inspire me to revisit it

The Talking Heads are a bit of me, but this felt a little lackluster. No single song really stood out to me - whilst I enjoyed listening to it as a whole I don't think I could recommend any one song to someone from it.

A bit too Jesus-y for me at times, but she's got pipes and knows how to use them

Brilliant album, unlike anything else on this list. Listened to it twice and got lost in it both times.

I was going to mark this down because it felt like it just wasn't for me, but then Contusion came on and totally blew me away! Still, it's a bit long and about half of it just isn't music that I vibe with so it's a 3.5 rounded down.

I think Dave Grohl is one of the most fascinating musicians alive today. I'm a big fan of his, and of the Foos. Considering he wrote and recorded this whole album by himself at the tender age of 25 after having already been in one of the biggest bands in the world is beyond impressive. The fact that this album was also good is amazing. I do think the Foos have better material, but this album is a snapshot of a pivotal point in music history, and even if you're ignorant of why that's the case it's a great listen

Wow! Simply put this is an album for music lovers by music lovers. Oozed heart and soul, and definitely deserves to be on this list.

Who hurt you Trent? NIN are cool as fuck, but they never really blow me away. Closer and ...Pigs are classics, but there's a lot of similar sounding songs padding around that. If you want a raw as hell album to have carnal sex to this is the one, but I'm hiding this CD when grandma gets in the car.

This was going to be a solid two because the first few songs all blend into one and I began to tune it out, but then Amandrai came on and bumped it up. A 9 Min long blues song yes please!

What a wild ride

Punk rock for kids, good fun

Hauntingly beautiful - I often wonder whether this would have blown up the way it did had Jeff lived longer, and whether he would have continued making boundary-pushing music or become a bit of a twat. Either way we're blessed to have this effort.

Good old classic rock with some synths, what's there not to like?

A very lame album. If it weren't for Walk This Way it wouldn't be on this list.

It's very middle-of-the-road Bowie

Better than a lot of McCartneys efforts

Robert Dylan eat your heart out

Cool concept, a smidge forgettable but I liked the vibe

Unapologetically prog, cool shit.

Very cool

I liken this to vanilla ice cream, or margherita pizza. It's a bit bland, maybe even boring if put next to other better albums, but I do enjoy vanilla ice cream and a slice of margherita so I'm not complaining

I've listened to too many poopoo Elliot Smith and similar artists to have been excited when I saw "singer-songwriter" but this was a pleasant surprise. A novel take on a genre that has been wildly overdone, I quite liked it

'One' is obviously a masterpiece, and this album does have a smattering of other quality singles. But I don't think it's Metallica's best effort by far, and controversially I think Death Magnetic is more interesting

Pales in comparison to Parachutes, but very middle of the road Coldplay

It's iconic, but is it actually good? The singles are what you would expect, but they're as good as this album gets.

A masterclass in writing modern pop music

Funky Fresh

A lot of fun, but too reliant of the formula bruv

Underwhelmed to be honest

I liked this a lot, it's much more peculiar than any other REM stuff I've heard and I think it benefits from it

As a metalhead I feel very comfortable in saying that this is utterly ridiculous, but it's so unique I have to rate it.

Really enjoyed this, my kind of vibe

Fun vibes, way exceeded my expectations. Will revisit for sure

Sledgehammer

Blidning - realistically a 4.5* but I'll round it down just because the lack of an overall structure lets it down a smidge. I'm a big fan of how chaotic it is though. It gave me the same feeling I get when I'm walking through a fairground and there are always a dozen different things happening at once. Definitely deserves a second-pass

Totally uninteresting

Few do it like the Beastie Boys. This oozes cool, great listen

Entirely listenable but way over rated

Pretty cool

The instrumentation on this is pretty class, but that's all I really liked about it

I don't think I could ever put an album like this above a 2. It's fine, makes great background music whilst I'm doing other things but try as I might I just don't get it

Really cool take on indie rock. I can picture these fellas in their garage writing these songs. Raw and unrefined, good craic

Groovy baby

I was surprised just how many songs I knew from this already, and blown away by how much fun it was. My expectations weren't high because I'd always considered Sister Sledge 'old people music' but this was a great record

This album is bumpy. Its' highs are 10/10 knocked out the park home runs. 'BOOH' and 'Paradise...' are the clear examples of that. There is a fair share of filler, some of which feels a little cringe, but mostly makes sense in the context of the rest of the album. This is my mums favourite album ever, and she generally has disastrous taste, but this is one that I'm happy to say she has got right!

I bet being in this room was indescribable, but as an album it didn't do much for me

Joni Mitchell is very cool, but this album was a little lacklustre

I'm rating it this low very begrudgingly. UK grime is so good, and this is such a poor representation of it. The highlights of this album are all songs that were originally released as one-off singles, and it shows. I think Skeptas brother JME is far more talented and releases much more interesting music than Skepta. Dizzee Rascal too. It's a shame because this album is a real nostalgia trip for me, and I don't hate it, but it should have been an EP and better albums could have taken it's place

Imagine recording this album and then just fucking off

A bit of a shame this - I love the Pumpkins, and I was excited to get this album. Then I saw that it was 2+hours long, which made me lose my enthusiasm for it! If this were just for disk 1, it would be an easy 4 - I love how even amongst all of the weird, against-the-grain music that was coming out of the 90s, TSP have such a distinct sound and feel. I just can't get behind the volume of music that was recorded for this release. Soz!

I was going to say I'd never heard this before, but maybe I have and just assumed it was The Cure.

Realistically this would be a 4.5, but I enjoyed it so much a 5 seems fair. What a gorgeous album. Reminds me of a scaled back King Gizzard at times, and an unhinged Cage The Elephant at others. Beautiful.

Classic - Mart Robbins tells some fun stories but could do with mixing his style up here and there

Wonderful. Every time I retuned my ear I could hear another layer of bizarre instrumentation, or something else interesting going on. This record is layered and complex, but so accessible and not at all pretentious. Bravo!

10/10 idea 4/10 execution

The first couple of songs are great, but the record becomes pretty homogeneous after about song 4. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the sound of it, but it could have been an EP

Not really for me, but it's a nice short listen and would make for great background music

Disclaimer, I really like Johnny Cash. I don't get these live albums though. This is the second one I've had on this list, both of which have been him performing at prisons. There's a lot of talking, and at one point he seems to get distracted and play the same song twice. Waste of my time.

If Joni Mitchell tried to make an Allanis Morisette album

Who knew there were this many genres?

Started off a little 'meh' but finds itself in the second half

I was sure this was going to be a flop, but I was familiar with half the songs on it already. Not bad

Having only heard Fortunate Son prior to this, I was blown away by just how modern these guys sound. There are times where they sound like Soundgarden and other bands of that ilk. Good fun

This is the kind of album I'd love to make if I had a modicum of talent

Sometimes all you need is an album to repeatedly punch you in the face. This is that album.

Knew this band for the hits but this album is a very cool foray into something much more interesting

Enjoyed this a lot - I've never listened to much Priest but have a lot of respect for Rob Halford. I was a big Iron Maiden fan as a teenager, and this is very adjacent to some of their best work

I am Cured

Pretty generic but the hits carry it

I love prog, and have /just/ got back from ArcTanGent festival where I saw some excellent musicians play some really interesting music. Yet no one competes with Rush - This album is nearly 50 years old and it's still more complex, interesting and impressive than most things you hear today. Overture is a masterpiece, followed by some astounding complementary pieces of music. This album has no weaknesses. 5*

Awesome album particularly for a debut, especially considering so much of the indie-rock sound at this point was so homogenous. 'xx' really stands out and is a superb little gem

What a beautiful record. Joni Mitchell has, I'm my opinion, a perfect voice. This record is varied, a little bit sexy and pretty relatable throughout. I enjoyed it a lot, but wouldn't put it in my regular rotation. It's a 3.5 realistically, but I can't give it a 4

Okay. I didn't listen to the full album admittedly. Live albums typically aren't for me. Judging by the first 30 mins of this album, the next 50 were going to be very similar and I just didn't care for what I'd already heard.

Incredible! This feels like a cornerstone of noughties dance - its clear as day that this was influenced by the likes of LCD Soundsystem, and feels like it went on to influence electronic, dance and maybe even dubstep music in the following years. Very big fan

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath Black Sabbath! I'm so torn, this is a 4.5 if I'm honest. The quandary is whether we round up or down. This album is unparalleled in many ways. Black Sabbath invented a whole genre with this very album. Metal music didn't really exist before this record was released. The Beatles and the Stones and some others experimented with some fucked sounds but this is THE album. Black Sabbath isn't only the defining album of the whole genre, but Black Sabbath is also among the best opening songs ever. It's not followed by tripe either, it keeps pushing the boundaries of Rock & Roll and Blues music. This should be a 4.5, but it's so delightful that I'm choosing to round up on this occasion. Ozzy Osbourne shouldn't expect to be called delightful often, but it's an extraordinary enough occasion that I feel safe in my justification

This is very typical Dylan. I'd rate it lower, but no one is as consistent as he is after 30 albums, so it's a middle-of-the-road from me

Is this a joke?

Megadeth, more like 💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩 On a more serious note... It's not unlistenable, but there are so many better metal albums that I feel like this album is aspiring to be, I'd rather just listen to those

I was really struggling to see why this album was on this list, then I found out it was an Eric Clapton project and it all made sense. This album is too long, yet still manages to go nowhere. Go and listen to Cream if you want to hear a racist make actual good music.

This is a weird one - at points it's grungey, sometimes sounds like The Doors meets Bowie, other times it's ankle-deep in Britpop. Not something that I think I'd revisit but an interesting listen

Wins the award for the worst opening for an album ever. Original Beatles is so boring, I'm glad they grew some character but this is shite.

Interesting album with a unique mix

I am experienced, Jimi! There's nothing I can say about this album that it can't say for itself, though I would remind people that he was 23 when this album was written and 24 when it was released. Unrivaled.

Deep Purple are not boring Smoke on the Water is boring Deep Purple are very talented

It's Hendrix at his best, so it's 5 stars. I do prefer AYE, but this is a fine follow-up 4.5 realistically but I can't deny Jimi his 5

I don't think a more talented group of individuals have ever made music together. That said, I find that listening to WTC albums demands the same amount of attention as watching a film. As someone who listens to a lot of music passively I struggle with that. This is possibly a 5* album but I feel like it was more like a 4* experience

This is a lot of fun. I imagine getting drunk and dancing to this in the 60s would have been the thing of dreams

Middle of the road punk music. Helter Skelter was sick tho

I hate Thatcher so much I wrote a synth-pop album about it

Awesome album, mostly really interesting use of sounds but verges on boring and repetitive at times.

Me: Mum, can we listen to Oasis? Mum: We already have Oasis at home Oasis at home:

BIG is a 5* artist, but this loses points be abuse... - it's a single issue album. Lots of "I do crime and shoot people" and not much else - the Intermissions are a bit cringe, and as Diddly was involved I can only imagine that was his influence. It's a good listen, and BIGs storytelling and flow are unparalleled, but this isn't an album I'll ever play front to back ever again

A gorgeous album that only suffers from its' length - It does go on a bit, and I get the criticisms about some of the songs not really 'going anywhere' but I think that's by design. I don't think it's the best post-rock album ever made - I prefer my post-rock to be punchier and have a bit of edge but this is a nice deviation away from that.

This is a typical mid-70s album experience. I mean that not in a complimentary way.

Not my favourite LZ album, but this is clearly a demonstration of how they matured and found their sound. Great listen

This album is so aggressively bland. Realistically it's probably a 3, but owing to the critical acclaim that it simply doesn't deserve I'm punishing it.

I enjoyed this more than I expected I would

Very 80s, this time in the best possible way. An interesting album

More unhinged Nick Cave - delightful. Not quite Murder Ballads but I've got a lot of time for this

I spent many years poo-pooing Nirvana, mostly because their fanbase is hollow and pretentious. However even I can't deny that this album isn't special - it's lightning in a bottle, and re-invigorated rock music in the 90s. The last 30 years of music would have undoubtedly looked very different without this record, so I will gladly concede that younger me was very wrong.

I've got a lot of time for ol' Robert, but having had 4 of his albums on this list now I feel like finding unique reasons to enjoy them is only becoming more difficult. He definitely found his sound, and it's remarkable that his 15th album is so listenable, I just wish it were more distinct.

It was a good album

The André 3000 x Andy Samberg collab the world didn't know it needed

Very cool. /Almost/ sounds like The Talking Heads made a record with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I definitely preferred Nevermind, only having had it last week - but this is still a solid effort. I particularly like just how aggressively they go against the grain of popular music at the time. You wouldn't get 'Rape Me' onto an popular album these days

It's Arcade Fire

I really liked this - Only By The Night was a really forumative album for me, but I'd never delved into any other KOL material. This album whiffs of the mid 2000s, and generally has a really comfortable and content feeling to it that modern albums never seem to have.

This record is a gateway drug. They reel you in with Tom Sawyer, then almost immediately rewire your brain with YYZ. Rush are a tough band to get into. ~30 albums spanning almost five decades, but this is absolutely where to start. Even if prog isn't your scene, this album deserves a fighting chance because it's just so unapolagetic in what it sets out to achieve. If you don't like it, maybe you're right and prog just isn't for you. At any rate, this is a top-shelf effort and I would encourage anyone who even liked this album a little bit to give 2112 a spin too.

I actually really liked this

Deliciously smooth

Phenomenal album, a real turning point in rock music.

Delightful in a horrid evil satanic kinda way

Awesome discovery, a really varied rock album - Despite being from the 70s it sounds like mid-2000s Indie. I reckon the likes of the AMs pulled inspiration from this record.

Love love love this album. It's moody, it's unique. Simply brilliant

Loved this. Didn't expect to 5* it but honestly it blew my expectations sky high. What a fun, interesting album.

Dramatic

I mean it's okay? But lacks even one song that stands out. Just totally didn't resonate with me

I don't love Bjork. She's clearly very talented, and this album is varied and interesting, but I'm not sure that it's actually that great

I said I'd go into this one open minded, because hating it is the done thing, right? It starts off actually pretty good. If you get rid of the self-mastabatory calling out of his own name, the opening track 'Batwitdaba' is actually a really solid nu-metal song. If Rage had released it, people would go nuts for it. Admittedly I unashamedly love nu-metal, so that commendation only goes so far for the average Joe. Even the second song 'Cowboy' is worthy of credit - it's not trying to be anything other than what it is. It's corny as hell, but in an almost endearing way. Aaaaaaand then the rest of the album arrives. By this point I was thinking "surely people haven't got this album so wrong??" and tragically I was right. What follows is some fairly decent instrumentation, some interesting ad-libs, sound effects and even choral interludes which make for an varied listen. Unfortunately all of that hard word is accompanied by misogynistic lyrics, truly awful usage of autotune and one part where a child brags about how big their dong is, so I can't defend it any more than that. Is it the best album ever? No. Is it the worst album ever? Definitely not - it's just the result of someone with mediocre-at-best talent being handed far too much money and attention. Edit: Oh my God I just listened to the last song on the album why did he think this was a good idea????

It's s a really fun, classic 90s rap album and fella is Hella talented

Songs 4 80s housewives... Doesn't do much for a 28 year old male metalhead in 2024 NGL.

I was ready to give this 1-star because I think John Lennon is a bit of a wanker. But no, I did as I should and I listened to the album and am judging it on its' content. This album is wanky. Imagine is such an awful single. If Jeff Bezos wrote a song telling you to give more money to charity he'd be crucified. Oh Yoko! pissed me off - 4 minutes of wailing. No thank you. He picks up the extra star for the Macca diss-track. That is based asf

I mean, how could this be less than a 4? I doubt there is a more famous rock song than Welcome to the Jungle, and if there was one it would probably be Sweet Child O' Mine! This isn't wall-to-wall bangers, and it does come off a bit cheesy/cringe at times, but for a debut effort it's phenomenal.

I may just have American-Singer-Songwriter fatigue but what a breath of fresh air this is. Ska, reggae, trip-hoppy unusual nonsense. I loved the first album, and despite what I read about the making of this one it /feels/ like a group of people enjoying music because they love it. The art really shines through. I also adore the line "Spend and spend and spend and spend. Will the muzak never end?" (International Jet Set)

Absolute gold. A group of people pissed off at the world channeling their energy into art. Not your typical punk record, non-pretentious, fresh and alive.