Not my first listen
Peak classic rock
Lyrics are existential but beautiful
Love the song transitions
Interview segments add to the atmosphere
Favourite tracks: Time, The Great Gig In The Sky, Us And Them, Brain Damage, Eclipse
Decent collection of Punk bangers from The Hives’ early days
Score brought down due to this being a compilation rather than a proper album (could’ve had Veni, Vidi, Vicious instead)
Favourite tracks, Hate To Say I Told You So, Main Offender, Die, All Right!, Here We Go Again
First listen
George Clinton is a motherfunkin’ genius!
Favourite tracks: One Nation…, Who Says A Funk Band…, Promental…, Maggot Brain
Some of the best lyrics I’ve ever heard from one of the greatest songwriters of all time
Favourite tracks: Suzanne, The Stranger Song, Sisters Of Mercy, One Of Us..
Everything that can be said about this album has already been said a thousand times
Brian Wilson and Tony Asher’s lyrics are beautiful and profound
Wilson’s production is top-notch
Instrumentation by the Wrecking Crew provides a psychedelic yet earthy atmosphere to the music
Favourite tracks: Wouldn’t It Be Nice, You Still Believe In Me, Don’t Talk, God Only Knows, I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times, Caroline, No
A brilliantly fun and deep exploration into sampling in music
Favourite tracks: Since I Left You, Radio, A Different Feeling, Frontier Psychiatrist, Etoh
First listen
Not one of my favourite Queen albums but I feel like this one could grow on me eventually
Favourite tracks: Brighton Rock, Killer Queen, Lily of The Valley, Now I’m Here, Stone Cold Crazy
First listen
Getting some very summery vibes from this
Orange Crush and Stand may be my new favourite REM songs
Favourite tracks: Pop Song 89, Stand, World Leader Pretend, The Wrong Child, Orange Crush
Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust may be the greatest glam album of all time, but this is a very close second
Bolan’s ability to write insanely catchy pop hooks is best displayed on this album
Favourite tracks: Mambo Sun, Cosmic Dancer, Jeepster, Get It On, The Motivator, Life’s A Gas
Pretty decent debut
Favourite tracks: Breakdown, Luna, American Girl
One of my favourite albums of all time
David Byrne’s almost nonsensical lyrics greatly complement the wacky and wonderful instrumentation
Hugely influential for bringing African elements to rock music
Favourite tracks: All of them!
Very solid blues rock album
Favourite tracks: The Changeling, L.A. Woman, Crawling King Snake, Riders On The Storm
Not sure if this album knows what it wants to be. On one track you get atmospheric trip-hop, but on the next you get experimental hip-hop with vocals from Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie
Speaking of guest artists though, I did really like Iggy Pop’s performance on Aisha
Favourite tracks: Dirge, Aisha, Aladdin’s Story
Very fun funk metal album with political undertones
Main takeaway from this album is that Corey Glover is a phenomenal vocalist
Solid cover of Talking Heads’ Memories Can’t Wait
Favourite tracks: Cult of Personality, Desperate People, Open Letter, Funny Vibe, Memories Can’t Wait, Which Way To America
One of the defining rock albums of the 2000s
Meg White’s simplistic but effective drumming blends greatly with Jack’s loud and iconic riffs
Favourite tracks: Seven Nation Army, I Just Don’t Know…, You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket, Ball And Biscuit, Little Acorns
Enjoyed this a lot
Not very subtle with its satirical message but the arrangements are genuinely beautiful
Favourite tracks: Something For The Weekend, Becoming More Like Alfie, Charge, Songs of Love, Theme From Cassanova, The Dogs & the Horses
Really great americana/folk album
Gets a little bit boring in the middle but the first and last tracks make up for it
Favourite tracks: Revelator, My First Lover, I Want To Sing That Rock and Roll, I Dream A Highway
It’s fine
Not a lot of memorable moments besides a couple of tracks
Favourite tracks: Down To Zero, Love And Affection, Join The Boys
I like doors
They can open and close
I really like The Doors
They make great music
It’s Abbey Road
What more is there to say?
Everyone and their grandmother knows how great this album is
This is the culmination of this band’s entire career and I don’t think it could’ve been any better
All four members reach their lyrical peak (especially George)
Every song is integral to the experience of this album (except for Her Majesty maybe but I think that’s supposed to be considered more of a bonus track)
“The Long One” is probably one of the best runs of track in music history
Favourite tracks: Something, I Want You, Here Comes The Sun, You Never Give Me Your Money, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End
One of the most important albums in British music
This album is pure energy captured into music form
While the singles are undoubtedly the best tracks on here, the bombastic aura carries through the whole album
R.I.P. Keith
Favourite tracks: Smack My Bitch Up, Breathe, Serial Thrilla, Narayan, Firestarter, Climbatize
Great live album from The Godfather of Soul
Beautiful vocal accompanied by hypnotic guitar playing
Not the Beastie Boys’ best effort but it was still quite fun
Of course a lot of the lyrics have aged like milk but you just have to accept that this was the 80s and times were different
Still a very influential release for Hip-Hop
Favourite tracks: Rhymin’ & Stealin’, The New Style, No Sleep Til Brooklyn, Paul Revere
He knew he was dying and decided to give us one of his best albums
R.I.P. Bowie
Very good collection of Brazilian Jazz/Funk
However, like I said in my Hives review, I don’t know why this list is picking compilations for some artists over actual albums
Favourite tracks: Vento Di Maio, Tiro ao Álvaro, Aprendendo Jogar
Wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be
Pleasantly surprised by the Iron Man cover too
Favourite tracks: Your New Cuckoo, Been It, Step On Me, Losers, Iron Man
Mark Knopfler is one of the greatest guitarists and songwriters of all time and this album is a great example of this
Despite not being my favourite Dire Straits album (I think the debut and Love Over Gold have aged a bit better) I still agree that this is one of the best and most iconic albums of the 80s
The effective buildup to the riff in Money For Nothing is still one of my favourite moments in music history
Very clear and strong anti-war message on a couple of songs
Ever since I first listened to this album, a lot of the B-side has grown on me a lot
Favourite tracks: So Far Away, Money For Nothing, Your Latest Trick, Why Worry, The Man’s Too Strong, Brothers In Arms
Strangely enough, this is the second day in a row where I got an album that was nominated for the BRIT Awards’ Best Album of the last 30 years (got Brothers In Arms yesterday)
That aside, thought this was very great.
Contains some of this band’s best material
Loses a bit of a momentum in the middle, mainly due to the brilliant singles taking up most of the first half, but Amsterdam is a powerhouse of a closer
Favourite tracks: Politik, In My Place, God Put A Smile…, The Scientist, Clocks, Amsterdam
One of my personal favourite albums of all time
Immaculate production from Jeff Lynne
The “Concerto For A Rainy Day” segment is one of the most powerful runs of tracks I’ve ever heard
Personally, I feel like this also a good indicator of when ELO started heading into their disco era
Favourite tracks: Turn to Stone, It’s Over, Starlight, Concerto For A Rainy Day, Birmingham Blues
Not bad but, as far as 80s synth pop goes, this is far from the best I’ve heard
Favourite tracks: The Word Girl, Hypnotize
Love the energetic first half of this album a lot
Second half is also very good
Nick Cave is one of my personal favourite songwriters and this album is a great example of that
Favourite tracks: Get Ready For Love, Cannibal’s Hymn, There She Goes…, Nature Boy, Abattoir Blues, Breathless, O Children
This is so drab
Hard to see why there was so much press surrounding them when they were popular
The lead “singer” sounds like he’s having a drunken ramble over some basic run-of-the-mill indie rock instrumentals
Luckily, bands like Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand would come along and make garage rock more interesting and FUN
Favourite tracks: Can’t Stand Me Now, Don’t Be Shy, What Became of the Likely Lads
Really fun collection of dance bangers from one of electronic music’s greatest decades
The sampling on this is mind-blowing too
Favourite tracks: Right Here Right Now, Rockafeller Skank, Gangster Trippin, Kalifornia, Soul Surfing, Praise You
WAAAAAYYYYY DOOOWWWWWN INSIIIIIIIIDE
Also Bonzo is a beast and should be in everyone’s Top 10 drummers
Favourite tracks: Whole Lotta Love, What Is and What Should Never Be, The Lemon Song, Heartbreaker, Ramble On, Moby Dick
The highlight of this album is O’Connor’s songwriting, especially on tracks like I Am Stretched On Your Grave and Three Babies
The run of tracks from songs 2-6 are amazing
Love the variety of instrumentation between tracks
Definitely gonna listen to some of her other stuff after this
R.I.P. Sinéad O’Connor
Favourite tracks: I Am Stretched On Your Grave, Three Babies, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Black Boys On Mopeds, Nothing Compares 2 U, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
Overall has a nice early 2000s vibe, but some songs are a bit forgettable (especially around the middle of the album)
Favourite tracks: Dy-Na-Mi-Tee, Anyway U Want It, All I Ever
Really great instrumentation and amazing singing from Burke
A beautiful send-off from one of the best bands of the 80s
Morrissey’s compelling lyricism is on full display here, along with Johnny Marr’s iconic guitar-playing
Favourite tracks: A Rush and a Push…, I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish, Girlfriend In a Coma, Stop Me If You…, Last Night I Dreamt…, Paint A Vulgar Picture
Amazingly fun classic punk album that should be talked about more
Favourite tracks: Germfree Adolescence, Identity, The Day The World Turned Day Glo, I Am a Poseur
Highlight of this album is obviously Reed’s lyrics, but the instrumentation creates a really great and chilling atmosphere on a lot of the tracks
Favourite tracks: Berlin, Lady Day, Men of Good Fortune, Caroline Says II, The Kids, The Bed
One of the most influential albums in British music
Twenty years on and this album has aged a hell of a lot better than a lot of other 2000s hip-hop albums
Favourite tracks: Sittin’ Here, Stop Dat, I Luv U, 2 Far, Fix Up Look Sharp’ Jus’ a Rascal, Jezebel
While this is probably my least favourite from Sabbath’s “classic” era (1970-75), I can still appreciate how experimental this album is compared to the others from this era
Favourite tracks: Wheels of Confusion, Supernaut, Cornucopia, Under The Sun
One of the funkiest albums I’ve ever heard
Favourite tracks: Ponta de Lanca Africano, O Filósofo, Taj Mahal, Xica da Silva, Camisa 10 de Gavea
Hasn’t aged as well as some other 90s rap albums in my opinion but the beats/instrumentals on this are amazing
Favourite tracks: The Boomin’ System, Eat ‘Em Up L Chill, Murdergram, Mama Said Knock You Out
Truly no words to describe this experience
Let the music speak for itself
As someone who grew up hearing many of her singles on the radio, this was my first time listening to a Beyoncé album in full and I was pleasantly surprised
The production on this is amazing
Very ahead of it’s time
The way Beyoncé morphs her voice to express emotion on here is really great
Will definitely be listening to this again in the future
Favourite tracks: Haunted, Blow, Partition, Rocket, Mine, Blue
Not sure about this one
Robbie tries his best Liam Gallagher impression on a lot of these songs
Angels is decent, as is Let Me Entertain You (even though it shamelessly rips off Sympathy For The Devil)
Love the dark atmosphere on this album
Love how chaotic the instrumentation is too
Favourite tracks: Requiem, Wardance, The Wait, Complications
One of UK hip-hop’s greatest offerings
Very conscious and personal lyrics go well together with vintage-sounding beats
Favourite tracks: Offence, Boss, Selfish, Venom, 101 FM, Flowers
Porto-Viagra Boys
Favourite tracks: Chivalry, Darkness and Doubt, Last Dance, Lost Highway
The end of Britpop
Despite liking Kid A and In Rainbows a bit more, I can still appreciate how influential this album was to not just rock music, but music as a whole
Favourite tracks: Airbag, Paranoid Android, Exit Music, Let Down, No Surprises, The Tourist
While this wasn’t entirely my thing, I still think this deserves to be on this list of albums more than some of the others since it could lead people to discover more music from non-western countries and cultures
Favourite tracks: One Two Cha Cha Cha, Countess’ Caper, Aaina Wohi Rehta Hai
Mixing the edginess of The White Stripes with the energy of The Hives, Scotland’s answer to the growing garage rock-revival movement only increased its pop appeal and longevity
Favourite tracks: Jacqueline, Tell Her Tonight, Take Me Out, Matinée, Auf Achse, This Fire, Darts of Pleasure, Michael
Even without the insane story that comes with this album, this is still a very fun and chilled-out collection of desert blues tracks
Also love the Clash and Zeppelin covers on the deluxe
Favourite tracks: Soubour, Al Hassidi Terei, Jolie, Desert Melodie
Although Eno himself stated that this was to be nothing more than background music, I still thought it was a pleasant enough experience on its own
Didn’t expect Acoustic guitars and Punk to go together so well
Favourite tracks: Blister In The Sun, Add It Up, To The Kill, Gone Daddy Gone
Couldn’t find this on streaming but it was easily available on YouTube
If you’re looking for great songwriting, this album is a great example of it
The slow and dense instrumentation also adds to the depressive atmosphere
Favourite tracks: Laughingstock, Lonely, Pale and Skinny Girl, Western Sky, Highway 5
Coming off from one of his most commercially and critically successful albums, Gorillaz’s Demon Days, it’s surprising that Damon Albarn would go in a more Baroque-esque direction on his next album but it ends up working remarkably well
Favourite tracks: History Song, Northern Whale, Kingdom of Doom, Herculean, Nature Springs, Three Changes
Love this a lot
Shows how you don’t just need to be skilled with instruments to make great music
Favourite tracks: Pleasure is All Mine, Vokuro, Who is It, Submarine, Oceania
If there’s one word I could use to describe this album it would be “raw”
Favourite tracks: Roadhouse Blues, Waiting For The Sun, Peace Frog, Indian Summer
I’m guessing the original studio recorded version is the one listed in the book, so I went ahead and listened to that one
Regardless of the fact that this isn’t really a live album, there’s still a lot of great playing from Ellington and his band
Pop punk isn’t usually my thing but I found this to be pretty decent and entertaining throughout
Cover art is awesome too
Favourite tracks: There Goes Norman, Hypnotised, My Perfect Cousin
Just as good, if not better, than a lot of stuff Alex Turner did with Arctic Monkeys
I feel like Turner and Kane’s chemistry is what holds this album together the most
Favourite tracks: Standing Next to Me, Calm Like You, My Mistakes Were Made For You, Meeting Place
Love this a lot. Electrifying and sleazy in some moments yet calm and beautiful in others
Favourite tracks: Zero, Heads Will Roll, Soft Shock, Skeletons, Runaway, Dragon Queen
Another great album from the glam era
Not as good as Electric Warrior IMO, but it’s still a highlight of Bolan’s very influential career
Favourite tracks: Metal Guru, Rock On, The Slider, Telegram Sam, Main Man
One of the most influential albums of the 80s and one of the greatest achievements in alternative rock
Favourite tracks: Debaser, I Bleed, Here Comes Your Man, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Mr Grieves, Hey
Not bad. Bit front-loaded in my opinion but that’s because the tracks at the beginning are some of the band’s best offerings
Favourite tracks: Where the Streets…, I Still Haven’t Found…, With or Without You, Bullet the Blue Sky, Exit
Yep, that’s Little Richard
Favourite tracks: Tutti Frutti, Ready Teddy, Long Tall Sally, Oh Why, R.I.P. It Up
The longer this album went on, the more bored I became with it
Also I think it’s safe to say that (like most nu-metal from this era) this hasn’t aged very well musically and lyrically
Favourite tracks: It’s On!, Freak On a Leash
Powerful beats hit just as hard as the lyrics
Also, Chuck D is still one of the greatest MCs in hip-hop
Favourite tracks: Bring the Noise, Don’t Believe the Hype, Louder Than a Bomb, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, Rebel Without a Pause, Prophets of Rage
Noticeably more quiet and subdued than his previous efforts
However, some songs blend together too much to the point that they almost become forgettable
Favourite tracks: Into My Arms, Lime Tree Arbour, People Ain’t No Good, (Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For
Most accurate album title of all time
Favourite songs: Search and Destroy, Gimme Danger, Your Pretty Face…, Raw Power, Shake Appeal
Really weird and interesting album, though it sounds like something that came from the 70s/80s rather than 2004
Creates a great primal atmosphere
Favourite tracks: Broken Witch, There’s Always Room on the Broom, We Fences Other Gardens…
Released during the band’s legendary and iconic 80s run of albums
New vocalist Bruce Dickinson provides a new sense of epic-ness to the band’s sound
The band expand on their prog-rock style of songwriting on tracks like 22 Acacia Avenue and Hallowed that will be built upon in subsequent releases (Piece of Mind, Powerslave, Somewhere in Time)
Favourite tracks: The Prisoner, 22 Acacia Avenue, The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, Hallowed be Thy Name
Chill vibes
Favourite tracks: Dusted, Wolfy, Shiver, Bottom Line Man
I don’t know, I’m usually a huge fan of this dancey punk rock but I feel like this one just kinda washed over me
Might come back to it in the future though to se of my opinion changes
Favourite tracks: In Like Flynn, Bullet Proof Cupid, Billy’s One Stop
Pop perfection
Every song sounds like a different genre to the next
Favourite tracks: Gotta Get Up, The Moonbeam Song, Without You, Coconut, Let the Good Times Roll, Jump Into the Fire, I’ll Never Leave You
Not bad
A bit front-loaded though
Amazing production from Brian Eno
Favourite tracks : Beautiful Day, Stuck in a Moment…, Walk On, Kite
This album felt like a long, warm hug
Favourite tracks: Sumthin’ Sumthin’, Ascension, Til the Cops Come Knockin’, Whenever Wherever Whatever, The Suite Theme
Perfect music for a Friday morning
The repetition did start to get to me a bit by the end though
Favourite tracks: Lam Tooro, Muudo Hormo, Salminanam
Musically, this has actually aged quite well (probably due to Dre and Yella’s production)
However, while the lyrics on tracks like FTP and the title track are still relevant today, there’s still a lot of evidence of misogyny and homophobia across the record (despite this being considered the norm at the time)
Still, you can’t deny that this ended up being one of the most influential albums in music, let alone hip-hop
Favourite tracks: Straight Outta Compton, FTP, Express Yourself
Really great example of dream pop and folktronica
Favourite tracks: Clowns, Happiness, Eat Yourself, A&E, Caravan Girl
As an homage to 80s synth-pop, this is pretty good
Shake It Off and Bad Blood can both die in a fire though, why they were chosen as singles is a mystery to me
Favourite tracks: Welcome to New York, Blank Space, Style, Wildest Dreams, This Love
It’s fine
Definitely not his best work in my opinion but I like the variety in the songs
Favourite tracks: Sixteen Saltines, Freedom At 21, Love Interruption, Hypocritical Kiss
One of my favourite albums of all time and an undisputed hip-hop classic
Q-Tip and Phife show on this album why they are two of the greatest rappers of all time
Also an impeccable verse to close out the album performed by a then up-and-coming Busta Rhymes
The jazzy beats add a sinister atmosphere to the conscious lyrics
Favourite tracks: Excursions, Buggin Out, Butter, Verses from the Abstract, Check the Rhime, Jazz, Scenario
A great transitional album marking the shift from the Bowie-esque glam and disco of the 70s to the fully-established new wave of the 80s
Favourite tracks: Quiet Life, Fall In Love With Me, In Vogue, Halloween
Fantastic
Favourite tracks: Visions of Johanna, One of Us Must Know, I Want You, Stuck Inside of Mobile, Just Like a Woman, Sad-Eyed Lady
Listened to this a lot in the car growing up so I do have a bit of a nostalgia bias here, but nevertheless I still think this is one of the best albums of the 80s
I feel like the influence from African music and the glorious productions has helped this album to age very well too
Favourite tracks: The Boy In the Bubble, Graceland, Diamonds, You Can Call Me Al, Under African Skies, Homeless, That Was Your Mother
As someone who has listened to every Stones album up until Tattoo You, I think this is their best contribution to music hands down
Gimme Shelter and You Can’t Always Get What You Want is probably one of the greatest opening and closing track pairs in all of music
The lyrics on here are also some of their best (“I was dreaming of a steel guitar engagement/When you drunk my health in scented jasmine tea” is one of my absolute favourite Stones lyrics)
I also think this album has some of Mick’s best vocal performances too
Favourite tracks: Gimme Shelter, Love in Vain, Let it Bleed, Midnight Rambler
Monkey Man, You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Probably one of the very few times the Grammy awards were right
While I personally never grew up in anything like the album’s suburban environment, I can still interpret and understand the messages in the lyrics
Echoing guitars and sweeping orchestras also beautifully convey the emotional themes of the album, which is carried all the way through from beginning to end
Favourite tracks: The Suburbs, Ready to Start, Empty Room, City With no Children, Half Light II, Month of May, Wasted Hours, Deep Blue, We Used to Wait, Sprawl II
Ever since hearing One Day Like This for the first time, I’ve always wanted to get into this band and this album only makes me wish I got into them sooner
The arrangements are stunning and Garvey’s vocals accompany them perfectly
Favourite tracks: The Bones of You, Mirrorball, Grounds for Divorce, An Audience With the Pope, Tower Crane Driver, The Fix, One Day Like This
Despite Are You Experienced being considered more ground-breaking for its time and Electric Ladyland taking on a more experimental approach and greatly succeeding, I feel like Axis still manages to stand out on its own as being the band’s most accessible album while still holding Hendrix’s expert songwriting and guitar-playing within
Favourite tracks: Spanish Castle Magic, Ain't No Telling, Little Wing, If 6 Was 9, You Got Me Floatin’, Castles Made of Sand
Coming from the guy behind The Velvet Underground’s earlier and more experimental albums, I did not expect this one to sound as pleasant as it did
Despite this change in sound, Cale still manages to put his talents as a songwriter on mass display here
Favourite tracks: Child’s Christmas in Wales, The Endless Plain of Fortune, Andalucia, Paris 1919, Antarctica Starts Here
For an early 80s album, you can hear a lot of 90s alt-rock and pop punk in here
Favourite tracks: We’re Desperate, Adult Books, In This House…, White Girl, Beyond and Back
A month ago, I hadn’t listened to a single U2 album in full. Now I’ve heard three of their albums in the span of a month, which makes me think that they may be a bit too over-exposed on this list
However, if there was one U2 album you had to hear before you died, I think it should be this one
Favourite tracks: Sunday Bloody Sunday, Seconds, New Year’s Day, The Refugee, Surrender
Listened to the three volumes in three different sessions because I am NOT subjecting myself to 3 hours straight of music (also I think that’s actually how you’re supposed to listen to it)
The album’s concept is definitely executed well enough here and I really like the variety in some of the songs, which keeps the experience fresh
Might’ve needed a bit longer than a day to digest this, but my overall first impression of this is quite positive
This kind of dark and brooding post-punk sounds right up my street
Favourite tracks: Stars Are Stars, Crocodiles, Rescue, All That Jazz
Abraxas is a stellar showcase of Carlos Santana’s guitar-playing and songwriting talents
Will definitely be listening to this again, albeit maybe more during the summer months
Favourite tracks: Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Incident at Neshabur, Mother’s Daughter, Samba Pa Ti
Classic Sinatra
The arrangements are absolutely sublime and Frank’s vocals are (of course) on top form here
Favourite tracks: You Make Me Feel So Young, It Happened In Monterey, Too Marvelous For Words, I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Doesn’t quite hit the same highs as the best Tribe albums, but the beats on this are still phenomenal and Q-Tip still carries a lot of the charisma and rapping talent from that era
Favourite tracks: Johnny is Dead, Gettin Up, Move, Believe
The sparse arrangements combined with the ghostly vocals make this a relaxing yet captivating listening experience
Favourite tracks: Zebra, Silver Soul, Norway, 10 Mile Stereo, Real Love
Not a single second is wasted on here
Rightfully considered one of Bowie’s many masterpieces, Station To Station masters the soulful sound of Young Americans while also adding a clear influence of krautrock to the mix
Favourite tracks: ALL OF THEM!
It’s alright
Didn’t need to be an hour and fifteen minutes though
Very accurate title though. Besides Layla and a couple of others, a lot of songs on here are just your average blues schlock
Favourite tracks: Bell Bottom Blues, Little Wing, Layla
Ethereal
Favourite tracks: Under the Pressure, Red Eyes, An Ocean…, Burning
Love the dark subject matter in the lyrics and the raw and roots-y instrumentation also brings an almost apocalyptic atmosphere to the Stones’ sound that had not been heard up to this point in their career
Also one of my personal favourites from this band
Favourite tracks: Sympathy for the Devil, No Expectations, Jigsaw Puzzle, Street Fighting Man, Factory Girl
At first this might seem basic musically when compared to his later stuff, but the real beauty of this album is in the lyrics, which clearly convey themes of love and war
Favourite tracks: Blowin’ In the Wind, Masters of War, A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Don’t Think Twice…, Bob Dylan’s Dream, Talkin’ World War III Blues
Very catchy and fun
Favourite tracks: Cecilia Ann, Velouria, Allison, All Over the World, Dig for Fire, Blown Away
Production is glorious
Vocals are perfection
Can’t think of anything I don’t like about this album
Favourite tracks: Lost Ones, Ex-Factor, To Zion, Doo Wop, I Used to Love Him, Nothing Even Matters, Everything is Everything
“Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter”
Favourite tracks: Big Iron, They’re Hanging Me Tonight, Cool Water, The Master’s Call, El Paso
At the very least, this interests me
Might take a few more listens for me to properly get it though
Favourite tracks: The Bride, Stillness Is the Move, Useful Chamber
Yeah, some of the lyrics on here haven’t aged well but Eminem’s personality and Dr. Dre’s production work still make this album very enjoyable
Favourite tracks: Kill You, Stan, The Way I Am, The Real Slim Shady, Bitch Please 2
Good dog
Favourite tracks: When I Grow Too Old to Dream, Minor Chant
Another one of my all time favourites
This is the moment New Order managed to break away from the post-punk bindings of Joy Division and decided to go in a more electronic route and the results are very satisfying
Favourite tracks: Love Vigilantes, The Perfect Kiss, Sunrise, Sub-Culture
Peaks at the first track but the first track also happens to be one of the greatest songs of the 60s (also how do you follow up a track that features half of Led Zeppelin)
The psychedelic and folky soundscapes also give this album a beautiful autumnal feeling
Favourite tracks: Sunshine Superman, Bert’s Blues, Season of the Witch, Celeste
While I don’t agree with the view that Elvis invented rock n’ roll, I do agree that he helped to effectively bring it to mainstream audiences
On the whole, this album is pretty good, with some of my favourite tracks actually being the slower ballads (especially the one-two-punch of I’ll Never Let You Go and Blue Moon)
Favourite tracks: Blue Suede Shoes, I Love You Because, I’ll Never Let You Go, Blue Moon
Maybe this hits different when you’re in the club or drunk, but for now this isn’t hitting
Also shout-out to From Disco To Disco for accurately replicating the sound of someone strangling a duck
Favourite tracks: Music Makes You Lose Control, What’s That Sound
Perhaps THE most influential and important album of the 21st century
Another band I’ve really been meaning to get into
Title track is amazing (of course) and some of the others on this album actually manage to live up to the expectations set by it (Reptile, Live to Win)
Nothing more to say really, it’s just a damn fun metal experience
Favourite tracks: Ace of Spades, Love Me Like a Reptile, Live to Win, The Chase…
While this isn’t my favourite Gang Starr album, it’s still a fantastic record from one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time
Favourite tracks: Step In the Arena, Who’s Gonna Take the Weight, Love Sick, Game Plan, Just To Get a Rep
Like with Nilsson Schmilsson, I really love how there’s a wide variety of different genres on this album without them taking away from the quality of the listening experience
Favourite tracks: Wake Up and Make Love…, Sweet Gene Vincent, My Old Man, Billericay Dickie, Clevor Trever, Blockheads
Some great atmospheric dance with a sprinkle of d’n’b
The remixes are really cool too
Favourite tracks: Before Today, Wrong, Walking Wounded, Flipside, Mirrorball
Beats are good
Lyrics are good
Album is good
Favourite tracks: G Funk Intro, Gin and Juice, Lodi Dodi, Who Am I, Doggy Dogg World
Another band I’ve been meaning to get into
As someone who’s already a fan of glam-influenced artists like Bowie and T-Rex, I also found listening to this to be a really fun experience
Favourite tracks: Do the Strand, Beauty Queen, Editions of You, In Every Dream Home…, The Bogus Man
If you told me this album came out in the mid-2000s, I’d genuinely believe you
Favourite tracks: Over the Hill, I’d Rather Be the Devil, Dreams by the Sea, May You Never
While grunge isn’t my favourite genre, I still think this album is really great due to its hard-hitting riffs and introspective lyrics
Favourite tracks: Them Bones, Dam That River, Down In a Hole, Sickman, Rooster, Angry Chair, Would
Rest in peace Jeff
Your legacy lives on
Take your left hand. Put your middle and ring fingers down. Put your thumb on top of your middle and ring fingers. Raise your hand in the air.
While it’s not my favourite from his “classic period”. I still love it and understand this album’s legendary status in music
Favourite tracks: You Are the Sunshine…, Maybe Your Baby, You’ve Got It Bad Girl, Superstition, I Believe
With every listen, this is slowly overtaking Blonde on Blonde as my favourite Dylan release
Favourite tracks: Tangled Up In Blue, Simple Twist of Fate, Idiot Wind, Meet Me In the Morning, Shelter from the Storm, Buckets of Rain
While this isn’t my favourite pop punk album, this has aged surprisingly well in my opinions and it’s still a very fun listen throughout
Favourite tracks: Chump, Longview, Welcome to Paradise, Basket Case, She, When I Come Around, Coming Clean
Personally, I love this album a bit more than Purple Rain because of tis darker tone and funkier instrumentation
Also love how Prince managed to create a whole new alter ego by just pitching his voice up
Favourite tracks: Sign O’ The Times, Housequake, The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Starfish and Coffee, U Got the Look, I Could Never…, The Cross, Adore
Might need a few more listens but I still don’t get the hype with this album
Favourite tracks: loomer, when you sleep, soon
Kinda lost me around the middle but overall its pretty great
Opening and closing tracks both completely deserve their status as two of the greatest songs of all time though
Favourite tracks: Baba O’Riley, Bargain, Behind Blue Eyes, Won’t Get Fooled Again
Beautiful
Favourite tracks: At the Chime of a City Clock, One of These Things First, Fly, Poor Boy, Northern Sky
Prime example of an album being ahead of its time
Love the contributions from Fripp and Cale too
Favourite tracks: Over Fire Island, St. Elmo’s Fire, The Big Ship, I’ll Come Running, Another Green World, Golden Hours
Musically and lyrically, its pretty great
Just can’t stand his voice sometimes
Favourite tracks: Moondance, Crazy Love
RELAX! DRINK STELLA! YOU KNOW IT’LL MAKE YA FEEL BETTA!
Classic
Except for Silent Night
Screw you, Phil
Merry Christmas
Favourite tracks: White Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Marshmallow World, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Winter Wonderland, Christmas, Here Comes Santa Claus
Worst track: Silent Night
This might be my favourite Muse album just because I always come out at the end of it having had an absolute blast!
Favourite tracks: Take a Bow, Starlight, Map of the Problematique, Invincible, Assassin, Knights of Cydonia
My favourite pre-Rubber Soul Beatles album
If Songs of Leonard Cohen presented Cohen as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, then Songs of Love and Hate reinforces that idea
Favourite tracks: Avalanche, Dress Rehearsal Rag, Love Calls You By Your Name, Famous Blue Raincoat, Joan of Arc
Just a non-stop fun listen overall
I remember this being one of the first albums that got me into post-punk and its still one of my favourites from the genre
Favourite tracks: Reuters, Three Girl Rhumba, Ex Lion Tamer, Lowdown, Pink Flag, Strange, Fragile, Mannequin, 1 2 X U
Was very convinced that RAM was my favourite post-Beatles album, but after re-listening to this, there may be a new contender
Favourite tracks: My Sweet Lord, Isn’t It a Pity (Version 1), What Is Life, If Not For You, Run of the Mill, Apple Scruffs, Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp, All Things Must Pass, Out of the Blue
Look…
I’m a relatively big fan of Rap and I understand that music would probably be very different if this album didn’t exist (which is why I’ve given it three stars out of respect)
BUT…
This has to be one of the most dated and maddeningly repetitive albums I’ve ever experienced
Having only listened to “Mrs Robinson” before taking on this album, I thought this would just be another classic Simon & Garfunkel album with only acoustic guitars and signing. But as soon as “Save the Life of My Child” started, I realised that this would be an entirely different affair than I presumed.
A lot of that classic folk sound is still here (“America” and “Old Friends”, for example), but this is probably the group’s most psychedelic effort, which makes for a vibrant and almost cosmic experience
Favourite tracks: Save the Life of My Child, America, Old Friends, Fakin’ It, Mrs Robinson
I love this album. This album makes me so happy, even at its saddest moments. These are the 3 things I like the most about this album:
First, the lyrics. Becker and Fagen had already shown their lyrical talents on previous Dan albums, but the ones on here are some of their best. They create the atmosphere of a night out in New York City, where we are being given detailed descriptions if the people we meet
Next, the session musicians. This album has some of the most notable musical collaborators in the Dan canon. These include Bernard “Pretty” Purdie on drums (Deacon Blues, Home at Last), Larry Carlton on guitar (every track except Peg), Denny Dias on guitar (Aja), Chuck Rainey on bass (all tracks except Deacon Blues) and Steve Gadd on drums (Aja), just to name a few. Every collaborator adds something wonderful to this album in their own way, whether that’s Dias’ guitar solo on the title track or Purdie’s trademark Purdie shuffle being brought out for Deacon Blues.
Finally, the production. There’s a reason most people who have heard this album call it one of the best produced album of all time. It’s mainly thanks to producer Gary Katz and engineer Roger Nichols, who both made sure this album sounded as crisp as possible. And they did it! Every individual instrument sounds so clear that I could focus my attention on one of them and hear it perfectly for the whole track.
In a word: MASTERPIECE
One of the better mainstream rock albums from the 80s
Favourite tracks: Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man, I Need You Tonight, Thug, TV Dinners
Just good vibes. Nothing more, nothing less
Favourite tracks: Keep on Movin’, Fairplay, Dance, Happiness, Back to Life
Since I got this album’s predecessor “…And Justice For All” a couple of weeks ago, I feel obliged to compare the two. Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, the music itself is a lot less complex and prog-y here than it was on the last album, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it made this album a lot easier to digest for me. Secondly, the lyrical content is a lot less political here, with the band instead focusing on more personal matters like childhood fears, religion and death, so, while the lyrics may have less of an impact, its not like the songs don’t have any meaning at all.
Overall, this album is a fun time that also tones down a lot of the aggression from the previous album in the hopes of reaching a wider audience.
Favourite tracks: Enter Sandman, Sad But True, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, Through the Never, The God That Failed
I’m sorry but I can’t get over the fact that this album goes from a song about the main character being sexually assaulted by their uncle to a song about the main character being good at pinball with nothing in-between! That tonal shift just really stood out to me for some reason
Album still good though
Admittedly, this is a really fun album and I felt great after it was finished. Strong Loaded-era Velvet Underground influence here too
While this is not my favourite Priest album, its still undoubtedly an 80s metal classic
While this is nowhere near his best album in my opinion, its still interesting and was kind of ahead of its time
Favourite tracks: Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Blood on the Leaves
My least favourite out of the four self-titled albums but my no means a bad one
The folk-ier tracks were all great and actually help this album stand out from the other four by adding a bit of variety to the mix
Also, Immigrant Song still sounds as epic as it was when I first heard it and deserves to remain as of Zep’s most popular tunes
Favourite tracks: Immigrant Song, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Gallows Pole, Tangerine
A step down from Plastic Ono Band but still has that lush Spector production and the songwriting is pretty good
Favourite tracks: Crippled Inside, Jealous Guy, I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier, Oh Yoko
For a long time, I was intimidated by the Dead which could mainly be attributed to their marathon live shows (with more jam than you could shake a spoon at) and their rabid yet loyal army of “Deadheads”.
After listening to this album, however, it made me wish I got unto their music sooner. The music is lush and catchy (still can’t get “Truckin’” out of my head) and the lyrics transport you to the middle of the American desert. Definitely gonna check out more from these guys.
Favourite tracks: Box of Rain, Friend of the Devil, Sugar Magnolia, Ripple, Brokedown Palace, Truckin’
Not Led Zeppelin…and not Greta Van Fleet…but a secret third thing
I don’t know what but there’s something about 70s glam rock that just scratches an itch in my brain
Beautiful. Perfect album for a cold Winter evening.
Who the heck decided to put Student Demonstration Time after Disney Girls???
In fact, who decided to put Student Demonstration Time on this album AT ALL???
Not going to stop me from giving this five stars because every other track is basically perfect, especially the songs written by Brian Wilson.
Rest In Peace Brian
