Journey in Progress
Discovering music one album at a time
549
Albums Rated
3.19
Avg Rating
110
5-Star Albums
50%
Complete
540 albums remaining
Rating Speed
4.9
Per Week
779
Days Active
Reviews
546
Written
99%
Review Rate
vs Global
-0.1
Avg Diff
3.19
Avg Rating
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How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
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Which era do you prefer?
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When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
Funk
Favorite Genre
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56
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| What's That Noise? | 5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
| Gold | 5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
| Destroy Rock & Roll | 5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
| Mama Said Knock You Out | 5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
| Kala | 5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
| Brown Sugar | 5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
| Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite | 5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
| Pelican West | 5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
| Sheet Music | 5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
| O.G. Original Gangster | 5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest | 1 | 3.83 | -2.83 |
| 21 | 1 | 3.69 | -2.69 |
| The Queen Is Dead | 1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
| Fear Of Music | 1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
| The ArchAndroid | 1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
| Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea | 1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
| Bossanova | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
| Fever To Tell | 1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
| 1989 | 1 | 3.27 | -2.27 |
| System Of A Down | 1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles Davis | 4 | 5 | 4.14 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Queen | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Curtis Mayfield | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Fatboy Slim | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 4.2 | 3.75 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.2 | 3.75 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Eno | 4 | 1.25 | 2 |
| PJ Harvey | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| The Fall | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Pixies | 3 | 1.67 | 2.33 |
| Sonic Youth | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Peter Gabriel | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Madonna | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Roxy Music | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| Neil Young | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
5-Star Albums (110)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Ice T
5/5
"We all we got" if you know that reference you know what I'm about to say. I bought this album back in the day, after watching New Jack City. Haven't listened to it in years (or seen the film, for that matter) but it was amazing back then and still stands up now.
4 likes
Pink Floyd
1/5
Sounded like a class of primary school were given an assortment of instruments, told to play for 40 minutes, and someone recorded it.
3 likes
Public Enemy
5/5
Another classic from my youth. We listened to this album so many times when driving round in our cars. It amazes me that it still sounds fresh now.
2 likes
Beach House
2/5
It was ok. I listened to the whole album. I certainly didn't find anything I must listen to again, but equally nothing on there that forced me to stop listening. All a bit 'meh' really.
1 likes
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Probably the best of the bunch so far, in respect of the multiple Rolling Stones that have popped on this site. It grabbed me from the first few bars on the first track, all the way to the end. It might be a controversial thing to say, but Jaggers "club singer" style can get a bit jarring.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (56)
All Ratings
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
A fantastic album. I must admit to already owning this album so it was not a new listening experience. There are no weak tracks, time seems to stand still when this album plays, it flows from track to track so smoothly.
R.E.M.
3/5
I must admit that REM has always been a 'avoid at all costs' type band. I was familiar with their more well known tracks, and even like a couple of them, but the thought of a whole album was daunting. However, I was pleasantly surprised and after a couple of tracks found myself quite enjoying it. There were a few tracks that felt very similar, but overall a positive experience.
Gorillaz
2/5
I didn't feel the need to stop listening is as much positivity as I can muster. It wasn't awful but equally, it wasn't memorable or inspiring. Even the well-known tracks weren't versions I was familiar with. It left me somewhat apprehensive of what other albums have made it on to this list.
Sex Pistols
4/5
I really didn't expect to enjoy this album as much as I did, it's not the genre of music I would choose to listen to. Not a bad track on the album.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
Wow. Not a very long listening experience but an amazing album. No weak tracks. The sound was so complete it was difficult to believe it was just a trio.
Adele
1/5
One or two semi-enjoyable tracks, the rest was just filler. The singers voice was very jarring. Hard pass from me.
The Bees
2/5
Fairly sterile and boring. It felt like I was in a dentists waiting room. Not my cup of tea in the slightest.
Jungle Brothers
5/5
I bought this album on release, back in the day, and listened to it more times than I can remember. It was a seminal part of my musical experience back then and it has fully stood the test of time. There was nothing else like it at the time. Imitators by the hundreds followed, which gives some idea of its impact. Every single track is momentous, an absolute joy to listen to.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Another album that I already own and have listened to multiple times. It flows from track to track beautifully, no weak tracks, and several outstanding tracks.
The Kinks
3/5
I was surprised, quite pleasantly, as my previous exposure to The Kinks was limited to their most well-known tracks. Musically none of the tracks stood out as headliners, but equally, none of them were weaker either. I probably wouldn't be rushing to listen to it again, but neither would I turn it off.
Pink Floyd
1/5
Sounded like a class of primary school were given an assortment of instruments, told to play for 40 minutes, and someone recorded it.
Hole
2/5
A couple of strong tracks, too many that sounded like an angsty teenager trying too hard.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Really enjoyed this, so much that I listened to it multiple times. It has that 70's funk feel to every track which, as someone born in 1970, is very nostalgic and evokes a lot of memories.
Elvis Presley
3/5
One word to describe this album - beige. Beige as in, warm and comforting but also, beige as in, neutral and uninspiring. It certainly wasn't unpleasant but I won't be rushing to buy it or listen again.
Coldplay
4/5
I've never really warmed to Coldplay. I really wasn't expecting much from this album, but I was pleasantly surprised and generally enjoyed it.
Joanna Newsom
1/5
I thought I'd trodden on one of my cats!! If this passes for highly acclaimed mush then I'll pass.
Mylo
5/5
Wow. What an unexpected treasure. Very smooth and low-key. A fantastic album using old samples to make a unique and modern sound. Listened to the album 3 times in total and will listen again in future.
Gene Clark
2/5
I managed to get about halfway through before switching it off. I can understand that for fans of this genre it probably has significance, but it's not for me.
Eminem
4/5
I've listened to this album many times before as I bought it on release. It still stands up today.
Nirvana
4/5
I've never listened to a Nirvana album before, which I can appreciate is odd because I am a big admirer of Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters. I really enjoyed this album, you can see some similarities between it and the Foo Fighters earlier albums. There were a couple of weaker tracks that took away some of the shine. I will definitely be listening to other Nirvana albums.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Really not my thing at all. It rarely got better than "just about bearable". I did make it all the way through the full album, and I am still alive, so for that it gets my standard 2 stars!
The Go-Go's
3/5
A couple of excellent tracks, the rest were fairly average. As with a lot of previous reviews, this really isn't my preferred genre. My rating system governs that this should be 2 or 3 stars. Let's go with 3 because I knocked one out over a picture of Belinda Carlisle many years ago.
Ozomatli
4/5
I think its fair to say this is a unique band and sound. I thought it was great, but can appreciate it may not be everyone's groove.
Bob Dylan
3/5
It maybe a little unfair to say this, but this style of music is not on my standard rotation. As such I was expecting to last 1 or 2 tracks before losing interest and switching off. I managed to listen to the whole album and it was decent. That's a lot of waffle to say not much.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5/5
My parents were from the same generation as Buddy Holly, so I grew up with an appreciation for him and his tragic circumstances. I also heard almost all of his material a lot. When listening to it now and trying to put myself into the shoes of the younger generations, I can understand why it may sound dated and not particularly inspiring - but that is understandable. The younger generations don't know that before Buddy Holly, and Elvis and a few others there was no Rock 'n Roll. They paved the way.
Eagles
4/5
I've always liked the Eagles. My previous exposure has been limited to compilations and best of albums, this was my first experience of an album release and I was very impressed. There was not one weak track. They really were an amazing band.
Duke Ellington
4/5
I'm a big fan of Duke Ellington anyway, so it was extremely unlikely I wouldn't enjoy this. Surprise, surprise - I loved it. I've got the '@Newport' albums by Ray Charles, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk and will have to get this one now.
CHIC
5/5
Fantastic album, imitated by many but never bettered. The epitome of 70's cool.
The Smiths
1/5
I was jealous of the Queen and felt like taking my own life. I'm sure that people into this genre have wonderful things to say about this album, I however, have nothing positive to say so I'll just keep quiet!
John Coltrane
5/5
I have a copy of this album so nothing new to me here. I haven't listened to it for years though, and I can report back that it is still as cool and amazing as it was the first time I listened to it. I would think that even if jazz is not your 'thing' you would still enjoy this album.
Charles Mingus
5/5
Loved this album, it has a very unique sound. It really doesn't sound like it's 60+ years old. I listed to it multiple times, and will continue to listen to it in future.
Beach House
2/5
It was ok. I listened to the whole album. I certainly didn't find anything I must listen to again, but equally nothing on there that forced me to stop listening. All a bit 'meh' really.
Lou Reed
3/5
I found it very hit and miss. Some quite excellent tracks, others that were a steaming pile of horseshit. I think it's the most perfect example of 3 stars that I've come across so far.
Judas Priest
3/5
Another surprisingly good metal album. I don't have the knowledge of metal to determine if this is good, bad, or average. All I know is it was very listenable. I won't be rushing out to buy it or listen to any other Judas Priest albums, but all in all a positive experience.
Radiohead
2/5
It was ok. I listened to the whole album. I certainly didn't find anything I must listen to again, but equally nothing on there that forced me to stop listening. All a bit 'meh' really.
Richard Thompson
3/5
I'd never heard of Richard Thompson before so was intrigued by this album. I didn't do my usual 'google' to get some idea of what to expect. The first few notes of track 1 made me wince, was this going be another "The Cramps" experience??? Nope, not at all, it was remarkably good by and large. One or two weaker tracks, and I was questioning my existence by the end of the album, but it was a good experience all round.
Grateful Dead
2/5
I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't hate it, but again, it didn't 'grab' me at any stage. In fact, I remember thinking "this first track goes on a bit" and then when I checked we had actually reached track 4! I guess that is the best analysis I can provide my experience - it was all a bit monotonous.
5/5
Another fantastic album. I have other War albums and tracks in my collection, including some of the tracks on this album, but I've never listened to this particular album fully. Quite short, which is a shame, but that takes nothing away. Listened to it several times and have added it to my "buy a copy on vinyl" list.
Miles Davis
5/5
Another album I already owned so listening was not breaking any new ground for me. I loved it this album before. One of my favourites.
Cream
4/5
The more well known tracks are excellent, but putting those to one-side the remaining tracks were also strong. I found myself turning up the volume a couple of times. Really enjoyed this album and will add it in to my playlist.
Talk Talk
2/5
Not really my cup of tea. It wasn't unbearable, but not something I'd be striving to listen to again. A classic 80's sound really, and I lived through the 80's as a teenager, perhaps that explains my ambivalence towards it :)
White Denim
4/5
Very impressive. I'd never heard of White Denim before, and wasn't familiar with any of the tracks, but thoroughly enjoyed the whole album.
The Undertones
4/5
Great album, never listened to it before, even though it was released during my childhood.
The Last Shadow Puppets
2/5
Another artist I wasn't at all familiar with and so, unsure what to expect. It sounded a lot older than it is, by that I mean, if I hadn't read the wiki page I would have thought it was from the 70's\80's rather than 2000-and-something. I made it through the whole album, which gives it a default 2 stars. I didn't really feel there was much there to give it 3 stars though.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
I'm a big admirer of the RHCP and have listened to this album multiple times before.
Beck
4/5
Another album that was so much more than I was expecting. I had heard a few Beck tracks before but had never really enjoyed them. I'm not entirely sure why because I thought this album was really good. So many influences that it's difficult to put a label on the genre - some rock, some pop, some soul, some blues etc.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
I really didn't get it. It wasn't bad as in 'The Cramps' type bad, but it was so bland that I just forgot it was even playing. Nothing memorable or even slightly toe-tapping good. I made it all the way through so for that it gets 2 stars.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Nice. I've already reviewed Beggars Banquet which was excellent, but this isn't quite as good (imo). There were a few excellent moments though, and so I will give it 4 stars (same as Beggars Banquet) as 3 stars doesn't feel right.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Common
4/5
Black Sabbath
3/5
Surprisingly good. It's not something i would have chosen to listen to, but more fool me for having preconceived ideas.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
I was expecting to last about 3 tracks before turning it off but I made it the whole way through - and even enjoyed large parts of it.
Gang Starr
4/5
Smooth as baby's bottom. Could listen to it all day.
Radiohead
3/5
Enjoyed it. A bit samey, to the point that it was difficult to distinguish between tracks, but overall positive.
Various Artists
4/5
Smooth as baby's bottom. Could listen to it all day.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Fantastic album. Gem after gem, no weak tracks, everything stands alone as a great composition. Shame she's a tax-dodging cunt, but that takes nothing away from this beautiful album.
The Cramps
1/5
Fuck me that's a difficult listening experience. Quite proud I made it through the whole album, once is more than enough though.
The Icarus Line
2/5
Lucky for this album that it came along the day after listening to The Cramps, it made this album immeasurably better. Mind you, a bunch of saucepans being dropped down the stairs would sound better than The Cramps. Anyway, The Icarus Line is not my thing at all, but I listened to the whole album so 2 stars for that.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Fantastic. Not what I was expecting in the slightest. Way more acoustic than I thought it would be. Listened several times and will put it into my library.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
I'm starting to question my own musical tastes. Another good album when I was expecting very little, I had previously considered Nine Inch Nails as something way outside my preferences. There were a couple of moments that I didn't gel with, but in large it was a lot better than I expected. Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, I'll go with 3 as 4 probably feels a bit too much based on other ratings I've given.
Kraftwerk
4/5
I've only ever really been exposed to Kraftwerk briefly, but I do enjoy electronic music so have always enjoyed their music. I thoroughly enjoyed this album, and listened to it back-to-back. I will listen to it again.
As an added bonus,. it reminded me of the Bill Bailey Kraftwerk homage and I watched that a few times and laughed my head off as usual.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Never heard of Abdullah Ibrahim previously so wasn't sure what to expect. It wasn't the most exciting jazz I've ever heard, but it was easy to listen to and had a couple of standout tracks.
The Who
2/5
Fairly meh, if you ask me. I was expecting a whole lot more. I didn't feel like I wanted to listen to it again ... ever. Which is a pretty bad sign. It wasn't awful, like some of the other albums I've listened to - so 2 stars feels about right.
Neil Young
1/5
Sounded like one, long monotonous song that made me question the point of existing. Well, perhaps it wasn't quite that bad, but I do fail to see the attraction and why so many people rave about Neil Young. Maybe that says more about me than anything else.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Listened to it a few times, and it got better each time. I never thought I'd enjoy Springsteen but I was wrong.
The Triffids
2/5
Not a band or album I've heard or previously. I was expecting one (or more) of the tracks to trigger a memory, but it never happened. It's what I imagine AI would generate if you asked it create a bland 1980's sounding album. Pretty boring if you ask me, but I made it all the way through - so it gets 2 stars!
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I'll probably come across as a bit of a numpty here, but with all the accolades for this album I was left feeling a little bit disappointed after listening to it. That's not to say it wasn't very good, but I reviewed 'Born To Run' recently and I personally preferred that album ever so slightly.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
A nice album. I have previously found the music of Hugh Masekela to be a little bit 'hard going', if you know what I mean by that. However, this album was very easy to listen to.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
In my top 10 albums of all time, works can not do it justice.
Radiohead
3/5
I never really listened to Radiohead before. I reviewed Kid A on this site previously and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. This is another 'easy to listen to' album. I don't think it's as strong as Kid A.
Metallica
2/5
I found myself getting more and more angry through each track - not because I hated the album or anything like that, it was just the style of m,usic is so abrasive and angry it just rubbed off on me. As you can probably tell, not my bag at all, but giving it 2 stars as I made it the whole way through.
The United States Of America
1/5
Ended up burning my ears off with a bucket of acid! I'm all for pushing the boundaries, but this is the equivalent of punching the boundaries in the bollocks. I couldn't make it through the whole album.
John Grant
2/5
For large parts it was just about bearable, a couple of tracks I could listen to again.
Wilco
3/5
It started out fairly slowly, the first track wasn't exactly a 'grabber'. However, it did get better and although it's probably not a genre I'm into I did enjoy it. I think 3 stars feels about right.
Janis Joplin
5/5
Wow. This was so much more than I was expecting. I'd always thought Janis Joplin was a folk\rock artist - and perhaps there are other albums of hers that are more in tune with that stance - but this album was incredible. So much funk and soul filtering through. I listened to it 3 times back-to-back and fell in love a bit more every time.
I've been on this site for a few months now, and the one abiding lesson I've learnt is (in general) do not judge a book by it's cover (and don't believe your preconceptions about any artist).
Talking Heads
2/5
Very similar to the other Talking Heads album on this list that I've already listened to and reviewed. It's ok, not something I found myself raving about or even nodding along to, but listenable.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
One or two tracks less monotonous and boring than the rest. I found myself shaking my head at the comments on YouTube - I didnt think the music and/or lyrics were amazing, unlike everyone else. Maybe you need to listen several times to develop an appreciation, but I have no desire to put myself through more listenings!
R.E.M.
2/5
I'm not a fan of REM, bar one or two of their more catchy hits, I found this album to be completely 'on brand' for them i.e. a couple of toe-tapping hits and the remainder a load of fairly indistinguishable, up-your-own-arse, tosh.
Paul Simon
5/5
Another case of 'don't judge a book by its cover'. I had preconceived ideas about Paul Simon (not all bad, honestly) but was blown away by this album. I don't think there is one track that let's it down. Listened multiple times and will continue to regularly listen.
The Police
2/5
Musically it was fairly average. As a 50-something it did evoke memories of my childhood, well, the more popular tracks did anyway. I never really got into The Police as a youth, and nothing I heard made me feel like I missed out. Oh yeah, and Sting can fuck right off, the pretentious git!
LL Cool J
5/5
I bought this on release (vinyl) and listened to it a lot. Sad to say it fell out of my rotation and I probably last listened to the complete album 20 years ago. What a fool I've been. An absolute masterpiece, not one bad track.
Brian Eno
2/5
I call this kind of music 'receptionist', the sort you will hear in any dentists or doctors reception. It wasn't awful, but had no real substance and l have no desire to ever listen again. It gets 2 stars as I made it the whole way through without wanting to rip my ears off
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
I'm sure that to people familiar with this style of music this is an outstanding album. To me, as someone with minimal experience of this style of music, I found it very difficult to get into. The tracks all sounded very similar, so much so it felt like one long track. I made it the whole way through and can appreciate there is considerable musical ability on show. This all leads to my bog standard award of "my ears weren't bleeding, I didn't want to kill myself, and I made it all the way through the album" 2 stars!
Bob Dylan
3/5
I enjoyed it. Its not an artist or album I would have picked out, but I am slowly learning to ignore my preconceptions and give anything a chance.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Another album that I already own, and absolutely love. It's a regular listen for me. It was ground-breaking, there really was no one else making music like this when it came out.
Nirvana
5/5
I'm beginning to rethink all my musical preferences, so many artists\albums that I thought I wouldn't like have turned out to be incredible. This is another one of those. Absolute perfection. Every track was a standalone belter. 5 stars all the way.
Louis Prima
4/5
Fantastic toe-tapping album. It's exactly my 'kind of music' anyway, and I have several Louis Prima tracks in my playlist.
Primal Scream
3/5
Bang average. Quite reminiscent of the general 90s sound.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Surprisingly good. I think this is the second Black Sabbath album I've reviewed and both were way better than expected.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Loved this album. Although it doesn't contain his well-known tracks (obviously 'No Woman, No Cry' is there, but it's a less well-known version) it's a lot more raw and unrefined than some of his later tracks - it almost feels like a live show.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
I had no idea what to expect, so I went in pretty open-minded. I found it fairly monotonous and uninspiring. I didn't want to kill myself and made it all the way through the whole album - so for that it gets 2 stars.
1/5
Fucking dire, not something I would willingly put myself through again! I only made it through the first 4 tracks.
Steely Dan
3/5
A very nice album that perfectly encapsulates the sound of the early-to-mid 1970's. I didn't find one track on there that had me fully engaged, but every single track was pleasant. Well worth a listen again, at some stage, but it wasn't an 'experience' in the same way that some of the other albums on this site were.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Loved it. I never really got into the Rolling Stones previously. The album flows really well and every single track is worth listening to.
Iron Maiden
2/5
I'm not a metal head so usually end up reviewing these types of albums relatively lowly. There are a small number of metal albums that buck the tred - but this, sadly, isn't one of them. That's not to say it was awful, far from it, I made it through the whole album without wanting to switch it off. It's somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, I'll go with 2.
Tears For Fears
3/5
Even though my formative years were during the 70's and 80's I didn't really subscribe to 'pop' music. I was familiar with the two classic hits from this album, but the rest of it was really virgin territory for me. Perhaps it was a result of familiarity with those two tracks but the rest of the album was instantly forgettable. That's not as bad as it sounds, any album that contains two iconic tracks can be considered well above average.
B.B. King
4/5
I really enjoyed this album. It was a lot more funk and sould flavoured than I expected, I was really anticipating a blues album. Definitely an album I will listen to again, and an artist I will explore further.
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
Decent enough, a couple of enjoyable tracks, not enough to make me listen again.
James Brown
4/5
Great album, if a little short. I'm a big fan of James Brown, and while you can see how this album was a stepping stone to his (almost sole) creation of the funk genre I don't think it counts as his best work. Absolutely worth listening to and I will definitely listen again, but there are other James Brown albums that provide a clearer picture of him, his sound, and what he contributed to the music scene.
Otis Redding
5/5
Fantastic. I already plenty of Otis Redding \ Stax \ Volt recordings and there was very little on here that was new to me or surprised me, but I still get a funny feeling listening to his incredible voice. One of a kind really.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I think I reviewed a Neil Young album previously and was not at all impressed. I wasn't expecting much from this but I have had enough surprises during the first ~100 albums to go in with an open mind. I'm glad I did, this album was immeasurably better than the previous experience. Maybe it was the added 'rock' impact from Crazy Horse (the other album was a lot more acoustic). The only downside for me is his singing voice, but it's not out of tune or anything awful like that, it just jars a bit with me.
Kanye West
4/5
I always avoided anything 'Kanye West' related as I've been under the impression he was a cunt. Those fucking awful Kardashians he hopped into bed with made matters worse. His gradual decline into being a mentalist added more fuel to the fire. In summary, he is a cunt, he's got more cuntier over time, the Kardashians are also cunts, but this is a great album! I'm very torn, I guess the only take away here is cunts can make good music.
Stereolab
2/5
For the first time since I started this process I had a co-listener, namely my wife. I personally thought the album was very hit-and-miss - I enjoyed a couple of tracks, found a couple of tracks awful, and the rest were quite mundane. My wife's forthright review is "shit, the foxes fuckign outside our window made more pleasant noises". No longer wondering why I married her, are you?
Kanye West
4/5
My previous review for Kanye as a person still stands. He's a class 1 cunt, no question. Musically he can be top-class though. Another very good album.
The Offspring
3/5
I'm happy to report that this album started poorly but got a lot better. I wouldn't rush out and buy a copy, but it was more than 'listenable'.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
I had some familiarity with this band. Like a lot of albums there were a couple of strong tracks and plenty of filler. I won;t be rushing to listen again but it wasn't bad enough to stop me making it through the whole album.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
Fairly easy listening. Nothing ground-breaking. A good example of blues rock, but I think are better examples.
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
Fairly basic and simple. It wasn't unpleasant but it didn't sound any different from anything I hear being played by the urban youth today. Call me old-fashioned and\or demanding, but a good album is one that crosses boundaries i.e. old gits like me, and youngsters, and everyone in between, can agree it's a standout.
Public Enemy
5/5
This is an album I already own and have listened to hundred, if not thousands, of times. It brings back so many vivid memories. Smoking weed round the back of Chessington Industrial Estate in my mates XR3i Cabriolet, more mates sat in an 205 GTI (1.9 of course) next to us. Thinking we were the busines, probably looking like a right bunch of numpties. Happy days. Can't believe it was almost 35 years ago.
Radiohead
3/5
Another Radiohead album, another middle of the road review by me. It was ok, a couple of tracks were really good, especially '15 Steps'. Maybe it's me, but I can't get too excited by Radiohead and ntierh can I get too despondent.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
After the first few tracks I was hooked, I thought this was going to be one of those albums where every track is top quality. Sadly, there were a few lulls where the tracks became stodgy and repetitive, but there were still many more strong tracks than guff. There are so many different styles on this album, I was reminded of The Faces and Motown and everything in between. All in all, I greatly enjoyed it and will listen again.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Everyone should know 'Groove Is In The Heart' but would be hard-pressed to name another Deee-Lite track. That's a shame as this album contains plenty of great tracks that really capture the period when the 80's became the 90's.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
This was a lot more jazzy than I was expecting. It was still quite folksy though. It didn't fill with me joy, but I didn't feel the need to rip my ears off either. I went with 2 stars but it's probably closer to 2.5 stars (definitely not 3 though). No one reads these reviews anyway, so why the hell am I explaining myself.
Yes
2/5
Not my cup of tea, not even close to being my cup of tea. It's listenable but drab. It sounds like the sort of music made by middle-aged city workers, when they get home at the week-end and have a cheeky glass of red wine with a line, or two, of columbian marching powder. It gets the 2 star treatment from me.
Brian Wilson
3/5
I struggle to see what the big deal is with Brian Wilson \ The Beach Boys. It wasn't bad, far from it, but it never really got me going either.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Wow. I've always loved the music of Jimi Hendrix, but this was an album I'd never listened to before. My mistake, I thought it was as good as anything else he's done. On my 'wants' list now and will be listening to it a lot more.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Surprisingly good. I was expecting typical folk music, and although you could feel that it was also a lot more jazz-tinged. I'm not a big fan of her vocals, it kind of jarred a bit with the style of music. Very listenable though.
Aerosmith
4/5
I have a copy of Young Lust which is an Aerosmith anthology from ~2000. No tracks from the Rocks album are on Young Lust, which is a shame as Rocks was really good. It was a much more raw sound on Rocks than a lot of their later stuff.
Ministry
2/5
I've never heard an album before that was just one long 45 minute track .... wait, what's that, there were 9 distinct tracks? As you can tell I found it very difficult to distinguish the different tracks, there was a high degree of monotony for me. I did manage to listen to the whole album though, so it gets 2 stars!
R.E.M.
3/5
I've reviewed two R.E.M. albums previously as part of this musical journey. One was not so good, the other was a little better. This one was the best of the lot, but that's still "the tallest midget" type accolade. Some tracks were decent, some were dire.
Parliament
5/5
This is my music. I'm a proud owner of this album along with several other Parliament \ Funkadelic \ P-Funk albums. I could listen to this everyday and not get bored.
4/5
Wow, I really wasn't sure what to expect but this was fucking superb. There were several tracks I already knew but other than one or two lulls the whole album rocked.
Funkadelic
5/5
I could just copy\paste my review for Parliaments Mothership Connection as that covers this album too. Love it. My kind of music. I own the album .... blah blah blah.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
It wasn't 'pull my ears off' bad, but it wasn't something that ever really grabbed my attention. Quite morose really, like an angsty teen trying to be deep. Maybe I'm missing the point, but I'm not ever going to listen to it again and I'm not going to search out any more of his music.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
This is the third Rolling Stones album I've had come up , and they have all been excellent. This was easily the best of the lot so far. Not one bad track, I listened to it three times on loop it was that good. Will be listening regularly from here on.
David Bowie
2/5
If you put aside the Heroes track, which is very good, the rest of it was fairly bland.
N.W.A.
5/5
One of those rare albums that changed music in some way. Amazingly it's still relevant today, maybe more so that when it was originally released, which is amazing but also quite sad! I still have my vinyl copy of the original release, and it's a treasured possession. My 25 year-old son has his eyes on it, along with a lot of my other vinyl from around the same time - but no chance while I'm still breathing.
Guided By Voices
2/5
I wasn't a fan of lots of short tracks, it made listening quite frantic. It was quite beneficial for the weaker tracks, as they ended that bit quicker. For the odd decent track I wasn't at all disappointed it was over after 90 seconds. I guess what I'm saying is, it was tolerable but not great.
Solange
2/5
Too morose, edgy and flat for me. It just sounds like music-by-numbers to me, there are hundreds of young R&B acts that sound just like this. There's nothing to distinguish this from any of those. It wasn't rip your eyes off bad, but I wouldn't ever seek it out again (or anything else by her).
The Adverts
3/5
My lack of punk knowledge is probably surprising as a 70's child, and puts me in the minority. After being pleasantly surprised by the Sex Pistols album I was open-minded going into this album. It wasn't awful, but it was nowhere near as good as the Sex Pistols album. I'll go with 3 stars.
Radiohead
2/5
Probably the weakest of what feels like too many Radiohead albums on this list. They haven't all been bad, but it's starting to feel a bit like 'The Emperors New Clothes' to me.
ABBA
3/5
I've always been partial to a bit of ABBA, they were huge when I was growing up in the 70's. Like most people I know their biggest hits, and let's be fair they have a long list of hits, so I was expecting to find this album full of hits and strong lesser-known songs. I was a little disappointed, there were a handful of well known hits, but the rest of it was pretty boring.
Sister Sledge
5/5
Fantastic album. Although there aren't many tracks on the original album, there are four absolute bangers that every one will know unless they've been living in antartica! The remaining four tracks were also very strong and would probably have fared well if released as singles.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
After a few minutes I wanted to stamp on my speakers, it was fucking awful. Then, bizarrely, your mind sort of adjusts to it and it's not quite as awful. I can't say that it ever reached the heights of me enjoying it, but I made it all the way through which seemed unlikely.
The Sonics
3/5
Seemd like a lot of covers, and very few original tracks. The original tracks were also the weakest part of the album. I feel like this is not a great example of 60's music, there must be hundreds if not thousands of albums like this that are immeasurably better.
Fats Domino
5/5
It's odd, listening to it now it sounds very dated. When it came out it was ground-breaking and spawned countless imitators. I've always loved Blue Monday, heard it years ago and listened to it more times than I can remember since. The rest of this album is rock solid too. It gets 5 stars from me for musical content and also impact!!!
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Fantastic album, not one weak track on it. It has a raw sound that I absolutely love. It made me want to roll one up and spark it, but it's been too long since I last did that and I'd probably kill myself doing that!
Miles Davis
5/5
I get that jazz is not for everyone, I understand that to some people it can sound jarring. This album is probably a very good example of that. However, to the ones who love jazz this is a masterpiece. I don't want to sound like a numpty, but you almost forget where you are and what's going on in your life when you listen to it. I've listened to it before and will listen to it again.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I couldn't get into this at all. Sounded like a bunch of moody teenagers. Made it all the way through though, so it gets 2 stars.
Brian Eno
1/5
Up it's own arse, complete load of shite. I made it to track 4. Me and my mates wanted to start a band back in the early 80's as young teens, we had one 'jam session' where we all played an instruemnt we had borrowed or bought - but had no musical skill or experience with. I'd bet good money we still sounded better than this album.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Probably the best of the bunch so far, in respect of the multiple Rolling Stones that have popped on this site. It grabbed me from the first few bars on the first track, all the way to the end. It might be a controversial thing to say, but Jaggers "club singer" style can get a bit jarring.
The Smiths
3/5
Very enjoyable, not at all what I had conditioned myself to expect. I grew up during The Smiths era and had never warmed to their music, if any, I actually found it awful. This album was pretty good.
Ice T
5/5
"We all we got" if you know that reference you know what I'm about to say. I bought this album back in the day, after watching New Jack City. Haven't listened to it in years (or seen the film, for that matter) but it was amazing back then and still stands up now.
The Cure
4/5
I've always like The Cure, they are so far removed from my normal musical tastes but there is just something about their music that I love. I don't think this is their best album, but it is still very good.
Deep Purple
3/5
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this, it wasn't as heavy as I was expecting.
Beatles
5/5
This is the first Beatles album that's come up this site, and I am onto day 146, so I am little surprised it's taken this long. As with a lot of highly-rated artists I was ot sure whether I would enjoy it or find it vastly over-rated. it turns out that I loved this album, every single track was fantastic.
The Doors
4/5
Another pleasant surprise. Much better than I was expecting.
Girls Against Boys
1/5
Made it just short of halfway through before I had to turn it off. It just felt like anti-music to me, it's probably the sound the artist is going for but I'd rather shit in my hands and clap then listen to this sort of music.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
This is a beautiful album. It flows so well from beginning to end, there are multiple high points but no real weak tracks. You easily lose track of time. I will definitely listen again.. and again.. and again!
John Lennon
4/5
Another album that exceeded expectations. Thank fuck Yoko One wasn't audible in any way, in fact, the wikipedia page for the album lists her contribution as "wind". The fuck does that mean? She guffed on record?
Kate Bush
3/5
I feel like I'm not being let in on a big secret, why do large parts of the population absolutely rave about Kate Bush. The comments alone on youtube are bordering on fanatical. The album wasn't terrible, I made it all the way through and even enjoyed parts of it, but it's not one I'd actively pursue listening to again.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Another album which was a lot better than I was expecting. I'm somewhere between 3 and 4 stars on this, think it's closer to 4 and I'm feeling generous.
Underworld
4/5
I enjoyed it. I think it's one of those albums you have to be in the right kind of mood for. I expected it to be very 'samey' but it didn't feel like that at all. Absolutely loved a couple of tracks.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
Fucking awful. On a positive note, I now have an additional baseline of awfulness, comparable to aural-pain that was The Cramps album - in fact, this may have been worse. I made it as far as 30 seconds into track 2, and that's only because track 1 was less than a minute long and I gave it the benefit of being an 'amusing' attempt by the artist at providing a breif interlude of the band warming up.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It doesn't measure up to some of their later albums, still pretty good though.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
First track started off pretty good, the got worse and worse, by the end of the track I wasn't enjoying it much. Rest of the album was pretty bland too. NOt my cup of tea, but didn't have to turn it off, so 2 stars from me Harry!
Metallica
2/5
Not my cup of tea at all. This is the second Metallica album I've had to listen to and I could just copy\paste from my earlier review as they were identical listening experiences. No doubt, to metal heads, this is the business - bit to me it's painful and monotonous.
The Fall
1/5
Fucking awful. Made it to track 4, after I had been forcing myself to give it a chance about 30 seconds into track 1. As much as I have been pleasantly surprised by a number of albums and artists I expected to dislike, there is a sense of patting yourself on the back when you expect something to be dog shit and it then turns out to be dog shit!
Ghostface Killah
4/5
A very strong album. Lots of different contributors give it a very varied feel.
The Vines
3/5
Not terrible, not amazing. Some decent tracks, nothing to make me sit up and re-listen. I reckon 3 stars is about right.
Soundgarden
3/5
Another nice surprise. The only disappointing aspect was it started off strongly and around tracks 9/10 there felt like a noticeable drop in quality.
Depeche Mode
3/5
The well-known singles tracks are definitely the stand-out tracks, but there are other strong tracks too. If you like electronic music, which I do to a degree, then you'll enjoy this album, which I did.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
I've got a fair few Lynyrd Skynyrd tracks in my playlists. They merged together so many different influences and created a catalogue full of great songs in just a few short years. Then tragedy struck and the world was deprived of them. Such a sad story, and one tinged with regret. Don't Ask Me No Questions (although, not actually on this album) is one of my favourite tracks of all time.
Finley Quaye
3/5
I listened to this on a nice day in early Summer, and it fits that mood perfectly. It wasn't 'stand out' fantastic, but it had a few very good tracks and plenty of (imo) filler. I think 3 stars is about right.
Björk
1/5
I'm sorry, I just don't get the fuss about Bjork. It all feels a bit 'Emperors New Clothes' to me. Whilst listening I had a read of the wikipedia page for this album, fuck me, how did it get all these awards and recognitions? Maybe it's me, this wouldn't be the first highly-rated album that I've considered to be utter wank. Anyway, I can only rate based on what I think, and it gets 1 star (I didn't make it all the way through, had 2 tracks left when I finished reading the wikipedia article and felt it very unlikely that they would make me do a 180 on my feelings about this album, after 10 tracks of horse piss!
Supergrass
3/5
I was a little bit disappointed. The well-known tracks were a cut above the rest of the album. It wasn't bad, but equally not good enough to make me want to re-listen. I reckon 3 stars is about right.
Portishead
4/5
A very good album, it really brings back vivid memories of the 90's. Has a very sparse and raw feel to it, which makes a pleasant change from the over-produced crap which seems to have taken over everywhere.
Haircut 100
5/5
I grew up during this era and although familiar with Haircut 100 they weren't what I would consider "my kind of band", I had almost dismissed them as a bit of a gimmick really. I was very, very wrong - this is a fantastic album. I don;t think there was one weak track. I will be listening again.
Genesis
2/5
This feels so far removed from the later Genesis output that I am a little torn. I like a lot of their later music, but this album has the "angsty teen trying to look clever \ different" feel to it. I know that's not a great explanation, but I can't really put it into words. It all sounds a bit like "musical wanking" to me. Made it all the way through so it gets 2 stars by default. I just don't feel it deserves 3 when I think of other albums I gave 3 stars to.
The Band
3/5
That was so much better than I expected. The only gripe is the vocals were a little bit 'Dog & Duck', but as a whole it was really good.
David Bowie
3/5
Decent album, nothing more. I didn't hear one track that grabbed my attention, but it was easy to listen to and there were no "fuck me, this is so bad I have to turn it off" moments (and there have been numerous albums like that in this list, which still surprises me, but I guess that's what keeps life interesting as we all like different things)!
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
It was ok, a couple of tracks were approaching good. I doubt I'd listen to it again willingly, but I wouldn't turn it off if it came on the radio. I think 2 or 3 stars is about right.
Weather Report
4/5
This is my kind of music, so I am a bit biased, but this is a really good album. I've heard a few of the tracks before, but not the whole album. Really easy to listen to, no 'skip-me' tracks.
Fela Kuti
3/5
A lot better than I was expecting, based on a couple of other African artists that had previously cropped up on this list. It was a lot more 'western' than I was expecting, some really strong funk vibes coming through. I guess, if you think it about long enough, then funk music has long roots in african music anyway.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Another good album. It really had the late 60's psychedelic \ hippie sub-culture feel. There were quite a few tracks that I'd heard in TV shows, films, adverts etc and never knew where they came from.
Bob Dylan
3/5
I enjoyed it, I can't deny that. However, I don't think it's amazing. Musically, it's very sparse, just a guitar and a voice on most tracks. I think those are very complementary instruments anyway (as an aside, I don't think his singing voice is very good). I think you could find many singer\songwriters and buskers churning out equally good material.
Green Day
4/5
The 90's really was a great decade for music. So many different types\genres coming to the fore and progressing in different directions. This is another great album.
Tim Buckley
3/5
I'll admit to not really knowing who Tim Buckley was before listening to this album. I'd seen and heard the name, but couldn't tell you any of his songs. I wasn't sure what to expect, and perhaps that helped my listening experience as I had a completely open mind. I thought it was a very good album, the first few tracks were excellent, there was a short lull (drop in quality) but it finished on a high with with the final track. Wikipedia lists it as Funk and R&B - and while it certainly had elements of those I thought it was more folk pop.
Al Green
4/5
Fantastic album, full of great tracks, even the lesser known ones. IT's a little short and leaves you wanting more, but that's probably a feature of the era it was made in.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Pretty good album. I already had a copy of 'Because of the Times' which is a fantastic album. On first listen this album is not as good, but I will have a few further listens to see if that opinion changes.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
It went from bearable to annoying about half-way through. It's not something I'd ever want to hear again, but it's not 'The Cramps' bad and I did listen to the whole album.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I quite enjoyed this. I've reviewed one other Neil Young + Crazy Horse album which I also liked, the standalone Neil Young album I listened to was bobbins (UK slang for shite). My take away so far is Crazy Horse is what makes Neil Young palatable to me.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Sledgehammer was a huge hit when I was a teenager, but aside from that track the rest of the album was fairly meh. Made it all the way through though, so the obligatory 2 stars are given.
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
I absolutely love this. The songs are beautiful and Ella Fitzgerald's voice is as smooth as honey. I wouldn't be able to understand anyone who can't at least appreciate this album, it may not be your 'thing' but it is undoubtedly one of the best I've listened to so far.
The Young Rascals
4/5
Another great album. I quite like a lot of these 'older' albums from the 60's and 70's as the artists didn't feel the need to pad the album out with shite. Very often the best albums are the ones with 8 to 12 strong tracks that leave you wanting more.
Beck
5/5
Another fantastic album from Beck. I'm quite annoyed that I haven't really given him a chance previously. This album seemed to span about 10 different genres. One of the signs of a good album, in my opinion, is when the album ends and you feel like you've only been listening for a few minutes.... and that's how this felt to me. I will definitely be listening again, and also checking out his back catalogue.
Buffalo Springfield
5/5
Wow, very surprised by this. So much better than I was expecting. When I saw Neil Young's name I was a bit worried, but this was almost like a time capsule from the 60's. I don't think there was one weak track on it, and I really enjoyed several of them.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
This is doing my nut in. I listened to a different Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album earlier in this list and it was bad, not rip-your-ears bad but not something I enjoyed in any way. Then this album comes along, and although there were plenty of low points and tracks that weren't very good, I found myself enjoying it. I preferred Abattoir Blues to The Lyre of Orpheus.
Metallica
4/5
I think I'm slowly becoming a fan of heavy metal, and I never saw that coming. This was a really good album, from the false beginning of 'Battery' to the final notes of 'Damage, Inc'. When you realise how young the members of Metallica were when they made this album it just makes it more impressive.
Television
2/5
It was ok, listenable, nothing good but nothing bad.
The Clash
3/5
This isn't my kind of music. That being said, it wasn't too bad.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
This album is one I already own and is regularly played. I'm so happy it is on this list as I absolutely love it, and it's a form of validation (especially when compared to some of the absolute shite I've encountered on this list already!). It was one of the albums that really turned me on to music. Only four tracks but every one is a gem.
Stan Getz
4/5
I really enjoyed this, the instruments and vocals were perfectly matched. Grab a nice cool drink, like a cuba libra or mojito, a chair in the sun and listen to this. It doesn't get much better.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Another fantastic album. Every track is beautifully crafted. The covers of the Sam Cooke tracks are, arguably, better than the originals - and the originals are themselves incredible. Muscle Shoals and Stax are, imo, the studios that produced the best output in the 60's.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Whilst I'm not an avid listener to The Blues my musical tastes do include genres that have some commonalities with this style of music. The album itself was very 'listenable' but equally there were no standout or weak tracks, it just sort of blended into one 40 minute track with a few gaps. That being said, I could happily listen to it again - and who knows, maybe the tracks would become more distinct.
M.I.A.
5/5
Wow, what an album. I don't think I've heard anything else remotely like that. The mix of so many genres and it not feeling laboured or forced is incredible. I always think the sign of a good album is when you feel like you've only been listening a few minutes but you've actually listened to the whole album. Added to my playlist and will be a regular listener.
Ian Dury
4/5
A few weeks ago I started thinking the quality of albums on this list had started to decrease, and then I hit a rich seam of good albums ... and this is another very good album. So many different influences on here, so much that it's difficult to pigeon-hole it. It was very much a product of it's time, but nearly 50 years later it still sounds great.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I quite enjoyed this, it wasn't as folksy as I was expecting. You can really feel the jazz influences.
Linkin Park
3/5
I've never really been tempted to give Linkin Park a chance, the snippets I've heard before did nothing for me. I was pleasantly surprised by this album, don't get me wrong as I don;t feel like I've missed out on much over the last 20ish years, but it was a lot better than I expected.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
This is a really good album. It flowed so well from beginning to end (apart from the shitty youtube ads!). It passed my rule - if you get to the end of the album and wonder where the time went then it's a good album. I will definitely listen again.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Another album I already own, so no surprises on here. I hadn't listened to it for a few years and was struck by how contemporary it sounds, it could have been released in 2024! Aside from a couple of weaker tracks, it's an absolute cracker.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
A perfect snippet of 60's. It's incredible to think this was her first album, she really was a very natural singer.
The The
2/5
I made it all the way through, so it gets 2 stars by default. I felt it never really got going, none of the tracks ever made me stop and listen, it was all a bit meh really.
David Bowie
4/5
Bowie was another artist I never really 'got'. I always considered him a bit of a freak. To give him his dues, this is a really good album, with several standout tracks.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
This was way better than expected. I don't really get the fuss about The Beach Boys, and the Brian Wilson \ Smile album I reviewed previously was fairly shite. This wasn't anything like the Beach Boys, a lot more gritty and real.
Django Django
3/5
Very very average. It was so mundane and middle-of-the-road it sounded like it could have been created any time between 1965 and the present day - by a single person with a semi-decent casio keyboard bought from argos. Not one track stood out as excellent, equally none were dog-shit awful. I'll give 3 stars as I made it all the way through without considering turning it off (but that's maybe due to being in a coma from the blandness of it!)
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
I still regularly listen to this album some 30+ years after release. It was ground-breaking at the time and still sounds fresh and relevant today. On a related note I saw GZA at Dreamland in Margate in the summer of 2023 (he was performing, and not just a on the rides with his family) and it was fucking awful!!
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Definitely deserves to be on this list. I've got a couple of other RHCP albums and listen to them regularly.
Fiona Apple
1/5
Made it to the beginning of track 3 after being tempted to switch off half way through track 2. It was truly awful.
The Electric Prunes
1/5
Complete and utter dogshit. No musical quality that I can discern.
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
I didn't realise it was live until I started reading the wikipedia page. It sounds amazing. The guitar playing was amazing. I can fully understand why it's on this list. I loved it and will listen again, and again, and again ....
The Doors
3/5
A decent album, nothing on there to make me stop listening. There were two more well-known tracks, and they were basically a distillation of the rest of the album. If it came on again I'd probably listen to it, but I wouldn't actively search it out and listen again. That, to me, is the sign of a 3 star album.
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
I could, and possibly should, have stopped listening after the first 5 or 6 tracks. The track of old people just talking - what the fuck is that all about? The last couple of tracks were better though. I've never really understood the love for Simon and Garfunkel, and this album has done nothing to help in that regard.
William Orbit
3/5
Really good example of chill-out electronic music.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Yee-haw. I'm a fat middle-aged white boy in South-East England so this album is probably way outside the norms of my musical tastes - but it was pretty good. I mean, I won't be rushing out to buy it, but it was easy listening.
Johnny Cash
3/5
This is the first Johnny Cash album that's come up on the list for me. I wasn't expecting much, and it managed to slightly exceed those expectations. I appreciate the guy was 70+ when he recorded this, but his vocals weren't very good. Musically it was very sparse, which I'm was an intentional less-is-more approach. I listened all the way through and there were a couple of decent tracks. It's 3 stars from me.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Vocally this is fantastic - the two female voices are quite different but equally distinctive, and they just complement each other perfectly. Musically I found it quite sparse, but maybe that was intentional to let the voices do the talking (no pun intended). Plenty of classic tracks, both originals and covers. It's easy to see why this album is so highly lauded by lots of people.
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
This is a exceptional album, it was one of the first of it's kind and paved the way for this style of music. I don't think there is one weak track on it. I've listened to it before, and will listen to it again.
The Zombies
3/5
I'd never heard of The Zombies so I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought the first track was pretty bad, but experience on this site has taught me to be patient and the album soon got better. There were a few more 'poor' tracks but overall it was pretty good. I'll go with 3 stars, but it is probably 3.5 stars in reality (but definitely not 4 imo)!
Bad Company
5/5
This is a great album. The songs are so well written. There's a real range of tracks too, not just copies of the same track. I do believe that the 70's was a real peak period for music production. Paul Rodgers is a great singer, which obviously helps too.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
It never felt like it got going, if you know what I mean. It wasn't bad. Bland is probably the best word to describe it.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Started off hating it, the first track was just annoying, no real content to it. After that it started to get better and by the end I was actually enjoying it - in a "nostalgic, sound of the 80's" way. It made me think that maybe you have to get into the right mood to enjoy it, so I listened to track 1 again - it was still fucking awful though! Overall, better than I was expecting.
The Darkness
5/5
Another album I know very well, I bought it after hearing 'I believe in a thing called love' on Soccer AM. I was blown away by the album, and still am now. I don't think there's a bad track on it. I don't think there are too many bands with such a distinctive, identifying sound.
The Byrds
2/5
It was ok, a couple of tracks were marginally better than the rest. It wasn't so bad I needed to turn it off, but I won't be listening again.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
I listened to this many years ago, I think I had a CD copy at one time. I forgot how good it is. I'll be listening again now I've rediscovered it.
The Black Keys
5/5
This is a fantastic album. I can't really label it a particular style or genre, there were many different influences. If I had to name it I would call it blues-rock-funk. I don't think there were any weak tracks. It flowed so well. I listened to it twice initially and will be delving into the artists catalogue.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
I already own it and have listened to it more times than I can remember. It's one of the few albums I can listen to back-to-back and not get bored. Every track is a masterpiece. It perfectly encapsulates the 70's for me. It really was a golden period for music, and for Stevie individually it was the culmination of his classic period. If you don't like this you're probably someone I don't want to know!!
Duran Duran
3/5
I was a teenage for most of the 80's and always found Duran Duran to be utter wank. This album didn't really change my mind significantly. It was better than I expected, but still not something I would actively seek out to listen to. Le Bon's voice just grates on me, and musically it's fairly basic.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
This was not at all what I expected, in a positive way. I was expecting a country\folk\rock album, but although there are elements of that it was primarily a jazz sound that I heard. Some tracks were a little weaker, but as a whole it was very good. A particular highlight is Spinning Wheel, which was sampled with great effect by 3rd Bass on the Sons of 3rd Bass track (a favourite of mine). I give it an unexpected 4 stars!
Ryan Adams
2/5
The ads on youtube sounded better than some of the tracks. I made it all the way through, but it was insepid to the extreme. Like eating a bowl of dry special k cereal.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
It wasn't as good as the other Velvet Underground album I already listened to via this site - and that got 3 stars, and a fairly mediocre rating. I wasn't sure who Nico was and and their involvement in this album. I had to google this information and, perhaps, unsurprisingly she was the 'singer' that strangled a few tracks. Sorry, it's a no from me.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Another good album from Led Zeppelin. I think III is the best of the bunch that I've heard so far, but this is up with with II.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
I was expecting a lot but was left disappointed. When I looked at the list of contributing artists it was either someone I'd never heard of, or someone I'd always enjoyed and admired. Musically it was ok in places, but generally I felt it was trying too hard to be edgy. The rapping was pretty similar, too edgy for me and made my ear hurt. On reflection, maybe it's my age, I am in my 50's - but I grew up listening to rap, funk, soul, hip-hop etc and they are my preferred genres. I'm confused, maybe if I listen to it again I will like it, but that is not on my agenda.
Gary Numan
3/5
This was as 80's as a rubiks cube wearing spandex and deely boppers. It wasn't bad, a bit monotonous, vocally he's very robotic but I get the impression that's intentional. I reckon 3 stars is about right.
The Band
5/5
Well I never.... another album from an artist I'm not very familiar with that turns out to be a bit of a gem. I find it difficult to pigeon hole this into any specific genre, seems like a lot of ingredients here to make a fairly unique sound. I will be listening again.
Tracy Chapman
5/5
You can't really fault this album. It was something completely different when it came out, and it snowballed to the point that everyone seemed to have a copy and listen to it almost constantly. It didn't matter what your usual choice of music was, you had a copy of this album. Several standout tracks, not one weak track.
The Lemonheads
2/5
Not my cup of tea in the slightest. I did make it all the way through so it gets 2 stars.
Leftfield
3/5
It's like someone bottled the 90's and condensed it into an album. It's not an album I'd heard in it's entirety before, but I had had several of the tracks individually. It was nicve, very easy to listen to, but nothing ground-breaking - there are many better examples of this type of music from the same period in time.
Sonic Youth
1/5
In some ways, this album is approaching a record, it's the only one I've reviewed that somewhat approaches the awfulness of 'The Cramps' album (don't think I'll ever get over the experience of that one, it was horrendous). Couldn't make it all the way through so it's a 1 star for me.
Santana
5/5
This was exactly my kind of album. So smooth and just effortlessly moves from track to track. I could listen to it multiple times on repeat, in fact, I already did.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
I wasn't aware of this Curtis Mayfield album, although I have several of other solo albums and some of the Impressions tracks. This is a gem, so understated, no heavy production - just pure, raw funky-soul vibes. I love it and have added it to my wants list. Perfection.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
There were a couple of tracks that drifted aimlessly and had me reaching for the skip\next button, but there were many more tracks that I really enjoyed, perhaps surprisingly. Vocally it was pretty dire, but musically it was pretty good.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
I tried, I really did, but it was fucking awful. They didn't sound very competent on their instruments at all, and vocally it was like someone mumbling through their sleeve. I have a strong feeling this is entirely the sound they are going for - and if it is, they absolutely nailed it - but it's got no musical merit in my world.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I was probably in a minority being someone in my 50's that's never listened to this album before. It wasn't really what I was expecting, it seemed a bit more electric rather than rock. That being said, it was pretty good with a couple of standout tracks.
Frank Zappa
3/5
It was another "better than expected" experience. I was expecting it to be completely "out there" garbage and there were several moments when it veered towards that, but it course corrected pretty quickly. Quite jazzy, I was expecting folk \ rock type music. I wouldn't put it in any "greatest albums of all time" lists, but it was eminently listenable.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
I'm very "take it or leave it" when it comes to Fleetwood Mac. I've never had to stop listening to one of their tracks, and (even when it comes to their biggest hits) never wanted to re listen. They are the epitome of beige to me. This album didn't change that at all. As such, 3 stars is the perfect rating.
Prince
3/5
Prince is right up there for me, by that I mean right up there with a lot of other well respected artists that I just don't get. I'll admit that he has released more than a handful of songs that I do actually like, but fuck me, this lad released 1000's of songs so there were always going to be a few I liked. This album was fairly boring to me - simple drum beats, rhythmic chanting, nothing special....
Songhoy Blues
3/5
That was a rollercoaster. After 10 seconds of the first track I was considering turning it off. I persevered and after a couple of tracks I was actually enjoying it. By the end of the album it had all got a bit too 'samey' for me and I'd just about had enough. Musically it was quite unique, I could hear the obvious and expected influences from Africa, but also some rock and folk tones too. I won't be rushing to hear anymore of their work, or even give this particular album a rerun - but it was worth listening. Another 3 stars from me.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
It was ok. I listened to the whole album and there was not one song that jarred with me. Equally, nothing really caught my attention. She's got a nice voice, very smooth and clear. Musically I've never gelled with country music, and this is about as pop-orientated as country music gets and I still couldn't gel with it. Another 3 star album for me.
Michael Jackson
5/5
He was an absolute not job, but he could make great music - and he knocked out a few amazing albums over a 15 year stretch, including this one. Say what you want about him inn a non-musical sense, but musically he is one of the greatest artists of all time. Every track is a banger!
The xx
3/5
If anyone was stupid enough to read my reviews they would see a small number of recurring patterns, and this album falls in the "I wasn't expecting much, but it was better than I expected, although still not particularly good" pattern. It probably lies somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, I'm feeling generous so will give it 3.
Bob Dylan
3/5
I don't really get Bob Dylan. It's not that he's not talented or his songs are shit, but I don't get the reverence he's afforded. Maybe you had to be around in the 60's (although plenty of younger people also worship him too)! Take this album for example, it was ok, there wasn't anything offensive or jarring on there - but to me it sounded no different from any bloke+guitar you can hear down your local pub on a Friday or Saturday night. In much the same vein as Ed Sheeran really ... don't get me started on that monotonous ginger cunt, it still brings me some happiness that after 250 or so albums on this site I've yet to be served an Ed Sheeran album. If (when) that happens I may have to stop listening.
Solomon Burke
4/5
I've got a compilation CD of his greatest hits, and there's a few from this album on there. There's a rawness about his voice that makes an average song into a good one, and a good song into a great one. I really enjoyed this album. It probably sounds really dated and old to the younger crowd, but to me there's very much "a less is more" element to good music.
The Beta Band
2/5
Never heard of this band before, and I'm quite pleased about that. I couldn't get into it at all. The vocals were annoying, the music was soft and boring. If it was a colour it would be beige. If it was a food it would be porridge. Just bland, boring, nothingness. I did just about make it all the way through, so it gets 2 stars.
Eminem
4/5
I remember this album being released. I bought a copy. I played it a lot. Everyone was playing it a lot. I still listen to it now and then. The funny thing is, though, that over time I have become a bit more critical. It's still very good, but there are too many weak tracks on there for my liking. If an album gets 5 stars it's because every track is good (or more 1 or 2 slightly weaker tracks). I'll go with 4 stars for that reason alone.
Blondie
3/5
I was a young lad when this album came out. I remember all of the classic tracks but I've never listened to the complete album previously. It was exactly how I expected it to be. It's a symbol of the late 70's when music was changing constantly. I would listen again if it came on, but I wouldn't actively seek it out to listen again. It's got 3 stars written all over it!
Pearl Jam
4/5
I've heard the name Pearl Jam previously, but I wouldn't have been able to name a single track of theirs. It just wasn't the sort of music I listened to ... until recently. After being blown away by the Nirvana album, and learning how Pearl Jam were considered to be of a similar genre, I was looking forward to this. The album started slowly, and didn't reach the (admittedly, lofty) heights of Nevermind, but it was still very good.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
I don't know what to make of that. At times it sounded like a bootleg version of the Eagles, just with shittier songs. At other times it sounded like a counterfeit Bryan Adams, but with shittier songs - and his songs are shitty enough as it is, so make of that what you will will. I made it all the way through, so it gets 2 stars, but I just can't bring myself to give it 3 stars. More than once I checked to see how long was left - and that, to me, is not a good sign. I'm sticking with 2 stars.
TLC
5/5
That took me back. I hadn't listened to this album in years. It still sounds great even now, 30 years later. There are a few filler tracks that do let it down, but there are more than enough absolute classics that far outweigh the weaker tracks and elevate it. It was ground-breaking in many ways at the time, and led to a whole host of other female groups combining R&B and rap.
Fugees
5/5
An absolute classic album for people of my generation - if you're into this sort of music, and perhaps even if you aren't. It was one of the soundtrack albums of 1996, and beyond. I don't think there is one weak track on it. The vocals complement each other, and the music, perfectly. I listened to it one, then again, for a grand total of "two times"!
Garbage
3/5
Fairly bland, found myself falling asleep. I don't doubt that people who like this kind of music will think this a cracking album, but it was all a bit moist for me.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
One of my most treasured possessions is an original copy of this LP. I love every single second of this album. It is musical perfection to me. I listen to it regularly (not the original LP, that's too precious). Although only a few tracks were released as singles I feel like every single track stands on it's own and would have had success as a single release. The fact that it grows in popularity as time goes on is a mark of it's quality.
Bobby Womack
3/5
I like Bobby Womack and his music, going back as far as The Valentinos. There's a couple of good tracks on this album, and several nice tracks, but even with my bias towards this kind of music I'm struggling to see what makes this album one of the 1001 I must hear.
John Cale
3/5
It was ok, some nice moments, but another one where I'm unsure why it's included on this list. I didn't consider turning it off, nor would I seek it out again for a re-listen. That has got 3 stars written all over it.
Pixies
2/5
This is not really my thing. It's quite angsty and almost emo-y, if you know what I mean. I did manage to make it all the way through and there were a couple of musical highs - but sadly, the rest of it was one long low, and the vocals were pretty awful. I hope this is the only album from this band in the list, that says it all I suppose.
Rush
2/5
I couldn't get into this at all. If it wasn't for the youtube adds between each track it would just have sounded like a single track lasing 40 minutes, played by a bunch of teenagers on instruments they bought from the toy section of Argos. I made it all the way through so it gets 2 stars ... just!
Alice In Chains
2/5
Another album that I couldn't get into. Admittedly it's not really my genre, but I can think of many other albums that aren't really "my thing" that I thoroughly enjoyed. I did make it all the way through so it gets 2 stars!
Peter Gabriel
1/5
The shit run continues. I've had a few bad albums in a row, and this one is as bad as any of them. I already had one of his albums and gave that 2 stars .... after hearing this that other album now feels like it should have been rated higher. Utter horse shit. I could make better music than this.
Bauhaus
1/5
The run of awful albums continues. How the fuck did this end up on the list? I have a rule that if I listen to the whole album it gets 2 stars - and while I did make it the whole way through, I did so while composing a couple of emails complaining to companies that have messed up dealings with me. The true awfulness of the music was obscured by my pre-occupation!
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Strangely, the lesser known tracks stand up really well against the more well-known tracks. A fantastic album. It's nice to finally get another genre-defining album after the recent dross I'd been served up.
Massive Attack
5/5
Very few albums \ artists \ tracks have the effect of transporting you to a place and\or time. This is one of those albums though. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I was back with my mates in the early 1990's - driving round in Tommy's 205 GTi (1.9 obviously) or Jay's XR3i cab. Another genre-creating album, one of the easiest 5 starts I've given.
The Fall
1/5
After a run of dog-shite albums I had two 5-stars in a row, and then I got served up this monstrosity. Absolute garbage. I wanted to turn it off half-way through the first track but was intrigued about the cover of 'Lost In Music' so stuck it out. Fuck me, they butchered that song. I skipped to the next track for one last chance, and it was the worst of the three sofar. I had no hesitation to stop listening. The singers voice is horrific, just really grates on you, and doesn't complement the music in anyway. The music is pretty poor to start with.
John Martyn
3/5
Vocally it was just some old geezer mumbling, I didn't enjoy that aspect at all. However, musically there were some very nice tracks. It was very difficult to put a genre on it - could pick out some influences from folk, rock, jazz.
SZA
3/5
It was listenable. It sounded like x number of artists you hear on urban \ contemporary radio nowadays. I didn't find anything on there that would make me listen again.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
This album takes me back to being a child in the 70's. It felt like every track was played on the radio fairly frequently. It's one of those albums where every track is well-known and well-regarded in it's own right. You can't fault it really, and when you discover the turmoil that was happening between the band members when producing this it is even more impressive.
Queen
4/5
I can completely see why this album is included. It's not Queen's best album, but you can see it as a precursor to their best period. The sound was almost there, there are a few tracks that really show it. Not quite 5 star material for me, but a fucking good album nevertheless!
Violent Femmes
3/5
I had no idea who this band was. I was familiar with the opening track, it's been used in TV, film and adverts before - but I couldn't have told you who it was by. After that I was expecting the rest of the album to be pretty bad, but it was actually quite listenable. I wouldn't say it was my thing, or that I will seek it out again though.
Femi Kuti
2/5
I'm listening to these albums on youtube (I don't have any of the music subscription services) and there was no 'complete' album I could find. I had to find the tracks individually, I didn't manage to find all of them. It's possible all that extra effort clouded my judgement but I wasn't ever really 'feeling' the music. The fact I put in this extra effort for a few tracks probably means it's about 2 stars.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
That was a hard listen. It wasn't without some musical merit, but it was so far up itself it was generally unpleasant. I did listen to the whole album, mostly in a "driving past an accident on the motorway and you have to look over" way, so it's 2 stars.
OutKast
5/5
Fantastic album. If you were old enough to remember the 90's and were into urban music then you would probably remember this was ground-breaking. Outkast has a very unique sound.
The Smiths
4/5
Another very surprising outcome. This is the 3rd Smiths album I've had on this list and the previous 2 were split between good and bad experiences. This was another good experience. A couple of really good tracks, and the rest weren't bad either.
Sleater-Kinney
2/5
It's a pass from me. It wasn't entirely without merit, I made it through the whole album so there must be some musicality in there. The vocals were pretty awful. It just sounded like one long track, there was no discernible difference - to me at least.
Chicago
5/5
I've always enjoyed Chicago. This album is an absolute belter, the musicianship is amazing and the tracks effortlessly show that. Not a single weak track on there.
Crowded House
5/5
Another group that I've always liked. I bought Recurring Dream, a compilation of their greatest hits, many years ago and it has been on fairly regular rotation since then. Plenty of Woodface tracks are on the compilation, but there are several others I was hearing for the first time. The whole album was great, even the new songs. The vocal are always amazing, beautiful harmonies and the lyrics are very clever. Musically the can tend to sound very 'samey' - but then you could probably level that accusation at nearly every band. I think there will only be a very small number of people that don't like this album.
Taylor Swift
1/5
I couldn't even last 1 song. Fucking awful person, even worse as an artist. No musical merit whatsoever. Her unbelievable popularity is one of the most damning indictments of her generation. One of the few times I have wished that this site allowed zero stars!!!!
3/5
I can't listen to any U2 songs without thinking of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8dZwXnMrRU ...
I didn't dislike the album, the 3 more well-known tracks that leads off the album are good. The rest of the album is fairly bland.
Red Snapper
3/5
I'd never heard of this band or, by extension, this album. After a quick read of the linked wikipedia page I was quite excited, it sounded like it would be right up my street. However, I was quite wrong. I couldn't really get into it. It wasn't bad, just very mediocre, like a chicken-in-a-basket version of Radiohead.
The Specials
5/5
The Specials, Bad Manners, Madness, The Beat etc.. I was around when this was all happening. It was incredible. I didn't appreciate at the time that many of these songs were covers. I imagine that my kids, and their kids, would not enjoy this album, but to me it evokes so many memories that I can't do anything other than give it 5 stars!
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
1/5
I'm going to break one of my conventions with this album. I made it all the way through which gets a guaranteed 2 stars minimum, but for this album it's only going to get 1. Let's be honest here, it's rambling, mumbling shite, with minimal musical merit and next to no instrumentation. I only made it all the way through as I got sucked into a rabbit hole reading about the artists life. If I was grading on that it would be 5 stars!
Beatles
4/5
This is the second Beatles album I've served up, and after being pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the first one it's more of the same here. I've never got The Beatles before, but there is no denying that they created some great music. It wasn't as good as Revolver (the other album) but not far off.
De La Soul
5/5
This album had a seismic impact when it was released. I've still got the original vinyl copy I purchased on import. There was nothing else really like it. The skits between tracks, the lyrics, the humour, the sound! I'm probably in a minority by saying the follow-up album -De La Soul Is Dead - is better. That really is splitting hairs though, they are both incredible. One of the easiest 5 stars I've given.
The Associates
1/5
At last, an album bad enough to challenge The Cramps. I wanted to turn it off after about 30 seconds of the first track, but I've been surprised many times while working through the albums on this list so I persevered. Made it to track 3, and that was a huge fucking effort to not turn off. Musically it was awful, vocals were just as bad. The only plus side was this is the bands only release, thank fuck for that!
Mercury Rev
4/5
What a pleasant surprise. I made the mistake of reading about the artist and album before actually listening, which allowed my prejudices to kick in and tell me "you ain't gonna like this". They were wrong (for once), the first track was beautifully haunting, and the final track was uplifting and joyous. In between, there were undoubted low points but also many high points. It was difficult to pigeon-hole this music - I could hear many influences throughout such as pop, jazz, soul, rock, etc. I can't quite give it 5 stars, but it's an easy 4 stars.
Calexico
4/5
Another cracking album. It was very understated and easy to listen to. Perfect for a warm night, a few beers and a bottle of rum.
Neil Young
3/5
I've previously reviewed a few Neil Young solo albums, and a few with Crazy Horse and Buffalo Springfield. I don't know if I should be surprised but I've rated one album a 1 and 1 album a 5 - and a couple in between. This one was on the 'better'side. First of all, his vocals are fucking awful - he sounds like my 90 years Grandma just before she croaked. Musically it was quite nice, easy to listen to . I wouldn't seek it out again though, but wouldn't turn it off it came on by chance. That to me is 3 star material!
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
In the words of Andy Townsend - \"not for me Clive\". It sounded like someone with ADHD just saying random sentences as quickly as possible, while his mates messed about with a drum machine and a Casio keyboard. I am a big fan of rap\hip-hop, albeit I am in my 50's so I'm probably much more 'old school' than most, but this album did nothing for me. Maybe I need to give it a few listens to appreciate it, but I needed a tiny spark from the first listen to do that, and I got nothing. It's 2 stars for me.
Morrissey
5/5
This is the first Morrissey album I've ever listened to. I was also in a similar situation in respect of The Smiths, and I've listened to three of their albums via this website - one bad, two good. As a result of my experience with The Smiths albums I wasn't sure what to expect from this album, I am pleased to say this was another good, in fact great, album. Eminently listenable, the lyrics are really clever, the music is top-notch, and I like his singing voice. There wasn't one bad track. I absolutely loved "You're the One for Me, Fatty" and "Certain People I Know". I will be listening again for sure.
T. Rex
4/5
Another really enjoyable album. I was a child in T. Rex's heyday. Marc Bolan died just up the road from where I lived as a child. So I have a bit of an affinity with their music. I had heard a few tracks on this album before, but even the tracks I was hearing for the first time were good. Not really 5 star material, but a comfortable 4 stars!
Scott Walker
3/5
It wasn't bad at all. Musically it was ok and he has a nice singing voice and style. I just couldn't get into it. It sounded a bit like all the songs were made up on the spot. At times his voice veered into Vic Reeves doing his club singer, or Neil Hannnon and The Divine Comedy.
Dire Straits
4/5
This was great. I've obviously heard 'Sultans of Swing' before, but the rest of the album was new to me. There weren't any weak tracks. It was a little bit short, but there's no point padding an album with filler. I will make sure to listen again.
Queen
5/5
Who doesn't love a bit of Queen. There are parts of this album that are absolutely bonkers, and I mean that in a nice way. In fact, the whole album is almost completely bonkers. And therein lies the whole majesty (geddit?) of Queen. They were almost unique in their sound, nothing like it before or since.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
It wasn't awful. It was fairly boring really. There were a couple of brief moments (The Pilgrim was one) where it briefly got interesting, but generally it was nondescript and boring. I wouldn't bother listening to it again.
Brian Eno
1/5
I've had 2 previous Brian Eno albums on this list, and both were utter horse-shit. I wasn't expecting much from this, and it duly obliged. In fairness it was nowhere near the banality of one of the previous Eno albums, and was on a par with the other one. I get that it was the ambient music ground-breaker, but any old prick with a keyboard could have made this album by just striking one or two keys periodically. I was a given a voucher for a massage last year and this music could have been what they played during the massage, it sent me to sleep then and it did the same now.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
Fuck me, what a surprise. The surprise being that this is the second album from this band I've been served up on this site. I am amazed that anyone would think this is a good album. At least there is consistency, because it was exactly the same listening experience for me as the first album of theirs. So much so I have copied my comments below, as there are just as apt for this album....
\"I tried, I really did, but it was fucking awful. They didn't sound very competent on their instruments at all, and vocally it was like someone mumbling through their sleeve. I have a strong feeling this is entirely the sound they are going for - and if it is, they absolutely nailed it - but it's got no musical merit in my world.\"
Please, please, please, I hope there are no more of their albums on this list.
Fatboy Slim
5/5
It's barely believable that this album is almost 30 years old. It was one of the first albums of it's kind. There are multiple tracks on here that absolutely became anthems, and several others that were overshadowed by these through no fault of their own. If you don't like, or at least appreciate, this album you should check your pulse.
The White Stripes
4/5
This was pretty good, a lot better than I was hoping. I could hear lots of Blues influences with a very raw feel. I would definitely listen to this again.
Gotan Project
4/5
Another cracking little album. I think it's been one of the more 'unique' albums on here. I've lost count of the number of albums in the more popular genres (rock, country, rap, soul, jazz etc), but this one comfortably sits alone as I don't think I've heard anything else like it yet and I'm just past 300 albums in.
The Prodigy
5/5
This brings back so many memories. I listened to this album more times than I can remember. I can unashamedly say that these were the best years of my life. The Prodigy were so in tune with the youth of the time, these songs are timeless, like a soundtrack of the 90's to me. I think the lesser-known tracks are better than the hits.
Boston
5/5
Loved it. Every single track was excellent.
Franz Ferdinand
2/5
Fairly boring to me. It wasn't bad, but there was nothing I heard that made me take notice - or want to re-listen.
David Bowie
2/5
I still don't get how revered Bowie is. This is the fourth (I think) album of his on this list, and only one of them was what I'd consider a good album. Sadly, this album is not that one.
Public Enemy
5/5
Another classic from my youth. We listened to this album so many times when driving round in our cars. It amazes me that it still sounds fresh now.
JAY Z
4/5
I've never listened to a Jay Z album before, only individual tracks. It was good, it flowed very nicely from track to track. I'll definitely listen again. I've got a feeling it will grow on me with each further listen.
TV On The Radio
2/5
I'm really struggling with this album. It's playing in the background right now, and I'm on about track 4 or 5, but it's not really enjoyable. It's not 'pull your ears off' bad, it's just laborious and boring. It feels like I've been listening for about 3 hours.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Fucking hell, that is an amazing album. I've listened to a few Led Zeppelin albums via this site and they are not at all what I expected. This is the best of them so far, and I am struggling to believe it's possible they could top this one. I've immediately put the album back on again for a second listen. One of the easiest 5 stars I've given so far!
4/5
I'd have a couple of bad Bowie experiences and a couple of middling to good experiences while working through this site. This album is definitely the best one yet, not quite % stars but eminently listenable.
D'Angelo
5/5
I must admit to buying this album on release and have probably listened to it upwards of 100 times. I absolutely love it. When it came out there were a lot of R&B artists that, although not exactly copy\paste of each other, had a lot of very strong similarities in their sound (and I think a lot of that was die to the same small pool of producers etc). D'Angelo's album was so far removed from those sounds that it stood out like a beacon. I could easily put this album on loop and not get bored for hours, or even days.
Madonna
1/5
Unintentionally I listened to the 30th anniversary release rather than the original release. The re-release album was two tracks shorter (woohoo) but some of the tracks were extended and\or dance mixes (boo). If you haven't worked it out yet I didn't enjoy this experience. I haven't lived under a rock so I am aware of Madonna and have heard several of these tracks multiple times - but that was never out of choice. I didn't even make it all the way through, so by default this gets 1 star!
MGMT
2/5
Something weird happened. I listened to the whole album, it wasn't great but it was good enough that I made it all the way through. And then, the Kids track came on again before I could close the tab - and I really enjoyed it. So I thought I'd give the album another go. Turns out the Kids track is the highlight, the rest of it is pretty boring.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
I've listened to this album more times than I care to remember. I have original vinyl copies of this album, their debut album Peoples Instinctive Travels and the third album Midnight Marauders. All of them are incredible, and 5 stars in my opinion. If I have a slight preference it is for Midnight Marauders (which probably puts me in a minority).
Joni Mitchell
2/5
The 4th album of hers I've listened via this site, and it was the worst, or weakest, of all of them. It wasn't "unlistenable" but the meter of the lyrics and the music didn't match up for large parts - it sounded like when you and your mates were trying to make up lyrics to a song on the spot, and you over-ran or came up short by a few syllables. I have no desire to listen again. I did make it all the way through so I have to give it 2 stars.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
I decided to get in my truck, with my woman and my dog, drink a bottle of whisky, have a few beers with the boys, shoot something ..... blah, blah, blah. It's not my musical taste at all. The lyrics were so cliched they made my arsehole itch! Well, that is, most of the lyrics - he started fantasizing about killing his ex because she had the nerve to leave him, not sure I've heard that sentiment in a supposedly 'top-rated' album before. I did manage to listen to the whole album, so it gets 2 stars.
Venom
1/5
The only way I could tell it wasn't a single, incredibly monotonous song was by the occasional youtube ad (and the 'video paused, are you still watching' message about 2/3 of the way through). It doesn't say much for this album that I actually started looking forward to the ads as highlights. I've enjoyed a lot of other metal albums on this list, so it's not a musical preference thing - this was just a shit album. I intentionally didn't listen to the last couple of tracks so I could give it 1 star - a kind of musical opposite to a chef's kiss, a chef's punch? a clef's punch?
Throwing Muses
2/5
I made it all the way through. When listening to an album or artist for the first time one of the ways I grade it is by whether it makes me stop what I'm doing and listen again, or do some research online etc. None of these things happened while listening to this album. Total blandness to me.
Pixies
2/5
This is the second Pixies album I've ever listened to, the first was also via this site. It wasn't terrible, but equally it wasn't very good. I did make it all the way through, and a couple of tracks were interesting. The best thing about this album is the cover, that is a cracking pair of tits!!!!
The Strokes
3/5
It was pretty good. I wasn't tempted to turn it off at any stage, so it passed the "fuck me, this is shit" test. I didn't re-listen to any of the tracks or the whole album so it failed the "that was great\good and I'd like to hear it again" test.
The Dictators
4/5
That was superb. I went in blind, not having a clue about the band or the type of music. You could hear the precursor to punk in there clearly, but a very strong rock and even folk thread too. I loved the cover of Sonny & Cher, it was better than the original.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4/5
On the whole this was pretty good. It seemed to last forever, 42 tracks is a bit excessive. I love bluegrass style banjo, I've been playing on and off for a few years but I am fucking hopeless. Earl Scruggs is a legend, and the tracks where he was to the fore were exceptional. Some of the other tracks weren't so good but it's still a strong 4 stars for me.
Deep Purple
3/5
I'm listening to these albums via youtube, I'm anti-subscription (showing my age)! Occasionally youtube, for whatever reason, decides that I can't listen to certain tracks of an album - and for this album there were 3 'unavailable' tracks. The album only had 7 tracks in total, so I missed out on ~40% of the album. The bits that youtube permitted me to hear were very good though, particularly 'Smoke On The Water'. In summary, good album, but youtube is a fascist, controlling, soul-less entity run by cunts ... you're welcome.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
Obviously, I've heard a few of their tracks before, I don't live in a cave! I've never felt the urge to listen to a whole album though. It was pretty good, better than I was expecting. I really liked the lyrics, there was something unique and raw about them. The music wasn't bad either. There were multiple highlights and only a couple of tracks where I started to get bored. I have a hunch it will grow on me when I listen to it again, which I plan to do.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Fuck youtube in the arse with a red-hot poker! I was listening away and after 3 tracks I heard some bint wittering on about investing in crypto, there was no 'skip ad' button - it showed as a track in the album playlist and was 57 minutes long!!! I eventually worked out I just had to click on the next track button. However, this just highlights how the tech giants have now monetised us all. I'm old enough to remember the hopes we had for the internet, back in the earl and mid 1990's. We've allowed a small number of people and companies to bastardise it instead, just to line their pockets and try to control the masses. We need to burn it all down <rant over>.
Errrm, ok, just realised I haven't mentioned the music at all. I enjoyed. It wasn't something I was particularly looking forward to or expecting much from, but it was ok. There was an element of 'waiting room music' to it, and it felt a bit repetitive by the end. I wouldn't seek it out for a re-listen, but wouldn't turn it off it got served up again.
Hole
4/5
I was expecting to hate this, but it was good, very good in fact. I've always considered Courtney Love to be a bit of a cunt, and maybe she is, but I should have learned by now that whether someone is a cunt or not doesn't usually have any bearing on whether said person can make good music.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
I can remember my parents playing this when I was a nipper in the 70's. Whenever I hear the intro it gives me goosebumps. The intro is the best part (imo) but in fairness, it's pretty good the whole way through. I definitely enjoyed it this time round (and I doubt I'd heard the whole album for 40+ years). I think any album that evokes such strong memories is significant.
Tori Amos
2/5
It was listenable, but it's really not my thing. It has that Kate Bush \ Joanna Newsom feel that I just can't get with. The vocals are bouncing about all the time, and they have the feel of somewhere making the words up as they go along. Musically, there's nothing special there. If this is your thing then knock yourself out, but personally it's a pass. I made it all the way through so it's 2 stars for me Clive!
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
This was pretty good. I've had more than my fair share of Neil Young albums come up so far, so his presence on this album scared the fuck out of me (his solo albums have been shockingly bad). However, there were some pretty good tracks and only a few low points (ahem, tracks with the aforementioned Mr Young's vocals prominent).
Norah Jones
3/5
Nice enough, a little bit dreary really. No offense, but it just felt like the same track on repeat. It would be a useful aid if you have insomnia or something like that.
DJ Shadow
5/5
Another album that I was fortunate enough to buy on release and have listened to more times than I can count. It's another ground-breaking album. There really wasn't anything like this at the time it came out. It spawned thousands of replicas which all fell short of this masterpiece.
Milton Nascimento
2/5
In terms of this list, it has a pretty unique sound, I'm not sure I've been served any other albums of this genre. Which leads me to a question - what genre is this? It sounded like a wishy-washy spoof of western pop music. There's an fella in Italy that made a track a long time ago, that was basically a load of gibberish made to sound like popular English-speaking music of the time. I am reminded of that by this album. It was like a Brazilian Brian Eno album - ok, it wasn't that bad! It wasn't "I can't listen to this shit" bad, but I wouldn't find myself seeking it out for a re-listen. If it's your 'thing' then good for you, but it's not for me.
Gram Parsons
2/5
Fucking dire. I'll admit that Country music is not one of my favourites - but, that being said, I've listened to several albums from that genre on this list and can at least appreciate them and notice some musical value. Somehow I made it all the way through without turning off - more due to being preoccupied with something else rather the music grabbing me - so I'll give it 2 stars!
Oasis
4/5
Here's the thing, I quite like Oasis. I have a copy of (What's The Story) Morning Glory and spent a lot of time listening to it. I moved to Manchester in April 1996 and it was the soundtrack of that first summer, Euro 96, Hacienda (which was in it's final stages) etc ... Christ, I sound like Ron Manager ... "jumpers for goalposts, experience replica shirts, isn't it, mmmm?"
Anyway, this is a good album, but not as good as the follow up. I'm going with 4 stars!
Dr. Dre
5/5
A classic album. It elevated rap to a new level. There are a few artists\albums\tracks that have done that down the years and this belongs amongst those.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
I was expecting a lot better. I'm aware of many of his more popular tracks, but I hadn't ever listened to an album. Maybe it's one of those albums that gets better with each listen, but I couldn't put myself through it again. It's weird because I've always considered Elvis Costello to be a sort of musical genius\savant etc (admittedly, on a small sampling). It was listenable, but nothing special, so it's only 2 stars for me.
Orbital
4/5
Another band that represents the soundtrack of the best years of my life. Orbital were a constant presence in our playlists, and any pub or club we ever went to would probably play one or more of their tracks. The opening track is annoying - but if you've heard the bands debut album you would see why it's there. Otherwise it's a great example of the early 90's dance scene in the UK. I get why people may not like it though.
The Killers
3/5
It's not really "my thing" but I am aware of their existence and have heard the more well-known tracks before. It was ok, it never crossed my mind to turn it off, but I never really got into it. It feels bit better than 2 stars, so I'll give it 3.
The White Stripes
4/5
Fuck me sideways, that was really good. This is the second album of theirs I've had on this list, and both were significantly better than I expected. I had a re-listen right after it finished the first time, and it was just as good second time around. I preferred it to White Blood Cells marginally.
Radiohead
3/5
This is the sixth Radiohead album I've been served up on this list, and I can't for the life of me work out why that is. None of them have been bad and I made it all the way through each and every one of them. A few of them had some good tracks, and this one is no different as 'No Surprises' has always been hauntingly beautiful. However, I am yet to come across an album that I felt was better than 'meh, I didn't feel the need to turn it off'. Hopefully , this the final album of theirs that I get (confession, I had a look at their discography and I may be in luck in that regard)!
Yes
4/5
I've been scarred by some 'prog rock' albums on this list, so I started listening with my finger poised over the 'close window' button. However, the first track was good, very good in fact. The whole album was a lot better than I was expecting. I would happily listen to it again.
Snoop Dogg
5/5
Flawless. It set the scene for years. It still stands up now.
WARNING: If you listen to this via SnoopDoggTV on youtube you will want to blow your brains out. Adverts half-way through tracks - fuck yourself with that, you cunts! Fortunately, I have the original vinyl album and I have listened to that 100's of times since release, so I just switched to that.
The Libertines
4/5
I really wasn't sure what to expect from this album. I have no real idea about Pete Doherty beyond his early 2000's shenanigans - which were, admittedly, fairly interesting to watch in a perverse way. I have the debut Dirty Pretty Things album because I liked the Bang Bang You're Dead track - and to be fair, the rest of the album is pretty good. Anyway, enough rambling, this album was very good. There were more good tracks than bad tracks, and there were no tracks bad enough I had to question whether to continue listening.
U2
3/5
I could Ctrl-H my review for The Joshua Tree album!
Dusty Springfield
4/5
It was good, not as good as I was hoping, but still pretty good. I'd never heard the whole album before, which is a bit surprising as I have a lot of southern soul music in my collection.
Mariah Carey
1/5
Before I start listening .... "oh fuck, not the warbler"!
She likes a warble, I wasn't wrong, but this may not be the most 'warbly' she's ever been. Track 1 is decent. After that it gets very repetitive, very quickly. There are a few tracks of hers I like, but sadly, the 9.5 tracks that I made it through on this album weren't any of them. I had to switch off after 9.5 tracks as I was losing the will to live.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
My third Springsteen album on the list, and it probably lies somewhere between the other two (Born To Run and Born In The USA) in terms of how much I enjoyed it. Although the tracks weren't as well known, to me at least, they were really well-crafted.
Grateful Dead
3/5
With a name like Grateful Dead you'd expect heavy rock, something mean, a bit snarly. This was nothing like that though, It wasn't bad, it was just very soft - like Simon & Garfunkel with a few extra band members. As I said before, it wasn't bad, but it was disappointing.
Prince
3/5
There a few of his tracks I like, and I don't think his music is 'bad' but .... it just bores me. I just can't ever get into it. This album is a great example of that. I think Let's Go Crazy and When Doves Cry are very good but the rest of the tracks are just monotonous filler with no positives. If I never heard this album again I wouldn't be at all bothered. If it came on again there's a 50/50 chance I would listen to it without skipping or turning it off. I reckon it's a 2 or 3 star, at best. On the basis of the aforementioned 2 good tracks I will go with 3 stars.
Neil Young
2/5
One or two relatively bright moments amongst a monotony of shite! I really don't understand how this list has so many of his albums (including Crazy Horse etc). His singing voice just grates. Musically, the vast majority of what he churns out could be made by countless 'geezer and a guitar' types up and down the country. I did listen to the whole album, so it gets 2 stars. But please, no more Neil Young on this list, please, I beg you!
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Fever Ray
2/5
I'd never heard of this artist previously. I went in with an open mind but found it quite monotonous. It wasn't 'unlistenably' bad, but it just never got going. A lot of the tracks had the feel of someone finding a new feature on a sampler or drum machine and then hammering the fucking life out of said feature \ effect for a single track. I did make it all the way through, so for that it gets 2 stars.
Hawkwind
1/5
Absolute fucking tosh. I really went in with an open mind as this website has told me, time and again, that I should try to move beyond my musical biases. Made it to track 7 and pulled the plug. The weird Germanic voice cropping up a few times was off-putting.
Joy Division
2/5
Iyt wasn't terrible, but neither was it very good. The vocals were pretty awful. I did think it was quite interesting that you could hear the New Order sound in there. I made it all the way through so it gets 2 stars!
Air
4/5
Very evocative of a different time. It's very easy to listen to, quite soothing. I was listening on youtube and after the album finished the next couple of autoplay items were other Air tracks - and I didn't even notice the album had ended. It came get a bit beige and samey, but I would happily listen again.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Everyone should love a bit of RATM. It may not be your musical style, but the content is fucking incredible and the message gets across undeniably.
Tom Waits
2/5
I didn't dislike it, but it got very repetitive quite quickly. I did make it the whole way through so it's a minimum 2 stars. However, at the basic level it's a jazz album and there are numerous other jazz albums I own that I consider way better than this, and they are not on this list. So I'm going to stick with 2 stars.
Tom Waits
2/5
This came hot on the tails of 'Nighthawks At The Diner', also by Tom Waits. There was quite a large genre difference between the two albums. I made it all the way through but, like the previous album, it felt repetitive. I never really 'felt' it, but I did make it all the way through. So it gets 2 stars.
Rush
2/5
I'm not really sure what to rate this. I was close to turning it off within the first few minutes. It gradually got better after that. The last couple of tracks were very repetitive. It gets 2 stars.
Iggy Pop
3/5
I enjoyed this, and I really wasn't expecting that to happen. Very catchy and fairly unique sounding.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Musically this was really good, exactly the sort of thing I love discovering. I'm surprised I had no awareness of this at all. I read the wikipedia page for the album and then clicked on to the 'artist' page - fuck me, that is depressing, wish I'd remained ignorant to all that bollocks. Tbh, identify as whatever the fuck you want, it makes no difference to me - but I automatically think people like that are just trying too hard to be edgy and current, know what I mean? It's probably somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, musically closer to 4 - but all the bollocks about pronouns and identities makes me round down to 3.
Nirvana
4/5
Yeah, I'm already a Nirvana convert after listening to Nevermind and In Utero for the first time (courtesy of this site). This was more of the same, very enjoyable. It's scary to think about what might have happened in an alternate timeline where Cobain didn't top himself - would Nirvana have continued to turn out great albums, would they have gone to shit, would Foo Fighters ever had come to exist etc.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
What can you say about this album that hasn't already been said? It's a masterpiece. I am fortunate enough to own an original copy and have listened to it more times than I can remember.
The Temptations
4/5
I think I'm in a bit of a minority as I actually prefer this style of 'The Temptations', as it has moved to a raw, harder sound - really picking up on the funk explosion that was really taking off about this time. Don't get me wrong, the early Temptations stuff (e.g. My Girl) was still good and I am a big admirer.
David Bowie
2/5
Boring. I liked some of his earlier albums, but this album was just filler. I made it all the way through so it gets 2 stars by default.
Goldie
4/5
The hundreds, if not thousands, of people that are regularly reading my review notes will already be aware that this album was originally released during my drug-addled peak years. It's a classic. It was one of the first of it's kind and spawned a lot of copies.
Meat Puppets
4/5
I was not expecting to like this at all. Strangely, a few albums back, I was served up the Nirvana Unplugged album and these guys appeared on a few tracks. Anyway, this was really good. Lots of different influences. I would quite happily listen to it again.
Pere Ubu
1/5
I couldn't make it all the way through. It was awful. It's albums like this that really make me think though. Do the band sit in the recording studio and say "fuck yeah, we nailed that" or do they say "we fucking hate it, that's exactly the sound we are looking for"? In some ways I hope it's the latter. It reminds me of a quote that Chuck D from Public Enemy said about their creative process. He was so sick of the soul \ ballad shit in the 80's (think Freddie Jackson and Luther Van Dross) that he would play what the band had produced to his girlfriend and if she said she hated it then he knew they were onto something good. This album gets 1 star only, I couldn't get to end (I dropped out at track 5 for anyone that's interested)!
Little Richard
5/5
Perfection. Sure, there's a lot of similarities between most of the tracks, the lyrics aren't complicated, there is only basic instrumentation, etc.... but it just fucking rocks and you can't not tap your feet and nod your head. I've listened to a lot of 1950's music, but more focused on jazz, R&B. You can see how early pioneers merged the different forms of music and branched off in different directions.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
It's a really nice album, it highlights how a master of a single instrument can create an incredible experience. The back story about the recording makes it even more impressive. There were periods where it got slightly repetitive, but nothing too bad.
The Pharcyde
5/5
Another album I know all too well. I bought the vinyl when it came out, and have probably listened to it hundreds of times since then. It's an absolute classic, no weak tracks. It really was a peak period for creativity in hip-hop and rap. One of the easiest 5 stars I've given so far. I'm probably in a minority but I think Labcabincalifornia is also a classic, even though it's panned by critics!
David Bowie
2/5
There were a couple of good tracks early on, but it was really start to grate on me by the end. I had a look at the contributors and sure enough, Brian Eno was there. I'm a bit like those people that can smell cancer, in that I can hear when Eno is involved in album with a 99% success rate. That's mainly because the album sounds fucking awful. Anyway, I don't get the whole Bowie thing really. A couple of his other albums were good, but the bulk of it is just tosh to me. I amde it all the way through.... just. So it gets 2 stars.
Roxy Music
1/5
Track 1 was ok, not really my thing, but listenable. Track 2 was dogshit, the unmistakable stench of Eno was all over it. A quick check on wikipedia confirmed it, it's an Eno job! Fast forward to track 3, a little bit better. Then it went tits up again.
Beatles
3/5
It was pretty good, not on the level of the 2 other Beatles albums I've reviewed so far - but they were from later in their catalogue.
The Temptations
4/5
Another superb album from The Temptations. Much like Cloud Nine it has a raw and funky sound. If there was a 1001 songs to hear before you die then 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone' would be on that list. Fuck it, if the list was 101 songs it would still be on it.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
1/5
I sensed it early on in track 1, the stench of Eno. Track 2 confirmed it. I didn't get any further. There are very brief periods of real music, but the rest of the time it was horrific, like my ears were being raped!
The Stooges
2/5
Listening to this was an odd experience. Started out ok for a couple of tracks, then track 3 (all 10 minutes of it) felt like a lifetime and almost put me to sleep. Then it picked up again for a couple of tracks. I was close to switching off during 'We Will Fall', and as it never really grabbed me I'll go with 2 stars.
The Jam
3/5
Not a bad album, a couple of good tracks, especially That's Entertainment. As someone born in the UK in 1970 I was probably too young to really appreciate The Jam at their peak, they were just ending as I started to get into music. I think there are better albums by this band.
Beatles
3/5
This is the 4th Beatles album I've had on the list, and it comes very quickly after the third album which was 'With The Beatles'. This album was very similar to that album, which is maybe not surprising as it was also one of their earliest releases. It was ok, nothing special.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
The only downside is the very short running time. I think this album really shows her incredible vocal range. She conveys different emotions at different times in every single track. The music itself is one of the best examples of the Muscle Shoals sound.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Yeah, what's not to love about Kraftwerk? Unless, of course, it's not your thing. In which case you probably hated it. The earliest echoes of electronic music in this album. The inspiration for Planet Rock, which was very influential in the earliest years of Hip-Hop and Electro.
The War On Drugs
4/5
I really wasn't sure what to expect, but on the whole it was very good. I could definitely hear some 'Springsteen' in there, and also some Bob Dylan influences. I'm planning on a re-listen in a few days time as that is often the best way for me to fully gauge an artist or album.
Frank Ocean
4/5
This was not what I expected at all. It was way more soulful. Most of the tracks were very easy to listen to, nothing too hard or abrasive. I could quite easily listen to it again.
5/5
A classic. This album was being played by everyone, everywhere for most of mid to late 90's. Every track is a banger. One of the best albums of the 90's in my opinion.
Johnny Cash
4/5
The only other Johnny Cash album that I've been served on this list was 'American IV: The Man Comes Around', which he released when he was about 70 (right before he croaked). That album wasn't very impressive, but this one is better. It's a shame that, as a live recording, the acoustics aren't always very good.
Patti Smith
2/5
It's not for me Clive. Very, very, very beige. I don't get how this is called punk by some people. It's more like if a couple of private school kids tried to create punk. Very sterile and anodyne. She even managed to butcher a version of Land Of 100 Dances.
The Verve
5/5
This album has cropped up for me just after (4 albums in fact) I was served "(What's The Story) Morning Glory", which is quite bizzare as I've always considered them as very similar musically. It's a great album, there are 5 absolute standout tracks for me, and the rest are all very good - not one weak track on the album. It's a very easy 5 stars!!
The Pogues
2/5
I was expecting to hate this as their song that blocks the airwaves every Christmas makes my arsehole itch! It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, and I did make it all the way through, but it never once got me excited or appreciating the music.
Beck
2/5
I'm seven tracks in and this is very disappointing, especially after the two previous Beck albums I'd listened to were so much better than I expected. This is morose, almost to the point that I had to remove sharp objects from my immediate environment. It seems this album was made after he broke up with a long-term girlfriend, so I get the sentiment, but fuck me lad - chin up, life goes on. There has not been one moment of joy on the whole album yet. I really don't want to give it one star, as it's not on that level. I'll just have to suck it up and force myself to listen to the last five tracks so I can, potentially, give it two stars!
Pretenders
3/5
This was pretty good. I was aware of the more well-known tracks, but the whole album was very listenable. I'd be quite happy to listen to it again, but I don't think I'll take any steps to listen to it again. That's a standard 3 stars for me.
Country Joe & The Fish
1/5
Made it to track 4, which is really 3 tracks later than it needed to be, before I turned it off. Very, very bad.
Napalm Death
1/5
I'm a bit torn on this. The actual musical aspect, the guitarsass\drums etc is actually quite listenable for me. It does get a bit repetitive, but which genre of music doesn't. The vocals just grind though. I get that this a stylistic choice for grindcore, but it's just painful to listen to. I was intrigued by the wiki page showing that the two sides of the album were recorded in different years by almost entirely different lineups. I could not discern any real difference, which may say more about me than about the band/album. I made it to track 6 on side 1, and track 3 on side 2. It only gets a 1 star from me.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Wow. I really wasn't expecting to like this at all. The first part of track 1 really made me sweat, like all my preconceived ideas were at the fore. Then it just got better and better - there were a couple of low spots, but they were tiny in comparison to the high spots. The guitar solos were fucking incredible. It's 4 stars from me.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
As someone that lived through the 80's (born in 1970) this album couldn't sound anymore 80's if it tried. I've never heard the whole album before, it wasn't (and still isn't) my kind of music. Very listenable though, and I can understand why it was such a huge hit, but I wouldn't actively seek it out for a second listen.
Van Halen
2/5
It's a very American album, not really the sort of thing I would have listened to in my youth (when it first came out) or since. The only track I knew before listening was Jump, which is an excellent track. I was a bit disappointed by the rest of the album though. Perhaps I need to buy myself a gun and shoot a few schools up to fully appreciate it.
Don McLean
4/5
A really enjoyable album. Like most people I've heard American Pie hundreds of times and agree it is a classic. I wasn't sure what to expect from the rest of the album, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Most of the tracks had an 'American Pie' feel to them but they definitely didn't sound repetitive.
Blur
2/5
Very disappointing. I have no desire to listen to this again. I did make it all the way through, so it's 2 stars!
Jimmy Smith
5/5
I've got plenty of Jimmy Smith in my collection, not this particular album though, but I did have a couple of the tracks. This is my kind of music. I could listen to it all day, and often do!
Small Faces
4/5
What a fantastic, quirky album. I must admit that I only really knew a couple of Small Faces tracks before this, and I'm a bit surprised that I'd not delved deeper previously as I have a lot of Faces in my collection and there are very well-known, strong links between the two bands.
Cat Stevens
3/5
It was fairly average and mundane. For people of my age or generation there are a couple of tracks that are probably more well-known as covers by other artists. The original versions on this album were the highlights of the album.
Burning Spear
5/5
I loved it. It's on a par with anything Bob Marley & The Wailers created. Maybe it helped that I listened to it on the warmest day of the year, with the sun shining etc. Several incredibly good tracks, no weak ones. I had to re-listen straight after the first run through.
Pere Ubu
1/5
Pre-listening thoughts: I've had the misfortune of already listening to another of their albums on this list - Dub Housing - which was awful. I wonder if this will be more of the same...
Track 1: Wow, this is actually not bad. The vocals are grating, as I was expecting, which does take away something from the track, but musically it's quite good.
Track 2: This sounds a lot like track 1, in fact, I'll just double-check it is actually a different track. Yes, it is. It's not as good as track 1 , but no need to turn it off.
Track 3: What the fuck is this? Is that a chicken screaming? No, I don;t think it is, but it's clearly someone that doesn't know how to play whatever instrument that is. Ok, we're 2 mins in and it's finally got going.... oh shit, I'm beginning to miss the strangled chicken sound. This is bad!
Track 4: Slightly better, at least we're back to being just about listenable.
Track 5: Another track that takes an age to get going, and is utter tosh to boot!
Track 6: Fuck me, this bloke doing the vocals is off his fucking nut. It also sounds like, somewhere in the backing vocals, the chicken from Track 3 has managed to get back into the studio.
Track 7: It's gone tits up again. Really fucking bad track. Skipping to the next one.
Track 8: I had to keep checking I hadn't clicked mute. Fuck all happens for the first minute, then it sounds like an orchestra in the theatre warming up, badly!
Track 9: They're not even trying now. I can't believe people bought this album. The best piece of music in this track was the smashing of glass near the beginning.
Track 10: Dismal.
I made it all the way through, which by my own self-imposed rules means 2 stars. I skipped quite a few tracks though, and a lot of the time I continued to listen beyond my usual switching-off point, in a perverse "how bad can this get" way, so it's 1 star only.
PJ Harvey
1/5
Fuck me, this is worse than the other PJ Harvey album I already reviewed. that got 1 star and I only made it through 4 tracks. I couldn't even get to track 4 on this one though! I am honestly scratching my head how anyone can think this is quality.
Queen
5/5
This was probably the first Queen album that highlighted their uniqueness, and laid the foundations for what was to come. It's a bit of a travesty that many of the great songs on this album are not as well known as some of their later tracks. I guess that highlights just how much quality output they produced.
Sepultura
1/5
Fucking awful. I wouldn't listen to this again unless paid a very large sum of money!!!!
4/5
This is not a band I've really invested any time into before, so much so that I wouldn't have been able to name a single song of theirs, or name a member of the band.
Track 1 (Take A Bow) was decent. Track 2 (Starlight) I'd heard before, but wouldn't have known it was one of their songs. I like it though. Track 3 (Supermassive Black Hole) is an absolute banger, don't think I'd ever heard it previously. Fuck me, this album is starting to excite me. Track 4 (Map Of The Problematique) is decent, certainly listenable, a bit of a comedown from the previous track but still ok. Track 5 (Soldier's Poem) reminds me of Queen, completely different sound from the previous tracks but really enjoyable and it somehow fits. Track 6 (Invincible) was another "decent" track. Track 7 (Assassin) was my least liked track so far, but still ok. Track 8 (Exo-Politics) is back on target, another good track. Track 9 (City Of Delusion) pretty good. Track 10 (Hoodoo) listenable, not the best track though. Track 11 (Knights Of Cydonia) talk about save the best 'til last, an absolute belter to round the album off.
It was so much better than I was expecting. If I could give 4.5 stars I would. I think it's close to being 5 stars, but I'm going with 4.
Paul Simon
2/5
I didn't like this when it came out in the 80's, when I was a teenager, and I still don't like it now. It's listenable at best. The most alarming aspect is it feels like he has just absolutely rinsed a long list of artists and passed it off as his own work. And people go crazy for it, like it helped end apartheid. Fuck off with that shit.
Boards of Canada
3/5
It's got that 90's sound and feel. It's not an artist and, by extension, album I've ever heard of before. It was ok in the main, nothing special. In fact, I can think of plenty of albums of this ilk that were released within +/- 3 years of this one that are better. The standout track is (6) Sixtyten.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
This is the second album by The Smashing Pumpkins that I've been served on this site. I was pleasantly surprised by the first one (Siamese Dream) and gave it 4 stars. This album is more of the same. The vocals sound a lot like Mick Jagger, almost to the point where it felt like it was an intentional ploy. Musically it was really good, lots of different sounds and genres. It did feel like it was probably 30 minutes too long and a few of the weaker tracks could have been binned.
FKA twigs
1/5
First track has got me questioning whether I will make it all the way through. Second track, 3o seconds in, and this needs to get good pretty quick or I'm turning off and giving it a 1 star. Ok, it's picked up a bit.... oh fuck, it's gone weird again. Track 3 is just as fucking bonkers. I'm really not enjoying this. She's comign across a pretentious cunt trying to be all "edgy" and "unconventional". Fuck this, I'm out. 1 star.
Magazine
1/5
I couldn't do it, I really tried, but it's utter garbage. I made it to about 30 seconds of track 4 before pulling the plug.
Slipknot
3/5
At points this sounds like two completely different bands. Overall it was better than I was expecting. There were a few tracks that were pretty awful, but a few that were surprisingly good. I'm going to give it 3 stars, which seems pretty fair.
Hot Chip
2/5
It's not offensive, or grinding, or jarring, or even bad in anyway. It's just nothingness really. It's like a bland Erasure - and I actually quite like Erasure in small doses. I could imagine this is on a semi-permanent rotation in some hipster coffee-shop in Hoxton or the like. I made it all the way through so it is 2 stars.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
I can remember my elder brother playing this constantly during the early 1980's. I thought it was ok, a couple of catchy tunes, but not really my thing. I have to say though, that this recent re-listen has revealed what a fantastic album this really is. Obviously, every track on there I've heard before - albeit ~40 years ago. I like to give credit where it's due, and you can really appreciate why this album is so highly revered by so many people. One of the easiest 5 stars I've given.
The Beach Boys
3/5
I was expecting to be blown away. I was bored mostly. A couple of decent tracks. The rest was just tripe. I did listen to the whole album so it's minimum 2 stars. On the basis of a couple of strong tracks I'll give it 3 stars.
Cornershop
3/5
I found this to veer between very good, a bit weird, very weird, bad, average and pretty much every point in between. Some fantastic tracks. The original of 'Brimful Of Asha' was good, but the Fat Boy Slim remix elevated it to a whole different level. I wouldn't actively seek this album out again, which I think means it's either 2 or 3 stars. I'll give it 3 as the good outweighed the weird/bad.
Jethro Tull
5/5
Fuck me, this is a really good album. I had no idea what to expect. I generally find prog rock to be completely up it's own arse. However, this album is not like that at all. At it's heart it really is rock, the guitars and drums are superb, the bass-playing is excellent. There's a lot more though, there's definitely some jazz influences in there, some folk and soul/funk too. I only listened to the 11 original tracks on the vinyl LP, and I have to say there was not one weak track among them. An easy 5 stars!
Kate Bush
2/5
One word - aimless. Another word - bland. I wasn't expecting much and, in an an attempt to be fair and not go in with pre-conceived opinions, I decided I would listen to at least half of the album before making any decisions. Pretty soon I found myself counting down the tracks until I reached #6. Then I turned it off. This isn't for me at all. In fairness I could have listened to the whole album so it probably deserves a pair of stars.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
First impressions - I'm 5 tracks in and this needs to get better, quickly. Every single track is identical - that's not always a bad thing, but it is when it's just someone rambling monotonously. I can feel my mood getting darker and darker.
Update - I made it all the way through. I'm not sure it actually got any better in the second half, but by then I'd kind of given up on it and was engrossed in other activities so it was really just on in the background. In summary, it was boring as fuck and far removed from what I would consider good.
Incredible Bongo Band
5/5
I've spent a lot of time looking into the roots of hip-hop and rap. I found out about this album back in the mid 1990's and was able to buy a copy several years later (an original too, I don;t think it had been been re-released/re-pressed by then). As much as Apache is the most well-known track on the album, all of the tracks are really solid. It just reeks of the 1970's.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
I wanted to like it, I had a feeling it was going to be an unexpected gem. Wrong. Utter dogshit. Made it halfway through Track 5 (Hay) and had to turn it off. It's just noise. No real music coming through.
Maxwell
5/5
I bought it on release and have listened to it hundreds of times since then. An album I know very well. I absolutely love every single track. It's the sort of album that sounds better with every listen, and it definitely sounds better if you listen to the full album in order.
The Beach Boys
2/5
Same as the other Beach Boys albums really, nothing offensive in there, but boring as fuck. I made it all the way through, so 2 stars.
Jane Weaver
2/5
This is not the sort of music I would usually seek out. The first track was annoying almost immediately, but this site has taught me to not judge a book by it's cover (or, more accurately, judge an album by it's first track). It was listenable on the whole, but just sterile and moody. I went to 6th form in the 1980's and this is the sort of music lots of girls were listening to and/or making in their bedrooms. They all thought they were deep and meaningful, and no doubt felt they were a bit better than the rest of us, but ultimately they were just up their own arse.
Elvis Presley
2/5
I can't lie, I was a bit disappointed by this album. There were no real standout tracks, nothing that remotely sounded like a classic Elvis track (in my opinion). I made it all the way through and 2 stars feels about right.
Green Day
5/5
This album was played everywhere when it first came out. It was also the first album that my eldest child ever really got into, and we had to play it constantly in the car on journeys. It still sounds great today. There are some albums that define an era, and this is one of them. I'm more into jazz, funk, soul etc, but this is one of my favourite albums. An easy 5 stars for me.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
This is so far removed from what I would choose to listen to, so much that I have actively avoided Siouxsie & The Banshees material as much as possible. Anyway, this site has taught me to forget my preconceptions and judge music on it's merits, and this was actually better than I was expecting. There were tracks that I found quite jarring/grating but as many tracks (especially the opener) were actually quite good. I think 3 stars is about right for me.
The Sugarcubes
1/5
This is the group that Bjork was in, that's all I knew before listening. Of itself that is not a good start as I can't stand her. Putting aside the music, she is so far up her own arse she forms a human moebius-strip! Her music always annoyed the fuck out of me too, but maybe this album will be different as it's not just her....
Nope, fucking awful, made it to track 3, had to turn it off. Utter horse-shit.
Steve Earle
4/5
I'm partial to a bit of country music. I do find myself smiling at the common themes sometimes, my wife and I often make up fake lyrics when country music comes on the radio e.g. my girl left me, but I still got my dog and truck, pour me another whisky etc. Ok, it doesn't sound funny, I get it. Anyway, this is a really nice album, eminently listenable.
Madness
3/5
Another album that was released during my formative years, and another album that contains several tracks I'm well-familiar with. As a complete album though it was not as good as I was hoping for. There seemed to be multiple tracks that just never really got going.
Foo Fighters
4/5
A really good album that I already own, so didn't really need to listen to. There are better FF albums, in my opinion, but that shouldn't take away from what a strong debut this was.
The Charlatans
3/5
It was alright. Couple of very nice tracks, some other decent tracks. I wouldn't seek it out again, I wouldn't turn it off if it came one again.
The Cult
3/5
This was a pretty good album. I had a vague recollection from youth that The Cult were not for me, but if the rest of their discography is like this album then I was completely wrong. I could hear the comparisons with AC/DC that others had already made.
Talking Heads
4/5
Another album that surprised me. I was half-expecting to not like it, but the first track settled my nerves, it was good. After that it was close to 50/50 with some more decent tracks and a few weaker ones.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
I was expecting something I wouldn't like but, while it's not the sort of music that I gravitate towards, it wasn't without merit. As with a lot of albums of genres that I don't usually listen to, there were no standout tracks that made me sit up etc. It was all just a bit monotonous.
The Auteurs
3/5
It really reminded me of a different artist, but I can't put a name to it. The problems of old-age, eh? Anyway, this was another nice album. Full of nice melodies and lyrics. It just never really got my attention fully though. There was no track(s) that stood out. It was all a bit monotonous and samey.
The Slits
2/5
The vocals ruin it. It's like listening to Bjork murder a decent song. The instrumentation and production is actually ok. I quit elike the dub/reggae understones. Just too weird for me vocally.
Supertramp
5/5
I've never had the pleasure of listening to a complete Supertramp album before, but as someone that grew up through the 70's and 80's I've obviously heard many of their more well known tracks. This album was excellent. I enjoyed every single track and had to listen again straight afterwards, as it was that good.
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
I was quite excited to listen to this. I wasn't aware of the artist, per se, but a quick read of the wikipedia page and it seemed to be the sort of album I would enjoy. Whilst it wasn't in any way bad, it wasn't as good as I hoped. A few of the longer tracks just seemed to lose energy. Not one track really stood out.
Spiritualized
2/5
Dull as fuck, and not very good musically on more than one occasion. I came very close to turning it off before the end, which would get an automatic 1 star. I did persevere though, but didn't really get much reward for that. For the 1 or 2 brief moments I enjoyed I'll give it 2 stars!
Billy Joel
5/5
Billy Joel was one of my mum's favourite artists. As a kid in the 70's I was constantly listening to his songs - and all I can say is "thanks Mum". This is one of his best albums, not one weak track on it. He released a lot of great music, even into the 80's. Listening to this evoked such strong memories. An easy 5 stars!!!!!
Tom Waits
2/5
I couldn't get into this at all. I've listened to previous albums of his via this site and been pleasantly surprised. Not this time though. I made it all the way through. It's 2 stars for me.
Miles Davis
5/5
One of his best releases, if not the best. The ensemble is great, every member a master in his own right. It doesn't get much better than this.
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
It wasn't unlistenable. It had a few brief moments where it started to get interesting, then just went back to being very boring and monotonous.
Billie Holiday
3/5
It was nice, but not as good as I had hoped. Her vocals were beginning to show the ravages of time and substance abuse. The orchestra / band was good, but I feel that any number of bands could have sounded at least this good if not better. If you are new to Billie Holiday there are way better examples than this album.
Aerosmith
3/5
Not as good as the other Aerosmith album (Rocks) that I've already been served up. It sounded a little bit too polished for me. Not at all 'bad' though, so 3 stars feels about right.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
I loved this album. Short and sweet. Every track is an adventure. I've always been a big fan of CCR so it was no surprise to me.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
First track was awful, I almost turned it off. It did get better, it was mostly listenable. It was also quite jarring in places, which I'm confident is intentional. I did make it all the way through, but without any real highlights and no desire to hear it again it's only 2 stars from me.
10cc
5/5
Where did the time go? By that I mean, I started listening to the album and it felt like 2 minutes later it was finished. It was great from beginning to end. Side 2 was superb, ending on a high with 'Oh Effendi'.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1/5
Complete shite! I couldn't make it to the end of track 3. I only persevered with tracks 1 & 2 in case it was a "starts badly but gets better" album. It may well be, but I'll never know.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Another good album. Better than his offering that I've already listened to via this site. 'Pump It Up' is a classic, and there were a couple of other tracks that were good.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Along the same lines as my comments for the other Black Sabbath albums I've been served on this site, this was really good. In fairness, I was quite looking forward to this as the previous two albums were so much better than expected. Getting this album the day after Ozzy died is either (1) prophetic, or (2) a result of an algorithm - I'm going with (2).
King Crimson
3/5
Quite a wacky album, if you know what I mean. There were plenty of highs and lows. I'm glad I heard it, but I doubt I'd seek it out again.
Antony and the Johnsons
1/5
What the fuck am I listening to? Vocally he/she/it is getting right on my fucking tits. It's just warbling, and not very good warbling. Musically there's nothing offensive, but also nothing outstanding or that marks it as any different from thousands of other artists/albums. Track 4 was my breaking point, I had to turn it off. 1 star only.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
I listened to the whole album. It was ok, nothing bad, but equally nothing especially good. I'm not sure why it was on this list. Maybe it was ground-breaking at the time (which I doubt) or a classic example of this style of music (again, doubtful, this is a very popular style of music and the market is saturated). I'll give it 3 stars as I never considered turning it off before it finished.
Fairport Convention
4/5
This was actually pretty good. I must admit that I was a bit fearful having to review this album after having quite a heavy set of 'folk' related albums in my recent past, but it was better than expected. The first track was really good. There were a few tracks that were fairly rambling and didn't add much. I loved the female singers voice, fitted the music perfectly.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
I was away for a week and when I returned and saw this album in my backlog I was looking forward to listening to it. However, it failed to live up to expectations. It wasn't bad, it was just boring, run-of-the-mill 90's britpop. I made it all the way through, even though a couple of tracks had me considering whether I should persist, so it's 2 stars from me.
a-ha
3/5
One all-time classic track, a couple of other decent tracks, the rest is mediocre.
Tricky
3/5
This style of music was prevalent in the 1990's. It's not an album I've ever heard before, and I enjoyed it. It did start to feel a bit monotonous towards the end.
Rod Stewart
4/5
It really sounds like a Faces album, which is to be expected with so many similarities and common factors. I liked the album, but then again I love the Faces. There was no killer track on here though, but no weak tracks either. I wasn't sure what to make of the cover of 'It's All Over Now' - I'm probably in a minority but I haven't heard anything better than the Valentino's original version!
Röyksopp
4/5
Before listening I would say I'd heard of the band but couldn't name one of their tunes. While listening there were 2 or 3 tracks that I recognised and could say I'd heard before. The majority of the album was very good. It would be a great album to have on in the background when having a few drinks on a sun terrace somewhere.
The Thrills
2/5
I'm not really sure what to make of this. It was far from terrible, in fact, a number of tunes were quite catchy. The lead vocalist had a very strange singing style, it sounded like he was trying to mimic a US accent ... poorly. Musically it was decent though. I didn't feel like it was a waste of time listening to it, but I have no desire to hear it again. I never considered turning it off, so it's not a 1 star item, but I'm torn whether it's 2 or 3 stars. I'm going with 2 stars as I feel like being a bit cunty today!
The Beach Boys
2/5
Fuck me, not another Beach Boys album. I'm starting to feel like it's me that's wrong. The previous BB albums I've reviewed were largely shite, occasionally dipping into bearable. This particular album was more bearable than shite, but it's still a long way from something I would willingly seek out and listen to.
George Jones
3/5
Super smooth voice, music is ok (but not exactly my kid of thing). I don't have the ability to discern how good this is in terms of the C&W legion, but on a pure 'musical' level it is neither amazing or shote (to me, at least). This screams 3 stars, so that's what I'm going to give it.
Roxy Music
2/5
I've never really had much affection for Roxy Music, and this site has taught me that this stems from Brian Eno. Every album I've listened to that he's had involvement in has been fucking abysmal (at worst) and just about listenable (at best). This album falls into the latter camp.
Brian Eno
1/5
Jesus Fucking Christ. It's Eno again. This is going to be painful. If this is better than 1 star I'll be amazed!
Had to skip track 1 after about 30 seconds, it was a new low - even for fucking Eno. Track 2 was no better. Randomly selected snippets from the next few tracks were equally as bad. I can't listen to any more of this so it's 1 star.
It's now getting close to the point where I may not even give a chance to any album with an Eno involvement!
Paul Weller
4/5
It's a weird one. I've never bought a Paul Weller album, or ever downloaded anything of his. When any of his tracks come on I usually quite enjoy them, but I've never had the desire to seek out any more of his music. This was a really good album, some really good tracks. It did feel a bit drawn out and repetitive. I would happily listen again, but I'm still (oddly) not being driven to listen to anymore of music.
Dr. Octagon
2/5
On the face of it this should be something I'd enjoy. There were some bright moments, but in general I was left quite disappointed. It was still listenable but just not good as I'd hoped (or even expected).
Incubus
2/5
Like an aldi version of RHCP. I couldn't get into it at all. I didn't turn it off though, so it's a 2 star effort for me.
Madonna
2/5
As far as Madonna goes this album is about as good as it gets. However, that's a bit like celebrating the tallest midget as, by and large, the rest of her music bores me to tears. The opening track is solid, there's a couple of other decent tracks, the cover of 'American Pie' is awful. I made it all the way through, so it's 2 stars from me.
Jeff Beck
3/5
Considering this was a debut album for most of the artists involved it was a really nice album. Rod Stewart's vice was very flaky on the first track, but sounded great after that. There were quite varied styles on the album, but it flowed quite well regardless. I'm going with 3 stars.
Coldcut
5/5
If you are my age and were into dance music in the UK then listening to this album is like boarding a time machine. It really was a revolutionary album, it was the first UK production that you felt had significant impact. It wasn't copying US urban culture, it was UK born-and-bred. I had this on cassette back in the day, but that sadly got lost over the years as I moved home several times. I think I'll source myself a new copy, hopefully on vinyl. An easy 5 stars for me.
2/5
This was unusual. I had no idea what to expect, but I certainly didn't expect this. There was nothing on the album that was difficult to listen to, or had me reaching for the stop button. There was also nothing on there that was exciting. It was just bland, boring, uninspiring etc. I'd imagine there are 1000's of albums very similar to this. Maybe this is the pinnacle of middle-of-the-road pop to a lot of people???? If it is then I am not one of those.
Steely Dan
4/5
Like them or loathe them, since their first release Steely Dan has continually delivered catchy songs. There are lots of different influences that they seem to meld together so easily. There are a handful of Steely Dan tracks that I could listen to on repeat without ever getting bored. However, they also have a lot of tracks that I would happily press skip on. This is a really good album with 3 absolutely sensational tracks, a couple of further good tracks, and some 'skippers'. That makes this a 4 star album for me.
Someone else's review of this album was just the word "Dan" repeated multiple times, made me laugh out loud when I saw that. Have you never had a cup of beans? You're in for a treat.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
It's not for me at all. Boring, monotone, repetitive. I find it quite pretentious really. I read lots of comments that say the lyrics are amazing, but they're just waffle and crap really. Half the time it doesn't even make sense.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
It's an album of his that I've listened to before. It was ok, not as good as his later releases. One or two standout tracks, but a few that were completely forgettable. I think 3 stars is about right.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
I really enjoyed this album. It had a really laid-back vibe. Sparkle City and Aht Uh Mi Hed were the standout tracks. The rest were all pretty decent too.
Cheap Trick
2/5
I don't think this album or artist has quite the same 'value' in the UK as in the US. I'm not very familiar with the for sure. It was an ok album, I made it all the way through, but not one track stood out and I have no desire to listen again. I must admit that, in general, I'm not a fan of the live album sound.
3/5
This was the 4th or 5th Dylan album I've been served up. It was easily the best of the lot. The second part, with the band, was so much better than anything else of his I've had to listen to. I'm still a long way from being a Dylan worshipper, but I was expecting to hate his music and I've not had that feeling at all.
Public Enemy
5/5
I didn't need to listen to this as it's an album I own and have already listened to hundreds of times. It was one of a handful of albums that were the soundtrack of my years as I moved into adulthood. Quite simply, I can't find a single fault with it. The word is often overused but this album was groundbreaking. No other artist was making music like this. It inspired countless imitators but none of them came close to this. An easy 5 stars, yeah boiiiiiii!!!!
The Beau Brummels
3/5
I could copy/paste my comments from any number of 60's/70's folk/rock albums that I'd never heard of previously. In summary, nothing terrible here, but nothing amazing either. Next!
Echo And The Bunnymen
1/5
One big steaming pile of shit! I made it to the start of side 2, and I had to force myself to wait that long, before I couldn't take it anymore. Every track was just monotonous and tuneless to me.
Tom Waits
3/5
I liked some of it, the parts that had a really nice blues feel. There were definitely a few weaker tracks though. This is the 3rd or 4th of his albums that I've heard via this site, and I have been pleasantly surprised how much I've enjoyed them on the whole.
The Verve
3/5
I'm of an age / era where it was obligatory to own 'Urban Hymns', which is a great album. This album sounds very similar, but I didn't warm to it at all. It was ok, but there were no standout tracks.
Japan
3/5
Another album that's from my youth, although I don't really recall it. It wasn't terrible, I made it all the way through, but it never grabbed my attention. It's another 3 star effort for me.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
Another album that was released in my youth, and another album that I didn't have any awareness of until now. Of course, I'd heard of Lloyd Cole & The Commotions but I couldn't name one of the band (other than Lloyd Cole himself) or one of their track or album names. It was listenable, I was reminded of The Smiths musically (but not as good).
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
It was ok. I imagine it was new to the western world upon release, back in the 1960's, but in the current age of globalism it just sounds ordinary.
Todd Rundgren
1/5
Nope, couldn't make it all the way through. This album is absolutely batshit-mental. It's a long way from the other Todd Rundgren album I'd already listened to on this site. Turns out he was off his tits when he made this album, which goes some way to explaining the resulting output. It's only 1 star from me for the music, but my hats off to him for, essentially, getting paid to take drugs :-)
Pulp
3/5
This was an album that passed me by back in the 90's. I'd heard the tracks that were released as singles, but never the whole album. In general it was pretty good, but it's another one that never fully grabbed my attention. If an album is on this list then I think it should be at least one of either (1) fucking amazing, (2) fucking awful, or (3) groundbreaking. This feels like none of those. Perhaps I've become a bit stale, now that I'm half-way through the 1001 albums, as I seem to be awarding 3 stars quite often now.
Elton John
5/5
This is another one of the albums that takes me back in time. I was born at the beginning of the 70's and, although I don't own this album, I've probably heard every track on it at some stage. It contains multiple classic tracks, no weak tracks at all. This really was Elton John's zenith, or if not, it was during his peak years.
New Order
2/5
The opening track was pretty good, but I guess there's a reason they placed it first on the album as it went downhill right after that. It's not my preferred style of music, not even close. I was able to make it all the way through though. I think 2 stars is about right.
Isaac Hayes
5/5
There isn't much to say about this album that hasn't already been said. It was the first of it's kind in many different ways. From beginning to end it is an absolute masterpiece (yes, I already have a copy of it and listen to it regularly).
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
A decent album, a couple of well-known tracks that are good, but also plenty of filler.
The Jam
3/5
Another album that was neither shite or amazing. Maybe I've become a bit jaded after reaching the half-way point of the 1001 albums.
Silver Jews
1/5
Managed to get to track 5, the imaginatively named 'Horseleg Swastikas', before giving up. Instrumentation -wise it was ok, fairly basic, nothing amazing. Vocally it was awful, to the point that I thought he was signing out-of-tune intentionally.
Janelle Monáe
1/5
Not for me Clive. I persevered until track 10, but should have gone with my initial instincts and stopped about Track 4.
Barry Adamson
2/5
A very strange album. Parts of it were enjoyable. It started to sound like a soundtrack to 'A Touch Of Frost' after a while. I made it all the way through though, so it's 2 stars.
Sparks
4/5
Equally strange and good. I wasn't expecting much as I read the wikipedia page before I got started, but it was very enjoyable. A couple of weaker tracks, but on the whole it was very good. It didn't sound like it was 50 years old. I really enjoy it when my expectations are exceeded, but it seems to have less frequently now.
Turbonegro
3/5
The opening 30 seconds of track 1 had me excited, it was as good an opening as I'd heard. And then, it just flopped. It was still a nice album, some pretty good tracks, but also plenty of filler.
Stephen Stills
5/5
An absolutely superb album. I think every track was really good, and several were outstanding. I listened to it again, immediately afterwards, and it sounded even better.
George Michael
5/5
If you're my age, and British, and had a pretty normal journey through the 1980's then you could pretty much sing every track on this album. Easily one of the best albums of the 1980's, and probably of the last 50 years.
Doves
3/5
Very easy listening. A couple of tracks sounded familiar, but only vaguely. I'd have no concerns if someone put this album on in my presence, but I wouldn't ever think to seek it out for a re-listen. That's a standard 3 star rating for me.
Nick Drake
3/5
I'd never heard of this artist, so had no preconceptions. It was a really nice album. Very mellow and easy to listen to. There were no standout tracks, but also no weaker / filler tracks.
Iggy Pop
2/5
Absolutely bang average. I was expecting a lot more. If the last track (Mass Production) had come any earlier in the album I would have turned it off and given it 1 star. I'll give it 2 stars though, but that is fucking generous!!!
Led Zeppelin
3/5
This is the fifth album of Led Zeppelin that I've listed to via this site, and it's comfortably the weakest of the lot so far. The other four have received 4 or 5 stars, but this is not at that level. Stairway To Heaven is obviously a classic track, but even that couldn't make up for the rest of the album. It wasn't bad, as in unlistenable, but it never grabbed my attention.
Terence Trent D'Arby
5/5
Another album that was part of the soundtrack of my teenage years. Rammed full of classic tracks, I'd be surprised if you could listen to this and not nod or tap along to at least 3 or 4 of the tracks. The odd thing about Terrence Trent Derby is that River Trent doesn;t even run through Derby..... (shamelessly stolen from Harry Hill!). No, the odd thing is that this album was his zenith really, you kind of expected him to become another Michael Jackson or Prince etc, but he just kind of fizzled away.
Holger Czukay
3/5
That was a fucking rollercoaster. Some of it was really good. Some of it was batshit mental. I'm glad I listened to it, but I'll not be unhappy if I don't every hear it again.
Missy Elliott
4/5
A couple of tracks didn't sit well with - the Beyonce one for starters, I can't stand her or her shitty music. On the whole though, this was a really good album.
The Specials
3/5
Sadly, this wasn't as good as I'd hoped, or even expected. It's not even close to their debut album in terms of quality. I did make it all the way through, and there was never any moment I considered turning it off, so I think 3 stars is about right.
Eels
4/5
It's band I wasn't really aware of before listening. It's not the kind of music I tend to gravitate towards, but it was very enjoyable. It was a lot more melodic than I was expecting. It didn't really feel like rock, more like moody pop. A very nice surprise.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Nope. Awful. Made it through 2 minutes of the first track, skipped to track 2, listened to about 1 more minute. That ain't music. Fucking dire.
Fatboy Slim
5/5
I can remember buying this album on release because the guy in the record shop told me it was by the 'talented one' from Beats International. An absolutely amazing album, there were only a few artists creating music like this at this time, and even after 30 years it sounds fantastic.
Morrissey
2/5
Listenable, nothing special, the track where someone is talking over it is really annoying.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
I didn't enjoy the first couple of tracks at all, but it then seemed to get better slowly. It peaked with 'Been Caught Stealing', that was a great track, but then spiraled downwards after that. I thought that maybe I'd misjudged the first few tracks and should listen to them again, which I did. No, I was right first time, they were poor. It really isn't something I'd consciously search out to listen to again, nor does it give me a desire to listen to any other material by this band, or it's members. It's 2 stars from me.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
Another strange album. The list of albums that make up this fine list are certainly eclectic. The vocalist sounded like Vic Reeves doing the club singer on Shooting Stars. Musically it couldn't have sounded more 60's if it tried. It was ok, I listened to the whole album but never really got into it. I was never in danger of turning it off. I think 2 stars is about right.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
As close to perfection as an album can get - and he did this multiple times with different albums around this period!!
Pixies
1/5
This is the 3rd album by The Pixies that I've listened to, and it's comfortably the worst - the other two got 2 stars, so that's a low bar to begin with. I couldn't even make it to the end of this one, so it's 1 star only.
Talking Heads
1/5
Another band that I view as the musical equivalent of 'The Emperor's New Clothes'. There were 2 or 3 tracks that didn't jar with me, the rest was utter shite. I had to turn it off during 'Animals'.
Heaven 17
2/5
I never liked them growing up in the 80's (apart from Temptation, which is a great track). This album just reinforced my general distaste. Boring, monotonous, inconsequential bollocks. I did make it all the way through, so it's 2 stars!
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
This is an album I already own and have listened to more times than I care to remember. I don't think any words I can come up will do it justice, it was groundbreaking upon release and still sounds fresh now.
Steve Winwood
2/5
It was ok, nothing more. There were no standout tracks, and nothing that made me squirm or cringe. I don't know why this is on the list really.
Hüsker Dü
1/5
It started out ok, the first few tracks reminded me of Green Day, in a very remote way. It just got worse with each track after that, and I had to turn it off about halfway through.
Ravi Shankar
2/5
I quite like Indian music, but I don't the ability to tell the difference between an accomplished musician/artist and a hack. This was ok, I made it all the way through, but it sounded no different from the music played in the Maharani restaurant on a Friday while having a lamb vindaloo.
The Who
3/5
I've never heard the full album or seen the film before. I was expecting a lot more really, it was ok without being amazing. I can imagine it was groundbreaking at the time, so I'll go with 3 stars rather than 2.
Can
3/5
I could only listen to the final track on the album (that's all youtube would allow me to hear). It was ok. It went on a bit though, 20 fucking minutes to be precise. Feels weird trying to rate an album on one 20 minute track. I'll give it a 3, can't say fairer than that.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
This was a really good album, which surprised me. I was well aware of 'Genius Of Love' - if you are my age it'd be almost impossible not to have heard that track, or any of the multitude of tracks that have sampled it. The rest of the album was very good. No real weak tracks. This is a big shock to me as The Talking Heads albums I've had served up have been very hit and miss (mostly miss).
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
I was expecting it to be 95% garbage and then Layla, that seems to be how a lot of 'highly regarded' albums come across. This was really good though. Plenty of really good tracks, and not really any dross.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Bang fucking average. There was nothing offensive or jarring, it was just monotonous wailing and droning.
Elliott Smith
2/5
Two tracks in and I'm struggling with this one, I don't 'understand' music like this.... this needs to get a lot better.
Sadly, it didn't really get any better. I did make it all the way through.
Tom Waits
2/5
Just about half-way through and not really enjoying it at all. It's not turn it off bad, just more of the same of based on the other 3 or 4 albums of his I've heard via this site. I fail to see why he's so highly regarded. This has got 2 stars written all over!
It got marginally better in the second half, but not enough to swing it to 3 stars.
Ryan Adams
5/5
I love albums like this. I really had no idea what to expect, but my over-riding feeling was "I'm not going to like this". That turned out to be an unfounded fear. From beginning to end I was hooked. It was fantastic. There were a couple of tracks where the quality dropped, but only slightly, and it immediately stepped back up.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Another album that I just didn't gel with. I turned it off before the end, it was just so dull and monotonous. I found it difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between the tracks.
Slipknot
1/5
Didn't even make it half-way through, had to turn it off. I could feel myself getting more and more angry, the dog wandered in and I almost kicked him for no reason. There's absolutely nothing I like about this album!
The Youngbloods
5/5
Another gem buried in a pile of crap. That's not fair to the list of albums, it's not all crap, but there have been a lot of poor albums served to me recently. This album was really refreshing, no highly-produced or over-engineered pretentiousness. Absolutely loved 95% of it, only a couple of weaker tracks.
Jamiroquai
5/5
Didn't listen. Didn't need to. I already own this, and the other early Jamiroquai albums up to A Funk Odyssey, and I listen to them regularly. There's nothing to fault with this album.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
I've had a few of these recently. An artist that was mostly prominent during my early years (I was 12 when this was released). I only previously knew Jocky (;-)) Wilson Said and Come On Eileen, the rest were new to me, and they were pretty good. I enjoyed this album.
Miles Davis
5/5
A while back I was complaining that I'd had too many poor albums in a row. Now I feel like I'm being spoiled. It's probably just two sides of the same coin though. A fantastic album, so easy to listen to, it felt like it was over in 5 minutes though.
Marty Robbins
2/5
It wasn't bad. It wasn't exciting. It sounds very dated, in fairness, it is very old! I know artists have a particular 'sound', but this album was 12 versions of the same song.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
A decent album. Very mellow and easy to listen to. It was a little repetitive. I'd be happy to listen to it again but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to seek it out.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
It wasn't really what I was expecting. It had a lot more electronic, house, big-beat sounds when I was expecting instrumentation. Still nice though, very easy listening, nothing that made you wince.
Suicide
1/5
One track in, and I'm considering turning it off. On to the second track, and it's not got any better. I'll give it 1 more track. Third track, more of the same. Utter shit. The undoubted highlight of this whole experience was the youtube link being for 'Suicide - Suicide' which opened a page saying "You're Not Alone" and providing the number for the Samaritans. Very prescient of youtube, it must have known how people feel after hearing this album!!!
System Of A Down
1/5
It's one big "fuck off" from me. Maybe the timing didn't help, I put this on at about 7am to listen to in the background as I started my work day. I found myself sending emails that were more and more angry and insulting. Thankfully I turned it off before I got sacked.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Only 7 tracks, which is relatively sparse, but 4 of them are absolute belters and the other 3 are fairly good too. I've always been a big admirer of CCR after my elder brother introduced me to their music in the 80's. If you can't enjoy this then the problem lies with you, not the artist or the album!!!