When you have someone coming over and you have to clean the entire house in 15 minutes, this is the album you put on.

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I think At The Drive In was better. Relationship was an amazing album and I feel they stepped down a notch with The Mars Volta, losing a bit of edge. That said this is an amazing album that pushes you in ways that you don't expect.

I can appreciate what they were trying to do, but I don't think it works. It's too juvenile to be satirical.

I didn't really know what to expect with this one. I had sort of heard killing moon previously in passing. Being greeted with an orchestra from the start was a surprise. This album is melodic, yet broody. Post punk meets goth. I really enjoyed it.

This was a bit of an odd one. It took me a few listens to get into it. Moody, murky and atmospheric, yet experimental. It's classed as post punk but sounds more pop shoegaze a lot of the time. My biggest gripe with this is the singer as I find his vocal style a bit grating.

Jazz / swing. Interesting but dated. Woman singer is fantastic when she is at the front. Some cheeky lyrics - probably risque for the time. Good trumpet / sax. Ok but not something I would listen to again.

Not something I was into back when it was released, and I'm not really digging it now. The lyrics are good, although the flow really dates it. The grooves are the best part with some interesting samples. I can see why this was an influential album to hip hop.

I listened to this a lot when I was younger. There are some great songs on this, But I don't think it was their best album. Going back to their roots comes across as lazy to me.

I had only heard the radio hits previously, which are the first 3 tracks on the album, so the rest was an adventure. This album is fantastic. With the exception of some synth and guitar parts it's hard to believe it was released in the 70's. It has aged fantastically and was clearly ahead of it's time. A couple of tracks, You're All I've Got Tonight and Bye Bye Love could have easily been released as singles. The last track All Mixed Up is a perfect closer. This is a solid album with no filler. Every song is catchy and hooky.

Boring and pretentious. Anything interesting happening musically is killed by overly repetitive lyrics. Half way through I have an overwhelming desire to punch the singer in the face just so he would shut up. This album is way too long. I might enjoy it after a lobotomy.

What can I say about this that hasn't already been said a million times. It is one of the cornerstones of rock and metal. It's a classic for a reason.

The first 3 tracks have that 70's funk / psychedelic sound, but the rest of the album is 60's style crooning. Runaway Child, Running Wild is the standout track for me.

One of the greatest albums of the 90's. It's what grunge did so well, aggressive and hooky / poppy, yet this has hints of metal, stoner and psychedelia thrown into the mix as well. Chris Cornells soaring vocals take lyrics about despair, alienation and hopelessness to places not thought possible.

I was skeptical going into this album. One hit wonders are usually one hit for a reason. However I was pleasantly surprised. The album is full of catchy songs. High hat riding disco-esque drums, dual guitars, clever lyrics and some interesting tempo changes. I'm left wondering why these guys didn't have more hits.

Ah the Beano album. This is the album you tell people to listen to when they say they don't like blues. The diversity on this album is great, with differing instruments, tempos and feel for each song. Everybody talks about Clapton (with good reason - his playing on this album changed blues and rock), but the rhythm section of Flint and McVie is solid, and ultimately most of the credit deserves to go to Mayall.

The post punk album that shaped the goth sound. It's atmospheric and sinister without being mopey like contemporaries The Cure. The opening track starts out with a familiar sounding guitar riff, but you're soon dragged into the darkness of a claustrophobic, yet melodic journey. There's a brooding menace in these songs that very few bands have been able to replicate.

This just isn't for me. I listened to it, but I certainly wouldn't again. I don't hate it, it's just not my cup of tea.

This is what I'm here for. I've never heard of these guys before and I'm so glad that I've now discovered them. I'm not sure how to describe this album. It's as if the band got a big bowl and started pouring genres into it. New wave, country, indie, psychedelia and so on until the bowl was full. They then swirled everything together. The end result shouldn't work, yet bizarrely it does.

At times sounding ahead of its time, other times like a throw back. More raw and less polished than their later works. This seems to be a moment of time of a band starting to find their own unique style.

The Van Halen album that pushed the pop side of things. Synths came out from the background to the forefront, most notably on Jump, shocking and dividing fans. But it worked and sold a ton.

Early goth music with that dark, brooding quality. The sound tends to be too murky to be atmospheric though.

Good variety of styles / genres while still sounding fairly coherent as a whole. Fun tunes. It is a solid, enjoyable album. Situation Vacant, Love Me Till The Sun Shines and Waterloo Sunset are the standout tracks for me.

The album starts like a softer, American version of the Hilltop Hoods (similar choice of samples and flow) but without the edge. Later tracks have a motown feel. Having a live recorded track in the middle was weird and disruptive. Lyrically it's really good. Lots of diversity so it doesn't get boring

Rod Stewards voice is unmistakable and Jeffs guitar work ground breaking. The album that shaped the hard blues - rock sound to come.

A mix of punk and pop, without sounding like pop punk. This almost prog in some ways. While obviously punk, there's hints of blues, jazz, boogie and psychedelia that you wouldn't expect. I'd heard "Peaches" before (I guess it was a hit), but "Goodbye Toulouse" and "Hanging Around" are the standout tracks for me. This is a solid album that I suspect would get better with subsequent listens.

It's been a long, long time since I listened to this album. I was 9 years old when it came out and boy it was huge. It really was everywhere. A few years later grunge hit and overly produced albums like this were instantly dead and forgotten. Time plays tricks as I remember this as being much more robotic and sickly sweet than it actually is. More pop than rock, but there is still a rock edge buried in there. Almost like magic those hooks immediately flood back when hearing the songs, even though I believed I had forgotten them, and I find myself singing along.

Arguably the most important album in rock and roll history. This hit with speed and intensity that hadn't been seen before, inspiring countless others. Richard's voice is amazing. Compared to contemporaries like Elvis this man could really belt it out. I think he is the first to have a vocal trademark, his Woooooo. Decades before Michael Jackson's Heehee for example. All that said this suffers from a sameness to all the songs. The song structure and melodies are almost carbon copies of each other.

Moody and atmospheric, while simultaneously being antagonistic and jagged. Part goth, part experimental, part no wave. It's like listening to an album that just isn't quite sure what it wants to be.

I had never heard of Femi Kuti before, but what a way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. Hypnotic African beats with healthy doses of jazz and funk.

It's Hendrix. Do I really need to say anything else?

Their best album by a long shot. Kurt Cobain's influence is obvious. The rage in Courtney's voice comes from the heart.

I've never really listened to Slipknot before. Because of the masks I mentally labelled them style over substance, like Kiss etc, and ignored them. That said this album is better than I expected. Not perfect but there's a few songs that I saved to my library to listen to again.

This type of music really isn't my cup of tea. That said this has a heart and soul that a lot of the albums on the list lack. The opening track "The Dolphins" was really good and I was hoping it would build from there. Instead it stagnated. "Everybody's Talkin" was a highlight, but only because I didn't realise that the Nilsson version was a cover and I love learning new things. The psychedelia of the closing track was interesting but didn't quite flow.

I know of Bowie from his radio hits and reputation. I'm not sure if my expectations were too high going into this, but I found this album pretty underwhelming. Ok so I slept on it and came back to listen again fresh. It's better, but I wouldn't call it great. The instrumental tracks, while interesting, sound like they belong on a different album.

Grating and brash in true punk fashion, but there's some interesting melodies buried in there. You can hear where later bands like the Strokes and Arctic Monkeys took inspiration.

There's 2 ways of looking at this album. The first way is historically. In 1966 this parodied the music of the day and pushed boundaries. The second way is to take it out of that context. As a stand alone album it's fairly meh. I appreciate this for its impact on music that followed, but I wouldn't listen to it again

To quote two English guys modifying a mini - Get the funk out. You know an album is a classic when multiple tracks from it have been covered by differing artists and become hits.

I wasn't really looking forward to this, but wow. There's a liveliness and spirit here that is lacking in his studio produced songs. I guess Van is one of those rare performers who is better live.

A thoroughly enjoyable album, but (and it's a big but) I can't help wondering if this album actually deserves to be on this list. It sounds like it belongs in a bygone era and really doesn't offer anything new. I expect a lot more from an album this recent on this list.

Released in 1987. The peak of hair metal and power ballads. This album is the antithesis to what was happening in mainstream music back then. Yet at the same time it's musically very masterful. The one thing I don't like about this album is the weird fade outs at the end of songs. That's a minor nit pick though.

I always thought this album was released in the early 80's. I'm a little shocked to find out it was 1975. I had only heard Born to Run previously, but the rest of the album is in the same vein, although there is enough variation to keep it interesting. Bruce is an amazing lyricist, but not a great singer, yet there's a passion in his voice that's undeniable.

My second live album in less than a week. I'm not a huge Who fan at the best of times. Moons drumming is amazing but I find the rest pretty meh. That said the recording quality is amazing and they sound like a heavier band than on their studio albums.

This may be contentious, but in my opinion, this is the best Hendrix album and to top it off, it was their debut. Years ahead of everyone else, this fundamentally changed rock music forever.

I wasn't looking forward to this having heard some Jay Z stuff before. I can't stand lyrics that have nothing more to offer than "I'm the greatest, look how good I am". Unfortunately that's exactly what I got on the first track, and the second. The fourth track mixed it up with a song about girls, and how he has sex with all of them, you know because he's the greatest. I pretty much tuned out the lyrics after that, well until Eminem randomly turned up. Ironically he rapped about how he would talk about anything. Honestly the only things I find even mildly interesting in this album are some of the samples chosen.

That odd mix between psychedelia, metal and blues that was the beginning of the heavy metal genre. Not my favourite Sabbath album, but it's still really good.

I didn't really know what to expect with this one. I had sort of heard killing moon previously in passing. Being greeted with an orchestra from the start was a surprise. This album is melodic, yet broody. Post punk meets goth. I really enjoyed it.

On first listen this was a bit hit and miss. At times chaotic, at times overly repetitive. With the exception of Once in a Lifetime, I wasn't overly impressed tbh. So I slept on it and came back with a fresh mind. I really like the elements in the songs individually, but they don't really gel properly a lot of the time. I get what they were trying to do and can see how this would have influenced a lot of future artists. After a few listens through, I would call this ok, but not great.

My second album from this group. The groove was interesting for the first couple of songs but soon became boring. Not really my thing.

I should love this. All the elements are there. Instead I find it a little insipid and boring. Nothing really grabs me. It sounds like the sort of thing played in a movie scene of a rad 80's party where you don't want to take focus away from what the characters are doing.

My first time hearing The Roots, and I enjoyed it. The start of the album comes out swinging and never really lets up. It has plenty to say, both lyrically and musically. Plenty of variety between tracks so it never gets boring.

Like some sort of sick joke I got this on Christmas day. For most people that would be a good thing. Unfortunately due to personal reasons that I won't go into, Christmas is a horrendous time of year for me. I couldn't listen to this and can't find a way to skip it.

I was curious as to how I have never heard of this band before after reading the review. It's an interesting listen that I enjoyed, but it lacks that edge that other famous albums from this time have. I guess this is one of those albums that will be forgotten to time, which is sad.

When it's good, it's great. When it's not it sounds like elevator music. This is one of those albums that I can't help feeling the band would have be better live. The type of band that would kick into impromptu improvisation during the set. They are obviously all talented with a wide array of musical styles under their belts.

I know this album was huge when I was a kid, but I never really listened to it because it wasn't what my friend group was into. So it was a bit of a surprise when I played it and knew the first 3 tracks. It's amazing what you absorb from the radio without realizing it. I find it funny that he left a boy band and made something different with this, only for future boy bands to copy the style.

This just doesn't work for me. I appreciate the musicianship of each player individually, but as a whole it's disjointed and doesn't flow. It sounds like each musician is playing a different song. A mash up gone wrong so to speak.

I had to go to youtube to listen to this as Joni pulled her music off spotify, but it was worth the effort. I really like the poetry / stream of consciousness of her storytelling, but you don't even need to understand english to feel the emotion in her voice. This is beautifully complimented by the stripped down and raw music. This album takes you on a journey that you'll want to revisit.

This could be a great album but it's bloated with filler and crap. Cut it down to half the length and it would be so much better for it.

I know of Willie, but have never listened to any of his music before as I'm not a fan of country. So this album was certainly a surprise. A laid back chill crooning to the classics. It's not quite top tier, but it's a solid 4/5.

Going off the name and cover I was expecting a country album. This proves the old adage you can't judge a book by its cover.

Back when I was a young metal head, I had this girl I was seeing around to my place. So there's this chick with purple hair and piercings going through my cd collection looking for something to listen to. She found this album and freaked out, calling me fake, poser etc. That may be the only time in history Cat Stevens' music ever broke up a relationship. A truly classic album. 5 stars.

When you have someone coming over and you have to clean the entire house in 15 minutes, this is the album you put on.

I forgot I was listening to this and ended up staring stupidly at my phone thinking I was on hold. I shouldn't be drinking when I do these reviews. The next day when I was sober I discovered a cool, chill album. It's more the sort of thing you would put on as background noise than actively listen to though.

God I hate this. Reggae has always been a genre I can't stand. I will be generous and bump it up to a two for the message.

I'm generally not a country music fan, but have listened to some Cash before. What really elevates this album is the audience and the atmosphere that they lend.

Some of it sounds timeless, some of it sounds dated, but all of it sounds amazing. From the opening juggernaut that is More Than A Feeling, right to the end of the album I loved this. After a hard day back at work after a 2 week holiday, this was just what I needed this afternoon.

My second album by Joni. I loved the first one, but somehow this one is even better. A little bit more pop, a little jazzy, a little more upbeat. An easy 5 stars.

Well I've never heard of Joanna Newsom before, and the album artwork didn't really give me any clue what to expect. Even so I was surprised. The first listen through I was swinging between sorta liking it and being annoyed by her voice. After a few listens this has really grown on me. It's not perfect. but I like it a lot.

The sound of this album is definitely a product of its time. That certainly doesn't mean it's a bad album though. I was enjoying it at the start but after a while the songs all started to blend together. It lacks a bit of variety to push it higher in my estimation.

I had forgotten how good this album is. It's something we used to listen to while getting mellow. It holds up even when not under the influence.

This was a hard one to find. I resorted to a youtube playlist that a fan had created in the end. At the start I was excited to what appeared to be a post hardcore band in the same vein as At The Drive In. Its not though. There's flashes of brilliance in here, but the album meanders around a bit, seemingly trying to find a direction. I wouldn't call it exceptional, but there's enough to get me to go check out what else they have done. On subsequent listens it gets better and I find myself liking it quite a lot.

Funky and melodic songs with Stevie's narrative genius. This album is just astounding. Lyrically it's a beautifully gloomy look into the world in 1973, with songs addressing politics, drugs, urban life, divorce and more. Sonically its wonderfully diverse, something even more astounding when you realize that Stevie played most of the instruments himself. This album is a masterpiece.

A fantastic album let down by the closing song. Seriously, what idiot thought Mothers Lament was worthy of being on this album?

I'm ashamed to say I've never really paid much attention to Deep Purple before, only knowing Smoke on the Water. I had heard they were considered forefathers of heavy metal, but hadn't given that much credence. After listening to this I will admit that I was wrong. They really belt it out. You can hear proto metal, hard rock and prog rock all mixed up together. A fantastic album.

A mid tier record from a mediocre band. If it wasn't for a few outstanding riffs, this would be completely forgettable. I really don't understand the hype this band has.

This is music that has heart and a soul. It's music that touches your soul. Just beautiful songwriting.

Beautiful vocal harmonies and musical arrangements, but lacks any bite. I can see why people like Bon Dylan outshone these guys early on, which is a shame because the lyrics are great. It just needs that little extra oomph.

This was a grind to get through. A whole album of Loretta complaining about her abusive relationship. Instead of feeding your persecution complex, just leave him ffs. I think hearing one of these songs in isolation, or in a playlist would be fine, but hearing them all together like this is grating.

I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but this album is meh. It's bubblegum pop. Adding a sitar to one song doesn't magically make it psychedelia. I don't care that it's "The Beatles". You can scream "but the influence" all you want. This was released the same year as My Generation by The Who, Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire, Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis and many, many more bands that were pushing the envelope way beyond what the fab four were doing here.

It took a few listens for this to really click with me. It's poppy and groovy, yet simultaneously menacing and individualistic. Approachable yet detached. It's art rock in the best way, and looking at it in the context of when it was released, way ahead of its time.

Oh man I love this album. I've been listening to it for decades. Every listen makes me wonder what Jimi would have done had he survived. What other boundaries would he have pushed? How would it have impacted future music?

I went into this only knowing the radio hits. Most of this album is just pure pop goodness. There's a couple of tracks that, to me, miss the mark a little. It's a good album, but not quite 5 star worthy.

I had never listened to Chicago before. I was expecting some slow soft rock, but this was something else. It's a jazzy, funky jam session. For a debut album it's quite extraordinary. However some of the songs overstay their welcome and could have been cut down a little.

For an album of covers I liked this more than I thought i would. That's mainly due to her amazing voice. Ultimately though there's only 2 songs that I added to my liked collection to actually listen to again.

This is amazingly mediocre. It shouldn't be given the prowess of everyone involved, but it is. I couldn't figure out why for a while, but I believe it's because it's too safe. There's nothing here that stands out or is memorable.

When this popped up my first thought was why this album, rather than Dark Side of the Moon or the Wall. Then I listened to it. A psychedelic trip far removed from what the band would become. I can understand why it's here now. The question now is, is it good? From a historical perspective it's a ground breaking record that pushed boundaries. From a modern perspective it lacks focus and the lyrics are infantile. This is one of those albums I will need to listen to a few times and sleep on before I can decide on a star rating.

This is dated but still a lot of fun. More refined and less bombastic than the bands that would follow in their footsteps. Interestingly the lyrics have more in common with punk than with metal. Best listened to loud.

This is one of those perfect storm albums. It was the right album at just the right time. There really isn't any other period in history that a concept album this abrasive and ugly could have been released and worked. In 1991 - 1995 people actively wanted music that pushed boundaries musically and had something to say lyrically.

Not my favourite Zep album but it's still fantastic

Oh cool, today I'm greeted with an album I've never heard of. But wait, it was released when I was a teenager, so why haven't I heard of it? The album cover looks kind of African. Maybe it's something like Femi Kuti which I liked. So lets press play and see what this is. The first track is interesting and is a great start to build off. My curiosity is peaked to see where this goes. Unfortunately the second track falls flat on its face. For me the whole album is hit and miss. There's lots of good ideas here that just don't come together well. At least now I know why I've never heard of it before.

The only Flaming Lips song I knew going into this was "She Don't Use Jelly", so this was a bit of a surprise. The opening track threw me as it reminded me of another song. It took me until half way through the song to figure out it was Cat Stevens. A quick google search confirmed my suspicions. I love the idea of a concept album involving robots, but this doesn't quite work as one, seeming to lose its way in the second half. All the tracks are pleasant enough, yet nothing really stands out to me. I can't help comparing this to other albums with similar concepts, like Act II - The Father of Death by the Protomen, and feeling a bit underwhelmed.

Without You is a classic, but for me the surprise of this album is the opener Gotta Get Up. Beatlesque but it gives me Mr Blue Sky vibes and I like it a lot. The rest of the album has an amazing variety to it, yet still feels fairly cohesive. The only song that rubbed me the wrong way was Coconut. I find it stupidly annoying and it stops this being a 5 star album for me.

You have to R.E.S.PE.C.T. that voice. This is an amazing album. The biggest shock to me in this album was the song Save Me, as it is the same guitar riff as Gloria by Van Morrison. I'm not sure who ripped of who, though it does raise some questions. Is the idea of spelling a word out (Respect / Gloria) also a borrowed idea? Idk and I don't have time to do the research right now.

My second Flaming Lips album in a few days. I like when bands get experimental, but jeez this falls short for me. When it works it's really good, but a lot of the time it sounds like at least one of the instruments is fighting the others just for the sake of being different. The lyrics are atrocious. I certainly won't be listening to this again.

Grab your staff and cape, we're taking some hobbits on an adventure to Kmart.

File this one away in the historical cabinet of curiosities.

The biggest thing about the Gorillaz was the mystery of who they were. When it finally came out everyone was mildly shocked, then moved on. There's a few good tracks on here but I find a lot of them to be insipid and boring tbh.

The minimalist backing tracks really let the amazing voice shine. An album you feel in your soul. I didn't know Jeff Buckley's Lilac Wine was a cover, but hearing this album it's easy to see the inspiration he took from here.

I can't see myself listening to any of these songs in isolation or in a playlist. Yet together as an album they work amazingly well. It creates an atmosphere and mood that is incredible. A wonderful example where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.

A brute force mash up of industrial, rock and electronic with a dark cabaret feel. The singer sounds like an angry Tom Waits at times. The songs walk a tightrope between accessibility and utter chaos. Not knowing what the lyrics are may actually work in its favor, as the voice becomes just another instrument. Initially intrigued, I find myself liking this a lot.

Green Day were huge in the 90's, but by 2000 were considered washed up. Then they released this concept album and it was massive. It's been a long time since I listened to this so I was a little worried that my memories might be tinted by rose colored glasses. I had no reason to worry. It's still brilliant, not only holding up really well, but still being relevant today.

Most of the criticisms about this album that I recall from back then were in the vein of it being too simplistic. The thing is that's what made it brilliant and stand out. A 2 piece band playing back to basics rock with catchy hooks and an interesting sound.

Not just a product of its time, also a product of its place and culture. I started listening to this without knowing anything about it and it was quickly apparent that this was 90's UK rave. I must admit that it was a little earlier than I expected at 1990, so I guess it's on the list for being trailblazing or something. Ultimately this just isn't my thing. I found it annoying a lot of the time and it seemed overly long.

This was a bit of an odd one. It took me a few listens to get into it. Moody, murky and atmospheric, yet experimental. It's classed as post punk but sounds more pop shoegaze a lot of the time. My biggest gripe with this is the singer as I find his vocal style a bit grating.

Technically this is amazing, from both a musicianship and recording standpoint. But it lacks any edge. There was nothing here that extracted any emotional response from me at all. As such it sounds like top quality lounge music. Just not my cup of tea I guess.

What a monster of an album. Tracy's lyrics rip your heart out and leave it beating on the floor. The basic, stripped down music really works to help get the message across. It's easy to see why this is one of the best selling albums of all time.

Only knowing Elton by reputation and overplayed hits, I had preconceived notions and was anticipating something fun and more bombastic than this. Well this album soon changed my mind. Ballads with a prog rock edge and a darkness that I wasn't expecting. Just nine songs showed me facets of Elton that I didn't know existed, but I'm glad that I do now. There's a couple of songs that don't quite hit the mark but this is a solid album.

We are in the middle of a heatwave here atm, and I've been working in the sun all day after getting just 2 hours sleep. Despite my sleep deprived sun fried brain (or possibly because of it), it's easy to hear that this album is a masterpiece.

I know a few Neil Young songs, none of which are on this album. I started listening to this but turned it off part way through. I wasn't feeling it, but I knew that was a reaction of my mental state at the time. I went and did other things for a few hours and then came back to it. I'm glad I did that because this is a good album. Not quite 5 stars but certainly a high 4.

This was my first Metallica record. By record I mean literal record, as in big black disc that goes on a turntable. This album blew my young mind. The production quality was terrible but the songs were amazing. I hadn't heard anything like it. I listened to it so many times I know every song note for note. I went down the rabbit hole of all the previous albums. Most of my friends thought it was weird, until the black album came out. Then suddenly I was one of the coolest kids around lol. Listening to it now I'm glad to hear that the production quality has improved dramatically from what it was. Although not the best or my favourite album from Metallica, this will always be a five star album for me.

I can smell cheap beer, cigarettes and depression listening to this.

The worst thing about Pink Floyd is the insufferable fans. The music is amazing though.

I procrastinated for quite a while before listening to this. I don't really know much about Bjork and was expecting weirdness just for the sake of being weird. This is better than I was expecting. There's emotion and atmosphere in amongst the weirdness. It was an interesting listen, although not an album I would listen to again.

An important album for electronic music. This has a number of great tracks, but the second half of the album drags.

This is one of those albums that could have only happened in the 90's. That weird period when music labels just threw everything at the wall to see what would stick. A lot of it failed and was soon forgotten, but what worked really worked, giving us gems like this.

Eminems' tongue in cheek lyrics designed to create controversy, combined with Dr Dre beats created an album that took the world by storm. I loved this back in the day, but now some of the lyrics are a bit problematic. I'm torn between giving this a 4 or 5 star rating because of that, but I'm going for 5 due to nostalgia.

Back in the mid 90's Common People and Disco 2000 were played so much on the radio that I grew to loathe them, especially Common People. Because of this I wasn't looking forward to delving into this album. So it's not a bad album, but it's not a great album either. I find the entire thing fairly meh. I'm not sure what the hype is, but then I didn't get it back when it was big either.

Generic and insipid pop/country. Has about as much punch as an toddler born without arms. Doesn't offer anything that hadn't been done before in decades previous by other artists, so I'm not sure why it's on this list.

I find it interesting that the hits from this album give a preconceived notion of their sound, but the rest of the album differs wildly. There's new wave, prog, disco, brit pop and more woven in here. The result is an album that doesn't sound coherent. It's almost like 2 different albums mixed together. Even so, after ridding myself of expectations, I find this quite enjoyable.

Intense and gritty garage proto punk. This would have sounded like a slap in the face in 1970. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would

The first half of the album is nice I guess. The sort of thing you would have as background music in a cafe. Not something I would actively seek out. It picks up a bit with Macbeth, then the title track Paris 1919 which I found interesting. It dropped back off a bit after that.

I had a hard time listening to this. Not because of the music but because I kept getting interrupted and had to keep pausing it to deal with life. The musicianship on display was amazing, but I wasn't a fan of all the introductions sprinkled throughout.

"Dr. Octagon, a homicidal, extraterrestrial, time-traveling gynecologist and surgeon." Basically it's a more juvenile Rocky Horror done in rap. There's a lot of talent on display here and I admire using such a wacky concept for an album. However some of the lyrics are pure cringe, even by 90's standards, which keeps it from 5 stars.

You wouldn't guess it by the cover but this is much better than the cheesy glam metal that came after it.

Well this was an odd one. When it's good it's really good, but that's broken by songs that are fairly meh. This album could have been cut dramatically, getting rid of all the filler, and been amazing.

I only knew the 2 big hits, One Way Or Another and Heart Of Glass, going into this. On first listen it wasn't quite what I expected, being a lot more diverse than I envisioned. This is a fun pop rock album which just gets better with each listen.

This is an important part of music history when blues rock was evolving into psychedelia. But it's much more than that. You can hear how they influenced so many bands to come and also pop culture in general. The opening track Lost Women, with that bass line, could easily be on a Tarantino soundtrack. He's Always There was sampled by the Pussycat Dolls. Black Sabbath was obviously inspired by Ever Since The World Began.

This was a hard one to get through. I get what they were going for but for me, it missed the mark. One of the songs ripped off Werewolves of London. I don't know how this made the list.

On paper this shouldn't work. Half of 60's folk duo travels to South Africa to collaborate with black musicians on album of American songs. It reads like a mushroom induced fever dream. But despite the odds the result is a truly fantastic album.

Oh nostalgia. This album was massive in Australia when it came out. It had 5 hit singles, which are still played on the radio today. With that said I've never listened to the full album before. (I was in the punk and metal scene when it came out). So nostalgia aside and listening critically, is it a good album? I'd say this is a really good album, but there is nothing ground breaking here, so I can't call it great.

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but Sinatra is over rated. He has a good voice, but that's all he has to offer. All the credit for this album should go to the musicians and composer. Seriously you could take the vocals away making this an instrumental and it would still be amazing.

Well that certainly wasn't what I was expecting from the album cover and title lol. While the musicianship on display here is great, this just didn't connect with me at all. I wouldn't choose to sit down and listen to this, at best it would be background music while I'm doing other things. I already have other instrumental albums that I like a whole lot more for that though.

I remember buying this album based entirely on the strength of Song 2, then being sorely disappointed by the rest of the album. So it's time for a revisit. Time to listen to it with unbiased, matured ears. It still sucks. There's some ok songs but most are boringly mid to terrible.

A post punk / new wave record with horns and hints of psychedelia that somehow sounds uninspired, reserved and boring. I'm not sure how they pulled that off, but it's an accomplishment, although not one to be proud of.

Late 1998. I was becoming jaded amid a sea of toothless music like Brit pop, pop punk, etc that was huge at the time. Then I was introduced to this album. What a revelation. Weird, heavy, melodic. Drops and breakdowns. I hadn't heard anything quite like it before. It wasn't until Toxicity that they really hit their stride, but this album alone had enough influence on the metal of today to be worthy of this list.

This album hit like a nuclear bomb, became popular purely by word of mouth and kick started a whole new genre of music. It's easy to see why. It comes out swinging with the one two punch of Straight Outta Compton and Fuck Tha Police. Such a strong messages lyrically, wrapped in a unique sound. Unfortunately the record loses steam a bit in the middle, but it's still a strong album as well as being hugely influential.

With the opening track being old school slow blues, I thought this just wasn't going to be for me. But by the third track the pace had picked up and I found myself enjoying this album. It's not something I would listen to again, but I'm glad that I listened to it.

I knew of this album by reputation, but had never listened to it before. Insert Krusty the Clown "What the hell was that?" meme here. There's some decent songs, but most seem half baked with everything and the kitchen sink thrown at them to make them seem whole. This isn't a masterpiece, it's a mess.

If you're listening to this on spotify do yourself a favor. Click on the bands name and go to the original unremastered version. It doesn't have the extra two cd's worth of bonus material, and in my opinion sounds better than the remastered version anyway. So I had never heard of this band and went in with zero expectations. There's a lot going on here. A whole range of musical styles and influences thrown together. A lot of the time it works well. There are times when it falls flat on its face though.

This one took me a few listens through. It's a good album, a really good album, and I've added some of the tracks to my liked songs. The thing is, there's nothing outstanding or ground breaking for the time this was released, so I don't think it's quite 5 star worthy.

I was 20 years old when this came out. The right age to be on mind altering substances in dodgy clubs trying to get lucky. I thought this was pretty crap music back then, and my opinion hasn't changed in all the years since.

This album captured a moment in time where punk was evolving into what would become grunge. It's worth a listen just for that historical aspect. I'm going to rate this higher than I suspect others will, purely as I was a teenager when grunge hit, so I'm biased towards this style.

I had never really paid much attention to Supertramp before and went into this expecting poppy yacht rock. It turns out they are a lot more prog than I thought and I enjoyed this quite a lot.

This is a good album, albeit a little too country for my taste.

There's some interesting moments, but a lot of it is pure excrement. I could have happily died without hearing this.

I can see how this is an important album historically, but musically it really didn't do much for me.

I find the addition funk / r&b to his glam style interesting and for the most part works amazingly well. There are a couple of instances where his voice wasn't really suited for the song though.

This album was a huge part of my teenage years and I know it well. But now it's time to put the nostalgia goggles away, forget its historical place and judge it purely on its own merits. Does it still hold up? Yes! This album is still a monster. Gritty punk and cool indie mixed together. Dark and angsty, yet melodic with pop sensibilities. Nonsensical lyrics that don't sound silly but hint at something deep. Fantastic production by Butch Vig. There's a reason this changed music and became the soundtrack of a generation. In the 80's we became accustomed to hyper produced music with superficial/materialistic lyrics. This just didn't fit in with everything else, and by doing that spoke to everyone that didn't fit in, which is a feeling that almost every teenager has.

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I think At The Drive In was better. Relationship was an amazing album and I feel they stepped down a notch with The Mars Volta, losing a bit of edge. That said this is an amazing album that pushes you in ways that you don't expect.

Try to run, try to hide, I'm sorry but I can't give this a 5. I loved this as a teen, but with the wisdom of age it's apparent this is just not quite as good as I used to think it was.

This album dragged rock from the psychedelic party, down a dark alley and gave it 2 black eyes. This is punk before punk was even a thing. The terrible recording quality just adds to the feeling of raw power.

An album from my teenage years that I've never heard of. As it's on this site that means there's a 90% chance it's British. Let's have a peek and of course it is. Ok, lets have a listen. Oh, oh God NO. Make it stop. This is the sort of music to enjoy when you're off your tits on drugs. Unfortunately I don't think there's enough drugs in the world to get me to like this.

Well this was an odd one. I hadn't heard of this band before so went in completely blind. The album is enjoyable, interesting and well produced, but it's ultimately forgettable. There's no hooks, nothing special that sticks in your mind. 10 mins after my first listen through I couldn't recall any specifics. This is an album that I will have to listen to quite a few times to form a true opinion, but right now I don't have time so my rating is based on just 2 listens through.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The title track is a banger, the following 2 tracks are solid. The rest however, well the best word I can think to describe them is bland.

My first impression is that it sounds like the soundtrack to a 90's teenage rom com. After a few listens through I find it ok, but nothing extraordinary. I guess it's on the list for being early for this sound.

I'm really not a fan of country music, so this was a bit of a slog to get through. Listening to this objectively I will say that lyrically this is really good. The musicianship is good. The production is good. Yet I just didn't enjoy it.

It's insane that this was made in the 70's. It's groundbreaking and highly influential to all sorts of music, right up to now. It sounds timeless and also nostalgic. I can't help but picture 80's video games when listening. With all that said I can't give this 5 stars as I found it a tad repetitive and annoying, and I wouldn't listen to it again. I am glad that I listened to it though.

Meh. An average album from an average band. I seriously don't get the hype about blur.

Why do I always get the super long albums when I have the least time available to listen to them? With just one listen through, I can say that nothing really stood out as amazing here. While it was interesting to hear different genres, a lot of it blended together. It's ok but I'm not going to go out of my way to listen to it again.

Firstly I have to say I hate the singers constant sheep like bleating. Apart from that I really liked the music. It has a frenetic energy and coming from the mid 80's was way ahead of its time. I'm not sure how much influence this had on later 90's acts (I had certainly never heard it before), but it's easy to draw that conclusion.

The death of a lead singer is the end of most bands, and Bon left big Shoes to fill. But Brian stepped up, bringing a straight to the gut approach that fit perfectly with the hard rock of the band. This is dumb fun and it is just so damn good at it. Grab a beer, turn it up and rock on.

This sounds dated and formulaic, but it certainly wasn't back when it was released. Not the album from Sepultura that I expected on this list as they have better, but I like the fact that there is some classic thrash on here.

An interesting album in a historical context, but personally I didn't enjoy it as much as their Raw Power album.

I knew the singles but had never listened to the album before. My biggest thought after the first listen through is how does something so complex give the vibe of being simplistic. After a few listens I have to say this is a great album and I really enjoyed it.

This really didn't do anything for me. It's not a bad album by any stretch. There's just nothing here that grabbed me. It's strange because I've quite liked some of their contemporaries. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood Idk.

I'm not sure about elsewhere, but in my country these guys were a one hit wonder. The big song "Scooby Snacks" got a decent amount of airplay, probably because Tarantino was massive back then. I remember the title track "Fun Lovin Criminals" getting a bit of airplay, but it never really took off. This was an interesting listen, although it seems a bit try hardish tbh. Scooby Snacks still rocks though.

Going by the cover I was expecting a joke band. Like seriously, why name yourselves the Beta Band? And then name your album after an old Charlie Sheen parody movie. Listening to this I kept swaying between this is insipid and boring, and oh that bit was interesting. Ultimately this is too hipster wannabe for my taste.

I miss early Offspring. Back when they had an edge and sang about things with some substance. In hindsight you can see the beginning of them transforming into the meme songs they would become known for on this album, but it wasn't really noticeable at the time.

I've come to dread albums popping up that I've never heard of because it almost certainly means it's a mid tier British band. Not surprisingly this is British, yet I wouldn't call them mid tier. The music is an eccentric and energetic mix of rock and electronica. I enjoyed this quite a lot, but I find myself struggling to remember any specifics after listening because there's no real hooks.

This is exactly what I signed up for. A band that I've never heard of, with album art that I wouldn't look at twice, yet it's an amazing listen. I'm not even sure how to describe this - western indie folk? The songs are given space to breathe and grow. It's atmospheric and even cinematic. You can't help envisioning scenarios while listening. I love this.

This album was so innovative and fresh when it came out. It's been quite a while since I heard it though. I knew a couple of people who adored this band (and probably still do) due to songs about queer sexuality and depression. But now it's time to put away the nostalgia goggles, stop reminiscing about playing Vampire The Masquerade and see if it still holds up. Honestly it does sound a bit dated now. Also a couple of the tracks don't quite hit the mark. With that said this is still a great album that deserves its place on the list.

It's nice, but over produced for my taste. I appreciate the mellow sexiness here, rather than the in your face style that most go for.

I'd never heard of John Martyn before and the first listen through left me with mixed feelings. Subsequent listens hammered home what was happening here. This is a really interesting album. Improvisational jazzy, bluesy, folk music. I really didn't care for his slurred vocal delivery on some of the tracks, but musically this was great.

Another one I've never heard of before. I absolutely hated the first track, but then quite liked the second. The entire album was a mixed bag of hits and misses for me, but sadly the misses far outnumber the hits.

I fell asleep listening to this, which is a first for the list. I'm not sure how far I got into it but had to start over the next day when I woke up. This is a pleasant album but not only does it have no bite, it has no teeth. The way this was recorded, especially the sax, makes this sound older than it actually is. Really not my thing.

I actually let out an audible moan when this came up. Yet I listened to the album all the way through, just like every other. I have to admit Karen has a great voice, and most of the songs are well crafted. But omg, it's so sugary sweet that I had to call an ambulance because I was about to fall into a diabetic coma from listening to this.

I bought this album back when it came out. I love it and know it back to front. I haven't listened to it for a while and for the sake of this list I did my best to listen to it very critically this time. For the majority of the songs this works amazingly well. There are a couple spots where the orchestration clashes with the band, or it just doesn't flow quite right. Really that's my only criticism and I'm not sure if that's enough to drop this from a 5 to a 4. I'll have to sleep on it.

I never really paid much attention to Duran Duran before, only knowing the hit Hungry Like The Wolf going in. Although this sounds a bit dated now, that bass guitar really elevates this above standard pop fare. My biggest criticism is that some of the songs sound a bit samey. This is a really good album though.

Rod Stewart has a very unique voice and with the right songs it's amazing. These aren't the right songs. I don't know why this is on the list. Half of the songs are covers for god's sake.

I'd never heard of this artist or album before. After the first listen through I was left intrigued. Reading up about it bought the album into focus, which I was lacking before. Now I'm left with an interesting conundrum - I don't know how to rate this. This deserves it's place in rock history, but I doubt it had much impact on future musicians. The demo quality gives it a certain charm, but I can't help wondering what it would have sounded like done properly. I'm glad I listened to it, but I wouldn't seek it out again. I'm torn with this one.

Aside from hearing some radio cuts of a couple of the hits, and the Rob Thomas - Smooth song, I wasn't really knowledgeable about Santana going into this. This album feels more like a jam session, but it's a really good jam session. I really liked most of the songs, but a few were a bit meh. Aside from the obvious Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va, I think Hope You're Feeling Better is a standout.

Fun fact - Highway to Hell is named after Canning Hwy which is close to where I live. I've driven on it countless times over the years. There's not much to say about this album and band that hasn't been said repeatedly by everyone else. But I can talk about the bogan culture that spawned this music. It's a culture of hard people, hard music, fast V8 cars and alcohol abuse. But it's also about having fun, mateship and tongue in cheek humor. Stemming from the 70's it still exists to this day. So put on your best black t shirt, grab your sheila, fire up the kinga, head down the Raffles and get maggoted carnt.

This really didn't gel with me, but it took me until the second listen through to figure out why. It's because of that reserved British thing where the lyrics are angry and emotional but the music is poppy and whimsical. To me the juxtaposition just doesn't work.

I've never really listened to Earth Wind & Fire before, but I was looking forward to some funky goodness. The opening track had me excited, but the second track left me cold. Picked right up on the third, then down again on the forth. Ok, so obviously my preconceived notions of what to expect was skewing what I was hearing, so I left and came back later with a fresh perspective. So after coming back this album is still a bit of a mixed bag. The ballady songs don't really do much for me, but there's some great tracks. This is a middle of the road type of album for me.

This album deserves 5 stars just for its place in history, but just listen to that bass and those drums, they're incredible. When you add in heavy guitar it creates a sound like no other back when it was released. It's a bonafide classic

So today's album is one I've never heard of, from a mega star? What have I been missing? Turns out, not much. Obviously pandering to Americans, he even puts on a fake country twang for some songs. I got to the title track and realized that I had heard it before. I guess they tried to push it in my country but it didn't really take off. At least I know why I hadn't heard of this garbage before, I just wish it had stayed that way.

I love everything about this, except the vocalist. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but that voice produces the same feeling as nails on a chalkboard for me. It put me off in the 90's and still does.

I did a deep dive into these guys years ago, so I understand why this album is on the list. It's not just about this punk record. This started the hardcore scene. The band would tour a lot, but play small venues, many of which had never had live music before. This opened the doors for other bands to follow and created the underground hardcore punk scene. The band also ran SST records, signing not just hardcore, but quite a diverse array of bands. Sonic Youth, Hüsker Dü, Minutemen, Soundgarden, Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr. and many more. The underground wouldn't have exploded into the 90's alt and grunge scene without Black Flag.

This is way, way too long. I literally don't have time to listen to it all. I managed to get halfway through, but honestly I don't think I'm missing anything by not listening to the rest. Ella has a great voice and the music is pleasant, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to any of this.

This review is basically the same as my previous review for the Kraftwerk album The Man Machine. It is important historically and had a huge impact on future music. I'm glad I listened to it for those reasons, but I wouldn't listen again. I find it too repetitive.

I had formed the opinion that the Stones were over rated, even though I hadn't really listened to them, only knowing their big overplayed radio hits. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by this album. There's a good variety amongst the tracks, but more than that there's an overall feel that's hard to describe, but works. There's a couple of songs that didn't quite land with me (what the hell was Dead Flowers?), but there is no denying this is a good album.

I found the lyrics a bit annoyingly repetitive, but the music itself is amazing.

This is the sort of thing that you would hear played as background music at an overpriced cafe. The type of music where the vibe is the most important aspect. Listening to this I find it over repetitive and boring as bat shit.

I will admit to letting out a bit of a groan when reading this band, that I hadn't heard of, was another 80's British new wave act. But this was a lot better than I was expecting. Aside from the singer, there's not much that's really new wave here. There's a lot of funk, jazz and latin influences. I'm tossing up between giving this a 3 or a 4.

This album is great and I really enjoyed it. More than that is the crazy story that goes with it. A massive thank you to the person that mentioned it in their review. Check out the Buzzfeed article "The True Story Of The Fake Zombies, The Strangest Con In Rock History" for an amazing read.

The atmosphere on this album is fantastic, but I feel that the songs themselves are a bit lackluster. I can't help but think this album is over hyped because of the circumstances.

This reminds me of a band called the Cat Empire, but not as fun. I can see this working in the right circumstances, but it just didn't gel with me. I was going to give this a 2, but reading the notes and finding out that he recorded it on a laptop while traveling, I'm giving it an extra point.

I was expecting an album of catchy dance tunes, but this isn't that at all. It's subdued with a melancholy vibe. I really like the way the lyrics tell a story. My biggest gripe is that if you're going for sophisticated, you can't have some of it sound like the demo setting on a crappy keyboard.

The idea of combining their blues sound with pop style synths was genius, and influenced a lot of other bands. The problem is the lyrics range from not great to outright terrible. There's a song about TV dinners for god's sake. If you can ignore the lyrics, this is a fun, toe tapping album.

Theatrically dark ballads that few can pull off, yet Nick Cave relishes in them. His vocal delivery draws you into the stories.

This is my second album from Sly & The Family Stone. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first, but I'm struggling to put my finger on why that is.

I've heard of this band before, mainly as a punchline due to the name, but never actually listened to anything by them. The album artwork didn't inspire much confidence either. I put it on in the background while I did other things but by track 3 I had stopped what I was doing as the music had my full attention.

I went into this knowing the hit song Frontier Psychiatrist, but hadn't listened to anything else. The rest of the album is interesting and intriguing, yet it falls short of the refined chaotic brilliance of the hit.

I love lamb chops, yummy. Unfortunately this album is nearly as bland as mashed potatoes.

I'm going to preface this by saying that I hate reggae music. I find the sound of it maddening. With that said I went into this with an open mind and actively trying to find the good points. I will say that the musicians were tight and I like that lyrically it had something to say. It was still a struggle to sit through this though. It's certainly not something I would ever listen to again.

I enjoyed this quite a lot, but there were odd questionable bits through out that keep this from being a five. Overall a good early prog album.

A turning point for rap music. Up until then rap was generally this goofy, fun thing. But then in 1988 Public Enemy and N.W.A. attacked the airwaves, bringing a harder edge and political commentary to the fore. It's hard to imagine now but back then this was revolutionary and hit like a ton of bricks.

I'm not a fan of country music so I don't know if I'm missing something, but to me there doesn't seem to be anything remarkable about this album. Maybe it was ground breaking in some way, or genre defining, but I can't hear it. To me it's just a pleasant run of the mill country album, although it is well done.

This album achieved something extraordinary - it put me to sleep. In the middle of the day. This is so boringly insipid that its success makes me question humanities future.

The best word I can come up with to describe this is quaint. It has some high points, some low points, and its place in rock history. The biggest takeaway for me though is thinking just how much, and how fast music changed in the late 50's and early 60's.

This list has ruined my enjoyment of discovering new bands from my teenage years that I've never heard of. It's always something that was only popular in the UK, and of dubious quality. This is way beyond my worst expectations. It's boring, bland, repetitive crap. I'm not sure what drug was popular in the UK back then, but you need to be on it to enjoy this.

I'm not a huge fan of rap music and had never heard of this before. I was about halfway through when I looked at the release date and was surprised as I would have placed this earlier than 94. That just made it sound even more dated. It was an interesting listen, although I wouldn't listen again.

When this popped up my initial though was "oh god not another live album". I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't a guy noodling on the piano for an hour. It's really well done but the weird sounds he makes through out are off putting. I was going to give this a 2, but after reading the story behind it I'm bumping it up to a 3.

I'm not sure what to make of this. The music was interesting, probably because of the orchestra. It was let down lyrically though.

I don't know much about Jazz music, and the write up didn't exactly sing it's praises, but I enjoyed this a lot. Not something I would listen to regularly but when the mood is right I can see myself revisiting this.

One of those albums where the cover is more iconic than any of the songs contained within. While it deserves praise for being a trailblazer, it's just not an album that has ever appealed to me.

On a Friday, after being worn down by a long week, I really needed a pick me up. Some hardcore punk, dubstep or something. Instead I was greeted with easy listening. So I put it off until Saturday morning. Listening to this while being a bit hungover and sorry for myself was the right choice. There's some decent tracks on this album, and some stinkers.

I was looking forward to delving into this one due to the opening track Sympathy For The Devil. Unfortunately a lot of the album didn't live up to that with a lot of blandness. There is some interesting instrumentation sprinkled throughout the album, but I don't think that's enough to make it great.

I came to this album late, like a lot of others. I remember going to buy the cd (and finding it not available) after hearing other bands mention them as an influence. It's an amazing album, way ahead of its time, that still holds up. I love the atmosphere they created.

Only knowing the song The Weight going in, I had some reservations going in, but this is a great album. It has a warm and rich sound with lots of variety. More amazing is that it's from 1968.

I knew of Issac Hayes from South Park and pop culture references, so I was curious going in. I love the sound, feel and atmosphere created on this album. The spoken intro on the last track really drops the ball though. When you've only got 4 tracks it's a big blow and stops this from getting a 5 from me.

This would have been a much better album without all the annoying interlude skits. The music itself is interesting and when it works it really works. Some of the tracks fall flat for me though.

I remember back when this came out, it was so big as to be inescapable. I also remember most of us thinking of it as a joke - this effeminate man trying to act hard. With that said it's time to put old preconceived notions, and the knowledge of what Michael would later become behind, and listen to the album on its own merits. So, although horribly dated, this is a good pop album. The whole "Bad" character still comes off as disingenuous and silly though.

I know the hits but have never listened to a full album. Also I have heard that Queen is a singles band, with their albums full of filler. So it's time to have a listen and see for myself. Well it's certainly eccentric with each song a different style, yet it somehow works. There's a couple of songs that aren't really to my liking, but they're not bad songs. There's also songs that I was unfamiliar with but I think are great, like The Prophet's Song. I'm undecided if this is a high 4 or a low 5. I'll give it a few more listens through before rating.

This album was the blueprint for 90's alternative. Pop hooks with distorted guitars. Cryptic lyrics delivered in a screech. Loud, soft, loud song structure. But beyond the influence, this is a great album on it's own merit. Just the fact that something this different could cut through into the mainstream and make an impression proves it. It effortlessly mixes genres into something new and coherent. A truly classic album.

I was a kid when this came out and back then I thought her hair was weird. Decades later I think it's even worse. It looks like she scalped a sasquatch and stuck it on her head. The music itself has not aged particularly well because of the 80's production. Luckily it has her powerful, raspy voice to elevate it.

Well this album deserves an award for the longest song titles. An independent concept album where the artist not only recorded and produced, but played most of the instruments as well. I should love this, but it fell kind of flat for me. I found my mind continually wandering whilst listening. It just couldn't hold my attention, with songs just blending together.

This started on shaky ground with cover versions, but thankfully it picked up later. He is a great sitar player and when doing his own songs is quite enjoyable. That said, this really isn't something I would listen to again.

Wow. This was so much better than I was expecting. I had heard of Janelle before but had unfairly written her off as just another pop tart, without listening to her. A concept album with a wide variety of styles and influences with great production, sign me up.

This album was stupid, but fun and entertaining. Sounds like a cross between pub rock and cabaret. This was released 2 years before TNT by ACDC and you can really hear the influence this had.

It's a classic album and has his biggest hit on it. Yet it's not my favorite NY album. I much prefer his later rock / grunge style with Crazy Horse, which is amazing live.

Trip Hop and Latin infused tango music made by a French outfit seems like an absolutely ridiculous concept, yet this works surprisingly well. Although this was an interesting listen and a nice change of pace, I doubt I would ever listen to it again. It really became monotonous after a while.

The band that paved the way for thrash, and this album is on the list purely for its influence. The music itself is decent, the lyrics are trash, but there's no denying the attitude.

Although this album is better on a technical level than Nation of Millions, it didn't quite have as big an impact on me. Still good though.

I feel like I'm missing something, because I really don't understand the hype for this album. I don't really like her voice. She's a decent singer, but I wouldn't say great. The orchestra is good, but nothing new is happening. Overall I found this fairly boring tbh.

There's some good things on this album. Unfortunately they all massively overstay their welcome to the point that I end up hating them. I would rather castrate myself with a rusty spoon than listen to this headache inducing mess again.

This obviously had a huge impact on what would become new wave later, but honestly I found it rather dull.

One of the most influential albums of all time. It changed the way records were made and deserves all the praise it gets for that. However I don't particularly like it. There are too many sounds that seem to have been added just to have a sound in that spot. They don't enhance the feel or theme of the song, and in many instances stand out like tacked on after thoughts.

I can appreciate what they were trying to do, but I don't think it works. It's too juvenile to be satirical.

This sounds more Bowie than Iggy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I like the rawness that Iggy brings to this.

My first thought is why this album and not her debut? I'm not sure what happened elsewhere, but in my country her first album was a much bigger deal. So after listening through a couple of times, I'm still asking why this and not her debut. Don't get me wrong, this is a good album, but it sounds like it got churned out of the same factory as a lot of other pop stars. Her debut worked so well because it was different and stood out among the pack.

I know this album inside out and back to front. I bought this album when it first came out, already being a fan of Siamese Dream. I remember my first listen. I thought I knew what I was in for, but was blown away from the very first song. With all that said, not all tracks on this are top tier (although they're still good), and I understand some people find Billy's voice grating. Maybe it's just nostalgia, or from listening so many times, but this is an easy 5 star for me.

I wasn't really looking forward to a double live album, but damn this was great. A lot heavier than I was anticipating. I was really enjoying the bass so looked it up and found out it's Lemmy! This would have been a great band to see at their peak.

Well this was fairly meh. This almost gave up on this album, but thankfully I didn't as the best tracks were towards the end. I found "You Got A Reputation" and "Lazy Days" decent, but the rest I could have happily skipped.

I remember back when "Killing Me Softly" was huge hating the idiot constantly singing "one time, one time" all through it, so I didn't hold high hopes for this album. Somehow it's even worse than I feared. A lot of the songs come across as wannabe gangster. The skits are terrible.

Instrumental covers of popular songs played on bongos sounds like a truly horrendous idea, but somehow this works surprisingly well. It does overstay its welcome rather quickly though.

Well this was a tough one to find. I had to resort to a youtube playlist. Musically this is great, interesting and diverse in sound. Lyrically, well they must have been higher than giraffe pussy when writing lines like "The fear of being eaten by a sandwich"

Interestingly funky and jazzy. Every time I got to the point that I thought a song was getting boring they changed it up. I can't help thinking that editing the songs down so that I don't get to the point of thinking that it's getting boring would be advantageous though.

This was a slow burn. On the first listen through it really didn't do much for me. On subsequent listens it really came into its own. I'm rounding up my score because I'm fairly confident this will become a favourite album in the future.

It's not breaking boundaries, but what it does, it does especially well. Only knowing ZZ Top from their Mtv era, this was surprising in a good way.

Much better than I was expecting from the write up. Very proggy and certainly ahead of its time.

My second Neil Young album on this list. This one is a bit more rock than the last one, heading towards that grungier style that he did later that I prefer. This is a solid album though.

A live album of mostly covers just isn't something I expect from this site. I understand that it was the done thing back then, and it showcases his wild man persona. It falls short for me.

I went into this one blind and was pleasantly surprised. Gorgeous music with a darkness hiding just under the surface. I can hear many artists that were influenced by this.

I've never understood the hype for this band. Back when we listened to the radio Coldplay was inescapable and I hated it with a passion. Well it has been a few years since my ears have been assaulted by this, so lets have a critical listen. This is generally bland and the singer has a voice that would drive any sane person to violence. That said it is well produced and there are some spots that are musically interesting which keeps this from being a one star.

This album is a stone cold classic. The sound of a great band at the height of their powers.

There's something about this album that just doesn't gel with me, but I can't figure out what it is. I left it and came back a couple of hours later and had the same feeling. I slept on it and listened the next day fresh, yet the feeling persists.

This was a pleasant surprise and exactly the sort of thing I joined this site for. I had never even heard of this band before. I enjoyed this a lot. The only thing that bugged me was the theremin (I think it's a theremin) being overused.

God I hate this band. I hate the mediocre songs. I hate their stupid hairstyles. I hate the fact that I knew every word of the hits because they were hammered on the radio so much back then.

You can hear Bowie's influence all over this, but not as much as The Idiot. Personally I think that's a good thing, although that's probably an unpopular opinion.

Dylan is an amazing lyricist, decent musician and terrible singer. I can appreciate this album for its poetry, and for a musician reinventing himself, but not much else.

I appreciate the musicianship, but this is something I wouldn't listen to again.

This sounds great, and Otis has an amazing voice. I can't give high marks to an album that is mostly covers though.

I really don't understand the hype for this band. The singer just drones on and on. I will give them credit for this album being the first pay what you want digital download by a major act.

This is one of those bands that I had heard of, but never actually listened to. This album is a folk, rock, prog mix by a British band from the early 70's that somehow doesn't sound like Led Zep. I will give them props for that alone. I really enjoyed this album although I don't think it's quite 5 star worthy.

I only knew Brass In Pocket going into this one. It started more punk than I was expecting, which I liked. Other songs swung more to the new wave side. It's a pretty solid album, but it didn't set my world on fire

Well I didn't expect to be greeted by an album from a one hit wonder that I had completely forgotten about today. It certainly makes me wonder what I (and most of the world) missed that makes it worthy of this list. So dance music really isn't my thing, but I found myself liking this quite a bit. It's fun, quirky and experimental in places. There's a fairly wide array of sounds, but some songs were a bit too repetitive and overstayed their welcome. It took me a few listens to pin down what I really like about this album, and that is its optimism. It just lifts your mood and puts a smile on your face.

So I spent the entire time listening to this album wondering why it was on the list. I had to go the the reviews to find out that it pioneered the honky-tonk sound, so I guess it deserves a star for that. This isn't something I would ever listen to again though.

I don't think there is anything I could say that hasn't been said a million times. This album is a stone cold classic.

This may sound quite hilarious by today's standards, but for when it came out this was way ahead of the curve. This spawned thrash metal, death metal and black metal. It's just an amazingly influential album.

I get the feeling this is the type of album that you would get more out of if you played an instrument. This just didn't connect with me though.

After 4 tracks I was ready to write this album off as complete garbage. To me rap music is about the lyrics, therefore the lyrics have to have substance. All I was hearing was - I'm the greatest, name drop, I'm the greatest, swear, repeat. Luckily there were songs with something to say later in the album. Unfortunately there just wasn't enough meat on the bone to raise this above mediocre.

This is a fantastic album. Janis bares her soul when she sings. This is no doubt an unpopular opinion, but to me the most well known songs (Bobby McGee and Mercedes) are the weakest songs on the album.

This was fairly mediocre. Most songs sounded a bit anemic.

My second album by a Scottish band released in 82 in a row. Luckily this one got a lot of things right that the previous one failed at. I like the layers here, creating a texture that melds into a pleasing whole. I don't think it's amazing enough to deserve a 5 star rating, but it's a solid 4.

I never really paid much attention to this band before, only knowing the radio hits. Thinking about it I'm sure this is down to timing. This was released the same time as the grunge, alt and thrash explosion at the start of the 90's. This just didn't fit in. I can't recall anyone listening to, or even talking about this band back then. I really enjoyed this album and I will most likely revisit it in the future. My only gripe with it is that there is nothing new or innovative. This could have been released in the 70's and fit right in.

My second Sonic Youth album on this list. I liked this one a lot more, but that's not saying a lot as the first one didn't exactly set the bar very high. This album drops the ball a bit at times, but never completely loses its way.

This was an interesting change of pace from what I've been listening to recently. This isn't music that challenges you in any way, it's exactly what's described on the box - music to dance to. I found it interesting for a couple of songs then it al sort of blurred into one. My favourite was "Varsity Drag", not because of the music but for the title. It conjured up some amazing mental imagery. Oh how language has changed over the decades.

Technically it's really good, but it just didn't connect with me.

There's some gold on this album, and some meh filler. I'm not going to listen more than once because I don't want to give Clapton the money

What a fantastic album for a lazy Sunday. The music is soulful and funky with so much going on. Amazing lyrics. What's not to love. I want to see the movie now.

I had never heard of this band and didn't have high hopes. The album cover looks like a poster for an old B grade science fiction movie. The summary says this is psychedelic rock, but straight away you're hit with something more akin to punk. As the album progresses there's a whole host of different styles in the mix - folk, garage, surf etc. The fact that this predates most of those styles is impressive. This is an album I will certainly come back too.

I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I think this album is over rated. I'm not saying it's a bad album, far from it. And yes it deserves praise for being groundbreaking, but musically I find it a bit lacking. There's good songs on here, along with some duds. I certainly don't think this deserves the moniker of best album of all time.

I don't really know much about Kate Bush. I had the preconceived notion of her being one of those artists that are weird for the sake of being weird. This album was a pleasant surprise. Melodic and atmospheric with touches of weirdness. I really enjoyed this. The thing I'm left wondering though is why this album? It doesn't have any hits so I doubt it's her biggest selling. It's not a debut and I haven't heard of any other artists mention it as an inspiration.

Oh god that was bad. Musically it was ok, but uninspired and meh. But her voice drags this down faster than a mob informant with concrete boots.

I had the Supergrass song "Pumping On Your Stereo" on a compilation cd back in the day. Although it's the only song I knew from them, I had some idea what to expect going in. I quite enjoyed this. It was a lot of fun with decent variety. The songs have held up well, especially compared to other Britpop groups of the era. I'm not quite sure why it made this list, but I'm lowkey glad that it did.

Yes it's incredibly dated and fairly juvenile. But when this came out it sounded like nothing else. Rap and rock fused together made everyone take notice, and it screamed up the charts as a result. Arguably one of the greatest debut albums of all time.

I've never listened to this album before. It was interesting to get away from the greatest hits and hear the deep cuts.

I came to this with the assumption that this band was more style than substance. This album did nothing to change my mind. There's a couple of decent tracks but most of it is meh.

I unabashedly love this album. Yes it's cheesy, but it knows that and leans into it hard. There's a quality and uniqueness to Steinman's songs, that when you hear one you just know that he wrote it, regardless of who sings it. Add Meatloaf's voice and presence, and magic happens.

I had only heard Rikki Don't Lose That Number going into this, and honestly wasn't expecting much. This album was certainly better than I expected. The problem is it just didn't connect with me. I really can't see myself listening to this again.

Another band I had never heard of before. I was halfway through the first listen through before it started to click for me. It got better with each listen. Punk with a wide array of styles thrown into the mix.

Indie folk music with a medieval twist I guess. I was interested on the opening track, but it soon all blurred together. It's almost aggressively inoffensive, and I found it rather dull. I think my biggest gripe with this album is that it could have been released in prior decades and fit right in. It's not ground breaking in any way whatsoever, nor did it start any trends or movements. I'm assuming it's on here because it sold a lot.

Probably the most over rated album of all time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad album, just that it doesn't deserve the hype and praise that it receives. It has some good songs, some mediocre songs, and some crap songs. As an album it's bloated and directionless.

A cut above most punk bands of the time. Lyrically there's weighty issues wrapped in sarcasm. The band can play well and there's quite a bit of variety in the tracks.

I knew of MM before this album due to the song Sweet Dreams, from the previous record. However it was hearing Beautiful People that spurred me to actually buy this album, as it's such a strong song. The sound was pretty unique for the time and still holds up fairly well. I'm going to ignore the controversy surrounding Manson himself and judge this purely on the music itself.

This was a bit of an odd one for me. On first listen it just didn't grab me at all. However with each subsequent listen it got a little better. I still wouldn't call it great, but it's certainly not bad.

This is a bit of a hard one to rate. I know this album well, it helped me get through a dark time in my life. Listening to it now with quite a few more years under my belt, well I'm hearing it differently. The production isn't the greatest, over compressed and processed to the point of absurdity. But that begs the question - would this album have gotten so big if it was done better? Even though it's far from perfect I'm giving it an extra point for nostalgia.

This album is good dumb fun. It does the hair metal thing really well and I enjoyed it a lot. My issue with it is that it doesn't offer anything new. It doesn't push the genre or subvert your expectations at all. The only reason that it seems to be here is that it's British and sold a lot. This list has really shown me just how stagnant music has been for a couple of decades now.

I remember back when these guys were on the radio and not liking those songs. Well I'm older now and was interested to see if they sounded better with the wisdom of age, and also what the rest of the album contained. The best word to describe this album is bland.

I'm not sure what's going on with that cover. Poor guy looks like he's having a stroke as they're taking the picture. Then they added the slime green drippy font. The whole thing is just weird. Let's Stay Together is a song that is as close to perfection as possible. That makes it a heck of a way to open an album. The rest of the tracks try valiantly to live up to that standard, but don't quite make it. I'm not sure it's even possible to match that opener though. This was a fantastic listen and I'm happy to say that this is an album you should listen to before you die.

I had never heard of Nas before so I wasn't expecting much from this. Wow what a surprise. Lyrics and flow are great. He's an amazing rapper. I do find that musically this lacks a little, with small samples overused, which I find a tad annoying. Still an enjoyable album though.

This takes me back to carefree teenage years, smoking the green and cruising for chicks lol. Honestly this isn't the Doors best album, it drags in the middle. It's still pretty darn good though.

I went into this one blind as I had never heard of GZA before. It started out with a voice over about an assassin and I got excited thinking it was going to be a concept album of some sort, then the rap started and I felt blue balled. Also I'm not sure how GZA is pronounced, but my brain insists that it's Geezer. I had to come back to this one after a while to listen to it for what it is, rather than what I wanted it to be. The guy is a talented rapper, but I found the lyrics a bit too much "I'm the greatest, look at me, I'm a badass." style. Overall I found the album lacking.

Musically it's interesting, but the songs tended to overstay their welcome. Runaway really didn't need to be 9 minutes long for gods sake. It had obviously run out of ideas, passed boring and went into annoying teritory before it finally ended. The biggest issue is Kanye himself, he's just not a good rapper or singer. All the guests mop the floor with him.

This is my second album from Arcade Fire on this list. This one left me feeling exactly the same as the last one. It's well done but just didn't connect with me in any way.

Well this was an interesting listen. Raw and cacophonic bordering on unhinged. The production quality is terrible which really hurts this. Done properly this wouldn't be so polarizing.

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Very atmospheric, which is somehow added to by not being able to understand the lyrics

Tommy was a crazy concept, telling a truly insane story. Yet it worked, and paved the way for countless others. A number of the songs can't stand on their own, but as a whole it somehow works. A slightly flawed yet amazing album. I would rate this a high 4, but I am bumping it up to a 5 due to its historic significance.

It's moments like this that I love this list. Being presented with a band that I've never heard of and discovering something great. There's a wide array of influences meshed together here to create an enjoyable album.

I knew the song Green onions (like pretty much everyone on the planet) going into this. The rest of the album is interesting, but I find it hard to get excited when most of the songs are covers.

This album is fun and a bit goofy. You can see how it influenced hair metal. Technically it's great and I love the guitar tone. I just feel it lacks a bit so isn't 5 star worthy.

There are 9 songs on this album, 5 of which are stone cold classic hits. That's an amazing achievement. Great songwriting, lyrical story telling and fantastic production combine to form a stellar album that still sounds great more than 4 and a half decades later.

Another album that I've heard of but never listened to before. I'm so glad that I have finally listened to it now. This seems to straddle the line between punk and post punk, utilizing the best of both. I can hear the influence this had on a lot of bands, most egregiously Elastica ripping off the riff from Three Girl Rhumba. I've listened to this a few times now and have no doubt that I will keep coming back to it.

I was expecting 80's style pop synth going into this, but was surprised by the dark ambience that flows throughout this album. This is like a middle ground between pop and Nine Inch Nails. The production is amazing.

Most of the songs are not available on spotify but I found a playlist on youtube. I'd never heard of this band before but it sure was an interesting listen. Some of the songs were fantastic, but some were lacking.

This really isn't my thing. It's not a bad album, but I could have happily died without listening to this.

Wow what a surprise. I only knew of Joan from her 80's hit Drop The Pilot so I wasn't really ready for this. There's lots of different styles that come into play and blend seamlessly - folk, country, funk, rock etc. Her voice is amazing and carries emotion. What a treat this album is.

Another band that I hadn't heard of before. It was interesting reading the synopsis after listening. The blame game seems to point at the record company for screwing up distribution as to why this band wasn't huge. I'm not sure if that's entirely true though. Does this band have enough to make it big even without the other issues? There were some songs that grabbed me but most didn't really leave an impression, and I couldn't tell you what they sounded like the next day.

Early punk that's good dumb fun but lacks substance.

There's some good songs on this album. Unfortunately they're buried among the chaff. This would have been much better pruned down to a single album, getting rid of the weak songs and working on some of the others a little more.

I bought this album back in the day and have listened to it more times than I can count. It's not quite as good as Mellon Collie, but it's still an easy 5 star for me.

I'm going to preface this by saying that I was busy while listening to this and didn't give it the attention that I usually do with albums. This really didn't do much for me. It sounds like a bunch of guys that were hired to do the hold music for your telco got bored and started drinking.

This 80's style dance music is not really my cup of tea, but being honest the music itself is above average. The singer however isn't up to the task.

I really didn't expect to like an instrumental album made by sampling as much as I did. There's a lot of layering going on. The end result is an interesting atmosphere. I'm not sure I would revisit this though.

I love this list for introducing me to albums like this, that there is no way I would have come across on my own. The music creates an ethereal atmosphere which I really like. However every song is a bit too long and repetitive. I feel this album would have benefited greatly by being trimmed down a little, it really doesn't need to be over a hour long. I might get more out of it if I understood the lyrics, I'm not sure.

Bland pop country with cheesy lyrics. Meh.

Although not my style, this was great. The musicianship is top notch. My only gripe is that it tends to be a little repetitive.

I only knew the Police from their overplayed radio hits and had judged them as an over hyped white boy reggae act from that. There's a lot less reggae style in this album than I was expecting, which is a good thing. Some tracks were decent, most were forgettable, and then there was mother which sounded like a completely different band. After listening through a couple of times my opinion remains that this is an over rated band.

This another one that I had never heard of before, and wow what a surprise. I loved this. It's soulful, jazzy, experimental, theatrical and sounds timeless.

I can't listen to the song American Pie without hearing the Weird Al lyrics.

This is a great example of don't judge a book by its cover. I was expecting some tribal sounds, and for the first 30 seconds that's what it seemed to be. But wow, what a journey this album takes you on. It's hard to pin this down to a genre and I'm not sure how I would describe this to someone else, but it is an amazing album.

I can appreciate that this was ahead of the curve for 1972, and it deserves props for that. The issue is that I just didn't enjoy it. In fact I found it to be mildly annoying most of the time.

This was a bit of an odd one. I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me to an extent. The enjoyable part is the soundscapes that they created. It's great as background music but doesn't really stand up to active listening.

I'm already groaning before even listening. A 90's album that I've never heard of - it has to be British and probably average. The band and album name promise so much, so lets have a listen and see what this is. My fears were not unjustified. This does not even try to live up to the interesting title. Not surprisingly it's British. It's tedious and after the halfway mark I started listening to part of a song before skipping to the next just to get through it.

I knew a couple of the songs already (Sexy Boy and Kelly Watch the Stars) as they received a fair bit of airtime on alternative radio back in the day. The rest of the album is in the same vein. This is music that's about mood and atmosphere more than meaning. Somehow this manages to sound both retro and futuristic simultaneously. It's certainly an interesting listen, although I felt it started to outstay its welcome after a while.

Well this was weird, but in a good way. I'm surprised that this album isn't more well known. That said I really don't think I would ever listen to this again so I'm not going to rate it super highly.

I'm starting to become convinced that this site only gives you double albums when it knows that you're busy. Luckily this time it was Nick Cave, and even though I hadn't heard this album before, I knew what to expect. I like the way each disc has a completely different feel. I prefer the first disc personally, but that could just be that I wasn't in the mood for the ballads of the second. I wish I had more time to really get into this one but sometimes life gets in the way.

I hated the production of this from the get go. The tone of the drum machine and the overused vocal effects both irked me. Which is a pity because there is some interesting things going on here, if you can get past the horrible sound.

I thought this album was better than ok, but wasn't completely sold until the last 4 tracks that it really hit me. I'm not sure it would have normally but it's been an incredibly hectic day and from Julie With onwards I just felt the stress melt away. I listened again later and the first half of the album is actually pretty good, I just wasn't in the mood for it earlier.

For me this album kept swinging between interesting, quirky fun and outright annoying. Do I think that this is an album that you need to listen to before you die? No I really don't.

Lyrically this is great. Tupac is a good rapper, no denying it. However musically is where this falls apart for me. A lot of the backing tracks sound like they could be used by a corporate made, generic all girl group. I can't take the gangster thing seriously when it sounds like that.

It is overly long and pretentious as hell, but it's bloody good.

Well this was a blast from the past. My mum used to play this when I was little. It's interesting hearing it again decades later. Alice is nowhere near as campy as I remember. Great musicianship from the band and lyrics that are more clever than you expect. These are songs that get stuck in your head and beg you to sing along.

It's a little bit shit, isn't it.

This album is like the missing link, bridging the gap between early 60's doo wop pop music and the punk movement of the 70's. It deserves praise for its place in history, even if it isn't the greatest of albums.

I had forgotten about this group. Mr Wendel, Tennessee and Everyday People got flogged to death on the radio back in the day. Strangely not this version of Everyday People though. I'm not sure if they had a radio version or re recorded it on another album. (I had a look and it's the Metamorphosis mix that's the big hit of Everyday People) This album is funky and has some interesting samples, but oh my it's so overly preachy that it got on my nerves.

This is a nice album. There's nothing wrong with it. The problem I have is that it isn't the pinnacle of its type, nor does it push boundaries or explore new territory. I'm left wondering why it's on this list. It's just a nice album.

Smooth Operator was the only hit from this record in my country, so that's all I knew going into this. This album has that manufactured "effortless cool" thing going on. I actually love the singers voice here as it suits the music perfectly. I would have liked just a tad more variety to make each song a bit more distinct.

Today this album brings to mind ridiculously overplayed songs and a complete douche of a front man. That wasn't the case when this album was new though. In a landscape of polished, spandex wearing, soft hair metal bands like Poison and their ilk, Appetite For Destruction was like a bomb going off. Louder, faster, dirtier, sleazier, yet somehow more down to earth. It changed the game and helped pave the way for many other bands to come.

Went into this one blind. Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. I feel a bit blue balled after listening. Each song promises something, but doesn't quite get there, similar in a way to the vocals I guess. Is that what they were going for? I'm not sure. The best I can describe it is talent cosplaying as talentless.

I absolutely loathe the song A Message To You Rudy, so I fully expected to hate this album. After listening I can call this tolerable, but I certainly wouldn't listen again.

Tradition Irish music fused with punk is an interesting idea. When it works it's raucous fun. It doesn't always work for me though, and a full album at once is too much.

Many years ago, (more than I want to think about tbh) back when I was a teenager, this album was my introduction to Tom Waits. I bought it as I was curious about hearing the original version of Downtown Train, which Rod Stewart had a hit with. I remember being taken aback when Singapore started as it really wasn't what I was expecting lol. Over time the album really grew on me and I explored more of Tom's catalogue. It was fun to revisit this one.

Back to back Tom Waits. Yesterday was Rain Dogs, today it's SwordfishTrombones. Luckily I like Tom, although this isn't my favourite album of his.

Lupe Fiasco is one of those artists that I have heard of but never actually listened to before. This album is fantastic. Eloquent lyrics that get his point across or tell a story. A rich, full sound musically. My only gripe is the outro. I get what he is doing, listing his influences, but it just drags on. I'm going to listen again before I make my mind up whether or not that drags it down to a 4 star or not.

This is a nice album and I have to say that the production is fantastic. That said the songs themselves didn't really do much for me. It's the sort of music that you use as background noise at a dinner party.

My third Sonic Youth album from this list and I'm not even a year in. I liked this one more than EVOL, but not as much as Dirty. Although this doesn't effect my rating for this album, my biggest thought is that this album wasn't really needed on this list. The two I've already rated already show two fairly distinct sounds from the band, this is just in the middle. A transitory period.

My second Kate Bush album on this list. This one is certainly a more challenging listen than the other. I didn't quite know what to make of this on first listen. Luckily I got this on a Sunday, which meant I had time to leave it for a while and come back to it with a fresh mind. Personally I find this album makes more sense if I think about it as a soundtrack to an avant-garde musical theater production. That said I don't think it's a musical that I would want to see.

A huge nostalgia hit seeing this one pop up as it was a big part of my teenage years. I know this album back to front and inside out.

I'm always excited when newer bands show up on this list, getting recognition amongst all the legacy acts. I'm not quite sure what to make of this one though. It sounds like a post rock band decided they needed a goth singer for some reason. I've given it a couple of listens through and it isn't really growing on me.

My second Madonna album on this list. The first I can understand, not only was it a smash hit, it helped define a generation. This one however is just not on that tier. I appreciate that this was a radically different sound for Madonna, and that her vocal range is a lot better than earlier albums, so I guess it's on the list for those reasons. Ultimately though, this just isn't an album for me.

I have to admit that seeing another band that I've never heard of with a very British looking cover, I wasn't expecting much from this. Turns out this is a fun, pop punk record. It wasn't until Under the Boardwalk that I thought to myself that the singers voice sounded familiar. After a bit of google sleuthing I discovered that the singer is Feargal Sharkey, the "A Good Heart" and "You Little Thief" guy.

I've never really listened to Bjork before, but based on what I had heard, that it was weird for the sake of being weird and that I really didn't get the appeal. After listening to this album a few times I can say that it's not as weird as I assumed, but I still don't get the appeal.

This is one of those "right place at the right time" albums. The sound was shockingly different at the time. Add in the visual red, black and white marketing gimmick and you had something that quickly became a cultural phenomenon. After their next album even the Simpsons had riffed on this band. It hasn't really stood the test of time though. They inspired many other bands that just did it better, leaving the Stripes in the shade.

I only knew Randy Newman as the guy who wrote songs for Pixar movies, so this was a bit of a surprise. While the music is fun, there's a dark undercurrent woven into in the lyrics that make this more interesting than you expect. That said I'm really not a fan of his singing.

Instrumentally this is great, and the bass is just fantastic. A big shout out to the producer too. By my god is it repetitive, most notably in the lyrics. I can't help feeling if they had put some more time into the lyrics that this would be absolute dynamite.

I think I may be lactose intolerant, because the amount of cheese in this album gave me the shits.

I don't like this album quite as much as Doolittle, but I appreciate its importance in music history.

The author of this list really likes britpop don't they. There's some decent songs on here, but a lot of filler as well.

How many Radiohead albums are on this damn list? I enjoyed this one more than the others that have come up, but it wasn't exactly a high bar to stumble over. This is a bit more abrasive and less whiny than later efforts, yet still polished. I was going to give this a 3, but on subsequent listens I'm bumping it to a 4.

I can appreciate this for the influence it had, but for me the music itself struggled to get above average.

I've said it before and I will say it again. I think that the Beatles are over rated. With that out of the way, this is a good album. Does it deserve the massive amount of praise that it receives? Not entirely. There's mostly good songs here, with some great songs and some mediocre.

The only song that I knew going in was Fools Gold. This was an interesting album and I can understand why so many people hold it i high regard. With that said this just didn't connect with me. I listened to it multiple times, giving it a chance, but it seems to be missing the spark to ignite some passion.

Well this was an odd one. With the opening track I thought this just wasn't an album for me. But then there was something I liked. The whole album kept swinging wildly between enjoyable and terrible, often multiple times within one track. I really don't know what to make of it.

This came out when I was 12 years old. A friend at school recorded his older brothers album and gave me a tape of it. When you're young and broke every album counts and I listened to this a lot. It wasn't much later that grunge and alternative hit, washing this style of music away. It has been decades since I listened to this album and looking at the track list the only songs that I could remember were Love In An Elevator and Janie's Got A Gun. But as each song started my brain went oh yeah, I remember this. Nostalgia aside, this is an ok album, but nothing special. I really haven't missed much in the decades since I last listened to it.

If this list has taught me anything, it's that if an album from my teenage years shows up that I've never heard of, it's most likely British, and I most likely won't enjoy it. This was no exception. I got halfway through each song before skipping onto the next. Well I did for the first 10 tracks anyway. I saw the last 2 tracks were over an hour long each and just gave up entirely.

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, yet I don't think it's an album worthy of the hype. I would say it's decent. I like the instrumentation on a lot of this, but the singer wears out his welcome pretty fast.

I've always hated Claptons cover of I shot The Sherrif. Sadly this album is more of the same. He may be a great guitarist, but this entire album comes across as uninspired. I'm only listening to this once as I don't want to give Clapton any more money.

It's always a little exciting to get an artist I've never heard of on this list. The album cover really didn't give any clues what to expect either. I know nothing about this genre of music, so I don't know if this was revolutionary in some way. I also have no idea what most of the songs are about. I do know that it sounds absolutely gorgeous. I enjoyed kicking back on a lazy Sunday afternoon and just letting this wash over me.

The Black Album. The album that catapulted Metallica into the mainstream, but also alienated a lot of their fans due to the change in sound. I'm one of those weird people that was already a fan (I came on board with the Justice album) yet still loved this album.

Well this was certainly interesting. While it's not something I would generally listen to, or will again, I can appreciate this is well done.

This is my second Common album on this list. I didn't like this one quite as much as the first, though not by much. Lyrically it lacks in a few spots and some of the samples didn't land for me. It's still a good album though.