384
Albums Rated
3.38
Average Rating
35%
Complete
705 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Hip-hop
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
37
5-Star Albums
10
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remedy | 5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
| Nixon | 5 | 2.75 | +2.25 |
| Chris | 5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
| Music Has The Right To Children | 5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
| A Seat at the Table | 5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
| I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight | 5 | 3.05 | +1.95 |
| Untitled (Black Is) | 5 | 3.05 | +1.95 |
| Music For The Jilted Generation | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
| The Blueprint | 5 | 3.22 | +1.78 |
| Forever Changes | 5 | 3.22 | +1.78 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superunknown | 1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
| Bayou Country | 1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
| Hard Again | 1 | 3.62 | -2.62 |
| ...And Justice For All | 1 | 3.43 | -2.43 |
| Sunday At The Village Vanguard | 1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
| Electric Ladyland | 2 | 3.95 | -1.95 |
| Apocalypse Dudes | 1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
| Apple Venus Volume 1 | 1 | 2.85 | -1.85 |
| Metallica | 2 | 3.79 | -1.79 |
| L.A. Woman | 2 | 3.67 | -1.67 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 2 | 5 |
| Beatles | 4 | 4.25 |
| Radiohead | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Metallica | 2 | 1.5 |
5-Star Albums (37)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Basement Jaxx
5/5
9/10
I remember this from the time, where it cont be understated how huge and omnipresent it was. But I expected to to be a sold 3 or shaky 4.
But this has aged extremely well. A few songs are still in my rotation, but the bench is deep here. so much fun.
Basically a house album, but flavours of techno and dancehall amongst others. This came before grime and some of the US hip hop of today that must take influence from it.
Best: Jump ‘n Shout
2 likes
Orbital
4/5
8/10
Finally some decent electronic music, which this list severely lacks.
Will be curious to see if there is more from Orbital, because there are definitely better albums than this.
This still sounds great, classic 90s dance music with that signature orbital synth sound.
You can feel how some of this influenced work that came after, like Duck Feet having a definite Boards of Canada vibe.
Best: Philosophy by Numbers
1 likes
4/5
8.5/10
Another one I know well and like. Would have loved to give it 5 but it’s not quite there.
Poppy hard rock with proggy edges.
It is undoubtedly silly, and the Muse conspiracy theory stuff is weird, but at least it is self-aware. That makes the sillier stuff fun.
They definitely like Queen and Radiohead, but the inspirations are very wide. It starts off sounding like Glass!
Best: Map of the Problematique
1 likes
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
7/10
Another one I knew from the first time round. This was a sensation at the time and now has a handful of well-loved songs on it.
The rest is extremely energetic punky songs, full of youth but not the highest quality.
I have really enjoyed the last 2 or 3 AM albums so this one is a little rough around the edges for me.
Best: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
1 likes
Love
5/5
9.5/10
I have heard this before, but forgot what a beast it is.
Probably the best of the hippie era rock albums that I’ve heard. Folky, baroque, with amazing production and incredible use of brass
Songwriting is excellent, really McCartney-esque in places
Amazing vibe runs through this, sounds so fresh
Jack White clearly liked this
Best: Alone Again Or
1 likes
1-Star Albums (10)
All Ratings
Pink Floyd
3/5
2.5. Heard ti 20+ years ago. Didn't like it then, liked it more now. Good musicians, see why people like it but it is basically lumpen blues rock which is not for me. Some of the songs really overstayed their welcome and teetered into pomposity.
Beck
4/5
3.75
Big fan of E-Pro but don’t remember listening to this one
Maybe not his most exciting album?
Plenty of dirty bluesy folky rock
Vibes & beats really good, had totally forgotten about the Dust Brothers
Best: E-Pro
Soundgarden
1/5
1/10
Really, really not my kind of thing.
Quite samey sounding
Best: Black Hole Sun, I guess
Radiohead
4/5
8/10
First one that I am very familiar with!
Excellent album, feels like a bridge between OKC & earlier and Kid A eras, despite where it fits in that timing
Comes across as more of a collection of songs in mixed style than a super-coherent album, so not an elite Radiohead album
But a number of great Radiohead songs are on this, and production is great asas always, lots of anger and ire
Best: 2+2=5, Backdrifts
Talking Heads
3/5
7/10
First TH album I’ve heard, none of the big tunes so went in blind. Pleasant surprise.
Sounds really fresh for a 70s album
Lyrics and delivery by Byrne excellent and witty
Loved the fact that the rhythms were essentially disco
But in the end maybe a bit musically monotone for me, not a huge range of style
Can totally see the influence this has on jangly art-rock. Lots of stuff still sounds a bit like this
Best: Memories Can’t Wait
The Velvet Underground
4/5
8.5/10
Not listened to this album in ages, I perhaps enjoy it more now than I did 20 years ago. Excellent.
First half is banger after banger, second half a bit more low-key. Last song outstays its welcome
This could have veered into pretentiousness but didn’t, really evokes a sense of time and place
Remembered not living the Nico vocals and have changed my mind, but still prefer the Reed ones
Influence on later bands absolutely clear - Heroin could just straight-up be a Spiritualized song
Best: Sunday Morning, Heroin
Turbonegro
1/5
2/10
Dumb AF punky metal, but at least it is self-knowingly stupid and not self-serious. Kind of shocking this is considered top 1000 of all time
Really not my thing, 2-3 songs in a row is ok, the whole album caused me a headache…
Chugging riffs and driving drums, sounds metal, but the vocals are more representative of pop punk and emo bands, think Offspring or Green Day. Bit of a clash.
Best: Don’t say Motherfucker, Motherfucker (but just because of the name, didn’t like any of the music)
Arcade Fire
3/5
5.5/10
OK I guess, not one I am likely to come back to though
Indie/alternative rock music turned into a stadium version by good production and arrangements
They should dial down the Springsteen worship a bit
Prefer the music to the vocals
You don’t need to have 50% of the songs striving to be stadium anthems
Best: Intervention
Deep Purple
2/5
4/10
This falls right into the “not for me but more interesting than I expected” category
Overall it is plodding hard rock/metal that makes me think of pub bands and old men
Vocal stylings verge towards metal, which doesn’t work for me
But the music was more varied than expected - a lot of (boring) rules rock influence, plus some jazz and even funk
Probably the most impressive aspect was the rhythm, particularly bass
Best: Never Before
Magazine
3/5
5/10
Too many muso rock albums on this list! But I liked it more than some of the previous ones. Yes, the 70s influences it took were not my favourite - too much noodling and pomposity - but you could definitely hear they knew where the sound was going. Some of the music was excellent and they could really deliver a melody when they wanted to. Bits reminded me of The Stranglers & OMD.
Best: The Light Pours Out Of Me
Morrissey
2/5
4/10
Really not a fan of the man, gave it a go though
Morrissey without the Smiths ain’t it
His instinct towards harder rock is a bad one
Musically this is often poor
But the boy can sing, sounds unique, says interesting things. Why bury a lot of it under sludgy guitar?
Some of the lyrics and titles (“The National Front Disco”) hit different now that his politics are clear
Best: I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday
The Beach Boys
4/5
7.5/10
Thank goodness, was getting a bit tired after slugging through 3 bad rock albums in a row… A group that I love and the first album of their golden period
You can really hear the sound evolving here, both musically and lyrically
Production and vocals as on pint as you’d expect, Brian Wilson really knocking it up a gear on this album
2 completely different vibes in the 2 halves, prefer the second one - foreshadowing Pet Sounds - but the sunshine of side 1 was like a blast of warm air on a snowy Thursday in January
Best: When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)
The Allman Brothers Band
2/5
3/10
Rough week this, closed off with a jam blues rock album, so very much not appealing to me
2 20-minute jams were pretty difficult stuff
I can hear these are good musicians, crazy that this is live, must have been a total vibe in that room
But honestly I couldn’t stand it & only listened to the original 7-track version. No way I was doing 2 hours+ of that
The White Stripes
3/5
5.5/10
Man, there is way too much bluesy rock music on this list
Having said that, I enjoyed this more than most so far, thought the sound was fresh
Liked the blending in of other styles like surf rock, the more balladic tracks surprised me
Some of the more riffy stuff just washed over me
Was surprised to find a real Beatles/McCartney influence, especially in the vocal styles
Best: We’re Going to be Friends
New York Dolls
2/5
4.5/10
Shock, this list has another bluesy punky hard rock record on it
Very much an American sounding hard rock album from the 70s, so not really my thing
Production makes it sound like a live performance, lends it a good vibe
Wikipedia says this is campy and humorous but I found it overly earnest and maybe try-hard
Really influenced by the Rolling Stones - the singer should back the Jagger off a bit
Best: Frankenstein
Maxwell
3/5
6.5/10
Actually enjoyed this quite a bit, it has vibes. And the vibe is horny.
Really nice neo soul with edges of funk and R&B
Preferred the funk stuff (slap bass and wah wah guitars!) to the jazz stuff
Great singing voice, nice falsetto
Can still hear plenty of stuff like this today, so it has legs
Best: …Til the cops come knockin’
Janis Joplin
4/5
7.5/10
Liked this one quite a bit
Could have been boring bluesy rock (again) but was raised up by the gospel influence, her amazing vocals, and absolutely wonderful Hammond organ
Every song could be used as the soundtrack to a montage in a very good film
Best: A Woman Left Lonely
James Brown
3/5
6/10
Decent but honestly a little throwaway. Slightly surprised this is in top 1000 let alone considered to potentially be the best live album ever and top 100 of all time
But it sounded great, tight band and he was driving the crowd feral at times
Great voice, great backing singers
More straight R&R/R&B than I was expecting - not so much funk (too early?)
Best: I Don’t Mind
Elton John
4/5
7.5/10
This one really did it for me, lush with good vibes
Surprised to see it classified as prog rock, felt more like fairly standard bluesy rock with orchestral/chamber pop elements
The orchestration was excellent, good use of strings, liked it when a choir popped up
Nice to listen to an album by a famous singles artist with only one song I knew on it!
Best: Indian Sunset
Elton John
4/5
8/10
Two of his albums in a row and … I think I really like Elton John?
For some reason his brand of Americana hits better than the American bluesy rock artists that inspired him
Cracking album, lovely production
First 6 songs are amazing. Grinds to a halt with Jamaica Jerk-Off. A couple of other duds but that’s it.
First half stronger than the second half (which is more straightforward and has country influences)
Best: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Amy Winehouse
3/5
6/10
Liked this well enough but it really felt like a debut.
Excellent songwriting, Frank is a good title. Insightful & occasionally witty lyrics
Production on the basic side: hip-hop/R&B beat + bass + jazzy instruments. Made it a little monotone at points
The identity of Winehouse was clearly not fully developed, felt like a good set at a jazz club (in fact the outro presents it as that) and maybe had a bit too much filler
Second half stronger
I have a preference for her work with Mark Ronson later on
Best: Fuck Me Pumps
Muddy Waters
1/5
1/10
This was a real struggle to get through, one song was just about listenable but an album was torture. Hated it.
His voice and tone were excellent
Musically it was repetitive and boring, felt like a jam session with a tight band who could just do this all day (and it felt like they did)
Didn’t feel any of the craft of creating an album, just a series of repetitive blues jams with a “this will do” attitude
This is obviously not my genre so I could be way off here
The harmonica was especially grating, just endless tuneless wailing
Sounded like a 1-hour version of the 80s theme tune to Roseanne. To be clear: that is a bad thing.
Least favourite album so far in this project
Santana
3/5
6.5/10
Pleasant surprise, not really like I expected. This is the best of the 70s classic rock albums I have heard in this project so far.
Rock, latin, psych, jazz. Melting pot
Great vibes, really feels like a warm summer evening in California
Keyboard/organ particularly good
Best: Oye Como Va
Pixies
3/5
6.5/10
Having heard only a few of the key Pixies songs, this was a surprise - much more skipping through genres than expected. Yes, it was punky hard-ish rock, but overall it was more what I might call indie rock with both a pop and punk sensibility
Rhythm drives the music excellently - especially the bass, which really stood out
Really liked when the male and female vocals interplayed
Best: Monkey Gone to Heaven
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
4.5/10
Mid grungy alt rock. Starting to think that the author of this list is really basic with a huge bias towards bland, competent guitar rock
Musically fine but the rhythm (especially drums) are just “there” not really doing much beyond chugging basics
Works better as a consistent album than individual songs
Not a fan of the male vocals nor the lyrics, feels like a spurned guy formed a band with his friends and now play pubs
Best: My Curse
Nick Drake
4/5
7.5/10
First Nick Drake I’ve ever knowingly heard, aware of his reputation
Really nice this - spare production, good guitar, excellent voice
This is how you do an album that does not hugely vary in style - make it good, short, and don’t outstay your welcome
Really sets a mood, liked it quite a bit
Best: Parasite
The Kinks
4/5
7.5/10
First Nick Drake I’ve ever knowingly heard, aware of his reputation
Really nice this - spare production, good guitar, excellent voice
This is how you do an album that does not hugely vary in style - make it good, short, and don’t outstay your welcome
Really sets a mood, liked it quite a bit
Best: Parasite
The Cure
4/5
8/10
Real good one this
Knew the greatest hits but this is the first album I’ve heard
No pop bangers, not a bad thing as it has a coherent style and vibe, dark alternative goth rock
Extremely well produced, big filling sound and the synth added a lot to it
Best: Pictures of
Foo Fighters
2/5
4.5/10
Really wasn’t a fan of FF before, still am not but this was better than expected
More musical variation than I thought there would be, although still dominated by riffy grungey punky rock
He really knows his way around round a melody, and major respect for playing pretty much everything on the album
The mix was very strange on this: often the instruments merged into sludge, and his vocals were a bit lower than the lyrics should be, disappearing a bit (was he nervous about his vocals on the first album?)
Best: Big Me
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
6.5/10
Really liked a lot of this, Corgan’s voice in particular was amazing, hypnotic, lovely.
More variety in genres than expected
Some really great tunes
But a few major caveats
No studio album should be over 2 hours long, a bit of editing could have improved this greatly
Case in point: it stayed on concept, but the lullaby final quarter was weird and unsuccessful for me
Wasn’t in love with the harder/metal stuff
Best: 1979
Dusty Springfield
4/5
8/10
Classy album, full of bangers
Singing voice amazing, some of the arrangements are pure great 60s
Genuine classics on here
A few throwaway tracks though
Best: Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa
Leonard Cohen
4/5
8/10
Excellent. Lovely songs, great delivery
Voice reminds me of Lou Reed
Mostly sparse production, love the songs that have hints of instrumentation
Best: Master Song
Deep Purple
2/5
4.5/10
Second DP album, liked this more than the last
But this was another hard rock 70s album in a list that seems stacked with them
Competent but boring
Best: Speed King
David Bowie
3/5
6.5/10
Drugs, lots of drugs
Bowie is at his most “sounds like someone doing an impression of Bowie” here
All of the music is impeccable here, such a quality tight group
Much prefer the electronic second half
Best: V-2 Schneider
Radiohead
4/5
9/10
Held up way better than I expected, this has forced me to slightly reevaluate my opinion on the album
A band finding their place as one of the best in the world, confident and brash
Much more interesting than the concurrent grunge sound
The first half is so stacked that the second half can’t help but suffer a bit
Takes me straight back to school lunchtime hanging with friends
Best: Fake Plastic Trees/Street Spirit
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
6.5/10
Impeccable 60s vibe
Clearly influenced by Beatles and Beach Boys
Excellent vocals throughout
Musically quite split: either uptempo, propulsive, excellent, or somewhat dreary and maybe boring
Best: Go Where You Wanna
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
6/10
Initially might have called it boring, but it grew on me as it went on
Consistent in style & vibe
Music ok, vocals excellent
Best: Hong Kong Garden
R.E.M.
3/5
6/10
Not too much to say - another basic-ish choice on this list!
Decent but not outstanding pop-rock
Songs were either fun, uptempo or less fun, ballad
It struck me that Stipe’s voice has a much heavier accent and is more country than I remember
Best: World Leader Pretend
Ray Charles
4/5
8/10
Liked this one - really well sequenced and produced
First half: uptempo, more playful, brass loaded
Then the brass is just outstaying its welcome and boom
Second half: strings, introspective, brilliant
Amazing voice, amazing emotion in second half
Led Zeppelin
4/5
7/10
Only heard the big LZ songs before, not much of a fan
So this surprised me - much less hard rock than I expected. Actually liked it
Musically I get it now - I can hear the quality and influence they had. I can hear aspects in groups that I like
But the vocals don’t do it for me at all. Do t like that style, don’t like a guy from the Midlands singing like a Deep South blues guy
So despite this having 2 of my least liked things - hard rock vocals and bluesy American rock style - this was decent
Best: Gallows Pole
1/5
3/10
What a confounding album. Genuinely baffling that this is anywhere near a top 1000 list, but one of the most I retesting so far
Well accomplished musically, big Beatles, Kinks, even ELO influences
Interesting how little electric bass/guitar and drums there were
String arrangements excellent, but they were Mike Batt
But the lyrics and vocals ruined this completely
Maybe half the songs were almost comedically bad lyrically, you’d give a 13yo a funny look if they wrote “your dictionary”
Lyrics are a bizarre mix of twee nonsense and pagan/folk
Didn’t like the vocals very much either
This is musically quite interesting but is a bad album
Best: I Can’t Own Her
Ice Cube
5/5
9/10 Excellent
Amazing historical document that captures the early 90s in America
A gangsta rap album about gangsta rap, media criticism, the events around the LA riots, and Ice Cube himself
Deeply true and insightful, the interludes are so strong
Excellent instrumentals, Ice Cube style and flow is outstanding
Flies by, it is propulsive and engaging
Best: Check Yo Self
Bauhaus
3/5
5/10
It was fine. Gothy alternative rock.
Didn’t hugely stand out from other stuff out around this time
Could clearly hear influences like Clash, Bowie etc
Vocals not amazing
Production a little sludgy - some songs the instruments somewhat merged into one
Preferred the songs where they had more funk/propulsion in the rhythm. Second half better.
Best: In Fear of Fear
The Smiths
3/5
6/10
Fine, I guess, but another one that is very surprising to find on a top 1000 list
Nothing truly outstanding, nothing terrible
It all rests on how you feel about Morrissey - and he doesn’t do if tor me. Better than the solo album that I listened to though.
Very well produced and engineered
Good, occasionally excellent music
Bass & drums particularly stood out
Liked the Nile Rodgers pastiche on Barbarism…
Best: That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore
Peter Gabriel
4/5
7.5/10
Another pleasant surprise, expected world music got progressive pop rock
Excellent production throughout, high values and the electronic/synth elements were combined perfectly
Guests were well deployed and stood out. Copeland, Bush, Rodgers in particular.
Extremely 80s sound, but the production is so good that it stands above the crowd.
Best: Sledgehammer
JAY Z
5/5
9.5/10
Wonderful. Banger after banger, almost half of this could be on a greatest hits
Jay-Z in his pomp, all the producers in their pomp
Kanye stuff just amazing
Flow and lyrics brilliant, so much wordplay, double meaning, and dense references
Basically no features, one perfect one. No skits. So much confidence there
Best: Never Change
Nitin Sawhney
4/5
7.5/10
Nice album
Excellent musicianship and production
Lush instrumentation
Loads of the songs are 75% of the way to brilliant
But the album lacks a top gear that it can shift into and become brilliant
The breakbeats stuff was the best
So ultimately it is more of a background than foreground album
Best: Nadia
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
3.5/10
Not great, this
Lydon’s voice is annoying, his lyrics are childish and embarrassing, his attitude is bad
Religion & Fodderstompf are toe-curling bad
Music is competent but not my style
Production is good, bass is excellent and these bump it up a bit
Couple of decent tunes when they actually try
Another one that should be nowhere near a top 1000
Best: Annalisa
Neil Young
3/5
7/10
Don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t a gentle, vibey, country-tinged folk rock album
Liked it though
Gentle but not outstanding music with an excellent and distinctive voice on top
Best: See the Sky About to Rain
Nina Simone
4/5
8/10
A force of nature
What a voice, this album is mesmerising despite containing none of the big songs I know her for
Nina + piano + microphone is pure magic, so those more simple arrangements are absolutely perfect
The more uptempo/showy songs are more mixed in their success
Lyrically there is some of the depth I expected, but a bunch of it is basically “I might as well be dead if you left”
Best: Lilac Wine
XTC
3/5
6/10
Way better than the embarrassing mess that was the other XTC album I’ve heard on this list
As a Blur fan I have found an obvious influence on the earlier part of their career
Psychy chamber pop, very well produced with a nice mix of live and synth/electronic instrumentation
Some nice harmonies and melodies
Vibes of Beatles, Pink Floyd, Beach Boys
But I can’t get past the vocals and lyrics, I just straight up don’t like them
I think I just don’t much like what Partridge does
Best: Another Satellite
The B-52's
3/5
6/10
Is this earth-shattering? No. Is it super quality music? No. But is it fun, interesting, and waaaay less serious than some of the other US rock and punk from this time? 100%
Probably punkier in spirit than some of the punk I’ve had on this list
Unmistakable vocals and style
But the flip side of fun and kitsch is wafer thin with no depth
Pretty monotone in sound
Another basic choice for this list, a running theme, hard to see this as a genuinely great album
Best: Rock Lobster
The United States Of America
4/5
8/10
Excerpt what this list should be for - interesting and good albums that have passed me by
Never heard of them (kudos for the un-googleable name) and really liked it
Sounds like a current band doing a pastiche of a 60s psychedelic album, a tribute to the production sounding way ahead of its time
Elements of older/traditional, 60s contemporaries like the Beatles, Kinks, Beach Boys, and sample/electronic elements
Really interesting and varied sounds
Definitely drugs involved
Reminded me of acts like Stereolab
Best: Stranded in time
Jimmy Smith
2/5
4/10
I’m sure it is good, simply just not my thing
I found it boring
Bluesy saxophone jazz aint it for me
Johnny Cash
5/5
9/10
About as good as live albums get, can’t think of a better one
The band and him are so tight, so slick, he is so at ease that he can just mess around at points without screwing it up. In lesser bands the in-song banter could wreck it
Don’t care if it is a character or facade, he plays the outlaw so well
Such energy in the delivery, he sounds almost unhinged at times
The announcements for the prisoners, the speech at the end. Makes it feel like you’re there
“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”. Iconic
Best: Folsom Prison Blues
Janelle Monáe
5/5
9/10
I’ve listened to Dirty Computer much more than this, so after a while this was a bit of a revelation. Superb.
It clicked this time that the album is basically a 70s rock concept album but with soul vibes and modern production & delivery
Both halves excellent, the more uptempo/futurist first half has more of the bangers but I think the more downtempo rock/R&B second half plays better to me
Some of the guitar stuff is wonderful
Not a no skip album - the Of Montreal track would be straight-up bad if not for the excellent production.
Best: Tightrope
Barry Adamson
1/5
2/10
This is bad, wild that it is near a top 1000 list. Nether artist nor album are significant
If you’re making a soundtrack for an imaginary film, you’ve got to get across the concept clearly. This doesn’t, unless the film is supposed to be a made-for-tv noir pastiche with some sub-bond action sequences
Musically this sounds amateur, clearly bound by the keyboards and synthesisers of the time.
5 or so years later and this could have turned into a decent trip hop or early Warp album
A couple of flashes of decent music but, jeez, bad
Best: Intensive Care
Public Enemy
4/5
7.5/10
Angry, urgent, propulsive, still sounding relevant today
A lot of excellent verses & rapping
Production is dense, intense. Maybe a little much, overwhelming, and doesn’t move much outside the rails
Love Chuck D voice, Flava Flav not so much
Best: Fight the Power
The Rolling Stones
4/5
7/10
I was dreading a Stones album, so this was a hugely pleasant surprise. Liked it quite a bit, good album.
Excellent musicianship, layered sound, vocals didn’t grate in the way I expected them to.
Maintained a cohesive blues rock style whilst hopping around genres.
Some of the blues jam sections were overlong and aimless.
some of the positives actually ended up as negatives - hearing posh boys from Richmond do delta blues or country rock (including Jagger doing pastiche accents) felt hugely inauthentic at best, cynical and exploitative at worst.
Overall this didn’t grab my own soul but I can see why it is considered a great album by a top band
Best: Wild Horses
Fela Kuti
2/5
5/10
Nice vibes, good musicianship, good background mood music
But this is basically a world jazz album and leans heavily into the improv/jam style
This means that it feels interesting but ultimately rudderless and a bit empty to me
Having read the wikipedia after listening, it seems that this is on the list for the political and societal issues surrounding it, rather than for its musical quality
Best: Mistake
Stevie Wonder
4/5
7/10
More contemplative and downtempo than full of bangers
Excellent vibes
Really good musically, keyboard lines great
Voice perfect obvs
Couple of hints of gospel
Best: Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away
Bad Brains
2/5
4/10
I would ask what this is doing anywhere near this list, but it has clearly been influential on a lot of stuff (that I happen to not enjoy very much…)
Vocals really don’t do it for me at all, make it almost unlistenable at points
Musically the purer punk metal stuff is weak, the broader/more 80s style ones work better
Not great
Best: Secret 77
Joanna Newsom
4/5
8/10
For some reason I had chosen to let her pass me by. Wrong decision, this was excellent
Very much in the same spirit as Bjork
Idiosyncratic, unique, melodic harp-led folk pop
Excellent orchestration
Lovely voice and delivery. Lyrics slightly impenetrable and poetic so I let them wash over me
Best: Monkey & Bear
The White Stripes
4/5
7.5/10
That’s 2 WS albums now, and they have pleasantly surprised me
These are genres that I typically don’t enjoy so much, but the songs are so well-written and all seem to put a slight modern twist on them
Excellent production and vocals
Best: The Nurse
CHIC
3/5
6.5/10
Good vibes, good tunes
Nile Rodgers guitar and production are extremely good
An excellent groove to have in the background
But this album is dominated by sketches, ideas, hooks that have been stretched out into full songs - and lots of them don’t have enough content for 4 mins so are quite a bit too long
The album is therefore all groove with very little depth both lyrically and song-wise
The harmonised vocals are all excellent, some of the rest not so much
Best: I Want Your Love
Joni Mitchell
3/5
6/10
One of those "I can see that it is a very good, maybe even great" albums, but not for me personally
Jazzy folk rock, not a lot of melody or hooks - which are important to me - and more focused on poetic, long, storytelling-style lyrics
Great voice and guitar work, although the music does all blur into one
Best: Song for Sharon
OutKast
4/5
7.5/10
No excuse for an album being 2+ hours, it is inevitable that the score will go down due to there being more filler/fat. If it is 2 solo albums, release them as such!
Speakerboxxx: more straight-up hip hop. Nice. Frenetic, energetic, lots of energy. Great features from Killer Mike in particular. Keeps up the pace, if you don't like a song then another will be along shortly. Best: GhettoMusick
The Love Below: a swerve mostly away from Hip Hop towards funk, pop, Jazz. He clearly listened to Prince, and Childish Gambino clearly listened to this. Production on this half of the allbum is spot on. A breakbeats version of "These are a few of my favorite things"?! Hey Ya, with time apart, remains a banger.
Best: Prototype
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
8/10
Really liked this, street stories told with passion
He meant this
Excellent wall of sound style production with prominent sax and frequent glock. So distinctive
Lots of anthems then a surprise jazzy ballad - nice. Strong finish to the album
Best: Born To Run
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
8.5/10
I was dreading this one and put it off all day. Expected doom, gloom, self regarding
Totally wrong, this was excellent. Surprisingly mainstream rock sound with lots of interesting twists to make it alternative, bluesy, folk, even gospel
Thought Cave might be humourless, but there were definite flashes of funny on here
Rocky, propulsive first half, more mellow and folky second
Absolutely loved the drums on both sides
Best: Fable of the Brown Ape
Talking Heads
4/5
7.5/10
Second TH album so far and preferred this one.
Alt rock with lots of afrobeat, world, funk influence
Catchy tunes, well delivered
I can see how influential they are, lots of it sounds like 90s indie music in the UK. The guitar in particular
Best: Pycho Killer
Ravi Shankar
2/5
3/10
Strange one this. Clearly excellent, maybe genius level, musicianship, but I didn’t like it very much.
It’s barely an album - more an introduction to Indian music styles with some demonstrations
Shankar (slightly dismissively) says that it might sound without melody and harmony to Western ears. Well I happen to like both of those…
As a result I found it pretty boring although it had some moments and sections that were engaging and listenable
Not for me
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
8.5/10
This took me back - saw BDB in the new bands tent at Glastonbury just before this came out. As a 90s indie kid I was familiar with a chunk of this
Is it excellent, genre hopping evidence of a great songwriter, or a really good album frustrated by having too many fragments and incomplete songs?
Maybe both
This is genuinely excellent, but a fragmented early portion and a couple of instrumentals (Bewliderbeast!) screaming out for vocals
Yes there is some influence of his northern contemporaries, but the album looks backward in a good way to the 60s and 70s in particular.
Indie, folk, alt, country, funk are all here. I can hear things like Nick Drake & Simon and Garfunkel
Great harmonies, lovely tunes
A great example of what could have been a massive album, but wasn’t for some reason. Other people doing stuff in the same area, but not as well, managed to make it big whilst BDB didn’t
Best: Pissing in the Wind
Parliament
4/5
8/10
I was always going to like this, excellent funky music that continues to be influential and heard in current music
Total vibe, great rhythm and squelchy synth
Some of it sounded almost jazz-like and improvised, some of it was tight as hell
The flip side of the more freeform stuff was the lyrics were minimal or shallow
Best: Unfunky UFO
Metallica
1/5
2/10
An intersection of my least favourite things: hard metal and self-serious music
One of the rare times I didn’t bother finishing, first half was enough
Really, really not for me. Hated this
Nick Drake
4/5
7/10
Second ND album, liked both and get why he’s influential
Brilliant voice, lovely tone, album conveys mood very well
Folky gentle music, really kicks in when some of the orchestration joins
But this is fairly consistent or monotone in style, so is held back from excellence as it didn’t thrill me
Best: River Man
Frank Sinatra
3/5
6/10
A Bossa Nova Sinatra album? Ok.
So laid back it’s horizontal, gives real “bang it out in an afternoon” vibes
Sinatra’s voice is excellent, but he really never seems to enter top gear or commit to this
An enjoyable but extremely slight entry into the list
Best: The Girl From Ipanema
Richard Thompson
5/5
9/10
Liked this one a lot, completely new to me
Great idea, well executed: do a Celtic folk album with aspects of the contemporary 70s rock, country, even prog
Very good production, loved the choices and deployment of the traditional instruments, great musicianship throughout
Vocals were at their best when both were singing
Preferred the uptempo stuff to the ballads
This is the first album in a while from a genre I don’t know that was an obvious classic
Best: I Want to see the bright lights tonight
Neneh Cherry
4/5
8/10
As someone who was just discovering music around this time, this one is pandering to me. Still really good though
British pop music made by people who love early hip hop
80s production is spot on, the drum programming is excellent
Start of super strong with Buffalo Stance and Manchild
She knows her way around a hook and chorus
Some of the verses and lyrics aren’t exactly deep, but there is no pretension here
Best: Buffalo Stance
The Doors
2/5
3/10
Not for me this one, a combination of 2 things that I don’t like: bluesy rock and self-serious prevention
Marked it up slightly because a lot of the music was pretty good, if often generic, boring, and maybe too long
Not much of a fan of the vocals or lyrics
Rolled my eyes more than once
Best: Hyacinth House
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
9/10
One I knew already - great album
Fantastic that one of the greats just do his thing. Songwriting, melody, harmony all perfect
A bunch of killer tunes, takes a breather in the middle then finishes strong
Best: Jet
The Velvet Underground
3/5
6/10
VU&N is a great album, near the top of the albums I’ve listened to so for. This was a pretty major disappointment and I’m not sure it is worthy of the list
Love Lou Reed’s voice, vibe is good, this is a very nice sounding album
But it is very basic in composition, feels mannered to the point of being boring at points, and lacks all the drive, energy, excitement of VU&N. Like it’s a different band or one who can’t be bothered
Doesn’t stand out from its contemporary music to me
Best: I’m Set Free
Slint
3/5
6/10
Another band I’ve heard of but not knowingly heard
Early post rock, clearly influential on a lot of stuff I have listened to in the past - big Arab Strap and Mogwai vibes
Well played and layered production
I wish the vocals were higher in the mix
The shouty poetry doesn’t always work
Major long-haired serious sad university guitar boy vibes here
Best: Good Morning, Captain
The Coral
3/5
6.5/10
Liked this, but a strange one. No way it is in the top 1000 albums, but it is so different to other stuff that I can see why it is in 1000 albums to listen to
Tonight they were indie rock. Anything but: rock, folk, gypsy, blues amongst others
At its best when they are giving it 100% in vocals and throwing all the instruments at it
Best: Dreaming of you
Sarah Vaughan
2/5
5/10
Old school smooth jazz
Extremely well delivered and sung beautifully. She and her voice sound full of character
At points you feel like you’re in the room, the recording quality is superb
But overall, it is a relatively samey vocal jazz album. Excellent in a bar, less essential as an album tbh
Hated the last track
Best: Willow Weep for Me
Dr. Dre
4/5
8.5/10
Excellent album. Certainly of its time, g-funk vibes, but sounds great still.
Production and beats are very, very good
Lyrics, as you’d expect, are all over the shop
Lots of Snoop, mixing up his style and bit too
Best: The Day The Niggaz Took Over
The Stooges
3/5
6/10
This was fine, a classic 3 star
Full of energy but not as pure punk as I expected
Iggy has a more versatile voice than I knew
But I can’t honestly say anything really stood out
Best: Search and Destroy
Stephen Stills
4/5
7.5/10
This was a pleasant surprise - not always the biggest fan of country/blues rock, but this combined so many genres in an engaging way
Rock, country, folk, blues, bluegrass
Really feels of its early 70s time
Excellent musicianship and production. Layered sound is very nice, not many albums have such a good interplay of lead and rhythm guitar
Everyone clearly having fun, maybe so much fun that they forgot to cut a few tracks...
Not enough variation to sustain a double album for me
Clearly an influence on modern stuff I like such as SFA/Gruff Rhys
Best: Both of us
AC/DC
4/5
7.5/10
First metal album that I’ve genuinely enjoyed.
What’s different to the others? Good tunes, great choruses, a singer that actually pulls off the metal voice
Add that to clearly not being pompous and self-serious and this is a bit of a winner
Recognised a few of these
Best: let me put my love into you
Talking Heads
4/5
7.5/10
Liked this one, could have been pretty similar to other art rock of its era, but stood out in a few ways
Excellent production and engineering, well-separated crisp instruments that still blended well. Really shone
Really distinct lyrical and phrasing choices
David Byrne’s voice is great
Vibes were excellent
Best: The Girls Want To Be With The Girls
Frank Zappa
4/5
8/10
Really pleasant surprise, my first Zappa
Bluesy rock backbone with lots of jazz, plus world, folk, sea shanty influences
Maybe the best jazz and blues in this project so far?
Really good, tight band. Incredibly accomplished playing
Best: Peaches En Regalia
Kings of Leon
3/5
6/10
Knowing the big singles, and not liking them much, meant that I went into this with low expectations.
But it was a bit more interesting than them, competent stadium rock with blues and country influence.
Released the same year as Viva La Vida, certainly playing in the same waters, so comparison is inevitable. I have a strong preference for the Coldplay one.
Why? All comes down to the lyrics and vocals - Chris Martin’s click with me much more, found this album a little “faux heartfelt” and occasionally annoying
Melodies good, rhythm section excellent.
Best: Crawl
Megadeth
3/5
k.d. lang
4/5
8/10
Wow, wasn’t expecting this. Don’t understand why this isn’t in the “classic albums” conversation more loudly.
Absolutely classy: great voice, great production, great orchestration
Timeless in that it could have come from any year between the 70s and now
Big French influences, plus country, American folk, even some North African/Middle East strings
Best: Still Thrives The Love
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
7.5/10
Really nice stuff. Classic soul/funk with a social conscience
Great tunes, wonderful falsetto delivery
Best: Blue Monday People
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
5/10
This was a shock, for an album considered an all-time great I found it quite poor
Absolutely all over the place, inconsistent, needed an edit, felt like nobody was willing to say no
Really good musicianship, Hendrix vocals excellent
Most of the songs and lyrics seemed extremely underwritten and reliant on jam
Case in point was the unforgivable 14 minutes of Voodoo Chile: a boring, self-indulgent slow blues jam that shouldn’t have even been on the album. Hated it
But the album ended suuuper strong with those last 2 songs, that pumps it up in the scores
Best: Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
Frank Sinatra
3/5
7/10
This is exactly what you think it’ll be, Frank singing a load of crooner songs well
Excellent voice obvs
Feels like they spent a week putting together some excellent orchestration, then Frank came in and banged out all the songs in a day
Doesn’t feel super heartfelt
Maybe too many songs or not enough variation, felt a little samey by the end
But good
Best: Anything Goes
Solange
5/5
9/10
Don’t know how I managed to miss this, because it is really my kind of thing.
Ultra modern soul and R&B with impeccable production and excellent vocals
Album is a total vibe
Best: Junie
Big Brother & The Holding Company
2/5
4/10
This one falls squarely into the "clearly good at what it is, really not for me" category
Bluesy jammy serious rock music with seemingly no room for fun
Certainly evokes the time and place
I am now a couple of Joplin albums in, and am developing the take that she might be in the elite league of most overrated artists ever...
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
9/10
Easiest 5 so far, pretty much a perfect album.
Maybe 75% is elite-level classic songs? Incredible hit rate here
For an album with such huge production, have to compliment how restrained it is at times, building and leaving room for biiig finishes
Skips around genres but keeps its heart. Second half clearly influenced by 60s pop and the Beatles for sure
Best: The Boxer
Dr. Octagon
2/5
5/10
Hmm. Didn’t do it for me, disappointing as this is highly-regarded
I think it is a combination of this 90s Automator-style production not being my favourite, and the verses being either inscrutable or childish
Like his flow a lot of the time but the concept and lyrical content of this album doesn’t work for me at all
Genuinely some of this sounds like satirical Tracey Jordan songs
Best: Earth People
Adele
2/5
5.5/10
First Adele album I’ve heard and it was very mid
Yes, her voice and power is incredible, obviously a phenomenal talent, but the album is 100% reliant on that
Songwriting is broad, simple, crowd-pleasing. That makes the songs relatable, universal, able to be shouted out at a concert, but doesn’t give them depth. Basic sad girl energy is the main thing projected here
Production hides in the shadows, foregrounding the vocals, and is either minimal or bland 2010s pop style
These combine to make the album start to blend into itself and become monotone and boring
It’s the last track before there is some truly interesting production that fits her vocals
Best: Send My Love
The Pogues
3/5
6/10
This was fine, but there’s a ceiling on how much I’m going to like an album like this
Celtic folk rock with occasional flashes of world music. Well produced, well played, sometimes well sung.
Vocals don’t do it for me for an entire album’s worth, though
Maybe I’m biased: every Friday afternoon for a long time, someone in the warehouse adjoining my office would play a Pogues best of album, and it drove me crazy. At least “Ceazy Old Town” isn’t on this one. But “Fiesta” is
Best: Fairy Tale Of New York, obviously
Funkadelic
4/5
8/10
Cracking. I love genre straddling and defying stuff like this
A really talented group of musicians doing their thing. Vocals, music all great
Some of the rock stuff sounds like Pink Floyd but better to me - more soul in the long guitar solo on the live track
One negative is that this seemed about this vibes rather than lyrical depth
Best: Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers)
Joni Mitchell
3/5
6/10
This was fine I guess, well sung and played, but Joni Mitchell being considered a great is genuinely becoming more of a mystery as I hear some of her albums.
Going into this project I would have just assumed it is correct that she is a legend, now I am developing the take that she might be one of the most overrated artists of all time. Sorry.
Best: Free Man In Paris
Fatboy Slim
3/5
6/10
I’ve been wanting more electronic stuff on this list, so it pains me to give a mixed to negative review
On the good side: it takes me straight back to that 90s period where UK dance was the new rock and roll. Reminded me of seeing him DJ in the dance tent at Glastonbury. Generally excellent samples and a good sense of melody.
But this is one of the most painfully stuck in the late 90s things I have heard in a while. Has aged poorly compared to e.g. the Chemical Brothers.
Drum programming is pretty weak in retrospect
Songs aren’t exactly complex ad are often maybe 25% too long
Some of this is just straight bad
Best: Praise You
Pavement
3/5
7/10
I knwo of Pavement as a concept but don’t really know their music, so this was fun. Pretty nice
This album/time is clearly at an interesting nexus musically - it draws upon punk, rock, indie, noise and spits it out into a melodic thing that clearly evolves into genres like grunge, indie etc. in the 90s. Clear to hear this DNA in lots of stuff after
I’m a big fan of late 90s/early 2000s Blur, and this is clearly a key text for them
Vocals are good, almost a Lou Reed quality at some points
Drumming is nice and really well recorded on this record
Sometimes it ends up a little bit too much noise and not every song is a complete idea
Best: Trigger Cut / Wounded-Kite at :17
Iron Maiden
3/5
6/10
So 80s metal does indeed seem to be the sweet spot of the genre for me. Liked this
Very listenable, some of the key aspects of metal but infused with hard, classic, prog rock
Liked the tempo changes
Prepared to be a bit silly and over the top, which is good, rather than self-serious
Best: Phantom of the Opera
Judas Priest
3/5
6/10
Yup, this style of route-one 80s-ish metal is the area of the genre I like. Totally competent and listenable album.
Nothing clever: chugging riffs, metal singing style at the non-annoying end, and some genuinely good melodies
“Breaking the Law” makes me think of Beavis & Butthead
Best: Rapid Fire
Dusty Springfield
4/5
9/10
Wonderful. Amazing voice, great songs, great tunes, great production
It’s all so classy. She slides in, delivers the songs beautifully with a lot of feeling. Never needs to scream or over-emote to get across what she needs to
Production too is restrained and holds off going too big, in favour of matching with her delivery
But this restraint is what kept it off being a perfect 5 star for me, it somehow feels like everyone knows it is great but chose not to push the turbo button and take it up to perfect
Best: Son of a Preacher Man
Kanye West
5/5
9/10
Ahh, Kanye. Regardless of where he’s at now, he has been one of my favourite artist for a long time. I have a preference for the mid era around MBDTF, so this one doesn’t get enough love from me
The best of the early Kanye albums
Really flexing his muscles as a producer, this is basically all him. Sounds amazing, mix of his patented soul sound and some more forward-looking stuff
Some excellent rhymes and wordplay
Limited features, well selected
Maybe 10 minutes too long and not everything is perfect, so 5 stars but not the full 10
Best: Jesus Walks
Air
3/5
6.5/10
I’m a fan of Air, so slightly surprised to see this make the list as it is probably their 4th best album. Still good though
This is Air in their prog rock era, so sounds great
Good vibes, guitar and drums in particular are excellent
Pink Floyd feel at times
Best: Suicide Underground
Nas
4/5
7/10
One that comes with a big reputation
Loved Nas style and flow, impeccable
Production good and brought a specific vibe, weren’t particularly intricate though
But unlike my favourite rap, it (the tunes/beats especially) didn’t speak to me on a deeper level. it took until the last song for me to really engage with the music
Best: It Ain’t Hard To Tell
Bill Evans Trio
1/5
3/10
This is the epitome of “not for me”. Piano jazz, well played and recorded, but terminally, brutally boring. Meandering lounge music with no hint of noticeable distinct songs or melodies. Rough.
David Bowie
4/5
8/10
Excellent stuff. Bowie really being Bowie, a great balance of known bangers, more downtempo, and a tiny bit of experimentation
This album is clearly still relevant and influencing artists today
What a start, first few songs are hit after hit
Backs off slightly in the middle, so not getting a perfect score
Ends strongly
Best: Life On Mars
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
5.5/10
A game of two halves, this
Quite liked the first half, folky country rock with nice vibes and the vocal style worked very well
Second, more rocky, half was sloppy, not so fun, and had some less good lyrics
Best: Pocahontas
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
8/10
A wonderful surprise, potentially the best rock album of the project so far. Never heard of them, but loved the irreverent genre-hopping fun. Some of this was in the same sort of area as the Stones, but more to my taste
A crazy tour around American rock music from its birth to the start of the 70s. Hopping genres, styles, pastiche (32-20 is basically a mash up of Elvis and Folsom Prison Blues), and covers of rock standards.
Rock, hard rock, blues, country, rockabilly, obviously a fan of what was coming out of Memphis. Raw production with an excellent live feel.
Best: Louie Louie
Tito Puente
3/5
6/10
This was fine, fun, but felt very much like background music for a public space
Good vibes, good tunes, love the horns. Loved the trumpets in particular
Best: Varsity Drag
Lauryn Hill
4/5
7/10
Thus was good but a little too inconsistent to get the super high marks
Great singing, great production. When it all comes together it is wonderful
Unfortunately some of it is a little pedestrian, I much prefer the rapped songs
Best: Doo Wap (That Thing)
Arcade Fire
3/5
6/10
This was OK but I have super mixed opinions on it
Good music and melodies, nice use of traditional instruments like violin and accordion. Musical motifs pop up. Like the female vocals.
Didn’t like the main male vocals - too intense. In fact the whole album is too intense, it’s like they feel every track has to be big and anthemic, making the big finishes feel forced and false. Too many songs have a tempo change, they seem to be writing these songs to imagined crowd reactions
The whole thing has the energy of “that guy” in a group who keeps pushing that this will be the “best night ever” instead of letting things happen organically - making it definitely not the best night ever.
Best: Rebellion (Lies)
Brian Eno
4/5
8/10
An excellent album with a couple of key reservations
Really great showcase of the production talent of Eno. Great mix of tunes from rock, pop, electronic. Can see why he likes of Talking Heads worked with him - very much their sound here
Production is at times big, but you can always pick out individual elements. Great use of synth.
Unfortunately the vocals and lyrics don’t always reach the highs of the music. Some of them drag songs down a bit
Best: Spider and I
Minutemen
3/5
6/10
Didn’t mind this, but 40 songs over <80 minutes is a bit much
Labelled as punk but felt more post-punk or post-rock to me
Well done, so many tunes that of course there are some nice ones. Played with a lot of styles
Not sure why this made the list - yes the Jackass theme is a banger but that can’t be it
Best: not really that kind of album
The Byrds
4/5
7.5/10
This was nice, a swerve from what I expected
Yes, 60s California pop but very psychedelic with hints of country and really interesting production
Good tunes, good vocals, all through an interesting lens
Feels a couple of years ahead of its time
Sometimes the vocals felt too low in the mix and got lost a bit
Best: Old John Robertson
John Lennon
3/5
6.5/10
It takes extreme balls to include a diss track saying McCartney only did Yesterday & produces muzak on an album that is mostly boring with zero experimentation.
Lennon does know his way around a lyric & quality melody, but seems comfortable to play in more backward-looking musical territory. He mostly seems disengaged and/pr unwilling to show any emotion - it is only How Do You Sleep? That you really feel him snarling.
Over-reliance on some syrupy strings too - not in love with the production here.
Best: Gimme Some Truth
Prince
4/5
8.5/10
This was good, possibly the best 80s album I’ve heard? Especially because it really leans into the synth and drum machine, it only getting away with it but still sounding great today
A little bit of everything on a bed of pop: R&B, soul, gospel, blues, rock. The last side even hits pure rock/hard rock
Great vocals, great guitar, great production. I guess Prince is good.
Best: It
Boards of Canada
5/5
9/10
Of course I already knew this one, I’m Scottish and liked electronic music in the late 90s onward…
This is a super influential album on what was the record label at the time
They had some mega contemporaries there - Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre, and BoC always had the best grasp of melody for me, and beats that showed more hip hop influence
Those beats are probably the highlight of the album, when they are chunky they are very chunky
Not all of it has a soul, some is a little clinical, and there is some ambient burbling. But the whole thing works, with their distinctive style of chopped up vocals and samples
Best: Roygbiv
Ice Cube
3/5
6.5/10
Not a lot to say about this, I liked it but it didn’t blow my socks off.
Such a distinctive voice, immediately jumps out who it is.
Production supports the rap without particularly standing out. Good use of guitar.
A few verses that either aged badly or are just bad. Kicking a pregnant woman to avoid child support? Sheesh.
Best: Turn Off The Radio
SAULT
5/5
9/10
Have heard this before, but forgot just how good it is. Amazing stuff.
Sounds both classic and forward-looking at the same. Loads of soul, R&B, funk, African influences with a modern eye.
Music and production is elite. Vocals are great, lyrics are on-point.
Sounds like a classic American album but it is British. Really gets the point and politics though.
Second half is absolutely perfect.
Best: Eternal Life
The Clash
3/5
6.5/10
This was very good at doing what it does.
Angry, loud aggressive punk music with a political edge
Lots of melody and the production is better than most punk I’ve heard
Doesn’t really have much variation, sounds good but could be described as a bit monotone
Best: White Riot
Van Halen
3/5
6.5
This wasn’t what I expected, started off brilliantly as synth rock for the first couple of tracks, then became a more straight hard rock and metal album - went harder than I would have guessed
Reminded me of AC/DC in places, good production, excellent quality of sound, really good band. The vocals did not use the metal voice, which really worked for me.
I did prefer the handful of tracks that used the synth, so it is difficult to look past the elephant in the room as best track
Best: Jump
The Monks
2/5
5/10
This was fine - but incredibly rough around the edges and a bit same. Can’t really blame it for that, it is 60s garage rock.
Does what it does well, perky guitars and rhythm, the whole thing succeeds or fails on the vocals. On some songs they are OK, on some they are grating
So a very mixed bag.
Best: Higgle-dy Piggle-dy
The Divine Comedy
4/5
7.5/10
One of the kings of chamber/baroque pop.
Hannon is a treasure.
Excellent album, beautiful instrumentation, great songs, great singing.
Best : In Pursuit of Happiness
Thelonious Monk
3/5
7/10
I always dread the Jazz ones, but this wasn’t bad at all.
Excellent vibe, not boring like most so far.
Great musicianship, piano excellent, bass propulsive, loved some of the drums.
Sax good, even better when more brass joined.
Best: Bemsha Swing
Bob Dylan
3/5
6.5/10
This is very Bob Dylan, so if you like him you’ll like this. It plays into his strength - singing style, poetic lyrics, harmonica, guitar.
But it doesn’t exactly mix it up, making it very monotone and probably 3 to 4 tracks too long.
Sorry bob, you get boring after a while.
Best: One of Us Must Know
5/5
9/10
It’s the Beatles, but is it even their best album?
Last time I listened to this album I was actually a little disappointed, but this time it worked very well for me
Production is outstanding, loads of great little details. Excellent tactical use of mono sound. Unparalleled deployment of melody
Is there another album where so many people know so many of the songs?
It isn’t perfect, though, no album with BFTBO Mr Kite! on it can be. Even for a band as unserious as this it is too whimsical
Best: A Day In The Life
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
8/10
An extremely pleasant surprise. A novelty album centred around bongos and other drums shouldn’t go this hard
Funky instrumental psychedelic rock played by a group of talented musicians who are obviously having a good time. I did too
So many of the songs are familiar from prominent samples
Great vibes, great brass section
Best: Apache
Cocteau Twins
4/5
7/10
This one was heavy on the vibes and lighter on the adrenaline
Dreamy pop-rock, drum machines and ethereal vocals that could almost be medieval style at times
Can hear this as an influence still today, even in things as diverse as current French electronic
Best: Domino
Joe Ely
2/5
4/10
Look, this was very well made country rock, I get it, but it just wasn’t for me.
Good voice, nice mixture of traditional and modern instruments, nice vibe to the whole thing. Just not for me.
Best: Jericho
ZZ Top
3/5
6/10
This one reminded me a bit of Status Quo, make of that what you like. But more proggy and much more proggy than expected.
Basic leery bluesy rock music with some good choruses and seedy lyrics.
They had clearly listened to Pink Floyd and taken the lesson that longer guitar solos = better. I disagree.
Best: Sharp Dressed Man
David Bowie
3/5
7/10
I’ve been up and down on the Bowie albums I’ve heard, this late effort finds him in a good place and at ease, I think.
Just straight up art rock, well produced and played, with a few nods to the Bowie of old.
Nobody dared tell him to cut 2-3 songs, but they should have
Best: Where Are We Now?
Oasis
3/5
5/10
As a 90s child I am more than familiar with Oasis, and don’t think they have aged particularly well
Good Melodie’s, some good vocals, some good guitars. A handful of songs that are good and very evocative of a time
But even in the first album the music is chugging, both overproduced and badly produced (sludgy, bass and drums often disappear into the mix) with way too much emphasis on the guitar
Too long and not good enough IMO
Best: Married With Children
4/5
8.5/10
Loved this. Yes have a reputation of being silly and unlistenable and this was neither.
Yes, there were a couple of times there was a “try all the keyboard instrument modes” feel, but they kind of worked
A firm base of good musicians playing good tunes allowed the proggier stuff to work
The second half of the first track, huge mad church organ into sci-fi sounds, was brilliant
Best: Close to the Edge
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
9/10
I’d only heard the two big singles, I think, so this was a massively pleasant shock. It has aged extremely well, so much in fact that it would fit in with the musical zeitgeist of 2024. Fans of both Prince and Chappell Roan will like this I think (and the latter must have been heavily influenced by this)
Impeccable synth-pop-rock, well produced, well sung, a perfect length too. Some brilliant synths in here.
Best: All Through The Night
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Second CT album in relatively quick succession.
This one was a bit better - great shoehazey guitars, more poppy production including some good programmed drums.
Vocals were up a gear here too
This kind of fits in with some of the current dream pop stuff too
Best: Heaven Or Las Vegas
Willie Nelson
3/5
This was enjoyable. Very simple in terms of production and songwriting, lots of very short almost fragments of songs. So that sets a ceiling score for me
But I loved his voice, which is the centrepiece of the album. Really great tones, really great vibes
Vocals backed up mostly simple production, basically straight no-frills country without bells, whistles, or slide guitar. Nice use of bass harmonicas
Best: Hands on the Wheel
The Zutons
3/5
A mixed bag this one.
Liked: production, sounded great with beautiful bass and drum. Good tunes, generally a nice mix of genres. Nice upbeat vibes
Don’t like so much: vocals, their style and tone. Music built on a foundation of the sort of bluesy swampy rock that I don’t love
Best: Nightmare, Pt. II
808 State
4/5
This definitely used 808s
A real pleasure - as a fan of the genres that derived form this, I know only the big single but found this to be an excellent album
I loved it more the more acid it became
You can really hear how influential its sound is, the descendants couldn’t be more clear. Orbital (or were they contemporaries?), Aphex Twin (in fact huge chunks of Warp artists), Leftfield, Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Underworld, Fatboy Slim; British 90s dance, breakbeat, jungle, hip hop, even current-day French electronic is significantly indebted to this. So a definite landmark
Best: Donkey Doctor
Shack
3/5
As an indie kid of the 90s I am shocked I haven’t heard of this at all.
Pretty decent yet extremely generic of some of the key acts at the time: Oasis, Stone Roses, Charlatans, Cast, Super Furry Animals, all with a healthy dose of Beatles-styles production and orchestration.
When this works it is nice, when it doesn’t it sounds like Standing on the Shoulders era Oasis…
Best: Captain’s Table
The Who
4/5
8/10
This was pretty excellent. Rock Opera that was both backward and forward looking. Amazing that this was released in 1969, a few years ahead of its time
it is described as hard rock, but this contains some of the less hard Who stuff that I have heard. There are even harmonic & musical influences from the Beatles and Beach Boys here
Musically pretty interesting and very well put together. Love the restraint in keeping it a tight band album with only occasional stabs of horn
Didn’t all hit perfectly, and can’t honestly say that the storyline was easy to follow.
Best: Underture
Alice Cooper
2/5
5/10
This was kind of dumb. Campy and often musically fun, but dumb
This hardly seems like hard rock or metal to me, more like glam rock
I’m sure it is being done in a knowing way, but it does come across quite insincerely
Best: Unfinished Sweet
Animal Collective
4/5
8.5/10
I listened to this album a lot when it first came out, and it has aged very well
Really good psychedelic electronic indie pop. This is the only AC album I’ve heard where they managed to to keep their more avant garde/poor impulses in control and therefore it is consistently excellent
The rhythm - a mix of live percussion, drum machine, and electronic drones - really stands out. The production overall is very good here. The multi-layered and harmonised vocals really shine on some tracks
A lot of the Panda Bear heavy stuff is what I imagine it sounds like in Brian Wilson’s head. Big compliment
Doesn’t get the full 5 because there is a slightly lower ratio of banger to vibes songs than I’d like
Best: My Girls
The Hives
2/5
5/10
This is totally competent straight down the line punk.
So that means short, shouty songs, good melodies, nice guitar, sharp production.
It also gives me a bit of a headache after 3 songs
Best: Hate To Say I Told You So
Aretha Franklin
4/5
8/10
There’s not much you need to do when Aretha is in her pomp: point her at a song and she will do the rest brilliantly.
Here the songs and arrangement are good too, so it is an overall winner
When she steps on the gas her voice is breathtaking
Best: A Natural Woman
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
6/10
This worked about as well as a pure jazz album does for me
Just the right mix of actual tunes and improv/challenging
Extremely well recorded and mastered, the drums in particular sound amazing
Probably better as background music rather than foreground
Best: Take Five
Beck
5/5
9/10
Fantastic album. This came out at the same time my musical horizons were opening up, I remember loving it. Beck was very much (rightly) regarded as a visionary at the time.
There is something magic about the songs where he & the Dust Brothers blend hip hop, folk, grunge/garage rock, electronic. Shouldn’t really work but very much does.
There are at least 6 total bangers on here, although maybe the album is just one song too long?
Best: Jack-Ass
Duke Ellington
4/5
8/10
The best jazz album so far? Certainly the only one I can say that I actively enjoyed
Super tight, super talented players. Drums and brass in particular were outstanding. This meant that the more big band sounding stuff hit super hard.
When jt veered into more freeform noodly jazz it fell down a bit
Really glad this was a love album - it really let me hear that jazz was something that could make a crowd respond like that
Best: Festival Junction
Fatboy Slim
4/5
8/10
Had “You’ve come a long way…” recently, thought that had aged poorly so was afraid for this one. It was better in every way and sounded great
Better tunes, better samples, better ideas. A lot more fun, a lot more interesting
Beats here were excellent, and yes this was formative big beat stuff but there was a huge acid house influence too (especially second half)
I have heard this before, and forget how many genuine bangers are on it
Best: Santa Cruz
3/5
6.5/10
Nice, good vibes and excellent musicianship
Really reminded me of the music of Curtis Mayfield
Lyrics dragged it down slightly- not super-high effort tbh
But the tunes were mostly excellent, maybe a bit meandering at points
Best: Where was you at
Nirvana
4/5
7.5/10
I have never been a huge grunge fan, so my heart sank slightly when this came up. But I did enjoy it hits a bit
The unplugged (although there seemed to be plenty of plugged instruments to me)?format really worked for Nirvana, putting Cobain’s vocal style and range at the front. Well backed by the band, with a few bits of string etc too
Strange to hear Cobain so light and chatty so close to his death
Best: No Apologies
Jefferson Airplane
2/5
5/10
This one didn’t land for me. Competent 60s folky psychedelic music, but nothing about it made it stand out in particular. A couple of really nice tunes but a load of quite boring ones.
At times reminiscent of the Velvet Underground or Mamas & Papas, just not in their league
Best: Somebody to Love
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
6.5/10
Was never a huge fan of B&S, but their appeal clicked slightly this time. The influences on this album are mostly American, especially folk- psychedelic- and country-rock of the 60s. This will have sounded very different to the uk indie of the time.
Musically I enjoyed all these influences and the arrangements, the album had a really nice vibe
The vocal harmonies worked very well, but my biggest hesitation on this album was not massively enjoying the lead vocalist too much. Add that to the slight tweeness in the music and songwriting and there was a ceiling to how much I would like this.
Best: Like Dylan in the Movies
The Bees
4/5
7.5/10
A pleasant surprise - I came expecting indie, ended up with a really interesting melting pot of influences.
Soul, jazz, reggae, Latinusic amongst many references
Really well played, excellent vibes
Best: sunshine
Adele
3/5
7/10
Much better than the other Adele album I have listened to. I found that one a little boring and reliant on her great voice.
This one had bigger production, less subtle yes, but more interesting.
Voice was good from the beginning, much more propulsive music. More songs I was familiar with than I knew.
Best: Rolljng in the Deep
The xx
4/5
7.5/10
I’m a fan of the XX, and think that each album improves on the previous, so this is their least good album. But still very good.
It sounds like a group finding their feet and almost getting there: excellent production from Jamie XX, but somewhat bound by a specific sound rather than the expansive one they’ll get to; good vocals that sometimes sound more tentative than they do in later stuff.
Having said that the sound is sticking in its own lane, it’s a very good sound. The album sounds slick, the songs are well written. The opening track is iconic
Best: Intro
The Prodigy
5/5
9/10
I was a big fan of this when it came out, did not expect to to still sound so amazing. Testament to the production of Liam Howlett, a huge talent.
Almost a perfect album, insanely good tunes with a few genuine classics in there.
Great mix of breakbeat, rave, acid, techno. Clever stuff.
Best: No Good (Start The Dance)
Bad Company
3/5
5/10
not a huge amount to say about this one, its route one hard rock with Led Zeppelin and country influences
It’s crazy that they are British because this sounds almost comedically American in places
Some of it has pretensions about being something more, some of it sounds like Quo/pub rock
Best: Ready for Love
Fats Domino
3/5
5.5/10
The problem with foundational texts like these is that they often sound like the basic version, because you are used to what has been done with 60+ years of building on it
So this sounds basic, is a series of extremely short but well-made songs
You can hear jazz and blues becoming rock here
Best: Blue Monday
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
8/10
A surprise banger, this one. I know the 2 big hits but not the rest. When an album sounds instantly familiar, that is a great sign of both quality songwriting and influence on later music
Kevin Rowland is a pretty singular voice
Musically it is built on the pop and new wave of the time, heavily Celtic influenced, but also adds in reggae and other sounds
Best: Come On Eileen
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
2/10
One of those that boggles my mind for being anywhere near this list. Not good.
Clearly designed to be almost unlistenable, like a drunk guy sticking out his chest and trying to provoke people into fights
I’m sure it was influential in - essentially creating - industrial music, but so much of this is just random sounds, snippets of conversation, and it’s like a glass of fresh water when the occasional tune breaks out
Best: Ab/7A
Portishead
4/5
7.5/10
Good stuff this. One of the pillars of trip hop. As such it sounds exactly like you expect, doesn’t diverge wildly from the very good sound. Samples, beats, scratching, vocals.
Personally I prefer the sound of the third Portishead album.
Best: Roads
The Beach Boys
5/5
10/10
This is probably my favourite album ever. Simply perfect. Tune after tune hit, zero skips.
There is magic here - the music, the lyrics, the vocals. Timeless themes delivered with timeless beauty.
Is the run from Sloop John B to Here Today the best in any album? Probably.
Best: Sloop John B
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
6/10
A very mixed bag, this. A slow starter and unfortunately a lot of it was boring.
Noted as an experimental album but seemed very straight rock, MOR, American rock.
The Stevie Nicks stuff was what I liked most
Best: Tusk
Paul Weller
4/5
7/10
I went into this with a bias against Paul Waller, having not been a huge fan of his late 90s music
But this was much better than expected. More mellow, rock yes, but with influences of blues, soul, even some funk
Not exactly exhilarating though, and doesn’t vary hugely, so a slight ceiling. This would be 3.5 stars if allowed
Best: Holy Man (Reprise)
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
6.5/10
A lot of this was jazz with blues & soul influences, good but not great, but really rescued by the vocals and electric piano in particular
H2ogate was alarmingly relevant nowadays too
Best: H2ogate
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
3.5/10
This one did its job competently: grungey alt rock with influences of country/folk, but it really didn’t work for me
Sludgy music, long indulgent instrumental sections with wanky guitar, trite lyrics, an air of macho posturing. More self-serious North America rock that just doesn’t push my buttons
Only reason I didn’t hate this was some of the excellent harmonised vocals
Best: Mansion on the Hill
Radiohead
5/5
9/10
Excellent album, perhaps less coherent than those either side of it, but contains done real RH classics
Musically it is like a bridge between OK Computer and Kid A, more accessible to those who prefer the guitar rock RH.
A great mix of styles and genres: rick, electronic, jazz, even delta blues
Best: Pyramid Song
The Specials
3/5
7/10
Strong start to this album, two songs I know and like. The rest wasn’t quite as good as this promise but was enjoyable. Rock influences and a classic ska sound, didn’t stray too far from it
The whole vibe is more punk than much of the punk and serious rock so far on this list
Best: A Message to you Rudy
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
6/10
Kind of strange this is in the list, a nice but competent album but really not outstanding at all.
Music and Melodie’s good if a little derivative. Rock with Soul, R&B, maybe even Beatles influences. Vocals good - again soul influence & certainly inspired by Prince
Lyrics attempted to cover some weighty matters and were very basic, came across as childish & trite.
Best: Let Love Rule
The Human League
4/5
8/10
Perfect 80s electro pop
Excellent production, great vocals, big singles
Not too much to say, love it
Best: Don’t You Want Me
Love
5/5
9.5/10
I have heard this before, but forgot what a beast it is.
Probably the best of the hippie era rock albums that I’ve heard. Folky, baroque, with amazing production and incredible use of brass
Songwriting is excellent, really McCartney-esque in places
Amazing vibe runs through this, sounds so fresh
Jack White clearly liked this
Best: Alone Again Or
4/5
7.5/10
This was good, but not fully great. Third Bowie album as part of this, and I am starting to come to the heretical conclusion that he might be overrated as an album artist.
A good pile of total bangers and some genuine classics in here, but as an album it didn’t totally blow me away.
Glam rock clearly influenced by the American stuff of the time.
Best: Ziggy Stardust
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
5/10
One of those “I respect it but don’t like it” records
Punky gothy rock that certainly was an influence on grunge 10 years later.
Well produced, well sung. Got a vibe going.
But that vibe was almost all that it had - this began to feel like variations on a very small theme, and the vocal style got one-note.
Not for me.
Best: Voodoo Dolly
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
7.5/10
This was a surprise hit. I knew if the band but don’t think I’d heard anything
Think Stone Roses + Spiritualized/Soaceman 3 with a little sprinkle of The Cure
Noisy tuneful poppy druggy indie
Too many tracks?
Best: Just Like Honey
Coldplay
3/5
7/10
I’m in the camp that Coldplay are actually good, and not due a lot of the negative attention that they get
Having said that, I do prefer the albums immediately after this one, where they expand the sound both in terms of experiments and pop sensibility
This one is extremely well crafted indie rock, but very much stays in that lane
But there are a lot of very good songs on here - several could be considered greatest hits
Best: God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
7.5/10
Liked this one, only know a little EC but this worked for me
Poppy British 80s rock with a diverse range of influences and instruments. Definitely seemed to be inspired by the sound of the Beatles and even Springsteen
Best: Pidgin English
Queen
4/5
7.5/10
What a contrast with the last album - Led Zepelin IV - which was not for me and too self important.
Here we have another album that is hard rock - albeit with a poppy edge - that is so much more enjoyable due to the band realising that music can be fun.
Mercury’s vocals are of course amazing, but I really enjoyed May’s guitar work.
The trademark layered harmonies are great, really raise this over some of the other rock music of this era
This album’s influence is still being heard today
Best: Now I’m Here
Black Sabbath
3/5
7/10
Enjoyed this way more than I expected to. Listened in the same week as Led Zeppelin, and vastly preferred this approach to bluesy hard rock/metal.
Having said that, this was a more accessible sound than I would have predicted. It was also fun - the lyrics knew exactly what they were doing in terms of the slightly silly spookiness.
Drums were amazing.
Best: the Wizard
Mudhoney
2/5
5/10
Fine but not for me
Punk rock with fairly lofi production
Has that combo of punk + some hard rock + self-serious American band that doesn’t work for my tastes
Best: Pokin’ Around
Lightning Bolt
4/5
7/10
This is what the lair is for: a good album by an artist I’d never heard of in a genre I do t tend to like
When I saw the punk/noise description I was worried, but this is much more than that
Yes, it is punky industrial and noisy, but it is hypnotic looping and arpeggiated guitar too, clearly influenced by industrial, Glass, classical, techno
Vocals are so distorted and indistinct that they become just another instrument
Really interesting
Best: 2 Towers
Yes
5/5
9/10
I kind of loved this one. Two Yes albums so far, no sign of the twiddly unlistenable pretentious stuff that they seem to have an unfounded reputation for
In reality this was a more fun and playful take on the hard and American rock of the time, played by amazing musicians and put together really well
I’d take this over the self-serious US rockers any day
Best: Perpetual Change
The Cars
4/5
7.5/10
Nice new wave with plenty of power pop and Talking Heads style
Much more of a take on hard rock and metal than I expected
Excellent vocal harmonies
A lot of production here, it went big
Best: All Mixed Up
The Clash
4/5
7.5/10
I’d only heard the title single, I think.
Totally not what I expected, certainly not a punk record, very interesting
Punky, yes, but influenced by a pile of genres including reggae, soul, American rock
Much more poppy than I expected
Best: The Card Cheat
Jacques Brel
3/5
6/10
This hits a ceiling but hits it extremely well
His voice and charisma are off the scale. Excellent delivery
The music is simple and very very French
Perhaps too simple, and it is just him belting out a few songs
Best: Amsterdam
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
6/10 Good music, good musicians, good vibes
A little limited in scope, so somewhat limited from being amazing
Preferred the more r&b and soul influenced than the more bluesy ones
Best: Twist and Shout
Burning Spear
4/5
7/10
Simple but good. Pure roots reggae
Vibes obviously immaculate. The band is excellent: drims, bass, brass stood out in particular
Vocals delivered extremely well but not necessarily complex
Best: Tradition
AC/DC
4/5
7.5/10
My second AC/DC album, and it turns out I quite like them, unexpectedly
I can see how they are so huge - big, crowd pleasing hard rock and metal. Big guitars, big bass, dramatic vocals
I didn’t concentrate on the lyrics much, but I suspect that’s not the point
The stuff that was more bluesy was less up my street
Best: Highway to Hell
The Doors
3/5
7/10
Much better than the other album of theirs I have heard
Decent but unthrilling 60s rock music with a total banger at the start, middle, end. Yes, the 3 big songs are clearly the best
Good playing, keyboard/organ really stood out
Vocals didn’t always hit, nor lyrics
Best: Light My Fire
Bon Jovi
3/5
5.5/10
This was fine, I guess, totally listenable but not for me. Another entry into the genre of American rock or hard rock that takes itself Very Seriously whilst being occasionally silly
Good tunes & voice, some songs come across as ridiculous (the cowboy one)
But a fine inoffensive listen
Best: Livin’ On A Prayer
Elis Regina
3/5
6/10
Another total unknown to me. Brazilian samba music with pop edges, funk, r&b, maybe even slightly disco adjacent in places.
Flows at a good pace, well sung, nicely arranged. But hardly forward looking - I would have guessed this was a mid-70s album not a 1980 one
Overall fine but not for me
Best: Vento de Maio
Elvis Costello
4/5
7.5/10
Another decent EC album. My expectation was that this would be quite punk, in fact this felt like a tour of 50s-70s American rock, done with British attitude and power pop/new wave edges
Really interesting mix, from straight rock songs to those that were a little more adventurous in style. I preferred the latter.
Best: Watching the Detectives
Cream
2/5
4/10
Not really my thing. Sure it’s good but not hugely enjoyable.
Queen
3/5
7/10
This was good - but I didn’t like it as much as Sheer Heart Attack. Queen seem to be at their best when they do pure hard rock or pure pop. Here some of it was a little blander and leaning into an American sound?
There are a few good songs here that would be in contention for best song - The Prophet’s
Song was excellent - it this album has a juggernaut on it. An all timer for a reason.
Best: Bohemian Rhapsody
The Fall
3/5
6.5/10
First Fall album I’ve heard, I only know them by a reputation of being difficult to listen too, but that was not what I experienced here.
Basically well-crafted indie/alternative that took and built upon the best of the uk scene at that point in the 90s.
Yes, the vocals were very much a mixed bag but this was enjoyable.
Can really feel its influence on people like Damon Albarn and maybe even stuff like the Prodigy?
Best: Light / Fireworks
Gorillaz
4/5
8/10
I’m a fan of Albarn’s work - including Gorrilaz - and don’t listen to this as much as the subsequent 2 albums.
I had expected this to not have aged particularly well, but I was wrong.
The simple - almost old-fashioned - production of DTA has held up really well, the songs are solid, the songwriting good. Songs with Del are the highlights here.
It’s Albarn, so the influences are wide. Lots of punk/new wave, Clash, Fall, Beasties in here. Maybe there is a little too much “getting rejected Blur ideas out” here, but that had ceased by the next album.
Where it was route one poppy - Clint Eastwood is a huge standout - the direction for the band is set and clear.
Best: Clint Eastwood
Led Zeppelin
3/5
6/10
This was a mixed bag for me, some of it was enjoyable but overall not my style
Extremely well produced and performed, but the voice of Plant just doesn’t do it for me
A shaky start and a better second half
Stairway to Heaven is legendary for a reason, very good
It sounds derivative, presumably because it is heavily influenced by American blues rock, but also because it influenced so much that came after
The blues and delta sounding stuff was deeply inauthentic with an American accent sung by a Brit
Best: Stairway to Heaven
Stevie Wonder
5/5
9/10
Banger. Sounds super fresh, production and music is amazing. As is the voice.
Loads of cool storytelling.
A small handful of songs that sound like they are 100% outro keeps it from a perfect 10 for me.
The songs with the super funky squidgyness are my favourites
Best: As
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
7/10
This is my third EC album so far, I’m finding the list’s obsession with him surprising. Is he responsible for at least 0.3% of the most notable albums ever?
Having said that, enjoyed this one. Punky power pop with excellent production.
Maybe doesn’t have enough variation to really grab me, but you can clearly hear its influence on a lot of things that came later
Best: Pump it Up
Merle Haggard
3/5
6/10
Straight down the line country music, done well.
Excellent voice, able to tell a story very well
Nice production, simple stuff that sets a backdrop
Didn’t necessarily set my heart racing
Best: Whatever Happened To Me
Django Django
3/5
6/10
I remember when this first came out that I wrote DD off as a throwaway electronic indie band. I was basically right, this is fine but really nothing special.
The more electronic tunes work nicely, the ones with surf or western guitar less so. Not sure I needed to know they can knock out a Lawrence of Arabia style song.
If I was going to be brutal - I guess I am - then i would say they sound like the Beta Band with all the weird edges smoothed off and overproduced to be more appealing
Best: Waveforms
Eels
4/5
7.5/10
This was nice, I’m a sucker for genre-hopping albums. Alternative rock with hip hop, soul, country influences
Extremely well produced, lush sound, excellent tunes with a pop sensibility
The vocals from E are the best part of the album, get across so much soul whilst occasionally breaking into proper singing or pseudo rap
This actually feels quite pretty and tender through its cynical veneer. I liked the ballad type songs the best
Best: Beautiful Freak
Arcade Fire
2/5
5/10
Totally baffling that this is my third AF album in a list of 1000. No chance they are that significant, but I’m not reviewing the list
Another Arcade Fire album that did nothing for me. Their music leaves me cold - it is like a simulacrum of anthemic stadium rock, but is so calculated and soulless. It’s like they listen to the likes of U2, Coldplay etc and say “let’s bang out 4 of those type of songs per album”.
To be fair to this one, production was well-executed, it was dense musically, and the use of strings was good.
Don’t like the vocals very much - the female led pop banger was easily my favourite
Best: Sprawl II
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
9/10
Well this was a massive pleasant surprise. For some reason I expected sad boy singer-songwriter.
It kind of is that, but with amazing, expansive, beautiful production. Blows me away that most of this was recorded just by Stevens on lo-fi kit. This sounds a million dollars.
The vocals: spot on; music: spot on; arrangements: spot on.
The choir might be my favourite part.
When I saw it was 70+ minutes before listening I was worried, when it finished I wished it was longer.
Wonderful.
Best: Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
Hole
3/5
6/10
Was this a pretty bog standard grungy rock album? Yes
Was the music generally pretty forgettable and turned a bit mushy in the production? Yes
But was it better than most of the grunge I’ve heard? Also yes
Love’s voices, a different lyrical perspective from the norm, and the female vocal harmonies all made this interesting to me.
I thought a few times that it reminded me of Smashing Pumpkins, then Billy Corgan’s vocals popped up on the last song…
Best: Petal
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
8/10
Fantastic and obviously influential electronic album. As someone who listens to contemporary French electronic music, its influence is still felt. Some of this would be amazing with Odezenne on top of it.
Of course I’d heard the big 2 songs on here, but the sonic landscape of the others was really interesting.
Cool ambient sounds and textures, almost biological in places
Maybe the ratio of interlude/build-up vs propulsive tunes was slightly off
Best: Oxygène (Part IV)
Leonard Cohen
3/5
6.5/10
Look, I know this is a difficult one to be mixed or negative on. It’s the last album of a dying man, about death, recorded in the run up to his death.
But it is like some of the Johnny Cash stuff: an amazing concept, well executed musically, well-intentioned, well-written. But the voice, unfortunately, could t fully keep up.
I did enjoy it, but a whole album of growling didn’t work for me.
Best: You want it darker
Yes
3/5
7/10
Third Yes album, my least favourite but still interesting.
When the band play together it is excellent. Musically good, great take on the music of the time, much more fun than their contemporaries. Less proggy than you might expect.
When they do the solo stuff here it is less engaging.
Best: Heart of the Sunrise
Tom Tom Club
4/5
7.5/10
A Talking Heads offshoot that is better than the band itself? Maybe. More fun? Definitely
Funky poppy r&b with interesting electronic touches
Groovy, relaxed, sounds like they enjoyed making it
Best: Genius of Love
The Smiths
3/5
6.5/10
So a Smiths album I quite liked! This was less of the jangly guitar and more of the indulgent production of a late period Very Important Band. For good and bad.
Very well put together, nice use of brass and strings here and there.
I could look past the Morrissey of it all for once. Lyrics were sometimes fun but very often almost a parody of how I perceive arch smiths lyrics to be written.
Best: Stop Me if you’ve heard this one before
Bob Dylan
2/5
6/10
This starts off strong, is well made, but boy does the sound and delivery start dragging
There’s only so much of these lyrics and Bob’s voice that I can take. So not for me.
Blows my mind a bit that this is considered an all-timer
Best: Subterranean Homesick Blues
Mylo
3/5
7/10
This list seems to have basic taste, I know a bit about electronic music and remember this one at the time. It is one of those albums that appeals to a pretty broad audience but has almost no edge or innovation.
Don’t get me wrong: it’s nice, well put together, good samples, good influences, but it feels like he pulls a lot of punches. It almost never gets truly hard or aggressive.
A lot of this feels deeply derivative of Royksopp - if they have nothing on this list then it’s a travesty that this is on instead
Various Artists
5/5
9/10
Thanks “random” list!
The best Christmas album, one that stands out as great amongst albums in general.
When an album is over 50% classics that most people recognise, you’ve got a good one.
Wall of sound + Christmas = banger
Best: Frosty the Snowman
Japan
4/5
8/10
Another pleasant surprise. Arty poppy new wave.
Extremely well produced, really nice moods. Drumming excellent.
Some of it sounds like a film soundtrack with the strings.
Duran Duran were clearly heavily inspired by this, it is basically their sound
Best: The Other Side of Life
The Temptations
4/5
7.5/10
Pretty good this. A mixture of pure soul and some more experimental psychedelic stuff
Excellent production, good vocals
Some of it reminded me of Isaac Hayes in his pomp
Best: Runaway Child, Running Wild
Van Halen
3/5
6.5/10
Another one in the zone of metal I like.
Fun, well played, excellent guitar
Mostly good songwriting & vocals
Didn’t like all of it, and probably outstayed its welcome even at 35 minutes
Best: ain’t talkin bout love
Common
4/5
7/10
Nice album, production amazing
Common doesn’t quite live up to Kanye’s production
Best: they say
Joy Division
3/5
6/10
I know, I know, I get it. It’s a very well made album that does exactly what it wants to.
Musically excellent, very very good production. It establishes a vibe and keeps it running.
Clearly influential right up to the current day.
But that vibe was misery. Nothing against it, but it was intense and not for me. Didn’t love the lyrics & delivery of them either.
Best: Decades
The Verve
2/5
5.5/10
I remember this at the time, and the singles were everywhere. The Verve didn’t do much for me then, they don’t now
The 4 singles are all excellent, really good.
The rest of the album is genuinely quite poor: sludgy britoop wall of sound (a la Oasis) with a lot of psychedelic soundalikes
Best: Lucky Man
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
8/10
A straight up excellent hip hop album, extremely well produced, good rap, good features, a considered and consistent sound.
Musically this jazz influenced style of production is not my favourite, but they were hardly going to be doing 2020s alternative hip hop styles back in 1991…
Best: Scenario
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
6.5/10
A pleasant surprise. Silly, fun glam metal with influences like British new wave, the Clash, and maybe even some Springsteen sax.
Well produced, well sung, but undeniably silly and a little vapid in the lyrics.
Best: Back To Mystery Beach
Holger Czukay
4/5
7.5/10
Extremely interesting, and an incredible turnaround after the first track, which was really, really terrible. After that I thought this was a certain one star.
Then the rest of the album was brilliant. Avant art pop, music concrete, samples and textures.
Extremely well done, even if the (non sampled) vocals were a weak point.
Best: Persian Love
Scissor Sisters
4/5
7/10
Very good album that didn’t blow me away.
Glam pop with heavy disco and Elton John influences
Really fun, nicely put together. Great vibes.
Who would have thought that taking the guitar solos out of Comfortably Numb would make it much more palatable (me)
Best: Filthy/Gorgeous
Herbie Hancock
2/5
3.5/10
This started off promisingly - squelching funky keyboard, good vibes.
But it soon descended into the type of jazz that I just don’t get along with. Really, really not for me, this would be a one star if not for the funk fusion elements
Best: Watermelon Man
Joy Division
3/5
6.5/10
Second JD album in a couple of weeks, liked this more but I am still not sure they are for me.
Production wise this was much more route one, but in a good way. Sounded pretty fresh and the sound still exists and is relevant. Bass very good.
Preferred the vocals this time, seemed less affected.
Overall less intense and doom-laden than the other one, but it still was slightly dragging for me at the end
Best: Day of the Lords
Fela Kuti
3/5
6,5/10
This was good. In-studio live, high vibes and focused on African rhythms.
Everything played so well, you could feel the soul in the vocals.
Could have done without the 16 minute drum duel at the end.
Best: Black Man’s Cry
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
8.5/10
Never heard of Jeru and this was really excellent.
Really of its time, really good
Love his flow, reminds me of Del the Funky Homosapien.
Production is excellent, really high quality cut & paste samples
Best: Ain’t the Devil Happy
Roxy Music
4/5
7.5/10
Nice one, this. Weirdo glam-art-rock.
Built on familiar rock styles but infused with a really fun strangeness
Sounds great, love the musical choices especially the saxophone
Really loved it when Eno whips the synth out
Best: Sea Breezes
Beatles
5/5
8.5/10
Another excellent Beatles record. A tiny bit inconsistent - some of the more pure rock/hard rock on side 1 isn’t my favourite. But side 2 is just incredible.
Best: Golden Slumbers
Ray Charles
3/5
6/10
This was good, often very good, but a great example of less is more
2 albums worth of stuff that got pretty smart to me at points. The country stuff, with syrupy almost kitsch production was my least favourite.
The uptempo stuff with brass and vibes was excellent.
Best: You Are My Sunshine
George Jones
3/5
5/10
This sounded like the literal default country album, the one you would play the aliens if they asked to hear the genre
Very well done, goood singing and lyrics but just not really one for me
Best: The Grand Tour
Caetano Veloso
3/5
7/10
Folky Brazilian vibes. Downbeat but a little uplifting.
Simple production, nice vocals. Good use of orchestration.
I liked the last song where he sung like a baby being given a delicious purse “mmmmm nom nom nom mmmm”
Best: Maria Bethânia
Stan Getz
3/5
6/10
Some jazz I liked - really Bossa Nova though I guess
Immaculate vibes, chilled, with nice playing.
Doesn’t set the heart racing though
Best: Samba de Uma Nota So
Charles Mingus
3/5
6/10
Funny one this, lots of contradictions.
Old fashioned and avant garde
Trumpet that was both silly and cool
Really melodic and really difficult
I liked it and didn’t like it
Best: Track B
The Beta Band
3/5
6/10
A band I am very familiar with as a late 90s Scottish indie kid, got all their stuff & seen them live.
So a slightly baffling choice for selection, as this is probably their weakest release. It is the most normal one though, and that fits in with the constant basicness of the list.
Lacks the charm, weirdness, and rambling of other releases. This is more accessible, more melodic, more heartfelt, but also more boring.
It does have its strong moments. A few good beats, Mason is always good lyrically and vocally, and they play with genres including psychedelic and a little funk.
Best: Pure For
Elbow
4/5
7/10
Another one that I listened to at release but haven’t a load since. Pretty good.
An album of major highs and the rest being nice, but not amazing.
Guy Harvey has an amazing voice, both literally and lyrically.
Very well put together, nice orchestration and influence from a number of genres from dad rock right through to post rock.
Best: Some Riot
UB40
4/5
8/10
Not what I expected as someone who only knows their pop hits. Excellent.
Pure reggae, pure vibes.
An amazing snapshot of disaffected youth at the end of the 70s in Britain.
Dubby bass vibes and keyboard were great.
Best: Burden of Shame
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
7.5/10
I rather liked this one, much more than other music in a similar place and time - like grunge, which this clearly isn’t.
Hard rock and metal with interesting influences of things like shoegaze and post rock
Corona has a unique voice
Once it got past the harder, angrier stuff at the start it really hit its stride. Middle and back end were strong.
Probably needed a couple of songs removed, felt a little long or repetitive towards the end.
Best: Today
Lou Reed
4/5
7.5/10
This album has a load of excellent, excellent songs on it.
Production from Bowie is obviously on point.
Vocal style is great.
But it is far from perfect - the more straight-up glam rock hasn’t aged so well & there are a couple of silly throwaway tracks.
Best: Perfect Day
King Crimson
3/5
7/10
A mixed bag - really liked quite a lot of it, but it was interspersed with periods of unenjoyable noodling. Back half was better.
Extremely good musicianship, they got a vibe across.
Production sounded great for the age it is.
Preferred this to Pink Floyd, not as good as Yes for me.
Best: Larks' Tongues In Aspic pt 2
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
9.5/10
Another one I already new, an easy 5 star and contender for best rap album ever.
Hugely ambitious musically and lyrically, basically delivers 100%.
Not a wasted second until the very end.
Kendrick is amazing, his voice and what he is saying. The music is incredible, hardly a surprise when you see what an all-star lineup it is.
The single version of i is definitely better than the album one.
Best: King Kunta
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
7/10
Despite the score I really quite enjoyed this. Endearingly weird with some excellent tunes.
The extended chats were a bold choice, worked once but maybe not multiple times?
Really poppy music shrouded in a cloak of unpoppyness
Best: This is What She’s Like
Sex Pistols
2/5
3.5/10
Yes, I know this is one of the absolute cornerstones of rock music, but that first half was rough. Was sure this would be one star.
The second half was much better, couple of songs I actually liked.
Yes, it had a lot of angry energy. But the music was all much more generic than I expected, the lyrics were often trite, and it is difficult to separate the art from the artist when John Lydon’s character comes through so strongly in his voice. And he is a wrongun.
Best: Anarchy in the UK
Public Enemy
5/5
9/10
Some of these foundational albums disappoint, this one didn’t.
Sounds great still. Potent message, excellent delivery, great production.
Sample selection is on point.
Nobody sounds like Chuck D.
Best: Caught, Can We Get a Witness?
Lambchop
5/5
9/10
An absolute delight of a surprise. Loved this.
Chamber pop country soul, understated and awesome.
Lovely production, lots of brass and strings.
Best: Up With People
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
2/5
5/10
Not at all what I expected, which was a seminal early hip hop album.
Instead it was a mostly heartfelt (Christian?) soul album that happened to have 2 or 3 classic monuments of rap.
A major problem for me is that the title song, an epic about poverty and racism, is just straight-up homophobic. Don’t care if it “was of its time”, it doesn’t sit right with me.
Best: It’s Nasty
The Monkees
3/5
6.5/10
I had the perception of them as a manufactured Beatles knockoff. Whilst that might be a bit true, this album was a lot more.
Rock pop with country and psychedelic influence, maybe even more of the Beach Boys than Beatles.
Lots of nice little songs. All a little shallow but well put together. So not earth moving but nice.
Best: I’ll Spend My Life With You
Iggy Pop
4/5
7.5/10
2 Bowie productions quite close to each other, think his work might have been stronger in this than Transformer.
Really nice album, bunch of good tunes with good energy. Some of it sounds extremely Bowie.
Best: The Passenger
Miles Davis
2/5
5/10
This was heavily on the fusion side of jazz fusion - very rock influenced.
Not bad, just not great. Really well played, good music but more of an ambient listen than one full of melody and ear worms.
Could see this as a soundtrack in an indie film.
Can recognise this sound in post-rock music like Tortoise
Best: there were only 2 tracks! The first one I guess
David Bowie
4/5
8/10
It’s heretical to say, but Bowie is probably overrated as an album artist.
Having said that, this might be my favourite of his. Glam soul.
Well played, great vibes, great voice, great backing vocals. Love the sax.
Doesn’t all set the heart racing, and some of it is under produced or over long.
Best: right
The Offspring
2/5
5/10
I got this soon after Dookie by Green Day, so the comparisons are inevitable. I preferred this one.
GD seemed like tourists into punk, Offspring seemed like insiders who were exploring into genres outside of punk.
Quite fun.
But the massive problem - and one I knocked a star off for - is that this album needs an edit. Too many songs, at least 10 minutes too long. It became tiring.
Best: Come out and Play
Green Day
3/5
6.5/10
Ahh, the 90s. I had a school friend who was obsessed with this, so was pretty familiar.
Perky post punk with some good tunes and melodies.
Can’t say that this style of vocal delivery really does it for me.
Best: Longview
Pink Floyd
4/5
8/10
I liked this way more than I was expecting. The album really worked for me.
Preferred the second half to the first, but I suppose it is the payoff for it.
Second half was more interesting judicially with more intricacy and orchestration. But the first half had its moments.
Not too much silly stuff for a concept album, barring the Trial it was pretty consistently good.
Best: Nobody Home
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
8/10
This was way better than I expected. Easily the best reggae I’ve heard. Recognised loads of it.
Vibes are impeccable, vocals great, love the backing singers.
Best: Three Little Birds
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
6.5/10
I found this frustrating - it started amazingly, I loved it, but then the filler crept in. Indulgent boring studio blues jams. There were way too many of them.
But the non-filler stuff verged on magic. Loved the uptempo ones with the high, wailing guitars. Extraordinary musicians playing really good stuff.
If this album had lost 20-30 minutes of the lazy filler stuff, it would have been amazing. As it was, I liked it but was getting very bored at times.
Best: Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
5/10
Another mixed bag, didn’t really work for me. Bluesy rock music that morphed into acid/psych rock
Some of it was nice, some boring, some quite interesting
Liked all the organ stuff the best
Best: Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine
Doves
3/5
6/10
This list sure has a thing for mid-tier British indie of the 2000s. I remember this from the time and it wasn’t one that made huge waves
Playing a little in the territory of Radiohead, Spiritualized, early Coldplay, but not as good as them.
Nice enough but extremely forgettable
Best: Here Comes the Fear
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
7/10
Another one I knew from the first time round. This was a sensation at the time and now has a handful of well-loved songs on it.
The rest is extremely energetic punky songs, full of youth but not the highest quality.
I have really enjoyed the last 2 or 3 AM albums so this one is a little rough around the edges for me.
Best: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
8/10
Where the Arctic Monkeys punked up their indie, FF art rocked it up
Really good
Best: Take Me Out
Pink Floyd
2/5
4/10
After really enjoying the wall, this was a huge disappointment. Not good.
Surprisingly basic psychedelic rock that was wildly self-indulgent. Lyrically it was childish. Songs like Bike show it was on purpose and they knew what they were doing.
Found myself rolling my eyes in some of the extended psychy instrumental sections.
Well put together and the keyboard stood out as glueing it all together.
Best: Bike
David Bowie
4/5
8/10
This was good. Better than Heroes in that the second, more electronic, half was much more enjoyable here.
Great krautrock drums and sound
Best: Sound and Vision
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
8/10
Way superior to Electirc Ladyland and really, really good.
Straight up rock with heavy r&b influences and a psychedelic edge
Extremely well produced and sung. Excellent wall of noise. Hendrix vocals are great
Best: Are You Experienced?
Jethro Tull
4/5
8/10
Another excellent surprise. Knew them by name and expected prog nonsense but this was very good.
Yes, it teetered on silly a bit, but didn’t cross the line.
Musically very nice, cool use of slightly unusual instruments.
Best: Mother Goose
The Stone Roses
5/5
9/10
It’s only in the last few years that I finally got the SR, having been sniffy about them for some reason.
This is magnificent.
I think the turning point was realising that this is fun, not dark. Uptempo anthems with such a hit of pop sensibility.
Everything in harmony and everything really good.
So many great tunes.
Best: This Is The One
Dolly Parton
4/5
7.5/10
This is route one country but exceptionally good at it.
One thing that stands out is the voice, obviously, but especially the clarity of it. Lovely. The stories are told simply and clearly.
Really well put together with some hints of folk, rock, gospel.
Best: Early Morning Breeze
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
6/10
This is one of those “I get that it is good but not for me” albums.
Lots of variation showcasing an obvious vocal and production talent, but still somehow a little boring to me.
I knew way more of this than I expected to.
Best: If You Let Me Stay
Bobby Womack
2/5
5/10
This was well put together but fundamentally boring.
What is a totally fine 80s soul album doing on this list? It felt pretty inessential to me.
I liked the bits where he was channeling Stevie Winder, and the other bits less so
Best: Stand Up
U2
3/5
6.5/10
My first ever U2 album, and actually a pleasant surprise.
I had no idea they had done politically credible post-punk, which this is.
The band is tight.
Best: New Year’s Day
David Bowie
3/5
6.5
Boy there sure are a lot of Bowie albums on this list. All they are doing for me is confirming that he is not as great an album artist as his reputation would say.
This was fine, even nice, but was by far the most commercial of his albums I’ve heard. That made it a smooth but unchallenging listen.
Art rock mixed with plastic soul. Well played, you can hear the quality in Alomqr’s guitar playing.
Best: Golden Years
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
8.5/10
I think I listened to this about 29 years afot, and it wasn’t for me. This time I really liked it.
Ugly beautiful music. Loud and discordant but subtle and pretty. Amazing layers of production that hit you like a train. Woozy vocals.
Overall an overwhelming experience, like nothing else.
Can really hear its influence on things since - Smashing Pumpkins for sure.
Some of it was slightly too loud and aggressive, which keeps it from that perfect 5.
Best: I Only Said
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
5/10
Nicely done but not for me. Not what I expected a Tango album to sound like - jazzy, relaxed, vibes.
Could be the soundtrack to a heist movie set in Buenos Aires
Best: Vibraphonissimo
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
6.5/10
Jazzy soul & R&B with African influences.
Not always viscerally thrilling, but really well but together and performed.
Layered vocals were excellent, as was the vibraphone-sounding instrument
Best: Reasons
Television
2/5
5/10
A classic I’m sure, but didn’t massively do it for me.
Punk-ish but more poppy art rock for me.
3 days later I can hardly remember anything to say something about it, not a great sign
Best: Friction
Massive Attack
5/5
9/10
Incredibly impressive and self-assured. does what it wants to do and doesn’t try to be something else. No wonder this is the foundational trip hop album.
This is closer to pure hip hop than their other stuff. Lots of dub, R&B/soul, with a bit of reggae and even some breakbeat.
The production is perfect, the vocalists impeccable.
I liked the Horace Andy stuff the most.
Best: Hymn of the Big Wheel
Everything But The Girl
2/5
5/10
Another one that it is very surprising to find on a list like this. It just doesn’t seem worthy.
Totally fine pop-soul, well made but pretty bland.
I genuinely can’t remember any of the songs 12 hours later except for the cover at the start.
Best: I don’t want to talk about it
Orbital
4/5
8/10
Finally some decent electronic music, which this list severely lacks.
Will be curious to see if there is more from Orbital, because there are definitely better albums than this.
This still sounds great, classic 90s dance music with that signature orbital synth sound.
You can feel how some of this influenced work that came after, like Duck Feet having a definite Boards of Canada vibe.
Best: Philosophy by Numbers
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
8/10
This is what the list is made for - a very good album by an act I’ve never heard of.
Extremely good, no idea why this isn’t a well-known album, maybe even a semi classic.
On paper it’s jazzy rock but they just went for it and explored so many genres. Psychedelic, soul, country, Latin, lounge, classical. A wild ride. Lots of James Brown and Hendrix in here.
Really tight band, played well with wonderful brass. Vocals are outstanding.
Doesn’t get the perfect score because some of the jazz is very jazz.
Best: More and More
Beatles
3/5
6.5/10
My score makes it sound like I didn’t really like it, when I did.
But this just isn’t my favourite Beatles sound.
The melodies are there, the songs are good (a lot of covers gives it a “let’s bang this out” feel) but they are very much route one rockers. Excellent ones though.
The vocals of Lennon and drums of Ringo carried this album.
Best: Money
Rush
3/5
6/10
Don’t think I’ve ever heard Rush before, this was alright.
Like a lot of North American hard/prog rock it tended towards slightly pompous and silly, just about on the right side of the line.
Very well played, synth and drums in particular, but the vocals didn’t really do it for me at all.
Best: YYZ
Leonard Cohen
3/5
6/10
This was a confounding one. Cohen gruffs his way monotonously through an album full of pop vibes and perky backing vocals. A strange contrast, might have thought his producers didn’t like him much but then a song like jazz police showed he was in on the joke.
Strangely I kind of liked this.
Best: First We Take Manhattan
The Jam
3/5
6.5/10
Better than I expected, credible music, production, lyrics
A few bangers
Not fully in love with Weller’s cockney accent
Best: Start!
The Associates
2/5
5/10
One of those ones where I get it, but it didint really work for me.
Nicely put together, well played, good use of electronic instruments.
Vocals up and down, some sounded a bit like Bowie.
Something of the Cure in here?
Best: Party Fears Two
Marilyn Manson
3/5
7/10
I wanted to hate this, but annoyingly it was quite good. Still not for me, but undeniably well put together and executed.
Really nice production, certainly gets across a vibe and style.
Too long, could do with an edit, and I wasn’t in love with the vocals.
Best: Cryptorchid
3/5
5/10
Second U2 album, liked the first more than expected but this left me cold.
Later in the career as they are pivoting into stadium friendly rock, and they have lost the edge.
Good songs are there, but after a super strong opening it sags badly.
Best: Mothers of the Disappeared
The Go-Go's
4/5
8/10
A breath of fresh air.
Good music, good vocals, good harmonies.
Just good.
Best: We Got the Beat
Marvin Gaye
3/5
6.5/10
I know this is a landmark album, but I found it a little boring.
A couple of absolute standout tracks and a whole bunch of syrupy soul
Best: Let's Get It On
The Waterboys
3/5
6.5/10
This did what it did pretty well, but when it comes to it then I would describe it as a good-quality pub folk rock band
So am not really sure why it’s considered important
Occasionally teetered on embarassing over the top Celt stuff (I’m Scottish, know this pain) but just about got away with it. The Stolen Child pushed it though.
Best: Fisherman’s Blues
Elliott Smith
4/5
8/10
I think this is the first ES I’ve heard. It was good.
I see how this would be highly influential - heartfelt, simple songs that resonate.
Musically quite basic indie folk singer songwriter stuff, so can’t hit the full 5 for me
Loved the drums, really excellent
Best: Pictures of Me
Tricky
4/5
8.5/10
Excellent. Not sure it is as pure trip hop as its reputation would have - it is electronic, hip hop, post rock too.
excellent production, great samples
Maybe a little too monotonal and dark to be perfect but this is excellent.
Best: Black Steel
Kate Bush
5/5
9/10
Up there with Sign o the Times at the top of the 80s albums for me.
Absolutely fantastic production. Wildly inventive and strange, just on the right side of being goofy.
Sounds 80s but not cheesily so.
Loved the drums in particular.
Second half is basically prog?
Best: Running up that hill
The Band
4/5
7.5/10
Liked this. Nice vibes, sounded very real. Country rock, not as blues influenced as I might have expected. More soul if snugging.
Best: To Kingdom Come
T. Rex
4/5
7.5/10
Way better than I expected. Very good production, extremely polished by a band in their pomp. Nice use of orchestration
I could hear Hendrix, Bowie, Beatles, psychedelic and more.
Best: The Slider
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
Queen
3/5
8/10
Third Queen album so far, and they have all hit for me. I’ve appreciated seeing the non greatest hits side of them, and my appreciation for Brian May has increased.
This is nice route one hard rock with a slightly silly prog theme of fairies and ogres. Perfect for the style of Queen.
Layers of guitar and vocals are excellent.
Best: White Queen
Pearl Jam
3/5
7.5/10
This was a lot better than I expected. I knew the big songs & that it is considered peak grunge, but honestly is it even pure grunge?
Felt like fairly straight up hard rock and very well executed.
Well played, well sung. This style has a ceiling for me so was as good as it could have been.
Best: Even Flow
Stan Getz
2/5
5/10
This is supposedly the definitive bossa nova album and I’ve enjoyed the couple I’ve had already.
But, like them, this doesn’t get me going properly.
Well played, well sung, nice vibes. But this is background music not foreground music.
Ultimately a little boring.
Best: Garota de Ipanema
Emmylou Harris
2/5
5/10
This is fodder for lists like this: late-career overproduced album by a heritage artist. But I needed more than that.
Voice was good, and some of the production was interesting. Yes, there was obvious county, folk, rock, Fleetwood Mac influences, but I also detected the cool indie of the period in there in the production style, drums, loops. Think Beta Band.
Didn’t like the contemporary Christian country rock stuff so much.
Needed to be at least 10 minutes shorter.
Best: Red Dirt Girl
Hüsker Dü
2/5
5/10
I knew of HD and this was nothing like what I expected - poppy post punk alternative rock. A lot of REM in there and quite a bit more accessible than expected.
But this was inexcusably long. It needed to be 30 minutes shorter, I get that the bad was falling apart but no need to inflict their excess on us.
That makes it baffling this is anywhere near a list like this: it’s too long and just not good enough.
Best: Charity, Chastity, Prudence, and Hope
The Residents
1/5
1.5/10
I’ve hardly given any low scores recently, I’m clearly getting more tolerant the more I hear. But I hated this viscerally. One of the worst albums I’ve ever heard.
This is the stuff of a pretentious 14 year old with their first tapes recorder and keyboard, there was no need to inflict it on the world.
Maybe the worst vocal performances I’ve ever heard. Gave it 1 point for the fact that there seemed to be some musical ability under there.
Horrible.
Duran Duran
4/5
7.5/10
Really nice pop rock album, obviously I knew the hits but the rest was good too. More synth = I liked it more.
Pure 80s vibes
Best: Hungry Like the Wolf
Keith Jarrett
3/5
6.5/10
This was quite interesting. Very surprised it is the highest selling piano and solo jazz album of all time.
It’s deceptively simple - just the piano with occasional little hints of vocal or rhythmic thumps.
At its best it is a hypnotic improvisation that somehow reminds me of things like minimal techno.
At its worst it is bland soundtrack-y music, like a not quite there Ghibli soundtrack.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
7.5/10
Easily the best LZ I’ve heard so far. High quality, tight, good production. Vocals didn’t annoy me unlike previous albums.
But there is a ceiling of how much I liked it. Waaaay too long, both in some individual songs and the length of the album overall.
And there is the fact that, at best, this album heavily relies on American and black artists and feels like cosplay or tourism. There is something inauthentic about people from the midlands playing delta blues.
Best: In My Time of Dying
Dion
2/5
5/10
Meh. A distinctly average pop country rock album dragged up slightly by a good voice and the Spector production tricks.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I didn’t love the songwriting and found it a little boring.
Best: Make the Woman Love Me
Jurassic 5
4/5
7.5/10
This was very good - on-point samples, excellent production, nice rapping (especially the harmonising).
Not quite enough consistent 5 star material to get it full marks, this is one where subtraction might be addition if they choose out 10-15 minutes.
Not sure why this is in ahead of J5 (if it is).
Best: I am Somebody
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
6.5/10
That wasn’t as industrial as I expected, but it was as dark and angry.
A lot of production but that worked pretty well.
A wall of blackness, could have been slightly shorter. Liked the songs with programmed beats.
The original Hurt is better than the Cash version I think.
Best: Closer
Otis Redding
4/5
8/10
A load of bangers, sung really well and played really well.
Production is good but maybe muted? There are a load of greats on here and not much of the music really stands out strongly.
Best: I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
Happy Mondays
4/5
8/10
Excellent stuff, really enjoyed this. The definitive Baggy album? Step On perfectly encapsulates the early 90s.
Really well put together, can hear influence on things like Blur and Beta Band.
Best: Step On
4/5
8.5/10
Another one I know well and like. Would have loved to give it 5 but it’s not quite there.
Poppy hard rock with proggy edges.
It is undoubtedly silly, and the Muse conspiracy theory stuff is weird, but at least it is self-aware. That makes the sillier stuff fun.
They definitely like Queen and Radiohead, but the inspirations are very wide. It starts off sounding like Glass!
Best: Map of the Problematique
Fred Neil
3/5
5.5/10
One of those that I’m not exactly sure why it’s here. Actually I guess I am - the final 10 minutes or so where it takes an unexpected turn into a psychedelic swirl.
Before that it’s fine but just not amazing - folk or country rock that is well executed but not brilliant. Sub Johnny Cash.
Best: Ba-Di-Da
R.E.M.
3/5
6.5/10
This was nice but not great - clearly a very good band, but finding their sound still.
Lots of REM-ness but with more of a raw edge than later stuff.
Best: 9-9
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
8/10
I’ve really enjoyed all the Bruce I’ve heard to date, and this is no exception.
Deeply sincere, almost a bit too much so at times.
Cool mix of 80s synth and big production with heartland rock.
I liked the stuff best where it really sounded like Springsteen: huge production, lots of instruments, saxophone
Best: Glory Days
Madonna
4/5
8/10
It’s easy to forget, with the direction that pop music took (so much came to sound like this) but Madonna was ahead of the mainstream curve here, and deep in her phase of working with very credible electronic producers.
I was a fan of the Mirwais album earlier that year, was surprised to see him doing the biggest pop album, but it worked.
In fact, his production is the best thing here. The other aspects are interesting to good, except for some of the songwriting being not quite up to the beats.
But the hard, funky disco techno goes hard.
Best: Paradise
Killing Joke
4/5
8/10
This was a pleasant surprise. Post punk fused with metal and industrial.
Really has a vibe and goes with it. Production is top class and it could be from any time right up to now.
Best: Requiem
Steve Earle
3/5
6/10
This could have been worse! Huge swathes of it were route one country rock that didn’t do much for me.
But a good chunk was more interesting to me, being country blended with heartland rock - think a country-fied Springsteen.
Best: Fearless Heart
Jack White
4/5
8/10
One of the positives of this has been finding out how much I enjoy the various works of Jack White.
This is good, a fun genre hop around rock, blues, country.
Love the frequent use of almost classical piano, adds a bit of drama.
White clearly respects the songwriting of McCartney.
Best: Weep Themselves to Sleep
Metallica
2/5
4.5/10
This was a vast improvement on the first album by Metallica that I got on this list. It was at least listenable, and had some songs I actually liked. Much more straight heavy metal
Good production, throwing a lot at it. The bass and drums in particular stood out.
Too long. Like 33% too long.
But boy do they take themselves seriously. This is not infused with any fun, it is serious music that can’t help but come across as a little pompous. Nothing Else Matters isn’t far off being a parody.
Best: Enter Sandman
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
6/10
I remember this at the time - especially Go West - and sadly it hadn’t aged brilliantly.
The songwriting, vocals, and pop sensibility are the normal PSB standard.
But albums of this era have a tendency to sound dated in terms of drums & synth, and this sounds painfully early 90s. Fun still.
Best: Go West
GZA
4/5
8.5/10
Excellent stuff. Wonderful flow and lyricism, great wordplay. Production on point with some brilliant samples.
Not quite a full score as there isn’t a huge amount of stylistic or delivery variation.
Best: 4th Chamber
Guns N' Roses
3/5
6/10
Pretty good. Route one hard rock/metal, you can hear the sounds it was inspired by (including Zeppelin!)
I remember a friend growing up playing this a lot, so was more familiar with it than I thought. A few big, famous, excellent songs, a few more decent, then a bunch of bang average stuff.
The worst thing about the album is Axl’s vocals.
Best: Sweet Child O Mine
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
6/10
Better than I expected. Raw hippie hard rock.
Recording as live certainly gives that raw (unpolished?) vibe.
Not sure how much I love the vocals and guitar of Young.
A couple of songs are very self indulgently long.
Best: Cinnamon Girl
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
7/10
This was probably the most I have enjoyed one of the “foundational” albums in this list.
Loads of good energy, good voice, and if you only know the main hits then the level of musical experimenting was a surprise.
Having said that, because it is the OG then it sounds basic to modern ears.
Best: Not Fade Away
The Cult
2/5
4.5/10
Didn’t like this very much. Initially I thought the route-one hard rock/metal was ok, but it was mid and relentless.
Fairly melodic, singing wasn’t annoying.
It’s just dumb and not amazing.
Best: Lil’ Devil
Kraftwerk
4/5
8.5/10
This is foundational stuff. New music I listen to today sounds like this.
Clean, crisp sounds. Immaculate synthesisers, great drum programming.
This is a perfect example of what to play when people say electronic music is just people twiddling knobs. Fundamentally: yes. Actually: the title track is a wonderful audio poem full of soul that evokes an actual road trip.
Doesn’t get a full 5 as there is a drop off in quality at the end
Best: Autobahn
Aerosmith
2/5
3.5/10
I think this project is teaching me that a certain brand of American blusey hard rock is not for me. This album was quite poor.
Pretty dead musically, which is why I’m surprised it is viewed as a classic album.
The main thing it has going for it is an obviously charismatic frontman.
Some embarrassing lyrical moments. Big Ten Inch Record is woeful.
Best: Sweet Emotion
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
9/10
This was pretty perfect - and amazing it is as far back as 1990.
Amazing production, terrific choice of samples. Great, fun raps.
Best: Footprints
Marty Robbins
4/5
7.5/10
Really good. My favourite country album so far?
This was no pretension, honest, simple music. Stories told well with minimal fuss.
Best: Cool Water
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
7.5/10
Very good. This reeks of musical class, then I saw who is involved. No wonder it’s a quality production.
Really nice post-punk-pop driven by fantastic bass and drums. Really enjoyed Cope’s vocals too.
Best: Reward
Gene Clark
3/5
7/10
A classy album - you could tell immediately from the voice and songwriting that this was a talent.
Simple country folk rock songs delivered well.
Best: One In a Hundred
Brian Wilson
4/5
8.5/10
Not a random album today, I bet a lot of people are revisiting the music of Brian.
This is one I am veeery familiar with. Before it came out I had listened to a lot of the bootleg material. A huge “what if” album.
Is it good? yes
Was it cool to hear this stuff produced in a modern way? Yes
is it a bit overproduced and noisy in places? Yes
Is it in the same league as the Beach Boys versions where they exist? No to barely
Is the rougher BB version later released as the Smile Sessions better? Yes
So it’s good, but really comes across as a nice facsimile created as the basis for some live shows. Good for Brian that he got to be somewhat involved in getting the monkey off his back.
Listen to Smile Sessions instead.
Best: Cabin Essence
The Black Keys
3/5
5.5/10
This was fine. I’m sure they get compared to the White Stripes constantly, so I will too: O prefer the WS.
Well put together, poppy blues rock. Doesn’t have the sensibility nor the fun of the WS.
Best: Too Afraid to Love You
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
7.5/10
Definitive 2000s pop rock. I listened to this a lot when it came out.
A confident band with a post punk sensibility doing their thing well.
First 4 songs contains 3 solid gold bangers, it does trail off a bit towards the end though.
Best: Zero
Love
3/5
6.5/10
This had some excellent moments but was some way off the quality of the classic album that followed it. Kind of crazy that this was recorded about 6 months before Forever Changes.
The final song, a not-great jam session, shouldn’t be anywhere near an album
Best: She Comes in Colors
Björk
4/5
7.5/10
Homogenic is in my top 5 albums ever, and this might be the best album Bjork has released since then?
It dials up the strings and down the jagged beats, keeps the great songwriting and voice, goes darker and more mature.
The beats are often my favourite part of her songs, so I did gravitate toward those songs more.
Black Lake is up there with the best Bjork songs.
Best: Black Lake
Paul Simon
3/5
6.5/10
This was musically nice, very eclectic, good vibes.
But the songwriting was up and down, some of it very goofy.
Enjoyed the Nile Rodgers stuff, and how sone of those tracks are clearly key influences for Vampire Weekend.
Best: Think Too Much (A)
Dire Straits
3/5
6/10
This is an album that has 4 good singles on it and a load of stuff that wasn’t great.
Lots of mawkish Americana that doesn’t excite, with the occasional banger that we all know.
Best: Walk of Life
David Bowie
5/5
9/10
Wonderful. I’d actually been pretty disappointed by the previous Bowie albums I’d listened too, and was starting to think he might be a “greatest hits” type artist.
But despite this having no major classic songs, this is easily the best album work that I have heard by him.
Beautiful, moody, inventive. Yes, jazz and rock, but also breakbeats, hip hop, electronic. Making the last album have him a sense of purpose and a coherent vision, clearly.
Best: Blackstar
The Isley Brothers
4/5
7.5/10
Another one with ups and downs, but this had more highs than lows.
Vibes good, really nice songs. Intricate production.
Some Stevie Wonder here, maybe some Al Green in the vocals occasionally.
Best: Summer Breeze
Johnny Cash
3/5
7/10
Interesting pairing with yesterday’s, Darkstar: 2 swan song albums by dying artists.
I knew this one from the time it came out, listened to it a reasonable amount. It’s very frustrating to me, because it has some career highlights for Cash and some absolute duds.
5 or 6 of its songs are top end, the rest are either a bit insipid or really miss. The worst misses are some of the classics like The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Desperado, Danny Boy.
Production really keeps this afloat, with Cash on autopilot. But what an autopilot to have. When he says “and I said sheriff how are **you**” it’s pure magic.
Can’t believe I Hung My Head was written by Sting.
Best: I Hung My Head
The Temptations
3/5
6/10
Frustrating because the highs were high here, where they pushed out into full-on soul. But large stretches were king of gloopy R&B that didn’t do much for me.
Best: Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone
Goldfrapp
4/5
7/10
I know and enjoy their electronic stuff but had no idea this folky pop album existed.
Very nice, good vibes.
Kind of washes over you a little, doesn’t always set the pulse racing, so not a full 5.
Best: Caravan Girl
Kings of Leon
2/5
3/10
not good, this. Fairly competent if derivative music, terrible vocals. Can’t get past that.
Baffling these guys hit ir big and staggering that they are 2/1000 albums I must hear.
Best: Taper Jean Girl
Snoop Dogg
5/5
9/10
Wow, this held up way better than I expected. Brilliant.
A lot of credit goes to outstanding production, pure west coast.
Best: Gz and Hustlas
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
9/10
Turns out I love S&G, 2 five star albums so far. This one was pure folk rock, a lovely collection of little gems. I had heard way more of these than I thought I had.
You’ve got to respect an album that gets its job done in 30 minutes and is more or less perfect.
Best: Homeward Bound
Soul II Soul
3/5
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Adam & The Ants
3/5
6/10
This was fine, with almost nothing that was outstanding.
Prototypical new wave sound, well produced and theatrically delivered.
Best: Antmusic
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
7/10
A really fun album that doesn’t make it to great.
Fantastic composition, music, arrangements. More pop than rock but stil rock.
You can very much hear the Beatles and Beach Boys in here, and I can hear this in later period Super Furry Animals
But it is too long and self indulgent and, most importantly, doesn’t really feel like it means it or has a heart.
Best: Big Wheels
Black Sabbath
4/5
7.5/10
Second Sabbath album, and they are definitely my speed of metal. Good stuff.
Really well played and put together. Ozzy’s voice is excellent.
Doesn’t feel insincere like some of the other stuff
Best: Changes
Beatles
4/5
8/10
A jewellery box of exquisite pop tunes, but it’s the Beatles so obviously.
Reeks of good taste if not at the full powers of their songwriting.
The drums really stood out here.
Hits a ceiling of 4/5 because this type of old, pure rock doesn’t 100% do it for me.
Best: I’m Happy Just to Dance With You
Fever Ray
4/5
8.5/10
I’m always in fur anything by a Deijer (The Knife’s Silent Shout had better be on this list) so of course knew this from when it first came out.
Really nice stuff, picks a dark brooding vibe and goes with it.
Production is immense, with the keys almost becoming synth pop a couple of time. Trademark pitch shifted vocals are spot on.
Not perfect, some of the track sound pretty similar to each other.
Best: When I Grow Up
Christine and the Queens
5/5
9/10
Glad something like this gets on the list, a much needed bit of diversity confirmed by the state of the other reviews here.
I remember this at the time, was a big fan of Girlfriend. Absolute gem of an album.
Leaning heavily into 80s and 90s R&B and pop, wonderful production here.
There’s just something about the delivery and lyrics, this is pop with soul.
Best: Girlfriend
Gram Parsons
3/5
6/10
This is nicely put together and well delivered, maybe “nice” is as far as I can go.
Route one country and country rock, so how much you like it depends on how much you like those.
Anchored by the vocals of Parsons and Harris, they work so well together.
Best: $1000 wedding
Isaac Hayes
5/5
9/10
Magic. One of the best albums I’ve had so far, lightning in a bottle.
I knew this one before - the first 2 tracks are amongst my favourites of all time. That puts a lot of pressure on the second side, which doesn’t live up to it but ends super strong.
Amazing production and variation in style. Psychedelic soul, proto rap, pure soul.
Fantastic orchestration on the first and last tracks.
Best: Walk on By
Nirvana
3/5
5.5/10
Very unusual one - I really liked the first half and really really didn’t like most of the second half.
At its best when it is doing melodic grungy hard rock, at its worst when it is doing noisy punk/post punk stuff. The bad stuff sounds much more like Foo Fighters than I remember.
Best: Lithium
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out 5/10
Decent one, this. Good energy and I liked the music. Very punky and some hints of bands to follow, like the Strokes.
Liked the lead vocals less, although the harmonies with the other ones were good.
Best: One More Hour
Black Sabbath
4/5
8/10
Appropriate album today to honour Ozzy. Black Sabbath are a fantastic example of the good this list can do - I would have assumed I would hate them, but this is the third album by them I have had and they are very good.
This album occasionally plays in the same areas as bands like Zeppelin, and I have to say I vastly prefer this.
Lead by rhythm, riffs, vibes. No ego fuelled guitar solos. Just get the mood and pout across.
Really good.
Best: War Pigs
The Byrds
2/5
4/10
Another one that shouldn’t be on this list. All the ingredients for a good album are there, but it just doesn’t work.
Song choice and songwriting isn’t right, it is well put together but tends toward folk rock with a psychedelic wrapper.
Problem is that everything they do here is not as good as others, say Dylan, Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel.
Best: Eight Miles High
The Beach Boys
5/5
9/10
A post Smile BB album, which means it will be uneven, maybe weird, and doesn’t have as much Brian as you’d like. Tick.
But this is better than I remember - great even - and is right up with Sunflower for me in the “second best BB album” competition.
Carl’s contributions are excellent, stand out songs.
Second side of this album is ridiculously strong (shock horror that’s where the Brian stuff is).
Best: ‘Til I Die
Stevie Wonder
3/5
6/10
This was fine - extremely good vibes and very well produced and played - but didn’t really set my heart racing.
Some great moments but was some of it a little… boring? Suffers from the SW “outro syndrome” where a number of songs are 2 minutes of song then 2 minutes of outro filler.
Best: Superstition
The Strokes
4/5
7.5/10
Good stuff this. Sounds like an era in music - partly because it is very of its time, partly how it helped define it. Plenty of music that followed is clearly inspired by this.
Languid garage post punk, they found a vibe and stuck to it. That is good and bad - the first half can sound a little same at points.
Then it hits Someday and takes off. Lots of bangers on the second side.
Best: Hard to Explain
Isaac Hayes
4/5
7.5/10
This is composed and produced by prime-era Hayes, so of course it’s good.
Being mostly instrumental drags it down a bit, and it is not all mega. I was heading for a 3 here.
Then Do Your Thing comes on. 20 minutes - over 25% of the album - of some of the best stuff I’ve heard from Hayes. This alone adds a whole star on.
Best: Do Your Thing
Basement Jaxx
5/5
9/10
I remember this from the time, where it cont be understated how huge and omnipresent it was. But I expected to to be a sold 3 or shaky 4.
But this has aged extremely well. A few songs are still in my rotation, but the bench is deep here. so much fun.
Basically a house album, but flavours of techno and dancehall amongst others. This came before grime and some of the US hip hop of today that must take influence from it.
Best: Jump ‘n Shout
Van Morrison
3/5
7/10
This was better than I expected, could have been a soft 4 but in the end it was t quite interesting enough.
The boy can sing though, really fits his style.
Best: These Dreams of You
Eminem
3/5
6.5/10
I remember liking some of the songs but not the album as a whole when it first came out.
Think that’s still where I’m at but am slightly more positive.
The good: an adrenaline shot to the genre, punk energy, rhymes to make you pay attention, the Dre production.
The not so good: almost a comedy album, too many skits, too long, lots of the production is uninspired
Best: Guilty Conscience
Manu Chao
4/5
7.5/10
This was a pleasant surprise, a pretty wild album. Mostly stoner Latin vibes but a bunch of other influences including electronic.
I knew I’d heard Bongo Bong before, sounded like Gorillaz but was in fact a Robbie Williams single.
Overall this was maybe slightly silly to be perfect.
Best: Lágrimas de oro
The Zombies
4/5
8.5/10
Wow, huge surprise and I’m surprised this isn’t more well known.
Psychedelic, baroque pop rock from the top drawer. Very much its own thing, but clearly influenced by Pet Sounds. Very British sensibility.
The keyboards and organs in particular are excellent.
Best: Care of Cell 44
Living Colour
2/5
5/10
An odd one that didn’t really work for me. Hopping from genre to genre, from more pure hard rock/metal, to funk rock with fretless bass, to really mainstream pop rock and even hints of nu metal and grunge.
The only stuff that actually worked for me was the more straight down the line stuff, that was where the more serious vocal delivery style and band were most in sync.
Best: Glamour Boys
Solomon Burke
4/5
7.5/10
Does exactly what it says on the tin.
Good stuff, slightly more heavy on the soul than the rock, but that’s maybe because it was still in early rock days.
One of those albums that does a load of short good times then gets out before it hits 40 minutes.
Best: Someone to Love Me
Pretenders
3/5
6.5/10
First side: post punk
Second side: new wave
Second half much stronger
Best: Up the Neck
The Undertones
3/5
6/10
Punk isn’t my thing, but this was at the upper end for me. Did its thing efficiently and melodically. 16 songs in 25 minutes is real getting it done stuff.
Best: Teenage Kicks
Leonard Cohen
4/5
7.5/10
This was nice, but hardly a laugh a minute. You’re not fooling anyone with your children’s choirs, mate, this is pretty bleak in places.
Love it when he deplore the snarl, a somehow more cynical Johnny Cash.
Never heard anything like the first verse of Joan of Arc - simultaneously hearing the lyrics at two different speeds is cool and disorienting.
Best: Man of the Year
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
4.5/10
An extremely mixed bag for me. Suuuuuper kitsch and of its time.
It feels like they said “let’s make an easy listening album (think Bacharach) but Brazilian!”. That sometimes works, often doesn’t. Duetting with her child was not a good idea.
Best: I had the Craziest Dream
Ramones
4/5
7.5/10
The first proper punk album and probably my favourite in the genre so far.
Relentless energy, melodic but hard. Bass and drums really stood out.
Am a fan of the 1-2-3-4! that starts most of the songs.
Best: Blitzkrieg Bop
Creedence Clearwater Revival
1/5
2/10
I just don’t get CCR. This was boring sludgy blues jam that would have been torture if it went on longer.
Only decent songs were pub band covers of decent rock & roll songs
Best: Good Golly Miss Molly
4/5
8.5/10
This was extremely close to 5 stars. Exceptional 80s pop. I know the 2 big hits but didn’t expect it to be so soul and disco forward.
Excellent rhythm and synth, great production and orchestration, fun delivery including the campy talk raps.
Best: the look of love pt 1
Billy Bragg
3/5
6.5/10
Didn’t know that this was an album of unrecorded Woodie Guthrie lyrics until after, so judged it purely on the tunes.
They were decent - vibes and execution good, album got a little samey at points. Might have liked it more if it was 10 mins shorter.
Best: Ingrid Bergman
TV On The Radio
3/5
7/10
Not entirely my thing, but big credit for being something different. A pretty unexpected start with a jazz-industrial—gospel-rock opener, settled down somewhat after that but still played around with a lot of genres.
Many songs really focused on the rhythm in a nice “wall of sound” kind of way - the kick drum sounds great on this album.
Best: Dreams
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
7.5/10
Really nice this. Pop soul with a punk vibe.
The production and delivery were dramatic and flamboyant. Massive horns.
Fun
Best: Geno