Jan 04 2024
View Album
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
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.
3
Jan 05 2024
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Guero
Beck
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
4
Jan 08 2024
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Superunknown
Soundgarden
1/10
Really, really not my kind of thing.
Quite samey sounding
Best: Black Hole Sun, I guess
1
Jan 09 2024
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Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
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
4
Jan 10 2024
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Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
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
3
Jan 11 2024
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The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
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
4
Jan 12 2024
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Apocalypse Dudes
Turbonegro
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)
1
Jan 15 2024
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Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
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
3
Jan 16 2024
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Machine Head
Deep Purple
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
2
Jan 17 2024
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Real Life
Magazine
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
3
Jan 18 2024
View Album
Your Arsenal
Morrissey
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
2
Jan 19 2024
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The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
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)
4
Jan 22 2024
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At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
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
2
Jan 23 2024
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White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
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
3
Jan 24 2024
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New York Dolls
New York Dolls
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
2
Jan 25 2024
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Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Maxwell
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’
3
Jan 26 2024
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Pearl
Janis Joplin
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
4
Jan 29 2024
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James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
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
3
Jan 30 2024
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Madman Across The Water
Elton John
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
4
Jan 31 2024
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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
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
4
Feb 01 2024
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Frank
Amy Winehouse
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
3
Feb 02 2024
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Hard Again
Muddy Waters
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
1
Feb 05 2024
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Abraxas
Santana
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
3
Feb 06 2024
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Doolittle
Pixies
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
3
Feb 07 2024
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Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
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
2
Feb 08 2024
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Pink Moon
Nick Drake
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
4
Feb 09 2024
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The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
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
4
Feb 12 2024
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Disintegration
The Cure
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
4
Feb 13 2024
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Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
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
2
Feb 14 2024
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Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
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
3
Feb 15 2024
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A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
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
4
Feb 16 2024
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Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
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
4
Feb 19 2024
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Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
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
2
Feb 20 2024
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Heroes
David Bowie
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
3
Feb 26 2024
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The Bends
Radiohead
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
4
Feb 27 2024
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If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
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
3
Feb 28 2024
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The Scream
Siouxsie And The Banshees
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
3
Feb 29 2024
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Green
R.E.M.
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
3
Mar 04 2024
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The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
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
4
Mar 05 2024
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Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
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
4
Mar 06 2024
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Apple Venus Volume 1
XTC
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
1
Mar 07 2024
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The Predator
Ice Cube
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
5
Mar 08 2024
View Album
Mask
Bauhaus
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
3
Mar 11 2024
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Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
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
3
Mar 12 2024
View Album
So
Peter Gabriel
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
4
Mar 13 2024
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The Blueprint
JAY Z
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
5
Mar 14 2024
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Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
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
4
Mar 15 2024
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Public Image: First Issue
Public Image Ltd.
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
2
Mar 18 2024
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On The Beach
Neil Young
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
3
Mar 19 2024
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Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
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
4
Mar 20 2024
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Skylarking
XTC
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
3
Mar 21 2024
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B-52's
The B-52's
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
3
Mar 22 2024
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The United States Of America
The United States Of America
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
4
Mar 25 2024
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Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
4/10
I’m sure it is good, simply just not my thing
I found it boring
Bluesy saxophone jazz aint it for me
2
Mar 26 2024
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At Folsom Prison
Johnny Cash
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
5
Mar 27 2024
View Album
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
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
5
Mar 28 2024
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Moss Side Story
Barry Adamson
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
1
Mar 29 2024
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Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
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
4
Apr 01 2024
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Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
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
4
Apr 02 2024
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Zombie
Fela Kuti
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
2
Apr 03 2024
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Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
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
4
Apr 04 2024
View Album
I Against I
Bad Brains
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
2
Apr 05 2024
View Album
Ys
Joanna Newsom
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
4
Apr 08 2024
View Album
Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
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
4
Apr 09 2024
View Album
C'est Chic
CHIC
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
3
Apr 10 2024
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Hejira
Joni Mitchell
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
3
Apr 11 2024
View Album
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
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
4
Apr 12 2024
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Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
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
4
Apr 15 2024
View Album
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
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
4
Apr 16 2024
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Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
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
4
Apr 17 2024
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The Sounds Of India
Ravi Shankar
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
2
Apr 18 2024
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The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
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
4
Apr 19 2024
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Mothership Connection
Parliament
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
4
Apr 22 2024
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...And Justice For All
Metallica
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
1
Apr 23 2024
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Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
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
4
Apr 24 2024
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Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Frank Sinatra
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
3
Apr 25 2024
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I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Richard Thompson
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
5
Apr 26 2024
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Raw Like Sushi
Neneh Cherry
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
4
Apr 29 2024
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L.A. Woman
The Doors
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
2
Apr 30 2024
View Album
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
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
5
May 01 2024
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The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
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
3
May 02 2024
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Spiderland
Slint
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
3
May 03 2024
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The Coral
The Coral
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
3
May 06 2024
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At Mister Kelly's
Sarah Vaughan
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
2
May 07 2024
View Album
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
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
4
May 08 2024
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Raw Power
The Stooges
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
3
May 09 2024
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Manassas
Stephen Stills
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
4
May 10 2024
View Album
Back In Black
AC/DC
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
4
May 13 2024
View Album
More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
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
4
May 14 2024
View Album
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
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
4
May 15 2024
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Only By The Night
Kings of Leon
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
3
May 16 2024
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Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
3
May 17 2024
View Album
Ingenue
k.d. lang
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
4
Jun 11 2024
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There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
7.5/10
Really nice stuff. Classic soul/funk with a social conscience
Great tunes, wonderful falsetto delivery
Best: Blue Monday People
4
Jun 12 2024
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Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
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)
2
Jun 13 2024
View Album
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
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
3
Jun 14 2024
View Album
A Seat at the Table
Solange
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
5
Jun 17 2024
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Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
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...
2
Jun 18 2024
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Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
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
5
Jun 19 2024
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Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon
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
2
Jun 20 2024
View Album
25
Adele
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
2
Jun 21 2024
View Album
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
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
3
Jun 24 2024
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One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
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)
4
Jun 25 2024
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Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
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
3
Jun 26 2024
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You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
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
3
Jun 27 2024
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Slanted And Enchanted
Pavement
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
3
Jun 28 2024
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Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
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
3
Jul 01 2024
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British Steel
Judas Priest
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
3
Jul 02 2024
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Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
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
4
Jul 03 2024
View Album
The College Dropout
Kanye West
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
5
Jul 04 2024
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Virgin Suicides
Air
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
3
Jul 05 2024
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Illmatic
Nas
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
4
Jul 08 2024
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Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
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.
1
Jul 09 2024
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Hunky Dory
David Bowie
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
4
Jul 10 2024
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Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
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
3
Jul 11 2024
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Teenage Head
Flamin' Groovies
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
4
Jul 12 2024
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Dance Mania
Tito Puente
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
3
Jul 15 2024
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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
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)
4
Jul 16 2024
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Funeral
Arcade Fire
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)
3
Jul 17 2024
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Before And After Science
Brian Eno
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
4
Jul 18 2024
View Album
Double Nickels On The Dime
Minutemen
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
3
Jul 19 2024
View Album
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds
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
4
Jul 22 2024
View Album
Imagine
John Lennon
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
3
Jul 23 2024
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Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
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
4
Jul 24 2024
View Album
Music Has The Right To Children
Boards of Canada
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
5
Jul 25 2024
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AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Ice Cube
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
3
Jul 26 2024
View Album
Untitled (Black Is)
SAULT
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
5
Jul 29 2024
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The Clash
The Clash
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
3
Jul 30 2024
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1984
Van Halen
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
3
Jul 31 2024
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Black Monk Time
The Monks
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
2
Aug 01 2024
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A Short Album About Love
The Divine Comedy
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
4
Aug 02 2024
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Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
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
3
Aug 05 2024
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Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
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
3
Aug 06 2024
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Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
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
5
Aug 07 2024
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Bongo Rock
Incredible Bongo Band
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
4
Aug 08 2024
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Treasure
Cocteau Twins
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
4
Aug 09 2024
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Honky Tonk Masquerade
Joe Ely
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
2
Aug 12 2024
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Eliminator
ZZ Top
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
3
Aug 13 2024
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The Next Day
David Bowie
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?
3
Aug 14 2024
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Definitely Maybe
Oasis
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
3
Aug 15 2024
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Close To The Edge
Yes
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
4
Aug 16 2024
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She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
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
5
Aug 19 2024
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Heaven Or Las Vegas
Cocteau Twins
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
4
Aug 20 2024
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Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
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
3
Aug 21 2024
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Who Killed...... The Zutons?
The Zutons
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
3
Aug 22 2024
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90
808 State
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
4
Aug 23 2024
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Hms Fable
Shack
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
3
Sep 03 2024
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Tommy
The Who
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
4
Sep 04 2024
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Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
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
2
Sep 05 2024
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Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
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
4
Sep 06 2024
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Your New Favourite Band
The Hives
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
2
Sep 09 2024
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Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
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
4
Sep 10 2024
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Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
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
3
Sep 11 2024
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Odelay
Beck
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
5
Sep 12 2024
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Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
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
4
Sep 13 2024
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Better Living Through Chemistry
Fatboy Slim
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
4
Sep 16 2024
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The World is a Ghetto
War
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
3
Sep 17 2024
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MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
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
4
Sep 18 2024
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Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
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
2
Sep 19 2024
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If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
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
3
Sep 20 2024
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Sunshine Hit Me
The Bees
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
4
Sep 23 2024
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21
Adele
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
3
Sep 24 2024
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xx
The xx
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
4
Sep 25 2024
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Music For The Jilted Generation
The Prodigy
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)
5
Sep 27 2024
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Bad Company
Bad Company
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
3
Sep 30 2024
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This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
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
3
Oct 02 2024
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Too Rye Ay
Dexys Midnight Runners
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
4
Oct 03 2024
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D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
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
1
Oct 04 2024
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Dummy
Portishead
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
4
Oct 07 2024
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Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
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
5
Oct 08 2024
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Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
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
3
Oct 09 2024
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Wild Wood
Paul Weller
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)
4
Oct 10 2024
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Winter In America
Gil Scott-Heron
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
3
Oct 11 2024
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Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
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
2
Oct 14 2024
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Amnesiac
Radiohead
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
5
Oct 15 2024
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The Specials
The Specials
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
3
Oct 16 2024
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Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
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
3
Oct 17 2024
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Dare!
The Human League
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
4
Oct 18 2024
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Forever Changes
Love
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
5
Oct 21 2024
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The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
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
4
Oct 22 2024
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Juju
Siouxsie And The Banshees
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
2
Oct 23 2024
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Psychocandy
The Jesus And Mary Chain
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
4
Oct 24 2024
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A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
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
3
Oct 25 2024
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Imperial Bedroom
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
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
4
Oct 28 2024
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Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
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
4
Oct 29 2024
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Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
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
3
Oct 30 2024
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Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Mudhoney
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
2
Oct 31 2024
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Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
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
4
Nov 01 2024
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The Yes Album
Yes
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
5
Nov 04 2024
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The Cars
The Cars
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
4
Nov 05 2024
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London Calling
The Clash
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
4
Nov 06 2024
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Olympia 64
Jacques Brel
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
3
Nov 07 2024
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Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
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
3
Nov 08 2024
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Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
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
4
Nov 11 2024
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Highway to Hell
AC/DC
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
4
Nov 12 2024
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The Doors
The Doors
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
3
Nov 13 2024
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Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
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
3
Nov 14 2024
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Vento De Maio
Elis Regina
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
3
Nov 15 2024
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My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
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
4
Nov 18 2024
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Disraeli Gears
Cream
4/10
Not really my thing. Sure it’s good but not hugely enjoyable.
2
Nov 19 2024
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A Night At The Opera
Queen
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
3
Nov 20 2024
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The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
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
3
Nov 29 2024
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Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
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
3
Dec 02 2024
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Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
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
5
Dec 03 2024
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This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
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
4
Dec 04 2024
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I’m a Lonesome Fugitive
Merle Haggard
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
3
Dec 05 2024
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Django Django
Django Django
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
3
Dec 06 2024
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Beautiful Freak
Eels
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
4