Let England Shake I was a big fan of Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, but I’ve never dived into anything else she’s done, I just know the odd song as they play her a lot on 6 Music and have watched her on the Glastobury coverage, as she seems to play every year. I guess she can be a bit of an acquired taste, and you could easily accuse her of a kind of studied eccentricity, especially vocally, but I do think she is genuinely a bit odd in a great way, and I totally buy into her earnestness. Musically I love its modern take on folk and folk rock. You can hear the echoes of those old, old folk songs, evoking an almost supernatural, spectral atmosphere across the whole thing. The horns add a mournful feel, with their obvious military connotations, and everyday, early 20th century tactility. Thematically and lyrically this is fascinating, and is just fantastically well done, weaving English folklore, mythology, the landscape, nature and history with our common cultural touchstones into an otherworldly, hazy, unsettling examination on England, Englishness and War and all the longing, loss, destruction, despair and sadness that entails. I’d recommend reading the lyrics in full on her website, they genuinely have a powerful and poetic grace to them. Every song is connected but it feels to me like a lot of the songs seem to work in trios or pairs. The Last Living Rose, The Glorious Land and Words That Maketh Murder feel like a triptych, I love the imagery of The Last Living Rose and the Glorious Land, painting a picture of yearning for a homeland that is simultaneously imagined and real, beautiful and squalid, balancing affection, melancholy, futility and despair. The interpolation of Summertime Blues is great on Words That Maketh Murder, kind of bringing you forward in time while still conjuring the past Even though All and Everyone feels a little like a continuation of Words that Maketh Murder, it sits naturally with On Battleship Hill to me, with the folky, delicate, shifting, undulating fragility of the latter and the more tumultuous dominant former. England, In the Dark Places and Bitter Branches seem like another grouping. The melody and vocal on England take a while to settle, but I feel that’s purposeful, the backing vocals sounding almost like a call to prayer and the discordant piano all adding to the discomforting feel. The bleak imagery of In Dark Places and Bitter Branches is really moving, the electronica touches on In Dark Places contrasting well with the more rhythmic and guitar driven Bitter Branches And then the final 3 song run of Hanging in the Wire, Written on the Forehead and The Colour of the Earth is utterly fantastic, elegiac, haunting, sad, tender, melancholy but also beautiful, death has come and war is in people’s homes and cities and towns. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite such a magical record really, it’s almost startling in how affecting I found it and how much I like it. She does that great thing of being both specific and universal, alluding to Afghanistan, WW1 and WW2, anchoring you in a time and place, while also giving you the feeling of floating timelessly across the centuries. It really is a stupendous record and this might be my favourite record on the list I’d not previously heard. 💧💧💧💧💧 Playlist submission: Could be all of them, but I’ll go with Hanging in the Wire

Back at the Chicken Shack This is probably my favourite of the jazz albums we’ve had so far. With the focus split between organ, sax and guitar and the clear crossover with soul it’s actually very pleasantly listenable. Back at the Chicken Shack sounds a lot like Green Onions, so I presume this was a big influence on Booker T. However this was recorded in 1960, but wasn’t released until 1963, and Green Onions came out in 1962, so who knows. To my untrained ear they are both 12 bar blues (please correct me!), and feature the hammond so I can see there is a lot in common purely from a sonic point of view, but I presume it may be a consequence of this album being a bridge between jazz and soul and also Booker T being into jazz also. Nevertheless nice song. When I Grow Too Old to Dream is a very nice melody and is played with quite a nice soft feel. I should dislike the sax, but I actually like it, it doesn’t get too far away from the melody and the organ works very nicely in the back of the mix, kind of anchoring it to the band. The sax blarps and dominates a little too much Minor Chant, making it a little too close to the stereotypical jazz sound I’m not keen on, although the keyboard is nice. Messy Bessie I really like, although again the sax is prominent it again feels much more melodic and less obtrusive than Minor Chant, and is only one part of the soloing, rather than the dominant part. The guitar is great, some little bluesy touches and a nice counterpoint to the organ and sax Overall I liked this, I found it a very nice listen, which isn’t always the case with this sort of album. I’m almost tempted to go 4, and although I will come back to this, I’m not sure how frequently, which I think would put it as a high 3. 🐓🐓🐓 Playlist submission: Back at the Chicken Shack

Le Tigre I’m pretty familiar with this. I absolutely love Deceptacon, like Hot Topic a lot and think Kathleen Hanna is very cool. It’s definitely a bit ramshackle and eclectic and feels quite homemade, but that gives it a lot of character and charm - I really like its blend of 90s take on punkish attitude, post punk danceability, programmed drums, alternative hip hop and 60s surf pop and girl groups. All with a tongue in cheek, political lyrical bent. Deceptacon is a fantastic bit of off kilter danceable pop, it was always a crowd pleaser when I DJ’d. Great bass and programmed drums and brilliantly catchy in a non conventional way. Hot Topic is a very different song, but again very catchy, I love the bouncy rhythm, the Shangri-Las style backing vocals and the buzzsaw guitar. What’s Yr Take on Cassavetes is pretty amusing, if not exactly subtle, but I like the drum machine beat and the repetitive riff. The The Empty is probably the most like a Bikini Kill song with it’s very punk verses, but i like the contrast with the almost bedroom melody of the chorus. Phanta is a little sci-fi oddity, I like the organ riff and the little squiggles, even if the song is not the most coherent. Get a little bit of The Specials in the vocal melody. Eau d’Bedroom Dancing is a great tune, with lovely bass and a pleasing slightly off centre downtempo feel. It sounds like a not quite as good version of Deceptacon but there’s a great groove on Let’s Run, and I really like the little organ and morse code sounds. I like the 60s garage rock vibe of My My Metrocard combined with some punk shouting. Great tune. I get a sense of the Beastie Boys with Friendship Station and Slideshow at Free University, the beats and piano loop on Friendship Station sounds quite like the Check Your Head/Ill Communication era, and Slideshow sounds like it could be on a Money Mark or Cut Chemist album. Both fun tracks. Dude, Yr So Crazy! is pretty funny, again Money Mark vibes and nice little xylophone loop. The guitar sounds a bit Portishead too. Les and Ray feels like an attempt at a 60s girl group song that comes out a bit wonky, and consequently is great. I think that’s what I like about Le Tigre, is that they are one of those bands that try to write a song along the lines of their influences, but it comes out slightly off kilter and odd, but in a great, charming way. Itay not be the most consistent or coherent album, but there are some great tunes, and the lo-fi energy, charm and overall sense of fun easily makes it a high 4 for me. Great stuff. 🐅🐅🐅🐅 Playlist submission: Deceptacon

Slippery When Wet I’ve always been very partial to Wanted Dead or Alive and the pop power of Livin’ on a Prayer is undeniable, as is that of You Give Love a Bad Name, although probably to a lesser extent. I was hoping that the rest of it would be a bit of cheesy fun, but it's basically either some kind of attempt at a Spingsteen knock off (Wild in the Streets), or it sounds like something from the closing credits of a forgotten 80s movie (I’d Die For You), or is the theme song for a cartoon that was created purely as a vehicle to sell a new toy range, like your Bravestars, your M.A.S.K.s etc. Raise Your Hands is the best example of this, so much so that I tried to think of the cartoon it would be from. I decided its called McCall Two Hands, about a space vigilante called Colt McCall who has two bionic hands that can detach and act independently, shooting grenades, guns and ropes and helping capture the baddies, who are led by his nemesis Caxton Duplantis, who is secretly also the Mayor of the planet Srixion 7, where this is set. Replace the chorus of Raise Your Hands with McCall Two Hands and it all comes together. I think the thing I’ve always felt with Bon Jovi is the sense that they seem take themselves very seriously and have a rather self important regard for the profundity of their music when in reality they are writing perfectly fine but pretty standard pop music - strip out the guitars, posturing and self regard and add some semblance of fun or joy, and a lot of these songs are really very similar to something that Max Martin might write for Britney or the Back Street Boys in the late 90s. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that at all, a lot of those 90s era pop songs are absolute bangers, but they generally aren’t pretending to be anything they're not, whereas it feel like these songs are designed to be as popular as can be, but with the transparent veneer of rock n roll rebellion and cool. Lyrically is where the disconnect between what they think they’re doing and the reality is really apparent. I can imagine JBJ sitting on an amp case in the studio, pensively writing his lyrics on a notepad, before declaring ‘I’ve got it!’ “Let it rock, let it go, you can't stop a fire burning out of control”, ‘Yes Jon! That sounds dangerous and rebellious and exciting! Let’s get to work!’. Exactly the kind of lyrics 14 year olds would love, but are ultimately a load of old and tired cliched, vapid piffle. Fire also does seem to be his only metaphor, appearing with some regularity. Also hopefully you can tell me what the technique is for that little squiggle guitar bit that Richie Sambora does ALL THE FUCKING TIME. Wanted Dead or Alive, Livin’ on a Prayer and You Give Love a Bad Name aside, there isn’t really much of interest here, ultimately I think the self importance overrides any enjoyment or sense of fun you might get from the 80s-ness. A shame, but it’s between a 2 and 3, probably closer to 2, those 3 good songs aside I can’t imagine coming back to it, unless I finish off my script for McCall Two Hands of course 💦💦 Playlist submission: Wanted Dead or Alive

Rock’n’Soul Easily one of the greatest soul voices, emotionally powerful with such lovely timbre, excellent control and superb range, from mellow and tender to rough and gritty. However this album suffers from the way albums were regarded in the early to mid sixties as a vehicle for singles plus any other stuff lying around. Consequently this is a bit all over the shop and doesn’t really feel like an album, although I can understand why it’s on the list, from a historical perspective and to acknowledge his skill as a singer. I’m not really that au fait with his full discography but it doesn’t feel like there is a definitive Solomon Burke album or period, in the way Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin had, but I know he did some great covers in the late 60s, and that Don’t Give Up On Me album from a few years back is well worth a listen if you don’t already know it. Not all of it, but much of the album does feel very rooted in its early 60s time period with songs dating back to 1961. You can hear the legacy of big band R’n’B in the arrangements and overall sound, particularly the slightly flat drum sound, the guitar and the saxophone heavy horns. Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye) is a good example of this, his voice is obviously great, but it really lacks punch. As a fan of Dirty Dancing I’ve always loved Cry to Me though, and it is a great song - it definitely stands out. For 1962 the piano motif feels ahead of its time, really giving the whole song a sense of dramatic tension. Won’t You Give Him One More Chance has slight Hawaiian vibes to me, and feels like a song from an Elvis movie or something. Great vocal of course but the song is pretty flimsy. If You Need Me’s bluesiness is a better vehicle for his voice, but it suffers from the production, overall sound and slightly anaemic sounding band. I like country vibes of Hard, Ain’t it Hard, which make sense as it's a Woody Guthrie song, and his vocal really is very lovely, but the backing vocals feel overly intrusive and the acoustic guitar in the left channel seems way too loud and high in the mix. Can’t Nobody Love You is good, another superb vocal, particularly when he lets loose from around 1.40 onwards. But again the production vaguely lets it down, although the horns are nicely restrained. He goes enjoyably full crooner on Just Out of my Reach (Of my Two Empty Arms), showing how versatile he is, and what a supercharged Dean Martin might sound like. You’re Good For Me follows a similar pattern, great great vocal but a largely uninspiring production and arrangement, although the guitar is pretty nice. The wonkiness of the recording of You Can’t Love Em All does jump out and the song itself is another of those slightly Elvis movie sounding songs, with mariachi horns this time. Someone to Love Me is great though, the guitar is very good and backing vocals, for the most part, are very sympathetic to his voice and sit nicely within the arrangement. The soulful in a bar at 3am sound is great, one of the few times on the album where the song and recording come up to meet the quality of his voice. Beautiful Brown Eyes continues that feel, although perhaps slightly less successfully than Someone to Love Me, the slightly flatulent sax being a bit distracting. I like He’ll Have To Go, the strings giving it a sense of harmonic range not that evident on the rest of the album, although the farty sax continues to make some more unwelcome contributions. I suppose it’s not really fair to judge this as a soul album against the classic soul sound of the mid 60s onwards, as that hadn’t been invented yet, and it’s tricky to judge it as an album in general, as these are all disparate recordings from a period of 3 or so years, never meant to be an album. Despite that you can’t help but yearn for a bit of the joyous playing of the Funk Brothers at Motown or the gritty southern soul sound of Booker T et al at Stax and for it to be a more considered collection of songs. I had a cursory listen to the two late 60s albums that are on Tidal and they do have more of that classic soul sound, which really suits his voice, but I think his popularity had waned a bit by then and it looks like he decided to go back to Gospel and God. Ultimately his voice is superb, and I don’t really mind what he sings as he sounds great, but musically this is way below someone of his quality - not because it’s poor, it’s just a reflection of the time it was recorded. I think a 3 is fair, musically and as an album it’s not re-listenable enough to be a 4, but he’s too good a singer for it to be a 2. 🪨🪨🪨 Playlist submission: Cry to Me

GBYBR I actually listened to it a few times not that long ago. It is a great album. First 6 songs are great, particularly side 1 of the original vinyl, Funeral for a Friend, Candle in the Wind and Bennie and the Jets. Really do Love FFAF and BATJ. Have heard CITW too many too many times but it is great. Jamaica jerk off is fucking awful. It does dip in the middle and feels a bit long, but I do like the Ballad of Danny Bailey. Saturday Night a bit overfamiliar but still great. The run from Saturday Night to Harmony is very nice, I like Roy Rogers a lot and Harmony is a tune. Not my no1 Elton album, but it has some of his best songs and is really really good. It is a bit long overall though, and Jamaica Jerk off is wank.

It’s a fucking great album

Siamese Dream Listened to it first thing this morning. I know the big ones like Cherub Rock (Guitar Hero banger) and Today, but I don’t think I’ve heard the album before. I never really got into SP, they kind of passed me by in the 90s - probably too ‘American’ sounding for my tiny teenage brain. However I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I know they are not directly analogous but for an album from the same kind of time period in the grunge/alternative rock milieu as Ten by Pearl Jam, it’s quite clear to me how much better, more interesting and enjoyable Siamese Dream is. Not a big fan of some of the faster, noisier songs like Geek USA and Silverfuck. Really liked Hummer, Disarm, Soma, Spaceboy, Sweet Sweet, Luna Will definitely give it many more listens

At Fillmore East Am familiar with it and aware it’s supposed to be one of the best live albums ever. I do like the Allman Brothers and southern rock in general, and they do sound fantastic, but there is A LOT of noodling. Hot Lanta and Whipping post are great. However apart from Get your Ya Yas Out and Live at Leeds I’m not a big fan of live albums, I’d rather listen to the recorded versions of songs or watch a video of a live performance, and on balance I think I’d rather listen to their first two albums or Eat a Peach ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Perfect

MC&TIS The well known songs (Tonight, Bullet, 1979 etc) and then To Forgive, Cupid de Locke, Galapagos, Porcelina of the Dark Oceans, Thru the Eyes of Ruby, By Starlight, Farewell and Goodnight stood out Jellybelly, Zero (terrible lyrics), An Ode to No One, Tale of a Scorched Earth - not a fan of those at all Take me Down sounds a lot like a song from a musical, particularly the rising chorus, which kind of chimes with Dan’s Queen observation, they do have those slightly showtune/musical theatre aspects some of the melodies. We only come out a night has a similar Queen vibe too. That’s not a criticism btw. Generally, like on SD, not a fan of the harder songs, the slower tempo ones are more interesting melodically and atmospherically, and I think his voices suits those songs better. Lots of great musical hooks and instrumentation, I didn’t really realise what a great gift for melody he has. I admire the ambition and genuinely earnest pretension of it, but it is A LOT of music and whether it’s me or the music that falters, his voice does start to grate on mover the course of 2 hrs. I think I’d be likely to go back to SD more frequently than this but a very enjoyable listen none the less. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️ Prob closer to 4 but the length is why I’m prevaricating

B52s I had a bit of a B52s period last year or the year before so am pretty familiar with this album. It’s a banger, great songs, great sound. They get mischaracterised as a novelty band, which is unfair, they are a brilliant band, right in that post punk new wave sweet spot bringing in lots of influences into an angular, spiky, punky, funky, surfy sound. The organ/electric piano element I love. I can understand how Fred Schneider’s singing can be a bit of an acquired taste but like the way fits their whole look, sound and vibe. Their whole aesthetic I love too. Mmmm, the bass in Dance this Mess Around. That song is a bang to rights, stone cold, gold certified banger Planet Claire, Dance this Mess Around, Rock Lobster, Lava, Hero Worship are my stand outs. This is my favourite of their albums. Wild Planet, the next album, is also superb, but thereafter, it’s diminishing returns really, despite some good tracks here and there. So overall it’s probably just about a 5 for me Clive. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

At Newport It sounds amazing, brilliant voice, excellent band Can really understand how influential it was, mainly cos it’s just really good. I Got My Brand on You Hoochie Coochie Man Baby, Please Don’t Go - that really fizzes I Feel So Good Both the Got My Mojos Listened to it this morning while making breakfast and coffee, mmm, really cookin’ dem grits, getting dat skillet hot for dem biscuits and gravy, mmmhmmm, gonna cook me some crayfish, nice’n’hot But I genuinely really enjoyed it - think it will go in my rotation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Drunk What I think I like most about it is the singular vision of it all. It brings in so many influences, classic 70s souls, video games, hip hop, films, tv, pop, jazz l, sci fi, anime etc and just sprays them across 22 tracks. The scattergun, skittish, low attention span eclecticism of it really expresses his obsessions and idiosyncrasies, and you feel as though you get a sense of who he is and that this really is the sound in his head - there’s no concession to adhering to a ‘normal’ structure Show You the Way, what a tune and love that he bought Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins in on it. Brilliant idea. Captain Stupido, Uh Uh, A Fan’s Mail, Walk on By, Tokyo, Them Changes Sonically, I love it, obviously the bass playing is superb, and that squelchy sound, and the jerky, off kilter rhythms work so well together. It’s not a perfect album, and not every song works, but it’s a such an intriguing listen and a fascinating musical vision that it makes up for the dips and lulls. Almost certainly will get better with more listens, and when you put all the bits together (sound, influences, playing, ideas, themes, tunes and melodies) it’s a 4 for me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kenya Not a big jazz fan, don’t like salsa. I guess Buena Vista Social Club is in the same vein, and I did enjoy that when it came out (although it was cool to like it at the time) Sounds a lot like it should be the soundtrack to the Cuba scenes in Godfather Part II. Which makes sense as this is from 1957/58 and is Cuban. I know it was you, Fredo. In fact the whole thing does have an early 60s film soundtrack vibe, a bit like Dr No or something. I’m sure aficionados can tell the subtleties and variations in the rhythms and instrumentation, but I can only really tell the difference between the slightly slower ones and the not slightly slower ones. However, as an overall listen I did enjoy it. To my uneducated ear it seems to balance the Latin and jazz elements quite nicely, it doesn’t stray into Ron Burgundy style manic improvised jazz parping and trumpeting too much, or into the music you hear coming out of a provincial community centre on the over 60s salsa night. If I was in the mood for some relatively easy listening jazzy background music I would definite consider putting this on. It’s obviously not in my wheelhouse, but I’m really glad I listened to it and enjoyed it, and that I am now aware of its existence ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd Exactly what you’d expect. Solid, straight down the line. Some great guitar playing and sounds and nice organ work. The well known ones are my stand outs - Tuesday’s Gone, Simple Man, Free Bird Not much more to say ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rocks Don’t think I’ve listened to many Aerosmith albums. I had the early greatest hits and I had Toys in the Attic, as it was the only place to get the full length version of Sweet Emotion, and I love that song. They do have some real gems across their career but have never been interested enough to do a proper listen. I didn’t mind this - I neither particularly liked it or actively disliked it, a couple of good tracks but a lot of samey-ness. You can hear the influence on bands like G’n’R, but I’d actually rather listen to Appetite for Destruction, which has more excitement and dynamism. Back in the saddle I’ve always liked. Last child is good (riff sounds a bit like Hit me with your Rhythm Stick) Rest of it is fine, nothing stands out, but as I say nothing to actively dislike. Hard to score overall, somewhere around a 2 or 3, but as I’m probably unlikely to listen to it again and I enjoyed Lynyrd Skynyrd more and have that 3, I’ll go for: ⭐️⭐️

Five Leaves Left Love, love, love. All three of his albums are in heavy rotation for me and they are all top tier. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

McCartney This is very hard to work out how to score. In the context of all his solo work? In the context of the end of the Beatles? In the context of what he was intending it to be at the time? As a stand alone album? How influential it turned out to be? The fact he did it all himself? And, as we know, I’m also quite blinkered when it comes to Macca. The thing is I do love love this album, even though it is a bit inconsistent and loose - but it’s those inconsistencies and that looseness that gives it so much charm and so much appeal. The sum of its parts give it a vibe that carries the whole thing past any imperfections. Macca being Macca even the inconsistent throwaway tracks like Valentine Day, Hot as Sun/Glasses, Oo You, Kreen Akore have enough melodic inventiveness and musicality to be at the very least interesting and diverting. Also it has some of his best solo songs That Would Be Something Every Night Junk (one of my absolute favourite melodies of his) Maybe I’m Amazed (he did play an early idea of this at, I think, the Get Back or Abbey Road sessions - imagine if this had had the full Beatles treatment) Just those 4 songs would be enough peaks for most people in their whole careers and he just tossed them off on a farm in Scotland while the biggest musical act of all time that he was part of was disintegrating. That’s why it’s hard to rate it as a stand-alone album, devoid of context and personal bias. I enjoy it thoroughly each time I listen to it, and despite the slightly disjointed nature of it, I think it works brilliantly as a entire listening experience - it’s one of those albums that is best listened to in one sitting. It’s easily in my top 5 Macca solo albums. Although it has its flaws, it’s really appeals to me and always love and enjoy it when I put it on, so I think I can’t not give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What’s Going On I remember buying it at Durham and liking it, but not really understanding why everyone thought it was so great. Listening as an older person with hopefully more of an appreciation of different types of music and more of an understanding of the lyrical and thematic scope, I can really understand how good it is. It really is fantastic. The songs are great, the sequencing, the themes and motifs slipping in and out. I love the sound, particularly the bass as the lead melodic instrument working with the string arrangements. And Marvin’s voice is just so so good, that mellow, mellifluous tone contrasting with the anger in the lyrics. When I was 20, it probably would have been 3 or 4 but I’m going to give it 5 now. I do really think it’s up there with the best albums ever recorded. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Vulgar Display of Power Went in with an open mind and started off quite enjoying it. I’m not a metal aficionado at all but there are some songs in the genre I like. I can sometimes see a world where I get into stuff like this, but then after 3 songs I don’t want to get into it and I want to go home please. This definitely started to drag by the middle and then get quite boring quite quickly after that. I was glad when it was over. Obviously It’s not for me, although I would assume for the genre it is good. A couple of things stood out. I liked the riff on Mouth for War, I liked Walk, that had a kind of groove and felt like a song. Hollow’s first part seemed like a superior version of a metal ballad with a decent tune, before evolving into more standard riffing. There is an earnestness to this type of music that gets quite tiring. If you are really into metal I would guess that you can see the subtleties and nuances in the music, but to me the lack of light and shade drives a sense of monotony and stasis that ends up being frustrating and ultimately very dull. Reluctant to to say 1, its obviously not for me, and I would never listen to it again, but if you are into metal it surely must be a very good album, so I’ll go: ⭐️⭐️

Birth of the Cool I dunno. I’ve tried many many times to listen to and try and understand jazz, but it never sticks. I do like some vocal jazz and piano led stuff, but up tempo with trumpets and sax parping away starts to irritate me pretty quickly. I can however appreciate its importance in the history of 20th century popular music, and the skill and virtuosity of the players. And while there are the elements of it and some songs I enjoy, I just think that I don’t really like jazz and won’t ever really like jazz, and ultimately I think no one really likes jazz, they just decide liking jazz is their personality, and that by liking jazz they have a far more sophisticated understanding of music, and therefore anyone liking any other type of music is a Luddite peasant. With this album though, it’s not too much of a bebop up tempo parp fest, although it does wander into that area quite frequently. I couldn’t really tell many of the songs apart, and it all kind of passed me by quite unremarkably. Although I did like Moon Dreams quite a bit, the slower tempo and less frantic melody was very nice amongst the other songs. I’ll give it a 2, based on 1 for the actual album and the 1 for its influence on 20th century music. I’m glad it exists and I’m glad I listened to it, but it’s not for me ⭐️⭐️

Beauty and the Beat I really love this little genre, that early 80s jangly post punk, new wave, power pop sweet spot - people like The Feelies, The Romantics, The Bangles, The Cars etc. I love the harmonies on this, the melodies aren’t always top notch but the energy and vibe more than makes up for it. I love the up tempo and slightly loose, imperfect playing. That punk, do it yourself simplicity and energy in tandem with the 60s Byrds/Beatles/Who style pop melodies, harmonies and hooks - for me that is a delicious combination. We Got the Beat is an absolute banger. Our Lips are Sealed, Lust to Love, Automatic, You Can’t Walk in Your Sleep, Skidmarks on my Heart are my other highlights. It’s not a perfect album, there are some dips here and there, but at 35 minutes it flies by and is such a fun, energetic, infectious, joyous listen that you soon forget about the lulls. Not top tier but an absolute solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WIWBFTST I had this album back when it come out, or right after the Fatboy Slim remix of Brimful of Asha came out. Would have been 1st year at Durham. I remember liking it at the time, but I was probably a bit confused by it. I have returned to it sporadically over the years but have never truly got into it. I really really liked their next album, Handcream for a Generation, I listened to that a lot in 2002/03 when in Japan. Listing to WIWBFTST this morning, I did enjoy it a lot. I really like how you can hear and feel the various diverse influences. It kind of reminds me of McCartney & McCartney II in it has the same lo fi bedroom noodling aspect to it. Although musically a bit different, it does have a similar electronic vibe in parts as McCartney II (it even has a song called Coming Up) It also suffers a bit from CD bloat at nearly an hour. On the one hand I really like the sprawling nature of it and it’s mix of different music genres, often on the same song, but it could probably do with a bit of judicious editing to get it down to 40-45 mins. Some of the shorter electronica tracks like Chocolat don’t work as well for me. A bit more focus, without losing its diversity, charm and looseness and it would be a real gem. Asha, We’re in Your Corner, Funky Days are Back Again, Good Ships, Good to be on the Road Back Home, Norwegian Wood are highlights. Tough one to rate for me. It’s somewhere right between a 3 and 4, and I think I prefer their next album over this. But as we know I’m a generous rater so I think I’ll round up to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Figure 8 Listening to this I’m not sure why I didn’t get into him when his stuff was coming out - I think at that time I would have really got into it. However now I find it just kind of passes me by - some nice moments and the odd good song, but in the main a bit forgettable. Some of the melodies seem a bit forced and there is a rather distracting nasal tone to his voice. It often feels like a song is about to take flight and go somewhere really good, but then kind of never gets anywhere and just levels out, which is a bit frustrating. Felt this particularly on LA, Stupidity Tries and Wouldn’t Mama be Proud. Enjoyed the White Album/Abbey Roadvibes of Son of Sam and Junk Bond Trader is very good. I liked Colorbars and Better Be Quiet Now too, and Can’t Make a Sound builds to an impressive conclusion. Kind of falls right in the middle for me. Didn’t dislike it and enjoyed some of the songs, but I didn’t find much to excite me or hold my interest. A pretty average ⭐️⭐️⭐️

You Want it Darker Didn’t know much about this album before listening to it, and I couldn’t remember when he died and wasn’t sure whether this was posthumous or not. I do like Leonard Cohen but have never listened to him extensively, only really listened to his first album properly, which I think is very good. I really liked the sparse band backing, with the simple but prominent bass giving things propulsion and momentum, against the gravelly slow and spoken word singing. I like the fiddle too, gives a country/dusty/19th century Americana feel. Great backing vocals too and some very nice string arrangements, which remind me of some of Lee Hazlewood’s albums. It all feels so well constructed around his voice, persona and the songs themselves. Knowing now it was his last one before he died I like how it fits neatly into the bracket with the Johnny Cash American Recordings albums and The Wind by Warren Zevon. Overall I think this is great, I really liked it and it will go in my rotation. I’ve actually already listened to it twice and I’m looking forward to listening to it more. A very nice ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Cars Im pretty familiar with it, but I think this is a great album. More synthy than the Go Gos and less stylised than the B-52s, they are right in that new wave power pop soft rock sweet spot that I love. Love the production, the overall sound and the sense of pop songwriting craftsmanship alongside some post punk rough edges and attitude. Nice line in slightly detached cynical lyrics. They remind me of Television but with a kind of wry pop sensibility. Add in a bit of Bowie, a bit of Eno (Here Come the Warm Jets & Roxy Music) some sixties hand claps, some glam guitars, a splash of synths and it’s a tasty and satisfying combo. Great little run with the first three songs, My Best Friend’s Girl and Just what I Needed are superb. You’re all I got Tonight and Moving in Stereo are also excellent. 9 tracks 35 minutes - perfect length, doesn’t outstay it’s welcome or dip at all. It’s a 5 for me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aqualung Hey Aqualung! I’m not much familiar with prog rock, not because I don’t like but because I never know where to start. I think I quite like it, which is probably a consequence of approaching 50. Anyhow, I really liked this. The first 2 songs are great, particular Aqualung. Liked Mother Goose a lot too. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I liked the folky/pastoral elements, as well as the heavier riffing. I can see why stuff like this gets parodied, but I kind of think that makes it more enjoyable. I’m not sure where to rate it. Tempted to give it 4 as I really enjoyed it. But I think I need to give it a few more listens, it’s quite dense and will probably be a real grower. I’ll give it 3 for now and revise when we look back and change all our reviews in a year ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lets Stay Together I think I’ve ever only listened to his greatest hits, rather than any of his albums. The title track is a classic for a reason. You hear it so much that it’s easy to forget how good it is. I really love the sound of the album - the ‘minimal’ band - drums, bass, piano/organ and guitar only - augmented by female backing vocals, some lovely string arrangements and great horns. And of course the voice is just so so good - obviously that’s what he’s known for but it really is superb, so versatile. Overall it’s exactly what you’d expect from a classic early 70s soul record. Melodic ballads and heartache, with some uptempo gospel influenced bangers. A little bit of grit here and there to complement the honey. Let’s Stay Together, So You’re Leaving, the cover of How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Judy, all great. It Ain’t No Fun to Me is banger. It’s great - not necessarily groundbreaking but exactly what an album like this should be. I can see myself listening to this a lot. Already listened to it twice this morning. Makes me want to check out more of his albums from this period. Somewhere between a 4 and a 5, probably closer to 5, so will round up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Queens of the Stone Age Dear John , Mexicola, Walkin’ on Sidewalks, Spiders and Vinegaroons, I Was a Teenage Had Model I liked a lot. Loved If Only. I like their more groove based songs over the more just heavy or chugging songs, they have that little bit more of that hypnotic dynamism. If Only and Walkin’ on the Sidewalks over, say, Avon, for example. I’d say that I’m only a casual fan of QOTSA and I’m not that au fait with desert/stoner rock in general, although the bits I know and hear I do like. Feels like this is a superior example of that genre. You could argue that the songs start to sound a bit samey, however I think there is a kind of ineffable quality to them, maybe that bit of groove, or a feeling they convey that differentiates them and their music. Although having said that, at 1hr it does feel quite lengthy. I listened to the re-issue which has extra tracks, I think the original 45 minute release is probably a tighter, more cohesive listen. I’d say a solid three, might go higher with more listens, but probably prefer Rated R over this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is Hardcore This is great, I love Different Class, but this might sneakily be my favourite pulp album. I certainly listen to it more frequently than DC. It has that dark, melancholic atmosphere, that is very evocative of the post Britpop period. Some great songs and great lyrics, wry, grown up but also funny. It’s not as immediate or as obviously tuneful as DC, the melodies aren’t straightforward, but they really get their hooks into you once you’ve heard them a few times. And all the songs fit so well with the feel and themes of the album. Overall it’s such and interesting album, maybe it’s quite hard to figure out, but it rewards repeat listens. Is it a 4 or a 5…I think it it falls just on the side of a 4, but it’s close to a 5 for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rumours There’s a reason this has been the best selling vinyl in the UK in the last few years, why it’s sold so many copies over nearly 50 years and why it’s almost universally lauded - it’s fucking excellent. Aside from the myths and stories around the bands interpersonal relationships at the time it’s just a brilliant set of 11 superbly arranged songs, not a duffer or weak track. It’s beautifully sequenced and balanced, it flows well with the different singers and songwriters lapping or striking against each other. The songs and songwriting are so good that’s it’s easy to overlook what great musicians they are - the Fleetwood & McVie rhythm section, Christine McVie’s piano, Lindsey Buckingham’s distinctive and fantastic lead guitar and Stevie Nicks superb singing. The legend of it all, the perspectives of the different songwriters, the songs, the playing all contribute to it being great, but I absolutely LOVE the sound of it. I think that really helps it endure after all these years. Its sound is rich, warm and deep, without being syrupy or veering into inoffensive nothingness. The sound on Dreams is exemplary, it just sounds so so good. The blues history of McVie and Fleetwood give it a bit of soul, Buckingham’s guitar gives it a bit of edge, with Nicks and Christine McVie giving it deftness and unique character. It’s one of my absolute favourite albums of all time, a no brainer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beach Samba I used to like those Nouvelle Vague albums of samba/bossa nova covers from about 15-20 years ago, but I don’t know a great deal about the main people other than names like Astrud Gilberto and Sergio Mended. I also know I much prefer the bossa nova end of the Latin American jazz spectrum than the salsa end This is quite jazz flute, but not necessarily in a bad way. It’s enjoyable but very lightweight - it’s been a nice listen this morning while making breakfast. It’s very pleasant and floats along very nicely, but never quite leaves much of an imprint or memory. Misty Roses and My Foolish Heart are both very nice. Wasn’t a fan of the circus one I much prefer it to the other jazzy albums we’ve listened to, and really glad to have given it a go. I might not think to put it on, but if came across it somewhere I would definitely give it another listen, and I would also think about delving a bit deeper into this type of music A nice enjoyable non threatening solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my favourite Bruce album, the most emotionally affecting and evocative to my mind. A great set of songs that coalesce around the themes of bleakness, despair, compromise and unfulfilled dreams and ambitions, the immediacy and minimalism of the demos that turned out to be the recordings give them a primacy and directness that serves the feel of the album so well. It captures so effectively in my imagination a feel of the vast empty spaces of the Midwest, with a sense of mysteriousness and creepiness. Love it. A stone cold, undoubted classic to my mind ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Low Don’t look at the carpet, I drew something awful on it. This is top 3 Bowie for me, it’s often my favourite but even if not no 1 at any particular time, t’s always up there. The first side’s songs are all among my favourite Bowie songs, Speed of Life, What in the World, Sound & Vision, Always Crashing in the Same Car, Be my Wife. I love the band and the playing, the arrangements, the instrumentation and I love the sound of the drums and the bass. I also love side 2. In most people hands a side of ambient music could be truly appalling, but this is is great, moody, atmospheric, occasionally sinister but never dull or ponderous. Knowing a bit about the inspiration for the 2nd side does help, but it really does evoke what I imagine 70s East and West Berlin to be like. And the two sides complement and work along side each other, the slightly on edge ‘pop’ songs followed by the comedown and sadness of the 2nd side. It’s a masterpiece, would be a six if I could, but of course it’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mermaid Avenue Despite being a fan of Wilco and liking BIlly Bragg I’ve never listened to any of the Mermaid Avenue albums. Has a nice barroom, loose feel, a bit like the Basement Tapes, which was probably an influence, and also with the Dylan Guthrie connection. I like the ones with the Woody Guthrie lyrics but a lot of the Jeff Tweedy/Wilco non Guthrie lyric ones are very strong. A couple of the Billy Bragg ones, Birds and Ships in particular, are great too. California Stars, Way Over Yonder, Ingrid Bergman, One by One, Eisler on the Go, Another Man’s Done Gone highlights for me. Sometimes when Billy Bragg is excessively sing/talking like Billy Bragg it gets a bit tiresome, but when he really sings on a couple of these tracks it’s very tender and affecting. Great playing throughout, not sure what the Wilco line up at the time was, presuming it was the Being There era group, but it’s really lovely. I wasn’t entirely sure what I expected from this, I thought it might be good, but maybe not as warm and enjoyable. I’ve listened through twice now and I think it just pushes past 3 into ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

good kid, m.A.A.d city Sherane, love the drum and bass sounds. Backseat freestyle Good Kid is superb On the surface it’s easy to just hear guns’n’bitches, but there’s definitely a lot more to it than that. Has a similar lyrical feel to Illmatic, not glorifying or wallowing in gang and street life. Some good sweating too. You know what else I like - his very clear diction. He should be applauded for that. Great sound, particularly like the bass, drums and piano combos, and the variation of drum sound from song to song. Some great little earwormy hooks, not obvious necessarily, but found myself humming them after listening to it. I’m not that up to speed on a lot of rap music of the last 10 or 15 years but I thought this was very good. It’s quite long but it didn’t drag too much. It’s between a 3 & 4, and I’m really keen to listen again, so will probably plump for a 3 for now, but scope to go up to a 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Architecture & Morality I was quite late in discovering how good OMD and their early albums are. The first 4 or 5 are excellent listens, but this is probably my favourite one. The Bowie (Low quite obviously), Eno, Kraftwerk influences are clear, as they are for many of the late 70s/early 80s synthpop bands, but OMD take it in a slightly different direction, blending experimental sounds, textures & rhythms with more overtly pop melodies and hooks. They are one of the best of those bands at merging a cool/minimalist technological structure with a human and emotional connection. There are no obvious bangers like Electricity or Enola Gay, but The New Stone Age, She’s Leaving (this is clearly a big inspiration for LCD Sound Systems last album), Souvenir, both Joan of Arcs are the stand outs for me. I don’t think there’s a weak moment though - it’s a full cohesive album that rewards repeated listens. Great band, great album ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thriller Wanna be Starting Somethin’, Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean (what a three track run), PYT all stone cold, copper bottomed, all time, unbelievable classics. Human Nature is the best of rest but the other songs don’t really meet that same level. I always want to skip Baby Be Mine and The Girl is Mine to get to Thriller, Beat It and Billie Jean. The Lady in my Life is pretty forgettable too I think. Those 5 truly exceptional songs make it hard to rate for me. They surely make it worthy of a 5 star album, but their superiority to the other songs, for me, makes the whole album lose a sense of cohesion and it becomes a bit of a frustrating listen. In comparison Off the Wall doesn’t not reach the highs of Thriller but is more of an overall enjoyable listen. It might be slightly contradictory and confused logic as there are plenty of albums that I love that have are inconsistent but I would give a 5 to, but this I’m not sure about. Maybe I’m holding it to too high a standard, or overthinking it, but it’s emblematic of his his whole catalogue, songs and moments of the highest quality, far beyond what most people can dream of, but combined with a lot of frustration. Also the ‘I don’t belieeeve you’ bit on the Girl is Mine is so excruciating, it taints the whole thing. If this was only 6 tracks, WBSS, Thriller, BI, BJ, PYT and HN it would a 5 for sure, but as it is ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heroes I don’t think I’ve ever really given this a proper chance compared to the Bowie albums I listen to most. It probably suffers from being so closely linked to Low and with Low being one of my all time favourites I tend to just overlook it. I also really got in Lodger a while back so I think I have just skipped over it. Heroes, like the songs you mentioned in the Thriller reviews, is over familiar but if I listen to it and really concentrate on it I remember what a fucking amazing song it is. The story behind it of the two lovers from East and West Berlin dreaming of a life of freedom together is still genuinely affecting. The first side definitely has a more frantic and frenetic feel than Low, particularly on Joe the Lion, with a looser less structured feel as well. It’s more like capturing a band performance rather than building songs up bit by bit. Maybe the songs aren’t quite at the same level as side 1 of Low, but they are great nonetheless The 2nd side is truly superb, each track seemingly able to hold two different moods and feeling’s simultaneously. Sense of Doubt is pleasantly sinister, while Moss Garden is uneasily serene. Neukoln is sad but possibly hopeful. V2 Schneider is excellent. And a great finish with the groove of Secret Life of Arabia. Listening to the whole thing properly now I don’t think I can give it anything but 5. It’s never been in my top 5 Bowie albums, and still probably wouldn’t be, but it’s not an album to overlook, and although it is structured in the same way as Low, I should try to avoid comparing it too much. Which I have done throughout! Although it might be no 3 for me in the Berlin Trilogy it is just an excellent album in its own right. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida I don’t think Ive ever listened to the full 17 minute version of the title track, but I do like the song a lot - especially in that Simpsons episode - but I’ve never listened to anything else by them. I enjoyed this though, despite it feeling very specifically of it’s time and not that distinct from a lot of other bands around then. Having said that there are some lovely harmonies, particularly on Flowers and Beads, and the organ playing throughout is very nice. Aside from Are You Happy and IAGDV I couldn’t quite discern the proto-metal, hard rock label it seems to get, the majority of the songs are more like typical late sixties psychedelic pop rock. IAGDV is fucking awesome though, both as a song and as signifier of a time and place. An interesting listen but aside from IAGDV and possibly Are You Happy there’s not much I would return to, but IAGDV being such a stellar track I’ll give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Guero Im a bit behind and didn’t get to listen to this in one sitting yesterday. I’m not as familiar with this as the albums either side of it, Sea Change and The Information, and I would also generally default to listening to Odelay or Midnite Vultures when I think about Beck albums. But I should listen to this more - I really did enjoy it. It’s got the diversity and eclecticism you might expect, with a great sound and some super songs Probably not right in that top Beck bracket but a definite 4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another Green World I’m pretty familiar with this album, although for my Eno ambient needs I normally go to Ambient 1, Music for Films, Ambient 4 or Apollo, so know those a bit better. Generally though all his albums up to Apollo, whether ambient or not are all very good listens This is very good though. In Dark Trees is my standout of the ambient focused tracks, while I’ll Come Running and Sky Saw are my favourites of the more ‘traditional’ songs. Nice little hit of TV nostalgia with the title track, think it was the Arena title sequence with the bobbing bottle. He really is very good at creating these ambient soundscapes - they manage to combine a sense of flow and movement with a sense of direction. He’s great at building little off centre melodies and hooks with interesting rhythms and structures that convey a particular emotion or feeling. The constituent parts aren’t necessarily that crazy but he brings them together in such a great way. Obviously he’s doesn’t have the greatest voice but it adds to the atmosphere and feeling too. Robert Fripps guitar is great throughout as well. Couple of years before Low and Heroes, you can see how Eno and Bowie took the ambient/instrumental further on those two albums. Sky Saw in particular seems to be a signpost. It probably sits at a level below Ambient 1 for me. Despite it being very very good it does feel like a bit of a collection of tracks, whereas Ambient 1 feels conceptually very complete, so for that reason I’ll go for a nice ambient 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Disintegration I did a bit of a listen to the ‘classic’ cure albums not that long ago, but I do struggle a bit to differentiate their albums. I think they are a great band with some incredible songs, but I’ve never been able to really get into their catalogue. I like them when I listen but then I kind of forget about them. I think they may generally be growers though, this album included. Love the drum sound and the overall production. Kind of big and spacey but not too distant, with some great keyboard and guitar textures and layers. The good songs are very good, the middling songs are by no means bad, but they do sound similar, and can feel a little flat. Pictures of you - superb Lovesong - great Lullaby - superb Fascination street - great Untitled - great Overall I really like the atmosphere and feel of the whole thing, but there are some undoubted dips. It’s quite long at 1hr 10, it could probably have done with a bit of editing down a bit. It’s somewhere between a 3 and 4, I’ll go 3 for now but I will re listen and probably re-appraise ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dirty I’ve only ever listened to Goo, as I love Kool Thing, (which I only really ‘discovered’ recently,) but Sonic Youth are one of those bands that passed me by as a teenager. Probably too discordant and difficult for my tiny brain to cope with. I really enjoyed this though - as an album of noisy art rock with loads of guitars I thought it was great. Loose (in a good way) musically but uptight atmospherically, it also combines a sense of directness with sense obfuscation. I really like those tensions. First listen I was thinking 3, but the second listen moved it closer to a 4. It’s definitely an album I will listen to more, and makes me want to dip into more of their albums. I’ll go 3 for now ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blue Lines This album is 33 years old. 33 years before it was released the South Pacific soundtrack was the best selling album of 1958 and Elvis had only been around for 2 years. I can’t have listened to this in about 15 years, but fuck it’s a great album. I’ve heard it so many times but I really concentrated on listening to Unfinished Sympathy today. Obviously it’s a classic but it really is an absolutely fantastic bit of music. The melody and strings are genuinely affecting and moving, while the restless percussion and rhythm contrast beautifully with that tenderness. Safe From Harm, Five Man Army, Lately are also excellent tracks and I absolutely adore Hymn of the Big Wheel. Sometimes the ‘englishness’ of the rapping vocals can jar a bit and sound a bit Lonely Island - I guess this must have been a bit of an influence for them I still listen to Mezzanine pretty frequently and that is probably my fav MA album, but this really is superb. Also when I first got it in the mid 90s it sounded so different to anything else I’d ever heard before. I’m finding it surprisingly hard to rate, it’s between a 4 and 5 for me. Mezzanine would definitely be a 5 and I think this sits a little below that. However it is excellent in it own right, and factoring in its originality and groundbreaking’ness’ I think I have to give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

461 Ocean Boulevard I’ve never quite been able to get into with Clapton despite liking Cream, Blind Faith and Derek & the Dominoes. Something about him and his music leaves me cold, not in a boring technically proficient way, or because of his Enoch Powell or Covid stuff, I just find it a bit empty. I read his autobiography from about 15 years ago and he comes across as pretty dull and devoid of personality and I think that is reflected in a lot of his music post Derek. Obviously its not necessary for someone to be a great person to make great music and there are plenty of artists I like who are questionable, but my sense of him is reflected in his music and I find it hard to shake that off. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting with this - probably a selection of tastefully made but ultimately soulless blues rock that feels a bit pointless. Having said that I did try to go into this with an open mind and I actually did enjoy it for the most part. Some of the slower ones do have that tasteful banality to them but things like Motherless Children and Willie and the Hand Jive have that rootsy, Delanie & Bonnie, JJ Cale feel. Let it Grow I enjoyed too. I can see myself listening to this again while working, maybe doing spreadsheets on a Tuesday afternoon. I expect that’s what Eric had in mind when he made it. A basic bitch ⭐️⭐️⭐️

21 Rolling in the deep is a great song. Rumour has it is good too, it’s a decent start. Starts to drag after that. I don’t think her voice is actually that great. It can be really good on certain songs but she is very pub singer in lots of ways. Her voice lacks shade and warmth and despite being powerful and mostly having a good tone, it’s always sounded a bit ersatz to me, an impression of the big soul singers rather than something more personal. Don’t You Remember is a good example, a pleasant song with some nice country and blues touches, but her vocals really don’t suit it and it’s sounds a bit of mess really (the arrangement is a bit annoying and doesn’t help either) Set Fire to the Rain is a decent song. I’ll Be Waiting starts well, but it as it builds up it loses itself and becomes an overwrought motown pastiche. Despite a couple of decent songs, this is pretty dull fare. The more up tempo songs work better than the slow ballads, but I don’t feel either enriched or diminished after listening to it. It probably doesn’t help that so much of it has been x-factored and reality tv montaged to death. I do believe the sincerity of her feelings, but as a whole experience it feels inauthentic - a sense of making an album of songs and arrangements that sound like the kind of album that someone like Adele would make, rather than finding something ‘true’ (whatever the fuck that means). I also found this album had the kind of bass playing and bass tone that I hate - supreme session playing that is tasteful and perfectly played but irritatingly dull. That goes for a lot of the playing actually, very skilled but just kind of soulless. It’s a 2 for me. It’s not terrible but apart from a couple of songs it’s pretty boring. ⭐️⭐️

Blunderbuss It’s funny looking back at the White Blood Cells and Elephant era. I loved those albums and went back and bought their first two albums which I also enjoyed immensely. They all still hold up. But I lost interest from Get Behind Me Satan onwards and have never felt much inclination to listen to any of Jack Whites solo albums or other projects and I don’t really know why. Some good songs and some good moments on a lot of songs. I like the fiddle and lap steel country blues touches throughout. Freedom 21, On and On and On and Take Me With You When You Go are the real standouts for me A good solid listen but aside from those three songs I’m not sure if I’ll think to come back to it and listen through again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Trio I’ve never heard of this despite liking all 3 of them. Such lovely vocals and harmonies. Each voice is distinctive yet the three combine beautifully. I think I could listen to those three voices in harmony indefinitely. Great playing and arrangements. As it was made in 1987 I was half expecting it to sound very 80s with big echoey snares etc. There are some slight elements of that with the piano on Telling Me Lies and I’ve Had Enough (the two weakest songs), but overall I love the sound. It has nice, straightforward and simple country instrumentation with a lovely warm and sympathetic sound. Simple is not a criticism, but the shuffling drums with acoustic instruments augmented by fiddle, dulcimer, mandolin etc is just great - it’s easy to ‘over musician’ this sort of thing but the restrained number of instruments works really well. This has been a very pleasant surprise. Not sure if this is overlooked just because I’d never heard of it, but it feels like an overlooked gem. Definitely going into rotation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Out of the Blue I do like ELO a lot, they have some absolutely superb songs in their catalogue. I’ve given most of their albums a listen over the past few years but I’ve never been able to really latch on to any of them, despite loving a lot of the songs. This is no exception, there are some cracking tunes on here - Turn to Stone, Night in the City, Starlight, Jungle, Big Wheels, Summer and Lightning, Birmingham Blues, as well as the classics Sweet Talkin’ Woman and Mr Blue Sky - and in fact I don’t think any of the songs are particularly weak, but there is a similarity in tone, sound, structure, arrangement and production that it becomes hard to differentiate a lot of the songs. I am a fan of their signature style and I do like the mix of pop, rock, disco and, of course, the orchestral elements, but over the course of 70 minutes it feels like might be nice to disrupt that formula from time to time. I get there is a consistency and coherence but some variation would be welcome. I did like it, some of the subtleties became clear on repeated listens, and there are some superb songs, but the whole thing doesn’t quite settle with me for some reason that I cant quite work out. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tom Tom Club Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love are superb. Both are on a lot of my playlists (as well as the ODB remix of Mariah Carey’s Fantasy, which samples Genius of Love - ‘me and Mariah, go back like babies and pacifiers’) Talking Heads are one of my top 10 bands and I love Tina Weymouth’s bass playing, but aside from the two big songs I don’t think I’ve ever given this album a proper go. I’ve listened to it before, but not with real intent. L Elephant, As Above So Below, On On On On are great. I suspected I would like this as it has many elements right up my street, part of Talking Heads doing angular new wave funk and early rap influenced pop music. I really really enjoyed it and I think it’s great. I’m very tempted to go 5, but the only thing making me give it a 4 is that it does have a ‘side project’ slightness to it. Whether that’s because I know they are a side project or not I’m not sure. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus I’ve never listened to this before. I actually listened to the one after this, Dig Lazarus Dig a fair bit when it came out, and I like The Boatman’s Call, mainly on the basis of Into My Arms, which I love. I also really got into the soundtracks Nick Cave did with Warren Ellis, mainly The Proposition and The Assassination of Jesse James. The Wind River soundtrack too. And Red Right Hand of course. Beyond that I’ve not really delved into anything to much else. I do like, or at the very least find his stuff interesting. Even if it’s not ‘enjoyable’ it has a singularity and sense of idiosyncratic flair I really appreciate. It wasn’t until after the first listen that I learned that it is two separate albums rather than a standard double album. They do feel like two different records so it kind of makes sense to review them separately. Abattoir Blues The overall sound is cool, kind of big and spacey and rocking and loud, but without being too massive or bombastic or distant. The band do have a real litheness, even on the relatively ‘straight ahead’ rock songs they create a real groove. The bass and drums are great in that regard - not necessarily thorough musical virtuosity but through feel. The piano playing and backing vocals also stood out particularly. Hiding All Away is great - kind of broken rhythm with a nagging groove. Pretty funny lyrics. There She Goes, My Beautiful World - they play this a lot on 6 Music, it’s a great tune. Nature Boy is also excellent. I liked the sense of drama (and humour) and raucousness, and I like the wryness of his voice and manner, at turns Morrison, Dylan and Jagger-esque. He also has that great knack for really interesting little melodies and hooks. Lyre of Orpheus Love love the title song Breathless - lovely melody, give this to a safe MOR band and in the pre download days I can see it being a massive hit. Someone like the Corrs or Sixpence None the Richer. But the edge he has just tips it into really interesting territory that tension elevates it beyond just a nice melody I like the numerous mentions of and allusions to birds, and the tension between melancholy and joy, lyrically and melodically on this one. Both albums are a 4 for me, so a 4 overall. Both close to 5 but I can’t quite work out whether I’d prefer them as two distinct albums or as the double package. I think they work together but I would probably go back to them as two separate albums. Maybe a slight preference for Lyre of Orpheus but they are both great. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ambient 1: Music For Airports I love this album and after giving Another Green World 4 I can’t not give this 5. I listen to it a lot, sometimes when I’m working, sometimes commuting or driving. The beauty of it for me is that I find it genuinely calming, and it works as background music or something I actively listen to. It’s slow and without distinctive melodies or structures, but it never feels slight or pointless. The more you listen the more you hear and connect and the better it gets. Of the four tracks 1/1 has the closest thing to a recognisable melody, and I really think it is a beautiful piece of music. The piano is obviously very Satie influenced, but for such a simple arrangement of just synthesiser and pianos it does an incredible job of evoking a mood and a feeling, while musically holding your attention. I like how 1/2 pulls together the piano elements from 1/1 and the vocal elements of 2/1 to create a kind of denouement or crescendo to the first two tracks before 2/2 is a kind of end credits piece, taking what’s come before and transposing the previous ideas and themes into synthesised horns. I really do adore this album, it gets better each time I listen and it genuinely has a physical and emotional effect on me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

American Idiot I don’t mind Green Day at all and I remember enjoying this when it came out, and they were good at Reading when we saw them that same year. I think as a concept album it does hang together well and feels like a coherent piece of work. It’s also very linked to and evocative of it’s time, 9/11, Iraq, Columbine etc. Even if it doesn’t always work for me I get a real sense that they made the album they wanted to make and I think that’s a good thing. Musically it’s a good blend of the pop punk sound they are very good at with some slightly more sounds and instrumentation outside their normal boundaries, pushing into classic rock territory. I definitely hear A LOT of The Who in it. Aside from that additional instrumentation I did also like the ‘big’ sound of massed electric and acoustic guitars. As well as The Who there’s a lot that sounds like a lot of other songs, Bowie and Johnny Cash noticeably. I also appreciate the ambition of the song cycles and mini suites. Obviously that’s not an innovation in itself but I think it’s pretty cool that a band known for 3 minute pop punk songs decided to push into something a bit more interesting. Overall I found the whole thing enjoyable and although it probably won’t go on rotation or get many revisits, I like the idea of it. I appreciate they set out to do something different, and, I think, managed do that on their own terms. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wild What is the Wind Not listened to many of her albums, never know where to start. Obviously for a lot of US singers and bands of the 50s and 60s their albums were a chance for record companies to release whatever they could and make a quick buck, rather than a chance to make an artistic statement. I gather Nina falls into this boat too. Pretty sure anything I could say about her has been said a thousand times before a thousand times more eloquently. Her voice and piano playing are so expressive that they elevate some of the more pedestrian jazz blues songs on here, but the good songs she can take it to a completely different place. Four Women, which I’ve never heard before, is absolutely superb. I love that descending piano and bass motif. Veers into easy listening in places, not necessarily a bad thing, but she’s so incredible it feels a bit of a waste. More of the upbeat RnB of I Love Your Lovin’ Ways and jazzy folk of Black is the Colour of my True Love’s Hair would make for a great album. I get her background is more in the Jazz tradition but I think she’s at her best when she goes a bit beyond that. What More Can I say is good too, didn’t like it much on first listen but it stood out more the second and third time. Lilac Wine (or Lilaaac Wine) is nice too. Tricky one to rate. I’m not a fan of some of the songs, not that they are bad they just don’t speak to me, but it’s Nina Simone so even if the songs are horrendous it has a pretty high base level. And Four Women is just incredible. Ultimately it doesn’t feel like an album, more a collection of songs, so for that reason I’ll stick with a high end 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Unsurprisingly I’m very familiar with this album, and it is my favourite of his solo albums. As a snapshot of his state of mind in 1970 it is an incredibly honest and direct document. This is fully John Lennon, the person and the musician, in the 2nd half of 1970. He may have been different before or after but in keeping with his idea that the only true art is about the artist this is a real artistic statement. It has some of his best solo songs and is his best collection of songs on one album. Mother, Hold On, I Found Out, Isolation, Well Well Well, Look at Me and of course God, which I absolutely love. Ringo’s drumming on that song in particular is just incredible - all those different fills between all the I Don’t Believes. I listened to the Ultimate Mix and it sounds great. POB always sounded better than Imagine but now it really sounds great. It’s not always an easy listen, but it’s always a great listen. Just using 3 different song archetypes, piano led ‘ballads’, riff based rockers and acoustic folk style songs, he creates a mood, feeing and an emotional response. Pretty incredible really. If McCartney is a 5 this undoubtedly a 5 too. These first two solo albums are both incredibly revealing of each’s character and response to the world around them, and they make superb complementary listening. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let’s Get Killed I really liked his album after this, Bow Down to the Exit Sign when it came out at the end of uni. I listen d to it again a while ago and it still holds up. Despite liking that album I don’t think I’ve ever listened to Let’s Get Killed. I think Ben may have had the CD back in Durham though. My Mate Paul - could this BE more 90s sounding Let’s get Killed is good Gritty Shaker I’ve heard before and like Don’t Die Just Yet - standout by far I think I would have liked it a lot in 1997, and at that time it would have been right at the vanguard of this type of thing, but listening to it now it feels a bit dated, in a way that Endtroducing doesn’t. There’s a lot of lounge/jazz organ to some of it that was popular at the time but doesn’t sound that great now. Im not massively keen on the drum sound either. When it is a bit more ‘dramatic’ like on Let’s Get Killed it works much better. Don’t Die Just yet is excellent, the real standout. Gritty Shaker, Lets Get Killed and Radio 7 were also good I thought. It’s not as good as Bow Down to the Exit sign which has a bit more to it and a bit more sonic variation. I think there are also other better albums in this style so I’m not sure I’ll go back to this much, although Don’t Die Just Yet is going on my ‘Best Songs I didn’t Know About From 1001 Albums I Must Hear Before I Die’ playlist. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Channel ORANGE I remember there being a lot of buzz when this came out and we played it a lot for about a month at work. I listened a few times and then completely forgot about it until now. I still can’t really remember anything about it so it feels like listening for the first time Wasn’t really into the first half much on the first listen, it definitely picked up in the second half with Pyramids, Lost and Monks. Pyramids is superb, a nice synth bass riff underpinning things before it wanders off, in a good way, into a minimalist spacey jazzy RnB thing. Much of it did pass me by, with the minimalist production and melodies, but the moments when when I really listened to it I got quite a bit out of it. I liked it more on the 2nd listen, I wish Fertilizer had been a proper song. Super Rich Kids was was noticeably good, as was Crack Rock. And the very George Martin strings on Bad Religion stood out. Overall I liked it, as a slightly left of centre RnB album. It got better with each listen and I can hear how influential it was in that genre too. However some of it still felt a little forgettable and it is long. I enjoyed the production, composition and sound - quite full and rich while being simultaneously pared back and muted. Maybe it’s an album of some good songs with some great moments within songs rather than a great album - although with more listens I think it might improve. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Endtroducing… It’s a five before I even listen to it. I still listen to it regularly and I haven’t forgotten how good it is. On my first listen today I really tried to listen objectively and try and remove the knowledge/nostalgia. That was hard but it’s clear it’s a fantastic album on its own terms. It sounds fresh and exciting. Then listening again and thinking about it as being nearly 30 years old, it is of it’s time but doesn’t sound dated or or specifically of 1996, it just reconfirms how good it still sounds. It’s also then fun thinking about the memories of listening to it a lot at uni and when I first moved to Japan. Great times. It’s hard to pick out individual tracks as the whole thing is l one suite of music with the repeating lines and motifs, but I’ve always loved Best Foot Forward, The Number Song, Organ Donor and Midnight in a Perfect World. Not sure I can say anything we already don’t know or think about it how good it is or how it was built but as an hourlong sonic landscape it’s just so good. It’s 5 for its innovativeness. It’s a 5 for its quality as an album in this genre. It’s a 5 for it’s quality as an album in its own right It’s s 5 for the memories. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ps, Maureen has five sisters, they all got ass

África Brasil Never heard of this or him. Wasn’t sure what I was expecting but I thought it might be some Afro-Brazilian jazz thing. I purposefully didn’t read anything about it before listening, so with some trepidation/fear/excitement/anticipation I put it on, and was very happily surprised to hear the first track is a kind of funky Afrobeat groove. I love the layers of percussion propelling the rhythm, augmented by the bass and guitar riff. No idea what he’s saying but I do like the sound of Brazilian Portuguese with all the shhs and jsss. Hermes Trismegisto Escreveu has an even more funk powered groove but with a more overtly samba/bossa nova vocal melody. This is good! Taj Mahal - Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?!?! I sort remember hearing about this, that Rod nicked that melody from here, and also the string line from another song, but claimed you were allowed to do that, or something. Can definitely hear elements of Barry Manilow and Copacabana in A História de Jorge too. Really liked Camisa 10 da Gávea, I guess that’s about the Brazil no 10 shirt? The one after, Cavaleiro Do Cavalo Imaculado is a superb groove. I was listening on my headphones while doing some housework and it made me dance around. I wouldn’t have looked out of place at the Carnival in Rio. I was already wearing the headdress and thong which helped though. Super. I don’t want to know what he’s actually singing, I just like the sound and trying to guess what it’s all about. What’s with the Cuckoo Clock sound on some of the tracks? I throughly enjoyed this! Without this 1001 album thing I doubt I would ever have heard of it let alone have listened to it, so I’m very glad I did. It was even better on the 2nd listen. The groves are excellent, and the Brazilian element takes it in a slightly different direction that is pretty novel to me. By the 3rd listen it lands comfortably in the 4 zone. It’s got great tunes, grooves and rhythm and it’s incredibly fun and joyful. A foot tappin’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Is This It So good when it first came out. In fact I think I might have bought it in Melbourne when I came to visit you Paul. July 2001, so the timing checks out. Think I also bought the Purple Hills single by D12 at the same time. Is this still good or is there too much nostalgia? I love that the first track played with the idea of hype and disappointment. Obviously the hype was huge, so to open with a detached sounding song that never quite builds and then just sort of finishes is great. Super bassline hanging the whole thing together. Banger after banger. No matter how derivative the songs might be or how self consciously cool they wanted to be the songs are excellent. For their particular style and template it really is fantastic. No weak tracks. 35 mins. Superb. Love the overall sound, particularly that dry drum sound and the rhythm guitars. Although Last Night is basically American Girl the rhythm guitar is Lennon-esque, not quite the triplets of All My Loving but a nice version of it. It so heavily reminds me of early 2000s and absolutely loving it but I don’t think it sounds dated, it’s still great, unlike a lot of bands albums they followed in their slipstream. Musically and aesthetically they had the same effect on rock music as Nirvana did a decade before, you can see clear a line before and after of how indie rock bands looked and sounded. My only slight reservation is that sometimes I think it’s too studied a synthesis of cool influences and is it really them, is there an artifice that I can’t quite see through? But then I think I’m overthinking it and every time I listen to it I love it. So it has to be a 5, can’t be anything else. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bridge Over Troubled Water BOTW - have heard so many times and so familiar. Even though sometimes the recording can feel a little OTT, really listening to it, what a magical song. Uplifting, comforting and full of beautiful moments, ‘Sail on, silver girl…’ in particular. Always loved El Condor Pasa, particularly the intro. Keep the Customer Satisfied I also love. Good example of Paul Simon’s wry sardonic storytelling. It took a while for me to see that So Long, Frank Lloyd Wight was a good song. It’s a lovely little melody with a skipping rhythm and I like the little fiddle string low in the mix The Boxer - what a song. Sounds brilliant every time I hear it. Might be my favourite S&G song. Baby Driver, similar to Customer. I do like these quirky upbeat songs he does , a bit like Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard from Paul Simon’s ‘first’ solo album. Kind of upbeat folky Motown with unusual rhyme patterns I LOVE The Only Living Boy in New York. Just love it, the bass, the feel, everything. Why Don’t You Write Me. I feel like this is the only down note on the album. Feels like an arrangement looking for a song and the whole thing doesn’t quite convince. I’m never quite sure why Bye Bye Love is on here too. It’s a good version of a great song, but it’s always stuck out as a bit odd. Not necessarily bad but seems out of place. Song For the Asking. I really enjoy the low key nature of this, a nice contrast to the ‘big’ opening of the title song. Lovely track. I do love this album, I go back and forth between this and Bookends as my favourite S&G album, but they are both great. For such a great act it’s always surprising how it feels like they only really have two ‘proper’ albums. They have written some of the greatest songs though and I suppose that’s why any greatest hits of theirs is so good. Even though it’s not quite perfect and does feel uneven towards the end with Why Don’t You Write Me and Bye Bye Love , before the lovely Song for the Asking I think this has to be a 5, it’s got two of the greatest songs ever and some of their best non ‘big’ songs. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Live/Dead Wasn’t looking forward to this. The first song is 25 minutes. Fucking hell If I was a kid in the late 60s SF, off my tits on acid and smoking weed all day I think I would have loved this and the Grateful Dead. Hard 55 years afterward to appreciate this. Some decent grooves amongst all the noodling, and some nice guitar sounds. The vocals don’t sound great though. The lyrics, earnest mystical stoner nonsense, but with a certain amount of vaguely charming guilessness. The first listen through I didn’t mind it at all, it soundtracked doing work pleasantly enough. It started to become a bit tiresome by the 2nd listen and then I stopped halfway through the 3rd listen as the whole thing was becoming tedious. Life is too short to spend another 1hr 15 minutes listening to it. Not that’s it’s actually that bad actually it just all feels a bit futile. I had it on loop to listen a few times and couldn’t tell what was the last track and the first track. It’s all one long noodle with some bad words. I didn’t mind St Stephen, but struggled to pick much else out. The song Feedback. Why? If you like the grafetful dead then I’m sure you’d love it. If not then it just passes you by. Never listened to the Grateful Dead properly, not sure this will tempt me to, although I probably should try American Beauty one day. Don’t think I’ll start listening to their other 166 released live albums. Some grooves here and there, some good bits, some unlistenable, but overall quite a tedious endeavour ⭐️⭐️

OK I have a recollection of you having this at Durham, Paul? I’m aware of him but can’t recall ever giving him a listen. I thought this was great. Eno-esque in places, particularly My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, but obviously filtered through his own cultural upbringing. Obvious Indian classical influences, but quite a lot of traditional Japanese influences too. Subsequently found out some of it was recorded in Okinawa, so that makes sense. Some of the hip hop and dance/drum n bass beats do sound quite 90s, but they are so well woven amongst the other sounds it works really well Traveller is great, has a bit of everything that’s to follow, love the strings. OK is great too And I loved Light. I’m glad this came up, I’m looking forward to listening to it some more ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

At San Quentin The History of Rock Music in 500 songs has a good episode about Cash and Walk the Line, and the genesis of the Tennessee Three, basically how they weren’t really musicians but found a way of backing him that suited him but was quite unusual in its simplicity and didn’t sound like much else at the time, particularly Luther Perkins guitar lines and Marshall Grant’s extremely minimal double bass (basically he could only play every other note at the beginning as he didn’t know where the notes were on the bass and he couldn’t move his fingers quick enough). Obviously this is Carl Perkins here, which is cool, you can hear him embellishing a little on There’ll be Peace in the Valley. I like Johnny Cash a lot, but I’ve always been a greatest hits and American Recordings man - I suppose the problem is that there isn’t necessarily a definitive early studio Cash album or set of albums, he released so many and many were just tracks put together from various recording sessions. I’m not generally a fan of live albums so I’ve kind of overlooked this and Folsom Prison, but they really are such a part of his legend that I should actually listen to them. It is great. All the elements of Johnny Cash are there, the fantastic, resonant baritone voice, simultaneously hard and empathetic, but always full of feeling, the myth making outlaw persona and the overall charisma and presence. It’s amazing what he can conjure out of such seemingly sparse and simple musical backing. The Wreck of the old 97 really fizzes. I Walk the Line is obviously superb, in whichever form. I love how each verse is in a slightly different key giving a sense of unsteadiness before resolving in the last verse. San Quentin is great, particularly the reaction from the crowd. Carl Perkins also sounds excellent on this. I think this is the definitive live version of A Boy Named Sue? It’s definitely the one you hear the most. Reading about it, it was a surprise in the set and was improvised by the band. Nice. I listened to the original version, but the legacy version is meant to be very good and possibly even better. I’d like to listen to At Folsom to compare but I thought this was great, up there with Live at Leeds and Get Your Ya Yas as the only live albums I like. A foot tappin’ rock solid 4. Keen to listen to it more ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The La’s I wasn’t able to listen to this as much as I normally would yesterday , although I did listen to it last week. On first listen last week I was a bit underwhelmed and I struggled to pick anything discernible out. I think I might have been expecting an album full of very melodic jangly 60s guitar pop like There She Goes, or something as polished and immediate as The Stone Roses. The 2nd time around yesterday I listened to it sporadically throughout the day I enjoyed it more. And There She Goes is actually a bit of an outlier, not necessarily in quality but in structure and sound. It’s definitely not the proto Britpop album it’s gets described as, it’s much less wedded to a classic 60s guitar group template, it’s a bit more sinewy and moves outside those boundaries. Liberty Ship has a kind of musical slipperiness, maybe a bit Talking Heads-ish, with a folky, she shanty-ish melody. In fact there feels like a lot of sea shanty influences on this. There She Goes is an excellent song though. Like a lot of the overfamiliar of songs on these albums on the list, when you concentrate on them you really appreciate them. Son of a Gun, Timeless Melody, Liberty Ship I.O.U really stood out on that second listen. Feelin’ and Way Out I didn’t much like though. I’m not convinced by the overall sound. I know it was recorded over a lot of sessions but there is a bit of flatness on some songs and there’s a particular sound on some of the rhythm guitar that I’m not keen on. There She Goes is also a bit of an outlier in this regard as it does sound very different to the rest of the album. Bit of a tough one to rate, I haven’t listened to it as much as have the other albums we’ve done but I did like it, and there are definitely some very good songs on here, although a couple I want keen on and the production/sound was a bit of a letdown. I’ll go 3 for now, but will definitely listen more, it’s almost certainly a grower. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Iron Maiden Obviously not my type of music but I don’t mind Iron Maiden. Actually I just like Run to the Hills, that’s a great song. Didn’t know that Bruce Dickinson wasn’t an original member. Musically it was kind of what I thought, although with more groove and variance than I expected. Definitely more melodic than I thought it would be. All the elements are there though, aggression, speed, double bass drumming, loudness, bad lyrics and a lurid album cover You can see the influences of the early metal bands like Black Sabbath and the classic rock bands like Led Zep, as well as the theatricality of Queen. Feels like the heavy elements of classic rock stripped out, refined and concentrated down a heavy metal path, rather than bands who take heavy metal and refine that into even more heavy metal and lose any sense of tune melody or enjoyment, eg Pantera. It feels like they want to write songs and make them heavy metal, rather than just wanting to write noise. I like the harmonies on Phantom of the Opera and there are some nice backing vocals here and there too. Phantom probably my stand out track. Strange World is just a straight ahead power ballad. Although I might rarely chose to, I’d quite easily listen to this again. Heavy metal is not really my genre but if I was forced to listen one heavy metal album then I’d be happy with this. I’ll go 3, it’s not as good as some albums I’ve given 3 to, but for a heavy metal album 3 feels like the right score. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Everybody Knows this is Nowhere I tend to forget about this album, despite Down by the River being one of my fav Neil songs. I can’t actually remember the last time I listened to this, but must be at least 10 years. Cinnamon Girl - it’s great. The handclaps, the sense of innocence. For some reason the intro always surprises me, I always think it’s at a quicker tempo than it is. Love the little guitar breakdown in the coda EKTIN Always a fav and always loved the harmonies and bouncy rhythm Round and Round I tend to overlook this one but it’s a very sweet low key melody. Down by the River I love this song. I love Buddy Miles version almost as much but this is just so so good. The Losing End I like the loping country feel, but it’s not one of my favourites Running Dry The fiddle is very nice against the slightly sinister traditional folk feel. Again I tend to forget about this song, but it’s great. Cowgirl in the Sand Banger I knew Down by the River was written quickly when he had a fever but I didn’t realise until today that he wrote Cinnamon Girl and Cowgirl in the Sand on the same day when he was delirious with fever too. How does one approach rating this? Alongside the McCartney, Bowie and Lennon albums this is the one of the ‘big’ artists with extensive catalogues, and when you know their other albums so well it’s hard to divorce it from the context of, in this case, what comes after. I think I have to rate in terms of my appreciation of the albums of his I love, so therefore it’s a 4. It’s great, and people have built entire careers on songs not nearly as good as CG, EKTIN, CITS and DBTR, but it’s just that level below my top tier Neil albums. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Transformer I remember buying this at Uni and quite liking it, although I haven’t listened in a long time. I must have known at the time that Bowie and Ronson produced it but that felt like news to me today. 
And listening to it their fingerprints are all over it. The guitar on Vicious (and throughout), the strings on Perfect Day, the bass and drums on Hangin’ Around, the tuba on Make Up. LOVE Bowie on backing vocals on the coda of Satellite of Love. Also didn’t realise Klaus Voormann played bass on some of the tracks . Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side are more examples of those overfamiliar songs that really are superb when you properly listen to them. Iv’e always loved Vicious and Satellite of Love is a stone cold classic. Listening through today, aside from the biggies, Andy’s Chest, Hangin’ Around, Wagon Wheel (GREAT guitar on this) and I’m so Free stood out. I wasn’t as keen on Make Up, New York Telephone Conversation and Goodnight Ladies - a bit underwhelming and feel more like exercises in production and arrangement rather than actual songs. I do like Lou Reed and his style of songwriting and really like his vocals, but I’m not sure there are quite enough good songs on here, and without Ronson I think it would be more of a struggle to get through those weaker tracks.

I don’t know his solo work that well, but I do love the Velvet Underground and listening to this it feels like he does need some interesting collaborators to help elevate some of his more mundane moments or pick up some song writing slack.

 One of those funny ones to rate - the highs are exceptional and although the lows aren’t terrible or too numerous they are a bit deflating, so it’s between a 3 and a 4.
Just because of Vicious, Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side, Satellite of Love and Wagon Wheel I’ll say 4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hot Fuss I’ve never really liked the Killers, so I’ve never listened to this album before. Not that I necessarily think they are bad, there’s just something I can’t quite put my finger on that I don’t really like.

 I tried to put that aside and listen with an open mind. Clearly they can write some very catchy pop songs, they definitely have a knack for hooks and choruses. Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me are great examples of this. And I have always actually liked All These Things That I’ve Done. I also like the little bass hook on Jenny was a Friend of Mine. There’s some nice bass playing throughout too.

 Outside of those big catchy songs though I did find it a bit dull, with a fair amount of filler. There’s a lack of dynamism and excitement and it often falls back into generic guitar pop, with some bad lyrics and not great vocals.

 I’m also not a fan of the sound and production which doesn’t help. Apart from the bass tone and its place in the mix it feels very very flat. 

 I was hoping I’d get more out of it and it would grow on me on the 2nd and 3rd listens, but I kind of felt the same as the first listen, although I think I appreciated some of the keyboards/synths more the 2nd time around.

 Maybe it’s me and just don’t get it but I don’t think this is all that good. A couple of catchy big tunes and not a great deal else. I feel like perhaps there’s an artifice and insincerity to it that turns me off. It’s not an affected cool that you might tar The Strokes with, perhaps it’s a smugness or a kind of indie showbiz-ness.
 Perhaps 2 is a bit harsh considering I gave Iron Maiden 3, but I feel this is more hollow even if it’s more listenable on the surface. 
 ⭐⭐️

Synchronicity Spiritus Mundi It took me a long time to appreciate The Police fully, I think I was put off by Sting’s 90s solo stuff, all that banal adult orientated jazz and soul inflected wank. But they are a great band and alongside the big songs there are some absolute bangers in their catalogue. However this is my least favourite of their albums.
 Synchronicity is a great start though, building on their reggae rock sound with some interesting synths. Walking in your Footsteps kind of signposts where Sting was heading, I really like the first minute or so and then it teeters right on the edge of good and bad, and I’m not sure which side it falls on, I think bad by the end. I like the sequencer experimentation but for some reason I don’t think it works that well with Sting at the controls. O My God has a nice bass line and drums but is a bit underwhelming. Mother is not good. Not good at all. Really terrible. Woeful, and I mean woeful. 
Miss Gradenko is not great either.
Synchronicity II is ok, a bit Police by numbers but at least the guitar gives it a bit of urgency. Every Breath you Take. Undoubtedly a great song, overfamiliar and its kind of been swallowed up in I’ll be Missing You, but just listening in isolation now it is a superbly constructed pop song, that guitar riff, the single repeating piano note and little piano figure and vocals after the first chorus is so good. This very noticeably jumps out as superior to the rest of the songs on the album.

 I do like King of Pain I feel like the balance of pop vs jazzy noodling is ok on this one. Wrapped Around Your Finger is ok.

Tea in the Sahara I really really dislike and Murder by Numbers is one of those pointless forgettable songs.
 I really like their debut album and Zenyatta Mondatta, but this one veers too close to being an AOR MOR Sting solo album - it doesn’t have the dynamism and excitement of their earlier records. With Summers and Copeland pushed back it loses a lot of what made them great I think.

Ultimately it’s somewhere around 2-3, but there are some very good moments that I do like so I’ll go 3, although I’d listen to all their other albums ahead of this
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lady Soul I’m pretty familiar with this although haven’t played it in a while. It’s right in that ’67 to ’72 sweet spot for Aretha albums after she moved to Atlantic, from I’ve Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You up to Amazing Grace. Some great songs and some superb covers in there (including her fantastic version of The Weight).
 Chain of Fools is rightly a classic. Money Won’t Change You carries on the fantastic start before the slowed down People Get Ready changes the tempo nicely. Great bass driving Niki Hoeky and a great vocal (although obviously every song has a great vocal) brings the tempo back up again before You Make me Feel Like a Natural Woman. Again one of those overfamiliar ones but this is just another level of brilliance. Sweet Sweet Baby kicks off Side 2 nicely and brings more of that gritty guitar and uptempo, brilliantly propulsive soul sound. The superbly bluesy Good to Me as I am to You (with Clapton), followed by the energetic Come Back Baby is a great one-two. Groovin’ takes things down a notch with a relatively restrained vocal and arrangement before the emotional punch of Ain’t No Way ends things on a big dramatic note. The playing on this is exceptional, as you would expect from the Muscle Shoals band and the various guests, but the rhythm section of Spooner Oldham and Tommy Cogbilll in particular stand out - tight, melodic, propulsive, sympathetic to the songs, just fantastic. 28 minutes, not a duff track or duff moment. Combining this choice of songs, that playing, Jerry Wexler’s production and smart arranging (and great track sequencing) with Aretha’s voice and presence is always going to be a winner and this is superb. I don’t think it can be anything but 5, as an example of late 60’s southern soul it’s hard to surpass it.
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

American Pie American pie is brillant, it really is. Not just the lyrical allusions but a brilliant chorus, joyful exuberant playing and a tender melancholic feels to the words. The line about dancing in the gym is always very evocative to me Till tomorrow. Parts of this feel a lot like a Nick Drake song, particulate the verses and chorus. The middle eight not so much I do love Vincent, even if the lyrics on occasion are a bit on the nose. Lovely meldoy Not keen on crossroads, feels a little bit anodyne and inert. Everybody Loves Me, Baby is a bit unconvincing, not sure it quite works The Grave is very good, although the S&G production doesn’t quite fully land. It’s a good album, Vincent, American Pie and The Grave the obvious standouts, with some lovely melodies, but beyond that a lot of the songs do feel like variations of the same musical idea and the lyrics can be a bit lumpen and heavy handed. Production/sound wise it also feels pretty dated and a bit thin. Somewhere between a 3 and a 4, I’ll go 3, one all time classic song, a couple of great tunes and some nice but ultimately middling songs. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Slayed? I do like Slade’s greatest hits but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to an actual album of theirs. How d’ You Ride. Exactly what you might expect from the opening song to a Slade album. The Whole Worlds Going Crazee. At their best these stomping 50s style glam rockers with big choruses seem so effortless and fun, but this one is a bit of a struggle Look at Last Nite is great though, love the bluesy groove and the sinewy bass and it’s a nice change of tempo. The fade out is a bit abrupt though. I Won’t let it ‘Appen is nice too, again a welcome rhythmic variation with great bass. The cover of Move Over is fine with its satisfyingly crunchy guitars. Gudbuy T’Jane - classic Slade. I like to think Dan sings this with his guitar to Jane every time she leaves the house. Love the dynamic between the guitar and bass on the riff, very satisfying. Gudbuy Gudbuy. Have to admire the consistency in their spellings. Has it’s moments but a bit meat and two veg. Mama Weer All Crazee Now - more classic Slade, along with Cum on Feel the Noize this is probably the apogee of their sound. Love it. I Don’t Mind. I don’t mind it. I feel like every band in the 70s covered Let the Good Times Roll, and aside from the energetic performance I’m not sure what this brings. Overall I guess it depends on whether you like Noddy’s voice and whether you like their musical template. I like both so I enjoyed this a lot. There’s is a bit more musical subtlety than might be expected, Don Powell is a very good drummer and Jim Lea is a very good all round musician - I particularly like his bass after the choruses in Gudbuy T’Jane for example. And they do move slightly out of the stomping lane from time to time, which is very welcome. It’s a very fun listen, it has no pretensions or ambitions beyond what it is, but has enough musical interest to it bear related listens. It lands somewhere between 3 and 4, but I’ll go for a very enjoyable three ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ps My Life is Natural, the first bonus track and b-side of Coz I Love You is the Led Zep/Pinball Wizzard mash up we didn’t know we needed. I think Rush might also have taken some of the melody for Tom Sawyer

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (In a Brummie accent) It’s going to be a 5, it’s one of my favourite albums. I have great memories of living in Japan when it came out and listening to it a lot at that time. I still return to it often and it still holds up, it doesn’t sound at all dated. It wears its influences pretty clearly, but all filtered very deftly through the Wilco musical sieve. There’s less overt rock and country to it than previous albums, as they lean more into some pure pop melodies as well as more layered atmospheric soundscapes, using keyboards as textures rather than melodic drivers. They also got a new drummer around this time and he makes a big difference - there’s just a sense of more rhythmic interest and variation to it. The shimmering keyboards, broken rhythm pattern and the discordant coda of I am Trying to Break your Heart lead brilliantly into the more conventional strum of Kamera, but still maintaining a sense of unease. Radio Cure and War on War follow a similar pattern. The trio of Jesus, Etc, Ashes of American Flags and Heavy Metal Drummer are really the centrepiece of the album. The tenderness of Jesus, Etc, followed by the slightly uneasy of Ashes of American Flags and then the joyfulness of Heavy Metal Drummer encapsulates the whole album. I really like the Neil Young/Crazy Horse guitar contrasting with the Motown style horns on I’m the Man who Loves You. Pot Kettle Black comes back to the feel of Kamera and War on War before Poor Places and Reservations end things on a suitably downbeat and sonically discordant note. I particularly like the layers and textures on Reservations, not so much a tune as a feeling. I do love how the songs alternate between the slower, textured and rhythmically fractured songs and the more melodic up beat strummers, that combination is in keeping with the slightly dissonant, fragile and melancholic tone of the whole album. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Justified Don’t really need to listen too many times to come to a conclusion on this. Señorita - I like the organ and drums and the chorus is fine but ultimately all a bit forgettable. Justin’s intro is cringe.
 Like I Love You - Great pop song, Neptunes to the fore here. (Oh No) What You Got - Percussion is good, rest is a bit dull. Take it From Here - Very poor. Musically, lyrically and melodically insipid.
 Cry Me a River - Great, great pop song.
 Rock Your Body - another good pop song, a nice disco pastiche.
 Nothin’ Else - a Bad-era Jacko rip off and not a particularly good one. Could definitely hear Paint it Black in the outro too.
 Last Night - just about elevates itself above the rest of the non singles. Still on my Brain - just feels a bit pointless.
 (And She Said) Take me Now - better, has a bit of drive and dynamism to it. (whisper it but Timbaland produced this one)
 Right for Me - the melody is ordinary although I like the little flute. Justin talking sexy isn’t that convincing to me.
 Let’s Take a Ride - Forgettable.
 Never Again - Ditto. Really dislike the classical guitar.

 Like I Love You, Rock Your Body, Cry me a River are great pop songs and stand out a mile, the rest is all a bit characterless, and there is no justification in it being over an hour long. I don’t think Justin’s voice is that great or particularly interesting and if you took the Neptunes/Timbaland production and sonic nouse away there really wouldn’t be much left. Thinking of it as a pop album if 3 or 4 tracks were trimmed off it it might make a solid 3, but there is a lot of insipid R&B in between the singles and the odd ok album track, so it’s a ⭐⭐️

Freak Out! Suzie? Cream Cheese? I’ve always avoided Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. I’ve given Captain Beefheart a go and, if I’m in the right mood, I’ve kind of enjoyed the bits I’ve listened to. However it’s not always what I actually want to listen to so I have just put the Mothers in the same bucket and left well alone.

 It wasn’t entirely what I expected on the first listen. I thought there would be constant shifts in tempo, sounds and arrangement within each song, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so heavily rooted in garage blues rock. I kind of got into the swing of it by the 2nd half, I started to enjoy the grooves and was happy to expect any old shit to happen at any time. Second time around I liked it a bit more, I suppose I dropped all my expectations and a bit of familiarity with the twists and turns helped. I genuinely started to enjoy this and maybe even started to ‘get’ it after the 3rd listen. Whether you do or not I guess would depend on your expectations and appetite or tolerance for the deliberately surrealistic and avant garden elements tacked onto the slightly generic mid 60s blues rock foundations. It definitely got better and a lot more interesting with repeated listens, so much so that some of the more ‘straight’ rock songs became less appealing and the more experimental art rock aspects of it were what I wanted to hear more of. I do think you have to listen to it in the spirit in which it was made and intended. It’s deliberately non conformist and unconventional, which I ended up really liking for some reason. It’s great that someone imagined this and then made it and built a career out of it, there’s a lot to be said for people with a singular vision that are able to realise that vision. Clearly it’s not for everyone and if you want to hear actual songs then this isn’t the place to go, but it’s given me a real interest in listening to more Zappa. I don’t think I totally get it but I’m into it - I’m glad this came up in the list, I may never have listened to it otherwise. Tempted to go 4 but will go for a high 3 ⭐⭐⭐️

Foo Fighters Like everyone I love Dave Grohl, and while I do like FF, they always seem to be a band with some great songs and then a lot of middling stuff. I’ve had greatest hits and I’ve seen them live a couple of times but I don’t know if I’ve ever listened to this album. This is a Call, really catchy, always liked this song. I’ll Stick Around - like the verses a lot on this, the chorus I’m not as keen on. Great drumming. Big Me, very sweet little tune, like this one. Alone + Easy Target - enjoyed this a bit more the second and third time, pretty catchy chorus. Good Grief, Floaty, Weenie Beenie, Oh, George - These are all a bit samey, a bit fillery and forgettable for me. For All the Cows - I like this one a lot. A little bit of litheness and groove X-Static - Enjoyed the tom-tom on this but apart from that not particularly memorable. Wattershed - Fine thrashy tune, if a bit forgettable Exhausted - I like this one, the lyrics and music complement the mood and feel. The little guitar melody underneath the heavily distorted rhythm guitar in the verses is very nice. It’s of course not fair to compare it to Nirvana, but aside from the loud guitars and some of the drumming I can’t actually see that much commonality. I love that he did the whole thing himself, evidently not to McCartney-esque levels of virtuosity or songwriting skill, but it is very cool. However there’s no disguising that essentially these are demos and that many of the songs are very 90s-ish rock by numbers, and without his drumming things would feel very pedestrian pretty quickly. It’s not terrible by any means, there are a handful of very good tunes but I don’t think there’s enough to pique enough long term interest to come back to and listen through again. I like Grohl a lot and appreciate he played everything himself and he did it at a very difficult time after Kurt died, but ultimately it lacks a bit of variety and excitement, especially in the last half where it does get pretty samey. I appreciate it wasn’t supposed to be a grand artistic statement and it sounds like it was very important mentally for him to do it but it does end up feeling quite middling. ⭐⭐⭐️

The Yes Album Silly Human Race Never listened to Yes apart from Roundabout (and Owner of a Lonely Heart). Feel like I might get into prog, but I have tried some of the Genesis albums and I didn’t get on with them much. I found this enjoyable and pretty fun though, even if I think I’m supposed to take it a bit more seriously. Yours is no Disgrace - exactly what I would imagine a prog song would be, daft lyrics, musical cul de sacs, unendingness. The Clap, surprised by the folkiness of this, quite a pretty little tune. Starship trooper. See Yours is No Disgrace. I’ve Seen All Good People - really liked a few of the parts of this, and didn’t mind the others A Venture - not keen on this, I really didn’t like the barroom piano. More organ please Perpetual Change. See Yours is No Disgrace and I’ve Seen All Good People. So overall I enjoyed it, i liked a lot of the playing, some good guitar parts and a lot of great bass and organ. I think I’d listen again and I might even try more Yes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Master of Puppets Aside from Enter Sandman and Master of Puppets (the song) I’ve never really understood Metallica. Obviously they are in a genre I don’t particularly care for, so I’m not who they make music for, but of all the heavy metal/thrash metal I have ever heard they’ve always seemed the most boring. And Lars Ulrich always seems like a massive dildo. There’s not a great deal here to change my opinion. I do really enjoy the pomposity and unintended daftness of the title song, and there are moments where some of the guitars are good in a stupid way, but the relentless pounding of it all gets pretty tiresome. Two listens through really is enough. The lyrics are also really very bad. Thematically I get it but it’s such bad teenage drivel. I find rating these types of album really tricky and I’m pretty inconsistent with my scores as a result. On the one hand I don’t like the idea of dismissing a type of music just because I’m not into it - there are plenty of people who hate the types of music I’m into - so I try and look for the positives or merits within it’s genre and music in general. And on the other I then do wonder what that appeal and merits actually are, if you didn’t get into this music when you were 14. I get it’s a significant landmark in heavy metal and that its very popular so whether I like it or not isn’t really the point, but despite listening in good faith it’s a pretty tiring listen, particularly the 2nd time around. So within the albums we’ve had in this style, I preferred it to Pantera, but probably found Iron Maiden more fun. So it’s somewhere between a 2 and a 3 - I’ll plump for a 2 ⭐⭐️

If I Could Only Remember my Name Don’t think I’ve ever listened to anything by David Crosby outside of the Byrds, CS&N and CSN&Y. Which I guess is the majority of his stuff. I loved this though, from the opening track onwards. Dreamy, languorous, slow, loose, melodic, atmospheric, warm, moving, just great. I put it on repeat and must have been through it about 5 times already.

 I can’t really think of any duff moments apart from possibly the last track, but Music is Love, Laughing and What are their Names stood out everytime. After having to work hard to find the positives in some of the recent albums it was nice to listen to something immediately enjoyable. With more time I think this could get up to 5, but for now I’ll go 4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Black Holes & Revelations Had to listen with an open mind as I’ve never really liked anything of their’s that I’ve heard and I struggle to escape the feeling that their music is very much a 14 year old boy’s idea of what is cool. You know what’s really cool? Going to school and listening to your teachers. Take a Bow - Liked the build up, a bit of Baba O’Riley and quite a lot of Queen. Starlight - This one really grew on me, kind of had a kids Sci-Fi Tv show vibe to it. Supermassive Black Hole - I like the falsetto and it’s a good pop song, but I think this tips just a bit too much into musical theatre
Map of the Problematique - great title, Depeche mode vibes. Pretty fun. Soldier’s Poem had a bit too much Queen for my taste. Invincible, Assassin & Exo-Politics I wasn’t that into, melodically, lyrically or musically. The Sky-yyy backing vocal bugged me for ages until it clicked it was from Sweet Child O’Mine. City of Delusion - I really liked the silly OTT fun of this one, particularly the ‘eastern’ style strings
Hoodoo - quite liked the Spanish guitar intro but it didn’t seem to go anywhere that interesting.
 Knights of Cydonia - this is a great, daft pop rock song. Very enjoyable. Great drumming and drum sound. I get the singing is deliberately histrionic and there is obviously more than a touch of Thom Yorke in the vocals, but without the emotional resonance or subtlety. Overall I liked the silliness of it all, a kind of a knowing over the topness, even if it did get a bit too stage musical at points and I did struggle with some of the songs. When it all comes together like on Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole and Knights of Cydonia it’s enjoyable, but if it misses the mark it sometimes verges on being a bit of an overwrought mulch.
 A couple of songs I really liked and lots of enjoyable pomposity. I didn’t dislike it at all but I’m not sure I’ll actually listen again or look into more Muse. So, hmm, I’ll go 3 for vibes. ⭐⭐⭐️ Now back to If I Could Only Remember My Name

Ladies & Gentlemen we are floating in Space I remember Souter having this at uni and I remember borrowing and trying to like it. The only track I liked was Come Together and the rest I wasn’t sure about. I haven’t revisited in the intervening 25 years and I was actually quite looking forward to giving it a go today, now that I’m a bit older with, hopefully, a broader musical appreciation. I really did enjoy it a lot. The opening track’s interpolation of I Can’t Help Falling in Love I really liked, and Come Together was still as good as I remembered it, a great droning, crescendoing track. There’s a certain blues-iness and country-ness to some of it, maybe because of the harmonica that appears regularly, as well as some of the string arrangements. I Think I’m In Love is great, love the feel and particularly the horn arrangement and the slide guitar(?) motif. And I loved Stay With Me and Cool Waves. A lot of the horn arrangements are great, very McCartney/George Martin-esque. Cop Shoot Cop is long, but doesn’t actually feel like 17 minutes. Loved the strings on Broken Heart. In a way it’s not about picking out each song, as they are all a kind of groove and mood layered with, noise, sounds and instrumentation, rather than distinct melodic exercises. Obviously he doesn’t have a conventionally good voice, but it does suit the whole atmosphere as the music ebbs and drifts and the different layers and instruments move in and move out. It improved with each listen as elements of different tracks started to emerge. It is long at 1hr 10, mainly I suppose as the last song is 17 minutes, and I think there was a dip around Home of the Brave and the Individual before it picked back up again. Maybe it could have been a bit shorter but actually it felt like a long suite of songs with similar moods, textures and movements that all worked together. Looking forward to listening to it more and uncovering little moments I’ve missed up to now. ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

A Girl Called Dusty I didn’t think this was particularly good. Obviously Dusty has a superb voice and I guess it must have been pretty unusual for a British female singer to sing in such a clearly soul influenced way in 1964. Clearly this was first step away from the Springfields to the more R’n’B style of later albums. And despite her voice never being less than great she feels a bit tentative and unsure throughout, and it lacks the control and subtlety and maturity of the Dusty in Memphis stuff a few years later. There are some good song choices on here, Mama Said, You Don’t Own Me, Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa, Anyone Who Had a Heart, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and Within’ & Hopin’ and some really not very good song choices at all, like Do Re Mi, My Colouring Book, Mockingbird and Nothing. Despite doing a good job on those good songs none of them approach anything like a definitive version, of which you feel she should be capable. However the big problem with all of it is the band, the arrangements and the production & sound all being uniformly bad. It sounds awful, thin and dull with that particularly distracting tom-tom sound. You realise how lucky the Beatles were to have George Martin and the engineers at Abbey Raod, and how good their early records sound compared to stuff like this (as well as the early Stones, Kinks etc records, which have some great songs but don’t sound anywhere as near as good as say A Hard Day’s Night or Beatles for Sale). I couldn’t find out much about the band but it’s the worst kind of early 60s BBC Light Jazz Lounge Pops band sound and playing, and it really doesn’t serve her or the songs well in any way. The saccharine string arrangements and insipid parping horns really are poor. I’m not that familiar with Definitely Dusty or Dusty in Memphis, apart from the well known songs, but I had a brief listen to a couple of tracks and it’s night and day in terms of playing, sound and also maturity in Dusty’s approach. Feel bad giving it 2 bearing in mind Dusty’s voice, but this is not a great record and she can’t rescue it from it’s musical mediocrity. ⭐⭐️

Moving Pictures Things I know about Rush: - They’re Canadian - The song Tom Sawyer as it features so much in I Love You man - People cream themselves about Neil Peart’s drumming Things I know after listening to Moving Pictures - they’re Canadian - Tom Sawyer is an enjoyably fun prog rock pop song - Neil Peart clearly is a very good drummer, but he is very very busy I did like lots of bits if this but not sure I’m totally convinced by a whole album if it. Some of the guitar lines and synth parts were good. Limelight and Tom Sawyer are very good songs and stand out, while overall the rest does get up it’s own musical virtuosity bumhole a bit too much and his voice is quite annoying, which also makes the vocal melodies a bit tough to hang on to. It’s kind of fun though if you don’t take it too seriously. I think that’s why I don’t mind a lot of these prog records - I find the musicians seriousness quite amusing and subsequently I enjoy the music more. However I’m not sure that’s a basis for actually liking it. Not sure where to rate, I think I enjoyed more than Yes, but not sure if I would investigate much further. Maybe as I didn’t listen to it as much as I would have liked I’ll plump for a 3? ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Strange Cargo III I liked this, although I think there are possibly better versions of this type of album. The echoey drums and synth squelches and noises do sound very 90s. And you can see what he bought to the Ray of Light album, although less so of what he bought to 13. I liked the first track, had a nice sense of propulsion and I liked the piano holding the hook. Didn’t realise it was Beth Orton, didn’t sound like her. It made me want to listen to Trailer Park and Central Reservation again, as those are fantastic. Listening to it, I did wonder if he’s a better producer and arranger for other peoples songs rather than his own? Nothing stood out massively and there was a similarity in sounds and noises across each track. I can imagine putting this in to work to, but not really listening to it it properly. Not bad, but also not in the top tier of layered electronic instrumental music. Might try some of his other albums but more likely to forget to. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Surrealistic Pillow Hmmm. Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are, rightfully, enduringly great 60s songs. Maybe a bit overfamiliar but undoubtedly great. The rest I’m not so sure about. I liked Today and I liked a lot of the folky elements and I like Grace Slick’s lead and harmony vocals a lot, however the rest of the songs were very forgettable in a kind of generic mid late 60s style way. Perhaps it’s the lyrics and perhaps it’s the production but nothing really grabbed my attention or seemed that interesting. I wanted to like it more on the basis of the two big songs, and I do like a lot of that mi late 70s San Francisco music, but the more I hear these types of albums the more I realise a good compilation of all these bands is the best thing to listen to ⭐️⭐️

Music from Big Pink One of my favourite albums, although I think I may slightly prefer The Band as a slightly tighter album. I remember being a bit underwhelmed when I first heard it but it gradually got its hooks into me and I now I love it. There’s a lot of density and weight to the music with a simultaneous feeling of lightness and airiness, I think due to how great each part of the band is. Levon and Danko are a great rhythm section while I always love Hudson and Manuel’s piano and organ, with the organ work a particular standout on this record, and Robertson’s superb subtle and sympathetic guitar playing. And then vocally they are such a great blend, there’s something about Levon and Richard Manuel’s voices together I love, complemented nicely by Rick Danko’s slightly jittery voice. It’s hard to pick the stand outs but aside from The Weight I love In A Station, Caledonia Mission, Long Black Veil and Chest Fever. It is and always was going to be a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Songs the Lord Taught Us The Cramps, a band I’m aware of as being very influential and much loved, but I’m not sure I could name one of their songs. I must have heard at least one of them but not that I can recall. Pretty interested to hear this though. I thought it might be a bit thrashy in a Germs kind of way, but actually it’s a great garage rock n roll rockabilly Carl Perkins surf punk thing. I really liked its immediacy, where the enthusiasm and attitude are more important than the musical proficiency. The Alex Chilton production is great - exactly what the songs and band need. I really love the buzzy tone of the lead guitars and the whole echoey sound, all with the drums bashing away at the back. The cover of Fever is excellent, the riff picked out in the guitar with loads of echo and the sharp lead parts. You can hear how influential it was on that 2000s kind of garage revival. I bet the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hives, Raveonettes, Black Keys, White Stripes, Kills etc would all name it as an influence. I can also hear a bit of Nick Cave, particularly on Fever. Maybe not the best from a pure musical/technical point of view, but that’s not really the point. I thought this was great - rough, loose, direct, dynamic. Just what you want from this kind of album from this kind of band. ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

I Should Coco It’s interesting looking back at Britpop bands and albums from a 25-30 year distance. While I still like bands like Cast, who were solidly in the middle of the pack, there are a few bands who were part of it all but were in hindsight a bit different and more interesting than the rest of those bands. Supergrass are definitely one of them. That may in part be because we know where their career went after this, as they escaped the clutches of the Britpop bucket and went into various different directions. But listening to this I think you can clearly hear they had something that set them apart, whether that be a more diverse set of influences outside of the run of the mill 60s sounds people were trying to emulate, a heightened melodic sensibility or a slightly different perspective on lyrical subject matter. The playing is also a real point of difference: Exuberant, energetic, playful, fun and with a swing and suppleness that is in contrast to a lot of their contempories. The keyboard and piano also are excellent, again setting them slightly apart. Aside from the pure exiting pop of Alright, Caught by the Fuzz and Strange Ones, songs like Time and Sofa of My Lethargy show a maturity way beyond their years. And overall, the songs are consistently great, I can’t really think of any duffers apart from possibly We’re not Supposed to, and even that whizzes past in such a flurry it doesn’t really matter. I think it has to be a 5. It may not be a Sgt Pepper a Rumours or a K but it’s a fantastically thrilling album of rocky punky poppy music. Maybe it’s nostalgia and familiarity but for this type of album I don’t think you can get much better.
It's mad that they were 18 when they recorded this. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

The Clash I haven’t listened to this for a long time. I had it on CD, but I think I had the US version with the different track listing. Some of those additions were great, like White Man in Hammersmith Palais and I Fought the Law, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like an album the way he original UK version does. The first 6 songs are fantastic, Janie Jones, I’m So Bored with the USA, White Riot and What’s My Name in particular. Deny isn’t great, there’s not much interesting happening musically or lyrically. It picks back up with Career Opportunities, dipping again with Cheat and Protex Blue before Police & Thieves, 48 Hours and Garageland end things back on a high. It’s similar to I Should Coco in its exciting dynamic exuberance, everything going past at a breakneck speed. And similar to Supergrass they had an audible set of influences that pushed them beyond the majority of their peers, those rockabilly and reggae elements in particular. Having a songwriting duo as talented as Strummer and Jones and having an arranger and musician as interesting as Jones was also a big point of difference as well. Although Simonon’s bass playing was relatively rudimentary on this he really drives the songs forward, and you can hear echoes of what his playing would evolve into when Topper Headon joined. Listening to this really reminded me why I loved the Clash and has sent me down a Clash wormhole for the first time in ages. It is a great album, and a great punk album, even if many of the songs aren’t actually what you might think of as punk from 45 years remove. There probably aren’t many of the first round of punk albums that can match this, along with Never Mind the Bollocks. Perhaps musically and song-wise it’s closer to a 4 but culturally and historically it’s certainly a 5, so it pretty much is dead on between a 4 and a 5. London Calling will definitely be a 5, so should this be a 4, or should I just round up because The Clash are great - Should I 4 or Should I 5? Sod it, a snotty two fingered 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Tarkus I liked the pomposity of the Tarkus suite, even if musically I wasn’t as keen on it. The organ jumping around constantly is a bit irritating after a while. I did like the last part, Aquatrakus for its children’s tv show silliness, more so as it clearly was all meant in earnest. The thing that keeps repeating with a lot of these prog rock concepts is that the stories and concepts really aren’t good at all, often incredibly naive and simplistic but dressed up with some pseudo fantastical nonsense to try and impart a sense of artistic heft. In this case an armadillo/tank called Tarkus. Jeremy Bender is quite fun in a baroque pop kind of way. Bitches Crystal is a good title but quite a boring song. Too much church organ vibes. I like the harpsichord like piano on The Only Way, but not so much the melody or lyrics. Are You Ready Eddie is a bit of an unconvincing rock n roll song marred even more by the silly piano flourishes. Strangely I found although most of the songs on the 2nd side are around 3 minutes they felt longer than the Tarkus Suite. I think how I feel about a lot of these prog albums depends on my mood on the day, sometimes they’re fun and silly and then sometimes they’re a drag. This fell into the latter camp for me, despite liking some parts and the ridiculousness of the Tarkus suite. The organ/keys/piano also got on my tits by side two. Way too much like improvised parping jazz trumpet for my taste. I get the skill but when demonstrating the skill seems to be the entire point it gets dull pretty quickly. I definitely preferred Yes and Jethro Tull. I’ll stick to I believe in Father Christmas. ⭐️⭐️

So Much for the City First thing that struck me was his singing accent, the weirdly exaggerated rotic sounds. Actually quite off putting. Santa Cruz is a pretty nice bit of west coast countrified pop with nice harmonies. Big Sur is a superior version of the same thing. One Horse Town is very good, a nice melody with some great little hooks and moments. The highlight for me. I liked Say it ain’t So too. However the 3 or so good songs, and the harmonies and country touches can’t quite cover up that this is a bit boring. Plenty of MOR is great, well written and well structured pop music and some MOR is dull, where you feel the only ambition was to write something inoffensive and nice. This definitely feels too much in the latter camp to me. Songs like Big Sur and One Horse Town are clearly superior, but the rest never quite lifts off or gets out of the ‘nice’ zone, mainly as the melodies aren’t that strong, and I get a sense of them cosplaying being west coast country pop band, which is probably why the playing lacks a bit of swing and dynamism for me. It’s somewhere between a 2 and 3 but the more I listened the more shallow and ersatz this started to feel. Perhaps it’s the earnestness in recreating a type of music so faithfully that it becomes a bit insipid. I don’t have any issue with anyone from anywhere playing any type of music from anywhere, but there just seems something a bit unreal about a lot of this, almost like it’s AI. All the elements have been inputted but the output is slightly off in an undefinable way. ⭐️⭐️

Imagine Imagine is again one of those overfamiliar songs, but I haven’t reached acceptance with it just yet in the way I have with some others. As a teenager I loved it but I’m just not sure I like it all that much. Nothing to do with the lyric which I think is good, and all the criticism and accusations of hypocrisy miss the point I feel, but something about the melody and piano I’m not sure about. I’ve always enjoyed Crippled Inside’s honky tonk tick tack country style, even though it probably leans a bit too far into pastiche at times and diffuses the directness of the lyrics a bit. Jealous Guy really is great, always been a favourite. Arrangement wise its similar to Imagine but works as a kind of antidote. It’s so Hard - I’ve never quite been sure about the sax on this, kind of feels a bit out of place, even though I do like the bluesy groove and that string part is excellent. Definitely a grower of a song over time. I Don’t Want to be a Soldier - Love George’s slide on this. Great groove and nice bass sound on the descending bits between verses, but George’s guitar really elevates this. Can hear quite a bit of the Stones version of Sister Morphine, which was recorded before this but not released until this was being recorded. It must have been an influence in some way. Gimme Some Truth - superb, superb superb, great song. Again George’s slide is fantastic. Probably the song that suffers most from Spector’s ‘muddy’ production. Oh My Love - a very nice song and another grower over time. How Do You Sleep - I really do love this, up there with Lennon’s best solo songs. The groove, riff and the historical interest of the lyrics. How? - Never noticed until today the echoes and similarities to The Long and Winding Road. In general I think this one has always passed me by a bit, but I really really liked it listening to it today. Superb vocal and some great little melodic hooks and moments. Oh Yoko! - another one of my fav Lennon songs. Immediately infectious and joyous but with a slightly melancholy undertow. There’s an simultaneous directness and indirectness, closeness distance to it that I love, like he’s singing to her but she’s not there, as though he can’t find her. 
This is a great album with some great songs, but it just sits that one rung below POB for me, somewhere between a 4 and a 5. It’s maybe more of a 4 than a 5 in reality, but as there is limited amounts of Lennon music and some the tracks on here are among his very best its very tricky, but the fact that it’s Lennon means a casting vote to take it to 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Franz Ferdinand ‘Michael you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore’ I was interested to listen to this again after not having listened to it since the heady days of 04-06. I did listen to it a lot back then but aside from the big singles I can’t remember much of it. I do like the template of chugging rhythm guitar and driving bass with catchy riffs, but it isn’t always successful, ranging from great (Take Me Out) to very good (Matinee, Darts of Pleasure, Michael) to the most of the rest, which is fine but ultimately a bit repetitive and somewhat forgettable. There are some little additions of texture, the piano/organ on Auf Achse and the melodica on 40’. I wish there was a little more of that throughout, just to add a little more interest and colour. Jacqueline - establishes the template, but on repeat listens one of the weaker tracks. Tell Her Tonight - Again one of the weaker tracks, I didn’t like this one much actually
Take Me Out - This still stands up as a great great indie rock pop song and does tower above the rest of the album.
The Dark of the Matinee - This has stood up well too, a good indie pop song. Aug Achse - I like the piano/organ here, it adds a slightly different texture which is nice, although I’m not as keen on the song in general
Cheating on you - this is pretty forgettable and another of the weaker tracks. This Fire - Strays a bit close to Take Me Out for me
Darts of Pleasure - Another strong track, despite the overly affected German at the end.
Michael - I’ve always liked this one, it’s barely controlled frenzy works well with the lyric and in comparison to some of the studied weaker songs on the rest of the album.
Come on Home & 40’ - some nice moments but they both passed me by, I struggled to distinguish them despite listening to the album 3 times in a row.

Overall it’s fine indie pop music, there’s no stinkers, but aside from one great song and a few other good ones it does feel a bit samey and limited. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm ‘If you need em I got crazy prophylactics’ 
Strangely I’ve not listened to this album. I love The Low End Theory and I listen to Midnight Marauders and Beats, Rhymes and Life pretty frequently, so it’s odd I haven’t given this a go, especially as it has three of their best know songs, Can I Kick It, I Left My Wallet in El Segundo and Bonita Applebaum. Those three songs remain excellent. Can I Kick It is ubiquitous but is a great song with a great sample. Push it Along, Luck of Lucien, Youthful Expression and Mr Muhammed also stood out. This is a very good record though, all the elements that make ATCQ great: excellent use of sampling, great hooks, loose jazzy beats that sound almost live, Q-Tip’s delivery and an overall laid back atmosphere. It sounds great too, with a nice depth to it sonically. Overall a very very enjoyable 4, might get up to a 5 with more listens. ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Tigermilk I like the song The Boy with the Arab Strap but have never given B&S a proper go, I’ve always thought of them as having too much of a studied winsomeness and tweeness. However I’m wrong to think that - this is great! His voice does take a bit of getting used to but once you get beyond that this really opens up. There’s A LOT of Nick Drake in here, not just vocally but melodically, and some of the arrangements are very Bryter Later. That’s not a bad thing. There is also a bit more bite than I expected, both in the wryness of the lyrics and also some of the music, like the bass and guitar on You’re Just a Baby and the guitar outro on I Could be Dreaming. He has a real gift for melody and hooks as well, some lovely folky 60ish tunes and some very catchy instrumental moments. My Wandering Days are Over is a great example of this, a lovely vocal melody and very pretty trumpet and string arrangements. The State I’m In also, a lovely piano line, synth part and those little guitar moments. And the guitar xylophone and piano on I Don’t Love Anyone. Electronic Renaissance is a bit of a misstep, it’s not wholly convincing although you might argue it kind of works in a wonky homemade way. I also wasn’t as keen on She’s Losing It either, I think that just tipped over into slightly too twee. Overall though I thoroughly enjoyed this, it’s influences (Nick Drake, Donovan in particular) are clear but it’s all so well constructed, and with the sardonic lyrics it elevates its substantially from mere pastiche. Definitely going to listen to more of their stuff. ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Songs From the Big Chair Simple Minds, Tears for Fears, Simple Minds, Tears for Fears. They have always been pretty interchangeable. Rightly or wrongly thye live in the same big echoey 80s drum pop rock bucket in my mind - I sometimes have to stop and think which band sang Don’t You Forget About Me, Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Alive & Kicking and Seeds of Love.

Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World are rightly ubiquitous, they are both well crafted ‘big’ sounding 80s classics. EWTRTW in particular is great and still sounds good. The Working Hour also sounds big and 80s but not in a good way. That AO jazzy sax does not sound good and melodically it feels very strained. Mother’s Talk I wasn’t keen on either, the slightly frantic and slightly jazzy synth in combination with the brass and guitar isn’t a particularly pleasant sound.
I Believe feels like a second rate Style Council knock off. I can imagine Sade rejecting this for being too insipid and dull.
Broken perks things up a bit, a bit of drive to it and no overt jazziness, segueing nicely in Head over Heels, which is another bit of classic 80s pop rock. Listen is ok, some of the backing vocals, synth and guitar elements as it builds are quite nice but there’s more of that dull jazziness to it, giving a slight sense of inertia. Generally I’m a fan of a lot of these types of 80s bands, songs and sounds but aside from Shout, EWTRTW and Head over Heels I didn’t find this very enjoyable at all. There’s too much insipid jazz to it and I struggled with a lot of the melodies too. Maybe Don’t You Forget About Me is actually their best song. ⭐️⭐️

Electric Music for the Mind and Body I hunger for your porpoise mouth The only things I know of CJ&TF is their Woodstock Film appearance and that they were quite a big deal in the SF / Jefferson Airplane / psychedelic scene. I think because of the name I was expecting more of a basis country rock sound like the Flying Burrito Brothers, but with some far out 60s flourishes. Flying High is kind of forgettable blues rock, with a very odd and abrupt fade out. No So Sweet Martha Lorraine with the organ and time signature changes feels more like a psychedelic 60s song, I liked it, the bass was good and it had a bit of groove to it. Death Sound Blues. As per title. Quite like the rattlesnake death rattle tambourine and percussion, but not that exciting. Happiness Is a Porpoise Mouth - very psychedelic 60s compilation, not unenjoyable (LITOTES). It would go on a 60s psych playlist. I liked Section 43, very Doorsy organ, great bass in the opening section, good raga/Indian guitar. Another one for the psych playlist.
Superbird
Sad and Lonely Times is good, a lovely little slice of west coast country rock.
Love slightly generic sounding, but then I guess this probably was the progenitor of this type of 60s music, so can I truly be generic. Bass Strings. Quite liked this one The Masked Marauder. Despite repeat listens I can’t recall this song at all Grace. Fine Overall it’s fine for what it is, enjoyable enough, decent etc etc, but I find it hard to summon any particular opinions either way. I neither liked or disliked it ultimately. Maybe I preferred it to Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and I. Ron Butterfly but it’s really a 2.5. I’ll go 3 as I quite like the band name ⭐️⭐️⭐️

High Violet Listen one: I wasn’t in to this much. It’s the same song 11 times. Piano, nice drumming, lots of tom toms. Takes itself quite seriously. Not keen on the singer. Listen two: I enjoyed it a bit more, I started to notice a few moments that I really liked, although it still felt a bit monotonous. Listen three: I enjoyed it a bit more. A couple of songs stood out, Conversation 16 and England in particular. I liked the consistent atmosphere across the album. It’s obviously a record that needs a few listens and is a grower. However I can’t quite shake that feeling of self importance and that they have one way of doing a song. There are lots of lovely little moments throughout but for me that doesn’t quite make up for the repetitiveness in tempo, structure and arrangement. Even the drumming, which stood out on the first listen, started to feel a bit hollow, as if being used to disguise the slightly pedestrian nature of the songs. So I guess it comes down to how much you like The National song archetype. I can appreciate the craft and skill and there are some great touches throughout, and I definitely liked it the more I listened, but I don’t think I’m quite convinced by it or them and I’m not sure if I will actually dedicate the time for it ti grow on me. 2 feels a bit low for as it’s clearly not a terrible record so I’ll go 3:
 ⭐⭐⭐️

Parklife I don’t listen to this album as much as Blur, 13, Think Tank and The Magic Whip. Although I should because it is a fantastic album. Girls and Boys is a banger of an opener and because of its ubiquity and familiarity it’s easy to forget what genuinely fantastic bit of pop music it is. The same goes for Parklife. Never really noticed before but strings at the end of Tracy Jacks are very White Album. Great song. I kind of forget about End of a Century but what a song, full of great guitar moments. I love the horns, the waltzer organ and it’s a great chorus too. I’ve never been that keen on Bank Holiday, I like the lyric but not the song, although I was actually quite enjoying it today.
Badhead really is very lovely, a sweet melody and some lovely shimmering guitar and organ. Another great horn arrangement. I do like the Wurlitzer seaside organ in The Debt Collector and Lot 105 and that it keeps popping up on the album, like a cultural touchstone among the various everyday tales of Britain that form the bulk of the themes of the album. To the End, yet another lovely tune. For all the Girls and Boys and Bank Holidays there are 3 absolutely beautiful ‘ballads’ on Parklife; Badhead, To the End and This is a Low. This is a Low might actually be their best song, certainly in the top 5 for me Clive.

London Loves - structurally quite straightforward but its insistent bass and guitar are fantastic, a really great song. I’ve not always been keen on Trouble in the Message Centre but again listening today I really enjoyed it. Clover over Dover - I love this song, the guitar and piano/harpsichord combination is superb and I love the harmonies. A very melancholic lyric too. Magic America and Jubilee are a great one-two before the brilliant conclusiveness of This is a Low Obviously Blur predate Britpop but It’s interesting how prominent the bass is compared to a lot of the bands and the production style around at the time of Parklife - lots of noise and treble but very little melody or distinction in the bottom end. Knowing how eclectic and diverse their albums and solo projects were from Blur onwards it’s easy to overlook how unlike Britpop this album is. A bit like Supergrass in that there are more influences than just 60s classic rock. There’s obviously a lot of Kinks and a lot of Beatles (particularly the use of horns and strings) but there’s disco, punk, new wave and a lot of pop. Listening today I wonder if this might be their most concise and consistent album? Thematically the songs all sit together despite the stylistic variety and it’s an incredibly satisfying listen, brilliantly sequenced and I don’t think there is a weak song, even if Bank Holiday and Trouble in the Message Centre may not be as strong as some of the other tracks. I liked this back in the 90s but 30 years on I appreciate it even more, it really is a great, great album. Easy, can’t be anything but
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emergency on Planet Earth I’ve never listened to a Jamiroquai album. Back in the 90s I really hated them, even though I’d never really listened to their music. I think my 15 year old mind found it difficult to cope with anything that wasn’t white men with guitars playing rock music. Nowadays I do like Space Cowboy, Cosmic Girl, Virtual Insanity, Deeper Underground and Canned Heat whenever I hear them, but I have never felt compelled to try an album. If you are going to give them a try I suppose you would start with the first album. But then you’d listen to it and think that’s a mistake. If you take each musical element in isolation they are all good; skilled bass playing, great drumming and drum patterns, excellent string and horn arrangements. Keys and guitars also good. The didgeridoo is a bit of an affectation but it’s fine. The arrangements are also very nicely layered. But then when you put them together it so much of it becomes the worst kind of Brand New Heavies style acid jazz - boring, tuneless, insipid, dull, tedious, uninspiring. The only one that manages to escape into being a kind of fun danceable tune is Whatever it is, I Just Can’t Stop. And then the lyrics are godawful immature self important nonsense. Cringe, as the kids would say. Clearly they have a lot of love for the music that inspired them, but in trying to recreate those sounds and instrumentation it comes across as a boring, ersatz, empty, hollow facsimile of 70s soul and jazz. I think I might prefer the next couple of albums as they seem to lose some of the acid jazz styles and lean more into soul and disco. But I’m unlikely to actually bother. And I shan’t be listening to this again.
 ⭐⭐️

Mothership Connection I’m fairly familiar with Mothership Connection although I don’t listen to it that often.

I love the concept of this album, and the whole Parliament/Funkadelic ethos/philosophy/universe. P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up). Great opener, like the spoken word, introduces the brilliant but loopy concept. Love the Rachmaninov style piano in the outro. Mothership Connection (Star Child) carries it on with another banger. Unfunky UFO, Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication and Handcuffs aren’t perhaps as strong as those first two songs but they are still very good, Unfunky UFO in particular is white overbite dancing good. Shades of Sex & Drugs & Rock’n’Roll in the piano in Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication. And then Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker). Absolute all time classic banger. Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples is a great title and a nice farty way to round things out, even if the song isn’t as strong as the title.

There’s just the right blend of funk, disco, soul and jazz, the jazzy bits don’t intrude on the songs. The playing is superb. Bootsy Collins bass is so good, a great tone and simultaneously melodic and percussive, and is great in tandem with the drums. Brilliant horns too. Trying not to compare it to yesterday’s album as it’s just a quirk of the randomness but it’s night and day. This is fun, funny and excellent, yesterday was dull and wanky. So all in all this is a great listen, three absolute classics with the remainder very good if not quite as great as those three It’s somewhere between 4 and 5, I’ll go 4.
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Woodface ‘There goes God in his sexy pants and his sausage dog’ I’ve always slightly dismissed Crowded House as a bit 90s salesman in a Mondeo driving up and down the M1 tapping his fingers on the wheel to their latest album. However I have read a lot about them as pop classicists heavily influenced by the Beatles, and I do like the craftsmanship and tune of Weather with You, so I was quite looking forward to giving this a go and hoping for a nice jangly, pop-rock album of nice tunes and playing. First thing that stood out was that this sounded very 90s, very dated production wise. Lots of space, but without sounding very big. I think it sounds a bit cold, there’s not much warmth or intimacy to my ears. It’s got a very 90s adult rock bass sound, a bit 5 sting session player that I really dislike. I really didn’t like Chocolate Cake, the opening chords annoyed me for some reason although I thought the lyric was very good, very dry. It’s Only Natural, I like the riff and the verses, the chorus grates on me a bit - feels like a Sunday car journey with your parents. Fall at Your Feet is not bad either, but does have some of the same Sunday energy as It’s Only Natural. Weather with You - great song, it really does stand out, particularly after the slightly dull Tall Trees. Nice harmonies, great chorus and I like the riff. Whispers and Moans, I really don’t like the wah wah or the horns. Four Seasons in One Day is a nice song, I do like it but it does suffer from the sound of the album. There Goes God, Fame Is (the heavier rocking sound is pretty unconvincing) all the way to How Will You Go are pretty unremarkable, making the 2nd half of the album a bit nothingy. I do love the harmonies and the brothers’ vocal blend, they sound so good together in a way that only siblings do, a bit like the Everly Brothers. Despite that that though I’m not keen on the lead vocal sound. When they use slightly different instrumentation (eg strings on All I Ask or accordion on As Sure as I am) it tends to feel slightly hollow, maybe it’s the production but it sounds a bit half hearted and at arms length, not adding any layers or texture. It’s not quite as good as I was hoping, although there are some good tunes on it, a lot of it passed me by. By looking to be tasteful and pop classical it ends up being a bit too inoffensive and hotel lobby. I keep going on about it but I don’t think the sound and production help, and I did find a lot of it pretty bland and forgettable, particularly the 2nd half. The only saving graces are the vocal harmonies, they are uniformly excellent, and some of the lyrics, which are very wry and sardonic. 2 feels too low as it’s not terrible, so a solid middle of the road 3, mainly for the 2 or 3 good songs, the harmonies and some of the lyrics. ⭐⭐⭐️

Rubber Soul Hard to know what to write that we haven’t spoken about or has been written a million times by a million people. So, I’ve been trying to remember when I bought this album and memories of first hearing it. My parents had the 1987 CD release of Revolver which I pinched off them some time in 94/95. They also had the red and blue albums on vinyl, which I recorded onto cassettes for my walkman and my midi hifi system. Then the Anthology TV show at the end of 1995 sent my Beatle fandom into overdrive and I started to collect their albums. I had the Anthology 1 album when it came out, and I think had that before I had any other albums. I also had a little CD sized book going through all their albums song by song, so I had read about all their songs many many times before hearing them. I do remember getting Rubber Soul and talking about the song The Word with someone in my French A-Level class. I think it was summer, which would put it around May in 1996 or 1997, most likely from Virgin Records or HMV in Southampton (don't look for them, they're not there anymore). The red album had 6 songs from RS plus We Can Work it Out and Day Tripper and I think I might also have had Anthology 2 before RS, so I think it probably was May 97. I have very strong memories of buying The White Album and Sgt Pepper in HMV in Oxford Street in the summer of 96 in the middle of A-levels, (and reading the booklets and looking at the CDs on the train home, just desperate to be able to hear the songs I’d read about), and I think I would have bought those before Rubber Soul. 25+ years of accrued listening makes it hard to recall listening to it the first time, but I remember loving Think for Yourself and The Word when I got it, I think a lot to do with the bass, and in general the clear advances in sound, production, songs and lyrics from the pre Help era. I also thought about the line George says in Anthology about Rubber Soul and Revolver being part 1 and part 2 of the same album as not ringing true for me, (and although something like If I Needed Someone I could see on Revolver) but they are both very different. I think I remember liking I’m Looking Through You and You Won’t See Me as well. It still feels like a summer album, from buying it in the summer. I loved the cover too, I think 65/66 might be their best look, grown out Beatle cuts and cool jackets and sunglasses. I love the photos from the RS and Revolver recording sessions. Like all their albums this has bought me so much joy over the years, and one of the beauties of Beatles albums is that you get into different songs and albums at different times. I was listening to RS a lot in February this year as I had a mini obsession with If I Needed Someone, I just kept wanting to hear it. It’s also tricky to pick out individual songs as I love them all, but there are moments across the whole album that I love and still surprise and delight me, despite how famous, obvious or well know they are. The bass and piano on Drive My Car, the sitar and guitar doubled on Norwegian Wood, the skittish hi hat and fills on You Won’t See Me, vocal harmonies on Nowhere Man, the fuzz bass on Think For Yourself, the bass on The Word, the Gallic touches on Michelle, the jauntiness of What Goes On, the mysteriousness of Girl, the breakdown after ‘You’re not the same!’ on I’m Looking Through you (Ringo plays the Hammond on this!), Ringo’s grandfather clock drumming on In My Life, the upbeat plaintiveness of Wait, the whole of If I Needed Someone. I even like Run for Your Life despite it clearly being the weakest track and feeling like a bit of a throwback to BFS or Help George’s guitar work is great, as usual serving the songs perfectly with little ostentatiousness, but Ringo’s drumming and Paul’s bass are really the stars (after the quality of the songs of course). There’s a bit of debate, but I’m pretty sure his is when Paul started using the Rickenbacker in the studio and probably when they recorded it directly into the mixing desk. It must be the Ric, as the bass is so much clearer in the mix and it sounds very different than previous albums. I think he’s also talked about the Ric and direct injection allowing him to write more melodic bass lines now that they could be heard and that would track with some absolutely superb lines and playing on here. As with all their albums its also brilliantly sequenced, I don't think the track order could be bettered. The brilliance of George Martin (and Norman Smith) is also clear on here, if anyone needed any more proof. I know we have had numerous remasters of Beatles records but just listen to nearly any other album by any of their contemporaries in 1965. Kinda Kinks, The Kink Kontroversy, Rolling Stones No. 2, Out of Our Heads, My Generation - all great albums but the difference in production quality and sound is remarkable. I'd be interested if Giles Martin does Rubber Soul as the demix and remix this year. Obviously there were new mixes of the songs on the red album (plus If I Needed Someone) last year so it would make sense to do the rest of the songs too. Plus there must be some good extra stuff in the vault from the sessions. Of course it’s a 5. Probably still behind Revolver, Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road and the White Album for me but even their 5th best (or 6th or 7th etc) album is better than the best album by nearly any other band or artist.
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Psychocandy I am a fan of this album, but I can see why it might be a bit marmite, they have a template and they work some variation around the edges, occasionally speeding things up, but there’s no doubting the songs are cut from similar cloth. But I like that cloth a lot. Phil Spector/girl group/bubblegum pop drum foundation, Velvet Underground tempos and drone, Stooges guitar, a slowed down punk noise and sensibility, lots of feedback, some Beach Boys melodies and then some 50s echoey fraternal harmonies. Mix those threads up in a garment gumbo and, to my ears, you have a tasty outfit. What I also like is that this is one of those albums where you can simultaneously hear both the influences and who they influenced. Just Like Heaven, have always loved it, a great tune, their best version of their song, but there are other highlights, The Hardest Walk, Cut Dead, Taste of Cindy, Never Understand, Inside Me, My Little Underground, Somethings Wrong, It’s Do Hard. Actually that’s nearly every song. Some Candy Talking is probably their second best song, really very good. So it comes down to whether you like their template or not. As you can tell I think it’s great, so it’s an easy 4 for me. I’m tempted to go 5, but Rubber Soul’s excellence is casting a bit of a shadow today. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jagged Little Pill _I’m consumed by the chill of solitary_ At nearly 30 years remove I have developed a bit of a soft spot for You Oughta Know, Hand in my Pocket and Head over Feet. Ironic I’m still not sure about but I was interested to give this a listen to see if there were some more catchy pop rock tunes. There are two issues though here: her singing and the cheesy production. The overall sound, arrangements, and the guitar in particular, are very bland. I do like a bit of soft rock but this isn’t good, in that it thinks it hard edged but is actually very hammy. I really believe her sincerity in sharing her emotional tumult, but the humdrum and inoffensive music really pulls the rug from underneath her. She does have a good voice and it can be very sweet, and I don’t even mind some of her trademark vocal affectations but she over sings fucking everything. Forgiven is the worst of both these worlds, turgid music and 5 minutes of incessant wailing. It’s genuinely hard to listen to. There is some restraint in Mary Jane and as a result the pleasing little melody gets some room to breathe and it’s quite a nice tune. YOK, HIMP and HOF clearly stand out with All I Really Want too in the same fun pop rock vein and Mary Jane as welcome pared back tune. You Learn and Ironic the best of the rest, which is all pretty ordinary filler drowned in overwrought wailing. It’s between a 2 and 3, I’ll go 3 for the 3 or 4 songs I do like and also that I appreciate her emotional soul bearing and she seems a good egg all round. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Back to Black Rehab and Back to Black are absolute bangers, modern classics.
You Know I’m No Good, Love is a Losing game and Tears Dry on their Own are also superb tracks. Great lyrics, great songs. Tears Dry on their Own & Love is a Losing Game are also great. Me & Mr Jones and Just Friends aren’t as strong for me, the melodies never quite lift off and they do stand out as a little weaker than the rest of the songs on the album. Wake Up Alone is a real grower, it has all those 50s elements, the doo wop chord sequence, guitar accents and backing vocals. Some Unholy War. Love the guitar triplets (?), the drum sound and bass driving the song. Very good. He Can Only Hold Her. Also brilliant, love the horn arrangements and intertwined backing vocals. Addicted. Brilliant 50s sound, again the brass and backing vocals are superb. Would think this is Ronson, but it’s Remi. Excellent. It holds together as one thing very well considering it’s half produced by Ronson and half by Salaam Remi. Ronson really is very skilled at recreating certain sounds and eras. It doesn’t always work, occasionally falling into pastiche, but on here he is great. He manages to evoke songs and time periods without nicking wholesale, often landing in that satisfying uncanny valley of familiar and new. It’s hard to avoid comparisons with Jagged Little Pill as it only came up yesterday (and it is a bit reductive to do so, and I don’t want to be dismissive of Alanis as an angry woman), but Amy’s confessional and honest lyrics are so good, very funny but very real and authentic, with loads of everyday details and observations that really pull you in. There’s anger and sadness but humour and resignation. They are colourful and vivid whereas Alanis’ are a bit flat and one note. Again I don’t want to diminish Alanis’ honesty and directness but Amy is in a different class. The production, the voice, the 50s/60s aesthetic, the right amount of jazziness, pop, doo wop and early rock ’n’ roll, five truly great songs with only a couple of weaker moments and a short but very sweet 35 mins make this a superb listen. Think I did 5 listens on the bounce the morning and a couple more this afternoon. It’s probably exactly a 4.5 but surely I must round up to 5, so I will. It’s a modern classic. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Superunkown Don’t know a great deal about Soundgarden, other than the singer is Chris Cornell and that Black Hole Sun is a great song. First thing I noticed that this came across as a much better version of Pearl Jam, the guitar playing is a bit looser and funkier behind the heavy distortion. Then I noticed that it is very samey. Black Hole Sun stands out and rightly endures, Spoonman is also very good. I also liked Half as a change of instrumentation and I also liked Like Suicide and My Wave. Aside from that I found it hard to distinguish the songs or remember what was what. I think they are good at what they do, and there are some very good guitar moments, but I couldn’t really get into it. Maybe if I was 15 or 16 when this came out in 93 I might have got into it, but it doesn’t quite do it for me in 2024. It’s also very long at 70 minutes, which didn’t help. I’m finding it hard to muster much for this review, as ultimately I feel pretty neutral about it. Not in a negative way but I’m struggling to find any particular feelings or opinions either way. It’s fine, I neither like nor dislike it, it’s neither my thing nor not my thing. Allowing for that I can see it’s a very good example of this type of album and Black Hole Sun is a banger so I’ll go for a straight down the middle 3. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

OK Computer Sweet sweet memories. Fountains Hall. Mmmm. Despite Radiohead being one of my favourite bands I don’t revisit this all that often. I absolutely love their albums from Kid A onwards, and if I fancy a bit of Radiohead I tend to gravitate to A Moon Shaped Pool, Kid A, In Rainbows or King of Limbs. Those then often lead me on to The Eraser and the Atoms for Peace album. And then there’s The Smile, I love both their albums. That’s not to denigrate this album at all, as it is, of course, absolutely superb, without a weak track or moment. It’s undoubtedly a classic, and listening today makes me think I really should listen to it more often. When it came out, it felt like a real leap forward from The Bends (which is also obviously a huge step forward from Pablo Honey), taking that also brilliant album and building out into more experimental and atmospheric sounds and songwriting. Looking at it now in the wider context of their discography, it also signposted where they were going to go next, with a sense that they had exhausted their interest in the guitar being what the band and songs were based around. Things like Exit Music (For a Film) and Climbing up the Walls, although they have relatively standard instruementation, they have a rhythmic and atmospheric quality that wouldn’t be out of place on Kid A or Amnesiac. Fitter Happier also and The Tourist. There’s not much point going through song by song, as they are all without exception great, but my highlights are Airbag with its brilliant awkward riff, Let Down with it’s lovely poppy melody, Paranoid Android because its just fucking great. Electioneering and No Surprises also. In fact give me any of these songs. Love em all. It’s as easy a 5 as Rubber Soul. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Message ‘Turned stick-up kid, but look what you done did Got sent up for a eight-year bid Now your manhood is took and you're a Maytag Spend the next two years as a undercover fag Bein' used and abused to serve like hell Til one day, you was found hung dead in the cell’ Obviously The Message is a classic, not just in early hip hop but in music generally, but I wasn’t expecting much else from this. Not in a bad way, I just assumed that this would be interesting from a historical perspective but would be a mixed bag musically, aside from The Message. Perhaps a lot of filler and turn tabling but not much else. She’s Fresh is really good though. Not much rapping but musically a great bit of early hip hop party music, quite an 80s RnB sound but with a good beat. It’s Nasty (Genius of Love) is also an excellent bit of early rap. Great use of Tom Tom Club before ODB and Mariah. This is a strong start and much better than I was expecting. Scorpio is fun too but not as strong as the first two tracks. Quite Afrika Bambaataa in its electro space sounding vocoder. The drum machine sounds I like. It’s a Shame (Mt Airy Groove). I suppose they can’t call it anything else. Nice use of the sample though and some good scratching. I like it. Dreamin’ - what the fuck is this?! Not expecting this at all. You Are, more what the fuck? What’s happening? This is odd. Not because these two songs are bad, they are fine enough examples of early 80s soul and RnB, although they are perilously close to Sexual Chocolate territory (and if I heard Lonely Island sing them I wouldn’t be surprised), but it seems so strange that they would write and perform such conventionally structured songs. It doesn’t feel like an experiment in versatility and diversity more like we need two more tracks. And the spoken word bit about meeting Stevie is unintentionally very amusing. Maybe they are meant to be joke songs. Not sure. Just feels very strange The Message, aside from the lines above I always like the bit where he says ‘broke my sacroiliac’. Brilliant song, rightly a classic and a landmark song. I listened to the original UK release with The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel as the last track, rather than with the extra tracks, which is probably a good thing. TAOGFOTWOS is still a great track and brilliant but of musical history. I think it’s probably around 3 in terms of the music itself and that it doesn’t really feel like a ‘proper’ album. But as a historically significant musical landmark and as something so influential it’s a surely a 5. I don’t think I can give it a 5 though, and even a 4 feels a touch high. I could argue to myself that The Message and TAOGFOTWOS are worthwhile enough to push it to 4, but 3 feels about right. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

You’ve Come a Long Way Baby Oh the warm, warm piss of nostalgia on my face. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the album in its entirety but the singles are so seared into my memory. I can feel the red vinyl covers and the stickiness of the tables, I can smell the disinfectant and beer and I can see the tiny tv up in the corner of the Grey bar when I hear The Rockerfeller Skank. I can see us all standing around, waiting for the pool table and thinking about pizza. The big singles, Rockefeller Skank, Gangster Tripping, Right Here, Right Now still sound great, brilliant bits of pop music. Kind of Moby and DJ Shadow-esque in the samples they use, with Gangster Tripping even sampling DJ Shadow of course, but with a very pop party music attitude. The fact they still get used in TV, films and adverts 26 years later shows how strong they remain and how little they have dated. And then Praise You is just a genuinely brilliant song, irrespective of genre, and it rightly endures as a pop classic. Fucking in Heaven is fine but not as strong, the guitar part/sample/interpolation really does date it and it doesn’t really have a strong enough hook for me. Build it Up, Tear it Down and Kalifornia are fun and stronger musically and have good hooks, but Soul Surfing and You’re Not from Brighton are similar to Fucking in Heaven, fun enough but not at the heights of the other songs. Love Island is a good dance track and Acid 8000 is a fun in a squelchy way. It feels like there are 3 tiers to the album: Great - RHRN, TRS, GT, Praise You; Good but not as good - BIUTID, Kalifornia, Love Island, Acid 800 and fine but a bit fillery - FIH, SS, YNFB. Obviously the whole genre is based around repetition and groove, but I suppose Fatboy Slims take on it is to put that together with sampling and making it very accessible and poppy, and it works really well for the most part, but some hooks are better than others and you can’t help thinking the album format isn’t the best for this - you kind of want to hear them at a party, in a bar, club, pub at a festival. All places I frequent on the reg these days. It also suffers from a bit of bloat, each track is long and the whole album at just over an hour feels lengthy. Some judicious editing of tracks or just losing a couple of tracks altogether to get to 45-50 mins would be good. As an album I’m not sure it really works but then again that’s not the point. But it does have some truly great tracks and within the genre each song has it’s merits, you’d be happy to hear any of them on a night out. It’s one of those albums I’m glad to have a listen to, but ultimately it’s a ‘pick your best songs for a playlist and then probably never listen to again album’. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Clound Nine I do like The Temptations psychedelic soul period, after David Ruffin left. Like everyone I love their earlier ‘classic’ stuff but I was interested to hear this in full as I only know Clould Nine and Run Away Child, Running Wild. I love the excellent Cloud Nine, a brilliant bit of psychedelic pop soul. Running Away Child, Running Wild is also great, in that similar vein as Cloud Nine, Papa was a Rollin’ Stone, Psychedelic Shack, Ball of Confusion. Quite a simple electric piano riff, great bass and drums and nice guitar accents. Along with Sly and the Family Stone this really laid the groundwork for Funk and the Parliament-Funkadelic albums in the 70s. I think George Clinton worked at Motown so I’m pretty sure would have been around the Temptations and would likely have played on some of their songs. I’m Not as keen on their version of I Heard it Through the Grapevine, obviously Marvin’s is the definitive version but I don’t think the riff on piano works, and they style in which they’ve done it makes it sound quite lounge. The second side is almost like a completely different album. I was expecting more 9 minutes psych soul jams, but it’s 7 tracks in the traditional style of the Temptations and Motown. Even if they may not be top tier Motown tracks they are still all superior examples of the type of throwaway pop music Motown seemed to casually toss off at the time. Excellent playing, (particularly bass and particularly bass on I Need Your Lovin’), great vocal group harmonies, sympathetic production make an extremely enjoyable listening experience, especially on my final listen through this rainy Sunday morning. The last 4 tracks from I Need Your Lovin’ to Gonna Keep Trying till I Win your Love I particularly enjoyed. Again even though they aren’t top tier Motown they give you those little dopamine hits of joy in a way not much else can. Overall it’s kind of tricky to rate as it seems like two psychedelic soul freak outs, a weird demo seeming version of I Heard I Through The Grapevine and then half a record of classic Temptation style tracks. The first side is clearly very influential and Cloud Nine is a truly great track, and then the second side is very enjoyable vocal soul. Three feels a bit low, it’s not quite a 4, but I’ll go 4 for Cloud Nine, the playing and the vocals. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Beach Boys Today! I’ve never really delved into the Beach Boys albums pre Pet Sounds, I kind of assumed due to the quantity of them and the duplicated songs on some of them that they would be musically all over the shop - much better to listen to a best of. This album confounded that idea though. Do You Wanna Dance, I’ve always loved this, it is a brilliantly joyful pop song. It wasn’t till I was reading after that I learned this was a cover. I love the hook at the start of each line being replicated in the chorus though, and the ‘hit’ of music and vocals and harmonies at the chorus is just a fantastic moment. I listened to the original out of curiosity and the BBs version really does lift what is quite a flat song. Good to my Baby feels a little early Beach Boys by numbers in comparison, as does Be Good to My Little Sister, although the drop in ‘why don’t you love her…’ part elevates it, a really lovely little melodic and harmonic moment. When I Grow Up to be a Man is really interesting, lyrically and thematically not standard fare for early 65 and you can see how this might have influenced (and been influenced by) John to write even more personally - In My Life followed not long after this. Help me Rhonda is a greatest hits staple that you can easily overlook, but it’s great, the modulating sound level into the chorus is great, and as you’d expect, brilliant harmonies. Dance, Dance, Dance is a bit of I Get Around clone, albeit a fun listen, and does feel a bit like the filler I was expecting. Please Let Me Wonder, however, feels very very different, with a tenderness and maturity standing in stark contrast to Dance, Dance, Dance. This clearly feels like a turning point, noticeably more interesting melodically and musically. The bass is great throughout and all the different instrumental hooks. Superb. I’m So Young sounds great too, but again I didn’t realise this was a cover until after. It is a nice tune and arrangement but isn’t massively different from the original and is a little bit filler-y. Kiss me, Baby, really beautiful and tender, similar to Please Let Me Wonder. I love the ‘up and downess’ of it, little peaks and troughs and a gorgeous sounding chorus. Lovely. She Knows Me Too Well, another beautiful and wistful song, but with a kind of fragile tension to it, a little bit of uncertainty thematically and musically. The jealousy theme also must have resonated with Lennon. In The Back of My Mind, what a song. Again this must have been hugely influential, with a lovely vocal. It’s really sad and has a loneliness to it, and melodically/harmonically it’s really interesting, a similar skill that the Beatles have in creating a musical feeling that matches or contests the lyrics. I really do like a lot of their albums post Pet Sounds, there are some absolute gems and a lot of brilliant stuff on Smiley Smile, Holland, Friends, 20/20, Wild Honey etc, but I’ve tended to struggle with Pet Sounds itself, finding it hard to get into, but I wonder if this might help, in the way that Help feeds into Rubber Soul and Rubber Soul into Revolver. I was really surprised how good this was versus my expectations, and that feeling of a change happening as you listen to the 2nd side, a branching out and a maturity. In terms of a score I think it’s a 4, just due to the unevenness and ‘throwbacknees’ of the 1st side, although the contrast between the surf pop and the introspection is pretty cool. It doesn’t feel as complete in the way Rubber Soul does - and I think we are comparing the Beach Boys to the Beatles here, holding them to a slightly higher standard than other groups of the time - so a 4 it is. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hunky Dory For a long time this was possibly my favourite Bowie album, although it has been superseded by others, and as a result I haven’t listened to this for quite a while. Of course it still is truly excellent. Despite on the surface being one of his most ‘conventional’ albums it really is full of odd little corners and strange/absorbing/literary/facist*/cryptic lyrics, all the while being carried by a cinematic musical momentum, whether folk, orchestral, music hall or guitar led rock. There are some fantastic strings and horns and brilliant arrangements and instrumentation. Also I only just made the connection that the producer, Ken Scott, is the same Ken Scott who was engineer for quite a few Beatles sessions.
*not really, he just mentions Himmler and homo superior a bit. I won’t necessarily go through song by song, as I genuinely like every one on here, but there are moments throughout that I love. The guitar in the intro of Eight Line Poem for example, or the Dr Who beeps on Andy Warhol and the acoustic guitar line intro. I like the music hall influences too, similar to Macca in that regard. And I’ve always loved the opening stanza of Oh! You Pretty Things. Also I took me a while to appreciate Quicksand, but it really is a superb song. I’ve also never noticed it before but the way he sings ‘still the days seem the same’ at 1.44 in Changes is very very Dylan. Life on Mars stood out today - not because I’m not aware of what an incredible song it is - but sometimes you hear something you’ve heard a thousand times in a slightly different way. Maybe it’s mood, what you are doing or how receptive your brain is but it just seems different and feels fresh. I suppose that’s the thing that separates the truly great artists (your Bowies, your Youngs, your Tamsin Archers, your Beatles, your Dylans) from the good, that the songs endure and evolve as time passes, you find moments or angles you never noticed before and it feels like a new song. It’s of course an easy 5. Not just a transformational album in his career but one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If he only ever released this album he would still be regarded as one of the greatest ever. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Clandestino I feel like I’ve been trapped on a canal boat with an 55 year old weirdo who hasn’t finished doing it up or hasn’t cleaned it in ages. It smells of BO and stale weed. All the cups and mugs are really tea stained. There is a bed but there are no sheets on it. However there is a duvet cover on the very thin duvet and a pillow case on the single pillow. The furniture is made from bits of fucked wood. I want to leave but he’s trapped me an intense conversation about being a common law freeman. ⭐️⭐️

Me Against the World 'I was raised in the city, shitty Ever since I was an itty bitty kitty Drinkin' liquor out my momma's titty' I’ve not really listened to 2pac much, aside from California Love, which I probably like more for the Dre production. I never really liked his delivery and the sense of aggression I perceived him to have (although I have to acknowledge that might be unconscious bias against the stereotypical angry black man on my part). However I’ve seen a few docs and read a bit about Hip Hop and him and it always seems like there’s much more to him than the perception of a a violent gangsta rapper. His background and life story are pretty interesting, a lot conflictions and contradictions, so I was interested to listen to this. I suppose there are two or three things to listen out for with a lot of hip hop albums, the production and the rapping style and lyrics. Production-wise, I’m not so keen on some of the drum sounds, but I do like the west coast tempo and the construction of the beats themselves. And in general I do like the g-funk sound, with that whistley keyboard (?) sound in the background, as on Lord Knows, and the 70s soul guitar and string sounds. Some of the backing vocals and vocal hooks I really don’t like though, particularly the male vocals on Young N-z and the female vocals on Can U Get Away. There are also some great samples, eg Walk on By on If I Die 2Nite and Stevie on So Many Tears. Lyrically while on the surface there’s a fair bit of N words, drugs and violence, for me isn’t necessarily a simple glorification of those things - similar to Nas it feels more like reportage of what he’s actually seen and done. And Songs like Dear Mama and Can U Get Away are quite unusual set against the pervasive misogyny of a lot of the other rap around at the time. And overall there just seems to be a resignation, sadness and bleakness about it all. Even Intro, which could be seen as braggadocio about being shot and checking out of hospital feels more like an attempt to acknowledge some kind of trauma to me and it’s striking how often he undercuts and questions the violence, the assumptions and hopelessness of what he experienced, particularlly on Death Around the Corner and Outlaw. That’s not to say there’s no stereotypical guns’n’hoes stuff on here but it’s less frequent than the more considered and thoughtful stuff. I also started to appreciate his delivery more after this, he does have a unique style but some of his rhymes and wordplay are great. There is also something faintly Dylanesque with his cadence, the way he delivers Me Against the World and some of Dear Mama for eg. Reading a bit more about his career he seemed to embrace a more overtly gangsta stance and style after this album, becoming almost a caricature of the West Coast Thug Life rapper. I guess that might overshadow this album or paint it in the same light, but I don’t think that would be fair, as it seems to me there is a lot of depth lyrically and thematically to this. I’m by no means a hip hop aficionado, and obviously his experience is so far removed from my own experiences but I really liked this album and found it really interesting. Even if some of the production elements I wasn’t as keen on I enjoyed the sound overall, and the lyrics and delivery are worth repeat listens - there is a lot of density to it and getting beyond my initial perceptions of him being a gangsta rapper and aggression I got a lot out of it. I’m definitely going to give the albums before this a listen and may give All Eyez on Me a listen too, for a bit more context. It’s probably between around a 3.5 but I’ll round up to 4 as I was surprised how much I got from this and I’m sure I’ll be revisiting it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Coles Corner I like Richard Hawley, and I really love the track Time Is from Further, but I’m not that familiar with a lot of his oeuvre, including this one, although I am aware of it. Coles Corner is not a promising start at all, pretty anaemic and very Bridget Jones soundtrack. Just Like the Rain and Hotel Room are better but only marginally, (although I did warm a bit more to Just Like the Rain on the 2nd and 3rd listen) Darlin wait for me is really rather lovely though, more what I was expecting. The Ocean is very nice too, the circular strings arrangement is very evocative. Born Under a Bad Sign I wasn’t as keen on, again drifting a bit close to the line of inspipidity I Sleep Alone is great, and again more in line with what I was expecting. Love his voice on it. Tonight I also liked a lot, lyrically and musically, particularly the lead guitar sound and the string motif. I also really like the Sun Studios slapback echo production style and Johnny Cash-ness on (Wading Through) The Waters of my Time. Who’s Going to Shoe your Pretty Feet and Last Orders passed me by a little bit, they felt like interesting musical ideas that don’t quite reach fruition. I get the impression that he’s finding his style with this, working out how to combine his influences (Morrisey, Johnny Cash, Rockabilly, Country, Crooners) into something more unique and representative of him. I also definitely prefer his voice on his recent albums where it’s a bit rougher round the edges, a bit careworn with a more lived in feel to it. Overall it’s a bit of a mixed bag for me. There are some really lovely songs, and maybe it suffers from high expectations, but there’s a bit of a pervasive sense of Radio 2 to much of the rest of it, a sense that if this was a Chris Rea or Mark Knopfler album it would likely be dismissed as bland and middle of the road. However those good songs and interesting moments do elevate it, and even if I wasn’t already aware of him I would be intrigued to delve into his catalogue and find out more about him. I’ll go 3, that maybe low but I think I’m holding him to high standards. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Ps I think Paul might mention his train journey at dusk playlist in his review)

Fear of Music I love Talking Heads and I love this album, although it’s probably in the 2nd tier of their stuff for me. It’s probably the hardest to get into melodically but I love the rhythms on it and its overall atmosphere and sound. Eno’s fingerprints are all over it, adding texture and texture electronic gurgles and noises. Love the cover too. I Zimbra is one of my favourite songs on the album, with that Tina Weymouths bass, the shuffling beat and the African style guitar. Mind has its moments, including the guitar at the back end but it never quite feels like it quite comes together. I really like Paper, great guitar and bass and I love whatever David Byrne is barking on about. Kind of nice synthesis of Television and the disco-ish dance beat they play with. Cities is great too, quite a simple piano riff but I love the words. Life During Wartime is probably the strongest song on the album and is a great example of their combination of angularity, jerky rhythms and catchiness. Excellent. Despite the ominous bass and overall tone of Memories Can’t Wait it’s not one of my highlights. Air is great though, kind of funny lyric about breathing being bad but I love some of the little melodic runs before they veer off into odd directions. Heaven is superb too, the most conventional song on the album, with a noticeable air of sadness and melancholy. The ‘nuts and berries’ bit of Animals is great, but I’m not a fan of the rest of the song. Electric Guitar is fine, similar to Air in its unexpected melodic moments but not necessarily the strongest. And the. Drugs is fantastic, up there with Life During Wartime as a stand out track. Simple and insistent, atmospheric and oddly melodic, it really gets under your skin. For a lot of contemporaneous bands and a lot of bands in general this would be a 5, but for Talking Heads I’ll go a 4. That feels a bit low considering other albums I’ve given 5 to, but I think I’m judging them to a higher standard (a bit like Richard Hawley actually). There are some great tracks and in terms of ambition it is a step forward from More Songs About Buildings and Food, but it doesn’t feel as coherent and as rounded as Remain in Light, or my favourite, Speaking in Tongues. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Seldom Seen Kid I’ve always struggled a bit with Elbow. I bought their first album when it came out as there was a lot of hype, but I couldn’t get on with it despite trying, ultimately finding them a bit dull. I did however like Grounds for Divorce when it came out and it still sounds great, a lovely bit of slightly off kilter pop/rock. One Day Like This has been absolutely BBC’d to death, and despite it being a well crafted and catchy bit of music, I’m just not ready to embrace it yet. Starling is nice, with some nice little touches and I liked Mirrorball a lot. I loved the horns on Weather to Fly, the brass band feel kind of reminds me of When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease any Roy Harper. The Fix is also great, the carnival organ and our old friend Richard Hawley lends a very pleasing gravity to it. A very nice song. A lot of the rest of it however passed me by a bit, kind of merging in to one slightly pedestrian one-tempo slog. There is undoubtedly a lot of sincerity, craft and skill to it, but much of that craft does feel too deliberate and too confected on occasion - too much perspiration rather than inspiration. though, , but I can’t quite shake a feeling of ambivalence. There are lovely moments sprinkled throughout, and Guy Garvey writes some very good lyrics, but overall it does get a bit plodding. I know it’s not necessarily what they are aiming at but I did wish there was a bit more energy or excitement to it I definitely didn’t dislike it, there is a lot to admire, and they know how to do what they do really well, but in the end it doesn’t quite resonate with me beyond the 4 or 5 songs above. As I’m unlikely to listen again it could be a 2, but that does feel a bit low for the craft on here so I’ll go 3. ⭐⭐⭐️

Bryter Later It’s pleasing that by the end of this we have will have had all three of Nick Drake’s albums in chronological order. Bryter Later is sometimes my favourite of the three but they all swap around depending on the day. And obviously they are all 5 star albums. I won’t go through track by track, each one is a little gem of beauty, but my highlights are always Hazey Jane II, One of These Things First, Fly and Northern Sky, which is probably my best ND song.

I enjoyed reading a bit about the album today and how he wanted to evoke Pet Sounds with the instrumentation. I can kind of see that, although obviously it sounds very different but I can see the common threads. Also I never realised that John Cale and Fairport Convention played on it. I must have read that on the CD liner notes but I don’t remember that at all. I do really like the arrangements and overall sounds of this, particularly in contrast to the pared back Pink Moon and the kind of in-between FLL. Although they does walk a fine line between pretty and MOR, the strings and horns I think are great, and the playing is also very good. It would be quite easy for that also to slip into slight schmaltzy-ness, but it doesn’t, keeping things relatively simple and straight. Along with the strings and horns, the playing really enhances the gentle, bucolic atmosphere. It really is a very lovely listen. So, obviously a 5 for me Greengrass ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Violent Femmes Blister in the Sun is another Durham memory trigger, watching Gross Pointe Blank on VHS and listening to the soundtrack. Clearly the standout track on here, a great song. Is it about wanking? I never felt like it was to me. They have a distinctive sound with the acoustic bass being almost the lead melodic instrument and the no frills drumming. It does give each song a very similar sound and feel, but after a few listens I realised I really liked that sound and their style. A kind of wonky slightly off kilter jittery indie pinkish pop that I found very endearing. I think they must get a lot of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers comparisons as there are a lot of commonalities; unexpected slightly caustic lyrics: a punk sensibility but on acoustic instruments and an overall very singular style. And I presume they were very influential, especially on the 80s and 90s US lo-fi stuff. Kiss Off I liked, echoes of Solitary Man in the intro and Please Do Not Go too, even if on first listen it sounds like it might be a rewrite of Blister in the Sun. Add it Up has more than a hint of One by One by Foo Fighters. I like its energy and its build towards the end. Confessions is a nice change of pace until the last minute or so, I do like the chaotic ending. Prove My Love is probably the 2nd best song behind Blister in the Sun, as another great bit of catchy indie pop. Really enjoyable. Promise is a bit Prove My Love part 2 without being as good although I do like the musical hook. To the Kill I liked a lot on repeated listens, has a kind of insistent groove to the music and like the melody of the chorus. Gone Daddy Gone is a bit of a re-has of Add it Up, although I liked the xylophone as a slight differentiator. Good Feeling I really liked, I really enjoyed the wonky sweetness of it and the fiddle is a nice addition. Overall I really enjoyed this. On first listen it felt quite samey but I really got into it on repeat listens and a few songs really stood out, Add it Up, Confessions, Prove My Love, To the Kill and Good Feeling, along with Blister in the Sun. In terms of a rating I’m stuck between a 3 and a 4, but I think I’ll tip over into 4, mainly as I enjoyed it for it’s offbeat energy and distinctiveness, and that I’m certain it will be a grower as I’m definitely going to revisit it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Autobahn I do love this album although in totality it’s not quite on the same consistent level as Trans Europe Express or The Man Machine for me. But then the title track is one of the best things ever recorded. Side 1 - 22 minutes of brilliance. It doesn’t feel long despite only a few variations on its structure and melody. It’s hypnotic and propulsive rhythm evokes the movement of the car, while the synths create a feeling of space, vista and excitement. Actual car journeys can be boring, but this feels like a car journey without the boredom. It is a truly remarkable bit of music, fantastic, massively influential and ultimately incredibly satisfying. Side 2 has its moments but doesn’t reach the heights of Autobahn, although Kometenmelodie 2 is a great track in its own right, I guess a soundtrack to a comet flying through space before accelerating and burning out. Mitternacht always sounds a bit like Save the Life of a Child to me, with the synth sounds and chords, also combined with a bit of Higher than the Sun by Primal Scream. I love the flute and pain on Morgenspaziergang, and although it does give me the feeling of a spring woodland in the morning, it does feel like a nice idea in search of a fuller composition, perhaps similar to Mitternacht in that regard They are incredible though in how what they do evokes feelings and touches the senses, considering they are 4 slightly odd men building electronic music with an almost stereotypical degree of German practicality and logic. Finding it quite hard to score, the second side, despite moments of brillance is inconsistent, particularly compared to side 1, which I think pushes it down to 4. But then Autobahn is so good it could be a 5 all on its own. I think I’ll go 4, just in comparison to TEE and TMM and also, like some other top tier artists I’m holding them to a higher standard. ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Evermore I’m pleased this came up as I have no idea where to start with Taylor Swift. I know some of the bigger singles but she seems to release an album every few weeks and I get a bit confused by it all. Indeed I’d never actually heard of this album but understand it was released not long after Folklore, which I had actually heard of, but never listened to. Willow, this is very nice. Love the percussion and pared back instrumentation. Champagne Problems a bit of the opposite of a grower, as it started to grate a bit after a couple of listens. I really liked Gold Rush, love that pulse under the chorus and the slightly dreamy feel. I wasn’t as keen ’Tis the Damn Season. Although the electric guitar figure is nice the use of Damn in the title I find a little irritating. Tolerate It is a fine bit of slow tempo pop music, and I liked the percussion on it. No Body, No Crime, I really liked this one on repeated listens. I like Haim anyway but I enjoyed the revenge fantasy lyrics and - enjoyed the Nebraska style harmonica. Happiness is a grower too, really nicely constructed with a spooky mistiness to it. Dorothea I found a bit forgettable, it has a bit of a 90s soft rock feel to it. Coney Island, however, I really liked. Her and the guy from The National’s voices work really nicely together. I liked the guitar on Ivy, although at times it veers quite close to Birdhouse in Your Soul by They Might Be Giants. Cowboy like Me is another fine bit of country indie pop if a tiny bit forgettable. Long Story Short was nice change of tempo, although it feels like it never quite takes off in the way it should. Marjorie really passed me by and Closure I wasn’t keen on, the vocal intonation on ‘do-in better’ is annoying. Evermore is great though, love the piano riff and the duet. Excellent closing track with a great feel. I’m not sure if you are supposed to listen to Folklore first to understand the context of this and also I don’t know enough about her whole catalogue to judge how this sits alongside her other stuff but I thought this was a great collection of country-ish indie pop. She seems to have that great knack of making things seem effortless, and I like her approach to vocals. I guess she can belt things out if she wants but sings with a tasteful restraint and poise. Sure there is a fair bit of earnestness and sometimes she does walk the line of winsomeness but I think she just about keeps out of trouble in the main. Overall I really liked it, but it is a little bit long at an hour. I get that there is a consistent musical and stylistic intent behind this, which I think has been realised, but an hour is a lot, it definitely dips in places. It would benefit massively to lose say Champagne Problems, ’Tis the Damn Season, Dorothea, Marjorie and Closure and bring it down to 45 mins. Vacillating between 3 and 4. It’s a very well made and tasteful album with some very very good songs, and I would definitely put this on again. It also makes we want to give the albums either side of this a go, so I’ll just tip over to a 4. ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

London Calling Haven’t listened to this for a while, so it’s nice to revisit it and re-confirm how great it is. Kind of picks up the template of the White Album in its eclecticism and exploration of musical styles. There’s nothing on here that really harks back to their previous more obviously punk records, apart from perhaps Clampdown and Death or Glory, but even those depart move into slightly different territories, eg the middle eight in Clampdown. My highlights are Rudie Can’t Fail, Spanish Bombs, Lost in the Supermarket, Clampdown, Guns of Brixton, Lover’s Rock, I’m Not Down and Train in Vain, but I genuinely like every song, there’s none I would think about skipping. Each song could stand on its own, but they work even better together as a collection. Despite the variety of styles there’s a consistent energy that runs throughout, again similar to the White Album. The eclecticism and willingness to try and do what they want rather than what is expected of them ties it all together. Mick Jones guitar playing is excellent throughout. He was always interested in more than just 3 chord punk thrashing and his runs and textures on this are excellent, Lover’s Rock is a great example of this, a bit rock, a bit disco, a bit funk and a bit jazz. Topper Headon is great as always and I love Paul Simonon’s bass tone. Listening has reminded me of why I like the Clash so much. Their first album is great, but they took a turn out of punk from London Calling onwards, into doing whatever they wanted, being open to what was going on around them with reggae, disco and hip hop, and looking back to the influences on the 60s bands they loved to create a kind of mishmash of all sorts. The albums after LC wouldn’t be as coherent but they still made some incredible music on Sandinista and Combat Rock (even Cut the Crap has one truly excellent song in This is England). But this is the best they did and is rightfully up there with the best albums of all time ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ And as Paul is obsessed with length and requested I address it in my review, I shall: It isn’t too long.

Stand! I’m a big fan of Sly and the Family Stone, although I think they are one of those bands that, because they were so influential and ground breaking, the slightly inconsistent nature of their 3 classic albums gets a bit glossed over. After Booker T & the MGs one of the first multiracial bands, as well as being multi gender, and they were pretty much the first to take soul into a psychedelic direction, bringing in rock influences and laying the template for funk. Stand! Is a great opener, despite the midget lyric. I like the build with each chorus, and the breakdown at the end. Don’t Call Me is a bit dated, but makes sense in the context of them being a racially integrated band in the mid- late 60s. I Want To Take You Higher rightfully endures as classic, essentially laying the template for funk. Great groove, bass and guitar. Somebody’s Watching you is one of the weaker track, only really held together by Larry Grahams bass. Sing a Simple Song gets things back on track, the organ and horn interplay is great, very tight. Everyday People, another classic. Love the ‘We’ve got to live together’ delivery. The message might be a bit simplistic but in the context of the times and the band themselves it’s does have some weight to it still. Sex Machine is a funny one, I love Cynthia’s drumming and the groove is excellent, but it doesn’t really go anywhere over the course of a long 13 minutes. You Can Make it If you Try feels a bit of a throwback to their previous album and, although a good song, it feels a bit lightweight in comparison to some of the other songs on here. A a couple of decent tracks, a couple of weaker ones and then 3 stone cold classics in Stand!, IWTTYH and Everyday People lands this as a solid 4, especially in the context of the ethos of band themselves, the time it was made and the influences it would have in the years after. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Live at the Star-Club Hamburg Generally not a fan of live albums so wasn’t looking forward to this. There’s two versions on Tidal, a German release and what I presume is the UK/US release, but it only has 8 songs and different track listing from what’s on Wikipedia, but at 22 minutes I thought at least it would be over quickly. It’s nice to have my expectations and assumptions turned on their head though, I thought this was great. The energy is fucking nuts. Despite Jerry-Lee being an objectively terrible human being his piano playing is superb on this, and you can genuinely feel his stage presence and showmanship in the audio. The band, particularly the drummer, are great too. Pretty much straight ahead rockabilly/rocknroll playing but they absolutely stomp. Just read it’s the drummer from The Animals. As a side note, I’ve been listening to that History of RocknRoll in 500 songs podcast and, due to musician union rules in the 60s backing bands weren’t allowed to go to the US from the UK and vice versa and take other musicians jobs. So if a singer like Jerry Lee Lewis or Gene Vincent or Muddy Waters went on tour to the UK they had to use UK musicians as a backing band, which is how I guess Barry Jenkins ended up on here. Anyhow, the classics are all present and correct, delivered with manic intensity, but I really love the version of Money. Great choice of song, although Money was released very early in their history, Motown hadn’t quite become the musical force and phenomenon by early 64, so it’s an interesting choice. Maybe a nod to the Beatles cover, or a nod to blues, country and RocknRoll branching out into what would become soul. Or like Lennon he just liked the literal message. Love the version of Your Cheating Heart too, a lot of tenderness in his vocal and a nice drop in tempo before the finish. Whole Lotta Shakin’ absolutely slaps/bangs/fucks, as the kids would say. Kind of tempted to go 5. As a snapshot of primal RocknRoll it’s absolutely amazing, but it is a live album, so maybe it doesn’t count as a a proper ‘album’, whatever that means. So I’ll go 4, but if everyone else goes 5 I’ll change it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seventeen Seconds To the trees! Firstly and foremostly, A Forest. What a song. Clearly the best Cure song and an absolute copper bottomed classic. On first listen I wasn’t keen, every song selling an attempt to rehash A Forest, but never actually getting there. However I liked it more on the second go around and even more on the third. Yes there is a slightly templated feel but I started to like it; Motorik drums, straight ahead bass, slight guitar delay and a simplistic but insistent instrumental hook. It’s definitely a grower, once you attune yourself to the nature of the grooves. Secrets, I think Mike Skinner must have nicked this for Empty Cans from A Grand Don’t Come for Free. In Your House, M, At Night and Seventeen started to stand out to me on those repeated listens. It’s definitely not a 2, A Forest is so good it can’t be. It’s not a 4, so that makes it a solid 3 I think, one of those ones that will reveal itself with more listens. I can see me putting this one while working, the tempos, slightly repetitive template and the horizontal melodies would suit it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Specials Another one I listened to a lot at uni but have only intermittently put on over the intervening years, although through cultural osmosis it feels like I hear A Message to You Rudy and Too Much Too Young pretty frequently. It’s been fun listening to it today though, reminding myself why I used to listen to it so much and also thinking I might appreciate it even more than I did then - it’s great! And through better headphones it sounds much better now than it did 25 years ago. It always sounded quite thin on CD to me, but now the drums and bass seem much fatter and fuller and I feel I can hear more instrumentation. That might be my mind playing tricks - I remember the jewel case and booklet felt quite cheap lightweight and and I don’t know about you but if the packaging on a CD felt quite lightweight and cheap I often thought the music sounded thin too. The ska rhythms and bass playing with the more prominent lead guitar, the punk tempo and attitude with the lyrical social commentary is a winning combo. And 45 years after it was released the energy and enthusiasm is remarkable, you can still feel the sincerity and intent. Beside the deceptively skilled playing each song is brilliantly arranged, whether its an original or an ‘inspired by’ cover. I assume Elvis Costello had a hand in that alongside Jerry Dammers, but there’s a fair bit of instrumental texture and tone that isn’t always that obvious. I think each song stands on it’s own, but aside from AMTYR and TMTY I’ve always loved Nite Club (particularly the horn arrangement), Concrete Jungle, Monkey Man (superb keyboards), Blank Expression and You’re Wondering Now. And today Doesn’t Make it Alright, Too Hot and Blank Expression stood out After the first listen this morning I thought 4, but on repeat listens it’s definitely a 5 for me. Aside from the quality of songs and playing it’s just a brilliant, exciting listen - danceable but also lyrically interesting, of it’s time but also timeless. I think it’s one of those albums that everyone says is a classic so you either just assume it is or find it underwhelming, but listening to it, it’s clear its a genuinely brilliant bit of musical synthesis and overall a superb album. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Gilded Palace of Sin I bought the Gram Parsons Anthology when it came out (in 2001, fucking hell), which was an overview of his career from The International Submarine Band up to his death. I really liked it and had always liked Sweetheart of the Rodeo, but for some reason I never tried any of the Flying Burrito Brothers. I guess that’s due to being in the pre streaming age when I was listening to that Anthology so had limited music purchasing resources.

Anyhow, Christine’s Tune is great, a great example of Gram and Chris Hillman’s ideas for synthesising country and rock. Leaning more heavily on the country aspect but with a great, psychedelic rock guitar break. Sin City is a great track too, the subject matter is very country and I’m not sure how tongue in cheek it is, but it’s a great lilting and pared back country tune. 

The two soul covers of Do Right Woman and Dark End of the Street work well next to each other. Dark End of the Street in particular is fantastic, love the tack piano interplay with the bass and the harmonies are excellent. My Uncle is a fun little country toe tapper, the pedal steel and mandolin work well together. Wheels has some interesting moments, I love the slightly hippy rock intro, the fuzzy guitar and the piano.
Juanita - have always loved this one, the intro is great, very evocative and lovely tune. The Stones loved Gram and you can see that here. Hot Burrito 1 is another solid song, I love the instrumentation with the strummed guitar way back in the mix. Hot Burrito 2 I’ve always liked a lot too, a great propulsiveness to it and fantastic guitar and vocals. I love the warmth of the pedal steel on Do You Know How It Feels, and the piano through the verses.I’m not as keen on Hippie Boy, despite liking the Gospel outro, it doesn’t quite work for me. Chris Hillman and Gram sing harmonies together brilliantly, but the pedal steel is probably the star of the show, kind of echoey, reverby, spacey and psychedelic, while being recognisably grounded in country. I guess your appetite for this will depend on how you feel about country in general. As a kind of country fan who doesn’t actually know that much I think this is a great, I like the approach, the songs themselves, the harmonies and most of all the pedal steel. It may be simplistic to compare them but I think it is probably a notch below Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which is probably the apogee for 60s country rock so for that reason I’ll go 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

The Modern Dance
I was quite intrigued to hear this, as I know lots of people cite Pere Ubu as an influence and as an important punk art rock type band. Non-Alignment Pact and The Modern Dance I really liked. I was expecting a more thrashy punky thing but I liked the more wiry garagey post punk sounds and structure. Obviously his voice is not that conventional, but they both sound like very good post-punk style pop songs. The bass on Non-Alignment Pact is great in particular and the organ sounding synth on The Modern Dance is very nice as well. Laughing I started to like after 3rd listen, even if it might be one of the weaker songs. The rhythm section and guitar is pretty cool, and I ended up quite enjoying the wailing and sax leading up to an actual song breaking out. Street Waves is similar to the first two tracks, a more conventional post punk style song - I like the riff and angularity of it. Good bass again. Chinese Radiation didn’t really do it for me, I think the rhythm track is good but it Peters out towards the end. Life Stinks I liked - the bass and guitar are nice together. Really reminded me of something but I couldn’t quite place it, maybe the Slits? By the third time round I started to enjoy his ‘singing’ style, I guess it could go either way but I liked it. Over My Head is another great track, the sparseness is great and I liked the sound effects. Sentimental Journey I actually found quite amusing, even if I’m not sure that was the intention. I liked Humor Me as well, sounds a bit like a stylophone? Overall not quite what I was expecting and although it may bit of a mixed bag in terms of number of good songs, but in lots of ways a more interesting experience than I thought it might be and it’s left me feeling pretty intrigued by them. It may not be the easiest listen at first, but I genuinely got into his singing style and there were 3 or 4 of tracks I really liked. And the bass was pretty much uniformly excellent. I like their singularity and I’m definitely curious about listening to this album again and some of their other stuff - I can definitely see how they would have influenced a lot of bands I like, like Joy Division, Wire, Talking Heads, Devo, etc. I did think about giving it a 4 but I think it lands solidly as an upper 3 with potential - it definitely grew on me throughout the day. ⭐⭐⭐️

Tragic Songs of Life I do like country and due to that podcast I do appreciate The Louvin Brothers place in the development of country music and therefore rock music. Their harmonies are excellent, the sounds of their voices intertwining together in a way that only siblings voices can. But there is no disguising that each song is broadly identical in terms of tempo, arrangement, instrumentation and melodic style. I suppose that’s typical of the country music of this era and a lot of country music in general but a lot of the tracks do merge into one, with only Kentucky, In the Pines, Knoxville Girl and Mary of the Wild Moor standing out. I think I liked it most on the first listen, it diminished a little on the 3rd and 4th go round. It’s by no means an unpleasant listen though, it just does lack a bit of variation, even within the structure and harmonics of 50s country. I’m glad it came up though, the vocal harmonies are great and I like it as a document of it’s time and as one of the touchstones for the development of the later music that I love. However I’m probably unlikely to re-visit, I think I got all II can from today’s listens. Pure musical interest wise a 2, but cultural and historical value wise it just pushes up to 3, and I don’t think it’s fair to just dismiss it against what it helped sow the seeds for. ⭐⭐⭐️

Play Don't need to spend too long on this, I have a lot of familiarity with it and 3 listens today is more than enough. There’s absolutely no doubting the excellence of 8 of the 18 songs: Honey, Find my Baby, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, South Side, Bodyrock, Natural Blues and Run On. All brilliant, and despite their ubiquity remain excellent bits of music. Obviously we all know about the field recording samples on some of those songs, but their combination with the electronic foundations and occasional live instrumentation is a great idea and is superbly executed. The samples have space to breath and are supported sympathetically and very cleverly by his arrangements. Tthey still sound fresh, exciting and moving a quarter of a century after release, no matter how many times you hear them. But there’s also no doubting that the rest of the tracks are a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from very good to pretty run of the mill 90s electronica. Rushing, If Things Were Perfect, Everloving and the cinematic My Weakness are the pick of these remaining tracks. Well crafted, evocative and very human sounding ambient and downbeat electro. The Sky is Broken could be excellent if not for the excessively wet and sticky sound of his saliva in the spoken word part. The other issue though, is the length. At 63 minutes it’s too long, and the excellence of those songs that tower above the rest contributes to it feeling so long. Despite some very good tracks after Run On it does feel like that should be the natural end point of the record. Indeed editing this down to 12 tracks (and re-arranging as you see fit); Honey, Find my Baby, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, Southside, Rushing, Run On, If Things Were Perfect, Everloving & My Weakness would bring it to around 45 minutes and would undoubtedly make it a 5 star album. Of course it’s still a great album but the mixed bag of tracks outside the ‘big’ songs and the resulting length means it can’t be a 5, so its a 4, albeit a high one, for me.
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Step in the Arena Your rap’s crazy whack I’m Familiar with a couple of the tracks on here, Check the Technique, which I’d guess is their most famous song, and Who’s Gonna Take the Weight, but haven’t ever listened to one of their albums. I thought this was great! I like his down tempo delivery style, but musically this really shines. Excellent samples (Up On Cripple Creek!), a lot piano led with a great jazzy-soul vibe to it, particularly with the double bass. And each track is really well constructed and arranged with great sounding beats. Lyrically, despite the default of bragging about his rap abilities, there is some nice variety, from the ‘romantic’ Lovesick to the social observation of Just to Get a Rep. It’s probably 4 or 5 tracks too long, but this is a great early 90s bit of East Coast Hip Hop, kind of straddling the older school 80s and the 90s West Coast gangster styles. This will definitely go into rotation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aha Shake Heartbreak I liked KOLs first album a lot and I liked The Bucket, when it came out and I’m pretty sure I had this album too (although listening to it now I can’t remember any of it), but I think I lost interest around that time. All the elements are there for something I should like - southern rock style guitars, garagey drums, but apart from the run of King of the Rodeo, Taper Jean Girl and Pistol of Fire, andThe Bucket its generally a bit nondescript. It’s not objectively bad it’s just not as good as you feel it should be and kind of passes by without anything to make you sit up and notice. Whether it’s the strength of the songs or a general lack of energy I’m not sure. I do like Ethan John’s production in general and I like the sound of the album, the guitars have a nice tone and I really like the drum sound and its place in the mix. So overall a handful of good songs and a nice sound, but in the main pretty forgettable but fine. I think that makes a 3, a 2 feels a bit low. ⭐⭐⭐️

Fulfillingness' First Finale I’m not that au fait with this album compared to Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. I’m not sure why, I guess along with Music of My Mind this gets a bit overlooked in his classic run. Smile Please is a lovely opener, it feels a bit more downbeat and melancholy than Innervisions or SITKOL but I like the pulsing keyboards and unhurried vibe. Heaven is 10 Zillion Years Lights Years Away also has a similar melancholy feel, despite its gospel style upbeat chorus. You’ll both know way better than me but it feels like a lot of descending into minor chords in the verses? Anyway, great track. Too Shy to Say steps perilously close to those later career vaguely dull Stevie ballads. It just about manages to stay the right side of that, but it’s not one of my highlights. Sneaky Pete Kleinow from the Flying Burrito Bros the other day is on it though.
 Boogie on Reggae Woman is a great bit of R’n’B/Funk/Pop, love the keyboards, piano and the appearance of the harmonica in the outro. Creepin’ is a superior version of Too Shy to Say, the female voices work really well. Despite being more than a little Superstition-adjacent You Haven’t Done Nothin’ is a bit of a banger. Didn’t realise the Jackson 5 were on it. It Ain’t No Use has its moments, but it never quite seems to go anywhere for me.

They Won’t Go When I Go is an interesting one. The piano feels both slightly Debussy and slightly Rachmaninov-esque and I like the clarinet a lot. Real grower as I only really noticed it on the third listen. Bird of Beauty I like a lot, echoes of Sunshine of My Life and I love the burbling keyboards and backing vocals on the chorus Please Don’t Go is one of those seemingly effortless Stevie soul/r’n’b/pop songs, laid back but always moving forward, melodic and musically interesting. Great track.

 Overall I can see how it gets a bit overlooked as it clearly isn’t quite at the same focused level as the ‘big’ albums before and after. It’s still a great listen though, the slight downbeat feeling working well with the warmth of the sound - it sounds closer to Talking Book than the others in that sense. And it has some superb songs on it. It would be a highlight of anyone else’s career, but judged against those other classics I think it probably has to be a 4, albeit a high one. ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Spy vs Spy Firstly, I love that this exists. Although I may not want to listen to experimental deconstructed thrash jazz it’s important to me that people make this kind of stuff.
Secondly, I love that I don’t have to listen to it. In actuality, despite being a difficult it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. It just sounds like a lot of free form and to be honest most normal jazz: lots of parping and daft drumming. As I listened on Youtube I have no idea of the individual tracks, and honestly it doesn’t matter as I don’t think discerning each track is the point. And one listen through is surely enough too. I’ve only given one star once and that was to Christina Aguilera. Despite that album being on the surface more listenable I still think it’s worse than this. At least this has intent, a sense of artistic purpose and doesn’t care if anyone likes it. That Christina album is so cynically conceived, produced and executed and so entirely limited in its worldview that it’s objectively awful. This may be significantly more on the unlistenable side of things but I believe it has artistic merit, and although it’s not for for me and I’ll never listen to it again I have a respect for it. Music can be many things for many people but context, intentions and ambitions matter beyond the response to the music itself, so I can’t just dismiss this as a one. Peversely tempted to go 3, but on my personal scale that would indicate that I might listen again, so it’s a 2. ⭐️⭐️ I also really like the album artwork.

The World is a Ghetto
I only know the well known War Songs; Low Rider and Why Can’t We Be Friends. And the only thing I know about the band themselves was that Eric Burdon was in them for a bit. The Cisco Kid is a great, great soul/funk/latin groove with just enough jazziness to be interesting without being distracting or taking it too close to easy listening lounge jazz. Where Was You At carries on the strong start, dialling up the funk and soul a bit more, very nice track. City, Country, City, as well as being silly long, does slide way too far into that MOR lounge sound, with the added bonus of 70s sitcom theme tune sounding influences. The last minute or so is ok, but this isn’t a great song, the blandness is a bit all encompassing. Four Cornered Room brings it back though, a kind of bluesy soul groove. I love the ominous feeling of the intro building to that psychedelic rock guitar ahead of the vocals. The big cymbal crash comes a bit out of nowhere though. Unlike City, Country, City this doesn’t feel long, despite being 8 and a 1/2 minutes long. Great track, probably the stand out. The World is a Ghetto is very good, although it occasionally leans a little bit close to that lounge jazz sound, but the bass and guitar keep things on track for the most part. It also does feel its length, but still a good song. Beetles in the Bog is a fun funk/soul/jazz tune with some added steel drums, I like the phasing and panning in the intro and the keyboards. I guess the title is a reference to the Beatles with the British vernacular of bog? Overall I liked this, reminded me of Donny Hathaway, and not just the use of the word ghetto. This type of album can fall into that bland easy listening lounge sound, but apart from City, Country, City and some bits of the title track it manages to keep on the more interesting soul/funk/rock/psychedelic/blues side of things and is a rewarding listen. It also sounds very good, a really rich and full sound without being cloying. Tricky to rate. At the moment it sits right between 3 and 4, but I think it will benefit from more listens and will go on my rotation. I’d be happy giving it 3 or 4 but as it’s a grey rainy day I’ll stick with 3. ⭐⭐⭐

Vento de Maio Despite the furore, tumult and uproar about the nature of this being a compilation I listened to it as is - it’s on the list, it’s getting listened to and getting ticked off. She has a nice voice. The music is fine, but quite cheesy on occasion. Not keen on the bass. I liked So Deus E Quem Sabe, but I didn’t notice anything else, it all just went by quite forgettably. It’s not unlistenably bad, but it’s so middle of the road and lightweight it’s almost as if it doesn’t really exist. Without her voice it might disappear entirely. I really can’t think of anything else to say. Still better than Christina Aguilera ⭐️⭐️

Crime of the Century This doesn’t have The Logical Song on it. That’s the only Supertramp song I know. It’s a good song. Wasn’t sure what to expect with this. I was slightly concerned as it was tagged as prog - I thought we might have some more Yes type music on our hands. I suppose it’s Yes adjacent, but to me it is more listenable with a more obvious pop edge. School has some nice textures to it, including the piano in the 2nd half but it doesn’t grab me much overall. I liked Bloody Well Right though, the keyboards in particular and the overall rocky poppiness of it. Hide in Your Shell is also not a bad track, but I’m not keen on the sax. Once Asylum kicks in and gets going it’s much better than its start suggests it might be, there’s a slight bluesy edge to the vocal which I like and a little bit of a grower of a melody. Dreamer I have actually heard before - I didn’t know that was Supertramp. A very nice catchy bit of early 70s pop. Rudy is similar to Asylum in how it starts off unpromisingly, but develops into a decent song. I like the squelchy synths and then the wah wah and strings at the back end. Really sounds a lot like Sting singing in that bit. If Everyone Was Listening starts off a lot like a Queen song, which for me is not a good thing, and then the oboe/clarinet I’m not keen on. Not my fav song. A bit poor in fact. Crime of the Century feels quite Pink Floyd, without quit reaching the required levels of studied grandiosity, but I liked its shifting musicality, around the repeating piano. Overall there is a fair bit of progyness, and sometimes it just edges too far that way, but in the main it’s paired with relatively straight ahead, enjoyable enough 70s rock/pop, with some additional blues and soul elements. It’s not blown me away, but there are some interesting little corners to it. In the right mood I’d listen again, and I think I will check out the Breakfast in America album. Middle of the road 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

At Folsom Prison It’s hard to not compare to At San Quentin, so I’ll just go ahead and do that. Like ASQ I thoroughly enjoyed this, the voice, both raucous and tender, the playing, the charisma. But this feels sadder and more melancholic, while ASQ has more of an edge. I suppose that’s probably a product of the song choices, more ballad and slower tempo songs and most of them dealing with being in prison or committing crimes. There is some humour to lighten things though, I suppose that’s why they did Dirty Old Egg Suckin’ Dog and Flushed from the Bathroom of your Heart, although the crowd cheers a bit too enthusiastically when he sings he wants to kill the dog! I loved the version of Long Black Veil, and I love June’s slightly manic vocals on Jackson, but I found pleasure in every song. I gave ASQ 4, so as this is a companion piece, albeit through a sadder lens, I’ll do the same again ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Band I love Music From Big Pink, but this is their best album. All the good things about MFBP are distilled, refined and matured into the 12 songs on here. The two central pillars of the album The Night thy Drove Old Dixie Down and King Harvest (Has Surely Come) are superb, monumental and expansive, but also intimate and empathetic. Around those two songs there is not a weak track, whether more uptempo, like the country stomping of Rag Mama Rag, the soulful and rhythm section driven Up on Cripple Creek, the more rocking Jemima Surrender and Look Out Cleveland or the more tender and melancholic When You Awake, Whispering Pines or Rockin’ Chair, or the more plaintive Jawbone or The Unfaithful Servant. The playing and arranging is also a step above MFBP, Levon and Rick Danko’s drumming and bass playing are absolutely superb, by turns propulsive, melodic, ‘funky’ or delicate. Garth Hudson also really shines, his musical virtuosity deployed beautifully, adding texture and tone, elevating everything. Richard Manuel’s piano, harmony vocals and occasional lead vocals are also superb. Robbie’s guitar playing is relatively subdued but very Harrison-esque in the sense of serving each song rather than each song being a vehicle for his technical proficiency, which started to happen later in their career. His songwriting though is his main contribution, never reaching this consistency again. Easy peasy 5 for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tea for the Tillerman ‘The Red legged chicken stands ready to strike’ One of those ‘Oh yeah he’s great’ artists that I don’t listen to as much as I should. And I really should because this is an excellent album. I love the little piano answering melody thing on Where Do the Children Play. A little bit of that bit and anger with the ‘tell us when to die’ line. Hard Headed Woman is a cousin of Peace Train, but is a great song, love the melody and the strings as it’s builds a slight sense of desperation. Wide World, absolute classic, and rightly so. Miles From Nowhere is easy to overlook, but is a great track, the piano and acoustic guitars and the gospel touches are lovely. But I Might Die Tonight. Love the feel of this one, as I do with Longer Boats, with its great harmonies. Into White may be not as good as the other songs, but is still great. On the Road to Find Out I love, a lot of conviction to the vocals and lyrics. Father and Son, it really is a very lovely song, its slight saccharine undertones have been exaggerated to death by subsequent cover versions but the original is such a beautiful and melancholic delight, shifting between viewpoints and oscillating between tenderness, regret, love and frustration. One thing I’ve always wondered, when he sings ‘You’re still young, that’s your fault’, does he mean he’s to blame for being young, or that it’s it’s just a feature of being young. It really is a great album. Musically and melodically superb, he really has a gift for melodies and hooks. And despite his hippy vibes and reputation there is a lot more to it thematically and emotionally than that, touching on happiness, sadness, despair, fatherhood, wonder and regret. Add it all together and it’s a fantastically satisfying 35 minutes. Another easy 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Getz/Gilberto Short review today. The Girl from Ipanema, it’s such a great song that most versions are good, and I do like the arrangement of this one, a pleasant listen. After that though it veers from pleasant but forgettable to plain forgettable. Nothing truly bad, but nothing truly good. I actually drifted off to sleep the 2nd time around. I’ll go 2 ⭐️⭐️

Palo Congo Banging on those bongos like a chimpanzee El Cumbanchero is the closest thing to having a recognisable melody and structure and I quite like it. Billumba-Palo Congo and Rhapsodia del Maravilloso are probably my favourite of the other tracks, the former one of a few tracks that seem to eschew latin sounds for something more African in it’s percussion and chanting, and I liked the guitar on the latter. If you are into this type of thing I presume this is a great album. Cuban Rumba isn’t exactly my thing though, but I think I can appreciate the skill in the polyrhythmic percussion and the general rhythmic focus. Once you tune into that aspect it does become more of an interesting listen. I found myself liking it more and more on the 2nd and 3rd listens. I wouldn’t say I loved it but I found it a lot more interesting and enjoyable than I thought I would. Between a 2 and a 3, I’ll just tip it over to 3. ⭐⭐⭐

Gorillaz I fucking loved this when it came out, I listened to it loads, but I haven’t re-visited it in years, in fact I kind of forgot it exists. I really enjoyed listening to it today though, and there was a lot of residual muscle memory to it. At the time it seemed a bit of a left turn, but 23 years later its eclecticism and slightly wonky nature now seems quite normal, both for Damon/Blur’s timeline and music in general. Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 still stand up as great bits of electronic pop/hip hop, but quite alot of the other tracks stood out to me; Re-Hash as a very Blur-esque bit of catchy pop, Tommorow Comes Today’s spaciness, New Genius’ keening circularity, Sound Check’s dubby vibes sound great, Double Bass could have been on Think Tank, a really great groove. Rock the House is great, love the horn sample. Really like the guitar line on Starshine. Always loved Slow Country, great bass sound and a nice melody. It’s definitely has a sense of a collections of atmospheric bits of music, rather than a coherent album, but I do love the different moods and sounds. It’s also much more dub influenced than I remember, which I think I appreciate more now than I did 20+ years ago. A nice fat solid 4, a great album and I need to remember to listen to it more often ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Rush of Blood to the Head I remember liking this when it came out. I liked their first album a lot too, but at the time this felt like a much more confident and ‘big’ sounding record than Parachutes, still with some indieness to it, but adding some expansiveness, a kind of U2 arena type ambition. I didn’t have much interest in X and Y, in fact I only heard the singles, and whether that was because they weren’t cool anymore or I didn’t like the music I’m not sure. Possibly a bit of both. After that I only know a few singles and the general sense of them writing dull and uninspiring vaguely electro arena pop. So it’s interesting listening to this again, hopefully with an open mind, having not listened to it in at least 20 years, trying to separate it from what followed. You can see the roots of what they became here though, lyrically and thematically at least - a lot of what we would now recognise as empty instagram inspirational quotes, vague but also not open to personal interpretation, meaningless but not universal, a series of homilies that on the surface sound pleasing but are ultimately hollow. Musically however it holds up better. In My Place, God Put a Smile Upon Your Face, The Scientist and Clocks are very good bits of arena pop rock, catchy and direct and very well constructed. GPASUYF and Clocks in particular I still like. Beyond that there are some decent tracks in that same vein, in keeping with the overall aim of the album, Politik, Daylight, A Whisper, Amsterdam. The remaining tracks don’t work as well, where the banality overexposes the thematic and emotional emptiness, Green Eyes, Warning Sign, A Rush of Blood to the Head. Even if the songs are patchy, there is no doubt about their skill in creating catchy hooks and melodies and building expansive, arena filling songs out of quite simple but effective instrumentation - very similar to U2 in that regard. There is a palpable feeling that they achieved what they set out to do, and in that sense it is a satisfying listen, even if ultimately the quality is inconsistent and the purposeful vapidity at the heart of it is revealed too frequently for comfort. It’s almost definitely a 2.5, a straight down the middle rating, but I’ll round up to three, on the basis of achieving what they set out to do and for the quality of GPASUYF and Clocks ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bat out of Hell I’ve never listened to this, I’ve not even heard the full 9 minute version of the title track, but I find Jim Steinman really interesting and have a real soft spot for his songs, so I was really keen to give this a listen. Bat out of Hell, I’ve never really noticed the Springsteen-ness of this song before, both musically and thematically - teenage boredom and excitement and urge to go somewhere more exciting and bigger. Great track no matter how many times you hear it. You Took the Words Right out of My Mouth - have always loved this song. Corker, even with the saliva-ry spoken word intro. Heaven Can Wait is a bit of a lull, probably the weakest track. All Revved Up is great, love the steady beat all the way through, and the musical sense of pent up frustration. Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad ain’t bad at all, it threatens to turn into Bat out of Hell in parts but has a satisfying melody and a good lyric. Paradise by the Dashboard Light is a belter, over the top of course, but a great story song, banging in the car listening to the baseball, tell me you love me, erm maybe tomorrow? Great title too. For Crying Out Loud is a suitably cinematic ending, plaintive and melancholy, erupting into a histrionic middle section before, falling back down. It is very theatrical but it manages keep the right side of the line, it could easily descend into anodyne Rock Musical territory, or end up like Queen, but there’s a charm to it that that pulls it through and separates it from all that. It’s also thematically really good, it’s very evocative of teenage romantic ideas and fantasy, love, lust, boredom, escape etc. I can’t work out whether there’s a knowingness to all the bombast and over the topness, or a genuine earnest innocence to it, or maybe it’s the combination of the earnestness and tenderness of the words with the bombast of the music that makes it a winner. Either way I don’t think it actually matters, it’s such a fun and entertaining listen. Easy 4 stars, even toying with 5. Will definitely listen again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Logical Progression I listened on YouTube, which is always annoying, and I listened to both volumes as one long track each, so I have no idea of individual tracks. I also listened sporadically through the day and only once through - 2 hours for one listen on a beautiful day is more than enough. I don’t know enough about DnB to understand the rules and forms, so I don’t know if this is good or not. My presumption is that it is good, but it could have just been the first track on repeat for 2 hours and I probably wouldn’t have noticed. So I didn’t actually mind it, it’s definitely not unpleasant, and despite the higher tempo of the drums it never felt uncomfortably energetic or chaotic, like a lot of house music can. If this was on Tidal I can see myself putting it on if I needed to focus for a couple of hours and get some work done, the hypnotic and regular tempos and rhythms would really suit that. I’ll go 3. I think a 2 for me means I won’t listen again, whereas with a 3 I may listen again, and this falls in that camp. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars Another easy 5. I don’t listen as much as I should, it’s so good. Aside from the songs I love the atmosphere of the whole thing, it’s so immersive. No need to go track by track but I fucking love 5 years. One of my all time favourite Bowie songs, pulsing and spiralling upwards, fantastic drum pattern and sound, swirling strings, brilliant vocal, just an amazing song. What an opener, matched by closing with the similarly dramatic and superb Rock ’n’Roll Suicide. Everything inbetween I love too, not only are there no weak tracks, there is not one weak moment or second. Everything is just right for each song. Ronson’s guitar is incredible, as Paul mentioned, the tone is soo good, I particularly love it on Moonage Daydream. The whole sound of the records is great as well, especially the drum sound. I meant to only listen through twice, but I’ve just let it go on repeat all day. Probably on listen 7 now. 5 forever ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Traffic I’m pretty familiar with John Barleycorn Must Die, but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to any other Traffic albums. There’s a clear difference between the Dave Mason tracks and the Steve Winwood/Jim Capaldi tracks. The Mason tracks are more immediate and straightforward, while Winwood’s are a bit more dense and complicated, and you can hear the roots of the more pastoral JBMD sound on some of these. On balance I think I prefer the Mason’s tracks although Winwood’s tracks get better and more interesting with more listens. You Can All Join In is a great shuffling country-ish blues rock song. Quite Canned Heat/Allman Brothers, but one of those effortless sounding 60s/70s rock songs, but with a folk accent - I can imagine listening to it driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, or cruising along the Towcester bypass. Don’t be Sad is in a similar vein, although lacks some of the infectiousness of You Can All Join In. Feelin’ Alright is another strong track, I’m sure I’ve heard it before, it’s got a nice groove. Vagabond Virgin I’m not as keen on. Some slightly suspect lyrics and leans a bit too much into a kind of psychedelic prog vibe. Cryin’ to be Heard is better, despite some slightly errant horn parps. Good drumming. Pearly Queen was a bit of a grower. Definitely reminds me of Yes, but a touch more enjoyable. Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring despite some nice guitar and some nice moments was a bit unmemorable. I really like Roman’ Thru the Gloamin’ with 40,000 Headmen though, a great late 60s rock/folk track with a pleasant jazziness. The stand out of the Winwood tracks and the most akin to JBMD. No Time to Live is a bit too jazzy for my taste, despite a nice vocal. Means to an End is a bit more enjoyable, it has a bit of a spark to it even if it’s pretty standard late 60s rock fare. A bit of a mixed bag overall, some very enjoyable tracks but some pretty average ones too. The musicianship throughout is very good though, the drumming is particularly excellent. I can see what they were attempting, a kind of English psychedelic jazz folk-rock, and when it works it’s good, but it does fall wide of the mark on occasion. A 3 feels fair ⭐⭐⭐

Yankee Crime Never heard of Drive Like Jehu. It reminds me of when I tried to like At the Drive In, and pretended for a bit that I did. Struggling to find much to say. It is what is and is fine for this type of music. Some nice guitar parts, some good moments and grooves. I liked Sinews. Can kind of hear a bit of surf music in there, and some good rhythmic moments, but it is ultimately quite formulaic 90s slightly moany very American sounding alternative/punk. Only listened once, I couldn’t really see what I’d get out of further listens. It’s not terrible but it’s not particularly interesting or different enough to feel like making more of an effort with it 🤷 ⭐️⭐️

Scum It's just fast and shouty. I was expecting something so aggressive and abrasive that it would be shocking. But it's just fast drumming and unintelligible shouting, and it just feels silly. If you are sad and/or angry then I can see the appeal in making and listening to this type of thing, and good on them for doing it and hopefully it is cathartic. Clearly it's not made for me, and I dislike just dismissing stuff that isn't my thing, but I'm struggling to work out the point of this - at least with other metal we've had I can work out the intent and it doesn't sound as daft as this does. Maybe its that with Iron Maiden or Metallica, even though I'm not into it or them, I can see their contribution to the lineage of metal, building on what came before, but this feels like a logical end point, a musical cul de sac of 30 second songs, super fast with no melody and incomprehensible shouting. I still loath to give it 1 though, it doesn't annoy me in the way Xtina does ⭐⭐

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols I’ve always been a fan of this album, but it’s been quite interesting concentrating on listening to it today. On the one hand you can’t deny the energy and rawness and thrill of it. It must have felt so fresh and exciting in comparison to something like Yes or ELP. Obviously we weren’t around for it the punk idea of just getting up there and doing something simple and immediate and expressive must also have been incredible and so inspiring. They weren’t of course the only punk band but as a focal point they encapsulate it brilliantly, arsehole energy and attitude, distinctive look and a handful of genuinely great songs. Listening nearly 50 years later they may have lost some of the novelty and excitement but their influence on music and culmrture is undeniable, even if Lydon is a bit of a dickhead and they aren’t exactly a likeable bunch. Songwise though it is a bit patchy. There are some absolutely fantastic and culturally significant songs; God Save the Queen, Anarchy in the UK, Pretty Vacant, as well as other great tracks like Holidays in the Sun, Problems, §, lots of superb little runs and fills as well as great rhythm playing. In the absence of conventional vocal melodies he carries a lot of the melodic weight. The songs are also quite conventionally structured, apart from the slightly swimmy rhythm to Submission they are pretty straighforward rock/pop songs, elevated by the guitar playing and the attitude and delivery. I do also love Lydon’s vocals and singing style, not that far removed from Dylan and Iggy Pop, its a great advert for singing in your own individual way and that idea was very clearly influential on lots of subsequent singers and bands that I like. Lyrically (despite New York) it’s also a bit smarter than it first appears, and although not every bit of social commentary lands there are some great expressions of frustration and highlights of societal hypocrisy to make it interesting. They aren’t as interesting as The Clash, either musically or philosophically (or musi-philosophically), and this isn’t as strong as The Clash’s first album, sitting a notch below that. But It’s still a fun listen, despite it’s patchiness, and obviously has a musical significance that is hard to ignore ⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Bummed Happy Mondays definitely feel like a vibes band, a superb best of/greatest hits band rather than an albums band, so I’ve never really dived into their catalog, apart from listening to Thrills, Pills and Bellyaches a few times. I do love a lot of their songs though. Mad Cyril, Wrote for Luck and Lazyitis I’m pretty familiar with from the best of. Mad Cyril is very good, but Wrote for Luck I love, great groove, excellent song. Lazyitis is great as well, I guess they had to credit Lennon and McCartneyfor the nick. I’d never really made the connection before but I hear a lot of Talking Heads in this, which makes sense, both coming at a kind of white funk from a punk/new wave/diy angle. Country Song in particular feels very inspired by TH, I presume by The Big Country from More Songs about Buildings and Food. Just read Country Song was originally titled Some Cunt from Preston, as rhyming slang for Country and Western. Superb. The sound/production really grew on me with repeated listens. It sounds a bit smudged and spacey on first listen but I realised it really compliments the songs and the overall of vibe of wooziness and blurring of funk, punk, pop and house music. I do love his lyrics, they are very funny. Non sequiturs and dry observations mixed with a sense of humour is a great combo. It may be a bit patchy in places and feels like it might fall apart any second, but It’s such a fun listen, it’s got such a winning energy and that precariousness actually works in it’s favour, a bit like Exile era Stones. 4 may be high but its such an enjoyable listen it feels churlish to be parsimonious. Great stuff. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Celebrity Skin They love the title track on 6 Music, it seems to be on multiple times a week. I’m actually a little partial to it, it’s quite a pleasing bit of late 90s alt rock pop. Didn’t realise Billy Corgan co-wrote it. Awful I enjoyed too, I liked the bubblegum surf vibe to it. After that it descends into a soup of formulaic alt rock I was expecting, with not much musical or melodic variance or interest, making it quite hard to discern the difference between any of the songs. The only one that I noticed on the first listen was Heaven Tonight, it’s synth lines giving it a bit of personality and uniqueness. Second run through I liked it a little more, noticing some quite nice harmonies and backing vocals, particularly Malibu, but overall I still struggled to find much interest in it, it’s fine for what it is and what it’s trying to do but ultimately it all a bit meh. Not terrible, just not something that interests me much ⭐⭐

Die Mensch-Maschine I love this album, a bit more pop perhaps than Trans Europe Express, but more focused than Autobahn, but still meticulously constructed. The technical skill is amazing really when you consider the technologies they were woking with. On some tracks they are a pop band and then on others they sound more like modern classical composers The Robots is a great bit of catchy synth pop. Almost feels like they were parodying their own image. Spacelab is a favourite of mine, I love the cadence of synth melody against the pulsing percussion and rhythms. Metropolis - 1950s Berlin, a private eye is watching a man through the rain, the shop signs dimly illuminating the side of his face. Cigarette smoke rises warily from the discarded cigarette on the ground. The man starts to walk toward Potsdamer Platz and the private eye slips out of the comforting doorway and follows the man into the solitude of the night. The Model is a just a great pop song, excellent catchy vocal and synth melodies, the synth warm and soft against the matter of factness of the lyric. Neon Lights is just a beautiful bit of music, one of their best songs. I love the contrast of the repeating and catchy hook with the ominousness of the ‘vocals’ and atmosphere. Each song stands on its own, but as an album of 6 pieces of music this is great. I often think Kraftwerk are more like modernist classical composers than songwriters, in how they manage to evoke moods and atmospheres across multiple tracks. I love the theme of man and technology driving Robots, Spacelab and The Man Machine and the fascination with the man made environment in Metropolis and Neon Lights. And looking at a woman with The Model. It’s a five for me, a step up from Autobahn and on a par with Trans Europe Express. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Deloused in the Comatorium I had this on repeat this morning and genuinely couldn’t distinguish anything, it just went round and round sounding the same, I had no idea what track was what or if the album had started again. Nothing was memorable in any way. I liked it a bit more listening this afternoon after a break from it, but I still couldn’t really pick out any songs, apart from Cicatriz ESP, which I enjoyed, particularly the last 4 minutes or so. Some of the guitar and organ on Roulette Dares I also liked, as well as the drums and organs on Drunkship of Lanterns. Overall it felt like there are a lot of good moments but not so many great songs. Obviously there is a huge amount of skill and technique on this, some excellent guitar and drumming, but I don’t find the overall result that interesting. I admire the bombast, the over the topness and all the ideas crammed into it, but it feels like it needs more space and subtlety to let it breathe a bit amongst all the chaos. I also don’t find his voice that great, which I think undercuts all the dramatic tension they are trying to build. I also get the concept behind it and it is quite touching, but too often the song titles and lyrics more often fall over that fine line between clever and stupid, the earnestness of it renders it all a bit too daft too frequently. A 2 is too low for the technical skill and overall ambition, so a 3 feels about right. I’m glad I gave it a good go, but it’s unlikely I’ll revisit it. ⭐⭐⭐

Music in Exile I don’t know much African music outside the big names Like Ali Farka Toure and Fela Kuti, but the bits of African guitar music I hear I always like, and this is no exception. From what I read it sounds like Ali Farka Toure was a big influence, which I can hear, and would make sense as they are both Malian. I had this on repeat all morning and I really enjoyed it. There’s no doubt there is a similarity across all the songs, but I find the combination of African guitar grooves with western blues/rock touches most pleasurable to my ears. I liked all of it but there were a few standouts: Soubour, a great bluesy opener, I loved the guitars working with each other and I always love some handclaps. Irganda, the Nile Rodgers/funk/angular rhythm guitars sound great. Seiko Oumarou, taking things down a notch, love the repeating guitar figure and the little runs here and there. Al Tchere Bele, I love the more polyrhythmic feel and some more funk style guitar Petit Metier, the acoustic guitars are a nice point of difference on this one. Desert Melodie, great mood and atmosphere on this one Mali, a lovely, slightly haunting melody and a nicely subdued end to the album. I enjoyed it so much I think I ended up listening to it about 5 times. I also tried their next album Résistance, which also sounded great on first listen and might be better than this. I suppose it’s easy to fall into a slightly patronising trap with African music, a kind of ‘they’re a happy people’ type stereotype, but even though I don’t understand the lyrics there is definitely a sense of fun and excitement to it, especially when you read about the background of them leaving their hometown to escape civil conflict. Along with Jorge Ben this has been the best of the non Western, non English language albums we’ve had, and I definitely enjoyed as a break from some of the rock/metal albums we’ve had recently, so an easy 4 for me, I will definitely put it on rotation and am looking forward to listening to Résistance more and trying Optimisme. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dutch Rock I know Buffalo Gals and Double Dutch but not much else on here. I always felt this was probably similar to Tom Tom Club and some of the Big Audio Dynamite albums from a year or so later. It’s a bit of a curate’s egg, there’s lots to like, some great songs, lots of fun and experimentation and sense that it was ahead of it’s time, with early hip hop, pop, Afrobeat and a bit of Latin all mashed up. But it is definitely patchy and not everything fully works. The cultural appropriation thing is quite interesting too, I don’t really have a problem with people magpie-ing music and influences from wherever they hear them, but when they don’t give credit to people who play on the album and essentially co-write some of it, it feels a bit dodgy. Linked to that I also wonder what, apart from some rapping, what Malcom McLaren actually contributed musically. I get that he is more of a conceptual person, but it feels like Art of Noise plus various African and American musicians actually did this and he is just putting his name to it. Which is not uncommon for him, and I'm probably inclined to feel that is also dodgy. There are quite a few standout tracks. Obatala really grew on me on repeat listens, a lovely little track. Buffalo Gals is a great bit of early 80s hip hop through a weird Englishman’s lens. Great hook.
I’ve always loved Double Dutch, a great bit of rapping with Afrobeat vibes. I don’t know what the words are in the hook but I like to sing ‘Airport, Airport M&S’, particularly if I’m buying some bottled water at an airport M&S. I liked the electro-soundtrack vibe of Legba. Soweto is just fantastic, a great groove, really infectious. Jive My Baby and Song for Chango I liked, even if they aren’t that strong. World Famous is fine, but feels dated. I wasn’t keen on Merengue and Punk it Up seemed to be an inferior version of Soweto. Duck for the Oyster is a bit annoying. You can tell it’s from the early 80s because of the drum machine sound, but apart from World Famous it doesn’t sound to dated. I suppose that’s due to the genius of Trevor Horn. Very identifiably 80s but still sounds good. Overall it’s definitely an enjoyable listen with some great highs, (Obatala, Buffalo Gals, Double Dutch, Soweto) but I don’t think it all quite adds up to a fully satisfying album. Sometimes these ramshackle eclectic albums are great, the sense of fun and experimentation is its own kind of unifying force, but sometimes, like this, it can feel a bit too scattergun and doesn’t hang together. There’s a decent amount of playslistable tracks but I think I’m more likely to turn to Tom Tom Club or Bing Audio Dynamite’s first 2 albums if I want a bit of 80s joyful eclecticism. ⭐⭐⭐ PS, love the Keith Haring cover

3+3 Vaguely familiar with this album, mainly for the covers of Listen to the Music and Summer Breeze. For a period I was really into Givin’ it Back and Brother, Brother, Brother, the two albums before this. I particularly loved (and still love) the cover of Love the One You’re With on Givin’ it Back That Lady is obviously pretty well known, but this version just about manages to stay the right side of cheesy, especially part 2, with the additional funkiness. The cover of Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight is a real grower. Again it verges on cheesiness but Ronald’s lead vocal is superb and keeps it on the right track. If You Were There is fine, if a bit 70s soul by numbers. You Walk Your Way is great though, I love the melody, harmonies and piano giving it a breezy summeriness. Lovely. I really like their interpretation of Listen to the Music. I love the original but I really like how they put their own spin on it, keeping the acoustic guitar but adding the slipperiness of the clavinet. They have written some absolute classics but I think they are one of the best bands for covers, they always a manage to do something interesting and put their own interpretation on things in a cool way (see all of Givin’ it Back). What it Comes Down to is ok, although similarly as rote as If You Were There. Sunshine is fantastic, I don’t know the original at all but I love the funk/soul-ness of it, great drums, clavinet and organ combo. Summer Breeze is a great song and this is a great version, their harmonies and the guitar really adding texture and the piano giving a real drive to it. Always a classic summer playlist song. Great stuff. The Highways of My Life is a surprisingly low key end to the album, although it is a real grower, I really started to like it on repeat listens. Lovely piano. Despite a little bit of patchiness this is a great listen. I could listen to Ronald’s lead vocals and the brother’s harmonies all day. A very nice, solid, enjoyable 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bone Machine I quite like Tom Waits, but he’s not really someone I ever think to listen to. I’ve listened to Swordfish Trombones and Rain Dogs but not much else. His voice is definitely marmite, but I like it, it’s surprisingly tuneful and emotive once you get used to it, even if it can still sound silly from time to time, ie the opening verse of I Don’t Wanna Grow Up. I enjoyed this, the spartan arrangements are very effective with his voice, and the little instrumental textures work really well, the muted horns on the first two tracks, the guitar on Such a Scream, Jesus Gonna Be Here Going Out West, the lap steel on A Little Rain, the Piano on Whistle Down the Wind. The double bass also does a lot of great work, tying everything together. Musically and atmospherically it has a similar feel to Oh Mercy and Time Out of Mind, a pared back but roomy sound. Lyrically I like it, lots of earnest biblical allusions and death and decay and honest work, but with a slight knowing wink, or at least I think a knowing wink. It reminds me a lot of Nick Cave on that front, but maybe not as humorous. Kept expecting Way Down in the Hole to turn up, but it seems that’s on an earlier album, but musically it wouldn’t sound out of place here. The percussion is the sort of thing I normally hate, that kind of tool shed Stomp type stuff I absolutely hate, but it works really well here. Maybe it’s the skill or the fluidity of it, or that it suits his voice, but it’s great. Highlights for me are Earth Died Screaming, Who Are You, A Little Rain, Going out West, Murder in the Red Barn, Black Wings, Whistle Down the Wind and That Feel. It’s probably a few too many tracks and about 10 minutes too long, as it does start to drag and feel quite samey. I liked it though, somewhere between a 3 and a 4. I’ll be Percy-monious and go 3, but I’m definitely going to listen again and try some other albums from this period. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Parachutes Listened to this a fair amount when it came out. I’m finding that this is actually quite tricky to think about and to rate. Is it good on its own merits, or is it good because it’s better than what they became, is it actually quite boring but because what they became is so boring it stands out? It’s probably a mix; some good stuff, better than what follows but also a fair bit of dull stuff. I much much prefer his vocals on this to AROBTTH, they sound good, more rough edges but more weight and heft. There’s some great bass playing throughout as well. The guitar playing is interesting, it sounded quite different to the fag end of Britpop’s overdriven style, more textural and subtle, and there are some lovely moments but it feels very U2 in places. I can see why it gets compared to Bends era Radiohead, but Johnny Greenwood is in a different league. Undoubtedly there are some excellent songs, Shiver, Spies, Yellow, Everything’ Not Lost, but the rest of it, while not offensively bad (apart from Sparks, which is the worst kind of Radio 2 sub Bridget Jones soundtrack beige pap), is pretty uninspiring middle of the road indie pop. I’ll go 3, if it came on I’d not turn it off, but I’m unlikely to seek it out deliberately. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here’s Little Richard Little Richard is probably my favourite of the early rock’n’roll and R&B cohort. Even 67 years later and having heard them 100s of times there is still a visceral thrill to Tutti Frutti, Ready Teddy, Slippin’ and Slidin’, Long Tall Sally and Rip it Up - the voice and the pounding piano are still absolutely fantastic. More than his contemporaries there is a sense of imminent chaotic irreverence in his music. Jerry Lee may be a better pianist, but the combination of LRs voice and piano is uniquely fantastic. This sounds, production wise, very good, again compared to his contemporaries. Despite the innovative nature of the Sun recordings they can sound slightly antiquated, where is this still has a bit of punch to it. Outside of the songs above it is a little mixed though. True, Fine Mama, Can’t Believe You Wanna Leave, and Miss Ann have more than a hint of Fats Domino, which makes sense with the Cosimo Matassa connection and what a big influence Fats Domino was one everyone - Great vocals but not at the same level as some of the other tracks. Baby is good, I’m not really familiar with it but I enjoyed the not so subtle wink to his true sexuality on it. Oh Why is fine, although, again, not quite at the level of the other songs. Jenny, Jenny is fantastic though. For some reason I’m not that familiar with it, despite it apparently being one of his bigger songs. Superb r’n’b/rock’n’roll - feels like Macca might have liked this one. She’s Got It is a great closer too. Obviously this is American, but If you were a teenager living in a grey Britain in 1957, still recovering from the economic strain of WW2, imagine what this must have sounded like. No wonder everything that followed in rock and pop happened, when people like Little Richard, Elvis and Jerry Lee were pumping out stuff like this. I suppose the tricky thing in rating this is, is this an album, or a collection of singles plus some other tracks? It looks like it was recorded in relatively coherent sessions over a year, so it’s probably more of a consistent collection than some of his contemporaries, but there’s no doubt it just doesn’t sound like an album in the modern sense we understand. But then you also need to factor in the influence and musical importance of it all. I’d say it’s in the 3 range as an ‘album’, but it’s a 5 for its influence, importance and for its top tier early rock’n’roll classics. I’ll split the difference and go 4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Head Hunters Jazz fusion. Eugh, two words to make you shiver. However this is actually good, in a way that Jamiroquai and Brand New Heavies can only dream of. None of the 90s ironic kitchness, or lounge-lite vapidity, or infuriating blandness. Chameleon - ‘squelchy’. I love the drum sound, very Talking Book Stevie. Banging. Watermelon Man has a definite film soundtrack feel, a bit Curtis Mayfield. Love the synth refrain in the middle. The horns aren’t too jazzy either, which is nice. Sly, I wasn’t as keen on this, a bit too frenetic, although I did like the groove. Vein Melter, I liked this a lot the 2nd and 3rd time round. Again quite a film soundtrack feel, but a very nice chilled low key atmosphere. I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would - the jazziness exists in the approach to the synths, organ and musical flourishes, rather than in the whole form. The rhythms, drums, bass and guitars are much more funk/soul influenced, with great grooves. If you take it as a 40 minute piece of music rather than 4 very long tracks then it works really well. Will definitely listen again. A solid and enjoyable 4. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Something/Anything? I’m aware of Todd Rundgren as a singer, songwriter and producer and I’m aware of this album, but I’ve never listened to it. This how you fucking do power pop yacht rock though. Catchy, groovy, infectious, accessible, playful, middle of the road in the best way possible. I love that the sides are all themed. Side 1 is great ‘ear catching melodies’ indeed, and in particular the first 3 songs are pop perfection, from the soft rock I Saw the Light, to the melancholic It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference to the soul pop of Wolfman Jack. Love Sweeter Memories too. Breathless on Side 2 is really interesting, a kind of proto-electronic percussion. Saving Grace is very nice on this side too, and I Went to the Mirror is fantastic, a kind of 3am vibe mashed up with some heavier guitar, presaging the next side. Black Maria is a great bit of psychedelic pop rock, I really like the slightly distant sounding vocals. Couldn’t I Tell You is just great, a superb bit of power pop, it sounds like the Cars or some of those 80s bands, love it. Dust in the Wind is superb, and I like the fact that Side 4 is band performances, it definitely has a different feel to the other sides, although with the same soft rock feel. Hello it’s Me is great for that 70s feel. I like the blue eyed soul of Some Folks is Even Whiter Than Me and the easy feel of You Left Me Sore (even though I presume it’s about an STD). Slut is probably the only misstep on the album, with its slightly problematic lyrics. Some tracks are definitely lightweight compared to others, but I think in a good way, not filler but little amuse bouche between the weightier songs. He’s kind of like a cross between Macca and Harry Nilsson, with a nice amount of the latter’s offbeat wryness. There’s also lots of Macca-esque melodies and the same sense of musical facility, that he just naturally tosses out great melodies and songs with ease. I loved this, even though its 90 minutes it never felt like a slog, there’s a deftness and lightness to it that helps it skip along and its really well sequenced. It sounds great too, that pre digital 70s warmth, depth and clarity. Feel like I’m going to listen to this a lot. Not always keen on giving 5 to albums I have heard for the first time, but this is a super bit of 70s pop. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Little Deeper Me and Dave once saw Ms Dynamite outside Streatham Megabowl. First off Dy-Na-Mi-Tee is great, a super bit of r’n’/soul pop. Catchy hook, and a very nice bit of bass and guitar. I do like the sound of the percussion, the snare has a nice r’n’b dryness to it. And there is some quite unusual for the genre instrumentation, the accordion on It Takes More for example, and there is also, again slightly unusually, a lot of guitar throughout. Lyrically there are some good lines and moments, she certainly has a bit of edge to her, with some socially conscious lyrics, more than other British r’n’b singers at the time, but there are still a few too many standard cliches and platitudes, it feels like intentional smoothing out of any roughness and it definitely loses something because of that. Maybe if she was around now the musical landscape and attitude to this type of music would suit her better. Beyond that there’s not many songs that are particularly memorable, especially in the back half. The 2nd bit of the last track, Get Up Stand Up is verging on really good, almost Erykah Badu/Lauryn Hill territory, but it makes you wish there was more like it with some slightly better rapping. A lot of the rest is pretty formulaic r’n’b melodies and singing/oohing etc with a fair few dollops of cheese, eg the Santana-lite icky guitar on Put Him Out. Her voice also has a slight nasal quality that becomes more evident the more you hear it. Despite Dy-Na-Mi-Tee and some interesting and slightly unusual moments and instrumentation, it is an inconsistent listen - there just aren’t enough decent songs to sustain much interest over the course of an hour. I liked it more on the 2nd listen, but was a bit bored on the 3rd listen. I’m very unlikely to listen to it again which would put it around a 2, but because of Dy-Na-Mi-Tee and that among all the standard stuff there is that element of stepping outside the normal parameters of this sort of album, which might tip it over to 3. Very much stuck between those scores, but I think I’ll settle on 2. ⭐⭐

The Next Day I haven’t listened to this since it came out. I remember being quite into it, and it was quite a big deal, but I haven’t really thought about it since then. It’s interesting to listen now, removed from that period. Is it actually good, or did we think it was good because it came out of nowhere with no expectations, and Bowie was at the age and stage of career and life where he was held in high esteem, regardless of the quality of the album? The answer to that question comes about 30 seconds into the first track, this is genuinely good. I love the slightly off-kilter feel of The Next Day, definitely echoes of Beauty & The Beast. Great, great opener. Dirty Boys is cool too, again a kind of throwback, but I like the horn/drum/guitar combo. The Stars are Out Tonight I’m not a huge fan of, although it definitely picks up in the 2nd half with the strings and synths, but it does have more than a whiff of basic old man doing tasteful mid tempo guitar rock, as does Love is Lost a little, although the lyrics on that one are great. I really liked the downbeatness of Where Are We Now when it came out. First time re-listening now I wasn’t that keen, but 2nd and 3rd time reminded me what a great track it is. I like the lyrical perspective of Valentine’s Day, and the riff is good, but as a song it’s not my favourite. If You Can See Me is great, love the slightly frantic rhythms and the bass is great. Excellent track. I’d Rather Be High I like a lot, the guitar riff is great, catchy but slightly creepy too. Boss of Me has its moments, but apart from the horn it is a little forgettable. Love the weird little synth thing on Dancing Out in Space, really elevates the song. How Does the Grass Grow, lots of Wonderful Life by Black, but great guitar in the 2nd half. (You Will) Set the World on Fire is a bit of an oddity, the riff is decent but it sounds out of place production wise and for Bowie also, and the song seems pretty formulaic overall. You Feel So Lonely You Could Die is great, a nice change of pace away from some of the riff heavy songs that precede it. And then Heat really is excellent, really evoking some of that creepy spookiness from around Station to Station and Low. Great, great closer. Lyrically it is excellent throughout, despite looking back at the past, he manages to look into new corners and offer different perspectives, rather than just re-hashing things or just making fan service style easter egg references. Very clever how he manages to tread that line. I have a slight issue with some of the production, particularly the drum sound. I’m not sure how to describe it, it’s that very modern ‘big’ sound, right in the middle of the mix. Kind of echoey, but not in an 80s way, I guess it might be a consequence of the extreme dynamic range compression on everything nowadays. The 2010 onwards Macca albums also have this sound, as does that Stones album from last year. That drum sound and the overall sound generally feel particularly jarring on this record - with it referencing so much from his past the modern sound just doesn’t compare favourably with his older stuff, either as a counterpoint, contrast or as an evocation. It also feels like it could do with 2 or 3 fewer songs, it does feel wooly as you get towards the end and a sense that it’s slightly stretching things out. Overall it is a very good album, and an excellent one in the canon of aging white rockstars making records about their mortality. It’s much better than you should reasonably expect from him at that age and stage of life and health. Even if sometimes the music is a bit staid and it is a bit long, lyrically and thematically it’s so sharp and interesting that’s it never feels like it’s not a worthwhile listen. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rattlesnakes I think I got Lloyd Cole wrong, I’d assumed he was kind of safely bluesy middle of the road bland, a right on the nose Jools Holland act. But, on this at least, he is more of jangly, folky, country-ish pop artist, adjacent to some the postcard records stuff. There may not be a great deal of edge to it, but it has a very tasteful sensibility overall, and a winning earnest naivety and sweetness. Lots of literary, cultural and musical references that don’t always land, but they don’t feel affected, the sentiments seem genuine and heartfelt. He doesn’t always have the strongest voice, although I quite like his occasional falsetto, but he does do slightly different voices on some of the song, sounding a bit like Morrissey in a few. I really enjoyed this, it’s a very pleasant listen, maybe it doesn’t scale any crazy heights, but it’s never boring, the songs are all good and I like the sound, that early 80s big but intimate production. It’s probably on the cusp of 3 and 4, but I’ll go 4 as I’ll definitely listen again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Selected Ambient Works 85-92 When I saw Aphex Twin come up I immediately thought of Dan’s wisdom tooth and how Windowlicker era Apex Twin would probably be the worst thing you could listen to with toothache. I was interested to hear this, I’m aware of bits and pieces of Aphex Twin but have never dived in. I wasn’t necessarily expecting some relatively straightforward ambient techno though, but I liked it. Some of the housey synths sound quite dated, which would make sense as its its 30-40 years old, but overall I liked the tempos and percussion and some of the more textural layered synths behind the bass and the odd hook. No one particular track stood out, apart perhaps from Ageispolis which had more than a hint of You’ll Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties, I just enjoyed it as one long piece of instrumental electronica. Obviously it wasn’t made as an album, but as music to work to or paint the shed to I found it very pleasant and relaxing. It doesn’t move me in the way some of Brian Enos albums do, but I found it a pleasant discovery that I will come back to, particularly for music to play while working or focusing. Solidly midway between 3 and 4, I’ll land on a 3 - it’s something I’ll listen to for specific situations rather than for pure pleasure. ⭐⭐⭐

Led Zeppelin III It wasn’t until I got a bit older that I started to appreciate Led Zeppelin, and over the last year or so I have really got into them, particularly Jan and Feb this year when I listened to them A LOT. Their first four albums are truly excellent. LZIII is an interesting one though, a kind of a transition between first 2 more straight ahead rock albums and LZIV’s more mystical, hobbity and instrumentally diverse sound. Ramble On’s acoustic folkiness from LZII seems to be a stepping off point for a lot of what’s on here: Friends, and then the 2nd side, with Gallow’s Pole, Tangerine, That’s the Way, Bron-y-Aur Stomp and Hats Off to Roy Harper. Outside of those, Immigrant Song is an absolute classic, and Celebration Day is just fantastic, the bass in particular is awesome, but I love the slide too. I’m a bit ambivalent on Since I’ve Been Loving You, on the one hand I like the general atmosphere and some of the guitar is great, but it does stray into plodding mindless blues rock a little too much for me. The drumming in Out on the Tiles is superb, which makes sense with the writing credits, it may not be a top tier LZ rocker, but it’s real grower for me. I do love the slightly loose feel compared to I and II, even if there isn’t as much immediacy as those two albums, but in Immigrant Song, Celebration Day and Gallow’s Pole it has 3 of their best songs as well as some great songs like Bron-y-Aur Stomp. I like that they did try and move away from the sound they had established, even if the synthesis of heavy rock and mystical fairies and folk music is probably better realised on IV. As good as it is it is probably a notch below I, II & IV, so in reality a very high 4, but definitely verging on 5. As they are such a great and influential band I’ll judge them to a higher standard and go 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brutal Youth ‘Cool, must be getting toward the end of the album’, _looks down_, ‘Fucking hell, track six!?’. There are some decent songs, some great ideas, some very good lyrics and I like the production and playing, particularly the bass throughout, but I can’t shake a slight nagging sense of pointlessness. While it’s by no means bad or unlistenable, it’s just feels very undynamic, if that’s a word. It’s not that it’s bland or half hearted, my ears definitely pricked up at certain parts, and I found my self tapping along from time to time, but each song tended to just come and go, and by the end of it I didn’t really feel anything, neither enriched or diminished. I do actually like Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model, Armed Forces and Get Happy are great great records - but I do have this same reaction to a lot of his other stuff, maybe it’s how he constructs his melodies, or the tempos he works at but I find myself not minding it, but kind of zoning out into nothing. I won’t go through song by song, as it seems a bit pointless, but things I did pick up on and like were Nick Lowe’s bass on the songs he played on, the exuberance of Pony St, Kinder Murder is good, the do do dos on Clown Strike, the intro to Sulky Girl, the organ on My Science Fiction Twin and the Neil Young-esque guitar on All the Rage. With all that in mind it’s kind of hard to rate, it’s a perfectly fine album with good things about it. I’d not be averse to listening to it again, but I really can’t see me ever remembering it exists after today. 2 is too low(e), so I’ll reflect my ambivalence and go 3. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Scott 2 I have never listened to these Scott Walker albums, despite knowing how much of an influence and touch point they are for bands and singers I like. I suppose liking this depends mainly on your capacity for musical cabaret slightly off beat baroque pop sung by a creepy uncle. There’s a fair bit of baroque pop I do like and while there is quite a lot to enjoy here, particularly the sense of oddness to it, musically it does get a bit much, and by the third listen I had to stop as it started getting on my tits. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was partially intended and would please Scott. I won’t bother with the track by track, but a couple of things stood out. I’m pretty familiar with Jackie and I do like it, it probably is the best of his Jacques Brel songs, and is musically the best exemplar of the over the top instrumentation and oddness. The Bosnian strings on Best of Both Worlds are very nice. I love the song Black Sheep Boy, Bobby Darin’s versions might be my favourite, but this is a good version too. Plastic Palace People is nice, the shimmering strings suits the slightly off kilter imagery. The Girls and the Dogs is pretty woeful and unpleasant. The Bridge is very good, the pick of the 2nd side. I did want to give it one more listen, but I couldn’t face it again today. I don’t think it’s bad and I would listen again, but I’d like to wait and while and not listen 3 times in a row again. ⭐⭐⭐

Vanishing Point I fucking loved this when it came out. I remember buying it in Woolworths (don’t look for it, it’s not there anymore) in Totton on my lunch break from my part time job, in that sweet sweet summer between A-Levels and Uni. I likely bought a slice of Pizza from Baker’s Oven on the way back to work too. It seems quite intertwined with Fat of the Land in my memory - just looked it up, Fat of the Land was released the week before this. What a time to be 17 years old. I haven’t listened to it in a while but it still holds up for the most part. Burning Wheel is great, starting with that swirling melange of sounds before a psychedelic groove emerges with the bass, guitar and organ, before it the turns into a shuffling dance/rock tune. Get Duffy definitely feels like a piece of 60s/70s soundtrack music in a good way, which makes sense with Vanishing Point the film being a key influence on the album. I bought the Kowalski single when it came out, and it still sounds great, Mani’s rumbling bass is superb at creating a sense of unease and paranoia, as does the fact that it is more a series of incantations and samples rather than a set of lyrics. At the time I loved Star, and although I still like the essence of the words, the lyrics do sound clunky now. Musically it’s still great though, particularly the melodica hook and the horns. I love the little guitar parts in If They Move Kill Em, again it feels quite soundtrack, with a load of sounds and textures jammed into it, but it works as it has a strong sense of momentum. There’s enough interesting stuff happening musically with Out of the Void to keep it going, and the groove/rhythm is good, but it feels a long, even if it’s only 4 minutes. Far too many 90s doorbell chimes in Stuka, but again I like the slippery, dubby spacey groove built around the bass. I don’t think Medication or Motörhead work that well. The former harks back to the Stonesey stuff on Give Out But Don’t Give Up but it feels very leaden footed, there isn’t that sense of looseness and groove that the song needs and that is preset on the rest of the album. Motörhead probably just isn’t that great a song outside of the Motörhead bubble, but works slightly better than Medication, fitting the druggy/comedown vibe a bit better. Trainspotting brings things back to the woozy soundtrack feel, this time with 90s telephone chimes, but it is way too long and the electric piano is a bit too 90s lounge pastiche, although the guitar right at the end is nice. It’s probably the weakest of the instrumental grooves. Long Life is great, despite the dodgy vocal. It definitely has a Kraftwerk vibe to the synths and I like the swirling, echoey feel. A suitably spacey end to the album. It’s definitely a very loose record, with all it’s instrumentals and the lack of concise and well defined songs, but I think that’s to it’s benefit, as it seems to be going for cinematically inspired feel, groove and sonic textures in varying styles, out of which songs and tunes emerge, rather than a coherent set of songs with one particular influence, like the previous album. It also definitely sags towards the end, from Medication to Trainspotting, before picking back up with Long Life. It may not be a perfect album, but I do like it a lot, I admire the idea behind it and the overall woozy, loose, trippy sound. Way better than a 3, but not a 5, cogito ergo sum its a 4. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aftergeography This is a little sweet spot of the Stones, along with Between the Buttons, that I’m very fond of, but I don’t listen to it as much as I should. As much as I like Paint it Black I listened to the UK version of the album, which I think should be the definitive edition. Although Out of our Heads is a good listen, this is clearly a step up, undoubtedly inspired by The Beatles, Beach Boys, Who, Kinks etc. Although you can still hear echoes of their blues and r&b sound in things like Doncha Bother Me and Flight 505, you can also also hear where they would end up a few years later with songs like Goin’ Home. High and Dry even points to the coming influence of country on their music. But Mother’s Little Helper, Lady Jane, Under My Thumb, Out of Time, I Am Waiting, Take it or Leave it and Think are great examples of them landing between those two eras. Excellently catchy mid 60s pop songs with interesting things happening musically and instrumentally that keep them fresh no matter how many times you hear them. It’s Not Easy and What to Do aren’t qute at those standards and are pretty forgettable The lyrics though. I’ve not really considered the lyrics of this period over the years, but listening today, there is a lot that is problematic to say the least. It’s tricky judging them against today’s standards, and it’s not necessarily fair, but I’d hazard that even for the time they were a bit misogynistic and borderline rapey. I don’t think it necessarily lessens my enjoyment of the album, but it’s definitely something I’m more aware of now than I have been previously. Although that probably is a great example of cakeism on my part. When they are not specifically singing about stupid and feckless women it’s much more interesting, there’s definitely a nihilistic and anti-sentimental tone, a bit at odds with the burgeoning peace and love scene, but probably necessary to move on from the prevailing I Love You, Let’s Hold Hands sensibility of 50s and early 60s pop songs. Charlie’s drumming is always excellent, but it is particularly great on this. I love the soft toms on I Am Waiting and the fills in Out of Time. And Bill Wyman’s bass is excellent, not necessarily at Macca’s melodic level or John Entwhistle’s propulsive brashnees, but it has an excellent tone and place in the production, and enough little hooks and licks to give the songs some great texture. It really is a great snapshot of them between eras, clearly inspired to compete with the Beatles and their contemporaries, and while they don’t quite have the melodic and thematic inventiveness of the Beatles, the variations in sounds and instrumentation is great. It's easy to overlook this and Between the Buttons, and although It doesn’t quite hit the peaks in the same way as their upcoming classic 4-5 albums, lyrics notwithstanding, it’s a great album and a great listen overall. Not quite at a 5, so an easy solid 4. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

No Sleep ‘till Hammersmith I’m partial to a bit of Motorhead, especially compared to their peers. I say that, it’s more like I’m partial to a bit of Ace of Spades and not much else. This version of Ace of Spades is very good, the whole thing crashes forward in a blur of bass drums and Lemmy. After that it is just live recordings of fast tempo heavy metal. It’s not terrible at all, I suppose Lemmy’s stuff prior to Motorhead means he can conjure up some decent hooks and melodies, even if it does feel like pretty much every song is a less successful attempt at writing Ace of Spades again. Iron Horse, Overkill and (We Are) The Roadcrew stand out as being more memorable than the rest. As a live recording it’s decent, some tracks are definitely better recorded than others, but you do get a sense of their energy and on-stage tightness. If you are really into Motorhead I expect seeing them at this time would have been excellent, although I don’t think I’d be that keen to attend one of their gigs. I know this is an early review, but it doesn’t take multiple listens to come to a conclusion. Ultimately it’s fine, it is exactly what it is, I wouldn’t expect to hear anything that interesting or different. While it's not terrible, I’m unlikely to listen again - what exactly would I get out of doing that? 2 does feel low, but 3 would indicate I might have a further listen so I’ll stick with 2. Playlist submission: Ace of Spades ⭐⭐

Copper Blue Never heard of this band or album, didn’t know it was Bob Mould until I looked it up. I’m not overly disposed to the early 90s alt rock/grunge bands and sound, but I did enjoy this more than most albums in the genre. I do like Husker Du, and although the subject matter is more straightforward than HD, it does retain some of the same punkish 60s surf pop influences, but with more accessible melodies. There’s something off about the bass on A Good Idea, I think it is supposed to sound deliberately amateur, but it honestly sounds like me failing over and over to learn a basic bassline. Changes is a good bit of grunge power pop. Feel like I’ve heard Helpless before, I like it. Hoover Dam is very nice, the acoustic guitars and synth add a nice texture and are a nice contrast to the guitar heavy tracks. If I Can’t Change Your Mind is another nice slice of melodic grunge. I like Man on the Moon too. The rest I can take or leave, it's all fine but pretty forgettable and formulaic heavy guitar alt rock. It’s certainly a decent enough album, I wouldn’t be averse to listening again, and might choose to at some point if I got reminded of it, but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to hear it again. Think that lands it right in the middle of the pack. ⭐⭐⭐ Playlist submission: Hoover Dam

Station to Station Really smashing through the Bowie, of the 9 on the list we only have 3 left after this one. And another cracker, definitely top tier Bowie for me (feel like I’ve said that for all his albums so far). I do often like albums that straddle two eras or styles and this certainly has elements of Young Americans while also foreshadowing the Berlin trilogy. The title track really encapsulates this, the brooding teutonic sounding intro and build, with the more funk and soul ‘It’s too late’ part. Great guitar. Golden Years is just fantastic, great riff and I love the handclaps. Superb vocal on Word on a Wing, and love the build from the understated opening to the full strained and yearning body of the song. TVC15 has always been a favourite, a great bit of off kilter soul and rock. Love the piano and guitar in the outro. Stay is truly excellent, fantastic guitar and another one that straddles the Young Americans and Berlin periods. Another excellent vocal on Wild is the Wind, delicate and translucent but very moving. The guitar is very nice too. There is a coolness (as in cold) to this, a definite uncomfortable and uneasy undertone to it all, despite some more immediate moments like Golden Years, TVC15 and the piano intro to Word on a Wing, but that sense of detachment gives it a sense of density, hidden corners and a pleasantly unsettling personality. It has to be this length, anymore than 38 minutes and it might feel too oppressive. Only 6 songs, but each of them has room to breathe and none of them feel long, despite their lengths. The sound of the album is excellent throughout too. I guess it’s hard to know who played what between Earl Slick and Carlos Alomar but the guitar on this album really is fantastic, skipping between styles and tones and sound, adding so much to the songs whether as the foundation like on Golden Years or as texture as on TVC15. Endlessly intriguing and complex, one of those albums where it often feels like you are hearing it for the first time even if you’ve already only just listened to it, it can only be a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Playlist submission: Station to Station. Hard to choose, love GY, TVC15 and Stay, but for it’s unique air of sinister momentum I’ll go with STS

Rattus Norvegicus Stuart Pearce’s favourite band. He’s seen them over 1000 times. The Stranglers best of is always a fun listen, but I’ve never given any of their albums a go so I’m quite interested in this. They never seemed like a typical punk band, although the attitude and vocals are pretty sneering and punkish, the keyboards/organ and the prominent, melodic bass always made them sound more like a standard rock band, albeit with a bit of a rough edge. They definitely have a sense of musicianship and musical ambition beyond many their peers, and you can definitely hear a lot of 60s influences, particularly The Who. Sometimes is a good example, it really doesn’t have that year zero punk ethos - the bass, organ and guitar breaks are much more pre-punk ‘classic’ rock. It’s a great opener though. Goodbye Toulouse is a little more punky in attitude and tempo, but the circular organ and the guitar fills give it a more accomplished flavour. London Lady continues that pattern but with diminishing returns. Princess of the Streets is a bit creepy but a nice change of pace, developing into a decent hypnotic groove. Hanging Around picks the energy back up, with a decent memorable melody. Peaches is a great bit of pop rock oddness. It could be easily dismissed as a bit of a novelty record, but it’s much better than that. (Get a) Grip (On Yourself) is good too, the synths and sax is great, giving a different texture. Ugly is pretty forgettable. I like the Down in the Sewer medley, a nice sense of musical ambition, even if it doesn’t work fully. The lyrics do need a mention, they have undoubtedly not aged well and are problematic in parts, particularly Sometimes. And they do seem quite obsessed with sexism, streets, sewers and rats. Peaches you can probably just about give the benefit of the doubt to, in that it parodies a certain type of character and at least Goodby Toulouse uses a slightly unconventional inspiration. Overall it’s a decent, fun listen, both as a counterpoint to their punk peers and in its own right, even if it is undoubtedly a bit patchy. Sometimes (despite the lyrics), Hanging Around, Peaches and (Get a) Grip (On Yourself) are very good songs, standing well above the rest. I also do like the composition of the band - when it works well the bass and organ/keys are a great combo, giving them a distinctiveness and point of difference. I’ll go 3, it doesn’t set the world alight, but I’d listen again. ⭐⭐⭐ Playlist submission: Peaches. (Get a) Grip (On Yourself) runs it close but I’ll go with the obvious

Tago Mago Ich Nichten Lichten - 73 minutes of German avant garde rock! The first half of it, from Paperhouse to Halleluhwah is just fantastic. Skittery, odd, creepy with great rhythms and little hooks and melodies. It’s recognisable, but also slightly opaque, there’s grooves and lyrics, but the overall effect is slightly other worldly. It feels like what jazz thinks it, but is actually what jazz wishes it could be. Paperhouse and Oh Yeah are great, but I love Mushroom and Halleluwah. Mushroom is possibly the most conventional song, even though it’s still a bit odd, but the 18 minutes of Halleluwah is just amazing, a little bit of funk, but spacey at the same time. You could dance to it, but you could also freak out to it. Just read that Primal Scream sampled the drums for Kowalski. Makes sense. The 2nd side is definitely a different listen, although and without wanting to appear obtuse, I do really like it - although obviously it’s not everyones cup of tea and it took me a long time to come round to it. I do like how Aumgn slowly coalesces from chaotic noise into chaotic rhythm by the end of its 17 minutes. Although on the one hand it’s kind of tuneless, there’s something about it I find quite addictive, I really don’t know what that is or why I like it so much. Peking O’s introduction feels like its leading towards something like the songs on the first side, before it turns into a soup of schizo percussion and shouting. I’m less keen on this than Aumgn, although I do still like it. Again I don’t know why. Bring me Coffee or Tea is a suitably subversive end, going back to the style of the first side. I do love this album, maybe Ege Bamyasi or Future Days are a better overall listen but I love how distinctive this is. I always get the feeling the avant garde stuff on side 2 comes from a genuine place of experimentation, rather than pretension or deliberate wackiness, while the stuff on side 1 is what happens when they try and write ‘normal’ songs, their innate slightly off balance and skewed sensibilities means it comes out slightly strangely, but in a brilliant way. The recording and composition of it is interesting, recorded on 2 track in a castle, made by cutting up their jams into ‘songs’. You can hear the joins in lots of places, but that only adds to the charm in my opinion. It’s not the greatest album ever, but the more I listen the more rewarding it is. I find myself enjoying it immensely each time I put it on, maybe because it's so off centre, and at turns creepy, slippery, funky, funny and weird. But I don’t actually know why it appeals to me so much. I love an effortless McCartney melody, or a extremely well recorded and structured Steely Dan song, or a skillfully written and arranged pop song as much as the next man, and this is not that, but I love that some weird Germans and a Japanese guy made this, and that it still endures 50 years later. 5 it is. 🥫🥫🥫🥫🥫 Playlist: Halleluhwah

Ready to Die I do like Biggie’s flow, but I only really know Juicy, Hypnotise, Mo Money. Interested to hear this, especially in comparison to the Tupac album we had back in May. I really like a lot of the sound and production on this, and the samples are pretty great throughout, a lot of string laden 70s soul, giving the whole thing a warm, lush sound. Good considering it seems to have had about 300 different producers. Intro really resonated with me, it really reminded me of my own journey from birth to adulthood. His rhymes and wordplay are good, and I like the timbre and style of his voice, but the actual words and lyrics on most of it I don’t like. I thought Tupac talked about these same topics and themes more as reportage, laying out the world and situations he found himself in, with a strong element of despair. While they did border on nihilism, I much preferred them to the lyrics on this. It’s not that he is necessarily glorifying violence or gangs, but there is a fair amount of self aggrandizing, eg on Warning. The bragging about his sexual prowess is also quite painful, the words on One More Chance for example are embarrassingly cringe and hard to listen to. The blow job noises at the end of Respect are also awful. That air of misogyny, while pretty pervasive elsewhere in the genre and other music at the time, is also pretty hard to listen to. Juicy is still a great track though. Musically and sonically I really like a lot of the album, but lyrically I really don’t like it. I know the world he grew up in and raps about is so far removed from my own experience that I don’t fee I’ml in a position to really judge it, but it feels like there are lot of other people out there who do talk about this stuff in a more interesting and, from my perspective, a much better way. ⭐⭐ Playlist submission: Juicy

Pink Moon So good. As with the previous Nick Drake albums, each of them on any day can be my favourite. Listening today, this is my favourite, but if I listened to Five Leaves Left tomorrow that would probably be my favourite. The sparseness of the music fits so well with the sparseness of the lyrics, the fragments of observations, feelings and moods that the words evoke as they gently drift in and out. He doesn’t fully vocalise a lot of the words, so you get a real sense of an internal monologue of jumbled thoughts passing across the tumbling and spiralling guitar. Although there is an undeniable bleakness and sadness, there are also moments of joy and hope. I won’t go through each song, but I like them all and I like the flow, moving in and out of focus, some more rhythmic, some more atmospheric, all tying into the overall feeling of the album 28 minutes of melancholy acoustic perfection. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Playlist submission: Stick a pin in any tack, but today I really liked Road.

Let it Be Kind of familiar with this, one of those albums that get talked about a lot. I remember downloading it dodgily in pre streaming times, but it must have been a poor quality or highly compressed version as it didn’t sound as good as the version I’m listening to now. I didn’t really give it many listens but I did like Unsatisfied, which I’ve got on a few playlists to this day I Will Dare, love this, very power pop, Byrds and Tom Petty ish with a punk new wave edge to it. Makes sense that Peter Buck plays on it. Favourite Thing is similar, with great guitar interplay. We’re Coming Out, beers a bit close to a slightly tuneless punk thrash, although i love the piano breakdown at the end and the solo is good. The lead and rhythm guitars on Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out are great, a cool post punk power pop combo, but the song just kind of fizzles out, even though I like sense of humour to it. I can hear a lot of people must have been influenced by Androgynous, it does sound a bit like Mercury Rev and other 90s US and UK indie bands. Amazingly progressive and sympathetic lyrics for the time too. Bit of a gem. Black Diamond. Bit of an oddity, don’t know the Kiss original at all, but seems a strange choice of band to cover. It’s fine but not as interesting as the other tracks. Unsatisfied is excellent, a great bit of songwriting, it immediately sounds right, well constructed, but with enough roughness around the edges and a pleasing lack of polish. Stand out track. Seen Your Video is another great slice of power pop, love that, idiosyncratically, it’s wordless until the end. Gary’s Got a Boner. I’ve got a boner. Sixteen Blue is really great, a few little county touches with a great sense of longing and yearning. Excellent solo. Answering Machine is also great, love that’s it’s just guitars and nothing else until the little bit of percussion at the end. I like their sound, the two ‘lead’ guitars, and his unconventionally affecting voice, and the unpolished looseness and occasional dissonance of their playing. Can hear a lot of Libertines in that. It is possibly a bit patchy overall, but this is a great little album, it’s punk new wave power pop classic rock synthesis is great, it’s rough edges and it’s sense of often imminent musical collapse gives it such charm - you can see and hear why it’s been so influential and why it gets talked about so much. A definite minor classic, easily in the high 4s. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Playlist submission: Unsatisfied

Call of the Valley Couldn’t find the correct version on Tidal, so had to listen on YouTube, which is normally annoying, but for this it wasn’t, as it felt like one suite of music, so knowing individual tracks doesn’t really matter. (There is a version on Tidal, which seems to be a remake by his son I also refrained from looking up anything about it until I’d listened to it. Obviously I knew it would be Indian, but I didn’t know whether it would be classical Indian or something more akin to the fusion of Indian and rock music on that first Ananda Shankar album. After a minute or two it’s in the former. I know very little about Indian classical music, apart from the odd bit I’ve read about due to George and other 60s musicians who listened to it and were influenced by it. I also know that it has a different scale and also some very specific rules on instruments and improvisation, but when it comes to how that manifests itself and how it actually works I’m pretty clueless. But I really really enjoyed this as soon as I started listening. I presume from the title it has a pastoral theme, and I definitely got that sense from it. I suppose that may be to do with the flute-like instrument, but I got the same pastoral or nature inspired impression that I get from Vaughan Williams or Sibelius in western classical music. Now reading about it after, the flute-like instrument is actually a flute! And that plus the guitar throughout is probably why it appeals to my western ears, as it’s not full-on Indian classical but classical music made accessible for international audiences. That doesn’t diminish my enjoyment of it all however, I just found the whole thing incredibly pleasing and relaxing, and even more so once I read more about it and the themes and inspiration. I loved the intricacies of the melodies and instrumentation and the peaceful and serene atmosphere it evokes. It really is a very beautiful 40 odd minutes of music.While I wouldn’t say I’m about to embark on a lifelong spiritual journey into Indian classical, I am interested to find out about and listen to a bit more. Kind of hard to judge against the rest of the albums on this list, as it's probably more comparable to classical rather than pop, rock, jazz, soul or hip hop etc. I really really liked it though and as it kind of stands apart from the rest of the albums I’ll give it a 5. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Playlist submission: The 4th one, Rag Des (although if the albums on streaming we can’t put it on the playlist I guess)

One Nation Under a Groove The world is a toll free toilet Our mouths neurological assholes And psychologically speaking We're in a state of mental diarrhea Talking shit a mile a minute 💩💩💩💩 Playlist submission: Cholly (Funk Getting Ready To Roll!)

Rage Against the Machine Wake up sheeple! Corporations, yeah? The system, yeah? Although I kind of agree with the overall sentiment, lyrically this is pretty artless - it’s hardly groundbreaking to criticise capitalism and express dislike of inequality, but if you are, swearing with vague platitudes about systems and not doing ‘they’ say just sounds a bit crap. It’s not necessarily that they are naive, and I don’t doubt their sincerity and conviction at all, but the words are neither direct and powerful, nor opaque and poetic, so it fails to reach the intellectual articulation that he’s clearly striving for, and consequently it sounds a bit laughable - it has that sense of a teenager with superficial profundity telling you something very obvious that you already know. Musically however this is excellent, or more accurately ‘guitarily’ this is excellent. I know people always say Tom Morello is a great guitarist, but listening to this I completely understand. Although it may not be in my preferred genre, it’s so so good: heavy, groovy, riffy, simultaneously subtle and direct, it expresses the anger and themes of the album much better than the words do. I could quite happily listen to an instrumental-only version of this. Song wise, Killing in the Name is of course excellent and probably the standout. Take the Power Back is, I presume(?), unintentionally Seinfeld. Musically Settle for Nothing is great, superb guitar. Bullet in the Head is good and Know Your Enemy is excellent, possibly running Killing in the Name of close. Wake Up is very Kashmir, and then the remaining tracks are more of the same. Excellent guitar, bad lyrics. Of all the angry rock records, this has to be up there, I would say principally for the guitar - in fact I would prefer an instrumental-only version of this album. It’s tricky to rate, purely on guitar its a 4, but the whole is lesser, so I’ll go with 3. 🐑🐑🐑 Playlist submission: Killing in the Name

Nilsson Schmilsson I fairly familiar with this album, I do listen to it from time to time, although haven’t in a while. I didn't realise until I listened to a Nothing is Real podcast episode last year that there was quite a bit of intertwining between Nilsson and the Beatles, not just the lost weekend stuff with John, but they all liked him and his music. He’s done a few Beatles covers, You Can’t Do That and She’s Leaving Home on Pandemonium Shadow Show are good. Even without knowing that and listening to this album you can tell he’s clearly very influenced by them. Gotta Get Up is great, really sets the tone for the album, kind of classic singer songwriting with a slightly off beat sensibility, interesting instrumentation and a lot of humour. He does seem to have that slight Macca-esque ability to appear to be able to toss off some effortless sounding melodies. Driving along has that same effortless feeling, although it just seems to end, feels like it could have built further. Early in the Morning is also great. I’m not familiar with the orginal but the electric keys only backing is excellent. The Moonbeam Song is very pretty, the Beach Boys style harmonies are great, they really elevate it. Massive solo Lennon and solo McCartney vibes on Down. The piano feels very Spector era Lennon, but the horns echoing the descent as he sings down are very McCartney/Martin. Coconut is fun but of oddness. I guess now you wouldn’t be able to sing in that accent, something something woke, but it’s great. While Let the Good Times Roll is fun enough, I’m not sure it adds a great deal to the album. Without You. Easy to forget what an excellent song this is when it’s been x factored/pub singered to death. I do love this version, the strings are excellent, just enough Bernard Herman edge to them to avoid it being too saccharine. Jump into the Fire is excellent, the stand out track. I’ve liked since I first heard it in Goodfellas. The bass is excellent, especially in the breakdowns. Great song. I’ll Never Leave You is a great downbeat end and a nice contrast to Jump into the Fire. Love the strings, horns and banjo as it builds and then levels out. Very pretty. He really does have a great voice, Moonbeam Song, Down and I’ll Never Leave You really show that. And the Beatles/solo Beatles echoes make a lot of sense as alot of the musicians on here also played on Lennon and Harrison’s stuff. Overall it is a great listen, although it’s definitely a bit woolly in places. It’s probably lacking a couple more really high quality songs to put it in the top tier. Nevertheless it lands very easily in the 4s, its slightly shabby and quirky laid back charm is a winner for me. 🥥🥥🥥🥥 Playlist submission: Jump into the Fire

Buena Vista Social Club The Guardian told me I should buy this back in 1997, so I did, likely thinking it would make me appear cool and eclectic. I did enjoy it, but it didn’t have much longevity in my barely formed 18 year old brain, so I don’t think I listened to it between 1998 and now. Of all the music outside of the Western Europe/North America bubble, I do find myself drawn more to North and Northwest African desert blues and Indian stuff like Call of the Valley the other day, rather than things like this in the central american/caribbean/latin american genres. Maybe it’s the spanish guitars or the jazz adjacency but it never quite fires my imagination. However I did enjoy it today, maybe out of nostalgia and maybe because it was a nice sunny day, but also because it is genuinely good. The various lead vocals and lead vocalists are superb, I love that they are a bit older and have that great lived in, slightly frayed around the edges feel. And the harmonies are excellent throughout. The playing is also great, giving the whole thing such a languid, sunny feel, although often there is a detectable air of melancholy. I obviously don’t know what they are singing about, it could be about lost love and family or worker co-operatives and production quotas, but it doesn’t matter, it sounds great. However, unless you are really into this type of music, an hour is a lot. There’s no doubt it does start to feel quite samey after about ½ an hour, and although it doesn’t really drag, it’s one of those where you could accidentally restart the album at any point and you wouldn’t necessarily notice. Highlights for me are the first 3 tracks, particularly the first one Chan Chan. Ry Cooder’s slide on this is great, subtly adding to the track and giving it a very pleasant hint of bluesiness. I also really liked El Carretero and Orgullecida. The rest, while very nice and atmospheric, didn’t particularly register. Overall I’d say it’s right in the 3s. Very listenable and enjoyable, and I would listen again, but doesn’t quite resonate enough with me over the course of an hour to push it into the 4s, despite the obvious quality of musicianship 🇨🇺🇨🇺🇨🇺 Playlist submission: Between Chan Chan and Orgullecida, I’ll go Chan Chan

To Pimp a Butterfly I saw this was on the list when Paul recommended it after Good Kid, so I wanted to wait until it came up before I listened to it. The list of guest stars and also musicians and producers is nuts - I counted 60 on the Wiki page - but it’s also nuts how much it all hangs together when you take all that into account. Wesley’s Theory is great, squelchy bass and funk vibes, despite neither Thundercat or Gorge Clinton actually playing bass on it. King Kunta is excellent, superb samples and interpolations and great, driving bass and percussion. Sounds like an instant classic to me. Institutionalized is also very good, really like the drum sound and drum pattern, and Snoop’s rap is great, his voice sounds really different, older and worn. These Walls is very Thundercat, I love that warm synth sound and again the drum sound is excellent, as are the little guitar lines. Alright I remember from Glastonbury the other year, and I’ve definitely heard it in other places. Momma is great and Hood Politics too, love the ‘bending’ synth sound. How Much a Dollar Cost feels like a succinct distillation of the themes he raps about, kind of despairing but not hopeless. Ronald Isley sounds fantastic on it. The Blacker the Berry is also excellent, has a similar feel to King Kunta, but brilliantly atmospheric and creepy. You Ain’t Gotta Lie has a similar feel to some of The Roots. I is excellent, great sample and interpolation. Great delivery and awesome drums/percussion. Mortal Man, what a closer. As a privileged person from the UK it’s hard to understand his experience, but this is very powerful. It’s definitely one of those albus where it all just sounds right. The feel of the whole album is great, again a bit nuts considering the disparate cast of people, players and producers. It feels like a very modern soul record, with funk and jazz all being big elements without being overbearing or distracting and all layered brilliantly with the instrumentation, and a great drum and percussion sound throughout. Lyrically and thematically it’s great too, carrying on from the previous album, but with a broader more widescreen feeling. I can easily see this becoming a favourite, up there with Illmatic, but I need to listen more and let it percolate further. It’s very dense, musically, lyrically and thematically, and it is long, but I’m looking forward to getting to know it more. It’s maybe a 4 right now, but I know with time it will be a 5, so I may as well give it the 5 now. 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

Faust 12 minute drone? Yes please! I’m fairly familiar with this, following on from getting into Kraftwerk, Neu! and Can. I do think it’s great, kind of occupying the ground between Neu! And Can. The mislabelled tracks can get a but confusing. Krautrock is great, long but interesting, great when the drums come in. The Sad Skinhead sounds very ahead of its time, almost post punk/new wave, whilst also simultaneously being very much of its time. Jennifer is a great, the pulsing bass is superb and it’s a great slow burn leading to the noise outro. Just a Second is great, very ‘krautrock’ with it’s motorik rhythms and guitar, before moving into a slightly creepy 2nd half. Picnic on a Frozen River, Deuxieme Tableau has a lot of elements I love, but I’m not so keen on the vocal hook, I much prefer the instrumental passages. Great bass and guitar in the second half though. Läuft...Heisst Das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft, I love the acoustic guitar and handclaps, but, like most of their other songs you expect it to turn into a kind of experimental noise jam, but it doesn’t, it plays out very sweetly. Run, very Radiohead. I know Faust were an influence from Kid A onwards, and they obviously have Faust Arp on in Rainbows. It’s a Bit of a Pain is a very lovely way to finish, almost Bryter Later style guitar, before the noises come in and out, and before it reaches its denoument. I do like this album a lot. It’s a bit patchy in places but I am a bit of a sucker for this type of stuff, it’s obviously very UK and US rock’n’roll influenced, but put through a teutonic hippy lens, which makes it really interesting and very enjoyable. Loads of ideas, lots of atmosphere, bit rough around the edges, it’s my perfect idea of a 4 👺👺👺👺 Playlist submission: Krautrock

Electric The musical growth rate of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry. This album feels like a joke, as if Spinal Tap never happened. Surely this is not real, released in earnest by a real band? And if it is a real album, how has it been remembered? It’s so poor in every aspect - intention, ambition, music, lyrics - that it feels entirely pointless. I’m not averse to this sort of music at all, but why would you listen to this when you could just listen to Guns’n’Roses or AC/DC, who do this a million times better, with a million times more charm? She Sells Sanctuary is undoubtedly an absolute classic, and I was hoping there would be similar on here but, without knowing anything else of their catalogue, that seems like a massive fluke. It’s not worth going song by song, just think of any utterly generic hard rock riff from the middle of 1987, add some echoey drum fills and some pub singer shouting yeah-ah in three slightly different ways, and mix it up in the most basic of configurations and you have any track on this album. I’m reluctant to give out 1s, but I will this time. This is utter wank. 🧤 Playlist submission: I’ll go for my least favourite, a choice between Bad Fun or the cover of Born to be Wild. I’ll go Born to be Wild as it’s one of the most laughable covers I’ve ever heard

Blood on the Tracks This is definitely up there in my favourite Dylan albums, it may even be my favourite as it’s probably the one I’ve listened to more than any other. There really isn’t a weak track, each one is fantastic in its own right, and as a collection they work superbly. Tangled up in Blue is one of his best songs for me, and a great opening track, setting up the atmosphere of the album. I love the shifting tenses, going back and forth in time. Simple Twist of Fate. Another all time Dylan song, such a lovely melody and evocative lyric. You’re a Big Girl Now, is such a bleakly moving gem, the almost spanish sounding guitar and feel amplify the melancholy sadness of the words. I love how the Hammond rises and falls evoking breathing throughout Idiot Wind, and the lyrics are, of course, caustically great. After the bleakness and bitterness of the previous 3 songs, You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go’s jauntiness and vaguely upbeat feel is a pleasant contrast, as is the bluesiness of Meet Me in the Morning. While it might feel a little slight, the playing, and drumming in particular, is excellent and its a nice palate cleanser to start the 2nd side. It took me a while to appreciate Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, but now I think it’s great, its complicated picaresque plot tale is brilliantly told, fully utilising the 9 minutes without feeling long, the wild west setting and music marrying it all together. If You See Her, Say Hello always puts me in mind of Girl from the North Country, with its similar idea of asking someone to wish his ex lover well. A beautiful wistful lyric, perfectly complemented by the fantastic music. More top tier Dylan. I love how the first verse of Shelter from the Storm, setting up the whole song brilliantly. Love the melodic bass against the almost spiralling rhythmic guitar. Buckets of Rain has always been a favourite, again the acoustic and bass together are excellent, and it’s slightly amused but sincere observational lyric is great The playing is uniformly excellent, the acoustic guitars and electric bass working in great harmony, particularly on some of the sparser tracks. And lyrically, while still hidden by allegory and riddle, it might be his most obviously personal, even if he still denies that it is. At turns sad and peaceful, profound and flippant, clear-eyed and opaque, every song has little corners and moments that are clearly about something specific, whilst also leaving room for interpretation and, in many cases, shifting meaning. I guess that’s the thing though, while he might say You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go is about literature, and while that interpretation clearly works, you can’t help but wonder what else he means. Maybe he is ultimately very literal and we all obsess over meanings that aren’t there, but maybe he just likes obfuscating everything. I guess that unknown gives it its emotional power 50 years later. It’s a classic for a reason, it endures and no matter how many times you listen you can still hear something new, or you hear it in a slightly different way, like all the best music. An easy peasy 5. 🩸🛤️🩸🛤️🩸🛤️🩸🛤️🩸🛤️ Playlist submission: Tangled up in Blue

Sulk I’m vaguely aware of the name The Associates, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of their music, and I don’t really know what genre they are. I didn’t want to read about them or this before my first listen, but looking at the cover and the year, I guess some kind of synth pop type band? Arrogance Gave Him Up, quite a bouncy synth pop instrumental, I like it. No, quite a gloomy sound, a bit more new wave/new romantic, the pulsing drums and highly pitched synth is very 70s Bowie. Not the most convincing vocal melody. Bap De La Bap. I like the squeaky sounds, but does sound a little like a pastiche of a synth pop singer, like the Mighty Boosh might do. Good drum pattern though. Gloomy Sunday - another very very Bowie vocal and Station to Station era feel. I really like the rippling synth line. Nude Spoons, great title. Drums, bass and one of the synths sounds quite like I’m So Excited. Skipping - The vocal in parts sounds like when I try to do the lowest note I can in the bathroom mirror by dropping my chin into my chest and trying to look like a frog (or George Lucas). It’s Better This Way, sounds a little bit Jesus and Mary Chain, but without the echoey drums being quite as satisfying. Again the vocal melody isn’t my favourite. Party Fears Two has nice bounciness, I like the synth line and the bass is good, and the piano in the back half is excellent. Club Country I really liked, the bass, synth, guitar and noises are great, and it’s probably the strongest vocal and strongest melody on the album and it’s best track - a potentially overlooked 80s classic. nothinginsomethingparticular is similar to Arrogance Gave Him Up, a jaunty bit of instrumental synth pop, at slight odds with the slightly gloomy songs in between. It feels like they are more of slightly new wave 70s inspired synth focused rather than synth pop band on the basis of these songs. Now I’m reading about them it makes sense they are Scottish, although I don’t know why that is, and that they would think of themselves as post punk, which also makes sense, but they are clearly in thrall to Bowie and a fair bit of pre-punk music. It looks like they were pretty influential too, although I guess that might be more for their attitude and style rather than the songs themselves. I’m not entirely sure what I think. There’s a lot I like, there are some decent songs, some excellent synths and some very good guitar and bass, and musically overall it does a very good job of creating its own murky, vaguely histrionic atmosphere. The drum sound though, I’m not that keen on, there’s an almost midi quality to it, it feels thin and flat. And vocally while it does feel a bit tuneless in places, which is fine, the voices don’t have much weight or distinctiveness, and the very Bowie derivative aspect of them I do find a bit off putting, especially combined with their melodies. It’s not a bad record at all, there’s some great synth lines and bass playing and some really interesting ideas and the overall slightly off kilter DIY aspect to it is fun, and while it’s intriguing enough to make me want to find out a bit more about them and see what else they’ve done, I may also, in time, forget I listened to this. I think a 3 is a fair score, some re-listening potential, but not necessarily an exciting discovery 🎹🎹🎹 Playlist submission: Club Country

Isn’t Anything I’ve listened to Loveless a few times, but don’t think I’ve listened to this before. It has the elements you would expect, vaguely motorik drum patterns, lots of layers of noise and guitar and wonky vocals with barely discernible words. It’s also, as you would expect, one of those albums that makes sense the more you listen to it. Although the sounds and songs are broadly similar it's only after repeat listens that songs and nuances start to emerge, even if it never quite catches fire fully for me. Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside), I like the drums and bass and the slightly disconcerting inhalation/exhalation noise. Vocals aren’t necessarily his strong point, and there are some wonky edits, but I do like it, a bit of a wonky grower. Lose my Breath has a quite lovely dreamy feel, very atmospheric and a great track. Cupid Come Cupid Come is fine if a bit forgettable while (When You Wake) You’re Still in a Dream is good bit of noisy rock, the best of the uptempo more aggressive tracks. No More Sorry, the shimmeryness punctuated with the guitar back in the mix and the vocal, is very atmospheric and intriguing. Almost feels like it might turn into The Next Episode by Dre. All I Need I like for its layered atmosphere, and sense of melancholy hopelessness, it's a good one. Feed My Kiss and Sueisfine are quite Jesus and Mary Chain, with Sueisfine being a decent droning slightly bubblegum pop track and Feed My Kiss being a fun bit of thashy noise. Several Girls Galore, although I like the vocal and the buzzsaw guitar, the whole thing doesn’t quite come together like some other songs on here. You Never Should, I like this one, has a nice lo-fi pop vibe, almost feels like Ash, but with a guide vocal track. I quite like Nothing Much to Lose, it has a Teenage Fanclub vibe and the backing vocals are nice. I Can See it (But I Can’t Feel it) is nice, again one of the more atmospheric and dreamy feeling ones, but also not a great vocal. I think the more dreamy, slower tempo, more atmospheric songs like No More Sorry, Lose My Breath and All I Need work better than the faster noisier ones like Feed My Kiss and Sueisfine. As a full album does get better with more listens, and while I like a few of the songs and a lot of the atmospheres and noises, and in the right mood I’d listen again, it doesn’t quite fully grab me in the way Loveless does, which puts this solidly in the 3s ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 Playlist submission: Lose My Breath

That’s the Way of the World Firstly, EWF as a band are tight as fuck Secondly, they are excellent musicians Thirdly, some of their songs are superb Fourthly, some of their songs are cheesy as all balls Shining Star is one of the superb songs, a fantastic bit of disco soul pop - groovy, propulsive, excellent musicianship, great melody. Can’t help a bit of white man’s overbite with this. That’s the Way of the World’s horn part is lovely, and the song is great 70s soul ballad with some lovely floating harmonies and backing vocals, and continues the great start to the album. However, as a side note, the ‘Yeaows’ are pure Lonely Island. Happy Feelin’ a song Jamiroquai wish they could write. The bass is a bit mental, as there doesn't seem to be a single moment without a bass note, but it’s not irritating like Jamiroquai, and the song is another strong disco soul groove. All About Love, here comes the cheese, nice and soft, like a melting brie being slowly caressed into your ear canal. The instrumental breakdown with the cinematic horns is great, but the rest of the song isn’t great. Although I do love the weird bit tacked on the end, with the excellent keyboard bass, it sounds like a bit of experimental pop like something of McCartney, if Macca was a 12 piece disco soul band. Yearnin’ Learnin’, some more ‘Yeaows’, and a fun but ultimately a bit of a forgettable track, and the production sounds oddly ‘spread out’ and less intimate and interesting than the rest of the tracks. Reasons, ready for a nice bit of melted mozzarella, nice and stringy, slowly dripped all hot onto your face? Unfortunately this does feel very dated, the vocal on is ludicrous, no wonder this sort of thing gets parodied so much, it’s such a silly very unsexy slow jam. Africano is pretty good, I like the jazz flute intro before it becomes a decent bit of disco funk. See the Light, this is on the cheesy cusp, but despite never going full cheddar, it is a bit soul by numbers and is kind of forgettable. The musicianship on every track is superb, and there are excellent moments - keyboard parts, bass, horns etc, everywhere - and while some of the songs are excellent, the cheese and some of the more forgettable tracks diminish the whole somewhat. It is fun though and those first two tracks are bangers, but it’s not quite enough to push it into the 4s, so I’ll stick it in the high 3s. 🌎💨🔥 Playlist submission: Shining Star

Cheap Thrills I’ve never listened to this despite Piece of my Heart being so well know. I didn’t know it was made to sound like a live album until reading a bit about it. It’s kind of an interesting one, rightly lauded for Janis’ voice, which is of course fantastic throughout, so distinctive, rough and smooth, just brilliant really. Despite much of it being relatively generic blues rock, there is a level of excitement and urgency to the guitar, which combined with the voice just about sets it apart from the other blues/acid/psychedelic rock we’ve had from this period. But I suppose we need to remember that at the time this would have been quite striking, and would not be affected by the fatigue that we suffer from a lot of stuff at the shittier end of the west coast blues rock scene. It is a bit of a shame that they went for a fake live production style, it definitely gives an unnecessarily dated feel. It would absolutely have benefitted from a bit of ‘normal’ production to give the music, and the drums and bass, in particular a bit of clarity and a better place in the mix, while keeping the rough edges. The ‘live’ sound of some of the lead guitar too, particularly on Summertime, that kind of fuzzed up needle in the red sound, is a bit grating, and again it would benefit from a normal non fake live sound perhaps. Combination of the Two is good, but Summertime, Piece of my Heart and Ball and Chain stand out. It outstays it’s welcome a little, but Turtle Blues’s 30s kind of barroom piano blues is a nice break from the heavier blues rock, but the remaining songs aren’t really that notable or memorable outside of her voice. It’s certainly a decent example of west coast blues rock, clearly due to Janis’s voice as well as the overall sense of musical exuberance, but it is absolutely let down by the dated production style and the patchiness of the quality of the songs, as evinced by the best songs being the covers. Its not its fault that it feels dated of course, and although it does work as a much more listenable historical snapshot than say Iron Butterfly or the Grateful Dead, it probably doesn’t have a great deal of re-listenability - one of those ones to file under ‘Glad I listened, not terrible, may or may not re-visit’. That puts it firmly in the 3s. 🤏☮️❤️ Playlist submission: While the version of Summertime is great, I think it has to be Piece of my Heart.

You’re Living All Over Me Wasn’t particularly looking forward to this, although I quite like Sebadoh, and I know how influential Dinosaur Jnr are, I wasn’t really in the mood for some American alt rock grunge type stuff. But I did like the first track quite a bit, although the initial yelps did make me think we were in for something painful, but I liked the kind of slackery vibe and easy melody. Kracked is more of the same, a kind of laid back melodic feel with some good guitar noises. I like the opening riff on Sludgefest and the subsequent riffing throughout too. The Lung is good as well, I like the time signature change and some of the guitar at the end is very nice. Raisans is pretty generic alt tock, but again some of the guitar is very nice. Tarpit, again, decent song, nice guitars. In fact that pretty much sums up the rest of the songs, apart from Poledo’s more fragmented and unsettling structure. Although there is a bit of sameness to the songs and he’s not always the strongest vocalist, I like this. It’s much better than I was expecting, with a pleasing home made lofi quality to it too. While it is still in that American alt rock/grunge/noise rock style, I much preferred it to things like Sonic Youth, Soundgarden etc, it’s a bit more interesting with better tunes and generally a better vibe. And it’s good that it comes and goes in about 35 minutes, not outstaying its welcome. It’s not the greatest album I’ve heard, but also far from the worst - for this type of album it’s good. A very solid 3. 🦖🦖🦖 Playlist submission: Sludgefest

Blur This was the album that really got me into Blur. I’d liked their big singles previously and had the Great Escape but hadn’t really really liked them until this album. I loved the Beetlebum single, it came out right in the middle of A-Level mocks right as I passed my driving test. Strong memories of it being on cassette mix tapes that I played as I drove on my own for the first time. It really is a superb album, it felt really different at the time and still sounds excellent. Lots of of oddness and strange atmospheres, with some great catchy pop hooks and, obviously, loads of fantastic guitars, whether big, loud and crunchy, or more subtle, complex and loving. When it came out I loved Beetlebum, On Your Own and MOR, and they are still fantastic, with On Your Own being one of my top 5 Blur songs. Listening over the years since it was released a lot of the songs I’d is t immediately love on release are now some of my favourites - Country Sad Ballad Man, Theme From Retro, Death of a Party, Strange News From Another Star, Essex Dogs. Look Inside America is interesting, not sure whether it was a holdover from around the time of Park Life and The Great Escape or a deliberate evocation of those albums. It bears quite a strong resemblance to End of Century so I guess it probably is a deliberate contrast between their old style of music with their newer more ‘Ameriphillic’ outlook. Also, never really noticed but some of the guitar breaks towards the end are very Harrison. Alongside their stated influences like Pavement etc, there is clearly a lot of Bowie and later Beatles across a lot of the album. Strangely I find myself almost wanting to skip Song 2 nowadays, having loved it so much when it came out. Maybe it’s its ubiquity and its overuse in media to lazily indicate excitement, but it feels flat to me now - I don’t hate it, but it’s not that interesting anymore. Knowing it’s genesis as a kind of semi joke, that’s why it probably feels a bit too knowing and contrived.. The only other, very very minor criticism is that it’s quite long, possibly a victim of CD bloat. I’m not sure what you could actually take off the album, but for such a lyrically and musically dense album an hour is perhaps a lot to process. But that can’t take away from what a great album this is. Possibly my favourite one of theirs, it’s an easy 5 🪲🍑🪲🍑🪲🍑🪲🍑🪲🍑🪲 Playlist submission: On Your Own

Abraxas Never listened to a Santana album, my main knowledge of him is Black Magic Woman, his hair, old men in indoor markets in Santana T-Shirts and Smooth ft Rob Thomas. Singing Winds, Crying Beasts, is very of its time in terms of title and psychedelic bongo atmosphere. I like it. Black Magic Woman is good. I know this is very famous and well loved but I do prefer the Fleetwood Mac original, although the mysterious bongos do add a nice texture. Oye Como Va, the main motif is so so familiar, I don’t know if I know the Tito Puente original, or some other cover, or whether it’s just a very relied upon Latin musical phrase that appears in lots of places. It feels like it was on Buena Vista Social Club but there’s no track with that name and I can’t be bothered to try and find it. For a jazz latin blues rock song Incident at Neshabur is actually very good, a real grower, becoming more expressive and more interesting with each listen. Probably my stand out. Se a Cabo could also be a terrible latin jazz rock shitshow, but there is a winning joyousness to it that keeps it fun and at least diverting, even if it’s not the strongest track. Of the two more straight ahead blues rock songs, Mother’s Daughter and Hope You’re Feeling Better, Mother’s Daughter works best, quite fleet of foot and dynamic, the insistent bass, both in the intro and the main song giving it a great sense of movement, while Hope You’re Feeling Better feels a bit leaden in comparison. Samba Pa Ti is another grower, although there is a fair amount of noodling, it actually feels very expressive and interesting, rather than self indulgent. El Nicoya, the only bongo jam, is fine, not least as it’s only a minute and a half. He does have a lovely fluidity to his playing, and he is also good at the more heavy rock moments, although more so on Mother’s Daughter than on Hope You’re Feeling Better. I know it’s not directly analogous but it's interesting comparing this to Cheap Thrills and the other Psychedelic Blues Rock from 67/68. It’s only 2 years later but technological advances in the studio and recording makes this sound a million times better than those albums, it’s got that depth and warmth. The skill and musical dexterity of the musicians, as well as there being more elements than simple blues rock, helps too of course, but as recorded sound, Abraxas is very good. Overall I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Latin Jazz Blues Rock is really not a genre I would actively seek out, and I was expecting interminable jamming and soloing with some jazzy latin steel drums, horns and bongo jams. And while those things do colour the album it is much better than those elements would indicate, and I enjoyed it more and more with each listen. I can now see why it has endured, why it’s so influential and why Carlos Santana is so well regarded as a guitarist. I’m not sure if I want to listen to any other Santana albums, my presumption is that they become a cheesy guitar wank fest, but of course I might be wrong. Anyway, the first listen was just about in the 3s, but with more listens I’ve actually surprised myself into a 4. 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽 Playlist submission: Incident at Neshabur

Astral Weeks I went through a big Van Morrsion phase about 15 years ago and I absolutely love this album. It’s astonishing that something this delicate, moving and beautiful could be made by someone who’s such a cunt. Sometimes it's hard to separate the art and artist, and this is extra tricky with his extra cuntiness over the last few years, but Van Morrison has always been a cunt, so I’m well enough practised to ignore much of that. Even though, of course, I’m inconsistent enough to not be so forgiving of other objectionable people’s music. Anyhow, that aside, I love the flows and movement of this album, the songs, instrumentation, melodies and atmospheres, sometimes skipping around like butterflies, sometimes babbling like a stream, sometimes flitting like a breeze. The stream of consciousness words give the whole thing a dreamy feel, where some things make sense and feel concrete and real and others feel abstract and out of reach. The first side from Astral Weeks to Cypress Avenue is almost perfect in that regard, each of the four songs having a commonality of sound and style, but working as a brilliant cycle of songs, hazy and ephemeral yet simultaneously tactile and dynamic. Cypress Avenue is the cornerstone of these, but I do also love Sweet Thing’s bucolic feel. The Way Young Lovers Do is possibly the least strong track, and feels a little out of sync with the rest of the album, although I get why it starts the 2nd side, as a bit of an end point to side 1 and before heading back into the ethereal and impressionistic soundscapes of the absolutely fantastic Madame George. What a song, like the first side’s tracks, the double bass giving it a sense of being rooted in something real, the circular guitars give it a sense of rhythm and movement, the strings freely skipping around give it an untethered sense, while the dream-like imagery of the lyrics tie the whole thing together. It’s kind of hard to follow that but Ballerina, while maintaining a similar atmosphere, has a tangibility and density to it, with a great, soulful vocal. Slim Slow Slider’s jazzy sax, double bass, percussion and mentions of Ladbroke Grove, locate it more in a big city at night, in contrast to the more vaguely pastoral and less lonely settings of the other songs, ends the album brilliantly, as a kind of step into reality after the mystic dreaminess of the rest of the album. It’s been great rediscovering how much I love this album today, after not hearing it for a good few years. It’s an easy 5, right up there with my favourite albums. 🚐🚐🚐🚐🚐 Playlist submission: I’d like the whole first side really, but I’ll go for Madame George.

Dirt I only know the name Alice in Chains, I don’t think I know any of their songs, and I do get all those alt rock, grunge and grunge adjacent bands, who are not Nirvana, from the early 90s mixed up. And, I think, with good reason, as this really is American early 90s heavy alt rock so generic it feels pointless. I always try to be generous with music that’s not my thing, trying to put myself in the shoes of someone who would like it, and sometimes there’s good drums or guitars and production, or moments of excitement, or a diverting melody, or some off kilter little bits, but with this there is nothing interesting at all. The songs are boring, the lyrics are boring, the music is boring, the production is boring. Maybe if you are a 14 year old boy fetishising heroin addiction this is good, but why not go to a local fort of Victorian Folly instead? I’m struggling to find any redeeming qualities. I thought the second listen might improve it, but it really didn’t. It’s not completely actively and offensively bad, in the way that The Cult album was, but it's characterlessness, earnestness, ponderousness and sense of self importance means it's actively and offensively boring, which in some ways is worse. Maybe The Cult broke the 1 star seal but this can’t be anything other than a tedious and wretched 1. 💉 Playlist submission. I don’t really care, so I’ll just choose Them Bones, purely as it’s the first track so I don't have to think about it further

Antichrist Superstar Mum! It’s not a phase, this is who I am now! Musically this is not my thing at all, although it is better sounding than Dirt yesterday, the elements of glam and theatrical rock make it more interesting and more listenable. There’s enough little guitar runs and moments to be interesting enough to alleviate some of the preponderance of industrial and metal noise. Thematically, despite not being particularly original and more than a little parent’s basement, it’s not awful. The idea of ‘a populist demagogue who is driven solely by resentment, misanthropy, and despair, using his newfound position to destroy the world’, again is hardly novel, but is fairly apt at the moment, especially in the context of him deliberately provoking the hypocrisy of the Christian right with his lyrics and imagery. Those lyrics though, while occasionally arresting, are quite ludicrous to the point of cliche: shit, blood, pussy, nightmares, alienation, anger ad infinitum. While I can definitely understand its appeal to unhappy, perhaps socially awkward, angry teens, I had too much of a privileged, happy UK childhood for them to ever resonate with me, and they definitely don’t resonate with me as a 44 year old man either. However, for all the Christian baiting, the odd bit of good guitar playing and the occasional moment of clarity when it all comes together, this really doesn’t feel that shocking, it actually feels quite tame. And it does also fall a bit flat when it turns out that he’s probably quite rapey. It didn’t make me despair in the way Alice in Chains did yesterday, and even though I would never choose to listen to it, it actually is comparatively listenable, or at least some of it is comparatively listenable anyway. I don’t buy into his artistic vision, but there’s no doubt he followed through and made an album consistent with that vision, which is something I suppose - although if that vision includes being a sexy predator it may not actually be something at all. It’s also unnecessarily and stupidly long at 77 mins. Perhaps if this was a 35 minute short, sharp, shock I can possibly see how this might approach something near decent for the genre, but the reality is that it is nearly 1 hour 20 mins, and despite it having some merit thematically and occasionally musically it isn’t actually good. It’s probably a 2, but with the noncery factored in it's a 1. ✝️ Playlist submission: Beautiful People

Rock’n’Soul Easily one of the greatest soul voices, emotionally powerful with such lovely timbre, excellent control and superb range, from mellow and tender to rough and gritty. However this album suffers from the way albums were regarded in the early to mid sixties as a vehicle for singles plus any other stuff lying around. Consequently this is a bit all over the shop and doesn’t really feel like an album, although I can understand why it’s on the list, from a historical perspective and to acknowledge his skill as a singer. I’m not really that au fait with his full discography but it doesn’t feel like there is a definitive Solomon Burke album or period, in the way Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin had, but I know he did some great covers in the late 60s, and that Don’t Give Up On Me album from a few years back is well worth a listen if you don’t already know it. Not all of it, but much of the album does feel very rooted in its early 60s time period with songs dating back to 1961. You can hear the legacy of big band R’n’B in the arrangements and overall sound, particularly the slightly flat drum sound, the guitar and the saxophone heavy horns. Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye) is a good example of this, his voice is obviously great, but it really lacks punch. As a fan of Dirty Dancing I’ve always loved Cry to Me though, and it is a great song - it definitely stands out. For 1962 the piano motif feels ahead of its time, really giving the whole song a sense of dramatic tension. Won’t You Give Him One More Chance has slight Hawaiian vibes to me, and feels like a song from an Elvis movie or something. Great vocal of course but the song is pretty flimsy. If You Need Me’s bluesiness is a better vehicle for his voice, but it suffers from the production, overall sound and slightly anaemic sounding band. I like country vibes of Hard, Ain’t it Hard, which make sense as it's a Woody Guthrie song, and his vocal really is very lovely, but the backing vocals feel overly intrusive and the acoustic guitar in the left channel seems way too loud and high in the mix. Can’t Nobody Love You is good, another superb vocal, particularly when he lets loose from around 1.40 onwards. But again the production vaguely lets it down, although the horns are nicely restrained. He goes enjoyably full crooner on Just Out of my Reach (Of my Two Empty Arms), showing how versatile he is, and what a supercharged Dean Martin might sound like. You’re Good For Me follows a similar pattern, great great vocal but a largely uninspiring production and arrangement, although the guitar is pretty nice. The wonkiness of the recording of You Can’t Love Em All does jump out and the song itself is another of those slightly Elvis movie sounding songs, with mariachi horns this time. Someone to Love Me is great though, the guitar is very good and backing vocals, for the most part, are very sympathetic to his voice and sit nicely within the arrangement. The soulful in a bar at 3am sound is great, one of the few times on the album where the song and recording come up to meet the quality of his voice. Beautiful Brown Eyes continues that feel, although perhaps slightly less successfully than Someone to Love Me, the slightly flatulent sax being a bit distracting. I like He’ll Have To Go, the strings giving it a sense of harmonic range not that evident on the rest of the album, although the farty sax continues to make some more unwelcome contributions. I suppose it’s not really fair to judge this as a soul album against the classic soul sound of the mid 60s onwards, as that hadn’t been invented yet, and it’s tricky to judge it as an album in general, as these are all disparate recordings from a period of 3 or so years, never meant to be an album. Despite that you can’t help but yearn for a bit of the joyous playing of the Funk Brothers at Motown or the gritty southern soul sound of Booker T et al at Stax and for it to be a more considered collection of songs. I had a cursory listen to the two late 60s albums that are on Tidal and they do have more of that classic soul sound, which really suits his voice, but I think his popularity had waned a bit by then and it looks like he decided to go back to Gospel and God. Ultimately his voice is superb, and I don’t really mind what he sings as he sounds great, but musically this is way below someone of his quality - not because it’s poor, it’s just a reflection of the time it was recorded. I think a 3 is fair, musically and as an album it’s not re-listenable enough to be a 4, but he’s too good a singer for it to be a 2. 🪨🪨🪨 Playlist submission: Cry to Me

Histoire de Melody Nelson I have listened to this before, it’s one of those cult albums that is always on lists as being hugely influential, which is very clear as this seems the stepping off point for Portishead in particular. I love the bass, drums and guitar, particularly the bass though - what a great tone, with great melodicism and it’s perfectly placed in the mix, anchoring as well as moving the songs forward. The string arrangements are excellent too, cinematic and widescreen, but also slightly unsettling, kind of familiar but unsettling at the same time. Thematically it's kind of interesting to try and pick apart, and it’s kind of hard to discern whether it's pederastic fantasy, or a Lolita-esque treatise on obsession. He certainly had a tendency for relationships with women much younger than him, and this album could quite easily be seen as a pervy endorsement of relationships with teenage children, but equally seen as narrative fantasy, with any paedophillic readings telling you more about the listener than him. I guess it probably falls somewhere between the two, and the openness to interpretation is deliberate and what makes it such a fascinating piece of art. Musically I do love this, as I say the bass is excellent, the production is superb and as a 30 minute narrative sing cycle it is excellent. The marriage of funk with cinematic strings with atonal tendencies, and the occasional French folk element gives it a propulsive yet slightly off kilter atmosphere, which feeds into the whole narrative theme of it. I’ll go 4, I can’t quite work out whether the ick is central to it’s quality or detracts from it slightly. 🧅🧅🧅🧅 Playlist submission: Melody

The Slim Shady LP I’m sure I’ve listened to some of his albums before but I can’t remember any of them, I just like quite a few of his big songs. So, I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of him particularly, but I do like his delivery and his ability, along with Dre mainly, to create some great pop/hip hop bangers. I also like his combination of over the top cartoonishness and genuine frustrations from his upbringings. The lyrical violence and misogyny is definitely tongue in cheek, and while there is a knowingness there, I think you can also see where it might be grounded in some genuinely held beliefs. My Name Is, still sounds great, it felt really unusual at the time and while it does feel quite late 90s it’s still a great bit of pop music. Guilty Conscience fairs less well I think, although its still pretty good - again at the time I really liked it, but the stop start nature of it now feels a bit frustrating. Although the lyrics are quite revealing Brain Damage does feel like some very run of the mill 90s hip hop, fine but a bit forgettable. I really dislike skits on hip hop albums. They’re so common and I’ve never understood why, they’re never funny or interesting and take you out of any sense of flow. If I Had is a bit try hard, and I really dislike the backing vocals. Bonnie and Clyde is a bit of an oddity and although it’s mixture of sappiness and anger is quite weird I do like that the hinted-at vulnerability it’s unusual for the genre. I forgot about Role Model, I quite like it although it feels a bit nothingy now. My Fault is ok, but by this point the album is starting to drag, a lot of the beats are very similar and the lyrical themes are starting to get a bit repetitive. The bass on Cum on Everybody is good and gives a bit of melodic variation to the music. I quite like the melodica on Just Don’t Give a Fuck, and this is definitely the high point of the 2nd half, but you also do get the feeling he does give quite a big fuck. I’m Shady is also decent and better than Bad Meets Evil and Still Don’t Give a Fuck (you do!) but its definitely feeling like a bit of slog to get to the end at this point. I suppose overall this representative of Eminem’s whole career: A couple great pop singles and hooks, and some amusing wordplay, but also a lot of generic album filler and while the cartoonishness works in small doses, there is a pervasive sense of 13 year old edgelord-ism that becomes tiring in bigger doses. And again like a lot of the albums from the CD heyday of the 90s and 2000s it's way too long with a lot of filler to stretch it out to an hour. I’ll go 3, a 2 is too low for his skill as a rapper but there’s no way it's a 4. 👱‍♂️👱‍♂️👱‍♂️ Playlist submission: My Name Is

Back at the Chicken Shack This is probably my favourite of the jazz albums we’ve had so far. With the focus split between organ, sax and guitar and the clear crossover with soul it’s actually very pleasantly listenable. Back at the Chicken Shack sounds a lot like Green Onions, so I presume this was a big influence on Booker T. However this was recorded in 1960, but wasn’t released until 1963, and Green Onions came out in 1962, so who knows. To my untrained ear they are both 12 bar blues (please correct me!), and feature the hammond so I can see there is a lot in common purely from a sonic point of view, but I presume it may be a consequence of this album being a bridge between jazz and soul and also Booker T being into jazz also. Nevertheless nice song. When I Grow Too Old to Dream is a very nice melody and is played with quite a nice soft feel. I should dislike the sax, but I actually like it, it doesn’t get too far away from the melody and the organ works very nicely in the back of the mix, kind of anchoring it to the band. The sax blarps and dominates a little too much Minor Chant, making it a little too close to the stereotypical jazz sound I’m not keen on, although the keyboard is nice. Messy Bessie I really like, although again the sax is prominent it again feels much more melodic and less obtrusive than Minor Chant, and is only one part of the soloing, rather than the dominant part. The guitar is great, some little bluesy touches and a nice counterpoint to the organ and sax Overall I liked this, I found it a very nice listen, which isn’t always the case with this sort of album. I’m almost tempted to go 4, and although I will come back to this, I’m not sure how frequently, which I think would put it as a high 3. 🐓🐓🐓 Playlist submission: Back at the Chicken Shack

Wonderful Rainbow I often make the mistake of looking up bands and albums I’ve never heard of before listening to them, and I miss out on the fun of a surprise, fresh listen. In this case I don’t think knowing about this album before would have made much difference to my enjoyment. It is pretty close to unlistenable. Not unlistenable due to a complete lack of ambition or due to a vacuous, empty poverty of intent like The Cult album or the Christina Aguilera album, but due to deliberately challenging obtuseness. Similar to the Spy vs Spy album, I get that the difficulty is kind of the point, so on that level I do think it achieves artistic merit. But on a pure listening level it doesn’t have much merit at all. And as a collection of interesting ideas or themes, which might bridge the gap between the artistic intent and the listenability it also falls a bit short. It is ultimately quite boring, and any moments that might vaguely lead somewhere, like the riff of 2 Towers, the middle section of On Fire or the stabbing melody of Crown of Storms, tend to get squashed at the altar of musical obstinacy and noise. Sometimes things like this get better with more listens, when subtleties and variations that aren’t immediately apparent start to emerge, and while I found it marginally better on the second listen, and a little more on the third listen, I think I could listen a further 100 times and it would feel broadly the same on listen 100 as it does on listen 1. In summary, although I find it pretty unlistenable, I do also tend to appreciate the idea of people ploughing a furrow making this kind of music, intending for it to be hard and challenging, regardless of whether anyone will actually like it - and in fact in this case probably actively wanting people not to like it. So when you put that all together, it’s a 2, another of those ‘I’m glad I’ve been exposed to it, I like that it exists, but I don’t want to listen to anymore of it’ albums. 🌈🌈 Playlist submission: Possibly Crown of Storms, but I’ll go Wonderful Rainbow as it is relatively subdued and only 90 seconds long.

We Are Family ‘Just let me staple the vicar’ The sort of album I would have been a bit sniffy about in my younger days, but now it's the sort of album I really appreciate. Of course Nile Rogers and Bernard Fowler are a fantastic songwriting and production team. The whole record sounds great, but Nile’s guitar sound and Bernard’s bass sound in particular are so good - the bright, clean and rhythmic against the deep, warm and melodic is such a great, contrasting combination. Bernard Fowler would absolutely be in my top ten favourite bassists As well as that the Nile Rogers - Bernard Fowler - Tony Thompson playing axis is absolutely superb, and the sororal voices are excellent too, harmonising and blending as only siblings can. I guess He’s the Greatest Dancer, after being sampled by Will Smith, and We Are Family might be seen as slightly jokey, novelty disco records, but they are so much more than that, they are fantastic bits of pop song writing, full of hooks, big choruses and killer grooves, and ultimately they are just joyous bits of pop music. Lost in Music and Thinking of You are also superb of course, Thinking of You’s hypnotic groove is so satisfying and addictive, the swirling strings against the repeating chug of the guitar while being driven forward by the bass. That may well broadly be the Chic template, but it doesn’t matter when it's done as superbly as this. I’m less familiar with the other album tracks, but I really liked Somebody to Love and Easier to Love as lower tempo, lower key songs to contrast and counterpoint the 4 big bangers. Somebody to Love is a actually great 70s soul ballad, with less of the obvious Chic elements and with great vocals and harmonies. You’re a Friend to Me is really great, a real grower, getting better with every listen. Again a slower tempo track, but with the weight and dynamism of the uptempo songs. The bass is fantastic, particularly that repeating climb. One More Time perhaps feels a bit too Chic by numbers, not quite reaching the heights of the big songs, although the piano pattern is very good and I really like the slightly un-Nile Rogers-like guitar solo. I’m right on the cusp of 4 and 5. It really is a fantastic 40 minutes of disco pop satisfaction, but I’m not sure it's quite in the top bracket of albums. The 4 big songs are absolute bangers and they are well supported by the other songs, but it is probably a bit two tiered. A 5 would also give it a chance at a podium place, as in the final reckoning I think it would be worthy of a bronze (assuming you both don’t hate it). Hmm, tricky. It’s a beautiful sunny day, the album makes me happy with its joyfulness and I’m visualising Dan in his tiny pants by a Croatian pool, so I’ll let all that get the better of me and go 5. 🛷🛷🛷🛷🛷 Playlist submission: Toss up between Thinking of You and We Are Family, I’ll go We Are Family for its pure joyous disco pop infectiousness.

Led Zeppelin Although this is probably their most straight ahead blues rock album, the skill, sense of power and conviction takes it way past what any of their peers were doing. A lot of the blues rock tropes are here in the riffs and re-working of old blues songs, but Page’s guitar, Bonham’s swing and power and Jones’s overall musicality are far superior to many of their contemporaries, and Page’s skill as an arranger and producer elevate what could be a generic plodding blues rock album into something far more interesting and exciting, with changes in texture and tempo giving it much more sophistication and texture and nuance than might be expected. I know we’ve talked about Plant’s voice before, and it did take me a while to appreciate it, but there is much more skill, subtlety and range with real sympathy for the songs than I really understood until quite recently. They just wouldn’t work as a band without him. As a bit of catchy blues rock Good Times Bad Times is great, the energy and force of the whole album is very apparent when the guitar solo kicks in. Babe I’m Gonna Leave you is also superb, the almost spanish style rhythms giving it a fantastic sense of drama/melodrama. What an opening 1-2. You Shook Me has a good groove to it, although it does tread the line of pedestrian blues rock. The organ and drums do give it some shade and texture to stop it being too lumpen though. For a long time I never really got Dazed and Confused, but over the years I have started to appreciate it more and more to the point of now thinking it is great. The slightly unsettling dream-like feeling and psychedelic elements alongside the rockier sections is actually brilliantly atmospheric and exciting. I can now see how its popularity as a quintessential Led Zep song has come about. Your Time is Gonna Come and Black Mountain Side are nice examples of the folk influence that would become more prevalent on LZIII and LZIV. The organ and acoustic and steel string on the former and the tabla, Indian style drone and the Bert Jansch ‘inspired’ acoustic on the latter giving lovely contrasting texture to the heavy riffing either side of them, particularly the frenetic but absolutely banging Communication Breakdown. I’m a little more ambivalent about I Can’t Quit You Baby. Similar to You Shook Me, it veers pretty close to generic heavy footed blues rock, particularly in the guitar tone, although the drumming is excellent as always. How Many More Times might be fairly straightforward riffing, but it is done excellently, it has a fleetness amongst the heavy rocking that gives it dynamism and interest, and it’s a great moment when the riff comes back in at the end. I don’t think it is quite at the level of LZII and LZIV, but it is a notch or two above LZIII. I gave that album 4 stars, so I think I need to give this 5 (even though I’m also likely to give II and IV 5). It may not have the musical variety of LZIII, but as a debut record of intent and conviction it really is a fantastic, coherent listen - it really does feel like a proper album. 🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈 Playlist submission: Could be a few, Babe I’m Gonna Leave You and Dazed and Confused are up there but I’ve been really into it today, so I’ll choose Your Time is Gonna Come

Live at the Regal I wasn’t hopeful when the first track started, the jazzy and jauntily inane horns give it a 70s chat show feel. However the run of Sweet Little Angel, It’s My Own Fault and How Blue Can You Get the is truly superb. I’ve never really listened to much B.B. King so I didn’t really realise he had such an incredible singing voice, especially when you compare it to his very vaguely Kermit-esque speaking voice. I’m not as keen on Please Love Me and You Upset Me Baby. I don’t find that particular kind of uptempo jazz rhythm particularly satisfying, it feels a bit lightweight and doesn’t have the feel of the slower, blusier tracks, like the excellent Worry, Worry. Woke Up This Mornin’s freneticism works slightly better than Please Love Me and You Upset Me Baby, but it still has a bit too much of that TV jazz flavour. You Done Lost Your Good Thing is good, if not quite at the same level of the other slower tracks. I really liked the slight Caribbean feel on Help the Poor, it’s a great contrast to the rest of the tracks, with a very nice rhythmic slipperiness. Obviously his guitar playing is great, and his tone really is very lovely - smooth and warm like warmed up and smooth with no crunchy bits peanut butter, and when the songs are good they are truly excellent. He’s also clearly a great entertainer, and is brilliant with the crowd. However there are a few songs that don’t quite work for me, particularly on the second side, losing that sense of drama that the slower less jazz inflected songs create. It’s still a very good live album though and shows off his voice and playing superbly. It’s probably somewhere between a 3 and 4, it probably doesn’t have a huge amount of replayability, but that 3 song run on the first side really is superb, it is a fun listen and a kid of landmark blues album. It really is 3.5, but I’ll tip it over to 4 for the guitar playing and voice. 🤴🤴🤴🤴 Playlist submission: It’s My Own Fault

John Prine Despite the obvious influence of Dylan on some of his vocal inflections and vocal melodies His voice is slightly unusual, but after a couple of songs I forgot all that and just found myself enjoying this immensely. I didn’t expect it to be as country, thinking it would be more folky/folk rock, but for me that was great, setting it slightly apart from other early 70s singer songwriters in the same field with its more overt country sound. I really like the slightly unusual song structures like on Illegal Smile. Clearly there is an obvious debt to Dylan in the opening stanza, it moves back and forth from folk to country and back again with some quirk little stop start moments. The little run from Hello in There to Paradise is great, again overtly country but with some little variations in style and instrumentation, like the electric sitar on Sam Stone, again giving it a slightly unusual feeling. With country you can often predict how the next line will sound, and while Paradise is relatively conventional in that regard, it still has that feel that it's going one way, but then it takes a detour or little left turn, maybe arriving back where you thought it would, but not necessarily in the obvious way. Pretty Good obviously evokes Dylan, but there’s someone else it reminds me of that I can’t put my finger on. Anyway the electric guitar is another great little musical moment, particularly in tandem with the electric piano Your Flag Decal is great, and also still apt today when you see those MAGAts driving around in shitty pickups with hundreds of Trump Flags and stickers. Angel from Montgomery I absolutely loved, I don’t think I’ve heard it before but it had that feeling of instant familiarity that you occasionally get with great songs. Quiet Man and Donald and Lydia is another great one two, the slight Hendrix style guitars in Quiet Man are great and I like the slightly existential ruminations of Donald and Lydia. I love the bass on Six O’Clock News, and with the organ it gives a slightly unusual contrast to the country elements. Flashback blues is excellent, again it feels like a conventional country song, but the slightly hurried vocal metre gives it a slightly off kilter feeling. Lyrically this works in a similar vein to the music - some of it is extremely affecting and moving, grounded in autobiography and his experience, but also humorous and occasionally surreal, going off on some fantastical tangents and diversions. On first listen this was an easy 4, but it got better with each subsequent listen, with those little moments and diversions coming to the fore. I think it's going to be one of those albums that will keep getting better and better, so it's a 5 for me Clive 🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽 Playlist submission: Angel from Montgomery

Want Two I’ve tried so much with Rufus Wainwright but unfortunately it just never sticks. I bought Want One when it came out and I listened to it a good amount, but I don’t think I ever really got it or actually liked it that much. Purely from a production and musical perspective there is a lot of great stuff on here, with loads of great people involved like Van Dyke Parks, the Garrigles and Levon Helm. I love Agnus Dei’s sepulchral spookiness and there are some lovely instrumental moments and touches, like the lap steel on Peaches, the strings on This Love Affair and the percussion and bass on Waiting for a Dream. However, no matter how many times I try I just can’t get on with his voice, his vocal tone and most of all his melodies, which I just always find to be pretty flat, forced and, to my ears, rather uninspiring. I completely understand that he’s going for a theatrical, baroque style, and although he definitely nails that, it just doesn’t land with me, and subsequently, over the course of an hour I find myself tuning out, with the musical flourishes and overall ambition not making up for my inability to connect to the melodies. I was hoping against hope that a fresh listen this morning would help me see it differently, but unfortunately it's the same, with very little grabbing my attention, apart from Crumb by Crumb, which with the addition of female voices, does stand out, giving it some harmonic interest and variation. It’s clearly not a bad album, but after trying with Rufus many times I just realise he’s just not for me. In terms of actual listening enjoyment it's probably a 2, but it feels unfair giving it that, as obviously the issue is me, not him, and there is a lot of intelligence and craft to it which I am reluctant to ignore. So with all that in mind, and although I don’t think I’ll ever come back to it, I’ll nudge it up to 3 🎭🎭🎭 Playlist submission: Agnus Dei

Electric Landlady Big Durham vibes. I listened to this a lot back then, and probably over listened to it, as I haven’t felt the urge to revisit it that frequently since then. Which is a shame as it is an absolutely fantastic record. Dense, meandering, abrupt, spooky, exciting, throwaway, melodic, weird, this has everything, all tied together not only by the guitar, but also by Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, and Jimi’s fantastic, laconic, laid back voice. It is definitely unfocused though and you can’t help but think what an amazing record a 12 track single album would be, but I think in the end, rather like the White Album, it’s length and weird corners are what give it its charm, and as an immersive psychedelic rock experience I don’t think it can be bettered. In anyone else’s hands this could be unlistenable, but Jimi manages to tread that line and keep you engaged. Also in modern terms 73 minutes isn't actually that far off many far inferior single albums. The sounds on…And the Gods Made Love have always given me a slight sense of vestibular hyperacusis, but I love how it leads into the laid back charm of Have You Ever Been (to Electric Ladyland). Crosstown traffic is a classic and then I love the astral hippy woo woo bollocks lyrics on Voodoo Chile, as well as, of course, the song itself. Imagine being off your tits in 1968 and putting this psychedelic space blues on the turntable. Little Miss Strange, Long Hot Summer Night and Come On is a great little trio, Long Hot Summer Night’s loping groove is great. Gypsy Eyes has that effortless sounding rhythm and lead playing and great bass playing. And then Burning of the Midnight Lamp is so good, one of my favourite Hendrix songs, absolutely superb with the harpsichord and the choral backing. The jazzy organ and piano on Rainy Day Dream Away gives it a nice feel, a bit of a break from the guitar pyrotechnics and a bit of a breather before 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be), which is also one of my favourite Hendrix songs, an amazing spaced out 60s psychedelic jam. I love the sound effects, backward guitar, shifting times signatures, jazzy bits, flutes and the bass and drums. Great vocal too. It may be 13 minutes long but it is a monumental banger. House Burning Down sounds like it could be on their first album, really great bass and drums. All Along the Watchtower and Voodoo Child get played so much it's easy to tune them out, but they really are superb and rightfully endure. I’ve always loved how the drum pattern matches the opening riff on Voodoo Child and All Along the Watchtower is, obviously superb, really amplifying the old time spookiness of the original. It’s an easy 5, it may be long and slightly unfocused but I love it’s swampy, soupy, hippy vibes and I happily listened through 5 times today, frequently picking up things I’d missed amongst its density. 🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️ Playlist submission; Voodoo Child (Slight Return) and All Along the Watchtower are the obvious ones, I really love Burning of the Midnight Lamp, but I’ll go 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be).

A Seat at the Table Although Solange’s voice doesn’t have the power and range of Beyonce’s it does have a lovely, delicate slightly ethereal tone to it, which I really like. She also doesn’t have Beyonce’s predilection for a bit of bombast, and combined with the slightly downbeat off kilter, spacey jazz tinged r’n’b soul pop music on this it gives her the air of the detached, odder, quirkier but cooler sibling I really like the feel of this Rise, the bass is great along with the simple laid back melody. The bass on Weary is also great and that little piano is lovely. Cranes in the Sky is truly excellent. I love the percussion and bass but how the musical touches like the synth that sounds like a shamisen contribute to the overall feeling of sadness of the lyrics. Great floaty vocal too. Mad has that slightly over-recorded percussion and bass sound that keeps appearing, which I really like, and another great vocal too. Don't You Wait is a lovely bit of r’n’b pop, I like the guitar and slightly over-saturated synth drum pad. This does feel like it has a kinship with the Kendrick Lamar albums we’ve had, which makes sense with Sampha appearing on Don’t Touch My Hair, another fantastic track. The horns and synths are great and the whole thing has a sense of drowsy frustration. Where Do We Go and FUBU have a similar percussive feel and I like the broken atmosphere of Where Do We Go and some of the synths on FUBU are great, with another great vocal. Borderline’s piano line evokes a kind of wistfulness, but is abruptly accompanied by the slightly discordant percussion. Maybe not the strongest melody but a great track. Junie is a lovely bit of squiggly hybrid r’n’b funk, momentarily taking us away from the detached sense of despair that populates the rest of the album. Don’t Wish Me Well returns to the off kilter patterns of Cranes in the Sky and Don’t Touch My Hair, again the pervading sense of sadness is embodied by the percussion and synths. Scales is a suitably low key closer and in keeping with the whole feel of the album. This is also, for the genre, slightly unusual in that the interludes are actually worthwhile, tying together the connecting thread of race and blackness that runs through a lot of the songs. . This really does feel like a coherent album, each track shares a common feel despite the massive list of producers and contributors, but the overall sense of sadness, despair and frustration is so well conveyed musically. The lack of ornamentation and clean but soulful production and the thoughtfulness of the instrumentation supports that feeling, giving it some room to breathe and allowing subtleties and nuances and the edge underneath it all to come through. It has enough melody and musicality to be interesting but is also rhythmically fantastic (I love the percussion throughout) and a great overall sound. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did on the first listen and I enjoyed it more and more throughout the day. A great modern soul record with a slightly unusual edge to it, it's an easy 4 seats at the table for me. Definitely one I’ll come back to. 🪑🪑🪑🪑 Playlist submission: Cranes in the Sky

Kick Out the Jams I had this on CD, I think I bought it at one of those CD fairs in Dunelm House. One of those hipster albums that people love because of its proto punk energy and late 60s righteous hippy politicism. There’s no doubt it captures that raw punkish energy and excitement and the earnestness of their sloganeering, and there is a palpable thrill to it, however when it comes down to it the songs aren’t particularly great and the playing is what you might generously call ‘loose’. The relatively poor sound quality also works both for it and against it: you get the sense of excitement and chaos but its muddiness and in the red distortion can make it a hard listen. There is some great riffing in parts and when it roughly all comes together it is good, like on Kick Out the Jams and Come Together. But the rest of it is a bit of a slog musically, only kept alive by the energy, but, really, that can only take you so far. It's cool as a document of the times and of the excitement rock music can generate and as a forerunner of punk, but aside from the title track, which is great, and Come Together it doesn’t ultimately have a great deal of re-listenability. 4 for rawness, energy and excitement 4 for musical historical context 3 for sound quality 2 for quality of playing 2 for song quality Average that out and you get 3, which seems about right 🦵🦵🦵 Playlist submission: Kick out the Jams

Let England Shake I was a big fan of Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, but I’ve never dived into anything else she’s done, I just know the odd song as they play her a lot on 6 Music and have watched her on the Glastobury coverage, as she seems to play every year. I guess she can be a bit of an acquired taste, and you could easily accuse her of a kind of studied eccentricity, especially vocally, but I do think she is genuinely a bit odd in a great way, and I totally buy into her earnestness. Musically I love its modern take on folk and folk rock. You can hear the echoes of those old, old folk songs, evoking an almost supernatural, spectral atmosphere across the whole thing. The horns add a mournful feel, with their obvious military connotations, and everyday, early 20th century tactility. Thematically and lyrically this is fascinating, and is just fantastically well done, weaving English folklore, mythology, the landscape, nature and history with our common cultural touchstones into an otherworldly, hazy, unsettling examination on England, Englishness and War and all the longing, loss, destruction, despair and sadness that entails. I’d recommend reading the lyrics in full on her website, they genuinely have a powerful and poetic grace to them. Every song is connected but it feels to me like a lot of the songs seem to work in trios or pairs. The Last Living Rose, The Glorious Land and Words That Maketh Murder feel like a triptych, I love the imagery of The Last Living Rose and the Glorious Land, painting a picture of yearning for a homeland that is simultaneously imagined and real, beautiful and squalid, balancing affection, melancholy, futility and despair. The interpolation of Summertime Blues is great on Words That Maketh Murder, kind of bringing you forward in time while still conjuring the past Even though All and Everyone feels a little like a continuation of Words that Maketh Murder, it sits naturally with On Battleship Hill to me, with the folky, delicate, shifting, undulating fragility of the latter and the more tumultuous dominant former. England, In the Dark Places and Bitter Branches seem like another grouping. The melody and vocal on England take a while to settle, but I feel that’s purposeful, the backing vocals sounding almost like a call to prayer and the discordant piano all adding to the discomforting feel. The bleak imagery of In Dark Places and Bitter Branches is really moving, the electronica touches on In Dark Places contrasting well with the more rhythmic and guitar driven Bitter Branches And then the final 3 song run of Hanging in the Wire, Written on the Forehead and The Colour of the Earth is utterly fantastic, elegiac, haunting, sad, tender, melancholy but also beautiful, death has come and war is in people’s homes and cities and towns. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite such a magical record really, it’s almost startling in how affecting I found it and how much I like it. She does that great thing of being both specific and universal, alluding to Afghanistan, WW1 and WW2, anchoring you in a time and place, while also giving you the feeling of floating timelessly across the centuries. It really is a stupendous record and this might be my favourite record on the list I’d not previously heard. 💧💧💧💧💧 Playlist submission: Could be all of them, but I’ll go with Hanging in the Wire

Slippery When Wet I’ve always been very partial to Wanted Dead or Alive and the pop power of Livin’ on a Prayer is undeniable, as is that of You Give Love a Bad Name, although probably to a lesser extent. I was hoping that the rest of it would be a bit of cheesy fun, but it's basically either some kind of attempt at a Spingsteen knock off (Wild in the Streets), or it sounds like something from the closing credits of a forgotten 80s movie (I’d Die For You), or is the theme song for a cartoon that was created purely as a vehicle to sell a new toy range, like your Bravestars, your M.A.S.K.s etc. Raise Your Hands is the best example of this, so much so that I tried to think of the cartoon it would be from. I decided its called McCall Two Hands, about a space vigilante called Colt McCall who has two bionic hands that can detach and act independently, shooting grenades, guns and ropes and helping capture the baddies, who are led by his nemesis Caxton Duplantis, who is secretly also the Mayor of the planet Srixion 7, where this is set. Replace the chorus of Raise Your Hands with McCall Two Hands and it all comes together. I think the thing I’ve always felt with Bon Jovi is the sense that they seem take themselves very seriously and have a rather self important regard for the profundity of their music when in reality they are writing perfectly fine but pretty standard pop music - strip out the guitars, posturing and self regard and add some semblance of fun or joy, and a lot of these songs are really very similar to something that Max Martin might write for Britney or the Back Street Boys in the late 90s. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that at all, a lot of those 90s era pop songs are absolute bangers, but they generally aren’t pretending to be anything they're not, whereas it feel like these songs are designed to be as popular as can be, but with the transparent veneer of rock n roll rebellion and cool. Lyrically is where the disconnect between what they think they’re doing and the reality is really apparent. I can imagine JBJ sitting on an amp case in the studio, pensively writing his lyrics on a notepad, before declaring ‘I’ve got it!’ “Let it rock, let it go, you can't stop a fire burning out of control”, ‘Yes Jon! That sounds dangerous and rebellious and exciting! Let’s get to work!’. Exactly the kind of lyrics 14 year olds would love, but are ultimately a load of old and tired cliched, vapid piffle. Fire also does seem to be his only metaphor, appearing with some regularity. Also hopefully you can tell me what the technique is for that little squiggle guitar bit that Richie Sambora does ALL THE FUCKING TIME. Wanted Dead or Alive, Livin’ on a Prayer and You Give Love a Bad Name aside, there isn’t really much of interest here, ultimately I think the self importance overrides any enjoyment or sense of fun you might get from the 80s-ness. A shame, but it’s between a 2 and 3, probably closer to 2, those 3 good songs aside I can’t imagine coming back to it, unless I finish off my script for McCall Two Hands of course 💦💦 Playlist submission: Wanted Dead or Alive

Apocalypse Dudes Never heard of Turbonegro or this album. The opening track starts out quite Oasis-like, with the acoustic and some Noel-esque lead, before going a bit Baba O’Riley before then turning into some kind of garage metal? The first two bits are fine, the last a bit boring, whatever you might call the style. And that's where it stays, a kind of hard rock garage punk type thing. Which is fine if you like that kind of thing but it’s pretty dul really, the occasional decent bit of riffing apart. I don’t really like his vocals either, a bit like the Hives singer but without the charm. I guess the lyrics are supposed to be deliberately provocative with tongue in cheek, but they just sound a bit lame and try hard. I guess it’s fine for what it is and trying to do, but to me it doesn’t even really work as a dumb fast rock album, it just feels kind of pointless. It’s not particularly exciting, it doesn't do anything particularly interesting, it just kind of exists as loud guitars and solos, a bit of shouting, some silly lyrics and not much else. The lack of harmonic, musical or instrumental variety starts to drag after about 4 songs and makes it a slog to get through. It’s not the worst album, but there seems to me to be a lot better examples of this kind of thing, so there’s no reason to ever come back to this. 🇳🇴🇳🇴 Playlist submission: The Age of Pamparius, as it’s the only one with anything vaguely different about it.

Honky Tonk Masquerade I kind of know who Joe Ely is, as he features in the Joe Strummer doc The Future is Unwritten and seeds to have been pally with the Clash. Which kind of makes sense as the Clash clearly loved Rockabilly and country. He also seems to be an interesting guy. So I was interested to hear this. I like alot of Country but I’m not that familiar with the differences within the genre. From the title I presume this is Honky Tonk, which I think I like. And philosophically it feels to me it sits in that gap between the more confessional singer songwriter early 70s country and the more bombastic line dancing 80s country. Some great slide tones, quite jarring, but in a great way, especially on Boxcars. They kind of counterpoint the country format, like an evolution of some of the stuff on the Burrito Brothers albums. There’s also some slightly unusual instrumentation like the accordion on West Texas Waltz and the synth on Fingernails. I enjoyed this a lot. It’s not the best album we have come across but it’s a fun listen within enough moments musically and lyrically to separate it from other country. A very solid 3 with good re-listenability. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Playlist submission: Tonight I Think I’m Gonna Go Downtown

Melodrama Oh lordy Musically I actually liked this a lot, lots of ominous bass, big echoey spacey production, some great synths, overall a pleasing electro pop sound. Melodically I quite like it too, there’s some good hooks and some well constructed tracks, with a lot of very obvious Kate Bush influence. But vocally it’s irritating as fuck. That annoying, affected, bullshit, excessively and falsely american sounding cursive singing style, where no-one can sing Rs properly, even though they can when they speak normally. She’s from New Zealand. Lyrically some of it is a bit cringe too - like a 19 year old’s instagram posts set to music. But then I don’t think she wrote it with me in mind. Despite the vocals and lyrics, I did like quite a few of the songs. Green Light is a bit of a banger, The Louvre is pretty good, Hard Feelings/Loveless is good and Supercut and Perfect Places are decent enough bits of pop. The rest is forgettable really. Soundwise I do like this, it has some great musical and instrumental moments and some good songs, but that vocal style really does grate on me, so it straddles 2 and 3, I’ll tip over to 3 so millennials will like me. 🥝🥝🥝 Playlist submission: Greenlight

Talking Book 5 star banger. Never noticed the sobbing sounds around 1.47 of You are the Sunshine of my Life when he sings ‘lonely’. Great opening track, love the laid back melody, rightfully a classic. Always loved Maybe Your Baby, the tension that the intro and verse build before the relatively subdued chorus is fantastic. I love the Theremin sounding synth on You and I, and the song itself is great, one of his best ballads I think. And I love the whole atmosphere of Tuesday Heartbreak. I don’t know what I’m talking about but it feels like he’s singing slightly behind the beat, giving it an lovely unhurried swing. Love You’ve Got it Bad Girl, not sure why it but it always sounded like California to me. Superstition. Can’t really say anything that’s not been said, but I’d recommend the One Song podcast in this song, the stems from the drums are amazing. Big Brother is another sunny sounding song to me even though it’s quite a bleak lyric, but I love the melody and harpsichord style synth. Blame it on the Sun is probably my least favourite song on the album, but it’s still a very good 70s Stevie ballad. Lookin For Another Pure Love on the other hand is great, one I didn’t appreciate when I first heard the album but now I love. And then I Believe, which is just an utterly joyous and fantastic love song, one of my absolute favourite Stevie songs. Obviously it can’t be anything but a 5, even if a couple of songs don’t quite reach the heights of the others as a whole album it’s one of the greatest ever. 📖📖📖📖📖 Playlist submission: I Believe (When I Fall In Love it Will Be Forever)

Walking Across the Rooftops Didn’t quite know what to expect, one of those bands that you hear about, and sound a bit boring when you are in your 20s, but are actually very good, and maybe can only be appreciated when you are older. Love the big bass coming out of nowhere on A Walk Across the Rooftops, with the pizzicato strings. Very nice. Tinseltown in the Rain - big Bowie vibes, but almost latter day Bowie, I can really imagine this on The Next Day. Feels like it might burst into Running up that Hill in some parts, but great stuff Very Baba O’Riley synth loop on From Rags to Riches, giving it a kind of bouncy feel, but contrasting with the mournful vocal and melody and percussion coming from another room. Stay is probably the most immediate song and a supper bit of slightly reserved synth pop. Easter Parade is fantastically unassuming track, very delicately sad and tender, but lovely nonetheless Heatwave is such an arresting track, sneakily melodic and melancholic, fantastic, as Automobile Noise. Echoes Duchess by the Stranglers but a great, hopeful but downbeat closing track. The genesis of the album is quite Interesting with Linn, and it makes sense for the way it sounds. Big and reverby, digitally drive sound with spare and austere arrangements, but with a real warmth and tenderness. It’s a fascinating album, one that I’m sure will percolate more and more over time, but it’s easily a 5. 🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵 Playlist: From Rags to Riches

New Boots and Panties!! ‘Arseholes, bastards, fucking cunts and pricks’ I’ve always loved Sweet Gene Vincent, and, even though it’s not on the OG album, Sex and Drugs is obviously superb too. I’m a big fan of his voice, that great combination of roughness around the edges and warm tenderness. I find its vulnerability very affecting. Lyrically he is great, again another great combination, this one of sardonic and sincere, funny and moving. Musically it’s a lot more interesting than the pub rock he is often associated with. There’s great bass playing everywhere, with a lot of funk and disco elements, and I really love the drum and percussion sound. On top of that there are notable rockabilly, punk, jazz and music hall influences. In other hands Billericay Dickie or Plaistow Patricia could easy descend into end of the pier novelty, but his skill as a lyricist and vocalist makes them great character sketches, poking fun, but also empathetic. A great album, I thought it might be good but I really enjoyed it. An easy 4 on first listen, but the more listens I give it the better it gets, so it just about tips over into 5. 🩲🩲🩲🩲🩲 Playlist submission: Sweet Gene Vincent

Dusty in Memphis The difference between this and the other Dusty album we had is immediately very stark: the song choice, the playing, the sound, all are instantly better on Just a Little Lovin’, more sympathetic to her voice, poppy and accessible but also. That continues with So Much Love, even if these two songs are quite as strong as some of the songs later on. Son of a Preacher Man. Despite being very overfamiliar it is, of course, truly excellent. Atmospheric, mysterious with brilliant playing and a fantastic vocal. I Don’t Want to Hear it Anymore, has, as usual a great vocal, and a very nice 60s pop feel with a nice build. Don’t Forget About Me and Breakfast in Bed are both superb. Never heard either of them before, but both are excellent. I love the guitar and the stomping chorus on Don’t Forget About Me in particular. Just One Smile felt a little cloying to me, the arrangement perhaps a little big band. The Windmills of Your Mind is a fantastic song, but I’m not as keen on this version. The vocal is super, but I’m not keen on the arrangement with the Spanish guitar, it feels a bit lounge. The strings towards the end are good, but I’m not sure they quite rescue it. In the Land of Make Believe is great, it has a very pleasing delicacy and although there is quite a lot happening musically it’s placed back in the mix to give it some sense of restraint. No Easy Way Down falls a little close to easy listening, but is just about rescued by the vocal (of course) and the playing, the organ is particularly noceI Can’t Make it Alone has a lovely build and crescendo, it’s good, even if not quite as strong as some of the others When it’s good this is great, and although it's far superior than the other album we had, there are some songs that don’t quite work for me, sailing a little close to easy listening or lounge, which stops it from getting into the 5s. A 4 feels about right, reflecting the quality of singing and playing. 🗑️🗑️🗑️🗑️ Playlist submission: Preacher Man is the obvious one, but for a change I’ll go Don’t Forget About Me

Quiet Life ‘It’s certainly crowded, I’d love to go’ I was hoping Life in Tokyo would be on here, but alas it’s not. So we’ll just have to do with a very enjoyable collection of Bowie and Roxy Music influenced Synth Pop. This has that great late 70s early 80s atmosphere, a bit of Kraftwerk and Berlin style detached neon coolness with the above mentioned Bowie and Roxy Music stylings. Duran Duran must have heard Quiet Life. It’s a great track, a super bit of new wave early synth pop. Fall In Love with me is very good too, not quite as immediate as Quiet Life but still a great bit of new wave pop. Despair is fantastic, with its modernist gothic atmosphere, and portentous piano and choir. I can see how this might rub people up the wrong way but I loved it. In Vogue has a lovely string outro, sounds like one of the Bond orchestral motifs, although this and Halloween are slightly less strong than the others, but I admire the consistency of sound and style. All Tomorrow’s Parties is a great cover, I do love the VU original, but I like the moodiness of this a lot, it suits the slightly odd child-like melody of the chorus. Alien is good, it has a creepy vibe to it, with the upbeat and poppy horns and then I love the piano figure in The Other Side of Life, a suitably atmospheric and slightly overwrought finale. This is something I never thought I’d say, but there’s a lot of great fretless bass on here. Overall I thought this was great - I wasn’t sure what to expect but I like the synth, Bowie, Roxy, New Wave mash up, lots of ominous sounds and slightly strangled vocals, and seemingly very smartly constructed arrangements. Was actually tempted to go 5, but I don’t quite think it’s in the top bracket, so I’ll settle on a solid and very enjoyable 4. 🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣 Playlist submission: Quiet Life

Lost in the Dream I’m very aware of The War on Drugs, but I’m not sure if I’ve actually heard any of their songs, although they are the sort of band they play on 6 Music. I was expecting something similar to The National, perhaps a bit plodding and indie-serious, but I found it more rewarding than that National album we had. While it does share some of the same earnestness, it’s more interesting, musically, melodically and atmospherically. While the subject matter isn’t the happiest, there are a lot of upbeat melodies and a relatively joyous vocal delivery. There’s no doubt many of the songs share a similarity to each other, rhythmically many of them are almost identical, just at different tempos, but on repeat listens I started to notice some nice details in the instruments, and some great little pop hooks, like the piano figure and slide on Under the Pressure. Red Eyes really sounds like something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Again Suffering sounds very familiar, but is a very pleasant tune. An Ocean in Between the Waves in the second half sounds quite like The Chain to me, but again, is a lovely nice song. I really like the 80s percussion and bass sounds on Disappearing, again a nice track. Eyes to the Wind, another very nice track, sounds quite Jackson Browne to me. Big Springsteen vibes on Burning, particularly the yelps, which are very reminiscent of State Trooper Although all 10 songs are worthy of inclusion, some judicious editing of their lengths would probably be welcome. Although I get the atmospheres and drone like grooves they are building, there are a lot of extended echoey and reverby outros (I don’t think Under the Pressure needs to be 8 minutes for example) so the whole record feels a little long at an hour. Lost in the Dream is also another very tasteful and nicely done track, the harmonica back in the mix is really lovely. And In Reverse is another very nice song, with a well crafted atmosphere and some very nice little musical moments and hooks. Looking back, it seems as though every track reminds me of someone else, but I don’t think that's a negative, sometimes it just works to borrow some good bits from some great artists and mix them all up. I liked this. I don’t think it’s quite in the Wilco or My Morning Jacket bracket for atmospheric songscapes and textures or variety and inventiveness, with many of the songs on here tending towards being nice, tasteful and pleasantly catchy, rather than emotionally or musically dramatic and affecting. But that niceness has its place, and in this case it’s very well done, with more than enough musical subtlety, nuance and skill to stop it being anywhere near bland, and I’d definitely listen again, perhaps when autumn comes. It’s on the cusp of 3 and 4, but I’ll go 4 as it’s a very nice album. 💉💉💉💉 Playlist submissions: All would be fine, but I did like Burning and An Ocean Between the Waves in particular. I’ll go Burning.

Teen Dream Another ‘dream’ album. I’ve never heard of Beach House or this album, so had no clue what to expect, from the name I thought it might be some kind of Junior Senior style fun party music but it’s not a million miles away from The War on Drugs, but also a more restrained and melodic My Bloody Valentine with a bit of the XX. It also reminds me very strongly of something else, but I can’t work out what. Something like Turin Breaks, but not Turin Breaks. Anyway I’m not entirely sure that this works for me. I liked the first two tracks, particularly Silver Soul with that lovely slide guitar, and while none of the rest of the tracks are bad, I started to find the slightly aloof, studied 2010s indie-ness of it rather cold and unmoving. While I could appreciate a lot of it, the construction of the tracks, with some very nice sounding guitar and bass, and the overall shimmery vibe they were going for, I don’t think the songs are actually that strong. It’s not a direct comparison, but for an album from a similar time in a slightly similar-ish genre, The War on Drugs album is far better at fusing musical texture with songs and melodies, and as a result it’s a better album, one that you want to come back to. Overall, not bad but not really for me, there is a decent amount to admire, but not much to make me want to come back to it. 3. 😴😴😴 Playlist submission: Silver Soul

Moondance I’ve never been a massive fan of the title track, I do appreciate it, but I’m not as keen as I am on the rest of the album, which includes a couple of my favourite VM tunes - Crazy Love, Caravan, Into the Mystic, Everyone and Glad Tidings. It’s easy to see it as suffering in comparison to Astral Weeks, but even though it is the follow up it’s a very different proposition, and of course a fantastic album in its own right. Whereas AW is more impressionistic, ethereal and abstract, MD is more concrete and conventional, although you can still hear the threads of AW in some of the jazziness and the horns and in the philosophical delicateness of tracks like Into the Mystic. And it Stoned Me is kind of emblematic of the departure from AW; a little bit of jazz but mainly a kind of soulful r’n’b folk rock with more traditional structures. Love the rolling piano. Like I say I’m not a huge fan of Moondance, although I can see why its popularity has endured, but Crazy Love is an absolutely superb song, again kind of wonder how such a knobhead could write so tenderly. Caravan is great, The Last Waltz version is possibly even better than this, but it pairs brilliantly with Into the Mystic. I’ve already mentioned it twice, I know, but it’s absolutely superb - mesmeric and strange, but with palpable warmth and sense of magic. I never tire of hearing it. Come Running works really well with These Dreams of You, great bits of soulful folk pop. Come Running in particular is very catchy. Lovely bit of slightly bluesy business on Brand New Day and some super backing vocals. Everyone, another super track has that lovely harpsichord and a great upbeat melody. Great use in the Royal Tenenbaums. And I love Glad Tidings, the bass really drives it forward and the horn arrangement and answering motif to the ‘la la la la’ is great. Also used really well in The Sopranos, particularly the ‘bring you glad tidings from New York City line’. Because I love Astral Weeks I sometimes forget what a fantastic album this is, it’s been great listening to it today. Can’t be anything but a 5. 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙 Playlist submission: Into the Mystic

Le Tigre I’m pretty familiar with this. I absolutely love Deceptacon, like Hot Topic a lot and think Kathleen Hanna is very cool. It’s definitely a bit ramshackle and eclectic and feels quite homemade, but that gives it a lot of character and charm - I really like its blend of 90s take on punkish attitude, post punk danceability, programmed drums, alternative hip hop and 60s surf pop and girl groups. All with a tongue in cheek, political lyrical bent. Deceptacon is a fantastic bit of off kilter danceable pop, it was always a crowd pleaser when I DJ’d. Great bass and programmed drums and brilliantly catchy in a non conventional way. Hot Topic is a very different song, but again very catchy, I love the bouncy rhythm, the Shangri-Las style backing vocals and the buzzsaw guitar. What’s Yr Take on Cassavetes is pretty amusing, if not exactly subtle, but I like the drum machine beat and the repetitive riff. The The Empty is probably the most like a Bikini Kill song with it’s very punk verses, but i like the contrast with the almost bedroom melody of the chorus. Phanta is a little sci-fi oddity, I like the organ riff and the little squiggles, even if the song is not the most coherent. Get a little bit of The Specials in the vocal melody. Eau d’Bedroom Dancing is a great tune, with lovely bass and a pleasing slightly off centre downtempo feel. It sounds like a not quite as good version of Deceptacon but there’s a great groove on Let’s Run, and I really like the little organ and morse code sounds. I like the 60s garage rock vibe of My My Metrocard combined with some punk shouting. Great tune. I get a sense of the Beastie Boys with Friendship Station and Slideshow at Free University, the beats and piano loop on Friendship Station sounds quite like the Check Your Head/Ill Communication era, and Slideshow sounds like it could be on a Money Mark or Cut Chemist album. Both fun tracks. Dude, Yr So Crazy! is pretty funny, again Money Mark vibes and nice little xylophone loop. The guitar sounds a bit Portishead too. Les and Ray feels like an attempt at a 60s girl group song that comes out a bit wonky, and consequently is great. I think that’s what I like about Le Tigre, is that they are one of those bands that try to write a song along the lines of their influences, but it comes out slightly off kilter and odd, but in a great, charming way. Itay not be the most consistent or coherent album, but there are some great tunes, and the lo-fi energy, charm and overall sense of fun easily makes it a high 4 for me. Great stuff. 🐅🐅🐅🐅 Playlist submission: Deceptacon

Doggystyle And you even licked my balls I love the G-funk production on this, along with The Chronic, it's probably the apex of Dr Dre’s production style and sound. He’s almost like Nirvana. In they way they scythed down Hair Metal, there’s a clear delineation in Hip Hop before and after The Chronic, from a quite trebly drum machine sound to the slowed down, laid back, bass heavy sound of this. One of the podcasts I listen to did a breakdown of Nuthin’ But a G Thang from The Chronic and they talked about Dre developing his style so it would sound great in a drop top car while driving around LA, which is interesting - it definitely sounds like it’s made for warm weather, with a funky stickiness, rather than made for parties in basements in freezing cold New York Snoop is also, obviously, a very charismatic performer, with a great turn of phrase and a fantastic, laid back, laconic delivery. He really is one of the best. Gin and Juice and Who Am I (What’s My Name)? are rightly classics with great sounds and hooks, particularly Gin and Juice, with it’s languid beat and deep bottom end, but there are a lot of very good tracks on here: Tha Shiznit, Lodi Dodi (great lyrics), Murder Was the Case, Doggy Doggy World, and Gz and Hustlas (great sample/interpolation) Ain’t No Fun is pure Lonely Island. It is unintentionally funny (and not a little icky), so no wonder it gets parodied so easily and is hard to take seriously, even if it’s great musically. And the skits, while not as bad as some, aren’t great, although I quite like DJ Salty Nuts and W Balls. It’s an easy 4 - brilliant production, great rhymes and delivery and a landmark hip hop album 🐶🐶🐶🐶 Playlist submission: Gin’n’Juice.

Californication I really liked By The Way when it came out (and very much enjoyed them at V) and I subsequently listened to this a fair bit around that time. I haven’t listened to any RHCP since then so I was really looking forward to revisiting it. I don’t know whether I've changed or it hasn't aged well in the intervening years but overall I found this a bit of a struggle. There’s lots I should like; Frusciante’s guitar, Chad Smith’s drumming, Flea’s obvious skill as a bassist, and it's clear they can write some good catchy hooks as there are a few very good songs, Scar Tissue, Otherside and Road Trippin’, but there’s just something about the whole thing I couldn’t connect with. I found Kiedis’s voice tough going, in a way I didn’t 20 odd years ago, and while he can come up with the odd gem there is a lot of lyrical stupidity presented seriously. Also, I thought this sounded quite ropey - even on really good headphones it felt like I was listening on a portable FM radio from the 90s. It sounds like it’s all on one narrow band with no sense of depth, everything all bunched in the middle. The snare sound is also quite distracting. I do find Rick Rubin interesting, and he’s produced a lot of great records, but he does have quite a few bad sounding records in there too, this included. Overall it’s not that I disliked it, or I thought it was bad, or that they aren’t very skilled, I just found it hard going over the course of a few what felt like pretty long listens. Maybe it’s a result of the production, or Kiedis’s voice or that there is a distinct sameyness to their formula but I just felt like it’s not really for me, and doesn’t hold a great deal of interest beyond those few good songs. Somewhat with regret, as I was expecting more enjoyment, it's a 3, and an album I’m unlikely to come back to. 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Playlist submission: Otherside

Blood, Sweat & Tears Variations on a Theme sounds pretty schizophrenic, which sort of encapsulates the whole album. It's messy, but not in a totally uncharming or unpleasant way, although it never quite seems to catch fire and fuse all its disparate parts into a fully realised whole. The cover of Smiling Phases starts off as a fun bit of rolling rock/soul, but then it descends into some kind of prog rock jazz club, with a A LOT going on, before picking the first bit back up. Sometimes in Winter feels vaguely out of place, it has the same jazz elements, but feels more like lounge music, and the vocals are quite nondescript in comparison to the normal lead singer, although again its not without a kind of slightly gentle charm. More and More is fun in a funky jazz way, And When I Die’s riff feels quite Sesame Street, especially with its stop start nature, definitely something slightly children’s entertainment about it. I’m not familiar with the original so not sure if it sounds similar? God Bless the Child’s horn arrangement in the intro sounds a bit like the Welsh National Anthem and He Ain’t Heavy, but it’s a nice enough version even if musically a bit heavy handed. Very nice and controlled vocal though. Spinning Wheel is probably the standout. I only know Shirley Bassey’s version, but it's a great bit of blue eyed soul with a nice tight arrangement. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy is a lovely song, and again, this is a nice version, particularly the more upbeat parts. Blues Part II, not sure about this, p robably a bit too much prog jazz and just too much happening in 11 minutes to get any sense of it, although I do like the Sunshine of Your Love bit, and it’s better than some of the Yes type songs we’ve had. Overall there’s a lot going on in pretty much every song, which although fun, does make you wonder what this would be like with a more focused approach. But then on the flipside the jumping around, time changes and jazz excess (Jazzcess?) seem to be done out of a sense of fun and enjoyment rather than po faced seriousness, so it might lose the appeal it does have. A nice little oddity that I enjoyed, but will probably not come back to - 3. 🩸🥵😢 Playlist submission: Spinning Wheel

Can’t Buy a Thrill It's only in the last 10 years or so that I have come to really appreciate Steely Dan. I had Aja on CD back in Durham, but I never really got it, it felt too AOR and Jazzy. But nowadays I can appreciate that no matter how much technical sophistication or jazziness they try to inject, they can’t seem to help but write incredibly catchy and satisfying soft rock. Do It Again is the song that probably made me realise how great they are. I remember hearing it at a party at someone’s flat when I lived in London and thinking it was superb. It’s a great example of their genius as arrangers and producers - it just sounds so right, with nothing extraneous or useless, with everything feeling considered and thought through. They also manage to play and produce with such precision, while maintaining a sense of swing and movement, without it feeling static or dull. That holds true for the rest of the songs on the album too, Dirty Work, Kings and Midnite Cruiser with their very catchy choruses and assured easily melodic verses. Only A Fool Would Say That has some lovely guitar and a slightly more cynical feel compared to the previous songs. Reelin’ in the Years is pretty well known I presume, and is a nice upbeat song for the start of side 2. Fire in Hole is vaguely melancholic, and I like the slightly staccato piano. Not one of the most immediate songs but still very good. I really love the laid back melody and feel of Brooklyn, again with a great, catchy chorus with great backing vocals. Change of the Guard is another solid soft rock pop song, with some nice overdriven guitar back in the mix. Turn that Heartbeat Over Again is a lovely bit of wistful blue eyed soul, rounding things off superbly. This may not be their greatest album, but I do love it, and it kicks off a great run of records up to Katy Lied. They may not veer too far from their catchy jazz-flecked soft rock pop tendencies, but they do it so well it doesn't really matter. Great album, easy 5 🤴🤴🤴🤴🤴 Playlist submission: Do It Again

A Nod is as Good as a Wink… to a Blind Horse This is the same year as their 2nd album and also Rod’s Every Picture Tells a Story, which Ronnie Wood plays on on every track and the other Faces appear. Rod’s voice really is at its peak in this period - obviously he has his distinctive powerful rasp but he combines it beautifully with a lot of tenderness and subtlety, as on Love Lives Here. It’s also when he had the Faces to help choose and write good material for him, and back him brilliantly, although it’s a shame he doesn’t always take the lead on here - although his backing vocals are great I’d love to hear him sing Debris for example Ronnie Wood’s playing is great, as is that of Ronnie Lane and Ian McClagan. Kenney Jones can occasionally be a bit lumpen, but he’s pretty solid here too. Miss Judy’s Farm is a great opener, with a very nice, dynamic, propulsive rhythmic quality to it. You’re So Rude is a decent rocker, and as much as I like Ronnie Lane, it would sound better with Rod singing. Last Orders Please is ok, but a bit pub rock really and lacks a bit of punch. Stay With Me is of course a classic, along with Oh La La their best song. Banger. I do love Debris, its a lovely delicate song, but as above I’d live a Rod vocal on it. The Memphis cover is great, I like the swampy low down vibe they give it. Very nice. I’ve always liked Too Bad, a very catchy Faces rocker. That’s All You Need is also great, love the slide and the outro. I like the Faces a lot, and this is their best album, although they are probably more of a songs and greatest hits band than a coherent albums band. Nevertheless this a fun early 70s rock n roll record with some great songs, some great guitar and a singer at his peak. 4 stars for me. 😉😉😉😉 Playlist submission: Has to be Stay With Me

Punishing Kiss I don’t know Ute Lemper at all and I resisted looking this up until I’d given this a listen. I get what she is going for - that musical, theatrical, 60s cinematic, cabaret, Weimar Republic, interwar, slightly seedy, decadent, melodramatic, orchestral, torch song vibe. The problem is it sounds very dated to the late 90s/early 2000s, and consequently it lacks any sort of atmosphere or any evocation of anything it's aiming for. Rather than sophisticated decadence it sounds more like soulless ham fisted schmaltz. I also really don’t like her voice or her vocal mannerisms. I get that the songs require that theatrical vocal style and those talked asides, and while she has a strong voice it has a quite unpleasant nasal brutality to it. Alongside all that, I found the songs pretty uninspiring thematically, lyrically and melodically, even if they were written by people I like, like Nick Cave and Tom Waits. It was a bit of struggle to make it through the third listen, but You Were Meant For Me was the only one that really stood out, the only song where the sound, arrangement and vocal all coalesced to conjure up a dramatic and nicely overwrought whole. I do actually like Neil Hannon and the Divine Comedy, but his records, while obviously influenced by this type of music, have some wit and charm with a much more considered sense to them. Like I say I get what they were going for, and if you are into the musical theatre vibes of the German Elaine Paige singing Cabaret and Kurt Weill then I guess it’s a good listen, but I found it a bit of an uninspiring irritation. Reluctant to go 1, even if I’m tempted, so I’ll stick with a 2. 👊💋 Playlist submission: You Were Meant For Me

Licensed to Ill I’m never quite sure if they are joking on this, or if they actually mean it. I can see why they would say it’s a joke, and bearing in mind the rest of their career, I’m probably inclined to believe them. Even if their wordplay, pop culture references and delivery are all great, and whether it is all tongue in cheek or is actually sincere, the constant fixation on and references to girls, beers and defying the authority of teachers and parents does get a little tiresome over the course of the whole album. Musically it’s also very of its time and very 80s Rick Rubin, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Led Zep sample on Rhyming and Stealing is great and sets the tone for well chosen samples and big, echoey beats, and its fusion of rock and rap is clearly hugely important, along with Run DMC (with Rick Rubin of course), in Rap's emergence into the mainstream. I suppose the flip side of that is that it also birthed some god awful rap-rock in its wake, like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and particularly and most egregiously Kid Rock. Rhymin and Stealin, Slow Ride, Girls, Fight For your Right, No Sleep till Brooklyn, Brass Monkey and Time to Get Ill are the standout tracks. I particularly like the Led Zep, War and Creedence samples on Rhymin, Slow Ride and Licensed to Ill and of course Fight for Your Right is a great tune. Girls (aside from the lyrics) and Brass Monkey do indicate some of the musical playfulness they would subsequently exhibit It may be a bit low, but in the context of their whole career a high 3 probably feels about right - it shows glimpses of their sense of humour, and their ears for a hook, but it misses the sense of inventiveness and fun that you get from Paul’s Boutique onwards. 🤒🤒🤒 Playlist submission: Fight For your Right

Ritual de lo Habitual Been Caught Stealing is the only Jane’s Addiction song I know, and it’s a great track. Other than that I don’t know much about them apart from Dave Navarro being the guitarist and the singer’s clunky pun name. Red Hot Chili Peppers I suppose are the obvious comparison, especially with the Navarro Connection, even if they aren’t completely analogous, but I did find this much more enjoyable than I generally find RHCP. Farrell is similarly not a great vocalist although in a slightly less annoying way, despite a huge preponderance of ‘Whooahs’ and ‘Yeahs’, and their tendency for slower, more drone like songs among the funk rock makes them a slightly more interesting proposition. Things Like Obvious, Three Days and Then She Did sound a little like pre Urban Hymns Verve, a more spacey vibe than hard rock or funk rock. Been Caught Stealing is the stand out for me, but the run from that song to Then She Did is good, with much more groove and feeling than the first half. Of Course is a bit of a stinker though - big DurkaDurkastan vibes. I enjoyed this, there’s some good stuff happening between the harder rock moments, and when they go for the lower tempo grooves it works pretty well, and is a lot more listenable than a lot of other early 90s US rock bands. A solid 3 - wouldn’t be averse to listening again, but I may not necessarily seek it out 👩👩👩 Playlist submission: Been Caught Stealing

Jack Takes the Floor This is definitely an interesting document of a moment in time and of an interesting character in the story of Bob Dylan. Obviously Elliot has value as a performer in his own right, and is more than just a stepping stone in Dylan’s career, but looking at this from 2024 you can see Elliott was the template for early Dylan - Dylan loved Woody Guthrie but based himself on Eliott who based himself on Woody Guthrie. I suppose the difference between Dylan and Elliott is that Dylan’s sense of opportunism, ambition and purpose, combined with his own skill, charisma and unique internal Dylan filter makes his Woody phase much more interesting and enduring. Dylan’s first album is incredibly reminiscent of this - similar songs, pre song talking and style - and despite that not being his best album, it is captivating in a way Jack Takes the Floor isn’t. Maybe that’s because we know the totality of Dylan’s career, but I also think you can detect a kind of ambivalence in this album in comparison. Elliott seems happy to get these songs down and sing them, but it doesn’t feel like it has any forward momentum. That’s not a criticism at all, I just think it's pretty interesting. Anyhow, put Dylan aside, this is a nice collection of bluegrass, country and blues inflected folk, with the nice easy charm of his voice and his stories. Even if all the songs end up sounding quite similar his guitar playing is easy on the ear, and the moments when he lets loose with his voice gives things a nice raspy power and sense of conviction. Equally the moments when he sings in and understated way, as on Cocaine, have a nice affecting feel. Kind of a tricky one to rate, it’s a very pleasant listen without ever really soaring, but it’s also an historically interesting record, both in terms of Dylan, but also the US folk movement and UK-US musical exchange pre Beatles. Musically it’s a 3, contextually a 4, so I’ll stick with a high 3 💬💬💬 Playlist Submission: Cocaine

Sign ‘☮️’ the Times It took me a while to get into Prince, I think was put off by a lot of his 90s output in comparison to the Britpop I loved, and I didn’t really understand what an incredible artist he was and all the great music he made until I met Clair - she loves his early stuff and it was her playing the song Controversy a lot that really got me into him. This is probably his last really good album, ending a pretty incredible run of 5 or 6 albums from Dirty Mind onwards. I’ve really come to appreciate his single mindedness and willingness to try tons of stuff, sometimes all at once. He has that similar facility for music that McCartney has, although coming from a funk and soul angle rather than a rock and pop one, and perhaps without Macca’s degree of melodic and harmonic skill. The title track is absolutely superb, one of my favourite Prince songs. The sparse synthesisers and drum machine arrangement against the overall downbeat mood creates a nice tension, and I love the keyboard riff. It kicks off a great run of songs, the catchy pop of Play in the Sunshine, the rhythmically driven Housequake and It, the delicateness of Dorothy Parker, the AOR pop of Starfish and Coffee, the pulsing spacey funk of Hot Thing and the slightly hypnotic scythe riff off Forever in My Life. The only misstep for me is Slow Love, a foreshadowing of some of the vaguley flat records he did in the 90s. Even before I got into Prince I always liked U Got the Look, a classic bit of 80s pop, with added Sheena Easton 80s ness. If I Was Your Girlfriend just about treads the right side of that same line as Slow Love, and is definitely a grower. Strange Relationship I’m not a fan of, one of a few dips on the second disc. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man is great though, along with U Got the Look one of the highlights of this disc, a super bit of 80s soft rock pop. The first half of The Cross is superb, I love the melody and the guitar, but then the 2nd half’s rock out doesn’t quite convince, maybe due to the dominance of the echoey drums in the mix. It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night I strongly dislike, it’s a real nadir, the woah-e-oo refrain is really annoying and the whole song has an ersatz quality that is really dislikable. Adore brings things back though, a great bit of crooning 80s RnB, I love the organ and the sitar touches. Despite some fantastic music on here, I don’t think it quite works as a double album. There's an obvious dip on the second disc, and the 3 or 4 cullable songs are of significantly lower quality than the rest. As a single album it would be a 5, but it is too long, and the presence of It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night alone is worth a star deduction in its own right. I’ll settle on a high 4. ☮️☮️☮️☮️ Playlist submission: Sign ‘☮️’ the Times

American Gothic I have heard of this, one of those classic lost albums that come up on lists frequently, but I’ve never actually listened. The first track didn’t make me hopeful though, the vaudevillian theatricality really not to my taste. Love’s Enough on the other hand is actually rather lovely, a tender and affecting piano ballad. Then Ballad of the Ship of State goes back to the musical theatre of the first song and it’s not good at all. One Night Stand then goes back to the style of Love’s Enough and it feels like a genuine 70s singer songwriter lost classic, with a charming melancholic melody. Starting to see a pattern with Oh California! I think someone should revoke his access to a horn section on the theatre numbers, its quite irritating. Another Friday Night, another pleasant ballad after another vaguely irritating musical number. Family Band feels like a secondary school music teacher leading the cast through one of the songs he’s written for the school musical. A bit more listenable than some of the others but still not great. Midnight Carousel Waiting for the Moving Van is another of the very pleasant singer songwriter style ballads, the section with the oboe is particularly nice. More Mr G vibes with Blues for Mr Whitecloud. Montana is the whole album writ large (or small, whichever is right), some lovely melancholic moments combined with some hand fisted musical theatre. I get a lot of Neil Diamond and a lot of Harry Nilsson, but without being as good or as interesting as either. So a bit of an oddity, some really great stuff, but a lot of really not very good stuff too, and I can see why it never found an audience. I guess there is a market for the musical songs but I can see there would be a market for the ballads also, but it falls between the two stools and is a bit of a frustrating listen as a result. 2 👵👴 Playlist submission: One Night Stand

The Visitors I’ve been wanting to listen to some ABBA albums for a while, but I knew there were 2 on the list, so I was waiting for one to come up. I’m glad it did. The title track, what a post-disco pop banger - absolutely fantastic, not sure why I’ve never heard it before. Went to No 1 in Costa Rica, and who am I to argue with that. I’ve been a bit obsessed with this song today. I’m not always that keen on some of the Spanish elements of ABBA’s music, and Head over Heels, combined with some non-specific central euro sounds, has some of that Spanish feel, but it actually is great with that killer chorus, great track. When All is Said and Done is one of those ABBA songs I’m only vaguely familiar with, but again it’s a great track, I love the synth in particular. Soldiers is a great tune, fantastic harmonies. I Let the Music Speak veers too close to musical theatre to me. I know that is a big part of their music, but this is one of the occasions when its too much and is probably the only real misstep on the album. One Of Us, again some of that Spanish sound, but it’s an undeniably great bit of pop music. It’s a bit nuts how many great choruses they can write that use Anni-Frid and Agnetha’s voices so well. Two For the Price of One - basically the bit in the middle of a Venn diagram of Video Killed the Radio Star, Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac, Escape (The Pina Colada Song) and an Oompa Loompa band. I didn’t think I needed that but I love it. I’ve never been that keen on the verses of Slipping Through My Fingers, but it is rescued by an absolutely superb chorus; those minor chords in the middle are great. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room is a nice oddity, perhaps not their strongest melody but I love the spare arrangement and sad sentiments. This was great, and got better with each listen. It may not have many of their top tier well known pop classics, but there is some absolutely fantastic music on here and cranking it up on my headphones it sounded fantastic, the warmth of the sound is remarkable considering how synth based it is, and there are some brilliant little music hooks and motifs in pretty much every song, speaking to their skill as melodicists and their sense of craftsmanship. Thematically it’s pretty interesting too, with the cold war allusions, as well as references to their interpersonal dynamics, and an overall slightly downcast feel. There’s always an underlying sadness to ABBA’s music, it's one of the things that makes them great, but on here it feels like a more mature reserved sadness, rather than the more immediate melancholy of say Knowing Me, Knowing You. It’s a 5 from me - I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn’t really want to stop 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪 Playlist submission: The Visitors

Chicago Transit Authority I do like a fair bit of Chicago’s early music, 25 or 6 to 4 off the next album is an absolute classic, but they did tend to make very long albums with very long songs, and sometimes the jazz horns and prog blues of it all can get a bit much, and this is no exception. It does feel like a long hour and 20 minutes and a lot of the songs can feel very long, because, well, nearly all of them are very long. Having said that, there are good songs and some great moments on here amongst the noodling and the parping. And also one of the cringiest bits of musical stupidity in Free Form Guitar, nearly 7 minutes of utter pointlessness. Introduction is a microcosm of the album - great groove, a jazzy feel, pretty busy and goes on a bit too long. The actual meat of the song in Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is is very enjoyable, but I’m not sure the broken jazz piano intro really adds a great deal to the whole song. Having a horn section as part of the band is a great USP, but I think that sometimes leads to an over-application of horn parts, which in turn leads to a lot of busy-ness from the other instruments, competing to be heard. Beginnings is a bit like this, it’s a great bluesy country track, possibly my favourite on the album, but it would benefit from a simpler arrangement, definitely a case of addition by subtraction. Questions 67 and 68 is a nice bit of jazz rock pop, the piano sounding a bit like Come and Get It, giving it a nice added rhythmic dynamism. Really like the groove of Listen, a great track with a nice bass riff. Poem 58, for what is basically a guitar jam, is very listenable, with a decent groove, the two different parts complementing each other well. We shan’t talk about Free Form Guitar. South California Purples is a decent blues groove with great sounding bass, and the cover of I’m a Man is also goof, the jazzy proggyness suiting the song’s repeating organ groove very well. Prologue, Someday and Liberation I guess are meant to be taken as a suite. Liberation is actually great, one of the times when the throw the kitchen sink approach works over the course of it’s 15 minutes. Overall it’s a bit of a mixed bag. What they do they do very well, and there’s a great deal of skill involved, but their tendency for competing instrumental prominence makes it feel like a slightly overwrought and busy listening experience - in some instances a less is more approach would benefit the album without diluting what they excel at. Don’t think it makes it into the 4s, so a solid 3 feels about right. 🚃🚃🚃 Playlist submission: Listen

Electric Warrior I had this on CD, inspired by Paul’s admiration for them, but I can’t have listened to this in about 20 years. I’m glad it came up, as it has reminded me of what a great album this is: infectious, fun and joyous with endearingly silly lyrics which occasionally dance with genuine profundity. Mambo Sun and Cosmic Dancer are a banging opening pair, illustrating the two principal styles of song on the album; glammed up rock’n’roll grooves and spacey acoustic driven ballads. I love the string parts on Cosmic Dancer, quite George Martin in the cello and spare arrangement, and, of course, it’s just a great track overall. Jeepster, Monolith and Lean Woman blues finish off the first side brilliantly. Jeepster is obviously a classic, but I love Monolith’s hand claps and backing vocals, and Lean Woman Blues downtempo rock’n’roll blues is just great, with just the right lightness of touch to avoid it being a bog standard 70s blues dirge. Get It On, still sounds fresh and immediate 50 years on, just a banger. Planet Queen, what a track. I remember loving this back in the days of CDs, but I’d kind of forgotten about it. Superb.Love the mournful brass in Girl, and the engagingly daft lyrics, another great track. Love the little echoes of Get It On in The Motivator and the last 30 seconds are great, almost like morse code. Life’s a Gas and Rip Off round things off superbly, Life’s A Gas slightly downcast lyrics giving a nice bit of sobriety to the album before the scuzzy rock n roll of Rip Off. It’s such a smartly written, constructed and produced album, the spaciousness and echoey sound giving it a real deftness, allowing room for the grooves to breathe and for Bolan’s hip shaking boogie guitar to snake around the songs. It’s an easy 5 - a great, fun and playful album of supremely efficient pop rock perfection. 🦖🦖🦖🦖🦖 Playlist submission: Planet Queen

Brian Wilson Presents Smile I remember buying this when it came out and there was quite a bit of excitement, although I don’t think I listened to it a great deal then. Kind of an odd one, and tricky to separate the context from the actual music, although I’m not sure its worthwhile to do that - the context of finishing the album he never finished and that caused him to have a mental breakdown is the album and is the music. Listening today I thought it might sound dated to 2004, but it has aged really well (apart from a drum fill on Wind Chimes), it sounds lovely, with a lot of warmth and depth, and his voice sounds also great, the age and the years in it suit the themes of childhood nostalgia and fantasy in the songs and add an extra layer of being sung 40 years after they were written and first sung. I think the three suites work well, suiting the recurring motifs and musical references as well as the themes, and going through it song by song misses the point, although the songs already recorded by the Beach Boys do stand out: Heroes and Villains, Cabin Essence, Surf’s Up, Vega-Tables. The version of Good Vibrations is fine, but does lack the charm and freshness of the original recording. The music of the Beach Boys, and it’s uniqueness is probably a separate conversation, but I really enjoyed this, both for what it is musically in its own right, but also for the context and history - I really like the palpable sense of catharsis turning into joy as he re-visits and tries to finish the album that was in his head in 1967, and there’s no doubt of his skill as an arranger and pop orchestrator. It may not hit the heights of the Beach Boys but its a solid 4 for me. 🙃🙃🙃🙃 Playlist submission: Heroes and Villains

Darklands Less dark and oppressive than Psychocandy, there is a palpable lightness to the music on here, and whilst keeping to the same general template, there are some great little pop hooks and moments - the slowed down bubblegum surf pop melodies that were under the gloom of Psychocandy show themselves here, emerging without the dark and claustrophobic tone and mix of that album. There are still some punk riffs and still some of the same atmosphere, but there is definitely less shade and dark corners. There are some great little guitar hooks and moments, combining some overdrive with jangly pop and drones, which, as a consequence of the lighter feel, are more apparent than on Psychocandy. There do seem to be a lot of lifts from other songs, which I don’t particularly mind, Darklands pretty much lifts the melody from Love Vigilantes by New Order for the riff and the Oooh Ooohs on Nine Million Rainy Days are quite Sympathy for the Devil. I could also hear a touch of Sweet Dreams on Cherry Came Too. But that doesn’t really matter too much as they conjure up some very good songs, Darklands, Happy When it Rain, Nine Million Rainy Days, April Skies and it is nice and succinct at about 35 minutes. Even if some of the songs aren’t quite as good, they all work with the atmosphere and sound of the album. Like Psychocandy this does depend on whether you like their template and formula, and like Psychocandy, I am a fan. Although the template is similar, this does have that different end result, less moody and less aurally confrontational, subsequently it's a nice complement and partner to Psychocandy. I gave that 4 and I’ll do the same with this. ✝️✝️✝️✝️ Playlist submission: Nine Million Rainy Days

Kind of Blue I’ve tried and failed with Jazz so often, thinking or hoping I’ll like it, and it very rarely connects, including when I’ve tried this album before. However, and maybe as a consequence of doing this list, I feel like I’m becoming more amenable to it. Or it’s that this album is actually so good it transcends the genre and is ultimately just great music. I also think it’s easy to forget that there are good and bad examples of the types of music I love, and why should Jazz be any different. There must be good and bad, and as with any type of music you are not into a bad album can feel representative of the whole. But like my cock Jazz is not a monolith. I don’t know enough about modal jazz and hard bop and all that stuff to comment on the technical expertise and theory of this, but it sounds great to me, in a way that hitherto a lot of Jazz hasn’t. From those opening piano notes on So What to the warm fade out of Flamenco Sketches I didn’t find myself getting agitated or annoyed at all. While the drums and double bass plot out the standard jazz tempos the trumpet had a moving and rather lovely mellifluousness to it; it might jump around a bit, but I never got the stereotypical feelings of pointless parping and dissonance I normally get. I suppose that’s why he’s so highly regarded, he is a fantastic trumpeter (trumpeteer? Trumpetsman? trumpetthem?). And not just the trumpet but also the sax is also great, again I suppose because Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane are superbly skilled saxpeople. The piano, particularly on the Bill Evans tracks, is absolutely fantastic too, with a lovely lightness to it. It’s hard to really pick out individual tracks as there are only 5 and they all move about musically within the songs while also having the sense of being a musical suite across the whole album. But there are some great moments, the piano on So What, the trumpet right at the end of Freddie Freeload from around 8.54, the melancholy lament of the intro to Blue in Green and it’s overall 3am feeling, the slightly more uptempo smokiness of All Blue and the slightly impressionistic piano on Flamenco Sketches is amazing I can completely see why this has such popularity and critical respect. Like any great musician, the gaps between what he plays makes this great, and the way he can conjure feelings and moods is fantastic. I can see how something like Astral Weeks was so influenced by this, as well as countless other musicians, and not just jazz and jazz adjacent ones, I know a lot of guitarists love this album and also I think Radiohead are big fans (although that be more to do with Bitches Brew) I may be succumbing to the critical hype but I’ll give this 5, I listened to it a couple of times yesterday afternoon and have listened non-stop since about 8.30 this morning, it’s been great to work to. I don’t think I’m a jazz convert by any means, but this is just a great album. 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 Playlist submission: Flamenco Sketches

Back to Mystery City Do you think the recording of the acoustic guitars in the intro to Strange Boys is supposed to sound so wobbly? I guess it might make you think you are about to listen to a vaguely pastoral album based around Blackbird. But by looking at the cover you clearly aren’t in for that sort of thing. Indeed you’re actually in for some occasionally pleasingly schizophrenic and stupid but ultimately not particularly good and quite badly recorded Finnish rock. Is it a joke or are they serious? I can’t really work it out if the dumbness is real or deliberate but I am significantly reminded of Anvil. Malibu Beach Nightmare was apparently originally a calypso. I wonder what that was like if they thought this was a better way to do it? Among the rest of it I quite like the looming (synth?) bass on Tooting Bec Wreck, Sailing Down the Tears is quite a decent pop rock song, as is Ice Cream Summer, and I don’t mind the New York Dolls influenced 60s-sih garage punk of Back to Mystery City at all. So overall it’s as completely terrible as it might suggest, but apart from some fun dumbness on a couple of tracks it’s not particularly great either. Probably a high 2, not enough to get into the 3s but not totally abject either. 🇻🇳🇻🇳 Playlist submission: Back to Mystery City

Remedy I have not thought of Basement Jaxx for a long time. A long time. They were of course really big at the end of the 90s and although I’m by no means a connoisseur of electronic music I never really got into them in the same way as I did with bands like the Chemical Brothers or Daft Punk or even people like Bentley Rhythm Ace or Apollo 440. Rendez-Vu I remember well and is a great bit of, I presume, balearic influenced house music, the spanish guitars giving a nice soft edge. Yo Yo carries on the vocoder vocals but I like the disco/funk bass and the slightly spare groove is great. Jump’n’Shout is a fun bit of ragga house, the synth bass is nice. I really U Can’t Stop Me, the slightly broken rhythm pattern and vague garage feel is pretty cool, again great bass. 4 bangers to start. Never been that keen on Red Alert. Although I can appreciate it’s catchiness, I think it’s the mannerisms of the vocalist that I'm not sure about. Always Be There is fine, if a bit forgettable, it feels like its straining for catchiness but not quite getting there. Same Old Show is good, sampling On My Radio and making a very good slightly dubby house track. Bingo Bango is a bingo banger - always liked this one and is great bit of hook laden house. Stop 4 Love is a nice change of style, a kind of necessary break from some of the four on the floor house, a nice bit of atmospheric electronica. Don’t Give Up is decent, I like the flattened EQ in the more intense sections, but definitely feeling the length of the album now. Being With U I can take or leave, there are some nice little keyboard bits but is a bit underwhelming. I like the disco and funk influence particularly the bass and the overall good time party music vibe, however there is no getting away that it starts to feel a bit samey over the course of the hour, but then I suppose if you are not into guitar based music you could say the same about a lot of albums I like. Having said that they do seem to have front loaded the first half with their better tracks, there is certainly a bit of filler towards the end. Also I do think rhythmic/tempo repetitiveness can start to get a bit samey more quickly than melodic or harmonic repetitiveness, and obviously dance, big beat, house all have broadly similar tempos, so unless its a DJ a mix an hour of sequential dance tracks can drag a bit (as they don’t necessarily lend themselves to the idea of the ‘traditional’ album), even if taken individually many of the tracks are good. Anyway the first half is a great listen and there are some excellent tracks, more than most dance albums have, and also moments throughout, although I’m more likely to pick tracks for a playlist than listen to in its entirety again. Tricky to rate, somewhere between 3 and 4. It’s probably a 3 as an album, but a 4 for them being great at what they do and for making at least 3 or 4 bona fide pop house bangers. I’ll go 4. 💊💊💊💊 Playlist submission: U Can’t Stop Me

Close to the Edge “Sad preacher nailed upon the coloured door of time Insane teacher be there reminded of the rhyme There'll be no mutant enemy we shall certify Political ends as sad remains will die Reach out as forward tastes begin to enter you Oooh, ooh’ I mean what can you say about this album? It’s Yes, it’s 18 minute songs consisting of multiple parts, there's lots of technical skill, there's blues and folk influences, the lyrics are shit, the singer enunciates all the syllables at equal length and it’s all a bit lumpen. So it’s exactly what it is - if you are into them and Prog then I imagine this is great. If you aren’t that into them then this all feels a bit pointless. The Close to the Edge Suite - not a great deal to pick out, the guitar intro is immediately aggravating and I don’t think the reggae inspired beat works particularly well. Although I do quite like the bass sound, there is the odd good guitar run here and there and some of the backing vocals are decent. There is probably a great folk inspired song in And You and I, but it gets lost in the rather unnecessary musical changes. This is also probably the worst track for lyrics and vocal style. His voice isn’t particularly interesting and the vocal/melodic style isn’t great either. Similarly there is a decent blues/funk rocker in Siberian Khatru, but, again, the musical changes don’t add to it, they rather dilute the nucleus of something good in that riff and bassline. I think Prog is the genre I’ve struggled most with so far with the list, especially as I feel like I’m now starting to appreciate Jazz (even if I’m not yet fully embracing it). I hadn’t listened to a great deal of Prog before, despite some attempts, so I was looking forward to giving things like this a proper go, but I’m finding it hard going. Not because, I think, I’m struggling with the musical density and difficulty of it, more that I’m struggling with it philosophically. Everything, both musically and lyrically seems to be done for the sake of being complicated or fantastical, with very little sense of either depth or fun, emotional weight or joy, or that it comes from a genuinely different perspective or from actual musical bonkersness or eccentricity - purposefully writing stupid lyrics and overcomplicating songs seems to be the only principle, rather than actually making genuinely interesting music. I gave the previous Yes album 3, as I think it had better songs and ideas and I probably had more of a sense of innocent open mindedness back at album no 82, but this is certainly a 2. It can’t be a 1, as I think, despite the above, there are some decent moments and I can appreciate that if you are a fan then this is good, but it really doesn’t work particularly well musically or emotionally for me. 🥱🥱 Playlist submission: Siberian Khatru

25 I’ve always quite liked Hello, and it is a very good song, the melodramatic and over the top bombast works well, with an interesting melody and some great piano. The lyrical conceit though. ‘Wanna meet up and go over everything that went wrong in our relationship 10 years ago in great detail?’ ‘Nah, you’re alright thanks’ The majority of the rest of it is nowhere near as successful as Hello. Many don’t feel like songs, just half formed ideas that rely on her vocal power to bludgeon them into something resembling a song, if you don’t listen too carefully. And again there’s not a great deal to convince me that she is a particularly great vocalist, or at least not anywhere near the reputation she has. Obviously she has an extremely powerful voice, but it lacks any subtlety or shade, and consequently doesn’t have a great deal of emotional weight, just brutal x factor cruise ship power. Thematically, of course, it’s very repetitive, which would be fine if the lyrics weren’t so limited and banal, at the level of Moon/June, with absolutely no insight into why this person was so special and so great that she just can’t stop singing about him. It just feels like instagram platitudinal emptiness and it’s particularly bad on When We Were Young (although the bass is nice on that song) and Remedy. River Lea attempts to evoke images of childhood and nostalgia, but it’s so heavy handed in it’s lumpen banality it sounds almost partridge-esque. Also, that something that’s in the water? It’s probably chemical waste. Musically River Lea and Sweetest Devotion are the strongest songs along with Hello, mainly as they steer clear of the awful piano dirges that make up the rest of the tracks, like Million Years, which is truly bad. So overall it’s pretty drab, Hello, River Lea and Sweetest Devotion aside, with very little of interest or character, either melodically, musically or lyrically. Tempted to go 1, but it’s not really the shittiest of the shittiest, it’s just insipidly and unambitiously boring 👋👋 Playlist submission: Hello

Arise What’s there to say? This isn’t my cup of tea, and even if it was my cup of tea it would have gone cold and have off milk in it. There really is nothing to redeem it, the lyrics are drivel, it sounds crap and thin, the songs are all the same, it’s not even confrontationally aggressive, it sounds so by the numbers it doesn't even have any shocking power. Drivel, absolute drivel. 🪦 Playlist submission: Who gives a shit really, but Desperate Cry as it has some synth in it

Now I Got Worry Never really jived with JSBX although on paper there should be a lot I like. I get what they are going for with the edgy and frenetic garage rock/soul/rnb, but the wiriness does make it feel rather disjointed and it doesn’t work consistently enough to make it a truly satisfying listen. It does grow on you and there are some definite highlights, Wail, Fuck Shit Up and Love All of Me are good and the one-two of Chicken Dog and Rocketship is great. I love Rufus Thomas and having a ‘proper’ singer pulls Chicken Dog together brilliantly, the riff and groove working in unison well. Can’t Stop has a nice rhythmic propulsion and Eyeballin is good too. I like the RL Got Soul riff as well. I like the drummer and the guitars have some great moments, and I know his vocal style is their sound, but sometimes I wish he’d go somewhere other than the Elvis impersonation or the distorted scream. When he does sing more conventionally, as on Rocketship, it’s good. I think you have to acknowledge that they have influenced quite a few indie rock bands after them, but there are bands that do this kind of bluesy garage rock better, like the Black Keys and White Denim, who I presume were very much influenced by JSBX, but who manage to harness everything with a bit more care and craft. Really it's an album of moments and intent and attitude rather than a fully successful artistic statement. Two feels too low, and it at least tries to be interesting, so I’ll go 3. 📿📿📿 Playlist submission: Chicken Dog

Green Despite listening to it all, I'm not as familiar with the full REM back catalogue as I really should be, so I’m not quite sure where Green quite sits in their overall story. Listening yesterday and today, and despite having some very well known songs, it feels like this might be a bit of a transitional album? I can hear echoes of both their more alternative sound and their massive commercial 90s sound, but perhaps without enough of the consistently great songs that make up their ‘big’ albums. Pop Song 89 is a great bit of catchy pop, and sounded particularly good after Sepultura yesterday. Great melody and hook. Get Up is ok, the ‘rock’ guitar sounds a little unconvincing but the harmonies are nice. You Are Everything is excellent, one of those very affecting REM mandolin songs, and the accordion adds some lovely touches of colour and tone. Stand, of course, is a brilliant song. It has that great REM thing of a slightly unusual vocal rhythm whilst being insanely catchy. Great stuff. World Leader Pretend is fantastic, feels like a bit of a lost classic, I love the piano line and the snare drum. The Wrong Child doesn’t quite work for me, nowhere near as strong as You Are Everything, which shares a similar sound. Orange crush - I have always loved the riff (so catchy!) and bass on this, one of my favourite REM songs. I really like the swampier sound and bass groove on Turn You Inside Out, the slightly rougher edge and less overtly pop melody is a nice counterpoint. Hairshirt is fine, the keyboard in the back of the mix is great though. I Remember California has really grown on me, even I’m not quite convinced by it for some reason. I like the vocal melody and lyrics, but musically I’m not sure about it, particularly the bass and drums. And Untitled is very nice, the organ is great and it has a very pleasant atmosphere of amiable wistfulness. Not sure what I’m scoring this against, their whole career or as an album in its own right. Probably a bit of both. As a standalone album there are some absolute bangers, but mixed in with some fine, if forgettable tracks. And in the context of what followed it doesn't quite have the majesty or weight of say Automatic for the People or New Adventures in Hi-Fi. I think that adds up to a 4 - still a great album but not in the top bracket ✅✅✅✅ Playlist submission: Orange Crush

Peggy Suicide I love World Shut Your Mouth, but despite liking it, it has never made me want to delve into Julian Cope’s discography. I always get crusty Glasto canal boat vibes, and I don’t want another Levellers on my hands. However I enjoyed this, particularly on repeat listens. I’d definitely question whether it needs to be 18 songs and an hour and fifteen minutes but I found myself liking the slightly idiosyncratic and trippy folky, baggy, new wave-ness of it. I can hear a bit of Velvet Underground, Inspiral Carpets, Can, Echo & the Bunnymen, early Verve, The Clash, Happy Mondays in it, all good stuff. Pristine’s folky intro is very nice and I like the build into a slightly psychedelic guitar and organ track. Double Vegetation is a good too, I like the triplets on the acoustic in the back half. East Easy Rider is great, a nice groove going on with a great vocal. Promised Land has a slightly haunting feel, which I also like. Hanging Out and Hung Up On the Line is a fine punky thrash, but the riff definitely elevates it. Safesurfer’s guitar pyrotechnics may not be fully successful, but it's a great song with a pretty progressive message for 1991. Lovely groove on If You Loved Me At All, and a great song. Drive She Said is ok, really reminds me of something, but not one of the stronger tracks. Soldier Blue has a great hypnotic feel, but I prefer the instrumental parts to the verses with the guitar underneath. You…is also just ok, these three songs being a bit of a dip before picking back up with Not Raving But Drowning with it’s great spacey groove. Head is another great little track, the organ and bass working nicely together. Leperskin is another nice groove, despite the first few bars sounding like the What’s Mr Chips Doing music from Catchphrase. Apostolic Hag is a great insult too. Not entirely convinced by the calypso of Beautiful Love but I did find myself starting to enjoy it, as there is a bit of joyful carefreeness to it. Not sure there’s a great deal going for Western Front 1992 CE. Can feel quite a lot of Can influence on Hung Up & Hanging Out to Dry, love the drum pattern and the snare sound. I like a lot of The American Lite, but not the spoken word parts so much, they’re bit poetry slam. Quite catchy though. Las Vegas Basement doesn’t start promisingly but it settles down into a sweetly bit darkly melancholic tune with a pleasing, gentle vocal. Great track. A bit of a surprise overall how much I liked this. Despite there being a couple of possibly redundant songs I really enjoyed its vibes. It's a real grower, and definitely something I will come back to. 4. 🌍🌍🌍🌍 Playlist submission: Las Vegas Basement

Modern Life is Rubbish I’ve never really been that keen on this album, and consequently I haven’t listened to it for a long time. Despite there being some great tracks and a lot of hints at where they would go I think always felt that there weren’t enough good songs and that it didn't feel like a coherent album. That’s why doing this is good, as listening today I’ve vastly reconsidered that opinion. While it may not be as great as Parklife or pretty much all their albums from Blur onwards it's still very good, with a lot of those little Blur things and moments that make them so interesting and so great. For Tomorrow is excellent of course, great bass and I love the strings, sounding a little like the seaside organ that we hear a lot of on Parklife. Great bass on Advert and I love the little guitar hook. More great bass on Colin Zeal and some excellent Coxon guitar too. I know Alex James is a great bassist but it's easy to forget how good he is - I suppose his persona can make you feel like he's along for a laugh but he has so many great bass lines and really is so integral to their sound. Pressure on Julian has a nice edgy feel to it, again great bass, but is a little forgettable. Star Shaped is great of course, strong Parklife/Great Escape Vibes, love the ‘I’ve been making plans’ bit. Blue Jeans is great, one of the delicate melodies and vocals, but with the organ and accordion giving it some seaside colour. Chemical World is great, and I don’t dislike the Intermission section, I just wish they were separate songs. Love the Horns on Sunday Sunday, very George Martin. It sounds quite Parklife and also sounds a little Supergrass-y too. Oily Water is fine, another good melody but maybe not the most memorable track. Miss America is great in that woozy way and Villa Rosie has such a great melody and the guitar is just so good. Coping and Turn it Up are both very good tracks, but I think the length of the album is working against them at this point. A lot of bands would kill for songs like these but they are a bit lost at the back end of this. Resigned is great though, the sad eyed wistfulness is very affecting and is a nice tonal counterpoint to Copinga and Turn it Up. Loads of the ingredients that make Blur great, but the bass on this is particularly good, in a way I’ve never previously appreciated. It is a bit long though and does suffer from a few too many tracks but it is a great album. Not top tier Blur but close, a high 4. 🚂🚂🚂🚂 Playlist submission: Won’t overthink it, For Tomorrow

The Atomic Mr Basie Nice cover. Interesting one this. I think had I listened to this back at the start of the year I would have really struggled with it, but now there’s quite a bit I do like and can appreciate, but I would also still say that I’m not yet a fan of the more frenetic dancier Big Band numbers. Luckily on here they are counterpointed by some slightly more lower tempo tracks The Kid from Red Bank is a case in point - the slightly fraught tempo, piercing horns and rinky dink piano isn’t really my cup of tea - but I can see the skill and I can admire the energy. With something like this you can almost feel the breath of Rock’N’Roll on its shoulder. Duet is a bit more palatable, at a nicer tempo and the horns seem to be used more melodically rather than rhythmically and forcefully as on the opening track. After Supper is even better, you can still hear the Big Band-ness but it’s so gracefully performed, the piano is great and the horns have a restrained and tasteful feel. Pure 1950s black and white US sitcom theme music feel to Flight of the Foo Birds. And pure 1950s US chat show theme music feel to Double-O, despite the great piano intro. Teddy the Toad is good though, kind of similar to Duet, and very nicely arranged. Whirly-Bird would be my favourite of the uptempo dance numbers, there’s a real punch to the drums and the horns. Midnight Blue is probably my stand out, it feels more cinematic and widescreen than some of the others and despite sounding jazzy, the arrangement seems more like a mid 60s pop song - replace the horns with a guitar and it would sound pretty cool. Splanky has a nice sophisticated feel, again the horn arrangement has a nice restraint and the piano is great. Fantail doesn’t quite do it for me, not sure why, but it probably just falls too close to the franticness of the first track. Li’l Darlin is rather lovely though, a real softness and delicateness to it, definitely one of the standout tracks. I rather enjoyed this, although I think that's more enjoying it for a late 50s jazz album, rather than as an album in its own right, but I certainly wouldn't be averse to hearing it again. I’m not into it enough to go 4, so it lands as a solid mid to high 3. ⚛️⚛️⚛️ Playlist submission: Midnight Blue

Disraeli Gears Did either of you have this on CD? I never bought it but I’m sure I borrowed it from one of you. Anyhow, I haven’t listened to this in years, and I can’t really remember much of it, apart from, of course, being very familiar with Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love. Is this Clapton’s most inventive and interesting playing? As we’ve experienced on this list a lot of psychedelic influenced blues rock is woeful, but this feels different, the psychedelic pop approach seems to bring a sense of playfulness and service to the song from Clapton, and he works really well in tandem with Jack Bruce, while Ginger does whatever he wants. Sometimes Ginger does some great stuff and it really adds a different dimension to the songs, and at other times he just seems to be banging relentlessly on his tom toms. Also his two lead vocal tracks are terrible - Yellow Submarine and Octopus’s Garden these are not. World of Pain, Dance the Night Away, SWLABR, We’re Going Wrong are very good bits of bluesy psychedelic rock. Outside Woman Blues is a great bit of blues, but Take it Back is rather pedestrian and unremarkable in comparison, but overall Strange Brew, Sunshine of Your Love and Tales of Brave Ulysses are the standout tracks. Overall this is a very very good late 60s album with some great guitar and bass - an easy solid 4. ⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️ Playlist submission: Sunshine of Your Love

Trafalgar I went on a bit of a deep dive through the Bee Gees back catalogue before their disco pop machine pomp as I’ve always been partial to stuff like New York Mining Disaster and Massachusetts. This album and Odessa stood out particularly. For such a brilliant songwriter as Barry and for how good Maurice can be, it's always seemed slightly strange that, aside from the SNF soundtrack, they don’t really have a defining album. When you listen to their albums there are some great tracks (and some not so great tracks) and a lot of dead ends, and you get a sense that they often didn’t quite know what they were as a band and as artists. Despite them, and Barry in particular, being up there with some of the best songwriters and song craftsmen (craftsthem?) of all time it feels like they never quite found their place, and that they perhaps didn’t have the personality/character/vision of some of their peers to make fully realised albums However, and despite the similarity in the balladness and tempo of the songs on here, and while they aren’t as immediate as some of their pop classics, this for me is probably their most coherent album, the sense of vaguely melodramatic overthetopness, combined with their songwriting craft and skill makes its a bit of a broodingly atmospheric overlooked gem, with some nice oddness and interest to it. There is also some great bass on this, a bit like Serge Gainsbourg in its tone and place in the mix but it really adds a great colour to it. I’m not always keen on Robin’s voice and he does sound a bit silly at the start of Remembering and When I Do, but I really love Barry’s voice, and he’s really great on Israel. Their harmonies though, as they always are, are superb throughout, so well considered and constructed with that great fraternal tone. Standouts are How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? with that super little piano counterpoint, the fantastic Israel, The Greatest Man in the World, Somebody Stop the Music, Trafalgar, the brilliantly and slightly odd Lion in Winter and Walking Back to Waterloo. It’s Just the Way and Remembering and fine but not as good as the others and When Do I and Dearest don’t work so well for me. Slightly tempted to go 5, but in reality this is a solid 4 - some great tracks, great harmonies, surprisingly good bass and an overall slightly strange and spooky atmosphere. ⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️ Playlist submission: Lion in Winter

Young Americans Probably the album from his imperial phase I’ve listened to the least and probably the album I think about listening to the least, despite loving the title track and Fame, so I’m not as familiar with it as I probably should be, so it’s nice giving it a considered listen now. Win and Fascination are great, fascination in particular really stuck with me on this listen. Love the clavinet on Right and the harmonies/backing vocals are great. Somebody Up There Likes Me and Across the Universe are an undoubted dip, the latter particularly seems an odd choice and an odd arrangement. Can You Hear Me is great and of course Fame is superb too. You can really hear elements foreshadowing Station to Station, but without that album's darker and more complicated atmosphere Young Americans’ take on soul music has an air of detachment, of arms length aloofness that doesn't quite land fully. Still great though and a solid 4 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Playlist submission: Fame

Songs of Leonard Cohen I had this album on CD, and I think it's the only Leonard Cohen album I've ever properly listened to, until we had You Want it Darker. It really is quite singular, with that similar feel and structure to each song, but I presume that’s the point - the simple and relatively unadorned backing and structures are to accompany the lyrics rather than being the starting point. Some great tracks though, I loved Suzanne from the first time I heard it, and of course Sisters of Mercy is an excellent track. Master Song is great and Winter Lady gets better with each listen. I love the rising and dipping sweep of So Long, Marianne (always wondered about the two female names and how they sound similar, Suzanne and Marianne). Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye feels a bit repetitive and also like Father and Son by Cat Stevens. I like the slightly different structure of Stories from the Street, with more of a jig feel with the organ. Teachers is a bit of dip before a nice finish with One of Us Cannot Be Wrong, again that rising and falling lament and again it works well. His voice really suits the songs and the playing, he doesn’t have great range but his tone and lack of flourish or ostentation complements the songs and the words excellently. It’s a great album - I’m not sure it’s quite top tier but it's close. I’ll stick with a 4. I really enjoyed revisiting it and it has reminded me to come back to it, and I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with it a bit more. 🍁🍁🍁🍁 Playlist submission: Suzanne

In the Wee Small Hours Proof, if proof be need be, that wallowing in heartbreak and unrequited love is old as songwriting and recorded music. But then when you've loved and lost as much as Frank has then, you know what lifes about. His voice really is great, of course it is, but he has such control of tone and feel, it is quite mesmeric. People always talk about his phrasing, but, and I’m going to sound like an old person here, his enunciation is superb, you can hear every letter and syllable, every pause and every note. Many crooners (and Buble is one of the worst at this), just affect a lazy slur in an approximation of laid back cool, but Frank doesn't do that at all, his voice and his interpretation of he melody has such clarity and precision. Musically this is so deftly arranged and it sounds great for 1955, the horns punctuate rather than pierce and the strings for the most part avoid the schmalz and melodrama you might expect. I also like that it frequently feels as though its about to interpolate Jingle Bells (like at the end of Its Cold Outside), giving it a slight Christmassy air. It definitely feels like a autumn into winter album, in the darker evenings with the log burner going. Overall I really liked this - I thought it would be good but I’m surprised how good it is. I inadvertently saw that you both gave it 4. That feels about right, but I also think it deserves a spot on the podium. So in a blatant bit of score manipulation I’ll give it 5. ⌛️⌛️⌛️⌛️⌛️ Playlist submission: Mood Indigo

Behaviour Growing up I really didn’t like the Pet Shop Boys, but fortunately now I have seen the error of my ways. Despite them occasionally sounding a bit ridiculous and being very very parodiable (particularly by Lonely Island), they are one of the great pop singles bands of the 80s and 90s. Aside from Being Boring, So Hard and Jealousy I’m not familiar with this album, and I’m not sure it quite works fully. There are some great tracks but what feels like an attempt to write sophisticated adult electronic music sounds quite dated in places. Even if the songs themselves are good, the sprinkling of ‘tasteful’ wah wah on Being Boring and My October Symphony, the Sade-lite rhythms of To Face The Truth (even though the vocal and melody are particularly melancholy and lovely on this), the ‘rock’ guitar on How Can You Expect to be Taken Seriously - it doesn’t seem to quite have the panache and playfulness of their big hits. Occasionally this more mature sounds does work well, Only the Wind is very nice When they move closer to a more immediate electronic sound, like This Must Be the Place I Waited to Leave, with its very nice Johnny Marr cameo, So Hard or The End of the World it's great. Nervously and Jealousy are also great tracks, Nervously in particular has a great synth line and slippery rhythm. Some great pop music on here, but due to its slight 90s dinner party background music atmosphere it doesn’t feel that satisfying, particularly compared to something like their first album. It feels a touch harsh but I’ll go 3. 🐶🏪🤼‍♂️ Playlist Submission: So Hard

…Baby One More Time Hit me AB159 I’m guessing we’ll all go for the title track for our playlist - not only is it a copper bottomed stone cold classic pop banger it's also the best thing on here, despite there being some perfectly serviceable teen pop on the album. (You Drive Me) Crazy is decent mid tempo pop with a good chorus and Sometimes, despite being rather coldly formulaic, is cheesily catchy, and is perfectly suited to the teenage Britney. Soda Pop is unintentionally quite amusing, with a slightly strange vocal, but for some reason its’ very listenable with a kind of winning naive charm to it. It definitely feels very late 90s, one of those songs that might have been turned down by Bran Van 3000 or Smash Mouth before landing at her door. Born to Make You Happy is another bit of standard 90s teen pop, although it has a cloyingness to it that hasn’t aged that well and is ultimately a bit irritating. From the Bottom of My Broken Heart again is a perfectly fine pop ballad, but definitely a tier or two below Sometimes. You can really hear I Will Be There is a Max Martin tune, with it’s Bo Diddley rhythm and crafted efficiency, however it definitely feels like filler, not terrible, but apart from the rhythm there’s not much melodic interest. Obviously this is a genre that flirts heavily with cheesiness, and while there are elements of cheese throughout, it goes full blown cheese on I Will Still Love You. The gospel-ish melody isn't good and the seriousness with which they’ve approached it is very jarring for what is quite a boring song.. Also whoever Don Philip is, he oversings the shit out of it, remorselessly stripping the song of any semblance of quality it might have had. Thinkin’ about you is a return to the more bouncy pop sound, with some slightly leftfield country touches, and again is perfectly fine. E-Mail My Heart. Not a great song, but what a title, the proustian rush of late 90s internet is strong and pleasingly nostalgic. I suppose nowadays this would be called Snapchat My Dick, or TikTok my Minky or something. The Beat Goes On is a great tune, no matter who sings it. Interesting that the All Seeing I helped produce it, having done it themselves the year before, and this sounds pretty much the same, although it does seem to suit Britney’s vocal tics well. Overall this is pretty much exactly what you think it would be. The whole point of it was to make a late 90s teen pop album that would be totally unthreatening and sell a ton of copies to adolescents. And on that front it’s very successful. Everything on it is entirely interchangeable, and apart from …Baby One More Time, which towers above the rest, it doesn’t actually matter what is on here, as long as there are some ballads and some fun pop. And that’s fine, there’s craft and skill in doing that and it makes a perfectly listenable album, but obviously not one I’ll come back to, so on my scale that lands it as a solid 2. 👶👶 Playlist submission: …Baby One More Time

1999 This is when he took his funk and disco into the computer age. I love the combination of the synth heavy and robotic computer sound with his soul, funk and pop approach - kind of Kraftwerk + Early Hip Hop + Funkadelic + catchy pop. And what an opening 3 songs on the first side of the original album. 1999 - banger, Little Red Corvette - classic, Delirious - super Let’s Pretend We’re Married has more than a hint of The Visitors by ABBA, and is a great up tempo bit of disco inflected pop. DMSR is very Afrika Bambataa in its drum sound and I love the two synth lines settling into a great hypnotic groove. Automatic has another great groove in a similar vein to what’s gone before. I love the rhythm pattern and descending synth motif on Something in the Water (Does Not Compute), it’s a nice change of pace and style and has a pleasing oddness to it. After this fantastic set of 7 electronic funk party songs though, the album does start to run into trouble. It really doesn’t need to be a double and while the following songs aren’t particularly bad they do drag the album out of focus. Free’s more soulful vibe feels a bit strained, and Lady Cab Driver, while having a great guitar groove feels like a not so successful version of the first 4 or 5 songs. All the Critics Love U in New York is good and has a nice Kraftwerk-esque detachedness, but International Lover isn’t great and feels a step too far. If this was a single album ending at Something in the Water, with perhaps the addition of All the Critics it would easily be a 5. The opening 4 songs in particular are superb, a fantastic run of tracks - funky, catchy and with enough oddness and quirkiness to keep you coming back. As a double though it is too long, with the last 4 songs or so noticeably of a lower quality than the first 7. That makes it a 4 🚗🚗🚗🚗 Playlist submission: 1999

Fever to Tell I bought this album on the strength of Maps, which is absolutely great and still stands up. I’m sure I listened to it quite a bit at that time, but apart from Maps and Date with the Night I can’t really remember much about it. It definitely feels of its time, that early 2000s indie garage rock vibe with added New York grubbiness and sleaziness, but it still sounds good I think, the minimal and unadorned production and instrumentation held together with the rough edged guitar and thumping drums and Karen O’s slightly wired and anxious charisma. Love the little guitar figure on Rich, and Date With the Night’s stomping garage punk is great too. I like Man’s scuzzy almost funk rhythm, nicely accented by the organ. It starts to get a little samey after that, the groove based garage punk being the template, but each song is so brief, direct and to the point you just move on to the next one without much worry, until the utterly great Maps comes into view. It really is a superb bit of surprisingly tender garage pop, sounding of its time but also timeless. Great guitars, a lovely spare yet rich arrangement and a super vocal. Y Control is thematically somewhat similar to Maps, and although it's not quite at the same level as that, it’s still a great track and great melody. Modern Romance again has some similarity with Maps, but with a bit more vulnerability and another great relationship song. It does seem a bit odd they put the three strongest and most similar songs together at the end, it's kind of an odd sequencing choice. There’s a lot of good guitar on here, almost Coxon-esque in places, and it’s jaggedy roughness suits them and the singing, shouting, moaning, wailing vocals. Kind of tough to rate as it's a mix of fun but relatively slight garage punk interspersed with some genuinely great songs like Rich, Date with the Night, Man, Y Control and Modern Romance and one absolute classic in Maps. I think it just about shades into a 4 on the back of those songs and the overall sense of energy and style. 🗺️🗺️🗺️🗺️ Playlist submission: Maps

Steve McQueen Prefab Sprout are one of those bands that for a long time I overlooked. While I’m not fully acquainted with all their stuff I do listen to their first few albums occasionally, they really made some great extremely well crafted 80s jangly indie pop. From memory this is probably their best or most fully realised album, even if it does dip a little in the second half and get a bit bogged down by itself. The run from Faron Young to Goodbye Lucille #1 is great, the lovely jangly 80s indie pop with country rockabilly guitar of Faron Young, the weary feel of Bonny, the synthy and propulsive Appetite, the jazz inflected pop craft of When Love Breaks Down, the tenderness and delicacy of sentiment of Goodbye Lucille #1 as builds to moments of tension. I like the guitar on Hallelujah and it has some great backing vocals and nice wry lyric, but has a slight adult mundanity to it. Moving the River is a good track, but I’m not a fan of the little sax motif. Horsin’ Around I really like, similar to When Love Breaks Down with its jazz inflection. I get the idea behind Desire As, but it has a woodenness and self seriousness that feels a bit overbearing. I struggle with the melody of Blueberry Pies and the overall mood is creates. Itrap. Obviously they have enough about them to be a cut above some of their contemporaries, and it’s fine line between wry and well crafted ‘sophisti-pop’ and slightly dull adult pop, and this one falls into that trap a little. When The Angels is a bit of return to the form of the first 5 or 6 tracks, bringing a bit of life and energy after the dip of Desire As and Blueberry Pies. When the songs dip on the second side the Thomas Dolby sound can be a bit anodyne, but on the rest of it I love the sound, clean and spacious, suiting the observational theme of the lyrics. If the quality of the first side carried on to the end I think it would be a 5, but as it is it lands as a solid 4. A very very good album from a very very good band. 🥬🥬🥬🥬 Playlist submission: Goodbye Lucille #1

Eliminator Gimme All Your Lovin, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs - all cheesy as balls but also hugely enjoyable 80s pop rock bangers. The combination of metronomic drums and new wave synths and sequencers with their blues and boogie guitars is a winning formula and gives the songs a satisfying robotic precision and sheen. The rest of the tracks follow that same pattern to varying degrees of success, without ever quite reaching the immediacy and potency of the three big songs. They are, however, all united by an undeniable enjoyability, even if it’s a rather fleeting and not particularly profound one. Nothing much more to say apart from that overall it's a fun listen, like an intensely sugary snack. Not necessarily something I want for every meal, but at the right time and place definitely one I’ll munch on again. 🚘🚘🚘 Playlist submission: Legs

Regatta de Blanc This and Synchronicity are the two Police albums in this list and I think they might be the wrong two. Synchronicity goes too far into the jazzy dullness and this one, although really good and a bit of a grower, doesn’t quite match the angular punky reggae energy of their first or the overall consistency of Zenyatta Mondatta. Message in a Bottle is obviously a great song and one of their best. No matter how many times you hear it it stills sounds fresh and the guitar and drums really are excellent. Sting’s bass is often great, and it’s hardly a hot take but Summer and Copeland really are what make them great. When they are pushed into the background on Synchronicity their sound really suffers. Regatta de Blanc feels like an idea of a song rather than a song, there’s some great playing but it’s no surprise it developed out of a jam. Bring on the Night, surely Radiohead lifted the guitar progression for Reckoner from In Rainbows? I can see why though, it’s excellent, although the song itself doesn’t quite match the guitar’s quality. I like Deathwish a lot, it feels like it might be another instrumental, but the guitar is great and the switch between the Bo Diddley rhythms and more standard beat is great. I never liked Walking on the Moon that much when I had the best of Sting and the Police on CD, but now I dig it. The little elements of jazziness don’t overwhelm, the bass motif is simple but excellent and the almost dub-like tempo gives it a slightly unusual atmosphere. Very catchy vocal melody too, which isn’t always the case for Sting. On Any Other Day, including its dated lyrics about a gay son, isn’t great. Copeland can’t really sing that well and although it might have worked as a quirky oddity like Be My Girl from their first album, it just doesn’t work and sounds particularly poor after the stateliness of Walking on the Moon. The Bed’s Too Big Without You is more like it, nailing the rolling new wave dubby reggae vibe without sounding anodyne. Great track. Contact is good as well, slightly off kilter and I love the jangly 60s-ish guitar riff. Not a fan of Does Everyone Stare, it sounds a bit like a song off the Ghostbusters soundtrack, and the piano led sound to me doesn’t suit them. No Time This Time harks back to their debut, but with a more refined and cleaner sound, making a very good closing rocker, if not quite at the level of some of the songs on here. I gave Synchronicity a 3, and although this is definitely better than that, it’s also not top tier, so I think it sits fairly at 4. A couple of great songs, a couple of very good songs and some ok songs, but all tied together with some excellent playing and overall a good album. 🍾🍾🍾🍾 Playlist submission: Could be a couple, but I won’t overthink, Message in a Bottle it is

My Aim is True Back when Elvis Costello’s songwriting was exciting and energetic with loads of great ideas, before he settled into writing rather flat and boring ’mature’ music. I do know this album somewhat, but I haven’t listened as much as This Year’s Model and Armed Forces, so it's nice refreshing my memory. It really is a great album - a direct, sharp, neurotic, wired and edgy 32 minutes (if you don’t include the excellent Watching the Detectives), with an engaging and exciting blend of punkish energy combined with classic rock, country, soul, 50s rock n roll and 60s pop influences. Welcome to the Working Week is a great burst of cynical energy, etMiracle Man has that great guitar motif, while No Dancing has the Spector drum pattern and vague soul feel with some nice acoustic guitar texture. Blame it On Cain is great and very Springsteen. It’s not something I’ve connected before and I’m not sure if that’s just because Springsteen has Adam Raised a Cain but I feel like there is a lot of Springsteen influence here, albeit through Costello’s more cynical British lens. Great song though. Alison is rightly a classic, a melody I could imagine Smokey Robinson singing in the early 70s, and just a lovely song, with a tenderness in contrast to much of the more bitter and angry lyrics elsewhere. Sneaky Feelings is a nice counterpoint to Alison’s more simple directness, a sweet little tune with a nice theme of secretiveness and mistrust. Red Shoes is a great track, one that just feels right in it’s construction, melody and lyric. Less than Zero uses the Twist and Shout riff and is another great 50is rocker with a great lyric. Mystery Dance is even more 50s and again has some Springsteen about it. Pay it Back has some great guitar and great energy. I’m Not Angry is perhaps the only misstep for me, the guitar is a little too sub-Mark Knopfler classic rock and feels slightly out of place. Waiting for the End of the World though is superb, a great finish. Love the groove in the riff and the drum sound is excellent. Great track. Overall this is an excellent album, a great distillation of early Costello, some great, if mean spirited, lyrics and some superb songs. 5. 👠👠👠👠👠 Playlist submission: Alison

Penance Soiree Never heard of this or The Icarus Line before. Resisted looking them up, and wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the cover or band name. Maybe something Metal or some generic American Alt Rock? Up Against The Wall Motherfucker - kind Alt Rock riffing with a garage punkishness and a bit of RHCP or RATM bass groove. It does sound quite early 2000s-ish and its fine I suppose. Spit on it is less successful and is thankfully pretty brief. On the Lash, has a bit of BRMC to it, but not as good and without the more ominous feel of their songs. Annnnd….I can’t be bothered to go through the rest of it. It’s fine for what it is as some noisy garage rock, but it’s also quite tedious, with very little of interest to differentiate it from anyone else. There were many more better bands with better melodies and better ideas at that time, so why would you choose to listen to this? Listening twice through is enough. Not wretched, just boring. 2 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ Playlist submission: Up Against The Wall Motherfucker

Graceland Hardly a spoiler but this is a 5. The classic 80s parents album, and I remember really liking it when they played it on car journeys, bouncing bass and synths and echoey drums I guess are particularly attractive to a child's ears. I also remember loving the video and the ubiquity of Call Me Al, and that song is still such a pure nostalgic hit of childhood. I then remember buying this on CD, I think at Uni, and realising what a great album it is, and it’s only got better over the subsequent years. As has my appreciation for Paul Simon. I absolutely love his songwriting, up there with Macca for melody of course, but he’s such a good lyricist and I love how he lets phrases run across different lines giving a slightly offbeat feel. I also don’t think he’s done a truly bad solo album, even something weakly regarded like Hearts and Bones, which is clearly not as strong as others, has at least one or two great songs and loads of interesting stuff. His initial run of Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon and Still Crazy is superb and his last 2 or 3 albums are well worth investigating, I listened to Stranger to Stranger a lot when that came out. ‘These are the days of miracle and wonder’, I’ve always loved that line. Graceland is one of my favourite songs of all time, the non secular spiritualism and sense of pilgrimage is beautifully conveyed lyrically and musically, a sense of optimism and a sense of ageing and time passing at the same time. Love I Know What I Know, great opening line and chorus. Gumboots, great, love the accordion and drums. Diamonds on the Sole of Her Shoes, what a song, tender and sad, brilliant. You Can Call Me Al - ‘far away my willy blew up’, what a mondegreen. Can’t help but do air slap bass at the second breakdown. Under African Skies, superb and lovely, a great melody, excellent harmony vocals and brilliant lyrical imagery. Homeless, just great. Crazy Love, again excellent, great melody, less African influenced but fits the whole theme. The accordion returns on That Was Your Mother, and while it’s cajun rather than African it fits brilliantly on the album. All Around the World is a corker, a great uptempo rocker. Who is the former talk show host? It’s really interesting understanding more about the genesis, recording and production. Obviously there was understandably a lot of controversy and accusations of cultural appropriation, and I can see why people would feel strongly negative about the whole thing, but it seems to me about him finding inspiration and making his own songs out of it, which is how music has evolved, and ultimately I’d think it’s better to get together and make music across cultural and racial divides. Anyway, I love this album, and every song on it. I can’t quite express how it makes me feel, musically and emotionally, I just love it. It’s quite disparate, but also thematically linked it seems, by a sense of loss and rediscovery, of getting older but also finding joy and happiness and sadness. 🌍🌍🌍🌍🌍 Playlist submission: Graceland

The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! Not sure if I’ve heard of The Dictators or not. The name sounds familiar but it also sounds like the name of a lot of bands from the mid to late 70s who presaged or followed punk. I thought it might be more like that Germs album, but it’s more listenable than that, reminding me a lot of the New York Dolls, with that sped up frenetic glam rock and blues rock sound, and a bit of the Ramones (esp the cover of California Sun), but without being quite as good or as exciting as either of those bands. I can see how this would be influential on punk and puncturing some rock posturing, and while some of it is decent, California Sun, Weekend and Cars and Girls, and some of it is a dumb sort of fun, like Back to Africa, Master Race Rock and Teengenerate and the rest just sort of dumb and not that much fun. One of those albums that, although I didn’t fully enjoy, I'm glad to have heard, even if I’m unlikely to come back to. Solid 2. 🤪🤪 Playlist submission: Cars and Girls

This is Fats Domino I couldn’t find this album on Tidal, there is one called This is Fats, which is from 1959 but I think with a different track listing from what I could find on Wikipedia. And there is a compilation called This is Fats Domino, but I don’t think that’s the album meant by the list. So I made a playlist of the tracks from album Wikipedia page. Interesting story, that. Blueberry Hill is great, obviously a 50s classic, a Rock’n’Roll and Soul adjacent but of New Orleans RnB/Jazz/Blues, but it is a great track and stands up fantastically well to modern ears. Blue Monday is the same, an absolute belter. While the rest of the tracks don’t quite hit those heights they are still all very listenable New Orleans RnB, with some excellent piano and that fantastic voice. You can hear that these are fundamental building blocks on the journey to ‘modern’ music, connecting big band Jazz of the 40s and 50s, emerging New Orleans RnB, nascent Rock’n’Roll and country Blues. Of these tracks Honey Chile, What’s The Reason I’m Not Pleasing You, So Long, Troubles of My Own, Poor, Poor Me, Trust in Me and You Done Me Wrong stood out at that level below Blueberry Hill and Blue Monday. I don’t know if it’s because I cobbled together the tracks from different compilations but there does seem to be a difference in the recorded sound of some tracks, some sound great, and some not so much. I know I mention it a lot but there is a good episode on Fats Domino in the History of Rock Music in 500 Songs podcast, which talks about Fats’ producer Dave Bartholomew, who is pretty interesting. Anway, this is a thoroughly enjoyable bit of historical context, but like a lot of albums from this period it is before albums were considered as a whole, so it doesn’t quite feel like a proper album. A Fats Domino greatest hits album would probably be a 4 or 5, but for this I think makes a 3 is fair. 🫐🫐🫐 Playlist submission: Blueberry Hill

She’s So Unusual Interested to hear this, I love Girls Just Want To Have Fun and Time After Time, classic 80s pop songs and they still sound great despite their ubiquity. Money Changes Everything is a great little new wave-ish synth pop song. I’m not familiar with the original but it’s a great opener with a nice drum sound and melodica solo. When You Were Mine does sound like a Prince song, but it suits her brilliantly well and I love the synth and guitar arrangement, the sound and overall feel. With Girls and Time After Time that is a great opening 4 songs, energy and excitement along with some genuine tenderness. She Bop carries that one too with a great 80s sounding synth and drum groove and All Through The Night is also a great song, with an excellent 80s shimmering falling synth. Witness is good, but maybe a little dip from the previous songs, but it does have a pleasing Ska effervescence. I’ll Kiss You is a great upbeat bit of polished angularity, with a nice dip into the softer pre-chorus. Has a slight B-52s vibe. I hate He’s So Unusual. But Yeah Yeah is great, a nice closer with great energy and I love that organ. It’s a great, fun listen, upbeat, infectious with a generous helping of fizzy quirkiness, but with a bit more depth and edge than you might expect, and with a couple of all time classics in Girls and Time after Time. I don’t think it’s quite a 5, but it is close, ultimately a very high 4. 👠👠👠👠 Playlist submission: Time After Time

Tuesday Night Music Club I’ve never listened to this even though I’m quite partial to a bit of Sheryl. All I Wanna Do, If It Makes You Happy, Everyday is a Winding Road, A Change Would Do You Good, Soak up the Sun and Steve McQueen are all great bits of classic pop/rock songwriting. That rock classicism is evident on Run Baby Run, but whereas those songs wear that classicism lightly, on this song it hangs a bit too heavy, feeling rather too studied and stifling. Leaving Las Vegas is much much better though, the acoustic rhythm guitar helping to give it that nice, loose, rootsy 70s rock feel, which suits her voice, and the melody and lyric is much better than Run Baby Run. Strong Enough is great too, a sweet acoustic ballad with a little groove. Can’t Cry Anymore is very nice too, again the loose rootsy feel working well with the melody, lyric and vocal. Solidify though sounds a bit out of place after those two songs, it has slickness not in keeping with the feel of the rest of the album. The Na-Na Song shares some similarities with We Didn’t Start the Fire and Bullet Comes, but has an agreeable jam feel to it, even if it is a bit lightweight. No One Said It Would Be Easy is superb though, a sad and teary country ballad, with some very tasteful guitar and bass and a great feel. What I Can Do For You reminds me of something I can’t quite place, but it's a nice track in the same rootsy vein, even if it's not one of the strongest You can see why All I Wanna Do was such a big hit, its slightly offbeat country pop brilliance is immediately evident, with its observational narrative verses and hooky chorus, and its very appealing evocation of drinking in the LA sun. I get the idea of We Do What We Can, but I don’t think it works that well, the jazzy feel doesn't quite hit the right mark and it’s not a particularly strong melody. I Shall Believe is great though, a rather lovely ballad with a country feel and a great hymnal atmosphere. It would be easy for this type of album and this type of music to end up in Counting Crows style middle of the road anodyne boringness, but, for the most part, it stays away from that. There is a warmth and feel to playing, but mainly I think it succeeds because it’s nice to hear this music from a female perspective, but also because she has a great soulful, expressive edge to her voice, singing the songs with conviction and authenticity. Overall this is probably a 3 or 4 songs away from being truly great. The warm, loose, rootsy core of the album in Leaving Las Vegas, Strong Enough, Can’t Cry Anymore, No One Said It Would Be Easy, What I Can Do For You, All I Wanna Do and I Shall Believe is excellent, but songs like Run Baby Run, Solidify and We Do What We Can unfortunately detract from the atmosphere those other songs create. It’s still a great listen though, and sits as and easy 4 for me 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛ Playlist submission: Tempted by No One Said it Would Be Easy but All I Wanna Do is an undeniably great track, so I’ll go with that

Get Rich or Die Tryin’ "I'm similar to a squirrel, looking for a slut with a nice butt to get a nut" Never particularly been a fan of Fiddy’s flow and style, although I do like In Da Club, a brilliantly well constructed bit of party rap, and PIMP, which while crass, has a good beat and hook. What Up Gangsta is kind of what I’d expected, a pretty forgettable bit of gangster rap posturing, but Patiently Waiting is really good, with great strings in the verses, Eminem excellent as usual and a nice synthesiser running through the chorus. Many Men also sounds great with an excellent, even if lyrically it does tread the same ground as seemingly every gangster rapper. High All The Time and Heat are pretty generic and formulaic, If I Can’t sounds good, with nice instrumentation. Blood Hound is pretty ropey, Back Down is good, Like My Style not so much. Poor Lil Rich has a nice synth line, and Nate Dogg on 21 Questions gives it a 90s vibe, although the effect on 50’s vocal is a bit odd and the track overall isn’t great. Don’t Push Me has a nice sense of musical drama, and it almost feels as though he is about to get introspective, but it turns into the usual braggadocio. Gotta Make it To Heaven has a decent production, but isn’t a particularly goo track. I kind of came round to his slurry mumbly delivery by the end, and I really liked the production, particularly the Dre and Eminem produced tracks. It does sound very early 2000s, but it has a polished sheen I found enjoyable and relatively non-uniform use of instruments and samples, giving a nice bit of interest. Thematically it obviously covers a lot of the same ground as the 2pac and Biggie albums we have had. Nas is the pinnacle for me in rapping about all this stuff but I found 2pac more interesting and thoughtful behind the belligerence than Biggie, and I think 50 cent sits closer to Biggie. Although a little less puerile and crass than Biggie he still does seem to inhabit the same adolescent’s idea of edgy realness, which ultimately gets quite boring, even if he has lived that life for real. I suppose sensitive singer songwriters sing about love in the same way as every other sensitive singer songwriters, which could also be seen as repetitive, but there are only so many ways and times you can describe how you shoot guns, get blow jobs, sell drugs and spend lots of money before it all sounds the same. I gave 2pac 4 and Biggie 2. This is better than Biggie but I’m not sure it quite reaches 3, even though In Da Club is a banger. Ultimately I’m unlikely to come back to it, so I’ll stick with a high 2. 💲💲 Playlist: In Da Club

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea I listened to this a lot when it came out, mainly on the strength of This Mess We’re In, which I loved. It really reminds me of coming home from Japan for Christmas in 2000. I haven’t listened to it in a long time, so I’m glad it came up. Big Exit, is a cracking start, great lyrics, kind of punkish and new wave but accessible. Good Fortune is similar, a bit less aggressive perhaps, but a great song with a great hook and an evocative lyric. A Place Called Home is excellent too, from relatively simple instrumentation and arrangements she manages to make very engaging and interesting songs. One Line has a kinship with those first 3 songs, but again is great, with a vaguely unsettling atmosphere. Beautiful Feeling is fantastic, has a very folky feel, like the Unthanks, with those great backing vocals from Thome Yorke. Superb song. The Whores Hustle and the Hustler’s Whore is the kind of spiritual centre of the album, a great melody with an undeniable edge and a searching, impressionistic lyric sketching loneliness and isolation in a big city. This Mess We’re In, still great, a lovely melody with a sad and resigned feeling and two great vocals from them both. You Said Something is another great melody and hook - again the strummed guitar and minimal instrumentation conjures up an atmospheric and intriguing song. Kamikaze has that aggressive punky edge to it, and nice unhinged-ness suiting the title and coming after two pretty pop melodies This is Love I really remember from when it came out, love the swooping riff and that great tinkly piano. Another great melody and lyric too. Horses in my Dream, feel like the title is nod to Patti Smith, who she obviously shares a commonality with, but it’s a great and haunting low tempo ballad, with an edgy folkiness to it. Her voice sounds great on this one too. We Float is great too, a sense of ending and coming to terms with the end of a relationship, with that hazy drifting chorus with that superb melody. Hidden tracks were such a CD thing, and This Wicked Tongue is a good aggressive and angry song, but feels kind of unnecessary now. Doesn’t detract from the quality of the album at all though. This has reminded me what a great album this is, kind of amazing how engaging and interesting each song is, despite it in the main being relatively simple drums, strummed guitars and bass with minor additional instrumentation (although from my limited understanding there are some interesting chords happening). Like Let England Shake, I can see how she might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and how if you don’t buy into her style you probably wonder what all the fuss is about, but I think she’s fantastic and like Let England Shake this is an easy 5. 📖🌃📖🌊📖 Playlist submission: Still love This Mess We’re In, but I’ll go Beautiful Feeling

Paranoid Loud, heavy and swampy and bluesy but with grooves and melody - if all metal sounded like this it would be great, but it took this as a starting point and unfortunately ended up all dull and boring and generally a bit rubbish. Obviously Tony Iommi rightly gets credit for his riffing style and guitar sound, but I didn’t really realise how great a bassist Geezer Butler is and also what a good drummer Bill Ward is. Underneath the riffing there are a lot of great bass lines and bass melodies, and I guess that combined with the drums is what gives the music a groove and slipperiness that sets it apart and makes it still sound good today. Also Ozzy has a very expressive voice at this point, with a bluesy edge and without too much over the top screaming. War Pigs is excellent, that muddy groove and riffing keeping it moving ever onwards with a suitably daft and portentous lyric. Paranoid of course a classic, a superb riff and a great melody. Planet Caravan is surprisingly supple, a kind of psychedelic groove but with a vaguely oppressive feeling sitting just out of picture. Iron Man the third of the classic 3 on here, again a brilliant riff, again daft lyrics, but again a catchy melody and it's a fun, moody rocker and you can hear its echoes in all the metal that came after it. Electric Funeral doesn’t quite reach those heights but is another good song, great bass and a suitable ominous riff and hook. Hand of Doom is great, another atmospheric intro, with a bass that recalls both War Pigs and Iron Man and more great Iommi riffing. Again one that echoes what came after it. Rat Salad has more fun riffing and settles into a nice groove, even if it’s not quite as strong as other tracks. Fairies Wear Boots, I like a lot and it feels very emblematic of their style - long, time signature changes, great bass playing interspersed with heavy guitar riffing and a suitably fantastical lyric and title. Overall I thought this was a great listen. War Pigs, Paranoid and Iron Man are toweringly good bits of heavy swampy blues rock/early metal, and while the rest of the tracks don’t quite reach that level its all still very good, ranging from atmospheric bluesy psychedelic jams like Planet Caravan, to genuinely enjoyable riffing like Fairies Wear Boots. Comfortable 4. 🐖🐖🐖🐖 Playlist submission: Any one of War Pigs, Paranoid or Iron Man, I’ll go War Pigs

Meat is Murder I do have a bit of a blind spot with The Smiths. Despite how great Johnny Marr is and how much I love a lot of their songs I’ve never actually listened to one of their albums, finding that, for me, Morrissey’s voice works better in small doses of 5 or 6 songs, so I’ve just stuck to listening to their greatest hits in chunks. So because of that I’m not sure where this sits in their canon and how it compares to their other albums. I very much enjoyed listening today though, even though, despite there being some excellent songs, my sense is that it may not be their strongest collection of tracks? The Headmaster Ritual is a great track, what I imagine when I think of them, great jangling guitar, superb rhythmic and melodic bass and an excellent lyric full of pithy observations of anc criticisms of the education system. Rusholme Ruffians is great too, love the rockabilly feel and the guitar figure. Lovely guitar on I Want the One I Can’t Have, and although it's a solid track it perhaps feels a little Smiths by numbers. I like What She Said’s slightly more aggressive guitar, but like I Want the One I Can’t Have, while good, it isn’t perhaps as strong as some of the other tracks. That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore I know from the greatest hits and of course is a great track, probably the strongest on the album. Love the acoustic and the deeper resonating bass sound. Super lyric too. Nowhere Fast, again a good song, but feels a level below the highlights on here. Well I Wonder is superb though, one of those great mournful sounding Smiths songs. What a bassline on Barbarism Begins at Home and love the chugging disco/funk guitar. Very very catchy. Meat is Murder is a bit dirgey, I presume intentionally to match the tone of the lyric, but it’s not totally successful. Like I say I’m not really aware how this sits in the arc of their discography, but it’s a very good album with some superb highlights, and as you’d expect its full of fantastic guitars and arrangements by Marr and excellent bass from Andy Rourke. However its perhaps not quite what I’d expect a 5 star Smiths album to be, so I’ll go for a 4. Playlist submission: That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore

Lady in Satin Interesting reading about this after listening through it for the first time, as I don’t know much about her whole career outside the big songs, and it definitely felt like her voice didn’t have the sweetness and tone I’d expected. I guess drinking pints of neat vodka all day will do that. It’s not necessarily a bad thing that her voice sounds cracked and careworn in places, as it tells its own story and gives the album an edge and counterpoint to what could be a bit of a syrupy album, with its slightly Disney-esque arrangements. Every song pretty much follows that pattern of slightly schmaltzy arrangements all elevated by her vocals, but, to my ear, there is a variance to the quality of the material, meaning that when the songs are good this is excellent, but when the songs are average it’s merely good. I’m A Fool to Want You, You Don’t Know What Love Is, I Get Along Without You Very Well, You’ve Changed, But Beautiful all stand out as the highlights, particularly I’m A Fool to Want You’s vocals, and I Get Along Without You Very Well, which is just an excellent song. Kind of tricky to rate, I enjoyed the whole thing, and her vocals are uniformly excellent, but some songs are definitely of lesser quality and the arrangements do get a bit cloying and repetitive. I’d love to give it a 4 for it’s vocal, but it’s really a high 3. Hmm, I’ll tip over to 4 just as her vocals deserve it and for those highlights. 🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️ Playlist submission: I Get Along WIthout You Very Well

This Year’s Model Nice to have this after My Aim is True last week, you can hear the development between the two and it really showcases what was great about Costello in this perido. The Attractions definitely have a rougher, more punk edge, eschewing some of the more 50s touches for a spikier and more aggressive, more angular new wave energy, which suits the mean spirited sentiments of the songs. There’s some very good bass playing and I love the drum sound that Nick Lowe gets on here, that echoey tom is great, particularly on This Year’s Girl and Pump It Up. And Steve Nieve’s keyboards are excellent, and really make the album what it is, the organ on The Beat is fantastic and you can hear echoes of that almost seaside sound in Modern Life is Rubbish and Parklife. It’s a great set of songs too, although written around the same time as My Aim is True they feel more developed and considered with better arrangements and some great catchy melodies. No Action has a similar function to Welcome to the Working Week on My Aim is True, a short sharp burst of energy, setting the snarky tone of the record. This Year’s Girl is great, with that Ringo-esque drum pattern and the taut angular guitar. I love The Beat, great chorus and that keyboard pattern. Pump it Up is of course an absolute stomping banger, Subterranean Homesick Blues-esque in its rapid fire verses, great keyboard riff and just a great song. Little Triggers is another superb track, harking back to some of the doo-wop and 50s influences on My Aim is True, but another truly great song and highlight of the album. You can hear The Beatles in the opening riff to You Belong To Me, before the keyboard kicks the pace up and it becomes a taut little rocker. Hand in Hand had a nice gentleness to it’s opening, recalling Alison, before the drums kick in and it settles in with some great organ and guitar and catchy chorus. I Don’t Want to Go to Chelsea is another absolute banger, with that great spiky riff and rhythm echoing the lyric. Love the drums, bass and acoustic guitar on Lip Service, and that piano picking out the way to the chorus is great. Living in Paradise has more fantastic keyboards, dripping between the lines like honey through the gaps in the floorboards. Excellent song. Lipstick Vogue is also great, with that almost East Asian sounding intro before the frantic bass driven edgy verses. I love the atmospheric intro to Night Rally, echoing the unseen oppressive theme of the song, some superb playing and and the abrupt cut out is great. I know Big Tears and Radio Radio are additions on the re-issue but they are also great tracks, love Mick Jones’s guitar on Big Tears and Radio Radio of course is another classic early Costello single. Love the version from Saturday Night Live My Aim is True was and is a 5 and this is better, so it can only be a 5. Great album, no weak tracks and right at the peak of the Attractions and Costello’s fraught, tense, energetic yet melodic powers. Have always loved the cover too. 📷📷📷📷📷 Playlist Submission: Pump it Up

Revolver What can you say that hasn’t been said a hundred times before and a hundred times more artfully? It’s much a perfect Beatles album and therefore just a perfect album. I’ve heard it so many times but I can pretty much listen to it on repeat endlessly, like I have all day today. Like all of their albums it's amazing how it can sound different every time you listen, and songs you'd previously only liked suddenly become your favourites. For a long time I wasn’t keen on Yellow Submarine, but hearing its genesis on the box set a couple of years back has changed my perspective. For some reason I didn’t appreciate She Said, She Said for a long while, but again, now it's one of my favourites on the album (and I didn’t realise until recently that Paul doesn’t play on it at all) It’s kind of interesting that this is the start of the fracturing of the 4 headed monster, pre-empting what happened on the White Album, with each person’s song very much their own thing. You can feel George wanting to get his songs heard, Paul is at the start of his man about town supremely confident songwriting period, and while John is descending into LSD befuddlement, he still comes up for air occasionally to deliver some incredible songs that really make the album what it is. He only has 5 or 6 songs, but I’m Only Sleeping, She Said She Said and Tomorrow Never Knows are absolute cornerstones of the album, and without them the whole atmosphere and quality of the record would be hugely diminished. I’m also constantly amazed by their ability to synthesise sounds with the ideas and themes of the songs, without heavy-handedness or gaucheness or literalness, as on how the piano is slightly off-key on I Want to Tell You, signifying George’s uncertainty in the words, and the horn on For No One encompassing the wistfulness and realism of people drifting apart. Also George’s backing vocals on the chorus, singing Yellow Submarine on one note (in the right channel on the 220 stereo mix), giving a very welcome air of vague cynical detachment, as a counterpoint to the exuberance of the song. There are countless examples of this throughout the album, and it’s surely one of those things that consistently sets them apart from their peers. I know this is also when George started to fall out of love with the guitar, but some of his parts on here are incredible, not necessarily just for technical complexity, but for feel and most importantly for unusualness, some of the stuff hes does on She Said She Said and Dr Robert are quite odd in a brilliant way. Paul’s bass playing on Rubber Soul is fantastic, but this is at another level. That little groove behind the ‘if you drive too far…’ lines, and the whole of I’m Only Sleeping is just unbelievably good, great in it’s own right but the bass floating around the upper register suits the songs superbly. And Ringo of course is as ever superb - Tomorrow Never Knows (and Rain as part of the sessions) are incredible bits of futuristic drumming, but he’s amazing throughout, I love the deceptively simple pattern on I’m Only Sleeping, the gentle rolls and jazzy feel on Here, There and Everywhere. The into roll and slightly disjointed pattern on She Said She Said is so good, both technically and as a service to the song. He also has that brilliantly tight Stax/Al Jackson pattern and sound on Dr Robert. As with all their albums is also sequenced brilliantly, the groove of Taxman followed by the deeply resonant Eleanor Rigby, followed by the dreamlike and hazy I’m Only Sleeping, then followed by the Indian sounds of Love You To. That must have been mindblowing in 1966. And then you get possibly Paul’s finest ballad, tender, warm, touching before the schoolyard singalong of Yellow Submarine. Then an Indian/LSD influenced guitar pop banger to finish off the first side. A sunny bit of barrelhouse rolling piano kicks off side 2 before that great riffing with And Your Bird Can Sing, followed by the amazing For No One, running Here There and Everywhere close, not quite a ballad, but a quite incredible bit of baroque pop with a superb lyric, before we get some more drone influenced guitar pop and then part 2 of if I Needed Someone, with its uncertain and hesitant lyric counterpointing brilliantly with the declarative and unequivocal effusiveness and exuberance of Got to Get You Into My Life, which in turn acts as a brilliant bit of melodic rnb/pop before the experimental and psychedelic masterpiece of Tomorrow Never Knows. This is possibly my favourite Beatles song and I would love to go back to 1966 and hear this album for the first time and then hear this song at the end, what must that have been like? I oscillate between Revolver, Sgt Pepper the White Album and Abbey Road as my favourites, but this is probably the one I listen to most and if I had a type of pistol to my head this would be my one Beatles album. Something the Beatles music does, and this album in particular does, is make me think everything’s going to be ok, that if something like this can exist then the world is a good place. That four people made this album and brought so much joy, happiness, curiosity and colour to the world and to my life it makes me feel so incredibly hopeful and touched. I’ll stop now, as this is more a patchwork of different thoughts than a review. Obviously a 5. 🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫 Playlist submission: Tomorrow Never Knows

I’m Your Man I’ve listened to this 4 times today and I can’t work out if I like it or not. Lyrically I know I like it, there are some superb lines, couplets or whole songs, like Everybody Knows (a song I was previously aware of from its use in Palm Springs) or First We Take Manhattan. And vocally he sounds great, that older more gravelly tone with a nice hint of creepy sleaziness is excellent. But musically I just don’t know what's going on. Kudos to him for trying something different to update his sound, but in the way that Graceland sounds of its time but timeless, this sounds of its time but very dated. On some listens the hyper 80s keyboards and stacked backing vocals sound great against his voice, a nice, pleasingly odd contrast. And then on the next listen the whole thing sounds cheesy as all balls. I suppose it really comes down to whether the songs that work outweigh the ones that don’t. First We Take Manhattan, I think this is just about on the right side of the line. I like the Pet Shop Boys feel of it and keyboards, despite being a bit cliche, I like alot. The melody and vocal is great, very Nick Cave, but the backing vocals are pretty cheesy and rather obtrusive. I’m not entirely sure about Ain’t No Cure for Love. It has that egregious sax in the intro and a structure lifted almost completely from Every Breath You Take, but I do like the chorus and the lyric. Could go either way, this one. Everybody Knows, I think is great though, excellent lyric and melody and nice pulsing rhythm and keyboard and string riff. The oud is great and the backing vocals work well with the song. I’m Your Man is pretty successful too, despite the keyboard solo. Take this Waltz I don’t think is great. He does some waltz time stuff on his first album and its nice, but this doesn’t sound good. But its not as bad as Jazz Police, an almost Partridgean level exercise in terribleness, with its pitch shifted keyboards and awful backing vocals. I like I Can’t Forget, the pedal steel giving it a nice touch of human warmth and country edge working well with the chorus and backing vocals. Tower of Song is great, the more restrained instrumentation and nicely arranged backing vocals give it an excellently off kilter atmosphere, again with a great vocal and lyric. So overall it’s a bit of a curate’s egg. When it works well like on Everybody Knows and Tower of Song its excellent, but when it’s bad, as with Jazz Police, it’s pretty awful. But, despite that, I still found it fascinating and I certainly didn’t get bored of listening to it. Therefore it’s a bit tricky to rate, it’s inconsistency would make it a 3, but it is weirdly intriguing and I admire him jumping wholeheartedly into a new sound. And the lyrics and vocals are great, and there are a couple of very good songs. I’ll just tip it into a 4 on that basis. 🍌🍌🍌🍌 Playlist submission: Everybody Knows

Apple Venus Volume 1 I do quite like XTC, but am only really familiar with Drums and Wires because of Making Plans for Nigel, so this was a new one on me. It’s a genuinely fascinating listen. And in fact I think it’s a bit of a gem, with some undoubted high points, and a very singular and engaging sensibility. You can hear echoes of people like Vaughan Williams and Elgar, and The Beatles and Brian Wilson in the orchestral arrangements and ambition. I really like the folklore-ish themes running through it, and it feels very connected to its Englishness, similar to Let England Shake, although obviously musically very different. I guess one sticking point might be the thin, nasally tone of the vocals on some tracks. It feels like sometimes a richer, fuller voice might work better with the themes and ideas here. River of Orchids has a bit of that - I love the almost pizzicato strings and the horns, the melody is great and the overall feel is very English and idiosyncratic, however that nasal quality is a bit distracting in parts. I’d Like That is a very nice bit of acoustic folkiness, building on the pastoral theme with an added touch of romantic excitement. Easter Theatre is excellent, a great example of combining a paganistic sense of Englishness with those orchestral arrangements. The horns are superb, very George Martin-eque Knights in Shining Karma has some strong White Album vibes, particularly in the intro, evoking Dear Prudence and Julia with its folk guitar pattern, but I really like the atmosphere of gentle melancholy it conjures. Frivolous Tonight, although the upbeatness is welcome it does have a strong 80s TV sitcom theme feel to it, and it’s one of the weaker tracks for me. Greenman, however, is my highlight, the eastern-esque strings with the folkish triplets and flute, and the lyric about one of the cornerstones of folklore is very evocative and overall it’s a superb song. Your Dictionary is a great bit of caustic bitterness tacked onto a spare and thoughtful arrangement of guitar, piano and strings, before blossoming into that fully fleshed out outro. It’s a nice contrast to some of the more outward looking and pastoral themes and lyrics elsewhere. A lot of Sgt Pepper era vibes to Fruit Nut, and a great track, the upbeat nature working really well, in the way Frivolous Tonight’s doesn’t. I Can’t Own Her really does suffer from the nasal vocal thing, even if musically it’s good, with an interesting layering of instruments. Harvest Festival perhaps falls a bit close to being something you’d have to sing at a primary school Harvest Festival, because your slightly hippy-ish teacher loves XTC and because it’s very literally about going to a school Harvest Festival. I’m not as keen on The Last Balloon’s melody, even if it does cast a suitably atmospheric climax to the album. It’s a bit annoying having to listen on YouTube with adverts disrupting the flow, and if this was on streaming properly I’d put it into rotation as I thought it was a great album and a real grower. Musically and thematically ambitious with a strong sense of its own vision, but it does have a bit of unevenness in places, and the nasal vocals do just nag away - I can’t quite help but think the album is diminished somewhat by them. It’s close to a 5, but I’ll settle on a solid 4. 🍎🍎🍎🍎 Playlist submission: Green Man

Sound of Silver I’m very familiar with this album, one of my favourites by one of my favourite ‘modern’ bands. I listened to it A LOT when it came out and I still return to it pretty regularly. I cannot believe it's actually 17 years old. Its influences are worn very obviously on its sleeves, with James Murphy clearly magpie-ing from Bowie, Can, Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, dance, disco, house, new wave, punk. And while those influences are easily identifiable, they are shepherded together to make something that, although not totally unique, is definitely a great synthesis of all of the above in its own nice The triumvirate of North American Scum, Someone Great and All My Friends is superb, the cornerstone and heartbeat of the album, and encapsulates what I love about LCD Soundsystem. The new wave/punk edged North American Scum with its wryly amusing lyric, the hypnotic drive and build around the rhythmic and pounding keyboard and sincerity of the lyric of All My Friends. But best of all, Someone Great, which I absolutely love, with its pulsing keyboards and noises and its vaguely cryptic lyric about loss, emotionally resonant yet slightly out of touch. Either side of that, I love the layering of Get Innocuous! and the insistency of the groove and drum pattern. I love the drum sound on Time to Get Away, and again the groove is great, with the little riff/break for the chorus and angular/new wave guitar. Brilliant bass groove on Us V Them, I love the cowbell and the breakout into the ‘Block out the sun’ part. Watch the Tapes is yet another great, mesmeric groove with a great beat and another sardonic lyric - 2 new wave dance bangers. I’ve always liked the lyric of Sound of Silver and the song is a great dazed and moodily atmospheric track built around those words and some excellent keyboard noises. New York I Love You is a great closing track after all the dance driven grooves, with it’s more conventional arrangement and almost doo-wop verses. I love this album, from the sound of the drums and keyboards to the vocal style, the wry lyrics and the fantastic danceable grooves interspersed with genuinely emotionally impactful moments. It’s very easy for this type of album to fall into the trap of hipsterish imitation, but the fact that James Murphy is a bit older than his peers and his undoubted skill as a synthesist of his influences makes this a cut above, and one of my favourite albums of the last 20 years. Easy peasy 5. 🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩 Playlist submission: Someone Great Ps, the album after this, This Is Happening is also excellent, and if you like it it’s worth checking out their other 2 albums. The first one is a little rough around the edges but has some great tracks and American Dream, their last one, has a slightly older, more mature feel to it. The 45:33 mix is also good, some of the musical moments and parts in that got pulled into Sound of Silver.

Chris I’m aware of a few of Christine & The Queens songs, as he is a bit of a 6 Music darling and I love Girlfriend, but I’ve never ventured into one of his albums. I really liked the French language version, I think the vocals sound better in his native tongue, but the mixed English/French version is, obviously, easier to understand and much more accessible. Comme Si is kind of what I’d expected from being familiar with Girlfriend, a very 80s MJ influenced synth pop song, with the keyboard bass, disco-ish guitar and electronic drum kit sound. Great opener. Girlfriend is still excellent, a brilliant bit of 80s revisionism, very catchy with a great hook and sound. I really like the verse melody on The Walker and its simple arrangement is very nice. Doesn’t Matter, while fine, doesn’t quite elevate itself from its 80s derivative-nes in the way the other songs do 5 Dollars is great though, the melody and the piano work really well together. Goya Soda is excellent as well, I love the ‘big’ synth riff and it has a great atmosphere and melody. Very nice track. Damn (What Must a Woman Do) is another good track, the synth riff is hypnotic, although it's probably missing a catchier chorus. What’s Her Face feels like rather generic 2010s synth pop, too close to the likes of Lorde, pulling the album out of its largely successful 80s groove. Feel So Good is a return to form, a nice modernised 80s pop song. Make Some Sense is excellent though, I can’t place what the synth line reminds me of, but it’s a big 80s song. Anyway it’s a great atmosphere with a nice floating and delicate vocal. The Stranger really grew on me, the halting synth pattern and very 80s percussion is great and another really good vocal It’s kind of what I expected that Lorde album to be, but better and much more listenable - this is superior modern 80s influenced synth pop, with some great hooks and more substance than the obvious inspirations might indicate. Her take and observations on how he is perceived and how she sees her own gender is really interesting and makes for some great music. It’s right on the boundary of 3 and 4, but looking back at what I’ve written above there are more songs I liked than not, so I’ll go 4. 🤴🤴🤴🤴 Playlist submission: Girlfriend

Darkdancer It’s been a long time since Les Rhythmes Digitales happened to drift across my transom. I remember liking the song Jacques Your Body back at Uni, as it was on that Citroen advert. I think I also had it on a free CD from Q or Select or something. Aside from that song I don’t know a great deal about LRD, and didn’t realise until today that he’s not French and that his real name is Stuart Price. And I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It has some of that Chicago House influence as on Jacques Your Body, but also has lots of great 80s synth, funk and disco influences too. It may not have quite the naked pop ambition of say Fatboy Slim, or be as interesting or as consistent as the Chemical Brothers, but it probably sits at the Venn diagram of those two - a great, fun, danceable and catchy electronica record. It made me think of the Basement Jaxx record we had last month too, with some similar disco and funk touches, but this I think is much better - the grooves are catchier and the energetic and infectious charm keeps it driving it forward. Dreamin’ kicks things off with a burst of squelchy synth and a soulful vocal/sample hinting at Chicago House but with added 80s-ness. I love that little riff on Music Makes You Lose Control, reminds me of Barbarism Begins at Home a bit, but it’s great, it’s circularity feeding the groove, bit of a banger Soft Machine feels like a slight misstep, the vocal doesn’t quite suit it, but it does feel a bit like something from the Contino Sessions by Death in Vegas, which came out later the same year. Hypnotise is a great return to form though - Dr Who by way of the Eurythmics with a great repetitive insistent groove, excellent track. I vaguely remember (Hey You) What’s that Sound?, taking Skee-lo’s interpolation of For What it’s Worth and turning it into a synth laden electro dance bop. Great track. Take a Little Time is a banging early 80s throwback, feeling like something the Pointer Sisters or Chaka Khan might have done. ‘Wahahahahahahah’ - love that keyboard sound on From: Disco to: Disco, another hypnotic banger. Brothers goes back to the Chicago House/techno well, may not be as strong as some of the other tracks but the bass is great and it still gets your head nodding. Jacques Your Body is still great, that slap/funk bassline is very catchy and very air ‘thumbable’. About Funk is interesting, the synth hook that appears halfway through takes it into a different world, more ethereal and spacey, making it more interesting than the first minute or so might indicate Sometimes is unexpectedly great. He’s obviously a very skilled arranger writer to make very listenable tracks out of repeating motifs and phrases, but this shows a degree of songwriting craft and is an excellent track, with the perfect throwback vocalist. Damaged People, with the same vocalist as Soft Machine, is slightly better than that track, although still not quite sure it works that well. Overall though, this feels like a bit of an energetic, infectious, overlooked gem from the late 90s - other bands ploughing a similar furrow might have been more successful, but this is a great listen. It also feels ahead of its time, pre-saging a lot of the mid to late 00s electroclash and house stuff like Simian Mobile Disco, Mylo, Justice and all those Kitsune Maison compilations, taking influences from the history of electronic and synth driven music and making a great dance album. Easily a 4. 🕺🕺🕺🕺 Playlist submission: Jacques Your Body

Pretzel Logic Rikki Don’t Lose That Number kicks things off with a classic SD pop song, the piano riff, the jazzy acoustic underneath, the rippling jazz inflected piano in the verses before ceding to a great soft rock chorus with interesting melodic lines - like a lot of their great songs it just feels right, meticulously constructed, crafted and considered. There are 70s cop show theme vibes to Night by Night with the chugging guitar, but it's better than that, again their sense of easy melody elevating it and the acerbic lyric taking it to a different space. Any Major Dude Will Tell You is a lovely track, the unhurried melody and beautifully soft arrangement giving it charm and poignancy. A clear SD classic. Barrytown shares some similarities in the verses with Tell Me What You See, but its a great track, rolling along with the piano line with a great middle eight. Apparently it’s a backhanded compliment to Dylan, but I don’t quite get that. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo feels like a vague misstep, as if they wanted to highlight their already clear jazz influence. It’s not necessarily terrible, but if it wasn’t on the album you wouldn’t miss it. Jim Gordon’s drumming is excellent on Parker’s Band and that repeating hook is great, giving a sense of release, echoing the joy found in Charlie Parker’s music in the lyrics. I like the switch to a more orchestral arrangement on Through with Buzz, you can hear bits of Eleanor Rigby, but filtered through their hands it gives it its own unique feel, and at 90 seconds long it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Along with Rikki and Any Major Dude, Pretzel Logic is the other ‘big’ song on here. Again one of those songs where every decision feels right, from arrangement to instrumentation, feeling like a classic from the first time you hear it. The horns giving a bit of rhythmic propulsion are great. Love the country-jazz guitar on With a Gun, and there are some great harmonics on the transitions between the verses and the refrain. That piano line in Charlie Freak moving around the vocal line is lovely, catching the ear, but not distracting from the song's structure. Monkey in your Soul is great in how it pulls the rug from under you, as from the opening notes you might feel like it would be a standard blues rock song, but its stabbing rhythm and electric piano gives it an unexpected quirkiness. Great track. The 34 minutes breeze by and if you’d told me 10 years ago I’d be handing out 5 stars willy-nilly for Steely Dan albums and all the associated jazziness of them I would have looked ASKANCE, but here we are. As much as I love Can’t Buy A Thrill, I think this is a step above, the arrangements tightened and the craftsthemship dialled up, and it sounds great, that 70s analogue warmth to the production. It can only be a 5. 🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨 Playlist submission: Any Major Dude Will Tell You

Red Dirt Girl I’m a sucker for late career albums like this, when commercial and career expectations are low and there’s a sense of nothing to prove. Having said that, there are some absolute stinkers in that field, but thankfully this is not a stinker at all, rather it hits all the right marks - tasteful, restrained, and with a melancholic sense of lives lived and experience gained - a combination that works for me. And it particularly works when it's in the country/folk/rock genre like this, and it especially works with someone like Emmylou Harris with her fantastic, gentle, evocative voice and slightly spectral presence. The only danger with this could be whether the late 90s production and drum loops are too prominent and distracting, but for the most part that’s not an issue, aside from the odd guitar part here and there. In fact the drum loops give it a nice shuffley and ethereal rhythmic sense, and I really like how they have woven in middle eastern textures, sounds and instruments with those drum loops and the country folk guitars to make a very immersive and atmospheric listen. The Pearl is a lovely ruminative opener about hardship and endurance. The christian imagery may be a bit on the nose but it's a great track hinting at the themes and sounds of the album. Michelangelo’s country folkness and vivid imagery are great, but her voice really elevates it. I Don’t Want to Talk About it Now is excellent, notwithstanding the slightly egregious wah wah/guitar effects, a great groove, melody and atmosphere. Tragedy has a lovely melody and another great vocal, as well as a very delicate and sensitive piano part helping echo the feelings of lost love. More loss and sadness permeates Red Dirt Girl, one of the more obviously country tracks, but again it’s a great little track. More religiousness on My Baby Needs a Shepherd, and I like the interpolation of Too ra loo, giving it a hymnal, lullaby quality and Ethan John’s baritone guitar is very tasteful too. Further spectral and ethereal atmospherics on Bang the Drum Slowly. The echoing percussion could be cheesy, but it works with the floating piano and musical texture. Some of it reminds me of The Rising, the Springsteen album, from a year or two after, which makes sense considering he appears on Tragedy and shares some of the middle eastern sounds. I love that Kate McGarrigle makes an appearance on J’Ai Fait Tout, it definitely has a very folk inspired melodic sense. The skittering drums work well, again they could easily feel out of place and too dated, but they are sympathetically arranged, giving it a nice tumbling rhythmic pattern. One Big Love is a great track, an excellent catchy melody and I love the organ in the intro. The lyric about letting go and taking chances is great, apart from the Monkey/Funky rhyme, which feels bad in a particularly middle aged way. Hour of Gold is excellent too, her gentle and evocative vocal is especially great with the longing and loss described in the words. My Antonia I’m not totally sure about, it’s a decent song but I don’t think Dave Matthews voice really suits the folk-ishness of the song or complements her voice that well, and is probably the one time the production moves from tasteful into vaguely distracting blandness. Fortunately Boy From Tupelo follows, a great track with nicely atmospheric guitar and a little tack piano part, the rolling percussion illustrating the keep on moving theme of the words. You could argue that there is a similarity to a lot of the tracks, perhaps feeling a little samey. I think that’s a fair argument, although its a sound and style I’m very on board with, and it also might be a consequence of it suffering from a bit of CD bloat. 55 mins is pretty long for 12 songs, a bit of judicious editing of song length to tighten it up would probably be beneficial. But overall it is delicately haunting and atmospheric listen, with her clear, beautiful, gentle and expressive voice, and it is a great example of a mature, late career album, similar to some of Springsteen’s later albums or something like Oh Mercy, with it’s reverb heavy production and slowed down tempos. Really not sure whether its 4 or 5 - I listened all day yesterday and this morning and didn’t really want to turn it off, and it will definitely go into rotation. As always I’ll go with the higher score - lifes too short to be parsimonious with an entirely arbitrary and subjective scoring system 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️ Playlist submission: One Big Love

White Ladder Say hello to Ireland’s best selling album of all time. Say hello to 2001, say hello to Bridget Jones’s Diary, say hello your mum’s CD collection, say hello to Sven Goran Eriksson, say hello to Foot and Mouth, say hello to a 2nd term for Tony, say hello to the coughing major, say hello Al Qaeda, say hello to Popstars, say hello to Phil’s shooter, say hello to David Brent, wave goodbye to Richard Madely and Judy Finnegan, wave goodbye to The Premiership at 7pm, wave goodbye to any credibility if you liked this album, wave goodbye to its time to share or to shaft, wave goodbye to Live and Kicking, wave goodbye to Harry Secombe…wave goodbye to George 🥺 I don’t think this really deserves the amount of opprobrium it gets. It's by no means a great album of course, but it’s a perfectly serviceable folkish pop album with some very early 2000s electronic touches. I remember having it on CD and quite liking it at the time, but the problem is its ubiquity, and it's frankly insane commercial success. And of course there’s nothing like the massive popularity of something so middle of the road to rile up the snob in a 22 year old me. And looking back at it now, while he is certainly at a superior level, it’s clear that this album opened the door for the James Blunts, Ed Sheerans and Lewis Capaldis of the world. It’s not David Gray’s fault he birthed them of course, but that soggy legacy of sad boy self-absorbed performative sensitivity does remain and does hover over the album today. At the core of it though, while there are good songs on here, there’s no doubt that in many places it feels rather insipid, partly to do with the production, you can definitely tell that he made it in his flat. While not sounding totally terrible it does have some not particularly charming wonkiness in places and has quite a thin sound, contributing to that rather insipid lack of oomph. Also songs often have the habit of feeling like they are building up to something, before flatlining somewhat. Babylon is a good example, it's a good song, with a nice hook and nice melody, but it really feels like it needs a climax or crescendo, some sense of resolution or release, but instead it just stays on one level. Lyrically he’s capable of some nice lines and sentiments, Babylon does have some good imagery, but he’s also guilty of rather prosaic and generic turns of phrase, often in the same song - ‘sail away with me, what will be, will be’ etc. It’s probably telling that the best lyric on the album is the cover of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye. The strongest songs are the bigger singles - Please Forgive Me, This Year’s Love and Babylon are all perfectly well constructed catchy bits of middle of the road folk-ish pop music. My Oh My, White Ladder and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye are decent too, and despite the lack of dynamism I wouldn’t say any of the songs are terrible - the whole thing is just a fine, if slightly snoozy listen. Taking that into account a 3 feels fair. 🪜🪜🪜 Playlist submission: Babylon

New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) It’s one of the obvious things that you don’t think much about, but doing this list you realise that pretty much every British band is influenced either by The Beatles or Bowie, or both. The 80s synth/new wave albums we’ve had in particular have been clearly Bowie influenced, and this is the same. It grew on me a lot over repeated listens. Initially I was struck by the overall hazy and dreamy atmosphere of songscapes, rather than the catchy tunes their pop rock pomp later in the decade. Along with Bowie there seems to be quite a bit of Cure and ABC - a not uniteresting mix. As I listened more, more melodies and moments emerged and I realised what superb bass playing there is on here, and how many of the songs are both melodically and rhythmically driven by the bass, with guitar and keyboard providing texture and embellishment. Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) sets the tone with its insistent groove and atmosphere, the guitar riff sounding a lot like Echo and the Bunnymen. Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel is great, excellent bass with a nagging groove and a nice chorus. A real grower. Promised You a Miracle I know as the single, and it’s definitely the most immediately catchy, although it does sound very ABC. Some great synthesiser parts though. Big Sleep, again some great bass and another grower with its slightly edgy but delicate atmosphere. More atmosphere on Somebody Up There Likes You, this time more hypnotic and mesmeric. I like this one. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) is probably the 2nd most immediately catchy track. Up to now it doesn’t seem obvious that this is the same band as Don’t You Forget About Me and Alive and Kicking, but you can hear the genes of those songs in this, a sense that a massive stadium song is about to burst into life, but is being held back, a great bit of tension making a great track. Glittering Prize is very reminiscent of The Cure, and it sounds slightly odd after New Gold Dream, flatter and less atmospheric, poppier but not as catchy, despite some great bass. Alex James must have heard the bass in the intro to Hunter and the Hunted, a definite Boys and Girls-ness to it. It’s another atmospheric and moody track. Big big Bowie vibes to King is White and in the Crowd, the bass as always is great, and yet more spectral atmospherics. After the first couple of listens I liked this, but found it hard to pick individual tracks, and I felt I couldn’t remember it, but then it started to get its hooks into me, and I found it’s slightly nervy dream-like quality quite seductive, finding new little interesting parts and moments in it with further listens. I don’t think I would have listened to this without doing the list, but I’m very glad it came up. Not quite sure it’s a 5 (yet), so I’ll go for a solid and intriguing 4. 🧠🧠🧠🧠 Playlist submission: New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)

Kiwanuka I’m pretty familiar with this, although I think I listened to the previous album a bit more. I'm very into the style and sound on this, the Bondian/John Barry guitar breaks , the cinematic 60s style backing vocals and the indie, pop, soul, rock and jazz influences. I also really like the lyrical themes and ideas, identity, self doubt, self confidence, history and the future all weaved together to make a fascinating and engaging whole. It really is excellent up to Hard to Say Goodbye. You Ain’t The Problem, Rolling and I’ve Been Dazed is a superb opening run, highlighting all the great parts of the album, those backing vocals, some great guitar and fantastic songcraft. Piano Joint, Living in Denial and Hero are also excellent. It does dip a bit for me after Final Days, the last 10 or 15 minutes do drag a little, particularly in comparison to the previous tracks - Final Days definitely sounds like it should be the last song. Despite it being a very good album, I think it's that drag and, and also that I get a slight nagging sense of Radio-2-ness that stops it being a 5. 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♂️🦸‍♂️🦸‍♂️ Playlist submission: Rolling

Beautiful Freak More Proustian nostalgia with this, taking me right back to the 2nd year of A-Levels. This along with Blur by Blur puts me right back in my bedroom in the middle of A-Level mocks, listening to Radio 1 as well, and taking my driving test, and then on to Uni. Also think Mackie was a big fan. Anyway, interesting to revisit it as I have really listened to it since that time, although I remember liking the album after this, particularly Mr E’s Beautiful Blues. Novocaine for the Soul really does stand out, as it did back in 1997, the plinky piano and strings in the intro set a suitably spooky, eccentric tone ahead of the marriage of a catchy pop melody with a despairing lyric. Still a great track. Susan’s House is similar, a pretty, delicate melody and piano motif in the chorus with the offbeat and slightly sad spoken word verses. Like Novocaine this still sounds great. As Does Your Lucky Day in Hell, another track that still sounds great, an excellent atmosphere and another catchy hook. In fact I’d forgotten how many great little hooks and melodies there are on here, there’s a lot of pop classicism behind the quirky arrangements, subject matter and approach, which probably makes it endure better than some other albums in the same vein and sets it apart from a lot of other angsty american alt rock. Beautiful Freak, My Beloved Monster, Guest List, Mental are all examples of this, some great melodies and musical hooks and textures, the bass, organ and guitar on Guest List in particular are really good. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but this is a lot more enjoyable than I thought it might be, there’s a lot more of interest than I remember, and the combination of quirky post grunge angst with some charming melodies and offbeat instrumentation elevates it above a being a late 90s curio and shades it into a 4. 🧌🧌🧌🧌 Playlist submission: Guest List

Back in Black Hard for this to be anything other than a 5. It has no pretension, no swords or dwarves, no parental angst and it is entirely successful in executing exactly what it set out to do - riffs, grooves, booze and sex. But don’t mistake simplicity for basicness - underneath that apparent simplicity they have a very smart and canny understanding of what works and what doesn't, and they also have their secret weapon; in Malcolm, Cliff and Phil they have a great rhythm section, not particularly ostentatious and obviously capably steady, but they have the ability to give the songs groove and an element of slipperiness that belies the plodding headbanging reputation. And Angus understands exactly what he should do, never overlong or self indulgent, punctuating things with excellent white man overbite air guitar style riffs and runs. The big and famous songs are thrillingly fun of course, Hells Bells, Shoot to Thrill and the timeless and excellent Back in Black and You Shook Me All Night Long, and while the other songs don’t quite hit those peaks they are still brilliant bits of good time party rock’n’roll, What Do You Do For Money and Have a Drink on Me in particular are great. Overall it’s an irresistibly fun 40 minutes of head nodding, toe tapping good time rock music, and in that category they are unmatched. Easy 5. 🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔 Playlist submission: You Shook Me All Night Long

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below I had this when it came out, there was a lot of critical acclaim for it, but I struggled to really get into it, aside from the big singles like I Like the Way You Move, Hey Ya! And Roses. I think that’s because It felt very dense with too much going on, particularly The Love Below. Listening now though I can really appreciate it - it still is very dense and there still is a lot going on, but I can see now it's that over the topness that makes it great. I love the feeling that on Andre 3000s disc, he’s just splurged out everything, thrown all his influences and ideas at it, and while it may not always work, the ambition and willingness to go all out is very compelling. That’s no to diminish Speakerboxx though. On the surface it may be more conventional and less schizophrenic than The Love Below, but it’s an excellently constructed, subtly subversive and brilliant sounding record. Lots of recognisable hip hop elements; breakbeats, soul and jazz etc, but imaginatively and kaleidoscopically cut up and put back together to make it a great, energetic fun listen. There are gems of songs and moments scattered throughout, with some great, interesting instrumentation on The Love Below in Particular, the synth line on GhettoMusick, the New Orleans horns and guitar on Bowtie, the cartoonish The Rooster, the vaguely ominous Bust, War, Tomb of the Boom, the organic feel of Knowing, Killer Mike’s cameo on Flip Flop Rock with its skittery percussion, Reste, Last Call, the jazzy Love Hater, Happy Valentine’s Day, the slow jam-ish Prototype She Lives in My Lap, Hey Ya, Roses, the early 80s sparseness of Pink & Blue, the fuzzing synth on Dracula’s Wedding, the country blues-ish of Take Off Your Coat. Great stuff. 135 mins is long, but Speakerboxxx is actually ‘only’ 55 mins or so and doesn’t feel that lengthy, whereas Andre’s is nearly 80 mins, which is essentially a double album itself. And while The Love Below can feel long, it doesn’t feel self indulgent, more like there’s a sense of urgency and an explosion of ideas. And while they aren’t always successful there’s always the feeling that something interesting or a great idea is just around the corner. And that sense I think is what stops the length becoming too much of an issue. Purely musically Speakerboxxx on it’s own is probably a 5 and The Love Below is closer to 4, but the widescreen, open armed, ambition and Beatles-eque sense of imagination and self expression and why not-ness is exciting and intoxicating for me, just about making it a 5 overall. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 Playlist submission: GhettoMusick

Truth Had no idea what to expect from this, and had no idea Rod was the vocalist when his voice kicked in on Shapes of Things. Rod’s voice is great on that track, not just the rasp but the tenderness and delicateness he peppers in, particularly in the falsetto parts. The guitar tone is pretty interesting on it too, it sounds much more 70s/80s than late 60s. I can see why a lot of the 80s rock and metal bands idolise Beck, based on this track alone. Let Me Love You is not great in comparison to Shapes of Things, a plodding, pedestrian, uninspired and rather woeful slice of late 60s blues rock. Morning Dew is more interesting, it’s folk origin giving it a different slant, and with the wah wah, droning Indian influences and that nice galloping bassline it adds up to a little bit of a gem, pointing to where Rod and Ronnie would head with the Faces and Rod’s early country and folk flecked solo albums. Why did every blues band in the UK in the 60s and 70s cover You Shook Me? I know it’s cast in iron as a cornerstone of the blues, but I’ve never quite understood why everyone just kept doing it, despite everyone else doing it. This is a particularly bad version, Beck's guitar is egregiously showy and the whole thing just feels like a pointless addition to the wheelie bin full of covers of this song. Ol’ Man River is a bit of a curio, the orchestral timpani and kettle drum al teals give it a different flavour, and I get that they were going for a big echoey feel, but it feels a bit half baked (if you can bake an echo?). Nice vocal though, the style of this does suit Rod well. Greensleeves is actually very pleasant, but you can understand why Beck was such a big influence for the character of Nigel Tufnell just from this. Rock my Plimsoul returns to the staid and lumpen blues rock well, and pulls up another bucket of plod. Beck’s Bolero at least tries for something different with it’s rhythmic foundation, but is largely unexciting. While he is obviously a very good guitarist, and despite the technical proficiency I find his playing particularly unmoving, lacking a visceral sense of excitement I get from other guitarists in this period. Blues Deluxe disappears into the morass of blues rock, despite listening to it 3 times today I don’t think I’d recognise it if I heard it on the radio again. Finally a more dynamic and enjoyable heavy blues track shakes off the treacle and emerges in, I Ain’t Superstitious. Nice rhythmic propulsion, good licks and a nice vocal make this one good. Shapes of Things and Morning Dew gave me hope this might be a charming if uneven ragtag bag of late 60s blue rock, but unfortunately the moments that do work, like the above, are undermined somewhat by most of the remaining songs, rather dull exercises in showcasing Beck’s cold virtuosity and him and Rod’s ability to cover/nick/rip off blues classics. Not even Rod’s voice, which is approaching his peak, can make up for the lead booted nature of most of the songs. I guess it was influential on the nascent Cream and Led Zep (I know Page et al feature on here), but they produced more interesting versions of this type of thing. Kind of stuck between 2 and 3 with this, it has its moments, Rod’s voice is strong throughout, but I’m unlikely to really come back to it. Hmm, I’ll go against type and settle on the lower score. 🎸🎸 Playlist submission: Morning Dew

Heaux Tales I quite enjoyed the songs on this, for the most part they are pretty good examples of modern RnB, with some lovely stacked backing vocals and harmonies, like on Put it Down as well as some really nice instrumental/production touches and flourishes, like the guitar on Lost One, and the throbbing synth bass on Pick Up Your Feelings, a great track. I do also ike Anderson .Paak and H.E.R. so I enjoyed those appearances. Some tracks though feel a little harmonically flat, like On It, which never really gets past that generic r&b feel. I found the spoken word ‘tales’ quite interesting too. It would be easy to say it’s not made with me in mind, and clearly the world they are describing is so far from my lived experience, but I actually found it quite thought-provoking to be exposed to these ideas of womanhood/feminism/feminity/sex etc. Despite the upfrontness it didn’t seem particularly celebratory or particularly damning, or didn’t seem to shy away from the ups and downs in the attitudes to sex and relationships. Even if it is very sex focused and I initially thought it was rather reductive it did make me think about my reactions to it, which I liked. Musically it’s decent if rather slight, and thematically it’s pretty interesting, and overall I’m glad to have listened to it. Whether I’d listen again I’m not sure, but I’d definitely playlist Pick Up Your Feelings and Lost One. Due to it being slightly atypical for this list and for making me think more about my feelings towards it, I’ll go 3 💦💦💦 Playlist submission: Pick up Your Feelings

Truth and Soul Never heard of Fishbone before and on the basis of this I am unlikely to want to hear of them again. It’s not entirely terrible, although it definitely has more than enough very low points, like the cover of Freddie’s Dead, the irritating Ma and Pa and the dreadfully unsexy Bonin’ in the Backyard, but it doesn’t really have much to raise it above a middling sense of pointlessness. Pouring Rain is a fine enough lower tempo song, Slow Bus Movin’ is relatively interesting and atmospheric, and Ghetto Soundwave’s use of the Low Rider horn riff isn’t awful, even if the song itself is pretty Level-42. Skilled musicians making a funked up hybrid of Hair Metal, RHCP and Ska isn’t, I’ve found out, a sound I’m particularly fond of, and the whole thing has a pervasive sense of forced exuberance that makes me feel a little sad. I’m not going to go 1, as that feels too harsh on something that clearly isn’t actually objectionable, so a 2 it is. It exists, I listened to it, and I don’t have to again 🐟🐟 Playlist submission: Slow Bus Movin’

1989 After enjoying Evermore I wanted to check out a few more of her albums but knew some were on here, so was waiting for them to come up. I’m glad this one did. Welcome to New York is a top drawer opener, that little synth motif is excellent and the whole thing’s atmospheric stompy catchiness is fantastic. Banger. Blank Space has that undeniable Max Martin feel to it, but is an above average electro-pop song. Style is what I call a Banger-Grower, a Grower-Banger, a Grow-Bang, a Granger, Bower. Anyway, a brilliant bit of modern synthpop. Out of the Woods is also superb, that spacey echoey feel, with a killer chorus and some nicely pitched woahs. All You Had To Do Was Stay has a hint of Call Me Maybe, and while not at the level of some of the other songs on here, it’s still a decent track. Shake it Off, rightly a modern pop classic, taking the Hey Mickey drums and bolting on an unstoppable chorus and a great horn part. Superb bit of pop music. Same goes for Bad Blood, an undeniably good track. I Wish You Would is also a bit of a low key banger, another great catchy, hooky track. It’s all good. Nice change of pace on Wildest Dreams, you can imagine this being a rather turgid piano ballad in other hands, but its catchiness and atmospheric production elevates it. How You Get The Girl feels like a mid 200os throwback, maybe not the strongest track, but a fun bit of catchy throwaway pop. This Love is a very nice ballad, you can kind of tell it predates the Max Martin production, and although it’s nice to break up the synth pop it feels vaguely out of place. Another bulletproof chorus on I Know Places, and the synth bass and guitar on the second verse is excellent. Christ she can write some catchy hooks. Love love the dreamy atmosphere on Clean with its soulful feel and typically idiosyncratic Imogen Heap production and sound. Great great track It's very hard not to enjoy this, it's a brilliantly well written, well made, well constructed and well thought out electronic pop album, designed to be expansive, fun and catchy, but with the added bonus of her own songwriting nouse and her skill as a lyricist, giving it an sense of substance and autheticity. I presume that songwriting skill and her background in country makes her version of 80s influenced synth pop much better, more interesting and much more durable than a lot of her contemporaries, that skill helping to give the songs a different edge and grounding. Reading back I’ve used banger a lot, there are at least 5 top drawer tracks, Welcome to New York, Style, Out of the Woods, Shake it Off, Bad Blood and Clean, and the rest are all well above average bits of pop music. For what it is, what it tries to do and for how much I enjoyed it I’ll ride high on the giddiness and give it the full 5. 🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡 Playlist submission: Welcome to New York

L.A. Woman I’ve never really given the Doors albums a proper listen. Not sure why as I really like them. I probably have listened to this one more than any of their others though, but I’m not really that familiar with it. Bold strategy to open with Bag it Up by Geri Halliwell. But each to their own. In reality it's a great little blues rock groove, with those great keyboard touches and augmentations you’d expect from Manzarek. Love Her Madly is obviously a classic bit of 60s pop, but the evenness of the album does reveal itself with Been Down So Long, one of a few vaguely aimless blues-jazz jams with some shouty Morrison on top. Cars Hiss by My Window is brighter, but still feels a little rudderless, although some of the guitar is soulfully sweet. L.A. Woman though is superb, probably my favourite Doors song, the rhythm, the organ, the groove, the hot late night seediness. Fantastic track. His voice on L’America is great and it’s angularity before dipping into some classic West Coast sunshine melody before heading back into a sinister mood is pleasingly off beat and odd in a great way. Hyacinth House really is very lovely. If you are a Doors fan I presume this is pretty well known, but for me it's a bit of an overlooked gem, a great atmosphere and some excellent drumming. I wasn’t keen on Crawling King Snake on the first listen, but I really liked it on the 2nd and 3rd listen - the presence of a real bassist is great, and it’s menacing groove is superbly played. A cut above the other bluesy stuff on here. Similarly I liked The WASP more on repeated listens, even if the musical/organ breakdowns feel a bit cheesy and overall it’s not one of the stronger tracks. And then of course the excellent and trippy Riders on the Storm, a great bit of 60s bluesy psychedelia. Krieger really shines with his reverby licks. Despite some unevenness, the highs of The Changeling, Love Her Madly, LA Woman, Hyacinth House and Riders on the Storm, and their skill as musicians make it a cut above, and lands it as an easy 4. 🚪🚪🚪🚪 Playlist submission: L.A. Woman

Eagles Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona / Such a fine sight to see / It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford / Slowin' down to take a look at me. Easily one of the most evocative lyrics in all American rock music, such simple but brilliant imagery - I’m right there on that dusty American street corner. I’m a big fan of The Eagles, although I’ve always tended to prefer the cowboy cosplay of Desperado over this of their early albums. And there's probably a reason their Greatest Hits records have sold in such gargantuan numbers compared to most of their albums, as outside of Hotel California they never quite nailed it I don’t think. I think this one suffers a little from front loading the album with the two best songs, and it feels like it never quite recaptures the momentum after the superlative Take it Easy and the chugging atmospheric brilliance of Witchy Woman. The difference between those two and Chug All Night is stark, it’s prosaic country rock lacks any of the things that make them great, and it all just feels banal and insipid. Most of Us Are Sad is ok, but seems like a forerunner of songs like this they would do later that are actually really good. Some lovely harmonies and backing vocals though. Nightingale is good though, perhaps a bit throwaway but a very pleasant bit of laid back West Coast country rock. You can hear Gene Clark in Train Leaves Here This Morning, I don’t think there’s anyone that can write non mainstream delicately bruised and melancholy country ballads they way he can. Really lovely track. Take the Devil is similar to Most of Us Are Sad, in that it has the building blocks of some of their great songs, but it hasn’t been pieced together the way some of their later songs would be. Earlybird is again similar, I like a lot of the elements, the banjo, the backing vocals and harmonies, but it doesn’t seem to come together as a whole. Peaceful Easy Feeling though is of course another of their Greatest Hits and an excellent song, the laid back rhythm, the slide, the acoustic, the harmonies all serving the feel and idea of the song. Tryin’ is the kind of straight ahead rocker that they don’t always do that well, but its decent, if a little unconvincing. It’s definitely uneven, a bit like LA Woman, buts it’s never a tough listen, and although its probably a 3, the presence of Take It Easy, Witchy Woman, Train Leaves Here This Morning and Peaceful Easy Feeling just tip it over to 4. 🦅🦅🦅🦅 Playlist submission: Take It Easy

Sheer Heart Attack I’ve always struggled with Queen, I periodically try but they just never click for me. I don’t mind them in small doses, and I like many of their big songs, myself drifting off when listening to them for any period of time, a bit like when you read a book that's hard going and realise you can’t recall the last 3 pages you’ve read. Maybe it’s the vaudevillian musical theatre aspect that I don’t like, but then there are other bands doing similar stuff that I do like, and generally I do appreciate a bit of kitchen sink over the topness. I think part of it is that I’m not that keen on Freddie’s voice, even though I know it’s technically very good, and that I find it hard to connect with their melodic style, but overall I get a sense of prissiness and fussiness from their music, particularly May’s guitar. Again I know it’s technically great but I really struggle to connect with it. Because of all that I didn’t find much of this particularly memorable or engaging. Killer Queen is obviously a very good song, and I quite liked Flick of the Wrist, Misfire and She Makes Me. Stone Cold Crazy and Bring back that Leroy Brown are not very good though. I can appreciate though that this must have sounded pretty different and exciting when it came out, but I think it and Queen are just not for me. Boring is perhaps too strong a word, I think it’s more that it’s just uninspiring and unengaging. 2 may be to harsh, but I can’t really imagine listening again. 👸👸 Playlist submission: Killer Queen

Street Signs I think I’ve heard of Ozomatli, but only because they did some stuff with Cut Chemist, but had no real idea of what kind of music they make. Obviously it's a YT listen, which makes it a bit of an annoying experience with ads after every song, and not all the songs are available, so it’s kind of a difficult one to rate. However I did enjoy the general vibe, and mix of Hip Hop, Rock, Salsa, Middle Eastern strings etc. Generally I’m not a fan of Salsa but I like it on here - I think the fact that they stuffed so much from many genres into every song in a clearly joyful way it all kind of works. I’m a bit of a sucker for Middle Eastern strings, so I really enjoyed Believe, It sounds quite 90s rather then mid 200s in its production but it's a fun opener. Who’s To Blame is excellent, love 2na’s appearance and the middle eastern riff on what sounds like a melodica, with the more Indian sounding percussion. Bit of a gem. Saturday Night is good too, the dip dive bit and the trumpet punctuating the rhythm. Ya Viene el Sol is nice too. Props to Beatle Bob. Hard to give it a rating when you can’t really listen properly or fully. What I did hear I liked a lot, an energetic fusion album filled with loads of great bits and influences. I’d definitely listen again, but it’s such a shame it’s not on streaming. I’ll go a high 3. 🚸🚸🚸 Playlist submission: Who’s to Blame

The ‘Chirping’ Crickets One of those albums where you feel you need to balance the historical importance with the actual music. The historical impact is of course massive, without Buddy Holly you could argue that the Beatles and Stones wouldn’t have been the bands we know, or the idea of the band as a self contained writing and performing entity might not have occurred until much later. Musically though this is good. Obviously it does sound very 50s, but there is a lot more to it than that, elements and ideas that feel pretty modern, and not just because you know they influenced the big 60s bands. Along with in the Wee Small Hours album this is probably the best pre-60s album we’ve had, and although it’s still not quite an album in the way we understand it, it feels like a coherent collection of songs in a way that many others don’t. Oh, Boy! and Not Fade Away are a great opening pair, and the quality remains through the rest of the first side, some great drumming on You’ve Got Love, excellent slapback echo on It’s Too Late and the guitar is great on Tell Me How. That’ll Be the Day is of course excellent, a great melody and the rhythm of the words in the chorus with the drums is excellent, and the slowed down drum punctuated ‘when you make me cry’ at the back end is superb. Again the quality remains to the end, An Empty Cup has a great melody, Last Night has an excellent vocal and Rock Me Baby has a great Ray Charles-esque groove and sounds like a lost 50s gem. So balancing the influence and the quality of the songs, I think it’s hard to not give this 5. It’s 28 minutes of, for the time, cutting edge, template setting rock n roll music, that’s still a great listen and with echoes you can hear through popular music history. 🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏 Playlist submission: That’ll Be the Day

D I love this album, a bit of a step change from their previous albums, which have a lot of the same elements, but push the looser experimental jazz psychedelia jams, rather than the more crafted songs on here. I love how they manage to balance that looseness with the rock, jazz, soul, prog, country, americana, garage and psychedelic influences with the idea of that craft, keeping a sense of fun and on the edge of breaking downness with some pretty tight structures. It’s their first album with two guitarists, which you can hear in the trading of licks and riffs, but it never feels self indulgent or showy, and it’s all anchored by the great, muscular and tight rhythm section. It’s Him! and Burnished are a great opening pair, kind of setting the template, great drums, dual guitars and warm, seemingly laid back melodies. Love At The Farms crescendoing guitar workout. Street Joy is a nice slower tempo track after the rhythmically driven first 3 songs and is a welcome little breather before the duelling guitars return on Anvil Everything. Love the flute on River to Consider, has a real Magical Mystery Tour psychedelia to it. Drug is superb, along with Bess Street probably the catchiest tune. Love the guitar tone and the driving drums and bass on both. The acoustic rhythm on Bess Street is great, kind of US indie-folk, but with a 70s bluesy rock edge. Love the vocal stretch out on Is and Is and Is and love the baroque string arrangement with the country clip clop of Keys, with a really very sweet vocal melody, and a nicely subdued way to end the album. It always feels to me, if I had any musical ability at all, that they would be a fun band to play in, although I understand James Petralli, who is essentially the band, isn’t that easy to work with, which you can gauge by the fact the lineup changes pretty frequently. The next album is the last one with this drummer, and it’s only the bass player who has stayed alongside Petralli throughout. Obviously a 5, great album, great band. 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 Playlist submission: Drug

Bayou Country Love me a bit of Creedence, but that’s just, like, my opinion, man. Born on the Bayou is superb, a swampy, swirling groove, relatively straightforward but part rock n roll, part country, part southern soul, all with JFs distinctive voice, and lyrics that mention trains and chooglin - all a distillation of what makes CCR great. Bootleg has that great acoustic rhythm guitar with the propulsive drums, working with the chugging electric guitar, again relatively straightforward but a great groove. Graveyard Train doesn’t start too promisingly, a rather generic late 60s blues rock riff, but it settles into the pocket and stretches the groove out. At 8 minutes perhaps a bit long, but still an enjoyable hypnotic jam. Not as keen on Good Golly Miss Molly, although it's a decent enough version and is pretty brief. Penthouse Pauper pulls the same trick as Graveyard Train, the late 60s blues rock mutating into something more fluid and atmospheric. Proud Mary is of course an absolute classic, more trains and itinerant characters, but a great catchy hook. Keep on Chooglin is a superior type of Graveyard Train, great riff and rhythm, hypnotic in its swampy bluesiness and a great closer. An extremely listenable bluesy swampy rock album, by a great band. It maybe a little uneven in places and with only 7 songs they all really need to be great to be a 5, so I’ll settle on a straightforward high 4. 🐊🐊🐊🐊 Playlist submission: Proud Mary

I Am A Bird Now I think he is a bird now? I remember all the hype around this when it won the Mercury Prize, and I remember buying it but never really getting into it apart from liking For Today I Am A Boy. Interesting listening again, there are some lovely passages, some moments when the piano, melody and vibrato all come together to create something pretty magical, but it too often seems to pass me by, and I find myself struggling to stay engaged. However it, or at least parts of it, did grow with repeat listens, particularly in the second half. Hope There’s Someone’s crescendoing intimacy is rather lovely, the strings and flute on My Lady’s Story are great. For Today I Am a Boy I still really like, You Are My Sister’s insistent, winning rhythmic momentum revealed itself and I didn’t for one actually mind Rufus Wainwright on What Can I Do. Fistful of Love’s guitar horns and guitar (and Lou Reed) provide a very welcome contrast to the piano and strings elsewhere and is a great track. Despite finding much more in its little corners and moments than I have done previously I’m still not entirely sure about it. While I really like his emotional openness and perspective on his identity, his aspirations and that he has crafted a singular, unique album, I still find myself zoning out, struggling to really connect musically with some of it, it feeling longer than it’s relatively brief 35 minutes. Maybe I need more time with it, but for today a high 3 feels fair, with room to come back and try again. 🕊️🕊️🕊️ Playlist submission: Fistful of Love

Get Behind Me Satan I listened to White Blood Cells and Elephant a shit ton, and although I still bought this and Icky Thump, my interest had dwindled by then and I didn’t ever really get into either of those albums, aside from Blue Orchid and My Doorbell on here. Love the riff on Blue Orchid though, very White Stripes but it also sounds a little different from Elephant, a little more shiny and robotic perhaps, in the way Elephant sounded a little different and more polished after White Blood Cells (which sounded different from De Stijl etc etc). My Doorbell is great of course as well, I love the melody matching the piano. I guess I wasn’t that into the album back in 2005 due to not really liking stuff like The Nurse, but I quite like its non-typical WS calypso marimba riff and slightly idiosyncratic and creepy feel. In fact that behind closed doors old-timey spookiness permeates the whole album, maybe it’s the focus on piano throughout, with the contrasting tropical sounding marimba accenting the ominous feel in an off kilter way, that gives it a nicely unusual feel. In fact I like a lot of the songs on here, particularly the first half, from Blue Orchid to White Moon. Forever for Her is superb, a lovely ballad with a very delicate melody, nicely picked out by the marimba and augmented by Meg’s cymbal thrash. And White Moon is also excellent, the mournful piano really does have some spooky moonlight atmospherics. There are perhaps a couple of tracks in the second half that don’t work as well for me, Instinct Blues and Red Rain are a little too close to a bit of aimless thrash and a kind of unnecessary throwback to their first album or two, although the slide is pretty nice on Red Rain. It really picks up though with the vaguely familiar but great As Ugly As I Seem and the fantastic piano led country-blues of I’m Lonely. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and appreciated it far more than I did 20 years ago, it’s a nice little side step from WBC and Elephant, exploring different sounds and structures while expanding on the country and country blues elements they’ve always had and adding a bit more Appalachian spookiness. Perhaps a bit uneven and a track or two too long, but it’s a simple and enjoyable 4 from me. 😈😈😈😈 Playlist submission: Forever for Her

Coat of Many Colours 27 minutes of sweetly voiced country pop excellence. Although she doesn’t stray too far from traditional country structures on all 10 songs she has a brilliant way of subtly playing with the form, bringing in elements from other genres to gently add some colour and variation here and there - it really showcases all of Dolly’s skills as a songwriter, arranger and singer. Coat of Many Colours exemplifies that, a sweet sweet melody and a genuinely moving lyric, a story told with warm hearted succinctness and directness. Travelling Man is a great uptempo country rocker, with that slightly bluesy opening riff and tom tom pattern giving it an unexpected little frisson of spikiness. Great harmonies and lap steel on My Blue Tears, all done and dusted in 2 minutes. If I Lose My Mind is pretty conventional, but the sad sweetness of the words is complemented by the weeping lap steel. The Mystery of the Mystery starts off conventionally too, but the organ that picks up the middle verses is great, giving a swimmy uncertainty that matches the questioning lyric. I love the proper country structure, title and lyric of She Never Met a Man, the chorus melody doing that country thing of resolving just ‘so’. That bass on Early Morning Breeze is fantastic, again kind of playing with the genre a little by being in the foreground and carrying the song musically. Again a lovely lyric and melody too. That break and ‘bluuueee’ in The Way I See you is special, and the few bars of piano before the final verse and the outro is so tastefully appropriate. The gospel backing vocals on Here I Am are another great example of her subtly adding different colours and tones. Another great melody on Another Place To Live, a really catchy chorus with that marching drum pattern underneath and more great bass. Excellent uptempo way to end things. I don’t think this can be anything but a 5 - a gem of a country album but also just a sublime set of melodies and lyrics in its own right, performed brilliantly with such warmth and personality, with no fat or filler. Fantastic. 🧥🧥🧥🧥🧥 Playlist submission: Early Morning Breeze

First Issue Mixed feelings on Lydon, but I guess that’s kind of the point, he is an insufferable dickhead, but capable of producing some great music, some great ideas and some excellently pithy and provocative lines, among all the obvious contrarian and artless posturing. Obviously Sex Pistols had a big musical and cultural impact, but PiL are definitely a more interesting if more challenging listen. I’m not familiar with everything they have done, but I do like the bits I know. I do find myself attracted to their spiky conceptual auto didactic art school experimental ethos and I bought the re-issue of Metal Box on CD, mainly as the packaging is great, but it's a great listen, and I also like the album ‘album’, which has the brilliant ‘Rise’ on it. I love the cover on this album, the pastiche of the cover of a lifestyle magazine, with his neat hair and suit, poking at his image as the face of Sex Pistols/punk. I know the song Public Image, however I don’t think I’ve actually listened to this album in full before, or if I have I can’t remember it. Track 1 and 3 are a great indication of their approach - superb, prominent bass, abrasive guitar and hit and miss sloganeering. Annalisa is probably the first track that feels like a traditional song, it definitely has echoes of Sex Pistols, with its familiar sneering vocal, but with the bass, drums and wiry guitars it sounds much more modern and far more interesting. And then Public Image is a fantastic bit of agitated post punk, a superb track with its swirling and scratchy guitar and fantastic bass line. Love the Can/Neu style drums on Low Life and the bass as ever is excellen Attack is perhaps a little underpar, it doesn’t have the immediacy or sense of excitement or new ground that the other songs do. Fodderstompf is great though, superb dubby bass, minimal guitar, sprinkling of synth and some more nonsense from Lydon. This was released only one year after Never Mind the Bollocks, but it sounds worlds apart, like something from the future (of the early 80s), with its abrasive and wiry guitars, dubby bass and rhythmically interesting drums. You can really hear how influential this was; on where guitar music was going in the years after punk, as a conceptual art punk project, and then down the years on lots of great bands Conceptually I love it, I find it fascinating and musically I find it pretty addictive. Interesting albums don’t always intersect with good, but this one does. There’s some great ideas and some great music on here, feeling both futuristic and boundary pushing, but with a feeling that it could only be made at the end of the 70s in the immediate aftermath of punk. I love a MOR crafted pop album as much as anyone, but I also love this. You know what, I’m giving it 5. 💊💊💊💊💊 Playlist submission: Public Image

Shadowland Wasn’t quite expecting this. I only know and dislike Constant Craving so I assumed that this would be more of that kind of dullness. But this is actually a perfectly decent and listenable jazz inflected country pop album. The playing is nice, the songs are well chosen and her voice is very good, deeply toned and jazzy. There’s nothing particularly exciting or remarkable, but there’s nothing bad either, and it’s all over in 35 minutes. I suppose the main black mark would be that it does feel rather inessential, sometimes that can be annoying, but it seems fine for this. I’d probably not choose to listen again, but if I did put it on I wouldn’t mind it. I suppose that makes it the definition of a 3. 👤👤👤 Playlist submission: Honky Tonk Angels’ Medley

The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter Your wish is not granted unless it's a fish. Your wish is not granted unless it's a dish. A fish on a dish is that what you wish. One of those albums/bands that I always feel I should have listened to by now, but I never have. It’s a fun, bizarrely engaging listen, particularly the first time around. Each song begins and sounds like it was written and sung by a group of buck toothed, brought up in isolation, hippie fuckwits given some instruments as part of a societal reintegration therapy program. However each song somehow manages to burrow its way into your brain about halfway through, the peculiarity percolating and revealing some amusing, beguiling and memorable if quite odd music; the Indian restaurant vibe and tempo changes of Koeeoaddi There and the wartime Music Hall radio broadcast feel of The Minotaur’s Song, with added creepiness and a deceptively catchy melody. Witches Hat has a real Wickerman atmosphere, with parts of the song being charmingly melodic and other parts charmingly amateurish. A Very Cellular Song is excellent, very infectious and beneath the oddness as quite ordered structure, building from an organ into hand claps and some great harmony singing. It could be Dylan parping about on the mouth organ on Mercy I Cry City, but the harpsichord and drone of Waltz of the New Moon is uncomfortably appealing, the guitar is really very nice, as it plays out into a nicely hypnotic ending. I like how The Water Song’s paganistic lyrics and mediaeval atmosphere lead into an almost Shinto incantation with something that sounds a bit like a Shamisen. Three is a Green Crown feels atonally odd, but kind of opens out towards its crescendo, becoming more and more Indian sounding. Love the percussion sounds in Swift As The Wind, sounds like me trying to carry too much up the stairs and dropping it all. Just needs a for fucks sake. Nightfall has a real hopefully downbeat delicacy to the melody and lyric, an interestingly affecting song. I can totally understand why this would divide opinion, it's striking how it can sound bad and good simultaneously, which is quite the trick to pull off. But maybe it’s the contrast between the sense of innocent outsiderism and deliberately obtuse instrumentation and experimental song structures (or the contrast of good and bad) that I find so interesting. It’s definitely not a straightforward listen, its a real grower, and I found it more charming each time, picking out little moments and motifs and a sense of humour I have no idea is intentional or not. Feels like it's kind of in its own weird little category, so kind of hard to rate, but I’ll go for curiously distinctive 4. 🧙🧙🧙🧙 Playlist submission: A Very Cellular Song

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme I can’t recall listening to this before, or at least not properly, I’ve always tended towards Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water, but I should really have given this more attention, as it’s quirkily great, with some excellent songs on it outside those all time classics in Scarborough Fair, Howard Bound, 59th Bridge Street Song and For Emily. Scarborough Fair is so familiar I find it easy to not really listen, but those harmonies and the harpsichord really are so fantastically well done. Patterns is an interesting one, a great song and probably emblematic, from what I’ve read, of the songwriting difficulties that Simon had at the time - not in the song itself but the theme of resigned futility and lack of will. Love the bass, and it feels like the guitar break is about to turn into the middle bit of Stonehenge. Cloudy feels like a classic S&G album track, not the most showy perhaps but a lovely melody with and rhythmic accents. ‘All my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity’ - always loved that line. I like the sequencing with The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine’s glib satire after the heartfelt and sad Homeward Bound, and it’s one of those Paul Simon songs like Me and Julio, Keep the Customer Satisfied and Baby Driver that seem to be an attempt to write a rock n roll song, but turn out to be a excellently quirky halfway between folk and rock n roll. ‘Dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep’, another great, evocative line. The Dangling Conversation is a lovely tune, augmented nicely by harp and strings, the lyric may be a bit heavy handed, but it’s another one of those great sad but not despairing S&G songs, again on the themes of futility. Flowers Never Bend, goes back to the themes on Patterns, more melancholy balancing hopefulness and hopelessness. More excellent sequencing of earnest with amusing with the next song. A Simple Desultory Philippic may be based around the single joke of a Dylan pastiche, but luckily Simon is good at these sorts of wryly amusing lyrics and I like the organ part - again seems like when Simon attempts to write a rock song it comes out slightly odd, but in a good way. I love For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her, one of my favourites, Art’s vocal is superb and the melody is so satisfying as it builds to the I Love You conclusion - the only thing is that it feels like it could be longer, but maybe it’s brevity is one reason it’s so great. I don’t think I’ve ever really listened properly to the lyrics of A Poem on the Underground Wall, but it’s a great story with some excellent imagery, and I wonder what the 4 letter word was? 7 O’Clock News/Silent Night is the sort of thing that could be heavy handedly sanctimonious, but I find it genuinely affecting, Art’s sweetly earnest and delicate vocal highlights the despair of the headlines. Maybe it’s the 60 year’s remove that makes it work as a period piece but I do like it. It maybe not be quite at the level of Bookends or Bridge Over Troubled Water, but most artists would kill for one album containing Scarborough Fair, Howard Bound, 59th Bridge Street Song and For Emily, as well as the excellent Patterns and Flowers Never Bend, and there is only a limited number of S&G albums, so I think it’s hard not to give it a cherished 5. ☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️ Playlist submission: For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche Bit of a character by the looks of things from his Wikipedia page, and by character I mean he looks like a bit of a wrong’un. I’m not at all familiar with Soukous music apart from perhaps hearing the name once or twice, so I don’t really have a frame of reference for this, but from reading about it looks like it’s a good representation of it, and he’s one of the most popular African musicians of all time. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable album though, apart from the odd occasion when some 80s/early 90s production and sounds creep in, like the very dated piano on Desespoir, the start of Elixir and the synths on Porte-monnaie, and an hour is also quite a long runtime for the 9 songs. Despesoir also carries more than a hint of I Know What I Know in the bass, although that may be a common motif in African music (although I would presume) DRC Congo and South Africa have different musical cultures. And after the danceable upbeatness of the first two tracks I really like the slower pace of Koweit, Rive Gauche, and the slightly more low key Qui Cherche Trouve. Elixir, Porte-monnaie are very good, Dit Jeannot is excellent and Conte de Fees and Obrigado are decent enough. Even if I don’t think I actually know enough about this type of music to distinguish what is actually good, this coming up is what’s great about doing the list, I’d never have found this on my own - it’s great to find things in styles and genres outside my normal stuff and outside of the UK/US. I’d definitely listen again and will try some more Soukous music too, so for those reasons I’ll tip it into a 4. 🌍🌍🌍🌍 Playlist submission: Koweit, Rive Gauche.

Paul’s Boutique It already feels like a big step forward from Licensed to Ill just from the organ sample on To All The Girls, a bit of instrumentation and a sense of musical influences beyond the frat boy party rap of the first album. Shake Your Rump then kicks in, initially a little like something from Licensed to Ill, but then pulls the rug with a cavalcade of samples as the track careens brilliantly all over the place, all with their customary sense of humour. Things continue in that vein; meticulously layered tracks based around brilliantly eclectic samples, all tied together with fun, excitement and just an overall sense of sonic inventiveness. It’s worth going track by track through Who Sampled, as the list is incredible, Macca and Dylan on Johnny Ryall, Superfly, Bernard Hermann and Jaws on Egg Man, Eagles, The Band, Star Wars on High Plains Drifter, and of course 5 different Beatles songs on The Sounds of Science….I mean I could go on. Lyrically it’s also a major step forward from Licensed to Ill, they still have the same sense of humour, but the scope is much wider, full of stories and characters and it has a real sense of New York. I don’t think there are any particularly weak songs, but the run from To All the Girls to The Sounds of Science is particularly superb, barely putting a foot wrong with great stories, great samples, beats and grooves. It hardly lets up after that though, Hey Ladies is excellent, I love the the heavier Mississipi Queen sample on Barrel of a Gun and the Jackson 5 sample on Car Thief gives it a great funky atmosphere. Shadrach is great too, a brilliantly diverse set of samples all adding up to a brilliantly percussive track. And then B-Boy Bouillabaisse is a musical and production tour de force in sampling, like a mini concert. Things that were very innovative and influential at the time can often sound dated, but this doesn’t at all, 35 years later it still sounds fresh and exciting and is just a great album. Maybe because sampling at this scale became prohibitively expensive not long after this was never imitated or diluted to death, so it remains along with 3 Feet High and Rising as the apogee of this type of thing. Anyhow t’s rightly a classic and a seminal album, nothing but a 5. 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚 Playlist submission: Could be a few, but Sounds of Science for the Beatlesness.

We’re Only In It For The Money I looked back on what I wrote for Freak Out! And I think I feel largely the same about this, even if my patience for Frank Zappa has maybe worn a little thinner since then. I get the feeling he resented the hippies becoming a part of mainstream culture, not out of ideology, but because he wanted to be the popular outsider, so he just took the piss instead. On the one hand I like that idea of satirising hippies and ’straights’ pretensions and phoniness equally, but on the other his relentless cynicism is can be a bit tiring, particularly on the first side of this, where that joke is rather one note. That’s not to say it’s not funny in parts though, Who Needs The Peace Corps and Flower Punk are probably the most successful plays on the concept and there are some other great lines and amusing punchlines and images scattered throughout, and his dryly sardonic descriptions of violence I guess were kind of prescient for what happened in the rest of 1968 in the US. I also like the multiple ‘I’m Jimmy Carl Black, the Indian of the Group’ Musically I think it's a bit more interesting than what I can remember of Freak Out, although musical excellence isn’t the point obviously, particularly on the more skit like tracks. There are passable, deliberate approximations of Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Vaudeville and Acid Rock/Blues bands, and there are some nice musical passages and playing elsewhere; Concentration Moon’s bass and organ are pretty good, and Mom & Dad’s fuggish atmosphere is nicely delivered by the bass, organ and drums, The Idiot Bastard’s Son’s Doors-esque organ is very good and the riff on Lonely Little Girl is great. I suppose the question is what criteria to use to rate this. Of course on a pure musical level there isn’t a great deal of interest, so I guess it comes down to the tolerance/appeal of the surrealism, cynicism, contrariness and iconoclasm, and the ambition and intent to do something different and poke at things. Rather like Freak Out I do like that intention and that someone is out there doing this kind of stuff, and I think that appreciation just about outweighs some of the tiresome aspects. I gave Freak Out a 3 and I’ll give this the same. 🫰🫰🫰 Playlist submission: Who Needs the Peace Corps

Lust for Life I remember having a best of Iggy and the Stooges CD which had Lust for Life and The Passenger as the sole representatives of this album, so consequently I know nothing of the rest of it. Lust for Life and The Passenger are great of course, brilliant bits of late 70s rock, Lust for Life’s 50s-ish rock n roll feel with Iggy’s drawling, punkish charisma is a great combination. I’ve never so closely listened to The Passenger before and there is some excellent guitar under the vocals in the 2nd half. And of course it’s a great song with a fantastic sense of woozy, vaguely sinister momentum. I know it was a different time but why were people in the 60s and 70s obsessed with singing about 16 year old girls? Sixteen adds to that canon, and from 45 years later it does feel a bit icky. Some Weird Sin is ok, but the guitar licks feel a bit cheesy. The bass and drums are excellent throughout, and when Carlos Alomar plays lead it's good, but there’s something about Ricky Gardiner’s tone and playing that sometimes feels a bit dated. For a Bowie-produced and co-written album it feels like he generally only has a faint spectral hand in matters, apart from the backing vocals and, of course, Tonight and then the excellently melodramatic Turn Blue (even though it definitely sounds like Iggy’s singing I Shat Myself Down). Success is fine, pretty catchy and the backing vocals are very good. Neighbourhood Threat feels like a pre Post-Punk New Wave track, and has a nice simmering slightly malevolent quality. Rhythmically Fall in Love with Me is great, and it has a real Station to Station/Lodger feel to it, a great closing track Not quite sure where this sits, it has some absolute bangers in Lust for Life, The Passenger and Tonight, and great tracks in Turn Blue, Neighbourhood Threat and Fall in Love With Me, but Sixteen, Some Weird Sin and Success are a little underwhelming in comparison, and there’s something about the whole thing I find doesn’t quite grab me fully. It’s clearly a very good album, but it’s probably on the cusp of 3 and 4, and based on how often I might want to revisit, I think I’ll settle on 3. 🍾🍾🍾 Playlist submission: The Passenger

Sea Change I bought a hooky version of this on CD from a bloke selling counterfeit albums on the street outside the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in Manhattan in November 2002 while visiting Mackie. I often wonder why he chose this album to copy and that spot to sell it. It doesn’t really say carefree fun loving New York excursion. Anyhow, funding crack addictions aside, it’s a truly excellent album, up there with Odelay and Midnite Vultures as my favourites of his. The difference between Midnite Vultures’ dynamic soul/funk and Prince-esque vibrancy and energy and Sea Change’s intimate, sometimes bleak, focused and concentrated folk and country-dappled melancholy is starkly brilliant. While all the songs are thematically and tonally similar, they don’t feel repetitive at all, gently lapping and swaying with each other over the course of the album, all with slight variations in instrumentation, tempo and arrangement. The playing is great, sympathetic and rather lovely little guitar and keyboard embellishments and the string arrangements are fantastic, from the pastoral to the vaguely middle eastern. The first three songs really grabbed me when I first listened, the country guitar on The Golden Age evoking Lonesome Me, Paper Tiger’s shuffling percussion, guitar and string arrangement are superb, and Guess I’m Doing Fine’s melancholy melody accented by the reverb and guitar is brilliant. It remains excellent after that, each track is great, but some highlights for me are It’s All in Your Mind with its ghostly and reverb guitar piano, Round the Bends use of upright bass, the fingerpicking of Already Dead, Little One with it’s heavier oppressive guitars, and Side of the Road, a great bit of downbeat country-folk melancholia. All through the album you can pick up the influences and references - I’m sure Sunday Sun is a Nick Drake reference to Saturday Sun, but there’s bits of Neil, Dylan, other folk and country as well as some electronica inflected rhythms and drums, adding to the subtle variance of the songs. It’s a great sad album as well as being just a great album. Easily a 5, clive 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊 Playlist submission: The Golden Age

Let it Bleed This really reminds of university, graduating from Greatest Hits to the albums from their imperious pomp. At that time it was probably my favourite of the Beggar’s Banquet - Let It Bleed - Sticky Fingers - Exile on Main Street axis, and while I would probably tend towards Exile nowadays it’s still up there as one of my favourite albums. Back then I don’t think I really appreciated how much country there was on it, and listening today it’s interesting how nearly every song has some country touch or influence on it. I know their country influences are obvious, but I would probably tend to think songs like Jumpin Jack Flash, Honky Tonk Women, Gimme Shelter and Brown Sugar are emblematic of this period, but so much of their stuff around this time was very country. Alongside the totemic Gimme Shelter, Midnight Rambler and You Can’t Always Get What You Want at the beginning middle and end, there are some of their best albums tracks, the country blues of Love in Vain, the hoedown of Country Honk, the propulsive and rocking Live with Me, the loose, druggy, not so subtle sexual euphemisms and barroom feel of Let it Bleed, the cracked, careworn and satisfying You’ve Got The Silver and the paranoid, sinister absolutely fantastic Monkey Man. Like all of their albums of this period the playing is great, and is probably in the sweet spot of the tightness of Sticky Fingers and the looseness of Exile, Charlie as always is great, particularly on Midnight Rambler and You’ve Got The Silver. Bill’s bass playing is excellent, a great tone and while not showy there are some great touches and moments, particularly on Let it Bleed. Keith’s playing on here really is exceptional in between Brian withdrawing and Mick entering, so many great lines and phrases, always adding to the songs. I love his playing on Monkey Man especially. Mick’s vocals are particularly sweet too, it might be the best of his singing voice. And the cast of additional performers is incredible, Merry Clayton, Leon Russel, Jack Nitsche, Al Kooper, Ry Cooder as well as their stalwarts Ian Stewart, Jimmy Miller, Nicky Hopkins and Bobby Keys. Hopkin’s piano really is fantastic, particularly on Let it Bleed. I don’t think I could ever get tired of Gimme Shelter, and I’ll definitely never get tired of that break in Merry Clayton’s voice with the woo in the background. If this was just Gimme Shelter 9 times it would be a 5. If it was just Gimme Shelter, Midnight Rambler and You Can’t Always Get What You Want it would be 5. If it was those 3 songs plus all the others it would also be a 5. So basically anyway you slice it, it’s a 5. 🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂 Playlist submission: Gimme Shelter

Liquid Swords I only really know the title track, which is superb, with that great organ sample and the excellent delivery. The rest of it is great too, and it definitely gets better with each listen, the groggy feel getting under your skin. I really love the sound of it all, that kind of thin and piercing snare sound, and the brilliantly built loops and beats, a kind of dense and woozy and slightly wonky world, giving a disconcerting but attractive ambience. The sampling is excellent too, not as exuberant and excessive as Paul’s Boutique, but a judicious use of keyboard, horn and vocal samples, all contributing to the percussive, mesmeric atmosphere. I love that trumpet sample in Living in the World Today, the choral sample in Gold, that little riff in 4th Chamber that sounds like a vibraphone, Ann Peebles in Shadowboxin’ with the great bass line. There’s also that slightly unsteady synth line in Hell’s Wind. I also love his vocal style and timbre, kind of similar to Method Man but a bit clearer and more distinct. Lyrically it also avoids much of the misogyny of most mid 90s hip hop, and while there is a lot of violence, it seems to be treated thoughtfully (most of the time), making it a more introspective take on the usual unsettling themes. I really enjoyed this and the world it paints, and there are some excellent tracks in Liquid Swords, Gold, 4th Chamber, Shadowboxin, Hell’s Wind and B.I.B.L.E, along some lots of very god tracks. Illmatic is still the high point for me for this type of album, but with more listens I think this will be up there too. It’s easily a high 4, but I’ll bet on it being a 5 with more listens. 💧⚔️💧⚔️💧 Playlist submission: Hell’s Wind