565
Albums Rated
3.29
Average Rating
52%
Complete
524 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1990
Favorite Decade
Electronica
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Balanced
Rater Style ?
88
5-Star Albums
54
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Darkdancer
Les Rythmes Digitales
|
5 | 2.59 | +2.41 |
|
Let's Get Killed
David Holmes
|
5 | 2.67 | +2.33 |
|
You Are The Quarry
Morrissey
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Warehouse: Songs And Stories
Hüsker Dü
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Destroy Rock & Roll
Mylo
|
5 | 2.88 | +2.12 |
|
Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
|
5 | 2.93 | +2.07 |
|
Vauxhall And I
Morrissey
|
5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
|
Copper Blue
Sugar
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Bandwagonesque
Teenage Fanclub
|
5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
|
Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
|
5 | 3.11 | +1.89 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Purple Rain
Prince
|
1 | 4.02 | -3.02 |
|
The Stranger
Billy Joel
|
1 | 3.86 | -2.86 |
|
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
|
1 | 3.72 | -2.72 |
|
21
Adele
|
1 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
|
The Joshua Tree
U2
|
1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
|
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
|
1 | 3.63 | -2.63 |
|
1999
Prince
|
1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
|
Queen II
Queen
|
1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
|
1984
Van Halen
|
1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
|
War
U2
|
1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.78 |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 4.6 |
| Radiohead | 4 | 4.75 |
| Beatles | 4 | 4.5 |
| Neil Young | 3 | 4.67 |
| Beck | 3 | 4.67 |
| Morrissey | 2 | 5 |
| Dusty Springfield | 2 | 5 |
| Kate Bush | 2 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 2 | 5 |
| Portishead | 2 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.33 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| U2 | 4 | 1 |
| Prince | 3 | 1 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1 |
| Yes | 3 | 1.67 |
| Queen | 2 | 1.5 |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 1.5 |
| Adele | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Specials | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Michael Jackson | 2, 5 |
| Joni Mitchell | 5, 2 |
| Brian Eno | 1, 4 |
| Roxy Music | 1, 4 |
| Leonard Cohen | 2, 1, 4 |
5-Star Albums (88)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Morrissey · 7 likes
5/5
His masterpiece. Hang it in the fucking Louvre. If this had been his final album, and speedway the last song out of his mouth then his myth would have been cemented. I said what I said.
David Ackles · 3 likes
2/5
Murder ballad lyrics set to Broadway tunes. This is weird
Franz Ferdinand · 2 likes
2/5
Does anyone know anyone whose favourite band is Franz Ferdinand? Quirky awkward pop, made by quirky awkward men, with quirky awkward lyrics about quirky awkward subjects. Yes, we get it; you’re really clever and rate the Berlin trilogy above Ziggy Stardust. Go you… 2/5
Prince · 1 likes
1/5
More turgid funk from this over-sexed dwarf. A credit to the Jehovah’s Witness movement, a stain on the musical canon 1/5
The Zutons · 1 likes
1/5
I did not need to listen to this album before my death. Landfill indie that belongs at the bottom of Camden Lock
1-Star Albums (54)
All Ratings
Queen
2/5
Never been a huge Queen fan… I remember my parents liked them and accordingly when I was about 12 I thought ‘One Vision’ was the pinnacle of guitar rock 🤦🏻♂️ This album did very little for me, but I will say ‘Now I’m Here’ is an absolute belter and if Led Zeppelin wrote it we’d be giving it 🐐 status!
Nick Drake
3/5
I was today years old when I first listened to Nick Drake (despite many recommendations!)
Fantastic album.
Total melancholy
Alice In Chains
3/5
Incorrectly rated as a ‘top 5 grunge band’ AIC bear more similarities to Guns N Roses for me (hard rawk guitars, fiddly guitar solos etc). I liken this to Supermarket ‘own brand’ grunge. Yes the ingredients might be similar but the taste just isn’t the same!
That said, ‘Would’ and ‘Them Bones’ are great songs
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
This album is a lifestyle! Listening makes me want to sit on the porch with some good ol’ boys, grow my hair and sing songs. Recommend.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Spectacular album.
Lyrical themes of guilt, desire and repression are held in place by disciplined synth arrangements to create dance music you don’t want to dance to and pop music that delves to unpopular and unpleasant places. All delivered by Dave Gahans sombre, almost operatic vocals. Recommended.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
So… with no expectations of what was to come, I was pleasantly surprised by this. There’s a huge scope of styles on show including futuristic blends of pop, jazz, funk, r&b and hip hop topped with the sweetest soul vocals. Unlikely to be a regular listen for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless
Marty Robbins
3/5
Recorded in one eight hour session, this is an impressive range of storytelling songs, backed by some incredible vocal harmonies. It’s an idealistic view of the Ol’ West with tales of cattle, land ownership (!) travelling, lonesomeness and love backed by acoustic and Spanish infused guitars. It does recall an idealistic view of the time which does seem less than authentic when now know the USA to be a murderous entity ala Jack Palance in the movie ‘Shane’ (props to Bill Hicks)
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Led Zeppelin III is a masterpiece, we all know that. Some of the prior ‘hard rock’ elements are replaced by acoustic guitars and string arrangements that give the album a much darker sheen than its predecessor. ‘Friends’ and ‘Hats off to Roy Harper’ are especially spooky whilst ‘Tangerine’ and ‘That’s the Way’ feel like great come down music. Plus ‘Immigrant Song’ rocks. My favourite of their imperious first four albums.
David Ackles
2/5
Murder ballad lyrics set to Broadway tunes. This is weird
Van Morrison
3/5
Van Morrison’s earlier folk / soul albums are much preferred to his more recent Covid denying conspiracy nonsense
The Vines
4/5
90 secs and 1 track into their debut, comparisons with Nirvana were not far off the mark, but The Hives added elements of acoustic psychedelia to the punk howl to take them beyond fellow Aus-Rock contemporaries such as the Datsuns and Wolfmother who emerged at the same time. Similarities to nirvana were further shared with the singer having mental health issues (being undiagnosed ADHD )which destroyed the band following a series of chaotic gigs and media interviews following the first album. A great album but not sure why you ‘must’ listen to it before you die when you could slip in utero on?
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Charles Mingus
2/5
I swear this inspired the fast shows’ ‘Jazz Club’.
Bob Dylan
2/5
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
Dig Your Own Hole
My fave chemical bros album, containing my fave chemicals tune (lost in the k hole - complete with backwards bass and vocals that is as close to being lost in a k hole without the titular chemical!) I’d argue that this album would be better without Noel Gallagher’s ‘setting sun’ which feels like a bit of a play for mainstream airplay and sales (how many oasis completists bought this album just for that song?) but the gamble paid off and paved the way for continued growth.
For me, the tunes without ‘guest’ vocals shine brightest (electrobank) and the second half of the album is sublime from ‘it doesn’t matter’ through ‘don’t stop the rock’ and ‘get up in it like this’ which combine techno sounding synths with breakbeat samples and drum loops to create some fierce sounding electro - recommended 🤘🏽
The Modern Lovers
3/5
The Modern Lovers
Lyrics by Lou Reed
Vocals by Julian Casablancas
Guitars by The Velvet Underground
Vibes by Blondie
Pleased to hear the original ‘pablo Picasso’ (as covered by Bowie)
Rush
2/5
David Bowie
5/5
Aladdin Sane or ‘Ziggy goes to America’ as it’s widely understood is less a Ziggy continuation (the character of Aladdin Sane was different, but under developed) and more a reflection of Bowie’s second trip to America (and the drugs that followed!)
Whilst backed by the spiders from Mars, Mike Garson joined to add his discordant hectic piano on the title track alongside Bowie’s cover of ‘let’s spend the night together’. Garson’s piano reflects the manic highs of all the Coke going up David’s nose at the time. Cracked Actor and Jean Genie are total blues grooves while lady grinning soul and time are suitably spooky and contemplative respectively.
Fun fact. On the tour to support the album, Bowie would retire the character of Ziggy live on stage (Mick Ronsen was told beforehand - the other spiders were not leading to deteriorating relationships afterwards)
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Bookends reminds me of my dad who, to his eternal credit was a big Simon and Garfunkel fan. This album reminds me of my childhood, which is ironic as the concept behind this album is about youth and ageing. As I listen again as an older man I’m consumed by regret for my life but optimistic for the lives of my children. Perhaps I’ll play it to them?
4/5
Moby
4/5
Moby ‘Play’
An overlong mix of post modern blues and gospel, produced by a man who likes to wipe his dick on strangers at parties. 3/5
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Whilst the words ‘improvisational’ and ‘jazz’ should rightly fill you with fear, this is a surprisingly warm and accessible live album.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Shuggie Otis
3/5
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I can’t help but wonder if this is music for people who prefer poetry. Fascinating lyrics let down by late 80’s production and sub par musicality
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4/5
None more 80’s. Listening to this I picture myself watching any number of John Hughes movies on VHS where our male hero realises his pursuit of the beautiful, yet shallow blonde girl was misplaced and the superficially plain brunette that he’d ignored was in fact the love of his life. Cue rush to public transport facility to stop her from leaving town. Enjoyable.
Alanis Morissette
1/5
Morrisette portrayed a mute God in Kevin Smith’s 1999 film, Dogma. I guess if you were mistreated by some ass hole in the 90’s then this album may have messianic properties also. Sadly for me it’s a messsy mix of alt rock rage and arena rock balladry. Listen to Tori Amos or Fiona Apple instead.
Paul Simon
3/5
The music is better than the album cover
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Music for the apocalypse. I picture myself, on horseback shrieking ‘coming down the mountain!!!!’ As I take my axe to the heads of conservatives and republicans alike in the aftermath of WWIII
3/5
Decent Psychedelic blues and funk.
‘They’re selling hippie wigs in Woolworths, man. The greatest decade in the history of mankind is over.’
Paul McCartney
1/5
This should be called ‘maybe I’m amazed plus 12 other songs’
Lo-fi, listless and lack of effort combined
The Clash
3/5
I was today years old when I listened to London Calling. I was a little underwhelmed. I think having heard so many rock stars state how great it is lead me to believe it would be the pinnacle of modern music, when it was just a decent album.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Total funk and soul
Willie Nelson
3/5
Like Bill Hicks, I forgive Willie Nelson for selling out to the advertisers 3/5
Jacques Brel
2/5
If you put ‘France’ into chat GpT I swear it would produce this album. My chief pleasure was recognising ‘Amsterdam’ from Bowie’s cover version. My GCSE French retains its usefulness
Klaxons
4/5
Nu Rave - combining elements of the past with elements of the future to create something not as good as either of its composite parts.
Clem Fandango worships this album, whereas I give it 4/5
Led Zeppelin
3/5
5/5
Perfect
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
The Go-Betweens
1/5
Middle of the road acoustic guff. Dreary
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
Elvis Costello
4/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Morrissey
5/5
His masterpiece. Hang it in the fucking Louvre. If this had been his final album, and speedway the last song out of his mouth then his myth would have been cemented. I said what I said.
The Zutons
1/5
I did not need to listen to this album before my death. Landfill indie that belongs at the bottom of Camden Lock
Nitin Sawhney
1/5
Ugh. This is standard turn of the century stuff that had some guardian reviewer named Tim, or Ben or Miles getting semi hard for on its way to the Mercury Prize and hipster end of year polls. The music drifts between acoustic down tempo pop, Bhangra beats and female vocals that could’ve been Morcheeba, Sneaker Pimps or countless others. Unremarkable
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Misogyny in mono?
Despite some dubious lyrics (stupid girl / under my thumb / mother’s little helper) this is full of fried R ‘n’ B gold.
The Temptations
4/5
The Temptations! Out with the more soulful Motown from the likes of the four tops or the miracles and IN with this slice of dirty political funk and soul 🤘🏽
Kraftwerk
5/5
New Order
4/5
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Kanye West
3/5
The hip hop Morrissey.
Franz Ferdinand
2/5
Does anyone know anyone whose favourite band is Franz Ferdinand? Quirky awkward pop, made by quirky awkward men, with quirky awkward lyrics about quirky awkward subjects. Yes, we get it; you’re really clever and rate the Berlin trilogy above Ziggy Stardust. Go you… 2/5
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Great songs, great production, great voice. No notes
Miles Davis
1/5
Stay off drugs, kids. This was not a pleasant or enlightening listen.
Madonna
2/5
Jurassic 5
5/5
GOAT level hip hop
Bob Dylan
4/5
Paul Weller
2/5
Machito
4/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
N.W.A.
4/5
The Cars
5/5
Fantastic new wave / post punk / art rock / whatever.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Just ok. 3/5
Guided By Voices
3/5
Foo Fighters
3/5
Metallica
4/5
Alpha male metal. songs about Gods, beasts, monsters and religion. Awesome riffs and playing and not brought down by Lars Ulrich being one of the worst people in the world
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Laura Nyro
2/5
Don McLean
4/5
10cc
1/5
Garbage
Songhoy Blues
4/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
The Monkees
3/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Van Morrison
2/5
Michael Jackson
2/5
Frank Ocean
3/5
The Slits
2/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
The Smiths
5/5
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2/5
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Lorde
3/5
Neil Young
5/5
Billy Joel
1/5
The Byrds
3/5
David Holmes
5/5
Manu Chao
1/5
Sigur Rós
5/5
Cat Stevens
4/5
SAULT
3/5
The The
1/5
Duran Duran
4/5
Kate Bush
5/5
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Lucinda Williams
2/5
Coldplay
1/5
Pink Floyd
3/5
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Calexico
3/5
Primal Scream
5/5
Ryan Adams
4/5
Yes
2/5
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Deep Purple
5/5
Elton John
3/5
George Michael
1/5
Arctic Monkeys
2/5
Sam Cooke
4/5
John Lennon
4/5
Big Star
5/5
T. Rex
4/5
LTJ Bukem
4/5
Prince
1/5
Muddy Waters
4/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Santana
3/5
The Associates
3/5
The Black Keys
5/5
Bon Jovi
1/5
Thundercat
4/5
Iggy Pop
5/5
Taylor Swift
5/5
It’s testament to great songwriting, that great songs transcend genres. So credit to plucky Taylor Swift for re-interpreting Ryan Adams’ alt-country classic ‘1989’ and presenting his songs as synth pop masterpieces. 5/5
David Bowie
5/5
Perfect 6/5
The Doors
4/5
Fantastic debut album, containing the most perfect marriage of rock song / cinema with ‘the end’ featuring in Apocalypse Now… I think the song makes the film better and vice versa to the extent I can’t think about one without being drawn to the other. For me the doors have always been easy to like, but more difficult to love. I have all the albums, but rarely listen. This is still great though 4/5 - but with lyrics like ‘show me the way, to the next little girl.’ I’m giving this a yewtree rating of 3/5
Elastica
4/5
I mean… it’s great but it’s not one of the 1001 albums you must hear before you die is it? There’s Blondie or The Wire or even The Fall that did it first. 4/5 fun fact, during one summer at uni I did early shifts at magna park with an ex estate agent who got sacked for doing coke in the office. His claim to fame was selling a big house in Warwickshire to the drummer from Elastica.
The Triffids
2/5
If I liked Deacon Blue or Big Country or Simple Minds I guess I’d like this. But I don’t, so I don’t. Not enough excitement to be pop, not enough attitude to be rock, not enough emotion to be soul. I have no idea what this is. 2/5
Dirty Projectors
3/5
Chamber-Pop? This was pretty interesting, at least 4 vocalists, lots of skeletal backing vocals reminding me of ‘we suck young blood’ / ‘you and whose army?’ Radiohead. 3/5 and as a new-ish band a solid 0/5 on the yewtree scale
John Coltrane
2/5
Marvin Gaye
4/5
The Replacements
3/5
David Crosby
4/5
Joan Armatrading
4/5
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Joy Division
5/5
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
Fucking he’ll this was a slog! It’s been on my pending list since July 24 so finally got round to it thanks to a long train journey. So what can I say about 69 songs about love? Some songs, some skits, some Leonard Cohen vocals, some banjo, some synth pop, some velvet underground, some low fi indie… some good… some forgettable… for me it’s an album famous for the concept rather than the execution. A tiring 3/5
Brian Eno
1/5
Caetano Veloso
2/5
1967 grows even more mental. From looking at the ‘Disraeli Gears’ inspired artwork, I guessed at psychedelic folk rock and wasn’t far off. Destined for people far hipper than me this was ok. The language barrier (Spanish lyrics?) proved to be the thing that prevented me from giving this no more than a cursory listen. 2/5
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
An album title that is as relevant now, as it was in 1976. MAGA have a hard on for a civil war and the union will dissolve in 2025. Mark my words. This was a decent album, I guess if this is here then Superfly must be too. 3.5/5
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Dolly Parton
4/5
I mean, how wholesome is Dolly Parton? Someone who has invested more money into child literacy in the USA than every administration since George W Bush? That deserves 5* on its own, but here we have 27 mins of acoustic Americana of the highest order. Dolly’s voice is as light as the bluebird on the prairie, but also covers the weight of the world such as marital infidelity and one’s relationship with the lawd almighty. I’m unlikely to listen to this again by choice, but Dolly is the American dream they should all aspire to. 5*
Wire
2/5
Barry Adamson
2/5
A concept soundtrack for an imaginary film in which the moss side estate has become part of a wider police state. I’m sure this was a novel concept in 1989 but I’d say now it’s a bit more quaint - especially as we’ve endured 14 years of aggressive Tory policies. The addition of crowd noises, breaking glass and other sound effects does take away from the music overall and moves it towards the cheesy. It sounds like a project Alan Partridge would be involved in 2/5
David Bowie
4/5
Always felt this album was a little weird, in that it doesn’t have a particular style when compared to what came before (the man who sold the world - guitar heavy) and what followed (Ziggy stardust - glam rock perfection) so an album of transition for me. Bowie bypassed the guitar for the better stuff (writing life on Mars, changes snd oh, you pretty things on piano) and using guitar some of the stuff that I liked less (Andy Warhol, sing for Bob Dylan etc) but the songwriting genius is here. Take Changes. Moody sax riff leads to Rick Wakeman’s piano starting the verse in an almost vaudeville melody before the chorus brings in sleek saxophones and rocking guitars. Versev2 starts with this low piano rumbling that’s just exceptional and when Bowie comes in with that whispered ‘oooh yeah’ he becomes the coolest person since Elvis took the stage. Not in Bowie’s top 5 albums for me, but way ahead of what everyone else was up to 4.5/5
Deep Purple
4/5
Happy the man, who on a sunny Friday receives ‘in rock’ to his inbox to review. Richie Blackmore reigns supreme here with riffs so hard and heavy you could build train tracks with them. There is something sacred where guitar solos make way for organ solos and then switch back again 🤘🏽 was this the first heavy metal album? I’m not sure but you can draw a straight line between ‘in rock’ and grunge; sound garden and mudhoney in particular. 4/5.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Roxy Music
1/5
Much like pegging, I’ve always been tempted to try the early Roxy Music as I’d heard it was exciting. However, much like pegging, this album was a painful and messy experience. 1/5
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
2/5
In order to maintain the integrity of this project, I have listened to over 2 hours (42 songs!) of bluegrass, interspersed with lots of studio chatter. I love ‘oh brother where art thou’ but this was a slog, and I’m left thinking of all the MAGA voting, tobacco chewing, tourist raping musicians that created this. A tiring 2.5/5
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Just a bit ‘meh’
Sister Sledge
3/5
Prince
1/5
More turgid funk from this over-sexed dwarf. A credit to the Jehovah’s Witness movement, a stain on the musical canon 1/5
OutKast
3/5
Stan Getz
4/5
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
David Bowie
4/5
Ray Charles
3/5
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
The Roots
2/5
Kate Bush
5/5
Duke Ellington
3/5
Radiohead
5/5
Nick Drake
3/5
Alice Cooper
1/5
Tim Buckley
1/5
Nas
4/5
The White Stripes
4/5
Les Rythmes Digitales
5/5
Billy Bragg
3/5
Mudhoney
4/5
Back in 2021 I bought the vinyl 30th anniversary edition and so began a deep…. Passionate…. Fulfilling relationship with Mudhoney. I wasn’t too fond of it when it came out, having listened first to super fuzz bigmuff, so the ‘new’ sound of one clean guitar one dirty was a bit underwhelming. However revisiting the album now I think k it’s their best mixing influences as varied as 60’s beat pop, surf rock, punk and grunge to create something so sloppy yet so brilliant. Mark Arm deserves to be in the Mount Rushmore of grunge. 4/5
Fela Kuti
4/5
Beck
4/5
Robbie Williams
1/5
So… the fat dancer from take that tried coke, quit the band, hung out with oasis for a weekend, met a songwriter and rejuvenated his career through lifestyle magazine interviews, documentaries charting the ‘rise, fall and rise again’ and a later career flogging cat food on telly ensued. I don’t need to listen to this to know it’s dog-sh!t 1/5
The Verve
5/5
Nirvana
5/5
Green Day
3/5
GZA
4/5
PJ Harvey
4/5
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Beck
5/5
Beatles
5/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Boards of Canada
4/5
Silver Jews
3/5
Girls Against Boys
3/5
Queen
1/5
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Peter Frampton
3/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Not sure if 90’s Neil is my thing. 3/5
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
Meh
The Go-Go's
3/5
The Kinks
4/5
Germs
3/5
3/5
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
The Who
2/5
Johnny Cash
4/5
Scott Walker
4/5
System Of A Down
3/5
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Sex Pistols
4/5
Boston
2/5
The Damned
1/5
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
The War On Drugs
4/5
Steely Dan
2/5
CHVRCHES
3/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
1/5
Isaac Hayes
3/5
King Crimson
2/5
Depeche Mode
4/5
David Bowie
5/5
Nirvana
5/5
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Lou Reed
5/5
James Brown
4/5
Sparks
3/5
Ananda Shankar
4/5
American Music Club
2/5
Adele
2/5
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
1/5
Linkin Park
3/5
The Killers
3/5
Pulp
5/5
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
2/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
Violent Femmes
3/5
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Gorillaz
4/5
Prince
1/5
T. Rex
4/5
The KLF
4/5
1/5
Beastie Boys
3/5
The Divine Comedy
4/5
The Streets
4/5
Killing Joke
2/5
Stan Getz
2/5
Cocteau Twins
4/5
The Shamen
3/5
Aerosmith
1/5
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Ministry
3/5
Various Artists
5/5
3/5
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Neil Young
4/5
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Beatles
5/5
The Police
2/5
The Doors
4/5
Bee Gees
1/5
Before the Bee Gees went falsetto and ruled the disco, they sang three part harmonic ballads that were turbo shite. 1/5 and I’m taking a point off for them singing songs that celebrate a genocide state (Israel) 0/5 and deservedly so.
Genesis
1/5
Janis Joplin
4/5
David Bowie
5/5
Van Halen
1/5
We don’t need this. We have steel panther who can imitate the guitar explosions and spandex wearing idiocy, but they do it with a huge sense of irony that is missing from this slab of cheesy bollocks.
TV On The Radio
4/5
CHIC
4/5
R.E.M.
5/5
Eminem
2/5
Ride
3/5
Suzanne Vega
3/5
George Harrison
5/5
Supergrass
5/5
Otis Redding
5/5
Fugazi
5/5
MGMT
4/5
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Talking Heads
3/5
Yes
1/5
Sonic Youth
3/5
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Ozomatli
2/5
Not for me. South American salsa / rap / whatever - just is t of interest to me.
4/5
Beatles
4/5
Public Enemy
4/5
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Slade
2/5
The Temptations
4/5
Al Green
5/5
Jethro Tull
3/5
The Undertones
4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Nick Drake
5/5
Roni Size
4/5
Billie Holiday
4/5
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
The Prodigy
4/5
Funkadelic
3/5
Giant Sand
4/5
The Specials
1/5
Madness
1/5
Pixies
4/5
Pixies
4/5
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Faith No More
3/5
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
Soundgarden
5/5
The Blue Nile
3/5
AC/DC
3/5
Little Richard
4/5
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Common
2/5
Muddy Waters
5/5
5/5
In her song ‘love like laughter’ Beth Orton sings ‘some of the worst wrongs get righted on three chords’ and this is where Oasis’ sophomore album excels and rightly takes its place amongst the cultural canon. Noel Gallagher righting the wrongs delivered as a result of cheesy euro trance dominating the charts for the majority of the early 90’s.
1995 was arguably the high water mark for britpop and (what’s the story) morning glory swept everything away in one mighty stroke.
I can remember listening to the charts and being overjoyed that ‘some might say’ made number one. It marked a turning of the tide…
‘Where were you while we were getting high?’ Acknowledges the passing of the torch from the Stone Roses to Oasis and it’s hard to dispute. Like all successful sequels, this album builds upon what works with Defintley Maybe and develops that which needed improvement (in this case, Tony McCarrol was replaced by the more able Alan White) and while guigsy and bonehead’s playing remained basic, Gallaghers songwriting moves forward and upward noticeably with this batch of songs, especially the b-sides from this era (acquiesce / the masterplan/ talk tonight / rockin’ chair could be assembled to create a third era defining album that other bands would die for). A monumental achievement based on an unwavering belief that rock n roll can change the world 4/5
Iron Maiden
3/5
Pixies
4/5
Bauhaus
3/5
Metallica
2/5
Blur
5/5
Dead Kennedys
4/5
Julian Cope
1/5
Traffic
3/5
Ray Charles
4/5
Dire Straits
2/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Milton Nascimento
3/5
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Neil Young
5/5
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
Heaven 17
4/5
The Icarus Line
3/5
The Libertines
2/5
Cream
5/5
Meat Loaf
1/5
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Röyksopp
5/5
Bert Jansch
4/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
Fiona Apple
3/5
Dr. Octagon
4/5
The Band
3/5
Gang Starr
3/5
Fleet Foxes
4/5
The ghosts of Simon and Garfunkel live! Top tier folk harmonies and melodies raised by spectacular production where the drums and vocals are given so much space they sound epic. Recommended 4/5
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Sebadoh
3/5
Stereo MC's
3/5
Dr. Dre
3/5
The Band
4/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
Pearl Jam
4/5
Johnny Cash
5/5
Miles Davis
2/5
Patti Smith
3/5
Simply Red
1/5
How the f*ck did Mick Hucknall smuggle his ginger dreds onto this list? Rumour has it, he was at the sex pistols debut gig along with Ian Curtis, Morrissey and Tony Wilson…. And yet despite that cultural warhead and how it affected all who attended… despite all of that he STILL turned out this turgid white soul within 5 years staggers me. The amount of willpower it must have taken to remain so dogsh!t when others formed the smiths, joy division and factory records when exposed to the same stimuli is fcuking sensational. This is the sound of a million call centres on hold, a million dentists waiting rooms, and a million elevators. With Adele or Robbie Williams I can forgive some elements of recency bias, but simply red have festered at the opening of satans anus for 40 years. How did this happen? HOW?! 1/5 for the music minus 1 point for Hucknall’s hair.
Stephen Stills
3/5
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
Radiohead
5/5
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
1/5
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Fugees
3/5
Metallica
4/5
OutKast
4/5
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
The Beach Boys
4/5
Tracy Chapman
3/5
Fela Kuti
3/5
Wilco
4/5
Mike Oldfield
1/5
Butthole Surfers
2/5
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
Talking Heads
4/5
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
1/5
The Thrills
3/5
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Michael Jackson
5/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Ghostface Killah
3/5
R.E.M.
4/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
The Cure
3/5
2/5
The Hives
5/5
Teenage Fanclub
5/5
DJ Shadow
5/5
AC/DC
3/5
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Culture Club
1/5
Tom Waits
4/5
David Bowie
5/5
4/5
Thin Lizzy
4/5
Justin Timberlake
2/5
The Dictators
2/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
The Yardbirds
2/5
Jeff Beck
3/5
1/5
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Frank Black
3/5
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
The Fall
4/5
The Specials
2/5
k.d. lang
2/5
Soft Cell
4/5
John Lee Hooker
3/5
The Youngbloods
3/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Portishead
5/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Morrissey
5/5
After the slow-death of the rather turgid ‘maladjusted’ Morrissey, the Queen Mother of indie-pop was resuscitated with 2004’s ‘You Are The Quarry’. Whilst not in my top 5 Moz albums, these songs felt like a total renewal, or debut. ‘Irish Blood…’ ‘I have forgiven Jesus’ and ‘1st of the gang to die’ stand tall amongst his catalogue and remain set list staples to this date. The songs themselves are at times hilarious, poisonous, lonely and defiant. The extra tracks recorded at this time were of equal quality, with so many amazing b-sides released. This could’ve been a double album easily. Fantastic album, career high point and an easy route in for the newbies. As with all things Moz, there followed moments of musical genius, awfulness and questionable politics and songs about Israel. I hate him and I love him. 5/5 and I said what I said
Sugar
5/5
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
Steve Winwood
3/5
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Pantera
4/5
The Human League
3/5
2Pac
2/5
Adam & The Ants
3/5
Oasis
4/5
Happy Mondays
3/5
Raekwon
4/5
Radiohead
4/5
Dogshit
Guns N' Roses
5/5
Circle Jerks
3/5
The Boo Radleys
3/5
Red Snapper
3/5
Big Star
4/5
Chicago
4/5
This isn’t the same band that wrote the dreary AOR ‘if you leave me know’ … well it is but it’s their debut album and it sounds nothing like the middling soft rock I know them for! We’ve got a fantastic cover of the Spencer Davis group’s ’I’m a man’ we’ve got cowbells aplenty, we’ve got drum solos, we’ve got about 5 mins of guitar feedback that sounds like the end of a nirvana gig, we’ve got ‘humble pie’ vibes… fuck me this was ace!
Cheap Trick
3/5
George Jones
3/5
The Beta Band
4/5
Gram Parsons
3/5
ZZ Top
2/5
New York Dolls
4/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Parliament
4/5
Bee Gees
1/5
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
TLC
3/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Peter Gabriel
3/5
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Gillian Welch
4/5
Funkadelic
3/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Bobby Womack
3/5
Portishead
5/5
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
Laibach
2/5
Steely Dan
3/5
Basement Jaxx
3/5
Fairport Convention
3/5
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
I would place this alongside‘dog man star’ and ‘the white album’.
Mainly because they are each held in high regard in the band’s catalogue, but also because they are the sounds of bands falling apart.
Which is odd, because the songs on ‘bug’ are quite poppy, J’s voice isn’t as gravely as it would turn from 93’s ‘where you been?’ And the melodies are quite poppy and breezy ‘they always come’ / ‘freakscene’ etc.
The exception here is Lou Barlow’s ‘don’t’ which is the chuck norris of angst. It’s a horrifying listen.
‘wHY dOn’T yOU LiKe mEEEEE?!’ The distortion has distortion, J Mascis plays a solo from the 9th layer of the inferno where the liars and cheats reside, and the song drips with shame, self-pity and fury. It’s the darkest Dinosaur Jr have ever been, and it’s stunning.
Lou Barlow would leave the band after the albums completion and J is on record as saying he doesn’t rate it. For the rest of us, it’s a monumental listen 5/5
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Mekons
3/5
Stevie Wonder
3/5
PJ Harvey
5/5
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Can
2/5
Dagmar Krause
2/5
The Jam
4/5
Billy Bragg
3/5
Gary Numan
4/5
Cee Lo Green
1/5
Radiohead
5/5
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Hawkwind
3/5
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Roxy Music
4/5
Hüsker Dü
5/5
The United States Of America
3/5
Tom Waits
3/5
Jane Weaver
4/5
Carpenters
4/5
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2/5
50 Cent
3/5
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
U2
1/5
Dogshit
Finley Quaye
3/5
4/5
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
De La Soul
5/5
The Kinks
4/5
Björk
5/5
The Fall
3/5
Prefab Sprout
2/5
Missy Elliott
4/5
Erykah Badu
3/5
Fairport Convention
3/5
Koffi Olomide
1/5
James Taylor
3/5
Saint Etienne
4/5
The Offspring
2/5
Dogshit pre millennial’pop punk’ . That said I tapped my toes at a few songs.
All the imaginative prowess of an 80 year old dementia patient waiting at a bus stop.
2.5/5 based on appealing to the lowest common denominator
3/5
New Order
4/5
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
Queen Latifah
4/5
The Sugarcubes
3/5
David Bowie
5/5
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Korn
1/5
Hey kids! Let’s write music about white boys who hate their dads!
Hey kids! Let’s write music for incels to fantasise about shooting their year 8 science teacher to!
Hey kids! Let’s add ice cube so we don’t sound so white!
Hey kids! Let’s add Fred Durst so we don’t sound too black!
Fuck this turgid shite 1/5
a-ha
4/5
Bob Dylan
3/5
Orange Juice
1/5
Norah Jones
1/5
Q-Tip
3/5
The Sabres Of Paradise
4/5
Buck Owens
3/5
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Scott Walker
3/5
Justice
5/5
Donovan
3/5
Pink Floyd
3/5
Beck
5/5
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
Megadeth
4/5
The Stooges
3/5
Talvin Singh
3/5
Tears For Fears
4/5
The Pogues
1/5
Def Leppard
1/5
Unrelenting dogshit. Morrissey is more subversive and Belle and Sebastian rock harder than this
Spiritualized
4/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
Burning Spear
3/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
Kanye West
3/5
Adele
1/5
Adele (for me) is like the Ron Howard of music. Safe, uninspiring content that sells well and wins awards, yet without making any noticeable impression on the art form (see Apollo 13, the da Vinci code et.al) and Adele is just that, safe uninspiring music, professionally crafted, produced and marketed to women who have endured heartbreak and buy one album every 18 months. Good voice? Obviously. decent company ? More than likely. Included in this list as rank recency bias? Definitely. 1/5
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Brian Eno
4/5
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Richard Thompson
3/5
Peter Tosh
2/5
Elis Regina
2/5
Ravi Shankar
2/5
U2
1/5
We are truly blessed that in between curing famine in Africa and before he ended the conflict in the Balkans, Bono (vox) descended from his pedestal to deliver yet more turgid ‘post-modernist come lately’ dogshit. I fucking hate everything about U2 and especially Bono (vox) who once sent Tony Blair a picture of the student Blair with his guitar with a note saying something along the lines of ‘I think we should have swapped careers’. What a supreme cunt, and don’t get me started on Bono (vox) 1/5
Spiritualized
5/5
Mott The Hoople
3/5
Nina Simone
4/5
Elvis Costello
3/5
Talking Heads
4/5
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Fred Neil
3/5
Van Morrison
3/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
Mylo
5/5