431
Albums Rated
2.99
Average Rating
40%
Complete
658 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950
Favorite Decade
Singer-songwriter
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
19
5-Star Albums
78
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Idlewild
Everything But The Girl
|
5 | 2.58 | +2.42 |
|
Olympia 64
Jacques Brel
|
5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
|
Good Old Boys
Randy Newman
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Very
Pet Shop Boys
|
5 | 2.94 | +2.06 |
|
The Last Of The True Believers
Nanci Griffith
|
5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
|
Actually
Pet Shop Boys
|
5 | 3.18 | +1.82 |
|
The Visitors
ABBA
|
5 | 3.21 | +1.79 |
|
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
|
5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
|
Cupid & Psyche 85
Scritti Politti
|
4 | 2.39 | +1.61 |
|
Opus Dei
Laibach
|
4 | 2.39 | +1.61 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
|
1 | 4.2 | -3.2 |
|
Elephant
The White Stripes
|
1 | 3.85 | -2.85 |
|
In Utero
Nirvana
|
1 | 3.83 | -2.83 |
|
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
|
1 | 3.82 | -2.82 |
|
Is This It
The Strokes
|
1 | 3.81 | -2.81 |
|
American Idiot
Green Day
|
1 | 3.77 | -2.77 |
|
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
|
1 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
|
The Score
Fugees
|
1 | 3.69 | -2.69 |
|
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
|
1 | 3.68 | -2.68 |
|
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
|
1 | 3.65 | -2.65 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 5 |
| ABBA | 2 | 5 |
| Pet Shop Boys | 2 | 5 |
| Beatles | 4 | 4.25 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| The Stooges | 2 | 1 |
| The Chemical Brothers | 2 | 1 |
| Black Sabbath | 2 | 1 |
| Green Day | 2 | 1.5 |
| Radiohead | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| The Velvet Underground | 4, 1 |
| Manic Street Preachers | 4, 1 |
5-Star Albums (19)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Public Enemy · 5 likes
1/5
Life is too short to spend more that 10 minutes listening to this hip hop crap. So I gave it 10 minutes and when it turned out to be as loathsome as I expected it to be I gave up on it.
The Killers · 2 likes
3/5
Slightly annoying but mostly just meh..
Little Simz · 2 likes
1/5
This at least proves that female rap artists can be just as crap as their male counterparts. Score 1 for equality I guess. Just as all rap albums the problem is not so much the music but the awfully annoying vocals that makes this such an assault on the ears.
UB40 · 1 likes
4/5
Not really my cup of tea (actually tea is not really my cup of tea, I prefer coffee) but I can appreciate the talent, skill and originality that has gone into this and so it gets 4 stars even though I will probably never listen to it again.
Barry Adamson · 1 likes
4/5
Weird and interresting. Not sure I really NEEDED to listen to this but glad I did if only once. Albums like this are why I like this site. Interresting music far outside my musical comfort zone. It seems there is another album by the same artist on this list, looking forward to that.
1-Star Albums (78)
All Ratings
Radiohead
3/5
Radiohead has always been a band who's existance I was aware of but I would never be able to name any of their songs.
Listening to this album has not changed this. While I didn't hate any of the tracks I didn't love any of them either. The chance of me listening to any of the tracks on this album in the future is slim at best.
Rated 3 stars as that is the midpoint between "hated it" and "loved it"
Oasis
3/5
I know Oasis more from the drama around them than the music. My hope was that this album would change that but unfortunately it hasn't. While not bad none of the tracks were memorable. The album is a bit better than meh but not worth 4 stars.
ZZ Top
3/5
Unfortunately these reviews are getting a bit repetetive. As this is yet another album that while not bad does not contain anything memorable. So another 3 stars.
(actually I am writing this as I am listening to the next album which promises to be more interresting)
George Harrison
4/5
I liked this album. I already knew the songs My Sweet Lord and What is Life but the rest is also interresting. Album added to favorites and will be listened to again in the future.
Short rant, I only listened to the tracks present on the original release please stop padding later releases with irrelevant nonsense. Also please stop re-re-re-mastering, it rarely increases the sound quality usually it has the opposite effect.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I already knew and liked the title track. The rest is pretty good too. Album added to favorites.
OutKast
3/5
Hip-Hop is not my thing but I did recognise 1 track from this album and some of the rest was not bad. I have not become a Hip-Hop fan and I will probably never listen to this album again, but it wasn't boring.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
I actually own this on CD and it is pretty good. Not good enough for 5 stars though.
The Charlatans
3/5
Not bad but definately not great.
Meat Loaf
5/5
Second album on here that I own. Incredibly bombastic and utterly over the top but so expertly done you just have to love it.
Favorite track "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" but all tracks are excellent. Would like to give it 6 stars but unfortunately not possible.
Duran Duran
4/5
Somehow Duran Duran has been hiding in a blindspot on my musical radar for a lomg time. Strange because I generally like their kind of music. I really did like this album, I did remember Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf and Save a Prayer but I probably haven't heard those tracks for 2 decades or more. I really liked this album but not enough to give it 5 stars. But with Duran Duran now firmly back on my radar time to explore their music some more.
The Stooges
1/5
I have always thought that Igyy Pop was an overhyped talentless mofo and this has done nothing to change that opinion. This is just horrible noise, with the worst track being L.A. Blues. The only positive is that it is mercifully short. I thought about giving it 2 stars because I managed to listen to all of it but that would be too much praise.
Kraftwerk
4/5
I do own Autobahn and know the track The Model but I don't think I had heard the rest of this album before. I do like it, while I won't be listening to it every day or even every month I will be once or twice a year. Several Kraftwerk albums added to favorites.
Van Morrison
4/5
I rather like Van Morrison, live albums not so much. For a live album this one is not so bad.
Eagles
4/5
I like the Eagles. I already knew "Take it Easy", "Witchy Woman" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling" but the rest is good too especially "Most of Us are Sad" and "Train Leaves Here This Morning" Not good enough for 5 stars but a solid 4
Stereo MC's
2/5
Bland, boring and instantly forgetable. That would mean 3 stars per my rating system
1 star - hated it
2 stars - disliked it
3 stars - meh
4 stars - liked it
5 stars - loved it
But that would be unfair to other albums who got 3 stars so I decided that listening to this album meant that aprox. 50 minutes could have been spend listening to music that was more interresting than this. That is enough to dislike this album and give it 2 stars.
Willie Nelson
4/5
I never really payed any attention to Willie Nelson and that seems to be a mistake as this album was actually pretty decent and I rather liked it. Going to pay more attention to Willie from now on.
The Beach Boys
4/5
I have always had mixed feelings about The Beach Boys, liked some of their songs others not so much. This album is alright but not exactly great.
Holger Czukay
4/5
Never heard about this artist but the music is rather interresting. Other albums added to favorites to explore more in the future.
Otis Redding
4/5
Solid album from solid artist.
Janis Joplin
2/5
Never liked Janis Joplin or more specifically her voice, some may call her voice raw or gritty I however call it grating. Knew some of the tracks (Cry Baby, Mercedes Benz). Neither music nor lyrics are in any way better than mediocre. (So your friends drive Porches, exactly why should I care) Together with the highly annoying voice I really dislike this album.
Koffi Olomide
1/5
The music is not all that interresting so would mean 3 stars, however you can not seperate the music from the artist and with several alligations and convictions of serious misconduct by the artist this gets 1 star.
The Cars
4/5
Not the best album by the Cars bur alright.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Not hard to understand why this band is a one hit wonder.
The Zutons
3/5
Not bad but not good either.
U2
3/5
U2 and Bobo, another review here said that this was U2 before Bono became a little bit too preachy and full of himself. I think that review is wrong, Bono has always been preachy and far too full of himself. There two OK-ish tracks on this album , Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day and the rest is just mediocre.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Oh goody Johnny Rotten. Being a member of a punk band is the ultimate participation trophy, it doesn't matter if you can't sing, play an instrument or write a song you can still be a succesful punk band. Unfortunately after the punk era finally ended some of these talentless larpers continued to cling on like barnicles to the bottom of a boat and infest the world with this kind of crap.
Comparing Johnny Rotten to a barnicle is ofcourse incredibly unfair to the barnicles. At least a barnicle has some redeeming qualities, I don't know what they are but I'm sure if a google I will find some. I am not so sure I will be able to find any redeeming quality in Johnny Rotten.
Foo Fighters
3/5
Best I can say about this is that it is alright. Not bad, not great.
Scritti Politti
4/5
Scritti Politti a name I haven't heard (or thought about) for a long time. I can't recall any emotions associated with this band and listening to this album confirmed that. It's alright, not bad but also not great or original. Most of the tracks are pleasant to listen to and a sizable part of the purpose of music is that it is pleasant to listen to. I have added this to my favorites so it deserves 4 stars.
I must be getting soft in my old age, no that's not it still absolutely loath Johnny Rotten so this album has probably always been alright.
That's all I am going to say about music today now get off my lawn.
Sex Pistols
1/5
Fantastic Johnny Rotten AGAIN. In one of the reviews this is called the greatest punk album of all time. Still utter shite. I had forgotten (or more likely suppressed) that the person responsible for inflicting this awfull ear-ache unto humanity was Malcolm McLaren. I actually like (and listen to) some of Malcolm's work which proves that everybody has redeeming qualities, everybody except Johnny Rotten. I still can't find any redeeming quality in him.
Metallica
1/5
Come back Johnny all is forgiven. There was me venting my opinion that Johnny Rotten had no redeeming quality in my review of the Sex Pistols and then there is this abomination proving me wrong. Because however bad Johnny Rotten is as a musician at least he isn't James Hetfield. Next to James Hetfield Johnny Rotten is almost a talented musician. (almost, let's not give Johnny too much credit).
Seconds into every track my ears were screaming to my brain "Please let it stop". My brain vindictive bastard that it is would then continue to subject my ears to at least two more minutes before it could itself no longer take it and skip to the next track hoping against hope it might be less shit. After "One" it finally decided to give my ears what they wanted and made it stop. So this is the second album I couldn't finish. (the first being the ghastly "Speakerboxxx", strangely I actually liked the "The Love Below" part of that strange twin solo album). According to some of the reviews for this album there are at least three more Metallica albums on this list. Great, can't wait.
Have to go now, have to perform an exorcism on my amplifier and arrange some therapy for it.
Aimee Mann
4/5
After the horrific noise pretending to be music from Metallica and The Sex Pistols finally music that is actually pleasant to listen to. Somehow I missed Aimee Mann until now. Fortunately that has now been corrected. Good album with good songs.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Not as bad as some, still pretty dire.
Dwight Yoakam
1/5
Country. I don't really like country music for 2 reasons. The first is the music which I generally find boring and repetitive, the second are the lyrics. Some reviews had mentioned the problematic lyrics on some of the tracks and they were correct. Two songs about killing your (possibly unfaithful) girlfriend/wife are two too many. Then there is the one where he steals money from a fellow inmate. But fear not in the last track he professes that he is a good christian boy really. No you are fucking not, you are a fucking hypocrite. And this sort of sums up most country music lyrics to me, they are utterly fake. I just don't believe that most country singers themself believe a word they are singing.
Without the murderous lyrics that would mean three stars but as it is only one.
Rush
3/5
I generally like a bit of prog rock, but this does nothing for me. Don't hate it but equally don't really like it either.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Another country album. Better than most and Emmylou Harris is an accomplished singer but not more than 3 stars unfortunately
The Velvet Underground
4/5
The Velvet Underground a band I knew the existance of but had never payed much attention to. Probably my mistake. This was pretty good deserving a closer look. Added to favorites.
The War On Drugs
4/5
What can I say about this, is it original? No, is it great? Again no. But it is nice to listen to and that is important. So 4 stars.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Not a Jazz fan. Mostly because to me Jazz seems to be mostly about technique and very little about emotion.
As much as I generaalt detest punk for it's total lack of any technique you have to respect the emotion (and the fact that at least they are not James Hetfield)
One reviewer here made a comparison to a MIDI file and I think that's spot on, not a good thing. Another reviewer said he (or she) forgot this was still playing after the first track and I sort of feld the same.
When I am listening to these albums on here usually at the end of the evening I am deliberately doing something else too. To see if the music can demand my full attention, this like at lot of the albums on here failed to do this.
I don't hate or even dislike this music so 3 stars.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
1/5
Second album with Janis Joplin. For her short time on this earth her terrible voice sure managed to inflict a disproportinate amount of misery on it.
Music is just as terrible. Why is this on any top xxx list?
Alice In Chains
3/5
So this is grunge. So two members killed themselves with their drug abuse, how cliche is that. Lyrics are sometimes interresting, music however is not.
Bert Jansch
4/5
Not really my kind of music but an obviously talented musician and interresting music and lyrics.
Frank Zappa
4/5
In the distant past I have attempted several times to get into Frank Zappa's music but for some reason failed every time. Maybe I gave up too soon as this is pretty interresting and well worth listening to. Time to explore Frank Zappa a bit more.
Cat Stevens
4/5
Solid Cat Stevens album
Yes
4/5
I have always been ambivilant towards Yes as I like some of their work but don't really care for most of it. This album does not change that as I really like Roudabout but not any of the other tracks. So just barely 4 stars.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Not a big fan of Leonard Cohen, didn't know this but found it surprisingly interresting.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Never heard of this band. Album was interresting, not great but alright.
The Velvet Underground
1/5
Mostly horrible noise. Managed to listen to most of it except the last part of the last track, my ears couln't take it any more after about six minutes.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
Completely unknown to me but strangely interresting. Added to favorites.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
Not really my kind of music (don't like the harmonica much) still prettu interresting and worth listening to (despite the harmonica)
The Black Crowes
4/5
Just mildly interresting.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Never heard of them, interresting enough to be added to favorites and explore some more.
B.B. King
4/5
Not a great fan of either blues nor life albums but this was surprisingly OK.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Never listened much to Amy Winehouse. Possibly my mistake as this was pretty good. Amy added to favorites for further exploration.
Roxy Music
3/5
Never been a fan of Roxy Music, this certainly hasn't changed that.
Johnny Cash
4/5
I had heard of this album but never listened to it. Johnny Cash is one of the few country musicians I don't think are hypocrites and this album is pretty good. Not good enough for 5 stars but close.
3/5
Alright as background music, not too interresting or objectionable. I thought I recognized some of the tracks but that was probably because the music is so generic.
Radiohead
3/5
The first album I got to listen to on here was by Radiohead just two months ago. I can't remember a single track from that album, just like I can't remember a single track from this album less than 24 hours after listening to it.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Not the best Fleetwood Mac album but still pretty good. Would probably have been better as a single album not a double.
The Who
3/5
Not a Who fan, I only like a very limited part of their music and this is not part of that.
The Clash
3/5
A punk band with semi-competent musicians, how original. Don't hate it but don't love it either.
KISS
3/5
After reading some of the other reviews I expected to hate this but I don't. It is just not interresting enough for that. It is incredibly boring and instantly forgettable.
The Stooges
1/5
In this ever changing world it is comforting to know that some things don't change. Things like Iggy's ghastly singing. The kind of singing that make the other members of the band seem like almost competent musicians. That said at least this album provokes some emotion (negative as it is) unlike the horribly bland and boring Kiss album yesterday.
The Avalanches
1/5
W.T.F. This is the most annoying album I have listened to ever. (Well until now, I sure there will be another album in the future that will piss me off even more but I will deal with that at the time.) Repeating the same few words over and over and over and over and over gets VERY irritating VERY soon. And what's with the adding of pop's and crackle's? Clearly a misguided attempt to make it sound like (a parody of) vinyl. I remember the introduction of CD's and how happy I was not to have to listen to that distracting garbage anymore. I do not want to be reminded of the general crapness of vinyl as a means of music distribution thank you very much.
And finally unlike most punk bands I can't even excuse this abomination on the basis that the people resposible are incompetent a-holes who don't know any better, these people are actually competent (but defenitely a-holes) and have inflicted this on the world knowing exactly what they were doing.
Unfortunately it is not possible to award negative stars so 1 star is the only option but it should really be -10 stars at least.
Pixies
2/5
Hardly music,mostly noise.
Tom Waits
4/5
The voice of Tom Waits takes some getting used to. It is however effective. Interresting music,interresting lyrics, interresting voice what's not to like. Not the greatest album ever but still pretty good.
Can
4/5
This is interresting, weird and annoying. Mostly all three at the same time. The longer tracks could have done with some editing. As it is more interresting than annoying 4 stars.
Charles Mingus
2/5
Jazz just rubs me the wrong way. I don't know why, I have never been able to formulate a rational reason it just does. This was no exception.
R.E.M.
4/5
Rather like R.E.M. and this is no exception.
Coldcut
4/5
For some reason I am not supposed to listen to this as neither Spotify nor Qobuz had this available (in my country). I did find two tracks on youtube (featuring Lisa Stansfield) ant those were pretty good (I generally like Lisa Stansfield). I also listened to some tracks from other Coldcut albums that were available from Qobuz and I liked those too. None of them could be called masterpieces but they were very enjoyable so 4 stars.
Magazine
1/5
For a short time this sounded alright, I actually thought I might really enjoy this. Then Howard opened his gob and destroyed everything. As I reflected on why I detest the whole punk era so much I decided that it was not so much the music (although a lot of that was utter garbage) but it was the singing that made listening to it such an ordeal.
With someone who had any talent for singing this would get 4 stars but with Howard it only gets 1 and that's only because I can't give it 0
Elton John
4/5
Not a great fan of Elton John and I don't think I ever heard any of this before but it was pretty good.
Method Man
1/5
I did not finish this. I gave up at the beginning of the fifth track when I realized that I was going to be listening to the same effing song for the fifth time. This should heve been a single (actually half a single as there is not even enough material here for a B side). After about two minutes you have really heard the whole album.
Khaled
4/5
At nearly 80 minutes a bit long but pretty interresting.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Only knew Like a Rolling Stone and I am not a great Dylan fan but this had enough good songs to get 4 stars.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Despite not being a fan of live albums nor blues music this was surprisingly good.
Eminem
3/5
He makes it very clear that he "Doesn't give a fuck" which is exactly what I think about this album. Just background noise, not even memorable enough to dislike or hate it.
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
This is far outside my musical comfort zone but it was very interresting and I liked it a lot.
The Smiths
4/5
Lots of Morrissey hate in the reviews, well he probably is a giant asshat and extremely limited as a singer. And like most of the music associated with him this too is mostly "Music to Commit Suicide By" Despite all these problems I didn't hate this.
UB40
4/5
Not really my cup of tea (actually tea is not really my cup of tea, I prefer coffee) but I can appreciate the talent, skill and originality that has gone into this and so it gets 4 stars even though I will probably never listen to it again.
The Auteurs
3/5
In various reviews people have complained about a percieved British bias on this list. Mediocre crap like this seems to prove this bias, why is this on this list? It is not original, interresting or influential so again why is this on this list?
Bob Dylan
4/5
While I am not a great Bob Dylan fan I liked this. Knew a lot of the tracks and all of it was nice to listen to. Not nice enough for 5 stars but an easy 4.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
After being presented with another Fleedwood Mac album (Tusk) here I added some of their albums to my favorites including this one. I already knew about half of the tracks and liked them. The tracks previously unknown to me are equally good. An easy 4 stars.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
This was difficult to listen to because it could have been a great album. Unfortunately there were too many tracks that lasted far too long, going on and on and on becoming extremely irritating. I have no problem with long tracks, "Autobahn" by Kraftwerk is 22 minutes long and when I am listening to that not once during that 22 minutes do I think "Why is this not finished yet?" For every track on this album that went over five minutes I found myself thinking just that, usually even before the five minute mark. And that irritated me greatly particularly because most of these tracks would have been great at 3 to 4 minutes long.
G. Love & Special Sauce
1/5
Great, hip-hop one of the music styles that for some reason rub me the wrong way (together with punk and jazz). Some of the music is actually OK but as soon as the "singing" starts it is immediately ruined.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
A little Aretha Franklin is always good and more is better. This certainly applies to this. Easy 4 stars.
Buck Owens
4/5
For country this was alright. The lyrics had none of the fakeness most country music unfortunately has. Music was alright to. So 4 stars.
The Pogues
4/5
I liked this more than expected. It has Fairytale of New York, without doubt the best christmas song ever. The rest is also pretty good, full of energy, fun even when some of the lyrics are sometimes actually very serious. Misses out on 5 stars by a very narrow margin.
Willie Nelson
4/5
I really liked this despite the genre. It also reminded me that I really have to re-watch (the BBC series) Edge of Darkness. (In that series Time of the Preacher is referenced by one of the main characters).
Silver Jews
3/5
Well the music is not too terrible but the lyrics are at best boring and at worst infantile. The vocals, well let's be generous and call them uninspiring. I am sorry that the person mostly responsible for this was so unhappy with his life he choose to end it ans while I am sure his life had value to the people close to him unfortunately nothing of musical value was lost as a result of his actions.
N.E.R.D
4/5
When I saw the word rap in the article about this album my expectations very pretty low but I enjoyed this more than I expected. Interresting music, decent singing overall pretty good. Not the kind of music I am going to seek out in the future but decent enough.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Ah Echo and the Bunnyman, I really like the album Ocean Rain the rest not so much. This definitely part of that rest I don't much care for. So 3 stars.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Despite being a live album of music far outside my musical comfort zone I really liked this. The music has lots of energy, passion and fun. Easy 4 stars.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Three very accomplished singers, unfortunately in a genre I don't care for.
King Crimson
4/5
Knew the name but don't think I ever listened to the music. Except for the first track really liked this. Worth exploring more.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Didn't listen to this yesterday then I didn't need to as this is one of my favorite albums. Will probably listen sometime during the weekend. Great music expertly performed.
Barry Adamson
4/5
Weird and interresting. Not sure I really NEEDED to listen to this but glad I did if only once. Albums like this are why I like this site. Interresting music far outside my musical comfort zone. It seems there is another album by the same artist on this list, looking forward to that.
ABBA
5/5
Know and love most of the songs on this album.
Little Simz
1/5
This at least proves that female rap artists can be just as crap as their male counterparts. Score 1 for equality I guess. Just as all rap albums the problem is not so much the music but the awfully annoying vocals that makes this such an assault on the ears.
Depeche Mode
4/5
I own 2 Depeche Mode albums and like both. The are not masterpieces by any-one's standard but still OK. This is like those, pretty good but not great.
Radiohead
2/5
This actually started OK (despite the Paranoid Android clearly not being Marvin) and I even thought I would have to rethink my evaluation of Radiohead from an other album (actually the first album I listened to here) but it didn't take long for irritation to start creeping in. I don't really know why Radiohead irritates me so much but they clearly do.
3/5
Already knew and liked two tracks (The Look of Love and All of my Heart) but that is not enough for a whole album. In total this is an album I don't really care for.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Bruce Springsteen is generally OK and so is this. Will definitely be listen to this again in the future.
Elton John
4/5
I never really payed Elton John much attention. That might have been a mistake as this is yet another excellent album (after Madman across the Water). Not good enough for 5 stars but an easy 4.
The Mars Volta
4/5
Weird, partly wonderful, partly fun, partly irritating with completely bonkers lyrics. Despite the irritating parts 4 stars.
The Style Council
4/5
I actually own this on CD. The wiki article mentions that this album is also on the list 10 essential sophisti-pop albums and when I looked that up I found I own 4 of the albums on that list. So we are well inside my musical comfort zone here. I hadn't listened to this for some time so was glad to be reminded. I really enjoyed listening to it. It is no masterpiece, it is no Dark Side of the Moon or Bat out of Hell so it is not going to get 5 stars but it gets 4 stars easily.
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
Not a fan. To me Jimi Hendrix's music has this self-indulgent "Look at me being brilliant" vibe. All along the watchtower is sort of alright and raises the score to 2 stars.
4/5
Own this. It is actually a pretty decent album. Unfortunately the problem with U2 is that due to the extend they have and continue to be over-hyped it is very dificult to seperate the music from all the BS surrounding U2. Trying to ignore the BS as much as possible this is a pretty good album, not a masterpiece but OK.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Really liked this. I had added this album to favorites after listening to the first Amy Winehouse album (Frank) on here. Will definately be listening again to both in the future.
The Band
3/5
Not too bad, but not exactly great either. Some troubling lyrics but music generally OK.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
Best I can say about this is that it is only mildly irritating but thankfully short. Not even worth writing a scathing review about. So like all the albums on here I don't give a crap about it gets 3 stars.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Don't hate it, don't really like it either. Another album I don't really care about. So this gets the dreaded 3 stars.
Os Mutantes
4/5
Weird (or as another reviewer called it "Batshit Crazy") and (mostly) wonderful. And fun. Really liked this. This album and others from this band added to favorites for later listening.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Thankfully someone has read my review on an earlier Stevie Wonder album (Songs in the Key of Life) and has prevented the mistake of stretching the lenght of songs far past breaking point as on that album. Glad to be of service. By not making the same mistake again this is actually a pretty decent album.
Bee Gees
4/5
Always have preferred the earlier Bee Gees stuff over the later. Only knew "First of May" but the rest is also pretty good. Added this and some other older albums to favorites for future listening.
King Crimson
2/5
Weird but definately not wonderful. Mostly irritating, only 1 halfway decent song (Exiles) which is not enough.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
Really only knew Lynyrd Skynyrd from the plane-crash and this hasn't really changed that. Just music I don't care about.
Big Star
3/5
Big Star maybe, many stars ... No! Basically music I don't give a crap about so no more than 3 stars.
Big Black
1/5
The most surprising thing I have realized after listening to 119 albums her is that Johnny Rotten is not the worst ever musician who got a record-deal. I have encountered James Hetfield and let's not forget Little Simz (have to be inclusive these day's) and no there are these guys as proof that my opinion regarding mr. Rotten was totally wrong.
It is not only the musicians though, the wiki article does not mention the studio where this was recorded nor the sound-engineer responsible for this. Now if I did my job as bad as this I wouldn't want my name associated with it either so I can't blame them for that. Now I don't know what the sound-engineer was thinking but he (/she/it/they/attack-helicopter again must be inclusive) either just set the controls on the mixing-desk to random positions and then buggered off for a long boozy lunch or maybe he (/etc) was already stinking drunk. Maybe the studio was an equal opportinity employer and he (/etc) was as deaf as a post (are posts deaf? listening posts would not be right?). There is also the (tiny) chance that the sound-engineer knew exactly what he (/etc) was doing and the fact that most of the time you can hardly make out the lyrics is a deliberate attempt to shield us from their horribleness. Anyway after a lot of dross I did not give a crap about finally an album I can hate from the bottom of my heart. I see that as progress.
Bad Brains
2/5
Album nr 120. After the absolute shitshow of nr 119 (Atomizer/Big Black) at least this contains as an other reviewer put it "Glimpses of semi-goodness" together with it being mercifully short those are really the only two positives I can mention about the music. As for the sound quality at least one of the six sound-engineers was somewhat competent so you could actually hear the lyrics and the individual instruments (not always a good thing). While it was hardly a "Wall of Sound" at least it wasn't the "Swamp of Sound" from album 119.
Concluding, while most of the emotions evoked by listening to this album were negative that is a lot better than being "utterly hatefull" (about 10% of the albums on here so far) or "utterly emotionless" (about 40%)
(And yes I do know that awording 3 stars to the "emotionless" albums make no sense from a numerical standpoint. It is MY rating and it only has to make sense to ME so YOU can suck it)
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Well this was sort of OK. I did recognise Green Onions and it and the rest are OK. However this was just short enough not to get irritating as there was little variety.
Queens of the Stone Age
1/5
One of the few albums that I didn't finish. Had enough halfway through the third track. At that point I knew that the best parts of this album were the silences between tracks. But that wasn't the interresting part, that was that after failing to complete this album I listened to one of my favorite albums The Language of Life by Everything but the Girl and just now I found out that today's album is Idlewild by Everything but the Girl another of my favorite albums.
Everything But The Girl
5/5
Love this. One of my all time favorite albums, have loved it since it was released.
Miles Davis
3/5
For a jazz album this is not too bad, but I still don't give a toss about it.
CHVRCHES
4/5
Rather liked this, not exactly a master piece but pleasant to listen to. All 4 albums added to favorites for future listening.
Miles Davis
4/5
This was surprisingly OK. I generally don't care for jazz but this was relaxed, laidback and pleasant to listen to. Not music I will search out in the future but should it come up unexpected I won't be turning it off.
The Yardbirds
4/5
Have heard of The Yardbirds and know For Your Love, didn't recognize any of the tracks on this. As answer to a question posed by another reviewer : Yes I know who Keith Relf is and no it didn't know he was The Yardbirds lead-singer. I know Keith from the first incarnation of the band Renaissance, problem is that I much prefer the later incarnation of that band after Keith and his sister had left. Mostly because I much prefer Annie Haslam as singer over Jane Relf. Returning to this album I don't care about the music but it gets 4 stars for the bands importance as a breeding ground.
Nine Inch Nails
1/5
About 20 seconds after the start of the first track there was a very loud voice inside my head screaming "Make it stop". I didn't give into that voice immediately but by the third track I could no longer ignore it. So I listened to A Walk Across the Rooftops by The Blue Nile in order to preserve my sanity..
Culture Club
4/5
Some hate for this in other reviews, don't know why just fun happy music. What can you hate about that. Easy 4. Added this and other Culture Club albums to favorites for future fun happy enjoyable listening.
Dirty Projectors
4/5
After reading some of the reviews I was prepared to hate this but I didn't. Weird but interresting. Probably will never listen to it again but happy I heard this once.
Louis Prima
3/5
Not terrible but also not very interresting. Recognized several songs mostly from various mavies.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
Liked this. I don't think I ever heard anything by this band but found it interresting, fun and enjoyable music. Added this and other albums to favorites for furure listening. Easy 4.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
Only track I know is American Girl and I have never considered that song to be anything special. The rest is even more mediocre than that. So that leaves an album full of music I don't give a crap about.
The Cult
3/5
I have learned a few things.
1. Contrary to what I thought there must be not many more than 1001 albums in this world. If even an album as un-original, un-inspiring, un-interresting and boring as this makes the cut choice must have been very limited indeed.
2. Even cults can apparently be un-inspiring. I always thought a succesful cult had to have an inspiring leader. Maybe that is one of the problems here.
3. There are more albums containing music I don't give a crap about than I ever thought possible.
PS. Born to be Wild nah, Born to be Mildly Irritating at best (or worst depending on how you look at it).
AC/DC
2/5
Didn't have time to listen to this yesterday so I am writing this as I am listening to it. Not as terrible as expected but incredibly repetitive. Now at track nr 3 and feel like I am listening to the same song for the third time. Track 4 has just started sounding much the same as the third so this probably the last I will be listening to.
Lenny Kravitz
1/5
WTF.
Seriously W.T.F.
This was shaping up to be a solid 3 stars (a score reserved for music I don't give a crap about.
Then came Rosemary.
WTF.
Rosemary is a five year old girl living on the streets after being abandoned by her parent but apparently that's OK because God.
WTF.
Not a word of condemnation for her parents (who clearly weren't cab drivers) or society or anyone.
WTF.
Just platitudes about God and Jesus.
EFFING HELL
So EFF Lenny Kravitz and EFF Lisa Bonet the co-writer of this vile despicable garbage.
PS: W.T.F.
PPS: EFF L & L for making me want to believe in Hell so garbage humans like them will get their just deserts. Unfortunately Hell doesn't exist so no just deserts for L & L.
PPPS: Seriously EFF L & L.
Nick Drake
4/5
Difficult to rate. Taking only this album into account I must say that I didn't like it all that much. So that would mean 3 stars. But I do recognize that Nick Drake has influenced lots of other artists some of whom I rate very highly. So taking that into account 4 stars seems to be more appropriate.
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
Only knew Layla and never really liked that song. Rest is not better, too long and with a "Look at me being brilliant" vibe. Don't hate it but don't like it either.
Turbonegro
2/5
Not good. Lyrics make no sense, and most songs are far too long and repetitive.
Paul Simon
4/5
Lots of variety all of it interresting and worth listening to.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
Annoying, irritating, an assault on the ear's. Probably the best things I can say about this. like U2 RHCP is way overhyped and because the audio is compressed to buggery this is tiring to listen to.
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Surprisingly OK. Despite being a life album I liked it. Some songs are too long and self-indulgent but there is enough to like here.
The Cure
4/5
Surprisingly OK. Some weirdness but generally enjoyable.
The Incredible String Band
1/5
Lots of 1 star reviews on this, can't say I disagree. You must be extremely stoned to find this in anyway acceptable. Not being stoned I too can't give more than 1 star.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Suffers from all the problems most jazz suffers from. Too long too much technique too little emotion
Grateful Dead
1/5
Pointless aimless noodling nothing more to say really.
Not Rod's best work, not terribly original but still solid rock and roll. Good for 3.51 stars.
Supertramp
4/5
Not a massive Supertramp fan but generally like them. Enjoyable music, not exactly a masterpiece but fine all the same. Easy 4.
Marty Robbins
4/5
Not exactly my kind of music but I did rather like it. Did knoe El Paso. Easy 4.
John Coltrane
2/5
Who knew something can be both irritating and boring at the same time. Seriously did none of the musicians involved in this listen to any of the others? Sounds like all involved just did their own thing without even a vague plan. Thankfully short.
Jurassic 5
1/5
Great another piece of hip-hop crap. Fantastic another album of songs that all sound exactly the same. Can't tell you much I've been looking forward to that. And what's with the garbage filler that makes it sound like you are listening to an awfull radio-station. What's the point of that besides being extremely annoying. Oh and finally why does Spotify tell me that this is the "Explicit Version" WTF is "Explicit" about the mind-numbingly bland and boring lyrics. Managed to get about halfway through this before I couldn't take it anymore.
Stan Getz
4/5
The word Jazz in the title nearly doomed this but it was surprisingly decent. Generally enjoyed it.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Doesn't really work as an album though the individual songs are pretty enjoyable. As an album it is just too long. As an album this would be 2 stars, but the individual songs are worth 4 stars. So lets compromise at 3 stars.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Boring, uninterresting and mediocre are probably the best things you can say about this.
The Stranglers
3/5
Not as awful as other music from the same genre and period but still not music I give a crap about.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Not a Stones fan. You can't always get what you want is the best song and even that is just barely tolerable. Don't care for or about this album.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
Irritating and repetitive, not much else to say really.
Soft Machine
1/5
Facelift: Just say No, trust me Just say No.
Slightly All The Time: Could have been a decent 5 minute track, didn't survive stretching to 18.
Moon In June: Last ever track with lyrics, shame that decission wasn't made before recording this.
Out-Bloody-Rageous: Really 3 tracks, none interresting all irritating.
Whole Album: Why???
Beastie Boys
1/5
Life's too short.
The Temptations
4/5
Not my kind of music but surprisingly enjoyable.
Brian Wilson
4/5
Bit weird and unfinished in places but lots of fun, interresting and enjoyable. And then there is the history. Not getting 5 stars but damn close.
Traffic
4/5
Really liked it. Never paid much attention to Traffic, know Steve Winwood from his later work but this was very enjoyable. After finishing listened to the album before this (Last Exit) and liked that too. Not getting 5 stars but damn close.
(Next album on here is by Dusty Springfield so that's almost certain to get 5 stars)
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Unsurprisingly loved this as I have been a huge Dusty Springfield fan for a very long time. Didn't know this album but knew about half the tracks from various compilations. Rest was equally excellent. Dusty's version of Twenty-Four hours from Tulsa is now my new favorite version of that song (previously that had been the much slower Mari Wilson version).
Q-Tip
1/5
Great, Hip Hop another album filled with incredibly annoying "singing". Gave up after track 3 as life is just too short to waste listening to this crap.
The Chemical Brothers
1/5
Well that was painful. Repetitive, annoying and irritating and those were the best bits.
Moby
2/5
Why??? Mediocre, repetitive and uninterresting music by a pathetic creep. So why is this on this list???
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
All the track are far too long. I know most are between 3 and 5 minutes so not that long but if you only have 20 to 30 seconds of material stretching that out to even 3 minutes is going to be very repetitive very soon.
Tim Buckley
3/5
When you don't really listen to the lyrics this is actually OK. Decent music and while I can understand that some people don't like the singing I found it acceptable. What is not really acceptable are the lyrics that are mostly very dated, some might say objectionable. OK not as objectionable as "Rosemary" by Lenny Kravitz but I am still deducting 1 star for them.
Tears For Fears
4/5
Have liked this ever since it came out. Hadn't listened to it for some time so was very glad to listen to it again. Have added their albums I don't own to favorites for future listening.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Not a fan of country music or Dolly Parton but this was surprisingly OK. Decent music with some fun lyrics.
Small Faces
4/5
Weird but fun. Did know Lazy Sunday but not any of the other traxks.
Public Enemy
1/5
Life is too short to spend more that 10 minutes listening to this hip hop crap. So I gave it 10 minutes and when it turned out to be as loathsome as I expected it to be I gave up on it.
Calexico
3/5
Was actually not bad, a bit repetitive though. So won't be listening to this again in the future and also won't be looking out for any other albums by Calexico.
Cee Lo Green
1/5
Oh great, hip hop my favorite music genre (not) performed by a garbage human. Fantastic.
Why is this on this (or any) list?
Dion
3/5
Not terrible but not good either. Why is this on this list ? Nobody seems to have liked it when it was released not even the artist himself. The fact that one musician I have never heard of from a band I have never heard of either doesn't seem like a good enough reason.
William Orbit
4/5
Somewhat interresting, a bit long but generally enjoyable. Good enough to get (just) 4 stars.
The Who
4/5
The Who are always a bit of hit and mis. Really like some of their songs others not so much. This album has more hits then misses so gets 4 stars.
Jethro Tull
4/5
Know the name Jethro Tull but don't think I actually listened to their music. This certainly different but not in a bad way. Will I listen to this again, probably not but it was interresting.
Underworld
2/5
Was expecting to hate this but didn't. However in the end it was just too repetitive to be enjoyable.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Johnny Cash is generally worth listening to. Some of the songs on this album may not be perfectly suited to his voice and singing style but Desperado was spot on.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
Interresting album,exactly the kind of music I am doing this for. Never heard it before and will probably never listen to it again but glad I did.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Heard of them but never really listened to their music. It's OK but not fantastic.
Elbow
3/5
Not very interresting, maybe works as background music.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Great album, knew and really like about half of the tracks on it. The rest are equally good. Nearly gets 5 stars.
Missy Elliott
1/5
All this proves is that female rap "artists" can be just as irritating as their male counterparts so jay for gender equality I guess.
Kate Bush
5/5
Have owned and loved this album ever since it came out. Kate Bush is one of my absolute favorite artist.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
Even I have heard of Thelonious Monk. According to the wiki article they recorded 25 takes of the title track and even after that they had to combine several of those takes in the final record. This perfectly illustrates my biggest problem with Jazz, too much technique too little emotion. So yet another Jazz album I don't give a fig about.
John Prine
4/5
Not a fan of country music but this was actually alright. Good lyrics decent music.
Harry Nilsson
2/5
Without You is a decent song and Coconut while not bad is not exactly a masterpiece. The rest is mediocre at best with the longer tracks being far too long and irritating. 2 stars because of Without You.
Paul Simon
5/5
Another album I actually own. Have loved this since it was released.
Radiohead
1/5
This would be boring if it was sung by a better singer. With his whiney voice this is just extremely irritating.
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
Really liked this. Slow enjoyable music. Added several other albums from the same band to my favorites for future listening.
Air
4/5
2 days in succession with bands I have never heard of who turn out to pretty interresting and enjoyable. I also looked up the singer on 2 of the tracks on this album and she too (Beth Hirsch) turn out to be pretty interresting and enjoyable. So 3 new artists/bands to listen to in 2 days is pretty good.
Tricky
2/5
The first track actually was a decent song. However it went downhill very quickly after that, becoming irritating after about the third track.
Jungle Brothers
1/5
Just more irritating crap.
fIREHOSE
3/5
Just meh. Music I don't care about.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Had already put this album on favorites for future listening after an earlier Bob Dylan album on here. Definitely worth listening to.
The Clash
3/5
The Clash are 1 of the exceptions to the rule. The rule being that Punk = Crap. The Clash are somehow more talented and skilled than the average punk rocker. Not talented and skilled enough for me to actively seek out their music but I didn't turn it off in disgust either.
The Crusaders
2/5
This started OK with the title track which I already knew and liked. Unfortunately it then reverted to the usual "Listen to me showing off" borefest of most jazz albums.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Couldn't capture my attention.
Beatles
4/5
What can I say about The Beatles that lot's of people have said a lot better than I am capable of? One of the bands I really like but not love.
The Prodigy
1/5
Mediocre crap that clueless people will probably find edgy. Then there was the controversy about "Smack My Bitch Up". The explanation by the band is beyond pathetic, if you want to be edgy own up to it instead of hiding behind pathetic excuses. But then the NOW is a bunch of partisan hypocrites so that all balances out in that neither side is worth listening to.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Despite Leonard Cohen being a much better songwriter then he is a performer this is actually alright. It did grab and maintain my attention.
Dire Straits
4/5
Always rather liked Dire Straits but never bought any of their albums. Favorite song is "Romeo and Juliet" with "Brothers In Arms" as a close second.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
So it took 2 and a half years and 19 recording studios to record this piece of crap. Oh and several engineers and you still can't understand any of the lyrics. And what is this "shoegaze" nonsense, is that because the musicians were too embarrased about their utter incompetence to look their audience in the eyes.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Interresting but at times too long and aimless. Can't give it more than 3 stars.
Lorde
4/5
Seems I have heard Green Light on some previous occasion. I don't know how, haven't listened to the radio en years. Album was actually alright. Added this and the other 2 albums to favorites for furure listening.
TLC
3/5
This started extremely badly (Intro-lude is a truly terrible piece of "music"), so badly I nearly stopped there. The rest upto and including Waterfalls was actually somewhat enjoyable. Unfortunately after Waterfalls it was all downhill with irritation quickly increasing.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
Had never heard of her, but fortunately have now. Interresting music, varied, enjoyable and fun.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Bruce Springsteen is one of those musicians who are somewhat overhyped. Some of his music may actually deserve the praise heaped upon it but most of it is mediocre at best. This album is definitely seriously mediocre.
Cream
3/5
Never really cared for Cream and this has not changed that. Don't hate it but don't really like it either.
Baaba Maal
3/5
Not the first African album on this list. Unfortunately this one is only suitable for background music. Nothing irritating but also nothing interresting about it.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Never been a fan of CCR.
Supergrass
2/5
"Alright" is sort of alright but the rest isn't.
Bill Callahan
4/5
Rather liked this. Never heard of Bill Callahan but this was surprisingly interresting and enjoyable. Voice may take some getting used too but generally a fun record.
The Birthday Party
1/5
Well that was terrible. Managed to endure the first 2 tracks before protecting my sanity. Then listened to The Good Son a Nick Cave album I actually like.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
Cyndi Lauper is always fun.
The Specials
4/5
Didn't think much of The Specials or their music at the time. While this is still not my kind of music I can appreciate the enthousiasm and enery. So all in all a surprisingly enjoyable listen.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Never been an Elvis fan. Like some songs like In the Ghetto and Suspicious Minds, the rest of this album not so much. So can't give more than 3 stars.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Mostly boring.
De La Soul
1/5
Hip Hop "singing". Check
"Vinyl" sound-effects. Check
"Radio Show". Check
Can this get any worse ?
I'm sure there will be a worse abum in the near future but I utterly hate this one.
The Byrds
3/5
Don't hate it, don't love it. Basically uninterresting.
Steve Earle
3/5
Not too bad. Nearly enjoyable but not really my kind of music.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Never been a Stones fan. Most of their songs are mediocre at best. This album is not the exception to the rule. That would normally mean 3 stars but unfortunately Going Home is so irritating that it loses 1 star just for that track.
Neil Young
4/5
Neil Young is alright, not nearly as good as he thinks himself to be but decent enough. Surprised to be able to listen this on Spotify since I remember Neil saying he was going to pull his music from Spotify during his major tantrum over Joe Rogan a few years ago. Probably forgotten that he had sold a lot of the rights to his music to an investment fund and so had only limited control over it.
Miles Davis
2/5
A jazz album I don't completely hate. Only hate 90%. Well I assume it is 90% because I gave up after track 3 (still more than 1 hour). Do these musicians actually listen to each other? A lot of the time they seem to be doing their own thing without regard to anyone else. Which seems strange as I have to assume they only care about impressing each other.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Not my kind of music but Sarah Vaughan is an excellent singer which made this an enjoyable listen.
Dr. Dre
1/5
Dr. Dre is a sack of shit, does anything more need to be said? I don't think so.
N.W.A.
1/5
Same review as yesterday. Dr. Dre is a sack of shit.
Van Morrison
3/5
Not very interresting. Not bad but basically very forgettable.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Not my kind of music but strangely enjoyable.
Nick Drake
4/5
Rather liked this. Didn't much like an earlier (actually later) Nick Drake album (Pink Moon) but enjoyed this one.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
Nothing interresting about this. Not actually bad but instantly forgettable.
Hüsker Dü
1/5
Punk my favorite music genre NOT. Highly irritating noise.
Al Green
4/5
Not my kind of music but surprisingly enjoyable. Not enjoyable enough to at Al Green to favorites but I did enjoy listening to this album.
Solange
2/5
This was so uniterresting that halfway through I decided that I would prefer the audio from a train cab view video I was watching. And I did.
Moby Grape
3/5
4 tracks were missing on Spotify, even more missing on Qobuz. The remaining 9 track were not very interresting. Barely adequate as background music.
The Police
2/5
Ah The Police, one of those overhyped bands. Only 2 semi-decent tracks on this. And just the mention of reggae (like jazz and punk) immediately raises my suspisions, justifiably in this case.
Nirvana
1/5
Is Nirvana the most overhyped band ever? Probably not but is must be near the top 10. Utterly ghastly music and "singing".
Happy Mondays
2/5
This is the second album by the Happy Mondays on this list. My review on the first (Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches) included the words "boring, uninterresting and mediocre" and a rating of 3 stars. Unfortunately all those words are applicable to this album too, with the additional word "irritating" so this only gets 2 stars.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
After an earlier album by The Divine Comedy (Casanova) I had added their albums to favorites for future listening. Then sometime ago I was watching some DVDs I hadn't watched for several years one of them being "When Brendan Met Trudy" which features the first track on this album "In Pursuit of Happiness" So I had already listened to this album. Liked it just as much as "Casanova".
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Just don't care.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
This album like previous Stevie Wonder albums doesn't produce any emotion in me. Don't hate it just totally inconsequential.
Raekwon
1/5
Only positive about this album are some of the reviews on here some of which are truly hilarious. Just noticed that today's album is Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here one of my absolute favorite albums. Not going to listen to that today, probably on the weekend with a nice drink and really enjoy myself.
Pink Floyd
5/5
As mentioned in yesterday's review this is one of my absolute favorite albums. Didn't listen to it yesterday, will this evening with a nice drink and will thoroughly enjoy it.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Bit of a waste of time this one. There were times it threatened to be interresting but unfortunately it never got there. So it going to get the dreaded 3 stars for music I don't give a figg about.
Sugar
3/5
Un-remarkable, Un-interresting, Un-inspired. I am sure I can think of more words starting with Un that are applicable to this album but I really don'r want to waste any more time to this.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Surprisingly enjoyable. Knew the name but don't think I ever listened to any of his music (not deliberately anyway). Worth 4 stars.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Not a Dylan fan but most of his music is solid enough and so is this. Knew about half of the tracks. Solid 4.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Nothing interresting, notable or remarkable about this. Instantly forgettable.
David Gray
4/5
Surprisingly enjoyable. Added several albums by David Gray to favorites for future listening.
Queen
4/5
Who doesn't love a bit of Queen? Don't love this enough for 5 stars but 4 is a no brainer.
Green Day
2/5
Loud but only slightly obnoxious. Repetitive and not very enjoyable. Not bad enough to hate but bad enough to dislike.
James Brown
1/5
2 problems with this album. The first is that it is a live album. The second much bigger problem is that James Brown was a garbage human. Can you seperate the artist from the rest of his behaviour? I think not.
R.E.M.
4/5
Really like R.E.M. own several of their albums including this one.
Beatles
4/5
What can I say about The Beatles ? Not very much. I only own one of their albums (Sgt. Pepper"s) but know most of their songs. Weakest song of this album is Michelle, never really liked that one. Rest is enjoyable happy music.
The Chemical Brothers
1/5
I don't know what kind of chemicals the're on but it clearly rotted their memory as repeating the same sentence over and over and over and over is not exactly a sign of an excellent memory (or talent).
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
The quality of singing on this is really poor. Not even adequate for background music.
Herbie Hancock
2/5
Too long, too repetitive. Completely failed to grab my attention. Hardly works as background music.
Gorillaz
1/5
"If you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell – there's nothing of substance there. So we got this idea for a cartoon band, something that would be a comment on that."
Well they failed spectacularly at that goal. They did however succeeded in fitting in with MTV by producing an album with absolutely no substance what so ever.
One of the reviewers here suggested listening to Deltron 3030 and while I can't say I like them much more but at least they produced something with a little more substance.
So Gorillaz 1 star, Deltron 3030 2 stars.
AC/DC
3/5
Knew the title track but then if you know one AC/DC song you know them all. So bland and inoffensive that you can't even dislike it. Just completely irrelevant.
1/5
Well that was effing irritating. Only made it halfway before protecting my ears and brain.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
Completely unknown to me but surprisingly interresting and enjoyable.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Very repetitive and not at all interresting.
Talking Heads
2/5
Really like once in a Lifetime, the rest not so much. Talking Heads being one of the bands from whom I only like a very small part of their music. One good track can not rescue this album.
Queen Latifah
2/5
Know Queen Latifah from her acting and not from her music. After listening to this I feel I haven't missed much. Not repetitive enough to really hate it but irritating enough.
David Bowie
4/5
This started very disappointingly. It did get better but in the end it managed to just get 4 stars. As an other reviewer commented I too expect more from David Bowie.
John Lennon
2/5
What was this? The awful screaming and a lot of the songs mostly unfinished. Then there are the inconsistencies in the lyrics. Apparently John doesn't (didn't) believe in god. Fine, can't fault him for that as neither do I. But he also doesn't believe in Hitler and Elvis. No while I have not actually met either I do think there is ample evidence for the existence of both. So not believing in them seems a bit strange. All in all a pretty annoying album.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Instantly forgettable, totally non attention grabbing, boring, not much more to say really.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Totally unremarkable. Never managed to grab my attention.
Femi Kuti
4/5
Great album, lots of energy lots of fun. Never heard of him but definitely worth listening to.
Frank Ocean
3/5
Well that was very generic.
Supergrass
2/5
I would just call it forgetable but unfortunately there were some very irritating bits.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Sort of alright. Nothing bad but very bland and forgettable.
The Human League
4/5
Own 2 of their albums (Hysteria Crash) knew only Don't You Want Me from this album. Not all tracks are as good as that but there is enough here to like.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
Expectations were very low after reading the dreaded Jazz word in the Wiki article but I rather liked it. Knew Spinningwheel and You Made Me So Very Happy but not in the versions on this album. The Wiki article also seems to suggest that it wasn't all that well recieved by critics at the time something that should have raised my expectations. It seems the more critics like an album the more I hate it. Blues, Pt. 2 is a bit too jazzy for my taste but all in all worth 4 stars.
Michael Jackson
2/5
If you could seperate the musician from the rest of the person this album could get 4 stars. However you can't and so because of all that Michael Jackson has done 2 is the absolute maximum it is going to get.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
From the Wiki article "It is regarded today as being of historical interest for showing both Shankar's musical skills and his interest in teaching the West about classical Indian music." This is exactly what is wrong with this. I don't listen to music to be wowed by someone's skill or to be taught about some aspect of that music. I listen to music because it is an enjoyable experience and this is not enjoyable at all. I don't hate it but neither did I enjoy it so 3 stars.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Really like some of Elvis Costello's songs. One of them (Oliver's Army) is on this album. The rest are not as good as this but there is enough to like.
Pink Floyd
5/5
One of my favorite albums. Great music, decent story. Listen to this album a few times a year.
David Bowie
4/5
I don't think I can say anything about David Bowie that hasn't been said before and probably a lot better then I can. I knew and like several of the songs on this album including one of my favorite Bowie songs (Life on Mars?). While not every song is equally good there is more than enough here to like.
Maxwell
3/5
Started reasonably alright but soon became repetitive and so completely lost my attention.
Erykah Badu
1/5
First the lenght. Just because you can fit 72 minutes on a cd doesn't mean you should. Secondly there is something very irritating about her voice. Only lasted 4 tracks and then I couldn't take the assault on my ears anymore.
Nina Simone
4/5
Never really listened to Nina Simone a whole lot. Definitely a mistake on my part as I really liked this.
The Strokes
1/5
WTF is this? Why the truly horrible sound quality? Why the distorted vocals? Life's too short to care about any of this. It is also too short to listen to this for more than a few minutes.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
I know it is important, influential and at the time revolutionary but as a piece of music now it is not something I care about.
Pixies
4/5
Liked a lot of it to my surprise. There were some very irritating bits though. But in the end liked it enough for 4 stars.
Blur
3/5
Overhyped much? Well yes but they're not alone. In the end I don't really care about Blur or their music.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Johnny Cash is one of the few country music artists I don't hate and while this is a live albums which are generally not my favorite it has energy and authenticity. So like At Folsom Prison I do like this.
Little Richard
4/5
I was not very hopeful because while I understand the importance of music from this era I don't always like it. This was a lot better than anticipated however and I liked a lot of it.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
Lots of energy and fun. A joy to listen to.
Mj Cole
1/5
Well that was crap. The only thing the wiki article mentioned was that this album was on this list, nothing more. What can I say. Every track I listend to was either boring, repetitive or annoying sometimes all three.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Never been a fan of Led Zeppelin and this has not changed that. Don't hate it but don't care about it.
A Tribe Called Quest
1/5
Started surprisingly good. For a short time I was thinking that maybe not all rap albums were crap. Didn't last long as it soon became as annoying and irritating as all other rap music. Then there were the samples of other songs, which just served to remind you that here is far better music out there than this crap.
The Smiths
4/5
Was prepared to hate it but rather liked it. Morrissey is an asshat but as far as I know has done nothing more than spout a bunch of ill-informed opinions. If anyone takes note of the opinions of a musician on anything but music that is really their problem.
R.E.M.
4/5
Solid R.E.M. Didn't know this album (did know two songs,It's the end of the world as we know it and The one I love) really enjoyed it.
The Associates
2/5
Well that was a waste of time. 10 tracks ranging from nearly enjoyable (Party Fears Two) to extremely irritating (Bap De La Bap). That makes for a total rating of "Dislike"..
Eagles
4/5
Own this. There are a few tracks I regularly listen to (Hotel California, The Last Resort) but I don't listen to the whole album very often. Listening to it now reminded me that the rest of the album is also very good. Not good enough for 5 stars but it is very close.
Steve Winwood
4/5
Second album in a row I actually own. Hadn't listened to it for some time. Listening to it now showed me that I should listen to it more often.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
1/5
The first few seconds tells you everything you need to know about this album. Screaming and terrible noise. Life's too short to listen to more of it.
2Pac
1/5
Garbage music by a garbage human being.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
No I don't want to "Talk like this". Don't totally hate it but it is pretty dire.
Beatles
4/5
Can't really say anything about the Beatles that other's haven't said a lot better. All solid songs, not a bad one between them.
SZA
3/5
Not as terrible as I expected. Sometimes actually enjoyable, too many cheesy gimmicks (pitch changes, "Vinyl" sounds, "shocking" lyrics) however to really enjoy.
The White Stripes
1/5
This wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" Can't forgive them for butchering that.
The Fall
1/5
"Post Punk" Clearly not "Post" enough. Just as irritating as the average punk band.
Gene Clark
3/5
Really nothing interresting about this. Nothing bad either.
The Pretty Things
1/5
First track was actually OK. Became mildly to extremely irritating soon after that.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Don't like reggae. This certainly didn't change my opinion. Never understood the cult status of Bob Marley.
As an other reviewer here put it: "Not exactly horrible, but I just don't know why I'm supposed to give a damn."
Laibach
4/5
WTF was that?? It was surprisingly interresting and I rather enjoyed it. Put it on favorites to listen to again in the near future. For the moment rated at 4 stars.
1/5
I have no idea who "They" are but clearly "They" were not wrong and "We" who must be the band are clearly Liars who didn't drown but managed to inflict this abomination on "Us" anyone unfortunate enough to have heard it.
Deep Purple
2/5
Never really been a Deep Puple fan. Only know and like Child in Time and I don't even like that track that much. So it can't save this album from getting only 2 stars.
New York Dolls
1/5
According to the wiki article this band and album inspired the punk rock that was to follow. Thank you very much NOT. Inspiring a bunch of punk rock "singers" again thank you very much. This album is not actually that bad but I can't forgive it for the utter garbage that it inspired.
Korn
1/5
Lots of hate in the reviews for this. Well that hate is totally deserved, as one reviewer said in my mother tongue:
"Tering wat een troep"
Only positive thing I can say is that I don't hate Jonathan Davis as much as I hate Johnny Rotten but it is damn close.
I did manage to liusten to the whole album something I now regard as waisting my time.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Don't listen to Frank Sinatra very much. This because I am not that into the genre of his music. He is an excellent singer and I rather enjoyed this album.
Green Day
1/5
Had I been 12 when this came out I might have considered this "deep" and "edgy" and then I might have something positive to say in this review. However even in 2004 I was a lot older then 12 and also I don't think I ever heard it before now since I don't recognize any of it.
From my review for Dookie "Loud but only slightly obnoxious".
This album however is more than slightly obnoxious as reflected in the 1 star rating.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Never understood the appeal of Robbie Williams but then I am neither a straight woman nor a gay man so that is probably the reason. Don't hate his music but don't particularly like it either.
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
Did some counting, this is the 319th album and the 15th I actually own. Not a big fan of dance music but am a fan of the Pet Shop Boys. A large part of that are the lyrics. Don't listen to this album as an album very often but listen to several of the tracks on it very regularly. Listening to the whole album convinced me that I should do that more often. I don't give 5 stars easily but this is definitely worth it.
The Who
4/5
It has been a very long time since I heard this. Still a pretty good album, not perfect but definitely good enough.
Doves
3/5
What can I say about this? Interresting at times but on the whole not interresting enough.
Various Artists
4/5
F*ck Phil Spector but that is not the fault of the performers. I don't do much for christmas but I have been overdosing on cheesy christmas movies for more than a week now and this album fits perfectly with that. Fun and energetic versions of (american) standards.
Jazmine Sullivan
1/5
Well that was terrible. It started with fake "vinyl" pops, that completely makes me hate it. As I said in a previous review I do not need to be reminded of the crapness of vinyl as a material for music reproduction. Then there are the vapid lyrics especially in the "tales". So after Rashida's tale I couldn't take it anymore.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Not a Stones fan. Only song I knew was Brown Sugar which has some troubling lyrics ("Hear him whip the women, just around midnight" is this a song about Phil Spector? Sean Combs was only 2 when this came out so it probably isn't about him). The rest is alright but nothing more. So won't be revisiting this.
T. Rex
3/5
As I do often I had this playing while doing something else. Something that doesn't require much concentration and can be abandoned at any time without consequences. This did not caused me to do that. I did recognized some of it but it never grabbed my attention.
Ministry
1/5
Because I was a bit behind I had this playing immediately after the previous album (Electric Warrior by T.Rex). While the former was acceptable background music this started to irritate immediately. Mostly the "singing" but also the repetitive nature of the music. After the distorted shouting in TV II I had enough and did what I should have done within 10 seconds after the start ending the assault on my ears.
Fatboy Slim
1/5
"Cook had a habit of buying obscure vinyl records and sampling elements that he liked". So he stole other peoples music and this is what he did with that stolen music. I can understand why the original music was "obscure". This is depressingly repetitive. Oh and repeating the same worth over and over and over does not make a lyric. Oh and like mega corporations like to remind us "Piracy is not a victemless crime" In this case the victems were my ears and my sanity.
Beck
2/5
Experimentation for experimentation's sake is maybe the most positive thing I can say about this. Boring and repetitive are soem of the less positive things to say.
Orbital
3/5
In-offensive is probably the best word to describe this. Works as back-ground music. Just a bit above muzak but not much.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Seems a lot of people here really like this. I don't, don't hate it either to me it is just mostly meh. At least it ended on a relative high-note as I failed to like "The Unwelcome Guest" by just the tiniest margin.
Deerhunter
3/5
Self-indulgent, self-important, shoe-gazing, navel-gazing, hipster, unremarkable and generic are some of the words used by reviewers here to describe this album and I think those are really appropriate.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Actually own this. Hadn't listened to it in a long time. Very happy to be reminded as it still sounds pretty good.
The Black Keys
2/5
Irritating, repetitive noise that seems to larp as blues. OK if you say so. I will try not to hold other blues musicians responsible for your trangessions. At least I managed to listen to all 18 tracks so that must mean ... not very much.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Somehow PJ Harvey never really caught my attention. Did know the name. Rather liked this. Definitely worth investigation more of her music.
The Cramps
1/5
Well that was ... not good. They even managed to f*ck up "Fever".
The Beach Boys
5/5
When an album is praised as much as this I am usually disappointed when listening to finding it over-hyped lots of times. Not this time, this actually sounds as good as it is reputed to be. I had heard of it but never listened to it in it's entirity and I really loved it. 3 tracks have been on my list of best tracks ever for a long time and the rest doesn't disappoint. So a rare but deserved 5 stars.
Fela Kuti
4/5
To paraphrase my earlier review for another Fela Kuti album on this list: Music far outside my musical comfort zone but I really liked it. The music has lots of energy and passion. Easy 4 stars.
50 Cent
2/5
Not as horrific as I expected. Still pretty bad and (c)rap "singing" just rubs me the wrong way. Made it to "Heat", there's just so much repetitiveness and sound effects anyone can stand I guess.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Nothing bad to say about this one, unfortunately also nothing good to say about it. Best thing to say about it is "OK as background music"
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Not a Led Zeppelin fan and listening to this didn't change that. Too long and too forgettable. Kashmir is OK but it did remind me of another as yet unidentified track (not Signifying Rapper although I think the track I'm thinking of is of the rap variety). Didn't recognize any of the tracks. Seeing the reviews here very much over-rated.
Gene Clark
4/5
Surprisingly enjoyable really. Bit of a Bob Dylan vibe but that's alright. Maybe because I am from the only country this seems to have been a success in but I rather liked it.
Lou Reed
3/5
Can't really review this after only 1 time listening to it. It is too complex for that. So can only give it a neutral score as the final score could go either way.
Flamin' Groovies
2/5
Certainly has a Rolling Stones vibe to some of the tracks and I don't like The Stones either.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Didn't expect to like this very much. Do recognise the importance but never been a great fan of Elvis Presley. This was however surprisingly enjoyable, can't say I love it but did like it.
Dead Kennedys
1/5
Hardly any fresh fruit but plenty of rotting vegetables. (some reviews just write themselves)
Common
1/5
The first track started promising right until Lonnie decided to open his gob and it all went to shit. Only question still remaining is what I hate more, rap or punk. After this rap is winning. (is it winning if you are the most hated or should that be losing?)
Fugees
1/5
Generic rap album. (another win for rap).
Prefab Sprout
4/5
Another album I actually own. Problem with having your music collection on a server is that it is just too easy to play single tracks (for this album mostly Appetite) and you hardly ever listen to the whole album anymore. This prompted me to do just that after a long time and it something I really must do more.
The Killers
3/5
Slightly annoying but mostly just meh..
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Barely works as background music.
Black Sabbath
1/5
Have always hated Black Sabbath and that hasn't changed.
The Cure
4/5
The Cure are a band I didn't pay much attention to at the time but the previous album on here was alright and so is this. Not exactly a masterpiece but good enough.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
Started alright (just alright, not great or anything) but soon run out of steam and by track 8 or so started to annoy.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Nick Cave is hit and miss. Really like "The good Son", this not so much.
Adele
5/5
Excellent album. Already knew several tracks and the rest is just as good. Had already added Adele to favorites but hadn't got around to listen to it.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Not exactly my kind of music but enjoyable all the same.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
1/5
Neil Young has always been more miss than hit and this is sofar into miss teritory you can't even see your way out of it again.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
Never listened to this album in it's entirity. Did know the well known tracks (title track, Jet, Mrs Vandebilt) clearly my loss. The whole album is pretty good, not 5 star good but close.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Don't really like live albums but did like this one. Lot's of energy and fun.
Slade
4/5
Have never taken Slade seriously and think that is exactly the way to approach this album. Don't take it seriously and just enjoy the beat, and I did enjoy it.
Dire Straits
4/5
Generally really like all Dire Straits tracks I'm familliar with (which is only a small part of the total). The tracks on this album I was not familiar with are pretty good as well.
Joan Baez
4/5
Doesn't really work as an album, it all becomes too repetitive. Individual tracks do work well as random parts of a much longer playlist.
Black Sabbath
1/5
This album like the previous one on this list (Paranoid) does nothing to change my hatred for Black Sabbath's "music". (And my very short review of Paranoid actually got a thumbs up so it seems that I am not the only one with this opinion)
Frank Sinatra
4/5
As I'm getting older I enjoy music like this more and more. The tracks are really excellent on their own but as an album it's a bit repetitive. But I will be adding more Frank Sinatra to my longer playlists.
Van Halen
2/5
Jump is sort of alright but only just. Rest is somewhere between uninterresting and annoying.
David Bowie
2/5
David Bowie is one of the artists that is very hit and miss to me. Like some of his music but most of it not so much. The track Heroes is alright but the rest not so much.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Never heard of this guy but really enjoyed it. Which is the main reason I'm doing this, discovering interresting music unknown to me.
The Go-Go's
4/5
Just an unpretentious fun album. Knew several of the tracks.
Richard Hawley
4/5
Another reviewer mentioned The Roadhouse in Twin Peaks and this album definitively has that sort of vibe. Must hurry, need to listen to some Julee Cruise now.
The Go-Betweens
4/5
Surprisingly enjoyable.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Stairway to Heaven is an excellent though somewhat overhyped track. That alone should give a score of at least 4 but unfortunately there is too much dross on this album so it's not getting more than 3.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Earth, Wind & Fire are alright, not exactly earth-shattering but enjoyable all the same.
ZZ Top
3/5
Really only know this from the music videos and the car featured in those. Music is totally forgettable.
Pulp
2/5
Questionable lyrics, equally questionable "singing" and music you will have forgotten even before the track has ended. What's not to like? Well this album clearly.
Blondie
4/5
Lots of variety all of it interresting, full of energy and fun to listen to. Only knew Blondie from a Best of album and some music video's but that is clearly not enough. Will be exploring further.
Sabu
3/5
Again an album with music far outside my musical comfort zone. I try to give these albums the benefit of the doubt but that wasn't enough this time. Most of it is just to repetitive. Nearly liked the final track (Tribilin Cantore) but that is not enough to give this more than 3 stars.
Madonna
4/5
Not familiar with this side of Madonna (stopped paying attention after Erotica) but this was a pleasant surprise, really liked this. Recognized two tracks (Frozen and The Power of Good-Bye) so must have heard those some time. Not all tracks are the same quality and some are a bit long but all in all very enjoyable. Will be listening to this again.
Hugh Masekela
2/5
Jazz just rubs me the wrong way and this album is no exception. Some of the tracks are not too bad but most are like Blues for Huey which incorperates all the aspects that turn me of jazz including that "Listen to me being brilliant for no particular reason" vibe which most jazz suffers from to an unbearable degree.
3/5
David Bowie is really hit and miss to me (mostly miss). Starman is excellent but the rest is mediocre at best.
TV On The Radio
2/5
Well that was mostly irritating. Didn't completely hated it but it did not want me to listen to it ever again nor to anything else this band has made.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Well that was "interresting". Mostly just a lot of awful noise. Don't really know why I needed to hear this. Mustn't question our musical overlords though. I'm a good citizen me and always do what I'm told so I listened to this. Now let's just hope I can forget it soon.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Great when Grace Slick is doing lead vocals, considerably less so when she doesn't. Overall still pretty good.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
Rufus does sound just a bit whiny from time to time but overall a pretty enjoyable album.
Beatles
5/5
When I think of the Beatles I don't think of albums but of singles. Don't think I ever listened to this as an album but I did now nearly all trackes. Innovative (at the time), influential and enjoyable you can't really ask for more can you.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
This album proves that I don't always listen closely enough to the lyrics which are a lot more interresting than I at first. Did know Mercy Mercy Me but never really listened to the lyrics.
As an atheist the frequent referals to God and Jesus seem like a cop-out to me but if it helps you navigate this life then who am I to judge.
Kendrick Lamar
1/5
Great, more hip-hop (c)rap. I really need more of that in my life.
Björk
4/5
As with most things Björk this is weird and (mostly) wonderful. Actally own the album Debut which I don't listen to very frequently. I really must explore her music much more.
The Only Ones
2/5
This is just mediocre and boring when the "singer" keeps his gob shut. Unfortunately he doesn't so then it becomes annoying.
Coldplay
2/5
Music and lyrics are just bland and inoffensive however Chris Martin's singing makes this annoying.
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
(C)raptastic
Jacques Brel
5/5
Generally don't like life albums but will make an exception for this. After Brel now waiting for Serge Gainsbourg to show up on this list because both of those artist are a lot more important and influential than a lot of the American and British dross that made it onto this list.
Caetano Veloso
4/5
Not really my kind of music but surprisingly enjoyable.
Portishead
4/5
Strange but surprisingly enjoyable. Don't think I ever heard anything from Portishead a thing that needs to change.
ABBA
5/5
Solid Abba album. Like all Abba music deceptively simple. That should earn it 4 stars but this has on it one of the best songs of all time imho, Slipping Through My Fingers and that means the full 5 stars.
Björk
4/5
As I said in my review of another Björk album (Vulnicura) just a week ago I actually own this album but don't listen to it nearly frequently enough. Really must rectify that.
Just counted and this is the 16th album I own out of 395 listened to so far. That is 4% and better than I expected.
The xx
2/5
Not exactly terrible but definately part of the dross I complained about in my Jacques Brel review not too long ago. No idea why I have to listen to this really.
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
More dross, not terrible just totally uninterresting.
Tina Turner
3/5
Not great. The well known tracks are alright (but not more than that) but the whole is lots of things beginning with un (uninterresting, unremarkable, underwhelming etc)
Aerosmith
1/5
So the music is mostly instantly forgettable and only sometimes irritating. That would mean 2 or 3 stars however with Steven Tyler being a garbage human that means 1 star and that's because I can't give it 0.
The Smashing Pumpkins
1/5
The only positive about this is the (long and very witty) review on here comparing Billy Corgan's voice to Cartman's. The album is every bit as dire as described in that review. Made it as far as Here Is No Why (what language is that? certainly isn't english) which sounded just like the preceeding two tracks. 1 star is really far too generous. Anyway off to listen to Boudewijn de Groot's Het Land Van Maas En Waal. The lyrics to that also make absolutely no sense but they are at least fun.
Motörhead
1/5
This is not starting well. Haven't even started listening yet but was reading through the reviews and most seem to say that the title track is way better than anything else on this album and I have really hated that song ever since I first heard it so that's not a great start.
The reviews were wrong. Ace of Spades is not better than the other tracks, they are all the same f*cking song. So I now thoroughly hate all the tracks on this album.
4/5
Another album by PJ Harvey, another reminder that I have been missing out by not paying any attention to her music.
The Thrills
4/5
Fun album. Never heard any of it before and probably not influential enough to be on this list but I find that to be true for a lot of albums on this list. Really enjoyed it.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
Sort of alright but nothing memorable.
Roxy Music
3/5
Roxy Music doesn't really do it for me. Only knew Do The Strand but haven't heard that in decades. Can't say I was excited about hearing it again so another "meh" album.
Prince
2/5
Not even finished the second track and already bored. Tracks would maybe have been alright at half the lenght but too long and too repetitive.
Just finished Starfish and Coffee and I am getting annoyed. There is clearly talent and originality here but it is all so unfocused and all the tracks fo far just drag on and on. Even the short Starfish and Coffee managed to outstay it's welcome.
On Hot Thing now and I just had to look just how long this track is and was surprised it is only 5:38. When I looked it felt like I had been listening to it for much longer than that, at least 8 minutes or more.
Well made it to the end and am pretty annoyed. There clearly is talent and originality here but it all get's lost in songs that drag on and on. And they're not really that long but somehow too long. And the wasted talent just annoys me terribly. This could have been a great album and it just isn't. And for that reason I really dislike this just like Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. Such a waste.
David Bowie
4/5
That was surprising. David Bowie is more miss than hit with me but this was surprisingly enjoyable. It was also varied and interresting which I didn't expect. To call it his Magnum Opus seems a bit much but it is pretty good. Just misses out on 5 stars but by only by a tiny margin.
Billy Bragg
2/5
Didn't like Bragg at the time and that hasn't changed neither has this improved with age.
Ute Lemper
4/5
Didn't know Ute Lemper but had come across The Devine Comedy on here before and really liked them. This album seems to be very controversial here, lots of people hating it. I don't, rather enjoyed it. Have added Ute Lemper to favorites for future listening.
Buffalo Springfield
4/5
Have mixed feelings about Buffalo Springfield, really love some of there songs others not so much. This does have Expecting to Fly one of my all time favorite songs so that is good. Most of the rest is pretty good too but as an album it is a bit disjointed, not really surprising with everything going on during the recording(s)
Tim Buckley
4/5
Have encountered another Tim Buckley album on this list (Greeting from L.A.) little over a year ago. In the review for that I stated that the music was OK but that I was subtracting 1 star for the lyrics some of whom I found "objectionable" can't remember why though. The music on this album is OK too and none of the lyrics are objectionable. They aren't great but not bad. So this album is just a bit above 3 stars.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
4/5
I had forgotten about this. Well not entirely as I recognized the song Rattlesnakes. I really liked this and have added all Lloyd Cole's albums to favorites.
Paul Weller
4/5
Know Paul Weller from The Style Council whom I like. Don't think I ever heard this before but am very glad I now have. Liked it a lot.
Randy Newman
5/5
What do I see in the reviews? Lots of 1 star reviews. Why? For the use of a word in the first song. Tell me you've missed the point without telling me you've missed the point! People missing the point and then going apeshit is nothing new however. (see the wikipedia article on the song You've Got To Be Carefully Taught from South Pacific for a 75 year old example). This is an excelent album with great music and even greater insightful lyrics about a bygone era. In some cases it is good things are different now in most however it is not. Then there are the things that stay the same (see Mr President (Have Pity on the Working Man)). This totally deserves a rare 5 star rating (16th 5 star rating out of 414 albums listened to)
Shuggie Otis
4/5
Never heard of Shuggie Otis but this was a pleasant surprise. Very enjoyable.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
And I hope you like jammin' too.
Not really, at least not this kind. At least it was short so not too much of a chore.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
After the first track (oh baby) I was hopeful that the more scathing reviews were wrong however I was the one that was wrong. What followed was just as horrible I was led to believe. american dream (the title track) was alright but two alright songs don't save a truly dreadful album.
4/5
Not all that familiar with Yes's work. What I do know is that it's a bit hit and miss. Didn't know this album but it is mostly hit so that's good.
Tom Waits
4/5
Wonderfully weird. Enjoyed it a lot.
Digital Underground
1/5
I hate oatmeal lumpy or not.
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
Not a fan of dance music but will gladly make an exception for the Pet Shop Boys. I don't think they have ever released an original song that I don't love or at least like. Some of the re-mixes I am not too keen on but the non re-mixed tracks are always excellent. And this album is no exception. Easy 5 stars.
Manic Street Preachers
1/5
Had I been a teenager when this came out I might have thought it was deep and insightfull but I wasn't and this isn't.
Wilco
4/5
Never heard of Wilco but this was alright. Not sure I really NEEDED to hear this but am happy that I have. Bit long but not too long.
Nick Drake
4/5
So this is the third (first) Nick Drake album and like previous albums I rather liked this and with the influence he has had on artist I really rate this is an easy 4 stars.
TV On The Radio
2/5
Too irritating to be enjoyable. Not as bad as some albums on this list so 2 stars.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
Aimless self-indulgent noodling. Total waste of time.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
One of my absolute favorite albums. Only (minor) negative is the inclusion of the life recording of Bye Bye Love never really understood that decission. But that is a very minor gripe.
Wire
1/5
At least it's short. Oh and what about this is POST-punk, it sounds as dreadful as punk so what's post about it. Looking at the lyrics made clear that not being able to understand most of those is a blessing.
Nanci Griffith
5/5
Have been a massive Nanci Griffith fan ever since hearing one of her songs about fifteen years ago. Now I am not generally a fan of country music but Nanci's lyrics are free from the fakeness and simplistic jingoism that infests so much of country music. So that just leaves great music, great lyrics and a fantastic voice. What more can you ask for? (well a nice drink is always appreciated).
Soul II Soul
2/5
Keep On Movin' is alright but the rest is just as dire as I had expected. So 2 stars for Keep On Movin' but without it it would only be 1.
Peter Tosh
2/5
Not a fan of reggae. This certainly hasn't changed my opinion.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
1/5
Incredibly dated and irritating.
Eminem
1/5
The lyrics are juvenile and disgusting. Oh and Dr Dre is a garbage human.