Mar 01 2024
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Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
Reminds me of being in the car with my parents in the early 90’s. The album peaks at the title track, then is more of the same ‘rock opera’ format that starts to grate on you after a while. I guess it came out in 1977, so maybe it was groundbreaking then, but really not my kinda thing.
3
Mar 02 2024
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1999
Prince
All killer. Love this album.
5
Mar 03 2024
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Ramones
Ramones
Oh, it’s the one that goes ‘ey, oh, let’s go’. This was where the album peaked. By the end of it I just wanted it to be over. Thank fuck it was only 29 minutes long.
1
Mar 04 2024
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Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Im not really into rock music, but the riffs and dynamics are excellent. Love how they strip things back to just drums and bass, never feeling like it’s straying into over-indulgence.
5
Mar 05 2024
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Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
Heard a few songs from this. Catchy pop music. The sound of advertising.
3
Mar 06 2024
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Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
Some absolute bangers on here. Despite having that late 80’s sound, a lot of the tracks still sound so fresh. The ballad of Dorthy Parker is a highlight for me, although there’s just so much good material on this record.
5
Mar 07 2024
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Treasure
Cocteau Twins
Kinda sounds like Portishead from the 80’s. Not sure if it’s because I listened to it on my work headphones, or because I’d drank too much coffee, but the jangly guitar present on and throughout most tracks became a bit nauseating. I did quite like Pandora - reminds me of Vibes is Right by Barrington Levy.
3
Mar 08 2024
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Dummy
Portishead
God, Trip-hop was good wasn’t it? The whole album breathes, like it’s a living thing. Numb is a prime example. Amazing.
5
Mar 09 2024
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Kid A
Radiohead
Off to a good start, great layers and texture, then descended into whiny sludge. Almost redeemed by Idioteque, but I was uninvested by that point.
2
Mar 10 2024
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Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I remember trying to burn this onto a CD when I was 16. It was too long to write to a standard 70 minute disc, so I had to edit out a few songs. Maybe that’s was it needed. Reminds me of some of my first festival experiences.
3
Mar 11 2024
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Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
I like ‘I’m on fire’ and ‘Dancing in the Dark’. The rest I could live without.
3
Mar 12 2024
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Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
Iconic. From the epic opening to the raw funk of wars of Armageddon, this album takes you on a journey. My only criticism is that it was only 37 mins long.
5
Mar 13 2024
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Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
A few belters on here. Waiting in Vain is an all time favourite, and Turn Your Lights Down Low would fit nicely on any sexy-time mixtape.
4
Mar 14 2024
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Tragic Songs of Life
The Louvin Brothers
I don’t think I like country music
2
Mar 15 2024
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Madman Across The Water
Elton John
Accidentally listened to the extended version of this which was basically three hours of variations of tiny dancer.
2
Mar 16 2024
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Blue
Joni Mitchell
Didn’t manage to listen to this the whole way through. About 4 songs in I got a bit bored.
2
Mar 17 2024
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Ctrl
SZA
This was the first modern selection. I don’t really know a lot about SZA. Maybe she pioneered this style of singing, or maybe she just sounds like all the rest of the music I hear when I accidentally tune into radio 1.
2
Mar 18 2024
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Low
David Bowie
The first of what I suspect will be many of David Bowie’s albums on this list. Went in with fairly high expectations given that everyone raves about Bowie. Took a few songs to warm up, then Sound and Vision felt like the turning point. Quite surprised by how much of it was instrumental, and really enjoyed subterraneans at the end.
4
Mar 19 2024
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Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
Cool jazz album. Must admit I’m not the biggest fan of the organ in jazz, but this has just the right amount for me. Kenny Burrell and Stanley Turrentine also get their chance to shine on each track. Highlight is probably the title track for me.
3
Mar 20 2024
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Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
Meh. Apparently the lyrics are really great, but can’t see myself listening to this again to see what he was whining about.
1
Mar 21 2024
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Red Dirt Girl
Emmylou Harris
Read the blurb and I know I’m going to hate this.
Listened to it and I was right.
This is fucking terrible music.
1
Mar 22 2024
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Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
What an album. The arrangement on Walk On By is stunning. Not many artists could pull off an album that’s book-ended with 13 and 18 minute tracks, but the black Moses does it in style here. The source of many hip-hop samples. So soulful.
5
Mar 23 2024
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MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
OK, I guess
2
Mar 24 2024
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B-52's
The B-52's
Can’t tell if this is meant to be a novelty album. Sounds like something that would play at a kids Halloween party. The female vocals are alright, but the guy is unbearable.
1
Mar 25 2024
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Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
La grange is the only song I recognised. Sheik was alright. The rest was just a load of boring white man blues.
2
Mar 26 2024
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Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
I liked this more than I thought I would. I’ve never been into the Beatles, and as a person, I don’t really like Paul McCartney. He certainly knows how to write a catchy pop song though. ‘Let me roll it’ is probably my favourite on this album, although the next track after that was garbage, so it has its ups and downs.
3
Mar 27 2024
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Crocodiles
Echo And The Bunnymen
I couldn’t even finish this album. Possibly the worst yet.
1
Mar 28 2024
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Go Girl Crazy
The Dictators
Shite
1
Mar 29 2024
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Rust In Peace
Megadeth
Thrash metal? More like trash metal amirite?
1
Mar 30 2024
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3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
A piece of history from the glory days of sampling. Not a day goes by where I don’t quote this album. Usually it’s because I need a haircut.
5
Mar 31 2024
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British Steel
Judas Priest
Boring.
1
Apr 01 2024
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Beautiful Freak
Eels
Quite enjoyed this. This kind of music somewhat passed me by in the 90’s but there is something nostalgic about it.
3
Apr 02 2024
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Harvest
Neil Young
Well, it was better than the last Neil Young album I listened to. I liked Old Man, and the one from the start of Hot in Herre.
3
Apr 03 2024
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S.F. Sorrow
The Pretty Things
Didn’t really listen to this properly but I mostly hated what I heard of it.
2
Apr 04 2024
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Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz
A sort of Bossa nova gateway drug. I wasn’t around in the early 60s but this record probably had a similar effect on me as it did to many others at the time. Dipping in to a bit CTI jazz and coming away with a newfound interest in Brazilian music. Very cool. Can imagine myself listening to this, sipping a caiprinha in a piano bar with the beautiful people. Then realise that I’m a pale, haggard, middle aged man from Glasgow who has no right to be there.
4
Apr 05 2024
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Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
Didn’t really listen to this properly but I mostly hated what I heard of it.
1
Apr 06 2024
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Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
Memories of the indie night at the ABC in Glasgow circa 2005. A lot of them I’d rather forget. To me this album represents a glorious melting pot of music we had at the time, before it sadly turned into nu-rave
4
Apr 07 2024
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Cloud Nine
The Temptations
It’s got that psych funk sound of the post HDH, post 67 Motown. Not bad, but falls off a bit after the first half.
3
Apr 09 2024
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The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
This is definitely an album. I never really gave this the time of day because it was labelled as prog rock, which made me think of Jeremy Clarkson type characters with beer guts hanging over Ill-fitting stonewashed denim, tucked in shirts and leather waistcoats. I liked the Asian Dub Foundation version, and I felt that gave me a sense of what the album was all about, while still being cool. Having listened to it in full (twice now), I totally get why this is on so many lists of definitive albums. It’s very complete, conceptual and probably quite groundbreaking for its time, in terms of the production.
4
Apr 10 2024
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Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Shite
1
Apr 11 2024
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Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Small Faces
A couple of decent songs. Wasn’t too fussed on the cockney ramblings, but there a few tasty bass lines
2
Apr 12 2024
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Killing Joke
Killing Joke
I didn’t really enjoy this.
1
Apr 13 2024
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Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
Perfection. So many classics on here, I even quite like the punk snippets. It’s got Q-tip, deep samples, bits of funk, rock and hip-hop. Serious music that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
5
Apr 14 2024
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Leftism
Leftfield
It’s the 90’s. Dance music has become huge. You’ve released a couple of club bangers. Record label reckons you should make an album. Rehash a couple of 12” singles, cobble together some songs and add some guests. It’s a 90’s dance album that your mum won’t mind having on in the car.
3
Apr 15 2024
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Bone Machine
Tom Waits
Some of the percussion on this is quite interesting. I quite liked the first song, but the more I listened to the album the more I thought about how Tom’s singing voice sounds like someone taking the piss out of Nickelback. After that I couldn’t really take it seriously.
3
Apr 16 2024
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The Wall
Pink Floyd
Didn’t like this as much as dark side of the moon. Comfortably numb is good, although Chris Moltisanti *sad face*. There are a some good moments but it goes a bit Stonehenge (spinal tap reference) towards the end and I didn’t really get the narrative of the ‘rock opera’.
2
Apr 17 2024
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Woodface
Crowded House
I’ve listened to two songs and I can’t take any more.
1
Apr 18 2024
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Live!
Fela Kuti
I don’t think I would have picked this as my favourite Fela album, so I hope there are more to come. It’s still a great album, and better than 90% of the other stuff I’ve had to endure on this list. For a live album the sound is excellent. Africa 70 must have been some of the tightest musicians on the planet, and at times I couldn’t distinguish Ginger Baker’s drumming from Tony Allen. Going in the right direction, but if I get another fucking Neil Young album tomorrow I might still quit.
4
Apr 19 2024
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Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Some cool futuristic sounds, mixed with a bit of dad rock. I don’t hate it.
3
Apr 22 2024
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Central Reservation
Beth Orton
Not really my kind of music
2
Apr 23 2024
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A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
No
1
Apr 24 2024
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Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg
Another day, another dull album. Surely there are at least 1001 better albums than this.
1
Apr 26 2024
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Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
Nice piano work from Monk. Pannonia was the highlight for me. Some early improv stuff from Sonny Rollins on the title track, which I guess was interesting.
3
Apr 27 2024
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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
I feel like this is when rap started to get awful. Auto tune 😩. There were some pretty high profile producers on the album and it has its moments, but the whole thing didn’t really work for me.
2
Apr 28 2024
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Violator
Depeche Mode
It was OK
3
Apr 29 2024
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Solid Air
John Martyn
This was alright. I had low expectations but the title track was pretty good. Some of the jazzier elements reminded me of Harvest time by Pharoah Sanders. The folder bits didn’t really floaty boat but it was pretty inoffensive.
3
Apr 30 2024
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Tapestry
Carole King
Not my usual thing but I actually enjoyed this album. There were some familiar songs on there and had a nice unpolished sound that is missing from a lot of music now.
4
May 01 2024
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New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
When I was 18, Jim Kerr came into my uni to do a guest lecture, and I must admit I had no idea who he was, but he had some pretty cool rock and roll stories. I was expecting this to be a bit more raucous, but it’s just a bunch of easy listening 80’s music that gets a bit samey after a while.
2
May 02 2024
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Fever Ray
Fever Ray
A solo album by Karin Dreijir of the Knife, produced by Olof Dreijir of the Knife, that sounds a bit like, well, the Knife. Decent album, some crazy lyrics about dishwasher tablets and cool vangelis style cinematic synth.
3
May 03 2024
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Autobahn
Kraftwerk
Can’t imagine what people must have thought when this came out in the 70’s. 50 years old and it still sounds groundbreaking. After the epic 20-odd minute long title track, we’re treated to some crazy experimental sounds that wouldn’t sound out of place on an aphex twin record.
4
May 04 2024
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The White Album
Beatles
Average
2
May 06 2024
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Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
I like some Miles Davis, but this was a bit like background music in a war-time movie.
2
May 07 2024
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Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
As with most Stevie albums (in my opinion anyway) - it’s not all killer -but when it goes, it goes hard. ‘You haven’t done nothin’ is my favourite.
3
May 08 2024
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The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
Doubt I’ll listen to any of this again but it wasn’t awful.
2
May 09 2024
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Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
It’s hard to take this music seriously when it has been parodied so often. That being said I’ve had Scarborough fair stuck in my head since I listened to it, so they clearly knew what they were doing.
3
May 10 2024
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Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
Couldn’t finish this. Absolute garbage. Maybe Jane should get her act together and make a decent album.
1
May 11 2024
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Metallica
Metallica
Listening to this kind of music just makes me angry. Conjures up images of sweaty white men with their tongues out and I hate them all.
2
May 12 2024
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Vespertine
Björk
I consider myself a Björk fan, but I must admit I had never listened to this album. Maybe it was because it came out when I was a dumb teenager, focused on sex, drugs and self destruction. In a way I’m glad I’ve discovered it as an adult. Such a beautiful record full of layers and texture.
4
May 13 2024
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Pelican West
Haircut 100
Not what I was expecting. Some of it sounds a bit like Talking Heads, and then just as you’re getting settled, the last 2 tracks sound like something from a Brazilian carnival. Great percussion.
3
May 14 2024
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Gorillaz
Gorillaz
This felt really different when it was released. Listening to it again (however many years later) I noticed how basic the production sounded, and not in a good (raw) way. Just really plasticky and flat. Del is probably the best thing about the record. I guess maybe the novelty of the ‘virtual band’ was what made it different, but musically it hasn’t stood the test of time.
3
May 15 2024
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Darkdancer
Les Rythmes Digitales
I must have downloaded Disco to Disco back in the Napster / Winamp days. I distinctly remember the song and the terrible cover art, but none of the other tracks on the album. Mostly forgettable French electro with a hint of nostalgia. God knows how it ended up on a list of 1001 of the best albums of all time.
2
May 16 2024
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Vento De Maio
Elis Regina
There are better Elis Regina albums out there but it was OK
3
May 17 2024
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Paris 1919
John Cale
Much like the vegetable, this cale was bland, joyless, and difficult to digest. I didn’t enjoy it.
2
May 18 2024
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Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
Pretty boring
2
May 21 2024
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To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
I had kinda given up on modern rap music until this came along. I was enticed into listening to it after seeing the production credits and features - Flying Lotus, Thurdercat, Kamasi Washington, some of the best from the LA best scene - not to mention George Clinton. The blend of Jazz, P-funk and the overall concept of the album was so refreshing, even if it didn’t tick the boxes for fans of rhyming triplets over 808s and trap hi-hats. I haven’t heard anything like it since, solidifying this as a stand out classic.
5
May 22 2024
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Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
Was this the one that won the mercury prize? Is that why it’s on this list? Because I can’t see any other reason why you’d pick this album as one of the greatest of all time.
1
May 24 2024
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Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
Fucken pish
1
May 25 2024
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Stankonia
OutKast
Solid rap album with a few classic pop crossover tracks. Sorry Miss Jackson just takes me back to the days of New Labour, alcopops and feeling like the world was at my fingertips. Now I’m just an old dude, full of anxiety, wondering where it all went wrong. Maybe I’ll release a solo flute album.
4
May 28 2024
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Abraxas
Santana
There were a couple of ageing guitar enthusiasts on my uni course who used to rave about Santana. I was 17 and into Techno, so always associated this music with the double denim crew. Listening now I wish I had given Santana more of a chance as this album is incredible.
5
May 29 2024
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Heavy Weather
Weather Report
Decent jazz / fusion album. Didn’t realise that Palladium by Yesterday’s New Quintet was a cover version until I heard this record, so I’m guessing Madlib is a fan.
3
May 31 2024
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Face to Face
The Kinks
The Kinks make me think of my dad, so this album is kinda comforting, even if it’s not really what I’d normally listen to.
3
Jun 01 2024
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Music From Big Pink
The Band
Didn’t think I was going to like this but it was alright.
3
Jun 03 2024
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Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
I don’t know what he’s saying, but it sounds sexy. Great drums, heavy basslines, and generally just a cool album.
5
Jun 04 2024
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The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
I think the most iconic thing about this album is probably the artwork. The first 3 tracks are good, but then I lost interest. Tried listening a second time and the same thing happened.
3
Jun 05 2024
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Suede
Suede
Garbage.
1
Jun 08 2024
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Moondance
Van Morrison
It was alright
3
Jun 14 2024
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Heroes
David Bowie
Sort of zoned out after Heroes until there was a bit of singing in the last song.
3
Jun 15 2024
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Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
First time listening the whole way through and it was great. Raw, soulful and heavy.
5
Jun 18 2024
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Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
It’s a covers album. Not bad, but I prefer the original versions of most songs compiled here. Otis’s voice is incredible, but something about the sound just didn’t land with me.
2
Jun 19 2024
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Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
Wow. So much funk. 50 years later you can still hear this record’s influence on popular music.
5
Jun 21 2024
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After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
Oh great. Another whiny Neil Young album.
1
Jun 25 2024
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Melodrama
Lorde
30 seconds in and I know I’m going to hate this. I hated it
1
Jul 02 2024
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Surfer Rosa
Pixies
Where’s My Mind is the only good track on this hellish, shouty, screechy guitar laden pile of shit album. Even then I don’t know if I like it, or it just reminds me of fight club.
2
Jul 05 2024
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Oxygène
Jean-Michel Jarre
Kill jester.
3