411
Albums Rated
2.82
Average Rating
38%
Complete
678 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1970s
Favorite Decade
Grunge
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Critic
Rater Style ?
38
5-Star Albums
52
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casanova | 5 | 2.67 | +2.33 |
| KE*A*H** (Psalm 69) | 5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
| Jack Takes the Floor | 5 | 2.71 | +2.29 |
| Nighthawks At The Diner | 5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
| Smile | 5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
| Third | 5 | 3.13 | +1.87 |
| The Holy Bible | 5 | 3.14 | +1.86 |
| The Boatman's Call | 5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| Live And Dangerous | 5 | 3.32 | +1.68 |
| Deep Purple In Rock | 5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kind Of Blue | 1 | 4.06 | -3.06 |
| Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not | 1 | 3.73 | -2.73 |
| Kid A | 1 | 3.71 | -2.71 |
| Live At The Regal | 1 | 3.68 | -2.68 |
| Birth Of The Cool | 1 | 3.65 | -2.65 |
| A Love Supreme | 1 | 3.63 | -2.63 |
| Illmatic | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| good kid, m.A.A.d city | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| 1999 | 1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.67 |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Madonna | 3 | 1.33 |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 1 |
| Marvin Gaye | 2 | 1.5 |
| Frank Sinatra | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 4, 1 |
| The Who | 5, 2 |
| Neil Young | 5, 3, 2, 5 |
| Radiohead | 1, 4, 3, 4 |
5-Star Albums (38)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Otis Redding
3/5
Enjoyed. Interesting takes on a couple of songs I knew - and I was surprised to find that "Respect" is one I knew.
1 likes
Morrissey
2/5
I do like the mood of Morrissey's music, but this album didn't interest me at all.
1 likes
Massive Attack
2/5
Well, they certainly remind us who they are at every opportunity. They produced some great stuff later on, but this doesn't do anything for me.
1 likes
Nick Drake
2/5
Pleasant listening, but no song stands out - for any reason. Altogether not at all exciting. Probably background music.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (52)
All Ratings
Tears For Fears
2/5
Meh. Couple familiar tunes, though.
Fats Domino
3/5
Enjoyed. Good old-fashioned music.
Pulp
3/5
Several enjoyable old tunes here. Good to hear them again.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Decent. Middle of the road sort of material.
ZZ Top
3/5
Old school rock and roll. Good stuff.
B.B. King
1/5
Meh. Very boring.
1/5
Pure generic 80s pop.
Magazine
3/5
Curious. Not unlike Black Grape.
Bon Jovi
3/5
Couple of familiar tunes here. Very poppy.
Thin Lizzy
5/5
Cracker. Definitive recordings of so many songs.
Yes
3/5
Yep, that's prog rock! Not very interesting, but I'm not sorry I listened.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
The opener is a self-indulgent prog rock (is that a tautology?) epic. Many Floyd-esque moments, though (or maybe Floyd had ELP-esque moment?). "The Only Way" is excellent, though. Very odd album overall, closing with a kind of a rock and roll kick.
Slint
1/5
Awful. Lethally boring.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Much better than expected. Desolation Row really is masterful. I hadn't expected such subtlety or lyricism from Dylan (I clearly don't know Dylan nearly well enough). It lifts the album to 4 stars.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Probably the dullest album he recorded. He could do so much better - and he did.
Shuggie Otis
1/5
Good God, this is awful. It kicks off with kind of "sexy time music", and then plunges into music so utterly banal as to be immediately forgotten.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
When I think of what they achieved later, this is not a good start at all!
OutKast
2/5
Didn't appeal. There's definitely some musicality in there, though.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
Certainly a couple of good tunes in here, but it's not nearly as good as I remember. Even "Bullet" and "Tonight, Tonight" don't do much for me any more, it seems. "Love" isn't bad. "Thirty-three" and "1979" have stood the test of time, though. The "novelty" songs ("We only come out..." and "Lily") are still just that. Can't take them seriously - and I can't imagine that we were meant to.
The White Stripes
3/5
Enjoyed. Would listen again. Hotel Yorba is still a cracker.
Saint Etienne
3/5
Easy listening. A pretty, poppy kind of a sound.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Interesting start, really got my attention - but then it fell off, and I didn't really notice the rest of the album.
George Michael
2/5
Title track is certainly well known, but I can't say it appeals, and nor does anything else here.
Massive Attack
2/5
Well, they certainly remind us who they are at every opportunity. They produced some great stuff later on, but this doesn't do anything for me.
Neil Young
5/5
What a great album! Hard to beat. "Only Love..." and "After the Gold Rush" are surely the standouts.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
4/5
This was great fun. It's gotta get a 4.
Minor Threat
2/5
Didn't do it for me.
Hüsker Dü
2/5
Middle-of-the road. Background music.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Enjoyed this overall. Light and breezy, but with a few interesting bits to lift it out the doldrums.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
Great music. Solid vocals from Janis. Altogether a very enjoyable album. It's definitely getting more airplay around here!
The Stone Roses
5/5
Love it. I always wonder how I'd feel if I heard old favourite albums for the first time in 2024, for example, but I just have to give this a five, as I've always loved it. She Bangs the Drums, I Am the Resurrection - absolute crackers.
2/5
That was awful. It's utterly flat and lifeless.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Not bad. Easy enough listening.
Sigur Rós
3/5
Soothing, pleasant music.
Foo Fighters
4/5
Great debut. Solid.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
Easy enough listening. Nothing special.
The La's
2/5
Light and poppy. Undistinguished.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
Unremarkable, but I'm surprised to find that I know "On a Rope". 2 stars.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Certainly plenty listenable. I'm not a reggae fan, though, so I can't give it more than 3.
Patti Smith
3/5
Interesting, but not amazing. Reminiscent of Siouxsie and the Banshees - she must have been a big influence on them.
Elliott Smith
2/5
Very dull. Totally uninspired.
The Libertines
4/5
All these years later, I'm still loving this album. Some cracking songs on it. All round great work.
Portishead
5/5
Grabs my attention at the very outset. V. strong start. Yeah, that's an absolute cracker of an opener.
And then - BANG - into track 2. Jolted me out of my groove. Track 2: totally different mood, with jarring breaks, but those breaks serve to complement the "main" theme, and to return to it is very welcome.
Another great beat to kick off track 3, after a gentler finish to track 2. Gentler groove here, too. The vocals here are almost just an ornament - but a very welcome one.
Nice and easy start to track 4 leads into a lovely mellow groove, with somewhat more prominent vocals. Another cracker.
We're going slightly up tempo here (in spots!) for track 5 - with some unsettling drum fills. Are they played backwards? Wonderful vocals again.
Somewhat more hypnotic here in track 6.
Track 7: What an odd mood here. What odd instrumentation. The first track on which Gibbons's voice gets the prominence it deserves.
Back to a somewhat more electronic sound on track 8. And the name of the track makes perfect sense. Low point of the album so far.
Softer intro again here on track 9, with those wonderful vocals shining again, in ultra-soft mode. Shame they couldn't maintain that mood all the way through. Another very abrupt finish.
Very experimental sound here on track 10.
Nice laid back start here to the closer, but I'm not fooled. This could go anywhere. Hmmm... It didn't. It dipped somewhat in the middle, became rather generic - but it saved itself at at the end.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Ah, a classic. I just love the mood of this whole album. It's chock full of winners. An easy five stars.
Elton John
2/5
Didn't enjoy. The title track is decent, but the rest is very dull indeed.
Coldcut
2/5
Didn't much appeal. Very little substance to it. Electronica (is that what this is?) does very little for me anyway.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Such classics on this album. Wonderful stuff. And Never Going Back Again is just beautiful! So clean!
Radiohead
1/5
Didn't enjoy. Very flat and lifeless.
Björk
3/5
Curious and interesting. Wouldn't rate it higher than background music, though. Couldn't see myself ever choosing to listen to it.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Uninspired. Not at all interesting. 2 stars.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Solid enough rock and roll.
James Brown
3/5
Enjoyable. Lively.
The Fall
1/5
Terrible. Opening track sounded vaguely interesting, but I can't abide this sort of thing. Pretending you're punk is just daft. All I can see there to link them to the likes of the Sex Pistols is the poor copy of the vocal style.
David Bowie
3/5
Definitely not Bowie's best work, but certainly not a bad album. Middle of the road stuff here.
Stan Getz
2/5
Latin rhythms failed to overcome the overall jazzy sound on this. Not a fan of the jazziness at all.
David Bowie
3/5
Bit too jazzy for me. Echoes of previous triumphs fail to elevate this beyond mediocrity.
Green Day
4/5
Enjoyed. Surprised to find I knew virtually every song on it.
The Youngbloods
3/5
A couple of interesting tracks on here, but overall not exciting.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Interesting album. I'd never heard of her. Nice piano work on some of the tracks.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Giving this a 3 is a little unfair, but I'll do it anyway. Some lovely numbers on here, and his voice was so much fresher back then - so much easier on the ear! But bar one or two hits, there's no real standout material here.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Love it. What a wonderful album. Standout for me is always "Mystery Man".
Turbonegro
3/5
Very mediocre. Can't see what's special about this at all.
The Band
4/5
Solid album. Great tunes. Eminently listenable.
Radiohead
4/5
Couple of great tunes here to lift it out of the 3-star doldrums.
The Black Keys
3/5
Not bad. Not great, but certainly listenable.
Röyksopp
2/5
Light listening here. The opening track is familiar and enjoyable. The rest of the album is listenable, but it just trails off into mediocrity .
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
Solid stuff here, but, bar Layla, nothing really stands out.
Incubus
2/5
By-the-numbers stuff here.
M.I.A.
3/5
I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. 3 stars is still plenty, though, as I can't see myself going back to listen to it.
The Stooges
2/5
Pretty dull, overall. I don't recall a single interesting track on it.
Norah Jones
2/5
"One Flight Down" isn't bad. The rest is not for me: the vocals are too jazzy.
2/5
Got off to an interesting start, got my hopes up - but failed to hold my attention all the way through.
Pearl Jam
5/5
Magnificent. Can't fault it.
Ramones
2/5
There's really only one song on this - and it's not even a particularly good one.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Not my style at all, but Emmylou is a legend for a reason. That's quite the voice.
Common
2/5
Very odd. I disliked it a lot less than I thought I would. Still no interest in it, but it's certainly more than a 1-star.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Masterpiece. Epic. Divinely inspired. What more superlatives can I find to describe this?
X-Ray Spex
3/5
I wanted to stop listening halfway through track 1, but I'm glad I persevered. Oddly jaunty, this. Definite shades of Debbie Harry in there at times, too.
Motörhead
3/5
The title track is of course an absolute cracker, but outside of that, there's nothing really standing out. "The Chase..." is another great track, but those two can barely lift it to a 3-star rating.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Easy listening here. Nothing remarkable either way, but Willie's voice saves the day.
Steely Dan
3/5
Nice bouncy start. Great recording of "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo". That sounds like it's crossing into other genres until you look it up and find that it's a cover of Duke Ellington! Altogether, an enjoyable, poppy album. Very radio friendly.
Beatles
4/5
Great stuff. Justifiably famous. Some silly tracks on here that could definitely have been left on the cutting room floor (e.g. the totally unnecessary "Rocky Racoon", "Revolution 9", "Everybody's Got Something..."), but overall really decent music that really showcases their creative and musical ability.
Django Django
2/5
Very pedestrian. Saw them in concert once. They failed to excite.
Nina Simone
3/5
I enjoyed this far more than I expected. If all you know of her is "Feeling Good", I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that that's nowhere near her best work.
Aerosmith
3/5
This was OK. Perfectly listenable, but no track stood out, and none was memorable.
R.E.M.
4/5
Great stuff. Love the mood of the album. Sidewinder has been a favourite of mine since it came out.
Black Sabbath
3/5
"Supernaut". What a great riff. If you combined this album with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, you'd have an absolute stomper. Here, we have Changes, as well, which is a superb contrast to the other tracks. All told, this is a solid album - but it lacks the punch of their earlier work, and lacks the refinement of its successor. "Supernaut" almost lifts it into 4-star territory, but unfortunately, it still falls short.
The Kinks
3/5
What a very strange album. I really enjoyed it, despite the bloody title track, maddening earworm that it is. Quite different musical styles throughout.
Eurythmics
3/5
Hard to rate this objectively. The title track and "Love is a Stranger" are such iconic songs that they could lift almost any album to 3 stars. This is the case here. Nothing else is memorable, nothing else stands out.
Pixies
5/5
What a stunner of an album. "Rock Music" is the weakest link, but it's still a decent tune.
TV On The Radio
1/5
Wow. Deadly dull. Just totally lacking any kind of spark at all. Zero soul. Zero stars.
Sepultura
3/5
I'm really not a fan of the vocals on this. But for that, I think I'd rate it four. I really enjoyed the other components.
Michael Jackson
3/5
I'm torn on this one. It really isn't music I'd be interested in listening to, but much of this album has a certain life to it that lifts it beyond the generic. So even though it's not my style, and I'd never choose to listen to it, I somehow admire it enough to give it 3 stars.
Talking Heads
4/5
Why does this work? I have no idea. But it's great stuff, David Byrne's voice shouldn't work either (and I have no doubt that, for many, it doesn't), but I love it. Superb album all round (and I only knew Psycho Killer going in).
OutKast
2/5
Not for me at all. There's the very odd (in both senses) moment of - of clarity, I suppose, of a simple melody sung in a straightforward and unembellished manner. I enjoyed those bits, but the rest of the album doesn't do anything for me. It's inventive, though, I'll give it that, and wildly eclectic.
Motörhead
4/5
Great stuff. Proper old school.
Sade
1/5
Elevator music to me, I'm afraid. I know Smooth Operator, but nothing here strikes me as interesting in the least.
Little Simz
1/5
Couldn't find anything to like in this.
The Chemical Brothers
1/5
This slipped by without my even noticing. Very bland indeed.
Sufjan Stevens
1/5
What a load of self-indulgent bollox. Utter trash.
The Offspring
3/5
I think if I hadn't known the three hits from back in the day, I'd have found this much less enjoyable. It's quite monotonous, and the vocals would be quite wearing if they didn't evoke those memories. Three stars for nostalgia value.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I enjoyed this. It's not going to set the world on fire, but it is very listenable, and I enjoy the vocals.
The White Stripes
3/5
Definitely listenable. Would probably return to it.
The Allman Brothers Band
1/5
Pretty dull stuff. Nothing remotely interesting on here.
Syd Barrett
2/5
Two stars because although it reminds me of early Floyd (obviously!), it is very definitely not Floyd. It sounds like a poor imitation. No slight to Barrett is intended: he was an important part of the band, but his solo work, if this is typical, is not up to the same standard.
Fela Kuti
2/5
The cultural significance of this is lost on me, so all I have to go on is the music, and that does nothing for me, I'm afraid. But it's far from the worst I've heard on this journey!
4/5
Really enjoyed this. The punky, Blondie-esque tone of much of the album is a big plus. Some tracks are less punk, but more Rockabilly. I'd rather they kept up the punkiness throughout, but this is still a great album. I'd rather listen to them doing rockabilly than listen to an embarrassingly poor imitation of punk such as The Fall produced.
Miles Davis
1/5
Awful. It's truly shocking that so many people have been conned into believing that this is good music. It is not. It's just cool to like it, so everyone has to pretend that it's a work of genius. It is not a work of genius. It is trash.
The emperor is stark bollock naked. Can I give this zero stars?
FKA twigs
1/5
I didn't enjoy this at all. Does nothing for me.
The Cure
3/5
Enjoyed. Nothing to write home about, though.
Arctic Monkeys
1/5
Boring. Totally generic.
The The
2/5
This didn't interest me at all. Uninspired, undistinguished.
Christine and the Queens
1/5
Did not like at all.
Nas
1/5
Can't even remember anything about this, and I only finished listening to it an hour ago.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
It's hard to be objective about this, as I know so many of the songs already. They're still great songs, though. Among the ones I didn't know is Baby Driver, which caught my attention. It's a great tune.
Nick Drake
2/5
Pleasant listening, but no song stands out - for any reason. Altogether not at all exciting. Probably background music.
Chicago
3/5
Didn't really fancy it. Bit too jazzy by times, bit too self-indulgent. But despite myself, I enjoyed the 14-minute closer.
The Zombies
2/5
This was pretty harmless. I certainly didn't dislike it, and I wouldn't consider it time wasted, but it didn't excite me in any way.
Nico
2/5
Didn't much like this, despite my expectations. Her voice is actually hard to take. I enjoyed it on "The Velvet Undergound and Nico", but a full album is too much. She's not terribly tuneful.
The Undertones
3/5
Enjoyed this. I knew "My Perfect Cousin", and already liked it. The opening track has a great catchy riff, too. An all-round solid album.
Ute Lemper
2/5
I had high hopes for this, given the associated artists, but it was pretty dull, sad to say. Neil Hannon gave it a bit of a lift, but only a bit.
T. Rex
4/5
T. Rex is always good fun. This is T. Rex.
Deep Purple
3/5
Highway Star - what an absolute banger of an opening track. Magnificent.
It does rather slump after that, sad to say. Smoke... is a brilliant song. It's just that it's been played to death, so it's very hard to listen to it objectively any more.
Space Truckin' is a great tune as well, but overall, this album falls short of my expectations. The singles apart, there's not much here at all. The extended edition, with When a Blind Man Cries, is the better version, being bookended by two stunning tracks. Three stars because the original version is a bit dull despite the superb start.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
Boring.
Taylor Swift
1/5
Bland, monotonous, overproduced, indistinguishable from her competitors. Why all the fuss?
Rod Stewart
3/5
I do like his voice, and he's perfectly listenable, but, bar Maggie May, nothing on this album is very interesting. 3 stars cos I like his voice.
Madonna
1/5
I realised that I already knew a lot of songs off this album. I also realised that I hate the ones I didn't know as much as I hate the ones I did.
Ride
3/5
Wow. Ride are basically the Stone Roses, or the Stone Roses are basically Ride!
Thelonious Monk
2/5
I hated this less than I expected. Still awful, but better than that Miles Davis trash I listened to here.
Ms. Dynamite
1/5
Rubbish. I'd heard Dy-Na-Mi-Tee before. Didn't like it then. Don't like it now.
Charles Mingus
1/5
How does rubbish like this sell? All the jazz heads will sneer at my lack of sophistication, but the emperor still has no clothes. This is trash. It's pointless. There's the occasional melodic bit, but those are lifted from elsewhere. It's mainly just people playing random snatches of music, or imitating sirens or the like. The musicians are clearly good, but what a waste of their talent.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
What an incredible album. I remember how excited I was when I first heard this. Sheer magic. 10 stars.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Love the mood on this. The Killing Moon is such an amazing track. Seven Seas is decent as well. Those three factors bring it to three stars - the rest of the album isn't up to the same standard, though.
Morrissey
4/5
I enjoyed this. The opening track, \"America Is Not The World\" is very apt for today, the 6th of November 2024.
I Have Forgiven Jesus is great!
I love the mood of the album in general. 4 stars for that.
Madness
3/5
Enjoyed this. Not an amazing album, but fun to listen to.
Rage Against The Machine
2/5
While I like the message of the album, I've never been able to warm to the music itself. The instrumentals are easier on the ear than the vocals: I've never liked that vocal style. 2 starts cos I don't like the vocals.
Hole
3/5
Not bad. Surprised to find I know the title track. Solid album, all told, if not exciting.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Love it. Aside altogether from the biggest hits, I love No Expectations and Dear Doctor. The whole album is great.
Carole King
3/5
I wasn't going to listen to this, because I know I hate it. But I didn't remember any of the songs on it, so I gritted my teeth and stuck it on. Well, I don't know what the album is that I so hate, but this isn't it.
Solid album, this. I wouldn't race to put it on again, but there are some really good tracks on it. It's overall an enjoyable album.
Suede
3/5
Bland enough, but I like it - perhaps because I remember when it was new.
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
I have always loved this album. It's bleak, it's dark, it's a demonstration of the power of the band. This is surely the peak of their output.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
What a strange album. I kinda liked it, all told!
Miles Davis
1/5
Meh. Not as bad as some of his stuff, but still crap.
New Order
2/5
Not exciting. Grand for listening to in the background.
Fred Neil
3/5
Not really exciting, unfortunately. The two big songs of his seem to have had their definitive versions recorded by other artists. Still, nothing to actively dislike here.
Wu-Tang Clan
2/5
I hated this less than I expected to.
Femi Kuti
2/5
Didn't really interest me. Nothing remarkable or memorable about it.
Marvin Gaye
1/5
Very much background music here. Pretty dull.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Ahhh, what a great album! There are so many five-star tracks on this. Since there are a couple of four-star tracks, though, and one zero-star track, I can only give it four stars overall - despite the sheer brilliance of Since I've Been Loving You, and Tangerine, in particular.
Snoop Dogg
1/5
Devoid of musicality, this is an album I never want to hear again.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
It's random wins like this that keep me going. This is great stuff! Love the opening track. "Booming and Zooming" is very odd, and I love it! The cover of Under the Boardwalk is quality stuff as well.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Good stuff. Solid blues from an expert.
Ray Price
2/5
Listened to this a couple of days ago. Don't remember a thing about it, except that it was kind of old-fashioned country. Nothing to object to in it, though.
Björk
2/5
This is the second of her albums that I've heard here. I've heard plenty more elsewhere, but I just can't get into it.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
I do love Neil Hannon. His voice and his humour always win me over.
The Band
4/5
I do like this. No nonsense, good music.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
I liked the instrumentals here, but the vocal really turned me off. It was the accent/delivery rather than the voice. It's somewhat reminiscent of Beck, but Beck managed it without being annoying.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Sparse, melodic, great music.
Lana Del Rey
2/5
Meh. Boring. And I don't like her voice. At least there's musicality in it, though.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
This really wasn't exciting. Maybe I'm just tired of the big numbers here - or maybe I'm simply not a reggae fan.
A Tribe Called Quest
1/5
Rubbish. Musically, lyrically, extremely boring.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
This is dire. It's so bland, so generic, it sets my teeth on edge. The man had a decent voice, though. 2 stars for musical ability and good voice.
Genesis
3/5
Interesting, but not very. It's hard to judge these albums when you first hear them 50 years after their release.
Nirvana
5/5
It's hard to judge this objectively, since I remember when it came out. Five stars because I remember the impact it had on me.
MC Solaar
3/5
Can't see myself ever listening to this again, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. When I see "MC", my heart sinks, but I'm learning that it shouldn't automatically sink! This is very listenable.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
I always wonder how I'd rate old albums if I heard them for the first time in 2024. I can't be objective about this one: I remember how I felt when I first heard it, and I can't get past that. I'm tempted to give it five stars, but there are a few weaker tracks on it (My Michelle, Out Ta Get Me, Anything Goes), so down to four it has to go.
Still, Paradise City, Welcome to the Jungle, Nightrain - absolute crackers.
Minutemen
3/5
I didn't like much of this, but the feel of "Do You Want New Wave..." (without the vocal) is great. Actually, remove the vocal from this album, and you've got something much better. "Corona" could keep the vocals, though (and the White Stripes must have heard this one!). I did warm to this as it went on, so I'm upgrading to 3 stars.
The xx
3/5
I like this, but I find it quite monotonous. The exaggerated vocals begin to grate after a while.
Supertramp
5/5
Love this. I already knew all but one of the tracks, and they're all great.
Weather Report
1/5
What a pile of shite. Elevator music. Utterly undistinguished. I swear I heard this as the hold music the other day with my insurance company.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Enjoyed this. Good old-fashioned rock and roll. It sounds very tame to us these days, but it's good music.
Lou Reed
5/5
Good God, this is amazing. I first heard it something like 35 years after its release. 50-odd years after its release, it's still simply incredible. 'Vicious', 'Perfect Day', 'Satellite', 'Goodnight Ladies' - astounding tracks. Superb musicianship throughout. And Reed actually singing in spots. I maintain that he didn't usually sing as such, but when he does (e.g. 'Makeup'), it really works - even if he's not 100% tuneful, his voice and 'presence' carry him effortlessly through those spots.
Neil Young
3/5
Enjoyable, but not his best. I can never figure out why his voice doesn't bug the hell out of me, though; I really like it.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Not very interesting. Don't recall anything about it, really.
Missy Elliott
1/5
Really didn't like this. I just can't like the style. So 1 star from me.
The Pretty Things
2/5
Well, this album "was recorded between December 1967 and September 1968 at the Abbey Road Studios, while Pink Floyd were working on A Saucerful of Secrets (also produced by Norman Smith) and the Beatles worked on their 1968 self-titled album."
On first listening, track 1 sounds like the Beatles, but the album quickly veers into early Floyd.
It's listenable, but I don't think I'll be going back to it. If I want to listen to Floyd/Beatles, I'll listen to them - not to some sound-alike band.
It really is like second-rate Floyd, mostly.
Bill Evans Trio
1/5
No thank you. Such dross. There may be technically impressive music here, but I can't for the life of me imagine how anyone could possibly sit and listen to it.
Spiritualized
3/5
Not exciting, but easy to listen to, and likeable.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I do love this album. Four out of five only because I prefer the live versions of the tracks that appear on Live Seeds.
The Adverts
3/5
Enjoyed. Reminiscent of the Radiators from Space (the two are cut from the same cloth). Not amazing, but would probably listen again.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
I enjoyed this. I liked the rhythms, I love the Brazilian Portuguese. It's altogether a very pleasant album - but it wasn't very exciting.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Enjoyed. Good old straightforward blues.
The Stranglers
4/5
I can't fathom why, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Four stars, for no real good reason.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I did enjoy this. I was surprised to find that for such an iconic album, I knew none of the tracks!
R.E.M.
3/5
I was initially surprised to find that I didn't know many of these songs. But now I think if I heard them again, I might not remember them. A dull album, this.
Hookworms
2/5
This didn't excite me. It's another forgettable album.
Orbital
1/5
Really didn't like this. Can't see any artistic merit in it.
Kate Bush
4/5
Now this is a fascinating, diverse, and complex album. Jig of Life and Hello Earth (the latter for its inclusion of passages from a Georgian folk song) really stand out. I used to hear this album as a child (my father loved it), but I always hated it. I just listened to it for the first time in probably 35 years, and how my impression has changed!
Kanye West
2/5
I automatically assumed I'd hate this. I was tempted to skip it, but I committed to listening to every album. I'm glad I did listen to it. Not that I liked it (I didn't), but I didn't absolutely hate it as I thought I would. So I'll keep listening to everything, as I've found some surprisingly good stuff here.
2 stars, though, cos I definitely didn't actually like it.
Ministry
5/5
What an amazing album. I remember the first time I heard this, near the end of the last century.
Jesus Built my Hotrod is incredible. But I don't think there's a bad track on the album. An easy five stars here.
Janet Jackson
2/5
Not bad. Very like MJ, oddly enough!
3/5
Track 1 is quite Bowie-esque at the outset.
The rest of the album is... It's a 1960s album. By the numbers, I think. "Animal Zoo" is somehow extremely remisicent of Humble Pie's "Shaky Jake". Maybe it's just the chorus, now that I listen to Shaky Jake again.
3 stars cos it's definitely worth listening to, for all that it brings nothing unique.
I really don't know if I've heard all these songs before, or if they're just... 1960s America!
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Another album I knew I was going to hate. Big surprise that I didn't.
De La Soul
4/5
I enjoyed this much more than I expected to. I think it's the sense of humour that the lads bring to the music that lifts it above any similar effort.
Doves
3/5
This is fine. It's not really distinguished, but I recognise one track (I wasn't watching, so I don't know which one), and it's - yeah, it's fine.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I don't hear anything special in this. Maybe it was revolutionary. If so, it doesn't impress now that it's out of its time.
King Crimson
3/5
Altogether, a good, solid album. Too self-indulgent by times, but the rest is good listening. Would listen again.
Suede
2/5
The closing track here was decent. The rest was unmemorable, and the vocals are a bit wearing after a while.
John Lennon
2/5
Most of this album is pretty terrible. The title track is of course wonderful (I've heard it far too often, but I still remember how it sounded when it was fresh).
"Jealous Guy" was better recorded by Bryan Ferry.
"Oh My Love" is gorgeous.
The rest of the album... No thanks.
Madonna
1/5
How dull. I remember one or two songs from whenever this was released - I assume they were singles that got a lot of airtime. I don't ever want to hear it again - but most of it, I could hear again without realising I'd heard it before.
Queen
3/5
3 stars because even though this is Queen, this album didn't amaze me. Freddie is of course magnificent, but he really doesn't get the chance to shine here that he ought to have. Interesting to hear May and Taylor on vocals. Taylor sounds more like Roger Daltrey or Robert Plant!
Fairport Convention
3/5
Pleasant listening, but not very exciting. Curious to hear that I know "Matty Groves" as "Little Musgrave". The instrumental was the best track.
Can
3/5
I enjoyed this. It's in no way spectactular, but it's plenty listenable.
The Temptations
3/5
Didn't much enjoy this. I think that's just because I'm not a fan of the style: couldn't fault it musically.
The War On Drugs
3/5
I liked this. It's in no way special, but I enjoyed listening to it, and might listen again.
Otis Redding
3/5
Enjoyed. Interesting takes on a couple of songs I knew - and I was surprised to find that "Respect" is one I knew.
Sam Cooke
3/5
Good old-fashioned dancing music. I can imagine how it would fill a dance floor.
Elton John
3/5
Listenable, certainly, but not exciting. Very apt for a European listener in February 2025, though.
Brian Eno
1/5
Wow. Why would you create something so deliberately bland and pointless? What a weird thing to do.
Ella Fitzgerald
1/5
"How can I be civil when hearing such drivel?", wrote Gershwin. How apt. How awful most of this is. "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" is at least 4 minutes too long. It is mildly entertaining with the first "gag". It gets less funny with every - more laboured - repetition.
If it hadn't ended in a nice rag (which would have been improved by omission of the vocal), I'd give this zero if I could.
What a waste of a great voice.
Hot Chip
3/5
Nothing wrong with this. Couple of great tracks. The vocals were a little generic, though, which detracts from it. Really enjoyed the opening track.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
Didn't enjoy. Can't fault the musicianship, but it's really just background music for me.
Simple Minds
3/5
It's certainly got their distinctive sound. Didn't know anything off this. I certainly liked it, and would probably listen again, even if it's not spectacular.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
I had high hopes for this, but it turned out really dull. I didn't get it at all.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I enjoyed this. It was further evidence that I've been wrong to write Dylan off on the basis of his most commonly played tracks. I loved "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" in particular.
Radiohead
3/5
I enjoyed this. It was much better than the previous ones I listened to here.
Kendrick Lamar
1/5
Did not like. Don't understand this kind of music at all.
Liz Phair
4/5
I enjoyed this. It's a good, solid album. Vocals, instrumentals, all decent. Nothing too fancy or pretentious. Just good music. Four stars because she seems to be interested only in making good music, not in being "clever".
Johnny Cash
5/5
I was always skeptical about this album. I'm not skeptical about it any more. Each track is dealt with very respectfully. Cash put his own stamp on each, but did not try and be "clever". And of course the man wasn't a "real singer", but, as with the likes of Nick Cave and Lou Reed, that doesn't really matter: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
This is a really excellent piece of work.
Queen
4/5
Great stuff! The band had really got into its stride here.
Oasis
4/5
I think if I heard this today for the first time, I might be unimpressed, but I remember the effect it had when I first heard it. Some of the tracks are very much filler (e.g. Digsy's Diner, Slide Away, Married With Children), but the likes of Supersonic, Shakermaker, and Live Forever had a huge impact on me. Four stars for that.
The White Stripes
3/5
Nothing stood out for me on this. Nothing wrong with it, but I can't see myself listening to it again.
Donald Fagen
1/5
Wow. Generic sexy-time music. Boring!
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
God, this is magnificent. The most erotic album ever released. On listening to it today with a critical ear, I want to give it four stars owing to the dip on side 2 (which, to be fair, is really only the superfluous "Silverfuck" - although "Space Boy" doesn't measure up to the rest either) - but then we get back on track with the beautiful "Sweet Sweet".
They should have finished on "Sweet Sweet".
But the climax of Mayonaise...
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Didn't really interest me. Can't fault it in any way, but this style of music doesn't appeal to me.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
Title track appeals. "Mr. Cab Driver" also (and it's familiar). The rest wasn't very interesting.
Van Halen
5/5
Crackin stuff here. Especially love Feel Your Love Tonight (what an amazing riff - why was Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love a single, but not this?), Little Dreamer and Ice Cream Man (yes, it's a cover, but what a cover!).
Tracy Chapman
2/5
Didn't much like this, but I think that's only because I don't like her voice. I know the three hits, certainly, but I don't enjoy even them. Plenty musicality here, but I just don't like it.
Paul Simon
4/5
I wanted to rate this 4. I went back and listened, and couldn't figure out which songs made me want to rate it so highly - but I still want to give it that rating, somehow. The only track I don't like is "Me and Julio".
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Oh dear. "sometimes" and "soon" are two fantastic tracks. "what you want" is also decent, but I really didn't like the rest. The out-of-tune tracks were absolute torture to listen to, and the rest didn't do much for me either. These two superb, and one decent tracks lift it to 3/5. I want to give it 2/5, but that feels mean.
Earth, Wind & Fire
2/5
Did not like. This music does nothing for me.
The Police
3/5
There was enough interesting stuff in here to warrant a 3. Some of it is quite unusual, and I enjoyed it. And even though "Every Breath" is played to death, it's still a brilliant track.
Deep Purple
5/5
What a cracker of an album. They plant the shoe with the banger of an opening that is "Speed King", hit cruising speed with the epic "Child in Time" (what a chance for Gillan to showcase his talents!), and hit the afterburner with the (new to me) stomper riff on "Hard Lovin' Man". Mark II was a beast.
Janis Joplin
4/5
Great stuff here! Even the kind of shouty bits are very listenable. Top-notch stuff from Janis.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Gosh. I love the mood of this, I love the sound of it - but how many distinct songs are actually on it? Three stars because the mood is great.
Faith No More
3/5
I enjoyed this overall, but it didn't excite me.
Dr. Dre
1/5
Did not like. Swearwords in music don't bother me, but this seems to be purely gratuitous use of bad language, with basically no musicality behind it.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
Enjoyable psychedelic rock. Nice sound to it. Made quite a splash at the time.
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
I didn't enjoy this at all. Don't get it. The music is melodic enough, but his speaking/singing is not appealing.
James Taylor
3/5
This is all fine. Can't object to any of it. Quite like bits of it. 3 stars.
David Bowie
3/5
Some great stuff on this. It's let down by the instrumentals, which don't do it for me at all. So even though it's Bowie, that brings it down to 3 stars.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
Not all that interesting, but I liked the final track.
Talking Heads
4/5
I'm going to give this 4 only because it's Talking Heads, and I love their style. It's not nearly their best work, though.
David Bowie
2/5
This is a bit crap. Disappointing from such a brilliant artist. Very boring album. Nothing remotely interesting on it.
CHIC
2/5
Really not interested at all in this. Wallpaper, indistinguishable from so much else out there.
Rush
3/5
A friend of mine put it brilliantly when she said "I really like Rush - up until Geddy Lee starts to sing."
3 stars cos even thought it's solid music, his voice really annoys me.
Dennis Wilson
2/5
Very boring. Nothing to this at all.
Pretenders
3/5
Not bad. "Precious" is a good tune, and "Brass in Pocket" is justifiably popular. The rest is decent, but not spectacular.
The Young Gods
3/5
I enjoyed this overall. It's unique, I think, and that counts for an awful lot. I don't see me going back to listen to it, though, so it can't top 3 stars.
Grateful Dead
3/5
I will always love St. Stephen. This for me is the definitive version. I don't like this recording of "Turn On...", though. Dark Star is interesting, but does it need to be so long? All told, I think these could have been a four-star gig, were they performed all together (bar "Feedback"!), and if you were, let's say, in the right frame of mind!
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
I found myself enjoying this. I don't know what I expected, but I do know I didn't expect to enjoy it! 3 stars.
Talvin Singh
2/5
Totally unmemorable. Background music.
Kid Rock
3/5
Not bad, actually. I don't like rap in any style, but this was an interesting and varied album, with genuine musicality behind it.
The Doors
5/5
What a fantastic album. I hadn't listened to it in a few years. I'd forgotten that every track is a winner.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
I didn't get this at all. It's just noise to me.
Morrissey
2/5
I do like the mood of Morrissey's music, but this album didn't interest me at all.
Beastie Boys
2/5
Didn't enjoy. It sounds too much like a pair of teenagers for me - even though I remember it from my youth.
4/5
I'd imagined this would be a middle-of-the-road album, having no idea what she's really like. It turned out to be a cracker. Real edgy feeling to it. Proper decent.
3/5
What a strange album. It certainly doesn't seem to hang together in any way, but I really enjoyed much of it.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Not bad. Didn't know what to expect, but this was fine.
Mudhoney
3/5
This was OK. Pretty harmless. I wouldn't turn it off if it came on the radio, but I wouldn't choose to listen to it either.
Joy Division
3/5
OK album. Nothing special. Like the mood.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Like so much of what I've heard here, this is fine. It's not memorable either way, but I've no problem with listening to it.
John Coltrane
1/5
I really didn't enjoy this, but it wasn't as painful as some of the others in this style. I still don't ever want to hear it again, though.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
2/5
I expected I'd hate this, but I didn't. I even recognised track 2! Still don't need to hear the album again, but it's really not bad.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Really not their finest work. Young's vocals are so strained and tuneless here as to make the album painful at times to listen to.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
Curious and interesting. The lead vocalist was annoying, though, esp. when he tried to sing below his range.
Joan Armatrading
2/5
Pretty middle-of-the-road stuff here.
k.d. lang
1/5
I had to grit my teeth to get through this. I'm not a fan of country music, so this was nails down a blackboard for me. Hated it.
Kacey Musgraves
1/5
Very boring. Totally generic.
Ray Charles
2/5
Did not like. Very dull. Just not my style at all.
Beck
3/5
This is an OK album, but I suppose if could never measure up to Mellow Gold.
Dr. John
2/5
Didn't interest me at all. Dull.
Michael Jackson
2/5
I kind of enjoyed "Bad", despite my expectations. This was very bland in comparison.
Ray Charles
2/5
Odd. But not interesting. And to hear him sing "I once was blind, but now I see"...
Arcade Fire
2/5
This was really bland. I might have known one of the songs from before, but it's hard to know. Really dull stuff.
Dire Straits
4/5
It feels wrong to give this wonderful album only 4 stars, but the inclusion of Walk of Life and Money for Nothing weakens it severely. Those are novelty tracks that have no place next to the sublime Why Worry and Brothers in Arms, or even the rest of the tracks.
Marvin Gaye
2/5
Meh. Sexy-time music. And not even great at that.
Goldie
1/5
I started this, and asked myself "Please don't tell me I have to listen to one hour and fifty three minutes of this rubbish."
Well, one hour and fifty three minutes later, I'm asking myself "What in the name of the FSM possessed me to listen to one hour and fifty three minutes of this rubbish?"
I'm sorry I committed to listening to every album here all the way through.
David Ackles
4/5
Why did I like this? I really don't know. I can't explain it. But this was a really bloody good album. The closing track was longer than it needed to be, but even so, the overall album is great.
The Beta Band
3/5
Harmless enough. I knew only one song of theirs from before (not on this album), so I'd expected more. This was fairly bland. Don't think I'd be interested in listening to it again.
Metallica
3/5
Great album, but somehow lacking in soul. The previous 3 had it in spades, but it's somehow more "by the numbers" here. "One" is a truly great track, but so many of the solos across the album reminded me when first I heard them of Tetris music, and I can't get that out of my head.
It's only a 3-star. Its predecessors were monster albums, and deserve to be placed on a pedestal. Its successor, despite being so radio friendly, is also a cracker, but this just falls a bit flat.
Q-Tip
2/5
I finished this about twelve hours ago. I've already forgotten what it was like.
Brian Wilson
5/5
This is some really great stuff here. Pure pop, but with great and inventive musicianship - and humour, to boot. "Heroes and Villains" is the first hook, and it keeps on going. "Cabin Essence" is so unusual, with its echoes of renaissance choral music! Superb album.
Nick Drake
3/5
Not bad. More interesting by far than the insipid stuff I know him for.
Metallica
4/5
Love this album. All the big tracks are still great.
Standout track: My Friend of Misery.
Weak tracks: Holier Than Thou, Through the Never, Of Wolf and Man, The Struggle Within.
These 4 really drag the album down.
Neil Young
2/5
Oof. I'm a big fan of Neil Young in all his incarnations, but this was atrocious. I've said before that I really shouldn't enjoy his voice, but this is the second album now that I've heard where he's just awful. His singing here is dreadful.
Solomon Burke
2/5
If you want to go dancing, this is probably exactly what you need.
I don't want to go dancing.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
Solid enough album. Can't see anything special about it.
XTC
2/5
This is the second of XTC's albums that I've heard here - and it's the second disappointing one. Nothing at all here was even slightly interesting.
Paul McCartney
3/5
This was pleasant listening. Linda's harmonies on "Man We Was Lonely" are lovely. A couple of tracks are very reminiscent of Lennon's "Oh, My Love", which makes me wonder if they came from Beatles sessions.
The Who
5/5
What a fantastic album. I don't think I'd ever listened to it as a unit before. Amazing stuff.
Doves
2/5
This is fine. It's just like the other albums from this time. They're fine too.
Ice Cube
2/5
Can't pretend that I enjoyed this, but I hated it a lot less than I thought I would! Parts of it were even OK. Shows how important it is to listen. I've found several albums here that I expected to hate or thought I hated, but I'm glad I listened to them.
Sister Sledge
1/5
If you want to dance the night away, this is the album for you! I don't want to dance the night away.
The Divine Comedy
5/5
I really enjoy this album. He's so witty. And Songs of Love is of course the theme tune to the greatest TV show ever made.
Arrested Development
2/5
Didn't enjoy this. Most of it passed me by without my even noticing.
The Cure
3/5
I like The Cure's sound, but this is not exiciting.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
A dull enough start to this album is massively mitigated by the very beautiful Racing in the Street. It's not until that point that the album really comes to life. The following two tracks are also great, but the vocal on Streets of Fire is dreadful. They're back on form for Prove it All Night, but it dips slightly again in the title track with the vocals I didn't like in Streets of Fire.
Four star because Racing... lifts the average so high.
David Bowie
5/5
What a wonderful album. There is nothing to dislike on this. And with gems like Time, The Pretties Star, and Lady Grinning Soul, how could this be less than a 5?
The Thrills
3/5
Oh boy. I remember the title track so well. It's still great. The rest of the album could also be great, but that whiny voice just drives me absolutely nuts. Three stars cos of the potential.
Elliott Smith
2/5
How boring!
Barry Adamson
3/5
Very odd. I loved bits of it, like "Vermillion Kisses" and "Sweetest Embrace". Almost all of it was decent, but the very jazzy tracks just aren't for me.
Megadeth
3/5
Decent album. Solid throughout, and even somewhat varied. Would listen again.
Neil Young
5/5
Wonderful album. Every track is a winner.
Tangerine Dream
1/5
I got halfway through this on Friday. When I found on Monday that I still had half to go, I groaned "Oh, God." And it didn't get any better. I see this crowd have 127 albums. I hope that at least one of them is at least a little better than this.
JAY Z
1/5
Didn't like at all. 1 star, despite the Doors sample. Gratuitous profanity just doesn't do it for me. God knows I use enough myself, but gratuitous use is annoying.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Amazing. The first Sabbath song I ever heard was The Wizard, and it's still amazing. I never used to like the title track, but now all of a sudden I'm a fan!
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
Enjoyable music. Must be great to dance to.
Digital Underground
1/5
Well, that was shit. Imagine a track that just lists countries and says "They like us there." Imagine that's one of the more interesting tracks on the album.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
The two big hits on this are still great. Under the Bridge in particular takes me way back. But the rest of the album is very dull, so those two just lift it to three stars.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Impressively awful. People banging on sheets of metal and making weird noises. If that's music, I'm going to set up my own band with that sheet of corrugated iron in my back yard.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Two great tunes on this (the two hits). The rest has some great riffs, but fails to excite overall.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
I dunno what the fuss is about Marley. Or any other reggae, for that matter. Maybe if you're stoned, it'd be good, but it certainly does nothing for me.
Pavement
2/5
I listened to this yesterday. I don't remember it. 2 stars for being forgettable but clearly not bad enough to hate.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Ah, what an album to celebrate the life of this great man. Absolute stunner of an album. Fairies Wear Boots is for me the real standout (obviously, the title track, War Pigs, and Iron Man are amazing as well). The slow, laid-back groove of the song is such a contrast, and it really lets the guys show off their musicianship.
Buzzcocks
4/5
This is tough to rate. It's a really solid album. I was tempted to give it only three stars, but I found myself enjoying it more as it went on. The closing track lifts it to four stars through its novelty, and because it chugs along so very nicely all the way through.
Elvis Presley
3/5
This is OK. The man could certainly sing. But although I recognise some of the tunes, I wouldn't go back to listen to them again.
Khaled
2/5
Curious. Did nothing for me. I wonder if I'd understood the lyrics whether it would have made more of an impression.
Iggy Pop
3/5
This was grand. Enjoyable, but I wouldn't be racing to hear it again. The two big tunes are great, of course. "Tonight" has echoes of Bowie and the Stones. "Success" is one that I might remember if I heard it again. And I Am Kloot certainly seem to have heard "Neighbourhood Threat" !
Beastie Boys
3/5
I enjoyed this more than I expected to. It's more mature than "Licensed to Ill", and while the vocals don't do it for me still, the instrumental parts are actually pretty good in parts. "Sabotage" is the big track I'd heard before, but I was pleasantly surprised now that I've actually listened to it for the first time. It's really not bad. 3 stars for unexpected enjoyment.
Peter Frampton
2/5
Good God, that was boring. I knew "Baby, I Love Your Way", but that's boring too. "Doobie Wah" has a bit of life to it, which built up my hopes of something interesting coming along, but how my hopes were dashed! "Show Me The Way" was mildly interesting as well, with a decent bassline, but overall, this album is crap.
Megadeth
4/5
Enjoyed. Proper decent metal. Shades of Ministry by times - or, rather, Ministry borrowed a riff from "Poison is the Cure". 4 stars because it's - well, it's old school!
Venom
4/5
I love NWoBHM. Venom was a great band. It's interesting to listen now and think that Nirvana must have heard "Countess Bathory". Top album here. "Don't Burn the Witch" is a cracker. Proper headbanger.
The Smiths
3/5
Enjoyed. Oddly jaunty by times.
Neu!
3/5
Enjoyed. Liked the mellow groove.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Enjoyed. Obviously I know the big hits (although I know the opener only from Russian Doll), but overall, I liked the rest of the album too. The two closers were irritating, with the overlong sections of repeatedly detuned bass on Jump Into the Fire, and the overly decorated vocals on I'll Never Leave You, so they bring it down to a 3.
Parliament
2/5
Meh. Funk is not for me.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
This was OK. Pretty bland, poppy fare.
Stan Getz
3/5
This was plenty listenable. I don't know if I'll ever choose to listen to the like, but I certainly enjoyed most of this.
Shack
3/5
Generically britpoppy, but in no way unlistenable.
3/5
Not bad. It's got a bit of life to it. The closing track, Beetles in the Bog, is pretty good.
Moby
3/5
Enjoyable, certainly, but not amazing. I knew a good lot of the tracks from when it was in the charts, but I preferred "In My Weakness", which was completely new to me.
Dire Straits
5/5
Wonderful. The two big numbers are just incredible, as is "Water of Love". The rest is much weaker, but "Wild West End" is decent, and I really enjoy "Lions". Five stars because those top three tracks are just so incredible. We've had the masterfully understated "Down to the Waterline" and the beautiful, somewhat mournful "Water of Love" - and then we burst into "Sultans of Swing" with a bang. What an album. What a band. The intro to "In The Gallery" is such a tease, though.
How Knopfler managed to
Pixies
4/5
What a great album. "Where Is My Mind" is such an amazing track. "Gigantic" is also a cracker. The drum sound here is superb, and so distinctive.
The Who
2/5
This is really, really poor. Pinball Wizard is still a great track, but the rest is just crap. The Beach Boys-esque "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" is the best of a bad lot apart from that, and it's pretty poor itself!
The Velvet Underground
5/5
This started slow, and I wasn't convinced at all. But then I hit "Pale Blue Eyes", and the stress of the day dwindled to a faint echo. From this point on, it's a cracker. "Jesus" is gorgeous as well. From that point on, it's just a wonderful album. This is a very different Velvet Underground from the one I thought I knew.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
I really like this album. "Judy Blue Eyes" and "Marrakesh Express" are of course the standout tracks, but the whole thing is very listenable. I love their harmonies.
The Beta Band
3/5
This was OK. Nothing special. Couldn't see myself going back to listen to it again.
Nirvana
4/5
Love this album. It was such a huge part of my life when it first came out. Cobain's voice is harder to listen to now, though, so it gets downgraded to four stars.
Still a superb album, of course!
Aretha Franklin
3/5
There's certainly nothing to object to in this. Good music, well performed. It's not really my style, but I did enjoy it.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Surprising variety on this album. Interesting to hear the so-young Elvis. I liked it, all told.
Muddy Waters
3/5
This was enjoyable, solid blues material. Not remarkable, though.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Harmless. Her voice kind of annoyed me, but I did enjoy the closing track.
Madonna
2/5
I don't like Madonna's music, but I did enjoy the title track here. I know it already, of course. Two stars cos it's just generic pop, but that's a good track.
Jungle Brothers
1/5
Didn't enjoy this at all. Good rhythms from time to time, but I don't remember anything else about it - and I listened to it just an hour ago.
The Killers
4/5
The first half of this album is simply amazing. The second half is kind of forgettable, though, bringing it down to four stars.
Ozomatli
3/5
Mostly not very interesting. Some interesting tracks, like "Déjame en Paz", though.
Mike Ladd
2/5
This did nothing for me at all. The only track I remember is the one where he's listing what his name would be if he were Jewish, Catholic...
Frank Ocean
1/5
What a load of rubbish. Pure dross.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
This was OK. I like her voice.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
Ooh, I like this opener. Gallops along.
Track 2: decent rhythm as well. Not quite as attention-grabbing as the previous.
The album tailed off after this superb start, but there's still plenty good stuff on it.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
This is a good album, no question. It's quite monotonous, though. Spellbound is a great track, but it's hard to know for each other song if I've heard it before!
Radiohead
4/5
Decent album here. Definitely enjoyable, and I know most of the tracks. I don't think I'd give it more than 3 stars if I heard it first today, but it gets 4 because of the impact it had when I first heard it.
Dolly Parton
3/5
It's Dolly! Dolly's great, but I really wouldn't ever choose to listen to her music.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
Well, this is pretty generic fare. Nothing to excite me here.
Adele
3/5
It's OK. She can certainly sing, but I can't ever imagine that I'd sit down and listen to this again.
The Specials
3/5
Not exciting, but lively and enjoyable.
Abdullah Ibrahim
2/5
I enjoyed the title track, but the rest didn't interest me.
Prince
1/5
Really didn't find anything to like about this album. Dross.
Tom Waits
5/5
That's a superb album. I shouldn't like the jazziness of it, but Waits's voice and general style carry me through that effortlessly. Five stars. Would listen again - and again.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Not very exciting. I know the big single, of course.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
I enjoyed this overall. It's not amazing music, but it's solid, and plenty listenable.
Michael Jackson
2/5
Didn't enjoy. Again, it's not a patch on Bad. "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" are decent enough, though, so 2 stars for that.
Anthrax
3/5
Proper decent metal. Solid, not flashy. Plenty headbangable.
Eric Clapton
3/5
First impression: kicks off with a cracker! Superb energy to this.
Very different mood on track 2. Not such a fan. Very generic.
Track 3 picks up again, but nothing really special here.
Track 4 passed me by. I didn't notice it.
Track 5 (Sheriff) just doesn't appeal, no matter who's performing it.
They seem to have found their stride again on track 6. Nothing amazing, but a good solid bluesy number.
I like the mood of track 7.
Dipping again on track 8. Clapton's own compositions are clearly the weakest here.
Didn't notice the rest. Three stars because the few good tracks were really good.
Soundgarden
5/5
What a wonderful album. Quintessential grunge. The overall feel of the album is fantastic. It's got such a dark tone, musically speaking, but the roundness of the tone knocks the edge off it, prevents it from sounding harsh.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
What an amazing album. Yes, they could have cut a few songs from the end to tighten it up a little, but - well, now that I think about it, I'm not really sure what I would cut. Maybe "Boogie With Stu", and "Black Country Woman". Maybe.
"Ten Years Gone", "Down by the Seaside" - what amazing work these two are, apart altogether from the big numbers.
An easy five here.
Stereolab
3/5
More enjoyable than expected. More than just background music. It has some life to it.
Public Enemy
2/5
I didn't mind this, which was unexpected. Still didn't like it, but it deserves more than the one star.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I just love the feel, the mood of Cohen's music. There's very little of his material that could earn fewer than four stars. This isn't his finest, but there's no way I can give it fewer than four!
The Crusaders
2/5
If you like jazz, and you like funk, this album is for you.
I hate jazz, and I hate funk.
Carpenters
2/5
Karen certainly had a lovely voice, but this is mostly too saccharine for my taste.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Didn't excite. Couple of decent tracks, though.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
5/5
Really enjoyed this. Varied, full of life, full of character.
Deerhunter
2/5
This was boring. Pretty, but boring.
Funkadelic
3/5
I enjoyed this a whole lot more than I expected to. I hate funk. But - well, it's funk, Jim, but not as we know it!
Super Furry Animals
3/5
This was OK. Nothing special.
Culture Club
2/5
Bit fluffy, really. I like the big numbers, for sure, but there's nothing exciting here.
Richard Hawley
3/5
I enjoyed this. Surprised to find out how recent "Just Like the Rain" is. Great track. Love his voice.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Masterpiece. Even the two filler tracks can't bring this below a five.
Haircut 100
3/5
Nothing special here. I liked Milk Film, though.
The Smiths
3/5
I always like the mood of the Smiths.
Bob Dylan
3/5
This was OK. Nothing special. He hadn't hit his stride yet (I gave Highway 61 and Blood on the Tracks 4 stars each).
Tom Waits
4/5
I love Tom Waits. This is great stuff, but it's not his finest work.
The Only Ones
3/5
Well most of this is very middle of the road when heard for the first time nearly 50 years later. But when I heard "No Peace for the Wicked", I thought it had somehow skipped on to Violent Femmes! Now I know one of VF's influences.
Throwing Muses
4/5
This is really great stuff. Lively, edgy. Great vocals, great instrumentation - unusual percussion!
George Michael
2/5
There's a lot worse than this out there. Certainly listenable, but I can't see myself going back to it. I feel a little mean giving this two, since other albums with the same comment have got a three, but I just can't justify it.
Adele
3/5
Wow, she can really sing! Don't like the music much, but she gets a solid three for her voice.
Frank Sinatra
1/5
Eh, this is pretty damn awful. One or two of the tunes aren't all that bad (Ipanema is a good one), and the inclusion of Jobim lifts one or two of them out of the utter banality that characterises the rest of the album. But the banality is the impression I take away with me.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Hooray for an album of covers of American blues classics by a bunch of English boys! Jagger's/Richards's own composition was decent, but I can't see how a cover album could launch such a career as they had.
AC/DC
5/5
That's an easy five. Stellar debut for Brian Johnson. Hell's Bells, You Shook Me..., Rock and Roll... These three in particular are magnificent. The title track ain't half bad either. But there isn't a bad track on the album. Hats off to Johnson for following such a legend - and measuring up to him.
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
What an amazing album. It's many years since I listened to it start to finish. I was waiting for the tracks I didn't like - but I didn't hear them! My tastes must have changed over the intervening years.
An easy five here.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Curious and interesting. I realised I knew nothing of hers apart from BYT, so I was really keen to hear this. Track 2 (The Jungle Line) is very unusual indeed. It certainly grabs - and holds - the attention.
The Notorious B.I.G.
1/5
I dunno will I ever like this kind of thing.
5/5
Love this album. Great variety throughout, and very inventive. I'm a sucker for the clarinet, so "When I'm 64" has got a lot of airtime.
Gang Starr
2/5
This was pretty bland. It slipped by largely unnoticed.
ABBA
3/5
This is very curious. It's a very different mood to the big tunes I know. I quite like some of it. "The Day Before You Came" has a nice mood to it, and I listened twice to "Cassandra" - very surprised to hear a song from ABBA with such a reference. It's surprisingly affecting. Three stars for an ABBA album - because while I enjoyed it all, only these two really stood out.
The Go-Go's
4/5
Enjoyed. Great, Blondie-esque tone to the whole album. Totally surprised to find it's not just some generic poppy nonsense, but something with genuine, slightly punky life to it.
Björk
2/5
I can't warm to Björk at all. I think it's the voice.
Paul McCartney and Wings
2/5
Title track is decent. "Jet" is OK. The rest, esp. the repetition of the chorus from the title track, is fairly dull.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
What a load of bollocks.
Willie Nelson
3/5
I really did enjoy this. It's unusual and interesting.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Didn't notice this going by. Meh.
Queen Latifah
2/5
Didn't get anything much from this at all.
Aerosmith
4/5
Solid album. Plenty hits.
AC/DC
4/5
Great stuff.
American Music Club
2/5
Pretty dull. Inoffensive, at least.
Happy Mondays
4/5
This is great stuff. I really enjoy the mood of the whole album. "Kinky Afro" is just superb. "Step On" is also great - even though I now see it's a cover.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Meh. I remember the Aerosmith collab from when it was released, but the rest, I've forgotten.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Top album. Packed full of great tunes.