205
Albums Rated
2.81
Average Rating
19%
Complete
884 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Electronica
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Critic
Rater Style ?
18
5-Star Albums
22
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
|
5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
|
The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
|
5 | 3.18 | +1.82 |
|
Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
|
5 | 3.19 | +1.81 |
|
Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
|
5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
|
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
|
5 | 3.32 | +1.68 |
|
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
|
5 | 3.45 | +1.55 |
|
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
|
5 | 3.59 | +1.41 |
|
good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar
|
5 | 3.61 | +1.39 |
|
Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz
|
5 | 3.64 | +1.36 |
|
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
|
5 | 3.65 | +1.35 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
So
Peter Gabriel
|
1 | 3.55 | -2.55 |
|
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
|
1 | 3.44 | -2.44 |
|
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
|
1 | 3.43 | -2.43 |
|
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
|
1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
|
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Dead Kennedys
|
1 | 3.27 | -2.27 |
|
Lady In Satin
Billie Holiday
|
1 | 3.23 | -2.23 |
|
Close To The Edge
Yes
|
1 | 3.19 | -2.19 |
|
Pyromania
Def Leppard
|
1 | 3.13 | -2.13 |
|
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
Motörhead
|
1 | 3.06 | -2.06 |
|
Out of Step
Minor Threat
|
1 | 2.93 | -1.93 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Waits | 2 | 1.5 |
5-Star Albums (18)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Sonic Youth
3/5
Sounds 5/5 at times and some cool riffs sprinkled throughout but I couldn’t tell you many actual tracks that stood out.. also feels very lacking vocally for extended stretches. Missed potential IMO! Incinerate >
3 likes
Taylor Swift
4/5
Was confused when I didn’t know the first song because I remember this album being massive. Bit of a slow start but then the album transitions into ‘Black Space’ which is a bit of a classic honestly - still remember the words 10 years on! I also really like the production on this song - there’s something uniquely infectious about it. There’s some other good hits on here: ‘Style’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’ to name some. But in my opinion this album is very hits reliant and I don’t come out of it thinking about the album, just the big songs. A really enjoyable listen though! Personally ‘folklore’ is my favourite Taylor Swift album, with its folk style, so I hope to see this on the list one day as I imagine Mum and Dad didn’t enjoy this album much haha.
Screw it, this is getting a 4, there’s too many memorable songs.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (22)
All Ratings
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Never heard of this one before, groovy though and enjoyed having it on when writing my essay. Would give a 4* but I think that I will like most of the 1001 so will be harsh :)
Nirvana
3/5
Nirvana so it is still great. I know some people call this a classic and I can see its importance but I wouldn’t jump to listen to the whole thing through again! Great ending though.
Favourite track: All Apologies
Public Enemy
3/5
A masterclass in early hiphop sampling but maybe a bit bloated in the middle - could be better at 40 mins long. Social commentary has never sounded so cool 😎
Favourite track: Welcome To The Terrordome
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
No Woman No Cry 🥲
Sister Sledge
2/5
Felt so wrong not having Will Smith come in on the opener. Honesfly 2 feels harsh because I liked it but I think its better suited for a venue.
Favourite Track: You’re a Friend to Me
Elton John
2/5
Besides Tiny Dancer I’m not too sure about this. Indian Sunset was a bit of a weird listen. He can definitely sing well it just doesn’t click with me overall.
Favourite song: Tiny Dancer
Big Black
3/5
I probably won’t return to this often but that is partly because of it’s inaccessibility!! a weird fusion of sounds, definitely worth the listen
favourite track: kerosene
Funkadelic
3/5
A cool listen without loads of standout moments for me, but I also had it on while working on an essay so I’m not sure if that affected things. Funky album :)
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
‘Bridges’ by these two is a 5* for me! I unfortunately only had time for a few songs from this so anything other than a 3 would be unfair.. i really like their aura
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This album definitely loses steam after a really strong start with an absolute classic to open. Also feels pretty dated for the most part and doesn’t hold up amazingly, but has some great moments.
De La Soul
5/5
The first truly top tier album of this list I think! If you could tell me how it could be better at what it does then please tell me! Awesome influences, sampling, and bass-lines, with consistently great vocals on top. Game show skit to string it all together gives a reason to listen to it all in order!
Favourite track: Tread Water
The Byrds
2/5
Early in it’s genre and comes across that way, not bad in any way but not very memorable to me for either, and so I likely won’t be coming back to this one!
Favourite track: Eight miles high
Roxy Music
2/5
Actually had a sneaky look at the reviews before writing my own and what Mum said hits the nail on the head for me.. just not my cup of tea! Had some moments of cool wacky production though, especially the guitar solos on Editions of You.
Favourite track: Editions Of You
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
A fun opportunity to listen to an early release from Lenny Kravitz, as I am a big fan of some of his releases during the 90s and definitely think he has gone under the radar as years have gone by. ‘Mama Said’ in 1991 was definitely where he hit full stride for me, and I think that shows here.. good stuff but not quite hitting the spot as much as his other work. Feels a bit lacking, hard to explain.
Adele
3/5
Finishing a great weekend with back to back albums.. first up Adele. Must be said that I appreciate Adele’s thing of naming albums after her age; with the songs telling the story of her life at her current age. Cool stuff!
I found the opener overrated when it came out, and I still find Hello a bit anti-climactic and it surprises it was such a big single..
That being said, the 3 track run that follows it (Send My Love, I Miss You, and When We Were Young) are really brilliant - such a powerful voice and great music behind it.
Remedy is where things slow down a little but it is still a good listen, definitely demands full listening attention but doesn’t justify having it as much as the previous few songs. Million Years Ago is a good song too. I do think the Adele formula grows a bit stale on me over the course of 11 songs but I think it remains consistently decent - and the quality of tracks 2, 3, and 4 can’t be denied!
Very curious to see everyone else’s reviews for this one :))
Favourite track: I Miss You
U2
2/5
Never massively rated U2 coming into this, but did enjoy some of their bangers (namely With Or Without You and Beautiful Day).
Some heavy topics covered, such as the impacts of Bloody Sunday, which they covered in an impactful way.
I do just find the U2 sound pretty dull though honestly, and don’t see many standout moments from a musical perspective, besides maybe the guitar solo on New Years Day. Vanilla ice cream for the ears, especially the vocals here.
Maybe biased as I never fully forgave Bono for forcing his album onto everyone’s iPod around 2012 😂
Favourite track: New Year’s Day
Tom Waits
2/5
No doubt Tom Waits is doing some cool, experimental, artistic stuff here, and I am glad I got to listen to this as it sure was an experience. I do just think its often lacking the logical flow and consistent quality that makes an enjoyable experience which I would be interested in returning to. +1 for the creativity but it does seem like he threw a lot of it together after a few too many beers at the saloon. I also really can’t take some moments like In The Neighbourhood and Down Down Down seriously with that voice, maybe it is an acquired taste. 😅
Favourite track: Gin Soaked Boy (maybe? the guitar was groovy)
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
It’s Sunday afternoon, it’s sunny, and you’re walking down the street in sliders. You also probably have sunglasses on.
These guys would get along with Jack Johnson probably.
Favourite tracks: Garbage Man,
Wilco
4/5
Listening to this felt really nostalgic, like going back to summer’s days when I was only 7 and still pronounced three as free. David James is still England’s number 1, the Argos catalogue exists, and I’m eating boiled eggs with salad cream. I want salad cream now. Warming music and just flows very nicely as an album. I enjoyed a lot 🙂
Favourite track: War on War
AC/DC
4/5
YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Favourite track: yes
Air
4/5
From track 1 alone I was already fairly confident that this would end up something I like. It’s like elevator music for a ride up to space. I’ve been going on a bit of a deep dive into ambient style music whilst studying recently through the likes of Brian Eno, C418, Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Floating Points, and some others, and so this really hit the spot for me.
Favourite track: All I Need
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Lots of cool songs but I’m not a fan of the format! I didn’t find it as perfect of a Thin Lizzy listening experience as one could get, maybe just not a fan of the recording style.
Favourite track: The Boys Are Back In Town
Beck
2/5
I haven’t really ever gotten into Beck and this one didn’t convert me. So varied but I don’t really know if it justifies why? Idk hard to put my finger on. Not bad just not my thing.
Ash
3/5
After the Star Wars Tie Fighter intro, which gives some extra credit in my books, this was immediately sounding like a hybrid of Muse and Arctic Monkeys instrumentally, so bizarre how it seemed to ebb and flow between the two sounds (whilst also coming before both). Definitely strongest at the beginning though, and steadily tails off after the first few songs. Some songs that have been firmly added to my rotation but definitely wont listen to the album itself over and over.
Favourite track: the opener!!
Prince
2/5
I really love Prince, I think he was one of the best live performers ever and I would’ve loved to see him in concert. However I feel like the magic of that wasn’t quite caught yet with this album, it didn’t fully show his skills as one of the best guitarists/frontmen in the business! Stronger start but tails off toward the end.
Favourite track: 1999
Stan Getz
5/5
This is great, perfect atmosphere music on a summer afternoon/evening. Makes me feel like I’m on holiday!
Favourite track: The Girl From Ipanema
Wilco
2/5
Maybe I have a negative bias having heard Wilco not long ago, but this just felt more flat and undeserving of being on this list. Just nothing much to report really, felt like more of the same and didn’t need to be a whole double album!
Burning Spear
5/5
Bro just spoke facts over the most GNARLY reggae beats for half an hour. Jokes aside, this is excellent. Really no point in the tracklist that I wanted to turn off, and that is a great album to me. The incredible bass and tune of the opener is a highlight for me, but this energy persists throughout without being overbearing. Would have loved to have seen this live in its prime 😆
Pink Floyd
4/5
A real experience of an album. I loved the multiple parts of Another Brick In The Wall running throughout, and the wall coming down at the end was really cool. A little drawn out but they own it.
Favourite tracks: Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2, Comfortably Numb, Run Like Hell
Dire Straits
3/5
Really strong start with some songs that I recognised. Guitar riffs and solos are solid throughout but the overall quality of songs does seem to slow down as you listen further. I did enjoy this though, and didn’t realise how popular these guys are?!
Favourite song: Walk of life
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
A decent album that left me with no strong feelings or opinions. Relatively inoffensive with some good tunes sprinkled throughout. Not a massive fan of the lead singers voice and it did break the immersion for me now and then. Recognise a few songs from Dad playing also (the better ones in the track-list of course). Perfectly fine, but wont be returning most likely!
Favourite track: Pump It Up
Arcade Fire
4/5
A ‘sprawl’ of an album that manages to have relatively consistent high notes throughout.
The Suburbs is one of my favourite songs ever! It’s so patient and subtle, slowly morphing in instrumentation as it progresses. I feel like it resembles the steady yet inevitable trudge away from childhood into adulthood. The imagery buried within the lyrics of this song are spectacular, too.
Loads of other great moments throughout (Ready To Start, Empty Room, Month of May, Wasted Hours, Sprawl II).
Similarly to The Wall, The Suburbs creates an atmosphere and sticks to it expertly. Also similarly to The Wall, it is a tad drawn out and is just off of the peak of this band. Still a great listen though.
Favourite track: The Suburbs
Daft Punk
3/5
It is brilliant, I know that it is.
I enjoyed the listen, I did.
It’s hard to explain, but I just don’t see that I will listen to this album in full very often though!
It demands the attention a little too much to be good background music, and sometimes feels a little too static to be an enjoyable focused listen.
This was groundbreaking, but has since been surpassed (even by Daft Punk themselves).
Nonetheless, super groovy and I have a lot of love for the robots 🤖 🤖
Favourite track: Da Funk
Madonna
2/5
Wasn’t particularly engrossed while listening to this one.
I do like a few Madonna songs but the ones I know of weren’t on this album.
Just felt a little indifferent towards this, not much to say. :)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
1/5
Already 1 star from the album cover alone. 🤮🤮🤮🤮
Duke Ellington
2/5
Just atmospheric music! Not a bad listen but left no strong opinions on me and probably won’t be coming back as a result. I’m sure it would be great to hear live in a cool venue, though. Maybe not quite a 1001 greatest album for me, but definitely better than the last one 😵💫
Tom Waits
1/5
Despite his creativity it just is genuinely dreadful if you actually have ears.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Sounds 5/5 at times and some cool riffs sprinkled throughout but I couldn’t tell you many actual tracks that stood out.. also feels very lacking vocally for extended stretches. Missed potential IMO! Incinerate >
The Clash
2/5
Blimey these guys didn’t start out all that great?! The groundwork for their future success and best stuff is there, but this definitely doesn’t really have the magic of their classics. Similarly to with Sonic Youth, I didn’t find myself convinced by the vocals, and the instrumentals to match felt a bit weaker, hence the lower rating. I am also wanting to hear some punk on this list that feels more angry and passionate!! With Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine, for example, you can really feel his burning frustration through his voice! I want that!
Kraftwerk
5/5
I enjoyed Air and Daft Punk a lot, and considering that: I should have anticipated how much I would like this! I have always been aware of Kraftwerk (there were many tributes to them in Berlin when I visited) but have never listened. Despite being surpassed technologically by many that have come since, something about the minimalist soundscapes here is totally unmatched. The simplicity makes this one all the more effective. The long tracks and short runtime suits it perfectly, and I couldn’t have asked for more. Strongly approved by Lucy too.. WE ARE THE ROBOTS 🤖
Favourite tracks: The Robots, The Model
Willie Nelson
3/5
Does anyone else hear how this albums first 10 seconds sounds a lot like Stairway to Heaven?? Just me?? Ok.
Awesome intimate guitar on the first track, don’t think his voice is strong but I do love the atmosphere. This just deserves some slightly better vocals I think.
Quickly realised from track 2 that it wasn’t going to take the sound any further, though.
A pleasant listen but not that rewarding as an album for me. Too one dimensional without enough to justify it?
Favourite track: September Song
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Snoop Dogg has great cadence and charisma that’s for sure, but for me it doesn’t change the fact that the G-Funk sound isn’t all that hard hitting for me. For me, mid-90s rap was being led by the south, with acts like OutKast from Atlanta pushing much better storytelling into their songs than I got here from Snoop. Beats are cool but that can also be seen done better elsewhere. I have always just felt Snoop Dogg is at his best as a feature on Dr Dre songs, where the production punches harder.
Cream
2/5
Similarly to Willie Nelson, I didn’t feel like this album caught my attention enough or felt like a rewarding full listen. Didn’t know that the opening two tracks were these guys though! The more you know 🧠
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Despite being a fan, I had never heard their debut before. This was a great opportunity to do so. I didn’t expect their sound to seem so fleshed out at this early stage, and so was pleasantly surprised. There’s something about the noise of their guitars that is truly satisfying, despite its simplicity. Feels like a radio station you’d have playing on a drive through a cactus filled desert. 🌵
Favourite track(s): Regular John, How To Handle A Rope
George Harrison
5/5
WOW! I really didn’t expect this album to grow on me so rapidly throughout one single listen. My Sweet Lord is a classic, but I do think that the level of exposure I have had to it has slightly dampened it’s impact on me… I am unsure why 😉.
My first big favourite came with Behind That Locked Door: so pretty sounding! I Live For You, All Things Must Pass, and Hear Me Lord were additional high notes.
But then, as if out of nowhere, came that last however many songs of pure instrumental. I was engrossed the whole time while cleaning out my room! Soulful, Bluesy, Jazzy, Rocky, and everything in between.
Prime example of respecting the listeners time; making a comparatively lengthy album justified in it’s length and not over-indulgent.
At times, I felt notes of Elton John-y stuff, but somehow this felt different and better in every possible way.
A perfect victory lap after his Beatles success - thanks for the experience, George @ Co.
Beatles
5/5
To me it’s unbelievable that Here Comes The Sun, Come Together, Something, and Golden Slumbers (four legendary rock tracks), are all on the same album - and yet still somehow get overshadowed by Octopus’s Garden.
P.S. I enjoy The End a lot because it is the only Beatles song where all 3 guitarists do a guitar solo. They trade off during that instrumental section!
2Pac
4/5
“My mom couldn’t find a place to rest, until I got that ‘thug life’ tatted on my chest”.
I think that line from So Many Tears sums up why 2Pac is so great. His music tells stories of dreadful violence, pain, and suffering, but does not glorify his life. In fact, it shows how this life was the only feasible route to achieve any relative comfort (let alone success) out of deprived communities on the West Coast of the states in the 90s.
One of the biggest disservices to rap music is to write it off as harmful notions of violence that do not need to be shared with the world. People like 2Pac told real stories that shoved the truth of systemically oppressed African American communities into the mainstream, into the face of those living comfortable lives that often profited off of their suffering.
Yes such lyrics made, and make, people uncomfortable, but why shouldn’t they? I’m sure life was a lot more uncomfortable for kids like 2Pac who grew up with crime as their only way out of absolute poverty, than for outsiders hearing their stories.
Favourite track(s): So Many Tears, Dear Mama, Old School
Can
2/5
Experimental mumbling
Dead Kennedys
1/5
From track 1 this came off like a worse version of the clash album we reviewed. I really just don’t get that feeling that they truly care out of these songs. Feels like it lacks genuineness and it lost me very quickly as such.
Nick Drake
4/5
Such a funny experience having a focused listen of an album I’ve heard in passing for my whole life! Makes me think of Lentil Pie 🥧 Maybe nostalgia attached to my enjoyment, but music is all about that right? Feel like I’m out by a campfire in the woods with this one, with the light slowly fading.
Favourite track: Time Has Told Me
Peter Gabriel
1/5
I have to admit I didn’t finish this. Dull and more dull.
The Kinks
3/5
I am a big fan of a large handful of Kinks songs, but have never really sat down with an album - and from what I can tell this probably wasn’t their biggest or best albums.
A few lyrics and tracks come off as a bit outdated, which felt unfair to judge them on, but I don’t get that feeling from some other music from the same era.
Definitely some gems in there that bring up the scorecard though - namely ‘Sunny Afternoon’ which is a bit of an all time classic in the Lovesey family lore if you ask me.
That song will always remind me of boiled eggs and salad cream in the garden at Wickery Dene and High Street 😆
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
1/5
no
Michael Jackson
3/5
Not a bad listen but definitely some questionable tracks that have aged badly. Thriller is just better tbh. Although PYT from that one also aged badly.. (cough cough Leaving Neverland)
Maybe MJ has just aged badly in general 😬
That aside I did really enjoy some tracks so he’s managed to snatch a 3.
Favourites: Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man In The Mirror, Smooth Criminal
Ramones
3/5
Fun noise but nothing outstanding about many individual tracks. I enjoyed the fast pace of it though.
Maybe just felt a bit one dimensional - but still good!
Coldplay
4/5
There’s a really specific, hazy nostalgia that I get from old Coldplay, and another really specific, subtle euphoric feeling that their guitars give when they lift off on songs like Yellow.
‘Don’t Panic’ and ‘Sparks’ were probably my favourites though - their soft, campfire song like sound really hits the spot.
I think that after ‘Trouble’ the album kinda fades off though, which is why I’ve given a 4.
The The
2/5
Not much to note here on my end - great band name though 😆
The Undertones
2/5
This felt like a social experiment, an alternate reality when The Strokes weren’t as cool and were actually a bit weird.
Bonnie Raitt
1/5
Is this the American Dream? 😵
Dire Straits
3/5
Starts groovy and the guitars are really nice throughout. Reminds me of Khruangbin at times! Just all blended together a bit in my listen - but a very decent listen!
Portishead
4/5
Gloomy and mysterious, done right.
Favourite track: Wandering Star
The Vines
2/5
It’s fun but it isn’t much more in my opinion. A very decent listen but I do find myself surprised that this made the list with all the great albums put out in the early 2000s.
Talking Heads
2/5
I appreciate Talking Heads but less of what has made them cool to me was present here than I expected.. maybe more of this comes in later albums?
Minutemen
2/5
Unjustifiably bloated, no offence but it shouldn’t be on the list.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Was confused when I didn’t know the first song because I remember this album being massive. Bit of a slow start but then the album transitions into ‘Black Space’ which is a bit of a classic honestly - still remember the words 10 years on! I also really like the production on this song - there’s something uniquely infectious about it. There’s some other good hits on here: ‘Style’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’ to name some. But in my opinion this album is very hits reliant and I don’t come out of it thinking about the album, just the big songs. A really enjoyable listen though! Personally ‘folklore’ is my favourite Taylor Swift album, with its folk style, so I hope to see this on the list one day as I imagine Mum and Dad didn’t enjoy this album much haha.
Screw it, this is getting a 4, there’s too many memorable songs.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
I ended up having this on for a couple hours (discs 1-3) whilst coding my interview. A bit dated, especially on the songwriting and structure front, but she has a great voice and the music matches her well to create a very warm atmosphere. It’s like sitting in an armchair before a warm cosy fireplace with a mug of cocoa. I do think this isn’t much of an album, in the sense that we think of albums today, but it was a good listen nonetheless. Don’t think many songs will enter my rotation, hence the score, but I did enjoy this :D.
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
pedo music wtf?
Tim Buckley
1/5
Did Tim Buckley’s relative make this list?
Marvin Gaye
2/5
Marvin Gaye can and did do so much better. I reckon he knew it too. Still ok to listen to, but a similar experience to that White Stripes album for me.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
What a unique listening experience! Somehow it didn’t take long at all for me to slip into the groove of this despite the contrast between the soothing instrumentals his rough, aged voice.
Somehow this came off like a slower, darker parallel to the Moon Safari album by Air for me. Totally opposite but yet similar in its constant groove and ambiance.
Really enjoyed the piano work, bass-lines, etc. and Leonard had a lot to say. A cool experience!
Michael Jackson
4/5
This has too many classics to be denied really. I’m not sure what they were putting in certain music at this time to make it pop the way it does.
Wanna Be Startin Something is a cool high tempo start, the Paul McCartney feature is random to say the least, but then the album really takes off. Thriller is cinematic and awesome, always reminding me of that one Preston Hedges performance we did, but Billie Jean steals the show. Michael Jacksons moonwalk routine during the instrumental is etched in my memory. I cant hear it without seeing it! One of the best songs ever for sure.
-1 star for PYT because, lets be honest, thats aged a bit badly 😵
Kate Bush
2/5
A testament to how much sound design can influence the outcome of an album. Feels like Kate Bush was held back by the technical aspects of the recordings. Hopefully some of her classic albums come up later :)
Throwing Muses
2/5
Just more jamming style stuff.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
Lots to love about this actually! Run, Baby, Run reminds me of something that you’d see on These Days by Bon Jovi! Cool vibes :)
Johnny Cash
4/5
I never knew that Johnny Cash covered In My Life! Very cool. This album was a wise old man telling old tales near the end of his time. A unique experience.
Favourite song: Hurt (only correct answer)
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
I didn’t recognise this band by name, so was surprised to see how popular they are! 2 songs exceeding a billion streams!
The sound was nice and rich across this album, and it had a hazy, relaxed feel to it.
I recognised Proud Mary, that was the best tune. The outro song was slightly odd though haha.
Decent sounding album but I have no idea what to take from it.
CHVRCHES
5/5
This album was really it. I felt like I was in Tron. La Roux/Grimes/The 1975/The xx hybrid in the best way possible. I am now a CHVRCHES fan! Gonna be replaying this one a lot.
Britney Spears
1/5
No joke, you could insert the chorus from Hit Me Baby One More Time into most other songs in this album and it wouldn’t feel out of place. Listen to track 2 and think of ‘my loneliness, is killing meee’ coming in at any point and you’ll see what I mean. 😂
‘Born To Make You Happy’ is meant to be a sweet apology type song but it honestly comes off a bit intense and creepy..
‘From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart’ is painful too.
Note: this is coming from someone who thinks Britney Spears has some tunes (Toxic, Piece of Me…)
This is bad bad.
Shack
3/5
Similar to you guys, I had no clue these guys existed. Wasn’t particularly blown away myself but it was very listenable while working. Call album cover too 😆
Iggy Pop
2/5
Not much to note, was listening while doing some work.. didn’t catch my attention. Sorry Iggy :(
Dr. Dre
2/5
Some classics beats but not as hard hitting as Dr. Dre’s other solo album - 2001. Still the quintessential example of the G-Funk sound and I really appreciate the instrumentals. Not a massive fan of this one lyrically, though, and that does bring down the experience. The gang culture around rap was real, and a reflection of racial inequalities at the time, so I have never had an issue with gangsta rap: it’s just the blatant misogyny that is a little tough to look past for me and brings this one down a lot. It’s also a bit too bloated.
Steely Dan
2/5
YAWN. PLEASE MAKE ME THINK OR FEEL SOMETHING.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
A trippy dive into the world of Jimi. Many of the songs don’t stand out to me as specifically memorable, with the exception of Little Wing which is one of the best songs ever. When the guitars take off there’s nothing else quite like it. Besides that though, I think the selling point of this album is it’s overall sonic landscape. Feels like being transported to a parallel universe. Can see how many people were massively inspired. It’s amazing this was around at the same time as The Beatles.. so many sounds that inspired hard rock etc seem to have come from Jimi!
Favourite tracks: Little Wing, If 6 Was 9
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
Some mates sat down and found out they were decent at guitar so found a recorder and got cracking. Sounds alright but there’s no reason to re-listen to this.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
What a rich and soothing sound this album has in places! I once read that The Smashing Pumpkins capture nostalgia through instrumentals like no one else, and that is definitely true with songs like 1979.
My favourite on this album was actually a track that I am unfamiliar with - Galapagos. What an amazing tune!!
A little oversized, hence the 4, but a great listen which put some songs in my rotation.
Queen
4/5
I steady began to enjoy this one more as it went on. The Resistance by Muse had it’s foundations set in 1974 by a band called Queen! This is glam rock 101. Not too many standout moments but I really loved the big dramatic finale.
The White Stripes
2/5
This album comes out with its strongest song, White Orchid, and then just fades slowly. White Stripes have a cool cool sound but it doesn’t necessarily translate over a full album. Most of their best songs aren’t on here, either (see Icky Thump, Fell In Love With A Girl, Seven Nation Army)
Dagmar Krause
1/5
I’ve never liked musicals.. and this feels like musical music. Almost sounds like a parallel universe where Lady Gaga travelled backward in time, lost her vocal skills, and became German - which if you hadn’t guessed, doesn’t sound great.
I also highly recommend looking for the 1001 albums related comments below the youtube upload - well worth the read 😆
D'Angelo
4/5
This was a vibe. I actually didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
It’s a dreary, miserable day in Howdon but this made me feel like I was doing my work from the back of a dimly lit jazz hop bar in the 90s.
Weirdly enough, I found this pretty similar to the Air album at times.
Cool stuff, D’Angelo!
Tracy Chapman
3/5
As dad says in his review, Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car stand-in performance at Wembley is the stuff of music legend. A great song. She has a really powerful voice and I enjoyed the listen, it just didn’t really throw any surprises at me.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Bob Dylan is highly influential and respected, having a big impact on many artists that I love, but he just hasn’t quite clicked with me yet! The storytelling is intriguing but I find the sound of the album relatively one-dimensional, and so I struggled to maintain focus on the stories. His voice also isn’t quite working for my yet, nor are the harmonica solos.
Emphasis on the YET with this, because I am sure that I will understand this music more in the future (like I have with Nick Drake and Van Morrison recently).
Still not a bad listen, just not many highlight moments that will have me coming back for now. I also struggle to see an atmosphere that suits sticking his music on at this point in time.
p.s. I am aware this will likely be controversial. I have no regrets.
Nina Simone
4/5
Wow I love moments like this! ‘Four Women’ is sampled in a Jay Z song from 2016 titled ‘The Story of OJ’. I highly credit Hip Hop for getting me into Soul music like this - and I love learning about the connections between the two.
‘What More Can I Say?’ is great, I bet Muse wish they wrote this. Really see inspiration from these soul singers in some of their slower songs.
‘Lilac Wine’! I love the Jeff Buckley version. This is good too.
Overall I like the atmosphere and how it is recorded. The band is awesome and Nina Simone is even better. Something however does stop this from being something I see myself regularly returning to.
This made me want to listen to Bridges by Gil Scott Heron.. can’t believe it’s not on Spotify anymore :(
Blue Cheer
2/5
“We have Jimi Hendrix at home”
2/5
More of the same feeling as from Highway 61, except in Live form. Some of the songs felt so dragged out and lacked a bit of solid rhythm that would really elevate them. I can see Dylan’s influence on songwriting and guitaring but his contemporaries (Beatles etc) elevated his style by converting it into fully fledged songs with more enjoyable and rewarding structures for the listener.
Otis Redding
5/5
What an amazing listen! I apologise for submit my review late, I did it yesterday and totally forgot to hit submit this morning. Every song was so rich and tuneful. Otis really does have one of the most iconic voices. I found that he recorded Dock of the bay just 3 days before tragically passing in a plane crash. So sad but meaningful that he got to record his magnum opus just before going. Although that track didn’t make this album, A Change is Gonna Come, Down In The Valley, My Girl, and his far superior version of Can’t Get No Satisfaction all more than made up for its absence. This one brought light to my Thursday morning, and for that it deserves the highest praise :)
Steely Dan
2/5
A nothingy listen for me. Didn’t leave much of an impression on me at all. Fine but not much more.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
It’s a classic for good reason!
Although often reflecting sounds of the past the album doesn’t come across like a cheap imitation in the slightest.
Some of the lyrical passages are just awesome, and pairing that with her unique delivery makes for something that will always unmistakably be Amy Winehouse.
I do find it amazing how with just this one album she was forever cemented as a musical legend (I know she had one or two others but this was THE album). Sometimes, 2 sides of a record is all someone needs to make their mark forever.
‘Love Is A Losing Game’ is always one I think of when discussing Amy Winehouse but I forgot how good ‘Back To Black’ really is! Whoa!
‘Wake Up Alone’ also stood out on the back end and stopped this from slipping to a 4 for me.
Christina Aguilera
1/5
What a weird album.
Never seen anyone commit a whole track to their fans praising them as if they’re the second coming of christ before.
The immediate tone shift from “Christina Aguilera saved me from killing myself” to “Nasty Naughty Boy” was really something to behold.
Radiohead did dramatic left turns between albums. Christina Aguilera clearly does them within albums..
I have also never found a so called ‘tribute to those that inspire me’ so artificial seeming. The random backing vocals shouting names of soul singers really baffled me. “Otis Redding!”… like ok? 😂
I have to say, Candyman is a throwback from the radio when we were younger, however I’m pretty sure the radio version wasn’t quite so explicit - or at least we didn’t realise it 😂
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
An odd tonal shift on the final track brought this down a star. Otherwise, a nice bit of music! Didn’t overstay it’s welcome and felt like a portal into an old film. Definitely felt like it could be an old 70s. movie soundtrack.
Van Halen
3/5
Cool guitar noise from some very talented guitarists. HOWEVER, I can’t help but find music a bit dull when everything is so full on all the time. It’s almost like it all blurs together and becomes less impactful as a result. I might be talking nonsense, but it just didn’t wow me somehow.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
Constant grooves but not much more
5/5
I think when you can call an album THE Oasis album, it is probably quite good. Obviously Don’t Look Back In Anger/Wonderwall are great, but I had a lot of good things to say about Roll With It, Morning Glory, She’s Electric, and even Talk Tonight (which might not be on the original listing idk).
This was going to be a 4, as some of the songs in the middle/back end drone on a little bit for me, but then Champagne Supernova comes on and you can’t help but feel like it was all part of the plan to build up to such a finale. Epic song.
David Bowie
4/5
Heroes is one of the best songs ever, but also just about all I knew from this album going in. The rest of the album has some down moments but also some weird and wonderful instrumental moments that I really liked. I also really like how Bowie experimented with vocal effects. Quirky breaks are then pulled back around into some cool tracks too. :)
Patti Smith
2/5
Eek. I’m with Sam on this one. I’ll give it points for clearly having a creative spark behind it, and not being soulless, but for the most part this was pretty unlistenable. The song about someone’s Dad passing just didn’t come across as in good taste at all to me, the use of so many strange ways of delivering the vocals really devalued the significance of the story. I won’t listen to this album again, that’s for sure.
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
A bit rough around the edges, shall we say.
Talking Heads
4/5
The thing that stood out to me the most about this album is the way it expertly executed LAYERING. There is so much going on in these beats and that makes the songs so engrossing and groovy. Not much separates the type of riding groove of these tracks from those you’d see in hip hop tracks. Definitely could imagine a rapper jumping onto lots of these songs. ‘The Great Curve’ was a standout for that reason; I just love how it grows and grows. Infectious. Enjoyed the vocals here and there were some gnarly guitar riffs too. ‘Once In A Lifetime’ is fantastic too. What a legendary chorus!! It just sounds so perfect. To be fair, the talking style delivery of the vocals plays into my hip hop comparison on this track too. Thoroughly enjoyable album. :)
David Bowie
3/5
Didn’t know Bowie could rock out like this. 🪨 🤘 Felt like it wasn’t memorable enough for a 4, but much enjoyed.
The Doors
3/5
the doors didn’t quite get fours from me
Queen
2/5
Sometimes being full-on all the time makes full-on feel less full-on… if you know what I mean. This one was a bit too musical theatre-y for my liking too, and lacked anything that I would call essential Queen listening. Strange, considering it’s one of their most iconic album covers.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
A consistent but unremarkable listen for me
Blur
2/5
Gonna say it, Song 2 is overrated 😳 The rest of the album hardly grabbed my attention, either.
Blur
3/5
Alllllll the people. This album starts off really strong for me but tails off significantly. I really like the opener though; it’s a classic and the weird, harsh, grating guitars sound so perfect.
Radiohead
5/5
Some of the ‘best albums ever’ are a bit overrated. This album makes other 5s not feel like 5s. It’s a 6, hell maybe a 7.
Let Down is the song that got me properly into OK Computer. I remember listening to it while doing coursework in class during A Level Geography. It’s genuinely a perfect song. Devastating, soul destroying even, but beautiful at the same time.
I think the whole album is a commentary on the modern world we are creating for ourselves; while desperate for completion and perfection, we are actually striving further and further from it. In a way, we are becoming slaves to our own way of life. ‘Airbag’ poses the dilemma of modern technology, it can have great power to ‘help’ us driver faster, go places quicker, but demands that we put our lives in its hands to do so, becoming less and less ‘us’ in the process. I think ‘Fitter Happier’ puts it well, as it describes the average human experience through the filter of a robotic voice over an undoubtedly depressing instrumental. ‘The Tourist’ is a plea to reconsider, because where on Earth do we possibly need to be going at ‘a thousand feet per second’, if we are losing ourselves in the process? Maybe we aren’t on the right path to anywhere on Earth anymore, and instead are travelling on the highway to a dark, dystopian, alien future.
‘Idiots, slow down’ is the most up-front part of the plea. Maybe it refers to the uncontrolled pace of modern technological progress, but maybe it also refers to people who are getting in the car crashes described in ‘Airbag’, bringing the album full circle? Maybe if we just slowed down, we wouldn’t need technology to save us so often (when in fast German cars, but also in more general life).
TLDR: this album made me sad. :(
Joanna Newsom
2/5
This just doesn’t click with me. There is potential and artistic vision, but I hit a bit of a Tom Waits-type wall when trying to listen to this. Not for me, but not devoid of interesting ideas.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Pleasant listening but lacks the sonic depth of more recent folk classics from the likes of Fleet Foxes.
I enjoyed the opening track a lot, though.
Bob Dylan
3/5
It’s amazing how much PERCUSSION can help music. This took Bob Dylan’s music from coming across as pretty aimless and wishy-washy to something with some drive and intent. The opening track is probably my favourite song from Bob so far, and the overall more limited (although still present) harmonica across the album was appreciated. Vocals were a bit better, but I think it is only because they received more of a touch-up than in other records. Better, but still not remarkable.
Circle Jerks
1/5
Degenerate rock.
Live Fast Die Young just sucks so much I hate it.
The moral of ‘Back against the wall’ is literally: protest all you like but you’ll just get arrested. I don’t know if this was meant to be a Fight The Power type song but it comes off as the opposite.
14 songs in 15 mins is pretty hilarious though. Slightly less impressive when they all sound the same…
I didn’t even realise it had gotten back to the start.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
The recording, the instrumentals, the voice, can’t really be imitated. To someone born in 2002, Frank Sinatra always feels like this hazy, rose-tinted window to the past.
This also made me think of Christmas songs. It’s only November 8th. Boo. 👎
The War On Drugs
3/5
Incredible start but it does slowly fade, for me. First 2 tracks are excellent music. :)
Beastie Boys
4/5
A rather ill communication!
Never listened to this album in full before, and was pleasantly surprised by how accurately it reflects the atmosphere of a live hiphop show.
I recently listened to a Rick Rubin podcast on spotify where he discussed the past disconnect between hiphop on record and at concerts, and how the beastie boys was an attempt to merge the two. I think it succeeded!
I also appreciated the cool instrumental breaks throughout. Vocals and backing band felt very much in harmony.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Emotional. Cinematic. Euphoric. Thought-provoking.
This album feels like it constantly rises to reach new heights, new peaks, new crescendos.
A great first-time listening experience, despite having no specific standout moments.
Fela Kuti
3/5
A cool dive into the origins of Afrobeat. Really interesting to see how the genre has transformed over the years. Did enjoy the grooves a lot. By the looks of it, the average song length here equates to the average number of wives that Fela Kuti had at any given time 🤔
Billie Holiday
1/5
I have never listened to Billie Holiday before but somehow I still got much less than I had hoped from this album. Truly forgettable.
On a bit of further discovery, I did find it interesting to see how the ‘Strange Fruits’ song inspired ‘Blood on the Leaves’ (2013).
Pavement
2/5
Wannabe Kurt Cobains
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Made me think of the Monsters Inc soundtrack throughout - especially the scene where Mike Wazowski is on the date with his girlfriend in the fancy restaurant. Very warm tones seen across the jazz tracks here which certainly became synonymous with Pixar in later years. A nice listen.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Rock and roll! This album actually gets better the further in you go. Some awesome solos and an even better general noise. Loved the inclusion of organs and keys. A proper classic and lived up better to what I hoped for from the first Stones album on this list.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Groovy and groovy. Oh wait.. if I can’t think of more than one word to describe this album, it can’t be all that good.
Minor Threat
1/5
Christ
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Found that this was pretty plain, non-remarkable Beatles era stuff. Nowhere near interesting enough for this list IMO
The Prodigy
2/5
It’s strange, I thought I liked The Prodigy more than I actually do.
I like some of their individual tracks a lot (Omen, Outer Space), but that energy they bring in short bursts didn’t really translate in an album setting for me.
Underwhelming.
John Lennon
4/5
Probably the closest to a 5 that I haven’t given a 5.
This album is filled with incredible tracks (Imagine, Crippled Inside, Jealous Guy, Oh My Love, How?, etc.). It really is one of the best post-Beatles albums and does feel distinctly different from their work.
Somehow I feel like the recording quality, especially on the vocals, suffers at times. This breaks the experience for me.
Love John though. :)
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
It gets a bonus star for the band name but wow that was dull
Happy Mondays
2/5
One of those funny albums that come up every few weeks that leave me with next to no feelings upon first listen. Maybe a grower?
Black Sabbath
2/5
Certainly is a cool sound, but I really didn’t find myself all that invested. Pretty much all of Black Sabbath’s classic songs don’t appear here, either.
Crazy to think the original 4 are playing Villa Park this summer for a final show.
Nick Drake
5/5
A flawless album that provides an unparalleled feeling of warmth, comfort, and relaxation.
Lovely poetry and voice, attached to some of the most perfectly recorded guitars and keys that you could ever hear.
Amazing that the entire 30 min runtime is so captivating with so few parts holding it together.
No standout tracks as it is all great.
Gorillaz
2/5
I actually read Dad’s review before submitting mine - and I fully agree. Clint Eastwood is obviously amazing but the rest of this album dragged on by…
This doesn’t hold a candle to Demon Days or even the recent Song Machine album.
Boring like some of the Blur stuff.
The United States Of America
2/5
This album felt like turning an FM radio dial around slowly while driving through an unfamiliar area, and occasionally tuning into a faint, crackly station that is warning of an imminent apocalypse - then immediately tuning out and back in to a random station, and feeling unsure as to whether you just misheard the apocalyptic warnings that briefly came through your stereo. Haunting and uncomfortable to listen to but definitely effective in it’s efforts to set a mood. Doesn’t mean I loved the listen though…
Merle Haggard
2/5
This didn’t really do anything for me.
Also, the lyrics about going to prison for murder etc. are no more detached from our lives as narratives from gangster rap are. I feel in white society there is a double standard where we accept such talk from country musicians but do not from rappers.
Not that I think it is good in either case, but it is an interesting observation nonetheless.
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
So excited to see them at Glastonbury! Big props have to go to Mum for already etching many of these tracks into my long-term memory.
Fistful of Love, especially, is a truly magnificent and emotional ballad that shows the incredible range of Antony’s voice, the power of his words, and the strength of the backing band.
Thanks Mum for introducing this one many years ago, and thank you to AatJ for sticking around until I was old enough to fully appreciate the work!
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
There are some undoubtedly infectious grooves and boogie-able production on this album, but I struggle to listen to this album beyond the skin-deep perspective of the sonics alone. The violent themes is one thing, but what really leaves a sour taste for me is the fingerprints of Diddy/P Diddy/Puff Daddy (you get the point) being all over the album. Just hasn’t aged well at all in that regard, let alone with regards to some wider themes.
Elvis Costello
2/5
His voice annoys me so much
Orange Juice
3/5
Quite enjoyed this one - unremarkable for me though!
Bon Jovi
5/5
Way overblown, way overly-theatrical, and absolutely brilliant.
So many unexpected favourites that I hadn’t heard before, besides the big hits. Without Love, Raise Your Hands and Let It Rock were awesome.
5/5
“I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlor
Drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and waving and looking so fine
Don't think you knew you were in this song
And it was cold and it rained, so I felt like an actor
And I thought of Ma and I wanted to get back there
Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk
We’ve got Five Years”
I had to just paste this quote here. The whole opening song, but this part especially, completely convinces me that Bowie is experiencing the horror and emotion of realising that his time on earth is truly finite.
This set a theme of incredible awareness of his own mortality, and an impeccable ability to articulate it, which continued right through to Blackstar.
The album is all amazing too - ‘Ziggy Stardust’ especially stands out for its awesome tune - but ‘Five Years’ is truly a song like no other.
You see the full process of grief.. sadness, fear, anger, spirituality, love, despair, all pass seemlessly within the space of minutes, through Bowie’s eyes. One of the best individual songs ever, in my opinion.
N.W.A.
3/5
Culturally significant, highly impactful, and undoubtedly flawed.
Reflected the unrest caused by police brutality & discrimination in the late 80s, and also the blatant misogyny that existed at the time.
Definitely leaps and bounds ahead of other hip hop released during its time from a sonic perspective. Dr. Dre really was ahead of his time when it came to production, and the quality of the grooves across this album really carries it.
Express Yourself and If It Ain’t Ruff are favourites of mine.
Moby
3/5
Instantly recognisable and quite timeless too. A good listen with some definite highs, but admittedly not one with a lasting impact on me, and therefore I am unlikely to listen from front to back often. Good music, and a good album - not a great album though.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
“GET OUTTA YOUR ROCKING CHAIR GRANDMA!!! is a quote and a half. Really Caught me off guard haha.
Overall this was pretty enjoyable.
Wishing Well was great.
Aerosmith
2/5
“Walk This Way” acts as a microcosm for how this whole album plays out: It’s alright, but could really do with some Run DMC. 🤣
This was a weird one, I thought Aerosmith were big and powerful and dramatic but this didn’t really feel that way.
Insteresting side note: Toys In The Attic riff is super similar to Bombtrack’s intro.
M.I.A.
3/5
Really respect this album for its sheer creativity. M.I.A. is a producer, rapper, singer, who basically put all of this album together herself, and managed to do so while incorporating so many interesting and diverse sounds. Has that level of variety you get from a Gorillaz project. There are some points that missed the mark for me, but Bamboo Banga, Jimmy, and Paper Planes were all great. What a classic Paper Planes is!
Garbage
2/5
This one felt like it started strong but then failed to expand on its ideas which led to it feeling pretty samey by halfway through. Queer was my favourite track. I Think I’m Paranoid is their best song, and it’s not here either.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
1/5
I did listen to this album. That’s about it.
Roxy Music
3/5
This album opens with a BANG. I really like “The Thrill Of It All” because of its infectious and repetitive tune/groove. It truly managed to stay interesting despite this repetitiveness. Sadly, staying interesting is one thing that this album failed to do after that opener. Not bad, not anything more though.
Ray Price
2/5
This might be the first album I’ve seen have a “false start”, where the music is turned down and the artist speaks over to introduce the album. Really caught me off guard haha.
This feels like music I would picture playing in Radiator Springs at the start of the Cars movie.
Its really nothing special though, I like his voice but this is a drag for an album just a half hour long.
Beastie Boys
2/5
I really struggle to see what they brought to the table from a rap vocal standpoint, besides being white!
It’s a miracle they had such good producers on board to carry their tracks along. Great basslines throughout, and some fun “I know that song!” sample moments, like with the appearance of the Get Back riff.
Still find their energy a little lacklustre on the microphone, which is probably THE worst piece of criticism for a rapper.
Def Leppard
1/5
What the? Thank god rock improved over the coming decades, it seems like a lot of people regressed in this period.
I can’t explain it but there was such a fine line between this and Bon Jovi. Similar style but Bon Jovi sell me on every aspect that Def Leppard don’t.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I do love the title track, and parts of the lengthy opener were great, but this one does feel slightly self obsessed and anti-listener compared to some of their better albums.
Meat Loaf
1/5
Seems my review didn’t save last week, that or I didn’t care enough to check.
That says all you need to know about my thoughts on this one.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
NO IDEA why I know the opening track but I do?? Must’ve been used in some Film or TV that I have seen. Sadly it is easily the best part of the album, and by Blues Pt. 2 the pretty flutes from the opener have turned to ugly farts.
Motörhead
1/5
Bad live album and i didnt like them much anyway
Pearl Jam
2/5
God this is so boring, how is it so popular?? Singer sounds like a ripoff Chris Cornell.
Kanye West
4/5
I miss the old Kanye. 😢
After watching the Kanye documentary a few years ago, I developed a newfound appreciation for this debut. The amount of stick he got from the hiphop community before his breakthrough was ridiculous. No one took him seriously for not being tough like rappers were expected to be at the time.
Despite not even being one of his best 3 albums for me, this album is still full of classics. The middle of the album is a little bit bloated, and some of the absolute standouts for me come towards the end of the album, with Through The Wire, Two Words, Family Business, and Last Call giving this album a legendary close.
Jesus Walks is the ultimate standout though - it’s a fascinating description of being intent on being a righteous person but working in an industry where that is not rewarded in any way.
The production is groundbreaking and immaculate throughout, with this album introducing the chipmunk-style production to the world (sped-up soul samples).
I’m not sure what’s crazier: the fact that Kanye followed this up by 3 even better albums back-to-back (Late Registration, Graduation, 808s and Heartbreak), or the fact that these days he has completely descended into madness and is now a despicable human being.
No longer a fan, but I still appreciate this great stuff from over 20 years ago(?!)
B.B. King
2/5
It’s great as a performance but live albums rarely sit well with me. Albums have a lot of potential to be a real artistic statement, but live albums cannot really have that impact. He’s a great singer though and the band were on point.
The Incredible String Band
1/5
These guys swear that fairies are real, but that you have to take their special mushrooms to see them 🍄
Definitely think some people misinterpreted doing drugs as being artistic in this era of rock.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
This doesn’t belong on the list- just noise with nothing to hold it all together. It’s like playing a queens of the stone age CD that has gotten stuck and is looping the same 3 seconds.
Prefab Sprout
3/5
On the outset, this was pretty great! A few vaguely familiar tracks that Dad had possibly played too.
Bonny, Appetite, and When Loves Breaks Down were all saved to my library.
HOWEVER…
By “Blueberry Pies” the energy and enjoyment was gone, left with plain, drab, meh-ness.
Evens out to middle of the road.
Electric Light Orchestra
2/5
Mr. Blue Sky couldn’t save this from 2-star territory. I feel like this album tries to make you feel everything but I came out feeling like nothing. “Turn To Stone” was decent though.
The Smiths
4/5
The band sounds amazing all across this album, from the energetic intro “The Queen Is Dead” right through to the outro. Can see how they had a huge influence on indie rock music to come.
The less consistent part of this album is Morrissey…
The highs are inexplicably high: I Know It’s Over, Cemetery Gates, and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out are classics. The latter especially describes that almost obsessive romantic mindset in such a compelling way.
The lows are pretty low, though. Namely the outro. Some girls are bigger than others? It might not be as annoying if it isn’t delivered in that same serious manner that exists across the album. Whatever way you look at it, just a bad song.
Good listen and definitely some tracks I’ll return to.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
I’m convinced that somewhere here is a really great album.. Just Like Honey and Sowing Seeds especially are really awesome tracks…
However. moments like In A Hole, with its ear piercing fuzz that covers literally everything, brings this experience right back down to earth, and completely limits the potential of the record.
I see this album probably went for a similar feel as my bloody valentine, or Slowdive, but the execution was poor and the stylistic choices ended up backfiring and being to the detriment of the album.
Miles Davis
3/5
Nice jazz 👍
Venom
1/5
Not worth my effort typing out a review
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Very, very bluesy!
Did not expect this to be so heavily influenced by Robert Johnson and the other 1930s blues legends.
Immediately I now want to listen to “King of the Delta Blues”.
There were some slightly weaker moments, especially the slightly cringy “Tangerine”, but I really liked the vast majority of this record.
The closer goes full on with the wavy blues guitaring, and Immigration Song, Friends, Celebration Day, and Since I’ve Been Loving You open this record on such a high.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
This was class. Suddenly I think I should see John Fogerty on the Pyramid stage.
Nothing blew me away enough to make this a 5/5, but thoroughly enjoyable and “Up Around The Bend” is a classic. 🔥
The Police
2/5
A classic track wrapped up in a bang average album! No other way of looking at this one for me :(
Big Star
2/5
Going in totally new to Big Star, I feel their rating might suffer due to this album coming across as a bit of a grower.
My attention was hardly captured for the opening half of the track-list, but by Watch The Sunrise I had started to pay attention, appreciating the very Beach Boys/Beatles harmonies and nice guitar playing.
Maybe one to return to and understand better in the future!
Morrissey
2/5
The Smiths without the edge.
3/5
I promise I am not trying to stir up controversy here, but this has to be one of the more overrated albums from the 60s. I think that it is sonically interesting (groundbreaking even, at times), but the actual songs that end up on this album rarely come across as that lightning in a bottle that Beatles tracks so often seem to capture.
Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite is a great example. The songwriting here doesn’t come across smart or meaningful, just convenient. Words and phrases are matched up simply for their tunefulness and not much else. The Beatles equivalent of a freestyle rap.
Not to say this album is bad, even average, but I would always pick up Help, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Abbey Road, Let It Be, and The White Album over Sgt. Peppers.
That being said there are some high points, such:
- Intro into With A Little Help From My Friends (Ringo’s best performance)
- A Day In The Life (and it’s dramatic, bizarre ending)
The Beach Boys
2/5
Not a bad listen, just nothing jumping out and grabbing my attention.
Sadly, just nothing all that memorable here for me.
Enjoyed the opening few tracks.
Stan Getz
4/5
New wave jazz house is swiftly becoming my favourite modern genre of 2025, and it is all thanks to Stan Getz earlier on in the album generator.
Probably played this album 3 times over without realising.. and that is the joy of it.
Easy listening, samba/bossa nova that just transports you to a different era.
Air
4/5
It seems Air have picked up some traction since our first album of theirs, Moon Safari, came up a few months back. I recall them having under 3M monthly listeners, and they now sit at 5M! How cool.
Another immediately classic sounding record from Air, in my opinion.
Playground Love has a timeless, jazzy, almost bossa nova feel with some killer sax tunes.
Bathroom Girl brings some pretty incredible guitar playing into the mix, creating a complex soundscape.
The Word Hurricane takes you on a wild ride that builds up to a fascinating crescendo.
All in all, I just love the journey that this record took me on. In my older review, I said that Moon Safari was like an elevator to the stars. This felt like a similar elevator, but not a worse one by any means.
I really wanted to give this 5, to make up for the 5 that I should have given to Moon Safari, but the lack of context that the album has outside of the motion picture it was made for does force me to knock it down to a 4.
Kate Bush
3/5
Definitely a brave and genre bending album. One moment I’m in an 80s music video, and the next I’m having a jig in an Irish pub!
I’d say the album slows down a little in the second leg, but it’s hard to keep up with the quality shown at the start.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
“Good kid, Mad city”.
The title of this album says it all, perfectly summing up the concept that holds this entire record together, making it the classic that it has already become.
You can grow up a good kid, from good parents, but if you are unfortunate to lose the lottery on inherited wealth, growing up in an inner city suburb can drastically affect your life outcomes.
This album tells that story from the perspective of Kendrick himself, who lived this life growing up in Compton.
I think the best analogy I can use to bridge the generational gap to British Mums and Dads, is that this album is surprisingly aligned to the line from Pulp’s “Common People”:
“And we’ll drink, and dance, and screw, because there’s nothing else to do.”
When good people are left without options, they can make bad decisions that can drastically impact their futures. Rap is the best format for expressing the detrimental consequences this had on the lives of him and his childhood friends, as it allows some vivid and clever nuanced to be painted.
“Swimming Pools (Drank)” always stands out to me in this regard. Hidden under the thin, deceptive veil of a hiphop-pop club banger about drinking a lot of alcohol (commonplace in the early 2010s), Kendrick tells a powerful story about the dangers of conformity and peer pressure. This narrative is further continued on “The Art Of Peer Pressure”, where he explains how he is normally a mild-mannered, respectful person, except when influenced by his peers.
The album comes to a beautiful conclusion with “Sing About Me”, that is a truly sobering realisation of the consequences of letting a “mad city” control you.
Absolute classic that will always be remembered.
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
Some wonderful instrumentation with standout Cello moments throughout.
Nothing blew me away, but I did feel enriched by the listening experience on this one.
R.E.M.
4/5
One of those bands that are totally carried by the raw emotion and power in the lead vocals. The instrumentals are fine, albeit not groundbreaking, but that voice is instantly recognisable and synonymous with “R.E.M.”.
I’ve heard many of these songs before, but not ever had a focused listen of the album.
Strong start with Drive, and Everybody Hurts is forever a classic. Sad, but comforting.
The middle of this album felt like it dragged on a little, but maybe the big extractor fan in Mum and Dad’s kitchen didn’t do it any favours.
Luckily fan was off to allow me to listen to the end in its full glory. Man On The Moon through Find The River is a great closer. Can see why this was one of their defining moments, although it is not without faults.
Kelela
2/5
Fairly average R&B album
The Undertones
2/5
The guitar style of The Strokes but without any interesting lyrics or melodies to actually pull it together.
They could really do with Julian Casablancas in the mix.
Teenage Kicks is recognisable but also a bit weird now I think about it..
The Doors
2/5
Basic version of a bunch of other genres and some outdated attempts to be seductive. Not loads to love here. Couple good grooves.
Beatles
3/5
Disc 1 + Helter Skelter is all I need!
If this wasn’t a double album, it’d be an easy 4.
Despite some AMAZING tracks (Dear Prudence, Obladi, While My Guitar, I’m So Tired, Blackbird), Side 1 still has some Star-removal-worthy moments (Piggies, Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?).
Side 2 is just pretty messy; enough said really.
Constant sparks of experimentation and creativity here, but it would be wrong to assume that they aren’t calling upon lot’s of other influences, and at time downright mimicking them.
Suede
3/5
Suede are very recognisable, largely thanks to their vocalists style that reminds me a little of my voice breaks in my teenage years…
Some good tunes, but most likely only memorable due to previous exposure.
Favourite track was probably “She’s Not Dead”.
Listening to albums on my Thameslink journeys does help to pass the time!
Public Enemy
3/5
I have a lot of respect for Public Enemy; they had a lot to say and said it in cool and innovative ways.
However, in a similar light to my views on Bob Dylan review, I feel like things have come a long way since Public Enemy’s time.
Even by the mid-to-late 90s, groups were coming out with records that have aged better, using more diverse and creative sounds (e.g. OutKast and A Tribe Called Quest).
Can’t help but feel that Public Enemy’s sound is closer to the Run DMC ‘disc jockey and MC’ setup, than to the more rounded genre that hip hope became throughout the decade.
Nirvana
4/5
It’s so funny to listen to this and realise just how many people have totally ripped them off ever since this came out.
Unintentionally groundbreaking and forever timeless, ever since the premature loss of Kurt Cobain.
Nirvana will only ever be who they were in the early-mid 90s, and I think that is part or the reason why they will never be forgotten.
Nothing more can be said about most tracks here that hasn’t been said already, but definitely worth noting that “Something In The Way” is an underrated one. Was cool seeing it featured on “The Batman” a few years ago.
I wouldn’t call this a perfect 5 for me; grunge isn’t my favourite; but i’ll always find myself listening to the odd track from Nevermind.
Duran Duran
4/5
A euphoric hit of 80s energy. Not quite Talking Heads-level fun, but I still really appreciate the grooves and belting choruses.
Rio, My Own Way, and Hungry Like the Wolf are all bangers!
5/5
It’s strange to think that this is becoming quite a nostalgic listen already!
I think it is fair to say that this was Muse at their commercial peak, with them headlining the first show at the new Wembley Stadium as part of the tour for this album, and having a track infamously feature in the Twilight films (Supermassive Black Hole).
Despite it coming out in the mid-2000s, when Sam and I were first getting into music, this wasn’t my first introduction to Muse. My earliest memory of hearing them was when Uprising (from The Resistance) was played on Radio 1 after a Saturday morning Tennis lesson. In the year or two after this, Mum and Dad bought several of their CDs, including The Resistance, Absolution, Origin of Symmetry, and Black Holes and Revelations.
For a long time this was exclusively how I listened to them, besides the odd live show at Glastonbury/Reading, broadcasted to TV.
Around 2016, I started getting into more music on my own via Spotify and YouTube. This brought me to many new artists and genres that I hadn’t encountered before, but also brought me back to Muse.
Safe to say, I was pretty obsessed with their stuff by the time Simulation Theory came out in 2018. Seeing them on tour with Sam is definitely a highlight gig for me.
Muse are notoriously a consistently great live act, who even in 2018 still had a set laced with various tracks from Black Holes and Revelations. I can recall the hits (Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, and of course, Knights of Cydonia) being played, as well as some unexpected inclusions such as Take A Bow and Assassin.
All of the above are great, but I’d like to highlight two tracks that I feel always to understand the radar. Map Of The Problematique is an anthemic, driving track, and the little-known Bonus Track, Glorious, is genuinely the perfect chaser after the beast that is Knights of Cydonia.
Glorious, specifically, is one of my favourite closer tracks. Something about the guitar tone, and how the percussion is softly added throughout.
I’d argue this is only Muse’s third best album, but it still can only go down as a 5 for me!
The Black Keys
3/5
Feels funny rating an album this low that has so many tracks that I really like!
Everlasting Light is a really underrated song. I love the steady and deliberate tempo, and the sampled(?) vocals always struck me as super unique.
That opener is followed by a strong run from Next Girl, to Tighten Up (another favourite), to Howlin For You, to Shes Long Gone.
I like all these tracks, and had them previously liked.
Funnily enough, all songs mentioned here are the opening 5 songs!!
Just not quite as memorable after these, which brings down the overall album experience.
Listened while cooking Sweet Potato and Peanut Curry with Lucy 🧑🍳 👩🍳
Bob Dylan
3/5
Sometimes I feel like I see Bob Dylan’s greatness, sometimes I don’t at all. This felt somewhere in the middle.
Going in, I didn’t know anything from this album, which was a surprise.
No doubt, he was a pioneer and innovator. However, I can’t help but feel that things have come a long way since his time. Musically, this just doesn’t keep me hooked.
That being said, there were some high points. I really like Stuck Inside of Mobile.
But I think that’s just it with Bob Dylan: I take away some high points from each album I listen to, but almost never catch myself going back to the full release.
Talking Heads
3/5
Definitely not a bad album, with some groovy tunes and 80s sparkle, but this sits firmly in the shadow of Remain In Light, for me!
1/5
Didn’t have the willpower
Soundgarden
2/5
A bit Foo Fighters, a bit Nirvana, a bit average.
I think I prefer Chris Cornell’s work with Audioslave…
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Pleasant harmonising and folky vibes. Definitely easy on the ears.
“Homeward Bound” was my favourite track here, however it did leave me grumpy as I’m currently on the train to work…
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
All really good but did find myself having to play Little Wing midway through. Lots of quality but didn’t find myself starstruck.
Incubus
2/5
Foo fighters-ish slop
Richard Hawley
5/5
From the instant that the smooth tones of Richard Hawley’s voice, and the gentle string instrumentation, envelope you in the opening track (Coles Corner), right through to the end of Last Orders (a fitting closer), this album sounds like a warm hug on a cold evening.
I think the album cover art further helps to illustrate the welcoming atmosphere of a chilly autumnal evening in a familiar town or city.
That being said; the themes of the album are, for the most part, portraying the antithesis of a warm hug. “Just Like The Rain”, for example, has a rather upbeat tempo, and plucky guitar tune, yet covers loneliness and regret.
Credit is due to Dad for making us aware of this surprisingly underrated artist!
Favourite tracks: The Ocean, Coles Corner, Darlin’ Wait For Me.
Radiohead
5/5
Simultaneously claustrophobic and vast, expansive, cavernous.
I don’t think any album has nailed that feeling quite so well as Kid A.
In tracks like “The National Anthem”, I feel like the band, the music, and myself, are all stuck in a box only 10 feet high and 10 feet wide, but then moments like “How To Disappear Completely” have me soaring like a bird, casting my eyes down to wise open valleys and rivers (The Liffey?).
This album really is an unconventional listen, and you have to brace yourself a little before hitting play, but it always takes you off into it’s world if you give it half the chance. “Kid A”, for example, feels so alien and unfamiliar, and so compelling of that fact.
I will be fascinated to hear how some of the tracks are converted into a live setting this November on their 2025 European Tour.
The Beach Boys
3/5
I’ve probably seen Pet Sounds in ‘Top 10 Albums of All Time’ lists as much as any other, which perhaps raised my expectations when I hit play on this album for the first time.
‘Wouldn’t Be Nice’ and ‘God Only Knows’ are memorable, but over the relatively short runtime of the album The Beach Boys’ harmonising and jovial-ness worse thin a little.
Not bad by any means, but hardly the greatest thing ever put to record.
John Lennon
3/5
Hard to explain - maybe it’s just not been Remastered well - but the recording quality of this album pales in comparison to Band On The Run, All Things Must Pass, and even Imagine…
I also wasn’t a huge fan of some of the singing. At times John is barely audible, other times he is shouting in your ears.
Mother is BEAUTIFUL and tragic; I’ve always loved that song. Here, the screaming at the end is really powerful, exorcising grief of the past I feel. Hold On and Working Class Hero are also strong.
However, quality is inconsistent, and I can’t get over some of the lacking recording quality and unusual vocals.
Eminem
2/5
Eminem is a unique figure in music and pop culture.
So popular, so many classic hit songs, yet so few good albums?
This album is such a good example of that rule.
Stan is fantastic: a wonderfully well written song, depicting some dark themes in a surprisingly tasteful manner. It had a wonderful bass-line, and an awesome sample from Dido to string it together.
The Real Slim Shady is also an infectious, groovy, and funny early 2000s rap hit. Some pretty left-field lyrics, but sat within that territory of what you’d expect from someone like Eminem. The Will Smith bar is hilarious and always will be.
Notice how I’m talking about the 2 biggest hits from the album, though?
Off the bat, Kill You is just an uncomfortable listen and it doesn’t get any better from there. I know part of his whole thing is, “if you are listening and not enjoying what I’m saying I’ve still won”, and he is right, but doesn’t mean I’ll ever listen to this album from start to finish again.
Always here for some classic Dr Dre production though!