411
Albums Rated
3.17
Average Rating
38%
Complete
678 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1960s
Favorite Decade
Folk
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
20
5-Star Albums
17
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Oxygène
Jean-Michel Jarre
|
5 | 3.08 | +1.92 |
|
Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
|
Truth
Jeff Beck
|
5 | 3.16 | +1.84 |
|
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
|
5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
|
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
|
5 | 3.37 | +1.63 |
|
Stardust
Willie Nelson
|
5 | 3.4 | +1.6 |
|
Suicide
Suicide
|
4 | 2.46 | +1.54 |
|
Blackstar
David Bowie
|
5 | 3.48 | +1.52 |
|
Bryter Layter
Nick Drake
|
5 | 3.51 | +1.49 |
|
Moss Side Story
Barry Adamson
|
4 | 2.53 | +1.47 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
|
1 | 3.55 | -2.55 |
|
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
|
1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
|
Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
|
1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
|
Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys
|
1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
|
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
|
1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
|
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
|
1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
|
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
|
1 | 3.33 | -2.33 |
|
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
|
1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
|
Step In The Arena
Gang Starr
|
1 | 3.17 | -2.17 |
|
Under Construction
Missy Elliott
|
1 | 3.14 | -2.14 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| The Doors | 2 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 6 | 4 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beastie Boys | 2 | 1 |
| Run-D.M.C. | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Chemical Brothers | 2 | 1.5 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 2 |
5-Star Albums (20)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
Between a 3 and a 4, rounding up because I ran out of time to listen again but I think it would improve with repeat listening and be good music to write by.
2 likes
Jeff Beck
5/5
Where has this been all my life? Why has Jeff Beck been just a name? It came out before I was born, contains covers of at least three songs I love, feels new and familiar at the same time because of the Rod Stewart vocals, the guitar is sensational, and has a Sixties/blues/verging on metal sound that ticks so many boxes.
1 likes
Silver Jews
4/5
Intriguing. I’d never heard of the band. Echoes of Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, maybe Johnny Cash, what’s not to like? Rated a 4 so I’ll come back to it.
1 likes
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
Completely new artist for me—really enjoyed this apart from a couple of tracks that seemed designed more for the pop charts. The artist’s voice reminds me a little of Suzanne Vega. Described as country but more contemporary sounding. Giving it a 4 so I’ll come back to it.
1 likes
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
Electronica has been one of my lowest rated genres in this project so far, largely because it has been dance/clubbing rubbish rather than the real thing. This is the real thing.
1 likes
4-Star Albums (131)
1-Star Albums (17)
All Ratings
R.E.M.
3/5
Somehow survived the 90s without ever listening to an REM album! This was very REM. Some great songs there but I like them better as singles.
The Stooges
3/5
Listened to Bowie mix.
Little Richard
3/5
This starts with Tutti Frutti, continues with songs that sound like Tutti Frutti, and leaves you with Tutti Frutti in your head until the end of time. Infernally catchy, enjoyable but may never listen to it again.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
Not objectionable but dance electronic not really my thing
Lauryn Hill
3/5
I’ve never enjoyed rap music (I lack the vocabulary to define why) and was expecting to rate this album a 2, but I listened to it a couple of times and it grew on me—I might even listen again! This kind of discovery is why I am doing One Album a Day.
4/5
Cannot believe I had never heard this or heard of it given how many hours I have spent on late ‘60s/early ‘70s Spotify playlists. Great stuff—giving four stars because five is reserved for proven favourites over time, but this could get there.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Not my favourite work by them - the title track is a favourite but the rest of the album blurred into one for me.
Al Green
2/5
This sounded like “grown-up music when I was little” and reading the Wikipedia page for the singer didn’t help…
Johnny Cash
3/5
Love Johnny Cash, great songs but giving this album a 3 because I can’t get my head round the different versions so I have no idea which one I was supposed to listen to.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
This would have been a 4 if I were new to ragas but in fact I wanted to learn more from the introduction or have expert guidance listening to a full peace. Possibly Spotify helpfully crossfaded the explanations…
Björk
2/5
I have been trying to like Björk for decades but she just sounds like the LP is randomly going at the wrong speed, and overall either soporific like this album or too discordant for my taste. This would probably be a 2.5 as there were one or two songs I might revisit later, but not my cup of tea.
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
Having somehow never heard of the album or the band, I really enjoyed this but didn’t have a chance to listen all the way through due to attending the Glasgow 2024 WorldCon. From what I’ve heard it’s a 3.5 which could become a 4 on relistening so I’ve rounded up this time.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Good stuff—I’ve only ever really listened to hit singles and the brilliant Seeger Sessions, so was glad to explore earlier Springsteen.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Part of my musical DNA but not as much as The Dark Side of the Moon or Woods You Were Here!
Tim Buckley
4/5
I used to prefer his earlier Goodbye and Hello, but this one just may have overtaken it.
Queen Latifah
2/5
Really not my kind of music but one or two songs I could like. Between a 2 and a 3.
The Pogues
4/5
My sister bought this on vinyl when it came out, great stuff.
Nirvana
3/5
I have never listened to this through. The first track is a classic but none of the rest really stood out.
The National
4/5
I was only dimly aware of the band - very Radio Paradise.
Bob Dylan
2/5
I tried. I really tried. But Dylan still sounds like a human trying to sing like a badly played harmonica. I can appreciate the quality of the songs but give me cover versions please.
R.E.M.
4/5
Not sure why but despite Document including three of the R.E.M. songs I like most, I prefer this album. Both were between a 3 and 4 so I’m rounding up this time.
Elbow
4/5
I was only dimly aware of the band and would have said I’d never heard her, but it turns out that the singles on this album are are Radio Paradise regulars and I’ve favourited one of them. Another one between 3 and 4, marking it a four as something to come back to.
Genesis
3/5
This concept album is clearly the Genesis that people had in mind when calling them an influence on Fish era Marillion - I was only familiar with their earlier albums and with late Phil Collins era. Enjoyed the music but the concept was kind of naff.
Gang Starr
1/5
This concept album is clearly the Genesis that people had in mind when calling them an influence on Fish era Marillion - I was only familiar with their earlier albums and with late Phil Collins era. Enjoyed the music but the concept was kind of naff.
Fiona Apple
3/5
I had discovered her later song A Mistake from a Battlestar Galactica fan video or something like that. This reminded me of a more chilled ‘90s Laura Nyro.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
This wasn’t available on Spotify so I listened to it in playlist form. Some bits are decent but the rest is just cacophony, and any inclination to knock it up to two stars is fatally countered by the memory of the pretentious ex who used to listen to it because it was recommended by Q magazine…
George Jones
2/5
I grew up listening to my mother’s country music records but this is the kind of country music neither of us likes…
Queen
3/5
Classic Queen - unmistakable despite only including one song I already knew. I am sure there will be more.
De La Soul
1/5
The quest to find hiphop I like continues. This one started promisingly enough but again the use of peculiar sound effects just didn’t work for me.
The Notorious B.I.G.
1/5
Overall this sounded better than previous albums in the same genre I’ve listened to for the project. I don’t mind the swearing, but the voicemail beeps, sex moans and other obnoxious neighbour sounds mean it’s another 1 for me.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Probably my favourite album by them containing favourite songs especially “Go Your Own Way”.
Fela Kuti
2/5
I am wavering between a 3 and a 2, but enjoyed this less than most of the 3s so far. I like the 70s sound but found that the long tracks became a bit repetitive.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Good stuff.
Talking Heads
3/5
TIL that Talking Heads were American. One of those bands I’ve always felt I ought to like more than I do.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Not my usual thing but I like jazz from time to time.
The Triffids
3/5
Baffled that I have never heard of The Triffids, Calenture, or any of these tracks from 1987 when I was listening to a LOT of music. This is a 3.5, was leaning towards 4 but I didn't enjoy it as much the second time round so another 3 it is.
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
Another one who was just a name to me until now—I liked this. Rounding up to 4.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Always liked the band from the odd singles, but I don’t think I’ve listened to an entire album. Really liked this and some of the content of the extended version was reminiscent of Nick Cave.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Another band I’ve never heard of but one or two songs sound familiar. Very Radio Paradise background—between a 3 and a 4 but going with 3 this time.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Very Pet Shop Boys but I wasn’t familiar with any of the songs. This site really needs half points or I need to stop reserving 5 for albums I can’t stop listening too… this would be 3.5.
Talking Heads
2/5
Apart from In a Lifetime and Road to Nowhere, only one of which is on this album, I guess I still don’t care for Talking Heads.
Beatles
4/5
Not my favourite favourite Beatles album but still a classic.
Shack
4/5
I didn’t know this band or album - another 3 or 4, rounding up because I really liked Captain’s Table and Streets of Kenny.
Pavement
2/5
None of the tracks stood out and one or two were a bit cacophonous for me taste (Hit the Plane Down) so it’s between a 2 and a 3 - I doubt I’d listen again.
John Martyn
2/5
I thought I was going to like this more than I did. The only impression it left was someone playing musical chairs with styles and influences.
Elton John
4/5
Some absolute classics on here but I’d never listened to it all the way through, so giving this a 4 so that I’m likelier to come back it for repeat listening.
Carole King
4/5
Not a kind of music I listen to regularly (too much piano) but virtually every song a classic.
Tricky
2/5
This was a pleasant surprise - I quite liked the first couple of tracks, especially "Overcome", but less so the later tracks where the tempo picks up. Possibly trip hop is more to my taste than regular hip hop. Voted 2 but more a 2.5.
Van Halen
3/5
A slight surprise to discover songs other than Jump. Good Eighties rock.
Gotan Project
2/5
Had been wondering if this list was entirely Anglo (having forgotten about Ravi Shankar) when this turns up in Spanish by a French band. Unfortunately I found it really boring.
Lana Del Rey
4/5
I must have heard this artist on Radio Paradise as she sounded familiar. A bit piano heavy for my taste but I enjoyed it and will listen again - like a chilled Florence + The Machine.
The Who
3/5
Classic Who but generally prefer studio albums to live.
The Verve
4/5
For decades I haven’t remembered which songs were Verve, Pulp or Blur, or ever listened to albums by any of them, in spite of which this entire album felt familiar. Giving it a 4 in hopes of remembering which one I like (apart from Common People by one of the others, which is great).
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Pleasant to listen to some Rolling Stones others than the usual hits. Considered a 4 but honestly doubt I’d actively decide to listen to it.
Suede
4/5
Another of the one word bands of the ‘90s that I get mixed up, between a 3 and 4, rounding up to remind me to come back to it. Reminds me of a cross between The Verve and Muse.
George Harrison
3/5
Some really good songs (My Sweet Love) but after the first part they became a bit samey and the whole thing went on way too long.
Janis Joplin
4/5
A favourite when I was in my 20s and listening to hippy era music rather than what everyone else was listening to…
Fugees
2/5
Still definitely not my genre but more listenable than most hip hop, albeit sounding a little like listening to two radio stations at the same time; at least it doesn’t sound like noisy neighbours as well.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Not actively objectionable but boring. New Look or H&M changing room music.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Classic big band jazz. I prefer the tracks without piano but leaning more to 4 stars than 3
Jeff Beck
5/5
Where has this been all my life? Why has Jeff Beck been just a name? It came out before I was born, contains covers of at least three songs I love, feels new and familiar at the same time because of the Rod Stewart vocals, the guitar is sensational, and has a Sixties/blues/verging on metal sound that ticks so many boxes.
The Kinks
4/5
Good classic stuff.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Loud and boring.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
I like the blues, this didn’t especially grab me.
Kings of Leon
2/5
Loud and boring.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
Classical instruments in a different mode. Felt I should have enjoyed this more than I did but rounding it up to 3 because the name is great.
ABBA
4/5
How do you even start rating music that’s been a soundtrack since childhood? A number of 5-star songs and it’s great music - would be a 5 if I could imagine myself feeling like listening to the album rather than individual songs.
David Gray
4/5
This one surprised me in a good way—the singles were familiar, even overfamiliar, but the album had a consistent sound and the other songs were pleasantly new to me rather than bland or tiresome. Definitely growing on me.
Paul Simon
3/5
I miss Garfunkel!
Steely Dan
3/5
Epitome of 1970s grown up party music.
Beatles
4/5
This was always my favourite Beatles album along with Rubber Soul. Not a 5 currently because I listened to it too much at one point. (I should have given the White album a 3 really as it never was a favourite, but was being sentimental about the Beatles.)
Massive Attack
2/5
One or two interesting songs but generally this felt like background music and what they did to Light My Fire shouldn’t be allowed.
LL Cool J
2/5
I still don’t get on with hip hop but even I could tell this was an art form and without the annoying gimmicks. I’d say 2.5 but can’t quite bring myself to rate it 3…
The Velvet Underground
5/5
I was wondering when this would show up. I was expecting to rate it 4, but having not listened to it for about 25 years due to bad memories of the ex who introduced me to it, to my surprise I have ended up giving it full marks.
Thundercat
3/5
More of a 2.5 than a 3 in that I probably wouldn’t ever decide to listen to it, but it’s such a successful ‘70s hommage that I’m rounding up.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Some great songs.
The Doors
5/5
I was introduced to The Doors by a friend at 19 and this was always one of my favourite albums by them for the strong blues element. Some music I listened to a lot as a student are hard to go back to now (too close to old emotions) but not The Doors.
Simply Red
2/5
Simply Red have always bored me to tears, not actively objectionable so should probably have rated this 3, but I wanted to reflect the lifelong response.
Prefab Sprout
4/5
My husband's cousins :-) (huge family, I never met them) If I'd heard the first song on the radio I'd have wondered how there was a Smiths song I didn't know, but I liked the whole album.
TLC
2/5
One or two decent songs - Waterfall especially familiar - but overall like being on hold with a utility company... High 2 but still a 2.
Sex Pistols
3/5
Anarchy in the UK :-)
Gram Parsons
3/5
Strangely I’d never heard of this despite growing up with my mother’s late ‘60s/early ‘70s country LP collection. It sounded very generic country to me to the point of being a little tiresome. A low 3.
The Pharcyde
1/5
Still don't like hip hop.
David Bowie
4/5
My first Bowie rating! Not my top rated among his albums apart from the classic title track and Sons of the Silent Age, the Berlin period has never been my favourite and the Low-style electronica of side 2 is a bit forgettable.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Earworm after earworm!
The Byrds
3/5
Was looking forward to this until I read the Wikipedia entry and discovered it was going to be The Byrds sounding like Gram Parsons, whose album Grievous Angel I rated 3 the other day but should have rated 2. Now I have to rate this 3 because it was a little better than that (less twangy).
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
Ok but not sensational, I liked the song by The Cure in the style of the Jesus and Mary Chain.
Pixies
4/5
Hadn’t listened to this in decades! I had thought I preferred Surfer Rosa, but I just listened to that too, and Doolittle is better—a more consistent sound and more memorable tunes.
U2
4/5
Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year’s Day are classics - a high 4 but not quite a 5 for the album.
Buck Owens
2/5
Didn’t really do much for me—the songs I liked are irritably because of other versions I’ve heard and like better, e.g. Streets of Laredo.
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Not my usual listening, but I enjoyed this. A high 3. Nicely funky in a Seventies way.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Pleasant enough country.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Enjoyed this more than the only other album I’ve listened to from the band (can’t remember the title). Good classic rock.
Love
3/5
Much prefer Forever Changes. This album sounds more aggressive somehow.
N.W.A.
1/5
Actually better than I expected but still a 1 - a high 1 possibly for the sound which feels more authentic than some of the later hip hop I’ve listened to for the project, but the lyrics are just too mysogynistic.
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
Completely new artist for me—really enjoyed this apart from a couple of tracks that seemed designed more for the pop charts. The artist’s voice reminds me a little of Suzanne Vega. Described as country but more contemporary sounding. Giving it a 4 so I’ll come back to it.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
My husband hated this so much I had to close the door, but I quite enjoyed it after the initial cacophony in the first track. Three stars because I’d rate it in my mind before reading his bio on Wikipedia and discovering the underage wife thing…
Black Sabbath
4/5
The title track is 4 or 5 stars but the rest of the album didn’t quite live up to the promise - I mostly only like slower doom metal rather than the loud shouty kind. Between a 3 and a 4 but going with my first instinct.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
This nearly made it to 3! Rap over a more rock background than the other albums proposed so far, and the James Bond cover was fun, but still not really something I’d ever feel in the mood for.
The The
3/5
I remember the name of the band but not one of these songs was familiar. Not offensive but bothering especially grabbed me either.
CHIC
4/5
This is totally not my usual style of music, but it's also the soundtrack of childhood and parents' parties and grown-up disco. I had no idea all these songs were the same band! Pure nostalgia.
Run-D.M.C.
1/5
I can appreciate the artistry of the rapping as a creative use of language, and the song with Aerosmith was a trip down memory lane, but I loathed this band at the time and still dislike the sound of the album intensely, and can’t bring myself to give more than one star to anything using those smeary sounds.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
The missing link between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. Not sure how I’d never heard of him before. I’d rather listen to Woody Guthrie…
The Mars Volta
2/5
I like prog rock and this sounded ok apart from occasional bursts of cacophony, but the concept behind the album is tiresome. I wouldn’t turn it off if someone put it on, but I wouldn’t spend the effort to concentrate on it as advised in the Wikipedia article. A high 2 or low 3.
Black Sabbath
3/5
I would definitely listen again, but didn’t enjoy this as much as Black Sabbath (the album).
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
How could I give the album containing White Rabbit anything less than 4?
Eagles
4/5
The sound of summer road trips.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
I had never heard of the album or the artist, and had to listen on YouTube because it wasn’t available to play on Spotify, but apart from the ads I really liked it. A sort of alternative folk sound.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
More classic childhood road trip radio.
Blondie
4/5
Heart of Glass, Sunday Girl, Hanging on the Telephone… I’d never listened to the album but at least half the songs are familiar!
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
Between a 3 and a 4, rounding up because I ran out of time to listen again but I think it would improve with repeat listening and be good music to write by.
Johnny Cash
4/5
This album contains Hurt, the saddest song in the world, and also a duet with Nick Cave, one of my favourite artists. I would give it a 5 for the sake of Hurt alone, but if I listened to it more than twice a year I would probably dig my own grave...
Elvis Costello
3/5
As usual I liked Elvis Costello less than I think I should, he just fades into the background. I don't think I noticed a single song but it was pleasant enough.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
This wasn't available as an album on Spotify or Youtube so I could only listen to about half the songs as a Spotify playlist made up of tracks on compilations. Very pleasant and chilled but can't rate it more than a 3 without hearing the whole thing.
Bad Brains
3/5
I was listening to a lot of music in 1986 but have never heard of the band or the album. None of the songs sounded at all familiar and after listening to the album three times, none of them left the faintest impression other than being unobjectionable hard rock. I feel bad about this and want to like the album but I don't understand what it's doing on the list.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
I really liked this—blues with an African inflection especially in the vocals. The second track has a bit of a Stairway to Heaven thing going.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Not the hugest fan of the Stones - Gimme Shelter is a 4 and there are a couple more songs I like, but overall a 3 taking into account the familiarity effect, I think.
The Prodigy
2/5
The musical equivalent of strobe lighting. Boringly repetitive but fades into the background so not actively annoying.
Steely Dan
4/5
Another one that sounds like childhood and summer road trips. Nice mix of rock and blues with a dash of jazz.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
I usually like classic prog rock but several of the tracks were too discordant for my taste. A low 3.
The Jam
3/5
By the end of the album I had Going Underground in my head and only noticed on the second listen that it’s not on the album 😂… a high 3 but doesn’t quite make it to a 4.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Those album doesn’t contain any of my favourite Leonard Cohen songs, and the third track sounds like he’s plagiarised his own song “So Long Marianne”. I hope some of his other albums are coming up but this one is average.
R.E.M.
3/5
The band’s DNA is fully present in their debut album but somehow for me they’ve always mostly been a band for singles rather than albums. I’ll listen to it happily enough but wouldn’t reach for it or any of the songs here, so more of a 3 than a 4.
Frank Black
2/5
Solo album by The Pixies frontman. Sounds like The Pixies with the good parts replaced by louder parts, and went on way too long. Didn’t enjoy enough to listen again.
Spiritualized
3/5
The first half of this is a solid 4 even if (or because) the first track is basically Pachelbel’s Canon. Unfortunately the second part of the album degenerates into cacophony, so it’s a 3…
Hugh Masekela
2/5
Really wanted to like this one, but have always found jazz from that period hit and miss. This had too many jangly discordant passages thst I just wanted to be over, so not quite a 3.
Barry Adamson
4/5
The first album in the project that I bought when it came out, as an LP! Came to it via Nick Cave and blind bought this and Crime and the City Solution. Pleased to report that I still like it! Soundtrack for a film noir that was never made is spot on.
Slint
3/5
This was ok but not especially gripping on first listening. Listened another two times because it sounds like I should like a lot, but it’s still a bit meh.
3/5
The lead singer is from Decatur! I feel I should misquote The Blues Brothers about Illinois Nazis/punk but in truth I neither love nor hate it…
Frank Ocean
2/5
Inoffensive but not really my thing.
The Smiths
3/5
Oh, The Smiths. I listened to them way too much at a time when I was in a mad place mentally, so it’s hard to listen to them now, plus Morrissey has gone off the deep end. I love their sound but this album was never a favourite so rating it 3.
Supergrass
3/5
Another one that’s ok but not really grabbing me or standing out.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
I like Thin Lizzy but am not crazy about live albums and this one doesn’t include Whiskey in the Jar so rounding down to 3.
Joan Baez
4/5
That voice. Some absolute favourites here.
The Crusaders
4/5
If this wasn’t the soundtrack to Hill Street Blues, it should have been! Not my usual listening but would definitely listen again if in the mood for something jazzy.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Hesitated between 3 and 4 - I‘ve never listened to a PJ Harvey album but expected to like her based on my musical taste (still waiting for Nick Cave to turn up). If I’m honest I wasn’t crazy about this, especially the Bjorkish vocal style, but rounding up to 4 because I think it could grow on me.
Van Morrison
3/5
Van Morrison is another one of those artists I always feel I should like more than I ever actually do - I like him better in single songs than album length. A high 3 but still a 3, I think.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Whereas I really like Led Zeppelin despite never really listening to them…
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
I have always liked the idea of Siouxsie and the Banshees better than actually listening to them…
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
I remember disliking Girls Just Wanna Have Fun came out because Cyndi Lauper seemed like a Madonna copycat, but she’s so much more than that. A solid 80s pop album.
Simple Minds
4/5
Simple Minds are another band I always thought I should like better than I did—until now, ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ was the only song I really liked—but this album really works as an album if you avoid the five hundred versions of ‘Promised You A Miracle’ at the end of the deluxe edition…
Bon Jovi
4/5
I wasn’t a huge Bon Jovi fan in the Eighties but they’ve really grown on me. Nearly gave this a 5!
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
Too plinky plonky elevator music
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I like Led Zeppelin, but didn’t like II as well as III or IV…
Hookworms
2/5
Very nothingy. A few tracks were ok but it’s leaving no impression and the band name is aversive. High 2 to low 3, rounding down because if you name your band after an intestinal parasite I’m not inclined to help you…
Aretha Franklin
4/5
It’s Aretha, nuff said.
Radiohead
4/5
I couldn’t have named a Radiohead song but I recognised a couple of tracks and liked the album overall. High 3/low 4, rounding up.
Big Black
2/5
Loud and tedious. If I’m in the mood for this sort of thing I’d just listen to The Birthday Party which at least had Nick Cave in it.
Various Artists
2/5
I am thinking that the generator may not be entirely random on this occasion. In reality this is probably a low 3 rather thana high 2 on sound, but I would never willingly listen to any Christmas songs other than the Disney one we had as kids.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
A couple of songs I really liked on this but overall a little too country for my taste in psychedelic.
Charles Mingus
3/5
Not really my preferred style of jazz but interesting enough.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Guitar noise that would be better without John Lydon caterwauling over it. Not sure what it’s doing on the list.
The Kinks
3/5
I may be showing my age but this sounds strangely like a children’s television soundtrack…
Parliament
2/5
This was going to be a 3, but it lost me with the final track which sounded like the aftermath of a bad curry…
Beatles
4/5
One of my favourite Beatles albums. Very nearly a 5 but not quite - regretting that 4 I hastily gave the White Album because it was the first Beatles I encountered in the project.
The Hives
2/5
Loud and noisy, not clear why this would be a must-listen compared to other loud noise.
Suzanne Vega
4/5
I always like Suzanne Vega - very pleasant listening - a high 4 but not quite compelling enough for a 5?
The Band
3/5
This is the kind of music I should like, but it felt very bland and didn’t capture or hold my attention. A low 3.
The B-52's
3/5
The Peter Gunn homage was fun - a solid pre-80s pop album which in its day must have sounded fresher than it does now.
The Auteurs
4/5
Never heard of it, really liked it. Will listen again.
5/5
Not the highest 5 out there, but my favourite U2 album. It helped being 18 when it came out! I liked it better than their earlier work, and it’s improved with time.
Green Day
3/5
This album reminds me variously of the Pixies and the theme song from Friends.
George Michael
3/5
I didn’t much like this when it came out. Some of the songs have improved with age or nostalgia, but not others. In particular the song where he says ‘sex’ a lot while someone in background appears to fake-vomit…
Portishead
3/5
I had never knowingly listened to Portishead. The singer sounds a bit Björkish and I liked the trip much more than the hop.
Pretenders
3/5
Blast from the past, a couple of great songs but I think I like the Pretenders in smaller doses.
Paul Weller
3/5
I don’t remember ever hearing any of these songs before. Quite liked a few of them.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
This is a tough call, I’ve always liked It’s a Sin and What Have I Done To Deserve This but in general I seem to find Pet Shop Boys albums a little samey.
Blur
3/5
Another band who became big when I wasn’t paying attention, though I did recognise a couple of songs. It’s ok but didn’t really generate enthusiasm.
Ute Lemper
2/5
Really wanted to like this but despite the Nick Cave and Tom Waits songs, I just found the Björkish warbling over edgy cabaret style music discordant and not to my taste.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Nothing terrible about it and IT would be great for clubbing if I liked clubbing, but just not something I’d ever be in the mood to listen to.
Duran Duran
4/5
Classic ‘80s. I wasn’t into them then due to all my classmates being obsessed, but rediscovered this album in the mid ‘90s and have liked it ever since.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
This used to be a real favourite until I listened to it too much. Really enjoyed listening again!
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Definitely the kind of music I like though not a top favourite—low 4 or high 3. Unfortunately I overdid it listening to Neil Young ‘Harvest’ as a student and haven’t quite recovered!
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Dance electronica, not my cup of tea.
Green Day
2/5
Fast, loud and boring. Did nothing for me.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Taylor Swift just doesn’t seem to do much for me—the vocals sound tinny and overprocessed and it all ends up sounding like New Look changing room or utility company phone line holding music. I tend to tune it out rather than pay attention to the lyrics which I understand are her strength… No songs have really stood out either. Inoffensive.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Not what I expected and not really my thing, but I’d listen again. I like the singer’s Servalan vibe.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
Recognised the first track but hip hop and dance electronica are still something I don’t really enjoy…
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
This was good, especially the bluesier songs, but despite Layla and Little Wing none of it quite held my attention enough for a 4.
The Beta Band
3/5
In hindsight, yesterday’s album was a 4, I think. This one is a solid 3, good listening but I’ve never heard of the band or any of the tracks.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
It's Ella. It's Gershwin. Enough said.
U2
3/5
A few good songs but as an album it was a bit meh for me.
Stan Getz
4/5
This is not my usual listening at all, but it is so chilled and so perfectly evokes long afternoons by the pool and drinks with little paper umbrellas that my inner child demands I give it a 4!
1/5
This is like heavy metal with all the bits I like removed and replaced by all the bits of hip hop I don’t like.
Mudhoney
3/5
This was ok in a grunge sort of way, but didn’t really stand out for me as memorable in any way.
Soundgarden
3/5
Another basic grunge kind of album that didn’t really grab me. I don’t dislike grunge but it does tend to sound rather samey.
Sister Sledge
4/5
An album that it would never occur to me to listen to, but it’s so perfectly of its time and so perfectly itself. I can’t remember this ever not being part of the soundtrack of growing up.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
Once you get past the opening tracks of modem sounds and noise, some of the later tracks are ok, but anything interesting about this album is buried deep under an obvious and tedious intention to shock, the revoltingly aversive band time, and the borderline paedophile cover art.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Classic.
Mylo
2/5
Elevator music with street cred. Unobjectionable, but not sure what the point of it is.
Soft Machine
3/5
I usually love psychedelic music but to appreciate this album, I think you needed to be there and preferably stoned.
Coldcut
1/5
I only listened to part of this because the album isn’t on Spotify and frankly the tracks I found there in the Best Of collection didn’t make me feel I needed to wade through YouTube’s cookie the same on the off chance of dragging it up to a 2. This is the kind of music (or lightly scrambled sound effects) that ensured I mostly ignored popular music for five years.
Elliott Smith
4/5
TIL that Elliott Smith is dead. In fact he was already dead by the time I first heard of him when I asked the barista what the music was while waiting for the coffee some time around 2009 (it was Waltz #2) and I always meant to find out more but never got around to it once Vodafone gave me Spotify. I liked this, a little reminiscent of Nick Drake (also dead).
Missy Elliott
1/5
The search for hip hop I don’t want to switch off continues. I want to like this better than I do (indeed at all) because the artist probably deserves it, but it is full of sounds that make me feel like a cat having water splashed on its face or noise from someone else’s car drowning out what I’m trying to listen to.
Def Leppard
3/5
I have a fondness for metal but this isn’t quite a 4 for me—not sure why but it was more in the enjoyable than the listen again category.
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
I was looking forward to this, but it turns out it is precisely the kind of whisk whisk plinky plonky piano jazz that made me think I didn’t like jazz for the first three decades of my life.
2/5
I was bored by this, it just seemed like more late Seventies sub punk blokes bashing away at it.
Kraftwerk
3/5
This is my kind of electronica, not the tiresome dance kind. Nicely spacey and the title track is fun. Still not quite a 4 though!
The Cars
3/5
An ok album with one two good and recognisable songs, but nothing that exciting.
David Bowie
4/5
It’s very hard for me to rate Bowie because he was the first artist I became obsessed with as a teen in the mid 80s - especially early Bowie. Like the others this album contains songs I always loved and others less so, but I like the transitional Ziggy sound with touches of baroque and cabaret.
Fairport Convention
5/5
As another reviewer said, I was only ever going to give this five stars. I’ve loved this album for years and it includes two of my favourite tracks of all time in any genre (Matty Groves and Crazy Man Michael, the former being the anthem of the late lamented Oxford Arthurian Society). If my entire music collection were wiped out this is one of the first things I’d replace together with Pentangle’s Basket of Light, which had better be in the remaining 800 albums or else.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Amazing voice but this album didn’t feel so memorable. Very listenable.
Black Sabbath
3/5
This is the third Black Sabbath album about a fifth of the way through the project. I generally like them but this one didn’t stand out especially.
Coldplay
4/5
I couldn’t have named or recognised a single song by Coldplay nor did I even any idea they’d been called the most successful band of the 21st century. Unsurprisingly given that I was alive in the 2000s, there were a few familiar tracks here! I rather enjoyed it.
David Bowie
3/5
This and Lodger were always my least favourite early Bowie (n.b. I stopped paying attention after Never Let Me Down which I didn’t like much either) but Bowie I don’t much like is still head and shoulders above so much else. Side 1 would be a 4, but dragged down by the dreary instrumental electronica on side 2.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Second album by this band and not much more to say about it. This also sounds very Radio Paradise and is also a 3 because it didn’t quite seize my attention enough for a 4.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Another album evoking nostalgia of Seventies childhood. I enjoyed the first side but the second one has a few tracks that altered the mood.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Despite including three of my all time favourites (America, Mrs Robinson, Hazy Shade of Winter) and other familiar songs, as an album this is less than the sum of its parts.
Foo Fighters
3/5
This is ok in a mildly boring sub-Nirvana sort of way, nothing to dislike but doesn’t really stand out for me either.
Pixies
4/5
More Pixies, not much to distinguish it from the previous one. I gave Doolittle a 4 but it was more of a 3.5 and I am finding this one a better listen so it has better be another 4.
The Adverts
3/5
Like the Sex Pistols but can sing and play their instruments better. I like the first track.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Very easy listening but at this rate there won’t be any girls left in Ipanema.
The Beach Boys
3/5
The Beach Boys are great but I can only take them in small quantities.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I didn’t much care for Sledgehammer or Big Time when everyone was raving about them, and they haven’t much grown on me enough to push the album up to a 4 despite Don’t Give Up.
Silver Jews
4/5
Intriguing. I’d never heard of the band. Echoes of Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, maybe Johnny Cash, what’s not to like? Rated a 4 so I’ll come back to it.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
Already the band name is a 2 or lower, they’d have to work hard to overcome the aversive association. They didn’t work hard enough.
David Bowie
4/5
I’d never listened to this, as my Bowie fandom was always early to mid-80s. This is very Bowie and I have s hunch it will grow on me with repeated listening.
Chicago
4/5
I liked this and not only for the family connection to Chicago. This is like several kinds of music I enjoy all smooshed into one sound, and somehow it works.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
I liked this, nice energy.
Cheap Trick
3/5
Some great songs here that I’ve heard all my life but never knew who sang them. A high 3 or low 4 but I am really not crazy about live albums.
Aretha Franklin
3/5
Aretha is always great but I’m not feeling it so much with this album compared the the previous one in the project… a 3.5 but rounding down today.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
I’d never heard of this band. Some of the album was a 4 - intriguing, refreshing, vocals reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde - but other tracks were a 2 - discordant and random. I’d like to go back to it later though.
Korn
1/5
Loud and thuggish metal that has additionally imported several of the features that make me dislike hip hop, like random noises.
The Pogues
4/5
It’s the Pogues, bouncy enough to cheer you up but a poignant undercurrent to keep it real.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Still very much not my sort of music but this has more interesting things going on and less of the actively aversive things (though I did fall asleep before the end of the album).
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
I’ve always liked the blues but I’ve never really explored it beyond my mother’s LP record collection and some early classics e.g. Leadbelly, Muddy Waters. This is a great listen but not quite memorable enough for four stars.
Deep Purple
3/5
I’ve never cared for live albums but this is pretty good.
Norah Jones
3/5
Pleasant smooth listening but didn’t leave much of an impression.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Elvis is Elvis of course, just not really my kind of music!
Traffic
4/5
Love the title track and like the sound of the album - a little folk rock, a little jazzy. Oddly, APF liked the jazzier bouncier tracks more than the slower folksier ones.
Nirvana
4/5
I generally don’t like live albums but this surprised me! Much better than the Nirvana album I’ve rated for the project so far. Plus that cover of The Man Who Sold The World is epic.
Everything But The Girl
4/5
I remember the band’s existence but couldn’t have named a single track. This was surprisingly listenable and chilled - between 3 and 4.
Pere Ubu
2/5
I didn’t like this but didn’t completely hate it.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Good classic country.
Nas
2/5
Probably the best hip hop album I’ve heard so far. A minimum of the annoying sound effects, the rapping does impressive things with language and the beat is kind of addictive. Almost a 3 if I thought I’d ever choose to listen to it.
Pantera
2/5
Loud and boring with the style of vocals that suggest the singer is trying to sound nasty and brutish but could also be trying to pass a large stool.
Guided By Voices
3/5
This was ok, lots of short songs, I’d listen again.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
This was going to be a 1, but I quite like Under The Bridge.
Brian Eno
2/5
I’ve never liked David Byrne or Brian Eno as much as I always felt I ought to, and this collaboration is no different. Sampling works better for me in small doses.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I’ve always really liked Bob Marley even if most other reggae left me indifferent. Really nice to venture being the greatest hits. Good music for anxious times.
The Pretty Things
3/5
The kind of music I like, but not enough for a 4…
Beastie Boys
1/5
Loud and boring AND annoying hip hop noises. Hated it in 1986, hate it now.
The Doors
5/5
The Doors have been in my musical DNA since I first discovered them when I was 19. There are a few songs I like less than others but the sound just does it for me—bluesy psychedelic rock.
The War On Drugs
4/5
Very Radio Paradise. Sounds like two or three familiar artists I can’t quite place. Really like it—giving it a 4 which could have gone up to 5 if I’d had a chance to listen a couple more times.
The Temptations
3/5
Good stuff, I liked it more than I expected, having no idea that psychedelic soul was a thing. High 3 to low 4.
Kanye West
2/5
I didn’t hate this, but didn’t like it enough for a 3. With Illmatic probably the best hip hop album so far.
Dr. Dre
1/5
And back to the hip hop with obnoxious sound effects. The one on the first track is actually uncomfortable to my ears.
Public Enemy
2/5
I didn’t hate this! A refreshing paucity of explicit language and misogyny compared to other rap albums I’ve listened to for the project.
Violent Femmes
3/5
Bouncy in an early ‘80s post-punk way and a little boring - first track was familiar but the album didn’t hold my interest.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Some exceptional tracks, sadly however one of them is Hallelujah to which I have become allergic through overexposure…
The Fall
3/5
Post punk really doesn’t do it for me any more - ok music with vocalists who can’t (or won’t) sing.
Marty Robbins
3/5
Proper old fashioned country, some good tracks.
Beatles
4/5
Not the best Beatles is still more memorable than a lot of what’s out there.
Common
3/5
A third hip hop album that is sort of ok. Unlike the other two, the artist doesn’t seem to be a Nazi, the lyrics aren’t full of misogyny, the music part has more of a soul sound and less of the rubbing a balloon sounds, and he’s from Chicago, so I’m feeling generous today.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
Oh I like this. A Britpop Nick Drake vibe.
Beatles
3/5
Not the best Beatles is still more memorable than a lot of what’s out there. This and A Hard Day’s Night are both 3.5, that got a 4 so giving this a 3.
The Zutons
4/5
Fun album, hints at several other styles of music I enjoy. Giving it a 4 for future reference.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Part of my musical DNA, their mid-‘70s greatest hits is one of the first two albums (well, cassettes) I remember and we played that thing to death. Hard to see how this couldn’t be a 5.
Metallica
3/5
Some really good tracks here but still leans a bit too far into the loud roaring to be a 4, I think. A high 3.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
At one point in my student years I listened to Harvest way too many times and now I can never hear Neil Young’s voice without cringing a little inside despite knowing the songs are good and the music is good.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
This was interesting, very fusion and better than other ex Pistols output that I’ve heard. I also listened to his English Roots Music.
Wild Beasts
3/5
Not very wild beasts. Pleasant enough, inoffensive, not hugely memorable after two listens.
Prince
3/5
Prince is another of those artists I’ve always felt I should like more than I do—I have come to enjoy some of the singles and can appreciate how (like Bowie) he ploughed his own furrow, but it doesn’t do anything more for me.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
I’ve always been into slightly psychedelic jangly guitar bands ca 1966/67 and this is no different.
Nick Drake
5/5
Didn’t even need to listen to this to give it a 5. Nick Drake was the first singer I discovered entirely for myself. I’d gone to the specialist record store on the other side of Milan to look for Bowie backlist albums I didn’t have and came across a Nick Drake box set which I bought on a hunch. It wasn’t what I expected but I’ve loved it ever since.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
Good classic ‘70s rock for driving on the highway.
The Vines
3/5
Didn’t really care for this, too shouty for my taste. A high 2/low 3.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Pleasantly downbeat soft guitar.
Giant Sand
3/5
This was ok. Vocals are Lou Reedish in places, which I can generally only tolerate in The Velvet Underground.
Kanye West
2/5
Argh. This album actually isn’t bad for hiphop, and has almost none of the aversive sound effects that usually put me off, but I can’t quite get past the pornographic cover art and all the artist’s hate speech to let it have a 3.
Sepultura
2/5
The incoherent roaring style of heavy metal and all the songs sound more or less the same.
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
Electronica has been one of my lowest rated genres in this project so far, largely because it has been dance/clubbing rubbish rather than the real thing. This is the real thing.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Can I give it extra stars? This is the album I’ve been using as a benchmark for top rating.
Jamiroquai
2/5
I generally like jazz but found this tiresome, it went on way too long, and the band sounds rather pretentious.
ABBA
4/5
This didn’t make as big an impression as I expected - not as memorable as others but it’s still ABBA and Mr Stoat would be Disappointed if I gave it any less than 4!
Tori Amos
4/5
I couldn’t have named a single track by Tori Amos or recognised her, but recognised a couple of tracks. After one listen it was inoffensive but not hugely memorable, but it’s grown on me too nudging it up to a 4 so I come back to it.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Like Autobahn, between 3 and 4…
Talking Heads
3/5
I like Psycho Killer, the rest of the album was ok, David Byrne warbling over ‘70/80s punk pop tunes.
The Offspring
3/5
One of many shouty and somewhat boring American rock albums in this project which make me wonder about the selection, especially once I’m through it and know what’s not been chosen. I liked ‘Not The One’, though.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I’ve never listened to much Springsteen but this album’s a corker. Just not a 5 because I’d forget to take it to the desert island.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
I’ve never heard of the band or the album or any of the songs but it sounds so much like so many ‘60s and ‘90s music I like that I have to give it a 4.
Iron Maiden
4/5
I’ve always had a soft spot for heavy metal when it isn’t too loud and shouty. Some great metal ballads here and I like Bruce Dickinson’s vocals (if not his politics) especially compared to the roaring school of metal.
David Bowie
4/5
Later Seventies after Diamond Dogs was never my favourite Bowie era but this is better than I remembered, and it’s Bowie…
Tears For Fears
4/5
Some absolute corkers here. A high 4.
Radiohead
4/5
I still couldn’t name a single Radiohead song, but I like their sound.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
This is completely new to me, but sounds somehow familiar. Not my usual style of music but interesting enough to want to come back to.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
This wasn’t bad but I didn’t find it especially memorable in any way.
Eminem
1/5
Nope. Tiresome stuff, thank goodness it’s just an EP.
Miles Davis
4/5
Enjoying this now than I expected - between a 3 and a 4, rounding up because I think I’ll need to listen some more to appreciate it.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
I usually go for psychedelic music and really wanted to like this but too much of it just sounds like two or three radios playing at the same time. The one song that sounds a little like Bowie doesn’t really make up for it.
AC/DC
3/5
I had forgotten that AC/DC are Australian! Solid metalish rock with several familiar tracks, but trying not to listen to the lyrics.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
Having grown up with my mother’s classic country LP collection I’m a little embarrassed that I only knew Waylon Jennings from The Dukes of Hazzard. Really enjoyed this, good songs, clean sound and production.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
I liked this more than I expected (which was a double whammy of loud and boring). Some good melodic songs and worth revisiting.
Air
4/5
Pleasantly chilled.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Great title track which will always remind me of a friend at university who introduced me to it. The rest of the album was a little bland as you’d expect for background music.
The Libertines
3/5
This was rather fun, but… Pete Doherty. Can’t bring myself to rate it higher than 3.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
Solid jazz and the artist is from Chicago. A few too many strange sounds for my taste.
Elvis Costello
3/5
I’ve always felt I should like Elvis Costello more than I do. There’s nothing wrong with it but it leaves no trace.
Tangerine Dream
4/5
Music from the heart of space.
Grateful Dead
4/5
I don’t think their first album is going to turn up in the project, so rounding this up to 4 to make up for that. Wonderful music for a relaxed summer day (or dreaming of one, because it’s a British bank holiday Monday).
3/5
Thanks to the Sonos devising it wasn’t going to connect to anything any more, I didn’t listen to this until the next evening and was only able to listen once before moving on to the next album. I liked it well enough but not enough for a 4. If you were considering purchasing a Sonos, don’t; you’ll spend almost as long trying to get it to connect and stay connected as listening to the dratted thing.
Morrissey
4/5
Dithering between a 3 and a 4, rounding up because the two singles I remember are so VERY good (especially Suedehead) and this is Morrissey before he became completely obnoxious.
White Denim
4/5
Intriguing. Was going to say 3 because I’d I wanted to listen to Grateful Dead/Byrds/Jethro Tull mash ups I’d listen to Grateful Dead/Byrds/Jethro Tull, then decided I was sufficiently intrigued to round up to 4 so I’ll come back to it.
50 Cent
3/5
This sounds surprisingly ok for gangsta rap, it’s musically interesting with a minimum of obnoxious sound effects (could have done without the medical beeping). Between a 2 and a 3 depending on whether I pay attention to the lyrics.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
This felt more like a collection of songs than an album. I like Led Zeppelin generally so I’m reserving the 4s and 5s for the standout albums.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Oh this is tough. It’s Jimi Hendrix so should be an automatic 5. But I always preferred Electric Ladyland so maybe it should be a 4? But it’s an album that there was a before and an after, so a 5 it is.
The Byrds
4/5
Liked this much better than Sweetheart of the Rodeo but I suspect not as much as any earlier albums that may be yet to come in the project—some annoying sound effects and the Spotify version includes bonus tracks that are frankly annoying.
Duke Ellington
4/5
Not sure whether the listing is for the original issue with only some songs, or the later full reissue (not being a fan of live recordings, I preferred the former).
PJ Harvey
2/5
I really tried to like this but it’s basically just a woman ranting over loud and boring guitars and drums, sometimes discordant as if two radios are being played at the same time. Not for me.
Ray Charles
4/5
What a voice. Too many strings for me but refreshing to hear so many country classics reimagined.
The Specials
4/5
Ghost Town is just hovering in the wings here. Between a 3 and 4, memorable enough to round up.
Yes
3/5
I’ve never knowingly listened to Yes though I generally like prog rock as long as the concept isn’t too tossing, but I didn’t enjoy this as much as I expected to. Something about the mix of soft sound and classical references didn’t work for me.
Pavement
3/5
This was ok but not exceptional. Like s cross between Jesus and Mary Chain and the Pixies.
The Stooges
3/5
Always had a soft spot for Iggy Pop even when it’s not my kind of music.
James Brown
3/5
I am not sure that listening to this on an overnight flight from Boston to London did it justice…
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
I thought this lot would probably turn up. In the 1980s it would have been a 1 for me and without the internet to educate me about the band name, I called them Run Dumps. Just about a 2 now as it has fewer obnoxious sounds than many of its successors.
Hot Chip
3/5
The reviews quoted in the Wikipedia article mention the ‘80s sound. Unfortunately, it’s the ‘80s dance/pop music I didn’t care for in the ‘80s. I’d give it a 2 only it’s so bland and harmless it would be overkill.
The Beach Boys
3/5
How odd to listen to a whole album that definitely sounds like The Beach Boys but I’ve never heard any of the songs. This was good and having read the reviews, I wish it held my attention better but after four listens I don’t think it quite makes it to 4.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Actually really liked this, a very consistent dark moody sound. I remember two of the singles from the ‘80s and rather liked them then. Just misses out on five stars.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I can tell these are objectively really good songs, and would possibly rate five stars, but Joni Mitchell’s vocal style has always set my teeth on edge as if I were on the verge of becoming seasick, so I’d never choose to listen to her. Giving it a 4 so I’ll come back to give it another chance.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
The first time I've had two albums by the same artist back to back. I liked this album better than Blue - her vocal style is less extreme and swoopy, and I enjoyed the jazzy vibe.
Judas Priest
3/5
Generally have a soft spot for heavy metal, especially of the operatic rather than roaring type. I’d bump it up to 4, but none of it really stood out. 3.5.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Another album by Elvis Costello to feel I should like more than I did… really like Oliver’s Army but the rest didn’t leave much trace. 3.5.
Tom Waits
3/5
I was waiting for Tom Waits! This one didn’t really do much for me, apart from that voice, it sounds more like A Nightclub, which isn’t my scene. Holding out for Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs, Blue Valentine, and Frank’s Wild Years.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Ran out of time to listen properly more than once, but it’s got to be a four really. Even if the Wikipedia page spends an inordinate number of paragraphs on the identity of the LP cover crotch.
Willie Nelson
5/5
Loving the sound of this, it’s perfect of its kind. At various points I’ve listened to lots of the kind of songs he’s covering e.g. Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Berlin, Gershwin, so it’s all sort of familiar but also distinctive with Nelson’s vocals and guitar.
Bob Dylan
3/5
These are good songs and some great songs, but Bob Dylan is singing them it loses a star... 3.5.
Massive Attack
3/5
Trip hop is definitely the gateway end of hip hop for me. This was listenable and I even recognised a few tracks.b might listen again.
The Killers
4/5
Never heard of the band, the album, or any of the tracks, but I liked it and will listen again. Reminded me a little of Muse.
Dire Straits
5/5
Love Dire Straits except for one song, Walk of Life, which is on this album. Giving it five stars because of the title track and in case it’s the only Dire Straits in here, but Alchemy is better!
Ryan Adams
3/5
Is Ryan Adams related to Bryan Adams or do they just rhyme? I had never heard of him or the album. Very listenable with bits that sound like other bands, but not really my style. 3.5.
Justice
2/5
Not sure what this is doing here. I’d give it a 1 but it’s too boring for that.
Frank Zappa
3/5
This has character and I kind of like it but some of it just goes on too much for four stars. 3.5
Roni Size
2/5
Not sure what this is doing here. Relentless boring beat but not tiresome enough for one star.
Talking Heads
3/5
Talking Heads are another band I feel I should like more than I do. This one was better than the other two so far, and ‘Heaven’ is a really good song. 3.5
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
I liked some of this album, and under other circumstances this could have been a 3, but a city break with family during a heat wave requiring an electric fan whenever in the hotel room is not a good time to try to listen to a double album which lurches about rather. 3.5
Aerosmith
4/5
Ok I just saw a typo in my previous rating (Smashing Pumpkins) which was between a 3.5 and a 4, not a 3 and a 3.5. This one is also between a 3.5 and a 4, but today I have had more time to listen and it’s a good solid rock album.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Every Bob Dylan album: These are great songs, but Bob Dylan’s singing them so…
Funkadelic
3/5
Good party music. Wouldn’t normally listen to this but it’s a lot better than all the hip hop that scraped a 2.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Some songs I know, but overall rather bland.
Steely Dan
3/5
Decent Seventies rock.
Prince
3/5
Try as I might, I just can’t seem to like Prince more than 3 stars :-(
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Wavered between 4 and 5 stars and rounded up because I’m enjoying this album more than Catch a Fire. Bob Marley always makes me imagine a better me who can overcome the anxiety and actually enjoy life!
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Psychedelic headbanging with Lou Reed droning tunelessly over it. Not a patch on the banana album but better than a lot of other albums on the project.
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
Oh no. An album length anthem to paedophilia. Serge Gainsbourg’s appearance and vocal style are the dictionary definition of louche, and the vocalisations in track 6 are nauseating, but the music is really good :-( Without the album concept and perv vocals it could be a 4, but no. At least Jane Birkin was 22 when she met him.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
The title track has been a favourite for most of my life and I played the Wings greatest hits cassette to death.
Nina Simone
4/5
A high 4, maybe a 5 - what a voice.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I’ve always had a soft spot for the band, the dark melodies and the chime like guitar sounds sounds, but apart from being a really good debut I can’t quite see what distinguishes this one. Having given Nina Simone a 4 yesterday (really a 4.5 but I tasted it in a hurry at ten to midnight), I can’t give this more than 3-3.5.
Morrissey
4/5
Really enjoyed this album. Shame Morrissey seems to be such a dick.
Cat Stevens
5/5
Three lifelong favourites (Wild World, Sad Lisa, Father and Son) and the rest of the album is great too - I only discovered Where Do The Children Play and Into White around ten years ago.
Arrested Development
3/5
Oh no, back into a hip hop phase. This album was different and more interesting than most of the more gangsta type stuff with violent or misogynist lyrics, rounding up to a 3 despite several tracks having the smudgy rubbing sound that gives me misophonia. 2.5
Milton Nascimento
4/5
Discovery on the project: I am getting to like vintage Brazilian music, just the thing on a hot day. Probably 3.5 but rating it 4 to come back to.
Randy Newman
4/5
I’d never heard of Randy Newman. Not my usual style of music but some really good songs here. Especially liked Last Night I Had A Dream, and of course You Can Keep Your Hat On.
King Crimson
5/5
I think this has to be a 5! 21st Century Schizoid Man is growing on me and Moonchild might yet, and the other three tracks are sensational.
Tom Waits
5/5
Classic Tom Waits. Not my top favourite but him but I don’t think those are in the project (Blue Valentine and Frank’s Wild Years) and this is close enough.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Ah, this is where The Byrds’ sound ended up when they went all country.
Steely Dan
3/5
Still the sound of grown up parties in childhood. I recognised Do It Again and Reeling In The Years. Between 3 and 4, rounding down because it is feeling rather samey.
Grateful Dead
4/5
Was all set to give this a 3 because I don’t like live albums, but this was really good and if anything I liked it better than some of their studio albums.
Madonna
2/5
Ugh, I knew Madonna would turn up at some point. This was better than I expected with a couple of okay tracks, but each song that sounded ok at the start becomes a Nervensäge of electronic beats with strangely thin hollowed out vocals.
Germs
2/5
Shouty, tuneless, and boring. I still don’t know why we need so many punk albums that all sound the same. At least some women were involved.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Ah, Iggy. This is basically a Bowie album with someone else singing and arguably better than Bowie’s own albums from the period.
3/5
I like the theory of Yes more than the actuality—the sudden changes of rhythm and instrumentation are a little jarring to my ear. 3.5
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
I love psychedelic rock generally and ought to appreciate Zappa more, but this album is unbearably pretentious and trying too hard to be clever. A low 3 which the last track nearly brought down to a 2.
Wilco
4/5
I think this is probably a 4, because I keep listening to it in case it isn’t a 3, if that makes sense?
Sigur Rós
5/5
As another reviewer said, this is the kind of album I was hoping to discover in the course of the project—completely new to me, and perfectly itself. Apart from the coda to one track that sounds like an orchestra tuning up, and the suspicion that the lyrics would put me off if I could understand them, it’s a 5.
Soft Cell
3/5
Tainted Love is a perfect gem, Marc Almond’s voice is mesmerising, but… most of the album just doesn’t do much for me.
Holger Czukay
3/5
I’m sure this was very influential, but the Venn diagram of avant-garde and too clever by half is nearly a circle, and this album is in there somewhere. Some of it isn’t that bad and some of it is just random seeming combinations of sounds, but overall inoffensive.
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
Dark, sparse.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
This was always going to be a 5. Not saying I love every song, but it starts with three lifelong top favourites and also The Boxer, and ‘So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright’ can be sung as ‘So Long, Sir John Soane’…
Billy Joel
3/5
Inoffensive flashback to childhood radio, may contain ear worms.
The Byrds
4/5
When this came up I assumed it would be an automatic 5… but I have spent three weeks wavering between 4 and 5. Wild Mountain Thyme, Eight Miles High, and John Riley are great tracks but the rest is rather bland and forgettable.
Suicide
4/5
I expected more loud, shouty and boring punk but actually really enjoyed it. A few tracks reminded me of early Nick Cave (From Her To Eternity vintage). Sounds like externalised anxiety. Didn’t care for ‘Girl’, sounded like The Doors fanfic.
ZZ Top
3/5
I expected to hate this, but it was actually surprisingly listenable.
Skepta
2/5
I still don’t like hip hop but some of the tracks here are oddly compulsive. Some interesting rhythms and impressive stereo vocals. Unfortunately more of the tracks sound like the radio needs tuning. I would not have a tongue twister competition with this man.
Muddy Waters
3/5
I like blues, just not live albums!
Stevie Wonder
3/5
I was surprised at how many songs I recognised. Not bad and I saved one too a playlist, but not my cup of tea.
Supertramp
3/5
I thought I’d enjoy this more than I did, but holding out for the album with The Logical Song. 3.5
Ian Dury
2/5
This would be a solid 3 except that “panties” is one of my aversive words and there’s a sound effect in ‘Blockhead’ that is just like a juicy fart, so 2.5 and rounding down because I never plan to listen to album again.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
This is ok but not really standing out got me, and the one song really sounds like ‘Werewolves of London’.
Blur
3/5
This was all right, a little Nineties nostalgia, but I got bored with it by the end and the memorable Song 2 has been overused in advertising.
The xx
4/5
I enjoyed this a lot and will certainly come back to it - quiet and electronic without being boring.
David Bowie
5/5
Unbelievably, I had never listened to Bowie's last studio album, being in denial about his death much in the same way it took me nearly twenty years to read the final unfinished Aubrey/Maturin novel by Patrick O'Brian. Early Bowie was my gateway drug to rock music after years of classical-only (or to be precise, the Goblin King in Labyrinth was) but I never got on with Glass Spider era and never really listened to his later work. This is lush and dense and complex and will take many listenings to establish if it's really a 5 for me or a very high 4, but it has a 5-star quality to it regardless of my personal taste. RIP.
Kanye West
2/5
The overall sound of this was better than I expected, for hip hop, but the longer it went on the more it felt like it would never end, and he still seems to be a Nazi controversy stirring pillock, so not going above 2.5.
The Chemical Brothers
1/5
This is loud and boring with bonus random noises. Sounds like strobe lights with synaesthesia.
Cornershop
3/5
Giving this a 3 because I quite like the Asian touches and a couple of the songs, but I can’t stand the stupid squelchy noises in several other tracks. 2.5
Meat Puppets
3/5
Based entirely on the name I was expecting loud and boring, but 1984 was a good year for music and this was quite all right.
Rush
4/5
This grew on me. Apparently Rush are musical Marmite but this was very middle of the road on first listening. A high 3/low 4, especially ‘Tom Sawyer’, ‘The Camera Eye’ and ‘Witch Hunt’, and I’m feeling generous today :-)
Sugar
2/5
Feel I should have liked this more, but it was loud and boring. 2.5
The Band
4/5
Good stuff, especially ‘Long Black Veil’ and ‘This Wheel’s On Fire’. If it sounded less like Bob Dylan it would be a 5… 4.5
Jurassic 5
2/5
I thought this might be in with a chance at a 3, but too many annoying rubbing and squeaking sounds, as usual. 2.5
Liz Phair
3/5
Some of this wasn’t bad but I didn’t really warm to her voice.
The xx
3/5
Enjoyed this less than ‘xx’, found it a little boring and nothingy rather than intriguing.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Elvis had a great voice but my taste is more Nick Cave…
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I listened to ‘Harvest’ waaay too much in the ‘90s to the point of completely going off Neil Young’s voice and vocal style…
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Pleasant country, not the biggest fan of her vocal style.
Dead Kennedys
3/5
I thought this was going to be loud and boring but I kinda of liked it. Like the Sex Pistols but better.
Prince
3/5
Another Prince album I just can’t appreciate as I think I should.
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
Not my kind of music but listenable.
The Gun Club
3/5
M.I.A.
3/5
This was different. More electronica/hiphop than I’d usually listen to but not actively horrible.
Beastie Boys
1/5
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
I didn’t know what to expect from this. The song titles are rather pretentious but a couple sounded familiar (from Radio Paradise?). I liked the layered sounds and it’s about Illinois.
Tom Waits
3/5
I like Tom Waits but none of my favourite albums seem to have made it into this list… 3.5
MGMT
4/5
Beach House
4/5
Enjoyed this—chilled and a little dark. Giving it 4 so I come back to it.
Nirvana
2/5
Trying to like this but more loud and boring with tuneless bellowing by Cobain than songs that do anything for me.
Beth Orton
4/5
The first track, Stolen Car, was wonderful but the rest of the album didn’t live up to it—a bit flat and samey. Between a 3 and a 4 bit rounding up because I’d like to listen more and explore her other albums.
Boards of Canada
2/5
Electronica with some of the annoying sound effects I don’t like in hiphop. Tiresome.
Slade
3/5
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Gorgeous rich voice and the two singles I remember are beautiful. Could become a 5 but for now, 4.5.
TV On The Radio
4/5
When I started listening and reading the reviews I was all set for this to be a 2 on the grounds of cacophony and reviewers’ pretentiousness, but on listening some more I am sufficiently intrigued to give this a 4 so I come back to it when I’ve finished the project and forgotten it exists. 3.5