Aug 01 2024
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Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
Fine. Not particularly exciting. A little pompous and overblown, but nice enough.
3
Aug 02 2024
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At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
Good. I liked this one. The last few, non live tracks feel a bit tacked on, but overall, lovely stuff
4
Aug 03 2024
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You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
Much better than I remember it being. This came out when I was 17 and heavily into American alt rock. I've had Dub Be Good To Me and his remixes of Body Movin' and Brimful of Asha on my playlists for years and I've always had a soft spot for the Housemartins but I guess my teenage cynicism about this album has unwittingly persisted. The reality is, this album is pretty good in places, but is patchy, the singles are enough. The rest is just filler.
3
Aug 04 2024
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She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
This feels like a warning about how American centric this list may be. With so many exciting and innovative artists making music in the 80s, it seems incomprehensible to me that this uninspired and clichéd album could be in anyone's top 100,000 albums, let alone 1000. There's a couple of songs on here, Girls Just Want To Have Fun and Time After Time that are okay, a few that are mediocre and the rest are just incredibly grating with Lauper's vocals turning a bland song into an annoying one.
The idea that someone, who presumably has listened to at least several thousand albums thought this was an album to be lauded has made me feel quite angry. It's like claiming Meghan Traynor is the most innovative and exciting artist of the 21st century. Absolute toilet.
1
Aug 05 2024
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Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
I find it almost universally true that a double album would have been much better as a single one, but this isn't really a double album, it's two solo projects that have been released together because of management decisions, so giving it a single rating seems odd as there is, unsurprisingly, no real link between the albums.
Speakerboxxx is by far the more consistent of the two albums, and the only one I'd bother listening to again. GhettoMusik I already knew, and liked, from the b-side of Hey Ya! but I also particularly liked Bust and Flip Flop Rock, both featuring Killer Mike.
The Love Below is a mixed bag of mostly rather self indulgent songs but featuring one of the true great pop songs in Hey Ya, the only song I'd go out of my way to listen to again.
Both albums suffer from the common hip hop inclusion of skits and interludes that don't really add anything other than becoming more annoying the more the album is replayed. There's also a clear degree of grating misogyny, also something that is a frequent feature in, but hardly exclusive to, hip hop.
Speakerboxxx 3*, consistently decent with a couple of good songs.
The Love Below 3*, mostly 2* songs with Hey Ya! being a 5* banger giving it an extra mark.
It's tempting to give the whole thing 2* because listening to it all in one go make it worse than the sum of its parts.
3
Aug 06 2024
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In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
I liked this a lot, it sags a little in the middle, which is the reason I'm not giving it 5*, but there's a lot a good things going on here. 21st Century Schizoid Man is a great start to the album.
On Spotify, the only version that is available is a remastered version with bonus tracks that add nothing to the overall experience - which is frustratingly common with older albums, but I'm not marking it down for that.
4
Aug 07 2024
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Rejoicing In The Hands
Devendra Banhart
The music on this album is perfectly pleasant, but Devendra's voice is bordering on annoying. The whole thing has a twee smugness which winds me up. It feels like coffee shop music, if the coffee shop was run by wankers.
1
Aug 08 2024
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Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
I was looking forward to this as I love a bit of Stevie Wonder but I only know the big hits. I didn't recognise any songs on this album and there's probably a reason for that. Most of the songs are fine but unexciting. Boogie on Reggae Woman and Please Don't Go are better than that, and were the only songs I'd like to hear again. You Haven't Done Nothin' would be up there too, but the base line is so similar to Superstition that I can't help thinking I'd rather be listening to that instead.
3
Aug 09 2024
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Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
I don't listen to much stadium rock as it's often dull. This however has a sleazy, slightly menacing edge to it that many of Guns N Roses cotemporaries lack. The songs are for the most part punchy and even the longer ones don't really outstay their welcome.
Axl Rose might now look like Mama Fratelli from the Goonies, but before all the drink and drugs took their toll he had some serious pipes. His powerful, slightly raspy, vocals add a lot to the music.
I think this just about deserves 5*. If I only gave it 4* I'd be setting the bar very high and barely giving out any.
5
Aug 10 2024
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Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
A surprisingly musically diverse album that still remains coherent. There's a lot of distortion on some of the vocals, but it's still very distinctively Beastie Boys. There's hip hop, jazz, world music influences as well as rap-rock before nu-metal came along and made that a dirty word.
There's still a few bits of frat boy humour, but the whole thing is a lot more mature than Fight For Your Right era Beasties. I liked this a lot.
5
Aug 11 2024
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Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
This is a perfectly nice album, but nothing more than that. At times it gets quite silly, which isn't a bad thing but it means the whole album feels like a collection of songs rather than a coherent work.
I liked Gotta Get Up, Without You and Coconut was fun, but I expect would quickly become grating.
Threeth stars
3
Aug 12 2024
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Le Tigre
Le Tigre
This album starts off pretty well, with Decepticon being a fun, bouncy track.
Unfortunately, the album falls off sharply after that with the remaining tracks varying between just about ok and not very good.
It's a shame, I like the ethos of the band and wanted to like the music more, but it's fundamentally weak.
A semi-foof.
2
Aug 13 2024
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Graceland
Paul Simon
I have memories of my dad playing this in the car occasionally when I was a kid and I wasn't particularly impressed by it then and I'm not now. There's nothing wrong with it per se, but there's nothing that draws me in or excites me. The only song that I would go out of my way to listen to is Call Me Al and even that I'd be perfectly happy to never hear again.
Threeth Kens out of Val.
3
Aug 14 2024
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The Madcap Laughs
Syd Barrett
There's a little man, in a little house,
With a little pet dog, and a little pet mouse,
I know where he lives, and I visit him,
We have Sunday tea,
Sausages and beans.
I only really know the legend of Syd Barrett not any of the music. This was a pretty bog standard album. Nothing particularly good or bad about it, with the exception that the only version on Spotify is a crappy deluxe version with outtakes tacked on the end which add nothing other than annoyance. Thanks record companies, on your hands at last a dead star.
3
Aug 15 2024
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Low-Life
New Order
Not the first album that comes to mind when I think of New Order, but a fun one nonetheless. There's no real stand out track here, like a Blue Monday or Temptation, but it's all good quality and it's definitely worth another listen.
4
Aug 16 2024
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Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
This is the first album that I've had where I've never heard of the artist.
There's a lot to like about this one. It's punchy, aggressive, wall of noise. However, it also does feel relentless. I'd have liked a few contrasting quieter parts to provide more texture and variation to the album.
All in all, I'm going to have to give this a few more listens to properly make up my mind, but I think this is a pretty good album, that I'll only want to listen to when I'm in a certain mood or frame of mind.
4
Aug 17 2024
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Grace
Jeff Buckley
I don't really get the hype that surrounded this album. I can only think that it had a lot to do with Jeff's tragic early death.
Mostly it's fine, but just that and it does tend towards sounding like a poor man's Manic Street Preachers towards it's more rocky end.
Ironically, despite Leonard Cohen being famously self depreciating about his voice and the very 80s production of the original, I still much prefer his Hallelujah to Buckley's.
It feels a bit harsh to give this 2 stars, as it's not terrible, so I'm just about giving it a 3.
3
Aug 18 2024
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Smokers Delight
Nightmares On Wax
I read some of the reviews and a lot of people seem to be unhappy with this being background music. I don't really get that. There's definitely a place for music to have on while concentrating on something else or for when you just need to chill out a bit.
This certainly isn't up there with the great ambient works of Eno or Aphex Twin, but it's pleasant enough and I'll add it to my rotation of chill out tunes.
3
Aug 19 2024
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Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
On hearing the first few seconds, I thought I was going to hate this, but it wasn't too bad. I liked many of the songs individually but, as an album, it doesn't really hang together, the changes in style from track to track and sometimes within the same track can become quite jarring.
A Minha Menina is a good song as are Bat Macumba and Ave Gengis Khan, but overall, the album is weaker than the sum of its parts.
3
Aug 20 2024
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The Band
The Band
I have neither anything good nor anything bad to say about this album. I'm entirely indifferent to it.
3
Aug 21 2024
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Oedipus Schmoedipus
Barry Adamson
There's a lot to like about this album. It certainly beats the pants off Nilsson Schmilsson, which was recommended last week. There's a diverse range of music on offer that holds together as a singular work well. I enjoyed the contributions from Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave too.
My instinct, after a few listens, is to give it a 4. There's not much that stops it from getting a 5. Vermillion Kisses being the only duff track - a faintly misogynistic and twee story that adds nothing and deserves skipping on every listen after the first.
I'll definitely be adding this to my rotation of albums and look for more by Barry.
4
Aug 22 2024
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The Yes Album
Yes
I only really knew Yes from Owner of a Lonely Heart and Rick Wakeman's capes. Unfortunately, as someone who often enjoys a bit of prog, this album feels like a list of reasons why people don't like the genre.
There are occasions where you start to feel that something good is about to happen, but then there's a crappy bit of, very dated, synth (not Wakeman's) or a twatty folk track with some random clapping that kills any momentum that was building.
To add insult to aural injury, the only versions available are wanky deluxe editions - shit off with your demos, single versions and remixes.
Utter guff.
1
Aug 23 2024
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Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
I'm tempted to write that, even post covid, I'd rather bite the head off a bat than listen to this album again, but it's not that bad. Just.
I'm wavering between giving it a one or a two. I definitely don't want to ever listen to this album again, but I don't think it genuinely annoyed me enough to get a one.
A, feeling generous, two.
2
Aug 24 2024
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Moondance
Van Morrison
Not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I didn't have high expectations.
Mostly it's fine, but And Then It Stoned Me is the only song I'd want to hear again and the album does tail of towards the end with a couple of real duffers.
3
Aug 25 2024
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Bone Machine
Tom Waits
When I first heard Tom Waits, I found his voice rather over the top and slightly annoying. However he grew on me after a few listens and I started to appreciate his music. This album was like listening to Tom for the first time again. It's so stripped back at first that it was a tough listen and I was relieved when the album came back to more traditional Waits territory. However, after listening a couple more times, I found myself enjoying the whole album - bar the cover of I Don't Want To Grow Up - which I could definitely do without.
A gravelly foof.
4
Aug 26 2024
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Bad
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson,
Here's the basic facts son,
He was born black,
He died white,
And in the middle he fiddled with kids.
It's hard to get away from the paedophilia accusations, Jackson's own childhood exploitation and abuse and just how many people facilitated these things for a slice of money and or reflected fame. However, for me, it's even harder to get away from the nostalgia this album brings.
Bad came out when I was 6 years old and was one of the first albums I ever owned (along with Pump Up the Jam by Technotronic and Get Even by Brother Beyond - my childhood music taste was shite). When I read the reviews before listening again, I found myself agreeing with the more negative ones, but listening to this album again transported me back to a simpler time when I'd get this tape out of my Thomas the Tank Engine tape box, put it in my ghetto blaster (super bass on) and enjoy an untainted Jacko's music in my Superman wallpaper covered bedroom.
The slower songs, Liberian Girl and I Just Can't Stop Loving You, are exactly that. But the rest of the album is good fun, even if Jackson can't pronounce basic words like come on or Annie.
I expect if I was hearing this for the first time as an adult, I'd be much harsher on the album, but I just can't help but enjoy it.
4
Aug 27 2024
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Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
This is a difficult one to review. I liked the music and Biggie's vocals flow well. However, some of the lyrics are absolutely appalling. I'd feel embarrassed to listen to this album with other people around - and considering I'm happy to listen to Kunt and the Gang, that's not an easy thing to achieve. The glorification of violence, the casual homophobia and, in particular, the horrific levels of misogyny mean that I can only give this album 1 star, even though I thought the music was good.
Some of the more delightful lyrics:
From Me and My Bitch:
"And I admit, when the time is right, the wine is right
I treat you right, you talk slick, I beat you right"
From Just Playing (Dreams). Where Biggie "Dreams of fucking an R&B bitch"
"Make Raven Symone call date rape"
Fuck off you creepy, vile weirdo.
1
Aug 28 2024
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Walking Wounded
Everything But The Girl
I like this one a lot. Top end of a 4 for me.
4
Aug 29 2024
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Bongo Rock
Incredible Bongo Band
This starts off quite fun, but goes on for far too long and you just feel bongoed out by the end. I think I'd enjoy each track individually, but there's 19 of the bongtastic bastards for nearly 80 minutes of bonging.
I'll definitely put some of the tunes on my wake up playlist, but I don't think I ever want to sit down and listen to the whole thing again.
Three Bongos out of a Wagner.
3
Aug 30 2024
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Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
This is good. It's a tight 10 tracks of quality reggae.
There's a dub version of the music on this album - Garvey's Ghost, which I prefer to the slicker version on this release, it would have been interesting to have that with the vocals from this album.
4
Aug 31 2024
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One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
The cover of this album looks like it was drawn by a 13 year old and, unfortunately, only a few songs from it are available on spotify.
I managed to find it on YouTube and it's as good as the cover art is bad. At first I found the songs a bit overlong, but the more I listened to it, the more I got into its borderline prog funk.
It's a pain that it's not available to stream. I'd probably listen to it a lot more if it was.
5
Sep 01 2024
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Ghosteen
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
A beautifully tender album, made a pretty difficult listen by knowing the circumstances in which it was conceived.
I do tend to prefer Nick Cave's more upbeat songs. They tend to cover his tendency for slightly non-sensical and overblown lyrics, which are exposed on this record.
Still, a great album for a melancholy mood.
4
Sep 02 2024
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Night Life
Ray Price
Bad, but not so bad it's actively annoying. It's so generic that I didn't notice when Spotify started playing similar artists afterwards.
It was great when he sang about getting drunk and hitting his girlfriend though :/
2
Sep 03 2024
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The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
This is a decent album, but compared to Arcade Fire's previous two offerings, it's pretty weak. The only songs I'd really care to hear again are The Suburbs, Empty Room and Sprawl II.
The other songs fail to grab my attention and lack the bombast I'm used to from Arcade Fire.
It sounds like I'm being a bit harsh, but it's only because I loved Funeral and Black Mirror. It's still just about a 4 star album for me.
4
Sep 04 2024
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Green River
Creedence Clearwater Revival
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
Good fun. Foof stars.
4
Sep 05 2024
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Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
A big nostalgia hit as this album was part of the soundtrack of my twenties. A lot of that music I don't really listen to any more (The Rakes anybody?) but there's still a lot of good stuff on here, Michael, The Matinee, This Fire, Take Me Out, Jaqueline and Darts of Pleasure are all a cut above the usual landfill indie of the time.
5
Sep 06 2024
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The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
I have fond memories of the Beach Boys from listening to them in my Dad's car on childhood summer journeys, but this is actually pretty bad. Help Me Ronda and Do You Wanna Dance are pretty good fun, but the rest of the album is just the same thing but worse, except for a shitty, self indulgent out take at the end. There's a time and a place for the Beach Boys, and it's probably on a best of compilation.
2
Sep 07 2024
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Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
Starts off strong but ends weakly. Which is a shame as I think Depeche Mode are a sweet band.
3
Sep 08 2024
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Metal Box
Public Image Ltd.
This album a bit of a difficult listen, but when I gave it my full attention I found that I liked it. I doubt I'll listen to it again often but, for the right frame of mind, it's a good album.
4
Sep 09 2024
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Celebrity Skin
Hole
When a new musical trend emerges, music executives are desperate to find something similar to flog and you end up with tat like this landfill alt rock.
Celebrity Skin (the song) is fine, Malibu is just about tolerable, but the rest of the album is so dull. It felt a lot longer than its 50 minute run time.
Boring
2
Sep 10 2024
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Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
It's surprising the I'm giving an album with the 5 star song, Sympathy for the Devil such a low score, but most of Beggar's Banquet is really bad. I liked Street Fighting Man and Stray Cat Blues but, Dear Doctor and Factory Girl are utter dog shit, some of the most annoying, anger inducing music I've heard since I started 40 or so albums ago. The rest of the songs are pretty crappy too.
I can't give this more than 2 stars, frankly it's lucky to get that.
2
Sep 11 2024
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The Wildest!
Louis Prima
At first it felt I little like I was listening to something in a museum. After a while though, I started to enjoy this and, on a second listen, I had a lot of lovely fun.
4
Sep 12 2024
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The Stranger
Billy Joel
Cheesy as hell, but I'm enjoying it.
4
Sep 13 2024
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Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
Love this album, probably my favourite by PJ Harvey. An easy 5 for me.
5
Sep 14 2024
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A Night At The Opera
Queen
Queen, are another band, like the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones, who have a great best of compilation (in this case two great best ofs), but whose album tracks are pretty bad. The album tracks on A Night at the Opera aren't so awful that I'm giving it two stars despite the presence of a 5 star song (unlike Beggar's Banquet) but there's still a lot of guff on this album. Bohemian Rhapsody is an obvious stand out, You're My Best Friend is fun, but don't bother with the rest.
3
Sep 15 2024
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Playing With Fire
Spacemen 3
Found it difficult to get into this one. The bonus tracks at the end of the re-release didn't help. I think there's some good stuff here, but it didn't quite work for me.
3
Sep 16 2024
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Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks
Like several other reviewers, I don't really get why this album is on the list. It's a perfectly serviceable glam / stadium rock album, but there's nothing more than that. Nothing new, interesting, vital or exciting. If it's your type of music, you'll like it, but it's hardly worth going out of your way to listen to.
3
Sep 17 2024
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Doolittle
Pixies
I've listened to this album plenty of times in the past, but over the last few years it's pretty much just been Debaser and, occasionally Wave of Mutilation. I thought going in, that I was going to give it a 4 but, listening to the whole thing, I think it just about deserves a 5. There's a few absolute classics on here and the rest of the songs are upbeat alt rock that puts me in a good mood.
5
Sep 18 2024
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Slanted And Enchanted
Pavement
I like this one, although it does tail off a little on the last few tracks. The vocals prevent it from being a top, top album, but it's still a lot of fun.
4
Sep 19 2024
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Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Pavement
Thanks to the random number generator, I've had two Pavement albums back to back. For me, Crooked Rain Crooked Rain is a significant downgrade from Slanted and Enchanted. I enjoyed several songs, particularly Cut Your Hair and 5-4=Unity, but the more polished sound didn't have the energy or little pockets of interest that Pavement's debut album did.
Crooked Rain Crooked Rain is still a good album but, as someone who doesn't listen to Pavement all that often, I can't see why I'd listen to it over Slanted and Enchanted. 3 Stars feels a little harsh, but giving it the same 4 as their previous album feels overly generous. If it were out of 10, this album would be a low 7 whereas Slanted and Enchanted would be a high 8 for me.
3
Sep 20 2024
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Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
Good Dylan, but not great Dylan. This is a step or two behind Blonde on Blonde or Blood on the tracks. Still pretty decent though.
4
Sep 21 2024
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Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
Yeah, this is the good stuff.
5
Sep 22 2024
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Everything Must Go
Manic Street Preachers
I've always found the Manics' lyrics and willingness to speak out on political issues more interesting than their actual music, which has a tendency towards middle of the road dad rock. There's a couple of songs that I enjoyed on this album, although, as it came out when I was 15, there's a degree of nostalgia colouring my thoughts. Really, the only truly good Manics' songs are Motorcycle Emptiness and a couple of tunes from the Holy Bible.
3
Sep 23 2024
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Bright Flight
Silver Jews
This felt pretty one note and generic. There was nothing hugely bad about it per se, apart from a few slips into tweeness, which blights many American indie bands, but there was nothing particularly good either. I can't think why I'd want to listen to any of it again.
3
Sep 24 2024
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Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
This was quite fun. Very dad rock, but enjoyable.
4
Sep 25 2024
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The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
Pleasantly surprised to see this on the list. I love a bit of The Fall. Easy 5
5
Sep 26 2024
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Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
I enjoy a bit of Elvis Costello. On this album, Oliver's Army and What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding are the highlights. For me, the use of the n-word in Oliver's Army has to be seen in the context of the time and as a critique of British colonialism in Ireland - even if it is a rather crude analogy.
4
Sep 27 2024
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Trio
Dolly Parton
This isn't really my thing, but I quite enjoyed it. However, I was amazed the album was recorded in 1987. It sounds a lot more old fashioned than that. Like stepping back in time.
4
Sep 28 2024
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Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
Objectively, this is shit. Alanis' silly voice, the dated production, the often inane lyrics. It's basically music for people who have "Live, Laugh, Love" pictures on their walls.
In very small doses, much like the music of William Shatner, I find Alanis Morissette so bad she's funny. It quickly wears off, but it's the only thing stopping this album from getting a one.
2
Sep 29 2024
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Pump
Aerosmith
Pump can be used as a slang word for fart, which seems appropriate in the context of this album.
This isn't so bad it makes me angry, but it is definitely very bad indeed.
Edit: Actually, the last song - What It Takes, is so terrible, I'm giving this a one. The musical equivalent of shitting in your hands and clapping.
1
Sep 30 2024
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Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
This was okay, but it felt like a tribute album. Why is a Scot singing about highway's and smokey rivers? There are points where Jansch's Scottishness comes through and the album feels much more authentic and better for it, Needle of Death, in particular is a beautifully melancholy folk song. For the rest though, it just feels like someone pretending to be an American, and even though he's doing it pretty well, it doesn't quite get there.
3
Oct 01 2024
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Reggatta De Blanc
The Police
I liked Message in a Bottle, but this album is soon starting to grate. The cod-reggae feels like it's taking the piss at times.
Jesus Christ, On Any Other Day is as bad as anything I've ever heard. I was debating whether Message in a Bottle meant that this album deserved a two, but, fuck me, I hate this song. Does Everyone Stare is several times less awful than On Any Other Day, but it's still offensively shit.
This was no 369 on Rolling Stones greatest 500 albums of all time list. How much cocaine were they taking at the time? I've taken 500 dumps that I'd rather listen to again than this heap of tod.
1
Oct 02 2024
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Django Django
Django Django
This is an album that I feel that I should like, but I just can't get into it. In a way it reminds me of Field Music, who make similar indie music that's slightly more interesting and intelligent than the norm, but unlike say, Alt-J, none of their music, nor Django Django's really capture my imagination.
Three stars feels harsh, but I can't think of a reason why I'd want to listen to this again - I gave it three full playthroughs and still couldn't pick out a song other than Default, which I already knew.
3
Oct 03 2024
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Disintegration
The Cure
Love The Cure. This isn't my favourite thing they've ever done, but it's still better than most things around.
4
Oct 04 2024
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In The Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. However, it really felt like music to have on while doing something else rather than music to sit down and actively listen to. I'll keep listening to it, as a change from my usual Eno and Aphex Twin albums, when I want some background music that doesn't distract me from what I want to concentrate on.
4
Oct 05 2024
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Young Americans
David Bowie
Bowie at his peak is magnificent, but this album isn't his best. Young Americans and Fame are great, most of the rest is fine but nothing more. The cover of Across the Universe is pretty bad.
Overall, this just about deserves a four, but there are much better Bowie albums out there.
4
Oct 06 2024
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Dire Straits
Dire Straits
I liked Down by the Waterline and Sultans of Swing, but nothing else on the album really grabbed me. There was nothing I'd go out of my way to switch off, but nor was there much to make me want to listen again. Another band where I'd put on a best of, but not studio albums.
3
Oct 07 2024
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Psychocandy
The Jesus And Mary Chain
I enjoyed the actual album a lot, although it's only available in a shitty extended version on Spotify, which makes it feel overlong at nearly 80 minutes as opposed to the 40ish minutes of the original album. I wish record companies would stop pulling this shit. I only want to listen to the actual album, not a ton of outtakes, alternative versions and b-sides.
4
Oct 08 2024
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Melodrama
Lorde
I didn't really get the reason for this album being on the list. It seems very generic and no better than many other similar modern female pop artists. I'm not a big fan of the genre but, to me at least, people like Taylor Swift, Marina, Janelle Monae, Charlie XCX etc are a significant step up from this.
It's not bad, but it's not something I'd go out of my way to listen to again.
3
Oct 09 2024
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Hunky Dory
David Bowie
Easy 5 for this one. There's a couple of songs that aren't amazing, but mostly this is Bowie at his best. Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Queen Bitch, Life on Mars. Fantastic.
5
Oct 10 2024
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Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
I loved Smashing Pumpkins when I was a teenager, but I've not listened to this album for at least a decade. On putting it on I wondered why, it opens strong and I enjoyed the guitar tone a lot.
I don't quite have the same opinion of it as I did 25 years ago, the album gets a bit samey and repetitive and Corgan's lyrics often come across as the words of a teen poet. Corgan also is one of the arseholes of the music world, but I haven't docked the Smiths stars for Morrissey and I won't do that here either.
This is a strong 4, it might have got a 5 on a generous day, but the tail end of the album is significantly weaker than the start and prevents it from getting the full 5.
4
Oct 11 2024
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Solid Air
John Martyn
This was decent enough. There were times where I thought it was going to be genuinely good, but it never quite got there. A high three.
3
Oct 12 2024
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Master Of Puppets
Metallica
This is poor. I don't understand how such loud, in your face music can be so boring, but it's really, really dull.
I'm just coming to the end of the second song and it's already starting to piss me off with it's shit repetition. An easy one. Total shite.
1
Oct 13 2024
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Arise
Sepultura
I audibly sighed when I saw this was today's album. Yesterday I had Metallica's Master of Puppets, and after listening to that aural turd, I really didn't fancy more of the same. Fortunately, however, while this genre isn't my cup of tea at all, this was significantly better that Metallica's crappy offering.
I didn't like the death metal vocals, there was too much growling and not enough singing, but the music had some variation and points of interest to accompany the chugging guitars.
It's not something I'd listen to again, but I didn't hate it, like I hated Master of Puppets.
2
Oct 14 2024
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Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
I enjoyed this a lot. Definitely the good side of prog. Totally pretentious, overblown and unnecessary, but still very enjoyable despite, or perhaps because of that.
This album felt a bit like a rich dessert, too much would make you feel sick, but in smallish amounts (which is why I avoided the extended edition like the plague) it's very enjoyable.
A high 4.
4
Oct 15 2024
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In Rainbows
Radiohead
Since The Bends, Radiohead albums have been near universally excellent. This is no exception and an easy 5.
5
Oct 16 2024
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Midnight Ride
Paul Revere & The Raiders
I'd never heard of these guys before. They sound okayish, pretty generic 60s pop. Not the best example of it by a long shot. Not Your Stepping Stone is a good song but besides that there's nothing I'd want to hear again. A harsh 2 but not good enough for a 3.
2
Oct 17 2024
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The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
I've heard songs by NIN that I've enjoyed but, unfortunately, there weren't many on this album. Hurt was ok, although Johnny Cash's version was far superior (which isn't unusual). Besides that, there wasn't much. I think I prefer NIN when they're slightly more poppy and melodic.
2
Oct 18 2024
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Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
After Beggar's Banquet being so bad, I wasn't looking forward to this, despite the fact that Gimmie Shelter is a fantastic song.
Listening to it. As soon as Gimmie Shelter finished, I was starting to get annoyed with the album. It's amazing just how big the delta between the Stones', stone cold classic, best songs and their faux honkey tonk, dog shit, album tracks is. In a way, the few good songs being great makes me more angry with the other songs, as they show how good the band can be when they get it right. It's hard to comprehend how a band can write songs as good as Gimmie Shelter or Paint it Black and then think songs like Country Honk deserve to be on the same record. I'm genuinely baffled.
2
Oct 19 2024
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Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
Yeah this is good. Perhaps not quite as good as having cocaine blown up your arsehole, but good nonetheless.
5
Oct 20 2024
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Kid A
Radiohead
Easiest 5 so far. A masterpiece of an album. Probably my favourite thing that they've done.
5
Oct 21 2024
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Hard Again
Muddy Waters
This is good, but too samey to get a 5 from me.
4
Oct 22 2024
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Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
Yeah, this is the good stuff.
5
Oct 23 2024
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We Are Family
Sister Sledge
Nile Rodger's fingerprints are all over this album and that's a very good thing.
Another easy 5.
5
Oct 24 2024
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Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches
Happy Mondays
Brilliant. Love this album.
5
Oct 25 2024
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Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
This was nice enough, but it didn't really do anything much for me.
3
Oct 26 2024
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The Next Day
David Bowie
I adore David Bowie. The man made some of the greatest albums of all time but, this album being on the list is ridiculous. When you've only got a thousand albums to list, why include a sub par Bowie album when you've already got multiple stone cold classics by the same artist?
As an album, this is fine, there are some good songs and I prefer it a lot to a significant number of albums I've listened to so far. However, it falls a long, long way short of Ziggy Stardust, Low, Hunky Dory, Blackstar, Diamond Dogs, Let's Dance, Heroes, Station to Station, Scary Monsters and Super Creeps or the second Eponymous album. So why bother when there's a lot more than a thousand artists that are worth listening to?
Where Are We Know and If You Can See Me are my favourite songs but, frankly, I'd rather listen to the Labyrinth Soundtrack than this.
Still, just about a 4 for me. I do love David Bowie.
4
Oct 27 2024
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Gris Gris
Dr. John
I'd heard of Dr. John, but not heard his music. I'd assumed it was just more white man, southern funky piano, but this album was a lot more interesting than that. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It reminded me of Captain Beefheart to an extent, but with more structure and less weirdness.
4
Oct 28 2024
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Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
These are the plums I've been looking for all weeeeeeeeeek.
The curse of the double album strikes again. This would probably be a 5 if the weaker songs were cut. Just Like a Woman, One of us Must Know and I Want You are classic Dylan but there's too much filler and Rainy Day Women is annoyingly crap.
4
Oct 29 2024
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Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
I was ready to take this piss out of this album, but I ended up quite enjoying it. It's very samey, so the enjoyment wore thin towards the end of the album, even though I don't think the later songs were any worse than the earlier ones.
3
Oct 30 2024
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Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman
John Zorn
Another album that I thought I was going to hate in the first 30 seconds of listening to it, but that I started to enjoy as it went on.
It's a challenging listen for sure, but after giving it a couple of goes, I think it's actually pretty good. It's certainly different and fits more in the theme of a list like this than one of the more mediocre Beatles or Bowie albums.
4
Oct 31 2024
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Phaedra
Tangerine Dream
Another 40 minute album that's only available in a bloated, multidisc, "deluxe" edition on Spotify, which is shit. I don't need to listen to Barry Chuckles Oh Dear Remix (Radio Edit) when the original song is right there.
However, the actual album is pretty good. One to add to my rotation of ambient music to have in the background when I'm concentrating on something else.
4
Nov 01 2024
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Superfuzz Bigmuff
Mudhoney
A 28 minute album that's only available on Spotify as a 'deluxe' edition that's over 2 hours long. Fuck off.
As for the actual music, it's pretty bland, middle of the road grunge. Nothing particularly good or bad about it. I wouldn't cross the room to turn it off, that's about it.
Also. Muffs.
3
Nov 02 2024
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Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
This is a classic but, for me, it didn't quite do enough to get a 5. I like it a lot, but I don't love it.
4
Nov 03 2024
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Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
This is okay. Art "Tiny Eyes" Garfunkle has a wonderful voice. However a lot of the songs are run of the mill. The best songs are reworkings of traditional songs rather than original compositions.
Overall, decent, but no Bridge Over Troubled Water
3
Nov 04 2024
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Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
This feels like the soundtrack to a musical theatre show. That's not in of itself a bad thing, but it's amusing to think that something so camp caused any outrage.
Overall the album is fine, not really my cup of tea, but decent enough. If you're a fan of Cats, Blood Brothers, Hamilton etc, then you'll probably enjoy this.
3
Nov 05 2024
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Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
I enjoyed this well enough although I don't think it's Young's best work.
Just about a 4.
4
Nov 06 2024
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Mama Said Knock You Out
LL Cool J
Several years ago, I found out that LL Cool J stood for Ladies Love Cool James and it's been difficult to take Cool James seriously ever since.
The title track is a great song, but besides that, there isn't much to recommend on this album, Around The World Girl is pretty enjoyable I suppose. There's nothing particularly bad either. Cool James even promises a woman that he sure wouldn't rape her, which definitely puts him above Notorious BIG.
3
Nov 07 2024
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White Ladder
David Gray
My first reaction to seeing this album come up was anger. I had to force myself to listen to it and in listening to it, I examined just what it was that makes me hate this album so much.
White Ladder isn't a one star album, sure it's bland as fuck, but the music itself didn't actively annoy me in the way some others have. I think the thing that angers me most about this album is just how popular it was. It's success damaged my faith in humanity a little. Now, considering I'm writing this on the day Donald Trump was re-elected, my faith in humanity has already taken a pretty big hit, but I can at least mitigate that by pretending that Americans are stupider than us civilised Europeans. Unfortunately, this album being so successful in my native UK shows that people here are in many ways just as horrifically idiotic as they are in the US.
At least David Gray isn't a proven rapist I suppose. Two stars.
2
Nov 08 2024
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Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
How much of this album was actually by Malcolm McLaren and how much was just plagiarised or others' work that McLaren claimed is debateable. He always was a slimy shit of a man.
That said, the actual music was enjoyable. A four star album by a one star human being.
4
Nov 09 2024
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Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
Mostly bland and dull, occasionally mildly irritating.
2
Nov 10 2024
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Microshift
Hookworms
This is pleasant but nothing special. There are moments when I thought it was going to be more interesting than it was, particularly the tracks with a more electronic bent. However, the guitar parts of the album have a faint whiff of the landfill about them.
Ullswater was probably the only song I'd go out of my way to listen to again.
3
Nov 11 2024
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Myths Of The Near Future
Klaxons
I have fond memories of this album and then memories of their subsequent stuff being surprisingly bad. On listening for the first time in years, the album does not hold up as well as I remember. The singles are very enjoyable still, but the rest of the album falls a bit flat - and indicates that the follow up albums being poor shouldn't have been as much of a surprise as it was.
Still giving it four stars, possibly a little nostalgia tinted, but I do really like the singles from this album, so it's kind of deserved too.
4
Nov 12 2024
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The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
I don't think this is quite as good as Radioactivity, but it's still an easy 5.
5
Nov 13 2024
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The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
I enjoyed this. The title track and Big Sky are the standout tracks, but most of it is pretty good fun. The weakest songs are the last two, which means the album ends on a bit of a sour note, but it still deserves a four.
4
Nov 14 2024
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The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
I love the Prodigy. I saw them live, they were fantastic and I have fond memories of listening to them throughout my teenage years.
However, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed. This album starts with the song "Smack My Bitch Up" and there is no defending this awful piece of misogyny. Unlike Notorious B.I.G's album, where this vileness was a constant undercurrent, the rest of the tracks on The Fat Of The Land aren't so cretinous. If it wasn't for the opening track, I'd give this album five stars. It's a shame really.
3
Nov 15 2024
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Murmur
R.E.M.
Decent R.E.M but not great R.E.M. For me, they've done much better albums.
3
Nov 16 2024
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Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
3
Nov 17 2024
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The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
This was a difficult album to listen to. The music was good in places, but very dark. There was a lot of extremely violent and angry lyrics, particularly directed against his wife / partner. But they, for the most part, didn't feel like glorification.
The album tails off towards the end and after the intense first half, that did mean it dragged on a little.
3
Nov 18 2024
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Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
Mostly excellent. One of the big names of the sixties that seem consistently good.
5
Nov 19 2024
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Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
The upbeat songs are good and Superstition is amazing, but the rest of the album doesn't really do it for me. A 4 because Superstition is just that good.
4
Nov 20 2024
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I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
While this was nice enough. I didn't enjoy this as much as Lady Soul. Which I loved.
Respect is, obviously, a classic, but I can't really remember another song on the album.
This is a 3 borderline 4 album for me.
3
Nov 21 2024
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For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music
There's nothing as good as Virginia Plain on this album, but I still enjoyed it to an extent.
Just about a 4
4