351
Albums Rated
3.3
Average Rating
32%
Complete
738 albums remaining
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1960s
Favorite Decade
Funk
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Wordsmith
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80
5-Star Albums
33
1-Star Albums
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snivilisation | 5 | 2.71 | +2.29 |
| Phaedra | 5 | 2.73 | +2.27 |
| Konnichiwa | 5 | 2.74 | +2.26 |
| What's That Noise? | 5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
| Rings Around The World | 5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
| A Seat at the Table | 5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
| Elephant Mountain | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
| Modern Kosmology | 5 | 3.08 | +1.92 |
| Pieces Of The Sky | 5 | 3.11 | +1.89 |
| Machine Gun Etiquette | 5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hounds Of Love | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| Blood Sugar Sex Magik | 1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
| The Suburbs | 1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
| Unknown Pleasures | 1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
| Odelay | 1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
| Speakerboxxx/The Love Below | 1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
| Hail To the Thief | 1 | 3.44 | -2.44 |
| Strangeways, Here We Come | 1 | 3.44 | -2.44 |
| Urban Hymns | 1 | 3.35 | -2.35 |
| High Violet | 1 | 3.24 | -2.24 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.67 |
| Michael Jackson | 2 | 5 |
| Kanye West | 2 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 2 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 6 | 4 |
| Steely Dan | 3 | 4.33 |
| Talking Heads | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Rufus Wainwright | 2 | 1 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 1.67 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 1.67 |
| OutKast | 2 | 1.5 |
| Doves | 2 | 1.5 |
| Arcade Fire | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| The Beach Boys | 5, 2 |
| Pink Floyd | 5, 2, 5 |
| Beck | 2, 1, 4 |
| Bob Dylan | 3, 2, 4, 5, 5, 5 |
| Radiohead | 2, 3, 1, 4 |
5-Star Albums (80)
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Popular Reviews
LTJ Bukem
4/5
IF YOU'RE READING THIS - THE REAL ALBUM IS HERE, NOT ON SPOTIFY:
CD1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZK_0dgj43s
CD2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYqDVqYSTxs
Some songs have been removed from both due to copyright, but it's over an hour and a half long anyways so who cares.
I finally got around to tracking down the ORIGINAL Logical Progression album, as the one on Spotify isn't even close to being the original. I listened to the Spotify version first, and I don't think a single song on there lines up, which obviously is going to skew the reviews on this site unfortunately.
It's a real shame, because this is a really great album. It's hard to believe this came out in 1996, when breakbeat/jungle/DnB was really just an infant of a genre. This feels like it could have easily been mixed in the early 2000's and I'd have no idea.
Issues with this album are few. I can definitely see why this is not everyone's flavour, especially since 95% of the slop on the 1001 Albums book is all English or American rock from the 70's-90's. However, if you're into electronic music, I'd bet that it would be easy to fall in love with this album. There is a few jumps and hiccups in the mix, but I'm going to put that down to a bad CD burn rather than issues with the album. There was definitely a few moments that I found repetitive, and it's not an extremely engaging album that you'd sit down and listen to intensely, but Liquid DnB has never been about that.
This is album #93 for me, and it's pretty clear to me that this is by far the most underrated album on this list (so far). It's not perfect, but it certainly blew me away. In the context of the time, this deserves a 5, because it's utterly amazing how polished this is for such an old record using dated equipment. However, I'm rating this off personal taste, and because CD2 was a lot more of a slog, I think this is a well deserved 4.
38 likes
Shack
1/5
1001 britpop albums to listen to before you die by your own hand
i hope the hms fable sunk with no survivors, this album was trash
19 likes
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Man this album is boring. I forgot I was even listening to it at one point, I had to double check it was still playing because my brain had tuned it out as white noise. I only 'came to' because of how shit The Bunting Song is.
There's really not much to say about this, it's not offensive or bad necessarily, it's just boring as fuck. I constantly kept looking at the track list hoping I was close to the end.
Go listen to the Gorillaz instead.
14 likes
Dusty Springfield
5/5
A Brit stealing American Soul who stole from black people. The Led Zeppelin of Soul. And despite this, this thing is fucking incredible.
Explains why the British museum is so good - the secret ingredient is crime.
4 likes
1-Star Albums (33)
All Ratings
Van Halen
4/5
Man the start of this album is absolutely killer. Jump and Panama back to back, then Drop Dead Legs? Fantastic. I love a good guitar solo, and Eddie VH is one of the best to ever do it.
I was not expecting Van Halen to be so polarising, that was a surprise to me. This album rocks. There was only one caveat I had with it:
Hot For Teacher is a weird song and I felt gross listening to it.
This album is near perfect to me, the only thing that stops me from giving it a perfect 5 is Hot For Teacher. What a shame. Nevertheless, awesome album, and definitely will be giving it further listens in the future.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Is this album better than Bad? No - but, this album is still incredible. A real benchmark for what pop music is and it defined pop music forever.
This album is the best selling album of all time for a reason, and nothing I can say here could do justice to the other tens to hundreds of thousands of other reviews written for this beast of a thing. So alas, 5.
Steely Dan
5/5
Despite being a massive fan of Gaucho (one of my favourite LP's ever), I've never actually ventured much further into Steely Dan's discog.
I've obviously listened to Do It Again, and Reelin' in the Years, and Dirty Work - but songs like Kings, Midnite Cruiser, Only A Fool, etc. all held up so well.
Honestly, this album is so solid every single song on it could handle itself as a single. This album is flawless. Probably my favourite album on this generator so far.
Marty Robbins
5/5
This album is very special to me, so there's no chance in me being objective or unbiased, I happily admit that. This album, of which I discovered from New Vegas, but my love further reinforced from El Paso's feature on Breaking Bad. Every song holds on its' own, but put together, it's a masterpiece. Marty Robbins had such a beautiful voice, and his way of storytelling in songs was incredible. I could listen to this album on repeat forever - it's one of my favourite albums ever. It's beautiful, and if you actually give it a proper listen outside of "le big iron" album, you'll find some really interesting and beautiful music. Easy 10/10.
The Police
2/5
Deathwish was a cool song, the drums were great and how it picks up the pace after the chorus. But that's all the good I can write about this album.
Obviously Message in a Bottle is a classic, but they didn't seem to give a fuck about any of the other music on this record, knowing they'd sell more copies.
Two good songs, the rest is almost unlistenable horseshit.
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
Probably one of the most iconic indie albums ever, although in my opinion AM takes the cake for /most/ iconic.
This album is fantastic. I was worried going into this as I hadn't listened to it in a very very long time, and didn't know if I'd hold it in as high of a regard - but every song here stands on it's own flawlessly.
You can tell what the songs are on it that are 'standouts' by stream numbers, like IBYLGOTD, Mardy Bum, WTSGD. This is a flawless execution of what British indie should sound like, that became the fastest selling album by a band in UK and changed the way music is listened to and distributed forever (as they were one of the first bands ever to release their album online).
This album is extremely consequential, so I think most reviews are either going to be a 'love it' or a 'hate it' mentality, and I'm firm on the side of the former.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Man, this album was great. I enjoyed every song, not a single miss on this album. It really reminds me of a mix of Bob Dylan meets Townes Van Zandt.
The vibes were sombre, and I actually really enjoyed how almost nothing rhymed.
I was so close to giving this a 5, but for me, it just is missing /something/ that I can't put my finger on. It's not a 'perfect' album. I am definitely keen to listen to some more Leonard Cohen, and hopefully a future album is deserving of a perfect score.
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Yeah this rocked. I love blues.
I can't bring myself to give a live album a 5, and this album just feels like a long extended jam rather than a produced and put together piece of art - plus, there's nothing really 'unique' about this, it's just blues, and good blues at that. I also think it goes on for a bit long, there's only so many guitar solos you can listen to for an hour to make this a 'perfect' live album.
Still, I enjoyed this a lot and it's well deserving of a 4.
Bon Jovi
4/5
I never really considered myself a fan of Bon Jovi, but my mind definitely changed with this record.This album is about as hair metal as it gets, but I think they did it the best.
I really enjoyed the latter half of the album, after they played all the hits (which of course, are obviously good). The mixing was great, there was just enough guitar solos in there that it felt rock enough, and the lyrics were on point.
This is a really good album, I can't see myself coming back to it in a hurry, just because I'm not huge on hair metal, but this is definitely a solid listen.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
Man, I didn't expect this album to be so polarising. I thought it was great.
The instrumentals of this album are genuinely incredible, I loved the brass and the horns.
I can understand why there seems to be a hate for the vocals, but I quite enjoyed them. They didn't tire for me at all. It worked well with the brass backing. Unless you're referring to Thankfully Not Living in Yorkshire - holy shit that song was foul, like he completely forgot to sing.
I'm Just Looking had so much passion and soul put into it - that song was a standout.
The latter half of this album was somewhat of a letdown when compared to the first half to middle, but still an enjoyable listen to me.
Beck
2/5
Never listening to this album again. It wasn't unlistenable, but Jesus Christ was is boring. I couldn't tell when one song ended and another begun, it all sounded the same. Nearly an hour of repeating guitar chords and barely hearable harmonica. This shit is just plain as - I wanted it to end by the time I got to Farewell Ride. Very soulless and uninspired album. I can't believe I put up with this for an hour.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
One of the essentials of Aretha Franklin, between this and I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, but I reckon this is her best work and you won't find a better soul album from the 1960's.
There's not a single song on this album that I even remotely dislike, it was a pleasure from start to finish. With classics like Good to Me as I Am to You, Ain't No Way and CHAIN OF MOTHERFUCKIN FOOLS. People Get Ready is probably a standout for me, that song is special and I adore it - though it reminds me of Changes by Charles Bradley vaguely.
Easy 5 - if you don't like this album idk what to tell you man you're either a contrarian fuckwit, a racist, or your music taste just fucking sucks.
Love
2/5
Alone Again Or was a good lead track, you can clearly tell this album was structured around that song. Every other song blurred into each other, I genuinely couldn't tell when one song ends and another begins, in a bad way. There was one exception though - Old Man. That song sucked, and didn't even make any sense.
My God is this album plain. It feels like every British band from the 1960's album offcuts blended into one boring ass album. The only times I got some modicum of entertainment was from whenever the trumpets started playing, which made songs like "Maybe The People ..." tolerable, and actually pretty good.
It's not a bad album, per se, but it's just flavourless. Plain Greek Yoghurt. Dull.
I'm tossed between a 2 and a 3 here, but the fact I just was waiting for the album to end leads me towards a 2.
Sonic Youth
3/5
A lot of these songs seem really poorly mastered, Schizophrenia sounds nothing like the rest of the album, I can barely hear the lyrics over the instrumentals.
There's a few quality songs on here I enjoy, namely Catholic Block, Stereo Sanctity;
But there's also a few songs on here I /don't/ enjoy, like:
Cotton Crown, Master Dik (WE'RE CICCONE WE'RE CICCONE WE'RE CICCONE WE'RE CICCONE WE'RE CICCONE WE'RE CICCONE WE'RE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE CICCONE )
Pipeline/Kill Time (two and a half minutes of fucking guitar reverb? wtf is that shit?)
I definitely didn't hate this album, it was on the enjoyable side. I honestly feel like where this album falls over is the vocalists - neither of them can sing and they detract from the awesome guitarwork. Listen to White Cross and tell me that their male vocalist can sing. He can't.
If there was an instrumental version of this album, it would be an easy 4, but alas.
Animal Collective
1/5
This album has two fans, people who abuse psychedelics and hipsters with a superiority complex who pretend to like this shit to seem unique and cool.
You know that old wives tale about your cousins mate who did too much acid and fried his brain into permanently thinking he's an orange? This is what I imagine was playing during that dudes trip, and not in a good way.
Summertime Clothes is the only enjoyable song on the album, I came back to listen a second time for that song (it's actually good) - but it doesn't redeem the rest of the album, which is tainted, annoying, uninspired, hipster garbage.
Standout awful tracks include:
Daily Routine, where I thought I was actually enjoying the song until it just suddenly turned into 2 minutes of dumb noise effects. Just end the song dude.
Taste, where the singer decides to repeat the same thing for over 30% of the song. Yeah sick dude we get it.
Brother Sport, where I couldn't even understand what the fuck the vocalist was saying, it sounded like a completely different language.
This album doesn't need to be an hour, most of the songs runtime on this thing are littered with repeating vocals or annoying long drawn synths that go on for ages. It was a dread listening to this and I hope I never have to be subjected to it ever again.
The Smiths
2/5
As someone who generally passionately hates The Smiths, I put that behind me and went into this with open ears, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Don't get me wrong, this album is still shit - I can't stand Morrisey's stupid fucking monotone whining voice - BUT, I didn't hate all the songs, and I definitely didn't hate the instrumentals. The guitarwork was nice, and had a great 80's tone to it. I genuinely enjoyed the title track of this album, I don't think I'd listen to it regularly, but it's tolerable.
But that's about as far as I can go for the positives. This album is whiney, annoying, and boring. Most songs drag on and on and on. When the album finished, I genuinely couldn't tell when it looped because each song sounds exactly the same as the other.
I still hate The Smiths, and I still hate Morrisey's annoying vocals and lyrics - but I at least can say that this album isn't the 1 star rating I was expecting to give and I'm glad I at least gave it a chance.
Michael Jackson
5/5
I don't know what is so magical about this album, I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but this album is perfection. I literally looped it for 3 more plays it was that good.
Every single song fucks.
The instrumentals are amazing and so in-tune with the 80's. The vocals are obviously amazing.
There's really no need for a long-winded review here. This album is as good as it gets for pop. I could listen to it over and over and not get tired of it. Perfection - nonce or not.
Cypress Hill
4/5
https://voca.ro/1h8V5kSlH8Wm
John Lee Hooker
5/5
Man, I was not expecting this album to be as good as it was, I've never even heard of John Lee Hooker before this.
Some great features on this album. I knew the Cuttin' Out was going to be a good song, given Canned Heat feature on it. That and Think Twice Before You Go are so fun and high-energy.
I had to listen to this album 4 times to know what I wanted to rate it, I was so tossed between a 4 and a light 5, but honestly the last two songs on this album are so special and pushed me over the edge to a five. The emotion on My Dream really hit me, I had to pause the album and process in silence after listening to that song, that shit made me feel something. What a beautiful piece of music.
This album has ended up being one of (if not) my favourite blues albums I've ever heard. Five stars.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
While I generally enjoy early rock & roll, this album was a bit of a snooze fest for me. Really have else nothing to say about this album, it's not a jam mate, it's just total marmalade.
Lucille was a good song, but other than that, this record feels very plain and unimaginative, the lyrics were uninspired and all about the same thing. This is just Temu Beach Boys.
Note, it's definitely still listenable, and I didn't dislike any of the songs, it just wasn't that interesting to me. I'm sure if you played this at the local RSL on a Friday you'd have the oldies frothing at the mouth though.
Beastie Boys
4/5
TLDR; first half is meh, the second half is God-tier good; 4. But why did the Beastie Boys copy Mr Beast when picking their name????????
What I love about the Beastie Boys is their recognisable sound, they're one of those artists you can immediately tell it's them, even if you're not a fan - which I'm not generally. That's not to say I dislike the Beastie Boys, I just never took time to sit down and listen to them outside of a select few tracks which I love (So What'Cha want is such a bop it's unreal) and License to Ill.
I genuinely think the first 5 songs or so in this album are a letdown just in terms of scope, I found them a bit plain and uninteresting. The instrumentals on this album are absolutely phenomenal from start to finish.
I couldn't stand the first half of The Sounds of Science, but after that, shit got real and the song actually rocked. From there, 3-Minute Rule really started to pick things up for me. Instrumentals picked up, until 5-Piece Chicken Dinner. What the fuck was up with that?
Anyways, this album is good. It wasn't a life changing listen, but it's fun, interesting, and honestly I'd definitely throw this album on when going for a drive.
Radiohead
2/5
I wrote a really long review about how this album was okay and listenable/enjoyable after my first listen. Then I listened to it a second time. And a third. Then a fourth - and finally made up my mind: this album is shit.
If you removed the vocals from this album you could easily throw this into the background music of a video game from 2005 (specifically the part where nothing happens and you're just exploring). The only song that was the exception to this rule was Idioteque.
I had so many questions during my listen through: What was the point of this album? What message was it trying to convey? Who is this records' target audience? I left with more questions than answers. What a mystifying album, in both a good and a bad way.
I don't know what I think about this album. In some ways I absolutely hate it, and can't stand certain songs. But then, when I think of the album as a whole? It wasn't /that/ bad. By my third listen through I decided I'd had enough and the album really goes nowhere, and has no point to make. It's boring. It had potential, and my first listen through was definitely exciting in trying to unravel the mystery that is this album.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Man this album is boring. I forgot I was even listening to it at one point, I had to double check it was still playing because my brain had tuned it out as white noise. I only 'came to' because of how shit The Bunting Song is.
There's really not much to say about this, it's not offensive or bad necessarily, it's just boring as fuck. I constantly kept looking at the track list hoping I was close to the end.
Go listen to the Gorillaz instead.
Tom Waits
3/5
I love jazz. If I saw this live, in a jazz club, I'd probably be all for this album - in fact if I was in a jazz bar, or somewhere that matched the atmosphere of this album, I'd definitely rate this higher - but honestly, I just don't feel this translates well onto a record. Obviously it's not the instrumentals that's the issue, it's Tom rambling on and on about some of the dumbest things I've ever heard:
You can't go fishing because of your wife?
Various things you had for breakfast?
Who's in the diner while you're eating?
What the fuck? The whole concept of this album is whack.
This album really does have some standout tracks, Warm Beer and Cold Women just worked - because he stopped doing his stupid rambling mumbling shouting, and actually used his harsh, gravelly voice in sync with the jazz behind him. And it worked. The song is great. A shame it can't be said for the rest of the album, because like clockwork, it's back to rambling about masturbating or some other nonsensical shit.
This album isn't for me, because for all the faults I have with Tom's vocals, the band behind him are pretty damn faultless. I was hard tossed between a 2 and a 3 here, but I'm going to go with a 3, just because I think if I listened to this in the right mood and in the right place, I'd actually enjoy this record. I'm going to re-listen in the future and I think my opinion will change, but I'm definitely interested in listening to more Tom Waits in the future.
The La's
1/5
In this album: British invasion cosplay made by some losers in the 90's who were born in the wrong generation. Another generic British rock album but completely uninspired.
Once I got to Looking Glass I wanted to shoot myself. I struggled to finish this record. Looking Glass and All By Myself were incredibly painful, I nearly gave up on finishing this album when I had to deal with them. WHY ARE THEY SO LONG AND REPETETIVE? I GET IT CUNT, YOU'RE ALL BY YOURSELF, SHUT UP.
This album is obviously just a one-hit-wonder album, as There She Goes is the only recognisable (and good) song on the album. Why does the quality of the music suddenly perk up only for There She Goes, then the rest of the album sounds like it was recorded on a used microphone from the 1960's? Did they spend all their budget on the one hit song and forgot they had to record a whole album around it? Why is There She Goes a completely different genre to the rest of the album?
Just go listen to literally any British invasion album instead, it sounds the exact same but at least it's good.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
I had to listen to this a couple of times to decide what I really thought of this. I loved this, as a soundtrack it honestly was unreal. As an album it held itself well too. I wanted to give this a 5. I think the only thing that stops me is its' staying power in my head. I can't see myself coming back to this album in a hurry even though I loved it. This is why I hate the 5 star rating system, it would be a 9/10 if I had the option, but alas.
Songs like Pusherman (famously sampled by Eminem), Junkie Chase, and Freddie's Dead were standouts, Pusherman is definitely a favourite. I'm gonna go hunt down the film and watch that soon, and maybe it'll tide me over to a 5. If the movies anywhere near as good as this soundtrack; it'll be a great watch.
Deep Purple
4/5
While I'm not nor have ever been a fan of Deep Purple, I can come to appreciate how consequential they were to rock. This is probably the most 'classic' or album they have, with so many songs being cult classics. I don't need to go into much detail about Some On The Water or Highway Star, everyone has heard them, either consensually or by stepping food into a Guitar World for more than 4 seconds.
I did just want to call out Lazy - man that song was good. It felt like a blues inspired rock ballad. The keyboards and harmonica really stood out here. Man, the back end of this album rocked.
The rest of the album was pretty vanilla to me. As I said, Deep Purple just really isn't my jam, but this is still a pretty good album all things considered. I can't fault the instrumentals on here, but I definitely have my issues with the lead singer's vocals. I enjoyed this listen, and went to give it a 3, but the latter 3 songs on the album are all so good they're worth giving this thing a 4.
The Charlatans
4/5
When I saw I had to listen to MORE British rock, I went in with pretty underwhelming expectations, but I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. This album feels so 90's it's insane, and really does feel like exactly what Britpop should sound like.
Nothing really /stood out/ to me per se, but as a record it was super enjoyable. I think North Country Boy was probably my favourite song though. This album was just cool and fun.
Also the fact that their keyboardist died while recording this album so they drop him from the album cover and just give him a 3 minute organ solo at the end of the album is really funny to me. Rest in peace Rob Collins you got teleported to heaven through the sunroof of that E34 mate.
3/5
I empathise with the people who hate Bob Dylan who had to sit through an hour and a half of his droning voice and ear piercing harmonica.
I love Bob Dylan, but a live album? Really? That's like having a 'greatest hits' album on a greatest list, I don't really think it counts. I get that Bob Dylan of all artists sounds completely different pretty much every live performance, but I really didn't want my first Bob Dylan album on this list to be this - it just feels disingenuous to rate some of my favourite Bob Dylan songs all on one album despite them all coming from different places.
Visions of Johanna is one of my favourite songs of all time, so it was nice to hear a true-to-record version of that live. I also appreciated the first disc of the album.
Honestly, sitting there for an hour and a half got pretty tiring listening to this. I really don't think a bootlegged live recording is a 'must-listen', but it's still enjoyable nevertheless. Tossed between a 3 and a 4 (I'd give this a 7/10 if it were on a 10 scale), but I think there's better Bob Dylan records out there to listen to, nor is this essential, so I'm gonna go with a 3.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
This album just sounds like the last recording found on your dad's phone after he goes missing in the Belanglo State Forest and you spend the rest of your life convinced that he was abducted by aliens.
Good album if you're an audiophile (or...) and like listening to beep boop random noises and being freaked out (Hamburger Lady put me on edge) - but this shit isn't music. At all.
Supergrass
4/5
Honestly, this album was a very enjoyable listen. I am willing to die on this hill and say this album is good, even. My only gripe is that this album feels like you've listened to something completely different once you get to the latter half. It doesn't feel like the same album, and this album doesn't feel super true to itself.
It feels like they've recorded some of these songs in the 60's, some in the 70's, and some in the 90's - but I don't hate it honestly.
We're Not Supposed To was atrocious, but after that the best songs on the album were present. I was tossed between a 3 and a 4 here, but considering this album only has one 'skip' on it, and the rest of the songs I enjoyed, I'll go with a 4.
As far as highlights are concerned:
Time felt kinda like a Smashing Pumpkins record, and the harmonicas rocked.
Sofa was just a belter of a tune, with fantastic instrumentals, it sounded like it was from the 60's honestly.
But yeah, good stuff. Definitely will be coming back to this one after the insufferable wave of Britpop in this album goes away and I can finally listen to a British accent in a song again without gagging.
Stan Getz
5/5
I am genuinely lost for words about how incredible this record is, it all feels like one song, and I didn't want it to end. This send me through a rollercoaster of emotions.
I'm not going to be able to write an objective review here, because this album is just so fucking good it defies words. Portuguese sounds so beautiful over a smooth jazz background. I would kill to have heard this live in a dark bar and smoke a thousand cigarettes while enjoying this.
Incredible. Seriously, I can't believe I've only heard snippets of this before.
Shack
1/5
1001 britpop albums to listen to before you die by your own hand
i hope the hms fable sunk with no survivors, this album was trash
Johnny Cash
4/5
I usually am not a fan of live albums, but man this was great. Honestly, I can only see myself coming back to Boy Named Sue on here, hence the 4. However, this album was damn near faultless, especially for a live album. Looking forward to Live @ Folsom coming up.
Sabu
1/5
Holy fuck this wants me to put a bullet in my head. Just some cunt yelling over constant drums, yeah sick man.
I have a theory JFK was hesitant on authorising the Bay of Pigs invasion until he heard this atrocious piece of shit. And 62 years later I am had my own battle with trying to finish this record without un-aliving myself.
OutKast
2/5
I went into this album expecting great things, and was left sorely disappointed. Man, what the fuck is this thing so long for? Like three of the songs are actually good, the rest is filler or stupid skits that got old after the second skit.
The hit singles on the album that I need not name are great songs, of course, which spares this album of a 1.
This album is trash, I always thought Outkast was overrated, and was hoping to be proven wrong, but sorely I was right. This record has no reason to be 73 minutes of boring filler, good lord.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
God the first half of this was a fucking slog. I never got the appeal of this violent junkie lunatic - I think she's extremely overrated and neo-soul is lame and boring. To me this is just Britpop for white kids who grew up on Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye.
Rehab is both a disgustingly uncreative song and such horrible messaging. Shame she didn't heed her own advice (or lack thereof) lmao.
I admit she has a great voice, but I just don't vibe with her. I was fully prepared to give this a low rating, but the latter half of this album really stepped this up from a 2 to a 3. Tears Dry On Their Own is my only highlight really, that song was actually real good, but the rest was between just 'okay' to 'garbage' - the former seemingly being the main vibe here.
The Dictators
4/5
This is like if Deep Purple met The Ramones. You can definitely identify the similarities with The Ramones here, but I believe this record came first.
I love punk, and this is probably the first example of punk rock that's identifiable, hence the label proto-punk.
The album definitely trailed off toward the end, but man the covers on this album were great. I Got You Babe and California Sun (Ramones did it better though) were so good. I honestly can say I enjoyed every song on this album, probably with the exception of 'Master Race Rock', that was a bit weird.
This album was a super fun listen, and the instrumentals were on point. It's not perfect though, and I couldn't see myself running back to listen to this one in a single sitting again, but I've already added a few songs to my playlists.
Glad to see some punk rock history appearing on this list.
Coldcut
5/5
Big beats are the best, get high all the time.
Is this album too long? If you include the remixes, yeah, it is. But I don't really count them, they can definitely be skipped (a 10 minute remix of a song we already heard is grim). I still managed to give it 3 listens and it still kept my attention.
Fuck this album was good, I've heard People Hold On before, but that was my extent of experience with Coldcut. It's a shame this album isn't on Spotify. Guess I'll have to buy the vinyl.
There's no chance electronic music of this age - when drum machines were really only starting to come out and electronic was only just being defined - could ever not show it's age, but you have to respect your elders in this case. You wouldn't have people gurning their face off on MDMA on Coolangatta Beach listening to Fisher's shit ghost-produced house (ironically with pop samples from around this time) without the precursor records like these.
The synths are sloppy, the samples are dated, and the bass and drums sound like they're straight out of a 1990's aerobic workout-at-home VHS tape that your mum used to work out to so she could keep fit for the neighbour she was cheating on your father with. But, I fucking love all of that. It's cheesy in the best way. I loved this thing, and yes my bias is showing here, because I love old house music and trip hop. Easy 5.
Sparks
2/5
Wow what a linear regression of an album. From just okay to downright trash. Especially Equator, that song made me want to put a bullet in my head. There were no highlights, only mediocrity to 'holy fuck I can't wait for this to end'. Pretty sour listen, I struggled to get through it twice, only making it about half way before I was done. That being said, not every song on here is bad, so it's not worthy of a 1.
Honestly, not much to be said here, and the album cover just reminds me of two evil American kimono-wearing energy vampire girls at JAZZ IN (ろくでなし) in Kyoto. I will never forget them and their evil, vindictive ways. Those 3 hours of my life on the short trip I had abroad that I will never get back. I wish the rest of their life is filled with nothing but warm beers, sour milk, and mouldy bread. The lies spoken by both parties, sins never washed away, the word of Satan behoves them. One day our paths will cross again, and I will be ready. Ready for what is to come. I will emerge triumphant, or perish. I await that day.
Kanye West
5/5
I've never really been a huge fan of Kanye West, my introduction to him being seeing the music video for Stronger on RAGE as a kid. But man, this album was unbelievable. Not a single skip on here, I completely get why this album is so acclaimed.
This album could have gone for 2 hours and I would have eaten it up like the pig I am. It was that good.
If you can't separate the art from the artist, you shouldn't be on this site rating music, I guarantee I bet I'll see a bunch of paedophiles in your top artists. Get a grip. This album is flawless, no matter how rotten the artist is.
The Band
3/5
Don't get me wrong, this album is good - and an interesting listen. I listened to this a few times, and I really did enjoy a lot of the songs on here; but the latter half of the album really detracts from my rating.
This record feels so top heavy, I found myself disinterested and left feeling like they ran out of things to say and it kind of just all blurred together in a bad way after We Can Talk.
Definitely would listen to this again, but the tapering off toward the end where all the songs sound the same or touch the same concepts really didn't do it for me. Tears of Rage was a damn good song though, I listened to that like 5 times and loved it.
The Cars
5/5
I came into this never even having heard of The Cars, let alone recognising any of their music. It's nice to come into something fresh.
The magic of this album really lies in the synths. Quite possibly one of the few new wave albums I've listened to where I didn't get sick of the synths and in fact was anticipating every time they came back on. I've never experienced that in an album before.
This album really has no skips. After a few listens, I wanted to give it a 4, but realised not a single time did I get sick of this, and I really enjoyed every song back to back. I think I listened to this like 3 times in a row without even realising because it felt fresh and new every single time. I think this album might be the perfect new wave album. Everything was done right and not to excess.
The only downside to this album is I have to stare at some woman's fucked teeth. What a hideous album cover lmao. If that's the only downside to your album, then you've done pretty well in my books.
Highlight tracks: My Best Friend's Girl, Just What I Needed (certified banger), You're All I've Got Tonight, Moving in Stereo. So pretty much half the album are bangers.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
Wow a band named after thrush that sounds like LCD Soundsystem for even bigger losers.
Instrumentals are good, but once that crybaby wankers voice kicks in I really just can't do it.
This record what Radiohead sounds like to people who hate Radiohead
You're lucky to get a 2 lads
Travis
1/5
The Man Who's album is used by anaesthetists to put patients to sleep naturally. Utterly boring uninteresting shite. James Blunt for even blunter individuals.
Going to start logging these because there's so fucking many in this ridiculous list:
Britpop album #5/48.
Neil Young
5/5
I've literally never listened to Neil Young before, and man what a good introduction. This album rocks.
I wanted to give this a 4, but on reflection, this album has no skips, no bad points, no downsides, and at no point was I uninterested or felt like this could be better.
Honestly, this album is fucking good and I can't wait to listen to more Neil Young in the future if this is what's in store for me.
Highlights: Revolution Blues, Vampire Blues, On the Beach, Motion Pictures, Ambulance Blues. Basically the whole album.
Light 5.
Soundgarden
2/5
This album would have been good if they took half the songs from it and deleted them forever. This was a gruelling 70 minutes and did not need to be this long, I got the gist of the album by like track 3 and after that it felt more of the same over and over. I was itching for this to end as I got after the halfway point.
Obviously Black Hole Sun is a fantastic song, but that's probably the only song from this album I can say I 100% was into and enjoyed.
The Stooges
3/5
I was really looking forward to this album, but man, what a letdown. It's funny to me how this sounds worse than their debut album lmao
It sure feels ahead of it's time, and I can appreciate that it probably sounds like shit intentionally, but this is critically acclaimed? Why? It's not particularly interesting. It wasn't a bad listen, I just really don't get the hype behind this album.
Bee Gees
2/5
This is so NOT rainbow rhythms.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
son: mummy can we buy phil collins albome
mum: no son we hav;e phil collins at home..
In all seriousness, this album was a fucking snoozefest. Red Rain and Sledgehammer were dope, but then Don't Give Up Played. Fuck. That. Song. Was. So. Shit.
Sledgehammer & Big Time are getting slapped into my 80's shitbox playlist, the rest of these songs can go into the slop. Really wanted to enjoy this one as a fan of Genesis and a bigger fan of Phil Collins, who funnily sounds almost exactly the same but at least his music doesn't bore me to death with it's mediocrity. What a disappointment.
Elliott Smith
4/5
One of the few albums that cracks the 70 minute mark that doesn't feel like it drags. I enjoyed this one. It's not for everyone, but I can really feel Elliot Smith's influences in other indie artists. It's a really mellow and easy listening album.
I really enjoyed L.A. and Can't Make a Sound.
The album really utilises volume to drive home points. There's parts of the album where the instrumentals take centre stage and really overpower Elliot's quiet voice, and those are parts of the album I really enjoy.
Overall, probably a light 4.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Is this Iron Maiden's best work? Certainly not. Is this album still good? Apart from the hideous album cover, you bet. Sorry Eddie.
This album is never going to be perfect, and I don't think this would ever appear at the top of anyone's 'best Iron Maiden' list. I think some of the bass sections are way too heavy on certain parts of the album, and it's really noticeable on Phantom of the Opera, it just doesn't sound good. The mix could have been better. Specifically on songs like Phantom of the Opera and Iron Maiden.
It's criminal that this album appears in here over Powerslave though. Unfortunately the writers had to can the appearance of Powerslave from 1001 Albums due to the fact they needed to cram another Britpop album in there. Oh well.
Fuck the guitar solos on this album were good though.
Khaled
2/5
Holy shit that Imagine cover was dreadful lmfao.
This album was okay, a lot of dreadful songs on here, but some were okay in my books, I even liked E'Dir E'Sseba and El Bab.
An almost 80 minute runtime fucking killed me though. I can't in good conscious give this more than a 2, because I was so fucking over this by about the 9th song. An absolute slog, I could bare differentiate one song from another, apart from Imagine, obviously. Cut this album in half and remove the filler and you'd probably have a pretty solid album. Unfortunate it didn't pan out that way.
The absolute lowlight of this album for me was that screeching woman's voice which sounded exactly like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWO5J_DIK84
Fugazi
3/5
I'd never heard of Fugazi before this, and as soon as I heard the first song, I knew it was the singer from Minor Threat - one of my favourite punk bands ever. Unfortunately, this doesn't even come close to Minor Threat, and nor would I have expected to. Nevertheless, this was a solid album and an enjoyable listen.
My main gripe with this album is nothing really stood out to me. As a piece of art I did enjoy the sit down and listen through of it, but did anything really pop for me? Not really. I don't have anything I hate about this album, at all, honestly there was no skips on this album - but every song kind of just meshed together as one piece. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but there's nothing in here that draws me back.
This was such a hard album to rate. If there was a 10 star scale it would be a 6.5 or 7 out of 10. I was inclined to give this a 4 because it really was an enjoyable listen, but it just feels too forgettable for me to rate it higher than a 3.
Otis Redding
4/5
Come on man. Who the fuck doesn't like this?
This is nearly a 5, but just doesn't have that staying power I'm looking for in an album. God this was good though.
Bob Dylan
2/5
I like Bob Dylan, but this is easily his most overrated work. This album is a fucking mess - have no idea how this is considered one of the greatest rock history; it's really really shit.
It wouldn't hurt to sing with some vocal range, instead of the same dreary whiney voice, Bob. Fuck me.
"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" really rescues this album.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
A pretty tasty fusion of punk-rock and early 2000's indie. Lots of substance, and a pretty enjoyable listen. However, it's just not for me. I really didn't feel one way or the other when listening to it, and nothing stood out for me. It just felt a bit plain to me, I don't know why.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Individually most of the songs on this album are shit. If you played me any of these songs on their own I would probably turn it off and go listen to something else. But when played as an album, there's something magical that happens. I really do think this is one of those albums you have to listen to in it's entirety to be able to enjoy, and boy do I enjoy it.
Admittedly this album is 10x better to listen to on vinyl than digitally.
Do I think this album is perfection? Not really. It's close, and I definitely will keep coming back to it. However, it's really hard to find any flaws in this. Yes, there is a difference between flawless and perfection to me.
tldr; perfect? no. flawless? yes.
I want to give this a 4 but my brain will not allow it, simply because this is a 9/10 to me and not deserving of less.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
This is horrifyingly bad. Holy fuck. Two songs in and I could not believe I still had another hour and a bit of listening to this garbage.
Somehow this is Bruce Springsteen's 9/11 "comeback album", but ended up just being terrorism to my ears. Like the war in Afghanistan, this album went for entirely too long, was almost entirely pointless, and caused almost incalculable amounts of suffering.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Okay, I'm prepared for the incoming pretentious, fart-sniffing, pontificating allegations. And I ain't beating them.
I'm also not going to go to war with everyone.
I'm just going to put my best case forward for this album.
Talking Heads released their first feature-length album in '77, which was wildly ahead of its time in predicting the sounds that would define the 80s, but also in its sampling, editing, and production techniques. This only grew on future albums.
Similarly, even earlier, White Light / White Heat by the Velvet Underground came out in '68 and captured the textures, fuzz, and punk that would explode in the early 70s with Branca, Sonic Youth, the Swans, and all the other subsequent alt-rock and punk projects of the late 70s and early 80s.
What does *Metal Box* have to do with any of that?
It released in '79, riding that end-of-decade wave of innovation.
No one was making sounds like this, except for Eno and maybe, before him, Halim El-Dabh with his piece Wire Recorder Piece or even John Cage’s experiments, though to a much lesser degree. There are probably others, but those are the ones I know of.
I was disappointed by No Birds because it felt like it was going somewhere but didn’t. I felt as though not only is the album deeply experimental, but it has nothing to show for it at times. Thankfully, I didn’t feel that way throughout.
In fact, everything up to and including Albatross didn’t amount to much more than an early use of dub techniques in this manner.
However, Poptones blew me away. This track came out nearly 45 years ago, and it sounds like an experimental track that could come out today. It’s so unique and chilling, capturing that post-punk rawness while being strangely beautiful.
Careering pushed me. The hollow echo and the jarring rhythms really got under my skin. And that was the point. By experimenting with dub, post-punk, and heavy distortion, PiL created soundscapes that were previously unthought. Music doesn’t have to be catchy and danceable—it can be abrasive and off-kilter. This track filled me with a sense of unease. Very cool.
Graveyard, minus the vocals, if used for the soundtrack of a contemporary horror film, would receive praise for its building of tension. The imagery associated with it is haunting.
Some people are amazed that Aphex Twin developed some of his early works in the mid-80s. Radio 4 came out in ’79, come on, you gotta admit, that’s pretty cool.
I feel the same way about The Suit as I do about Graveyard. It could fit into a modern horror soundtrack and no one would bat an eye. It may even receive praise.
The walls of sound on Metal Box are a premonition of the looping soundscapes of no-wave and influence that would dominate the early 80s and have a lasting impact on alt-rock and industrial music going forward.
This album reminds me of Eno’s Another Green World. And while he might have beat them to the punch, this album is certainly remarkable and influential for its time and certainly deserving of a spot on the list of post-punk classics.
What people need to understand is that this album, while not to most people’s taste, isn’t a flaming garbage heap. It’s not just banging noises together. I’ve been to awful live noise shows; anyone can bang some stuff together and call it music. That’s a 1/5. This isn’t that. This is well-composed, influential, ahead of its time. It had structure and nuance.
10/10
Fav tracks – Poptones, Careering, Graveyard, Radio 4, Albatross, The Suit, Memories
Least fav – No Birds
--
Just kidding, this album was fucked.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Album 2 of the BD trilogy, and the randomised God's have given this to me consecutively. This album really is fucking awesome. Like a Rolling Stone is such a phenomenal track, and is usually a staple for getting introduced to Bob Dylan.
My only gripe with this record is I get lost in the lyrics a lot of the time. Desolation Row and Ballad of a Thin man are shocking for this. I lost focus for like 2 seconds and had no idea what he was on about.
Actually, now that I think about it, Ballad of a Thin Man is actually a pretty shit song lmao.
Nearly a perfect album - probably worth the accolades it got, but there's better Bob Dylan albums out there.
Eagles
3/5
Why does every Eagles song sound exactly the same? Why is every song by the Eagles a fucking love or heartbreak song? Jesus Christ, give it a rest.
This was still an enjoyable listen. They have such a recognisable sound, something you'd hear on K-ROSE while you're flying a Regina at max speed at dusk. The Eagles put you into a very sombre mood, shame the sombre mood is always the same fucking thing and you just think about some girl that broke your heart. One of These Nights is such a better album than this.
Probably not something I'd come rushing back to outside of the lead track.
The Strokes
3/5
Not particularly familiar with The Strokes, but definitely recognise the album art, that shit is iconic.
Honestly though, I had high hopes for this one, especially since it's so critically acclaimed; but it wasn't all that grand. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it felt pretty flavourless and lacking in depth.
I'm sure there's some British Indie freak out there who thinks this is the best thing since sliced bread, but honestly this really doesn't do that for me and I can't see myself coming back to any of the songs on this record in a massive hurry.
The Stone Roses
3/5
This is like if you kept the instrumentals and 80's feel of The Smiths but replaced the whiney cunt singing with someone more tolerable. This is pretty alright as far as Britslop goes.
My main gripe with this record is half the songs could be cut in half and the album would be so much better. I enjoy a long song but some songs are just the same repeating bars over and over and over and it's pretty exhausting. You have to sit through 10 minutes of repeating songs to be able to get to the gold in this album, which is a shame.
Fool's Gold is a fucking 10/10 song though. Ten minutes long and I could listen to it on repeat all day, phenomenal. Biased of course as it was featured in GTA SA and thus I grew up bopping to it.
How to fix this album:
1. Cut all the songs playtime in half.
2. Delete Don't Stop from the album entirely.
3. Move Fool's Gold to the place of Don't Stop.
4. It is now a 10/10 album.
Britpop album #6/48.
Nirvana
5/5
Kurt: "This song is called 'I hate myself and I want to die'"
Nirvana Fans: "There’s no way this dude killed himself"
I don't need to say anything about this album that hasn't been said a million times. This album is a top ten of all time and there is never going to be a valid argument against that fact.
Territorial Pissings and Stay Away are absolute favourite of mine.
DJ Shadow
3/5
I was really looking forward to this, but honestly this is a bit of a letdown. Whilst I can tell this was cutting edge for the time, and the mix of samples together on a lot of songs was genuinely great, it was just really missing that oomph that I would be expecting from an instrumental hip hop album.
Comparing this to Donuts by J Dilla or the Rappers Best Friend series, does this stack up to those - which are my favourite instrumental albums? I don't think it's even close.
Definitely cool record and a worthy listen if you're trying to study or work and want something interesting to focus to, but as a greatest/must listen album of all time this doesn't hold it's weight.
Kate Bush
1/5
I would like to take a moment to recognise the poor guy that tried out this site but ended up getting two Kate Bush albums as his first and second album.
https://1001albumsgenerator.com/shares/5fa11a5923dd065578a169f9
The chances of that happening are 0.000766%, or about 1 in 130,548.
I hope one day our noble hero returns, and God willing, he gets this album as his third.
That being said - did I get a different album as everyone else reviewing this or something? I fucking hated this. It was awfully boring, lame, and weird. Genuinely struggled to finish this one, it took me a couple of attempts because I just wanted to slam my head against my desk whenever another song started playing.
Thanks to Stranger Things for reviving this, it should have just been left buried in the 80's like asbestos and leaded petrol - the latter I had an uncontrollable craving for drinking whilst suffering through this.
2Pac
5/5
Tupac's magnum opus, and a must-listen staple for west coast hip-hop. While it definitely shows it's age more than other 90's hip-hop records, this album has no skips.
I grew up listening to this album, and it was my first real introduction to hip-hop as a child.
Not many of Tupac's 'best of' appears on here, but this is arguably his only album that is solid from start to finish. Something that you actually *want* to listen to from start to finish. Tupac never replicated that again on any of his albums both during his tenure & posthumously.
Don't get me wrong, this dude was an unbelievably disgusting scumbag who deserved everything that happened to him, but separating artist from music, it's a pretty damn perfect album.
Buck Owens
4/5
Honky Tonk electric guitar from the 50's/60's melts me, I love that shit. This was almost worthy of a 5, the range in emotions was super impressive, and I equally loved the emotional songs as much as the hootin' and hollerin' misogynist drinking anthems.
Super solid listen, and something I'll be coming back to in the future. The only reason I'm not giving it a 5 is that it just didn't have that 'pizazz' that separates this from any other Honky Tonk album and makes it feel truly unique. Certainly an 8.5 to 9 out of ten though.
Fuck this album art is creepy but.
Mudhoney
2/5
When I saw the runtime of this album, I wanted to shoot myself. Thank fuck it's just the deluxe edition and I don't have to sit through more than 6 songs on this thing - because I was done by about the 5th.
I guarantee this album only got popular after Nirvana (and Kurt's head) exploded. Just because this is loosely related to Nirvana, doesn't make it good. This is fucking lame. It's like if you took all the bad parts of hardcore punk and slapped a shitty singer who sings in different tones on each song so there's no cohesion.
Not a fan.
The Pogues
2/5
My ancestors are going to bestow a generational curse on me for not giving this a 5, but unfortunately I wasn't drunk enough to enjoy this one.
Up the RA.
Eagles
3/5
Nowhere near as good as their self titled debut in my opinion, but also still mid. The only song I really resonated with and enjoyed was Try and Love again.
I get the hype behind this album, but honestly I think there's better Eagles records out there. This just feels like it blew up because of the lead track (which is a banger, let's be honest here).
If Eagle's debut was a 3.5, this is just a 3. Pretty generic country-dadrock.
The Cardigans
4/5
Super bright, on the nose album. I really enjoyed this one, it had me smiling throughout. Some good bops, but let's be real, the only reason this album is on this list is because of Lovefool, which is an absolute classic and a 10/10.
Great listen, would do again. Not perfect, but I'm glad this was included on this list despite being a one-hit-wonder.
The Doors
2/5
If you take the worst parts of the blues and joined it together with most boring parts of psychedelic rock, and have it be performed by the most boringly named band, with boring and uncreative album art, then you end up with this shit.
What is the appeal here? White people who don't want to listen to real blues music?
Whack ass overrated album.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
I tried twice to get through this. The first time I got about half way through before I had to turn it off because it was too weird and distracting.
I picked it up again, before getting about two songs in and hating it even more.
This album is dogshit lmao I don't understand what is going on through half of it, I can't even write a good review for this because my brain subconsciously filters it out as white noise until the parts where it's too weird to not focus on anything but that.
Queen
3/5
The more I listen to Queen's deeper cuts, i.e. every song on this album that isn't Killer Queen, the less I care for both the band as a whole, and the album I'm listening to. I'm beginning to think they are overrated.
This album wasn't really it for me. It was okay, and listenable without anything particularly upsetting or offensive - but it was just bland. Killer Queen is obviously a standout, and a great track at that, but otherwise I cannot think of a single other memorable song on this thing.
Extremely mid and forgettable album.
Prince
4/5
The production on this thing is insane, I really do like Prince, and this album. The consistency of production quality really stands out for me here. I've never actually listened to this album from start to finish, and it was certainly an enjoyable listen.
Is this album perfect? No. I think the quality of writing in some parts of the album are really lacking. Darling Nikki really just creeps me out more than anything, and he screams like a fucking girl half way through it for some reason. Yoko Ono core type shit.
Still, this album is a banger. The kind of album I'd want on cassette and drive around to at night in my 80's shitbox. Really tossed between a 4 and a 5 here, but the writing quality on a few songs could be better, so alas, a 4.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
Hip-hop perfection. If this isn't in the top 5 for wny "best of all time" hip-hop lists, it's a bad list. Every song on this is a classic. This album has no skips, and every second on this record is utilised to perfection.
This record kick started an insane amount of careers, and with good reason.
One of my favourite hip-hop albums, and it's always a pleasure to come back and listen to it.
I do prefer the expanded edition, the remasters tweaked a bit of the patchy 90's quality, but nevertheless, whichever version you're listening to, it's perfect.
Favourite song off here has gotta be Da Mystery of Chessboxin', but every other song I'd have no idea what would be my second favourite, they're all so special and perfect to me.
The Youngbloods
5/5
When I saw this come up and read it was 60's folk music, I genuinely groaned. Really not a fan of folk. I was shocked listening through this. It was like a mix of jazz, rock, folk, experimental, and whatever else. This album was like a bag of party mix lollies, fuck me.
I think this album really shines when there was no vocals, and the band just played. You can tell what songs they've made to be the hit singles (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down, Quicksand, etc.)
On Sir Francis Drake, Trillium, Quicksand, and Sham were certain highlights for me.
Really really enjoyed this one. No better feeling than going into an album expecting it to be shit but then falling in love with it. What a great fucking album.
Badly Drawn Boy
1/5
It should be illegal for albums this boring and dreadful to be this long. I got the picture by about the third song, it could have ended there, though I'd still give this a 1.
This is Elliot Smith for people who like watching paint dry. Bland, uneventful, uninspiring, dull, and soulless - half of the reason I hate this shit is the guys one tone singing voice throughout the whole album, making every song sound the same.
The only redeeming factor of this record is the really shitty artwork that looks like a kids scrapbook version of Exodia the Forbidden One from Yugioh lmfao.
The Police
2/5
I do not like Sting; no not one bit,
I think his music is really shit.
I will not listen to it in the car,
I will not listen near or far.
His voice is whiny; his lyrics dull,
It makes me want to slam my skull.
No Synchronicity; no magic here,
Just painful singing that hurts my ear.
It had it's moments; I will admit,
But I still can’t say I’m a fan of it.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
A fairly enjoyable listen, I was genuinely dreading this one because I only know the cover of Hallelujah, which does nothing for me - I do not like that song. So I was surprised to learn that this had a really good selection of some rocky/folky songs, and the typical crybaby wanker shit.
The first half of the album is truly good, but it does fall off after So Real. Maybe that's just because I don't generally like slow sad songs, which is what the remainder of the album generally consists of.
It really amazes me how much Myles Kennedy sounds like this guy.
Enjoyable listen, nothing really mind blowing here - also way too long for what you get. A lot of songs end up sounding the same. I probably wouldn't come running back to this, but it was certainly good enough.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Wow this album is long. Don't get me wrong, I love The Rolling Stones, but fuck me, over an hour? I had to listen to this in two chunks.
Maybe I'm a normie Rolling Stones fan, but where are the HITS. Again, another album where a lot of the songs sound the same, they could have easily cut this thing in half and it'd be much more listenable in one piece.
Still, good music on here, it just gets very tired after the half way point. Definitely taking songs out of here for my playlists, but I'm rating the album as a whole sit through listen, so I can't rate it too favourably based on that.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
It's alright. Feels real flavourless and lacks soul. The only song that really struck me was Helpless, where I finally now understand why people hate Neil Young's singing. Fuck me that song was dreadful.
Country Girl was pretty good though, as 'epic' as you'd ever describe a folk rock song.
Really not much to say here. Plain ass album. A real meat and potatoes, straight up and down, beef Wellington, "Don't trust the Argies!", dick in the vagina, cheddar cheese, and chicken tikka masala record.
Roxy Music
2/5
This album is simply a cheap imitation of the golden era of Australian pub rock except worse in every way.
Green Day
2/5
The drummer is seriously putting in overtime on this record.
I'm probably the most tolerant person of pop punk out of my friends, but fuck me, even this album is a drag. Every song starts the same and sounds the same, no fucking range from Billie Joe Armstrong whatsoever.
Only song I do enjoy is When I Come Around, the rest of these songs could easily have the same title and I'd believe it was the same song.
Hopefully I never have to listen to this album again in my life, lame ass whiny album.
Radiohead
3/5
My second listen to a Radiohead album ever and I still am failing to understand why these guys are so universally acclaimed.
The bloke can't fucking sing, and they need to chill with the delay pedals on the guitars. What is the appeal of this band?
I did enjoy the rock elements of Bones, that was a pretty neat song.
Just was also a good tune. The guitarwork on it was really good.
Two good songs in a row; and then they immediately ruin it with My Iron Lung, a shitty garage rock imitation song that sounds like a Year 7 school band practice session.
Overall, I didn't hate this album, but I also didn't 'enjoy' it that much. It's a bit of a plain jane album, with not much to offer outside of some nice guitar solos on a select few songs. I couldn't stand the parts of the album where it slowed down to acoustics and I had to listen to that dreary cunt Thom Yorke sing about how sad he was over some shit.
This is unquestionably better than Kid A, though.
Hot Chip
4/5
This reminds me a lot of new-era Glass Animals.
Honestly, I quite enjoyed this one. Quite a fruity little poppy album, with overwhelming British indie tones. This album really picks up at the end.
My only real gripes with this album is the singing is definitely lacklustre and out of tone at some points, but the groovy electronic and synths really do it for me.
Highlight of the album is absolutely Night and Day.
Suicide
1/5
Like listening to Sigue Sigue Sputnik if they were even more uncreative and retarded.
Peter Tosh
4/5
Raggae is either dogshit or really really good and there's no in-between. This album is od the latter. It's definitely an album you have to be in the mood for, and the touches on weed culture and smoking do get jading, but there's just so much quality on this album it's fantastic.
My highlights are definitely:
Brand New Second Hand
Till Your Well Runs Dry
WHY MUSTI CRY
No Sympathy
It's just shy of a 5 for me, as there's a few songs I don't gel with that well (Legalize it being the most apparent), and it doesn't necessarily /stand out/ on top of already existing raggae music.
Solid album and one I'll definitely be coming back to in the future.
The Smiths
2/5
Another rendition of professional and good instrumental band let's their one retarded mate sing over their music who absolutely fucks it. Much better than The Queen is Dead, though not better enough for me to rate it any differently.
I had really high hopes after hearing The Headmaster Ritual, as I seemed to enjoy it - and then it just got worse from there. When that stupid cunt started yodelling in I Want the One I Can't Have (loser anthem) I was done.
It's such a shame, because I honestly love the guitars and the drums, shame they didn't release a Morrisey-free version of this album, I'd enjoy that a lot better.
tldr; good music until the whiny incel starts singing
ZZ Top
3/5
We all know La Grange (that is, in fact, the only ZZ Top song I know) is a classic. Outside of that, and some wicked solos, especially the guitarwork on Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers, this doesn't really offer up much. Once you get up to La Grange, you've pretty much heard all they have to offer on this record.
I didn't hate this in the slightest, but it just teeters off and it really does feel a bit plain. Still, an enjoyable listen, and a nice, fresh change in tone after having to listen to another fucking dreadful The Smiths album.
LTJ Bukem
4/5
IF YOU'RE READING THIS - THE REAL ALBUM IS HERE, NOT ON SPOTIFY:
CD1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZK_0dgj43s
CD2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYqDVqYSTxs
Some songs have been removed from both due to copyright, but it's over an hour and a half long anyways so who cares.
I finally got around to tracking down the ORIGINAL Logical Progression album, as the one on Spotify isn't even close to being the original. I listened to the Spotify version first, and I don't think a single song on there lines up, which obviously is going to skew the reviews on this site unfortunately.
It's a real shame, because this is a really great album. It's hard to believe this came out in 1996, when breakbeat/jungle/DnB was really just an infant of a genre. This feels like it could have easily been mixed in the early 2000's and I'd have no idea.
Issues with this album are few. I can definitely see why this is not everyone's flavour, especially since 95% of the slop on the 1001 Albums book is all English or American rock from the 70's-90's. However, if you're into electronic music, I'd bet that it would be easy to fall in love with this album. There is a few jumps and hiccups in the mix, but I'm going to put that down to a bad CD burn rather than issues with the album. There was definitely a few moments that I found repetitive, and it's not an extremely engaging album that you'd sit down and listen to intensely, but Liquid DnB has never been about that.
This is album #93 for me, and it's pretty clear to me that this is by far the most underrated album on this list (so far). It's not perfect, but it certainly blew me away. In the context of the time, this deserves a 5, because it's utterly amazing how polished this is for such an old record using dated equipment. However, I'm rating this off personal taste, and because CD2 was a lot more of a slog, I think this is a well deserved 4.
The Beach Boys
2/5
Pretty amazing to think that the incredible Pet Sounds came out a year after this - because this album is foul.
This is the kind of shit teenagers in the 60's listened to in their cars at full volume to try and get pussy. Boring and whiny, the harmonies don't even do it for me.
There was a few good songs yeah, but I really do have high expectations for The Beach Boys, and this sorely disappoints.
Talking Heads
4/5
Very enjoyable listen. There are very few faults I can find in this album, but it's weirdness and tenacity really do draw back from it at times. I understand that's what they're going for, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.
Though not to detract from this record, I really enjoyed a lot of it's songs - maybe it did go on for a bit too long, but there's plenty of songs on here that are going to start living in my playlists (looking at you, 'I'm Not in Love'.
2/5
Getting this album right after Talking Heads (produced by the same loser) is really funny. Talk about a downgrade.
Look, it's not an garbage album musically, it's really not - and that's what makes it so awful to listen to.
This entire record bar one song (With Or Without You) is just one big build-up, with no release. Every song on here makes me long for women across the world who get so close to finishing in the bedroom, yet don't. Really does remind me why my girlfriend sleeps in a separate bed.
The fact this album is so fucking boring is really what makes it terrible. The music is so inoffensive it becomes offensive, what a paradox that is.
still better than The Smiths tho
Metallica
4/5
Is this their best album? No. Is this album fantastic? Yeah.
This record is truly deserving of the hype. However, it feels a lot more poppy than traditional Metallica, which I understand - but I don't think this is deserving of a 5. It's close, but I really do enjoy the speed metal aspects of Metallica more, I think James Hetfield's voice synchs to it a bit better.
Doves
1/5
What's wrong little piggy boy? You've barely touched your trough full of unlistenable British crybaby wanky slop.
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
When I heard the first song, I immediately thought this was Britpop and I had an instant pavlovian response of giving this 1 star. However, once I got past the first song (which was pretty bad), the rest of the album fucking rocked.
This really does sound like the American version of Britpop, but in a good way. There are plenty of weird songs on here (like I Love You, wtf was that about), but then they crawl it back with absolute bangers like Last Junkie On Earth, which was both funny and interesting.
Nothing really blew me away here, but I definitely enjoyed this one and there's plenty of songs I'll be coming back to.
ZZ Top
3/5
While this definitely holds stronger than Tres Hombres, it still ultimately feels generic enough for me to not care for it that much.
Very 80's rock. And not in a good way. There was a lot of enjoyable moments and instrumentals on here, but ZZ Top really just doesn't have anything outside of the "generic garage rock" appeasement. It was a very average listen, but nothing offended me here.
This album is the kind of shit you'd hear blaring from the site radio at an exhaust mod shop. Still, better than Top 40 hits or if you're unlucky enough to find the worlds gayest exhaust fitter who happens to be listening to Radiohead.
Radiohead
1/5
God this was fucking boring, I was done right after the second song. So far the worst Radiohead album I’ve listened to on this fucking list.
More avant-garde artsy bullshit from this bunch of losers. It amazes me that people eat up this slop and still are somehow left wanting more. Just go listen to any other Radiohead album, they all sound exactly the same. Seriously, I don’t get it. The Bends was the closest thing I’ve listened to so far that was actually listenable. The rest of this discography just sounds like shit narcissists pretend to like so they can feel superior to us “non-believers”.
Sit Down, Stand Up was the only song I had any remote interest in. After that it went straight back to normal bullshit whiny whacko nonsense.
Fuck Radiohead.
De La Soul
5/5
There are so many flaws in early hip-hop albums, it took many years of trial and error to really perfect the genre - but it’s the flaws, bumps, and faults with this album that make it so damn good. That being said, the production on this album is unreal. Eye Know is such a well-produced track it’s not even funny.
I listened to this album for the first time ever this year, introduced to me on vinyl. My first listen I was pretty indifferent, it was enjoyable, but nothing really stuck out to me except for Me Myself & I. Then I listened to it again, and again. And again. Then I finally took a deep dive into this after getting it on this list - and wow, what an album. Every beat slaps, every bar rhymed with purpose. As I said, it’s not perfect, but that’s what makes this such a raw experience. Not to mention, extremely tasteful features (I’m looking at you, Q-Tip).
The only massive drawback I have with this album is the sex scene. I will never for the life of me understand why artists think I want to hear that shit in songs. Christ.
I think if I didn’t listen to this for a 5th time I would have given it a 4, but it’s really grown on me a lot. I don’t think you’d be able to find a better alternative hip-hop album of the 1980’s, and I’d love to be proven wrong. So impressed with this album and it only seems to get better the more times I listen to it.
Solange
5/5
This is one of those albums that I've always avoided because it's really popular with ##white women##, in the same realm as Frank Ocean. I regret that decision now.
Artsy new age R&B isn't /usually/ my thing, but my goodness this album was an incredible listen from start to finish. I had to give it a couple of listens to really dial in what I thought of it.
Mad is really where this album sets off for me. I'm pretty sure that's her most popular song, and I can see why. Mad rocks. It's not often that Lil Wayne actually contributes positively to a song, but he really adds some freshness to the song.
This album is phenomenally well produced, which is really what carries Solange. It would be a more mediocre album with just her voice alone, which isn't /breathtaking/. Songs like Borderline really showcase that.
A lot of the production here reminds me slightly of Tyler, The Creator - but you can just tell she's worked with an all start cast of producers to get this album going.
Seriously, this album is so well produced I reckon they could have thrown any other singer with no talent on here and it would have still held up solid. Great album, enjoyed every listen.
Stephen Stills
2/5
Seems like most popular rock artists of the 1970's, they've made a hit song, added it to the first track of the album, and then immediately run out of ideas and proceed to fill the rest of the album with country rock slop. The worst of which being Fallen Eagle.
It's not to say that this album is bad per sey, there's some quality songs on here. It's just that this sounds like a knockoff Eagles, but even more creatively void. This album is way too generic for my tastes.
Not only did they run out of ideas, they decided in their infinite wisdom to make this album dreadfully long so you had to suffer through it gruellingly.
I was aiming at a 3 for this one, but fuck me it was a gruelling sit through towards the end. I had to take a break to be able to listen to the last 3 songs. Learn to pace your fucking music out, guys.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
It's very rare that you get to see "one-album-wonders", especially on this list. I can smell the Prince production all over this. Even a lot of the vocalisations are similar to Prince's.
I think our overexposure to 80's nostalgia these days is really what detracts from this album. It's not q bad album and I enjoyed it, but it just sounds like EVERY other piece of music from the 80's: Rhythm trumpets, that tinny reverb drum, deep bass, expressive vocals and heavy synths. Switch the vocalist and you may as well have a Prince song, or Depeche Mode, or Peter Gabriel, or any of the 9000 other artists from the 80's that sung over instrumentals exactly like this one. It's a shame because this bloke has a really good voice, he's just a product of the time, and once you get a few songs into the album you really do realise this production style is a one trick pony. It runs out of substance, and fast.
If You Let Me Stay seems like the standout song from this record in terms of theme and tone. Apart from that, the song where he just sings a children's nursery line over some shitty 80's synth drum beat and ad-libs "PUT ON YOUR WETSUIT YEAH 🤘🤘", Jesus that was horrible. That being said, Who's Loving You was an incredible song and probably my favourite on the album.
If I could give this a 3.5 I would, because it's not bad, but it just lacks flavour in a lot of the songs. Also recency bias makes me like this album more because the final track is such a colossal banger.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I have nothing to say here that hasn't been said before. Excusing the band's very apparent sexual proclivities involving minors, we all know Led Zeppelin 1-4 is probably of the greatest sequence of rock albums of all time. It feels morally wrong giving these guys a 5, but it'd be arguably more morally objectionable if I gave them anything less.
Though Jimmy Page loves a 1/5, heh.
Sarah Vaughan
5/5
It's hard to believe this is a live recording with the quality. This is my favourite kind of jazz. I adore this.
Radiohead
4/5
I fucking hate Radiohead.
But.
Listening to this album is like when your teacher pairs you up in an activity with the school bully, and it turns out he's actually a really nice guy. I am disgusted with myself that I really enjoyed this one.
I still think they're a bunch of overrated crybaby cunts, BUT, it actually works here. Really good instrumentals, and the vocals seemed to mesh really well here.
Well played, you bunch of pansies. You got me.
Various Artists
2/5
Thank fuck this was only 30 minutes. I fucking hate Christmas.
Though this wasn't too bad, I've definitely heard worse Christmas music. Still, I hate Christmas music regardless of how good or bad it is. I hope this is the only Christmas album on this list or I am going to be a very unhappy boy in a years time.
Gang Starr
4/5
I was not expecting to see a Gang Starr album on here. What a sight for sore eyes. Weird that they picked this over their much more acclaimed album 'Moment of Truth'.
This album is a weirdly intoxicating combination of A Tribe Called Quest and Rakim in the best way. Although some of the beats show their age by way of repetitiveness, the smooth vocals of Guru really do mellow things out.
The main gripe with this album is its length. If you take a break after "Take a Rest" (haha) it seems to make this album pace well, but I would dread having to slog through all this one go.
Enjoyable album, but I really do thing this was a big miss by including this instead of Moment of Truth, which is where they really made a name for themselves.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
Holy fuck this is what Red Hot Chili Peppers non-hits sound like?
This is almost unlistenable, I was struggling after the blowjob song. Holy fuck.
I think this is probably the third album I've listened to on this site that I have been completely unable to continue.
Garbage album. If you enjoyed this out of nostalgia I get it, but if you came into this album fresh and enjoyed it, get your head checked. Seriously.
Sex Pistols
2/5
Look, I love punk - but even for punk these guys have no talent lmao.
It wasn't intolerable, and I do enjoy songs like Anarchy in the UK.
This was going to be a 3/5, but the song Bodies was so utterly disgusting I have to drop it down a notch. Not only was that song shit, the lyrics were just overly edgy and don't really convey any point apart from 'abortion bad hurrr'.
Losers.
The Stranglers
2/5
Good album, except:
Way too long
Old mates voice becomes jading
Organs
Fuck me, give it a rest on the organs cunt, Jesus.
I've listened to a few songs off this album that I do really enjoy, but the deep cuts are mid.
I'd give this a 3, but given that I'd never revisit this album again it gets a -1.
The Boo Radleys
1/5
What we need to do is create a powerful sense of dread. See, the longer the album, the more dread.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
It's like sour warheads in my mouth. Listening to this was painful. Like watered down hair metal.
I feel like I need a shower after listening to this prick's gritty jading vocals for 45 minutes. Yuck.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I don't care what the neighbours say, I'm gonna give it a 5 each and every day.
Black Sabbath
5/5
One of the all time metal greats, and definitely deserving of its status as a GOAT. This album is immensely top-heavy, but there's a whole lot of substance once you get past the first 4 or so songs. War Pigs, Iron Man, etc. have all been done to death, so I'll take a deep dive into the lesser known 4 songs on the album.
Electric Funeral is hands down the worst song on this album. Ozzy is a real let down with his vocals I adore every song on this album, except for this one. This song is genuinely a bit of a miss for me. It picks up nicely at the end, but the start of the song really wigs me out.
Hand of Doom is probably the most exciting song on the album. It is really similar to Paranoid, but I think it plays better on the ears.
Rat Salad is a nice solo, with some great drumming in between. It's a great song, but I think it would have gone really well placed further up the album to break up some of the similar sounding songs like near Iron Man. The drum fill definitely does drag on, and it does show when you compare streaming rates of this song to the others.
Fairies Wear Boots is another pretty good song, that seems to combine pieces of all the previous songs into one. I enjoyed this song, and it's a nice way to top off the album.
Genuinely an incredible album, and deserving of a 5. Well worth its spot in the top 10 of all time on this list.
Sam Cooke
4/5
The biggest mistake they made on this live album was not letting King Curtis shine on the sax more. Good lord that guy can fucking play.
Not usually a fan of live albums, but this goes pretty hard. Super enjoyable, super fresh. Not perfect, but that's probably why it was buried for 20 years.
New York Dolls
3/5
While I don't really have any issues with this album per sey, it was just really uneventful and honestly quite boring.
I don't even have much to say about it. Every song sounded the same, but at least the songs were all relatively enjoyable listens.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
You know, for the wife of Gilberto of the renowned Getz/Gilberto (incredible album), I went into this with expectations that were way higher than I should have. Boy, what a letdown.
This album is okay, but there's songs on this that just don't belong on here. Parade comes out of fucking nowhere and I feel like I'm watching a high school music. She sings it in English, and it shows. Here's the lyrics:
There's a circus parade
And there's a easter parade
July The Fourth a parade
Thanksgiving they have parade
And there's some battle's parade
Columbia's day a parade
And the policeman parade
In everybody's parade
And labor day a parade
And there's a veteran's parade
Inauguration parade
And everything's a parade
It's not that is bad, it's just fucking dull man. Having her stare into my soul with that bland face of hers while she desperately tries to recreate the success of The Girl from Ipanema is grim. I really couldn't get behind this one. Sorry Astrud, but let your husband do the cooking next time, your voice is beautiful, but if this is what you have to offer as a solo artist, stick to your day job.
The Killers
3/5
The hits on this album are good. Mr. Brightside is overplayed to death, but it's a good song if you can get past the fact every nightclub in the world plays it towards closing time so the song has become jading to me.
Once you get past All These Things That I've Done, you've really listened to all the substance of the album, and oldmates voice really starts growing old. I was fucking shocked learning they are yanks wtf. I always thought they were British.
Mediocre album at best. Genuinely can't tell the difference between any of the songs that aren't the big hits.
tldr completely inoffensive bland british sounding mormon rock
Ray Charles
4/5
There's definitely better Ray Charles albums out there, but this was pretty damn good. It's hard to find a Ray Charles song that isn't a grand time.
Dire Straits
4/5
Probably the most front loaded album of all time. The first side is absolute perfection, but it tapers off on side two which is a real shame.
I have nothing to say about this that hasn't been said already, so I'll just call out that So Far Away is one of my favourite songs of all time.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Once you get through the 1 minute gunk at the start of this album, there is a really good album to listen to here. Yeah, it's all over the place (which I think was intentional), but if you go into this expecting that, it becomes a much more enjoyable experience.
I found myself bopping alone to songs like Does Anybody Love You, Medley, etc.
Gotta say, the global reviews of 2.8 really had me doubting this project, but it's fresh, and definitely listenable, if you can get past the slop at the very beginning of the album. But that doesn't even account for 1/5th of the album, so I'm willing to let that slide.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Big emphasis on the Idle, not so much on the Wild.
2/5
**BRITSLOP BOSS BATTLE**
Wow, I actually didn't hate this. There was a few songs I enjoyed, but a lot that I couldn't care less for.
My main gripe with this record is how fucking boring it is. After the """"hits"""" - I'd genuinely pay money to never have to hear that song again - it really doesn't get interesting, in fact the opposite. Mediocre and monotone singing, boring ass Britpop guitars, nothing fun about it at all.
Boooooring.
David Bowie
4/5
Great listen.
This was excellently paced, every song was unique and fresh and still adherent to the theme of the album.
I really enjoyed this one, but what the fuck happened in the second half? Sounds like he smoked some PCP and started having a psychotic episodes. Completely off cuff.
Still, I enjoyed this thing, it was just surprising in the second half.
Soul II Soul
4/5
The Burleigh Tavern isn't just a bar, it is a shrine to everything shallow about the Gold Coast. Attached a little too near the beach, it attracts a crowd that seemed assembled by a casting director. Sun-kissed skin stretched tight over suspiciously perfect, plump cheekbones, lips inflated to unnatural proportions, and linen shirts with white jeans so meticulously laundered, purchased from Tarocash, Universal Store, or Connors; they almost look like costumes. The drinks as ridiculous as the clientele. A single cocktail could cost as much as a decent bottle of wine, served in glassware so fragile it seemed designed to disintegrate if you didn’t hold it like vintage porcelain china. A pint of Balter will set you back a considerable $20. Add that to the $40 you paid to enter this ridiculous nesting ground of trust fund women and crypto-scammer men.
Soul II Soul’s Club Classics Vol. One blasts relentlessly from the speakers, the smooth 80's/90's grooves so painfully out of place with the two-left-footed crowed it felt ironic. Tracks like African Dance and Happiness pounded on a loop, the silky yet dated basslines and repetitive beats pretending to create an air of sophistication, and anywhere else it would - but here, in a bar drowning in fake tans and fake vibes, it just came off as pretentious noise. People shouted over the music to make themselves heard, their voices cutting through the bass with an edge of irritation. By the railing, someone in a designer shirt leaned over and emptied their stomach onto the beach below, their friend laughing while snapping a photo for Instagram. The music and arrogant voices blur into one, and you find yourself reeling for the same drugs that everyone else inside is on, to either blend in and become like water, or to cope with the realisation that your night is going to be shit, and you've already spent your last $100 in your spending account to get in here and have a pint.
The Burleigh Tavern isn't a place to relax, socialise, or dance, it is a pretentious echo chamber of overpriced mediocrity, wrapped in a soundtrack acts like it's better than it is. What a shame it is, that an album that I genuinely enjoy evokes these kinds of emotions in me. There is a lot to listen to, but then again, so little. There's nothing wrong with this, record you just need to be able to switch your brain off, similar to the same process talking to any local of Burleigh Heads, Broadbeach Waters, Paradise Point, or Palm Beach. Once you do that, an hour feels like forty minutes. Once you've mastered it, you start to enjoy the album. That is not an easy feat.
The redeeming factor? Back to Life, which brings a fresh air of life into this album. It's smooth transition into Jazzie's groove is really a pickup too. What a great way to end an album.
Baaba Maal
3/5
I'm not going going to pretend like I'm some well cultured music efficiencionado - I'm not. I'm a straight white dude from the West, so maybe I'm lacking the cultural ties to enjoy this record.
I don't like this very much, but only because I don't understand the singing, and I really don't like that type of vocals. The instrumentals were great, and I couldn't resist a smirk each time I heard the slap of that twangy bass, which is really what redeems this to a 3.
The Associates
3/5
Associate 1: "Hey, we're a bunch of queers, let's make some post-punk music!"
Associate 2: "Okay, who's going to be the lead singer? I'm not a good singer."
Associate 1: "Shit, I can't sing either."
A lightbulb appears over Associate 1's head, his eyes glow green.
Associate 2: "I KNOW! I'll just do a poor imitation of David Bowie!!"
Associate 1: "You're a genius. We're going to make so much money. Nobody will like our music, but at least fuckwit music critics will rate us highly, because post-punk is so /IN/ right now!"
Associate 1 and Associate 2 proceed to suck each other off in delight.
I'm not gonna lie, at least the instrumentals were pretty good. I don't think this album deserves to be the 7th worst album on this site (as of 24/01/25), there's plenty worse post punk garbage lurking around on this list that deserves a worse fate.
I actually ended up enjoying this album as it went on, hits like Party Fears Two and Club Country were really worthy songs, you can definitely tell what songs on this album are good and not by the Spotify streams.
tl;dr - bowie copycats with really good instrumentals but good songs are overshadowed by other songs with the singer being shit and trying way too hard
OutKast
1/5
Did Outkast ever make an album without a ridiculously fucking long runtime? What is this shit? I get it's a double album and the record label forced them to drop it as a single album, but what were they thinking? Surely you'd cut a bit of the fat off before releasing. This was painful.
I always thought I was a fan of OutKast, but their deep cuts suck man. OutKast is just popular because of their hits (which are bangers, no refuting that).
Let's be mathematical about this. The Way You Move, Hey Ya!, and Roses, total to 13 minutes and 18 seconds. The entire album is 134 minutes and 49 seconds. That means that 9.7% of the entire record is listenable and genuinely good music, and the other 90.3% is borderline unlistenable slop. Don't even get me started on the interludes and intros. Fuck me, what a slog.
I feel bad giving this a 1, because ~10% of this album is great. Ten percent is not a big enough margin to save this album from a 1. If this album was maybe half the length it would save it, but fuck me. I thought I was going to enjoy this more than Stankonia, but that album sucks for other reasons, though length and interludes play a massive factor in my rating here, too.
I genuinely struggled with this one, in fact I couldn't even finish it after 6 seperate attempts, with massive breaks in between. Hopefully this is the last OutKast album I have to listen to, because as I've discovered, I am NOT a fan.
tldr; insanely overrated early 2000's hits album with runtimes too long and pre/interludes that are either extremely uncomfortable or a complete waste of time and exist for no purpose other than to annoy you
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
I literally listened to this for the first time last week, and on vinyl, before getting it on this list. So a physical listen and a digital listen gives me a lot to work with here.
It's a pretty solid album, and definitely an album worth listening to with your mates over a few beers. Seriously, scotch and this album go together like heroin and Jimi- oh..
But, there is a lot lacking for one of the albums considered to be a "greatest of all time". The runtime can become excruciating. You have to sit through 3 LP's before you even get to the two biggest songs on the record, and these songs are the ones that 99% of people probably bought the album for in the first place.
This is still a great album, but I think in the grand scheme of things, it's a bit overrated. Definitely deserves its' spot on the 1001 list, but this album would not even be considered in this list if it weren't for the last two songs on the record.
Sorry Jimi, mate; but you've done better.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Wow this was refreshing, a record that makes an hour feel like 15 minutes. The downside of that is, of course, that apart from the hits, nothing really stood out to me here. As an entire record though it was an enjoyable listen, and certainly one I'll be coming back to.
It's like if you made the Beatles less boring. Pretty cool stuff.
The Young Rascals
4/5
Enjoyable listen, but this album really feels like it was just made as a cash grab because of Groovin'.
I don't really have a whole lot of input on this one, but I did really enjoy the organs for some reason. They scratched a part of my brain I didn't know I needed scratched.
Solid listen, would listen again. But Christ what a horrific album cover.
Tangerine Dream
5/5
An equation:
Throbbing Gristle + Actual Talent - Throbbing Headache - Butane Huffing = Tangerine Dream (at least this record). Plus brownie points for working on GTA V.
Never heard of these guys before outside of their work on GTA V (which was great).
The more I got through this record the more I enjoyed it. Fuck me, what an album. I was engaged the whole way through. I kind of got sad as I got towards the end of this, I didn't want it to stop. Something about this record just itches a part of my brain I didn't know I needed scratched. Crazy to think this came out in 1974, sounds like something you'd hear in a horror video game from 2010.
Definitely not something that meshes with today's ADHD riddled society. Munch on a few dexies before jumping into this one and you'll have a good time.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
I've been huffing on air duster all morning in preparation for this one.
Amy Winehouse is overrated. I think a lot of her popularity stemmed from her extremely healthy, teetotal, stable lifestyle that generated headlines due to her very positive influence on the youth and good natured, pacifist, go-getter attitude.
I won't deny that this woman was an extremely talented musician when she wasn't spending all of her time looking into the mirror, but her voice really does get tiring after 30 minutes of listening to it. All the songs sound kinda-samey.
This record is more consistently good than Back to Black is (where half the songs suck, and the other half were really good), but I still don't really find her music to be all that interesting. Still, nothing on here was inherently bad, and I'd completely understand why some people would adore this album. Can't fault it for being anything except somewhat boring and a 'one-trick pony'.
Dusty Springfield
5/5
A Brit stealing American Soul who stole from black people. The Led Zeppelin of Soul. And despite this, this thing is fucking incredible.
Explains why the British museum is so good - the secret ingredient is crime.
Arcade Fire
1/5
Arcade Fire? More like Arcade SetMyselfonFire
Christ this one was fucking boring. I was done at Rococo. Sprawl II was the only interesting song on this wet piece of cardboard disguised as a record. This is basically U2's Joshua Tree but with the dreadful 2010's radio-era production over the top.
I got so impatient at the constant repetition I ended up skipping the latter quarter of most of the songs just to get through this without blowing my brains out.
Dreadful. Sprawl 2 was good tho, but doesn't save this from a 1.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
This definitely gets off to a slow start, but ends up being an otherwise really enjoyable album.
There's definitely better Elvis Costello songs out there, but as a cohesive record this definitely flows well. I think it maybe was a bit on the long side, but not going to knock that since I genuinely enjoyed a majority of songs on this record, so no harm no foul.
Django Django
3/5
This album really reminds me of KNOWER, which is coincidentally also featured on GTA V (F the Makeup, Skip the Shower). Checks out, really.
Outside of the above, nothing really stood out to me here. It's a fresh sound at least, and not British indie slop like I'm used to getting served up hot and fresh on this list.
I'm sure this is someone's flavour, but to me it's plain vanilla. Still, enjoyed the listen.
Jorge Ben Jor
5/5
Already reviewed this one on 10th July 2024:
"Phenomenal album, great fusion of funk and notes of jazz. Album flowed so well I hardly noticed when the songs changed.
Will definitely be listening to again.
Taj Mahal was a standout track"
Do I have anything to add after my 3rd listen? No. This album fucking rocks.
Pink Floyd
5/5
It is utterly ridiculous to include this on here but not Animals. The author of this book should be shot against a post for making that call.
This (and Animals) is one of the best albums of all time. End of review.
Def Leppard
2/5
https://youtu.be/aDUOC9Xk2wM?t=16
Ian Dury
1/5
Maybe the Taliban were right for banning music in Afghanistan.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Dis a di bes Reggae albom a aal taim fi a riizn. BOMBOCLAAAAT!!!!!!!
The Doors
2/5
more like the snores lol
The Verve
1/5
sigh.
Destiny's Child
2/5
Why is there an American pop album on my 1001 Britpop albums list? Is this thing broken?
It's hard to ignore the cultural influence Destiny's Child (and the Spice Girls) had on pop in the early 2000's. However, unlike other major events in 2001, the world seems to have ultimately moved on from pop diva groups, and by consequence that makes this album feel extremely dated. Still, they managed to squeeze two unforgettable classics out of this thing, that's better than most popstars of the 90's-00's.
Nothing in this album screamed out to me as jaw dropping or inherently original, though the first couple of songs are clear 2000's pop classics. I also feel Beyoncé is really carrying this album. There's plenty of gaps in production, and it's clear that Beyoncé was the glue for this group. That's probably why she's the only one who went onto superstardom post-breakup of Destiny's Child. Though, she did sell her soul to the Illuminati and feasts on juvenile adrenochrome to keep her youth, but I don't want talk about that bit. For self-preservation reasons.
Overall, I think my sister would hang me from a tree if I gave this anything under a 3. So that's what it WAS going to get... UNTIL Gospel Melody. Minus 1 for that dreary abomination of a song, Jesus fucking Christ what an absolute slog of a song cunt. Listening to that song was like sour warheads in my mouth, and much like sour warheads, left me feeling a bitter taste for this album. There's few times I say this, but the CIA could very easily and effectively extract any secrets out of me by forcing me to listen to Gospel Melody. Strap me to a chair and play that shit on repeat, and by the second loop you'd break me. Fuck you, ladies.
Apart from that, not bad, really. Enjoy your 2.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Sleepytime 70's rock being sung by your drunk uncle at karaoke. He'll drive home later in his and Rob Collins himself and your last memory will be how his voice was completely identical as the drunken rambling of Springsteen on Badlands or Something in the Night.
This cunt cannot sing for his fucking life. Is English Bruce Springsteen's second language or does he have a cleft palate or something? I genuinely couldn't understand a fucking word this rat looking motherfucker had to say. The only songs on this record I could make out what he was singing (which was far and few) were okay, but they felt so meticulously generic of 70's radio rock that I wouldn't even know it was Springsteen, let along come back for a second listen. The only song where he was coherent was Streets of Fire (which I will touch on in a moment) - the only solidly good song on this album.
Leaving aside Springsteen's tenuous grasp on communicating in English, the musicianship isn't half bad. The pianos play well, there's some mean guitar solos, and the drums have a nice reverb to them. Genuinely, the guitar solos on this go so hard it probably saves my review from a 1. Somehow the best guitar solo on the album, Streets of Fire, has the lowest stream ratings on Spotify - also despite being probably the best song on the album.
Still better than his 9/11 album, whatever the fuck that was called, (it's somewhere in my Lowest Rated Albums list) but that's like saying stepping in dogshit is better than stepping in horseshit. At least the dogshit (Darkness OTET in this case) is dry & stinky versus wet, offensively bad, and day ruining.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Proverbs 21:19 - "It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman."
It's Marvin Gaye, so of course it's going to be a sold piece of work, but that doesn't excuse the subject matter here. Holy fuck man, get a grip. Or as you so politely put it, "Time to Get it Together" - when did that happen? Clearly not here. Imagine getting this cut over a 55 year old woman when you're 38. Jesus Christ. We got black Marcus Aurelius over here; or if you're a subscriber to Nation of Islam, just Marcus Aurelius.
Aside from the subject matter annoying me here, there's really not a whole lot of substance until the latter half of the album. The first 7 songs blended into the next, not in the way I particularly enjoy, more of the "every song sounds the same" aspect.
There's some great saxophone work here, as there always is on a Marvin Gaye's, but that doesn't really save this record from mediocrity.
It's a sweet listen, don't get me wrong here, and one that I could listen to casually if I wanted to relax - but my gripe here is there isn't substance for me to latch onto and really call this a standout record.
Talking Heads
4/5
This is a very good album, and I really like it a lot. I think Talking Heads has probably been my favourite artist to come out this list, considering I had never listened to a song (or at least, recognised a song) by Talking Heads until I got More Songs About Building and Food. So this review is really going to draw a lot of comparisons to that album.
Fear of Music is an interesting one. I really enjoyed it, and I spent a long time listening to the album over and over, I think I listened to it 6 times in total. The reason why is I couldn't decide whether this was worthy of a 5 or not, and I don't think it is.
This album is carried by Life During Wartime, which is an incredibly cool, funky, fun song. To me that song sounds like peak Talking Heads. But the rest of the album just doesn't stack up to that song. Once you get past it, there's a few licks on there that sound good; like Air, Heaven, and Animals. All good listens. But once I get past the magic of Life During Wartime, nothing really peaks my interest as much as that song.
Another thought, is this album better than Buildings & Food? Absolutely not. If that album doesn't get a 5, then this doesn't either.
That's not to say this album doesn't fucking rock. I am yet to listen to a Talking Heads song I dislike, it's just not as good as Buildings & Food, and there's not much that stands out outside of the lead single.
See you at Remain in Light.
Jimmy Smith
5/5
Mentally I'm here, my Chicken Shack:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/eb3BTFkxR9txV4VN8
Incredible record. The only downside is that this kind of music makes me crave a concerning amount of nicotine and whiskey.
Skepta
5/5
Probably the most important album to the entire genre of grime next to Boy in Da Corner. Extremely biased review because I was 17 when this came out, where It Ain't Safe, Shutdown, and That's Not Me were a staple of every house party I went to for my late teens. If you didn't have the privilege of hearing songs from this album at house parties you went to, you either weren't cool enough, or didn't live in AU/UK. Suck shit.
I have no ills with this album, this is grime perfection. I'm not surprised this album is rated so poorly on this site. Though it's mostly yanks winging., there are some valid criticisms, but those criticisms reflect on the genre itself rather than this record. Grime isn't for everyone. That's was the whole point until Stormzy ruined it by selling out and making music with that greasy ginger cunt Ed Sheeran. Now it's a household name and the genre is ruined forever. Much like mainstream hip-hop in the US, Grime is no different nowadays. You absolutely fucked it, Stormzy.
Skepta's booming voice really stands out, but it's the production that really makes this album. The latter of the half has some of the filthiest production I'd ever heard on a hip-hop song. Man, Shutdown, and ESPECIALLY That's Not Me - one of the most sampled grime songs of all time. Which itself was a sample of another early grime song.
That's Not Me is probably the song that defines this album, and probably is the biggest grime song of all time up to that point. In fact, I think it still is the biggest & most impactful grime song of all time. If you can't tell, I enjoy the fuck out of that song, and considering the amount of artists that sample or rap over the beat, I dare say I'm not wrong.
Like I said, grime isn't for everyone - but if you like grime, you definitely recognise that this is probably one of the most important albums to come out of the genre, if not THE most.
I don't think any Grime artist has been able to replicate an album like this, nor will they. This defined what grime is at the time, and will always be remembered as so. Well deserved 5. It's a shame this is probably one of two grime albums on here, but I understand, it's not everyone's cup of marmalade or whatever the fuck it is they say. /end biased review.
Joni Mitchell
1/5
Strangely, I've never heard of Joni Mitchell. Maybe I live under a rock.
This album just sounds like a shit female remake of Bob Dylan. Maybe that's just folk in general but this honestly is ass.
I couldn't make out any lyrics, it all just sounded like jumbled up word salad of random shit. Don't Interrupt The Sorrow is a great example of the nonsensical bullshit she rambles on about. I still have no fucking clue what that song is about. Even when she did make sense, I genuinely just did not give a fuck about what she has to say. Every song is just a bunch of random haikus of shit she sees. Joni Mitchell writes songs like a kid in grade 9 trying to meet the word count. I do not care that there was a lot of taxis like "schools of fishes" when he was hailing a cab, why not just fucking say "he got a cab"? What's with all the bullshit circumlocutory writing for a boring ass story?
Not only was this nonsensical, it was also boring as fuck. I'm just stoked this record was only 43 minutes. How very thoughtful of her, if Joni Mitchell was a British artist she'd make this record AT LEAST 75 minutes.
Genuinely glad to know I'll never have to listen to another song from this record ever again. Not a great introduction to Joni Mitchell lmao.
Harry's House went alright, but only because there was (for once) a decent backing track so I could just tune out the retarded word salad.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Boy when I found out these guys were a bunch of ex-Fugazi hacks, I wasn't expecting much. Fugazi's Repeater was a bit of a snore.
Unfortunately, this is much the same except with the added sprinkle of being fucking boring.
I'm not compelled to write too much about this record, as everything I've said about Fugazi's Repeater holds pretty much true to this. It's not bad, it's not great, it's just a bowl of cornflakes for breakfast - and much like John Harvey Kellogg inventing the cereal to prevent masturbation by way of bland diet, this bland album has the same effect.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
I did really enjoy this one, but I honestly don't have a whole heap to say. Nothing particularly stood out to me except for Bell Bottom Blues and Layla.
Great album, but white man blues for 75 minutes can definitely get tiring at times.
Electric Light Orchestra
2/5
Sounds like a cheap knockoff of Queen with synthesizers, this album only feels famous because of the only unique song on this album - Mr Blue Sky. Otherwise forgettable record and far far too long.
It would have gotten a 3 due to song quality, but slapping this one with a minus 1 for wasting my precious time with boring ass deep cuts that wasted my time fuck you
CHVRCHES
4/5
I was going to make fun of the fact that CHVRCHES were only known for their (great) synth pop cover of Do I Wanna Know? by Arctic Monkeys, and how this album was just a relic of 2013 that has been long forgotten. Both of which are true. However, I decided against it after a couple of listens, and man, what a delightfully refreshing listen. I must say I wasn't expecting to see CHVRCHES on this list though.
I'm not a huge fan of synth pop or whatever genre you call this, and every song does scream in similarity, but I genuinely enjoyed this one a lot. I do see why this would get boring, especially since she seems to only sing in one tone. I think they make up for this in pacing, though.
Is this album deserving of a place on a top 1001 albums ever list? Maybe, but it depends what you have in there as a 'representative' of synth pop. I dare say this might be as good as it gets.
R.E.M.
3/5
Absolutely unreal that I got this album the day Cyclone Alfred is due to hit my home. I like to think that End of the World as We Know It is on loop in people's heads as they sell out toilet paper, gotta avoid that cyclone-induced spitty bum.
Really not a fan of old mates vocal style. I don't like that weird American country twang. This reminds me a lot of America's (the band) Horse With No Name vocal style, but over a whole album.
The instrumentals were great, very fit for the time - but fuck me I cannot get over how annoying this cunts voice was. The relatively short runtime made it tolerable, but if this thing was an hour I'd genuinely struggle.
This is my first time listening to R.E.M, and I must say, pretty average album. The hits off this thing stand out like a sore thumb (in a good way), but there's not a whole lot of substance past those.
John Martyn
2/5
This just sounds like white people jazz for white stay at home mums to put on during the day. BOOOOORING
Booker T. & The MG's
5/5
Coming into this, everyone knows what Green Onions is. Amazing song, sure, whatever, but fuck me - I was not expecting quality up to the same par for the rest of the album whatsoever.
What a delightful listen. Nice to get an instrumental so I don't have to listen to a talentless (usually British) lead singer yap on about something I don't care about. Though, the organ is really a lead singer in the context of this record.
This is top tier shit. I could listen to this all day.
Beatles
4/5
I've actually never listened to a Beatles album before ever in my 26 years on this planet. Probably because everyone I knew who were super into The Beatles were born-in-the-wrong-generation kids (aka massive losers). Plus I always thought they were massively overrated from just listening to their hits.
My standouts on this record all seemed to have some sort of Blue's inspiration. What Goes On and I'm Looking Through You specifically. Those two songs were outstanding, but looking at streaming rates, they seem to be the most overlooked. I'm also not sure why In My Life gets all the praise from this record, that song was the most boring on this album lmao.
It was a fairly enjoyable listen, I wouldn't call myself a fanatic about this album, but it's got a lot going for it. Great production, quality, good writing, interesting instrumentals. I've also gotta give props to the fact this album doesn't go for 500000 minutes. I love it when an album runtime starts with a 3, which is something the Brits tend to struggle with. I'd definitely come back to this when I'm in the mood to listen to Wifebeater & Other Couple of Drugfucked Fellas. OOPS - I meant to say The Beatles.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Before I start - if you voted this record poorly because this guy is a predator but you have people like Bowie, Kanye, Miles Davis, John Lennon, any 80's metal band, or the kiddy-fiddler-quartet aka Led Zeppelin in your top artists, just know you're a moron and a hypocrite. Either you seperate all the artists from the music, or none. You can't just choose to ignore one piece of shit's proclivities over another just because you like that artist's music more.
Anyways, aside from the above, the first half of album was a snoozefest. The kind of shit your mum puts on during the day after her valiums have kicked in. You know how Americans really like recreating successful British TV shows and they usually always fail in comparison? This is that except in this case he's aping Damien Rice.
Still, I didn't hate it, the start was super boring and I generally just don't subscribe to crybaby rock - but otherwise, the latter half was really enjoyable and the harmonica went hard. Bang on average record I'd say. Can't see myself coming back to any songs in a hurry.
Isaac Hayes
5/5
I originally listened and reviewed this seven months ago:
"Walk on by is such a classic sample, I never even knew this was the original record.
Honestly this album was so good until the last song, which dragged on with making random noises. I'd give this a 4 if it wasn't for the last song (which ironically is a quarter of the whole album) being such a letdown. First 3 songs rock though and this album is definitely worth a listen."
Not sure what I was smoking, because after a second listen, this is fucking unreal. I must have been listening to the whole remaster, and not Walk On By to By The Time I Get To Phoenix.
This album is a masterpiece holy fuck.
Metallica
2/5
Because this is (unfortunately) an album consisting of an entire live performance, I am going to avoid rating this harshly based on it being "too long", though this was an absolute struggle to finish, I won't lie.
This thing honestly got off to a good start, until I heard violins trying to replicate the Master of Puppets intro is when it all started going downhill. The song selection here was good (though I don't think 2.25hrs was a very nice thing to do), and for once (thank God), Lars' drumming was actually not too bad considering how terrible he is usually. Unfortunately Hetfield sounds like he smoked a carton of Chinese Double Happiness cigarettes before singing on here. Horrendous voice.
My main gripe here is the symphony. Don't get me wrong, I love a good symphony/rock band mesh - go listen to Alter Bridge @ Royal Albert Hall Man if you want to hear it done right, because the symphonic arrangements on this record were actually dogshit. Nothing meshed at all. It's like they took the SFSO and got them to play a completely different arrangement in a completely different key to the band. It doesn't help that most of the members of Metallica are generally talentless so working with them would have been near impossible, but come on man, Jesus Christ.
There are, I will admit, a few songs where there are exceptions to the above like The Thing That Should Not Be, where the orchestra and the rock actually mesh well, but those are few and far between.
I genuinely think this would have been better off if the symphony wasn't there and they just stuck to a long ass live album. I would have enjoyed it a lot better, and I LIKE orchestras playing with rock bands, but this is just terrible.
PLEASE STOP INCLUDING LIVE ALBUMS ON HERE THEY ARE SHIT AND BORING (except for u sam cooke love u)
tldr; too long, orchestra is shithouse and doesn't mesh at all, hetfield singing is bad, this thing sounds like watching lawn bowls at a rugby game
2 hours of this has genuinely rotted my brain
AC/DC
5/5
It's nice to hear a hard rock song that references "Beating Around the Bush" instead of singing about a 14 year old girl for once.
A requirement of receiving my Australian citizenship was either swearing allegiance over either a copy of this or performing the ceremonial wash of Gina Rhinehart with a rag on a stick. I opted for the former. So expect a biased review as result.
Christ this is a horrendous album cover for such a great album. I've actually never listened to anything except for the lead track (mandatory Australian listening), so what a treat every other song on this record was.
As far as alcoholic dad hard-rock goes, this is genuinely the best album I've heard from end to end. I didn't lost interest at any point, the guitarwork was spot on with some mental solos, and Bon Scott's voice was nothing short of phenomenal. It's just a shame he died behind the wheel of a stationary car, as we booze cruisers know it's always best to go out in a high speed alcohol fuelled crash. Oh well.
I genuinely don't know what song on this is my favourite, they all had me hooked, and I honestly think they were all of top notch quality and tone - except Highway to Hell of course; that song has been played to death at pretty, where you hear it like 10 times a night at any Australian sport venue.
This far exceeded my expectations, I genuinely thought this was going to be an album of filler right after Highway to Hell, but there's an enormous amount of substance and great music in here. Will definitely be revisiting in the future after the next 15 Britpop or pedo-rock bands that I will inevitably be faced with post this.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Due to a personal traumatic event I encountered involving a 9 hour overnight Jetstar flight from Osaka Itami to Cairns Airport, alcohol induced delirium, snus, and a hallucinatory apparition of a female passenger next to me; I will be declining to review this one in detail, and instead give a rating accordingly. You know it's a phenomenal listen anyways.
Listening to this a year on from that experience has made me had a pavlovian reaction to this album like a 30 years sober person picking up heroin again.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
"I want to make an album where the entire focus of the album is on me, and my voice, because I'm a narcissist."
"Okay Elvis... Can you sing well?
"no but ill pretend like i can and we'll turn down the instrumentals so everyone HAS to hear me :)"
this album would have been infinitely better if this elvis costello cunt shut the fuck up for more than one second i grew tired of his stupid singing style and the album felt endlessly long as a result
shit album did NOT enjoy
John Grant
3/5
I'll start off by saying; I'm not sure what was up with /THAT/ song (you know the one I'm talking about). I'm sure that's gonna get a couple of 1 star reviews from the crybabies on here. But I digress.
I went into this expecting to be bored to death and having to slog through it. What a pleasant surprise that I was wrong. This thing gets off to a pretty slow and sombre start, but mid-way through things really pick up and we hear some treats like It's Easier, Outer Space, etc.
The hype with this album keeps up until you get to the fucking awful part -That's The Good News. What the actual fuck was the point of putting this shit song on this record? Maybe I just don't get it, but what a great way to kill a great album theme. Going from singer-songwriter-esque pianos and guitar ballads, to just absolute dogshit pretend German techno. I get he was trying to be funny, but this shit had me stone faced. It only continues its downhill trot from there, with Supernatural Deliberator. From there, the vibe was just completely ruined and it made a generally good song like Fireflies just seem off-beat.
This was going to get a 4, but That's The Good News & Supernatural Deliberator really fucked it. If you removed those two songs, and trimmed a bit of the fat from the start of the album with the more forgettable songs, you'd have a truly great album. And that's a shame.
Wire
5/5
This record is like Sex Pistols for people without FASD.
Stoked to finally get a real punk album for once on here. I already knew who Wire were and had listened to them multiple times, but never had I actually listened to the whole album through.
This album paces excellently, every song feels different yet familiar to the whole theme of the album, and is just generally a fun listen. No skips. I really enjoy the guitar tones on this thing, the switching from a more distorted sound right back to the classic 'Wire' clean tone keeps everything so fresh. This thing definitely shows its age. I bet I could almost predict to the year what
My favourite song has gotta be Mannequin.
I listened to this 4 times in a row and not once was I uninterested. Really fucking good record.
Duran Duran
4/5
This album is very very good. Although top-heavy. I can't believe I enjoyed Rio so much that I in fact preferred it over Hungry Like the Wolf (a 97.3fm staple growing up). I fucking love this kind of 80's new wave. Really surprising that Rio didn't end up being as big as Hungry Like the Wolf, since I'd argue it's even more of an earworm. Part 2 (in the single of Rio) is also real good, though not relevant to this album.
I think what holds me off from a 5 is the repetitiveness of the songs. Once you get just before the halfway mark through this thing you've really listened to everything it has to throw at you. The singing in one tone the entire album and it all sounded relatively the same didn't gel with me.
Absolutely sick album art though, love it.
Great listen and great vibes all through.
John Coltrane
4/5
I'm not going to pretend like I know the intricacies of Jazz or that I am musically minded whatsoever; but this rocks. Much like anything Miles Davis touches, this bleeds with quality and soul.
Admittedly I prefer Jazz with /less/ saxophone than this, but it was still a great listen, and with a 30~ minute runtime, it definitely isn't a slog to get through by any means.
I really enjoyed this album, and I really wanted to give this a 5, but I just can't. I don't see myself coming back to this in a huge rush, as good as it was. I didn't even add any of these songs into my Jazz playlist, which is telling.
Definitely one of those albums I want to love, but struggle to. Still, awesome listen, and I recognise the importance of this record and John Coltrane as a whole.
Anita Baker
3/5
she can definitely sing, but this was boring kmart music and I don't like the 80's era of r&b/soul but mmm.hmm.h;hm.h..... you can see,,,,, her feet..............yes...........
Pavement
3/5
This sounds like Weezer for people who think Weezer are too mainstream, with a little hint of punk squeezed over the top like the shitty rotten piece of lemon you get with your fish & chips at the local smoko shop.
There was some nice moments on here, but for the most part I found this very generic and forgettable. I'm sure at the time this was groundbreaking, but unfortunately this sound of music has been done to death. In The Mouth Of A Desert seems to be the standout track here for me.
Whilst I enjoyed the very obviously 90's rock, I couldn't get behind the shitty lyrics and the singer isn't too crash hot either.
I probably sound overly critical here, but I will emphasise that I didn't hate this, it was just too generic and ultimately uninteresting for me to go crazy for. I do reckon I'd have a blast listening to this live at a pub or something, because this definitely sounds like a band you'd hear out at your local.
M.I.A.
2/5
Not even the great track of "Paper Planes" can save this shit album from a positive review; though it did save it from a 1.
On a side note, I was completely wigged out seeing The Wilcannia Mob on here, a group of like 9 year old indigenous kids. I've been to Wilcannia, twice, and much like this album - pretty shit.
The Cure
5/5
This was my first listen from end to end of this album. I love The Cure, so I wasn't disappointed in listening to this one. I must say, I was expecting more 'hits' from this record, as there really were none to find on here; not saying that's a bad thing, but given I only really know The Cure's hits, it was surprising.
This is not an album to listen to in bits and pieces, so I've discovered. It's such a thorough and enjoyable experience, that a 75 minute runtime really doesn't feel all that bad. Listening to this record is like watching a movie, rather than enjoying an album.
Anyways, enough waffle, this album is fantastic. I'm still yet to listen to a song by The Cure that I don't enjoy. Easy 5.
Rush
3/5
I already listened to this on 05/09/2024. I don't have it in me to listen to it again, even if it's short - it was pretty gruelling:
"Weird ass album. I enjoyed the instrumentals, the guitars and drums were great - but the fucking vocals just sounded like a Robert Plant ripoff. Secondly, what the fuck was with the oriental riff in the Bangkok song? What the fuck? I'd give this a 4 if it wasn't for the shitty vocals. It's listenable though."
Genesis
1/5
I've never heard of this Genesis album, and given the fact not a single song on this record has considerable streaming numbers, neither has anyone else. And for good reason, Good God.
I'm not sure why I was expecting the cool 80's sound that I usually expect from Genesis, this album came out in 1974 lmao, but I wasn't expecting THIS.
Unfortunately, this piece of shit is genuinely almost unlistenable. It changes direction almost every second song, not even the FOUR FUCKING SIDES of this trash is thematic.
They tried WAY too hard to be experimental on this thing. Here are some lowlights:
Whatever the fuck that horrible dumb fucking record scratch sounding guitar solo dogshit was on Counting Out Time.
The Waiting Room (possibly the worst song on this album after Count Out Time), pretending to be Frank Zappa, but what I imagine Zappa would sound like if he was on drugs and also retarded, then finishing it with an absolutely pitiful attempt at imitating Pink Floyd
The blatant overuse of keyboards on The Colony of Slippermen, I didn't realise I was listening to a fucking Britpop record by The Charlatans.
I'm not sure what else was after that, because I gave up. This album was fucking torturous. I'd rather listen to Throbbing Gristle. At least THEY were interesting.
I hate this album. Fuck this shit. I thought I'd like it because Phil Collins and 80's Genesis is awesome. I wish I'd never heard this, it genuinely took years off my life in the amount of cortisol that flooded through my body.
Ray Charles
5/5
Always a great time listening to Ray Charles. I don't have anything ill to say about this album.
An entire album of big band covers of country songs is just what I needed today.
I genuinely don't have too much to say about this. This album is a sure-fire way to get yourself laid if you had this record on vinyl and a nice bottle of Grenache.
Also I can't deny the bias, as this shit reminds me a LOT of Fallout: New Vegas.
Just a lovely listen all round.
Death In Vegas
3/5
I had to give this a couple of listens, and I'm still undecided. The concept of this album is cool, and I hate pegging down the very few early electronic albums on the 1001 Britpop and Paedophilic Albums to Listen to Before You Kill Yourself list, but this thing is so lukewarm and plain I don't know what else to give it.
Extremely dull, but not a bad listen. Also, this shit does not even remotely sound like it belongs coming out in 1999. Early 90's at best.
MEH
Tears For Fears
4/5
A contender for possibly the most 80's sounding album ever. Phil Collins really did a number on production back then, huh.
Shout and EWTRTW are such massive songs it almost overshadows the rest of this album. Though the songs that aren't enormous hits aren't too crash hot. They're good, but very forgettable.
Enjoyable listen, but can't say I'd see myself coming back to anything except Shout, EWTRTW, and MAYBE Head Over Heels.
Sigur Rós
4/5
icelandic radiohead but thankfully not nearly as terrible.
A lot of this reminds me of a kind of refined version of Kid A, funny how they came out within a year of each other. For reference, I did not like Kid A. But I like this.
I wasn't even in the best mood for something so floaty and ambient today, but I still had a good time with this one. I definitely would have enjoyed this a lot more as just an instrumental version, it would even be possibly worthy of a 5. Nevertheless, this is still a very good record, and I enjoyed my listen - though, the vocals did get a bit annoying and Radiohead-ey at times.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
The more exposure I get to this bloke, the less I care for him and his weird annoying voice.
Moods for Moderns was alright, though. Broken cock gets the worm and all that.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I really enjoyed Leonard's first record, but as mentioned in that review; it was just missing /something/. So, I went into this one with really high hopes.
The guitar work on "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes" reminded me a lot of "So Long, Marianne". In fact it sounded almost identical. It was probably one of my favourites on this record, it portrayed a lot of raw emotion. This is a biased take though, because it sounds like "So Long, Marianne" - and I love that song.
Apart from Lonesome Heroes, I really found this record a bit lacklustre musically. It was a bit boring, and I think I'd rather go enjoy a Bob Dylan record instead of this usually. It was still very listenable and I didn't have a bad time; it was just a bit boring at times. This is mitigated by the short runtime, so you don't get "kill me now" bored.
However, what it makes up for in its dull musicianship, is the songwriting. I found the writing on this record to be phenomenal. Stories like The Butcher really gelled with me. The Butcher was probably the best song on this whole thing if we're just talking songwriting.
Do I like this better than Cohen's first record? No. Is it still an enjoyable, albeit a bit dull, listen? Yes. I'd rate this a 3.5 if I could, but I'll round it up to 4 because I had a pretty good time and it had a very good pacing, especially being 35 minutes. I don't think I could have handled an hour or more of it.
Linkin Park
5/5
This is the DSOTM for nu-metal/rap-rock. If you're between the ages of 26-34 and you didn't listen to this religiously, that is a self report that you had Xx_N0-Fr13nd5_xX.
Perfect album from a shit genre.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Holy shit I think the harmonica at the end of Girl from the North Country obliterated my ear drums.
Look, I get the Bob Dylan hate, the cunt has a jading voice (that I love), he looks like he has a twink variant of Downs Syndrome, and that harmonica could be used as a sonar device by the US Navy. All of that, I get; but, every now and then you need to put those facts aside and consider that this album is simply a masterpiece, both for importance of the overall record, and just the song writing quality & general musicianship. Absolutely outstanding.
There's so many classics on this thing; Blowin' in the Wind, Girl from the North Country, Masters of War, and of course Don't Think Twice, It's All Right. All of which are brilliantly written, and the single guitar doesn't dull on me whatsoever.
Hate Bob Dylan all you want, give all his other albums on this list that don't belong here (like the bootleg records) a low rating, but this is almost certainly Bob Dylan's best work and I think it's disingenuous to give this anything but the 5 it truly deserves.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Wow I thought this album was going to be phenomenal given the two hits. But that's all this was. Two great hits surrounded by mediocre 60's honky tonk imitations. Meh.
William Orbit
3/5
I was playing Schedule 1 and I genuinely couldn't tell if this was the soundtrack or if it was the album.
This sounds like a soundtrack to a platforming PS1 video game made in the 1990's. A lame duck of an album but nothing offensive here so it just gets a big average pass.
Stereolab
3/5
This really reminds me of Astrud Gilberto vocally throughout the record, which was cool to hear, since I love her voice and singing style.
It was a super goofy listen, they don't sound like they're taking themselves too seriously throughout it, and they have a heavy ass 90's tone. Not all of those are positives.
Outside of the first couple of songs, nothing here really 'grabbed' me, and I can't in good conscience give this more than a 3 for that. There's not a lot of substance. Maybe because I kept thinking she was singing in French so I paid no attention to the lyrics.
Still, a fun listen, and not Britpop for once. Which is surprising for an album from 1996.
Suede
2/5
It's genuinely getting hard to write reviews for Britpop. I've never heard of these bozos, nor am I sure what the "hit" song is on here that convinced our glorious 1001 book overlord to include this.
Thanks for another Britpop album I really enjoy them a lot and think they're such a great attribute to music history.
Pink Floyd
2/5
I'm probably going to get shot for this, but I genuinely don't care for this album. It's overrated, and dreadfully boring. This album is really carried by the guitarwork and nothing else - I never got why people rave about how this is such a great concept album. The story fucking sucks man. I'm tired of acting like it doesn't.
Roger Waters thinking he can sing (he can't) gets really jading throughout this thing. I just know Gilmour was cringing throughout the recording of this thing. What I find so funny about this, is that Roger Waters' solo record, "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking", is actually a much better concept album. He switches up his singing style to a more goofy tone, to allow for the fact he's shit at singing, which sounds a lot better. And it's at least not an hour and a half long. Oops.
I also got fucking sick of the Brick in the Wall motif splattered carelessly throughout this record. Mate, we get it; it's a concept album, cool, I'm not retarded.
Unfortunately, one of the best songs ever (Comfortably Numb) - which features one of the greatest solos of all time - is included on Pink Floyd's worst post-Ummagumma album. Once you get past this song, you're about ready to wrap up, but NO, you have another 20 minutes of this shit. In The Flesh is at least a great song.
I spent a lot of time thinking if this was deserving of a 2, especially considering giving a band I generally adore a 2 feels wrong. But keeping consistent to my reviews of "this is too long and shit", and also the fact that the writing is mediocre at best, it's getting a 2. Great guitarwork unfortunately can't save this.
tldr; dreadfully long, awfully boring, unfortunately sung by Roger Waters.
The White Stripes
5/5
Considering this is my second exposure to a Jack White record, AND Seven Nation Army is so massive it wouldn't be surprising to see a one-hit album; but I was pleasantly surprised.
This record is unbelievably fresh, well-paced, and unique. For a 2003 album, it was completely unexpected to hear the heavy blues influence on a garage rock album. The guitar work is just unbelievable in a lot of songs here.
The production on this thing is incredible, too. I found myself not sure if this record was made in 2003 or 2023. I enjoyed the consistent guitar tone, but no songs sounded particularly similar, which is good.
Little Acorns, Black Math, and Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine were my favourites. The only song I don't like is the last one, but I'm pretty sure it's in jest, so I'll let it slide.
I felt like a 4 would be fair here, but considering I listened to this about 4 times on repeat and it felt fresh each time, I'll bump it up.
The Byrds
2/5
That's not jam mate, that's just total fucking marmalade.
Really long, really dated, really boring. People were still doing this airy fairy shit in 1968? I thought the world had well and truly moved on by then.
The phaser on Old John Robertson legit hurt my ears. That's literally the only thing that stood out to me.
I really don't have anything to say about this. It was so uninteresting I forgot I even had music on in the background. I'd probably play this if I was an aged care worker and had just sedated one of my patients after they had a dementia-induced psychotic episode.
Queen
3/5
This was the very first song I ever wrote a review for, back on July 9, 2024:
"From Father to Son rocked, the instrumentals were great
Love how the songs transition from one to another
Ogre battle was good
Rest of the album felt like regular queen, it was okay - I did like the transition between songs being mostly seamless
I'm still not the biggest fan of Queen, but I'd give this a 3.5 if I could"
Still holds up, can't be fucked listening to it again because I think Queen is so mid and overrated and I just generally don't care for them.
Super Furry Animals
5/5
I'll be honest here, I was fucking terrified when I saw "BRITPOP" in the tags for this album. Thank Christ it wasn't actually proper Britpop, this shit was so much more tolerable. In fact, not even just tolerable, this album was pretty awesome.
For a band with such a shit name and a style looking like Britpop bands of the 90's, I was pleasantly surprised to note that it wasn't that, at all. I loved how the theme stayed similar yet all the songs differed. 52 minutes really felt like 30.
There was definitely some weird moments, like on No Sympathy. The freaky steps into electronic and fast paced video game music / acid house wigged me the fuck out. I actually enjoyed that song way more than I expected though. Somehow it works.
Rings Around the World and Miniature were probably the favourites here I think. They were super catchy and fresh.
I actually can't believe I went into this thing expecting to hate it, especially seeing Britpop as the genre. But there was something about the weirdness and wackiness of the constant switch between song styles that really kept me plugged in and interested. This album had me focusing on it, I couldn't even get any work done to it because I was just sitting along enjoying the ride. If that's not tell of a great album, I don't know what is. I also really enjoyed the singers voice, it scratched a part of my brain that I didn't know needs scratching. He sounds similar to a singer I know, but I can't put my finger on it. It really annoys me that I can't figure out who. Update: HE SOUNDS LIKE FUCKING ELVIS COSTELLO CUNT THAT IS UNCANNY HOLY SHIT ITS LIKE IDENTICAL
Anyways, brownie points for surprising me so well. This gets a 5. Definitely coming back to this to re-listen a few more times.
David Bowie
3/5
I've never sat down and listened to this record, despite recognising what is (probably) Bowie's most iconic album cover. Of course, I'd heard Heroes before.
Honestly, I think this record is really overrated. "Low" shits all over this thing. For all the high points of this record - like Heroes, Sense of Doubt/Moss Garden, etc. - there's an equal amount of lows. I'm mainly concerning the start of this record, which gets off to a less than great start. Joe the Lion was a bad song. Not going to sugarcoat that.
Taking the above into consideration, did I still enjoy myself nevertheless? Absolutely. I think it's a very nice piece of art. It's wild to me that there's only one 'hit' on this thing, since Bowie is a hits guy. That's nice though, I don't often want to sit down and listen to an entire Bowie album in one sitting. I definitely don't see myself hurrying back to listen to this one though.
I'm probably looking at a 3 here. Sorry mate.
Steely Dan
5/5
Despite being a Steely Dan fanatic, I've never actually listened to this one. Fuck me, I should have. My favourite Steely Dan album is Gaucho, and this is so damn similar it's not funny. Gaucho is one of my favourite albums ever, and while this isn't quite as good, it's still comparable.
Absolutely incredible listen. I can't state in enough detail how good this record is. Like I said, it's not as good as Gaucho, but that doesn't mean this isn't a damn good record.
I don't have a lot to say that I haven't said a million fucking times about Gaucho. Black Cow was definitely my favourite song, but like with all Steely Dan albums, that will change in a months time and I'll be hyper obsessed with another song off here; probably I Got The News.
Going to go listen to this about 12 more times today. Hell yeah Steely Dan.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
After reading this guy sued Steely Dan for copyright infringement, and getting this the day after reviewing Steely Dan's Aja yesterday is a coincidence worthy of a chuckle.
This usually isn't my style, but wow, what a beautiful piece of music. I can see why this is the best selling piano work of all time. The story behind this is great, and the fact it's all improvised is unreal. I don't know shit about piano, chords, or music in general; but I do assume that playing piano like this is particularly hard. Fucks knows, though.
It does linger on for a bit long, but that is probably just my inept Gen-Z brain demanding more brainrot Instagram reels since I hadn't gotten my dopamine fix today. I enjoyed every moment of this nonetheless. Truly spectacular. I also enjoyed the audience input for not apparent reason, unless they're in on something I'm not, which is likely.
I spent a lot of time during this record reflecting on all the music on my journey with 1001 so far, and the 200+ albums I've rated thus far. I'm incredibly thankful for finding this site, by sheer coincidence of looking for a random album generator. Unrelated to the record, I know, but I think a good piano ballad really does encourage deep thinking. Maybe I'm just being pretentious, who knows.
Really hard to believe I'd give some cunt just playing a piano for an hour a 5, but here we are!
The Who
5/5
Furious I had to listen to a vinyl rip of this on YouTube, but astounded at the quality of both the rip, and the album itself.
For a recording from 1970, I'm immensely impressed with the sound quality. The guitar and drum work on this thing are fucking off the charts. Emphasis on the guitar work. My Generation was absolutely peak and I was genuinely blown away by the instrumentals.
I usually tend not to favour live albums favourably, but this doesn't even sound like one. Just an incredible listen start to finish.
Genuinely this is probably one of my favourite live performances I've ever heard, just from first listen. Fuck me. I had no idea The Who put it on like that.
Currently sitting at a trifecta of 5's. Can't wait for some more Britpop today to even things out!!
Portishead
1/5
My 200th album is..........
borderline unlistenable byroncore shite
I genuinely was fighting the urge to turn it off when We Carry On came on, oh my fucking god that song was dreadful. I had to skip it 3 minutes in.
Every song after WCO I had to jump through and/or skip because of how unlistenable they were. I couldn't stand to listen to this dogshit any longer. I hope this is the only Portishead album on this list.
I thought I'd get something COOL for my 200th but unfortunately I got this.
The Black Keys
4/5
I went into this with high expectations, since El Camino was a phenomenal album.
Howlin for You is such a recognisable classic. The amount or movies that feature that song is insane. So recognisable in fact I didn't even know it was by The Black Keys.
There's a lot of quality in this album, and I'd expect nothing else from The Black Keys. I do think there was a lot of unnecessary filler on this thing though. This album ought to had a 30 minute runtime to keep things fresh.
This album is insanely backloaded too. I was really surprised how much I perked up at the last 4 songs on this thing. Unknown Brother was definitely the favourite song on here.
Enjoyable listen. I really fucking hope El Camino is on here as well as this thing.
CHIC
5/5
I knew within 5 seconds of the intro to the first song that I was going to like this. And I don't even like disco that much; or at least, I never learned how to properly appreciate it.
Every human on the fucking planet has listened to Le Freak at least 30 times. I dare say it's the most well known & generic disco song of all time; next to Disco Inferno & Stayin' Alive. I dare say this may be more recognisable though.
The guitarwork on Savoir Fare was incredible. It reminded me of Zappa's Watermelon in Easter Hay. The guitar tone was near identical. And the beautiful backing track, with the loud, crisp and gorgeous guitar tone over the top. Whoever was playing it was an absolute fucking weapon too. That's genuinely one of the best solos I've ever listened to. I cannot emphasise that enough.
Happy Man was a fresh and uplifting tune after the brevity of one of the best guitar instrumentals you'll ever hear. Straight back to monkey business on the disco dancefloor. Chic. I found this song not as iconic as the others, with a lot less substance to take in than it's predecessors, but I still enjoyed it very much indeed.
I Want Your Love takes you straight back to the radio friendly disco that I was expecting from this record. This feels very similar to an early 80's pop song, with less emphasis on the disco elements. Very remiscent of Steview Wonder & Steve Vinwood (or whatever the Higher Loves guys name is) It was super catchy and I caught my head bobbing along more than a few times. The longer this song went on the more I fell in love with it.
At Least I am Free slowed things down a lot. I didn't gel with this one as much. The singing was obviously great, but otherwise I didn't find this one particularly interesting. I didn't necessarily hate it, but the song just sounded like a stereotypical 80's romcom interlude song. You know the part where the girl comes to terms her love failing? That part. Next.
After the slowdown, Sometimes You Win perks you right back up and throws you straight back into boogie mode. This duet is where the two singers really show off their synergy and talent. It's more of the same disco-ey feel that I've come to expect 7 songs in; which means it's catchy, crisp, and crammed with immense talent. The instrumental solo really broke things up and kept the song feeling fresh, though I do wish it came on a little earlier than the before the last chorus of the song. Oh well, still a great listen.
(Funny) Bone sends you off the album with some sharp instrumentals. I'll admit, it feels like an interlude to the second side of this thing - but it's not. It's the end. I actually really enjoyed the way this thing ended, especially with the Circus and Clown comment.
If you couldn't tell from my wall of text and analysis of each song individual; I fucking adore this thing. I've never heard any song from CHIC apart from Le Freak (who hasn't), but boy am I glad I did. This album is fucking amazing. I was not going into this expecting to give it anything higher than a 3, but alas, a 5 it is. Absolutely fantastic, I'm genuinely blown away, and can't sing this thing's praises enough. This is one of the best albums I've listened to so far out of the 202 or so I've gotten through.
6/5.
Merle Haggard
4/5
K-ROSE staples to fly your Sanchez around the map at warpspeed with 5 stars to.
I imagine this album was fucking enormous when it came out, but alas it's been consumed by time and by the amount of other shit that came out that sounds exactly the same as this.
I found this particularly generic, but in the best way. This album captured all the best elements of country/honky tonk and channelled it into one album.
I really enjoyed this, but once you get through the first couple of songs, you pretty much get the point. That doesn't make it a bad album (I quite enjoyed my listen), it just makes it unworthy of being considered "perfect". It's fairly cookie cutter. Still, I could see myself coming back to this when my girlfriend decides to break up with me in the future.
Highlights: All of Me Belongs to You
Giant Sand
2/5
Honestly, it wasn't as much as a slog as I was expecting. I think the lead should consider alternatives to music though; gently speaking out of tune and out of time for the backing tracks is just stupid.
The instrumentals were pretty good, and I didn't mind the backing vocals either. The lead singer can piss off.
All the fucking songs sounded the same too I don't get the idea behind this thing.
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Yes
4/5
I genuinely never knew out Roundabout outside of the meme.
Honestly, for every good song on this thing, the next 2 were shit. I didn't hate this record, but I just can't see myself coming back to it. If I wanted to listen to something in the same realm, I'd listen to King Crimson.
I quite enjoyed the laters of Spanish guitar on this thing though. Makes me see where the #1 hater of this album on the global reviews called it "wizard rock".
This thing definitely got better towards the end. Heart of the Sunrise was a banger.
I wasn't going to rate this more than a 3, but the latter half of the album was so damn good I think this is very deserving of a 4.
Adele
3/5
Look, I understand how talented Adele is. She genuinely has a once in a generation voice and I won't ever deny it. But it's just not for me. I fucking hate singer-songwriter music that's just a singer and a piano. Pianos suck.
The lazy songwriting on Don't You Remember was pretty fucking lazy and bland. Outside of that, every song - apart from the hits that we were forced to listen to near-daily on the radio for 3 years straight - was fairly bland and the album is obviously themed around heartbreak. It definitely gets jading after a while.
This review may sound critical, but I genuinely didn't hate this as much as I should have. It did get lazy, and a bit boring at times; but it definitely didn't feel like 48 minutes, it felt shorter. I could tolerate this and I didn't even mind listening to it in the background.
I can't give this lower than a 3, despite the fact I will never come back to this album again in my life. Adele is just too talented and her voice is too fantastic to deserve anything less, despite that everything in my core is supposed to hate this. Plus, at least it's something different. Not getting a 90's British rock album is always a blessing.
Elliott Smith
5/5
I can see why this is considered his magnum opus, and it's clearly his most popular album therefore. This thing is great. I had my issues with Figure 8, I haven't listened to XO (yet), and Roman Candle has a big list of highs and lows. This thing is just consistently great.
Every song felt unique in it's own way, and the constant change in tone really did well for me.
Pictures of Me definitely the absolute highlight.
5.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
PLEASE LISTEN TO ME PLAY THE ORGAN IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE ORGAN THEN FUCK YOU
drummer was a fucking monster though which redeems this SLIGHTLY
The Avalanches
4/5
Man, what a journey this thing was. I really couldn't tell if I liked it or hated it at the start, but as we started rolling through - I picked up the idea of how this album structures itself.
I won't deny the talent, making something like this in 2000 would be immensely difficult. Props to them.
I don't see myself coming back to this thing in a hurry, but I still had a pretty good time nevertheless. I don't understand the raving fanatics of this thing, but I do think it was a generally favourable experience.
Live at Dominoes was my favourite song.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Amazing listen from everyone's favourite fake blind black guy. It's Stevie Wonder at his best. What else need I say?
B.B. King
5/5
I'll admit, I'm getting tired of the live albums. But this is one of the seldom few in this list that HAS to be included here. This album is so insanely important to music, it inspired countless artists and arguably defined blues from thereon.
I'm not going to write a long winded review here, this is so obviously an easy 5 I'm wasting my time to even justify why. We all know why already.
This thing is such a rich listening experience. I went from thinking I was actually there at the Regal, to forgetting this was even a live album. Insanely good quality recording for '65.
Anyways, kinda sad this was a weekend album because I barely needed to even write a review here. Fantastic.
Solomon Burke
4/5
I love soul. But this just didn't gel with me as much as I was expecting. Maybe it's due to the fact this is my third album in a row of a similar genre, so I could just be fatigued.
Don't get me wrong, Solomon's voice is incredible, but I genuinely couldn't distinguish it from any other soul or blues singer. It feels generic, which in a way, shows how powerful these soul singers are.
Anyways, it was an enjoyable listen, but I can't see myself coming back. Sheer talent does give this credibility worthy of a 4.
Frank Ocean
5/5
Ahh yes, I remember forcing myself to like this to try and get pussy in high school. The litmus test of any potential mate for a teenage girl in 2012-2015 is how tolerant you are to Frank Ocean. In my case, very. Unfortunately I was too intensely interested playing in Garry's Mod role-play servers in those years to pursue a girl.
Not even gonna bother listening to this for the 1000th time before writing this review. This is the GOAT of neo-soul. A perfect album. This was a staple of year 10-12 in high school, so I'm not even going to deny the bias.
I am shocked that this was included here, usually the writer of this book seems to skip all the important modern albums.
No need for a long ass review, this is the defining album of neo-soul. Even if you don't like it, this album deserves its spot in the history books. I'd argue this album would make it pretty comfortably in the top 150~ albums of all time, objectively.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Great to see ELP's obsession with the organ isn't lost on this record either. In fact they don't even build up to it this time, they just ram you straight into LISTEN TO MY ORGAN CUNTTTT mode.
Anyways, this sounds exactly like Pictures At an Exhibition. Not sure why both of these are on here. This was certainly better and more interesting than Pictures At an Exhibition.
Tarkus is really the only thing we're listening to here, and with a whopping 20 minute runtime, you better hope you enjoy it. Similar to how 2112 by Rush operates, but at least (unlike 2112), this is enjoyable and not trash.
Everything after Tarkus is honestly pretty lame. Just some English guy barking over church organ music. Then a bunch of random shit thereafter, just horrible filler. The last song pissed me off so much, I'm dropping this from what would be a 4, to what would be a 3, until the last song, you get a fucking 2. bro FUCK YOU
Emmylou Harris
5/5
Dolly Parton if she was a baddie and not a creature that belongs on r/bimboification
This album is just fucking gorgeous. Within the first minute of the very first song I knew this was getting a 5. I love every bit of this thing. From he vocals, to the instrumentals, to the Dolly Parton imitation. Hell, I don't even really like this genre all too much and I thought this album was incredible. Absolutely no skips.
I have fallen in love with Emmylou Harris in one listen. I hope there's more of her on 1001 albums because this was fantastic. Definitely going to be listening to more of her.
Favourites: Bluebird Wine, Too Far Gone, Queen of the Silver Dollar, and EVERYTHING ELSE
Public Enemy
2/5
I understand the importance of this one, but I just don't care enough for it. It sucks to say, because this is up there in top 5 most important albums to the hip-hop genre. I can't even force myself to like this one.
I like Public Enemy, but 60 minutes of them as it turns out is really jading to me. Chuck D is such a one trick pony flow wise, he really doesn't hold his weight across an entire album. Individual songs yes, a whole album? No.
Most of the songs were a carbon copy of the previous, with DJ scratching, repeating samples of the same nonsensical shit (usually some radio jockey voice), and then the same drum machine pumping out the same drum pattern over and over.
I hope there's another Public Enemy record on here, because I really do like them, this album just sucks to me.
Also, Pollywanacraka was really annoying. I had to skip it.
Neil Young
4/5
One thing I'm discovering as I churn through albums on this list, is that I actually do quite like Neil Young. Shocker. I hate Crosby Stills & Young though, they can fuck off.
Anyways, this was a pretty damn good album. I really enjoyed the variations of instruments and vocal layering.
This was nowhere near as good as On the Beach, but it was still good and I can see why this has critical acclaim. You can definitely tell this record got all the production value. On the Beach is so much more stripped back than this.
American Music Club
2/5
A riveting amount of information of Spotify. I remember last time there was such a detailed Wikipedia article for a band 3 people have ever heard of, by my favourite artist Shack with their magnum opus HMS Fable!!!
Anyways this was lukewarm as fuck. Guy can't play guitar for shit, the drums are too loud, and oldmates voice is jading at best. The songwriting sucked too.
Foo Fighters
3/5
Well, it's pretty obvious that a drummer recorded this album; that's pretty neat. That's about all I have to say on this one, it's pretty mid.
Elbow
2/5
Wanky slop.
Bob Dylan
5/5
The reaper of weekend albums returns.
Holy fuck this album felt like it went on forever. It may sound like that's a bad thing, but in this case, quite the opposite. This really felt like a continuation of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, and I'm all here for it. This is Bob Dylan at his finest.
There's not a whole lot to say here that hasn't been said already for all of Bob Dylan's greatest works. When Bob Dylan is in his element, he really does know how to write and create amazing music.
I did really enjoy the Dylan-esque version of blues in Meet Me in the Morning. That and Tangled Up in Blue were my favourites.
Anyways easy 5, this one's a classic.
The Clash
5/5
It's not Combat Rock; but it's still incredible.
Brian Eno
1/5
Knowing Brian Eno and the insanely positive contribution he made to music history, I had really high hopes for this. Brian Eno perfected 70's new wave. And with an intro song like Needle's In The Camel's Eye, I was feeling good about this one!
Notice how I was typing in past tense there? Because the rest of this album is dogshit. I am actually in disbelief this is the same guy that produced the greatest albums of the greatest artists of the 70's; Talking Heads, DEVO, David Bowie. Really? This is what we are served up?
Anyways, because I'm going to cop shit from my fart sniffing "mate(s)" who worship Eno, here's my track by track review:
Paw Paw is alright.
Baby's On Fire is dull as dogshit. The guitar solo was cool but the weird shrill voice did my head in.
Cindy Tells Me more Cindy Tells Me like how to make an average ass English 70's rock song, but instead of hooking your guitar up to an amplifier, you instead plug it into a an enormous hive of wasps and occasionally rape my ears with an extremely loud buzzing noise.
Driving Me Backwards - WOA-A-AOAHA-WOAOAHOAOAOAOAOAOAHAOHAOHAOHAAA ITS LIKE MEEEEEEEEEÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ gotta be CRAAAAYYAZAA WOAOAOWOA OAOAOAO WAOAOA OAOOA OAO AOAOAOAHAOAO OO OO O O O -- Utter dribble coming from this blokes mouth. I had to skip this on my second listen. Sounds like someone gave an iPad with Garageband piano presets to a Year 9 special ed kid.
On Some Faraway Beach was nice. That's about all.
Blank Frank was just more layered annoying noises with some derelict cunt tapping his adam's apple while he sings nonsensical shit.
Why did Eno think squeezing a rubber chicken during Dead Finks Don't Talk would make for an interesting listen? It was dreadful. cheeky cheeky naughty sneaky OH NO OH NO OH NO. What is with this guy and just ramming random noises onto a song and thinking it's good music?
Anyways I've had enough, not going to bother writing a synopsis of the last two songs, this dribble annoyed me too much. I'm not sure why Brian Eno's production quality seems to stop when he's making his own music. I guess you're either a good artist or a good producer. All of these songs just felt like a clown trying to make pop rock. Random noises and honks & whistles sprawled about like a retard having a mental fit on the floor. What was this guy on when he was making this?
I feel like people only like this record because they want to suck Eno off for his production work. His talents with production and talents as an artist are not relative.
Fuck this load of shit.
The Damned
5/5
After getting this so soon after The Clash's debut album, I kinda regret giving them a 5 now. This record is so much better in every damn way. I still think the Clash is worthy, but this is another level of good, fuck me.
I've never even heard of The Damned outside of Life Goes On (no idea where I even know that song from, I just know it). Yet, I think nearly every song on this album I saved into my various punk playlists and general liked playlists.
It's not very often in punk bands you get to hear such talented guitarists. Usually it's the drummer that takes the shine, but in this case, it's that damn guitarist. Every time I hear a solo I was melting in my seat.
Machine Gun Etiquette, Anti-Pope, and Plan 9 Channel 7, and Smash it Up were the absolute favourites. They're all so diverse and different. Smash it up sounded like a fucking New Wave song, and that's something I loved about listening to this album. It feels genre bending, despite being true to its punk core. Ironically, Smash it Up was my favourite song on the record. Shows how much I love New Wave, huh.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
I really do like Frank Sinatra, and I love this genre of music - so believe me when I say it hurts to admit that I don't think this album is for me at all.
The whole album felt like the same song, just constant songs about heartbreak. And they all felt like Christmas tunes. I get that it's a concept album, but 50 minutes of the same tone, tune, instruments, and vocal expression is just grim.
I tuned out about 10 minutes in, and honestly this got so jading towards the end. The best parts of this record were the few moments in songs like Ill Wind during the instrumental breaks where we get to hear Charles Turner playing his trumpet. This record definitely picks up in the last couple of songs. Ill Wind was my favourite song by far; but it's still not enough to save my negative view of this.
I think there's way better Sinatra records out there to listen to, this is definitely not my favourite.
Frank Sinatra = Good
In The Wee Small Hours = Not Very Good
Snoop Dogg
5/5
#Rally Review - Day 1##
Currently on my way to Perth, so listening to these with my co-driver Jamie. He will be also writing detailed and vivid reviews.
I genuinely listen to this album at least once a month. This is a top 3 hip hop album of all time and there's no arguments you could ever put forward that I would ever accept.
This record would be nothing without the sheer talent onboard this record. Dre's production really was such a game changer to music production as a whole. Every guest rapper was perfect, and G Funk intro really classifies that. Maybe one of the best rap intros ever - which leads right into Gin & Juice, a household name.
One of my favourite albums of all time, and one of the most important records for the hip-hop/rap genre.
Highlight favourite has gotta be Ain't No Fun - I can recite every word to that song off the top of my head. One of my favourite songs ever due to the fact I am a fragrant misogynist.
Jamie: "Yea mate she was pretty gud blast from the past makes me want some kush ay"
5000000/5
Pink Floyd
5/5
#Rally Review - Day 2##
Do I really need to write a review for this one?
Jamie: "Aw yea haven't really heard a bad song by Pink Floyd ay"
Drive-By Truckers
1/5
#Rally Review - Day 2##
Butt rock, but the kind you wipe your ass with.
Jamie: i would rather listen to barbie on repeat
Doves
2/5
#Rally Review - Day 4##
Although better than the first wanky British indie slop. This is still slop. I was driving about 600kms across the Nullarbor on one of the longest straight roads on Earth and this was torture.
Coldplay for indie virgins.
Jamie: Wasn't as bad as the last one, but still pretty shocking.
Brian Wilson
2/5
#Rally Review - Day 5#
Sorry to hear you carked it, mate.
Not to state the obvious, but this is extremely reminiscent of Pet Sounds - but that's not necessarily a good thing here. A lot of the soul of this thing feels lost to the past.
The production on this thing was really good though. The mixing was spot on, but the real high vocals did pierce my eardrums a bit, similarly to Bob Dylan's soul screeching harmonica.
I just think this one was a bit boring, and fuck me did it drag.
Jamie: Really not sure when in my life I'll be putting that back on.
Rush
2/5
Rally reviews are over. Turns out trying to review half of the bullshit slop we get served on here is near impossible when trying to drive over some of the most fucked corrugation I've ever seen (thanks Gibb River Road).
Anyways, back in civilisation now. What a treat to came back to. MORE RUSH, YIPPEEE (sarcasm).
This was definitely more welcoming than the dreadful 2112, but Rush have this amazing ability to make a relatively short album feel like an eternity.
The first half of the record was okay, but the constant dragging on towards the latter half really did me in. I refuse to go into specifics about this record, because I do not like Rush, and I do not want to listen to them a second time.
Cat Stevens
4/5
This sounds like Tenacious D trying to cover Neil Young, and it's fucking awesome.
While I don't find this album perfect, there's so many times I found myself tapping along or humming like a fool to this thing.
I'm not going to go into insane detail into each song, someone more intelligent than me has probably done that already. Nor did I look at what songs I was actually listening to while I listened to it; so excuse me. I still really enjoyed this thing.
I've never heard of Cat Stevens before, so hoping (MASHALLAH) there's more to come.
Steely Dan
3/5
I love Steely Dan, don't get me wrong. But this album isn't it. At all.
Rikki Don't Lose That Number does literally nothing for me. I don't even get why it's popular.
Almost every song on here is instantly forgettable.
This thing still has Steely Dan charm, but it feels like something they just churned out to keep the coffers full, not a piece of music they actually put much effort into.
It's listenable, but that's probably as far as I'll go with this thing.
Rufus Wainwright
1/5
This was fucking dreadful. I got so over this cunts voice half way through I had to stop. End of story.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
QUEENSLANDERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
As much as it kills me to give a mid rating to a Brisbane band, unfortunately I must.
This really just feels like generic acoustic radio hits that was shaped clearly around the hit single of "Streets of Your Town" (verified Aussie classic banger). As good as SOYT is, it won't save the rest of the album which just sounds like filler. Nothing really interesting of note happens in anything but SOYT.
It's tolerable, and it fucking kills me to agree that this sounds like a radio-friendly Aussie version of The Smiths, as true as it is.
The Temptations
4/5
This feels really reminiscent of Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul. Ironically both released in the same year, I wouldn't be surprised if they were recorded in the same studio. The guitarwork, drums, and general instrumentals sound near identical. The guitar distortion sounds EXACTLY the same. That is not a bad thing, I love Hot Buttered Soul - and I like this too.
Nothing here particularly stood out to me that is worthy of a mention, but I really enjoyed listening to this start to finish. The easy listening length time didn't hurt either.
I feel like this record would be best enjoyed on vinyl, outside on a Sunday afternoon with a glass of wine, roast in the oven, and some friends.
Favourite: Why Did She Have To Leave Me
Stevie Wonder
4/5
More classics from the world's most talented fake blind man.
There was a lot to enjoy here, but honestly, none of it really stuck with me too well. I still think this record rocks, but I can't find myself scooting back to it in a hurry. The first side is unreal, but the second side seems to hold all the forgettable and songs that blur into one. That's not to say this thing is bad, it definitely isn't. It's definitely deserving of a solid 4, which just shows that even with Wonder's worst works, they are still undeniably listenable and superbly enjoyable.
It Ain't No Use was the favourite for sure.
Jane Weaver
5/5
Man, this thing took a few listens to figure out what I was going to rate it. It doesn't help I've never heard of Jane Weaver, nor have any idea what genre this even would be considered.
That being said, I really enjoyed this thing. I think the 2 ratings were very unfair. Every song was captivating, interesting, and Jane's voice was excellent. This thing reminds me slightly of Hayley Williams' first solo record.
I think this album is underrated. Every song felt fresh and different, and every subsequent listen I found myself enjoying more and more.
Every song on this thing slaps. I've given worse albums on this site a 5, so I will give Jane the 5 she deserves (and sorely needs, since the ratings on this are GRIM).
Favourites: H>A>K, Slow Motion, The Architect
Anthrax
4/5
This is like Metallica if you took Lars Ulrich and made him lead singer.
Yes, I am trying to say the instrumentals of this album absolutely rocked but the singer was atrocious.
The breakdown in I Am The Law was incredible though.
Once you get used to the bad singing, this thing isn't so bad. Good listen. It definitely grew on me as the songs rolled by.
I'd rate this a 3.5 if I could, but alas. You can have your 4.
JAY Z
3/5
Listening to Takeover outside of the context of the Jay-Z/Nas beef was interesting. I don't think this is nearly as strong as Ether, but that's neither here nor there.
The production value and the choruses on this thing were definitely of extremely high quality. However, Jay-Z's braggadocios tone and rap style does really get on my nerves. I don't need to listen to some cunt brag about how rich he is for an hour. Imagine paying actual physical money just for the artist you like to flex on you the entire time about how rich he is. Bet that made your fans feel good, huh.
I don't think I can emphasise enough how good the production on this thing is though. Girls Girls Girls, Jigga, Never Change, etc. all hold up so well as beats. It's just ruined by Jay-Z's cunt voice.
I think a 3 is a generous rating. Pretty much just for the production value. I realised I don't like Jay-Z after listening to this thing. Hopefully that's all there is for Jay-Z, but I have a feeling Blueprint 3 will be on here, too.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I was not expecting to become a Neil Young fan after starting this project, yet here I am.
Is this better than On The Beach? No. Is this still a really good album? Yes. Plenty of good substance here to uncover. The guitar work really does stand out in this record I think, mores than most of Neil Young's music - where his voice tends to take centre stage. This record feels way more rock oriented than Neil Young's more folky tunes he's known for. I didn't hate that!
Anyways, not a whole heap to write about this one. It was a lovely listen, I won't be rushing back though - there's definitely better Neil Young records I'd go to first. Favourite song has gotta be Powderfinger though, banger.
Paul Simon
4/5
I can't in good faith give anything with a banger like You Can Call Me Al less than a 3. Lucky the rest of this album was a good listen, too!
I will be remaining neutral on the whole cultural appropriation/supporting Apartheid, and my impartiality has NOTHING to do with the fact that I have a South African girlfriend.
Deerhunter
2/5
BOOOOOORIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGGGG (except Helicopter)
The Who
4/5
Everyone knows this is a classic, but honestly I found this quite disappointing. It's a fine album, no doubt, but for something that has had praises sung about it far and wide - and is even considered a GOAT album - is this really it?
The hits certainly make this thing, but what about the non-hits? They really didn't feel very special to me at all. Outside Baba O'Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, and Won't Get Fooled Again; can you REALLY say this album is perfect, or one of the best ever? I doubt it. This record is carried by those 3. It would be a damn mediocre album without them. If not to prove my point, they are all held at the very front and back of the records - so those other songs are the very DEFINITION of filler. Still, those 3 hits are bangers, no doubt. And the filler is pretty damn listenable. Good album, but not as amazing as I was expecting.
Nina Simone
2/5
Genuinely embarrassed that the only song I recognised off this record was "Four Women", and only because Jay-Z (a rapper I do not like, see previous review) sampled it in 4:44.
Anyways, I genuinely didn't gel with Nina's voice as much I was hoping. I think I got ahead of myself by reading global and my group reviews, which raved about this thing; so I went in with extremely high expectations.
Honestly, I really didn't enjoy this one. I know how talented Nina is - and I like her other stuff. But the weird male-sounding female voice really threw me off for a lot of the songs here. Wild is the Wind is really the song that turned me off this piece. I didn't enjoy it at all.
This thing had some okay songs, but for the most part I really don't think this record was for me. I'm sorry Nina, you definitely don't deserve this - but I just didn't gel with any of the songs on here.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
What an angry bitch.
10/10. Phenomenal.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Bruce Springsteen sounds like if Elvis was trying to sing in East Frisian.
Please refer back to my last 2 Bruce Springsteen reviews. The guy sings like he is either constantly drunk or has Cerebral Palsy. Either way, I don't understand the hype behind this guy - every album I've listened to apart from Born In The U.S.A has just been terrible.
It's actually unreal how similar this sounds to Bat Out of Hell by Meatloaf. I know they were written around the same time, and I did read that Meatloaf was inspired by BTR. Bat Out of Hell is a 5 star album, this is not.
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out was probably the best song on this album. Everything else is just plagued by Bruce Springsteen's mumbling, drunken nonsense.
I may as well have copy and pasted my review of Darkness On the Edge of Town, it's pretty much more of the same - except this record is better in every way (thank fuck). And I doubt we can top his genuinely horrifying 9/11 album. Anyways, if The Rising was a 1, and Darkness is a 2; I'd probably give this one a 2.5, but since I can't do that, it gets demoted to a 2. Normally I'd round up, but I can't stand his stupid fucking voice, fuck you Bruce Springsteen.
I do really appreciate Bruce Springsteen's innate ability to make a short album feel like an eternity. I managed to write most of my review while listening and I was still bored out of my mind. Cheers mate.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Carbon copy of The Beatles. It's tolerable, but that's about it. A nothingburger of an album.
Mercury Rev
2/5
Painfully boring. I literally have nothing to write for this. Fucking hell. At least it wasn't offensively boring, but come on.
The Residents
1/5
Just because you're unique, doesn't mean you're useful.
I genuinely reckon they've thrown some of these obvious 1/5 albums in the mix just to spot the ostentatious & pompous wankers who rate this thing positively just to think they're smart or different. I cannot think of any other reason why you'd rate this positively.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
I've heard of Nine Inch Nails, and I've heard of this album. But I've never listened to a single song by them.
Honestly, I did not expect electronic-esque music. I always thought Nine Inch Nails was some sort of edgy pop punk band or something of that nature. Colour me surprised when I heard Closer and was pleasantly surprised.
One note about a song is that Piggy sounds like Halo 2 intermission music, like right before a massive battle. In fact, a lot of the songs on this sounded like video game music. Which is pretty impressive for a 1994 record, considering what video game music sounded like back then.
1 hour of industrial rock really did take a toll. I was a bit over it by about the half way mark.
Anyways, this was definitely a listenable album, but I don't really 'get' it. It just sounds like industrial music that edgy teenagers in the late 90's and early 00's would listen to on their iPods (or whatever was around back then) to sound like they're in a game of Quake rather than walking around the Logan Hyperdome shopping centre with their mum.
Hurt was a very good song though. I still prefer my boy JC's version - but props to NIN for writing it.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Crazy that I'm 252 albums in and this is finally my first CCC record - and boy what a banger to start with. I wish I could say no skips, but unfortunately Ooby Dooby is on this album, oh well!
Who'll Stop The Rain is definitely the standout hit on this thing.
I was honestly geared to give this thing a 4-4.5 - but the last 3 songs really solidified this album as a 5. Long As I Can See The Light was such a satisfying way to end the record.
This has got to be their best album, right? There's so many hits on here. I'd be so impressed if they have an even better album on offer.
AC/DC
4/5
I'm supposed to rate this highly as an Australian, but I always found this AC/DC record to be extremely overrated. Highway to Hell is their magnum opus in my eyes, despite this record being immensely more popular.
What I did appreciate about this record is the deep cuts. I found the non-hits to be the best parts of this album. Maybe that's because I've heard to death every hit from this record that I generally just don't want to listen to them anymore. Back In Black ESPECIALLY. Let Me Put My Love Into You was definitely a highlight here, even though I'm pretty sure the song is about cum.
Anyways, this album is still really good & still a classic, I just don't think it's nearly on the same level as Highway To Hell. Really glad to see both albums get some appreciation on here though.
Favourites: Let Me Put My Spunk Into You, Shake A Leg
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Within about the first 10 seconds of the first song that this wasn't going to even come close to Exodus, and that's okay! This was still an enjoyable listen.
There really was nothing on here that stood out to me apart from Stir It Up (obviously) - but it was still a very enjoyable listen. I won't be rushing back to this in a hurry, but this is still very deserving of a 4.
Traffic
4/5
I did not know this was Steve Winwood's old band. I will be honest, I also did not know Steve Winwood was white. I always chalked him up to being a Stevie Wonder-esque figure.
Anyways, these blokes love the flute; and so do I. Great use of piano, too. Awesome listen. I think this is one of those albums you listen to start to finish, and don't really take "picks" from here. This seems like a great album to listen to on vinyl.
I'm nearing a 5 on this, but I don't think this has the value I'd expect from a 5. Still, incredible listen, will definitely be coming back to this in the future.
Arcade Fire
2/5
WARNING: DO NOT DRIVE OR OPERATE HEAVY MACHINERY WITHIN 12 HOURS OF CONSUMPTION.
generic indie slop, not sure if i listened to the same album as everyone else but i have no idea how this could be a 5 in anyone's book, unless you're a loser millennial who grew up with this and it revokes memories of the only time you had friends in your life
not as bad as suburbs though holy fuck that album was bad
King Crimson
5/5
This album has an amazing ability to turn what feels like 20 minutes into an hour - every song on here is so fresh and different, yet adheres to the thematics of the album. Not to mention it probably has one of the strongest starts to any record ever with 21st Century Schizoid Man, and an utterly amazing closing track.
Everything about this record is utterly flawless. This is definitely a record you listen to from start to finish without skipping a single second. Even the artwork is so good you can just stare at it the entire time listening.
If you ask me, this is the greatest prog rock album of all time. It's not even close (I don't count DSOTM as prog rock).
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Here is a compilation of the creepiest lyrics from this predator's anthem:
"But it's time to let off some steam [sic], Everybody knows that No means Yes"
"My slap 'n' tickle made her giggle, made her wiggle like a willow tree"
"So I suggested, She Protested, I persisted till she said Well OK"
"Pale, pubescent beasts, [sic], Their pray gather in herds, Of stiff knee-length skirts"
"Maybe I'll kill her"
"You cannot stop it, so why the devil do you try?"
"I'd rather die than be deprived of Wonderbras and thunder thighs"
I genuinely winced at the "No Means Yes" line on the Becoming More Like Alfie song. It was a bit of a banger (the lil baby guitar solo was sick) - but still, definitely a bit creepy.
Despite the fact that this bloke needs chemical castration, and if he wasn't from the poor slums of ULSTER I'd expect to see this bloke on the Epstein list.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Shit, I think I like this more than Paranoid...
Coldplay
3/5
God I fucking hate Coldplay. I was dreading listening to this one.
As much as I dislike Coldplay, I'll extend the olive branch of saying this is definitely the better album over Parachutes. Parachutes is an affront to the music and so mediocre to the point that it's offensive. Rush of Blood is nowhere near that level - in fact I'd say this thing is very listenable.
I cannot believe I'm actually writing a positive review for the most mediocre and overrated band ever, but here I am. Don't get me wrong, it's still Coldplay, but there wasn't really any songs on here I actually had any issues with. I really liked In My Place, Warning Sign was a good one too. The hits are hits, obviously, but they're probably some of Coldplay's better works.
Pretty decent listen, unlike Parachutes. Won't be coming back to this, but this wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting.
Elvis Presley
2/5
Wow, my first Elvis album despite being over 25% through. I thought this was a live album given the cover.
This lacks almost every ingredient that makes Elvis, "Elvis" in my ears. I think this was lacking quite a bit of energy, and it felt like something intended to sell records, not necessarily produce a quality record. I certainly wouldn't give this #190 of the greatest records of all time. If it's so good, why is the only hit off this thing "In The Ghetto" (which isn't even that good of a song, honestly). The biggest hit on this album wasn't even ON the album (Suspicious Minds), I reckon it was added after the fact to sell more, since this seems to have charted very poorly considering Elvis was one of the, if not the biggest name in Rock n' Roll at the time.
I had to use the words "Cultural Appropriation", but Elvis branching out from stealing rock from black people, to try to steal gospel and soul like he attempts to in this album is really telling. I don't really have an issue with it but if I wanted to listen to soul, there's no chance in hell I'm picking up "Elvis in Memphis".
Parliament
5/5
Fun fact, if you took a shot every time the word funk is mentioned in this album you'd be dead by the first 3 minutes of the first song with a BAC of 0.900%. If you were Andre the Giant and pressed on & completed the challenge, that would result in consuming 2.1L of shots in one sitting, resulting in a whopping 2.935% BAC.
AnnyyywassssSSSSS, THis albbmmm iS inncrrddbblllleeee,FFG n 1 uv mah faveee reccurds uv alll tymeee. Hiphopp, morr spessficcly Dr DRreee wudnt bE nothHing wif dis recurddddd, easiee ffffffivee ffffffffffffffrfrfrrrr hiccc-
Cornershop
1/5
This album is like a Chicken Tikka Masala; which takes the worst parts of Indian and British cuisine and meshes them together to make a disgusting slop that only a British person could enjoy.
This is worse than Britpop normally is holy shit. I think this was almost unlistenable.
Ray Price
4/5
This is the first album on this list so far that hasn't had a Wikipedia entry, how peculiar.
Night Life was a pretty fresh mix of blues and honky tonk. Then after that it's off to your regularly scheduled programming of Honky Tonk.
Anyways, this album is pretty much every honky tonk record you've ever listened to, the voice sounds exactly the same as every other artist from this genre, lyricism about heartbreak, exact same instrumentals, etc. You could say this was a Buck Owen record and I'd believe you. That being said, I don't really care. Honky Tonk rocks. In the same way you could play me 5 different Drum n' Bass singles that sound similar and I could believe that they're the same artist - it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. I love Honky Tonk, it takes me back to a part of my childhood that I long for.
I'd give this a 3.5 if I could.
Highlights: Night Life, obviously.
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
The first song on this thing got us off to a very good start.
The rest of this was pretty average new wave British slop. It sounded very familiar to The Associates.
The first half of this thing was definitely listenable, but I just couldn't stop thinking as the time ravaged on; and I ask once again, why is this here? Who is possibly considering this a GOAT album? Why do we have to endure so much Britpop? Plus, old mates voice got more and more jading as time went on.
I was happy to give this a 3 but once I got to Bouncing Babies I was so done. This thing is good for a bit but holy fuck it gets painful to finish.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Ah, the reaper of the weekend albums is back:
Visions of Johanna is one of my favourite songs of all time, but I haven't actually listened to this album before, so this BETTER BE GOOD:
Aside from the harmonica in Pledging My Time being genuinely ear piercing (a BD classic), this thing was fucking awesome.
Is this as good as Freewheelin' Bob Dylan? No, I don't think that can be topped. Is this still an incredible record? Yes.
Visions of Johanna, as I said, is one of my favourite songs ever. I don't know what it is about the song that resonates with me so much, but the harmonica in that song just offers so much contrast with Bob's nasally voice. The lyrics are top notch, obviously, and I think the laid back acoustics with not much else instrumentally really does something to me.
Stuck inside of Mobile had plenty of freshness offered up by the organ and lack of harmonica until the very end, with typical Bob Dylan folk over the top. This was a favourite from this record.
I really enjoyed the first half of this thing. The blues in the dead centre of this album in Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat really freshens things up in preparation for the latter half of the album.
I was really expecting to get bored due to the runtime of this thing, but I was pleasantly surprised. Well deserved 5. A classic for the ages.
Joy Division
1/5
BRITISH POST PUNK FORMULA:
1 good song to ride off of, and a discography of nearly unlistenable slop
+ a talentless singer who kills himself within a couple of years of the bands success
+ almost no instrumentals, just lo-fi synths
+ have the above mentioned talentless singer ramble on about how he's sad or some shit constantly, but make sure it's not interesting to listen to in the slightest
+ pay an artist to do his best copyright-free imitation of Dark Side of The Moon for the album cover
= become revered in history as one of the greatest post punk bands ever
It's a shame I'm not judging this thing off its phenomenal album cover. Despite my joke above it's genuinely a 10/10 cover. It's a shame the music held within in this beautiful cover just fucking sucks man. This album is like a concept album of how much their singer can take the piss to get progressively worse and worse in each song until I decide to turn this off.
Disorder and Candidate are such dogshit songs. Ian Curtis could never sing, and just rambles on in his weird British accent. The "Feeling! Feeling! Feeling!" part is especially jading. The only highlight on Disorder is the bassist, Candidate unfortunately has no redeeming qualities.
I genuinely can't even really write a review for anything else on here. With the exception of Shadowplay, It's just an intro of an electric guitar, then some synths and a bassist (who is admittedly good) with our boy Ian rambling about some shit nobody cares about in his horrible voice; at least he's trying! Every song feels almost exactly the same.
Joy Division were an overrated horrible band running off one good song (Love Will Tear Us Apart) until their lead singer cheated on his missus and did something unsavoury to himself resulting in his departure from the mortal plane - and I think the rest of the band knew how shit they were as well considering how quick they moved on without him.
This is literally just The Smiths for people who love watching paint dry. This is an unbiased review because also hate The Smiths, but I do love sniffing paint.
Sister Sledge
5/5
If you're wondering why this sounds so familiar to CHIC, it's because this is literally just CHIC with the Sledge Sisters singing over the top. Nile Rodgers (and Bernard Edwards) seems to put magic into everything he touches.
I already knew immediately after seeing the track listing of this thing I was going to give it a 5 (over 50% of songs from this album are already in my other playlists).
Obviously we've all heard "We Are Family", but it's an even more enjoyable experience if you hone in on the individual instruments. Listen to Bernard menace slapping that bass guitar like a NSW Blues supporter to his wife after losing the State of Origin series (again).
Anyways, Nile Rodgers album = easy 5. I didn't even know the guy until I started 1001 reviews.
Joe Ely
3/5
When I saw the title, I was expecting "Honky Tonk", like the genre. This wasn't remotely the case - but that's not a bad thing!
I really enjoyed how this thing used a lot of various instruments not commonly found in country music of the time, a lot of synthesiser, different drum patterns, etc.
Hearing the word Honky Tonk over and over again started to get annoying (I still don't know what the fuck 'Honky Tonkin' even means). But that's really my only gripe with the album.
Anyways, this was a super enjoyable listen, but I don't think I'll come back to for a relisten any time soon.
Faust
3/5
this sounds like prog rock for people on lithium and/or lexapro
But it's not bad, just a bit of a snooze fest. Lucky I was in the mood for something boring, so this gets a solid pass.
Iron Maiden
5/5
I remember when I was 15 and sent this to a girl I was keen on because I thought it was cool and she would like it but instead said I was a weirdo for listening to this masterpiece.
go fuck yourself, isabella
The Temptations
3/5
I don't think this was nearly as enjoyable or notable as Cloud Nine. I quite enjoy this genre of music, but I think this was fairly forgettable. Nothing here quite stood out to me that was review-worthy. An enjoyable listen nevertheless.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
A very good "live" album, with some very talented heroin addic- I mean musicians. The guitar solos were phenomenal. However, does this belong here, on a list of 1001 Greatest Albums, ever? A live album? With maybe 3 hits on it. And not even a real life album, a /compilation/ live album, not even a singular performance. Yeah sick. Next.
The Cure
4/5
One Hundred Years got stuck on repeat while I was rewiring the alternator exciter circuit on my car for about 4 hours, safe to say I felt like I was in a fever dream. Good song but would not recommend listening to on repeat on copious amounts of psychedelics.
Anyways, this is my first look into the "dark" era of The Cure. I love The Cure, but this sounds entirely different to what I'm used to.
I can imagine how edgy you would have looked slapping this on your cassette player. I think we've come a long way with gloomy/depressed music, and this is showing its age.
I listened to this probably 5 times. I always knew it wasn't going to get a 5 stars for me, but this is still a very good album. I don't think I would listen to this album as anything but a whole unit, no songs stand out enough for me to listen as singles or put into my playlists.
I'd definitely come back to this if I was doing something menial in the garage on a gloomy rainy day, but this is definitely not something I'd listen to in my day-to-day life - I'd probably kill myself.
Anyways, I definitely prefer The Cure's poppy/new wave stuff - but this is still sufficient.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Jane's Addiction and ZZ Top sound like what an alt rocker cholo would listen to in the back of his dad's impala lowrider in south LA.
This album contains the only song I've ever known by Jane's Addiction (Been Caught Stealing). A song I generally hated as a child but came around on. Other songs in that category include I'm Blue, and Call On Me by Eric Prydz. Not a good look.
I'll save myself from repeating my last Jane's Addiction review, but the lead singer sounds like he belongs in an early 2000's pop punk band like All American Rejects. His voice does not mesh with the rock whatsoever, of which the instrumentals aren't half bad - there's some good solos on here, especially Three Days.
Anyways, this shit sucks. It's not nearly as bad Nothing's Shocking - which indeed was Shocking in how bad it was.
Funkadelic
4/5
The guitarwork on this thing is fucking nuts. Fried ice-cream is a reality.
I didn't really note much else, I just had a good experience and enjoyed the listen with my brain switched OFF.
Meat Loaf
5/5
This is such an easy 5. This is probably mum's favourite album so including bias points here.
Bat Out of Hell speaks for itself, it really does carry this album. Don't get me wrong, the rest of the songs on here are good - but Bat Out of Hell is Meatloaf's magnum opus - a near perfect song.
You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth is included as my other favourite song on here. It's perfect addition cooldown song to Bat Out Of Hell, and sets you up for the more sombre tone for the rest of the album.
Honestly, everything else on here is rather forgettable. A good listen, but nobody listens to Bat Out Of Hell for anything except the first two songs, and maybe Paradise.
Bad Company
3/5
Probably the most boring pioneering hard rock album ever. Thank you to the esteemed woman abuser Ivan Moody & Co. of Five Finger Death Punch for at least sprucing up the track Bad Company a bit.
The Way I Choose was definitely a standout track. I feel like this band's sound really ought to to be rooted in blues, not hard rock. The Way I Choose is such a damn banger.
Anyways, this album is still a good listen - just not quite up my alley. I still had a good time!
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
Superb listen. I think I'd enjoy this a hell of a lot more if I was cooking a romantic dinner with my girlfriend while listening to this thing on my vinyl player.
This thing is definitely backloaded as fuck, I found the first half to be a bit of a snore, a lot of songs meshing with one another to the point I started losing interest. Once Candela came on, my opinion changed. Candela fucking rocked.
Anyways, not much to say about this - if you don't like latin music, you'll hate this. If you do, it's probably close to as good as it gets.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
Early 2000's R&B has aged about as well as Bindeez and children's unrestricted access to the internet.
Shoutout to Watch Over Them; that song made me nearly tap out.
Elvis Costello
2/5
This guy made a career out of writing and recording slop that all sounds almost identical to the rest of his discography, and hacks like Colin Larkin (author of the 1001 Albums book) looked glisteningly into the trough. "Eat up, little piggy, and I may just bless you with some more Britpop", Colin says to us.
David Bowie
4/5
It does sound a bit like this album was crafted around Changes & Life on Mars - but still, it's Bowie, of course this was going to be a great listen. Even Bowie's off cuts are gold.
Changes is such a great song and a timeless classic. Anyone born in the late 90's to mid-2000's probably listened to the Shrek 2 version before Bowie's original - which is hilarious.
This thing definitely is front loaded. The latter half slows things down a lot.
Good listen, probably wouldn't rush back to anything but the two hits on this thing, but definitely listenable and would not complain if I had to put this on again.
Gillian Welch
3/5
I was listening to this on a plane and I swear the cabin depressaurised because this knocked me the fuck out.
Literally never heard of this artist or album before in my life. Pleasantly surprised, sort of?
Red Clay Halo was probably the standout of the entire album; where Welch finally leaned into the country genre she so heavily hinting at the first few songs. I found those songs previous to Red Clay Halo to be a bit lame and tasteless. Generic singer songwriter, basically.
Anyways, after Welch found her genre, she then ruins it by having almost every song sound exactly the same as the other. Like apart from the live one (Rock and Roll, I think?), every song sounded exactly the fucking same. Did they all sound yhe same as a good song? Absolutely. Did it get jading? Oh you fucking bed.
A bass guitar or anything except the same fucking 2 acoustic guitar chords for 45 minutes would be nice. She didn't even bother to change her singing tone for any songs.
Gillian Welch is definitely talented, and it's showcased here through songwriting and the first couple of songs. Where this is a letdown is how repetitive and single toned this thing is.
I definitely didn't mind it, but I'm not coming back to this. The last song can fuck off too. FIFTEEN MINUTES, are you kidding??
Rufus Wainwright
1/5
I did not go into this with high hopes, considering I rated Want Two a 1/5 - an album so forgettable I had to go back and review what the fuck even was the significance of it. Similarly, I'm struggling to see the significance of this record as well.
The first couple of tracks seemed to change my mind, that I could indeed enjoy a Rufus Wainwright album. Once I got to "Pretty Things" (which took me 3 seperate attempts at listening to this album) I was pretty much done. Somehow the cunts whiney voice got even WHINIER. Genuinely I couldn't tell you what a single word of Pretty Things even meant, he sounds almost drunk the way he slurs his words when he's trying to be emotional. It's horrific.
The rest of the album stays relatively upbeat, with Vibrate and 14th Street keeping me from killing myself. 14th Street was actually a pretty good song.
Anyways, I think if I managed to get through this in one setting (and it wasn't an hour fucking long of the same shit as Want Two), I would have probably given this a 2 - but since I genuinely took 4-5 attempts of having to take constant breaks from this thing (and still couldn't finish the last 2 songs) because of how annoying it got, I'm putting this down to a 1.
Enjoy your new spot in my Worst Artists column, Rufus.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I have a feeling I'm supposed to hate this. I forgot what I rated my last Flaming Lips album and I'm on a plane. I'm presuming it was a 2.
Things got off to a super strong start with Fight Test. That was a very good song.
The rest felt like a Radiohead cover band and was a gigantic snorefest.
Genuinely I have nothing else to say about this it was so tame and generic. At least it was better than their last album.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
this isn't the banana album 🤔
George Harrison
5/5
Jesus Christ 2 hours. I'm going to treat this thing like the triple album it really is so I don't rate this poorly for being an insanely long album.
My only experience with George Harrison as a solo artist is with Cloud Nine, which is worlds apart from this thing. I understand the history of this quite clearly. I also thing George Harrison was the most talented member of The Beatles, and it really shows in his solo work.
It's really difficult to tell what song belongs to which "album" or which side, since there are a number of remasters and remakes which make it difficult, so I'm just going to go off Spotify's which contains 2 discs.
What an incredibly strong start for the first half of this project. I don't think there was a single lull or skippable song here. What is Life sounded so familiar to me and I have no idea where I've heard it - but I knew the entire instrumental of the song from start to end. What is Life did top the singles chart in Australia on release so maybe I've heard it in passing, or it was on an ad for something.
If Not For You is honestly the better of the two songs between Bob Dylan and George Harrison. I love Bob Dylan but this just has so much more nuance and soul to it than Bob Dylan provides on his version.
Honestly the first side of this thing (I'd Have You Anytime to My Sweet Lord) was genuinely perfect. I'd give that 5 stars alone. Almost every song got saved to my liked playlist and various other playlists.
The second half/disc of this thing is definitely not as standout-ish as the first, but maybe that's because I didn't recognise nearly any of the songs as opposed to the first half. I Dig Love was probably my favourite highlight.
I can see why this was released as a triple album, I don't think the second half would have held its' own very well as a seperate release. In the context of this whole record though? I think it definitely adds some balance.
I backtracked on my initial plan of listening to this in 2-3 sessions, I was so entranced with how good this was it made 2 hours feel like 40 minutes. Albums that manage to achieve that feeling are always rated so highly in my book.
All Things Must Pass is pretty much a perfect album. There, I said it. Johnny's Birthday can fuck off, though - but it is a cool intro to Plug Me In so it's FINE.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
I was going to make a joke about how this was just yet another disaster to come out of 1986 similarly to the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident or the Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster - but unfortunately this was actually a pretty good listen. Nothing special, but good. Nothing really to come back to here except for Olav's Gate, which was a banger.
Supergrass
4/5
I'm so tired of Britpop in this God forsaken book/site. Fuck you Colin Larkin.
I think it's important that, even though I am over hearing non-stop Britpop, I need to remain impartial and RELATIVELY unbiased. As such, I hate myself for admitting I enjoyed this.
I Should Coco was definitely their more well-known and popular album - I wasn't expecting to see Supergrass on here a second time. It makes sense that I Should Coco is more popular, I don't think this thing had any standout singles or hits on it.
Cheapskate was the most annoying song, which had this weird popping bass noise throughout the non-chorus sections of the song. I had to pause the song a couple of times to confirm if it was actually the song or if it was my bogan neighbours playing their shitty lad-rap while putting new '420 blaze it' stickers on their disgusting Commodores. The chorus was good but outside of that the poppy bass which was off-key was horrible and made the song almost unlistenable.
Sometimes I Make You Sad sounded like something out of the open world platforming parts of Crash Tag Team Racing. Not a great way to end an album but it was pretty funny.
I didn't listen to the CD extras, 43 minutes of (admittedly enjoyable) Britpop is enough for me for one day.
Anyways, good listen - unfortunately Britpop.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
Damn most of The Beatles really were spitting out some heat after they broke up. Not you, John Lennon.
Always fun getting this so close to George Harrison's post-Beatles solo album - and as someone who generally isn't a huge fan of The Beatles, these solo records actually rock.
The first 5 songs are such massive bangers it's shocking that I've never heard them before. Jet especially - fuck that song was catchy. In fact, almost all of these songs are catchy.
It's very rare to listen to an album where the first 5 songs are all single worthy earworms and I caught myself humming to them all individually across the course of the day. I have so much to say about all those songs individually but they are all just so damn catchy I don't really think it's worth spending the next 20+mins writing about them. They're all so fucking good.
Best songs, in order: Jet, Let Me Roll It, Band On The Run, Bluebird, Mrs Vandebilt
Once you get past the insane run of earworms things start to drop off a bit. Mamunia is still a good song, but nowhere near up to the standard of the previous 5. Mamunia sounds like a Beatles song that was cut and just slapped onto this thing. Still, it's a good song.
Picasso's Last Song was also a catchy tune which I enjoyed. That's pretty much it, it's just a good song.
I can't in good conscience give this anything less than a 5 given the impression the first half of the album left on me. On top of that every other song is still quality enough that I'd consider them 4.5's. That level of quality should not go unappreciated. Incredible album. Not as emotional or thought provoking as George Harrison's solo debut, but this thing does strike me as a more radio friendly solo record. And it shows.
Nick Drake
3/5
A certainly unique listening experience - though generic in the sense that I guessed immediately this guy died by suicide without even knowing who Nick Drake was.
However, just because you're unique, doesn't mean you're interesting. And this was certainly a bit dull. I appreciated the guitar work on this thing, it was quite nice.
A nice listen, and Nick Drake has a lovely voice - but nothing to rave home about honestly.
Beck
1/5
Guero was complete trash, so I went into this with no faith.
This thing was certainly better than Guero, but holy fuck did this scream 90's to me. It hasn't really aged that well. The honky tonk-esque guitar playing random notes over a drum machine patten is so generically 90's it felt like I was watching a cheesy 90's film. Lord Only Knows was shocking for that.
As soon as the stupid breakdown with the ANNOYING ass beep boops came on in Novacaine I knew this was getting downgraded to a 2. Fuck that hurt my ears. Then followed by another shithouse 90's song "Where's It At", fuck cunt this is SO ANNOYING.
Any time the hip-hop-esque shit came on I genuinely had my hands in my face wanting it to fucking end.
This is overall more tolerable that Geuro but man when this guy wants to be annoying he really excels at it. The latter half of this genuinely sucks man. Who the fuck enjoys Beck's music? I am baffled.
This was going to be a 2 but the last 4 songs left such a sour taste in my mouth it's getting a downgrade.
Einstürzende Neubauten
2/5
this is pretty much the exact kind of thing i was micspamming on garry's mod servers when I was 12
Honestly, the first half of this sucks. No shit. It's just a German retard with a power drill rubbing a cheese grater against the mic. Once you get past the nonsense at the start, there's actually something arguably interesting to listen to here.
Unfortunately the start is so fucking shit that it doesn't save this from a low rating. Though given that this is the 2nd lowest album on the site (it was 1st when I started), a 2 is a generous rating here.
Industrial music isn't music. It's just an excuse for having no talent. Don't come @ me.
Morrissey
3/5
This is the second worst thing to happen to me in 2004.
Morrissey seemed to have lost quite a bit of the whiney suckcock voice he was known for when he sang with The Smiths. Unfortunately, he seems to have become more insufferable as the time went on - with genuinely some of the worst lyricism I have ever heard in an album ever. Seriously, if I heard this as a non-English speaker, it would have been a lot better. But unfortunately I had to hear this cunt speak about the state of the world and how he's "not sorry for anything he's done" whilst one song previous crying about how he's all alone.
Putting my hate for this horrible cunt aside, this honestly wasn't that bad. If you put blank out his shitty lyrics then this actually goes alright. I got tired of his annoying ass voice as things dragged on, especially once I got to Let Me Kiss You.
This album is tolerable at best, but I've heard worse things that this guy has touched.
John Lennon
4/5
As much as I dislike John Lennon as a person, you certainly can't deny his talent. That is especially showcased in this record.
It's certainly got some weird quirks to it which we can probably put down to Yoko Ono. That doesn't make it terrible. Do I think this is as good as the other Beatles solo albums? Not even close. George Harrison & Paul McCartney's post-Beatles albums were phenomenal masterpieces. This record, whilst good and very listenable, just sounds like a mix of late Beatles songs and blues-inspired knockoffs. I think John Lennon really came into his own in whatever album he sang "Imagine" on - that's literally all I know him for outside of the Beatles. Well (well well), that and getting a .38 special round to the dome that sent him directly to hell.
Also Well Well Well was just a really fucking annoying song, which detracts from an otherwise very good album. Jesus Christ cunt I get it, you don't need to scream "Well" like 4000 times you annoying pretentious prick.
Cream
4/5
I could have sworn I already reviewed this album, interesting.
Sunshine of Your Love has one of the most recognisable riffs ever. It definitely carries this record.
Don't get me wrong, this was a very good listen, but I really think this was lacking substance. The guitar note and subsequent solos were probably revolutionary at the time, but looking bad it just isn't enough to make this album amazing.
Don't get me wrong, awesome listen, and definitely would listen again - but I just think there's plenty of better 60's rock out there and as time has moved on we are able to more easily identify that.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
I knew before even listening to this thing front to back that it was such an easy 5.
Hard to fault anything A Tribe Called Quest has produced. All their voices scratches an itch in my brain. This really is probably their magnum opus. I still reckon Beats, Rhymes & Life is slept on and their best work. Though honestly, you can pick pretty much any of their albums - they're all classic (except Scenario & The Love Movement).
The production on this album is just phenomenal. Every beat is as smooth as cream. This thing is just so nice on the ears you can listen to this in any scenario and you just feel cool and at peace.
Incredible album. Every song here fucks.
Top track: Butter, Check the Rhime, Jazz (We've Got)
3/5
I usually hate this kind of experimental shit. It's just tasteless and really doesn't require that much musical ability. This reminds me a lot of Throbbing Gristle, Kollaps, etc. Industrial music isn't music.
But this is a very listenable album from a genre I hate. I didn't mind this at all honestly.
I did quite like There's Always Room On The Broom, They Don't Want Your Corn,
The Monks
4/5
This thing definitely gets off to a rocky start, but as it presses on I definitely started to enjoy this a lot more. Holy shit this is from the 60's? I genuinely thought this was part of the 70's punk craze. That's insane. Talk about ahead of time.
The story behind this band is fascinating. The band disbanding because they thought the Viet Cong were going to set them on fire is really funny, for one. Rick Ruben and Henry Rollins releasing this on their own label in 1997? That's also really interesting.
Music wise, the vocalist is definitely on the jading side. But I tended to drown him out a bit to focus on the music itself. This really does sound like one of the first punk albums, and wow you can hear their influence in so many other punk bands.
I really did enjoy this one. It was such a weirdly delightful juxtaposition of 60's era rock and gritty grungy American proto-punk from the late 70's. I don't think it deserves the global rating of 2.93.
Scissor Sisters
2/5
Disappointingly this does not feature have Don't Feel Like Dancin'. Sad.
The Pink Floyd cover actually killed me, that was so dogshit hahahaha what the fuck was that!????? That made me laugh so hard. For a relatively talented band, what the fuck were they thinking?
Anyways, what a nothingburger of an album for my 300th. Not a single risk taken, just a generic, soulless piece of trash made to sell albums from hit singles. Though I'm not even sure what the hit singles are supposed to be on this thing.
Imagine coming home from your first Iraq deployment, having your legs blown off because that's what Blair compelled you, and the first thing you hear on the radio is this.
I did enjoy Filthy/Gorgeous. It's clear to me that the band Confidence Man definitely took a lot of inspiration from that style. It sounds extremely similar in sound to their debut album.
The latter half of this monstrosity definitely perks up and becomes fairly listenable. But unfortunately it's too late and the damage is already done. 40 minutes into an album isn't enough. for me to change my mind on this being dogshit.
Ramones
4/5
Boy these blokes dropped like flies in the early 2000's, huh?
Anyways, this album is definitely good, but undoubtably overrated. My first time listening to this back to front and yeah, it does get quite repetitive over 14 songs with the same singing and bass. Only the drum work and guitars feel different in pretty much half of these songs.
There's nothing more to say about this really. We all know what the Ramones sound like and their enormous legacy on an otherwise way less popular genre.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
The final Led Zeppelin album of the 4 self titled, and the first I won't be giving a 5 to.
I really don't think there's much on here that screams "MUST LISTEN" outside of Immigrant Song. This is still a good listen and probably a requirement when perusing their discography, but this record really is carried by its lead single.
Led Zeppelin were such a groundbreaking band even to the point that what I consider as one of their worst albums is still getting a 4. Pretty good stuff.
Eminem
4/5
Look, this was a groundbreaking album when it came out and one that will be remembered forever in hip-hop history. Unfortunately I am a 26 year old man now, and the lyrics of this definitely have showed their age since when I thought this shit was cool at 11. Genuinely childish and immature, retarded and half of the skits are just completely unfunny now. Especially the Ken Kaniff shit. Imagine trying to portray yourself as some macho straight guy and then you go into the studio and make noises like you're sucking a guys dick. Eminem is definitely as closeted as it gets.
No wonder Eminem is such a cringe lord today, it turns out he always was but we just had rose-tinted glasses when we were kids.
The song where he acts out kidnapping and murdering his ex-wife is just disturbing and retarded.
I'm still giving this a 4, but fuck me some of the songs on this thing were a struggle to get through. I do still listen to Amityvile, Drug Ballad, Criminal, and Kill You on a massively regular basis. So many hits on this thing.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
PRETTY BORING BUT *NOTICES BOOBIE* HUMINA HUMINA AWOOOOOOOGAAA NOM NOM NOM MUMMY MUMMY!!!! *ahem*....
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Certainly an album full of talent and easy listening blues. The drum solo was probably my favourite part of this. Honestly though this was fairly unremarkable, there wasn't much else in here apart from the fact that it's the blues. I've heard shit exactly like this a million times. Sounds the same as literally every other blues album I've listened to.
It honestly started to bore me toward the end.
Scratch that - holy fuck this dragged on. I am only keeping this at a 3 because I can't fault on the talent required to play the blues.
I can only assume that this was added on here because of the Eric Clapton feature.
BOOOORRRRIIIIINGGGGG
Talking Heads
5/5
talking heads magnum opus and certainly some FUNKY SHIT
this is one of those albums you listen to start to finish then start it again and before you know it you've had it on repeat all day
The Great Curve & Once In A Lifetime are my favourite tracks.
but fuck me this album is beyond perfect
unironic thank you to Colin Larkin and the creator of this site for introducing me to talking heads I have enjoyed every single album and been obsessed with them since
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Interesting instrumentals, but I the vocals really were a put off here. It sounded out of tune to me in the sense it was a lady with a low voice trying to be high pitched. Odd.
Anyways, this was particularly uninteresting.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Jesus Christ lads, there is such a thing as TOO much reverb you know.
Without reading the streaming data or Wikipedia, I am going to safely assume that One More Chance was the lead single from this record.
Outside of all the hits on this album, of which there's plenty, I really found the deep cuts rather uninteresting. Who knew a purely pop band was only good in their most popular hits.
Anyways, great listen. Would listen again (and have).
The National
1/5
Finally, some MILLENIAL slop.
Maybe I was wrong for judging Britpop so hard. This is just as terrible but at least Britpop was exciting. This is just fucking boring and dreary.
Not only was this boring as fuck, it also completely lacked creativity. This album could have been one song, it all sounds exactly the same and I unfortunately tuned into the lyrics, which were just vapid stupid shit about "leaving the city" or "I need the pills to fix me". Fuck me, no wonder everybody was depressed back then. My personal favourite, "I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees"
This is exactly the kind of shit a 2010's latte sipping hipster was bopping when that was cool. Holy fuck am I glad we left this shit in the past. I'm just shocked I haven't heard any of these songs featured on an ad for a 2015 Kia Sorento or in a sad scene in Suits.
I genuinely couldn't finish this piece of shit, and I don't need to, every song is the fucking same. Fuck this trash.
Kanye West
5/5
What a talented young man, I wonder what he's up to these days?
Quick reminder if you rate this poorly because Ye is a scumbag but have a 5 star rating for Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, or Aerosmith (all pedos) then that's a massive self report
This album really showcases Kanye's ability to use the human voice as an instrument. It's a shame we'll never get to see this version of Kanye West again. I don't think there was really any producer or artist like him.
Probably in the top 3 best hip-hop albums of all time, certainly the best prog rap album ever made. There's not much I can say that hasn't been said already, and I'm not generally the biggest fan of Kanye West's music anyways but fuck me can I get behind this and The College Dropout. This was definitely his peak before a long slog of average-to-amazing hits and his mental health issues starting to really show up in his music (and not in a good way).
anyways goat album.
5/5
I went into this expecting similar songs to their hit song (everyone knows what it is), but boy was I wrong. I listened to this a couple of times.
City, Country, City was outstanding. Love me a 13 minute keyboard/bongo/guitar solo. Every time I was grooving and peeked at what song I was listening to it was this.
The World is a Ghetto was arguably the best song on this album, though.
In fact, this whole thing is incredible. Through every listen I always felt like this was just one big song. I was not expecting this from War, especially since Low Rider feels nothing like this.
The Band
2/5
I remember listening to this early on in my 1001 journey and wondering why these guys were on here. A year later, after getting served up countless amounts of slop, I now know not to ask that question.
But yeah, anyways, this was just generic ass 60's rock to me. No different to their other album on this list. Definitely listenable but nothing here screams "interesting" to me. Plus, I got sick of listening to this. 43 minutes ended up feeling like an eternity by the time I got to the 2nd last song.
I was aiming to give this a 3, but the fact that I struggled to even finish this thing detracts from my score.
KISS
2/5
I genuinely had zero interest in listening to this. I hate glam rock & hair metal.
I was going to write a scathing criticism about how they don't have to harmonise every fucking chorus, it gets old and annoying - HOWEVER, the moments (like in Great Expectations) where the lead singer has time on his own are met with realising how dogshit he is at singing. Please keep harmonising. prefer that.
I think the only song I actually "enjoyed" was Shout it Out. Why was this band ever popular? Was it just the face paint?
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
It's certainly refreshing to hear a modern album on here, especially as new as 2019 - I am not really understanding the importance of this thing. Is there a unique story behind this album that makes it so special? Don't get me wrong, I certainly enjoyed the listen - but I am just struggling to understand the significance of this. I've never even heard of Michael Kiwanuka outside of his work with Tom Misch.
A lot of the music on here felt same-same. At least it was a good same-same, and an enjoyable listen; but I certainly couldn't tell any of the songs apart really. Nor did anything catch my ear outside of MAYBE the 'la la la' on Living In Denial.
Still, I enjoyed this - but definitely don't see myself coming back to anything from here in a hurry.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Infinitely more enjoyable than So. This feels like a mix of the instrumentals of Bruce Springsteen alongside 80's Genesis production. Pretty enjoyable.
I haven't been the biggest fan of Peter Gabriel if I'm honest, Sledgehammer was the only song I actually enjoyed by him. But this album redeems it. I quite enjoyed this one frankly. For a 45 minute album it sure felt quicker.
I really enjoyed some of the islander collective singing in this thing too.
Fav: And Through The Wire
The Isley Brothers
5/5
I had this album on repeat all day, and holy shit - what an album. Obviously the first track is the king of this thing - which I believe was sampled by Kendrick, making it instantly recognisable to most younger people.
Man, there is so much substance in this thing it's not funny. I only really knew The Isley Brothers as the epic sexy time song from San Andreas. I'm not surprised it's this good, but I was expecting a lot less from this thing.
That Lady & Summer Breeze were so fire. It doesn't help I'm a slut for soul and funk, and these songs are an outstanding combination of both.
There's not really much more I want to say about this thing, I'm just going to go and buy the vinyl for it right now. Fucking incredible.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
Your grandma definitely got fingered to this multiple weekends in a row at her local dance hall when this thing came out.
Phenomenal listen.
The White Stripes
3/5
I mean yeah, it's The White Stripes, it's still /good/. But does this really need to be here as well as Elephant? They sound the same to me honestly. I don't think it was necessary. Nothing here really stands out apart from "Fell In Love With a Girl".
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
The African John Lee Hooker is a really funny term for describing this guy and I don't know why. I see it though.
No idea what I'm listening to, but I really enjoy the guitarwork and vocals on this thing. This is what I like with World music, not just some cunt screaming to bongos.
Anyways, I was repairing a phone screen while I was listening to this so I was extremely stressed and on edge listening to this. Does that mean I didn't enjoy it? Fuck no, this thing is awesome.
Fav: Yer Bounds Fara
Prince
4/5
God DAMN this is some funky shit.
This album contains two of Prince's best songs; though obviously this isn't as good as Purple Rain, it's still a favourite and an extremely fun poppy dance album.
My favourite thing about this record is what a goofy dumb mess it is. Delirious is such a stupid ass song but I can't help nodding my head along to it like a fucking idiot.
A genuine criticism is that pretty much every song on this thing except for the radio hits go on for fucking ever. Prince really struggled to learn the art of ending a song on this thing. I didn't need to hear a video game synth loop for 3 minutes while he screams about wanting to fuck you so bad.
Outside of this thing going for way too long, it's still a great listen and worthy of its praises.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
Music to kiss and/or fuck your sister to.
Probably one of the greatest electric guitar focused albums ever made.
10/10
The Smiths
1/5
This is it. This is definitely the worst Smiths album.
Jesus fucking Christ I cannot believe people enjoy this vapid whiny cunt.
Hole
5/5
An album so good it caused Kurt Cobain to blow his head off a couple of months later.
This is basically a female version of Nevermind. And it rocks.
Dolly Parton
4/5
I am going to refrain from mentioning how hot Emmylou Harris was in her prime, and how enormous Dolly Parton's rack is. Linda Ronstadt is also on this album.
Incredible harmonisations, awesome instrumentals, brilliant songwriting, two beautiful ladies (and Linda Ronstadt) and some BIG KNOCKERS. Truly incredible songwritin-Hummina hummina hummina bazooooooooing! 🤤💥👀 eyes pop out 😵💫👀 AROOOOOOOOGA! jaw drops tongue rolls out 👅😱💧 WOOF 🐶 WOOF 🐾 WOOF 🐕 WOOF 🐶 WOOF 🐕 WOOF 🐾 WOOF 🐶 WOOF 🐾 WOOF 🐕 WOOF 🐶 WOOF 🐾 WOOF 🐕 WOOF 🐶 tongue bursts out of the mouth uncontrollably leaking face and everything in reach 🤪👅💦 WURBLWUBRLBWURblrwurblwurlbrwubrlwburlwbruwrlblwublr 🔁🤪💥 tiny cupid shoots an arrow through heart 💘💘💘💘 Ahhhhhhhhhhh me lady... 😍💘 heart in the shape of a heart starts beating so hard you can see it through shirt 💓💓💓💓💓 ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum 🫀💖💓💘💓 *milk truk crashes into a bakery store in the background spilling white liquid and dough on the streets* 🚚💥🥛🍩🍩🍩 BABY WANTS A SLICE 🍕🍕🍕🍕 *inhales from the gas tank* ⛽💨💥 honka honka honka honka 🚗💨 *masturbates furiously* 👋👋👋👋 ohhhh my gooooodd~ 😩✨🔥
Megadeth
5/5
An album where you can just turn your brain off and listen to some stupid Christian whacko sing a bunch of unintelligible nonsense with amazing guitar-work, solos, drum patterns that blow your face off, and of course David Ellefson stroking his bass guitar just like he strokes his cock for LEGALLY AGED GIRLS on Snapchat.
T. Rex
3/5
I understand how important this album was and how many artists it would go on to influence, but honestly I found this to be quite disappointing in the sense that this thing feels a bit dull.
Get It On is obviously a top tier tune but I found myself waiting for that song to appear in the queue. Lean Woman Blues was a great song too, but everything else pales in comparison to Get It On to the point it makes this album a bit bland. I'm not denying the talent of T.Rex or saying this album is /bad/ per se, but my expectations of this record after listening for the first time were not met. Once you get past Get It On the album just turns into a boring mess.
I honestly can't see myself coming back to this thing in a rush, rather I'll take a few songs I enjoyed off this thing and throw them into my playlists. But as an entire record, it was just not there for me.
Jethro Tull
4/5
Interesting listen, and certainly entertaining. It reminds me of Court Crimson but a lot less all over the place. Which is what makes this a tad boring. I still had a good time but I don't see myself coming back to much of this in the future. Still, as a piece of art, I enjoyed it start to finish.
The flute on this rocked, too. My God was easily my favourite song.
Public Enemy
3/5
I certainly don't deny that this is one of the most culturally significant pieces of art to ever grace hip-hop, and it really did define what hip-hop was and was to be at the time. But, being groundbreaking in a genre often leads to it showing its age - and boy does this thing show its age.
Chuck D really does carry Public Enemy - every moment I enjoyed on here featured him. The other cunt seemingly just keeps screaming "YEAAA BOIIII" and it got really annoying.
That being said, this thing is backloaded as fuck. The last few tracks really make this album. Good listen, but not as good as people rave on about honestly.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Getting this so soon after Actually is a great insight into Pet Shop Boys' quality drop as they entered the 90's, because boy does this thing sound like shit.
Nothing has changed in terms of overall songwriting or vocal quality, but fuck me the switch from 80's synth to 90's electronic slop was actually so grim to listen to. Not only is this thing an hour of generic drum machine loops, the complete lack of instruments made it sound like I was listening to Scatman's World by Scatman John for an hour. Just with less bass and more boring vocals. Wikipedia states 'Pet Shop Boys have been noted for keeping their fingers on the musical pulse to date, while "maintaining the mystique of performers from a different era".' - what an absolute load of shit. They definitely kept their fingers on the musical pulse, but the pulse must have been way below the average heart rate because this is lukewarm and milquetoast as fuck.
I've no idea why this disaster is on here. It's really bad compared to their other work. It's still listenable, so it is fine with a 2 - but fuck I don't want to listen to anything except maybe 'Can You Forgive Her?' again.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Slightly less of a junkie than Chet Baker, but still an insane Wikipedia bio. Take me back to the good old days of PRESCRIPTION HEROIN.
Anyways, it's hard to fuck up Jazz, and there's no doubt this guy was talented as hell. I just prefer a wind instrument focus in my jazz, rather than piano - I find piano-lead jazz a bit dull. Still, an interesting listen and one I think is worthy of any formidable vinyl collection.
R.E.M.
2/5
I've nothing to say about this album that I didn't say in the last R.E.M review. R.E.M fucking sucks bro I just zoned out the entire time and when I came back to I thought I was still listening to the same shitty REM song.
Beck
4/5
Infinitely better than the last two Beck albums I was forced to endure here. I don't even remember their names they were so bland and inconsequential, but I do recall one of them being unbearable.
Anyways, this was quite an enjoyable listen. I think the latter half of this thing really does detract from the first half. A lot of the songs towards the end feel like filler and lack a lot of substance.
I just think Beck's melancholy and numbed style doesn't gel with me. I like sad music but Beck sounds more like he's bored than anything while he's making music. Still, if I had to pick a Beck album to listen to for the rest of my life - it'd be this one.
I'd give this a 3.5 if I could but I cannot, so I'll bump it up to 4 for a significant improvement to the other Beck slop I had to endure and the fact I enjoyed a majority of this listen.
Orbital
5/5
Genuinely wincing at all the negative reviews for this thing just because it - like itself and all the other electronic albums on this list - DARES to not be Gen-X/Millennial UK/US rock slop. God forbid, get a grip.
Anyways, I had to listen to this about 4 times to make up my mind. The production on this thing is crazy, especially for 1994. I love this old electronic shit. You really get an insight into the technology of the time and how difficult it is to produce music like this.
Philosophy by Numbers was a banger. Quality in Seconds made my heart race. And Are We Here? made me zone out (in the best way possible). This record is so diverse in all the music held on it, every song feels different and there are large intermissions between the differing beats and styles that it doesn't feel out of place. This is definite a record you need to listen to in one go. I hate to be 'that analogue music guy', but I feel like experiencing this on vinyl after a joint would go so hard.
And the album art is cool as fuck.
I'm calling it. This album is a masterpiece. Unbelievable this thing has such low scores. Open your ears.
Venom
2/5
A quote from Leave Me In Hell: "I don't want to be bored".
Well, I was.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Sound like Bob Dylan without the interesting voice, good songwriting, and death rattling harmonica. So, there's not much here to listen to. Sounds like what you'd hear in the background of a TV show.
This was completely unremarkable and I have literally no thoughts on this positive or negative. No wonder this thing has a perfect "3" rating, it's so middle of the road and I will happily go on with the rest of my life not remembering I ever listened to this thing.
The Who
3/5
Certainly listenable, and probably a groundbreaking British invasion album of the time - but this certainly feels dated and I think there are plenty of better The Who albums out there. I found myself checking how far into the album I was because frankly this thing was a bit boring.
Dolly Parton
5/5
Incredible front to back. My first ever Dolly Parton record, and this thing is outstanding. I am genuinely blown away. Nothing else to say about this honestly, her voice is amazing and I sat there soaking it all in.
10/10
Pentangle
2/5
Half of the songs on this thing felt like a cheap anglicised knockoff version of The Girl From Ipanema, and the other half felt like the fucking main menu music of Baldurs Gate 3. Either way this was boring as fuck, uninspired, and the song order was just a mess. This thing is also way too long. It felt like it went for 2 hours. This is a shit album and I'd rather just go listen to Stan Getz than this shit.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
Rambling was right. I can deal with whiney folk/honky tonk and enjoy it - but the singer needs to actually be good, or at the very least have quality songwriting. None were present here.
I'd love to know why this is relevant to be featured on the list, because I cannot for the life of me figure out what is so important about this thing.
The Sarah Vaughn feature on Dink's Song was fucking nuts though, I was not expecting that. Bro was pulling a Kanye by not crediting featured artists.
Soft Machine
2/5
Man I swear all lesser known prog rock all sounds exactly the same. The first track was so ear screeching my girlfriend came and told me to turn it off - and she likes prog rock more than me.
I did enjoy the jazzier elements to this. Slightly All The Time was clearly the best song on here. I can't find myself coming back to that song because I'd rather just listen to 'real' jazz.
Fuck this thing went on FOREVER as well.
U2
3/5
Inoffensive to the point of mediocrity. This is music for people with no personalities.
At least it's not The Joshua Tree.
4/5
Fun fact, the leader singer of Muse, Matt Bellamy, once cancelled his interviews for the week because he genuinely believed that there was an extraterrestrial asteroid about to hit Earth and kill everybody. He also believes that lizards secretly control the Earth, that he was abducted by aliens, and that 9/11 was an inside job. Actually, that last one is fair enough.
Anyways, crackpot lead singers aside, this album ranges from obvious and obnoxious Radiohead ripoffs, so some genuinely good tunes. I found myself nodding along to Assassin, the guitar work is really good on that, but I will concede that the vocal style does get a little annoying. The offcuts on this thing really did stand out here - especially in the latter half of the album. Supermassive Black Hole is also a supermassive hit. Shoutout to my team Jacob Twilighters.
Not a Muse fan so I'm genuinely surprised at this thing.
Grateful Dead
3/5
This is the band that effectively started the hippie movement? This band? Seriously? People actually spent their time travelling up and down the country to watch these guys play? The first song (which goes for almost HALF AN HOUR mind you), just sounds like they're doing a fucking sound check before actually playing. It only really perks up in the end, but it's nothing special. I imagine it was groundbreaking at the time, but it's just so dime a dozen now.
Turn on Your Love Light was pretty damn good, though.
Certainly listenable, but the runtime on this thing is just so long for what is essentially just a bunch of blokes jamming on stage without any real structure other than anything.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Incredible album by a terrible person.
I wanted to give this a 5 until I got til about song 9. I really think that was the perfect spot to end the album, everything else after that feels like filler. Sure, they're still decent songs, but it really takes away from the credibility of how good the first 9 songs or so are on this record.
This was my first listen of this album ever, despite knowing how critically acclaimed it is. It's just a shame that the last several songs aren't up to scratch and just makes the album drag on and on and on and on.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Just an incredible listen. The jazz and afro elements in this thing intertwined so well. My only gripe is that the drum solo went on for fucking ages, but I don't know if it was supposed to be a part or this record nor is it going to deter me from a 5 star rating.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
This deserves a 5 for cultural significance alone. Killing In The Name is such a banger I remember going on killing sprees in GTA San Andreas as a 7 year old with that playing in the background. Thank you for influencing my angsty teenager years, Radio-X.
No skips on this bad boy.
Elton John
4/5
This album is a surprising mix of an incredible journey and a complete slog to get through. No wonder it's a double LP.
Honestly though, while I loved this thing, the first half is really what carries the entire record. I found myself wanting to skip songs as I got towards the end. Once the overall idea of the album was prescribed to me in the beginning, the lack of fresh ideas or creativity towards the end made this drag.
This sounds like an overtly negative review, but it's not. The album is so widely praised I'm not going to bother typing something out that I'm sure a heap of people have before. It's a great album, I just think it's a big loaded and could be way more concise.
The Zombies
2/5
This is literally just a boring interpolation of Pet Sounds. I have nothing else to share.
Eurythmics
4/5
This album is almost exactly as old as my car give or take 30 days. Somehow this thing has aged better.
Definitely not something you'd want to listen to if you're not in the mood for something bombaciously 80's. Lucky I was. I can only imagine how much cocaine the cassette case for this album has had one it.
And yes the Spanish song sucked lmao.
Japan
2/5
I literally had Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) back to back with this new wave record. I've literally never heard of this band and it seems like they were a bit of a one hit wonder.
Once you get past the first song, this thing mellows right the fuck out to the point it's boring. This thing did NOT need to be an hour long.
David Bowie
4/5
I get the feeling this is a Bowie staple, and given the iconic artwork that I recognised despite not hearing a single song from this record, I think I might be right.
Honestly though? I think this is a huge step backwards compared to the production quality I expect from a Bowie record. His songwriting and vocal work is on point, but I just feel like the backing instrumentals were missing that 'pop' that makes me nod along to Bowie songs like a fucking idiot. Does this mean this was a bad album? Oh hell no, I still really enjoyed the off cuts of this thing - Panic in Detroit and Cracked Actor especially.
This is still a really fun and enjoyable album. Obviously I hold Bowie to a much higher standard than most, so this isn't quite up to his par, but still a damn fun time.