I will dedicate the start of this review to rebutting what is currently the fourth-highest rated review of this album. This review basically goes along the lines of: "This is a genre called secretary rock. I don't like secretary rock because the music isn't offensive and it's marketed at women. I'm a man and I don't like music for women. Give me complex man music!". I encourage you to go and read the review in full. It really is something to behold in its chauvinistic laziness. It's also quite baffling that the author chose *this* album to use as a poster child for his complaints about secretary rock. This album (a) isn't rock, (b) is known primarily for its socially conscious folk. Couldn't you have saved your whining for someone who, you know, actually made what is considered "secretary rock"? Now my actual review: This album is great. Her voice, the songs, combined with the stripped back production, is fantastic. Having done a bit of reading about this I think the story of how she was discovered (and how the recording process panned out) is fascinating and well worth reading. There are definitely some dud songs on this album, with some jarring lyrics or forgettable tunes, but about 2/3 of the songs are superb; I had no idea she wrote Baby Can I Hold You for example! And the sound of this album has really aged well. I was amazed to find out it is basically as old as me. Best songs: Fast Car Baby can I hold you Mountains O' Things For My Lover Talkin' Bout a Revolution Worst songs: For You

I can see why people like Bowie. But for me this is pretty dull. Not bad. Just a bit dull.

Absolutely fantastic. This is my kind of melodic heavy metal. There are low moments. I feel parts of 22 Acacia Avenue drag more than they should. But overall this is superb. Highlights: Run to the hills The number of the beast Hollowed be thy name

Did I know this album before: Yes! Had it on CD at some point. The production, the instrumentation, lyrics, vocals, are all "perfect". This is a strong contrast with yesterday's Foo Fighters, which was all muddy and grungy, with instruments played and lyrics written in a mad rush. This album you feel they must have spent months over, tweaking mixing panel knobs until they were happy with every single waveform. YES this album is over-produced. I'd be surprised if the tapes they mixed on hadn't worn through to transparency given the layers and layers of sounds we're hearing. But that's the whole point. This is the natural end point of the production train, and here they show us what is possible from some instruments and a mixing desk. But: Do I truly love it? There are great songs, but their tales of a broken American Dream doesn't quite tug at me in the same way some other albums do. So maybe this is around 4.4*, missing out on a top score by a whisker.

This is good. Like a bit more of an involved bandy white stripes with more thought to the arrangements. Some good songs too, but none that I wanted to save as a 'great' song.

Good intro to east coast hip-hop. A few stand out tracks, e.g. C.R.E.A.M. All the talking skits felt a bit hammed up though.

Very good! Some good songs are Arthur and Victoria. Lyrics supposed to be good too but I didn't really listen too hard. Overall very listenable but not enough to save songs specifically.

A short album but very very good! Young Americans a great find for me. Never thought much of Bowie but that changes here.

Nik Radmore introduced me to this and it changed my musical world! This melodic and arrogant funk rock mix was an elixir to 15-year-old me. It still holds strong today (the bass and guitar lines are amazing), though it does sometimes feel quite juvenile and pretentious. In my old age I find the slower acoustic-driven songs more palatable. Highlights: Sir Psycho Sexy Under the bridge I could have lied. Funky monks

I can't remember why I fell in love with Meat Loaf. I must have been about 16 or 17. It was a superb transition from heavy rock (AC/DC, metallica, black sabbath) to a gentler, more lyrics-based world. The songs have humour embedded deep inside them, they are flamoyant, unapologetic and extremely carefully written and produced. This is still up there, though some of the shine has gone in the last 20 years or so; some of the plastic arrangement makes them fall a little flat, e.g. on For Crying out Loud. Highlights: Paradise by the dashboard light (a song with a punchline; surprisingly has double the plays of Bat out of Hell on Spotify. I don't think the UK plays this song a lot at all) Two Out of Three Ain't Bad ... (Hot Summer Night)

This *should* be an album I really like. But in reality, after the first song (which was great) this was a pretty tough listen.

It was good. Not so good that I want to listen to any of it again, but I enjoyed it at the time.

This is a very palatable live blues album. Really nice to listen to, great songs, amazing singing and instrumentation. A great album to listen to in the evening or when working. My main gripe with it is that it doesn't feel like a very cohearent live album. I think BB King gets 'introduced to stage' on a couple of different songs, which makes it feel like they have just taken songs from a few different recordings and smashed them together rather than the feel of a continuous concert. It's short at 35 minutes; I would feel shortchanged if I'd paid for a physical copy. But overall this is 4.5 stars which rounds up to 5.

This is extremely difficult to listen to. I think this is the first real album I've heard where I have thought \"given a day or two I could probably make something better myself\". I don't think there are any redeeming songs, and some of these songs go on for a very long time. The singing isn't good or enjoyable to listen to. The songs are not catchy or enjoyable to listen to (i.e. if a good singer were to sing them I don't think that would save them). The instruments sound bad and the arrangements are bad.

I bought this album on CD when I was 17 years old, having had it recommended to me by Total Guitar magazine as one of the "best guitar albums of all time". I felt conned out of £11.99; after a steady diet of AC/DC and Metallica this felt like pathetic and dreary soft rock. When I re-listened to this in my twenties I grew to really like many of the songs on it. Now I'm approaching my 40s, my body is genetically predisposed to love it in its entirety. The only dud is Oh Daddy which I will typically skip. Perhaps I will take guerrilla action here and create my own playlist of this album with Silver Springs in its place, which should always have been included here. This is a very very high 5 star rating. (I feel bad now I ranked some other 'good but not amazing' albums as high as they are).

This is a good album. There are some duds, but mostly this has a lot of very palatable (if slightly forgettable) blues rock.

I can see why people like Bowie. But for me this is pretty dull. Not bad. Just a bit dull.

This was perfectly listenable to but didn't blow my socks off

Just like what I said for the yardbirds: this has a lot of very palatable (if slightly forgettable) blues rock. Easy listening.

This was fine. Not bad! Enjoyable. I was going to rate it about a 4 but after the album finished Live Wire by the Meters came on and showed me music which really is a 4. So this gets a 3.

This is hard. By virtue of having once been 14 years old, I know most of the songs on this album well. While they are probably meant to shock and offend, for me this is basically easy listening; I can happily put this on on the background and work, potter around the house etc. But not all of the music is very good, and there aren't any songs which make me think "oh that's a very good song". So this is probably a 2 or a 3. Maybe a 3 based on other albums I've given a 3 to.

Ok. I need to rethink my ratings system. So far I have been far too generous, and there isn't enough room for nuance at the top. So I'm going to adopt a new system, roughly adapted from a message I read on Reddit somewhere. 1 star: this offended me or was of such poor quality I would have commented on it if I heard it as background music in a restaurant. I could have done better myself. 2 stars: this was not a good or enjoyable album, but it could happily exist quietly in the background somewhere. 3 stars: this does nothing for me, but I could work to it. Either quite dull, or maybe an album of bad songs but with one or two ok ones. 4 stars: I might choose to listen to this again. But I'm not going to tell anyone about this. Happily would have this on rotation, and it might even have a few really good songs which I like a lot. 5 stars: I'm going to tell someone about this. This is a great album, which has 'changed' me in some way, emotionally or musically. The world would be a sadder place if this album were gone. With all this in mind, this album is a 4.

I don't like live albums. Why do I want to listen to something full of mistakes and sloppiness when I could listen to the "real deal", i.e. the studio version? Anyway, I first got into Thin Lizzy when I was about 15 years old. I loved their 'greatest hits' CD, and this album in a way is a version of that. There is something incredible about the pared back lack of noise, where a lot of most songs are just bass and drums and vocals. It makes me wonder what the guitarists would be doing on stage, awkwardly standing around waiting for the next solo? But when their turn comes around, the solos are powerful and incredible. That twin lead guitar sound is really unique and their overall sound contrasts so well with rock bands which in my opinion fill the sonic spectrum with too much (e.g. Metallica). So while I still hate live albums, this is a clear 5.

This is an easy 1*. A very challenging listen. The only good bit was the 10 second guitar solo in \"World up My Ass\".

I didn't enjoy this quite as.much as I thought I would. Some of the songs were a bit forgettable, but the good ones were: - the losing end - down by the river - everybody knows this is nowhere This is either a low 4 or a high 3

This album was good. Fine. ok! Lots of fun! Big songs and big sounds! I don't think I'm going to rush to listen to it again though.

A nice album. I have to confess I preferred the sections which were both in time and in tune.

This is great. It's not their best, but it's an easy 5.2 stars. I am hugely biased of course by listening to this album a lot and knowing it all and enjoying it by not needing to focus on it. How would this score change if I was listening fresh? Maybe it would be 4*s?

I am pleased this list made me listen to this album. I liked some of it. But while I liked how this album sounded, I didn't really think any of the *songs* themselves were good. On a second listen this didn't really get much better either. In fact, I'm going to switch this off right now.

This is three stars. Listenable, but forgettable.

I really appreciated the uniqueness of this album. This band was clearly trying to experiment with sounds and arrangements. There are some good songs e.g. "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Clockwork Creep". There is also a lot of stuff that doesn't *really* work. But overall – very nice to hear something that isn't the usual 60s/70s/80s rock/pop.

When I'm not listening to this album I remember it as a 3 or a 4. How many marks could an ABBA album really deserve? When it is playing I couldn't allow it anything less than full marks.

I enjoyed this a lot. I think it could have been 5* if more of the songs had choruses. Whenever the songs give hints of a chorus or a 'hook' they take a 90 degree turn and go back to more verse. Which is a shame. But very listenable to. I can imagine after 10 listens or so I could really get into the songs and really follow the lyrics.

I had never heard of Janelle Monáe. Maybe she isn't so big in the UK? I don't know. But this album is brilliant. Yes it drags a little towards the end. But this is a fantastic sound, with catchy songs and a consistent musical theme binding together the multiple genres. I loved it and will be putting this on rotation.

I didn't think I'd like this but I did so there

This was an ok album, but I find it hard to get over an unreasonbly-founded dislike of bono

This took a while to get in to. I still don't really like it, but the second half of the album wasn't as hard to like as the first.

This had some good bits towards the end of the album. But I struggled a little with the lack of hook etc.

I have to say I really enjoyed this grunge/blues/rock mashup. Top tracks: Country Home Love to burn Mansion on the Hill Worst tracks: Farmer John (this song alone nearly dragged this album down a star)

This was easy background listening. Reminded me of the sweaty jungle room in those parties at the students union.

This started really really well. After track 1 I was ready to give this album 5 full stars. By the end, after I'd been dragged through Moonchild and back, my opinion shifted significantly.

Absolutely fantastic. This is my kind of melodic heavy metal. There are low moments. I feel parts of 22 Acacia Avenue drag more than they should. But overall this is superb. Highlights: Run to the hills The number of the beast Hollowed be thy name

I wasn't sure about this AT ALL the first time I listened. But on the second listen I started to really enjoy it.

I realise a big problem with rating these albums is that I listen to them when I'm working. So I tend to favour music which suits that environment. This includes either (a) albums I already know and am familiar with, or (b) easy listening 'background work' music e.g. drum n bass or blues rock. Billie Holiday fits into none of these categories, so it's a pretty tough workday listen straight off the bat. So I need to take this into account. Really this is a great album for the first hour of a cocktail party, as people arrive and I'm making Campari Sodas all round. Or maybe the last hour, as we sit around with herbal teas at 2am. With those (hypothetical) scenarios in mind, this is a great listen. Her voice is obviously fantastic, and the production sensibly puts it centre stage. It's very atmospheric. Yes the lyrics are all a bit trite, and I'm not going to actively seek this out to listen by myself. But next time we spin up the Dansette and open the drinks cabinet, I'll be looking through the vinyl for Billie.

Overall this album is ok. Bad ok, but ok. It's got some good songs at the start of it! But even they are generally forgettable, and when compared with rock/pop bands from a similar era e.g. Bonnie Tyler or Huey Lewis and the News I think this really falls short. Her voice is good; it's the songwriting and production which is just a bit lacklustre. After the first 3 songs the quality really went downhill. Cry on my shoulder I really suffered through. "Thing called love" is a good song. Not great but good. Overall this is a classic 2 star album. Fine, but forgettable.

Imagine the Red Hot Chili Peppers without any musicianship or songwriting ability. And then make it a bit worse than that.

The first song: Wow great, 5/5! The rest of the songs: 2/5.

I have similar thoughts for this as I did for 'Lady In Satin'. This is a great album, but is hard to listen to when I'm working. It's an album that makes you think! It needs 110% of your brain! There's a lot of good stuff going on here. It's not an album I'm going to rave about and actively seek out (unless I'm throwing an extravagant cocktail party). But it is very good.

Welcome back! This is the album which broke my project. It was so complicated and difficult to give a score to this. Do I hate it because it sounds like all the other stuff? Or because it's so dull? Or do I love it because of the wonderfully expressive sonic landscapes? The moody beats? The smattering of catchy songs? Maybe I'm just saturated with the chore of assigning daily star ratings to albums. So all of that (and the cvpr deadline) led to me abandoning the project for a few weeks, and letting a small backlog build up. Back to Halcyon Digest. It's probably a 3 or a 4. I was going to listen from the start to decide, but because they broke the project they get a 3. Next. Best track: Memory Boy Worst track: Basement Scene

The sound was a bit muddy and blah. The songs weren't very catchy and it didn't do anything to me emotionally. There wasn't anything here I really enjoyed. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to listen to it though and find out what Jane's Addition is all about.

I kinda like this. It's fun! But none of the songs are wildly memorable. It's just good background grooves.

I was on the fence between a 3 and a 4 on this one. Nothing really catchy but some lovely songs and a great sound. On a Wednesday morning when I have the house to myself and it is a bit damp outside, this becomes a 4. Best song: The girl from Ipanema (Gives me slight "Marathon" by Tennis 'prequel' feelings)

This was fine. Kind of boring. Didn't do much! This was everywhere when I was younger, but I didn't recognise any songs outside of Clint Eastwood. I don't feel I really missed out. It's interesting to consider if I might really like this if I'd have got into it way back when it came out. Probably! I quite like Lemon Jelly which has some overlap with this. It's also amazing how far back this came out, in relative terms. 23 years ago! When I was 15!? That can't be right. But it is.

None of these songs were really in a style I like. Too slow, rambling, not really got a pulse or going anywhere. Her voice is clearly amazing though, and there were a couple which I enjoyed more than just 'meh'. Top songs: White dress Breaking up slowly Worst songs: All the others

This was pretty hard work to listen to. It was mostly just junky noise. It did get slightly (and I mean slightly) better towards the end of the album. Best tracks: Fight for your right Awful bin-worthy tracks: The rest of them

Some of these songs were ok but overall I realise this is very much not my bag. I think overall the melody to singing ratio isn't high enough. The overall production sound is fine, and her voice is really good; I just don't think the songs themselves were enjoyable. I.e. if someone else recorded them with a different production style I still don't think I would like them. I did appreciate the lyrics of several of the songs though, and I feel if I had more time I might have really studied them and got a bit more out of the album. But after 1.5 listens, this isn't scoring well for me. Best songs: You Oughta Know Perfect (this had good lyrics!) Hand in my Pocket

First things first: I love ZZ Top's sound: It's the perfect mix of heavy but not too heavy. The guitars are distorted but not too much. The drums have this really persistent driving rhythm. I don't *love* the vocals but they work. Even on this saturated album dripping with 1980s production I think the overall sound is great. Now to the songs themselves: The hits, all at the top of the album, are great. But after that though there is a bit of chaff. I perhaps could compare this a bit unfavourably to Back in Black which came out three years earlier, has a similar vibe and is full of back-to-back bangers. However, in spite of a bit of a lack of songwriting this album keeps going for me. It's great music to work to; a great sound, driving beat, but none of it interesting enough to make me stop and listen carefully. Best songs: Sharp dressed man Gimme all your lovin' Legs Worst songs: TV dinners (what is that about) I got the six (such a filler track)

I am very pleased that Stevie Wonder exists. I think his musical sound is pretty good and interesting and contrasts well with the typical music I might listen to. I am pleased that lots of people like this type of music. For me though: I think the main problem I have with this album in particular is that all the songs (with the exception of one or two) are entirely forgettable. They sort of meander around a bit with some nice sounds and nice backing vocals, with some interesting musical interludes. And then the next song starts. I don't really feel anything, the songs just sort of happen. Best songs: Superstition I Believe

I knew Proud Mary (and a few other CCR songs) before hearing this album. But hearing this whole thing at once is a revelation. The sound is superb. The songs are brilliant in their simplicity. The production is perfect. Yes some of the songs are a bit samey; the musical range of this group doesn't seem huge. Nonetheless this is brilliant. A rare album which makes me wonder how different my life might have been had I discovered this when I was 16 years old.

In the early 2000s I went to quite a few punk/ska gigs: Guttermouth at The Garage, Rancid at Brixton Academy, plus some no-name bands at the White Horse in High Wycombe and some Reading pubs. I went because some of my friends liked this type of music. I didn't have wide enough horizons to know that there were other types of (live!) music out there that I might prefer, and even if I did I didn't have the social nous to be able to coordinate a group outing. And I feel now, listening to the Replacements, that all these bands I saw that I didn't really like had their roots in this kind of 80s punk. I will say that when it's carefully recorded it sounds ok! It's easy background listening. But, on reflection, when this kind of stuff is played live in the Purple Turtle by 20 year olds jumping around without their shirt on it sounded pants. I'm just not really into this. Best songs: I will dare Unsatisfied

The sound is FANTASTIC. The guitars, the drums – there is so much to love about how these songs have been played and produced. It's excessive but that's the point. For me though the thing that holds this album back from being 5 stars is the songs themselves. If most of these songs were played by an acoustic singer-songwriter in a pub, I'm not sure I'd stick around. There just isn't a huge amount to them.

I will dedicate the start of this review to rebutting what is currently the fourth-highest rated review of this album. This review basically goes along the lines of: "This is a genre called secretary rock. I don't like secretary rock because the music isn't offensive and it's marketed at women. I'm a man and I don't like music for women. Give me complex man music!". I encourage you to go and read the review in full. It really is something to behold in its chauvinistic laziness. It's also quite baffling that the author chose *this* album to use as a poster child for his complaints about secretary rock. This album (a) isn't rock, (b) is known primarily for its socially conscious folk. Couldn't you have saved your whining for someone who, you know, actually made what is considered "secretary rock"? Now my actual review: This album is great. Her voice, the songs, combined with the stripped back production, is fantastic. Having done a bit of reading about this I think the story of how she was discovered (and how the recording process panned out) is fascinating and well worth reading. There are definitely some dud songs on this album, with some jarring lyrics or forgettable tunes, but about 2/3 of the songs are superb; I had no idea she wrote Baby Can I Hold You for example! And the sound of this album has really aged well. I was amazed to find out it is basically as old as me. Best songs: Fast Car Baby can I hold you Mountains O' Things For My Lover Talkin' Bout a Revolution Worst songs: For You

When I was 20 I had guitar lessons from Pete Friesen, one of Alice Cooper's touring guitarists, at his house in Maidenhead. He was a really nice guy! On to this album though. For me, this is just 'fine'. I don't think that it shocks me. The music is quite good in places! But there aren't many songs which made me want to listen again. A bit like a proto-slipknot, I feel this is an act which got high on wild performances and edgy lyrics rather than good music. Sorry Alice. Sorry Pete.

This has several absolutely amazing songs, but the filler tracks really are filler. The End drags. The end of the album drags! But even on the boring filler songs, the sound is really good. So even they are 3 stars. And the good songs really are good. I mean amazing, 6 star stuff. So this averages at a healthy 4 I think, but I might be being generous as it's the 2nd of January 2025.

This all kind of sounded the same. And I didn't really enjoy it. It got me through writing 2/3 of a CVPR review so it had that going for it, but it just wasn't really *good* in any way. Why is this on this list? It's like the Postal Service without good songs or lyrics. "All My Friends" has this sort of continuous piano-key hitting things which sounds like what my two year old does when he's not getting enough attention.

I think I've come to realise that jazz albums just aren't going to get above a 4. Sorry. This is good. Like experimental jazz good. But it's not so aligned with my own enjoyment buttons that I can really truly love it.

Not as bad as I thought it was going to be! I mean it's very much of its time and place. Those two things being 1999 and my friend's bedroom. I don't think I would actively listen to this again. But if I had bought this on CD as a 16 year old I would have listened to this on repeat. And I would have done my best to (badly) play half of this on my Aria Pro.

This has some good moments. The scots/reggae sound is quite interesting and works well for some songs, but does tire by about half way through the album. Overall I don't think this is something I'm going to come back to, except for maybe the two songs I list below! I hadn't heard of Finley Quaye before. It's quite sad to read about him now; he clearly had this really exciting moment of fame in the 90s, but it just didn't last, and since them he's been through bankruptcy and convictions. Top tracks: Your Love Gets Sweeter (this is a nice track!) Even After All

Some fantastic songs. Sleigh Ride is superb. I want to especially highlight the snare drum here, and its little "de-dum" lead-in to the verses. It's one of my favourite christmas musical moments. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) is also fantastic. The Wall of Sound is really "present" here, and it must have been phenomenal to hear all this when it first came out. But on the other hand, there is also a lot of dross on this album. Frosty the Snowman is not enjoyable, and it gets worse. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is awful. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers I would skip each time. And imagine getting this on vinyl, which would force you to listen to each and every song (without careful needle re-positioning)! It's also hard to hear a Phil Spector album without digging and feeling pained. It's not just the murder. Reading the wikipedia article for Ronnie Spector (née Veronica Bennett, who fronted the Ronettes) shows that Phil's crimes weren't limited to a single gunshot.

I'm sorry to confess that I like this more than Stevie Wonder, even if it is a massive rip off of his sound. Maybe just to do with what I was exposed to when younger...

So much has been written about this album already that there is no point doing any form of deep generic review. So this is a personal reflection on my ~25 years with this record. I think I bought this on CD at the record shop on the upper level of Reading's Broad Street Mall in roughly 2001. I think this was the last Nirvana album I bought, sometime after Incesticide, and was perhaps one of only 20 albums I owned at the time. This music was pivotal for me as it kickstarted my "heavy rock to acoustic" transition period (circa 2001-2004). During that era, this was on heavy rotation alongside my (brand new!) acoustic guitar and the 'playalong' guitar chord book. Listening today, in 2025, there is still so much that makes this album. The cello. The drumming. The layers of guitars. And of course the songs themselves. Something I was never able to do back in the early 2000s was to watch the videos. These are a revelation. Production mysteries are revealed, for example, the 'unplugged' lie; we see the dual pickups on Kurt's guitar which give the distinctive lead guitar sound e.g. on "Man Who Sold the World". What I thought was cello on "Jesus Don't Want me for a Sunbeam" is in fact an accordion. All the musicians look disconcertingly young, full of nervous energy. We see Dave's softly-softly drumming and the lucky people in the audience who perhaps had no idea what they are witnessing. So after all these years, I still love this album. But when it comes to scores, the big question is: Is this album a 5 or a 6? The thing which hangs over the decision for me is Kurt's vocals. Do his breaking high notes (e.g. on "Pennyroyal Tea") and his lazy enunciation ("I'm not that thlum") work in this acoustic setting? Or are they really best suited to layering over distorted guitars and heavy drums, In Utero style? After re-re-listening I think this album works because of, not in spite of, his vocals. If it was George Michael on vox with silky smooth perfection, this wouldn't be half the album it is (with no disrespect to George). No song demonstrates this better, in my opinion, than "On a Plain". Going from the verses to "...Love mySELF" is the key vocal-breaking hook. So it's a clear 6. Maybe 5.8 because Pennyroyal Tea is a bit of a drag. Best tracks (with a * by the ones which I would walk through a house fire to rescue): About a Girl Come as You Are* The Man Who Sold the World* Dumb Something in the Way Lake of Fire* All Apologies Worst tracks: Pennyroyal Tea

I remember when Susanna invited me to join some friends at her flat for a birthday dinner party. We had a three course meal and played charades. Which, for a twelve year old's birthday party in Maidenhead felt like a very grown up affair indeed, and was a strong contrast with the star chart her parents still maintained on the fridge to monitor her behaviour. After the meal her father played us all his favourite song and offered £5 to whoever could name it. A few minutes of increasingly complex culinary clues later and David Wilkes had doubled his pocket money that month. The song, of course, was Green Onions. This album has a great sound. I like this laid back early r'n'b much more than I like the jazz from a similar era. It's really easy listening. Background Sunday morning. It is magic? No. Does it connect with me on a deep personal level? No. But we need music like this to exist, great music to elevate us a little.

I think there is a point at which you are trying too hard. And this album is three avant-garde saxophone solos over that threshold.

It's hard to give a rating to this one. I didn't hate it. But I didn't really like any of it either. I did like some of the lyrics, e.g.: I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell I am a hustler baby, I'll sell water to a well But I have to say when Eminem made his appearance in Renegade I realised that there are better rappers out there. Best tracks: U Don't Know Renegade

To me this sounds a lot like some early brit-pop bands. And the sound isn't bad! Not great, but it's listenable to. The big problem is that every single one of these songs are entirely forgettable. In fact I forgot most of them while they were still playing. The chorus would come around again and I would think "oh, yes, I vaguely remember that this might have been the chorus to this song" then the verse would start and if you paused the song at that point there is no way I'd have been able to even hum the chorus. There is just no hook or memorable tune to any of this.

This is the fourth 2* album in a row. I'm sorry. This again is a nice album with some nice sounds. But... it doesn't do anything for me. Doesn't elevate me, doesn't make me feel anything. (Is the problem me??) Best songs: Do Your Thing Theme From Shaft

It's quite nice to receive this album just a few days after Unplugged in New York. It's amazing how quickly the world moves; in 1994 Dave Grohl is softly drumming along to About a Girl, while in 1995 he's playing every instrument on 'Foo Fighters' and ushering in a new Post-Grunge age. So yes, this album is seminal, marking a turning point in rock history. But it's also not *that* great to my ears now. I just feel it doesn't have enough great memorable songs to give this a super high star rating. I also feel that the rushed production really shows. These songs sound muddy and blurred, and the vocals are low in the mix making them inaudible in places. Compare this with The Color and the Shape, released just two years later. It's like Dave Grohl (and his production budget) suddenly grew into his new role as rock frontman; on the latter album his vocals are clear, loud, front and centre. It's a shame none of the later Foo Fighters albums are included in this list as some of those might well be 5*. There's a superb little video of Dave on YouTube (search for oojzmjJ3ugE) where he describes his songwriting techniques to Kyle Gass, with nuggets like "think about [your song] like it's a bumper sticker" and "don't bore us, get to the chorus!". The video is from 2009, and on reflection I feel his songwriting abilities were something Dave really honed between his first two albums. Best tracks This is a Call Big Me Wattershed

Did I know this album before: Yes! Had it on CD at some point. The production, the instrumentation, lyrics, vocals, are all "perfect". This is a strong contrast with yesterday's Foo Fighters, which was all muddy and grungy, with instruments played and lyrics written in a mad rush. This album you feel they must have spent months over, tweaking mixing panel knobs until they were happy with every single waveform. YES this album is over-produced. I'd be surprised if the tapes they mixed on hadn't worn through to transparency given the layers and layers of sounds we're hearing. But that's the whole point. This is the natural end point of the production train, and here they show us what is possible from some instruments and a mixing desk. But: Do I truly love it? There are great songs, but their tales of a broken American Dream doesn't quite tug at me in the same way some other albums do. So maybe this is around 4.4*, missing out on a top score by a whisker.

I'm not sure I'd listen to this again but I was pleased to listen to this and learn about this band. It also helped me make some connections: I knew that Vince of Mötley Crüe had killed someone drink driving, but I now know that that person was Razzle, the Hanoi Rocks drummer, and this basically killed off Hanoi Rocks as a band. Which is all a bit sad and unnecessary. There's a lot of fun stuff here. It's very silly and Glam and 80s. It's not the best in this genre though. Maybe its the songs themselves which are just a little lacking some oomph? This was in danger of being a 2* album but the inclusion of a song about what was once my nearest underground station pushes this up a notch.

I'm a big fan of Back to Black (which I fully expect to give 5*s to when it comes up), but this was the first time hearing this album for me. And I'm sorry to say that this was the biggest disappointment I've had on this so far. Ultimately these songs are bad, and they are certainly not saved by Amy's voice (which wavers between 'ok' and 'whiney'). Most of the songs just don't have a good tune (e.g. Fuck me Pumps). And those that hint at good tunes often have tiresome lyrics. Sorry Amy, but this is going in the bin.

This has some great sounds, is quite pleasant to listen to and is good background working music. But the songs themselves are a bit boring. Nice but boring. Best songs: There goes the fear M62 Song Pounding

When I first listened to this it felt like a second-rate Clash. Listenable but fairly forgettable. I played it a couple of times and forgot about it. Then on Monday morning I woke up with the "See No Evil" riff in my head. I listened to it all again. And it's great. Not brilliant (this is no 5* album) but I know I'll be listening to this again.

Fats brings happy memories of working in Books @ 58 on Cotham Hill. Late one Thursday afternoon Ben Dark spun up Blueberry Hill on the Bose, and it opened a window into a world of early r&b, rock n roll and and swing. This continued in earnest when I met my now wife in 2016 and we swing danced our way to marriage a few years later. This album is full of amazing tracks. I love the earlier songs in this album (e.g. Honey Chile and What's the Reason...) and it's only some of the slower tracks towards the end (like the Fat Man's Hop) which drags this down a star.

There are some wonderful songs bookending this album (which I list below). But in the middle there is a lot of quite miserable sound-alikes. Top songs: Agnus Dei The One You Love Crumb by Crumb Old Whore's Diet

I think I probably danced to half of these songs every Friday night in Ramshackle in Bristol. But in contrast to say the Killers, or the Fratellis, or all the other 2000s-ish indie bands I can't say I really remember any of these songs. Maybe due to my mental state at the time, or, perhaps, because they are all quite forgettable. Best songs: Red Morning Light Molly's Chambers California Waiting Talihina Sky

I don't think I enjoyed this very much.

I didn't really know Santana (I don't think they have ever been as big in the UK as they have been in the US). But this is great. Hard to fault it really. Maybe it's a low 5/high 4 as for all the musical quality and high-intensity rhythms, my *emotional* bond with it isn't that strong. Top tracks: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen Samba Pa Ti

This is obviously a pinnacle of the prog/rock genre, and it is beautifully made. Really amazing sounds and progressions. And amazing that this was just a few years after the Beatles. But on the other hand... this is kind of clinical and detached. I feel like I'm watching the prefects put on a concert.

This album has powerful moments and some good songs. I can see why it's considered important. It's got beautiful sounds. There's a lot of emotion here and it makes me feel a lot when I'm listening. But the songs aren't truly grabbing me, they aren't changing me. Which is a shame I think.

I will never understand why the Stones are so often mentioned in the same sentence as the Beatles. I mean there aren't any objectively *bad* songs on this album. They are all good! And a couple are great. But (to me) there is no real magic here. Just a lot of pleasant rock n roll.

There's a lot to love here. There is such a wide variety of sounds, and these songs take you on a wonderful musical and emotional journey. The technical skills are of course incredible. And the songs are so well written and arranged. Yes some of these sound a bit samey. And I do really think you have to be in the right mood for thrash metal. But overall this album (which is only four months younger than I am!) is superb. (I am a little wary of giving this album a high score though, for the following reason: I have a view that at the end of this process I should be able to take all the 4* and 5* rated albums and make a playlist from all their tracks to give a mega playlist of brilliant non-skip songs. But Megadeth... well Megadeth needs to be listened to in its entirety, alone. You can't have "Peace Sells" popping up in the middle of a playlist. (Or can you?) But I have to overlook this small issue to give this album the rating it deserves.)

This is great. Kind of proto pop/punk/new wave and in a good way. Lots of songs I'm coming back to. A great listen. Maybe this is a low 5. Like 4.7. But I haven't had a really really good album for a while so this is a 5. Best songs: Moving in stereo My Best Friend's Girl (some superb little guitar licks here) Just What I Needed

I've really struggled with this one. I love it – there's a load of great songs and sounds. But is it a 5? I'm going to say no. I've listened a lot, and love it, but I don't love it 5*s. There are many superb songs. Of course "Cloud Nine", "Runaway Child" etc. But also songs from the second side, e.g. "Why Did She Have To Leave Me" and "I Gotta Find a Way (To Get You Back)".

This is phenomenal, pop/funk/disco perfection. The problem is that I don't really like pop/funk/disco *that* much which gives a bit of an upper limit to this rating, no matter how open-minded I can be.

This is very listenable to, but is also so very generically forgettable. It's classic "landfill indie" isn't it?? Having said that, "The Bucket" is a good song. I didn't know it was Kings of Leon though, and I am ashamed to say that if pressed I would probably have guessed it was by The Strokes, who are presumably a much cooler band.

When I first heard this album I was probably 22, and the songs here – like those on Different Class – were all about someone else. I softly chuckled at the fates of these anxious middle aged men. But now... now some of this is a bit closer to home. Outside of the university bubble, the chimp is sometimes there sitting on my back [The Fear], I have swapped some of my wild aspirations for domestic duties [Dishes], and I can't remember the last time I was out past midnight [Party Hard]. And beyond all of the journeys and the characters these songs take you on, the music is absolutely mind-blowingly phenomenal. Why don't people talk about how incredible The Fear is? Or This is Hardcore? Or Party Hard? These are top class soundscapes. Yes, there are a few tracks which are a bit less exciting, a bit less memorable. And it's easy to compare this with Different Class and feel like there's something missing. But let's not quibble. This album is a solid 5, a top piece of work.

I am constantly amazed by how many stunning albums came out in 69/70/71. Johnny Cash, Black Sabbath, Abbey Road, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, Layla, The Stones (if you think they're good), Tapestry, Imagine... Imagine having heard all of that on repeat for the last 3 years. Would you still think this album was good? Yes! I think you would. This is some pretty progressive stuff but still really firmly rooted in real instruments with sounds, and doesn't go too far in the "deliberately trying to be off-beat" direction. Some lovely arrangements and great songs.

For years I would see Smashing Pumpkins scrawled in tip ex across the rucksacks of people who were a bit cooler and edgier than I was. Who or what were these pumpkins? It turns out that they have good songs and good sounds. I think I would have really liked them when I was younger. But do I like them now? Yes, when they are most aligned with what I want. Disarm for example. Soma? Yes. Geek USA? Somewhat. But there is a lot that feels a little juvenile. I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps its just the grungy angst.

It's amazing how separated I am culturally from some types of music. Collectively, these songs have had about 4 BILLION listens on spotify, yet I hadn't heard (of) a single one of them. And are they good? Yeah they are fine. Like 2 or 3 stars fine. However, while I usually try to separate the art from the artist, this album does lose 3 stars for Kanye being a literal Nazi.

This is fantastic dark soviet video game fantasy music. Like Black Sabbath meets Talking Heads meets Super Mario. Yes flood I is a drag. But the rest is great. A nice new discovery for me.

This was a wonderful listen. Her voice is incredible and the instrumentation and production are perfect. It's an encapsulation of a really mature 1980s flavour of country music, before it perhaps took a bit of dive in the 90s. And the songs are fantastic. My only niggle - and it's a niggle that cost this album a whole star - is that some of the rhymes are very unsatisfactory. "Banks of the Pontchartrain" rhymes "train" with "come in". Then on "Love's found a shoulder" she gave up entirely: "I wish you well for your new love // cause true love is so hard to hold // you'll be the one that I dream of // till I find a love of my own". (This isn't a phenomenon restricted to this album. One of her other songs rhymes "radio" with "radio", "radio" and "radio".)

There are some very cool sounds here. And this must have been phenomenal to hear in 1977. But a lot of the songs a bit rambling and forgettable. Which is surprising to me as I really really like their "stop making sense" live concert. (In fact it seems that it's only psycho killer from this album which made it into stop making sense. Which does in fact make sense). So it's a slightly disappointing 3, in spite of some great songs e.g. "The Book I Read", "Pulled Up" and of course "Psycho Killer".

This is hard because of aforementioned irrational dislike of Bono. But let's push through. "One" is amazing. I first heard Johnny Cash's version many years ago. And the original here is almost as good. "Until the End of the World" is good but kind of background/forgettable to me. As is "...Wild Horses"! "So Cruel" is good. As is "...arms around the world". So overall I have to conclude that this is a good album. Yes I can feel the ego coming through in so many places. But there are some great songs behind all that.

For me it's interesting to read the reviews on this site because – in my opinion – in the UK we get a very culturally different musical exposure compared with our US cousins. Some reviews of this album talk about how generic it sounds: it's described as "standard Elvis country music filler", "the kind of music that an audience at a bar would half-listen to". But in the UK we don't hear this music a lot, I don't think. Right now I'm in central London, surrounded by thousands of pubs and bars, but I don't know a single one I could walk into right now to be sure to hear music in this genre. So to me this music isn't cliched. It's exciting and other-worldly. It talks of a different place, of 70s America, of red vinyl seats and long bars and moustaches, Levis and Cadillacs. This is a dream album of a dream land I will never truly understand but can see a window into via beautiful songs like "Gentle on my Mind", "Only the Strong Survive", "Any Day Now", "Wearin' that Loved on Look" and of course "Suspicious Minds". So yes: Elvis is still king. Maybe his earlier stuff was fresher and more exciting. But my goodness this is incredible.

Today I found out I've gone my whole life thinking Steeleye Span and Steely Dan were the same band. This album is by Donald Fagan, who was highly connected with the latter and perhaps has never even heard of the former. This album is full of beautifully produced songs. But they are also kind of vapid and bland. I don't feel Ruby Baby is truly about a wonderful woman; this version is about saxophones, piano fills and studio tweaking. This is in huge contrast to the Drifters' original, which is full of charm and really feels like a friend telling you about their exciting new catch. This trend continues with Maxine (yes I get it, you can play the piano and sing in harmony). New Frontier skirts dangerously close to muzak. And that's kind of what this is: generic background listening for a fairly bland hotel bar. Fine.

Neil Young has always been somewhat on the sidelines for me. Someone I knew, some of whose songs I knew. But not someone front and centre in my life. This changes today. This is an album full of amazing songs, beautifully played and beautifully sung. Yes there are a couple of "filler" tracks. And surprisingly one of these comes early on with the title track "Harvest". What a waste of time. And then "There's a World" later on. But overall this is an album it would pain me to lose, and more than earns its 5 stars. The Needle and the Damage Done is wonderful. Old Man runs round your head for days after you hear it. And Heart of Gold is possibly the *best song ever written*. For me Heart of Gold holds a special place in my own heart, as for me this is my good friend Charlie Knox-Vydmanov's song. For me, he and Heart of Gold are one and the same; we can't see or hear one without thinking of the other. (And his version definitely rivals the original!)

Complaining that Blood on the Tracks isn't my favourite Dylan album is like complaining about the colour of the defibrillator someone is using as you lie prostrate on the pavement outside the library. This album is brilliant, life changing, expansive. It is everything. Its deep cuts would be headline hits for other artists. And then there are the bigs ones. Shelter from the Storm; Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts; Tangled Up in Blue; You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go; If You See Her, Say Hello ... feed these electrons directly to my ventricles and maybe through his pain I will live again. I do see this album as a little more of a "bag of songs" compared to the more holistic works of say Highway 61 Revisited or Blonde on Blonde. But no bother. This is an easy 5.8 stars.

This is nice. But if I'm honest, to me it's fairly forgettable 70s rock. There is a lot of talent here and some nice tunes (Breakdown and American Girl stand out). If I wanted to listen to music like this I don't think I would choose to listen to this album. Springsteen has more heart. Fleetwood Mac have better songs. The Eagles have more power. CCR have deeper grooves. Neil Young is more emotive. So this will be assigned an eternity of 3 star purgatory.