A revolutionary message set to jazz, funk and afrobeat - what's not to like?

Beautiful vocal range and variability. Simultaneously introspective and joyful.

Surprisingly experimental, varied, poignant.

I prefer James Brown's funkier stuff and find it hard to appreciate a live album. Still, the influence he's had on artists over decades is apparent here.

Missing, Black Trampoline, Earthquake Weather, Hell Yes, Go it Alone were the highlights on a very strong album.

I love Grace Slick's voice but too many of the tracks (the ones she isn't leading) just blur into one another for me in the most uninteresting way.

I had this album, love the nostalgia and enjoyed it as background. Hard to think of it as essential though.

One of my all-time favourite albums. Beautiful melodies and moving vocals; an exciting blend of glam rock, cinema, pop and folk. Clear inspiration for so many of the best indie bands in the decades that followed.

Ah, the album that pits my feminist principles against my love of good beats, poignant storytelling and BIG's mellifluous voice and flow - still an incredible listen 30 years on.

Stylish and sets a mood - but I don't hear what sets it apart from the atmospheric sea of electronic chill-out world music of the late 90s /early 2000s (think Buddha Bar and Cafe del Mar compilations).

Love this album. Ellington really knew how to make use of his musicians' incredible talents. Diminuendo in Blue is just thrilling.

Smooth, feel-good blues album.

Grows on me with multiple listens. Last 3 tracks are the best. Interesting choice for the list.

Enjoyed this way more than expected - so funky! - and props for providing the samples to some great hip hop tracks.

This is 50-50 for me. Half of the songs I really like, the other half, not so much. I miss how many different types of music co-existed in the 90s compared to now.

Having loved the funk jams of BSSM, this album is so very boring. I can't believe I endured the whole thing.

The simplicity of the music is hypnotic and allows the poetry to reach deep into the soul.

80s synth-pop made timeless by Lennox's incredible vocal talents.

Can I have this album without the last 4 tracks, please?

Some good tracks that I appreciate more with subsequent listens (Rich, Date With the Night, Man, No No No), but I would argue the genre is better represented by other bands of the time - or maybe Karen O's 'beautiful mess' schtick just isn't for me.

Tooting Bec Wrecked is the highlight amidst a lot of cheesy schlager-rock party tunes.

Atmospheric, but also twee and monotonous.

This fusion of house, ambient, trip-hop, jazz, bollywood and Björk's iconic vocals has been making me happy since 1993.

I come back to this album less and less as I get older, but I can't deny that it still makes me want to wreck stuff or dance til I puke.

They got skills but mostly, I felt nothing and will remember nothing (exception: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed).

This album has so many hallmarks of what I hated most about 80s pop (cheesy sax and electric guitar filler, plodding pace, repetitive). But, some catchy melodies and hooks, esp. Head Over Heels.

Always down to drink and wallow with Tom Waits, but I'll save some stars for what I know is yet to come.

I could accept this more if it had just focussed on the soundscapes. But the droning, over-long vocals makes this hard to endure.

Just beautiful.

I know all about Little Richard’s role in birthing rock n’ roll, but I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed the entire album - pure energy and fun. Also intrigued by the androgyny of some of the vocals.

I dig the mid-tempo grooves on this album though nothing quite compares to Good Times.

Just a good garage rock album that gets better with each listen. Really like the bass on this album.

Arty, experimental, funky, punky, neurotic and amazing.

An easy-to-listen-to collection of "old time gooders".

Immediately drawn in by his rich, commanding voice, and Otis Span’s piano work.

I like the eerie undertones - Man at C&A, Pearl's Cafe, Stereotype, International Jet Set are the standout tracks.

I like Pulp, but my fave tracks are on other albums. The songs are bright, witty and polished but tracks like Something's Changed and Underwear appeal to me more than the anthems.

I respect what they attempted here with textures and moods but it drags and didn’t grab me, even after repeated listens. April 5th was the standout track.

So McLaren stole pre-existing music from black artists and claimed it as his own, and then went and spoiled it with his annoying bleating and making it sound like parody. I'm sorry that this is how Brits were introduced to 'hip hop' - but that doesn't make this a must listen for anyone.

Such a great vocal style and varied arrangements. Reaches an emotional depth that his contemporaries didn’t.

It's fine. I dig the bass, I like the singles - rest of the album gets repetitive.

My 2 stars is for Killer Queen alone and bc I’d feel like a jerk giving a 1 when so many people seem to love this.

There’s so much here to love musically, lyrically, creatively.

Impressive that these songs were written by a highschooler, and at the same time could only have been written by a highschooler.

With effort, I could find something to enjoy in My Girls, Summertime Clothes and Bluish, but the rest was a chore that left me feeling stressed out.

I love the restraint of MJ’s vocals here compared to later stuff - beautiful. Perfect match for the funky/groovy/soulful brass, bass, guitar & percussion.

Laid back, jazzy, fun, great use of samples.

This is so dumb. What a treat.

Funk with a big dose of strange, yet tamer than expected.

Impressively diverse samples, beats and rhyme styles; minimalist and chaotic at the same time – it’s also harsh and violent, which limits how often I can listen to it.

Angsty.

Indian Electronica Madonna is my favourite Madonna!

There’s Always Tomorrow and Stepping Stone are the 2 decent songs. The rest is forgettable.

Run DMC, er...walked? so that Beastie Boys could run!

The album we played when having friends around for late evening drinks. A bit bland but associated with some good memories.

The last good album before Coldplay started phoning it in. Warm, intimate, melodic.