I'm honestly not sure about this one - it has all the trappings of a "great album", but nothing quite... clicks? If we take it as a whole, the ur-Rock Opera, then there's not much distinguishing the songs (barring the clearly-meant-to-be-a-single Pinball Wizard) and there's little context for much of the songs in the story. If we look at this as an album full of songs, then there's actually an awful lot of filler between the actually substantial stuff. The story is obtuse to the point that I only found out parts of it by reading the wikipedia article, and it's just very... Fine. Not awful, not great, just... Fine. I had honestly forgotten parts of it by the time I reached the end, which is a damning statement if ever there was one. Also, if we're listening to this in 2024, the story of a disabled kid with PTSD and severe needs being neglected, abused, then starting a cult to pass this experience on to others is Not Great. Faves (ish): Pinball Wizard, Eyesight to the Blind, Underture

This, to me, is just absolutely representative of that not-quite-singing, not-quite-talking, waifish white woman mid-2010s nonsense that made me turn off the radio at the time. It's not offensive, it's just... there. And there's nothing that can elicit an emotion from me, to the point that I didn't notice I was already looking through Spotify at other musicians by about track 8. Definitely in the 'not for me' camp.

Classic Madchester vibes, a bit psychedelic and masturbatory in places but not bad - the last two tracks definitely didn't need to be that long! She Bangs the Drums, however, has always and will always be a certified banger.

A classic for so many reasons, and when Too Much Too Young and Message are the standout singles you forget that the rest of the album really goes hard too! Not only a great snapshot of working class anger in the 70s, but also just very danceable :) Faves: Monkey Man (always), Concrete Jungle, A Message to You Rudy

You know in your late teens, early twenties, and you're meeting new people - college, university, house parties, wherever - and you meet that guy who fires up the room, a real party animal, everyone's buddy. You start talking to him, and it sounds like he's the most awesome person ever... but as the night wears on, he's just drinking more and more, and tell the same story over and over again to every new person who joins the group, and the story is all about the tons of sex he is DEFINITELY having, and how he's having MORE SEX than everyone else, and how he DEFINITELY did it today, and everyone realises he's just kind of... a sad act who has one story at most? That's Highway to Hell. The album starts great, with a genuine banger, but then every other song after that blends in to hard rockin', sex havin', four to the floor sameyness that really leaves me cold. The last track at least tries something different with the blues-y feel (although it is still about a serial killer stalking a woman, so no thanks), but overall I don't think it'll be one for a second listen. Fave: Highway to Hell

Part one: This is bombastic, gospel-tinged rock that's honestly kinda awesome - where's the miserable bastard Nick Cave gone? Part two: Oh, there he is. I've never been one for Nick Cave normally, but there are definitely high points on this album that got me thinking this might be alright actually - however there's also plenty of Nick going so far up himself he could check for tonsil stones... Also, it's about four tracks too much, but I'd be hard-pressed to say which four to remove to make it a better listen overall. Good, great in places, but overall not really for me. Faves: There She Goes, My Beautiful World; Supernaturally; Hiding All Away

I'm honestly not sure about this one - it has all the trappings of a "great album", but nothing quite... clicks? If we take it as a whole, the ur-Rock Opera, then there's not much distinguishing the songs (barring the clearly-meant-to-be-a-single Pinball Wizard) and there's little context for much of the songs in the story. If we look at this as an album full of songs, then there's actually an awful lot of filler between the actually substantial stuff. The story is obtuse to the point that I only found out parts of it by reading the wikipedia article, and it's just very... Fine. Not awful, not great, just... Fine. I had honestly forgotten parts of it by the time I reached the end, which is a damning statement if ever there was one. Also, if we're listening to this in 2024, the story of a disabled kid with PTSD and severe needs being neglected, abused, then starting a cult to pass this experience on to others is Not Great. Faves (ish): Pinball Wizard, Eyesight to the Blind, Underture

"Keep on, To the post office" I feel that this is going to be the first of many "it's just not for me" albums on this list - this has clearly been put together with some expert musicians, it's very well executed and the levels of each part seem exactly where they need to be... and I still don't like it. The first couple of tracks are very high-energy disco, and I'm a fan of the accompaniment on Working Day and Night, but Michael Jackson has never done it for me from a singing / songwriting standpoint, and this album has unfortunately not changed my perception on that. Additionally, I feel that the album definitely runs out of juice somewhere around the second half, and never quite gets it back. All in all, I can understand if this is your jam, but it's just not doing it for me. Faves: Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, Working Day and Night

I remember listening to this near the time it first came out, and really not rating it - the voice, the maudlin music, the tone, what have you. Having just listened to it again, I can definitively say that past me was dead wrong. I will be the first to say this won't be everyone's cup of tea - Ahnoni's voice tends towards the warbly, and her songs lean artistic and away from any sense of radio-friendliness. However, for me this was fantastic, and the sheer level of FEELINGS through the whole album was intense and vulnerable in a way I honestly wasn't expecting. I actually had to sit and process a bit afterwards, it affected me that much! Ahnoni's vocals and the stripped-down music to accompany them work brilliantly together, and the guest parts still allow the album to feel very intimate and personal - definitely going to have to listen again in the near future. Faves: Fistful of Love, You Are My Sister

This is perfectly good background music - a bit folky, a bit bluesy, but not particularly engaging for the most part. I feel like it starts really strong with 'Darkness, Darkness' and 'Smug', but gets a little lost in psychedelic noodling as it goes on - but ultimately a fun listen that doesn't hang around too long. Faves: Darkness, Darkness; Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down

This is perfectly serviceable for what it is, very well-produced, and exactly the sort of thing that just gets my back up - sorry, it's just not for me. Groovin' (the track) is good though, and brings back summer memories of oldies radio stations, but the rest is just... mneh. Faves: Groovin'; You Better Run

Pleasantly surprised by this one - very funky, very groovy, had me dancing most of the way through! I had heard Papa Was a Rolling Stone before, and I think a couple of others, but the whole album was generally full of bangers - would definitely llisten again! Faves: Papa Was a Rolling Stone; I Ain't Got Nothing

Honestly? For old school country, it could have been a lot worse.

Sorry, but this was awful - the husky not-quite-singing mumbley nonsense might work for some, but it's definitely not doing anything here. Not a fan, going to definitely need to listen to something with a bit more variety to contrast with this.

Excellent album all through, just the good side of noodling

It's a tough one to rate, this - on the one hand it's an album that's been around me for most of my life, with a couple of songs that are undeniably 80s bangers, but then it's not quite as varied as you might hope, and the synth pop sound is definitely a bit more aged nowadays... I don't think I can give it more than three, but the standout songs are definitely putting it up to three with no difficulty. Faves: The Sound of the Crowd, Love Action

The energy he's bringing is great, the songs are good, but it just gives me a real sense of FOMO because it's clearly a gig you want to be at, not just listening to - not sure I'd give it another listen, as I tend to prefer studio versions of most albums (just personal opinion)

Well that was the most eighties thing I've listened to in a long while, and it has all the associated problems with that - heavy on the synth that doesn't match the song, never quite giving the singer room to breathe, some frankly terrible lyrics that are, in fairness, sang with talent and gusto, and some deeply unnecessary covers of classics! Safe to say, this is a one-listen-and-done for me.

What can I say, it's a stone cold classic of the genre - I know I grew up with this and nostalgia may be playing a heavy part in this rating, but each song hits just right - solos are great but don't outset their welcome, songs tend to be just as long as they need to be, and it's just generally amazing! I took apart ACDC for their incessant talking about sex and women, but here there's at least a self-deprecating current running underneath it all that shows that ZZ Top aren't taking themselves too seriously - the songs end up with them being snubbed by or scared of women, eating meals alone and wondering what to do next, which gives the whole album a playful side that I honestly really enjoy. Easy five stars. Faves: Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man, Thug (that slap bass line!)

What I expected: aggressive, stripped down proto-punk with minimal instrumentation and growling lyrics. What I got: aggressive, stripped down proto-punk with minimal instrumentation and growling lyrics, and a ten-minute drone track with ominous chanting and no explanation. Not awful, not all expected, but I do think Iggy Pop got better with age.

I will always have a soft, warm spot in my cold, robotic heart for Kraftwerk - I know they're not for everyone and that's okay, I will always take their angular minimalist techno and embrace it :) Faves: the set of TEE/Metal on Metal/Abzug blend so well and give a great chugging momentum through the second half of the album

Well that was all very silly, wasn't it? Right off the bat, I'm going to say 3 stars is usually my "no strong feelings" category, but that's not the case here - but every time I was thinking this is rubbish, two stars, their flow and general enthusiasm (and a few oh so choice lyrics) brought it back up to three. And every time I was like, maybe this should be four? The sameyness of the songs and the themes dragged it back down... So a lot to like, just as much to hate, three stars. Bonus round - you can play a game of "how many other albums from this list can you hear sampled?" (I got at least eight!) Faves: Shadrach; Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun

This, to me, is just absolutely representative of that not-quite-singing, not-quite-talking, waifish white woman mid-2010s nonsense that made me turn off the radio at the time. It's not offensive, it's just... there. And there's nothing that can elicit an emotion from me, to the point that I didn't notice I was already looking through Spotify at other musicians by about track 8. Definitely in the 'not for me' camp.

This was, frankly, very much not my jam. I'm not a fan of Kendrick's lyrics, and while I can understand the topics and flow may be very worthy of praise I find myself just deeply turned off by the whole product. The instrumentation was good, and probably the main reason this gets the second star, but it's all over the place stylistically which makes for very disjointed listening, and (on a personal level) his voice is just really grating! Also, I don't understand why he chose to make us listen to a secret podcast at the end. Sorry to all the (admittedly millions of) Kendrick fans out there, but I'm not becoming one of you.

Honestly fine 80s synth pop - good background, not too mopey, kind of like what The Cure would be if Robert Plant was on sertraline. Also, it took 10 seconds before I went "Oh, it's THIS song!", so that's a record I guess?

"If this don't make your booty move, your booty must be dead!" As an elder millennial, I grew up hearing loads of these songs absolutely everywhere - and unlike many elder millennials, I still bloody love them! This album is not necessarily going to win any awards for lyrics, but you can't help but dance to it - the star rating is just for the personal party I have each and every time I listen to this, even twenty years after its release. Faves: Build Em Up, Break Em Down; Praise You; Right Here Right Now

I never thought of myself as a country fan, but it turns out I don't like MOST country, whereas this old timey, bluegrass stuff is right up my alley! This was a lovely collection of old school country and fiddle-and-banjo instrumentation, and the only reason it's not getting five stars is that I still find US country far too preachy about God to be fully enjoyable. Faves: Dark as a Dungeon, Black Mountain Rag, Earl's Breakdown

It's great background music, and you've got to give credit to the conceit of "I really want to write film scores, so here's a film score for a totally made up film to show how good I am at writing film scores, so may be you'll employ me writing film scores"

Undeniably funky, but very all over the place tonally - loved the title track, but the rest just feels a bit rough and unfinished in places. Can You Get To That has some great vocal work too, but it all just felt a bit... There? Nothing too amazing, sorry Funkadelic but I don't tee hink I'll be back to this one.

Well Ray certainly has a lovely voice, doesn't he? It's a bit too croony for my tastes for the most part, but perfectly serviceable light blues. I do think 'Let the Good Times Roll' promised upbeat-party-Ray, and the rest of the album feels a bit like an anticlimax after that, no shakin' of tail feathers here... Fave: Let the Good Times Roll

There comes a time in everyone's life when, as much as I have now, they have to admit that Pulp are actually Quite Good. Jarvis Cocker is certainly a very angry man, but the songs bring across a wide range of emotions and events, all with excellent musicality behind them - easily going to be an album I come back to.

Not bad, not great - kind of just making me want to listen to Bjork's albums instead!

Honestly an absolute chore to get through - this was certainly the ar retype of mopey indie boys tell you about nothing much in the most irritating tangy manner. I was told while listening to this that their Wikipedia page says "not to be confused with [UK hardware store] Wilko", and honestly would rather be buying mediocre garden furniture than listening to this album again.

Before I start - have I listened to Talking Heads most of my life, being brought up on Stop Making Sense? Yes. Does this make my review biased? Yes. Will that stop me? Hell no! But does this stand up as an actually good album? Still yes - it's a great mix of high-energy, jangly post-punk goodness that still feels fresh and interesting 40 years on, and David Byrne is a strange strange man writing songs about nothing and everything that somehow remain compelling. Faves: Artists Only, The Big Country, Thank You For Sending Me an Angel

Genuinely struggling between 4 and 5 stars here - the songs that are good are really, really good, and Free Bird is always gonna be an amazing track, but there's definitely a bit of a slump in the middle... I think if the songs had a little more variety it would be five? It's very strong down-south good-rockin Blues rock, but the slower songs really drag... Sod it, it's a four but I'm not sure I won't be regretting that in a couple of days. Faves: Free Bird; Tuesday's Gone

Another one that, to me, is perfectly lovely background music but slips my mind as soon as the album turns off. Great at what it does, awful at sticking power.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but a bit too weird for my tastes - I love Peter Gabriel's later stuff, and I'm usually a fan of progress, but this was just too up itself for me.

Very ggood ambient / trip hop music, from the undeniable masters of the genre. Not my favourite Massive Attack album, but that still makes it a great album.

Im kinda struggling with this one - I kind of like the music, but John Luton is such a weird little man that I vehemently dislike, so... I know that most of the musicians on this have other albums on here (Jah Wobble, The Clash, Killing Joke...) so I guess I'll wait for them to come around? Yeah, not one for another listen.

It's so hard to separate the out-and-out monster influence that Run DMC has had on music, and the actual listening of the album, because it's clear that these guys helped shape music from then 80s onwards, and yet outside of the two or three banger singles the rest is just kind of... Meh? The flow is a bit one-speed, the drum machines sound incredibly cheesy nowadays and there's not much to write home about. Not going to be one of my all time faves, that's for sure. Also, Tricky is a series of limericks and once I heard that I couldn't stop focussing on it. Don't know what to do with that information, but now you have it too. Faves: Tricky, Walk This Way

Moody, atmospheric, plaintive, love it. Trip hop at its best, and very much up my alley - I've listened to Portisgead loads over the last couple of years (so maybe I'm biased) and the musicianship on this album is still phenomenal. Hearty recommendation from me. Faves: Sour Times; Roads; Mysterons

Another example of very well made country that, for whatever reason, really leaves me cold. I'm starting to think I'm just not white enough to enjoy country. It starts off very bluegrass-y, which I enjoyed, but turned into the sort of thing I absolutely expected from an Emmylou Harris album... not my fave, notwithstanding the emotional gutpunch that Coat of Many Colours always is. Faves: Coat of Many Colours

It's... fine? Far too background for me to form a real opinion, she's got a lovely voice and there a fair few "oh, it's THIS song" moments, but overall it kinda does nothing for me. I only listened to it yesterday, and I've already forgotten most of the songs.

I mean, it's exactly what you'd expect from post-Wham!, bad-boy-image George Michael when he's trying to convince you he's still relevant - I prefer his later stuff, and even then it's not what I'd go out of my way to listen to. Faith is still kind of a banger, though.

This showed up as my album today, and I immediately went back to my teenage years - so of course I was worried I'd be biased, that nostalgia would play its part in my review. Therefore I tried my best to go into this critically, listening as though for the first time. And you know what? It still rules. When it first came out, I didn't bother listening to it because I though "oh, this is the Wake Me Up When September Ends album, I don't wanna listen to those emos", but I think Green Day have always released maudlin singles off of bangers of albums, which really don't give you an impression of what the rest of the album is like. It's a worrying state of affairs that so much of the societal points that Green Day rally against are no better - or possibly even worse - today, and their lyrics still hit hard now. Also, how is this twenty years old?? Faves: Homecoming, Letterbomb, American Idiot

I'm sorry, I tried. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were good, I didn't mind Waylon Jennings, I even got through that Emmylou Harris album, but this is just too country for its own good. Dear Lord that was a slog to get through, and I don't even remember any tracks I even slightly enjoyed. The album cover honestly suggested at least a little bit of psychedelia, but this was just mawkish, good ole boy country all the way down.

How much of this rating is because it's a good album, and how much is based on the fact that I've grown up in a house with van Morrison played fairly regularly? We may never know. Either way, pop needs more flute and harpsichord in it. Good job, VM.

Looking at the album cover: Wow, these guys really want to be Oasis. Two tracks in: Wow, these guys REALLLLY want to be Oasis. I'm honestly not sure why this deeply mediocre album of middling Brit-pap is considered one we "Have to listen to", because my overriding emotion through the whole thing was "...ehhhhh". Sorry Charlatans, but not worth the listen.

A for effort, D for execution - they clearly had some ideas they really wanted to get across, but between the singing, the bizarre instrumentation (including the squeakiest sax solo I've heard outside of a free jazz improv night), and the poor levelling throughout most of the songs it all feels like the album could have done with another couple of days in the studio, with a few more takes to get it right.

Didn't know what to expect going into this (only really knowing "Low Rider" from War), and was pleasantly surprised - very funky, very good. I will admit to not focussing too much on the lyrics this time as it was on in the background, but I definitely think I'll be going back for another listen - especially the long instrumental track 'City, Country, City'.

Early Kings of Leon has that rough, raw, garage rock sound that suits them really well - I still think they got so much worse when fame got to them and they started making radio safe almost-pop and Jared got condition lessons - give me fuzzy guitars and even fuzzier lyrics, dammit!

Thinking back, I always considered this "the less good Prodigy album" compared to Fat of the Land, and listening back to it now I don't quite know why? It's got some absolute bangers on here, and despite it being the pre-Kieth Flint era it still pounds ahead with track after track of hard-dance furiosity. A hell of a listen, and I'll definitely be putting it back on in the near future! Faves: Speedway, Voodoo People, One Love, Their Law

Slightly as I expected, the best songs on this are the ones Nirvana didn't come up with - it's all a bit too mawkish, up itself not quite rock and I'm just not here for it - sorry Kurt, it's a solid "meh" from me. Faves: The Man Who Sold the World

I've never quite got the appeal of Pixies, this album mostly feels like "surf rock on valium" and mostly just glazes over me - sorry to all the die hard fans out there, but this is a resounding mneh from me. Also Black Francis' voice just winds me up.

(*Icelandic breathy moaning intensifies*) Now I love Bjork and nearly everything she does, but I will say this is probably one of her most "experimental" albums, and will definitely not be for everyone! The almost sole use of spoken word and vocal noises instead of instruments definitely gives it a very specific, intimate air and basically you're listening to a group of people breathing heavily at you for the best part of an hour... That being said, still some great tunes here, and Triumph of the Heart is on my regular rotation for a reason. Faves: Who Is It; Oceania; Triumph of the Heart

That went on far too long, didn't it? I'm all for guitar solos and long tracks, but this all dragged so badly and was clearly just an excuse for two Hunter noodlers to indulge in a little mutual masturbation. Outside of these, the Blues style was pretty surdace-level and derivative, and didn't do anything for me. Overall, a pretty lacklustre album that somehow has older white guys attaching themselves to it like it's the second coming. ALSO, after reading Eric Clapton's wiki page? Fuck that racist, anti-vaxxer scumbag in particular.

Nina Simone has one of those voices that could move you even if she was reading out a recipe for beans on toast - I've never sat and listened to a full album of hers before, and I'm now very glad I did - well worth the listen.