264
Albums Rated
3.13
Average Rating
24%
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825 albums remaining
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1970s
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other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
30
5-Star Albums
16
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fromohio | 5 | 2.89 | +2.11 |
| Leftism | 5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
| Emperor Tomato Ketchup | 5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
| Music For The Jilted Generation | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
| Trans Europe Express | 5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
| Melody A.M. | 5 | 3.21 | +1.79 |
| Scissor Sisters | 5 | 3.23 | +1.77 |
| The Specials | 5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
| You Want It Darker | 5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
| Fear Of A Black Planet | 5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | 1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
| Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs | 1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
| The Band | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
| Yankee Hotel Foxtrot | 1 | 3.3 | -2.3 |
| Architecture And Morality | 1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
| Your Arsenal | 1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
| Rapture | 1 | 2.94 | -1.94 |
| The Gilded Palace Of Sin | 1 | 2.93 | -1.93 |
| Is This It | 2 | 3.82 | -1.82 |
| Off The Wall | 2 | 3.78 | -1.78 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Green Day | 2 | 5 |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Wilco | 2 | 1.5 |
| Scott Walker | 2 | 1.5 |
5-Star Albums (30)
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Popular Reviews
Billy Bragg
4/5
I sit here listening to this album from 1986, reading an article about how the government is blocking plans for rewilding beaver in England and the Natural Sciences GCSE because they are "Tory legacies".
To quote Ideology: "Outside the patient millions who put them into power, expect a little more back for their taxes - like school books, beds in hospitals, and peace in our bloody time... All they get is old men grinding axes"
How have we not improved in forty fucking years guys, Jesus Christ.
1 likes
Metallica
5/5
Let's face this, this is pretty much a masterpiece by any metric. There's not going to be an easy way for anyone who's even vaguely into the rock/metal scene to go into this album objectively as a first-time listener, and considering I have listened to this album enough to learn to play most of the songs front-to-back means you shouldn't come to me for an outsider's view :P
Punchy, amped-up, with crunchy guitars and growling vocals, but not so overblown that it becomes unnecessarily wanky, there's a reason that millions of people still wear this album cover on t-shirts the world over.
1 likes
Lorde
2/5
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.
1 likes
The Who
2/5
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
1 likes
Stereolab
5/5
French artsy noise -pop with funky time signatures and fuzzy driving basslines? This does very much feel tailored to me, not gonna lie - this was an enjoyable listen all the way through, and my biggest question now is four or five stars...
Considering I've just listened through the demos and extended editions as well, it's probably gonna have to be five isn't it - this is definitely a band I'm going to look into more, this is what the List should be about :)
1 likes
1-Star Albums (16)
All Ratings
The Stone Roses
3/5
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.
The Specials
5/5
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
AC/DC
2/5
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
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
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
The Who
2/5
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
Michael Jackson
2/5
"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
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
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
The Youngbloods
3/5
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
The Young Rascals
2/5
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
The Temptations
4/5
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
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Honestly? For old school country, it could have been a lot worse.
Giant Sand
1/5
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.
Santana
4/5
Excellent album all through, just the good side of noodling
The Human League
3/5
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
Sam Cooke
2/5
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)
Tina Turner
2/5
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.
ZZ Top
5/5
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!)
The Stooges
3/5
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.
Kraftwerk
5/5
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
Beastie Boys
3/5
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
Lorde
2/5
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.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
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.
Simple Minds
3/5
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?
Fatboy Slim
5/5
"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
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4/5
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
Barry Adamson
4/5
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"
Funkadelic
3/5
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.
Ray Charles
2/5
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
Pulp
4/5
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.
The Sugarcubes
3/5
Not bad, not great - kind of just making me want to listen to Bjork's albums instead!
Wilco
1/5
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.
Talking Heads
5/5
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
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
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
Stan Getz
4/5
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.
Genesis
2/5
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.
Massive Attack
4/5
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.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
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.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
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
Portishead
5/5
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
Emmylou Harris
2/5
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
Carole King
3/5
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.
George Michael
2/5
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.
Green Day
5/5
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
The Flying Burrito Brothers
1/5
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.
Van Morrison
4/5
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.
The Charlatans
2/5
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.
Mott The Hoople
2/5
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.
4/5
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'.
Kings of Leon
4/5
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!
The Prodigy
5/5
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
Nirvana
3/5
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
Pixies
3/5
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.
Björk
4/5
(*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
Derek & The Dominos
1/5
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
4/5
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.
The Pretty Things
4/5
This was a surprise for me - I was not expecting much, considering how much I disliked Tommy, but the psychedelia was turned up to max at key points, the songs were different enough to stay interesting, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed this!
I can definitely see what other reviews are talking about with "Beatles meets King Gizzard" in places, and that is absolutely a recommendation from me :)
Faves: Balloon Burning, Old Man Going
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
I honestly tried to listen to this fairly, to take it on its own merits, but when you're singing along to every word of an album you be listened to for the past thirty minutesears, it's hard to be objective...
What can you say? It's Rumours, it's always been great and always will be, and it's getting this five star rating fully deservedly.
Faves: Go Your Own Way, Second Hand News, Dreams
Pentangle
2/5
All in all, it all smacks of over-serious look-how-wonderful-we-are folky nonsense that is good in small doses, but grates massively after a while. Also, why are there three basically identical versions of one song on here?
The Black Crowes
2/5
Heaven 17
2/5
When I first listened to this album in my first run through the List, I had this down as 'awful 80s synthpop nonsense, with the exception of the title track'. I will admit my views have softened on this now, to merely 'staid, samey 80s synthpop with the exception of the title track'.
Don't get me wrong, 'Penthouse and Pavement' is great, but the album of the same name is definitely going in the 'no thank you' pile.
Burning Spear
3/5
Pretty decent classic reggae - not a band I've heard much of before, but I'll probably come back to this?
The Smiths
2/5
as always, The Smiths would be a much better band is they didn't have that racist scumbag up front - the score is purely for Johnny Marr and the guys, not for... Him...
Meat Puppets
4/5
Now this is the kind of weird, quasi-punk, quasi-country, grungey weirdness that deserves to be on a list like this - it's definitely not something I would have picked out at the shops, but I'm kind of digging it!
Also, getting this less than a week after the Nirvana live album gave me a real whiplash sense of "wait, why do I know this song - oh hang on!" (Plateau was one of my faves from the Nirvana album, and now I see it's because they didn't write it :P )
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Synth pop for people who take themselves too seriously, written by a couple of guys who take themselves too seriously. Too much focus on the "art" of it, without actually making songs that I can care aboutn. Shame, because when PSB do it well I really like them, but this album definitely left me cold.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Too maudlin for my tastes, Damon Albarn is always better when he's got a sense of humour about his subject material...
Jimmy Smith
4/5
Pretty decent smooth jazz / blues, this is a good one for chilling out and just going with the flow. Will definitely be listening to this again at so am point, but I don't think very soon
Scott Walker
2/5
I don't know if I'm missing out on valuable context by not experiencing the original Scott trilogy, but this was not my thing.
There's some parts that definitely approached a good song, but every time I started enjoying it he returned to the whitest White-Man scatting I've ever heard, and I was immediately brought out of it again. This is the sort of thing that might have been progressive sixty years ago, but now it's just... Bad.
Also, I can't stop thinking that, especially the first traco, that Nick Cave probably really likes this album.
The Mars Volta
2/5
Deeply weird experimental art rock /almost metal - this sounds like it would be right up my alley, and some tracks were, but a lot of it I found really grating. Also those tracks could have easily been half the length without losing anything. Not for the "not for me" pile.
Van Halen
4/5
I mean, it's Van Halen - you know what you're getting yourself in for!
It's unabashedly horny jock-rock with noodly guitar solos, but it knows what it is and does it well. I am seriously not a fan of the lyrical content of Hot for Teacher, but it is still a masterclass in instrumentation.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Undeniably funky - goes on a bit in places, but a good listen generally. Not much to say here - if you like 70s funk, you'll like this. If you don't, I don't think this is the album to convince you otherwise.
Faves: Everyday People; Stand
Michael Kiwanuka
2/5
He's clearly got a lovely voice, and this is very well produced and executed, but overall it's so background that it very nearly put me to sleep... Considering I was on the A1 at the time, that's not a good thing!
a-ha
3/5
It's hard to form an opinion on this, mostly it's just very generic middle of the road Europop, aside from Take On Me which is really very good Europop. It just sort of washed over me and left without a trace, so three stars I guess?
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
Just like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band before it, it turns out that when you get some of the best musicians in a genre together they make really good music!
I've loved Latin guitar music for as long as I can remember, and this is definitely up there with the best of them - I will definitely be adding a few of these to my regular rotation :)
Nirvana
4/5
This is one of those albums that, regardless of your opinion on it, definitely deserves to be in this list. You could argue that grunge changed the course of popular music in the 90s, and this album in particular made superstars of Nirvana (and later Dave Group, who has somewhat become the godfather of 21st century rock).
And as it turns out, the album is pretty good - I may be talking as someone who has had these songs in the background of my life, but there's a hell of a lot of bangers on here. I never liked Nirvana growing up, but now I can appreciate the work that's gone into this and the songs that have come out - it can be a bit one-note at times, but that's grunge for you!
Faves: Breed, Come As You Are, Lithium
Pavement
2/5
Moody, scream, proto-grunge, proto-shoegaze, slacker indie rock with violently distorted guitars - not for me, but I can totally see how this would be a million teenagers' music that speaks to their rebellious streak. However, being nearly 40 upon my first listen, I can't say it connected.
Blur
4/5
Having grown up through the Britpop "wars", I can definitively say Blur won. Come at me.
I love a fair few songs off this album, but the album as a whole feels pretty inconsistent - the highs are really high, but there's definitely some real filler here!
Faves: Girls & Boys, This is a Low, And of a Century
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
1/5
I don't remember here I first heard it, but there's a saying that media can be good or bad, but the worst sin a piece of art can commit is to be boring. Listening to this hour of interminable samey electronica almost-music, there were multiple points where I looked at the queue and thought "Jesus, is this still not over?"...
So no, I can't recommend this.
Various Artists
3/5
I'm sure the algorithm was nudged just a bit to give us this on a certain day... :p
It's definitely a classic of the season, but listening to the tracks as an actual album highlights that there's a fair bit of variety in the overall quality of tunes here - but Darlene Love deserved so much more than she got, what a voice!
Plus, being blindsided by Phil Spector at the end was a real whiplash moment, can go a long time without hearing that again
Carpenters
2/5
it's just... so... bland...
I'm struggling to come up with a better review than "meh", but it really is the lightest, softest pop-folk-rock you could imagine, and probably your elderly great-aunt's favourite band. Personal highlights might genuinely be 'Mr. Guder', which at least takes some kind of stance other than "isn't love lovely?"
Definitely not one for me.
Neil Young
3/5
It's fine, I guess? Maybe it just caught me wrong, but I remember liking other Neil Young albums better. It was good to hear the song that Lynyrd Skynyrd we're complaining about in Sweet Home Alabama though.
Solomon Burke
2/5
Perfectly lovely voice, fine for the background, but not for me. It just feels a bit too rehearsed, a bit too much like something you'd hear on a Fallout radio station.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
4/5
Was looking forward to this one, and I'm glad to say it didn't disappoint - superbly crafted rock that's just the right side of dub, with an unexpected but totally welcome South Asian vibe running through it. I'll definitely be adding this to my play again pile :)
Linkin Park
2/5
This took me right back to secondary school, where it's year 8 and half the year think they could be the next Mike Shinoda, and the other half think they could be the next Chester Bennington. None of them were right.
My main issue with this album is just how safe it all feels - it's dealing with mental health and substance abuse, but in a way that still feels made for radio and surprisingly inoffensive. It's angsty pop masquerading as rock/metal. It wasn't the record for me back in year 8, and it's not the record for me now.
Spiritualized
4/5
Ambient, shoegaze-y, space rock with heavy synths. Both a fairly dry way of describing the band and a shopping list of why I like this - yep, I'll be coming back to this one!
Stereolab
5/5
French artsy noise -pop with funky time signatures and fuzzy driving basslines? This does very much feel tailored to me, not gonna lie - this was an enjoyable listen all the way through, and my biggest question now is four or five stars...
Considering I've just listened through the demos and extended editions as well, it's probably gonna have to be five isn't it - this is definitely a band I'm going to look into more, this is what the List should be about :)
Raekwon
2/5
I feel like this is another one where, although it clearly shows skill and is very well done, its just not for me. Sorry Raekwon.
N.W.A.
2/5
Now I don't deny that this is an influential album, that definitely changed the trajectory of hip hop, rap, and probably all music, and launched the career of several famous musicians. However, I so don't deny that this brand of machismo, with its toxic masculinity and misogynistic and homophobic lyrics focused on guns and sex, is very much not my jam. We get it, you're big hard lads, but I don't need you telling me about your penis or how many people you've fought to prove it. I don't feel comfortable giving such a monumental record one star, but at the same time it was never gonna get more than two from me.
To quote a rapper from a very different background, "thou shalt remember the guns, butches and bling were never part of the four elements - and never will be"
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
This was one of the first albums I remember buying for myself - hearing them in Tony Hawk's games and Guitar Hero was enough to make me think "yeah, I'll give them a go" - and in doing so, turned this painfully white nerd into... Still a painfully white nerd, but with better music taste.
Tom Morello remains one of the most inventive guitarists I've ever heard, the lyrics still ing true today in a world that hasn't exactly improved, and the basslines remain so funky that I thank them for being the ones that convinced me to pick up a bass many years ago. Yeah, this was always going to be an easy five stars from me.
Funkadelic
4/5
Undeniably both funky and groovy, with the most unapologeticly farty bass sound.
Kate Bush
4/5
Obviously I knew the big hits off of this - everyone knows Running Up That Hill and Hounds of Love (I still prefer The Futureheads version, come at me) - but I always thought the second half to be a bit inconsistent. Listening back, I'm not so sure that's the case. This was thoroughly enjoyable, a definite upgrade to my previous opinion.
Kate knows the music she wants to make and does it well, keep doing you you crazy ethereal fae queen.
Jacques Brel
2/5
This is a bit of a stretch, but go with me - I felt the same way about this as I did about Straight Outta Compton.
Just like I am not young black man enough to appreciate the context and feeling behind SOC, I am nowhere near enough "elderly Frenchman smoking a Galoise outside a bistro at 11am" to appreciate Jacques Brel. He's clearly got a massive fan base, as the crunchy applause after every song attests, but it's undeniably not my thing. And this tiny, half hour, eight song snippet of the man was not enough to sway me on this. Thanks Jacques, but non merci.
Yep, this certainly is some mid-level early 2000's stadium rock. As someone who existed in the UK when this album came out, I have the first few tracks of this burnt into my prefrontal cortex, and it turns out those were the only semi-decent tracks here...? Yeah, not going to be coming back to this any time soon. It's fine, it's palatable because it's specifically designed to be crowd-pleasing, but it elicits basically NO reaction from me.
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
In always up for a bit of ambient electronica, and JMJ definitely brings it here. I miss the films of the early 80s, which had soundtracks that sounded like this despite it being completely incongruous to the setting and feel of the actual story - bring back films like The Keep and Ladyhawke, you cowards!
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Curtis Mayfield has a voice smooth as liquid butter, and I would happily listen to him sing pretty much whenever, but I'm constantly listening to this wondering if one of his studio albums could be been here instead - movie soundtracks are by definition missing something, and tend to be disjointed as they have to follow the film - so is it an album you "must listen to"? I'm not so sure.
The Band
1/5
All the worst parts of soft rock and country, mixed together for your enjoyment. And lemme tell you, there was not a lot of enjoyment on offer. Sorry, the band The Band of 'The Band', but this was rubbish.
The Boo Radleys
3/5
Schizophrenic would not be a bad choice of word for this review - I genuinely couldn't get a read on what sort of band the Boo Radleys wanted to be here. Sometimes it's gangly Beatles-like pop, sometimes dub infused post punk, sometimes noise rock... This could be three decent albums, but flitting between these at seemingly random intervals starts to wear on me after a while.
Beatles
3/5
Well it's clear they're having a blast recording this, and for a first time listen it's... Fine. Not for me but I can see the appeal, just a bit too one note for the most part. I know a few of these songs from radio play, and obviously some of the ones they're covering - I aassume it's harkening back to their cavern Club days with these.
Like I Say, it's perfectly servicable but a bit bland, I prefer the Beatles later on when they got weirder.
Billy Bragg
4/5
I sit here listening to this album from 1986, reading an article about how the government is blocking plans for rewilding beaver in England and the Natural Sciences GCSE because they are "Tory legacies".
To quote Ideology: "Outside the patient millions who put them into power, expect a little more back for their taxes - like school books, beds in hospitals, and peace in our bloody time... All they get is old men grinding axes"
How have we not improved in forty fucking years guys, Jesus Christ.
Stereo MC's
4/5
This to me is optimal early 90s dance music - decent beats, very catchy, and some painfully-white rap over the top of it. Cheesy as hell, but I kinda love it. I don't think anything quite lives up to the level of the singles though.
Julian Cope
1/5
I couldn't possibly give this album as many stars as Julian Cope thinks it's worth. This is both a statement of how far up himself he is, and on how much I disliked this. Somehow it manages to feel poorly thought out in several different genres, all being cut through with a sense of "look how amazing I am at songs" like a stick of rock.
Go do one, Julian - this wasn't worth the list by any stretch.
Radiohead
3/5
I've turned a corner on Radiohead since starting listening to albums off this list - and I can appreciate the dark moody electronica being presented here despite Thom Yorke's whiny vocals over it. Definitely not the highest rating I'll give to their work, but there's definitely some high points here.
ALSO, having listened to Pull/Pull for the first time here, how on earth was that considered a viable single to release??
Death In Vegas
4/5
Always been a fan of Death in Vegas, ever since the Animatrix soundtrack - I don't feel that this is their best album (I would have put Dead Elvis on the list personally), but their 'not so food's is still pretty great trip hop all told :)
Will definitely listen again, as I have many times before in the past!
Ryan Adams
2/5
Another one that'll fall into the abyss of "objectively fine, but just not for me". The country twang and harmonicas over soulful songs will definitely be someone's jam, but it sure ain't mine.
Beck
4/5
I'll be honest, there's a fair bit of nostalgia there for me when listening to this - definitely wore it out when I first got the CD - but I do think it holds up to scrutiny. There's a kind of effortless Laos-back groove through the whole album that makes it a good listen as a whole, and most of the songs are still good as standalone tunes. I will say that Beck's lyrics have never made any sense, and I hope they never do :)
Butthole Surfers
4/5
Pure slimy noise rock, love it. I know it's not got the best rating on this site, but I will always be here for someone trying to do things differently - plus it's great music for when you're properly pissed off about things and want some catharsis!
Björk
4/5
Bjork at her ethereal haunting best - what a great album to sink into and ignore the world! I only really knew the singles from this before, so it was good to listen to the rest of the album for once - will be added to my play later pile for certain
Chicago
4/5
Okay, I can definitely see this not being for everyone, and most tracks go on for waaay longer than they need to, but this is... kinda great?
I don't know what my expectations of Chicago were going into this album, but I wasn't expecting this level of jazz-funk to hit me so hard - definitely going to have to come back to this later!
Metallica
5/5
Let's face this, this is pretty much a masterpiece by any metric. There's not going to be an easy way for anyone who's even vaguely into the rock/metal scene to go into this album objectively as a first-time listener, and considering I have listened to this album enough to learn to play most of the songs front-to-back means you shouldn't come to me for an outsider's view :P
Punchy, amped-up, with crunchy guitars and growling vocals, but not so overblown that it becomes unnecessarily wanky, there's a reason that millions of people still wear this album cover on t-shirts the world over.
Eagles
4/5
The highs hit really high, but the rest is just sort of fine - soft rock with occasional bangers. Hotel California, obviously, and Life in the Fast Lane deserve the high rating, but the other tracks did start to feel like filler after a while.
Fugees
3/5
Johnny Cash
3/5
Well, I've now listened to some Johnny Cash.
It's fine, for country, and he's got a good way with the crowd during the intercut bits, but it's basically not my kind of thing. Also, I don't know if most of his songs are about imprisonment and the death penalty, but if not is it a good choice for songs sung in a prison? No idea, but it definitely left me feeling weird.
Miles Davis
3/5
Perfectly fine, jazz isn't my go to genre but I enjoyed it enough. No real strong feelings, sorry for the brief review!
fIREHOSE
5/5
This album is one of my real "holy crap this is great" discoveries from the list - but my god is that cover art awful. I went into this expecting some kind of angry, grungy, punk nonsense and got bright jangly rock with epic basslines and a sense of humour about it all!
Personal high points include 'In My Mind' and 'Mas Cojones', both of which play with a stripped-down version of standard rock themes (it took me a while to notice that there's basically no snare drum in most of the songs) while still being groove-laden enough to keep me actively listening - I'm not so much a fan of songs like 'Liberty For Our Friend', but that's just personal tastes more than anything.
Definitely a recommend, definitely one I keep going back to, I'm giving it five stars because honestly I don't know why I wouldn't.
George Michael
3/5
If Faith was his "I'm straight, honest, look at me being a ladies man", this album is definitely George showing his soulful side, and boy did I ever not realise how blatant Freedom was as a coming out song. I really liked the stripped back production on most of these, but it did fade into the background after a few tracks.
Elton John
4/5
Right, let's get the negatives put the way first. This album definitely tails off towards the second half; there's a deeply questionable cod-reggae song that feels extremely awkward; and as someone who lived in the UK during 1997 I have a visceral disgust reaction to Candle in the Wind.
That being said, when this album hits it hits hard, and I definitely feel that the first six or so tracks are awesome. Funeral For a Friend starts off with a bang, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Bennie and the Jets are classics, and I'm a fan of Grey Seal and This Song Has No Title - so had the album finished there it might have got five stars, but as it is that's still a STEONG start to any album and deserves the four.
Pulp
3/5
I don't think this album holds up quite as well as This Is Hardcore personally, and although the standout songs are great (Common People is still just an angry and acerbic as ever) the rest tends to become formulaic as Jarvis Cocker is by turns neurotic and a sleazy lothario. Overall I'd prefer to listen to the other one.
Jerry Lee Lewis
2/5
The more I read about Jerry Lee Lewis, the more of a piece of shit I find it he was - what a knob!
This gets an extra star for being a classic and influential and that, even though the majority of the songs were taken from black artists (I assume with little to no credit)
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I somehow can't believe that, as a 37 year old rock/metal fan, this is the first time I've sat down and listened to a full Led Zeppelin album. And I wonder if that has hurt my opinion of it - I know that these guys inspired generations of artists, and that's probably why it starts to sound like everything else out there!
Black Dog, Rock and Roll, and Stairway are the big standouts, but everything else tended to mesh together for me - it's God's, very good, but not outstanding and certainly not making me want to go back and listen again. Maybe I'll soften next time Led Zep comes up, but not right now.
Common
2/5
Nope, sorry, not for me - I can appreciate the work that's gone into it, but don't like the sentiment behind most of it and just don't want to listen.
Eurythmics
3/5
It's alright, it does scratch the electronic 80s itch in my brain, but nothing stand even close to the title track.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
I mean, it's fine - I expected a little more from some of the originators of electronica, but this ambient twiddling is perfectly serviceable for background noise. A very middle of the road 3 stars to you, Good sirs
Pink Floyd
5/5
I went into this expecting to enjoy it - I like a bit of psychedelic rock, and Dark Side is obviously a banger. I expected to enjoy the title track and a couple of others.
I didn't expect to be blown away by this album - honestly, it's amazing! I've listened to it three times already, and will probably again in the very near future. The guitar lines swoop and soar, the atmosphere is incredible, and I love every single track. I didn't think I could be surprised by something 50 years old, but here we are - what a blast this was :)
Fugazi
2/5
Hardcore punk is always going to be a genre that has to catch me right on the day - with its barely intelligible lyrics, simplistic and overdriven guitars, and songs that really don't stick around, this is kind of the epitome of that. And today, it's not for me. Maybe next time.
Korn
1/5
I never got into nu metal hen it came around the first time, and in the intervening years I've definitely been more on the Slipknot, System of a Down side of the genre - I'm deeply not a fan of this album, it turns out.
From the weird vocalizations, to the bass downtuned so far you can't hear anything over the slappity noises of the strings, to the very 2000s homophobia and a collaboration with Fred Durst who sounds SO like he can't be arsed doing anything here, I personally think this is just a real misfire.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
The supergroup of CSNY is exactly what you'd expect from the artists involved - a rare case of the total being exactly the sum of its parts. Good enough, easy listening down home rock, not mind blowing but not awful - pure middle of the road for me.
808 State
3/5
This album is like a perfect time capsule of what the late eighties and early nineties were like, when the mainstream had decided that electronic and dance music could be popular, but MY GOD we need to sand off every edge that could be weird or offensive or different.
The safest, most middle of the road dance music I think I've ever heard - I like it, don't get me wrong, but how could you not like it? There's literally nothing there for your brain to latch onto as an object of dislike, you slide off it like it's a sphere made of Teflon. I knew Pacific 202 before this, as it is one of the most unintentionally funny performances on Top of the Pops (let's get these electronic artists, who have never done anything like this, to mime along with their track on live telly - and look natural, damn it!), but I'm struggling to remember any of the other tracks. I stopped listening about two minutes ago, and they're gone like Keyser Soze's farts in the wind. Three stars, and you can thank me for them.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
I don't know if I've mellowed to Kendrick, or if it's actually a better album, but I didn't dislike this nearly as much as To Pimp a Butterfly - still very much in the "not for me" camp though. Apparently he had a good Superbowl show though, so that's good for him I guess?
Frank Black
2/5
Yeah, I had an inkling what this was going to be like going into it, and it did not surprise me. Just like the pixies, it's okay if it's on in the background as you're doing something else, but as soon as you pay attention it's not actually worth your time.
Rush
5/5
This is genuinely one of my favourite albums ever, and I don't care if that makes me biased - these guys are Canadian royalty for a reason! Some great arena prog rock, with offbeat storytelling and sheer technical mastery on each instrument, what's not to love?
Todd Rundgren
3/5
This album was apparently Rundgren's first after the discovery of psychedelic drugs, and I can completely believe that. It's also apparently one that was made, produced, played and edited by one man, and I can totally believe that too. It's all over the place thematically, genre wise, tempo wise, and smacks of someone who didn't have a fresh set of eyes/ears suggesting edits and improvements. You've clearly had a blast making this, Todd, but I don't think it stands out as an actually good album.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
Sure, I guess - it's utterly symptomatic of 80s rock, to the point where I could've told you the main beats before I even listened. It's fine, but nothing I'd put on again frankly.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Still as lovely as the first time I heard it, those boys can sure put together a warbly tune or two!
Vidrar Vil Tel Loftarasa was my introduction to Sigur Ros, and it still holds up today - each track here takes it's time to build up to something amazing, and is well worth the time to sit and listen to properly.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
If you start your album by messing with Gymnopédie, the album bloody better impress me - and this, for the most part, did not. It's fine jazz funk pop rock... Stuff... But nothing stellar outside of And When I Die, and mostly it just feels like a slightly more pretentious version of Chicago. Meh, not coming back here I don't think.
Wilco
2/5
Prepare the fanfare, it's time... for... The Faintest Praise Ever!!
It was slightly better than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot I guess
The Adverts
4/5
The very epitome of seventies British punk - and clearly this caught me on a good day because I really liked it. Will probably go back to a few of these later
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
I mean, it's fine? I don't know if it's just because I'm listening to this for the first time now in 2025, with 50 years of rock coming after this in my memory, but this all feels a little toothless and safe - perfectly good background, but nothing sticks afterwards for me.
Roxy Music
4/5
Art rock before art rock, new romantic before the new romantics, Roxy Music clearly wanted to push new ground and, with a wide range of pretention and musical chops, they're clearly throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks!
It's not the most cohesive album, considering how the genre subtly changes every track, but somehow the overblown feel of it all works out - a lot of fun, honestly, and not an album I would have picked up otherwise.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
Having only really heard Rock It before going into this album, I didn't know what to really expect - and not only is this REALLY different to that, it's also REALLY good!
I love, love, LOVE this album - it's a masterclass in groove and staying in the pocket, with tracks ranging from funk to jazz to almost ambient, and stays just as long as it needs to, I'm kind of obsessed with it. Chameleon is now on my 'get founder's playlist, and I'm honestly looking forward to listening to this again and again.
U2
2/5
It's U2. It's deeply U2. If you like U2, you'll like this. If you don't, this ain't gonna change your mind.
The The
3/5
I remember listening to this album. I remember it being really good. I remember thinking this was worth my time. What I don't remember is... any of the album. Not a great sign.
Okay I've registered and yes it's really good - moody punchy lyrics with vibrant horns and upbeat music is always gonna get a good mark in my book - but it's already disappearing again! It's gonna I've e to lose a star for how sheerly nonstick this whole thing is!
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
Bonnie Raitt, the artist who most sounds like a drunk Glaswegian saying "Its good, isn't it?"
Meh, very typical late eighties country-pop pap, very much not my thing but not so offensive as to get a one.
Tori Amos
2/5
Frankly, exactly what I expected going into this. Kind of warbly singer-songwriter vibes, filling out the generational Matryoshka doll of Kate Bush --> Tori Amos --> Lorde
John Coltrane
3/5
It's free jazz, you very much know what you're going to get out of it as you go in - I'm a fan if jazz generally, and this was fine, nothing to blow your socks off though in my opinion.
Baaba Maal
4/5
I mean, I'm always a fan of West African music and this is right up there with the best of them. Not a surprise, but a damn good listen
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
I've been a fan of the Dandy Warhols for some time, and this is probably the best album to choose for them on this list. It's not necessarily their best - I still prefer 13 Tales... - but it showcases their weird, slacker-cum-hipster vibes the best for people who are new to them. It's distorted, drawn out, and definitely an album that expects you to zone in and out with it as it goes - I can appreciate that's not to everyone's tastes, but it definitely is mine.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Okay, the only other CCR album I've listened to was not stellar, so I assumed they were one of those bands that were only worth listening to the singles for. This, however, is clearly a better finished and more solid album, that actually really surprised me - it's got the obvious singles still, sure, but the rest was actually pretty decent good ole classic rock, so nice one guys
Alice Cooper
2/5
Meh. Definitely would have been better in the seventies, a lot more jazzy than I was expecting, I think the initial track, and title single, wrote checks the rest of it couldn't cash.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Well this is just some damn good upbeat jazz - definitely hit the spot for me :) I've known about Hugh Masekela from his later stuff, where there's a lot less jazz and a lot more singing, and never really knew there were albums like this in his catalogue -will definitely have to go on a bit of a dive!
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
Okay, I liked this more than most of the hip-hop I've had so far on the list, but it's still pretty much a "no thanks, not for me" genre for the most part. Nothing too awful, just doesn't get much of a positive reaction out of me even when it's clearly very well thought through and made.
Beatles
3/5
It's generally good, but felt very disjointed - it's clearly a case of them being allowed to do... whatever they wanted with little oversight. This definitely has some of my favourite Beatles songs (While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Blackbird, Dear Prudence), but there's way too much that's just deeply strange stuff that's not even good as a novelty.
I could've sworn Revolution was faster than this? Am I remembering wrong? Also Rev 9 is not nearly as bad as people complain about, after everything else it almost felt like a welcome change!
Not my fave Beatles album, not gonna lie, but just okay.
Stephen Stills
4/5
Pleasantly surprised by this one - considering my lukewarm reception to CSNY, I wasn't expecting much, but it turns out when he's doing his own thing Stephen Stills goes hard! A couple of these are probably going to make several of my playlists now, thanks for the suggestion 1001 albums!
John Prine
2/5
If you, like me, are a Brit with no idea who this man is, you might be tempted to make some assumptions on what you're about to listen to based on the cover - with its haybales, acoustic guitar and double denim around this clean looking white guy - but let me tell you, you'd be absolutely right!
This is the country-est country I've heard I think ever: it's got twangy slide guitar, Southern US accents, the start-to-Jesus time is less than four minutes, and all the songs relate to working class folks having a tough old time.
It's country, and it turns out I really don't like country. It DOES, however, get the second star for its absolutely blistering takedown of patriots in Your Flag Decal... which hits even harder today than it would've done when first written.
Thin Lizzy
4/5
I haven't really heard any Thin Lizzy before apart from the obvious Boys Are Back... and after listening to this, I'm wondering just WHY I haven't listened to any more. This was great!
There's just some classic good-feel rock going on here, with shades of Prince, AC/DC, and even Iron Maiden in parts (Massacre was awesome, I'm a convert), and unlike a lot of the live albums on this list the feel of it actually elevated the songs - a definite recommend from me :)
Spiritualized
3/5
More spacey nonsense (affectionate) from Spiritualized. I personally preferred Lazer Guided Melodies over this, as this was a bit too free-form and didn't grab me in the same way.
Ice Cube
3/5
Hip hop is still very much not my thing generally, but I found thus much better than his stuff with NWA. Not gonna come back to it most likely, but not sad I listened to it.
Fred Neil
3/5
Meh, some daily middle of the road sixties country/baroque pop, not sure of the exact genre but I am sure it left without a trace as soon as the album finished. Also, this is the third version of Everybody's Talking I've heard on this list, and it's still not a good song!
The Strokes
2/5
Having seen this on loats of "best albums ever" and "iconic rock" and so on for twenty to thirty years, I've finally listened to it and, let me tell you, the album name hit it on the head.
Is this it? It's so much of the same old indie rock scene, and nothing here stands out as anything worth coming back to. It's not awful, but it's not good.
XTC
4/5
This is weapons-grade levels of British pop whimsy on display here - fortunately I'm totally into that shit :)
Also Dear God was apparently not meant to originally be on this, and they added it later once it was successful - and that definitely tracks, it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the album (but what a tune it is)
The Undertones
3/5
This feels like punk that's safe enough for middle class white guys to like, edgy for the seventies but not offensive - "I'm so different!" You say, listening to this in the stereo in the car you bought with dad's money
Beatles
4/5
Definitely one of the better Beatles albums - more cohesive than the White Album, more interesting than their earlier stuff, but not without its flaws. I do think the first side is by far better than the second, the run of songs that blend into each other and are basically two minute snippets don't really do anything for me, but a lot of the rest of it makes up for that.
Plus they didn't put The End at the end, so they can't get five stars for that alone.
The Associates
1/5
The worst kind of 80s synth pop, the type where it's all so overwrought and they clearly think so much of themselves - let's have upbeat music sang over by a man who sounds like Dracula discovering he has a fear of heights while in flight, tonal shifts so hard they could kill a man (who told you Gloomy Sunday needed a cover??), and tons of new ideas for instruments while still sounding like a less-good Cure. Too much freedom, too many ideas, none of the execution.
Looks like the guitar isn't the only thing full of piss in this band.
Elvis Presley
3/5
When he does the high energy, rock and roll numbers, Elvis can really hit it out of the park. But this album felt a lot like he wanted to do these songs, but kept being told to do a slow soulful number to keep his radio friendly persona that sells records. Also, he's one of the most egregious song stealers I think I've ever heard, and this version of Tutti Frutti was an abomination.
LL Cool J
2/5
Kind of like Will Smith's rap career, without the sense of fun. Not my thing.
R.E.M.
5/5
Oh man, there is no way I'm gonna be able to review this objectively - I know it's moody mumble music, but by God it's MY moody mumble music!
This album has followed me from my childhood, and remains stellar even today on my probably-thousandth listen. Michael Stipe's masterful lyrics mesh so well with the rest of the band, it's not quite like any other band I know - songs like The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite and Try Not to Breathe just wouldn't work done by anyone else, but here it just works!
It's not my favourite REM album (Monster fans, where you at), but it's far and away their second best. Personally it would do better without Everybody Hurts, but that's probably because I've heard one too many people use it on repeat after a bad breakup. Damn, this album rocks.
Kanye West
1/5
Okay, I draw the line on this. I can listen to plenty of crap on this list, but I refuse to give even 0.003 to an avowed Nazi and hate speech slinger. Instead, here's a review of an album I've enjoyed recently that you should listen to instead.
"After Destruction", by Descartes A Kant (2023)
A concept album of "Art-Rock Prog Punk of the Retro Future" (their words), this band from Guadelajara, Mexico looks like they walked off of the set of The Fifth Element and bring us an album based around the difficulties with mental health in an increasingly online world.
The album is based around a new machine, The DAK, that can use its computing power to give you poor coping mechanisms, silly dog videos, and a warning that "The system has detected you are creating problems in your own head again".
All of this interspersed with music that sounds like it takes cues from St Vincent, Le Tigre, Metric, Talking Heads and David Bowie all in one, the videos themselves are worth checking out for the theatrical performances that go along with it. Plus, it's only like thirty minutes long so what have you got to lose?
Check out "After Destruction" (the title track) as a taster. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_igolfkQU0
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
You know that feeling where you've watched through a long, LONG TV show, and one day you want to go back to it again? But when you do, season 1 just feels off because it doesn't have everything you remember from your most recent watch through - who's that again? Why is the theme tune different? Why is [X] being played by [Y]?
This is that, but for music. I love Penguin Cafe Orchestra, I used to go to sleep listening to them - still do on occasion - but early I've only ever listened to their later stuff. Here the questions become, Why is everything so slowed down? Wherefore these electronic bleeps and sqwonks? WHY IS THERE SINGING? Wait, are they singing about suicide?? Yeah, this band is very much my thing, but this album isn't it. Go listen to their later stuff, they get better!
David Bowie
3/5
Got to hand it to David Bowie, it probably takes a lot of effort to write lyrics that make this little sense.
I'm kind of disappointed in this album - there s a lot of Bowie I love, but this album just kind of sits there not doing much, and I can't help but feel like I'd rather listen to any of his other albums.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
I mean, what can you say? He's a master of the instrument, the songs are great (though I'm not completely sold on the covers personally), Sagar is a blissful tune to unwind to, definitely worth being on this list
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
How is this 22 years old now, that can't be right??
I remember being a kid in secondary school when Dizzee Rascal first hit the charts, and boy did I not like it then. I don't know if time has mellowed me or if nostalgia is playing a part, but this honestly wasn't as bad as I remember - still not my thing, but I respect the art and what he's doing. This is not something I'd go back to, but it's not awful.
The Who
2/5
Eh, it's not all that. I'm sure it hit differently back in the sixties, but I'm starting to think that The Who just isn't my thing.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
What a tune the title track is, and there's some certified bangers on here as well. The rest is a little inconsistent, and while I love PHCP as a general rule I don't think this showcases their strongest stuff. Still great though!
The Fall
4/5
It's like a weird mix of garage rock, dub reggae and drunken beat poetry - and it's kind of great in that regard. Not sure I'd choose it out of all the albums I've listened to to go back to, but I'm not sad I've listened to it.
Anita Baker
1/5
This really felt like the artist and producers had a great idea for a single, then had to make an album so they just recorded the same song seven more times. It's a shame, especially seeing as the single was not great to begin with.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
The first half of this album had me thinking, "oh, so this is the good Led Zeppelin album!" - some absolute bangers there. But then, it just kept... Going... And I was a little disappointed by the end. Kashmir, Houses of the Holy, Trampled Under Foot - stone cold classic rock, no complaints. The rest was either fine, or a bit crap. Oh well, maybe the next Led Sep album will be the one where it all comes together. Not holding my breath though.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Nineties noise rock in it's purest form. There's defined droning guitars, snarling vocalists, a set of lyrics you can only barely understand, and a wide variety of not much at all. Didn't do it for me, the Sonic Youth I've listened to before this was I think later on, and benefited from being a bit more melodic.
Ray Charles
2/5
Just like the other Ray Charles album on here, he's got a lovely voice but these songs aren't doing him any favours - it all sounds so bland, and while the bid band feel was good for the first few songs it became just interminable and a constant string of the same thing over and over.
Scissor Sisters
5/5
This is one of those albums that, when it came out, I listened to SO MUCH - and haven't actually touched for years and years since... So thank you for making me put this on again, this is still brilliant. I'm not one for pop or disco usually, but Scissor Sisters bring the party atmosphere and it's hard not to be swept up in it all.
I had also forgotten pretty much every song after Filthy/Gorgeous on here, and while they aren't the radio-friendly songs of the first half I think they're possibly better? Honestly a great listen through and through, and I don't think there's any weak tracks among them. Easy five stars!
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
It would probably get the bog standard eighties synth-pop vote, except for Cyndi herself who absolutely elevates it just by doing summat a bit different with it all - wonderfully offbeat through the whole thing, and in surprised I haven't actually listened to this before
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
I've never really clicked with MSP, and this album does nothing to convince me. It's all a bit overwrought, and I'm particularly not a fan of the subject matter more times than I thought. Not coming back here.
Arrested Development
4/5
Definitely one of the better hip hop / rap albums I've listened to on here so far - it's got a bit of a gospel vibe to it which I appreciate, everything's a bit more vibrant, it's a bit of a party atmosphere, everyone's having a good time and singing together, I just wish it was a little less preachy. Okay, a lot less preachy.
Talking Heads
3/5
Not my favourite Talking Heads album - as someone born and raised inaired on Stop Making Sense, these versions inevitably feel a little washed out. Plus, it hasn't got all the vibrant wacky percussion and run the that they got known for on their later stuff, which is a shame. The stand out songs are great, but it's not much to talk about outside of them.
Dusty Springfield
2/5
Sorry, but it's just so not my jam. I won't give it one because it's well produced and it does what it wants to with skill, but what it does is bloody awful.
Parliament
3/5
Turns out I don't like this as much as Funkadelic. Still fine, but not hitting me as hard as the other options. Not much to say really, sorry!
Madonna
1/5
Hoo boy, this album is so early 2000s it physically hurts. Madonna is clearly starting to drink her own Kool-Aid by this point, and she really thinks she's God's gift to music here - despite the overwrought lyrics, weebly autotune, and general dearth of musical innovation all round. There's no greater sign of a lack of imagination than another bloody cover of American Pie.
R.E.M.
5/5
Yeah, it's not as good as Automatic For the People, and I went into this thinking it was mostly just the hits - but actually every song is really solid, and it threads the line between whimsy and existentialism in the way that only REM can. I wasn't aiming to give REM 5 stars across the board, but if they continue to make albums like this it's going to be hard not to!
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
I never thought that Blues rock needed versions that included "avant-garde" or "experimental", but here we are. And I gotta say, it's not bad at all - from what I know, Captain Beefheart was a bit of a dick, but the music here is definitely worth a relisten. I don't know how this plays into the larger CBahMB oeuvre, but I'm interested in picking up some more of their stuff.
The United States Of America
2/5
The early form of psychedelic music, where discordant noises trump actual music all to often - it's all a bit free jazz for me in parts, not something I'm going to be coming back to.
Boston
5/5
If you spend basically six years on an album, it better be bloody good. Fortunately, it is - eight tracks that perfectly hit every point of 70s classic rock, with few songs hear that I haven't heard on the radio thousands of times ever since. It's a time capsule of a point in time, but what a time capsule!
King Crimson
4/5
When this album hits, it's amazing - the title track and 21st Century Schizoid Man are phenomenal tracks, and it's clear that everyone in the band knows exactly how to play off of each other. But by God, does it ever go on with meaningless noises for far too long.
I've mentioned a few times on other albums how they could be about 10% shorter, but this one feels fully twice as long as it needs to be - there's so many opportunities to go and have a piss, make a cup of tea, read a book, and still come back without missing an actual song that I can't give it a better score. Which is a shame, as the two key tracks are so absolutely my jam that the rest feels like a real disappointment.
Morrissey
1/5
Okay, Morrissey's a miserable racist shitbag, but I'll give this album a fair chance.
40 minutes later: Yeah, he's still a miserable racist shitbag. With bonus fatshaming in there too!
Leftfield
5/5
No notes, practically a perfect album. Always looking to listen to this again, it's a formative thing in my life and I make no apologies for this :)
The Who
4/5
Compared to the last two Who albums I've listened to on here, this shows their complete transition to arena rock, and I feel they're that much stronger for it - the sound is bigger, the songs more fleshed out, and the listening experience much more enjoyable. There's a couple of staple tracks on here, but the album as a whole still works well around them. Definitely the best Who on here so far, not a doubt.
David Bowie
3/5
As with a lot of Howie, when this hits it hits hard, but it's really all over the place - I can't decide if it's genius or wankery most of the time, and I think the majority of this feel into t he second camp for me this time.
5/5
This is one of those albums I've grown up with, and let's face it - if you're of a certain age in the UK, you have a reaction to Knights of Cydonia basically identical to a baby boomer hearing Bohemian Rhapsody, it's just the anthem of a generation. I won't deny the album has a couple of missteps (not a huge fan of Soldiers Poem), but when I'm having this much fun they're easy to overlook!
ZZ Top
4/5
Say what you like about them, but they can sure put down some fuzzy Blues rock like nobody else - a great listen, even when you can barely understand what they're singing!
Charles Mingus
2/5
Not my favourite jazz on this list by a long shot, this just came and went without any lasting impression. Not much of a review I know, but there's nowt much else I can say on the matter.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
The problem with CCR is that all the songs blend into each other so much - it's decent enough blues rock, but it's all the same blues rock. Sure, the singles stand out because you've already heard them 300 times in your life, but apart from that I can't remember one of these songs as an actual song instead of a homogeneous much of down-home good-ole-boy rockin'...
I can't give it a bad score, as I enjoyed it, but I can't give it a good score, as it's just the same album as any other CCR one. They were only around for like four years, how much innovation could there have been to warrant three albums on this list?
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Wow, Run DMC definitely found a sound they liked and stuck with it didn't they? Thus all blends into itself, as one track becomes several without any noticeable change to the beats or the scansion of the lyrics.
Also, as someone who knew the remix of Its Like That from the 90s, this version sounds SO EMPTY! There's just so much blank space in there!
Bob Dylan
2/5
Bob Dylan has to do somthing special for me to get over the Bob Dylan-ness of his stuff, and this isn't it. Tangled Up in Blue has good memories for me from Rock Band 2, but everything else here basically sounded the same as that. Not coming back here I don't think
Grateful Dead
2/5
For a band that every boomer of a certain background raves about, I expected a bit more from this - all I got was country rock that sort of meandered to a point eventually, and left me cold when I asked for a bit of oomph out of it. I don't think it's awful, but I don't think it's good.
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
From the artist page: "Don't Stand Me Down... confounded critics at the time... the band disbanded shortly after its release"
Not surprised tbh, it's dogshit
Marty Robbins
3/5
Fine if you like that sort of thing I guess, it gets an extra Star for Big Iron but everything blends together to the untrained ear after a while. All in all I didn't hate it, but it's not converted me to the side of country.
The Black Keys
3/5
I bought this album based on the strength of the singles, and remember being pretty disappointed in the rest of the album. And listening back now, I can see my memory was right on the money.
There are some great songs, which is honestly bringing my review up to three stars, but my god does it all get soupy in the middle. Their later albums get better at having some consistent quality, but I maintain that The Black Keys are a band where you only really need to listen to the singles.
Scott Walker
1/5
I mean, it's bad. There's no other overriding thought for me right now, it's just bad. Maybe I'm not the target audience, but I can't imagine who that is.
Dolly Parton
3/5
It's good country, but it's still very country. The start-to-Jesus time was less than a minute, the slide guitar remains slidey, and there's so many men than done her wrong that hey could start a football team. I didn't hate it, but it was just okay. Coat of Many Colours still hits hard though, no denying it.
The Band
3/5
Honestly not as bad as the other The Band on the list - I don't know if it caught me at a good time, or it was because I was doing other things so paying less attention to it, but I didn't mind this at all. Still not *great*, but not awful.
Nick Drake
4/5
Stripped down, folly, slightly haunting, and kind of beautiful. Definitely not something I would have picked up on my own, but something I'm definitely glad I've listened to now - the kind of feeling this list was made for :)
The Dictators
3/5
Yeah, sure, I guess, go on. It's very VERY proto-punk, but not quite focussed enough on what it wants to be rather than what it doesn't want to be. Is it satire, or do you actually think that way guys? It'll get a 3 because I think I enjoyed parts of it, but that's me being generous!
Johnny Cash
3/5
The man certainly knows how to play up a crowd, doesn't he? I'm not a fan of country particularly, but I can appreciate the work that's gone into this. Not going to listen again, and probably not as good as At Folsom, but I'm not sad I've heard it.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Damn that's a funky album. I lost track of the plot a bit through the middle, but Tribe can always get a few minutes of my time when needed. And Scenario is still great.
Haircut 100
4/5
Great music for a sunny afternoon drive, just the right side of jangly tweeness - I've always enjoyed Fantastic Day, and the rest of the album is... Pretty much exactly what you'd expect from that
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Not my favourite Flaming Lips album (At War With the Mystics is still the best, don't @ me), but 'a mid-range Flaming Lips album' is still objectively a very good album. Feeling Yourself Disintegrate in particular gets stuck in my head for days on end.
Paul McCartney and Wings
2/5
Yup, this definitely sounds like the sort of songs that the Beatles weren't letting Paul record. Not a fan.
The Fall
2/5
Honestly kind of a disappointment after the last The Fall album we got on here - The Infotainment Scan definitely felt more cohesive, and here there's so many points where the lyrics are so background you can barely tell centre there and the music just becomes the same thing over and over. Not in a dub, hypoxic loop kind of way, more like a bored, noodling kind of way. I hope this makes sense, in not sure it does, but this is much less of an album I would want to come back to.
Kid Rock
1/5
Okay okay okay, hear me out. What if we took some of the most controversial and disliked genres in western music - country, nu metal, and gangsta rap - and mashed them all together with no real thought behind how it would sound?
No wait, don't go just yet, we've got the perfect frontman for it - no, he's not likeable. No, he hasn't got any real flow or charisma. But he hunt out with Ice Cube once?
Hey, where are you going?
Absolutely awful, I wouldn't wish this on my enemies. The only reason I can think of it being on this list is as a cautionary tale. Apparently it started the new genre of rap country, and maybe it shouldn't have.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Oh man, this is great. Pure psychedelic wonder, and an album I want to come back to again and again - its absolutely not fair that a man in his twenties can play an album like this where it sounds like forty years of craft have gone into it. Jimi was a wonder, and this album is worth just putting on and floating away to. Fire is my personal fave, but it's genuinely hard to choose!
Mercury Rev
3/5
It kind of feels like an off-brand Flaming Lips at times, but honestly this is the kind of whiny indie stuff that takes me right back to being a teenager so I can't bring myself to dislike it :) athletes a couple of tracks on here that really are very good, but not enough that I think it warrants that fourth star.
Malcolm McLaren
4/5
Knowing nothing about Malcolm McLaren, this album is great - apparently he's a bit of a knob so that's not great, but I can't deny how much I love this mix of world music and electronic. It also loses a star for that last track, because seriously what even was that
Sonic Youth
4/5
I don't know if this caught me on a particularly good day, but i ended up enjoying this a lot more than the other Sonic Youth albums so far. It definitely feels more musical and less noise- centric, while still definitely sounding 100% like Sonic Youth. I will probably end up coming back to this at some point, so colour me intrigued.
2/5
Okay, I think we've had them on this list enough times for me to state - I think I hate U2.
It's all so mawkish, and desperate to be both taken seriously as an art piece and still radio-friendly enough to sell to your right-wing auntie. They clearly think they're God's gift to music, and nothing they've ever produced makes me think they're anything close.
The guitars have so much echo and reverb on them that they sound like they're playing the arenas they clearly think they deserve, and Bono's singing always has the cadence and emotion of a man trying to gently pass a kidney stone.
This album, especially, has the twin problems of having songs that I despise because they've been played on the radio constantly for 35 years, and songs that I can't even focus on because they're clearly filler padding out the runtime once the singles have finished. It's somehow simultaneously over-produced and not thought out. It's an achievement, I guess.
I don't even know if I want to give this one star, as then it'll be on my homepage as a reminder, and honestly I just kind of want to forget that I ever listened to this.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Some fairly standard middle of the road psychedelia - a bit too many novelty songs for my liking, but not awful
Sepultura
4/5
It is time to THRASH, my dudes.
This album is a fantastic assault on the senses, with heavy doses of technical musicianship holding it up - this level of growl is not usually my jam, however this was kind of brilliant.
Cat Stevens
5/5
Lovely, peaceful, folky, not a bad word to say about this. Thanks dad, it's still fantastic.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
Is this perfectly serviceable background music, unobtrusive and pleasant? Yes.
Does Ella Fitzgerald have a stellar voice that deserves to be on this list? Yes.
Do we need three and a half hours to prove that? Christ no.
Hookworms
4/5
Okay, this is 100% my jam - I've never heard of this band before, and am extremely pleasantly surprised. Time to see if they have any other music and all about... oh. Maybe not.
Album still bangs though.
The Birthday Party
2/5
I can see what they were going for, and I can respect that, but it generally wasn't my thing. I don't think it deserves the rating it has on this site though, at least it was doing something a bit different!
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
It's fine, very background, very gender-diverse-Beatles at points, but nothing that stands out as particularly worth it. Meh.
Pretenders
4/5
Pleasantly surprised by this one - a lot more of a straight rock, post-punky album than Brass in Pocket would have had me believe. Gonna have to come back to this one again
KISS
2/5
Well, I've finally listened to a KISS album now, and I've got to say, I was expecting more. I posit that, if you take away the look and the whole mythos surrounding them, they're just another mediocre seventies hard rock band. There's nothing standout or original or punchy here, it's just... meh. Disappointed, really.
Sex Pistols
3/5
I can absolutely understand it being on this list, and I absolutely think it deserves being remembered as a hugely influential moment in music, but it's honestly not that great.
As a cohesive, music-centric record it turns out a bit samey, but as a punk record it's clear that they were still very much under the rule structure of verse-chorus-bridge, standard chord progressions and ironically it turns out a bit too accomplished to stay sounding raw and iconoclastic after all these years. I'm not sad it's here, and I'm not sad I listened to it, but I don't think it really holds up as an album now.
Destiny's Child
3/5
It's perfectly fine for what it is, and by the sound of how it was made it had better be good or else what was all that effort and infighting for? Turns out this band was not much fun for anyone who wasn't related to the manager, which sucks, but being a child of a certain age it's hard to not have nostalgia for Independent Woman and Bootylicious
Lana Del Rey
2/5
Oh good, more whispery waifish white woman, exactly what we needed more of.
She's clearly got an idea of what she wants to do, and how to hit it, but it does absolutely nothing for me. Not something I would ever choose to listen to on my own, and now I have I don't want to again.
The Who
3/5
Considering I never expected to have such a detailed and nuanced view of albums by The Who in my life before this list, I can safely say this one is not the worst. There's some standout songs, and there's some definite filler, but I actually liked the tongue-in-cheek advert and radio thing they were doing. A solid three stars.
Pixies
3/5
I still don't get what people see in Pixies. This was fine I guess, but surprisingly forgettable (especially as I think I've probably listened to this album four times now in my life, and still forget that every time I listen to it "for the first time"). I do like Debaser, but that's about it.
The Clash
4/5
Hard-bitten punk rock, a lot closer to that than I'm used to with The Clash (only really listening to London Calling and the later stuff) - but still very good. An album that demands you turn the volume up!
Iggy Pop
3/5
Not bad, very 70s rock - was impressed that there wasn't much difference in quality between the singles and the rest of the album
Motörhead
4/5
Statistically, you've heard the song Ace of Spades if you've got a pulse, and this album is basically "what if that, but album?"
Fortunately, that but album is good. Hard rocking, definitely a classic for many reasons, deserves its spot on this list for sure
Faith No More
4/5
In surprised this came out in 1990, because it's rare to get something that sounds this much like a specific decade before the decade even really started. Good funky almost- metal rock, a thumbs up from me
Laura Nyro
4/5
A great voice, a genre I can't quite place but thoroughly enjoyed, but a set of songs that I completely lost track of in the middle. She's clearly got the skills, but once the songs sound this samey ask the way through i start to lose interest. I definitely enjoyed it, just don't ask me to tell you how the songs went!
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Let's be real, the singles are so, SO good. Fortunately the rest of the album holds up to this as well, this was a great listen all round.
Also, did not expect a moody, mostly instrumental track about Stanley Milgram's obedience to authority experiment, but here we are i guess
Tears For Fears
3/5
Another bunch of 80s synth pop. Sure it's seminal, important to the movement synth pop, but it's still bloody synth pop.
The Stone Roses
2/5
It's clearly influential, but it all feels a bit up itself for me. She Bangs the Drum gets a star, and to be honest there's not much else I remember from it other than it all being very "we want to be the new Beatles" faffing about.
Little Simz
3/5
Another one where i can appreciate the skill and artistry, but it's just not my kind of thing. Not sad I've listened to it, and i can see why it's popular, but i probably won't be coming back.
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
Insufferable indie noodling by the artist held above all others in insufferable indie circles. Bland is an understatement.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Very pleasant funk, genuinely enjoyed listening to this - EWF have always been a band that I thought was mediocre oldies- station fodder, but this was actually much better than expectations! Well definitely be looking out for any more of this coming my way :)
Led Zeppelin
3/5
It's a shame that this album starts with Immigrant Song, because that builds up a lot of promises that the rest of the album completely fails to deliver. A banger of an opener, then a load of acoustic noodling that just puts me off.
Brian Wilson
2/5
Not surprised to get this album today of all days, and obviously RIP Brian, but what on earth were you on about here
It's not horrific, it's just bizarre and deeply all over the place - yes you know how to write songs and harmonies, but you also need to make them ACTUAL songs
David Bowie
5/5
What a fab album - is definitely got nostalgia points for me, but even without that it's still an amazingly well put together listen. Plus you have bangers like Life on Mars and Changes, which can only elevate it further. Spectacular.
Pere Ubu
3/5
Once I got over the structure and the vocals in track one, this ended up being a lot of fun. Not sure I'd go back to it any time soon, but I don't regret giving it a chance. It's very post-punk with a focus on so pushing the boundaries of what music should be, and I do love an album that takes risks.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
When I face my inevitable end, I only hope I can do it with a much composure, peace and humour as Leonard Cohen did. This album is wonderful, and it's honestly the first I've heard of Cohen outside of hallelujah, but it got me properly emotional for a complete stranger. I ended up listening to it twice over in quick succession, and will have to go back again later - what an album this is
The White Stripes
3/5
I remember buying this album off the strength of Elephant, and mostly being... confused. There's sparks of brilliance in there, and I wanted to believe that Jack White had handcrafted a slice of all kinds of Americana to make a truly widespread album, but listening back now it's just not all that. Also apparently it was done in less than two weeks, so it's less "artisanal" and more "throw everything at it and rush out of the door". Blue Orchid still goes hard though.
Bon Jovi
2/5
Another album that definitely deserves to be on this list, but definitely doesn't do anything for me. Maybe I'm just too young for Bon Jovi to be anything other than the music you hear in the background of a sporting event.
Public Enemy
5/5
Hard hitting, abrasive, polished, excellent. There's a reason these guys are still seen as masters of their genre.
Madness
4/5
Now I love Madness, and I listened to these albums so much growing up, so I'm a little biased i would say - that being said, I do think the shine has worn off of this album a little for me. I personally always preferred their earlier, Nuttier stuff to their music hall inspired tunes, so I would have probably chosen Absolutely! as the album that made this list, but this is still eminently singable and does have a good variety of "bright music, dark themes" songs that I love about Madness. So yeah, not the 5 I thought is give them, but still really good
Slipknot
4/5
Never before has so much effort been put into telling people you don't care :p
It's a lot, let's face it, but I do have a spot in my heart for Slipknot - and there is a real case to me made that these guys have changed the landscape of metal through their style, their music, and their popularity, and let's not forget that there's some real heavy duty musicianship on display here! Joey Jordison, especially, left everything on this record with his drumming- the intro to Surfacing is phenomenal!
This isn't an album I'll be going back to every day, but it's worth a listen to again every month or so
Green Day
5/5
It's angry lowbrow punk rock from a bunch of hormonal teenagers, but it's really GOOD angry lowbrow punk rock from a bunch of hormonal teenagers.
Covering all the bases from "my parents don't understand me" (Coming Clean), to "you suck" (FOD), to "I'm bored and horny all the time" (Longview), it really does distill the essence of awkward teenag years - and listening to it as an adult, there's some proper chops behind the instrumentation as well that elevates it from just another Hot Topic wannabe.
What I'm saying here is, this is really good and deserves to be on the list. Green Day forever (also, they still are releasing excellent new stuff, so hell yes)
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Lo-fi beats to zone out to
It's fine, it's good background music, but any time i try to engage with it i just slip off of it like I physically can't pay attention - I've listened to it several times now and if you put a gun to my head i wouldn't be able to tell you how the tracks go
T. Rex
3/5
It's fine i guess, but to me it feels like another album where they had one song so they recorded it twelve different ways. But then again, maybe that's just what it sounds like to my untrained ear because I'm really not one for glam/ psychedelic stuff. It wasn't a bad listen, just a meh one for me
Röyksopp
5/5
Now this, this is bleeps and bloops done right! Chill but still interesting, electronic but varied, and So Easy is one of the tracks of all time - it's been on regular rotation for me pretty much since it came out, and I don't see that changing any time soon :)
CHVRCHES
4/5
This one surprised me - in not usually one for waifish white woman singing, but the music has enough bite to keep me interested and generally the whole bone of this was immaculate. Gonna have to come back to this one, i liked it a lot more than I was expecting and may have to look more into Churches in the future
Circle Jerks
4/5
Well that didn't hang around did it? I'll keep my review as brief as the album - s'good!
Black Sabbath
3/5
I always forget that, even though they're basically the progenitors of heavy metal, Black Sabbath can get really psychedelic at times. This album is all over the place, it's got some great stuff but also some real left- field, why is that there nonsense - Supernaut is fantastic, but after a ballad and a series of non sequitur sound effects, leaves you thinking "what the hell was all that?"
There's definitely tracks here i want to come back to, but as an album not so much
PJ Harvey
2/5
A bit of folk pop, tried to come off as earnest and deep but just hits me as whiny more than anything. Not a fan particularly, some good teams that'll probably get stuck in my head but generally misses the mark for me.
Judas Priest
4/5
I keep forgetting that the grandaddies of metal are barely metal by today's standards - Hard rocking but still very accessible, a perfect gateway drug to today's more extreme sounds. If choose, as someone who's already listening to today's note extreme sounds, some of this really comes of as meandering and a bit too radio friendly. Still good though!