1001 Albums Summary

God, flashback to our old house 25 years ago...I'd totally forgotten some of these songs (Nite Club, Little Bitch) but this brought them flooding back. There's also the feeling of being 17 and back in Watford tied to some, particularly Message to You Rudy. Excellent album to start this project!

First look...I'm not sure I've ever listened to this as an album before. I only recognise two songs off the top of my head. To my surprise I preferred it to Back In Black. This might be because I was listening to it in its natural habitat, ie on a long car journey.

Don’t know what i expected from Nick Cave but it wasn’t this. Really enjoying it. It’s been pointed out to me that Nick is going full David Byrne and now I can’t unhear it.

Don’t really know what to expect from this one, but I’ve got another car journey coming up, so here goes! OK, that was certainly an experience. For such an iconic soundtrack, I expected a lot more. Even the songs everybody knows seemed quite flat. Won’t be listening to it again.

Really not my sort of thing. A lot of these songs are classics, so they’ve been everywhere for decades, proper Radio 2 fare. Having said all that, you can’t deny the quality, and the Quincy Jones production really shows.

I have always struggled a bit with Anohni's falsetto, but clearly I just needed to listen to a full album. This is some powerful stuff.

This is OK, but I kinda think if I wanted this sort of light country folk, America and Crosby, Stills and Nash are right there. Not quite sure what it's doing on this list. On Sir Frances Drake starts off well and then goes into the self-indulgent noodling that I hate. Ride The Wind - the worst kid of elevator music. So...no, it's not OK, it's mostly shit.

Oh my God, i didn’t realised David Cassidy was doing a cover of How Can I Be Sure! Oh my God, this is the band that did Groovin’?? This is nice MOTR 60s pop. The variation in song styles is a good thing, which is not always the case. Would listen again.

I like Bluegrass; I don't really like country. This seems to hit the spot between them, and I quite like it. Very Dolly Parton.

This album seems to be “Let’s throw together any old shit and see what works.” Some does, some doesn’t, but they’ve neglected to take the bad ones out. Seriously, 31 tracks? Also, its like Mountain Goats fronted by Lou Reed. Didn’t work for me.

This was ok. Filling it under TMGN (Too Much Guitar Noodling)

OMG it’s the album we got three copies of that all skipped! Yay vinyl!

I’m sure this was a great gig to be at, but it kinda leaves me a bit cold. All the audience participation bits don’t really do it for me. I love Sam’s music, but I’d much rather have the studio versions.

Not expecting to enjoy this much, but here goes... I have to say i slipped through songs I already knew. Show Some Respect is a straight ripoff of the Nutbush City Limits beat. Let’s Stay Together is OK, i guess. Steel Claw is Tina does Meat Loaf.

Could have reviewed this blind, having listened to the LP a hundred times. Great MOTR rock, not really dated since it came out in the 80s.

Didn't get all the way through the album, but what I heard was...OK. I'm sure in 1969 it was radical, but half of it sounded like they wanted to be the Rolling Stones.

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT. For me the archetypal Kraftwerk album is Autobahn, but this is a very close second. Your can’t beat zoning out to this.

OK. I'm a 12 yr old schoolboy and I'm writing shit lyrics with my two friends, and then someone offers us the chance to put them over 4 million samples and make a record. Cool! There's some great sampling work in this - can't believe at one point I found myself thinking, "Is that really a bit of Musique du Burundi??". But none of it makes up for the fact that the songs, as with all Beastie Boys songs, are puerile garbage. I hated this so much. I'll reluctantly give it one star for the samples, and because I can't give it zero. It also explains why I hate Lonely Island so much, because this is all I hear.

I didn’t mind this, but it’s pretty forgettable. There seems to be a swathe of artists currently who, to me, make basically the same sound.

Not really my wheelhouse, but I didn't mind it. Better than the Beastie Boys by a country mile.

That was pretty good, heard a bunch of the tracks before obviously, but I liked the last two tracks.

What can you say. An album I can listen while wandering round the house, as I’ve committed so much of it to memory.

Well I loved this, but then I was always going to. Bit of Dolly Parton, bit of Oh Brother Where Art Thou, fabulous.

I would not recommend This album to anyone of an anxious disposition. Having said that, I’m loving it. The first track starts as an Autobahn ripoff, but then goes darker. Just had a thought - if you’ve ever played the board game Mind Management, this is the audio version. Or that might just be me.

Wasn’t so keen on the title track but I liked some of these songs. Some are reminiscent of early Talking Heads.

Not a massive fan of this one. Ray Charles does Frank Sinatra? No thanks. I'm not ashamed to say I listened to about 30 seconds of each song before skipping on. It's really bland.

OK, hear me out...I just listened to this in the bath, straight after listening to Abbey Road, and I could distinctly hear John Lennon singing Björk's parts and Paul McCartney singing Einar. Anyway, I liked this.

Looking them up on Wikipedia: they sound really up themselves. Listening to this album: they sound really up themselves.

Hmmm, wonder what this is like... I was always going to fanboy over this album. I love it, particularly The Big Country, which to me is up there with Take Me To The river.

Why does this website insist on linking you to expanded versions? So I’m listening to the standard version of this album instead. It’s never struck me before how country Lynyrd Skynyrd are; I don’t have a lot of time for country music, but I love this. Would you call it kinda country blues? The first time i heard it would have been sixth year at school, so…1978? A friend brought it in to play on the common room record player. Anyway, top choice. It might be over 50 years old but it fits beautifully with the current music scene.

Well that was…OK. For lift music. There wasn’t a track on this album that couldn’t have been done better by Ska Cubano.

This was very of its time, lots of prog rock noodling and faux national pride. The music felt quite Mike Oldfield to me, and like Mike Oldfield it’s much better when people aren’t singing over it.

Before this, my experience of Massive Attack was Unfinished Sympathy. I now see what I’ve been missing out on. Loved all of this.

As with so many John Lydon projects, this would be better without John Lydon. Seriously, the guy’s a dick. I can see how this was a classic of its time, but I can’t get past what I know of the lead singer.

OK, first of all, the tom toms at the start of Dumb Girl are straight off Down Under. This is better than the Beastie Boys, but it’s still no better than the singles off the album. Didn’t mind it, wouldn’t choose to listen to it.

This is kinda jazzed up Young Marble Giants. It’s OK but not totally for me. Makes me tired.

The only song from this I knew before was Coat of Many Colours; I would say this version is up there with Dolly’s. The rest of the album is fine, nothing-special country music.

I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to this album completely before, just heard the classics. And they are classics. Perfect album for listening to while chilling out in the bath.

Never been a fan of George, but I’m not too partisan about it, he’s just…there.

An album with an overarching storyline? What a concept.

Didn't know what to expect from this, but I didn't mind it. Skirted far enough away from country to be acceptable!

I’ve forgotten how long ago it was that I last listened to this completely, but almost all the songs are ingrained in my head. The first of these albums that I’ve listened to straight through twice. I would give it 5, but I’m docking a point for Van being a douche.

Yep, that's some interchangeable britpop right there. Better than Oasis, but for me that's not a high bar.

Well that was underwhelming. David should have kept his song to himself and let them be consigned to the scrapheap of history. Harsh but fair.

Until today War just meant Low Rider to me, but I like this. Great accompaniment to housework!

Yep, jolly good. Haven’t heard most of this before but it stands up with the Prodigy content i know and love.

Surprisingly, I didn’t hate this as much as I usually hate Nirvana. Still not something I’d listen to by choice though.

Mid range indie punk stuff. Not heard much Pixies before, and now I probably won’t bother.

I didn't really need to listen to this again to rate it, but I was always gonna. Brilliant album, not my favourite of hers but definitely up there.

It’s OK I suppose. Takes me back to the rhythm & blues club I used to visit in Watford in my teenage years.

This was not what I was expecting. It completely blew me away, and includes two tracks I thought were originals by Elkie Brookes and David Bowie. The title track made me cry.

Probably the album I’ve listened to more times than any other. Pretty much perfect. And I still hear the scratch in Songbird that our LP copy has, but I haven’t played it in about 25 years.

I like more folk in my folk than this. It seems to mix folk, jazz, blues, country and the Swingle Singers. Not something I’d listen to twice.

I constantly mix up the Black Keys and the Black Crowes. Seems fair to me, they’re both basically the same mid-range blues rock.

Classic of the New Romantic period. Still stands up pretty well. I can still see your mum dancing to this when we first met 😊

Good, strong political reggae. What’s not to like.

The Smiths would be a decent group if it wasn’t for that twat and his dreadful voice and worse opinions.

I think this is one you have to be in the right mood for. Fortunately I am! I didn’t know country punk (now officially counk, pronounced cunk) existed, but here it is. And I like it. Also, they’ve been around *how* long?? Dammit, I’ve just found out it’s called cow punk. Keeping this album for a long drive in summer.

By their second album, the boys had realised that if they just stick with Neil’s Rex Harrison style speak-singing and Chris’s Vince Clarke-alike synth lines, they could milk basically the same tune for the next few decades.

Of all the Damon Albarn projects I’ve listened to, this is the most middling.

Jazz isn’t for me, and this album confirms that.

So you’ve seen Heavy Metal? You’ve seen Interstella 5555? Get ready for…Consider Phlebas: The Rock opera! This was pretty good, but a whole album means I struggle with it, get into it and then end up waiting for it to finish.

The album pop metal was made for. And this project seems to be showing me that I prefer Van Halen to Led Zeppelin.

In the car, had to choose between an Archers wartime special or a 14 minute track called Sex Machine. Guess which one won. Pretty good album.

Apparently Michael supported Adele, and I can totally see that. It’s okay but not really my sort of thing.

Not nearly as bad as it could be, solid techno pop. Halfway through Train of Thought it struck me that these songs could easily be Brian Ferry or David Bowie songs.

I think I bought this when it first came out in 1997, but I haven’t listened to it for years. It’s bloody good, isn’t it.

The last thing I expected here was to not like this album as such, but to actually listen to it all your way through. It’s not my favourite , but I can now see what so many people love about it, even if I don’t.

Fairly generic indie rock.

Classic

I don’t know if I’ve ever listened to this all the way through before. It’s up there with Upstairs at Eric’s as a classic 80s electronic album. Brilliant.

Just squeezing this one into the window of Christmas. I’ve heard all these songs so often on the radio that i forgot they came from one album!

Well that was…wholesome. Went off the rails for the last couple of tracks.

I was always going to give this full marks, it’s one of my favourites. The best thing Neil Young has done.

That’s some mighty fine soul music there.

I thought I’d like this going in, and I was not wrong. You’re never quite sure what you’re gonna get with Jah Rule, but this is one of the good ones. Nearly a 5.

I’m not really a fan, but I listened to this coming off not listening to Kid Rock, so it probably gets an extra point.

It’s ok, I prefer the instrumental bits rather than the songs. Kraftwerk-lite.

Yeah, nice enough but a bit meh? I like the edge that Flaming Lips put on this sort of thing.

This is one of those that isn’t my sort of music, but I can see the quality in it.

This is obviously a capital 'I' Important record, but it's a bit of a chore. I can only listen to the word motherfucker so many times before I stop caring.

Not really heard a lot of RATM before. Now I want a black greatcoat and a pair of sunglasses, and a protest to attend.

Very up and down album, wrote like d the funkiness but goes a bit novelty song here and there.

It has mainstream tracks and weird tracks, but it doesn’t have bad tracks. I can’t remember the last time I listened to this as an album, so thanks for suggesting this whole project Jae!

Not sure I’m French enough to fully appreciate this, but it was certainly worth listening to.

Well that was certainly some more U2.

What’s French for Kraftwerk? But this is a really good album.

This is extremely groovy.

First, Whispering Pines is clearly a lost Flaming Lips track sent back in time. This isn't great, but it's much better than the Big Pink one.

I realised halfway through this album that I’d lost track of how long I’d been listening - and not in a good way.

I can see how this was a new sound back in the day, but it sounds kinda...ordinary? And the guitars are a bit rough on Roll Over Beethoven compared to the original. But it's OK I suppose.

I wasn't sure about this going in, but I really enjoyed it, inasmuch as you can enjoy billy's very angry songs.

I really like the singles off this album, but the rest gets a bit samey. Great background music for working though!

Julian has always struck me as someone who wants to be known as An Artist, but he just grates on me.

Radiohead are up there with The Smiths for bands that would be a lot better with a different singer. Anyway, I’m off to listen to something more enjoyable *turns shredder on*

Didn’t think this was going to be my sort of thing. Turns out I was wrong. Borderline between a 3 and a 4, so I’m feeling generous.

I’m not a massive fan of country, but this leans more Neil Young-ish, and I quite like it. I kept thinking bits sounded really familiar, then I looked it up, and thought OK, Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, that’s what I can hear.

I always forget that I actually quite like Beck, this was good.

I’ve tried but I don’t think I can listen to all of this. Too experimental even for me. Not that it’s bad, just can’t cope with it!

I love this album.

This is the first album I didn’t even get all the way through. Too jazzy for me.

Metal has about the same place in my head as hip hop - it's OK but not really something I'd choose on a day to day basis. I know Master of Puppets is a classic, but it's not really for me.

Yeah, still holds up in the ranks of MOTR easy listening rock albums. Bit like Rumours, the classics are still classics and the rest are pretty good too. Nice background stuff.

Another one that comes across as just very self-indulgent.

After listening to Jerry Lee Lewis, this was a definite step up. It’s a classic live album, really enjoyed it.

I like the one that sounds like the theme to Bewitched. In fact a lot of these sound like 60s TV show themes or Carry On film themes. I still don’t really like jazz, but this is definitely at the better end of the spectrum.

Yeah, didn't mind this...just the right side of indie faffing.

There’s no doubting that George was A Talent, but this isn’t any more than pleasant background music for me. Which is fine. Did I mention he used to go to the school near mine?

It’sa shame that the only worthwhile songs on this album are (a) the singles and (b) clustered at the start. Hadn’t really thought about it before, but my clear favourite is Benny and the Jets.

This is a really good album. Also Spotify throws up videos when they’re available, and Pulp’s videos are great.

I like a bit of Jerry Lee, but this suffers from the indulgent live album bit.

Still struggling to enjoy Led Zeppelin; I think it’s Jimmy Page’s voice that grates on me. Instrumental bits are fine. Anyway, this one’s a bit up and down, but I managed to get through it 😜

Don't mind the style, don't like the attitude.

Damn good album. For me it didn’t really have any weak tracks. Wow, This Is The House really is a Talking Heads track, isn’t it?

Classic Tangerine Dream, I love a long faffy electronic track!

Not their best album but still good. The title track is probably the best one.

This is one I'd not put on as an album, but enjoy as a track or two now and then. And you can't fault their work ethic - do what you want, when you want, don't work with big corporations, believe in your fans.

Yeah, not really my thing.

I was clearly in the right mood for this because I really enjoyed it.

Good album.

Listening to the version of this with the profanity blanked, and wow that’s a lot of swearing. Doesn’t add anything to the music, just winds me up. Got to track 5 and thought right, I don’t need another 8 tracks of this.

Like a lot of music of this type, I didn’t want to turn it off halfway through, but I’m not sure I’d seek it out again. It’s like my interest in the Pixies begins and ends at Monkey Gone To Heaven - I don’t mind their stuff, but more than one track at a time becomes a chore.

All I've heard of Rush before was the best of album, but this seems to be the best of best of!

I will admit to leaving this on while I went round the house doing jobs. This is because it’s fairly tedious.

Not too bad for 80s rock, but nothing special.

Yayyyyyyy! Listening to this after Hounds Of Love is quite a lot for one morning. And now I want to watch Heima again.

Well that was all over the place - rock, jazz, classical, bit of novelty. It’s one of those where I’ve heard of the band for ever but never heard their stuff, and now I’m thinking ok, won’t listen to that again.

This upgrades my opinion of Wilco from 'up themselves' to 'only up themselves some of the time'. It's OK level easy listening rock.

That's some top tier 70s punk right there. Really enjoyed it. Can't believe I've never really listened to The Adverts before, apart from Gary Gilmore's Eyes.

Well this is very 1969, isn't it? Quite like it, probably about the same as the one recently with Neil Young. They do the hippie thing while just stopping short of taking themselves too seriously.

You never know quite what you’re gonna get with a Roxy Music album. This one is a bit up and down, but still worth it. Would listen again.

Jazz funk, but enough funk to dilute the jazz :) Letting this play all the way through for a second time. Great stuff.

Another band who would be a lot more my style if they had a different front man.

Well that was an experience. This is not an album you can have on in the background, you kinda need to sit down and pay attention to it. Which I don’t often do. The making of the album film sounds batshit and I need to find it.

Fair enough, bluesy country, nothing special.

I mean, it’s Tori Amos, you know what you’re going to get. She ok but a whole album is a bit much.

I genuinely don’t see what people get from jazz.

This is just really good. I bet you didn’t expect that from me.

Lovely chill album for an afternoon. Really enjoyed it. Fabulous guitar on Black Queen.

This hit me just right, liked it a lot.

Heads up for the first record I ever bought! Bits of this stand up well, bits are standard ‘Alice trying to be shocking’. I like the Street Fight/Gutter Cats vs The Jets bit.

As jazz goes, this isn't too bad, but it's still not something I would choose to listen to, or listen to twice at any rate.

This is not bad as far as my taste in hip hop goes, apart from the usual misogyny, etc.

Well. I expected a lot, being a classic and all that, but the only thing it has a lot of is running time. If they ditched all the novelty songs they’d have something approaching a decent album. The only song I can say I really liked was Blackbird. Dear Prudence was done properly by Souixsie. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da was done better by Marmalade, but it’s still not great. While My Guitar Gently Weeps was done MUCH better by the Tom Petty/Prince supergroup. And TIL the Beatles song that’s referenced in Firefly! But yeah, Agent K should have saved his money.

Yep, really enjoyed this. Particularly enjoyed the guitar in Black Queen.

OK this guy clearly wants to be Bob Dylan, but country. He just comes across as Nervous Norvus doing Paralysed.

I like Lizzy, but a whole album is a bit much. This does show what a propositional band they were, it’s a shame there’s controversy about overdubbing.

Been thinking about a phrase to describe this album, and I keep coming back to ‘deeply average,.

Well there’s a corner of folk history I didn’t know existed. It might be heresy, but I prefer Nilsson’s cover of Everybody’s Talking (although I’m not a massive fan of the song at all). I did like the first and last songs on the album better. All in all an nice album, would listen again.

Good little album, only 35 minutes but really solid.

I was clearly in the right frame of mind for this because I loved it. Why haven't I listened to more XTC?

I don’t always agree with albums being on a list of ones you should listen to, but this one definitely deserves it. The perfect distillation of late seventies punk.

So this is a better album than the White Album, but as you know I don't consider that to be a particularly high bar. The classics on this are better than the ones on TWA. Here Comes The Sun is a standout for me - the only one I would actively seek out. The rest are split between, "OK it's another Beatles song" and, "What is this shite". The best thing is that I listened to Life's Too Good by The Sugarcubes after this, which in my opinion is the better album.

Only ever heard Party Fears Two before. The rest of the album comes across as art school wankery, which is borne out by reading about how it was made. Bit disappointing really.

This album exemplifies why I didn't really like Elvis until I found the Sun Sessions. His older rockabilly stuff was great, and there's traces of that here, but it's mostly the softer ballads that emphasise his voice over the music. And I can't really be doing with that.

Late 80s, early 90s rap. Could be Run DMC, could be Vanilla Ice, could be PJ and Duncan.

Close to a perfect album. One of my favourite REM albums.

Yeah, no.

The only bad thing I can say about this album is that it’s very much a first album, and they get better. But it’s still really good. And TIL who Giles Farnaby is.

One of the more disjointed albums, doesn't make it bad though. Not keen on his version of Let's Spend The Night Together.

In a twist that will surprise nobody, i really liked the traditional music in this and hated the pop song covers. As there’s only two of them, I can keep to a four star rating.

Turns out I like grime a lot more than I do your typical Kanye or Eminem. think I'd need to be in the right mood for this, but fortunately I was today.

Early Who were much more like other bands of the sixties, which in my opinion is an improvement. Still not that keen on them though.

I must have listened to this all the way through before, but I don't remember most of it. Like it though.

Turns out I really like The Fall. Now I have another 29 albums to listen to!

Not for me. I knew Sweet Love from when it was in the charts, but it's all a bit forgettable.

Looked up what I said about Led Zep IV, and this is definitely better. However…they added songs to make it a double album, and I really think they could have dropped a couple of songs and made it a single album instead. Also, Rage Against The Machine really ripped off the start of Kashmir, didn’t they?

I know Sonic Youth are a seminal, respected band, but this isn’t for me. However I do want to watch Scott Pilgrim again now. I much prefer the less noisy ones like Chapel Hill.

Another one where I can see it being an important album at the time, but it’s really not for me. And 24 tracks is too much of a bad thing.

I prefer Magic Hour, but this is still a great album.

The only thing surprising here is that I've totally forgotten some of these tracks existed. Even so, this is a great album. Not quite five stars as the non-single tracks aren't quite as good.

Too heavy for me.

That’s more like it. I’ve always liked People Every Day and Mr Wendal, and the rest of the album stands up to them. Really really good.

Can’t imagine why they put Psycho Killer out as the first single… Great album, but very much a debut album, hence the not-five stars.

I was pleasantly surprised by this. Dusty had a great voice and the songs, while not all my thing, were well chosen for her.

Consider me suitably funked up. This was great for cycling on a sunny day 🙂

No surprises, this is a Madonna album that I don't particularly care for. Something about her voice grates on my nerves.

Since I gave Automatic For The People 5, and will almost certainly give Out Of Time the same, I can't really give this any less. Stand and Orange Crush are the standout songs, but there are a LOT of great tracks on this.

Adding this to the list of ‘great bands fronted by a total wanker’. What if, and hear me out here, what if Captain Beefheart fronted by David Byrne? This struck me particularly when Yellow Brick Road came on, which sounds just like a lost track from Uh-Oh. I actually liked this a lot more than I thought I would. A lot of that is probably down to the Ry Cooder guitar.

That was certainly a choice for a drive…I think I need to hear out again to get a proper sense of it, but I think I like it? 3 points feels a bit of a cop out, but I need to sort out my thoughts about it.

Feels very Bill and Ted! Decent motr soft rock.

Again, an album I listened to on a drive, and it fitted better than United States of America. This one has been floating around since I was a kid but this is the first time I've listened to it, and I actually quite liked it. Bit too much noodling on some tracks though.

No. Instead of listening to this, I caught up with Wild Is The Wind, which is massively better. I suppose I have to give this one star or my comments won't show.

I expected this to be great, and it was.

Compared to all the Who albums I’ve listened to, this one seems to be the one where they’ve actually got their shit together. Quite enjoyed it, and not just for the flagship singles.

As with all Bowie's albums, the big question is, do I give this 4 or 5 stars? I really enjoyed this one, felt like going back to his late 70s ones.

It's all very Musey.

Turns out early ZZ Top is much more bluesy. This was pretty good, the standout being obviously Lagrange.

Well that was a bit of a change after listening to Muse. Considering what I usually think of jazz, I didn’t mind this. Maybe because I was busy and it was just background. But it will never be my music of choice.

This struck me better than the last CCR album we listened to. Bit more stripped back and old-timey.

Much like the last Run-DMC album, this leaves me really cold.

Olde timey blues brand Bob Dylan, it’s one of those albums where you wonder what everybody saw in it, and then remember it was 50 years ago.

Pretty good album, but I felt the more downbeat Candyman didn’ jarred a bit. Very CSNY.

I can see what Kevin was after here, but it’s all a bit off. And the bits of conversation are a real distraction.

Old timey country western. All a bit saccharine, you can see why up and coming artists rebelled against it.

I constantly mix up the Black Keys and the Black Crowes. Seems fair to me, they’re both basically the same mid-range blues rock.

Getting two Scott Walker albums out of the way in one day. This made me wonder how some albums get on this list.

Not as good as her bluegrass stuff, but then I was always going to say that. Traditional C&W themes of please don't leave me, tempered with a bunch of religion, but it's Dolly, you know what you're gonna get. Nice though.

What is this doing here. The songs I recognised have been done better by others, overall a fairly rubbish album.

You can see the influence of this guy in so many other singer songwriters. Nice album,.

This is one i enjoyed probably far more than it deserved. Clear line from Alice Cooper to punk. Would I listen to it again? Probably, yes.

Compared to the last live albums I've listened to for this project, this one is a vast improvement. I don't mind Johnny Cash's brand of country, and his presentation at San Quentin really comes across well. Shout out to English TV coming up with a list of songs, and Cash going, "Yeah, no." Three points for the music and one for the live show.

This fell into my pit of "I don't really hear lyrics, so I miss a lot of what it's about". Having said that, Tribe are a solid band and this is a good album.

If you want sunny 80s pop, these are the guys for you. But that’s all your gonna get. I seem to be giving a lot of albums a standard 3 points, but that kinda makes sense. Most albums, like this one, are just…ok.

This is one where we need a more refined scoring system, because it's a great album, but is it five stars?

Turns out i prefer Paul McCartney to the Beatles. This is ok, but he still throws in novelty songs.

I wasn’t really familiar with The Fall before this, as evidenced by me thinking they were Britpop. Bit of Lou Reed, bit of The Cramps in the guitar. Not bad.

I was never gonna listen to this, but have a review that will make sure I never have to think about it again. I managed to skim through the start of about 4 tracks before giving up. As Spotify says for track 12: Kid Rock Fuck Off

I wasn't prepared for how much I liked this album. Never listened to anything but the classic singles, but this flows really well. Loved it.

This is fine. Firmly between Flaming Lips and Owl City. A bit forgettable.

I’m really torn on this one. If it wasn’t for the connection with that utter twat McLaren, this would be a five star album. I listened to Puleng by the Boyoyo Boys, and the rip off that is Double Dutch is unbelievable. So I’m going to call it 3 stars, losing a point for not crediting the African singers on the album, but I’m gonna have to give it another star for its undoubted role in helping popularise world music. But then losing that star for sticking a novelty song on the end that sounds like it was done on cocaine.

I never know what to say about this sort of album - it really should be my sort of thing, but it kinda leaves me cold.

High quality, great performance, great production, totally forgettable. There’s something about U2 that I just don’t get. And apparently this album is Irish/American folk based? Should be just my thing, and yet.

Apparently the band weren’t pleased with this album, and I wouldn’t be either. Fairly standard psychedelic (sorta) sixties pop, including the obligatory novelty song at the end.

Insert “It’s just noise” dad quote here. This is fine if you enjoy being shouted at, but it just stresses me out.

I can vote on this without listening to it, but I won't. I've got a particular connection with Into White and Longer Boats, but this is a great album without a bad track.

Wow, that was a slog. The only reason this is getting a point is because you can’t fault Ella’s voice.

This is fine, but it shifts from Flaming Lips to Orchestral Manoeuvres to any number of other electronic bands.

If I want this sort of noisy rock stuff I usually go to the Cramps. Nick Cave is no Lux Interior. But it’s not bad, particularly Hamlet and Kewpie Doll.

Great singing voices, but apart from the singles it’s all a bit forgettable. The covers are nothing special compared to the originals.

Who’da thunk Grace Jones’s Private Life was a cover? Not me. Like this quite a lot.

It’s OK I suppose. Very Bill & Ted.

Weird to listen to this album all the way through for the first time after nearly 50 years! The Pistols are not nearly as amateur as they were made out to be at the time; I think it’s mainly John Lydon’s attitude and delivery that gave the band their reputation, for better or worse. Glad I listened to it, would listen to it again, but manage not the whole thing.

If you can get away with a line like, "Let's cut a rug while we scat some jazz", you can get away with anything. This is perfectly serviceable girl pop. The Jesus Loves Me track at the end lays it on a bit thick.

I’ve decided this is called waifcore. There’s no doubt she has s decent voice, sounding at times like Joan Baez, but it’s all a bit maudlin for me.

I'm starting to get a feel for Who albums...Tommy was garbage and so is this.

Dunno what the difference is between this Pixies album and the last one, but this one hit me much better.

Quite a surprise here. I'd never listened to this for some reason, but it's clearly more Sex Pistols than the Clash I know and love. Still good, but the band was a work in progress.

If this is Iggy with less Bowie input, I can’t imagine what his previous album sounded like. This has a lot of Bowie. I went in expecting to like the singles and not much else, but I was pleasantly surprised.

That's some perfectly serviceable heavy metal from Mr Kilmister et al.

Only really knew Epic before this. The album, is fine, it's just very forgettable.

Didn't mind this, but I'd rather listen to Ricky Lee Jones or Carole King. Good voice.

If the aim is to make an album I’ll listen to on repeat for half a day, this one has succeeded. Love it.

I think they took themselves a bit seriously back in the day, but this is a decent album. Everybody Wants to Rule the World is clearly the standout song.

They didn't want to be the Beatles as much as Oasis, but it's there in some tracks. I've only ever heard the big hits, but this was OK.

turns out I get on with British rap much better than American. While not completely my thing, this is pretty good.

Interesting one - as I said in chat, the extra long titles started bugging me after a while, and it gets a bit whimsical at times, but overall I’m glad I listened to it.

Reading the wiki page for this album, I really don't see what everyone thinks is so great about it. EWF are good, but this is fairly bland funk with some African sound thrown in.

Yup, that's certainly another Led Zepp album. I don't know why they don't connect with me. Maybe their omnipresence over the years. Maybe just Robert Plant's voice. Even mentioning Roy Harper's name didn't do it for me. Looking back, I've given two other albums 3 points, and thinking back, I may have been a bit generous.

This is high on my list of unnecessary sequels. I'm not a member of the cult of Brian Wilson; I don't even like Pet Sounds that much, but at least it's better than this.

There’s not a lot you can say, it’s Frank Sinatra. Amazing how many of these songs are embedded in my head despite never having deliberately gone out to find them before.

This is ok, but I preferred Five Leaves Left. This is bordering on jazz, for God’s sake.

Actually really liked this, maybe slightly influenced by seeing Peggy Seeger last night. If this is her ‘less folky’ stuff, I might have to look up some of her earlier albums.

Have we done a Bob Dylan before? If so, I prefer this one. The standout is obviously Like a Rolling Stone. I can slightly understand why people were up in arms about him becoming less folky and more rock, but it's still good.

Widely considered by me to be Bowie’s best album.

If David Byrne had gone his own way from Talking Heads a few years earlier... I really liked this. On another day it might not have hit so well, but that's music.

I went into this thinking I would give the artist a second chance. Sadly he still insists on being Leonard Cohen.

As with most White Stripes stuff, this album leaves me kinda cold. I don't mind it, but it doesn't really do anything for me. I know Jack has a reputation for being experimental, and I would normally like that, but it feels on the ordinary side of experimental.

Another of those "I've listened to this, I never have to listen to it again" albums.

Didn’t know what to expect from these guys, but it’s a good one. I’m sure I’ve heard Squares before - on The Beach album? Antway, listened to it straight through twice.

I genuinely thought I’d done this album before, but maybe that was wishful thinking. I don’t really like Nilsson and this hasn’t changed my mind. Also, very disjointed with the ballads, the novelty song and the pretending to be The Who one. Now I’ve listened to it all, the drum and bass segment of Jump Into The Fire almost deserves a star of its own.

They're a band you can't escape, doesn't mean I have to like them.

This is not for me. I get the feeling he wants to be Roy Harper when he grows up.

This is definitely the Stones era that I like, but apart from the ones I already knew, it's all a bit forgettable? I liked it, but I wouldn't make any particular effort to listen to it as an album again. And why for Christ's sake does Spotify insist on playing the extended albums, even when I've specifically clicked on the standard version? It's such a shit app.

This is still not really my thing, but it’s ten times better than any of the other rap albums I’ve heard from the same era.

Still not massively my thing, but much more listenable to than, say, Method Man.

Didn’t mind this when it got a bit more prog/psychedelic, but mostly it seemed an album made completely of novelty songs.

Didn’t mind this, but it really felt like they wanted to be Arrested Development.

Honestly, I enjoyed that far more than I expected to.

Suggs sings short and punchy lines about being English, accompanied by jaunty piano and overlaid by dramatic horns. It’s fine, but it’s not the Madness that I know and love.

I think you need to be in the right frame of mind for this one. Fortunately I pretty much was. It was as shouty as I expected, but not as metal. More drum and bass? Quite liked it.

It’s not American Idiot but it’s close.

A bit too self indulgent for me, I bet the fans absolutely love it.

So laid back I lost track of it. OK I suppose.

I knew what to expect when I put this on, but surprisingly I didn’t want to turn it off immediately.

I've mellowed in my disco opinion over the years, but this sound still isn't for me. Can't deny the quality though.

That was kinda fun - it's obviously my sort of music and I liked the little asides at the start of the songs, which I usually find annoying.

Willy. No. Especially after listening to Ramblin' Jack Elliott.

A bit like Mountain Goats, I know they have a devoted following but they don’t really do anything for me.

This is an interesting one. Very much outsider music, really interesting back story, very sad. But it sounds like the love child of Bob Dylan and Tom Waites.

Another one that proves this is not for me.

I would say if you like T Rex’s singles (and I do), you’ll like this whole album (and I do). If I had to say anything, Rip Off’s rockier sound doesn’t fit quite so well with the rest; sounds less T Rex and more Roxy Music. But at least there’s no novelty song!

It’s been a family classic for decades, love it. Puts a smile on my face.

I’ve got to own up to being really quite disappointed by this album. It’s one thing to be know for just one song, but producing an album of mostly covers plus that one song seems a waste. I can’t even increase the score for the cover shot being by the photographer for MAD Magazine. One star for a basic ‘I’ve listened to it’ score, plus another for one of my favourite tracks.

I have never understood what ‘minor key’ means, but the vocals on this album sound like what I imagine it to mean. I like it, but it needs dialling up a bit.

Scene: Animal House frat party. Bluto finds a guitar player serenading female students on the stairs to the basement. He grabs the guitar and smashes it against the wall. “Sorry.” I’m not sorry. I’ve known this album since the seventies when my family played it a lot. My opinion hasn’t changed; it’s self-indulgent twaddle designed to get girls into bed. Apparently it worked.

Having only heard Shipbuilding before, I didn’t really know what to expect here. I keep switching from ‘this is actually pretty good’ to ‘this is actually really annoying’.

Big Band Latin Sound, what’s not to like. But it does get a bit repetitive.

I like the Cocteau Twins sound, but find I can take it or leave it. Nice music to sit and listen to, not great driving music!

Classic example of what punk is supposed to be. I was clearly in the right mood for this.

This kinda how I like my metal - not too metal, just heavy rock. RIP Ozz.

P J Harvey has always just been there before, but I got the chance to sit and listen to this one, and honestly I thought it was great. Could definitely listen to it on a car journey too.

It’s fine, don’t really have a lot to say about it. Standard Temptations fare.

Not a fan. Clearly a musician's musician. I think all his talent was passed on to his son.

No Dennis, you can't be the Beach Boys all by yourself.

My opinion of metal is much the same as my opinion of hip hop - it's fine, can be well made, but except for a few tracks it's not really for me. This is fine.

Another band who are perfectly fine. I can see why they’re popular but they don’t really do it for me.

First Kings of Leon, and now another band who are fine on the face of it but leave me cold.

Quite up and down, feels like The Monkees got some creative freedom and were working out what to do with it. Hate to say it but I prefer their older pre-produced stuff, but that could just be familiarity. I would listen to this again. Randy Scouse Git is the only one I recognised from before.

Lots of emotions listening to this whole album. I heard it a lot when I was quite young.

One of the better albums, just classic rock.

As near to liking a Beatles album as I get, I suppose.

Who would have thought this would be my thing. Great live music and bare bones presentation, just how I like it. It hadn’t struck me until now how much delta blues sounds like zydeco. I’m very slow.

I’d forgotten how deeply weird Roxy Music got some times. You need to be in the right mood for this one, and fortunately I was.

This is about what I expected from the Byrds. At least Space Odyssey wasn't a bad cover.

I'm weirdly attached to this album. It's one that gets thrown at me a lot on shuffle. Also, Beck really reminds me of Dan Stevens in Legion.

For a genre I don’t really take to, this is pretty good. I think I like it more because of the variation in styles throughout.

I kinda knew what to expect from a Christina Aguilera album, and I wasn't surprised. It's OK 00's pop, and she can sing.

I’m torn on this one. I love Miriam, but so much of this is done to a lounge music beat or just a straight up novelty song. One More Dance made me want to throw something at the TV.

The hits make up a lot of this one, but the rest is good too. The fact that it tacked on Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll on the end, which is perilously close to being a novelty song, prevents it getting the full 5 stars.

A bunch of hit singles, and then some other songs. Fortunately they are pretty good too. Sunshine is particularly funky.

Good, but I preferred Let England Shake.

This is such a mix of styles that I don't know where to begin. I really liked the first track, all 11 minutes of it, and then the skinhead novelty song kicked in, and it all kinda went off the rails. Shame really.

I’ve never seen a rock opera that I liked, and this has not changed my mind. This has some good tracks, but they’re surrounded by novelty songs and depressing dirges. The best song is Comfortably Numb, and was done better by the Scissor Sisters.

Janis Joplin is right there with Joe Cocker for singers that I don’t see the attraction of. This album really didn’t do anything for me.

I like Lenny and he’s clearly very talented, but to me it’s pretty much basic pop rock.

Look, I gave it a fair shot, by which I mean I tried all the songs and only skipped most of them. The instrumentals were ok. But it’s still a beastie boys album, and that means shit.

I'm not surprised I've never heard of this, as it sounds like few people have. I can definitely hear the beginnings of REM-era rock in there, along with the tail end of post-punk. Really enjoyed it.

A bunch of classics on here but the rest are just ok. I much prefer the upbeat ones to the ballads.

I like Time of the Season, and the rest of it is on a par. Not a bad album.

I only really heard the Doors' singles and LA Woman before and didn't really warm to them, but this is more my style. Apart from Land Ho! being perilously close to a novelty song.

I get that everyone is entitled to an opinion, but when they use it to make me listen to an album like this I want to revoke theirs.

For a change I'm glad they put the US version on Spotify, because adding Virginia Plain was a very good idea. It's a bit up and down as an album, I'm not so keen on the experimental bits (must be getting old), but all in all a good album.

Probably the best U2 album, but that’s not a high bar. They’re an accomplished band but I find them somewhat…unlikeable.

Much better than The Notorious Byrd Brothers. Holds together as a complete album, and I never knew Tom Petty was doing a cover of I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better!

Quite liked this, particularly liked Up With People.

Well that was an interesting listen. Considering my family background, I’m amazed I haven’t heard this before. I think I’d need to be in the right frame of mind to listen to it, but fortunately today I was. Will definitely listen to it again.

Smooth, forgettable stuff.

Don’t know why I’ve never listened to this before. Like a more aggressive Young Marble Giants. Will definitely listen again.

Nothing special really.

Interesting listening to this just after Thriller. You can see where she gets a lot of her inspiration. Good album, better than Thriller in my opinion.

I assume what I’m hearing is the electric jug mentioned on Wikipedia, but I could have sworn they’ve got a guy whose job is going woobooloboloo over every song. Not bad, clearly the precursor to a lot of other bands.

It's standard Motörhead, not really improved or spoiled by being a live album. It's OK. Better than listening to Vernon Kay.

I’m glad I have a bad ear for lyrics, but I still caught more than I cared to. This was awful.

I like the Offspring singles I've heard, and this lives up to them. I even like the little comedy bits.

Damn Gil, you’ll get me listening to jazz yet. This was a truly great album, and still goddamn relevant.

One of those albums that’s fine, but once you’ve heard a couple of tracks you’ve heard it all.

This one is just fun. Can't beat being sung to by King Louie.

Wasn’t sure what is think going in to this, especially as the wiki page makes a lot of him being depressed at the time, but I really liked it. Fairly stripped back sound.

Not bad, but I really get the feeling they want to be a 60s band, but they haven’t decided on which one yet.

Possibly the smoothest album we’ll get on this list. If you like bossa nova, this is great. I think it’s ok.

I mean, it's Bob Marley. The only question is does it get 4 stars or 5. Stir It Up is one of my favourite Wailers songs ever, but not all the album lives up to it. Or maybe I haven't listened to it enough.

It's not my sort of music, but you can't fault the quality of her voice.

I can take some industrial, but not when it's people shouting at each other. This was a bit of both.

I've realised that I don't actually like Queen albums. The singles on here are classics, but most of the rest is just novelty songs.

This is exactly what I would expect from a Bollywood movie with Rex Harrison in it. I can’t think of a reason why it would be on this list, apart from we’re all different.

At least with an album like this, you know what you’re going to get. There were only two songs I didn’t know. I have to say, compared to some of the albums we’ve listened to, this is beautifully coherent as a single unit, credit probably to Quincy Jones for that. But it’s still not something I’d put on my regular playlist.

Stick to the animated films, Billy.

This Is probably Coldplay’s best album, but that doesn’t mean I particularly like it.

Not bad at all. Not all to my taste, but still a good album.

I don’t mind Patti Smith in small doses, but a whole album is a bit much.

Better than his later stuff, but i tend to say that about a lot of artists. Didn’t mind it at all.

And You and I was the track I was most familiar with, but it’s all standard Yes prog stuff.

Randy, stick to scoring animated films please.

This is all fine but it’ss a bit Spinal Tap for me.

It's ridiculous that one person has this much talent. Favourite track: Floaty Least favourite: Weenie Beenie

Didn't really like this at all.

I’ve heard the name before but never really listened to Mylo. I liked this.

What can I say about one of the best albums made? It's very good.

Hard to diss any of Bowie’s albums. This is a mixture of classics and also rans, which are not bad but change the mood a bit.

Standard prog stuff, too much noodling, goes on too long. Would have got 2 stars but for the unnecessary and jarring rock & roll song at the end.

Absolutely brilliant album, near the top of this list. Seemed ethically dodgy when he did it, but it proved itself in retrospect.

I dislike a novelty song, so imagine my pleasure at finding a whole album of them. Neil is so up himself, and a lot of the songs seem pretty demeaning to women. In summary - no.

Falls off slightly due to the non-single tracks being a bit forgettable, but it holds together as an album, and Higher Ground deserves a star of its own.

Still don’t really get her, but this wasn’t too bad.

I do like Gillian, but her slow songs kinda drag me down.

Have to say the surrounding songs don't let the singles down, it's a solid album.

I'm guessing this really appeals to 14-year olds, because it sounds like it was written. by 14-year olds. Also, a 9 minute outro is bollocks, particularly when 4 minutes of it is a loop of somebody laughing.

Looking back at the Pixies albums I've listened to before, and I seem to prefer their earlier stuff, clichéd as that may sound. This is good, short and punchy like all good punk.

What if The Hives, but sweary? Seem to be getting a lot of punk-adjacent albums recently, which is not a bad thing.

Stevie doing what he does, perfectly nice smooth tunes.

Yeah, no.

Portsihead aren’t as whiny as Radiohead, but it’s a close run thing. I like Machine Gun, but can take or leave the rest.

Quite liked this, nice and bluesy, but Make You Feel My Love doesn't fit AT ALL with the rest of the album.

Pretty much standard fare for Elton, but...where did Indian Sunset come from? I could understand if he'd written it as a protest song, but apparently not, so all you're left with is a bunch of Native American buzzwords and inaccuracies, which comes across as really cringe.

So far so Jack White. I don't actively dislike it, but there's not a lot grabbing me with this one.

Actually really enjoyed this, wasn’t really familiar with Tricky before. Massively helped by Martina’s voice, giving it a Morcheeba vibe.

This has good bits and not so good bits, but maonly it's not my sort of thing.

Standard Beach Boys stuff, but the extended chat at the end loses it a star.

So smooth it should come with a warning about operating heavy machinery.

Liked this more than Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, and Fairytale is clearly star bait.

Mixture of classics (good), classics (meh) and also rans.

Oh god more Who.

All very average. If I wanted blues I'll listen to John Lee Hooker, if I want blues rock I'll listen to Rory Gallagher. But not bad for all that.

Prog tends to leave me a bit cold, which is bad news for Yes.

One of those You Really Had To Be There live albums. Not great.

I think I’d have good things to say about this album if Clapton wasn’t such a dick. Guitar and vocals were very Peter Green, which is high praise from me.

The combination of freeform noodling, extra long tracks and feedback tracks, while not always a problem for me, kinda left me cold.

A lot more accessible than I expected - I quite enjoyed it.

Wow, this is very Steely Dan easy listening isn’t it. I was surprised that I actually knew some of them.

Great album but a bit variable, hence not the full five stars. Prefer the more melodic songs to the heavier ones.

I didn’t expect this one to start as pretty much a Bowie/Eno album, with Sting’s scratchy voice over the top. Take out the vocals and I liked it. Synchronicity II is great. Then side 2 starts with possibly the worst Police song, and doesn’t really improve.

It's post punk, it's OK, didn't mind it, wouldn't make an effort to seek it out.

Part Britpop, Part Rolling Stones tribute act, part novelty record. Started well, lost me a bit.

That’s some damn good Stranglers.

Yup, this Is good. Sounds quite ahead of its time to me. Not surprised that a lot of artists quote it as an influence.

Proper old fashioned country music, by which I mean it’s really depressing.

Wow Brian really did like his prog rock. This could have been a very different band.

I know wanted to like this more than I did. It’s very accomplished, and quite an achievement for a debut album, but it’s good, not great. The only one I’ve heard Brie is White Winter Hymnal, which I think is the stand out track.

I listened to this an awful lot when my mate had the double album on sky blue vinyl back in the day and honestly, it hasn’t held up as much as I thought it would. The singles are the stand outs, but honestly I can take or leave it now.

I’d only heard The Ballad of Lucy Jordan before, but this was a real surprise. Real strains of having been made in 1979, I think Marianne could easily have fronted a punk band. I liked it.

This is...fine.

Deeply average, I've heard Strawberry Letter 23 before, but it's all a bit forgettable.

The title track is obviously great, but the whole album is a bit more of the same.

It's just Frank.

This was OK, but massively spoiled by Spotify's terrible performance.

Kinda not going to listen to a Nazi sympathiser.

Heard of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs a lot but never actually listened to them before. This was pretty good.

Well it’s jazz, I was never going to be bothered about it.

Not bad, just can’t think of a lot to say about it

The Zutons are the new Kinks. Discuss. Good album. I bet they're great live too.

I had forgotten UB40 could be this good. After this they were still good, just a good covers band. This is awesome.

Not really my thing

Turns out a whole album of Daftpunk is too much. Especially when two tracks made me feel like I was have a tooth drilled.

Good, but I know too much about Chris Frantz.

Possibly the best debut album ever, this is pretty much all high notes. I love it.

I didn't mind it, but I kinda prefer the weird Kick Out The Jams from Kenny Everett's World's Worst Record Show.

This is different from the Beck I’m used to, but still enjoyed it

Yeah, it’s ok

Not too bad, 8 Miles High is probably the best, Hey Joe is disappointing.

Do Steely Dan take themselves very seriously? They sound like they do.

Not too bad, I think I was in the right frame of mind for it...Legend of a Girl Child Linda was the audio equivalent of reading a Michael Moorcock book...

Not too bad at all, most of it holds up with the singles

I liked this a lot, only spoiled slightly by the unnecessary Norwegian Wood.

Enjoyed this more than i thought I might, although the last track is a bit creepy

Tried to get through this, but it's just too jazzy.

I’ve heard this a hundred times, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do another one. Not a perfect album, but it’s just part of me.

Really good!

Massive improvement on recent offerings

one of those 'leaves me cold' bands

I kinda wish I saw the same thing as everybody else with Amy, but it all just…annoys me.

You can see the progression away from Simon & Garfunkel from this, through Hearts and Bones, to Graceland. I liked it.

Classic punk. Why would anyone listen to the Sex Pistols when you could listen to this?

Yeah, it was ok. Chug All Night sounded weirdly like ZZ Top

Definitely one of Bowie's better albums