562
Albums Rated
3.39
Average Rating
52%
Complete
527 albums remaining
Submitted Album
Quadrophenia
The Who
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1970
Favorite Decade
Metal
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
132
5-Star Albums
61
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Casanova
The Divine Comedy
|
5 | 2.65 | +2.35 |
|
Lam Toro
Baaba Maal
|
5 | 2.73 | +2.27 |
|
Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
|
5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
|
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Destroyer
KISS
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
Heroes to Zeros
The Beta Band
|
5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
|
Black Monk Time
The Monks
|
5 | 2.94 | +2.06 |
|
Ghosteen
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
|
5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
|
Reign In Blood
Slayer
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Dog Man Star
Suede
|
5 | 3 | +2 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
|
1 | 3.75 | -2.75 |
|
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
|
1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
|
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
|
1 | 3.65 | -2.65 |
|
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
|
1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
|
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
|
1 | 3.58 | -2.58 |
|
The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
Diamond Life
Sade
|
1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
|
Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
|
1 | 3.43 | -2.43 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 5 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 4 | 4.75 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 4 | 4.5 |
| Radiohead | 3 | 4.67 |
| Beatles | 3 | 4.67 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.67 |
| Metallica | 3 | 4.67 |
| David Bowie | 8 | 4.13 |
| Funkadelic | 2 | 5 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 5 |
| Arcade Fire | 2 | 5 |
| Steely Dan | 2 | 5 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 2 | 5 |
| Talking Heads | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Wyatt | 2 | 1 |
| Leonard Cohen | 3 | 1.67 |
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 2 |
| PJ Harvey | 2 | 1.5 |
| Christina Aguilera | 2 | 1.5 |
| Dusty Springfield | 2 | 1.5 |
| Ray Charles | 2 | 1.5 |
| Def Leppard | 2 | 1.5 |
| Tom Waits | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| The Doors | 1, 5 |
| Elliott Smith | 1, 5 |
| Nick Drake | 2, 5 |
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 1, 4 |
| Queen | 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (132)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Steve Winwood · 3 likes
3/5
Good but not overly memorable album. I got massive Phil Collins vibes from it throughout.
Joni Mitchell · 1 likes
3/5
Hated this on the first listen but really enjoyed it second time around
Dennis Wilson · 1 likes
5/5
Outstanding album. I only knew of Brain Wilsons solo stuff but in my opinion this is better than anything Brian did as a solo.
Kid Rock · 1 likes
1/5
Bawitdaba is a banger but the rest of the album is truly terrible.
OutKast · 1 likes
3/5
Some really good songs on here but would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if they edited it down to one single album
4-Star Albums (164)
1-Star Albums (61)
All Ratings
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
So many classic singles but the album tracks don’t hit the mark
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
It would be easy to focus on the hits but the album as a whole is outstanding. No filler or duds, it shows why Bob Marley is such a legend.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
This would’ve been a 5 star but my God Sex Machine drags. Way too long a song and completely killed my interest. Take that away and it’s an amazing album.
Radiohead
5/5
I would honestly argue this is the best album of the 90’s and up there with the best of all time. It’s faultless.
Massive Attack
2/5
Not a terrible album but nothing really stood out to me. Quite forgettable tbh.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
1/5
This wasn’t for me. If you’re into big band I’m sure this is a masterpiece but it took a lot to finish this past track 4.
The Smiths
4/5
Really liked this one. It may be sacrilege but the main reason it’s not a 5 is because as good an album as this is I prefer Blossoms and Rick Astley singing The Smiths to the actual Smiths.
Funkadelic
5/5
Loved every second of this. What an album.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
A couple of decent tracks on here but quite dull for the most part.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
I had to get this score changed . HATED this on the first listen but gave it another go and now it’s one of my favourite discoveries from the list
Ella Fitzgerald
2/5
Amazing voice. Way way way too long of an album to keep my interest. I reckon if u pick the top 10-12 tracks of this on their own you would have a 4-5 star album.
Sparks
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. TTABEFTBOU is a classic but the rest of the album definitely holds its own.
Kid Rock
1/5
Bawitdaba is a banger but the rest of the album is truly terrible.
Bob Dylan
1/5
I honestly hated every second of this. His voice is shocking.
Talking Heads
4/5
Really enjoyed this. Had only heard Psycho Killer before but the rest of the album holds its own as well.
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
Unbelievable album. Loved every track. Some amazing guitar riffs.
Iron Butterfly
4/5
Outstanding album. The title track is an absolute classic but the rest of the album holds its own.
ZZ Top
3/5
Very middle of the road. Nothing terrible but apart from La Grange nothing memorable either.
Eagles
4/5
Enjoyable album, a few tracks didn’t quite do it for me but there was nothing bad on here.
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
Take away the vocals and this would be a far better album. Some interesting instrumentals but can’t get the singing.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Some really great songs on here. Really enjoyable album. Will be keeping it saved in my regular rotation.
Khaled
2/5
Was really enjoying this up until about the 45 minute mark then it started to drag big style. Some really catchy songs but it massively outstays its welcome.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
A few really good tracks but the rest was very middle of the road
Sigur Rós
3/5
Some amazing tracks on here. I don’t think you can stop and start this and get the most out of it. I could potentially ask for this score to be changed at a later date as I think they are a band you need to be in a certain mood for.
Miles Davis
5/5
Really surprised how much I enjoyed this. Unbelievable album
Elvis Presley
2/5
Nothing really to write home about with this one. Couple of decent tracks save it from being a 1
Stevie Wonder
2/5
Take away superstition and this is a one star. Very disappointing album, whole thing sounds very flat.
Sex Pistols
3/5
Personally this album was good but doesn’t live up to its legend. Probably a generational thing, it maybe suffers from me having heard everything it has inspired and then has improved on. Undoubtedly though one of the most important and inspirational albums of all time
Syd Barrett
2/5
Kinda sad to listen to tbh. Syd clearly wasn’t in a good place during this. Still has a couple of good tracks but with his talent that is inevitable.
Gorillaz
5/5
Love this album, love Gorillaz. Clint Eastwood is a BANGER
Suzanne Vega
2/5
Alright album. Nothing spectacular on here.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Hated this on the first listen but really enjoyed it second time around
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
Really fun album, surprised how much I enjoyed this one. Some really catchy songs on here
Deep Purple
4/5
Really good album. Smoke on the Water suffers from decades of oversaturation.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
I’d say 4 really good tracks on here. The rest aren’t bad just average compared the albums best.
Joan Baez
1/5
I hated this album from beginning to end. Awful singing, bland guitar. Simply terrible.
Can
3/5
Interesting album. I think it needs a few listens to get the most out of it.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Found it kinda disappointing in the end. Started off good but dropped off massively. I liked this one years ago but tastes have changed since.
Public Enemy
4/5
Really good album. Not the biggest Hip Hop fan but these guys are legends.
Neu!
4/5
Loved it. Decided it was 5star by track 3. This should be much more widely known than it is.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Started very good but started to lose interest halfway through. Not terrible, not memorable. Very solid
DJ Shadow
1/5
Terribly dull album. Whole lot of nothing going on with it.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
An album of two halves. I was loving this, to the point where it was maybe getting a 5, up until San Jose then it went downhill from there. Power of love pulled it back but an album that definitely could’ve done with being a good 20 minutes shorter.
De La Soul
5/5
Loved every second of this. Really surprised how much I enjoyed it.
David Bowie
5/5
Absolute classic album. Hard to find any fault in it.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Smashing Pumpkins at their very best. Phenomenal album. Love it from start to finish.
GZA
4/5
Really enjoyed it. Almost a 5 but didn’t have that one track to push it over the wdge
Brian Eno
2/5
A decent half hour album dragged out way too long to the point where I was begging it to end. Love Talking Heads so was sooo disappointed with this.
T. Rex
4/5
Great album. Only knew 2-3 songs from T-Rex before this and I wish I had have checked them out sooner. 70 albums in and so far this is my favourite.
Beatles
4/5
Love this album and love The Beatles but I gave The White Album 5 and while good this isn’t on that level so it’s a 4 but a high 4.
Various Artists
3/5
Some classic Christmas tunes on here
Nick Drake
2/5
Some good songs but do not like the vocals. Would be interested to hear another singer cover some of these.
Stan Getz
3/5
Decent album, some good tracks but others are like elevator music.
Santana
2/5
Couple of good tracks but dull for the most part
Prefab Sprout
2/5
Very dull album. Struggled to keep my attention at the end. Bonny and When Love Breaks Down were ok and save it from being a 1
The Rolling Stones
4/5
The Stones have never done much for me but after a couple of tracks I really got into this.
Supergrass
5/5
Amazing album. Enjoyed every track. Never knew much about Supergrass apart from Alright but will be checking out more.
Burning Spear
4/5
My knowledge of reggae is minimal at best but I really liked this one. Ended up listening to it twice in a row
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Absolute classic album. Sadly over 25 years later it’s political message is still relevant
Led Zeppelin
5/5
My favourite and imo the best Zeppelin album. IV is obviously the most famous because it has Stairway to Heaven on it but as an overall album I think this is vastly superior.
Arcade Fire
5/5
One of my favourite albums. Bought it on release day and have loved it ever since. Arcade Fires first three albums are one of the great run of albums in history.
Sepultura
3/5
Love me some Metal but they’ve never been one of my favourites. Still some good stuff on here
5/5
Classic album. Bowies best in my opinion. Not a bad track on here.
Pink Floyd
5/5
One of the most iconic albums of all time. An absolute classic
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Giving this a 4 but the gap between 4 and 5 is razor thin. Brilliant album, the female vocalist in particular has an amazing voice.
The Damned
3/5
Apart from the first track nothing really stood out. Nothing terrible on here but just some quite generic punk.
Sam Cooke
5/5
One of my favourite live albums ever. Love the rawness of it, it isn’t polished in the studio like most live albums.
Janet Jackson
4/5
Had very low expectations but this wasn’t that bad in the end. Black Cat is a banger.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
First couple of tracks were good but the rest was hard work to get through.
R.E.M.
4/5
Great album, not their best but still very good with a couple of absolute classics on here.
Harry Nilsson
5/5
What an album. Brilliant from start to finish. Massive Beatles influences throughout.
Van Morrison
2/5
Cyprus Avenue is a good song but apart from that a very dull album. Did nothing for me.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
Terrible album. Couldn’t wait for it to end.
David Bowie
4/5
A very good album, after all I don’t think there is such a thing as a bad David Bowie album. In saying that it isn’t in that upper tier with the likes of Low or Ziggy Stardust but still brilliant.
Orbital
3/5
Sounds a lot like 90s video game music
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
All time classic album. You can hear where so many have taken influence from it.
Thin Lizzy
2/5
Jailbreak is a banger but apart from that the album was mostly dull. I was quite bored by the end of it.
Carole King
5/5
Bloody brilliant album. Enjoyed it on the first listen. Loved it on the second.
Supergrass
4/5
Very good album from a very underrated band.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Really struggled to get through this one. It wasn’t bad per se, I just found it boring.
Eminem
3/5
I’ve never liked this album as much as Marshall Mathers LP onwards but still there’s some really good tracks on here.
Liz Phair
1/5
I hate this album. It’s not the worst I’ve had on the list but definitely in the bottom 3
The Beach Boys
5/5
Absolute masterpiece of an album.
OutKast
3/5
Some really good songs on here but would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if they edited it down to one single album
Caetano Veloso
3/5
Nothing terrible on here but a few pretty good tracks
Black Sabbath
4/5
Not the best Sabbath album but still very good. It’s good to hear the original version of Changes rather than the God awful version with Kelly Osbourne.
SZA
1/5
Painfully generic and utterly forgettable. Half an hour after finishing it I genuinely struggled to remember anything about it
Green Day
4/5
I’m not the biggest Green Day fan but this album was a favourite when it originally came out. Been forever since I’ve listened to it in full but it still holds up to this day.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
This is, without exaggeration, the absolute worst album I have EVER heard. There is not a single redeeming quality, it is actually a marvel how truly terrible this really is. The track Graveyard made me want to launch my headphones halfway through. Ironically by the end of the track I envied the dead, they didn’t have to hear this. This is only getting 1 ⭐️ because the system makes me give it so. In my headspace it is Minus 5 Stars.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Alright album, nothing terrible but nothing overly memorable either. I enjoyed it but am unlikely to revisit it.
Prince
5/5
Absolute banger of an album
k.d. lang
2/5
She has a good voice but not my kinda music. Liked one song which saved this from being a 1⭐️
Shuggie Otis
3/5
I enjoyed this but think it’s a grower. A few more listens and I could see myself bumping it up a star.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Love this album, from the first time I saw the video for Tonight, Tonight on Kerrang (R.I.P Kerrang) to now it’s always been in my album rotation.
Steely Dan
5/5
Brilliant album. Played it three times today. I’m loving discovering acts like this that I had never heard of.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Some good songs on here but quite a few descended into background music.
Björk
3/5
An alright album that doesn’t lend itself well to this format. I think you’ll get more out of it with listening a few times.
Charles Mingus
2/5
I’m not the biggest Jazz fan. This was a challenging listen in parts but there was some good in here too.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
I don’t like Jazz but I really enjoyed this. Great album
Dennis Wilson
5/5
Outstanding album. I only knew of Brain Wilsons solo stuff but in my opinion this is better than anything Brian did as a solo.
PJ Harvey
1/5
Hated it, awful singing, abrasive guitar work. Just bad
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Good album but not as good as I remember it being. Under The Bridge is an all time classic song.
The Stone Roses
5/5
Probably my favourite album ever. It is faultless. John Squire might be the most underrated guitarist of all time. 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
About 30 seconds in I was very dubious and this one but holy crap what an album. Stunned me how much I enjoyed it
Sarah Vaughan
2/5
She has a good voice but the music itself bored me by the end. Not terrible by any means just not for me.
Pink Floyd
3/5
A couple of good tracks on here but far from their best album
Miriam Makeba
4/5
Beautiful voice, the only thing stopping this from a top score was the song One More Dance. I hated that one
American Music Club
2/5
Not bad but terribly average. Absolutely nothing memorable at all here
5/5
I’ve never liked U2, I honestly don’t get their appeal. That was until today, this album is bloody brilliant. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan now but I am willing to give them a go.
ZZ Top
3/5
A few really good songs on here, Sharp Dressed Man is an absolute classic, but I thought it dropped off after Legs and nothing really stood out.
Haircut 100
3/5
A pretty fun album that could’ve done with being a couple of tracks shorter or a bit more variance. It did get very samey by the end
The Cure
5/5
Phenomenal, PHENOMENAL album. Maybe the best I’ve had so far. The word masterpiece gets thrown around all too casually but I think it’s entirely appropriate for this one.
The Crusaders
1/5
Painfully dull album. Just under 40 mins of background music.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Decent enough album, some good guitar riffs. Vocals let it down though.
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Couple of good songs on here but nothing special
Keith Jarrett
5/5
Me 138 days ago: An hour long piano album?! Why the hell would I listen to that?
Me when this generated: This sounds awesome! Bring it on.
This album was brilliant and really shows how my tastes have changed since starting this project.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Pretty disappointed with this one. Didn’t do much for me at all.
50 Cent
3/5
Pretty good, held my interest all the way through. Far from the best rap album I’ve ever heard though.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
PHENOMENAL ALBUM. The Boxer literally gave me goosebumps. One of the best I’ve heard so far.
Steve Winwood
3/5
Good but not overly memorable album. I got massive Phil Collins vibes from it throughout.
King Crimson
4/5
Overall a brilliant album. Only thing stopping it from getting all 5 stars is I thought Moonchild was quite boring.
Christina Aguilera
1/5
Amazing voice but it’s just not my kinda music
Garbage
3/5
Decent enough album without being anything spectacular. I almost wish I hadn’t liked it so I could describe Garbage by Garbage as Garbage.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
This was going to be a one star until Reward. I loved that and everything after so it got bumped up a couple of stars
The Only Ones
4/5
Didn’t like the first track, was dreading the next 40 minutes. Then Another Girl, Another Planet came on and it is an absolute BANGER. The rest of the album while good doesn’t hit that same high but still a really good listen overall.
Meat Loaf
5/5
Epic and massively over the top. I really loved it.
Neil Young
4/5
It took a second listen for the first couple of songs to click with me but after that I really enjoyed this one. It was nice to learn what Lynyrd Skynyrd were referring to in regards to Southern Man.
Metallica
5/5
I’ll never forget hearing Enter Sandman as a kid and it was the coolest thing I had ever heard. That moment shaped my taste in music for the next 25 years after.
Ozomatli
3/5
Hard to review this one. Had to listen on YouTube as it isn’t on Spotify. Even then I couldn’t find all the tracks so between that and the adverts it was hard to immerse myself in the album.
Radiohead
4/5
Great album. It’s not up there with The Bends or Ok Computer but to be fair that is a very high bar.
ABBA
4/5
I’ve always been, I would almost say snobby about ABBA. I kinda dismissed it as poppy bullshit. While I knew a lot of songs on here this was the first time properly listening to them. Boy have I been wrong. This was brilliant. Literally one song let it down meaning it didn’t get the full five stars but I actually feel harsh marking it down.
Moby Grape
4/5
Never heard of this band before. Really good album. Giving fours stars but it’s razor thin between 4 and 5. Just lacking that one track that pushes it over the edge.
Dusty Springfield
2/5
Wasn’t for me at all. If it wasn’t for Son of a Preacher Man it would be a 1⭐️
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
First listen I really enjoyed this, second time round a bit less so. Still some good tracks to be had though.
Joanna Newsom
1/5
My God I hated this album. I honestly can’t think of one positive about it.
Simply Red
3/5
A couple of good songs but some of it very middle of the road as well.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Really good album, would’ve been a 5⭐️ if not for the B-Boy Bouillabaisse at the end. It didn’t do much for me
Tom Waits
1/5
My God did I hate this album. This might be the worst one yet. Awful, terrible,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Bloody brilliant album. Fast becoming a fan of Neil Young.
Linkin Park
5/5
One of my all time favourites. Pity none of their subsequent albums reached this level.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I’ve never been too fussed on Springsteen but this album was PHENOMENAL. Not at all what I was expecting. Hopefully he has more on the list of this quality.
Brian Eno
4/5
Took a couple of lessons to click with me. Really good album. Some of the instrumental songs are amazing.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Really good album, very close to being top scores. It was just missing that almighty banger of a song to tip it over the edge.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Brilliant album. I’m becoming a big fan of S&G through this list.
Aerosmith
3/5
Not the biggest Aerosmith fan. This was alright I guess. Nothing brilliant, nothing terrible.
Stephen Stills
4/5
Brilliant album for the most part. A couple of tracks towards the end were kinda middle of the road which cost it full marks.
Green Day
5/5
Nice slice of teenage nostalgia here. I had settled on giving a high 4 star but then Basket Case came on and not only is it a classic, it is an all time BANGER.
Alice In Chains
4/5
Great album but as a whole didn’t quite reach the heights to give 5⭐️
Tom Tom Club
4/5
Really good album, to be honest was not expecting much from it. Genius of Love is bloody brilliant.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
Good album but I won’t be rushing to revisit it.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Brilliant album. I had always dismissed Springsteen but after two albums of his I am changing my mind.
The Who
4/5
A classic album but it is insanity that this is on here and Quadrophenia isn’t.
Destiny's Child
3/5
First four tracks were banging. If it kept that quality it’s easily a 4-5 star. Unfortunately it dipped after that and I HATED Brown Eyes and everything that cane after.
The Clash
4/5
Really good album but there are better ones to come from The Clash
2/5
Not a fan of country but a good album if you are
Johnny Cash
4/5
Really good album. Cocaine Blues is absolutely brilliant
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
Brilliant album, one of the best post-Beatles albums out there.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Really good album, it was one track away from getting full stars
The Beta Band
5/5
Was not expecting to love this album so much. It is absolutely brilliant.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
4/5
Brilliant for 3/4 of the album but it really started to drag towards the end. Such a pity, shave 10 minutes off of this and it would’ve been in my overall Top 10
Air
4/5
A proper chill out album. It lacked an absolute banger of a song to get all 5 stars bit still a very good album.
Songhoy Blues
5/5
Outstanding album, absolutely brilliant. Get big Ali Farka Touré vibes from it. One of the best I’ve had in a while.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Brilliant album containing arguably the greatest song of all time
The Cramps
3/5
Good early punk album. Enjoyable enough without having an outstanding track on here.
Van Halen
4/5
Really good album, it would probably be a 5 but I don’t like their cover of You Really Got Me
Traffic
3/5
Decent album. Not terrible, not brilliant.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
Awful album. No redeeming features whatsoever
Dusty Springfield
1/5
She has a great voice but it’s not my kinda music whatsoever
The Jam
4/5
Great album. That’s Entertainment is an all time classic track
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Really good album. Had never heard the artist before, wouldn’t be against checking out some more of his stuff after this
Dead Kennedys
4/5
Classic early punk album
5/5
Brilliant album. Puts me in mind of Funkadelic
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Hated this at the start, eventually enjoyed it a bit but I could’ve done without the last two songs. The album was starting to drag by that point.
Electric Light Orchestra
5/5
Absolute classic album. Packed with all time great songs.
The Doors
1/5
On first listen I grew bored. Second listen I actively disliked it. I’m assuming given the band’s reputation that there is much better to come.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
I hated The Gift but apart from that it was a decent enough album
Genesis
5/5
Brilliant album, I’ve never heard Genesis before and definitely wasn’t expecting this.
Afrika Bambaataa
5/5
Unbelievable album. My knowledge of Hip Hop is minimal at best but this is the best album I’ve ever heard in the genre.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
2/5
Love the bluesy guitar work but cannot stand the vocals.
Primal Scream
1/5
My God almighty this was dull. Was begging for it to end
Calexico
3/5
Started really good but second half it dropped off massively
Black Sabbath
5/5
All time great album. Damn near every song on this is an absolute classic.
Buck Owens
3/5
Not the biggest Country fan but this wasn’t that bad. Took me a couple of tracks to get into it though.
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
Couple of good tracks but mostly quite generic 80’s music.
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
First track is God awful. It does improve after that but still nothing remarkable.
Louis Prima
4/5
Took me ages to realise it was King Louie from The Jungle Book. Really good album but not quite 5⭐️
The Police
5/5
Brilliant album. Wasn’t expecting much when it generated but really enjoyed this one.
The Clash
5/5
Absolute classic album. So many brilliant songs on here
Blur
4/5
An album packed with Britpop classics. Take away the big hits though and the rest is very inconsistent .
John Grant
4/5
I wasn’t fussed on the last couple of songs but until that it was brilliant. Will be checking out more of his work.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
Brilliant album, I’ll be keeping this in my regular rotation for a while
Paul Weller
4/5
As much as I like The Jam, Paul Wellers solo material has never clicked with me. I did enjoy this though so I will be more open minded listening to more of his stuff.
Public Enemy
4/5
Really good album. Almost as good as It Takes a nation of millions to hold us back
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Good enough album but not the best I’ve heard from Stevie Wonder. It’s lacking that mega stand out track, everything is kinda samey.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Really enjoyed this one which was surprising since I didn’t like the previous album, Sister, that I had from them.
Paul Simon
4/5
Really good album. Not quite at the level of his work with S&G but very close
Robert Wyatt
1/5
I HATED this. Truly hated it. This is potentially the worst album I have ever had the misfortune to listen to.
Badly Drawn Boy
5/5
While I this isn’t my favourite Badly Drawn Boy album it is still brilliant. Been an age since I’ve listened to it but it will be in my regular rotation for a while now
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
Not bad per se but very unmemorable
The Who
5/5
Who’s Next - The Who
A longtime favourite of mine. There’s so many classic tracks on here with no duds.
Top Track - Either Behind Blue Eyes or Bargain
The Byrds
2/5
Such a frustrating album. At the start I was really enjoying it and thought it was a dead cert 4 or even 5 star. Then Mind Gardens came on and I didn’t like it one bit. The rest of the album was decent enough but I never got the enjoyment of the first part of the album back.
Top Track - Have You Seen Her Face
U2
4/5
I’ve always said I don’t like U2 but I got The Joshua Tree about a month ago and I really enjoyed it, even gave it 5 stars. This is my second album from them and while I didn’t enjoy it quite as much, it’s still bloody good. The line between a 4 and a 5 is razor thin.
Top Track - I do hate going for cliche choices but it’s gotta be One.
I need to work out at what point do I change my tune and say I like U2 lol.
Van Halen
4/5
I really loved this album for the most part but I had the same problem that I had with their debut album in that there is just that one track that I do not like one bit. Take I’ll Wait off this album and it’s a definite five stars.
Top Track - House Of Pain
Metallica
4/5
I’m pretty sure this was the first live album I ever owned. I’ve listened to the studio versions of all these songs countless times so I always enjoy the different take you get of them on here. Up there with my favourite live albums ever.
Top Track - One
Happy Mondays
2/5
I struggled to score this one. While there were a few tracks I really liked, there were also more than it’s fair share of duds and I really started to lose interest during them.
Top Track - …Mad Cyril
Missy Elliott
2/5
Apart from Work It there was nothing that overly stood out for me. It wasn’t terrible or anything but it’s one of those albums I will have forgotten I listened to in a couple of weeks.
Top Track - Work It
Radiohead
5/5
Absolutely BRILLIANT album. I remember years ago when I first heard it I didn’t really like it but I grew to appreciate it over time. OK Computer will always be my favourite Radiohead album but this is a very close second.
Top Track - Either Idoteque or How To Disappear Completely
Koffi Olomide
2/5
I gave it a good go but it’s just not my type of thing whatsoever. Some of the songs reminded me of the Lilo & Stitch soundtrack but maybe that’s a result of having kids and listening to a lot of Disney music.
Top Track - Désespoir for the sole reason that I found the opening really cheesy and it made me laugh.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
This is a bona fide MASTERPIECE, it is simply brilliant. I’m not actually the biggest Fleetwood Mac fan but I do love this album. I honestly can’t fault it.
Top Track - So many to choose from but either The Chain or Never Going Back Again
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
A really enjoyable album, I am fast becoming a fan of late 80’s / early 90’s Hip Hop. While there aren’t any bad songs on here it was missing some ineffable element that would make me give all five stars.
Top Track - Can I Kick It?
Duke Ellington
1/5
Before starting this I would’ve never listened to a Jazz album and, despite it being listed as one of my worst genres on the site, I have found a few that I have really liked and given 5 stars to. This however is not one of them. I got bored of this pretty quickly which is not good for a 2+ hour album. I never got to the point where I would say I hated it but by the end I was barely paying attention to it. I don’t doubt that if you are into Jazz this is probably brilliant but it just wasn’t one for me.
James Taylor
3/5
This one is a really easy listen but beyond 2-3 tracks there isn’t that much that particularly stands out. It’s very much a middle of the road but solid album.
Top Track - Steamroller
Tom Waits
4/5
I got Swordfishtrombones a while back and I truly hated it but I actually quite enjoyed this one. It did take me a couple of tracks to get into it but that might’ve been a hangover from not liking his previous one. I will definitely give this another listen and if he has any more on here I will be a lot more open minded.
Top Track - Jersey Girl
Lauryn Hill
1/5
Honestly this one didn’t do anything for me, nothing at all stood out on it. I normally give every album at least two listens but I have zero desire to give this another go.
Ryan Adams
1/5
I thought Lauryn Hill yesterday was boring but holy crap that was Abbey Road compared to this. This might be the first album where I question why it is on here. As much as I hate The Butthole Surfers at least there was creativity there. This is remarkably unremarkable in every way.
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
Pointing out the obvious first, she has an amazing voice. Overall the album has the one unbelievable track and the rest is pretty good but never comes close to matching it. I did enjoy it but at the same time I couldn’t see myself listening to it all the way through again.
Top Track - Cliche time, Nothing Compares 2 U
Otis Redding
5/5
Bloody BRILLIANT album, I really loved this one. Another new discovery I had never heard of before and will be definitely listening to a lot more of.
Top Track - My Girl
Tears For Fears
4/5
I’m actually really surprised how much I enjoyed this one. I know of Tears For Fears but have never listened to them before and I had them down as just being another generic 80’s band. This however was brilliant with one exception, I didn’t like the song I Believe at all. Gave it two goes and I just doesn’t click with me.
Top Track - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Common
1/5
First couple of songs, didn’t like this then I got to The Light and I thought ok this is hopefully improving. Turns out that was the only song on here I enjoyed. Overall hated it, felt like it went on for an eternity.
Brian Wilson
5/5
No other way to describe him, the man was a genius. I’m pretty new to The Beach Boys, I knew the odd song but the first time I properly listened to them was when I generated Pet Sounds a couple of months ago. It completely blew me away. I had that same feeling today with Smile. It is a stunning album.
Top Track - Cabin Essence
R.I.P
5/5
Bloody hell it must be at least a decade since I last listened to this. I LOVED this when it originally came out. I used to be a massive Muse fan until, I have no idea why, I seemed to just stop listening to them. I really enjoyed revisiting this and I am 100% going on a Muse binge tonight.
Top Track - City Of Delusion
Hopefully Absolution is on this list cause it’s even better.
Madonna
2/5
I’ve never gone out of my way to listen to a Madonna song before today and from what I have heard here and there down the years I’ve never understood her appeal. After listening to this I still don’t get it. The title track and Frozen are good enough songs but nothing special and the album as a whole I found kinda dull.
Top Track - Frozen
Machito
3/5
I’ve been really hit or miss with Jazz so far but this is the first one where I find myself somewhere in the middle. I did enjoy it but nothing on it blew me away and I’m unlikely ever to revisit it. I will say though that I think if it was 10-15 minutes longer I would’ve started to get tired of it so at least it didn’t outstay its welcome.
Queen
2/5
I like Queen but when I say that if I listen to Queen it’s their Greatest Hits or a Spotify playlist. Obviously Killer Queen is an absolute classic but I honestly don’t think there’s another track that I can say I really rated that highly. It isn’t terrible it’s just meh.
Top Track - Killer Queen
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
4/5
Five songs in and I was loving life and this was a sure fire 5 star. Then there was the back to back of Charlotte Street and 2cv which really did bore me. Luckily the rest of the album picked up again but those two songs are keeping it from top marks.
Top Track - Four Flights Up
Sonic Youth
4/5
I got this one ages ago when I was doing this solo and didn’t like it at all, it was a 1 star. I actually revisited this a few weeks ago after I gave Daydream Nation 5 stars and it definitely clicked with me second time around. Listening to it today and again I really enjoyed it although not quite as much as Daydream Nation.
Top Track - Hot Wire My Heart
Elliott Smith
1/5
Holy Crap this was BORING . I’m struggling to write much about it as I found it so unbelievably uninteresting. If I was to rank my bottom five so far this would certainly be in it.
Dr. Dre
2/5
While I admittedly don’t listen to a lot of rap music I did actually buy Dr Dre’s 2001 back when I started listening to Eminem and I really liked it so there was high hopes for this one. Unfortunately while I liked a few tracks, overall this wasn’t for me. There wasn’t anything that was really bad, it’s just that even the tracks I liked weren’t anything spectacular.
Top Track - Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat
Hugh Masekela
4/5
My last couple of Jazz albums have ranged from middling to boring so I’m glad to get a really enjoyable one here. Only negative is that I didn’t really like the final track Ingoo Pow Pow and that’s all that’s stopping me giving this full marks.
Top Track - The Big Apple
Portishead
3/5
I’ve never listened to this one before today but down the years I’ve heard so many people rave about it. It was good, I enjoyed listening to it but at the same time it didn’t exactly blow me away. I think it’s a grower though so I will give it a few more goes.
Top Track - Pedestal
Iron Maiden
5/5
Up The Irons!! Love me some Iron Maiden but been an age since I’ve listened to them so I was very glad to get this today. This is one of the all time great debut albums. There’s some absolute classics on here. To be honest when you think of songs like Phantom of The Opera and Iron Maiden that have been part of their live sets for decades, I actually prefer Paul Di’Anno’s more raw vocals on them.
Top Track - Strange World
I can’t believe there’s only two Maiden albums on here so that’s me done with them already. Need to make a list of 1001 Metal Albums lol.
XTC
2/5
For 46 minutes of this album I was unbelievably bored and it had 1 star written all over it. Then the final track Dear God came on and it is bloody brilliant. Why the hell couldn’t the rest of the album be like that?
George Harrison
5/5
I absolutely LOVE this. It’s by far my favourite of any of The Beatles solo albums. There are so many brilliant tracks on here. I actually only listened to this a few days ago but I had zero objections to giving it another go today.
Top Track(s) - Wah-Wah, My Sweet Lord, Awaiting On You All, bloody hell I could stick half the album on here lol
Lucinda Williams
1/5
This might rival Gold by Ryan Adams as the most boring album I’ve had so far. It was completely unremarkable in every way. Seriously I’m writing this and I cannot remember anything about this album.
Eminem
5/5
I’m not the biggest rap fan ever but this has been a favourite of mine since its original release. It’s main weakness, and this seems to be a trope of the genre, is that I could quite happily live without the skits.
Top Track - Stan
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
I love me some Hendrix but when I say that I always listen to the hits. Listening to a studio album, I’ll be honest, massively disappointed. Apart from a couple of tracks it didn’t do anything for me at all.
Top Track - If 6 Was 9
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Really good album. I can’t fault anything about it but at the same time it’s missing some element that would push it to full marks.
Top Track - Persephone
Solomon Burke
4/5
Really enjoyable album for the most part. There’s a few tracks that need a couple of listens. He has an amazing voice though.
Top Track - Cry To Me
1/5
I found this one unbelievably dull. It wasn’t bad but absolutely nothing stood out to me.
Queen
5/5
The first Queen album I’ve really enjoyed from start to finish. Absolutely brilliant.
Top Track - Obviously Bohemian Rhapsody speaks for itself but I really enjoyed The Prophet’s Song
Ray Charles
2/5
I only know of Ray Charles from The Blues Brothers so I was expecting an album like Shake Your Tail Feather from the movie. It maybe a tad unfair but since there was nothing like that on here I ended up feeling really disappointed with this one.
Sister Sledge
5/5
If you had told me at the start of this that I would be giving Sister Sledge 5 stars I would’ve thought you were on crack but here we are. This is bloody brilliant, an absolute BANGER of an album.
Top Track - He’s The Greatest Dancer
Erykah Badu
1/5
I didn’t mind this to start with but then it just kept going on and on and on and on. A couple of times I didn’t realise one song had ended and another had started as they sounded so similar.
Blur
3/5
Really strong start to this one but fell off a cliff at the halfway point. I do struggle with Blur. I like the singles but beyond that there’s very little of interest to me.
Fats Domino
3/5
Enjoyable album but nothing spectacular. Very good background music
The Zutons
5/5
I haven’t heard this one in years, loved it when it originally came out and really enjoyed revisiting it today. There’s not one song on this one that I didn’t enjoy.
Top Track - Remember Me
Fairport Convention
1/5
First three songs I was absolutely hating life with this one. It picked up a bit with A Sailors Life but even after that there wasn’t anything I was overly fussed on. For the most part I couldn’t stand the singers voice.
Also a side note, potentially the worst album cover I’ve ever seen
Buzzcocks
4/5
All I’ve ever heard from the band is Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) and to be honest I always thought they had just been a one hit wonder. I really enjoyed this one, on the first listen it took a couple of songs to get into it but second time around I liked pretty much everything on it. In saying that while I liked everything it needed a couple more stand out songs to get full marks.
Top Track - I Don’t Mind
Yes
5/5
BRILLIANT album, best album I’ve had in weeks. Genuinely can’t think of anything I didn’t like about it. I don’t remember ever listening to Yes before but I will definitely be checking out more of their albums.
Top Track - Long Distance Runaround
Guns N' Roses
5/5
My good streak continues with an absolute classic and one of the great debut albums of all time. This took me an extra bit of time to listen to as I ended up repeating Paradise City 4-5 times, BANGER of a song.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I really enjoyed this one for the most part but not enough to give it all 5 stars. I only got one listen in so maybe with a couple more it will go up.
Top Track - Never Understand
Parliament
5/5
Holy crap I LOVED THIS ALBUM. Absolutely brilliant and funky beyond words. I was fairly certain it was gonna be a 5 star before the end of track 1. Cannot find a single fault with it.
Top Track - Give Up The Funk, belter of a song
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
I had heard of the band before without ever listening to them. It took me a couple of tracks to get into it but when it clicked with me I ended up really enjoying it. I definitely think it’s going to be a grower so could easily go up a star when I do my second listen later.
Top Track - Debonair but I also really liked Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer
Tangerine Dream
2/5
This one wasn’t for me. I didn’t hate it or anything but there was nothing memorable about it. It very quickly became just background music.
John Lee Hooker
4/5
I love The Blues Brothers, it took me a couple of tracks for the penny to drop that that’s where I recognised JLH from. As for the album itself, I really enjoyed it, some really good Blues guitar on here.
Pink Floyd
2/5
Comfortably Numb is by far my favourite Pink Floyd song. The guitar solo at the end is one of the truly great solos of all time. As for the rest of the album I don’t really like it. With a couple of exceptions I find it quite boring especially towards the end.
Top Track - Comfortably Numb
Kanye West
4/5
Never listened to Kanye before, all I know of him is it sounds like he’s gone crazy in the last couple of years. For the most part I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. There were a couple of duds but the songs that I did enjoy were brilliant.
Top Track - Lost In The World
Skunk Anansie
4/5
Never heard of the band before but I will definitely be checking out more from them. Really enjoyed this one, the singer especially really stood out.
Top Track - Lately
John Lennon
5/5
The Beatles are probably my favourite band but apart from George Harrison I’ve never been that fussed on checking out their solo work. That being said I don’t think I’ve ever listened to this all the way through until today.
I bloody LOVED it. I kinda expected the title track to stand above everything else but there are great tracks right there way through. At some point I’m going to have to do a Beatles solo binge and see what else I’ve missed.
Top Track - Jealous Guy
Miles Davis
2/5
I’ve been really hit or miss with Jazz albums throughout this. My previous Miles Davis album, Birth of the Cool, I loved and gave it 5 stars. This one however I really struggled with. At some points I was really enjoying it, other times I hated it. Part of it might be listening to it in work. I will come back to it someday when I’ve listened to it in a more chilled setting.
Black Sabbath
5/5
I am fucking gutted. I found out the news yesterday and honestly I shed a tear. Ozzy and Sabbath have been a constant in my life since I was a teenager.
Metallica were the first metal band I ever heard but I can easily go months or even years without really listening to them. Sabbath were the first Metal band that I loved and in 25 years I’ve never stopped listening to them and I can’t imagine I ever will.
Onto the album, it’s one of the great debuts of all time and definitely one of the most influential albums ever made. This was the first album of theirs that I owned and I was instantly hooked.
Top Track - Black Sabbath
R.I.P Ozzy 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Bad Brains
4/5
Never heard of the band before but this was bloody brilliant. I’m surprised it has such a low average rating. I’ll definitely be checking out some more of their stuff when I’m done with my Ozzy binge.
Top Track - Re-Ignition
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
One of the best live acts I’ve ever seen. That being said, while I do really enjoy this album, it isn’t up there with the best I’ve had from the generator so far. I think that speaks more of the quality of albums I’ve had rather than a slight against this one.
Anthrax
3/5
Anthrax are a band that have never really done much for me and today’s album didn’t change that. It’s not bad or anything, I was quite enjoying it up to a point. It just didn’t hold my interest all the way through.
Top Track - I Am The Law
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
First listen I absolutely HATED this one but on the second go, while it isn’t the best thing I’ve ever heard, it has it’s moments.
Foo Fighters
3/5
I enjoyed this one without being blown away by anything on here. There isn’t that absolute banger of a song that will stick in my memory. Foo Fighters are a band I always feel I should like more than I do. I enjoy them whenever I hear them but they aren’t a band I ever go out of my way to listen to.
Top Track - Exhausted
New Order
5/5
All I’ve ever heard from New Order is the England World Cup song World In Motion and despite the lack of John Barnes rapping on here this album was BRILLIANT. There wasn’t one track I didn’t like.
Top Track - This Time Of Night
Coldplay
4/5
As much as I do try to be open minded with every album, when this generated I was fully expecting to hate this one. Surprisingly I enjoyed it, it’s actually a really good album. The only thing stopping it from getting all five stars is I didn’t like the song We Never Change. I found it very dull.
Top Track - Don’t Panic
LTJ Bukem
3/5
This was a pain in the arse to get the correct version but when I did I really enjoyed it up until a point. It did wear out its welcome about 3/4 through.
Nick Drake
5/5
My second Nick Drake album. I wasn’t that fussed on the previous one but this one was bloody brilliant.
I couldn’t sleep last night so this was a very rare occasion where I could listen to the album on my own with zero distractions and I definitely think that made a difference. I’m going to give Bryter Layter another go at some point.
Top Track - Know
Miles Davis
4/5
A really good album. I didn’t know what to expect from it since my previous two albums from Davis have been a 5⭐️ and a 2⭐️ so I’m definitely hit or miss with him. I’ll be keeping this one saved for a while.
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
Absolutely PHENOMENAL album. One of the best new discoveries I’ve had in ages. This will rank very highly when I’ve finished the list
Top Track - Hero
Dire Straits
2/5
My run of good scores comes to an end, four five stars in my last five albums. There were 2-3 songs I kinda liked on here but nothing I overly enjoyed. The rest I found to be quite dull. I’ve listened to it twice and it’s very unlikely I will ever revisit it.
Top Track - The Man’s Too Strong
Stereolab
3/5
This one took me a bit to get into but once I did I enjoyed it without being blown away by it.
Top Track - Les Yper Sound
The White Stripes
4/5
The White Stripes are one of those bands where I could name loads of their songs but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to an album of theirs in full. I really liked this one, there wasn’t a bad song on here. In saying that apart from Fell In Love With A Girl there wasn’t nothing I would say was that spectacular.
David Bowie
2/5
Overall quite disappointed with this one. Definitely my worst Bowie album so far. The instrumental tracks at the end genuinely bored me.
Top Track - Sound And Vision
Elvis Presley
4/5
Really enjoyed this, was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t think much of my previous Elvis album but this had some great tracks on it.
Top Track - Trying To Get To You
Tim Buckley
1/5
Short and sweet, I HATED this one. Could not stand his voice.
William Orbit
4/5
I really liked this one, I’ve had electronica albums in the past where I’ve enjoyed the start but they’ve worn out their welcome by the end but this kept my attention all the way through. I’m gonna keep it saved and listen to it some night I’m off work. I think I will get even more out of it in a more relaxed environment.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
About halfway through Chameleon I knew I was gonna like this album. The rest of the tracks were really good but didn’t hit the heights of the first one for me. Overall a really enjoyable album.
Julian Cope
5/5
First few songs I wasn’t feeling this at all and was starting to tune out a bit. Then Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line came on and I really enjoyed it. After that the album clicked with me and I ended up really liking it.
Gave it a second listen later on and it clicked with me from the start.
Top Track - Leperskin
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
When I saw the artist name my heart sunk, I thought my time had come for Trout Mask. Fortunately that can wait for another day.
I was kinda hit or miss with this on the first listen. Second time though I absolutely loved it. Ended up giving it a third go straight after which annoyed my kids to no end, they HATED this. Overall a bloody brilliant album.
Top Track - Dropout Boogie
Thelonious Monk
4/5
Really good album, I ended up listening to it twice back to back. While I did enjoy the album it was missing something, and I can’t pinpoint what it is, for me to give it top marks.
Top Track - Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
The Velvet Underground
3/5
An ok album without being anything overly memorable. I enjoyed it but I’m unlikely to ever revisit it
Leonard Cohen
1/5
I’m Your Man - Leonard Cohen
Jesus H Tap Dancing Christ I absolutely HATED this. Honestly it might be my least enjoyable album so far. Two Cohen albums so far and I am not a fan.
Madonna
3/5
Pop music isn’t my thing but this was a decent enough listen. I liked some songs, I hated a few, I was indifferent to the rest.
Top Track - Don’t Tell Me
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I don’t really get the Stones. This was alright but nothing overly special and that’s always how I feel if I listen to them. Just doesn’t click with me
2Pac
5/5
Great album. I don’t listen to rap music outside of this list but this is one of the best rap albums I’ve had so far.
Top Track - Temptations
Janis Joplin
4/5
There were two songs I wasn’t that fussed on but I loved the rest. Really good album overall, she has a brilliant voice.
Top Track - Half Moon
Kanye West
4/5
Really good album, just lacking an indescribable element for me to give it all 5 stars. It might need a couple more listens.
Top Track - Blood On The Leaves
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
It’s really good and has some catchy songs without being anything outstanding. Still an enjoyable listen though
Neil Young
3/5
Mixed bag with this one. I was hating it until Borrowed Tune. Picked up after that with the odd track I wasn’t fussed on
Top Track - Borrowed Tune
Suede
5/5
Love me some Suede. Brett Anderson is one of my favourite singers. One of my easier 5 stars.
Top Track - The Wild Ones
Marty Robbins
5/5
I don’t like country music so when I saw the cover and album title and thought I would absolutely hate this. How wrong I was. This was bloody brilliant. Loved it.
Top Track - Big Iron
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
5/5
Brilliant, peaceful album. I listened to it in work but I will make a point of giving it another listen in a more relaxed environment.
Bert Jansch
4/5
Pretty good album. I enjoyed the instrumental tracks a lot more than the ones with vocals. An entire album of instrumentals would’ve been a sure fire 5 stars
Top Track - Smokey River
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
Listened to it twice and, while it had its moments, overall it didn’t do much for me. Both times it sort of faded into background music.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
First time I’ve had the same artist back to back. A vast improvement on yesterday’s album. In saying that, they weren’t exactly bad but I wasn’t too fussed on the instrumental tracks. Take them out and I’m probably giving this a 5.
Top Tracks - Pusherman and Freddies Dead
Bob Dylan
2/5
I’m not sure if I don’t like Bob Dylan or if I just have to be in a certain mood for him. I one starred Highway 61 but listened to it months later and it wasn’t as bad. Today I didn’t enjoy this one but maybe on another day it might hit differently. I can only score it on today though.
Underworld
1/5
Bloody hell I hated this. Absolute slog to get through. All I know of them is Born Slippy which is an all time banger of a tune so I had high hopes for this. Instead I was left utterly bored and disappointed.
Billy Joel
5/5
I was absolutely dreading this. The only song I know of Billy Joels is Uptown Girl and I cannot stand that one. Luckily enough though it isn’t on here and this album is bloody BRILLIANT . Genuinely surprised how much I liked it.
Turns out I had actually heard Shes Always A Woman before but the Fyfe Dangerfield version, I just never realised it was a cover. Brilliant song but I do prefer the cover.
Top Track -Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
Alice Cooper
5/5
Before I even hit play this was getting top marks from me. Love Alice Cooper, I really hope I can get to see him live someday before he calls it quits. As for the album, it’s brilliant. Cannot fault it at all.
Top Track - I hate picking the cliche option but No More Mr. Nice Guy is a classic for a reason
They said it best in Waynes World, We’re Not Worthy!
Black Flag
3/5
At the start I wasn’t feeling this one but after a few songs I started to get into it. Overall while I did like it but it’s not going to be one that I’m gonna revisit regularly .
Top Track - Damaged II
The Stooges
3/5
Much like yesterday’s album I enjoyed this one without it really blowing me away. I only found out afterwards about the Bowie mix so later I’m gonna give that a listen and see if I feel differently about it.
Top Track - Shake Appeal
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I’ve never heard CCR outside of the big hits but I was really impressed with this one. Not a bad song on it. Only got one listen in today but I will definitely go back to it.
Top Track - Bad Moon Rising
The line between 4 and 5 is razor thin.
George Michael
2/5
Nothing special on here, not bad enough for a one star but nothing memorable enough for a 3 or higher
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
Didn’t like this one. The talking sections were terrible and I never realised that Dexys did One Of Those Things, I HATE that song.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Took a bit to get into, at times it did come close to becoming background music but it always managed to pull me back and regain my interest. Overall I enjoyed it and definitely worth another few listens.
Sade
1/5
I don’t have much to say on this one. It’s an album that I listened to and I forgot about it while I was listening to it. Unbelievably beige.
Crowded House
1/5
After Sade yesterday it’s back to back blandness. The only song that I had any sort of feeling towards was Weather With You which I truly hate. The shop I used to work in had an in store radio which played it twice a day so I’ve heard it enough for a lifetime. Apart from that there was nothing terrible, nothing special, instantly forgettable.
Elliott Smith
5/5
I had his album Either Or a while back and it got 1 star, an unbelievably boring album. This however was brilliant, enjoyed it right the way through. I’ll be keeping this saved for a while
The Offspring
4/5
I know a couple of songs of theirs but The Offspring aren’t a band I’ve ever bothered to go out of my way to listen to. That’s gonna change after this, bloody loved it.
Top Tracks - Come Out And Play and Something To Believe In
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
For such a well known act I know surprisingly few of their songs. First three tracks I wasn’t enjoying this at all. From Rent onwards it picked up and was pretty good without having any songs I would rush to go back to.
Top Track - It’s A Sin
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Until starting this list I was never a fan of Springsteens but this is my third album of his and all three have gotten the full five stars. This doesn’t come close to Nebraska but it’s still a brilliant album, can’t find anything bad to say about it.
Top Track - Backstreets
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
The only Nick Cave album I’ve ever heard was when I generated Murder Ballads nearly a year ago and I absolutely love that one, probably in my top 5 new discoveries so far. As a result I had high expectations going in and it more than met them, this is bloody BRILLIANT. I still prefer Murder Ballads out of the two but it is very close between them.
Top Track - There She Goes, My Beautiful World. Banger of a song
Orange Juice
2/5
An album of two halves. I was really enjoying it throughout the first five tracks but the sax solo on I Can’t Help Myself seemed to go on forever and the album never fully pulled me back in after that.
Top Track - Rip It Up
The National
4/5
First track I wasn’t overly fussed on this. I found the vocals a bit boring. By the third song though I was starting to really enjoy it. I don’t know if it was just a case where I needed a couple of songs for them to click with me. Overall a great album I’ll definitely be keeping it saved to revisit later.
Top Tracks - Runaway and England
Def Leppard
1/5
I’ve never liked Def Leppard and nothing here changed my mind. I just find them so naff and cheesy and this is coming from someone who adores KISS
Funkadelic
5/5
Way back on Day 8 of this project I generated Maggot Brain by Funkadelic and it blew my mind, the title track literally gave me goosebumps. I had actually forgotten they had another album on the list so I was genuinely excited to see this pop up today and it did not disappoint. This is an absolute BANGER of an album. It’s too early to say if I rate it as highly as Maggot Brain but it’s definitely going to be close.
Top Track - Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?
Solange
2/5
Never heard of her and off the back of this I won’t be rushing to check out more of her stuff. It wasn’t bad or anything, in fact she does have quite a good voice. I just found it dull for the most part.
Soundgarden
4/5
Bloody hell it must be well over a decade since I listened to Soundgarden. I thought this would be a sure fire five stars and while I did really enjoy it, it didn’t quite reach that height for me.
Top Track - Black Hole Sun
Muddy Waters
1/5
It’s not a go-to genre for me but I don’t mind a bit of Blues music and I know of Muddy Waters reputation so I was quite looking forward to this one.
I bloody hated it.
More than happy to be in the minority on this one. I get he’s a legend and all but, for me, it dragged on for what felt like a fecking eternity. At one point I figured I must be near the end so checked how long was left and I was only halfway. Gutted.
Lana Del Rey
4/5
This is one that shows my glaring lack of knowledge about new music. I remember a few years ago when LDR was announced for Glastonbury there was talk that she was too pop for the festival. This was the only time I’ve ever heard of her so when this generated I was expecting something along the lines of Katy Perry or Britney. I was very wrong.
I can’t really fault this. I enjoyed every song and her voice is brilliant. Maybe if I’m nitpicking, while I did enjoy every song, there isn’t that track that I absolutely love. Then again I’ve only listened to it once so something might grow on me later.
Top Track - Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Pink Floyd
5/5
Simply put, this is an absolute masterpiece. In my opinion, Pink Floyds finest album and one of the greatest of all time.
Top Track - Can’t single one out, all of them are brilliant
The Fall
1/5
Awful, awful album. Absolutely hated it.
David Bowie
3/5
Not a bad album. I think I would have rated it higher had I not heard some of Bowies earlier stuff previously
Wilco
4/5
Really good album. It dragged slightly towards the end. Knock 3-4 songs off this and it’s definitely 5 stars
Beck
4/5
Really good for the most part but a couple of tracks were a bit too samey
Elton John
4/5
Great beginning, great end. Dragged a bit in the middle
Dr. John
3/5
Vocals grated after a while but love the guitar work
Blondie
4/5
I only know a few Blondie songs and they all seemed to be on this album. Some brilliant tracks on here. The only thing stopping it from getting all 5 stars is I didn’t like I Know But I Don’t Know. Take that track off and it’s getting full marks.
Top Track - Hanging On The Telephone. Absolute Banger
Pixies
4/5
Pixies are on my never ending list of bands that I keep meaning to delve into. Any tracks I’ve heard down the years I’ve always liked but today was the first time listening to an album in full. I did really enjoy it overall without it absolutely blowing me away. In saying that it didn’t help that I kept having to stop and start listening to it
Top Track - Where Is My Mind
The Smiths
4/5
Really good album, not a bad track on it. At the same time not enough outstanding songs to give it all 5 stars
Ute Lemper
2/5
First few tracks I was quite enjoying this and was wondering why the rating was so low. Problem was, while I didn’t find anything terrible, it didn’t hold my attention past the first 3-4 tracks. A couple of times I had to put a song back to the start cause I realised I had tuned out and hadn’t been paying any attention to it. Knowing now that The Divine Comedy were involved in this it’s mildly disappointing.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
It’s not that it’s terrible, actually there’s quite a few songs I surprisingly enjoyed. It just doesn’t need to be 20 tracks and nearly 1hr 20 mins long. You could literally cut away half of this album and you wouldn’t be missing anything noteworthy.
Top Track - Fighter is an absolute banger
Fela Kuti
4/5
This was great. Not a bad song on it. Reading up on it and the fallout he suffered after releasing this was crazy.
The Doors
5/5
For an album I’ve never listened to I was surprised how many songs I knew. This was bloody brilliant. I was a bit dubious going in since I didn’t like Morrison Hotel at all but I enjoyed this one infinitely more.
Top Track - Break On Through
Tricky
2/5
I’ll start with the positive, I really liked Black Steel, absolutely banging song. Unfortunately this was one of only two songs I enjoyed on this album. Overall I found it mostly boring apart from Ponderosa which I absolutely hated.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Bloody great album, I enjoyed this a lot more than Folsom Prison. In fact I think if I had heard this first I would’ve marked Folsom a bit lower. Can’t really fault this, no bad tracks on it and for a live album the energy definitely comes across.
Top Track - A Boy Named Sue
Adele
3/5
Started really strongly but fell off towards the end
Holger Czukay
4/5
I thought I was gonna hate this but it was great craic. Bloody weird at times but good weird.
Top Track - Persian Love
The Stooges
3/5
Started really strongly, fell away at the middle but came back again. Overall solid album
The Band
5/5
Never heard of The Band before but will be checking out more of their stuff after this. Bloody loved this. Every track on here was a belter. I’ll be playing this for a good few days.
Top Track - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
R.E.M.
5/5
This is probably my favourite from REM and arguably their best from a band that don’t do bad albums. Up until about a year ago I had never bothered with this one since it didn’t have any of the big hits on it. When I finally did give it a go it blew me away. That actually made me think about what else I had been missing with other bands and that coupled with my growing boredom with Metal is what led me to doing this list. Turns out I was missing a LOT.
Top Track - We Walk
Bad Company
1/5
My God almighty this was as textbook, generic 70’s Dad rock as you are ever gonna find. Unbelievably dull, I honestly have pretty much forgotten it already.
Metallica
5/5
It’s been way too long since I’ve listened to this one. The Black Album will always be my sentimental favourite since it was my introduction to Metal but this one for me is their best album. The title track speaks for itself but the likes of Battery and Welcome Home (Sanitarium) are absolute classics as well.
Top Track - Master of Puppets, cliche choice but justified.
Kanye West
5/5
My third and, I think, my final Kanye album and for me this is the best of the three. The other two I gave 4 stars cause there was a few songs I wasn’t fussed on but I enjoyed this right the way through. It’s a shame he’s a few peas short of a pod these days cause this version of Kanye is brilliant.
Top Track - All Falls Down
David Bowie
4/5
Not the best Bowie album I’ve had so far but still bloody good. Very different from anything I’ve heard of his before, on that point the title track used to play at my old job all the time and it was years until I realised it was Bowie. Not a bad song on here and I even enjoyed The Beatles cover which I am sometimes picky about, hard to improve on perfection lol.
Top Track - Fame
Pere Ubu
3/5
Decent enough album. Some great tracks on here, others not so great. Nothing terrible though
David Bowie
5/5
Bloody brilliant album, absolutely loved it. This is my seventh of the 9 Bowie albums on here and probably my second favourite so far after Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust. Coming up to a year of doing this now and one of my big takeaways so far is a much bigger appreciation for David Bowie. He was always one of those artists where I liked the big hits but never delved any deeper. Once I get the last two albums I’m going to take a few nights and go through his whole discography.
Top Track - Station To Station but Stay is a very close second.
Silver Jews
4/5
Gotta be honest, first couple of tracks I was not liking this whatsoever, the vocals weren’t doing it for me at all. Then by Horseleg Swastikas it was starting to click a bit and when it was all said and done I had completely flipped and was thoroughly enjoying the album.
Top Track - Let’s Not And Say We Did
The Beach Boys
4/5
I had never listened to The Beach Boys until I generated Pet Sounds earlier this year and it blew me away. This one doesn’t hit those highs but it is still really good and at times brilliant. Only two tracks let it down for me, Take A Load Of Your Feet and Student Demonstration Time. On the flip side it ends with two absolutely belting songs in Til I Die and Surf’s Up.
Top Track - Surf’s Up
David Crosby
3/5
I really liked Laughing but apart from that there wasn’t anything really memorable on this one. Not a bad album by any means but there’s pretty much zero chance I’ll ever revisit it.
Top Track - Laughing
Al Green
4/5
Really enjoyed this. Just a great soulful, chillout album. As with so many on here so far I had never heard of him before but I will definitely be checking out more.
Top Track - I’ve Never Found A Girl
The Monks
5/5
Not on Spotify so had to go to Internet Archive for this one. This is absolutely brilliant, had me hooked right away. Crazy how they made one brilliant album that was far ahead of its time and that was it.
Top Tracks - Monk Time and Complication
The Pogues
4/5
So first listen I was hating everything and everyone to the point where I was going to give this one star. Living in Northern Ireland this would have been borderline treasonous lol. I gave it another go later on in much better form and bloody loved it, a proper fun listen.
Top Track - Wild Cats of Kilkenny
Aretha Franklin
3/5
Really good album, Respect is an all time great song and I liked Good Times but I do prefer the Sam Cooke original. Overall I did enjoy it but it isn’t one I’m likely to ever go back and revisit.
Top Track - Respect
Mercury Rev
5/5
First track Holes was absolutely doing my nut in cause I knew I recognised it from somewhere. Turns out it was in Sing 2 which I’ve watched with the kids approximately 600 times lol. As for the album, it was bloody great. I was on the fence about giving it the full 5 stars until Goddess On A Hiway which is an OUTSTANDING track. I ended up listening to it 3 times before continuing on. Second listen of the album I loved it and had zero doubts about the score.
Top Track - Goddess On A Hiway
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
There were a couple of tracks I quite liked but for the most part nothing overly memorable on this one.
Top Track - Come Clean - E New Y Radio
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
This was bloody brilliant. Even though I’m not overly fussed on Aerosmith even I can’t deny that Walk This Way is a great song on an album packed with great tracks. Listened to it twice already and I’ll definitely be keeping this one saved.
Top Track - Raising Hell
Frank Zappa
4/5
I’ve only heard of Frank Zappa from The Mothers of Invention album on here that I absolutely hated so I was dreading this going in. Fortunately this was brilliant for the most part. The only song that didn’t hit for me was The Gumbo Variations, it went on a bit too long for my liking.
Top Track - Son Of Mr Green Greens
Guided By Voices
3/5
Honestly I don’t really know what I think of this one. There’s some stuff on here I really liked but just as it seemed to be getting going the song ended. There’s other tracks I flat out hated..
Top Track - The Ugly Vision
Joy Division
5/5
It’s albums like this that make me glad I’m doing this list. I’ve been forever meaning to check out Joy Division but just never taken the time to do it. I should have sooner, I loved this. I’ll be keeping this one saved.
Top Track - Interzone
Duran Duran
5/5
So all I knew of Duran Duran were the songs Rio and Hungry Like The Wolf which are good but wouldn’t be ones I would regularly listen to. With this in mind I was expecting a solid 3/5 album but surprisingly I thoroughly enjoyed this. The Chauffeur in particular was bloody brilliant.
Top Track - The Chauffeur
The Gun Club
3/5
It’s an alright album, nothing bad on here. There’s a couple of really good tracks but overall it isn’t one that’s gonna last long in the memory.
Top Track - She’s Like Heroin To Me
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
First listen I didn’t like it at all until Laura’s Dream and from then onwards I didn’t mind it as much. Second listen I didn’t dislike it but it isn’t anything that’s going to stick with me. It’s nice background music.
Top Track - Laura’s Dream
Nina Simone
1/5
Hated everything about this.
Michael Jackson
5/5
I bloody LOVED this.This is only the second Michael Jackson album I’ve ever heard and while I wouldn’t exactly say I’ve become a fan of his yet, I will be keeping this saved and going back to it.
Top Track - Smooth Criminal, a belter of a song. Can’t believe I’d never heard this before considering I do really like the Alien Ant Farm cover version.
Stereo MC's
2/5
Let’s start with the positives, the title track is good enough. It’s a bit overplayed here in the UK since it’s been used in loads of adverts down the years but it’s not a bad song. I really enjoyed Creation, never heard that one before. As for the rest of the album, there’s a whole lot of nothing going on. Just some forgettable background music.
Top Track - Creation
Circle Jerks
4/5
Unbelievably short album but they pack more into the 15 minutes than most bands do with an hour. Proper old school punk
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Brilliant, brilliant album. Up there with some of my favourite albums on this list so far. Hendrix is one of those artists where I know the big hits but always mean to delve more into. I’ll be keeping this in my rotation for a while.
Top Track - Foxey Lady. The scene in Waynes World with Garth miming to this and doing the fox ears cracks me up no matter how many times I see it
As easy a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️as I’ve given in a while
Morrissey
4/5
Really enjoyed this. Not quite at the level of The Smiths but still really good and something I’ll be coming back to
Amy Winehouse
2/5
I’ve was never really anAmy Winehouse fan, didn’t hate her or anything just wasn’t my type of music when she was at her peak and I’ve never bothered to listen to her since. This one hasn’t really changed my mind. It wasn’t the worst album ever but it just wasn’t for me. I’m aware that Back To Black is meant to be a lot better so maybe that will change my mind.
Eagles
2/5
I’ve obviously heard the title track before but this might be the first time I’ve ever properly paid attention to it. Bloody great song to start off with. Massive drop off for the next song New Kid in Town, didn’t like it whatsoever. I didn’t really get back into the album after that. There were a few songs I liked but nothing that will live long in the memory. Disappointing after such a strong start.
Top Track - Hotel California
Television
4/5
Great album, never heard of it before today. Has some brilliant guitar work throughout it.
Top Track - Marquee Moon
Faith No More
5/5
I was bloody excited to see this generated. Been too long since I’ve listened to it but I still love it. Every track on here is great and Mike Pattons vocals are awesome throughout.
Top Tracks - Zombie Eaters and From Out Of Nowhere
The Incredible String Band
1/5
My god I absolutely loathed this album, LOATHED it. This is one of the worst things I have ever heard. Before the first song had ended I was already checking how long was left on the album.
1 star is bloody generous
The Band
4/5
I’ve had this downloaded for about a month now, ever since I generated their self titled album, so at last I finally gave it a listen and I really enjoyed it. It didn’t blow me away like The Band did but it’s still a great album that I’ll be going back to.
Top Track - The Weight
Screaming Trees
3/5
Good album. Nothing terrible, nothing overly great
Fela Kuti
2/5
As much as I enjoyed Zombie, 4 stars, I didn’t really like this one. Too many times it faded into background music. Quite disappointed.
The Avalanches
5/5
A downside of working nightshift is that even when I’m off I don’t really sleep well. The benefit of that being when I get an album like this I can dance round my kitchen at half five in the morning without anyone seeing me make an eejit outta myself lol. I LOVED this. I bought the single of Frontier Psychiatrist when it came out but I’ve never listened to anything of theirs beyond that. Banging from start to finish.
Top Track - Electricity
Talking Heads
5/5
Brilliant album, I’ve only every heard Talking Heads 77 before, 4 stars, but I think I prefer this one. They’re a band I really must go through the discography of at some point.
Top Track - Life During Wartime
Finley Quaye
2/5
We’ll start positively, I quite liked Sunday Shining. On the downside the rest of this album was painfully dull. I actually accidentally set the album on repeat and didn’t notice until Sunday Shining came on again. It was all just very samey.
Sweet And Loving Man in particular I couldn’t stand as every time he sang the title of the song there was a buzzing sound exactly like in the intro of Cocomelon. Kids used to love it and I have an everlasting hatred of it.
Top Track - Sunday Shining
2/5
Every day I approach every album with an open mind cause there have been many artists so far where I haven’t liked one album but loved another. That being said when this popped up all I could say was bollocks, I hate Bob Dylan. I hated my previous two albums of his. I HATED disc one of this album. Disc 2 on the other hand was quite good surprisingly. I’m not gonna rush to listen to it again or anything but it was enjoyable enough.
Top Track - Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
Frank Ocean
2/5
Never heard of this guy but when the first track used a sample of the old PS1 startup sound it hit that nostalgia button and I was looking forward to this. Unfortunately that was the peak. It’s a fine enough album, just really dull. The one track that stood out was Pyramids but then that was ruined by going on for near ten minutes which was completely unnecessary.
Talking Heads
4/5
I had Fear Of Music 5 days ago and while this one is very good, it doesn’t quite hit the same heights for me. I enjoyed it throughout but I can’t say there were any tracks I absolutely loved. Maybe it needs another listen or two.
Top Track - Take Me To The River
UB40
1/5
Dull, repetitive, an absolute slog to get through, I could go on but you get the point. Did not enjoy this in the slightest. It’s not the worst album I’ve had on here by any means but it’s up there with the dullest.
David Bowie
5/5
This is 8/9 from Bowie and it’s another cracking album. The only song I wasn’t overly fussed on was The Jean Genie. It wasn’t terrible or anything, just weaker than the rest of the album. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of it though. Ziggy Stardust was my first Bowie album and nothing has been able to dislodge it as my favourite so I will be interested to see if Blackstar tops it.
Top Track - Time
Steely Dan
5/5
My second one from Steely Dan and another belter. First listen I was sitting on a high four stars but the second go around it really clicked with me. Great songs throughout and I really love the vocals. I think I have at least two more of theirs to go and I will be looking forward to them.
Top Track - Fire In The Hole
Muddy Waters
3/5
Blues isn’t really my thing and for the first few tracks I was not feeling this whatsoever. Then I got to I Feel So Good which I really enjoyed and I liked the album from then on. I’ll see later on with my second listen if the first part of the album hits differently knowing that I like the second half.
Top Track - I Feel So Good
G. Love & Special Sauce
1/5
Problem. I found this so unbelievably boring that sitting here trying to write anything about it 7 hours later is proving difficult. I genuinely remember pretty much nothing about it, I literally forgot it as I was listening.
Nas
4/5
Really good album, I had never heard of Nas before but I was very impressed with this one. In saying that the first track didn’t instantly grab me but from Life’s A Bitch onwards I can’t really fault it.
Top Track - The World Is Yours
David Holmes
1/5
This isn’t something I would normally enjoy but I quite liked the first track My Mate Paul and was filled with cautious optimism. Unfortunately that was the highlight and the album slowly fell off a cliff after that.
Raekwon
1/5
My only exposure to anything involving Wu Tang Clan was the excellent Liquid Swords by GZA, which I gave a 4 but in hindsight should’ve been a 5, so I had pretty high expectations going into this. My God was I disappointed, I did not enjoy this in the slightest, it felt like it went on for an ETERNITY. For all I know this may be regarded as an all time rap classic but it wasn’t for me.
Brian Eno
4/5
After back to back one stars this was like an oasis in the desert. My third Brian Eno album and maybe my favourite so far.
Top Track - By This River
Neil Young
5/5
Holy crap what an album, I bloody loved it. It’s absolutely rammed with great tracks, there isn’t one that misses the mark. Neil Young is someone I would’ve dismissed before starting this project but I’ve really enjoyed 3/4 albums I’ve had from him so far.
Top Track - Heart Of Gold
Jacques Brel
4/5
Honestly I didn’t have high hopes going into this one but I actually really enjoyed it. Loved the vocals throughout. I might be nitpicking but what’s probably gonna stop it from getting top marks is it’s a bit too short. I was proper into it and then before it even hit the half hour mark it was done.
Top Track - Amaterdam
Youssou N'Dour
5/5
Bloody hell I loved this. Ended up listening to it three times in succession. When I get an album like this I am glad I’m doing this list as there is absolutely zero chance I would’ve heard it otherwise.
Top Track - Taaw
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
My fourth Springsteen album and after the previous three all gaining five stars the perfect streak ends.
It’s definitely not terrible, there are some really good songs on here but also some quite forgettable ones too. Unlike say a Nebraska or Born To Run I probably won’t rush to revisit this after today.
Top Track - My Hometown
CHIC
4/5
I definitely wouldn’t call myself a fan of Disco but I loved We Are Family from Sister Sledge and, while this didn’t hit the same highs, I enjoyed this for the most part.
Chic Cheer and At Last I Am Free didn’t really do much for me which was a pity cause this would be pushing towards 5 star territory without them.
Top Track - I Want Your Love
Pixies
5/5
BRILLIANT album, loved everything about it. I always enjoy Pixies when I hear them but never get stuck into their back catalogue. I will have to rectify that in the new year.
Top Track - Hard to choose, toss up between Monkey Gone To Heaven or Silver
Arcade Fire
5/5
I love this album, it is absolutely brilliant. I remember flicking through the music channels late one night and landing on MTV2 just as Rebellion was starting. I was blown away, literally the next day I went to buy it and it’s been a favourite ever since.
As a three album run I will put this, Neon Bible and The Suburbs up with the very best. Their last few albums have been quite mediocre however. Hopefully some day they can return to this kind of form.
Top Track - Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out). Outstanding song, definitely in my all time top 5-10
The B-52's
3/5
The only song I knew of theirs prior to today was Love Shack which I absolutely loathe, it used to play 3-4 times a day at my old job, so I was dreading this one but it was decent enough overall.
While there were a few tracks I wasn’t massively fussed about there wasn’t anything that I flat out hated. It will probably benefit from another listen or two later on.
Top Track - Rock Lobster
Robert Wyatt
1/5
I’ve had Shleep by Wyatt previously and I remember saying it might be my overall worst album so far. Well now it has some competition. Hate is a strong word and yet somehow not strong enough to describe how I feel about this one.
Maybe it takes a few listens or maybe listening to it in work isn’t the right setting. Maybe he just isn’t for me as an artist. All I know is I’m not a religious man but I shall pray he has no more albums on here.
SAULT
2/5
An album of peaks and valleys. It was almost frustrating cause whenever there was a run of 2-3 tracks that were pretty good and I thought the album was picking up, there would be something just really dull.
Overall quite disappointing, was really starting to drag by the end.
Top Track - Bow, love me some Kiwanuka
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
My third Nick Cave album, with Murder Ballads and Abattoir Blues both getting 5 stars, and while it is a really good album it didn’t quite hit that same mark for me. At least not on the first listen.
It started off brilliantly, I absolutely loved Papa Won’t Leave You Henry. Just towards the end of the album there were a couple of tracks that I wasn’t massively fussed on. This could change later though, I hated Murder Ballads originally and now it’s one of my favourite albums I’ve discovered so far.
Top Track - Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
Throbbing Gristle
3/5
Halfway through the second track I knew I hated it and resigned myself to another 40 minutes of awful music. Until all of a sudden it wasn’t awful.
Maybe it just grew on me, maybe I developed some weird Stockholm syndrome but by the end of the album I had quite enjoyed it. It’s not gonna be up there with my favourites by the end of this but it deserves higher than its 1.88 global rating.
Marvin Gaye
2/5
We’ll start positively, first time properly listening to Marvin Gaye, bloody brilliant voice. I know he has a couple more on here so I will have some optimism when they come up.
This one however, with the exception of a couple of tracks, I just found to be boring. Up until Sparrow it was getting a one star. After that it did pick up a little bit but overall it was just too long and didn’t interest me.
Top Track - Sparrow
1/5
Not on any streaming platform so wasn’t the easiest to listen to. Wasn’t worth the effort in the end. Awful noise
Joe Ely
1/5
I bloody loved the title track from this one, really great song. Unfortunately that was literally the only thing I liked about this album. I probably hated I’ll Be Your Fool as much as I liked HTM. Luckily this was just over half an hour long so wasn’t a slog to get through but I won’t be going back to it.
Top Track - Honky Tonk Masquerade
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
My second Costello album after Imperial Bedroom, 4 stars, and it was grand I suppose but nothing overly memorable.
Top Track - I Hope You’re Happy Now
Rush
5/5
I like Rush but I can go years without taking a notion to listen to them and I don’t really get why cause this album is bloody brilliant. I’ll be keep this saved and in the New Year I will make a point of going through their discography.
Top Track - Tom Sawyer is an absolute classic but I really enjoyed The Camera Eye as well
KISS
5/5
If you are a KISS fan this album needs no introduction, there are so many classics from the band on here. Detroit Rock City is a banger of an opener and God Of Thunder in my opinion works better live but the album version is still great.
Honestly though there are a few duds on here. Great Expectations is one of my least favourite KISS tracks. I also saw them play Flaming Youth live once and I’ve never seen a crowd die as fast in my life.
Overall I’m giving this five stars because it’s the only KISS album on here and I’m sure I can be forgiven for having one biased score. They definitely deserve a place on this list but it should’ve been either their debut album, not a bad track on it and Black Diamond might be the best song they ever wrote, or Alive! to give a flavour of the band at their best, as a live act.
Personally I would have Music From The Elder because someday the rest of the world will wake up and recognise its genius lol.
Top Track - God Of Thunder
Baaba Maal
4/5
Really good album but some of the songs area a tad too long. Take say half an hour off this and it’s a definite five star
Björk
3/5
I struggle with her voice sometimes but there were enough good songs on here to makeit worthwhile
Jethro Tull
5/5
Brilliant album, absolutely loved it.
Cheap Trick
4/5
Took me forever to work out that I recognised them from the Guardians Of The Galaxy soundtrack. First time listening to them properly and I will definitely check out more
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Like the Sword Of Damocles, Trout Mask Replica looms over us all. I was fully prepared for one of the worst things I was ever going to hear but honestly I quite enjoyed it.
It’s definitely not an easy listen. It’s abrasive and chaotic but, for me at least, it works. It’s not something that’s gonna be in my regular album rotation but I can see myself once or twice a year taking a notion to give this a listen.
Top Track - When Big Joan Set Up
Ramones
5/5
An all time classic and one of the great debut albums.
James Brown
3/5
I hate so called live albums where you can tell the artist has had the vocals fixed in the studio or they add extra crowd noise. With this one however you can feel the energy is genuine.
Music wise I liked the album for the most part, I wasn’t overly fussed on the medley at the end. In saying that I got busy in work when it was on so I wasn’t giving it my full attention. Maybe on the second listen later it will be different.
Top Track - Think
Girls Against Boys
4/5
Really good album. Will definitely check out more from them
Led Zeppelin
5/5
We end the year with a bang, an all time great album. It’s not my favourite from Zeppelin but it has my favourite track from them, Immigrant Song.
Cream
5/5
I’m starting the year off with a banger of an album. I knew the name but have never listened to Cream properly before and I was very impressed with this one.
If I was being really picky I could probably do without Mothers Lament at the end but the rest of the album was that good I can forgive it.
Top Track - Sunshine Of Your Love
The Icarus Line
2/5
First couple of tracks I was quite enjoying this. Unfortunately that wore off by track 4. By the end I was dying for this to end.
Is this the worst album on here? Not by a long shot but it’s way too long and there’s just nothing interesting or unique about it.
Top Track - Up Against The Wall Motherfucker
Deerhunter
3/5
Enjoyed it while listening to it but now hours later I remember nothing about it
Morrissey
3/5
A few good tracks but nothing that will live long in the memory
Mj Cole
1/5
I hated this. Everything about it. We can’t have Quadrophenia in the 1001 but this makes the cut cause it was a favourite for the Mercury Prize years ago. Bloody ridiculous lol.
Seriously though it’s just not my kind of music. Even with only listening to the original track listing it still seemed to go on forever. I definitely won’t be doing another listen later.
Kate Bush
5/5
Amazing album. I only knew Wuthering Heights before this so wasn’t sure what to expect but this one blew me away. Every track was great.
I’m a long way from the end of this list but when I rank all my five stars at the end I reckon this will be quite high up the list.
Top Track - Hounds Of Love
The Divine Comedy
4/5
While they’ve never been one of my big favourites, I’ve always enjoyed The Divine Comedy. I started listening to them when I was 7-8 years old once I found out Neil Hannon did all the music for Father Ted, best comedy series ever made lol.
As for the album itself, I do really like it but I think Fin de Siècle would’ve been a better choice for inclusion. It has their biggest hit in National Express and one of their best songs overall in Sunrise.
Top Track - Everybody Knows (except you)
Slayer
5/5
Fuck the hell yeah!!
Headphones went up full blast when this started. Reign In Blood is one of the truly great metal albums of all time. It bookends with two classics in Angel Of Death and Raining Blood but there is absolutely no filler in between.
Through 430 albums I have truly enjoyed discovering so many new artists. It genuinely has changed forever how I listen to music. I grew up on metal though, it will always be my bread and butter and I bloody LOVE this album.
Top Track - Raining Blood
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
Started really strong but I started to lose interest by the end. A bit samey
I’ve never liked Rod Stewart so this one was facing an uphill battle from the get go. First 3-4 tracks I really wasn’t feeling it and we were heading towards one star territory but from Stay With Me onwards it started to pick up.
Stand out track for me by a country mile was Memphis. Loved it and I will make a point to check out the Chuck Berry original later on.
Top Track - Memphis
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
I actually remember when this first came out I kept meaning to go out and buy it. I love Gorillaz and The Clash so I figured with Damon Albarn and Paul Simonon involved it was bound to be good. I never did end up buying it and it turns out I didn’t miss much, this album was DULL.
There legitimately wasn’t anything I found interesting or memorable about it. I will soon forget this album exists in all likelihood.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Not for me this one. I said on Saturday with the Faces album I got that I’ve never really liked Rod Stewart and this album confirms it. I just find his music quite boring.
Bob Dylan
1/5
So this is number 4 of the 7 Bob Dylan albums on here and you could say I’ve had a love/hate relationship with his music, just without the love lol.
This one started positively though. I actually quite liked Blowin' In The Wind. I was thinking maybe this is the album where it clicks and I start to appreciate his music. That positivity died during track 2, the harmonica during the last 15 seconds went right through me. The album fell rapidly downhill from there and in the end this was probably my least favourite of his so far.
Deep Purple
4/5
After a rough couple of days this was a vast improvement. This is my second Deep Purple album after Machine Head way back at album 34. While I enjoyed the previous one, I haven’t ever went back to it but I can definitely see myself listening to this one again.
In particular Child In Time is an absolute banger of a track.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
I wasn’t looking forward to this one. I absolutely hate the song Layla. Fortunately the rest of the album, for the most part, was a decent enough listen without having anything that blew me away.
Top Track - Keep On Growing
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Mountain Song brought back memories of Guitar Hero. Overall a really good album. One or two bangers away from full marks
Sheryl Crow
4/5
I didn’t expect much from this but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Nothing on here blew me away or anything but there were also no tracks that I didn’t enjoy either.
Top Track - Can’t Cry Anymore
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
I was kinda dreading this looking at the runtime but I enjoyed it throughout. There are some absolutely brilliant tracks on here. Yes there are some that don’t 100% hit the mark but there’s nothing terrible on it and with 69 songs they all can’t be absolute bangers.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
My second from ATCQ. It took me a track or two to properly get into it but once I did I really enjoyed it. Definitely need to check out more of their stuff.
Top Track - Jazz (We’ve Got)
Wilco
5/5
GREAT album, thoroughly enjoyed this one. I’ve had this downloaded ever since I generated Being There so was glad to finally get round to it.
It’s hard to find fault with it, every track hit the mark for me. I’ll be keeping this in my album rotation for a good while.
Top Track - War On War
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. First track was an absolute banger. Solsbury Hill is a great song but at my old job it used to play on our in store radio so I heard it twice a day for nearly a decade. Tad over played for me lol.
The only track I didn’t like was Waiting For The Big One, by the end of it I was kind of bored.
Top Track - Slowburn, fantastic song
Saint Etienne
3/5
There’s a few really good songs on here but also a few that didn’t do much for me at all.
Overall a nice enough listen but not one I’m ever likely to go back to after today.
Top Track - Nothing Can Stop Us
The KLF
4/5
I had very low expectations for this one, electronic is in general not my kind of music, but I surprisingly really enjoyed this one. Definitely one that will go back to.
Top Track - Last Train To Trancentral
Alanis Morissette
5/5
I knew of this because of its reputation and the singles from it. Brilliant album, I can see why it was one of the biggest albums of the 90’s.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
Took me a bit to get into this but really enjoyed it once I did
The Kinks
4/5
I could’ve sworn I had already had a Kinks album but apparently not so this is my first time listening to them.
I really liked this one, I enjoyed every track on it without anything blowing me away until Sunny Afternoon. Bloody brilliant song.
Top Track - Sunny Afternoon
The Byrds
2/5
Second Byrds album for me, didn’t like the first one. Hated this one. It was on a fast track to one star.
Then we got to Lazy Days. Bloody great song. Then it’s followed up by Pretty Polly, another great track. I wish I had enjoyed the rest of the album as much as these two cause I’d be looking at a 4 or 5 star but it is what it is.
Top Track - Lazy Days
Everything But The Girl
1/5
Gotta be honest, my mind drifted and I completely forgot I was listening to this for a good ten minutes at least.
On a positive though the singer does have a really good voice. It just wasn’t for me whatsoever. I found it unfathomably dull.
1/5
Bloody hell two dull listens in a row. Too repetitive for me and quickly faded into background
Super Furry Animals
4/5
After three days of dross this is more like it, I love me some Super Furry Animals. I think they were the first band I ever saw live, it was either them or Shed Seven.
In saying that, since they only have two albums on here, I would probably swap Fuzzy Logic for Radiator. FL has the better singles but for me Radiator is a better overall album.
Still, I really enjoyed revisiting this one. It’s been far too long since I’ve listened to them. Gonna binge all their albums over the next day or two now lol.
Top Tracks - Something 4 The Weekend
Roxy Music
3/5
For most of this album I really wasn’t that interested in it. Didn’t hate it so it was looking like a two star.
Then we got to the final three tracks. I enjoyed The Bogus Man, Grey Lagoons was bloody great and the title track closed it off nicely. Enjoyed them well enough to add another star.
Top Track - Grey Lagoons
The Lemonheads
3/5
Enjoyable enough album without being anything that will live long in the memory
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
I’ll get my only negative out of the way first. Didn’t like Mississippi Kid at all. Such a shame since that’s all that is keeping this album from five stars.
As for the rest, bloody brilliant. I know the hits from Skynyrd but this is my first time listening to a full album. Free Bird is obviously a classic but from what I’ve heard from them Simple Man is by far my favourite song.
Top Track - Simple Man
Bee Gees
3/5
Well I wasn’t expecting this. I don’t know a lot of Bee Gees songs but the ones I do know are all Disco so I figured that was all they ever did.
I liked it for the most part but it started to drag towards the end. I could’ve lived without the instrumental tracks.
Top Track - Lamplight
Taylor Swift
4/5
Before starting this project I would’ve never given this a fair chance. I was slightly snobby about pop music. Luckily my mindset has changed cause this was a really fun listen
Robbie Williams
2/5
Even at his absolute peak, and at that time he was an absolute MEGASTAR in the UK, I’ve never been overly fussed on Robbie Williams and nothing I heard today changed that.
It maybe doesn’t help that the best song on the album is Angels and I’ve heard that song enough times to last me a lifetime. Apart from that the singles are decent enough but nothing else on the album is anything special. As Noel Gallagher famously said "He’s just a fat dancer from Take That".
Top Track - Angels
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
I wasn’t expecting much going into this since I’m not massively keen on The Sex Pistols yet somehow this didn’t even match my rock bottom expectations.
I hated this. Genuinely hated everything about it. I don’t know if it’s my least favourite overall so far but it is absolutely in the discussion.
Slade
3/5
It’s a shame that Slade are only really known for their Christmas song these days cause there’s some good stuff throughout their discography.
This album is a good enough, solid listen but since it’s their only one on the list it probably isn’t the one I would’ve went for. Slade In Flame or Slade Alive! would’ve been better choices in my opinion.
Top Track - I Won’t Let It ‘Appen Agen
Dagmar Krause
1/5
Hated the vocals
Hated the instrumentals
Hated the album
Hated life listening to it
The Stranglers
3/5
I almost feel like I should like this more than I actually did. There’s nothing bad about it, it’s a perfectly alright album but for me it was nothing more than alright. Maybe another few listens and it will be different but as it is now it was grand but won’t live long in the memory.
Top Track - Goodbye Toulouse
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
My second from Dexys after Don’t Stand Me Down which I absolutely detested.
It’s a decent enough album. Apart from the singles I hadn’t heard anything from it before. Until I Believe In My Soul was looking like it was going to be the standout for me but it went on a bit too long. The only track I flat out disliked was Jackie Wilson Said.
Top Track - Old
Jorge Ben Jor
5/5
Holy crap I loved this. What a brilliant album. Cannot fault it at all.
This is definitely one of those albums that make me appreciate doing this list. There is absolutely zero chance I ever would’ve discovered this on my own.
Top Track - Meus Filhos, Meu Tesouro
The Flaming Lips
5/5
What an unbelievable album. I cannot find a fault with it, there’s nothing even close to a dud track. I mentioned in a separate post that The Flaming Lips have been recommended to me several times before and based on this one they live up to the hype.
Top Track - Very hard to pick one but gonna go with Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell
Fever Ray
3/5
Hard one to score this. I enjoyed it without it fully clicking with me. I think with a couple more listens it could go up to a 4.
Top Track - Triangle Walks
The Cure
3/5
My second album from The Cure after Disintegration and while I did enjoy it, I didn’t like it anywhere near as much.
There are some great songs on here, M and A Forest in particular. Just as a whole it didn’t blow my socks off like Disintegration did. Maybe it needs another couple of listens.
Top Track - A Forest
The Smiths
3/5
Not the best Smiths album I’ve heard but a decent enough listen
Frank Black
2/5
This was a hard one to score for me. There’s enough songs I enjoyed to give it three but on the flip side it dragged on way too long. I was genuinely bored by the end.
The Waterboys
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. I’d only ever heard the title track from it before and it’s a belter of a song.
There wasn’t any tracks I would say I didn’t enjoy but there wasn’t enough I really loved for me to give it top marks.
Top Track - When Will We Be Married
Aphex Twin
1/5
My God almighty this was beyond boring. Not for me at all. I was literally forgetting it as I was listening
The Pogues
4/5
Tremendous fun to listen to. Not a bad song on it and I ended up dancing round my living room while listening. So why isn’t it five stars? Fairytale Of New York.
FONY isn’t a bad song, in fact it’s probably one of the best Christmas tunes ever written. Problem is I ran an offy for 10 years and we had an in store radio that couldn’t be changed, believe me I tried. All throughout December I heard that bloody song in work at least 3-4 times a shift every day cause obviously it’s good drinking music if you’re getting a carry out. I have heard it enough times to last me several lifetimes.
Top Track - Turkish Song Of The Damned
Ice T
3/5
I wasn’t enjoying this at all at the start but a couple of tracks in it started to pick up. I could live without the skits throughout it but I could say that about every rap album that has them.
Overall I liked it well enough but I don’t see myself ever going back to it after today.
Top Track - Midnight, great use of a Black Sabbath sample.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Neneh Cherry
2/5
First track is great. Nothing of interest after that
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Not a country fan by any means but I really enjoyed this. Couple of tracks towards the end weren’t bad but nothing great and that cost it the full 5 stars
Red Snapper
1/5
BORRRRRRRINNNNGGGG!!!
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Really good album, some banging songs on here. I do much prefer their second album though
D'Angelo
2/5
Good voice but a very bland album
Jazmine Sullivan
1/5
Not for me at all. Take the spoken word bits off this and it’s more like an EP
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I’ve had two Leonard Cohen albums so far and I’ve hated both. I’m Your Man is in the discussion for my least favourite overall so far. This one however I surprisingly liked. In saying that nothing blew me away or anything but, considering my rock bottom expectations going in, a three is a good score. I could even push to a four on another day since I won’t have that feeling of dread going in.
U2
3/5
So my third from U2 and by far the weakest so far. The first three tracks were great but it gradually went downhill after that.
In particular I absolutely hated Surrender. Did absolutely nothing for me and I was debating knocking a star off for it lol.
Top Track - New Year’s Day
Daft Punk
3/5
Kinda disappointed by this one. I’ve heard the big hits from Daft Punk but the only album I’ve listened to in full was Discovery, which was brilliant. I figured if this one is on the list over Discovery then it must be great.
It does have its moments. Around The World is obviously a classic and I really enjoyed Alive but it was very repetitive at times and dragged on way too long for me.
Top Track - Alive
Morrissey
3/5
Much like You Are The Quarry, I liked this. It’s solid throughout, but there’s nothing on here that’s going to live long in the memory.
Top Track - Billy Budd
Dolly Parton
3/5
I genuinely do try to go into every album open minded but, with a couple of exceptions, I really don’t like Country music. This one however I didn’t mind at all.
A big part of it is Dolly Parton has a brilliant voice. Overall though while there weren’t any tracks I didn’t like it’s very unlikely I will ever go back to this.
Top Track - Coat Of Many Colours
Devendra Banhart
3/5
I really liked this at the start but his voice did start to grate on me a wee bit by the end. Nothing terrible, nothing brilliant. Very much a middle of the road 3 star album.
Van Morrison
2/5
Never been a massive Van Morrison fan and nothing here changed that. Not terrible at all but just not for me
Doves
3/5
Doves are one of those bands that I feel like I should like more than I do. I’ve tried a couple of times to get into them and, while I always like them, there’s something missing for me.
Top Track - The Cedar Room
Ian Dury
3/5
The only song from Dury I’ve ever heard was the theme song for the tv show The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole that he did. Love the song and the show so I was interested going into this.
There are some great songs on the album but there are also some that I didn’t enjoy at all. There are tracks I will definitely listen to again but it’s doubtful I ever listen to the album as a whole after today.
Top Track - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
After so many three stars this was more like it. I loved the title track, it was bloody brilliant. Best individual song I’ve had from here in ages.
There was a slight drop off towards the end which is what’s stopping it getting all five. A Time And A Place and Are You Ready Eddy weren’t necessarily bad but they didn’t do much for me. I could probably look past one and give it top marks but not both.
Top Track - Tarkus
The xx
2/5
I didn’t mind the first track but that was about it. Very dull album overall. Definitely will not live long in the memory.
The Hives
3/5
This is a difficult one to score. I really like The Hives. I like every song on this album. Problem is I don’t think a compilation album should be on here.
If Veni Vidi Vicious had been on here I would be giving it a 4 minimum.
Top Track - Automatic Schmuck
Sonic Youth
3/5
A good album but I didn’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as the two I’ve had previously. In saying that, Sister took a few listens to properly click with me so maybe this one will grow on me as well.
Top Track - Shadow Of A Doubt
Grateful Dead
4/5
Really good album. Dark Star was the standout but the rest of it held its own
Beatles
5/5
Bloody hell it’s been a while since I had a Beatles album, 444 albums ago to be exact. I’m still holding out hope that I get Abbey Road as my final one.
As for today, I love The White Album. If I was to list my top 10 Beatles songs there’s definitely 3, maybe even 4 from this album. Granted there’s some tracks which on their own might not be the greatest but listened to as a whole it’s that perfect imperfection that make this such a fun listen for me.
Top Track - Helter Skelter
Lou Reed
4/5
I was dreading this when it came up. The only time I’ve ever listened to Lou Reed was the album he did with Metallica which I detest. This however I really enjoyed.
Perfect Day in particular was a brilliant song. I’d only ever heard cover versions or parody’s of it before.
Top Track - Perfect Day
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
A really good album from a band I’ve been meaning to check out for ages. Starts with an absolute banger in Freak Scene and for the most part I enjoyed everything afterwards.
The only thing stopping it from getting the full 5 stars was I didn’t like Don’t.
Top Track - Freak Scene
Cat Stevens
5/5
Beyond Father And Son I had never heard anything from Cat Stevens before but bloody hell this was brilliant. Great tracks throughout and I absolutely love his voice.
Only slight negative was the title track itself. Great song, was really getting into it but it’s only a minute long. I wanted more, much more lol.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
This one was a mixed bag for me. Started off really strong then my interest started to fade with The Theatre onwards. Fortunately it ended great with probably my two favourite tracks on the album.
Overall there’s tracks I will definitely go back to but it’s pretty much a certainty that I won’t ever listen to the album as a whole after today.
Top Track - Go West
Grizzly Bear
2/5
Honestly struggling to think of much to write about this. Not bad enough to warrant a 1 star but I was quite bored by the end of it. Definitely won’t live long in the memory.
Orbital
2/5
Let’s start positively. I really liked Lush 3.1. On the negative side I hated everything else on this album. A lacklustre way to bring in the big five double zero.
The Specials
3/5
Didn’t massively grab me. Some good songs but nothing I’m gonna rush back to
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I didn’t like this one quite as much as Exodus but it’s still really good. I keep meaning to listen to more of their studio albums, I tend to just stick on their Greatest Hits if I’m in the mood for a listen.
Top Track - Stir It Up
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Really good album. Couple more listens and could easily turn into a 5
The Birthday Party
3/5
Hated it to start with but it grew on me by the halfway point
Eric Clapton
3/5
I really enjoyed I Shot The Sheriff but beyond that nothing really stood out to me. There was nothing bad but nothing I’ll remember in a week’s time either.
Ray Charles
1/5
I absolutely hated this one, literally every last thing about it lol.
Potentially part of the problem, and this is definitely a me problem, is that all I know of Ray Charles is his appearance in The Blues Brothers. I love that performance of Shake A Tail Feather and I was expecting something more like that.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. Not so much the vocals but instrumentally some of the tracks reminded me of Guillemots who I bloody love.
I don’t edit scores very often but I could see this going up to a 5 whenever I get an uninterrupted listen. I will definitely be listening to more from him.
Top Track - The Preddatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!
The Specials
4/5
My second from The Specials in the last week after More Specials and this was vastly superior.
The only problem is that for me it’s a very front loaded album. There are some great songs at the start but after Monkey Man it does tail off a bit until Too Much Too Young.
Top Track - A Message To You Rudy
Queens Of The Stone Age
2/5
A band I normally enjoy listening to whenever I take a notion but never seek out too often. The opener, Regular John, was really good but it went steadily downhill after that. I hated Hispanic Impressions and it was really hard to get back into it after that.
I definitely think Songs For The Deaf should’ve been on the list instead or even Era Vulgaris.
Tori Amos
4/5
I know the name but have never listened to Tori Amos before today. I really liked this one. Reminded me massively of Kate Bush.
There wasn’t a bad song on it but if I’m nitpicking it went on a tad too long for me. Maybe that was cause I had to keep stopping and starting in work. Still I’ll definitely check out a few more of her albums.
Top Track - Happy Phantom
Missy Elliott
2/5
For the first couple of tracks I was quite enjoying this one. It just couldn’t hold my attention in the long run. There was a stretch of 2-3 tracks, might’ve been more lol, where I basically tuned out completely and forgot I was listening to this. Overall definitely not the worst album ever, just not for me.
5/5
Out of the 1089 albums on here this is one of the easier 5 stars I’ll give. Many years ago this was the first Beatles album I ever listened to in full. It turned them from that band my Granny likes to holy crap these guys are amazing.
There’s not a track on here that I don’t love. The only thing that could improve it for me would be for Strawberry Fields to have been included. It is a Masterpiece.
Top Track - With A Little Help From My Friends or Lovely Rita
Def Leppard
2/5
I can’t be doing with Def Leppard but surprisingly there were a good few tracks on here that I enjoyed. Problem was that there was no middle ground, the ones I didn’t enjoy I really didn’t like.
I probably could’ve stretched to threes stars but my God do I hate Pour Some Sugar On Me. That cost it a star as soon as it started.
Top Track - Armageddon It
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
I’ve heard of Tom Petty but never listened to him before. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this one. There’s nothing groundbreaking on it but I liked every track and it didn’t outstay its welcome. I’d definitely listen to more from him.
Top Track - Anything That’s Rock N Roll
The Human League
2/5
I had rock bottom expectations for this one. Heard a few tracks down the years and they’re just not for me at all. I would’ve given one star but Open Your Heart is a decent enough track.
The Pretty Things
3/5
This one got off to a great start. For the first half of it I was loving it and thinking it’s gonna be a 4 or potentially even a 5 star. Second half it fell off a cliff though.
It wasn’t like there was anything terrible or anything. It just didn’t hold my attention and I had basically tuned out by the end. Bit of a shame after such a good opening.
Top Track - She Says Good Morning
New Order
3/5
Pretty good album. Could definitely grow on me with a few more listens
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
I didn’t mind it when I was listening to it but trying to write about it now, I realise I remember basically nothing about it
Kate Bush
3/5
My second Kate Bush album after Hounds Of Love and while it didn’t knock my socks off like HOL did, I still enjoyed it overall.
I’m unsure of the score because it took me a couple of tracks to fully get into it. Second listen will decide.
Top Track - Night Of The Swallow
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I’ve never really got The Stones. There’s songs that I do enjoy if I hear them but they’ve never been a band that I will go out of my way to listen to.
This one’s getting a 4 but it’s on the low end of my 4’s. It’s really good and I did like it but I don’t think I will go back to it.
Japan
1/5
I know the title of the book isn’t meant to be taken literally but I think I could’ve lived my life quite comfortably having not heard this before I died. It came and went with nothing of interest and I more than likely will have forgotten all about by the week’s end.
Le Tigre
4/5
Really enjoyed it without it having that absolute stand out banger to get the extra star
The Verve
5/5
This was a 5 star before I even hit play. I love this album, have done since it first came out. The singles from it are brilliant even if Bittersweet Symphony has suffered a bit from years of being overplayed. Sonnet for me is an outstanding song though.
I will say though as an overall album I think I would put A Storm In Heaven slightly ahead of it.
Top Track - Sonnet
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
Honestly when this popped up I wasn’t really in the mood for it but it grabbed me within less than a minute of the first track. A perfect, easy listen for a quiet Sunday in work.
Top Track - Our House
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
Absolutely loved this one. I knew very early on I would be giving it a high score. I gave their other album on the list, Bug, a 4 star so I definitely must check out the rest of their albums.
Top Track - The Lung
Aerosmith
2/5
I don’t like Aerosmith so this was never going to get a good score from me. I just can’t stand Steven Tylers singing. I did like some of the guitar riffs though so that earned it an extra star.
TV On The Radio
3/5
I was hating this for the first couple of tracks but it slowly started to grow on me and by the time it got to Red Dress I was really enjoying it.
There’s definitely a few tracks on here I will go back to but I don’t think it’s one I’m likely to go and listen to in full again.
Top Track - DLZ
Q-Tip
4/5
This one started off really strong, the first three tracks are absolute bangers. For the most part the rest of the album was really good but it did run outta stream a wee but towards the end.
Top Track - Won’t Trade
Baaba Maal
5/5
Brilliant album. In general one of the main takeaways I’ll have from this project when it’s all said and done is finding out how much amazing music there is coming out of Africa.
Top Track - Hamady Boiro
Bob Dylan
4/5
I hate Bob Dylan. I’ve had 4 of his albums so far resulting in two 1 stars and two 2 stars and it was very close to being a clean sweep of 1’s. I had a sense of dread when this generated but you know what, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’m struggling to figure out a reason not to give this 5 stars, never thought I’d say that about a Dylan album lol. I enjoyed every song on it, there’s a few I would even say were bloody brilliant. The main thing holding it back, great album aside, I still fucking hate Bob Dylan lol.
Top Track - Shelter From The Storm
Paul Simon
5/5
First listen I was thinking a high 4 but after the second go it’s 5 all day long. Brilliant album
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Hard to put this one into words. I didn’t know the entire backstory about Nicks son until today. Knowing that, there were parts of this album I found genuinely heartbreaking. As a parent I can’t even begin to fathom what he’s gone through.
Overall it’s a brilliant album but not one I think I will go back to very often.
Klaxons
5/5
love this album, have done since the day it was released. I vividly remember seeing the video for Magick for the first time and I was hooked.
Top Track - Gravity’s Rainbow
Moby
3/5
I was surprised how many songs I recognised from this considering I’ve never gone out of my way to listen to Moby before.
There’s some really good tracks on here but a good few that I wasn’t really that arsed about. Shave 15-20 minutes from it and I probably would’ve gone to 4 stars.
Top Track - Bodyrock, brought back memories of playing FIFA 2001 and Gran Turismo
The Sugarcubes
4/5
I’m not keen at all on Björk as a solo artist but this was quite a good listen. Wish she would’ve stuck to this
The Rolling Stones
4/5
My fourth Rolling Stones album and my favourite so far. I think they’re always going to be a band I enjoy listening to but won’t ever go out of my way for. There’s just something about them that doesn’t really do it for me.
Top Track - Sympathy For The Devil
Doves
3/5
My second Doves album after Lost Souls and while I preferred this one, it isn’t an album that’s going to live long in the memory.
My main criticism is with two songs, Words and There Goes The Fear. Is was really enjoying both up to a point but they kept going on and on and on. There’s no need for TGTF to be nearly 7 minutes long.
Top Track - Pounding
Fishbone
3/5
Took me a bit to get into this one but I enjoyed it well enough once I did.
Top Track - Bonin’ In The Boneyard
Miles Davis
4/5
Not gonna lie, when I saw the 1hr 45 run time on this I wasn’t exactly bursting with enthusiasm. While I have gained an appreciation for Jazz throughout this list I do have to be in the mood for it.
With that in mind, it did take me a bit to get into this but once I did it was great. I won’t get time to listen again today but I will give it another go at some point when I’m not in work and it’s way more relaxed.
Merle Haggard
2/5
Even though I’m not a fan of the genre, I have found some Country albums throughout this that I have really enjoyed. This is not one of them.
I did really like the track If You Want To Be My Woman. Unfortunately I absolutely hated everything else about it.
The Divine Comedy
5/5
A rare album where I listen to the full deluxe version. This was the first Divine Comedy album I ever bought and it’s always been a favourite of mine. There’s not a song on it I don’t enjoy.
Disc 2 has some interesting B sides and demos on it but the highlight for me are the songs Neil Hannon wrote for the series Father Ted. It’s by far my favourite comedy series but since my Girlfriend hates it, Father Jack absolutely disgusts her lol, I watch it so much anymore. Massive nostalgia hit listening to them.
Top Track - Songs Of Love, it would’ve been My Lovely Horse but they need to lose that sax solo
PJ Harvey
2/5
Starting positively, I did prefer this to Rid Of Me which I gave one star to. It’s not a bad album or anything, it just didn’t interest me in the slightest. I’m three hours removed from finishing it and I remember absolutely nothing about it.
Soul II Soul
2/5
First few tracks this was heading straight to one star territory. I didn’t enjoy it at all. Then African Dance came on and I really liked it so that bumps it up to a two. Overall it was just kinda background music, not for me at all.
Bobby Womack
4/5
Before this I only knew Bobby Womack from his work with Gorillaz. His two tracks were probably my favourites on Plastic Beach so I was looking forward to it.
This was a really good album. Love his voice and there’s not a bad song on it. It’s just missing something for me to give it top marks
CHIC
4/5
We’re now into the second half of the project and what a great way to start it. Between the two Chic albums and Sister Sledge I’m loving a bit of Nile Rogers.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
Great album. Wasn’t massively fussed on Scorpio which stopped it from getting a full five
Top Track - It’s Nasty (Genius Of Love)
Nightmares On Wax
1/5
I hated this. Honestly I didn’t enjoy a second of it. It just seemed to keep going on forever. To give it credit it’s not the worst album I’ve heard on here or anything but it absolutely was not for me.
Spiritualized
2/5
Decent enough album for the most part. Nothing overly memorable about it. It was sitting on three stars but it went on 3-4 tracks too long for me. Was quite bored of it by the end.
Top Track - Step Into The Breeze
John Lennon
4/5
As much as I love The Beatles I don’t tend to delve into their solo stuff very often, outside of George Harrison. As was the case when I generated Imagine, I’d never listened to this in full until today.
It’s a really good album, there’s no songs that I didn’t enjoy. In saying that there weren’t any tracks I absolutely loved and overall that’s what’s stopping me from giving a full five stars.
Top Track - Love
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Love this one but it’s been way too long since I’ve listened to it in full. I’m always glad to hear Kashmir, probably my favourite Zeppelin song. Only Immigrant Song comes close.
With only Led Zeppelin’s self titled debut left to generate, we’re looking at a clean sweep of five stars for them.
Top Track - Kashmir but I also really love Trampled Under Foot
Randy Newman
2/5
Honestly not much to say about this one. It pretty much went in one ear and out the other, nothing I hated but nothing I overly enjoyed.
Tom Waits
1/5
Hated this. Tom Waits just isn’t for me. I might’ve been a bit more forgiving if it was shorter but the 73 minute runtime brings it down among my bottom albums so far.
Björk
4/5
My third solo album from Björk and by far my favourite so far. While I’ve enjoyed some of the other ones, this is the first of hers that I can see myself going back to.
Top Track - Play Dead
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
There’s definitely nothing groundbreaking to be had here but it’s a fun listen and I enjoyed every song on it. Can’t really ask for much more than that.
Top Track - Sailing Down The Tears
The Rolling Stones
5/5
My Fifth Stones album and the first one to get the full five stars.
This was a brilliant album. Where the others I’ve had have taken time to get into, this had me hooked from start to finish.
Top Track - Gimmie Shelter
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
One of the great things I’ve discovered so far doing this project is some of the music from different parts of the world that I never would’ve discovered on my own and this is another great addition to that list.
It did take me a couple of tracks to get into it but once I did I enjoyed it more and more with every song.
Top Track - Biba Sada Dil Morr De
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
I was quite liking this at the start, the first 2 tracks were great. It started to go downhill for me after that and I never got back into it. I was thoroughly bored of it by the end.
Top Track - Ronnie And Neil
Kraftwerk
3/5
I’m by no means the biggest fan of electronic music, in fact it’s my lowest rated genre, but I quite liked this one. In saying that it’s highly unlikely I will ever listen to it again.
Top Track - Franz Schubert
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Very middle of the road. Nothing overly exciting about it, nothing terrible.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
There was a few tracks I really enjoyed but as for the rest of the album, nothing really stood out. Overall quite unmemorable.
Top Track - Hymn For The Dudes
Throwing Muses
4/5
So you’d think after finishing 559 albums that I would’ve learnt to double check that the link has taken me to the correct album before I start. Alas I was halfway through the wrong one before I realised.
Luckily I really liked what I heard so was happy enough to for more. It’s just missing something to make me go for all five stars.
Top Track - Vicky’s Box
N.W.A.
4/5
For most of this album I thought it was gonna be a definite 5 star. Up until Express Yourself I was loving it. Unfortunately it dropped off a good bit after that. Dopeman in particular I really didn’t care for.
Top Track - Something Like That