482
Albums Rated
2.95
Average Rating
44%
Complete
607 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010
Favorite Decade
Metal
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
31
5-Star Albums
49
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Roots
Sepultura
|
5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
|
Among The Living
Anthrax
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Reign In Blood
Slayer
|
5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
|
Sunshine Hit Me
The Bees
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
Vento De Maio
Elis Regina
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
Maxinquaye
Tricky
|
5 | 3.05 | +1.95 |
|
Scum
Napalm Death
|
4 | 2.08 | +1.92 |
|
Under Construction
Missy Elliott
|
5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
|
Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
|
5 | 3.19 | +1.81 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The White Album
Beatles
|
1 | 4.17 | -3.17 |
|
Rubber Soul
Beatles
|
1 | 4.11 | -3.11 |
|
In Rainbows
Radiohead
|
1 | 3.86 | -2.86 |
|
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
|
1 | 3.75 | -2.75 |
|
Kid A
Radiohead
|
1 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
|
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
|
1 | 3.65 | -2.65 |
|
Funeral
Arcade Fire
|
1 | 3.55 | -2.55 |
|
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
|
1 | 3.48 | -2.48 |
|
James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
|
1 | 3.44 | -2.44 |
|
Amnesiac
Radiohead
|
1 | 3.41 | -2.41 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 4.67 |
| Black Sabbath | 2 | 5 |
| Metallica | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 4 | 1.25 |
| Pavement | 2 | 1 |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 1.75 |
| Beatles | 6 | 2 |
| Tom Waits | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Rolling Stones | 4 | 2 |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 2 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Happy Mondays | 4, 1 |
5-Star Albums (31)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The White Stripes · 7 likes
1/5
I have a bit of an annoyance with artists having multiple albums on the list because I think you miss out on many great albums due to this. The White Stripes are an example of this.
Personally, I wouldn't put any of their albums on here but I can understand that many do like them so I can concede Elephant getting picked. Get Behind Me Satan has no place on this list, and White Blood Cells is easily the worst of the three. I'm convinced if this album was under anyone else's name nobody would give it any attention, but people on this website see Jack White as the second coming of Christ so of course they'll give it a good rating.
Beatles · 5 likes
2/5
No more Beatles I beg
Jeff Buckley · 4 likes
4/5
It's like what Radiohead wishes it could emulate.
It could probably get a 4 with his voice alone to be honest it's gorgeous
Particularly enjoyed the opening and ending tracks, with my favourite being Eternal Life
Adam & The Ants · 3 likes
4/5
It's so bad I actually really enjoy it
These guys shitposted before shitposting was a thing. Truly revolutionary.
Beatles · 2 likes
1/5
Yeah nah I can't do 90 minutes of the Beatles man it's just not gonna happen
4-Star Albums (102)
1-Star Albums (49)
All Ratings
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Very groovy, much like.
Very different to usual taste, but it's the GOAT what's not to like. Vocals very nice
Starts off meh with Up From The Skies but gets much better after
Album cover is a bit odd
Green Day
4/5
Title track fucking rocks.
Holiday/Boulevard Of Broken Dreams is imo their best song in their entire discography, let alone on this album
Starts off really good but after Extraordinary Girl/Letterbomb it tails off a bit
WMUWSE is a bit overrated - it's good but not that good
The Black Keys
4/5
First album I don't recognise
Admittedly, when I saw it was an 18 song album I was skeptical since I assumed it'd be too bloated, but the first few songs have been really enjoyable.
The opening track, Howlin' For You and The Only One are amazing tracks
Fuck me Ten Cent Pistol is good
My initial fears of it being bloated were partly true, although most tracks deserve to be on the album. I probably wouldn't miss The Go Getter or Unknown Brother.
Definitely one to revisit every now and again
The White Stripes
3/5
Seven Nation Army obviously fucking slaps, followed up nicely with Black Math
Love Meg's vocals on Cold, Cold Night
These slower songs just don't really cut it. Seven Nation Army sets such a high standard that most of the songs can't live up to, especially the slower ones. I don't think his voice is suited to them.
Simplicity=good, sometimes. I think this one is too simple too often.
Little Acorns and Hypnotize are quite good.
It's just, meh. I can listen through it fine enough I'm just rather bored doing it. Except that last song. What the fuck was that.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
Absolutely beautiful voice she has got. She gives me cozy café vibes
Caught myself dancing to The Click Song once or twice. Where Does It Lead is a beautiful song too.
It's not something I'll likely listen to again in the near future but I can see why so many hold this album in such high regard.
It'd be hugely disrespectful to rate this any lower than a 3.
Beatles
2/5
I've never understood the hype The Beatles get and this record proves it. It's too bland and I find the vocals annoying.
Love You To and Yellow Submarine are some bright spots in the album, but it's far from enough to make this worthy of a decent rating.
I like the ideas of the different instruments they used compared to their other albums, but I don't think they executed it as well as they could, or should, have.
David Crosby
3/5
Country music is either really shit, like on the pop sides of it, or really good like Bluegrass and Outlaw Country.
First song is absolute garbage but Cowboy Movie is better but it drags on too long.
Laughing is a great song but again I think it'd benefit from being about a minute shorter. I like Traction in the Rain too.
It's a nice, calm, solid album. Not bad, not amazing either.
Kanye West
4/5
I knew how good Kanye is but I've never listen to a full album until now and I've realised how much I've been missing out. Super fun listen, maybe slightly too long but it keeps a high standard throughout. Not even his best stuff either.
We Don't Care, Through The Wire and All Falls Down are proper bangers.
Beatles
3/5
It's actually better than other Beatles records I've heard. Still not great. But better. Ish.
The opening track and Roll Over Beethoven are pretty cool.
Slightly generous 3. Probably a 2.75
Jeff Beck
2/5
These vocals ruin it. When Rod shuts up I enjoy it more, like Greensleeves.
Whilst it's definitely not the worst thing I've ever listened to, it's boring, not really any stand out tracks. The riffs are decent and the drums are good, but it evokes nothing in me. Combined with the god awful singing makes this a long one to listen to.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I quite like this rambling style of singing she's got going on. It helps with the storytelling and really captures the "roadtrip" vibe.
It's a nice, calming album but too samey and gets boring after the first couple of songs. Probably one to listen to a couple tracks from every now and again rather than playing the full album.
A generous 3 me thinks
Ella Fitzgerald
2/5
When I started this project, I vowed to myself that I'd listen to every single album all the way through, not matter who it was by or how much I hated it.
That was before I saw this one was over 3 hours long. Yeah fuck that. If it's any good I'll listen to the majority of it, unlikely it'd be good enough to reach the 2 hour mark.
She's got a great voice but it's the same as most other jazz records from that time. I can listen to a few tracks before I get incredibly bored. Definitely not sitting here for an hour, let alone three.
The xx
1/5
The first couple of tracks were just boring, but not terrible. I thought the album would be one of those boring-but-not-overly-shit albums I've had every now again. I was very wrong.
The vocals make me want to crawl out of my skin. It's the epitome of the shit music that's being released recently. It doesn't have it's intended calming effect due to how bad it is
Standout shit tracks:
• A Violent Noise
• Performance
• On Hold
Lana Del Rey
1/5
It's just fucking shit.
Breaking Up Slowly was ok and Dance Till We Die put some much needed energy into this album but it's far from enough.
The Zombies
2/5
This sort of Beatles-esque psych rock just does nothing for me. It needs something else to add energy into it
It's not terrible but it's all just a drag to get through.
Butcher's Tale isn't too bad to be fairs
The Kinks
3/5
I'm not usually a massive fan of this sort of music but this was a fun listen
Animal Farm and Village Green are standout tracks.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
Decent rock album, don't love it, don't hate it. Probably on the higher side of 3
I Love You gives off creepy uncle vibes
Good Morning is a great track. Liked the opening few too and Cool As Kim Deal
Lauryn Hill
3/5
Some tracks are pretty good, like Lost Ones and Every Ghetto, Every City.
Not sure it warrants being an hour and 15 minutes long. It gets boring about halfway in.
At least it's something different on this list
Beatles
1/5
I'm not even a month in and this is my third Beatles album what the shitting hell is this about
About as shit as it gets for the Beatles. Too boring, too samey, vocals hurt my ears.
There's still so many Beatles albums to get through too fuck sake. I've gone through 3/7 I don't want to see another one for at least a year
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
I'd fallen out of love with these guys but after listening to this album I've gone back to loving them again.
The Power of Equality starts it off extremely well, and the one-two combo of the title track and Under the Bridge is absolutely sublime
Anthony's vocals are amazing, bass is super punchy, catchy riffs. Best album I've had so far
Sidenote: This is my 20th album and my first 5 star worthy album - that does not bode well. I'm either really unlucky, or I'm in for a long three years
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I'm not sure I'm a massive fan of the enhanced Bluesy elements of this album. It's weird, I feel like I should enjoy this album more than I do and I've tried very hard to do just that but it's not clicking.
Like most albums I've had on this list, it's just meh. Nothing really stands out at me - Immigrant Song was good when I first listened to it a few years ago but the more I listen to it the more tedious it gets.
I'll always respect Led Zeppelin for the inspiration they've given for so many great bands. I'm sure there'll be an album or two of theirs I'll like more.
The Temptations
3/5
Pretty fun album and it's not too long so I don't get bored of it. Some lovely harmonies in there
Title track and Love Is A Hurtin' Thing are standouts
As with most albums in this genre I'm not likely to give this a listen any time soon but it was enjoyable nonetheless
Justin Timberlake
1/5
Señorita was actually kind of a bop in all fairness
I mean the rest of it was one hour of pure cock and ball torture but that first song was alright at least
Traffic
3/5
Middest of the mid
40,000 headman and Cryin' To Be Heard are good tracks.
Rest is just bog standard
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Sometimes I find the vocals alright but others I can't stand, like I'm Your Man - "I'd howl at your beauty like a dog in the heat". Ew.
The synth is fine but gets tedious fast. After that it just sounds like an old man doing karaoke 15 pints in
Saying that Jazz Police I enjoyed, not sure it warrants a higher rating because of this however
Maybe a harsh 2 but compared to what I've already rated in 3 I think a 2 is justified
3/5
Fun album, better than the one of theirs I've rated previously
It's a harsh 3 I enjoyed this one but not on the same level as the 4s
Slade
3/5
Love some old school hard rock every now and again but it can get too samey after a while
The lyrics and vocals are quite cringe but that's common with all glam rock. The riffs and the bass make up for it
If I wanted to listen to some glam rock/metal I probably wouldn't choose these over the likes of KISS or Skid Row
Adam & The Ants
4/5
It's so bad I actually really enjoy it
These guys shitposted before shitposting was a thing. Truly revolutionary.
Willie Nelson
4/5
I'm quite surprised I enjoy this one. Most of the time with these calmer albums I find they need something a little bit more to add to them to make them more enjoyable, but this one was different. Whether it was his voice or the mood I was in I'm not sure, but this is one I will definitely be revisiting.
Living Colour
4/5
Really fun album, blends many genres together. Especially love the jazzy parts in particular.
Guitar solos are cool and the riffs are good but get repetitive sometimes. Bass is quite prevalent which I always like in music too
The opening track, Funny Vibe and Which Way To America are standouts
Defo gonna be listening to this again
Thelonious Monk
2/5
Jazz is such a drag to get through. It's not terrible by any means, it's just incredibly boring
Give me jazz-influenced genres any day of the week and I'll eat that shit up, but jazz by itself it too tedious. It's needs something else alongside it
Portishead
4/5
I'm changing my review months later because I've realised I enjoy it a lot more now compared to my first listen. It's grown on me, helped by when I'm listening to this at night, that's when it's best.
Queen
4/5
First two tracks are absolute bangers, drops off a bit after that
I think I prefer the harder tracks in this compared to the slower, softer ones
Brian's guitar work is insanely good and the vocals are legendary - shocker, I know.
They've definitely got better stuff but this is still a great album
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
You would have thought that a double album being 82 minutes long would get old but surprisingly it didn't
It wasn't anything special but the varied songs kept me somewhat engaged
Solid throughout, higher side of 3
The Thrills
2/5
Whoever told him that he could sing deserves to be shot
Other than that it's pretty sub-par indie rock
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I should really like Led Zeppelin and I really want to but their music just does nothing for me.
Technically it's really good but I just find it boring. No song really jumps out at me, there were the occasional bits, sure, but not enough to keep me interested.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
I'm not sure what to rate this one.
My main genre is metal. I've grown into focusing less on the lyrics and vocals and more on the riffs, guitar tone, drumming, etc. From this standpoint it's a 5 star album.
When I focus on the lyrics it makes me feel ill. I did not sign up to listen to Axl Rose's sexual fantasies.
Evens out to a 4 I'd say
k.d. lang
3/5
It's unlikely I'm gonna rate these sort of albums any higher than a 3. They're cool, they're calming, she's got a great voice, just not my style. Gets a bit boring after a few
The Slits
1/5
Shite all round
2/5
No more Beatles I beg
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
These type of albums I don't hate just find boring so I'll usually rate them a 3 but I don't like her voice that much so it goes down to a 2.
Nick Drake
2/5
Folk can be a boring genre of music and this album is a prime example of just that. It all sounds the same because of his voice that doesn't vary in pitch and the only instrument used being an acoustic guitar.
Like others, it's not awful, I guess. Just reeeeeaaaaaaalllllllyyyyyy long to get through despite being less than half an hour long
David Bowie
3/5
This is an album to listen to in the evening or night, not at 4:30 pm like I have been
I like the synth and the overall atmosphere of the album
Nothing too special, and I'm pretty sure he has better stuff, but decent nonetheless.
Ooo that random bit of sax in the middle of the last song was good
Muddy Waters
2/5
Not overly shit. Just boring. Like half the albums I've had on this list already.
Can
2/5
Bruv I did not need 20 minutes of factory funny moments followed by coked up cavemen
Parts of this I really enjoyed, like Paperhouse and Halleluhwah were great, and if they hadn't decided to lose their brain cells halfway through this would have been a great album
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Pretty fun, perky album. Gets tedious fairly fast but still a decent one
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Cool album but not really my preferred genre of music
I likes the more energetic songs than the softer ones. If they had more of that I'd rate it higher
Heads Will Roll is obviously a banger, and I liked Dull Life too
ZZ Top
4/5
It grew on me this one. I was thinking it might have needed something a bit more but as the album went on I started to enjoy it more.
La Grange and Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers are standouts
Cool album
Koffi Olomide
2/5
It was ok I suppose, I didn't hate it. I like the bit of variety this gives compared to the rest of the albums on this list
It's very samey, which is bad for an hour long album as it just gets tedious to listen to fast
Didn't really invoke anything in me but I can see why people would enjoy this
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Decent chill album. Don't hate reggae, don't love it either
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I found this quite an interesting album. Very groovy, very different - especially to what I usually listen to.
I probably wouldn't complain if someone put this on, but if I ever wanted to listen to this again I'd have to be in a specific mood. I can't just play this whenever, it'd get annoying.
Also I can get too much of this. It gets annoying, especially how similar the tracks are. Not to say it's bad, however, because I still enjoyed it somewhat. It can just get too overstimulating
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
This album could have been 1000x better than it actually is. It's got some aspects for it, like the vocals, guitar tone, and the energy but it's just ruined by the drumming and awful songwriting.
I didn't like the calmer songs on the other album of theirs I rated "It's Blitz!" and it's the same for these ones. I'd argue they're actually worse
It had the potential to be a 4/5 star album, it just got nowhere near that
Sade
5/5
She looks as good on this album cover as the songs on the album - absolutely stunning
I love me some saxophone. Adds to the overall atmosphere of the album
I thought the absolute banger of Smooth Operator would set too high of a standard for the rest of the songs to hit and the first couple of songs after that made my fears come true. It got to Frankie's First Affair and it came back to the highs of Smooth Operator and didn't come down again after that
Sister Sledge
4/5
The vocals on this were decent, but I was more focused on how insanely good the bass and guitar work were.
Some disco type music can be repetitive, soulless and over-produced but this had me hooked. I would be dancing to this after a few on a Friday night
Title track was by far the best song on the album. Went slightly downhill after that but still a great album
Kid Rock
1/5
First track actually goes hard
Followed by the fucking monstrosity that is Cowboy. Why dude
Bro someone get their two year old away from this man why is a child rapping on here
Labelling this as metal is a disgrace to the genre, it's more butt rock
Only God Knows Why must be the literal worst song I have ever listened to. Not an exaggeration.
I really, really tried to like this because I thought it would be funny to piss everyone off by playing it infront of them but fuck me, that was BAD. Easily the worst album I've had so far. I'd rather rip my toenails out with my bare hands than listen to this shite again
Oh and just when you think the torture was almost over, and you thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, he drops the n word. Fucking hell lmfao
White Denim
3/5
I wish I enjoyed this album more than I did. It's varied with sprinklings of different genres in there. Just something didn't click for me and I'm not sure what, maybe the production, maybe the vocals? I'm not sure
I understand why people like this one, it gets a high 3 from me
New Order
3/5
For me, synth pop as a whole gets annoying after a while and this wasn't really different. I don't think this was bad by any means, just forgettable. I didn't like the vocals either.
It had some cool parts, like Elegia. Not likely to revisit this however
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
I don't think it's terrible but it's too repetitive and too samey. I've heard worse but I'm never gonna listen to it again
Beatles
3/5
Do we really need the entire Beatles discography in this list? I get having 2-3 because it's the Beatles and whatever, but surely the point of this list would be to showcase different albums from different bands in the more obscure genres, I think those are the albums you should listen to before you die.
The album albeit wasn't terrible I think it's one of their better ones, but their still one of the most overrated bands in history.
FKA twigs
2/5
Not a fan. It's very repetitive and there's not much variation in the songs. I don't like her vocals and the lyrics weird me out in some songs
It's gets a 2 for its creativity and uniqueness. Plus she's willing to experiment which is always nice to see in music. I've heard worse on this list and I think it's unfair to group it with the albums I've given 1/5
Bob Dylan
1/5
There wasn't really any aspect of this album that I liked. The vocals absolutely sucked it was hard see past them.
I eventually did, and I thought both the acoustic and electric guitarwork was below average. There were no real changes of pace in the songs and it all became a drag.
The harmonica solos sucked too. Usually I love these random instruments in songs but it was just blasted as loud as possible down the mic. It was a tough one to get through
Paul Weller
3/5
It's an easy listen, it's nothing too complicated, quite catchy. A nice listen
Not sure the album is good enough for it to be 54 minutes long as i was a bit sick of it by Foot Of The Mountain. I liked the opening tracks though and Moon On Your Pyjamas
Stevie Wonder
5/5
From what I've gathered, this album isn't one of his favourites amongst fans. I find this album to be very underrated in that case because I really enjoyed this one. It's warm and upbeat and his voice is unsurprisingly amazing.
I was deadset on giving this a four and I was trying to think of reasons to mark it down but none really came. Too samey? But I didn't get bored of it. Cheesy lyrics? Probably 80% of music has dumb lyrics. It's just a really solid, easy-listening album and it will most likely become a comfort album of mine
They Won't Go When I Go is my favourite track
Lorde
3/5
A pretty decent modern pop album me thinks. Nothing really bad about it
Johnny Cash
5/5
The music itself gets a 3/4, but the concept of performing a concert in a prison is fucking awesome. The whole idea of it and the interactions Cash had with the crowd add to the album. Absolute fucking comedy when they started cheering when he sand about shooting a women
Various Artists
2/5
I've heard enough Christmas songs over the past month
Pissing me off
Merry Christmas fuckers
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
It's certainly one of the albums of all time
Ah fuck it it's a fun one
The Who
3/5
The concept itself of the album was interesting but I'm not sure the music did it justice.
The music was decent but nothing really hooked me in
Pinball Wizard is a banger tho
The Beta Band
3/5
Their more energetic songs, like Lion Thief and Easy, were miles better than the softer ones. Not to say they were terrible, but pretty generic and forgetful. Not sure the mixing of the album helped them necessarily
Still a decent one nonetheless
Sick ass cover too
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
The faster paced songs like the opening track were great
The rest of the songs dropped off, becoming the sort of café shop background music a lot of jazz and swing is
Elliott Smith
4/5
I love the melancholic atmosphere he created, really boosted by his vocals, which are definitely the best part of the album
Some tracks are really good such as Speed Trials, Alameda and Angeles, but the bad songs are quite the drop off compared to the rest. Albeit there aren't many, they drag the rating from a possible 5 to a mid 4
Still a great listen, definitely deserves a revisit
Sheryl Crow
3/5
Found her voice annoying on some songs, but I liked We Do What All We Can and All I Wanna Do as my standout tracks
Music behind the vocals was pretty generic and meh
King Crimson
5/5
I've always meant to listen to this album at some point. This project gave me the kick up the arse I needed to finally get round to this, and holy shit I've been missing out.
Easily one of the best prog rock albums ever. I would give it a 5 immediately for Epitaph and 21st Century Schizoid Man alone. Ends on the title(ish) track sublimely making this the best album I've had in my (just over) 2 months of generating albums
Only downside to this is the 8 minutes or so of whatever-the-fuck at the end of Moonchild. Why they decided to add in random noises beats me tbh
Shack
3/5
I disagree with those saying that it's just another shitty Britpop album and whilst I'd be inclined to agree with them, as I hate Britpop as a genre and through browsing the list of albums it seems that the afore mentioned tend to make up a fair portion of the albums, I think lumping this with the others doesn't do it justice.
It clearly has the Oasis-fueled Britpop elements that I've heavily grown to hate living in a town just outside Manchester, but it also holds some pretty cool prog and psychedelic rock inspirations that I think elevates this album a fair bit. Plus I like the vocals on most of the tracks
I was pretty far from enjoying everything on this one, but some tracks I'll definitely be coming back to, like Pull Together and Daniella. A high 3.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
The beats and production of the album are great and the other rappers provide some nice variety and adds to the flow of the album.
Snoop's rapping of this album is decent, but he's done better since this came out. I'd look to his other albums if I wanted to listen to him
Pentangle
2/5
What in the Skyrim
Liz Phair
2/5
It's quite a variety of different genres which I quite liked which kept things nice and varied, like the piano in Canary. I didn't like the folk and pop rock aspects of it
Her voice was ok in some songs, but worse in others. She sometimes reminded me of that hippie chick that sings in the TV show Friends
Dire Straits
3/5
Down To The Waterline and Sultans Of Swing are absolutely fantastic tracks. Unfortunately the rest of the album doesn't live up to the same heights as those two.
It drags on a bit. There were the occasional cool parts like the ending of In The Gallery but not enough imo
Slightly high 3 because I definitely wouldn't complain if this was put on
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
It's a pretty decent alt rock/grunge album. Some of the riffs were nice and catchy and I loved the guitar tone.
On the other hand, I really didn't like the vocals. I tried hard to get into them but even after a couple of relistens I just can't get past them. I'm not a fan of the acoustic guitar bits and their slower stuff in this isn't as good as the rest of the songs
Overall it's solid, but I wouldn't choose these guys over the likes of Alice In Chains, for example
Quiet and Soma are my standouts
CHIC
3/5
The bass and the guitar work were really, really nice and groovy
The songs were too stretched out. 9/10 I'm all for longer and fewer songs in an album but I don't think the music was suited to that. Each song would have benefitted from being 2-3 minutes shorter in length, because after that it got repetitive and tedious. It's a shame really, it could have been a great album
AC/DC
4/5
Classic hard rock album that you can't really go wrong with.
Only thing stopping me from giving it a 5 is a few of the songs towards the back end that I didn't enjoy for whatever reason. Maybe they just weren't as good, or I began to get tired of the album
A high 4
The Smiths
3/5
I've never given a Smiths album a listen until now so I'm not sure if they have any better stuff
It's very typical of the 80s British indie rock that was being put out at the time, and I think this album does it ok but pretty standard
Marr is getting the praise for his guitar work but I think the true hero of this album is Andy Rourke's bass, especially on Barbarism Begins at Home.
I can't make my mind up on the vocals. They suck sometimes, but others I think they suit the music well
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I was scrolling through the reviews to this on here and saw someone saw this album was inoffensive, which I think is the perfect word to describe it. It's decent, but sounds like every other 80s British New Wave/Post Punk band that are littered in abundance in this list.
Only real standout quality was that I liked the bass in some songs. Everything else was just forgetful
Baaba Maal
3/5
I wasn't sure at first but it grew on me. Maybe slightly too long and rather repetitive, but I still enjoyed it
The vocals were good and fit the music well, especially on Ko Wone Mayo
Michael Jackson
3/5
The more well known songs are good, like the title track and Smooth Criminal, but the rest don't really live up to the same heights.
His vocals don't do the backing track justice. Some of these basslines are amazing. If his voice was better it could be a 5 star album
The Stooges
3/5
Mid
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Old school hip hop is definitely the best form of rap. This one is more fun and light hearted compared to others
The main hits are good, but it's the songs I'm not seeing getting talked about as much that are the proper bangers, for example Hit It Run and the title track
The beats are good but get a tad repetitive. It also ends on a couple weaker songs which is why I'm not giving it a 5
Carpenters
4/5
Some of the tracks are way too cheesy, but others are some of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard
Richard's voice is decent, but Karen's is a thing of gold. These harmonies are insanely good too
It's not one to listen to often, I think I have to be in the right mood to enjoy this properly
The Killers
2/5
If I had to choose only one word it rate it with it'd be overrated - quite a common theme on this website tbh
How Mr Brightside is as popular as it is baffles me. It's mediocre AT A PUSH, and I blame every karaoke bar, radio station and shitty house party for decimating it even further
Most of the "hits" on this album are a similar case, but the opening track and Somebody Told Me are admittedly pretty decent
The rest - the filler, I guess - is just forgettable. I appreciate Everything Will Be Alright for being different, but it was still not anything special
Pavement
1/5
Not a massive fan of indie rock, this album kinda explains that
The guitar tone I quite like and some of the riffs are decent, but that's about all she wrote for the positives
Everything else is pretty shite, especially the vocals. Oh my fucking God they suck so bad it's like he's singing in the shower. At least act like you want to be there
I was gonna give it a 2 but it gives me the same wincing, grim feeling the rest of the albums I've rated 1 give me
Aerosmith
3/5
Pretty standard, generic dad rock band, can't go wrong with it
Ended nicely on my favorite track on this, You See Me Crying
Air
4/5
I like this, it reminds me of Discovery by Daft Punk - which, by the way, is not on this list. I find that disgraceful.
Some of these bass lines are amazing. It's a great chilled album, vocals are decent too
I think the first track is superb, but it drops of a bit after that.
Great listen tho
Stereo MC's
4/5
It's fun, it's catchy, it's vibes, I like
Beach House
3/5
I've had a fair few albums similar to this - similar in terms of tempo and atmosphere - and they've all just been boring. They aren't terrible by any means, but nothing sticks to make it memorable. The best way to describe these would be inoffensive, I guess
Love
4/5
Quite enjoyed this one in many aspects. Loved the bass and the acoustic guitar, and the more random instruments like the violin and trumpet in a couple of songs were a lovely touch. Vocals were good on some tracks too but worse on others.
The first two tracks were amazing, alongside The Red Telephone. Only thing stopping me from giving it a 5 is there was a considerable drop off from the good songs and the bad, like Old Man.
For someone who isn't massively into his 60s music, this is for sure one of the better ones I've listened to
The Cars
2/5
Quite the mixed bag to be honest
Some tracks were decent, like You're All I've Got Tonight and the ending track
Most tracks were fine, just dull.
Then there was whatever the fuck I'm in Touch with Your World was
Levels out to a 2, maybe just off a 3
Steely Dan
3/5
Pretty decent record, nice café background music. It was quite nice for a Sunday morning
Got more boring as it went on
The Rolling Stones
1/5
An album full of covers, that are all sub-par versions of their originals. They sound disjointed and I don't think suit the style of the Rolling Stones
It's probably a harsh 1, but they've done miles better after that. It's also definitely not one to listen to before you die, and there are miles better artists and albums you can listen to in this genre for better music
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
I think it's inferior to BSSM in pretty much every way. I prefer the energy, the riffs, the bass, the guitar tone, etc. on their other album on here. The only thing the same is Anthony's voice, which has definitely grown on me more and more I listen to these guys
That's not to say that Californication is bad by any means. It's still a great album. It has its songs, like This Velvet Globe and Emit Remmus, but the highs aren't as high and the lows are lower.
Big Star
1/5
It's not terrible, I think - I guess? It's just incredibly dull and uneventful. If it was a 30 minute album rather than an hour maybe I'd have given it a 2, but it has no right to take up that much time whilst being one of the most boring albums I've ever listened too
His vocals suck too
TV On The Radio
1/5
I just don't get the appeal unfortunately. I'm all for experimental stuff and it's these types of albums that probably should make the list due to their uniqueness, but it just didn't click. I don't like the production, the synth, and hated the vocals.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
It needed more energy and more from the backing band, because his vocals are definitely not good enough by themselves.
Saying that some of the bass lines I liked, and a bit of the guitar work was ok. A couple of tracks I liked, such as Lipstick Vogue and The Beat. The rest were just boring and needed something more
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
The hits of this album are a 4, maybe even a 5. Songs like Dreams, The Chain, Go Your Own Way (shoutout to that amazing guitar solo at the end of it. I liked the ending track too.
The rest of the songs on the album let them down. Too mellow, too soft, too uneventful. Not enough passion in the "filler" songs.
Is it a good album? At times yes, but not consistently
Does it deserve to be the highest rated album on this website? Absolutely not
Laura Nyro
3/5
Oh so very inconsistent. Some parts were very, very good, but when she tried hitting the high notes it's was BAD.
If she toned it down a notch this would have been miles better
The Allman Brothers Band
2/5
The first half or so I was enjoying. I'm not a massive fan of live album, but you couldn't really tell it was one so it didn't make much of a difference.
It just dragged on and on and on. Cut it down by at least 20 minutes and it's a miles better album
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
I've given this list a fair bit of shite but one positive thing it's done for me is introduce me into my liking for soul/funk music.
The main reason why I like this stuff is the bass, and Verdine White is one of the best in the business.
The vocals and the harmonies are good too. All round nice album
The Adverts
3/5
Pretty fun one. Simplistic, energetic and catchy one that I can't really dislike all too much
Probably wouldn't be disappointed if I'd missed out on this, it's very generic as a 70s Punk album
Boards of Canada
3/5
The ambient stuff I can't really go wrong with, but they don't do enough for me to seek them out to listen to again.
It's nice and calm, but boring. Goes on for too long too
The Smiths
3/5
Better than Meat Is Murder for sure, but I still think The Smiths are overrated a bit.
I liked some of the songs on here quite a bit surprisingly, like Last Night I Dreamt That Someone Loved Me. Morrissey's vocals on that song in particular were pretty good, alongside other times. He's far from consistent with them, as he went back to his whiney wankery that was more prominent on MIM.
It's one of the better New Wave albums I've listened to, but that genre as a whole is so incredibly mid. I've given so many threes it's getting tiresome
John Coltrane
2/5
I've come to the conclusion, I just don't like jazz.
Minor Threat
3/5
Fast-paced, energetic, just what you want from a punk album.
Pretty bog standard for one though
Kings of Leon
3/5
It's pretty basic, but still catchy and an easy enough listen. His vocals aren't as bad as some people are saying but they aren't exactly on par with Frank Sinatra so it lessens the quality
I've seen these guys live about a year ago. I enjoyed it and I'm not that big of a fan of them
Radiohead
2/5
Always thought that Radiohead are overrated, but it's good to come back to stuff I don't like every now and again to see if my tastes change. It's what got me into death metal, after all.
Yeah nah it's still shite
Prince
2/5
Fucking hell Prince at least take me out to dinner first
I get his whole aesthetic and how he wants to portray himself, but to me it just comes off as pretentious and a bit of a wanker
A lot of these songs are at least 3 minutes too long, making them feel so, so repetitive. Not all songs were like that though especially towards the back end, such as Free and International Lover
Kate Bush
3/5
Not quite sure what to make of this one
I enjoyed it somewhat
Dagmar Krause
3/5
I didn't listen to all of it, because listening to it on YouTube is a pain in the arse.
I don't think it deserves to be one of the lowest rated albums of the website. I like her voice and the music behind it, but it got repetitive and is probably too long
Bob Dylan
3/5
This is my second Bob Dylan album, and I gave it a lot of shit for the obnoxiously blaring harmonica and his god awful vocals. Both of which are much more pleasant in this album, but still pretty underwhelming. He's a great storyteller obviously, but the voice of said storyteller isn't for me.
It was quite beautiful and calming at times, but, like most albums on this list, got repetitive.
Billy Joel
4/5
Enjoyed this a lot more than I thought. First three tracks were absolutely amazing, especially with the piano and saxophone additions. They compliment his voice really well.
Some songs were a drop off, going on for longer than they needed to, like She's Always a Woman. Ended on a really high note though.
Underworld
4/5
This one took me some analysing to realise how good this album is. I was about to dismiss it as some random Techno album and lump it with a the other few Electronica albums I've had already. Upon further reflection, though, it's a lot more complex than I originally thought. I'm not a massive fan of albums that require me to actually think about why it's good, I'd rather it just sound good at first listen. In my far prom professional opinion, those sort of albums sometimes come off as pretentious and annoying.
Not quite sure why this one is an exception, but I enjoyed it. It still has some of the generic themes of Techno albums (prime example goes to Pearl's Girl - loved the pace and energy it brought) but it also incorporated elements of rock as some New Wave stuff that go underappreciated.
It started of slow, with the first two songs being way longer than they deserved to be, but after that it picked up massively. Sure, it was repetitive, but I've yet to find a Electronic album that isn't.
The White Stripes
2/5
I criticised Elephant for being too simplistic. This one if far from that in all fairness. But that doesn't make it better.
Like Elephant, the slower songs are the weaker ones, which seems to make up a majority of the album. Some stuff was catchy, sure, but it wasn't anything special.
Blue Orchid on this album is what Seven Nation Army is on Elephant. It sets such a high standard for the rest of the album that the rest of the songs just are nowhere near.
I appreciate the variety of the songs, and I'm all for experimentation, but this wasn't it.
Van Morrison
3/5
Some decent bluesy-folky rock. I enjoyed the bass and some of the saxophone parts, alongside his voice too. It was an easy, catchy listen and it didn't really put much of a foot wrong.
Not really my jam, but can see why people like it. A high 3
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
Another drag to listen to, like the rest of the jazz albums I've had. I'm sure the jazz connoisseurs of this website will be no doubt creaming themselves whilst listening to it. Not for me though. I'll go cream to some Bolt Thrower, my beloved.
Massive Attack
4/5
I listened to Mezzanine for the first time about two months ago and I absolutely loved it since, so I am very happy to get given another Massive Attack album on here.
This is really good for sure. The variety of different vocalists keep things fresh, which is always nice with an Electronic album, and it's a great downtempo album after a long day - or to get absolutely blazed to, take your pick.
It doesn't get a 5 because they've done better stuff, and some tracks are weaker than others, such as Spying Glass. Horace Andy has done some bangers with these guys, but this wasn't one of them. It's also not an album you can play at any point in the day. I have to be in the right mood to properly enjoy it.
One small annoyance I have with Massive Attack is that I don't get to hear enough of Robert's vocals. I think he's a great vocalist, but he doesn't have that much to sing on this or Mezzanine. I wish he was given more.
Rush
5/5
Absolute banger.
I can't really say anything bad about this album in all honesty. The guitar tone is good - sounds a lot like Dream Theater - the bass is absolutely fantastic and the riffs and solos are even better. His vocals are decent too - one of my favourite prog rock albums for sure.
Standout tracks are Tom Sawyer and YYZ
Scott Walker
3/5
That first song caught me well off guard it sounds like it was made for a movie or a theatre performance. I quite liked those sort of dramatic songs that appeared every now and again, considerably more than the slower stuff.
His voice is undeniably great
It's very, very dated though. Not just in the music but the lyrical content too
Iggy Pop
3/5
It was alright, I can understand why people enjoy it so much
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Better than the other two Led Zeppelin albums I've rated already. Not sure why this is, but I enjoyed it. That opening 4 run of songs are absolutely great
Common
4/5
Can definitely tell it was produced by Kanye
He's not as good of a rapper as Kanye is, but it's still a great album
UB40
3/5
Quite good, one of the better reggae albums I've listened too
I think the songs went on too long, it got quite samey. There wasn't much need for the instrumentals either
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Definitely better than the one I had of theirs previous - the bright coloured one, I think it's got some flowers on it. Can't remember the name and can't be arsed to look.
The first four tracks are phenomenal, but it gets a three because everything else after that is a considerable drop off, which is a shame really.
Talking Heads
2/5
Yet to find a New Wave/Post Punk album I've enjoyed. Not that I dislike them, they're just not for me
I'd usually rate this a 3 but for some reason this just comes off as, I don't know, pretentious? I'm not sure how to put it but it just annoyed me for some reason so fuck you
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
1/5
Don't think I've ever seen someone less qualified to say the n word than this guy
That's not the reason I'm giving it a 1 by the way. I'm giving it a 1 because it's worse than This Year's Model in every single way, his vocals SOMEHOW managed to piss me off even more, and Elvis just annoys me. At least I don't have to see his face on the album cover anymore
The Bees
5/5
This website every now and again gives some absolute gems and this is for sure one of them.
Not sure how to word it, or put it into a genre. I just know I like it, and that imma listen to it again
Nina Simone
2/5
Honestly if it wasn't her singing I would have enjoyed it a lot more. Her voice just isn't for me
The Icarus Line
2/5
Usually, I love me some distorted shit, like distorted bass and guitars. It's fucking amazing in doom and sludge metal. So I would have thought that I would have liked this too.
The similarity between this and doom metal is it's repetitiveness. But with doom metal, you can get away with it because the riffs are so fucking good. With this, it gets old fast.
That, backed up by the subpar drumming, god awful vocals, and clear rip-off from The White Stripes (of which I am not a massive fan of anyway) makes this album not very good.
It gets marks for the overall noise of it, because it's absolute filth and I like that. I also would rather listen to this than Justin Timberlake, or another Elvis Costello album, so it gets a 2.
Britney Spears
2/5
Average pop album
Talvin Singh
4/5
Fuck yes man, this is the sort of stuff I'm looking for. It brings the best parts of techno and adds in some Asian elements and it creates a godlike combination. Really unique, really talented, a nice breath of fresh air.
Probably the only reason I am not giving it a 5 is my opinions on techno and genres adjacent. I need to be in the right mood to listen to it, and especially with this album due to it's far-fetchedness. A high 4, nonetheless.
Prince
2/5
I like the guitar work and the solos, but the cheesy 80s pop shit and the unrivalled horniness of Prince I just cannot enjoy whatsoever
Ute Lemper
4/5
I would love to write some sophisticated review about why it's good but in all honesty, I just really like her voice.
Standout tracks are:
Streets of Berlin
Die Dreigroschenoper: Tango Ballad (took me about 5 minutes to type that out)
Little Water Song
Downside is that when it gets to the title track I think the songs drop off in quality, but the songs before make up for it so it's ok :)
Slint
2/5
This album gave me blue balls
Soundgarden
5/5
I've been meaning to listen to this one for a while, and god damn have I been missing out.
Love me some heavy shit and these guys so it insanely well with the guitar tone and the riffs. Add Chris' vocals on top and you've got one of the best grunge records of all time.
Only slight - and I mean slight - downside is 1 or 2 of the tracks at the beginning are a tad weaker than the rest. But when you're given Head Down, Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, Limo Wreck and The Day I Tried To Live in succession, you cannot complain.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Wasn't expecting a whole lot going into this but I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would which was a pleasant surprise
Standout tracks are Marrakesh Express and Long Time Gone
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Great album, many 10/10 songs on here, but like many others have said, it's too bloated and meanders along at times unnecessarily. A high 4
Motörhead
4/5
Album 144 out of about 1,000: I finally have my first ACTUAL metal album I cannot believe it. (I am not counting Led Zeppelin or fucking Kid Rock as metal)
The album itself is pretty good because I see it as a sort of "best hits" for Motörhead as it features a lot of my favourites on here. The thing with Motörhead is I don't often find myself in the mood for them. Not to say they are bad by any means, just there are better bands out there.
I probably would give this a 3 under normal circumstances but compared to what I've already rated 3 I think it's better than those. Listening to the 40 minute version rather than the 2 hour one probably helped too
Public Enemy
3/5
I love the beats and the samples, some of the best in the scene
Not a massive fan of their rapping for some reason but a high 3
The Young Gods
2/5
It's interesting. Yeah.
I am never going to listen to this ever again but I appreciate those that made this list for putting it on here
Mj Cole
2/5
Capital FM core
Metallica
4/5
Really quite tough to rate this one really, with all things considered.
If I was rating this compared to my normal tastes it'd probably get a 2/3, but compared to the albums on this website I've already rated it feels like it deserves higher.
The album itself is mid. The first 5 tracks are great, even if they are very overplayed (saying that listening to Enter Sandman for the first time in a while made it kinda good again). The rest after that - barring Nothing Else Matters - is just filler.
I reckon there are definitely 4 - possibly even 6 counting Death Magnetic and Load - Metallica albums that are better than their self titled. This doesn't have the same energy as their previous four. Also, I know it's said a lot but the drumming on this album fucking sucks and the solos aren't great either.
On the alternative though, Jason finally gets his bass heard, and very deservedly so he's a phenomenal bass player. James' vocals are arguably the best of the first 5 albums too.
It gets a 4, just. After a fair few minutes of consideration
The Youngbloods
4/5
Some guy here described it as water flowing on rocks and I like that :)
Pavement
1/5
Really really subpar music absolutely decimated by some of the worst vocals I've ever heard
Jimmy Smith
3/5
It made me think I was a distinguished upper-class gentleman that wore classy suits and had a large wine collection and this gets marks for putting me in that delusion and making me escape the horror that is the real world :)
Alice In Chains
5/5
Easily my favourite grunge album of all time.
Perfect album for when you feel like absolute filth
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
Can't stand grime at all
A couple of tracks were ok, but everything else was pure shite
Slayer
5/5
Without a doubt this is at least a Top 15 thrash metal album of all time - probably top 5 in the "Big 4"
I'm not even that much of a Slayer fan
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Guess I'm a Stevie Wonder fan now
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Obviously he's a great musician and storyteller. I'm not gonna repeat the same shit everyone else has, but I will say there's more to the lyrics than what's on the surface in the hope that those who dislike it for it's "misogyny" or whatever takes another look at it because that's not the point of this album.
Story and meanings aside, he's made better stuff. I'm not a great fan of the downtempo, mellow hip hop stuff in general. The basslines are great though and the way he changes his voice to represent different characters and still maintain a high standard is really impressive. High 3
Lenny Kravitz
1/5
I thought Prince was crap, but this, fucking hell
It's a shame tbh some of the guitar work behind it was decent
Fever Ray
4/5
I found this really interesting because it's unlike anything I've heard before.
The beats wouldn't go amiss in the trip hop scene, Karin's dreamy vocals juxtapose the dark and mysterious atmosphere of the album. The nonsensical lyrics add to the overall theme. A really nice record and I'm glad it's on this list
Only reason it doesn't get a 5 is it's repeatability factor. You have to be in the proper mood to enjoy this one, it's not something you can just put on at any point in the day. And for me, I can't see myself being in the mood for this album a whole lot, but I will definitely be revisiting it at some point
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
I've always deemed Arctic Monkeys as overrated but I think I'm basing that off their later stuff because I enjoyed this one
Lovely basslines and even better riffs and hooks make this a really good album. Never been a fan of the vocals though. Thought the drumming was a bit naff too.
Not a big fan of indie stuff but this was definitely one of the better ones I've heard
Dead Kennedys
5/5
It's does all the things you expect of a punk album exceptionally well - fast paced, short songs, great riffs, politically-themed vocals. For that alone it'd probably get a 5, but what makes it even better is it's variety in pace and influences from other rock subgenres
Tito Puente
4/5
me gusta dance
Radiohead
1/5
still got 4 more albums from these cunts left fuck me
Peter Gabriel
2/5
It's unique I'll give you that, and probably does deserve a place on this list (especially compared to some of the shite I've heard already), but it's just not for me at all.
Kate Bush
4/5
Kate Bush has been someone I've felt like I should be into, but she never really clicked with me for some reason until now.
Her voice is absolutely beautiful and it is rightly so the main attraction to the album, the reason why you listen. It helps create a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere to her music that I love.
Couple of downsides to this is that it's not one I can replay a lot, and it's a bit samey. Nevertheless, a good album
Orange Juice
3/5
I quite like how all over the place it is. I liked the funkiness a lot and I particularly enjoyed the African parts too.
The softer stuff I wasn't really a fan of though, and the vocals didn't really sit well with me either. A high 3, just. Was really considering a 4 but I don't think it holds up as well as the albums I've already rated a 4
Nick Drake
2/5
Pretty much the same as his other album. I don't hate it, but fuck me is it boring. This one is probably worse it's about 15 minutes longer
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This was decent, miles better than their debut
Standout tracks are Wild Horses and Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Megadeth
5/5
Megadeth are one of those bands where the more I listen to them, they better they get.
Whilst this album is no Rust In Piece, it's still incredibly good in its own right. It takes the pace and rawness of their debut and adds a bit more structure and cohesion whilst still being fun and very thrashy.
The guitarwork is fucking insane with the countless incredible riffs and solos, even a couple of breakdowns, such as in Wake Up Dead. Drumming is great, basslines too, like the start of Peace Sells and that small bass bit at the start of Devil's Island.
Yeah, the vocals are shit. Everyone admits that they are hilariously bad. I think they add to the music. As bad as they are I don't think you could replace them with, say, a James Hetfield or a Joey Belladonna, because they wouldn't suit the music. Maybe that's just me getting used to the vocals though. Nobody listens to metal for the vocals anyway
Easiest 5 yet, gets a 5 automatically for the Peace Sells - Bad Omen run.
Talking Heads
4/5
Wasn't a fan of their other album I rated previously but this one was much better. These basslines are awesome and I'm loving the African influences on it. It doesn't really sound like a New Wave album at all
The first half of the album is fantastic. The last three songs aren't so much. They aren't bad, but they kinda just peter out and it leaves quite a dissatisfying end to a good album. It gets a 4 as the songs before carried. Just wish it had ended better
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
Does what it says on the tin.
They are a band.
They have bongos.
They are incredible.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Really average American dad rock which otherwise would have got a 3 if it wasn't for the length of the album
The United States Of America
4/5
The more out-there, experimental stuff isn't great, I'll admit. Aside from that, I'd say everything else they tried they hit the spot. The more typical psychedelic rock they nailed, then the slower ballads were just as good if not better. The bass was phenomenal and Dorothy's vocals are great.
Bob Dylan
2/5
I just don't get the appeal of Bob Dylan. I was switching off all the time listening to this shit - up until the harmonica parts, where I would be jumpscared back into focus. And for those going on about the storytelling and lyrics and all that, if I wanted to story I'd go read a book.
It's better than that highway album because I don't think his vocals are as bad on this, and the harmonica, whilst still shite, isn't blaring down my ears so that's nice. Generous 2
Missy Elliott
5/5
She's so smooth god damn
I thought every track was fucking incredible, bar the one with Jay-Z and Work It
She's so underrated as a rapper. I never hear name mentioned with the greats. She's a phenomenal artist
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
It's a very simple record. Basic acoustic guitar, basic drumming, makes for basic listening and I quite like that.
I quite like his voice. Goes well with this alt rock/country thing he's got going on.
Faster songs are better than the slower stuff on this. Strumming gets tedious too.
Stan Getz
3/5
cafe music
Cream
3/5
It was decent, but if I wanted something like this I'd go for Jimi Hendrix, or even that United States of America album I had the other day
Machito
3/5
Jazz is better when it's crazy fast and not like the stuff that gets played in a lift
Cool bongos, love me some bongos. As jazz goes it's on the better side of 3
PJ Harvey
3/5
I am a sucker for some distorted bass, so those parts stuck out to me.
First couple of songs were great, but it kinda dropped off afterwards, especially those last two I thought were quite disappointing
Coldplay
2/5
It's just so bland. It's all the same tempo and has all the same vaguely sad atmosphere. It's like if Shepherds Pie made music, just tasteless
Genesis
5/5
prog rock might be a new favourite genre of mine now
Nirvana
3/5
I feel like I should like it more than I do annoyingly. It's not terrible by any means but, is it really as good as everyone claims is to be? I don't think so. I expected more
Beck
4/5
it's all over the place, but in a good way
Eagles
4/5
Fun and easy listening, I really enjoyed it. Varied with some slower songs too so it didn't get tedious
Standout tracks - Tryin', Witchy Woman, Take the Devil
High 4
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Pretty unique, not really my thing
Gotan Project
3/5
This is a combination I never would have thought of, South American music combined with trip-hop style beats, and it works quite well - especially in that opening track.
It's just way, way too long. You can cut some songs down by 3 minutes, it's way better. It's too samey to be an hour long
Funkadelic
3/5
The title track fucks. Hard.
The rest of the album doesn't really live up to it. Some of the tracks in the middle I enjoyed, but others not so much. Especially whatever the fuck that was at the end. Higher side of 3
The Prodigy
4/5
this goes hard.
Kelela
3/5
Her voice is phenomenal. That's the highlight of the album for sure. The production is fine, but it's a bit too polished for my liking. It gets old too quickly
Not enough variety in this album either. After listening, I started skimming back over the songs and I found when I skipped to various points of a song it sounded so similar.
What she does is good, but she only really does the one thing. And when that one thing is repeated for almost an hour, you tend to get sick of that one thing.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
I've been meaning to give this a listen for like, three years now lmao
I like the grittiness and distortion of it, the concept is really dark and the lyrics do it justice.
Some parts I liked, but then others just seemed really underwhelming in comparison.
The La's
3/5
mid
The War On Drugs
3/5
It's a really nice album to listen to, and there will probably be times and moods where I'll come back to it, but it's so one-dimensional, making it meander along at one pace. For an hour long album, this can become quite tedious
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Manic is probably the best word to use to describe this album. The music itself is very good. The guitar tone, the riffs, the bass, the drumming, all great. It's not very elegant or coherent, but the point of it is to be abrasive to create a fast-paced, manic atmosphere that conveys the sort of paranoia and self-disgust Richey was feeling (reading about his sufferings and disappearance makes the album feel a lot more). It makes it very disturbing, especially with taking the lyrics into consideration.
The lyrics would be 10x more effective if I could actually understand what he was saying without having to follow along with the lyrics
Femi Kuti
4/5
Listening to this on a long car journey back from Wembley whilst watching the early-Summer sun gradually setting made a 3-0 loss better
George Harrison
3/5
If you only listen to the original tracks (the track list is on the Wikipedia page) it makes it much less of a pain in the arse to listen to
Some songs I quite enjoyed, like the title track and both parts to Isn't It a Pity (and that last three track run is amazing), but others were just average. It wasn't consistent enough for me. Some of these average ones should be cut out for the sake of easiness
3/5
The Streak of Mid has come back for another round
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Honestly a pretty good punk album, but those saxophone parts have gotta go
I'm all for a sax, but fuck me was that bad
Nirvana
3/5
I want to like them, I feel like I should like them, but after every listen I am left feeling like I wanted more from it. I'm not really sure how to put it into words, i just want something else from their albums. Maybe I just don't get it
4/5
Ashamed to say that was my first time giving this album a full listen
This was very good. The opening and ending tracks were great, Starman is a certified banger, and some of the guitar work on this is really good, especially at the end of Moonage Daydream
Perhaps overrated, especially with the "greatest album of all time" remarks, but still very good
Spiritualized
3/5
The slower songs are absolutely gorgeous, everything else is a bit meh
Elastica
2/5
Even if you're the biggest fan of this sort of music, surely even you cannot justify why this album is on this list. It's so generic, so samey, and so incredibly boring.
Listen to the first two or three songs, you'll get the gist of it
Electric Light Orchestra
2/5
It's as if there's too much going on with this. They're all undoubtedly talented musicians, sure, but it's overdone, making it sound obnoxious and pretentious. The production is also too smooth, and some of the songs sound kinda the same too. Maybe my IQ isn't large enough to comprehend it
I can see myself enjoying a couple of the songs, especially the slower stuff e.g. Starlight, but I can't do a full album, especially when it's over an hour long
The Dictators
3/5
Some of these riffs and solos are seriously carrying this album away from being a piss poor showing, low 3
Tim Buckley
2/5
I liked a couple of songs at the beginning of the album, but the rest were a bit daft and it got old quickly
Sidenote: he is very, very fine. Got that creepy serial killer style smile, as if when I meet him he will dismember me and eat my organs. But like in a kinky way. And I might enjoy it. Maybe even let him do it
The Verve
2/5
It didn't pain me to listen to this one, unlike most Britpop albums, and a couple of songs I actually thought were pretty decent, such as The Rolling People.
But 75 minutes of Britpop gets to you eventually. Maybe a harsh 2, probably would be higher if it was shorter
Black Sabbath
5/5
Black Sabbath - godfathers of heavy metal
You would have thought the first heavy metal album would need some perfecting, some changes to be made, but nah. These guys pretty much mastered it off the get go.
Riffs and solos, phenomenal. But my favourite bits of this album are the basslines, see N.I.B for the best example. Love the bluesy elements too
I've tried to think of a fault for this album but honestly I'm struggling
Best part is it's not even their best album. Not even second or third best either. Paranoid, Vol. 4, Heaven and Hell, Master of Reality, and possibly Sabbath Bloody Sabbath are all better than this, despite this being an easy 5. Just shows you how fucking insane Black Sabbath are.
Happy Mondays
4/5
We mancs like to listen to a lot of shite, but this was great. Some of these basslines are sexy
2/5
It was fun and quirky to begin with sure, but it just began to piss me off after 20 minutes in
Arcade Fire
1/5
No idea how some of you like this, it's utter, utter wank
The Kinks
1/5
Some songs just annoyed me, and others were so boring it made me want to kill myself so no thanks guys that Arthur album was better
Rod Stewart
3/5
sick of these mid albums bruh
Abdullah Ibrahim
2/5
honk shoe
The Band
3/5
It's pretty chill, and I like some of the different instruments they use, but it's a bit boring
Joy Division
1/5
This could have been 100x better than it is. It's supposed to have this depressing, haunting, dark atmosphere to it, but the repetitiveness of the songs just makes this shit sound so goofy man. There's no variation in pace, no variation in the drumming, no variation in anything. Just the same 5 seconds on repeat in each song.
I don't mind what they're trying to do with the singing. It would work if the music backing him up wasn't so shite.
Take Twenty Four Hours as an example. That's an actual song. He starts singing properly, the bass lines are great, there's variation in the tempo. It's like they actually tried for that song and that song alone. If the rest of the album was like that I'd probably give it a 4 or 5. But it wasn't. Far, far from it
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
This and some Test cricket went down like a treat.
Standouts are Down by the River, Running Dry, and Cowgirl in the Sand
Little Richard
2/5
I'm sure I would have loved this 70 years ago
Cocteau Twins
3/5
It's one of those where you have to be in the mood to enjoy it, but when you are in the mood, man is it fucking good. High 3
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Quite pleasant, even if a bit boring
The Beach Boys
3/5
Average, sounds very 60s
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
What a fucking find this is holy shit. This is why I'm here. Subscribe
He blends and flows through different genres with ease, sometimes sounding like a modern Stevie Wonder, or having some ties with the likes of Elliott Smith, all whilst sounding beautifully original. His voice is phenomenal and these basslines, whilst subtle, are sexy work
This is never something that I would have ever listened to. I'm fucking glad it came up on here. Makes me wonder how much I'm missing out on.
Easily one of the best albums I've had yet, definitely the best one that I hadn't heard of before.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Incredibly boring, gets even worse with that shite harmonica blaring at me
Raekwon
2/5
It's an album I would probably enjoy a lot more stoned. But I've rated all the other albums sober, so that would be unfair
It's all too slow for my liking. Criminology gave it a bit of needed energy but that's one track out of 18 - about 5 minutes out of 73. Everything else just dragged on and on because the beats held no interest in me and the basslines were equally as unenthralling. I also felt the rapping itself wasn't great. This was reinforced when during the Nas feature, which was one of the few bits of the album that actually held some interest, and was far better than anything else. The length of it didn't help either.
TLDR - mid album mad worse by being too long
Brian Wilson
1/5
You know those scenes at the start of a really shitty children's movie where the main character goes through their breakfast routine, dancing around the kitchen, all that stuff, then they go for a nice walk done the street to wherever, sun shining brightly, and has that annoying upbeat music to go along with it? That's this album, but instead of it being 10 minutes long, like those scenes, it's an hour long. I'm not even listening to it anymore and the idea of it pisses me off
Everything pisses me off about this one. The backup "singers" (the ones going dum dum dum all the time), they piss me off. The production pisses me off. The fact that Brian in the big 2004 released this thinking it was worth the time of it's listeners pisses me off. Even the fucking album cover pisses me off
Long story short, I am pissed off because this album does a phenomenal job of pissing me off
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
The music itself isn't great. Some of the beats of the earlier songs, whilst minimalistic, are quite pleasant. But some songs are just shit. On It and Lost One are utter wank. I cannot listen to someone signing about how wet her pussy is for a great deal of time to be honest
The messages are good though. I love how Jazmine's put small samples of different women talking about their experiences before each song, and what they talk about gives a little preview into what the next song will be about.
In short, great messages, pretty poor music, but I've heard worse
Neil Young
3/5
I feel like the majority of the album was boring, but the last three songs, especially that last one, we're much better
Billy Bragg
1/5
i cannot be arsed with all these wank folk rock albums anymore
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
There were some bits that I really did quiet like, but I think I tend to prefer funk a bit more energetic
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Really solidly consistent album with a few bangers in there, like Take Me Out and The Dark Of The Matinée
The Boo Radleys
4/5
I mean, half the time I didn't have much of an idea what was going on but I enjoyed it
Lord knows how many genres have been combined into this one album, yet they manage to seam them together really well. I didn't enjoy the more traditional Britpop stuff though.
This album is how I'd imagine a peaceful rollercoaster to be like
Standout tracks:
Upon 9th And Fairchild (I love those basslines and the reggae shit)
Lazarus is beautiful
If You Want it, Take It (that guitar solo is class)
Alice Cooper
3/5
It's definitely not what you'd expect, and I like the variety of it all. It's just a bit, meh. Nothing really stand out at me. I did enjoy Blue Turk though
The Beach Boys
3/5
Imma just copy paste my review of Pet Sounds into here
Average, sounds very 60s
Beatles
1/5
Yeah nah I can't do 90 minutes of the Beatles man it's just not gonna happen
Travis
1/5
Someone here described this as "young adult series music" and they couldn't be anymore spot on
Absolute shit lmfao
Björk
3/5
Very odd, never heard anything like it, but I enjoyed it weirdly. It's the same weird pleasure you get from watching car crashes reels on Instagram
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Wildly inconsistent album. It has some absolute gems, like Gimme Shelter and Live With Me. It has some average songs, like the last two tracks. It has some proper garbage too, like Country Honk. It even has some songs that start shit, but get better at the end, like Midnight Rambler. Very odd
fIREHOSE
3/5
Some phenomenal basslines, everything else was a bit meh
Black Sabbath
5/5
Gave this and Paranoid a spin last night after I heard about the Great Man's death. What a way to go out - having an insane last performance and raising a shit ton of money for charity in the process.
This one is my favourite Black Sabbath record. I could never make my mind up between Paranoid, S/T, Heaven and Hell, or Master of Reality, but I've settled for this one. Vol 4 has Butler's best basslines and Iommi's best riffs and solos, with my favourite one being at the end of Under the Sun. Vol 4 even has their best ballad too. Fuck, listening to Changes last night and again today was gut-punching. Ozzy's voice is consistently phenomenal throughout his time with Black Sabbath, but Changes just hits even harder. I could probably go on about each track individually and point out what makes them so good - like Supernaut and it's main riff, or Wheels of Confusion, and it's ending solo - but I fear I would be here until next week.
Rest In Peace Ozzy.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
I'd like to thank this list for helping me discover my love for Soul and Motown
Now I can go nick all me Nana's CDs lol
Bob Dylan
1/5
They say never trust a guy with two first names. Yeah.
It holds the record for the shortest amount of time it has taken for me to stop listening to an album due to how shit it is. I knew 5 seconds into the first song I was going to hate it. Maybe it's the sour mood I'm in, but I reckon this album put me in the sour mood in the first place.
There are ZERO redeeming qualities in this. Some of you lot will wank yourselves off about the lyrics or storytelling or whatever, but if the guy telling you the story sounds like a drunken snot-filled seal you aren't paying attention to what he's saying are you. The fact that he even had the AUDACITY to make it into a double album pisses me off even more.
What makes it even worse is that I've got 4 more albums off this prick - at the very least - and has added to the list of albums I'm dreading of getting in this forsaken website
Fuck Bob Dylan and fuck his shitty little harmonica. Grow up.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
I really liked the first song, but everything else after that just kinda mellowed along
The Pogues
3/5
It is very fun, and they are very talented musicians, but there's only so much of this sort of stuff you can listen to, you know?
Jeff Buckley
4/5
It's like what Radiohead wishes it could emulate.
It could probably get a 4 with his voice alone to be honest it's gorgeous
Particularly enjoyed the opening and ending tracks, with my favourite being Eternal Life
David Bowie
3/5
What is the point to these instrumentals? Half of them album is 20 minutes straight of these. Makes it worse when they sound like utter gross
The actual songs are pretty good, with my favourites being the opening and ending tracks. So why you gotta ruin it David?
Peter Frampton
3/5
It was alright, quite good with some songs, just dragged on for too long.
It didn't really feel too much like a live album either really
Al Green
4/5
Really chill and lovely to listen to. It's nothing complicated, it's simplicity is what makes it beautiful
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
I'm not really one to give this a proper review really because this sort of music loses my interest at some point, but their voices are gorgeous and it wasn't anywhere near as monotonous as other folk albums, meaning I did enjoy a fair few songs, like the opening one. A high 3.
Oh and their Bob Dylan pisstake did make me giggle too
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
5/5
I had never heard of these guys before, so I wasn't sure what I was about to listen to. I definitely wasn't expecting it to be this good holy shit.
I'm a sucker for funky bass lines, of which this album is rich with. It also has disco elements and a fair bit of soul influence. Put that in the pot with some hip hop, then you've got a meal man. Even the Stevie Wonder tribute was great too.
Favorite tracks:
She's Fresh
Scorpio
The Message
Little Simz
5/5
That was fucking good.
Beats and instruments were great, basslines even better. She's phenomenally talented at a variety of things, ranging from fast paced rap to slower singing.
Imma have to listen to her other shit soon
2/5
She's got a great voice, and the album doesn't overstay it's welcome, but I can't like this shit man. It's what gives country a bad reputation
Kanye West
4/5
There are some underrated bangers on this one, like POWER and Lost In The World. His production and samples are on point - I especially liked the King Crimson one.
It doesn't get a 5 because the quality isn't really consistent through out. Couple of duds in there
Madonna
4/5
Love her voice
King Crimson
3/5
Too much fuckery on this one.
Exiles was very good though
Nick Drake
2/5
bro got the mf clown shoes on bruh
Bauhaus
3/5
Loved the bass. Everything else was a bit shit. Got old quite quickly
The KLF
3/5
I found this quite an interesting album, wouldn't agree with the some here saying it's generic
It's an inconsistent one, with some bangers like the title track and Justified and Ancient, with some shitters like No More Tears. Although you probably don't give much of a fuck about the music if you're having a rave eh
Songhoy Blues
4/5
Bluesy rock with a Malian twist, makes a lovely combination
It's nothing overcomplicated or massively groundbreaking, just a pleasant and catchy one
Gorillaz
3/5
I think they've sold Gorillaz short here by having this album and this album alone on his list. Demon Days and Plastic Beach are better records
The Hives
3/5
Decent, but got a bit old. Compilation albums on here feel a bit like cheating too
ZZ Top
4/5
Compared to Tres Hombres, since it's the other ZZ Top album on this list, they've moved to a more "modern" hard rock sound by making it faster, as opposed to the slower Bluesy stuff, whilst still incorporating some Blues element. I think I prefer it this way.
Overall a very good album. That first three album run is sensational. High 4
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Leonard's singing and storytelling carries this one, because I was fully prepared to dismiss it as another boring folk rock album, but the way he sings and the lyrics he uses is very good and quite clever.
Marty Robbins
4/5
Outlaw Country is my favorite form of country, and Marty Robbins is probably the earliest pioneer of this subgenre of music
This sort of music I don't usually mind, it just bores me. But because of his glorious voice and the topics of storytelling, it kept me hooked
Favorite songs:
Big Iron
Billy the Kid
The Master's Call
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Really pleasant album and I'm glad I got to listen to it for the first time. She's got a phenomenal voice. Only issues are that it gets a bit samey and in a couple of the tracks I don't think the instruments back her up enough, but it's still a great record
Standouts:
Son Of A Preacher Man
The Windmills Of Your Mind
So Much Love
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Comparing this to Dusty In Memphis, which coincidentally was the previous album I got, it doesn't really quite match it. It's clear her voice is phenomenal on her debut too, but it's more refined later in her career. Her music also benefitted from writing her own music rather than doing covers
T. Rex
3/5
Pretty inconsistent. Some tracks were great (Buick Mackane was particularly good) whilst others just annoyed me. Even his voice went from soothing to agitating. The guitar work was overall pretty good with some of the riffs too.
Elliott Smith
5/5
Beautifully sombre album. Somehow even better than Either/Or in every element.
Something I found on his other album was that the slower, softer songs were phenomenal but the "faster" songs dropped off a bit in quality, whereas on this one his faster ones were even better than the slower ones, even though I enjoyed pretty much every song on here.
Favourites were Son Of Sam and Junk Bond Trader
Shuggie Otis
3/5
The first half of the album was 100x better than the last half. Some of those instruments were just pointless
Venom
3/5
Could never really get into Venom, despite this being the stuff I like often.
For me, they're a bit like the Beatles. I appreciate what they've both done for music and how they've both been the inspiration for different bands and genres - as Venom essentially started black metal - but in terms of their music at face value I just am not a fan. In Venom's case, there were some riffs and a couple of solos I enjoyed, but very hit and miss. The vocals sucked balls too
Beastie Boys
4/5
Rap and rock is a phenomenal mixture, wish more people did it
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
She's got a great voice, but not really my thing
Fairport Convention
3/5
I've struggled to enjoy most of these folk rock albums all of the way through. I find it gets old a bit too quickly. Her voice is lovely though
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Crosby, Stills, and Nash were very good.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young are even better.
The slower songs were decent, but the more upbeat songs were gorgeous. Very pleasant album
Van Halen
3/5
I feel like I should enjoy this one more than I do, and I'm not sure what it is that's turning me off it. I think it might be the overall sound of it, like the production or the guitar tone or something. Because the riffs and solos are good, and his vocals are fine. Maybe I'll grow into it, I don't know.
The Electric Prunes
1/5
I was going to give this a very, very generous 2 but then Toonerville Trolley came on.
Elis Regina
5/5
This reminds me of so many different genres and artists, I love it. I'm getting disco, Japanese city pop, folky rock, funky basslines, it's phenomenal. Her voice is gorgeous too. Never would have listened to this if it wasn't on this list
The Byrds
1/5
Knew from the first song I was going to hate it
Got four more albums from these wankers to look forward to
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Some really good songs, like Sledgehammer, and some naff ones like This Is The Picture. Evens out to a 3
Elvis Presley
1/5
I am really not a fan of this sort of music in general, I find it annoying and it gets old fast because it all sounds the fucking same.
It gets even worse with this cunt singing. Not sure if I hate him or his voice more.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Proper classic hip-hop this, never gets old.
I think the album starts and end phenomenally, but a couple of songs in the middle don't live up to the rest. A high, maybe harsh, 4.
Linkin Park
5/5
Phenomenal album, one of the best alt/nu metal albums ever created
The Shamen
2/5
I do feel like these rave albums get sold a bit short here. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'm not going out to a rave to listen to this. How would you even go about doing that anyway?
Even if taking your headphones to a club was some sort of social norm, is this the album you'd choose? Some of the songs I wouldn't really say are suited enough for a rave, they are too slow, too quiet, and the vocals help suck out the energy.
So what exactly is the point to this album? It's too calm for a rave, but it's too repetitive and has too many disco/dance elements for standard listening. The music itself isn't necessarily terrible, but where, how, and when do I listen to it?
Dinosaur Jr.
1/5
Load of shit made even worse by the vocalist's fucking god awful voice. Quite possibly the worst I've ever heard.
I liked distorted guitars and bass, but noise rock has hardly ever done it for me for some reason.
Kraftwerk
1/5
I get that it was ahead of its time and dead influential or whatever, but that was absolute fucking wank
R.E.M.
3/5
Not quite sure what it is but I can't quite enjoy this one too much, maybe it's his voice. Still a decent album
Cee Lo Green
2/5
The music behind the vocals is pretty decent and well put together, but this guy can't rap and does not have the voice to rap. I mean, every feature was just so much better than CeeLo even if they weren't great themselves, to the point where every time CeeLo came back to rap I winced.
Did not have to be over an hour long neither
Radiohead
1/5
Thom Yorke is one of, if not, THE worst vocalist ever to disgrace this earth.
Each song was so fucking dreary it drove me to insanity. At least OK Computer had more tempo changes, or at least some interesting stuff, even if it was crap. The couple of times where I thought to myself, "oooh, this bits ok" (usually at the start of a song) that prat comes along with his nasally, whiny voice of his and decimates everything.
What's that Liam Gallagher quote about Thom shitting in a light bulb or whatever? Probably the one time I've ever agreed with anything he's said.
U2
3/5
I've never really given U2 a listen before this and I didn't really know what to expect. I've heard many people call them crap but I know a few fellas who obsess over them as if Bono is the second coming of Christ.
And I don't really get where either side is coming from. It's nothing to rant and rave about, but it's not shite either. Decent, inoffensive rock really.
Deep Purple
3/5
I like Deep Purple, and I like these extended jammy versions of their songs that show off their guitar wankery.
But 2 hours? Bit excessive. It has the same song on it three times, I mean, that's too much
Anthrax
5/5
Whilst this would not be the Anthrax album I would put on the list since I am a devout believer in a Spreading The Disease supremacy, Among The Living is a phenomenal, and underrated thrash album.
Come to think of it Anthrax are very underrated as a whole. They never took it as serious as the rest of the Big 4 but they were just as talented. The drumming is some of the best in the thrash metal business. The riffs and solos, despite not being as good as a Megadeth for example, are still really great. And Belladonna's vocals are probably my favourite out of the Big 4, perhaps even in Thrash Metal as a whole. Some lovely basslines thrown in there too
I'd recommend this album amongst others to people getting into metal because it's a very good and an accessible way into the genre
Anthrax > Slayer btw
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
There are some really good songs in here but they're crowded by a few others really, really bad ones. If you trimmed this down by about 5 or so songs at the minimum you could have a really good album here.
Pretenders
3/5
It's a decent record of which I preferred the slower songs and the non-punk elements more than the punk stuff.
I was massively caught off guard by the last two songs which are absolutely phenomenal and what gets this album to a high 3
Supertramp
3/5
I'm not sure how an album could have so much going on and still be boring.
I did however like the sax bit at the very end
Small Faces
2/5
I've gathered that the general consensus is that the album starts quite good but gets worse as it goes on and I am very much inclined to go with this. It just got so annoying, especially with the random noises the vocalists were making and that Cockney fucker speaking at the start of songs.
I wasn't a fan of the production of it either, but it was 1968 so I'll let it slide. The first couple of tracks were quite good, and that one about the prostitute was some silly fun. After that it just went shite
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
I've had both Sly albums now and I've both times been left underwhelmed, and slightly confused as to why I didn't enjoy them because I usually like this sort of stuff.
I preferred the other album to this one. I think the production on this was an issue for me, plus it didn't quite hit the same spots that other funk does for me.
I can't appreciate it's influence however, and we definitely wouldn't have had some good music if it weren't for these guys.
Van Morrison
1/5
Before this list I had always written off Van Morrison until I had Moondance which pleasantly surprised me. I was somewhat interested in getting this one after.
But this was pure shite. It was like he'd half arsed all the songs and it turned out to be utter drivel. I went back to listen to Moondance to make sure my mood hadn't affected my ratings or whatever, but I still quite liked Moondance. Both albums fundamentally didn't sound too different from each other, but Moondance had more passion and energy put into it. This was disappointing.
I was leaning towards this being one of the worst albums I've had yet but The Way Young Lovers Do was quite good at least.
Fairport Convention
3/5
I did quite enjoy a few of the songs, like Genesis Hall and Autopsy, but others were a bit boring and dragged on a bit
Tom Waits
1/5
I can say, with little deliberation and much confidence, that this is the worst album I have got on this list yet (yes, somehow worse than Kid Rock) and one of the worst albums I've ever listened to.
Deep Purple
4/5
I've never listened to it before but I'm not really surprised I enjoyed it, it's definitely right up my alley. Drumming is phenomenal and the guitar work is really good too. Perhaps it meanders a bit too long however.
JAY Z
4/5
The production and the beats really elevate his rapping to a higher level, which I believe to be very good already because he's quite smooth and I like his voice
Some of the songs weren't as good and it made the album drag on a little bit. But for the most part, pretty damn good.
Lou Reed
2/5
The instruments behind him were fine, but his voice sucks all the enjoyment out of it, becoming a bit of a borefest.
Jurassic 5
3/5
Overall, it was decent, and at a few times I thought it was very good. But it wasn't anything outstanding. Too often it just meandered along without going anywhere, and for a 17 song album it gets old fast.
There were some songs that I really did enjoy, with my standout being Thin Line with Nelly Furtado. It gets a high 3
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
I feel as if I should like goth rock a lot more than I do. Maybe I've just yet to find the right band. Generous 3
De La Soul
2/5
It's proper upbeat and you can tell they had a blast making this album. It really makes me want to enjoy it, but in reality, it's just not that great.
The beats are sometimes really good, other times fine, few times boring and uninteresting. I'm not a fan of the rapping either, and for an hour long, 23 song album it gets too much. Maybe a harsh 2, and I feel bad about it because I want to like it more than I do.
What makes it even worse is that (3 Is) The Magic Number is the song that plays when you first load up MLB The Show, and that game has been PISSING me the fuck off lately.
Morrissey
3/5
Before this list I've always thought anything Morrissey touches is pure shite but after two Smiths albums and this I think it's just a bit average.
That opening song was really good though
The White Stripes
1/5
I have a bit of an annoyance with artists having multiple albums on the list because I think you miss out on many great albums due to this. The White Stripes are an example of this.
Personally, I wouldn't put any of their albums on here but I can understand that many do like them so I can concede Elephant getting picked. Get Behind Me Satan has no place on this list, and White Blood Cells is easily the worst of the three. I'm convinced if this album was under anyone else's name nobody would give it any attention, but people on this website see Jack White as the second coming of Christ so of course they'll give it a good rating.
DJ Shadow
3/5
I really liked the slower stuff, the trip-hop equivalent songs, especially with that industrial hip-hop side to it. But the other songs I thought were just too far over the place, especially with all the samples
Fatboy Slim
3/5
It'd be great at a party, too repetitive at home though
The Rolling Stones
1/5
What an absolute load of wank that was.
Didn't help that I listened to the UK version. I missed out on the only good song related to this album and had to unnecessarily listen to this shite for another 15 minutes longer than I had to. Was this album necessary at all? I've listened to two other Stones albums that were miles better than this.
Stephen Stills
3/5
I'd never heard of Stills before this list and everything I've listened to that he's been involved in has been pleasantly good. With a 21 song album, however, not everything will hit. Did enjoy it for the most part though, a high 3.
Ice Cube
4/5
Really like Ice Cube and a lot of material he's put out over the years.
This was really good, but a few songs towards the end dropped off in quality a bit.
John Cale
3/5
mid
if folk rock originated in the 1800s this is what it would sound like
3/5
Clearly talented musicians, and I really liked some of the songs, like Beetles In The Bog. I'm not really a fan of the instrumentals though, they get boring after a while. High 3
Pink Floyd
3/5
I was never really sure if I liked long, jammy, wankery instrumentals but I've realised that - shockingly - it comes down to whether I like the music or not. Pink Floyd do these phenomenally.
But the stuff in-between the two prog rock noodling doesn't really hit it for me. It's not terrible, but it's not really any good either. It's just there, just a bit meh. Pink Floyd have definitely done better things.
John Martyn
2/5
I quite like the album cover, and I'd never heard of the guy before, so I daftly allowed myself to get a bit excited to listen to this.
I like the jazzy influences that are peppered throughout, but that's about it for the highlights. You can add as many different aspects from different genres as you want, but if you're making a folk rock album, it's going to be boring like all the other folk rock albums. Makes it worse that his voice sounds like shite
The Police
2/5
I'm giving it a 2 not necessarily because the music was bad - with some notable exceptions - but rather it was just so incredibly boring to listen to.
And if you add the unbridled creepiness of Mother and Every Breath You Take it gets even worse. Very generous 2, probably helped by my partial liking of the opening track.
Talking Heads
2/5
Songs I liked - 4
Songs I didn't like - 7
4÷11≈0.36
0.36=36%
I feel like an utter gimp doing maths to give my rating but I'm ill and I can't be arsed writing anything out.
Hawkwind
2/5
I'd love this high, but I've rated every other album sober so it seems quite unfair if I was to make an exception for one album.
The music itself is decent and I like the space themes, but it gets too much even after the first side, let alone through to the full two hours.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
I'm all for these fun and unique albums, but this combination just didn't hit it for me. His vocals didn't really please me either. But I'm happy that this was included and that I got to listen to it.
Judas Priest
4/5
I've found that some of these metal albums on this list don't quite line up with the ratings I've given them. This, the Black Album, and that live Motorhead one I've rated all 4, but that's more because they don't really deserve being rated a 3 alongside some of these folk rock albums that are just a bit boring, or all these British New Wave ones. However, I wouldn't really consider them 4 star albums, closer to a 4/10 really. My liking for metal in general boosts these ratings, because I definitely do enjoy them a lot more than the albums I've rated a 3, so it feels weird to talk about them so negatively despite giving them a 4.
British Steel in particular it's a pretty decent, standard early heavy metal album. The Rage is my favourite song on it, followed closely by Metal Gods. But I think they've done Judas Priest a little dirty by adding this album AND ONLY this album to the list. I would have preferred Painkiller or Defenders Of The Faith personally. Still though, pretty enjoyable heavy metal you can't really go wrong with.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Funk and rock/metal is a combination I'll never get bored of. These basslines are fucking phenomenal, my favourite bits of this album. The angry, shout form of rapping that De La Rocha uses fit all this perfectly. Long-lasting stank face when listening to this.
But the less energetic, "quieter" parts of the album I'm not a fan of. It's supposed to be hardcore, energetic, angry, so when you take away that edge it's just a bit meh. Doesn't really do this often though which is good.
Bombtrack and Township Rebellion were my favourites
The Strokes
2/5
So incredibly monotonous. That singer can fuck right off too.
It JUST gets a two because some of the songs towards the end of the album I enjoyed a bit, like Trying Your Luck. I suppose repetitive doesn't matter as much when what is being repeated isn't terrible. Very generous 2.
The Zutons
1/5
There were small bits of a couple of songs that I somewhat liked, but for the most part - proper shite
His singing and that saxophone can fuck right off
Sigur Rós
2/5
Post-rock is the most spectacularly boring genre of all time
Does a nice job of sending me to sleep
The Police
2/5
It's definitely better than Synchronicity, but not by much.
These repetitive basslines need to fuck off
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
A lot of it was just glorified background music, sometimes got very dreary, especially with those vocals. The Britpop/Beatlesesque stuff was just utter shite. Generous 2.
It's been so long since I've had a 5 man, release me.
Otis Redding
3/5
I feel like I should like this more than I do, unfortunately. The production limits the instrumentation, and I'm not really the biggest fan of his voice.
Love
2/5
I enjoyed their other album on here, so I was looking forward to this, but it's nowhere near the quality of Forever Changes.
There's nothing really interesting about this album - it's like if they just noodled around a bit in the studio and called it a day.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
peak background music
Tori Amos
4/5
Utterly ridiculous that this is Amos' debut album
Lyrics are often the last thing I think about when I listen to music - if the music behind the words isn't good enough, then I don't bother - but here the lyrics are incredibly poetic, often complex, always moving in one way or the other. Her piano playing is superb and her singing even better.
The one that hit me the most was Me and a Gun. That song alone could have its own entry on this list.
I'm not giving it a 5 because it's not something I would enjoy all the time and there are a couple songs I think are weaker than the rest. It was tough to decide between a 4 or 5 with this one
William Orbit
3/5
It was nice and chill, quite interesting, faded into the background however
Dolly Parton
3/5
I never really have any strong feelings either way about music like this. Some of the bass playing and especially Dolly's voice are very good here though and elevates this album. A high 3
Duke Ellington
2/5
A 2+ hour live jazz album can only go so far in the ratings. Massive negative points for all the waffling and starting with Star Spangled Banner.
I enjoyed the music about as much as I did many of the other jazz albums before this. I found it fine but tedious to get through, especially considering the length. Some of the faster songs were better, but that trumpet was way too overwhelming and drowned out a lot of the instruments alongside it. Fairly generous 2
Herbie Hancock
3/5
It's pretty cool, but it gets old after a while.
Fats Domino
3/5
I'm just bored of music like this. I get that it's dead influential and stuff but it's just so tedious to listen to. Fats Domino is slightly better than most because his voice is quite good.
It's been so long since a 5. I feel like Mr Domino was mocking me with that second to last song
Soul II Soul
3/5
This was a nice blend of trip hop and soul that I thought was put together quite well. The beats on the whole were good but nothing spectacular - sometimes it felt like a lesser Massive Attack. The women vocals were gorgeous, but that bloke singing/rapping/waffling was not it. He picked it up somewhat with a couple of the later songs, but to begin with he was atrocious. A high 3, and the opening track was my standout.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Despite being 20 songs long that all sounded quite similar, it only really got old towards the very end where I thought the songs dropped off in overall quality. Not everything was a hit, but there were many tracks that I definitely enjoyed, such as the opening song, Too Much Spice, and She Floated Away. High 3
Wilco
1/5
Why is it that bands like these always have some of the worst vocalists in music history? I'm not saying the album wouldn't be shit with a capable singer, but it'd be somewhat digestible with one.
It's like an even worse Radiohead, which I didn't think was possible. Jesus, etc. was the diamond in dog shit, caught me off guard a little bit amidst everything else.
The Pharcyde
4/5
Never heard of these guys before, definitely feels like somewhat of a hidden gem of 90s hip hop. Love the beats, production, and rapping, but some songs were definitely better than others.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
I feel like the first half of the album was really good, but from Nadia to Nostalgia it took a nosedive in quality. A really interesting and unique album, similar to the Talvin Singh one I had a while ago, although a bit more trip-hop like.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
It's pleasant enough and I like the organ, it just plods on and on. It's just there, not really doing a whole lot.
The Human League
3/5
It's been quite a while since I've had one of these 80s synth-pop/rock albums, so I can't complain all too much.
This sort of stuff doesn't displease me, but the synth gets annoying after a while. It's also rather infuriating that the best song - the one miles ahead over anything else - is right at the end.
Simply Red
4/5
I liked this one a lot. Jazzy, funky, 80s pop with a great singer. I'm quite surprised at the top reviews on this one being so negative. Opening track was my favourite by far
Jacques Brel
2/5
Apparently a lot of the praise for this derives from the lyrics. But I'm not French, nor do I speak French, so I'm a bit buggered in that department. Therefore I can only rate the music rather than what he says, which I tend to favour anyway.
I don't like his voice, the music is overly theatrical at some points and boring at others, I don't like how he's looking at me on the cover. Very generous 2, probably the most generous 2 I've given. It wasn't exactly unbearable to listen to, and I did enjoy the first song somewhat. It also is a quick listen, doesn't overstay it's welcome.
The Stone Roses
4/5
Always heard the big hits but never gave the full album a listen. You could probably get away with only listening to the well known songs, as the lesser spoken about ones aren't that great (except for Fools Gold I liked that one) but many of the songs on here are well known. A very good indie rock album, favourite songs were I Am the Resurrection and This Is the One - goes even harder at Old Trafford
Marvin Gaye
3/5
I feel like if this album wasn't as long as it is I'd be more inclined to give it a 4. Otherwise, it's quite smooth like you'd expect Marvin Gaye to be, but it's far from his best work. It just doesn't hit as hard as his other stuff
The Sonics
1/5
I don't mind bad production and often I think it adds to the music but it's this type of 60s abrasive production that I just can't stand. The Sonics here sound like the Beatles playing in a microwave.
The covers, whilst I am not all too familiar with all of them, are much worse than their originals, and their own songs are really poor. I'll admit that this sort of music is not something I often enjoy, but this was particularly shit
It's been just over two months since I've had a 5. Save me someone, save me
Pink Floyd
2/5
It's my first time listening to this, therefore a gargantuan album as this is may take a few listens before it clicks. But as of right now, it's just not very good. The cardinal sin a 26-song, 80 minute long album can make is being boring, because then it gets much longer than it already is. I was checked out before the second half of it. It even made Comfortably Numb less enjoyable because of how unenthused I was by that point.
SZA
4/5
Probably the biggest artist of recent times that I've yet to give a proper listen to, and I wish I had done sooner. These R&B/modern soul hip-hop beats are really nice, and the production elevates them to a new level. I wasn't sold on her vocals to begin with, but slowly but surely they grew on me. Perhaps disappointed by the features on the album, nor does it seem like this is her best work, but a very nice album nonetheless.
I also find it hilarious that I gave The Wall a 2 earlier and this a 4. Many on here would be livid with that
Peter Tosh
3/5
Unlike most reggae albums, I didn't get bored listening to this, and I quite enjoyed the second half of that album. High 3
Parliament
3/5
Quite a tough one to rate. Some bits I really did enjoy, especially towards the middle, but the start and ends of the album were a bit underwhelming. That last song sounded like someone was shitting themselves throughout it, kinda ruined it a tad.
In general I prefer funk faster to this. However I can appreciate how well done this one was and how smooth it is. High 3
Ray Charles
4/5
I really liked these slower ballads, very much in the realm of someone like Frank Sinatra. Even the big band jazz stuff which I don't usually like all too much I found quite enjoyable
Throwing Muses
3/5
An album where my enjoyment depended on the song I was listening to. Sometimes it was great, sometimes it was like listening to depressed farm animals forming a band, and I'm not sure there was much difference between the songs. Nonetheless, I'm glad I listened to it, it's a unique one
Carole King
3/5
It was pleasant enough, and her voice is nice, it just got boring after a while.
Massive Attack
5/5
A 5! It's been literal months 😭
Never been a fan of the Horace Andy parts as I'm not sold on his voice, but everything else I love. What I prefer on this album compared to Mezzanine is that the highs, are well and truly high. Safe From Harm, Blue Lines, Unfinished Sympathy, and Lately reach a whole different level. The beats are cozy and intimate yet funky and evocative, all boosted by Robert's and Tricky's rapping and Shara's angelic voice. One of my favourite trip hop albums, a staple of the genre.
1/5
You know what, if you're into this sort of stuff, I take my hat off to you. One of the most insane albums I've ever listened to, and I'm a death metal fan.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
I've yet to get a double album on this list that hasn't bored me at some point. They're all get too tedious because they're unnecessarily long. This one is nothing different
There were some good bits of this one, with my favourite song being Ronnie and Neil, being so good it gave me such foolishly high aspirations for the rest of the album. I hate the vocals, and the exaggerated glazing of Lynyrd Skynyrd is so annoying. The music itself wasn't anything special, which is criminal for a 90 minute long album.
Beastie Boys
4/5
liked it as much as i did Licensed to Ill, just got a bit much for me towards the very end
Boston
4/5
Really good classic rock album, you can't go wrong with a lot of this sorta stuff
Syd Barrett
2/5
god that was just miserable to listen to.
the music was far from anything special, and his vocals are absolute dross. generous 2
Goldie
2/5
I thought the music was decent. There were some nice beats in there, and the vocals on State of Mind were good too. If it wasn't so long, I'd give it a three, but with that runtime, it just gets boring half way through.
The Cure
4/5
Always wanted to get into goth rock, but everything I tried I just couldn't get into. Weirdly enough, I hadn't properly listened to The Cure, even though they're arguably the biggest goth rock band ever.
I loved the haunting atmosphere of this one. The bass was chilling and the vocals added to that uneasiness. It wasn't anything too complex, but it's quality comes from the creepy feeling you get from it when listening to it.
PJ Harvey
3/5
The production means that many of the songs don't have the same edge to them as they would have done. But at the same time, I really liked 50ft Queenie and Yuri-G and I don't think the production of those two songs were different from the rest. So I don't really know anymore. I prefer the punky riot grrrl stuff here. I wish I liked this more, this is something I should enjoy really.
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
I liked bits of this and I'm glad it's on the list as a nice bit of variety. There's only so much of it I can listen to though before getting tired of it
Metallica
4/5
I'm opposed to live albums being on the list because most of them aren't very good and they feel like a compilation album, which I think is cheating to have here. But S&M is very different and unique. How often do you see thrash metal and an orchestra perform together? I can let this one slide.
I can let this one slide especially because it's very good. Songs like The Memory Remains and Wherever I May Roam are better than their originals with the orchestra, and whilst this isn't the case for every song, they're still very, very good and ones I'll definitely be coming back to. James is on form as ever, as are Jason's backup vocals. Even the drumming ain't bad, lmfao.
However, it is still a live album and still has those elements of a live album I dislike, such as the production, even though Metallica are a very good live band. It's also over 2 hours long. Anything gets a bit old by then. There is also a distinct lack of AJFA songs on here which makes me a bit sad. In the end, a high 4.
The Offspring
4/5
Nothing really interesting to say, just some very good pop-punk. High 4.
Brian Eno
2/5
Even for ambient music this was more tedious to listen to than usual. Brian admits himself that it's "ignorable". The best way to ignore it is by not listening to it at all.
Sure, it'd be good to go to sleep to I suppose, but I'm not rating it higher for that. That'd be like criticising a nice jalfrezi because it gives you a bit of the runs on the way out.
What a miserable way to bring up a years worth of albums on this site. 4 more from this tosser to look forward too.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Compared to Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, it's definitely not as good. Neil forgot how to sing in this one and many of the songs were too bloated, alongside some proper shit ones like Farmer John and that last track. But I do like this sort of American country-garage rock, and there were some bits and songs that I enjoyed, like Fuckin' Up.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
It's nice enough, but it just plods along. It's just, there.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Nice and pleasant to listen to and definitely one of the better folk rock albums I've listened to on this list. I like his voice too. But folk music has never really done anything for me.
The Modern Lovers
1/5
It's one of those pub bands that when they first start playing you say to your mates, "they're a bit naff" and they then fade to background noise. That was until they went to the slower songs, like Hospital or Girlfriend, then they immediately grabbed your attention with Richman's atrocious vocals - which were atrocious before, but made more evident with the lack of instruments around them. I physically winced when he tried hitting those higher notes.
Adele
4/5
Adele's "25" gets generated to me on the first day of 2026. What sort of cruel, twisted irony is this? I had the entirety of last year to get this album. It would have been perfect if I got it yesterday. But no. Big 1001 is laughing at me.
Annoyances aside, I've always loved Adele. Some of my first memories of music was when my mum would play Adele when I was a lot smaller when making a lovely spaghetti bolognese, so this brought back some nice nostalgia. Adele's voice is phenomenal, and this album has some underappreciated bangers alongside ones I've never heard before. I Miss You was a great surprise.
It is rather one-dimensional and there are a couple of songs in here that aren't as good. Adele is one of those few exceptions where I'd look to listen to individual songs of hers rather than a full album. Definitely on the higher side of 4.
Elvis Costello
3/5
average music with a slightly annoying vocalist
6 Elvis Costello albums? Really?
Baaba Maal
3/5
It's pleasant to listen to, but with how long the songs go on for, they get old towards the end. I also have no idea what he's saying because I don't speak the language. I'm not rating the album worse for that, but it's harder to enjoy the music when to me it just sounds like gibberish. I think I preferred Djam Leelii. Both albums had their bright spots, but weren't consistent in them.
Björk
3/5
I'm finding it really hard to make my mind up on Björk. Sometimes I'm enjoying her music, sometimes it gets on my nerves. I think she's one of those that you have to listen to when you're in the right mood and atmosphere, and this album isn't much different.
Another query I have with this is the length. Just short of an hour, so it doesn't seem all that bad, but because it meanders along it makes it seem longer than it is. To be clear, I like the meandering of Vespertine. Perfect meandering album. But meandering can only go on for so long.
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Felt slightly let down by this one. I've only heard a few songs by The Isley Brothers prior to this, all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed. So when I got this generated, and especially after the first song, I was expecting a 4 or 5.
After the opener though, everything else didn't stand out as anything special. There were bits and pieces, some basslines, some of the synth, of course, but nothing consistent. Nothing to jump out at me. Summer Breeze was the only exception - a phenomenal song. It leads me to believe that The Isley Brothers aren't really best for listening to in albums and instead to have their best songs in a playlist. I'll have to listen to their other stuff to verify this.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Oddly enough, I enjoyed it more on my first listen and less on my second. It's the sort of thing I should like - trip hop with dreamy/mysterious female vocals. I think they do that part ok. It's like a slightly worse Portishead in that regard, but it's still pretty good. I am far from a fan of the cabaret influences. They kinda ruin the vibe for me. Flipping between chilled and theatrical wasn't a great mix. It's unique though, and I'm glad it's on the list. I'll have to listen to the other albums too.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
The best Springsteen album I've had so far - better than Nebraska and The Rising. I've never hated his voice, but he does a really good job of expressing his anger at certain times, but optimism at others. The music though is still nothing special to me, and I doubt his other albums here will be either.
Metallica
5/5
Nothing really to say that hasn't been said already. It's just really, really, REALLY fucking good.
I find that the lesser talked about songs - like Damage Inc., Disposable Heroes, and Leper Messiah - are the best ones. Everything else is still phenomenal, but these are my standouts, and some of my favourite thrash metal songs as a whole.
Orion is the only one that doesn't hit as hard for me. It's definitely better than I remember it being though. Maybe it's just beginning to click.
Still not their best album. AJFA rules supreme.
James Brown
1/5
60s production is always poor. As are live albums. A combination of the two is just so atrocious.
Not as bad as the crowd though. The start of every song was (un)welcomed with this ear-splitting shriek from the crowd that wouldn't go amiss in a slasher film.
The music itself is pretty poor too. I felt blueballed in most songs. "I Don't Mind" was going pleasantly along, I was getting excited for the chorus, then it just ended. Lost Someone was that but for 10 minutes. The couple of songs at the end were a bit better but nothing massively redeemable.
James Brown has been done dirty here. He's got miles better stuff that could have been included instead.
Hookworms
3/5
I really liked it to begin with, but the longer it went on worse my enjoyment got. And I don't think that it's because the songs got worse either. I think I just found it more annoying the more I listened to it. The synth was the main culprit for this.
Patti Smith
1/5
Quite a frustrating one to be honest. This is my first time hearing of her and therefore first time hearing her stuff. I can't help but feel like Smith could easily make better music than this. When she sings properly, it's great. But when she starts doing weird noises and different singing styles it just sounds so shit. The music itself is so boring it hurts. At least with many of the other boring albums I've had on the list previously they've been somewhat pleasant to listen to. I know it's supposed to be minimalist. But there's a difference between minimalist and laziness. Maybe Smith isn't being lazy. But that's what it sounds like.
If it makes it any better I wasn't sure whether to give it a 2 or a 1, so this is probably the best album I've rated a 1 here. Good job Patti.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
I don't really have the knowledge or the effort to dissect the meanings of everything in this album. So I'll leave that to other people.
To put it simply, Kendrick Lamar is a phenomenal rapper who makes phenomenal beats. This is his best album, and what an album it is. Funky and catchy at times, powerful at others. One of the greatest hip-hop albums ever.
Anita Baker
4/5
Nothing revolutionary, Anita's just got a great voice. Some here don't like the 80s production, I don't mind it. I quite like the bass in them.
Couldn't quite decide between a 3 or a 4. Thought I'd be nice today. The things I do for you, Anita.
The Beta Band
3/5
This one was alright. It was nice and chill, good for an early evening. That opening track was really good, but after that it kinda faded into the background a bit. It's nothing really spectacular, nothing jumps out at you.
Definitely better than their other album here. But that album cover was 100x better than whatever this is.
Sepultura
5/5
So much better than I remember. These riffs are so fucking groovy, and Max's vocal performance is phenomenal here. The whole album is gritty yet cohesive - makes you feel like you're in the state of Mato Grasso.
Sepultura are so good at blending different sub genres of metal. Arise brought thrash, Chaos A.D. brought groove, Roots brought nu metal. It's like they kept adding different layers each album, getting better with their songwriting each time.
Whilst this isn't their best album, it's certainly their most unique - and still phenomenally good. Surely, even if you hate it, you can understand why it's on the list.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I should like noise rock because I like distortion in other genres, but I don't. I think it's the punkiness of it I don't like. Which is odd, because I quite like punk.
There were bits I did enjoy, such as the song 'Cross the Breeze, but most of it I found rather unexceptional. Not a fan of any of the vocals either. The length doesn't help. I'll have to come back to this though at some point. I can see this being one of those albums that take a few listens before it clicks.
The Who
3/5
The first and last two songs were good, but the stuff in between was pretty uneventful. High 3.
The The
4/5
The opening track, This Is the Day, Uncertain Smile, and the title track are great songs. The others I didn't enjoy really, and that 9 minute one at the end was too much of a drag, therefore it only gets a 4, somewhat of a generous one. Matt Johnson's vocals are superb and that piano solo in Uncertain Smile is the highlight of the whole album.
Blondie
4/5
This was a 5 until Sunday Girl, where the songs dropped off in quality imo. However, everything before that was banger after banger. Fade Away and Radiate is one of my new favourite songs.
10cc
4/5
All over the place, ADHD- riddled, proper shitpost - enjoyed this a lot :)
LTJ Bukem
2/5
It's pretty good drum n bass, it's just never been my thing. And when you're listening to music that you don't love go on for over two hours, damn is that tough to get through. My listening experience was a 1, but taking away two whole ratings all for the length of the album feels very harsh, so it gets a generous 2.
Robbie Williams
2/5
Ego Agogo and Angels were the only good songs here. Everything else was just generic Britpop and just so, so crap. Generous 2
Led Zeppelin
3/5
The music is decent, it's just way too long.
Van Morrison
3/5
For a double AND a live album merged into one, I actually quite enjoyed this. It got tedious towards the end, but for an hour of it I was vibing to this. Quite bizzare too, I gave Astral Weeks a 1. This gets a high 3, get rid of half an hour then it gets a 4.
Michael Jackson
4/5
A lot, lot better than Bad, some of his best songs on here. A couple of duds - I mean, Pretty Little Thing didn't age well at all l, did it? Never been a fan of Billie Jean either. But everything else I enjoyed - even that one with Paul McCartney isn't anywhere near as bad as other people make it out to be. A high 4.
The Byrds
3/5
This was fine, nothing remarkable, quite pleasant at times.
Miles better than Fifth Dimension - I think the production here is a lot better.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
I'm ill, so I've not been able to finish this one. I've heard about Trout Mask Replica (haven't listened to it yet) and how out there it is, so I was expecting something experimental or something like that. This was more conventional Blues/Garage Rock that was pretty good and fun to listen to. I didn't think it was anything groundbreaking, and the length is a bit of an issue. A high 3
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Very pleasant one to listen to, would like it as some background noise to a party. Vaughan's voice is phenomenal here too. It gets a high 3, since this sort of jazz isn't really my thing, therefore I wouldn't go seek it out again. But with every jazz record I'm getting on this list, I can feel my appreciation and enjoyment for jazz ever so slowly l, but surely, increase.
Bon Jovi
3/5
The first two songs were really good. Everything else was just so average.
Bad Company
3/5
Pretty decent classic rock that I wouldn't mind if it was on, but wouldn't really go out of my way to listen to. What I find rare about bands similar to this, however, is that many have rather poor vocalists, but Paul Rodgers is an incredible singer. Bumps this up to a high 3.
U2 might be the most bang average band to ever exist.
The last time I had a newly discovered 5 was September :(
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Decent, but nothing special really.
Steely Dan
3/5
Some proper bangers in this one, like Night By Night and Pretzel Logic. Overall, it's a pretty fun one. Nothing overly remarkable, but better than Countdown To Ecstasy for sure
Michael Jackson
4/5
Of the three Michael Jackson albums on here I've gathered that this is the least known, or at least the lesser rated. I've had all three, and can say for certain that this is my favourite. These funky basslines are phenomenal (you can tell Stevie Wonder had a hand in this) and his singing is his best here in my opinion. The first half of the album is fantastic, however it doesn't get a 5 because a couple of the songs in the latter half aren't as good, e.g. Girlfriend. High 4.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
For an album made in 1974, I can appreciate how ahead of it's time it is, and the musicianship that's gone into this. But personally, I find this sort of music boring. It's never really been my thing.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Really pleasant to listen to, and Nanci has a gorgeous voice. Love At The Five & Dime might now be one of my favourite country songs. My issue is that it kinda meanders into slight repetitiveness. Makes it a fair bit less outstanding. A high 3
The Flaming Lips
3/5
It started off really good. Those songs at the beginning were great. The longer it went on though I got more tired of it's repetitiveness, and some of those songs towards the end were too soppy and became a drag to listen to.
George Michael
4/5
Something me and a lot of 45 year-old women have in common is a love (and lust) for Georgy Michael. This isn't is best work, but it is still very good. The rating about him singing out of a well is quite true at times though and did make me giggle.
The biggest hit here is Freedom, however I personally think Cowboys and Angels and Soul Free are the highlights.
Merle Haggard
3/5
Probably the most middle of the road album you could get. Quite baffled how it made itself on this list.
Green Day
3/5
Not their best work. I prefer the version of Green Day that moves away from the punk elements and slows down their songs, like Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, or Longview.
Still though, it's Green Day, and Green Day are pretty good. High 3.
3/5
The more well known songs are good, despite being a tad overplayed. I much prefer the louder, faster songs (Assassin is my favourite) to the slower soppy shite. All that stuff sounds so dreary, probably why I don't like Radiohead.
Dr. John
1/5
Look, I'm glad it got included on the list, but what in the actual fuck?
3/5
I absolutely love these basslines, but everything else was pretty subpar. It seemed too theatrical for the quality of the music. Not sold on these vocals either.
Napalm Death
4/5
Something I like doing from time to time is go to the latest reviews on the site and read all the people that hate this sort of stuff rant about how it's "just noise" and shit like that. Always a laugh
I like death metal, grindcore not as much, but I did enjoy this a lot though. Preferred Side A to B with songs like Siege of Power, Scum, and Born On Your Knees. The guitar tone is guttural yet groovy, and the drumming is phenomenal. Probably the only thing stopping me from giving it a 5 is my own personal tastes towards Grindcore.
James Taylor
3/5
If you can get past Taylor calling himself "Sweet Baby James" (which is a fucking struggle, by the way) you'll realise that it's a pretty decent album with pleasant folky elements, but upbeat enough at times so it doesn't become boring. I might consider a 4 if the lyrics weren't so vomit-inducing
OutKast
4/5
Great rapping, even better production. Doesn't get a 5 because out of the 18 or so songs in there, I enjoyed about 12/13.
Favourite was Bombs Over Baghdad. High 4
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Love these distorted guitar sounds. It's what I live for.
I can definitely here some Britpop-like elements in here, which I think make it worse. Drumming isn't great either.
But on the whole this was good. This is a band I've been meaning to listen to for a while now, and I'm annoyed I didn't do sooner. Very atmospheric - the vocals do so much for this atmosphere building - and, again, I love a distorted guitar.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
If you put a really good bass player in a studio with monkeys on fentanyl this is probably what you'd get.
There's no reason for it to be this long. Listen to the first couple of minutes of each song and you can skip the rest of it.
I was tempted to give this a 2 because of the bass playing but I just could not bring myself to do it.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
I've listened to this once before, where I really expected to like it, but it didn't really click. On the second time around though, it definitely did.
This was a really good one to relax to, something which I don't think I did last time. Both the rapping and the beats are phenomenal. Loving these samples too, proper deep cuts. I'm glad it clicked for me this time.
Joe Ely
3/5
I rather enjoyed this one, it was fun. I think some of you lot are being a bit harsh with a 2.6 tbh
Opening track was my fav
Morrissey
4/5
I feel like I shouldn't like Morrissey's music, but I liked this one. The best one of his (including The Smiths) I've had here.
His vocal performance is the best I've heard - despite his prominent whining - and the moody atmosphere this album generates is very good. The drumming and the production are great too.
LL Cool J
3/5
This one was quite good, and oddly enough didn't feel as if it went on as long as it did, which is always nice. I don't mind it being "dated" since a decent chunk of hip-hop from around this time was too. The songs towards the end were the better ones I think.
It's nothing mind-blowing or greatly spectacular, but it's pretty good otherwise. On the higher side of a 3.
Billie Holiday
3/5
A pretty pleasant record to listen to, love her voice, but it's a bit boring and very, very samey.
The Fall
2/5
I like the atmosphere this album creates, and the bass at times is great - sometimes a bit groovy with a few songs towards the start.
But his vocals suck. I can see what he's going for, but even then, it's just shit. The songs are too repetitive also. Not the album though, as each song is different from the one before and after it. But each individual songs goes on for too long.
It's on the harsher side of a two, because there is definitely something here. If it was shorter I might give it a 3.
Animal Collective
3/5
too sober for that stuff
Gang Starr
4/5
Good rapping, even better beats, great album. Higher side of 4
Cheap Trick
2/5
Some average pop rock with the shitty live production you often get. I can hardly hear what the vocalist is singing, but it's ok cos I can hear all the small Japanese children being mauled in the background.
Favourite song was Need Your Love, probably because the bloke stopped singing for that one.
David Bowie
3/5
I've just realised, there are NINE David Bowie albums on here. NINE? Fucking hell. I'm of firm belief that nobody should have more than 3 albums on here.
Hunky Dory is fine, but imo nothing special. A couple of good songs, like the opener and Queen Bitch, but otherwise it's nothing to write home about.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
50 minutes of absolutely fuck all
Stevie Wonder
4/5
An album that started and ended very well, with Superstition in the middle - one of his very best. A few other songs though didn't live up to the same quality, therefore it gets a 4. Still very good, just not his best work.
Janet Jackson
2/5
I don't really like criticising albums for being "dated", but that's pretty much the main reason why I'm not a fan. I'm sure I would have liked this had I been alive in 1989, but it just doesn't hold up anymore. The beats are decent but they get old quickly. The album as a whole is too repetitive and too long.
It's a shame really, as there is some hard-hitting moments and topics that are still very much relevant. Livin' In A World (They Didn't Make) is a moving one, but then the song immediately after goes back to the disco-industrial beats that completely juxtapose the moment you just had with that song. I don't really understand the aim of this.
Probably my harshest 2 yet.
Japan
3/5
I loved the bass playing and much preferred the eerie songs on this album. The rest of it was some fairly standard new wave stuff that didn't really jump out at me. A high 3.
Death In Vegas
3/5
This was a tough one to rate. I couldn't really rate the album as a whole because I felt like the songs were so different, yet there wasn't a whole lot different between them. You had your slower trip-hop-esque stuff and your more rock orientated songs, but they sounded similar enough with this eerie, grungy feel to it. I think I preferred the former - the opening track was great, and Aisha was my favourite. I didn't like how the album ended though, and that song with Gillespie was very poor.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Properly fun at most times, but when they slow it down - like with Return To Oz - they are just as good, if not, better.
Filthy/Gorgeous, Take Your Mama, and Mary are my favourites. But there are some ones that fall flat, and that Comfortably Numb was atrocious - you've gotta respect them for trying to be fair.
Overall I enjoyed this quite a bit
Public Enemy
4/5
Preferred this to FOABP in pretty much every way
Cold Lampin' With Flavor was my favourite track
Julian Cope
3/5
It was much less abrasive than what I thought it would be based on it being a post-punk album and that album cover. Some songs really surprised me, like, East Easy Rider feels so out of place. But they were good songs, especially towards the first half of the album. But like others here have said, it's too bloated. There were a few nothing songs towards the end.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Springsteen did not need 5 albums on here
Moby Grape
3/5
Very fun one with some tight guitar and bass playing. Reminiscent of Grateful Dead somewhat.
I didn't manage to find all the songs (I think I missed two), but the fact that I didn't feel all that compelled to find them probably means something. Higher side of a 3.
2/5
I'd love to be one of those people that enjoy this stuff, so I can pretend to be a superior being to everyone else, but I just can't.
Although to their credit, it wasn't nearly as abrasive as I thought it would be, and I did hear some smattering of actual music every now and again, therefore it gets a 2. Just.
Aphex Twin
4/5
I'm not really a fan of the ambient scene, but this was a lot more engaging than the likes of Brian Eno and such, even though it was 75 minutes long.
Difficult to choose between a 3 and a 4, gave it a 4 because I seek for the thrill
Ananda Shankar
3/5
Interesting enough to be included on the list, I just find the sitar annoying after a while.
Favourite song was Raghupati at the end.
The Who
3/5
Live albums already confuse me about their inclusions, even weirder to include one of a band that already have 4 other studio albums included to the list.
Not saying the music is bad, Live At Leeds is just an unnecessary and a bit of a wasted pick
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
1/5
it's like if Bob Dylan somehow got worse
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Pleasant enough to listen to, just not exactly my thing
Air
2/5
Disappointing. There's so much potential in this album to have been better than Moon Safari, but I feel like that because it's made for a movie that it's held them back a bit from making it more exciting or comprehensive. They've made it into background noise, which obviously is fine for a movie, but when you're listening to it normally it sounds flat and uninspired.
There are some good parts to this, and there is definitely a great album in here somewhere, but it just meanders along without making much of an impact. Maybe a harsh 2, but this could have been better without the movie.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
The first song was good, everything else sounded like Poundland MJ
Mudhoney
3/5
It started and ended lacking in quality compared to how good the songs in the middle were. High 3
Leonard Cohen
3/5
There's definitely a time and a place for this album, it just doesn't come up very often. If I ever have all my family killed or when Bruno Fernandes leaves United I'll put this one on
Sonic Youth
3/5
Sonic Youth have never really done much for me tbh
Public Enemy
4/5
I've now had all 3 Public Enemy albums, and I can say that I've saved best until last. Maybe they've been growing on me more I listen to them 🤷
Dirty Projectors
2/5
A 2 - as Ian Smith would say - by the barest of margins. Those first 3 songs were absolutely atrocious. It got better with Stillness Is The Move - being the best song on the album - and the one after that was OK.
If that bloke never sang again the world would be a better place for it.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
Honestly, I'd never really realised how good her voice was until now. And it's not just some generic 2000s pop stuff either, some of the music behind her was really really good.
My favourites were Fighter, Make Over, and Dirrty. The main thing holding this back though is it's length, but other than that I can't really complain.
GZA
3/5
It was pretty decent enough, I just didn't really fuck with the beats all that hard
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
It's not as good as LET, and some of the samples I found a bit annoying, but it's still very, very good. Q-Tip is a phenomenal rapper. High 4
Leonard Cohen
3/5
After having 3 other Leonard Cohen albums I could've told you exactly what the album would've sounded like. There's no need for 5 of his albums on here, they sound the same - I'm Your Man was different, ironically though I thought it was the worst of the 4 I've had so far
Tom Waits
2/5
There definitely is a time and a place for this sort of music. That scenario that one reviewer described is probably perfect for it. But for me, the idea of getting people in to essentially laugh at you whilst you ramble on doesn't sit right. If it was a live album it'd feel more authentic, but otherwise it feels quite a bit tinpot.
I can definitely see myself going to some old fashioned diner, or a smoky jazz bar, with a giant bottle of whiskey in the middle of the table, chain smoking with friends, but the reality is that this sort of atmosphere just doesn't exist - at least not anymore. Makes the album feel quite performative.
Therefore, for home listening the rambling between songs becomes too long, especially for 75 minute album. But the actual songs I can enjoy at certain moods. The music behind Tom was good too - the bass player I liked and the piano player even more.
My listening experience as of right now probably warrants a 1, but there are times - and more specifically, places - where I can definitely enjoy this, so I deem a 1 too harsh, albeit these times to be rare.
Django Django
3/5
Fun to listen to at times, but I can see this become annoying at others
Love's Dart and Wor were bangers though
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
One of the better records I've heard from the post punk genre, a high 3.
Louis Prima
4/5
The coked up energetic songs were really fun, and Prima's got a great voice. Swing music ain't usually my thing, but I enjoyed this
Pulp
2/5
It's like if Robbie Williams, Radiohead, and Joy Division had a child
Ryan Adams
2/5
Slightly emo Bruce Springsteen
Deep Purple
5/5
I always forget how good Deep Purple are. Machine Head is easily their best album. Great drumming, excellent bass, and even better guitars. This album is much sharper than In Rock too, which seemed to drift along a bit too much. There isn't a song I don't enjoy on here, which I don't find all that common.
Pulp
3/5
Definitely better than This Is Hardcore, a high 3. Although, I found a few songs more annoying, and overall the albums a bit samey
Blur
1/5
If someone asks you the question, "Oasis or Blur?", the answer should be a resounding "fuck off you cunt".
Isaac Hayes
4/5
I had never heard of Isaac Hayes before, and I'm quite ashamed that was the case. Bloke is the epitome of smooth. Would not be surprised if he invented that word too.
Highlight of the album was easily One Woman. What a fucking song that is holy shit.
The album loves to meander though. I was thinking about giving it a 3 because of the extent of the meandering. That 8+ minute intro to the final song was also too excessive. However, I think because of how smooth it is and how good the non-meandery bits were I can give it a 4. There will be times where I can play this in the background.
Super Furry Animals
1/5
The first song was pretty decent, but after that it devolved into some of the most annoying britpop I've ever heard, which is quite the achievement
Radiohead
1/5
Worse than Big Yahu
XTC
2/5
Inoffensive yet somehow simultaneously dreary
The Beau Brummels
2/5
I feel like I've had this album 30 times before
Magic Hollow was a good song though
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
The album was somewhat good, but it felt like a slightly flat Public Enemy
The beats were uninteresting a lot of the time, and the rapping was ok but nothing special. Some of the verses I enjoyed, it's a shame they can't write a chorus for shit. They think repeating the title of the song passes for one
I did enjoy their take on California Uber Alles though that was fun
Big Star
3/5
Considerably better than their other album on here, much more engaging, at least until the last few songs. It did feel a bit like a poor man's Beatles at a few points, and the guy's vocals still aren't anything great.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
2/5
Opening track was good, everything else was painstakingly average
Bobby Womack
3/5
It's smooth enough and pleasant to listen to, but every song sounds the same
Tricky
5/5
One of the greatest trip-hop albums ever.
Fugazi
3/5
I liked the overall grungy tone of it, but nothing really stood out to me. I can't really think of an exact part that I particularly found outstanding
Germs
4/5
Some really solid punk rock. Love the vocals too, they're what punk rock should be about
The The
3/5
Bit weirder than their other album on here, but I did enjoy bits and pieces of it
D'Angelo
3/5
Talent-wise it's very good, he's a good singer. But soul and 90s production makes me feel a bit sick tbh
Soft Cell
3/5
The sleazy synth does have it's moments and there is a time for it, but it got boring around half way through, especially with that album length
Incubus
3/5
mid
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2/5
They are good singers, so I feel I can't really give it a 1, but fucking hell was that boring to listen to. No distinguishable moments since it all blurred into one, not a single instrument used. Very generous 2
Röyksopp
4/5
High 4, love this sort of stuff. The first half was much better than the last, although every part of this was good regardless.
Happy Mondays
1/5
Despite there being not a great deal of difference between this and their other album on here, I really did not like this one. It's depressing, but in the way that makes it sound dreary and pathetic. Pills 'n' Thrills had that upbeat sound to it that made it much better to listen too. The bass was better in that record too.