311
Albums Rated
2.6
Average Rating
29%
Complete
778 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1960
Favorite Decade
Hip-hop
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Critic
Rater Style ?
19
5-Star Albums
64
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Dreaming
Kate Bush
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches
Happy Mondays
|
5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
|
Oxygène
Jean-Michel Jarre
|
5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
|
Tank Battles
Dagmar Krause
|
4 | 2.13 | +1.87 |
|
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Spiritualized
|
5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
|
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
|
5 | 3.19 | +1.81 |
|
Tommy
The Who
|
5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
|
Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
|
5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
|
Arrival
ABBA
|
5 | 3.52 | +1.48 |
|
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
|
5 | 3.61 | +1.39 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Thriller
Michael Jackson
|
1 | 4.22 | -3.22 |
|
Bad
Michael Jackson
|
1 | 3.81 | -2.81 |
|
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
|
1 | 3.8 | -2.8 |
|
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
|
1 | 3.72 | -2.72 |
|
The Cars
The Cars
|
1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
|
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
|
1 | 3.62 | -2.62 |
|
Hotel California
Eagles
|
1 | 3.59 | -2.59 |
|
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
|
1 | 3.59 | -2.59 |
|
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
|
1 | 3.54 | -2.54 |
|
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 5 | 4.8 |
| The Who | 4 | 4.5 |
| Kate Bush | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 1 |
| Metallica | 2 | 1 |
| Elvis Presley | 2 | 1 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 2 | 1.5 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 2 | 1.5 |
| CHIC | 2 | 1.5 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 2 | 1.5 |
| Arcade Fire | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Jesus And Mary Chain | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pixies | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Dire Straits | 5, 2 |
| Pink Floyd | 2, 5 |
| Elton John | 2, 5 |
| Public Enemy | 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (19)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The War On Drugs · 1 likes
3/5
Love the long meandery and epic feel of 'Under The Pressure'
Such a classic sound! Genuinely thought they were a 70s band till I looked it up during Red Eyes (which I enjoyed a lot).
Suffering is SO good too.
Real nostalgic feel to all of them, but first three are definitely the best.
4-Star Albums (47)
1-Star Albums (64)
All Ratings
De La Soul
3/5
Intro - funny
The Magic Number - Didn't think much of it, but then 80s rap beats are not my thing
Change in Speak - good groove. Love the brass section.
Cool Breeze on the Rocks - adding this here for completion but what is there to say about this haha
Can U Keep a Secret - funny but that's it (adorable laugh at the end)
Jenifa Taught Me is one of the best so far - loved the Chopsticks interlude, and the cool beat coming in after
Ghetto Thang - the groove on this one is amazing. Best on the album so far.
Transmitting Live from Mars - love the groove on this one, and the French at the start.
Eye Know - so cute! Love the Peg sample.
Take it Off - fairly boring
A Little Bit of Soap - love the sample
Tread Water - pretty fun
Potholes in My Lawn - pretty good groove but fairly boring overall
Say No Go - fairly forgettable
Do as De La Does - abrasive and not great
Plug Tunin' - not bad. Pretty dull
De La Orgee - ridiculous haha
Buddy - pretty dull (has the hilarious signature rap "ha HA!" that I love though)
Description - plodding
Me Myself and I - WHAT an excellent start. Love the hook throughout.
This is a Recording - VERY cool groove. One of the best songs on the album.
I Can Do Anything - funny
D.A.I.S.Y Age - pretty muted and boring, so a disappointing end to
Summary: Love all the samples, love the grooves, love the talking bits, little asides, and jokes. A great time overall.
A Tribe Called Quest
2/5
...the original version of Show Business though...yikes.
Beck
4/5
E-Pro - not bad, fairly dull
*Que' Onda Guero - really like this one. Reminded me of Gorillaz
*Girl - LOVE the 8-bit intro. Good song - love the key change that leads into the chorus (and is present throughout it). Love the slide guitar solo.
Missing - pretty untuneful and boring
*Black Tambourine - pretty sexy
*Earthquake Weather - cute. Really unusual tune
Hell Yes - love the groove at the start. Sexy song
Broken Drum - alright, fairly dull
Scarecrow - fairly dull
Go It Alone - fairly dull
Farewell Ride - dull also. Many the quality of this album massively dips after the first half.
Rental Car - dull
Emergency Exit - dull
Send a Message to Her - kind of Beatles vibe off this one. Pretty good
Chain Reaction - not bad - love the video game bits at the end. Song is a bit repetitive.
Half and half! Good beginning, dull end, good bonus tracks.
MGMT
2/5
Aside from the three famous ones, this album is nothing to write home about.* Surprised it made the list.
*One exception being Pieces of What which is pretty good.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Another 80s rap album. This will probably be a struggle...
Peter Piper - your classic 80s rap. You know the drill. Earnest. Cheesy beats. Lost it at: "He's not Hansel." "He's not Gretel."
It's Tricky - A classic! Catchy.
My Adidas - alright.
Walk This Way - this is a great song once you studiously ignore the lyrics (yikes).
Is It Live - not bad.
Perfection - LIVING for the smug singing at the beginning and throughout. Also - "DM-" "CCCCCCCC!" - stunning. Song gets pretty boring after the first min though.
Hit It Run - hated this so much I had to skip it.
Raising Hell - "IT is SOMEwhat FRIGHT'ning!" - amazing. Love the rock elements of this song too incl. the guitar solo. Also love "He's off the WALL, on the BALL".
You Be Illin' - really like the hook on this.
Dumb Girl - thought the beginning was dumb (!) but then loved how the beat came in. Love how the final 'Dumb Girl' sounds like Ru Paul said it.
Son of Byford - what can really be said.
Proud to be Black - pretty good. Great lyrics.
All in all I liked it a lot! Surprisingly.
Dire Straits
5/5
One of the greats! Very excited to listen start to finish and see which ones I'd not heard before.
So Far Away - cute. Love 'tired of makin' out on the telephone'; very wholesome wording/self-censorship haha.
Money For Nothing - I mean what a classique. Excellent.
Walk of Life - one of my favourite songs ever.
Your Latest Trick - what a find - really cool.
Why Worry? - very sweet.
Ride Across The River - weakest so far.
The Man's Too Strong - not great; too country for me too.
One World - fairly forgettable.
Brothers In Arms - SO excellent.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
1/5
I knew from the first song that this was not going to be my thing...not a fan of this style of singing at all.
Song 2...still struggling.
Song 3...I give up.
The xx
1/5
All the other songs aside from Intro are very dull/samey.
Islands - Her voice isn't good...is that on purpose?
Heart Skipped A Beat - Never mind, both voices I'm hearing are bad.
Talking Heads
2/5
Not bad but definitely much prefer Stop Making Sense.
My goodness his voice is insufferable on Happy Day, haha.
Really liked the bass and beat of No Compassion. "They say compassion is a virtue, but I don't have the time." LOVE that.
Psycho Killer a treat of course.
Quite liked Pulled Up.
Iggy Pop
2/5
Pretty boring title track tbh
Sixteen is very samey too, tune-wise (like WHAT tune, amirite?)
Riff at the start of Some Weird Sin is adorable. Also "things get too straight / I can't bear it" ; same, queen
The Passenger is so basic and samey too - don't know why it's so popular
Tonight is pretty good
So is Success
Turn Blue is the best so far - a weird instance of the later songs being better than the first.
Neighborhood Threat is pretty good.
Last track is pretty good too.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Lively Up Yourself - pretty good, pretty samey
No Woman No Cry - sweeter and better than I remember
Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) - not bad
Rebel Music - like the country aspect of this, and spooky Nick Cave feel
So Jah S'eh - love the jazzy feel
Natty Dread - pretty good
Bend Down Low - pretty good
Talkin' Blues - prettyyyyy dull
Revolution - I like the edge to this one
Am-A-Do - Not bad
Overally I wouldn't return for anything except No Woman No Cry but I did enjoy the album more than I thought I would.
Sebadoh
1/5
Whatever this is it ain't for me. REM but bad.
Happy Mondays
5/5
Kinky Afro - pretty good.
God's Cop - the riff and scatting in this are great.
Donovan - really like this one.
Grandbag's Funeral - too abrasive.
Loose Fit - like this one.
Dennis and Lois - really love the sunny sound of this. one. "It's good to see you. To see you nice. If you do me once, well, we'll do it twice" is great.
Bob's Yer Uncle - love his voice on this one.
Step On - again, love the sunny sound of this.
Holiday - love it. "Slow down, bitch! Bitch, slow down!" - obsessed.
Harmony - pretty dull but sure the rest of the album is great so no problem. SHOOK by the sudden stop though - loved that.
Tokoloshe Man - not bad.
Spiritualized
5/5
Title track – very wistful and sweet.
Come Together – kind of plodding but cool lyrics.
I Think I’m in Love – pretty good but not life changing. “I think I’m in love” (“Probably just hungry”) – amazing. Love the whole call and response thing in general; great lyrics.
All of My Thoughts – like the chaotic nature of this.
Stay with Me – pretty nice, but quite samey.
Electricity – too rock for me.
Home of the Brave – pretty forgettable but I like how it runs into the next song
The Individual – love the primal sound on this but due to said sound I wouldn’t be going back to bump this on the regular.
Broken Heart – gorgeous sad start to this. Fucking beautiful throughout. Ethereal. Transcendent.
No God Only Religion – VERY cool but too experimental for a revisit.
Cool Waves – fairly boring.
Cop Shoot Cop… - pretty dull.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Welcome To The Working Week - Still struggling with this man's voice arghhhh but the song's alright.
Miracle Man – alright, pretty boring.
No Dancing – pretty good. Old school. Love the end-of-chorus key change.
Blame It On Cain – not bad but bit B A S I C.
Alison – quite sweet.
Sneaky Feelings – not bad.
(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes – I like the call and response.
Less Than Zero – the best so far.
Mystery Dance – very Time Warp. Not bad but pretty formulaic/tune-less.
Pay It Back – alright – I like the key changes.
I’m Not Angry – I like the opening – reminds me of the Beatles I’m Happy Just to Dance With You. “I got you talking with your hands, got you smiling with your legs” is great.
Waiting For The End Of The World – banal enough.
Watching The Detectives – very cool and love the harmonies and reggae style but if ONLY HE DIDN’T SING THAT STYLISED WAY.
The Strokes
3/5
Pretty good but samey - only stand outside are Someday, Last Nite (of course) and Hard To Explain
Marty Robbins
1/5
Not my thing generally; too plodding. But Cool Water has nice harmonies. "The night's are cool and I'm a fool" is great.
The Killers
5/5
Love every song except Midnight Show. W H A T an album.
Special shout out to Change Your Mind which I feel doesn't get talked about enough. Also Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll is so sweet.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Listen his voice isn't the best, is it? Most songs are too meandery and sleepy for me.
Love the key changes in Story of Isaac.
Cool dark energy to The Partisan, but the backing singer annoyed me.
Love the reverb on Seems So Long Ago, Nancy.
I like You Know Who I Am - more great key changes.
Tonight Will Be Fine sounds like it's from the Juno soundtrack which is interesting. Lovely end to the album.
Cat Stevens
4/5
What a classic. Didn't know Sad Lisa - SO good.
Miles from Nowhere and But I Might Die Tonight were also new - not bad.
Great ones all round.
Stan Getz
3/5
Hard for me to get excited about jazz, but this was very...pleasant?
Steve Earle
3/5
Nothing stand out* but a pleasant listen, as country goes.
*Except for Someday, which is really nice and a gut punch reminder of the Bridge to Terabithia scene it's in.
Also Fearless Heart is quite sweet.
Aretha Franklin
2/5
Just ain't my thing, but A Natural Woman is of course lovely, and Good to Me as I Am to You is sexy (some stressful capitalisation choices in its title though).
Backing vocals on Ain't No Way are really cool and unearthly.
The Byrds
2/5
All pleasant but nothing standout.
Muddy Waters
1/5
Just not my shtyle of tune.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Not bad but quite samey. First song is the best.
Frank Ocean
3/5
Used not to like Thinkin Bout You but it's growing on me.
Sierra Leone: "We're spending too much time alone, and I just ran out of Trojans." - incredible.
Pilot Jones is sweet.
Pyramids is a BANGERRRRR.
"Monks in the moshpit" is amazing.
"Taxi driver - you my shrink for the hour" is so good.
Not a lot of standouts, but very good lyrics throughout.
Culture Club
1/5
Very inoffensive and goofy. Not memorable except for the famous track.
Slint
1/5
Not my scene.
Beatles
5/5
Masterpiece of course. Accidentally had Spotify on shuffle so enjoy:
Love the beat on Taxman.
Love the depth of For No One.
Love the ominous piano on I Want To Tell You.
Love to joy of Got To Get You Into My Life.
Never noticed how goofy the drumming was on Yellow Submarine. Till now.
Stunning guitar on And Your Bird Can Sing.
Here, There and Everywhere is just ethereal. Love the key change on the last word of "but to love her is to need her everywhere".
Doctor Robert is just so COOL.
Love the 'WHENNNN' coming in early towards the end of I'm Only Sleeping.
Love You To is still the weakest, but I appreciate it more in my old age.
Eleanor Rigby I mean W H A T more can be SAID what a SONG.
The harmonies on She Said She Said are so trippy and delicious.
Tomorrow Never Knows - trippy delight. Love the birds.
Good Day Sunshine - cute but best bit is the key change at the end, and the fade out.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
REALLY good. Very relaxing. Gorgeous voice.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Pretty good and very nostalgic but not a lot of stand outs musically.
Good lyrics.
Love and remember Dy-Na-Mi-Tee, and Put Him Out and Seed Will Grow are good.
Love the backing of Afraid 2 Fly - reminds me of Show Me The Money by Petey Pablo.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I like most of the less bluesy ones (exception being Obviously Five Believers which has a great riff), aka:
Visions of Johanna
One of Us Must Know
I Want You - WHAT a tune
Just Like A Woman
Absolutely Sweet Marie
Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands - gorgeous
The Cars
1/5
So not my style but Just What I Needed, Bye Bye Love, and Don't Cha Stop are okay. Moving in Stereo is good.
Love the futuristic 8-bit synth sounds on the album. Pity about the REST.
Eagles
1/5
Yikes about this band so nope
Metallica
1/5
Can't
Metallica
1/5
Still can't
Pink Floyd
2/5
Astronomy Domine - we get it; you're experimental!
Lucifer Sam - I mean it's alright?
Matilda Mother - love the key changes.
Flaming - pretty dull but I love to see 'yippee' featured gleefully in a song.
Pow R. Toc H. - we get it; you're still experimental!
Take Up They Stethoscope and Walk - sounds more like a jam session than a song but great name. I like the dissonant harmonies at the end and the abrupt stop.
Interstellar Overdrive - are people really listening to this on the regular? Or is it a one and done "such talent! On to something tuneful" type sitch?
The Gnome - ok now THIS is music (but in seriousness what a delight).
Chapter 24 - forgettable.
The Scarecrow - same.
Bike - saaaaaammmmeeee.
The Smiths
2/5
First two are grand - not a fan of the occasional like, yodelling? Like the start of the first one though. Good beat.
'Tis all very meandery and tuneless, isn't it?
Good beats though.
Except That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore, that song is really good.
The Smashing Pumpkins
2/5
I can tell this is good and was fun to listen through once, but 'cause I'm not a rock fan not many stood out particularly EXCEPT:
Today which is sweet.
Gorgeous guitar on Hummer.
Luna is lovely too.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Really good stuff - didn't expect them to have this hard a sound.
Alice Cooper
2/5
Fun but forgettable.
Didn't know he could be such straightforward rock.
Hello Hooray is my favourite.
I like the Bond sample in Unfinished Sweet.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Sunday Morning good is good, next one is alright. Femme Fatale I love.
Love how unsettling Venus in Furs is.
Love the energy in Run Run Run, and the ethereal nature of All Tomorrow's Parties. The tempo changes in Heroin are great.
Fun 50s sound on there There She Goes Again.
I'll Be Your Mirror is very cute.
Love how unsettling The Black Angel's Death Song is. Great lyrics too.
European Son - "You spit on those under 21"; "You want to make love to the scene" - iconic. Love the drumming change near the start. Too much filler after that.
Loved all but 2 of them! Surprised and delighted.
The Who
5/5
What a treat of an album. Stand outs:
Eyesight to the Blind - "You talk about your woman...you should see mine." - so good. Great song in general.
Christmas - Great concept (on a CONCEPT album, no less?!). Great lyrics. Textbook Who key changes.
Gorgeous harmonies in Cousin Kevin. Love the quintessential 60s ones on "You won't be much fun
Being blind, deaf and dumb
But I've no-one to play with today". The lyrics might render it a one-time listen, though.
Go To The Mirror! - just epic. Classic Who key changes too.
I'm Free - so good as we KNOW.
Love that they brought the 60s whimsy with Tommy's Holiday Camp.
End of We're Not Gonna Take it (See Me, Feel Me / Listening to You) is INCREDIBLE AS WE KNOW.
Ice Cube
3/5
Surprisingly enjoyable, even though it is NEARLY 80s rap.
Pantera
1/5
Absolutely no chance
Elton John
2/5
Nothing particularly stand out except Tiny Dancer, and Holiday Inn is good.
The White Stripes
4/5
Really good! Matched the hype!
Also forgot that I knew and liked more by them than Seven Nation Army (Black Math, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself).
Great lyrics:
"It's quite possible that I'm your third man, girl. But it's a fact that I'm the seventh son"
"Let's have a ball and a biscuit, sugar."
"The problems at hand are lighter than the problems at heart."
M.I.A.
3/5
Pretty good but quite samey.
Bamboo Banga and World Town are the best aside from Paper Planes.
The Prodigy
3/5
Famous ones are BANGERS, others are alright. Breathe and Fuel My Fire are good. Love the Who sample in Climbatize!
Dolly Parton
3/5
First one is very sweet.
Really cool bass on Traveling Man and love the TWIST. "That travelling man was a two-time lover, took my love and he took my mother!" - excellent.
The rest are too country (go figure) except Early Morning Breeze which has a really cool unusual tune and great bass.
The non-country parts of The Way I See You are great.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Real meandery, most of it? I can tell that some of it is good but it still did nothing for me.
Deep Purple
4/5
Exceptional guitar as we'd EXPECT, especially on Highway Star. Only song I didn't like was the ballad at the end which is pretty dull.
Great to hear more by them than the of course excellent Smoke on the Water.
Love Pictures of Home. Great harmonies.
Great instrumentation throughout Lazy (disproving its title amirite).
Love the syncopation on Space Truckin'.
Elvis Presley
1/5
My goodness he's always left me cold and this album has done nothing to change that. Such an annoying voice.
What an EARTH is going on with the goofy singing on One-Sided Love Affair specifically? Insufferable.
Tutti Frutti is alright because of the nostalgia for Brave Little Toaster it evokes.
Did really like Blue Moon - Take 9/M though. Really cool and psychedelic/modern-sounding? Had only heard the Chromatics cover before and liked it a lot/thought I'd massively prefer it but here we are liking original.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Not my thing, but Down to You is lovely; very 90s-film-soundtrack sounding.
Love the jazzy number at the end though! Very unexpected from her.
The Pogues
3/5
More fun than I'd expected!
Prince
4/5
Liked it a lot more than I expected; didn't know he had such cute ones sound-wise?! LOVE the acknowledgement of female masturbation in Darling Nikki; very cool for the mid-80s!
Purple Rain is the weakest song so its fame is inexplicable.
Kate Bush
5/5
Running Up That Hill is transcendent,
unfortunately don't like Hounds Of Love itself,
do like The Big Sky,
love how eerie ad mournful Mother Stands For Comfort is, musically.
'And Dream of Sheep' is heartbreaking.
Didn't think much of Under Ice; I could see it was trying to be spooky but it wasn't effective the way Mother Stands For Comfort is.
Cloudbusting is pretty good. I like the violins and the choir element at the end.
JUMPSCARE at the start of Waking The Witch! LOVE the atmospheric and experimental start; wish that had continued throughout.
Watching You Without Me is SO mournful and so good.
Not a fan of Jig of Life but did like the Irish trad element.
Hello Earth is ok.
The Morning Fog is ok too, but quite an anticlimactic end to the album; I would have had Cloudbusting here as a hopeful ending.
Klaxons
2/5
Not really my thing but I liked:
Atlantis To Interzone
Gravity's Rainbow - like the drumming and keyboard in this
Cream
2/5
Sunshine Of Your Love is actually more dull than I remembered.
Cool harmonies on World of Pain.
Blue Condition is SO dull!
Outside Woman Blues is good.
Great guitar throughout of course, but fairly sleep tunes-wise? Nothing to get excited about.
P.S. Spoke too soon! The unexpected delight of Mother's Lament! Highlights include:
the obscenely English accents throughout.
"an skeleton"
the unhinged harmony on "repliiieeeeeeed"
the Gilbert and Sullivan style harmony on the second "in a jug"; priceless
I should have known there'd be a whimsy track considering the genre and decade, and just like with The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, it's my favourite on the album. Clearly psychedelic rock is not for me. I need a mixtape of whimsy tracks only from the genre. Whack The Laughing Gnome on there.
Nirvana
3/5
Smells Like Teen Spirit is of course great
In Bloom I found dull
I like the riff in Come As You Are and the weird tune of the chorus (similar to the odd tune at the beginning of Lithium)
Breed is pretty fun
Same with Lithium
Polly is ok
Territorial Pissings is pretty cringe
Drain You is ok. The start of it matches the start of Teen Spirit -
I notice a lot of the songs have a similar tune, or pattern?
Lounge Act - pretty fun
Stay Away - this is my favourite after Teen Spirit
Love the honesty of On A Plain - pretty good song in general.
Really like Something In The Way - love the one-note harmony.
Endless, Nameless - oh no; my least favourite style of 'singing'. Oh wait nice riff after the initial horror. No wait back to the travesty after that. Oh wait nice guitar after that. And back to the cool riff. But now the horrors are back. We knew they would be. Discordant cacophony at 2.30 is cool though.
Ok sweet everything from 2.30 onwards is great. I just need an entirely instrumental version of this track. Great ending to the album, though.
Frank Zappa
2/5
Peaches En Regalia - great name, and love the funky start, leading into a cute riff, a TV game show (or 90s Sonic game) sounding jingle, then back to funk. SO good.
Willie The Pimp - hate the singing but love the guitar.
Son Of Mr. Green Genes - not for me.
Little Umbrellas - nor this.
The Gumbo Variations - nor this. It gets particularly nightmarishly dial-up tone sounding towards the end.
It Must Be A Camel - man, I hate this too. And after such a promising start to the album!
Taylor Swift
1/5
Before I knew what I know about her I loved this album.
Ute Lemper
1/5
First two are fairly meandery. Not a fan of her voice.
LOVE the continuous unexpected chords on 'used to LIVE' in Die Dreigroschenoper.
I like the accordion on The Part You Throw Away.
You Were Meant For Me is the best one. It has an epic scale.
Actually a tortuous experience sitting through Scope J.
Blondie
2/5
Didn't know the first one! Very fun.
Forgot the mad way she sings the chorus of One Way Or Another. Also very fun.
Great guitar solo halfway through Picture This - otherwise fairly BASIC.
Rest are fairly forgettable, till Will Anything Happen which is pretty good - love the key changes, switching moods and tempos.
Sunday Girl and Heart of Glass always excellent.
Last two are forgettable (I'm Gonna Love You Too is so ditzy haha) but I like some of the Lyrics of Just Go Away: "You got a big mouth and I'm happy to see - Your foot is firmly entrenched where a molar should be"
"Don't be mad or lose your medicaid cool"
"Don't go away sad - Don't go away mad - Just go away"
Jane's Addiction
1/5
Up the Beach is pretty good. Atmospheric.
Ocean Size is ridiculous but unexpectedly enjoyable.
Had a Dad is fairly dull.
"Ted, Just Admit It..." I'm seeing a trend emerge - they're pretty dull? Which is impressive to achieve when they've so much going on.
Could not finish this album.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Oh What A World - What a strong start to the album! Such a cool sample choice too
I Don't Know What It Is - very epic feel to this
Vicious World - not bad. I like "didn't realise you were so top of the shelf"
Movies Of Myself - not bad
Pretty Things - very sweetly sad
Go Or Go Ahead - quite a Muse sound on this one
Vibrate - love the classical music backing
14th Street - sort of Julian Casablancas sound on this
Natasha - very pretty
Harvester Of Hearts - not bad, quite wistful (hilarious little laugh at the end)
Beautiful Child - not bad
Want, 1:11, and Dinner At Eight - all made for a dull end to the album, unfortunately
Roxy Music
2/5
An album so incredibly mediocre that it's almost noteworthy again.
There's a range of styles so some songs should manage to stand out...and yet.
Cool guitar solos on Out Of The Blue and Prairie Rose, though.
R.E.M.
2/5
I expected them to be more of my thing than THIS. I knew they were goofy but didn't expect mediocrity too.
Joy Division
2/5
Some of the tunes are alright pity about the SINGING.
Why did they let him away with being so off key? Is it supposed to add charm? It does not add charm.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Very good listen. Nothing particularly standout besides the title track, but an overall pleasing groove and some sexy ones too.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Love his voice and displays of vulnerability.
STAND OUTS:
Ballad Of Big Nothing
Between The Bars - SO good
Pictures Of Me
Angeles
Say Yes
The Beta Band
2/5
Favourite is Rhododendron aka the wordless one.
Just not about the meandery sleepy nature of their sound. It's pleasant, but forgettable stuff.
Beatles
5/5
ANOTHER BEATLES ONE YESSSSSS
Love the weird harmonies in Drive My Car.
Always found Norwegian Wood to be boring.
Love You Won't See Me - always thought the singing was sexy on it
Gorgeous harmonies and lyrics in Nowhere Man.
Think For Yourself - cool discordant harmonies and must always shout out "I won't be THURRRRR with you" - great guitar also. Never heard the fluctuation in note on the final 'you' before the song ends so that was a nice find.
More discordance on The Word! Love that that's a theme throughout this album.
Always found Michelle pretty boring too. Like the chord progression of the spooky bit aka "I will say the only words I know that you'll understand"
What Goes On - like yes it's goofy but again, great harmonies. Never noticed before that there's a country sound to this one.
Girl - fairly nice - again, love the spooky bits' chord progression and the instrumental bit.
Looking Through You - I mean excellent lyrics. What a song.
In My Life - so insanely good and so mature and reflective for a 25 year old.
Wait - more fun discordance!
If I Needed Someone - YET MORE fun discordance!!
Run For Your Life - I mean horrifying lyrics but what a SONG (also hey discordance)
Talking Heads
4/5
Prefer this one to Talking Heads 77.
Born Under Punches and Crosseyed and Painless are both pretty good.
The Great Curve and Once in a Lifetime (love the effect halfway in - "the MOVE-the MOVE-") are excellent.
I like that Houses in Motion starts out like an 80s rap song and is wonderfully weird throughout.
Love the weirdness of Seen and Not Seen and Listening Wind.
Only song I didn't like was The Overload which was a pity considering it's the closer.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Love's In Need Of Love Today didn't do anything for me.
Love the Sonic sounding guitar in the background of Have A Talk With God.
Love the classical sound on Village Ghetto Land.
Insane instrumentation on Contusion. Incredible.
Sir Duke - first one I recognised. Hadn't noticed the little laugh at 1:10 - love it - reminds me of the ad libs in rap songs; "Ha-HA!"
I Wish - I remember this! 'Tis fun.
Knocks Me Off My Feet - Love the lyric "I don't want to bore you with it, but I love you" but not for me otherwise.
Pastime Paradise - great to hear the original hook. Great song; love the violin bringing back the classical sound heard on Village Ghetto Land.
Summer Soft is not for me either - don't like his slower/sweeter ones it seems. Love the lyric "You've been fooled by April" though, and the trademark changing the key consistently throughout the chorus.
Ordinary Pain - too repetitive.
Isn't She Lovely - Never heard the baby crying soundscape version...not a fan but I get why it's there. But GREAT song otherwise as we know. Will be sticking with the radio version!
Joy Inside My Tears - Dull.
Black Man - Pretty dull musically, except I love the finger picking effect and groove of the instrumental bit towards the end.
Ngiculeila and If It's Magic are pretty dull.
As - Pretty dull too, except the tune the choir repeats is cool - love the last note especially.
Another Star, Saturn, and Ebony Eyes, All Day Sucker, Easy Goin' Evening - Same with these.
Slayer
1/5
I just find this type of rage so fake and pantomime? Laughable. Survived half of the first song and knew I'd heard enough.
As usual in metal, excellent guitar work; shame about the vocals.
Boston
4/5
More Than A Feeling is great and always makes me nostalgic for Scrubs.
Didn't expect to like more of them, but Peace of Mind is good too! And Foreplay / Long Time is really cool before the singing comes in; too repetitive.
Rock & Roll Band is pretty dull but nice harmonies on the chorus.
Smokin' is fun.
Hitch a Ride - like it a lot, particularly the harmonies and drumming.
Something About You is a lot of fun - love the ethereal start and the call and response element; great harmonies as always.
Let Me Take You Home Tonight is sweet.
Dire Straits
2/5
Down To The Waterline - alright but kind of just a less good Sultans of Swing. Excellent final chord though.
Water Of Love - first few bars reminded me of America from West Side Story. Rest is boring unfortunately.
Setting Me Up - veers too much into country for me.
Six Blade Knife - fairly dull.
Southbound Again - same.
Sultans of Swing - absolutely excellent as we know; highlight being the insane guitar at the end.
In The Gallery - great groove to this one.
Wild West End - not great but love "pink toenails and hands all dirty with money".
Lions - dull.
The Doors
2/5
Roadhouse Blues - alright but prefer the hardness of Waiting for the Sun.
You Make Me Real - too rock and roll for me.
Peace Frog - great solos.
Blue Sunday - sweet croony one.
Ship of Fools - alright - cool timings in the solo.
Land Ho! - Boring and YIKES on the lyrics (thought I can't say much considering I like the Beatles' Run For Your Life).
The Spy - Man I just cannot enjoy blues ever.
Queen of the Highway - dull.
Indian Summer - tune and words are simple but the foreboding instrumentation in the background is reminiscent of The End which I like.
Maggie M'Gill - pretty repetitive, and a flat end to the album. Would have preferred Indian Summer here.
Interesting the mix of genres on this album though.
Flamin' Groovies
1/5
Pretty dull, and I don't like his affected voice. Sounds like he's trying to be Mick Jagger.
Michael Jackson
1/5
I meannnnnnnnn...
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Fight Test is really nice.
One More Robot - not bad; fairly dull but atmospheric ending.
Yoshimi Battles Pt 1 - cute.
Yoshimi Battles Pt 2 - I mean, 'tis not a song. But I'm sure they had fun.
In the Morning of the Magicians - cute.
Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell - cute and WHAT a great song name.
Are You a Hypnotist - I like the drumming, and the key changes in the chorus.
It's Summertime - positively ponderous!
Do You Realize?? - adorable.
All We Have Is Now - I like the lyrics.
Approaching Pavonis Mons - not bad.
Bobby Womack
2/5
Far too 'easy listening' for me.
Neu!
2/5
Very atmospheric. Wanted to like it...and yet.
The Cure
2/5
They're just so DULL.
Three, The Final Sound and A Forest were cool though. Aka the ones where he is not/barely singing.
In fact the sound in general in the ones after those are good - it would have made a good atmospheric like trance album.
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
EXCELLENT ambience. Love the futuristic sound, different tones, and the use of panning in Part 5.
Ray Price
1/5
Both blues and country? No can do.
Loved the whimsy of the first song, though, having him introduce the album in his sort of transatlantic and affected speaking style.
Janet Jackson
2/5
I want to love it, but it's all just too samey. The first one is the best but I'm also biased because of its featuring in Moulin Rouge.
Livin' In A World (They Didn't Make), Alright and Interlude: No Acid are stand outs.
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
Just ain't for me.
Brian Eno
4/5
Hypnotic, and vaguely sinister after the first one which i enjoyed. Really transportive overall. Liked the first one the least, which is gratifying as he wrote the rest entirely himself so clearly it's his style I'm after.
The Pretty Things
3/5
Really enjoyable, particularly:
Balloon Burning - great riff
Death - eerie
Trust - echoes of the Beatles
Defecting Grey - love the different sounds in this, like three songs at once. Dreamy intro, echoes of the Rolling Stones in the middle, and the quintessential psychedelic rock album whimsy song interspersed throughout.
Mr. Evasion - echoes of the Beatles again
Walking Through My Dreams - "I never worry 'cause I never get the time" - so good. Great harmonies before and during the fade out. Great end to the album too, which has proven unusual for albums on this list!
Johnny Cash
4/5
Folsom Prison Blues - dying at the cheer after "just to watch him die"
Dark as the Dungeon - obsessed with the lil giggle and ad libbing in the middle - and the swearing at the end - "how's that grab ya, Bob?..."
I Still Miss Someone - "...they'll probably take that word out of it." SO GOOD. Also very cute song.
25 Minutes to Go - the voice acting yodelling is wild on this - "here I gOOOoooOOoooOOoooo" - also "harmoniKIE" love it.
Wild how welcome all this literal gallows humour was in a prison.
The Long Black Veil - "I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife...*giggle* did I hear somebody applaud?"
Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart - hilarious lyrics.
Jackson - probably the first one I recognised. Really good.
Public Enemy
2/5
Some groovy backgrounds but just cannot enjoy the 80s rap style; too goofy.
Johnny Cash
3/5
An enjoyable listen, but didn't feel like the covers particularly added anything new to each song, except for Hurt (but his version was the first I heard so I'm biased there) and In My Life was good.
Randy Newman
3/5
Very sweet, particularly Old Man.
Love the jazzy nature of Lonely at the Top and Last Night I Had a Dream - the latter reminded me of Hadestown.
Love the piano riff on Memo To My Son. A Bob Dylan feel to both his voice and the music itself.
God's Song is very Hadestown too.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Normally the blues always leaves me cold, but this was enjoyable somehow. Maybe because it was inoffensive background music to journalling.
Pixies
3/5
Very enjoyable - nothing crazy stand out it seemed on first listen, but definitely deserves another listen through with full attention to pick them out. I did love the sweetness of Havalina.
Pavement
1/5
The off-key singing is very not my thing. Unbearable.
Liked the riff in 'In the Mouth A Desert' but then gave up.
Van Halen
3/5
Love how the title track sounds so like Jean-Michel Jarre. Jump is of course great. The rest were pretty fun.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Stand! is great
Next one has incredible riffs, especially the guitar solo at the end
All of the songs are really enjoyable!
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Cinnamon Girl is good
Title track is cute
Love the wistful harmonies on Round & Round
Down by the River and The Losing End are dull
Love the freaky violin on Running Dry
Cowgirl in the Sand isn't bad - nice harmonies
Daft Punk
3/5
Very good.
Hadn't noticed how good the base line is in Around the World.
Love:
Da Funk
Rollin' & Scratchin'
Rock'n Roll
Indo Silver Club
Funkadelic
2/5
Title track is gorgeous.
The rest of them aren't my thing.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
2/5
Not my type of thing. She has an incredible voice though, especially on Summertime.
Quit after Turtle Blues which was good, but...blues.
CHIC
1/5
Couldn't finish any. Just don't like disco.
N.W.A.
3/5
Title track:
"Yo, weekly, monthly and yearly / Until them dumb motherfuckers see clearly" - obsessed.
Good start that gives me hope that sometimes 80s rap can actually sound hard.
Fuck Tha Police: "I'm a TEEN-A-ger!" Love the Twilight Zone riff at the end too.
Gangsta Gangsta: Love the timing of the first rapped couplet. Also - "We wanna fuck you Eazy!" "I wanna fuck you too!"
If It Ain't Ruff - love the timings in this one, but the way this is shoehorned in is hilarious:
"With the hype of a nine volt BATTERY / And the odds for me to conquer is AVERAGELY good"
Parental Discretion Iz Advised: Obsessed with the "SHUT THE FUCK UPPPPPP!" at the end. Reminded me of the Beatles' "I GOT BLISTAS ON MY FINGAS!"
Liked recognising the samples in 8 Ball - Remix and Express Yourself
Lyrics for I Ain't Tha 1 are fucked but hilarious and yet another representation of how incongruous heterosexuality can be...like...y'all don't even LIKE eachother. Highlight: "You shouldn't be, so damn material /
And try to milk Ice Cube like cereal"
LOVE the funk on Something 2 Dance 2. Sounds like a Sonic game.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Heard this for the first time last year and loved it (surprising myself, considering how much I don't like prog), but delighted to have it come up so I can do a thorough review.
Love the audio panning and song phasing throughout.
Speak to Me - LOVE the build, the panning, the unsettling dialogue and laughs, the screaming - incredible start.
Breathe (In the Air) - the type of dreamy prog I can get behind. Reminds me of Comfortably Numb/ same sort of transcendent feel.
On the Run - obsessed with the futuristic and frenetic sound. Feels like an intense sci-fi video game.
Time - love the straightforward rock coming in after an atmospheric start, and how the song then gets dreamy again before the guitar solo.
The Great Gig in the Sky - love the dialogue over dreamy piano at the start, and the guitar slide the same as Comfortably Numb. Tremendous vocalising. Love the transition from a hard to soft sound.
Money - classic - love the time signature - cool to have a straightforward song on such an experimental album, but then the dreamy fade out blends it in to the cohesive whole in a great way.
Us and Them - gorgeous riff when the guitar comes in, then the unexpected minor chord is a cool throw-off. Feel like the fade out would have been new at the time? Love the unexpected harmony on "who is who" and "round and round".
Any Colour You Like - this is the weakest one on the album for me - the sort of dreamy prog I switch off on.
Brain Damage - "The lunatic is on the grass" - incredible opening line. Love the little guitar squeals responding to each line. Also love to see an album title featured in a song! Eek - the laugh in the second verse gave me a heart attack.
Eclipse - A Jean-Michel Jarre sound to the instrumental at the start - great sense of building on the previous track, and bringing in similar vocalisation to The Great Gig in the Sky, making a really satisfying end to the album. The final sung words to, rounding off the theme. And then the Irish accent of the doorman! Perfect.
Dion
2/5
It's alright, but I couldn't finish the album - too wishy washy a sound.
Janis Joplin
3/5
The repeated "c'mon" in Cry Baby made me think of the film 'C'mon C'mon' which was a nice association.
Love the solo in Buried Alive in the Blues (title describes my nightmare though haha)
Loved hearing Mercedes Benz here - had only heard it covered. Great song, and love the talking intro. Obsessed with her 'everybody join in!' invitation and no voices coming in.
Enjoyable listen? Clearly very good stuff; not my style of music so wouldn't be revisiting though.
The Cure
2/5
One Hundred Years isn't bad; reminds me of The Killers.
The rest is all quite samey and overdramatic, except for The Figurehead which is pretty good.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
2/5
Mad talented but not for me
Portishead
3/5
Good spooky dreamy album.
Recognised Sour Times (it's good), but I think I've only heard a cover of it.
CHIC
2/5
It's a pleasant listen, but I'm just not a disco queen.
Great bass on I Want Your Love.
Tina Turner
4/5
Very enjoyable.
Felt conflicted about how much I liked her Help! cover, but it really sounds like one of her own in this arrangement.
I recognised and liked a few famous ones. No duds on the original version of the album, but found those on the 30th Anniversary edition (the only one I had access to) to be dull, aka the rock 'n roll ones:
Rock 'n Roll Widow and Don't Rush the Good Things A stand out song from that edition, though, was I Wrote A Letter. One of the best on the album.
Magazine
2/5
An inoffensive listen but all very samey.
Gave up after Recoil so actually not as bearable as I thought.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Title track is kind of cool? But not enough variance to justify its 22 min length. Adorable bit when the harmonies kick in at around 16 mins in though.
Kometenmelodie 1 was okay. Prefer the energy and variance in Kometenmelodie 2 which really made me think of Jean-Michel Jarre.
Love the spooks of Mitternacht.
Morgenspaziergang is sweet.
Radiohead
3/5
Obsessed with the first song's title alone, but really cool song too.
Pyramid Song is great.
Didn't like Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors.
You And Whose Army? is alright.
I Might Be Wrong - cool riff to this one.
Cool unexpected chord progressions in Knives Out.
Morning Bell/Amnesia - love the unexpected major chords breaking up the minor ones.
Dollars and Cents - reminded me a bit of Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant, but in general I found it more unsettling than enjoyable - instead of being both.
Hunting Bears - nondescript enough.
Like Spinning Plates - same.
Life In a Glasshouse - love the old-timey drum and brass in it - reminded me of the unexpected old-fashioned sweetness of 'Good Night' from the White Album. No a fan of the song itself though.
Tom Waits
2/5
Emotional Weather Report is so smart - love his little laugh at the end of 'emotional situation' a bout a minute in.
Fun lyrics on this album in general, but nothing stands out musically, so I preferred the 'intro' tracks.
Gave up a few tracks in, as I can just read the lyrics without listening to nondescript music alongside!
Miriam Makeba
5/5
What a treat.
Love Suliram and Lakutshon' Ilanga in particular; love the electric guitar on the latter and Where Does it Lead.
Love the words of The Naughty Little Flea.
Obsessed with Charles Colman cackling all over One More Dance. Hilarious song.
Gorgeous soothing album overall (though I was absolutely jumpscared by the end of Nomeva and Saduva)
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Love the rap and funk in If You Have to Ask.
Found the rest bizarrely boring - sounded busy, and like they should be interesting, but just weren't? His affected voice doesn't help. It's cooler on the rap ones, like Mellowship Slinky in B Major which was good.
Give It Away is of course fun, and I really liked the title track.
Really liked the ping ponging voices in The Greeting Song chorus.
Joe Ely
1/5
Cheesyyyy chord ending Cornbread Moon!
Couldn't continue with the rest after two bars of 'Because of the Wind' - just so not my thing.
Tom Waits
4/5
Nice mix of moods.
I particularly like:
16 Shells From A 30.6
Town With No Cheer
Another Sucker On The Vine (sounds like Studio Ghibli music)
Soldier's Things
I tend to like the words of the jaunty ones but they're not great musically, so prefer his wistful stuff overall.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Most Anything You Want - boring
Flowers and Beads - same, except for the unexpected sweetness of the last 40 seconds or so.
The next three are all very samey! Nothing of note either, except there are some vague Jethro Tull elements, especially on the solo bits and beat changes in Are You Happy, so that was cool.
Title track is really great, so the masses were right on that one. Will bump it from 2 to 3 stars for that alone.
Radiohead
3/5
Everything In Its Right Place: STRONG start! What a song.
Title track's pretty dull.
The National Anthem: Kind of cool? Like the rock elements, but bit too busy and dissonant towards the end.
How to Disappear Completely: Not great but gorgeous key change at 4:55.
Treefingers: Enjoyable ambience that reminds me of Eno.
Optimistic: Pretty good. The start reminds me of Lana Del Rey's Heroin.
Idioteque: This and 15 Step were the first songs I knew by them; love 'em. Love how this blends into the next song.
Morning Bell: Love the key changes on 'release me'.
Motion Picture Soundtrack: Very sweet tune.
Untitled: Kind of sounds like a slow version of a computer start up tune. Pretty but not a great album ender.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
Phaedra is good, unsettling.
I liked the calming balance then brought in by Mysterious Semblance At the Strand Of Nightmares
Movements Of A Visionary is good
Sequent 'C' is positively meditative. The tune of the second half sounds like the fireside song in the Narnia film.
2nd Day was fairly dull.
Flute Organ Piece was ok, but pretty dull too.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Burn It Down - So bizarre hearing him swear as such a whimsical singer. Song is alright.
Tell Me When My Light Turns Green - ok.
The Teams That Meet in Caffs - this one is good. Love that they have an instrumental track. Slight sound of Madness on it.
I'm Just Looking - his voice does not at all suit this type of song (also hate the whispering at the start); he should not try for sexy!
Geno is alright.
The rest are dull except Love, Pt. 1 (Poem) - cool to have spoken word on it. That and the instrumental song are the only stand outs.
Jimmy Smith
1/5
Couldn't finish it - jazz just ain't my thing.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Nothing standout (aside from Agent Orange and Stjarna which are really cool instrumentals) but a really enjoyable overall listen (except for Pimpf which spooked me and wasn't good enough to make that ok).
Tortoise
2/5
Djed - Cool progression from atmospheric to active. I like the keyboard tone too.
Glass Museum - Same on this one! Also a distinct 90s sound to the second half of it.
A Survey - dull
The Taut and Tame - pretty fun in a hectic way.
Dear Grandma and Grandpa - fairly dull.
Along the Banks of Rivers - fairly dull - disappointing end to the album.
The Sugarcubes
3/5
Traitor - pretty cool. I like the backing vocals.
Motorcrash - pretty nondescript.
Birthday - her voice is unreal on this - love the journey from soft to growl to falsetto. Sounds like a mix between The Corrs and The Cranberries. Very sweet tune.
Delicious Demon - love this one. Adorable giggle in the middle.
The rest are so-so.
Earth, Wind & Fire
1/5
Couldn't finish. So not my thing.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
Nothing stand out aside from the classics Teach Your Children and Our House, except I'm OBSESSED that he says "I feel like letting my freak flag fly" in Almost Cut My Hair; I did NOT know that phrase was that old.
Actually just got to the title track and it's VERY cool. Slight Jethro Tull sound.
4 + 20 is pretty cool too - dark country sound.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
Nothing particularly standout, just a pleasant listen.
A História De Jorge is the best one.
Garbage
3/5
Didn't think it was my thing at the start; Supervixen and Queer did nothing for me, but I liked it the more I listened.
I liked the tune and harmonies in the 'pour my misery down' middle bit of Only Happy When It Rains.
Cool intro to As Heaven Is Wide also.
Sweet tune to the verses of Not My Idea.
Vague Twin Peaks sound to riff in A Stroke of Luck. Pretty good.
Vow, Stupid Girl, and Dog New Tricks are fun.
My Lover's Box is pretty dull.
Sweet tune to the chorus of Fix Me Now.
Milk is pretty dull too - yet AGAIN a disappointment album-ender!
Sheryl Crow
1/5
Not my thing but Strong Enough has a sweet tune.
Quit after that one.
Def Leppard
3/5
Photograph has a good tune, particularly in the chorus.
The rest all sound the same for the most part, but good solo closing out Die Hard The Hunter.
Comin' Under Fire is sexy.
Cool start and end to Billy's Got A Gun.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
2/5
Pretty dull for the most part but Things Goin' On is fun and Free Bird is good of course.
Louis Prima
2/5
Love him descending into jovial hysteria on Just A Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody.
'Tis all nice and jovial but quite samey.
Steve Winwood
2/5
While You See A Chance - LOVED the instrumental at the start before it descended into quite a generic song.
Second-Hand Woman would have been so good with a different tune and singer; the backing is amazing. SAVAGE title, though.
Incredibly dull songs overall, tune wise, but some cool backings that just about scraped 2 stars for this album.
Aerosmith
1/5
I meannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Michael Jackson
1/5
I meannnnnnnnn...(part 2)
The Who
4/5
SUCH a cool idea for an album.
Tattoo is cool - part of the tune reminiscent of Must to Avoid.
Our Love Was - great chord changes.
Heinz Baked Beans - wins for sheer hilarity.
I Can See For Miles - always incredible. Didn't know it was on this album. Amazing chord changes.
I Can't Reach You - gorgeous chorus.
Sepultura
1/5
Not a chance.
Goldie
1/5
So my thing genre-wise, but just couldn't connect with this one - gave up fairly quick.
AC/DC
3/5
Title track is always fun.
Girls Got Rhythm is not bad but his terrible voice was distracting. It sounds like he's trying to sound hard but not quite getting it? Same on Walk All Over You.
The rest of the songs are fun - nothing crazy standout.
Sidenote - had NO idea they were from Australia so that blew my mind!
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
ANOTHER album by them?!
...but why.
Nothing standout except their classic but what did we EXPECT.
Gave up after I'll Show You
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Nice voice (of course) but all very samey tunes-wise.
Pixies
1/5
Gratingggggg - except for Where Is My Mind? which is good, of course.
Mercury Rev
3/5
The tunes are cool, really dreamy atmospheric ambience too. Really don't like their voices though which does ruin things slightly. Nothing standout either, except maybe The Funny Bird (in part because of how distorted his voice thankfully is...). Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp is good too.
Morrissey
4/5
Unexpectedly sweet, earnest, and tuneful, with thoughtful lyrics.
Let Me Kiss You is one of the best, and the guitar there reminds me of that in My Favourite Game (as does the guitar in I Like You).
The Beach Boys
4/5
Lot of lovely slow ones I hadn't heard before:
Please Let Me Wonder
I'm So Young
Kiss Me, Baby
She Knows Me Too Well
LOVED the BTS insight in the final track! Such a cool thing to include
Arcade Fire
1/5
Just very dull! Couldn't finish.
Anita Baker
3/5
Enjoyable easy listening, but nothing very standout.
Big Star
3/5
Not a fan of the first few. They'd be a lot better if he was singing an octave down so he didn't sound so reedy and straining.
Was enjoying their version of Femme Fatale until the RIDICULOUS voice came in for the chorus' call and response! Insane!
The slow sad ones are nice though, especially Blue Moon.
Really like their version of Nature Boy, especially with hearing the crutch fall, hearing him try not to laugh, and then explain what happened at the end. Definitely my favourite version of the song; very similar to the singing style used for it in Moulin Rouge.
The Who
5/5
Baba O'Reilly is my favourite song of all time so delighted this was today's listen.
My Wife is the weakest song - everything else is gold.
Loved the reminder of how good the last couple minutes of 'The Song is Over' are.
Hadn't remembered how good Getting In Tune is too. Love: "I'm singing this note 'cause it fits in well with the chords I'm playing,
I can't pretend there's any meaning hidden in the things I'm saying,
But I'm in tune"
Hadn't noticed the 'beep beep' in Going Mobile; adorable.
Also a (seemingly) rare example of an EXCELLENT album closing song.
Sam Cooke
3/5
Great showman - not my style musically, but very fun hearing the relationship between performer and audience on Medley.
Can't deny the talent also, and great voice, so 3 stars it is!
Elvis Presley
1/5
I just know I won't survive listening through another Presley album.
Suspicious Minds is good, of course.
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
Not bad but nothing exciting.
Ray Charles
2/5
Pleasant but very samey both musically and lyrically. Nice to hear several really famous ones with different arrangements though.
Jane Weaver
3/5
One of those 'I can tell this is cool but it's not for me' situations - really love the Sonic sound to Slow Motion though; so that intro in particular is great.
The Architect has a really cool sound too, so if both that and Slow Motion were reworked as instrumentals I'd be all about them.
Same with The Lightning Back!
Argh why does the main tune have to be so uninteresting on them.
I Wish is pretty good all round though.
I was trying to place what she reminded me of - she has a similar sound to Metric.
Second half of the album brought this up to 3 stars for me.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
Was very confused to see how old this band is and learn they started in Dublin, till I remembered that I had yet again confused them with Bullet for My Valentine...
I tried but it's SO not my thing - mumbly, uninteresting tunes, out-of-tune singing, heavy but sleepy at the same time (so an uninteresting middle). Quite liked the 'ooh' bits of Lose My Breath which are sweet with nice chord changes but that was all I liked on the whole album so...not great.
Survived to the end of 'Several Girls Galore' but then gave up.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Incredible, start to finish. Ethereal sound.
Knew a lot of them but For Emily, Wherever I May Find her was a gorgeous find.
Aphex Twin
4/5
SO good - nearly 5 stars, but the first few weren't too exciting - second half was back-to-back excellent though.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
The cursive singing is hard to take and the tunes of the first three are uninteresting, but if you focus on the pretty instrumentals it's nice.
Only Skin is pretty good, in parts. The end with the other singer reminded me of Hadestown. I like "I love you truly or I love no one".
Cosmia - cool name and the most cohesive tune-wise throughout. Liked it.
Common
4/5
Time Travelin' - so good - LOVE the music stop-start device.
Every song is great - lyrics particularly good in:
The Light
The Questions
The 6th Sense
Love how much he mentions his daughter too.
Love the Hardy Boys mention in Payback Is A Grandmother and the storytelling style to that song. LOVE the phrase "with a quickness" too.
The last two are fairly dull, but other than that incredible all round.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Had no idea this band was so like warbly and operatic? Meat Loaf type situation. Can see too how System of a Down must have been influenced by them.
Pleasantly surprised as I assumed it would be a Metallica horror show all over again. This is so much fun.
Hallowed Be Thy Name - Really love how/where the drums kick in. Love the riff too. Definitely my favourite song of the album.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Very fun. Nothing absolutely blew me away, but good background music.
Jacques Brel
1/5
Just too dull for me
Duke Ellington
1/5
Just cannot care about jazz so gave up.
American Music Club
4/5
Very sweet and wistful.
Really liked 'Laughingstock', and the words to 'Lonely'.
Real Dire Straits sound to 'Blue and Grey Shirt'.
Love the Elliott Smith sound to 'Jenny'.
Love 'Western Sky' - gorgeous final notes/chords on 'crying' at the end.
Hard to pick out favourites because it's all cohesively a lovely mournful sound (except for 'Bad Liquor' which is the one I like the least).
'Last Harbor' - "Are you gonna be my last harbor?" is such a gorgeous line. Great end to the album.
2/5
Victoria is pretty good.
The next four are fairly dull - great last chord on Brainwashed though.
Australia is pretty good - quite a Julian Casablancas sound.
Mr. Churchill Says - not great but interesting having the air raid siren in it.
She's Bought a Hat is okay? Not their nonsense-best.
Young and Innocent Days is the best so far.
Final two aren't great - just all in all not a P A T C H on the Village Green Preservation Society!
Ray Charles
2/5
Incredible high note in 'It Had to Be You' that he then goes on to TOP.
Mostly pretty samey and dull though, like 'Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music' was.
Depeche Mode
3/5
World In My Eyes is pretty good.
Sweetest Perfection is fairly dull.
Personal Jesus is fun.
Halo is okay.
Waiting for the Night - I like the ambient intro and key changes.
Enjoy the Silence is a classic for a REASON.
Policy of Truth - alright.
Blue Dress - I like the way it runs into Clean. Both songs are okay.
Judas Priest
3/5
Surprised how enjoyable this is? Same shock as I felt about Iron Maiden. Turns out I like heavy metal as long as it's what was deemed heavy in the 70s (aka operatic and entertaining).
The chorus of Metal Gods is good.
Breaking the Law is fun.
"Grinder - looking for meat" - true of the app today amiRITE. (Fun song too.)
United is sweet.
Steeler - I like the relentless bridge.
David Crosby
2/5
Gorgeous chord (my favourite one) towards the end of Music Is Love.
All quite nice but a too uneventful. That was a LONG 37 minutes.
Woah hang on now - I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here is spooky ethereal! Great album-ender.
The White Stripes
2/5
Blue Orchid is fun.
LOVING the 'Under the Sea' sound off The Nurse.
My Doorbell and Forever For Her isn't bad.
Little Ghost is fun - I like their duet whimsical ones.
As Ugly As I Seem is good.
I'm Lonely is good - funny lyrics too.
The rest are alright.
3/5
Hot Dog - was this taken seriously at some point? 'Cause it's HILARIOUS now.
My Way is pretty good.
Rollin' - classic.
Livin' It Up - love what a 2000s time capsule this is, references-wise.
The One has a cool riff.
Take A Look Around - cool to hear the Mission Impossible sample. Not a bad song either.
It'll Be OK is quite good.
Rollin' with Redman etc I like even better than the original. "You can't mess with Limp Bizkit" (Why?)
"Because we get it on" (When?)
"Every day and every night" (Oh) - amazing.
Outro - "This is a phat beat. And I'm talking P.H. phat." Can't cope. "I like that you're so - fucking - out there - with your message." "No, I'm just saying -
the message of being able to slash someone's ass, that's a good message to put out there"
"So obviously, you really don't - you're not down with the Bizkit"
"No, no, I'm limpin' with the Bizkit!"
- best track BY. FAR.
I like the serious ones the best.
Youssou N'Dour
2/5
Very good but not my thing.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
Was drifting in and out of the room for Darklands and On the Wall but other than that steadfastly listened to the whole thing...with difficulty. Very dull, except for Nine Million Rainy Days and About You which are good.
Little Richard
3/5
Tutti Frutti transported me to the house cleaning scene in Brave Little Toaster
Cool to hear the original of Long Tall Sally
Liked Oh Why? and Rip it Up - "Got me a date, and I won't be late
Picked her up in my '88"
It's all very samey but it's all very fun
Coldplay
3/5
LOVE the key changes in Daylight's chorus. Very cool.
All quite good, nothing crazy standout.
John Prine
3/5
Great words, but it's fairly boring musically.
Pretty Good is jarringly modern sounding; voice reminds me The Mountain Goats. Cool to hear a rock guitar solo after all the country.
Your Flag Decal Won't Get You into Heaven Anymore - The words to this are particularly great.
Angel from Montgomery - cool timings in this.
Donald and Lydia - Bob Dylan was right; this IS a really cool concept for the time.
Television
1/5
Just could not do it
Boards of Canada
3/5
I like the eeriness of The Color of The Fire and Telephasic Workshop.
I like the wistfulness of Turquoise Hexagon Sun.
Love the tune of Roygbiv and the dreamy nature of Happy Cycling.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
This was surprisingly lovely because it's much more expressive and emotional than the other jazz I've heard. Really liked Mandela and The Wedding in particular. Sameeda was the only one I didn't like. I enjoy discordance, but not this!
Burning Spear
3/5
Think this is my first reggae album to review.
Pretty nice, but nothing standout.
Beatles
5/5
Yesss! Second Beatles album of the list.
Back in the USSR: So FUN.
Dear Prudence: Love the faraway feel of this, incl. the effect on the voice making it sound like a phone call.
Glass Onion: Not bad - love the spooky strings at the end - sounds like a 50s horror film.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da: Reminds me of Castle Park. Sweet but too overplayed. (Always love the "ring!" and "sing!" ad libs though). The harmonies on "la la la la how the life goes on" are quite reggae which I'd never noticed before.
Honey Pie: Listen I have my limits, even with the Beatles.
Buffalo Bill: Fun - love the falsetto, and the way it ends so abruptly aka crashes into the next song.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps: Incredible. Sounds like a mellow but vaguely ominous drug trip.
Happiness Is A Warm Gun: The verse sounds bizarrely modern, like 2000s indie music - think Metric.
Martha My Dear: One of my favourites of theirs - sometimes sweet, sometimes ominous as it switches so quickly between minor and major chords - so many cool key changes too. Love the timings - so unusual. Love the strings. A masterpiece.
I'm So Tired: Nice - always wished it stayed with the dreamy nature of the start though.
Blackbird: Never liked this as much as the rest of the world. Hard to pinpoint why. Same whimsical tune as 'I Will' yet it doesn't impact me emotionally in the same way at all. I like the tune and harder sound of the "into the light of the dark black night" bit and the instrumental guitar that follows it (and the blackbird itself singing).
Piggies: So much fun. Love the harpsichord and Kinks-esque ironic tone to his voice.
Rocky Raccoon: Great - reminds me of Jack of Hearts in terms of western story-telling songs. Love when it speeds up suddenly and the honky tonk piano kicks in.
Don't Pass Me By: Don't remember this one - it is fairly forgettable, to be honest.
Why Don't We Do It In The Road: I mean what is there to say. At least they're having fun.
I WIll: One of my favourites. So sweet but such an unusual tune.
Julia: Sweet. Poignant guitar. Love the unexpected timing change kicking off the final refrains, and the odd final chord.
Birthday: CLASSIC. WE WHACK IT OUT FOR EVERY BIRTHDAY WE HAVE. Some Lyla-level relentless drumming!
Yer Blues: Don't remember this one either. It's fun, which is surprising as I usuall have no time for the blues. Love the timing on "girl you know the reason why" and the rhythm change that starts at about 2:10.
Mother Nature's Son: So incredible good. Wistful and sweet. Love the unexpected bluesy last line and unexpected ending chord.
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey: Fun.
Sexy Sadie: Cool tune.
Helter Skelter: Fun. Love the drumming leading in to the chorus. Forgot about the premature fade out before the end. "I'VE GOT BLISTAS ON MY FINGAS!" - classic ad lib.
Long, Long, Long: Gorgeous and dreamy.
Revolution 1: Very good.
Honey Pie: Love the 40s sound to this.
Savoy Truffle: Fun, especially the harmonies. Similar timing in parts to The Word.
Cry Baby Cry: Sweet. Didn't remember this one, ESPECIALLY the pivot in genre at the end! Very cool - would have liked a whole song in that style.
Revolution 9: I sat through this once on my quest to listen to every Beatles song released and once is enough.
Good Night: So sweet and old-fashioned. A great end to the album.
Sex Pistols
3/5
Better than I expected it to be.
No Feelings is pretty good (obviously would be improved by better singing or...actual singing...but I know that's not in the spirit of the thing).
Good guitar on God Save The Queen.
Same on Problems which is also pretty good.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
I liked the first two - sounded like music that'd be used in Professor Layton or Study Ghibli - the rest tended to be too jumpy/dissonant for me.
Love
3/5
I wish the singing was better on Andmoreagain cos it's a great tune.
Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale is really cool.
The 'track messing up' effect at the end of The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This is REALLY cool.
Pretty fun overall - most were quite filler-y/quaint sounding but still an enjoyable listen.
Public Enemy
5/5
Absolutely stellar throughout.
Great words on 'Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya, Man!' The title alone is great.
Love the cut off ending the last song.
Motörhead
2/5
Fun but very samey.
Best is of course Ace of Spades and also Overkill...which sounds exactly like Ace of Spades.
The Verve
2/5
Quite samey overall.
On Your Own: Sounds so quintessentially of its time
So It Goes: Cool time signature
A Northern Soul: Good in a relentless way
History: Very sweet (pity about his voice; the Oasis effect)
Life's An Ocean: Pretty cool instrumentation (pity about the voice again)
The War On Drugs
3/5
Love the long meandery and epic feel of 'Under The Pressure'
Such a classic sound! Genuinely thought they were a 70s band till I looked it up during Red Eyes (which I enjoyed a lot).
Suffering is SO good too.
Real nostalgic feel to all of them, but first three are definitely the best.
The Who
4/5
Can't get over how good they sound live.
STANDOUTS:
Heaven/Hell - amazing guitar and bass on this.
I Can't Explain - love hearing their thick accents speaking at the end of this.
Fortune Teller - fairly forgettable which is grand cos it's not theirs.
Tattoo - always amazing. Reminded again how it has a similar tune to 'A Must to Avoid' in parts. Living for the jokes at the end of it.
Young Man Blues - great guitar and bass again. Again love the jokes at the end.
My Generation - love the playing with timings on this and his growl. Love the slight melody change at the beginning at the start of See Me/Feel Me in the Medley part.
Alice In Chains
1/5
Always a bad sign when music that's so busy still manages to be so dull - couldn't survive past 'Rain When I Die'.
Sade
2/5
Very dull overall! And a particuarly meandery underwhelming end to it. Even Smooth Operator was more dull than I remembered.
Sister Sledge
2/5
Not bad - very easy listening though; nothing really standout.
The Bees
1/5
So dull - couldn't last past Binnel Bay.
The Undertones
3/5
Love the accent coming through. Very fun album.
Love the oddness of the riff in True Confessions - Keyboard Version in contrast to the rest of the album.
Great riff in I Know A Girl too.
Mars Bars is so funny - love the plate shattering sound.
The Saints
3/5
All very fun, but all SO samey like sooooo samey.
Liked the little laugh near the beginning of International Robots.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
I like the Western-score sound to Erdi, and the whole album in general.
Soya - The air of this sounds very much like a Hozier song; I assume he was inspired by this!
Very enjoyable - would have liked a more memorable last song but as we KNOW WITH THE ALBUMS ON THIS LIST that seems rare.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Title track is good.
The Gift - Love the talking storytelling aspect - EXCELLENT and hilarious lyrics too. The sympathetic "aww" after "She needed him, and he wasn't there" was amazing. Love the music behind panning throughout too.
The rest are not great, tune-wise. Though I did quite enjoy the instrumental bit 5 mins in to Sister Ray, especially when it harmonises at around 6.20.
Neil Young
3/5
Walk On - Nice; very easy-going and sort of nostalgic. I like "Some get stoned, others get strange".
See the Sky About to Rain - absolutely gorgeous - so sweet and wistful.
Revolution Blues is fun. I like the riff and the contemptuous way he sings "I'm a barrel of LA-AFFS"
On the Beach - pretty dull verses, but the instrumental bit is good.
Motion Pictures (For Carrie) - very sweet and wistful - love the harmonica.
Ambulance Blues - again, very sweet and wistful. Nice end to the album.
Aretha Franklin
2/5
So not my thing but liked some of the slow wistful ones.
Björk
4/5
Crying has a GREAT riff.
Venus As A Boy as a nice wistful element.
There's More To Life Than This - LOVE the party sounds fading out aspect and the seamless blend into the next song. Quite an 80s Madonna sound, same for Big Time Sensuality
Real Cranberries sound to One Day - very cool.
Aeroplane - love this one.
Love the intense words of Violently Happy.
Really good overall, though disappointing final song but what's NEW WITH THIS LIST.
Dagmar Krause
4/5
SO much fun. SO camp.
Loved the wistfulness of Failure in Loving and Und Endlich Stibt.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
The hiccupping yodelling thing is funny.
All very pleasant all very BASIC.
John Martyn
4/5
Wasn't sure on it, seemed to NEARLY be something I'd love but missed the mark somehow - too simple and sentimental in a James Taylor way, but then both Go Down Easy and Dreams By The Sea were GREAT. So was May You Never.
Love the wistful bits of The Man In the Station.
Really interesting instrument towards the end of 'The Easy Blues' - can't figure out what it is.
Love the faraway sound and echoing of the guitar in the live version of I'd Rather Be the Devil, "performed with heavy use of Martyn's Echoplex tape delay effect". Really exciting performance in general - didn't even recognise that it was the same song as earlier in the album.
So STELLAR second half, with a great ending song (WHO KNEW IT COULD BE DONE FOR THIS LIST; I NEARLY DIDN'T)
Finley Quaye
3/5
REALLY good - demoted to 4 stars only because there weren't any standouts (it was more of a good wash) except for:
Great bassline in 'The Way of the Explosive'
Loved 'Supreme | Preme' in general - reminded me of Moby
Grateful Dead
3/5
Pleasant enough, but I wish the singing was tighter - some wavering off key bits that took me out of the nice harmonies.
Nothing standout except Attics of My Life.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Not really my thing but Mote and Disappearer were good.
SAULT
2/5
Mostly too samey/easy listening, but these ones were good:
Bow
Black
Eternal Life
Monsters
Pray up Stay Up
Bob Marley & The Wailers
1/5
Justtttt can't do reggae that's this samey (lasted three songs)
Adam & The Ants
1/5
Just too snooze tunes-wise? Lasted three songs.
The Young Rascals
3/5
Pleasant but forgettable.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Pretty good! Liked the first three the best - the album is very my style, but not the best representation of it.
Black Sabbath
3/5
War Pigs is good
Paranoid is better
Love the trippy and relaxing sound to Planet Caravan - very unexpected for a metal band. "On 31 May 2020, "Planet Caravan" was used as wake-up music for the crew of a SpaceX Crew Dragon before the craft's launch later that day."
Iron Man is ok
Electric Funeral is also just ok - did think the words were 'radiation might be gay' first which was interesting to try to dissect before I looked them up!
Hand of Doom - dull
Rat Salad - very good, and really cool to have an-all instrumental track. Love the interplay between the guitar and drumming from 0:35-0:57 especially.
Jack the Stripper - excellent name, first off. Great instrumental start, and really good in general. A good ending to the album! Who knew it was possible!
4/5
Title track - can't go WRONG.
A Little Help From My Friends - a bit plodding but sure look; what a nice message...(if friends) or a reasonable one (if drugs).
Lucy In The Sky with Diamonds - classic.
Getting Better - so uplifting. Love "be hiding me head" and the humour in "can't get no worse". Always loved the repeating note at the end - wish it went on longer.
Fixing A Hole - Love that it goes from simple to trippy on "where it will goooooo".
She's Leaving Home - love the mysterious quality to the lyrics and that nothing's said outright, and the sense of dread throughout.
Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite - I always like ominous circus music; I mean, I loved Dagmar Krause from this list! Love the tempo change when the waltz comes in.
Within You Without You - George I love you but there was simply no need.
When I'm Sixty Four - CUTE. Hadn't caught the random Scottish accent on 'your' in 'on your knee' before.
Lovely Rita - so good - love the harmonies and dreamy quality to the chorus. Didnt remember the trippy ending.
Good Morning Good Morning - Love the timing and tempo changes. Do NOT remember all those animal noises, but I'm thinking there's stuff added or just made clearer on the Remastered tracks that I didn't grow up with.
Sgt. Pepper's Reprise - just such good rock.
A Day In The Life - Very good - still freaked out by the orchestral rise tbh.
Never appreciated the final chord until now - what an incredibly perfect end to a song and album (if we ignore the actual nightmarish end to the song haha):
"In author Jonathan Gould's commentary on "A Day in the Life", he describes the final chord as "a forty-second meditation on finality that leaves each member of the audience listening with a new kind of attention and awareness to the sound of nothing at all"."
David Bowie
4/5
Watch That Man is fun
Aladdin Sane - love the frenetic piano
Drive-In Saturday - Love "She's uncertain if she likes him, but she knows she really loves him" - real 50s sound to the verses, the rhythm and backing singing.
Panic in Detroit is okay - love the opening lines.
Cracked Actor - really good rock
Time - love the mention of quaaludes; RIP. I like the cabaret sound to the first half, and love the guitar playing in and sweet sound of the second.
The Prettiest Star - love the jaunty feel.
Let's Spend the Night Together is fun
The Jean Genie is ok
Lady Grinning Soul - really cool opening and closing, the rest is alright.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
Pleasant, but nothing standout (aside from the title track - love the spooky instrument there, and great piano playing).
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Title track was worse than i remembered - I thought it was basic but catchy!
Cover Me is better but so samey still.
Darlington County - can't get over how bad his voice is and it's only the 80s!
Working on the Highway - I like the similarity to Dead Ringer but this is then just a...less good version of it.
Downbound Train - first good song!
I'm On Fire - this is a REALLY good song, it has to be said. Gotta love the wistful.
No Surrender - liked this one too!
Bobby Jean is okay, so is I'm Goin' Down (latter is real samey).
Glory Days is chipper but too samey to be good.
Dancing In the Dark is pretty fun and nostalgic.
My Hometown - nice opening notes. Sweet wistful tune in general.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
Hello My Baby is adorable with the kiss sounds.
Really pleasant album and loved hearing songs with clicks.
Morrissey
3/5
Everyday Is Like Sunday is always great.
Late Night, Maudlin Street - I like the wistful sound and atmospheric lyrics, but it's not arresting enough.
Nice wistful sound to a lot of them actually.
I Don't Mind If You Forget Me is fun.
LOVE the dreamy guitar of Margaret on the Guillotine leading to that abrupt ending though, and that ending the album.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Custard Pie and Trampled Under Foot - love the hook and drumming.
In My Time of Dying - love the riff.
Kashmir - yet another great hook ruined by its use in uncool things being my introduction to it (if I try and forget that I've heard it for cheesy ads etc I can recognise it's good - wish I could apply this effectively for the Requiem for a Dream theme). Sexy song though.
In The Light - great hooks in this. Love the nostalgic turn of the second half, leading in to the gorgeous folksy end.
Boogie with Stu - blues not normally my thing but this was such an unexpected direction so was fun.
Pere Ubu
1/5
AbSOLUTEly not WHAT is that voice
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
Love how busy all the songs are. Hilarous lyrics throughout too.
Wilco
3/5
Kamera, War on War, and Jesus, Etc were cute.
Radio Cure - recognised this one but don't know why.
Heavy Metal Drummer - the way he sings 'summer' reminded me of the absolute travesty (or rather, masterpiece) that is Summer Girls by LFO haha.
Overall nice in an easy listening way. Love the overarching wistful tone.
Nina Simone
4/5
Four Women is incredible.
LOVE her version of Lilac Wine. Very stripped back and mournful.
Love the power of Break Down And Let It All Out.
I like the schmaltz of Why Keep On Breaking My Heart.
If I Should Lose You is beautifully wistful.
Nico
3/5
The Fairest of the Seasons is nice, and I always liked These Days. Love how odd and offkey her voice sounds in general.
Really hated It Was A Pleasure Then - I know what she was going for, but leave it to The Velvet Underground to pull off that type of experimental meandering.
Love the spooky sound to Chelsea Girls and the way it sounds like an entirely different song but complementary song is playing softly in the background on guitar while she's singing (seems more in sync in the bridge)
Love the hopeful sound to I'll Keep It With Mine
Travis
3/5
Driftwood - really similar tune to Blur's 'The Universal' towards the end.
Surprised Writing to Reach You wasn't more famous; I've played it on repeat for the last year or so.
Turn and Why Does it Always Rain on Me? are of course great.
Luv and Slide Show are very sweet - latter sounds really familiar.
Jurassic 5
3/5
Thin Line - love the words. unusually nuanced take for the early 2000s.
High Fidelity is GREAT. Really good rythm to the rap particularly in the last half a minute, and love the cutesy 90s kid's show background tune.
Enjoyable overall.
Keith Jarrett
1/5
Sacrilegious as it is to rate this 1 star, I must keep to my tradition of doing so if I can't get through a whole album.
It's GRAND, like, but dull and tuneless.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
THis was a STRUGGLE but not technically bad so I soldiered on. Reminded me a bit of the 'Selected Ambient Works 85-92' Aphex Twin album, but much more dull.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Really nice, especially:
All of Me
On the Sunny Side of the Street
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Marvin Gaye
4/5
VERY sexy album.
The Style Council
4/5
LOVE the mix of genres, moods and songs/instrumentals on this album. So fun. Think it's especially cool to start and end with instrumentals instead of reeling people in with a catchy song and finishing on a banger; love the confidence there that folks will stick around and leave satisfied (and it worked! I was intrigued and both tunes were good).
Khaled
3/5
This was very fun for the first two songs and C'Est La Nuit was incredibly sweet and wistful. Things took a downturn with his version of Imagine (inevitably, as I don't like the song itself) and the rest were quite samey for the most part, but Raba-Raba and Derwiche Tourneur were great.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
REAL pity about his ridiculous voice throughout as the whole thing would be vastly improved by something less affected.
I liked Zero a lot but cannot cope with the lyrics "intoxicated with the madness, I'm in love with my sadness" and simply have to hope that was tongue-in-cheek.
I liked the sweetness of Galapogos, Thirty-Three and Beautiful.
Michael Jackson
1/5
I meannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn......
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Very good, quite a pivot to have the last one be so jaunty but it was all enjoyable. Best were:
The Old Castle
The Hut of Baba Yaga, Pt. 1
Dirty Projectors
1/5
Such a study in "how do we sound as annoying as possible and take the tune in a direction constantly that will make this as annoying as possible".
Silver Jews
1/5
But we have Bob Dylan. We have Leonard Cohen. We have Nick Cave.
We don't need...whatever this is.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
SO ahead of its time, especially the first two.
George Michael
3/5
Freedom! '90 is always a great time.
Love the unusual tune of Cowboys and Angels, Mothers Pride and Soul Free.
Heal the Pain - what an absoLUTE tune - what a great and weird bridge - what a lot of cool key changes - what a great way of clawing back to the main tune.
William Orbit
3/5
Very good, reminded me of the Aphex Twin album. Overall better than that, so bordering on 4 stars. Jumpscared by the occasional talking!
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Just excellence all round (love how the songs flow into each other too).
Would have got 5 stars if just based on quality, but it's just not something I'd repeat over and over genre-wise.
Common
4/5
So good. Not a single bad song.
Love the pivot into R&B with 'Testify'.
SUCH a good ending song too.
Heaven 17
1/5
Rarely have I heard a more generic sound in my life. Couldn't get through it.
Doves
2/5
Fairlyyyyyy dull. The Man Who Told Everything was okay though.
Do love that it came out on 01/01/00 too.
ABBA
5/5
What a time.
Had NO idea there was a scream in the background towards the end of Dancing Queen??? How have I never heard of this/been told it.
Also are 'Why Did It hve To Be Me? and Happy Hawaii not like...the exact same song...HOW AND EVER. What a time. Dum Dum Diddle is the only dum note (get it) but it'd be hard to salvage a song with a name like that. It would really have to be out of sight excellent.
The Associates
2/5
Should get 1 star by rights because of the utter tuneless nightmare of it but its intense operatic campness was hilarious
Kate Bush
5/5
What a masterpiece.
The voice effects - crazy time signatures - variety of genre - stunning.
I can see how early Marina and the Diamonds stuff must hsve neen hraviling influenced by this.
George Harrison
3/5
Isn't it a Pity - really cool to have the Hey Jude bits element at the end.
If Not For You - just cannot feel sad when this is on. It's all going to be O K A Y when this is on.
Beware of Darkness - love the hopeful chord at the occasional and unexpected key change (for e.g. after 'weeping at the cedars').
Apple Scruff - love the weirdness of this.
Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let it Roll) - first of all; great name. Love the woodland sounds from each speaker.
Act of Dying - really cool dangerous sound to this one - the harmonies remind me of the Beatles I WONDER WHY THAT IS.
It's Johnny's Birthday - love the record slowing/speeding up effect at the start.
LOVE that it ends on great instrumental songs after that.
The Police
4/5
Love how recognisably 'them' Synchronicity I is. Really good song. Love the spooky keyboard and playing with timings.
Walking In Your Footsteps is okay.
O My God is fun. Bit of a Dire Straits sound.
Miss Gradenko is also really fun - love the sudden key change on 'Nobody but us in here' and the way the guitar matches the tune exactly.
Mother is so INCREDIBLY disturbing so like...not one I want to revisit but it is very well done haha.
Synchronicity II - love the menacing guitar in parts - really good song in general.
Every Breath You Take is just great like K I C K those lyrics to the side and have a great time pretending to yourself that it's romantic.
King of Pain is SO. GOOD. Second best to EBYT on the album. What a find.
Walking In Your Footsteps is SO good - real Phil Collins sound to both his voice and the tune too.
Tea In The Sahara is realllllly dull.
Murder of Numbers is a real interesting divergence in genre but just isn't bangin' enough as an album-ender. It's a pity they didn't swap it out with King of Pain.
Roxy Music
2/5
Ladytron is good and I like the riff between verses in If There Is Something, but that's about it. The playing and tunes are good but his voice is too affected, it'd be better with a harder tone.
The Doors
2/5
Nothing crazy stand out except for the famous ones, and even then my mind isn't blown. But atmospheric, and great voice.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Very sweet and pleasant but not EXCELLENT.
Beatles
5/5
I've reviewed this extensively already BUT:
I was jarred by the fact there was no fade out on She's So Heavy, AND it ended abruptly?! Confused.
Shoutout once again to how transportive and ethereal Because and Sun King are.
And how cool the intro to You Never Give Me Your Money is, as well as its voice effects and harmonies.
WHAT a time overall like 5 stars of course OF course.
Sufjan Stevens
1/5
One star is real harsh but I must keep to my tradition of rating things such a way if I can't make myself sit through the album and LADS...SAMEY SAMEY stuff so only made it halfway.
Chicago is good and there was another okay one in there somewhere but WHO the fuck knows which one it was at this point.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Pretty good, especially the last two.
Orange Juice
4/5
Really good; I like the mix of styles.
Prince
4/5
1999 is pretty good but should be shorter to pack more of a punch.
Little Red Corvette is SO good.
Delirious and Let's Pretend We're Married are fun, as is Automatic.
DISTURBING end to D.M.S.R. and did not like the crying at 7:30 in Automatic either.
International Lover is sweet but the Toad scream at 2.45 was funny.
Great sound overall.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
Enjoyed this more than I'd like to admit; the first half is just so funny, and great backings too. After Serial Killer it's much more dull though.
Marianne Faithfull
1/5
Fairly insufferable. Couldn't last past song 2.
Van Morrison
3/5
Very pleasant - had no idea Crazy Love was his! Gorgeous.
Elton John
5/5
Back-to-back excellence.
This Song Has No Title and Grey Seal were standouts, and both new to me.
Love the waltzy air to Sweet Painted Lady.
Love the divergence into country with Roy Rogers and Social Disease too.
REALLY interesting directional changes in Harmony, and LOVE the chord changes at the end.
Simple Minds
2/5
Fairly forgettable except Someone Somewhere and Glittering Prize - the main tune is dull in both but adorable backings, and the riff in the latter is very cool.
Anthrax
1/5
Thought I could hack this cos of how goofy the 'singing' is, but the thrash still unavoidably thrashes, so no dice.
Pulp
1/5
Yikes to Pencil Skirt so I'll give this a miss.
Femi Kuti
1/5
Just didn't have the patience cos it ain't my thing.
Laibach
1/5
I mean kind of hilarous, but not enough to put myself through it haha I lasted 1.5 songs.
The Clash
2/5
Remote Control is cute. But the rest are real banal? Thought they'd be a lot cooler than this and less affected-sounding.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
Not my thing genre-wise, but it was very joyful and fun. Love the reference to West Side Story's America in one of them too.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Really good songs; didn't care much for the instrumentals. Loved the casual drug mentions and real sexy tone to his voice.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
Quite samey and/or cheesy for the most part, but I liked My Precious Love and I Build This Garden For Us.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Hadn't noticed the Another One Bites the Dust drumming around midway through Rock Your Body.
Nothin' Else: I like the ominous tune of the verses; they also made me think of Paint It Black. "You're out of this world except you're not green" is hilarous too.
Nothing too standout aside from the famous ones and Last Night, which has a really cute hook...okay just got to the end of the song...he manages to ruin it in the last five minutes with that cringe haha.
Actually a lot of them have good hooks, but the tunes all end up being very similar to eachother.
Unexpected sweet, slow, piano, violin last one though! Really nice.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Love the slow build and ominous sound to Mojo Pin.
Love the ominous element to Grace juxtaposed with the hopeful 60s/70s sounding rock riff. The skill of the scream near the end is inSANE.
Last Goodbye is bittersweet and gorgeous.
Lilac Wine - LOVE the difference in tone from the dark verses to the sweet chorus, and the key changes on 'crazy, dear' creating a smooth link from the dark bridge back to sweetness again. Tune on the first 'unready' after that is so gorgeous too. The last note is sung and held so beautifully.
Love how the beginning of Hallelujah feels kind of like he's just jamming out, before the two poignant notes at 0:45 brings the song in. Again, INSANE talent on the second-last held note, WOAH.
I'm sure it's grand but with that voice I just couldn't stomach it.
The Lemonheads
2/5
It's alright! Very inoffensive, but very samey and like...I mean inoffensive in a derogatory way haha. I did like Shakey Ground though, and the woman's rage intro at the start of Bit Part.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
First two are absolutely ethereal. Love the wistfulness, especially coming through on the wispy voice of White Dress.
Third track is good.
Track 4 is pretty dull BUT I love the tune going up at the end of "bittersweet", and love how they have her sing Verse 2 twice and layer it, so we get hear "want" alongside "need" in verse 2; smart way to show the depths of her longing even though intentional, reminded me of the Beatles song where one sang the wrong line by mistake but they left it in; made this song feel oldschool/rough-and-ready in the way I like.
Really cool chord progressions in 'Dark But Just A Game' - reminded me of the Beatles again.
The rest are very samey, though.
The Go-Go's
1/5
I like their famous track but the rest is SO banal oh my GOODNESS couldn't get past Lust To Love.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
1/5
So not my thing; reminded me too much of the muddy sound of Bullet For My Valentine.
Didn't last past In a Hole.
4/5
Love the timings of Soul Love and Star, and the heaviness of It Ain't Easy (and it's unexpectedly cute ending). Starman is of course excellent.
Love the mix of styles, like Suffragette City being straightforward 60s-sounding rock.
Not a single dud! Not a massive fan of the first bit of the last one but the mood-shift and unexpected key change towards the end was great.
Miles Davis
3/5
Much more enjoyable than I would have expected as it's typically not my thing. Especially loved Flamenco Sketches; very wistful and melodic.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
She Has Funny Cars has a very similar riff to Last Train to Clarksville. Love the tempo change about 45 seconds in.
Somebody to Love is SO good but we KNEW this.
My Best Friend is ADORABLE. Very cool discordant and jazzy ending.
Today is also real good but we also knew THIS.
Comin' Back to Me is BEAUTIFUL.
3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds is pretty good but quite samey. Great name though.
D.C.B.A.-25 - I didn't even notice this song happening so can't be too memorable.
How Do You Feel - the harmonies and tune remind me of Ticket to Ride. Really good.
Embryonic Journey - GREAT name. Great nostalgic guitar at the start; reminded me of Simon and Garfunkel.
White Rabbit - love the words, and dark edge to the song, and the rock aspect ramping up. Love the unusual song structure too; not following the verse-chorus-verse etc format.
Plastic Fantastic Lover - very good.
In The Morning - too plodding. Very hard to win me over to blues.
J. P. P. Mc Step B. Blues is very good - reminds me of The Byrds.
Go To Her - very good; hot lyrics!
Come Back Baby - not bad.
Deep Purple
3/5
Speed King - great fun.
Bloodsucker - LOVE how they've used sound panning at 3:23; like I thought the song was alright 'till then but that bit is electrifying.
Child in Time - Love the tempo change from the preceding songs. Incredible vocals on those high notes.
Flight of the Rat - quite a punk sound to this one. Not my thing though unforch. Great riff halfway through though, and incredible tempo-increasing drums at the end.
Into the Fire - nothing too standout.
Living Wreck - ditto.
Hard Lovin' Man - great sound panning at the end, but otherwise too wall-of-sound for me (but obviously technically brilliant).
Belle & Sebastian
1/5
The Stars of Track & Field - I like the unexpected key changes but his voice is too affected for me.
Got a few songs in but it's truly unendurable levels of whimsy with a not-very-good voice so I just gave up.
Beck
4/5
Mostly pretty meandery but Lonesome Tears is good; same epic and ever-building feel as She's So Heavy.
Lost Cause is quite nice too; a nice soft counter right after Lonesome Tears.
Round The Bend and Already Dead are nicely dreamy too.
In fact album was growing on me in general from Lonesome Tears on, so deserves a second listen now that I'm used to the style.
Whole thing sounds quite like a dreamier softer version of Nirvana, both musically and voice-wise.
Charles Mingus
1/5
Track A- Solo Dancer: I know I'm not a fan of jazz generally but it's usually at least inoffensive; this is the stuff of nightmares. If you were brink-of-breakdown this would tip you right in.
Gave up near the end of that one as an act of self-care xo.
Moby
4/5
Listened to this back-to-back before as a classique but it ws fun to revisit to see what I thought of each one.
Honey is always gold.
Find My Baby - again: gold.
Porcelain - always a nice relaxing interlude after the first two.
Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad - a real epic feel to this one, especially with the key change in the 'bridge' (hard to categorise song sections in this case).
South Side - love that the beginning sounds like The Wire intro, but other than that this is a pretty cheesy one.
Rushing - pretty dull. But pretty AND dull!
Bodyrock - very fun and nostalgic; WHAT an early 2000s sound!
Natural Blues - real epic feel to this one too.
Machete - YES BACK TO THE CLUBBBBBBBB!
7 - love the dark drums in this.
Down Slow - pretty dull (but NOT pretty).
Run On - don't remember this one. It's pretty good. Backing sounds similar to Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad.
If Things Were Perfect - cool surreal feeling to this one.
Everloving, Inside, and Guitar Flute & String - pretty! But pretty dull TOO.
The Sky Is Broken - sexy.
My Weakness - a nice dreamy closer.
Neil Young
4/5
Real plodding first two songs but I did like the line "I've seen you give more than I can take" from Harvest.
Nice bridge to A Man Needs a Maid.
Heart of Gold IS great.
Are You Ready for the Country? - I like the laugh that kicks it off.
Old Man is great - love how it's building already but then the octave jump/harmony crashes in out of nowhere before it settles back down.
There's a World - jarring tonal shifts between verse and chorus. Love the orchestra though; what a maverick move.
Alabama - VERY cool; emotional chords to start, and then a sort of Byrds-Fleetwood Mac sound to the tune and harmonies for the chorus with some The Who sounding backing?! Then back to Byrds emotion again before another build.
The Needle and the Damage Done is alright.
Words - INCREDIBLE song; one of the best ever, added to the hallowed halls occupied by Baba O'Reilly, Hallowed Be Thy Name, and Do You Feel Like We Do. SUCH cool timing stuff going on throughout, and a really She's so Heavy/Lonesome Tears drawn-out ending with amazing guitar riffs. Love the singing crashing back in for a surprise encore.
Sparks
1/5
Clearly not my type of whimsy; gave up during Here in Heaven.
Sabu
3/5
Very enjoyable.
Gram Parsons
3/5
Too country for me at the start, but loved I Can't Dance which was more rock, and Brass Buttons and $1000 Wedding both have a lovely wistful air.
Cool to be reminded what a good song Love Hurts is; nice version too.
Ooh Las Vegas is too country for me but instrumental start is amazing.
In My Hour of Darkness is sweet.
The Band
3/5
All very enjoyable but nothing very standout except for Whispering Pines, which is notably sweet. Fun timings happening in Jawbone, actually.
Sugar
1/5
One of the most generic sounds I've ever heard. Lasted three songs.
Lauryn Hill
3/5
I prefer the 'straight rap' parts of the album, as opposed to the sung parts. Those aren't my style for the most part.
Lost Ones is SO good - I was sure I'd heard this album straight through before but I don't remember this one.
LOVE Doo Wop (That Thing), ESPECIALLY the way the horn and drums crash in at the start and throughout.
Cool harmonies in the chorus of I Used to Love Him.
Love the instrumentation in the verses of Forgive Them Father.
Every Ghetto, Every City is really funky.
Even though the song isn't my thing, Lauren's voice on Nothing Even Matters is incredible. The runs she does too!
Tell Him is so sweet; it's a pity that there are so many runs; I would have preferred a really simple final song and the tune is enough to carry that.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
As always...a pity his VOICE IS SO ANNOYING. But that aside:
Accidents Will Happen - really cool tune, and cool timings, unexpected tonal shifts, and chord changes.
Oliver's Army - adorable tune. As hilarious as it is to make this comparison, I simply must: part of it also reminded me of Hannah Montana's Rock Star.
Noticed that Party Girl has a very similar riff to the end of Carry that Weight by the Beatles
The songs are grand like?
Talking Heads
2/5
All very pleasant but nothing standout, except Stay Hungry, which has a great riff going on throughout, as well as a cool Bond theme thing going on at the start and end (and a cute key change climb in the first half. The Big Country is cute too.
Living Colour
2/5
Some great drumming, good songs overall but nothing standout? Cool to see so many styles/energies on one album though.
X-Ray Spex
1/5
Absolutely HATE this style and always have. Lasted a song and a half.
Soundgarden
2/5
Love the time signatures of My Wave, the chorus of Head Down and the guitar solo in Like Suicide.
Other than that it's so incredibly boring and somehow grating at the same time (courtesy of the singing style) - those three songs are the only things bringing the rating to a 2 (and JUST ABOUT).
PJ Harvey
3/5
LOVE the disturbing strings and overall madness of Man-Size Sextet. 50ft Queenie and Yuri-G are also great.
The whole album should be something I hate, style-wise, (similar to X-Ray Spex) but for some reason she gets away with it and I like it.
Pixies
2/5
Fairly fun for the first half, but they just don't impress me the way PJ Harvey did (which feels kind of wild to say as Pixies are definitely more accessible). Did love the sweet 60s feel to Here Comes Your Man.
Second half was particularly boring - can't believe teh whole album is LESS THAT 40 minutes?! Felt like a lifetime.
Saint Etienne
2/5
I had high hopes when the second track kicked in, but unfortunately soon discovered the album is just an ambient wash of whimsical samey-sounds.
It's ambient ways and prolific use of samples is vaguely reminiscent of Moby and Aphex Twin but Saint Etienne are doing that style in a way that's a LOT less interesting.
London Belongs to Me is quite nice; has a sort of Corrs vibe which is ironic considering the name.
James Brown
1/5
I mean....................................................................................................................................
Arcade Fire
2/5
Laughably banal. Like, I literally laughed out loud to myself a couple of times during its endless blandness.
Giving it a 2 just because 1 would be too strong an opinion, and it's just so innoffensibly nothing. Granted, that endless cheesy drumming did nearly cause enough offense to warrant a 1.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
Tune after tune! A rare instance of the two most famous songs being some of the weakest. They're the catchiest for sure, but the album is really wall to wall great with much more stirring stuff than those two. Soar is particularly excellent.
The Isley Brothers
1/5
Inoffensive but too banal to suffer through so 'tis a 1 from me.
Got halfway through the third song.