NWOBHM is a) a very odd name for a music genre and will b) just never really be my cup of tea. I can absolutely appreciate how these guys hit the ground running with this very energetic and confident debut album. I also like the DIY-aesthetic that they bring and that's often cited in reviews of this particular album. It's got a certain punk attitude that's very rare in heavy metal. However, now that I've listened to the whole thing once, I really don't feel the urge to ever go back to it again.

Side A is absolutely iconic and outstanding, probably better than anything that Pink Floyd had done up to this point. 21 Century Schizoid Man and Epitaph are both songs for the ages. Side B starts out pleasant enough but then loses me in the middle with the long directionless outro of Moonchild. I also could have done without the epilogue that doesn't really add much after the false ending of the quasi title track. But those are minor quibbles.

Maybe not quite the classic that it's often made out to be. But definitely a very enjoyable record. The Dylan(-co-)penned songs plus the The Weight are the obvious highlights for me. Anyone else getting strong Deep Purple vibes from the intro to Chest fever?

Maximum Rock'n'Roll? Sure, here and there. The best tracks on here absolutely rule. I have to admit though, I was expecting to like this more. Guess I prefer 70s Who.

Gotta say I was positively surprised by this one. Not usually a big fan of the whole 60s psychedelic scene (which actually has me dreading a lot of what's to come), but the understated production , simple instrumentation and quality songwriting on this one were a very welcome surprise. Great record!

Organ and guitar are the two instruments in jazz that I just can't seem to get into for some reason.

Ah, Prince... without a doubt a musical genius, an exceptional multi-instrumentalist and guitar virtuoso, a top-notch composer, arranger and singer, and unquestionably one of the (arguably THE) iconic pop stars of the 1980s and beyond. And yet I find myself having trouble getting into his music. I could easily name probably a dozen (maybe more) songs of his that I consider absolute timeless masterpieces and that I have been playing in heavy rotation for decades now. However, when it comes to his albums, it's a different story for me. With the notable exception of Purple Rain (which truly is an all-killer-no-filler disc), I have yet to discover a Prince record that I enjoy listening to from beginning to end. Lots of people put SotT in that same tier, or have it ranked even higher. It's widely considered his crowning musical achievement. Some even see it as the best (double) album of the 80s. Somehow, I just don't hear it. There are some amazing tracks (I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man is the highlight for me), but to my ears there's also a bunch of filler. Like so many other double albums, in my view this one would have benefited from some editing and would have been a stronger album as a single record.

Positively surprised. Had a great time listening to this while cleaning my vinyl collection.

Hearing this old and (let's be honest) probably already dying man singing the line "Everyone I know will be gone in the end" is just about as much as recorded music will ever be able to do for me emotionally. Nothing else on here really reaches those same heights. But, then again, hardly anything does, and there are enough terrific tracks on this album to make it a more than worthy record to recommend to just about anybody. At over 50 minutes it's maybe slightly too long, but that's just me nitpicking.

I've tried with this band time and time again, convincing myself that it's probably me who's not getting it, since everyone and their (by this point literal) grandmother seems to be absolutely obsessed with them. Sure, when I heard The End for the first time as a teenager, it pretty much blew my mind. Riders on the Storm is another one that comes to mind. And they probably recorded a handful or so of other remarkable songs, but not one of them ever found its way onto this particular album. It's not me, it's them. Rounded up because at least none of these mediocre blues rock tracks overstay their welcome for too long.

All killer, no filler by the undisputed Queen of Soul. Absolutely deserves its status as an all-time classic record in the genre and beyond. Looking forward to her other albums on the list.

These Imaginary Boys (well, at least two or of three) sure had a plan as to exactly how they wanted to reinvent their sound. And boy, oh boy, did they go through with that plan. Why is this album not talked about more?

Having grown up in rural Germany in the 80s and 90s - a time and place where, believe it or not, gangsta rap and Wu Tang in particular were actually kind of a big deal among a certain population of teenage boys - I guess I can never aspire to be anything more than a mere tourist in the realm of hip hop. That said, I believe I appreciate the undisputed masterpieces in the genre (your 36 Chambers, your Illmatics etc) as much as the next guy. This was my first time listening to Only Built 4 Lynx. I was somewhat aware of its reputation as possibly the best of the Wu Tang solo releases going in. I read up on it a little bit before listening and so was aware that this is considered to be a sort of cinematic, mafia-by-way-of-the-Staten-Island-projects street poetry concept album. And what can I say... Probably unsurprisingly, as a now-42-year-old guy who only ever really listens to rap maybe three or four times a year, when I'm really in the mood for it, this one didn't really connect with me the way it seems to do for a lot of other folks. I'm not one to pay particular attention to lyrics in pop music to begin with, so 95% of what apparently makes this record so special went right over my head. I can see myself putting this on in the background when I'm in the mood for some tasty boom-bap beats (and let's face it, the production on these tracks is damn near flawless), but then again, I've already got Nujabes & co for that. I feel almost a little bad giving this only three stars, because it's probably simply not for me...

The Queen Is Dead was near and dear to me when I was around 18-20, and I will always have a soft spot for that album. The rest of the Smiths discography is very hit-and-miss for me, and this record is no exception. It's all pleasant enough, but nothing here really manages to catch, much less hold my attention.

Grown-up Soul for the 21st century.

I need this on vinyl.

Best live album ever?

First-time listen for me. I like my acoustic psych-folk a little raw. Great stuff!

A lot more accessible and enjoyable than I was led to believe. I'm a bit of a Nick Cave fan, but I mostly enjoy his later records with the Bad Seeds (90s and beyond), so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I find this more intriguing than the earlier Bad Seeds albums. Horrid cover art though.

I own two physical copies of this album, one on CD, one on vinyl. Both are titled Subterranean Homesick Blues.

This album has been in my life for almost a quarter century now. No idea how Ioriginally became aware of it (it may have been through the excellent cover of River Man by German alt-rock band Blackmail on their album Bliss, Please). It's still absolutely unbelievable to me that this guy was only 21 when this came out.

Three undeniably great songs. Two or three good songs. The rest is mostly decent filler. I was 14 when this was released. I didn't really get it then. I maybe get it a little more now. I still think this might be one of the most overrated albums (and bands, especially by the band members themselves) of all time. People are seriously comparing this to the Beatles? I mean, come on!

One truly memorable song. The rest is pleasant enough, but mostly pretty unremarkable.

surprisingly enjoyable. wouldn't mind having a copy of this one on my shelf.