Feb 04 2025
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Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
Not entirely sure it needed all ofthe 13 minute song, and this is from a Godspeed fan. Opening song was good - actually it’s amazing, but the next few didn’t really grab me until the singles. I’m glad I listened to it, but I didn’t love most of it.
4
Feb 05 2025
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At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
Interesting to hear some blues from before Hendrix (and the original I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man), but I think I just prefer Jimi Hendrix. I realise that if this is the first blues live album, it’s fairly important, so for that reason I’m glad I listened - I might try some other Muddy Waters, but I don’t think I’ll listen to this again.
3
Feb 06 2025
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Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
Not as much of a fan as I used to be (they’re a great band when you’re a teenager) but I still enjoyed most of this album. The bonus disc is largely a waste of time, you could lose half the songs because they’re either earlier versions of the album tracks, worse versions of songs that are already on Pisces Iscariot (the main reason the bonus tracks are a bit thin - could have been a really good three disc package), or worth the listen but just buried under everything else.
I don’t think this is really an album people “should” listen to, although with the themes of most of the lyrics, it does still fit “before you die”. But if you’re into rock, grunge or shoegaze (I can definitely appreciate the shoegaze influences more now than when I was listening to it 20 years ago), it’s a fun listen. He’s not the best singer, but who is?
4
Feb 07 2025
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Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
Just not really enough variety to want to listen to it again. Give me The White Stripes or QOTSA any day. I realise that this band influenced a lot of bands and albums that I like, but that’s because they did it better, with more variation on even one song than this has over the whole album. When there’s not much progression in the songs, it just makes it boring to listen to.
3
Feb 08 2025
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Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
Just a really good album that rocks hard
5
Feb 09 2025
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Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
Other than Wild Horses, none of the songs really grabbed me. Might revisit.
3
Feb 10 2025
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Blur
Blur
Much more than just the American indie influences, think it still holds up
4
Feb 11 2025
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American Idiot
Green Day
Expected to give this a 2 or lower, but it’s a 3. Had only heard the singles back in the day - didn’t even realise Holiday was from American Idiot. Managed to miss Greenday completely in my punk phase, I guess because the narrative was they’d already gone commercial? It’s an ok album, never really boring.
3
Feb 12 2025
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Hot Fuss
The Killers
I'd never say that Hot Fuss didn’t have great singles, although I preferred the darker 80s music that Interpol pulled from
3
Feb 13 2025
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Melody A.M.
Röyksopp
It really is mainly the first two songs, rest of the album isn’t bad but it does fall off a bit. Think it also suffers a bit from those songs being so well-known, that it was an album of songs I was either tired of or just wasn’t that into. First album that I’m not really sure why it’s on this list, if Drukqs or Selected Ambient Works II isn’t on there, or The Knife. No-one needs to hear this, it’s not good enough or challenging enough, and it’s already been on adverts. Don’t hate it, but I could have happily missed it completely.
2
Feb 14 2025
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Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
A Forest is just a fucking banger. Rest of the album kind of fades away in comparison, but having such a strong song more than makes up for that, especially when it’s such a short album. (On a re-listen, I changed this from 4 to a 5)
5
Feb 15 2025
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The Chronic
Dr. Dre
Liked it more than I thought I would, still don’t really think it’s for me.
3
Feb 16 2025
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Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Had a lot of fun, although someone should definitely clear the rights up so it can be properly released on streaming.
4
Feb 17 2025
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NEU! 75
Neu!
I don’t think anyone else has made a song as good as Isi. Doesn’t feel as disjointed as it should do, with both sides of the album having almost completely different creative direction. I think this is slightly better than Neu! 72, because it doesn’t have any bad songs on it, although Negativland is another all-time song for me.
5
Feb 19 2025
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The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
A few dud songs, but when it's good, it's very good, especially the singles. It's a Fall album, if you're expecting perfection you're listening to the wrong band
4
Feb 24 2025
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Harvest
Neil Young
Just a phenomenal album. First Neil
Young album I'd seriously listened to, even though Heart Of Gold was inescapable.
5
Feb 27 2025
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Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
I just can’t really get into A Sailor’s Life, which hangs over the whole album. Just don’t quite get this, although Percy's Song is compelling
3
Mar 06 2025
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Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
Best song (Strawberry Fields) isn’t even on the album - although A Day In The Life is also fine. Probably won’t listen to it again, but it’s alright.
3
Mar 25 2025
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Dummy
Portishead
A defining 90s classic
4
Apr 02 2025
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Music For The Jilted Generation
The Prodigy
Fuck ‘em, and their law
Relisten to the first two Prodigy albums every few years, and think they’re still very good, especially Jilted Generation - in hindsight, a clear stepping stone on the way to Boards Of Canada (you could easily hide 3 Kilos in MHTRTC), the best to ever do it.
5
Apr 03 2025
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American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
Not really for me, but can’t deny that there’s some iconic covers here
3
Apr 06 2025
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Pink Flag
Wire
One of the best to ever do it. Just a phenomenal album, might be in my top 10. There’s not really a bad song on this, and even if there was it’s over in 2 minutes and on to the next one. A few bands have tried to rip them off, and you can’t really blame them.
5