My favourite Neil Young record. It’s a lovely mix of Young playing with a full band but still having the sparseness to his sound that he doesn’t have on his stuff with Crazy Horse. The trilogy of ‘[ ] Blues’ songs on this album alone are a great representation of Neil Young’s strengths, but then you’ve also got beautiful heartfelt songs like Motion Pictures. I think Neil Young is one of those artists that you’ll love the first couple you hear, and so On The Beach is firmly cemented as an album I love.

Herby Hancock man, that’s one groovy motherfucker. Had a blast revisiting this one. Short and sweet and will get you dancing no matter what. Top stuff.

I’m obviously familiar with a lot of Hendrix’s songs, but have never listened to a full album of his. Goes without saying, but the guy had some chops. There are some outright bangers on this thing and some surprisingly long winding jams. Unlike most other double albums, this one didn’t feel like it overstayed its welcome.

Hard to be objective about these early Dylan albums, they’re all just brilliant and Highway 61 Revisited is no exception. Like A Rolling Stone is one of Dylan’s better songs overall, and the rest of the album keeps up that quality. Having a full band behind him really makes his songs shine in ways that weren’t possible on his more folk orientated albums. Ending on the epic Desolation Row, this is one of Dylan’s stronger records and it was a joy to revisit it after seeing the recent film which really focuses on this period of Dylan’s career.

Everyone gets their first intro to Dylan through his early ‘golden period’ albums, but I think this may be his best work outright. Idiot Wind and Shelter From The Storm were standout favourites on this re-listen.

I feel like I’ve heard all these songs before, and have liked some of their standout singles in the past (although that could just be songs I’ve heard playing Guitar Hero games), but listening to this album in its entirety like this really shows up how generic these songs are. If this came on the jukebox while I was throwing back crappy beers and playing pool in a bar I’d be in my element, but this kind of sucks when listened to as an album. The influence some of these riffs had on Queens of the Stone Age is very apparent.

This is the first album to give me what I wanted to get out of this experience: I knew the big hitters off this album, but had never listened to a Stevie Wonder album. Listening to this record was a real treat; a real mix of soulful ballads and the sort of funky upbeat numbers I know him for. The bass lines on this album in particular were outstanding, and made me want to sit down and learn to play them all. It did sag slightly in the middle with the two songs that bookended the incredible Superstition, but otherwise this was a great listen and one I’ll likely return to.

My first introduction to Dylan was CD boxset of his first 8 albums. Of those 8, Blonde On Blonde must have been my most played, so I came to this recent listen very familiar with it, but not listened to in several years as I thought I was sick of it. It still holds up as one of Dylan's best (maybe his best overall, although Blood On The Tracks and Desire are neck and neck with it). Blonde On Blonde's strength is that it perfectly bridges the old folky Dylan into the more band focussed sound that he would tackle. I used to like shouting random lines from Leopard-Skin Pill-Box hat at the noisy end of my old band's live sets, so that song is particularly fun for me. This is Dylan at his peak, but I still think his stuff doesn't get above 4 stars for me; it's just a sound I'm not that invested in any more, but I can't deny the guy's got chops where it counts.

This may be a bit too trad-folk rock for me. I can acknowledge how well crafted the songs are and just how well Paul and Art's harmonies work together, but this was just too light and airy for it to make much of an impact on my feelings. Getting to stuff like 'The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine' and the quite brilliant Dylan parody 'A Simple Desultory Philippic' was like finding an oasis in a desert of rather dry and dusty songs. I can clearly hear the impact it had on stuff that came after it, but listening to it in 2025 I can only appreciate it from afar rather than truly enjoy it.

You’d think that this album would exist in the shadow of the opening being the basis for the Exorcist’s main theme, but by the time the bass and piano comes in, you’re firmly back in Tubular Bells land for the duration of the ride. I remember seeing the cover of this album amongst my dad’s (of course; this is the quintessential Dad Album) Pink Floyd and Rush LPs as a kid and finding something very striking about the shape on the cover. I remember my dad showing me Oldfield’s performance of Tubular Bells on the Old Grey Whistle Test and it being a real catalyst for my love of instrumentals, soundtracks, and post and prog rock. It’s been a long time since I last sat down and listened to it and I’ve got to say, it’s still got the stuff. It could easily have been a bloated and pretentious mess, but Oldfield builds the piece with such sincerity that even the spoken word introductions to the individual instruments elicits a smile rather than an eye-roll. It’s wild to think Oldfield was only 19 when he recorded this album; it feels like the work of an Old Master, so profound is its delivery and its confidence to give each movement room to breathe. I particularly love the turn that Part 2 takes midway, but I know even my dad thinks that is “a bit wanky”.

Jerry Lee Lewis being the epitome of a human garbage bag aside, judging this album on its own merits, I found it surprisingly boring. Because it goes full on bombast-mode from the start and never lets up it makes for a very dull and repetitive album with versions of songs I’ve heard better elsewhere. Jerry Lee Lewis’ showmanship can’t be denied, and this is a surprisingly great sounding album for its time, but this isn’t for me.

In my mind Funeral was among the greatest albums released during the indie-boom of the 2000s and thankfully it still holds up today thanks to having such a strong through-line of theme and sound. Each song feeling like a cohesive part of a complete body of work while still standing alone to give the band some of their best singles – Power Out is still the best thing they have ever done in my opinion. Arcade Fire had such a drop off in quality with each subsequent release (to be fair, I do like The Suburbs) that it makes looking back on this album quite bittersweet as I realise now it was almost a fluke how good this album is and maybe not an indication for how good they are as a band, but I'm glad we got this one great album from them at the very least as it remains up there with my favourites.

Hell yeah, brother! Have always found this record a fun one to revisit, its length and structure so antithetical to punk it goes full circle and becomes punk in itself. It’s one for dipping into though, as listened in one sitting it’s quite long, but it’s the ultimate road trip album and I can’t knowingly rate anything with Mike Watt playing bass less than a 3.

Man I fucking hate this band so much. It’s even more painful acknowledging the musicianship on display here, and that when pulled away from the Chilli Peppers Chad Smith, Flea, and especially Frusciante have all worked on music I really love. Instead they choose to play this dogshit whiteboy circus funk like they’ve been forced to by Anthony Kiedis at gunpoint.

This album is kind of nothing? It just sounds like an amalgamation of all the generic 60s garage rock I’ve ever heard. Maybe you had to be there, but nothing about this feels notable, and its inclusion on a list of albums you have to listen to before you die is baffling.

The perfect record for valentine’s day. An album of unabashed odes to straight up raw dogging it shouldn’t be as good as this, but Marvin’s got the juice to make it work. Smooth as hell vocals from Motown’s golden boy and Jamerson’s unmistakable thumping bass, this is one sexy half hour ride. I could have done without the bongos and the tambourine: the unsexiest of all the instruments.

I should really love The Roots as on paper their skills both from a performance and production standpoint are of the highest calibre, but there’s something about them I find just a bit too polished and sterile, and so whilst I enjoyed this album, I couldn’t remember a single song from it an hour later; I prefer my hip hop with a bit more grit.

Where to even start with this one? A genuine masterpiece of an album that influenced a whole new genre of music. Every single person who has ever bought a guitar pedal owes this album some gratitude. It’s hard to talk about specific tracks on this album (except for the memed to death ‘when you sleep’) rather than see it all as one big piece of prickly fuzzy bliss. One of the greatest to ever do it; I can’t imagine how much this would have kicked my ass if I heard it back in 1991. I once met Kevin Shields while he was wandering around a car park with J Mascis and that was pretty much the coolest day of my life.

Herby Hancock man, that’s one groovy motherfucker. Had a blast revisiting this one. Short and sweet and will get you dancing no matter what. Top stuff.

My initial thoughts were ‘oh no, not another 60s pop rock bank’ but these guys were actually decent. Quite liked the singers voice and the songs had enough about them to stand out compared to some other early albums I’ve heard so far on this list.

I have quite complicated feelings with Stevens’ music in general — regarding a friend who passed away a few years ago who would always play a couple of Cat Stevens songs whenever I saw him play live — so I always worry I’m putting too much of my own emotions into his music and inflating it’s standing in my mind. But no, on listening to it again this album is genuinely brilliant. There’s the big singles everyone knows (Father And Son might just be one of the all time great songs), but every other song on this album is no slouch either. Coming in at just a squeak over 30 minutes there’s not an ounce of fat on this thing, and to end with such a flash of excellence as the title track shows real skill and dedication to Stevens’ artistic vision. I’m not a big fan of the reimagined album he released in 2020, but we were all going through some things then weren’t we.

I’ve not really kept up with Slipknot’s music since their first few albums, but these guys need to hang up their masks. There’s nothing of note here, it’s just an overly long album of bland melodic rock with the occasional pinched harmonic. Gone is any of the bite found in their first couple of albums. I have a feeling metal as a genre is going to be poorly represented in this list, and it’s a shame because there’s so many more interesting metal albums out there than this weak shit.

I’m obviously familiar with a lot of Hendrix’s songs, but have never listened to a full album of his. Goes without saying, but the guy had some chops. There are some outright bangers on this thing and some surprisingly long winding jams. Unlike most other double albums, this one didn’t feel like it overstayed its welcome.

I’ve always felt that the Stones are best represented by a greatest hits collection, and this album does nothing to change my mind. A really rather dull collection of tracks (I listened to the UK release so I didn’t even get the joy of Paint It Black). Under My Thumb is a great track as always, but I found everything else on this record very generic; the fact that The Beatles released Revolver around the same time and somehow people compare the two is baffling to me. I’m docking a star purely for the self-indulgent wankery that is Going Home. 11 minutes of a basic sketch of a generic blues riff, just awful.

I don’t there’s ever been a better statement of intent than the storm sounds at the start of this album. I sometimes forget that this album was released the same year as Let It Be. That storm lets you know that a change is coming, and over the next 8 tracks an entirely new genre of rock music will be birthed, kicking and screaming. This is up there with the greatest debut albums of all time and it still feels fresh and exciting to this day. Even the cover is mysterious and sinister in a way that makes you want to listen to is. Geezer Butler doesn’t get enough credit for absolutely carrying this whole record (and band) on the back of his bass lines.

I really recognised the cover but hadn’t heard this album before. What a bop! Really enjoyed this perfect half hour slice of synth heavy pop rock. Great stuff!

Alright on the whole kind of middling Kinks album. This continues the trend of me finding the 60s stuff way more drab than I expected it to be; I understand why they released the best songs of that decade as standalone singles outside of albums. It’s hard to rate this album objectively because Waterloo Sunset is one of the greatest songs ever written and is worth 5 stars on its own, but the rest of the album pulls it down to a 3 for me.

A fucking classic. The production on this album is unmatched, just a genius move to pair lyrical acrobatics with such trad jazz instrumentals. There are MCs still living in Phife and Tip’s shadows, their level of skill on the mic still rivals most of the rappers working today. And to end it on that phenomenal Busta Rhymes feature - this album is firmly one of the all time greats.

I expected this to be more exciting with a name like Rattlesnakes, but it was dreadfully dull. Very middling music all round and not really sure why it’s on the list. Not offensive, just entirely forgettable.

The greatest of the solo Beatles albums, and the only album to justify being a triple. This feels like years of pent up ideas unleashed all at once, and is great documentation for how Harrison’s music writing really made The Beatles’ sound what it was.

Not my favourite Stooges, but it can’t be denied just how solid they are as a unit on this album. It’s almost krautrock-like in parts, the rhythm section is like a driving sledgehammer through these tracks. Just such a fun record to listen to.

Two Stooges albums on the trot. I really do like this band, and even though punk isn’t really my go-to genre, I like these better than most other bands of that style. I think you stick with the Stooges album you first get your teeth into, which for me was the debut. Still, Raw Power is a great listen and one I was happy to get so soon after the last Stooges record was served up.

This album was a very nostalgic listen for me. Not my favourite Metallica era, more stadium dad rock at this point really, but it can’t be denied that these boys can write some great hooks and melodies.

I find a whole album of this kind of delta blues a bit repetitive, but I can’t deny how good these songs are. Proper toe tapping thigh slapping riffs from one of the best the genre has to offer.

Been doing this a month now and this is the first band I’ve never heard of, so had no idea what to expect going in (from the cover I expected a Bloc Party style indie band). I was surprised to hear a pretty decent trip-hop album. You have to be incredibly good at this sort of thing for a whole album to have staying power for me, and this just didn’t do it. Some really nice beats and drum work on this, but not one I’ll be returning to. That track with all the vocal samples about shagging was cringe as hell.

I haven’t heard from Sigur Rós in years, but it felt like they were everywhere in the 2000s. This is a very pretty album, but does feel like a product of its time. Some real lush string work and vocal harmonising on this album throughout. I appreciate it more than enjoy it.

I bounced off The XX the first time around, but this album is great. The moodiness and tidal wave of delay pedals really heralded in a whole new wave of copycat bands at the time, but these guys really knocked it out of the park from the start. I listened to this album after playing a gig whilst driving on the motorway at midnight, which is probably the perfect environment for this.

A very 80s album, even from these guys. I like New Order and everything they stood for, but I can’t help but feel I’d rather be listening to Joy Division whenever I hear them, no matter how good their stuff is.

I’m only really familiar with these early Eno era Roxy Music albums, but what a debut this is. That opening track in particular is such a distillation of everything I love about the early iteration of the band. This album does sag slightly towards the end, but I’ve always got time to listen to Bryan Ferry and co.

Is it time for Sultans Of Swing yet? Is it time for Sultans Of Swing yet? Is it time for Sultans Of Swing yet? Is it time for Sultans Of Swing yet? Is it time for Sultans Of Swing yet? Hell yeah, brother! I miss Sultans Of Swing. I miss Sultans Of Swing. I miss Sultans Of Swing.

The 60s were an odd time for music weren’t they? The ‘album’ feels like such an underused format for delivering music. I assume the kids just wanted the 45s which is where the best music was to be found, but albums don’t really feel like they come into their own until the 70s. This is yet another 60s release that has a handful of bangers on it, but is mainly padded out with much inferior tracks. The singles here do so much heavy lifting.

An artist I wasn’t familiar with, which is mad as this is my kind of thing. Real soulful pop music, some lush instrumentation, and Kelela’s honey rich vocals make this album a winner. One I’ll be returning to.

I had a real hard time finishing this one. The sound mix is atrocious, that hard panned guitar and organ are so loud over everything else it was an obnoxious listen more than anything else. Might be a better experience listening to a better mix, as I can really see the roots of The Doors here, but in the state I have access to this is hideous.

I’m not a big grunge guy, but Soundgraden leans more towards the grunge I do like. Chris Cornell was such a great frontman and really elevated this band with his voice. I was only really familiar with Black Hole Sun before going into this album (the video of which used to terrify me as a kid), but there’s some great stuff to be found here. Runs too long like all 90s rock albums.

I’ve heard plenty of Undertones over the years but not heard their debut until now. Liked this one though — The Undertones sit in a really warm and comforting place for me and I can’t help but have a good time listening to them. Not mind-blowing, but enjoyable.

R.E.M. are the band I most regret not seeing, so it’s always good to have an excuse to listen to them. Document is one of their weaker releases in my opinion, but it’s R.E.M., it is still really good.

It’s not my favourite Radiohead, but it’s probably their best on paper. There’s not a wasted second on this thing; every song is undeniably great, and it’s a lot shorter than I remembered — I was shocked by how quickly I got to the perfect ending of Videotape. I gave myself more homework and listened to In Rainbows disc 2 as well and even that is better than most bands’ best albums (Bangers & Mash is up there with my favourite Radiohead songs). An easy 5 star for me this.

Wasn’t familiar with this guy before but really liked his sound and the vibe of this record. I read afterwards this was released posthumously and Ali recorded it knowing he was dying, but you’d never tell because the guy sounds chill as hell on this. I can see the influence his guitar tone alone has had on more recent bands like Songhoy Blues, and will probably check out some of his earlier records.

An example of the worst 80s music had to offer: just a horribly synthetic and over-produced sounding record. There’s some nice singing on this, but this was too long with few redeeming qualities for me; just not a fan of this at all.

Listening to this album you can clearly tell the time period it was released in. It is straddling the trad folk of the time while also being influenced by the psyche pop released in the late 60s. Despite this, I found it quite a boring listen. Nothing wrong with it, just a very middling listen for me.

My favourite Neil Young record. It’s a lovely mix of Young playing with a full band but still having the sparseness to his sound that he doesn’t have on his stuff with Crazy Horse. The trilogy of ‘[ ] Blues’ songs on this album alone are a great representation of Neil Young’s strengths, but then you’ve also got beautiful heartfelt songs like Motion Pictures. I think Neil Young is one of those artists that you’ll love the first couple you hear, and so On The Beach is firmly cemented as an album I love.

I really am going to struggle with most of the metal on this list. I’ve never liked Pantera. Anselmo’s dogshit politics aside, they’re just really fucking boring to listen to. Just endless chugging. When the album ended and Spotify kept playing different Pantera songs I didn’t even realise. Rubbish.

Dexy’s always seem like they’d be a fun band to go and see. I like their take on a more poppy folk and I like this album - outside of the excellent Come On Eileen it doesn’t do anything too spectacular, but it was a solid listen.

T. Rex have always had a strange mythology around them that I’ve found to be quite impenetrable, so this is the first time I’ve truly listened to them. Marc Bolan is likely the best to ever carry glam rock on his back, but as a genre I feel it’s quite limited; there’s a reason Bowie left the genre behind to move onto (arguably) better things. This album was good, but just good.

Full to the brim with dad rock. A fine album, but yet another where I need to get a copy of the book to find out what makes it so special, as this sounded very bland and generic to me.

How have I never heard this album? Among the greatest supergroups to ever exist. Listening to this album makes me feel guilty to be a man. Country banger after banger. Loved this!

Really interesting hearing some pre-disco Bee Gees, but they definitely grew better into that sound. One of the Gibb’s voices on this is really bizarre and made some of the songs sound unintentionally funny.

You can’t really go wrong with Dolly Parton. She manages to make the most beautiful melancholic songs and pulls a few bangers out of her boot as well. She has stronger songs not found on this album, but this was rock solid.

Would love an album like this for more genres of music. It’s a great idea to get one of the pioneers of a genre to give context and attempt to provide a further understanding to a western audience. As an album of songs it’s not one I’m likely to put on all the time, but I appreciate what it’s doing.

I like Spiritualized whenever I hear them, and they’re kind of perfect for music to slip into the background or to chill to. This is one that sort of washed over me, but in a nice way.

I’m a big fan of this middle period Beatles where they were still straddling the early pop sound of their early albums with the experimentation of their later period. I much prefer Revolver, but there’s some gold on Rubber Soul and it was nice to revisit it as one of my least listened to Beatles albums.

I’ve somehow not heard the songs on this album, but they’re great! Some incredible vocal work from Kate Bush on this one including a lot of growling and snarling which really added to the sound. Will be listening to this one again for sure.

Banger after banger after banger. Weird to open with the Charlie’s Angels song and the album is way too bloated like all other albums of this time, but Destiny’s Child could really smash out a pop hit couldn’t they.

We’ve had the first week of proper sun where I’m living and this album couldn’t have come at a better time. The type of classic hip hop I love, listened to with a beer or two in the sun. Perfect.

It’s Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins bouncing off eachother, what’s not to love? Some superb dark jazz throughout this album and a beautiful solo piece by Monk towards the end. It wasn’t one I had heard before but it’ll definitely be going into my rotation now.

Hard to be objective about these early Dylan albums, they’re all just brilliant and Highway 61 Revisited is no exception. Like A Rolling Stone is one of Dylan’s better songs overall, and the rest of the album keeps up that quality. Having a full band behind him really makes his songs shine in ways that weren’t possible on his more folk orientated albums. Ending on the epic Desolation Row, this is one of Dylan’s stronger records and it was a joy to revisit it after seeing the recent film which really focuses on this period of Dylan’s career.

This really is an album of two halves. The first half is banger after banger; just the biggest pop songs of the time and still infectious to this day. Sadly, the second half is dragged down by a few too many ballads that feel incredibly dated now with that superficial 90s production. Still, it can’t be denied that this is an important album as a showcase of the dominance Britney had back then.

Maybe the sexiest album on the list. This whole album is dripping with a specific kind of tension that makes it a dream to listen to. They really pinoneered a sound all of their own and despite it influencing the shoegaze and dream pop genres, there’s still nothing else that really sounds like it. I could listen to this forever.

Considering this is apparently Mitchell’s biggest selling album, I wasn’t familiar with any of the songs on it. It’s a good enough album, but feel one of her more interesting records like Mingus should have made the list instead.

I got a bit burned out on Björk because my brother went through a period of playing nothing but her albums, but revisiting this now it feels really fresh and contemporary for an album released in 1993. She is a singular talent and nothing else sounds like her. It’s interesting that her debut solo album already goes the ground running with her signature sound, I expected her first album to feel more like a Sugarcubes record, but yeah I enjoyed this.

My wife’s a big Rufus Wainwright fan but I’d not heard any of his stuff save for a handful of songs and his cover of Hallelujah from the Shrek soundtrack. This was a superb album, so many beautifully miserable ballads. Standouts were The Art Teacher and Old Whore’s Diet, as well as the couple of live tracks sung in French.

I’ve never really got on with The Who. As a band they have always felt they’ve tried to cover a few rock subgenres at once, but as a result they never feel like they’re committing to a sound. They’re not heavy or bluesy enough, nor are they psych or art rock enough. They’re have some decent hits like Baba O’Reilly which opens this album, but as a whole they’ve never really clicked into place. This album reflects my feelings of the band, it was alright but didn’t really feel like it was worth a listen.

Extremely clean cut, but my god these bastards could harmonise. A classic for a reason.

This was only about half an hour long, but felt like an eternity. I appreciate Mr Van Halen has shredding chops, but to me this is like hyper realistic illustrations: technically impressive, but utterly soulless and devoid of any interest.

I was in college with a guy who would play nothing but Johnny Cash which killed my enthusiasm for him, but this is alright. I enjoy his patter with the audience, and I do have to admit he has the stuff, but for me it’s merely okay.

Reggae is probably the genre of music I struggle with the most, as it all ends up sounding incredibly samey. Bob Marley is obviously the king of the genre, and I’ve liked the songs of his I’ve heard enough. This album is alright; the title track especially I enjoyed a lot more than I expected. I think there’s just something that specific drum and guitar sound that doesn’t gel with me. I realise this is probably great for people who like it, but it’s not for me.

The other Paul. I much prefer Paul Simon’s solo work to his band stuff. You can feel early signs of the influence he’s had from African music on this release (before really ramping it up for Graceland), but it still has a rooting in his early folk period. This is a great little album.

In 2015, Vice published Timothy Faust’s article “I Played ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ on a Bar Jukebox Until I Got Kicked Out”. This piece of writing had such a profound effect on me and my best mate that we got matching tattoos as a result. I’ve never really listened to much Thin Lizzy though besides that song. Listening to this live album, I’m glad to know they’re an incredibly good band. This whole set slaps, they have great patter in between songs (more bands need to work on this), and this whole set sounds like a celebration of their whole career (I’m guessing; as established I don’t really know much about them). As a fellow bassist with far less charisma I love to see Lynott just absolutely killing it on bass while singing such great melodies; the man had it all in spades.

As near to perfect as albums get. It’s pretty hard to put down in words just how great this album is, but it’s Floyd firing on all cylinders: Wright’s delicate build up of synths during the intro and outro tracks, Waters’ acerbic lyrics, Gilmour’s unmistakable guitar doing unspeakable things, and Mason’s rock steady rhythm keeping it all together. Nestled amongst this, one of the most beautifully heartfelt songs ever written about their former band mate. It’s a good one this.

If I was in a field and off my bin on cider I’d probably love this…but I’m in my house doing dishes, so I don’t.

I was dreading this album since I knew it was on the list, and so here we are. Unbelievably obnoxious in its length while not offering a single song good enough to warrant this project (I appreciate the commitment to the 69 bit though). People compliment Merritt’s lyricism, but these songs have lyrics more akin to the childish shallowness of a Moldy Peaches album than anything profound; it’s criminal this is on here when not a single Mountain Goats album makes the list. So yeah, didn’t like this album one bit. My friends used to get together and we’d spend a whole weekend writing and recording really dumb songs just for the sake of it: this album feels like that, just quantity over any quality. There’s some songs better than others (worst among them has to be the dreadful genre pastiches like the jazz and world music ones, they actually feel insulting to listen to) but as a collection I don’t ever want to listen to this again.

It probably doesn’t help that I had another Bob Marley album this week, but reggae just isn’t for me.

I knew some of the singles and j remember my parents having some ELO albums when I was a kid (those futuristic space jukebox albums covers really stuck in my mind). This was an incredible listen. I’m more familiar with Jeff Lynne’s work with the Traveling Wilburys, but I’ve really been won over by the whole ELO sound. It sounds like music from the future without being hammy. I can feel the influence this band has had over so many modern musicians, and I can’t imagine how wild this would have sounded when it released. I listened to it 3 times yesterday, an easy 5 star for me.

There’s some really superb and heavy guitar outros on this album that wouldn’t be out of place on a Queens Of The Stone Age song, but I just think this very specific glam rock sound just isn’t for me; I find it all quite one-note.

This is the sort of album I crave from this experience. I had no idea what to expect, but damn this knocked my socks off! Brel has such an intense delivery of these songs, and I definitely think my first taste of him being a live album was beneficial; the man oozes a frantic charisma that I’ve never really experienced before. As this was only short, I listened to some of his studio stuff afterwards and it all delivers. I’ve no idea what this guy is saying, but I am 100% in on this.

I sadly only got into The Pogues after Shane MacGowan’s death, but this album is grand. A great mixture of their more trad Irish stuff and a way to show off the other musical strings in their bow. The Irish Rover is one of my favourite songs, and whilst The Pogues are nowhere as good as The Dubliners, these lads still hold their own over the course of the album with their more punk-leaning Irish music and definitely paved the way for great modern bands like The Mary Wallopers. I didn’t listen to Fairytale of New York. Great song, but it’s April.

This takes me back. Jay at the top of his game, classic Kanye beats, even a Timbaland track (nobody was doing drums better at the time). Flow wise, Jay Z is solid as a rock, but lyrically he’s always felt a bit weak to me. Still, this album is a classic for a reason and was among the handful of rap albums I first got into so I’ve got to rate this one. The production on this album is so fresh, it was a joy to revisit this one.

It’s a shame there’s no Graham Nash album on this list; it would have been nice to be served up the individual components of CSN&Y. Anyway, Stills is probably my favourite of the CSN trio (they all pale in comparison to Neil Young), and this is a cracking little album. It feels like a showreel of everything Stephen Stills was capable of, lurching from nice trad folk to dancier rock songs and brooding blues numbers. Just a very solid and dependable collection of songs.

Incredibly opulent from start to finish; this album sounds expensive. Nobody can do what Prince did, but Janelle Monáe gives it a damn good go. I hadn’t listened to this album in a while and had forgotten just how great it is. Some superb features by Saul Williams and Big Boi, but Monáe could have carried this album all on her own; she is an extreme talent and this album was a joy to revisit.

Not a Megadeth guy — there’s a reason Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica — I just find them way too cheesy, and I’m not really into this kind of thrash metal. It wasn’t objectively bad, just not my thing.

This albums rips. Proto-punk greatness with roots in glam rock, this album sounds so fresh you’d be surprised to realise it came out in 1973. Got a big Replacements vibe from it. Had a blast with this one.

What a way to end a career. This collection of mainly covers is a great full stop on one of the most prolific country singers we’ve had. A truly poignant listen knowing this was the end, Cash unpicks the melancholic thread from each of these songs beautifully.

It’s Zeppelin IV, it’s rock solid. It’s tricky trying to give this a score because about half the songs on this album are absolutely five star, but if I’m being honest the other half just miss out of reaching that. It’s still incredible though, and maybe I’ve become a little burned out by listening to Zeppelin a ton when I was younger, but yeah, you know this is good.

I love Hot Chip, but somehow they seem to have a whole album that has completely passed me by. Genuinely no idea how that’s happened as I listen to all their other albums quite a bit. Weird. Anyway, it’s Hot Chip. They’re great, and it’s great to have a “new” album of theirs to listen to. That being said, this is most definitely their weakest album. It’s still good, but for this to be the only Hot Chip album on the list is a baffling decision. I really do wonder what goes into decided the albums that make the cut. If you enjoyed this, their Tiny Desk Concert is worth a watch. Wonderfully stripped back versions of their songs including Look At Where We Are which is probably my standout from this album.

Fucking hell. This is the most exciting jazz album, no — the most exciting album that I’ve heard in ages. What an onslaught, but it still has that great thing jazz does where if you focus your hearing in on one specific aspect you basically get a different song. I’ve never listened to John Zorn, but you can tell the influence he had on some of the early Mars Volta stuff for sure, and I now need to go check out the rest of his stuff. Breathtaking, challenging, thrilling, kinda obnoxious and scary. A thousand times this over some of the boring bland shit on this list.

I’ve always found Low to be one of Bowie’s most overrated albums. It still has great moments, but I feel it doesn’t quite deserve the accolades it receives.

Expected something exciting from this album cover but this was an incredibly boring trip hop album.

I’d never listened to any of Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s work, but this was excellent. It’s hard to make music this dour and melancholic whilst still sounding sincere. Will be checking out more of his stuff.

One of the most powerful live performance videos I’ve seen is when Tracy Chapman, very early on in her career, had to fill in for Stevie Wonder at a festival in Wembley, and just the total command she had over the thousands of people watching. That’s what this album is: it demands your complete attention for its short runtime and you daren’t even breathe. Beautiful stuff.

Cracking live album with phenomenal sound for the day. There’s only so much I get out of this type of blues, but I can’t deny it was great toe-tapping time while it lasted.

Never really listened to Peter Gabriel as much as I should have, but every time I do I come away thinking he’s great. This album is sonically quite challenging in parts and I don’t think the 80s production does the songs many favours, but there’s definitely an interesting bunch of songs here.

Not my favourite Belle & Sebastian, but a lovely collection of little ditties that they seem to do best. Nice to hear their earlier stuff before they got a little too twee. I once saw Belle & Sebastian at a festival where it was drizzling with rain and I was drinking a cup of tea, and I can’t think of a more perfect environment to have seen them in.

Such an iconic album cover. It’s a good thing that it’s backed up by being a pretty great album as well. Effortlessly groovy with guitar playing potent enough to melt off entire faces. A delight to revisit this one.

Having a great run of funk and soul albums at the moment. Larry Graham’s bass man, nothing else like it. Compressed into a squawking, clucking buzz, but those grooves are unmatched. Sublime.

Definitely the most undeserving album to be included on this list. Just utter nothing landfill indie. Alex Turner at his most mediocre. I’ve no idea what dirt Miles Kane has on him to continually be involved with his music projects, but the man brings nothing to an already empty table. Doesn’t even warrant the notoriety of getting 1 star.

Thought this was surprisingly great. Rod’s scratchy voice really works well with this kind of bluesy rock. Wasn’t as fussed with the songs sung by the bass player (although he has some great bass lines on this thing), but overall yeah this was pretty good!

I love The Police, but this album is a stinker. A real sour note for them to go out on. Mad that they only have two albums on the entire list and this is somehow one of them. Justice for Outlandos D’Amour!

Thought this would be another boring 60s psych rock album, but this was pretty funny. Can really feel the influence the guitar tone on this album had over Jack White’s whole sound. Some fantastic fuzz for an album from 1968.

The reviews for this album on this site are insane - a 2.89 average? This album is stunning. I still really enjoy her debut album, but the songwriting and lyricism on Ys is such a step above. It’s a shame this is her only album on the list (if have put Have One On Me above Ys), but I’m glad people are getting a taste for one of the most brilliant artists of our generation. It still melts my head when I remember she’s married to Andy Samberg.

Another 8 bangers from Black Sabbath. It’s wild they released this album in the same year as their debut; 1970, what a year! This is such a great collection of songs that it’s difficult to think of what else to say. Just perfect.

One of my favourite soul records, Al Green’s range is just a tremendous thing to hear across these 9 songs. Can’t remember when I first heard this (the spray painted neon AL GREEN on the cover has always felt out of place to me), but this album has been a staple of my summers for a long time. Just great stuff.

My wife loved Leonard Cohen but I’ve never really listened to him. This is powerfully 80s and sounds like a Roger Waters solo album.

Jesus Christ this is bad. And almost 2 hours of it as well! Just endless saccharine noise and Poundshop U2 ballads from a band that sounded worse than most open mic acts I’ve seen. This was really quite dreadful, but not even in an interesting way. Found this an utter slog to get through and was none the wiser about its inclusion on the list by the end.

Stunning. The guitar work on this is some of Young’s best, and the decision to overdub live tracks gives these songs a fantastic depth in sound. Some of Youngs best songs on display here, and it’s always a good time when he’s recording with Crazy Horse.

A friend of mine in college had a car that whenever he started the engine, it would restart the CD in the player, and he always had Rumours in. I must have heard the beginning of Second Hand News more times than any other song, and yet it is still incredible. I thought it would be hard to evaluate Rumours as an album, as the songs feel like they have all taken on the weight of being separate, but I needn’t have worried: this album is as close to perfect as it can get. I like Fleetwood Mac anyway, but something about the circumstances surrounding this album or a particular alignment of the planets (or something else less wanky) has given this album a presence and impact that few others can match. Just outstanding front to back.

Hearing Sonic Youth as a teenager was such an exciting moment for me as it really opened my ears to what guitar music could achieve. This album still gives that feeling. Really great to revisit this one, there’s just something about that scratchy lo-fi sound I love and will always have time for.

I think Sade has been done dirty by history - as soon as I saw this news today’s album I rolled by eyes at the initial impression that I was in for a cheesy 45 minutes. This slaps though, Sade’s voice is wonderfully smooth with just a grain of grit to it that stops it being sickly, and the instrumentation is sublime; the bass in particular is really taking a leisurely stroll through the park to get to where it’s going.

Considering there’s like 8 more Dylan albums on this list, including Time Out Of Mind feels like one album too many. Really sticks out as an inclusion for just being a random later-period Dylan album; there’s nothing notable about it. The fact this album made the list and Desire didn’t is a travesty. This is fine, but just average for a later-period Dylan.

The first of many Elvis Costello albums to come. Pump It Up was a known banger, but I have to admit that the rest of the album really landed for me as well. Weirdly felt a lot of Green Day in this album, I wonder if there was any influence there? Either way, this was good.

Turns out I am not mad fer it.

It’s hard to remember what my initial thoughts were of Blackstar; those couple of days having the album before Bowie died feel lost to time, as the album took on an immense weight from that point forward. An artist right up to the very last second, this album about his illness, his life, his awareness of his impending death…very few albums are constructed of such emotional pieces — I Can’t Give Everything Away is a perfect end and took on an incredible sadness after his passing. This is by no means my favourite Bowie album, but it’s definitely the most impactful. The accompanying No Plan EP is a great afterword for this album.

A perfectly fine pop album. Chris really has the vocal chops to elevate this to something better than average, but the songs themselves just kind of wash over me so I’m kind of left with no lasting memory of what I’ve just heard.

Didn’t know what to expect from this one but it was a lot stranger than I had anticipated. Real fun art rock, very 80s sounding but not in a bad way. Yeah, enjoyed this a great deal.

This album has been memed to death, but it really is great. Proper storytelling cowboy songs, American songbook kind of shit. Leave your scepticism at the door and this album is nothing but a great time.

Nobody has had to carry the weight of a hiphop band like Chuck D. He is consistently phenomenal whilst having to deal with the clownshoes Flavor Flav cheesing up every song he gets his hands on. But D manages to bring home classic after classic after classic, just the best that old school hiphop has to offer.

Hahaha fuck yeah what is this? Like Tom Waits, Rammstein, and some Camembert was put in a blender. This is wicked. Loved every second of this miserable French bastard grunting over these 50p beats. Another great 1001 discovery.