8/10. Not the sort of thing I'd usually listen to but thoroughly enjoyed. The vocals are obviously fantastic and Simone often does weird and unexpected things which make it even better imo. Big fan of the crescendos which pair her powerful voice with some dramatic piano. Fav songs are Four Women, for the hard hitting lyrics and intensity and That's All I Ask for the very satisfying jazzy riffs.
8.5/10. Ok well I already knew I liked Metallica, it's basically a rite of passage to anyone who has played (electric) guitar to learn riffs like Enter Sandman and The Unforgiven and it brings back some good memories of playing with the boys. I was tempted to go straight for a 9 because of these iconic songs and their eerie riffs (let's not forgot about Nothing Else Matters!) but I think it does suffer slightly from an issue I think a lot of albums have which is that the lesser known songs are a liiittle samey and kinda blend in to one. Fantastic album nonetheless.
8/10. This one definitely gave me massive fomo for never being able to go to a show like that (until I realised that means living in America in the 50s). Genuinely when the crowd get so hyped it's hard to not do the same yourself. Musicianship is obviously outstanding on the record and while some features such as some of the high pitched 'wailing', it was a fun listen. Definitely giving 'you had to be there' though, probably a 10/10 live.
8/10. God damn I did not know how to rate this one. It's more similar to the style of music I like and I was kinda thinking this could be my first 5 star but to be honest, while I did really enjoy this album, it lacked that final piece to push it across the line. I did love some tracks like Reckoner and Weird Fish/Arpeggi with their kind of melancholic feel and there was definitely a healthy amount of weirdness across the board. If anything it has got me more excited to see what some of the more revered Radiohead albums like 'Kid A' and 'OK Computer' have to offer. Upon being requested to give this album another play I decided it did have enough good tunes to warrant an 8.
6/10. It has been brought to my attention that I may not be being harsh enough given every album on this list is destined to be very good. So here goes nothing. Look, everything on this album is really good - it's a lovely fusion of blues and rock which I imagine is quite typical of its time, but I have to say nothing here was awe-inspiring. Like, everything was just sort of what I expect from blues and a couple of songs felt like they were building up to something that never happened. Personally, I missed the presence of some 'epic' guitar parts which would've elevated the whole album for me. Get it on is definitely a banger and it did have me humming it all day though. Idk, maybe this more genre defining than I'm giving it credit for but for me three stars seems fair.
5/10. I'll be honest I'm a little confused as to why this was included on the list as I'd never heard of the band and they have very few listeners on Spotify. I thought maybe this was some diamond in the rough that the critics had uncovered. Granted it's not really my genre and nothing about it was bad as such but nothing apart from the occasional jazzy note stood out to me and I just ended up thinking it was quite middle-of-the-road, which in the context of this list probably warrants a two star score.
5.5/10. I think there is probably a bit of language/cultural barrier for me to appreciate this album fully, I suppose it is natural that not all of these are in english. That being said I did find myself vibing along to a few of these, the more familiar sounding pop style tunes (C'est La Nuit comes to mind) since they have a pleasant, happy vibe to them So yeah again I think, context of the list, I probably have to rate it on the lower side of things.
6.5/10. I did enjoy this on the whole. I preferred it when the album got a little more rocky in certain tracks. There were some nice riffs and catchy hooks to boot. However while all this is true I can't exactly say it moved mountains for me and as such ends up being an album that I liked but didn't 'love'.
3/10. I'm starting to think that the people who chose these are quite pretentious. I genuinely enjoyed myself for all of like 2/3 songs which were nice rock tunes, until this album descended into to madness. Not the good kind of madness, the kind of madness that really had me questioning what I was listening to. Some of the remixes on the B side were alright but seriously there is an 11 minute track of just drums and random noises. Its weirdness for the sake of weirdness imo and that will surely leave it among some of the worst on this list.
8.5/10. I think I am just a sucker for live albums but this was great. The way Cash connected with the crowd and he them won over from start to finish was amazing. And that fact that he was so funny even within the songs themselves was so refreshing. As the for the actual music, it was not overly complicated allowing for Cash's deep, gravitus voice to do the work. It is definitely something to listen to as whole rather than individual tracks but the fantastic storytelling and humour really won me over.
6/10. I was expecting this one to go the same way as Peggy Suicide a few days ago and was dreading turning it on. I need not have because I was greeted by a interesting and eclectic mix of songs some with great vocals and solid backing. Whilst I enjoyed listening to this I do question the inspiration for the tracks, and whether this is entirely authentic.
6/10. I wanted to listen to this through again because I thought maybe I was being a bit harsh but I didn't get the time. Probably longest I've ever listened to pure piano and it was enjoyable, moving at times. Some phases of the album felt a bit dishevelled but I'm probably just missing the vibe there. Overall solid but occasionally overcomplicated for my taste, not just in terms of technique but also in terms of the ideas behind what is being played.
5/10. I really want to pay respect here because obviously this is a pioneering work and one of the records which set the scene for all the jungle that followed it. And I love jungle, but call me a newgen but I much prefer the more melodic stuff, whereas the tunes here are much more oriented around the drums themselves. I also think theat I consumed this via the wrong medium - in another context I think this album would go way harder but I have to rate purely based on my enjoyment from the listen I had and so I can't go higher than a 5.
8/10. Really starting question when the eights and eight and a halves will give way to nines. Maybe I'm a bit scared of dishing out 5 stars but I think when I know I'll know l. This album is very good - the messaging throughout is it best part imo - a huge middle finger to the classiest society of the UK, which is probably at the essence of britpop and indie to some extent. Lyrics very good and album felt very cohesive in terms of imagery. I think personally the style of melodies Pulp opts for is not exactly to my taste and is probably the main blocker to a 5 here. Needless to say 'Common People's and 'Disco 2000' are absolutely classics.
7/10. Fun rock/country/blues type stuff, easy to listen and I enjoyed it. slight whiff of guitar solos which I knew they had in them because of hotel California. Not much else to say but I liked it.
5.5/10 Some super nice guitar playing and solos that came in moments, but sort of lacked deeper feeling for me. Songs were interesting with a certain intensity but again could be lacking in that raw emotion that I wanted from them. Also not a massive fan of the vocals which felt a little on the whiney side. Had potential but just couldn't quite get into it.
7.5/10. Really really good album and had me vibing for the majority. Fantastic variety on this album and the crispest guitar playing I've heard in a while. The tunes had great feel to them and were very memorable especially the iconic 'Love the one you're with'. I think it tailed off very slightly towards the end and just missed that oomph to make it a five, but it really was up there.
6.5/10. I honestly struggle to say much was wrong with this album tbh, that doesn't mean it is up there with the best because I think maybe it was missing the album defining hooks and melodies that stay with you afterwards, but there's really a lot to like. It has solid classic hip hop beats and some of the 'smoother' tracks towards the end has some lovely chords. Lyrically I was a big fan with very to the point lyrics but often with reasonably personal or poignant messaging at times. Very solid indeed but maybe not bringing anything new to the table.
9/10. So good. Probably the first one I wanted to listen to again because I enjoyed it so much. Guitar playing is fantastic with memorable solos full of feeling, vocals are brilliant. The riffs are simple but cut deep, some really second to none hook writing, with my favourites being 'Immigrant Song', 'Tangerine' (which feels like a precursor to stairway to heaven) and 'Since I've Been Loving You' but honestly it was consistent the whole way. Had to be my first five.
7/10. Definitely was prejudice by my parent who have some kind of vendetta against Rod Stewart growing up. I actually quite liked it - Stewart's raspy voice is quite unique and powerful and the song writing was interesting enough to keep me entertained. Overall very solid.
5.5/10. Probably not as bad as Happy Trails, which I listened to the same day. It had the advantage of being a little lighter with some catchier riffs and motifs. Still didn't fascinate me and felt like more of the same of some of the other stuff I'd heard. Nothing to get majorly excited about id say.
.
5/10. Feel like many people would hate this take but I just couldn't get into this. The songs just felt kind of angry at nothing in particular. I couldn't discern meaning from them and it reminded me of COD lobby music. I can appreciate the pioneering nature of the album here and the powerful beats but my appreciation for this one probably ends there.
4.5/10. To me this is kinda just more mid country/rock from the 60s/70s that didn't really strike a chord with me. I liked who do you love parts 1 and 2 but the stuff in between just blends into one which is probably intentional but I didn't particularly like here. Some of the it was just eerie noises akin to the backing tracking to a suspenseful moment in a film. A couple of the later tracks may have caught my attention but I was already fairly clocked out by then.
8/10. I knew this would be as good as it was. Catchy compelling tunes with a jazzy aspect to them and very interesting lyrically. The album is very consistent as well with no songs that really made me lose interest. As to why I'm not giving it a 5, for me there is something missing to keep it from being there. I can't put my finger on what exactly but it is there, maybe after after more listens I can come back and update this.
8/10. Big sleeper pick, the songs are simple, with memorable riffs, to-the-point and have good vocals. I think maybe I just find punk rock a bit less cringe when non Americans do it. That being said some of the riffs were a bit 'Green Day' (my nemesis) but the vocals definitely put a pleasant spin on it. Massive fan of 'Never Here' and a 'Connection' and probably a few others im forgetting. Overall really surprised me and definitely something I'll go back to.
5/10. I'm not sure how much I felt this one. Should say absolute visionaries who created this list managed to predict tiktok songs of 2024/5 which is incredible. The songs her were sometimes a bit more stressful than fun which you know, if you like that kind of thing is good. To me it just felt a bit messy and for it's worth I don't particularly rate 'Maps'. Wanted to like it more but couldn't.
8.5/10. ICL this is kinda goated. So much fun all the way through, the only tiny thing I can say is that maybe towards the end of felt a tad too poppy for me. But this album literally has three all time classics including one of my favourite rock tunes ever 'Wanted Dead or Alive'. This stuff is just full of energy, great vocals, solos and riffs, a blueprint for rock music. I did originally give this a 5 but I think upon further thought it has to knock down to a four purely because it's replay value as an album is less than my other 5s.
5/10. I'm so conflicted on this. By FAR the most out of pocket album on this list so far, like it's so brazenly misogynist (which maybe is just a feature of rap at the time), but at the same time I feel like this album is entirely unserious so idek know what to think. The beats are good as well as the flow but gonna have to cap it at a 2 star 💀.
7/10. Probably one of them I needed to give a second listen to but didn't. First largely instrumental of the challenge and I definitely thought some of the stuff he did with the guitar was super cool and interesting but at other points he lost me or it felt quite generic, especially for an instrumental. Overall a cool, complete experience that keeps you on your toes.
2/10. Oh God this is really not my genre I guess. Was trying to work out if I liked this more or less than Peggy Suicide and genuinely I think less. It just really hard on the ears, I didn't like the vocals and the guitar playing isn't even interesting it's just the same boring power chords. I think the angry vibes is not why I listen to music and this is becoming more evident from my scores.
6/10. Yeah I mean it's old. It was pleasant. I didn't think it remarkable at all but enjoyed it whilst it lasted. Also the shortest one I've had so far I thought that was worth noting.
7/10. I feel like for me this album is more than the sum of its parts. Of course the songs are good, solid hip hop beats and some nice flows but as a while I was a big fan. The monologues at the beginning and end are great and an there's an absolute star studded feature list as well so overall I think it just comes together well. And it's fun too, no less exhibited by the iconic track 'Work It'. Definitely deserves it's solid score.
9.5/10. So I am familiar with Kiwanuka's album 'Love and Hate' and was wondering why this lesser known album made the list but the critics cooked with this one. This is fantastic, basically every song scratched that itch in my brain with its powerful chord changes, meaningful instrumentation and soulful vocals. Kiwanuka has certain perfected his craft and while it is not necessarily a new or revolutionary sound it is absolutely at the top of its class imo. This album just contained so much of what I look for in music and I will DEFINITELY be listening to this many more times
4.5/10. This album has a track called 'Could've been Anyone' and I agree, this album could've been written by anyone. It just felt super generic, super middle of the road and none of the songwriting really stood out to or motivated me. It was fine to listen to but just quite uninspiring which started to rub off on me, a couple of the songs were a little better than this description but overall in the context of the list I feel this album is pretty underwhelming.
7/10. A bit weird - but I have to say I think I quite liked it. To be honest I think the album would've scored a bit lower had it not been for the first time which absolutely blew me away. Some of the later song are a bit slower and I felt that the weird vocal style fell more flat when placed upon a blander instrumental background. That being said I always enjoy hearing something new and the fact that this sort of worked allows me to give it a very decent score.
8/10. This is a great example of a group with a real distinct style. I love their ambient, sombre spin on pop, with fascinating unique vocals style shared between both singers. Their voices pair so well and the tunes really benefit from it. Also the instrumental tune 'Intro' is a masterpiece, some of the most emotion I've heard crammed into such a simple sound. I think maybe it got a tiny bit samey as it went on but overall a massively enjoyable project.
6.5/10. Its good, I think it definitely is typical of the time it was written and possibly isn't bringing anything ground breaking but the songwriting is pretty solid and I love the opening track 'Stolen Car', so bonus points for that. Overall it just sort of does what it does and that's alright
7/10 Had to choose between a seven and seven and a half on this one. Obviously has the iconic 'Its the End of the World As we Know It' and some other nice songs - especially 'Fireplace' with it's fantastically jarring sad solos. Unfortunately I just finds the vocal style a bit.. corny? Is that just me? Do I just dislike obviously American vocals? Maybe 🤷
8/10. Some serious bangers on this album tbh. At times it actually gave me Radiohead vibes and while I think it was often less artistically 'interesting', I thought the riffs writing itself and often times the timbre were superior. They had a few more heavier numbers that I did enjoy - again even if the riffs writing was simplistic, the crisp vocals and instrumentation made the simplicity effective. Obviously multiple very iconic tracks on here (Supermassive Black Hole, Starlight, Knights of Cydonia), its a shame that some of the mid section was a bit slow and forgettable for me but overall very enjoyable.
7.5/10 Am a big fan of their style here, it's something a bit different a certainly very fun and interesting. I don't there are any particular heavy hitters on this album but it was enjoyable all the way through and what more can you ask. I like the way you are kept guessing as to the direction the tracks will take but that doesn't come at the expense of the ease of listening factor
6/10. While this album was revolutionary or particularly different to things I'd heard before, it was very pleasant. Easy listening which was relaxed albeit quite formulaic feeling and the vocals were nice with the classic American twang coming through. It did feel a bit drawn out and the slower bluesy basslines sort of blended into another but I did enjoy the closing track - it was a nice way to end the album. Overall, it was pleasant while it lasted but I probably won't be rushing back to this one which about where I'm placing a 6 on this scale.
7/10. At first I thought this was going to be like yesterday's album and be a bit uninspired. Whilst I'm not hugely into the slower, more melancholy style of blues in this album, I did find the whole thing growing on me. Particularly I enjoyed the instrumental tracks which exhibited some quite interesting guitar playing that captured my attention such as 'Alice's Wonderland', 'Smoker River' and 'Angie'. For this reason I find it hard to rate it lower than a 7 here.
7.5/10. I have to admit I do like this kind of metal, I grew up with a lot Metallica so it's kind of a surprise I wasn't into Iron Maiden as it is very reminiscent. In some ways I even preferred this with its rapid pace and stronger focus on the guitar shredding. It think where it falls down in comparison is that some of the songwriting is a little more forgettable and the eerieness is kind of lost. Fundamentally it lacks the heavy hitters of the genre that Metallica contained. That being said it was good fun with excellent musicianship throughout.
7.5/10. Never really listened to that much Elton John before but you can tell it's him from the signature style on the piano. It's very iconic, as is some of the composition of these tunes, I especially enjoyed 'Bennie and the Jets' (which I already knew) and the latter track on the opening tune of the album (which I didn't and have still forgotten the name of). Obviously great vocals as well and plenty of fan favourites in the mix. Having said all this I don't think it did quite enough for me to put it in amongst the top albums in terms of some of the particular brand of emotion which I look for. Can certainly see why this album might take a top spot for some but for me it peaks out at a high 3.
5.5/10. To be honest kinda the same as last one. The songs had were nice enough with a slow epicness to them, there were nice guitar parts and good vocals. However they just seemed to lack that extra kick of raw emotion that left most songs feeling a bit bland. Maybe the lyrics told more of a story than I discerned on my one listen but I'm also not convinced. In the end my favourite track ended up being the more whimsical outro tube which was actually quite compelling. All in all, just didn't hit hard enough to score higher.
4/10.Ill be honest I just didn't care that much for this, for starters I've noticed this list seems obsessed with debut albums rather than an artists more popular stuff. All in all this is probably worse than Ice Cube (although a bit less misogynist, however there was quite a jarring use of a slur in the first track). Maybe it's a genre that I just don't quite get as I'm pretty far removed for the culture and it's not even my country. I think the beats were decent but still exactly what I'd expect and nothing really caught me off guard. I think I tuned out for the most of it tbh so I can't rate it too high.
7.5/10. I knew I would like this album but seriously I think it is probably the most infectiously energetic one that I've listened to so far. While I don't think there was a particular stand-out memorable track, it was very consistently enjoyable. The almost strained vocals are great and the jazzy groove is are obviously the highlight. As I say, just missing a stand-out centrepiece, but deserving of a high score just on vibes.
8/10. I should caveat this that I was listening when played league and so I couldn't pay 100% attention. That being said it's getting a good score anyway. I guess the main point against it is that it's is not too dissimilar from things I've heard before, however it's focus on slower, powerful chords was enjoyable and they really seemed to create an expansive sound.Comparing to other metal I've listened to so far this was more Metallica than Iron Maiden but just didn't quite pip Metallica as again I think it lacked the killer numbers that Metallica had. Overall very good but there is definitely a potential redo in it here to listen to it with my more undivided attention.
6/10. Like it's alright. A very pleasant blues rock album from the seventies with coarse vocals and some catchy riffs. But that's it, didn't change my life tbh.
9/10. Absolute nectar, inject that shit into my veins. Hazy soundscapes, with semi dissonant chords it's like deftones with a pop twist. Seriously good.
7/10. Wasn't expecting to love this as it's not really my genre but there were some good tracks tbh. 'Run Charlie Run' confronts a heavy topic head on and wastes no words in making it's points, contrasted with the whimsical funk in the background it makes for an uncomfortable yet profound experience. Also 'Love woke me up this morning' had such and ethereal quality to it, that was a great track. The rest was not as exciting for me but I think overall a 7 is fair score.
5/10. Just a bit too artsy for me. Clearly this is an album which heavily plays on dissonance, but this kind of stuff just doesn't really make me feel anything. Or it does, but they aren't emotions I want to feel and it's like they've been thrust upon me against my will. I will say that what this album does, I think it does pretty well, it's just not for me.
6.5/10. I have a lot respect for Eric Clapton in the sense that is one of the 'godfather of guitar' and has some all timer tunes. But tbh this one to me did sort of blend in a bit to the masses of blues-rock I've heard from this period. At times it felt like the guitar were unleashed and I was jamming but sometimes it felt a bit subdued to me. Full disclosure, this album gained a half point solely for that last track lmao
7/10. Actually not bad, I think some tracks of this did get a bit samey or boring but the highs for me were quite high. This album definitely offered more interest than I expected and some tracks, for example, 'Sky Fits Heaven's were kinda up my street. Didn't have quite enough energy in it for me to carry it on to a 4 star score but definitely enjoyed this.
7/10. I didn't exactly know how to rate this one so I'm giving it a middle of the road to high score. it was nice enough with great vocals - Springfield has a really unique and fairly deep voice. That being said there were a ton of short songs that kind of merged into one another with only a few standouts. Overall probably one of my more preferred 60s albums so far
8/10. Very good album, probably wouldn't have given it quite so high if it wasn't for 'Life On Mars?' that is an absolute tune. Had a nice epic feel to it as a lot of the highly proclaimed artists of that time do and worthy of a solid score.
9/10. I think listening to albums like this makes me realise that my mum's generation were correct and this stuff actually slaps. This album is great, I love the song writing, the vocals and the all round delivery. The lyrics are great and there is a fantastic emotional feel to every single track. It is super consistent with brilliant melodies throughout (although mayyyybe slightly tapers off towards the end imo). Anyway not enough to ruin this albums 5 star rating and if a certain other couple of The Cure songs appeared here instead we could've been close to our first 10.
7.5/10 pretty good album with nice and varied songwriting, which kept me interested throughout. 'Old Man' is particular highlight for me which probably bumps it up to a four star. I would it probably loses points for uniqueness in my opinion but it was written in the early seventies so maybe that is to be expected slightly.
