1001 Albums Summary

Listened in May 2021. Jazz funk instrumentals aren't really my cup of tea but it's good for what it is. 3/5

Listened in June 2020. Two absolute classic pop songs, don't listen to the rest often.

Would never have guessed she'd go onto make an album as classic as Back to Black four years later. I appreciate why this is beloved, but this kind of 90s inspired neo-soul isn't really my thing.

Listened in November 2020. Not my favourite Bob Marley album, but you can't really go wrong with any of his albums. One I've grown to appreciate more with age.

Listened May 2021. What a voice.

Listened May 2021. Her voice is unlike anything else in music.

Pretty perfect classic rock album. Every song is a winner.

Gorgeous, Beatles-influenced anthemic rock from the 90s. Should have been bigger.

Nice gentle melodies but a little bit boring.

Listened in August 2021. I'm not a Dad so this isn't really aimed at me, but it's got some great tunes.

Fantastic, lively live jazz album. Very enjoyable.

Fresh, exciting, bass heavy funk. A little overlong but so much fun.

Listened Feb 2021. One of the best Britpop albums.

So much raw energy and fuzz. Mildred Pierce is a bit of a dirge, but Tunic is a stunner.

One of the best rock albums of the 21st century. Jack White would write more iconic songs but I don't think he was ever better than this, where each song is a short, sharp blast of innovative guitar playing and yelped lyrics. Makes you want to form a band.

One of the most raucous, alive live albums ever recorded. Johnny was never more of a rockstar here, and you'll rarely hear a happier audience. More punk rock than punk rock.

Rococo Zephyr is one of my favourite tracks. The rest doesn’t quite match it, but the first half in particular is excellent.

Listened in July 2021. For some reason, I've never gotten into The Kinks as much as I have many of their 60s contemporaries. This is a great album, but not one I feel hugely compelled to return to.

Very interesting, often abrasive electro indie experimentations. Some tracks really worked, others felt overly long and extremely repetitive.

The bridge between the Beatles and Big Star. Beautiful power pop melodies, interesting organ and keyboard lines, amazing harmonies. Gets a little proggy but not enough to spoil things.

Listened in October 2023. Just a fantastic, loose, groovy vibe. I will always prefer the more raw energy of the live recordings, but these songs are an amazing mix of new wave pop melodies and world music. Not my favourite Talking Heads album, but clearly essential.

Listened to July 2020. Still sounds unlike any other punk band from that era. Sometimes a bit noisy and frenetic for me, but I get that it's part of the appeal.

Sunny, upbeat folk rock that you can tell was made by a Dylan contributor.

Makes you proud to be British. Fantastic blend of punk, pub rock and ska held together by fantastic melodies.

One of the most gorgeous final albums. Bowie’s may have been more forward looking, but Cohen made something so poignant and moving.

Badly dated, with a genuinely unpleasant organ ruining a lot of songs. The two classics are the only songs worth listening to, and even they soundd a bit creaky.

Wanted to love this because the production is lush but found it just a bit too samey and lacking killer hooks. Vapour Trail is still a banger.

Spiky electro pop with absolutely gorgeous vocals. Wish they did more outright pop songs like This is the Day.

I can understand why this was so forward thinking and revolutionary in 1990, even if it’s not my favourite hip hop album by any stretch.

Fantastic, agitated soul music. Some truly top level pop songwriting here. Glad it’s kept short and tight, as there is a slight lull between Higher Ground and Don't You Worry...

Great glammy proto-punk.

Listened July 2021. I find it hard to rate this kind of ambient music because I find it perfectly pleasant and would happily put it on in the background anytime, but I can't say I really love it or would choose to listen to it often. I respect the craft and what people enjoy about it, even though it isn't really for me.

Very good country rock that occasionally sounds like Jack White. Slightly too long considering a lot of the songs sound very similar. Never properly moves me.

Listened in March 2020. Iconic 90s pop rock. Not something I listen to often but it has at least 3 classic singles.

A little bit too long and could lose Jamaica Jerk-Off, but it’s hard to argue against this as the absolute peak of Elton’s pop songwriting powers.

Really fun, vibrant late 80s hip hop, even if some of it is has dated.

Didn’t think this would be my cup of tea, and the 20 minute long title track is so juvenile that I have to basically ignore the lyrics. Luckily, the vocals and music are so strong that they more than make up for it.

Liked this a lot more on a 2nd listen. Fun, vibrant, lots of variation and energy throughout. Not my favourite Beck album but I can see why it’s the definitive Beck album.

A truly remarkable album. If it’s not as perfect as Rumours, it’s a messier, more interesting and unpredictable album. It’s maybe a little too long and a few tracks could be removed, but the sprawl and chaos is also what I love about it. I could see myself loving this more than Rumours after a few listens.

All killer, no filler. Sounds like a greatest hits compilation, though the only downside is that it is so eclectic that it lacks the cohesion of my favourite albums.

Good for what it is but 90s R&B really isn't my sort of thing.

A bit too slick and shiny to really excite me. Her second album is much better.

It’s like the definition of loose, groovy classic rock n’ roll. I still think Sticky Fingers is their best album but this defines everything that makes the Stones great.

Probably the definitive 80s rock album? This is still so cool, so dangerous, so sexy. Even though you've heard most of these songs a thousand times, they are still exciting.

Undeniably iconic and one of the definitive 00s rock album. Through a mixture of overfamiliarity and marking the start of Green Day's big decline, I don't think this is an unqualified masterpiece. It's very bloated and a little bit pretentious (as all rock operas are), working much better when it offers banger singles than 9 minute long prog punk (except Jesus of Suburbia).

Took me a second listen to appreciate this oppressive, upsetting nihilistic post-punk album.

Some undeniable bangers even if it’s about 20 minutes too long. Don't think we needed two versions of Rollin' or a 7 minute long track.

Lovely pop music, but it feels like listening to early Beatles – you know better was coming soon.

Not my favourite era but it’s a great example of psychedelic rock.

Not my favourite Dylan album, but I wouldn’t argue against those who put it first. So many classics, one after the other. If I had a complaint, it’s quite a top heavy album. The first half is absolutely stacked.

I think the Talking Heads really come alive in their live recordings, and this isn't their best studio album, but there are a handful of classics.

Really dark, mysterious alt-country that sounds a lot like Will Oldham or Vic Chesnutt. I got on its eerie vibe.

If I had heard 50s Latin jazz earlier, I probably would have found it easier to become a jazz fan. Reeally vibrant and fun, especially for nearly 70 years old.

Wish there were a few more uptempo tracks and a few less ballads, but even if this isn’t a personal favourite, historically it’s a vital album.

A great album in a genre I really don’t care for. I’m not a neo soul fan at all so the fact I really like this says a lot about its quality.

Really groovy, enjoyable and just breezy Southern rock album. Even at 90 minutes, it’s a very easy listen and the scratchy vocals compliment the slide guitars and heavy riffs beautifully. A surprising entry into the 1000 albums list but not an unwelcome one.

Really great, upbeat, endlessly enjoyable political funk. I just wish they removed Africa Talks to You because it is so dull.

Listened in October 2022. I'm not quite as big as some on Bob's late 90s period, so I wouldn't even put this in my top 10 Dylan records, but it's got some lovely tracks on it.

Still a remarkable blend of the best 90s hip hop with the best 00s pop. In the great list of 'classic albums with one bad track', God I'd love to cut the worthless instrumental cover of My Favorite Things.

No doubt it influenced a certain sound in early 2010s British music but I find this a little boring and one note. Some great tunes that would score dramatic scenes in teen dramas for years, but the overall experience is only okay.

Listened in Jan 2022. Great, wordy, poetic early 90s hip-hop. Should have been bigger.

The definition of a greatest hits band. Some nice singles but the piano sounds like a novelty band and a lot of it just fades out of memory immediately.

Some excellent synth pop hampered by overlong, draggy songs.

I’m not a massive fan of James Brown’s howling brand of soul music, but I can recognise and appreciate how talented he is as a singer and frontman. Not one I want to listen to endlessly, but I understand all the love.

I remain a Beastie Boys sceptic. For every classic, there’s an instrumental that just leaves me a bit cold. Sabotage is one of the best songs ever made, but nothing else compares unfortunately.

Quirky and entertaining without being too twee. Great mix of drolly amusing songs, nice melody, and all-out rockers. Only All My Friends Were There tips things into sounding like a novelty record. I probably prefer this to Sgt Pepper.

Much more epic and defiant than I appreciated on a first listen. It really does feel like a classic Bowie album for the 90s. Insane to release this at the same time as Definitely Maybe and Parklife.

Listened Jan 2021. One of Jay-Z's best albums. He's never been my favourite rapper, but it's easy to understand why he became such a star.

Listened Jan 2021. Some undeniable classics and more fun than your usual rock opera. It's not one I would revisit it often but at its best, it's peak Who.

I like some of the beats and it has a fun Tribe feel, but it’s a bit repetitive after a while and the instrumentation didn’t grab me enough. I don't really see how it made the 1000 albums list.

Listened May 2024. Really fun, accessible, chaotic riot grrl pop. Deceptacon is the obvious classic but the whole album is a blast.

Not for me. The 20 minute, organ-led title track is absolutely tedious, while the 2nd half is a little better but still bounces around between prog rock and honky tonk.

One of the best alt rock albums of the 90s. Still full of energy and raw musicianship. I was more aware on this listen that it’s a very top heavy album, with a near perfect first half and a slightly more forgettable second half.

I only wish this were longer. I never think of this as one of my favourites, but it’s hard to argue that it is one of the best folk albums of all time.

Just mind-numbingly boring. Like emotional music with the soul removed. I can imagine why millions of unhappily-married women bought this record, but it is so bland and uninspiring.

Listened Sept 2020. One of those classics I totally appreciate and occasionally love, but rarely have the urge to listen to.

The classic status of this one depends solely on what you think of Changes. Personally, I find it very moving, especially in the wake of Ozzy’s death. It isn’t their greatest, but it’s one of the all time great cocaine albums.

It’s Abbey Road. What more do you need to say? I don’t think it’s their top-to-bottom strongest album, but there’s a gleeful ‘throw everything at the wall’ energy I really love. I’ve even grown to appreciate Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.

Other than The Queen is Dead, I generally think of the Smiths as a singles band. I’ve come around to this album though, despite the OTT title track. At least four excellent tracks here.

Very enjoyable and forward thinking jazz album, though the final, vocal-led track really isn’t my thing.

Perhaps an album I ultimately respect and recognise as brilliant rather than truly loving like my favourite albums. I feel like you had to be a Beach Boys fan at the time to properly understand how much Wilson recreated and found that sound again decades. One of the most challenging and surprising pop albums you’ll hear.

Shades of Kate Bush but in a minimalist electronic style. It’s not massively exciting but it’s pleasant enough.

Some of the best and grooviest metal you’ll ever hear, though I think you could easily trim 4 or 5 tracks without sacrificing the quality of the album.

Listened Oct 2024. I understand this one a lot more now. I’m still not the biggest Cure fan, but I’ve come to appreciate their slow, sad gothic melodramas now that I know they aren’t just a goth pop band. Great album that I will keep returning to.

Just good old straight fashioned rock n’ roll. I’m not a major Led Zep fan by any means, but I imagine hearing this in 1969 would have blown my mind.

Listened April 2021. I have a complicated relationship with this one. It has a couple of all time classics, and I think Stan really is one of the best rap songs of all time. But there's a teenage edgelord streak that runs through most of Eminem's work, and a song like Kim is just so genuinely repellent that it stops being pleasant to listen to. Clearly a phenomenon in the early 2000s, but it's not an album I ever choose to re-listen to.

Listened December 2021. Pleasant, jazzy neo-soul influenced songwriting. Good album, surprised to see it on this list.

A mixture of tedious and annoying. An album made up of organ solos and the shrill, harpsichord-led closer. This type of music just isn’t for me.

Very chilled, unhurried vibes that you have to let wash over you. I prefer TWOD at their more anthemic and pacey, so Red Eyes is the clear standout, but I generally just enjoy soaking in the atmosphere.

Much better than I remembered. Pretty close to the sound they perfected on Violator, with the first half being particularly consistent on catchy gothic pop.

I don’t get this album at all. I didn’t particularly enjoy the constant electronic barrage, the vocals weren’t anything special, and there’s a distinct lack of memorable hooks and melodies. Mostly sounds like the worst tracks on a Tame Impala album. Couple of good tracks, but bafflingly overrated.

Even with overfamiliarity, this is undeniably one of the great rock albums. So good it has allowed AC/DC to remain popular despite decades of mediocrity.

Some of the short instrumentals are meh, but when this rocks out, there’s some fantastic riffing and I don’t even hate the keyboard solos.

Elvis Costello seems curiously untrendy among modern bands and listeners to the point where he’s almost underrated in the British rock canon. This is an excellent debut that has touches of rock n’ roll, ska and punk, though it feels more traditional and digestible than other punk of the era.

I never think of this as one of the all time great rock albums but it’s pretty much all killer no filler. Contains three classics and the rest are pretty great too.

Baffling that this is included on the 1000 albums list. Mostly just unmemorable instrumental muzak, though it has a very irritating middle section before the genuinely good Sound of Someone…

Mostly just unmemorable, soft indie with bleeps and bloops. A bit dull.

I assumed this would be straightforward jangle pop, so it’s interesting to hear African influences, disco rhythms and sounds you wouldn’t expect from an 80s Scottish indie band. Nice little album.

Undeniably a classic landmark album, but personally, I’m so familiar with so many of these tracks that they don’t really excite me anymore. I also think it has such an incredibly strong middle but the ending is a bit damp.

Definitely a grower. It's not one of their classics, and can feel like a decline following Kid A, but there are a lot of underrated tracks. Not sure if it should be on this list, but it's well worth a listen.

Some nice sleazy rock n’ roll, even if I sometimes think I’d rather just be listening to Exile on Main Street again.

Listened in October 2024. Much better than I remembered. I would cut out a few songs from the second half, but this is much more vital and energised than I recognised on a first listen. One of the peaks of grunge.

It’s fascinating hearing absolutely revolutionary rock occasionally interrupted by completely ordinary R&B covers. You can really hear the changing tides here.

Separating art from artist, this is one of the greatest albums of all time, and certainly one of the best of the 10s, if not the best. Incredible production, lyrics that serve as a strong summation of the artist, massive choruses, great guest spots, multiple iconic songs that would define soundtracks for the next decade. There's a reason Kanye's ego spiralled so out of control, because for a brief moment, he was one of the greatest in the world.

Listened March 2021. I appreciate the incredible musicianship, but 20 minute jams aren't really my thing.

Listened July 2021. Many of these songs are so overplayed that I don't get any pleasure from hearing them anymore. Nevertheless, this is a strong contender for most iconic album of the last 15-20 years with an insane collection of hit singles.

Classic pop rock. Polish production, great hooks, the only thing that stops this being a favourite is that it has such straightforward approach that it doesn’t thrill me.

I find blues a little repetitive and a little goes a long way. The live energy adds quite a bit and the atmosphere is enjoyably woozy, but not massively for me.

3 modern indie classics and not a lot else to recommend. I can see why they never repeated this success again.

I can't be objective about an album I would definitely stick in my top 30 of all time. It's too long to achieve the perfection of Either/Or, but I think at its best, it might be the peak of his abilities as a songwriter. He's playing with a much bigger canvas here, and the lush production lets songs like Son of Sam and Wouldn't Mama Be Proud really soar. Unlike XO, I think they nailed the sound here, letting Elliott pay tribute to the Beatles but still keeping a bit more grit and emotion (I love XO but the production can be a bit soft). At 16 songs, I will concede that it's too long though - I love every song, but you could trim LA, Colorbars and Better Be Quiet Now without losing too much.

Pleasant folk songs ruined by shrill flutes and horrible buzzing. I didn’t really enjoy this on any level other than the nice vocals.

I quite liked this on a first listen a few years ago. Maybe my tolerance for experimental has gone down, but I found this quite dull and repetitive. I remembered it as sounding like a proto-Tom Waits, but it lacks interesting instrumentation or any kind of memorable hook.

This kind of turntable electronic music couldn’t be further from my sort of thing, but I’ve grown to respect it as an album more. I wouldn’t chuck this on regularly, and I’d say it’s closer to background music for me, but there’s a certain hazy ambient charm to it.

Listened April 2021. I appreciate it historically, and if a song comes on I always enjoy it, but a little goes a long way and it's a fairly repetitive album.

The classic opener is such a misdirect because nothing else here comes even close to its loud hard rock groove. I’m not a prog fan so my love is limited, though there are some lovely vocals and melodies.

Possibly the weakest album from his golden period, which is to say it’s not one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Still excellent, even if it lacks a truly classic single.

One of the strangest listening experiences I’ve had in a while. After releasing a classic power pop album, I didn’t expect his follow-up to be so experimental and anti-commercial. Not in love with it on a first listen, but it feels like it could be a GBV situation where its difficult moments are secretly its strengths.

I like jazz, I can handle rocking soul, but the two together here did almost nothing to me. Can’t say there’s anything I would want to revisit, though it has the odd good jazz breakdown or shouty chorus.

The Doors might be my pick for most overrated band in rock history. Some okay songs but a lot of this is overlong, basic blues that I find quit boring.

It’s taken me a long time to understand Beastie Boys having only liked the singles previously, but I feel like I’m finally getting them. Sample-based music is an art form I’m still not fully onboard with, but I get how amazing and playful the production is here. Glad to finally join the hype train.

Pretty irresistible pop ballads.

Really not my cup of tea. I find this sort of electronic music fairly samey and boring, especially when songs are up to 9 minutes. I doubt the ideal listening experience is a full album listen on headphones. Not terrible, but not for me.

Listened September 2023. Eerie, melodic, chugging alt rock. I'm a sucker for this genre and specific time period so I love it, but I don't know if I would have included it in 1000 albums to hear before you die.

I really like R.E.M., especially during their golden period, yet I never think of them as a favourite band or revisit much of their music. This is a great album, yet I generally have an emotional disconnect that stops them from getting to that next level. Love the addition of mandolins and ballads here.

Perfectly good doo wop style pop music but I’m a bit bored of the 60s bias towards ‘classics’. A lot of this is forgettable and if it wasn’t for the one big single, I don’t think we’d listen to them much at all.

Enjoyably dark and aggressive hip-hop, especially in the first half. Definite shades of Enter the Wu-Tang, even if I don’t find the songs quite as standout. This has a vibe and energy I really enjoy spending time with.

Despite finding Queen overplayed and never really revisiting the now, and the fact they are the ultimate singles band, this remains a classic album. It might be the only time they wrote a genuinely brilliant, cohesive album that doesn’t feel like a collection of great songs. One of the great British rock albums.

At its best, it’s pleasant background noise, but I’m afraid I found a lot of this quite boring and it gets pretty grating towards the end. Not for me.

Listened May 2025. I enjoy the original incarnation of Coldplay where they take the angsty piano-based alt rock of Radiohead but smooth it down into mainstream, stadium-filling pop. Strong songwriting.

A top 10 album of all time for me, but one that took me a while to fully get on board with. Some of the tracks (Debaser, Wave of Mutilation, Here Comes Your Man) are obvious first hit masterpieces, but there are weirder, trickier songs that took me much longer to appreciate. But those short, sharp shocks are crucial to breaking up the classics, acting as wild little interludes that make sure you are never close to bored. It's possibly the most influential rock album for the next decade, perfecting a sound that wouldn't reach mainstream popularity for 3 or 4 more years. And while the album is incredibly cohesive, needing to be listened in one, there's an incredible variety within, from frenetic punk to bass-driven grooves to catchy commercial radio rock to strange rock n' roll pastiche.

It took a decade but I finally love this album. I always struggled with its reputation as the greatest album of all time when it always sounded a bit novelty to me, as if the forward thinking production was the only reason people loved it. Once I got over that, I can see this as just a really fun, vibrant album. It’s not their best and I prefer them much rockier, but it was nice to finally get it.

Heartening to see a modern artist release an album with the ambition of the legends. Feels like a cohesive experience and the opening few tracks in particular have an energy and instantly iconic feel. Just lacks that killer classic to tip it over the edge.

Enjoyable if slightly samey soul album. As someone who isn’t massively into 70s funk and soul, this doesn’t have the speed and energy it takes for me to really love this kind of music.

Like a disco at the end of the world. Dark, moody, spiky electronics and fierce vocals. Heads Will Roll is a classic.

Genuinely fantastic album that for whatever reason doesn’t quite hit my all-time favourites. Undeniably great and contains at least three classics, but maybe the more classic rock-oriented tracks just don’t hit me like my favourites do.

The sound of the end of the 60s. Nothing hits like the title track but I appreciate the surprising mix of hippy jam band and furious punk rock.

I can recognise the skill in a chin stroking sort of way, but other than the surprisingly enjoyable opening tracks, I didn’t find this to be a pleasant or hugely rewarding listening experience.

I don’t get the love for this one at all, other than that some of the production sounds impressively retro. Other than the nice Mutants cover, nothing really stood out and I was bored before the end. Maybe you had to be there?

Very beautiful, haunting and surprisingly guitar-driven shoegaze that just lacks that killer edge to tip over into a favourite.

It’s not as transcendent as Pink Moon, but it’s such a beautiful album. The guitar playing is gorgeous, the strings add so much emotion, and the way it flows through to the final, gentle song takes you on a lovely journey.

Despite loving some of the Libertines’ output, I found this one quite overrated. It starts and ends well, but there’s a lot of short, nothingy tracks that don’t feel particularly well thought out or performed. Up the Bracket is much stronger.

Instrumental guitar music is rarely for me, and this is no exception. The vocal-led tracks are great and I enjoy some of the noodling, but it’s not one I would return to.

Such an amazingly live and raw album that feels like it was recorded in one take. Gets more enjoyable with every listen. Doolittle is their masterpiece but this has slowly become the one I want to revisit the most.

Undeniably important and influential to all hip-hop that came after it. The funk samples and scratching feels a little bit dated to me, placing it firmly in the late 80s and holding me back from loving it like I do my favourite rap and hip-hop albums, so it’s more of a huge appreciation than a deep love.

Listened October 2020. I'm just not a big fan of rockabilly Elvis. I get it, I see why he's the most famous person ever, I see why he completely changed the face of music, but for me, he doesn't become the genuine sensation into the comeback special. I also don't think Elvis on record is the best way to fully appreciate the King - it's live all the way.

This just isn’t for me no matter how much I try. I can recognise the appeal in certain tracks (Da Funk and Around the World are obvious club bangers), but I find it very long and very repetitive. I’m sure this is a genre landmark, but if you don’t know or particularly like this genre, it doesn’t do that much.

Always dismissed this as flute-led prog rubbish. Turns out it’s a really good hard rock album with crunchy riffs and big melodies.

You have to be in the right mood for this, but I am, so it’s just a brilliant short and nasty hardcore punk blast.

One of the greatest albums ever made. Is it too long? Yes. Would I remove the jams? Probably. But until the final 5 tracks, this is all killer no filler. One of the most underused talents of his era finally getting to show the world what he could do, and it’s astonishingly good. I’m not sure if I like it as much as Plastic Ono Band, but there are a handful of the most gorgeous rock songs ever written.

Quite impressive that she captures the sound of 50s and 60s country and Western so accurately. That said, it feels more like a great pastiche than an actual classic.

Serial killer music. Certainly a challenging listen, and I personally can’t really find the music in this so I find it near impossible to rate. Feels unfair to call this bad because it might be a brilliant example of what it is, but I struggled to get through it.

Was worried it would be more unremarkable 60s rock but it’s pretty decent. Prefer the songs that sound like CSN&Y.

Increasingly thinking that Simon & Garfunkel were top 5 60s artists. The title track and Only Living Boy are two of the loveliest songs you will ever hear. Not quite up there with Bookends but another classic.

It’s a got a nice jamming groove, though this particular brand of Southern rock doesn’t do all that much for me. At least they keep it tight at under 40 minutes.

Listened November 2021. There's no denying it caught fire at the right moment and was probably revolutionary for a lot of angsty teenagers, but I think a lot of it has aged quite badly and there's only a few songs I'd want to hear again.

Listened October 2021. I've never rated The Who quite as highly as their 60s Britrock contemporaries but this is a great chance to hear them at their peak.

Excellent debut album, which is only slightly weaker in the context of what the Heads would go onto do. It’s just a bit more straightforward and conventional compared to what came a few years later.

Irresistibly slick 80s pop. Who doesn’t enjoy this?

If you like big open-hearted pop music, this is as good as it gets. It’s not an all-time favourite but it’s wall-to-wall bangers.

Really enjoyable if slightly cheesy 80s rock. Twin guitar solos and big choruses are fantastic, not as big on the organs.

A couple of really majestic songs don’t make up for the overly quirky feeling I got from this. Just not enough to latch on for me to really love it beyond appreciating the musicianship.

Maybe I have to be in the right mood for this one because I just couldn’t get very into it this time. It’s very chill and pleasant, but very little really grabbed me.

One of the great albums. I go back and forth on this and Nevermind a lot. While Nevermind definitely has the better songs and is arguably top-to-bottom flawless, there's something about this raw, distorted squeal of anger that almost rivals it. A bleak listen, and it's hard to see where they could have gone after this, but a nearly unrivalled masterpiece of hatred.

I always want to love this album, then I listen to it and check out throughout a lot of it. Maybe I’m a heathen, but I like Velvet Underground at their most accessible and poppy, and don’t like the dirges and experiments. I don’t want to call it overrated, because it is valid and important, but I don’t like it all that much.

I’m not really into this kind of dance music so I found this perfectly listenable but it didn’t do a lot for me.

I always appreciate these early Scott Walker solo efforts yet the songs themselves never truly grab me. His voice and experimental tastes are remarkable but there isn’t a lot I’d like to return to here.

Quietly gorgeous and atmospheric experimental music with elements of dub. I miss his gorgeous vocals and melodies, but I still found this dreamy and beautiful.

It’s taken me multiple listens to finally unreservedly love this. More than anything, despite the melancholy throughout, I think this has a healthy sense of fun, the sounds of a band throwing all their ideas out there and seeing what sticks. Endlessly creative and really quite catchy when it wants to be.

Even better than I remembered. Everything after this is downhill, but Back in Black really is a near flawless classic rock album and only slightly less great than Highway. The only time Brian’s voice doesn’t annoy me.

Very solid, catchy Dad rock.

Pleasant background listening. I generally prefer chilled ambient music to much louder electronic.

Maybe it makes me a bad Scott Walker fan but as soon as he drops the experimental/avant-garde stuff and just makes a straightforward pop album, I think it’s one of the best albums of the 60s.

Excellent 80s pop that gets a little too Sting-esque at times.

One of my favourite Britpop albums. Could do with a trim but it's got a solid mix of big melodies and proper guitar rock. Bittersweet Symphony is still a classic.

More Jack White sounding than I imagined. Some nice bluesy rock tracks but nothing hugely memorable.

I was bracing myself for more awful prog, but this is a perfectly acceptable classic rock album that shouldn't be on this list.

At its best, this is phenomenally catchy anthemic synth pop. Shame a couple of very ordinary tracks slightly spoil the mood.

Growing up is realising Paul McCartney was the ace of the Beatles. He doesn't have the raw charisma of John and he isn't as likeable as George, but he is just a powerhouse writer and performer. This is only a small notch below the best Beatles albums, but it's phenomenally written and produced.

If not the best country album, it might be the loveliest. Just a gorgeous and atmospheric acoustic record.

Was worried this would be generic 60s rock but it’s actually very fun, funk and soul tinged blues rock. Only the long guitar jam spoils the mood.

It's Stevie Wonder in the middle of his golden period. Of course it's a classic. The only downside is it isn't Innervisions or Songs in the Key of Life.

Overlong and kinda boring funk and soul album. I don’t think this one has aged particularly well.

One of the best, most joyous and technically sound albums I’ve ever heard. Such a pleasure.

A fantastic collection of power pop gems. Sounds like a greatest hits of the 70s compilation.

Track by track, this might have the most amount of iconic singles on any album ever.

Very ahead of its time, even if I prefer the alternative rock that came towards the end of the decade.

Pretty much perfect punk album. Stripped down, raw, direct.

The interludes are a bit of a drag and I think they were slightly sharper on Aquemini, but at it’s best, some of the most fun hip-hop you’ll hear.

80s hip-hop often sounds very dated to me, but I enjoyed this despite the slightly cheesy production.

Years ahead of their time. Managed to inspire 80s alternative and the garage rock revival. Excellent.

Listened July 2025. Still such a defiantly punky and aggressive album. I prefer this to almost everything else Maiden did.

Peak Billy Corgan, where his ambition and dreaminess collided with grunge to make a beautiful, heavy slab of alt rock.

Overhated by fans at the time. Yes it’s more streamlined and mainstream, but there is so much greatness here. Their last stand as a genuinely world class and as good as mainstream metal gets.

Much better as a world music album than a hip hop album. Fairly fun.

Too experimental for my tastes but I found this more interesting than I expected.

Some of the more repetitive electronic songs aren’t for me, but All My Friends and NY I Love You are proper classics.

Nearly flawless, although Imagine has been pretty much ruined by overplaying. Some gorgeous songwriting.

A very fair and respectable contender for greatest album ever.

Much better live than on record, even if the keyboard is still too much for me.

A bold, gripping debut that still feels a slight step below what Kendrick would go on to do.

The rare double album that is all killer. You could argue it is front loaded but it just makes the second half full of underrated tracks. Top 10 of all time.

Very pretty but it does get slightly dreary.

Nearly flawless open hearted punk rock.

My favourite hip-hop album. A group of young, pissed off wordsmiths with boundless energy and attitude releasing an album full of top-to-bottom bangers.

My first real experience of Bollywood. Very different but mostly pleasant. Nice Morriconne esque instrumentals.

I’m still not lame enough to love Steely Dan but this is the closest I have gotten. Shouldn’t be on this list though.

Pleasant background music. Not hugely for me beyond that.

Took me a little while to get on the wavelength as it feels very different from the Beach Boys I know. Some very interesting and solid songwriting. Feels like a Weezer influence.

Decent early 80s alternative, though I didn’t hear anything classic.

Always resisted this because of it being something of a lad culture classic and an inspiration for lots of Britpop I don't like. But it's the real deal. Defiant young attitude, amazing riffs, big choruses. Fantastic.

3rd time listening. Hated this album's endless chugging sprawl when I first heard it years ago, then loved it on a second listen. Now, I'm slightly less enthused but still greatly admire this one. It goes against a lot of the things I instinctively like - it's long, there are endless guitar sections, and a lot of it merges into one drone - yet I do like that aggressively in-your-face attitude. And Teen Age Riot is a true masterpiece.

A collection of joyous soul. Not the masterpiece that What’s Going On but went down a treat on a Monday morning.

A surprisingly nostalgic listen. This was my Kerrang childhood. Not perfect but the only album that really tapped into how ludicrous and OTT they actually sound.

Grown on me since my first listen. 9 minute long electro music isn’t my thing in general but I was able to hear more of what people love.

I prefer hip-hop that’s very fun or very aggressve, whereas this is a bit too laidback and neo-soul influenced for me. Groovy vibes.

Near perfect pop album. Feels like Depeche Mode finally found the perfect balance of pop hooks and driving instrumentation this time to create something for the electro pop fans and the hard rockers. Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence alone would make this a recommendation, but it's all good. I think the follow-up might be my personal favourite.

Thelonous is a fairly recent discovery for me, and I just absolutely love that controlled chaos he brings. This feels like a live album it’s so frenetic and spontaneous.

The Damned remain hugely underrated in the grand scheme of things. I slightly prefer the raw simplicity of their debut.

Delicate acoustic album with some beautiful melodies. Didn’t strike me as a classic though.

Very interesting to sample African music, a culture I don’t know loads about. I found it very pleasant but a bit repetitive and long, so not hugely for me. But I was happy for the chance to experience it.

I’m a huge Bowie fan but I struggle with the Berlin trilogy because the instrumentals never really grab me. Other than Subterraneans which is wonderfully evocative, I feel fairly cold towards the back half. Some great songs in the first half though.

Near perfect album that might actually be better than White Blood Cells. A strong contender for best guitar album of the 2000s.

Mostly unpleasant, repetitive and uninteresting. Did not enjoy.

One of the best albums of the best years for rock in history. Feisty, heavy and atmospheric. Violent is a classic opener.

This is when I really like 1000 albums. Based on Come On Eileen, I had no interest in this album and assumed it would be generic 80s British indie. But this is so vibrant and alive, mixing angry punk with ska-y brass and soul singalongs. Excellent.

Wondered during the first half if I haven’t massively underrated this for years. In many ways, it uses a full band better than Five Leaves Left, with Hazey Jane II being particularly stirring. The instrumentals are what holds this back, especially Sunday, which features very shrill flute

So ahead of its time, but still a little dated due to that early hip hop production. Contains three absolute classics, but I can’t help but wonder how great this would have been five years later.

Arguably her best ever. Lives up to the tile with earthy, moody ballads. Incredible vocals throughout.

Undeniably a challenging listen and left me a bit exhausted after an hour. However, it is such a strong artistic statement, and still such an incredible UFO in music history. Very glad I experienced it, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected to.

Mostly just white noise dance music for me, like a Blue Jam audio transition. A few atmospheric tracks.

Think I might slightly prefer this to It Takes a Nation if only because the production feels more urgent and aggressive. Fight the Power remains a total classic.

Might be Elton’s most top to bottom consistent album, boosted by the classic opener.

Freak on a Leash is a masterpiece, the rest of the album is a bit samey. Would be better with at least four tracks removed, especially the rap songs.

Thought I would have a revelation on a relisten but it's still their worst non-debut album. Some good tracks but this is the only Radiobead album where I find myself a little bit bored. Only a couple of tracks stand out and they wouldn't on a better album. Decent, but nothing that special.

Dance music remains not my thing at all, though I found this relatively painless all things considered.

Near flawless folk rock with big melodies and big heart.

So vibrant and full of life. Used to have issue with the 13 minute long jam but you have to take it as part of the vibe.

That 60s folk guitar sound is absolutely gorgeous.

I never really know what to do with ambient like this. Eno himself called it “ignorable but interesting“ and that is my experience. I like having this on in the background but I don’t really feel much or find it essential.

I just struggle to get into Kraftwerk. I understand they are influential, I understand it is atmospheric, but I prefer tunes and melodies.

A bit dated and I’m not sure I actually enjoy Joplin’s voice all that much. Decent enough rock.

Pretty enjoyable, though I find blues like this ultimately quite repetitive and samey.

A genuinely challenging bit of arty electronic alt rock. Struggled with it on a first listen but found it really exciting, unpredictable and unlike anything else on a re-listen.

Unique country tinged soft rock that didn’t grip me at album length. A few nice tracks.

Bouncy, happy swinging jazz. Made me smile.

Very pleasant, laidback bossanova and jazz.

Excellent jazz record. Some really interesting drum and vocal tracks add the Afrobeat vibe to beautiful brass lines.

Undoubtedly iconic and the peak of pomp rock. I have grown tired of Bohemian Rhapsody but its power hits you afresh when you listen to the full album. I prefer the grittier rock of Sheer Heart Attack but it’s undeniable.

Some decent tracks but it's just too long and feels like a bit of a slog in the middle.

One of the best vocal albums of all time.

I find the production more outdated than Lady Soul, but I can’t deny the vocals again.

A little rough around the edges but the fact they were this fully formed on their debut is impressive.

Always thought Happy Mondays were a bit of a fun novelty band but this is the real deal. Tons of snotty attitude and danceability.

My favourite album ever, and it’s not even close.

Very good, crunchy hip hop beats. Not sure if I’d call it essential but it is rock solid.

Used to be a favourite, but it just doesn’t grip me in the same way anymore. A handful of excellent songs but gets a bit samey in-between.

Not sure whether I prefer this or Big Pink, but both are sublime folk rock. This one alternates between beautiful ballads and surprisingly funky rock.

Really fun rap debut. Not as instantly great as Wu Tang, but has that same no fucks attitude.

One of Bjork’s most blissful and pleasant albums to listen to. Very pleasing on the ears.

It’s The Beatles’ Revolver. It’s probably the peak of them as a rock band. If this isn’t 5, what is?

A bit drawn out and few too many long blues numbers, but it’s definitely a strong contender for best guitar album. Lots of great solos.

A flawless masterpiece. The worst track is better than you remember and it contains 3 or 4 classics. So good Bruce could have released mediocrities for 50 years and he’d still be The Boss.

Much stronger than their more iconic debut. Sounds a lot like 1994-era Portishead but with a dancier vibe.

Pleasant if not life-changing indie rock.

Snotty, fast paced punk n' roll. So much fun. Can’t believe I didn’t like this on a first listen.

Undeniably great, though there’s an emotional distance I have with U2 that keeps this from being an all timer for me.

While I find elements of this album a bit dated now, I’d love to time travel to 1969 and here how revolutionary this must have sounded.

I'm not a massive Pink Floyd fan at the best of times, but I find this one a touch overrated. Some undeniable classics, but the 'rock opera-ness' of it all means you have to sit through some fairly naff audio theatre.

I don’t think Elvis on record is the best way to appreciate him, but this is my favourite Elvis record.

Instrumental dance really isn’t my thing, but this had a few tracks I quite enjoyed.

Just a gorgeous, melancholic album that was probably the high point of Neil’s vast discography.

Top to bottom greatness from one of the best alternative bands at the height of their powers, though it’s a small notch below their best albums.

The vocals are still gorgeous, but I got a little tired of it by the end.

I’m not a big Van Halen guy but this is a super fun collection of massive, catchy, shredding hard rock.

Separating art from artist (which you really have to do to find any worth in MM’s music), I think this is still a very effective album that transitions mainstream rock from the shouty angry post-grunge era into the more industrial, alternative and nu metal era of the late 90s. For a brief moment, he was a very exciting and very unique voice in rock.

A confounding, challenging, ultimately beautiful album that I generally enjoy listening to more than OK Computer. From the obvious brilliance of Everything in Its Right Place to trickier songs like the title track, this keeps getting more rewarding.

Really nice bluesy African guitar music.

Aggressively not my thing. I almost had to turn this off.

A real grower over the years. First listen I didn’t get it, now I really enjoy how unpolished and spontaneous this feel. Also, Mark E. Smith was right: this definitely cribs from the Fall several times.

I’m sure this was pioneering but I just can’t abide this much organ.

It’s definitely too long, but there are so many beautiful tracks here. A really great mixture of heavy grunge and delicate ballads.

Probably my favourite Pink Floyd album. It’s the perfect length, the long tracks sweep along elegantly, and the title track still astonishes.

I find swing a bit cheesy a lot of the time but there are so many classic tunes here, it still makes me smile.

It’s just a fraction below his masterpieces. Very much feels like the lesser sequel to one of the greatest albums ever made.

This kind of honky tonk rootin’ tootin’ country isn’t my favourite genre but it is very enjoyable.

I've always thought of Funeral as THE Arcade Fire album. While that possibly has higher highs, this has just aged much better for me. It's got a great balance of driving indie rock and more grandiose, ballady track, plus it feels a bit more authentic and less measured. Surprised just how much I loved this relisten.

Probably the pinnacle of one of the greatest artist ever's career. Some of his finest lyrics combined with some of his greatest melodies and just a mournful feel that adds depth to those he think he is just folksy. The sort of album that makes you wish you'd been divorced just so you could feel it even more.

Irresistibly melodic and joyous proto pop punk.

I still don’t like the organ but this has some really solid hard rock.

Despite not being a big blues fan, this is enough of a raucous good time for me to still get on its wavelength.

I hate the Red Hot Chili Peppers so it says a lot that I like so much of this album. If it was cut down to 10 tracks, it would be a triumph, but there are too many crap funk rock songs with terrible lyrics that sink it.

I generally understand why Adele is so huge and popular, even if this gets a bit too bland radio pop. Some great singles.

Great sadcore indie rock. Bit like a sadder, countryfied Pavement.

Possibly Nick Cave’s only truly great album. Such a wild blend of all his best music – gospel rock, swooning piano ballads, rousing folk, dark murderous rock.

Great soul vibes. Hard to be in a bad mood listening to this.

Just an incredibly dark, angry and intense experience that feels even more powerful than it once did.

Fun if slightly repetitive vibes.

Amazingly groovy Southern rock. Great boozy, bluesy vibes.

Razor sharp guitars and feisty vocals. Very little else from that era sounds like. Day-Glo is a classic album closer.

I normally love sad female singer-songwriters but I found quite a lot of this a bit dreary.

Very few albums make me want to travel back in time and hear it during the time it was released than this.

Always torn between this and OK Computer as my 2nd favourite Radiohead album (In Rainbows will always be no. 1). While this doesn't have anything as astonishing as Paranoid Android, and could be seen as a bit more generic alternative rock compared to what came after, The Bends is just jam packed with great rock songs. Just is as good as any rock song out there, singles like High and Dry and Fake Plastic Trees are lovely, and Street Spirit feels like a sign of things to come.

I didn’t get on with this. I find this kind of 80s hip-hop so dated and cheesy sounding. Nothing excited me.

Just non-stop energy and fun. One of the most purely enjoyable 90s hip hop albums.

Three excellent singles and some nice soft rock make this a breeze of a listen.

A solid contender for most iconic album of the 70s. Maybe of all time. Despite being overplayed, it still just works. Fast, raw, direct, cool as fuck.

First four tracks are as good as rock n’ roll gets. Must admit the stretch from You Gotta Move to Sister Morphine doesn’t do loads for me.

The coolest album of the 70s? It isn’t the best Tom Waits album, and it’s not the one you go to for classic songs. But as an experience, it comes pretty close to sitting in the audience for a smoky, drunken jazz bar show.

My favourite Neil Young album. Has a nice mix of folk and distorted guitars that gives it a bit more punch and edge, combined with some of his best lyrics.

Some decent 70s rock here but it does get overlong and a bit too twee.

Two incredible highlights in Changes and Life on Mars, but the rest of the album is a mixture of very solid glam rock and slightly more forgettable acoustic tracks.

I think in many ways this is the most ‘classic’ 2000s album. It really does sound like it could have been produced in the 60s. The one downside is that the singles are overplayed and less enjoyable than they once were.

What a discovery. This is one of the best reggae albums I’ve ever heard. It’s such a great summer listen but there’s an edge of emotion and frustration that really elevates it. Excellent.

Excellent Gothic rock. I never usually like 80s synth but the harder, gloomier edge really elevates this.

Not just Bruce’s best album since the mid 80s but one of his very best. Moving and joyous.

Listened March 2024. One of the bleakest albums I can remember listening to. The sheer force of conviction and overwhelming sense of dread and despair carries this one.

Arguably the greatest metal album of all time. Colossal, epic sound with two world-class guitarists and their greatest ever line-up combines to make something both incredibly fun and mosh pit ready yet sophisticated and intricate. An all-timer.

Took me a few days to get through this. It’s got a shrill electronic sound I found painfully dated.

Hard to rate as I don’t agree with this being included on the 1000 albums list. It’s an exhaustive boxset, not an album. However, I enjoyed a lot of this and it has a nice balance of showtunes and melancholic ballads.

This kind of dance music isn’t for me but a few tracks had some interesting melodies.

There’s enough here to make this an all-timer for Bruce, but I think this also has everything people don’t like about Bruce. Glory Days still sucks.

Elvis’ best studio album. Just wall to wall great tracks culminating in maybe his greatest song.

An interesting R&B album that I still don't feel I've fully gotten hold of just yet.

One of my favourite bleak albums. So much sadness and then ends on a note of real beauty.

Amazingly groovy and bouncy hip-hop. Love the production.

The greatest guitarist of the 21st century makes a piano album and it’s fine. Some good songwriting but not really what I listen to the White Stripes for.

Fantastic melodic classic rock. Particularly love the Southern tinged Mystery Man. First notes of American Girl get chills.

Enjoyably ramshackle. Maybe I’m Amazed is the diamond in the rough.

One of their technically best albums, though it doesn’t quite have the same impact on me as IV.

Some of the folkier tracks are undeniably brilliant, but I’ve also started to come around more on the experimental jazzier dub tracks. Fascinating artist.

Quite fun and energetic but not a classic of the era.

Very strong, albeit lacking that killer track that made the White Stripes so outstanding. Doesn't belong on this list.

Both of its time and timeless. Closer to legendary rap debuts than the hard rock and metal of the era. Still sounds absolutely vital, full of anger and energy and innovation. Somehow inspired mostly crap but the original still rules.

Solid 60s folk that sounds like a mix between Dave Van Ronk and Scott Walker.

Goes much harder than I expected. Almost more akin to aggressive alt rock like Killing Joke than the new romantic era.

Not my favourite Sabbath album, but it’s clearly their most important in the rock canon. 3 stone cold classics, 3 excellent tracks, a drum solo and a decent bluesy closer. The bridge between their early, bluesier work and the doom metal to come.

Undeniably irresistible pop music that has been so overplayed in time that I don’t get much enjoyment out of it anymore.

Fantastic British punk. I’d always thought of The Jam as a bit of a Dad band and lamer than most punk, but this is just brilliantly written and played.

At its best, its got the sad longing of a Smiths ballad, though it almost tips into easy listening.

Some classic songs on here, but I’ve always found this a little bit scattershot. Perfect Day is such an incredible, mournful ballad that it arguably causes problems coming so early in the running order.

Probably her most straightforward album, but when it all sounds this good, that isn’t a problem.

Possibly the most ‘classic rock’ sounding album of all time. I don’t have the fondness for this to make it one of my all time favourites, but it’s such a breezy listen.

Powerful post-punk sound that gets a bit exhausting at full album length.

Not a bad debut, but I prefer the two straight up rock tracks to any of the hip-hop.

Possibly my favourite VU album. Other than the irritating experimental poem piece Murder Mystery, this is just really lovely songwriting.

One of the all-time great live albums. Completely reinvents the music into something that kicks you in the head and forces you to dance.