241
Albums Rated
2.9
Average Rating
22%
Complete
848 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Britpop
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
12
5-Star Albums
19
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yeezus
Kanye West
|
5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
|
Duck Stab/Buster & Glen
The Residents
|
4 | 2.03 | +1.97 |
|
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
|
5 | 3.47 | +1.53 |
|
Calenture
The Triffids
|
4 | 2.55 | +1.45 |
|
Funeral
Arcade Fire
|
5 | 3.56 | +1.44 |
|
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
|
5 | 3.62 | +1.38 |
|
Penthouse And Pavement
Heaven 17
|
4 | 2.62 | +1.38 |
|
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
|
5 | 3.67 | +1.33 |
|
Atomizer
Big Black
|
4 | 2.72 | +1.28 |
|
Doolittle
Pixies
|
5 | 3.74 | +1.26 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
|
1 | 3.68 | -2.68 |
|
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
|
1 | 3.55 | -2.55 |
|
The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
|
1 | 3.33 | -2.33 |
|
D
White Denim
|
1 | 3.21 | -2.21 |
|
Manassas
Stephen Stills
|
1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
|
Out of Step
Minor Threat
|
1 | 2.93 | -1.93 |
|
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
|
2 | 3.93 | -1.93 |
|
Come Find Yourself
Fun Lovin' Criminals
|
1 | 2.92 | -1.92 |
|
World Clique
Deee-Lite
|
1 | 2.86 | -1.86 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Queen | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Muddy Waters | 2 | 1.5 |
5-Star Albums (12)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Gorillaz
4/5
So very dope. I love the balance of electronica sound experiments and radio ready jams. Everything is effortless and competent. It’s all so very easy to listen to, and I think it totally holds up all these years later. I can see why this is on here. Feels like a bit of a turning point for the genre - mashed up as it might be. Great album!
2 likes
Beatles
3/5
Yeah this one is overrated. It’s good! Don’t get me wrong. But there are patches of this album that are straight up boring. Some of the arrangements grate the ears a bit too. (The squeezebox on Wait for instance is a godawful accompaniment).
I’ve never actually listened to a Beatles record all the way through. I own their singles album and that’s been enough to get me by. So I am eager to delve a bit more into the catalogue to understand what all the fuss was about. No doubt this first appearance on the 1001 merely scratches the surface.
All that out of the way, this is still the Beatles we’re talking, and of course they deliver on most of the material here. And there’s something to the hype in songs like In My Life and I’m Looking Through You. Norwegian Wood is nice, obviously. Melody and instrument craft mostly reign on this record. Throw in Lennon and McCartney’s soothing tones and you have super easy listening. Lyrically I question whether there’s anything revolutionary going on with Rubber Soul, but put simply: it’s pretty good. ✨
2 likes
Def Leppard
2/5
Hair metal absolutely kills me. This is the early 80’s, yet I’m supposed to believe that the genre only hit self-parody at the end of the decade. I wasn’t alive in the 80’s, but to see old music videos of the likes of Dee Snider and Alice Cooper parading about, it already presented as parody of the self-serious stylings of the rock gods of the 70’s (Zep, Who, Aerosmith).
Which is all to say, how the hell did anyone ever take bands like Def Leppard seriously. The songs are tedious. Really, how many numbers does a band truly need about how ‘totally bodacious’ it is to be in a rock and roll band. The production on their only notable attempt at something approaching important also comes across as so completely obvious (the gunfire and helicopters that precede Die Hard the Hunter) that everything that follows it is just one giant eye-roll. It’s just not for me, and I’d never choose to listen to this music. That album art is hilarious though.
⭐️⭐️
2 likes
Dire Straits
4/5
Such an easy band to listen to. The whole album was just a pleasure. And I had totally forgotten how smooth that sax is on ‘Your Latest Trick’. Knopfler is one of those rare guitar talents where you just know immediately who is playing. Dire Straits have such a welcoming and accessible sound that it’s hard to be over critical on some of the weaker tracks where they’re just having a bit of fun. But the strength of the popular material on here more than pulls its weight for a throughly enjoyable listen.
Four stars!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1 likes
Stephen Stills
1/5
Run of the mill. Paint by numbers. Blues rock.
The sheer length of this thing tested my patience bigly. Very hard to find anything nice to say about this.
1 likes
4-Star Albums (60)
1-Star Albums (19)
All Ratings
Muddy Waters
2/5
Not a blues guy personally but this was easy listening
David Bowie
4/5
Love this one. A fantastic send off for Bowie. He recorded this as he was dying of cancer of the liver. The whole vibe reflects it, but he still manages to keep his sound interesting and experimental despite the pall over the whole affair. I prefer his previous album before this one, The Next Day since it has a few more radio friendly tunes, but Blackstar is still really special. Highlight for me was Lazarus.
Sam Cooke
3/5
Bring it on Home to Me, what a fucking tune. Covered by the Animals and Jimmy Barnes, but I’ve never heard Cooke’s live version before. It sounds amazing (not withstanding the long as shit call and response lead in).
You can hear from the hysterical crowd how completely he commands that room. As a relic of that era’s soul scene this is clearly an important listen. It’s not enough to make me a full fledged soul convert, but I’d gladly ‘twist’ to Feel It (Don’t Fight It) at the next sock hop; segregation be damned.
Nirvana
4/5
As a wise man once said: “Live albums are always a good time”. I couldn’t agree more.
Though I’ve never totally bought into Nirvana, their pull is undeniable. At this album’s best, you get some of the most emotionally raw music ever recorded (All Apologies into Where Did You Sleep Last Night - holy shit what a closing combo). But at their worst, you get Kurt Cobain singing so far beyond his vocal range it physically hurts to hear. Deeply unpleasant at times.
Listening to this Unplugged album I was surprised at how few of the band’s mega hits are present (Obviously Come as You Are is amazing). But, it’s a great opportunity to hear the band’s classic sound stripped of its distortion and wailing vocals. You get way more of a sense of Cobain as a songwriter from his warm growling vocals. There is a lot to love about this live album. As a snapshot of one of the most iconic bands at the height of their power, it’s a remarkable record. For my money perhaps one of the greatest covers of all time in Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World. I’d put Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt a notch above it though. A high 4 for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Count Basie & His Orchestra
1/5
This was not an easy listen.
The rock n’roll counter culture of the 60’s has never made so much sense when forced to sit through this. For me it just doesn’t resonate. I think the biggest obstacle is that I don’t understand what the music is trying to make me feel. Each number is indistinguishable from the other in terms of quality. This just ain’t it.
The Libertines
3/5
Enjoyable 2000’s indie Brit rock with some echoes of the Smiths. I much prefer their contemporaries like the Arctic Monkeys, but here the sound is a bit more raw and immediate. Highlight for me was the opener, Can’t Stand Me Now. This one will definitely get a few repeat listens from me, but I didn’t quite click with the rest of the album.
A low three for me ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Wow, what an absolute joy this album was to listen to. Double LPs are always bloated and self-indulgent - and the same does apply in Stevie’s case. But the pacing here is so strong, and the bangers so well placed that they mostly stave off the exhaustion. Yes, the tunes are just that strong.
On first listen it’s genuinely difficult to pick a favourite side let alone song. Side 1 and 2 feel more concise and focused, whereas Stevie kind of just loosens up and takes the listener on a long groovy journey towards the end. If like me you’ve given yourself over to the groove by side 4, you’re going you have a hell of time. A high 4 for me on first listen but would not be surprised to graduate that to a 5 if I find myself returning to this one. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Willie Nelson
3/5
As a huge fan of Springsteen’s Nebraska it was very cool getting to listen to the blueprint Nelson laid down in the Red Headed Stranger. For me, this is country at its best. Melancholy lyrics sung with enough reverb to make you think old Nelson was the last man on Earth. Nelson’s songs evoke vivid images of empty abodes and bustling old west saloons. While not my favourite genre, there’s certainly a lot to appreciate here in Nelson as a singer and songwriter. Three stars ✨
Gang Of Four
2/5
Punk music seemingly about the tedium of everyday life. Some fun grooves, and a bit of experimentation with sound, but not much here to excite. I’d take the Clash any day. Two stars for me ⭐️ ⭐️
Duran Duran
4/5
God what a fun album. Full of excitement, soaring synths, and just plain cool songs. The spirit of the 80’s is on full display here and the highs are just so damn high. Duran Duran caught a bit of flack from their contemporaries for being a pop consumerist band (looking at you Robert Smith). But I don’t think that’s entirely fair. The song writing isn’t particularly deep, but I think that misses the point of a band like Duran Duran. Music should be fun, and make you want to sing and dance along. This isn’t fine art, but it’s damn good music.
Surprise favourite for me is Save a Prayer. Something slightly haunting about the chorus in this one that resonates I love me some melancholy pop music.
With decent pacing throughout Rio I feel good about low 4 stars for the album. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Christina Aguilera
2/5
I’m not a pop guy so this was a bit of a labour to listen to for me. Xtina is undeniably a talent with that voice, and I can’t help but feel that talent is wasted in the pop genre when listening to rock infused tracks like Fighter. In any case, the hits hit hard, but as with many pop artists of this era the rest of the album feels less intentional and more like a vehicle to sell those hits.
A very ‘Dirty’ two stars for Xtina. ⭐️⭐️
George Michael
3/5
One has to wonder how an album like this would play today. Michael’s allusions to fathers, teachers, and preachers as stand ins for sexual partners are clearly intentional, which makes the whole affair a bit ‘iffy’. The production has held up nicely, and there’s clearly a bit of fun to be had here and there; however, the whole thing starts to get a bit weary by the time Michael’s simulated sex sounds arrive in the overlong I Want Your Sex.
Michael clearly did a good job here at relating his own personal coming of age struggles with sexuality and God, and for his effectiveness in an often shallow genre I give Faith a soft 3 ✨
3/5
Nothing on this album really stuck out to me on first listen, but I can’t say the experience was entirely unremarkable. The songs just aren’t overly catchy or impressionable, but the social commentary at least feels important. To those that came of age in a world already thoroughly ‘Americanised’ it’s easy to forget about the cultural rebellions in our own backyards. So there’s a British sense of humour through each track that takes aim at those changing times. Which is all well and good, and necessary even. But I do struggle a bit to find the joy in the listening experience. There are no bad songs by any means (The closest I got to connecting with the music was Colin Zeal), but the sarcasm on display here just makes it all feel a little bit like being on the outside of an ‘in joke’.
All that said, there may be more than meets the eye here on repeated listens as the arrangements are interesting and the guitar work is impressive. A light three stars ✨
Yes
2/5
I admire the musicians in this band for their technical prowess at each of their respective instruments. The hallmarks of a competent prog rock album are all here in Fragile, but accessibility to the listener remains an issue. An album like this requires patience from its audience. After the frenetic energy of Roundabout to open, there’s a good 30 minutes of slow moving soundscapes that are beautiful, but don’t really go anywhere. That is until the stellar conclusion in Heart of the Sunrise. So I can’t in good conscience give Fragile anything higher than 2 stars no matter how much I admire the skill and musicianship on display. ⭐️⭐️
Big Black
4/5
Holy hell, what an absolute barn burner of a record.
Having never heard of ‘Big Black’, I came into the listening experience with a fair bit of trepidation. But boy what a blast. From the opening guitar scratch of ‘Jordan, Minnesota’ you just know you’re in for something violent - and once you key into the lyrics, the real horror show begins.
This is an album that never lets up, and leaves nothing unsaid about life’s deepest miseries. This is a hateful and dark record; but you never get the sense that the songs have an agenda or something to rail against. They’re just screaming into the abyss. A rough as guts listen, but compelling as hell. A very easy Four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Coldcut
1/5
There are all kinds of sounds in this world, but maybe it’s not a good idea to throw them all together at once in the pursuit of something interesting to try dance to. This was fucking diabolical. Not my jam at all. Completely untethered from anything approaching enjoyable listening. A disjointed, obnoxious mess of noise
⭐️
Portishead
4/5
I liked this album a whole lot when I first heard it over a decade ago, but admittedly it hasn’t had much play time for me over the years. Dummy is equal parts haunting, mysterious, spooky, and disquieting. The music is effective, and retains a distinct identity in the trip-hop genre 30 years after release. However, Portishead offers little breathing room for the listener over Dummy’s runtime. The band’s sound can leave the listener searching for diversity amid the onslaught of record scratches and blips. Thankfully, Glory Box is there to blow the lid off the building tension on the album’s close. (And what a finale it is).
Dummy’s themes have always gone a bit over my head, but I feel the album does such an efficient job of marrying Beth Gibbons’ vocals with the cold and oppressive soundscapes that you kind of get the idea anyway.
By no means a genre I’m comfortable with, but Dummy scratches by with 4/5
ABBA
3/5
First off, check out that album art would ya. Isn’t it heinous? None of them look happy to be stuffed into that tiny helicopter. Come on guys, it’s only 1976! And you’ve just released an album with some of your biggest hits ever - far worse times are ahead for each of you, believe me.
Also isn’t it weird to name a record ‘Arrival’ when you’ve already released a steady stream of chart toppers like Waterloo, SOS, and Mamma Mia? I’m pretty sure ABBA ‘arrived’ sometime around their Eurovision win in 1974.
“But is the music any good?” I hear you say? Irrelevant. This is ABBA. The drunken gen Zers belting out Dancing Queen in the streets as you make your way home from a big night out renders that conversation meaningless. Money, Money, Money, Fernando - the songs on this album will endure long after we’re gone for the simple fact that they are brilliant, joyous pop music.
However, if I’m ever choosing to put on an ABBA record, it’s certainly not one that opens with a playful dalliance between a teacher and smitten student. Arrival definitely shows its age here and there. And, also, what the hell was that Hawaii tribute as the closing track?? The listing of these songs sometimes felt entirely random. But hey, this is ABBA we’re talking. They’re getting decent marks.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Velvet Underground
5/5
I absolutely adore this album. Is it overrated? Oh yes, most definitely. But you can’t deny its impact on the punk, indie, metal, and art-rock scenes that came after.
Even putting to one side this record’s place in rock history, you’re still left with some phenomenal music. I truly love how the songs capture the imagery of the 60’s, from the naive adolescence of All Tomorrow’s Parties, to the mass proliferation of recreational drug use in tracks like Heroin and Waiting for my Man. At it’s best this record is straight up transporting to listen to.
On the negative side, I never had much time for the album’s closing tracks, but I’ve actually found it hits differently years later. The VU were experimenters, and there’s something sweet about listening to a band just let loose and jam out for a bit like they do on European Son. Of course, it borders on being overindulgent (figures like Lou Reed are after all synonymous with pretension), but on this album you can’t deny the authenticity of the music. Perhaps that is what keeps records like this relevant today.
🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The xx
3/5
This is a really nice album. I don’t really have a bad word to say about it; however, it doesn’t really meet the heights of their self-titled debut. To an extent I think some of the disappointment I feel with these songs is that the XX don’t seem to have demonstrated any notable growth or evolution in their sound since 2010.
I See You is no doubt super easy listening, and tracks like ‘On Hold’ are stunners of course, but for me it falls short of the kind of excellence I’m searching for to really fall for a band like this.
Three stars ✨
Van Halen
2/5
All style little substance. An incredibly talented bunch to be sure. Breaking new ground in guitar wizardry and stadium rock production. But this whole album didn’t really resonate for me. I appreciate the lean runtime, but even at that, the high octane energy of those guitars and Lee-Roth’s yelping ‘aww yeyahhhs’ feels totally overwhelming by the end.
Two stars ⭐️⭐️
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
At first I was struck by the gentleness of the music, but then the vibrato. That godawful vibrato. Some people dig it. I do not. Which is a real shame because musically I find myself enjoying a lot of peaceful sounds Anohni explores on this record. I especially enjoyed the contrasting of the lead vocals against Lou Reed’s grizzled tones. But that’s about all of interest here - I don’t feel compelled to come back for more. Two stars for me ⭐️⭐️
Nirvana
5/5
It took me a long time to come around on Nirvana. Outside of the catchy singles like Teen Spirit and Come as you are, I thought it was all just noise and angst. But I was wrong. Coming back to Nevermind after so many years there’s just so much to admire in the composition of these songs. Even tracks like Territorial Pissings have really grown on me. As a package this album is utterly excellent. Maybe a track or two shy of being faultless. But this album will forever have a permanent place in my rotation.
Five grungy stars for Nevermind
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
This a busy album, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t put a smile on my face. There’s a lot going on in the production, and it can be overwhelming at times, but the tracks are bright and infectious. Personal favourite for me was Wild West Hero. If anything it’s nice to delve just a bit deeper into ELO’s catalogue and be pleasantly rewarded, rather than listen to the same four or five of their overplayed radio staples that kind of do my head in a bit. ✨
Bob Dylan
3/5
It’s difficult to pass judgment on an album like this after only having listened to it a handful of times. Dylan has laid out a soundtrack to the disintegration of a long standing relationship that is so rich with personal experience that it demands patience to fully appreciate, and to perhaps come to relate to what he’s going through. There’s so much to unpack, but the themes of regret throughout the record are most prominent on my personal favourite ‘Simple Twist of Fate’. It’s a slow and contemplative album, but Dylan’s talent for storytelling is as strong as it ever has been here on tracks like ‘Jack of Hearts’ and ‘Tangled up in Blue’.
I’d be happy to revisit this album to see if it hits differently after spending some time with it. For now I give it a high three stars ✨
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Excuse I, while jam out to this very chill album!
I’ve never considered myself a reggae fan, but the vibe here is simply undeniable. These songs hit so hard - I especially admire the way each track flows seamlessly into the next, making the whole affair feel like one big punky reggae party. And to finish with the ‘one two’ punch of Three Little Birds and One Love? Just gorgeous. This whole record satisfies a very niche itch I never knew I had. I know I’ll be back.
Beatles
3/5
Yeah this one is overrated. It’s good! Don’t get me wrong. But there are patches of this album that are straight up boring. Some of the arrangements grate the ears a bit too. (The squeezebox on Wait for instance is a godawful accompaniment).
I’ve never actually listened to a Beatles record all the way through. I own their singles album and that’s been enough to get me by. So I am eager to delve a bit more into the catalogue to understand what all the fuss was about. No doubt this first appearance on the 1001 merely scratches the surface.
All that out of the way, this is still the Beatles we’re talking, and of course they deliver on most of the material here. And there’s something to the hype in songs like In My Life and I’m Looking Through You. Norwegian Wood is nice, obviously. Melody and instrument craft mostly reign on this record. Throw in Lennon and McCartney’s soothing tones and you have super easy listening. Lyrically I question whether there’s anything revolutionary going on with Rubber Soul, but put simply: it’s pretty good. ✨
The Smiths
4/5
The Smiths’ last hurrah! Back when Morrissey was still in on the joke. I have to be honest, I really, really enjoy this album. Jonny Marr’s tones are vibrant, the songwriting is sarcastic and witty, and tracks like Stop Me are just so easy to sing along to. Ah, and who could forget Girlfriend in a Coma! So upbeat, so tragic, and completely inappropriate. But at a 2 minute runtime the joke doesn’t wear thin and knows just how long to stick around.
Unfortunately the same can’t be said for other tunes on the record. Death of Disco Dancer takes forever to end, and Last Night I Dreamt takes an age to begin. The thing is , I still really enjoy both songs. So points deducted for a lack of focus and failing to cut some of the fat.
There’s other evidence here that Morrissey and the boys were at the end of their lifespan creatively in tracks like Unhappy Birthday. At this point in the album the schtick wears a bit thin - like, we get it Morrissey you’re a spiteful prick with a long list of perceived enemies. So, sometimes he ventures into self-parody, but other times he hits the target: Paint a Vulgar picture for example is so eviscerating of the music industry, but surprisingly self aware. Morrissey knows when he sings, “but you could have said no, if you wanted to” that he’s not the uncompromising poet warrior he so often paints himself to be.
And then the end. I Won’t Share You. The perfect soundtrack to the fraying Morrissey and Marr partnership. The playfulness with which Morrissey delivers that line is chilling in its own way. It’s a threat to blow up everything if he can’t get what he wants. Classic Morrissey. Ego on full display. A total dick to the end.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Keith Jarrett
2/5
This was nice, and Jarrett is clearly a very talented pianist, but I can only appreciate this album insomuch as I can recognise those talents. I would Listen to this to focus at work or read a book, but I wouldn’t listen to it for the music - if that makes sense. Also the crowd in this recording is annoying. ⭐️⭐️
Dire Straits
4/5
Such an easy band to listen to. The whole album was just a pleasure. And I had totally forgotten how smooth that sax is on ‘Your Latest Trick’. Knopfler is one of those rare guitar talents where you just know immediately who is playing. Dire Straits have such a welcoming and accessible sound that it’s hard to be over critical on some of the weaker tracks where they’re just having a bit of fun. But the strength of the popular material on here more than pulls its weight for a throughly enjoyable listen.
Four stars!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
It’s hard to believe that one of the greatest rock songs of all time could come from such an uneven mess of an album. Layla (the song) is a bit of a microcosm of the album at large: Astoundingly good at the start, but then it just keeps going until the relief of hitting the end.
Damn near all of these songs are Slowhand wanking off on his guitar, playing extraordinary blues rock, but failing to keep the listener engaged with the consistent variation and soul of tracks like Bellbottom Blues. There are high highs to be sure, but as a complete package this thing is a bit of a shambles, and I can’t go higher than a two. ⭐️⭐️
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
Folk rock had always been a bit hit or miss for me, and this was totally the case here. The whole thing was just a bit underwhelming. The songs are okay, but things never really take off. It all seemed a bit directionless.
The only saving grace is those tracks where Young takes the reins. There are snippets of his experimentation with distortion and sound that are at least kind of exciting. But it’s a bit of dud for me. ⭐️⭐️
Queen
5/5
I first listened to this album in my bedroom at 16 years old. I vividly remember having my headphones on when the Prophet’s Song began to play. The experimentation with production, the harmonies, and the layering of the vocal tracks absolutely blew my mind. I knew then that Queen was an exceptionally special band.
A Night at the Opera is perhaps the best example of everything great about Queen. The record sees an equal division of labour between all members of the band, and showcases each of their unique strengths for singing, song writing, instrument craft, and their collective talent for raising the bar with music production at a time when traditional rock music had begun to stagnate.
While the music is undoubtedly capital ‘C’ camp, there’s still so much to admire in the risks these songs take. Each effort here is genuine, and inspired. The quiet moments like Love of My Life are heart aching, and between legendary tracks like Bohemian Rhapsody, you get playful jaunts like Seaside Rendezvous and ‘39. Some of the lyrics here are fantastic too (“you call me sweet like I’m some sort of cheese!”). Brilliant.
Queen never took themselves too seriously. They always had fun, and put creativity at the centre of everything they did. Nowhere in their discography is that clearer than here.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Suicide
2/5
This entire album feels like the product of gifting your goth cousin a brand new Casio for his 16th birthday. Honestly, it’s hard not feel like most of these tracks are just some dude messing around with the various drum loops on his synthesizer. The whole thing gives off serious amateur hour vibes: Think Randy Marsh channeling Lorde.
It gets a two from me for the interesting electronic sounds on the opening track. But good lord. This was mostly awful.
Guns N' Roses
2/5
I generally loath this band but the holy trinity of lead singles on this record simply cannot be denied. Nor can it be ignored how tight the sound is all the way through this album. Personally, I find those in between tracks repetitive, but as a debut, the praise this album gets makes sense. Also, listening to Paradise City calls up some truly fond memories of logging into Burnout with my buds after school.
I’d award a 3/5 if I’d left it at that. But the writing on some of these lesser played tracks is so crass and tasteless that it loses another star. (“Oh, panties 'round your knees with your ass in the breeze”). Stay classy G N’ R
⭐️⭐️
Orbital
3/5
Not usually my kind of thing, but I found myself getting lost in a lot of these beats. I don’t really have a bad word to say (which is pretty rare for me with this kind of music). A pleasant listen if you’re in the right headspace and don’t want any distractions. ✨
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
Great album! I’d never listened to Marianne Faithful before, but I was pleasantly surprised. There are shocking moments on this album. Some of these tracks beg to be unpacked when you catch Faithful’s lyrics. But everything here is honest, clearly autobiographical, and still sounds fresh. This is clearly brooding tortured artist territory. But it’s authentic, painful, and comes together nicely. A high three stars ✨.
Coldplay
4/5
I desperately want to shit all over this album, but it’s just not called for. The sound here is so beautifully realised for a debut. It’s remarkable.
We’ve all heard Yellow a million times, but I really enjoyed listening to it in context. The electric guitar keeping the beat does this interesting discordant thing in the verses that I never actually noticed. It’d sound awful by itself, but wrapped up in the production it’s just glorious.
Such an easy, easy listen. It’s a shame about…you know… *gestures generally at everything Coldplay did after 2010*
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
For 1976, this is incredibly impressive stuff. I got absolutely lost in this album. It’s clear that this was a landmark recording for those that came after in the genre. But the most unexpected place these soundscapes took to me was to the Mass Effect soundtrack in Part V. The influences of this album appear to be deep and far ranging. Really cool. A thoroughly enjoyable listen.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Police
4/5
Lots to love here! But a few missteps stop this from taking the top spot in the Police discography.
Sting and the boys were pushing their sound in an interesting direction for their closing act, but what in God’s name were they thinking on Mother. Sure it harkens back to their punkier early outings, but it doesn’t belong here and it sounds awful.
I have to give a special shout out to, Stewart Copeland (of Spyro fame), for his talents all throughout the album - especially on the opening, Synchronicity. His style is utterly unique, and he truly sets himself apart from rocks great drummers.
I like a lot of these tracks, but I don’t love them. All that said, this squeaks by with a 4/5 on style and the replay value of these tunes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
A beautiful album: Warm and inviting, and full of charm. The stories on this album are a bit corny and dated. But it’s wholesome, and doesn’t feel like it’s trying to cater to a particular listening group. Songs like Bookends are genuinely touching (and alarming from a couple of 20-somethings).
S&G’s songs play heavily on emotion, and while those emotions are subdued on this album compared to the grandness of the superior Bridge Over Troubled Water, it still hits its target. Hazy Shade of Winter is the peak for me, delivering some much needed urgency and excitement to the album’s closing tracks. Really love this album.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I’m not crazy (horse) about this album, but I respect what Young was trying to do with this project. The whole ‘rust’ concept as an allegory for rock music becoming comfortable and complacent is kind of interesting; I give him that. But I’m not in love with a lot of these songs.
On to what I do love: Hey Hey, My My, and Powderfinger. All timers in my opinion. The live production is used to incredible effect to bring these songs to life. In particular, the distortion effects from the former give the song this wild and unpredictable energy. The increasing distortion throughout the song feels as if the band is breaking down - dare I say grinding on in spite of the rust.
As an average guitarist, these songs also bring me a lot of joy to play. Young doesn’t aim for accuracy here. The mess of distortion and ‘missed’ notes makes for a highly accessible sound for wannabe’s like me to try emulate. So some of these songs resonate strongly with me, but I have to kind of shrug at the bulk of the material. Live Rust on the other hand is a different story, and I’ll be highly disappointed if this one made the list instead.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
I just can’t get on board with this. Clapton has sounded better. The heavy use of organ is dated and silly. But most unforgivably, the songs are beige. I get that this music was important, but the more of the blues I hear, the more I’m convinced the style belongs in the past.
Def Leppard
2/5
Hair metal absolutely kills me. This is the early 80’s, yet I’m supposed to believe that the genre only hit self-parody at the end of the decade. I wasn’t alive in the 80’s, but to see old music videos of the likes of Dee Snider and Alice Cooper parading about, it already presented as parody of the self-serious stylings of the rock gods of the 70’s (Zep, Who, Aerosmith).
Which is all to say, how the hell did anyone ever take bands like Def Leppard seriously. The songs are tedious. Really, how many numbers does a band truly need about how ‘totally bodacious’ it is to be in a rock and roll band. The production on their only notable attempt at something approaching important also comes across as so completely obvious (the gunfire and helicopters that precede Die Hard the Hunter) that everything that follows it is just one giant eye-roll. It’s just not for me, and I’d never choose to listen to this music. That album art is hilarious though.
⭐️⭐️
The Mamas & The Papas
2/5
The classics on here hold their ground, but everything in between is horribly dated. There’s also something in the Beatles cover that irks me. As if the kids from Glee truly believed their rendition of Don’t Stop Believing to be superior.
Barring California Dreaming, there’s just no drama here. Which is a shame since that song is phenomenal.
⭐️⭐️
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Unexpectedly enjoyed this!
I can’t really relate to any of these songs, but there is an undeniable gentlemanly charm in Jennings’ delivery.
The slower tunes drag a bit, but the interplay between electric guitar and banjo on the more upbeat numbers is really fun. I’d listen to this again.
✨
Tom Waits
3/5
I’d like to meet the Tom Waits fans that immediately clicked with his sound because this has got to be some of the inaccessible music I’ve ever heard. Which is not to say I’m put off, but this is certainly an acquired state.
I found the softer tracks here a bit more palatable. I recognise Jersey Girl from Springsteen’s cover, but Waits’ version clearly has more grit and soul.
I’ve never been more certain with a review that whatever rating I give here will inevitably change as I figure out whether I’m into Waits, or can’t do it. But this album has me interested for more at the very least. I expect I’ll be hearing more of him on this list too.
Stephen Stills
1/5
Run of the mill. Paint by numbers. Blues rock.
The sheer length of this thing tested my patience bigly. Very hard to find anything nice to say about this.
Beatles
4/5
I had the good fortune to listen to Revolver for the first time after hearing Rubber Soul (also for the first time) a couple of weeks ago. The latter didn’t resonate with me at all. The Beatles’ outsized reputation completely obscured what I found to be an aggressively “okay” record. But with Revolver, I think I’m starting to understand a bit of the endless praise heaped upon the Beatles.
I listened to this record in a group setting—explaining the mission of the 1001 list and walking friends through the seemingly impossible challenge of listening to, rating, and forming a fully developed opinion on an album each day for the next three-odd years. The group encouraged me to chuck on Revolver if I absolutely had to listen to it that day.
We talked about the legacy of the Beatles, the contradictions in Lennon’s writing, the obvious influence of LSD on the sound, and even the occasional blandness—or that generic ‘60s’ sound—that sometimes crept into the tunes. But even in that setting—drink in hand, a wee bit bevved—some of these songs cut through the conversation and gave me pause.
These songs: the craft, the writing, the sound profile—it’s all so completely different from everything that came before. In a week when the list churned out the Mamas and the Papas, it became that much easier to see how the Beatles were changing the game. Music no longer bound by the need to be replicated live opened the door to real innovation in the studio. That’s clear as crystal and should be recognised.
And I realize I haven’t actually said a single thing I liked about any of these songs. They may hit differently in the cold light of day. But sharing the listening experience with others lifted this album in a way I’m not sure I’d have appreciated had I simply listened during my daily commute.
Or could it just be that I listened to their music the way it’s supposed to be listened to?
🍻🍻🍻🍻
🥴
The Smiths
4/5
“Belligerent ghouls run Manchester schools. Spineless slimes; cemented minds.”
It really is unfair that such talent for lyricism falls to Stephen Morrissey.
This album, Meat is Murder, is just as interesting, bold, obnoxious, and tightly arranged as anything the Smiths have ever done. It’s not my personal favourite, but aside from the asinine title track the band don’t really put a foot wrong here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2/5
The funk overstays its welcome on a lot of these tracks. The music is competent and kind of fun, but nothing really resonated with me outside of the album’s closing number, Beetles in the Bog. I can’t see myself revisiting this particular album by the War again. Though learning these guys did Low Rider and Why Can’t We Be Friends came as a bit of shock. A shame they didn’t come up on this record!
⭐️⭐️
4/5
For my money, quite possibly the strongest run of four songs to open an album, ever.
By that measure, perhaps it’s then unfair to deduct stars for the tumble this album takes after such dizzying heights. To these ears there’s a fair amount of retreading of old ground to diminishing returns.
There are other highlights along the way: as an NZ native it’s truly surreal to hear Bono sing of one of Auckland’s more obscure landmarks in One Tree Hill. But it doesn’t hurt that it’s also a really lovely song.
Had The Sweetest Thing shown up here rather than a B-side we might be in five star territory. While there’s nothing revelatory in Bono’s writing, this gets an easy 4/5 for the strength of the album’s high points.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Megadeth
2/5
I feel like I need a shower after listening to this. Unfortunately my resentment for heavy metal is so etched in my taste that I found it a real chore to listen to these songs with anything other than disdain. The aesthetic, the droning guitars, the screeching and often incoherent lyrics. I just hate it all so, so much.
And yet: after giving the title track one last spin, I found myself smiling a little at how ridiculous it all was. Maybe I’m too conceited and self-serious to really enjoy what Megadeath are all about, and I don’t see my feelings towards these songs changing, but “rock on” I say to those who live for this stuff.
⭐️⭐️
LL Cool J
3/5
This was really fun! Rap is not for me, but LL is a great entertainer, and I was surprised at how easy a listen this was.
I was really getting into the cornier tracks like Mr. Good Bar and Milky Cereal. Maybe I just enjoy songs about food products - All of these lyrics are supposed to be taken at face value right??
✨
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
I never thought I’d see the day that I’d be able to heap praise on an album of this genre, but here we are.
The beats here are killer: Lo-fi, crunchy, and impactful sounds kept my foot tapping and head bopping through so many of these tracks, even as I lost my way through a lot of the lyrical content. The MCs are relentless in their delivery, and it’s often overwhelming for a non hip-hop and rap listener like me. But man, is this record stylish. I loved getting to know each of the personas on this album. I held reservations about being able to distinguish who of the legion of contributors were fronting at any given time, but the production does a marvellous job of giving everyone their own unique voice on which to cook. I could totally listen to more of this.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pixies
3/5
Man, Pixies just have such a unique voice in alt-rock. Even though I don’t love this record, Black Francis’ unhinged vocals keep things so interesting all throughout the runtime.
When I listen to Bossanova, I can’t help but compare it to Surfer Rosa, and Doolittle. For me, Bossanova is a far nicer sounding record thanks to the production. But the sheen here smooths over the wild unpredictable energy of Pixies’ earlier output. It’s still here in tracks like Rock Music. But the highs are fewer and far between.
I do enjoy this record though. To me, Pixies’ music has always been less about the stories, and more about the striking imagery Black conjures up in tracks like Is She Weird.
✨
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Hooo boy! This is a fantastic record.
I was a casual enjoyer of the odd CCR banger, but I connected hard with this in a way that I haven’t yet with the music on this list.
The absolute peak for me is Run Through the Jungle. The soundscape the band creates using the guitar delay and reverb, and the low rumbling bass, the sound is just so well realised - like danger lurking in the corner of your vision, but never quite materialising. And then to follow up with Up Around the Bend!? Another absolute corker.
There are so many other highs along the way too. Granted, nobody needs 10 minutes of Grapevine, but John Fogherty sounds unbelievable, and everyone is so locked into the groove, that I’m not so bothered. This was just so thoroughly enjoyable! I teeter between a 4 and a 5 - but hey, I had a genuinely great time with this album, so it gets full marks!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Electric Prunes
1/5
Totally forgettable, boilerplate, 60’s psychedelic trash. Honestly, who let these guys into a studio?? These songs make me angry.
The most that can be said about these guys is that they’re a late 60’s cautionary tale of the music industry’s insatiable desire to package and sell anyone with an inkling of the Beatles’ or Stones’ marketability.
💫
The Velvet Underground
3/5
A strong album from a legendary act. There are pockets of real charm throughout: Pale Blue Eyes is the clear standout, and the playful After Hours is such a refreshing palate cleanser after the experimental onslaught of Murder Mystery. I really enjoyed my time with this one, and have a few favourites that I’ll be revisiting.
However: I question what Reed was thinking with Jesus. In general, I find pseudo religious soul searching music tedious and rarely worth paying attention. “Oh I’m so lost, and need to fill my spirit up with love and god, etc.” There’s nothing special in such messages. We’re all in the same boat, and a lot of us don’t need God to feel fulfilled. Reed explicitly stated that this was not a particularly Christian song; however, belting out “I am beginning to see the light” at the start of the next track only extends the tedium of one the record’s key themes. Which is frustrating because both songs in question are performed exceedingly well and sound great!
So it gets a 3 for me for a couple of missteps, but I still absolutely love what I’m hearing for the most part.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
“Woah”
Me, multiple times throughout this record. That voice. Buckley sounds like nothing is out of his reach.
At first I was surprised at how little exposure I’d had to Buckley’s music (outside of Hallelujah of course); no one seems to be interested in covering his original music. But it became apparent pretty quickly that these songs belong to no one but himself.
Outside of Buckley’s enormous talent, this record works as a beautiful snapshot of 90’s popular rock. I wish I’d taken the time to listen to this earlier. Buckley’s singing abilities outshine anything else happening on this record, but the accompaniments are good and really allow that incredible voice to take centre stage. Really solid.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kanye West
5/5
There’s this split second towards the end of the opening track, On Sight, that tells me everything I need to know about Ye on this record. At 1:50 Ye sings, “I put my dick in her mouth,” dragging out that last word in such punishing style; you can hear him break at the last moment just before the mask goes back on. Ye knows full well that it’s obscene. That moment where the pretense of ‘the greatest artist ever to have lived’ drops gives me the assurance I need when I listen to his music that he’s not completely deranged (at least at the time of recording).
Ye’s music carries all the subtlety of an atomic bomb. But he’s a straight shooter and he’s not afraid to speak his truth. I can’t say I approve of everything here, but Ye had an important voice when he made this record and boy does he know his way around the studio. The production is excellent and even innovative. The samples while often clunky are still somehow catchy and inspired; there’s real creativity going on here in the composition of these songs that is to be applauded. I love Black Skinhead, Bound 2, and pretty much clicked with everything in between. Blood on the Leaves, another showstopper. The electronic beats on some of these tracks also have this amazing cold, industrial feel to them - it’s weird and unfriendly, and I love it.
For me to rate this anything less than a five would be clear virtue signalling to others that I couldn’t possibly have a high opinion of the music of someone so utterly compromised as a human. The truth is that this is simply a modern classic, and a high watermark for the genre.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Brian Wilson
3/5
It’s a bit of a challenge to review an album with such a storied history as this - especially on the day its creator died.
BWPS is pleasant enough through its runtime, but it’s difficult to untie tracks like Good Vibrations from their historical context. Had 2004 been the first time the world got to hear it, would it have received so much universal love? Probably not. But it’s still a marvellous song, and serves as a perfect showcase for BW’s singular talent for instrument arrangement in the rock genre.
I do enjoy that this work doesn’t take itself too seriously. But the whimsy grows a little wearisome, occasionally crossing over to being downright asinine at times. But it’s all inoffensive, and it is endearing. BW took big risks; and the release of this album is best seen as a triumph over one man’s personal demons.
✨
Michael Jackson
2/5
Disappointed with this. I remember growing up watching E! Docos about Michael Jackson. Off the Wall was heralded as the turning point in MJ’s career, from child star to serious adult recording artist. So I expected something a little more.
The first two tracks are classic pop disco. Literally everything else here is forgettable, and mediocre. Michael’s voice is endlessly listenable, but it doesn’t save this album from being little more than a hit vehicle.
⭐️⭐️
TV On The Radio
3/5
This is the kind of album that probably would have become my entire personality over one summer holidays at uni. It’s fun, energetic, confident, and just really kind of cool. I especially enjoy the way a lot of these tracks build, starting off slowly and culminating in a crashing crescendo with some tight instrumental arrangements.
The sound is very much, ‘of the time’. 2000’s indie rock was really hitting its stride at the time of release with bands like Bloc Party, the National, and Interpol all bringing similar energy to their music making. A great album with only a few standouts that I’d come back to. But as a complete package, this is a fine record.
✨
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Beyond the spectacular Superstition, the songs here never really rise above what is best described as ‘a pretty good’ Stevie Wonder album.
The material here is quite repetitive. Things start off nicely with the lovely Sunshine of my Life, and that kind of sets the theme moving all throughout the album. So there’s not a lot of interesting song writing going on. But it’s easy listening, and I’m more than happy to let Stevie do his thing.
✨
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
There are moments of real joy on this album, but they are sparse. The title track is creative and fun, and the radio ready Jet is catchy. But the album as a whole amounts to less than the sum of its parts.
Tracks like Mrs Vandebilt and Mamunia kept my interest, but songs like Bluebird felt a bit uninspired and didn’t appear to have a lot to say. By the time the plodding Picaso’s Last Words hit I was ready to check out. However, the closer, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five, tipped the scale back to posit for me. I’m fond of Phil Spectoresque grand finales in my music, and that track is almost worth the price of admission in its grandeur and drama.
I’ll spare any overlong ruminations on Sir Paul as a solo artist post-Beatles. Is he overrated? Duh. Does an album like this belong on this list? On its own merits - probably not, but as a peek into how those Beatle boys fared after being heralded as the best thing since sliced bread, this is an important record, with some genuinely listen worthy moments.
✨
The xx
4/5
Electric guitar, a bass, and a drum machine. Minimalism done exceptionally well. The XX’s debut is wonderfully cohesive and hits just the right spots with its interplay of echoing bass and dancing guitar lines.
I also admire the lyricism on display here. It’s gooey, and overly doe-eyed, but it’s honest and sentimental, and I really believe it tells a universal story of love and connection for certain peoples at certain stages of their life. Granted, it won’t be for everyone - but there’s a marriage of musical textures and sensuality in the vocals that’s just kind of perfect for a project like this.
However, with that aforementioned minimalism comes a slog of a final act. Painting with only three colours can get a bit boring after a while, and that’s where we find ourselves here. Fortunately the closing tracks remind me of some of that spark, and offer an as yet unfulfilled promise of how to evolve this sound in a compelling way. XX scratches by with a 4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love
2/5
It’s nice to see bands like these pop up on the list. It assures me that there are other artists from the 60’s other than the Beatles or “insert generic well regarded blues rock band here” to look forward to.
The music here is nice enough, and I recall hearing and liking the opening track at some point in my life, but there isn’t a whole lot else here that excited me. The tunes have this slightly out of time feel; they just moved on by, like a Thanksgiving float of Woodstock hippies shaking their tambourines, and holding up ‘peace signs’. Godspeed you beatniks. Away with ye, and on to the next band of freak-shows.
⭐️⭐️
Ray Charles
2/5
Ray Charles will forever be one of the greats, and the proof is all over this record; however, while Ray’s vocals and piano playing may be timeless, the added flourishes in production endemic to this era date the music horribly.
Which is to say, I can appreciate many of these tracks in isolation, but to sit through 1 + hours of this stuff is simply maddening. The fact that these are all country songs makes the experience all the more harrowing given the tedium of the genre.
⭐️⭐️
Violent Femmes
3/5
Raucous, immature, and just plain fun. Violent Femmes radiates dead end angst but avoids the cynicism and depressing overtones often present in punk music.
There are a few catchy tunes here too. Blister in the Sun is a classic, and Please Don’t Go got a few plays. I like the sound enough, and really enjoy what the band were going for. I can’t help but feel you have to be in the right mood for these tunes though. Nevertheless, it’s a high three.
✨
Nina Simone
4/5
Few listening experiences on this list so far have stopped me in my tracks and actually demanded me to stop what I’m doing and listen. This is the first I’ve really heard of Nina Simone, and it kind of floored me.
The clear highlight here is Wild is the Wind. I was familiar with the Bowie version, but I never realised his was a cover. How shocked I was to discover the original version of a song I loved - and to also find it vastly superior!
Simone has a stunning voice; unnerving at times in its power, but always gorgeous. This isn’t the kind of music I’d listen to if I’m trying to relax or zone out. But if I’m feeling especially broody one night, this album will be my first port of call.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Baaba Maal
2/5
Oh boy, what to say about this one.
It’s certainly nice to see some exposure to works from other cultures on the list. There’s a real emphasis on rhythm over conventional structure here that gets the head bopping, however, this music left little impact on me besides the occasional trance I would slip into. Perhaps my western ear isn’t accustomed enough to these sounds to fully appreciate what’s on offer. But I’ve heard enough to know I shan’t be revisiting this one.
Johnny Cash
4/5
A wildly entertaining evening spent with Cash, his wife June, and 2,000 odd prison inmates.
As a live performance this is exactly what I love: the performer takes us into the room with him and his audience and give us a glimpse into the energy of that moment. Everything in the show has this off the cuff feel to it that is so obviously engineered by Cash to get a rise out of the inmates. But I can’t help but be charmed. The songs tell authentic stories about the damned and downtrodden, and they’re often amusing.
This is a really great album. Well worth coming back to in my opinion.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Louvin Brothers
1/5
The best thing I can say about this album is that I didn’t hate it as much as I expected to. The harmonies are nice, though to call the subject matter “tragedies” is wild by modern standards. These songs serve as snapshots of a simpler time - a much, much simpler time. A worse time. This was awful.
Country Joe & The Fish
1/5
“It’s a shame you grew up in the city and didn’t learn about country ways”.
I abhor being preached to in any genre, but I simply will not tolerate it from country artists whose whole shtick is extolling a way of life that is underwritten by dead last rankings in all key development metrics.
The psychedelia angle doesn’t work for me either. I just about cringed to death when the singer started whispering “LSD” slowly into the mic.
One star: Poor
💫
The Monks
2/5
“Guys, wouldn’t it be hysterical if we all shaved our heads like monks and put the powers that be on blast through rock‘n roll music??”
In other words: Black Monk Time is what you get when a high school inside joke goes way too far.
The music isn’t exactly accessible with its nails on a chalkboard vocals. It’s all fairly raw and immediate for its era, and it feels a little bit like ground zero for the 70’s punk acts that followed - so I am willing to extend a bit of grace to a group that dared to put out something other than sugary harmonies.
However, for me, it just doesn’t add up to a smooth listening experience.
⭐️⭐️
Yes
2/5
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Elliott Smith
3/5
Peter Tosh
3/5
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Ehhh… this list has been terrific for my exposure to the genre so far. But this. Nah, I’m an east coast guy I guess.
This is plain vulgar to the point that I can’t really get lost in the production.
⭐️⭐️
Soul II Soul
1/5
Alanis Morissette
4/5
A staple of the 90’s. This was a spectacular listen. My tastes aren’t quite attuned to this corner of 90’s rock, but I totally get the hype on this one.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Metallica
2/5
Even the tracks that should be highlights on this album (the much lauded One) disappear into a busy palate of noise and repetitive guitar and drum techniques. It’s not for me, and my feelings for this genre grow closer to disdain the more metal I hear.
Maxwell
2/5
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
Fantastic album! I’m kind of amazed that this is the first I’ve listened to this band. The energetic mix of grunge-like vocals and jangly guitars offers a more accessible sound compared to some of the louder and more distorted bands of the era. Really enjoyed this record, and hope to see more Afghan Whigs on this list.
Muddy Waters
1/5
A difficult listen. Time has rendered the blues the most formulaic and stale of music genres. There’s simply nothing here to get excited about. Sorry Muddy!
Goldfrapp
3/5
Charming and very listenable. While I can’t always understand the garbled vocals, I enjoyed the sound of this album a lot and will probably come back to a few of these tracks for another listen.
✨
The Pharcyde
2/5
There’s a tight production underneath the childish humour on display here. Unfortunately I’m not enough of a student to this genre to judge this as being anything other than asinine and a bit gross.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
An absolute beast of an album. Being a double LP, Physical Graffiti lacks the tightness, focus, and consistency of Zep’s earlier output. However, the musicianship saves the day. I’ve never been a huge Led Zeppelin fan, but I’ve always marvelled at the Individual talents of its lineup - especially Bonham and Page. You can always tell when it’s Bonham behind the drums, he’s just special like that. And the arrangements like those on Kashmir have that signature flare and drama always lurking in Page’s production on these albums.
Unfortunately, the record’s a bit of a zombie after Kashmir. After serving up such a showstopper, the damn thing just keeps going for another hour! More time spent with the album may make me kinder on future listens. I’m just always eager to get back to the first half by the end of a listen.
Wilco
2/5
The favourite album of that devout Christian kid in your class who - in an act of extreme rebellion - secretly bought a Wilco record after school with the money intended for whatever God-rock slop was topping the billboard country music charts that week.
All of which is not to say that Wilco’s Being There suffers for all of the reasons that make those other genres a tough sell. Only, these songs lack such an edge that one could easily mistake Wilco for being totally void of anything interesting to say here. Which may be unfair, but I’m not exactly eager to shell out passes to bands that insist their output is refined or interesting enough to justify a full length double album for their sophomore effort.
Better times are ahead for Wilco, but this left me feeling quite bored outside of a couple of well-composed highlights.
The Gun Club
3/5
Good energy on display all throughout, but not enough diversity to really hold my attention. The sound reminds of Velvet Underground and Pixies at times which I do like. No real obvious errors in execution. It’s just not quite for me.
The Kinks
2/5
Uncompromisingly British - far more so than their Liverpudlian contemporaries. I like songs on this album well enough (the title track, Picture Book, Village Green), however, the concept is laid on just a bit too thick for my liking - Preservation of traditional British life is good, erosion of the village green is bad. Obviously this was a far more resonant issue at the time of release. Today, the battle for the village green has been fought and lost five times over, replaced by the 21st century’s favourite pastimes: going viral on social media and obsessing over the latest Marvel.
But to the album: It’s really well conceived, and executed to great effect most of the time. There’s just far too much whimsy and nostalgia on offer for me to fully relate to and enjoy the music. It’s oversentimental; that’s the whole point - I know. But I still don’t like it.
⭐️⭐️
(P.S - As a rule, I don’t love songs about trains)
Gorillaz
4/5
So very dope. I love the balance of electronica sound experiments and radio ready jams. Everything is effortless and competent. It’s all so very easy to listen to, and I think it totally holds up all these years later. I can see why this is on here. Feels like a bit of a turning point for the genre - mashed up as it might be. Great album!
Shack
3/5
This is bright, optimistic, and woefully behind the times at its release. Here’s the deal though: it sounds just as good as any pop rock album of the 90’s.
There are good songs here based on threadbare subject matter like ‘being too tired to socialise’. It’s all fluff, and clearly chasing a trend. But damn, I kind of vibe with this in spite of its obvious mediocrity. The arrangements are glistening, and I get the sense that these guys really gave a shit.
A sheepish three stars.
✨
Fela Kuti
4/5
The revolution has never sounded so jubilant. This is really awesome stuff! Imagine being in attendance at one of these performances. The rhythm on Zombie is infectious. Makes me want to dance - and topple the government.
Talking Heads
5/5
The absolute pinnacle of the 80’s new wave/ art rock scene. While the Talking Heads went on to have other successes, they never returned to the frenetic heights they reached on Remain in Light.
The songs are weird, confusing, esoteric and highly evocative. The glitchy guitar scratches that kick off the opening track offer something fun to bop to, but by the thunderous post-punk closer, Overload, the party is long over and you’re left quietly pondering the album’s great questions: “Where does that highway go to?” / “Am I right, am wrong?” / “My god, what have I done!?”.
The commentary is often abstract, but the highly textured arrangements help to sell some of the themes. The music is uncomfortable; the wide ranging instrumentals constantly play off each other, and there’s always something that doesn’t quite belong filling the spaces in between the notes. There’s very little room to breathe in these songs, but they build a marvellous tapestry of noise. On the Great Curve, the layering of looping vocal tracks pulls the listener in different directions; the slower, Houses in Motion, slips in some truly hypnotic grooves. Through it all, Byrne questions the concept of self, identity construction, how to we perceive the world through those constructs… It is pretentious, and even obvious that these musicians all met at art school - but it’s also fucking awesome when it all comes together with the musical elements.
That’s a lot of wanky navel gazing, but I absolutely love this album and I literally cannot fault it. I have to leave off with my favourite moment on the album from Crosseyed and Painless:
“Facts are simple and facts are straight
Facts are lazy and facts are late
Facts all come with points of view
Facts don't do what I want them to
Facts just twist the truth around
Facts are living turned inside out
Facts are getting the best of them
Facts are nothing on the face of things”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Moby
3/5
One hour of the most amazing amateur bmx montage video music you’ll ever hear in your life.
Perhaps unfair. There are a few absolute bangers that I haven’t heard in forever. Even as a kid I remember this album being everywhere. Always on sale too.
There’s just this indescribable turn of the century commercial sheen to the entire thing that makes me question the quality of these songs. Again, maybe unfair. Maybe Moby is just a victim of his own success - however fleeting it was.
Black Sabbath
3/5
I’ve long avoided Black Sabbath. I’ve always found Ozzy Osbourne to be a bit of a repulsive figure. Imagine my disdain to learn the band is actually pretty damn good.
I’ll give credit to Ozzy where it’s due the most: his performance in Changes challenged every preconceived notion of what I had always made him out to be as a singer - and Sabbath as an act. It’s soulful, considered, and poignant - and incredibly, not even out of place on this album. Really, a beautiful song.
Second shout has to go to Tony Iommi. I always knew he was a talent. But man, he brings the weight to these songs like few people in the genre ever really have. What impresses me is how he’s able to create such a distinct, heavy, sound without having to rely too much on overdubs.
I like this. Eager to give more a try.
✨
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
At a certain point, a lot of this just becomes ‘reggae music’ to me. It might be the length? I might just not have the patience to sit through more than 30 minutes of reggae at a time. I really enjoyed the tight runtime of Exodus when it arrived on this list, but I found the connection lacking here. Even the beloved No Woman No Cry - it’s good, but it’s also in the conversation for being the clearest case where a live recording of a song is vastly superior to the original.
⭐️⭐️
The Isley Brothers
3/5
A bit too much funk for my liking. A lower score is saved by the brilliant Summer Breeze. Otherwise, there’s nothing here that compels me to return - though it’s all well executed and performed for what it is.
⭐️⭐️
Public Enemy
4/5
Very impressive! The music isn’t in a style I can claim to know anything about, but I can tell these guys were at the top of their game here. The flow is simply unbelievable, and the commentary continues to resonate well into the 21st century. Endlessly listenable. So much to pick up on repeat listens. Incredibly stylish. So cool!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Arcade Fire
5/5
If you ask me, Funeral is the defining album of the 2000’s indie boom. It’s one of my all time favourites, and I’m so excited to see it on this list.
Funeral is at its centre an album about loss: loss of childhood innocence (Tunnels), loss of community (Haiti), loss of trust in the people around you (Rebellion), loss of loved ones (In the Backseat); it’s a simple and effective concept, executed in a powerful way thanks to Arcade Fire’s lush multi instrumental arrangements and deeply personal lyrics. The songs are well-paced, swinging from highly energetic, to quiet and contemplative. Each track is incredibly distinct thanks to the unique combination of sound textures and genre crossing within the songs themselves.
The album is cohesive, and carries a universal message about finding community amidst the turbulent backdrop of adolescence. For people that came of age at its release, it hits in a particularly resonant way. So for listeners like myself it’s especially tough to separate the music from those formative late 2000’s years.
However!
For as strong as the writing on these songs can be, there are also hints that Win Butler wasn’t the master lyricist his staunchest fans make him out to be. On Crown of Love, Butler sings “I carved your name across my eyelids/ You pray for rain, I pray for blindness.” It’s corny, and more than a touch over dramatic. While the writing itself can be incredibly sappy, the strength of the performances ultimately leave a more endearing quality with the listener. Wake Up is the perfect example of this. The song really shouldn’t work owing to its preachy message - “Children, wake up / hold your mistake up”- but it does work; and the result is an anthem for the era.
I have immense love for this album and I know I’ll still be listening to it 30 years from now. An extraordinary debut from one of my favourite bands.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
This is a great album. However, it’s also a compelling case against rock music as a vehicle for new bold statements about “the culture”. Listening to these songs - the detached sarcasm, the devil may care attitude to it all - I can’t help but feel that it’s played out. It’s not to say the music isn’t good (some these tracks go hard). I just don’t see it as bringing anything fundamentally new or interesting to the table as far as rock music goes.
✨
The Killers
4/5
Sometimes you come across an album where you feel like it could have had a significant impact on how your listening tastes developed had you heard it when you were younger. This is one of those albums for me: Pop rock perfection.
While this is an undoubtedly lopsided album after the first five tracks, it feels a little unfair to expect an entire album of hit singles. Maintaining that quality across the whole album is simply unsustainable for an act like the Killers, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had in tunes like Indie Rock & Roll and Change Your Mind.
I slept on this album for too long - it’s fucking great.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Adverts
2/5
Other British punk bands have tread this ground (and done it much better).
Main gripe: The guitar work lacks creativity - even within the stylings of punk rock. There’s no variation in the tone or distortion, it’s just totally one dimensional. And then it just bangs on and on about rebellion and being so disillusioned. Not for me
⭐️⭐️
George Michael
3/5
I like this a whole lot more than Faith. It’s less aggressive, less busy, a bit more contemplative - all around it’s more restrained and the work is better for it.
There’s a single high point for me in Freedom ‘90. It’s just such a fun pop song. Everything else here is inoffensive to my ears. George Michael has a nice voice. He doesn’t need all that reverb.
✨
Elvis Presley
2/5
I don’t come to the King for country. A lot of these songs really don’t do it for me. Besides the very good In the Ghetto, it’s mostly misses on this one.
⭐️⭐️
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
I groaned at the subcategory ‘neopsychedelic’, but it ended up being okay. Not a single interesting moment to speak of though. I really question the inclusion of this one on the list. Not bad, but completely average and unremarkable in every way.
⭐️⭐️
Goldie
1/5
Gruelling, and tortuous when I was actively listening to it.
Perfectly OK background music when I tuned out at work.
I deeply disapprove.
💫
The Who
4/5
How to love a terrible album.
Tommy is a complete mess. Full of narrative catastrophe and over ambitious musical experimentation. It’s utterly disjointed and often deeply problematic. I also happen to love this album a great deal.
There’s a strangeness to this work from start to finish that has always kept me coming back. The band’s sound is consistently good - even occasionally great with tracks like Pinball Wizard and See Me, Feel Me. But I think that it’s the ridiculousness of it all that stops me from hating on its clunky execution. I don’t think any of this is supposed to be taken seriously, and there’s some fun to be had in that.
My mind calls back to ‘A quick one, while he’s away’. The Who’s tongue in cheek mini-rock opera. In kind, that story’s tale of the hero’s girl falling into the clutches of Iver the evil engine driver has that same sense of humour as Tommy’s deaf, dumb, and blind kid enlisting the services of a sex worker named “the Acid Queen” to cure his condition. “Watch his body rise” indeed!
A flawed work. But perhaps the most deserving of a place on this list out of all of The Who’s albums.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5
I’ve heard bits and pieces of Sgt Peppers over the years; after all, the album is prolific to an obnoxious degree.
Having finally sat down with it, none of the noise around this album seemed to matter very much. I clicked with these songs in a way that’s going to take me many more listens to fully understand why. This is the only Beatles album I think I’ll ever need - and as a bonus my first purchase as a result of this list!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Kate Bush
3/5
Kate Bush has such an incredible and distinctive singing voice. I found this really easy to listen to.
I also quite like the way the album is structured too. Radio friendly synth pop at the front, experimental long form stuff towards the back. High 3 on this. I’d be happy to revisit these songs.
✨
Frank Zappa
2/5
I can mostly get on board with this. It treads a thin line between being a cacophonous racket and a stunning display of Zappa’s virtuoso as a guitarist. l vibed - and I also *really* unvibed. I’ll meet you somewhere in the middle with a high two Zap.
⭐️⭐️
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I’ve heard a lot of Zep over the years - mainly just the hits. I figured I’ve heard all the band has to offer: competent rock music, slick execution, tight production. It’s all here on 3. Let it not be said that Led Zeppelin aren’t a great rock act.
On listening to 3 for the first time, the above impression holds up. This was good! I enjoyed this more than I had expected to - certainly more than Physical Graffiti. I also admire the balancing on these tracks - especially Immigrant Song. The musical elements are just so distinct. They sound so clear on a nice set of headphones.
I love how much energy the band put into their music. Thing is, their songs live and die on those musical elements. Lyrically I don’t get the sense that Robert Plant has a lot of depth as a writer. Immigrant Song is a good case - the song is killer, but the lyrics, while full of evocative references to Valhalla, are all a bit directionless and feel thrown in because they just sound cool.
All the aside, it’s a strong 3 for 3.
✨
The Youngbloods
3/5
This was actually pretty good! The title track was the clear standout, but I found this to be really easy listening on a busy day.
✨
Black Flag
2/5
I really struggle to take this kind of music seriously; though I would never say that to Henry Rollins’ face.
I dunno. I think you have to be in the right headspace for it. I appreciate some of the bass work (like on No More). There’s a real intensity on this track. Saying that, anyone can strike a distorted open E at five second intervals and call it “building tension and suspense”.
⭐️⭐️
Tears For Fears
3/5
For as good as these songs are - and they are *very* good - I can’t quite get past the production. Big Chair is a fitting title, because the songs sound huge! Like it was recorded in an empty glass cathedral. The songs lack a bit of warmth, but it’s also candy on the ears. The singles are relentlessly catchy, and everything else in between is fairly consistent. A solid 3 for me.
✨
White Denim
1/5
Utterly forgettable. To my ears this is indistinguishable from any of the number of early 2010’s folk pop revival acts. Maybe there’s something more interesting in the composition of these songs to set White Denim apart from those acts - some of sound experimentations for example. I’m just not able to discern anything ‘moving’ or ‘bold’ from the overall package.
The Beach Boys
2/5
This is kind of a fascinating album. The band’s beautifully arranged harmonies are still mostly here, but the lush multi-instrumental production from the Pet Sounds era is not. This is the Beach Boys in full on image reinvention mode. No more of that carefree ‘Surfin USA’ stuff; now the Beach Boys have something important to say: “Don’t go near the water”, “adults are phoneys”. Some of it is effective - and even poetic, but I can’t help but feel a song like Student Demonstration Time has totally missed the boat by 1971. Aside from being abjectly horrible, it sounds a bit phoney coming from a band like the Beach Boys - and plain baffling on an album that also espouses the importance of good feet hygiene. Equally important messages, I guess.
With that said, I’ve always found the Beach Boys so endearing, and the same applies here. I really love the song Surfs Up - it’s the only high point for me on the album. And I do admire the group’s attempt to rail against the public’s image of them. It’s just all a bit in vain here.
⭐️⭐️
Fun Lovin' Criminals
1/5
If this shit on here then there damn well better be some Smashmouth.
I felt like a complete douchebag listening to this. It’s garbage.
💫
Fela Kuti
2/5
This style of music doesn’t move me especially, but I can sometimes key into the groove.
I probably prefer Zombie, which we heard earlier on the list. At the very least it was nice to see what Ginger got up to after Cream.
⭐️⭐️
Gary Numan
4/5
Incredibly, this album still sounds like the future of music while simultaneously retaining its 80’s charm. (Having checked the release, I’m stunned to see this was actually 1979). Numan is clearly owed a lot for his contributions to the genre here.
While the palette of synths Numan works with is so distinct and well-realised, it can begin to blend together after a time. That being said, upon checking the track listing at release I noticed the album was originally a lot tighter.
Whatever - it sounds brilliant, and I think it holds up tremendously. Easy 4.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daft Punk
3/5
Nowhere near my favourite Daft Punk record, but the Robots have always had such a talent for electronic music. That’s evident all over Homework. It’s fun to tune out a bit and lose yourself in the beats and blips.
Once again, Da Funk is going to be stuck in my head for days.
✨
Michael Jackson
4/5
These songs are so sewn into the culture at this point that it’s tough to review Thriller on its merits. I tried to listen with fresh ears to some success. Thriller for example is such a wild number if you try listening to it as if for the first time! Such a fun concept - it remains fresh and exciting after all these years.
After a couple of listens, I’m amazed at how much I enjoy this album given the ubiquity of these songs (though radio play seems to have dropped off significantly in the 21st century 👀).
Honestly I think this is about as perfect a pop music album that you could wish for. Though the production shows it’s age, Jackson’s enormous talent endures. His style is utterly unique, and such an accomplishment in music should be recognised.
Those who score this album a 1/5 are just “ignorant”.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
U2
2/5
There’s a generally high bar of quality all through this album, but the two hit singles, ‘One’ and ‘Mysterious Ways’, stand in such sharp contrast to everything else that I have to wonder why you’d bother putting yourself through it all.
The package feels a bit more like the band is chasing those hit singles as opposed to having something meaningful to put up. And it worked: This album helped setup U2’s run as the ‘biggest band in the world’ all the way through to the fall from grace that was How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. From this point they just kind of become a singles band, which is disappointing given their older stuff.
⭐️⭐️
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
This rocked hard.
I remember learning how to play the guitar, working hard to get good enough to play my favourite solos from guitarists like David Gilmour and Jonny Greenwood. There’s a technical level of playing to those legends that is easy to emulate once you get good enough; but then there’s Jimmy Hendrix. “How does he get it to sound ‘just’ like that?” No matter how long I practised Hey Joe, or Purple Haze, I just couldn’t get it to sound as cool as Jimmy.
As much as I do love this album, there are patches here where Hendrix is just showing off, noodling away with ideas that don’t really materialise into anything. For those unfocused moments it loses a star. For the sheer impressiveness of his talent, and the enduring wonder his work inspires in amateur guitar players around the World, I give this one 4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Butthole Surfers
1/5
Utterly, utterly abhorrent.
Adele
3/5
I was not prepared at all to enjoy this album as much as I did!
Adele is an incredible singer, and unlike many solo acts that get by mostly on their singing chops, I didn’t find myself tiring of that voice. Each song obviously puts Adele’s talent front and center - but there’s also a lot to be said for the way three songs come together with all the additional accompaniments.
Melancholy is the clear driving force behind many of these tracks, but overall, there’s enough variety here that kept me engaged.
A high 3 for me.
✨
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
A strong first half, let down by a drop in quality towards the end with a few asinine tracks. Run DMC were undoubtedly pushing the envelope and breaking new ground in hip hop at release, but with the advances in the genre over the ensuing decade, this all felt a bit mild in its bite.
But this is overall solid - occasionally very good. I could totally see myself getting into the groove at live performances. These guys have charisma in spades to sell some of the more milquetoast bars.
✨
Soundgarden
2/5
I just can’t get into this album - or Soundgarden at all for that matter. I really like Cornell’s voice, but this album largely just bleeds together for me. Aside from the great Black Hole Sun, I just get a bit bored by this. A regretful 2/5
⭐️⭐️
The Go-Go's
4/5
Well I’ll be damned! I did not expect to click with this album so hard. The upbeat, jangly, pop sound won me over hard. I even caught a bit of the Smiths in the style of these songs. I could talk totally envision Jonny Marr writing some of these guitar hooks. Maybe I’m crazy with that take.
I also have to applaud the consistency and conciseness of these tracks. I don’t have a particular favourite, ( I don’t even think the two singles were necessarily the best this album had to offer) but I had a joyous time bopping to these songs and plan to revisit them again.
Solid 4!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Simply Red
2/5
Not even a cover of one my favourite Talking Heads songs could save this from being a bit of a slog.
Everything in Picture Book is just a bit too “of the time” for me to connect.
⭐️⭐️
Orange Juice
2/5
This was pretty good - Rip it up being the clear ‘bop’ - but the longer I listened the more apparent it became why I’d never heard of these guys before.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time with this. It was fun and carefree, and the split vocal duties broke things up in an interesting way. There’s just not too much here worth writing home about.
⭐️⭐️
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
There are times listening to Nick Cave where I’m all in: the dark crooning, the often grotesque imagery - I find it incredibly effective and moving most of the time. But then you get to a song like Crow Jane and the fun stops. It’s indulgent, and I exclaimed when I glanced at the runtime to see I was only a third of the way through.
That aside, I’m a big fan of all of the guest vocals on the album, and I think Cave largely accomplishes what he set out to do here with a somber lineup of dark and moody murder ballads.
It won’t be for everyone, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve heard of Cave so far. Hopefully he shows up again on this list.
✨
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
One word repeatedly came to mind listening to this: tight.
On each track the vocal performances have this beautiful flow-like cadence that syncs up so nicely with the beats. Alongside the occasional jazz elements it all just clicks, track after track.
Another hip hop gem I’d revisit thanks to this list.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Very fun! Upbeat and buoyant. Some of the production reminds me a lot of Graceland era Paul Simon, especially on Despoiré.
✨
Fugees
2/5
Hmm, I didn’t gel with this. There are two noteworthy tracks in Killing Me Softly and No Woman No Cry, but they’re classics in their own right, so…
To the Fugees’ credit, they are top tier covers. I’m just not a fan of their original work.
⭐️⭐️
Frank Ocean
4/5
A marvellous debut. Demands repeat listens. Feels like the blueprint for much of the R&B that followed throughout the 2010’s (for better or for worse). Ocean’s style teeters on an obnoxiousness that his imitators tend not to get away with. In the hands of other artists this kind of music gives to the much maligned mumble rap subgenre.
But here, Ocean hits a home run. Creative and confident. Favourite tracks are Super Rich Kids, Lost, and Bad Religion.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Who
4/5
This is the album that totally sold me on the Who.
It’s always been an album of two halves for me. The opening set through to I’m a Boy sets the mood. High energy, excellent playing, top notch crowd work - not too much to suggest Daltry and Townshend are egomaniacal, but enough to let the audience into their world. The band had such a cool dynamic, and it really comes through in the live show.
But then the second half. Holy hell. Hearing A Quick One for the first time totally dispelled my preconceptions about The Who being another garden variety 60’s British Invasion rock act. The mini opera is ridiculous, but I love the commitment to the bit, and everything until the raucous Magic Bus is pure perfection.
This is The Who at their absolute performing peak. The story behind why they chose this particular Leeds show for their live record just shows how special an act they were at this particular time in music history.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
This is asinine. That stupid psychedelic effect peppered all throughout the backing elements of the songs totally wreck what are otherwise serviceable rock jaunts. Not a fan.
The Triffids
4/5
This was a really nice listen. Some of these songs honestly sound like overlooked classics. A Trick of the light for example sounds like something I would have heard playing in Blake’s car in 2010 😆.
It meanders a bit as it goes on, but on the whole, a really solid album.
✨
Joy Division
5/5
Incoming edgelord review.
I was fortunate to grow up with a happy childhood. I can’t remember why exactly I became interested in Joy Division, but I bought a copy of Unknown Pleasures at the same time as most who own a copy. What struck me about the music was the overwhelming sadness in Ian Curtis’ performance. Not sad as in ‘oh woe is me, my life is so hard’ (You know, the Morrissey kind). The sadness of someone who is convinced they’re the problem and wants to disappear from the world. The kind that precedes the end for troubled souls like Curtis.
I’ve never really been able to relate to these songs on a personal level, but I’ve always appreciated the execution. The writing, the playing, and the production all throughout this album and Closer are excellent. The drums are cold and oppressive. The bass brings that heavy, rolling post-punk energy. There’s just something totally captivating about damn near everything here.
Picking this up again years later, I’m mostly struck by just how complete a package Unknown Pleasures is. Each piece is arranged with immaculate attention to detail. My favourite track, New Dawn Fades, still hits hard.
This one’s an absolute classic. An essential listen, and very much worthy of a place on a list like this.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Giant Sand
2/5
Very Lou Reed. But without the grit, poetry, and gravitas of a Lou Reed album. Not overtly offensive, but just a wee bit unremarkable.
⭐️⭐️
Stephen Stills
3/5
After Manassas I thought this was going to be hellish. Pleasantly surprised though! This is concise, and has some beautiful gospel infusion.
Stills will never be Neil Young though
✨
Air
3/5
I chucked on today’s album after a particularly busy day. This was a lovely soundtrack to unwind to. Interesting textures, and well sequenced synths.
C’est très bien. Haut 3
✨
Deee-Lite
1/5
Awful, awful, awful.
This styling of music is too busy and deranged for my liking.
I’m trying to think of other reasons to justify such a low score, but I think it simply comes down to the fact that I find much of these songs just flat out annoying.
💫
The Undertones
2/5
This one didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I mostly came away disliking the high trembling vibrato of the lead singer. Teenage Kicks was just alright, but I probably won’t come back to the Undertones.
⭐️⭐️
The Thrills
1/5
A sound so sugary it damn well may have given me diabetes.
A cringe inducing listen. Bewildered at its inclusion.
💫
The Police
3/5
I love this album’s sound, though it’s a bit patchy on the whole. There are a few powerhouses here in songs like Message in a Bottle, but there’s also a few forgettable misses. I appreciate the band were at least experimenting with their sound on tracks like On any other Day, but the result leaves much to be desired.
It’s an easy listen overall, with some standouts. Mostly I just enjoy Copeland’s skill behind the kit.
✨
2/5
Not the kind of thing you’d want to unwind to, but I actually enjoyed this as an art project. Very scary vibes. The sounds really put you on edge. Very industrial.
Still, this is mostly obscene from start to finish.
⭐️⭐️
OutKast
4/5
You have to admire the scope of an album like this. Looking at how it came about, you also kind of have to hand it to whatever record label executive convinced Outkast to release these two albums under a single project.
Though not everything on offer here works, there’s something here for everyone. I greatly enjoyed myself despite the gargantuan length. Flip Flop Rock was an awesome discovery for me that I’ll be revisiting a lot.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bob Dylan
3/5
I enjoy this period of Dylan’s work. The heavy themes of his earlier music aren’t so prevalent, but you still get decent social commentary like Maggie’s Farm.
What I don’t enjoy is how many of the electric backed blues numbers are so ‘samey’ that it all becomes a bit dull. You’re relying more on the melody of Dylan’s music, and let’s be real, the “heeees” and “hooos” and “haaaas” all become a bit predictable in his style too.
Fortunately there are some classics scattered amidst the offering. I love subterranean homesick blues. That line ,“20’s years of schooling and they put you on the day shift” always struck me as being quite profound and scary. And then of course, Mr Tambourine Man proves that Dylan can write an honest to god, comfort song.
It’s overall decent, but I’ll take the classics and leave everything else.
✨
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
Loud, bombastic, and full of energy. The frontman sure sounds like he’s having the time of his life. I just can’t really say the same.
It’s inoffensive, but still kind of falls into that category of big band brassy music that you kind of have to love to really be on board with it. I give BST a soft 2/5.
⭐️⭐️
Barry Adamson
1/5
I think that any enjoyment from this music requires two things. First: a predisposition towards classical music, and second: the willpower to actually trawl through Barry Adamson’s vision for this work to actually understand what the hell is going on in this concept album.
I have neither of those two things and I come away feeling annoyed and bored. This would be perfectly fine for a movie score - but it’s not that, and that’s not the purpose of this list.
💫
Minor Threat
1/5
This felt a little too much like being screamed at by a skinhead for 20 minutes.
The tracks totally bled together. When I checked Spotify to see how long to the album was left, I was shocked to realise I had already listened to it twice.
I hold this minor threat in low regard.
💫
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
I hate to be that guy, but when I listen to music like this you could put on literally any other kind of jazz album and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
That being said, this is smooth, and so easy to listen to. It’s hard to put a measure on a genre like this, but I did like it so it gets a 3/5.
✨
The Sonics
4/5
I’d never listened to the Sonics before this. I only knew of them as one of the many genre pushing musical acts sounded off in LCD’s aging hipster bop Losing my Edge. But man, this kick ass.
And it must have scared the shit out of the establishment in 1965. Just as parents had begrudgingly begun to accept the Beatles as here to stay, the Sonics drop this and deliver on the promise of rock n roll to consistently disrupt the status quo.
I loved this - it’s basic punk. Wailing vocals, loud, hard sounding drums. It adds up to music with an edge. While I doubt this will be a mainstay in my rotation, I’m heartened to know this exists, and I know I’ll be back when the mood strikes. Solid 4!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Jam
3/5
Solid quality. I found myself enjoying the singles a lot. That’s Entertainment is great! Wouldn’t mind revisiting this one again.
✨
Supertramp
4/5
I’ve always found Supertramp to be a bit obnoxious. After listening to a full album of them I’ve come to revise that position. Their singles are irritating as hell, but there’s some excellent stuff going on with the standard fare. The instrumentals are lush, and the tunes have a lot of the diversity I look for in these kinds of albums. There’s no over reliance on gimmicky synths. The songs are varied and full of drama. I’ve been too quick to judge them and I look forward to exploring this one some more.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kelela
2/5
I have to wonder whether Kelela was just as confused as I was to see her album pop up on this list.
I mean, it’s okaaay. But is it really as groundbreaking as it’s lauded to be? It’s generic noughties R&B to my ears.
⭐️⭐️
The Byrds
2/5
This tread the line between tedious (Dolphin Smile, Space Odyssey, fucking Moog Raga), and pleasant (Goin’ Back).
Overall, not really impressed at all.
⭐️⭐️
B.B. King
1/5
34 minutes of painstaking live blues. I simply cannot understand how people can be so enthusiastic about this kind of music. Repetitive noodling over the same blues chord progression, wailing vocals about being lonely, or being left out to dry by your ‘fly girl’. Give me a break.
I did not enjoy this ride with King.
💫
Queen
4/5
Before the anthemic combo of We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, Queen often wrapped their live sets with In The Lap Of The Gods Revisited. Overlooked now, but an outstanding climatic sing along that works well in both formats. (How about that Roger Taylor A5 note in the album’s earlier rendition of the song as well!).
Queen pack so many ideas into Sheer Heart attack. Perhaps at its most creative with Killer Queen. But there’s also a real heaviness in some of these tracks that people don’t usually associate with the band. Stone Cold Crazy, and the excellent Brighton Rock where May is at his strongest on guitar. There’s an early lull starting with the Taylor driven Tenement Funster (surprise, surprise). But you have to admire the way those three tracks flow seamlessly into one another up until things pick up again with Now I’m Here.
It’s not my favourite Queen album (or even my third or fourth!) but it may well be early Queen at their all time peak. Before their sound got a bit more refined and they figured out what was working best for both them and their listeners.
A solid 4!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Perfect listen for a Sunday afternoon. Wainwright has a beautiful voice, but it can wear thin after a while. The collaborations help break things up, unfortunately when those collaborators are other artists like Antony (whose music has also popped up on this list to much disdain), I kind of had to wince.
But I totally get the Thom Yorke comparisons. Wainwright has that sorrowful warble that I love, but it’s set to the backdrop of a solo singer songwriter style. It’s good - I like it! But it sounds nothing like Radiohead, let’s be real.
✨
Spiritualized
2/5
Things start of brilliantly with a truly original take on an Elvis Presley classic. Unfortunately the fun kind of stops there. There’s some forgettable ventures into blur territory, and some experimental instrumentals. I actually found Broken Heart to be quite nice, but otherwise this was a bit disappointing.
⭐️⭐️
Funkadelic
4/5
Outstanding stuff. Beautiful guitar work, and fresh funky vibes all around: very impressed!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Little Richard
3/5
Strong capital wasteland vibes listening to this. It’s fun, but one note. A fantastic display of early popular music, but it’s undeniably aged poorly. Respect for Little Richard though.
✨
The Zombies
4/5
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. This list’s psychedelic recommendations have mostly left me feeling frustrated and disoriented. But the Zombies have an immediately arresting sound. I was engaged all the way through to the clear highlight Time of the Season.
Solid 4
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pulp
4/5
I love the attitude Pulp bring to their work. Jarvis Cocker has a very personable style to his singing that I can’t help but admire.
While I’m not so hooked on the balance of these songs, there’s enough here to really pique my curiosity. The deluxe version of this album also has some great tunes to spare.
I hope we see more Pulp on this list! An optimistic 4 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Miles Davis
3/5
The equivalent to a cabin full of passengers applauding after the captain successfully lands the plane. Miles Davis is undoubtedly a master at his craft, but it’s all jazz to me.
✨
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
The global reviews are far too harsh on these guys. The performers are extraordinarily talented, and have to be my all time favourite accordion/xylophone act.
Joking aside, I really did enjoy this music. Not everything has to leave an indelible mark on the listener. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the simple pleasure of a man striking a bit of wood with a tiny mallet.
✨
Goes down about as well as a tall glass of room temperature water on a cloudy day. U2 take no risks, and settle into a comfortable pattern of stagnation and ‘no.1 hit’ chasing.
An average 2.5 for a once important band.
⭐️⭐️
Aretha Franklin
2/5
Respect given where it’s due, but this just isn’t for me. No one can take that talent away from Aretha though. She’s an all time great.
⭐️⭐️
Silver Jews
1/5
An absolute joke to include something like this. There had to be better on offer than this in early 2000’s indie. It’s simply unremarkable.
💫
Suzanne Vega
2/5
Bright and delicate music. I’m not a fan of some of the production on a lot of tracks, however. That Seinfeld-esque slap bass; it kind of ruins everything it pops up in, and it features A LOT.
⭐️⭐️
R.E.M.
3/5
R.E.M is a band that I’ve always put pressure on myself to find appealing. As a massive Radiohead fan, I have a lot of time for them given how important Michael Stipe was in their development. Unfortunately I really struggle to connect on any greater level to R.E.M’s work. Truth is that Stipe’s signature warble is sometimes kind of annoying and whiney. That doesn’t take away from quality of the stronger material. Nightswimming, Man on the Moon, Everybody Hurts; these are all genuinely great songs. It’s just that I find it really difficult to sit through the deep cuts where Stipe’s screeching tenor begins to grate against some perfectly fine sounding 90’s alt rock arrangements.
✨
Beck
4/5
The only song of Beck’s I knew this was The Loser. Here, I’m pleasantly surprised. The songs are slow and thoughtful. Sang beautifully by Beck, and containing more than a handful of cathartic emotional releases. A very enjoyable, and easy, listen.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
John Lennon
4/5
Gorgeous music if you can stomach the preachiness that comes with any Lennon project. I did genuinely enjoy myself going through Imagine multiple times. It’s succinct, focused, heady when the pace demands it, thoughtful and poignant at its most effective. If you’re all in on the mythos that is John Lennon it’s any easy 5. I’m not quite that enthusiastic about the guy, but he could write one heck of a ballad.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beck
3/5
Two Beck albums over three days is an awful lot of Beck to consume for someone unfamiliar with his work. But that being said, he’s growing on me! I enjoy the rough sound of this one. It doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously. Some good bops in there with songs like Devil’s Haircut.
A light 3
✨
AC/DC
2/5
AC/DC are one of those Bands whose music just absolutely bleeds into a mess of electric guitars and constipated yelps.
⭐️⭐️
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
A lot of this just felt a bit directionless to me. I think maybe it’s just the way I feel about the genre, but it’s definitely an issue of accessibility for me.
⭐️⭐️
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Maps is one of those songs I’d always heard, but never really listened to. It’s a gorgeous slow burn with a deeply intense and personal performance. Everything else here impresses me too. There’s incredible layers of texture in the production. This three piece packs a punch. Consider me a new fan!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dead Kennedys
3/5
Better than a lot of the punk that comes up on this list. I appreciate the clarity of the singing, so I can actually understand what the hell the vocalist is raging against. There’s good diversity, not just droning guitars. The sense of humour is on point. It’s pretty decent!
✨
Neil Young
4/5
A classic! I come back to Neil often, and I adore the first half of this album. It’s beautiful stuff. The latter half is a small climb down, but everything on offer hits.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tom Waits
3/5
Definitely one of the 1001 albums you should hear before you die. Not because it’s conventionally good music, but because it reminds the listener that unconventional music can be great. That being said, I don’t know when I’ll ever be moved to reach for this again.
✨
Beatles
3/5
A double album needs to tell a story to stay interesting and engaging. While there are classics on offer, including my all time favourite Beatles song, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, I grew a bit weary even before sides 3 and 4.
Double LPs are often indulgent. Pair that with an indulgent band like the Beatles, and I don’t know that you can call the result a total success.
Fun to be had, sure - Rocky Raccoon was a lovely discovery. But this is a very low three.
✨
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Deep Purple
3/5
A healthy dose of rock without too much of the flash or ostensible shenanigans I usually hate from this genre.
✨
2Pac
2/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
More of a mature sound than Exodus and Natty Dread. There’s something a touch more compelling about this record. Not quite as timeless as Exodus, but something I’d be keen on revisiting
✨
Merle Haggard
2/5
Classic country. The kind you hear in tv shows set in Texas. It has its charms, sure. But you have to like this kind of music to really appreciate it. And I don’t.
⭐️⭐️
Heaven 17
4/5
A lot of complaining in the global reviews about the inclusion of this one. I greatly enjoyed it! It’s simple and effective synth pop. Similar to Mi-Sex with perhaps a tad more self-seriousness. Facist Groove Thing is the clear show stopper. I’d heard the LCD Soundsystem cover, so hearing the original was a delight. “Hitler did some funky stuff” is a spectacular understatement.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
Outside of spellbound, I wasn’t spellbound
⭐️⭐️
The Rolling Stones
5/5
The starting point in a truly legendary three album run. No disrespect to Beggars Banquet, which is also a great album, but each subsequent release until Exile on Main St brought the goods in more fulsome and complete ways.
Let it Bleed opens with the iconic 60’s meltdown theme, Gimme Shelter, and ends with the uplifting, You Can’t Always Get What You Want. Stylistically, the two don’t have a lot in common, but they’re both phenomenal, and bookend the album to great effect.
In between you have other setlist staples like Midnight Rambler and Richard’s’ You Got The Silver. Also Live With Me - a track I’ll always love from the Jagger/Aguilera duet on Scorsese’s Shine A Light.
There’s just so much to love on this album. The only score I can give it is a 5/5
🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌟
U2
4/5
Listening to War felt like finding a missing piece of the puzzle to the U2 mythos. I understand the bad rep Bono et al get for throwing soft punches from Achtung Baby on. I also get that people generally disliked the band’s preachy showmanship and ill conceived marketing gimmicks. But I never really understood why U2 caught so much flack for this where other outfits had trod the same ground to far less critical disdain.
However, having listened to War it all makes sense. U2 used to be electric. Bono once sang with inscrutable conviction. Sunday Bloody Sunday is preachy; but it’s also sung with such intensity and desperation that you’re compelled to follow its singer through the journey this album takes its listeners on.
What followed a very strong statement about the pointlessness and hopelessness of War was a more watered down version of that message until Bono and the boys started hawking iPods to songs about the perils of modernism.
U2 are a good band, with a lot of good songs, but many will rightly mourn the band that War set them up to become.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Common
3/5
Stevie Wonder
3/5
MGMT
4/5
A perfect snapshot of late 2000’s indie. For those that came of age around the time these songs hit, this music was utterly inescapable. The songs are vibrant and imaginative, and evoke both skepticism about the world beyond youth, while finding optimism in living in the moment.
I enjoy just about everything on offer outside the hits, but there’s an undeniable plateau in quality throughout the album’s second half that never really finds a crescendo worthy of the album’s high points. MGMT’s sophomore album has more consistency and creativity on offer that I personally prefer, but as a debut, Oracular Spectacular is quite the achievement.
If you enjoy this, I highly recommend checking out the band’s first EP. There are a couple of overlooked gems on offer in Indie Rokkers and Love Always Remains.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Django Django
3/5
Elton John
4/5
Suffers from the bloat that affects most double albums, but just enough brilliance to make it an all time classic.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Queen
4/5
I could listen to Freddie Mercury sing the phone book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Big Star
2/5
Elton John
2/5
Beastie Boys
3/5
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
Justin Timberlake
2/5
This is going to ruin the tour
Pixies
5/5
It’s hard to overstate how hard I connected to this album when I first heard it. The album has serious legs, and keeps on giving in strange and beautiful ways. Proto-grunge perfection.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Blur
3/5
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Funk isn’t really for me
Crowded House
3/5
Dennis Wilson
2/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Unimpressed by this.
⭐️⭐️
Roxy Music
3/5
Interesting enough to get me to stop and pay attention, but was lacking in any show stopping moments that justify the price of admission. Still a good intro to the band. I like it
✨
Kate Bush
3/5
Oasis
3/5
Oasis songs don’t necessarily all sound the same, but they approach each track with the same energy and attitude. So much so that you could certainly be forgiven for thinking you’ve heard some of these tunes before on their bigger hits.
It’s a winning formula, sure, but that’s exactly what these songs are: formulaic.
In any case, I do appreciate that Oasis ‘sound’ and the confident execution on this album.
✨
Robert Wyatt
2/5
David Bowie
4/5
Pulp
4/5
Mudhoney
2/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
2/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Admire the scope of this one. It’s a bit like a dream.
✨
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
The Residents
4/5
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
Richard Hawley
3/5
Killing Joke
3/5
Joan Armatrading
1/5
David Bowie
4/5
The world was robbed of Bowie’s final act. That work started here with the fantastic Next Day. Even in his later years, Bowie continued to push his sound to new and strange places. The album is a bit top heavy, and definitely overstays its welcome towards the end. But it’s a thoroughly memorable listen for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ray Price
3/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
The quintessential rock album of the 70’s. Perfection, from start to end.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
a-ha
3/5
Deep Purple
2/5
Roni Size
3/5
Le Tigre
4/5
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Neil Young
4/5
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
Elvis Costello
2/5