Apr 18 2025
Heroes
David Bowie
I bought this album on the strength of the single Heroes. Loved side A immediately but it took me a while to warm to the mostly instrumental 2nd side. Its on regular rotation from my vinyl collection now. The lack of lyrics on most tracks on side B threw me. I associate Bowie with his lyrics but after I listened to them as tracks in their own right rather than Bowie Tracks, I came to enjoy them.
4
Apr 21 2025
Eliminator
ZZ Top
Not in my collection and not really on my radar. Found it enjoyable, good solid guitar riffs and solos and the hits (Legs, Sharp dressed Man) were instantly recognisable and had me tapping my feet. If I found an original pressing somewhere I would consider it. But if I analyse why I liked it, for that raw sweaty pub style rock I think the Top did it better on tres hombres.
However listening to this made me want to add tres hombres to my collection.
3
Apr 22 2025
Illmatic
Nas
Look, I can tell it's good.The lyrics are razor-sharp, the production is spot on, but it's deeply rooted in a very specific reality: That “gotta represent” ethos—where your identity is tied to your block, your crew, your hustle—it’s powerful, but I didn’t grow up in that mindset or world, and it feels more like watching a documentary than something I can feel on a gut level.
Good but not for me.
2
Apr 23 2025
Imagine
John Lennon
My only Lennon album (apart from several Beatles albums) is Shaved Fish with the Plastic Ono Band. I loved it. This is better. Has a definite mood and the tracks seem to lead into each other. It tells a story although the story arc is not clear and will take me many listens to work out. Exactly what you look for when buying a vinyl. It’s now definitely on my list.
4
Apr 24 2025
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
Fuck I love the Irish. The whole “I’m fooked, you’re fooked, everything’s fooked, so let’s have a drink and giggle and make the best of it” vibe is so beautifully represented in this album.
The only Pogues offering I own is a best of Cd. Now I have to own this one.Fairytail of New York is the best known but Turkish song of the damned & Bottle of smoke really hit the mark.
There’s not a bad track on it. Why don’t I own this already
If Johnny Cash was a drunk Irishman he might have liked this
4
Apr 25 2025
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
Dylan sounds happy, playful even, cheeky even on side A. The first track Subterranean Homesick blues was a suprise to me. In your face don’t trust the man vibe. Side B was more the Dylan I expected. This wasn’t on my radar as I already own Blonde on Blönde, Blood on the attacks and a couple of others but if I come across one I might pick it up
4
Apr 28 2025
American Idiot
Green Day
This one has been in my library for a while. To me this was Green Day at their most ambitious. This is an album that needs to be played through front to back. Not that there aren’t killer tracks (American Idiot, Holiday etc) but the whole thing is punk rock opera. I could see both John Lydon (Sex Pistols) and Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) both appreciating this one.
4
Apr 29 2025
Pearl
Janis Joplin
This one has been in my collection for a long time and gets regular spins. This (along with Cheap Thrills with Big Brother and the Holding Company) is the Joplin album to own in my opinion. Me and Bobby Mc Gee and Cry Baby hit like a sledgehammer and you can just feel that she is putting it all out there. Mercedes Benz is Janis at her cheeky best and the whole album just resonates joy rage and pain. Love it
5
Apr 30 2025
Nevermind
Nirvana
Amazing how many of these albums I own on vinyl. Bought this one on the strength of Teen Spirit but found the rest of the album didn’t let me down. I struggled through the 80’s with the overproduced image conscious direction that pop was taking but this album felt link a return to authenticity that the Clash and the Pistols delivered in the 70’s. Come as you are and lithium feel simple but are reality are emotionally powerful. love it
4
May 01 2025
Penthouse And Pavement
Heaven 17
It’s ok but not really for me. Probably better to dance to than listen to on its own. Those hooks were very repetitive. let’s all make a bomb was the standout of the bunch for me. If you like Human League but arguably a bit edgier this might suit. Won’t be chasing this one down though.
2
May 02 2025
Whatever
Aimee Mann
“Jacob Marley’s Chain” and “Mr. Harris” are both great examples of an ability to blend melancholy with a kind of literary sharpness—not overdone, just well observed and emotionally true. Not flashy, but this has got staying power.
3
May 05 2025
Moon Safari
Air
Really liked this. Had that SBS Chill vibe. Ambient but not simplistic. Listened to this while on a road trip and liked it so much that I played it three times. No real track stood out for me it was the whole vibe. It shaped my mood rather than demanding my attention. Nicely done.
3
May 06 2025
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
The whole album’s is a reminder of how powerful one voice and a guitar can be. I don't own this one but I loved how political and poetic it is. Its very Dylan (duh). It’s acoustic and stripped-back—just Dylan and his guitar/harmonica, a string of songs that are by turns angry, tender, and razor-sharp. My standouts were
“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” – “Masters of War” & Talkin World War III Blues
4
May 07 2025
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
Liked it.
Because I don't know the language I just tried to absorb the vibe. Chan Chan was the standout as the rest of the tracks merged, they were warm, rhythmic, and deeply human.
While not background music in the modern chillout sense,I did find it good to have on while I did chores as it does have that kind of breezy, atmospheric charm that makes everyday moments feel a bit more cinematic. It made me think of Dexter in the non dramatic moments ( there was definitely a strong Cuban/Miami sound in that show.)
3
May 08 2025
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
Jagged Little Pill definitely wears its heart (and fury) on its sleeve, and those grungy guitar textures give it that extra punch.This one’s all about catharsis—anger, heartbreak, vulnerability, defiance—and she owns it.
The vocals swing from whispery to howling in seconds. It’s confessional without being soft, and feminist without being preachy—just intensely personal and musically gripping. My standouts are the obvious ones "you oughta know" & "all I really want", but the whole album resonates.
5
May 09 2025
I Should Coco
Supergrass
This nailed that sweet spot—punk spirit without the weight. It’s the kind of album that doesn’t need to say a lot to make you feel a lot. It’s full of wild energy, scruffy guitars, and breakneck pacing. It feels playful, sometimes bratty, but surprisingly sharp musically.
I recognised Alright straight away. The rest of the tracks resonated too. A cheeky playful sought of punk without all the serious political overtones that usually come with that genre.
5
May 12 2025
Dookie
Green Day
Nice tight modern punk album, somewhere between angst and amusement. It’s still a pissed off vibe, but with a grin rather than a sneer. Liked it rather than loved it. There are definitely more ambitious Green Day albums out there. When I come around and Basket Case where the standouts for me
3
May 13 2025
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
Ok this is one Ive owned for many, many, many years and play regularlyIt's heavy, mystical, bluesy, and timeless. Like most people I bought the album on the strength of Stairway To Heaven, but black dog, when the levee breaks and misty mountain hop kept me playing it over and over. This is not denigrate the other tracks, I defy anyone to say one of them isn't a banger. Couldn't recommend this enough. A must own.
5
May 14 2025
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
Pleasant, melancholy , sweet. Seemed well crafted and the Beatles and Beach Boy influences are definitely there. My preference is for a more "punchy" listen with sharp edges. That's why the only track that resonated for me was "Time of the Season".
2
May 15 2025
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Nice. Not knowing the language had to judge as an atmospheric companion. It definitely was nice to have on while driving or working. Enjoyed it. Wonder what Portugiese speakers would make of it.
3
May 16 2025
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
Nice … but if I’m honest I expected to like it more than I did. The group has such a big reputation and I love the music fry this era but this was just nice. Maybe it suffered because of my expectations. Vocal harmonies were spot on and the tunes catchy enough but not really my cup of tea
2
May 19 2025
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
I own Wille Nelson albums but not this one. I went into this one cold. Loved it. Stripped down, outlaw country.It's quiet but haunting . A hint of menace. You need to listen to the album as a whole not just cherry pick songs from it. I can honestly say that this one is now on my list
4
May 20 2025
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
Just picked up a copy of this. It's been on my list for a long long long time. Unfortunately not the original mono pressing but one of the early stereo copies.Ray’s voice, paired with that orchestration and emotional weight, makes it feel like every track has gravity. You don't know me and I can't stop loving you have always been my favourites. I know historically this has always been an important album but it's nice to know that it is great as well. A must for any collection if you can still find one.
5
May 21 2025
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
Yeah, I must admit the 14 year old boy in me loves this album. Yep the lyrics and attitudes expressed are problematic to mature ears, but this appealed to me during a time when I was just becoming aware of rap and it incorporated music styles and topics I could relate to. Smiled the whole time this album was playing.
I enjoyed it with a mix of nostalgia and self-awareness. The album wasn’t trying to be deep—it was trying to shake things up, have a good time, and flip the bird at anyone who took music (or themselves) too seriously. And it worked.
4
May 22 2025
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
This is not an album you just put on while washing dishes. It asks something of the listener.It’s an album that wraps you in its melancholy rather than alienating you with it. It's not just a bunch of songs, it feels like a short film or a novel. The two hits were familiar to me (Everybody Hurts & Man on the Moon) while Star me kitten and night swimming really hit the mark. On my list.
4
May 23 2025
Snivilisation
Orbital
This is layered, atmospheric, and rhythmic without being too intrusive, which makes it excellent for flow-state work. That blend of ambient techno and subtle complexity can be perfect for maintaining concentration. Nice to have on in the background but classical music and SBS Chill give me the same effect.
2
May 26 2025
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
I really wanted to like this album so I listened to it. I did like it, but didn't love it. I found that my mind wandered and I'd do other things while it was on. The lyrics were clever, inspired even, the beats and musicianship well done, but it just didn't grab me. It felt a bit too refined or subdued. It had more melancholy, orchestration, and nuance than what I expected, which made it beautiful but also less arresting, at least to me. It did make me want to try some of their earlier work which I believe is edgier,
2
May 27 2025
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
Found this strangely melancholy and menacing at the same time. Ot really felt like an opera, no one track stood out (well except maybe the eponymous track) you had to listen to it as a whole. I own both the Wall and Dark side of the moon, but this was different,more subtle, more wounded. It's almost operatic. “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is broken into two long bookending parts that frame the whole thing, like the overture and finale of an opera. The middle tracks — “Welcome to the Machine,” “Have a Cigar,” and “Wish You Were Here” — are like dramatic arias or scenes, each adding layers to the themes of disillusionment, exploitation, and loss. Loved it.
4
May 28 2025
Vento De Maio
Elis Regina
Liked it, no idea what she was singing about but it felt joyous and optimistic. Had it on in the background while I worked. It had a way of making even non-Portuguese speakers like myself feel the emotional tone of the songs. Felt bright, flowing, and optimistic song, both musically and lyrically
2
May 29 2025
Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus
Spirit
Not for me. The musicianship was fine, the lyrics appeared to be there just to deliver the vocals and didn’t really improve the tracks they were on. Though they were pleasant. It’s ok to have on in the background but not a “stop and listen to” , at least for me.
2
May 30 2025
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Spiritualized
Why didn't I know about this album. Hints of oasis/Pink Floyd. Atmospheric Dark Whimsical, loved It. It uses lush orchestration, gospel choirs, and druggy psychedelia into something that feels like drifting through space and grief at the same time. Reminded me of the first time I heard Dark Side of the Moon.
4
Jun 02 2025
Who's Next
The Who
This album has my all time favourite Who track, “I won’t get fooled again’. This is a lovely album that reflects its times. Baba O’Riley and behind blue eyes would be familiar to most, and for a good reason. To me this was the scream at the Hippie movement for getting the world’s hope up and failing without a whimper. Don’t get fooled again-you look after you is what this one says to me
3
Jun 03 2025
1999
Prince
Must admit, never been a huge Prince fan. I appreciate his talent but it wasn't really my cup of tea. So I listened to this album for the first time. I, like everyone else , heard the hits and liked them. But what surprised me was 1999. I've heard it a million times but never really listened. This one has oomph. The dichotomy between the style of the song and the lyrics really hits home. The world is F#$%& so let's have fun while it lasts. Album a three but that song knocks it up a bit
3
Jun 04 2025
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
I own Freak out by the Mothers of Invention, so I was looking forward to this one. Very surprised to find out it was an instrumental album (with the exception of Willie the Pimp). Gotta admit loved it. No track really stood out but you can't deny the musicianship. Not too messy and unstructured but just enough improvisation to keep you listening. Nice
4
Jun 05 2025
Pornography
The Cure
Wow, very different from what I expected, which I based on their later, work like "The Love Cats," "Friday I'm In Love," or "Just Like Heaven." This was very dark, introspective, and atmospheric. Very emotionally charged vocals, lyrics that hint at something but don't spell it out for you, leaving you to interpret them. This is a good one
4
Jun 06 2025
Antichrist Superstar
Marilyn Manson
Albums that shout at the hypocrisy and mendacity of the world are right in my wheel house and this album SCREAMS at the hypocrisy and mendacity of the world. If Heath Mason's version of the Joker was a rock star, he'd sing like this. I can just see the lyrics to “Irresponsible Hate Anthem” scrawled along the walls at some crime scene.
I like Manson the way I like Bowie.Bowie always had this air of cosmic melancholy, mourning the mess we've made, but there’s still a trace of hope in his gaze. Manson Condemns. Screams from the wreckage of the world as he pokes at the idols that society has made.
Isn't there a little "Wormy" in all of us
4
Jun 09 2025
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
I know this album well. I have owned it on vinyl for some years and it's gets played regularly. " Chain" is my all time favourite Fleetwood Mac song. It feels... defiant. In saying that every song tells a story, ranging from pop to soul to almost ethereal sounds. This one was always getting a 5 from me.
5
Jun 10 2025
Heaven Or Las Vegas
Cocteau Twins
This is the first time I have listened to this. Lovely dreamy, textured sound. I found myself hardly listening to the lyrics, just enjoying the vocals as if they were an instrument on their own. Played it again while I worked, it was perfect for getting into that creative & focused headspace.
3
Jun 11 2025
The Stooges
The Stooges
Oh my god how did I not know this album existed. Flashes of the Sex Pistols, Ramones, Nirvana and Sonic youth. These guys were punk years before anyone knew what punk was. "I wanna be your dog" is attention grabbing but every track is a gritty snarling rebuff of everything that the 60's flower power generation stood for. Some of the slower (softer?) tracks have a Velvet Underground vibe. This is right in my wheelhouse.
4
Jun 12 2025
Diamond Life
Sade
Nice, kind of a lounge feel, very smooth and sophisticated. The breathless soulful vocals really suit this style. For me the standout track was " Why can't we live together". It was sleek and jazzy and had a real emotional message
3
Jun 13 2025
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
I have owned this one a long time and to me it is THE Beach Boys album. Still has those classic Beach Boy sounds, harmonies but the songs have more depth, a bit edgier. The arrangements a bit more innovative.
I know this one has received a lot of public acclaim but on a personal level this is one of those albums that resonates with me as it did on first listen.
5
Jun 16 2025
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
Listening to this as an album for the first time and it’s everything you could want from one of her offerings. starts out with the ever recognisable RESPECT and doesn’t disappoint from there on. This album is a lesson in how every element of a record can exist to serve the voice. Aretha’s vocals aren’t just the centerpiece—they’re the driving force, and everything else bows to them. The lyrics give her the full range: from the assertiveness of “Respect” to the vulnerability in “I Never Loved a Man” to the quiet, simmering fire in “Dr. Feelgood.” It’s like every song was built to showcase what her voice can do.
4
Jun 17 2025
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
This is a good, solid representation of what Metallica is. It shows of their technical complexity compared to other thrash metal bands of that time. The lyrical themes were right up my alley and had excellent production quality. If you, like me bought the Black Album as your gateway into the Metallica-verse, this would be a good next step, less polished for mass appeal perhaps but more authentic.
3
Jun 18 2025
This Is Hardcore
Pulp
I first came aware of Pulp when William Shatner did a cover of "Common People" (unfortunately not on this album, and am I weird because that Shatner versions is still my favourite version). That led me to the Pulp version, which led me to Pulp, and what I found was that some tracks hit me like a sledgehammer, lyrics so sharp and insightful they feel like they should be mandatory listening at school, but other tracks...vary between nice and " what are you wining about you wanker". On this album "Fear", "I'm a man", "Glory Days" & "Like a Friend" hit me with a sledgehammer. I liked "The day after the revolution" a lot. The rest sounded like a guy moaning into his mirror with a bottle of red wine. But that’s kind of what makes the album feel like the hangover after a wild party—you don’t love every minute, but the honesty is hard to ignore.
4
Jun 19 2025
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
Ok. I, like everyone else in my generation, own a copy of “Rumours”. I obviously heard “Tusk” before ,so I thought I knew what I was in for with this album. This isn’t “Rumours”. It’s messier, “thunkier” (if that’s a word) more jarring and dare I saw more “honest”. Not the polished Fleetwood Mac offering I was expecting. I liked it, and if I have repeated listens I think I’d grow to love it. I’m going to buy a copy.
4
Jun 20 2025
Blue
Joni Mitchell
This was nice. Pleasant vocals, lyrics felt raw and honest. I have to be in the mood for folk and this would be one that I could see myself listening to again and again
3
Jun 24 2025
Superunknown
Soundgarden
I've owned this one for a long while, and every time I listen to it I wonder why I don't listen to it more often. These guys master setting up an infectious riff and then building on it, layer after layer, the emotional intensity of the vocals and the tight interplay builds the tension throughout, giving the riff enough space to breath and surge until its all released. This is hard rock done about as "professionally" as it can be done without losing the attitude that makes it Rock.
4
Jun 25 2025
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
I must admit nostalgia is a big factor in how much I am enjoying this album. ELO have such a distinctive style, somewhat "Beatle's like"and Dylan's narrative style with Queens grand layered production giving it a special touch. " Mr Blue Sky" has been a favourite for a long time, and "Sweet Talking Woman" & "Turn to Stone" both made me smile and turn up the volume. It feels very much like a group of very talented artists decided to have fun and push technical boundaries. Love it
5
Jun 26 2025
Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
This has been part of my collection for a long while, and I must admit I am a big fan of Elvis Costello and this album is the reason why. Po friendly angry young man is how I'd describe his work. "Olivers Army" is a perfect example. This is pop at its best, smart lyrics, cutting, even venomous delivery and catchy to boot.
5
Jun 27 2025
The Colour Of Spring
Talk Talk
This was new to me. Didn't know much of the group. Kind of thought that they were 80's New Romantics but from this offering I guess they were much more than that. I expected more synths but this appeared to be played with real instruments, and not "poppy" at all. The lyrics are cryptic but clever enough to pull you in. I imagine ten different people listening to a track and having ten different interpretations of it and all of them convinced they're right. A vey good listen.
4
Jun 30 2025
More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
Quirky,clever everything you want in a Talking Head album. The cover of Take me to the River is so good you think that it is a talking head song. I like the band a lot and this is a good example of why
4
Jul 02 2025
Let It Be
The Replacements
Very nice, right in my wheelhouse.I love gruff vocals, guitar focused rock with a dissatisfied vibe. It has that "punk" feel, probably at the core of every track, making every track feel honest although obviously some were "tongue in cheek". "Unsatisfied" is a standout, but if I'm honest the one that had me turning up the volume every time was the cover of "Black Diamond". I love covers that do something different than the original.
4
Jul 03 2025
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
What a great album. The first thing that grabs you from the opening tracks is that driving, piano-heavy rhythm. It doesn't sound like other rock songs, it "pulses". Lyrically this is right in my sweet spot, commenting on media saturation, war, religion, and disillusionment. The vocals seem to almost sit "outside" the arrangement but the harmonies bring it all back in. Made me think of everyone trying to be an individual but that cultural "back beat" of day to day western culture drags along even if we see it for what it is. "Black Mirror", "Ocean of Noise"and “My Body Is a Cage” say so much without spelling everything out. Dylan would love the lyrics and Springsteen and Joy division echo in the arrangement.,
5
Jul 04 2025
Aftermath
The Rolling Stones
I'm a Rolling Stones fan, and I was excited to listen to listen to this as it is not an album I'm familiar with. "Paint it Black" sets a lovely tone, but then....eh. It's not bad, it's just ...eh. I listened a second time as a satirical drama/concept album and it was better but it shouldn't be that much work. If you want to get a Rolling Stones album there is better out there. "Let it Bleed" was my gateway and I would recommend it to anyone.
2
Jul 07 2025
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
With his work in the Beatles, McCartney has long been tagged as the "melodist" and "commercial one," sometimes unfairly diminished for writing songs that are catchy or optimistic, as if those traits were somehow lesser. Band on the Run is a great counterpoint to that notion. It’s melodic, yes, but also sophisticated, adventurous, and emotionally layered. The title track alone shifts through multiple musical sections like a mini rock opera, yet it never loses its coherence or drive. That kind of structural boldness is classic McCartney. Commercialism does not mean artistic weakness. McCartney understood how to craft music that reached people without dumbing it down. That’s a skill, not a flaw — and Band on the Run walks that line beautifully. Band on the Run proves he didn’t need Lennon to make something brilliant — though, of course, what they did together was simply magic.
3
Jul 08 2025
Stardust
Willie Nelson
This the only Willie Nelson Album I own which is strange because it is far away from the outlaw cowboy music he is known for. His voice is not powerful but it's expressive, agile and even "weary" quality perfectly matches the standards he chose to cover here. Brave choice that shows his confidence as an artist.
4
Jul 09 2025
The Grand Tour
George Jones
Didn't know a lot about George Jones before listening to this. Classic 70's country, rich story telling and deep emotional vocals. Nothing flash but excellently delivered. If you like country tearjerkers you'll love this album
3
Jul 10 2025
The Man Who
Travis
This is my first listen to this. Very nice, introspective tracks. Kind of a bittersweet, resigned hopefulness to it. If I didn't know who was singing it I would have guessed Jeff Buckley or even Coldplay. This a very quietly powerful album and I think if I run across one in my hunts of record stores and estate sales I would definitely pick this up.
3
Jul 11 2025
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
Ok, first listen, it was nice. Tight arrangements that sound loose, great guitar work and it had that jazzy, "jamming with mates" sound. Then I listened while reading the lyrics and I got it. These guy's aren't into feelings, they are clever and a little mean. I bet Zappa bought this album. Great musicianship, not taking them selves too seriously and giving lovely smart arse comments on the idiocracy that surrounds them. What's not to like
3
Jul 14 2025
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
This is both frustrating and brilliant: it’s uneven, but when it hits, it really hits.It opens with such gravity and beauty—tracks like “Bookends Theme,” “Save the Life of My Child,” and “America” promise a deeply reflective, even existential experience.Then you hit something like “Punky’s Dilemma,” and it’s… a guy imagining he’s a soft-boiled egg. There are some great tracks here though, “Old Friends” and “A Hazy Shade of Winter” still carry a lot of weight and musical sophistication, but some of the "filler" tracks stop it from being great. Between the "Bookends" you have a great album, after that there are a couple of great tracks.
3
Jul 15 2025
Abbey Road
Beatles
This is arguably The Beatles at their best. What’s not to love. The harmonies, the experimental textures, and great songwriting. The arguments about which is the best Beatles album will go on forever but this has to be in the conversation.
5
Jul 16 2025
Surfer Rosa
Pixies
I'm listening to Surfer Rosa by the Pixies for the first time. I was in the car so I couldn't read the lyrics (and had trouble understanding them) but while this the guitar heavy raw sound I usually like, sonically it sounded the same for the majority of the tracks. I think if I heard the tracks come on the radio I would turn it up but as an album it didn't make me rush out and find a copy. Where's my mind was the standout for me.
2
Jul 18 2025
Frank
Amy Winehouse
This is a great album. You can really hear her love for jazz and those old-school crooners in that album—it’s like she’s channeling a smoky late-night club vibe but with her own raw, modern twist. Tracks like "Stronger Than Me" and "Take the Box" have that playful swing, while "Moody’s Mood for Love" feels straight out of a classic jazz set. This is lovely and is definitely on my shopping list.
4
Jul 21 2025
Green
R.E.M.
Sounds very experimental although the pop type hits like Orange Crush and Stand, and even Pop Song 89 grab your attention. I feel most of the rest of the album would benefit from repeated listenings but I found myself gravitating to the tunes where the hooks were immediate and I didn't have to decode the often confusing lyrics. Nice album.
3
Jul 22 2025
Guero
Beck
I love heavy riff-driven, kinda blues-rock and hip-hop-inspired music and this has this in spades but there are a number folk music-y tracks as well. “Go it alone” grabbed me the most on first listen but there’s enough here to give this several spins. The lyrics are typical Beck (you can only guess what they men) but they do create mental pictures that resonate, like an abstract painting rather than traditional storytelling. Instead of telling a clear narrative, he throws out fragments, surreal images, and pop-culture debris, creating a vibe or mental picture rather than a message. I’m left with a country and Western doomed Cowboy vibe.
3
Jul 23 2025
System Of A Down
System Of A Down
This is the group that led me to download an Armenian Folk playlist and that led me down the rabbit hole of world music. This is a beast of its own! It’s raw, chaotic, and political, but also weirdly playful in spots. That mix of thrash, Armenian folk flourishes, and manic vocal shifts makes it one of those records you either bounce off… or find yourself obsessively playing over and over again. It’s less polished politically than Toxicity, but more unhinged, surreal, and abstract, which gives it a very different personality. The anti-authoritarian streak is present throughout, but usually buried in strange metaphor. You’ll either love it or hate it but you won’t forget it.
2
Jul 24 2025
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
This Album hits like a hammer right out of the gate. "War Pigs", "Paranoid" & "Iron Mind". The front-loaded power of this album is undeniable—three of the greatest hard rock/metal songs of all time stacked together. The back half isn’t bad at all, but it feels like a band still experimenting with what they wanted to be. "Hand of Doom" is quite good but took a few listens to love. The guitar riffs were soooo ahead of their time so it's hard to remember their impact at the time. RIP Ozzy, I love that you didn't take all this shit seriously.
3
Jul 25 2025
NEU! 75
Neu!
Didn't know anything about this when I put to on. Very nice, kind of electronic synth, really atmospheric but then suddenly goes punk with Hero. After Eight was probably the standout for me. I could imagine Bowie liking this.
3
Jul 28 2025
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
I love this album. I've owned it for a while. I know a lot of people have an issue with the misogyny and violence expressed but in my view they merely exaggerate and mythologise the urban struggle the way that traditional country and western exaggerates and mythologises rural life. It sells a myth of authenticity even if few Compton residents were shooting it daily. Straight outta Compton, F*** the Police, Gangsta Gangsta & Express Yourself are simply great. If you listen to this as a narrative that glorifies struggle, loss and survival set to some frankly killer beats then how can you not love it.
4
Jul 29 2025
War
U2
One of the first albums I ever bought. I was deeply into anything that wasn't just love songs and this went head on into politics, conflict and social injustice. Was and conflict run through every track, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" being the hit that caused me to buy it but there's not a dud track on the album. "Seconds" and "Like a Song..." probably resonate the most with me. They have that martial, pounding beat, filled in with a sharp and jagged guitar. It feels punk, but it feels polished. I don't think this was their first album, but for me this is when U2 starts. They became very polished after this, still socially relevant, but not as raw (which I love). This is a must have.
4
Jul 30 2025
All Hail the Queen
Queen Latifah
I like Rap and I know historically this is considered as having a pioneering position in hip hop history but it misses its mark for me. Maybe it just doesn't age well it feels dated and soft-edged. If Stock Aitken Waterman wrote Rap this is what it would sound like. Its style is safety first, tonally very clean has high production gloss. There's even token attempt to put a political spine in some of the tracks (" Ladies First"). But to me it feels like early crossover rap made palatable so it will sell to the widest audience possible.
2
Jul 31 2025
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
I find with albums in a language I don’t know to treat the vocals as a musical instrument and base my expectations it as an instrumental. This is mostly in Portuguese with a few tracks in English. My first impressions are that it is a very pleasant, ‘lounge’ style album with an optimistic vibe. They feel wistful rather than tragic. Playful even. I probably wouldn't go out searching for this one but if I cam upon a copy in a bulk buy, I would definitely keep it and play it often.
3
Aug 01 2025
The Madcap Laughs
Syd Barrett
If James Joyce's Ulysses was set to music it might sound like this. It is evocative but doesn't quite deliver. It sounds like a busker at a train station who doesn't care if you put some coins in his hat, he just wants somewhere with an echo to practice. It's fragmented, has moments ( varies into skiffle and Beatlesque sections), but doesn't quite work. It sounds like someone trying to work out their sound, other offerings may be worth a listen.
2
Aug 04 2025
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
You can't deny the production quality, the smooth seamless vocals, the excellent beats that support the message and the cutting edge lyrics. What I didn't realise is how "Trumpian" this album was. If you want to understand Trump listen to this. It isn't pro trump, it's if he was channeling trump. "I'm a monster, you knew it you wanted me anyway so stop crying".
It's excellent but disturbing and while it doesn't align with my political views you can't deny it. Monster hits it on the head. A must have.
4
Aug 05 2025
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
I listened to this with my wife and we were discussing why I liked it so much. I'm usually drawn to loud angry music about the failings of society and this was not that. She said the anger is still there but it's dignified.The groove is undeniable—steady, warm, enveloping. The voice is iconic. The themes are timeless—oppression, exile, rebellion, redemption. It’s music you feel before you think about it. It feels true, and the same with all good music no matter what genre. The message is a chant. You find yourself repeating it long after the album is back in its dust cover.
4
Aug 06 2025
La Revancha Del Tango
Gotan Project
So This is the first time I've heard this and not understanding the lingo I can only judge it on the vibe it gave me. Nice sound, obviously latin but I felt that the accordion gave it a French feel (I also got melancholy dystopian "12 Monkey Vibes" throughout). There is an unresolved energy about the tracks giving a feeling that something is building. If I owned it I would play it a lot while I'm busy with work, but I don't.
3
Aug 07 2025
All Directions
The Temptations
I did not realise how socially aware the Temptations were. I thought I knew their music, but I guess I was hearing it without listening to it. There are some really edgy themes running behind the soul & funk. "Run Charlie Run" is genuinely confronting while the Cover of "First Time I saw your face" is as tender as you'd expect. "For me "Papa was a rollin' stone" is the standout. I will be on look out for this in Vinyl stores.
4
Aug 11 2025
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Very nice. This album works best when she isn’t trying to be the voice of a movement, but rather the voice of a single life caught in a larger system. The folk-protest roots are there, but the emotional knockout punch comes when she’s just telling you about one person’s kitchen-table reality. "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" is probably the exception, it’s about the poor rising up, and she sings it like she’s right there on the street with them. It's all about her voice, minimal accompaniment, "Fast Car", "For my Lover" and "Behind the Wall" really give that "person at the kitchen table view of the world she lives in. Very nice.
3
Aug 12 2025
Harvest
Neil Young
This is an album I've been eager to listen to for a long time. More country than some of his other offerings, country still seems the wrong way to describe it. Starts off slow, classic melancholy Neil Young but then "A man Needs a Maid" hits with a totally unexpected "big" sound. " Heart of Gold", "Old Man" " There´'s a World" "Alabama" all instant classics. I will buy this album.
4
Aug 13 2025
Butterfly
Mariah Carey
Yeah... I'm only a few tracks in and I can tell this is not for me. It feels like it’s aimed at younger listeners, especially those in their first crush/first breakup phase. It feels... professional rather than authentic. Very Radio friendly and deliberately designed to achieve a commercial goal. Very polished, but for my old man ears, a decaying child of the revolution, it sounds a bit ...plastic
2
Aug 14 2025
Queen II
Queen
I have owned this album for close to fifty years. Like most people of my generation I bought and listened over and over again to " A night at the Opera". A few, like myself, went straight out to buy their back catalogue. If you liked Bohemian Rhapsody and the Prophets Song, then this is the album for you. This is the rock opera that should have, but never was made. Not side one and side two it had side white (Brian May compositions with a great track by Roger Taylor to close it out) and black side (Full Freddy at his most Gothic). "Ogre Battle" is pure metal, "March of the Black Queen" is the closest to Bohemian Rhapsody, in structure at least.
I would have loved to have seen this actually staged with costumes, choreography, and a pit orchestra. Side Black could have been pure rock-opera Gothic theatre, and Side White a sweeping fantasy epic.
4
Aug 18 2025
Grace
Jeff Buckley
This a very highly rated album in my part of the world (Australia). I'll be honest I never really listened to it before as I'm kinda drawn to music heavy with political commentary, irony, or generational despair. This is more timeless, romantic, and almost archaic.
The first thing that strikes me is that even though this is called a "Jeff Buckley" album, the band is excellent. Jangly, reverb-heavy guitars, dynamic shifts—but also strong jazz and folk fingerprints, combined with that unique vocal sound (sometimes a whisper, sometimes a banshee wail), make this sound almost like a musical version of a Van Gogh painting. Creating feeling through sound rather than emotion through texture, transforming the personal & everyday into timeless art.
"Eternal Life" was my highlight.
This is a good album. Well crafted and hits the targets it's trying to hit. Not exactly my cup of tea but I can appreciate the artist's vision and his ability to communicate it.
3
Aug 19 2025
The Band
The Band
"Rag Mama Rag" features a lot on my playlists but I've never really dived into the tracks on the rest of the album. It's not country, it's not rock, but every song tells a story and you feel they would be well received by any crowd in the last 100 or so years. They are timeless. I get Eagles vibes but this is much darker and funkier. Dare I say more real to the everyman's experience. The lyrics are first person driven and are on point. The instrumentation is solely on delivering the story. No big solo's or "look at me" moments. They have a story to tell and the music had to help that, not take away from it. This sounds older, deeper and communal. I will buy this.
4
Aug 20 2025
#1 Record
Big Star
This was a bit of a surprise. I'd honestly never heard of it before this listen. It sounded kind of familiar, but it wasn't. Not a concept album, it feels more like those compilation albums that everyone bought in the 70's because we couldn't afford all the '45's we wanted. Has a Byrds like instrumentation. Lyrically you would say there was a definite design to make all these tracks tight and radio friendly, the 3 and a half minute rule was seldom if ever broken. If it was a compilation, you'd swear you were listening Mott the Hoople, The Byrds, Tom Petty, James Taylor, Slade and even some whimsical Beatles. But seeing this was before many of those you'd have to ask who was influencing who? It's like a radio Sampler, and I liked it.
3
Aug 21 2025
Our Aim Is To Satisfy
Red Snapper
This feels like a soundtrack album begging for a movie to back. Not all the tracks grab your attention but honestly this kind of album gets played a lot by me to help me work. If put on "Spiders from Mars" I wouldn't get any work done because that demands to be listened to. There are enough "grab your attention" Tracks to knock you out of your grind, so you can catch your breath and refocus; "The Rake" & They're Hanging Me Out Tonight" are two examples. It's an album of music that supports what you are doing rather than being the thing you're doing. There's a place for this in every collection.
3
Aug 22 2025
Jack Takes the Floor
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
From first listen I thought early Dylan. The influence is obvious. Simple songs without polish singing about the real experience of those facing poverty of the early 20th century, although it harks on themes going back a century or more. It's oral history and I love it. Not romanticised, it's observational. "Old Blue" will hit a chord with every dog person. "Grey Goose" give's you images of chain gangs, singing a chant just to get through the day. "Mule Skinner Blues" is my standout.
If you like blues, if you like folk, if you like early Dylan, I think you'll like this.
3
Aug 25 2025
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
This sounds nice and the instrumentation is perfectly suited to the material. Very professional. No solo's so I'm thinking session artists rather than a regular backing band. This feels like more of a slow burn than an immediate-grab record. The hooks aren’t obvious; they may reveal themselves after a few listens. The vocals are restrained, and this imposes itself on the arrangements. That one word, restrained, really sums up the album. Like Paul McCartney and XTC in their most introspective works. No anger, no fire, just quiet introspection on personal self doubt, regret and fleeting moments of hope. Very nice but not for me.
2
Aug 26 2025
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
Nina Simone is fantastic. This isn't her best work. There are of course standout tracks, "Four Women" and "Lilac Wine" are timeless, "Either way I lose" clever and balanced. The rest feels patchwork, uneven. Simone seems to use the tracks as vehicles to show her vocal control and timbral range, often to the detriment of the songs them selves. The arrangements behind her are serviceable but uninspired.
Don't let this album put you off Nina Simone. She is better than this, and those two or three tracks that do hit should give you a taste if you want to dig deeper.
2
Aug 27 2025
Copper Blue
Sugar
OK, on first listen this seems like pretty standard Indie pop fare. But you look at the date and you realise at the time it wasn't standard indie pop, it helped define that standard. So not a bad record and historically important, to my jaded ears though it sounded a bit generic, but then you realise that Foo Fighters and Weezer etc, may have used this help define their styles it pay's to have a real listen.
Lyrically it's what you would expect, The arrangements are all competent. "A Good Idea" and "Slick" stand out though and "Man the Moon" has been added to my playlist as I believe it deserves multiple listens.
2
Aug 28 2025
So
Peter Gabriel
Pop Can Still Matter.Pop music doesn't have to be derivative. It can use interesting arrangements inspired by other cultures. It can break out of the two guitars, bass, and drums format. It can have lyrics that hint at a deeper meaning but leave it to you to work out what that is. Some artists understand that mass appeal and depth are not mutually exclusive — they’re just harder to do together. But when you pull it off? You get albums like this.
The hits are there, "Don't Give up", "Big Time" and "Sledgehammer" all deserve a deeper listen than just having them on your car radio.
This pop, but the best version of pop.
4