The first 1/3 of the first track on this record very nearly made me give up (the project, to be clear, not life). I don't understand how anyone can sit down and listen to that for pleasure. I don't know if it was some sort of Stockholm Syndrome but I enjoyed some small parts of some of the later tracks. Overall however this was not a pleasant listening experience. I didn't hate it as much as some other albums, but it's really not deserving of a 2/5, so it's going to have to be another: 1/5

Seems weird I never listened to this before. Lust For Life (the song) has such a ridiculously long intro - never noticed before! I had no clue The Passenger and Lust For Life were on the same album. Ture Blue sounds like it should be in Rocky Horrors but not in a good way and its far too long. Fall In Love with Me also outstays its welcome.

This is not for me. Extremely long, extremely weird tracks.

Solid 3 out 5, with some absolute standouts. Jeremy and Alive obviously, but I've never heard Porch before and loved that. Release is pointlessly 9 minutes long.

Never listened to the full album before, but it turned out I knew more of it than I expected (i.e. way more than Sexy Boy). I ended up knowing 5 of the tracks and liking all of them. 4/5 would definitely put on when its a warm summer day and I'm sat in the garden.

Outside of the hits everyone knows and likes, Bowie just isn't for me apparently. And I can get behind a good instrumental, but what the heck was that?! 1/5 (and it should be grateful I can't give it less)

I grew up with Yes fans for parents so it's very difficult to give this an unbiased listen. I have always liked Roundabout as tune, but generally prog rock's tendancy towards 8 minute noodling tracks is not my thing. I would listen to Runaround and Long Distance Runaround again though. 2/5 (I'd get 2.5 if I was allowed half stars)

Is this aggressively 80s? Yes. Is MJ morally questionable? Also yes. But it's such a bop! The fact it includes Leave Me Alone meant it was always getting a minimum of a 4 (because that song is fantastic) but as a whole it's just a really entertaining record. 5/5

I didn't hate Alice In Wonderland but I clearly don't understand the appeal of jazz. 1/5

I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this, but I enjoyed it far more than I ever would have thought. It is something I'll listen to again. 3/5

So far in this listening experience, there's been a surprising number of albums I was subjected to by my parents. So they were apparently more culturally aware than I ever realised. I knew J-M J turning up was only a matter of time. 6 tracks and 39 minutes long! Unacceptable. The first track's primary reason to exist is to have a new age lady play it during relaxation sessions. I actually recognised track 2, so my childhood attempts to make this fade into the background clearly failed. The space lazer "pew-pew" noises were clearly enough to be memorable. Track 4 is what pops into my head automatically when anyone mentions J-M J, which happens rarely these days. Just not a genre, and therefore an album, I enjoy listening to much, although I can understand why others might. 2/5

I love Maggie May. It became quickly apparent that I would have enjoyed this album more, had it just been 40 minutes of Maggie May on repeat. 2/5 (I really do love Maggie May)

I went into this completely blind, and really enjoyed it, with one (fairly major) reservation - I just don't like his voice very much. It's breathy and insubstantial. Pretty much everything else I liked. Standout tracks: Hazey Jane I, Northern Sky 3/5 (3.5 if I were allowed half stars)

My frustration with over long tracks is apparently significantly reduced if a track is sufficiently funky. I very much enjoyed it and will definitely listen to it again. Also, it's my favourite album cover so far, and its not even close. 4/5

Another artist my parents subjected me to a lot in the 80s. I'm a big fan of brass instruments in general and think they almost always improve music, but by the 400th sax solo I wanted to throw stuff. Interestingly I liked some of the album tracks more than the singles I already knew well (Cherry Pie for example) but I can't see me listening to this again. 2/5

I was expecting not to like it, on the basis that the only song I don't like on Sgt Pepper is the one Harrison wrote, but I actually enjoyed most of it a lot. I've had My Sweet Lord stuck in my head all day and liked Wah-Wah, though I can't see me ever revisiting the jam tracks at the end - I fundamentally don't see the attraction in listening to a recording of a jam session. 3/5 (3.5 if I was allowed half stars)

Based on very little, I went into this expecting to not care at all for Speakerboxxx and really enjoy The Love Below. But Speakerboxxx is great - fun, funky, catchy. I really loved Bowtie and The Rooster. The Love Below is all together weirder than Speakerboxxx, maybe with higher highs, just inconsistent. A single Outkast album culled from the best bits of both (taking out all the interludes for a start) would have been an improvement I think, but I recognise that this was hugely influential exactly how it is. Enjoyed far, far more than I expected. 4/5

I couldn't get into it at all - I listened to it and it entered my brain and immediately exited without leaving any trace it had ever been there. As I'm leaving 1/5 scores for things I actively dislike, I guess this gets: 2/5

I don't think I gave it a fair enough run through, as I was pretty rushed, so marking is tricky - if I'd been in a different frame of mind, the score might be higher. As it was, they were altogether too many sound effects slowing things down for my liking, and it's difficult to listen to as a music album when you should really be listening to it as a story. But Another Brick In The Wall Pt 2 is absolutely enough to get it 2 stars.

So far in this list, I haven't met a double (or triple!) album which wouldn't have benefitted from a good editor to whip it into a nice 45 minute album. This is no exception, as it drags a bit in the middle. That being said, what a voice! And I'm predisposed to love big band, brass numbers so parts of this were really up my alley. Bye Bye Love was particularly enjoyable in this style. I think this could have been higher, but the filler in the middle brings in down to 3/5

It's undeniably atmospheric and really, really beautiful in places. However, at the risk of sounding like my mother, there's no tune. This project is making it really clear to me that I prefer music that gives me that cathartic release of singing along at high volume. Even if I knew the words, I could never do that with Ghosteen. But in the right frame of mind, I could see me listening to this again. It feels like a headphones on, sit in a dark room and really pay attention type record. 3/5

Really liked this, helped enormously by the fact Bob Mould sings like the guy from China Drum (basically, I enjoyed a relatively obscure US band because I really like an even more obscure UK one). I'm even considering listening to the stupidly long Deluxe edition of the record, which is high praise indeed. 4/5

I think I expected to like this more than I actually did. It was certainly different to what I was expecting, far more bluesy in places. I just didn't like the vocals much and that's a big sticking point. I ended up listening to it more than once, because I didn't know how I felt about it. As I was willing to do that, I guess this gets: 2/5

Oh the conflict: it turns out I like funky soul/jazz way more than I get would have expected based on the albums that have come up. Parts of this really remind me of Gorillaz which was a surprise. But... A 13 minute 18 second long instrumental?! No. A 2 seems harsh, but a 3 absolutely too much... As no half marks, a 2 it is: 2/5

They can certainly come up with a fun song name. Its a toss up between "If You're a Wizard Then Why Do You Wear Glasses?" and "They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids" for me. But sonically, it's 99% noise and nothing much else. It sounds a bit like it should be playing in a dark basement in a Blade movie. A rare: 1/5

"Ely sang backing vocals on the Clash single "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"." 😳 I always, without listening to much at all, assumed I didn't like Country music. It turns out that's true. I liked Boxcars, and can objectively see this is probably a good example of a Country album, but it just doesn't grab me like other genres of music. 2/5

I did debate not even listening and just automatically awarding 5 stars, because I adored this album in the 90s, but I thought I better check. Still love it. Especially "End of A Century" and "This Is A Low". 5/5

The first 1/3 of the first track on this record very nearly made me give up (the project, to be clear, not life). I don't understand how anyone can sit down and listen to that for pleasure. I don't know if it was some sort of Stockholm Syndrome but I enjoyed some small parts of some of the later tracks. Overall however this was not a pleasant listening experience. I didn't hate it as much as some other albums, but it's really not deserving of a 2/5, so it's going to have to be another: 1/5

Impossible to listen to in the UK on streaming, but after my friend bought a secondhand CD, I've come back in time to review it. Why is this not on streaming?! It's catchy as hell. It merges so many styles, so it's never dull. It's perfect warm weather music. It won a Grammy (Best Latin or Alternate Album) for goodness sake! I particularly like (Who Discovered) America, Who's To Blame and Saturday Night is fantastic. This has been my biggest surprise of this project so far. Clearly given the difficulty of getting hold of it meant I never would have heard it otherwise, but I'm so glad I did. My actual album today was Leonard Cohen, and my goodness, this was the perfect antidote to that... 4/5

Beautifully chaotic. I enjoyed that despite my previous protestations that I prefer music I can sing along to at high volume - this feels cathartic in a completely different way. And I love the percussion and her voice. I feel like this is better than a 3 but not quite a 4, but as I need to pick, I'm going for 3. 3/5

Sour Times and Glory Box are perfect alternative pop songs and I'll not have a bad word said against them. Despite how much I love those songs, I'd never listened to Dummy before. I'm apparently not someone who is going to really love a full album of trip hop. It just becomes a bit samey over 50 minutes. Also I listened to this in the morning before work and it's definitely an evening album. So I think this makes it a: 3/5

An album I owned as a teenager, and which I'm pretty sure I last listened to in the 90s. It turns out I have the same issue with it now that I did then - Noel has a significantly less annoying voice than Liam, so let Liam fart around with a tambourine or something like Bez from Happy Mondays, and I'd enjoy it more. But clearly Oasis, and this album in particular, did perfectly fine without my advice. A band who expertly stole the best bit of lots of other artists who came before them (which sounds like an insult, but it's really not). It's very obvious why this made Oasis stars, not least that it oozes confidence. 4/5

It's things like this that is why I wanted to do this project - there's no way I'd have been listening to a 60s Brazilian rock band without it. This was weird, and when it stayed the right side of the weirdnesses line, I really enjoyed it. The Mamas & The Papas cover was great and got downloaded as a result, but I liked a lot of the original songs too. Sometimes the desire to add a completely tuneless solo of some description completely lost me though. If there is ever a South American equivalent of Austin Powers, something from Os Mutantes should definitely make the soundtrack. 3/5

I have a major issue where I expect every CCR song to at some point morph into Bad Moon Rising, and on this album at least it never happened. They certainly have "a sound". That's mostly due to that guy's voice, which a definitive rock and roll voice. I enjoyed this album, particularly Run Through The Jungle and Up Around The Bend which I already knew. I think this gets a 3 because I enjoyed it and would happily rap my foot to it if I heard it in the wild, but I can't see me choosing to put it on. 3/5

This got off to a great start when I realised it was 5 tracks but 53 minutes, and one of those tracks was greyed out on Amazon, so I had to find it on YouTube. Plus the only track on Sgt. Pepper I have never liked is the one inspired by Ravi Shankar. But Ravi told me I had to listen with an open mind, so I really did try... Less an album to listen to for entertainment and more a sitar lesson, I can absolutely see they're skilled musicians but it's just not for me. I would rather listen to his daughter (sorry Ravi, but Come Away With Me is a lovely song). 2/5

It made me want to listen to Rocket From The Crypt. 2/5

I think The Wild Ones is a beautiful song and I was hoping to like this album much more as a result. But 24 hours after I listened to it, I couldn't really tell you anything about it. I think my big issue is that Brett Anderson's voice is appreciated best in small doses, as it can be a bit grating over a full album. Not really a 2 and not really a 3, I'm going to plump for a 2 but possibly try again with this album in future. 2/5

I want disco-y goodness from Chic, so At Last I Am Free did nothing for me with it's slower vibe and repetitive lyrics. Pretty much everything else I really enjoyed though. Not sure it's an album I'll regularly return to, but Le Freak is such a classic track. I also enjoyed spotting all the song parts that other musicians subsequently sampled. This feels like another occasion I want a 1/2 star option, but as I don't, I'm going for 3/5

I remember seeing a re-release of The Exorcist in the cinema in the late 90s. Having never seen it before, I didn't really know what to expect, but both me and my mate dissolved into fits of giggles at the infamous head revolving scene. The rest of the cinema was unimpressed at our disrespect. Anyway, to the album: it's another album my parents listened to when I was a kid in the 80s! Not one of the ones I remember with any fondness, or really remember at all minus the Exorcist theme. I am not sure how I'd blanked out the werewolf, but I clearly had. I am glad I listened to this as an adult, I liked parts of it a lot, but for the love of god, give me a proper song structure! And less grunting. 2/5

Went into this with no idea what to expect but ended up enjoying it. I had been hoping for some blues to turn up on the generator, but hadn't anticipated my first blues album would be from Africa. Best tracks for me were the title track and N'jarou. 3/5

I keep wondering if one day I'll wake up and have suddenly gained an appreciation of jazz. It's not happened yet. At one point during Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are, the drums reminded me of roadworks. I did not hate this like I hated Bill Evans, but I can't say I particularly enjoyed it either. Once again, I'm bemoaning the lack of half stars. 2/5

I mean, it's just a classic. I could do without the sita (Ravi Shankar's attempt to educate me on the beauty of the sitar in a previous album pick has clearly failed) but I love everything else. Yes, including Yellow Submarine. From The Beatles getting political on Taxman to apparently inventing electronic dance music on Tomorrow Never Knows, it's a collection of fantastic songs. I sometimes struggle to get through a whole album pick when the album generator is feeling mean, but I listened to this at least 4 times. The sitar was not enough to knock this down a star, so a well deserved 5/5

"The album begins with a long instrumental preamble" says Wikipedia and it was accompanied by a long sigh from me. Pink Floyd are a band where I really love parts of songs (the actual lyrical part of Shine On You Crazy Diamond is great*) but you have to wade through so much noodling to get to the good bits. I could have also done without the parts that made it sound like my headphones were broken. I like the majority of the title track though. * I absolutely accept this might be down to nostalgia - both parents loved that song, and Pink Floyd in general, so I heard it a lot as a kid. I enjoyed this more than The Wall, so I'm going for a 3, even though I think it's technically a 2.5. 3/5

My grandpa used to sing songs in, as he described it, "a wavery voice" to try and make us laugh. Little did I realise at the time, this was actually a pretty accurate Bryan Ferry impression. This was not for me. I listened to the first track three times, not because I liked it, but because I kept trying to listen to the album and struggling to get past track two. Virginia Plain was the only song I knew before going into this, and its probably the highlight of this album, yet I would still categorise it as "fine, I guess". Irritating but not completely unlistenable, so by rights I should be giving this a 2/5 based on my self imposed scoring system, but I realised that when it ended, I was actively pleased it had stopped, so: 1/5

Billy Joel is an artist I've always assumed I would probably like from the famous songs alone, just never got round to sitting down and listening to an album. And that turned out to be a good call. I even liked Scenes From an Italian Restaurant despite it being 7 and a half minutes long and featuring a pretty cheesy sax solo or two - parts of it made clear where Ben Folds got some of style of playing piano. I am definitely going to listen to this again and try to learn to love the sax solos. 4/5

I just think a lot of people in the 70s didn't know how to start and end songs. Intros go on forever with nothing really happening, something mildly interesting happens for a couple of minutes in the middle and then the song sounds like it's done, but no! Surprise fake out! Have another 5 minutes. Urgh. I think punk started not as a backlash to all the animal noises and ambient bollocks, but just because they wanted to show it was possible to create a fully formed 3 minute long song. Anyway, I knew I was going to hate this from the first 3 minutes of the 17 minute first track. Either we've been extremely unlucky with the randomness of the generator, or the makers of this book were obsessed with 70s nonsense that feels like it'll never bloody end. This is nowhere near as unlistenable as some of my previous 1 star albums, but given it actively made me grumpy: 1/5

With no real Neil Young listening experience, I'm not sure what I expected from this, but I wouldn't have guessed "a bit dull". I didn't dislike it, but I didn't engage with any of it. And I am not a fan of his voice at all. I think that leaves me on: 2/5

It's really surprised me how much it turns out I like funk, and the bits of this record that leaned into that I loved. Love to the People was great for example. On the flip side, Billy Jack outstayed it's welcome by being so melancholy for so long. Jesus's preacher-like vocal wasn't my favourite though I really enjoyed: "But what He gave us never will die! He never had a hustlin’ mind Doin’ crime wastin’ time! Drinkin’ that wine" I genuinely adored Curtis Mayfield's voice and I suspect that a different album of his will be something I could really love (I'm assuming it's only a matter of time before album generator gives me a second CM record). This particular album though gets: 2/5 (because 2.5 isn't an option)

Where I like it, I really like it - the first two tracks are great. But when it's Blue Condition (boring) or Mother's Lament (wtf?) I REALLY don't like it. I feel like Cream might be a "greatest hits" type artist for me (assuming I get past Clapton being a complete dick and willing to listen to more of him outside of this project). 2/5

My mind kept wandering while trying to listen to this. I was feeling a bit guilty about not giving it my full attention until I realised that we're just not a compatible pair. I don't mind Suzanne or So Long, Marianne but I don't particularly enjoy the vocals and a lot of the instrumentation felt quite samey between tracks. The weird ear-to-ear wailing and warbling of One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong was the final nail in the coffin. 2/5

Listening to this the day after Brian Wilson died (along with many others, as the generator pushed relevant albums to people who hadn't already listened to them, a move which honestly made me a little misty-eyed). There's something about the Beach Boys that scratches that musical itch in my brain. I can't explain it or objectively justify it, it's just something about the vocals and melody that feels *right* to me. It makes me want to smile. That being said, Smile is certainly not perfect, which given it's history is hardly a shock. Brian's voice is still really engaging for me, but it's no surprise that it had lost a little spark at this stage in his life. Mind you, Brian Wilson at 75% power was still better than many artists as far as I'm concerned. And I imagine some people's patience will be pushed a bit by songs referencing vegetables or farmyard animals (but as a fan of They Might Be Giants and Barenaked Ladies this feels completely reasonable to me). The album suffers from having Good Vibrations on it, because its so iconic and (whisper it) a patently better song than the rest, but I'm so glad I got this album today. Frankly, had I been forced to listen to God Only Knows I would have been bawling my eyes out... Wishing for half stars again (3.5) but in their absence: 4/5

I distinctly remember my Mum telling me as a kid that some of my favourite artists "can't sing", yet she loved Dylan. Life is full of mysteries. So plus points: Hammond organ (songs are always improved by Hammond organ), the lyrics are often beautiful. Negative points: the voice (god, the voice), the siren whistle on the title track, most tracks are 20-30% longer than they need to be, Dylan absolutely murdering the harmonica (an instrument that can be great, but not in his hands in my opinion). I am genuinely baffled that Like A Rolling Stone was at #1 on multiple versions of Rolling Stone's Greatest Songs of All Time. I mean it's a good song, and I get it was influential, but there are so many better but still influential, tracks to listen to. It's certainly not unlistenable, but I can't imagine returning to it. 2/5

I like a lot of later Chemical Brothers singles, so I think I was expecting to enjoy this more than I did. I've ended up with no real strong feelings about it either way, other than the low noise in Three Little Birdies Down Beats that sounded like someone was hammering on the door and made me feel weirdly anxious. It's the first album in a while that I ended up listening to the morning after because I had a couple of false starts, but I liked the second half better than the first. 3/5

So far the generator has given me 55 albums, three of them have been Bowie and the two before this (Heroes and Blackstar) I gave 1/5. I was starting to think it'd purposely set out to prove my previous assumption that I like Bowie was wrong. I like the title track a lot despite it being a bit repetitive and long. Love the bass and piano on it. I have always really loved Golden Years too with it's funky guitar and handclaps. By track 3 (Word on a Wing) it's dawning on me that I have either found a Bowie album I like, or I've now just listened to enough Bowie albums that something has clicked. My Dad had a theory that there was a minimum number of olives you have to eat before you start liking them and maybe this is the audio version of that. I did like the first half better than the first though, so baby steps... In the absence of half stars: 3/5 (and believe me, no one is more surprised than me)

The first few tracks of this had me nervous. Yes it was moody and brooding, but was all a bit samey. But then I got Lovesong, Lullaby and Fascination Street pretty close together and things perked up. My big complaint, as someone who thinks that most tracks benefit from being max 4 minutes long and who likes Robert Smith's voice, is that you could cut out a lot of the noodling and let Mr Smith sing his little heart out. I can understand how Cure fans think this is a masterpiece, because it's likely giving them a lot of what they enjoy, but for me its just fine. 3/5

I find it really hard to have an opinion about Adele's music. She has an astonishing voice and based on the odd video I've seen of her, she seems like a brilliant person who I'd very much like to be friends with. I just don't find her songs very interesting. I liked the piano that's on a few of the tracks. The songs were all perfectly lovely just not my thing. 3/5

The album version of Street Life (the song) does not need to be 11 minutes long. The single version of Street Life (the song) clocks in at nearer 4 minutes and is excellent. Too much of a good thing. As for the rest of the album, I listened to it on a warm but breezy walk to work and something about the sun and the fact it's a good walking tempo meant I really enjoyed it. Weirdly though, I listened to it again after work and was far less enthusiastic. So where that leaves me is at is wanting a 2.5, but being forced into giving a: 2/5 Side note: Amazon Music described The Crusaders as playing "hard bop" which is a frankly excellent genre name.

My first of the many Elvis Costello albums on this list. The mix on this is weird. If you're wearing headphones at points it sounds like Elvis is shouting directly into your ear drowning out the music. 13 Steps Lead Down is great and I really liked 20% Amnesia because of the slightly off-kilter backing. The backing vocals on This Is Hell are unintentionally hilarious - like he decided to use the worst fake Ringo accent he could conjure up - and it almost wrecks a song I otherwise really liked. My Science Fiction Twin was another track I really enjoyed. I know Elvis Costello is divisive, as a lot of people hate his voice. I am not one of those people. 4/5

This sounds dated in a way that many earlier albums the generator has given me don't... but as long as you can get past all the casual misogyny (it was the 80s *shrug*) it's just fun. Personal lyrical favourites include: "Like Martin Luther King, I will do my thing I'll say it in a rap 'cause I do not sing" and "It's McDaniels, not McDonald's These rhymes are Darryl's, the burgers are (Ronald's)" Again bemoaning the lack of a half mark so I'm settling for: 3/5

I was so pleased to see this pop up - I bought it on CD when it was released and still listen to it 25 years later. This is such an incredibly accomplished debut album. The instrumentation is beautiful on all these tracks - haunting and gentle and soaring one minute then slightly discordant and off-kilter the next. Personal favourites are Everybody's Stalking, Once Around The Block (the reason I bought the album in the first place), Magic In The Air, Disillusion, and Bewilderbeast is my favourite of the instrumentals. My only real negative is that listening to This Song with good headphones is one of the most discombobulating things ever, as it pans between ears. It's a bit like the audio form of standing on a ferry when the sea is a bit choppy. However, for me this album was always going to be a: 5/5

An artist where I knew the name, but couldn't remember ever hearing anything by them. The discordant rhythm of "other voices" was almost uncomfortable to listen to but I liked "i used to" a lot more. "tonite" actually made me audibly laugh. "change your mind" I absolutely hated the guitars on. I found "how do you sleep?" just dull. I don't know how to rate an album that had tracks I really liked, absolutely hated and thought were meh... 2/5 I guess?

This album really suffers from having Superstition on it, because frankly what album wouldn't - that's as near a perfect track as it's possible to get. I would have absolutely loved Maybe Your Baby if it cut the number of repetitions of "maybe your baby" in the last 3rd of the track by about 50% (we get it!). You And I having the theremin-like synth on it seemed like an odd choice for a fairly schmaltzy ballad. It did set it apart from the various other schmaltzy ballads though. I like funky Stevie Wonder much better than ballad Stevie Wonder, but it's hard to deny the talent. I enjoyed this just fine, but a little less than I expected I think. 3/5

I think I heard more n-words during this album listen than I've heard in the last year. And I was not expecting the extended Biggie having a shag skit. The rampant misogyny was less surprising. It's not like I automatically rule out sexist lyricism (Sublime were hardly angels and I love them) but the music has to be good and it was all a bit meh for me. This style of hip hop not my thing.

About 2 minutes into track one I was thinking the rhythm was really pretty and atmospheric. By minute 4 I was losing patience. By minute 6 it had completely lost me. And that's basically how the rest of the album went. I assume that the repetitive melody patterns are a traditional Senegalese music thing, but it's just not for me. Or rather I'd have been able to appreciate it more had each song been half the length. It's also no fault of the artist obviously, but I'm finding I generally appreciate albums more if I understand the lyrics (my attempts to find English translations on the internet failed). I certainly didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. 2/5

The hit being the first track of the album always makes for a nerve wracking start - will it all be downhill from there? I actually quite enjoyed all of it, in a background music kinda way. Though this make directly correlate with how much I enjoy Hammond organ on anything. 3/5

Another artist I got to hear a lot as a kid - my Mum loves Joni Mitchell - but that, Big Yellow Taxi aside, I cannot remember at all. I like her voice but for the most part this album passed me by (though I liked Raised on Robbery a lot). It is however a record I'll try again in the future as I think I could really get into it after a few listens. 3/5

I really wanted to like this but was surprised to find a lot of it was just a bit dull? My very official and technical ranking system ended up on two songs I really like, four that were fine I guess, and four that I just found uninteresting. Should be a 2.5 really, but I'm plumping for 2 because I can't see me listening to 8 of these tracks again. 2/5

I had never heard of these guys before and was excited about discovering a new (to me) artist - especially as this was a tight 28 minutes, so my normal objection to self indulgent over long songs couldn't apply. Alas from the first held note, which unfortunately occurs 6 seconds into the album, it was apparent I HATE his wavery vibrato. Like "have a visceral reaction to his warbling nonsense" level hate. I tried to stop listening to him so I only heard the instrumental, and honestly that was helping a lot until I hit Nine Pound Hammer. The "tink" sound (that I assume was supposed to be a hammer, but which actually sounded like someone tapping a 10p coin against a teacup) was nearly as annoying as his wibbly wobbly crooning. If I were to mark this on the songs, it'd probably get a 2.5/5, but I was pleased it was over, so: 1/5

Firstly: what a beautiful voice. Genuinely, heartbreakingly, lovely. Cry To Me was great, particularly the honky-tonk piano bits. I also loved Won't You Give Him (One More Chance) and You Can't Love 'Em All, with its mariachi style brass accompaniment. Also I have weak spot for that 60s slightly-shouty female backing vocal thing that happens on a lot of these songs. I was generally less keen on the slower tracks than the more upbeat ones, as I don't think they lived up to the rest, so that brings down the overall score for me. Every song on this album sounds like it's a hairs breadth away from appearing on an Edgar Wright film soundtrack. As is so often the case, I would like a half mark (3.5) but in the absence of that option: 3/5

As someone who was a teenager in the 90s and therefore into Green Day, Rancid, Offspring, Bad Religion etc you'd have thought I'd have listened to Minor Threat before, but no! The most hardcore punk I ever got was Dead Kennedys. I can certainly hear the elements that later bands were going to be inspired by - some of the basslines are very Matt Freeman for example. Minor Threat were so influential in so many ways and I wish I'd have listened to them as a kid when I listened to punk and ska almost exclusively. But middle aged, middle class me really enjoyed listening to this on my walk to my cushy office job. 4/5

There are few things that will really put me off an album as much as the phrase "19 minute jam session". I do not understand the mindset that creates a 7 song, 36 minute album but chooses to dedicate 19 of those minutes to the final track. Other than that monstrosity, we got a bit of harpsichord (including a bit of jumpscare harpsichord right at the end) which was my first so far on this project and some perfectly meh songs. 2/5

The album generator has taught me to approach an album where the most famous song is the first track with an element of caution. But this time I needn't have worried because this is a fantastic album. Yes, Gaye has a gorgeous voice, but also the lyrics are amazing, the music is beautiful. Just a great, great record. 5/5

I think this might be the first time during this project that an album has included a song (Wild Is The Wind) that was also covered on an album the generator already suggested to me (Station To Station by Bowie). And it was a good follow-up to yesterday's artist (Marvin Gaye) given that both were political throughout their careers - this idea some people in 2025 have that activism should be "kept out of music like it was in the past" is such nonsense. Reading about this album was really interesting, for example, Four Women being banned from some radio stations in the 60s because they considered it racist despite the fact it was intended to highlight racist attitudes, seems about as absurd as can be. She had a lovely voice, and this album is very diverse in terms of styles, but this didn't grab me as much as I thought it might. But I did enjoy the listen so: 3/5

An artist I had never heard of, or heard anything by, which is always fun while doing this project. Absolutely loved the discordant piano on D.Original because it was so interesting as a backdrop, and that sort of interesting choice carried on being made for the rest of the album (like the high pitched beeping - dial tone? - on Mental Stamina for example). In terms of the actual lyricism, I am not a big enough hip-hop fan to know if this is out of the norm - it felt like the standard "I'm great, be wary of women who just want your money, I'm gonna kill my rivals" schtick to me. I found it started dragging a bit towards the end. 3/5

I am not sure how to feel about this at all. It was... samey? It was sort of like listening to a single 23-part, 51 minute song, that sounded like someone was just stream of consciousness rambling and then occasionally someone like Kendrick or Wiz Khalifa would try and interrupt to get him back on track. I had to listen to it in two parts because I realised half way through that I didn't really want to finish it but that I wasn't really sure why. I didn't hate it, just didn't have the patience for it. All of which I think gets me to: 2/5

This left me with Homeward Bound stuck in my head all day because I'm a certain age and so it's inextricably tied to Michael J Fox voicing a Bulldog. I think their voices are lovely and the songs are pleasant but that this particular S&G album didn't really do it for me. I have always liked "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" and "A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into Submission)" though. Bemoaning the lack of a half star again, I'm going for: 3/5

To enjoy ABBA you have to disconnect the part of your brain that internally cringes at lyrics talking about kissing your teacher or being jealous of a man's relationship with his fiddle. Once you get past the idea music has to have "poetic beauty" or "importance" and surrender yourself to the ABBA sound, you're going to have a much better time. That being said, I admit I'd rather listen to Erasure covering ABBA than ABBA being ABBA (I said what I said!). Despite the original UK version of this album not included Fernando, I'm counting it because I like it. Dum Diddle Diddle is bonkers. Money Money Money is fab. This feels like a 3.5 for me, but in the absence of half stars: 3/5

I feared the worst, given my track record with 70s prog rock (and prog rock adjacent stuff) has been patchy at best. But I was already really liking this at least partially due to it being pretty keyboard/piano heavy. Then Dreamer started. I have rambled on a lot about my Dad during many of the 70s albums on this list, and this is another opportunity. He loved this song. The absolute wave of nostalgia hearing this for the first time in probably 25 years made me a bit misty-eyed on my walk to work. When I started this thing, I wasn't expecting to have days where the album just really, really made me miss my Dad. He would have enjoyed the idea of this project, because he genuinely loved music, though I'm sure would have despaired at some of my ratings (Pink Floyd always worth 5 stars to him). It made me feel feelings (and listen to Breakfast In America later in the day). 4/5

This is one of those albums where I just have no strong opinions. It was fine. I wouldn't turn it off if it was playing in the background, but I'm pretty sure it has left absolutely no impression (positive or negative). So: 2/5

I can absolutely understand why you might not like the Beastie Boys. The rapping is nasally, they shout, and finish EACH others SENTENCES! But I was a teenager with access to MTV when Sabotage was released and I watched that music video thousands of times but never got bored of it. While Sabotage and Sure Shot are probably the high points of this album, I still really like the rest of the record so.... 4/5

I was a bit too young (and firmly not into hiphop) to have listened to this the first time round, so I don't remember having ever heard any of this before. Plus nothing from this album made the UK charts, so my main source of music as a pre-teen (Top Of The Pops) would have been no help. This is a really weird mix, as parts of it sound pretty fresh - you could imagine releasing them today and it not sounding out of place - but parts of this sound so aggressively late 80s, it's really jarring. Also, it appears Will Smith based his entire rap style on The 45 King ("A King and Queen Creation"). I enjoyed it, but less than I was expecting. 3/5

On track one and the lyric about his nose being "big like a pickle" made me roll my eyes. And then that song pointlessly went on for 6 1/2 minutes. The next track (The Way We Swing) decided to one-up that, by being even longer. And the whole album sort of carried on in the same vein - everything was longer than it needed to be, there were excessively long outros where nothing happened and everything just sounds so dated. It might be that this comes immediately after the generator giving me Queen Latifah and Beastie Boys, but I did not have patience for this album. The idea that 2Pac started with this group is inexplicable. "Peace and humptiness forever"? Pah! 1/5

Upon opening the 1001 generator this morning I saw the artist name, rolled my eyes and thought "oh great, fucking jazz". While I enjoy a lot of jazzy music, me and actual jazz have not really got on so far, but I tried to put that out of my mind. Someone in the reviews described this as baby's first jazz album, which probably goes someway towards explaining why I actually enjoyed this. I already knew Take Five obviously, and like it, but I honestly enjoyed every track. I don't think there's anything wrong in wanting to enjoy melody and tap your foot rather than be "challenged" by discordant and "difficult" music. I listened to this more than once, high praise for me and a jazz record. 3/5

Given that I owned this on cassette (cassette!) when I was a teenager and I also listened to it a few weeks ago when I felt the need to cathartically yell into the abyss, there is no need for me to listen to this today to rate it. But it'd be rude not to. When I was about 12 we got MTV and within a couple of years it completely changed my listening habits. I think the first Offspring song I heard as a kid was Self Esteem because MTV played it to death, but for me, Come Out And Play is the best song on here. The fact they're remembered for Pretty Fly For A White Guy and not something from Smash is a crying shame (but I'm sure that song built Dexter Holland a house or two, and probably paid for his solo flight nonstop around the world, so I can't begrudge it too much). This was a pivotal album from my childhood. 5/5

My experience with Radiohead is almost entirely limited to their mid 90s output (I love Just), so I had never heard this before. In 15 Step Thom sounds like he's singing while trying not to sneeze but I really like the drum beat. The band also appear to be channeling their inner Pink Floyd with the shouting children. By Bodysnatchers I'm fighting the urge to yell enunciate. I quite enjoyed the start, but it's a bit too much of a jam track by the end for me. Nude seemed to start with some interesting (and creepy) reversed audio but otherwise mostly passed me by. I again really liked the beat on Weird Fishes/Arpeggi. Part of the backing vocals reminded me of Mike Mills from REM for some reason, which is definitely a plus point. All I Need's low booming noise throughout was very appealing, particularly through headphones, plus Thom has dialled down the muttering. Very chill but feels like it needs to explode and never does. Faust App's strings are all Beatles loveliness. Reckoner I found a bit dull. House of Cards I quite liked, but once again Thom's delivery of the vocals grated on me. Jigsaw Falling Into Place was more mumbling but the music itself was nice enough. I liked the piano on Videotape but nothing much happened despite a long build up suggesting it might (again I liked the percussion a lot). I can't say I always liked it, but it was mostly interesting. Should really be a 2.5, but: 3/5

I remember all the singles from my teenage years, and I would argue that they are the highlights from this album, especially Doo Wap (That Thing) which I've always really liked. I could have done without the skits (which seems to be a common theme with all the hip hop albums I've heard that include them) but I get that they're world building. I'd just rather a tighter running time than listen to a guy pretending to be a school teacher. The actual music I don't have a lot to say about, but I like it. 3/5