319
Albums Rated
2.73
Average Rating
29%
Complete
770 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010
Favorite Decade
Hip-hop
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Critic
Rater Style ?
35
5-Star Albums
53
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ray Of Light
Madonna
|
5 | 3 | +2 |
|
The Man Who
Travis
|
5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
|
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
|
5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
|
Exit Planet Dust
The Chemical Brothers
|
5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
|
The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
|
5 | 3.24 | +1.76 |
|
Achtung Baby
U2
|
5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
|
25
Adele
|
5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
|
...And Justice For All
Metallica
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
|
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
|
5 | 3.44 | +1.56 |
|
Imagine
John Lennon
|
5 | 3.45 | +1.55 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
|
1 | 4.46 | -3.46 |
|
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
|
1 | 4.3 | -3.3 |
|
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
|
1 | 3.67 | -2.67 |
|
Heroes
David Bowie
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
|
1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
|
Moving Pictures
Rush
|
1 | 3.57 | -2.57 |
|
Arrival
ABBA
|
1 | 3.52 | -2.52 |
|
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
Diamond Life
Sade
|
1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| Beatles | 4 | 4.5 |
| Oasis | 2 | 5 |
| Adele | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 3 | 1 |
| ABBA | 2 | 1 |
| Funkadelic | 2 | 1 |
| Talking Heads | 3 | 1.67 |
| Baaba Maal | 2 | 1.5 |
| Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | 2 | 1.5 |
| Grateful Dead | 2 | 1.5 |
| Kate Bush | 2 | 1.5 |
| David Bowie | 3 | 2 |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 2 |
| Leonard Cohen | 3 | 2 |
| The Who | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| The Chemical Brothers | 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (35)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Korn · 2 likes
1/5
Korn emerged at a time I generally listened to the heavier end of music, but never managed to land with me. I had the debut album and promptly gave it away. Listening to this I’m fairly sure my issue is Jonathan Davis’s vocals.
Songs like Children of the Korn feel like they are crying out for someone like Mike Patton to get hold of it.
The least said of the Fred Durst song the better.
Fleetwood Mac · 2 likes
1/5
No.
I do not like Fleetwood Mac. It’s all just twee MOR pap.
Everyone knows Dreams and yes Go your own way has an inherent catchiness to it, but that doesn’t stop them being annoying or boring.
Songbird is just dull.
The one saving grace is the presence of The Chain which given my age and sporting upbringing means the F1 theme hidden in the middle/end. Even without that the bass led tune is far more interesting than anything else present. It is this track alone that lifts the album, but is one track sufficient to stop it being a 1/5?
You make loving fun quickly brings the uninteresting pap levels back. The intro to i dont want to know brings some momentary interest but quickly diminishes with the intro of yhe vocals.
Black Sabbath · 2 likes
5/5
Sabbath’s first six albums are hard to match. For heavy metal they bring a groove and listenability that is unparalleled.
Vol 4 doesn’t pull its punches from the outset this album means business.
The atrocity of Ozzy’s duet with Kelly could easily make you forget how beautiful and striking Changes is, especially given how different it is from their general output. Ditto the majesty of Laguna sunrise.
Ozzy is undeniably one of the great frontmen in rock, but my god you cannot overlook the skill of Iommi, Butler and Ward. Sometimes a line-up just works.
Pet Shop Boys · 1 likes
2/5
I think of this as being the point where my musical tastes and one of my childhood favourites well and truly diverged.
That may be a bit harsh in retrospect as ‘can you forgive her?’ And ‘go west’ were always great.
‘I wouldn’t normally do this kind of thing’ is a bouncy enjoyable PSB track. ‘Liberation’ reminds me of the heady days of ‘surbia’ but older, wiser and more reflective.
Things take the turn i have been dreading with ‘a different point of view’ which strays too far into dancy PSB for me. You can feel its similarity to ‘getting away with it’ by Electronic and Neil Tennant but i much prefer the latter.
After that the underlying dance oriented music is not for me until of course we reach go west!
The Police · 1 likes
3/5
Message in a Bottle is a great start to any album.
Regatta De Blanc showcases how great a rhythm section Sting and Stuart Copeland were.
It’s alright is far more punky than I’d associated with the Police and is quite reminiscent of Pump it up by Elvis Costello.
Unfortunately Bring on the night legt me feeling kind of bored and then i realised i was only half way through.
Deathwish offers something slightly different with the sharp guitar of Andy Summer staring, sounding very much like a toned down version of The aedge’s trademark guitar sound.
On any other day serves just to highlight how great a vocalist Sting is, with what is a decent song being held back by Copeland’s (?) more limited vocals.
Whilst there sre obvious issues with Does everyone stare i quite enjoyed the leap in style and central piano.
no time this tome rattles along at ferocious pace and again shows what a geeat drummer Stuart Copeland is, however like much of this album it just cant get close to the two stand out classic singles and left me feeling slightly flat as a result
1-Star Albums (53)
All Ratings
Pearl Jam
5/5
Eddie Vedder has one of the finest voices in rock music. This is a standard setter for everything that came after. Despite been a massive step away from Nevermind they complement one another brilliantly
Air
2/5
Just a bit dull
David Bowie
1/5
If I didn’t know this was Bowie i’d have assumed it was a monumentally bad parody album. God knows how Heroes came out of the same session as the rest of this album
Yes
1/5
Every cliche about prog on one album
Michael Jackson
5/5
So many singles it’s effectively like listening to a greatest hits album.
Bill Evans Trio
1/5
There is a time and a place for good Jazz, unfortunately none of which apply to this album
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
Good slbum for a sunny spring morning. I’ve never listened to a Hendrix studio album before and enjoyed the Experience
Jean-Michel Jarre
1/5
Sounds like every rubbish sc-fi soundtrack from the 80s
Rod Stewart
1/5
One star for Maggie May and a collection of sub standard b-sides
Nick Drake
3/5
Parliament
2/5
Would be better as an instrumental album. Hype man vocals are just annoying
Sade
1/5
So smooth it’s just dull
George Harrison
5/5
A truly wonderful album. Not my favourite Beatle but possibly my favourite Beatle solo album
OutKast
3/5
Would have been 4/5 for speakerboxx alone but despite aa on sprawling album the Love Below holds it back (despite som standout moments). Sounds like what it is two separate albums presented ad one to maintain the Outkast brand going a little longer. Ideally would have been 3.5/5 but just not quite strong enough for a 4 as a cohesive album.
The War On Drugs
3/5
A good album, but suffers from some unnecessarily long tracks
Pink Floyd
2/5
I was surprised thst i only knew two tracks on this album, but having now listened to it less so. It’s an overblown overlong album and listening to it was a real slog. I fear like Shakespeare this is something you need to see performed to fully appreciate but i wont be wasting anymore time on this
Ray Charles
3/5
Really enjoyed the first volume, but with a second volume as well it just felt overly long. Was surprised how many songs i recognised, but obviously some of this was due to them being standards and in the case of what you hot cooking, just brought flashbacks to the horrible Findus advert from the 80s
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
I expected an album of Nick Cave’s vocals would be my sticking point with this album, but i think it’s actually the music. The backing tracks are either so ethereal i drift off and stop paying attention to the beautiful lyrics or its jarring (synths) and actively annoy me.
Leviathan was reminiscent of queue of wicker man at Alton Towers so st least retained some intrrest.
Ghosteen the song lost me when synths start ed to sound like refugee from a jean-michel jarre song. Although my dislike for those did mean more of the lyrics in the second half made it into through my ambivalence.
Overall the album was just background music
Sorry Nick it’s me not you.
Sugar
4/5
Pure 90s nostalgia. It perfectly bridges the gap between grunge and more mainstream US alternative rock scene of this period.
I can also hear the influence they had on my favourite band the Wildhearts, especially in Helpless.
Overall a great trip down memory lane
1/5
Only knew Kick out the jams and that was through covers, so had high hopes for this album. Turns out that those hopes were misplaced. Far more straight down the middle rock than i expected and just fails to provide anything interesting
2/5
Not horrendous but not for me either. Instantly forgettable
1/5
Track 1 abrasive noise
Track 2 the sound of a panic attack
Track 3 standing outside a school music within which a collection of kids are doing there own thing
I decided to wait for something positive to write but that never came. This only serves value in making you appreciate how much better most of the list is. It is more likely to be the sound i hear at the point of death than something you need to hear before it
Joe Ely
2/5
As i’ve got older, i’ve found more ‘country’ music seepiing into my music. Modern country is not that fair from more mainstream Americana or more general modern folk. This is not that. This is old fashioned county with lots of Honky tonking. Best i can say is that is generally easy listening and moves along at a reasonable lick
Blur
4/5
Obviously a defining album of the nineties and the first five tracks, To The End and This Is A Low make it impossible for me to score this lower than a 3.
But i’d also forgotten the dreamy elegance of Badhead and the joyous bounce of London Loves.
Ultimately though i will always be more Oasis than Blur and the remaining tracks to push it over the top. A really good listen but not a classic
Soft Machine
2/5
First 7 minutes sound like an orchestra warming up rather than playing any tangible music. After that somebody reminds the band they are recording an album, still not great but at leastfeels like its meant to be music.
Picks up slightly with the middle two tracks before track 4 returns to near five minute warm up and my delight at the fourth track ending quickly dashed by it starting up again
It’s the sound of Jazz meets Rock but this is far from a happy marriage of styles
Ozomatli
4/5
Had to go old school and buy a cd in order to listen to the full album as seemingly absent from uk streaming.
The album opens with the sound of pure joy. A wonderful blend of styles like an audio street festival.
Latin grooves with occasional rapping and shouting whats not to love
Fiona Apple
4/5
Unhinged, creative genius of an album. Somehow manages to instil every track with a high level of quirkiness whilst maintaining highly listenable tunes.
Portishead
3/5
There are some obvious stand out tracks on this album like sour times and glory box but it just all feels a bit middling. Nothing grabs hold of you and demands you pay attention. Its not surprising that this has led to the music being s go to soundtrack to seedier crime drama like The Vice.
Enjoyable background music
Oasis
5/5
A debut album that sounds so strong it could be a best of for most other acts. Even the lesser tracks (digsys and married with children are ridiculously strong in their own right
Os Mutantes
2/5
An explosion of 60s psychedelia with a Brazilian twist. With the exception of of A Minha Menina (which i think must have been used on an advert at some point) it sounds a little too much like someone trying to sound like other groups in places, especially the Beatles but still quite enjoyable.
Not sure about the sudden slurp noise in Baby, may have made sense if you understand the lyrics but for me a rather unpleasant jolt.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Good old fashioned blues rock. Straight down the middle delivery.
When i spotted a cover of heard ot through the grapevine, i thought this could be good/interesting and i was right, it could have been, had they kept it tight and not stretched it out to over 11 minutes.
Nothing wrong (if you ignore the extension to grapevine) with it but nothing to excite either.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
The actual music is fine but i dont really want the explanatory detail. Not sure i will ever revisit this album but kind of enjoyed the experience of listening to it at least once
Turbonegro
2/5
Just very derivative paint by numbers music. It would appear that pizzas, even ones that have sexual relations with one of your parents do not make for solid inspiration for songs. Relies on too many childish jokes that just fall flat
Suede
2/5
Always had a troubled relationship with Suede. Animal nitrate is a truly great song but my appreciation tends to be restricted to their singles. This album just serves to reinforce my view that they were just a bit dull
CHIC
2/5
The jason derulo of the 70s, god this band want to make sure you know their name.
Obviously it’s hard not to like the groove that Nile Rodgers brings to a tune, but at times it’s like the record is stuck and cant move onto the next part. I didn't think i would say this but Fatman S coop made more of Chic Cheer than Chic did.
Le Freak is a stonewall classic and enough to make me overlook that lyric (i know it’s Chic, enough already)
Savoir faire was not what i was expecting and not in a good way. Bring back the vocals telling me who it is as i honestly wouldn’t have known this was by Chic.
Another dull if funky track and then another classic in I Want Your Love.
Why do we get some momentum going and then dash it with a slow dirge track. Sometimes tries its best to get us back on track with a funky Niles bass-line but still feels like filler.
(Funny) bone has a great groove to it and the lack of anything that could reasonably described as lyrics works in its favour
Mike Oldfield
1/5
This is an album i feel i should enjoy. An album equivalent of an eighties coffee table book that all middle class households own and say they like. But I didn’t grow up in a working class household so the only nostalgia i have is for its use in soundtracks, but that exposure tender to be fleeting and therefore this just feels unnecessarily overblown pretentiousness of the highest class. This is not a classical work, an instrumental (i dont care it had a short burst of speaking toward the end) does not need to be 25 minutes long.
It comes to something when the theme from Blue Peter is a highlight, given the programme itself was a dull patronising affair
I assume Mike Oldfield’s single is named that as if he played this on his dates that would certainly be the end result. Although give it it’s due mercifully short.
The final track is frankly pointless why anyone would want to listen to that i’m not sure.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Harmless enough but a lot of the songs didnt seem to go anywhere (obviously this is based on my inability to understand the lyrics).
Really enjoyed the title track and definitely heard a lot less through this process.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
Laid back relaxing effortless cool from one of the masters of jazz. As with most Jazz it would benefit from hearing it in the confines of a club but soothing nonetheless.
Beatles
5/5
One of The great albums of all time. Revolver is the point where the Beatles have truly refined the art. From the very start this album delivers. The perfect mix of of more upbeat songs like taxman and Good Day Sunshine to the sweeping beauty of Eleanor Rigby and For No One.
Tomorrow Never Knows with its loops etc is so far ahead of it’s time whilst delivering a great song.
Got To Get You Into My Life is a truly underrated classic.
There is nothing to dislike on this album, even the Ringo track is Yellow Submarine!
Pink Floyd
1/5
Having now listened to this and the wall i assume they felt one decent track was sufficient to justify an album and then then name it after that song.
This album could and should have been a single with s shortened version of track 5 as the b-side.
Overblown pretentious crap
Roxy Music
1/5
Remake/re-model is chaotic fun and even rips off Day Tripper but i cant get past the whiny annoying vocals
Is there something sounds like an attempt at Bolanesque vocals but just sounds like a goat wailing
Virginia plain is another example of what could have been for the want of a decent vocalist
Billy Joel
3/5
How can you not love Just The away you Are and She’s Always a Woman, absolutely classic tracks.
However the minutes music and whistling at the end of The Stranger could have been cut for me, as could the very clunky lyrics of Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (a bottle of white, a bottle of red).
Billy obviously unaware of my comments about the outro to The Stranger decided that wasnt long enough so extended for the album closer. Damn you Billy Joel, you just dont want these stars!!
Tangerine Dream
1/5
Twaddle felt like i was l listening to a game load on the spectrum in the 80s.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Good old fashioned rock. Very evocative of the late 60s, early 70s. Like a gentle breeze of melody blowing through the day.
It was the perfect accompaniment for the dog walk of a cool sunny morning
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
A bit slow, a dit dull, but still listenable. Just meh!
Strangely for quite a short album a lot of the tracks felt unnecessarily long. Jesus is accurately named, but i suspect mr Mayfield and i are putting very different emphasis on that song title.
A tale of what could’ve been i fear.
Cream
2/5
Strong start but definitely front loading the album ahead of some pleasant but uninspiring album tracks. My god blue condition is a dirge and least said about Mother’s lament the better.
Oh and that is one way to pronounce Ulysses
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I approached this album with the preconception that i font like Leonard Cohen’s vocals, so was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t immediately grate on me.
The man can write emotive lyrics and is his younger years could passably sing these. However, it’s just generally a bit dull. Suzanne and So long Marianne are stand outs in a fairly bland album
Brian Wilson
3/5
Brian Wilson was undeniably a genius and knowing the history of this album perhsps makes it difficult to judge.
It’s a story of what could’ve been had the beach boys clung together and completed Smile.
As it is it lacks any spark of magic and the inclusion of Good Vibrations judt highlights this is far from Wilson’s best. A solid album but not a classic
Bob Dylan
4/5
I perfectly understand people who think Dylan can’t sing and used to feel that way myself. But at some point it just clicked for me and now the vocals fit perfectly on classics like ‘Like a rolling stone’.
If you dont like Dylan they i doubt this will convert you.
I live the old style stomp of ‘It takes a lot to laugh’… which is evocative of walking into a smokey blues bar. Highway 61 has a stomping groove to it which i love.
Just a really good album
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
As a rock/indie fan i never properly got into the Chems until after this album and have never been motivated to go back.
This just works for me as a complete album, unencumbered by the presence of a massive hit single (or at least one i recognise).
All albums can also be improved with a sprinkle of tim burgess.
I suspect i have all the albums after this or have certainly listened to them, but as it turns out the one i have previously ignored is their finest, most distilled collection of their craft
David Bowie
3/5
Six sings, 36 minutes and track one is ten minutes of that feels like something’s gone wrong. That said station to station in an enjoyable upbeat Bowie track, just not sure it needs to that long.
Rest of the tracks are fine but hardly spectacular. Just a reasonable solid album
The Cure
3/5
Not far into this album and it feels very much like they are a band that feel the listener should do some work before they ate rewarded with songs. Unnecessarily long intros mean by the time the song proper starts I’ve already slighted turned off.
With the exception of Lovesong their slavish dedication to intros well over a minute mean i can only assume Robert Smith has a weak bladder and songs are all arranged in a manner they can be easily extended to enable his relief before the vocals come in.
That said, the songs are generally pleasant enough to listen to and whilst nothing really grabbed me and demanded my attention it is a reasonably solid album. Oh for the want of a strong producer to rein those unnecessarily long intros into line.
Adele
5/5
This is a great album. From the melancholy yearning straight in the damn right defiance of send my love this is a tour de force.
Adele delivers every line with such controlled power you have to pay attention.
The Crusaders
2/5
I feared the worst on the album opener until the vocal’s kicked in and lifted it to become a really strong groove of a tune…..but then it refused to end.
Track 2 sounds like the theme to an American tv show from the 70/80s snd just lacks the ‘filmed before a live studio audience’ announcement.
Unfortunately that the highlights as the album continues into not unpleasant forgetableness
Elvis Costello
4/5
I mean it sounds like classic Costello, so cant go wrong.
Kinder murder is brilliant storytelling in a song “dreaming of the pigskin’
The whole album just feels balanced.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Now this what good 80s music sounds like. I remember this sounding just so different and exciting to Uk chart music.
It’s tricky has always been been my favourite Run DMC song, throw in My adidas and Walk this way and you cant go wrong
A fine example of good old school hip hop
Badly Drawn Boy
5/5
An album of pure majesty which manages to be so traditional, yet so innovative at the same time.
BDB looks like a busker but by god he’d be the best busker there was.
Tracks like Once around the block, , Disillusion, Pissing in the wind and the Shining. BDB also made great videos for this album, who can forget him perched on the edge of Joan Collins’s bath
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
Meh!
Stevie Wonder
3/5
The album opens strongly enough with Sunshine of my life and Maybe your baby, but the subsequent couple of tracks feel distinctly filler.
At his worst Stevie can stray firmly into keyboard driven schmaltz and this album is not immune from that.
Things pick up with You’ve got it bad girl, which sets you up nicely for the undeniable classic.
Superstition is Stevie Wonder at his best. The funky brass filled joy of the backing will always make you feel joy.
Big brother is an interesting track with its simple backing track and ernest lyrics. I’m not sure i know how i feel about it, as every time i feel i really like it the lyrics just jar a bit.
Looking for another pure love feels like an attempt to writing another Sunshine of my life but fails to locate the spark that lifts that up. In the end it just feels a bit blah and repetitive
I Believe closers the album in a strong note walking the fine line of those before, settling on the great songs. Unfortunately the album just feels too inconsistent for a great album.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Strange that other than the big hitters, uicy and Big poppa, this didn’t move me either way. A solid album but few highlights outside those two tracks. Largely forgettable and as a result slightly disappointing
Baaba Maal
2/5
Pleasant enough but it all felt a bit background music for me.
I suspect my engagement may have been increased if i understood the lyrics, which alas i dont.
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
Green onions is definitely a classic, but cant say i knew much beyond that. I think my general mood throughout the album was boredom. Everything was technically good but just didn’t move me.
In particular their version of Twist and shout just put me in mind of a fairground organ tune.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Joni Mitchell has a great distinctive voice and that shows on this album. However overall i was left underwhelmed by the album and slightly bored. For an album lasting only 37 minutes it really seemed to drag at points.
The change in tempo for ‘Raised on robbery’ was a welcome relief from what went before but was not enough to lift this album for me overall.
Eurythmics
2/5
I have never really liked synth pop, but Annie Lennox has an amazing voice.
The album opens strongly with ‘Love is a stranger’ but quickly dips to mediocre 80s synth pop. Obviously’Sweet Dreams’ offrrs some respite and is a true classic.
Within the other tracks it feels like there are traces of other similar music of the time. ‘ This is the house’ put me in mind of the Human League but with Annie on lead vocals(and ‘Pop Musik’ by M).
Over the album serves only to reinforce my view that Annies best material was as a solo artist
The Beau Brummels
1/5
The only positive here is that the album is only 27 minutes long, although it does feel longer
Solomon Burke
2/5
Great start but quickly turns to mediocrity
Minor Threat
3/5
Fast loud a raucous, what’s not to enjoy!
Love
2/5
Generally mediocre but the unnecessarily long final track drags this down even further.
More to not like than like
Marvin Gaye
5/5
The songs are just so perfectly crafted. The production on this and obviously Marvin’s vocals are just on point.
Album openers dont get much better than ‘What’s going on’.
As someone who quite often finds soul music a bit blah, i cannot speak highly enough about this album.
Nina Simone
4/5
Nina Simone’s vocals are faultless and other an interesting counterpoint to the lyrical content of this album.
The story telling of racial equality is impactful without detracting from the enjoyment on a musical level.
I love Jeff Buckley’s version of Lilac Wine and Nina’s version definitely holds its own with that.
Jeru The Damaja
2/5
This is very much an album of its time, but lacks anything to lift it over and above in a crowded hip-hop field of the mid-nineties.
Solid but nothing to excite or endear which results in a largely forgettable listening experience
Thundercat
2/5
Solid modern day funk.
The arrival of Kendrick provides the first real highlight. Adding a much needed layer of texture to the track, lacking on those before it.
Generally there is too much synths for my liking and no where is that more apparent than ‘Friend zone’. Which is the sound of an oncoming migraine.
Drink dat is another standout and it’s not coincidental that this is another track with a guest rapper, in Wiz Khalifa. Unfortunately for me at least when Thundercat is playing off someone stylistically different and therefore this generally falls a bit flat
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Without doubt have of the great duos, despite their issues their vocals complement each other perfectly.
Homeward bound is a beautifully crafted song, but that along with 59th street highlight that some of the other songs (Big bright green pleasure machine) dont quite live up to that exceptional standard.
It also feels odd to include a Christmas song on a normal album, no matter how good that song is
ABBA
1/5
I do Not like ABBA and ‘When i kissed the teacher’ does nothing to dispel that opinion. It is very ABBA by numbers all jangly backing track and layered vocals singing counter to the main vocals. If hell has an audio form it might be this song.
Dancing Queen at least puts you in mind of joyous nights out, but retains that horrible tweeness ABBA bring to all their songs.
My love my life makes me long for the normal twee upbeat europop you associate with their singles. Even with this dirge of a track i dont think you are ever in danger of not knowing what the song is called. ABBA definitely like to hammer a song home.
Dum dum diddle- christ please make it stop!
Knowing me knowing you at least puts me on mind of Alan Partridge so adding him shouting aha! Adds something to it.
Money money money’s is possibly ABBA’s most enjoyable 40 odd seconds, although in part my mind thinks it would be improved by Fagin from Oliver! Singing it. Oh and the annoying chorus.
Why did have to be me? At least brings some musical variety but who would’ve picked ABBA doing Chas n Dave doing an upbeat pop song as the style to go with.
Tiger and arrival provide no respite from the attack on my senses. Not sure whether instrumental ABBA is preferable to non instrumental ABBA
Fernando is at least another song i associate with Alan Partridge. It also has possible the catchiest of their choruses.
Supertramp
1/5
Now i’m all for a bit of harmonica but the introduction to this album is taking it too far. Aside from from that the tune (eventually) is jolly enough but the singer’s vocal grate on me.
Bloody well right continues the pointless intro issue. Already being to get tedious. When the tune (again eventually) arrives i dont think there’s any doubt, if there ever was, what decade this album is from.
This is just slow boring drivel.
The Young Rascals
2/5
The album starts fairly middle of the road inoffensive 60s pop rock and then you reach Sueno. Sueno suddenly introduces flamenco stylings, but this still doesn’t lift the overall album from mundanity.
Groovin is however a great song.
Overall the album is a pleasant enough snapshot of the era but nothing to write home about.
Beastie Boys
4/5
To my shame despite living for a year with a massive Beastie Boys fan, i dont think i’ve ever listened to an actual album in it’s entirety outside of ‘To the 5 Boroughs’ (which is far from their best). Having already being bitten several times by albums popping up that i assumed (mistakenly) i’d love this one had me worried. However finally this one confirmed my preconception and i thoroughly enjoyed it.
It perfectly soundtracked a very sunny summer morning.
Sabotage holds a particular place in my heart from going to the alternative club nights whilst at school, safe in the knowledge that at some point you would get the double hit of Sabotage and Killing in the name of and everyone would just lose their shit.
Queen Latifah
4/5
A pivotal album in hip-hop. De la Soul introduced me to Queen Latifah and obviously they feature on this album. The production is similar in style and i love but Latifah’s flow is still the standout here.
Ladies first is just a classic and always good to hear some Monie Love.
Digital Underground
1/5
The album seems partly preoccupied by how great/different they are in terms of their delivery or things like their funk. Newsflash very little of difference here and there’s a limit how many songs about the technicalities by of making the song is interesting/bearable.
When the lyrical content moves away from this, isn’t doesn’t get any better unfortunately.
This album is definitely of its time and there’s nothing here that suggests it shouldn’t be left there.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Growing up Dave Brubeck was Jazz is my mind. Not because my parents liked or even played him, but because he appeared to be tv’s go to example. So a character in the Beiderbeck Affair liked Jazz, out would come the vinyl and on would go ‘Take 5’.
This is undeniably easy listening, its just soothing like a musical trickling along, not the handbrake turn you get with some Jazz. There’s security in this dort of Jazz, you are never in doubt that someone will go off script and do that Jazz staple of improvising. That said this safety means it generally feels like background music.
Take 5 is a classic.
The Offspring
3/5
A solid slice of mid nineties punk, never as consistent as Green Day but man they had a tune in them.
Tracks like ‘Come Out and Play’ ans ‘Self Esteem’ show how could the Offspring could be on their day and say the right side of the novelty line which just a couple of albums later they merrily flung themselves across.
Radiohead
4/5
My first thought at seeing this as today’s album was ‘not my favourite era of Radiohead’, but ‘Weird fishes/Arpeggi’ is one of my favourite Radiohead songs.
Thom Yorke’s vocals are so well suited to the erratic backing that fills this album and it gets off to a cracking start with a powerful 1-2 punch of ‘15 step’ and ‘bodysnatchers’.
What I realise pretty quickly is that my musical tastes have shifted quite a bit since this came out or there isnt the shock their was when it became the first pay what you want album i bought. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this as its suffered in comparison to the bends, ok computer and even pablo honey as the radiohead albums i would reach for first.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Classic.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Solid opener with a song that i only know from being a staple of Oasis’s setlist.
For a fairly short album theres more variety in terms of style than the previous Neil Young albums i’d listened to, presumably in part due to the live aspect but this still works as a cohesive album.
Not sure of the necessity to close the album with a different version of hey hey though, especially given it is not as good
John Cale
1/5
Dont like his voice. Dont like the music. Dont like the album.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Having thoroughly enjoyed their 2025 album ‘heritage’ i was pleased to see this pop up.
Unlike some of the other albums i’ve had on this list, that aren’t in English, this didn’t feel like it possibly lost something to my ability to enjoy it. The musical just picks you up and sweeps you along and whilst i might know what the lyrics content is telling me, it just fits rhythmically.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
The perfect meeting point of early nighties hip hop and jazz. Along with De La Soul, Jungle Brothers and Queen Latifah, Tribe epitomised my early foray into hip hop.
The chilled beats and fun lyrics make this album a must
Van Halen
2/5
Not really my preferred style of rock, but i do have a soft spot for Van Halen, albeit i actually prefer the Sammy Hagar fronted version incarnation.
Obviously the guitarmanship is insane and listening to eruption i cant help but hear the influence EVH had on those who came after him like Nuno Bettencourt.
Whilst there are a few great tracks on this album i think it would be generous to describe the quality as variable. Atomic Punk in particular is s low point. It is very old school rock and some of the lyrical content reflects this.
I dont like DLR’s vocals and obviously that presents another stumbling block in terms of enjoying this. Full marks for the musicianship but not so much for the thing as a whole.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Sabbath’s first six albums are hard to match. For heavy metal they bring a groove and listenability that is unparalleled.
Vol 4 doesn’t pull its punches from the outset this album means business.
The atrocity of Ozzy’s duet with Kelly could easily make you forget how beautiful and striking Changes is, especially given how different it is from their general output. Ditto the majesty of Laguna sunrise.
Ozzy is undeniably one of the great frontmen in rock, but my god you cannot overlook the skill of Iommi, Butler and Ward. Sometimes a line-up just works.
Funkadelic
1/5
Bobbins.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Nilsson is someone I’ve obviously been aware of for a long time, but save for his versions of songs that others have covered, not someone i’ve (knowingly) heard much by.
The album opens steady enough. Both of the opening tracks breeze through and suited the stroll from the bakery it soundtracked.
Early in the morning continues the smooth approach but as the lyrics suggest through in a touch of blues, which i enjoy.
Down introduces a funky bit of piano and brass which switch things up a bit more and put me in mind of some of John Lennon’s 70s output, albeit vocally probably closer to Macca.
I always thought that Nilsson wrote Without You, so was surprised to discover it’s actually written by two members of Badfinger. Nilsson’s version however is great and manages to have that grandeur to its delivery without the histrionics of latter versions.
My subconscious knew there would be more Nilsson tracks that i’d know and sure enough Coconut proves that point. The quirkiness providing an interest contrast to Without you.
The funk of Jump into the fire is irresistible. It’s another track that shows that Nilsson really did have range.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
As we go through this process i worry more than finding new artists i really love it is more a case of reevaluating ‘great’ artists who i only have a limited (one album or a greatest hits) knowledge of.
Unfortunately Joni falls into this category. I like that this album appears to try musically different things from what I’d expect from Joni Mitchell, but i really dont like tracks like the ‘Jungle Line’.
‘Edith and the Kingpin’ feels more safe JM territory and its strengths in being a gentle flowing song unfortunately are why it doesn’t grab me. I just find it a bit dull.
‘Shades of Scarlett conquering’ is a bit more engaging.
Generally this sounds like a Sunday morning album from my childhood, inoffensive background music with people only occasionally aware of its presence while going about their morning
Talking Heads
2/5
David Byrne’s vocals really dont sit well with me for a full album. One or two songs is fine but over the length of this album they started to jar by the time i got to ‘The Girls Want To Be…’
I quite like the music though, although again it gets a bit too samey over the course of the album.
Given this ‘take me to the river’ is a welcome gem toward the end of the album, as it forces something a bit different on both fronts. Big country is also a strong song, just a shame these are stuck at the arse end of the album
Eminem
3/5
I loved Eminem when this album came out and his early output remains his best. This is Eminem before he jjst dtaryed rapping as quickly as possible, yes the content can be uncomfortable (to say the least) at times, but it is dtill a great album.
Guilty Conscience was always my favourite Eminem track and had a great video.
The album just doesn’t live up to the memory. I guess in many ways the shock of prime Eminem has long gone and there is just better rap music out there.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Pleasant enough, makes me feel like i should be sat in an open boxcar crossing the open land of America.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I long since past having an issue with Dylan’s vocals and instead now appreciate the character it brings to his music.
This feels like quite a tuneful Dylan album and is just generally enjoyable, despite there not really being a bit hitter in its tracklist.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
This album wasnt available through apple music so i had to listen through youtube with ads.
Generally the album sounded worse thsn if they’d lined the instruments up at the top of a long staircase and pushed them down whilst recording the local drunk spouting nonsense.
Dali’s car sounds like someone who cant play guitar trying to play a variety of tv theme tunes they only vaguely remember on an out of tune guitar.
The colgate ad was by far and away the best track
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Never really listened to any Siouxsie Soux other than occasional songs on compilations etc, so cant say they’re an artist that necessarily appeals to me.
I quite like the music but there is just something about the vocals or maybe more specifically the style of delivery that just doesn’t quite sit with me
Tom Waits
4/5
I didn’t think i was gonna enjoy this album as never like Tom Wait’s growling vocals. For the first couple of tracks that view appeared to confirmed, musically and lyrically great but man how can anyone get past them vocals. I cant quite place it but at some point it just clicked for me and i realised the vocals just fitted the overall performance.
This feels very much like it would suit being some form of visual album, as the storytelling of the songs is so strong.
Madonna
5/5
Truly a great album.
The blend of Madonna and William orbit’s production is pure pop perfection.
Adele
5/5
Classic songs to mstch Adele’s faultless rich vocals
U2
5/5
This is a great album. Felt such a new sound whilst all the key components of U2’s existing sound being there.
Zoo station is such an under appreciated opener and sets the tone for the whole album. This is one of those albums where virtually every song could've easily been a single, which obviously means tracks like One ,the Fly snd Mysterious Ways were pretty fucking special to be the singles.
Bob Dylan
3/5
A good blend of electric and acoustic Dylan. The album floats on by with some obvious stand outs.
I love a bit of harmonica so love ‘On the Road again’ which stomps along like a railroad tune.
This is a solid album but by no means a classic and there are better Dylan albums out there.
2/5
Artistically very good and certainly not unlistenable like a lot of the albums in this genre ….. but just feels like its missing something to push it beyond middle of the pack.
By the end it was just a bit boring
Iron Maiden
2/5
Long time dince I’ve listened to any Maiden and i must admit the style of remember tomorrow shocked and jarred slightly. I much prefer the Bruce Dickinson era Iron Maiden as i’m not a fan of Di’Anno’s vocal style. That said ‘Prowler’ and ‘Phantom of the opera’ are great tracks.
Joy Division
2/5
Sorry a couple of tracks aside, listening to the whole album just becomes a dirge.
Talk Talk
4/5
I didn’t know what to expect from this one, but must admit ‘Happiness is easy’ was a great opener and immediately drew me in. Even the childrens vocals fit with the overall song.
‘Life's what you make it’ is instantly recognisable as a mainstay of eighties soundtracks. As with the previous two tracks the backing track feels a gular and slightly off kilter but this time adds in a soaring guitar line that just works.
I enjoy the dominant bassline and the overall album is a pleasant surprise
Talking Heads
2/5
As with the previous Talking Heads album this process has thrown up, David Byrne’s stylised vocals for a full album is just too much.
Psycho killer and first week/last week aside from the tracks generally blur into one for me.
Elastica
2/5
Was never that bothered by Elastica. Connected, waking up and 2:1 all good tracks but they still fail to really excite and i struggle to pinpoint why.
N.E.R.D
3/5
As with anything related to the Neptunes you know the production is gonna be slick and it is. However i’m not sure the songs quite match that high bar.
The featured artists are an alluring prospect but in the end i’m not really sure they offer anything to live up to their potential.
She wats to move, Maybe and The way she dances are the clear standout tracks.
Overall enjoyable if you’re in the mood, but not a great album.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
I think of this as being the point where my musical tastes and one of my childhood favourites well and truly diverged.
That may be a bit harsh in retrospect as ‘can you forgive her?’ And ‘go west’ were always great.
‘I wouldn’t normally do this kind of thing’ is a bouncy enjoyable PSB track. ‘Liberation’ reminds me of the heady days of ‘surbia’ but older, wiser and more reflective.
Things take the turn i have been dreading with ‘a different point of view’ which strays too far into dancy PSB for me. You can feel its similarity to ‘getting away with it’ by Electronic and Neil Tennant but i much prefer the latter.
After that the underlying dance oriented music is not for me until of course we reach go west!
The Who
2/5
Aside from ‘my generation’ and ‘the kids are alright’ this is just a bit meh. Far from their best and nothing that really raises them above everything else.
Primal Scream
3/5
Not the best or most accessible Primal scream albums but all the bleeps and whistles (and ringing phones) a highly enjoyable listen.
Get duffy reminds me of the tune from ‘a hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy’ which can never be a bad thing.
Donovan
2/5
Donovan exists in my consciousness entirely thanks to the constant references by Trevor and Simon on Saturday morning tv and even then this didn’t really extend beyond jennifer juniper.
Given this Donovan is solely hippy shit in my mind, so was surprised how much i enjoyed Sunshine Superman (the track). Beyond this we revert back to the hippy dippy shit i expected until Season of the Witch, which is the one track i already knew. Whilst it’s a higher standard than most of the tracks the subsequent cover versions have definitely lifted it up.
5/5
Not a step wrong on this album (ignoring the borrowing of hello). It perfectly encapsulates the time it was from, but also stays as relevant as vibrant as ever.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I love the stripped back approach of acoustic and harmonica of his early days.
I dont care what you think of his vocals nobody packs more meaning into their lyrics.
This is just an enjoyable listen.
The Who
3/5
Baba O’Riley is a cracking album opener. Unfortunately whilst not bad the other songs dont live up to it’s standard until you get to Behind Blue eyes and Won’t get fooled again.
For me the Who were at their best when Moon was let loose on the drums which certainly applied to the opening and clising tracks on this album (and even behind blue eyes to dome degree) but overall there’s not enough to elevate this album from a solid album to a great one.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I prefer yoshimi but this should not detract from what is a quality album . The Flaming lips are a band that could never be accused on being boring, like a mash up of super furrys and mercury rev. What’s not to like
Tracy Chapman
4/5
I feel Fast car being such a strong lead single over shadows just how stong the rest of this album is.
Talkin bout revolution is every bit as powerful as Fast car and in tandem are hard to beat.
Her voice has so much depth and warmth to it which is emphasised by the fairly simplistic musical arrangements of most songs.
Baby can i hold you and She’s got her ticket are other stand outs in a really good album.
Björk
3/5
I’ve never been sure about Bjork, not an artist i dislike just mot someone i would choose to listen to. I dont think this album has swayed me one way or another.
You can definitely appreciate the art though as even though i dont think this a great album and artist i can understand why others would.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
It sure is ramblin.
I have issue with guitar playing or even most of the vocals, but the lyrical content lacks something.
You can hear the connection to Woody Guthrie but the quality of songs dont compare to those i’ve heard from Guthrie
The White Stripes
2/5
White Stripes have always been one of those bands i like the singles of, but not them more generally. I really like Jack White’s solo stuff and his work with the Raconteurs, but just not the White Stripes.
I’ve suspected my issue is Meg’s drumming and this confirms that view. She makes the majority of the songs sound the same, which is why other than the singles ‘As Ugly As I Seem’ and to some extent ‘red rain’ (although the drumming nearly ruins the latter) due to her more limited contribution .
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Leonard Cohen has written some great songs, but god the man cant ding. Given this the decision to have him squawk over melodic backing singers such as on Diamonds in the mine is truly dumbfounding.
Famous blue raincoat is as good as it gets as at least that suits his vocals
Sheryl Crow
2/5
My mum had this album and if you’d asked me before i listened to this i would’ve told you this would be at least a 3.5/5. My memory has obviously been clouded by the big hits or i should say hit, as again i was surprised to find ‘if it makes you happy’ was later than this album.
Its not rubbish but it’s hardly great and suffers as my mind groups this and Jagged little pill together in my mind and my appreciation of that has grown with age.
All I wanna do is an undeniably catchy tune and is unsurprisingly the highlight.
This makes the decision to follow this with the dirge of ‘We do what we can’ and it’s “draft dodging brothers” even more ludicrous.
Raekwon
4/5
Prime cut of mid nineties hip hop. What is not to like
Nirvana
5/5
Perfection.
I have loved this album since i bought a cassette copy whilst visiting my auntie in the summer holidays from school, so its fitting this soundtracked my return from an end of summer holiday trip to Alton Towers.
This album showed quite how much more than noisy grunge merchants Nirvana were. In an acoustic setting the beauty of Kurt’s songwriting is even more apparent and my god Kurt’s cracked vocals are perfect both for his own tracks and those carefully selected covers
M.I.A.
3/5
Whilst i enjoy this album it’s not something i listen to as a whole album on a frequent basis. It’s a good occasional listen to appreciate the artistic intention but not something I consider easy listening and it’s therefore rare I listen beyond the singles and more precisely Paper Planes.
The innate catchiness of Paper Planes should not distract from what is a really strong and varied album.
Frank Zappa
2/5
It was strange listening to ‘Peaches en regalia’ without Elis James or John Robins welcoming me to their radio 5 show or post great reset podcast.
I enjoyed the next few tracks or at least that's what i though until i looked down at my phone to discover i was still only on track 2.
The Jazz approach to rock left me a bit confused in that i didn’t hate it in the same way as the captain beefheart album i was forced to listen to but dont think i could say i actually liked this.
Ella Fitzgerald
2/5
Ella Fitzgerald’s voice is smooth as silk and this glides through the first three tracks and then we hit a track i actually recognise in ‘let’s call the whole thing off’ and i hate to say it but the vocals are just too clean for my liking. This track feels like it should be sang by a more lived in voice.
(I’ve got) beginners luck gets up back on track and we’re swaying along like I’m watching an old film at my grandparents in my childhood.
I’d have given the first lp/disc a 3/5 but fear my tolerance for this is already seriously waning and i’m only just started the second set.
The Real American folk song is a real pick me up with a lively piano offering a welcome bit of variety to the general floaty big band numbers.
End of disc two and everything’s still generally pleasant, but now definitely feels there needs to be more variety.
Clap yo hands at least raises the tempo, a bit to more of a swing like tune
This is just toooooo loooonnnnngggg.
Disc 4 is too one dimensional with Slap that Bass being the stand out due to it at least punctuated the dreamy sleepiness of the rest of the music. Other than that ‘shall we dance’ almost adds some life to proceedings, but not quite.
By the time i reach the 5th disc ‘i cant be bothered now’ feels worryingly self aware.
I got rhythm at least ensures it ends on a high.
Good moments that could have been edited to a great album. Whilst i applaud the ambition of the project it is just too long to enjoy as a single album
Hot Chip
2/5
I do not like Hot Chip. I do not like tinny synth. I do not like the vocals.
I did not like this style of eighties music and i appreciate bad attempts to revisit it even less.
That all said there has been much worse than this on the list, so it would feel harsh to give it 1/5
Bob Dylan
2/5
I’ve never really listened to much more recent (and i recognise the irony of saying that about an album released nearly 30 years ago!).
My issue with this album is that the music is just too polished and therefore it doesn’t feel different enough from everything else out there. The songwriting is still great and Dylan’s distinctive vocals give them some depth but as a whole it just feels a bit flat for me.
That said i really enjoyed ‘til i fell in love with you’, ‘not dark yet’, ‘cold irons boun’ (which has a great boogie backing) and ‘make you feel my love’. I do however much prefer Adele’s take on the latter.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
This album has a nice chilled vibe to it. It’s strange as i dont feel like there is a stand out track on this album, which may be why nothing leapt out as something i already knew, but it just works well as a whole. Nothing great enough to raise it over and above but just a bloody good cohesive album.
The White Stripes
4/5
This is the second White Stripes slbum in a fortnight and i much prefer this album to ‘Get behind me Satan’. The tracks feel far more varied on this and suit the limitations of Meg’s drumming far more (avoiding songs sounding identical).
I enjoy the rawness of the sound and thr off kilter vocals.
The first four tracks are definitely a strong introduction but generally this is just a really solid album
Wilco
4/5
Misunderstood is a beautiful understated intro to an album. In particular i love the sections of feedback and drums. The song builds to a great crescendo of noise towards the end before it just expires in your ears either a final death rattle.
This makes the jangly ‘Far, far away’ an interesting change of pace and one that works well. The increase in pace continues with ‘monday’ which properly rocks out and appears to feature a mouth harp (cant remember the proper name).
The more acoustic led ‘sunken’ treasure a delightfully dreamy break before the banjo plucking highlights of ‘someday soon’ and ‘outta mind’, although the start of the latter reminded me of Sesame street.
Beatles
4/5
By no means is this the best Beatles album, but it is nonetheless a great example of their songwriting and performance.
It covers the range of early Beatles from the rockier tunes of ‘a Hard Day’s Night’ and ‘Cant Buy me Love’ to the more reflective ‘And I love her’ and ‘If i fell’.
Lennon & McCartney’s vocal blend perfectly together to deliver audio gold.
Elliott Smith
4/5
When i was at university i remember searching elliott Smith’s Xo out in the local hmv, based on an article in Q magazine. I instantly fell in love with his music and I remember waiting for it to be released and rushing to buy.
I love the dreamy soundscape that his music creates. The jangly guitars and pianos quite often working at odds with the lyrical content.
The first six tracks are a perfect example of Smith’s work and makes for a strong start, which whilst the album doesn’t quite maintain that standard, it isn't far off.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
I thought i might like this despite not particularly be drawn in by the stuff i’ve heard by Siouxsie and the Banshee’s in the past. I was wrong, i cant past the vocals and their version of Helter Skelter is an abomination.
Hong Kong Garden is the best track but that’s not saying much
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Old skool classic
Tears For Fears
3/5
The highs are high (everybody wants to rule the world and head over heels) and then there is the classic, or at least it was in my mind in reality of the album version it is actually far too long which detracts from its greatness. But the rest is just middling at best and punctuating the album with the three better songs only serves to highlight what could’ve been.
The Temptations
2/5
I love the funk of papa was a rolling stone, but overall this album has too much schmaltz for my liking.
Genesis
1/5
What a pile of the proverbial.
Overlong crap with lyrics that belong on a rubbish parody with the battle of epping forest possibly the worst offender, search for furniture indeed.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
I struggled to have a view on this album. There was nothing that grabbed me in any way, but at the same time it wasn’t shit just a bit meh
The Who
2/5
I much prefer the Who’s rockier song so as a solely listening experience tjis falls a bit flat. If you ssy Tommy to someone, there’s a good chance Pinball Wizard is what comes to their mind and either good reason the song stands head and shoulders above everything else here.
Radiohead
4/5
I always preferred Amnesiac to Kid A, but still a pretty-listening glance at the tracklist didn’t fill me with optimism as I couldn’t spot a single one i knew.
That quickly changed with listening as tracks such as Packt like sardines in a crushed tin box, Pyramid song and You and Whose Army are all classics.
I’ve alway leaned more to the early guitar driven output of Radiohead but increasingly find the bleepier approach of mid career Radiohead to be immensely satisfying.
System Of A Down
2/5
I was never s fan of SOAD, i just dont like Serj Takian’s vocals which range from poor to damn right annoying. There are elements of songs i do like, such ss when soil and war? are at their heaviest but these are quickly undermined by the vocals of the lighter slower parts.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
I had never listened to an actual album by Bob Marley, just compilations of his singles so didn’t know what to expect. What i found was a delight, far from relying on the presence of No woman, no cry this album just works as a whole piece to the point nenc doesn’t stand out, which is some achievement.
Pink Floyd
3/5
This project appears to have taught me i like Pink Floyd even less than i thought so i am reaching their undisputed highlight with dread.
I could have done without the prolonged intro (speak to me) to reach the actual music, but when we get there Breathe (in the air) is quite a soothing experience.
On the run offers nothing musically but i see its ‘sonic’ contribution to the album, but so far three tracks in and only one actual song. Smacks more of pretension than greatness.
Another 2.5 minutes of time before we reach the actual song, which in itself is quite pleasant. We are already above the previous Pink Floyd decent song quota which has tended to settle on 1 or 2 (as i already know Money is yet to come) if only the more concepty bits added more to the musical listening experience. That said i didn’t mind The great big gig in the sky, if the conceptual elements were restricted to the bits in this or st the start of the songs i dont think i’d find them so annoying.
Unfortunately Money is better in my memory than in my ears as it feels a bit long.
‘Us snd them’ dull and ‘Any colour you like’ pointless.
All in all too much pretension for greatness with result middling at best.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
Well its not Trout mask replica so that is a positive and the first track gave me some hope with it’s bluesy feel.
From there it is either boring standard blues rock or the occasional foray into something that points to their more experimental future. Better than the experimental guff, but still not for me
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
This is a good sunday morning album, which is fortunate as it is sunday morning.
I enjoy the chilled blues approach and the songs glide by quite well at first but after 4 songs they start to feel like they could have been a bit tighter and less of a blues blow out. Obviously part of this is because the focus is on Clapton’s guitarmanship which is insane but i think stops this slbum from being truly great.
Thst said i love key to the highway, which maybe the worst offender of what i’ve just said.
Pixies
4/5
A few songs in and already the variety of Pixies is songs is clear. They may all have that distinctive buzz of guitar but we ho from a western style instrumental, full on rock of imaginatively titled ‘rock show’ to the melodic joy of ‘Allison’.
You can hear the influence that the Pixies had on the grunge scene across this album and as someone hitting my teens in the early nineties that alone elevates them above the chaff.
I love ‘the happening’ which i think delivers everything you’d want from a melodic Pixies track.
Dolly Parton
2/5
They obviously all have great voices and they combine them very well but it all falls a bit flat for me.
Overall i was just a bit bored
Pavement
3/5
This sounds like a pre-grunge band hammering out music in a low ceiling club with sticky floors……and i like that.
I dont think there is anything that necessarily stands out about this album but that doesn’t stop me enjoying it.
Beatles
4/5
The sound of a band really hitting their groove.
Songs like it wont be long and all my loving perfectly showing just how amazing their voices meld together.
Even the covers are great
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
Never liked NIN……still dont.
Hurt is the nearest we get to a highlight but unfortunately it serves to demonstrate the amazing vision of Rick Rubin and performance of Johnny Cash to elevate a good NIN song to something truly great
Elton John
2/5
Thanks to Almost Famous Tiny Dancer is my favourite Elton John track and i can only picture being sung by a coach full of people, so is a great start to the album.
Unfortunately the rest of the album gets nowhere near this level and elements of most songs feel like they are comprised of offcuts from the same song. It’s just a bit too samey.
Magazine
1/5
I didn’t mind the circus/funfair instrumentation of ‘The Great Beautician in the sky’ , but other than that i’d struggle to find anything positive to say.
I really didnt like the vocals and other than TGBITS there was nothing to make the music fight through this to dtand out
The Cars
3/5
It’s just middling. Nothing horrific but nothing exceptional about it
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
The vocals on If I Were Going are very reminiscent of J Masics so I’m immediately onboard for that. The swirling atmospheric track offers intrigue into what awaits, melting into the drums and then guitars of Gentlemen.
The Guitars really are the star of Be Sweet acting as a counterpoint to the laid back drool of the vocals with an occasional burst of life.
My curse introduces female vocals very much in the same style but at the same time producing a very different feel
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Bland
Adam & The Ants
2/5
Along with Nik Kershaw, Adam Ant is the music i remember liking most from the charts of my early (very early in this case) childhood.
The mix of the theatrical and those distinctive drums appealed to young me. My listening was however restricted to the singles and therefore its hsrd to say if i’d have liked a full album in my youth more than i do in my late 40s.
Ant music, dog eat dog, kings of the wild frontier and the human beings stand up but away from that its a bit dull.
I always enjoyed his vocals on the singles but over a full album the stylised singer grates
Frank Ocean
4/5
I loved nostalgia ultra and Channel orange built further on that.
He manages to bring something new whilst conjuring up a level of nostalgia. The songs feel more personal than a lot of music out there.
The Strokes
5/5
I remember buying this album in Croydon just before a train journey home snd standing listening to it on east croydon station i was genuinely blown away by how good an album this was. Twenty four years later i stand by that view.
This is one of the greatest albums released in my lifetime and there’s not a duff track on it. The Strokes managed to build on their musical heritage and produce a punchy fresh sound that unfortunately they struggled to capture again after this album.
Tracks like Is this it, someday, Last nite, hard to explain and new york city cops are just truly great, but that probably undervalues the other tracks on this album.
Red Snapper
2/5
All the way through keeping pigs together i felt like the song was gradually building to something…..turns out it wasn’t.
The introduction of MC Det at least gives the feeling the song progresses beyond the original best, but ultimately its when the music drops to just the beat that you feel this has been more than just the germ of an idea.
By Dont go nowhere i am feeling that this will sum up my experience of the album (assuming the double negative isn’t conscious)
The rough and the quick felt liked i was trapped in looped hell.
I stole you car introduces more of a traditional song structure but i still get the overriding feeling that we are going nowhere in the instrumental.
Overall it’s not unlistenable just dull. I’d much rather listen to someone like Brock Berrigan
Paul Simon
3/5
Mother and child reunion is a great way to start any album. The only issue it sets the bar high and what follows whilst pleasant is far from the same level. The obvious exception to that is Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.
Other than those two tracks things like Papa Hobo are enjoyable just nothing noteworthy. Hobo’s Blues jointy tune does however put me in mind of a toothpaste advert, which i appreciate is my issue not a comment on the quality of the songwriting
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
This is a really good cohesive album, despite, or maybe because of, there being no standout tracks.
It’s another example of how well Damon Albarn can move from one project to another quite often with different styles.
Radiohead
4/5
There is lots to appreciate about OK Computer, the first six tracks are epic. However whilst harsh the three tracks to No suprises dont match up to that very high standard, as harsh as that is I dont think i can say they belong on a five star album.
Big Star
2/5
I’m not sure what to think of Kizza Me, at times it sounds good, especially the guitar, at others like musicians banging away on out of tune instruments.
Jesus Christ! Is an apt response to Jesus Christ. Lacking of any lyrical progression or anything to actually say.
My apple music seemed very reluctant at times to play some of the tracks and to be honest that was a blessing. Not a fan of the vocals or most of the music here but struggling to pinpoint why.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Brown sugar is a cracking way to kick off an album. Even though i’m not a Stones fan it hits all the right spots to be a great song.
Before listening to this i would have probably said i liked, or at least didn’t dislike Wild Horses but it feels oddly placed in the running order. It therefore feels like a misstep. Not that the tracks either side are anything to write home about.
My god Can’t you hear me knocking goes on.
Overall the album is just middling with my main takeaway being i wuite like the guitar work
Mj Cole
1/5
This is what a migraine sounds like.
Each track tricks you into thinking it is achilled out mellow tune and then inevitably comes the annoying repetitive beat
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Kendrick is a great rapper and whilst some of the content may feel like stereotypical rap content it reflects where he has come from.
Sing about me, i’m dying shows just how to make a long rap song listenable.
Overall this is a really good album, but i dont think it’s his best
Charles Mingus
3/5
I found this quite a relaxing album to have on whilst working.
I particularly enjoyed the breeziness of track c - group dancers. That track captured lots of different styles and really conveyed energy
Mudhoney
3/5
Solid rather than spectacular, but enjoyable nonetheless the less
Burning Spear
3/5
This album like most reggae feels like it would benefit from being played on s sunny summer day. Unfortunately it’s a bleak October weekday, but the old school groove of the first few tracks is still infectious
Willie Nelson
3/5
I associate Willie Nelson very much with my dad. I also think of Willie Nelson as being quite old. This album was released in the year i was born and he already sounds old (checks notes he’s 92, so was younger than i am now when he released this)
That said his voice is quite pleasant and i am surprised how much i like his version of Georgia on my mind.
The covers are generally pleasant enough, but not sure unchained melody really works for Willie
Fiona Apple
4/5
Fiona Apple is a great artist and this is an amazingly composed debut album. It is so easy to listen to and she invokes each song with such character it maintains your attention throughout
Duran Duran
3/5
You can’t really argue with songs like Rio and hungry like the wolf as prime eighties cuts. Unfortunately the rest except for Save a Prayer and the Chauffeur, just feel plodding middle of the road eighties music and may as well be rejected demos of the singles.
Even Save A Prayer feels overlong.
I was surprised by the Chauffeur though as i’m not aware of knowing that before and musically it at least offers something different in its slightly jaunty staggered approach.
Thin Lizzy
2/5
I dont mind some Thin Lizzy, but this was too much for me.
It’s all a bit straight down the middle rock but then that is largely my view of Thin Lizzy.
By the end i just felt bored.
The Stooges
2/5
Whilst Iggy’s vocals work wonderfully on songs like Lust for Life and The Passenger, I’m not a fan of it in general.
The Stooges backing is highly enjoyable which makes the jarring vocals even more disappointing. This is especially true on Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell, which i found borderline unlistenable thanks to the vocals. Things dont improve much with Penetration.
I Need Somebody provides something slightly different, both musically and through Pop’s more stylised vocal delivery. I quite liked it and the following Shake Appeal, but not enough to make this something i would ever choose to listen to
Paul McCartney
4/5
I would to know how i’d heard this album when it came out, fresh off the back of the Beatles. As it is, the lo-fi loose nature of the songs dont jar like i suspect they may have.
Cards on the table, i love Beatles and enjoy immensely the increasing numbers of demos and studio takes that have been released, so enjoy this laid back workings of a musical genius.
Tracks like Every Night, Junk and Maybe I’m Amazed are all classics. I love the blues of Oo you and the chilled out jam that is Momma Miss America.
And my god the confidence in such a loose collection of songs to hide Maybe I’m Amazed as the penultimate track and it feel fine is just breath taking.
I love a good bit of drums, so Kreen-Akore whilst slightly leftfield delivers a perfect closer for me (although i’d happily eschew the heavy breathing)
Jamiroquai
3/5
Even in the nineties Jamiroquai were an odd prospect, a skinny white man, usually in a stupidly oversized hat delivering soulful funk. Their music however exudes cool, regardless of whether there’s didgeridoos, strings or brass involved.
The first two tracks are classics that instantly transport me back into my teenage years.
Unfortunately the vibrancy lags over the duration of the full album and it becomes a bit repetitive.
Dion
2/5
This is the sort of music that may have well been on the radio when i was younger but is so inoffensively dull it failed to register
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
A Tribe Called Quest make such enjoyable laid back hip hop. They blend laid back beats and samples effortlessly.
Whilst Can I kick it it? Is far from their best song it is probably their catchiest and best known and will always bring a smile to my face.
Overall just a great album
Killing Joke
2/5
I enjoyed the songs where the rhythm section led from the front, mainly because i’m a sucker for prominent drums. Unfortunately this was mainly in the first half of the album.
Overall i struggled to connect either this a bit too industrial, a bit too electronic for my tastes
Mekons
2/5
Not quite bad enough to be a 1/5 (more due to some of the albums that i have given a 1 to, but not far off)
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
My hope were high when this album popped up, and more so when i realised everyday people was on it. Unfortunately i found it a bit dull and EP was definitely the stand out track and horribly i actually prefer the Arrested Development version
Mercury Rev
4/5
Goddess on a Hiway is the first Mercury Rev song i remember hearing, thank i think to Mark snd Lard on Radio 1. It’s such a beautiful track i was compelled to buy the album.
Holes sets the scene perfectly for the album as a whole. Its skeletal instrumentation and pained vocals create an atmospheric wonderland.
I really like the chugging backing to Hudson Line that perfectly captures a steam engine plowing along the tracks and is relatively upbeat in tone
Bobby Womack
2/5
This started with promise but overall was just meh!
Orange Juice
2/5
Rip it up is a great song, but ahead of this album is the only Orange Juice song i actually know.
I didn’t enjoy A Million pleasing faces, as the jangly instrumentation didnt work with the vocals for my liking.
mud in your eye at least changed the tempo but again my issues are with the vocals. I fear it is becoming rapidly apparent why i only know one song
Turn away is s big improvement and just works where the previous two tracks fell short
The rest of ghe album just serves to cement the view that Rip it up (the song) is sufficient Orange Juice for me.
King Crimson
1/5
My god this us long winded. Save for the time i spent trying to work out what had sampled the opening track there is nothing remotely positive of the first track.
I talk to the wind is just dull. Epitaph is the usual overlong prog guff.
Moonchild features that other albums like this, a tune that at times sounds like the engineer has just recorded the instruments being set up and tested possibly by toddlers.
The Court of King Crimson brings down the curtain in a suitably overblown fashion and hopefully signals the end of my listening to their work
Grateful Dead
1/5
Starts album. Checks timer 2:35 nothing happening. Looks at track duration 23minutes 19, FFS. Just as i was settling in for a very tedious and long instrumental some vocals suddenly appear or at least i think they do, they feel so low down in the mix it’s difficult to be confident that i am not just drifting off to sleep.
St Stephen is mercifully shorter but the presence of vocals actually manage to make the listening experience worse and it just feels very dated.
The Eleven starts with a good dose of drums. The vocals sound ramshackle and i would believe they were improvised as they struggle to approach anything that could be described as a harmony.
Turn on your love light offers a slight improvement, but that is not saying much.
Death Dont have no mercy is a durge, but feedback is even worse and does what it says on the tin.
And we bid you goodnight is frankly pointless m, but at least it is short
Miles Davis
4/5
Good tuneful jazz, evocative of sitting at a table in a smoky club, drinking an old fashioned
I particularly enjoyed the mournful tone of Blue in Green, which takes you late into the night
A lot of jazz feels like background music and a lot more is frankly unlistenable, Kind of Blue is neither. Sure its perfect background music but is also highly listenable as the focus of your attention. This album just exudes cool.
OutKast
4/5
Stankonia was a classic when it came out and remains so 25 years on….a quarter of a century since this album was released!
So fresh and so clean is just that. As contemporary sounding as when it was released with its simple infectious hook. Ms Jackson is just a classic track which only a fool wouldn’t like.
Yes a lot of the lyrics are fairly familiar and at times fairly route one (see I’ll call before i Cum) but Andre and Big Boi’s charm endure these dont grate like a lot of older rap music does.
B.O.B showcases how brilliant both are in terms of fast paced delivery but maintains that inherent catchiness that runs throughout this album
Would probably be 4.5/5 for me but mot quite a 5 so will have to settle for a 4
The Boo Radleys
4/5
It’s striking listening back to Giant Steps how much the Boo Radleys influenced my subsequent listening. As a band they perfectly balanced the melodic light and shade of calm harmony and crashing explosion. In particular the use of brass is very evocative of Elbow.
It’s difficult to single tracks out as this is one of those albums where it just works as a whole and perfectly captures Martin Carr’s songwriting. However Butterfly Mcqueen, Barney and me and Lazarus (obviously) are particularly wonderful.
The only downside is that whilst this is genuinely a great album it is not the best Boo Radleys album. C’mon Kids definitely deserves to be on this list and should be listened to whether you enjoyed Giant steps or not
Yes
1/5
If you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything at all.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Monday monday is a great start to any album. Those harmonies are perfect.
Straight shooter starts like we’re about to launch into ‘last train to clarksville’ and has a very similar vibe to it, which having checked was also released in 1966.
Got a feeling is more gentle and whilst this drifts along nicely it feels out of place. I call your name is an interesting choice of Beatles cover and is a mixed bag with the first part feeling dated, even for the sixties with this changing for the chorus that tries to emulate the original too much and the ending is like some cheesy stage performance.
Do you wanna dance also fails to quite land. I struggle to pinpoint why but it may be slightly too slow. It feels odd to include these covers when their own material felt generally stronger and obviously more cohesive.
Go where you wanna go is pleasant enough and leads nicely into the undoubted classic of California Dreamin. California Dreamin has everything harmonies, soul and a great tune. In fact the only thing it doesn’t have is a ‘g’ regardless of what Apple’s autocorrect thinks.
Spanish Harlem is another track that doesn’t work for me and again leads me to question the decision to include these covers.
Somebody groovy suffers for sounding a bit like other mainstream music of this era and detracts from the things that made them standout.
Heygirl for all that is quite enjoyable and manages to blend a more contemporary backing with their trademark harmonies, which really works.
You Baby has a wonderful layered vocal element and despite being relatively simple sounding makes it an enjoyable listen .
For all that i’ve said about the other tracks ‘the In Crowd’ may be in the exception both in terms of vocal and being a cover as their arrangement really works. The focus of the single lead vocal with the other voices generally lower in the mix really delivers power. I’ll even overlook the hammond organ solo which could’ve easily grated.
ZZ Top
2/5
Just a steady blues rock album. Nothing spectacular and not really the ZZ Top I think of most, who were for me growing up in the eighties permanently thumbing a hot rod on a desert road.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
I can only imagine this degree of guitar wankery and aimmless/tedium are far more enjoyable if you’re high on lsd. If there is a redeeming element it is the surprise of discovering what i assume is the original version of Mona, which was covered by Henry from Neighbours in his short lived foray into pop stardom.
Any nostalgia is quickly (more precisely slowly over an excruciating 13 minutes) ground away by Calvary. Ending the album with what sounds like a drunk in a western bar says it all.
Todd Rundgren
1/5
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but while ‘I Saw the Light’ isn’t my sort of thing i did enjoy it. Unfortunately my tolerance for that sort of thing is the odd song on the radio so i cant say the same of ‘It wouldn’t have made any difference’ and whilst ‘wolfman jack’ varies the style i think the problem is the vocals.
By track 5 I’m already desperate for the album to end and there’s still a ridiculous 20 more tracks to go.
And why given the length of the album do we need the entirety pointless’Intro’ (see also overture) and dont get me started on ‘Breathless’.
i do not like plinky plonk 70s keyboards!
‘song of the Viking’ just made me wish the Vikings would put an end to this absolute divel.
‘Piss Aaron’ is just purile snd the least said about the final track the better
Green Day
5/5
Such a great album with serious issues addressed, whilst maintaining Green Day’s humour.
Not a wek track to be found
The The
1/5
The most positive thing i can say about this album is that at the end of the first track i thought we had a contender for the worst album this process has introduced me to, fortunately the rest of the album is better (not a lot, but still)
Can
2/5
It’s just a bit dull over the length of an album. Fine to soundtrack my walk to work but nothing that I’d actively listen to.
Bill Callahan
4/5
This was the first Bill Callahan. Eid Ma Clack Shaw was the first track of his I heard and remains my favourite.
His voice adds a warm rich tone to what are great lyrics. The instrumentation also perfectly complements this and whilst I can understand that this style wont be for everyone, in the same way as someone like Dylan i think the sum of the whole is great enough to overcome any issues with any technical criticism of his vocals (although i would slso say any criticism is unjust)
The Temptations
2/5
This is just too smooth to be great. Cloud nine is undeniably funky and soulful, but just doesn’t quite grab me.
Unfortunately the same is true of Heard it through the grapevine, which like the grit of Otis and other versions.
Runaway child continues the theme, but feels really long, in part because it is.
I enjoyed the contrast in vocals of Love is a hurtin thing.
Hey girl has a great opening bass line, but soon descends into schmaltz with the arrival of the strings.
The drum intro for the next too as do similar i have to check i haven’t hit back on my phone.
Don’t let him take your love from me is the point i finally realise i generally prefer the songs with a deeper bass vocal taking the lead
Orbital
1/5
I enjoyed the didjiradoo by of Walk now but very little else. Orbital perfectly capture a genre i dont like. The music makes me feel anxious not exhilarated. The looping jokes on the opening tracks also wear thin very quickly.
Miles Davis
4/5
A sprawling masterpiece vest enjoyed at night with s drink (or several given the length in hand).
The chaotic explosion (although how chaotic this actually is falls into question in Bitches Brew with the audible “keep it tight”)of noise and seeming refusal to follow traditional structure just works and creates something wonderful.
Spanish Way feels relatively normal following the first two tracks, being driven along at pace.
Nick Drake
5/5
Pink moon is such a beautiful track and serves as the perfect opener to the album of the same name.
The track perfectly sets the tone and mood for the rest of the album, which is full of delicate beauty. The minimalist instrumentation serves the songs well and highlights the strength of Drake’s vocals, especially on tracks such as Things behind the sun.
At only 28 minutes the only slight negative is that i would have happily had more, but i guess the adage is leave them wanting more
Electric Light Orchestra
2/5
Oh dear if you’d asked me before this i’d have said this was a really good if not great album, however outside of sweet talkin woman and mr blue sky it’s just a bit overblown and samey for me.
I should caveat this by declaring i was not in the best mood when listening to it, but this did nothing to change that.
Big wheels feels at times like a first draft of Mr Blue Sky, which would be bad enough if MBS was two tracks later.
The Zutons
3/5
Aside from the singles i dont think there is sny particularly soecial about this album. Yes it’s enjoyable. Plenty of brass etc but just a solid album. If i’m hobest i think yheir debut album is better
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
Very countrified rock. Inoffensive, but hardly exciting.
Wheels feels like a parody of a country song written for s fake band in a film. Of the hot burritos, #2 is at least upbeat
Kraftwerk
2/5
I dont like electronic music in general and surprisingly i didn’t like this. It does however have ‘the model’ on it which is undeniably catchy
Metallica
5/5
What is there not to love about this album. Blackened draws you in with Metallica’s trademark bludgeoning guitars and pulsating drums. …And Justice for all is the first real indication that this album is different however. Like Sanitarium on Puppets AJFA presents song so layered it feels it is in acts. From the vaguely spanish guitar feel of the first act to the more traditional thrash of Metallica it is impossible to overlook the greatness of this song.
Two songs later Metallica’s true legacy rears it’s head. One is a perfect rock song. It encapsulates everything from more sorrowful light guitar work and vocals to the more ferocious pounding of drums and wailing guitars. I would say it shows off every aspect of the band but that would probably be unfair on Jason Newstead who remains firmly down in the mix.
One’s video worked so well with the song (not entirely surprising given the inspiration of the song itself) i struggle not to picture it when listening which only adds further to the experience. I also love the fact that paying royalties to the film cost them more than just buying the rights, so that’s what they did.
Possibly because of how strong the first half is I’d forgotten Harvester of sorrow was nestled in the second half of this album. Another wonderful epic of a song to that delivers on every level. As does the Frayed ends of sanity which whilst driven by Lars’s undeniable drums provides the perfect showcase for quite how brilliant a guitarist Kirk is.
To live is to die is beautiful instrumental which showcases Metallica’s breadth of emotion and ends almost as a madrigal.
Dyers eve is good old fashioned thrash metal and a reminder of old school Metallica, serving as the perfect close to the album
The Waterboys
3/5
Fisherman’s Blues was a staple of my dad’s album collection and therefore holds a fair bit of sentimentality to it. Regardless of this it is a good album and the song that gives the album itself is a fun jointy affair. It’s one of those songs that i’m always happy to hear.
Mike Scott manages to incorporate traditional elements such as the fiddle etc without the songs feeling dated or too folky.
Has anybody seen Hank? Sounds almost like Bob Dylan has been transported in to front the Waterboys. Yes this means the tempo is slower than the first half of the album, but it still works.
By the end of the album there’s just a bit too much fiddle for me but still an enjoyable listen
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
This confused me at first as i wasn’t aware Janis Joplin ever fronted a band and after reading this i was still surprised the sound of it.
I really like this. It is great blues rock with Joplin adding guttural vocals. The version of summertime is brilliant and as a 1-2 combo with Piece of my heart it doesn’t get much better. For some reason the bv and some guitar work reminds me of the Jimi Hendrix experience, which cant be bad.
It’s a lot heavier than i expected but showcases the vocals perfectly
Slade
3/5
I’ve always considered Slade to be an underrated band who have suffered from a general comical view of their output. This has been backed up by listening to compilations of their singles, however i’m not sure my view is so strong on listening to Slayed?.
It all just feels a bit ploddy and samey.
Mama we’re all crazee now is a clear stand out in an otherwise unremarkable affair
R.E.M.
5/5
What is there not to love about this album. From the outset Finest worksong sets the tone.
It perfectly blends REM’s musicality and lyrical greatness (i will even forgive “monkeys and the monkeys”).
I would say that the first however many songs are so strong, but i dont think the pace drops off and whilst EOTWAWKI is my favourite REM song a(if not favourite full stop) that is st least in part due to how many times i have heard it as opposed to some of other tracks on Document.
Just when you think the album gas delivered everything it can the almost military drum beat of King of Birds kicks in and delivers fresh energy which is carried through to vloser Oddfellows Local 151.
If i could give this album more than 5 i would. There are other great REM albums but as they told you at track one these are the finest worksongs
Joan Baez
2/5
Just a bit dull and certainly not a fan of this version of House of the rising sun.
Her vocal delivery along with the guitar plucking makes the songs all song the same
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Quite a dreamy feel to the album with Pale Blue eyes the obvious stand out. Beginning to see the light injects a welcome bit of life to the latter part of the album.
Enjoyable but by no means a classic
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
This album has some great songs like along the watchtower, voodoo child and crosstown traffic but i’m not a fan of the production. Yes Hendrix thrives through his distorted guitars but it feels like that distortion is applied wider across the album as a whole and that just detracts from the songs.
Tracks like …And the gods made love and Moon turns the tides …. Irritated me slightly.
I know it goes very much against the Hendrix vibe but the whole thing could have just been a bit tighter.
Missy Elliott
4/5
What a good debut album. Timbaland’s production and Missy were made for each other.
I’d never listened to this album beyond the singles, but i think it stands up against her best work.
The procession of guests perfectly complement their tracks. I’ll even forgive the trademark Ginuwine boinging noises.
Fleetwood Mac
1/5
No.
I do not like Fleetwood Mac. It’s all just twee MOR pap.
Everyone knows Dreams and yes Go your own way has an inherent catchiness to it, but that doesn’t stop them being annoying or boring.
Songbird is just dull.
The one saving grace is the presence of The Chain which given my age and sporting upbringing means the F1 theme hidden in the middle/end. Even without that the bass led tune is far more interesting than anything else present. It is this track alone that lifts the album, but is one track sufficient to stop it being a 1/5?
You make loving fun quickly brings the uninteresting pap levels back. The intro to i dont want to know brings some momentary interest but quickly diminishes with the intro of yhe vocals.
William Orbit
1/5
From the outset you can hear foreshadowing of the production that would work so well on Madonna’s mid/late- nineties albums. However i’m not a big fan of electronic music and this ambient nonsense does little to change me that with its whispery vocals and bleeps.
Overall I toggled between bored and irritated by this album. It is very much of its era with bits reminding me of acts like the propellerheads at times, but without the same impact they had.
Heaven 17
1/5
The start does not bode well for this album, sounding very much like a low budget version of their Sheffield rivals The Human League. It goes on for what feels like an age before we reach more casio keyboard sounds of Penthouse and Pavement. I fear it is becoming quickly apparent why I only know Temptation (unfortunately not on this album). The one slightly redeeming feature so far is the occasional bass break.
Play to win is an accurate amalgam of all the cheesy elements of early eighties music.overall this just made me appreciate Human League more
The Cult
2/5
Just sounds like fairly bog standard generic eighties rock. Lacks the fun of something like AC/DC or the electricity of prime GNR.
lil Devil at least injects a level of catchiness not provided elsewhere but still feels very paint by numbers.
Love Removal Machine manages to sound like a rip up of AC/DC and the Rolling Stones in one song.
Astbury’s vocals on Born to be Wild sound as if youve stumbled into a bar where the local drunk is belting it out on karaoke for the hundredth time
The Police
3/5
Message in a Bottle is a great start to any album.
Regatta De Blanc showcases how great a rhythm section Sting and Stuart Copeland were.
It’s alright is far more punky than I’d associated with the Police and is quite reminiscent of Pump it up by Elvis Costello.
Unfortunately Bring on the night legt me feeling kind of bored and then i realised i was only half way through.
Deathwish offers something slightly different with the sharp guitar of Andy Summer staring, sounding very much like a toned down version of The aedge’s trademark guitar sound.
On any other day serves just to highlight how great a vocalist Sting is, with what is a decent song being held back by Copeland’s (?) more limited vocals.
Whilst there sre obvious issues with Does everyone stare i quite enjoyed the leap in style and central piano.
no time this tome rattles along at ferocious pace and again shows what a geeat drummer Stuart Copeland is, however like much of this album it just cant get close to the two stand out classic singles and left me feeling slightly flat as a result
Solange
4/5
It is the instrumentation that lifts this album as much as anything else. Solange’s vocals are good but i fear against a normal pop/rnb production they would be lost in the numbers of similar artists. However the production on this is great and elevates each song to make them interesting and complement Solange’s vocals perfectly.
Ride
2/5
Just bog standard shoe gazery with annoying vocals (in the main). Feels very much like a band who managed to ride the coattails of others, rather than significant in their own right.
Much prefer Andy Bell’s post Ride output(solo, Hurricane #1, Beady Eye and Oasis)
Beastie Boys
2/5
I really like the production on this album, but I’m surprisingly not that keen on the Beasties delivery.
This is firmly the era of Beasties I never quite got, and listening to this now, that hasn’t changed.
Black Sabbath
4/5
This is an album that defines heavy metal.
The sound of rain and bells lead perfectly into the ominous Iommi guitar sound setting a doom ridden tone that incapsulates Black Sabbath’s sound.
Ozzy was a great showman, but that doesn’t do him justice. Even on a slow song such as Black Sabbath he is so engaging.
Cards on the table, the Wizard is my favourite Sabbath track. I’m a sucker for a well placed harmonica (see also songs featuring banjos). The drums are insane on this and somehow it maintains the sense of doom whilst also being relatively upbeat and fun.
N.I.B provides more great riffage ‘oh yeah’. It provides a great a great rhythm to it as well snd man that ozzy vocal would fit happily on many of the late 60s/early 70s pop hits (if not the actual lyrics)
The fun instrumentation continues with the introduction to sleeping village, which appears to feature a mouth harp before those trademark riffs come in.
Warning takes showcasing the guitar virtuosity too far for my liking and into guitar wankery but i do kinda enjoy the more bluesy stroll that comes out the other end and the eventual return to the song (even if it does sound a bit like These boots are made for walking)
Stan Getz
3/5
Smooth, nice. Latin?
Very relaxing and inoffensive but little more than background music
The Undertones
3/5
I enjoy the urgency the music has, but some of the vocals are frankly annoying (see Male Model and I Gotta Getta).
Teenage dreams so hard to beat and that is true of Teenage Kicks , which is one of the best songs of all time.
Here comes the summer also provides a catchy more poppy detour.
Overall it cant help but feel a bit overshadowed by Teenage Kicks.
Common
4/5
This album showcases Kanye’s (classic soul sounds)production as much as Common’s smooth delivery. The two work in perfect harmony.
More poetic than rap at times, Common manages to cover similar themes to mist hip-hop but delivers it in a subtle way.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
From the opening bars this feels like overproduced eighties guff. It may have been released at the end of that decade but there is no doubting what decade it came from.
Thing like love just sounded like Shania Twain (albeit this obviously came before her Mutt Lang era). So much i went scurrying to check that this wasn’t also produced by Mutt Lang, the fact it was however produced by Don Was is equally unsurprising.
Nobody’s girl and The Road’s my middle name are as close to a highlight ss you get.
If you like cliched eighties music you might like this, if not, avoid!
Lynyrd Skynyrd
2/5
When i aint the one kicked in i thought i might like this album, but by gimme three steps i was distinctly bored. It just plods along. I’m sure if i only listened to an individual track it might be alright but a full album ….no thank you.
It’s therefore an interesting choice to put free bird last in the running order. The clear highlight but so late it cant save a dull album
Hugh Masekela
2/5
Part of a whole takes a while to get going, but once it loosened up a bit i quite enjoyed it.
Minawa feels far too straight for my liking and is therefore quite dull
The jazz drum is the star of the big apple. Maseru offers a real freak out performance which finally offers some life, even of it ventures into “recorded in front of a live studio audience territory”. Inexplicably it goes into a dull piano break before the bass appears and speeds things along.
Inner crisis hits like a good old police drama theme.
Ingoo pow pow adds some vocals of sorts, but does nothing to raise the enjoyment levels.
Overall just a fairly dull album
Meat Puppets
1/5
Prior to this my only knowledge of Meat Puppets was through Nirvana covering them.
The vocals are shocking which makes the instrumentals a relief, even though they are hardly brilliant.
Plateau, oh no and lake of fire are obvious standouts (despite the vocals) but i suspect my opinion is distorted on these by the Nirvana covers.
Dolly Parton
3/5
I think a fair summary of this album is that it’s exactly what you’d expect from a Dolly Parton album. It’s fine but a bit too old school country and western for me and likes the punch of a 9-5 or Jolene to lift this beyond just being a reasonable listen.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Sonic youth are a band I’ve always felt i should like more than i do. There is nothing here than changes that position. Everything is there to suggest i should love this album, but i dont. I dont hate it, it just doesn’t connect for me
Stevie Wonder
4/5
This was not a Stevie album i knew before this. It hits all the classic notes.
Boogie on Reggae Woman is enjoyably funky.
You haven’t done nothing evokes Superstition with it’s funky accompaniment and is a highlight for that reason.
They wont go when i go slows things down and deliver an emotional vocal which probably rescues what would otherwise be a dull track
Nirvana
5/5
Maybe not as immediate as Nevermind but In Utero hits on another more visceral level.
Far more rough around the edges in general, but songs like Heart Shaped Box are as infectious as anything Nirvana did. I have always had a particular soft spot for Rape Me as it delivers the ultimate example of the quiet loud dynamic that Nirvana delivered so well.
Pennyroyal tea is a great song and certainly the best song ever to feature warm milk and laxatives. Radio friendly unit shifter shows kurt’s sense of humour as they deliver a wall of noise with barely audible vocals.
All apologies is a perfect closer, being more reflective than a lot of what came before.
Richard Thompson
2/5
Generally pleasant enough folk music, although i didn’t enjoy the songs that strayed into electric like I want to see the bright lights.
A bit too trad folk for me overall
Eminem
4/5
Ok this has some very challenging (to say the least) lyrical content and the skits are generally needless but this remains a great album.
The production is on point and this represents Eminem at his best, before his focus became faster and faster delivery
I know Eminem brings a lot of baggage but there is no denying the impact of songs like The way I am and The real slim shady.
Album tracks like Kill you and who knew could easily have been singles with the only mis step being remember me, but that may be due to a lack of Eminem.
Stan obviously sits on a different level and demonstrates the impact of story telling through rap to wonderful effect.
Overall i think i’ve move down from a 5/5 to more 4.5/5 as my ability to look past some (a lot) of the lyrical content has changed with age and at times it feels like it could’ve been tighter (lose the skits and a couple of tracks)
Marilyn Manson
2/5
I didn’t expect to enjoy this so i was quite surprised i found the first half of the album ok. It’s fairly light enjoyable industrial rock.
That said the length of the album and similar music throughout meant my enjoyment waned quite quickly and from there it was a bit of a slog.
Would’ve been a far better album if trimmed to half the length
Massive Attack
3/5
The first two tracks are exceptional, but a lot of this album is just ok ambient sounding tracks.
I really didn’t enjoy tracks like spying glass and sly
Various Artists
3/5
The album starts well with two Christmas classics (White Christmas and Frosty the snowman), which suit the production style perfectly, but as soon as we go a bit deeper with the Bells of st mary and parade of the wooden soldiers, the enjoyment level drops significantly.
Aside from these couple of dips the album is generally a feel good Christmas day listen with versions of things like Marshmallow World and Christmas (Baby please come home)which have become the definitive versions.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Just plain enjoyable. Obviously i knew Pump it up, This year’s girl and (i dont want to go to) Chelsea, but this album offers far more depth with every track of a good quality in its own right.
I’d always considered myself as liking Elvis Costello but this process is making me realise how much.
Finley Quaye
3/5
This is very much a sunny day album, so not entirely suited to walking yhe dog on a blustery 27 November morning.
There are lots to like about this album, but i guess singles are singles for a reason and they are definitely the stars. Unfortunately the album doesn’t ever quite live up to its promise and possibly explains why this was pretty much it from Mr Quaye
3/5
There’s front loading an slbum and then there’s the Joshua Tree. The first three tracks are unashamedly classics, but it does feel there’s only one way to go from there and whilst the rest of the album is good it was an almost impossible task to live up to that opening.
Bullet the blue sky’s mainly spoken vocal provides an interesting contrast straight of the bat.
For all the attention Bono gets Joshua really showcases the rest of the band, whether this is Edge’s chiming guitar sound that was made for large scale gigs or the driving rhythm section of Mullen and Clayton.
Overall it’s a 3.5/5 but as no half marks i guess it’s more a 3 than a 4 (just)
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Pleasant album with River being a clear stand out. An easy listen, but nothing to get too excited about
Janis Joplin
3/5
I struggle with this as i can see why some would consider this a great album, but it’s just not for me.
Cry Baby unfortunately just makes me think of the perfume adverts it currently soundtracks.
Half moon shows off Joplin’s vocals but just doesn’t connect. My Baby just sounds like an earlier incarnation of of Cry Baby.
Me and Bobby McGee and Mercedes Benz provide an enjoyable change in style, but there’s not enough to lift this album from just middling.
Portishead
1/5
Just a terrible dirge of the album without a single positive aspect. Difficult to believe the same band that produced sour times, numb and glory box and even harder to understand how this makes a list of 1001 albums to listen to.
Django Django
2/5
Track 1 hits like a crap 80s computer game soundtrack. Hail Bop is a slight improvement, but is so lightweight it just breezes past. Default has some quality moments and at least grabs your attention, but still too much bleeps and sci fi for me.
Firewater is a lit more enjoyable if a little too long.
The rest of the album follows a similar style and is therefore ok if not exciting
The Specials
4/5
2tone delight. Some absolute classics here and nothing not to like
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Now i like some Echo and the Bunnymen ( the obvious ones Killing Moon, nothing lasts forever and their cover of People are strange). Unfortunately nothing here comes close to those and my overriding wish was for this album to end
Talking Heads
1/5
Other than Once in a Lifetime, this is just unbearable
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2/5
For a relatively short album this really drags. All the tracks kind of blur into one and just bored me.
American Girl is alright but wasted burying it at the end of the album when any interest i may of had is long gone.
Steely Dan
1/5
Just painful
Megadeth
3/5
Not my favourite Megadeth album, but the start of their stronger era. Holy wars is a strong opener and i love the curve ball of slightly spanish guitars that you get to compliment the full on metal guitars .
Is Dave Mustaine a great singer, obviously no, but his growl suits these songs and no where is that more apparent than Hanger 18. As with all Megadeth tracks this is built round long guitar breaks and changes in tempo, but this is what happens when necessity forces a guitarist to become a vocalist. You can feel the competitiveness with his former employers, driving this album along. This therefore feels very much a response to And Justice…. In the same way Countdown brought a more commercial sound in response to Metallica’s self titled (black) album.
In a generally enjoyable album Dawn patrol is a clear mis step which serves only to annoy and break the intensity of the thrash served up elsewhere.
Bon Jovi
2/5
Far too much synth to open an album with a track titled ‘Let it Rock’ for my liking. It does however descend into hair metal by numbers, which feels very dated and almost a parody.
you give love a bad name continues the dated feel, but at least brings the semblance of a good tune and a sing along chorus.
Livin on a prayer is undeniably a eighties classic and maintains the good vibes from the previous track.
Social disease is frankly horrendous. Wanted dead or alive brings some welcome relief before we go back to generic 80s hair rock.
The majority of this album follows a very generic formula, which unfortunately is one i dont like
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Just pleasant smooth jazz/swing
Soundgarden
5/5
This is just simply one of the great albums of all times and just highlights how underrated Soungarden were as a band.
Let me drown and new wave are in your face rock, but even they cannot prepare you for the brooding beauty that is Fell on black days.
This album manages to encapsulate grunge and the best elements of classic rock without ever sounding like cliched. As great and intense as Chris Cornell’s vocals and lyrics are, they are matched perfectly by the rest of the band.
The video for Black hole sun is so iconic, it is difficult to hear the track without picturing it in my mind. That should not however suggest the song is anything other than great. However BHS is neither my favourite song or video from this album as both of those belong to the Day I tried to live, which is is quite frankly perfect.
Spoonman manages to both be quite close to the original incarnation from the Singles soundtrack and fresh sounding.
Baaba Maal
1/5
I enjoyed the first track Yela, but it appears this created misplaced optimism.
The rest of the album just feels too synthy/poppy (or even worse too Glockenspiely) for my taste in world music.
Public Enemy
4/5
This is in your face rap oc the highest order.
This is very much the sound of rap of my youth that unmistakably Def Jam footprint across everything here. Lots of the music conjures a combination of street party with old school sampling and scratching with the lyrics delivering potent messages about the state of the world as they see it.
Welcome to the Terrordome is a classic, as is obviously Fight the Power.
Overall the album makes me very nostalgic for my youth when rap still felt very new as was pivotal in educating on the challenges faced by black Americans
1/5
Oh great more prog rock. You cant beat an album where you have to wait before the music actually starts. When it does it’s the sound of instruments falling gradually down a winding apartment block stairwell, punctuated by shrieks.
3 minutes and something vaguely resembling a tune comes in, goes nowhere and then completely different tune comes in, this time with horrendous vocals. Around 9 minutes in it sounds like even the band may have given in. Frankly i wouldn’t blame them.
13 mins in, we get a load of wanky keyboards which eventually get even more excited and speed ip like a kid increasing the tempo button on their casio keyboard.
Track 2 agains starts as if joining the band getting ready to start playing
The Police
2/5
Not a classic by any stretch. Whilst i’d generally say the Police always deliver a listenable tune at worst ‘mother’ proves that wrong.
Every breath you take is obviously a classic but overall the album is just meh
The Cramps
1/5
I instantly dislike the vocals on this and the music doesn’t offer much to cancel that overriding feeling.
I was a teenage werewolf at least has an enjoyable and recognisable tune to it.
The cover of Fever is a highlight if only because it sounds different to the rest of the album
Muddy Waters
3/5
Mannish Boy is simply a blues classic and sets the album up perfectly. The live vibe of the track certainly gives it even more depth.
Bus driver continues the good times with plenty of blues guitar and honking on the hobo.
There’s a lot to like about this album, i especially enjoyed the good old blues of The Blues had a Baby and they Named it Rock and Roll.
Overall i think this is a3.5/5 but there isn’t quite enough for a 4/5 so we are where we are
Paul Simon
5/5
This album hits me on two levels, as not only is it a truly great album, it is also one that holds significant nostalgia in terms of my childhood.
Firstly i know there are criticisms of Paul Simon’s appropriation of African music for songs on this album, but it was always clear where the inspiration was from and without i would never have known about Ladysmith Black Manbazo, let alone seen them live.
Opening with The Boy in the Bubble and Graceland feels a brave move, but there is no letting up on this album. I have always loved I Know What I Know, with its humour infused lyrics and general catchiness.
Gumboots and Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes showcase the music that inspired this album and i remember how fresh these sounded amongst the synth crap that dominated 80s music.
You can call me Al is another one of those songs where it is hard not to picture the video in your head. Yes Chevy Chase maybe a dick but it is an iconic video. It’s hard to know what to focus on the lyrics are great, the brass section, but i think for me it’s the bass that just about nicks it.
Rush
1/5
Even the atmosphere of a misty Sunday morning dog walk fails to lift this album. I really dont like the vocals, but YYZ makes it clear that this isn’t the sum of my issues. There are far too many synths for my liking and the whole album is just overblown pap
ZZ Top
2/5
Gimme all your loving is probably the first track that comes to mind when i think of ZZ Top. It’s a fun groove laden rocker which ticks all the boxes.
I got the six sounds like a combination of ZZ Top and AC/DC cover bands to create one god awful noise.
Legs is back to that classic sound, but its abundantly clear why the singles were the singles off this album.
Unfortunately when you have such a distinctive sound songs can stray into sounding like parodies and that is my lasting view of this album. Better off sticking to a best of compilation
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Badlands sounds like Meatloaf’s blue collar step brother. Like the majority of Springsteen its fine, straight down the middle rock.
Adam Raised the Cain is more straight Bruce, but somehow lowers the interest level as a result
From here on in it’s pretty much Springsteen by numbers
Arrested Development
4/5
I got this album when I was 14 and considered it very much in the same vibe as De La Soul and ver different to the more prevalent gangsta rap.
I love the loose, almost improvised sound of the music, which gives it the feeling of a genuine creative collective.
I love their spin on People Everyday and it’s good to be reminded that the original album version is quite a different version to the hit (see also Brimful of Asha by Cornershop)
Mr Wendell grabs you straight out the box. It’s inherent catchiness make it easy to miss the socially aware message that it conveys. Somehow makes me think of sunny days (i am listening to this on a cold, grey January day.
Give a man a fish continues the blend of social awareness lyrical messages with an infectious groove, which separates this from a lot of music that either goes aggressively on the messaging or focuses on the music.
U lifts the tempo and highlights Speech’s skills to great effect. It also lifts part of it’s melody from Me, Myself and I which only reinforce my association with De La.
Brian Eno
2/5
When i saw Eno pop up as today’s album i thought this was gonna be a hard slog. It was a pleasant surprise then that ‘no one receiving’ was an enjoyable and interesting listening. Even the vocals work well with the eclectic backing.
Whilst not as good ‘backwater’ maintains the ‘better than i expected and has the great lyric “not a sausage to do”
It dips from here on, ‘King’s Lead Hat’ is annoying.
AC/DC
4/5
The classic Bon Scott DC album.
You cant complain about an album that opens with ‘Highway to Hell’. Which is an undeniably great rock song and shows off the band’s strengths perfectly. The opening riff, drums and the vocal intro is just faultless, as it builds to the epic chorus is so simple but also just pure perfection.
Girl’s got rhythm continue to focus on the harmony between Bon’s vocals and Angus’s guitar. AC/DC tracks always have a groove to them (as well as a fair slice of innuendo) and this one is no different.
I enjoyed Walk All Over You’s group chorus.
Touch Too Much is a fun, infectious tune and is a highlight. The other tracks follow the same blueprint with If You Want Blood being another clear standout.
Sometimes simplicity and an entire album following a very strict blueprint can mean it falls short, especially where there is such a classic track on it. But that’s not the case here, HtH is just a classic foot stomping rock album. It’s amazing to think that they were able to replace such a great vocalist who seemed so integral to their sound with another who just fitted seamlessly.
The Smiths
3/5
It’s difficult to listen to the Smiths impartially, because Morrisey is just a dick and his (Smiths era) vocals have been parodied so much it’s hard to take them seriously.
That aside the Queen is Dead is a strong start and relatively enjoyable. Unfortunately the track is on the too long side and feels like it has outstayed its welcome.
Frankly, Mr. Shankly has an upbeat backing but suffers significantly from those vocals and lyrics. From here we get just dull Smiths sounding songs which musically are good but the vocals ruin them for me.
When you reach Bigmouth Strikes Again it feels a real turning point with the rest of the offerings being relatively enjoyable, especially the obvious standout, There is a Light that Never Goes Out.
Overall an ok album but i still dont get all the fuss about them
Deep Purple
1/5
Not a fan of Speed King. It opens like hard rock by numbers before a pointless organ break and then back to a minute of throwing great rock songs into the lyrics. Bloodsucker does nothing to change this.
Child in Time decides to move the organ to the start, which at least changes the sound. The vocals are far more restrained but I fear this does not improve the quality of the song as they are shocking. It is this point i realise there is still 8 minutes more of this song. It improves slightly with the change of tempo and guitar wakery, but this is more than 4 minutes in and we eventually return to the slow warble
Track 4 includes a reasonable guitar break that ventures into Jimi Hendrix stylings, but otherwise the rest of the album is just more of the song. Overall the album feels an excuse to showcase some lead guitar virtuosity, which is obviously exceptional but not enough to justify this shit.
David Bowie
2/5
Young Americans is a good star but this process has made me wary of Bowie album and the fact that the other recognisable track bookends the album is slightly concerning.
Win lacks the punch or jollity of the opener and it feels like the momentum is sucked out the album. Fascination continues this trend despite a far more upbeat chorus. It just sounds very dated.
Right applied a similar laid back sax laden approach. This is not the Bowie I want. Same with Somebody up there likes me.
Christ! Across the Universe is my favourite Beatles track and Bowie’s version is a crime against humanity. Can you hear is equally disappointing, before we finally teach Fame. Fame is a great track and cements my increasing virw that save for a couple of exceptions Bowie was very much a singles artist. I guess in the age of cassette putting the only two good tracks first and ladt meant you could listen to the first one and the flip it over with minimal rewinding or forwarding.
John Lennon
5/5
Imagine for all its twee sentiments is a great song and is an obvious standout, but there is much outside of that track to like here.
If you ignore crippled inside Jealous Guy and it’s so hard are great tracks.
I dont want to be a soldier provides a trippy vibe that makes you float along the laid back groove.
Gimme some truth is the real star here. It is pure Beatles Lennon mixing political rabble rousing with a great tune. Obviously assisted by that unmistakable guitar of George Harrison.
Oh my love is a beautiful tune. It floats along on a cloud of simplicity, conjuring more classic Beatles.
How do you sleep? Is a great dis track. Does it show Lennon as an insecure bitter individual? Absolutely but that doesn’t mean the song is a bad one.
How maintains this standard. Oh Yoko even finds time to throw in references to A Day in the Life
Funkadelic
1/5
It’s starts quite enjoyable and obviously very funky, however the tracks are sooo long they become monotonous and boring. By half way through track two i’ve had enough and know all tracks are gonna be the same.
Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis enema squad is just shit, so the name is at least partly right. The remaining tracks fall back into meandering overlong funk.
For the second time i’ve seen Funkadelic pop up, think this will be good and then been proven quite how wrong i can be.
Van Morrison
2/5
Enjoyable enough collection, but someone with only a vague interest in Van Morrison this is too long for me.
Listen to the Lion in particular tried my patience with it’s duration pushing nearly 9 minutes. See also caravan.
Gloria is by far and away the highlight of this album. It offers a good blues ladden tune which enables Van’s vocals to shine. Unfortunately this is not enough to lift this above a fairly dull and long live album
The Isley Brothers
2/5
Its all just too floaty for my liking. I can appreciate that the music is good and the vocals are solid, but there is nothing that really grabs me.
I spent the first two songs trying to think what dong they reminded me of, at which point I spotted Summer Breeze down the tracklist and the riddle was solved.
Things pick up slightly with Listen to the music and What it comes down to, but otherwise there’s just Summer Breeze of interest and that pays the price for being licensed for adverts meaning i keep expecting a cheesy voice over to come in.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I think this was the last PSB album i bought. It lacks the infectious pop hits that came before. That said, even as a 12 year old i enjoyed the sarcastic urony of a very downbeat song addressing critics who labelled your music as boring. Unfortunately after Being Boring it’s all a bit meh until you reach So Hard, which is the standout track.
Nervously maintains this new found energy, as does The End of the World. Maybe the album would have been better if sequenced so these weren’t all hiding at the end.
Little Richard
2/5
Some good old rock n roll. Tracks like Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally are quite rightly classics and the piano driven, upbeat style is the blueprint for all here. Unfortunately that strength is also the album’s weakness, as it doesn’t stray at any point away from that and therefore all feels a bit too samey.
Overall lots to enjoy, but not really a classic.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Thunder Road provides a solid if unexciting start to the album. It is everything i associate with Springsteen, solid blue collar rock. You can certainly hear the influence that Springsteen had on Brandon Flowers’ vocal style in Thunder Road.
I enjoyed the addition of brass and keys that come with Tenth-Avenue Freeze Out, however it always feels like he is straining to deliver any vocals that are beyond the more speak singing vocals.
Night and Backstreets (that is once you get to the end of the latter) unsurprisingly follow the same formula and are instantly unforgettable.
Born to Run is obviously a different fish. Yes it doesn’t stray from the established formula but it finds that sweet spot of magic that elevates it above the rest. Maybe its the fact that the prominence of the synth and brass driving the tune that help carry the relatively mumbling vocals or maybe it’s just a great song but tracks like this make me understand why some people love him as much as they do.
She’s the One,Meeting Across the River and Jungleland maintain this more interesting theme and ensure tye album ends on a high note. In particular i think Jungleland is potentially an equal to Born to Run.
Overall it’s a 3.5/5 but i think it’s more 3 than 4
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
I think it is safe to say i do not like prog-rock. I do not like ELP and some of yhe songs here have not aged well.
Even Are you Ready Eddy’s more straight rock approach comes across as just pointless and is only of note, due the handbrake turn from most of came before
The xx
4/5
I’d forgotten just how good an album this is. Songs titles things like Intro usually bring a sense of filler to them, but not here.
There’s not a bad track on this relatively short album.
It’s difficult to remember whatvthe singles were, the album just works as a cohesive piece.
Wire
2/5
Three girl rumba is definitely an improvement of the riff stealing Elastica.
Overall i didnt mind it but songs like Mr Suit and Different to me just made me anxious so i dont think it is something i would ever seek to revisit
Prince
3/5
1999 and Little Red Corvette is such a strong way to open an album and sets the mood for an upbeat groove of an album. I absolutely love the guitar on 1999, it’s such a great song that i dont think you should trust anyone who doesn’t like it.
D.M.S.R delivers on the funk and has such an infectious groove to it which makes it difficult to dislike….but at over 8 monutes it pushes its luck. I guess this has always been my issue with Prince, he is an unquestionable genius but he is so prolific that it feels he needed reigning in a bit more at times.
This feeling isnt helped by the appearance of automatic, which isnt as enjoyable and is even longer in duration. The last 3 and a half minutes would be unnecessary on the 12” remix let alone as an album track.
Something in the water finally provides a shorter length track, but unfortunately fails to deliver on the song front. The funk laden backing is replaced by musical equivalents of a builders yard and doesn’t make for an enjoyable listen.
Lady cab driver brings back the overblown pointlessly long track length.
Overall as with most Prince, there is much to enjoy but it is held back by the tendency to be overblown. Someone just needed to tell him no occasionally.
The Icarus Line
2/5
At times this sounds like Primal Scream fronted by a low energy Bono. Somehow it’s not quite melodic enough, whilst also not being quite industrial enough. It feels like it needed to lean into one or the other a bit more to connect.
Whilst there are glimpses of promises it all just falls a bit flat and boring.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
I enjoyed the singles and a little of the first half was good, but after Setting Sun the album drops off for me. In particular it doesn’t matter and don’t stop the rock were slogs.
The psychedelia of Where do i begin is a pleasant sidestep but overstays its welcome and the last two minutes just feel like they didn’t know how to stop it.
The psychedelia continues with the final track but again this is overlong and soon resorts to the standard big beat lack of actual tune
Kate Bush
2/5
I’m not a huge Kate Bush fan, but you cant really fault Running up that Hill and Hounds of Love (albeit the Futureheads cover is far superior) for an opening.
Unfortunately and somewhat unsurprising the quality and interest levels drops off after that. Overall it’s just a bit dull which is odd given it is a fairly eclectic collection. Under Ice and Waking the Witch mistake eccentricity for creativity.
Beatles
5/5
I love the White Album. Is it the start of the end of the Beatles with lots of siloed working, undoubtedly but it doesn’t stop it from being a great album.
Its size gives full space for the Beatles to explore their full range. Opening with the classic rock of Back in the USSR, before slipping into the beautiful understated elegance of Dear Prudence.
The psychedelia of Glass Onion and the feeding of the conspiracy theorists … “the Walrus was Paul”.
I know Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da is divisive and see as a joke to many but it is just infectious nonsense and i for one am fine with that.
Tracks like Honey Pie and Bungalow Bill show the influence the Goons had on the Beatles and that regardless of your status you have to have a sense of humour. The latter also has yet another catchy chorus.
The opening of While my Guitar Gently Weeps comes it like the chiming whistle of a bullet and quickly showcases how underrated George was in the band. He wrote beautiful songs snd none finer than this. Happiness is a Warm Gun compliments it perfectly and throws so many different styles into the one song so effectively.
Blackbird is one of the most beautiful songs/melodies ever written and makes the perfect lullaby.
Piggies merges baroque stylings with social commentary and humour to great effect.
I have always loved the story telling of Rocky Racoon and the gin swilling doctor. Even Don’t Pass Me By is a fine Ringo song and leads perfectly into Why Don’t you do it in the Road.
Julia closes the first half perfectly witj simple beauty
Disc 2 continues the eclectic collection with rockers like Birthday and Helter Skelter sitting amongst lighter tunes like Mother Nature’s Son.
Revolution 1 brings in Beach Boys vibe and again showcases the Beatles playfulness.
Honey pie is another slice of old fashioned music hall, which Macca’s vocals fit perfectly
Leonard Cohen
2/5
The man writes beautiful songs, i just wish he’d give them to Someone else to perform
The Youngbloods
2/5
Absolutely pointless.
Not sure how this epitome of mediocrity makes a list of 1001 things to listen to. It is instantly forgettable with several 40 second tracks and rubbish instrumentals
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
I came to Sufjan Stevens late, but live all his work of which this is arguably the best. His music sweeps you along. At times it reminds me of groups like Flaming Lips, but somehow more focused.
Chicago is a real standout with its choral esque chorus and tambourine and trumpet feature.
The album as a whole has a dreamy quality to it, punctuated by the occasional bit of brass (especially tracks like the man of metropolis steals our hearts)
What’s not to like.
Grateful Dead
2/5
Pleasant and inoffensive enough. I enjoyed the harmonica on Operator, but generally this album just passed me by, without really grabbing me. For an album that came out in 1970 in feels ver 70s America.
Truckin is the clear star with the contrasting, sounding in places like The Ballad of John and Yoko.
Ultimately i think this is a fairly middling album and would have naturally attracted a 2.5/5 marking had it been available
The Sonics
2/5
60s music funnelled through garage rock is a strange experience and generally feels like listening to a pub band. There are a few tracks where it works and sounds timeless like have love will travel but overall the style and the songs seem somewhat disjointed
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
Quite simply s classic. Both Band on the Run and Jet sound timeless today, as i can only imagine they did on release.
Bluebird and Mrs Vandebiliit are prime cuts of McCartney melodic storytelling, but Let Me Roll On it is the true star. It is the most Beatlesy song here, especially the riff that permeates throughout.
Some more classic stories, including a revisited snippet of Jet before you reach another of the album’s highlights Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five before Band On The Run gently wanders off the stage where it came in.
The Shamen
1/5
Other than Move Any Mountain, which wasn’t even on the original release, this album is everything I hated about 90s dance music. Call me a fool but i dont see the appeal of music that sounds like there’s a car alarm permanently going off in the background.
At best this is music to lose yourself to whilst high in a club, but not to listen to otherwise.
The Who
2/5
Live albums are generally for proper fans of an artist or a way to get a greatest hits of live versions. Unfortunately whilst i dont mind the who my interest does not extend to a live album on which only Substitute and My Generation really peak my interest.
My patience was already wearing thin before i reached the introduction to A Quick one…. And at that point i was broken.
Their cover of Summertime Blues is frankly atrocious.
Fortunately the last three songs are the album’s strongest, but the damage has been done and the studio versions are far superior
The Auteurs
1/5
Just dull, boring music
Earth, Wind & Fire
1/5
I enjoyed the funk of Happy Feelin and Yearnin Learnin but elsewhere it just felt flat and insipid schmalz. All About Love (First Impression) is just abysmal.
ABBA
1/5
The opening of Visitors filled me with Dread, as an ABBA sceptic it sounded like an even more eighties version to the more popular ABBA sound. Once passed the initial intro i was quite surprised to find an unexpected enjoyable track with more depth than i’d associate with ABBA . Unfortunately this was not continued and the next couple of tracks just feeling like the band’s normal yhrow away pop.
Let the music speak sounds like it was written more for a musical than this album and doesn’t work for me.
I had thought i didn’t know any of the tracks on this album, but i did recognise One of Us, which was enjoyable enough even if you can already hear the beginnings of I Knew Him So Well.
The remaining songs are frankly dull
Kate Bush
1/5
Too many silly voices on songs like ‘There Goes A Tenner’ and ‘ The Dreaming’. I just dont get Kate Bush, like pop meets prog rock
Otis Redding
3/5
I wanted this album to be better than it is. His vocals are so great and some of this perfectly showcases it, but some feels let down by the arrangements. I was also surprised by the fact some of the staples i just prefer other singers versions.
Coldplay
5/5
Coldplay are a great band who frankly make great albums. Yes they might not be for everyone, but that’s fine. If you don’t like them just dont listen.
The quality of the first five tracks on this album is ridiculous. Despite fairly simplistic instrumentation in the main they are so layered and packed with emotion.
I dont think there is a bad track on this album
Korn
1/5
Korn emerged at a time I generally listened to the heavier end of music, but never managed to land with me. I had the debut album and promptly gave it away. Listening to this I’m fairly sure my issue is Jonathan Davis’s vocals.
Songs like Children of the Korn feel like they are crying out for someone like Mike Patton to get hold of it.
The least said of the Fred Durst song the better.
Travis
5/5
The leap that took place from yhe previous album Good Feeling to this is remarkable. Good Feeling was just that upbeat songs of youthfulness, whereas The Man Who is the sound of a band that has matured and found their groove.
In my view this is one of the great albums of the nineties. Yes the singles are highlights (especially Writing to Reach You), but that should not detract from the other tracks that hold their own. I love how Slide Sliw cites other great travks of the time. And hidden tracks dont get much better than Blue Flashing Lights.
They subsequently suffered from the Coldplay comparisons, but Travis and in particular this and The Invisible Band deserve far more recognition.
Janelle Monáe
5/5
Janelle Monae never disappoints in her approach to albums. They always feel as much a work of art as just an album.
The tracks manage to quite varied (see the step change from Sir Greendown to Cold War) but also cohesive.
Tightrope adds in a dose of hip-hop royalty in the form of Big-Boi and is an infectious clap along feel good track mixing jazz club vibes with Big Boi’s smooth delivery.
Oh maker starts like a classic singer songwriter tune from the 70s and throws up elements of Everybody’s Talking. Before the deep beat kicks in and Janelle lets their vocals fly to a sound more akin to Beyonce.
Come Alive see a rockier approach whilst retaining the jazz like vibe that runs through the entirety of the album. Only for another handbrake turn with Mushrooms & Roses providing a far more ethereal listen.
Suite iii ushers in a more sweeping orchestral feel, whilst retaining that core spirit that runs through the album.
This is just a brilliant listen
Marianne Faithfull
1/5
Her vocals just irritated me, the lyrics were generally repetitive and the music just a bit safe to lift this from the doldrums.
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan at least adds some interest and storytelling, but the music doesn’t match this, so still falls flat for me. The least said of the cover of working class hero the better.
The Slits
1/5
This sounds like posh arts school kids trying to do punk. It lacks energy and the vocals are terrible.
I wanted to like this, but i dont
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
It’s strange for its nonsensical lyrics this album felt like a coming of age album for the Chilli Peppers. Yes they’d had tracks like Under the Bridge long before tjis, but across a whole album it just felt more sustained. Obviously that view is undermined to some degree by the ding, donging of Around the World but if nothing else the instrumentation feels tighter, led by Flea’s bass. Parallel Universe feels like you’re in a speeding car hurtling toward the age of a cliff, which i’m not sure i enjoy as much as a 48 year old as i did when the album originally came out.
Scar tissue is however still a great song. The guitar sound is just so chilled and chimes like a sweet bell. It shows that RHCP had the ability to deliver great songs when they slowed the high energy impulses down a tad. Otherside maintains this momentum and feeling of slight nostalgia of sunny days.
Get on top is more traditional RHCP fare but you cant knock Frusciante’s guitarmanship.
Californication is another ageless, beautiful track with its chilled instrumentation and more laid back Kleidas vocals building to “Dream of Californication”.
After this there is a definite dip with songs like I Like Dirt and Purple Paint just unnecessary filler.
Road Trippin makes for a good close, but overall not as good as I remember.
John Prine
2/5
I enjoyed elements of this, but it was just too old school country for my liking. Pleasant enough, but not really something i would ever revisit
Elbow
5/5
I love Elbow and consider this to be one of the truly great albums of all time. Their albums before TSSK were good, but this represented a step up to a new level which manages to produce beautiful intimate songs with sweeping arrangements that sound at home in arenas and festivals.
There is no weak point on this album. From the get go Starlings throws down the gauntlet with great lyrics “i guess i’m asking you to back a horse thats good for glue and nothing else” and explosive brass. The Bones Of You snd Mirrorball ensure there’s no let up before the pounding bass and Guy Garvey’s smoky vocals introduces you to the seldom seen kid and the undeniably catchy Grounds for Divorce.
The addition of Sheffield laureate, Richard Hawley add yet another level with The Fix.
Whilst Starlings is my favourite track you have to acknowledge that One Day Like This is the star that shines brightest in an album of stars.
Whilst i would say this is Elbow’s best work they make damn fine albums both before and after this and their consistency is incredible.
Black Flag
1/5
Not for me. I like quite a little of punk but this too much hardcore punk for my liking. The only redeeming feature was my minds attempts to convince me they were singing Judy Love in Room 13
Nirvana
5/5
Possibly the greatest album ever recorded.
Julian Cope
1/5
Pretty unenjoyable from start to end. Cope’s vocals are whiny and the music does little but serve are backing to this. The nearest there is to a highlight is ‘If You Loved Me At All’
Western front 1992 just sums this overlong experience up, when you’re album is already an hour long there is no need for crap like that (or the one immediately after it).
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Kendrick is such a consistently great artist, who blends his lyrics perfectly with the beats. As with a lot of Kendrick’s output there is an element of jazz to his music, which makes him stand out that bit more from a lot of his contemporaries, as does keeping skit type breaks to a minimum (to the extent i’m not sure i’d even label them that)
Tracks like Alright cut deep and a Rapsody feature is always welcome, as she should be much bigger (in the UK at least, i have no idea how she is received elsewhere)
The Beach Boys
2/5
This isn’t what i want from the Beach Boys. Student Demonstration Time is a good old rock n roll stomper, but this sort of thing is done far better than others. The whole thing comes across as a contract obligation filler.
I quite like Feel Flows, but spent most of the time trying to think what song it reminded me of….turns out it was just I knew the song from the Almost Famous soundtrack.
‘A Day in the Life of a Tree’ is just abysmal.
Shack
3/5
It’s been a long time since I have listened to HMS Fable, but going ing this my recollection of the album was a positive one. This is immediately reinforced by ‘Natalies Party’ and the album generally flows along this line.
Unfortunately the album never really raises above just being pleasant and therefore whilst good background for a sunny summers day (currently overcast late winter) it lacks anything to hook you in and stand out.