318
Albums Rated
2.56
Average Rating
29%
Complete
771 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950
Favorite Decade
Pop
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Critic
Rater Style ?
28
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New Boots And Panties
Ian Dury
|
5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
|
Stripped
Christina Aguilera
|
5 | 2.87 | +2.13 |
|
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
|
5 | 2.88 | +2.12 |
|
Dare!
The Human League
|
5 | 3.05 | +1.95 |
|
Hypnotised
The Undertones
|
5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
|
The Lexicon Of Love
ABC
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
|
Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
|
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
|
5 | 3.16 | +1.84 |
|
1989
Taylor Swift
|
5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
|
Live At The Star Club, Hamburg
Jerry Lee Lewis
|
5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
|
1 | 3.99 | -2.99 |
|
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
|
1 | 3.72 | -2.72 |
|
Dummy
Portishead
|
1 | 3.71 | -2.71 |
|
Kid A
Radiohead
|
1 | 3.71 | -2.71 |
|
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
Illmatic
Nas
|
1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
|
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
|
1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
|
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
|
1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
|
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
|
1 | 3.48 | -2.48 |
|
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
|
1 | 3.48 | -2.48 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 2 | 5 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1 |
| Cocteau Twins | 2 | 1 |
| Jane's Addiction | 2 | 1 |
| Radiohead | 2 | 1 |
| Tom Waits | 2 | 1.5 |
| Yes | 2 | 1.5 |
| Portishead | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Fall | 2 | 1.5 |
| David Bowie | 4 | 2 |
| Metallica | 3 | 2 |
5-Star Albums (28)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Janis Joplin · 2 likes
2/5
Grating voice and (for the most part) unmemorable tunes, despite all the posthumous hype.
Air · 2 likes
2/5
Great music if you are waiting to get through to a call centre 😐
Green Day · 1 likes
5/5
Wow, stunning in every respect from start to finish. Why did no one tell me?
Jungle Brothers · 1 likes
1/5
Call me picky but as a general rule I prefer songs to have some music and singing in them 😐
Elvis Costello · 1 likes
5/5
As an immature, weedy, and timid 17 year-old, just about to go to university and in desperate need of an identity, I happened to read a short review of this album in my father's Guardian (as one did).
On impulse, and without having heard any of the tracks, I bought the album in WH Smith in Canterbury while on holiday with my surrogate family. I sneaked off and played it on the record player in the house we were staying at every opportunity - and couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Elvis Costello came from nowhere, fully formed. This and his many following albums became the soundtrack to my life, this is no exaggeration.
Don't you think that I know that walking on the water won't make me a miracle man. I said this to my boss at the end of my annual appraisal about 20 years later and he just looked up and said 'Elvis Costello'.
1-Star Albums (53)
All Ratings
Dire Straits
4/5
Outstanding debut, three iffy tracks, otherwise pure genius.
Elton John
4/5
First record someone ever 'taped' for me, played it to death (as you do when you only have one tape), opened my eyes to a whole new world of music.
The 4 represents sentimental value for me really, after the first four monsters it's a bit of a mixed bag, apart from the magnificent Your Sister Can't Twist / Saturday Night's Alright obvs...
The Pogues
2/5
I tried, I really wanted to like this, but it's just not my thing 🙁
David Bowie
2/5
No, just because it's Bowie doesn't make it OK. Sound and Vision might be my favourite Bowie song but the experiment should have started and ended there.
Metallica
1/5
I tried and I failed 😐
Dirty Projectors
2/5
Quirky, too arty for me. A few more nice tunes might help.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
A big gap in my musical knowledge, pleased to have filled it. Unsure what to make of it though, avant-garde, some of it comes across as a bit pretentious even, especially the second half, but clearly a ground-breaking work.
Sister Sledge
2/5
Not my thing, but does seem pretty thin and repetitive anyway.
The White Stripes
3/5
Didn't really have time to do this justice, enjoyed what I heard although sound maybe a bit samey.
Jerry Lee Lewis
5/5
Crikey, well these tunes set the template for so much that followed of course, but these live versions astonish in their delivery and intensity from the off. Jaw-dropping from start to finish. Old or young I defy anyone not to love it. What a gig this must have been!
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Deep soul, laid back instrumentation, beautiful heartfelt tones, what's not to like?! Just a teensy bit meandering at times maybe...
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Gorgeous tunes, sombre reflections obviously but that goes with the territory, if only he had been able to sing it could have been wonderful.
System Of A Down
1/5
Worried it might be terrible and it didn't disappoint.
Paul Weller
3/5
Much as I loved the Jam (especially) and Style Council, I have always struggled a bit with Weller solo. This album illustrates why, a mixture of real beauty and overwrought sometimes even pretentious filler - I mean what's the point of those weird instrumentals for starters?
Elvis Presley
3/5
Clearly groundbreaking but a bit of a mishmash of songs that do sound pretty hastily thrown together just to get something out there (as I read to be the case).
Interesting that the Clash modelled London Calling on this cover!
Queen
5/5
A huge part of the soundtrack to my mid-teens. Played it incessantly, still know every chord and word, every track a killer, dragged me into a brave new world.
Brighton Rock one of two songs I know with the word 'tarry'. The other of course being...
...
...
Come Up And See Me (Make Me Smile) 🙂
Louis Prima
2/5
Well, yes, it's wild, but not in a way that would make me listen to it over and over again 😐
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2/5
Thought I would enjoy this more than I did, didn't really grab me, perhaps he improved with age...
Arcade Fire
4/5
Wow, that's educated me, immensely talented band clearly, terrific sound, wonderful songs, great intensity, beautiful delivery 👌
Supertramp
3/5
Hugely popular in my first year at uni, played it loads and tried hard to love it. A fine album clearly but maybe a little too close to prog rock for me...
3/5
Wanted to love this, but a bit twee and a few aimless tracks (Drivin', Australia) to be a real winner 😕
Stevie Wonder
3/5
I know this is heresy and that he's an outstanding musician but I didn't really like it. Much of it seemed slow and meandering to me.
Saved, just, by the magnificent singles Living For The City and Misstra Know It All.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Eurgh, tricky, because the 'music' is non-existent obviously but, annoyingly, I did find myself agreeing with some of the messaging...
Bee Gees
1/5
Dreadful. How on earth can this lame schmaltz be in anyone's top 1001? 😏
Dolly Parton
4/5
Classic Dolly, what's not to like?! 😊
The Birthday Party
1/5
Terrible, no redeeming features.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
Ahh, tricky cos not my scene and all too sprawling for me (although the first vinyl I ever bought was Frampton Comes Alive so guess I have some explaining to do) but I do appreciate the musicianship and feel of this live monster...
Gang Of Four
2/5
The problem here as I see it, is you can be punk or post-punk or whatever but you do still need good tunes.
I found that essence rare (apart from on that track ironically).
Jimmy Smith
3/5
I quite enjoyed this in a harmless enough way but a) why on earth is it in this list, and b) how did he decide on his song titles?!
Christina Aguilera
5/5
Wow, well I had a sneaking suspicion I might quite like this but it completely blew me away. Fair play, a bold and fabulous album from start to finish. It probably spawned a million dud and/or fake imitators unfortunately, but hardly her fault. And what a wonderful voice.
Beautiful is just the most beautiful and uplifting song, written I note with great joy by Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes.
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
Seriously? Stop dat 🤦🏻♂️
Steely Dan
3/5
Can't quite make up my mind, good sound, weird narrative, perhaps I may have become obsessed if it had entered my orbit in the mid 70s.
But it didn't, and for that I am thankful really.
Fred Neil
1/5
Gosh, this was a challenge 😐
Depeche Mode
2/5
Aargh, a poor man's Human League. I can't see the point but I see the attraction.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
2/5
Oh dear, I've never understood why so many people of my age revere CSN(&Y)...
And after listening to this period piece, I still don't 😐
Deep Purple
2/5
It's like heavy maaaan, but it's not my scene, I don't even like Smoke On The Water, there I said it 😕
Kate Bush
1/5
Baffling, especially with her voice at its screamy screechiest. I'm sure Kate has her place but not with this wildy experimental and self-indulgent album.
Willie Nelson
2/5
Formulaic, not keen on the delivery, and don't see the point of him recording all these standards, especially Unchained Melody, other than to be a crowd pleaser obviously...
5/5
The El Classico, before they got too big for their boots 💪👌
Randy Newman
3/5
Can't relate to either the style or content but appreciate it's a good album of its genre.
Scritti Politti
2/5
Lightweight bubblegum.
Metallica
2/5
Two Metallica albums in the first two months, this is not justice.
That said, I found it marginally more tolerable than the previous one. Until they started singing.
Ray Charles
2/5
Very much of its time. I suppose this qualifies as then 'popular music' but I can't really relate to it.
Gene Clark
4/5
Never heard of it, but really enjoyed this in a Dylanesque reflective kinda way...
Carpenters
3/5
The gorgeous tones of Karen Carpenter (mostly!) and some beautiful songs, some killer, some filler!
David Bowie
2/5
Regarded as a classic by many, regarded as overwrought and a bit tedious by me...
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
Mostly dire, but confused by there being a couple of half decent tunes 😐
Tom Waits
2/5
Good to have a bit of Dad Rock for a change. His voice is hard work though, may be an acquired taste but I couldn't get into it.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Deliberate timing or extraordinary coincidence?
I didn't know this album although it's always cited as a groundbreaking masterpiece and major influence on Sgt Pepper.
But, apart from the singles, I didn't find it THAT amazing. Perhaps it's best if you are out of your head man.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Funky. Shallow, but funky.
Madness
4/5
The Nutty Boys with a social conscience. Great combination!
Tracy Chapman
5/5
Classy. Beautifully conceived, written and delivered. Stunning debut.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Sha-doobie-doobie-doo. Impressive, made me bop my neck in and out. Good background music for doing your admin. But hard to sing along to if I'm being critical.
Talking Heads
3/5
A mixed bag. Some good songs but I've always struggled with David Byrne's vocal style, and this hasn't helped...
Nirvana
3/5
Caught between liking the general sound but it being too screechy, or is that grungy?
And let's be honest, a lot of the songs do sound pretty similar.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
I ought to like these guys but it does not move me. Maybe if I'd been born five years later I would have loved it. Or maybe it's just not very good.
It's hard to rationalise these things sometimes 😐
Cream
3/5
I know it's heresy but I've never liked Clapton, but yeah I get it, these guys are pretty good...
Morrissey
2/5
Eurgh, I so wanted to hate this but I couldn't quite do it. Close though 😏
Brian Eno
3/5
Bit weird and arty for me. Some of it OK, some of it just a mess...
Nirvana
3/5
Hardly unplugged but a good listen, powerful live recordings, pretty heavy going throughout though...
Jeff Buckley
3/5
Heard a lot about this guy, knew nothing about him.
Another album I may have loved in a different time but here in 2025 I found much of it hard to take in, and the strongest tracks the ones he didn't write (take a bow James Shelton, Leonard Cohen and Benjamin Britten).
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I was fully prepared only to award this 4, given it's a double album, and just the one big single, thought there was bound to be some filler.
But hell, this is the Stones, the GOLD standard, from their golden period. Jewels everywhere 💪💪💥
The Yardbirds
2/5
Yet more 60s psychedelic / guitar-thrashing Grandad Rock 🙄
OK, I accept this was a seminal band but Jeff Beck (or Clapton or Page come to that) never, er, floated my boat maaaan 😏
The Stooges
3/5
Well it's a bit of a mess but sets the scene for so much that was to follow...
Raw Power - does what it says on the tin! 💪
Bad Company
3/5
Not the most lyrically complex album I have ever heard but a good sound nonetheless...
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
2/5
How on earth did this get on the list? Here, hold my castanets 🕺💃
The Smiths
3/5
OK I bought this album when it came out in a desperate attempt to try to stay relevant.
And I quite like four of the tracks 😅
PJ Harvey
1/5
First Morrissey now PJ Harvey, is it Get Happy week? 🤦🏻♂️😅
Tortured and painful, no redeeming features.
Björk
2/5
OK, unique, but not necessarily in a good way 😐
I tried to give it a chance but kinda challenging to sing or even hum along to 😏
The Youngbloods
2/5
Another strange inclusion. Limited appeal.
Deep Purple
2/5
Too heavy, I cannot cope. But I did almost appreciate Child In Time...
Muddy Waters
2/5
I got them 'my baby left me' formulaic blues 😐
Elvis Costello
5/5
As an immature, weedy, and timid 17 year-old, just about to go to university and in desperate need of an identity, I happened to read a short review of this album in my father's Guardian (as one did).
On impulse, and without having heard any of the tracks, I bought the album in WH Smith in Canterbury while on holiday with my surrogate family. I sneaked off and played it on the record player in the house we were staying at every opportunity - and couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Elvis Costello came from nowhere, fully formed. This and his many following albums became the soundtrack to my life, this is no exaggeration.
Don't you think that I know that walking on the water won't make me a miracle man. I said this to my boss at the end of my annual appraisal about 20 years later and he just looked up and said 'Elvis Costello'.
Steely Dan
3/5
Good sound, slightly dubious substance if I'm being critical, which I suppose is why we are here 🙂
Blondie
5/5
Blondie's masterpiece 😍
Kelela
3/5
I had never heard of her, and not my thing, but I can appreciate this is a good example of the genre.
Taylor Swift
5/5
Always wondered why people go on about Taylor Swift so much.
And now I know 😊
Meat Loaf
5/5
© Gloriously OTT Anthemic El Classico Productions 💪
Wu-Tang Clan
1/5
Significant? Maybe.
Possible to listen to with any ounce of enjoyment? No.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing 🕺
Otis Redding
3/5
Great sound but too many covers!
Bobby Womack
4/5
Didn't have much time, was completely prepared to write it off as lift music...
But turns out it's the height of smooth soulful cool 😅
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
The one album universally loved in my time at uni, didn't matter what else you liked, everyone had a copy, all killer no filler although we did not say that back then, what a time to be alive...
The Human League
5/5
The soundtrack to my (late) uni football days. Me and my future best man rewrote 'Don't You Want Me' as 'Can't You Net It' and the rest is history...
Talking Heads
3/5
Some funky tunes but David Byrne's delivery is a constant struggle 😐
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Perfect album for someone recovering from surgery and heavily sedated.
Turbonegro
3/5
The Norwegian Ramones (albeit with a 13 year-old's vocabulary), who knew?! 😅
Lou Reed
4/5
Bit of a gap in my knowledge this, fabulous constructions, particularly love the piano/keyboards.
Cocteau Twins
1/5
'Dream pop'? Nightmare more like.
If this is indeed "their most accessible album" I sincerely hope there aren't any more of them on this list.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Not my thing, but I can just about see the attraction.
Not keen on the advancement of albums where artists have just died btw, bound to skew the ratings.
The Cure
2/5
Never liked The Cure. Trying not to be prejudiced but this jangly mess is not helping.
Jurassic 5
1/5
This is extraordinary. People go into a studio to record this stuff. Then other people pay money to buy or stream it. Then someone decides it's one of the 1,001 albums one should hear before one dies.
Nope, beats me.
Billy Joel
5/5
Another El Classico from my student days. If you aren't awestruck by the timeless beauty of 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant' (amongst many other jewels) then it's probably best to stick to alternative hip-hop.
Sorry kids, we used up all the best music 😐
Scissor Sisters
3/5
Bit thin in places but good tunes generally. Shouldn't have gone anywhere near Comfortably Numb though, absolute shocker.
Nirvana
4/5
Yep, v good, well, cracking start, tails off a bit in second half.
Either this or I can only take so much grunge...
Yes
2/5
Hard work. I'm sure they are all great musicians but sprawling and ostentatious music, topped off with a grating singing style.
The Electric Prunes
1/5
Pretty low grade psychedelia. Why on earth is this on the list?
The Residents
1/5
This is a joke right?
Pearl Jam
2/5
Whilst I have tried to be open minded, I have been forced to conclude that the first few tracks of Nevermind are the only Seattle grunge I shall be needing in my life 😐
The xx
2/5
I did sign up to this project in order to listen to stuff outside my comfort zone to be fair.
But turns out my comfort zone is not such a bad place to be after all 😐
AC/DC
3/5
Loved the music, hated the vocals.
And let's face it, the lyrics and general sentiments are pretty appalling.
Green Day
5/5
Wow, stunning in every respect from start to finish. Why did no one tell me?
Supergrass
3/5
Proper punky debut album 💪
Steve Earle
3/5
An enjoyable enough listen without really leaving its mark on society...
Ice Cube
1/5
Abhorrent. Nearly got me arrested.
The Stone Roses
4/5
Wow, great sound, top tunes, unexpectedly classy, a real education for me, this is why I am here!
Beach House
2/5
Not sure I entirely understand the concept of Dream Pop but if it is supposed to be sleep inducing then this would appear to fit the bill.
Jungle Brothers
1/5
Call me picky but as a general rule I prefer songs to have some music and singing in them 😐
The Who
2/5
Much vaunted but I never took to this rambling show of self-indulgence.
Redeemed only partially by the magnificent Pinball Wizard, which stands better on its own anyway 😐
Sonic Youth
1/5
Raucous but not in a good way. Was the lead singer unwell?
Close to unlistenable.
D'Angelo
2/5
There's great soul and then there's offensive schmaltz like this.
Khaled
1/5
Didn't sound great on the train tbh. But there was a child crying, think I must have nodded off and had a bad dream.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Eurgh, this does not move me, perhaps it should, I concede it's possible that if I listened to it many times it might grow on me, as some Genesis stuff did.
But I found it all a bit pretentious really and his voice somewhat grating.
There, I said it 😐
Killing Joke
2/5
I had high hopes, but too heavy and impenetrable for me...
Bee Gees
1/5
Seems to be some sort of mix up, shouldn't this be on the '101 Truly Dreadful Bee Gees Albums You Must Avoid Before You Die' list?
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
Funky, although I have no idea what is going on here.
And he has a lot to answer for, for providing the inspiration for Do Ya Think I'm Sexy (as seems beyond any reasonable doubt yer honour) 😐
TV On The Radio
1/5
What on earth? 🤦🏻♂️
The latest in a long line of painfully 'inclusive' albums.
Please could we have something by The Stones, The Beatles, The Jam (or Weller solo), Springsteen, Blondie, Billy Joel, Bowie, Aretha Franklin, Pulp, Squeeze, Dusty Springfield, Elvis Presley, Level 42, Oasis, Carly Simon, The Sex Pistols, Miley Cyrus, Dire Straits, The Killers, Nina Simone, Cream, The Ramones, Stevie Wonder, Santana, Roy Orbison, George Michael, The Carpenters, Sam Cooke, Elvis Costello, Smokey Robinson, The Specials, Tom Petty, The Lightning Seeds, The Housemartins, The Eagles, The Fratellis, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Berry, Diana Ross, REM, Neil Diamond, Radiohead, Mott The Hoople, Buddy Holly, T Rex, Boston, The Four Tops, Joan Jett, Talking Heads, Happy Mondays, Joan Armatrading, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Patti Smith, Heart, Fats Domino, The Cars, Coldplay, Led Zep, Tina Turner, The Strokes, Roxy Music, Gladys Knight, Foo Fighters, Beautiful South, Slade, The Who, Crowded House, Bob Dylan, The Faces, Pink Floyd, Kylie yes Kylie, Dr Feelgood, Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy, 10cc, Bob Marley, Joy Division, The Stranglers, Queen, Peter Frampton, The Isley Brothers, The Kinks, Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ABBA, Spandau Ballet, Beyonce, Genesis, The Beastie Boys, Neil Young, Dionne Warwick, The Pet Shop Boys, The Pretenders, Blur, The Velvet Underground, Taylor Swift, AC/DC, The Byrds, Robbie Williams, Carole King, Madness, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, The Human League, Simon and/or Garfunkel, ELO, Bob Seger, Janis Joplin, The Clash, Taylor Swift, The Doors, Adele, The Beach Boys or Elton John next.
Or Ed Sheeran or the Spice Girls even.
Is this really too much to ask?
Come on, you can do better than this.
Many thanks.
Simply Red
2/5
I bought this album in my mid 20s in a troubling attempt to move with the times.
But the trouble with Mick Hucknall, laid bare here, is great voice, terrible songs. So while Holding Back The Years is fabulous, the rest is, well, very ordinary 😐
Trouble all round.
The Verve
3/5
Like the general vibe, but a mixed bag, feels like they were still finding their feet, or possibly just too addled to hold it all together.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Obsessed over by the cool kids in my weedy early teens, I tried to love it too, some classic tracks obvs but I didn't entirely get it, and looking back now I can see how wise I was even then 🙃
Minutemen
2/5
Wow, what is this? As a general rule I think it's a good idea to record 10 great songs rather than 45 random throwaways, there was a lot of rubbish here, but in a burst of generosity I have decided to award a bonus mark for shameless temerity.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Hard work. Killing Moon and Seven Seas aside, juddering tunes and vocals...
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Class.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Whatever one's musical preferences I think one must acknowledge that Dylan was a trailblazer, and that this is trailblazing.
This one must anyway.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Enjoyed this, good Aussie vibe, without perhaps setting the whole world alight.
Nick Drake
2/5
Eughh, I appreciate there is good musicianship here and I know it's all a sad story but this was hard work and too melancholic for me.
Soundgarden
2/5
Either my headbanging days were over so quickly I never noticed them, or they have not arrived yet, but I couldn't get into this 😐
Portishead
1/5
Trip hop you say...
Atmospheric, but not in a good way.
Mercury Prize, yeah right on, you have to be kidding me, it's terrible.
Mercury Rev
3/5
Ethereal. Unexpectedly enjoyable.
Pretenders
3/5
Liked but not loved this, maybe suffered unfairly in comparison to Blondie though 😐
Happy Mondays
3/5
A mixed bag, some great sounds but some pretty monotonous filler.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
1/5
Goodness me, makes Leonard Cohen sound like Earth, Wind & Fire.
Turgid, depressing songs badly sung.
David Bowie
2/5
Pleased to have heard it, but hard work, prefer to look back on the glory days.
Public Enemy
1/5
If this is indeed the greatest hip-hop album ever made then I hope the second greatest is not on this list.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
I know it's supposed to be a masterpiece but I can't get into either the music or the vocal 😕
I tried to think of it as a poor man's Slade and this made it seem a bit better.
The Byrds
3/5
Of its time maybe, but a great bridge between folk and rock, with gorgeous and distinctive harmonies.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Well funky.
The Doors
5/5
Wow, I was just too young for this first time around but well worth the 54 year wait.
(OK, apart from L'America but I have decided to let that pass.)
Love
3/5
Enjoyed the mellow sound, bit lost on some of the messaging but I'm sure that's all part of its charm.
Aerosmith
2/5
I was hoping for more than this, didn't really grab me tbh 😕
Thin Lizzy
5/5
Peak Thin Lizzy, fabulous distinctive sound, must have been amazing to see them live.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Top notch melancholy. Intense poetry, badly sung, yet somehow gripping.
Def Leppard
3/5
Not exactly subtle but I quite enjoyed it 😅💪
Iron Maiden
2/5
Raucous, no surprise there obvs.
But I feel that even if I knew this album intimately I would struggle to sing along 😐
Faith No More
2/5
Top Tip - instead of listening to this whole album, simply listen to Rock Me Amadeus by Falco and save yourself some valuable time.
Janis Joplin
2/5
Grating voice and (for the most part) unmemorable tunes, despite all the posthumous hype.
White Denim
3/5
Leftfield. Talented bunch though clearly.
ZZ Top
4/5
Unexpectedly glorious. Crank it up.
The Triffids
2/5
I don''t feel my life has been greatly enriched by hearing this album 😐
Caetano Veloso
1/5
I refer you to my comments on Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes by TV On The Radio.
Fats Domino
4/5
Magnificent. And funny how since then, everything and nothing has changed.
2/5
I refer you to my... oh never mind 😐
Tom Waits
1/5
Experimental is one thing. Abysmal is another.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
Wacky. Marginally more palatable than everything else we've had this week, but that's not saying much he said wearily.
David Bowie
2/5
The soaring title track aside, Berlin period Bowie does not move me 😐
Ray Price
2/5
Mostly the worst excesses of country. Bonus point because Elvis Costello saw something in Sittin' And Thinkin' and made it acceptable. But then again it was a Charlie Rich song anyway.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Meandering, and not exactly tuneful.
B.B. King
3/5
Clearly a classic of its genre although I prefer a little more Rhythm with my Blues.
Def Leppard
3/5
OK they may not be Sweet, but I do quite like these guys 😅💪
Doves
3/5
Moody. Atmospheric. Perhaps too much so, but I quite liked it...
GZA
1/5
Don't think I'm going to be joining the Wu-Tang clan any time soon 😏
The Temptations
2/5
Pretty sure I would enjoy early Temptations far more.
I Heard It Through The Grapevine did NOT need covering 🤨
Ananda Shankar
2/5
Well that was an experience, music to induce hypnosis. Covering those two classics was brave, and Jumpin' Jack Flash did have a certain something. But then the second half just tailed away into nothingness.
Ella Fitzgerald
2/5
Note to admin: a box set is too much to cope with in one day 😏
I'm sure this sounded wonderful on the gramophone back in the day but it is soooooo dated now, both stylistically and lyrically, that it's hard to appreciate.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
Wow, eye opener, you think because it has Under The Bridge it should be good, then turns out the rest of it is both tuneless and classless.
Jane's Addiction
1/5
Quite enjoyed the first two or three notes but it fell away rather badly after that before descending into screaming.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
An overly long mish-mash of largely mediocre tunes.
Black Flag
1/5
Look, for punk rock to work there has to be some rock to go with the punk. You can't just shout into a microphone for 35 minutes and say you've made an album.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Never been a fan but enjoyed the laid back sound and general ambience.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
I can't see the point but I see the attraction.
The Avalanches
1/5
Gosh, thin in the extreme, another wild inclusion.
Eminem
1/5
Not big and not clever.
The Stranglers
5/5
Another eureka moment (maybe second only to discovering Elvis Costello) on my anxious journey from cloistered schoolboy to wide eyed student.
Sensational distinctive sound, glorious basslines, menacing themes, how could I resist? Nearly docked a point for the ugly Ugly (although, y'know) but managed to hold it together by relistening to the timeless Hanging Around.
The Style Council
5/5
Sublime. From Beat Surrender to Café Blue in little over 12 months, an astonishing metamorphosis by Weller when he could have just kept milking The Jam until way beyond their sell by date.
The fact that he was only 24 when he split The Jam at their peak never ceases to amaze me. Took me and many others along with him, kicking and screaming, before blinking into the open sunlight.
My soundtrack to the summer of 1984, which may or may not have been long and hot.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
This is why I am here, to educate myself on music that passed me by but I might have enjoyed.
And although this is not quite up my street (bit of a let down after that intro 😅) I admire the musicianship, quality, thought and intensity on display.
In another time I might just have loved it.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Ah, the eternal Dylan conundrum. Genius poet/musician or rambling toneless storyteller?
Struggling for interpretation (who isn't?!) but I'm feeling particularly munificent today so I'll go with the former.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Good listen, surprised I hadn't heard of it, not really my scene, but enjoyed the soulful beat.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Largely weird and impenetrable. To me at least. Perhaps that's the point.
Sade
5/5
The Queen of Smooth. Sensational smoky debut. Surely nobody could fail to love this.
Michael Jackson
2/5
I understand the appeal but for me this is just mind numbing and gets more and more vacuous as the album wears on...
And yes, I have separated the music from the person.
CHIC
2/5
Funky beat obvs, but essentially one riff and completely inane lyrics throughout.
Neil Young
2/5
Clunky, uninspiring, and has done nothing to dispel my dislike of his rather feeble voice.
There were one or two brighter moments but then I realised these were the adverts.
Van Halen
2/5
Hard rocking maybe but hard work generally. No idea why they felt the need to cover You Really Got Me.
Bob Dylan
2/5
I don't know how this can be hailed as a groundbreaking masterpiece. To me, Hard Rain and Don't Think Twice aside, it is slight, laboured and strained.
Rahul Dev Burman
1/5
Guess I am not the target audience for this one 😐
Patti Smith
2/5
I wanted to love this, trailblazing punk (really?) that I understood it to be, but couldn't get into it 😕
Bert Jansch
2/5
I was down the Hyde Tavern last night and pretty sure this is a live recording of his spot there. He seemed to go down pretty well although everyone had had a few tbh.
Pavement
2/5
Briefly threatened to suck me in but on balance think I'll stick with Lou Reed.
Heaven 17
2/5
In my early 20s New Wave had run its course and I was hunting around for new stuff to like.
I loved Dare by The Human's League and naively thought this might be the way forward. But turns out I was mistaken, even though I was subsequently duped into buying The Luxury Gap in a forlorn attempt to stay relevant.
And that's the honest truth.
Nas
1/5
Appalling.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Great songs, great soulful sound, pleased to have heard this. Bit disappointed to find she only wrote two of them however.
The Byrds
2/5
Like wow man.
Snoop Dogg
1/5
OK this may have a bit more substance than other hip-hop stuff but it's still basically just a constant stream of invective.
So I don't regard myself as a prude, but I didn't enjoy my trip to Doggy Dogg World 😐
The Kinks
3/5
OK, not every song can be a Sunny Afternoon but great to hear where The Kinks changed tack and launched themselves into British rock history 😁
And to discover where Blur found their Country House!
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Harmless enough but I won't be buying their Greatest Hits album.
Think this probably should have been no. 1002 😐
The Fall
1/5
Never liked The Fall and this effort has done nothing to change my mind.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Aaaaargh, I am so compromised by Dylan. Genius, or rambling poet who got lucky being in the right place right time I cannot decide...
So I am sitting on the fence 😐
The White Stripes
4/5
So much to love about The White Stripes' stripped back sound and vocals, not to mention their general esoteric reflections on life ...
The Band
2/5
Duh, more overly earnest really quite tortuous Dad Rock 😏
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I have the same trouble with Joni Mitchell as I do with Bob Dylan. I appreciate some of the sentiments (when I can understand them) but I struggle wth the wandering melodies and lyrics.
So here I am on the fence again 😐
Steely Dan
3/5
Harmless, but lacking in oomph. Good lift music.
Tim Buckley
2/5
There seems to be an awful lot of Buckley on this list. Must be political correctness because the tunes (such as they are) are pretty lame.
Could we have some Showaddywaddy or Mud next please. I fancy a carefree singalong.
Common
2/5
In a determined effort to appreciate the finer points of hip-hop I somehow struggled past Dooinit to reach The Light, which I found myself able to treat with something approaching respect.
But then, sadly, I dissolved into a puddle.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
I just don't get the Led Zep thing. I'm sure they were all great musicians but to my ears the sound is laboured and the vocals painful.
Megadeth
2/5
Some nice power chords but I don't feel Megadeth are the way forward.
Why does the lead singer not try to sing?
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Weird inclusion, weird subject matter, even more weirdly I kinda liked it!
But this really is an extraordinarily arbitrary list, 70% of it anyway.
Pixies
3/5
No idea what they're on about but enjoyed trying to find out.
The Who
2/5
How can an album that features I Can See For Miles be this bad?
Dr. Dre
1/5
OK, I may not be the target audience but I still don't understand how 'music' has sunk this low.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Not really my scene but a good listen, and clearly top notch musicianship.
Radiohead
1/5
The Mystery of Why Radiohead Are So Popular (Part V)
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Mistifying. I'll have whatever they're on. Actually on second thoughts...
5/5
An absolute masterpiece. Hang it on the wall. An album for the ages.
"Lower your sights, but raise your aim." Yep.
Black Sabbath
2/5
I listened without prejudice but I didn't enjoy it 🙁
Shack
3/5
I guess this is another album that won a lottery to be included in this list.
Can't say it has improved my life dramatically but I quite enjoyed it in a somewhat detached way.
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
Difficult backstory aside, I'm just not a fan of her music (famous single included).
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Beautiful.
I feel he could have tried a little harder with the song titles.
Gorillaz
3/5
Odd but strangely beguiling diversion.
Portishead
2/5
Too much experimental, not enough rock.
Sugar
3/5
OK the subject matter and lyrics are not the deepest or most thought provoking I have ever heard but I liked this.
I must be down with the cool kids.
R.E.M.
5/5
Great songs, great instrumentation, great vocals, great production, class all round.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Fair play for going back to his roots etc, a good listen, although as ever with Bruce hard to make out what he's saying half the time.
Ice T
1/5
Dire.
Moby Grape
2/5
Moby Grape you say? 🤔😅
Well it sounded kinda OK but nothing to write home about...
U2
2/5
How could it all go so wrong?
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
More great dodgems music. Enjoyed this, albeit a bit difficult to sing along (he said predictably 🙄).
Jacques Brel
2/5
I'm sorry, I'm sure this is great but I can't take it in 😏
Solomon Burke
4/5
Great listen, and enjoyed reading up about this guy, hope he shared the royalties out equally between his 21 kids 😯😅
Billy Bragg
3/5
Strange, don't know what to make of this, a perfect match or a weird and unnecessary project? The jury here is still out...
Cocteau Twins
1/5
Moody, atmospheric, excruciatingly dull.
Air
2/5
Great music if you are waiting to get through to a call centre 😐
Beatles
5/5
The Beatles were just on another level. Would be a 5 anyway - and then we have the extraordinary In My Life which still manages to surpass everything else...
The Fall
2/5
Challenging. Some nice guitar licks. I was waiting for him to start singing but he didn't.
Gang Starr
2/5
Hurray, hip-hop without incessant swearing and even some background tunes.
N.W.A.
1/5
Uh, influential it may be but not in a good way. Preaching violence and misogyny hardly the way forward.
R.E.M.
4/5
More great songs, great music, and great vocals. Class act.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
I mean it's just beats and nothing else 😏
U2
2/5
Surprisingly insipid even at this early stage of their downward spiral.
New Year's Day and Sunday Bloody Sunday may both be worthy classics but the versions here are much inferior to the commanding live takes on Under A Blood Red Sky.
Prince
2/5
Like the title track. Melted away into abstract nothingness after that...
Boston
4/5
THE most magnificent Side 1, coupled with a fairly nondescript Side 2.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Hundreds of millions of people can't be wrong. Discuss.
The Offspring
2/5
Could do with being a touch more melodious.
Pere Ubu
2/5
Shows potential but falls between several stools.
Buck Owens
2/5
I'd like to like this more but it sounds SO formulaic.
Various Artists
3/5
Well, it had one job and it nailed it...
Elton John
2/5
Bit before my time in Elton John terms. Found it heavy going compared to his golden mid-70s period...
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Man, what a masterpiece. Every track breathtaking even after all these years. I refuse to believe there is a finer album anywhere. Well OK, it depends on your viewpoint I guess.
But it's the album that transformed me from awkward teenager to, well, awkward teenager. And boy did it leave a lifelong impression on my psyche.
And while we're here, can we hear it for The Attractions please. Top musicians, at the absolute top of their game.
No, don't ask me to apologise.
I won't ask you to forgive me.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
I've no problem with satire but this is just a (presumably drug addled) mess.
John Lennon
2/5
Proof, if it were needed, that The Beatles were far greater than the sum of their parts.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
Erm, I feel sure this is extremely good but it's completely lost on me.
Japan
2/5
Atmospheric but insipid for the most part.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Painting by numbers. Perhaps it felt right at the time but not sure the world or indeed America really needed this.
An odd inclusion anyway. Surely this is way down the list of Springsteen albums.
The Who
3/5
I find Daltrey's strained vocals hard work, and a lot of the tracks seem to meander aimlessly - but almost anything can be forgiven for Won't Get Fooled Again.
Love
2/5
Like wow, man. There are a couple of half decent tunes, then we come to Revelation which should have ensured that this album was consigned to the dustbin of history.
Gil Scott-Heron
2/5
Ah, nice enough sound but toooooo laid back for me, zzzzzzzz...
Yes
1/5
Given that Rick Wakeman is an absolute genius of a keyboard player, how on earth can Yes make such rambling tosh?
Mylo
1/5
What is the point of this album, and why was it included?
Taylor Swift
4/5
I don't know much Taylor Swift, I'm not the target audience, and I have no idea how this ranks amongst her other stuff.
But it sounds great throughout, she obviously puts everything into her songs, with the result that each one comes across as an event in itself - exactly how music should be.
As someone very wise once said, "we're all Swifties now".
Little Simz
1/5
This. Is. Music?
I must hear it before I die?
Really?
Life's too short.
The Prodigy
1/5
Appalling in every respect.
Massive Attack
3/5
Trip hop you say?
Wasn't sure what to expect, and hardly my thing, but pleasantly surprised by the smooth beatiness (or something).
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Oh I just don't know where to begin...
Having already devoured EC's first two albums, this eagerly awaited release left a huge mark on a 19-year-old me still in search of his own identity.
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it. An epic album musically, lyrically, and content-wise from start to finish (OK, I can excuse Moods For Moderns).
And for the many here who have commented on what they perceive as a racial slur on Oliver's Army, it is nothing of the sort. The whole song (indeed most of the album) is anti-war, anti-racism, anti-oppression. The expression in question was a derogatory phrase historically employed by some Northern Irish Protestants to demean Catholics, portraying them as socially inferior (akin to enslaved black people) despite their shared ethnicity. And the Irish have historically been oppressed by the English (the clue's in the title) much as black people have been oppressed in many countries. Costello is himself of Irish descent.
I will return.
I will not burn.
Adele
3/5
Great voice, boring songs.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
Some nice guitar work offset by terrible singing.
Orbital
1/5
Random noises. Dire.
Bauhaus
2/5
Niche, but not in a good way.
Rage Against The Machine
1/5
Raging yes, revolutionary perhaps, listenable no.
Oasis
4/5
Only really discovered this after their second album (yeah, my bad). Not as consistently fabulous as that, but many bangers still...
Madonna
3/5
Never been a fan of the material girl and this is overlong and overly introspective. But that said, full marks for effort, it does sound half decent, and so in a burst of generosity I have decided to award it a 3.
Please don't test me again.
Nick Drake
3/5
Sounds like it was recorded in his bedroom, perhaps that's the point, but enjoyed it more than his other offering on here...
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Wow, Swamp Rock (apparently) at its finest, who knew?!
The Police
2/5
Sting had already disappeared up his own backside by the time this came out sadly.
Grizzly Bear
2/5
Couldn't get into this. Reminded me of the Fleet Foxes, not that this is a good thing you understand.
De La Soul
2/5
At the risk of sounding like a miserable old git, this may be jolly and fun hip-hop for 10-year-olds but it's not terribly good is it?
Stephen Stills
4/5
Of its time (and a bit before mine) but yes, great.
PJ Harvey
3/5
I didn't like her other album on here but this is decent, if challenging, and I almost enjoyed it.
Michael Jackson
2/5
I wrestled with myself and won, just.
Because it's/he's so famous it's tempting to say wow, I can see what all the fuss was about. But it's just vacuous, right?
Am I missing something here? No, I don't think so 😐
The Doors
4/5
Not quite the consistent magnificence of LA Woman, but pretty fab nonetheless.
The Specials
5/5
I have a soft spot for this album because I owned it back in the day but please DYOR 🙃
However... UPDATE... just listened to it again, it's immense in every respect. And introduced us to Jerry Dammers and the wonderful Terry Hall as a bonus.
Sorry kids but we had all the best music. That's just the way it is. Please feel free to devour it all.
Right, I'm off out to protest in the streets (haven't decided what about yet).
KISS
2/5
Yes, very metal, heavy and lightweight all at the same time, only consumable in small doses...
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Never thought I'd be able to sit through a whole Bob Marley album.
And turns out I wasn't.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Raucous. Not much variety. No idea what it's doing on this list. Quite enjoyed it 😅
Jane's Addiction
1/5
Painful.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
OK, nothing original, but nicely delivered (mostly)!
Ian Dury
5/5
What an album. Another one I was lucky enough to be a wide eyed student when it came out. And see live.
And the Blockheads (as they mostly became) - what a band.
OK so you might be a bit nervous if Ian Dury was coming round to your house for afternoon tea, but what an extraordinary artist and performer.
Probably best if you don't play it in front of your parents. Or your kids come to that. Or your wife, it might be a hard sell.
The Undertones
5/5
Another gem from the Golden Era. Chooons, riffs, and joyful, funny and imaginative songs from start to finish.
Sit down, relax, and cancel all other engagements.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Nice laid back bluesy vibe although (this may be heresy but) I found it a bit formulaic...
Beatles
5/5
Maybe not quite the consistent brilliance of their earlier stuff but still fab.
And I so nearly gave it a 4 but then I came to the medley, culminating in The End, and obviously I couldn't do it. Goosebumps.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Ah, the eternal Dylan conundrum.
I guess this is about his best (although I have a soft spot for Desire if that comes up).
Brian Eno
2/5
Art for art's sake.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Bob Marley has never floated my boat and this is not helping 😐
Radiohead
1/5
Alarms and surprises (but not nice ones).
Pretentious and close to unlistenable.
Ride
2/5
It did me no harm but I feel that shoegazing is not really my thing.
Jethro Tull
2/5
An acquired taste one feels, but not one I have been able to acquire.
The Who
3/5
I was first initiated into this album at 2am at full volume by the bloke who lived in the flat above me at university in 1979.
He was called Joe and had wild hair but that's not important right now.
I have to concede it's a great sound although I have not yet fully recovered from my introduction to it.
James Taylor
1/5
Oops sorry, nodded off.
Oh NO, it's still going. SOMEONE MAKE IT STOP.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Peter Tosh
1/5
Stunningly uninventive. A great advert for not smoking dope.
Frank Ocean
1/5
Just to be clear - people pay money for this stuff?
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
Gosh this is challenging to absorb in one day and I can't claim to have listened to it all.
But although it's not my scene, I have to applaud what they have done here.
Flamin' Groovies
2/5
OK musically decent, fair enough, but let down by the singing, don't think you have anything to worry about Mick.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Funky, but insufficiently purposeful.
Talking Heads
2/5
This may be harsh but it seems to me that for each song, they find a riff, play it to death, David Byrne adds some random words and a few yelps, and then they move on.
I'm no musician, I could be terribly and quite unreasonably wrong, but hey, what if I'm right?
Barry Adamson
3/5
Great title, absolutely no idea why this is on here, but full marks for the concept and some nice mood music.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Yep, peak Aretha.
Ramones
4/5
OK look, I know it's not the complete works of Shakespeare but, ladies and gentlemen, I give you, THE RAMONES 😅 💪 💪
Norman Wisdom, Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, good times.
Spacemen 3
2/5
Quite enjoyed the first few chords but then it all fell apart.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
Sounds like she had three half decent songs and someone said to her "look, if you could just cobble together another, I dunno, 11 tracks, something, ANYTHING, then we'd have just about enough to put out a whole album".
Isaac Hayes
2/5
Difficult because the theme song is such a classic, but that is absolutely no reason for this album to be on this list.
The Strokes
3/5
Doh, I was expecting GREAT things from this album but it was all a bit samey 😕
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Kinda liked this in a 'not my usual genre but I see the attraction' sort of way...
Todd Rundgren
2/5
Exactly the sort of hazy meandering psychedelia which punk rock needed to come in and blow away.
And for that we should be extremely grateful.
Miles Davis
1/5
Wow, nothing could have prepared me for this, sounded like they were warming up the whole way through 😮
Nico
1/5
So, hang on, Nico said even she couldn't listen to this album? Yet we are expected to? How on earth is it on this list? It's terrible.
Doves
3/5
Nice sound but lacking in oomph.
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
Clearly great if you like that sort of thing, but sadly I don't.
Metallica
3/5
Four Metallica albums on this list seems a lot, just saying. Seems they were trying to capture a wider audience with this album, so I tried my best to appreciate their efforts.
It's still mostly just a thumping noise but I did find it marginally more palatable than the previous two we have had to date.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
How did I reach my mid-sixties without ever listening to this album? The shame.
It's not QUITE consistently up there with the other Stones albums from that period for me, but admittedly that's a very high bar.
Gimme Shelter to open and You Can’t Always Get What You Want to close though. Goosebumps.
Alice In Chains
2/5
I guess it's for the greater good of society that we don't all like the same thing 😐