Almost as close to a perfect rock album as has ever been made. The liner notes say it all: To Be Played At Maximum Volume.

What if the Velvet Underground’s songs all sounded alike and also they were fronted by a dime-store knockoff Lou Reed with no vocal range and less ability to carry a tune? I made it about halfway through this unlistenable mockery of a rock ‘n roll album before giving up entirely.

Almost as close to a perfect rock album as has ever been made. The liner notes say it all: To Be Played At Maximum Volume.

With its spare production highlighting Talking Heads’ driving rhythm section behind Byrne’s bellowing sprechstimme, this album answers the question: What if punk music was composed and performed by actual musicians?

5 stars if you're having sex while listening.

Aside from “Call Me Al” and “Graceland”, this album should have been credited to Ladysmith Black Mambazo (feat. Paul Simon). But the aforementioned tracks are bangers, and the rest of this eclectic album holds up, even after 40 years.

I think it's easy to forget just how much terrible music was churned out at the height of the world Disco craze in the 1970s. Next to that tsunami of chintz, Chic's attempt to bring a measure of substance to the genre is admirable. Certainly, the contemporary Neo-Disco trend owes a huge debt to Chic for their distinctive vibe and a fairly high standard of musicality. Unfortunately, outside of the legendary and irrepressible energy of "Le Freak", the album suffers from a bad case of forgettable songwriting. Looking back, this may be one of those albums that is more influential than strictly successful on its own merits. The band's rhythm section absolutely slaps, though. Two stars, plus one for "Le Freak".