1001 Albums Summary

Great, sags towards the end - Witch Hunt does nothing for me, Vital Signs never gets into top gear but still enjoyable and Camera Eye is a bit drawn out but not so much so to be unlikeable.

It's very spotty; like most Muse fans. It has plenty of bad Depeche mode and queen pastiches. Some moments are likeable but not loveable. Exo-politics onwards is forgettable as. Knights of Cydonia brings it back around a bit.

Lots of catchy songs, but that's not necessarily meaning you'll have a good experience. The tracks with Shara Nelson are the highlight. Other vocalists are misses. I don't REALLY get trip-hop/downtempo, but guess this must have sounded mental in 1991.

Bloated song lengths, oversexualised, obsessed with violence and pointless intro and interlude skits; as per usual I find east coast hip hop and gangsta rap to suffer the same ills. When I find a track I like, I can enjoy it very well, but most stuff on here that just washed over me. Flow is great as is the rhyming around vowel sounds, just the lyrical content turns me off so badly.

Ubiquitous though SNA is, it's still a banger. It's aged a lot better than I thought as a whole. Where the songs are upbeat it's still a rip-roaring rock album. Quieter, meg led, downtempo and acoustic tracks don't hit so hard. It could've been a perfect record if a tiny bit shorter?

I absolutely LOVE REM, but as has always been the case when listening to this - which I know is highly acclaimed in their back catalogue - I am kind of ambivalent to it. I think instead of being a great realisation of where they would end up and the accomplishment of where they started it's just TOO transitional. It misses the soaring poppy art rock highs of their later work, and the austere jangle of their early records.

I WANT to like it, but I just don't like very much of it at all. Yes, Faster & This is Yesterday are brilliant; the rest of the album shades between being forgettable, inoffensive post-punk and horribly bad confessional indie

It's a dissonant piano freak out on the title track from being perfect; but is it as good as Ziggy or Hunky Dory? I'm not sure.

The greatest commercial hard rock record of all time? Probably. Album tracks could've been viable singles for many other bands. They play cheap tricks; but by God are the tricks powerful. It's puerile but isn't it good to be every once in a while.

Some phenomenal highs; but is mostly forgettable albeit enjoyable folk. Probably a victim of overstated importance.

I think this is probably unfairly maligned because of David Thomas' voice and the timbre of some instruments. It's not one to playlist but I genuinely liked more than half of it. Judge this by the yardstick of being a post-punk record and you can see it's potency. Judge this by it's accessibility and it looks like a fish climbing a tree

It's an imperfect classic; iconic voice with some signature tracks here. Maybe could've benefitted from being finished properly? It is still however a classic.

I had no idea what to expect; I enjoyed a good chunk of this. It's inhibited by the nature of being a compilation from different sessions. The performances are consistently good and her voice is great; I'll be rating this positively despite the quality of recordings and musical timbres varying more wildly than I would have liked.

I can't believe this is the Shuggie Otis album that made the list - but nonetheless its excellent. The title track is the highlight here, with some great (in their own right) jazzy pieces closing out. A meandering way to close out the record, especially when the work with sung vocals was very strong.

I didn't know anything other than Brass in Pocket which I've never liked. This was a dull way to spend almost 50 minutes. I disliked almost every song because of how insincere it sounds; biggest offender are the vocals. I liked Space Invaders though.

Meditative synth experiments at the early wave of ambient music, it's an absolute trip but hardly a hoot. I wouldn't reach for it very frequently because it's an austere experience - but I very much enjoyed rediscovering it.

The title track and passage to Bangkok are probably in the conversation for Rush's finest work. It's absolutely a shame that the majority of the second half isn't as memorable

Arguably one of the best live rock records and the most important jam band album of all time; prototypical, even! It's a little long but for the most part it's a massive joy to hear such abundant talent and genuine improvements to some studio cuts.

You can question how authentic it's anti-capitalist credentials are; but you can't question the potency. The only time the album dips is Settle for Nothing - I could really take it or leave it off the album. It's not a bad track per se, but it changes the pace without necessarily improving the output. An easy decision to make it a 5/5, it defined a genre and it was never bettered by them or anyone else.

It's the ugly, angry cousin of their big three records but there's some fantastic arty highs despite being less euphoric and consistent than the predecessors. Will be more often in my rotation than it was, as it's a lot better than I remember it being, although Seductive Barry could be their nadir.

Dave Formula's scooby doo keyboards don't always hit the spot, but there are enough good songs to call this an enjoyable experience!

Having bought this on release, listened to it once and shelved it during 2016, this has been an absolute joy to rediscover. I don't think Cohen could've had a finer swan song. His delivery of sparse lyrics, the rattle of his voice, the understated instrumentation, the various genres covered and in some cases - fused, the brevity ensures none of his final moments on tape were wasted. A 5/5 - an incredible surprise - and will trigger me re-evaluating his other work.

Soon Forgotten sums up the story of the first couple of tracks on this. The performances wind up to a great second half that doesn't end perfectly, but is much better. It's a significant recording, maybe a little homogenous, but I'd call it satisfactory and influential rather than enjoyable and groundbreaking.

I love the fact you can hear both eras of Waits in this album. The horrid grimy and strange beast to come, the straightforward songwriting of his earlier work. It's not perfect, but it's well beyond good.

I wanted to give this a five and say it's made me re-evaluate my opinion of grunge and I was regretful for not being an Alice in Chains fan before. Unfortunately, I just thought it was OK. I love the way the record sounds; but I don't love a lot of the songs. The song lengths feel quite bloated, with little development over five or six minutes.

I was shocked how little I remembered of side one when I remembered pretty much all of side two. I went into this thinking its not their best album. The highs are high enough to praise as their best.

Final boss of AOR, who am I to argue?

It has been my favourite Bowie album for the longest time. No change to that on a re-listen.

The melodies and song directions are interesting, but not always the most effective. The concept is really well embedded and still feels relevant. I will definitely listen to it again, it might become my favourite of theirs.

If every song was shorter, and F*cking in Heaven was removed, I might have enjoyed this. It was a tough listen with a couple of highlights.

I only knew X from Los Angeles' title track. This is very much in the same vein. Considering this came out in the early 80s and was so heavily aped, I can see how this would be a landmark recording. The punk blues parts are brilliant, I'm less sure of my enjoyment of the lyrical content. Those harmonies are best described as hypnotic, again I'm not sure if that's good or bad! I've playlisted a few tracks - so it gets a positive score.

Extraordinarily tough listen, it's like it's covered in molasses, it's so sweet and slow moving. Makes the achievements of Pet Sounds only a year later even more stratospheric. Help Me Rhonda and Do You Wanna Dance are enjoyable. Some flashes of enjoyment elsewhere, but subpar for me. I'd rather listen to Phil Spector production than an attempt at it.

Bowie's best rock record, it's literally perfect.

Long and plodding. It reminds me of rainy Sunday afternoons. How Ella and Louis or Porgy and Bess gets overlooked for this archival behemoth is nothing short of absolutely mental. The hit rate is low, but it's not unpleasant. I wouldn't dream of ever listening it to again, nor any of the other songbooks.

I'd agree with Jon Landau, it's probably the best solo output from any Beatle. It's not quite perfect, though.

Final boss of disco, but she's out of my life and I can't help it let it down

An extremely welcome rediscovery, I absolutely loved pretty much every note.

I had a massive urge to turn it off, I hated the vocals, the polyrhythms were nice but the instrumental parts were uninteresting. Like Anohni and Foals but less good than either. Bad Sparks impressions

In their classic run, I've often thought this is the weakest - and another listen didn't change my mind. It is the weakest because it is so uneven, and probably as a result of the fact it's the only one in that feted run that couldn't be argued as a concept album. I liked some of the tracks very much, and the ones I didn't particularly like just passed me by.

A really fun pop record with spiky edges and massive hits. There are some weaker tracks but they don't drag it down too much overall. Solidly above average. Still think Debbie Harry needs a good wash, rammy.

Non-descript Britpop/Power pop, why is it so compressed? I didn't hate it, but it didn't do much of anything for me and I probably wouldn't listen again.

You can make the argument it's their best record, it's certainly the start of the beat run in their career. It's only short in a couple of places; for example, more is desired on the loud end of the dynamic range; Lover of Mine is a bit wonky; the pace very rarely gets above a walk across the whole record. They're also charming flaws.

The sound of repressed feelings and male angst; one of England's finest songwriter in the middle of his creative peak. Need I say more?

It's a very good REM record, doesn't quite stick the landing.

An incredibly brave move with fair but somewhat inconsistent results. Not my favourite of Bjork's albums but it's pretty enjoyable.

A welcome first listen; I enjoyed it and will hopefully look at more of their work. I was generally less impressed with the English speaking tracks in contrast to the Zulu tracks. Two a cappella albums in two days?

If there's an easier 5 to be given, I don't know about it. I remember driving through Death Valley National Park, fighting back tears at my gratitude of where I was and who I was with. It's a biting commentary of what America thinks it is, and what America actually is, and a love letter to the tension between the two. It might be my favourite album EVER.

It's an absolute classic, but today, it doesn't hit as hard as I thought it would. I think the engineering (although of its time) makes it a slightly more difficult listen, why is the harmonica blowing inside of my skull? 💀

Super pleasant, but if I wanted to hear Donald Fagen, there are seven Steely Dan albums I'd rather pick than this.

Have never heard this, nor anything by Common. It was a pleasant surprise. The tracks I liked I really enjoyed. The ones I didn't annoyed me. There are more tracks than I like than I dislike.

A fine experimental record with plenty more upside than down, but the concept is sometimes poorly realised

I remember this being fine, and it was a little more than fine. I don't love Ric Ocasek's voice and there's a lot of synth timbres that sound off the shelf - sometimes charming, sometimes amateur.

Its a four for vibes but a three for enjoyment

I definitely have listened to this before, and it didn't click then. It has now! The guitar sound and patterns are great - this is basically everything I like about Joy Division with a great vocalist

One trick ponies

An absolute stunner, like a country tinged Velvet Underground. You can hear shoegaze, proto-heavy metal, baroque psych, space rock. A gem!

It's perfect

I didn't know this; and was pleasantly surprised for the most part. I think it would've made an amazing single album, but that is something I feel about most double LPs. A comfortable 4 star listen..

All the leaves are brown And the sky is brown We're all wearing brown And the cover's brown Lets add some brown text And all get in the bath A very beige album for such a Summer's day

It shows a tremendous amount of promise with some highly enjoyable tracks,

One of the best albums of the 90s, and one of the best guitar tones ever

Love the samples; funky, fun, rebellious. I'd listen to it, and them again!

Would've been a five if I didn't genuinely hate the title track

Almost perfect, the only weak track, Judy, is saved by a wicked middle eight!

Fine, but some of the songs are seriously irritating

Doesn't have business making mostly good to great records this late in his career, and he made two of them!

I'd give this a zero if I could, it's an absolute car crash. Why wouldn't you pick Julee Cruise or Portishead over this?

This could be one of the worst albums I've ever heard, an edgelord's wet dream. First album on the list where I didn't enjoy a single track enough to playlist it

Some incredible ideas with largely enjoyable execution; this would absolutely scare the hoes if it came on shuffle - but was a great sit down experience

Her last perfect record.

A really solid and moving post-rock album, a benchmark for many bands in the 2000s

He wears his influences and shows who he would influence very clearly in this record, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Much like Master of Reality, this would be pretty much perfect if there weren't two less good instrumentals! Probably timbre wise it's Sabbaths most influential album. It's not from 1971 though!

Nothing to be said other than hasn't already been said

Pretty good!

It was good, but not great. I dislike David lee Roth's voice and EVH is a wicked overplayer

It's fine, but I'd literally rather listen to studio versions of the same material

Springsteen for theatre kids, it's brilliant

A very special record to me, and possibly my favourite of theirs

Nice

What a voice, I didn't love it as much as I thought I did on a re-listen though

This album is finally starting to click, it went up from a three to one of my very favourite dream pop albums

Serious bops, all over the place

I don't know how Lenny Kravitz convinced himself so contritely that he was good, let alone anyone else; in the words of Ongo Gablogian "DERIVATIVE" He saw Prince moving into new sonic territories to mixed success and then jumped into his grave. The only saving grace, is this palette somewhat sounds like how Prince would revive himself with in 95 and thereafter.

What a voice, what a collection of love songs; more frank in the rotation

Enjoyable with some really interesting melodies, falls short of her best work and white dress is irritating as

The point where I lose interest in Madonna

If 3.5 existed, I'd give it that; I don't see the point of pretty much all of the short tracks, there are some enjoyable Stevie Wonder-ish neo soul and pop pieces Super Rich Kids epitomises this albums best (fusing soul, hip hop, and bedroom pop) and worst moments (pity me I'm a millionaire's son lyricism).

No change to my feelings on this album it's a really accomplished and extremely fun record that touches indie-rock and psychedelic pop. Those last two tracks fall short of the rest of the record, unfortunately

Solid 4

Loved the beats. Enjoyed many of the samples, but the ones I didn't like were irritating. I largely liked the lyrics, except when it became a bit crime oriented. I feel that there are too many songs that are very similar timbres - but what I liked I liked very much and would listen to more of Gang Starr.

Best goth album ever made

Take off Stanley Unwin and the stupid cockney accents and this could be a four, but it's just OK

Interludes and intros, pointless. Didn't do much of anything for me. I don't understand how this is heralded as a landmark for so many contemporary pop songstressrs

Why the bloody hell have I never heard this? It's like the pixies and sonic youth. Dead fun and jagged

RIP DAVIE BOWIE FROM THE DAVE BOWIE BAND

Great sonic palette but probably lacks the songs to be truly beyond good

Didn't know it, but feel it will be in the conversation for my favourite American punk albums on further listens

Takes me back to being 14; great record

What a fucking record, emphasis on the fucking. Could well have been a quadruple with shorter song lengths or at least a triple album using the original lengths. The 2019 Super Deluxe shows a number of tracks more than capable of making the final cut.

Almost as good as their best

The perfect transitional record, starts to show the studio magic, refining the straightforward pop and rock that preceded it. There's eastern sounds, soul influences, chanson, proto-Byrds numbers, it's perfect.

That opening four track run is probably the strongest in their discography. Everything after is simply fine

The rat and cat sat on the mat type of lyrics with a voice that bad, you're in for a poor time

A very strong collection of songs, it suffers from its own eclecticism

The James Brown covers are inferior versions, it shows promise, but they wouldn't really find their feet until a few years later. My generation, kids are alright and the Ox are highlights

Their first perfect album? Maybe a touch too much John for my liking, but there are so many massive songs here - and probably kicks off their most prolific pop period

Oh I wish I enjoyed this more, annoying vocals and timbres ruin it. I didn't hate it though

Guilty of picking his earlier work over this routinely. It's so angry and sad I find it hard to want to get into the album. But it's a real treat.

It's JUST a four, just about, maybe it's a three but there's a few big songs.

Some massive tracks, enjoyable jams and tones that cut like a buzzsaw on Keep On Chooglin. Only let down by two blues by numbers style songs in the middle

Why do people think the Berlin trilogy is Bowies three best mid seventies albums? THIS shits all over Lodger, and although an LA album is a much more focused and a natural stylistic pairing to what he would do in 1977. To go from Blue Eyed Soul pastiches to a Brechtian art rock with jazzy undertones in twelve months is INSANE. The fact his lifestyle didn't destroy him around this time and he could be so creatively fertile is wild.

Great record!

Two versions of the same song is always weak filler, it's pretty decent but Wayne Coynes voice isn't the strongest

Shite, turgid Gallagher-lite dross. It's chock full of meandering dirges. Pedestrian sound of British decline. Feels like going 3mph bus tour of Bolton in a clapped out British Leyland. Sixty four minutes of watching magnolia emulsion soak into a white wall.

Yeah, canny fine, I can't believe this is on the list though? I wouldn't have given Chems the plaudits except for Dig Your Own Hole?

Has to be up there with one of the strongest second sides in album history, and a supreme album in its genre

We Will Fall is an extremely unwelcome addition to this otherwise straightforward and vital proto-punk record. Probably would've been an amazing EP without it - or could've been improved by including Asthma Attack in its place - which covers the same territory of weirdness in a briefer, more direct but equally dark way. This would've been a four, but it genuinely loses a point for this songs inclusion. Otherwise this is guilty of aping some pretty huge artists and doing so obviously from a compositional standpoint, but brings enough to the table from an ethos and timbre to remain a worthwhile listen. Somewhere between The Doors, the Velvet Underground and MC5 exists the Stooges, and this is one of their records - sometimes that's as much as you can say. Fun House and Raw Power are better.

It's so weird and quaint, I loved it

It's good, there are some seriously off-putting vocal affectations that make otherwise great songs just par

Once you've heard it, you can't unhear it; a life-altering recording. I love and hate it in equal measure. Today, I loved it except for the repetitious acapella tracks Since this album isn't on Spotify, and I therefore can't save songs that I like to my playlist to prompt future reflections -here's my amateurish and hasty listening notes: Frownland - A baptism by fire, chainmail voice and dense atonality. Dust Flows Forward and Dust Blows Back - ominous to hear the isolated voice and natural vibrato, with a strange, somewhat pastoral poem Dachau Blues - the groaning of the industrial death machine is absolutely evident here Ella Guru - a more straightforward psychedelic rock number, comparatively with a jazzy drum part and chorus refrain Hair Pie Bake 1: cacophonous horns in the Ornette Coleman tradition. Moonlight on Vermont - a chainsaw and axe of bluesy treble-rich freakouts going through the bathroom door; my favourite track. Pachuco Cadaver - second mention of the fast and bulbous trope, a bouncy accented trip, enjoyable Bills Corpse - a more challenging polytonal drag with horrorshow lyrics, that bouncy feel remains, but feels like a carnival bungee cord starting to fail Sweet Sweet Bulbs - funky gunky and makes all kinds of pastoral/spring/sexual comparisons Neon Meate Dream of a Octafish - what am I actually listening to here? China Pig - the recording quality changes, aping old blues records and blues 78s, definitely the straightest composition here My Human Gets Me Blues - like a swamp witch doctor leading two bands at two different songs at once. When that bass comes in the last quarter it hits like a bowling ball Dalis Car - Is this Glenn Branca? Who invited Thurston Moore? Hair Pie Bake 2 - like all leftovers, better the second time when thoroughly warmed up Pena - fast and bulbous again, is this the point in which you realise they're kind of joking and having fun? Well - the best pure acapella track When Big Joan Sets Up - makes me feel like being on a rollercoaster, some of those little guitar motifs are brilliant. The horn cutting through is genuinely hilarious at first. Can would be proud Fallin' Ditch - lives up to it's name, sounds like a band falling down a slope Sugar N Spikes - lives up to it's name, sweet and jagged - another relatively straightforward one! Ant Man Bee - John Lewis Hooker(ISH) at the outset and by the end I've no idea what I'm listening to, maybe a semi-truck carrying a jazz band through LA traffic Orange Claw Hammer - a touchstone would be Richard Dawson, although far less folksy, or perhaps the melodies of Gregorian chant Wild Life - I hope to never feel as shitty as this song feels, it's like a migraine in a nursery She's too Much for my Mirror - it's only now I notice Zappa when I hear him, even though I know he was producing! The drumming here is chefs kiss. Hobo Chang Ba - is this a sensitive depiction of immigrant alienation or should we cancel Don Van Vliet? The Blimp (Mousetrapreplica) - how tight were the band? I bet they loved rehearsing together in harmony under no pressure Steal Softly Thru Snow - the band seem to get progressively tighter as the album wears on - is it intentional or my ears adjusting? Old Fart at Play - you can hear what he would do on Ice Cream for Crow, I think. Why the vocal take lasts so much longer I've no idea! Veterans Day Poppy - a seriously strong finish, I think - it's like 60s psych meets European Son meets One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest meets rockabilly

High watermark of English folk rock

There are some fantastic pop/r&b songs here, the biggest tracks are somewhat cheapened by their ubiquity but four HUGE singles is impressive. Nothin' Else is a great Stevie Wonder parody, but after that, the album really starts to lose it's way - the final seven tracks send us into the weeds with them ranging from non-descript half baked single ideas to the straight up uncool.

I don't know what he's trying to achieve with this album, I assume it's a gesture towards the vibes of the great American songbook writers but it just doesn't land. For such an iconic guitarist, it's also a bold choice to spend so much of the time behind the piano - and Keith Jarrett he is not. A few good singles save it.

I think this suffers from being overproduced in contrast to Five Leaves Left and Pink Moon - much in the same way Nick Drake allegedly expressed. The album is at its strongest when it showcases Nick, and not the band that was assembled for him. The instrumental tracks range from good to fair. It's my least favourite of his, but it's still a very good record.

This is so fucking corny it's unbelievable, sounds like it was dreamed up in a C-suite office and stinks of trying to target light beer enthusiasts

Pretty good, I prefer the jazzy/soulful side of trip hop that this shows - but the scooby doo keyboards and scratching doesn't do it

Thanks for an enjoyable listen you sweating lunatic

Vocals sit somewhere between Tom Verlaine, Iggy Pop and Trent Reznor. Instrumentals leave a lot to be desired - but kind of understand what could be considered shocking for 2004. No real standout songs other than maybe Spike Island

Southern rock before they became Southern U2, nostalgic listen! It's a little more than fine, and a little less than good.

I love this record, but sometimes it's so slapdash it prevents me adoring it

Its reshaped my understanding of how respected she was by other singers and country artists so early in her career. I kind of think of KD as a chameleon who indulges in so many different styles, but she's a country girl who reinvents herself. I enjoyed this, but I think it is less refined than Ingenue.

This is a bit of a weird record to my ears, I want to like it but it doesn't connect with me, I guess it just feels a bit esoteric, austere, maybe just simply cold? The follow-up is so much better

Largely an absolute joy, and it feels harsh to not give it a five when I like every track. But Tentative Decisions is so genuinely irritating, and Happy Day I could change my mind on.

Best pop punk album committed to tape? I think so. All By Myself & FOD are a poor end

Perfection - derivative and yet influential perfection

It's OK, but stinks of red stripe

GET IN MY EARS YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD

Ok, why have I never listened to this? I LOVED it Tons of atmosphere, lovely assemblage of timbres and styles explored on side one. Kosmiche, not krautrock. Somewhere between Eno and ECM Side two, motorik beat, a proto post-punk kind of thing, kind of near different eras of Can all at the same time, with a Wayne Kramer vocal delivery.

The dissonant harmonisation on the thing that should not be is so annoying, and by the end I'm a bit fed up as most of the songs sound the same. It's got some of their best points but I insist this album is wildly overrated.

Pastoral and autumnal, plaintive and melancholy. Love it. The accompanying musicians and instruments enhance the atmosphere and add mystical harmonies and textures that deepen the mystique of the record. I think this is Nick Drake's second best album, but you can make an argument being his best.

I don't like Cavalera's vocals or lyrics. I like the idea of melding of hardcore punk, maybe a little bit of death metal and thrash; but I think a lot of the time it sounds a bit confused. I can see why people argue they would belong over Anthrax or Slayer in the thrash big four. The strongest parts of this album for me are the flourishes of world music and industrial embedded into songs like Desperate Cry and Subtraction - which are pretty fleeting. If this was a few years older, it would feel incredibly significant.

The Coral were on here already and they sound exactly the same, at least they had a hit on that record. Rubbish

I knew I really liked this, I didn't know I loved it

It's fine but should not be on the list, it's definitely one of their worst records.

It sounds like he absolutely loves himself and thinks he's a genius, but just comes off as a dull tryhard. The instrumentals are usually okay, but let down by aimless, tuneless, melodies, sung unconvincingly by an English A-Level poet

Hate the voice, first song gives Gary glitter a writing credit. Lyrics are rubbish. Mixed loud as sin. However, It's an incredibly strong collection of anthems, even if I don't like them. There are some songs on here which I don't know that don't irritate me - I guess it's a victim of being overplayed to death

Like Helen of Troy, the album that launched 1000 indie bands Its great, but I think maybe a little unfocused at times - Providence doesn't bring anything to the table. Teen Age Riot might be one of the best openers ever.

Sounds like it's being played through a phone speaker, even when it isn't. It's one of my favourite thrash albums, but definitely not my preferred genre

It's halfway between Sade and Whitney, it's dated, but it's enjoyable

So much promise for an early career record, and some songs that would stand the test of time - more of this please

Big band is not really my thing usually; but it's a landmark jazz recording and the band is so tight in a live setting it's very compelling. The mutes, squeal and drawl on the brass are very dated, so can be tiring. But largely great!

Bratty but not good

Her best work, haunting and smart if somewhat patchy

Will feature in my rotation heavily, I loved it

I wish I liked it, but I was completely ambivalent

Like lots of other things I really like - New York Dolls, Heartbreakers, MC5

It's quite nice but pretty corny

It's just pretty much Chic, so it's pretty much perfect

It sounds like the album cover, surreal and kitschy

It's a crap album, but it's a fine compilation of world music

They've matured and are experimenting, with decent results

Loved it, surprisingly as normally this would make me cringe - I think the samples and vibe were the difference maker

A fine dash of Americana, not unpleasant but not exceptionally memorable either

Its a good gimmick, but a gimmick nonetheless!

GOAT rock album

Perhaps more influential than it is good?

A serviceable, but exceedingly long jazz album with a bit of a world flourish

Ehhhhh

A fantastic display of Latin music and atmospheric rock

Yeah, I mean, it's fine but it's not great

Almost his best

Oooooo baby baby it's a wild world - a little beauty

Genuinely terrible apart from Cult of Personality - one hit wonders

Slow building but really enjoyed it

A worldie and I like every track but I must be in the mood for it

For so called groove metal, there's a distinct lack of groove

Instrumentals are fine but the production is flat as a fart and the vocals are baby pee weak - I'm fuming now I know this was included over any album by Wham! - but it has at least three fine pop songs

I had no idea what this is, it sounds very familiar and yet completely novel at the same time. If Scott Walker did Sinatra's Watertown? Tim Buckley meets Gordon Lightfoot? I really like it

Could only be improved if Anthony Kiedis would've told us which state the band is from.

Probably my favourite hip hop album of the past decade, a cultural touchstone

Repetitive and uninteresting Repetitive and uninteresting Repetitive and uninteresting Repetitive Still, worth one extra star for Groove is in the Heart

I love this record so much

Jumping Jack Flash produced a wow, I liked most of side one. Side two was a bit middling

Sometimes great, mostly overly long and the concept is a bit too far flung

Spooky swampy but also genuinely endearing, the back half is some of his finest work

Disrupted by the live tracks (they are marvellous in their own right, but they take you so drastically out of the experience). It's not my favourite Nina, but it's still within her most powerful period

Sweet is an understatement, what a talent though

I enjoy the sounds of Radio Los Santos

0-3-5 0-3-6-5 0-3-5 3-0

Aimless

Not her greatest performance - elevated by Ray Ellis - I really would've thought Lady Sings the Blues would've been the Billie album

Lately, I've been thinking how perfect this is

Largely irresistible if a bit dated

Groundbreaking

Tremendous, elevates the studio versions in lots of places

In this house we love the dan

Eff that noise

Very pleasant!

Perfect no notes

Incredible

Miserable, love it

A strong double album; I think Abbatoir Blues is the stronger half

A difficult dated story - I'd have picked Quadrophenia over this...good but not great

Not for me

After being a bit daunted at the idea of an eighty minute double album, I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised!

A perfectly fine gothic album, not Nick's best, not his worst either!

Does what it says on the tin -

Trashy britpop with a glam edge - love it, especially animal nitrate

One trick ponies (again) with diminished returns

I mean, I love Bowie, but I wouldn't say this is essential!

Sparse but not in an endearing way - I like their big pop, and there was very little of it here

Missing a signature song to elevate it from okay to really good

An album of vibe, basically Bongo Band for the sixties - my wife said 'she feels like someone has frozen the puck at a hockey game' - title track is IMMENSE

Speakerboxxx is a 4 let down by interludes The Love Below is a 2 with a small amount of excellent songs

Ponderosa could be the worst song I've ever heard, the vocals are absolutely irritating across this and it's a stylistic mess. Terrible. One of the easiest ones I've given

It was OK, I think maybe a little bit confused

If there is a better album on this list, I don't believe I've heard it. This is the benchmark by which all musical creativity should be measured, twentieth century pop music does not get any better. I'd give another star if I could.

Not commanding my full attention but has some fleeting moments

A perfectly cromulent post-punk album

It's a fine old Neil Young album, but it's just fine

Ruined by skits, but those samples and positive vibes are immaculate

Quite the contrary

A pleasant surprise - really enjoyed most of it

Two things about this are true: It's a 5/5 Despite being a 5/5 it's not Bruce Springsteen's best album

A special record to me but I'm not so blinded as to think it's perfect!

It's no 69 juice by partiboi69 but then again what is?

A solid slice of girl group/soul and most tracks are still endearing after sixty years

A janky, angular development of their original sound with the funky and world music influence starting to show

Reminds me of Blur in a good way but the experimentalism didn't do it many favours - liked it and would explore more

A marvellous example of San Francisco scene

At least Stan was good, but still awful

Super pleasant discovery, I love the fusing of jazz, bossa nova and down tempo - it works so well.

Atrocious, except for Battlestar Scralatchtica, which I thought was great

I didn't know this t-shirt had an album!

I love this album, but, really it's a hard rock album with a bit of diabolus in musica

Summed up perfectly by it's title

Have always meant to listen to this but never have, reminds me of the Sonics - wouldn't sound out of place in a comp somewhat like Nuggets. I really enjoyed it

Album generator has been spitting straight fire lately - another absolute worldie

A more digestible version would've been preferable

I don't have any songs on this to playlist, but I didn't hate any of it. It felt a bit pointless and forgettable.

Say some gangster is dissin your fly girl, just give him one of these

What a lovely song about peace and understanding, I bet the fella who wrote it wasn't violent towards women, hold up

A haunting slice of Americana, an album that requires a specific mood and has some rough patches

Beck at a South Philly Frat House - nothing much else to it

It's quite pleasant, but it's nothing spectacular

The vocals are so irritating and cringeworthy; the fusion aspects sound so insincere Tides was beautiful, there's a small instrumental section of Homelands that was also gorgeous

The A Side is genuinely incredible and the final four tracks are blooming horrible

An incredible bleak experiment.

No expensive shit on the list? Worldie nonetheless

An incredible live record - but - with most of its tracks covered between Machine Head and In Rock - it begs the question, if you had to include a third Deep Purple album - why not Fireball? And if you've got the best songs here from those two records - why include the studio albums at all?

Shakey being peaceful - nice!

The bri'ish Dan

A smooth fusion of girl group r&b and hip hop with decent but perhaps mixed results - not for me, save for If I Was Your Girlfriend (best Prince cover outside of Sinead O'Connor)

Haunting and jazzy and folky

Middle of the road and largely dull - loses points for I Shot the Sheriff

Every track is full of ideas and talent - is a little challenging to be a perfect record

I didn't hate it, but it neither spoke to me or entertained me

Strange choice - I'd have thought Revolution Would Not Be Televised or either of his first two studio efforts would've been a more prescient pick. I think this is a bit wonky

Hmm! A nice big thick slice of thin lizzy. A con job to call this live; and tbh, their greatest hits would be better - some inclusions here were bettered with the release of Black Rose. Great fun

Country tinged pop with powerfully interesting chord progressions and big choruses - what's not to like

Incredible how bad this is

Bangers, but bloody hell cheer the eff up

Interplay of Bittan piano and Clemons on sax elevates this - his first classic

Haunting and weird and so interesting

So much fun - maybe just a tad long

Bobs best, the sounds he explores in folk and to a certain extent, in American rock in 1965 are miles ahead of contemporaries - and Tom Wilson behind the mixing desk for some of that new York grit

Yeah, it's alright!

Nice

I just don't get it me, it's not offensive to my sensibilities, but it doesn't speak to me

Is it controversial to suggest this is their best?

Ambivalent to this me

Only hearing this for the first time - a joy but too slapdash in places to be in the upper echelons

The greatest small jazz ensemble record

I for one think Jason Zed would do well to display a little more humility

A fine old album with bags of influence

One of three albums I'd have expected Frank to have here, it's really good but best enjoyed in the evening with a stiff drink

I've always thought this is their weakest, but it's really a very capable collection of songs, albeit missing the highest highs of their other studio albums Hatful of Hollow erasure unacceptable on the list btw

Surprisingly enjoyable - their best - it's somewhere around a 3.5

I found this relentlessly boring

One of Bowies best songs - and a largely great, albeit slightly inferior set up to Low

My favourite jazz record - absolutely incredible

Pretty nice - but never been a favourite

One of the first CDs I had in my car, it never left the rotation. Genre defining

Simultaneously the most overrated and underrated album I'm aware of

Oof

Almost his best, what a record

It's a hell of a performance - but it's so of it's time, 11 tracks and four are intros or bridges

A perfectly cromulent sophisti-pop album

Superb

Excellent power pop record

Would've made a fantastic EP - as if this gets the nod over Demon Days?!?

It's pretty good, I just think Aerosmith lack a classic album

It's got that fantastic mid seventies new York sound I love, but loses marks for white reggae

Lovely, if a tiny bit irritating

I'll commend them for one thing, it was funny

Sail Away is a breathtaking song, and the rest of this album is a mixed bag

I think this is a pioneering, if middling record

Not offensively bad, but not particularly good either

Best solo wu tang album

A very pleasant surprise, knowing nothing about it pre-listen!

How is this the fifth highest soul album on the list? It should be one or two!

Scott Walker wants his sound back Sometimes like a charmless Magnetic Fields. If Pulp overdid it on Jacques Brel. Sixth Form Poet wants his lyrics back. And yet, I think it's fine

I believed before listening to this album that outside of Wu Tang Clan's 36 Chambers, Method Mans' best contribution to culture was the line he spoke in The Wire that went "you know who have the fattest asses and best pussy? Midgets, n*gga". This album didn't change my mind.

Boring music for the mind and body

More than ok, less than great

Incredible record, let down by Moonchild

A poor soundtrack for a minor film, I don't think this is a good representation of 'albums' from India

I can't really think of many flawless live albums. This comes close, but I guess my only criticisms would be that there are one, or maybe two too many covers for my personal liking, and I find the starkness of Pennyroyal Tea to be unpleasant (although, perhaps also a great strength of this performance) - however it's an incredible document of a cultural moment.

Inoffensive, but bland country

I am quite shocked this is NIN's only album on here, it's abrasive and I think a testament to their powers but not my favourite thing to hear

A very pleasant surprise - mid career highlight?

Incredible, 10/5 would not be enough

Incredibly dated synthesiser sounds, missing a signature song to unite the album, it sounded like a poorer version of mid eighties Genesis

Influential for a subculture that I couldn't care less about

What a record!

A very pleasant surprise - never heard of them or heard them before - and it was decent punk record

The world's most overrated band, diddly day oh

Here's some truth, this record is poorer than it has any business being. Less than the sum of it's parts, springs to mind

Fun live album with a well practiced band - but not exactly the most memorable experience

I love this record with all of my heart, but it's unfortunately the ship that launched a thousand trilby donning millennial whoop indie pop bands in early 2010s

Mixed bag, like all Faust really, sometimes genius, sometimes too esoteric to enjoy

39 and I'm In Love With My Car are passable but would better suit another band (I know they tried to do the Beatles-esque everyone gets a song thing but it never really worked for Queen). There are two iconic tracks (overplayed but still enjoyable). Everything else was horrible.

Absolutely incredible, I knew earlier hard and post bop Mingus, this was another level

An enjoyable folk-jazz album, I think this is overrated at four and underrated at a 3

Inferior in every way to his peers, emperor of shlock rock

Foundational soul record, incredible

Zen Arcade would've been the pick; there's a very good Husker Du album in here - and a lot of less than very good material too

Some incredible and haunting songs - just shy of classic status

A two for me, but a bonus mention for the fact A Day At the Races gave me peak THUG Nostalgia Check it, man! Muska is actually coming to this dump for a skate demo. Get dressed and let's go! Home sweet home. What a dump... at least it has some killer spots. The old pool down by the highschool, scab land, the drainage ditch on the south side of town, and Elm Street, our own little strip of paradise. Complete with drug dealers who hate skateboarders.

Fantastic world music album

Milquetoast

Fantastic, slightly inferior to Folsom Prison

My favourite REM record

Easy to understand where the rocky horror picture show got it's schtick - enjoyable but not mindblowing

Side A is arguably Bowies finest hour and goes toe to toe with any other work he produced Side B is groundbreaking, however it is definitely more influential than it is enioyable. An album that would warrant a half star feature, but will round up as I didn't round up for Aladdin Sane and this is better

Has to be one of the most important live albums and greatest country albums ever recorded

Superior to EVOL, more focused than Daydream Nation, but less accomplished than Goo

Argument to be made this is their best work from a creative standpoint but I do think I'd choose Paul's Boutique over it if pushed

Unfairly maligned at under a three, it's a very decent shoegaze record

Not outstanding but very pleasant - lacks a signature track to my ears

Head scratcher, didn't do it for me!

Bit of a curio rather than an album? Also, feels unfair to compare Hindustani classical with pop music especially given there's no western classical on the list?

I found this to be much poorer than the ratings suggested. Side one is rubbish, side two is good, runs to be under average for me.

Second half picks up, but overall is nothing mindblowing, it's a bit like the Pogues and the Fall but I found it less enjoyable than both

Incredible record

I enjoyed this, I would be hopeful to enjoy more of their work

Love this, neo-americana?

Arguably the greatest rock album of all time, nothing more can be said

Loses a point for length, but enjoyed it

I didn't realise how much I loved this album

A masterclass in how not to sequence an album, blows it's load in the first six or so songs - which are very enjoyable and follows it up with nine of so less noteworthy ones. I like the cover of Never Gonna Give You Up, controversially - the Black Keys have a lot of great covers (maybe more than they have great originals)

Dated and absent of tunes, seriously poor

Overrated - Perry Farrell's appeal makes very little sense to my British ears - save for some fleeting nostalgia for Stop and Been Caught Stealing from video game soundtracks

I'm glad he got to sign off with a great record

Offensively boring and generic

Would be perfect but Infamous Date Rape is on here, I know Tribe aren't advocating for date rape, but the sex jokes in a song with that theme flies in the face of otherwise conscious credentials

Goat debut?

Fun but samey

If this had been Radiohead's first, with Creep snuck in, you could make an argument it'd be their best. Instead, it's their first great album. I don't love the post Britpop tinge - there are moments that Muse would ape, but that's thankfully fleeting

Outstays it's welcome massively and you're telling me that the best version of the best song isn't on the original album? I'm not giving this a consolatory star for the anniversary edition having a worldie bonus track

Young Man Blues absolutely incredible, and I think the other covers are superb. My Generation is better on record but think the other two are improved by these live cuts.

It's an OK Nick Cave album, not as good as some of his later work!

I found this really bland, what a great bass sound though

The world's greatest cliche

Too long but has some great moments

Didn't blow me away, instrumentals are really pleasant, vocals grate more than they please

My favourite Elliott Smith album, straddles delicate and expansive, so close to being perfect but a few songs don't grab me

It's a great record that makes me contemplate the end

Someone should've told them to stop, you'd have to be stoned out of your mind to think this was worth your time

It's not a banger as such, but I genuinely believe it's a very accomplished artistic statement.

Iconic and almost perfect but who's counting - not really punk, and all the better for it

I instantly said "wrong album by Talk Talk, if you're only including one" as it misses both their biggest hit and the invention of post-rock - however I could see an argument based on my enjoyment of this. I do think Laughing Stock or Colour of Spring are more worthy, and would've had a higher rating from me

An incredibly creative artistic statement satirising every assumption people had about 1960s culture, this would absolutely scare the hoes and there are few tracks I enjoyed

A middling debut, wouldn't nail an album for at least a year, if not two after this - they were a singles band in this era

Essential listening in my house

She left a perfect, tragic back catalogue

Too many mid-paced or slow ones to clip a four, but I loved lots of it!

Top 10 album for me

I love the intimacy and sparseness of this, but it's a more homogenous listen than it's predecessor

Too long, skits forgettable, great singles and some good album tracks

Frustrating, some great ideas poorly executed

Lo-res bob can't hurt you

I wanted to like this more than I did, shame

I love Elton, this is a decent record

I have normally overlooked this album, it's got some amazing songs, and some very unsatisfying ones

You are very smart and creative Frank, you have some incredible records. In 1966 this must have been mindblowing, I am not as sure how they stand up as fun listens now. I could think of four or five Zappa records I'd rank as 5s, but you were represented poorly by this list (save for Hot Rats)

Decent original songs, a great talent, but those covers are atrocious

I'm not sure this deserved a place over Midnight Marauders, despite being really quite excellent

No self titled Curtis? This is magnificent mind

Perhaps I judged you too harshly

Influential, but underwhelming; original release is not even an album, it's an EP

Andy Summers studio magic on Message in a Bottle is absolutely goated, otherwise, fairly pleasant but I think they are really a greatest hits band - and if I had to pick two of their albums for this list I'd have picked Outlandos D',amour and Ghost in the Machine

Touched utterly pointless, otherwise a beauty

Unfairly maligned but obviously a bit esoteric, but would scare the hoes

An enjoyable dub reggae record

England's greatest soul singer?

Two absolute grade a worldies, some very strong album tracks and two clunkers, definition of a perfect four

Miserable and homogenous, and brilliant

Delia Smith baked that cake!

Bit REM, bit Husker Du, bits are good, bits didn't click

The end of an almost immaculate discography together, the title track should've been the closer!

A fine indie pop album, but that's just it, it's fine. Incredible Hall and Oates sample on On Hold