May 31 2025
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Approached with caution having listened to Ray Charle compilations in the past, but this was very pleasent surprise.
Top track: It had to be you
4
May 31 2025
In Our Heads
Hot Chip
First time listening to Hot Chip, got a few Pet Shop boy vibes.
Listened on repeat a couple of times & it continued to grow. Will be back
Standout track, These Chains
5
Jun 02 2025
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Strong opening of first track, upbeat but tailed off into feeling derivative. Most likely it was not at the time of release.
Our House stands out on first listen as familiar songs often do.
A couple more listens (it's a short album) and the harmonies & musicianship shine through
4
Jun 03 2025
Rio
Duran Duran
It's music of an era
In parts uplifting, with slower emotive lyrical tracks thrown in. You want an album to take a journey & this delivers
Top track: The Chauffer
4
Jun 04 2025
Welcome to the Afterfuture
Mike Ladd
Started off OK
By track 4 I'm thinking why am I listening to this shit
Persevere for long enough and there are some interesting tracks but not enough to redeem this as an album
1
Jun 05 2025
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
Not my usual listening but enjoyed the listen. Ultimately a little too samey for me which knocked it down a star and made it difficult to pick out an individual track
3
Jun 06 2025
Who Killed...... The Zutons?
The Zutons
I already knew the album inside out, word for word.
The tunes are catchy, the mood generally uplifting but with a couple of slower tracks along the way.
Enjoyed the harmonies and a little slice of retro
Top track: You will You won't
4
Jun 07 2025
Blunderbuss
Jack White
This was almost a 4, some good tracks mixed in with what felt a bit more like filler.
Worthy of a bit more of a listen but there were a few too many distracting elements such as the pronunciation of 'im nervous ' on the otherwise excellent 'I'm Shakin'
Top track: Keep themselves to sleep
3
Jun 09 2025
Homework
Daft Punk
Joyful, can't help but a boogie
A couple of huge singles off this album gave some familiarity but it's a seamless journey through the album
Top Track: Da Funk
4
Jun 10 2025
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
There's some good musicianship, but my overwhelming feeling was one of indifference. This didn't move me, or motivate me to seek out more
3
Jun 11 2025
Hot Fuss
The Killers
In judging an album, it's not just how good are the best songs, but how much filler is in between.
The first half of the album is hit after hit and the second half held up ok too
Tops track: Somebody Told Me
4
Jun 12 2025
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Music for a generation, just not mine
2
Jun 13 2025
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
Small slices of juicy pop hits.
It's upbeat & unashamed
4
Jun 15 2025
Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz
Perfect background music for a romantic dinner
4
Jun 16 2025
The La's
The La's
Plenty of good, but not outstanding tracks with the common issue of a couple of fillers stuffed in the back half of the album that drag it down
Freedom Song, an unexpected gem
Top track: There She Goes ( the obvious choice, but still a belter)
3
Jun 17 2025
Illmatic
Nas
Not my usual listening fare, but surprisingly engaging
Top track: Halftime
4
Jun 18 2025
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
Enjoyed, not a big jazz aficionado so difficult to make comparisons
4
Jun 19 2025
1989
Taylor Swift
Surprisingly enjoyable.
A well crafted album, mixing the crowd pleasers with some slower tempo songs
4
Jun 20 2025
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
So much to like about his album.
Whilst the first half of the album could be accused of being a but samey & allowing the mind to drift it was a really strong finish from the jazz infused Twisted to the finger tapping Raised on Robbery
4
Jun 21 2025
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
This had me quietly rocking out.
Something indefinable missing to rate as 5*
Top track: Today
4
Jun 23 2025
Hms Fable
Shack
Not bad, but nothing grabbed me.
3
Jun 24 2025
Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
This felt like a bit of a musical education to something I didn't know existed.
Enjoyed it, but unlikely to return
3
Jun 25 2025
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
Just an incredible voice and enjoyed this album more than some of the past compilations I've listened too
5
Jun 26 2025
Treasure
Cocteau Twins
Parts of the album i quite enjoyed, but too many tracks i wanted to skip, too much wailing
2
Jun 27 2025
The Last Broadcast
Doves
Great tempo and intensity.
All round enjoyment of a wall of sound that relentlessly comes at you...in a good way
4
Jun 29 2025
The Band
The Band
Inoffensive, which also means it there were no real standout tracks
3
Jun 30 2025
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
Really enjoyed this, felt like somehow familiar, perhaps it's inspired many later songs.
Will listen again, good option for background music without the distraction of lyrics
4
Jul 01 2025
Zombie
Fela Kuti
Day 1 listen & not really my thing, trumpet too blarey
However in listening at a different time of day it was better 2nd time round.
Unlikely to return, but still good for it's genre.
3
Jul 02 2025
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
Some tracks were ok, a couple good and some self indulgent nonsense in between
2
Jul 04 2025
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
Wasn't a big fan first time around (in the 90s), started off poorly, the vocals on You Oughta Know in particular were grating.
But there was enough in the later tracks to balance it out
3
Jul 05 2025
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
When it's good, it's great but when it's bad it's ugly
I would happily listen to a cut-down version of this taking away the extraneous & extended tracks
3
Jul 08 2025
Revolver
Beatles
Solid gold, every track 2-3mins of storytelling, catchy melodies and enough variety to avoid being formulaic
5
Jul 09 2025
Here Are the Sonics
The Sonics
An album that could only have come from the 60s, and it really works well
4
Jul 10 2025
Black Monk Time
The Monks
Decent enough but no real standouts
3
Jul 11 2025
The Only Ones
The Only Ones
Not bad, but nothing to make me come back again
3
Jul 13 2025
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
Had high expectations, but somewhat underwhelmed initially. However playing it on repeat a few times & i started to really warm up to it. There's something in the way his voice interplays with the other instruments that compels you to listen to the lyrics, and the timing is immaculate.
4
Jul 14 2025
Roots
Sepultura
Not for me
The vocals are unpleasant. The music samey
1
Jul 15 2025
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
A slightly generous 4
The general vibe was good, classic tracks such as homeward bound still hold the test of time
4
Jul 16 2025
Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
Definitely a grower of an album
The vocals veer from grating, to melodic
4
Jul 22 2025
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
I wasn't fully sold, but could see how its influenced later artists & interested enough to come back & listen more in the future
4
Jul 23 2025
Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lana Del Rey
Delicate and beautiful
The title track is an incredible showcase of minimalistic accompaniment to a haunting voice
4
Jul 24 2025
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Enjoyed this more than I expected too.
3
Jul 25 2025
Imagine
John Lennon
A very solid 3, but ultimately drifted into the background rather than holding my attention
3
Jul 27 2025
Southern Rock Opera
Drive-By Truckers
Dull, dull, dull
2
Jul 28 2025
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
Jolly enough
3
Jul 30 2025
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
No known pleasure here
It didn't speak to me in any way
2
Aug 01 2025
The Age Of The Understatement
The Last Shadow Puppets
A couple of tracks are absolute belters, but not the great album i had in my mind when it popped up
3
Aug 03 2025
Spiderland
Slint
Within the first minute I was ready to switch off, but repeated listens I got a lot more from it & whilst it won't be staying on repeat I wouldn't mind coming back in the future
3
Aug 04 2025
Warehouse: Songs And Stories
Hüsker Dü
Those was fine, in parts I thought it was going to break into greatness, but never quite made it
3
Aug 05 2025
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Loved this
Music to work to, or just sit & enjoy the melodies
4
Aug 06 2025
I Against I
Bad Brains
Didn't enjoy it enough to listen again to the parts that were not so bad
2
Aug 11 2025
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
It's not just the classics that still hold up all these years later, but the tracks I'd not heard before.
Silky smooth vocals
5
Aug 12 2025
Document
R.E.M.
There are some incredible tracks on this album, but ultimately some of the filler in between is too much R.E.M. by numbers,. It's an unmistakable sound which I love, but they have made better albums
4
Aug 13 2025
First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
First listen round felt a bit bland, but I warmed up to the album and apart from the monster hit, lovefool, i enjoyed the delicate vocal & wonder why i didn't listen to this back in the day
4
Aug 15 2025
Pornography
The Cure
Just didn't do much
2
Aug 19 2025
Kid A
Radiohead
First up, Thom Yorke is a musical genius.
However whilst there are flashes of genius, some of the tracks miss the mark.
Tracks such as Optimistic & Everything in it's right place are worth the admission money alone
4
Aug 20 2025
Immigrés
Youssou N'Dour
Enjoyed this, only 4 tracks but a nice change of pace between them
4
Aug 21 2025
One World
John Martyn
This feels like a lot of time went into crafting each song, thinking about the precise timings & effects of every note, all there for a purpose, creating a soundscape that must have influenced a lot later work
Timeless
4
Aug 23 2025
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
Not my sort of music, got a little better after a few tracks, but first impressions didn't really change
2
Sep 07 2025
From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
Some classic elvis, to the point where I started singing aloud as I walked down the street.
Enjoyable
4
Sep 08 2025
Savane
Ali Farka Touré
Without knowing this genre it's hard to compare this, but standalone it's inoffensive, nothing jumps out as ground breaking or innovative, so it's also difficult to call.out any stand out tracks
3
Sep 09 2025
Blue
Joni Mitchell
I didn't engage with this as much as I hoped I would, it wasn't bad, but it just didn't pull me in enough
3
Sep 11 2025
The Coral
The Coral
The first 4 tracks are tremendous, rip-roaring, riotous, joyful. 5*
Then Simon Diamond comes in with inane lyrics and it's a bunch of mediocare fare after that.
As an overall album it probably only deserves a 2
3
Sep 12 2025
Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
I just don't get it
I think the childlike voice is the most grating
2
Sep 15 2025
Permission to Land
The Darkness
It's a pastiche
Starts off at 11, seems to be front loaded with all the singles (i.e.the sings i recognise without checking their discography) and calms down a bit in the 2nd half
Enjoyable if you don't take it too seriously
3
Sep 16 2025
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
From the first note of track 1 this album sets out its stall. It feels like it was written for stadium rock, which is exactly what Muse were doing at the time & as a reminder of those experiences watching them lie it probably adds a bonus star to what an objective listener might have rated it.
5
Sep 17 2025
Electric
The Cult
Didn't do too much for me, but maybe if I'd grown up listening to it it would have been different
3
Sep 19 2025
Shaft
Isaac Hayes
Some good tracks, but a lot of filler, probably inevitable as a soundtrack tge instrumental tracks probably worl great in the film, but don't work in the context of a standalone album
3
Sep 22 2025
Forever Changes
Love
Just a bit bland and inconsequential
2
Sep 23 2025
Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
This was a surprise, not really knowing the stones back catalogue it was much more folk than I expected.
4
Sep 24 2025
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
The head is nodding along, this gallops along off the back of some tight beats & vocals floating over the top
4
Sep 25 2025
Group Sex
Circle Jerks
Adopt old man pose: it's just too shouty
2
Sep 26 2025
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Loved the story telling of the album, took a couple of listens to get into & not let it float by in the background
4
Sep 28 2025
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
It's a cool, laid back album but not quite enough for me to put it onto a regular cycle
3
Sep 30 2025
Brothers
The Black Keys
It's funky, and unmistakenly the Black Keys within a few notes of the first track.
There's a swagger and a positively that exudes from the speakers and infects the listener.
4
Oct 02 2025
American Beauty
Grateful Dead
Whildt i enjoyed the more up tempo tracks, but other times it meandered and I've never been a fan of the Hammond organ
2
Oct 05 2025
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Pink Floyd
This was fine, but not memorable enough to really have much to.say about it
3
Oct 06 2025
The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
A funky bassline and some joyful vocals
3
Oct 07 2025
In Utero
Nirvana
Haven't heard this album for years & Coming back to it there is a bit much screaming to love it as a whole album. But the more accessible tracks, e.g. Dumb, All apologies make me want to rate it higher
3
Oct 08 2025
Hotel California
Eagles
Some stone cold classics that don't miss a beat
5