1001 Albums Summary

Few redeeming features here. Meaningless songs, uninteresting guitar. Finished the album with a flute FFS.

Thankfully not too much of his cheesy shit on this one

Superb. Still superb.

Normally hate a theme album but this is very well put together. Some cracking tunes but as always with Green Day a bit overblown

Three very good and well known singles here (3 is the magic number, Eye Know and Me, Myself and I) but the rest of the album is poor

Happy Dad memories

Absolute French art school nonsense

Beatles rip off in places. Less cringe than some of their stuff but overall not too bad.

CLOLassic

Too much trumpet

A challenging listen. Not terrible

Still great

Decent drum n bass, not too heavy, listenable

Crap 80s soul

Classic 60s guitar wankery

No no no. NO

Superb this. Only knew 2 songs but whole album very good

Quite enjoyable, a little self indulgent in places

Uninteresting prog

A classic but a little cheesier than I remembered

Trying a bit hard with the folky sing alongs. Ok in places

Awful bland soul

Some weird rambling stories but generally very good

The shittest kind of rap. Just samples heavily looped with unimaginative talking and random sound effects. There’s so much original hip hop on the list, this is not that

Not on Spotify. Not interested.

Over rated. Boring songs, very samey, annoying crowd interaction

Wall of noise. Not very tuneful

Classic blues

Very good. Such a unique voice. Couple of belters on here and no bad ones

Quite enjoyed this although lacking in the well known ones. Love this version of lilac wine (better than Buckley)

Nice!

First listen to a full Specials album - outstanding. Great fun.

Trying so hard to recreate Beatles magic. Fails

Average and samey

A real surprise. Very influential

Never heard of the band or any of these songs. Very average 60s guitar

Knew more than I expected. Genre busting

Probably a classic of the blues genre but not really my bag

Would have liked to be there

Still a bit annoying

Some classics on here

Some classics on here but album ruined by self indulgent no sense

Overly weird for the sake of it. Ok when he sings like a norm

The ska filler tracks can do one. Bit disappointed by this really as the singles are clearly classics

Assuming this is the 1979 album it’s not on Spotify and hard to track down. Not for me this. Very chilled and laid back and she has quite the voice, but it’s all a bit cheesy and all over the place.

Great apart from the random 10 minute chanting track

I’ve gone through a good chunk of life actively not listening to Adele. Lovely voice yes but this first ever listen to ‘21’ confirmed my suspicions of an overly produced faux sentimental pop creation with next to no originality. The cover of my favourite Cure song really pissed me off.

Much better than I expected

Didn’t know any of these songs, but very decent album

Very very flamingo

Decent blues. Not sure a live album should really make the cut for this list

Never heard of this lot. Vocals a bit FNM. Guitars more hair metal

There is too much Bruce on this list but this one is hard to argue with. I’m On Fire immediately puts it into classic territory. Enough other bangers too even if some is overplayed and his fans are all weirdos

Annoying vocals. Bit bland. A couple of tunes stand out though

Very laid back and mellow, a little dull in places

First half repetitive trumpet. Second half repetitive miserable ballads

Repetitive chanting nonsense

Not even in Beck’s top 1001 albums

Surprised this made the cut. Nothing memorable here

Very non offensive

Nice!

Surprised this was controversial. Just afrobeat jazz

Camp and overblown

Didn’t recognise much of this but very decent

Definitely U2 at their most credible

One of the weaker jazz albums on here. Quirky vocals, derivative music

Yeah still as annoying as I remember

A bit bland and generic

Classic

Would be best album of all time if Yellow Submarine wasn’t on there

Very disappointing. Just ambient noise in places

80s tastic

Don’t know any of these songs but really like it. Can see where Gang of Youths got their inspiration

A mixed bag. Would listen again (and need to)

Good guitarist but the funk puns are beyond tiring

Superb, their best output by a long way

Rubbish

Absolute filth

His voice grates on me across a full album. Also some of the tunes way too whimsy. Having said that, have to recognise him as a pioneer of the style and there are a couple of amazing tracks on this one

Patchy. In no way a classic. Bad singer

One of my favourites. Works together seamlessly, part seedy part uplifting.

Classic blues

Awful tuneless nonsense

Not good. Generic slimy RnB

Really great, much more mature sound than earlier stuff, lots of classics on here

All good

Annoying distorted crap

A bit bland by their standards

This is more highly thought of than it should be purely down to timing

Dull generic soul/pop

Hair

Some classic big hit pop singles. And some less classic filler

Decent. Voice can get a bit annoying

Never heard of band or album. Quite good in a very early 90s way

I’m sure it was innovative at the time but just sounds a bit repetitive to me - the same heavy guitar riff and drums for an hour

80s classic. A bit weird outside of the well known ones

Great mix of rock, blues and country

First time I’ve heard this - unsure how/why because it’s right up my street

Very good! Had no idea they were a credible rock band, I assumed it was parody

Brilliant

A classic, albeit with a couple of weak ones which stop it being a 5

Amazing, created a whole genre

Feared the worst from the title and album cover. But actually pretty good. Much better than their other one on here that was just puns on the word funk.

Random collection of noises and some shouty rap

Had to hunt for this, shouldn’t have bothered. Ancient German songs sung in English by a woman with a horrible voice.

Jazz. Didn’t strike me as particularly special or groundbreaking

A bit weirder than I remember

Some sort of classical/prog crossover. Bit weird. Not sure why the crowd goes so bananas

Difficult listen in many ways but still genius

Less high profile than Beach Boys but a very similar sound. Very catchy in places

Not really my thing but gets a 3 for being the original thrashy punk album that has been copied thousands of times through four decades

I guess they need to pander to the country music religious nut jobs and include something like this in the list

Actually painful to listen to. The worst kind of R&B/soul. Awful

Pandering to the country music weirdos

So pleased this on here. An under rated gem

I don’t get it. African chanting, he doesn’t have a good voice and there is no musical ability demonstrated. A real slog

Unsure how this made the cut. Fine but hardly ground breaking

Quite enjoyable though does get a bit repetitive

A bit unnecessary in places but some moments of genius

Never heard of them but quite like it. Shades of Jurassic 5 and FLC

Good listen. He’s less of a weirdo on full albums than I expected

Background music in a Middle Eastern restaurant. Rubbish.

Boooooooooooring. But inoffensive

Solid 70s guitar.

One of the more tolerable gangster albums, don’t mind his rapping style at all. Gets a bit repetitive though

Think the 90s might be taking the lead

Less well known and less obvious than some of their others. A great listen

One trick ponies. Every song sounds the same. Disappointing

Absolute belter of an album

One of at least 3 five star albums by The Clash

Way too many sax solos and overblown gospel choruses. Not one of his best

Knowing this shit headlined Glasto makes me very sad

A couple of odd tracks but generally pretty good

Decent 80s electro

Fine, nothing really stands out but quite pleasant

Almost a 5/5 but nothing else on here is as amazing as the killing moon

Very good, worthy of a place on the list although it’s not a 5 star in my eyes

Cheesy naff disco. Not for me

Never seen the appeal. Annoying voice, bland pop tunes

Decent late stage Britpop

Bit of a mixed bag. Some pop naff in there. Sledge Hammer holds the whole thing up

Lovely. Just lovely.

Decent, less batshit than I expected. Psycho Killer easily the standout

Pleasant 70s soul. Summer breeze obvs a fine tune

1967! Wow. A good listen. Had no idea this was nearly 60 years old

Perfectly pleasant. A must-listen? Absolutely not.

Absolute classic, never gets tired

Pop garbage

Pretty average by his very high standards

Better than the usual wannabe gangster shit from Wu-Tang but having said that I’m never going to play this again.

Pretty generic guitar wibbling. No standouts on this album

Awful lounge easy listening jazz rubbish

Did this entire genre get killed by Will Smith? I quite enjoyed it but every track just sounds a little like Gettin Jiggy Wit It

Reasonably pleasant if forgettable

Better than I remember. Should have got into this more at the time

Should have include Chocolate Salty Balls on this one

Hard to categorise this. A bit folky a bit rocky a bit bluesy. Nicely different

No idea how this band passed me by at the time. It is fairly forgettable I guess so maybe they just disappeared from my memory

Some classics on here. Goes a bit experimental and almost improv sounding with the beastie boys rip offs

The way to get on this list is clearly to be wildly eclectic and a little batshit

Very good, a little experimental at the end but enjoyed the listen

Not unpleasant. Bit samey

Prefer the Futureheads

Really repetitive and simple reggae. Bob Marley this is not.

Definitely at the cheesier end of the beach boys spectrum.

I’ve never given The Who the time they clearly deserve. This is an excellent, brilliantly structured album.

Unfairly lumped in with landfill indie. This is a great album

Predictable and basic country music for idiots

Lyrics written by a small child. Sounds like a parody of wigout guitar music. Almost spinal tap in places

Absolute classic, not a bad song on here.

Don’t like the singers voice. Weird musical mix of country and punk. Different

The two singles still brilliant but let down by the rest of the album

A bit overplayed but no denying it’s a classic

One of a kind. Very original and never been copied.

Never heard any of this before but really rate it. Great guitar as well as the obvious songwriting and singing talent

Decent in places but generally a bit bizarre and experimental for me

Don’t get the hype. Fine easy listening fare

Never heard any of this before but very good and clearly very influential as I could hear lots of others bands in this.

Probably their finest moment

Slightly tedious jazz

Boring trippy ambient nonsense

Never heard any of these before but solid album

Bland predictable French pop

Maybe it’s just too overplayed but this felt very repetitive

Bizarre, so bizarre. But enjoyable throughout and discovering a Minha Menina is the highlight of this whole exercise

Every song was either Barry Norman or The Naked Gun. Pleasant

Always have been a one-trick parody band.

I guess it’s more positive than gangster shit. Catchy in places, downright cringey in others

Red alert is still a tune but the rest of the album is largely random noises

Quirky and very strange in places, like a lot of this list! Decent but I do prefer their later stuff

Pretty basic soul

Wow, worse than I ever imagined. A real slog to get through this cheesy overblown nonsense

Trying to be funny/clever but it’s just annoying. No decent tunes on this one either to make up for it

Never played this in full before - yet overly familiar. Very good

Certainly more of an acquired taste than their other albums but still a classic

Hated this at the time. It’s better with hindsight but still a bit annoying, the concept is shit and so is her voice.

Intense death metal. Won’t be listening again

Nearly gave it a 4 because of “Oh Yoko” but I’m feeling generous as he got shot

Pretty bland generic punk

Classic blues. Decent listen but can’t believe it blows anyone away

Better than expectations, enjoyed this

Love it. Entertaining, silly, and musically brilliant in places

Good housey dance

Need to be in the right mood for this. Which I was. Perfect Boxing Day morning music

Have loved this album for over 30 years now

Enjoyed this a surprising amount. Makes sense he went into act as all of this feels very performative, but entertaining if you don’t take it seriously. Enjoyed the hardcore crossover and am now listening to Body Count

Didn’t enjoy as much as Pretzel Logic. The only one I recognised was because it was sampled by De La Soul!

This is forgettable I ended up playing it twice to come up with a review. Still can’t remember anything about it. So bland.

Definitely “out there”. Psychedelic stuff. Flat out weird in places

His voice still grates but have to admit the quality of this album. Paradise City waaaaay too overplayed but there were better tracks on here I’ve not heard before.

Instrumental 70s soundtrack stuff

This lot have passed me by, never heard of them, but really like. The first Aussie punks apparently

Classical. Real mix of instruments but not my bag at all, very boring and a slog to get through

Assume this is so hyped because it was controversial. Musically it’s very samey, they manage to rip off themselves three times on one album. Tiresome.

Classic old school R&B/soul with elements of late 60s wigout guitar

Decent background music, nothing groundbreaking

No idea how this made the cut. It’s fairly predictable pop

More recognisable than I expected. Pleasant and easy listening

Not as cringe as I expected. Should give them more credit

Drum and bass gets a bit tiring. Hard to listen to the full thing

Improves with every listen and always has done

Clearly of the Hendrix era. Had no idea he used Rod Stewart for vocals. Good guitar, lyrics appalling and no standout tracks.

Another good Byrds album - could have done without the psych instrumental at the end. Obviously taking the same stuff as The Beatles by this stage.

Not on Spotify. The few tracks I could locate were terrible

Decent. All sounds bit like Blueberry Hill

This is strange. I’ve never heard of her, the album doesn’t have a wiki page and it barely gets a passing mention on the artist’s page. How did it make this list? It’s actually a pretty good electro/indie/folk album but nothing groundbreaking so it’s just a weird inclusion.

Excellent album, nothing too clever just simple punky rock and roll

Wow they were horny. Such cringey lyrics compared to later stuff. But still, some classics on here, and the covers are fun.

Haven’t played this in years. Still love it. The wigout at the end a little unnecessary but doesn’t detract from a 5 star rating

This is a surprising ride. Vocals sound very very Bowie (from a pre Bowie era) and the songwriting goes Elton John like at points. Need to re-listen. Scoring a 4 as I suspect this was very innovative and influenced a lot of artists who went on to be much bigger than they were.

Decent 60s rock and roll blues, this album feels a little cobbled together after the event

Backs up what I’ve always thought of them. Great in places but generally a bit repetitive and unnecessary. There’s a decent 45 minute album in here somewhere

Everything about this album is just horrible. Her voice - horrible. The grating sound effects - horrible. The lyrics - horrible. Awful awful stuff.

Fairly pleasant. Reminded me of Belle & Sebastian in places.

An album I know so well it feels like cheating. Great to see them have their renaissance in 2025 and gain a whole generation of new fans.

There is *a lot* of Neil Young on this list. This one is probably the pick. A very solid 10 track 37 minute conventional album with some of his best work on here. Old Man, Heart of Gold and Harvest the picks.

Ummm… clearly innovative and well composed/produced. But it’s very deliberately background music. Only really needs to be played at Zen yoga retreats or old peoples’ homes. Don’t really think it would work at the airport!

Fantastic album - some of their standout tracks on here, has to be their finest moment. Love the country version of Honky Tonk Women. Gimme Shelter and You Can’t Always Get What You Want probably in the top 5 Stones tracks and they neatly bookend this fabulous album.

I need to listen to this more. Great album from start to finish.

My contrarian nature meant I largely avoided this at the time as it seemed like a hipster fad with no musical merit. Happy to admit I was wrong. She has a uniquely powerful voice, and this album is full of well written, Motown inspired modern-day anthems.

Sunshine superman is a fun song but it’s the only standout. The rest fairly dull folk music. Unlikely to play again

Very good album, not immediately obvious but helped define a genre

He really has an incredible and unique voice. Some of the songs though… seriously depressing. Album goes on a bit.

Have always loved this album. Short, sharp tunes, well constructed album. Five stars all day

Think I prefer El Camino. Not quite sure this is groundbreaking. Don’t accidentally listen to the remastered version, it has some rubbish at the end.

Some classics on here yes, but everyone seems to ignore the pop filler crap, see “I know but I don’t know” and “I’m gonna love you too”. Probably won’t play this in its entirety again.

Very very average.

Without doubt a pioneer of shoegaze and some great tracks on here especially Vapour Trail. However shoegaze always comes back to the same problem… it all sounds a little samey

Whole album seems to revolve around what a prick he is. Deeply unpleasant listen. And such a whiny rap voice. Amazed people like this

The screaming crowd is really annoying. Don’t get why it needs to be a live album for this list, JB recorded enough classic stuff in his time. Takes it down from a 4/5 to a 3

Well I would certainly have died without hearing this if it wasn’t for this list. Once is probably enough though. Mad samba.

A bit lighter and poppier than the first album, a nice progression and set the scene for their eventual direction into pure pop. Album is littered with ‘singles’ and no real filler.

So many tracks, most of which sound exactly the same. The most harmless of background music

Completely passed me by at the time so I’m glad the list has helped me find this band. Sounds like bridge the gap nicely between the shoegazey stuff of the early 90s and Britpop

Loved this album when it came out, as did most people - a real genre cross over which seemed to hit the mark commercially. Quite surprising now playing it back.

Normally roll my eyes at a covers album. But he has such a unique voice and style this is a fascinating listen. Such a diverse range of genres he’s able to cover and make into his own.

Origin: US. Genre: World. Even the people who compile this list can’t be bothered to do any research on it or categorise it properly, because it’s so utterly dull and repetitive

The most average of all the average albums on this list

Why can’t all terrible punk albums be only 15 minutes long, would make this list much more tolerable

It seems every Bruce album gets added to this automatically. This is not one of his best. Sounds designed for an acoustic show, very slow and not very memorable.

Bit weird. Is this jazz? Felt like jazz in places. Gilded Splinters is a great tune and leaves me feeling a strong 2, where for much of this album it was a weak 1.

Far more folk than I expected. A bit cringe in places but fine to listen to

As a devout avoider of pop music, I was shocked how much of ‘21’ I recognised and didn’t hate. Can’t say the same here. A load of poorly written depressing dirges and nothing recognisable. I’ll give it a 2 because I can’t deny she has a great voice but the song writing (whoever does it) fell off a cliff for this one.

Commercial folk, who knew that could be a thing. I should hate this but never have, and was a nice blast from the past.

I wish they had selected fewer ambient works for this album. Goes on far too long. No obvious flow, which was always gonna happen with this kind of project. Weird inclusion on the list.

A bit chaotic, random mix of styles and structures. At least a quarter of the 22 (!) tracks sound like demos that add nothing to the album

I knew this was prog rock so feared the worse. However I was pleasantly surprised and at one point halfway through track 3 I was considering that this might be a 4/5. They immediately sensed this and went into a 7 minute interlude of nothing but random percussion. Literally. I’m imagining some stoned guy in the studio very deliberately tinging a triangle every 39 seconds or so. This kind of nonsense is what ruins prog. Ended up a nailed on 2/5, I would happily listen to tracks 1 and 2 again but the rest is pretentious nonsense.

Decent 70s guitar, enjoyable. Didn’t last long in the memory though

Fairly pleasant but nothing groundbreaking- once again seems to be on the list for his reputation only

Very short album of simple country ballads. Probably not one for Dolly fans who only know her pop stuff. Pleasant enough but like much of the (many) county albums on this list, it just doesn’t stand out

Can’t believe how many people think this is the best Beatles album. Too much novelty shit like When I’m 64 and Good Morning Good Morning. Does however say a lot for The Beatles that this is only their 5th best album and it still scores a 4/5

36 minutes of noisy chaos

Fairly generic 60s folk-rock guitar. Presumably innovative at the time because of random additions like pan pipe and organ on most tracks. Didn’t do it for me.

Country singer doing covers, perfectly pleasant and all that but seriously how did this sell so many copies? It’s just the pop effect of people buying familiarity. Nothing remotely clever or original about this.

Quite nice hearing Queen stuff that hasn’t been massacred to death by radio and the mass market. Far more grown up album than the novelty shite they became famous for.

Can’t believe this is 8 years old. I remember it getting some votes in the end of year polls and thinking “I really should listen to that again” but not sure I ever did. Really good album

Pleasant but unmemorable compared to the CSNY stuff which has some classics

Every song is a variation of 12 bar blues and a little predicable, but it was the 50s so we’ll give him some leeway. Fantastic tunes and incredible voice. Loads of fun.

Too associated with that Christmas nonsense. Every song sounds like it. Noddy Bellend.

I find it hard to take seriously any band that perform in fancy dress and have “trademark” moves. But I had to admit there are some bangers on here

I’m a little cynical of EVERY Bruce album making this list, but this one is actually very good. Might have been a 4 if it wasn’t the third Bruce album I’ve had on here in the space of 20 days

Absolutely awful. Terrible voice, boring songs, horrific random flute throughout. Worst album on this list so far

There are so many similar sounding punk albums from the 70s and 80s they can’t ALL be innovative. This one has little in the way of memorable or redeeming features.

Disco but totally unmemorable. Nothing fun or pop about this.

Why a live album?? Seems they have a big back catalogue and some good tunes. Were they just bad at albums? Crowd noise and inane chat between songs is just annoying, not endearing.

Quite pleasant jazz. Have obviously heard ‘Take Five’ many times but never knew who it was by or that it was from the 1950s. Would happily play again, more as background music so can’t score more generously than a 3

One of my favourites. Looking forward to reading reviews from Americans saying “who the hell is this band”. Still love every track here especially Pounding.

Glad this made it on here as it’s often overlooked in favour of bigger more commercial Foo Fighters albums. Incredible really that Grohl created a unique and distinctive style for the band on this album which persists to this day.

Some black jazz! Makes a change from your Getzs and your Brubecks. Enjoyed this, not usually my thing but this was pretty mellow and accessible.

Someone needs to walk me through how the hell this ended up on the list. It has one stand out moment that everyone knows, ‘holding back the years’ is a great song and showcases an admittedly great voice. But the rest is utter pap. The cover of ‘Heaven’ is laughably bad. The vocals on ‘Jericho’ and ‘Moneys Too Tight To Mention’ are painful and gimmicky. This needs immediate deletion from this list.

Never heard this before other than the title track, which bears no resemblance to the rest of it. Feels like a 70s psychedelic album with the occasional vocals of Bowie which sound almost sampled, like he wasn’t really part of it. Album tails off into literally nothingness towards the end.

Well this was a wild Tuesday morning commute. Absolutely bonkers, more so than any Zappa or Beefheart stuff. Frequently descends into sped up samples of random talking. May have been inspiration for the Chipmunks. Too surreal for me I’m afraid.

Such a unique and distinctive voice. Possibly a bit too much on this album, think it would have been more engaging if stripped down to 12-13 tracks. The original Downtown Train is a classic.

And so it goes that every member of Wu-Tang must have a solo album on the 1001 albums list. Unsure why. Nothing of interest to hear on this.

I’m not normally fan of live album on here, but this is one of a kind. Incredible performance. Brilliantly thought out covers alongside Nirvana classics reimagined for an acoustic show.

One of my all time favourites and album I was glued to in 1998. First listen for a while, appreciated the lyrics and themes much more nearly 30 years later. Highly emotional music charged with more energy than any other album I can remember from the 90s. Brilliant.

Utterly pointless live submission to the list. There is nothing about this lot as performers that warrants a live album here, and the songs themselves were very generic.

Didn’t expect jazz for some reason. Quite enjoyed this. Authentic, no bullshit classic jazz.

Not what I expected at all. Very, um, “eclectic”. An interesting listen.

Much better than I remembered. It’s still their simple early stuff and the lyrics are seriously cringey, but wow they could write. Just a great fun listen.

Don’t think I’ve ever listened to this. Really good. I was coloured by “Let England Shake” which I really don’t rate at all. This one really demonstrates her unique voice and writing style.

Can’t believe this exercise is turning me into a Steely Dan fan. Loved this. Recognised much more than I expected and will play again for sure.

I enjoyed reading about this album more than I did listening to it. Had no idea about this part of the Clapton history. Cheeky sod stealing George Harrison’s wife!

First time I’ve played this in full, don’t know why but I always assumed I’d dislike it. Her voice has annoyed me in the past. BUT, very good, once again I’ve been proved wrong by the list.

Weirdly I quite like the way this threatens to be a house/drum and bass album in places but never quite gets there. Can see why they became easy pickings for DJs to turn their songs into dancey classics.

Spotify has just done its annoying thing of starting an album over again once it’s reached the end. Fuck it, this is getting a second whirl. Never gave this the time or respect it deserved when it came out. Violet is one of the best songs of the grunge era.

File under “easy listening”. Absolutely fine. Standout is obviously “All I Wanna Do” but I still think that’s only because of the hook she nicked off Stealers Wheel

Surprised I seemed to know every song on this album. Then I remembered - I really liked them until I went into a tent at Reading Festival with a shocking hangover. They were playing and nearly sent to me into a lethargy coma. Haven’t thought about them or played the album since. Enjoyed it so my tip is play the album only when you’re in the right mood and don’t ever go to see them live.

I like the way this flowed, like an actual DJ set with the tracks mixing and callbacks to songs within songs. Far less pop/commercial than I expected, given like most people I only knew “back to life”.

Decent electro, quite enjoyed this but probably more as a background thing

Predictable and repetitive country nonsense. Going for the nursery rhyme approach of repeated lyrics and childish hooks, which is presumably why many of these songs became famous despite their dire simplicity.

Absolute cliche redneck cowboy rock and roll

There isn’t too much out-and-out pop cack on this list, but this definitely falls into that category. Not sure what the critics are thinking with this one.

Can’t believe he’s on the list again. This is exactly the same as his previous album. Tedious, dreary, gay opera.

Never heard this before but really enjoyed it. I loved a bit of doom in the late 90s and can see how this inspired bands like Paradise Lost, Anathema etc

Darker and deeper, what a unique voice. Quite enjoyed this although with that voice a whole album does tend to blur into one a little as there’s not much, shall we say, “range”.

Can’t wait for the reviews of this one that will entirely be based on Coldplay becoming unfathomably massive. There is plenty to criticise about their later career but this stands up as a fantastic debut album. Haven’t revisited this in years so thoroughly enjoyed it

One for fans of guitar wankery. Imagine a lot of drugs were consumed at these gigs as people stoned out of their mind vibe to yet another seven minute wigout. Sounds pretty awesome to be fair. As a non stoner listening at home while working on a spreadsheet - didn’t quite hit the spot.

Really generic country album. Didn’t hate it, but it didn’t have any standout qualities. Pandering to an American audience here with this inclusion

Really enjoyed this, I kind of wrote off this scene at the time, but this has stood the test of time well.

Nothing really stood out on here. Always thought Pretty in Pink was a bit cheesy. The rest on here just sound like inferior versions of the same thing

I wasn’t looking forward to this, given how much I hate Love Shack. Delighted to see this pre-dates that particular atrocity by a decade. Perhaps the B52s were less annoying in the 70s? Man I couldn’t be more wrong. 39 minutes of deliberately “wacky” nonsense and *really* annoying vocals from the front duo. This lot are the musical equivalent of the Fast Show’s Colin Hunt, the boring guy in the office that puts on a wacky wig and tells everyone “I’m bonkers, me”. Just look at that cover image for proof - have you ever seen a more punchable collection of individuals on an album sleeve? Absolute dross, down there with the worst I’ve heard on this list so far.

Now I’m not really a gangster rap guy, and find most of the entries of this list (Wu-tang and its various derivatives) actively painful to listen to. Although BIG shares the same predictable themes in his lyrics, there’s something I actually enjoy about his raping style. This album is also far more musically coherent than its peers and borrows from multiple genres to make actual, you know, songs. Biggest problem with this album is the over-use of “interludes”, usually spoken word samples. This album opens with a couple screaming and swearing at each other, and also features the full audio track to Biggie getting noshed off. I really don’t want to hear any of that ever again.

Took two listens to get into this. Didn’t know anything from it previously. I like the RATM style guitars in places but otherwise softer tone. Singer a little gruff/shouty but well suited to the style. Will defo play again

Can’t believe this sappy pop nonsense made it on here. Bollocks.

If I ever get captured at war and subjected to intensive interrogation techniques, I’d quite enjoy the default playlist of continuous, extremely loud death metal. If however, my captors put headphones on me and played 10 minutes of this album, I’d tell them ANYTHING. And I mean anything.

A double album rock opera would normally fill me with dread, but this is really good. A little pretentious without going full blown wanky. It has a song as good as Comfortably Numb buried halfway into disc two, for that alone it needs to be a 5/5. The rest is bloody good too.

About as twee as I expected. Songs for mums

After discovering the brilliant ‘Live Through This’ on this list, I was actually disappointed to see this also on here. This is the Hole I already knew - the overly produced and much more commercial, watered down version. The early 90s rough and ready grungey stuff is just infinitely better. If Celebrity Skin had come up first it might have scraped a 3 because there is nothing *bad* about it. But now I’m all in on grungey Hole this just sounds like pop music in context.

Just the best album for a holiday road trip. Will always remind of California holiday 2012. So for personal reasons it’s a vibe based 5/5 for me

Overly long songs, a couple are quite pleasant but it’s generally a bit dull and meandering.

Well this is an eclectic mix. Obviously knew he did “without you” but wasn’t expecting the limey coconut one right after. Very random compilation of styles. Quite enjoyable if a bit bizarre

Thought this would be a nailed on 5/5 as I loved this album while I was at Uni. Playing it back now, it’s just a lot more… puerile than I remember. Still a lot to love, but I’d forgotten stuff like “Sir Psycho Sexy” which is just pure cringe. Makes sense than I loved it in my 20s I guess.

Good upbeat soul album, I’m never gonna love this kind of thing but it’s harmless and fun in places.

Technically a very good album, although lacking in any real character. I always enjoy Sonic Youth without ever properly *loving* them. Can’t go lower than a 4/5 but it’s at the very bottom of the 4 range for me.

I’ve already sat through one Johnny Cash live in a prison album from this list, how did this make it as well? This one is arguably worse. His “banter” with the inmates is just terrible, but they’ve included all the cringey cheers and shout outs from the crowd on the record which makes it the worst type of live album. Some really bad songs on this too.

I expected to enjoy this as I like the Byrds and most of the Crosby Still & Nash stuff. But it didn’t do it for me as an album. Clearly in a phase of trying to sound like The Beatles, but with too much filler. Not least the appalling cover of We’ll Meet Again. The title track is of course a classic though, now *that’s* how you do somebody else’s song.

I think in hindsight I might prefer this to Urban Hymns, although I would never have said that back in the 90s. Maybe UH was just over played. A Northern Soul has some really beautiful songs on it, some powerful shoegazey guitar and none of the over commercial cheese of songs like Sonnet or Bittersweet Symphony.

I think I really like early Stones! Enjoyed this a lot. Nothing on here too commercial or over played. Feels like this marks the transition from a Beatles copycat to a proper band with their own style and image.

This is exactly what I thought jazz was before starting this 1001 list. Chaotic, improvised, overly long nonsense listened to by pretentious idiots. There’s been enough quality jazz on here to change my mind, before Miles comes along with a 90 minute, 7 track, make-it-up-as-you-go-along pile of jazz wank. Awful.

Sums up the 70s. Trying to invent new genres, mostly drug fuelled, and 90% if it not really hitting the mark. Fairly easy listening and blissfully short by 70s prog standards, but I won’t be playing again.

Enjoyed this far more than expected. Less annoying/cheesy that his really famous stuff. Good mix of styles and genres. The most surprising 4/5 on the list yet

Pleasant jazz. Sort of thing I’d be quite happy to hear played live in a bar and would politely applaud after each track. Would I think to myself “wow everyone has to hear this before they die!”? Well no. Absolutely not.

I don’t mind a bit of electro, and ambient music has its place. However… this appears to be ambient electro but written in the most annoying way possible. Repetitive, irritating samples. Out of time and off kilter beats. I don’t get the appeal at all. This was not a relaxing commute.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Man Machine when it appeared elsewhere on the list. This one - not so much. Very very repetitive and lacking in the catchy hooks. Annoyingly bad in places.

Thought this might be interesting, knowing the name but very little about her music. I was wrong. Fairly awful show-tunes seemingly 1920s inspired, with no ounce of charisma or personality.

Ok I’m not sure who I thought Fiona Apple was, but I was wrong. I expected out and out pop. Instead I got some Tori Amos like vocals and some well written tunes

Didn’t recognise much of this and it didn’t really stand out to the honest. Faced away into nothing in the second half.

This is hard work I have to say. I generally enjoy the heavier side of the scale but this is right at the upper limit. Would be interested if they had a proper vocalist rather than a shouter, as some of the guitar work is excellent. Can’t be doing with that guy shouting incessantly though.

Enjoyed this, much more upbeat than previous Nick Cave stuff I’d listened to. The double album is a little OTT and the second ‘side’ dragged a little, but would like revisit.

Everything I hear from this band is fine. Just fine. Never disliked a thing by them, never felt compelled to repeat listen any of their stuff.

Delighted but surprised to see this on here. I adore QOTSA (the band) and like this debut album, but I don’t think it comes close in quality to Rated R or Somgs For The Deaf. Will be interested to see if those feature. I guess this did define their sound and was very different from anything else around at the time. A solid 4/5 from me but it’s far less finessed than the others I mentioned and more experimental, verging on guitar wankery at times.

Decent inoffensive house music. A couple of very recognisable dance hits on here. The title track is a bit annoying with the repetitive spoken word sample, seemingly listing pop bands that have nothing to do with rock and roll.

Assume this was riding a Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash based wave of popular country music. Nowhere near as good as either, just constantly doing an impression of them. His nasal vocals reminded me more of the “when I’m cleaning windows” matey.

Call me a heathen, but I’m not a fan of that bit on almost every Bowie album that descends into weirdness and surrealism. So this one was a pleasant surprise, sticking as it does to conventional song and album structures! Includes Jean Genie which is one his finer moments.

What the hell was Madonna thinking on this one. And what the hell are critics thinking including it in this list? Appallingly basic electro effects, no semblance of good songwriting, a woeful cover of a classic. On Nobody’s Perfect her vocals are entirely auto-tuned. Why would someone with a voice as powerful and recognisable as Madonna use auto-tune? To sound like some awful pop wannabe? Truly awful album

The title track is a classic. The rest of the album… a bit samey. We get it George, you’re horny and want to be like Michael Jackson but just a little smoother.

Has Simon & Garfunkel vibes, but far inferior songwriting and much more repetitive. Didn’t do it for me

Much more bluesy than I expected. Pretty good. Didn’t recognise any of songs and none massively stood out but would happily listen again.

Such a distinctive sound, he’s never been the greatest singer but that doesn’t really matter when you have responsibility for continuing the legacy of Joy Division. No huge hits on this one so it was a welcome and refreshing listen.

Absolute tedium. Boring songwriting, boring voice. Nearly gave a 2 because realistically it’s harmless and inoffensive, then I remember this list is supposed to be about innovation. So a 1 it is.

Always found his voice a little twee, that plus songs about robots give a childish impression of The Flaming Lips. But in reality this is a fine album, really well constructed with no hint of filler. Do You realize is one of my favourite tracks from this era

I’d forgotten how much I like pre Sex On Fire KoL. Rough and ready, nonsense lyrics, quick fire rock tunes. Prefer their debut still, but this is very good

I remember NME absolutely loving this album at the time and me not quite getting it. As always with this band it’s really eclectic and does stand out as being different. Enjoyed the re-listen but doubt it’s one I will go back to often

Such a distinctive guitar sound, enjoyed this. Only really knew Sultans of Swing beforehand which is the obvious standout

Enjoyed this in a girly emotional way. Her voice has grown on me and some of these songs are beautifully written. Have to be in the right mood but may well revisit.

A pleasant listen, can’t say much more than that really

In many ways better than gangster rap. Better use of samples, more variety, some interesting takes on genres (most notably the afrobeat sample on Black Skinhead). But I can’t get away from firstly his obvious insane god complex, the fucking dreadful and continuous use of auto-tune throughout the album and the excessive attempts to shock with the language and tone of the lyrics. I toyed with a 2, but only briefly. Hated it.

An all time classic. So much variety on here - so many classics. Morrissey’s finest moment

Found this quite hard work. Vocals pretty annoying. One song where the volume fades up/down gave me a headache

A mixed bag this. The title track is overplayed but admittedly brilliant. The Last Resort is one of my favourite tracks of all time. Also some dross on here. A couple of tracks sounds like they’re straight off a musical soundtrack. Can only give a 3 for the whole thing.

This band have totally passed me by, I’ve literally never heard of them despite listening to a lot of grunge, shoegaze and rock. They appear to be a combination of those three with added prog tendencies (excessively long songs). Interesting to hear but didn’t really blow me away. Reading about the album was more interesting than playing it - not least because it bombed at release, then slowly became a cult classic after they had disbanded.

A dark moody depressing classic! Shadowplay is one of the best tracks of the era. So original at the time and not really been matched since.

First ever listen to Taylor Swift. Wow it’s bland. Very very slow, quite repetitive and unsurprisingly formulaic.

Always found his vocals a little annoying, but it’s the backing vocals on this album that really wound me up. Does he have an aversion to people that can sing? As always the guitar is on point and the tracks are varied, really liked the piano one at the end. Struggling to see where White Stripes stops and solo White starts.

The same as every other gangster rap album (guns, bitches, murdering) but with even more irritating samples

As quirky as expected. Suspect he is a weird guy. Borrows a lot of styles from other bands and puts them together into an eclectic mix that doesn’t really flow on an album. Fine to listen to but not really innovative or interesting.

Gentle 60s folk/country. Not what I expected from the novelty name. Very forgettable musically

A little heavier than some of the other ‘grunge’ of the era, straddles the balance between that and metal quite nicely. Lacking any real bangers from an songwriting standpoint otherwise they could have been huge.

Enjoyed the music, good house with variety throughout the album. However the spoken word samples are beyond irritating. Long irrelevant monologues from some of the worst people the US has to offer. A great album has you going back for multiple listens - why would anyone want to listen to these awful samples more than once? Ruined the album.

Not entirely sure what I just listened to. Some sort of soul/r&b/jazz/pop fusion. Confusing and in no way good.

36 minutes long and some of it was bad. Particularly New York Telephone Conversation and Goodnight Ladies. Both would be filler on a 60 minute album! Includes both the *very* famous tracks which it’s hard to deny are superbly written and performed. Overall an OK listen but I hoped for more when this came up.

Fine folk/rock. Not quite sure how exactly Proud Mary became as massive as it did.

Didn’t know what to expect from this. Wasn’t as out and out pop as I expected, but still very overblown and OTT. First half quite RnB with Amy Winehouse vibes (and she does have a voice to match). Second half more like show tunes, and a bit ridiculous in places. The 5 minutes of fan recordings saying how amazing and inspirational she is can absolutely get in the bin.

One hit wonders have no place on this list. Every song sounded like a worse, less catchy “Don’t You Want Me”, until their one banger comes on last track on the album when you’re utterly sick of pop synth and distorted vocals.

Can’t hear this kind of crooner stuff without thinking of the Family Guy “sounds of the ratpack” sketch. I’m sure “hey there fruity” made the first cut of this album. I know it was “of a time” but the whole thing was just very cringey. Awful awful lyrics generally about loving little girls from what I can gather, I think thankfully that term meant something different in the early 60s.

Ah the Fannies as they are affectionately known. Enjoyed this album, first listen in a few years. Bit of a concoction of shoegaze, slightly twee indie, and Status Quo style rock n roll riffs.