Sometimes you can appreciate something for what it is without actually liking it. I knew the singles from this album in advance from my 80's childhood and was aware going in that it wasn't for me, so bright and polished with all rough edges smoothed away. While that's a negative for me it does make for a near perfect pop album which I'm sure will make it a favourite for a lot of people. You can hear the Bowie and Chic influences throughout, both of whom I enjoy more than this. Overall a decent 40+ minutes with strong tunes but not one I'd choose to listen to again.

Sounds like driving round Manchester at night, feels like it perfectly encapsulates a place and a moment in time but still incredibly current.

Feel like I'm throwing around five star reviews like confetti but I couldn't possibly give this album any less. Great from start to finish and I must have listened to it hundreds of times over the years and not got bored.

I love reading the reviews, it amazes me how something that someone loves so dearly can be hated equally by someone else. Such is human nature. Just like the capacity for someone to be a part of something as insightful and beautifully empathetic for human experience as this record but (allegedly) be capable of such ugliness that it's hard to reconcile the two. I love this album for what it meant to me when it was first released and the feelings it brings back when I listen to it now. Life and people seem much more complicated and capable of such extremes than I realised when I first heard this but those contradictions can be ignored for hour or so it takes to listen to this album.

Good singles, a lot of the other songs hold up surprisingly well too. Just falls short of being an all out classic but well worth a listen.

I liked this more than I expected to, the singles stand out as highlights but it falls short of classic status

So far ahead of it's time, side one of the LP is unmatched anywhere in rock for me and it still bears repeat listens.

29 minutes to set a template for the next 50 years of pop punk, for better or worse but this is great dumb fun that's so reductive that it borders in genius.

It's been a while since I last listened to this album and I read some other people's reviews first and saw a lot of negative ones. It made me question my memories of how good RFTC are, but no, this is still great from start to finish. I don't know what the people who didn't like this album were hearing but I feel sorry for their ears if this sounds bad to them.

I always feel like Doves are an autumn band and this album creates a mood that suits the season. I read some other reviews and saw some people say they are boring and there are no stand out songs, I feel like they are more about creating an atmosphere, maybe it helps that I live in the same part of the world but they really capture a sense of time and place with this album.

Love this album, what a band. It has everything going on right from the iconic artwork, a great set of songs which really capture the energy and excitement of Mudhoney at their best.

Feel like I'm giving too many five star reviews but this is one of the best albums of the it's and one of Bob Mould's finest which is a pretty high bar for anyone.

I'm not saying this is a bad album it's just not for me, I tried to listen to it years ago when I read Clinton Heylin's From the Velvets to the Voidoids but I just couldn't get into it and I still feel the same way.

Sounds like driving round Manchester at night, feels like it perfectly encapsulates a place and a moment in time but still incredibly current.

Sometimes you can appreciate something for what it is without actually liking it. I knew the singles from this album in advance from my 80's childhood and was aware going in that it wasn't for me, so bright and polished with all rough edges smoothed away. While that's a negative for me it does make for a near perfect pop album which I'm sure will make it a favourite for a lot of people. You can hear the Bowie and Chic influences throughout, both of whom I enjoy more than this. Overall a decent 40+ minutes with strong tunes but not one I'd choose to listen to again.

I still love the singles that were released from this album but there was more filler than I remember, I like Supergrass as a band and think they have better albums than this, I Should Coco and Road to Rouen all stand out for me.

Doesn't quite hit the mark, a good idea that doesn't quite translate to a full album. Some decent songs but not something that I'd be in a rush to listen to again. I actually bought this album when it came out but I can't remember ever wanting to listen to it.

A total Marmite album, I can see why some people would hate it and there's no denying it's pretentious but it feels real and a genuine reflection of Patti Smith as an artist and a person. I first heard it as a teenager and I was ripe for exactly this at a time in life when everything is heightened and loaded with importance. I

I liked this much more than I expected to, it's a really good collection of songs. It has enough art school touches to keep the sound interesting and fresh combined with strong choruses and lots of memorable moments throughout.

Some nice moments but overall I didn't really care for this. For every part that I enjoyed there was something that I didn't like in equal measure. This band have a unique sound combining elements of music that I generally like, lo-fi, C86 and electronica but it never really comes together. I wouldn't judge everything they've done on this album and I would be inclined to see if I enjoy any of their other albums more than this one. I'm glad this music exists though and I can imagine it's given a lot of people hours of pleasure over the years but it's not one I'll be reaching for again.

First album I heard by the Jam, I got a second hand copy on CD back in the 90s because it was cheap and had That's Entertainment on there. Anyway, I was surprised at the time by how good the rest of the songs were and how different they were to what I was expecting. I love how the Jam were able to update their Mod influences while sounding like nobody but themselves. Paul Weller was really developing as a songwriter at this point and his songs evoke specific feelings which still resonate and keep the songs on here sounding vital.

Wow! That was horrible. I need some Propranolol to calm down. Truly anxiety inducing music. I can appreciate the intent and the execution but it's not for me. The best albums are usually ones that you either love or hate and unfortunately I hate this, it made me feel something but it wasn't anything good.

One of my favourite New Order albums, so many good songs and the influence of acid house on their sound works very well. It sounds fresh and vibrant 35 years later which is a good sign this album will stand the test of time.

Confession time, I've never listened to any of Steve Albini's own bands before despite loving so many bands that he worked with and recorded but now I know I've made a big mistake. This album is excellent and I will be listening to more. It's crunchy and noisy and angry but it's not a difficult listen and I enjoyed it so much more than I expected to.

Feel like I'm throwing around five star reviews like confetti but I couldn't possibly give this album any less. Great from start to finish and I must have listened to it hundreds of times over the years and not got bored.

I need to stop giving albums five stars but today isn't going to be the day that happens. Normally double albums are overlong and strictly for dedicated fans but this is the album where Wilco really came into their own. Nearly 30 years later I still find something new to love about this album when I listen to it.

Good album that reveals it's charms with multiple listens, one that's grown on me over the years.

I love reading the reviews, it amazes me how something that someone loves so dearly can be hated equally by someone else. Such is human nature. Just like the capacity for someone to be a part of something as insightful and beautifully empathetic for human experience as this record but (allegedly) be capable of such ugliness that it's hard to reconcile the two. I love this album for what it meant to me when it was first released and the feelings it brings back when I listen to it now. Life and people seem much more complicated and capable of such extremes than I realised when I first heard this but those contradictions can be ignored for hour or so it takes to listen to this album.

It's ok, I'd happily have this on in the background and it's a relaxing album. I suppose this is one of the first post-club chillout albums and it's alright. Only Love Can Break Your Heart and Nothing Cam Stop Us stand out. Maybe if I'd heard the whole album years ago I would have grown to love it but I don't think it's one I will be coming back to soon.

Took this album for granted for a long time but every song could be a single. Some iconic songs on here and still fresh as when it was released.

Feels like the album dream pop was invented for, hazy and warm, that lovely nostalgic feeling of being safe and secure you get as you're just about to drift off. I have room in my life for this kind of escapism, you can fall deep into the lushness of this record, Victoria Legrands voice is comforting and calm but soulful and understated.

This was my favourite thing in the world when it came out, it's still good but not as great as I thought it was. Solid four stars, they have done better and much worse in the two decades that have passed since this album was released.

Musically out of this world and lyrically humdrum but that only somehow humanises the songs on this album. I love it, one of the best of the 80's NO were on a run of classic albums at this time.

Good stuff, manages to stand out from the crowd of early punk album with memorable tunes and a sound that was their own.

Wow, how have I never listened to this album before? Has that early 90's indie sound with elements of dance, ambient, psych and some nice crunching glam chords thrown in for good measure. Everything great that British guitar music threw up over the preceeding 25 years is here and it's beautiful.

Just read the reviews for this album and the only logical conclusion I can draw based on the evidence is that some people don't deserve ears.

More direct than Lazer Guided Melodies which also came up on this list. Something is definitely going on with this album that I didn't appreciate when it came out. I was only 16 then so maybe having lived a bit in the intervening years has given me a new perspective on things. Emotionally honest raw emotion sweetened by string arrangements and some almost gospel elements.

I wrote about this and then forgot to save it, I haven't forgotten the songs on this album since I first heard it in 1997 and a lot of other music has come and gone since then.

Much better than I expected it to be, there's a lot to enjoy here, I feel like I should have listened to this much sooner, American hardcore punk is a major blindspot for me so I need to correct that

I really enjoy about 70% off this album the rest is not for me, I think it's about 15 minute longer than it needs to me. That's just my opinion and I know some people love it and fair play to them.

Actually brilliant.I was put off this album for years because the reviews were either people saying how awful and amateurish the singing and playing or somehow trying to justify the same things. I should have just listened and not been swayed by anyone else's opinion. They have a sound which is unlike anything, equally influenced by dub and punk it makes for an arresting listen the vocals are unconventional but not hard to enjoy and the musicianship is actually really inventive and interesting. I think this is one album where listening without any preconceived ideas is definitely recommended.

All good, if ever there was a case for not judging an album by it's cover then this is it. At least five of the tracks on this album are all time classics by my estimation and it set the standard for other metal bands to try and match for years to come.

If you fall asleep after Save Me and have a nice nap of around half an hour you can wake up in time to hear Constant Craving. There's a lot for MOR country/pop in between which isn't offensive but didn't grab me either. I feel like this album is tastefully produced but that's not necessarily a good thing, it sounds a bit sterile and formulaic which is a shame because there's no disputing the quality of K.D. Lang's singing voice. I gave the Slits five stars a couple of days ago so for all the people who gave cut 1 or 2 stars this might be what you're looking for.

Bit of a cheat including this album but it was my introduction to the Hives and what a way to say hej! Has it been done before? Yes, of course, but by the early 2000's what hadn't been and more to the point who cares anyway? Rarely has this kind of music been played with such commitment and conviction. Not every band has to be Radiohead or Pink Floyd, the world is a better place to be thanks to existance of bands like Ramones or the Hives who know what they are good at and are happy to be the best at doing it.

I really love this album by the Jam, so 5 stars. I already had Sound Affects(I'm expecting Setting Sons at some point) and I wish that the list had one album by a band and then acknowledged that they have other great albums so that there is move variety on the list. Not really a review of the album just an observation about this challenge.

Surely the best albums are the ones that provoke strong reactions in people when they hear them? I was familiar with his album and it's never been something that I like, I think the vocal style of Liz Fraser is really off putting and I have really tried but it's just not for me. I'm glad that it's so magical for so many people but I'm afraid that I'll never be one of them. Also, I normally love 4AD artwork but I don't even like the album cover.

So bombastic and tied to it's era that it really shouldn't work in 2025 but as if by some magic it transcends what limits the appeal of a lot of mid-80's mainstream pop - the production, the drum sound, the sleeve design

Unashamedly pop music and all the better for it, if anything this list is forcing me to confront my prejudices against 80's pop that was lumped in with 'new wave', it's an enjoyable album, if you give me a.few hours I can think of 1001 that are more essential but not all of them will be as enjoyable and easily digested as this. Extra points for being deceptively funky in ways that no one would expect from looking at the cover.

When I started this challenge I decided to limit the scope to these categories: punk/post punk/new wave/britpop/shoegaze/indie. I like other genres of music but I thought this would help me to avoid things that I have no interest in. I've had a lot of 80's pop (presumably passed off as new wave) but I'm genuinely not sure where this fits with my selection. I'm doing another challenge at the same time which I restricted to country/folk and this album came up there too which makes more sense. I gave it three stars and I stand by that.

Not sure about this being one of the 1001 albums you need to hear before you die. I can think of at least half a dozen Sonic Youth albums that are better and I'm not sure they'd all make the list either.

All of The War On Drugs albums are well worth a listen but this is the one where everything really comes together. The first thing to note is that it's not an album where everything hits at once. These are songs that are long and unhurried, to me it feels like an old fashioned album that rewards repeated listens and grows on you over time. I can see why it isn't for everybody and you have to have the time to really soak it all in. Last thing, this record has the perfect title for what it sounds like.

Glad to get and album I hadn't heard before, I liked the sound of what I'd read before I pressed play but the reality failed to live up to expectations. There's a difference between being (arguably) the first to do something and the best to do it. Yes. No. Yes. Maybe. No. No. Yes. No. Yes. Maybe. 2.5 (rounded up to 3 for innovation).

The first Sonic Youth album I ever bought and I still think it's a good entry point into what they do, it has some of the moments where they came closest to the mainstream (or vice versa), everyone in the band shines on this album. Plus the artwork is iconic.

If you're only ever going to release one album then it helps if it's this good. A lot of people in the reviews are putting this album into a very different context in America to how it's viewed in Britain and it puts me in mind of that old saying about two countries separated by a common language. I know that's an oversimplification but it's an album that's the cornerstone of the UK indie scene so for an Englishman who has lived with this album for such a long time to see the La's described as one hit wonders and sub-Oasis indie that's been overhyped by the music press is hard to reconcile.

Everything comes together. Just too good for mere words to do it justice. Love everything about this album. The perfect album for listening to while walking around after dark in autumn.