I prefer Five Leaves Left, personally, but this is still Nick Drake and it is beautiful

This is a cultural time-capsule best left buried. Very dull pop that at best boasts some interesting production but little else. The decision to include a dreadful cover of what was already one of the 20th century's most over played songs was a bizarre one. At the end I felt like I required a spiritual cleansing, honestly.

I prefer Five Leaves Left, personally, but this is still Nick Drake and it is beautiful

This was what I pulled the day after Brian Wilson's passing. Appropriate, I suppose. It is not their most Iconic album by a long shot but it is still The Beach Boys and you would have to be pretty cynical not to enjoy it.

At times frightening, funny, intense, and chilled. You can hear its influence in so many later works. Really excellent.

I'm not a live album kind of guy, but this is a rare exception. Bursting with energy and, yes, soul.

This album is a bit of a record collecting cliche, so it's strange that this is my first time sitting down to listen to it in full. It's a solid piece of early 70s soft rock. There are a lot of songs you will recognise. King was clearly a gifted writer. It's got a relaxed vibe, I can imagine lounging about with my partner listening to this on a slow Sunday morning. I have one criticism, that relaxed vibe is just too consistent. By the beginning of side 2 all the songs start to blend together, until Smackwater Jack provides a much needed shot of Energy. Overall I enjoyed it much more than I expected.

On paper I should love Nick Cave, but I just can't. He is "Meh" incarnate. As a friend once said: "Knockoff Tom Waits with 30 year old dating a teenager energy". Here he seems to be mostly doing a Leonard Cohen impression. Except for "There is a kingdom" which is a straight lift of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" that has been somehow rendered dull. (This chord progression appears to form a kind of theme throughout the album, if I am listening correctly.) The album as a whole is not torturous. I can listen to it, I just can't think of any occasion on which I would want to. I would rather just listen to any of its obvious influences.

Some albums manage to sound fresh decades after their initial release. This is not one of them. It's extremely evocative of a specific time and a place, and that can be a great thing if you were there. I was not. It just kind of washed over me I'm afraid. Not awful but I doubt I will ever get around to listening again.

Like most of my generation, my first exposure to Marty Robbins was through the medium of video games. His songs are good fun.

This is another exception to the general rule that I do not like Live albums. It rattles and hums and screams and absolutely blows your head off. I listened to the original release, not the extended versions with all the extra tracks, and what you get there is a perfectly condensed shot of the raw power of The Who in their prime. The hardest, rawest blues rock of this or any era.

I have been a rusty for most of my life, so this is heavily biased. People think of this as a bit of a return to form for Neil (I actually like some of his more experimental 80s albums). It is definitely a return to the straight ahead hard rocking of his late 70s output. Some of his best guitar workouts since "Like a Hurricane". It snarls, growls, and howls. A beautiful and cacophonous mess, exactly how I like it. The energy is really infectious. These are just some old friends jamming in the studio and having a great time with it. I'm taking a start off because I am feeling harsh today and to me, as much as I enjoy it musically, and there aren't any bad songs on it, it doesn't quite hit the lyrical heights you find on something like Rust Never Sleeps, or On The Beach. The standard for Neil is just too high for his own good.

This album was very original in it's time. One of the first meetings of Hip Hop and Rock. Individually a lot of these songs are entertaining and catchy, some of them are great, even, but taken as a whole their is not enough variation. It is relentlessly harsh and brash, too much to listen to all at once, for me.

I enjoyed this a lot. It's hard rocking at times but expansive and ambitious. I'll be listening again.

I'm not much of a hip hop guy, but when I do listen, this is the kind I like. It's cool, and it has a distinct style and something to say. It's laid back enough to have in the background, but the lyrics are rewarding if you want to listen closely. The album art is also some of the best out there.

It's been a long time since I last listened to this. It's not bad. Kind of Acid Jazz, except Zappa hated drugs so not an appropriate descriptor. There's some great musicianship on display, but aside from the standout Willie The Pimp there's not a lot of memorable tunes.

It's like if you asked an AI to write hard rock. Plastic, banal, uninspired.

This was my first time listening to this. At first I wasn't sure I would get over the very 80s sounding production, particularly on the vocals. But after a couple of plays through I quite dig it. I've seen this record described as a cross over between punk and country music, but to my ears it sounds more celtic and folky. Lots of fiddles and not a great deal of Americana on display. More Bluegrass than country, perhaps. The second half is definitely the best. Some great tracks on there. Over all though, it hasn't made me want to immediately grab a copy for my collection, or seek out more Meekons albums. I'd give it a 3.5 if I could. I'm going with a 3. Though it could definitely grow on me with further listens.

Yeah, no thanks. I never liked his voice, or his style. The lyrics are dull, embarrassing even. Maybe the character he is embodying is an accurate depiction of an element of society at the time, but it was never one I could relate to. I remember when "Dry your eyes" was all over the radio and the music channels 20 years ago. I thought then that it was dreary and mawkish, and time has not softened my opinion.

It's one of Paul Simon's best solo efforts with some absolute classics on it. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying "Diamonds On The Souls Of Her Shoes" or "Call Me Al." "The Mississippi Delta was shining like a national guitar I am following the river down the highway through the cradle of the civil war" In my opinion the above is one of the greatest opening couplets of any song ever.

Yeah, it's the Who. Not at the heights of their powers yet, but definitely firing on all cylinders. You can see why they wanted to be known as an R&B rather than Rock and Roll band. Daltrey is doing his best american soul voice. There's some really arresting tracks, the opening of "The Good's Gone" will take a new listener by surprise. I was going to give it a three, just because I am starting to feel like this list could more accurately be called "1001 basic albums for white dudes born in the 20th century" , but I can't. It's that good.

I enjoyed this. It's got an unusual sound for 2009 Indie Rock. Massive, really. It builds up as the album progresses. It's disco-rock at times reminiscent of Blondie. That's good.

"Not sure why this is considered such a classic. It has their one big hit single on it I suppose, but other than that there's not a lot here. There are far better Priest albums to listen to before you die. I suggest starting with Screaming For Vengeance." That was going to be my review, typed out before playing it, being familiar with the band and having heard the album not too long ago. Now though, listening back through it, perhaps I have judged it too harshly. The opening riff of "Metal Gods" is great. Nice solo too. Breaking The Law was their biggest hit for a reason. Grinder also great. United is cheesy in an embarrassing way, rather than a fun way. Almost like something you would hear in the west end. More Queen than Judas Priest. I am not the type of person to skip album tracks, if I am listening, I want to hear the whole thing. This is a track I would definitely skip on my next listen. "Old To Be Wise" didn't make much of an impression on me, but it's saved by a ripper of a solo. Living After Midnight also kinda passed me by. The pseudo reggae intro of The Rage is actually awesome. Its good to hear them trying something different, even if it doesn't entirely come off. Halford's vocals are on point as always. Steeler is a solid closer too. I'm not going to include any "Bonus Tracks", I always try to rate the original release. All in all, a couple of awesome tracks, a few passable if unremarkable ones, and one I don't care to ever hear again. Not quite the dud I remember. I'd still rather listen to "Screaming For Vengeance" though.