The title track is great, and of course everyone knows it (even if they can't immediately recall its name - I couldn't for the longest time). As for the rest of the album though, I imagine discussions in the studio went something along these lines: "Alright, we've got one banger we can market this with. How about we fill the rest of the album with dull as dishwater, lift music-esque covers of rock and roll songs? We can make a killing doing that because who cares? People will lap it up as long as we've got one decent song." "The kids aren't that stupid though, right? Surely we've got a bit more in our locker to make this stand test of time?" "Hmmm fair point. Suppose we could tweak "Green Onions" slightly, slow it down a bit and call it "Mo' Onions" so it sounds like we tried. Then we'll call it a day and lull everyone into submission by just doing whatever the fuck else on the other nine tracks. You with me?" "Yeah I'm down, what about the artwork though?" "On the off chance that any divvies out there will think they've popped into Morrisons instead, we'll make it look like a supermarket advertising hoarding." "Genius! Some random bloke in 40 years will put this on a shrine and deem it worthy of everyone's time".

Very apt album title here which echoes my thoughts on it. It's an inoffensive enough, but wholly unremarkable and attributable to its time moody pop rock / singer songwriter album. She has a good, pleasant voice, and to its credit, in a lyrical sense, this avoids being as sappy as I was worried it could have been. Ultimately though, and maybe I'm just being a miserable bastard of late, but I can't fathom any existence or parallel universe which would necessitate this album's inclusion. At least I've broken away from the one-star rut (briefly? Who knows).

An agreeable enough time. Pub rock not of the leaden variety, but this is unlikely to be one that I'd be itching to return to. A tad rudimentary for me by current standards, and perhaps a bit too carefree and joyful sonically for my largely grubby tastes, although one where I can understand the appeal it would have harboured.

Billed as a "rock opera", I hadn't sat down with this album for a number of years prior to this morning, and it's been a welcome nostalgia trip back towards my preteen and teen days. A bit of an overblown concept tying the album together perhaps, but the songs here are undeniable. I'm still of the opinion that this would only have stood to benefit if "Wake Me Up When September Ends" rounded off the album, but numbers such as the title track and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" have quite rightly earned their status as some of Green Day's most recognisable and widely renowned tracks.

I've quite enjoyed this album as my first exposure to any of the band's material. Its production is a big stand out for me - it boasts definition and provides a rock solid platform for the entrancing, spacious soundscapes which are aplenty here. This is very much a late 90's album in terms of its character and sound, but it translates well into the modern landscape too, with clear nods to shoegaze and hints of garage rock observable alongside the bendy, warpy psych-rock which takes the primary precedence. It's not all drifty here, however, with several tracks unafraid to dial up the energy a bit - notably "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth" and "Cool as Kim Deal". Very keen to dig further into their catalogue going off this evidence.

An enjoyable experience from an artist I've never really checked out in any capacity. This very much has proto-progressive rock tendencies without being clearly identifiable as such, falling into a strange stylistic category of psychedelic pop rock which is that bit more challenging and unconventional than you'd expect. The songs take on a bittersweet, high-key yet bordering on melancholic approach, which is always a welcome juxtaposition. My main criticisms of the album would be that the production is somewhat suspect in patches - the vocals can become a bit scratchy/overbearing in the mix, and it does hit a bit of an impasse in its mid-section - "Student Demonstration Time" is a minor dud with these production issues becoming quite glaring.

This was an absolute joy, and of the albums I've dived into so far, probably the one I'm most likely to want to put on again immediately after the fact. Wonderful folk-soul relatively simple in its arrangements, but this is a shining beacon of strident positivity and wholesomeness. Love the funky bass lines and mischievous piano populated throughout the album, and Joan Armatrading commands such a presence vocally with a real swagger and pomp. There is also bountiful variety in simplicity here as to consistently retain my attention. Can't think of any significant criticisms for this one, it's gone onto my vinyl wishlist.

I am somewhat familiar with Beck, having heard Odelay once or twice (though I can't recall much from it). Everything else he's attested to is new to me, though. I liked a reasonable portion of this - mostly for the trippy/psych pockets it explores, and appreciated the experimentation throughout, but I found it a tad lengthy and perhaps a bit of a struggle to get through in one sitting. I'm a bit unmoved by the vocals, which serve a purpose but don't really capture my imagination. I found my attention drifting a bit towards the middle, and couldn't immediately recall what I'd just heard prior, but "Hell Yes" reeled me back in again as a vastly different hip hop track with a classic 90s feel to it. The production has aged well, too, allowing the dreamy elements of the album to envelop the listener. I'd perhaps chuck this one on again down the line to re-evaluate, though I can't see myself being in any great hurry to do so.

Not quite The Chemical Brothers' strongest offering, but a mightily impressive debut album wherein the group didn't wait around to firmly cast their imprint into the UK electronic music scene, and many acts have since borrowed its nuances, ensuring that it retains a significant legacy befitting of this list. Of their discography, this album does perhaps sound the most applicable to the mid 90s era, with a somewhat dated sheen to it, although not one which compromised my enjoyment whilst revisiting today.

Ahh, the banana album. I'd actually fairly recently revisited this prior to today's undertaking, so it has remained fresh in my mind. Innovative, influential, fearless, unsettling, and weird yet strangely accessible in some respects, it would have been a travesty if this hadn't been an entry of the 1001. This was years ahead of its time, and it still sounds just as vital approaching 60 years later. Nico's contributions to the album only elevate the sense of eeriness and detachment evident throughout, still provoking debate to this day, although for my money they are just as crucial a component of its makeup as any of the unorthodox-of-the-time instrumentation. My Dad was a huge proponent of this album, released during his birth year of 1967, and it was one of the first records he ever purchased alongside the likes of Pink Floyd and Kraftwerk.

Van Halen are one of those bands where I'm familiar with their big singles, but I've never dived into their catalogue to any degree of depth, or had much of an urge to. Well, it would seem as though I've been missing out on such a fun time. In your face, arse-shakingly catchy, serotonin-soaked bangers aren't at a premium here, and whilst the second track "Eruption" could have proved to be a pretentious venture mere minutes into the album's running time if it wasn't as good as it actually is - fortunately, the solo-ing is absurdly good. Very much enjoyed this, and will be back again.

This is a serene, soulful jazz-fusion album, easy on the ears however lacking in the crazy, off-beat twists and turns which define my favourite albums and artists of the genre. It's also pretty damn long at 76 minutes in length, which I'm not entirely sure is fully warranted given what is explored (or not) across its running time. I can sometimes vibe with this sort of stuff, but I wasn't particularly in the mood for over an hour of it today, and I didn't last the course.

An album I'm already quite familiar with, and a listen which brought out all the emotions in me as Japan were one of my Dad's favourite bands. He essentially modelled himself on David Sylvian as a teenager, beyond just the looks. As far as the music goes, this was a notable stylistic shift for Japan in that the album pivots almost entirely away from the glam-post-punk type of sound which defined their earlier era, in favour of a more experimental art-synth pop direction. Japan were often associated with the new wave scene in terms of their aesthetics, broader appeal and links with other acts of the time, although that label doesn't do them anywhere near enough justice, particularly as you approach their last couple of albums. This is a surreal experience with a kind of nocturnal vibe hanging over it, although I'm somewhat surprised to see it in the 1001 over Gentlemen Take Polaroids or Tin Drum, if I'm honest.

It took a little while for this one to fully register with me, and even now, I have to be in a very specific mood to gravitate towards Funeral over other records in my collection (the first 1001 entry I've had which I own on vinyl, as of writing). However, when such an opportunity comes around, this is a sobering listening experience, conceptually focussed on themes of death and the loss of childhood innocence as a result (thanks Wikipedia, I'm not feeling particularly free-thinking this morning). The album encompasses a wide range of emotions which ensue from the grieving process - denial, resentment, acceptance and a sense of emptiness after the fact. Sonically, there is ample variety on offer and there are bountiful layers of depth to unpack - an indie rock album at its core, but with some artsy, chamber-esque nuances accentuating it. Win Butler's swooning, at times warbly vocals initially proved an obstacle in which I had to navigate, but I've since grown to appreciate them as a fine accompaniment to the album, oozing with believability.

I didn't hate this as much as I expected to, but even at only 27 minutes long, it felt like an eternity to get through. I'd like to think my musical palette is fairly diverse, however I have very little time for this type of "bandit country" music. I'm sure this was an important album in some way, shape or form as to find itself on this list (or am I?), but it's just too rudimentary by today's standards.

Not horrendously shite, but not really my thing. Pretty morose stuff in the main, pleasant enough sonically but requires a specific mood. It goes a bit reggae at points, which amounted to the more interesting and uplifting aspects of the album. Thumbs in the middle from me, might re-evaluate down the line.

As soon as you hear the noodling, transcendent bass work on the opening track "Roundabout", you know you're in for a treat, and the quality never dips from therein for me. Quite rightly regarded as a classic, essential prog rock album, Yes would go one better on the following Close to the Edge for my money, but that's not to discredit how vital an album this is. Fragile is absolutely beaming with joy, with each member effortlessly gliding away on their respective instruments and relentlessly leaving you on your toes as to what might follow, courtesy of the freakishly executed erratic rhythms and mind-bending song structures throughout. I couldn't omit the brilliance of the flamenco guitar on "Mood for a Day" either, though, tugging at the heartstrings before the album concludes with an absolute whopper in "Heart of the Sunrise". I don't have this on vinyl, and that seriously needs to change.

I've never been a fan of Red Hot Chili Peppers at all, and an incomplete listen to this has done precious little to alter my opinion. I just find them really grating in both a musical and vocal sense, and Anthony Kiedis being a bit of a knob is well-documented by now, so nope, onto this week's new releases I go. Sorry, not sorry.

It's fine I guess, but there's just not enough of a USP on offer here for it to come anywhere close to justifying its place in the list. This is a decent enough blues album which relies heavily on many of the tropes associated with the genre, and it's largely an inoffensive listen which did get my feet tapping on occasion. Equally, however, there is some absolute tripe on here too, primarily in the form of "Rocking Chair" and everything that follows. Apparently, one mumbling, weary acoustic-led dirge of a track wasn't enough of a downer to end proceedings on, so instead we ended up with three of them for our sins. This album supposedly culminated in John Lee Hooker's peak chart success following a fallow 17-year period throughout his mid-career, but all I can ask is "why?".

This is everything that I hoped the John Lee Hooker album would be yesterday. An unhinged, constantly volatile, and challenging yet rewarding experience, primarily rooted in blues rock, however unafraid to dip its toes into garage and psychedelic territories. The end result is as impressive as it is disorientating, and at no point did I tire of this album as you simply can't tell what might be lying in wait for you next. That Captain Beefheart achieved such a feat on a debut record is truly a cause for celebration. I It's fair to say, however, that this is a relatively palatable effort two-years removed to Trout Mask Replica, another 1001 feature which I'm looking forward to revisiting and attempting to piece together. Several tracks here are already familiar to me, however I'm less confident on whether I've actually sat through this album in one piece before, so this was effectively a new listen for me.

This isn't dire, though I can't see it being something I'd be itching to come strait back to. Accentuated by some playful little bass lines and some uplifting jangling leads, there is also a sense of melancholy hanging over it via the themes conveyed throughout. However, much like with a couple of other albums I've listened to so far, this is perhaps a tad rudimentary to leave a significant impression on me. Possibly also not helped by a feeling of blues fatigue washing over me.

Going in, I was expecting this to be an entirely new one on me, as I didn't so much as recognise the band name or artwork. However, the opening track "Miss Judy's Farm" rang some bells in my brain due to being played at home over the years, and from there on in I had a very enjoyable time on the whole with this boogie rocker, which oozes with swagger. A very welcome and endearing injection of fun and positivity, I think this suffers ever so slightly when it aims for that "moving ballad" approach on a track such as "Debris". However, the keyboard work from Ian McLagan is unrelentingly radiant throughout the album, and whilst this isn't mind-bending stuff, I feel that this album is an example of making modesty and looseness count. Arse shaking riffage, coupled with Rod Stewart's raspy, charismatic vocal offering, gives the album a real hazy 1970s whisky bar quality to it. I'll definitely be back for more.

Well, this is quite something, for better or for worse. I'm personally gunning for the "better" side of the equation. Imagine the likes of The Cure or Echo and the Bunnymen taking acid and deciding to throw the entire kitchen sink at it, with the majority of it sticking and the remainder at least posing thoughtful questions. This is a disorientating, suffocating listen at over 70 minutes in length, very intermittently affording some breathing respite when it dials things back a bit. However, this generally seeks to leave no crevice untouched, crafting panic-inducing walls of artsy, experimental new wave / post punk mayhem. Lush yet haunting in terms of its sound, the obvious touch points for the vocals would be Robert Smith, David Bowie and Bryan Ferry in that they have an operatic, sometimes over the top quality to them, draped in vulnerability. The sound and production quality is very of its time, however with enough dynamism in the latter to allow individual elements to come to the fore when the songs demand as such. The second half of the album generally felt a lot more optimistic in scope than the first, disregarding the instrumental bop of an opener in "Arrogance Gave Him Up" which offers no indication as to what follows. This absolutely demands more than just a single listen, and I will definitely be going back to try and unpack this to a greater extent. I feel like this could grow into something that I would hold in exceptionally high regard. For now though, this absolutely something you should hear before you die, even if just to satisfy a curious itch.

I'm m not in the slightest bit familiar with Joni Mitchell, however this album has got me very keen to explore further. Hejira in some ways acts as a fine juxtaposition to yesterday's listening via The Associates - this is one where the low-key sonic approach, on the surface of it, has provided a welcome change of pace. Whilst there aren't walls of sound to unpack here, what I did find impressive and most engaging about Hejira is the variety / complexity to the crooning melodies and instrumental patterns here, providing this album with a level of depth which isn't immediately apparent at first glance. There are undoubtedly jazzy qualities underlining this album, which I suppose you would broadly consider a "soft rock" or singer-songwriter effort. After wrapping up my listening, I noticed that a certain Jaco Pastorius features on the album as a bassist, who I'm also unfamiliar with but am aware is held in very high regard. Joni Mitchell's voice is wonderful, and unusually for a first listen on my part, I also caught onto a level of poetic, abstract beauty in the lyricism throughout. This is definitely high up on my list to revisit.

A very good album.

A peculiar case, this one, as the only Talk Talk album to feature in the 1001. I'd certainly consider Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock to be the superior and more realised efforts within their canon, although substantially less accessible. This album, however, does remain a hugely important piece of the puzzle, as a bridge between the band's self-derided synth pop beginnings to the experimental, proto-post rock direction of later albums. It more than deserves a place in the 1001, although it begs the question as to why either of the aforementioned two didn't make the grade, for their continued influence far beyond their original release schedules. The Colour of Spring, notably, largely does away with synthesizers, going for a much more organic sound which carves out its own space to an exponentially greater extent, and which exudes a much more staunch level of ambition and integrity. Frontman Mark Hollis, as far as I'm concerned, was a musical genius, with the variety and unpredictability apparent on this album (and much more so subsequent releases) accredited to the formation of post rock. His voice is truly captivating and magnificent, however the music speaks just as much throughout the pockets of sparseness it drifts into as it does during its more dense passages. Dark, brooding, hugely resonant atmospheres, disguised by optimistic keys and chords, are in ample supply here, with the incorporation of tambourine and the variophone on a track such as "April 5th" adding chilling layers of depth. This is one of those albums you could talk about all day. Excellent, nigh-on-perfect stuff, though again I'm perplexed as to why this is the only Talk Talk album to feature in the book.

These are a band which I have just never "got" at all. The drawling, theatrical style embodied by Nick Cave is just not for me, and although this is a more palatable, sanded down version of such stylings, a fresh listen hasn't really done it any favours. I remain impressed by Nick Cave's ability to craft out intriguing lyrical narratives, but I could do without the music.

I often see/hear Queen being spoken of as a "singles band", and even described as "overrated" in some corners of the internet. Whilst I tend to agree with the former statement to a certain extent, the high points that they've put their name to are ridiculously good, and there's a multitude of them on Sheer Heart Attack. Whilst A Night At the Opera is the more grandiose, no-holds-barred defining statement in Queen's canon, Sheer Heart Attack is a more measured, yet broadly fun time. Queen, for me, are one of those eminently unhateable bands, and are always a joy to put on when the itch presents itself. Are there a few lesser tracks on the album? Of course - I don't think there's much worth fussing about from "Stone Cold Crazy" onwards, which sets an incredibly high bar to surpass, but the highlights across the first half are truly delicious, namely "Brighton Rock", "Killer Queen", "Flick of the Wrist" and "Now I'm Here". I needed something of this persuasion today, and thank the algorithm for duly delivering it.

This is a marked improvement over Henry's Dream. On the whole, it just felt much more sonically engaging to me, and actually had some compelling energy contained within it. Even the more reserved tracks didn't feel quite as plodding or morose, and Cave isn't doing so much of his signature wailing either. However, at 82 minutes in length, it's a thumbs in the middle for me as far as its replayability stakes are concerned. I wouldn't be averse, but equally I'm not chomping at the bit to hear more.

I gave this a spin last night as a pertinent tribute to our newly departed musical legend. I feel that there's little else to say about the quality and enduring influence of this album that others haven't, or won't, come to mention in their reviews. This is one of those albums that I perhaps only listen to a couple of times a year, much like with the other "golden run" Sabbath albums, however its impact remains unabating whenever I decide to drop the needle onto this one. My journey into Black Sabbath came reasonably late, after my love for all things heavy metal had already developed over a number of years before I finally gave their catalogue the time it deserved, but that did nothing to lessen how vital their music felt to me despite my pre-exposure to more extreme subgenres. Absolutely essential. RIP Ozzy 🤘🖤

A gaping hole which I've recently filled in my record collection, as I've ushered in attempts to diversify the genres that I listen to at home, beyond primarily metal. Electronic music has been an area of heightened focus for me as of late, with this album from Jean-Michel Jarre widely considered to be an important piece of the puzzle towards the future development of ambient, electronica, sound collage, space rock, synth pop and new wave music. Essentially, imagine the synthesizer work that you would hear floating throughout a 70s prog rock album becoming the main emphasis of the music, as opposed to an additional layer of depth supporting the virtuosic guitar playing of the genre, which is entirely absent here. Dreamy and existential, yet accessible through a strong grasp on melodicism throughout, the album has reportedly been used for music therapy and to support mothers throughout the natal process in the years following its release. It has a transportive, instinctual level of heft to it, which is difficult to replicate with such sparse resources as those contained here. That this was Jarre's first studio release proper is most impressive. It was assembled in a makeshift home studio with large parts of the album being written on a barely functioning mellotron, and it would initially struggle to see release through its rejection by several prominent record labels of the time. However, its legacy today provides for a success story in that whilst you may not be aware of Jarre directly, you will absolutely be aware of artists who have sought after his template.

Is Björk one of the weirdest and most experimental artists to ever occupy the mainstream? Yes, and I love her all the more for it. Her "second" debut is a slightly peculiar inclusion in the 1001, however, especially in favour of POST or Homogenic, which I would argue are the superior albums, and have aged a lot better than this one. Nonetheless, this album did provide a very measurable impact on release, launching Björk into the public eye, and that is likely what has resulted in its inclusion here. Debut has an otherworldly and alien, although somewhat dated feel to it, with the opening track "Human Behaviour" nailing that detached vibe both sonically and lyrically. "Venus as a Boy" would be my other highlight for its ethereal, almost trip-hop like qualities. From there, it's definitely arguable that the first half of the album contains its more interesting numbers, with the latter half settling into some relatively conventional house music of the time. I wouldn't quite describe this album as "testing the waters", but a greater ambition and consistency would be realised on the following POST. Still, a very enjoyable time revisiting this.

Well, at least I've only got one NC&TBS album left to indulge after this morning's miserable undertaking. In truth, this is just a nothing-sandwich for the most part really and a baffling inclusion in the 1001. After 3 (perhaps even 4) goes with The Boatman's Call, this most recent attempt included, I can't recall a single detail from it other than the hook on the opener "Into My Arms". I suppose it isn't quite as grating as some of their other albums can be, and it perhaps speaks to the distaste I felt towards a couple of them, but Jesus wept, this was still an endurance test.

This began grating on me from the word go. Other than country, this type of 60's twaddle is second in my personal pecking order of music which I'd be demanding financial compensation to ever be subjected to. Needless to say, I passed up the opportunity to continue listening at around the halfway point. Life is too fucking short. Plus, after conducting some brief research, I learned of the disturbing lore associated with the members of this band, which makes the album cover all the more uncomfortable to look at.

I bought this CD on a whim during a recent charity shop hunt, so 3 Feet High is very much a new "previously heard" for me. I generally struggle a lot with hip hop - the lyrical themes often don't feel relatable to me, and the lack of sonic variety and dynamism across lengthy albums can very quickly become tiresome for me. My personal exceptions tend to occupy the more experimental or industrial spheres of the genre - Billy Woods, Clipping., Dälek, Danny Brown, Death Grips, DJ Shadow, Injury Reserve, JPEGMAFIA, MF Doom et al. I am also partial to some earlier "boom bap" in intermittent, infrequent doses. This album, whilst of a different era and template to the aforementioned artists, takes my interest in that it similarly provides for an unorthodox experience. Its playful nature, combined with its psychedelic tendencies, the strong production for its time, the conscious themes explored and its adept utilisation of sampling, puts it in a league above the fairly limited pool of comparison points that I can draw upon. Does this sound attributable to its era? Yes, very much so, but I can align with the argument that 3 Feet High forms essential listening within the genre. Is it something that I'd come back to with any sense of regularity, however? Perhaps not, I only tend to put on a hip hop album once a month or so, but this would definitely fit within that rotation.

I recently gave this band about half of the "Discog in a Day" treatment whilst on my travels, with practically zero prior knowledge of them. Super Furry Animals didn't really land for me at that point, needing a hell of a lot more time and some less chaotic listening conditions to properly digest, however I probably would've had this album down as the most immediately accessible of those that I'd given a go (Fuzzy Logic through to Phantom Power). Revisiting this one, with a fresh pair of ears, has done it the world of good. This album perhaps isn't as densely layered or as nuanced as some of their earlier works, so I do wonder if this would stack up well in the longevity stakes alongside their other albums were I to undertake a similar exercise again. However, it's absolutely beaming with warm, gorgeous textures. I'd be highly inclined to come back to this.

I will say that I didn't hate this anywhere near as much as I expected to. It's an easygoing listen, with a handful of decent offerings and a jubilant cheer pulsing throughout, but on the whole, this one became tiresome quickly for me. I found my attention ebbing and flowing between the busier, more "rock" oriented passages and the relatively non-descript folk ones. After about 5 tracks, I thought I was on for the home stretch, only to realise that there were nine left to go. "49 Bye-Byes" is the final track proper, which is an appropriate note to wrap things up on, but the Spotify version of the album adds four superfluous, dirging acoustic tracks into the mix.

A great release from an undoubtedly classic, integral band within the timeline of hardcore punk. However, despite this being Minor Threat's longest effort, clocking in at 21 minutes, I've seen Out of Step being described as an EP far more often than I have as an album, and therefore it is a somewhat debatable inclusion in a list of 1001 Albums. I'd also argue, if you're going to acknowledge Minor Threat in this list, that the debut S/T EP was more of a landmark statement and of greater importance to the development of hardcore, as to render it essential listening. Out of Step takes the band's sound into a more measured, less seething direction, hinting towards the later post-hardcore of Fugazi in patches. However, is it quite as enduring as the debut EP? I'm not so sure.

A band I've always been aware of, but up until now my familiarity with their music never extended beyond "Sweet Home Alabama" (which is an absolute bop, albeit has been overplayed into the ground). What the hell have I been playing at? This is really good. Irritatingly, I couldn't find a version of this on Spotify without the silly demo tracks tacked on at the end, but the album itself breezed by and immediately felt homely to me. That Lynyrd Skynyrd sounded this assured and fully realised on their debut is mightily impressive, and a clear blueprint exists here for the formation of the southern rock subgenre. Definitely a fully warranted inclusion in the 1001.

The next step of my journey exploring Joni Mitchell, and after the sample size of a singular listen to both albums, I think I'd have this over Hejira as the one I'd be more likely to reach for at the moment. Whilst I very much enjoyed the latter as well, this one felt a bit more accessible and optimistic in tone, with the folk and pop elements of her sound taking greater urgency. There are still hints of the jazzy direction which would be amplified on Hejira, particularly channeled through the bass arrangements, but whilst the latter gave off the vibe of an album that you'd chuck on as an accompaniment to a cozy winter evening indoors, this is the Yang to Hejira's Yin as one more suited for a stroll in the summer. Consider me a newly enlightened fan.

Taking in the first track, I was lulled into a false sense of security that this would perhaps be a lovely, pioneering ambient / world music album. However, my hopes were quickly shunted by how disparate, aimless and haphazard each of these tracks are when stacked up next to each other, and really not in a good way at all. RateYourMusic lists subgenres of: New Wave, Southern African Music, Turntablism, Hip Hop, Merengue, Tribal Ambient, Electro, Country Pop, Plunderphonics, Afrobeat, Soukous, Marabi, and Mbaqanga. All of these go some way to describing the overall experience, and I can at least see how it would have been influential towards the plunderphonics subgenre through its unrelenting mishmashing of collated samples and juxtaposing sounds. However, one can't shake the feeling that it all feels a bit appropriated and plagiarised from other cultures in a calculated way, perhaps with the intention of manufacturing success by McLaren in being seen as this "revolutionary artist". A cynical business ploy rather than an artistic statement from the heart. It's of course an extremely fluid album in terms of the territories it explores, but in execution this doesn't amount to anything coherent or particularly enticing to return to, with much of it sounding incredibly dated and a bit pretentious. Without immediately recognising them, I had heard (and couldn't stand) the tracks "Double Dutch" and "Buffalo Gals" prior to diving into this album, with other tracks ranging from "interesting, but really?" to "this is just shite". "Punk It Up" and "Soweto" sound like ideas that even "Sandinista"-era The Clash would have left on the cutting room floor, and others such as "Jive My Baby" and "Duck for the Oyster" just got on my nerves. And the artwork is offensively shit.

It became clear to me around a third of the way through this one that I was fighting a lost cause, and the remaining 20 minutes or so felt like an eternity. It's clearly a respectable enough bandit country album with more nuance to it than I expected, but for my tastes, that's like giving a bad pizza takeout props for at least not leaving you shackled to the confines of your toilet the night. Two stars for just being a bit of a weary slog rather than fucking god-awful.

I think this may be the most contemporary album I've received up until now, but you'd be hard pressed to believe that when listening to it. This really hasn't aged well at all, and honestly I found the bulk of it absolutely insufferable. MGMT attempt to mask what is a fairly rudimentary of the time indie album with a heaping of disorientating electronica warpage, going for a psychedelic vibe, but it ultimately culminates in a suffocating, unconvincing and grating listen. I was of course familiar with a couple of the singles ("Electric Feel" and "Kids", the latter of which in particular was unavoidable for a time in the 2000s to early 10s), and both are admittedly catchy, but they come nowhere close to compensating for much of the dross on offer either side of them. "Of Moons, Birds and Monsters" is also passable in that it is afforded more breathing room than the other unfocused tracks, and it offers a more tasteful ratio between the 'tronica and the indie, but it's hardly anything exemplary. Overrated, overstated, overwrought and overindulgent. This is the sort of album, for those of this era, that your mate from secondary school / college who tried acid at a party once, and thought he was the dog's bollocks, would probably have had screeching out of his Sony Ericsson push up phone.

It's Aerosmith, you know exactly what you're going to get. I've always found them a bit overrated though if I'm being honest, and this album is a fairly middling effort from them. Nothing wrong with it really - I don't mind a bit of cock rock once every so often, but there's not enough right with it either to even vaguely justify its inclusion in the 1001.

Props for being the first truly international album I've received up until now (which seems to be something of a rarity in the 1001 list). However, despite enjoying bits and pieces of this to a certain extent, it is miles away from being something I'd ever revisit, and at 48 minutes is a big ask to get through. A "música popular brasileira" album, which essentially expands upon the samba-canção and bossa nova genres by adding in funk and soul elements, there is a surprising amount of diversity and complexity between tracks on this album. Some lean much more into jazz than others, however I found the transitions between stylings a bit jarring at times, mainly towards the album's mid section before it settles into a funk/soul template towards its tail end. The vocals here are lovely and I presume express some profound lyrics, however the language barrier meant I wasn't able to form a connection with them. Two stars is perhaps a bit harsh - it's really not that bad, just not for me.

Now we're talking again. What a find this has been. From the entrancing 10 minute psychy, proggy epic which ushers in proceedings, to the bouncy, soul-infused funky bops which follow and never really degrade much in quality from there on in, this comes in at a tight 36 minutes and it breezed by for me. "Back In Our Minds" is perhaps the one track here which didn't immediately blow me away, but it was still a pleasure to listen to nonetheless. This is absolutely the type of funk I can get behind rather than the self important, overwrought exploits of later bands which I've never warmed to. At its core, it just wants to rock out and have a great time, and that really shines through in the compositions. That solo (you know the one I'm on about) in that title track is truly mind-bending. Onto the vinyl wishlist this goes, and I will be investigating these further.

Orbital have two entries in the 1001 - this album and the immediately preceding, much heralded Orbital 2 (Brown Album). If it were me compiling the 1001, I'd have personally made a stronger case for the following In Sides to feature over this one. However, Snivilisation is still a very enjoyable and thoroughly interesting ambient techno sprawler at 75 minutes in length, although it is a much less digestible and accessible release owing to its stronger sense of eclecticism and complexity. It tends to be the somewhat overshadowed middle child in comparison to those two other Orbital albums I mentioned, perhaps also not helped by being released in 1994, which was a particularly strong year for electronic music. You had Aphex Twin / Caustic Window, Autechre, The Future Sound of London, Global Communication, Massive Attack, Oval, Portishead, The Prodigy, Underworld et al. releasing some of their very best material that year, the majority of those leaning into friendlier takes on ambient, IDM, techno, trip hop and other stylings which were making waves at the time. You could leave me on a desert island with nothing to listen to but a curation of 1994 electronic albums for a month, this included, and I'd be quite content with that, although this one would probably be one of the last from that crop that I'd be actively reaching for. I've found myself slipping into an electro-rabbit hole over these last few months, making some amazing discoveries along the way, although Orbital are an act I've always been familiar with and have had an appreciation of, owing to my Dad's tastes.

My Beatles knowledge is patchy at best - I believe I've only ever listened to the "1" compilation album, so I know of their obvious hits via that. This one didn't blow me away. It's a reasonable enough listen, but it offers little explanation towards the revered, global mega-entity that they would go on to become, and I would suggest that it is by no means essential. It's one that you'd put on to gain a greater understanding of the band's early trajectory, but there's little in the way of replay value for me here as it just felt a bit too simplistic.

Nothing about The Smashing Pumpkins has ever been for me. The garishness, the whiny nonsense, the overindulgence and self importance of it all leaves me feeling nauseous at the best of times. Two hours of it was an experience that never bears repeating.

The album cover reminds me of a Pampers advert. That's just about the only constructive slant I can put towards this. Just light-years away from being anything I'd ever choose to listen to, although the international aspect is again appreciated.

Hahahaha hahahaha! Nope. Get in the bin you freak. Annual leave request from this monolithic undertaking has been put in.

The title track is great, and of course everyone knows it (even if they can't immediately recall its name - I couldn't for the longest time). As for the rest of the album though, I imagine discussions in the studio went something along these lines: "Alright, we've got one banger we can market this with. How about we fill the rest of the album with dull as dishwater, lift music-esque covers of rock and roll songs? We can make a killing doing that because who cares? People will lap it up as long as we've got one decent song." "The kids aren't that stupid though, right? Surely we've got a bit more in our locker to make this stand test of time?" "Hmmm fair point. Suppose we could tweak "Green Onions" slightly, slow it down a bit and call it "Mo' Onions" so it sounds like we tried. Then we'll call it a day and lull everyone into submission by just doing whatever the fuck else on the other nine tracks. You with me?" "Yeah I'm down, what about the artwork though?" "On the off chance that any divvies out there will think they've popped into Morrisons instead, we'll make it look like a supermarket advertising hoarding." "Genius! Some random bloke in 40 years will put this on a shrine and deem it worthy of everyone's time".

The brand new Skoda Octavia from just £26,740, various payment plans available. Terms and conditions apply… …wait, you're telling me I haven't just spent an hour indulging myself into a barrage of car adverts that someone with a deep seated self-hatred assembled into a YouTube playlist? Does anyone seriously care about these joyless, soulless hacks? This is the definition of “live, laugh, love” blues rock for people whose greatest sense of danger and excitement in their life was mixing cider and beer on a night out once. Thoroughly depressing stuff.

Very apt album title here which echoes my thoughts on it. It's an inoffensive enough, but wholly unremarkable and attributable to its time moody pop rock / singer songwriter album. She has a good, pleasant voice, and to its credit, in a lyrical sense, this avoids being as sappy as I was worried it could have been. Ultimately though, and maybe I'm just being a miserable bastard of late, but I can't fathom any existence or parallel universe which would necessitate this album's inclusion. At least I've broken away from the one-star rut (briefly? Who knows).

I didn't expect to get much out of this at all, but I'm pleased to say that I did. Some people just have an aura, and Aretha Franklin sure as hell does. Really enjoyed the playful bass licks throughout this, and it turns out I wasn't entirely unfamiliar with Aretha Franklin as I did recognise a handful of tracks, without knowing of the artist. An empowering and passionate, yet quite intimate listening experience. I'll be exploring further.

I'm only familiar with Machine Head from Deep Purple, which I do happen to own on vinyl. On balance, though, I might prefer this one after just one listen. Despite being released earlier than the aforementioned Machine Head, this album feels more ambitious, experimental, and has a very observable progressive rock thread running throughout. "Child in Time" in particular has blown me away as a sprawling centre-piece of the album, but there isn't a dud to be had either side of it. I would say that I can see this being less immediate for many, despite still containing an abundance of top tier hazy, fuzzy riffage, but it's more closely aligned to my tastes and as such has clicked in a big way from the off. Deep Purple absolutely deserve to be in the conversation alongside Black Sabbath in terms of shaping the genre of heavy metal as we know it today.

It's clearly a high quality example of something I wouldn't ever actively reach for, and at 72 minutes, staying the course was a bit of a test, but there is a palpable tension and dark atmosphere flowing throughout this. One of my first points of reference was the earlier works of Tom Waits before he (presumably) underwent a frontal lobotomy. There is some lovely instrumentation here, and Bob Dylan captures quite the presence with his raspy, nicotine-ravaged voice. Perhaps a good one for a gloomy winter evening with some mulled wine.

I cannot stand this album at all, not helped by the fact that I regularly have to hear this at work because one of my colleagues is a mega-fan. I've never gone any further in Blur's discography in either direction to know whether the same sentiment applies to anything else they've done, and yes, I get that for many people, this album feels like the personification of 1990s Britain through its lyrical commentary, but this is like battery acid to my ears. I've tried again today in as unprejudiced a mindset as I could possibly aim for, but this isn't and never will be for me.

This was actually quite the surprise and very enjoyable, despite my fears when I took note of this being a mixture of studio and live tracks. The end result is a well-assembled package which sailed by pleasantly in my ears. The stripped back, gentle acoustics combined with infrequent, reflective bursts of harmonica really do provide for some heartstring-tugging moments throughout, with the album coming out of its cave and taking on more optimistic, hard rock tones as it advances. Wikipedia describes Rust Never Sleeps as "proto-grunge", but I'm not sure I'm getting much of that from it (thankfully) - rather, it feels like a precursor to the exploits of bands such as Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, Sebadoh et al. The opening track has a veil of darkness shrouded over it in a way quite unlike anything else on the album, probably taking the cake as my highlight. I was also pleasantly surprised by Neil Young as a vocalist - for whatever reason, I was expecting some gravelly, two-pack-a-day smoker groaning, but he has a smoother vocal style much more aligned with vocalists of the 90-00s alt/indie persuasion. Would I put this on again? If the circumstances called for something of this ilk, then yeah, I'd probably reach for it.

This is a really fun, catchy album, although I do feel it is one that benefited greatly from arriving at just the right time and place to make the impact that it did. If this had been released a few years later, would it have been as widely celebrated as it was in 2001, where you had nu metal circling the drain, mall emo in its relative infancy etc? Debatable. Nonetheless, this does a grand job of combining scrappy garage rock energy with hooks, optimistic tones and melodies. It's well-documented that The Strokes could barely play their instruments at this early juncture of their career, giving Is This It an endearing charm which I think made it relatable to a lot of people. I was just about weaning off nappies in 2001, so I don't have the same degree of attachment to this as I'm sure others here will, but I did enjoy giving this another spin after a little while away.