I can only assume that there’s been an administrative error and that this was meant to be on the 1001 Ways To Die Before You Listen To This Album, as this is possibly the blandest and most pointless album that I have heard from Madonna (and I genuinely love some of her stuff). Bland lyrics, insipid delivery, plus a pointless cover version to round off the whole package. Seriously, what the hell is this on this list for…?

Doesn’t quite meet its sensational tag, but pretty good overall

I had forgotten how good this is. The standout is Don’t Give Up. Absolute goosebumps with that track!

Never heard of them before despite them apparently being an influence on some reasonably big-hitters. 60s rock and blues standards done well in a fairly raw style. It was an easy listen but not one I would probably reach for again.

Not really my usual style of music. I can absolutely appreciate the quality and creativity of the music delivered, but it feels a bit too much of an era and style that just don't appeal that much.

Excellent album. New to me as I am only really familiar with their Best Of (although a lot of it seems to be from here!)

Not the album of theirs that I would have chosen, but it is still a really good one.

I'd forgotten how fun and lively this album was, so it's been a welcome reintroduction

Not really my style, but I could appreciate the quality of production. I actually enjoyed reading about the story behind the album more than the album itself

Still a band that I don’t really understand all the love for. Doesn’t help that I really don’t like Thom Yorke’s vocals. This one at least has familiarity on its side because everyone was playing it when it came out.

Still a great catchy album, but they are not a great band

Logically, I know that they must have made albums, but because of that one ubiquitous and unavoidable single, I had never thought to check out their other stuff. Surprisingly good as it turns out

Definitely better than I expected, but still not really my sort of thing

I feel like I should have discovered this years ago. Excellent to find it now at least. Definitely going to get more listens soon

Yet another band that have been solely Best Of collections for me, so I don’t think I have ever listened to most of their albums. Overall for this one, it didn’t really rise above or add much to the songs I already knew

The deliberately contrived cheeky Cockney vocal stylings grate a little bit (“…lazy Sunday afternoon-ah…”), especially when compared to the more grandiose style elsewhere. Musically and creatively, it’s really interesting but it gets at least a point knocked off for the Stanley Unwin interludes and the aforementioned London-boy vocals.

Surprised me how much I enjoyed this, but not the sort of album I would be likely to return to

Not something I would have chosen, but I enjoyed enough of this to feel it needs revisiting in future

Absolute classic and still their best, in my opinion

She’s got a fantastic voice, but I found this album bland back then, and I still found it bland now

Never heard of before, and very unlikely to revisit again in future. Just not my thing at all. Felt like elevator music with occasionally raised BPM

I’m a sucker for a lot of Paul McCartney’s stuff and this one is probably peak among his non-Beatles output.

A little disappointed by this to be honest. Given how revered they seem to be among music lovers, I struggled to find much exceptional about it. It’s good, very listenable, but ultimately a little bit average

A classic even on its release, sounding unique among its contemporaries

Another of those popular beat combos. I’m sure they’ll never amount to anything 😁

Smooth easy listen, but ultimately washed over me more than grabbed me

I really should revisit this more often

I was just a bit too young to properly appreciate them at the time, so it was good to hear this one and find that they were just as good on their album tracks as their iconic singles

Obviously influential and iconic, it’s not an album I have reached for too often over the years. Deserves more attention than I have given it really though

Not sure I have ever heard a note from her. Turns out I have been missing out

Puts the L in LP. Tediously misogynistic and homophobic content overwhelm admittedly catchy backing tracks. His delivery is excellent but the content is often vile

Really enjoyable and energetic

Generally really catchy, but vocals began to grate a bit towards the end

Utterly brilliant. Can’t believe I had never listened to this

Impressive but perhaps a bit self-congratulatory in the cleverness of the musicianship

An absolute classic. Perhaps a little overproduced but full of amazing tracks

Didn’t land quite as immediately as the previous PJ Harvey I listened to, but it’s made me want to come back for more

Excellent. Surprised I hadn’t listened to this sooner

Amazing voice and skills but just not the sort of album I would reach for often (if ever)

Nope. Still not a fan.

Musically brilliant but I get irritated by Morrison’s vocal stylings.

Doesn’t quite meet its sensational tag, but pretty good overall

Really interesting. Completely new to me, but I want to hear more

Inoffensive but inessential listen. Enjoyable enough

Like any good live album, this provides a best of, and it is delivered at their best, but it is a shame not to see some of their studio albums being recognised, especially when certain artists have multiple entries in this 1001.

Never been keen on the vocals, but still a great catchy album

Iconic sound, amazingly delivered, but not an album I would reach for often

Impressively immersive but still not really my thing

Surprised I have never listened to Bert Jansch before. Really enjoyed this. Going to seek out more of his work

Full-on prog is like Marmite. I love Marmite

Very much the classic Stones sound. Enjoyed it a lot

Still don’t reckon it’s the masterpiece some claimed but it was a huge part of my teens

Beautiful voice, but just not my thing

Excellent 60s blues pop sound, expertly delivered but I can’t say it stands out enough for me to return to it

Can’t deny the quality and skill in these three-minute pop gems, but nor can I say that I love them

Not a genre I’d usually go for, so surprisingly enjoyable

Not quite as good as the follow-up, but for a debut, this is pretty spectacular

Far better than I expected

Surprisingly enjoyable considering I usually try and avoid jazz

Still don’t really get the adulation. Loses a point for Morrissey being a cock.

Classic rock. A tad cheesy, but quality cheese

The beats and samples under this were really good, but the lyrical content was pretty much what I would expect

Some of the tracks outstay their welcome, but the hits are undeniable

Starts well, but failed to set my world alight. Solid but unremarkable

Better than I had expected (only really know their Best Of), certainly in terms of the guitar work, but there’s something about Damon Albarn’s delivery that irritates me.

Hilariously suggesting that we don’t see Donald Trump arguing with people because he’s got money, Missy suggests that we all need to stop having beef and just get on with getting rich. And having sex.

If nothing else, this 1001 challenge is challenging my perception that I hate jazz. Can’t say that I loved this, but I was fascinated by how much it pulled apart each player then managed to pull back together

I can only imagine that whoever wrote this list of 1001 albums to hear before you die must have been having a laugh by including this. Kool Keith pretends to be a time-travelling homicidal alien gynecologist so that he can hide behind a “it’s not me saying this, I am just playing a character” defence for including samples from porn films and descriptions of surgical violence. The backing tracks are good, but the vocals and themes make it feel like a novelty album that wore its joke thin within the first couple of tracks.

This landed much better with me than the previous Talking Heads album I was given. A real sense of fun in the funky

It’s not going to sweep the boards at the dance awards, but it is quite a beautiful listen

If this was in the list of 1001 Albums To Be On Hold With (Your Call Is Important To Us But We Are Experiencing An Unusually High Volume Of Calls) then this would absolutely be number 1. As it stands, this is pleasant and well-delivered but not something I would return to.

Unclear why this is on this list. Not unlistenable but not particularly engaging either

Dull

Funky soul and blues. What more do you need…?

A little bit too conventional for Bowie but still a great album

I can see why people have loved this album. Hasn’t quite got its hooks into me yet, but it probably will

Hard to talk about this without the word iconic.

It’s the archetype of the ZZ Top sound and I was all-set to dismiss it, but this ended up being a great fun listen.

Always been quite a fan of this one. There’s enough variety and invention on here to give it good re-listen value, but it’s a bit too long

I can only assume that there’s been an administrative error and that this was meant to be on the 1001 Ways To Die Before You Listen To This Album, as this is possibly the blandest and most pointless album that I have heard from Madonna (and I genuinely love some of her stuff). Bland lyrics, insipid delivery, plus a pointless cover version to round off the whole package. Seriously, what the hell is this on this list for…?

Impressive but uninvolving. Which seems to be my standard response to Rush.

Yet another band I should have listened to many years ago. Right up my street, but I evidently wasn’t home that day

Never got The White Stripes. Always felt like the emperor’s new clothes, loads of people celebrating them, but as far as I could see there really wasn’t much underneath.

A real revelation for me. Should have listened to this a long time ago

A real eye-opener for me. Initially seemed to be exactly the type of 60s pop I expected but it improved as it went along.

If you’re going to get pompous and embellish your greatest hits with an orchestra, then this is the way to do it.

Pleasant, well-delivered but unexceptional.

Respect is iconic and the rest here are also solid slices of 60s soul, but just not really my thing

As with all Rod Stewart’s stuff, great voice, but pretty average songs. Maggie May is the most familiar and therefore perhaps the best but overall, there isn’t much that would drag me back to this album.

Some great tracks, but lots of average ones as well

On this basis, I don’t get the hype for the band and don’t really get why this is on this list. Not bad, just average

Very pretty orchestration around an iconic voice, but just not my thing

Not a combination I would have expected, but reading up on it I can understand why this one was important. Ultimately not really my thing, but it is good.

This was quite something! I imagine this will divide views as it’s borderline musical theatre, but for me, it really worked

Never really got her, I’m afraid. Very overrated, in my opinion.

Impressive, but didn’t really engage me

Pleasant, enjoyable, and in a list of 1001 tracks, I guess it earns its right to be included

Kate Bush frustrates me. Undoubtedly an artist with vision making art the way she wants, capable of some fantastic pieces (the singles on this were great) but often that vision is just too weird. Tracks like Under Ice and Waking The Witch are just odd.

Why on earth are there six Elvis Costello albums on this list? I am tempted to downvote every one of them on principle alone! Ultimately this one is okay, a reasonable showcase of his ability to write three-minute pop songs, but nothing exceptional

Far better than I had expected, but still knocking it down a point for having a near 13-minute track near the end of the album.

Horrible 80s sound to this album. Only his lyrics and delivery gain it a second star

Probably their most perfect album. Quality.

The title track is overplayed and inescapable, but the rest of this was really enjoyable

I seem to have outgrown my hatred of The Carpenters as this was far more listenable than when I used to hear it weekly as a kid. She always had a beautiful voice though

Pleasant pop rock. Fun but unmemorable.

Quality 60s soul. Enjoyable

Sounds like a dull Bob Dylan

I struggle with a lot of Tom Waits, but this is a high point

Overlong and more than a bit pompous but I rather enjoyed it anyway

Didn’t do much for me

Really liked this. Definitely worth another listen

Strictly a Best Of band for me up until now, but this was pretty good