I was a big fan of this album on release and despite not listening to it much over the last decade or so it’s still great whenever I do. _Seven Nation Army_ has now largely been ruined by being overplayed and it turning into a football song but the rest of the album holds up well, despite it. Is it the best WS album? Maybe, maybe not but it’s pretty damn good Probably could do with a couple of songs being trimmed but it’s a minor point. The one-two of _ I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart_ and _You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket_ is perfect and has some personal meaning behind it for me.

Fun and funny, great for a driving listen. Woo be do 🐵

I first heard this in probably ‘94 when a mate lent me his tape and I was just blown away. Hugely influential album and it’s easy to hear why. The only thing that marks this down are the skits which I could do without but the rest is pure fire!

Better than expected but needs more time to get into

Just a classic, generally considered one of her best. What a voice and oozing confidence following the previous two albums going into the R&B charts at no.1. Despite most of these songs not being penned by her, she fully embodies them making them her own.

My Dad is a big Beatles fan and I got into them through him. They actually played at a park in my home town of Urmston in Manchester on 5th August 1963 on the tour for Please, Please Me, presumably booked before the album broke and made them superstars. My Dad was there and cemented his love which eventually transferred to me. He quite literally passed this love on when he gave me his original Mono version of the vinyl album which, along with Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ became the first vinyl album in my collection and holds a special place for me and In My Life is my fave Beatles song.

This was the album every dad had when I was growing up and I must have listened to it a fair bit back then. Not much of it has stuck though, beyond the singles and most of the rest of it I found long, laborious and just a bit boring. Not one I’d return to

There’s nothing wrong with this, it’s perfectly good but I’d reach for later Beatles albums before this one and probably the Red album if I wanted to listen to this era Beatles. It’s pretty side 1 stacked too but there are a few bangers on here though in _Can’t Buy Me Love_, _And I Love Her_ and my fave, the title track

Definitely a band of a time and despite liking some of their more well known songs, I find a whole albums worth a bit much and containing a lot of filler, especially coming in at over an hour. I’ll stick to their greatest hits thanks.

My Beatles knowledge is patchy to be honest having grown up mainly listening to the Red and Blue compilations. It's more recently that I'm working my way back through albums and, as a double, this is literally a big one to get your teeth into! But I've been taking big bites of it of late and, whilst like many doubles, it can be a bit patchy and overly long, there's a hell of a lot of quality on it and it contains a number the great Beatles songs, including.....

Really solid hip hop album with a lot to enjoy from the cool grooves to Black Thought’s excellent rhyming. Would soundtrack the summer vibes very well. As with a lot of hip hop albums, at over an hour, it outstays its welcome a little but there’s plenty of top tracks here to warrant a revisit and a more in depth listen

I know Bebel from her appearance on Mike Patton’s Peeping Tom album singing Caipirinha and perhaps this would have sounded better had I listened to it sitting in the recent hot sun supping one of those Brazilian cocktails whilst listening. As it is, the hot sun has turned to a chillier rain. It’s still perfectly passable and she has a great voice but I’ve heard better Latin based albums and there’s really not enough here to lift it above decent.

The writer of the signature **Blues Brothers** track _Everybody Needs Somebody_, a song I know inside out as a friend and I would regularly perform it on karaoke (I was Jake). So this was a good opportunity to get to know more from the man and, as a fan of early blues, soul and R&B, this is very much in my wheelhouse. Probably doesn't sound as groundbreaking as perhaps it did in 1964 but gave enough on first listen and one to explore further.

I was actually disappointed by this, thinking the title would be tongue-in-cheek, based on what I do know of AT which are the much more aggressive and subversive, _Come to Daddy_ and _Windowlicker_. Truth is that this is exactly what it claims to be, and that's fine. If you're a huge fan of ambient music then maybe what I'm saying is sacrilegious, but for my personal tastes, this is background music. It's a good example of it, but it's not blowing me away and I feel this album is quite overrated. If someone puts it on, I'm fine with it, but not something I'd revisit.

I'm very hit and miss with Blur.. they were the 2nd band I saw live and it remains one of the worst gigs I've seen! I do think that they are capable of great moments and theres a couple of them on _Parklife_ in _To the End_ and _This is a Low_. But for the most part, and particularly this era Blur, the mockney, end-of-the-pier schtik is tiring and absolutely grates on me these days. _Boys and Girls_ and the title track being the biggest offenders, two songs I never need to hear again. The album _Parklife_ as a whole sounds of it's time and despite knowing it pretty well, I don't have any nostalgia for it. And whilst I can't deny the catchiness of some of the well-known songs here that I'm not a fan of, there's also a fair bit of filler too, particularly the back end of the album. So not one I need to return to and Blur will remain a playlist band for me.

Sounds like cosplay country, which is a genre i'm not massive on anyway. I know the track _Guilty_ as a much bluesier version appears on **The Blues Brothers** album _Made in America_.

A complex and experimental double album which followed their absolute smash _Rumours_, and was fuelled by Lyndsey Buckingham's desire not to create _Rumours 2_. The tension that existed within the band and that brilliantly underpinned _Rumours_ starts to move the members apart here, resulting in a lack of musical cohesion that they achieved on the previous album ,despite the personal tensions. That's not to say that this is a bad album! It's certainly too long, as many double albums are but there are a lot of great songs from _Sara_, Storms, Sisters of the Moon, and the brilliant title track and my personal .....

I was taken in as much as anyone back in '92 by the 3 singles from this. I subsequently bought the album and remember being a little disappointed. Firstly because the version of _Everyday People_ on here is not the version that that I'd heard in the charts, and listening back again, it still lacks collective power on display in that version, opting for a much slower, less vibrant beat. But more because, after a solid first few tracks, the album tends to meander for most of its near hour length, until we hit the penultimate track, the first single from it and my personal fave, _Tennessee_. I just didn't connect with it in the way I thought I would based on what I'd already heard. Listening back now, it's certainly not a bad album, and I had a fine time revisiting, but my opinion didn't really change and I didn't find a reason to return to it again as a whole.

Not sure why all the hate for this, it’s a landmark album for both funk and soul and explores some complex themes about sex, love and longing, particularly given the context of Marvin’s upbringing and abuse. On the surface, there’s an extremely sensual sound that no doubt influenced more modern R&B, but whereas that took it at face value, running with the sound alone, Marvin’s sincere lyrics give the all important balance and depth that much of that genre lacks. It was also a controversial album given the subject matter and was deemed as a huge risk for Motown to even release it but it gained both critical and commercial success and showed a markedly different side to Marvin following his much more well known and politically themed album _What’s Going On_

I bought a copy of this LP from Discos Impacto in Barcelona about 10 years ago having never heard it, but was aware of the regard it was held in. For the 4€ it cost, I thought it was worth the risk, and so I proved to be right. I say 'never heard' but in fact I'd heard several of these songs before, either these versions or ones made popular by others. But the whole album is just a series of uncomplicated yet captivating, beautifully written and performed songs with Carole's soulful voice as the storyteller

I know William Orbit only from his work with **Madonna** on _Ray of Light_ and even then, only through the singles. there were a couple of decent moments, usually when the bass was prominent and there was a bit more groove to the trakcs. But much like **Aphex Twin**, this largely passed me by and probably demands a more focussed listen than I was able to give it. As such, it was little more than background music and not engaging enough for me to return to.

A mix of psychedelia, experimental and proto-prog that, at first listen whilst trying to get my head around parts of my new job, went completely over my head and at over an hour, went on for ages! I've come back to it again just to see what I'd missed and realised that I'd been listening to a load of bonus tracks and the album is actually a very palatable 37 mins. With the headspace too, it's quite enchanting too and I was amazed to read that they have no guitarist, instead using _"strings, keyboards and electronics, including primitive synthesizers, and various audio processors"_ to create their sound. This comes alongside soundscapes and effects evoking sci-fi, low-key horror and the circus. It feels very ahead of it's time, that being 1968 and it's perhaps no surprise given the lukewarm reception of the album at the time, and the apparent infighting, that this was their only album and they would split, or from the sounds of it, more like slowly crumble to nothing.... great shame!

I get why people like Springsteen, there's a certain anthemic quality to what he does but as I've said before, heartland rock just doesn't really do it for me. It's fine, I can listen to it but for my tastes, I find it to be a bit 'bright', a bit plodding and just lacking a bit of bite. I believe he's very good live and 'Id probably get more out of it in that environment.

I don't think I've even seen this album cover before, let alone know its name and well.... this was a huge surprise, and a great one at that! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't an album as good as this! It's very evocative of his earlier work, especially his early to mid 70s period but with a more modern production. Unlike many very late stage albums, that might have a couple of half decent tracks (if you're lucky) and a load of filler, this keeps its quality pretty much all of the way through with almost every song offering something engaging. It's near hour flies past and I'll 100% be returning to it later.

I’m vaguely aware of HH and actually have heard the first two tracks from this in the normal course of life. I found it very enjoyable and an album that I found to be the perfect accompaniment to a weekend morning with a sound that is reminiscent of a lot of the UK funk/soul/jazz/electronica scene that labels like Tru Thoughts and Catskills championed and that I was hugely into during the 2000s. Many of those artists were surely influenced by this as the through-line is evident.

I wasn't looking forward to this one and physically groaned when I refreshed the page this morning. Got it out of the way quick though and can report that this album is exactly what I expected it to be which is largely very bland! It's all very well written, put together and produced, but it feels like a dull cosplay version of much better things. It's magnolia paint, generally inoffensive but there's no oomph or wow and it's exactly what I hate most about music! The bluesier, stompier tracks were the most listenable but most of it was just 😩 and it frustrates me greatly that it’s artists like her that are championed by the industry.

I wasn't looking forward to this one and physically groaned when I refreshed the page this morning. Got it out of the way quick though and can report that this album is exactly what I expected it to be which is largely very bland! It's all very well written, put together and produced, but it feels like a dull cosplay version of much better things. It's magnolia paint, generally inoffensive but there's no oomph or wow and it's exactly what I hate most about music! The bluesier, stompier tracks were the most listenable but most of it was just 😩 and it frustrates me greatly that it’s artists like her that are championed by the industry.

I wasn't looking forward to this one and physically groaned when I refreshed the page this morning. Got it out of the way quick though and can report that this album is exactly what I expected it to be which is largely very bland! It's all very well written, put together and produced, but it feels like a dull cosplay version of much better things. It's magnolia paint, generally inoffensive but there's no oomph or wow and it's exactly what I hate most about music! The bluesier, stompier tracks were the most listenable but most of it was just 😩 and it frustrates me greatly that it’s artists like her that are championed by the industry.

From the 8 minute proggy opener to the doom-laden epic closer we're treated to riffs, sometimes crunching, sometimes, atmospheric, sometimes driving, all the time... brilliant! The drums swing and thud, the bass rumbles and Ozzy soars above it all, as only he can Soul singer **Charles Bradley** released a cover of _Changes_ for RSD in 2013. I had heard the song before of course when Ozzy duetted with his daughter but I wasn't a fan of that version. Charles Bradley really brings the soul out that was baked into it and it really heightened my appreciation of the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi49yirJiEA I don't gather that this is Sabbath's finest hour and most of the rankings I've seen from you guys back that up. It does feel a little clunky in places but what an album to have as your 5th or 6th best! I'll definitely be returning to this and expanding out into their other earlier albums.. There's a few tracks that caught my ear, Wheels of Confusion, Snowblind, Under the Sun and my... Fave track: Supernaut RIP Ozzy 🦇

A fairly pointless release presumably to take advantage of recent success in a different market. It combines tracks from an EP and their first 2 albums, the second of which was released just 18 months earlier, the last single of which was released the month before this compilation! So I love The Hives, but I take umbrage with this release. They're a fantastic live band and they've consistently been releasing great music throughout their career; energetic and raucous garage rock, wearing matching jewel encrusted suits. It isn't doing anything particularly new or innovative, but it's tons of fun... especially live... I implore you to go and see them if you haven't. As for this album, it's a great collection of songs, but I wont listen to it again, I'll just listen to the EP and two albums that it's derived from and wonder why one of those wasn't selected instead.

U2 get a lot of flak these days and possibly rightly so, but there's no doubting their earlier output. The start of this album is just incredible! and the quality remains high throughout. I wasn't really a fan of them back in the day but have come to appreciate and in some cases love some of their stuff.. And because of that, I don't have the same over-saturation of their really popular songs that might afflict others so it still sounds relatively fresh to me.

It’s a strong ‘debut’ for what would become the Eminem that we all know but don’t all love. His talent as a rapper is full on display here and I don’t think can be denied but from a personal perspective, his cartoon ‘shock’ style still just doesn’t resonate with me. Perhaps if he used this to make a bigger point then I might be more on board. I can enjoy the craft in moments but this is not an album I would come back to.

An album that sought to revive her career and that flopped on release despite the effort that must have been put into this, involving as it did, label head Jerry Wexler, producer Arif Mardin, and engineer Tom Dowd, all of whom had a stellar back catalogue. It's an albums of lush productions tinged primarily in soul, with elements of pop and country and Dusty's amazing voice. It features the classic tale of forbidden love,_Son of a Preacher Man_ but there's so much more on here, including the soulful R&B of _Breakfast in Bed_, written by the Muscle-shoals writing team Hinton and Fritz; the French chanson influenced _The Windmills of Your Mind_, as well as several tracks co-written by Carole King. Short and sweet, the album has since been somewhat reappraised and its influence can be heard from Phili-soul to trip hop as well in many, particularly UK, singers of the 2000s. I find it so easy to listen to stuff like this, it's timeless and I'd happily return to it anytime.

I'm aware of The Zombies, but only really from _Time of the Season_ which is a good song, and whilst I'm not averse to a bit of 60s psychedelia, I mostly found this a bit pedestrian. Somewhat reminiscent of **The Kinks**, early **Pink Floyd** and some of **The Beatles** trippier moments and yet I don't think they square up well to any of those 3, at least not on this showing. Despite only being 35 minutes, it felt long and with little variation to keep me interested. As I understand, this wasn't particularly well received on release and has only gained acclaim later, after they'd split. I'm more inclined to agree with the original critique as I really don't hear anything special here.

I’ve tried this album in the past and it’s never quite landed but for some reason, listening yesterday, it really grabbed me in a way it hadn’t previously. Even the skits at least have a musical element to them which doesn’t make them as jarring as skits can typically be. Yes, it’s a little long as many hip-hop albums of the era were but there’s so many good tracks on here but it’s hard to look past my fave track, Passin’ Me By

From the US alt hip-hop of **The Pharcyde** to the UK alt hip-hop of **Dizzee Rascal** whose beats on here are brilliantly original, take the breakthrough single _Fix Up, Look Sharp_ sampling the intro drums and vocal of**Billy Squier's** _The Big Beat_. He was just 19 when he released this and some of the songs, notably his first single _I Luv U_ date back to when he was just 16. It had an undoubted influence on UK grime; the album winning him the Mercury prize in the process as well as making him a global name, perhaps the first UK rap artist to get success on that scale. I know other's haven't gotten on with this, and whilst it's not my fave, I do think it's great and come back to it every so often. It's too long, as many hip hop albums are but with so many great tracks, I'll forgive it. Love for _Stop Dat_, _I Luv U_, _2 Far_ and _Jus' A Rascal_, but due to its originality....

I don't have a lot to say about this. It's perfectly inoffensive 80s new wave pop music. It's played very well... there's nothing particularly stand out on it and it just exists for its 40 odd minute length and then it ends. If you like your 80s pop with a bit of white boy funk and lots of sax (just don't bother @c1ydefrogemon ) then this is for you, but I found it severely lacking decent hooks. It's not an era of music I know loads about but as a comparison, **Duran Duran** would release _Rio_ about 3 months after this and that has some genuinely classic pop tracks on it. I've listened to this twice to try and get a grasp on it... I won't be returning for a 3rd

To be honest, I wasn't expecting to get much out of this, even though I know and very much like _Psycho Killer_, it felt like it was going to be one of those bands where you like one song and the rest doesn't do it for you. How wrong I was! Where yesterday’s pick of **Haircut 100** lacked the hooks, this is chocked full of them, each song is a joy and I'm currently on my 3rd listen of the day. A few highlights.... _Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town_, _No Compassion_, _The Book I Read_ and _Pulled Up_, which was very close to being my choice but it’s Psycho Killer

I'm well aware of The Buzzcocks in terms of their legacy around the influence on the Manchester music scene and beyond. When they hosted the **Sex Pistols** at The Free Trade Hall in Manchester on 4th June 1976, in attendance were, not only Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto, who at the time was the frontman of The Buzzcocks, but also Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner, Morrissey, Mark E. Smith, Tony Wilson, John Cooper Clarke and even Mick Hucknall. So it can be argued that without that gig, we wouldn't have had **Joy Division** (and therefore **New Order**), **The Smiths**, **The Fall**, **Television**, **Factory Records** (and therefore the likes of **The Happy Mondays** and the **A Certain Ratio**) and... ahem... **Simply Red**. Whilst we'll never know if that's strictly true, the folklore behind the gig is arguably as influential as the gig itself with all and sundry claiming to have been there! And whilst the claim is that it was the Sex Pistols that were the ones that influenced everybody, listening to this, their decut album, I certainly hear more influence of The Buzzcocks in the likes of Joy Division's gritty post punk sound than I do the pistols. And for me who's not a huge punk fan, it's those moments on this album that I enjoy the most in songs like _Autonomy_, _Moving Away from the Pulsebeat_ and my ... **Fave track:** Sixteen

A short album, only 6 songs, half of them covers, although the medley in the extended version of _My Generation_ contains several others. I’ve never seen the band live but this would appear to capture the energy of their live performances very well. I’ve heard it said though that live albums are “the worst of both worlds”, and this falls into that category for me. I’d at least rather watch a recording so I can see the band, as part of the performance is in the visual. Failing that, I’d rather listen to a studio album. So this is fine but I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d listen to it again.

Unlike seemingly most, I didn’t get caught up in the Pulp love during the Britpop era although spending a lot of time in indie clubs, I heard (and danced to) a decent amount. I’ve somewhat softened my view these days and can even get nostalgic when listening but they’re still not a band I’ve ever chosen to play. So I can’t really compare this to earlier albums but there’s plenty of moments on here that feel grittier than their earlier singles, as well as a more cinematic aspect that’s clearly continued in their most recent work. Some great lyrics too. I’m certainly intrigued by this and may listen again at some point. It is too long though!

I don’t have a lot to say… it’s a perfectly solid listen. Generally prefer the more upbeat tracks , like _Mr Soul_ and _Good Time Boy_. The former has a little of _ Jumpin’ Jack Flash_ about the riff and the latter benefits from the horns, giving it an R&B feel. I’m not sure if I’ll return but an enjoyable listen for now.

Apparently this has been 'credited it for launching much of the electro-pop vogue of the 2000s'. I found it pretty inoffensive but uninteresting. Feels like a pick that was made because he didn't have enough electronic music in the 1001 and this came up in a Google search. Doesn't feel essential at all, but then I suppose it's not really my thing.

I've never heard the album before but I do know one or two songs. _Blister in the Sun_ in particular was a staple in early 90s alternative club scene and so much so, I thought that it was a 90s song! It wasn't until much later that I found out it was a decade old and it's taken me until now to actually listen to a whole album. This sounds very much ahead of its time, sounding like a sort of proto-alternative and you can very much hear the influence on bands that would come a decade later and throughout the 90s, even into the 2000s with sounds like folk punk, alt rock, college rock and even grunge and pop punk. There's several great tracks on here including _Kiss Off_, _Add it Up _, and _Good Feeling_ but it's hard to look past what has becoe an anthem of sorts and is my fave track… Blister in the Sun

Listened to this over breakfast as my parents are here and this is very much in my Dad’s wheelhouse. For me, it was fine but it’s not something I’m going to get particularly excited about. It was a perfectly fine Sunday morning album but I didn’t hear anything here that was vital and I don’t feel the need to listen again.

I'm aware of Belle and Sebastian mainly because I know that Isobel Campbell was a member before working with **Mark Lanegan**. She's not the main vocalist here though and I didn't really pick her out in my one listen although listening to B&S, I can hear the softness in the sound that the she brings to that collaboration. And that was my main gripe with this! It all sounds nice but just lacks a bit of bite for my tastes. So it sort of meandered past me without really catching my attention for the most part and then I was surprised when it had finished. It all sounds nice and fine, but it's not one that has complled me to put it on again.

It could just have been circumstantial but I actually got on a little better with this than their much heralded _Brothers in Arms_. A little bit bluesier and seemed to have a little more bite and a bit less polish. I’m still unlikely to return to it, it’s just not for me.

As I mentioned when I reviewed The Buzzcocks album a week or so ago, Mick Hucknall was in the audience of that legendary Sex Pistols, Lesser Free Trade Hall gig that inarguably shaped the Manchester music scene of the late 70s and well into the 80s. And listening to this you can hear the influence that Johnny Rotten and Co had on a then 16 year old ginger boy. 👀 To be fair, he was in a punk band that followed this and they did record a version of _Holding Back the Years_, although that leans more into garage rock then punk. What you can't deny, is that he has a great voice and I'm not gonna go in too hard on them. They're pretty solid blue-eyed soul, sophisti-pop, if that's your thing and they did release some great tracks. He's also a United fan!

I don't get it! I don't get why she's so lauded. It's average, actually fairly dull pop music. Look, I'm not the biggest fan of pop music, but when it's interesting, different, a little subversive, I can get behind it. When it's safe and monotonous and over produced then I'm just not interested and this is definitely in the latter camp. I'd even take Adele over this, and that's saying something!

A band I knew very little about and that I’d lumped in as ‘one of those bands from the 80s that I probably won’t like’ but what a pleasant surprise! It still has a certain amount of that 80s sheen to the production, despite, as I read, a move from the band away from a more synthesised sound. And the results are great! A blend of new wave and art pop that for me, is streets ahead of ‘that one o listened to yesterday’ See, pop music can be good! So many great songs to choose from and had I had a little more time, I may have chosen a deeper cut like _Living in Another World_ or _Time It’s Time_ but already being a little familiar from the radio, and with that great bass line and lead guitar tone, I had to pick my fave track, Life Is What You Make It

To continue the cricket analogy, after posting my 50 yesterday, I took a wild swing at this, it clipped an edge and was dropped at slip… or something like that. That’s a roundabout way of saying that this wasn’t for me although I was surprised how many of these songs I’d heard before given that I’ve never listened to the album, possibly in clubs or music TV channels. Quite often this sounds somewhere between Korn (a band I used to like) and Incubus (a band I still like) but it lacks the looseness that either of those bands had, Korn with their hip hop groove or Incubus with their SoCal surfer vibes. It all felt a bit stiff and ‘techy’ and I’m not a fan of either vocalist. I can see the appeal but not for me.

I remember actively not liking Elvis Costello as a kid, for no other reason than it wasn’t the cool aesthetic I was looking back then. It all seemed very 70s ‘shades of brown’. That said I did enjoy ECs solo album a few years ago and so was a bit more open minded coming in. I’m glad I listened twice as the second listen, walking around my suburban hometown in the sun, seemed to be the right environment for this I can’t say that I love it but the energy and hooks have caught my attention enough to make me want to hear more… which is a good job as I believe he has a couple more albums in here.

53/1001 ## Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove **Year:** 1978 **Heard before?** ✅ **Listen again?** ✅ **Own** ❌ **Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Two 1978 albums in a row. This’s on is certainly more of a vibe album with 6 songs, mostly coming in at around 6 minutes and more. One you can get up and shake your ass to or kick back and groove to. With it's undeniable funk sound, it takes in influence from R&B, soul, and rock, particularly prog rock and its influence can be seen in both rock and rap, especially throughout the 90s. Dr Dre credits the P Funk sound directly on the sounds of his G Funk era. The title track is a classic but personally I love my. Fave track Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock?! ... although surely this is directly responsible for Lenny Kravitz

It’s not _Songs in the Key…_ and as such I don’t feel there’s anything vital on here but that doesn’t mean it’s not without its merit. I generally prefer when Stevie gets a bit funkier and there’s a few tracks on here that fulfil that brief, including _Boogie On Reggae Woman_, _It ain’t No Use_ and my fave track, You Haven’t Done Nothin’

Two 1978 albums in a row, followed by two 1974 albums in a row. This one is a total escapism vibe with its psychedelic, Californian soul and funk being the perfect accompaniment to a hot summer's day, somewhat in the vein of Roy Ayres. I can also hear his influence on Michael Kiwanuka, whom I love, and you don't have to go far on the internet to confirm that, as Kiwanuka himself has cited it as 'my favourite album to escape to'. An incredibly mature album from a then 21yo Shuggie with a range of tracks from the totally chilled out (_Island Letter_, _Pling!_) to the more expansive (_Sparkle City_, _Aht Uh Mi Head_) , and my..... **Fave track:** Inspiration Information

I was honestly a little surprised by quite how much I liked this. The Kinks are a band I know from singles only and whilst I generally do like those, I didn’t feel like there’d be much depth to them in general. Turns out most of this album is great! Highlights include _Rosy Won’t You Please.._ and _House in the Country_. There’s a slight lull at the start of the back third but it gets over that with a really strong finish, closing on _I’ll Remember_, proceeded by the classic and my… **Fave track:** Sunny Afternoon

I’ve had times in the past where I listened to Dinosaur Jr. I remember hearing the _Start Choppin’_ single and bought _Where You Been_ off the back of that but didn’t delve much further. This absolutely bangs though! The sound of the alternative scene of the early 90s has seeds here for sure. That muddy, grungy sound is there but the songs burst with life and energy and the guitar work is incredible! Any of the first 4 or 5 tracks could be my fave and if the album kept up that quality it would be a 5 star. The back half isn’t quite as strong though although still very good. **Fave track:** SludgeFeast

I wouldn't call myself an Elvis fan but it's hard to deny his talent or his impact and it's evident from this, his debut. Culturally as well, there aren't too many artists that have had his impact. Despite not writing his own songs, he was heavily involved in their interpretation and in the studio and alongside his performance, he made definitive versions of songs like _Blue Suede Shoes_, a song written and released 6 months earlier by Carl Perkins. This is a really solid collection of songs with a good energy and vibe and great productions.... and at 29 minutes, it's a really easy listen. A mix of upbeat and slower songs and not a bad one on here. It's not mind-blowing now, as it was at the time but holds up amazingly well.

Not being a massive jazz fan, I was unaware of Keith and I've therefore obviously never heard or heard of this before. So I did a little research and found a great article in the Guardian about two films being produced about and explaining the story behind this live concert recording and it's pretty fascinating! https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/10/koln-concert-keith-jarrett-jazz-masterpiece-piano So, it almost didn't happen save for the work of two diligent piano technicians and the 18yo promoter swearing in his face. > I went face to face with Keith Jarrett,” recalls Vera Brandes, “and I said to him, ‘Keith, if you don’t play this concert, I’ll be fucked. And you’ll be fucked too.’ The first 4 notes he plays are also a repeat of the 'jingle 'that the theatre play to instruct patrons to seat themselves and he develops the motif through the piece. A live piano album is always going to struggle with me though, it's something i'd much rather watch live and in this case... something I'd much rather watch one of those 2 films of. I feel much of the reason this is here is in the lore of how the concert happened rather than in the music itself, as good as that obviously is.

I’m new to Peter Tosh, a member of Bob Marley’s Wailers… it was one of the albums I’d earmarked to buy on vinyl but have never seen in the wild. And after hearing it for the first time, I’d definitely do that! It’s a lovely slice of reggae that’s currently working very nicely as a sit in a French campsite sipping my rum. I’m underselling it though, this is not your throwaway 90s chart reggae, the title track was banned in Jamaica on release and like Marley, Tosh deals in a number of serious and emotional subjects. It’s well worth a listen and remains on my purchase list

Paul’s Boutique is a huge step forward for the Beasties. If they’d have done LTI 2 I think it would have cast them into a corner that they might not have been able to get out of. Instead they showed the world that they were innovators who followed their noses and instincts and made something that was at the forefront of hip hop, moving away from a more simplistic use of samples to creating dense compositions from multiple samples in a way that just can’t happen now due to legalities and cost. They weren’t the first but they did it in their own way. Vocally the BB hallmarks are still there but the style was almost proto 90s with multi syllabic rhymes and dense references to pop culture which wove around the music with their typical intertwined delivery. Paul’s Boutique isn’t perfect but it does thrive in its own chaos.

I’m aware of LC only through _Cult of Personality_ and especially since it was on Guitar Hero 3, so I was glad to hear it included here and it got the album off to a great start, brilliant song that it is. Unfortunately, nothing else really lived up to it. That’s not to say it was bad, but it was a high bar by which the rest of the album falls short. I think this is another one that probably hits different at the time but its fusing of styles into a hard rock aesthetic feels fairly primitive in today’s musical landscape as potentially revolutionary as it was then. Nowadays this sounds like fairly traditional hard rock /funk metal of the time. Another one that I’d have no problem listening to but not one I’d choose to put on.

An inescapable album in the ‘99 and early 2000s, it produced no less than 8 singles many of which ended up on adverts. I was briefly taken in but I ultimately found this a little lacking and still do. Along with Fatboy Slim the mix of soulful ambience and vocal hook wore thin quickly and I haven’t gone back to this in well over 2 decades. The first half in particular is decent but overall it’s too long and interest falls away over the back half. I can hear its influence though in some of the music that I love like **Bicep** and **Odesza**, both of whom have produced albums recently whose roots can be traced back to this but I find them more interesting and with greater depth.

I own and like VU & Nico but this is the first album besides that I’ve listened to. It probably needs more than one listen, there were some hallmarks here but I struggled to grasp onto it in the setting I was in.. that being a French campsite. There were good moments but I’ll have to return to this to properly assess.

I was a big fan of this album on release and despite not listening to it much over the last decade or so it’s still great whenever I do. _Seven Nation Army_ has now largely been ruined by being overplayed and it turning into a football song but the rest of the album holds up well, despite it. Is it the best WS album? Maybe, maybe not but it’s pretty damn good Probably could do with a couple of songs being trimmed but it’s a minor point. The one-two of _ I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart_ and _You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket_ is perfect and has some personal meaning behind it for me.

I was never a fan of Ice T in my younger years but he’s someone I’ve got into through collecting vinyl and now own several of his albums including this one. I’m not going to pretend it’s amazing, it comes across more like a mixtape than an album, jumping from one thing to the next, including adding a **Body Count** track, but I do love this funk sample heavy, under produced era of hip hop and Ice T comes with bags of character. Of course it’s too long and some of the skits are shit. He does sample Sabbath though which is a plus!

I wasn’t really looking forward to this when it popped up with just 5 tracks coming in at nearly an hour but it was something of a revelation. Slow and ever developing prog-folk and baroque pop weaves a tapestry of wonderful music that reminded me of someone like The Mummers whose music also enraptured me from the very beginning. With tracks ranging from 7 to 17 minutes it’s not one you can just pop on and listen to in the background; it demands attention but rewards you for it. I’ll be returning to this and her for sure!

There’s no surprises here, it’s 12 songs, all between 2 and 3 minutes in a classic Rock 'n' Roll style. Coming in at under 30 minutes it's a really easy listen. Obviously revolutionary at the time, it's maintained it's energy even though the sound is locked into that time period. It as never going to blow me away but if I want that sound, it'll be something like Little Richard that I'm reaching for. _Long Tall Sally_ was used in the helicopter scene in the _Predator_ movie, so always a fave!

I remember this was lauded at the time and I think even picked up some AOTY awards. It's easy to hear why as she sounds fantastic on it! An unconventional album with experimental rhythms, found percussion and ambient sounds, somewhat reminiscent of **Tom Waits** and it's held together by her captivating vocal and piano. Thematically it's extremely challenging, exploring trauma, confinement, self-expression and resilience, often expressed very literally and graphically. Although I've heard it before, it was only one time and it was really too much to take in during one listen and even in this 2nd one. I'll be coming back to it though; it's probably purchase material and those 4 stars may be joined by a fifth.

I despised this on release, my wife, then GF was a fan though and actually met him. As a result I heard these songs, mainly the singles, a lot I’ve mellowed to it these days and there’s undeniably some bangers on here but as with many pop albums, especially of this era, there’s way too much filler and it’s very dull stuff! So don’t mind the singles but I’m content to never hear this again

You can obviously hear the early Pink Floyd here, given that he was the principle songwriter on their debut album. It's not an era of the band that particularly resonates with me though and I found this to be fine but unispiring! Perhaps it was just my mood at the time but I often zoned out when listening and I couldn't really recall much from it afterwards. Not one I'll be returning to.