I'm sceptical of one listen reviews as some of my favourite albums were not on first listen.... but... this was okay, some interesting tracks but not one I'd return to. Lots of 80s electro drumming and a little synth.
Not my cup of tea but understand that there are people who like this sort of stuff.
I enjoyed this. A good album with some great songs. You can hear the echoes of influence it has had on future bands.
This is an ok album with some listenable songs. It is of its time though I think - it should have stayed in the 1990s. Astonishing to see how many 5* reviews listeners are giving this. If this is 5*, what is Ziggy Stardust?
All the songs you've heard before. Just what you'd expect.
Again an ok album that might be of its time. Some innovation and interesting lyrics... And again, I'm conscious of one listen reviews. But can this justify being one of the greatest albums of all time?
Poignant to be reviewing this the day after Ozzy's death, it really is a very good album. The best of any genre is always great even if it's not your taste and this is testament to that. It's easy to forget how groundbreaking this stuff was.
Sounds like a great gig, uncomplicated and raw. Fantastic live recording. I suspect this one is in the list because JLL was such an influential figure in popular music - though enjoyed his peak before the concept of the album enjoyed its own. So as a record capturing an important musician, it's a good listen, as an important album, maybe less so.
I've never liked Michael Jackson and this is an album full of songs you already know and didn't really like. I suppose it's among the best of that late 70s disco but not something I'll make a habit of listening to.
Oh this is good. Interesting, innovative, listenable, and a bit of brass in the opening track.
A fabulous album. Great collection of songs and that influential sound....
There are a lot of tracks on this album. Not sure they are all necessary. Quite a lot of it sounds like incidental music to a Miami Vice Crocket introspection scene. Dick Cuthell's trumpet on The Walk is a highlight.
I think a good album, raw and rambling. Great voice. You can hear its place in music history, pre-Dylan.
A solid 3. An enjoyable album.
At several points, I forgot I was listening to this. It's not too long though.
This sounded unfinished like they had laid down a decent backing track but forgotten the songs. Droned on a bit.... A generous 2.
This one might need another listen. Good but not brilliant.
If energetic 1980s synth pop is your thing, this is the album for you.
How on earth did this album make the list? It's bland, uninteresting, and drearily monotonous. Maybe you need to be on drugs to enjoy it, but today you'd just ask AI to produce something as boring as this.
An incredible piece of music mixing styles and sounds. Powerful and original, comprising superb musicianship.
Just look at the cover... makes you wonder how it took so many band members to produce such a mediocre album. It's a listenable collection of songs but really nothing special and derivative throughout.
Litening to the US version, opening with Paint it Black (though the cover here shows 'UK'). This album is not universally brilliant but contains a handful of classics, and this was 1966 so there's a mix of the early decade rock n roll and a taste of what was to come. Great stuff. Probably shy of a 5 but rounding up to rebalance some of the silly 1 reviews....
A very nice album, I'll be playing it again. This was Dennis Wilson's only studio album, he makes up for the dearth here with a recording the length of three ordinary albums. And it's an eclectic mix of styles and genres even dipping into prog rock at times. A little bonkes but a decent album to review for a change....
You can almost hear the hair. Sounds like the soundtrack from a 1980s teen movie starring Judd Nielson.
This is a nice piece of music though I expected to enjoy it a lot more than I did. I like REM, though haven't listened for years, and on relistening I'm afraid this album is a bit bland, dull, lacking energy.
This is an incredible album and a classy goodbye to the world. Brilliant songwriting, amazing moody jazz band.
Thought I was going to hate this and actually only dislike it. It's all a bit dull teen angst from the 80s with far too many monotonous instrumentals.
Pretty much what you expect. Great voice though very repetitive in sound and theme.
A really wonderful Album.
When it's good, it is very good. But sometimes it's a bit horrid.
Ok but not as special as the reviews suggest. Starts with disco which could have been recorded at any point since about 1976 and then moves on to an entire range of other familiar genres.
Faboulous. Great songs, great voice, and a Hammond Organ.....
Bland 1980s studio pop trying to be edgy. Marginally better than the other Cure album I had to listen to but just as monotonous.
Nice. Probably better enjoyed in the smokey club, sipping an Old Fashioned.
Largely uninteresting. I forgot it was playing at one point and then a track played that I thought ‘this is better’. Turned out the album had finished and it was playing Joy Division.
Now that’s how you do a debut album. Brilliant, still fresh, original, funny. Passes the test of time.
Lots of guitar, drums and high pitch wailing. Spinal Tap.
Improved on second listen. Some good stuff but not universally enjoyable.
What a brilliant album. Exceptionally good. 20 years ahead of its time.
Good music to play in a lift.
Bemused at the number of 5* ratings this dreary album has attracted.
Great album. Great voice. Great sound of the 90s.
Not sure how this managed to get recorded let alone make the greatest album list. Terrible.
Inoffensive. Nice voice and some nice songs. Perfectly listenable but somewhat forgettable.
A genuine classic. Timeless.
Not my thing but something very engaging, energetic, distinct. A soundtrack to go nuts to.
If you like a lot of drumming, guitar and screaming, this is for you. For what it is, it’s good but goes on a bit…
Perfect background music for a French bistro. Nice to listen to but inconsequential.
In a list of all too often mediocre recordings, this shows what a great songwriter can do.
Doesn’t elicit strong feelings either way. It’s ok with a few nice tracks.
Mr Soul itself might be enough to justify a 5*. It jumps around in genre and quality a bit but some of it is superb, notably when Young is leading.
Distinctive and engaging. Some of this is good, some a bit dancey.
Has its moments but somewhat tiresome.
Not very good. Almost parody prog rock with long intros and indulgent instrumentals.
Familiar 90s light grunge inde rock. Not completely terrible but surely not one of the greatest albums.
Remains a good album having not listened for 3 decades. This was such a massive hit, it was ubiquitous in 1996. Tad dated but still sounds the biz.
Pleasant album at times. It promises to be less bland than it sounds.
I can’t let the unoriginal nature of this music get in the way of the fact it’s a really listenable album. Very white stripes.
I expected to like this more than I did. Similar to the last one, maybe I’m just not a fan of the Pixies.
Haircut 100! Really? It’s actually not as terrible as I expected but come on.
All a bit unnecessary. DM really is an overrated band.
Really quite boring. That one track that was a hit stands out.
It’s not dreadful but I didn’t need to listen to it. Probably better enjoyed with some neon lights, a Budweiser, and a pool cue.
Repetitive and tiresome but he’s good at rhyming and knows a lot of rude words.
Didn’t expect much from this and it was much as I anticipated. Really crap lyrics accompanying monotonous sound.
Seemed much longer than 57 minutes. One or two bright spots but mainly uninspiring.
Fairly listenable - and Brimful of Asha remains memorable - but no pressing need for this album to have left the 1990s. It might have been improved by cutting out the whole of the middle section.
Fun, raucous, romp which at 28 mins doesn’t outstay its welcome. For that reason it scrapes a 4.
Nice enough but a bit boring.
Soundtrack from an 80s teen comedy drama starring Molly Ringwald.
Much as I remember it. Good, funky, tracks with decent musicianship. Probably an album you only really must have listened to before the end of 1993. If you haven’t in the intervening decades, you probably don’t have to squeeze it in before you die. My test for a 4 - would I play it again? Probably. It’s good.
Another nice enough album that didn’t need to leave the 90s.
Part 80s throwback, part mediocrity. Really nice voice but it needed to make more effort.
Some enjoyable tracks but not enough to justify the extended edition. Tempted at times but not quite a 4.
Not university brilliant and I could do without the self-indulgent Oh Yoko. But it contains Imagine, How, and the bitchy How do you Sleep? I think for that it scrapes a 5.
Essential listening only for teenage boys in the 1980s. It’s not completely terrible but the songs are juvenile and it just goes on. The lyrics to Hallowed Be Thy Name are like a 12 year old trying to write a version of The Mercy Seat.
Superb. One of the great jazz albums of all time. Creative, unconventional (even 70 years on), incredible musicianship, and truly original compositions. Nice.
It’s a solid 3, maybe higher. Some good tracks though jumps around reaching back to the 50s but ahead of its time with an 80s sound.
This was alright as it happens.
Reasonably okay. Not standout but some good stuff. Could lose the excessive synth.
A solid 3. Almost a 4. It’s a good listenable album but doesn’t do anything new. Not a landmark U2 record.
A pleasant surprise. Very listenable. Some nice tracks, trumpet.
Not my thing but I found it pretty monotonous. And it’s too long.
37 minutes of background music for deodorant commercials.
A great album. A great debut. The occasional low points are more than compensated for by the groundbreaking classics.
Gorgeous album. Beautifully written and performed.
There’s only so much of this I can take. Glad it’s only 35 mins long.
A rare surprise. One of those artists of course I knew but never listened to. He’s an incredible songwriter. And thanks to the reviewer who pointed out the Malcolm Gladwell podcast. Recommended listening alongside this great album.
Incredibly, released a year after Ziggy, the same year as Pin ups, and a year before Diamond Dogs. Young Americans followed a year after that. It goes on. An incredible run of outputs.
This really isn’t as good as Ziggy Stardust….but what is?
Nice. An album I’ll play again. Great horn. Very listenable.
My 100th album and at least it’s a good one.
Come on. Really? Tears for Fears can’t make a list of the best albums of all time. Mind you, it’s no worse than Depeche Mode. Probably better.
Music so inoffensive you’d think you’d been put on hold by a call centre.
An enjoyable album. Worth a replay.
Rounding this one up to a 5. Not JM’s best album but beautifully sung.
Expected better. There are a couple of classic tracks but a lot is pedestrian.
Despite some winyness, a much better album than Meat is Murder.
It’s ok with a couple of decent tracks but can’t justify higher than a 3.
Packed with classic pop tracks. Not my favourite listening and they have yet to reach their creative peak in 1964, but we are unlikely to have much of the rest of the list without it.
Not my thing. Stronger conceptually than musically. Goes on too long.
An enjoyable first solo effort. Some of it does sound like a kid pressing all the buttons on a Casio keyboard but it’s good nonetheless.
It could almost be one long track. When they did overkill I thought it was a reprise of ace of spades.
It might be influential but this album isn’t very good.
It’s good, not as good as the hype, but good.
While the quirky use of Radio London and advertisements might have seemed creatively surreal when they sat at the mixing desk, they are irritating on first listen and prohibit repeated playing. Unfortunately the rest is fairly pedestrian.
Dire, self indulgent, rubbish. How did this crap make the list?
Quite liked this though didn’t need 2 hours of it.
Well it has Sympathy for the Devil and Street Fighting Man. Those two songs justify a 5*.
I don’t feel very strongly about this album. It’s a strange mix of styles but largely what you expect.
Nice enough. There’s better Willie Nelson though. That said, he really can reinterpret a song.
A fun ,rockin’, 34 mins. Nice album.
Not bad but it’s another one of those albums, good in It’s day, that doesn’t warrant praise 20+ years on…
Insufferably boring. Maybe you need to be on drugs.
It’s ok and of course Layla is a classic but a lot of bland rock sound.
A band I should have come across but who has passed me by. Fab album with reminders of the Stones and Elvis even and a foretaste of Zappa and Kings of Leon.
Brilliant album. Packed with classics. Original, influential, class.
This made me come over all Austin Powers. I guess there’s a reason Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are remembered and we’ve forgotten the rest.
I wanted to like this more but it didn’t ‘arf go on….. I know going on is their thing but, as other reviewers have said, the first part is much better. Maybe they should have resisted including all of that previously unreleased material in order to make a double album.
I’m not averse to a bit of experimental music but this is mainly (not entirely, but mainly) terrible. It’s only 35 minutes though feels longer.
It’s better than the previous Sonic Youth album but isn’t really worth shouting about. It’s very ordinary.
I expected to completely hate it, but actually some of it’s more interesting than anticipated. Not my thing, and I won’t be re-playing, but maybe there is something in this.
There are a few too many of these albums on the list. Records from the 90s that were pretty good in the 90s but where there is little reason for them to leave the 90s. That said, I quite enjoyed the album and there were 2 or 3 really decent tracks.
I can see this album is probably trailblazing but it doesn’t entirely pass the test of time. It has been superseded by much better music, songwriting and recording. Still it’s only 35 mins which is fine to listen to a bit of musical history.
Not my favourite Leonard Cohen album But wouldn’t you like to be able to write songs like this? A master at work.
Inoffensive and lightweight. Some of it is listenable but it’s monotonous and there’s a lot of self referencing. Has some historical significance but didn’t need to be dragged out of 1989.
This was never going to be a favourite but it’s not as bad as I expected.
Once again this generator has generated a mediocre record from the 1990s that might have reasonably stayed put.
One of those albums you forget is playing.
A good, solid collection. Not as good as the eponymous album but worth a listen or two.
It’s a nice listenable album, it really is. But enough of the largely unremarkable 90s albums.
I was worried I was going to have to admit, reluctantly, that this was pretty good. In the event though it’s fairly pedestrian. Phew. It’s not bad but is very pleased with itself. Biko is a standout track.
Well, it just sounds like the white stripes and it gives the impression of being one monotonous song rather than a coherent album. It’s okay but nothing special.
What’s the point of that?
An easy 4. It got a 3 for the baseline to Papa was a Rolling Stone alone. Groovy.
Masterful. An incredible performance from one of the greats.
I mean, it’s alright. But an album you have to listen to? It’s little more than an unassuming collection of mediocre songs that goes on a bit.
I won’t make a habit of playing this, but quite enjoyed the album. An energetic example of late 70s British punk, if you’re looking for it.
Did somebody get a Casio keyboard for Christmas? A couple of the later tracks are alright but this is mostly irritating.
Sounds like a teenagers’ band playing in the garage.
Dull, drum machine driven, dullness.
I can’t quite justify a 5 but this includes some incredible classics and shows how you do a concept album.
Completely inoffensive. You could play this all day in Budgens without upsetting the shoppers. Yet another 1990s album that doesn’t merit attention.
Bodacious dude at times. Other times they really want to be Lou Reed, Tom Petty, the Stones and even Tom Waits at the opening. This is, though, monotonous, long, and does not justify inclusion in a greatest albums list.
An extra point for landing on Christmas Day. A fun Christmas album from some greats.
Yes this is still very good.
Not sure I listened to the correct version but it’s awful, long, and unnecessary.
Not my favourite Mikes Davis recording but nonetheless a brilliant genre shaping album.
Very unexceptional. It’s ok but really not worthy of inclusion in a list of greatest albums.
Has its moments but is also quite pretentious
Does what it says on the tin. Unnecessary inclusion in a list of great albums.
A quality album. Great musicianship, energy and songwriting.
Not my thing but listenable. Musicianship and a bit of jazz thrown in. A decent album.
Just not worth listening to.
The psychobilly thing is good as far as it goes, but I got it on the first track and didn’t need what sounds like 13 versions of the same song. That said, this was a live act of its time that spawned some interesting music and influenced others.
It is not terrible, but there’s only so much soft rock I can take. There are a couple of decent tracks (eg Reelin’ in the Years, which most people will recognise) but it’s largely a boring, inoffensive, record. Im being generous at 3.
An incredible piece of music played beautifully. With that backstory, it earns a 5.
A reminder of what a good band Dexy’s were. They never reached their potential. Giving this a 4 as I’d play it again but I see from the other reviews that all 3 of DMR’s albums are in the list which is difficult to justify.
If happy 1970s soft rock is your thing, this album could be for you. I can’t get very excited about it.
An album that has its moments and more than one decent track. But largely confirms my view that The Who are a bit overrated.
Not my thing but even so it’s pretty bland.
One of those albums you forget is still playing. It’s not terrible but my life is no richer for having heard it.
This is unmistakably a fine album.
More bog standard 1990s fare that is the hallmark of this list. This one is really quite dull.
Rod at his best. Not an album that delves too deep into the human condition but is lively and contains more than a couple of classics.
Enjoyable and listenable though I won’t make a habit of playing. Very much variations on a theme!
At last on this list, a 90s album worth re-listening to.
This is pretty dire. Tracks start off sounding a bit interesting and then rapidly descend into a teenage metal band rehearsing in a shed once the vocals start.
Expected this to be awful but it’s pretty listenable. Each track sounds somewhat derivative but it’s a lively album.
I’ve always struggled to get into Radiohead and this listen has not changed that. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty good though gloomy album.
It’s not that it’s terrible, it’s that it is so terribly boring. It’s no wonder punk came along.
I quite enjoyed this and at just 34 mins I’m rounding up to a 4.
This is a decidedly average, pedestrian album that is inexplicably popular. Perhaps it’s because it is average and pedestrian.
An album that can’t really be taken seriously - more a collection of songs that drunk people can sing together. A generous 3 for the hair and teeth.
Another one that shouldn’t be on the list. It’s boring.
Oh yes. Very good. Just what you’d expect with a couple of classics thrown in.
This is a decent album by a real talent. And short enough to warrant a 2nd to play.
It’s ok and enjoyable at times but a decidedly average, quite derivative, piece of music that doesn’t justify inclusion on the list.
I’d never heard of Banhart but quite enjoyed this. It sounds much like T-Rex and (perhaps for that reason) is perfectly listenable. I’m rounding up to a 4 as a counter-balance to the unfair 1s.
Another overrated album from the 1990s I’m afraid.
A great, energetic, album that passes the test of time.
A very solid album from the King
A good rockin’ album from Neil Young.
Is pretty good but enough Sabbath in this list now.
Beautifully sung, great tunes and at least a couple of classics. I think I have to give a 5.
This album has its moments but it has a tendency to the mediocre. It also really goes on so would have been better had they made it shorter and kept just the more interesting parts.
Nice.
This is a fabulous piece of music.
This is dreadful, bloated and a bit too pleased with itself. I’m sure there’s something good in there somewhere but it’s obscured by the pretentiousness.
The Monkees were a Paul Revere & the Raiders tribute band it seems.
I like this. If all the tracks were as good as Tiny Dancer, it would be a 5.
You know what? Time has eroded this a bit but it’s still a cracking album. I have to give it a 5. In a list dominated by mediocre 90s albums, this is still a great listen.
This one completely new to me, but there is something I quite like about it. There are, however, too many tracks and not much variety.
I think this is pretty good and ahead of its time. Helped by it’s brevity, I’m not sure I’d replay but rounding up to a 4.
I just can’t get into Radiohead. I’m sure it’s good but it is whiney.
This is the second Metallica (so far) and it has little to offer. Loud , monotonous, and tinny.
This is a lovely album. Beautifully sung.
Well it has a couple of classics and is performed well. I expect sounds more ordinary today than when released. Probably won’t be replaying very often but a generous 4.
This is the second Wilco album in as many weeks. This one is better than the last and has some good tracks. It’s enjoyable. It suffers from the same problem as the other though - there’s a fair amount of mediocre stuff that obscures the good.
Robbie, Robbie, Robbie! This has no place in a list of albums you must listen to. Bland poppy crap.
Well, this has a couple of crowd pleasing favourites on it. As a band I used to quite like, though from a bit of a distance, again I expected more from this album. It is though less disappointing than the last one on this list. Perhaps I’m being generous. It is a good album, well produced and executed.
Great, lively, punk album where 70% of the tracks share the same bass line/percussion.
Not sure what to make of this. It’s all over the place. Maybe just because you can do all these things at once doesn’t mean you have to.
This is good. One to play again.
It’s probably not worth a 5 but it has loads of really great tracks, it’s fun, the music is good, it’s norf London, and some people have posted such mean reviews.
I’ve already had to listen to one dreadful megadeath album. No more……!
Worth a listen. Great sound.
I liked this album when it came out and 20 years ago I might have given this a 4. But today it’s a solid 3.
What a voice! Fabulous horn.
A beautiful album, beautifully performed.
Incredible. Classic track after classic track and the innovation!
A nice album and a decent debut. I think B&S have produced better stuff but this is very listenable. Just about scrapes a 4 for me.
I can’t think of anything to say to commend this album.
I think one that needs multiple listens. Amazing to see how influential it was.
This is a great album. Good songwriting, original, influential. Rounding up to a 5 to rebalance all the unnecessary 1s.
Not a NY classic. Relatively listenable I suppose but little distinctiveness. Won’t bother replaying.
Second NY album in a row and this one vastly better containing at least 3 classics.
On the one hand, quite listenable. On the other, entirely inoffensive.
I can see it is probably important but it isn’t my thing. Not sure it has aged well either.
I expect more from a band that calls itself a supergroup. That said, it’s quite listenable with some nice tracks. This isn’t quite a 4 but I’m rounding up as I might be tempted to replay one day.
Another quite dull REM record I’m afraid. Wanted to like this more.
To be frank, I’d had my fill of drumming by the end but this is a banger of a recording that I’ll play again.
One of those albums you forget you’re listening to.
An album that really struggles to justify inclusion in a list like this. Aside from the hits, there’s a lot of padding.
Not bad. Marr is good. There’s only so much Morrissey whining I can take though.
I guess if you are a real fan of this type of music you might really like it, but boy is it long. It is really long with little variation. Ding a ling a ling a ding. Maybe it’s good but I’ve had enough. Ye ha. I’ll give a 3 for their persistence. Now make it stop.
Smooth and short. Oh yeah.
An above average album but only just.
Interestingly a record that starts ye ha country and then adopts the rock and roll that by then had been around for a while. Expected more from the Byrds. This is just an ok album.
Had enough of that. It is a fun album that has its moments but no more! It sometimes thinks it’s Elton John, sometimes Prince. And please no to that awful cover of Comfortably Numb.
A really nice album. Not quite a 5 but some lovely music.
The thing about The Who is that they have a handful of great songs and a lot of dross. This fact is illustrated vividly in a live album.
Easy 5*. A master at work. Every track is superb.
Tedious. It’s one of those albums you hear people playing too loud in cars with lowered suspension.
A contender for the greatest album ever recorded. An incredible, brilliant, innovative, influential, classic album. Every track is standout and together it’s even greater than the sum of its parts.
I liked this but felt it could have gone further, been better. That said, I got more out of it on the second listen. Pretty solid debut
The more it plays, the better it gets. Some classic tracks, tight production. 5*
Awful and almost entirely pointless.
Yet again a perfectly pleasant album that is just average 1990s fare. Too many of these on the list.
A very good album with the couple of weaker songs more than compensated for by the larger number of classics.
A thoroughly enjoyable album.
