Probably Ozzy's strongest album vocally with Sabbath, with an interesting mix of classic Sabbath and new styles, leaning into the gentler tracks from Master of Reality and Paranoid with Changes and Laguna Sunrise. Snowblind and Under the Sun are highlights, closing the album with a classic Iommi riff.
A solid ten tracks of stomping Chicago Blues. Mannish Boy and I Can't Be Satisfied were standouts for me with the rest of it becoming a little one-note for my tastes.
A beautiful album of experimental pop and indie-folk, Stevens cements his place in pop music as an excellent and sad storyteller. Complex arrangements underpin his beautiful vocal melodies, with standouts for me being the simpler tracks - the tragic horror of John Wayne Gacy, Jr, gentle grief of Casimir Pulaski Day and the quasi-religious chanting of The Seer's Tower hit especially hard.
Starts and ends strongly but the middle is full of jangly guitars and inane ramblings. Wasn't for me.
An outstanding collection of songs that has not dulled in the 30 years since release. Every song oozes class in a way that I don't think NIN have quite topped since.
Fine if not groundbreaking. Obvious classics like Tuesday's Gone and Free Bird stood out but otherwise washed over me a bit.
Mayfield is clearly a good vocalist but it was a little one-note for me. Whilst I'm not the right audience for funk or soul there was a great vibe to the music and would happily relisten to an instrumental version of this album as background chillout music. Billy Jack was great, but I could've done without the 6 minute ode to Jesus in the middle.
A few moments but mostly ones that made me think of other bands I'd rather be listening to. Far too much saxophone. Did not enjoy this one.
Beck sheds his esoteric folk for something a bit more traditional but it doesn't lose anything as a result. Guess I'm Doing Fine was a real highlight in an album that is no high paces, high tempo or high spirits but was a great match for my mood today.
A bit of a shift from my preferred Dylan, Blood on the Tracks shies away from the folk storytelling that made him a star but had some real stand outs. Tangled Up in Blue and Shelter from the Storm are particular standouts, and as with a lot of Dylan, it's an album that really begins to shrine on multiple listens.
A fine if not groundbreaking pop album that kept me tapping along. Take on Me an obvious highlight
I find Mick Jagger's voice a little grating but the a few numbers (Wild Horses, Sister Morphine and Dead Flowers) stood out for me. Minus one star for the stupid saxophone on Can't You Hear Me Knocking.
I get the important message behind it but I simply do not like funk. Plus more saxophone noodling. Felt like getting Mr Blobby to read The Emancipation Proclamation.
A really solid album. Cold robotic lyrics with sweeping synths and drums. You can really hear the influence on later stuff like Daft Punk.
A lovely collection of folk pop that allows Simon's ability to shine as a songwriter. Some aspects of the album felt a little tentative to me, but Peace Like a River was a real standout to me.
Perfectly reasonable if relatively uninspiring middle of the road indie pop. Friday's Dust was pretty good.
Some clever storytelling but her voice and musical arrangements didn't do much for me. I liked Marlene on the Wall and Small Blue Thing but don't think I'd ever actively revisit this for a future listen.
Iconic MTV Unplugged set from a band I have always felt were pretty overrated. It's telling that the stand out songs with the most emotional impact and nuance on here are covers, but you can hear Cobain struggling with the complexity of some of the vocals. A good album that, for me, highlights the weakness of Nirvana's own songwriting against better work.
I never really got the hype with The Who. A very talented rhythm section let down by Ultimate Shouty Dad Lads in Daltry and Townshend. Won't Get Fooled Again is iconic which earns a second star, but a whole album of this stuff really drags for me.
Energetic debut from M.I.A blending contemporary pop and world music. Smart lyrics alongside great beats. U.R.A.Q.T was great fun and Galang a clear standout.
Toe tapping live soul album and a really tight set with very little nonsense. Not my usual genre but this felt like an excellent time capsule. Probably more open to this following heavy listening of the Sinners soundtrack
Musically interesting but vocally left me feeling a little cold. Felt like the lyrical arrangement could've done with a little work and Drake's voice did not shine on this. The album felt to me like a kind of proto-Sufjan Stevens. I could feel the influence but nothing stood out.
If you wanted to define the sounds of the 1960s and pulled up any album to help you explain it I think this would be a good shout. Obviously California Dreamin' is the stand out but the album bathes it's sometimes unhappy lyrics in pure sunshine pop, with a solid Beatles cover thrown in for good measure.
Not really my bag. Courtney Love is a divisive figure but gives it her all here, but I'm not a huge fan of her vocals or songwriting. It's fine, just felt a bit run-of-the-mill.
Perfectly servicable. Burke clearly has an excellent voice but there wasn't anything here that'd keep me coming back.
Baffling that this would be on a list of albums I Must Listen To Before I Die. Completely forgettable.
Mitchell's voice soars through this album. Musically interesting too, with dips into rock and jazz. Importantly doesn't get overblown at any point whilst really letting the strongest instrument, her vocals, shine. Feel like I'll be coming back to this one.
Like someone took the worst of The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Monkees and threw them into a blender. Garbage 60s pop.
Servicable glam. Get It On an obvious banger, but this album is let down by being far too long and dotted with tracks where Marc Bolan seems to be trying to channel David Bowie and is all the weaker for it.
Excellent guitar work. A fun listen, with Black Magic Woman the stand out. Works best for me as background music but would happily listen again.
Demonstrates everything I dislike about punk. I can respect it's influence but this was a tough and uninteresting listen. How you can have a 36 minute album with sixteen songs - and one of those songs is 10 minutes long - is beyond me. Glad of it's influence on thrash metal, never want to hear it again.
Perfectly servicable jazz, which isn't my favourite genre at all. Take Five was a pleasant track, the rest slid off my brain immediately.
This album has just finished and I've already forgotten all of it.
A really interesting, genre-blending hip hop album that predates the dull mumble rap of the late 2010s and Kanye becoming a more controversial figure. POWER and it's use of King Crimson stands out to me but there's a lot of good here.
Garbage, talentless, manufactured discontent. Dreadful.
A solid collection of blues delivered with genuine heart. Nothing to keep me coming back but a good listen.
An interesting listen without having any stand out classics. You can feel the influence on later works here, especially in the latter half of the album, but there wasn't a lot to really hold my attention. Minus one star for a needless sax solo.
I have no idea why this is determined as something I must listen to before I die. This feels more like an album of beats than anything cohesive. Lyrics are badly delivered pointless drivel and the beats are far too simplistic.
