Awful. I realise using the phrase makes me sound old but this really is “just noise”. And far too long. Boring and unimaginative. No idea why this exists on this list. I guarantee there are 1001 better albums out there on the world. Insert Sean Dyche meme here.
First time my wife has got excited about an album I’ve put on. She knows this off by heart and it would probably be a 5 star for her. I’m a bit more reserved and the 80s are probably my least favourite decade for music. This is so 80s it hurts in large parts. Having said that George Michael is in the elite category of artists and there is no denying he is one of the best ever at what he does. I prefer him on ballads such as One More Try but there is no denying he has one of the greatest most recognisable voices in music. 4 star because my wife still remembers the words nearly 40 years later and that has to count for something.
Mighty boosh. Not something I would ever listen to normally but not bad. I can appreciate the musicianship but jazz isn’t my thing
Bowie’s best ever vocals on title track. Ending track Fame (with Lennon on vocals) also very familiar but never heard album in its entirety before. Had no idea Bowie covered All Across The Universe, albeit nowhere near as good as The Beatles. Great album, cool as always. Bit short.
Very 80s, very very Sting. Of its time. Not awful but I think you had to be there. Song with Kate Bush was decent despite being about suicide. He’s got a much better voice than I realised.
The sort of tunes that appear in a Tarantino film. El Paso is the best track here (and appeared in Breaking Bad) but all the songs have merit. Great example of why this site is so valuable. I wouldn’t have listened to this album in a million years otherwise. Very much of its time but great stories in each song. Enjoyed it.
Tony hawks PlayStation is what this brings to mind for me. Understand that this album is culturally significant and still referenced in popular culture to this day but just not my thing. Appreciate I’m in the minority because this regularly appears in Top 100 album lists. I don’t believe the hype boyeeee
Funky as hell. If only hip hop followed this route throughout the 90s. Joyful and laid back. Songs about worrying about high cholesterol and eating enchiladas rather than any criminal activity. I’m no connoisseur of the genre but for a debut this sounds confident and assured. Enjoyed it far more than I expected it to.
One of the best albums of all time. How they made this while relationships in the band were falling apart is a mystery. Fa purity track changes almost daily. No filler whatsoever. Essential.
Joy division without the atmosphere or tunes. Still better than most music these days. Monitor and Spellbound were highlights.
Awful. I realise using the phrase makes me sound old but this really is “just noise”. And far too long. Boring and unimaginative. No idea why this exists on this list. I guarantee there are 1001 better albums out there on the world. Insert Sean Dyche meme here.
Weird, annoying, couldn’t tell if next door were having building work done or if it was this album. The last album I was given on here was purely instrumental and after 30 seconds of the first track of this, I was wishing this was too. Not the worst I’ve been served up on here but close to it.
Of its time. Generic 60s pop hits apart from Monday Monday and California Dreamin, both of which are superb. The latter has a case for the best pop song of the decade in all fairness
Iconic. Title track is one of the best tunes ever written. Shine on you crazy diamond is a sprawling space epic and Pink Floyd at the ethereal best. Have a cigar and welcome to the machine are their digs at the music industry and, to be honest, are nowhere near as good as the other 3 (!) tracks on this album. Really hard to rate because when it’s good it’s untouchable but a couple of relative duds in an album of 5 tracks means it can only be a 4 star.
Typical Stones album. One minute rock n roll, then blues, country and gospel. First time listening to it in its entirety. Superb. Sympathy is possibly the best tune they ever did. Micks vocals don’t sound quite right to me though. Can’t put my finger on it. Not quite as good as Exile but a blueprint for what was to come. Still a great collection of tunes. Unbelievable this came out at the end of the sixties. Sounds much more contemporary.
I hate prog rock with a passion. If an album takes multiple listens for you to get the “tune” then it’s not for me. Not a single track is in what you would call ”normal” timing. That said, the drumming on this album is unreal. Good musicianship, shite songs.
Overblown, overhyped pretentious pish. Took 3 attempts to get through the whole thing. Nowhere near DSOTM or WYWH. Don’t understand this at all
The best album by the best lyricist of all time.
Beautifully arranged songs delivered with an intensity that makes you take notice. You can’t listen to this album casually because his unbelievable voice demands your attention. He gives everything to every song. A little too freeform and jazzy in places for me maybe but overall superb
Seminal. Trippy and brilliant. Defined the band despite them being a Stonesesque rock band up until this point (and reverting back after this album) Although Movin On Up and Damaged still hark back to these roots. The definitive Madchester acid house album despite them being from Scotland. 4.5 stars
Greatest rock band of all time. Much heavier sound compared to the first album which was more bluesy. Heartbreaker is one of the greatest riffs in rock. Maybe only bettered by led zeppelin 4, this is a great album. But a bit short at only 9 tracks.
What in the Peepshow is this all about? State Of Mind wasn’t a bad tune but the rest….not for me. Meh.
2 songs in and I’m gonna struggle with this one. Slow songs that sound like they’ve been lifted from a Disney cartoon. If I’m not asleep by the end of it it will be a miracle.
Surprised me this. Listened a couple of times and it really grew on me. Got Biffy Clyro vibes from the tunes with the male singer. I like it. But the spelling of the band name is pretentious and annoying.
You know when Alan Partridge is asked what his favourite Beatles album is and he says “best of”? That’s me with The Who. When they are good (won’t get fooled again, baba o’Riley, behind blue eyes) they are in the very top percentage of rock bands. But then they do rock opera bollocks and I lose interest. Similar to Pink Floyd’s The Wall where I’m waiting for the belters and sitting through songs from a musical bored silly. Iconic album cover though.
Blew me away this. At least 10 years ahead of its time in sound. Sounds raw and dangerous. Like Lou Reed fronting Weezer with lyrics by Kurt Cobain. Everyone has heard Blister In The Sun even if they don’t know the band but as a whole this is immense fair play.
A unique blend of John Martin and Stevie Wonder but I’m not sure the songs are strong enough. Certainly no memorable ones after 1 listen.
Not my thing this but I can appreciate the (mostly) laid back beats and I love an album that has a theme running throughout rather than being a collection of songs. Lyrics are off putting to me though. Won’t listen again.
Wish I hadn’t read what this was about before I listened. Vocal delivery (no singing here) is not for me even if I did understand what was being said. Actually, it’s a blessing I didn’t in this case. Background music was ok in fairness and it was mercifully short at 30 mins
Crazy concept to record an album in a prison but it works. Just good Country songs with johnnys personality coming through too
Liked this more than I thought I would. Unique ethereal vocals and very laid back tunes. Not much in the way of a change of pace though but if slow ballads are your thing then you will prob like this more than I did
Pleasant background noise but nothing memorable. Meh.
Great example of the value of this site. Never heard of these guys before but enjoyed this. Like The Stooges and The Stones in parts. Good stuff.
Essential. Unreal talent similar to Jeff Buckley but 20 years earlier (too similar in one respect - both taken far too soon). Not many albums on this list (so far) that you can comfortably play from the start again as soon as it finishes but this is one of them. Easy 5 stars this.
As hip hop goes I can get along with Run DMC because (like The Beastie Boys) they incorporate rock riffs. Obviously Walk This Way and Tricky are the standout tracks here but I also thought Raising Hell was decent.
The only point I can see in film soundtracks is that listening to it reminds you of scenes in films you love. This film doesn’t exist therefore it’s completely pointless to my mind. The only album in about 100 that I’ve skipped through the tracks and was relieved to get to the end. Shite.
One outstanding track that everyone knows but the rest just sounds like a poor man’s Beatles to me but without the memorable tunes and added weird spacey bits. Maybe it needs a few listens. Ironically the line “soo long” in Mr Blue Sky sums up my feelings of this album. Father in law went to school with Jeff Lynne and raves about ELO. Maybe you had to be there at the time. Not bad compared to some but wouldn’t listen again.
The album that catapulted them into the mainstream. Their debut was a raw superb collection of songs and this (4th album I think) was as good as they were going to get from this point onwards. Unbelievable to me that this came out 17 years ago.
Comfortably the bands best album. And it’s not even close. Not a fan of them in the whole but this album is up there with the very best. Best album of the 80s? Possibly. Stone Roses and Appetite For Destruction also in the mix but this is definitely in the conversation.
Minecraft music. Instrumental forgettable pretentious nonsense.
Distinctive and superb voice that spawned a million impersonators in the late 2000s. That said, I’ve never understood why this album is consistently rated as highly in lists as it is. Maybe I’m just not a big fan of throwback 60s soul. Some great tracks here (3 maybe 4) but also some filler and at only 35 minutes long that is unforgivable really.
Not many bands have an album as good as 1991s Nevermind. Even fewer bands write an even better follow up album. Despite Kurt doing his best to “ruin” some tracks with his vocal delivery (Tourette’s, scentless apprentice, radio friendly unit shifter) or deliberate anti-guitar solos (Milk It) this is an essential album that’s less polished than Nevermind by design. An attempt to recreate the raw sound of Bleach. As powerful now as when it was released 32 years ago. Heart shaped box might be the best grunge tune of them all.
No wonder this kids went mad for Elvis if this was the alternative. Call me unsophisticated but this is just nice background music. Brings to mind The Fast Show sketch. No doubting they are accomplished musicians but I find it all a bit tedious. Sorry jazz lovers.
I grew up in the 80s in a household that mostly listened to Motown with the occasional Beatles and Billy Joel thrown in. As such I thought I would only recognise the title track on this album. Turns out I’ve heard a lot of them before somehow. Guess they were just out there in the culture of the time. I am firmly a rock fan but there is no denying this is the perfect pop record. Oh and Prince shreds on some tracks so winner.
Meh. Every song is about being on the run and then being saved by a girl. Standard country tunes, nothing special.
Stevie Wonder is in the same category as Michael Jackson, George Michael, Madonna etc in that I know they are the best at what they do but it’s not something I’d voluntarily listen to. There are some superb tracks on this album (As and Saturn are my favs) and to make a double album as good as this is almost unheard of (Beatles white album the only one I can think of that’s better off the top of my head) but I’ll prob never listen again so it isn’t a 5 star album to me. Same as Madonna’s Like A Prayer, a 4 seems fair because its undeniably good, just not my thing.
Shite this. 40 mins of recorded telephone calls and noise. Occasionally a tune threatens to come through but is then suppressed in favour of more noise and childish lyrics. Unbelievably this isn’t the worst album I’ve been served up on this list but it’s close
Love this album and this has given me a reason to revisit it. First discovered it during covid and played it on repeat. An Ocean Between The Waves is outstanding but the whole album is gold. Tough one to rate as I only give 5 stars to faultless classic albums but this is better than a 4 star. It’s a 9/10 so gotta round up to 5.
5 stars. One of the greatest ever. My only complaint is that the alarms at the start of Time are anxiety inducing. Apart from that, damn near perfect.
First time my wife has got excited about an album I’ve put on. She knows this off by heart and it would probably be a 5 star for her. I’m a bit more reserved and the 80s are probably my least favourite decade for music. This is so 80s it hurts in large parts. Having said that George Michael is in the elite category of artists and there is no denying he is one of the best ever at what he does. I prefer him on ballads such as One More Try but there is no denying he has one of the greatest most recognisable voices in music. 4 star because my wife still remembers the words nearly 40 years later and that has to count for something.
Good collection of songs and obviously an incredible voice. Wouldn’t normally choose to listen but enjoyed it.
Jeff Buckley once said, the 80s were bullshit apart from The Smiths. This isn’t their best album but it’s still better than most of what was around at the time and the most relatable band for a working class Brit until Pulp arrived years later. That Joke isn’t funny any more is the strongest track here. Bass line on Barbarism is outstanding. Animal noises on Meat is Murder less so.
OK Computer was the best album id ever heard when it was released 3 years before this. Then they released this as a follow up. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. Gone were the guitars and in came a wall of ambient sound. Nearly 30 years on my kids swear this is the best Radiohead album. Having re listened now it’s not, OK Computer is still king but this IS exceptional. Listened 3 times in a row and heard something different every time. Class. Can’t believe I’ve deprived myself for 25 years
The most chilled political album of all time? Some great songs on here but also some filler. Save The Children is nothing short of awful and other tracks all pass you by without impact. Inner City, Mercy and the title track are excellent .
Only The Smiths could make a jangly upbeat pop tune about a girlfriend being in a coma. Some Smiths classics on here (girlfriend, stop me, last night I dreamt somebody loved me, I started something I couldn’t finish). Not as good as The Queen Is Dead but still a very good album.
Pere Ubu’s Dub Housing was one of the worst albums I’ve been served up on here so I did not have high hopes for this one. It starts by giving the listener tinitus for no reason whatsoever. Shite.
Classic. Cecilia is the best Beatles track not written by the Beatles and The Boxer is an all-timer but there are several classic tracks on this album. I’d never heard Baby Driver before. Superb. Sticking a live track on here was an odd decision though. My teenage lad just came in and asked if I was listening to The Beatles. Can’t get higher praise than that.
Before I even listen to this I know it’s gonna be twee pop mostly about girls. The sort of album that Andy Dufresne would have been given for his Shawshank library. I’m not saying getting away from this album is the reason he decided to crawl through half a mile of shit but who knows. Baby What You Want Me To Do is a decent blues track in fairness.
The first Beatles album in this list for me and, whilst not as good as albums that were yet to come, it’s still the Beatles. Feels wrong rating any of their stuff against anyone else because they were in a league of their own. By their standards this is probably a 4 star album as it’s half covers and only half original material but other bands can’t come close.
80s smooth jazz should be something I despise yet I found myself quite enjoying this album in parts. Got Morrisey vibes throughout (especially Lonesome) and not just from the album cover. The opening Rod Stewart cover was great fair play. Decent if not exceptional.
Didn’t like Back In Black much and this is worse. Not for me.
I listen to my daily albums first thing with a cup of coffee. In that setting this album is fine as background noise to get your day started but can’t imagine ever choosing to listen to this again. Or any jazz album for that matter. Far too many of them on this list.
At last, an actual rock album rather than jazz. C’mon let’s go Space Truckin’
At this point you’ve really got to question what the criteria for getting on this list is. This sounds like a poorer version of early 90s Sheryl Crow and any album that has a track titled “2 kool 2 Be 4-Gotten” needs to get in the bin.
On paper this project is a superb concept but the reality is that for every OK Computer or Dark Side Of The Moon you get served up 50 albums like this. Inoffensive but pure background music. There is a time and place for that I guess but it certainly isnt on a list of things I need to hear before I die
A country singer covering songs from his youth (30s, 40s, 50s) should be pretty unlistenable in 2025 but this actually surprised me. Very laid back and Willies great voice. Decent.
Was wondering how long it would be until I got the stones. This is their second best album (after exile which came out a year later). Wild Horses is beautiful and Can’t You Hear Me Knocking is one of my favourites but the whole album is gold in fairness.
Morrisey without Marr is like McCartney without Lennon - still good but something is missing. Only heard 1 track on here previously (ignore me) and it’s the best one here. The chainsaw (?) noise on Speedway is totally unnecessary.
Completely missed this band at the time. Reminded me of Smashing Pumpkins (even has a similar cover to Siamese Dream) and Placebo in parts. I enjoyed it while it lasted but none of it really stuck in my head like tunes from the bands I mentioned do. Maybe needs repeated listens.
If it’s not country or jazz it’s fucking penguins. This list man….
At the time Bjork was just too quirky for me so I never listened to her properly outside of the singles she had at the time. A year later Oasis would release their debut and music and my teenage years would be changed forever. Anything without guitars was ruled out without giving it a chance. Listening to this 32 years later(!) I really enjoyed it in parts. The dance tunes are by far superior (violently happy) to the slow jazz like ones (anchor song). I’d like to think my horizons have broadened as I’ve gotten older but some albums on this list have really tested that theory. Thankfully this isn’t one of them.
The sort of tunes that end up on a FIFA soundtrack. And there’s a reason we all turn them off after a week. One of the very few albums I’ve had to skip through tracks. Feel like 60 seconds of each track lets you hear everything you need to know
As a massive IDLES fan I was familiar with Cry To Me although not the original artists version. Superb voice this guy and I’m embarrassed I’ve not heard of him before. Really good album with only a couple of songs that haven’t aged so well.
At last some REM. One of my favourite bands growing up. My dad would play Automatic and Out Of Time frequently in the house on new fangled CDs but we only had this album on cassette so only really listened in the car. Orange crush is my fav track here but it’s full of great tunes. Maybe tails off a bit towards the end. Not many bands have as many great albums as REM do.
Despite being a big fan of grunge (nirvana, pearl jam, soundgarden etc etc) I never listened to these guys before. Loved it. Very Iggy and The Stooges but can tell they’re from Seattle. Certain tracks on here could pass as early Nirvana demos. Which is a nice way of saying Nirvana did it better a year later but I still really enjoyed this. I wanna be your Halloween dog.
Laid back easy listening but nothing really grabbed my attention. Meh
Oh great, another album of obnoxious noise passing itself off as music. And, bonus, it lasts an hour and 15 minutes. Shite.
This album was everywhere when I was a kid. Despite that I’d never listened to it until now. Don’t feel like I’ve missed out. Meh.
The people who say Dylan or Morrisey can’t sing need to give this guy a go. Dear me. Musically this was fine, good in places, but his voice makes this a real slog. No idea how clever the politically charged lyrics are because I mentally tuned his voice out. Frank Turner does it better for me.
Didn’t think I was going to like this but it surprised me. Had good flow as an album but the covers threw a curve ball. Born To Run was decent to be fair. Wouldn’t listen again but thought it was decent. The 3 big tracks of theirs that I knew are all on this album
Stones best album. End of.
Like a mashup of Springsteen, Dylan and Lindisfarne. The title track, bang on the ear and when will we be married are the standout tracks here. I had to look up the latter as it sounded like a traditional folk song to me. Great stuff. Nothing close to Whole Of The Moon but an enjoyable album of a bit long. Would give it 3.5 if I could so rounded up
Not many albums changed the world and not many artists can borrow other people’s tunes and make them their own but Led Zeppelin did just that with this album. Mind blowing this is 56 years old at this point! Superb debut album. Better was to come from them but this is the blueprint for the heavy rock movement to come. Essential.
Not really my thing but All Falls Down and especially Through The Wire are decent tunes. Appreciate this was a landmark album but just not my cup of tea.