1001 Albums Summary

An incredible performance from an iconic band, stepping out of their comfort zone. The covers are simply sublime, the transition from loud and angsty to intimate is disarming, but the band nails it. This is almost the perfect live album and given the context of what happened to Kurt Cobain only months later, the event seems all the more poignant. I could listen ten times in a row and still enjoy it.

A mixed bag. The opening track is an absolute banger. the second track is an absolute banger. The closing track is also a banger. In between is a lot of mediocre. "Fake Tales Of San Francisco" is boring, "Mardy Bum" is so cheesy it feels like a joke and "When The Sun Goes Down" is a gimmick song based on an almost spoken intro. The song quickly descends into chaotic noise. This band has far better albums than this, but it's so much better than most of the crap on this list, so I won't be too harsh.

One amazing track. The rest is meh.

Pretty good stuff.

Overrated. His next album is better.

It sounds just like every other Bruce Springsteen album, but somehow slightly worse. Dull, pretentious and unoriginal.

Awful. Just awful. Weird music, terrible vocals and bad lyrics. Avoid like the plague.

The music is technically sound, but the mood is so depressing. This album is a slog and it doesn't offer sufficient reward for the effort of listening to it. It's not awful, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Pretty good stuff. I had not listened to this in more than 20 years and I had some nice moments of deja vu. “Dummy” was so different to anything coming out of the UK at the time. It was fresh, the music is technically proficient, the rhythms and beats are perfect and the mood is hypnotic. I understand even more why this was so influential. A few tracks on the second half of the album are a bit boring, but the highlights are excellent. Well worth a listen 👍

All the “songs” sound the same: incoherent noise on top of comical snarling vocals. There is no attempt to make anything close to a melody. It seems that their plan (if you can call it that) was to play as fast and as rushed as possible, make up cliched lyrics on the spot and see what happens. An embarrassment to music.

Some of the tracks are repetitive and annoying, but the rhythms are generally decent. The first track is particularly grating, “Dry Your Eyes” is corny rubbish and the closer is meh. “Fit But You Know It” and “Could Well Be In” are fun, but despite these highlights, it’s difficult to rate this album too highly.

Some of the guitar work is very good and the music is nice and heavy. However, almost all of this good work is undone and buried by the comedy vocals. It sounds like a cartoon character having a meltdown. This would be good as an instrumental album, but in this form, the album is difficult to listen to, let alone take seriously. Their desperation for attention deems this a wasted opportunity.

"Under The Bridge" is excellent, but the rest of the album sounds like a teenage funk band playing the third concert.

This album boasts one of the best opening tracks you will ever hear. There is reason these guys were so influential.

The title is apt because musically, this album is very good, but Bono’s histrionic vocals are sometimes at odds with what his band mates are doing. The first half is very solid, but the album loses its way around halfway though; track 6 “The Refugee” is still one of U2’s worst songs. Fortunately, “War” finishes really strongly with “Surrender” and “40”. One of U2’s best albums, only let down by a few moments of pretentious self indulgence. It’s U2 though; it’s what they do.

I often respect bands for trying something different. This album offers a completely new sound compared to their iconic debut, but it often fails to hit the mark. Quite a few of these songs are just straight up boring. “Fall” and “Down On Me” are pretty good, but they probably would not make a Jesus And Mary Chain top 10. The singles are passable, but not too memorable. Nothing here is terrible per se; it’s just a bit dull. A few half decent tracks, an honest attempt to shake things up and some decent rhythms make this an okay album. Thankfully, the Reid boys transform their sound again on the follow up “Automatic”, easily one of the best British rock albums ever recorded, so I can forgive this misstep.

A mixed bag. The opening track is weird, boring and redundant as a mood setter, but it is promptly followed by some catchy pop hits. Not bad, but not essential listening. Lose the Hendrix style self-indulgence and it could have been better.

Some of the lyrics are interesting, thought provoking even, but musically this is all a bit safe. A lot of the songs sound the same and it does get a bit boring after a while. I could get through it because nothing here is bad, but nothing is that exciting either. It’s…fine.

If you take “Higher Ground” off this album, it sounds like any generic lounge band, not one of Apple’s “Top 100” albums. That’s a big stretch, in my opinion. It sounds like a hipster’s opinion which you kinda “have to” think or other hipsters will think you’re an idiot. It’s not your fault. Track 2 is one of Stevie’s most boring songs and several others are nothing to write home about. “Golden Lady” and the closing track are okay and of course the vocals are excellent, bringing it up to a 3/5, but musically, I found this a little underwhelming. Stevie Wonder has far better music than this.

There are far better Radiohead albums than this. Musically, it is intricate and sophisticated, but at times it is too self indulgent for its own good. “Sit Down. Stand Up”, “Myxomatosis” and “There There” are the highlights. “We Suck Young Blood” and “I Will” are the lowest points. A strange analogy: during the scene in Parks & Recreation where Ben plays Cones Of Dunshire with the internet people, he compliments their advanced moves and clever strategy, but just before he delivers the final blow in his victory, one line he speaks is very profound: “You forgot the essence of the game. It’s about the cones.” I feel this way about “Hail To The Thief”. Sure, it’s sophisticated and technically proficient, but they forgot one essence of music: to entertain. Tom Yorke’s vocals are grating at times; he sounds like a banshee who has just stepped on a Lego brick with his bare foot. It’s difficult to listen to and annoying enough to distract from the excellent backing music. Hail To The Thief is pretty good, but it’s too much. I would rather listen to The Bends, OK Computer or Amnesiac.

If you have talent (which I don’t!), music is not complicated. Find some good songwriters, make some catchy songs and release an album. So many bands get caught up trying too hard to make something “epic” and they end up sounding pretentious and ultimately, boring. These guys simplified the process and the result is excellent. Simple, effective, enjoyable, still holds up 35 years later. A job well done 👍

Nothing special.

Not bad.

This was disappointing. A lot of the songs sounded the same and not in a good way. I felt that this was a bit safe, a bit meh and a bit pretentious. There is much better Marvin Gaye stuff out there.

A few really solid tracks here. One or two duds (“Weekend Wars” and 4th Dimensional Transition”), but they are the exception. The sound and vibe is more original than I thought. Not an all time classic, but I would listen again.

Silly music. Imagine if AC/DC had a musical love child with Bowling For Soup and the Rugrats. Throw in some early Blink 182 immaturity and about sex and naughty words and you get this. The joke wears thin very quickly.

Dull.

This album is 60 years old and it shows. It’s old fashioned, dated and passé. The vocals are kinda annoying and the melodies are all pretty similar. Other more forgettable albums on this list got a 3 because they were merely fine, but “A Hard Day’s Night” actively bothered me. It’s not awful, but it deserves no more than 2/5.

Catchy songs

Some catchy melodies and beats here, but my god, the songs go on too long. Shave three or four minutes off some of the songs and it would be far more tolerable. It’s almost like a Prince parody album. The title track is one of the worst songs on the album; overplayed. If you ask AI to create a bland, overly pretentious, self indulgent Prince song, it would create something like “Lady Cab Driver”. That’s over 8 minutes long! I didn’t hate it, in fact, at times I enjoyed it, but it’s too much. After “Dirty Mind” and “Controversy”, this is a disappointment. It’s nowhere near as bad as the awful “Purple Rain”, so it gets 3/5

Boring and pretentious. It doesn’t deserve any more of my time, so this review is short.

Not bad. Paul’s voice is as good as ever on this record, but some of the songs are forgettable. “Cars Are Cars” is not forgettable. It’s one of the most lyrically tortured songs I have ever heard. A 5 year old could have written something more profound. Anyway, good guitar work and pleasant vocals make up for some of the lyrical shortcomings. It’s okay. I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen again, but I wouldn’t say it’s a record to avoid like the plague.

Inoffensive elevator music. This sounds like the same song played ten times in a row. I found it quite bland.

The irony of this album is that despite Eric Clapton’s undeserved reputation as a guitar genius, it is the drummer who really shines. That is the only reason this album gets a second star. The guitar work is self indulgent, pretentious guff which gets old fast. A few tracks in and your heart sinks when you realise that Clapton is going to pleasure himself again. With his guitar. For several unnecessary minutes. There is one good track on this album and it isn’t “Layla”. This entire record is a shameless rip-off of the black American soul movement, exploited and monetised by a group of white dudes, of whom the most famous is a known racist, a sexual predator and an all round slug of the lowest order. Love Songs? I suppose that’s another irony. It’s all so unoriginal, predictable, boring and far too long. Even the title is uninspired. Did I mention the w@nky guitar solos? It’s like he was having an early mid life crisis and he wanted attention. That’s 76 minutes of my life I can’t get back and I’m annoyed by that. I definitely won’t be listening to this again.

A bit safe. Not bad. Meh.

A lot better than I thought. I went in with low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear catchy rock anthems. These guys don’t take themselves too seriously, the album is only 36 minutes long and it’s catchy. Good job.

Safe, bland, boring. Not worth my time.

This album has aged so badly that it’s almost funny. The misogyny is pretty cringy and the lyrics are partly nonsensical. It’s pretty boring. There are far better rap albums from that era than this.

Elevator music. Not bad, but totally forgettable.

Well written songs, good length, very engaging. The opening track is fantastic. “Shiver”. It sets the tone. “Shiver” keeps it going. The only dud track is “We Never Change”; it’s a mood killer. Then the album closes with one of Coldplay’s best tracks. Quick redemption. Easily one of the better albums this experience has provided recently.

So overrated. The vocals are sometimes great, sometimes grating and the rhythms are mostly the same in each song. The guitar work is skilful of course, but it is attention seeking to an unnecessary degree. It blows my mind that generic twaddle like this can gain so much respect. It’s not awful, so I can’t award 1 start but I have absolutely no desire to listen again because nothing here impressed me.

Annoying, stupid and painfully pretentious. Avoid.

It’s okay. You can see where Weezer and Foo Fighters got their ideas. Nothing really stands out on this album. For this genre, “Diary” by Sunny Day Real Estate is a classic. I assume it’s on this list. It should be.

A boring, pretentious Bowie rip off. Songs are too long and repetitive. I won’t listen again.

Recently, I gave a Talk Talk album 2/5 because it was boring and pretentious. It wasn’t exciting enough to annoy me, but at least it was inoffensive.. This Crosby, Stills & Nash guff actively irked me, so I am obliged to award a lower score. Seriously, It’s bad. It’s like that scene in Family Guy when Peter says that The Godfather “insists upon itself”. This record insists upon itself. The music on this album is annoying, outdated and far too pleased with itself. It is just not relevant in 2025. A desperate imitation of The Beatles (also irrelevant in 2025), this album has no place on this list.

Better than I remembered, but still nowhere near worthy of the hype. The most famous singles (Last Nite and Someday) are pretty bland. However, there are a few bangers on here (Barely Legal, Hard To Explain, Take It Or Leave It). It's not overly long, the songs are short and most are catchy enough, but there is not much variety here. The follow up "Room On Fire" is far better. Not great, not bad. A 3/5 seems fair to me.

Fine.

This is the worst album yet in this project, without doubt. I feel bad for the other albums to which I previously awarded 1 star because they are not as bad as this. I may have to rethink my star system in future. It really is that bad. I don’t even know how to describe the experience, but I will try. Imagine that David Lynch (RIP) was looking for a soundtrack for a short film about dead animals and this was one of the suggestions that he thought was too “out there”. The music and lyrics are weird, annoying and downright stupid. I’m annoyed that this album is included on this list because nobody needs to hear this.

Not for me

The first track is pretty good. The second track sounds similar. Then track 3 sounds kinda the same too. Not much variety here. Some of the lyrics are just downright nonsensical. It’s fine, nothing special.

Some good guitar work, but a lot of it sounds the same. It’s fine, but no better than fine.

Painfully boring. I never want to hear this again.

This was not as bad as I thought it would be. There are a few catchy beats and some interesting melodies to be found on this album. The title track is pretty annoying, but the album starts well overall. The occasional dud track is not a surprise. It’s a bit safe, but it’s a lot better than some of the albums I have been presented with recently. However, Madonna has better albums than this, so it’s hard to be too generous.

Neil Young has better albums than this. It was not that exciting.

Nothing special here. Grating vocals, predictable beats, annoying vibe. The bad side of 80s music which you have heard a thousand times before. This was not relevant even in 1995, let alone 2025. Has no place on this list. Blah.

This album is awful. It’s weird, pretentious and irritating. The vocals are terrible, the lyrics are nonsensical are the music is basic. This list has been a mixed bag. Some good albums, some not so good. Sometimes I can appreciate the talent of the songwriters, but it’s not my style. In those cases, I don’t like to be too harsh with my reviews, but “The Dreaming” is just downright rubbish and I’m irked that someone added it to this list.

This overhyped drivel is way too far up its own backside. Nowhere near worthy of the reputation it enjoys. The band is trying so hard to sound epic, but a lot of it results in indistinct noise which goes on far too long. It’s boring. There, I said it. I have to commend a few of the bass lines. Some really good rhythm work gives an extra star, but the vocals are never more than average. “The Great Gig In The Sky” is hard to listen to; although the backing music is solid at times (not as intricate as it seem though), the only vocals on offer are random voice clips of men saying random statements and a histrionic woman who shrieks wildly for 3 minutes, like she is being stabbed over and over. It’s not enjoyable. You will know after you listen that these guys were talented musicians, but they forgot the essence of music: to entertain. They are so caught up in sounding epic that the songs are not songs, it’s just a series of loud, pretentious sounds with no structure and no purpose. I wanted to like it, but I couldn’t. There is much better music out there; I don’t feel the desire to ever listen again and I probably won’t.

Pretty good. A few catchy songs, well written. I’m surprised that I had never heard of this band before, but now I have checked out some of their other albums too. The style and vibe are very similar to the Foo Fighters’ first album; Dave Grohl must have listened to a lot of Sebadoh before writing and recording. It’s not an all time classic, but it’s a solid effort.

I was pleasantly surprised with this album. Good flow, good beats, good songs. Okay, the idea and the concept are a bit out there, but the result is pretty good. Some of the spoken word skit style songs are a bit pointless musically and purists may skip them, but it all adds to the vibe and the story, so it’s not the worst thing in the world. A couple of songs are not quite as good, but this album packs in several bangers. It’s fun, it’s well produced and it’s entertaining. Discovering slightly more obscure music like this is a perfect example of why I wanted to work through this list 👍

A good effort. The album starts with the weakest tracks. “Queer” and “Only Happy When It Rains” are a bit boring, but then things step up a gear. I can’t award 5 stars because despite the consistency from track 4 onwards, the album does lack that X-factor, that final ingredient which would make it a classic. It does feel a bit safe at times and it lacks a raw edge, a bit of raw nastiness. Professional production, the beats are consistent, the guitar work is solid, the vocals are (mostly) good, so it’s a very respectable 4/5 from me.

Truly a mixed bag. The album is bookended by decent songs, which are the bread around garbage filling. Tracks 1 and 2 are fun. 3 and 4 are instantly forgettable. Track 5 is just weird; it’s an homage to Stevie Wonder which is an okay idea, but it seems that they are actually in love with Stevie in a creepy stalky way. Track 6 is just boring, slow crap. Tracks 7 and 8 end the record strong. You will notice a pattern. When the songs are built around funky hip hop beats, they are often good. When the songs are R&B ballad style, they are awful. These guys should have stuck to what they did well. Despite some strong moments, this album is as clear a good/bad mix as you will experience on this list, so it gets a middling grade.

Frampton Comes Alive is awful for many reasons. - The title and album cover are weird and creepy. - The songs are really boring. Stale, old fashioned dad rock, not relevant in the 21st century. Name a good song on this album. I’ll wait… - The fact that this is a live album doesn’t help (not a dealbreaker though). - The sound quality is awful. You can barely hear his voice. - Far too long. Frampton spends a lot of time pleasuring himself with his guitar. Nearly as bad as Derek and The Dominos. It could have been half as long. - How on earth did this album shift 8 million copies? A lot of music fans in America must have had low standards in the 70s (I think they did!) or they were seriously disappointed. This was crushingly dull, annoying inane, completely pointless and just downright annoying on occasion. Sometimes I think this list is trolling us.

I had not listened to this album in more than 20 years. I didn’t care much for it then and after listening again, nothing has changed. It sounds outdated and old fashioned now. It simply does not hold up 30 years later. Personally, I would not call Supergrass a Britpop band. They were just a rock band who happened to be around during the Britpop era. It’s like calling REM a grunge band, just because they were contemporaries of Screaming Trees and Nirvana. It’s not accurate. In fact, this album is an insult to the memory of Britpop. The singer overdoes the British accent to such a comic degree that the System Of A Down shouter would tell him to cool it with the exaggerations. His voice really is annoying. Musically, there is some good stuff here, but it’s mostly undone by the histrionic chaos of the record. “Alright” is one of the most irritating songs ever recorded, “Caught By The Fuzz” is a bad rip off of late 70s punk, “We’re Not Supposed To” literally made me say out loud “What the f*ck is this?” and “Time” is so boring that even Dave Matthews would reject it. The only bright spot on this album is “Lenny”. People will give this a 5/5 review just because of the nostalgia, but it’s not a good record. At least I know that I was right all those years ago.

A very well respected journalist once said that Bob Dylan “was a busker who got lucky”. That journalist was correct. This is the most overrated album yet (excluding The Dark Side Of The Moon) on this list. Let’s break down why this album is rubbish. Dylan’s voice is among the worst I have heard on this list; it’s grating and whiny. It’s almost as unlistenable as Thom Yorke on Hail To The Thief. I made it to the last song on this record, but I had to bail after 2 minutes. The vocals made me quit. When he raises his voice, it makes me flinch. It sounds like somebody is strangling a goat. Musically, it sounds sophisticated on the surface but it’s not really. There are three songs on this album which Dylan plays over and over, with different vocals on top. Mediocre, at best. Lyrically, it’s nothing special. At times, the lyrics make no sense. At other times the lyrics are inane and boring. Despite what gullible music fans will say, Bob Dylan is not a wordsmith. People will give this 4 or 5 stars because NME or Rolling Stone told them it’s a classic. I ask: based on what? It’s old fashioned dross which is not relevant in the 21st century, culturally or musically. It doesn’t hold up. It’s 60 years old and it shows. I was going to give this 2/5 because despite its limitations and repetitive nature, there is a semblance of musical talent (not vocal ability), but I found myself feeling annoyed and imposed upon while I listened, so I’m afraid I have to give it 1/5. I don’t want to listen to this again

This is one of the most disgusting albums I have ever heard. It is crass, obnoxious and lacking in even the smallest shred of integrity. The sexual references are crude enough, but the societal and cultural message this sends to young women and girls is appalling. The writers and producers should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Sadly, such morally bankrupt individuals won’t feel an ounce of shame. Unsurprisingly, this album won a Grammy Award. We all know they have been worthless for years now, but Heaux Tales must be the final nail in the coffin for the credibility of that award ceremony. Money can buy trophies, but it clearly can’t buy class. The lyrics exacerbate the myth that if a man is unable or unwilling to pay for his vapid girlfriend’s wannabe lifestyle, he is worthless and she should give him the boot. If he is stupid enough, able and most importantly, willing to pay for her wannabe lifestyle, he should be rewarded. Not with love and commitment, but with a sexually submissive life partner who openly admits that they are giving up their bodies, souls and happiness to settle for a comfortable life with a few material perks. But they will call it love. Even though it’s not and everyone involved knows it. You see the problem. In what universe is this a feminist message? It’s not just destructive for women though. In what universe is this not incredibly damaging for the mental health of young men who are naive enough to fall for this abhorrent rhetoric? In the social media age, it could cripple their sense of self worth beyond repair, and for what? So that a third rate singer can make a few dollars and think she’s special. Trust me fellas, she isn’t special in any way, inside or outside (just look at the album cover!). Any woman worth even a second look (let alone a second date) would never even think these thoughts, much less record an album of them. Faux feminism aside, let’s look at the music aspect. It’s awful. The songs are mundane, like you’ve heard a thousand times before on brain rotting reality TV. The vocals are uninspired, insipid and bland. The spoken word skits serve no purpose whatsoever; they are not funny or interesting in the slightest. I have had 24 hours to consider my feelings after listening to this drivel. I don’t use the word lightly, but I am not exaggerating when I say that I hate this album. I hate the decline in modern music of which it is a symbol and I hate what it stands for culturally. Only a sick person with emotional problems could find any value in Heaux Tales. Everything about it is repulsive and listening to it was one of the most depressing experience of my life.

I was going to give 3/5, but I listened for a second time. The intricacy of the music is more sophisticated than I first thought. Like a few albums on this list from early 90s (Sebadoh and Pavement come to mind), you can see where Weezer and Foo Fighters got their ideas. This is like Dinosaur Jr, but more consistent. Okay, the vocals could be better at times, but I’m feeling generous and awarding a fourth star.

Outdated and a tad boring

It’s inoffensive, but not particularly memorable. I couldn’t hum one of the songs for you, if I were asked to do so. It didn’t annoy me, it didn’t impress me; it’s the epitome of “fine”.

Some of the bass work during the first few tracks is decent, but there are several negatives on this record. The lyrics are repetitive. Track 5 provides weird orgasm sounds which are pretty creepy, “Frankie Teardrop” is utter rubbish (10 minutes of monotonous guitars and random screaming) and the closing track is poor too. I like the 70s vibe of the first few tracks and the vocalist has a good voice when he does something close to, you know, singing. All the positives from the early moments are undone and outweighed by the trash of the last three songs. They are really bad. I wouldn’t bother listening again anytime soon.

Imagine if Stephen Fry were a music album. That’s Paris 1919 by John Cale. It’s so far up its own backside and so pleased with itself that at times you can literally (not figuratively) hear the smugness. A combination of fancy words, weird baroque style music and an unspectacular voice, I won’t be revisiting this again. The only positive is this: This project is to listen to 1001 albums you must hear; at no point are we told that it is the 1001 best albums (that’s subjective anyway) and sometimes the album of the day is something out there, something unorthodox. It’s always interesting to hear something different. That doesn’t justify a second star though because this was not an enjoyable listen.

It gets boring really quickly.

Catchy pop rock tunes, varied in style. The mood is equally as vulnerable as the better songs on “Heartbreaker”, but the tempo is slightly more upbeat. Some will prefer that and some won’t, but Adams is on good form here. The standard does dip towards the end; a few of the tracks are a bit boring. However, it’s a solid effort and I will definitely revisit this at some point.

Utterly forgettable. It didn’t grab me at all. I realised during track 7 that I hadn’t been listening since track 4. It’s not bad in a musical sense, but it’s pretty dull.

It’s so much better than the first album, but it still is not great. The odd highlight here and there, dotted among filler. “Cheapskate” is their best song. A short burst of poppy energy. It really is a great track. The final few tracks simply can’t live up to that standard.

This album is a lot of fun. Lots of short, poppy songs. The good thing is that even if a song is annoying (Monkey Gone To Heaven, Silver, Crackity Jones), they are only a few minutes long!

A couple of nice melodies, but it’s so forgettable. Too may instrumental only tracks here. Bowie’s voice was wonderful and this did not showcase that godt enough. It’s the epitome of “fine”.

“Whatever” is a very apt title. It is inoffensive pop. A bit bland at times, nothing is too exciting. It’s clear that Aimee Mann is a good songwriter and a talented musician, but this album lacks edge. She plays it very safe here. My first girlfriend loved Aimee Mann, so I was familiar with this album. I remember thinking that it was just “okay” then and my opinion hasn’t changed all these years later. She does have far better albums than this though. After my first time getting laid, my then girlfriend put on an Aimee Mann record, so I suppose I associate Aimee’s voice with happy times. I think it’s okay to allow personal feelings and experiences to impact the rating I give to these records, so I think 3/5 is fair.

A bit depressing in places (obviously!) but that there are a few catchy tracks. The first track is a drag, as are the last two. At least the album doesn’t contain the awful “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. That song is an abomination. “Closer” is a real mixed bag, so a 3/5 seems fair.

Not great. A lot of this is noisy noise, like a group of 14 year olds playing in their first punk band. It’s better than The Germs though, so I can’t award 1 star. It’s nowhere near good enough for 3 stars, which leaves only one option.

Narcissistic and pretentious. Far too impressed with itself. Nothing special. The screaming during track 1 gets really annoying. It seems that MaCartney and Harrison were the real talent in The Beatles.

Offensive and exploitative. This album was worse than boring; it was irritating. Randy Newman does not actually sound like that. He changed his vocal style to sound more like black American jazz artists who actually had talent. A shameless rip off which has no place on this list. I know it’s not the 1001 best albums; it’s a list of albums which influenced and inspired. The presence of this album on the list is a travesty and an insult to the music he is copying. A disgrace.

Silly comedy music. Clearly these guys watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show and decided to form a band, despite a lack of talent and ideas.

To use Taylor’s own lyrics against her: it’s so bad, but she does it so well. First off, let’s address the fact that singles are supposed to promote and sell an album. Most of the singles from 1989 are either irritating or bland. Either way, they are the worst songs on the album. “Blank Space” is dull, corny pop which hopes that one single hook line (“go down in fla-ames”) will disguise the fact that it’s a nothing song. “Shake It Off” is straight up annoying and has been played to death. “Wildest Dreams” is slow and blah. Not a good sign. However, the worst of the singles by a country mile is “Bad Blood”. My God, it falls into the irritating and boring categories (borritating?) at the same time. A seven year old could write the music and lyrics. Just listen to the melody. It’s awful...and so basic. One of the most overhyped pop songs of the generation. It’s an abomination of music. Whenever I hear a Taylor Swift diss track, I’m reminded of a line by Harvey Keitel’s character in From Dusk Till Dawn. He asks George Clooney “are you such a loser, you can’t tell when you’ve won? You’ve won. Enjoy it”. Why does TayTay concern herself with these never ending feuds with other celebs? The pettiness is off the charts She is still doing it in 2025. It’s like she is obsessed with conflict. I think she should enjoy the fact that she has ascended to the top of Pop Mountain. She is as famous as Madonna was, maybe even more famous. It’s clearly what you want, Taylor, so enjoy it. Now onto the positives. It’s clear, even to those who are not fans, that Taylor is (or could be) a good songwriter. There are some decent tunes here. The album starts off fairly strong. “Welcome To New York”, “Style” and “Out Of The Woods” are catchy and fun. They show that when she tries, she can indeed entertain. Unfortunately though, a lot of this album is middle of the road guff. The only truly bad song is “Bad Blood”; the rest is fine. Just fine. It’s very safe and risk averse. Taylor Swift is so famous that you cannot realistically expect to avoid her music. She has spawned countless imitators (Sabrina Carpenter is the most notable clone) and I guess there is a reason for that. People see this as passion filled, artistic release and a way to “know” the artist, but it really isn’t. It’s a damning indictment of modern pop that something so “okay” can be so successful and profitable. This kind of thing sells and the Swift team knows how to capitalise on that. To use that same lyric again: it’s so bad, but they do it so well.

Easily among the worst vocals I have had to endure on this list. It’s pretty much unlistenable. Musically, it’s not that great. “Okay” albums get an 3. Boring, but inoffensive albums get a 2. This was actively annoying, so it earns the lowest rating. Awful. I never want to hear this again.

Boring. Too boring to be annoying. I zoned out after 3 minutes.

A mixed bag. Musically, there is some good stuff here. Good guitar work and fun, catchy rhythms. However, the lyrics are mostly nonsensical and immature, delivered in a nasal, whiny style. It’s really grating after a while. I assume that the albums on this list are either really high quality or they are innovative/groundbreaking/influential in some way. “Le Tigre” is neither. We have all heard this a dozen times before and it’s been done far better. I was never a huge fan of Bikini Kill and it’s hard to separate Le Tigre from them. The former band had a more angsty sound which kinda worked, even if it wasn’t my style. Le Tigre is more light hearted, but it comes across like a group of 14 year old girls who want to play punk rock because they are mad at their dads. As an instrumental album, this would be a 4/5. Kathleen Hanna’s vocals bring it down a level or two. I want to give 2 stars, but I’m feeling generous today, so it’s a 3/5 from me.

Boring and self indulgent.

Not my style

So overrated. Lauryn Hill has a great voice, but it is wasted on this generic 90s R+B. It's the rap performances which are the best (track 7 is not bad). The duets seem to be vanity appearances more than anything worthwhile. It's all a bit boring. It didn't annoy me; it's not interesting enough to do that. I just don't get the hype. I would call this album "The Meh-seducation of Lauryn Hill".

Painfully dull. It’s easy to drift away and forget that the record is playing. I really don’t see what the fuss is about. Meh. Simon and Blah-funkel is a more apt name for this duo.

More tedious, self indulgent tosh from Crosby, Stills or Nash. They are completely interchangeable. Utterly unremarkable.

“Bawitdaba da bang da bang diggy diggy, diggy said the boogie, said up jump the boogie” repeated over and over and over again over monotonous, tuneless noise. Good Lord in heaven above, I can’t even begin to explain how moronic this all is. Total gibberish. And we’re supposed to think this is good?? Anybody over the age of 14 who liked this record needs to take a long look in the mirror and form a plan with a therapist to solve the emotional issues in their soul. This album is utter rubbish. It’s a damning indictment of American culture when this can sell 14 million copies. The music is either trudging nu-metal or grating country style twangy guitars, topped with crass, misogynistic lyrics that would make any of the “look how rich I am, bitch” rappers seem humble. Kid Rock made this record to appeal to angry teenagers, but the reality is that it is soulless, commercialised rebellion for people who don’t know any better. I have to tip my hat to him for making millions of dollars without a shred of artistic integrity, but it doesn’t excuse this abomination. Everybody involved in bringing it to existence should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Generic hippy music. They should be called "The Blah-penters"

Nothing interesting here. In fact, some of this is just downright irritating. The arrogance of the concept is astounding, yet Robbie Williams offers nothing of substance to justify such a high opinion of himself.

Generic country pop from another Taylor Swift clone. This is safe, bland and forgettable. Even 24 hours later, I couldn’t hum one of the songs, but I remember not hating it. It’s was too boring to remember. She should be called Kacey Meh-sgraves!

Not bad.

The first track did not fill me with hope. An annoying siren blares loudly in the background throughout. Some of the other tracks are pretty good though. It's a mixed bag.

One of the most annoying albums I have ever heard. Thom Yorke’s voice is so grating. All he does is whine and moan with his high pitched shriek. Ear shredding noise, incomprehensible, like a banshee who has stepped on a piece of Lego, but is too wrapped up in its own self wallowing misery to scream, so instead the banshee just wails and cries. It’s not just the vocalist (can we really call him a singer?) who grates. The music is tedious and boring. Nothing here is exciting at all, yet there is a sense that we are supposed to be in awe at this sequence of random noises. To quote Peter Griffin, “it insists upon itself”. Don’t just say you like it because NME or your hipster mates say you should. Be brave, stand up for yourself and admit that you think it’s rubbish. I’m not going to waste any more of my life ranting about Kid A. It’s self indulgent, pretentious shite.

I had heard most of this album in pieces over the years, but I had never listened from start to finish. It's pretty good. Great guitar work, catchy rhythms and excellent vocals, appropriate to the mood of the album. I can see why so many bands copied the style. It's a bit raw at times and there is one dud track (Mudride), but it works well. Not an all time classic, but I enjoyed it and would recommend to rock fans.

If you take away the weird and wacky piano bits (especially during the title track) and this would be even better. Catchy beats, infectious melodies and top notch vocals; this is one of Bowie’s better albums.

Some decent melodies here. Nothing groundbreaking or exciting, but not unpleasant to listen to and not boring. It’s fine.

Not engaging in the slightest. Boring, insipid and very proud of itself (without justification), I drifted off several times while listening to this. Although it is not actively bad, this is one of the most blah records on the list so far.

Big standard 90s R&B. Saccharine sweet and cheesy.

This album boasts a really cool 90s vibe and some wonderfully intricate musicianship, but it lacks any kind of wow factor. The vocals are fine and the melodies are fine. It’s all just fine. There are three songs, just rehashed to make a full length album. Tracks are indistinguishable from each other, they all kind of blend into one and nothing really grabs the ear. It’s all a bit safe. I fear that Elliott’s tragic early death adds to the feeling that we have to like this album, and I do like it; I just don’t love it. It’s inoffensive to listen to, but it’s not particularly interesting. Eels does this a lot better, so I’m looking forward to revisiting “Beautiful Freak”.

This is Blur’s best album and it’s not a close contest. The album starts with their best song and is followed by their most famous song. What’s not to like? Seriously, Beetlebum is a monster of a song. Dark, moody and provocative. There are a few duds (On Your Own, Look Inside America), but the good tracks do enough to make up for it. I commend the band for trying something new and fresh. Oasis released an album a few months later and it was a disappointing rehash of their previous album, just a lot worse and without any actually good songs. Blur took a chance with this. It doesn’t always pay off, but even if just for the opening track, this is well worth a listen.

Talentless nepo baby thinks her life is hard so she and her mates record an album which sounds like 14 year olds during their second jam session, while still learning how to play their instruments. A sad cliche. The music is beyond basic, the lyrics are immature, the vocals are annoying and the production is amateur. This album is utter crap.

Bog standard country folk. A bit meh.

Not bad at all. Some catchy songs here, but a lot of the tracks sound very similar. There is not much variety. It was fun, I would probably listen again.

Not the most festive album to listen to on Christmas Day. It’s okay. I like the simplicity and the minimalism of the album, but it’s difficult to distinguish one track from another. It’s difficult to escape the notion that Nick Drake’s music became more popular because of his tragic early death. From what I read, the album was not a big seller at the time and it wasn’t well received. After his suicide, its reputation increased bit by bit and now we are told that it is an essential album. It really is. Elliott Smith is better. Pink Moon is good, but it’s not great. I wouldn’t recommend, but it didn’t annoy me and I didn’t drift away while listening, so I think a 3/5 is fair.

A load of rubbish.

Pretty good. I had listened to this album about 15 years ago and I remember thinking it was merely okay, but maybe I am more mature now. Like most people, I first heard of this band because of their guest spot on the Nirvana Unplugged album. The irony is that I think “Lake Of Fire” is probably the weakest song on the album. Some of the instrumental tracks are catchy and fun, the guitar work is solid and the melodies are upbeat. I would listen again and I would recommend.

Not much variety in the music. No track really stands out. It feels a bit safe.

Good stuff.

Histrionic and meretricious. When 14 year old emo boys hear this, they will think it’s epic and grandiose, but in reality it is pretentious, pointless and annoying.

Some good guitar work is undone by annoying vocals. Nothing special.

Fantastic. I don’t often award five stars, but this album deserves it. Some of the most interesting guitar work I have heard on this list. I once heard Dinosaur Jr called “the band that launched a thousand bands” and you can clearly see why. Foo Fighters, Jesus + Mary Chain, Bush, QOTSA, Weezer and many more.all copied this and made a lot of money out of it.

Fun, catchy, interesting and original. I always preferred Aha Shake Heartbreak, but listening in 2026, I think this has aged better and is a more consistent offering. Standout tracks are 1, 4, 8 and 9. There aren’t really any duds. Maybe track 5 because it’s the only song longer than 4 minutes, but it’s still pretty good. Nothing to complain about and I love to complain, but I actively enjoyed listening to this record.

About as big standard a country record as you will ever find. Some of it was fine, at times it was a bit cheesy. It sounds like a hundred other country albums. Meh.

It’s fine. No better, no worse. A lot of the songs sound the same. I think we are supposed to feel that this woman who has attained Arnold Schwarzenegger/Beatles level fame has written this “oh so intimate” album to express her deepest feelings, but it’s hard to see this as more than a vanity project. Some of the songs contain nice melodies and the backing music is not offensive (a little repetitive though), so I can’t give too low a score. Yeah, as I said, it’s fine. Not the best album I have heard recently, but far from the worst.

There are a few bangers on this album. Okay, there is a dud or two but it’s catchy pop from start to finish. Maybe a few of the songs could be a minute shorter, but I’m nitpicking. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

Another entry by the most overrated band in the history of music. Led Zeppelin I is terrible; II is better, but still not great. There are three good songs on this album; Whole Lotta Love, Heartbreaker and Living Loving Maid. Of the first two, the band still couldn’t resist the temptation to fill a minute or two with unnecessary, random riff filler. The guitar hooks are fantastic though. Living Loving Maid is Led Zeppelin’s best song, in my opinion. Catchy and fun. I still can’t understand why this band is so revered. You have to get through twenty minutes of mediocre to get three minutes of quality. It’s not even average, it’s a mixed bag.

I think they should rename the band to “The Meh-ta Band”.

I enjoyed it. The follow up album “Tim” is a game changer, which should be on this list too.

For the most part, this is really fun. There are some bangers on this album. “Liberian Girl” is corny tosh and “Man In The Mirror”, despite being one of MJ’s most famous songs, is cheesy and overrated. Apart from that, the highlights are “Bad”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Dirty Diana”, “Smooth Criminal” and “Leave Me Alone”. I enjoyed this.

Terrible. The lyrics are crass and obnoxious. I hated this almost as much as “Heaux Tales” by Jasmine something.

It’s okay. You can hear how influential this album was and Bert clearly had a musical identity, but it’s a bit dull and depressing at times.

Suede is the most boring of all the Britpop bands. The singer is whiny, the melodies are unoriginal. A desperate mix of Bowie and The Smiths, without any of the vibe or charisma.

Extremely boring. There is no “wow” factor whatsoever with any of these tracks and to make it worse, many of the tracks are 5 minutes+. Nothing is bad per se, but the whole album is a drag to listen to.

The most generic punk rock album you could imagine. It sounds exactly as I thought it would. Basic guitar work, slightly exaggerated vocals and juvenile lyrics. Absolutely forgettable.

This is a narcissistic vanity project from a pretentious nepo baby who has absolutely believed the parental gushing about how special and wonderful he is. “Want One” is not even style over substance. It’s not written for fans, it’s written to feed his own ego. Self indulgent, meretricious, god awful rubbish.

Aerosmith has never done it for me. This album did nothing to change that. Not awful, but nothing special.

My heart sunk when I saw another one of Bob Dylan's NINE albums on this list. Do we really need nine of his albums here? Especially when they all sound the same? No. However, I try to be a positive person, so I gave “Highway 61 Revisited” a go. Oh dear. As always, Bob Dylan’s voice is not good. The music is passable, but not as good as we are told. The end product is grating and invasive. It actively bugged me. I could even accept boring, background music but this crosses into irksome. I said it before, but I agree with that well respected Irish journalist who said that Bob Dylan was just “a busker who got lucky”. He’s absolutely right. BD is not a good singer, he’s not a good musician and he’s not a genius wordsmith. He’s not even mediocre. His songs are so simple. I urge everyone out there: stand up for yourself. If you think Bob Dylan’s music is rubbish, be proud of your opinion and admit it. Don’t let the hipsters pressure you into lying about your feelings. They are wrong, you are right.

Tedious and uninteresting. Her voice is a bit squawky for my taste. She should be called Meh-mmylou Harris.

Generic, cheesy, cliched, outdated, stale, irrelevant dad rock.

A mix of good, bad, catchy, boring and irritating.

I was disappointed with this. I was expecting catchy beats and rhythms, but what I heard was outdated, cheesy and dare I say, a bit boring. Forgettable.

Rubbish. The songs are far too long, not as clever as the writers think and they seem really old fashioned. It has not aged well.

This was really blah. It’s a shame because U2 have had some bangers over the years and the previous album, “Pop”, had some great songs. “Beautiful Day” is cheesy and pandering, “Stuck In A Moment…” is corny, “Walk On”, “Wild Honey” and “Peace On Earth” are so generic and forgettable. There isn’t much about this that’s memorable. For such a successful album, it’s remarkable average. I guess this is why people dislike U2.

This band is an embarrassment to British culture. Old fashioned dad rock which hasn’t been relevant in 50 years. Has no place on this list.

More self indulgent dross from this awful man.

This sounds like a parody of a country album. Steve Earle covers all the cliches: curntray twang in the voice, singing about Tennessee and generic love story. It's not the worst album I have listened to from this list, but I won't revisiting.

A boring rip off of The Cure and Joy Division.

Rubbish

Pretentious rubbish. Nothing but a self congratulatory ego project. They made this for themselves, not for music fans. Boring and irritating.

Yet another group of Bowie wannabes

Generic rap/hip hop with cliched, corny lyrics. There are 1001 better albums than this in the genre. Forgettable, trying too hard and very pleased with itself. I won’t be listening again.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

This was not fun to listen to. The first track is easily one of the worst I have heard on this list. Awful. Things do improve slightly after that, but the vocals are generally grating, the music is all the same and the mood is self-congratulatory. Not an absolute disaster, but it is all so boring. I won’t listen again.

The kind of hipster rubbish you will hear in an overpriced, hipster coffee shop. Pompous, meretricious and repetitive. I’m not usually a person who overreacts and I consider myself to be fairly calm, but having had 22 hours to consider my feelings on “Illinois”, I can genuinely say that I hated the music, the style, the delivery and the pretentiousness of this entire project.

It’s fine. They had two ideas which they repeat over and over: the ballad type which became a staple of later Arctic Monkeys’ albums (Tranquility Base and The Car; the crap albums) and the more energetic anthem with the driving beat. That’s it. Also, given how unknown The Rascals are, I sort of object to this project being called a “supergroup”. Audioslave and Them Crooked Vultures? Yes. Supergroups. These guys? Not so much. It’s an Arctic Monkeys side project. Anyway, I digress. This is inoffensive, but uninspiring. Background music which will probably not be on this list for too much longer.

This was boring. Morrison’s voice sounded like a comedy singer and I felt the whole thing was shameless rip off of black American blues. I expected better.

I enjoyed this. The music is excellent, Tyler’s vocals are mostly good (a few exceptions), and the mood is fun. Great rhythms and beats.

Two hours after listening, I couldn’t remember a single song. Literally forgettable.

I have to admit that I’m a sucker for Roxy Music, but overall this is one of their weaker albums. It’s about as eclectic as a pop album could be though, so it’s not boring. “In Every Dream Home A Heartache” is an epic song, so that’s the reason for a fourth star. Roxy Music aged like fine wine. The final two albums are the best. This one isn’t a patch on “Flesh + Blood” or “Avalon”, but this was still mostly very good.

Boring music, grating vocals. My mother describes singers like this as “squawking women”. She’s right. It’s hard to listen to, let alone enjoy. I won’t be revisiting this.

Nothing special. The lyrics haven’t aged well, the music is no better than other stuff you have heard 1001 times before. Meh. There is a reason most of us have never heard of this guy.

This is the second album by The Doors in a week. “LA Woman” was pretty bad. This is better, but still not great. I understand why some people might enjoy this, but it’s just not for me. I didn’t enjoy listening to it.

It’s not for me.

A Scottish guy with Ghanaian heritage pretending to be Jamaican, putting on a fake accent and singing about “Rastas”? No, thank you. On top of that, the music is painfully dull, the vocals sound like a Sesame Street puppet with a cold and it seems that old Finley is an awful man outside the studio too. This should not be on the list. Nobody needs to hear this. A waste of a spot on this project.

What a way to open your album. “Zoo Station” is bold and slightly aggressive. Then comes a great pop song: “Even Better…” is catchy, modern (for the time, anyway) and completely new for U2. However, a promising start is quickly undone by one of the corniest cringefests in modern music. “One” is saccharine sweet drivel. There aren’t many positives which follow. “Acrobat” isn’t bad. “Arms Around The World”, “”Love Is Blindness” and “Wild Horses” are dull and pretentious. Faux-epic is the word which comes to mind. “Ultra Violet” is acceptable. Worth listening to the first two tracks, but “Achtung Baby” falls off a cliff after that.

Good guitar work, slightly angsty vibe, catchy songs.

Annoying music. I really tried, but couldn’t make it to the end because it irritated me so much.

This was so disappointing. The lyrics are nonsensical at times, the vocals are grating, some of the songs are too long, the music is bland and even they try to inject a bit of energy, the whole vibe just feels cringy. Their first album was decent and the second album (Between 10th and 11th) is very good. Much better than this reductive drivel. It’s not complete rubbish and it’s not actively irritating, but they have done so much better than this.

Nah, Rush is still crap.

You know what this will be. Every Joni Mitchell song is the same. Every Joni Mitchell album is the same. No variety whatsoever, I suppose Joni's voice is fine, but when you hear the same thing multiple times, it gets a bit annoying. I won't revisit because I know exactly what I will hear.

I just didn’t enjoy it at all.

Whenever a band like this says that their new album is “ambitious”, you know it means that they want to justify recording wannabe epic, faux grandiose, ego feeding guff, in order to satisfy their need for attention. This is no exception. The album title supports my theory. It’s not special, it’s not even interesting. It’s just blah.

Nobody needs to hear this pointless guff.

A bit blah. Uninspiring and slightly insipid. What’s the word I’m looking for? Ah, yes. Boring.

Nah. Boring and repetitive. Neil Young has created far better music than this.

About as generic and cliched as rock gets. Meh. Without the silly makeup, they would have been forgotten long ago.

Absolutely fantastic. It’s rare to see an album so full of catchy pop, but this is one of those albums. I listened to this three times!

PJ Harvey’s first two albums “Dry” and “Did Of Me” get most attention. I don’t think they are anything special. I much prefer the third album.”To Bring You My Love” and the fifth album “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea”. They are well written, well produced and full of catchy, angsty music. Both deserve a place on this list because they offered something new. Genuinely influential for later generations. Alas, this list which features FOUR PJ Harvey albums doesn’t include the good albums. That’s a shame. “Let England Shake”? Yeah, it’s not great. Pass.

The vocals are a bit annoying and the music is nothing special. I didn't hate it, but I have no intention of listening again.

There are some bangers on this album, some duds too. It sounds exactly as I expected, but that’s necessarily a bad thing. Not an all time classic, but. I would listen again.

Dull and forgettable.

This isn’t great. The vocals become really irritating after a few songs and musically, there isn’t much going on here. Everybody knows “Lovefool”; I remember thinking it was nothing special when it came out and it hasn’t aged well. There is not a single song which stands out and deserves to make my library.

Another example of Ashcroft shamelessly ripping off U2. Why does he escape criticism so easily?? I had never heard this album before and I don’t feel that I was missing out. Once again with this band, it’s more style than substance. The songs are too long, too self indulgent and not engaging enough. “Urban Hymns” (3/5 stars) is better.

Pretty forgettable. I didn’t hate it, but there was nothing here which made me want to listen again.

Boring, dull, meh, plodding, not wasting more time on describing an album so unworthy of the effort.

Boring music, nonsensical lyrics.

Listening in 2026, this sounds so dated. It's corny, tries too hard with thr "hello ladies" vibe and the Timbaland production is banal. "Rock Your Body" is okay, "Like I Love You" is catchy and "Cry Me A River" is passable pop (if a bit overplayed at this point), but the rest is nothing special. "Take It From Here" is an early nadir from which the album struggles to recover. This is not groundbreaking or even that good. JT's follow up album was far more revolutionary and easily deserves a spot on this list.

This album annoyed me. No redeeming qualities whatsoever.

A great singer belting out some top notch pop music. What’s not to like?

I have heard the singles and radio hits from this band before. They left me feeling underwhelmed. What a pleasant surprise. Some really catchy rock on this record. Worth another listen.

No surprise to learn that Pink Floyd were even churning out pretentious guff at the start of their career. I disliked this album. I dislike the band.

Third rate Stevie Wonder imitation without the charisma, catchy songs or singing ability. Terrible.

Same old imitation blues from a bunch of white dudes. It’s all so boring. Nothing remotely original or inspiring here.

Meh.

Much better than I thought it would be. A few catchy songs to be found here.

Nah. I didn’t enjoy listening to a guy from Lancashire pretending to be Stevie Wonder. It’s all a bit too performative and “try hard” for my taste.

Musically, this is really good and the vibe is so 90s (in a good way), but the vocals let it down at times. Some of it is a total copy of Lou Reed. Not that I’m complaining about it. I compare this album to “Doolittle” by The Pixies. Decent music, a few really annoying duds in the middle and the occasional head nodder. Overall, not bad. Far better than “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain”. Torn between 3 stars and 4 stars…I don’t know…let’s go for 4 stars!!

Awful, pretentious, boring, faux epic guff. What’s worse is that it makes me question the high pitched voices of the disco era Bee Gees. Was it all put on?

Dull.

Not bad. Some decent tracks here, good production. A bit long, but a lot of albums from this genre are.

Some really catchy tunes to be found here, it’s not overly long and the production suits the mood of the album.

A mixed bag. Let’s start with the one positive. The bass/drum work is excellent on occasion. The rhythms are catchy and energetic. Now the negatives… Some of the songs are far too long and they don’t need to be. It makes the album feel like a vanity project The vocals are awful throughout. Histrionic and meretricious. Either a slow wailing style or a comedy punk style. Neither is bearable for long. One of the most unoriginal albums on this list so far. Lydon listened to some Joy Division and thought he could do the same. He couldn’t. His presence brings the album down a whole lot. Not the worst album on this list. There was potential here, but the band made several bad decisions and blew it. A wasted opportunity. What a shame.

The Cure…for insomnia.

Meh. Just like every other 60s album that wishes it was written by The Kinks or The Beatles.

Self congratulatory rubbish. Far too long, far too generic and far too unoriginal to deserve a place on this list. I didn’t hate the music (it’s to meh to achieve that emotion), but I did hate the arrogant and pretentious vibe. Very pleased with itself with absolutely no justification.

Almost every song starts the exact same way. Then the song sounds the same as the previous song. It’s not actively bad, but the staggering lack of variety in the song structure means that you can listen to three tracks and get pretty much the same experience.

Same old from Elvis Costello. Nothing even close to original here. Meh.

More crass imitation of black American blues. Nothing special.

The album cover smacks of arrogance, the music does nothing to back up that delusion. This album is a very poor effort.

I am so bored of hearing this mediocre, self indulgent guff.

I had never listened to this band before, but I remember that an old school friend liked their music. When I saw that “Lost Souls” was the album of the day, I sent him a message and he said it was “the better one”. Upon listening, I couldn’t help but think that if THIS is the better one, I dread to think what the others are like. It’s whiny, slow, depressing, unoriginal, pretentious, dated and boring. Everything wrong with post Britpop. Some of it sounds like a rubbish Coldplay cover band tried to write their own songs and this was the result. Nothing worthwhile to be found here.

I was not impressed at all. The music is silly, the lyrics are corny and the production is outdated. It's not totally rubbish, so 1 star would be unfair, but I expected so much more than this.

No. Just, no. There is no way on God’s green Earth I am listening to this crap. Repetitive, pretentious and irritating. Life is too short.

Tedious

Repetitive and annoying.

Not bad, actually. A bit depressing at times, but nowhere near as bad as some of the dross on this list. One thing that bugs me about this project is the idea of listening to a pretentious vanity project which goes on for 77 minutes. This is only 28 minutes long. It’s inoffensive country pop, sort of like Dolly Parton style. I wouldn’t actively seek it out again, but it’s easily in the top half of albums so far.

Painful. I know this album was written in the wake of a personal tragedy, but it’s so far up its own backside that it’s difficult to care. Easily one of the worst albums so far.

A few decent tracks to be found here. The vocals are a bit annoying at times. Trying too hard to sound “punk”, but it’s far better than most of the rubbish on this list.

Nothing exciting. It’s too boring to be awful.

A poor imitation of Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen. A bit dull.

I am a harsh critic. I don’t just give out 5 stars willy nilly, but sometimes there can be no argument. Even with a brutal hangover, I listened to this twice and it still sounded triumphant and epic. Even the more downbeat songs sound positive. This is one of the best rock albums ever made. The writing is fantastic, the execution is fantastic, the mood is fantastic and the production is fantastic. Yeah, it’s fantas…absolutely wonderful.

One of the worst albums I have ever heard. I really tried to understand, but this is rubbish. It sounds like elevator music with annoying vocals and moronic lyrics.

A triumph. The singles are so well known, but a few of the album tracks really stand out. “One Tree Hill” is a soaring, epic tribute to a deceased friend; “Running To Stand Still” is a mournful but weirdly hopeful lament on the horrors of heroin addiction; and “In God’s Country” is catchy and infectious. However, the crowning moment of the album is “Exit”. Perhaps U2’s finest musical accomplishment, you will rarely hear a crescendo like it. The slow build of tension before the pounding drums and ear shredding guitar kick in leaves the listener enthralled, curious and hanging on every sound. Lyrically, it is as vivid as anything the band has ever tried. Yes, Bono can be infuriating and some of the band’s later work is bland and saccharine, but there is very little to complain about on “The Joshua Tree”.

Some good tracks to be found here.

A mixed bag. Some of the more energetic tracks are really fun. “Thinking Of You” is a pop classic and the opener is pure disco. The title track is cheesy and far too long; the second half of the track is completely redundant and annoying repetitive. The slower ballads are pretty poor and offer nothing except a change of pace. It’s good, but not great. I would listen to the is more than most of the rubbish on this list, but it’s an album of peaks and valleys.

What a mess. A mish mash of random songs, none of which are particularly enjoyable.

Incoherent nonsense. A waste of time.

Much better than I expected.

Some good tracks here, but a few duds too. This album is very long and there is not a great deal of variety. Overall, it’s not bad, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen again, I would just pick the good songs.

Groundbreaking, intricate, angsty. Well written, well produced, well executed and the vibe is wonderful. Banger after banger, with only one hint of a dud (Oceans) to be found and that isn’t really too bad. A really good effort from a band with integrity whose work has stood the test of time. Well done to all involved.

A few semi decent tracks to kick off, but the second half of the album is slow and tedious. The most 3/5 album you will hear on this list.

An album packed full of catchy pop hits. Some famous tracks to be found and some hidden gems. Would happily listen again.

Painfully tedious. Each song is a combination of high pitched breathy vocals layered on top of broken electro beats. It gets really annoying, really quickly. Hipster rubbish for 17 year old girls.

Some of the music on this album is fantastic. The melodies are catchy and the rhythms are infectious. Thurston Moore’s vocals fit the tone perfectly. My only complaints are track 10, a nonsensical comedy song, and Kim Gordon’s vocals. She tries too hard to sound angry and it’s just too performative for my liking. It doesn’t feel real and for me it ruins the songs, making me impatient for Thurston to take the reins again. Overall though, it’s a solid effort. Although “Dirty Boots” from Goo is probably their best individual song, this is Sonic Youth’s best album.

The album starts strong. Track 2 is particularly good. Then a few of the more well known hits. The second half of the album drags a bit for me. Nothing is bad, it’s just a bit repetitive.

Nothing special. A few decent beats here and there, but a lot of it sounds the same. It’s easy to drift in and out of this one. When an album struggles to keep attention, it can’t get more than a 3/5

Nowhere near as pretentious as I feared it would be. Some of the rhythms are catchy, but the melodies are same and his voice is merely okay. I would listen again if I had to, and although I wouldn’t be looking forward to any particular track, I wouldn’t hate it. It’s…fine.

There is a tiny bar in the Ginza area of Tokyo called Apollo Bar. Every time I have been to Japan, I visit this place. It’s incredible. Space for around 10-12 customers, dimly lit, incredible showmanship from the proprietor and every single time, there is a never ending flow of Tom Waits’ music quietly playing over the speaker. The last time I was there, I just had to ask him why there was never anything but Tom Waits filling the airwaves and he responded in a heavy accent “Tom Waits…heartfelt music.” I disagree. Tom’s voice is comically bad. It’s an offensive exploitation of black American blues vocal style, sort of like a weird Sesame Street character in a deleted scene. It’s grating from the beginning and never gets any better. It’s so bad that even when the music is acceptable, the vocals take away any shred of musical integrity. It’s a bad joke. Just like the other Tom Waits albums on this list, I hated it.

Catchy beats, original production, decent songs throughout, with only a few exceptions. Some of the lyrics have not aged too well and it is very aggressive and hostile at some points. I had fun listening to it. The first track is one of the best album openers I have heard in a long time. Well worth a listen.

This just like every other REM album. A handful of really good tracks, surrounded by blah. This time, the good songs are the opener and “Orange Crush”. Maybe good opening tracks is a pattern, because “Automatic For The People” and “Document” also start with the best song. Anyway, back to this album. “Stand” is one of the band’s most annoying songs. I strongly dislike it. There is a fair bit of guff here. You can tell how talented the band members are; Borge the production and the musicianship are clear, but there are parts which really drag. Don’t be surprised to drift out and wake up again a few tracks later.

“Time Out Of Mind” is easily the best Bob Dylan album on this list so far (this is his fourth for me). Some of his 60s work sounds so dated now, but this has a slightly more modern feel. The vocals are much better than the older stuff too. It’s not all good though. Most of the songs are far too long, unnecessarily so. The album could easily be 20 minutes shorter and not lose any value. I think a lot of people think they have to like Bob Dylan’s music because it’s the hipster way and therefore I normally approach with a lot of cynicism, but I’ll try anything once and this was a pleasant surprise.

The album is ridiculously front loaded with the hits and catchy songs. The second half of the album (anything after “Porcelain”) drags a bit. “Road Trippin” is one of the singles, but it’s a saccharine sweet cringe fest. In fact, on the back nine, “This Velvet Glove” is all that’s worth listening to. Kiedis is a creepy man. He’s arrogant too. A true prima donna. Also, the idea that they associate themselves with California shows how fake the band is because precisely none of them were born there. It’s all so performative. Having said that, some of the better songs are pretty good. I’m feeling positive today, so let’s round that 3.5 up to a 4.

I’m genuinely surprised to see this album on the list. There are a couple of catchy hits to be found and there is a nice mix of youthful romance with fun loving pop sensibilities. Kung Fu, Oh Yeah, Goldfinger, Innocent Smile are the standouts. Girl From Mars is one of the most lyrically tortured songs ever written. Truly cringeworthy. It’s all a bit meh. They seem like such nice people though, so it’s hard to dislike them. They are corny, safe and entirely unoriginal (you have never heard a more shameless Sonic Youth rip off in your life), but it’s not entirely unpleasant to listen to. Their 2004 effort “Meltdown” is far superior. Honestly, that is one of the great pop albums of the new millennium. This list has a lot of debut albums which are not as good or as important as later albums from the same artist which absolutely deserve a place more: QOTSA, Bee Gees, Britney Spears, Aimee Mann, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlakd so many others too. Ash belongs in that group. This is fine, but their best is so much better.

The Black Keys? I think The Blah Keys would be more accurate. The same old, run of the mill, bog standard, pretentious blues rock that you have heard a thousand times. Even the album cover is up its own backside. All the songs sound the same, nothing is memorable and it’s a drag to listen to. This was the first time I had ever heard this band and it will probably be the last.

I kinda liked this. Catchy pop hits throughout. Okay, there are two duds in the middle (Automatically is particularly bad), but it’s a good effort. I’ve added most of this to my library and I would happily listen again.

One of the best album openers ever recorded, followed by a steady stream of bangers. This band is honest about who they are and what they are trying to do. “Permission To Land” is a triumph from start to finish. Without exaggeration, one of my favourite albums of all time.

Ice Cube is a very good rapper and there is some good stuff on this album, but he tries a little too hard to be shocking and controversial. Some of the lyrical content is pretty bleak, the language is crass and the non music parts are a bit corny and lack any degree of subtlety. Not the worst hip hop album on the list, but far from the best.

I had not listened to this album from start to finish in more than a decade, but what a treat it was. I listened through FOUR TIMES yesterday. Nearly 30 years on, it still holds up. It's brooding, technically proficient, catchy and original. Lyrically, the content is dark. Very dark. However, it is approached with such care that it doesn't come across as navel gazing self indulgence. There is a touch of humour, a hint of tongue in cheek which makes the album really poppy and accessible. It's fantastic.

Pretty good, despite missing most of The Man In Black’s biggest hits. A few nonsensical lyrics here or there can be forgiven when your voice is as unique and iconic as this.

I have coined a new expression: crap + repetitive = crapetitive. Let's Get Killed is crapetitive. It wouldn't be so bad if the songs were only a few minutes long, but some of these tracks are 5, 6 7 minutes plus. It's so unnecessary and there is no justification for it. I am impressed that I managed to finish this album. I can't say I enjoyed it at all.

Possibly the most irritating Dylan album yet. That bloody harmonica shreds the ears and his vocals are as bad as I feared. It’s not even boring and forgettable, it’s straight up annoying.

Lenny Kravitz? Lenny Crap-vitz would be more like it. Mediocre guitarist sings like a Steven Tyler parody act. Boring, self indulgent, unoriginal and, at times, downright irritating.

This album is a mess. The opening tracks are an extended cacophony of noise. Then it blurs into bad Britpop. I won’t waste more time writing about it.

Not bad. A few catchy songs here. Some of it was forgettable, but it’s far better than a lot of the rubbish on this list.

Nonsensical lyrics, utter gibberish, corny melodies and outdated production. The album cover is iconic and has stood the test of time. Difficult to say the same about the music It was a drag to get through this. Simply not relevant in 2026.

Pretentious hipster shite. Not the worst thing I’ve heard on this list, but I won’t be listening again.

Snore. Nobody needs to hear this.

More generic 80s Joy Division wannabe dross. Nothing special, nothing interesting and definitely nothing original.

Mostly pretty good. Just like all Screaming Trees” records though, there is a dud song and this time it is the closing track. Mark Lanegan’s voice was unique, the guitar work is quite fresh and the production is appropriate for the genre and the era. I had not listened through in over 20 years and that was too long. Well worth a listen

A mess.

Repetitive, corny and annoying.

This is one of the better rap albums we have been introduced to. The rapping and production is pretty good. The beats are generally quite catchy. However, Ice T is trying a bit too hard sometimes and it gets a bit self indulgent. The final track is just a spoken word lament. The use of the n-word is pretty jarring too. He tries a bit too hard to be provocative that it occasionally comes across as a bit inauthentic. The last rap album I had was Ghostface Killah and that wasn’t great. This was better, so it deserves a higher rating.

Pretty good all round, but it’s not a 5/5. The first three tracks are great. Track 4 seriously puts the brakes on. It’s a vocal only lament about domestic violence. I know the subject matter isn’t supposed to be comfortable, but Chapman’s voice really grates. Track 5 is a return to form and it holds for a while. The second half of the album is more nondescript. A few of the songs sound the same, but they are solid. I can see why the album was so popular and it absolutely deserves its place on this list.

This is a monster of an album. Catchy, humorous, rocky, accessible, vulnerable and intricate, all at the same time The band’s first record isn’t that great and the fourth album should have been released as a Courtney Love solo album. “Nobody’s Daughter” isn’t Hole. From the two good albums, I had always thought that “Live Through This” was the superior record. However, I’m not so sure now. Both are 5/5 (I didn’t give them out to any old slop), but “Celebrity Skin” embraces a far more poppy sound. It jettisons the anger of the previous record, but maintains slightly defensive vibe. Of course, the band’s signature tongue in cheek attitude is present almost throughout. Courtney Love’s vocals are fantastic from start to finish. She can sing, snarl, scream and shout. The music works well and the production is spot on. Nothing is perfect though. The eighth track, Northern Star, is a slight mood killer. Easily the worst song on the album. It’s still not bad though. The record quickly recovers with a few infectious anthems to close out. Even the bonus tracks (particularly Best Sunday Dress) are worth a listen too. 12 tracks. 11 bangers. 1 okay song. Yeah, I’ll take that all day long. This truly is one of the great 90s albums.

Somehow, this record managed to be irritating and boring at the same time. Atrocious.

A tough one to judge. Musically, it is not bad and I can see where Slipknot, Breaking Benjamin and dozens of other high profile bands got their ideas. However, the screaming gets a bit grating after a while. There isn’t much variety here. I wouldn’t cry if I had to listen again, but nor would I be excited.

It’s not great, it’s not awful. It’s about as “fine” as you will find on this list.

Dull and vaguely pretentious.

I was so disappointed by this. I expected better from Curtis Mayfield. The album cover alone is enough to give you a clue that the record is more whiny than it should be. Curtis got so caught up in making political and social comments that he forgot the point of music: to entertain.

Goldcrap is more accurate.

Same old 1960s blues rock. Painfully boring, desperately unoriginal, nowhere near as special as it thinks it is and just like all the other bands that sound exactly the same (and there are loads), it is as racially insensitive as can be. 1 star just on principle alone.

Pretty good. Interesting and original.