95
Albums Rated
2.16
Average Rating
9%
Complete
994 albums remaining
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1960
Favorite Decade
Folk
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other
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Perfectionist
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0
5-Star Albums
20
1-Star Albums
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Popular Reviews
The Jam · 1 likes
1/5
The Jam for me are overrated and this album certainly didn't change my mind. This is bland af.
Cocteau Twins · 1 likes
4/5
At last, a decent album with at least 4 tracks I really like and have liked since the 90s when this album first came to my attention. I actually got into them after Elizabeth Fraser featured on The Future Sound of London's 'Lifeforms'. Before that I'd briefly delved into their earlier albums but maybe wasn't in the mood. This album has had plenty of time in my ears for me to get bored of it but it's still a go-to album for the melodies, the indecipherable lyrics (who wants to know what things mean anyhow?) and the vocal harmonies. A rare thing indeed (on this list) to be able to listen all the way through an album and not feel like it's sapping the life out of you. 'Road, River and Rail' is my favourite from the album and the band. Beautiful track with Fraser's voice doing what it does best.
1-Star Albums (20)
All Ratings
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Not exactly one to return to
Nick Drake
3/5
Riverman is a classic and stands out above the other tracks, which are pretty much meh...
Funkadelic
4/5
A smasher title track on a good funky album
Neil Young
3/5
Pleasant enough album but I always feel like Young has always been the opposite of his name and not in a good way. I prefer his teaming up with Crosby, Stills and Nash. His singing often borders on whining and I can't relate to his lyrics either but yeah, not a bad album in the grand scheme of things.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Carole King
4/5
I've listened to this album so many times when I was younger. Almost every track sucks you in with King's voice clearly and effortlessly making this an easy listening classic
CHVRCHES
2/5
One of the greatest albums ever? Really? Pretty ordinary Synth Pop.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
Classic rock is generally not my bag, maybe because it's generally overplayed on the airways but also because I grew up in the punk and post-punk era. Classic rock was just wrong on so many different levels.
The Killers
2/5
Not sure what this is doing in a list of the greatest albums. It's pretty mediocre indie rock.
Def Leppard
1/5
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
A hip hop classic from which I like a few tracks but in general, not an all time great album for me
The Temptations
2/5
Not an all time great album at all
Television
2/5
Nah, ordinary at best. Not an all time great album.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
An album worthy of this list. Even if a bit long, it is lyrically and musically interesting enough to hold you throughout. And the background to Stevens' 50 US states project is also worth finding out about. 48 states to go but this album is enough in itself to occupy you for some time. Great songs, delicately woven into a tapestry that is in Stevens' mind, Illinois.
AC/DC
2/5
Music that appeals to pot bellied beer drinkers and whore mongers on safari at drag racing venues...but that's a bit cruel. I get the attraction but not my genre at all.
Arrested Development
2/5
Meh, mediocre 90s hip hop
Leonard Cohen
3/5
A legendary lyricist of candid intimate confessions half spoken, half sung with stripped back instrumentation, this is not his best album IMHO. Avalanche and Famous Blue Raincoat are stand outs for me but I expect some of his other albums will come up here like Songs of Leonard Cohen.
Beatles
3/5
Revolver is when the Beatles begin to grab my attention. This album has its moments as they begin to mature and find an identity in a more experimental drug influenced approach. It's not got any tracks that I particularly enjoy. There always seems to be a lingering Beatlemania quality to this record that doesn't occur in the albums following this one.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
A reggae classic with one of my favourite reggae tunes (Natural Mystic) of all time kicking it off. No real fillers here, just good solid songs throughout.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
What pop music should sound like. I have always been mildly attracted to Cope's music but never a big fan. I do prefer some of his solo work more though. Still worth a dabble.
Grizzly Bear
1/5
Meh, pretty much wallpaper indie rock that has about as much impact as ...well drab wallpaper
Joanna Newsom
2/5
While the lyrics can be quite cleverly constructed, her voice tends to grate as the album progresses. Apart from the odd change in instrumentation, it all seems pretty much similar throughout and there's little respite from that squeaky voice of hers. Not an album I'd return to. Maybe her later albums remedy this one but I can't bring myself to bother searching for them.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Can't go wrong with most reggae, even if a lot of these songs have been played to death on the airways or been covered by multiple artists. Beach vibes...
Sigur Rós
2/5
Got a bit samey too quickly. Not a fan, even though one or two tracks might sound ok if nestled in a mix tape.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Got into them through Primal Scream's cover of Slip Inside this House (the cover is better IMHO). Shades of Janis Joplin and the 70s rambling psych rock is fine but not really a top album for me.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Not her best album as IMHO 'To Bring you my Love' was when she hit the mark. No stand out tracks and it's a bit heavy on the percussion, which is annoying with her voice grating at times. No stand out tracks, just a bit jarring and not in a good way.
Michael Jackson
4/5
The King of Pop proves it on this album with some really great pop tunes here. When I was a kid, this album got me, especially 'Got to be Startin' Something', which I still think is a really great track. Other classics also make this a great album so even though it's a rare guilty pleasure, I still rate it highly.
King Crimson
3/5
I've heard this album off and on over the years and apart from '21st Century Schizoid Man', it kinda just washed over me. Can't say it's done much more this time round but 'Epitaph' was worth playing again. I mean it's a classic album but I prefer the later album, Lark's Tongue in Aspic. Mostly pleasant background music for me, this one.
Queen
2/5
Two discs worth of this operatic stadium rock and I've had my fill. Not for me. All I can say is thank god punk rock came along to stop this type of masturbatory shenanigans.
Ryan Adams
1/5
Sorry, this is just utter crud
Dire Straits
2/5
Not my bag. Sounds like a bunch of old guys fiddling around in the basement flat their parents once lived in. Tired and drab. I mean, I get why people like this but for me it's almost as bad as the Travelling Wilburys, and that's bad. Ok, so Sultans of Swing passes but overplayed on radio stations to the point of real pain so no, not my bag.
The Beach Boys
2/5
This album should be called 'The Doldrums'. I mean 'Surf's Up' sounds a bit more upbeat than the melancholic dirge of this album, maybe it was intentional given the album cover but I was expecting a prelude to Pet Sounds and was bitterly disappointed.
The Clash
3/5
Not a Clash fan but a few tracks on this are worth the listen (London Calling, Hateful, The Card Cheat and Lost in the Supermarket), the others not so much. A classic album as it was a huge influence on many artists and a key punk album.
Arctic Monkeys
2/5
Not a fan when this came out and nothing has changed. Couldn't understand the appeal then and can't see it even more so now.
Jeru The Damaja
2/5
Meh, pretty average as far as hip hop goes. Can't see why it's hyped.
The Specials
2/5
Oi, oi, argey bargey can in hand and powdered nose jostlin' amongst it. Otherwise, a bit old hat. Not much fun without the scene to go with it and I'm over it.
Taylor Swift
1/5
C'mon, do I have to?
The Black Keys
3/5
Not averse to The Black Keys. I don't love them and I don't dislike them. Nothing quite grabs me enough to rate this higher than a 2 or a 3. I'll be generous this time.
Lou Reed
2/5
Side 1 is pretty good, if overplayed on the airways, but not much to say about side 2. Not my favourite Lou Reed album
Missy Elliott
2/5
Not a big fan but I'm not averse to this. If it came on the radio, I wouldn't turn it off but can't pick out anything to play on repeat.
3/5
One of my primary school teachers used to use some of the tracks from this album in her classes. Can't say I've revisited it much since then but a good record all round, if not something I'd go to of my own accord.
Billy Joel
3/5
I grew up with this album being played in my house and it's nostalgia for me. Not something I'd go out of my way to play but will sing along when it's played. Good songs and lyrics and worthy of a chance at this list but not one I'd seek out.
The Clash
2/5
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Blur
2/5
Apart from 'Song 2' and maybe 'Beetlebum', this is just very average dragging dross.
Queen
3/5
Surprisingly, I found this album somewhat entertaining. The first few seconds made me think I had put on the wrong album. The playfulness and variation kept me interested. It borders on pretentiousness on occasion but overall, not being a Queen fan, I kinda liked it in places. A good album to sample with some 'Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite' moments.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Standard indie rock that doesn't contain anything to make it worthy of the title 'great'. It's fine but not great in any way.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Eventually I'm sure I'll learn to appreciate Bob Dylan a bit more but it's an arduous process and while I like the odd track, a full album is a tough ask to actually enjoy. Apart from the obvious tracks like say 'Maggie's Farm' and 'Mr. Tambourine Man', 'Bob Dylan's 115th Dream' gets a nod this time round.
Nirvana
3/5
I prefer Nirvana plugged in but this is alright as 'a radio friendly unit shifter'
U2
3/5
Nostalgia for me. Back in the day, as a wee teen I really liked this album, especially 'Drowning Man'. Pity Bono is such a knob. Thought he was a good un back then but sadly, he's shown his true colours over the years. I went off them after 'Auchtung Baby'.
The Allman Brothers Band
1/5
Boring blues rock that is now hackneyed and played to death but just won't die.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2/5
Pretty ordinary soft rock that is as innocuous as it is unworthy of a 1001 list of all time great albums
Cypress Hill
2/5
Kinda liked it when it came out but not my favourite type of hip hop. Might listen to a couple of tracks now and again but it's not an all time great, even for hip hop.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
A few annoying tracks (Annalisa being particularly lame) but 'Public Image' and my favourite track on the album, 'Fodderstompf', pulled me through. Rotten's sermon on 'Religion II' comes off as easy targeting and hardly as edgy as he may have thought it was. But there's enough variation here and he does best when he puts his voice into that contorted squeal, not as iconic as Dead Kennedy's front man, Jelo Biafra, IMHO but it stands out all the same.
Joan Baez
2/5
Can't say it made me change my mind about the 60s' folk scene. Not something I'd listen to normally. If I listen to folk, it's normally neo folk or more chaotic stuff like Comus but this is just a bit too twee for my tastes and her voice can be a touch annoying at times.
David Bowie
2/5
Not a big Bowie fan and this hasn't done much to persuade me otherwise. Apart from 'Heroes', which is still pretty ordinary IMHO, there's not much to catch your attention on this record, except the other tracks co-written by Brian Eno, like 'Moss Garden'.
Supergrass
2/5
High energy student indie pop, which has its moments but like the Arctic Monkeys, not really something I'd seek out or even dance to in a club or wherever.
Laura Nyro
1/5
This just grates like someone scraping their nails on a blackboard. Awful stuff
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
I prefer their self titled album. This is just dull af.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
1/5
Apart from the hits on this album, the rest is just filler with pretty lame covers. Wedding reception DJ type hits though.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
Already rated one of their albums and this one is slightly better than the previous one but the hits have been overplayed on every radio station for years and the rest of it is just background music for me so it kinda leaves me cold
Black Sabbath
2/5
Not their best and I'm not a big fan of their best. For me 'Snow Blind' was their best ever song and none of these tracks come close. 'Warning' is especially cringe. 'Wizard' and 'Wicked World' keep this album from bombing. The latter was their first ever track played when they were called 'Earth' so I guess they got a lot of practice in.
Maxwell
1/5
What is this insipid dross? Sugar coated bland unimaginative crap. Please, I haven't been given a 5 album yet. How is this a great album?
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Just can't get into Neil Young. His voice is just too wet and nothing in his lyrics grab me. Musically, this album is fine but IMHO, Young is too earnest but in a wishy washy way for the most part.
Kid Rock
1/5
His nerdy voice sounds like he's never experienced anything he sings about. He ain't no Hank Williams III. And his rapping comes off pretty lame as well. Lyrically poor and generally W E A K, it's barely saved from oblivion with the instrumentation and accompanying vocals but all in all it's just a frat boy's pool party album with Mr. Try Hard acting like he's some kind of hard man.
Nick Drake
2/5
One song or maybe two is enough but a whole album just fades into the background and nothing particularly stands out
Ramones
2/5
We had The Stooges and Velvet Underground. Then The Ramones came along and I'm as bored as they seem to be by their repertoire. An unpopular opinion but after one or two tracks of this, it's time to turn back to the previous mentioned bands to see how it should be done. It's not cool or rebellious or anything other than bored guys being boring. Now Drag Racing Underground's cover of 'Blitzkrieg Bop' does the job better, albeit with plenty of hindsight. So, 2 stars for 'influencing' later bands in some way.
k.d. lang
1/5
Ho hum, another dull album to wade through. 'Constant Craving' is about the only song worth one listen. The rest is just tiresome bilge.
Ice Cube
2/5
Good production on these tracks and references and samples to / from other rap / hip hop outfits (Public Enemy & Geto Boys etc) + the times and what was going on make this album significant for many involved. 'Straight Outta Compton' vibes for a lot of the tracks as well but not being from the US, this doesn't hit it for me, especially with all the 'nigga' this and that and 'muthafuckin' hoes and bitches'. Can't really relate.
Sonic Youth
2/5
I was really into Sonic Youth until this album and I kinda moved on. Apart from 'Wish Fulfillment' and a couple of other tracks, this just passed me by. Nothing annoying about it, well maybe some of the Kim Gordon led tracks are a bit iffy, but I can't really say anything on it is particularly attention grabbing.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
If you like a bit of jazz noodling for those nights in the conservatory sat byt the fire in your leather armchair, whiskey in hand and cigar in the other, looking out over a still moonlit lake, this album is for you. If you can't afford that, a nice quiet coffee-come -second hand bookshop will do. At last an album worthy of a list like this. From the mid 50s but this is still fresh today, sometimes a tight scramble, often a playful light hearted tinkling and at others a bold chorus big band sound. Each time I listen, I get something different. A great album but you have to be in that kinda mood to let it wash over you and take you places.
Neil Young
2/5
Even though this is the third Neil Young album I've been given and I'm not a fan, it was an aptly named album as I was in the process of harvesting an orchard of mangoes. I let the album blend in with the breeze as it rustled the leaves and I thought well, it's not a bad album for the context. 'Heart of Gold' and 'The needle and the damage done' were the only tracks I previously knew and I've heard them too many times already to give them any more consideration. The other tracks were pleasant enough in a breezy orchard but it just feels dated and tired.
Elton John
2/5
Not a fan of Elton John but if I had to choose a favourite, it wouldn't be this album. 'Don't Shoot me, I'm the Piano Man' would get my vote as his best. Liberace meets Jerry Lee Lewis in places isn't my thing really.
Megadeth
1/5
As albums go in general, this is not worth mentioning or even considering. As heavy metal goes, this is just meh.
The Jam
1/5
The Jam for me are overrated and this album certainly didn't change my mind. This is bland af.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
I was expecting to like this a bit more than I did. As a kid, one of the first albums I got was 'Orginal Musiquarium' and this album has some of the tracks from that one on it so I thought I'd travel back in time and enjoy reminiscing and also listening to tracks I hadn't heard before. But apart from 'Pastime Paradise' (a bit of a surprise and much better than the Gangsta version), nothing really moved me and the album was beginning to grate after getting 15 tracks in. Was there any reason to flood this release with all these songs, none of which are particularly stunning IMHO? I always associated Wonder with positivity and smiles but it began to make me a bit irritable. Oh well.
Pretenders
1/5
Ordinary in every way. Never liked them as there's just nothing that grabs you and they sound like a good pub band at best
The xx
1/5
More hum drum dull drab as dishwater albums. Has this list only got very few really excellent albums in it, you know albums that you want to go back to again and again. This is just wallpaper.
Rush
2/5
Never heard anything by Rush before so wasn't sure what to expect but after the first 4 tracks of this album, I'd had enough. It hasn't changed my overall aversion to classic rock that encouraged millions of teens to air guitar in front of mirrors, a kind of aural masturbation. The heavy metal screeching and guitar solos along with the prog rock concept album ideas all made for endless yawns, I'm afraid. Ok, they can play. They have skills but nothing really stands out apart from that.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
A bit too jaunty for Cohen's voice and lyrics IMHO, almost jovial when compared to my favourite album of his (Songs of Leonard Cohen). It works on 'Take This Waltz' but even this track doesn't come close to the likes of 'Sisters of Mercy'. Kinda sounds like he's lost his mojo in the 10 years since that album.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Another album that could have been halved and had a slightly better affect on this listener. None of the songs grabbed me but none were particularly bad either. Just another bland album that this list seems to churn out on a regular basis.
U2
3/5
The last U2 album I paid any attention to tbh and it's their best to that point IMO. Of course, 'One' is the track everyone talks about on this album but my favourite is 'Acrobat'. A good easily accessible rock album with some good sing-along tracks with decent lyrics but after this album, I couldn't get past Bono's persona.
Pearl Jam
2/5
Not a huge fan of this type of 'grunge'. For me, Nirvana define the genre so much better as they were sonically and lyrically so much grittier than their counterparts, including Pearl Jam who still sound like a regular clean melody-driven rock band rather than displaying the more hard hitting chaotic distorted guitar sound of Nirvana. Songs don't have any punch and meander too much and don't have the acerbic bite of Cobain's lyrics. Even Hole's first album wins over 'Ten' for me. I can't bring myself to call this grunge.
Randy Newman
1/5
Another so-so album to wade through. I keep repeating the same thing for each album on this list. Nothing offends but nothing stands out. Just generally background stuff, and I could find a hundred better albums for that particular task.
3/5
Was a fan when it came out. It was a coming of age album for them and me in a way. Their American visit gave them a bit of material to work with. 'Angel in devil's shoes, salvation and the blues.' kinda summed up the US for me quite nicely. But as the years have gone by 'I still haven't found what I'm looking for' doesn't have the meaning it once did and the group have become a distant memory and a disappointment, hobnobbing with elites and Bono just being a bit of a prick. I'll give it 3 for nostalgia's sake.
Pink Floyd
2/5
Yeah, this is one of those albums with mythical status and it has its merits but sounds a bit dated and up itself now. I'd never seek it out and play any of the tracks on it. Wasn't a fan when it came out and nothing has changed since. 'Comfortably Numb' is probably the only stand out track for me.
Talking Heads
2/5
When 'Stop Making Sense' came out, I was an instant fan but after 'Little Creatures', I haven't really bothered with their other albums, which have few stand out tracks. David Byrne's output has had its moments but apart from the two albums mentioned, I find Talking Heads a bit too bland and trying too hard to be quirky.
Soundgarden
1/5
Who came first Nickelback or Soundgarden? Who cares? They're both awful and basically the same old tired rawk for frat boys
Haircut 100
1/5
no, just no...this deserves to be on a list of albums your corpse should 'listen' to when you're dead. How is this even on here?
Alice Cooper
1/5
Another boring album of little consequnece
Joan Armatrading
1/5
Another chore to bore my day with...yawn
OutKast
2/5
I 've heard this album a couple of times. Musically upbeat with manic vocals that sound like they're on crack. All in all, not much I liked about it. I suppose 'Bombs over Baghdad' stands out for me but apart from that, I wouldn't return to it. Just too busy and references to things I don't relate to,
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
One song played slightly differently with different lyrics stretched out to 9 songs. 'Don't' was the exception and although pretty basic on all fronts, it landed...but not as heavily as the others bombed.
D'Angelo
1/5
God this is just so vacuous. 'Music to have sex to' shite
Cocteau Twins
4/5
At last, a decent album with at least 4 tracks I really like and have liked since the 90s when this album first came to my attention. I actually got into them after Elizabeth Fraser featured on The Future Sound of London's 'Lifeforms'. Before that I'd briefly delved into their earlier albums but maybe wasn't in the mood. This album has had plenty of time in my ears for me to get bored of it but it's still a go-to album for the melodies, the indecipherable lyrics (who wants to know what things mean anyhow?) and the vocal harmonies. A rare thing indeed (on this list) to be able to listen all the way through an album and not feel like it's sapping the life out of you. 'Road, River and Rail' is my favourite from the album and the band. Beautiful track with Fraser's voice doing what it does best.