1001 Albums Summary

Mate got me onto this scheme so let's see if I stick it out. Pretty decent first shout to be fair, I was dreading Captain Beefheart or some shite. This is where MJ goes stratospheric, the 2nd of one of surely the best trilogies ever. Sold quite well, they tell me. As an MJ fan as a kid in the 80s (bedspread the lot), I had this and Bad on vinyl so this is obviously all very familiar. Yet somehow I still laughed out loud walking down a busy street at the throwaway "Yer a vegetable!" line. There'd be complaints these days. The production is lighter than you'd remember at times, quite tinny in parts. But that only serves to raise the profile of the two monsters Beat It and Billie Jean, obviously both stonecold classics. And every other song here has been sampled by someone somewhere along the line. I was expecting to be writing here that The Girl is Mine is trash, but nah even that's good, let's face it. Human Nature has always been a personal favourite, invoking a dreamy nocturnal Manhattan skyline vibe (he moves from referencing vegetables to apples here). The tracks are indisputably in the correct order, like all great albums should be - the unappreciated closing track ending us in style. So yeah, a classic and must be one of the best albums of the era. Bad nonce, though. High Point: Eddie Van Halen letting rip in the middle of Beat It Low Point: Disgusting sex noises in PYT

Day 2 of my 1,000 albums challenge and I've struck lucky with another classic! The debut offering from one of my favourite bands. Once is a perfectly serviceable opener but gives no indication of what is to follow with Evenflow, Alive and later Jeremy and Black which delivers four great standouts hard to match among any rock album, let alone the grunge era. These are dark and morbid tales of relationship breakdown, homelessness, child suicide and the father Eddie Vedder never met, yet are so powerful and heartfelt they have translated to become stadium classics. There may even be more well rounded Pearl Jam albums to follow as they aged gracefully, but the high points of this simply get better with age and 30+ years on holds up in a way a lot of their peers do not. Most of the album tracks became anthems too, with Release a personal fave. Classic. Listen loud. Best bit: Tough one. I'll go with the outstanding layered vocals and moans as Jeremy builds to a crescendo and then finally fades out. Worst bit: Why Go feels a bit 'by the numbers' and maybe more in keeping with Vs. than Ten

I've been really lucky in the first 3 albums that have come up for me! Pulp are a band who milled around relatively unknown for 15 years and then got huge in 1995 when the Britpop scene exploded. Meaning my 15 year old self was all over this and it remains one of the albums I've heard the most. Disco 2000 and Common People are well known by everyone in Britain and continue to get radio play to this day and those of that era will also be familiar with 'Sorted for Es and Wizz'. But throughout this is just great. Imagine the actual concept behind writing 'Something Changed', an underrated masterpiece. Underwear and I Spy are also bangers and there's not really anything here that let's you down. Holds up well. Best bit: Maybe the bit where I Spy really gets going, a vindictive narrative of a jealous freak. Ask me another day it'll be different. Worst bit: Pencil Skirt is slightly throwaway but serves its purpose as the breather between Mis-Shapes and Common People.

My 4th album of the challenge and the first one I had not previously listened to. I've always quite liked what I'd heard of from Steely Dan (classics like Reelin' in the Years etc) so was optimistic for this. A bit in two minds on first listen. Musically it's great, like jazzy and funky, and the guitar playing is outstanding. Rikki Don't Lose That Number is the only one I was familiar with from radio play. From a pure song perspective though, there wasn't a huge amount that gripped me, maybe it would take further listens.. Didn't seem to pull together as a coherent piece. Best bit: Track 5 instrumental is ace Worst bit: Can't say the title track did it for me. In fact I found it unintentionally amusing.

So this is the first and only Crosby Stills & Nash album. Was expecting to like this a bit more. Marrakech Express was the only song I was already familiar with, but honestly found this a bit boring. Surprising given I normally like these guys in other enterprises, but here the vocals really seemed to grate on me. Might take another listen or two but I probably wouldn't go again. It would get better when Neil Young arrives. Best bit: Lady of the Island is a sweet song Worst bit: Nothing stands out as inherently bad, all just a bit dreary

Rap finally got me. OK the only thing I really know about Nas is 'If I Ruled The World' and that he is generally fairly critically acclaimed. Sorry, I may not exactly be the target demographic here but I found this pretty atrocious. I listened to it right through and nothing stood out. I assume it's supposed to be edgy, but just seemed a big whine to me. Avoid.

One of my principles (no pun intended) is never to Google anything by the artist before listening, so I cannot be unduly influenced. The negatives of that is you are stuck with my less than encyclopaedic musical knowledge and I just tell you what I think about the album. What I know about Gary Numan is two songs essentially - Are Friends Electric and Cars, both fine enough in their own right (I much prefer the former, but I believe that was Tubeway Army, so I think this is his debut album). I also know that he is actually older than Gary Oldman. Obviously you hear a lot of influence of the likes of Kraftwerk but also recalls David Bowie and you can see some influence on certain future rock bands . Cars is the penultimate track and easily the most radio-friendly. 'M.E.' sounds immediately familiar as it's what Basement Jaxx used (and improved upon) for 'Where's Your Head At' 20 years or so on. I felt I detected future samples elsewhere too but couldn't put my finger on what they were. It's obviously a synthesiser-fest but somewhat psychedelic also. I have a feeling it may be a concept album of some sort, but I generally can't really understand a word he is saying in most songs so don't quote me on that. This isn't offensive or anything but just sounds like background music in a 1980s computer game kind of thing, not sure you'd add it to your favourites.

What a poet, a true wordsmith of our era. Regaling us with tales of shooting people, hostility towards law enforcement, peppered with some naughty words, even samples of children doing it. Edgy. But he can do romance too, the everlasting dilemma of getting a young lady pregnant and then debating whether to kick her in the stomach or reaching for a 'hanger'. Second rap offering on my list. It's better than Nas because it's better produced and seems less serious in its approach. Plenty of samples from films. But yeah, not my bag.

After a bad run, I got a heavyweight album today. I'd listened to this a few times back in the day, though U2 are not really one of my favourites. One of those bands I always thought are better on compilations as even on their most famed album here there's a bit of stodge. Obviously With or Without You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For still sound great and Running To Stand Still is a nice song but the album is pretty 'front-loaded' and more it goes on the more his voice seriously grates on me. I know most consider it a classic and it's ok but never reaches that level for me.

Teenage Fanclub were a band highly rated by critics at the time, especially this and 1995's Grand Prix. Scottish indie outfit with fairly breezy enough tunes but not as accessible to ever garner great radio play. There was much better jangly guitar stuff earlier (the Smiths etc) and they'd also be outdone by the likes of Dodgy and the Lightning Seeds in the Britpop era. This is all fine but doesn't really go to the next level. I believe one magazine voted it album of the year for 1991 which is particularly bizarre when you consider what came out that year. Fine enough but I prefer Grand Prix (not sure if that's on here) better melodies and slicker production.

Previously only familiar with a couple of songs that were played a lot on radio. I really liked this, not necessarily what I was expecting. I think I thought it would all be a bit samey but actually a lot of variety here. Nicely produced with hints of that 90s Americana song (I do know that the guy out of Mercury Rev produced it and it shows). But a lot of interesting sounds and sonically just a great listen. I think it would get better on repeated listens too. This is me finally catching up with 'modern music' then realising it's 18 years old 😐

Oldest album that's come up so far. It was fine but I might say slightly disappointed, a lot of this is just ballads and mainly covers I think, which I have heard done better before. Not sure if he writes any of the songs on this album. Nice voice great pianist etc and some good arrangements but nothing memorable enough to hit 4 stars or higher. Essentially there's a lot of crooning here and he doesn't do it as well as others of the era

Another rap album 😩. Look, all I'm going to say it was mildly more melodic than Nas and Ice Cube. Not as much pretending to be hard and taking about shooting people but still mighty silly. I'll give it a genuine 1 star whilst the other two were a 0.

Quite like Rush and had heard this and Permanent Waves before. Permanent Waves is better (compare for example The Spirit of Radio to Tom Sawyer). Whilst the likes of YYZ are incredible musically, some of the songs are not first-class. Torn between 3 and 4 stars, I'll play it safe with 3.

Wow, this was a bit of a challenge. Remember my rule is not to Google anything about an album before reviewing. What I knew about ELP is Fanfare for the Common Man, that they are generally considered prog as hell, and that critics don't often put them near these lists. This is obviously a live album in 1971, from Newcastle, and contains a number (if not all?) of classical covers or at least elements from classical pieces. It's not all as bombastic as you'd think though, parts are quite slow and tender and Greg Lake has always had a sweet voice (see 'I Believe in Father Christmas'). The vocals don't start until Track 3 though. There are some very strange noises at times and musical wizardry but it mostly sounds pretty grand actually. I had a Rush album yesterday and this is better. I was only disappointed that 'The Gnome' wasn't their spin on the Piper at the Gates of Dawn classic. This is definitely not for everybody and with the excess they drift into (and I think they'd get more grander throughout the decade) you can see why a lot of bands started to copy MC5 or the Stooges instead (what 16 year old kids can play this in their garage?)

So what I knew about Sarah Vaughan was: - She's dead - She's black - Was a less well known peer of the likes of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald - The song 'Misty' mainly from the terrifying Clint Eastwood film 'Play Misty With Me' which isn't on here Oldest album so far and second live album running. Though apart from the compere guy at the start introducing it and mild clapping between songs, you'd barely know it. Its jazz, but don't expend big band or experimental stuff. It's gentle piano (not sure if she plays or her band) and drums gently accompanying an incredible voice in what I hope to be a smoky, intimate Chicago lounge. The audience are so quiet you can hear a cough on 'Poor Butterfly'. The absolute heart in her voice really is something else. She just sounds so "happy". And carefree enough to cover a song and babble 'Ella Fitzgerald sings this, I don't know the words, shooba dooba dooba, how high the moon!" Zero fucks given, they'd call it now. Listen to' Stairway to the Stars' or 'Embraceable You' for a sample, but better still take in the whole thing. It's only a shame that 'Dancing In The Dark' is not the Springsteen song of the same name, she would do an amazing jazz version of that. This would have been an amazing event to behold live. It was also pretty good to drive in the rain to on a miserable English evening in November.

One of my favourite bands and have listened to this album many times - currently sitting on an unused CD rack near me (like all my CDs). It's not as raw or edgy as the earlier efforts but probably their most polished and consistent, an amazing sound all-round. Production is spot on and Joey Santiago's guitar has never been better. Whilst nothing grabs your attention like Debaser or reaches the frenzied intensity of Gouge Away, as an album this probably all ties together the best. Velouria is obviously a standout all-timer, but there isn't a lot of filler at all here, the first eight songs in particular a great little run, from the instrumental of Cecilia Ann through to Dig for Fire. It's pretty timeless as just a superb rock album now 35 years on. There are three unmissable Pixies albums that are easily full marks, but this would be the last great album they would do before the disappointing Trompe le Monde (at which point the grunge movement had caught up with them), and the subsequent other projects .

Never knowingly listened to this band before. I thought they would be along the lines of Kraftwerk but the first half is really ambient akin to Air or Spiritualized 25 years later, then it just goes all punk out of nowhere on 'Hero' with Johnny Rotten style vocals, before Johnny Rotten was a thing. Really interesting album and whilst there isn't much what you would call great songs individually, it has an excellent sound to it and is really interesting. Liked it!

The second Beatles album. It might actually be the worst of their studio albums as not much of a progression from their debut. But set in the context of 1963 and not knowing what came later, let's take a look A lot of it is early Beatles by the numbers, "It Won't Be Long" rings through with teenage optimism and there's no doubt a lot of mushy sentimentality here - "All I've Got To Do" being quite throwaway stuff really. But when it hits it works well with "All My Loving" still sounding a classic and of the few cover versions the gorgeous "Til There Was You" shines through as the pick of the bunch with its simplistic beauty, one of McCartney's best vocals of the early Beatles era. Most of the other covers here have been done better, not that it's a crime to fail to do Roll Over Beethoven as well as Chuck Berry, like. By the next album onwards it would feel that every new release shifted them up a gear, but even the Beatles weakest work is still a pretty good album.

Got me some Marvin! I already had this album on CD, and it's just one love groove all the way through - the title track being the masterpiece and one of the sexiest songs ever recorded. The whole album really is a continuation of that, it's essentially background music to have sex to. Maybe that's why it's only 30 minutes long. It's sweet singing, pianos and saxophone and occasional female panting. Marvin Gaye was REALLY fucking into having sex at this point in his life. Only one great song here and whilst it's probably usually ranked as his #2 album, there may be other better ones with more high points than this. Look, it's really nice throughout, a little short of the full marks, but is definitely up there as a great example of the genre. I just can't rate it the same as the very different 'What's Going On'.

Had heard of this artist before but that's about it. Funky guitar grooves and you can hear the influence in lots of 90s electronica and stuff like Jamiroquai. I guess at the time the closest thing was the likes of Sly Stone. It's fine, not massively my sort of thing - very well crafted and nice to have on in the background rather than to listen intently, for me. I wouldn't be surprised to learn there were certain innovations though, as it does sound slightly groundbreaking and interesting for the era.

I got this album when it came out in 2002, local band here - the brothers went to my school (older one a bit of a tit I thought) though they don't mention ever living in Ellesmere Port much, promoting the more romantic town of Hoylake which they seemingly moved to in their teens. It holds up really well, be it the quiet-loud frenzy of 'I Remember When', live favourite 'Goodbye' and radio friendly classics such as 'Dreaming of You' and the great riffs in 'Skeleton Key'. I was really into music at this time and I remember it being one of the best albums of the year. The follow-up is good too. Can see his voice doing some people's heads in, so might not be for everyone, or if sea shanties aren't your thing. It's pretty interesting musically though, so definitely worth a look. The lyrics are mostly nonsense, naturally. I'd give it a 9 out of 10, so rounds up to 5 stars.

I don't really feel I can accurately rate jazz. I'd never heard of this man before but apparently he was Miles Davis's pianist. It's all really great musically and stuff.

Highly influential 1979 debut album by the Specials. Loads of American acts in the 90s and beyond are inspired by this style, mixing punk and ska, guitars and horns. Some of the songs are cover versions of 60s reggae tracks and A Message To You Rudy hits best. However there are other wins, with Concrete Jungle and Doesn't Make It Alright in particular standing out for me. Too Much Too Young wasn't on the original album but is added here on the remaster. Wouldn't go the full 5 stars but pioneering album and heartily recommend

Not necessarily my favourite genre but there's some stuff here that is good. Waterfalls holds up well and Red Light Special is a sexy song. A lot of it is quite similar with a number of short interlude tracks, with Take Your Time being the best of the rest.

The third live album I've had so far and probably the best. I don't really know how to describe it and I obviously don't understand any of the words, but it sounds great and marvellously vibrant. Ginger Baker (of Cream fame) plays drums which seems an odd combination to me, but it works. It's not funk or soul, it's just some sort of African shit. That's my technical explanation, anyway. Loads of trumpets and saxophone, powerful vocals and then when the Hammond organ comes out it's like an African Doors, one big jam that would have graced the final track on the final Doors album, had Jim Morrison not died in his Paris bathtub 22 days before this gig. There's only five songs in one hour here, the last one being basically a 16 minute drum solo. I knew absolutely nothing about this fucker and only googled him after listening to the album. Apparently he died of AIDS after denying it existed. He also married 27 women on the same day.

Quite surprised this album is here as I thought the earlier efforts were more acclaimed. I wouldn't say this has aged particularly well and was quite bored. The echo/reverb on absolutely every vocal really grinded on me. One or two tracks are OK but on the whole I wouldn't listen again.

I didn't mind the first KOL album when it came out and enjoy the likes of Molly's Chambers fair enough. Also a fan of Use Somebody as much as anyone, decent tunes. But this is the second album and seems to miss those high points. The tedious vocals are confected and grind like hell and the lyrics are pretty cringe. I'm not sure these lads ever got much better than their debut, or maybe they hit their stride afterwards. But either way, this ain't it.

I knew the hits off this, Red Alert and Remedy are club bangers, and Bingo Bango to a lesser extent, and even they are all essentially revamp of each other. But there's not a lot there other than this. Plenty of filler but nothing you would seek back out. 'Same Old Show' in particular, is atrocious. OK, some of it is decent background ambience and it ties together fine enough but it's overly long and just not enough here to go for the 4.

Not got a lot to say other than I love jazz, I like this album and it's beautiful. Even if I'd never heard of it before.

Beautiful album from a great singer and all-round artist. Iconic songs from start to finish. It seems her earlier stuff was a bit more 'fun', whilst this was written whilst going through a break-up. It is her most well known and emotional album, but there's lots more worth checking out too, both before and after. This is relatively pared back and introspective, often just her and her piano or guitar. Most songs have no drums at all. One of the best albums from a solo female of the era, you can hear how it shaped the likes of Fiona Apple, Tori Amos and compatriot Alanis Morisette (vocally rather than musically) 20 years on, whilst today Taylor Swift hails it as the best album ever written. The peerless 'River' has also grown in stature over the last few decades to be rightly acknowledged as perhaps the very best Christmas song.

I had the Joshua Tree just a week or two back and they may be their two most acclaimed albums. Not a huge fan of that, and the same with this. Yes, New Year's Day is a great song and Sunday Bloody Sunday still packs a punch but U2 are still striking me as a band that made great singles and then the rest of the album is boring filler with a whiny voice that really grates.

This is a box set? Ain't got no time for this.

This is basically just a noise. Can see the influence on some later bands such as early Offspring, but at least they had some good tunes. Not many, but some. Closing track is the best here. The rest is like Anal Cunt but the songs aren't as short. Oh, and it's an EP (21 minutes) and EPs shouldn't be included.

I quite like PJ Harvey (not as much as all the critics) but she would get better than this. It's pretty good for a debut album and I can see why it was rated so highly but I prefer her a bit more polished years later. Also some of the tracks are recorded much quieter than others, meaning you have to keep putting the volume up and down, which although was intentional is pretty annoying.

Billy Joel established himself with 'Piano Man' four years before this but then subsequent albums flopped and he nearly got dropped by his label. He originally wanted George Martin to produce this album, but eventually settled on Phil Ramone who he would continue to work with. Joel was never a favourite of the critics and you can see why to some extent - talented and too good to be true at the point where he could almost appear smug and this album is released within weeks of Never Mind The Bollocks. But it's classic songwriting and holds up fantastically. Just The Way You Are and She's More Than A Woman are MOR radio classics played to death but are of course two of the finest love songs ever written, and up there with some of McCartney's finest. Him not being a depressed smackhead strumming a guitar then killing himself the year after doesnt make these songs any less cool. Elsewhere, the 7 minute Scenes from an Italian Restaurant and Vienna became live favourites, and the album is bookended nicely by Movin' Out and the lovely Everybody Has A Dream whistling us out in style. It sounds to me a lot like a concept album of the 1970s in common with Born to Run or Bat out of Hell but in a moonlit Manhattan, a Taxi Driver but with more hope alongside the fears. 9.5 out of 10.

The first album by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers sounds like a lot of things. Some of it just fits nicely in the 'new wave' sound that was emerging. A lot of it derives from the Stones, but there are flashes of the Byrds, even Status Quo, and openly imitates Van Morrison in 'Mystery Man'. 'Luna' is more interesting, slow and brooding and harder to pin down. But there's no flashy excess, it's all kept quiet tight and brief. And of course the closing 'American Girl' is the live favourite that anybody with even a passing acquaintance with TP should know. Great song. This band hits their stride 2-3 albums in, not to mention the multi-plarinum 1989 solo comeback but there's enough to recommend in this solid debut.

Nirvana's third and final studio album, In Utero is raw and aggressive. It hasn't got the polish of Nevermind and for the most part hasn't quite got the tunes. The ones with actual melodies are fine with some strong lyrics throughout (Serve the Servants, Heartshaped Box, All Apologies). Whilst the likes of Rape Me and Dumb are fine enough. But a lot of the rest is deliberately trying not to be tuneful and going for noise and rage. Which is fine enough as it is, and it certainly has a lot of energy, but as a piece of work I'm not going to give this the full marks. The real question is what they would have done after this, had Cobain not done himself in.

From what I had previously heard of XTC, I thought I'd like this a lot more than I did. I had heard it years ago as I once downloaded all XTC albums but couldn't remember much about it. Dear God is the song most people will know and the best track on the album. Might be one that grows with multiple listens but so far I prefer a punchier XTC with great hooks, a la Senses Working Overtime.

Aretha's most celebrated album, I believe. The Queen of Soul in great form here, everybody will know at least 3 songs I suspect - Chain of Fools, You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman and People Get Ready. All classics of the genre, but closing track Ain't No Way is also particularly tender. Although at one point it sounds like she says "With your tiny balls in my hands!" (it's actually 'if you're tyin' both of my hands'). Not sure I'd go the full 5 but all pretty powerful stuff.

Everyone loves a bit of ELO, and surely their best known and greatest song Mr Blue Sky is here on this 70 minute epic. The production is stunning, with piano, strings and Jeff Lynn's falsetto giving you a whirlwind experience. It's not at all punk or new-wave or anything like that, which is probably why they were quite coolly received around this time. If anything there's more of a nod to disco at times. And whereas a lot of British 70s multi-instrumentalists were sounding like the Beatles, it would usually be in the McCartney mould, whilst elements of this are much more Lennonesque. Turn to Stone and Steppin' Out are highlights and the variety here is quite something. It's an ambitious album and they pull it off but to me not quite the full 5 stars. Giving it a 4 for now, but will listen again and if 3 or 4 more songs penetrate me then I'll upgrade it. Oh, and did I mention it's got Mr Blue Sky on it, one of the best songs ever written.

Goo is Sonic Youth's big record label so they tone down the feedback and screeching a bit, but it's hardly a sell-out. There is beat droning a la Velvet Underground, a quirky tribute to Karen Carpenter and the intensely annoying 'My Friend Goo'. 'Mildred Pierce' is the closest they get to the screechy thrashing you'd most associate with them. Personally think they've done better, both before and after.

Couldn't be arsed with this one as its a compilation of different artists, thus has no business on the list. Had to give a rating so will give 4 as I'm sure it is probably pretty great.

First time I've listened to an entire album from these lads, having been aware of a few songs, and it's pretty excellent. Stand! opens up with more traditional soul, albeit with a psychedelic tinge, then I Want To Take You Higher, You Can Make It If You Try and the evergreen Everyday People are optimistic uplifting tracks, whilst Sex Machine is 13 minutes of instrumental funk. I could have probably done without "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" particularly positioned at Track 2, but there we are. Seems like as a piece of work this may be approaching Best of Genre status, although I believe "There's a Riot Going on" is even more acclaimed, though a lot darker. No doubt that's to come.

Never even heard of this guy before. It's early 2000s folk, slightly psychedelic and very stripped down yet also sounds quite intricate. He sings about simple things like nature and weather in a haunting voice. There's 16 songs but many of them are very short. My favourite was 'The Body Breaks' but witness the Ray Davies-esque 'This Beard Is For Siobhan", from what I can tell this song is about growing a beard because his girlfriend likes them.' There Was Sun' is about being given birth to, in the style of Donovan and the atmospheric piano-driven 'Autumn's Child' is also worth a go. Some of this is obviously quite throwaway such as the 90 second instrumental' Tit Smoking in the Temple of Artesan Mimicry' (some song title). Was tempted to go for a 4, but some of this is pretty samey and grates a bit. But the high spots are ones to add to your playlist. I wouldn't be surprised to discover he has done better albums.

I quite like Piper at the Gates of Dawn so was looking forward to the most acclaimed Syd Barrett album. I like it for what it is, though I can see how it would be difficult to rate particularly highly and if someone doesn't like his voice then playing 'If It's In You' to them will certainly not convert. Nothing leaps out as much as 'Gnome' or 'Bike' from the first Floyd album and it's much more stripped down for the main. A lot of the lyrics are raging nonsense (he goes on about tigers eating cheese at one point) but other parts are quite charmingly Kinksy in its 1960s London whimsy and it's the simpler songs on the album such as 'Here I Go' that I prefer. The influence on Bowie is unmissable (particularly in 'Dark Globe'). I also have suspicions that there would have been an element of LSD consumed during the making of this album (see the aforementioned turophilic tigers), though I've been wrong before. You know what, this is quite gentle and relaxing to listen to in a dark room (I'll skip the LSD) and I feel this would get better with more listens, so have talked myself into a 4 out of 5.

Had Goo just a few days back now got another Sonic Youth effort. This was very highly rated in 1987 but I'm not convinced it holds up particularly well. The first few songs are quite slow going and the album is a little bit of a dirge but there are exceptions, as 'Stereo Sanctity' packs a punch before the punky 'Hot Wire My Heart' and the slower 'Kotton Krown' provides some much-needed diversity as the album progresses. But nah, overrated. They would find their feet somewhat with Daydream Nation.

The second of Cash's live prison albums, following Folsom Blues. I only listened to the original release here (33 mins), not the full set, though I will have to do that too. Great live album, as expected and deserves the hype. I Walk The Line and A Boy Named Sue featured and he gets his Mrs and friends up on stage too. He's pretty funny and charming in the interludes, makes you want to hear more of this sort of shit.

From what I know about the Temptations they were a 60s soul group putting out classics like My Girl and Just My Imagination. But by the time 1972 came about they were doing funk like everybody else, which is how the 12 minute Papa Was A Rolling Stone came about. This is an acclaimed and epic song and all great, but a bit of a drag for me in parts. Of more interest to me is the sunshine of Love Woke Me Up This Morning and the frankly hilarious Run Charlie Run, a song about white people moving out of a neighbourhood when blacks move in ('Look, the niggers are coming!'). At just 34 minutes long, more than a third is the centrepiece track but there's good stuff around it (I Ain't Got Nothin'), although the cover of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is somewhat dreary.

Never heard of this guy, a folkster from the 50s. Apparently he's still alive! Aged 94. Influence in Dylan, etc. Musically this ain't much to write home about, but the songs are quite good and the lyrics are witty, if slightly twee at times. I think I'd file this under one I'd have to listen to again to make a full assessment, but basically quite liked it.

This somehow completely passed by not only my 16 year old self in 1996 but also the 30 years since. I really like it. Ambitious, cinematic neo-noir sounding like a film soundtrack. A lot of it is jazzy, some of it sounds a bit trip hop more in keeping with the times. Jarvis Cocker sings in the opener and Nick Cave drops in later on (I had actually heard that song before). I'd need to listen to this a couple more times, and I will.

Not listened yet but it won't let me reactivate my project until I rate for some reason. I'll assume it's shit so will give a 1 and listen later then edit.

Liked Blur a lot in the 90s. Not convinced all their stuff holds up that well today. I don't think they have an actual *great* song per se, nor a classic album. This however, still sounds reasonable enough here if you haven't listened to it for a while, released in 1993 before Britpop hit its stride. Good start with first 3 songs and ambles on nicely enough in the first half. Chemical World remains one of their best songs and the Syd Barrett-esque Miss America is something a bit different but there's also some naff stuff here. People aren't lining up to re-listen to 'Pressure on Julian' or 'Oily Water' these days. It's also a lot longer than I remembered and it tails off a lot towards the end. It's a 3 or a 4 star, depending on how generous you're feeling. As it's fairly formulaic and nothing here is great, I'll go in the middle.

I actually listened all this as well. Mental that this is over a quarter of a century old. The singles from this got played a LOT so they're fairly familiar. Most of it is pretty acceptable bubblegum and you can call it some of the Best of Genre if that's what you're into - though not sure song for song this holds up with the likes of Taylor Swift, who's obviously a pretty smarter, more talented and business minded sort. But Baby One More Time is a fucking banger and that's all there is to it. The mark of a good song is when other people cover it and it's always good, and I've heard loads of great covers of it.

The monster debut album from GnR, who would for a short while there become the biggest rock band on the planet. This is all dirty riffs, drugs, Jack Daniels and shagging groupies but before the excess of the Use Your Illusion albums four years later. It's easy to see how this stood out among the 'cock rock' hair bands of the time, they had the attitude and the songs and gained a huge following before grunge came along and did the same. Some of this has clearly inspired the likes of early Alice in Chains when you listen to it, but they draw their influences here from AC/DC, Aerosmith, Motley Crue and the New York Dolls. Later on, Axl Rose would make no secret of his love for the likes of Queen and Elton John and they took a different turn. Everybody knows Welcome to the Jungle (all-time great intro to an all-time great opener on a great album), Paradise City and the majestic Sweet Child O' Mine but the adrenaline of Night Train and Out ta Get Me, the ode to heroin that is Mr Brown stone and the underrated My Michelle more than hold their own here before Rocket Queen ends in style. This album has enough diversity to make it interesting but does not abandon its core theme. One of the best rock albums of the era, easy 5 stars.

Among the albums I've had so far, some are really great, some are boring, some are just shit, some just have a really good sound and is interesting and creative but maybe the songs aren't all there but you feel generous so give out a 4. My first Beatles album in this exercise and just when you listen to them it raises the bar considerably, much like they were doing this time 60 years ago. The first few Beatles albums have great hooks and melodies and are influenced by 1950s rock n roll but around this time they start to be influenced by their peers: Dylan, the Byrds et al. It's dreamy and mellow through most of it (they're on cannabis at this point), but the lyrics are often cynical and sarcastic and they tell great stories. The songs you don't often hear (You Won't See Me, Girl) are almost as great as the ones you do (Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man) and Harrison comes into his own with the excellent I'm Looking Through You. Run for Your Life may sound lyrically dated these days but is a pretty good tune, and Michelle still sounds beautiful today. If I were to pick a worst track it would be 'The Word' but that fits in OK too. And of course, In My Life is one of the greatest songs ever written. Hardly the only classic album the Beatles have made, but for me it vies with Revolver and Abbey Road in their top 3 and might be the best album I've had in this so far.

Everyone knows these guys for 'Temptation' but there's nothing here close to that. They are writing protest songs with a tinny synthesiser and bass grooves, but the result is rather weak piss. The opener appears to accuse Ronald Reagan of being a 'fascist' and there are similar brave contrarian takes against Thatcher et al throughout this. He's still like this now, looking at his Twitter, which is full of 'End Israeli Apartheid' garbage. Some people never grow up. So nah, I like 80s electronica/new wave as much as anybody, but ABC, OMD, Human League this ain't.

I've always loved Scott Walker's voice, be it in the Walker Brothers or his solo efforts. Scott 4 has always been the most acclaimed work he did. These are quite poignant and melancholy concepts dealing with quite serious themes but he also can add a breeziness at times that do make it easy to listen to. His voice is the best of a similar style that were popular in psychedelic circles in the late 60s (Love, Grass Roots) but unlike them the music is cinematic, baroque and haunting, with a hint of gospel and country at times. The album is atmospherically cohesive keeping to a similar theme throughout but different enough to have variety. Highlights for me would be The Seventh Seal, the brief but moving On Your Own Again, whilst Hero of the War is low-key one of the best Vietnam songs. It's all really good but obviously one to sit or lie down and listen to rather than a driving album or one for the gym. I'd probably go 9/10 but will round it up.

This is Johnny Cash's SIXTY-SEVENTH studio album and the last to be released before he died. Most of them are cover versions, but the two originals 'The Man Comes Around' and 'Give My Love To Rose' are also compelling. Some of the absolute very greatest songs of the 20th century are covered here - namely Bridge Over Troubled Water, In My Life, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, We'll Meet Again and Wichita Lineman - in their original format, surely strong contenders for any Top 100 list. Some of these portrayal are better than others - perhaps none of them surpass the originals, that was never the point here - it's a dying man recording songs that he really loves and friends such as Fiona Apple collaborate well. But it's the cover version of the lesser known 'Hurt' by Nine Inch Nails which would get a lot of the plaudits and rightly so. Like most songs on here they are equally heartfelt yet stripped down of a lot of the production - Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus' being another. They are still intricately produced but his vocals take centre stage. Rick Rubin does another impeccable job here. Cash was not a technically great singer, but the fact that he made other great songs still sound great is testament that he was doing something right, and his deep drawl took on more gravitas as he aged. All of these songs have great lyrics and it makes you listen intently in a way that you may not have with the original (such as Sting's 'I Hung My Head'). I could have done without 'Danny Boy' though. This is one of the best cover albums you'll ever hear

My album #62 and I think the first heavy metal album so far. Slayer's 1986 thrash debut lifted them up alongside peers Metallica (artistically, though would never reach their commercial success). It's a carnival of intense, frenzied drumming and blistering guitar from the off. Songs about Josef Mengele, human sacrifices, plagues and serial killers, all pretty cheerful stuff really. But it's Rick Rubin's amazing production that sets this apart form other thrashers doing the circuit at the time (of whom there were many). It's maybe not quite as good as Metallica at their very best, but it's better than their debut and one of the best you'll find in this genre, 9/10.

I do quite like Beck as a concept. And critics loved him - he mixed a load of different genres together, funk, country, rap, the lot. it wasn't like a lot of other stuff around at the time and she seemed a nice guy (might have been a cunt tbf, but seemed nice enough). So yeah, interesting music. He sprung out of nowhere with 'Loser' but this album a couple of years later got the critical acclaim. Great riffs on Devil's Haircut. New Pollution is a banger, Lord Only Knows is decent (though sounds like Chas & Dave). The electicness continues with Jack Ass and Minus which again sound nothing like each other. It's a sprawling mess and not necessarily up my street but I do like it in parts and one I would give another go.

I don't mind the Pet Shop Boys 1980s output, they had some genuinely great singles in the latter half of the decade - West End Girls, Suburbia, Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money), It's A Sin are all tremendous, and Rent and Heart pretty strong too. They also smashed a surprisingly good Elvis cover and notched up a great duet with Dusty Springfield. Neil Tennant wrote disco classics with lyrics both honest and sardonic, bit of social commentary here, bit of introspective heartfelt stuff about being gay here and there. They had a good deal of success in the US with that initial run of belters. Fast forward a few years and a bit surprised to get 1993's 'Very' and a little dismayed to find that nothing here gets close to their big hits, nor do I see it as massively innovative or anything like that. In fact, aside from a perfectly serviceable cover of Village People's 'Go West' there's not much here to recommend. If you're into the gay stuff, stick with Erasure - they were still putting out solid material in the early to mid 90s.

If you like a bit of Bowie, Low night be a difficult one to get into. The first in what's known as his 'Berlin Trilogy' in collaboration with Brian Eno, it marks an experimental shift from his prior albums, even though he was already developing a reputation as a chameleon. Not the album if you're looking for great pop songs (except for the classic 'Sound & Vision') but the first half tilts more towards the tunes, such as the underrated 'Be My Wife'. Then in the second half, there's all fucking sorts going on. Instrumentals that stay interesting enough to not feel long - they are not a blazing noise, they feel simultaneously ambient and sparse like some sort of dystopian hellscape in a sci-film set beyond the Iron Curtain. I've absolutely no idea if that was his plan, like. But you have to credit the balls on him for departing into this experiment literally halfway through an album. I won't give it five stars because like, where are the great songs. But it's impressive and a quality listen if you take your time with it.

Had Rubber Soul a couple of weeks ago now I get Revolver. It's impossible to really say what the very best Beatles album is but there's as strong a case for this as anything else. Released 9 months after Rubber Soul (ridiculous), it takes it to a whole new level in terms of sound and production quality - they spent thousands of hours recording and mixing this to get it right. They were insanely productive around this time and no wonder they stopped touring. All Beatles chip in on this one with Harrison's 'Taxman' opening the album, kicking off about the taxes being imposed at the time (rings very true today) whilst Ringo takes the lead vocal on Yellow Submarine, which I'll have nothing bad said about. But great songs abound from Lennon at his dreamiest best in 'I'm Only Sleeping' and 'She Said She Said' then 'And Your Bird Can Sing' which is nothing at all like that, a rock song centred around an irresistible riff. Meanwhile, McCartney's 'For No One' and 'Good Day Sunshine' providing a nice juxtaposition of sorrow and optimism before the soulful sunburst of 'Got to Get You into My Life'. And in closing the head spinning and influential Tomorrow Never Knows inspired generations of psychedelia and electronica and still sounds remarkable today. Im not really into 'I Want to Tell You' or 'Dr Robert', they are the weakest songs here but do fit in well with the theme of the album. Easy full points, possibly the best album ever.

A Velvet Underground fan but I hadn't heard much solo John Cale. Not exactly what I was expecting and it's not even remotely like the VU at any point. Cabaret-style baroque pop, this sounds like a Welshman getting off his tits on drugs in France on his own, and I assume that's exactly what it was. He's really pleased with himself with an irritatingly catchy tune called 'Hanky Panky Nohow' which appears in various forms throughout the album on the Deluxe version. I'd question that decision, but thankfully in its original format (the one you want) it's only there once. 'Andalucia' is lovely and Paris 1919 I had heard before but not known who it was - good song. Some of this manifests itself years on in the Super Furry Animals, some of it even resembles the Ben Folds Five, whilst 'Graham Greene' recalls Lola vs Powerman-era Kinks. There are lot of points in songs that really remind me of some other songs, but I can never quite place them. I like some of this but it also grates a little bit at times and is a little pretentious (which I don't mind), so surprises me that it's so highly acclaimed.