Well I didn't like Elton John before this and I still don't. Never so pleased as when it finished and Thunder Road by Bruuuce came on. 2 out of 5
Think I'm in agreement with many reviews I've seen that this marks the start of their run of really great albums but unlike others I feel that it's not quite top tier like Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road and Revolver. Still any album with songs like Norwegian Wood and In My Life can't be too bad. 4 out of 5
A short album at under 40 minutes and only 6 songs long but a joy to listen to. Side 1 in particular with album title track and golden years is great. A taste of what was to come from the Duke with Low and his later albums. 4 out of 5
What is there to say about Bob that hasn't already been said. I'm a massive Dylan fan, so clearly biased but much as I love Freewheelin, for me, it's not in his top 5 or maybe even 10 albums. But still taking a step back and wow, tracks like A Hard Rain, Masters of War, Girl from the North Country, Don't Think Twice and of course Blowing in the wind (despite being so well known) really do stand the test of time. Coincidentally I came to this album just a day after belatedly watching 'A Complete Unknown' which featured the same early era Dylan. Right now, at this stage in my life I'm more of a Rough & Rowdy Ways era Dylan nerd. But still this one is 5 out of 5 for me
Wasn't sure what to expect with this and not really a big jazz fan. But this was fun to listen to, good melodies and tunes. Don't want to damn it with faint praise but good background music that was wasy on the ears. Recommended and probably 3 out of 5 for me.
Really enjoyed this album and as I got it to listen to on Friday, with no new albums on the weekend it got a second listen on Saturday. Stand and Orange Crush in particular I think are amongst REM's best songs
Dark, moody and atmospheric. Classic album that to me stands the test of time. As a non teenage goth, but now Joy Division fan I appreciate this greatly but understand why others mightn't like it. The first one the list for me that had a second playback straightaway, although I'm still under 10 albums in. 4 out of 5 stars
A really good fun listen. I like Bryan Ferry as a vocalist. Seems like a hybrid cross between Beatles and Bowie to me in parts and one song, the last track I think, reminded me of The Monster Mash as it had the same riff and tune somwhere in there. I think they must have influenced Talking Heads as it reminded me of that in parts. Reckon this is somewhere between 3 and 4 but can't do half scores. Will go for 3 as somehow a bit less than the sum of its parts seeing as it has both Eno and Ferry, two of music's great names
Wasn't a big fan of this. I know Pet shop Boys and New Order have toured together, and I am a big New Order fan. But this to me sounds like New Order crossed with Bros, the 80s boy band and presumably not in 1001 albums. Worst parts of pop and dance combined but with none of the class or style of New Order.2 out of 5
Judas Priest is familiar to me only through one of my favourite Dylan tracks, the Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest off John Wesley Harding. British Steel was in the news recently when re-nationalised by the UK Government. That's probably the best way to have it. This album is just dull, I thought that every song sounded the same with no variation to be seen.
Thought this would be American R&B like Boyz to Men. Never judge a book or cd by its cover, anyway. Really enjoyed this, an unexpected pleasure of African modern blues. Fela Kuti meets Orchestra Baobob. The fact that one of the songs is named Nick, my name, is a bonus. This is the reason I'm doing 1001 albums to discover new music I like, that otherwise would never have crossed my path. Probably 3.5 out of 5, but Friday and feeling generous so rounding up to 4 out of 5
My second album by REM and I'm only about 12 albums into this. Fine album, pleasant to listen to but nothing special I thought. Not quite sure why it's raved about so much. Listened through somewhat inattentively but the only song, the best song was Harbourcoat which made me sit up and think I really like this. I then realised that track is off Reckoning as Spotify had gone on to play that afterwards. Somewhat disappointing and 3 out of 5
Very pleasant to listen to. Beautiful cover versions of some well known songs like Unchained Melody, On the Sunny Side of the Street and Georgia on my Mind. Willie Nelson not doing his normal thing here I think. 3 out of 5
It's one of the albums that I own and do like a lot. On listening again, I'm not sure about the song Thorn of Crows. The yelping/hollering doesn't do it for me. However, this is more than made up for by the incredible double punch straight after of Killing Moon and Seven Seas. 4 out of 5 stars for this.
A gem of an album. Really interesting reading about his troubles and hospitalisation before the album was recorded. Maybe my own ignorance but had never heard of him. One of those albums where the beautiful melodies and almost whispered vocals belies the tortured lyrics. Broken Heart and Weighted Socks really stood out. Brilliant lyrics about his wife darning another man's (and his friend) socks while he is in prison and now he's waiting by the river with a gun for him. Incredible - 4 out of 5 stars from me
An artist who has somehow passed me
by over the years, even though I like her style of music, this album reminded me of a slightly mellowed out less punky Sleatter Kinney. And what about 'The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore' as a song title, fantastic. I also enjoyed the good combos with Thom Yorke on backing vocals. Enjoyed this 3 out of 5
My first soundtrack on the list. My favourite soundtracks tend to be more like compilation albums where the songs all work in particular places - High Fidelity or soundtracks to various Tarrantino movies. But this was grand and a nice listen - the artists would probably hate that description though. 3 out of 5
Started out with a bang and was loving the old school 80s hip hop - my favourite era of hip hop, I think before it got a so misogynistic - bitch this and ho that. The fact that Queen Latifah was one of the first female rappers added to this. Dance with Me was a banger of an opening track, and this was followed up with a nice track with De La Soul. Latifa's Law and Ladies First I also really enjoyed. But after about a half an hour it was dragging a bit and, bonus tracks included, the album clocked in at just over an hour. A slight disappointment after the great start - 3 out of 5
First song clocking in at under a minute- check; 16 songs in about 38 minutes at an average length of 2 minutes each - check; loud, hard, aggressive punk- check. This checked a lot of boxes. Listening to this as I did while sweeping my driveway is possibly the most unpunk thing ever though. 3 out of 5 for this
So is this too obvious or, am I reading too much into it, but the cover is some kind of nod to both Andy Warhol and the Beatles, Let it Be. Anyway, then the album sounds a bit like the Beatles as written by Andy Warhol in a full on pop art style. But there's also Afro beat, funk, rap, rock and pop music as well as pop art. But with many bands, it could all be too much but not here. Works perfectly to me. Fantastic album, 5 out of 5 for me.
Couldn't play this on Spotify, which annoyed me initially, but actually was a good thing in the end. The deluxe edition is 22 songs and 1 hour 40 mins and probably the one that Spotify would have pushed. Found the original album on YouTube, which is 13 songs and just under an hour. Album mixed the very good and the very forgettable I think. But the makings of a superb EP is buried in there with the hit that everyone knows (Fisherman's Blues), a superb cover of Van Morrisson's Sweetest Thing and a haunting version of the Yeats poem, The Stolen Child, where the verses are spoken and the refrain is sung. I've spent a lot of time in Sligo, Yeats country, so all the places named are familiar to me and I may be biased. Throw in a minute long snatch covered from Woody Guthrie, This land is Your Land, and it would be 5 stars as a 20 minute EP. But, for the album as a whole, I'd give it 3 stars.
Is this post hard-core, post punk, hard-core or hard indie? I'm not sure. I like a lot of music on the louder end of the spectrum but this didn't do it for me I'm afraid. Forgettable and same same every song I felt. 2 out of 5 only.
Phsycedlic folk rock. British invasion era Beatles, Dylan and Simon and Garfunkle somehow mashed together but less than the sum of its parts. Not sure I'd listen again but think I've a few other Byrds albums to go. 3 out of 5
A bit disappointing, this wasn't as good as I remember.
Ohh definitely a case of separating the art from the artist. Clearly Kanye/ye is a very disturbed person and not well, but wow this album, which I remember had all the plaudits at the time but I kind of ignored, is 21st century hip hop at its peak. The abomination of Obamas nation has produced this dark and twisted fantasy classic. Not sure I like Blame Game,needlessly gratuitous but Who Will Survive in America is 21st century Gill Scott Hetron 5 out of 5 for me.
Wasn't especially looking forward to this but the album as a whole was a very pleasant surprise, nice melodies and tunes and less hard rock/metal than I'd anticipated. It's essentially a short concept album about leaving school, as the name and title track indeed suggest, but I'd somehow not twigged beforehand. But it should have ended with the penultimate track, Alma Mater, a wistful look back at school years and Goodbye/ I hope you don't forget me . Last song Grand Finale, added nothing. Four out of five stars.
Like a McDonalds meal: You know exactly what you're getting, consumed and enjoyed but soon forgotten. 3 out of 5
After a couple of dull days, Metallica and Deep Purple, this was a joy to listen to. Arguably a more complete album than the breakthrough, Nevermind. Steve Albini is a great producer so not sure why some songs were remixed. Heart Shaped Box, All Apologies, Pennyroyal Tea and Dumb some standout tracks. Easy 4 out of 5
Never actually listened to this album as a whole before, despite knowing and loving songs like Thunder Road, Born, 10th Avenue Freeze Out and Jungleland. I've been missing out, an 8 song album at about 40 minutes which is absolutely top notch from start to finish. 5 out of 5 for me.
What an amazing opening 3 tracks: Just a Little Lovin', extolling the virtues of morning sex, So Much Love and Son of a Preacher Man. Breakfast in Bed and Windmills of Your Mind great songs too. Dusty's voice is sublime and super sexy. Never knew she was from London, assumed it was deep Southern soul!
Bjork's band - interesting but only ok. 3 out-of 5 stars.
There's shades of Berlin era Bowie in here, Roxy Music, New Order too. I like all of those ingredients but somehow it doesn't gel together too well. 3 out of 5 stars for me.
Is Paul Simon a shortarse or is Art Garfunkle a giant with his giant blonde Afro. Why did I go the efforts of Googling to see which was which, I don't care. Are those fucking pan pipes on El Condor Pasa? Why is this album raved about so much? My algothorim tells me folk rock is my favourite genre but I don't like this much. Why is that ? Honourable exception for The Only Living Boy in New York. 2 out of 5 stars
Well the day after Simon & Garfunkle, I get Napalm Death. That's what I love about this project. Anyway this is a bit shit - I listened so you don't have to. But I only half listened to it, so listened to parts again and they deserve some credit for 28 songs in 33 minutes. And their drummer can drum very fast. Still only enough credit to give them 1 star 🌟
Listening to this was a blast from the past as I hadn't listened in so long. The album came out when I was in college and while I never owned a proper copy, I think I had a copy on cassette tape (Piracy is theft so I don't condone this behaviour :) ) A year or so after it came out I visited Cuba for a month, so I associate this album with good times, good vibes, mojitos, Cuba libres and good tunes. And this album is full of good tunes. Recommended 4 out of 5 stars.
Just 4 days after Simon & Garfunkle this pops up. Convinced the hood of his coat on the album cover is some kind of passive aggressive dig at Garfunkle's hairdo. Me & Julio isn't a bad song but most of the album is twee shit and bland middle of the road 60s/70s folk pop with a few nods to reggae, blues and other music genres. 2 out of 5 stars only.
Sorry, I want to be open to new music, the alternative and the avant-garde, the off-kilter and the bizarre. But this just hurt my ears.
This is lush sounding ethereal shoe-gaze music. Comparing to other bands of the genre using Lord of the Rings analogy, My Bloody Valentine are the orcs and Uruk Hai, Bjork is a hobbit and Cocteau Twins are Galadriel, the elf queen. Hovering around 3 stars, I enjoyed this but didn't absolutely love this
Reminded me of the line from Visions of Johanna 'The country music station played soft' in some way. Not in terms of being one of the greatest pieces of music ever, but in terms of the music being soft rock. Their musicianship is of a high standard but the album left me a bit cold overall. Shout out to 'Reeling in the Years' which soundtracks a great Irish TV programme of the same time, taking a year at a time and covering the main news sports and cultural events.
I think large amounts of drugs may have been involved. With an album called If only I could remember my name and songs like Tamalpais High, Laughing, What are their names, I'd swear there was somebody here, it's hard not to think otherwise. Great cast of musicians involved - Neil, Joni, Grateful Dead etc but one of the reviews I read here describing it as cast off Neil Young b-sides summed it up well for me 3 out of 5 stars.
This isn't an album you need to hear before you die. But the last song, I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will be Forever) is a song you should listen to. The only standout on the album, with the rest being true to the progressive soul, funk rock jazz genre. Would be 2 put of 5 stars but that song brings it up to 3 stars.
Shades of Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend and nods to Jeff Buckley. So far, so early 21st century Brooklyn off kilter hipster indie darling music. I feel like I should like this more than I do. Two weeks is obviously used in a million ads as it feels like I know it way more than the rest of the album which is kind of forgettable to me. 3 out of 5 stars
Grizzly Bear was the band I had the previous day and there's something about the Band that speaks to Grizzly bears and the old time American west The Godfathers of Americana. Standout tracks for me - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Probably 3.5 out of 5 for me but rounding up today
Begrudgery is a national sport in Ireland so I have to slag my compatriots a bit. So imagine the Beach Boys if they were from Bray or Bundoran (shit Irish seaside towns) and not California. Or a bunch of Irish music students from college on their J1 visa to the US - this is a rite of passage amongst Irish college students to spend a summer working in the US. Actually seems the band did decamp there to record album. Band is quite derivative with shades of 70s country rock Big Star, Byrds, Steely Dan etc and more contemporary music like the Shins, Teenage Fanclub and a tiny dose of Elliot Smith (but not nearly enough) And the split is 75/25 Weighted towards the older stuff. Singer's falsetto is annoying and some songs seem like that they are all chorus (looking at you Santa Cruz) That said some nice melodies and hooks and couldn't help but do some toe-tapping along to the music. 3 out of 5 stars
Was quite daunted by this. A double LP - 4 sides and only 1 song per side, each song at about 18-20 minutes long. And mostly instrumental prog rock jazz fusion. Didn't get to listen in one go but had a song at a time with gaps in-between. Hard to associate Robert Wyatt, who I know as a singer songwriter mostly through his haunting version of Shipbuilding. But this rightly deserves a place on this list - there are few things I've listened to before that sound like this. It's bold, brave and experimental unlike some of the indie filler I've had to listen to. 4 out of 5 stars
I have to disagree with all those who say there's too much Neil Young in these parts. I'm a big fan and own all 7 of his albums that grace the list, plus a few more. Still, while this mightn't be my go-to album of his, stand out tracks like Alalbama, Needle & Damage Done, Heart of Gold & Out on the Weekend make this an incredible album and a perfect introduction to the man's music I think. Listening earlier, I wondered whether the big brass bed from Weekend was the same as the one from Dylan's Lay Lady Lay? A reminder that I've not listened to Neil much recently and need to rectify that. 5 stars.
A more gothic and baroque version of Echo & the Bunnymen or Joy Division. Enjoyed more than I expected 3 out of 5
Listening in the car as I drove down Donovan Lane towards the start seemed appropriate to me. Another singer songwriter, here we go. But then the album evolved and changed with a bit with more experimental jazz, blues and rock and more normal folk stuff. Great stuff altogether, 4 out of 5 stars.
Kind of one of those albums with lots of songs you know that you don't know you know. So I thought that these were all cover versions in a fine kind of 60s folk pop way but maybe not as good as the more well-known versions like Spanish Harlem. But it turns out these are some of the originals like Monday, Monday... and California Dreaming. So definitely some pretty serious song writing chops going on. But didn't warm to it massively. 3 out of 5 stars because of California Dreaming.
Foot stomping, blues driven, hard rockin'. Very enjoyable. Possibly 3 out of 5, but those ZZ Top beards bring it up to 4 out of 5.
This is a hauntingly beautiful, tormented and fragile album. Incredible songs including 'I see a Darkness' as famously covered by Johnny Cash on the American man series of albums.
I have a love-hate relationship with Spotify. While it's brilliant to listen to so much new music from the list, it can make it too easy to find things. However, this wasn't there and YouTube music interrupted with ads between most songs, which unfortunately took away from the atmosphere. I would love to sit down with a physical copy of the album sometime to appreciate it more fully. And this is the quality of album that is worth purchasing. 4 out of 5 stars.
Give me some Johnny Cash or modern alt. Country/Americana instead of this please. Mid 60s - 1965, Beatles with 'Rubber Soul', Dylan's 'Bringing It All Back Home',Johnny Cash has 'Orange Blossom Special' and yet Buck Owens is singing about swinging a tiger by the tail. Mediocre country. 2 out of 5 stars only.
Wow, this was a blast from the past. Can't believe this is nearly 30 years old. Came out when I was a 20 year old college student and soundtracked many parties and nights out. Electronic big beats, and some great tracks - Gangsta Trippin', Praise You, Rockafella Skank, Right Here Right Now. 4 out of 5 stars but admittedly that is probably a bit tinged with nostalgia.
Was really looking forward to this. Obviously I know the Rolling Stones but think I have never really sat down and listened to a full album of theirs. It was fine, good blues inspired late 60s/early 70s rock, but have to admit I'm a bit bewildered by the awe with which they are held based on this album anyway. 3 out of 5 stars.
Classic album from start to finish. Two different but great sides. Religious and political (Natural Mystic and Exodus) and sensual and personal (One Love, Three Little Birds, Jsmming)
Whimsical ethereal modern folk. I quite liked it but can see how others might hate it. 3 out of 5 stars for me
A grand album but eminently forgettable, nothing so good or so bad that makes it particularly memorable. Somewhat odd inclusion on this list I feel. 3 out of 5 stars.
Beautiful, melodic guitar driven post-punk fused with pop. Really stands the test of time and an album you can go back to again and again and hear new fresh things. Bubbling just under 5 stars for me, but an excellent 4 out of 5 stars.
Choosing a favourite Dylan album is like choosing your favourite child. The diplomatic answer is that you don't have one but the real answer is that it varies week to week or month to month. This is one of my favourite Dylan albums. Lyrical, musical, caustic, mysterious . Stone cold classic, 5 out of 5 stars.
I was surprised to find out this was English as it seems to me to have inspired a lot of Americana indie & alt country like Bonnie Prince Billy and Dwight Yoakham. Beautiful, melodic and enchanting. Opening side in particular the first 2 songs, When I Get To The Border and Calvary Cross and the title track are classics. Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars from me but rounding up today.
A band that I only really know from Chronicles, an incredible collection of their greatest hits. Tellingly, of that album's 20 songs, only 1, Proud Mary, comes from this Bayou Country album. I'm all for exploring bands through albums as opposed to hits collections, but this album could do with a few more top tier songs. 3 out of 5 stars.
Pictures on the wall is a great song about middle aged marital regret. The 7 plus minutes of Shadow of the Sun fly by. But, sadly much of the album and songs like Moon on Your Pajamas are middle of the road rock from the 'Mod father' Easy to listen to but forgettable. 2.5 out of 5 stars but rounding up today.
Yes this is prog rock, No I didn't need to listen to this before I die.
