1001 Albums Summary

I found thid a tough one to score, but in the end I decided: Historical significance 5 Personal enjoyment 3 Overall 4 Hendrix was undoubtedly a groundbreaking guitarist and hugely influential. But I didn't enjoy much of it. Tracks I do like (and didn't know before) Gypsy Eyes Burning of the Midnight Lamp, with its memorable riff played in unison on keyboard and guitar Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Really not my cup of tea.

The songs are OK and I'm familiar with the first five. But they're ruined by the sound recording IMO. It lacks clarity anf space between the instruments and there's a harshness anf density to the sound that makes it hard to listen to.

Over his career Bowie created some truly amazing music, especially in the 70s. I have copies of Space Oddity, Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Pinups, Diamond Dogs, Low & Scary Monsters, all of which I would score 5 out of 5., Young Americans though, with Bowie trying to be a soul artist, doesn't work for me. If it wasn't for Fame, I might well have gone with a 3!

Irritating smug tongue-in-cheek tunes. No thanks.

Well recorded catchy tunes, but I don't like them

Poor songs, growling incoherent vocals. It sounds, aptly, like it was recorded in a cave. Worse than I expected.

Slick Michael Jackson-ish soul with big 80s production and mechanical drums. A bit reminiscent of the Eurythmics. To me, it's as dull as dishwater.

Queen at their peak. A rich and varied album with incredible musicianship throughout. Arguably some of the best guitar and vocals ever recorded. It's a long time since I listened to the whole album and hearing it now on a half-decent sound system, I'm amazed at how fresh and dynamic it still sounds.

I know this has its fans, but I just can't stand it.

Not really my thing. There are a couple of tracks I don't mind: Starfish and Coffee Strange Relationship

Great songs and a great recording. Richard Butler's inimitable vocals are carried along by rock solid drums and bass. There's a lot of great interplay between the two guitars and sax which results in a rich variety of textures. The opening track is perhaps slightly weak, but after that it's all solid stuff, particularly the superb All of This and Nothing.

Not radical or groundbreaking and the title track overshadows the rest, but it's a well-performed and well-produced 70s rock album, with sound quality that puts a lot of 21st century recordings to shame.

If it wasn't for Monkey's Gone to Heaven, which I really like, I'd have given this a 2. The rest of the album is pretty poor.