Into the mystic 10/10. The rest easy 7/8 out of 10. Great record
Classic record, great guitar tones. Couldn’t listen to actual released version from 1970, listened to deluxe version on vinyl. This version is probably too long. Overall, solid live classic rock record. 3.5/5
Decent record, singles are good and the songwriting is strong. Maybe slightly dated production but doesn’t detract too much
Lovely retro vibes, I don’t think he knows how to make a bad record.
Some good moments, but didn’t work for me. I can appreciate its inventiveness though, and Bjork has a genuinely unique voice and style
Stone cold classic. Basically no bad songs here.
Not really for me. Almost like a demo tape. Can get that experimental sound, not terrible
Dull. Sex on Fire is overplayed but still a great song and you can see why it was such a hit. Opening track is also cool, but the rest of the album is just bland and hasn’t aged well
Sadly too long, but some great tracks in here. Epic scope and lots of variety, and they know how to blend catchy riffs with melody without becoming cheesy.
Great album, classic riffs and tunes. Still not a huge Johnny rotten fan but it works with the music
Boring. I can see the appeal maybe after a night out. Maybe come down music, but most tracks seem kind of aimless. Not unpleasant to listen to in the background
Really enjoyed this, great voice somewhat reminiscent of Johnny Cash. Also love a story song so very fun.
Great, quirky songs. Love his voice. Waterloo Sunset obviously one of the GOATs, perfect song.
Obviously it’s Ray Charles. The man could sing. Prefer the second ballads side to the big band stuff. Overall good but there are better Ray albums I think
Love the vocals, nasty riffs. More metal vibes than other ‘grunge’ bands, further showing that label isn’t very useful. Like the solos as well, vibey
Creepy, weird, retro futuristic electronic ambient. Sounds organic despite being electronic, which I love.
Nice vibes, not particularly strong songs imo. Always nice to hear Neil and Stills together though.
Big choruses, loud guitars. Bit like a if you had a less catchy Oasis and the lyricist had read a book or two. Rock music for middle aged dads. Not bad by all means, I can see the appeal.
Classic punk, with more of a 50s rock n roll influence than the pistols. Production is poor but who cares.
Classic. Pretty much every track would be on a Led Zep best of. More psychedelic than I remembered, lots of echoplex and phase/flange effects. Some days this is my favourite zep record
Fantastic. One of my favourite vocalists and the songs are classics. Like this soul period better than her earlier stuff.
I can see the influence but not really my thing
Liked it better than other Fall albums I’ve heard
A perfect voice, top 5 all time fave. Great to hear in a different context, more upbeat and looser. Reminded me of the James Brown live album.
Liked this more than I expected, being a U2 disliker previously. Reminded me of the waterboys, mainly in a Celtic influence I enjoyed, it has a great sense of atmosphere and is enjoyably dark. Not a fan of Bono’s voice particularly but overall not bad
It’s reggae, it’s fine. Not all that memorable
Title track is goated. The rest is a bit underwhelming but love the vibes and the whole thing grooves
Found this dull. Not even depressing or moody, just a bit plodding. Prefer the debut.
Surprised by this, not what I expected. One of the better ‘britpop’ records I’ve heard. Cardiacsy in places!
Classic 90s hip hop, with more soul vibes than others of the era. Great samples and a laid back feel.
2 stars for My Way and Wrestlemania X7. Durst’s vocals are annoying after a while
Could not get into this at all. Sounds like a soundtrack to a dated 90s banking drama
Enjoyed this. Flows nicely and some great sampling. Like Tupacs vocal style as well
Classic. The guitar playing still hasn’t really been topped almost 50 years later.
Didn’t fully click with me but I enjoyed the vibes
Didn’t enjoy this much, prefer War
Decent sampling, hard hitting beats and good flow. Enjoyed it
Not bad, not really the 80s Aerosmith but a more classic 70s rock record.
Great mix of catchy alt rock with weird angry proto grunge. Great songwriting and production. Classic.
Classic Dan. Not my fave of theirs but it’s still great, probably one of the cleanest best sounding albums ever as well
Love this change from the Waterboys. Maybe slightly prefer ‘this is the sea’, but the Irish folk direction here is a real original sound.
Not bad, but didn’t grab me like other country I’ve had on here. Love Buddy Emons on the steel
Classic. May be my favourite Neil Young album.
Top 5 maybe top 3 Bowie for me. Whimsical but weird in places, great stuff
I like the harmonic choices, and the vocals. The overall style isn’t really my bag but I didn’t hate it.
I would have loved this as a 15 year old. It’s noisy and aggressive but still reasonably melodic. Vocals are weak but work with the material.
Odd choice for this list. Not sure if any of the songs really were a hit for me. Liked the vocals though
Not bad, this was a band that passed me by despite being around a lot in my youth. FIFA main menu vibes, not a bad thing. Enjoyed it a fair bit but would need to listen more to get into the songs
Stone cold classic. Not heard for a while but reminded of how soul influenced it is, pre-funk
Not as good as the debut, but still a fun hard rock album
Sounds like he left his 808 on demo mode and then added a bunch of sound effects from a record library stock sounds compilation. When is the appropriate time to listen to this? You can’t dance to it and it’s too annoying to have on in the background
There are some great moments on here, but also a lot of stuff which is a chore to get through. I can defo see the influence on bands even today.
Love the vibe and this kind of music is right up my alley. Songs are a bit below those in CSNY, but I still enjoyed it. Love the Hendrix track and the guitar playing in general.
I can see why some love it. I can see why people hate it. It’s very of its time, lyrics are pretty bad in general, but I think the album achieves what it set out to, so who am I to criticise
Would like to listen again but I enjoyed the vibes on this one. Ethereal, dreamy, otherworldly.
This was a nice surprise. Bit 90s and dated in places, but I loved the mix of styles and really wasn’t just about ‘the hit’.
This is what punk should be. Uncompromising, primal, messy. Some songs could be longer for my tastes, so there’s more time to develop ideas, but this would undermine the whole ethos of the band. Essential.
First three tracks are good, but it disappears up its own arse slightly after that
Classic, love this genre and this is in the top 5 from it along with Tricky and Portishead
A true classic. I think even without the unusual time signatures this would have a unique sound and atmosphere. Desmond’s playing is so good, really creates a sound all of its own. One of those records that everyone should hear.
Wonderful album. Truly sounds both perfectly of its time and ahead of its time. Brilliant songs and shimmery production, the voices of Alex and Chris also fit perfectly. Ballad of El Goodo is one of the best songs of all time, and this album is essential for anyone. Easiest 5 stars yet.
Obviously too long blah blah, I’ll ignore that. Indisputably great songs, with witty original lyrics and elegiac melodies. Ella has one of the great voices, and is perfectly matched to these songs of which she creates arguably definitive versions. Vocal jazz is not typically my style but this is pretty great
Love this. Album flew by, took me to a place and I love the rhythms.
Classic of 1970s singer songwriter soft rock. Can see why he was so successful, but he seems to have disappeared from the collective consciousness somehow. Great tunes though and great singing.
Similar to the other sonic youth I had. Noisy and messy, with occasional moments of clarity. Definitely an influential band for sure.
A bit boring frankly. Doesn’t have the excitement of other early 90s singer songwriters and her voice isn’t as distinctive as her peers. A couple of good tracks in there, and I like Jon Brion’s contributions on anything.
A ham sandwich, ready salted packet of crisps and a bottle of water
A unique album in many ways, and it’s one of the more incongruous big sellers in the world of jazz.
The first two tracks aren’t bad, but it didn’t hold me for the rest of the album.
Classic thrash. Yes it’s all slightly silly but the riffs can’t be denied, and along with Metallica this music feels like a final great hurrah for the 80s era of heavy metal, which would obviously decline into irrelevance for a time in the 90s. But this was among its high points, great stuff.
Probably the weakest Beatles album, but that’s hardly much of a criticism for the greatest band of all time. All My Loving is the standout, but several other early Beatles classics on here, and the covers are probably the strongest of any of their early run.
Love Ali Farke Toure, so this is right in my lane. First half of the album is stronger but it’s a great record to relax to and get lost in
Probably my favourite Smiths record. Definitely a move forward from their earlier sound, and there’s a great variety of songs here. Plus several absolute bangers. Johnny fucking Marr.
I can see the cynicism others have for this album, but i tried to put this aside. Decent blues influence rock, and the guitar tones are great and I like the soul/stax/motown influence on it. Production is overly loud though which undermines the old school aesthetic.
I can hear poetry in the lyrics here, but the voice and arrangements are so sparse it’s almost cold. I suspect I’d like it more if I listened a few more times
Noisy and abrasive, with out of tune vocals.
I prefer Butterfly and some of the lyrics here are questionable to say the least, can’t help wondering if it will age badly or will be forgiven. But regardless I do love his flow and it’s an album that’s been crafted and is unusually serious for a rap album
Second rap album in a row here but a goodie, might be my favourite hip hop album ever. Timeless
Honestly don’t know why this is on the list. So bland, smooth and safe. There’s a gem of a good song here and there, and the melody’s are ok, but it’s buried beneath this schmaltz and chocolate box production
Praise you is decent, the rest feels like he’s hit the duplicate sample button on his DAW over and over again until it hits 5 minutes
Some decent enough songs utterly undermined by some unbelievably 80s production choices. Also the covers are terrible.
It’s fine, I like the 60s sound which bumps this up a notch maybe.
Strong nostalgia with this one, and I remember vividly this coming out and the singles were played everywhere. Nevertheless it’s aged well, and those singles are still strong now. Best track is Kids.
This one has grown on me over the years, to the point where it’s probably top 5 Bowie. Funky, angular, weird, but very Bowie and arch, with a knowing wink to the audience in places. Only weakness is that it’s too few tracks.
Enjoyed this more than expected, and more than my previous foray into Depeche-land. Good melodies and the 80s production is slightly toned down.
Love this, all the hip hop on this list have been bangers so far
Nostalgic album for me. Reminds me of road trips through the Scottish highlands, driving past lochs and mountains. A hazy, smokey record of long summer days. He sounds like Dylan, writes like Springsteen, and the drumming is repetitive, but I don’t care. One of my favourites of the last 20 years.
Shit holes and revelations
Enjoyable late 60s early 70s rock. Great voice
Love this album so much. Honestly essential stuff, with a great variety of styles
I didn’t know much Public Enemy going in to this, apart from the singles, and really enjoyed it. I can hear how this must’ve ruled the airwaves in 91.
This is just the kind of thing I’m doing this project for. Love it
This is ok, enjoyed some of the weirder moments but thought it was a bit thin on the ground in terms of memorable songs.
Perfect album for a summers day, which is was yesterday.
I can tell she’s got a great voice but doesn’t really use it, instead continuing to use a whispery, paper thin delivery which gets tiresome after half a dozen songs of it. Enjoyed the Joni track and its evocative music of a sepia toned time, but found it was a bit one-note after a while
Love ABBA. The melodies and harmony they used are always interesting and distinctive, and it’s no surprise they had so many hits derived of infectious ear worms. I didn’t know anything about this album, but enjoyed it and it felt fresh to me as a result.
What an album. Bowie really embraces the electro future here, with his old pals Brian and Robert proving to be able foils. He was always more a bellwether than a trailblazer, ably identifying trends and embracing them before they were trendy. The synth and electronic soundscapes had already been approached by others, but never in the way Bowie does here. Even his detractors would admit that the man always followed his muse. “Secret life of Arabia” is a low key highlight, but the title track is one of the greatest songs of the 70s. Spine chilling. I’d rank this album overall very close to its predecessor ‘Low’, and its splitting hairs to compare them. 5/5.
Funky and fun, the songs didn’t grab me initially but I’d like to give this another listen
This is an album I’ve listened to plenty of times but never really got. He’s got a great voice but it’s a lacking in restraint for me. Great guitar playing although production is a little murky throughout. Maybe one day it’ll click like it does for so many other people
The first track is catchy, genuine banger. The rest was dated yes, but also enjoyed it more than expected.
Killer old school hip hop. Never heard before but I loved it
Opening track is a great, well written song even if I’ve heard far too many times. A thousand times perhaps. I think they achieved what they wanted with this album, and the sales back that up, but i doubt I’d want to listen again. She’s got pipes though.
60s freak out stuff. Cool sound but songs aren’t the strongest of the era
Probably the weakest of the classic 5, but it’s still untouchable stuff. Stevie is always welcome, and this album has lots of funky fun moments.
Not bad, but also fairly repetitive in places. Shame because when he focuses on melody he can actually write a good hook, but some of it feels lazy
Alongside the debut album by the Arctic Monkeys, this is a perfect window into the life of a young man navigating the early 2000s in Britain. If you weren’t there it’s difficult to explain the impact of the Streets on British music. (I actually prefer this to OPM, and feel the tracks are more consistent, but both are perfect records) I suspect the one star reviews are younger people or Americans who didn’t experience this first hand, but to me this is fantastic. One of my favourite albums of the 2000s and never fails to put a smile on my face. 5.
Love this album, it’s laid back, funky, meandering, unfocused, but slinky and cool. Great guitar playing too. Some of the tracks are aimless, but for whatever reason I’m happy to jam to them all the same.
Second ABBA album I’ve had and better than the first (the visitors). Having known ABBA all my life but only via the singles, listening to the studio albums has been fun. They show the development as a band, and how even album tracks feature the attention to detail and exquisite production as the hits. I enjoyed this a lot. I do genuinely struggle to understand how anyone who likes music could not enjoy this stuff.
I can imagine this is a great background record, as it all kind blends into one track. I appreciate the artistry and skill of mixing, but I did find it a bit repetitive sadly.
I’d not listened to this in many years so this was a welcome joy. You really can’t argue against this being one of the greatest albums of all time, and it is worthy of the huge sales it generated. Alongside Let It Be, it signalled the end of the 1960s and a curtain closing on an era of music that change everything. There’s light heartedness which pervades all of Simon’s songs, but I can’t help but notice a hint of darkness here too. The hippy dream had faded by this point, and understandably given their fractured relationship, S & G allowed a sadness and an introspection into their greatest work. This only makes it stronger in my view, and the ride it takes you on from the monumental title track through to the end is wonderful. An easy 5/5 and a record I’ll listen to forever.
I always enjoy old school hip hop, this was a new one for me. Funky, upbeat, fun.
Anarchic punk, with some really cool angular guitar moments that tickle my brain in a nice way. I think I’d grow to love this with a few more listens
No one did it like him, no one will ever do it like him. This is probably the closest we got to the music Jimi had in his head, loose and free but so crafted and considered. A rare combo. The earlier albums are more hit-filled, but this is probably his best. Not much more to say about him as a guitar player, but it’s still amazing that he single handedly created an entire language of guitar that people are still copying today. It’s overused today, but he was truly the GOAT. 5/5
Should get 5/5 for the album cover alone, they truly look like 1800s railwaymen. Anyway, the tunes are fantastic, brilliant musicianship, amazing singing. I used to prefer Big Pink but I’m turning towards this these days. 5/5, cover notwithstanding
Some tracks I hated, some I quite liked. Opening track unfortunately was a hate, but I liked the second track. Strangely inconsistent not only in quality but also sound, with the nu wave and electro sound not fully committed to all the way through.
A classic album I’ve never been able to get into. I really like some songs: train in vain, death or glory, guns of Brixton. But there’s also a lot which I found forgettable. I think people who adore the white album also love albums like this, in that it’s the wide variety that’s the charm for them even if all the tracks don’t hit. That’s not really me. Additionally, I don’t really like Strummers voice.
Not bad, would’ve liked more melody and the singer is a bit too Ian Brown. I like shoegaze though so I’d listen again
The second greatest band of all time? This is probably the weakest of their first 6, but that’s no real criticism. It boogies here and there, which is a welcome reminder of their blues rock roots. The opening track is still one of the heaviest, bleakest tunes ever put to tape. 5/5
I love his voice and guitar playing but him singing standards is surely a filler album, not an essential record? Anyway this was fine, I’d rather an album of his songs as he’s obviously a great songwriter as well.
Meh
Maybe you had to be there, or maybe you needed drugs. Either way, this was a struggle
Not much I can say on this one, a desert island album for me. The reviews saying he can’t sing are missing the point, and they should remember that Bobby got his big break not because he was an exceptional songwriter but because he was an exceptional performer. His voice and stage presence doing covers in Greenwich Village was what turned heads long before Blowin in the Wind, which shows that the power behind that voice was exceptional. Not something which would’ve happened if he ‘couldn’t sing’. Rant over. 5/5
Probably his weakest of the 70s run for me. Not sure his voice suits the material, and so many tracks have the hallmarks of cocaine-fueled jams at the end.
Separate the art from the artist
Claptons career sadly got worse the longer it went on, thankfully this album comes early on. Maybe if you’re not a fan of extended guitar solos this isn’t for you, but as a guitarist it’s a joy to hear Clappers and Duane duelling away on Key to the Highway and Nobody Wants You. He’s also trying his songwriting out here and there, with mixed results, but overall it’s a great album for a rock or blues fan. A word also for the title track. I’d give the album at least 4 for that coda alone. A monumental track that stands alone here in some ways, one of of those magic pieces caught on tape. 5/5
I know and love the later Stones albums after this one, but I’ll be honest and say I’ve never listened to this. I knew the singles obviously, but the rest was new to me. It was a bit disappointing. Quite repetitive and the songs just aren’t all that strong. Add in the frankly terribly misogynistic and dated lyrics and it makes for a pretty average experience. Released between Rubber Soul and Revolver, quite how anyone at this point thought they were at the level of the Liverpudlian lads is beyond me.
Absolute classic. The production is a bit sub-par, I’m looking at you Elvis Costello, but the music shines through. It’s a great example of an album creating an entire world within its run time, and it really takes you back to late 1970s Britain. They’re also local to me so I’ll always have a sense of regional pride for the specials.
This was the kind of album I’m doing this thing for. Never heard of it before, but I’m a sucker for Brazilian music and so loved it
Not my fave Bowie of the period, it’s got a pretty abrasive kind of sound and the songs aren’t quite good enough to carry it. Also, Bowie again with an ill advised cover. On the other hand I love Drive In Saturday, and Lady Grinning Soul, plus average Bowie is better than most other artists. Plus the album art is genuinely iconic (an annoyingly overused phrase)
Fantastic. What a thrill ride of a record, and a repost to all those who assume jazz is a chin stroking, laid back cerebral music. This is sweaty, messy, chaotic and utterly brilliant. Plus the acoustic sounds vinyl reissue sounds incredible. Mingus is a legend. Easy 5/5.
This is a pretty poor standard to be on this list. Could they not find better reggae? Toots perhaps? Anyway. The vocals are sung in a mock Jamaican accent, and at times it sounds like he can’t hear the music he’s singing over. Also the music is just not punchy enough, where’s the smoke? The rum? The riddims? It all sounds like a processed cheese version of reggae.
One of my favourite albums of all time. BB king is the possibly the greatest electric guitarist of all time, maybe behind Hendrix. And what a voice. Added to this on this record is the wildness of the crowd, utterly enthralled by BB’s magnetism. He’s a force of nature and they’re along for the ride. If only all live albums captured this energy so well
Marginally prefer Electric Warrior, but this is still a really fun album. Catchy, groovy, and I do really like Bolans voice. Maybe it lacks substance in some ways, but it doesn’t harm it. Telegram Sam is such a sleazy, eerie track in the best way
