1001 Albums Summary

As soon as it started I knew this was a production. Which now makes sense as I know how big Muse got/ how much of a production their gigs are/were. I bet people that are into Sci-fi love this. I never think of myself as a Muse fan, I do love Plug in baby but that’s it, however, as soon as Starlight kicked in I was reminded I quite like this one too. Okay as soon as Supermassive Black Hole kicked in I was bopping, this definitely hits different now I’ve come to understand the majesty of Twilight. And YES I only watched it last year GIVE ME A BREAK, #iwasateenagefilmsnob Don’t love ‘Map of Problematique’, already the lyrics are too fantasy for me, I don’t love the over saturated production of this one and the actual bones of the song just aren’t interesting to me. There’s nothing there to keep my attention. In the words of David Byrne, you’re talking a lot.. but you’re not saying anything! Oh it’s all lyrically and musically a bit basic for me, nowt to write home about. And I think I’m getting a headache from the overproduced music along with his whiny drawl. Assassin drew me in with the interesting intro but then just became too overwhelming to keep my interest. I think I just don’t gel at all with the juvenile sci-fi lyrics and his layered breathy vocals are fingernails on a chalk board to me. God it just all feels like I’m sitting through the end credits of a Final Fantasy game on PS1 trying to hold out for some extra info or something. Wow I can’t believe I got through that in one piece.

I’ve listened to New Order before of course, think I even have a vinyl of theirs somewhere. But this ain’t my bag. I almost liked Elegia but it just felt like it didn’t go anywhere? I’m not here for middle of the road non-committal weekend-dad Rock. In the end, I could manage with sub-culture and Face Up but this won’t be an album I reach for again, and certainly wouldn’t be in my personal list of must-be-heards!

You can’t say this is bad, because it’s not. But when side by side with his other albums it simply can’t compare. It’s apples and oranges. It’s just that this is an orange, and I’m an apple kinda gal.

This is one of my favourite albums of all time, so I was very pleased this popped up and it was an easy 5/5 for me.

Wow, I loved this. Shockingly I’d never heard of King Crimson until now, let alone heard this album so this was an unexpected delight and I look forward to delving into the rest of their discography. I’ve only stuck to 4* because I could have happily listened to double the length of this album. Oh no… do i like prog rock now?!

I’d really hoped there would be something redeeming here and it would maybe challenge my lifelong hatred for this band, but alas, it was not to be. Unfortunately, I still feel the same - which is that oasis is simply the Beatles, vommed on by the smiths and slowed right down to a painfully repetitive middle of the road ramble through lazy lyricism and the combined frontman charisma of a windswept empty crisp packet. Let’s put it this way; my estranged ex-addict older half-sister’s ex husband is a huge oasis fan with their logo tattooed proudly on his anaemic bicep in keeping with the rest of his tattoos and he exemplifies their average fan to me and after giving them a (truly, honestly!!) good go by listening to the whole album I remain on my high horse with this one. If you enjoy this, unfortunately to me you are an uninteresting idiot.

This is what oasis fans think oasis are capable of. But having these albums back to back the space between the two skill levels was vast. This still isn’t my kind of music so not something I’d reach for, but it’s still objectively good straight out the gate. Several songs are standouts and whilst it isn’t something I’ll likely reach for again, I’m glad I gave it a go and know a little more about the band and the album now.

I was so pleased to see this appear and even more pleased to find I loved this album as much at 33 as I did when I was 9 - and still remembered most of the words!! I would have given this 5* but after hearing ‘Apple Pie À La Mode’ again I knew that would be a lie.

I had never heard of Scott Walker and I don’t think I ever would have decided to listen to his work but I’m so glad I did. From the second it kicked off it really reminded me of Nick Cave and then it became Nick Cave crossed with an old crooner and turns out I really like that!! Thoroughly enjoyed the whole album in particular ‘Rhymes of Goodbye’ which seemed like a pretty lose to perfect way to end a record. I’ve since listened to his album ‘Scott Walker sings Jacques Brel’ (who I’d also not heard of) and adored that album too.

I’ve loved Fiona Apple since seeing the ‘Not about love’ video on an obscure music video channel as a young teen and I savour any opportunity to revisit her work. This time this album soundtracked a particularly difficult morning and was just what I needed. It’s not my favourite record of hers but it is brilliant. Kicking off with powerful ‘Sleep to dream’ you know you’re in for a fun ride. My particular favourites were ‘Slow like honey’ and ‘Never is a promise’. She really shows up for all the sullen girls out there and this sullen girl felt inspired, as always, by listening from my bed on a rainy Friday morning.

I’m definitely a Kate Bush fan so I knew this would be a good time. I thought she was gonna lose me in the second half but it was just a couple of songs I didn’t vibe with that knocked it down a bit for me, particularly ‘Waking the witch’. I didn’t skip, I persevered but I really didn’t enjoy that one or the following track. But she reeled me right back in with ‘Jig of life’ which I thoroughly enjoyed.

There is simply no way anyone considers this a must listen, I won’t have it. Even if country music is your thing, this is the low-fat natural yoghurt of country music. Have a word.

I will be honest, I was so un-enthused by the prospect of listening to Beck I put it off so much I had to listen to it early doors the following day. Anyway i don’t know why because im yet to hear a Beck song i don’t like. This album didn’t include anything I didn’t like but it was nothing groundbreaking. There were a couple that just pipped the others to the post like Girl - which I think in hindsight I liked the first 30 seconds of more than anything else, and the chorus was a little early Nirvana in a different font, Broken Drum and Farewell Ride which were maybe my joint favourites. Ultimately, I was disappointed to find Chain Reaction wasn’t a Diana Ross/Steps cover but hey, we can’t have it all.

This album was exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. I’d heard the odd song by them before, probably in films and liked it but never revisited. But this blew me away, truly. The first album I’ve had which I hadn’t heard before that I wholeheartedly agree is a must listen. I’ve already been exploring more of their discography and it’s made a fan out of me, that’s for sure.

This was such a lot of fun, I don’t know a huge amount about this genre of music so can neither confirm nor deny if this is the best of it - but I had a good time. Felt like I was in an episode of Dexter. (Compliment)

I’m lucky enough to have seen this album performed live for the 25th anniversary, well a little later as it was delayed due to Covid - what a time, ey? Anyway, this album holds a place in my heart for sure. I always think of it as a 5* album with no skips but actually there are a couple of songs I’m less obsessed with. However due to the restrictive nature of no .5*s, the INSANE amount of iconic singles on this album plus the gorgeous hidden track I always forget about (can we bring that back pls???) I had to go 5* and I think I’m okay with that.

Obviously, like every other lesbian, I love Dusty Springfield. And there are of course stand outs on this album, and the cover is iconic…but this isn’t an album you MUST hear, it’s just not. I had to rate it 3* because of the quality of the singles otherwise I fear it would have been a 1*!

Generally I love this genre and I hadn’t listened to this album before but unfortunately I was having a horrendous day so I didn’t appreciate this the way I would maybe have usually done so I’m giving it 3* and will revisit when it doesn’t feel like the world is ending.

I would say this is a must listen for sure, simply for the sheer amount of iconic singles and how they have in turn been sampled, interpolated or inspired music that came after it. Kinda sad that it seems they had a whole battle over the trademark amongst the sisters though.

This was fine, and I enjoyed the live element of it. But even for this genre I wouldn’t say this was a must listen so it didn’t do much for me.

I thought I liked Cat Stevens but I don’t think I do actually. This was a tough listen. The Wind kicked in and I was like oh I like this one however I thought I’d heard a sound bite of it but that is simply the whole song so it felt more like a jingle than a record and I didn’t care for any of the other tracks any more than that. I found it lyrically basic and musically forgettable. I love folk music, I love acoustic guitars , I love singer songwriters… I did not love this.

This was fun, something tells me there’ll be more in his discography more worthy of being here. And god I hate that everything comes back to Scientology, gimme a break.

This was a hard one to get through, I can’t lie.

This is one of the few Bowie albums I’d never sat down and listened to in its entirety and I’m so glad I did. A favourite would be the cover of Across the Universe especially as it led me to discover John Lennon did the backing vocals for Fame! Definitely a fun listen.

Wow I enjoyed this so much. I would never have picked up a Cardigans album but I’m so glad I did and I already think I’m gonna be listening to more of them and that I’ve overlooked their stuff in the past! That’s why this is such a fun thing to do because I’m finding things I love that old wouldn’t otherwise have given the time of day.

I really enjoyed this but I’ve been so busy it took me a really long time to get through this album, as in the best part of a week. I think it saw me through a lot of emotions which is the sign of a good album, that it can speak to multiple parts of your psyche and be relevant to each stage of your life. So I guess that means I liked it.

I never think of this as a favourite Beatles album of mine but it does have some of my faves like Michelle, Drive my Car, In my Life. But I think this made me realise the gap between good Beatles songs and bad Beatles songs is SO vast. The definitely feel like a band that just threw everything at the wall in the hopes some stuff stuck. As people I think I prefer the Beatles, but musically I think I’m a Stones kinda gal.

I thought I’d never heard of this but I recognised ‘Passin’ me by’ straight away. Definitely a fun album I just wasn’t having a fun day when I listened so may need a revisit.

I didn’t think I’d ever listened to a full Dexy’s album but the second this started I was immediately transported back to weekend mornings in my childhood home and this being blasted from downstairs by my mam/ stepdad all windows open cookin/cleaning. A very fun trip down memory lane and certainly something that I like! But I’m not convinced it’s a must listen. Nonetheless it’s one I’ve enjoyed!

This was actually the first white stripes album I remember owning, I think I asked for it for my birthday and I owned it on copied CD! It still slaps, I love it so much. Some tracks I still listen to semi-regularly like denial twist and so many others I love that I’d forgotten about. I love this album because it feels experimental in that it plays with so many genres but (imho) does it expertly. And as a lover of talented freaky lil dudes™️ I’m probably always gonna make time for Jack White. Definitely one you’ve gotta hear in my view.

No qualms about this one, definitely a must listen.

I was warned there was as a lot of Van Morrison. A love album will never be a must listen for me, although this isn’t a bad one at all.

Okay so I’m a renowned queen hater and this didn’t change my mind but there were a couple of tracks I enjoyed and hadn’t heard before plus pfc the well known single. I’m hoping more Queen albums will appear and will test my long held opinion of them, we shall see!

This was so dull I feel like it’s a prank that it’s even on here. The most interesting thing about it is the album art and even that feels derivative.

I was already a Fela Kuti fan so although I’m not a lover of a live album, I did enjoy this. They were playing near me not long ago and I didn’t get around to going, don’t think I’ll miss that opportunity again!

I hadn’t listened to this album by Kendrick before and as expected it was very good with some standouts for sure, but not my favourite of his.

Oh I loved this. I hadn’t listened to Mudhoney since being a Nirvana obsessed teen and literally just listening to whatever an already long dead Kurt Cobain thought was cool, but this was great. Particularly liked ‘In ‘n’ Out of grace’, ‘Hate the Police’ and the cover of ‘The Rose’ .

I love Kate Bush, but this isn’t a must listen. It’s just not.

Including this really felt like some sort of sick joke.

This was a bit of fun but it didn’t feel groundbreaking. But it’s 2026, maybe it did feel groundbreaking in 1958. But for me it would need to be influential to be special and I can’t specifically pinpoint things this has influenced so it isn’t more than mid for me.

It’s really hard to be a smiths fan and have to contend with Morrissey’s solo work let alone his abhorrent personality! This was a tough one. Even the singles, which I’m vaguely familiar with, aren’t great. Like I bet ‘Irish blood, English Heart’ pops off in a stadium or festival setting but why is it so short?? I wasn’t mad at ‘You know I couldn’t last’ but in general this was not my cup of tea and I don’t see how this is something anyone needs to hear.

As soon as the first track started I knew I was in for something good! I certainly wasn’t listening to this in 2005 but clearly I was missing out as this was golden from start to finish. Like ending with ‘my mother gave birth but she never really had me’… are you kidding??? This is exactly why I’m doing this, to discover new things I love that I truly never would have picked up otherwise. We’re so back.

Nothing to report, dull.

Reading up about this, people seem to really rate it. I, however, do not.

This was like a lil 00s time capsule, what a dose of nostalgia. It did make me reflect on whether I actually like U2 and don’t think I do! I just don’t get on with Bono’s voice and the music isn’t enough to carry it for me. Nonetheless this had some cracking singles. If only to bring me back to the trailer for tomb raider or a matrix movie, something with someone abseiling down into a building…

I was quietly pleased to see this pop up until I remembered a podcast I listened to a few years ago (can’t for the life of me remember the name of it!!) with some guy basically saying he lent Moby this tape of old songs and he then used that tape to sample for this album which ofc blew up and made him huge. No thanks to this guy. And worse yet no thanks to the countless black artists whose samples he took. To add insult to injury I expected the album would be no skips but frankly it was 80% filler. White men continue to disappoint.

I remember the first time I heard Bob Dylan and I angrily exclaimed ‘but he can’t even sing??!’. Anyway, I love Dylan but I don’t listen to him regularly coz I didn’t have a ‘go to’ album. I do now.

My brother warned me about the sitar albums and I naively said I liked sitars but this has really pushed me to my limit. How can an album so short be simultaneously so long?! It took me three tries to get this finished. The last track truly felt like some sort of endurance test!!

I love the specials but I had only listened to their debut as it turns out - and who can blame me? That is simply a no skip album. All killer no filler. Not sure I’d say the same for this one but it certainly still has some real gems! And I’m never gonna be upset at having them on. And what it did illustrate to me is something my entire family have been saying as long as I remember is in fact from a song from this album! When we were tiny we changed the words to rubbish but as we got older we’ve all continued to say ‘it’s all a load of bollocks’ in that exact tune from ‘Pearl Cafe’ so that definitely brought a smile to my face.

I was thrilled to see this pop up as this is an album I really love and return to often. I’ve gone for 4/5 simply because I know another of their albums which is a 5/5 for me - hoping that crops up too! I think coming out the gate with Message in a bottle is an incredibly impressive start to a record. Another highlight for me is Bring on the Night, god I love that song! I love the Police because they both challenge and humble me vocally. I do skip singing along to ‘On any other day’ though because not only did I grow up to be the gay sibling but I’m also a former teenage runaway so that one always makes me sick in my mouth a lil bit but we move 😂

I didn’t think I’d listened to this before but I actually had it’s just painfully forgettable. When I saw ‘On hold’ in the track listing that rang a bell and I was looking forward to getting to it but it was a dud. I thought maybe it was the Jamie XX remix of it I like but nope, that was dull too. I remembered enjoying ‘I dare you’ also but I guess I just had worse taste in 2017! Their debut is without a doubt a must listen, this one can certainly be skipped.

This felt like another endurance task at first. There were moments I didn’t entirely hate but overall I’m baffled by his prestige. This is nothing music to me. Muzak even!!! I like house music!! I did not like this. In fact there was one song I recognised from a house music playlist I listen to semi-regularly and I recognised it because I hate it and always skip it!

I’ll never be mad at listening to Frank Sinatra, this was always going to be a fun one. I think when I first applied to uni I used a quote from Sinatra to begin my personal statement. God knows what it was, I think I just watched High Society one too many times. Anyway I think that there should be a Frank Sinatra record on here, whether it’s this one remains to be determined for me I think.

I don’t know enough of Muddy Water’s back catalogue to know if this is the best offering but I know as an artist in general he’s a must listen, for sure.

I know Raekwon is super influential in hip-hop but I wasn’t vibing with this - I did however thoroughly enjoy ‘Wu-Gambinos’ and ‘Heaven & Hell’.

I thought this was my favourite Roxy Music record but I actually think I prefer their debut. Nonetheless I would agree this is a must listen for ‘In every dream home a heartache’ alone - what a tune!!

Well this one has me truly torn. Although my taste in everything is pretty eclectic I would always consider myself punk but this isn’t my punk, yano? Anyway I hadn’t listened to this since being a teenager probably. There’s the obvious singles and then I was actually really pleasantly surprised by ‘Bodies’ which screams film score to me. Unfortunately I was brought right back down to earth and to remembering what a monumental cunt John Lyndon is by the F-slur which I could have massively lived without so that took it right back down. If you wanna listen to punk, you can do a hell of a lot better than this.

This was not much to write home about, but it did lead me down a wormhole which ended with ‘Mermaid Avenue’ by Billy Bragg and Wilco which I don’t think will be on this list, but really ought to be.

I can imagine a lot of people really hate this but I thoroughly enjoyed it tbh. I don’t know enough about this genre to confirm/deny if it’s a ‘must’ hear, but im glad I’ve listened to it.

I really like Funkadelic and it surprised me this was their most commercially successful album, I think they have other albums that are more impactful but maybe I’m just swayed by the song ‘can you get to that?’ being like the best song ever.

Definitely a must listen, for her song writing alone. I always remember this album fondly and know that i love ‘fuck me pumps’ but there are so many other bangers on this album, it’s really pretty wonderful.

I saw a vintage badge yesterday that said ‘I hate Elvis’ and I thought that’s crazy who hates Elvis? But then I was faced with this album, and the only song I was familiar with was the droning cover of ‘Fever’ and suddenly I thought, maybe I hate Elvis? TBD.

I had somehow managed to never listen to any of Frank Black’s solo offering but within the first few seconds I fell in love with this. I’m already looking forward to another listen and to exploring more of his back catalogue.

I’d got this far without ever listening to Arcade Fire and frankly, I wish I’d got further. It’s like The Strokes if they were shite.

I found myself being generally underwhelmed but whenever I was enjoying myself it was a Lô Borges track - so I don’t think this is a must listen album but I reckon they’re a must listen artist. So I will exploring more of their back catalogue and who knows, more of their stuff might pop up here along the way!

I assumed I would love this but it made truly no impression at all.

I knew I loved this album but I hadn’t listened to it in years. I sat, washing the pots, waving at the birds and as Gloria kicked in, it was a transcendental experience. I love this album. I love Patti Smith. And this is without a doubt a must listen.

I wasn’t loving this until ‘Hanging out and hung up on the line’ and then I really started to enjoy myself. Not sure it’s a must listen but there were some bright moments.

I love ABBA as much as the next gay bastard, but I’m yet to be convinced an album will give me more than a greatest hits would. I hope to be proved wrong. But for now, other than the songs I already knew which are obviously amazing, my highlight was ‘Happy Hawaii’ which says it all. Other than that, It’s a lot of hooting and hollering for not a lot of payoff.

This was so much fun. What a way to kick off a debut album and what an album; just banger after banger! So glad I was the right age for this to be on regular rotation in my teenage clubbing years. Definitely a must listen! And led me back to Alex Turner’s soundtrack for Submarine which I will truly never tire of.

I literally went ‘yay!’ out loud when I saw this was my album for the day. One of my favourites that I return to often. Just a brilliant record with hit after hit. Absolutely a must listen, no question.

I was enjoying this at least musically until we got to ‘Vagabond Virgin’ - what the fuck was that? My god.

I was not caring about this at all then I got to ‘when a blind man cries’ and really enjoyed that? But that song + smoke on the water, I don’t think that adds up to an important album so still a low rating from me I’m afraid.

I didn’t think I knew enough about the eagles to have an opinion, now I guess I do and as expected it made almost no impression at all.

I love Leonard Cohen, I love this album. Definitely deserving of a listen.

I consider myself an ACDC fan but don’t find I reach for them often, but this is worth the grab. Definitely a must listen imho, loads of songs that weren’t known to me that I’ve added to my liked songs playlist. Definitely a bit of fun.

I’d never listened to The Fall and was ready to do it under duress as I’m a live album hater so discovering it wasn’t one was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed this but as a northern southern hating punk I enjoyed the lore more than the album so I’m hopeful more of their discography will come my way.

I was so ready to hate this and I really enjoyed myself. Lots of songs I’d never heard that I immediately added to my liked songs playlist. This is what it’s all about, discovering stuff you never would have touched and getting a pleasant surprise! And I’d absolutely categorise this as a must listen as it’s really varied but still seminal to the genre and has had long lasting influential impact.

I love hot chip so I was pleased to get to listen to this. It’s not one I’ve listened to before I don’t think and wasn’t my favourite although I did really enjoy ‘flutes’. I think as a band they deserve to be on here but not this album.

Normally this is my kind of music but this was really underwhelming.

I like this kind of thing but this wasn’t a genre standout for me.

Wtf you guys, Jethro Tull are amazing??! How has this never come up before?!

Wikipedia led me to believe I would enjoy this - I was misled.

I’d forgotten how much i enjoy this album. It did get me thinking though, how much great art is borne of fragile male ego - imagine what you could create if you weren’t entitled little Fuckboys!! Crazy. Anyway, I’ve decided I’ll be knocking off a full star for inexcusable slurs so this is stuck at 4 for me.

I would judge you harshly if you weren’t a Paul Simon fan.

This took me by surprise and was quite brilliant, the perils of a stupid band name I guess.

I was in such a bad mood today and this made it worse.

I love Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and there’s some of their discography that should be here but this isn’t the one for me. Still a good album, still some standouts. But not my favourite, and not a must listen.

I love Marvin Gaye, personally I think ‘Sexual Healing’ is maybe the best song ever - so his later albums, I very much look forward to. This album was lovely and had some great tracks, but I’m not sure it’ll be for everyone or is a must listen. I have a feeling some of his later work will be though, so I look forward to them hopefully popping up along the way.

The more of his albums pop up the more I’m questioning whether I actually enjoy Nick Cave or i just recognise his talent and can’t separate the two the way I can with other artists for some reason? Anyway, I don’t love the production of this - for me it’s noisy, grating, and overwhelming. I liked side 2 a lot better and from Supernaturally onwards it’s pretty good. But I’m still not convinced it’s a must listen as a whole record.

I loved this so much I listened twice back to back and several more times since.

Obviously this album is caked in controversy, the uncredited artist list is shameful. But it’s undeniable the influence this has had, and I enjoyed about 80% of it. Except for duck for the oyster which was as awful as I expected a song with a title like that to be. I would agree this is a must listen though.

Makes me wanna play guitar hero real bad.

This was a tough listen at first but I was raised in the UK in the 90s so I did quickly settle in. This is a painfully hit and miss album but there are some low-key certified bangers (fall at your feet, weather with you). Despite this I’m not sure this is a must listen album, those are just a few alright songs. I won’t be doing a deep dive into their discography, put it that way.

I’d actually listened to this recently doing a deep dive into rappers whose discography I’d never properly explored, just listened to singles. So I knew I’d like this and I did, I’d definitely say this is a must listen because, it’s excellent, but also it’s clearly influenced a lottttt of other rappers and other artists of varying genres. Like the ‘follow me follow me follow me’ from ‘Who am I (What’s my name)?’ immediately made me think of Nelly Furtado ‘Turn off the Light’!

Not my kind of thing, but songs I appreciated more were ‘Antropofagos’ and ‘Abraço’. Nonetheless, the lore behind this album is crazy so I think that alone makes it a must listen!

Another one I really enjoyed. This little side quest is great because I know I love music from around the world but it can feel overwhelming deciding where to start but this keeps bringing me music I would never have known to search for but is absolutely my kind of thing!

I’d loved ‘Get Free’ when it came out and it remained on my playlists for years, I always wondered why they didn’t have the same success as say, The Strokes - but that’s clear now. It started off so dully I hardly realised it had kicked off. Musically it felt it was trying to be Nirvana circa Bleach but lyrically and production wise it was truly nothing remarkable and kind of a bit cringe with ‘Mary Jane’ and ‘1969’ being almost caricatures of good music. Not for me.

I was expecting a bit more from this, it was a little disappointing. Definitely not a must listen but something tells me more of their discography will crop up.

I was looking forward to this as I think there have been songs I’ve enjoyed by Liz Phair in the past but this was underwhelming. The last 1/3 of the album improved and I can ofc see where she’s influenced other artists but if you’re going to have an album of hers on this list I’m not sure it should be this one.

This was a strange one. It kicked off with the two iconic singles we know and love but after that is a total mixed bag. Just when you’re bored to tears and clocking out they pepper in something surprising. I was glad I listened to it just to hear blur explore genres other than Brit pop. They’re more versatile than I realised. I still don’t love this album, but I’m glad I heard it.

I was looking forward to this as from the artist name and album name I thought I was gonna get some death metal but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I found this deathly dull but I did enjoy the song titles especially as ‘grumpus’ is part of my everyday vocabulary; which has evolved from the Sabrina episode where she doesn’t want to be labelled a ‘rumpist’ which led to me and my pal Richy saying we didn’t want to be a rumpus - and now I regularly apologise for being a grumpus, usually I’m just hungry. TLDR: not worth the squeeze

Wow, there was nothing I disliked about this. Especially considering it seems they weren’t super happy with production of this record, I loved it! I’ll look forward to more of their albums popping up! Also one of them lives where I’m from and I saw him all the time and thought it was weird he ended up in Yarm coz I thought he was from somewhere Nordic… he’s from bloody Hartlepool. The more you know!

I put this off because of the first track name which was at one point the tumblr bio of a friend of ours who died - as expected I did have a little cry, but that’s okay. Anyway, triggering aside! I’ve never really listened to Pavement (although my brother had got me a pavement vinyl but for some reason I need to wait 3-5 years before I can use a nice gift, can someone diagnose what childhood trauma has led to that please? Answers on a postcard!) and I truly have no idea why because they’re so clearly my vibe. I added literally half of the record to my liked songs and already can’t wait to listen to more. I just hope one day I can see/hear/say ‘Summer babe - Winter Version’ without small sobs. Maybe I’m due my period…. Do I use these as diary entries? BASICALLY!! get off my dick.

Yeah I didn’t listen to this past the first track which meant nothing to me, a tiny bit of digging and I found why I’ve never listened to Clapton before, what a racist POS

I already knew I loved Pretenders but I’d just listened to the singles (the vinyl of which I have worn OUT!) and from the first track I was obsessed! I can’t wait to listen to more and hopefully one day see them live. What a great band and god damn I love Chrissie Hynde, truly 1 of 1. Anyway, this is a cracking debut. I already knew I loved the singles (including the kinks cover, I also love the original!!) but there were so many amazing album tracks and a brilliant opening song too which I feel is important! I’d def agree this is a must listen :)

I’ve never properly listened to much Tupac, and I didn’t care for this at all. So dull and repetitive. I enjoyed New School. Other than that i got much more enjoyment from reading about his and his mum’s lore tbh.

I love Kate Bush so this was fun but it’s not a must listen imho.

Okay, I seriously don’t get what people see in this band!!! Even when it got to Rebellion which I was surprised to find I did in fact know.. and as it got going I realised I like the bones of the song but I would actually enjoy it and maybe be a fan of it if only it were by someone else!! They’re so dull to me and just nothingness?? Idk maybe I’m old now.. but I don’t think I am I think this is just painfully mid!! And I can’t believe it’s the SECOND of their albums I’ve had to listen to!! Lord gimme strength.

I love the Rolling Stones so I knew I’d enjoy this but there were a few album tracks I hadn’t heard that I actually really loved. Plus ‘Can’t you hear me knocking’ just makes me super nostalgic for playing guitar hero, all nice memories.

This was super interesting to me because upon further research Baaba Maal was a component in the formation of Afro Celt Sound System; well I worked for LUSH for many years so that group I’m very familiar with. Simon Emerson a founding member was LUSH’ musical director and ACSS were on several of their recordings and I believe sound track a few of their spa treatments. More interesting to me because Emerson was also in a band with Alison Statton of Young Marble Giants which do one of my favourite songs of all time ‘Brand New Life’. Anyway, the earth is so small and we’re all connected and this made me feel all sorts of positivity today, plus it’s excellent. A lovely little record with very interesting (at least to me) lore.

Can’t stand me now is great obviously, there are a couple of other okay tracks but, as expected, I remain unimpressed.

I was so ready to be a hater, but this slapped. Still prefer Michael Scott’s version of ‘Teach Your Children’ though.

I hate to be pro cocaine, but this really is pretty damn good.

Again I really enjoyed this. I never thought I would become an Iron Maiden fan but it’s becoming hard to deny, how embarrassing.

This challenge has showed me I do in fact like the pogues, loved their debut when that appeared! But this wasn’t a must listen at all. Although I did enjoy getting to listen to Fairytale of New York guilt free in May.

Fuck me, i loved this so much i started a Substack.

I loved this album when it came out and I still return to it on a semi-regular basis, this was a lovely re-introduction. I’ve no doubts this is a must listen for wildfires alone but there are so many wonderful tracks I’d be here all day talking about my favourites.

When i was finished listening to SAULT yesterday I really fancied listening to Erykah Badu so this was spooky but very welcome. I loved it all but my favourite was Green Eyes.

I’d never properly listened to Metallica other than their cover of Whiskey in the jar - which I enjoyed before I heard the original and there’s just no comparison. Anyway this was like an endurance challenge, I just wanted it to be over. I just find this so try hard and over produced from lyrics, to music, to image. Not for me at all.

This exercise is forcing me to learn to love live albums, previously I’d just feel too much fomo, but now I feel immersed instead. It’s transportational. I hadn’t actively listened to James Brown before but knew I’d enjoy this and I certainly did. Not sure that makes it a must listen but it’s definitely a lot of fun.

I’ve never actively listened to Run DMC but this was really fun. Shortly after the first track kicked in I can already spot where this has been sampled, which I love to do. I look forward to listening to more of their records and this is definitely a must listen for music historians!

I was looking forward to this but it was painfully mid. I’m starting to think Damon Albarn is less talented as he is lucky and surrounded by talented people.

I’m infamously not a Queen fan and I hoped this exercise would be changing my mind but so far it’s just confirming my already held opinions. This was tough to get through. Particularly ‘Ogre Battle’. - my god.

As someone with an Otis Redding tattoo (even if it has a 100% misidentification rate!!) this is definitely a must listen :)

I didn’t go into this with an open mind, but then found myself singing along to Roll with it. Nonetheless I still found I was hugely underwhelmed, even the singles are so repetitive. It’s all driven to me, uninspired and uninteresting.

When I say I don’t like stuff from the 80s, this is what I mean.

This felt like a prank.

I’m sure if you’re into this kind of thing, it’s great. I, unfortunately, am not.

Can’t believe I had to listen to this.

I’d never listened to Sebadoh before and thoroughly enjoyed it!

I already knew I loved this album, but I needed to hear it that day, so it went down very well.

I love Law & Order SVU, but this was too much.

Maybe my favourite Nick Drake? If I had the option for half stars I would have rated 4.5 I think, but I still love it.

It was upon listening to this I confirmed I have in fact been conflating and confusing Sufjan Stevens with Cat Steven’s/Yusuf Islam. This wasn’t my kind of thing at all, but my girlfriend loves it and that’s enough for me.

My girlfriend’s middle name is Blue because of this album so it’s extra special for me, but it is also excellent.

Generic country, why is this here?!

Never heard of this band or album but I very much enjoyed it!

U2 just aren’t for me I don’t think. Sunday Bloody Sunday is good thematically ofc so I guess it’s a must listen for that reason?? Idk losing the will to live with this a bit, hopefully tomorrows album brings me back 🥲

It feels criminal that ‘Time of the Season’ can be so iconic and the rest of this album can be so painfully mid. Obviously ‘This Will Be Our Year’ is good too, but there’s nothing this album gives you that you wouldn’t get from a greatest hits so ultimately you’re left disappointed. I certainly was.

Another first for me and very enjoyable. As soon as the first track kicked in I was like wait I do know this! Lots of fun and look forward to a re-listen.

Not sure if this is a must listen, but I certainly had a fun time. And it was my first Zappa, I believe!

Not my favourite Common record, but still lyrically a good time and with some fun beats and features.

I really enjoyed this but of course, I have been a teenage girl.

Singles, great. Rest, filler. Lore, diabolical.

Not my kind of thing but there are a couple of great songs on here that you’ll recognise and some fun album tracks. They’re obviously a talented bunch. But not something I’ll reach for again I don’t think.

DNF - got to the Imagine cover and I just couldn’t do it to myself.

I wasn’t really vibing with this too much but the last track was quietly beautiful.

I was looking forward to this but it didn’t deliver, why do I always get albums like this when I have a headache?

This is exactly the kind of music I’m doing this for. An excellent album, hugely influential and what an interesting artist!

Wow, this really just kept on going.

I was really glad to see this as my album of the day but dismayed to find how much my opinion on it has changed!! I think it’s partially that our headteacher in primary school used to play diamonds on the soles of her shoes for us to walk into assembly every bloody week (day??? Year 6 was a long time ago…) so it held some begrudging nostalgia for me. I also now listen to a lot of world music, so this no longer feels like a good example or truly representative of that the way it maybe used to be for me. I also remembered feeling like this album was a really cohesive record and this time around I actually thought it was massively disjointed! Songs like ‘You can call me Al’ (whilst brilliant!!) felt completely out of place. Anyway, I’m now listening to the eponymous, and in my opinion far superior record: Paul Simon.

Unfortunately, this is phenomenal.

Still not a huge fan of live albums but this wasn’t bad.

This was exactly what I needed. I love Miles Davis.

Okay so I really simply do not care about this kind of music, it’s so painfully dull to me. But!! I do adore the Jamie XX remix of rolling in the deep so I thought I’d get on with the regular version… I was wrong. I do applaud her songwriting though and can recognise she’s very talented. And against all my instincts I found myself still incredibly moved by Someone Like You. Despite all the popularity she has had, I seem to still not be bored of that one. It’s still a really cracking song. Or maybe I’m just due my period, who knows. Anyway, although it’s not my thing, I think it is well placed to be a must listen. And I know I’m likely in the minority with my opinions here.

Cracking singles, the rest is pretty filler. Overall, mid. Which seems to be my general feeling about the Beatles.

I’m really in my dad rock era so this was fun.

I love piano tunes as much as the next gay bastard, but this was a bit much.

Starting to think it’s not so much that I like The Beatles but that I love Paul McCartney…

I think I really don’t care about a Neil Young, this had no silver lining for me.

I love REM but tbh haven’t listened to much of their back catalogue. This was enjoyable and had one of my faves orange crush. I don’t think it’s a must listen though.

Not a bad album, pretty cohesive and with some classic tracks. Just not very exciting - sorry!

It’s rare for a record to succeed in being both completely uninteresting and simultaneously painful to listen to, but this manages to be both. Despite my understanding of John Lyndon being consistently a monumental blemish upon society I went into this with an open mind. Unfortunately, my ears were also open. Ouch:

I’d never heard of this band or album and from name alone it was surprising to me, my brother said they’ve been named as influential to several famous bands and after listening, I get it! Definitely a must for me.

I was looking forward to this but I didn’t love it as much as I expected. I liked it more in the second half though, and I LOVED ‘i’ and thoroughly enjoyed ‘Mortal Man’. I hope more Kendrick comes up as I suspect there’s probably more of his discography that I’ll get on better with.

I’m famously not a Springsteen fan, this changed absolutely nothing.

I enjoyed this when it started but that feeling waned as it went on.

I’d listened to the song Green Onions many times, but never the album. This was a lovely Monday morning listen for me and the perfect way to ease back into work after a weeks leave. A must listen for me, for sure.

I can’t believe this was even on here, I can’t imagine anyone thinking you have to listen to this.

This was fun, definitely a must listen. But I’ll be doing more of a deep dive to navigate that song title…

I recognised this immediately as something my mam would always play, and may you never was her wedding song with my step dad. I messaged her and she said it’s one of her fav albums and I said it’s one of mine now too 💗.

It’s rare for an album to deserve it’s icon status, but this one does.

FIFTY NINE TRACKS?!? I can’t believe I got through this. I can do anything.