1001 Albums Summary

I will acknowledge that this is a particularly good example of the genre but even that's not enough for me I'm afraid. Not my cup of tea.

Hard not to want to tap your foot to it.

The title track, 'Dear Jessie', 'Oh Father' are highlights but aside from the standouts, the other tracks are, to my ears, mostly filler. Appreciate this is sacrilege to lovers of the genre or Madonna herself but overall not to my taste. Will return to individual songs only.

Not bad, not great. Certainly not enough to convert me to U2.

'Pot Kettle Black'. 'Radio Cure' but only just. In 'I'm the Man Who Loves You' I hear Beatles influence but it's a potentially good song that's been Wilco'd. 'Poor Places' is a good example of a song that starts well but goes off the rails. 'Experimental' indie is a genre fraught with risk and this proves why. It might be very accomplished instrumentally but it's dull and at times, annoying.

Inoffensive country crooning but hard to imagine an occasion when I'll want to put on this album. 'The Weatherman' and 'Our Private Life' were my top tracks.

I wanted to like this more but a lot of tracks never really 'took off'. I found his wailing vocals often killed the song's momentum. 'Phantasmagoria in Two' is a notable exception and the standout track.

Bland, unsurprisingly White Stripes-esque indie-rock aggravated by Jack White's singing. Lots of uninteresting, shallow hooks and fillers (e.g. 'Missing Pieces'). No melodies that grab you or songs that pull you in. 'Hypocritical Kiss' has a stupid name but is the best of the bunch

I owe myself and the Rolling Stones an apology for not listening to them properly before now

I found this album monotonous and dull, made worse by the fact it's two hours long. It's possible it's a good record from a genre I just don't like

This is up there with the worst so far. A tough listen. The first track promised inoffensive but dull grungy rock but it went downhill and subsequently lost all tunefulness and what little charm it started with. The main issues are threefold: firstly, the songs just aren't good - it sounds like a distinctly average college band who make noise for the sake of it. Second, his voice. It's two-dimensional and very boring. Third, the lyrics of 'Homemade' gave me the biggest ick. Hard no

Don't like the songs, don't like her voice and the 90's spaced-out vibe doesn't speak to me at all

I was surprised at how much liked this album as Sepultura largely passed me by back in the day. It holds its own against other thrash of the era; musically it's tight and interesting, with songs whose tempo move up and down through the gears like good thrash does. Case in point at roughly 4 minutes into 'Dead Embryonic Cells'. Only point of personal preference is that I prefer a cleaner, sharper vocal like James Hetfield's rather than this throaty, sludgy style. These days I would listen only occasionally, and in small doses but good nonetheless. Notable: 'Altered State', 'Orgasmatron', 'C.I.U.'. Subsequently listened to Caos A.D. which, as others have pointed out, is arguably better.

There's nothing wrong with this album or Kings of Leon in general, I just never want to listen to it again. In part due to the slightly shouty, slightly cracked cool-indie-kid voice of the lead singer (and the singers of every other similar band of the era) as well as songs whose choruses, often the USP of the genre, just aren't that good to my ears. 'Sex on Fire' is a textbook example. It would be petty to give it less than a three because it's musically accomplished but this will only grace my Spotify in future if/when commanded by the capricious gods of the 1001 Album Generator

There will never come a time when I'll decide to sit down and play Iron Maiden. I don't hate it, but the theatrics and cheesiness of it all just isn't for me. Ironically it's the OG heavy metal, but I prefer some of the paths it went down subsequently