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

The beats pick you up and carry you along, mixed in with just the right amount of mid-2000s indie. That genre is very easy to dislike but occasionally someone does it well and although I can't put my finger on why, this is in the latter camp. I couldn't pick out many standout tracks at first listen but the album as a body of work passed an hour enjoyably. 'New York, I Love You...'. was notable. Not sure I will seek it out as a regular listen

Will not be a regular listen but nonetheless a great album for the right moment. 'Wake Up' stood out

Straight down the line heavy rock 'n roll with great guitar solos. The title track is the one most know but the rest of the album is just as good. As with a lot of this genre listening opportunities will be only under specific circumstances

It was good to listen to a Queen album without being familiar with any of the tracks in advance. As a whole it stands up as a great rock record, bordering on the fantastical, with Freddie's vocals a little further back in the mix than on some of the better known Queen classics - not a bad thing as it let the music do more of the talking

I saw a review which said every song feels like 30 seconds of material stretched out to three (sometimes six) minutes and I couldn't put it better myself. Even "Sweet Dreams.." - by far and away the best track on the record - is the same, but with a much catchier riff and chorus. I like that song less having heard it in the context of the full album. I found "Jennifer" grating, while "Satellite of Love" is up there with the worst covers I've come across. The runtime of 1:12 seemed excessive given the above and I am ready not to hear any more Annie Lennox

A nice change after such a bad run but I doubt I'll revisit. 'Do Nothing' is OK. 'Rude Boys Outa Jail' sounds like the kids just before I tell them to calm down. 'Maggie's Farm' is a questionable cover. 'You're Wondering Now' is still great though

A fantastic album and deserving of its status as a classic: 'Ex-factor', 'To Zion', 'Final Hour' (real highlight) and good old-fashioned hidden track 'Tell Him' plus many others that I wasn't able to note specifically

I hadn't listened to Nirvana in ages and, I realise never to this record in full. Intimate and unpolished, but musically very accomplished at the same time. Kurt's voice is excellent. Really enjoyed this and forgot how good some of their songs are, and how well they translate to being performed acoustically. I just don't think I'll get the urge to rush back and put it on repeat

Big Radiohead fan, this is probably my least favourite of their albums

Have read many reviews along the lines of it being the same song for nearly an hour, how Mariah Carey essentially "moans scales" and how the songs are pretty dull. I agree with all of them. She has a fantastic voice but the music should be more than a vehicle for showing it off

Great album. 'Heart of Gold' , 'Old Man' are highlights

This record is like an excitable labrador jumping up at you: a bit much at first but eventually you give in and stroke it and enjoy the interaction. The jury is out on whether I am going to continue my PSB journey but this one was fun. Bouncy, happy electro-pop

Liked the jazzy influence behind the old skool hip hop. 'A Film Called (Pimp)', 'A Song For Assata' were highlights

Loved this one, kicked off a morning of 80s and 90s hip hop. 'What "U" Waitin' "4"?' stood out but more of a vibe

Surprised myself by liking this one. Had never heard of the artist and didn't do any research before playing, so didn't give myself the opportunity to decide I don't usually like funk. Listening to this feels like I'm mingling round a cocktail party in the 70s. Although I might not come back to it, it's cool. I particularly liked 'Handcuffs' for the vocal performance

I just could not get into this. Found it too jangly and jarring, didn't provoke any emotional response. Songs are unmemorable although I nearly liked 'Hysteric - acoustic' and 'Little Shadow - acoustic'

This one had a vibey, spacey quality to it, which, along with the occasional forays into uber-cool jazz territory, made me want to like it. I just couldn't. The very hint of a tune sends it off in an unsatisfying amelodic direction and I just could not connect emotionally with any of the tracks. 'Jameel's Space Ride' and 'Them Changes' were as close as it got. Excellent cover art though

60s psychedelia and it's fine, but if I was going to listen to this genre I'd go to Forever Changes by Love or something similar. It just didn't stand out for me

It's hard to separate objectivity from nostalgia here because this was a key record at a formative time of my life. I was prepared and even expecting this to have aged badly but I was pleasantly and unexpectedly drawn in from the minute the intro launched into '(sic)'. 'Wait and Bleed' took me back to my teens and 'Surfacing' and 'Spit It Out' still sound fresh. Musically solid with great percussion, this is of course not going to appeal to everyone (most?) but has emerged from the era of nu-metal a lot better than many of its peers

Enjoyed the relative minimalism of the beats. 80s and 90s hip hop is generally a winner in my book and this is no exception

Without detracting from how influential The Who were, if I take the music on its own then this is a slightly disjointed record of 60s rock, which, if I'm honest, felt a little gimmicky with all the fake ads. 'I Can See For Miles' is a highlight, but 'Silas Stingy' a definite lowlight. The Mod movement is very much not for me so The Who don't represent anything bigger. As such, I won't be going out of my way to listen apart from when their other albums inevitably appear on this list

It's bland and repetitive and listening to it felt like being locked in an unfurnished room for an hour with only junk mail to read

I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would listen to this for pleasure. Psychedelia is fine but it has to also be musically enjoyable, and this just isn't. It's far too weird but without the redeeming features to make that weirdness cool. 'The Chrome Plated Megaphone Of Destiny' includes several minutes of just noise and both concludes and sums up the album as a whole

I like songs to have at least some melody, or at least something to distinguish them from just 'sound'. This, for me, was the latter, and while it would have been an excellent soundtrack to something stimulating, like a nature video for example, it offers very little to keep me engaged on its own. As with anything conceptual, experimental or "important", it also has to be good and listenable. This wasn't that. I was also not a fan of the weak vocal when it came

Dreary, dreary indie. The songs are dull and Beck's voice and vocal style does absolutely nothing to add any sort of interest. 'Round The Bend' sounds like it has a strong Nick Drake influence, but lacks any of Nick's charm. I really did not like this one

It's a nice album of 60s folky stuff, occasionally drifting to the court/king/queen/knight etc. flavour of fantasy. Easy to listen to, will never choose to put it on again

Second rolling Stones of the generator and just as good as the first

I didn't have any emotional connection to this. Often, good records in genres I don't often like or don't feel like listening to pull me in nonetheless and put me in the right mood, but this one didn't do that. Just missing a certain something that sweeps you along with the big sounds; instead it went over my head

Perhaps I was distracted but I didn't love it as much as I have similar albums in the past. Still a solid offering and overall a good day on the 1001 Album Generator

A little too twee and old-fashioned for my liking. Some records have a certain something that keeps them sounding fresh even though they're the same age or older but this one didn't

Enjoyable 60s country rock. 'Down by the River' is somehow, at nine minutes, not too long. Probably won't put it on when I'd listen to Harvest if I wanted Neil Young

A slightly unusual one in than I didn't love it, but did really appreciate the range of genres covered and how fun she makes the whole experience. 'Cold War' stood out

It's a good sign that I was already listening to this album when it was suggested to me. Few albums launch in such an iconic way as Highway 61 does with 'Like a Rolling Stone', but it also ends on a high with 'Desolation Row'. In between is filled with Bob Dylan at his finest. Not to everyone's tastes, but definitely to mine

There are albums which I don't quite get at first listen but which I nonetheless feel compelled to listen to again. This was not one of those.

If I have to listen to anything for three-and-a-quarter hours, I'm glad it's Ella Fitzgerald. Hard to stay fully engaged throughout but ones that caught my attention, in order of appearance: 'They All Laughed', 'Of Thee I Sing', 'The Half Of It Dearie Blues', 'I Got Rhythm', 'Promenade (Walking The Dog)', 'March Of The Swiss Soldiers', 'Fidgety Feet'

This album is a classic for a reason: engaging and occasionally hilarious, musically interesting and mature and throughout it all just unbelievably, effortlessly cool

I grew up thinking of Britney as a fairly lightweight pop star with a personal life that was at least as well-known as her music, so why the hell is this so good? Am I reminiscing, or just getting more open minded as I get older? Well-written songs with catchy melodies and banging key changes, and Britney has a great voice. This is the prototype of its era and while there are elements which date it to that time, that is by no means a bad thing. Best thing I've heard on here since... well, yesterday and N.W.A., but it's been a good couple of days of suggestions. A really enjoyable hour: 'Sometimes', 'Soda Pop' 'E-mail My Heart' and 'Autumn Goodbye' all unfamiliar songs I liked

John Frusciante is a top guitarist, and in partnership with Flea is largely responsible for many of the Chilis' best songs. Anthony Kiedis by contrast brings a less virtuoso vocal and an obsession with his own genitals, and to a lesser extent the genitals of others. This is the RHCP and it is what it is, so long as you don't mind having it shoved down your throat. So to speak. I still like it and there are still some classic tracks and riffs on here

Still yet to figure out why I love some hip-hop and am more lukewarm on others. This is one of the latter because it didn't draw me in.

I don't think I get the Nick Cave hype (yet, perhaps). 'Straight to You' won me over by the end and 'Christina the Astonishing' was interesting

After a lukewarm review of another Nick Cave record yesterday, I'm rewarded with a double album today. I'm still not sold. 'Nature Boy', 'Babe, You Turn Me On' and 'Supernaturally' stand out and it's not all bad but I don't gravitate towards Nick Cave's slightly amelodic style of rock

Musically bland and repetitive, and Shaun Ryder's style of singing (sprechgesang, I believe) robs these songs of any melody that might have been used as a mitigating factor. I'm sure that records like this are often judged, in part, for their importance to once scene or another, which is no guarantee of quality in my opinion. In any case, 'madchester' was tedious and this album was an hour and ten mins that I wished would go quicker

Hard not to like it or come away smiling

Much better than Jack White's solo work and with the occasional song that still sounds good ("This Protector") but mostly sounds exactly like it's from the early 2000s. A clangy, crashy sort of album. I never got into garage rock

Not my cup of chai

I don't quite love it but I certainly didn't mind listening

Classic album. Smashing Pumpkins absolutely nailed the slightly spacey sound and manage to combine heaviness and melody as well as anyone. 'Soma' is my favourite track but they're all good

An interesting listen. I started it wondering how you could bring yourself to hate Madness, given how upbeat their sound is. I finished it realising that their singles are well known for a reason, and the rest of it is not, also for a reason. 'Our House' and 'Madness (Is All In The Mind)' are great tunes and the rest is decidedly average. Falls in to the category of 'certain songs only'

A little light on killer choruses and catchy melody for me. Not bad and easy to listen to but not something I'll play again

So laid back it's almost vertical. A little too much so for me; I'd prefer to be a bit more engaged by what I'm listening to

Not my kind of music. Anything with repetitive electronic beats needs to have some decent hip hop over the tip or I'm out, it seems

I have learned some creative turns of phrase from reviews on this website: one along the lines of "as bland as unsalted cardboard" didn't exactly fill me with hope, but actually I've heard others that would be far better suited to such criticism (see Beck). Coles Corner is gentle and homely, separated from the countless other male singer/songwriters by genre (influences of crooning 40s and 50s Americana), a reasonable amount of charm, and a voice which is more distinctive than most. However, I don't hear a vocal range that keeps me interested or that adds a new dimension to a song, and I'm not a massive fan of the overall style and sound. But it was an enjoyable 46 minutes even if I won't return to it

Enjoyable bluesy, moody rock

Loved it. 'Whip You With A Strap', 'Big Girl' stood out but I understand why this album is highly regarded

Was fully prepared that this would be an album with 'More Than a Feeling', which for the record I really don't like, as well as a load of filler. While it didn't blow me away it was a lot better than that, and 'Foreplay/Long Time' was by far the standout

Could well be one which grows on me. I felt I didn't fully appreciate its depth and charm in one listen which is usually a good sign. 'Over The Hill' stood out

JC has a fantastic voice and this is an excellent live show. That being said I don't love a lot of the songs themselves, and found the recurring themes of incarceration and capital punishment a little relentless and overbearing by the end of the record

Bit of metal to start the day. Pretty solid, although not my go-to of the genre

I liked the overall vibe without really loving any particular song

Outrageously sexiest, misogynistic, homophobic lyrics but so much so that it's very hard to take it all too seriously. 'Stan' has stood the test of time and overall this was a very fun, listenable album. If we're discounting music based on questionable lyrical content then that's rap and hip-hop out, as well quite a bit of the rest of it

Overall an enjoyable enough listen, even if I did spend the last half an hour of runtime checking Spotify to make sure the album hadn't finished and continued on to some lesser known Bowie. I can't hold that against them but it does rather beg the question why you would return to this one when you could listen to, well, Bowie

So many different genres but without ever feeling like too much of a mish-mash. Loved the vibe, will definitely return and get to know it better

Faultless.

Latin, jazzy music to vibe to. Enjoyed the overall experience but didn't pick out any particular tracks

Classic big band jazz. Enjoyed the faster numbers but not such a fan of the slower ones

As an album as a whole it slots in somewhere behind Sounds of Silence, but 'The Only Living Boy in New York' is up there in my top three S&G songs

A tried and tested old skool formula which I will always like

Some lovely songs on this one (e.g. 'Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall'). Probably slots in just behind Sounds of Silence at first listen

Even when they were writing more conventional pop songs early in their career The Beatles really were excellent. 'All My Loving' the highlight

I am willing to accept that this is considered the pinnacle of salsa by some, but that being the case the natural conclusion is that I'll never love salsa

A bit too laid back and nondescript for my liking

I'm not the biggest fan of disco and I wasn't expecting great things from this. However, while I wouldn't necessarily put this on again I did enjoy it and in part that was because it's female vocal rather then male. Not sure why that makes a difference but it does, so go figure

Gently compelling, anchored by his very listenable baritone. 'The Wind and The Dove' stood out initially but then the rest of the album turned out great too

What's not to like?

How have I never even heard his name?! Loved the slightly overblown, triumphant, baroque late 60s/early 70s pop thing he has going on, in particular on 'Paris 1919'

I really struggled though this hour and a half - took nearly four days. I just can't stand it. Spaced out trippy tango. No thank you

It's just not a genre I love and while it was fine in the background, I would never put this on

I had been expecting to like this one more having listened to a 'best of...' where a lot of the tracks are excellent. I was surprised to not be more engaged by this one

A bit too "wooHOOhooooooOOOOOOHHHoooOOOHHHHHHHWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" for me

Rock executed very well with some classic tracks. "That's Entertainment" stands out. I see why The Jam have come out of their era and stood the test of time

I'm going to hold off saying I'm not a fan of The Police full stop, but I didn't enjoy this album, even the 'classics'. It has that 80s sound where there are 'gaps' in the music, almost sparse, which is a real killer of atmosphere. The guitar sound is thin and jangly and the (deliberate) production to emphasise the same doesn't help. Add to that, Sting's voice isn't my favourite. It feels counter-intuitive, but two stars

Enjoyable country rock

Slightly disconcerting cover art, even more incongruous when compared to the inoffensive Latin-inspired content. Not awful, not great and I definitely won't revisit.

I'm halfway through this album and it's holding up progress through subsequent days' albums because I just can't bring myself to listen to it in anything more than three or four song increments. A couple of fundamental problems: it's musically dull, and also the sound of his voice is really difficult for me to listen to. His semi-sprechgesang and the fact that he sings very quietly, meaning the volume of the vocal track has been turned up, leads to some sort of anti-asmr and makes me feel slightly disgusted. 'Shiver' would be the worst track on a good album; it's the best one on this

There is some extremely strong nostalgia with the singles from this one which inevitably leads me to be positively inclined towards Urban Hymns. Trying to be objective, certain songs ('Bittersweet Symphony', 'The Drugs Don't Work', 'Sonnet', 'Lucky Man', 'Space And Time') are absolute classics. The rest are leaning dangerously towards filler territory; Richard Ashcroft's vocals on the more average tracks stray towards a britpop whine - not to my taste usually. Nonetheless, the good songs carry this comfortably and I could listen to the above tracks on repeat. I'm particular, 'Space And Time', which was a relatively new one to me

Clangy, tuneless 2000s-style punk. Needed something good after struggling through Giant Sand but no luck today. I reluctantly enjoyed 'Maps'

Almost unlistenable 60s psychedelic folk. No idea how it made the list but at 64 minutes it was a slog

Hard not to enjoy this one. Big band/swing that put me in a good mood. More an album to soundtrack an activity than for individual tracks though, not that that is a criticism

A spacey, super laid-back kind of electronic music I just can't engage with. Doesn't do anything for me

This is a great live rock album and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 'Need Your Love' in particular had a great groove

I enjoyed listening to this but don't think I'll play it again. It's a bit much: heavy, fuzzy electro beats, but make it disco

I like Paul Simon but this wasn't my favourite of his. Nonetheless, I enjoyed and would revisit

Folk-rock, bordering on crooning, which, while perfectly fine, didn't blow me away

High tempo, sample-heavy, synth disco pop. Sounds like it should be good but it is not. If this album had a colour it would be beige

Not a big fan of funk and soul in general and while I didn't hate this one, it did nothing to win me around. When the song title 'Sex Machine' popped up I very nearly eye-rolled but it turns out it's allowable because it's an instrumental, and in fact there is a great section from minutes 5-9ish with a the bluesy jam which is probably my highlight of the album

One of my favourite albums of all time

While my appetite for listening to this, go pleasure, is limited, I nonetheless enjoyed the album and appreciate it for what it is: good rock music. Probably good to run to, or similar

There are some pretty damning reviews for this and I don't think it's as awful as they would make out. On paper it's some sort of bizarre cabaret meets Divine Comedy, and in reality that's exactly what it sounds like. It's never going to make anyone's top ten and I'm not sure why it's included in this list but it wasn't awful. It sounds like it's slightly tongue-in-cheek, but even if it isn't, well, that's sort of funny too

'Sympathy For The Devil' is a great opener and the rest of the album delivers. Rock and roll baby

Although I don't like the Latin/Cuban genre that much I have no legitimate grounds to criticise this. I prefer music that I can put on and be absorbed and engaged by; this is more the soundtrack to some other pastime, like dancing. So it's middle of the road ratings-wise but I would never listen to it by choice

It's taken until age 40 to properly listen to a Santana album, despite being aware of him forever, and sadly it didn't do it for me. Not a fan of the Latin influence in general and his guitar work is so smooth and clean that it falls into the category of 'easy listening' for me. It doesn't engage me in any way

An album of blues rock, a genre which is less about individual songs and more about losing yourself to the music. This is a very good record to lose yourself to, and although my appetite for blues is finite, I'm struggling to find anything bad to say about it

I have Spotify, I have headphones. What I don't have is the huge bag of weed needed to fully unlock the full potential of this live album. Moments of musical cohesion pop up occasionally and surprise you but most of the time it's an extended jam session. Said jamming is rambling, often not that interesting musically and sadly leaves you in no doubt that they're improvising as they go. Probably fantastic if you're lying in a field getting stoned but otherwise not something I'd recommend. All that being said, it's an easy enough listen and I wasn't desperate for it to end

Really enjoyed this one, as I did the last Motörhead album to come up. Top tier hard rock performed well. I enjoyed a lot of disc 2, especially 'No Class'

Even the name of the band hints at the shoegaze-y downbeat drab indie that it ultimately proved to be. It started more promisingly than I was expecting with a sludgy heaviness but overall it's mostly semi-tuneless guitar-led indie with flat vocals. Very similar to most of the rest of the genre

I'll give it points for being atmospheric and brooding, with a cool guitar sound and overall vibe. That being said, this album is not the main attraction for me, rather the soundtrack to something else. It was fine in the background while I was doing some admin but not going to be a regular feature

I appreciate on one hand that they've made a record influenced by 60s psychedelia, a genre which yields the occasional gem, but on the other hand, it didn't grab me and I can't remember a single track. Won't return to it

There's a lot going on here, but at the two-thirds mark I've yet to hear a single thing that I want to go back and listen to again. Not even a single hook in a track that makes me enjoy the build-up in anticipation. I can't even tell where each one ends and the next starts; it's not difficult to listen to but it really is just a panorama of noise of varying types. I'm eternally grateful it's got strings, horns and the associated grandeur they bring, which saved me from listening to 69 minutes of guitar-led indie shoegaze, but that's not really enough to save it unfortunately

I wasn't delighted to see MJ pop up as I've never really been into him, and was fully prepared not to like it but I surprised myself. It's not turned me into a superfan but I liked the 80s sound and production, especially on some of the basslines, and the songs are solid. 'Man in the Mirror' in particular. It's giving megastar and I can understand some of the enduring hype

'Maggie May' is the highlight and the rest was fine. I'm not Rod's demographic but nothing specific to dislike

Polished love performance of rock and roll. Short and sweet at 20 mins and very listenable

Maximalist indie with a lot going on but I couldn't help feeling Frank's vocal was the weak link. Also despite everything, I didn't find much to latch on to

It falls squarely in the same category as Chemical Brothers and Moby: shallow, repetitive and heavily sampled electro-dance. So deathly dull and emotionless. And why does he namedrop himself so much?

Nothing against some hardcore metal but this isn't for me for a couple of reasons: it often leans towards the frantic, without being counterbalanced with the chugging heaviness of good thrash, like early Metallica. Second, the vocals aren't to my taste. Other than that I've nothing inherently against it for being heavy and I appreciate that its runtime is just over 30 minutes. Probably best consumed in small doses

Inoffensive psychedelia although the concept part was a little lost on me as I wasn't listening too closely to the lyrics. Not my thing though, and not musically outstanding enough to pull my attention despite it not being my favourite genre

This album is a series of absolute classics. Just brilliant from start to finish and easy to see why it's still so highly regarded

I liked the bright, upbeat sound without loving any particular track

I so very nearly loved this one. There's a lot to like, with the opener 'Son Of Sam' holding a lot of promise for the rest. Sadly it never quite took off and I think the reason is that the melodies and hooks just weren't compelling enough to grab me. I was also going to write that I couldn't highlight individual tracks, but I enjoyed 'Colorbars' and 'Happiness/The Gondola Man' towards the end

Had another U2 album suggested a couple of months ago and I wrote something like it was OK but would never convert me to being a U2 superfan. I could just have copy/pasted that but it's not really in the spirit. I will say I approached it with an open mind and liked it a lot more than I was expecting, especially 'One' which is a brilliant song. That makes the playlist but while I genuinely liked most of the rest, I didn't like it enough to return to often (ever?)

Country but not *too* country, which is not good or bad, just descriptive. I really enjoyed this, especially 'Red Dirt Girl', 'One Big Love' (despite rhyming 'funky' and 'monkey'), 'Hour Of Gold'

It's fine. Roughly sixty (sixty!) years after its release this sounds like a record from the 1960s, rather than something that has aged in a more timeless way. Enjoyed it but won't listen again. Dylan did Dylan better

I'm one track in ('Highway Star') and I already love it, especially the heavy, thick sound and the solos. It carried on in the same way and is one of the best albums that I've been recommended so far

It was nearly there, just a bit too gentle and cutesy for me

I think I'll like Allman Brothers' studio recordings more than this. It listens like an extended jam session which is nice in smaller doses, but 11 minute tracks are just too much. Better than Grateful Dead's live album but a more structured studio recording is more to my taste

2010s indie slop, of which there was a lot

This is the complete package. Absolutely incredible. Janis Joplin has one of the best voices in music and the songs, far from being purely vehicles for showing it off, are all genuinely fantastic in their own right. Can't pick out individual tracks because it was just one after the other. I could listen to this all day. Beyond the music, she has the rock and roll credentials including the unwanted membership of the 27 club. Taken far too young but boy, what an album she left behind

REM have some classic tracks but sadly this album contains none of them. Even the well-known ones are 'easy listening', meant in a non-pejorative kind of way, but this one never had any stand-out moments

A very jazzy side one, which I wasn't expecting when I found out Paul Weller was a part of The Style Council. A change in tone on 'A Gospel' which is more hip-hop and not altogether bad. Then it went a bit more 80s conventional and I just can't see myself going back to this

From the front cover of the CD through to the hidden track this is a classic. This album has been with me since my early teens and I still love it. 'Welcome To Paradise' was always my favourite but nowadays Dookie is best played loud, from start to finish

I enjoyed her vibrato, the sparse layout of some of the tracks and the heartfelt delivery of subject matter clearly close to Anohni's heart

Trance, acid and anything to do with the Madchester scene in general (possibly also Manchester - yet to find an exception) are the exact opposite of my thing. This was awful

Not as awful as many of the reviews had me believe, but every but as puerile. It is what it is, and I can't claim to like RHCP and then pretend to be above a bit of lyrical discourse about penises and gang bangs. Will never listen to it again but I also don't feel robbed of 35 minutes

Very listenable jazz. I can see why it's so highly rated and so being completely genuine when I say that my only reservation is that I don't love jazz enough to put this with other five star albums. In other words, it's not Miles, it's me. I may look back on this with regret in years to come

Straight-up 60s pop music with no surprises. It's fine but it certainly doesn't sound fresh. I feel it's one of very many similar albums which could have been included in the list to represent someone from the era who isn't The Beatles, and happened to be the one that the contributor had a soft spot for

I really couldn't get into this. No cohesion and nothing whatsoever to engage me. I'd struggle even to classify it into a specific genre. Have a horrible feeling there are more XTC albums lurking in the list; there are enough of them

There was something charming and soothing about the songs and Gene's voice. Occasionally Dylan-esque but never crossing the line between homage and imitation. I listened to this on a dark, hot night and despite having never heard, or even heard of this artist before I found it to be perfect

Forgettable, dubby, lo-fi sort of stuff. Damon Albarn's vocals don't really add much and seem oddly out of place on it. No moments where the light bulb came on and made me realise I liked it

Classic British heavy metal. Despite being nearly 60 years old it still sounds fresh. It won't be a regular listen but thoroughly enjoyable at volume

If you took all music created between 2000-2016 and categorised as 'indie' and deleted it from Spotify, you would undoubtedly get rid of some cracking records. Not this one though - this sits smack bang in the middle of the 95% I wouldn't miss at all. This is bouncy, surface-level indie pop which is indistinguishable from most of the stuff popular in the early 2000s. It's inoffensive, which is, in itself, slightly offensive. The worst sin of all is that the 'hidden' track is rubbish! What's the point?!

Ordinarily it would be unfair to the artist to ask someone to review an album that was never going to be their thing, but seeing as that's kinda the point... It's terrible. At best, conventional indie and at worst, a dystopian black hole ('Stuka', 'Motorhead'). A tough listen

A fantastic voice and I enjoyed 'People Get Ready' and 'Ain't No Way' especially. Did mot like rhyming 'Hoeky' with 'Pokey'. Go figure. Not my go-to genre and while I won't listen habitually, credit where it's due. Also not sure of the value of the bonus tracks on this (and many other albums). They're just slightly different versions of tracks I'd previously heard

I could not stand this. It reminded me of the eerie soundtrack in a bad horror film: lots of discordant echoey guitars, a lack of any enjoyable melody and not a single song that I liked. I'm sure someone somewhere will say it's 'important' but it was hard to get through

An interesting one. Musically, it has remained fresh, and at times I could hear the influence of many different genres like reggae, funk and soul, and while I wasn't absolutely hooked, I did appreciate it for that. Vocally however, it is painfully 80s. The guy seems to lean in to that style fashionable at the time, to the point that he sounds like a caricature. Or that he's having a stroke

It's unobjectionable mainstream dance/rave/pop for crowds to jump and dance to. Nothing wrong with that, and they write a catchy tune. However, when heard in a more intimate setting it falls a little flat and doesn't really work. I can't imagine listening to this for pleasure at home

Butthole Surfers, from what I've read, epitomise punk rock in their shows and for that I appreciate them. Sadly the music itself was absolutely not to my taste

I didn't like it as much as I thought I might. Everyone knows the classic Bob Marley tracks but it turns out the rest are relatively less well known for a reason. It was still good, but I will not be rushing back to Bob Marley