1001 Albums Summary

There's nothing that really excites me about the album. There are some okay tracks that I enjoyed listening to, but I wouldn't say any specific standouts... nothing that I think 'wow, this is an insanely influential album'. However, saying this, it also isn't my usual taste in music, so maybe after listening to some more music of this genre, I may revisit this and see if there's any change within my opinion. Favourite Tracks: Here Comes Your Man Mr. Grieves There Goes My Gun

My rating is 3.5, so I will round it up to 4...I'd never heard of Supertramp until this album, but I'm glad I was given this one to listen to as my first piece of work by them. The instrumentals are classic of that 70s rock feel, but at the same time, they feel so out there. The addition of sax in some of the pieces creates a sort of stand-out cinematic feel in places throughout the album. The piano throughout is never dull, most of the time setting the feel for the song, be that slightly jazzy or cinematic. The vocals feel very elegant and almost theatrical. There are some stand-out songs in here for me, but with that also comes some tracks that I feel were in the sort of background and didn't do an awful lot for me. I am a firm believer that an album should finish how it started. If your first track is dance/jazz/heavy, etc., then so should your final track. I like how this album takes that one step further, however. 'School' (Opening track) starts with a solo harmonica melody leading into the song. The harmonica is then rarely heard throughout the rest of the album... until the last 10 seconds or so of the final track. This gives a nice call-back feel to the start of the album. I just personally found that really interesting. Stand-outs: Asylum Dreamer Rudy If Everyone Was Listening Crime Of The Century (specifically the long jazz-influenced instrumental)

I would say for a whole - it's kind of a mid-album... There are more background-sounding songs than standouts for me. The first half of the album is quite good, but then the rest sort of falls flat. I personally think this would have been better as a debut EP than an album. There are some strong starting songs. Nothing I would really be excited to listen to again... I just wasn't pulled in. It would help if all the songs didn't sound pretty much the same. They are all too similar in vibe, timbre and instrumentation. A change in that could have made songs stand out more and seem exciting. Songs that stood out slightly more: Mr. Brightside Somebody Told Me On Top

This feels like a very intimate and vulnerable album, with the vocals sounding as if they were recorded quite close to the microphone. I've not heard this artist's other music, but I have heard that this album is quite different in mood to the rest... I think it's a really nice sound. However, I feel like you have to be in a very specific mood to listen to it. As individual songs, they work really well, but listening to it top to bottom as an album in one sitting, I can see how it would drag on slightly, with no real variation of genre throughout. I did, however, really enjoy the use of strings within the instrumentation. Standouts: The Golden Age Guess I'm Doing Fine It's All In Your Mind End Of The Day

A really lovely, intimate album - stripped back instrumental, no vocal effects, just guitar and voice. It's really easy to get lost in the calmness of the album; however, it is the same as Sea Change by Beck... It's really lovely to listen to, but you have to be in a very specific mood for a lot of it to hit. The album itself is very short, 27 minutes, with one or two songs being around a minute long. These were nice tracks to break up the album, with one of them being purely instrumental.

This was my first time sitting down and actually listening to Jazz; this was probably my first time sitting and listening to any instrumental stuff. I strangely enjoyed it. I was on a walk for half the album, and I got really lost in it. I actually enjoyed this to the point where I have made a Jazz/Instrumental playlist on my spotify. I thought the use of the guitar was lovely, and the layered percussion especially pricked the ear up. Favourites: Desfinado - lovely opener Samba Triste Samba De Uma Nota So E Luxo So - The panning of the sax left, and the strings on the right added a nice bit of depth to the piece

This was my first time sitting down and listening to this genre. I have to say that it really just isn't for me... The instrumentation, the vocals, the production - really well executed, but just not my kind of music. I feel like, as a singer, I just prefer a melody I can follow within a different style. That, again, is not to say that this isn't a good album. I can see why it is as big as it is amongst fans, and I can see why this album was detrimental to the development of this style of music moving forward, but it's just not for me. They also felt a bit too long for my liking. Stand-outs: Master Of Puppets Battery

I think that this would be a clear example of how music is a form of art. I have recently found a slight interest in Jazz music, having listened to it for the first time very recently, and this just solidifies my new love for it. Her vocals are beautifully crafted and flow very nicely with the music. The instrumentation is classically that of what you would usually find in Jazz, but it doesn't sound like 'any other' Jazz song that you would have on in the background. There are stories behind the songs, and Nina Simone tells them powerfully through the art of music. Favourites: I Love Your Lovin' Ways Four Women That's All I Ask

This album really, truly surprised me. A 4-track album with tracks reaching upwards of 15 minutes, yet not a dull moment, never a point of thinking 'how long is left?'. This is a mix of jazz and funk, done in a way that keeps you intrigued. This was the first ever Jazz record to go platinum, and you can see why. The impact this album had was huge, influencing both pop and hip-hop later on. Before listening to this record, I didn't think it would be something that I would want to come back to again, but I have even added 1 or 2 of the tracks onto my own playlist. And Chameleon... what an opening track. It really sets the mood of the genre right from the start. Favourite Track: Chameleon (I wish I could pick multiple, but with it being a 4-track record, I am going to only choose the one).

This is one of Queen's more experimental albums, before their sound was fully discovered. Many of their songs around this time were based on fairy tales from lands Freddie Mercury and his sister had made up when they were younger, one of which was Rhye, mentioned in Seven Seas of Rhye. It wasn't until A Night At The Opera that their sound was discovered, and their fame was spread internationally. It was this album that solidified their name in the UK. I personally enjoy the later albums a bit more, but I do enjoy listening back to their experimental methods while making music earlier on. My only thought when it comes to Queen is that their hits are too spread out in a way. In many of their albums, there are only one or two well-known songs, and the rest just feel a bit 'meh', which is why I suppose they decided to make several Greatest Hits albums so all the hits were together. I usually prefer to listen to studio albums rather than compiled albums; however, in the case of Queen, I would have to say I have much more fun listening to the Greatest Hits than a studio album start to finish... That, however, does not mean I didn't enjoy this album, because I did, and I found some of the tracks brilliant. Favourite Tracks: White Queen (As It Began) The March Of The Black Queen Seven Seas Of Rhye

This is one of the best albums, I think, to come out of a band. I think that this is a no-skip album, worthy of its praise. There are some softer tracks mixed into this record, which I think work really well. Wasted Time (Reprise) is a beautiful filler to split the first and second half of the album. There is a clear difference between the first and second half of this record, but unlike a lot of others, this doesn't make you want to turn it off after the first five tracks. Favourites: New Kid in Town Life in the Fast Lane Wasted Time (Reprise) Hotel California

I wasn't a fan of this album. The vocals really caught me off guard and didn't really fit in well with the feel of the tracks; it took a while to get used to. There were one or two songs that stood out slightly more, but I genuinely cannot get over how much I didn't like 'No Peace For The Wicked'... It seemed like a jumbled mess, to be totally honest. I enjoyed the instrumentation, but that was about it. Stand-outs: Another Girl, Another Planet Breaking Down It's The Truth

The album as a whole was okay, it's just not my usual style of music. I enjoyed the instrumentation and the vocals, but the songs altogether just didn't really speak to me personally. But that doesn't mean it isn't an objectively good album; it is just my personal preference. There were more stand-outs than filler, to be totally honest, which I did like. There were a couple of tracks that, in the chorus, I kind of thought, 'yeah, I might listen to that again'. Stand-outs: My Wave The Day I Tried To Live Mailman Limo Wreck (my favourite)

A really defined sound, in my opinion. I'm starting to become more of a fan of instrumental albums, and this one has solidified my new love for them. The opening track really sets the mood of the album as a whole, and I was hooked from start to finish. I enjoyed the addition of 'Mo' Onion', which sort of served as a sort of filler or break for the album. It had the underlying sound and feel of the opener, but with a slight variation. Great album. Favourites: Green Onions Mo' Onions Twist and Shout

Both vocally and instrumentally, this is a really intimate album. The vocals are beautiful, sung with a lot of passion and feeling. You can hear his influence in later works, such as 'Off The Wall' - I feel that a couple of the tracks have a similar feel. It goes to show how influential Al Green was as an artist at that time. His influence even shows today, with modern/up-and-coming artists making music that feels shaped by this, such as Olivia Dean. The percussion in 'What Is This Feeling' particularly works well, utilising triplets to carry the track forward. The backing vocals are also too prominent not to mention - I really love the use of them in 'Old Time Lovin''. I really feel they add to the groove as a whole, the same in 'I've Never Found a Girl'. Favourites: So You're Leaving Let's Stay Together What Is This Feeling

This just isn't my thing at all. I personally cannot think of anything worse than sitting through any sort of drum and bass, never mind nearly two hours of it. This kind of music feels almost too obnoxious to me and does nothing for me. I believe that for fans of this type of music, it is probably quite a good album; it has some variety to it, but again, for me personally, I truly don't understand it. If you were to play me any of the tracks again, I wouldn't be able to tell you which track it was if you gave me all the possible guesses. They're just so forgetful to me. I don't have any favourites, but I suppose here are the ones that gave slightly more variety, to me, than the others: Beatbox Morse Code (as annoying as I found it) Let's Get It On Jazz

I didn't dislike this. There were quite a few really good tracks, but I think it's always a slight downfall when there are ever so slightly more 'meh' songs than songs I really enjoyed. That being said, in all, it was an enjoyable album to listen to. I've been given some not-so-great albums to listen to, so this one was a nice, refreshing change. There are one or two tracks I would put on my playlist, but other than that, I think it is an alright album. The vocals and instrumentation are really good and work well together. Favourites: Sunday Bloody Sunday Seconds The Refugee New Year's Day

While not being a big fan of country music in general, I was ever so slightly dreading the album. That being said, I actually had fun listening to it. I don't really think I have ever allowed myself to sit down and actually listen to any country music. I also feel that a lot of the time, it has this sort of stigma about it. But as I said, I had fun listening to it. Prine's vocals were really lovely to listen to and suited the tracks he was making. There are obviously some songs that stand out more than others, but altogether it was a decent album, and not a bad one at all to have as my first country album. Favourites: Illegal Smile Sam Stone Your Flag Decal Won't Get You into Heaven Anymore Flashback Blues

This is a genre I don't really listen to all that often, but I enjoyed this album quite a lot. I seem to recognise the track 'Embryonic Journey' from the F.R.I.E.N.D.S finale, but I could be wrong. Either way, it is a really lovely instrumental track to separate the first half from the second half of the album, with 'White Rabbit', a more upbeat song, following straight after. My only slight issue is that after 'White Rabbit', the songs weren't quite as strong as the first half of the album. I enjoyed the order of this album though; there weren't too many of the same feel in a row, but there was never a point where the change was so drastic or unexpected. All in all, this is an album I would probably listen to again. Favourites (In Order): Embryonic Journey Somebody To Love She Has Funny Cars

I had heard of Beastie Boys before, but knew very little about them. I had no idea what their genre was or what they really did in the music industry. This album was a pleasant surprise and a great introduction to the group. I enjoyed the versatility of the tracks, including the number of instrumentals scattered throughout, adding variation. The changes in genre for the backing tracks also add another layer to the tracks. There were several tracks that I really had fun listening to. However, there have to be some honourable mentions for creativity, such as Heart Attack Man and Shambala. Favourites: Get It Together Alright Hear This Flute Loop

I'm usually not a big fan of this genre of music, but I actually found this one okay. There were a few that kind of just slipped to the back of my mind and I lost concentration, but I actually think that is a good thing with some music, it shows you can just sit with it and not have to pay attention to anything. Some of these would be really good background music to listen to. Saying this, I did actually have two or three tracks that I found really enjoyable. I love the versatility of the tracks, and the vocals used in some of the songs were perfect. It's just one of those genres I won't really catch myself wanting to listen to. I also have to admit, 'My Weakness' as the album closer is the perfect choice; it is beautifully written and works well to close everything off. It shows such a high contrast from the way the album begins. Favourites: Honey Natural Blues Find My Baby My Weakness

If I'm being brutally honest, I found this album interesting, not exciting. This really didn't give me anything at all while listening to it. I think that compositionally, these are really interesting and well-put-together pieces of music, but I just didn't like listening to them all that much. But again, that doesn't mean I haven't acknowledged the musicality of it. I didn't really have any 'favourites' per se, but there were definitely ones that stood out more than others. Stand-outs: The Gnome Promenade, Pt.3 Nutrocker The Great Gates of Kiev

This, to me, felt more like backing music than something I would sit and listen to top to bottom. Many of the reviews I have seen of this album are really high ratings, and they talk about the nostalgia of the album. I never listened to this while growing up, so I feel that maybe it's more of a nostalgia thing, taking people back to when life was easier, rather than it actually being an objectively great album. I feel like this is the same as my reasoning behind loving 'Back To Bedlam' by James Blunt. I grew up with that album, so I love listening to it, and it is forever one of my favourite albums. But this album, I feel, is a sort of list of songs that just blur into each other. I was awaiting a catchy hook or lyric, but I was left disappointed. However, that being said, as background music, this is really lovely to listen to. The vocals, harmonies, and instrumentals flow really well together and sort of help you to zone out in a way and give you the chance to just sit and breathe. But trying to actually sit and listen to each song while paying attention becomes a bit tedious, and the tracks sort of drag on a bit too much for me. Stand-outs: Real Love Lover of Mine Walk in the Park

As a whole, I thought this album was okay... Nothing special, but a good listen from start to end. I just felt that some of the songs on the album sounded too similar. I understand that the genre of the album isn't really going to change much throughout, but I just think that some of the songs sounded a bit too much like each other, which meant that it took a bit more to make any songs stand out. I think 'Carry On' is a really good opening track; it introduces you to the sound of the album with a really upbeat feel. I really enjoy the stacked vocals/harmonies throughout the entire album; they work really well and aren't ever overused. It is slightly shorter than most albums, but I think, for this, it works well that way; I think much longer, and it would have started to slightly drone on after a while. The songs themselves seemed a good length, with some variation of a couple of longer ones and shorter ones thrown in the mix. I think the way the instrumental worked in 'Deja Vu' was very clever, also. The start of the track consists of a very short, repeating instrumental motif, giving a genuine sense of deja vu. Favourites: Almost Cut My Hair Deja Vu Our House Everybody I Love You

Top to bottom, a really well-crafted album. I think it is a shame that this is the only studio album by this band, but what we got was great anyway. This is a really sonically strong album right from the start. Some songs stood out slightly more than others, and I feel that, unfortunately, 'Thorn Tree In The Garden' didn't do this album justice as the closing song. I think an album should finish the way it started, and with 'I Looked Away' starting the album off strong, it just feels disappointing for the album to finish this way. Favourites: Layla Bell Bottom Blues Tell The Truth Have You Ever Loved A Woman?

Rockier music isn't the usual style that I like to listen to, but this really caught me off guard. I had only ever heard 'Seven Nation Army' by The White Stripes before, and with it being the opening track of the album, I expected the rest of the album ot sound very similar to this. I was very quickly proven wrong. 'In The Cold, Cold Night' really shifts the direction of the album quite early on, leaving me wondering what the next song would sound like each time. I actually struggled to just pick three favourites for this, as I really enjoyed quite a few of them, so I am writing down five. Favourites (in order): The Air Near My Fingers In The Cold, Cold Night The Hardest Button to Button It's True That We Love One Another Ball and Biscuit

I was expecting much more from this album based on other reviews, but, to me, it really underdelivered. There were obviously a few that I thought were decent, but nothing that pricked up my ears. I have, outside of this album, heard a few other songs by Lorde, and these just don't match up to those compositions. I feel that, in many songs, there wasn't much emphasis on the beat of the track, so I spent the first half of many songs, like 'Liability (Reprise)', trying to figure out the beat of the song... and with her singing over the top of a track with no emphasis, it sounded really out of time even though it wasn't. However, I did also find that with the songs with a clear beat, some of the lines were very off-beat, and it just made it quite hard to listen to. That being said, again, I did enjoy a few tracks. Favourites: Green Light Liability Sober II (Melodrama) Supercut

It was hard to engage fully in the music, not knowing the language they were singing in, but the music as a whole has a lot of feel and passion throughout. My main fault with this album was the tonal shift in the second half... There was a clear shift in the songs, from more upbeat and experimental to sorrowful, and it made the second half of the album fall slightly flat for me. Favourites: Soubour Irganda Al Tchere Bele

I'm not really the biggest country fan myself, so I feel that any review I make on country albums is slightly biased towards my taste, but then at the end of the day, it is my review, and I'm only writing down my own personal opinions on the album. I enjoyed the vocals; Gillian Welch has some lovely vocal delivery, and her harmonies throughout are beautiful. The only thing I actually am not a fan of is the actual songs themselves, due to my just not really loving this genre. There were obviously a few songs that I thought were really lovely, like 'I Dream a Highway', a 15-minute album-closer, but nothing I would choose to go back and listen to again. I was surprised by doing the '1001 Albums' that I hadn't had a sudden awakening of a new love for different genres, such as country, but so far I've only found a new liking for jazz, strangely. However, with this album, there is some lovely songwriting, and especially beautiful singing; it is just my own taste that has let this down for me. Favourites: I Dream a Highway I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll April the 14th Pt. 1

I've never truly just sat down and listened to a Bowie album before, so this one was my first one. It was a very interesting one to start with, consisting of nearly the same number of instrumental tracks as songs with lyrics. I am unsure if this is the norm for Bowie, but I have never heard an instrumental track by him before today. I personally enjoyed these more than the songs with vocals on; They were easy to get lost in and just played in the background. Really lovely instrumentation throughout, and such a unique vocal delivery from Bowie himself. Favourites: A New Career in a New Town Art Decade Sound and Vision

I really enjoyed this album from start to finish. I much preferred this one to 'Ill Communication' if I'm being totally honest, even though the songs seemed slightly less experimental. To me, this seemed like a very strong album, where they knew what sound they wanted and executed it very well. The album starts with such an upbeat feel, giving you expectations for the rest of the tracks, which don't fall flat at all. I usually dislike albums with too many tracks; I think around 12 is perfect for an album, but with the length of these songs being slightly shorter, even with a 23-track album, the length is perfect. I enjoy the addition of '5-Piece Chicken Dinner' thrown in the mix; it feels really random and shows their humour incorporated into their music. Favourites (in order): Egg Man Johnny Ryall B-Boy Bouillabaisse: Dropping Names 3-Minute Rule High Plains Drifter

Another album which general style isn't really my taste. Saying this however, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I have never listened to an album by The Clash before, only one or two songs that've been playing on the radio or on TV. I liked the messages of many of the songs, in particular 'White Riot' and their message of inclusivity. I think it is good when a band or artist uses their publicity to spread awareness and important messages. Favourites: I'm so bored with the USA Hate & War Career Opportunities 48 Hours

I really don't know what to say about this one... There were many good things about this album, but then a lot fell flat for me, too. The vocals, throughout, were lovely to listen to. Nico's voice has a really soothing quality to it, further supported by the calming tones of the instruments throughout the entire album. However, I feel you can always have too much of something. After the first 4 songs, it started to become... boring, I suppose. I really enjoyed the first half of the album, but then, when realising that the rest of the songs sounded pretty much the same, I started to get a bit fed up with it. Listening to these songs separately, maybe mixed in a playlist, I feel I would enjoy them a lot more. But one after the other, it becomes tedious. As much as 'Chelsea Girls' is one of my favourite tracks on the album, I feel it went on for a bit too long. I love a lengthy song, but only when it utilises the time to experiment a bit and try different things throughout. A repetitive song that lasts 7 minutes, however, kind of leaves you waiting for it to end... It was the same feeling I had when I was listening to 'Elvis Presley Blues' by Gillian Welch. Granted, this song by Welch was only 5 minutes, but it was incredibly repetitive from start to finish. Favourites: The Fairest Of The Seasons These Days Chelsea Girls

I enjoyed the first part of this album - but with no songs standing out, it all just started to blend together. There was no variety, really, which slightly disappointed me. However, I did enjoy some individual songs. The lyrics are very melancholy from top to bottom, setting a very common theme for the album. I have not heard anything by this artist before, but I may give them a listen later on. However, I feel that you have to be in a very specific mood to listen to this genre. Favourites: Darklands Happy When It Rains April Skies

I had only ever heard of the opening track, 'More Than a Feeling', so I was curious as to how the rest of this album would live up to such a well-known, successful track, if that was even possible. It very quickly became clear that this wasn't just a 'one-hit-wonder' situation. Every one of these tracks hit very well in their own respective way. This is a very classic 1970's rock sound, and it works incredibly well. The vocals are really great, and are well-supported by the instrumentation. I particularly, within instrumentation, enjoyed the guitar solo at the end of 'Hitch a Ride'. Favourites (in order): Something About You More Than a Feeling Foreplay / Long Time

This album, start to finish, is full of that classic late 50's 'barbershop quartet' sound. It has such a fun, freeing feeling to it. The instrumentals are bouncy and lead the songs forward so well. Buddy Holly's vocals are definitely a standout, with the backing vocals supporting this very strongly. This album was fun to listen to, having listened to a couple of these songs when I was a lot younger, but now I am the age to truly appreciate different/older styles of music. Lyrically, music seemed to be so much simpler, earlier on, but this was very well executed. I also enjoyed the sadder songs in the album; however, I just feel that the album is too short. Favourites: Oh Boy! That'll Be The Day I'm Lookin' For Someone To Love

I was not a fan of this album at all. There was really nothing pulling me in, and nothing at all keeping me interested. With the songs being this long, I would have hoped for a lot more, anything really. I wasn't a fan of the spoken-word intros, and I didn't enjoy the vocals when they started singing. It is hard for me to find anything interesting within any of these tracks, and I don't think I will be listening to any songs from this album again. I have no favourite tracks as I didn't enjoy any of them.

I didn't expect to enjoy this album at all... however, I was incredibly surprised to find that I enjoyed this album from start to finish. I will definitely be listening to this one again. The vocals are great throughout, with the instruments supporting. I really enjoyed the use of piano in such a 'rock n' roll' setting; It really added a nice touch, and gave me something interesting to listen out for, especially in the introduction of 'Bat Out of Hell'. In particular, I really liked the addition of the saxophone in 'All Revved Up with No Place to Go'. I am not usually a big fan of overly long songs; however, in this album, each song has a reason to carry on. There are new parts being added, texture changes, or even a completely new-sounding part, like in 'Paradise By the Dashboard Light'. Due to there only being 7 songs (and all of them being good contenders), rather than picking 3 favourites, I will rank each track from favourite to least favourite. Ranking: 1. Paradise By the Dashboard Light 2. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad 3. All Revved Up with No Place to Go 4. Bat Out of Hell 5. Heaven Can Wait 6. For Crying Out Loud 7. You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth

Since doing the '1001 Albums Challenge', this is actually probably the most fun I have had with an album that it has generated for me. This is, I would say, a really good example of 'don't judge a book by its cover', as when I first looked at the cover, I instantly thought I would dislike the album, as judging from the cover, I thought there would be too much going on within the music, but I was still unsure of what the genre itself would be. I was obviously pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this. I really enjoyed some of the intros that included monologues or scene setting; it added a nice touch and set the tone of the songs really nicely. I would 100% listen to this again, and other music by GZA. I had never heard of this artist before, so I am glad that my first impression of them was this great. Favourites (I'm picking 6 due to me enjoying all of them): Label Investigative Reports Liquid Swords Hell's Wind Staff / Killah Hills 10304 Shadowboxin' B.I.B.L.E (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)

This is so random. I genuinely don't know whether I like it or not. I suppose the creativity is absolutely off the charts, but the surrounding topics of some of the songs are just a bit odd... The whole concept of 'Dr. Octagon' being an 'extraterrestrial gynaecologist' is just weird, and some of the dialogue throughout is disturbing, especially in the song 'A Visit To The Gynecologyst'. I did, however, find 'General Hospital' somewhat amusing, with the last line being 'Oh shit, there's a horse in the hospital!'. This line alone is what the first star in my rating is for. The backing tracks, however, were great throughout, and they may be the only reason that this is getting more than a 1-star rating... With that, here are some of the songs that stood out to me more than the others (this in no way means I enjoyed all of them): Earth People General Hospital A Visit To The Gynecologyst I'm Destructive

This was a really lovely album to listen to, if I'm being honest. There is a lot of passion behind not only the vocals but the lyrics as well in Dolly Parton's music. A lot of this album is Dolly Parton recounting times when she was younger, making a lot of the tracklist feel quite sweet to listen to. This is a very short album, so it's over quite quickly. I think this could have worked better with slightly longer tracks, but I do think they also work well as they are. I really enjoyed the opening track, 'Coat of Many Colours', where she spoke of a time when she was younger, when her mother made her a coat from rags; The other kids made fun of her, but she states that you're 'only poor if you choose to be'. I thought that was a really lovely line in the song, recounting that she may not have had much money growing up, but it was the love that she was given where she was 'rich'. Favourites: Coat of Many Colours Traveling Man Here I am A Better Place To Live

I thought I would have a lot more fun with this album than I did, unfortunately. With this band being so well-known, I think I had much higher expectations going into it than an album I'd never heard of before. I enjoyed the first track, 'Shining Star', as it really set the tone for what I was expecting later on. The issue is that if you have a song with a strong opening, the rest needs to meet that level, otherwise it only gets worse from there. This review has sounded quite harsh, I think, but it is just my opinion on this album. Vocally and instrumentally, this is amazing... The groove in some of the tracks is unmatched, but where it falls flat is the songwriting for me, for a lot of the tracks. Some of the songs feel kind of forgettable and something you'd have on more in the background. Stand-outs: Shining Star Happy Feelin' Africano

I wasn't really a big fan of this album at all. It all seemed a bit sludged together with nothing really standing out at all. I personally found all of these tracks very forgettable, with nothing to them. I think it's always a tell-tale sign of an album not being great when you're constantly checking the tracklist to see how many more songs you have to sit through until the end. Instrumentally, it's okay, and vocally, it's not awful, but the whole thing just seems a bit boring to me, like something you'd have on in the background as just sort of noise. There were no real standouts to me in this album, as they were all fairly forgettable to me, unfortunately.

Right from the opening of the album, the percussion was a main standout for me, really pushing the tracks forward. I was very surprised when the vocals came in… I still don’t know whether that was a good thing at the time. It definitely made my listening experience of ‘The Fun Powder Plot’ interesting, as I didn’t know what to expect from the rest of the album. I have to admit, the lyrics are definitely out there, but I still had fun listening to them. I can see how the vocals would definitely be disliked by some, and I am surprised that I wasn’t one of these people, but I just think in their own weird way, they work with the tracks really well. I also have to mention the track ‘Underbelly’; I really enjoyed the instrumental of this track, from the piano at the start, leading into the pitched percussion at the end, ringing the notes out in a sort of ‘eerie’ tone. I also think it was just a very random, out-there track that I enjoyed listening to. Some of the tracks, however, felt a bit long and boring… they ended up droning on with no real hook or interesting part to listen to. With no real shift in between songs, it starts to all blend, leaving you wanting slightly more variation within the tracks. I also feel like ‘Two Dancers (i)’ was one of the weakest tracks on the whole album, luckily having ‘Two Dancers (ii)’ be slightly stronger and pulling it back… however, you would think with it being the title track that it would be the most memorable or experimental song, but it just left me feeling a bit empty. I think that ‘All The King’s Men’ was a better track to have the album named after, or even ‘This Is Our Lot’, as they stood out much more. (3.5 stars, so I will round it up to 4|0. Favourites: Underbelly All The King’s Men This Is Our Lot Empty Nest

I have to admit that I wasn't expecting to enjoy this album all so much, based on the previous album by Beck, 'Sea Change'. I saw so many good reviews towards that album, praising the emotional change of sound, but I wasn't a huge fan... That is why this album was a slight surprise to me. Some of the songs just had fun, and I was all for it. The instrumentation is definitely experimental and fun, giving you something new with each song. My only thing with this album, which I wasn't such a fan of, was it seemed to go on for a bit too long. Yes, the songs were fun at the start, but after a while it got slightly tiring. Maybe this album wasn't made to be listened to top to bottom, but either way, it feels like one of those where you should listen to a couple at a time and then go back to it later on, which I ended up having to do. I did, however, absolutely love 'Que' Onda Guero' and I have added it to a few of my playlists. Favourites: Que' Onda Guero Hell Yes Girl (purely for the instrumentation)

A very upbeat album from top to bottom. This is the first album by Little Richard that I have listened to all the way through, and I enjoyed it. The album, however, feels slightly short and is over too quickly. 'Tutti Frutti' is the perfect opening track for this album, showing off Little Richard's vocal range and style from the get-go. The only thing letting this album down is how the songs are a little bit too similar, with some even sounding nearly the same. Favourites: Tutti Frutti True, Fine Mama Oh Why?

It's incredibly hard to connect on a relatable level, or even many levels at all, to music that is not in your native language; therefore, I didn't know what each song was about, so there was no real meaning to me behind what I was listening to. So it feels harsh for me to be giving this two stars when I can't listen to the album the way this artist intended me to, however this rating is of my own personal listening experience, and it is just the way I feel... if I can't connect to the music that I am listening to, I find it much harder to enjoy or find any real meaning. That aside, I enjoyed the styles of instrumentation throughout; it was very danceable and kept a solid groove throughout the entire album. There is nothing inherently 'wrong' with this album, but this is just how I felt listening to it. Although it was easy to sit back and just let the music play. There were no tracks that really stood out to me or felt 'better' than any other.

This is a concept which I surprisingly haven't seen before. It is such a clever idea to have the album sort of feel like a radio station, with songs separated by adverts, showing the commercialism within not just radio, but music itself. The songs themselves fell slightly flat for me, with nothing really exciting me. If it wasn't for the interesting concept of the album, I think it would be quite forgettable, if I'm being honest. There is nothing really 'wrong' in any sense with the vocals, instruments or any of the songs... they just feel a bit dull to me, I suppose. I think that this idea for an album, supported by strong tracks, could make for a really good project, but the execution isn't all there. For creativity, though, I think this would be an album that I will think about from time to time, and maybe even listen to again. Music can be interesting and different if people think outside the box, and that is what makes it so flexible and intriguing. There are no limits to what you can do with music, and this is just one example. Stand-outs: Heinz Baked Beans I Can See For Miles Silas Stingy Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand - Alternative

I've heard really good things about this album, but in my personal opinion, it isn't my style. I found nothing wrong per se with anything in particular; nothing really stood out at all, that's really all it was. A couple of tracks caught my attention slightly, but other than that, it was quite hard to stay invested. This may be one of those albums for me that I would have to listen to maybe another one or two times to really catch any interest, but for now, this is all I have to say about this album. Tracks that stood out slightly more than others: Rain When I Die Rooster Them Bones

First of all, I really like the album cover. I think that this somehow perfectly fits the feel of the album as a whole. This gave me the same sort of feel as a slightly edgier, yet also more party-like, version of The Beatles. I had a lot of fun with this album, with none of the songs really missing. The lyrics are well-crafted throughout, keeping you interested. The only thing I found is that the songs start to become a bit 'safe' after a while. They found a really solid sound for the album, but there's not much variety or risk at all. I think the songs are a good length, and so is the album as a whole. 'Party Line' was a really great opener, introducing the vibe The Kinks were going with, as even the slightly more meaningful songs have a slightly upbeat feel to them. Favourites: Party Line Session Man Sunny Afternoon