A surprisingly enjoyable listen as I hadn’t really heard any Doors apart from the absolutely obvious starter songs. So much more bluesy than I expected. A great start to my 1001 albums journey.
I went to see them live, and I want to like it more but it is a little bit too lo-fi for me, and a bit same-y
I’d forgotten how lyrically clever Eminem is. The album as a whole works really well together however the genre isn’t quite where I’m at. For occasional listening however, when I’m in the mood? Perfect.
I love Nick Drake. I get an immediate sense of calm whenever he is on. I hadn’t however heard this album before, it had been a welcome addition to my knowledge of his work. Will definitely be listening to this again.
A beautiful album that I have listened to many times. Tracy’s voice is like velvet. 4/5
A lovely album, and one that I hadn’t heard from start to finish before. It felt very top-loaded but I very much enjoyed Roy Rogers towards the end. I understand the acclaim this record has received. Whilst not perfectly in my wheelhouse, I spent a nice hour and a bit with it. 3/5.
Not my cup of tea. Maybe I just like certain songs in Hair Rock. A full album such as this leaves me a little cold. Pleasant enough but doesn’t butter my parsnips. 2/5.
I was so tempted to give this my first 1-star as it was unremittingly one paced and felt like one long diatribe with a couple of breaks in. But then we had a couple of “slightly” more upbeat numbers (e.g. So Long, Marianne) which uplifted things slightly. Not one I shall be returning to, however. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be my cup of tea, and so it proved. 2/5 (just).
This album was a pleasant surprise. I’ve clearly listened to Pet Sounds but none of the back catalogue or side projects from any of the members. This is the joy of this project. I can’t ever see a time I would have decided to give this a spin, but having listened to it, I’m so glad I did.
You can hear the Beach Boys in there but there are large parts that have a real jazz/funk vibe and they really resonated.
Time & Pacific Ocean Blues stand out tracks for me.
4/5
I love this album. It’s the last time I will look at the reviews before putting an album on as I was expecting this to be a really tough listen. Instead I had a smile on my face the whole way through. Maybe it’s because 1989 is right in my sweet spot, I don’t know but this really did the trick. QL’s rapping is on point and the samples didn’t bother me as this is really what I’ve grown up with. It’s just another musical device and she uses it brilliantly.
A straightforward 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. This is almost the quintessential ’80’s album. Full of life and made by a band who truly believe in what they are doing. The Hurting was a terrific first album but they raised all levels with this. The singles are all terrific, of course, but the whole album speaks to me. It came along just at the time I was starting to appreciate music so that is part of it, but it just signifies the era for me in a way that almost nothing else does.
Another 5/5 for me. The peak of Robert Smith’s power.
I dismissed The Cure growing up (there was also a Robert Smith lookalike at University and that put me off!) but I have come to appreciate them so much more over the last few years.
Smith’s retreat back to melancholia works perfectly and the result is a true piece of work.
I was so prepared to dislike this album. Admittedly I was only going on the premise that “Groove is in the Heart” would be their only decent song and I have heard that one to death. However, it is a much fresher sound than I expected and a very pleasant listen. 3/5
Another really pleasant surprise. A record I’ve never owned so this was a voyage of discover outside of the singles. The title track at 11 minutes was a glorious prog-pop masterpiece and I really enjoyed the cover in the middle. Overall an ambitious pop record that stands the test of time. 4/5.
Rockabilly doesn’t massively do it for me, although it does give me Easy Rider vibes, which is no bad thing.
Pleasant enough but not one that I would be playing again.
I can, however, appreciate how this must sound to lovers of this type of music. Pleased to have heard it, 3/5.
This is what makes this website so powerful - I had never heard of this album or group and I would certainly never have hit play. This sort of hip-hop is not massively my bag but I did enjoy a c couple of numbers - Oh Shit and Ya Mama were highlights for me.
There are clearly so many bands that I’ve listened to the singles of and never bought the albums. The Specials are another one of these. I had my fears during the first half of this that this would be singles plus filler but things notably picked up for me, not least with Concrete Jungle and Monkey Man.
The Specials define an era as well as any other band and there wouldn’t really be much Ska without them. For that, it is a solid 3/5.
The only Steely Dan album I had listened to prior to this is “Aja” so I had high hopes. It didn’t disappoint. I like their approach fusing jazz with rock - their sound appeals to me.
“Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” is a stellar way to start things off and it continues in that vein.
You have to hand it to them, within the first couple of bars, you are under no illusion as to who you are listening to. Quite the achievement. 4/5
I wanted to like this, I really did, but I got extremely bored very quickly. One continuous noise for 45 minutes as far as I could make out. Jack’s nasal whining did nothing for me, but Meg’s drum work did offer a little bit of salvation. Not enough though. 2/5.
Perfectly pleasant and as far as country albums go, most enjoyable. RIP Dolly, you were a force of nature. 3/5.
A pleasant listening experience and not what I was expecting. More of an Americana/Country mix than pure Country which I enjoyed. It was, however, a bit one paced and bar a couple of examples it is difficult to pick out one song from another. I do see the appeal of Emmylou, but not really my cup of tea. 2/5
I have such a love/hate relationship with Bob Dylan. I normally find him extremely difficult to listen to and find his nasal whine a little off putting. However, everything came together (for me) perfectly in this album and it is a true masterpiece. It is heartfelt and brilliantly written. A tour de force and a very easy 5/5.
I was poised, ready to give my first 1-star review until I started to just get into this a little. The noise rock of The Icarus Line made me think of At The Drive In, a band I haven’t given two hoots about for 20 years. An assault on the ears, yes, but there were some tunes in there.
I can’t say I wasn’t glad when it finished though. 2/5.
I imagine that The Temptations were purely Motown based on what I’d heard so was pleasantly surprised when there was a large amount of funk thrown in.
The album however was very front loaded for me and I became slightly fatigued towards the end.
An enjoyable trip through the psychedelic late-60’s. I hadn’t heard anything from The Zombies (or so I thought) so it was a fresh listen. Until “Time of the Season” showed up as the last track and it all started to make a bit of sense. 3/5
Farcically, this is the first time I have listened to a Bowie album from start to finish (case in point, I had always assumed that Life on Mars would be on Ziggy Stardust). I really enjoyed it.
It wasn’t as earth shattering as I wanted it to be, but that isn’t to say that it isn’t a great record. Life on Mars is one of the best songs ever committed to vinyl and Changed is a great track also. 4/5.
So having gone from never listening to a Bowie album I’ve now had two in two days. I prefer this to Hunky Dory. Heroes is a masterpiece and I have to say, I really enjoyed the Eno-inspired synth arrangements in side 2. 4/5.
I felt like I should be dancing round a maypole with cymbals on my knees listening to this. Folk isn’t my bag, albeit the songs weren’t interminable. Faint praise, but no more than 2/5.
Decent, but as I hadn’t really delved in to The Who albums already, the live album was probably a step too far. Happy with what I heard but I will probably dive into the studio albums at a later date to find out more.
This album grew on me as I listened to it. It was the point at which the funk element started featuring more prominently to me than the soul. I then enjoyed it immensely. So much so that I am upgrading it to a four over my previously chosen 3.
I told myself to not read the reviews before I listened to the album. That didn’t happen this time, and as a result I was ready for a disappointment. How wrong I was. The older I get, and the further away from the young indie kid in the ‘90’s that I was, the more I am appreciating dance music (and in this case, techno). I was transported to another realm and loved every minute of it. There were a lot of 1-star reviews for this and it just goes to show why there are so many genres. Something for everyone.
Lovely, pleasant soul music. The title track opens the album however, and it never gets better than that. Not to say the rest of the album is a waste of time, mind, but it hits its high water mark early. 3/5.
I’m a huge fan of Bob Mould and this album felt like returning to my indie boy roots. But it is too long. There isn’t enough variety to support a double album and this is sufficient for me to knock it down to a 4/5.
You can see where Jeff got it from. Accessible Folk Rock and enjoyable enough.
It feels like I am in a non-stop run of folk-rock at the moment and here is another one. Albeit one that I enjoyed. The length of the album (another one) was way too long and a lot of the enjoyment I had evaporated somewhat after the 16th or 17th track. However, a solid 3/5 before it got to that point.
College Rock at its finest, and the Pixies at the top of their game. This is hugely representative of an era and, at least for me, it gives a big nostalgic feel to it. An easy 4/5.
Important messages contained within the interludes of this album. They were my favourite part, regrettably. The musical elements were not to my taste, unfortunately. This type of R&B does nothing for me other than persuading me to nod off. Actually that’s quite a useful tool. 2/5
This was a joy to listen to. I have made it a rule that (listening through Spotify) I only listen to the tracks on the original release so I stopped before the numerous remixes started. What a lovely album. Such well known singles but the whole album flowed and it was over before I had even settled in.
I expected to dislike this album but have been pleasantly surprised. Yet again, another bloated album however which did spoil things somewhat. However my opinion of George as a songwriter has strengthened on listening to this. 3/5.
Certainly a more preferable ZZ Top to the ‘80s band they turned in to but still nothing to write home about. A decent album of bluesy, pool hall rock but nothing that fires the senses. For me. 3/5
This started off reasonably well and I had high expectations. But as it developed, it just turned into Thom Yorke derivative slop. Oh the warbling. Oh the inner torment. It’s been done before and better 2/5.
Pure Americana. Having listened to this I have a strange inclination to watch Smokey and the Bandit again.
Emmylou Harris is the palatable side of Country music for me. I like what she does and it doesn't sound derivative (which I think a lot of it does).
A solid 3/5 for me.
I think the algorithm is pranking me now - yet another country album. However, this is so stripped back it almost falls into folk. He’s a good storyteller, I will give him that but the music isn’t massively doing anything for me. 2/5.
I struggled with this. Not a pleasant listen, boy does Tom need a cough and some lemsip. Nice elements of honky-tonk here and there, but a bit raw for me.
I’m a big Mogwai fan so was anticipating this greatly but this was a really difficult listen. Ponderous dirge is the best way I can put it. My first 1/5.
I think there is a large amount of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” when it comes to Radiohead. I enjoyed Kid A and also Amnesiac here, but I cannot elevate this (as this is the album we are dealing with here) to such elevated status as it’s reputation demands. It is experimental, yes, and I wish there was a bit more of this about and a lot of it works, but it isn’t anything more for me than a really good experimental album. 3/5.
Another reviewer put this perfectly. The album seems to be saying “we know this is good, but wait for what’s coming next”. It is full of potential but contains everything you would want from early Beatles. How amazing to think it all happened in about 8 years. 4/5
Well that was a pleasant surprise. Most enjoyable. And I (almost) preferred Fred’s version of “Everybody’s Talkin’”.
It’s rare that I haven’t every heard of an entry on this list, but Fred I hadn’t. And therefore there would have been no conceivable way I would ever have heard this without doing this thing. And it is exactly why I signed up. 3/5.
I think I’ve reached my limit with Radiohead. I was on board for their first three albums and have tried to give their more experimental phase a fair crack but I just don’t think I have it in me. There are some decent entries here, The Gloaming for one but it isn’t enough to raise it above a 🤷🏻♂️ rating. Actually, that is too harsh. The second half of the album is much better than the first. I’ve given it an extra star and I feel much better about myself.
Excellent record. Once again, a band I have enjoyed exclusively via singles to this point. A really well crafted album and worthy of inclusion me thinks. 4/5.
A fair bit of noise here, to be expected. Not altogether unpleasant but not quite as melodic as I’d hoped.
Beautiful, mellow mood music again from Massive Attack. Won’t have a bad word said against them.
What a lovely listen. One of my dad’s favourite artists and it is high time I listened to one of her albums. Love and Affection is clearly the stand out track (very closely followed by Tall in the Saddle) but there isn’t a dud on here and her personality shines through from top to tail. 4/5
I was really keen to like this more than I did, but equally, I was pleased to enjoy it more than I feared I would. Loveless is a classic of the genre, this doesn’t massively add anything to what they have ordinarily done, but I have a feeling I will be listening to it again. 3/5.
I have a soft spot for The Byrds as in my mind, they are indelibly linked to that late ‘60’s flower power, Easy Rider, Jimi Hendrix period that is so evocative for me. You can spot their sound instantly, just like the Beach Boys. Good album.
Now we’re talking. One of my favourite bands and favourite albums. Great memories of seeing them play at my student union and this still feels fresh today. 4/5
Perfect! Led Zep taking their first baby steps, and what steps. A frankly ridiculous opening song in Good Times Bad Times and a thumping, blues-filled introduction to what was to come. 5/5
What would you call this? Folk-Electronicaca? A most bizarre mix and not entirely without its charms but not one I can realistically see myself revisiting.
The first track here was jarring, but I found myself getting drawn in. Of course, no idea of the lyrics but that doesn’t matter.
I’m pleased that this was offered up, although it is unlikely that I will pick it up for repeat listening.
Another case of pre-judging before I listened to it. I really enjoyed this - and no one is more surprised than me. Very melodic, Elvis as a frontman is more of a craftsman than I have him credit for.
African Jazz Funk. An enjoyable ride.
I’m incredibly conflicted with this. I enjoy the energy, the passion and the conviction together with the fact that NWA and Public Enemy issued in effectively a whole new genre. But the misogyny and subject matter as a whole leaves me cold. However ironic (or not) you are meant to take it.
This is a really disjointed album. Bits of it were great, proper college rock but the rest, I don’t know, just unnecessary grinding noise.
This album, and this band for that matter cannot, for me, be looked at in isolation. The time, coming out of punk, the members of the band, the tragedy that was so close and the fallout from it are all intertwined. The music is dense and gloomy, of course, but it is also charting a new path and it is a perfect time capsule of Britain at the turn of the new decade.
Once I got through the first few incredibly forced political tracks, I was able to focus more on the music and Moz’s velvety voice. It is difficult to separate the music from the cockwomble but I suppose you have to try.
A two hour album is way too long. This isn’t up to the quality of Siamese Dream for me but would have come closer but for the never ending nature of it. A slightly more sophisticated sound but I just couldn’t get away from the time it took to finish it.
I'm now caught up in some sort of '80's nostalgia loop. This is pretty much sell-out bubblegum rock but it works for the time. Sometimes you just want music that makes you smile, and this album does that. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and after struggling through Moz's You Are The Quarry a couple of days ago, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It has a place, there is plenty of room for everything in this world and that's fine by me.
