A masterpiece of an album. George blossoming as a songwriter, John and Paul at their absolute pomp, even Ringo’s Octopus’ Garden is a highlight. The invention of heavy metal. The genius that is the medley.
THE album you just hear before you die.
I’ll be honest, I was a bit disappointed when this was my album for today. Prior to listening my knowledge of Sade began and ended at Smooth Operator, and seeing that it’s the opening track I was preparing for a bit of a let down with the following tracks.
But honestly, I enjoyed this album. It’s not one I’ll probably come back too, but it’s smooth, soulful and just the right amount of jazzy. I can imagine this being played at dinner parties through the late 80’s and early 90’s. Smooth Operator is great, also really enjoyed Cherry Pie which I think is the best song on the album.
A few of the songs do outstay their welcome a bit, but their wasn’t a track I felt overly compelled to skip.
Can really hear that alot of modern artists like Arlo Parks and Celeste being influenced by this album.
Glorious album, a real snapshot of British bands in the 60’s.
Packed full of memorable lines and riffs, and made my drive to work a joy this morning. None of the real big hits on this album, which to me makes it even better.
The Kinks often get overlooked, but they are up there with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones as one of the most important bands in history.
A couple of songs which maybe haven’t aged as well as others, but nothing that feels too out of place.
Not just one of the best albums of the 90’s, but one of the best albums full stop.
Amidst the countless “lad culture” albums of the Britpop era, singing about drinking and fighting, Pulp came up with a dark and brooding album, filled with innuendo laden lyrics and sordid tales of debauchery.
The musicianship is levels above a lot that was released in this era, too. Not afraid to take risks and to release an album with actual dynamics which can jolt you out of your seat at times. Song structures leaving you not knowing what will come next.
Yes, then lyrics can sound questionable at times when listening back through 2026 ears. But you need to remember how tongue in cheek they are and Jarvis Cocker is. These are characters, not an autobiographical account.
The album is a slice of pop genius.
The birth of indie rock as we know it.
Jangly guitars, bass lines that largely reside beyond the 5th fret, four to the floor drums and the lyrics of a generation breaking out of the 70’s standards and fighting against emerging hair rock/metal.
Rough around the edges, but unmistakably REM where you can clearly see the direction they’re heading in.
A must listen for anyone into Indie rock and pop music.
Pleasant album to listen to. Nothing unexpected, very much in the Sam Cooke vein of bluesy soul. But not quite at Sam Cooke levels.
Fantastic voice, great range. Backing music and vocals aren’t breaking any new ground, even for 1964 they’re a little dated. But every now and then the odd track will surprise you and you wonder how good the album as a whole could have been. Won’t You Give Him (One More Chance) being a good example.
Solid album all in all.
Not a bad album. Typical acoustic 70’s folk/rock, with lyrics akin to Bob Dylan.
1975 is my favourite track.
Definitely worth a listen.
Not just an album that you just hear before you die, but a band you just hear before you die.
CCR are one of the bedrocks of rock and roll, and this is a superb album to start off with.
Commotion the standout track for me. Bad Moon Rising the crowd pleaser that everyone will know, whether you realise it or not.
Having only ever listened to Goo, I was really excited to get into more of Sonic Youth, and this album really didn’t disappoint.
Alternative with sprinkles of punk and avant garde. I get it’s not for everyone, but I really did enjoy this album a lot.
I’m a big fan of bands experimenting and veering away from the norm. Loads of alternative tunings, some made up by the band themselves, feedback loops, industrial noises that all intertwine with some truly great songs.
Glad I heard this album before I died.
I enjoyed it. An early indicator of the indie scene in the mid 2000’s but a lot more raw.
Will definitely listen again.
Exactly what you’d expect from a Willie Nelson album.
Conjuring images of starry nights in Texas by a campfire while he plays away.
Very pleasant album, easy to listen too. Nothing groundbreaking here, though.
Bit hit and miss. Some tracks I really enjoyed, like a punkier REM, but the album just goes on for far too long without any change in direction.
Would’ve earned an extra star had it been trimmed a bit.
Production isn’t the best, very trebley. Feels like the producer just decided that any bass frequencies needed to be quashed for some reason.
I mean, it’s a masterpiece of rock n roll.
Every track is a belter. When the Levy Breaks is one of the greatest tracks of all time.
You could take Stairway to Heaven off this album and it would still be phenomenal.
Made my Sunday morning getting to listen to this gem again.
THE album of the mid-2000’s.
Changed the musical landscape for a lot of people when this came out. The first band to really make it via word of mouth on social media.
Anyone that was a teenager in the UK in the 2000’s can relate to every song on this album. Social commentary at its best from a group of teenagers from Sheffield.
I remember playing this album to death, and I still do. It’s a masterpiece.
Riproaring drums, riffs and generational vocals.
A Certain Romance is the pick of the tracks, closing out the album with cacophony of teenage angst.
A truly perfect album.
I’ve always been aware of The Fall, but never really delved into them. I’ve always not really known where to start as Mark E Smith has such a vast catalogue as The Fall.
But this is what this list is for, and I really enjoyed this. You can hear so many influences in my favourite bands on just this album alone.
It’s UK punk at its best, ramshackle and full of biting social commentary. Early Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines/Babyshambles I can hear a lot of The Fall in.
Spoilt Victorian Child, LA and Paintwork the three that really stood out, but I honestly didn’t hear a bad track at all.
Right up my street, this. Will be delving deeper into The Fall’s back catalogue today.
I will preface, although electronica isn’t my favourite music there are artists that I love, Chemical Brothers, AIR, Burial, Unkle etc.
This is just a bit… crap.
Over an hour of exactly the same tempo, almost the same fractured drum loop throughout and like the majority of 90’s techno, outstays its welcome on every track.
A couple of tracks start out like something interesting could happen (Monday & Halcyon), but after about a minute or two slide back into familiar territory for next 7/8 minutes.
I can appreciate that on pills in the 90’s this probably blew some minds, but in 2026 it sounds incredibly dated with just not much going on beyond drum loop, bass loop, piano loop, repeat x infinity.
Made my drive to work a joy.
You can’t listen to Bob Marley and not be smiling. It’s just not possible.
The album where Bob fully took the reins and became the artist we know and love today. Fusing reggae with blues and soul, this still hits as hard today as it did when it was released.
The Wailers are flawless in their backing, everything sounds easy breezy and at its own pace, but not a single beat is out of place. Their technical ability is incredibly underrated.
Thoroughly enjoyed.
Always enjoyed The Cure, but never really delved too much into the back catalogue beyond a couple of early albums and the “hits”.
Really enjoyed this, moody and atmospheric, plus it’s got two of my favourite Cure songs on in Lullaby and Pictures of You.
I love how this was recorded because of Robert Smith getting sick of how popular The Cure were becoming, only to end up with their most successful album.
Was a little worried with the runtime that it would start feeling like a bit of a slog, but I was very wrong. It felt like it flew by and I was back listening again.
What. An. Album.
Changed the course of the guitar and how it was used completely. Like teaching an entire generation a new language to use.
Every track is fantastic, and easily stands up today nearly 60 years later.
And it’s not just Hendrix that makes this album, the drumming is phenomenal throughout with backing bass and guitars tight as anything.
A truly perfect album.
One of my favourite bands, so was very happy when this popped up this morning!
Love this album, pure, no frills desert rock at its best.
Full of driving bass and drums, with Josh Hommes signature style of angular, fuzzy guitar riffs.
A 5/5 album for me, from a band who only gets better and better as they go. Shocked that this is the only Queens album on this list, and a little sad that I won’t get another one.
An absolute masterpiece.
Yes, it’s the obvious album, but it is for a reason. Every song is fantastic, even the more abstract pieces that link the songs are sonically brilliant.
Pink Floyd’s magnum opus, and rightly so.
The perfect album for getting in a comfy chair, selecting your vice of choice, and just immersing yourself in. This really is THE album you need to hear before you die.
It was… fine?
That’s the thing with 80’s synth pop. I could tell you exactly how this album sounded before I even started playing it.
Full of all the staples you’d expect, loads of synths, electronic drums with an incredible amount of gated reverb added, speak singing in a lower than expected register and a handful of beeps and boops to fill out the rhythm section.
I don’t doubt that in the early 80’s when this came out, that it was groundbreaking and no one could imagine this futuristic sound ever sounding dated. But as with the majority of 80’s synth pop, it sounds incredibly dated today. Probably the worst decade for music aging terribly.
That being said, I didn’t hate this album, but I didn’t love it either. I found it just a bit middling for the most part, hard to tell some tracks from another as it seems they found a handful of presets they liked and then made an entire album out of them.
The last two tracks, which happen to be the best known singles from the band, really are the best on here. Bit of a double edged sword, though, as on one hand it left me on a high to finish, but also highlighted how much the preceding tracks were lacking.
In between a 2 and a 3 out of 5. I’m going to give another listen later today before deciding where to rate tomorrow morning.
Really enjoyed this. Funk/soul/psychedelic, right up my street.
The whole album is incredibly tight, and to say he played it all himself at the age of 21 is nothing short of remarkable.
Will absolutely be adding this album to my rotation to play again, exactly the kind of thing I started this journey for!
