Album Reviews

Recent and most liked reviews from all our users

Latest Reviews

From the last 10 minutes

Not bad, certainly not good. Boring

Okay so basically now even 1 hit wonders can be included in the list as long as they were born somewhere in the UK? By this standard why aren’t the Bay City Rollers in this list? Plus 1 for Our House, the rest is just typical 80s pablum.

3.5

Perfect glittery nonsense

A beautiful, slightly dull album that sounds like water being purified.

fine metal album although after some research not as groundbreaking as I would think since the songs aren't really hits either. Not a bad listen nonetheless.

Compelling, pretty, and haunting. It’s original pop in a cohesive package with interesting song transitions.

Ah, beautiful. It's a great classic folk album, some of the finest I've heard to be honest. Joan has a great voice and her arrangements of these traditional songs are lovely to listen to. I don't know what else to say, aside from my favorite track being Mary Hamilton.

it's like arctic monkeys (obviously because it's the same singer so that sound remains) but way more orchestral, i really like this. It has a unique vibe to it while still having that modern alt rock band vibe.

It's a shame I'd never listened to this album before--I'll be coming back again and again.

It's a 20-minute album turned into a 40-minute album through call and repeat.

Really interesting album -- not quite pop, not quite jazz, but a unique blend of elements of both with Soul and R&B. Smooth Operator is the only song that sounds familiar, but it's quite good. I'll definitely check out more from Sade.

This was not the first album that got me into The Verve, but I enjoy this album immensely. I mean Urban Hymns is a great album but yea everyone thinks all their songs are like Bittersweet Symphony, but more of their catalog resembles some of the deep cuts on Urban Hymns like Catching The Butterfly. Back to this album though, it is one that benefits from being played loud, especially the first two tracks. The rest sprinkles in some lovely ballads, and some good psych/shoegazey stuff. Good background music for the ones you aren't eventually singing along with, like i did. Biggest Hit - A New Decade Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - Drive You Home Hidden Gem - No Knock On My Door

It's fine. Don't know why we need two Undertones albums on this list though.

was expecting bossa nova

This is Michael Jackson at his best! More than half this album was released as singles because there's not one bad song in the BAD bunch. Musical excellence!

Dude sounds like a mix of Passenger and Bon Iver. Indie folk. Pretty solid. Favourite songs: Bloodline, Infinite Pines, Heavy Foot, Field Song, Running Boy, Old Fort Steel Trail, Black Cauldron, Somewhere Down in Georgia, Whose Face Am I Least favourite songs: none 4/5

I don't think I have ever heard of Maxwell or anything he's published. It's well-produced, smooth, silky, and boring. It dragged on; even if it's just 65 minutes long, it felt much longer. Not my cup of tea.

Not sure, couldnt find it on apple music :/

Po jednej nutce i od razu wiem, że mój cyrk odjechał i zostawił mnie w country-hajmoniko landzie na pastwę losu. Nie ma takiej siły, która sprawiłaby że się polubimy. Nigdy.

Muy piola, muy buenos temas y muy buen flow. The chain, buenisimo. Me gustaron las vibes. 8/10

Shocked to see a 2026 album on here. And loving it. Never heard of this artist before and I love this. I’m also thrilled that it’s 39 minutes. In the 90s albums got longer and longer thanks to CDs. It was great on a car trip. Now I’m not a fan. I’d rather a 40 minute album that gets to the point. The closing track “empty hands” is so insane I thought my auto play served me up Dillinger Escape Plan. This is a great album.

Classic

meh 2/5

more of a poet than a singer, but I liked it. I have listened to greatest hits before

very funky and poignant

This is a nice album for a slow weekend at home, working at a cafe. Notable tracks: Let's stay together. Most tracks were of similar laid back soulful vibes with a couple tilting towards the romantic genre. Will I listen to this album again? Maybe. But there are also better alternatives within the genre.

I prefer Rum Sodomy and the Lash, but this is still an all time great album.

Sounds really good. Groovy, tight dance-punk with a sound of its own, and the long builds pull you in

Top This Month

Most liked reviews from the last 30 days

If Kenny G. had a mohawk, he wouldn't be punk If Yanni had dumb tattoos, he wouldn't be punk If Garth Brooks pierced his nose, he wouldn't be punk If Liberace sounded like the Green Day, he wouldn't be punk

Greasy fat rat

Great that these lads are still going but god this is awful

Rainwater filters through trash and creates leachate, a toxic liquid filled with heavy metals, chemicals, and microplastics that can seep into soil and groundwater. Leachate is essentially garbage juice.

Jesus, I think I've done it. I think this is album 1089 and I am done (until I start the user list tomorrow). It's actually been longer because I reviewed over 200 albums before I started a group, which meant I had to do those all again! Nearly five years, it's been a journey... Many thanks to the members of my group (especially Dave L., Peter P., Alan L. and Glen S.) who have staggered alongside me through this winter death march. A really special call out to Peter P., who really instilled a broad and unprejudiced love of music in me. He was my boss at the record store for about two years, but has been my friend for forty years. He introduced me to so many artists and records that I love. We DJ together. He encouraged me to take a more autobiographical approach to reviewing. Thanks Peter, I love you, man. Thanks to any critic who ever inspired me, especially Jessica Hopper, Bill Wyman (not the Rolling Stone), Amanda Petrusich, Simon Reynolds, Charles Shaar Murray, Robert Christgau, Elizabeth Nelson, Hanif Abdurraqib, and a plethora of others, all worth reading. But not Greil Marcus; fuck that guy. Many thanks to anyone who ever threw one of my reviews a thumbs up, I appreciate it. And a thousand thanks to Alexander for setting up this project and his technical support along the way. This project has been exciting and infuriating and exhausting, but I have appreciated the structure to my listening, and the opportunity to reflect on my musical tastes, history and the friends who helped form my tastes. In the words of the great Liverpudlian band: "All these places had their moments With lovers and friends, I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life, I've loved them all" And here we have Buck Owens as my final album, which is as good a place to finish as any. This project has given me an appreciation of classic country, and this piece of Bakersfield honky-tonk is a simple pleasure. I love a tight album that doesn't outstay its welcome, and this album is _tight_. I'm listening to the version with a couple of bonus tracks (including 'Act Naturally', love it) and it still only runs 32 minutes. There is not a wasted note on this album. The band is energetic and efficient, with special props to the wonderful Telecaster work of Don Rich. Could you argue that some of the songs border on being novelty tunes? Possibly, but they are fun and catchy and rollick along, so I don't care. I've spun this through three times in a row, and I am whistling along. I was going to give this a three, but I am really digging it. Call it 3.5 stars, rounding up!

Garbage in name, Garbage in nature. DO NOT LISTEN

i can't say i'm thrilled about that f bomb unless it turns out billie joe is sucking dick more than 50% of the time

I was more of a rock guy than dance music guy in 1990, but Pacific State (in all its versions) was inescapable at the time. It is one of the best tracks of late 80s/early 90s UK dance, no argument. It is atmospheric and catchy and compelling, and even the terrible sax playing is weirdly affecting. I have read several reviews that suggest that 808:90 proved that dance music could be an album medium, rather than just singles. Well, 35 years later, there have been plenty of acclaimed dance music albums, but I still lean towards the opinion that dance really is a singles medium. That doesn't work well for this list, as focusing on albums doesn't serve all musical genres or artists equitably and leads to some unfortunate biases. That said, I own this record and the Quadrastate EP and Ooops 12". I think I inherited them from the vinyl collection of Mark Selway (RIP), my friend and former bandmate. Mark went down a deep, dark rabbit-hole of experimental electronic music. You can hear his work on the Lecter Macabre album 13 Hobbs Lane (https://joshshipton.bandcamp.com/album/13-hobs-lane). Be warned; it's difficult listening. Now that I come to think of it, I visited the Eastern Bloc record store in Manchester in the mid 90s because I had heard about it as the early meeting place of 808 State. I bought a really nice LP bag that I still use.

Shout out to Mr Dimery. He doesn't care about what you, or I, or common opinion thinks. If he likes an album, he will put it in. So, I have the luxury of reviewing an album that was added only yesterday. My review will, by default, briefly appear closer to your eyes before descending down the rankings—which is a fitting analogy for this album. So why has he picked it to be added to the 2026 edition? Do the kids love it? No, barely 2 million streams for the lead single. Do critics love it? No. This is an album that appeared in a few publications’ mid-year best album lists before mostly descending down the rankings into irrelevance by the time of publication of the more important end-of-year lists. Is it challenging? Not really. Is it unique? Not really. Socially relevant? Also no. It's an album that, without Mr Dimery's intervention, would have disappeared, covered under the mountains of other releases that define the streaming-pile album environment of modern music services. This is an album that is fine (although a lot of you will hate it). It's beat-driven, well structured, with angular vocals filtered through a foreign vocal charm that adds mystique, but it is generally unremarkable. It heavily recalls The Knife (a better candidate for this list) and relies on a hard-leaning electro sound that I'm sure will sound great in a modern playlist alongside artists like Slayyyter or Heartworms (not a misspelling of Hookworms, which has just been deleted)—two better albums ( not hookworms another odd pick that was pleasant but unremarkable). Fair play, Mr Dimery, it's a pick you like, and it takes courage not to bow to internet publications and their consensus lists, but to stick to your own opinion. It's a 3 for me. Being the first review published, I get to play a game and make a prediction for what you lot will score it. I'll go for 2.7.

My first album back in the game after the release of the revised book, and it's a banger. This is exactly how an alt pop album should be, 12 tracks at 34 minutes, get in, kick ass, get out, and keep it just weird enough to pique my interest. Plus, I needed some British flavor after all the Canadian albums from the user submitted list.

Music to listen to while your wife is fucking her boyfriend

One of my learning from this project has been that I don't mind a bit of outlaw country. I think Merle Haggard really hit his straps a few albums after this (and we miss the chance to grapple with Merle's complicated politics). But this is a pretty tight album.

There is a section in my record box for DJing parties called "floor fillers". They are singles pretty much guaranteed to get people out on the floor dancing. You can throw them on the deck when energy is flagging a bit or for the last set of the night when you want to leave everyone in a sweaty mess. I'm not prepared to reveal all my trade secrets, but 'Groove is in the Heart' is one of those songs. It is a fun and likeable confection, absolutely chock full o'hooks, and anyone can dance to it. Perfectly deployed guest spots in Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker and Q-Tip. Everybody loves that track. It is one of the greatest pop singles of all time, full of nostalgic 60s and 70s references, sly jokes, soulful pop tunes, silliness and hip-hop inflections.. The rest of the album is similarly brightly coloured and camp fun, but listening through the whole thing is like eating 4lbs of candy in a single sitting. There are tracks here I would happily put on a compilation (or drop in a DJ set), but it is a bit rich as an album. Although I do admire their commitment to fun. There should be more of that. This is a solid 3 star album throughout, with one world class banger in 'Groove is in the Heart' for a bonus star.

AHHHH MY SOUL HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED BACK ONTO THE MAIN LIST AHHHH And of course the first fucking thing I generate after the new book edition comes out is the SEVENTH Rolling Stones entry released in the year of our lord 2023 (their TWENTY-THIRD studio album) featuring 80 year old Mick Jagger. I've spent 668 days on the user list. It's not all sunshine and rainbow over there, but the user base has nicely covered almost all the big misses from the original list by this point - Weezer's "Blue Album", Pink Floyd's "Animals", Massive Attack's "Mezzanine", Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Neutral Milk Hotel, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, This Heat, the soundtrack to 2004 video game Katamari Damacy (very important) etc etc.... ....And of course the first thing Robert Dimery does when it's time to update his list for the first time in five years is to add another album by these rotting fucking geriatrics half a century past their prime. Actual music review: It's exactly what you'd expect a 60s band to release in the modern day. I don't know what's up with it, but it seems like this is exactly the sound every single "way past their prime" band grey goo's themselves into. The musical equivalent of an overfitted neural network. The Stones will probably release one more album in a year or two and it will sound exactly like this one again. Maybe that one will be "the last one" so it will be a slightly bolder footnote in musical history. Couldn't ask for a more poetic and fitting start to this return. Is Elvis Costello still releasing music as well?

Low IQ theory

A band truly ahead of its time. This album is from 2013 and already sounded like AI slop.

Every 8 years there’s a massive hit act that makes people tell you, “Oh, no, this is actually REALLY good, this has a lot more vitamins and fibre than you would expect!” and so you give it a try and it always turns out it’s just another Nutrigrain bar

I’m not entirely sure that nu-metal was interesting enough in its heyday to really warrant a pop-revival, but here we are. I say that as someone who…embarrassing admission time…saw the Family Values Tour in 1998. I’ll also try not to overly criticize the addition of an album that’s less than a year old to this list of “must-hear” albums, but I do feel it is worth noting that this album was released less than 9 months ago, which means that the editors of the latest edition decided to add this record to the book almost immediately after the album’s release. Vocally, I’m impressed by Poppy’s range and ability as a singer. Musically, there are touchstones to bands like Deftones, Evanescence, Korn and a host of other late 90’s/early aughts metal acts. It’s all well done, but at a point, much of the music starts to feel indistinguishable, not just from the artists that it pays homage to, but also from other songs on the album. My extremely cynical take on this record is that no matter how unique you might think you are or how underground or countercultural you think your tastes may be, there is corporate machinery in place trying to figure out a way to commodify those tastes and market them for mass appeal and maximum profit, but that’s not really anything new. Clearly, I don’t think that is the whole purpose for this record’s existence. Poppy and her team have an instinctive understanding of how to make this type of music work well within the confines of pop music, making it more than mere homage or a nostalgic cash in, even if I’m content to leave this type of music in the past.

I'll admit that I'm a little skeptical that this needed to make the list, but I did really enjoy it. At this point I'm skeptical of almost any artist that is British and was previously unknown to me, which I recognize is a little rude, but also, the list editor has made enough transgressions that I stand by it.

Is it necessary for this album to be over 2 hours long? Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? No, but I do it anyway because its sterile and I like the taste

I just found a post-it note stuck to the side of my head. It read: “Hi Stresshead! I just spent ninety minutes breathing, singing, playing around your ears and you barely noticed me - I totally could have killed you and stole all your bread! Lucky for you I’m Aimee Mann so all you get is this quirky note.” I am a fan of how her music was used in “Magnolia”. Maybe I was just having a bad day

crazy that this album was so ahead of its time that even now, 60 years later, it's still complete shit

The more recent an album is, the harder it is to meaningfully assess whether it realistically has a place on the 'must hear' list. And this album is less than a year old. Don't get it twisted; I like Charlie XCX. I think she is one of the most dynamic and interesting pop stars working today, and this is an interesting and compelling piece of work. But it suffers from the problem that the movie of Emerald Fennel's "Wuthering Heights had; more style than substance. It is a big swing for the creative fences that became a pretty hot topic of discussion for a little while but doesn't really have long-term cultural impact. Even a year on, it has been overtaken by Carlie XCX's latest creative outputs. I would argue that this album has a far better hit-to-miss ratio than the movie, so let me say the things I like about it: - it's smart without being overworked. There is an idea here and I like that she has something different to say without going crazily concept album. - that she, she didn't forget that this is a pop album, and that means tunes and beats. Not as many bangers as Brat, but an acceptable level given the high concept. - it's short. I wish more pop artists would release 34-minute albums full of 3-4 minute songs. - those string arrangements are fantastic. Creepy, gothic, evocative - I like the sound design, which is tastefully weird, even though I wish critics would stop describing anything with use of destructive filters as "industrial". It's not. That's just what pop sound design is like these days. It's a good, smart pop album which makes sense in Charlie XCX's growing body of varied and interesting work. Will it be remembered as the highpoint of her career a decade from now? Is is a classic for the ages that will still be in 1001 Albums a decade from now? I suspect not on either count. But I enjoyed listening to it. 3.5 stars, rounding up.

gentle, mild, light, inoffensive, insubstantial - if Babybel Cheese made an album, it would sound like this. a breathy, fey, waste of time, and a senseless addition to a list which still excludes Eric Dolphy, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey (and many other great musicians)

If you are wondering why an album from 2026 us on the list… It’s worse than it looks. Not only are albums added to the list that are less than a year old… Previous albums are removed! Which means you may have heard an album “before you die” unnecessarily. What will St. Peter have to say to you then? But, it gets worse still…. The albums that are removed, this time around for example, are all from 2001-2020, which divides into two more bad things. One, that the entire list is not analyzed with each edit (even though we’ve all had very mediocre to terrible albums from those earlier 40+ years, not to mention albums left off that shoulda been). And, Two, that this particular album from 2026 that you now “must hear before you die” could be (and probably will be) removed over the next few years. The person who runs this site is a saint. But the editor of the 1001 list is destroying his own credibility. Meanwhile, we now have 1100+ albums to work through due to all the different editions. Mr. Dimery should use all our reviews, and mine in particular 😀, to do an actual one-time edit of the list that makes sense.

This is a simple protest vote. It is ludicrous for albums in the current year to be put on this list. More ludicrous still is the fact that you have removed more recent albums (in the last 5 years) as you add new ones. If you were removing questionable albums from the 70s, for example, it would make much more sense. When the bulk of the removals come from your own recent additions, it makes your judgement questionable Sorry, Charli! The one star rating is for the list managers, not you.

Not bad! This band's got a real future ahead of them!

And now we encounter the issue with book revisions. In a vacuum, this would be a good choice for the book. There is a severe lack of metal on the list. Especially from female singers. And this record is kinda good. In a vacuum, I'd give this a 4. But problems start to sleep in. 1. This record came out THIS YEAR. It was added to the book the year it was released. There is NO record where that is acceptable. It's just too soon and therefore has a high likelihood of being removed in the next edition as it's impossible to tell what albums will age well THE YEAR THEY COME OUT. 2. Every new record added. I think 13 of them. Took out another. And we can see both lists. Is this better than the Mars Volta? Both records are different from the norm of their respective eras. But is it better?! I wouldn't say so. And so now this can't be judged in a vacuum. Fair or not. As I write this, I'm still on my first listen for the day. I don't know yet what I will rate this. But every day for the next 13 days... I will have an issue.

i'm not sure what demon possessed them to include this instead of something less obscure and more mediocre in the latest book but I'm glad they did

Absolutely nothing revelatory to add here that hasn't already been said ad nauseum for 50+ years, so I'm just going to give this one the 5/5 (factored down from a 25/5) that it deserves and move on.

I got Johnny Cash last week and this George Jones album this week. I am a bit surprised this album has a sub-3.00 rating. George Jones is a very important figure in music history, and these songs are unobtrusive and clever. I don't know enough about George Jones to determine if this is the best album that represents his sound and career, but I do know he needs an album in this book. This is country music. Not Morgan Wallen, not Luke Bryan, not any other bro-country artist that combines drum machines, stadium-sized choruses, and autotuned vocals about trucks, women, and whiskey. All of the cliches that are written to top the charts became cliches because none of the current country artists can do it like George Jones does on this record. Jones had his marriage falling apart and it's not hard to feel that happening in these songs. My favorite tracks: The Grand Tour Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through) She'll Love the One She's With Once You've Had the Best She Told Me So Our Private Life

(4/5) Yeah, Puffy was part of this.. so... It's 2026 and it's now clear that dude was the worst kind of monster. He's not ALL of the album -- it's still Biggy's album, technically -- but his nasty hands were in it.. deep. So in keeping with my (arbitrary) standards this otherwise classic hip hop album gets a star deduction for that fucker's involvement. Plus, the skits haven't aged well. I found that out when we had "Doggystyle" a few months back, but the music on that saves the day. The principle holds here too. In spite of the cringey skits and deeply troubling lyrics the music saves the day. It's just that Puffy was involved which... Eewww... Biggy was a metaphoric (and I suppose literal) giant in his brief moment in the spotlight and the production and music was top tier here. I just have a really difficult time reconciling that monster's involvement.

As a french person, I must say I'm deeply ashamed of Gainsbourg being an ambassador of our culture. Being provocative is OK, but this alcoholic piece of garbage pushed things way too far. An album about pedophilia (even if some might say that the 70's were a different time, since he had a relationship with a minor in the 80's, this excuse can't stand), singing about incest (Lemon Incest if you are curious), drunkenly harassing women on live TV. He's still regarded as a major figure of the french music, has places/parks named after him, and his talentless daughter still carries his name (nepotism at its finest). The compositions on this album are good, enjoyable, and deserve 4 stars, but the lyrics are way too awful. Hearing some drunkard talking/"singing" about fucking a minor just makes me want to slap in the face any asshole defending this guy in the name of "art". If you want some french music from this era, please listen to Django Reinhardt, Georges Brassens, Edith Piaf ; Jacques Brel is already on the list. A lot of artists have been cancelled for less, and I can't understand how this didn't happen to him. Anyway, sorry for the rant, but I couldn't stay silent :)

im pretty sure this is what was playing that time I was kidnapped and tied to a radiator for a week?

(3/5) I'm being kind and giving this a polite 3 because I liked the other album of hers we've had.. "Stories From The..". But -- full confession -- I don't get this one. It doesn't resonate with me. I understand the history of it and England's fall from grace as a colonial power and then subsequent ass kicking in the two World Wars. I'm sure the British people had (or may continue to have) a huge existential reckoning with that. Hell, I **KNOW** our number is up soon (maybe we're in the process?) with our own homegrown 'Nero' at the helm -- I'm American if you didn't catch the reference. That makes this album, however, really really insular. The music is ok. Stylistically it is all over the place but leans heavy into indie/pop rock on the slower side with folk elements. She's clearly a good songwriter, but here's another example of the Anglocentrism this list is filthy with. Sorry, lads, i don't get it. Additionally, it is another Mercury Prize winner that bounces right off of me.

In typical fashion for this list, we just had our first PJ Harvey album (Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea) about 10 days ago, and after that introduction I really wanted to like this one. I even thought that it got off to a decent start in its first couple of tracks, which sounded distinctly different from that previous outing. But the long middle of this album took enough twists and turns that I got lost along the way, perhaps complicated by the fact that I am not British and the themes herein seemed to be directed specifically at that demographic. She's obviously intent on giving nods to every influence she's had, as it is also stylistically diverse almost to a fault. Still, I liked this slowed down version of her (closer to the Tori Amos and Fiona Apple sound that I'd expected before the last album) and will will score this one the same 3.5/5 as the last, this time without rounding up.

Can't be the only one who thought Steely Dan was just one guy.

As with the previous Slipknot album I got, individually I don’t mind these songs, they’re decent, but it all blends into one thrashy experience in an album which imo isn’t ideal. Some bits reminded me of SOAD but those guys keep it much more interesting and varied as opposed to this

I used to joke that Mariah has an impressive vocal range, but I wish she would spend more time singing those notes that only dogs can hear (Can I get a rimshot? Thank you, I'll be here all week!) I never really delved in Mariah's oeuvre, assuming it would be too highly polished, too smooth, too geared towards mainstream balladry for my tastes. I like soul and r'n'b, but I lean towards music with a bit more grit. I subscribe to Gabriel Roth's "shitty is pretty" aesthetic. Mariah's early (and inescapable) singles all suggested her albums were not for me. Like Disney end-credit ballads, as one commenter wrote. Now, to be fair, this is highly produced, with all the rough edges sanded down and sprayed with eight coats of high gloss duco. With the exception of some of the syrupy ballads -- 'Whenever You Call' is sugary enough to cause early onset diabetes -- this does have a greater urban influence which makes it a pleasant, smooth and largely downbeat hang. It generally avoids drama and theatrics in favour of vibe and groove, which I can dig. I could live without the cover of 'The Beautiful Ones' which feels like a passionless exercise in vocal gymnastics when compared to Prince's original. Nobody is going to confuse this for actual hip hop or funk or neosoul, but it's (mostly) surprisingly listenable.

This is a grand old racket. I've long had an affection for the two Brians' Lightning Bolt (and even more for Brian Chippendale's solo project Black Pus). Exhilarating stuff!

Most Popular Reviews

All-time most liked

I can’t believe the top review for this record (as of Dec 2023) is from someone trying to use their PhD in Mathematics as justification for not liking hip-hop. Weak.

I really don't get rap, and I am completely aware of why. I'm a STEM guy, specifically a Ph.D. student in mathematics. Although my verbal intelligence is quite high, it's still about a standard deviation below my quantitative intelligence. Therefore, it should not be too surprising that I prefer melodies to lyricism, and that a genre based on the latter doesn't wow me. I know I'm pretty far out of step with public opinion on this one, but that can easily be attributed to the fact that hipsters with humanities degrees (i.e. extremely verbal-dominant people) are considered the ultimate arbiters of taste for some reason. (Side note: this also explains why prog rock is seen as being for losers.) Best song: Be (Intro), which had a decent instrumental part at the beginning. Everything else just sort of ran together.

Oh fuck yeah, now we're talking. Wait no, I swear I'm not being pretentious. This is the lowest rated album on this site because I guess mostly people aren't very fond of German people smashing metal plates together - who would have guessed. But halle-fucking-lujah, this is something this list needs more of. Albums that make you go "well, that was an experience and now I'm a changed man". Nobody is lying on their deathbed wishing they heard more crappy 80s post-punk or late 60s psychedelic rock. THIS is what we all deserve to be listening to as we embrace eternal oblivion. I'm giving this a high rating not only because I genuinely really love it, but also to help Kid Rock move to his rightful place as the actual worst album on this list. Together we can make a difference. Save the turtles.

Back when I was in college I used to go to a bar and listen to Neil tunes and do magic tricks for women. There was a bartender there, he was the best. I loved that guy. Some of the best years of my life.

Brings back vivid memories of when me and my mate Ray went on a trip to Dresden. We met this rotund goth in a bar, head to toe with tattoos and piercings, real filth and after a while took her into the disabled bogs for a spit roast. We were both pumping away in her with Napalm Death on in the background and her wailing "MEIN GOTT" at the top of her lungs. I remember spaffing all over her back just as Siege of Power kicked in. As i shoot over her, she takes Ray's cock out of her gob and says "do you want fries with that?" in a faux American accent. Anyway, we go outside and there's this gammy little geezer in a wheelchair sitting there furious, giving me daggers, because he's had to wait so long, so I lean into him and I go "I hope you have as much fun in there as we just did you little cunt".

Rap isn't my preferred genre of music. But I'm a shitty mathematician so I enjoyed this.

Back when I was in college, there was this dude who would come into the bar I worked at on a Friday night and play fucking 10 Neil Young songs in a row. He would also hit on girls by doing magic tricks. I remember how angry I got every time he made me listen to an hour of Neil Young because I was just trying to have a good time, and he fucking made me listen to this sad, soppy fuck who writes nothing but songs that sound indistinguishable from each other and never seemed to enjoy a happy moment in his entire like. Fuck that guy, and fuck Neil Young. 2/5

Shit like this on the list is both refreshing and infuriating. Refreshing because it is good, fun, interesting, and also not something I would regularly be exposed to! It's why I started this project and keeps me coming back. It's infuriating because the fact that it is included here means that Robert Dimery, the original author of the 1001 albums list is aware that music like this exists. He's clearly aware that there is an entire world of music out there. SO WHY HAVE I LISTENED TO 200 80s BRITISH NEW WAVE ALBUMS AND 200 SCOTTISH ROCK ALBUMS FROM THE 90S??!!?

Rage In Favor Of The Machine.

Music for incels to wank furiously by

Sorry Boomers/Gen X, I was like 20 when this came out so it's one of the best things to ever happen to me. Sorry it's not King Crimson or whatever.

Around 1990-91, I was a volunteer at 2SER student radio. Mostly, I did technical work helping my mate, Tim, who hosted 'Monday Night Football', a music program that ran from 1-3am on Thursday nights. Panelling, editing, that kind of thing. In 1991, Einsturzende Neubauten were touring Australia and there was an offer to do a radio interview with 2SER. I could actually pronounce “Einsturzende Neubauten” and knew a little bit about the band, so it was decided that I would do the interview. Interviewing was not really my thing, but it came with perks; tickets to their show at the Phoenician Club and a copy of the Strategies Against Architecture LP, so I said OK. I knew the legendary Blixa Bargeld has a reputation for not suffering fools, so I tried to prep questions that were interesting. So, on the day of the show the plan was to go down to the club after soundcheck and interview Blixa. It was a bit intimidating. I mean, EN were one of the world’s most dangerous bands and Blixa also played in the Bad Seeds, which made him an underground legend. Tim and I were in the equipment room gathering up a portapack and mics and whatever else we needed, when someone comes running in the room whispering “There’s a vampire in the lobby, and he’s looking for you!” And sure enough, there in the lobby, stands Blixa in full stage outfit, pale as death, six foot six in Cuban heels and his hair teased up and 100lbs wringing wet. He has a bottle of schnapps and a filthy look in his eye. He’s staring death at everyone. And then I hear my name called. Standing next to this imperious vision in black is a smiling Japanese man in bright green overalls with a flower appliqued on the front. His voice is oddly familiar; it is Rick Tanaka, former presenter of 'The Nippy Rock Shop', an experimental collage-style radio show from Triple J in the 80s. I was a fan. Turns out, he is the road manager for this EN tour, and he is asking for me. He hands me his business card: Rick Tanaka, Private Guy. We hurriedly shuffle Rick and Blixa into a meeting room and turn on the recorder, and I attempt an interview. It did not go well. Blixa did not want to be there, was much smarter than me, and was not very patient with my attempts at questions that were more engaging than the usual stereotypical “who gets to go to the junk yard to get scrap metal for your stage show?” Eventually, Blixa just started ignoring me and chatted to Rick. Tim and I kept the tape rolling for their conversation, and afterwards edited it up into something resembling proper radio. And then they left. Tim and I packed up and then walked down the road to the Phoenician Club. En route, we bumped into the Beasts of Bourbon, who were playing support. Tex and Kim were intensely focused and wouldn't say hello, but we chatted to Spencer for a bit. They clearly knew what was coming and were determined to put on a good show. They were the best I ever saw them play that night; tight, ferocious and angry, showcasing material from their Low Road album, that was not yet released. And then on came Einsturzende Neubauten. It was possibly the most intense, frightening show I ever seen. I confess I was a little freaked out by my encounter with Blixa and not really prepared for the experience of an EN show. By the end of their set, I was pressed up against a wall with my fists clenched and my eyes shut. The sound from the stage was so brutal and overwhelming. I can’t recall much of what went on, except for a bit with shopping carts with contact mikes crashing into each other repeatedly. It was really loud. I know I left the venue about 11.30pm. At 2am, I turned up at my girlfriend’s house, tapping on her window. I assume I spent the intervening hours walking the streets in a daze, but not really sure of what I did in that time. She yelled at me for a good 15 minutes for waking her up, but I was unable to put a sentence together, let alone explain what had just happened to me. It was a heavy, really heavy, performance. Ok, so given that background of my relationship with EN, what do I think about this album? I have listened to it once or twice before. EN is really influential on me. I love noisy things, really noisy things. I played in industrial bands through most of the 1990s. And this is like the ur-text for much of what industrial music became. It still sounds frightening and surprising now. That said, this is a massively difficult listening experience. I am reminded of Brian Eno talking about Steve Reich (I think), and how hearing one of his early tape pieces was massively influential, but he never listened to it again. Early EN (and this album in particular) is like that for me. It opened up a world of possibilities to explore, but I don’t need (or probably even want) to listen to it much. I certainly was much more enamored of their early 1990s material, which contains actual songs, rather than just this scary barrage of crashing rhythms and screaming. Kollaps is an important record for me, but I would not recommend it.

The only enjoyment I got from this was reading the review about the brothers in Dresden and their lovely and talented tattooed friend.

The beauty of music is that it is subjective. It’s typically great for a certain group of people, though it’s never right for everyone. Some for the masses, some more niche, but it all has its place. Meanwhile, with lists like this, there’s always artists or records that anyone would have put on in place of what actually made it. Personally, I would have included Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime, Live’s Throwing Copper, Joe Satriani’s The Extremist, Sara Bareilles’ Little Voice, or John Mellencamp’s Scarecrow album on a list of must hear records. Others would put totally different albums on and that's awesome. What someone likes vs. dislikes is truly subjective. Again, that's the beauty. With that said, this album objectively sucks. I mean truly horrible. Something had to be the lowest rated album on the list, and this was a place well earned. There is nothing redeemable about this record. To quote my wife, “they should have stopped at 1,000.”

i ain’t listening to all that i’m happy for u tho or sorry that happened

Top Reviewers

Most liked contributors