This Is a Call is such a great album opener.
I think it's easy to rag on Foo Fighters for becoming such a formulaic arena rock band over the years, but that first 10 years was, mostly, very good. I came to this album late as was a little too young at release but with the wider context of knowing where Dave was and what he had experienced I think this is a really great little solo project. Not sure many would have predicted it growing into the biggest rock band in the world.
I knew more of this than I thought. It was better than I expected, usually thinking of Thin Lizzy as a bit dad-rock. Dragged a bit through the back half.
Am I putting this at a four? Maybe......... It's not my favourite Led Zeppelin album but I really enjoyed it and Kashmir elevates anything. Fuck it, FOUR STARS!
Fantastic. Energetic. Unique. Just bloody brilliant.
Hmmmm. I liked what I knew already, the rest didn't do a ton for me. A bit samey in places.
I struggled with this. Prog is not my thing at all and I didn't really particularly enjoy anything here.
I am putting this at a four as I enjoyed it without ever really getting hooked. I do plan to return to this though and I feel like it's an album that is likely to grow on me more over time.
Just not my thing. I got through the album but nothing really grabbed me.
Never heard of the songs, the album or the artist. Not a genre I am really familiar with either, but I loved this. Enough so that I listened to it four times and then left spotify on auto play for similar content the rest of my work day. I think the scoring system makes it hard to go above a 3 without intimately knowing an album, but I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna bloody do it.
So I didn't include the egregious final four tracks in my listens or rating. It's not my taste but it was uber fucking funky. The bass and those disco drums make it impossible not to tap along at your desk.
Tough. It's good at what it does but a little samey for my liking, even some of the songs themselves. This feels a bit harsh but going with a 2 as it just doesn't feel like something I'd reach for again.
Me and prog. A never ending rivalry. It wasn't terrible.
Trying very hard to be objective and not let recent events cloud my rating. Not a massive Sabbath fan but this album is great. Riffs all over the place, opening with probably the best Sabbath song (maybe the best Ozzy song).
There is only so many bongo covers I can take in a way before seriously questioning my state of mind and how I got here.
That stereo mix dates this so much. Really good song writing though.
I found this tough. I can take thrash metal in small doses but an entire album is too much for me.
Decent music, very fun lyrically
Going in I thought this was an immediate 5 star but the length of the double album was a bit much at times and I didn't love everything as much as I remembered. The highlights are very high though.
Brilliant pop music. I never want to be friends with a person who does not sing along to Purple Rain.
I should love MC5. They are loved by many of my favourite artists. They have just enough chaos in their sound to sit amongst similar artists that I love. Instead I just kinda think they are fine.
I have always hated Aerosmith and thought of them as a terribly cheesy act. I guess that is strongly influenced by my age and mostly knowing their latter output. This was really good though.
Critical darlings but this just passed me by. Listened a few times over the weekend but nothing really grabbed me outside of the singles I already knew.
Didn't hate it but a bit cheesy in places
Just a really good rock album. It's not Led Zep 2 though.
This feels harsh, and I suspect with more listens this would definitely increase. The song writing and production were really unique and fascinating BUT it didn't really hook me.
I've never listened to as much Dylan as I probably should. Really, really enjoyed this though. Will be returning to this one.
It was alright in places but I often found it just kinda filling the background.
This should have been my thing but it just really didn't work for me at all.
One of those bands where it has become really boring to build your personality around stating that they suck. When actually their first 4/5 albums were really solid. This wasn't their peak but is a really strong debut that hinted at what they would do on the next album which is a 5. Some wonderful basslines on this album.
It's tough, I acknowledge this is amazing for a lot of people but I struggle to engage greatly with it.
Brilliant. Just absolutely brilliant. Writing something this strong at age 21, the strength of her vocals. Someone Like You ranks somewhere in my favourite, most powerful songs of all time. Flawless.
This is really hard. Clearly a great song writer, a really unique style and voice that is recognisable BUT when listening to the album it just drifted into the background of what I was doing. I feel like this is an album that greatly suffers from the setup of this, an album like this isn't going to work in a single day of two listens whilst working. I expect if you come back to me in twelve months time this will have grown on me greatly.
It's not been a great week for albums has it?
Yeah, this was pretty brilliant.
A bit bland and forgettable
Just didn't grab me at all
So good, but not their best album. I really hope The Suburbs is on this list at some point.
I always thought of The Verve as brit-pop for your Dad, this didn't particularly change my mind. Some good moments but not for me really.
The freneticism of System of a Down is so enjoyable. I think Toxicity is their most listenable album but this is still really damn good.
This was a really pleasant surprise. Entirely unfamiliar with the artist but will seek out more.
Never listened beyond There She Goes which is an all timer. This was good though, will return.
I'm supposed to like this because I know so many other folks that do and have similar tastes to me, but every time I try with The Black Keys I come away thinking it was fine.
I don't love this as much as a lot of critics do but it is really good. The only thing that would improve it would be sitting in a Range Rover and singing along with Rob Brydon on a Spanish country road.
All that I really know about Tracy Chapman is that I cannot stand Fast Car. It's not a bad song, it's a very good song, but I can't stand it. Too many open mics, too many boring and samey cover versions, too many times on the radio, too many times on my tv. Any potential for that song to ever move me in any way has been eroded from over exposure.
Decent album though and I found out a Reel Big Fish song that I like is actually a cover.
This was so samey that to be honest at the end of my second listen I just came away feeling tired. Not for me at all.
This was the first album I ever owned, it influenced so much.
I listened to this a lot at middle school and looking back I'm really not sure why. Shock value maybe? This really is not for me, but I can acknowledge that it isn't terrible, it definitely makes me cringe though.
This is a tough one and feels like the kind of thing that probably suffers from this format of listening in a day and then judging. I wonder if I would rate this higher had it been a Friday entry? It faded out on me at points but there was some stuff I liked and would like to really properly listen.
I'm trying to not be influenced solely by how damn good Epic is. I listened to this album a ton in my late teens and was massively into Faith No More. It doesn't quite do as much for me these days, but they do have a real unique sound. Mike Patton verges on being a musical genius.
I know we're supposed to hate on U2 but I love this album. Listened to it a ton in the early days of really exploring music as a teenager and thought it also had something really special.
This was really neat, a bit of a Postal Service vibe in places and I've already listened to some other bits. Nice find.
When you already recognise pretty much every song before putting the album on there's already a baseline of this being notable. Some really good stuff on here even if a bit dated.
I really want to like PJ Harvey. So many people I know love her but it always is just kind of ok to me. It just doesn't grab me.
I didn't even notice when this ended and went to shuffle. Like Phyl, on a different day I may have taken this in more.
Any of these tracks alone would be fun, all of them in a row is a bit much for me though.
I always think of Dolly Parton as a character, or even a caricature, rather than an artist. That is quite unfair of me, and mostly due to never really listening. I liked this.
It's not my favourite of his albums. 'Salright?
It's just not my thing. It's not bad, but it definitely is not for me.
I know the album by reputation, and know a fair amount of the tunes, but oh boy was this long! There was stuff I really liked but the length is really off putting.
Listened to this whilst working at the shop this morning and it just faded into the background even on a quiet day with no distractions. Nothing for me.
I don't think this is actually my favourite Beatles album, but it is entirely possible on any given day that if you asked which it was I may answer Revolver. There are plenty of successful bands who don't put out this many good songs over an entire career, The Beatles did it on this one album condensed into their already short length career.
Banger after banger after banger. The greatest band of all time.
This ended up on a 3 in the middle because I really liked some stuff, but also found other tracks just did not engage me.
It's not the best album that Kurt ever wrote, but it's pretty good
It's not really my thing as a whole, but it was perfectly enjoyable. It just doesn't engage me that much....... and then Wish You Were Here starts. There are very few songs this emotionally powerful. It's up amongst the absolute best, especially knowing the story of Syd Barrett. I try hard not to let a single song influence the overall score too much, but this makes every other moment of the album worth it.
Love it, even if the original has been played to the point where it brings no joy
A bit all over the place, love some stuff, like some stuff, not bothered by some stuff.
I remember little of this. It wasn't bad but it did nothing to grab me.
I know singles but have never listed to a whole album. This was fucking great. I don't think of The Prodigy as a band I would listen to but I have seen them live twice and both times were incredible.
This was good, and would almost certainly score higher is given more time. Not an album to judge on a single listen.
It's not my favourite Springsteen movie but it's probably his best in terms of general appeal. Every single track here could be a single. Just fucking brilliant.
Love this album and it's appearance was perfectly timed to improve a bad day. Long live Black Francis and the crew.
I know so many people that love and adore Pearl Jam. I don't dislike them but I also don't find them particularly engaging. Straight down the middle.
I loved this. I know Peter Gabriel through singles largely, so a lot of this was new and it was so good. I try to listen to every album on this at least once, and aim for twice. This got four listens yesterday and will likely remain in my rotation.
This faded into the background..... until it started to annoy me. Sorry Phyl.
Still not my favourite Bruce album, but damn it is so good. I think Thunder Road/Jungleland is probably my favourite album opener/combo of all time. Every song is a classic on here.
Great album. I think End of a Century is probably my favourite track
This wasn't what I thought it would sound like. I enjoyed it but not enough to want to revisit. Right down the middle.
I'm a big Elton John fan and this is his best album. The sound is really varied and I love that. Was reminded on listening how far superior this version of Candle In The Wind is to the 90s one, which has very bland and basic production (fair in the circumstances).
I really like The Kinks. I had a box set my Dad got me that was one of the first albums I owned. This isn't one of my favourites though.
When I was 18 my girlfriends sister gave me this album for Christmas with a note that said "this will become your favourite album of all time". I'm not sure it's quite reached that level, but it's up there.
There's not a ton I can say that hasn't been said thousands of times before. Carol Kaye on bass as well!
I know Skunk Anansie by name but never really listened. Decent, will try to return.
Didn't enjoy this as much as the previous Stevie album but it was fun.
I just can't do it. A whole Bon Jovi album in one sitting is like torture.
I love this so much. Went on a massive Costello binge around 2019 and this was my favourite of his. Probably just short of a 5, but not far off.
I'm getting spoilt with all the Bruce we've had recently. I love that this one is so different from the albums around it in his discography, he has come back to something similar a few times since but never quite like this.
A moody reflection on isolation, sadness, and desperation.
“I guess there’s just a meanness in this world.”
You have to be confident to name your album Let It Be. The Replacements are one of those "if you know, you know" type bands that just influenced so much stuff after them.
I actually don't much like Queen. Sorry.
Better than the last Queen album, still not my thing. I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not for me.
One of those bands that I know by name but have never really listened to. This was really good, and will definitely return to it.
One of the first albums I fell in love with, and I still love it to this day.
Green Day are one of those bands that have gone long enough, and changed in plenty of ways that they have two kinds of groups/generations of fans, and it usually comes down to "is your favourite Green Day album Dookie or American Idiot?" Whilst I prefer their older material in general, I do think American Idiot is probably the best overall album.
This album is just banger after banger after banger though. I've always wished my own bass playing was more like Mike Dirnt but I just don't have anywhere near the talent.
Favourite tunes? Burnout, Pulling Teeth, She, Sassafras Roots, When I Come Around, F.O.D.
This is a tough one. I did quite enjoy this in the background whilst working, but ultimately it is just a collection of somewhat samey covers..... Hm.
I think two is fair, but I didn't dislike it.
This just faded into the background.
One of Bowie's best albums. A piece that is dripping with atmosphere through all six tracks.
I know Nina Simone by name but didn't recognise anything here. I kinda liked it but I am certain this is something that needs more listens.
It's not her best, but it's quite good
Average Bowie is still good, but it's not his peak period.
I often read about this as being Madonna's big return to relevance. I like the singles enough, and Ray of Light itself is a great track, but the overall album dragged for me.
I was really up for this, but actually I think it doesn't hold up as well outside of the movie. It's good, but you could cut a ton and make it great.
Not a massive fan of classic rock, but this might be my favourite album in that genre. It's absolute killer throughout. I will never get bored of Foreplay/Longtime.
I feel like a basic bitch giving a 5 to Nevermind, but it's one of those truly pivotal pieces of art that goes on to redefine the medium to some degree. I'm firmly in the "In Utero" is better crowd, but that doesn't mean this still isn't awesome.
Of all the names on the long list of creators who passed away too soon, Cobain is the one I wish had stuck around the most. It would have been fascinating to see where he would have gone. Nirvana were never gonna last much longer, but to see what this guy would do next would be amazing.
It's hard to mark this super high as it's a bit disjointed and messy in places, but the good parts are amazingly good. This album means a lot to me as it came into my life on a really specific and pivotal day in my life.
This is some funny timing. I've been on a massive ABBA kick the past few months following a conversation we had at band rehearsal. It's cliche to say "Aren't ABBA brilliant?" but, aren't ABBA brilliant?
Separate the art from the artist. Sure.
The album has a lot of really, really brilliant songs. The man who wrote and performed these was a singular kind of talent, and it's impossible to deny that. Really a musical genius who defined pop culture for a period.
However, we're also talking about somebody who harmed or ruined the lives of an unknown number of children and suffered no consequences for that. Somebody whose position of power and privilege allowed him to live with no repercussions, even beyond the grave. Even today, in a time when society now is better than ever at holding our heroes accountable for their actions, this guy still seems to get away largely unharmed. A movie about his life will be in cinemas in a few months that will portray Michael Jackson as a genius and a visionary, and likely ignore entirely the manipulative and harmful actions he used towards children and parents.
Fuck this guy. I don't believe in heaven or hell, but if I'm wrong and they do exist I hope it's really fucking hot where he ended up.
5 reluctant stars. 5 stars for the music, not the man.
Such a welcome Friday treat. Not my favourite overall but, like Phyl, my favourite of the Berlin albums. The title track alone could lift any album to be good, it's maybe my favourite vocal performance of all time.
Forever on the list of bands I need to dig deeper into. A 3 that would will likely rise over time.
Brilliance throughout. Sometimes it's hard to really decide how much of a deceased artists hype is the art rather than the mythology. This is amazing. At the time I was far too snobby and boring to realise it but over time this has become a real favourite of mine.
I knew the obvious tunes but otherwise this was all new to me and I enjoyed it without loving it. It's perfectly suitable music to pop on to tap your toe to whilst working.
I was really excited about this, but it just kinda passed me by. It was a really busy work day whilst listening so it didn't get proper attention, and I think it is likely an album that wants some attention to lyrics etc. I will return.
I think this is the best pop album of the 2010s, and perhaps even the 21st century total. It is not my favourite Taylor Swift album, Folklore and the stories on that album are amazing, but as a piece of pure pop magic this is it.
Putting Taylor Swift and Max Martin together was never going to create anything less than brilliant, two of the absolute best pop writers.
The first half of the album is insanely good, like absolute top tier. Tracks 1 and 5 are slightly below the rest, but 2/3/4/6 are flawless.
The second half drops away a little but is redeemed by Wildest Dreams which was possibly the first hint of some of the more dream-pop influence Taylor would do later on.
So I wound up with plenty of time to listen to this one, despite already knowing the album pretty well, as I spent 6 hours at A&E yesterday with not a lot to do. There was something quite cinematic about listening to Imagine whilst somebody throws up after having oramorph!
Lennon's best solo record? Debateable depending on how produced you like him to sound I suppose. I think it is my favourite though. The title track is, despite decades of play, just something beautiful. Hopeful, rebellious, slightly cynical in that Lennon way. I think about all those really really overplayed songs in history, Bohemian Rhapsody, Smells Like Teen Spirit, My Brightside. I think this holds its weight over any of those, although Mr Brightside really might be just a hair behind.
Jealous Guy is fantastic and a massive lyrical contributor to all the morally questionable emo music I listened to as a teenager. Gimme Some Truth a classic.
How Do You Sleep? Oh boy. It's brutal, isn't it? There's no "bromance" in history that I enjoy more than John and Paul. Both genius', both so full of love, both at times a little angry and mean (although Lennon probably wins in that contest). I think McCartney gets off the hook a little and people forget that he also did some pretty shitty things to people around him, but as he stuck around and became such a treasure that kinda got lost. Still though, great song if a bit harsh.
I went into this knowing the singles and wondering if this really belonged here. I think I still mostly feel the same. It was really good but it really started to drop quick about half way through and I eventually stopped a couple of tracks from the end.
Some brilliant bass parts.
It always freaks me out to listen to the early stuff with all the covers. Nothing wrong, but nothing great.
Not a massive fan or James Taylor, he's definitely good but it never really gets me. BUUUUUUUUT Fire and Rain is like one of the most powerful songs I have ever heard and that alone makes this worth listening to. This was played at a friends funeral years ago and it killed.
Album was decent, not bad but it faded into the background a bit.
The first two Libertines albums are up there with some of the best music ever from the UK. Karl and Pete have so many little parallels with Paul and John, the bromance, the lore, the love, the fights, and the amazing fucking songs. John Hassall is such a good bassist as well.
Opening and closing with Cant Stand Me Now and What Became of the Likely Lads makes it clear that this whole album is an exploration of the relationship between the two primary song writers and all their baggage.
The way they sing to one another in those two songs, almost flirting with one another at times. "If it's important to you, it's important to me"
The Albion sails on.
This was pretty decent. It got me to stop and pay attention a few times and I will return to it for more.
I think I start every Bowie review with "not my favourite but it's up there" and I thought that about this one but actually maybe it is my favourite. I always say it's Hunky Dory but listening to this again it is so damn good.
Bowie has never been my single favourite artist or songwriter, but he's up there. His ability to reinvent and stay relevant is just mind blowing and I'm not sure any other artist has ever done it so well.
