Reviews by k-dot-r

One of my favourites, and possibly his best album. I was so glad to see it back on Spotify, and listened on repeat until I ran out of time. A precursor to grunge, and not just because Kurt quoted lyrics from it. The combination of live recording with studio tidying up works really well, allowing to get the raw energy of a live set with the distinct and mistake-free fidelity of a studio take. Why do more people not use this as a technique?

An astoundingly brilliant surprise, from an artist I had literally never heard of. He writes, sings and produces so well, and is a clear influence on a bunch of artists I like (or like a lot) including Billy Joel, Elton John, and many other serious singer-songwriters. I immediately added everything else he did to my "after the list" list - and actually put his debut on later the same day!

Before this, I was 95% sure mbv were Scottish - which would have given them 6 stars! The vocals are buried in the mix, the guitars are messed up and distorted, the bass is (often) fuzzy and almost out of time; but it all works flawlessly

Released the month I turned 16, and the part of the soundtrack of the next few years. A band I was only vaguely aware of before this album, but I looked out for everything they didod afterwards given how good this is. I loved Mercury Rev - and still

One great single and a bunch of (occasionally decent) filler - they would score pretty poorly if not for the Scottish bonus point!
The title track is great, if perhaps overplayed, but there's nothing else here worth even 3 minutes of your time. Edwyn Collins is interesting though, not least because he was (kind of) a one hit wonder twice over! His recent health struggles and comeback tug the heartstrings too - far more than anything he did with his first band.

Absolute genius, now thankfully back on Spotify.
One of the best to ever do it, and this is probably his (solo) masterwork. Not a note out of place, and unimprovable in my view.
What a man; what an album.

I'm still not sure live albums belong on the list, but here we are again.
As live albums go, this is hell of a messy, and was obviously a loud and raucous tour. All the big songs are there, but I'd prefer the album version of any of them. Without the visuals (let alone the physical sensations), live versions just feel a bit flat.
Sounds like all involved had a great time though!

8 songs in 47 minutes - and no words - makes for background music in my book; but very pleasant background music at that. Loses a point due to my own biases and knowledge gaps, both of which I am enjoying rectifying through this list (and planning listening for once I am done)

A solid, tight 30 minutes and change of 70s UK punk - always going to get my attention! Hints of moving on a bit musically, but only a few, and any decent punk band doesn't need to move on anyway!

A few great songs, a few good songs, and a whole heap of filler. The good songs, along with her flawless vocals, lift it above average for me, musically and lyrically. But it could have been so much better with fewer songs (and no interludes) and slightly more consistent production

A vital and important punk cornerstone that I had never listened to in full before - pretty much the point of doing this! It doesn't need all the flummery of the 1hr 9min expanded edition; the original was less than half that and better for it.
Up there with the best UK punk, and the best work John Leckie has produced - both of which are impressive company to keep.

Flawless - even the songs that have been forgotten are better than most artists ever manage!

Nonsense, but a good way round any writer's block issues - just write two sets of words for each song and throw them out with zero quality control.
This was picked out the day the Paris Olympics opened, maybe by coincidence, maybe not, but it made for a very French day in my house.

The perfect mash-up of NY and Cali hip-hop, from a band so influential they deserve far more credit. No massive hits on this album, but none the worse for it. Anyone who loves rap & hip-hop but doesn't rate Cypress Hill needs to have their sonic world expanded to include them.

Early prog, with plenty of folk influence. Takes itself very seriously, and borders on pretentious at points, but I liked it a lot.

One great song, 9 good ones, and a bonus point for being Scottish. Sound like 4 stars where I come from!

A great album I had never listened to in full before - the point of doing this! I really enjoyed it, although it lagged a bit towards the end and was so influential that it now sounds a wee bit dated.

An album I hated at the time, and still do! The MI:2 song was ok, and is the only reason for this nonsense scoring more than 1.

An album I loved at the time, and still do!

Technically excellent, but fairly uninspiring. Good though, just a bit meh