Reviews by kitch82

My first thought when I saw The Last Broadcast by Doves was that it had to be older than 2002. I remember hearing tracks from this album back in the going-out days!

This is a solid indie record, full of atmosphere and promise, but it often feels like it’s building towards something it never quite reaches. The Last Broadcast has so much potential, yet it lacks a true standout hit to anchor it, and it dips in quality at points with a few tracks that don’t add much to the overall experience. That said, when this album gets it right, it really gets it right.

Favourite track: There are some great indie moments here, especially “There Goes the Fear,” “Words,” and the brilliant “Pounding.”
Least favourite track: The album drags in places, particularly with “Friday’s Dust” and “The Last Broadcast,” and the intro didn’t feel necessary.
Album artwork: A very cool album cover, striking and memorable.

Another Fall album! This challenge is really helping me dig into their vast catalogue, and today’s listen was The Infotainment Scan.

I really enjoyed this one. It’s an easy, engaging listen with fantastic lyrics and a surprising amount of musical variety. The bonus Peel Session tracks on the extended version were a real treat too. This is definitely an album I’ll return to.

Favourite track: The cover of “Lost in Music” is brilliant—The Fall give the Chic classic a totally new dimension. I also loved “Why Are People Grudgeful?”, even if it technically only appears as a bonus track on the CD version. Great tune regardless.
Least favourite track: Honestly, every track is worth a listen.
Album artwork: Not a fan. The blur effect doesn’t work for me—I’m much more into clean, simple album covers.

Station to Station by David Bowie is a superb album and has long been one of my favourites, so this was always going to be an easy listen.

At just 38 minutes and only six tracks, the record flies by, I’d happily take another couple of songs because it’s over far too soon. The Thin White Duke era really is Bowie at his best, and this album is a perfect example of that run of brilliance. Station to Station is an effortless 5/5 for me. Every track is superb.

Favourite track: If I had to choose, it would be Wild Is the Wind, TVC 15, or Golden Years, which is half the album!
Least favourite track: There isn’t a weak moment here.
Album artwork: Pure Bowie, striking, stylish, and iconic.

I love De La Soul. Their sampling is incredible, the rhythm of their tracks is always spot-on, and their lyrics manage to be both clever and funny. They’re pretty much the only hip hop group I can consistently get into.

3 Feet High and Rising is brilliant. I couldn’t wait for the opening intro to finish so I could get straight into “The Magic Number” — what a superb song. The album is packed with tracks that live up to that standard too. “Tread Water,” “Eye Know,” and “Jenifa Taught Me” are all fantastic, and then it closes with the iconic “Me, Myself and I.” The whole thing is a joy to listen to.

Favourite track: “The Magic Number” and “Me, Myself and I” — absolute hip hop classics
Least favourite track: The intro felt totally unnecessary
Album artwork: Great cover, colourful and iconic

I’d never heard of Ramblin' Jack Elliott before this listen, so I went into Jack Takes the Floor with no expectations.

It turned out to be good fun — I enjoyed it more than I thought I would — but nothing really leapt out or grabbed me enough to make me want to return to it. The whole album has the feel of an early Johnny Cash record: warm, earthy, and charming, but fairly samey across the tracks.

Favourite track: Nothing truly stood above the rest, though I did enjoy the between-song chat and personality scattered through the album.
Least favourite track: Nothing was bad; it’s all consistently solid.
Album artwork: Standard folk album cover

2nd punk album in two days, good news! I really enjoyed Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys.

This is exactly what this challenge is about: discovering albums I somehow missed along the way. And what a discovery this is. I absolutely loved it. This is proper punk — raw, political, furious, and full of energy from the first second to the last.

Let’s Lynch the Landlord might be the most relatable track ever written for anyone who’s lived in London. Pure anger wrapped in the perfect punk song. The whole album hits hard, keeps the pace, and never drops the intensity. I’ll definitely be coming back to this.

Favourite track: The cover of Viva Las Vegas is good fun, and Holiday in Cambodia is a brilliant, biting way to close things out.
Least favourite track: Honestly, everything is fast, energetic, and fun — nothing worth skipping.
Album artwork: A very cool, very punk cover

I’d never heard of the Circle Jerks before, but when I saw that Group Sex squeezes 14 songs into 16 minutes, I knew I was in for some hard and fast punk. Let’s go.

And that’s exactly what I got. This is an excellent hardcore punk record—bursting with energy, immaturity, brash guitar riffs, shouting, and pure noise in the best possible way. I absolutely loved it.

Favourite track: Paid Vacation was a standout.
Least favourite track: Nothing lasts long enough to dislike—blink and each song is over.
Album artwork: A classic punk album cover.

I remember not liking the Scissor Sisters’ self-titled debut when it first came out. Back then I was deep into indie and mod, and this felt like the opposite of what I thought was cool.

But listening again today, I let it run—and ended up playing it three times. It’s fun, packed with pop bangers, and far better than I gave it credit for. With a broader taste in music now, I can hear the cleverness in the songwriting and the nods to Bowie, Gary Numan, and that glam-electro spirit. It’s a cool, confident record, and I’d happily put it on again when the mood strikes.

Favourite track: Filthy/Gorgeous—with Mary and Laura close behind.
Least favourite track: Honestly, every track earns its place.
Album artwork: Superb. There’s so much happening visually, and it fits the album’s energy perfectly.

I love Jeff Beck as a guitarist, and Hi Ho Silver Lining has always been a favourite of mine, but I’d never actually sat down with one of his full albums until today. With that in mind, I went for the bonus edition of Truth.

The original 10-track album is a solid listen, classic blues-rock with Beck’s unmistakable guitar tone and some genuinely brilliant vocals from a young Rod Stewart. There’s no denying the musical royalty involved, but there are perhaps a few too many covers and borrowed tracks for it to truly stand out as a cohesive album.

Favourite track: If I’m allowed to pick from the bonus tracks, it has to be Hi Ho Silver Lining. It’s one of my most-played songs every year a great tune and one that always reminds me of the Villa.
Least favourite track: Greensleeves doesn’t feel essential and doesn’t add much to the overall experience.
Album artwork: I really like the cover its simple, striking, and even if I’m not entirely sure what the image is meant to be, it just works.

I love Aretha Franklin, what a stunning voice she has, so I was really looking forward to listening to I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You today.

What a way to open an album. “Respect” is such a phenomenal song, and the quality doesn’t dip from there. The whole record has this warm, effortless soul sound that just draws you in. It’s one of those albums that feels easy to listen to but still completely commanding. I really enjoyed it.

Favourite track: “Respect” it would be very hard for anything else to top that.
Least favourite track: Honestly, there isn’t a bad song here.
Album artwork: A fairly standard cover, but it does the job.

Today’s listen is The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis — a band I’ve tried to get into many times over the years but never quite managed.

It’s a double album, and it’s rare that a double album truly wins me over. They often drift into vanity-project territory, packed with more filler than focus. Combine that with the fact that prog rock is very hit-and-miss for me with far more misses than hits and this was always going to be a tough one.

That said, there are genuinely good moments here. In fact, Genesis could have carved a fantastic single album out of this material. Which brings me neatly back to my point: double albums often prove exactly why they shouldn’t be double albums.

Favourite track: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is a great opener that gave me high hopes for the rest of the album. I also really enjoyed Broadway Melody of 1974.
Least favourite track: There’s a fair amount of dross scattered across the record, The Carpet Crawlers being a prime example. Great title, very dull song.
Album artwork: A cool, striking cover that suits the album’s surreal story.

Deep Purple have mostly passed me by. I’ve learned plenty of their guitar riffs over the years, but I’d never sat down and listened to a full album until today and Deep Purple In Rock was a brilliant place to start.

This album is fantastic. It’s packed with great, hard-edged guitar rock with a hint of early metal. It’s tight, energetic, and gets straight to the point. There is a lot of shouting, though and not always in a good Daltrey kind of way but it never drags the experience down.

Favourite track: Speed King sets the tone perfectly, and Hard Lovin’ Man is a fantastic way to close the album.
Least favourite track: Honestly, every track is full of energy and worth a listen.
Album artwork: A very cool cover, I love it.

I had never heard of Fishbone or their album Truth and Soul before today, but I’m really glad this challenge brought it my way.

The album is a cool mix of ska and reggae, and while my first impression was that it might be a novelty record, it actually grew on me the more I listened. There’s a real energy and uniqueness to it, and by the end I found it a fun and refreshing listen.

Favourite track: Ma and Pa — a genuinely fun song.
Least favourite track: Freddie’s Dead threw me off at first and made me think I wouldn’t enjoy the album. It felt like a novelty track, but thankfully my first impression didn’t hold.
Album artwork: Simple but effective; I quite like it.

I’d never heard of Teenage Head by Flamin' Groovies before this challenge, but I really enjoyed it. It’s exactly the kind of discovery I was hoping for when I started.

My first reaction was how much it reminded me of The Stooges and The Rolling Stones. I later read it came out the same year as Sticky Fingers, and that Mick Jagger was a fan, which makes complete sense. It has that same gritty, swaggering Stones energy that’s hard to replicate.

The band have a brilliant, raw, guitar-driven sound that runs right through the album and keeps it engaging from start to finish.

Favourite track: The bonus disc covers stood out for me, all superb
Least favourite track: Nothing really, it’s all worth a listen
Album artwork: Great cover, really striking

This challenge has really reinforced something I already suspected before starting it nearly two years ago: I genuinely struggle with jazz. And this album was no different. It’s long, repetitive, and doesn’t offer much variety to pull me in. The Afrobeat infusion does add some energy and makes parts of it more engaging, but overall it’s not something I’d return to.

Favourite track: Honestly, I couldn’t pick one – it all blends together for me.
Least favourite track: “Ingoo Pow Pow” felt like a complete and utter mess.
Album artwork: A classy cover, at least.

Dinosaur Jr just don’t do anything for me. Their sound feels completely flat and, honestly, a bit of a slog to get through. I kept waiting for something to grab my attention, but nothing ever did.

Favourite track: Nothing stood out.
Least favourite track: Pretty much everything — the whole album felt underwhelming.
Album artwork: Cool cover, at least.

I’ve never liked 2Pac or gangsta rap, so approaching Me Against the World felt like the start of a long day — and unfortunately, that feeling never quite lifted. There seem to be far too many albums like this in the 1001 challenge, and this one did little to change my mind about the genre.

To me, 2Pac remains overhyped and overrated, perhaps further elevated by the mythology surrounding his untimely death. The music and production are the album’s saving graces: the sampling is strong, the beats are well-crafted, and occasionally the instrumentals shine through.

My main issues lie with the lyrics and themes. Much of the content feels dated and at odds with today’s culture, and the writing often comes across as simplistic rather than profound. What many praise as raw honesty or emotional intensity simply feels, in my view, bleak, repetitive, and unappealing. That said, there are moments where the production carries the tracks — “Heavy in the Game” features a great sample, and a few other beats caught my attention.

Favourite track: Me Against the World was decent, and I enjoyed the “Just Be Good to Me” sample in Heavy in the Game. These two tracks might just nudge the album up to a 2/5.
Least favourite track: Honestly, most of the album blurred together.
Album artwork: A standard ’90s rap cover — moody, minimal, and predictable.

Beyoncé has an incredible voice. There is no questioning her talent or presence. Unfortunately, this album just did not do it for me.

Beyoncé feels far too long, and I really struggled to stay engaged from start to finish. There are moments where the production is interesting and the ideas are ambitious, but overall it drags. The pacing makes it feel heavy, and too many tracks blend into one another without a standout hook or spark to pull me back in.

I can see why it was culturally significant and praised for its surprise release and visual concept, but purely as a listening experience it felt like hard work rather than something I wanted to revisit.

Favourite track: Jealous. The most listenable and emotionally direct for me.
Least favourite tracks: Haunted and Blow were particularly difficult to get through.
Album artwork: Simple and effective. Clean, bold and probably one of the stronger elements of the whole package

I have no real sense of what makes great rap or hip hop — a lot of it sounds quite similar to me, and that definitely applies to Method Man’s Tical. I’ve tried to get into Wu-Tang Clan over the years, mainly because I love “Gravel Pit,” but their sound has never quite clicked with me.

This album has some strong moments and a few great beats, but overall the lyrics feel dated and nothing really grabs my attention. It’s just not my kind of music.

Favourite track: “Mr. Sandman” was decent.
Least favourite track: Most of the album feels dated — it’s just not for me.
Album artwork: A fairly standard rap and hip-hop cover.

James Brown isn’t usually my thing, but I really enjoyed Live at the Apollo. It’s bursting with energy, and the sound is powerful from start to finish. You can tell he was an incredible live performer — the band sounds fantastic and perfectly tight throughout. My only complaint is that it’s over too soon; I wish the album was longer!

Favourite track: I’ll Go Crazy, Night Train and Try Me are great tunes.
Least favourite track: Every song is worth a listen.
Album artwork: A cool and iconic cover that perfectly suits the performance.