Reviews by pops

The title track is my go-to karaoke song. Partly that’s because I can’t really sing so avoid songs with big notes, but it’s also because sometimes I just want to be more Courtney Love - messy and angry but with killer pop instincts.

I can't get worked up by Coldplay - they're not my favourites but they can craft a tune and I get why other people like them. Is it me though, or is Chris Martin flirting with an accent on here that he'd subsequently drop?

It flags a bit on the last two tracks but they probably deserved a rest after going flat out before that - Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence are both killer singles.

Were they trying to be weird or were they aiming for the mainstream and it just came out a bit off-kilter? Either way, this was an intriguing listen.

No matter how cheesy or sleazy his records may get, I love Rod Stewart's voice so much that still I look to find a reason to believe. This is the album that justifies my faith - it has a rocky sound and some great songs, and he sings the hell out of them.

I felt like I was looking for reasons to knock a star off this fun, catchy, short and snappy album, but I couldn't really find one. I get that some people might find Feargal Sharkey's voice a bit annoying, but I even like that, so they are going to get full marks.

I quite liked this, while also thinking it sounded like half a dozen other indie-Americana bands from this era. (Make your own 'we've got Lambchop/Bill Callahan/Bonnie Prince Billy at home' jokes.)

The Pogues are a band I want to love, and I do – in short bursts. There a some truly great songs here, but over the course of a whole album, I find it a bit wearying.

In a Silent Way by Miles Davis is one of my favourite discoveries from the list - I was a bit daunted when it came up, but I absolutely loved it and have gone back to it several times. This is a more challenging listen and I'd definitely have to be in the right mood before I put it on again, but I did find it compelling. Maybe I'm just a Miles Davis fan and never knew it.

One of those albums that is almost done a disservice by being on this list. On its own terms, it’s decent - some good tunes, nice arrangements, and just when think If… is getting uncomfortably creepy, it becomes clear that’s intentional. But when it’s on a list of albums you have to hear before you die, you find yourself going “really?”

It’s not my sort of thing but I do think it might be the best possible version of this sort of thing.

Is it weird that as well as dating Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine sings like her too? That's not a criticism though, because I Iove Horses and I love Marquee Moon. It may be arty but it's also hooky as hell.

Hazey Jane II basically invented Belle & Sebastian, and Northern Sky might be one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. Just two reasons why I adore this album.

John Martyn is shaping up to be one of my favourite discoveries on the list. I really liked One World and I enjoyed this too - funky folk shouldn’t really work, but he pulls it off.

I like Supergrass a lot, have seen them live a handful of times and I think this is a solid album. But if you've got I Should Coco on the list, I'm not sure you need this too.

Great tunes, a great sound, and the unnecessary jamming that marred Cosmo's Factory for me hasn't started to creep in yet.

I was surprised at some of the albums that were added to the list in the new edition (and some that were taken out to make way for them) but credit where it’s due, I really liked this.

Another one of those “What if we expanded the artistic possibilities of dance music by making it so you can’t dance to it?” albums.

Her voice sweeps you along, but I don't think the songs are as consistent as on 21.

Is Kooks the loveliest song ever written about becoming a dad? (Bonus points for a 24-year-old Bowie calling himself 'this old fool'.) And it's not even the best tracks on this brilliant album.