Reviews by pops

There are some good songs here but why is it sooooooo long? Frank Black/Black Francis was the main songwriter in the Pixies, so he doesn’t even have the George Harrison excuse of previously being sidelined by his bandmates. Basically, there’s a great 12-track album in here fighting to get out.

Wistful and lovely.

That Imagine cover is pure syrup, but most of Kenza is an enjoyable reminder of why I came to the generator in the first place - to hear something different I otherwise wouldn't have listened to.

Paul Rodgers - incredible singer, but maybe only an ok songwriter.

He looks like he's staring into my soul on the cover, but the music is much morre frothy and fun.

My dad used to play this album in the car a lot when my brother and I were kids, despite us asking him not to. Maybe he did it so we'd grow up knowing life wasn't all sunshine and lollipops - as a child, I didn't fully understand what The Partisan was about, but I knew it sounded bleak. Or maybe he just knew that eventually we would come to appreciate it, because now I really do enjoy Songs from a Room. And while I do think eight-year-old me had a point about Cohen sounding like Elmer Fudd when he goes for the higher notes on Bird on the Wire, I now find that charming.

Started strong but my attention was drifting by the end.

Every story you read about George Jones: legendary hellraiser and all-round liability.
Virtually every song on this album: “Aw shucks, I’m just a poor, decent chump pining after some floozy.” And he sings it so sincerely, you kind of believe it.
(At least Our Private Life acknowledges his off-stage reputation.)

I bought Automatic for the People when I was 14 and my favourite track was Find the River. Then I heard that song on the radio and wondered why it didn’t sound as amazing as usual. I eventually realised the reason I loved it so much was because it was the perfect closing track, and it didn’t hit quite as hard out of context. All of which is my rambling way of saying that Automatic for the People taught me that an album can be a cohesive collection of songs that work together to create something bigger than the sum of its (already great) parts.

Now we're talking. Al Green just makes being this soulful sound effortless.

On the one hand, it’s a bit try-hard, but on the other hand that effort did pay off with some decent tunes, so fair play to the Dandy Warhols.

I appreciate Joe Ely doing something interesting by combining quite traditional country songwriting with more modern (for the 1970s) production, even if I'm not convinced it always gelled.

I liked this more than I was expecting - it maybe helped that I got it on a very hot, sunny day. It's the perfect summer folk soundtrack for putting on a floaty dress, sticking some flowers in your hair and wandering down to your local park to build a Wickerman.

Raising Hell was so much fun, but this one ran out of steam towards the end.

In an ideal world, the two Spiritualized albums on this list should swap titles. Lazer Guided Melodies is bigger on spaced-out atmosphere than tunes - the melodies are actually on this one.

I’m not likely to listen to it again, but I’m impressed that it manages to sound of its time and yet oddly modern.

Britain can feel pretty depressing at the moment, but the fact that we collectively made this album a huge hit is a reminder that we don't always hate fun.

A hybrid of sleazy glam and equally sleazy prog with a sprinkling of sleazy cabaret. I quite enjoyed the glam bits, while also thinking I might need a shower afterwards.

This album has its charms, but feels like it's on the list to represent this era of folk/because of its influence on Dylan rather than totally on its own merits.

I love the Jam - I even admire the sheer audacity of their Beatles rip-off, Start. And then they follow it up with That’s Entertainment to prove that Paul Weller is a truly great songwriter, even when he’s not cribbing from other people.