Rated 6/10
Apparently the music press invented the term ‘Folk Rock’ to describe The Byrds, and that shows how fucking stupid music journos are. There is almost nothing Rock-like at all on this album.
Perfectly pleasant jangle-pop, possibly a poor decision to lead off with Mr Tambourine Man as it’s downhill from there - and We’ll Meet Again is egregious.
Bland but fine.
Rated 4/10
Vocally this is good, but it’s very boring, and for a thirty-some minute album it seems to go on forever.
Rated 4/10
It’s not shit, but it is very unenjoyable. Unless you’re gurning your tits off on about 8 doves, I suspect.
It’s not bad, per se, but it is entirely unmemorable and bland.
Rated 6/10
All the guitar virtuosity and vocal fireworks in the world don’t make up for the near total lack of charm and massively over-developed sense of superiority from this bunch of electrified doo-wop barbershop bastards.
It’s not bad, but it is just so overbearing USAian and I was very glad when it was over, and I won’t be going back to it (and I’m a dyed in the wool metal-head)
Rated 6/10
This was just so much better than I expected from a New Wave / New Romantic / Electro-synth-pop thing. Good musicality, well done.
Rated 8/10
I loved Def Leppard growing up, and this has some great memories. It’s not a brilliant album, it’s aged too roughly for that, but it has some solid tracks - Photograph, Too Late For Love, Rock Of Ages - but also some really average cock-rock stuff. Not as good as Hysteria, or indeed High and Dry (which isn’t on the list, but is probably my favourite Leppard album), but it’s still better than most if it is your kind of thing.
Rated 6/10
Barbershop-quartet-rock.
Rated 10/10
God damn.
This is the sixth Stones album I’ve had, and none of them have got more than a scraped 3.
God damn.
God DAMN!
This is a fucking brilliant album, start to finish. Ok, a couple of tracks could be trimmed down (even Sympathy For The Devil could lose a minute of ‘woo-woo’s on the end), but it’s not enough to drop a star.
Do I actually like the Stones?
God damn.
Rated 8/10
This is Leonard Cohen’s American IV - a dark, introspective, raw and emotional final message to the world. It’s not quite up there with Johnny Cash’s album, but it’s good.
Rated 8/10
This falls sort of between Nirvana and Hole, and you can really see how much those bands were influenced by Husker Du. This is a solid power-pop / alternative album, but could really benefit from being a single- rather than double-album. It’s a real curate’s egg.
Rated 6/10
I like punk way more than hardcore, and this hits a bit too hardcore for me. Also, for a 35 minute album it feels very long.
Rated 10/10
Great album - I love punk, and whilst this may not be totally punk it has that punk aesthetic. Energetic, dark and gritty, maybe a little uneven on side two, but not enough to lose a star. Thoroughly enjoyed this.
Rated 4/10
An album of two halves, one better than the other and neither of them great. The first half has some ok tracks, notably Song of a Baker, and then there’s The-Kinks-annoying-younger-brother-does-Sunny-Afternoon of Lazy Sunday, which is a British staple. The second half has every British boomer’s favourite ‘comedy’ ‘genius’, Stanley Unwin, doing his bollocks wordplay alongside a juvenile pseudo prog fairytale. Shite.
There’s some clear influence from Hendrix (the Hey Joe bass line makes an appearance, as does the Foxy Lady riff) but that’s not enough to save it.
Rated 8/10
A lovely, zippy energetic album. A bit variable in quality, but when songs are this short that’s not a massive problem.
Rated 10/10
Really good punk/hardcore album - energetic, vibrant and to the point.
5 okapi death-nibbles out of 5
Rated 8/10
I really rather enjoyed this - very mellow and ethereal and altogether pleasant.
Rated 6/10
Pleasantly surprised by this - pretty ok indie rock, but nothing really exceptional. It was decent enough.
Rated 8/10
Very pleasantly surprised by this one. Very nice synth pop, not exactly earth shattering but landed nicely on my ears.
Rated 6/10
I don’t really like live albums as they are a bit like a less well produced ‘Best Of’. This isn’t like that, as it is very, almost too, well produced. The music is just a bit bland and non-descript, though - it’s like listening to the soundtrack for The Commitments. Plus George Morrison is a giant cunt and seemingky has an USian accent, despite being born in Belfast.
