Gold: Greatest Hits - Abba (1992)

Swedes show that although they haven't quite mastered building cars or furniture, they can make phenomenal pop music.  10/10.

Doppelgänger - Curve (1992)

Feisty genre mixer gets to second base and then some.  7/10.

Greatest Hits - ZZ Top (1992)

Two fine (but dated) rockers does not a greatest hits make.  5/10.

Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys (1986)

Everything is wrong about this record, and that's why it works so fucking well.  9/10.

A Girl Like Me - Emma Bunton (2001)

Former Spice Girl finds that being blonde and having one fair single is just not good enough, duh.  2/10.

Exodus - Bob Marley (1977)

Overrated mush that requires you to be stoned to appreciate it at all.  4/10.

Dummy - Portishead (1994)

Trip-hop masters' finest audiorama sure to make ends of hair tingle most prominently.   8/10.

Bakesale - Sebadoh (1994)

Lo-fi spontaneity somehow becomes polished by relatively unknown and underrated pioneers - cracking stuff.  7/10.

Them Crooked Vultures (2009)

Borderline misogynistic, macho, and downright dirty - rock royalty super-group rises to the hype.   8/10.

Pinkerton - Weezer (1996)

Ascetic experiences catharsis on record, embarrassed for years, but worth it.  8/10.

The ArchAndroid - Janelle Monáe (2010)

Pompadoured Wizard of Oz fan creates a magical world of her own, encompassing just about every genre worth doing.  8/10.

Different Class - Pulp (1995)

Lanky intellectual spends one night with a pad of paper and a bottle of whiskey and perfectly embodies the working class in less than 60 minutes, marvellous.  9/10.

A Real Dead One - Iron Maiden (1993)

Give a bunch of clowns a few Hammer horror films and guitar lessons and this is the kind of trash you get out of it.  1/10.

Horses - Patti Smith (1975)

Worldly waif dismantles musical norms and creates mind bending modification of listeners mind in the process.  10/10.

Vauxhall and I - Morrissey (1993)

Morrissey proves that he is more than a former Smith and no simple pillarist either, this is breathtakingly affecting stuff.  9/10.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991)

Raw sexual energy courses throughout this masterpiece, the Chilis came of age right here and have never (yet) bettered this incredible record.  10/10.

Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys (1966)

Tender pop gems from vulnerable schizoaffective soul, but never quite as great as claimed to be.  8/10.

I've been expecting you - Robbie Williams (1998)

Musical maestro comes out from nowhere to make pop music magic, oh and Robbie Williams does some singing too.  7/10.

Murder Ballads - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1996)

Shocking, wonderfully erudite, manic, inspired and commercially successful - Nick Cave at his very peak.  9/10.

Up - R.E.M. (1998)

Intimate post-Berry album delivers some exquisite emotional highs, if only the record buying public had a clue.  8/10.

Trans - Neil Young (1982)

Really two EPs in one album (a brave electronic record and a decent rock effort), Neil was way ahead of his audience and should have done more with the commendable electronica.  7/10.

Altered Beast - Matthew Sweet (1993)

Neurotic rocker suffers relationship breakup and creates audio bliss in his expurgation.  9/10.

K- Kula Shaker (1996)

Seemed a good idea at the time, has since aged worse than decomposing road-kill.  2/10.

Beautiful Freak - Eels (1996)

Introverted genius comes out into the open and bestows magical gift to undeserving public, essential listening even if you're not a misanthrope.  9/10.

Let England Shake - PJ Harvey (2011)

Polly Jean declares war on inhuman conflict and wins the battle in glorious style.  8/10.

Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan (1965)

Dylan sticks two fingers up to folksy morons and produces rock triumph, music world forever grateful. 10/10.

Is This It - The Strokes (2001)

Nothing that Pavement hadn't already done with more flair 7 years earlier. 6/10.