Metal Machine Music - Lou Reed (1975)

Only possible explanation: karmic balance.  1/10.

Innervisions - Stevie Wonder (1973)

If ever this man gets put forward for Sainthood, this will be exhibit number one.  10/10.

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd (1975)

I might have liked this better if it hadn't have been force fed to me  by my always stoned room-mate.  6/10.

The Idiot - Iggy Pop (1977)

Sunrise effort after release from mental institution points to greater things to come.  7/10.

Tonight's The Night - Neil Young (1975)

Young's life goes to shit and he's only to happy to let you know all about it.  7/10.

Exile on Main St. - The Rolling Stones (1972)

Thieves every major genre of the time and gets away with it too.  8/10.

Transformer - Lou Reed (1972)

Funny, contentious and riddled with drug references like train tracks along a vein.  9/10.

Marquee Moon - Television (1977)

A template for practically all indie and alternative music that followed in the next 20 years.  9/10.

Parallel Lines - Blondie (1978)

Audibly epicurean pop that caresses the ear with sensuality.  9/10.

Big Willie Style - Will Smith (1997)

Do the asinine interludes add to or detract from this?  I just can't decide.  5/10.

Vehicles and Animals - Athelte (2003)

Simultaneously stands head and shoulders above contemporaneous albums and yet lacks a vital something also.  6/10.

Woodface - Crowded House (1991)

Just like your favourite pair of slippers, in a nice way.  8/10.

Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me - The Cure (1987)

No.  2/10.

Alles wieder offen - Einstürzende Neubauten (2007)

Tamer than previous aural assaults and all the better for it.  8/10.

Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield (1966)

From here it was clear two stars were born, one to become an asshole, the other a legend.  7/10.

Life thru a Lens - Robbie Williams (1997)

Faltering teen dream is hoisted back on the rails and begins ascendency.  7/10.

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends - Coldplay (2008)

A cultured trip up Chris Martin's arse.  6/10.

Hot Boxing - Magnapop (1994)

Indifferent, hum drum attempt to recapture earlier sparkle.  5/10.

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2008)

Fighting the dying of the light with some delightful spunk.  7/10.

B-Sides & Rarities - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2005)

Sometimes it's really worth sorting through other people's rubbish.  8/10.

Abattor Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2004)

More magnificent music in two sweet volumes than most can carry off in a career.  9/10.

Nocturama - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2003)

Sometimes forgettable and then shockingly stupefying at the end - curious.  7/10.

The Boatman's Call - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1997)

Super-stardom carefully avoided and with such class.  9/10.

Let Love In - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1994)

Cave takes a barely believable step further upwards towards deserving legend status.  10/10.

Henry's Dream - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1992)

Old fashioned songs given supernatural power from Cave's charisma.  9/10.

The Good Son - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1990)

If only the song titles had shown the same inspiration as the song content!  7/10.

From Her To Eternity - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1984)

In the transition from raw sound to musicianship, some power was lost but much more gained.  6/10.

It's Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds day!

Kick your motherfucking genre whores out!

White Ladder - David Gray (1998)

Epoch defining and just magical in places.  9/10.

The King Of Limbs - Radiohead (2011)

Come on guys, stop running away from what you're good at!  5/10.

Long May You Run - The Stills - Young Band

On this evidence, maybe there was some chemistry between Neil and Steve after all.  6/10.

The Fool - Warpaint (2010)

Wistful, sexual and subtly fun.  6/10.

The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths (1986)

Sustaining the soul with divine melody and unforgettable lyrical virtuosity.  10/10.

Zeitgeist - The Smashing Pumpkins (2007)

If we had any doubts about Billy Corgan before, we don't now.  Twat.  2/10.

Up! - Shania Twain (2002)

Up!?  More like up yours.  2/10.

Push - Bros (1988)

The album people would buy young nephews for xmas because they were old and didn't know any better.  1/10.

Magnapop - Magnapop (1992)

Ambrosial pop in my favourite short and sweet format.  6/10.

Accelerate - R.E.M. (2008)

When you're sure you've lost your way, just throw your hand.   Not a quality R.E.M. record at all.  6/10.

New Adventures in Hi-Fi - R.E.M. (1996)

Take one world dominating band and watch them throw it all away.  Nice contribution from Patti though.  6/10.

Monster - R.E.M. (1994)

This is the sound of sex and anger.  True rock n'  roll.  9/10.

Automatic for the People - R.E.M. (1992)

Musical pinnacle, not just for R.E.M., but for popular music as a whole.  Peerless.  10/10.

Green - R.E.M. (1988)

Stadiums conquered worldwide - aye sir, aye sir - they're coming!  9/10.

Document - R.E.M. (1987)

Four heroes hit rich vein of form and finally find public desperate for them.   9/10.

Dead Letter Office - R.E.M. (1987)

Poorly performed drunken covers coupled with early and rather classy Chronic Town EP - just about works.  6/10.

Fables of the Reconstruction - R.E.M. (1985)

Divisive album amongst devotees, for me, it's a key stage in R.E.M.s growing adroitness.  8/10.

Mumur - R.E.M. (1983)

Freaky mumbling from the left field captivates listeners with sheer southern charm.  8/10.

It's R.E.M. day!

The singer, he had long hair
And the drummer, he knew restraint
And the bass man, he had all the right moves
And the guitar player was no saint....

MTV Unplugged - 10,000 Maniacs (1993)

Some fine twee ditties can't disguise the fact that this format rarely worked all that well.  4/10.

What's Going On - Marvin Gaye (1971)

Yes, it's clever, well written and commendably socially concious, but I just don't see that it's aged all that well.  7/10.

Grinderman 2 - Grinderman (2010)

Talented old farts remind us that age hasn't diminished their libido or sense of humour.  8/10.