Beautiful Place by Ryan Adams: Live Bootleg. Here is Ryan in Sweden from around the time of Post Heartbreaker/Pre-Gold. He delivers a great set alternating between guitar and piano. He tells stories and jokes with the crowd showing his personality and he also pokes fun at himself: “Do you want to hear a sad song or a pitifully sad song?” he asks. “Cos this guy don’t write no happy songs,” he concludes. He does write happy songs, it’s just the sad ones are much, much better. A great soundboard recording and a great example of when this man was once on fire, though it is fairly difficult to get hold of. Good luck. TWH: Dear Anne; To Be Young; The Bar Is A Beautiful Place.

Grade: A

Beautiful Freak by Eels: Alt-Rock. Eels’ debut though not E’s. The songs are poppy and also distinctly 90’s American alt-rock. Some classic songs on here and though some fade into the background the quality is always pretty high. The sounds that would become Eels trademarks are all present and correct; poppy melodies; dark lyrics and great guitar tones. Good, though they were going to get better…and darker. TWH: Novocaine For The Soul; Susan’s House; My Beloved Monster

Grade: C

Beatles For Sale by The Beatles: Rock/Pop. This album is the product of the hangover of Beatlemania. Late ’64 and the fabs were starting to get tired of a punishing working schedule and the fact they couldn’t go anywhere without getting mobbed. The songs all have dark undertones; people cheating on you while you stalk them; your girlfriend’s dressed in black because you’re dead (or maybe she is); you’re a loser etc. There is also a slightly country feel to this album, though their previous album had contained only material written by John and Paul, this album had some covers on it again. TWH: I’m A Loser; Baby’s In Black; I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party

Grade: A*

Beast Rest Forth Mouth by Bear In Heaven: Indie/Experimental Rock. The songs are massive but compact. They are guitar driven but there is the use of tom toms throughout with electronic bubbling occasionally popping to the surface. Though it sounds like prog rock the fact that they condensed it into 3 - 4 minute pocket symphonies is a feat in itself. The vocals are the sort of high pitched ones you would expect from this kind of indie music and the guitars are shoegazey. Good stuff. TWH: Bear In Peace; You Do You; Casual Goodbye

Grade: B

Be Seeing You by Dr. Feelgood: Pub Rock. It is certainly of its time. Imagine your dad has formed a pub band and is singing songs based around blues and rock and roll riffs. This is that band. The songs have some great guitar parts and they stomp along with the best of them, though the lyrics leave a little bit to be desired, but that just adds to the charm. TWH: Ninety-Nine and a Half; That’s It I Quit; She’s A Windup

Grade: D

Be Here Now by Oasis: Indie/Rock. Overblown, cocaine infused, ego driven rock? Of course, but what would you expect from the hype that surrounded this album, which is one if the fastest selling EVER! Don’t listen to the critics (including the Gallaghers) this album may have 10 or 20 too many guitar tracks but there is a quality in the songs that shine through, proving the Noel could really be completely off his tits and still write songs millions of people thought ‘Why didn’t I think of that!?’. Love it…mostly. Probably could’ve trimmed a couple of songs. TWH: Stand By Me; I Hope I Think I Know; Don’t Go Away

Grade: A

Battle For Los Angeles by Rage Against The Machine: Metal. On their third album, the closet capitalists do more of the same: preaching screaming vocals, pounding and catchy riffs and not much else. It’s a formula that works for them and their audience. TWH: Sleep Now In The Fire; Testify; Voice of the Voiceless

Grade: B

Bastard by Tyler, The Creator: Alt-Hip Hop. You haven’t heard anything like this. It’s like a mash up between weird Tom Waits and Eminem’s love child. The lyrics are dark, concerning rape, murder and broken hearts. This is not for the easily offended. The beats are stark and match the dark twisted nature of the songs. People were dubbing this new stream of hip hop ‘horror-core’. Don’t do that. It’s exciting to listen to, and it probably had all the old guard of hip hop feeling slightly worried that they weren’t doing anything anywhere as near as exciting as this. TWH: Bastard; French!; Sarah

Grade: A

The Basement Tapes by Bob Dylan & The Band: Americana/Bootleg. Originally recorded during a time of recuperation for Dylan after he had broken his neck in a motorcycle crash, this was recorded at the height of his sixties fame but the songs are very different to anything he had recorded before. They focus on strange characters plucked from that “old, weird America”. The Band are his musicians as they had visited the man in Woodstock during the summer of ’67. These songs had been circulating on bootleg for years but when they were finally released nearly ten years later there were still many omissions. This is a great album though if you want a complete picture of that summer you need to get hold of the bootlegs. TWH: Odds and Ends; You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere; This Wheel’s On Fire.

Grade: A

Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again by Modest Mouse: Alt-Rock/Live Bootleg. Though it started as a bootleg, the quality is good – so good the band briefly issued it. Strictly for hardcore fans as it doesn’t really change much from the actual recordings, apart from maybe being a tad rougher round the edges. There is a little bit of banter concerning ‘Freebird’ but that’s about it. The songs are good and so is the band, though, as said, it’s hardly essential listening. TWH: 3rd Planet; Wild Packs of Family Dogs; Bankrupt On Selling

Grade: D

Barely Legal by The Hives: Garage Rock/Punk. The debut album comes crashing out of the boxes at break neck speed and doesn’t ease up until the final song has finished playing. Though there are no immediate songs that jump out at the listener you cannot fault the energy behind every song. They weren’t going to big however until they managed to write a couple of stand out tunes, but as a piece of lightening captured on plastic, you could do far worse from a genre that can be a little too much the same. Just don’t work out to this album. TWH: A.K.A. Idiot; I’m A Wicked One; Hail Hail Spit n’ Drool

Grade: B

Bang Bang Rock And Roll by Art Brut: Indie Rock. On their debut album Art Brut set their stall out. Eddie Argos’ lyrics were quirky, clever and Morrissey like. The songs still rocked and though Argos promised to never sing about sex and drugs and rock’n’roll you can feel the irony dripping from the words. The songs inside the album deal with obsessing over a girl from when you were fifteen, drunken fights and brewer’s droop. Great songs by a great band. TWH: Formed a Band; Emily Kane; Rusted Guns Of Milan

Grade: A

Bandwagonesque by Teenage Fanclub: Power Pop. This album was overshadowed on its release by two albums you may have heard of (Nevermind and Loveless) though it became famous not only for its perfect Big Star style songs but also for the fact it was voted above Nirvana’s album to get album of the year by Spin magazine. They are perfect guitar pop and anyone wanting a lesson in how to write that style of song should look to this album. TWH: What You Do To Me; Star Sign; Alcoholiday

Grade: B

Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings: Rock/Pop. This was considered a classic when it came out. It is McCartney’s biggest selling and most critically lauded solo album. The songs are big and full of pop hooks. They blast along and there’s even a little reprise at the end to give the album an almost (but not quite) Sgt. Pepper-esque feel. TWH: Band on the Run; Jet; Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five

Grade: A*

Ballad of the Broken Seas by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan: Indie Pop/Alt-Folk. Though this is strictly Campbell’s album Lanegan steals the show. Her voice is often pushed to the background by his Tom Waits style singing, that adds depth to songs that, you get the feeling wouldn’t have any. The songs have a folky/sea shanty feel about them and contain some extremely dark lyrics. The album just moves along nicely. That’s it. TWH: Ramblin’ Man; Honey Child What Can I Do?; The Circus Is Leaving Town

Grade: C

Bakesale by Sebadoh: Indie Rock. The fourth album by the band and the original drummer had left leaving song writing duties to Barlow and Lowenstein and it works. This is their easiest album to listen to. Songs have choruses and hooks and shows what a great band they really were, especially when shining with that slacker guitar. TWH: License to Confuse; Skull; Rebound

Grade: D

Bad Timing by Jim O’Rourke. Acoustic/Instrumental. O’Rourke’s return from forays into electronic music produced this album of acoustic pieces, that still have the odd bit of help in the studio but, what often appear to be acoustic meanderings, turn into beautifully crafted melodies. There are only four tracks on this album all clocking in at around the 10 minute mark. Nice and mellow; perfect for a relaxing summer’s night. TWH: There’s Hell in Hello But More In Goodbye; 94 The Long Way; Happy Trails

Grade: A

Bad Love by Randy Newman: Rock. People now know Newman as the guy who writes songs for the Pixar movies, but they should know he writes some of the most sarcastic, sardonic and satirical songs out there. This was his first album for quite a long time after he came in from the Pixar wilderness. Songs tackle topics such as rock stars not giving up when they really should, old men having flings with young women, the effect the nations of Europe have had on the world and even a couple of more straight forward love songs. High quality though not his best. TWH: Shame; Every Time It Rains; Big Hat No Cattle

Grade: B

Bad As Me by Tom Waits: Blues/Rock. Tom’s most recent effort is short and sweet. In timing that is. He described the swiftness of the songs as “Get in, get out, no fucking around” and he does just that. We know what to expect by this album; the weird instruments, the growling vocal that can change to a plaintive moan; brawlers and bawlers in the song choices. He sounds like he had as much fun making it as we are listening to it. Which is what music should be. TWH: Get Lost, Get Lost; Hell Broke Luce

Grade: B

Back To The Egg by Wings: Rock/Pop. The final album by McCartney’s post-Beatles band. It was slated on release what with punk being around and all but it isn’t as bad as all the critics made out. The songs are rock with some catchy melodies, McCartney even gives us a blue-eyed soul number and also one of his 1920’s pastiches. Not as bad as it sounds. TWH: Getting Closer; Arrow Through Me; To You

Grade: C

Back To School (Mini Maggit) EP by Deftones: Metal. This was a between albums e.p. and it consists of the re-recorded ‘Back To School’ track that features on the previous album ‘White Pony’. The new version is heavy heavy heavy but also distinctly pop. The rest of the e.p. is just live cuts from previous albums. This is really only for completists. TWH: Back To School; Feiticeira; Change (In The House Of Flies) (acoustic)

Grade: D

Back To Black by Amy Winehouse: Soul/Pop. This was the album that made Winehouse the household name that she is today. Ignore all the press and what is left is a great soulful album. Like a modern day ‘Dusty In Memphis’ though Ronson’s production is heavily indebted to the sixties girl groups, that just adds to the timeless feel of the album. Thank god heartbreak exists....who would've known she was going to join the 'stupid club'? TWH: Rehab; You Know I’m No Good; Addicted

Grade: A*

Back To Bizzness by Lethal Bizzle: Grime/Hip Hop. This was the album that brought this rapper to the indie kids. He had teamed up with hardcore punk bands, indie kids and twee pop, and though this is a hip hop album there are elements of “grindie” (grime and indie here). The beats are electronic but the rhymes are organic and personal. You get to experience a rush of different emotions, from anger, inadequacy and fun, a very different feel than most hip hop albums. TWH: Police On My Back; Selfridges Girl Not On MySpace; Reflecting

Grade: C

Back In Black by AC/DC: Heavy Rock/Metal. If you don’t know this album, then where have you been hiding? The second biggest selling album of all time and it rocks. The guitars wail, every song has a sing along chorus and the best thing is, it’s no longer ironic to like this band. You can happily bask in their rocking glory. And please do. TWH: Back In Black; You Shook Me All Night Long; Shoot To Thrill

Grade: A*

Baby I’m Bored by Evan Dando: Alt-Rock. Dando’s come back album. He had been off the radar for a few years and had only released one live album so everyone was waiting to see what one of the ultimate slackers had finally brought back from the edge of heroin addiction and hanging out with lesbians in the Australian outback. He gave us an album that pretty much sums him up. The songs are well put together, they’re laid back and show flashes of brilliance. It’s quite a folky album and Dando did not compose all the songs on here, BUT he chose them, and it’s good to see that even if he did not write a couple he still knows a good tune. TWH: The Same Thing You Thought Hard About Is The Same Part I Can Live Without; Why Do You Do This To Yourself?; All My Life

Grade: C

Axis: Bold As Love by The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Psych-Rock. The Experience’s third album could almost read like a hippy dream, if the guitars weren’t so loud. Songs have trippy lyrics and though the songs aren’t as strictly blues based as their debut, they still rock. You have the first track which is nearly a two minute blast of feedback and then a whole range of tunes from there on in. TWH: Little Wing; Castles Made Of Sand; Axis: Bold As Love

Grade: A

Awake Is The New Sleep by Ben Lee: College/Alt –Rock. Much like Avi Buffalo, Ben Lee released his first record when e was far too young to be doing such things and he was a darling of the underground circuit. Still is in fact. I howver never really saw the appeal. This album, like many of his others is no different; a couple of good songs thrown in with a lot of filler. Meh. TWH: Gamble Everything For Love; Catch My Disease

Grade: E

Avi Buffalo by Avi Buffalo: Indie/Folk. This debut album sounds so American Indie Folk it hurts, but of course, that isn’t always a bad thing. The songs have great tunes and a played exceptionally well, and considering this artist is just out of nappies I personally can’t wait for their second album, if they keep up this kind of quality, pretty soon, everyone else will be waiting for them too. TWH: Truth Sets In; What’s In It For?; One Last

Grade: A

Automatic For The People by R.E.M.: Alt-Rock. Pretty much EVERYONE either owns this album or has heard the songs from it. Make no mistake, it is a dark album as most of the lyrics deal with mortality and the music is subdued to say the least with the use of acoustic guitars, mandolin and organ throughout the pieces. However, the songs have as the French say, a certain something, and though melancholy there is something hopeful within the songs as well. TWH: Drive; Sweetness Follows; Nightswimming

Grade: A*

Autobahn by Kraftwerk: Kraut Rock/Electronic. That’s right, they’re a German band who made an electronic concept album about driving on a motorway and then the night, but don’t let that put you off. The 22 minute (!) long title track is excellent and actually captures what the band were trying to – that of the different feelings and sights you have when travelling on the autobahn (specifically Koln to Berlin). The second part of the album is darker, what with the concept being night, and the music feels more claustrophobic. A surprisingly great album. Don’t be scared to accept it, it won’t make you pretentious twat. Honest. TWH: Autobahn; Kometenmelodie 2; Morgenspaziergang

Grade: A

August E.P. by Bishop Allen: Indie Rock/Live. Number 8 in their year long E.P. series. This one is a live set of 14 songs, so not bad for an E.P. However it just sounds dull. Maybe you had to be there. The audience clap when expected and when the band ask them if they’re enjoying themselves they seem to be. I wish I had enjoyed it. TWH: Empire City

Grade: E

Atom Heart Mother by Pink Floyd: Prog Rock. Ok. The opening track is twenty minutes long and nothing really stand out apart from a Gilmour guitar solo at around seven minutes. The rest of the album is distinctly average, as they were trying to escape the flying saucer, psychedelic image that they had originally courted but hadn’t quite figured out how to do that with good songs yet. The last song is a 12 minute epic instrumental that has some bloke called Alan occasionally describe the different kinds of breakfast he eats. Riviting. TWH: If; Fat Old Sun

Grade: E

At Your Convenience by 4ft Fingers: Punk Rock. An album from an English punk that is rooted in So-Cal; but it still has a distinctly English feel to it. The songs blaze along with catchy melodies and razor guitar riffs, occasionally a banjo makes an appearance too. At 19 tracks it’s either value for money or over long. I’ll let you decide that for yourself. They also have a couple of great samples, just to add to the fun. TWH: Brickwalls; My Song; Drunkenville

Grade: B

At My Window by Townes Van Zandt: Country. This is really country. Fiddles; lap steels; acoustic guitars; mandolins and broken vocals are all present and correct. The songs flow along nicely enough. Hardly mind blowing stuff though. TWH: At My Window; For The Sake Of The Song; Ain’t Leaving Your Love

Grade: D

At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash: Country/Live. What can I say about this legendary album? The songs are great and you can really feel the atmosphere of the prison. The crowd boos the guards, Johnny’s voice is amazing and you can feel his passion and connection (and fun) he has with every song. Great. TWH: Folsom Prison Blues; Flushed From The Bathroom of Your Heart; Cocaine Blues

Grade: A*

At Dawn by My Morning Jacket: Southern/Psyc Rock. This is the band’s second album, and it was the one when they started to expand their sound. Though the soft vocal and the acoustic guitar are all present and correct, the rocking numbers make more of an appearance as do keyboards. The album is good, if a tad long…but I have the feeling Jim James hasn’t heard of the word ‘edit’. TWH: Bermuda Highway; Honest Man

Grade: C

At Carnegie Hall by The Thelonius Monk Quartet with John Coltrane: Jazz/Live. This is a fairly recent lost recording that was found, and what a recording it is. These two jazz giants had now been playing together for four moths and by now they knew exactly what each other were about. There is excellent interplay between both of them. They both show their virtuosity (as do the other members of the quartet) and it’s a pleasure to listen to. It sound like you could be there. Great stuff. TWH: Epistrophy; Sweet and Lovely; Nutty

Grade: A*

Astro Coast by Surfer Blood: Indie Rock. The guitars are fuzzy, the vocals have reverb and the songs rock. A pretty god combination really, this album is of its time (now) and though it has some great tunes I can’t help but wonder if this style of production will make the album seem slightly dated or not. Hopefully the tunes are good enough to stand the test of time. Well, I like them. TWH: Floating Vibes; Harmonix; Anchorage

Grade: B

Astro Lounge by Smash Mouth: Ska/Pop Punk. The songs sound like they could be set in any American road trip/college movie and a few constantly are. They bounce along and though some blend into each other there are a few classic tracks that shine through on here. TWH: All Star; Satellite; Home

Grade: D

Astral Weeks by Van Morrison: Folk/Jazz/Blues. This album is essentially a love letter back home to Northern Ireland. Van the man released this after the success of Brown Eyed Girl and threw everyone off with its improvised blues and almost stream of consciousness lyrics. The songs range from the rambling to the short and sweet. All of them are amazing. It’s a thrill to hear what two days in a recording studio with an acoustic guitar, stand up bass, drums and a horn section can produce. TWH: Astral Weeks; Sweet Thing; Slim Slow Slider

Grade: A*

Asleep In The Back by Elbow: Britpop/Prog Rock. The album sounds like a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist. The movie’s in black and white and it’s about a doomed romance that has occurred during some hazy drug-fuelled weekend. The songs drift by in a woozy state and then can suddenly burst with energy freaking the listener out before falling back again into some warm security blanket that doesn’t really exist. Lyrics seem cryptic and the guitars sound like they’re made of raindrops and thunderstorms. TWH: Bitten By The Tailfly; Asleep in the Back;

Grade: B

Art Brut vs. Satan by Art Brut: Indie Rock. The songs follow pretty much the same formula as their previous two albums. Argos’ dead pan delivery and rocking guitars provide the usual winces at the lyrics and also the smiles at the clever turns of phrases: “I fought the floor and the floor won” when describing being drunk for example. It’s a good album, though lacking some of the urgency of the debut. TWH: Alcoholics Unanimous; Summer Job; Catch

Grade: B

Around the Sun by R.E.M.: Rock. One of the band’s later albums this record doesn’t really do or say much. The songs come and go and all seem much of a muchness. They lack energy and really only one or at a push two really stand out. Much like Neil Young’s last album reviewed, it doesn’t really matter as they have so many other great albums to choose from. TWH: Leaving New York; The Ascent Of Man

Grade: E

Around the Fur by Deftones: Metal. This was the band’s second album and it was a huge leap from their previous effort. Though the terrible genre of Nu-Metal was starting to make an appearance, Deftones set out their stall to show they were not just another nu-metal act. The songs have catch riffs, screaming and some strange and haunting lyrics. Chino’s vocal range from barely a whisper to ear bleeding shrieks and the guitars are constantly smashing your brain. This is what a metal album should sound like.

TWH: My Own Summer (Shove It); Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away); MX

Grade : A*

Armed Forces by Elvis Costello and The Attractions: New Wave/Rock. Costello’s third album in 2 years and he wasn’t slowing any time soon. The songs all deal with bitter feelings towards women but especially English culture. He pokes fun at people and feels paranoid about poking fun at the simultaneously. Though there are some very poppy tunes they can’t mask the darkness that lies at the heart of this album. Brilliant. TWH: Oliver’s Army; Green Shirt; Sunday’s Best

Grade: A*

Are You Passionate? by Neil Young: Rock. Not much to say about this. Young has the backing band of Booker T. and the MGs and though they add a soulful feel to the album the songs all drift into one another with nothing standing out. Oh well, it’s not as if he hasn’t got some other albums to fall back on. Close, but no cigar. TWH: TWH: You’re My Girl; Let’s Roll

Grade: E