Aftermath by The Rolling Stones – Rock n’ Roll/Blues . This was the first album with entirely Mick and Keef composition. There are some classics on here but the album does feel overly long. It was seen as a major artistic break through for the band and here they have starting honing their song writing chops. However, there are a few that seem a bit like filler, as they obviously hadn’t quite hit the stride of every song being a classic just yet. TWH: Under My Thumb; Out Of Time; Mother’s Little Helper

Grade: B

After The Goldrush by Neil Young – Country/Singer-songwriter. One of the early albums in Mr. Young’s erratic career and also one of his best. The songs range from country tinged ballads to full out guitar assault rockers. Written when the hippy dream was beginning to collapse and suddenly raising the bar for every person with an acoustic guitar and voice. There’s not a bad song on it. Dreams being shattered have never sounded so good. TWH: Tell Me Why; Southern Man; Don’t Let It Bring You Down

Grade A*

Adrenaline by Deftones – Metal. The debut album by Deftones. They came out when that terrible Nu-metal genre was in full swing and thank god they were talented enough to stand out from the pack. The songs are loud and aggressive but they do have shades to them. Moreno’s vocals can jump from a whisper to scream in the blink of an eye and the band themselves are technically proficient. There was better to come from them but a pretty good start. Tracks worth hearing: Bored; 7 Words

Grade: D

Adore by Smashing Pumpkins Electro/Goth/Alt-Rock. They had to follow a couple of massive rock albums and were feeling slightly stressed about it. Instead of giving people what they wanted (which isn’t always right) Corgan decided to go down a more electro route. The problem with this is though the songs are good, they seemingly lack any organic feeling to them even though most have some sort of acoustic guitar or piano within them. The songs feel cold and seem to lack any real ‘humaness’ to them. It’s a good album, but feels slightly one dimensional. Tracks worth hearing: Ava Adore; Appels and Oranjes; To Shelia

Grade: C

Acoustic Citsuoca Live at the Startime Pavillion (EP)by My Morning Jacket - Alt-country/Rock. Not much really happens here it’s nice and all but that’s it. It’s just six songs of Jim James doing his usual stuff with a crowd cheering. Nothing really stands out; probably only for real hardcore fans. Tracks worth hearing: The Bear

Grade: E

Acme by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Blues/Garage Rock. This album has a good mix of a few genres though can feel a little haphazard at times. The opening track feels like some old Stax/Motown number with the needle skipping (that’s a good thing) and much of the album just rocks. Jon Spencer does his best Elvis impersonation and constantly asks for us to ‘get down’. It is a great album to party to. You can dance, you can rock, you can do your best Elvis sneer. Have fun, cos that’s what Mr. Spencer wants you to do. Tracks worth hearing: Calvin; High Gear; Bernie

Grade: C

Lo-Fidelity # 2: The Great Big Listen - A

Achtung Baby by U2 – Alternative/Rock. This is their second biggest selling album. It re-invented U2 and always makes it into greatest albums ever lists. Not sure why though. There are some good parts to it but it still feels overblown and pompous even though they were apparently trying to take themselves less seriously. There’s a lot of fat on this album that could have been trimmed. Though it may have sounded fresh at the time I can’t help but think it sounds just a tad dated now. Tracks worth hearing: Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses; Zoo Station; The Fly

Grade: C