67/500 Jay-Z-Reasonable Doubt. It is the best Jay-Z album I’ve heard. It’s one of the better things to come from the more modern hip hop cannon. It is still far too self centred and egotistical to really be my kind of thing. I won’t go back by choice. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

68/500 Kate Bush-Hounds of Love. The singles in this are some of the most magnificent things the 80s produced. The rest may not match them but at no point is it bad, it’s thing of two parts because some of it is just so far beyond the rest. #500best2020 #bestalbums

69/500 Alanis Morissette-Jagged Little Pill. Another album from my youth, this time listening to all the girls ‘singing’ along in the pub. The songs are deeply personal and connect well, and the whole thing just works. There’s more than nostalgia there. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

70/500 NWA-Straight Outta Compton. This was the album of GCSE art for me… we were allowed to play our own music and a bunch of 15 year olds loved track two. The impact is somewhat lessened with time, but it still hits pretty damn at its high points. #500best2020 #BestSlbums

71/500 Beyoncé-Renaissance. More groove than you’d expect and a real tour though dance music styles. I enjoyed it more than I expected to, which was a pleasant surprise though I do feel it’s been raised a touch above its station it’s a good listen. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

72/500 Neil Young-Harvest. I love this record. Beautiful honest and heartfelt it’s simple and for that fact more effective and communicating the emotion. Some of Neil’s best songs on here too. I defy you to dislike it. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

73/500 My Bloody Valentine-Loveless. Ambient, spacious and intriguing. It’s an odd one, another I enjoyed but don’t quite know why. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

74/500 Kanye West-The College Dropout. Not the worst Kanye album. It doesn’t deserve to be here, it says nothing brilliant or encourages me to listen again, but at least he sounds semi well adjusted at this point. Not too too much ego. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

75/500 Aretha Franklin-Lady Soul. Another close to perfect album. Great performances, captured naturally live and intimately. One of the greatest voices ever. A wonder. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

76/500 Curtis Mayfield-Superfly. I love this record. It’s not just a movie soundtrack it’s a near perfect record, just great songs wonderfully performed, the fact they fit a film is a bonus. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

77/500 The Who-Who’s Next. Probably my favourite who album. Not too moddy and not to pompously rock opera, the shines are in that space where their ambition meets the excitement and delivers something joyous. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

78/500 Elvis Presley-The Sun Sessions. A selection of very important recordings from the start of a career that did somewhat define popular music. However it is a compilation and doesn’t belong. #500best2020 #bestalbums

79/500 Frank Ocean-Blonde. I think they’ve got this and Channel Orange the wrong way round, but this is a good record. One of the ones I like but I can’t put my finger on why… #500best2020 #BestAlbums

80/500 The Sex Pistols-Never Mind the Bollocks. This was never going to be one of my favourite records, but in terms of its attitude and performance it’s far more punky than any American early punk, despite being a load of manufactured and misguided product. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

81/500 Beyoncé-Beyoncé. I enjoyed the bits where the headline artist was the main act, it it seems she got out in the sidelines too much in favour of hubby, drake and Nicki Minaj who collectively do nothing for me. Even without them this wouldn’t have made my list though. #500best2020 #bestalbums.

82/500 Sly and the Family Stone-There’s a Riot Going On. Funky but not t feels a little introverted, it’s not massively in your face, but it does invite you in and hold you there. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

83/500 Dusty Springfield-Dusty in Memphis. Funky, understated and soulful. This really is deserving of its place on the list if not higher. A wonderful combination of her voice, great songs and some of the finest musicians in the world. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

84/500 AC/DC-Back in Black. It’s amazing how much fun this is in places. It has all the tropes later stolen by metal bands from all over, but they all took it too seriously and this is folks having fun! #500best2020 #BestAlbums

85/500 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Once again I feel you can hear the lack of Paul in the songwriting, not to say they aren’t great, they are. They would have been more interesting with Paul’s input but impossible to write with him. A dichotomy to ponder #500best2020 #bestalbums

86/500 The Doors-The Doors. There’s too much made of the genius of Jim Morrison, and I think the greatness is in the band. Here they’re too the fore rather than his excesses and it’s all for the better. The psychedelia is well used and the songs are king. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

87/500 Miles Davis-Bitches Brew. Once again Miles is the most inventive musician on the planet and like any great artist it can feel obscure and odd. It can take a little work to get into but unlike people pretending to be clever this says something. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

89/500 Erykah Badu-Baduizm. I suppose this is neo-soul, but it’s so much more, jazz, trip hop, pop confessional. I enjoyed it, in that insidious way of low initial impact but you’re left wanting to explore it again and again. Which I did. #BestAlbums #500best2020

90/500 Neil Young-After the Goldrush. One of those great Neil Young albums where it isn’t just the loud electric or the gentle acoustic, it’s a mix and whatever serves the song is chosen, and oh the songs… THE SONGS! #500best2020 #BestAlbums

91/500 Bruce Springsteen-Darkness on the Edge of Town. A good bromine album. Good songs full of American stories but it doesn’t have one of those classic tunes that everyone knows. Still worth a listen though. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

92/500 Tye Jimi Hendrix Experience-Axis: Bold as Love. To me, easily the best Jimi album. The point where the ambition and vision met the energy and neither won, they just combined into a supernova of musicianship and great songs. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

93/500 Missy Elliott-Supa Dupa Fly. It’s very much of its time but has more groove than most. Full of self confidence that doesn’t quite come across as braggadocio but it isn’t far at all. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

94/500 The Stooges-Fun House. Fun house is a good description… it can leave you off kilter and a little dizzy. It sounds like proto punk, but it goes off into long psychedelic jams that feature some slick sax playing. It’s loud chaotic and strangely wonderful. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

95/500 Drake-Take Care. This has more groove than most of its contemporaries and some interesting takes on the troubles of fame. A small obsession with Aaliyah. It does sometimes get to be a little overboard with look at all my money, better than most but not spectacular. #500best2020 #BestAlbums

96/500 REM-Automatic for the People. Another record where artfulness collides with decent songs in a pleasing way. I wouldn’t rate it quite as high as this, but it was a fun revisit to my youth #500best2020 #BestAlbums

97/500 Metallica-Master of Puppets. At times it’s hard to believe how un-heavy much heavy music sounds. This is that. The riffs are full on the playing pretty brutal, but where are the guts? Turned down along with the mid knob on the guitars. Not bad. Could be better. #BestAlbums #500best2020