In keeping with this landmark issue of Uncut, we decided to celebrate some – 300, no less – of the great albums that have helped define who we are and what we do over the past 25 years. As you’d imagine, it proved to be a herculean task – involving a panel of 55 Uncut contributors, both present and past, who voted for a total of 926 records between them. The results, we proudly think, speak for themselves.

As well as much-loved albums reaching back to the dawn of Uncut’s history, gratifyingly this list also includes more recent releases – underscoring our firm belief that, firstly, veteran Uncut favourites continue to evolve creatively and, secondly, that new music from younger artists is a vital part of this magazine’s ongoing mission. There are albums that have fallen off the radar or are ripe for reappraisal, classics and more obscure items. There’s Bob Dylan here – of course! – but also James Blackshaw, Liberation Music Orchestra, The Necks, Manu Chao, Burial, Courtney Marie Andrews, D’Angelo, Jack Rose, Amy Winehouse and Myriam Gendron.

When Uncut launched in 1997, CDs were the dominant format and the digital landscape was in its infancy. Times, clearly, have changed – but the album has prevailed. Indeed, at a time when streaming platforms privilege playlists, our lifestyles impact on valuable listening time and supply-chain issues continue to wreak havoc on vinyl manufacturing schedules, celebrating the album might appear to be a faintly radical gesture – foolish, even. But just as Uncut has endured for 300 issues, so the album continues to be the defining artefact for artists, fans and heads. Critically, we all know the pleasures of deep listening to a record, just as the artist intended, from the opening track to the final fade-out…

You can read more about the May 2022 issue of Uncut here, and buy your copy direct from us here.