1001 Albums Summary

My first album of the project, and one I previously owned on cassette tape but never really got into. On listening today, I now wonder if this is because my preferred tracks are very much loaded into the second half of the record, what would’ve been “side B”, so maybe I rarely made it that far. Interesting to read on Wikipedia that the sides were initially intended to be the other way round. Format affects enjoyment more than I realise. Anyway, this isn’t a usual go-to genre for me. I can appreciate how exciting it must have been at the time. There are just so many ideas packed in (and so much sampling!) that it often feels too frenetic for me to really enjoy. I like the album best when it finds a groove and settles into it for a while - standout highlight being Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos.

I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a Stevie Wonder album before, despite obviously being familiar with the hits. This kicks off with that dreadful Casio keyboard backing track sound he is so fond of, with the intro to You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. I hate it so much. But the rest of the record is varied and overall I am pleasantly surprised. His voice is much better than has ever really occurred to me before (he’s very much “great songwriter” rather than “great singer” in my head). Superstition is obviously phenomenal. You And I is beautiful, and new to me. And I Believe finishes the album on a really lovely uplifting note that had me immediately pressing play to listen to the whole thing again - including the cheesy Casio bit.

I’m trying to distance myself from the kind of fellow Manc who’s still walking around with bowl cuts and bucket hats in 2021, but I cannot deny that I genuinely think this is a great album. No standout tracks for me, but the whole record hangs together as such a mood. It was such a great production decision to get Paul Oakenfold involved. It’s not technically as good as the likes of The Stone Roses, but it is a bit more fun.

Not all poetry benefits from being set to music; the words get lost here amidst samey melodies and finger-picking. I struggled to pay attention.

I’m surprised at how little I enjoyed this; moments of really great guitar frequently ruined by launching into pompous widdly bits, and the wailing vocal proved difficult to tolerate by the end. At its best when things are kept punchy (Communication Breakdown).

I really enjoyed this, the vocal arrangements are lush and overall it is slightly spicier in tone than expected. Free love and all that. Could’ve done without the uninspired Dobie Gray cover, but something tells me this isn’t going to be the last uninspired and unnecessary soul cover I encounter on this project.

I’ve never enjoyed Hetfield’s vocals, and most of this is too thrashy for my tastes, but Orion is so good!

Never listened to Bruce before & I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Quality dips a bit in the middle but overall it’s solid stuff. Definitely going to revisit it.

The way they take bleeps and bloops and infuse them with warmth and emotion is something else. Neon Lights is one of the most beautiful pieces of music.

Not for me.

Queen are just not my thing at all & this is the first album of theirs I’ve listened to. Their sound is a strange combination of pompous and wacky, two qualities that do not often sit side by side. I was not expecting the incredibly nerdy lyrics here and am undecided as to whether that endears me to this record more or less. Two stars for being objectively interesting, in a detached kind of way.

Never heard of this guy before. This is pretty low-key with some interesting arrangements and overall quite a fresh sound for 1977. Nice working from home background music, which I suppose both is and isn’t a compliment.

I don’t especially think of myself as a Radiohead fan, and I wouldn’t think to list them as one of my favourite bands, but several of their albums unquestionably deserve a 5 star rating, including this one. Exit Music stops me in my tracks every time.

I paused my project for a bit because I was tired of listening to pompous guitar dudes every day, so it was nice to reactivate and come back to this. Good production and overall sound; it really does feel like an ‘album’ rather than a collection of hit singles. Not sure it belongs on this list but whatever, I had fun.

This is some real force of nature stuff.

Scott Walker is one of my all-time favourites, so you’d think I would love this, but something about it didn’t land. The delivery is too arch and there’s too much whimsy for my liking. It was ok overall, but verging on irritating in places.

This is too smooth for my tastes. Very competent but mostly forgettable.

Two PJ records in one week! I dithered over giving a 5 star rating to Rid Of Me, because I love it but it’s simply not as flawless as this. So I’m essentially saying this would get a 5 plus, if such a thing existed. Every song is great; the beautiful softer moments just as much as the powerful rock tracks. The opening bars make me feel as excited now as they did when I first heard it age 13. Still looking for a karaoke place where I can belt out Good Fortune.

I’ve never listened to Simple Minds beyond the obvious hits before. Probably shouldn’t be surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Both the music and the vocal are pure 80s New Wave vibe.

I was probably never going to love this, it just isn’t my thing, but for what little my opinion’s worth I didn’t this was very good. All very samey and…inexperienced sounding, I guess, not in a good fresh way. Method Man clearly stands out as having the best flow of the bunch.

This is so much dancing fun especially if, like me, you are exactly the right age for Nu Rave to have been more significant than just a curious blink-and-you’ll-miss-it footnote in pop culture history. The whole record is excellent and coherent except for The Party, which loses it a whole star (Uffie!).

This hits like a ton of bricks! I didn’t know anything at all about Janis Joplin before and had her in my head as a folksy Joni Mitchell type. How wrong can you be. The soul and psych stuff on here is amazing, it all sounds so fun and exciting. Very nearly got a 5 star but for one too many blues tracks which are really not to my taste. Definitely going on regular rotation though.

A cross between widdly 70s rock and brass band music, just what the world needs.

Rap isn’t my genre & I’ll probably never listen to this again, but I’m really glad I did. The reason for 2Pac’s appeal is clear; introspective and thoughtful lyrics that are still relevant today, slickly produced.

This was a strangely underwhelming record given that you can clearly hear Hüsker Dü’s influence on so many later post-punk and pop-punk artists. I didn’t enjoy it very much, but it probably deserves to be on this list.

I guess it broke new ground for its time, but on listening now this sounds tired & kind of dumb.

I fully expected to hate this, but it has its moments. The title track is very good; I can hear echoes of Sabbath in that and the other heavier tracks on this record. I don’t even mind the flute that much when it’s well-incorporated into the band - though the jaunty flute solos did raise an eyebrow. The acoustic folk elements don’t do it for me, though, and neither does that generic 70s rock vocal. 2.5 stars.

A shimmery, jangly, dream!

I have a great fondness for this album (though really, it’s two albums) but I am now realising I can’t remember when I last listened to it without skipping a whole bunch. The high points are really high, but there’s a whole lot of filler. Listening to both sides from start to finish was not actually that fun.

This was the first album to make me realise dance music is great, as a nu-metal loving kid. Every track on this is still great. Best played loud in the car.